Coldstorm (Heart of a Vampire, Book 7) (27 page)

"Can you track them the way you followed the magic earlier—their auras right?"

Stunned to realize her mind was so slow she hadn't thought to study them yet, Anca cleared her head. She focused on the area, then stopped, surprised. "There's nothing."

"They didn't leave a trail?" Niki asked.

Shane had obviously told her everything he knew about Anca.

"More than that." She stared at the blankness. "It's like they erased all signs of magic nearby. There's absolutely nothing."

A long twenty minutes later, the Keeper dismissed Anca, saying he'd write up a report. "Come by the station tomorrow, anytime. I'll need you to write down an accounting of things."

Anca nodded, and turned to go.

A soft hand on her arm stopped her. "Where's your car?" Niki asked.

The thought of the walk through town, hurt and bloody, wasn't appealing. Anca's shoulders slumped. "The Diner."

Niki exchanged a brief glance with Shane, then said, "I'll drive you. Unless you'd let me take you to the hospital?"

Jerking her head, Anca replied sharply, "No."

Niki watched her with an enigmatic look.

"I'll take a ride to my car. Thank you." But she didn't want to go anywhere near the hospital. Matt might be there.

As Anca got into the pickup truck, she realized she'd have no choice. With an empty supply of blood at camp, she'd have to stop by the hospital anyway.

Without it, her injuries would slow her down and get in the way.

"To answer your question," Niki started the truck and made a u-turn, heading the opposite way, "Shane doesn't take sides. And besides, I'm not part of the clan."

"Why not?" She was curious, but also anxious to keep the conversation off herself.

"Long story. For the most part, I don't like being hemmed in." Niki looked at her. The woman's bright eyes remained enigmatic. "Shane said you're Romani, like a gypsy, right?"

"Yes."

"So you understand."

"I do."

Niki nodded, then fell silent.

Anca didn't try to fill it with chatter. She rested her head against the seat and watched the town pass by. When Niki pulled into the diner's parking lot, Anca jumped out.

With a quick, but sincere, "Thank you again," she hurried to her rental car.

Anca closed and locked the door, then just sat there for a long moment. The delayed reaction to the fight hit—a lack of strength, pain radiating through every nerve. The immense hunger.

Her hands shook so badly she couldn't get the key into the ignition. Laying them in her lap, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, breathing deep.

Food. Blood.

She'd figure the rest out after that.

A
nca opened her eyes and lifted her head. And winced at the fiery stabbing along her neck and back. She needed food, but another glance at bloodied self said fast food drive-thru. Hitting the nearest place, Anca paid for an extra-large order, then drove out to the hospital.

She parked a little from the doors closest to the blood bank, in a large empty area lit by dim lighting.

Within minutes, she inhaled the food. It sat in her belly, a warm ball of fuel, restoring some of her strength and energy. Helping her heal faster.

But more, she needed blood.

Luckily she had a few extra shirts in the car. She changed into one, and used another to try cleaning her face and arms the best she could. Unfortunately, most of the blood had already dried.

Avoiding a glance in the rearview mirror, Anca got out and headed for the doors. At least in a hospital, people would be used to seeing others disheveled and bloody. She shouldn't cause a panic. Plus, at night, the hallways were nearly deserted.

She passed a couple nurses who stared after her, pale and wide-eyed.

A doctor who kept trying to hustle her to the ER. Every time she tried to get by him, he blocked her.

Fed up, she growled, "It's not my blood." A partial lie, but it stopped the guy's urgent worry.

He scrambled back a good few feet.

She hurried on, ignoring the roiling in her stomach, the whispers in the back of her mind that wondered if she'd run into a different doctor. One she had no business even thinking about.

In the blood bank, she ordered two thermoses and gulped down the warm, thick life-sustaining liquid. Heat rushed through her. Power and strength and energy. The pain began to slowly quiet.

Taking a additional large to-go order, Anca slipped into the halls. With the worry she'd pass out fading, she stopped in one of the public bathrooms and washed her face and hands. Attempted to tame her wild hair. She unbraided it, fingercombed the long locks. Sighing at the near-futility, she swept it back in a half decent ponytail then left the bathroom, continuing through the halls, and outside.

The heavy silence of the still night pressed down upon the nearly empty parking lot. But her instincts flared at the approach of someone with magic.

An Arcaine. And potential danger.

Anca stopped just outside the doors, stepping into deep shadows next to them.

Voices reached her. "Whaddya mean, a new cave entrance? How'd you find it?" The youthful male voice cracked.

Anca's breath of relief went unheard as three vampires strode into view. She recognized all as clan—Robby, the guard Leo, and a third young male new to her.

Leo answered, "It wasn't while we were searching with the clan." He glanced around suspiciously, as if they were kids hiding a secret from the adults.

The hairs on the back of Anca's spine prickled in warning. Stopped her from calling out or revealing herself quite yet.

Leo pointed to the third vampire, another tall blond who'd also been about twenty when turned. "Aaron agrees with me. The three of us should go check it out. If we find the Rogues and let our King know, think of the glory."

Anca sighed roughly. They
were
children. She stepped from the shadows, letting a little of her magic prickle through the night.

The three young vampires jumped.

"Anca!" Robby flushed, shoulders stooping at being caught red handed.

Leo paled, then blanked his expression. "You're the lady from the Magic Council."

"I am," she replied, releasing the smallest bit more power to flow around her.

Around them.

The third kid, Aaron, tried to speak, but only managed a strangled, "Gwack." He ran off into the night.

Anca stared the other two down. "Tell me you guys aren't really thinking about trying to find these Rogues all on your own. I'm a Judge and they're going to be tough opponents for me."

Robby's eyes widened into saucers. "A Judge? Like the King's cousin, Connor?"

"Yes." Her reply was absentminded.

Leo tensed, fists tightening. He hid them in his pockets. "I thought you said you weren't a Judge?"

She studied him. "Did I?"

"You're here to help, then? To find my sister?"

"I am." She'd do her damn well best. Anca stared into his unflinching eyes. "Tell me where this entrance is.
I
will check it out."

Leo finally nodded. He pulled a folded map out of his back pocket, then smoothed the creases in the paper.

Robby leaned against Anca's side, staring at the thick printed paper, and the red ink clearly marking the spot.

She stepped away, but like a puppy, he followed.

The kid poked the map. "See that circle? That's where you guys fought the siren this morning."

She glanced at Robby sharply. "How do you know about that?" MacDougal had said he planned to keep it quiet.

At Robby's grin, Anca considered the way the King's wife had rolled her eyes, saying, "
Sure. As quiet as you can in this clan
."

Leo moved a hand over sections grayed out in pencil. "These are the places the clan has searched. I was hunting this afternoon—wanted to get some rabbits." He pointed to a small spot about two miles from the clash with the siren. "I saw a wolf."

The two vampires exchanged a look she couldn't read.

"What about the wolf?" Anca demanded.

Robby bit his lip and stared at the ground.

She concentrated a glare on Leo, feeling a little bad at the way he paled to a ghostly shade. Then again, a bit of a scare was deserved.

Leo said he wanted glory.

Anca figured the real reason was to try and save his sister.

Noble and brave.

And stupid.

Să te ia dracu.
These young ones wouldn't survive an encounter with the Rogues. She'd be damned by those devils herself, before she allowed the kids' deaths on her conscience.

Leo finally answered. "I-I thought it was a p-pack wolf." He tensed, shoulders tight. Drawing courage. When he spoke again, confidence leaked into his voice. "I followed him and he went into a cave here," he pointed at a small red dot on the map, "and he met up with some vampires who weren't clan."

Robby grinned. "Can we come with you?"

For a long moment, Anca bit her tongue against what she really wanted to say. "No. The two of you will find your friend Aaron, and then head directly home to the castle. Inform MacDougal about all of this. Tell him to catch up to me at the cave."

Shaking his head, Robby stood to his full height, somehow under the mistaken impression he had any chance whatsoever of ordering her around. "You can't go alone. It's too dangerous."

He must get the attitude from the older clan vampires, like MacDougal. And Matt.

She pointed out, "You three kids were planning on trying it."

"Yeah, but we were just going to double check the Rogues are there, not fight them."

She stared him down—as much as she could from her much shorter vantage point—until he looked away. "I work alone. And I've taken down bigger baddies than a handful of Rogues."

He didn't look convinced.

"Maybe she's right," Leo said. "And if we get to Jordan, he'll send backup, so she'll be fine."

Anca heartily agreed, ignoring the concern in the Robby's eyes. "Go home, kid."

Robby waved at the hospital. "You're working with Doctor Dixon right? You're gonna take him with you, aren't you?"

"Matt's here?" The idea made her stomach twist, though she wasn't surprised.

The boy cocked his head to the side, assessing her with a curious look. "Yeah." He slid a palm-sized brown paper wrapped box from his back pocket. "Jordan asked us to deliver this to the doctor. But since you're meeting him, you can take it." He shoved it into her hands.

"What?"

"Okay, good. We'll let the King know and he'll send you guys some of our warriors to help fast." He grabbed Leo by the arm and practically ran out of there.

"Stay out of trouble," she called to their rapidly retreating backs. Then looked down at the package she held.

Smaller than a deck of cards, but just as thin, the wrapped box sat nearly weightless in her hand.

Already nearly to the sidewalk, Leo's voice carried to her. "What's your hurry?"

Robby glanced back, saw her watching, and doubled his already fast pace, mumbling something about making sure she had backup until Jordan could get to the caves.

When the two of them were gone from view, Anca wavered in indecision.

Return to the hospital, or go it alone? Without conscious thought, she found herself dropping the blood in her car, then for some strange reason, returning to push through the doors and into the hospital once more. She assured herself it was only because he most likely needed whatever was inside the box.

The clan King had sent it after all.

She might not even have to see Matt.

Uncomfortableness squirmed in her stomach at the thought that she might
want
to see him. At the stupid way her heartbeat thumped loudly, echoing in her ears.

Of course, now that she actually wanted to run into someone who worked here, the halls were conspicuously absent. She reached the blood bank and slipped inside.

At the counter, she showed the attendant the package. "I need this delivered to Doctor Dixon."

"I'm the only one here. Can't leave right now. It'll have to wait a few hours."

She looked at the small wrapped box. For all she knew, whatever was inside was needed right away.

"Otherwise," the guy continued, "I can point you how to get to his office." He gave her a list of complicated directions. "If he's not there, he'll be making his rounds on the third floor—just ask any nurse you see up there."

A bit bemused, Anca found herself striding through the hospital hallways on her way to Matt's office without knowing exactly how it had happened.

When she reached the thick wooden door, its nameplate reading
Doctor Matt Dixon
, she hesitated.

Maybe she could leave it on the floor. He'd see it.

Except so would anyone else. It might walk away with them.

Gritting her teeth and biting back her nerves, Anca raised a hand and knocked loudly.

"Just a moment," came Matt's muffled voice, warming her to her toes.

She shoved it away.

What was she doing?

Someone else inside the room gruffly said, "I have to go. No one can know I'm here—"

"Just give me a minute, all right?" Matt replied.

Panic fluttered in Anca's chest. She didn't want to face Matt right now. She didn't know what to say.

His footsteps headed toward the door.

She set the package down and fled, rounding a corner just as the door opened. She couldn't resist peeking around the wall.

Matt stepped into the hallway, glancing in both directions.

He looked down and spotted the package. Picking it up, he tugged open the brown wrapper and slid the lid off the small box. His wide mouth twisted in a scowl, as if whatever lay inside was something he didn't want to see.

"Who is it?" The guy in the room asked.

"Delivery person I guess," Matt replied, turning back inside. "Why they ran off though..."

"Thanks for patching me up, Doc." A man strode out of the office.

His aura hit Anca, making her suck her breath in. Her stomach soured. Her heartbeat stuttered.

Because the man beside Matt had the same exact aura of one of the wolves who'd attacked her earlier, then disappeared. Pack ties hidden behind a silvery blue, strangled by the barbed black.