Elemental Darkness (Paranormal Public Series) (10 page)

Often I would go to sleep and wait for Ricky to do the same. Then, once I knew the house was quiet, I would creep outside in the dark. The first time I tried it I stubbed my toe so hard on the banister, I was sure my friends all the way back at Public could hear me yelp in pain. But eventually I perfected the art of sneaking out without incident, making my way into the woods behind the house, wondering at all the protections we must be surrounded by. Sip had pointed out, in a somewhat amused voice, that I was our main protection, because I’d yet to lose a battle to demons. I had merely scoffed, insisting that it was our friends, and the dragons, that had saved us. But she’d kept that small smile on her face.

I looked up when I heard the jingle of the bell on the coffee shop’s door. It was the end of July, and I didn’t care how much I liked Nick and Nicole, I was tired of the shop, tired of not knowing where the Globe White was, and very tired of not yet being allowed to return to Paranormal Public.

At least it was raining today, raining hard. I was glad of the wet weather, because it was the first relief in weeks from the oppressive summer heat. The summers in my home town weren’t usually so warm, and I wasn’t used to it. Now the rain was coming down in sheets, pelting the pavement and creating little streams on the edges of the streets. I couldn’t even see out the big front window except for the blur of color when a body scurried past in rain gear.

I brushed stray strands of brown hair off my forehead and picked up a bin filled with empty coffee mugs just as the door to the coffee shop opened. Then I flushed with pleasure.

A red-headed man stepped through the door. He wore black slacks and a black shirt with a red, silver, blue, white, and green stripe down each sleeve.

“I hear this is the best coffee in town,” said Cale, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. I snorted and grinned, delighted to see my old friend.

Cale had been a year ahead of me at Public, so he would have graduated in May if he hadn’t left college for the Paranormal Police Academy.

He looked older, more adult, and bigger. His red hair was cropped short and he was wearing the uniform of the new police force.

“It’s the only coffee in town,” I said, smiling. “So yeah, it’s awesome.”

Cale grinned at me.

“Right, well I’d love a cup, and a good conversation.” He took a seat at the coffee bar and I hurried to fill a mug, glancing at the door to the back room, where Nick was working on orders and accounts. Nicole hadn’t come in yet.

I scurried around and put the mugs away so Nick couldn’t accuse me of chatting when there was still work to be done. Then I took a seat next to Cale, who was sitting on a stool, cradling his mug in both hands.

“How are you?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

I wondered how much he already knew. He must have seen the silent question in my eyes, because he nodded and said, “I heard all about Golden Falls. The Academy graduation is a week after Public is supposed to get out for the year, and it was the talk of the school.”

I nodded in relief. I didn’t want to have to tell him about Lisabelle, because every time I so much as thought of my friend, never mind having to talk about her, my throat tightened and my eyes burned. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say her name. Ricky had made the mistake of asking about her once, and I had broken the plate I’d been drying after a pizza dinner.

“I’m fine,” I said, feeling my shoulders relax. “Long summer.”

Cale nodded sympathetically. “For me, too.”

“How long are you here for?”

He shrugged. “Not long.”

Cale smiled at me, but like all the paranormals I’d seen since returning to Golden Falls, he had shadows behind his eyes. He kept looking around as if he expected us to be attacked at any moment. I wondered what sort of school the Paranormal Police Academy was.

“I’m sorry about . . .” I started to say, wanting to tell him how sorry I was about Kia, but he looked at me sharply and held up his hand, giving another furtive glance over his shoulder.

“Thanks,” he said, looking at me again. “I was pretty upset when I heard. I wanted to come right to Golden Falls, but of course my training wouldn’t allow it.”

“We had a hard time being there,” I said, “not knowing what had happened to her.”

Cale nodded sympathetically. “I would have gone crazy. I got in touch with Camilla for the first time since we broke up. It wasn’t easy, but you probably don’t want to hear about it.”

I wanted to tell him that I was nosy, and that Sip was a lover of gossip like no other, but before I could, he asked, “How’s Ricky?”

Before Cale had gone to the police academy, he had been around town and made sure my little brother was alright. Now I smiled, still grateful to Cale for taking care of him.

“He’s good,” I said. “He’s taller every time I come home.”

Cale chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that happens.”

“So, tell me about the -” but Cale again held up his hand to silence me, giving me an apologetic look.

I leaned over the counter, so that my voice was only a whisper. “Is it really that dangerous?”

He nodded. “It’s really that dangerous. Do you have any idea how many times demons have come after you this summer? We’ve barely contained it. They finally gave up, but we have no idea why.”

I racked my brain, but I couldn’t think of another time when the demons had ever given up on their prey before.

“I hope Oliva’s starting to regret leaving me here,” I said angrily. “I should be at Public with Sip.”

My friend was the only one of us who had been allowed to stay on campus. It turned out that to no one’s surprise but Sip’s, she was the number one student in our class, and therefore, when she sweetly explained that she wanted to have access to the library over the summer, they bent over backwards to make that happen. Clearly their unhappiness with her Tabble articles didn’t outweigh the value of having such an outstanding student associated with Public.

“What’s she doing there?” Cale asked. “How is the old place?”

I could tell from the tone of his voice that he missed it. “I don’t know,” I said. “I was at Golden Falls and then I came here. At least the demons haven’t overrun it.”

“Like they did Vampire Locke? I can’t believe Queen Lanca left it unguarded,” said Cale heatedly.

I quirked an eyebrow at him, surprised by his strong words. “This has been a topic of discussion at the Academy?”

Cale looked sheepish.

“Yeah, it came as a shock to our superiors when they were told that Vampire Locke was gone. It’s really bad news, not just because the demons now have a place where they can consolidate their power, but also because it means we’ll need forces to take it back, and our forces are already spread thin.”

“It’s not like it’s her fault,” I said defensively.

Cale held up his hands. “I know, but for us it’s hard. Vampire Locke was like a stronghold. The Rapier vampires were so much stronger than Raor or Radvarious. . . .”

“They still are,” I gritted out. “Lanca will get it back.”

Cale looked skeptical, but he didn’t argue.

“I thought I heard Charlotte sounding happy,” said Nick jovially, coming through the door beaming. It might just have been my imagination, but I thought he flinched a little when he saw Cale. I grinned at my employer.

“Yeah,” I said, feeling strange that my two very different lives were intersecting, “he’s an old friend.”

Nick came over and introduced himself, and just as Cale was telling him how good the coffee was, the door jingled again and Nicole came in.

“Ah, hi, honey,” she said, smiling at Nick. Again there was a little flinch when she noticed Cale, but she didn’t say anything. Again I thought I must be imagining it.

“Honey, this is a good friend of Charlotte’s,” said Nick, wrapping his arm around his wife’s shoulders as she laced her fingers around her husband’s waist.

Nicole smiled brightly at Cale. “Nice to meet you! Would you like another cup of coffee? Any friend of Charlotte’s, after all. . . .”

Cale smiled politely. “No, thanks,” he said. “It’s delicious, but I only need a little caffeine to get a buzz.”

“Well, just let us know,” said Nicole. Then, with a significant look at Nick she said, “Honey? Can we talk for a minute?”

Nick nodded, and they couldn’t get into the back room fast enough. I watched them go, feeling confused. I needed Sip there to pick up on whatever I had just missed.

“Maybe they think we’re dating or something,” I said, turning to Cale. “Sorry, they’re not usually so weird.”

Cale smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing feels normal anymore.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” I said, shaking my head. “Anyway, it’s great to see you.”

“You too,” he said. “But I should get going.”

He started to stand up, but I interrupted him. “Wait,” I said, extra frustrated that I was trapped at the coffee shop. “Will I see you again before you go off on assignment?”

“I hope so,” he said, smiling. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and headed for the door, glancing at the back room once more before he left. I watched him step into the rain, acknowledging to myself that seeing him still gave me butterflies, even though it was nothing compared to how I felt about Keller. And now I would probably never have that feeling again. I sighed and busied myself with cleaning Cale’s mug, hoping desperately to distract myself and knowing that it was impossible.

That night Ricky and I had our first real fight. Carl was off at the bar, and it was still raining, but not as hard as it had been earlier. We had just finished a dinner of pasta and broccoli, which Ricky loved, and were settling in to channel surf when he brought up secrets again.

I threw the remote down and stormed out, hurrying into the warm summer night. It was a week night, but since it was summer there were still a lot of people out and about, and I felt strange not knowing most of them anymore. Until this summer I had barely spent any time here since I had left for college.

Feeling frustrated, I just kept walking, heading for the hill and the cemetery. I knew that my mom would know what to do, if only I could talk to her. I did my best with Ricky, I really did, but sometimes I just had no idea.

By the time I climbed the hill and reached the small cemetery where Carl had buried my mom, I was breathing hard. It was a steep climb, and in my anger I had walked up quickly. But up here, unlike in town, I was alone. The only sound was the trees blowing in the wind, and the soft murmur of what was left of the rain.

I don’t know how long I sat at my mother’s grave, wide awake and thinking. I wished I could go back to the beginning of spring semester, when my boyfriend had brought me here and my brother didn’t hate me for keeping secrets I couldn’t control, and when Lisabelle hadn’t gone away.

I was struggling more and more with not having heard from Keller. I assumed I would hear about it if he were dead, but now I wasn’t even sure about that. Who would tell me? His parents hated me. I supposed Vanni would, but I didn’t even know where Vanni was this summer. On the other hand, there was no reason to think Keller would die, except that he was with Malle.

Eventually, I stood up. I was wet and cold, and it was time to head back. But I knew as soon as I brought my thoughts back to the present that something was wrong. Not with me, not here, but at home.

I’d had a growing feeling of unease for weeks, but I had tried to talk myself out of it. Cale’s showing up had only increased my worry, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong.

I broke into a run as my heart started to pound. As I raced along I gathered winds; it was now the dead of night and they whirled around me as my panic grew.

The house looked quiet, but I didn’t believe it. My ring had started to pulse as I frantically searched the windows with my eyes. Ricky was upstairs, Carl was down.

“Charlotte?” a voice whispered.

I nearly screamed, but no sound came out because a warm hand gently covered my mouth. I met Cale’s eyes, which looked black in the darkness.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper shouted.

He put his finger to his lips.

“There’s something here. Something new, beyond the usual demons. That’s why I’m here. Whoever they are, they’re powerful.”

“They?” I said, terrified. “Ricky’s inside!”

Cale tried to grab me as I headed toward the house, but I was already dashing up the porch steps and throwing the back door open before he could get a good grip on my arm.

I pounded up my stairs. I knew Cale was close behind as I skidded to a halt in front of Ricky’s door. Glancing back at him, I saw a shrug. As quietly as I could, I opened the door.

Ricky’s head was lying on his pillow. He was curled on his side and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. His hair was messy, as if he’d been tossing and turning. But he was fast asleep.

Breathing easier, I carefully closed the door.

It had just clipped shut when I saw Cale’s eyes go wide. Then, before I could grasp what was happening, he was ripped backward, his body slamming down the stairs.