Eternal Shadows (9 page)

I forced myself to stop backing away. Amusement grew in his expression with each step. He liked it. “Problem solved now.”

“Indeed.”

The wind picked up, blowing my hair into my face. I brushed it aside, tucking it behind one ear. Then I noticed the other two were no longer behind Tabitha.

The fairer of the two had moved to stand at my left. The other I couldn’t see. But I could smell him. Gunpowder. Behind me.

I was surrounded.

Malachi leaned in, putting himself face to face with me. He must have been in his thirties when he died. Sucked to be him. I clamped down on the impulse to make some snide comment to that effect. “Pretty,” he said. “But then, the general
always picks pretty things.” His hand came up towards my face and I tried not to recoil or show the fear that threatened to jumpstart my mostly dead heart.

“Touch her, and you die.”

The tension leaked out of my body the moment I heard his voice. I slumped backwards and felt his chest right there. His hand had locked around Malachi’s, stopping it just before he had made contact.

Malachi jerked his hand away immediately and backed up. “Rhys. I wondered what was taking you so long. Had to go get all your friends did you?”

Friends? Keeping glued to Rhys I let my gaze leave Malachi. Cade stood at Tabitha’s back, arms at his side and ready for anything. Millie’s attention was locked on the blond-haired vampire, and though I couldn’t see her, I could smell Madge’s perfume as well.

Rhys slipped an arm around my waist. I hadn’t realized I was shaking until his steady grip pressed against me. “This isn’t your territory, Malachi,” he said. “I suggest you leave.”

“Tabitha scented you at our borders. An investigation was in order.”

“I didn’t come that close. The city is ours.”

“Close enough, and with a new scent. The wind must have carried it. It is within our rights to check it out.”

“And if you don’t leave now I’ll be forced to make you,” Cade said. The entire atmosphere changed once he entered the conversation. It seemed that while Malachi had no fear of Rhys, the same could not be said for Cade.

Tabitha glided to Malachi’s side. “You wouldn’t want to start something like that. We’ve made no actual threat. You would be in the wrong. We’ve been at peace for some time now, and you’re all so busy at the moment.”

Cade refused to let her have the space she wanted. “You no longer have the protection of Cordoba. Don’t make me ask you to leave again.” He drew up in front of her, nearly nose to nose.

Tabitha hissed at him. Honest to God, hissed like a cat. Malachi caught her waist with his hand and kept her close. “As you wish, Cade. We’re leaving. Garrett, Henry, take Tabitha please.”

The other two moved without a word between them. Tabitha glared at Malachi, but slipped from his arms and blinked away. She was at least as fast as Rhys. The two men followed suit.

Rhys still hadn’t relaxed his hold on me. “Your turn,” he said to Malachi. Malice laced every syllable.

“Relax, Rhys.” He stretched out his arms as though to illustrate his good will. “One might think you were worried something might happen to her.”

Rhys winced. In an instant Cade, Millie and Madge all closed in on Malachi. The expressions on their faces promised death. I expected them to follow through, but Rhys’s grip tightened around my waist, so much so that had I needed to breathe I wouldn’t have been able to. Then he sank to his knees, one hand cradling his head.

Malachi’s laughter echoed against the buildings, then faded away. His scent dissipated and I knew he had left. Dropping to the ground I reached out and touched Rhys’s shoulder.

“Rhys?” I coaxed, more frightened by this than I had been by the threat of Malachi’s touch. Rhys didn’t respond. Sweat poured down his face and he crumbled more by the second.

Pain. He was in pain.

No one had touched him.

“Up we go.” Millie scooped me up from the ground and paused long enough that I saw Cade take my place beside Rhys. Then Madge appeared, blocking my view, and Millie took off.

She didn’t run as fast as Rhys, but she ran fast enough. The three of us were inside the front door of my house before I even had time to wonder at what had happened. But once Millie set me down my thoughts raced a mile a minute.

“Bastard,” Madge said, slamming the door shut. “He did that on purpose.”

“Of course he did.” Millie’s sounded more in control of herself, though her anger was just as clear. “And I must say I particularly agree with your choice of words. You’re usually not so harsh when it comes to him.”

Madge huffed. “This is different. I can’t condone what he just did. There is no excuse.”

“What happened?” Neither of them answered me. “Tell me!” The image of Rhys doubled over in the street replayed itself over and over again in my memory.

Madge left the hall without a word. But Millie stayed. She looked torn, so I did my best to make it clear I would only leave her alone if she gave me a satisfactory answer. Finally she sighed, and the only thing left on her face was sadness. “Old wounds,” she said. “Best to leave it at that.”

“That’s it?” I chased after her when she started up the stairs. “That can’t be it, Millie. I saw him. He was in pain. Real pain!”

She spun to a stop. I grabbed the railing to avoid falling backwards. “Yes. Yes, he was. And listen to me when I tell you this, Kassandra. When Cade brings Rhys back you will not say anything about what happened. Nothing. Is that understood?”

I’d never seen her angry, or even stern. She was both now. I hated it. Millie was the pleasantness in this house. “It doesn’t make any sense,” I whispered, not wanting to argue, but unwilling to let the issue drop.

“Promise me now.”

I didn’t want to promise. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know what could have possibly caused Rhys that kind of pain. I stared at the grain of the wood in the rail. “I promise. Not a word.”

I felt the air around her soften again, and only then did I chance looking up. “Someday you’ll understand,” she said, her tone once again its normal gentleness. “Now go to bed. You’ve been up a long time, and you’ve had a long day. Warren is sleeping, but he’ll be able to let you feed again in the morning.”

She climbed the last step, then turned down the hall towards her room. I called after her. “Wait, Millie.” I found my way to the top of the stairs and was glad when she faced me, clearly willing to listen. “Who were those people? Why did they come here?”

“Another family. They don’t exactly believe the same things we do. They used your presence as an excuse to come cause trouble.”

“Trouble with Rhys?”

“With all of us. They’re bullies, Kassandra. Forget them for now. Get some sleep.”

“Will Rhys be okay?”

Now she smiled. “Yes. Cade knows what to do. Just remember to keep your promise.”

“I will.”

She went to her room too quickly for me to stop her again.

With no other choice I went to my own room, shutting the door and keeping the lights off. Despite what Millie had said, I wasn’t tired. I had far too much to think about. Grabbing my stuffed dragon from my bed, I sat in the window seat that overlooked the front yard and main street. Hugging the dragon to my chest, I settled in to wait.

I might not be allowed to ask him about it, but I certainly would see for myself.

Until Rhys came home I would not sleep.

Chapter Seven: Awake

He looked a little different, but it was definitely Rhys. Pale skin tanned darker from constant sun exposure—or as dark as Irish skin ever got—his eyes seemed that much bluer in contrast. But his clothes were wrong, outdated by centuries. Simple and by no means expensive, he still managed to look elegant in the plain white and brown. It suited him.

He smiled at me and offered his hand.

I reached to take it.

Then Malachi’s scarred face stepped between us, sneering and making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end again.

He grabbed me.

“Kassandra?”

A gentle hand on my shoulder shook me awake. I slipped from the window seat and fell square on my butt. My little dragon bounced away and landed against a foot that wasn’t entirely familiar. But the voice was.

Warren bent down so we were eye to eye. “Are you okay?”

The dream still haunted me. Now that I was awake, I could place Rhys’s clothing as from the sixteenth century, the time when he had been human. That made sense. And Malachi…I shuddered. I suppose his presence made sense given recent events. Dreams were just a mismatched combination of experiences.

But it felt like more than that.

“Yeah,” I answered before he could think I hadn’t really woken up yet.

He adjusted his glasses on his nose. “Did you sleep there the whole night?” Standing, he offered me a hand up.

People seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

I took his hand and got to my feet. My back cracked in the process. “Not on purpose,” I said. “And not really the whole night, either. Rhys and I were out late.” And I had never seen him come home.

I could feel Warren’s pulse through his hand. Strong, calm
, and even. The steady
thump-thump
stirred my thirst, making my throat go dry. But it wasn’t as bad as it had been the day before. I was grateful for that. I carefully peeled my fingers away from his and took a single step back, sitting on the window seat when it hit the back of my legs.

All of this seemed to make sense to Warren. He had already gotten dressed for the day—jeans and a plain blue tee-shirt. What time was it? A quick glance at Hello Kitty on my nightstand revealed the bright red numbers 8:06. Ugh. Too early. Yet I wasn’t tired, and someone had clearly sent Warren in to get me. Sorry, pillows. I shan’t be visiting any time soon.

“Are you ready to eat?”

“God, Warren! You need to not do that. It creeps me out.” He needed to at least pretend he didn’t like being my sippy cup. I stood and made my way to the closet, hoping he wouldn’t follow me. He didn’t.

“Sorry. But it’s kind of my job, and Millie wants you up and out as quickly as possible.”

I pulled down a pair of jeans, then grabbed a tank top from a shelf. I needed a shower. “Let me just put myself together first,” I said, heading for my bathroom door.

Somehow—I have no idea how, I must have been moving at a human snail pace—Warren beat me there and stopped me. “You should feed first. Before you shower, I mean.”

“And why is that?”

“It should be obvious.”

“Well, apparently it’s not, so why don’t you enlighten me?”

He fidgeted for a brief moment. “The blood.”

Oh, for Pete’s sake. I threw my arms into the air, tossing my clothes to my bed in the process, and walked away from the door. “No one’s here to stop me if I can’t stop myself.”

“Millie said she would listen.” His tone made his relief clear. “Do you want to try biting today?”

“No!” I swung around to face him, thrusting my finger in his face. “No biting. No biting, ever. It’s bad enough I have to drink your blood, I
refuse
to find out what flesh tastes like on top of that.”

He leaned back away from my finger. “Okay.”

I expected him to whip out that funny little blade right away, but he didn’t. Instead, he went to my bed, picked up my jeans and tank top and put them back in my closet.

Good God. “Um, Warren? What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“You have to dress nice today.” He pawed through my closet, frowning at each shirt, blouse, and pair of shorts.

“Why is that, and why can’t I pick out my own clothes?”

“Millie said you have a nice purple sundress in here, she wants you to wear that.”

“Well, then you’re looking on the wrong side of the closet. But I could find it myself, you know.” I marched up to him, grabbed the sliding doors and rolled them down the little track until plain white door filled his view. I plucked the aforementioned dress from the rack.

Warren smiled at me sheepishly. “Millie wanted me to make sure. She didn’t want you picking something else.”

“What’s so important that Millie has to dress me today?”

“The general’s here.”

I was torn between excitement, and dread.

Dress still clutched in my hands, I ran to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, just inside the front gate, a car I had never seen before sat parked in the driveway. I knew almost nothing about cars, but it didn’t take a genius to know this one was expensive. It was black, sleek,
huge
, and I was fairly positive a BMW emblem graced its hood. The tinted windows faded right into the black paint of the body.

A vampire’s car if I’d ever seen one.

I wanted to see the vampire.

“All right, Warren. Let’s get to this.”

I smelled his blood before I had even turned around. Warren was eerily good at his so-called job.

A bright red droplet had formed on his wrist, and it grew steadily. My fear of not being able to stop suddenly returned. But when I tore my gaze away from his blood to look at his face, Warren seemed so sure, so completely unafraid, that a little spark of confidence blossomed.

I could do this. I wasn’t a killer. I could stop. And I could do it on my own.

Not giving myself time to second guess, I grabbed his hand, leaned down, and put his wrist to my lips.

He tasted better than I remembered.

Warm and smooth like honey, his blood coated my mouth, then my throat. He tasted fresh and clean, and soon that’s how I felt. I drank carefully, feeling the slight extension of my canine teeth—something I
had noticed before, but never investigated. No longer feeling any sign of the inhuman craving, I pulled away and stepped back.

“See?” Warren said, pressing his thumb against the open wound. “Not so bad.”

But, though I was proud of myself, my curiosity held more of my attention. I slid to the mirror that hung from my wall.

A drop of crimson clung to my lip, and immediately my tongue darted out to retrieve it. My eyes were brighter than I remembered, and I felt warm again, but that was nothing compared to what I felt in my mouth.

Hesitantly, I smiled.

Fangs.

I ran my tongue over them, testing the sharp points. Unreal. I brought a hand up to touch them in turn.

“You were probably too thirsty to notice before,” Warren said as though reading my mind. Then he chuckled. “You were too thirsty to notice anything, actually. They’ll retract once you stop thinking about them.”

“Does the feeder always know more than the vampire?” I shut my mouth and tried not to think about the fangs. Yeah, right.

“Only when the vampire is new.” He glanced at his wrist, then reapplied the pressure of his thumb. “I’m going to go get cleaned up. Millie’s waiting for you, so don’t take too long.”

“Fine, fine.” My tongue continued to trace my fangs. “See you later.”

“Really, Kassandra, don’t take too long.” He headed for the door.

“Warren, wait.” The thought had occurred to me suddenly. He looked at me patiently. “Have you seen Rhys?” I needed to know he was okay.

But Warren just shook his head. “I haven’t seen him. I know the general’s with him, though.”

He left, not looking the least bit worried or concerned or anything like that. But all those things flooded my mind. The image of Rhys clutching his head in pain followed me all the way to the shower. I’d never been so glad I’d convinced my father to build me a bathroom that adjoined my room. I’d gotten sick of walking through the populated halls of our house wet.

I showered, dried my hair, and got dressed in my appointed outfit faster than I had ever gotten ready in my entire life. I’d made a hobby out of taking too long, especially when I was supposed to be getting ready for some fancy dinner my father forced upon me. I opened my wooden treasure chest jewelry box and pushed a few things around. I couldn’t find the gold lotus flower pendant my grandmother had given me for my sixteenth birthday. Odd. I always kept it in the first drawer.

It took me three searches to realize my jewelry box held no gold at all. Nothing but silver. I’d been robbed. Maybe. Or not. No way had anyone from the outside gotten in this house without someone noticing. But why would anyone here take my things?

I’d have to ask later. The glowing red numbers on my clock changed again. I was taking too long. I grabbed my mother’s silver heart and diamond pendant and clasped it around my neck. A quick glance in the mirror revealed someone satisfactorily presentable, thus releasing me from any need to remain in my room.

I opened my door and, had I been a cartoon character, I’m pretty sure my jaw would have hit the floor.

The house was alive again. People filled the halls, carrying trays, folded laundry, and just milling about in general.

And I knew them all. Well, most of them. The house staff was back. Amy and Martin and Christa and Susan. And Anne.

I threw myself at her, remembering only at the last minute I was no longer human and pulling back so I didn’t crush her under the force of my hug. “Anne!” I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her chest. She was everything a housekeeper should be—plump and huggable. She was also the closest thing I’d had to a mother since Mom’s death five years back.

I must have surprised her, because it took a moment before she gasped and enveloped me in one of her very best hugs. “Oh, Kassandra! My sweet child.” She kissed my head and I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Sweet, darling, little Kass. I’ve been so worried for you.”

“I’m okay,” I promised her, pulling back so I could see her face and wiping the few tears from my cheeks. My face hurt from smiling, but I was so happy to see her I simply couldn’t care. Then her breath washed over me—she smelled like cinnamon buns and flour—and I realized I could hear, and had been subconsciously counting, each fluttering beat of her human heart.

Though I had just fed, I felt my canines stretch.

Anne’s eyes widened.

I forced myself to stop smiling and closed my mouth.

“Oh, my dear girl,” Anne said, lifting one hand to touch my face. “What have they done to you?”

The pulse in her fingers drummed against my cheek and I had no other choice but to step back, denying myself the comforting contact I so wanted. “It’s okay. It’s not so bad.” But apparently I didn’t have as much control as I thought.

My retreat had clearly hurt her. The lines around her eyes deepened, as did the creases by her mouth. “They’ve turned you?” It sounded like a question, but I knew it really wasn’t.

“Yeah. That night.” I wanted to go to her, to rewrap myself in her arms, but I could still hear her heart, still smell her blissful scent. I knew I could keep control of myself, as long as I kept a safe distance. “What about you? Are you a feeder now?”

She straightened her black ankle-length skirt, the same uniform she’d worn for as long as I’d known her. “Not as of yet. But it is a possibility in the future.” Her hands gripped the fabric of her skirt, fighting, I knew, the instinct to hold me.

I wanted to cry. I almost did. “I’m sorry. I’m not all that good at controlling the hunger yet. I’m getting better though.” I forced a smile to my face, hoping it would alleviate her worries, her sorrow. “I fed all by myself this morning,” I told her in the same tone I had always used when I brought home A’s.

Just as I suspected, my nonchalance caused some of the tension to leak out of her shoulders. Her hands released her skirt and she rubbed them together like she always did when she had nothing to do. “I understand. Don’t worry, my Kass. Things will be good again soon. Just make sure you come and hug me as soon as you’re able.”

“Even if it’s the middle of the night,” I promised.

“Kassandra!” Millie’s voice. Not really louder than mine or Anne’s, but clearly from farther away. I had forgotten I was supposed to be hurrying.

One look at Anne told me she hadn’t heard Millie at all. “I have to go. Apparently I have people to meet.”

“You do. And I have things to prepare for those same people. Take care, love. You look lovely as always. Be sure to be on your best behavior.”

I recognized that tone. Normalcy was written all over it. I only ever heard that tone when someone important came to visit. Not my fault I liked to climb trees and fall off roofs. “You know me,” I said with a shrug. “I’ll see you soon.” Millie’s scent was coming from upstairs, third floor. I headed towards the staircase.