Into The Void (Vampire Hunter Book 4) (9 page)

I looked at Henry. He was fixated on the smoke, watching the pattern as
it wove upwards in a spiral-like shape towards the ceiling. I wanted to ask him
what he was doing, but we weren’t allowed to speak. I caught Lucas’ eye. He
looked a little nervous.
Probably worried
about that smoke setting off his fire alarm.
Which it
could very likely do, if it kept drifting upwards.

Finally, when the smoke had almost reached the ceiling, Henry opened the
vial of holy water. Starting with Lucas, he splashed a few drops on his
forehead. Lucas winced but didn’t move. Nicholas was next. I could see he was
gritting his teeth when Henry splashed him.
They
lied about how painful it is.

Then came Emmett, and finally me. I had wondered if the holy water would
burn me as well since I wasn’t technically human, but it didn’t. It just felt
like normal water.

Finally, Henry splashed the water on himself. He then took the vial,
which looked like it was empty, and put it in the smoking bowl. Within minutes,
the smoke started being sucked back into the bowl. And then it was gone.

“Okay, you can talk now,” Henry said.

“Looks like it worked,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” he replied, grinning. “Like I said, it’s a simple spell. But
still…” His voice trailed off.

“Thanks, man.” Nicholas stood up. “I’ve got to get going now. I really
appreciate being included in this. One Nicholas is already too much for this
world; I don’t need a doppelganger.” Nicholas grinned.

“It was really nice to meet you.” Henry sounded sincere.

Well, at least he likes Nicholas,
I
thought ruefully. It would have been hell to sit in a room with that kind of
tension if Nicholas and Henry clashed like Lucas and Henry.

“I need to go, too,” Emmett said, standing.

“Me, too,” Henry chimed in. He turned to me. “Want a lift?”

“Sure,” I replied. There was no reason for me to stay at Lucas’
apartment. It would have just looked weird. And what was there really left to
say, anyway? Nicholas had lucked out, finding out about my death, but for any
more information our best bet was Emmett.

Lucas walked us to the door. He touched my shoulder lightly as we were
leaving. “Be careful,” he said to no one in particular, but I knew the words
were directed at me.

“What a night,” Henry commented as we got into the car.

“No kidding,” I concurred.

“Are you okay with everything?” Henry asked me.

“Not really any other choice, is there?” My voice was sharper than I had
meant for it to sound. “It’s just a lot to process, in one night.” I softened
my tone. “Of course I’m still in shock about how I died – it doesn’t seem real,
to be honest. Especially since I don’t – and hope I
never
– remember any of the time I was possessed.”

“I don’t blame you,” Henry said. “Some things are better kept locked away
in your mind.”

“It’s not just that, though,” I said slowly. I looked at Henry out of the
corner of my eye.

“What’s up, Rory?” he briefly glanced at me,
then
turned his attention back to the road.

“It’s you,” I blurted out.

“The spells?” Henry questioned.

“Well, yeah,” I replied. “What if you decide you
do
want to use them for evil? And I’m no better!” I said before he
could answer my question. “I was already thinking you could retaliate against
that
Benji
creep with a spell. What’s happening to
us?”

“I had the same thought about
Benji
,” Henry
admitted. “But I wasn’t going to do anything without talking to you first.”

“But Rory,” he continued, “you’ve known me almost my whole life. I would
never harm anyone.” Henry sounded miffed that I would even suggest it.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I’m just being paranoid. Ignore me.” But inside I
wasn’t so sure.
How did Henry’s father
start out?
Eager to change the world – change lives – with
his white magic?
When did it all go sour?
I tried to push the doubt
out of my head.

“Anyway,” I said, changing the subject. “What did you think about that
whole power thing I’m supposed to get? How the hell would I ever even know
about demons, vampires or any of these other supernatural things if I weren’t
one of them?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Henry admitted. “It just seems like
everyone is out to destroy each other. What if this war happens and there’s
nothing left? We may be entering into the void.”

“I don’t follow,” I said in confusion.

“Tobias wants to kill humans
and
Senara
– and probably whatever army she’s building, as
well. Chances are
Senara
will go after Tobias, once
she learns he’s got the same agenda as her.”

We had pulled up in front of my house now. Henry paused and turned to me
before continuing. “And now this Lord Leon has entered the picture – you really
think he wants
either
of them to
unleash Hell on earth? What if they all just kill each other – and us in the
process – and there’s nothing left? Void. Barren. Life on earth would be
extinct.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” I whispered.

Henry sighed. “Aurora…” his voice trailed off.

“Yes?” I prompted him.

“I know I sit and talk about college applications and running for school
president and trying out for the basketball team…all that high school stuff.
But the truth is, I’m worried as hell, just like you. I have no idea what next
year is going to bring. And now I feel
compelled
to read that book. Even though I haven’t done any more spells,” he added
quickly.

“It’s just crazy. We used to know everything about each other – to
understand
everything about each other.
And now I’m not sure I know you at all, and I’m positive I don’t know myself
any more.” Henry’s voiced was laced with sadness.

“Don’t say that!” I exclaimed. “You’re – you’re still everything to me,”
I stammered. “Even if you are doing spells, even if I am a zombie or whatever
the fuck you’d call me. We’re still
us.
”

Before Henry could answer, I leaned over and kissed him. He didn’t
respond at first and I thought I’d made a huge mistake.
He doesn’t feel that way about me anymore,
I thought sadly.

But then Henry’s lips were moving against mine, and it felt natural,
right.
The way everything with Henry had
always felt, since we were ten years old playing in his parent’s backyard.

I don’t know how long the kiss continued, but Henry ended it. I wanted
more of him. I had forgotten what it felt like to kiss him, and now that I
remembered I didn’t want it to stop.

“I should get going,” he said, not looking me in the eye.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered.

“Nothing.”

“Please, have I done something to upset you?” I pressed. I had been on
the brink of losing Henry so many times; I couldn’t face it again.

Henry sighed. “I thought we weren’t going to have this conversation again.”

“I liked kissing you,” I ventured. “I’m the one who initiated it,
remember?”

Henry looked at me and smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I’m afraid you
like kissing other boys, too,” was all he said.

“That’s not true!” I said, but the words sounded like a lie, even to my
own ears.

“Look, Rory.” Henry turned to me. “I get it. I know there are feelings
between us. But I can’t stay on the hook, waiting for you to make up your mind.
I have a life to live, at least until the war. And I plan to live it.”

With Bunny?
I wanted to scream. But I didn’t have
the right to ask him that – not after how I’d acted with both Lucas
and
Henry.

“You’re right,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It is what it is,” Henry said lightly.

“I guess I should go inside,” I said reluctantly.

“Yeah,” Henry replied, staring out the window.

I turned to open the door.

“Rory?” he said, just as I was about to get out.

I turned back around to face him.

“Try not to worry – whatever is meant to happen, will happen. The more we
find out, the more I’m understanding that you can’t fight your fate.”

I nodded and tried to smile. “Bye, Henry,” I whispered. I reached out to
brush his face. He moved his lips against my hand and kissed it lightly.

“Talk to you tomorrow?” he asked.

“Of course.” I got out of the car and watched Henry drive off.

Fate.
That word was coming up a
lot these days. Lucas had said almost the same thing –
you can’t change your fate.

For as much as they hated each other, as different as they seemed on the
surface, Henry and Lucas had no idea just how alike they actually were.

When I walked into my house, Mom was sitting on the couch in the family
room.

“Hi,” I said and started to head for the stairs. I wanted to be alone.

“Aren’t you even going to stop and chat?” she asked me.

“Okay,” I replied reluctantly. I sat down on the chair across from the
couch.

“I saw you and Henry in his car….talking.”

Ugh! By talking she really means
kissing.
How mortifying!

I didn’t say anything.

“Are you two dating now?” my mom pressed. “I thought you were getting
close to your friend, Lucas. I didn’t realize Henry was still in the picture.”

“I’m not dating anyone,” I said irritably. “Can’t a girl have guy friends
nowadays without it being romantic?”

“Hmm,” was
all my
mom said.

I turned to leave. “I have homework to do.”

“On a Friday night?” my mom asked.

“Yep.” I continued walking.

“Rory?” she called.

I stopped walking.
 
I knew Mom
wanted me to confide in her, but I couldn’t. She would never understand the
complex feelings I had for both Lucas and Henry, or any of the other shit that
was going on.

I looked at her expectantly.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” she said.

“I know.” I headed up the stairs and into my room. I wanted to slam the
door shut behind me, but that might bring Mom upstairs to check on me and try
and have another talk about my fucked up love life. Which, really, should be
the
least
of my worries.
 

As soon as I flopped down onto the bed, I shut my eyes, trying to forget
the last few hours of my life.

I couldn’t get that conversation with Henry out of my mind. I hadn’t even
entertained the thought that we might just all kill each other. And while I
could put off deciding between Henry and Lucas, there was one decision I was
going to have to make, probably sooner rather than later.

The war was coming, and I was going to have to choose a side. Emmett once
said there was no clear cut good or evil, that there was gray area in everything.
I knew that he was right, but where did that leave me?

 
I couldn’t imagine helping Tobias,
or
killing
anyone, even
Senara
. But if she was as evil as Lucas and Nicholas had
said, what other choice did I have?

I was jolted from my thoughts when the phone rang. It was Lucas!

“Hello?” I answered.

“I’m outside your house. Can you come meet me?”

“What for?” I asked in surprise. Surely he didn’t have any more info
since the time we all left his apartment.

“I’ll tell you when you get to the car. We might need a couple of hours.
Will your parents let you go?” Lucas asked me.

“Probably,” I said. “It’s not that late yet. See you in a minute.”

I hung up the phone, took a quick look in the mirror, and headed
downstairs.

My mom was sitting on the couch reading. “Want to watch TV?” she offered.
I could see the hopeful look in her eyes, thinking I had come back to confide
in her, or at least spend some time together.

“I can’t. Lucas is picking me up. I won’t be home too late. Is that
okay?”

My mom’s hopeful expression fell. I pushed away the gnawing guilt; I
would just have to try harder to connect with my mom. But it wasn’t going to
happen tonight. I had to find out why Lucas was here.

“Back-to-back dates?” she asked jokingly.

I forced a laugh. “No, Henry was just dropping me off earlier. And this
definitely isn’t a date.”

“Where are you going? I thought Lucas lived far away from us?” Mom wanted
to know.

“Um.” I tried to think. “He recently moved.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
“We’re just going shopping to get the rest of the school supplies.”

“Oh, does that mean you’ll be in school together now?”

“No, he’s going to a private school,” I fibbed. “Well, I’ll see you
later.”

“Have fun,” my mom called as I walked out the door.

Lucas was parked right outside my house. “Sorry about that,” I said,
getting into the car. “My mom delayed me. She was asking a bunch of questions.”

“She probably doesn’t understand your relationship with me,” he replied.

 
That makes two of us.

“So what do I owe the honor of getting to see you twice in one day?” I
teased Lucas.

“Maybe I just missed you,” he joked back. But then his face turned
serious. “Before I start driving, take this.” Lucas handed me a cell phone.
“It’s secure. From now on, only call me using this phone.”

Lucas started the car and pulled away from the curb.

“Are we going anywhere in particular?” I asked him. “Or just driving?”

Lucas glanced at me. “Right after you left, I got a phone call,” he said,
not answering my question.

“From?” I prompted.

“Remember when Nicholas and I mentioned Magnus? He was King of Hell
before Leon took over.”

I nodded. “But surely you didn’t get a phone call from
him,
” I said, laughing.

“Actually, I did. Magnus was trying to track
you
down.” Lucas paused.

“What?” I moaned. Why did everyone have an interest in me?

“Yeah, I wasn’t too thrilled about it, either. He didn’t know your name; in
Hell, they refer to you as the living dead girl. Leon’s been torturing him ever
since he was overthrown.”

“Magnus managed to escape to the surface,” Lucas continued. “He started
investigating, trying to find the living dead girl. Since I was the first one
hired to kill you, he found me instead.”

“What does he want with me?” I whispered.

“I don’t know. But we’re about to find out. That’s why I asked you to
come out with me. We’re going to meet Magnus.”