Why couldnt she remember what happened?
Why did you bring him here? In this condition, hes weak and vulnerable. Theres no better time to strike at him. Your people could rise up and finally rid themselves of the human king they never wanted.
Her nose went back into the air. Ive been guarding him, and no one has even tried to enter my room. I think they remember how much their beasts love him. Every vampire possessed one, and without the wards they etched into their skin, those beasts could emerge, take solid form and attack. And when they attacked, no one, especially not their vampire master, was safe.
And yet, those same beasts acted like trained, slobbery house dogs in Adens presence, doing everything he commanded, protecting him against any and all threats.
Or maybe the people havent yet realized Adens here, she finished.
Oh, they realize. Everyone I ran into was on edge. Their beasts want out of them and in here with Aden.
That she could believe. The precious silence shed experienced those last minutes in the cave had ended the moment she arrived home. Chompers wanted to move inside Adens mind permanently and wasnt afraid to roar his displeasure about being stuck with Victoria.
After feeding him, shed had to double up on her wards to quiet him.
Is Aden now a vampire? Riley asked.
No. Yes. I dont know. Before passing out, he craved blood. My blood. All of my blood. She kept that little gem to herself. No telling how Riley would react.
He reached out and lifted Adens lips from his teeth. No fangs.
No, but his skin
Is like yours? Frown deepening, Riley unleashed his claws, his nails lengthening and sharpening. Before Victoria could protest, he raked those claws over Adens cheek.
Dont
Not a single wound formed.
Interesting. A clear liquidje la nunebeaded on the end of those claws, and Riley once more sliced at Adens cheek. This time, the skin sizzled as it split apart.
Stop it! With a screech, Victoria threw herself over Adens body, preventing Riley from making another pass at him. Not that he tried.
Youre right. He has a vampires skin, Riley said.
Which is what I was trying to tell you! What she wouldnt admit, not yet, because she still couldnt believe it herself, was that she now had human skin. Vulnerable, so easily harmed. Feeding hadnt reversed the damage, either. She wasnt sure anything would. You didnt need to hurt him like that. The je la nune would burn through a human, too.
Riley ignored her. How long has he been like this?
Three days. She sat up, remaining beside Aden, and glared at her bodyguard, daring him to blame her.
Give me a minute to mentally calculate. With barely a pause, he added, Yep, thats three days too long. Has he fed recently?
Yes. Shed tested every blood-slave shed allowed him to drink from, then, when she knew they were safe, shed given him a little at a time to gauge how he would respond. Thered been no reaction, good or bad, so shed given him more and more, until the blood had practically seeped from his pores. Still thered been no reaction.
For hours she had debated the wisdom of giving him more of her blood. What if he became addicted again? Then shed thought, what if he was still addicted, and only her blood could help him?
So, shed done it. Shed sliced her wristand oh, how that had hurtpouring her blood straight down his throat. The wound had healed slowly for her, swiftly for a human, but Aden had gotten several mouthfuls in the interim. His cheeks had suddenly bloomed with color, and shed been so hopefulfor both of them. But a few minutes later, the color had withered, then disappeared altogether, and his sleep had become fitful. Too fitful. Hed moaned in pain, writhed and finally vomited.
She explained all of that to Riley.
Maybe thats the problem, then, he said. Maybe he doesnt need the blood.
I let him go twenty-four hours without it, and he got even worse. He only improved to this comalike state when I started feeding him again.
A heavy sigh. All right, heres what were gonna do, Riley said, taking charge. As always. Im gonna post guards at your door. No one but you and I are to enter this room. Understand?
No. Because Im foolish. News flash, Riley. Thats why I threatened to disembowel anyone who entered. Well, well. Stress and lack of rest were making her snappy.
He continued, unperturbed, Youre going to feed him your blood, exactly as youve been doing, and you will alert me if theres a change. Any change. I will go to the D and M ranch and grab his medication.
The D and M ranch. Adens home. Well, perhaps former home now. Troubled teenagers lived there, and it was a last stop on the road to redemptionor damnation. One broken rule, and those teens were kicked out. Leaving without contacting Dan, the owner of that ranch, was probably the biggest no-no of all.
Victoria, are you listening to me?
What? Oh, yes. Sorry. She was still so easily distracted. But Aden hates his medication. And if he wanted back inside that ranch, Victoria would make it happen. A few spoken commands, and the humans there would do and think whatever she wanted them to do and think.
If she still possessed the Voice, she thought with a swirl of dread. Shed lost her ultratough skin and could have lost her ultrapowerful voice, too. Since returning, she had tried to compel a few of the human slaves to do her bidding. They had smiled at her and gone on their way, without doing what shed told them.
Youre out of practice, thats all, and still havent completely regained your strength.
The pep talk failed to comfort her.
Youre worse than Aden, Riley muttered. And I dont care if he hates his meds or not. Weve seen him like this before, minus the need for blood, and the medication was the only thing that helped him. If the souls are responsible, like they were before, we have to knock them out for a little while.
But what if the medication hurts him, now that hes a blood drinker?
Doubtful, since human meds dont really hurt you. But theres only one way to find out, isnt there?
Good point. One that bothered her. Most everyone in Adens life considered him a schizophrenic. Not only had his parents given him up when he was little, but hed been shuffled from one mental institution to another. Different cures had been shoved down his throat for years, and hed hated them all.
And, really, he liked the souls, loud and obnoxious as they were, and his newest medicinal regimen shut them down entirely. But Riley was right. Aden wouldnt last much longer in his current state. They had to try something, anything. Everything.
All right. She hated that she hadnt thought of this. If it worked, she could have saved Aden three days ofdistress? Pain? Mental torment? Probably a mix of all three. Well try.
Good. Ill be back. Riley turned on his booted heels and headed for the door.
Riley.
He stopped, but didnt face her.
Be careful. Thomass ghost is still there. Thomas, the fairy prince Riley and Aden had killed to save her. Now his very nasty ghost haunted the ranch, and he craved vengeance.
I will.
And thank you. Being here was probably difficult for him. Mary Ann was his love, and knowing him, he was frothing over her disappearance. Was probably frantic to be out there, searching for her. Yet, he stayed because Victoria needed him.
When Aden improved, she would help Riley hunt for Mary Ann, she decided. A danger to her loved ones or not.
A stiff nod, and then Riley was gone, the door closing behind him. Sighing, Victoria turned back to Aden. Her beautiful Aden. What was going on in that head of his? Was he aware of his surroundings? Hurting, as she suspected?
Did he know what she had done to him, those last few minutes in their cave?
She ran her fingers through his hair, lifting the strands and revealing the blond roots. There was a slight curl at the ends, the locks winding around her knuckles. He didnt lean into her touch as she was used to, and that saddened her.
How much turmoil could one boy endure before he crumbled? Since the moment shed entered his life, hed known only war and pain. Because of her, goblin poison had ravaged him. Because of her, the witches had cursed his friends to die. Because of her, the fairies had tried to take over the D and M ranch.
Fine. Maybe all those things werent exactly because of her, but she still felt responsible. A humorless laugh escaped her. How human of her. To carry the weight of blame, despite everything. Aden would be so proud.
You woke up from this kind of thing before, she whispered. You will wake up this time, too. Please.
Unable to bear the thought of separation, she remained where she was until Riley returned a half hour later. He was without his shirt and wearing new pants that werent yet fastened. Hed dressed hastily, his other clothes ruined during his shift to wolf, she was sure.
Wolves tended to wear clothing that ripped easily. Because, when they shifted, they were stuck wearing whatever didnt fall off. And wearing human underwear while in wolf form was something they preferred to avoid.
He carried a small wicker basket filled with medicine, the pill bottles rattling together. Victoria hopped to her feet, and he placed the basket where shed sat.
Sorry I took so long.
Thomas give you any trouble?
Nope. I didnt even catch a glimpse of him. But then, unlike Aden, Ive never been able to see or hear the dead. The delay had to do with the pills. I didnt know which ones to give our boy and didnt want him to have a reaction to the wrong combination, so I just grabbed the bottles with his name on them, stopped in my room, and Googled.
What he didnt say: Mary Ann was the Google queen, and she was the one whod taught him how to use the search engine. Although, calling it an engine always confused Victoria. There were no workable parts that she could see.
So, what happened at the ranch? she asked.
Here. See for yourself. He extended his free hand, and she twined their fingers. Theyd been together so long, theyd developed a very strong mental connection and were able to share their experiences.
As if a television screen were switched on inside her mind with a view straight from Rileys eyes, she saw Dan, an ex-football star, tall, blond and rugged, standing in the kitchen of the ranch. His wife, petite, pretty Meg, bustled around him, tossing ingredients into a pot.
really worried, Meg was saying.
Me, too. But Adens not the first to run away. He wont be the last. While the words were accepting, the tone was not.
Hes the first to surprise you with his actions, though.
Yeah. Hes just such a great kid. All heart.
Megs smile was soft. And not knowing why he left kills you. I know, baby.
I hope hes okay. Maybe if Id given him more one-on-one time, he wouldnt have
No. Dont you dare do that to yourself. We cant control the actions of others. All we can do is support them, and pray we make a difference.
The conversation faded as Riley stealthily maneuvered from the main house and into the bunkhouse behind it. Adens friends were there. Seth, Ryder and Shannon lounged on the couch, watching TV. Terry, RJ and Brian were in front of the computer, playing games. Relaxing activities, but there was an undeniable tension radiating from each boy.
They must feel the loss of Aden, too.
I have to fix this, Victoria thought.
Shannon stood, a chalky cast to his mocha skin, his gaze sweeping the roomand clashing with Rileys.
In the present, Riley released her hand, the images flickering, disappearing, and she was once again inside her bedroom.
Shannon saw you, she said.
Yeah, but he didnt do anything and I was able to get what we needed without incident. Riley dug inside the basket, setting aside what he wanted and discarding what he didnt. There wasnt a whole lot of information, just enough to tell me he needs the antipsychotics. This, this, and this. As he spoke, he placed the desired pills in her palm.
She studied them. One was yellow and round, one blue and oblong, and one white and scored in the center. These tiny things were supposed to help him when she could not?
Fetch a glass of water from my bathroom, she said.
Commands were not something Riley usually responded to, but he didnt hesitate to obey, soon thrusting the desired glass in her hand. His concern for Aden was as great as hers.
Lift his head and tilt it back, she said, and again, Riley jumped to obey.
She pried Adens mouth open and set the pills on his tongue. Then she placed the rim of the glass at his mouth and poured. Just a little, but enough. Without looking away, she reached out and set the remaining water on her nightstand. Or tried to. Her aim was off, and the glass thudded and splashed to the floor. She didnt care. She closed Adens mouth with one hand and worked his throat with the other, until all the pills made their way into his stomach.
That done, she straightened and peered down at her patient. Now what? she whispered, watching for any kind of responseand not seeing one.
Now, Riley said, grim, we wait.
FOUR
MARY ANN GRAY SAT AT THE corner desk in the back of the library, reading countless microfichesthe same thing shed done every night for a week. Days were beginning to blend together, her temples were throbbing, the muscles in her back were knotted, and there were (probably permanent) marks along her butt and thighs that were a perfect match to the scuffs in the freakishly uncomfortable chair shed commandeered.
According to all the How To info shed read for people on the run, she knew developing a routine was bad. Like flashing a neon arrow just above your head. Problem was, this routine was necessary.
They close in thirty, you know.
She flicked an irritated glance at her companion. AKA the boy she couldnt ditch no matter what she tried. And shed tried a lot. Dine and dash. The old wait here, Ill be right back. The classic whats that over there? And even brutal honestyjust leave me alone, I hate you.
So Ill finish in thirty, she said. Now get lost.
Lets not start that argument again. Tucker Harbor perched at the edge of her desk, pushing books and newspapers on top of each other and crinkling their precious pages. Just to irritate her, she was sure. Im not going anywhere.
Do you mind? This stuff is important.
Yes, I do mind, thanks for asking, he said, staying put.
She glared up at him. A mix of blond and brown hair shagged around the boyish face of an angel. Which was one hundred percent false advertising, considering hed been spawned from a demon. Or would that be spawned from the devil?
When are you going to tell me what youre looking for? he asked.
When I stop wanting to rip out your trachea. In other words, never.
He shook his head in mock despondency. A hard thing to pull off while he was freaking grinning. Harsh, Mary Ann. Harsh. He was so annoying. Shed dated him for months, then dropped him like the used condom he was when she found out hed cheated on her with her best friend Penny. Penny, who was now pregnant with his kid.
Penny, whom shed forgiven and still called. As of this morning, her friend was suffering from all-day sickness. Despite that, shed managed to crawl her way out of bed to check on Mary Anns dad.
Her friends words played through her head.
Sweet Jesus, Mary Contrary, Penny had crackled over the line. Hes, like, the walking dead. He doesnt even go to work anymore. He just stays in the house. I peeked in the window last night, and he was just staring at your picture. You know Im as hard core as a girl can be, but that almost broke me.
Me, too, she thought now. Nothing I can do about that, however. Im saving his life. Shed had him freed from a vengeful fairys compulsion to never leave his room and to ignore everything around him. That would have to be enough. Better he was despondent than murdered to get to her.
And, now it was time to change the subject inside her head. What had she been thinking about before? Oh, yeah. Tucker.
Why, why, why had she convinced Aden, Riley and Victoria to save Tuckers life after a group of vampires used his body as an appetizer? If she hadnt, he wouldnt have been alive to stab Aden in the heart.
Weirdly enough, Tucker had confessed to the crime without any prompting from her. Hed even cried while telling her. Not that she had forgiven him. Maybe when the shock wore off. Then again, maybe not.
What you did to Aden was harsh, she said softly.
He blanched, but still he didnt move away. I told you. Vlad made me do it.
And how do I know youre not here under Vlads orders, watching me and reporting what I do?
Because I told you I wasnt.
And youre known for your honesty and integrity?
Sarcasm is an ugly thing, Mary Ann. Look, I did what he wanted and then I ran. I havent seen him or heard from him since.
The heard from him part gave her pause. She knew Vlad had spoken to Tucker inside his head, as if standing next to him and whispering when he hadnt actually been standing next to him and whispering. Maybe Tucker was telling the truth right now, but again, maybe he wasnt.
Bottom line: at any moment Vlad could whisper, command him to drag her home, hurt her, bury her, and Tucker would obey without hesitation. She wasnt willing to risk it.
So she said, I dont care about your reasons or that youre desperate to escape the head vamp. The facts are, you hurt Penny, hurt Aden, and youre a liability. Id be stupid to trust you.
You dont have to trust me. You just have to use me. And in my defense, again, Aden is still alive. I can feel the pull of him.
So could she, and that was the only reason she hadnt followed through with her threat to get up close and personal with his windpipe. Okay, that wasnt the only reason. She wasnt violent by nature. Usually.
Neither was Aden, but life had shaped him differently than it had shaped her. While shed grown up in the comfort of her parents love, hed grown up in the cold, uncaring walls of mental institutions, his doctors constantly shoving pills at him. Pills he hadnt wanted and hadnt liked.
The docs had assumed he was crazy, never digging deeper to get to the truth. And the truth was, Aden was a paranormal magnet. Anyone or anything with supernatural abilities was drawn to him, and their powerswhatever they werewere magnified.
Mary Ann, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She tended to repel the supernatural and suppress powers.
The suppression thing was the reason Tucker had glued himself to her side. Around her, the darkest urges of his demonic nature were eased, even forgotten. He liked that. In fact, that was the reason hed dated her. Not because hed been attracted to her, but because he liked feeling normal.
So not flattering.
Look, he said. Ive helped you, havent I?
She refused to admit that, yes, in the past few days hed helped her. She still wanted him to suck it.
Riley was closing in on you, and I cast an illusion, hiding you inside it. He passed you.
Dont take the bait. And dont you dare think about Riley! Riley, who was probablyargh! She pressed her lips together, once again remaining silent.
Tucker sighed. Such a stubborn girl.
Though she tried to stop them, thoughts of Riley continued to flood her. Riley, chasing after her the night she discovered the truth about her mother. Riley, catching her, carrying her to his car. Riley, kissing her. Comforting her. He would comfort her now, if she let him. But as much as she wanted to see him, she couldnt. She would definitely hurt him and quite possibly kill him.
And really, seeing him that last time, when hed by passed her, unaware she was right there hidden in Tuckers illusion, had nearly killed her. She loved that boy. So much so shed come close to giving him her virginity. Twice. Both times he had been the one to stop them, wanting to make sure she was ready. That she wouldnt regret what happened. That she was with him because she wanted him, and for no other reason.
Now she regretted that they hadnt.
Walking away from himfine, running as fast as her feet would carry herhad been hard. Was still hard. Harder by the second. How easy would it be to call him and ask him to pick her up? Beyond easy. Hed do it, too. Meet her wherever she asked, sweep her up and cart her to safety. Thats just how he was.
So, she had to be the same way for him. Anything to keep him safe. Even if that meant being apart. Forever.
I had to stand far away from you, Tucker went on, either oblivious to her inner turmoil or simply not caring, so you wouldnt mess with my mojo. You know, stifle it.
No. I dont know what mojo is because Im a moron.
Sarcasm again. Seriously, rethink it. Anyway. I had to be close enough to you to still be able to force Riley to see only what I wanted him to see. That wasnt easy.
She made a big production of leaning forward and studying the screen. When, in actuality, the words were kinda blurred together and had been for a while. Fatigue rode her hard. Nowadays, fatigue always rode her hard. She felt like she hadnt slept in years.
Every night, when she laid her head on whatever motel pillow she could affordor when she couldnt, whatever building she stumbled uponshe tossed and turned, her mind lost to the things shed witnessed and done what seemed an eternity ago.
Wow. An eternity that was really only about two craptastic weeks ago. Bodies had been writhing in pain all around her. Because of her. People had begged for mercy. Because of her. Because she had placed her hands on their chests and absorbed their powers, warmth and energy, leaving them with nothing, turning them into empty husks. Did you want to see the wolf? Tucker asked, head tilting to the side as he measured her expression.
Yes. The truth left her before she could stop it. How big and strong and capable Riley had looked. How frustrated and angry. Howfrightened. For her.
Exasperated, Tucker threw up his arms. Then why are you running from him?
Because she was dangerous. She wouldnt mean to, but one day she would drain the energy out of him, too. Without touching him. Truly, she didnt need to touch people to kill them. Touching helped, yes, but she could simply stand in front of them and inadvertently start tugging their life force into her own body.
Those life forces had become her food, after all.
Though shed tried, she hadnt drained Tucker yet. For some reason, she couldnt. He possessed some kind of block. Either that, or her previous overindulgence prevented her from feeding. Yet.
She should feel guilty that shed tried, because, if she had succeeded, he would never have recovered. The witches hadnt. The fairies hadnt. Only the ones whod left the fray before shed reached them had survived the carnage.
She sighed. Despite her failure with Tucker, she thought it was just a matter of time before her hunger returned in full. Every few hours, she experienced slight pangs. She feared those pangs would only grow. That they would develop invisible arms and reach out, grabbing onto whatever creature happened to be in her vicinity.
Fingers crossed, Tucker was victim one.
She found herself wondering what demons tasted like and had to shake away the thought. See? She couldnt control this newest aspect of her nature. Bile burned a path up her throat. She needed a distraction. Big-time.
Mary Ann swiveled in her chair, leaned back and rested her hands on her middle. Peering up at her ex through the thick shield of her lashes, she said, Tucker, Im no good for you. You should leave while you can. Hed get one warning. Only one.
He frowned. What does that mean?
You saw what I did that night. A statement not a question. And she didnt have to specify what night she meant.
Yeah. His frown disappeared, a high-wattage grin taking its place. And it was impressive as hell.
Impressive? Hardly. Her cheeks suffused with heat. If you stay, Ill do that to you. I wont mean toat least, thats what Ill tell anyone who questions mebut I will.
The person next to her, a college-aged girl, shushed her. Trying to work here.
Trying to converse here, Tucker said, flashing a scowl at her. You dont like it, you can move.
She moved, her ponytail angrily swishing back and forth.
Mary Ann fought a small wave of jealousy. Shed always wanted to be strong and assertive, and while she was working on it, she wasnt there yet. For Tucker, it came so effortlessly.
Tucker studied her, one brow arched. Liked that, did you?
Took a Herculean effort, but she maintained a neutral expression. No.
Liar. He rolled his eyes, then rested his elbows on his knees. Back to what we were discussing. He threw the last word at the girl, now four desks away, before refocusing on Mary Ann. Lets say I like to live on the edge, and the fact that you could one day hurt me revs my engine. But guess what, baby doll? You need me. Riley wasnt the only one chasing you, you know.
What? That was news to her.
Yep. Two girls. Both blondes. You kinda fought them before. He gave a low, raspy wolf-whistle. And BTW, theyre hot.
The bile gave her throat another good singeing. Were they wearing robes? Red robes? If so
Yes. You saw them this go-round?
No. But hot blondes shed fought before were rare. So, she knew exactly whom he spoke of and suddenly wanted to vomit.
Too bad. You could have put in a good word for me. Because, yeah, Id do em.
A good word? she scoffed, though inside she trembled. When youd do anyone? Please. The blondes were witches, no question. Witches who had escaped her wrath. Witches who now hated her for destroying their brethren. Witches with power beyond imagining.
Mmm, power
The fear momentarily left her, and her mouth watered. Witches tasted so good
When she realized what thoughts were pouring through her mind, she slapped herself on the cheek. Bad Mary Ann! Bad!
Okay, what was that about?
She ignored Tucker to concentrate on her new top priority. More wards. If witches were on her tail, she needed to be ready for their attack. And they would attack. New wards would protect her from specific spells they might cast. Spells of death, destruction and even mind control.
Yeah, the Red Robed Wretches could go there.
Hey, youre getting paler by the second. Theres no reason for you to worry. I sent them away just like I sent the wolf away. Oh, and I sent the other group chasing you away, too. A mix of males and females with sparkly skin.
Please, no. Not
Fairies, Tucker said. They were definitely fairies.
Confirmation. Wonderful. As many as she had drained, they had to want revenge just as badly as the witches. Tucker might have sent them away, but theyd be back. All of them.
So what do you come here every day to read about, huh? Tucker asked, changing the subject. To give her time to calm down? To distract her? Tell me, and maybe I can help. More, that is. Help more.
Subtle. It involves Aden, and secrets hes shared with me. And I am not sharing those secrets with you.
A moment passed in silence. Then, Secrets, secrets, lets see. There are so many to choose from, I dont know where to start.
What do you mean?
Vlad had me research Aden before I stabbed him, and guess what? Youre not the only one whos good at researching.
Heart thundering with a storm of dread, she whipped upright. What did you learn? Aden did not like anyone knowing about him. He was embarrassed, but also cautious. If the wrong person found out about himand actually believed the truthhe could be used, tested, locked away, killed. Take your pick.
Tucker held up one hand and began ticking off items like he was reading from a list. He has three souls trapped inside his head. He used to have four, and one of them was your motheryour real mother, not the aunt who raised you as if you were hersbut Eves gone now. What else? Oh, yeah. Hes now king of the vampires. Until Vlad decides to step in and take the crown back.