Shadow Realms- The Complete Series

by Kelly Carrero

  Ashley had been safe, and now I was the one putting her in danger.

  Shit.

  Her horrified gaze finally diverted from the weapons and landed on me. “Tell me everything.”

  11

  Trying to figure out what I should tell Ashley was doing my head in. Whatever I said next would determine the rest of her life. I had the chance to let her go home with only a few crumbs of truth, or I could tell her everything and let her decide.

  Lana’s family had given me strict instructions that I needed to stay away from my father and friends, and I had once again gone off, defying their orders and doing whatever the hell I wanted.

  I had responsibilities, and now the weight of them was crippling.

  Deep down, I knew I needed to tell Ashley the truth. Everyone deserved to know the truth. Still, it was hard to be the one to shatter someone’s life.

  “Well?” Ashley asked with anticipation.

  I took a deep breath then released it slowly. “Long story short, Finn is alive and—”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “Finn’s alive?”

  I nodded. “He belongs to a secret society of vampire and demon hunters. He found me when I was trying to become a vampire and brought me in. Max—the guy driving this van—wanted to kill me because he thought I was a demon.”

  “Vampire,” Max called out from the front. “I thought you’d completed your turn.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, Max hates me—”

  “Hated,” he corrected.

  I glared at him through the rearview mirror. “Are you telling this story, or should I?”

  Max grinned. “Go ahead.”

  Mason bumped his shoulder against Ash and whispered loudly, “He doesn’t hate her anymore.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Shut up, Mason,” I snapped as I cast a quick glance at Max, blood rushing to my cheeks when I saw him staring back at me.

  Quickly averting my gaze back to Ash, I continued, “Max hated me but then saved my ass when I went rogue trying to get in on Mason’s recovery mission.”

  “If I remember correctly, it was you who saved my ass,” Max interjected—again.

  I breathed out harshly, wishing everyone would just shut up and let me tell the story. “Max saved my ass, then got taken by the vampires—”

  “Which is when Kali got all hot and bothered that the guy she was crushing on was going to die because of another one of her rash decisions.” Mason winked at me.

  I groaned. “Really, Mason? I don’t know about you, but when I was getting the life sucked out of me by a vampire, the last thing on my mind was my dating life. All I could think about was that Max was going to die because of me. After everything he’d gone through, I was his undoing.” A lump formed in my throat as I remembered the savage monsters dragging him into the van. “I couldn’t let him die, and I couldn’t let you die. So, I did what I had to do.”

  “And what was that?” Ash asked, her body language void of all fear, replaced by excitement and anticipation.

  “I bit the vampire and drank his blood.”

  “Holy. Shit.” Ash pointed to my mouth. “Is that how you got those?”

  I nodded.

  Mason bent down to check on our father. “Only, she didn’t become a vampire.”

  Ash leaned forward, on the edge of her seat. “What are you then?”

  “I am—or will become—the demon huntress the Society of hunters have been searching for. So now vampires all over the world are looking for me, trying to kill me before my eighteenth birthday when I’m supposed to go through this transition into becoming the one.”

  Ashley barked out a laugh. “You’re trying to tell me you’re some badass kung fu chick that can kill a vampire?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  She could barely contain her laughter. “You, the girl who can’t even gut a fish and got your ass beaten by Jessica Mitchell in third grade?”

  Raising my brow, I folded my arms across my chest. “Yes and yes.”

  Ash turned to Mason, her smile dropping when she saw he wasn’t taking the piss out of me with her. She glanced at Max, who gave her a nod. “You guys are serious, aren’t you?”

  I breathed out harshly. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Which is why we need to get her back to the compound,” Max said.

  She slowly narrowed her eyes at me, creasing her forehead. “You came out here, where they could kill you?”

  I shrugged. “You know I don’t like being told what to do.”

  Ash broke out into a fit of giggles—or more so, hysterics. She did that when she was nervous or afraid.

  It wasn’t a good sign.

  I waited for her to get her shit together, but she seemed to continue to spiral out of control.

  Crap.

  Standing, I made my way to the front of the van, climbed into the passenger seat, and breathed out harshly. “Don’t suppose you’ve got something I can give her to calm down—or erase her memory of the last twenty minutes?”

  Max chuckled as he shook his head. “You wanted to tell her. Now you have to deal with the consequences.”

  I peered over my shoulder and saw Mason had his arm around Ashley, comforting her. “Maybe we should take her home.”

  Max smirked. “A little too late for that.” He cocked his head toward the looming walls of the compound.

  My eyes widened, and my heart leaped into my throat, choking me as I stared at my mother, standing in the middle of the road, her ghostly figure raising her hand straight out in front of her, palm facing us.

  I waited for Max to slow down, but it was as if he didn’t see her.

  Without thinking, I leaned over, grabbed the steering wheel, and spun it—hard.

  12

  The next few seconds felt like an eternity as the van tipped on two wheels and flipped, tossing my body around the cabin like I was in a washing machine, slamming me into Max before throwing me against the passenger side again. The windows exploded, sending shards of glass into my body as the van rolled down the street. The sound of the metal screeching against the bitumen reverberated through the van until the vehicle hit the grass and slid down a small embankment.

  My vision swayed and my head pounded as I tried to focus on my surroundings. Every inch of my body ached, especially… My stomach lurched when I saw the large piece of twisted metal sticking out of my thigh.

  I quickly averted my gaze and tried to focus on Max. He’d been sensible enough to buckle in and was now hanging upside down, head dangling, blood slowly dripping from the side of his face, probably thanks to me being unbuckled and flying around the front cabin.

  Panic ripped through me, fearing I had just killed him to save my ghost of a mother. Without thinking, I wrapped my hand around the metal stuck in my leg and yanked it out. Ignoring the blood oozing from the wound, I pulled myself into a semi-standing position and tried to block out the ringing in my ears so I could focus on Max’s vitals.

  After a long two seconds, I heard the sound of his heart beating as normal.

  He was fine.

  Remembering that we weren’t alone, I climbed into the back of the van where I found Mason and Ashley hanging, their seat belts saving their lives. Blood slowly pooled from the back of Ashley’s head, staining her blonde hair. My father was lying in a heap on the upturned roof with blood coming from his nose, and his hand was bent at an unnatural angle. Mason was unconscious with strong vitals and no visible signs of injury. He was out cold, like the rest of them.

  Shit.

  “Kali,” Max’s strained voice called from the front.

  I darted back to the driver’s cabin, pulling up short as Max fell out of his seat.

  Bending down beside him, I helped him into a sitting position then plucked the few shards of glass from his face before starting on the ones stuck in me.

  With legs bent and his hand against his head, Max looked up at me with a mixture of anger and concern. “What were you thinking? You could�
��ve killed them.”

  Picking out another few pieces of glass, I said, “I thought I saw something in the middle of the road.”

  “Saw what?” he asked, brows drawn together. “There was nothing there. The street was empty.”

  Not wanting to tell him I’d thought I’d seen my mother’s ghost, because that was never going to go well, I turned away from him and focused my attention on Mason, Ashley, and my father. They were all still out cold and in desperate need of help.

  I made my way to the rear of the van and tried to open the back door.

  It wouldn’t budge.

  Putting a little more force into it, I snapped the door from its hinges, grateful I had the strength of the huntress in me.

  It was still dark outside, and the sound of multiple footsteps running along the road made me want to sink into the darkness of the night. I was about to get my ass handed to me for sneaking out, thereby putting the rest of the world in danger.

  Max was probably going to get a smackdown as well, for helping me instead of calling it in.

  As much as I didn’t want to face the music, I quickly checked the seal on the blood pouch and pulled down my shirt to cover it. Then I stood my ground, waiting for them to come rescue my family.

  Footsteps scrunched the grass behind me. I whipped my head around just in time to see Max emerge from the van and make his way over to me, moving with a slight limp to his step.

  Standing beside me, he said, “Tell them it was me.”

  I drew my brows together in confusion.

  “I was the one who crashed the van.”

  “Why would you—?”

  Still wearing her evening dress, Lana rushed toward me, blades drawn, ready to slay any monster that stood in her way. Realizing there were no enemies around, her angry gaze fell on me. “What the hell were you thinking?” she asked as Finn rushed past me, throwing metaphorical daggers my way.

  That was the million-dollar question none of the hunters seemed to understand. They were all about the code, protecting me at the cost of my family.

  “It was my fault,” Max said. “I thought we could get out and back in before anyone noticed.”

  I released a harsh breath. As much as I loved that Max was willing to take the blame for me, I couldn’t let him. “No, it wasn’t. It was me. I thought I could bring my father in before you noticed I was gone. Max was the one who came out to make sure nothing happened to me.”

  Clenching her jaw, she shook her head, and I could almost feel the heat radiating from her. “Why would you risk everything?” She shook her head again. “What were you thinking?”

  “That I had to bring in my dad before the vampires got to him because no one else would listen to me.”

  I hated that Lana was angry with me when she was one of the only few people that had helped me when Finn first brought me in. It was because of her that I was able to train to become a hunter. Without Lana’s support, I may never have known I was this badass huntress. And now I’d gone behind her back and pissed her off.

  Her eyes softened a little. “We were ordered to stay. I’m sorry, but that’s the rules. If it had been up to me…” She gave me an apologetic smile, plucked a piece of glass out of my hairline, and tossed it onto the road.

  I returned her smile, knowing she still had my back.

  Lana cocked her head toward the back of the van, where Finn was coming out. “What happened there?”

  “I… uh…”

  Max scratched the back of his neck. “There was a cat on the road, and I swerved to miss it.”

  Lana’s eyebrows shot up. “You totaled the van to save a cat?”

  He shrugged. “It was a black cat. I didn’t want the bad luck.”

  I snorted then quickly shut up. Max did not seem like the guy who would believe in superstitions. He also didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would lie to the ones who had become his family. Yet, there he was, flat-out lying to Lana just to save my ass.

  There was so much about Max I didn’t know, and I wished I had more time to get to know him.

  Headlights shone down the street, moving quickly. A few moments later, another van pulled up and a group of hunters piled out of the back, spilling onto the road, quickly getting in on the situation at hand. The driver’s door opened, and Kade stepped out with his hand on the hilt of the dagger on his right side, scanning the scene before him.

  Kade strode over to us as blue and red lights flashed through the night sky. “Who’s in the back?” He gestured toward the overturned van.

  “Mason, my father, and Ashley.”

  He nodded, not the least bit surprised by my revelation. “And Finn?”

  “In the back with them.”

  “Is he hurt?”

  I shook my head, slightly puzzled as to why he thought Finn had been with us. “He only just got here before you.”

  Kade’s gaze swept over my body, stopping when he saw blood drenching the thigh of my pants. “You’re hurt. What happened?”

  It took me a second to remember what he was talking about. I’d forgotten I’d had a piece of metal stuck in my leg since the pain had almost completely vanished. “I’m fine.”

  “Wait,” Max said. “You got hurt?”

  “Of course, I got hurt. I was dumb enough not to put on a seat belt,” I said. “But I’m fine now.”

  He pulled out a torch and shone it on my leg.

  Kade and Lana kneeled down in front of me and inspected the wound for themselves, leaving me standing there, feeling like a fool having them fuss over me. “I know I’m like your queen and all, but there’s really no need to bow before me.”

  Kade and Max chuckled, while Lana cast me a stern look.

  Lana stood. “Luckily, it’s not too deep, but you should go back inside and get cleaned up.”

  “I’ll take you,” both Max and Kade said in unison.

  Max glared at Kade, who grinned back at him as he stood.

  Under different circumstances, I would’ve loved having two gorgeous guys doting on me, but all I could think about was Mason, Ashley, and my dad. There was also the ghost of my mother that held a huge chunk of my attention. I’d seen her twice, and both times it was as if she were trying to tell me something. But that was stupid. I didn’t believe in ghosts. “I’m fine. I’ll clean up later.”

  Worry lines creased Lana’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be out here any longer.”

  Ignoring her, I turned to the ambulance that had just arrived, knowing Lana couldn’t resist falling into her leadership role, taking the lead with the casualties and trying to contain the possibility of the public finding out about the Society. Not that anyone who was hurt had magic running through them. But still, it was obvious the Society wouldn’t have called the ambulance, and now she had to deal with them.

  Three paramedics, one female and two men, hopped out and strode toward the overturned van.

  Lana glanced between me and the paramedics then groaned and headed over to them as they reached the back of the van where Finn was waiting.

  Kade tilted his head to the side and sighed. “Let me guess. You’re not going to go back inside like Lana told you to.”

  “Not a chance.” I headed over to the scene, where I heard the short, stocky, bald paramedic calling for another two ambulances.

  Finn grabbed me by the elbow and led me around the corner of the van before releasing his grip on me. He ran his hand through his hair as he breathed out harshly. “What were you thinking going out on your own and making Mason go with you.”

  “Firstly, I didn’t make Mason go with me. He begged me to let him come, because unlike you, he thinks we should take care of our own. Secondly, if we didn’t go, we would officially be orphans because you won’t go against the Society and their stupid rules.”

  “Enough,” Lana snapped in a hushed tone, popping her head outside the van where Finn and I were arguing. “Let the paramedics do their job in peace.” She glared at us then retreated back inside the van.
<
br />   Lana was right. Now wasn’t about us. It was about getting our family the help they needed. Which meant I had to get out of there so the paramedics could do what they needed to. I was beyond frustrated, and I needed a release.

  When I turned to leave, a paramedic stood in my way. He was a good foot and a half taller than I was and had his flashlight focused on my lower body. “You can’t go anywhere until we check that out.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. I don’t need any help. It’s just a superficial scratch.”

  He raised his hand, producing the piece of metal that had gone through my thigh. “Unless there’s someone else who was in the van that we’re unaware of, I think this belongs to you.” The way he said this was as if he doubted the words coming from his mouth.

  He swallowed hard, the vein in the side of his neck pulsating at rapid speed. Slowly, he raised the torch to my face and lowered his other hand to the gun strapped to his waist. “Does this belong to you?”

  Ever since the awakening of vampires, it wasn’t just police who carried guns. Those in any public service position were required to be armed for their own safety. And he looked two seconds away from drawing the weapon.

  13

  The slightest movement of my lips would’ve turned this situation from bad to worse if he so much as caught a glimpse of my fangs. I could feel them pushing against the inside of my lip, begging to be freed. Not to mention the weird glowing specks in my eyes. But thankfully the specks couldn’t be seen unless he was right up in my face.

  No matter how much I wanted the world to know that hunters protected the humans from the vampires they feared, tonight was not the night to begin that fight. My family needed medical help, which meant my pearly whites had to stay hidden.