Rogue

by Karen Lynch

  A sound drew my attention to the kitchen doorway where a dozen warriors watched us in shocked silence. Except for Nikolas, Chris, and Jordan, no one here knew what I could do. In their eyes, I was offering comfort to a vampire. This was going to require some serious explaining. Right now though, I had more important things to take care of.

  I laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and she cringed away from me. I kept my hand in place as I spoke to her. “My name is Sara. I know you’re scared and confused, and I swear I won’t let anything hurt you. I’m just going to sit here with you until you’re feeling a little better.”

  I sat on the floor by her head with my back against the cupboard doors. She was still crying, but she didn’t try to move away from me. After a few minutes, I touched her back soothingly. It was too bad my calming ability didn’t work on humans because I really could have used it now.

  “Sara?” Nikolas spoke in a low voice. He was sitting where I’d left him and looking ready to come to my rescue if he sensed a hint of danger.

  “We’re good.” A breeze blew in through the broken window and I shivered. At the same time, I felt the girl tense up under my hand. “Can I get a blanket for her?”

  Several minutes later, Jordan came into the kitchen carrying two thick blankets. She approached me slowly and draped one of the blankets over the girl who was crying more softly now. Jordan smiled at me and wrapped the second blanket around my shoulders.

  You okay? she mouthed.

  I nodded and she shook her head and said, showoff, before she backed away, leaving me alone with the girl again.

  Out in the living room, people were starting to talk softly, and I heard more than one ask what was going on. I looked over at Nikolas and inclined my head toward the other room. He shook his head, and I knew he wasn’t going anywhere until he was sure the girl posed no threat to me.

  The girl made a mewling sound, and I rubbed her back gently.

  “Shhh. It’s going to be okay.”

  In response, she scooted closer to me. Taking heart from that, I shifted until her head was on my lap. I began to smooth down her long dark hair, and she let out a shuddering breath and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. A lump formed in my throat as I tucked the blanket around her shoulders. I was so not qualified to deal with the trauma this girl must have been going through, but I was all she had right now.

  It took over an hour for the girl to cry herself to sleep. Her arms went slack around my waist, and I could hear her deep even breaths. My backside and legs ached from sitting on the hard floor, and I wanted to move, but I was afraid of disturbing her.

  Nikolas took the decision from me. He gently picked up the sleeping girl, blanket and all, and placed her on the love seat, which was the only couch in the living room that hadn’t suffered damage. As soon as he released her, she curled up into a ball again, but she didn’t awaken. The poor thing had to be exhausted.

  The warriors stared at the girl, which wasn’t surprising since she’d been a vampire an hour ago. They were also giving me a wide berth. I guessed making a vampire human again was right up there with raising someone from the dead. It just wasn’t done.

  “Is she really human again?”

  I glanced sideways at Geoffrey who had come to stand beside Nikolas and me. The warrior’s normally dark skin was ashen and he had the look of a man who had witnessed a miracle.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s... not possible.”

  I was too tired to explain. I gave Nikolas a pleading look and he nodded.

  “Geoffrey, let’s talk in the kitchen so we don’t disturb the girl.”

  “We can go downstairs if you don’t want to be overheard.”

  “The kitchen will do.” Nikolas’s gaze met mine as he and Geoffrey moved past me. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight until we got home again. I was more than okay with that.

  The other warriors resumed their work, packing up the equipment and preparing to move to another location. They kept throwing curious glances at me whenever they passed by, but I was used to being stared at.

  Unsure of what to do next, I sat at the foot of the loveseat. The girl might sleep for hours, but I was afraid to leave her in case she awoke. Exhaustion washed over me, and I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  “You okay, Sara?”

  I opened my eyes and gave Chris a weak smile. “Pretty good, considering.”

  He studied the sleeping girl. “You’ve had a busy night.”

  “You could say that.”

  “Why did you do it?” He crouched by the loveseat so he was at eye level. “Why this one?”

  “I wasn’t going to.” I began to remember more details of my experience with the vampire. “But then I saw a memory of her family, and…” My voice cracked. “It was Eli who changed her. I actually heard his voice, Chris. I felt her pain. I couldn’t... I had to…”

  He laid a hand on my arm. “It’s okay. You did the right thing.”

  My gaze shifted to the girl who whimpered in her sleep.

  “Did I?” She was a teenager who had suffered horrors I didn’t want to imagine. Her family and her old life were gone. There was no going back to them. She hadn’t uttered a word yet so we had no idea what her mental state was. If a Mori could drive a person insane, what was there to say that a vamhir demon couldn’t do the same?

  “Maybe it would have been kinder if I’d…”

  “I don’t believe that and neither do you.” His warm green eyes held mine. “You’ve grown into an amazing warrior since I met you, and I’m proud to fight beside you. But you have a healer’s soul. You could not have killed that vampire, knowing you could save the girl. If I know anything about you by now, it’s that.” He looked at her and let out a slow breath. “She has a rough time ahead of her, but she’s alive and human again thanks to you.”

  “Thanks, Chris,” I whispered.

  He smiled again. “Now, please don’t cry because I really don’t want Nikolas to come over and kick my ass.”

  My lips twitched. “He wouldn’t do that. You’re his best friend.”

  “When it comes to you, all bets are off.”

  I looked at Nikolas and Geoffrey in the kitchen. Nikolas was talking to the other warrior, but he was watching me. I smiled to let him know I was okay. He said something to Geoffrey, and then the two of them walked over to us.

  “How is she?” Nikolas asked me.

  “Still asleep.”

  “Do you think she’ll be able to talk to us when she wakes up?” Geoffrey asked.

  I looked at the sleeping girl. “I have no idea.”

  He rubbed his chin. “We’ll have to question her. There’s no telling what information she can give us about the attack tonight.”

  “I can tell you that your warriors were followed here from a casino two days ago. The vampires had no idea the rest of us would be here when they attacked this place.”

  Geoffrey inhaled sharply. “She told you that?”

  I hesitated. If I told him I’d spoken to the vamhir demon, he was not going to believe me. I could tell by his wary expression that he was still struggling with whatever Nikolas had shared with him. I was too tired to try to explain something I was still trying to understand.

  “Yes. That’s all she said.”

  “Son of a bitch.” He looked around for his team and called to the brunette who’d spoken to me earlier. “Evan, weren’t you guys at the Mirage two days ago?”

  “No, that was Tyler’s team. Why?”

  Geoffrey swore then apologized to me. “I need to contact Tyler. His team is out on a job right now. Excuse me.”

  “I think we should move her somewhere quieter,” I said to Nikolas and Chris. “She’ll be scared if she wakes up and sees all these strange people.”

  Nikolas nodded and I could tell he’d already realized we were not flying out of Las Vegas tonight. “We’ll take her to the new safe house. You need to rest, too.”

  “We all do
.” It had been a long day and night for all of us. I’d rest when I knew the girl was taken care of.

  Hours later, I sat in a chair in one of the bedrooms in the new safe house and watched the sleeping girl. She hadn’t awakened once during the drive to Henderson or when Chris had carried her into the house earlier. Every now and then she made a frightened sound, and I wondered what horrors she was dreaming about.

  Jordan walked into the room. “I’ll sit with her for a while. You need to lie down before you fall over.”

  “I’m okay.” I stifled a yawn.

  She pulled me out of my chair and pushed me to the door. “Sorry, but those are Nikolas’s orders. You can take the room next door so you’ll be close, and I’ll let you know if she wakes up.”

  I was too tired to argue. I gave her a grateful smile and went into the dark room, not even bothering to turn on the light or pull back the comforter on the bed. During the night, Nikolas came to check on me, and I sleepily tugged him down to lie beside me. It was the only time I woke up until the next morning.

  A girl’s scream jerked me from my sleep, and I almost fell out of bed. I burst into the room next door and found the girl cowering in the corner with her long dark hair hanging wildly around her face.

  Near the door, Jordan stood holding a plate of food and a glass of orange juice. “I just went to grab some breakfast. I didn’t think she would wake up yet.”

  “That’s okay. I’ve got it.”

  Nikolas arrived with Chris on his heels. “Sara?”

  I put my finger to my lips and backed them out of the room. “She’s awake, and she’s terrified. I’m going to try to talk to her.”

  I approached the girl slowly with my hands at my sides. “Don’t be afraid. Do you remember me? I’m Sara, and I talked to you last night. You remember my voice, don’t you? I promised you I’d stay with you. I’m still here and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  I spoke to her like that for at least thirty minutes before she lifted her head and looked at me for the first time. Through the veil of her dark hair I could see her pale cheeks, frightened brown eyes, and trembling lips. Her gaze flicked past me to Nikolas, Chris, and Jordan standing in the hallway.

  “They won’t hurt you. They’re here to help keep you safe.” I sat on the bed, facing her, and tried to look as unthreatening as possible. “I’m Sara. Do you remember me?”

  She stared at me for a long moment before she nodded.

  I gave her a warm smile. “Good. Do you want to tell me your name?”

  “E-Emma.”

  I swallowed painfully. “It’s nice to meet you, Emma. I bet you must be pretty confused and scared right now, huh?”

  “I-I saw you.”

  “Saw me where?” I asked gently.

  She swallowed and her eyes darted around the room. “You were th-there. You... talked to it.”

  “Yes.”

  “You killed it?”

  “Yes.”

  She let out a ragged sob and sagged against the wall. “This is... not real. Is it?”

  The trace of hope in her small voice was almost my undoing, but I had to be strong for her. “All of this is real. I killed it and now you’re safe.”

  “Safe?”

  “Yes.”

  She put her head down and didn’t speak for several minutes. Finally, she stared at me and said, “It’s really gone?”

  “It’s as dead as it can be. It’s not coming back.”

  “Thank you.” She closed her eyes and tears spilled down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  I sat there helplessly as she cried. I wanted to go to her, but I was afraid of startling her and undoing the progress we’d made. After several minutes, she used her sleeves to wipe her face and looked at me with less fear in her eyes.

  My stomach chose that moment to rumble, and I laughed softly. “I’m starving. I’m going to ask one of my friends to bring me some breakfast. Would you like to join me?”

  Her eyes immediately went to the tray of cold food Jordan had left on the nightstand. She stared at it helplessly, and I realized she hadn’t eaten food in many years.

  She smiled tremulously, and my chest constricted. Jordan had once called me a waif, but Emma fit that description perfectly. She was at least two inches shorter than me and slender, and her complexion was pale because it hadn’t seen the sun in many years. But even as her sad brown eyes tugged at my heart, I could see strength in her. The fact that she was smiling and speaking to me coherently after the trauma she’d been through was evidence of that.

  Jordan came in with another tray bearing two plates of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast, which she placed on the bed beside me. I shifted to make room then patted the bed in invitation. Emma waited until Jordan had left the room again before she timidly joined me on the bed. Her trust in me after all she’d been through was humbling.

  At first, she toyed with her eggs, but after a few minutes she began to nibble on a wedge of toast. By the time I was finished she had eaten two pieces of toast, a good start for someone who hadn’t eaten in a very long time.

  Neither of us spoke while we ate, but I could sense her becoming more at ease with me. Sometime during the meal, the others left us alone and Emma looked relaxed for the first time. When we were done, I placed the tray on a small table in the hallway and went back to sit with her.

  After a lengthy silence she whispered, “I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

  “You didn’t do those things, Emma. The demon did.”

  “It was my hands, my body.”

  I reached over and took one of her cold hands in mind. She flinched but didn’t pull away. “The demon took control of your body. You are not responsible for anything it did. My uncle went through this too and he felt guilty even though he knows none of it was his fault.”

  “Your uncle?” Hope filled her eyes and her voice. “There are others like me?”

  “Just you and him so far. I’m still new at this.”

  “Why? Why me?”

  I let out a slow breath, trying to think of the best way to answer. “I wasn’t going to,” I said honestly. “I was trying to get the demon to tell me how it knew where we were. But then you showed me some memories and I wanted to help you.”

  She stared at our joined hands. “My family, I can’t go back.”

  “No.” It was best not to give her false hope when it came to them. Emma could never go back to her old life.

  Her breath hitched. “Where will I go?”

  “You can stay with me.” I squeezed her hand. “Once you feel better you can decide what you want to do. I’ll help you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Emma. I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends.”

  She fell silent again, and I wondered for the hundredth time what was going through her mind. She had to be dealing with so much emotionally – things I couldn’t even fathom.

  “Are you tired? Would you like me to leave you alone for a while?”

  Her fingers gripped mine. “No, don’t go. Please.”

  “Okay. I’ll stay.”

  She released my hand and began tracing a seam in the comforter with her finger. Minutes passed before she spoke again. “The night it happened, I wasn’t even supposed to go out. There was a boy I liked and he had a band. I wanted to go with my friends to hear them play, but my parents said I couldn’t go. So I snuck out.” She sniffled and swiped a finger under her eye.

  As she described the night she’d met Eli, I remembered my own encounter with him in Portland. The similarities between Emma’s experience and mine were eerie, and proved that Eli had definitely had a favorite type. We were both young brunettes and had a similar build. He’d stalked both of us at a club where we’d gone with friends to hear a band. Nikolas and my friends had saved me from a fate worse than death. Emma had not been so lucky.

  Once Emma started to tell her story, it flowed out of her in a torrent of words and tears. Eli had played wit
h her for a week before he had finally changed her. He’d chosen her because she was young and innocent-looking, and she would be the perfect lure for other teenagers. Even after she’d become a vampire, he’d used her for months until he finally tired of her. She didn’t go into graphic detail, thankfully, but I heard enough to imagine the horrors she’d gone through.

  Eli had been her maker and he’d been strong, so he’d controlled Emma completely. It wasn’t until his death that she had been free to go where she wanted. So she’d come to Las Vegas because there were a lot of other vampires here.

  “Did you ever meet Eli’s master? I asked the demon, but it wouldn’t or couldn’t say.”

  “I know I must have because Eli took me everywhere with him, but I don’t remember him. Eli told me his master was afraid of the Mohiri torturing the information out of a vampire. So he compelled everyone to forget him. Except Eli.” She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I wish I could be more help after all you’ve done for me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It was a long shot anyway.”

  Emma got off the bed and went to look out the window. “I had a little sister, Marie. She was ten when I disappeared. I guess that would make her thirty-one.” She leaned her forehead against the glass and I saw her shoulders shake. “My baby sister is almost twice my age now. She’s probably married with children and I’m still seventeen.”

  “I’m sorry, Emma. I wish...”

  “I know,” she said softly. “You gave me back my life. I should be happy with that.”

  “It’s okay to not be happy right now. But someday you will be. And if you want, we can find out where your sister is and how she’s doing. Your parents too.”

  She came back to sit on the bed. “You can do that?”

  I let out a small laugh. “Not me, but I have a few friends who can find almost anyone.”

  “I’d like that.” Her eyes took on a faraway look, and I knew she was thinking about her family and her old life.

  “Do you want to talk about them?”

  She nodded sadly.

  We talked for hours. She told me about her family and friends and growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. I told her about my dad and Nate and my friends. When I described New Hastings she got a wistful look in her eyes and said she’d always wanted to live near the ocean. Every summer her family would rent a house for two weeks in Virginia Beach, and it had been her favorite place to go.