Lizzie put her hand on my arm. “Hey, we haven’t been searching for long. We can’t expect things to fall into place the first time we try. Especially when this isn’t something either of us has done before.”
Something she hadn’t done before. But even with my experience, everything was still off for me. I glanced at her hand on my arm.
I hesitated, then put my own over hers before meeting her gaze. She didn’t shy away this time. Happy bubbles bounced around in my chest, making it hard to breathe. Such a simple thing.
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry. I just . . . I just want the job to be done already.” The pressure was only getting worse.
“Is spending time with me so miserable?” Lizzie said with a slight smile.
I searched her face. She’d wanted to come off as teasing, but I could see I’d wounded her again. “Of course not, Lizzie.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’ve . . . I’ve never had such a hard time completing a job.” She couldn’t possibly know I wasn’t referring to what we were doing at that moment, but to the ever-looming contract with the Shadow Prophet. Should I let her know about him? Tell her what was going on in my life? Could I do it without making her afraid? Maybe I could just mention the other five. She wouldn’t have a reason to believe I’d been hired to kill her too. Would she?
Lizzie smiled. “We barely started.”
I stepped closer to her, not letting her look away. I’d almost forgotten what we were talking about. “I got hired a couple of weeks ago.”
She tilted her head, probably confused. “Why did it take so long for you to approach me?”
“I needed information first.” I took a breath. I was going to tell her. I had to—I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. It was building around me so much now, my chest hurt. “Lizzie—”
She gasped, grabbing the amulet she wore on a chain around her neck.
Without explaining anything, she pulled me down the street to the left. There was an urgency to her actions, and I knew the amulet was probably giving her instructions. Thank goodness. The hound had to be close.
I followed, not questioning. She strode straight through the next intersection, then turned right at the one that followed.
We were almost to a stop sign when she froze and turned, looking at the house closest to us.
“Hide,” she whispered.
Her command was serious—I didn’t know where it came from, but I obeyed immediately, dropping to the cement and lying on my stomach next to the row of low bushes that lined the sidewalk.
I blinked when Lizzie disappeared from view.
Staying perfectly still for a few more moments, I slowly, quietly rolled to a sitting position. Exhaustion poured over me like water from a pitcher. Why did I feel so bad? So crappy? I checked my sleeping tattoo. It was almost empty already. How was that possible? I’d added at least two days’ worth to it recently.
Something smashed inside the house, and I glanced up, disoriented from the quick turn of my head. The front door was open. She’d gone inside. Why hadn’t she returned to get me first?
Knowing I didn’t have much time, I pressed my golden tattoo and jumped to my feet, propelled by the rush of adrenaline. It would only last twenty seconds. I hoped that would be long enough to help Lizzie.
I rushed up the front steps when someone inside screamed, and I practically flew through the door. It banged into something soft and invisible. Oh, crap. That must have been her. “Lizzie? Where are you?”
Rauel, the fire vampire, stood not far from the doorway. He clutched his throat, choking and coughing, obviously the source of the scream. Thank goodness it hadn’t been Lizzie.
“We need to go report!” Jenna shouted from the floor next to an unconscious woman. “She’s got it—she’s already made contact.”
Rauel let go of his throat and groped at whatever the door hit—Lizzie—and then backhanded the air. I heard the crack as he smacked with her.
Rage made me see blood red when I heard Lizzie land hard against the piano, hitting several keys. Roaring, I grabbed Rauel and threw him across the room before leaping after him, jumping over Jenna and their victim on the carpet.
25
Rauel lunged to his feet, faster than I’d expected someone so weak to be. He met me midair, and we grappled—me trying to break his neck and him trying to sink his teeth in me.
He wasn’t the strongest demon or beast I’d ever fought. In fact, as far as vampires went, he was pathetic. But he did have a whole lot less bulk than I did, and he used that to his advantage.
Our fight ended abruptly when Jenna joined us, grabbing his wrist.
“Let’s go!” she screamed.
Rauel whirled away from me, taking her hand, and the two jumped and spun, their clothing and bodies turning into a gray mist, which dissipated completely.
I turned to make sure Lizzie was okay and saw that she’d reappeared on the living room floor next to a woman who was on fire. The flames were so dark blue, I could barely see them.
Lizzie squeezed her eyes shut tight, obviously trying to use her magic to stop the flames. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room, and I knew she was struggling. What could I do to help? None of my borrowed spells were good in emergency situations.
Lizzie, finally noticing me, yelled, “Call 911!”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed quickly, holding it to my ear, shaking my head for not thinking of it myself. Just showed how far removed I was from regular-human instincts.
“Burn victim,” I said to the operator. I stepped onto the porch to check the address, aware of Lizzie rushing into the kitchen. I glanced back. The fire had stopped. Good.
Giving directions to the operator, I joined Lizzie in the living room. “How is she?” I asked. “They need to know.”
“Bad. Pulse is faint. Still alive.”
I repeated the information into the phone. Moments later, sirens filled the air and an ambulance pulled up outside.
Paramedics rushed into the room and got an IV into the woman.
“Does Detective Evans need to know about this?” I asked Lizzie.
She nodded. “So does Cole.”
I wasn’t sure who Cole was, but didn’t care at that point. The adrenaline had long since worn off, and a new headache screamed against my skull.
The paramedics were packing the woman into the ambulance when Detective Evans arrived, followed closely by a man I assumed was Cole. They looked around, checked on her, then started peppering us with questions. Before Lizzie answered, she introduced me to Cole as her partner, then the two of us took turns explaining what happened.
“What did the vampire say?” Cole asked. “Something about them needing to report to someone?”
Lizzie nodded, and I said, “They were here checking things out. And following Lizzie.” My instincts had been right about that. I should have listened to them.
“And then the . . . vampires left?” Detective Evans said, looking like he was struggling with the idea that vampires existed. “Are they gone for good?”
“I doubt it,” I said.
“We definitely shouldn’t relax,” Lizzie said. “People need to know what happened. And what are we going to tell the public about the deaths that have already occurred?”
Both detectives fell quiet for a moment, then looked at each other.
Detective Evans said, “We need to talk with our captains before we make any decisions.”
They continued asking us questions and getting more information for a moment longer, then we all decided it was time for the night to be over. Detective Evans left, but Cole lingered, and I saw him sizing me up, probably wanting to be alone with Lizzie. I snorted inwardly. Like I was going to let that happen. Who was this guy, anyway? For all we knew, he was a hound acting as a detective. It was definitely plausible—they were immortal and could take up any job they wanted.
Cole’s eyes drifted to me again, and I noticed his protective body lang
uage toward Lizzie. Then I realized something. They were familiar with each other. Were they dating? My mouth went dry. I hadn’t once considered that Lizzie might actually be taken.
When Cole kissed her forehead, promising to give her a call in the morning, I knew she was. She had a boyfriend. I felt like I’d been sucker punched. I barely noticed when he got in his unmarked vehicle and drove away. My emotions couldn’t handle this—any of this. Lizzie dating someone? Why hadn’t I prepared myself for that possibility?
She turned to me, a question on her face. Probably wondering if we should continue hunting the hound.
I couldn’t do it. I needed time to process, to understand. To finally move on, now that I really knew I had to. I’d seen Cole’s expression. He was in love with Lizzie. And even though her face had been obscured, her body language showed she felt the same.
My heart shredded, and a lump in my throat made me choke.
“I feel rotten,” I said, coughing to clear my throat. “Let’s go home.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything, and we started toward her house.
Many men would fight—would work hard to win their woman back. But I respected commitment. I couldn’t ask her to do anything to him that I wouldn’t want done to me. If she loved him, he’d earned it. And there was nothing I could—or would—do about that.
We’d only gone maybe ten steps when Lizzie stopped, grabbing her amulet.
She looked over her shoulder, apprehension on her face, and I glanced back too, half expecting to see a hound there. The streets were empty.
She touched my arm. “The amulet is telling us to turn around.”
I frowned. Neither my body nor my emotions could handle being upright anymore. Exhaustion pounded into me, stronger even than the pressure. I suspected the pressure made it worse, though, especially considering the fact that my tattoos were on the fritz.
A quick glance down told me that two of them were almost empty—the golden tattoo, the one I’d used earlier for adrenaline, and the nightshade tattoo. I felt like I was about to collapse, but we’d waited so long for her to get the amulet that I knew I couldn’t stop just yet.
I opened my mouth, shut it, then said, “Okay, let’s go.” Even if it killed me.
At least if that happened, I’d officially be released from my duties to the Shadow Prophet.
We retraced our steps, and following the amulet’s directions, we ended up on Center Street, where we continued walking south. After another block or two, I could tell Lizzie wasn’t sure where to take us. She kept stopping, turning, then turning around again and walking a few feet.
Finally, she threw her hands in the air and shouted, “I know you’re out there, hound! Are you really willing to miss this chance? I’m only going to get stronger! You’re here now! Come face me like a man!”
I hid a smile. She was cute when she was exasperated.
Then I remembered her boyfriend and sobered up immediately.
We’d stopped near the train tracks on Center. Lizzie looked around, still confused, and something occurred to me. I could ask her about Detective Cole.
But how to bring it up without making her think I was jealous? Even though I definitely was. I didn’t want her to think I was emotionally invested in her relationship with him. I wasn’t sure I could say anything without her catching on.
Finally, I blurted, “Are you and the detective a thing?” Did that come out casually enough? I couldn’t tell.
“I don’t know. We’ve only been on one date.”
Hope made my heart skip a beat. I got antsy from standing and began walking south.
Only one date. That was definitely promising. They weren’t a solid thing yet. “How do you feel about him?” I asked. I had to find out.
“Again, I don’t know. We’ve only been on one date.”
I didn’t miss her irritation with me for asking. “Well, I know how I feel about him.”
Blinding pain shot across my skull, and I grimaced. “This headache is killing me.” It definitely was getting worse. None of the pain killers I’d taken had helped.
“Okay. Well, let’s go ho—” She paused, hesitating, a concerned expression on her face as she looked at me. “The amulet’s telling us to keep going.” Another pause. “But we need to get you home. And should we trust what it’s saying? Is it purposely leading us into a trap?”
I shook my head, immediately regretting it. More pain stabbed behind my eyes, making me see stars. “No, no trap. We’re going. We can’t miss this opportunity.”
Lizzie led us south, and I followed, barely able to concentrate on where we were going. I massaged above my right eye, where the pain was the worst. It helped marginally.
Lizzie touched my shoulder. “You’re worrying me. We need to get some pain meds in you. How about we do that and hunt again tomorrow?”
I took several deep breaths before responding. “What is the amulet telling you now?”
“The same thing it has this whole time—almost gibberish. It’s confused. Not sure where it wants me to go.”
That definitely wasn’t helpful. I looked at the residences that surrounded us and said, “Is there anywhere we can get some food? I think I’m having a sugar low or something.”
She frowned. “Well, the closest thing is a gas station down on Pioneer Crossing and 500. I don’t know if they’re open twenty-four hours, but we could check.”
Good enough. “Let’s go, then.”
Walking again was agony. I wouldn’t make it another ten steps, let alone a mile. I glanced at my wrist—the golden tattoo had filled back up by about an eighth. Could I borrow some of that? Get a bit of energy for two or three seconds? Only one way to find out. I pressed on it, asking for help, and was relieved when a shot of energy burst through my bloodstream.
Knowing it wouldn’t last long, I picked up my pace, walking as quickly as I could while I had the ability.
The adrenaline wore off after four seconds, but I forced my exhausted legs to continue propelling me forward. What else could I do? I was either about to die or throw up, and I’d prefer not doing either in front of Lizzie.
We reached Pioneer Crossing and hung right, heading for the gas station. The lights were on—I could see them up ahead—but I couldn’t tell if the place was open. Sweat dripped into my eyes, making it impossible to see, and I wiped it away, wishing I had a tissue.
For a brief moment, thinking of the sweat and tissue distracted me from my pain, and I grasped on to that, distracting myself with how nice it would feel to wipe away my sweat. Maybe I could wipe away the pain too.
Hound forgotten, I made a beeline for the gas station. They usually had rolls of paper towels handy at the pumps.
We stepped across the grass. The pumps were open, but the parking lot was completely empty and the inside was dark.
Lizzie said something, but my headache pulsed so hard, I couldn’t concentrate. The nearest paper towel dispenser looked empty. I changed my direction and headed to the next nearest one instead.
She said something else, but again, I couldn’t understand her. She put her hand on my arm, and I turned to her, struggling to remember what we’d been doing.
The thought finally entered my exhausted brain that I was about to Restart. Really? Right now? Couldn’t it have picked a better time?
I opened my mouth to tell Lizzie, but nothing came out. My vision began swimming. The ground spun. I was going to pass out. I tried to grab for something solid to hold on to, something that wasn’t Lizzie. I didn’t want to hurt her. But nothing was there.
My knees buckled under me. Luckily, I passed out before hitting the cement.
26
The only thing I was aware of was the blindingly numbing pain. Then Lizzie—her voice soothing me, her hand comforting me.
And for the first time in my life, I sensed magic. Arete magic. It was like a great, huge, angry wave on the ocean, pounding against me over and over again, drowning me. I couldn’t open my eyes, couldn’t
breathe, couldn’t even scream. And the pain . . . I was unable to fight the pain that encompassed my entire body.
Through it all, I knew Lizzie was there, protecting me from the elements that battered us. Even though my heart felt like it was about to explode from the pressure, it warmed toward her.
She cared for me.
I knew it then. Maybe she wasn’t aware of it. Or maybe she was fighting it. Either way, she had feelings for me.
With that thought to comfort me, and knowing there was nothing I could do to protect us, I finally succumbed to my Restart, allowing the pain and huge ocean wave to take over.
***
I woke up in the hospital, only remembering bits and pieces of my Restart.
My heart warmed toward Lizzie again, thinking about how tender she’d been with me. And I realized yet again that my feelings where she was concerned were legit. I couldn’t kill her. There was no way.
But what about my mother? What was I supposed to do where she was concerned?
I had to try again. Had to find a way to destroy the Shadow Prophet. If I didn’t, I had to find a way to tell him once and for all that I wasn’t going to finish this job.
I tucked aside all thoughts of my contract when an Arete walked past my door, and I sensed him. And not with my tattoo.
Eyes wide, I pushed the “up” button on my bed, needing to think more clearly. Then I tentatively reached out the way the Aretes I’d worked with had taught me.
“It’s there!” I whispered. I could feel my magic! I was finally a full-blown Arete! I couldn’t wait to start experimenting.
Before I could begin, someone knocked on my door, and I looked over. I groaned when I saw Melissa.
“Why’d they let you in?”
“I’ve got information for you.”
“Yeah?” I knew what she was talking about. The job the Shadow Prophet wanted me to do and had already paid me for. That didn’t make me any more okay with seeing her.
Shadow Prophet (Midnight Chronicles Book 1) Page 11