I signaled to the waitress for the bill. Moments later she appeared at our table and handed the check to me.
“Was everything okay with your meal?” she asked us. She had that eastern mountain way about her. I’d seen it so many times before: she was cautious, nervous, and spoke with her head bowed.
“It was great,” Elana answered brightly. “Thank you.”
Somehow I don’t think that even eastern living would manage to break Elana’s spirit. There was a gallant obstinacy to her character that made me almost proud. It hadn’t always been that way, though. When I’d first crossed her path, I’d seen a girl too young to be responsible for the Light Keeper’s watchtower, too naïve to comprehend the importance of the task and to sacrifice herself for the greater good. But now I’d come to know that there was more to her than what met the eye.
Deep down, I trusted that Elana would see this through, and that awareness was bittersweet. On the one hand, the soldier in me respected her for obeying her duty and following her calling. On the other hand, the human in me ached for the life she was about to give up.
“Thanks for dining with us,” the waitress said, bringing me back to the present. “I hope we see you again soon.” She mustered a wobbly smile and left us alone.
Since I was the only one with cash, I reached for my back pocket. But before I could remove my wallet, my attention was drawn elsewhere. The restaurant door opened and Bernard strode in.
Looking over Elana’s shoulder, I caught Bernard’s eye and nodded a friendly greeting. He gave a single nod back but didn’t return the smile. To my surprise, he sidestepped the waiter and began heading for the men’s room, jerking his head for me to follow.
I frowned, then cleared my throat. “Excuse me,” I said to Elana, standing.
“Where are you going?”
“Bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
I tossed a couple of bills next to the check and left the table, trailing Bernard’s footsteps like a ghost.
I passed through a set of double doors that led into a dark corridor. The men’s room door was to my left. I nudged it with my foot, letting it swing open. The walls were branded with graffiti and stained with patches of damp. Above me, the light flickered and hummed with electricity. It cast dancing flashes on the grey floor tiles.
Bernard stood in front of the single cloudy mirror, staring at his reflection through the layer of grime. He turned to me.
“They’re outside,” he stated gruffly, in a voice so strained it didn’t sound like his own. “There’s too many of them. They’re looking for her.”
My shoulders tensed. “What are they?”
Bernard rubbed his knuckles along the white stubble around his mouth. “Vampires. They’re after her. They smell witches’ blood and they want it.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “How many?”
“Five, maybe more…” Bernard guessed. “I’ll take the girl to Seraphim’s. We’ll use the back streets to keep out of sight.”
“You won’t be able to get across town with half a dozen vamps on your tail.” I patted my jacket pockets, feeling for my stake. “We’ll have to face them here. Do you think you can handle one or two? I’ll take the rest.”
Bernard hesitated. I watched the movement of his eyes as his pupils dilated in the wavering light.
“Yes,” he muttered at last. “Let’s get the girl and go.”
“She can’t come outside with us,” I told him, frowning. “It won’t be safe.”
Bernard fixed me with a stony stare. “She has to come outside.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why?”
“Because,” he floundered, “what if the vamps come in? And you’ve left her unprotected?”
“Vampires need to be invited in,” I reminded him. “I don’t think anyone in the pizzeria will be doing that.”
He grimaced. “Even so...”
I focused on his eyes again, and noticed a cloudy ring of yellow circling his engorged pupils.
My heart sank.
“Get the witch and leave,” Bernard pushed. “Meet me in the alleyway out back.”
I swallowed against a sudden burning sensation in my throat. “Alright,” I answered hoarsely.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then I backed away.
I retreated into the restaurant, leaving Bernard in the men’s room alone. Elana was still sitting at our table, fiddling with a packet of breadsticks, oblivious to my covert encounter.
She noticed my approach.
“Stay there,” I mouthed. I knew I’d be going head-on into whatever awaited me outside, and I couldn’t risk her joining me. “Don’t follow me.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and her brows drew together in confusion.
“Don’t follow me.”
I turned away from her and headed for the exit. Seconds later I was outside in the cold air. The walls of mountain rose high above the shops, enclosing the town in a cocoon. The sun had already dipped beyond the highlands, out of sight. It was darker than I’d anticipated for four o’clock, and closer to dusk than I’d presumed.
I strode up the deserted road and ducked into the side alleyway. It was dank and gritty, and hidden from the main road. A rush of anger surged through my bloodstream. It had been a while since I’d felt this way, and I was grateful for its all-consuming presence, flooding over me and suffocating everything else. Maybe deep down I’d been itching for some action. I’d been benched for months, and I was hungry to get back into the game.
In the secluded alley, the last of the dwindling light was blocked out by high stone walls. I knew Bernard would be close behind, believing he’d herded me here—when in fact I’d been the predator all along, and it was he who was the lamb to the slaughter.
Did he think I wouldn’t be able to spot the difference? Did he think he’d lure me out here disguised as my ally, kill me off quickly, then move on to Elana? If he did, then he—whoever he was—was a fool. He was up against me now.
The corner of my mouth twitched. Hell, I’d been Jake for so long that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be me.
But I was me again now, and it felt good. It was as though my chains had come loose, and I was chomping at the bit to break free.
I kept moving, sensing a presence behind me as I strode deeper into the grim alleyway. I closed my eyes, giving in to the moment, ready to begin, but waiting, waiting, waiting…
I reached a dead end where a wire fence caged us in. I could feign being trapped, when really it was my web he would be stepping in to. Slowly, I turned around, prepared to confront the face of my friend Bernard.
“What the hell?” I slapped my palm to my head, staring aghast at my apparent opponent.
“What?” Elana asked innocently.
“I told you not to follow me!”
She gnawed on a breadstick, raining crumbs into the gutter. “I thought you said to follow you.”
“I didn’t! Now what am I supposed to do with you?”
She took another bite of breadstick and shrugged.
“Damn it, Witch.” I pressed my knuckle to my mouth. “Can’t you do anything right?”
Elana folded her arms. “Sorry,” she said in a distinctly unapologetic tone. “I’m not a mind reader.”
“You don’t have to be a mind reader. A lip reader would suffice.”
“You mumbled something and then you left. What did you expect me to do, Jake?”
I held up my hand. “Don’t call me that. I can’t be Jake right now.” I looked away from her and focused on the cold stone wall. I couldn’t allow myself to slip back into the image she’d created of me. I couldn’t be Jake for her. Not now.
“I’m sorry,” she said, a little more delicately this time. “Why are you out here, anyway? What happened?” She took a step towards me.
I flinched. I couldn’t let her get any closer. Her presence made me want to be Jake.
“I’ll go back inside,” she suggested, “if you want
me to…”
I reluctantly met her eyes in the dimness. “No. There’s no time. Just get behind me. And stay behind me—no matter what.”
For once, she did as I asked. Her footsteps echoed softly as she passed me. She huddled against the wire fence, concealed by shadows. Concealed by me. I kept my back to her, though. I couldn’t allow her to distract me from what I was there to do. I needed to harness that killer instinct, and around her I was about as fearsome as a bunny rabbit.
No, I reminded myself. That’s not who I am. I’m an assassin.
And, right on cue, the target revealed himself.
“Bernard?” I heard Elana murmur.
My eyes narrowed. “Glad you could join us,” I said to the newcomer. “Nice performance, by the way.” I tapped my index finger on my temple. “You almost had me fooled.”
His soulless yellow stare moved from me to Elana. “Almost? You came out here, didn’t you?” he said gruffly. “Two for the price of one.”
Blood rushed through my veins.
He stepped forward, his mouth contorting into a crooked sneer. Shapeshifters were one of the strongest breeds of demon, so I knew I had to get in fast and go for a quick kill. I moved across the narrow alleyway and struck, knocking him to the ground with one hit. In a beat I was upon him. I stood over him and pulled my stake from my jacket pocket. I poised it above his heart.
Terror flashed across his eyes. “Please!” His hands grappled with mine.
I froze.
Do it, I commanded myself. This isn’t Bernard. It’s a demon. But my body didn’t obey. I’d staked demons hundreds of times, so why wasn’t I moving?
Probably because a demon had never been wearing my friend’s face before.
My hesitation proved to be the lifeline the demon needed.
He was up on his feet, throwing me to the pavement in the process. The slim stake slipped through my fingers and hit the asphalt with a clatter.
Damn streamline weapon.
Elana let out a cry.
On reflex, I glanced over my shoulder to check she was alright. My attention had moved to her now. It was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid. It had all become too personal. I was too invested in it. I was too involved, and that would be my downfall. That split second lapse in concentration could have cost me my life—and hers. As it happened, it only cost me a concussion.
The shapeshifter hauled me to my feet and threw me across the alleyway. I felt—and heard—the smack as the back of my head hit the stone wall. I slumped back down to the ground, dazed.
I hadn’t been thrown in a while, and I had forgotten how much it hurt. Man, I was out of practice.
In my speckled peripheral I saw the demon move in on Elana.
I was on my feet in an instant, back on the offensive. I ploughed into the shapeshifter at full speed, sending him stumbling off course.
Winded, but by no means beaten, the demon returned his focus to me. He turned and tore a drainpipe clean off the wall, then advanced upon me, swinging the pipe into my stomach. I felt my ribs crack as he drove me back into the wire fence. He flung the pipe onto the ground with such force that it split and shattered.
No doubt about it, this shapeshifter was old, and in the underworld that was an advantage. He’d built up decades of strength, feeding off the lives of innocents. It made me hate him all the more.
I blocked out the shooting pain in my abdomen and went in for Round Three.
My stake was out of my reach, laying in a gutter across the alleyway. All I had left was willpower. It was him or me.
As I fought to regain the upper hand, Elana emerged from the shadows. She raced out into the open alleyway.
Good, I thought, distractedly. Go back to the restaurant. With her out of the picture, I’d have one less thing to worry about.
Unfortunately, she didn’t go far. Instead, she snatched the stake from the gutter and hurried back to me. In fact, she came up right beside us and began clunking the stake against the demon’s skull.
“What are you doing?” I rasped in dismay.
She struck him on the head again.
His empty yellow stare shot to her.
Seizing an opening, I held out my hand to Elana. She thrust the stake into my grasp.
“Get out of here!” I yelled.
Bernard lunged towards us. I swung Elana out of his path. With her behind me, I faced Bernard, gripping my stake. Again, I was poised. I was ready.
Nothing.
I looked into the man’s eyes. I knew him—or, at least, I had known the real him. He had been my friend. He’d helped me in the past. I’d broken bread with him, shared his grief when he’d lost his wife. He’d offered me refuge when I’d had nowhere else to go.
He had been a good man, and he didn’t deserve a demon festering inside his skin like this. He didn’t deserve to die.
“I can’t do it,” I whispered.
Bernard’s eyes turned to slits. I saw his body tense, ready to lunge at me.
Her soft voice came from behind me. “Then I will.”
The next thing I knew, a powerful gust of wind drove my arm forward. I sucked in my breath as the stake plunged into the shapeshifter’s heart.
I dropped my hand, letting my fingers slip from the stake, where it held steadfast like a conquering flag pole.
Elana had done what I couldn’t. And I’d experienced something I’d never been touched by before—witchcraft. I met her eyes in the darkness. She was trembling.
I pulled her closer to me.
The demon stumbled backwards, away from us. He let out a hollow moan.
Elana buried her face into my shoulder, covering her eyes as Bernard’s skin began to sizzle and peel. I held onto her, shielding her with everything I had. Sheilding us both.
And just like that, Bernard was gone and the demon was restored to its true form. He was a foul snake of a man—the shapeshifter I’d seen in a trench coat just hours earlier at Seraphim’s. Speared through his chest was the sleek wooden steak that the real Bernard had sold to me.
Poetic.
The demon slunk into the shadows and I looked on as his flesh burned away, leaving only the black ashes of his disintegrated bones.
Elana was silent, hardly breathing. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her fingers were coiled around my shirt.
I breathed in as I held her close to me. I wanted to ask if she was alright, but I couldn’t find my voice.
“Is it over?” she whispered into my shoulder.
I touched her hair, holding her to me. “Yeah. It’s over.”
She peered out into the silent alleyway. “I’m sorry,” she choked. “I thought he was going to kill you, and I panicked.” Her honey-brown eyes began to pool with tears. “I…I killed him. I killed Bernard.”
“That wasn’t Bernard,” I explained quietly. “That was the shapeshifter. You did the right thing.”
If anyone should have felt guilty, it was me. I’d been weak. I’d let my emotions get the better of me, and it had nearly cost us our lives. I’d been… human. I winced at the realization.
Elana’s breath faltered. “But it looked just like him. Just like him.”
“Yeah.” I stared at the ground. “Pretty good illusion, huh? That’s what they do. It’s their specialty.”
“So where’s the real Bernard? Does this mean he’s okay—”
“Bernard’s dead,” I said bluntly. My chest tightened, but I carried on, forcing myself to remain stoic. “The shapeshifter would have had to kill him to take on his form.”
“What?” Elana stumbled over her words. “Are you sure?”
I untangled myself from her. “Of course I’m sure.” I began down the alleyway, heading back towards the main road. “Come on,” I called over my shoulder without looking at her. “We’re leaving.”
Elana’s footsteps clicked on the ground behind me, moving closer as she strode to catch up. Her fingers wrapped themselves around my arm, forcing me to stop. “Are you okay?”
Her expression was clouded with concern. I knew she wanted more.
“I’m fine,” I insisted again. I drew in a deep breath, feeling the ache of my cracked ribs followed by the much stronger ache for my fallen friend.
Stupid, I reprimanded myself. This is what you get for letting people in. All it brings is pain.
I clenched my teeth.
I’m fine, I reminded myself. I’ll live.
Chapter Eleven
After Dark
Walking through Whitestone Point at dusk was like trying to cross a minefield in the middle of a warzone. Every move was tentative; you never knew which step would set off a grenade.
I navigated Elana through the streets as best I could, skulking through the shadows, avoiding the pools of misted lamplight on the cobbled road. After dark, the charming little hamlet morphed into a bleak ghost town. Shops were closed and barred, curtains were drawn, and the streets were eerily still.
People knew better than to go out at night.
We neared a part of town that I knew well. I could see Seraphim’s ahead. Warm lights glowed through the windows. In the midst of a dark town in lockdown, it stood out like a sore thumb.
Elana and I looked at each other.
“I have to go in,” I murmured.
She nodded.
I picked up my pace and jogged to the shop front. The door was unlocked. I eased it open and slipped inside.
Elana crept in after me.
“Stay here,” I said, leaving her at the entrance while I ventured further to explore the shop. There were shards of glass on the floor, as though ornaments had been knocked off the shelves. My heart began to thud in fear of what I would find.
Bernard’s magnifying glass and tray of coins remained atop the counter where we’d last seen them, suggesting that it couldn’t have been long after we’d left that the attack happened.
Why did I leave him here alone? I should have stayed.
I leaned over the counter.
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