by Bree Wolf
Smiling at him with tired eyes, Quinn shook her head. “No, too emotional.”
“We should get you home,” he said, rising to his feet, and held out a hand to help her up.
But before her hand even touched his, there was a sudden draft in the air accompanied by a strange noise. Soo-Ji was knocked off her feet, a painful cry being torn from her lips.
Not knowing what was happening, Quinn had barely time to notice blood seeping from a deep wound in Soo-Ji’s shoulder, staining her shirt, when another burst threw Arnaud backward.
He managed to keep to his feet but it did him little good. Still posing a good target, the next hit brought him to his knees, blood now pouring out of two wounds close to his heart.
Shocked, Quinn tried to crawl over to him, frantically looking around, unable to make out the position of their attacker.
“Stay down!” Arnaud called, pain clear on his face.
A moment later two more bursts in short succession hit him, and he was thrown back into the grass beside his friend’s grave.
Chapter 34 – Dead on Target
Silence settled over the small cemetery. The moon was still hidden behind dark clouds and only the SUV’s headlights illuminated the scene, casting eerie shadows. Soo-Ji lay flat on her back, her left hand wrapped around the penetrating bullet wound in her shoulder. Her breathing came even, but her eyelids began to flutter, closing in shortening intervals.
Only a few feet from her, Arnaud had been knocked off his feet. He lay beside his friend’s grave, blood seeping from multiple wounds near his heart into the dark grass. Lifting his head, he scanned their surroundings, listening intently.
Cowering behind Martin’s headstone for cover, Quinn’s eyes were focused on Arnaud’s face, knowing that his senses would tell her more than her own.
After a small eternity, Arnaud seemed to relax. The deep frown lines on his forehead disappeared and he let his head fall back. “Whoever it was …,” he whispered. “… is gone.”
Still looking over her shoulder, Quinn crawled over to him, shocked at the amount of blood flowing freely from the wounds in his chest. “Will that heal?” she asked, feeling completely helpless.
Arnaud’s face twisted into a grimace of pain as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Are you hurt?” he asked, looking her over.
As she shook her head, his eyes turned to Soo-Ji and his face immediately changed. Quinn clearly saw a wave of fear and panic wash over him as he scrambled to his feet and hastened over to her.
Soo-Ji was still conscious as they dropped to the ground beside her, but her eyes were closed and her breathing had grown shallow. A small pool of blood had formed under her shoulder, slowly growing bigger.
“Her pulse is weak,” Quinn said, her fingers resting on Soo-Ji’s jugular, feeling for the fainter growing signs of her life. “We need to get her to the hospital.”
“We don’t,” was all Arnaud said, before his canines shot out and he sank them into his own forearm, drawing blood.
Realizing her stupidity, Quinn watched in amazement as Arnaud pressed the open wound on his arm against Soo-Ji’s lips, urging her to swallow. Slowly, the muscles in her throat worked and almost immediately the bleeding in her shoulder stopped.
“Unbelievable,” Quinn whispered, as she watched the wound closing in real time. Her own broken rib had healed instantly as well, but seeing it happening like this made it seem even more amazing.
“Are you alright?” Arnaud asked, as Soo-Ji’s eyes opened. The wound was completely gone, only the small puddle of blood and a distinct paleness to her features still bore witness to the near-loss of her life.
Slowly, her eyes focused and a weak smile appeared on her face. “I’m okay.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“We need to get her back to the house,” Arnaud said, helping Soo-Ji to sit up. Turning to Quinn, he asked, “Can you get the car?”
Taking the keys from him, Quinn rushed to the car. More than anything she wanted to leave this place. After what had just happened and with a million shadows still lurking in the dark, the charred remnants of her family’s old home held nothing peaceful anymore. The only thing that still lived out there was the threat of more pain and danger.
Arnaud helped Soo-Ji into the back and then sank onto the passenger seat himself. “Do you mind driving?”
Immediately Quinn turned the key in the ignition. Backing out of the long driveway, she glanced at his wounds. They had stopped bleeding but still looked horribly fatal. “What about you? Will that heal?”
“I think so,” was all he said. With eyes closed, he let his head roll back. Arnaud looked weak and vulnerable. In a strange way it was the scariest thing Quinn had ever seen. It reminded her of how Tate had fought the vampire to save her life. They always looked so strong and superior, like nothing could stop them, like they were invincible. But they weren’t. Just like her, they too could lose their lives.
When Quinn pulled into the garage only ten minutes later, Soo-Ji seemed much better already. She was still a little pale but a stern determination had come to her eyes and she immediately took charge.
Arnaud on the other hand looked close to unconsciousness, his skin pale and clammy. Supporting him between them, they managed to get him inside, lying him down on the chaise in the sitting room.
The moment she was relieved of her burden, Quinn didn’t know what to do and just stood there, waiting.
Neither indecisive nor reluctant to act, Soo-Ji slapped Arnaud hard across the face. “Stay awake!” she yelled and his eyelids began to flutter. “Where is your emergency kit?”
His eyes opened and closed.
Grabbing him by the shoulders, Soo-Ji shook him, but his eyes remained closed. Thinking for a moment, she turned to Quinn. “Get me a knife from the kitchen! Hurry!”
Although not knowing what good that would do, Quinn did as she was told.
When she returned, Arnaud was still unresponsive.
As she held out the knife to Soo-Ji, the young woman grabbed it. Taking a deep breath, she barely hesitated before plunging the knife deep into Arnaud’s thigh.
Immediately his eyes flew open and his upper body arched up convulsively, a reflex to the sudden pain.
Staring, Quinn watched as Soo-Ji grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Stay awake!” she ordered in a harsh voice. “Where is your emergency kit?”
His face was twisted in pain and his breath came in spasms. “The box,” he whispered, eyes shifting to the armoire by the east wall.
The young woman moved quickly. Without looking inside, she took a black plastic case from the box and was back by Arnaud’s side in a second. As she opened it, Quinn saw silver instruments, gleaming in the light from the chandelier hanging directly above them.
After cutting open his blood-soaked shirt, Soo-Ji took a pair of thin forceps from the case.
“Is there anything I can do?” Quinn suddenly heard herself ask. The whole situation scared her more than she liked to admit, but she was the reason Arnaud was lying there. She felt it her duty to at least offer her help.
Soo-Ji nodded. “Hold him down. As best as you can.”
Placing her hands on his shoulders, Quinn rested her entire weight on her arms. But when Soo-Ji started to fish for the first bullet, his reflexive jerks nearly threw her off her feet.
As Soo-Ji worked, the wound started bleeding again but immediately stopped as she pulled out the bullet. “Just as I thought,” she said, eyeing it with a look of disgust on her face. “Wood.”
“Wood?” Quinn repeated, unbelieving.
“And judging from his reaction, I bet it is from the Grove of the Titans,” Soo-Ji said, turning her attention to the next wound and the bullet that had dug it.
Watching, Quinn shook her head. “Whoever did this knows what he is.”
“It seems like it, yes.”
“It’s my fault,” Quinn whispered, staring at Arnaud’s face, his eyes closed again.
“I�
�d blame the one who fired the shot,” Soo-Ji said, not diverting her attention from the task before her. “But that’s just me.”
Looking at the young woman, dark head bent, trying to safe their friend’s life, Quinn felt a surge of respect for her well up. “What about you? Are you alright?” she asked, suddenly feeling the need to talk.
“A little light-headed,” Soo-Ji said, pulling free the second bullet and dumping it on the floor. “But I’ll be fine. His blood works fast.”
Quinn nodded. “I know.”
Without looking up, Soo-Ji said more than asked, “Speaking from experience.”
Again Arnaud jerked and both women leaned more heavily on him to keep him still and allow all the bullets to be retrieved.
After the last one finally hit the floor, Soo-Ji pulled her cell phone from the back pocket of her pants, surprising Quinn as she took a picture of Arnaud’s wounds.
“What’d you do that for?”
“To show him,” Soo-Ji said. “Later.” She beckoned Quinn to stand beside her. “Look. All four bullets hit him close to his heart. They almost form a circle around it. Whoever fired the shots seems to be an excellent marksman, which in turn suggests that he did not want Arnaud dead. Because if he had, Arnaud would be.”
Quinn frowned. “But he used that …eh … kind of wood that kills vampires.”
“Yes, but that just proves that there was another reason behind it,” Soo-Ji said. “Whoever did this knows Arnaud is a vampire. He also knows that only wood from the Grove of Titans kills a vampire, and from the precision of these wounds we know that, whoever fired these shots, hits what he aims for.” She pointed at the four bullet holes. “No one gets lucky like this. Whoever fired the shots didn’t aim for his heart.”
“Then what about you?” Quinn asked. “You got hit too, and you’re not a vampire. At least as far as I know.”
Soo-Ji shrugged. “I probably just stood in the way.” Bending down she pulled the knife out of Arnaud’s thigh in one swift motion, making him jerk and his eyelids flutter.
“Will he heal?” Quinn asked. The wounds had stopped bleeding but they hadn’t closed yet, and his skin was still grayish pale and clammy to the touch.
“He needs blood to heal,” Soo-Ji said, wiping the knife on her pants, leaving red streaks. Before Quinn could say another word, she ran the clean blade over her left forearm, drawing blood. Settling onto the chaise next to him, Soo-Ji pulled Arnaud onto her lap, making him drink.
With eyes still closed, he began to suck on the cut, drawing into himself that which he needed to heal and survive. Soo-Ji’s other hand curled around his to comfort and reassure.
Once more feeling like an intruder, Quinn left the room.
***
Standing on the porch, the dark of the night surrounding her, Quinn just listened to the sounds of the forest around her. Determined, she pushed away all thoughts of what had happened that night.
She breathed in and out, eyes opening and closing in rhythm. Slowly the strain fell away from her muscles and her nerves began to stretch out, finally freed from the tight grip they had been in. It had been the only thing that had allowed Quinn to stay in control and not lose herself to sheer panic. Letting go almost hurt physically, but at the same time a relaxing calm spread over her. She could breathe in more deeply.
With a hand wrapped around one of the pillars supporting the roof over the porch, Quinn’s fingernails dug into the wood. It was an anchor. An anchor to reality. It held her where she was, not allowing her to float away on the almost desperate wish for things to be different. It was the strangest feeling. One moment she could feel herself relax, knowing that somehow everything would be alright again, while in the next an almost doom-like foreboding came over her, threatening to crush her.
“That bad?” Arnaud’s voice suddenly came from behind her and she spun around, staring at him. “Are you alright?”
Unable to answer, her eyes swept over him. He looked normal again, not pale, not sickly, not close to death. Wearing a clean, not blood-stained shirt, he was the old Arnaud again. Quinn heaved a sigh of relief. “You scared me,” she said, starting to sway as the last bit of control fell from her.
Instantly, he was by her side, an arm around her for support. “Sorry,” he said, a faint grin on his face. “Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
Quinn shook her head. “I didn’t mean that.”
“I know,” he said, his eyes searching her face. “Are you alright?”
“You’re asking me?” she said, almost feeling herself laugh. “I didn’t get hurt. You did though.” Absentmindedly, she placed a hand on his chest where the bullets had almost pierced his heart.
“All healed,” he whispered, looking down at her. “It’s late. I should take you home.”
“I doubt I can sleep,” Quinn said, but allowed him to steer her to the car. “What about Soo-Ji?” she asked as they drove off his property. “Will she be alright? All by herself?”
Arnaud nodded. “She is healed. A little weak maybe. But it’s nothing that sleep and a little food can’t cure.” He smiled at her encouragingly. “And about the other thing, I don’t think she was the target.” His face grew more serious. “We need to find out who is behind this. It’s starting to get out of hand.”
“Did Soo-Ji tell you? About her theory I mean?”
Arnaud nodded.
“Do you think she’s right?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I mean I can surely think of reasons why people might want me dead but …” Again he shrugged. “If she is right, then that can’t be it. Maybe they just tried to take me out to have it easier getting to you.”
Quinn frowned. “I don’t think so.” Slowly her fear had evaporated, giving her mind a chance to pick up where it had left off. “For one, they didn’t kill you although they could have.”
“I guess that’s true.” He sounded mildly embarrassed.
“And even when you were down, they didn’t attacked. They didn’t even try, although you were wounded.” Quinn shook her head. “I don’t think this was about me.” A frown appeared on her forehead. “Soo-Ji thinks that she only got hit because she stood in the way. Do you think that’s true? I mean could there be a reason why someone would be after her, too?”
Stopping the car in front of her house, still lying in the dark, Arnaud turned to her. “I don’t know what to tell you. I guess anything is possible, but I highly doubt that she is the reason.”
Getting out, he walked around the car and opened the door for her. “Hey, how about we first figure out who is after you, and then, if you’re not already too freaked out, you can help me look into who might want my head? How’s that sound?” There was one of those devilish grins back on his face and Quinn immediately felt herself respond to it. Whatever the world had in store for them, it suddenly didn’t seem as dark as it had only a few minutes ago.
“Fine,” she said nodding, as they quietly walked up the driveway. “So, it’s all up to Martin’s dad then and what he can find out?”
Face a little solemn, Arnaud nodded. “I don’t really know where else to start. Even if we could catch one of your ‘wanna-be assassins’,” he made air quotes, “I don’t think they’ll be able to tell us anything. Whoever is after you keeps to the shadows.”
Standing under the two windows to her room, Quinn turned to him. “But someone gotta know something.”
“I bet someone does. But what are the odds of us actually finding out who that someone is? I guess it’s safe to say they are slim to zero, if we don’t get any help.”
“Then let’s hope Martin’s dad will come through for us,” Quinn whispered, turning to the door. “Good night.” But before her foot reached the first of the steps leading up to the front door, Arnaud grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Once again he wrapped his arms around her and in a second they almost flew up in the air, landing safely on the small roof overhanging the porch. Her window was still open and they climbed inside.
&nbs
p; “Okay, your way may be faster and quieter, but is that really the reason why you insist on it?” Quinn asked, an eyebrow raised in question. “Or is there another?”
Trying to look serious but failing, Arnaud shrugged. “What other reason could there be?” But again he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “I can’t think of any. Can you?” he whispered in her ear.
“Not one,” she whispered back. “So I guess you should leave.”
Lifting his head, he looked at her. “And you should get some sleep. It’s been a long night. Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault,” Quinn said, glancing at the clock on her night stand. It was already past three.
Soft eyes looking at her in the dark, he skimmed a finger over her cheek. “Good night,” Arnaud said, planting a kiss on her forehead. “See you tomorrow.”
In a flash he was gone and Quinn heard the distant sound of his car starting. She closed the window and not bothering to change into her pajamas lay down on the bed. Exhaustion taking its toll, she fell asleep instantly.
Chapter 35 – Wait Not
Before Quinn had even climbed the steps to the front door, it swung open and a smiling Arnaud met her. “You look tired.”
“I had maybe four hours of sleep,” she complained, unable to stifle a yawn. “That’s nothing. I need at least eight to be my usual charming self.”
“Then you must never get enough sleep,” Arnaud said, grinning.
She stopped, an annoyed look on her face. “Do you really think it wise to provoke me in my current state?”
He eyed her curiously. “Wise? I’m not sure. Interesting? Definitely.”
Glaring, Quinn walked past him. “How’s Soo-Ji?”
“Just fine,” came her voice from the kitchen, where Quinn found her sitting at the table with a huge pile of food in front of her. Different kinds of fruit, sandwiches, pastries and what-not.
“Wow,” Quinn said. “Almost getting killed really gives you an appetite.”
Arnaud laughed. “You’re getting this all wrong.” He pointed at the display of food. “This … is normal for her. I’m convinced she’s at least partly responsible for world hunger.”