[Sunwalker Saga 04] - Kissed by Moonlight (2013)

by Shéa MacLeod

  Chapter 8

  It was raining when Trevor dropped me off at home; that steady, constant light rain Portland is known for. My lightweight jacket was waterproof, but the rest of me was soaked. Frankly, I couldn't have cared less.

  The entire flight home on the SRA's private plane, I'd been turning Darroch's escape over and over in my mind. It was painfully obvious the whole thing with Jade had been Alister's idea of a joke, a way to prove he had the upper hand. But beyond that, I didn't have a clue why Alister Jones or anyone else would help Darroch escape Area 51. But while I chewed on the latest mystery, the Darkness had once again started up its insistent chant.

  Hunt. Kill. Hunt. Kill. I'd told it to shut up, but it only laughed. The closer we got to Portland, the more insistent it became. Now that I stood at my back door, keys in hand, it was suddenly overwhelming.

  I spun on my heel and marched to the car. A hunt would burn off some of this excess energy. Help me think more clearly.

  I guess I was feeling reckless, because I was only wearing two of my usual blades. Lately, I had been giving my powers a lot more free rein. Those things that lived inside me, always wanting out. Well, tonight, I'd let them. I didn't care how dangerous it was. I didn't even care if they took over. I just wanted to fight and forget everything else for awhile.

  As I pulled my car out of the drive, I forced myself to focus on the hunt. If I let my mind wander, it would go to maudlin places. That was the last thing I needed.

  I was only two blocks from the house when I realized I was being followed. Maybe I was being paranoid. After all, plenty of people drive the streets of Portland at night for various reasons. But there hadn't been any cars on my street other than parked ones, and the lights suddenly flashing in my rearview mirror were too much of a coincidence to my already overly-suspicious brain. Besides, every instinct I had was screaming at me.

  I'd learned a long time ago not to ignore my gut. I wasn't about to stop listening now, especially with a bounty on my head and Brent Darroch on the loose. Could he be after me already?

  I was going the speed limit, which was twenty-five, so I took the next right without slowing down. Pressing down on the gas, I sped up a bit before careening around the next corner. The car was still on my ass. I was definitely being followed, and by someone who had no idea what subtlety was.

  Hawthorne Street was nearly deserted, which was a good thing. The speedometer told me I was going fifty as I blew through a red light. Crossing my fingers that there weren't any cops around, I sped up the hill toward Mt. Tabor. It hadn't been my original destination, but it seemed like the best place to get away from everyone and take care of business.

  The other car was hot on my tail as I cut left onto 60th and then right onto Reservoir. A hard left, and I was circling the park that covered the top of the hill. I slid to a stop in a small tree-lined parking lot with a squeal of tires and was out of the car almost before it stopped rolling.

  The other driver jammed on his brakes, nearly sending his car into a tailspin. He managed to correct before he crashed his vehicle into mine. The guy was one hell of a driver.

  The car was black and sleek and powerful. It looked like a Mercedes, but someone had removed everything from the license plates to the little icon doodad that usually sat on the hood. I guess I wasn't the only paranoid one. Even with my more than human night vision, I couldn't see into the interior, thanks to the tinted windows. Totally illegal in Multnomah County, but I doubted the driver was worried about getting a ticket.

  I expected him to come charging out, but nothing happened. He just sat there. What was he waiting for? An engraved invitation?

  "You going to sit there like a bump on a log all night?" Patience has never been my strong suit.

  The driver's side door swung open and someone slowly stepped out. At first I couldn't make him out, thanks to the glare of the headlights, but then he stepped into the beams so I could see.

  Immediately I could see my mistake. I admit it's sexist, but I see somebody with mad car skills like that and I automatically think "male." This driver was the exception. From her long blonde hair to her six-inch fuck-me heels, this driver was all woman. The cold expression in her eyes told me her skill set included something far more deadly than good driving.

  "Well, now, is that any way for a lady to behave?" I taunted, trying to get a rise out of her. Keep your enemy off-guard, and they make mistakes. Mistakes that can save your ass.

  It worked. She bared her teeth at me in a snarl, and my blood ran cold at the sight of long, sharp canines.

  She might be all woman, but she was far from human. I should have sensed her, as I did all vampires, but with the combination of lack of sleep and adrenaline overload, my Spidey senses were off kilter.

  "Let me guess." My tone was dry. "You're after the bounty." I still had no idea who had put a price on my head, but she was the second vamp who'd shown up planning to claim the prize, thanks to that stupid website.

  She tilted her head to the side like a bird studying a bug. A slight smile curved her lips, and she gave her hair a flirty little toss, but her eyes remained cold and dead. "Mama needs a new pair of shoes."

  I rolled my eyes. Fantastic. A vamp with a sense of humor. "You know you're not the first, right?"

  "I don't imagine I am. But I will be the last." She evidently didn't suffer from lack of confidence.

  My fingers closed around the handle of my skean dhu as I pulled it slowly from its sheath on my belt. The deadly little Scottish blade was the latest addition to my arsenal, and I was looking forward to giving it a workout.

  I shot her my best "fuck you" smile. "Good luck with that."

  Chapter 9

  The vamp moved so fast my eyes almost couldn't track her. One minute she was standing there in skintight leather and a cocky attitude, the next, she was nothing but a blur. How she moved so fast in six-inch stilettos, I'll never know. I'd have broken an ankle for sure.

  I had just enough time to crouch slightly and twist to the left before she slammed into me. The angle of my body threw her off balance enough to stagger her a little. I helped her along with a quick twist back to the right as I stood, flipping her over my shoulder. Instead of taking us both to the ground, she found herself flat on her back on the gravel, gaping like a fish. Sometimes I really love the laws of physics.

  She growled low in her throat, an expression of pure rage crossing her perfect, icy features. She didn't have the usual slavering half-crazed vampire thing going on, which was odd, but I didn't have time to focus on that. With one smooth move, she was on her feet again, circling me like an angry dog.

  "Is that all you've got?" I taunted as I stood my ground, blade in hand. "You're giving us girls a bad name, you know."

  Her lips peeled back in a snarl, exposing her long, brutally sharp canines. "We should have exterminated you hunters generations ago. You're nothing but a pain in the ass." There was bitterness to her tone which spoke of more than a vampire's rage. This wasn't about a bounty, and it wasn't about blood. This was personal.

  "What did we ever do to you?" As if I had to ask. No doubt one of us had killed her maker or something else within the realm the hunter's job.

  "As if I would tell the likes of you," she hissed.

  Whatever. I couldn't care less if she told me. I shrugged, using the movement to mask my true intentions as I braced myself for the throw.

  The knife flew from my fingers, embedding itself in her eye socket. The vamp fell to her knees with a shriek of agony, her fingers clamping around the hilt of the knife.

  A quick pounce, and I was on her, giving the blade a vicious twist before yanking it out in a gush of dark blood and yellow fluid. The ruined eye plopped out onto her cheek, held there only by the optic nerve. So much for icy beauty.

  Her scream nearly deafened me, and the blood and eye goo made the skean dhu slippery in my hand. I tried for her throat, but my hand slid, the point of the blade grazing skin and glancing off her collar bone witho
ut doing any real damage. Enraged, she gave me a push, heaving me off her so hard I flew several feet across the parking lot. My head connected with the side of my car with a sickening thud, the knife skittering away under the vehicle. The pain and resulting nausea was instantaneous; I had barely enough time to lean to the side before I heaved up what little was in my stomach. Gods, this was the second time I'd lost my lunch during a fight. Good thing I hadn't been eating much lately.

  That gave vamp lady enough time to get to her feet. She towered over me, her good eye snapping with anger, hatred, and something else. Something I'd seen once before.

  Holy shit, the vamp had a soul.

  "So, this is the mighty hunter of Portland, Oregon?" she taunted, her red-painted lips turned into an unattractive snarl. "What a pathetic little piece of trash."

  She gave me a swift kick in the gut with her stiletto, which only served to make me puke again. I lay there completely helpless as wave after wave of dry heaves drained me of strength and left me vulnerable.

  With a snort of what sounded like disgust, she squatted down next to me and grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking back my head so she could see my face. "Are you finished?" Yep, definitely disgust.

  My voice was scratchy and raw, and I swear there were two of her swimming around in front of me. "Not hardly."

  With one smooth move, I slid my second blade from my boot and thrust it into her abdomen just about where her diaphragm should be. She stared at me in shock as I ripped the blade downward, using the weight of my body to force the blade through muscle and sinew. With my strength nearly gone, gravity and body weight was all I had left.

  Blood bubbled from her lips as she fell to her knees in the gravel. She stared in horror as her innards spilled out, glistening black in the glow of the headlights. She tried to stuff her guts back where they belonged, but I'd done too much damage. A stab wound was one thing, but once the insides were out, there was no coming back. The skin might heal over the mess, but the vamp would be trapped inside a non-functioning body. Nasty. Plus, I'd perforated something vital because the stench was nauseating. If I hadn't already puked my guts out from the blinding headache, the smell would have done it.

  "Bitch... " It was hardly more than a whisper, but there was so much anger behind it, I might have been frightened if I'd been thinking straight.

  I sank to the ground, my strength completely depleted. I stared up at her as her blood and other gunk poured over me, my knife blade still buried in her belly. I felt the Darkness that lived inside me raise its head. It liked causing pain, and I was causing vamp lady a lot of pain. In my current condition, there was no way I could control the Darkness, so I had to make this fast. I had one question. "Who gave you a soul?"

  "Bitch... " Stronger this time. "I'm going to kill you."

  "I doubt it. Now answer my question." I gritted my teeth against the throb of pain in my head, reached over, and gave the knife a vicious twist.

  She shrieked in agony, trying to pull my hands away from the knife, but she was as weak as I was. "Fuck you." It was less a snarl and more a whimper.

  "No, thanks." I turned the knife again, eliciting another cry. "You're not my type. Now tell me. Who did this?" The Darkness was surging. I had seconds at best.

  She looked me right in the eye. I could see it all there... the pain, the suffering, the anger. Even the need for revenge. And, yes, I could see her soul.

  "Fuck. You." She practically spat it.

  The Darkness broke free, and the whole world tunneled down, narrow and dark. I watched my hand rip the blade from the vamp's belly, and then slash it across her throat in one fluid movement. My hand plunged the knife into her chest, punching though tissue, past bone, until it reached the heart.

  Her eyes widened, and in a split second, she was so much dust, slowly sifting to the ground. The knife clattered from my numb fingers as the Darkness threw my head back and howled at the moon.

  Chapter 10

  I came to with my cheek pressed against the rough gravel next to my car. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I was chilled to the bone. My cheek was scraped raw from where a particularly pointy rock was poking it, and my head still hurt like hell. I tried to move, but the throbbing pain sent my stomach heaving again.

  There was no way I could drive like this. Heck, I couldn't even get myself off the ground. And what about vamp lady's car? It was still there, one door wide open, motor running and headlights on. I couldn't leave it like that. Someone would see it and report it to the cops. Which would be fine except there was blood everywhere, including on me. It looked as if I'd survived a massacre.

  My lips twisted wryly. Not far from the truth.

  I managed to wiggle my phone out of my pocket without causing my head too much agony. The numbers swam in front of my eyes as I squinted at the screen. Finally I gave up trying to figure out the time. It was still dark.

  I considered my options. Kabita had already had to clean up after me once. She would read me the riot act and then march my ass to the nearest hospital, which probably wasn't a bad idea based on how I was feeling. Jack would bitch at me and give me a bigger headache. Trevor? Well, what was family for if not to rescue your sorry ass in the middle of the night? Plus his contacts could get the "crime scene" covered up in no time, faster than even Kabita could manage. Perfect.

  Unfortunately, actually dialing his number was another matter. I couldn't focus on the screen well enough to make out names. My fingers were numb and fumbly. I could hardly scroll through my contacts list. Shit. I really needed to get one of those phones that talked back.

  I finally gave up and stabbed at a random contact. All I could do was hope I hadn't chosen my mother.

  * * *

  Chill wind lashed at my clothes and hair. I tasted salt in the air and the scent of sea teased my nose as I inhaled deeply. The bleak landscape was bathed in the sliver glow of the swollen moon overhead.

  She stood at the edge of the cliff, her simple shift dress soaked from the spray of the ocean. Around her body I could see the glow of her inner fire. She was burning from the inside out.

  I knew this place. This dream. I'd had it before. Only that time I'd been the girl... Fina, a creature of rage and fire, the Fire that lived inside me now.

  I knew she burned with hunger. To devour, destroy. I knew because I'd felt it within me, and it scared me to death.

  Below, the sea crashed against the jagged black rocks, sending another icy spray over her. It sizzled against her skin like oil on a hot stove, evaporating in seconds. She didn't notice.

  "Fina! Fina!"

  This time, I was the one who called to her, not the boy. The moon child, Iah, was nowhere to be seen. Even the temple that was supposed to stand on the hill behind us had vanished. It was just the two of us, the rocks, and the sea.

  The girl stepped closer to the edge of the cliff.

  "Fina, please," I begged. My heart ached for her and for the boy she loved. It wasn't fair. "It doesn't have to be this way." After all, I'd survived with the Fire inside me. So far, anyway. Why couldn't she?

  She didn't answer. Instead she stared out to sea, her body rigid as the wind plastered pale pink robes to her slender form. Her long red curls danced madly on the wind.

  "You have to listen to me." My voice was hardly above a whisper, yet I knew she heard me. "What will Iah do without you?"

  Still she ignored me. I knew it was only a dream, but somehow I wanted to change things. Wanted to make sure it turned out differently this time.

  "What can I do, Fina?"

  She turned to me, her face a pale mask. Her eyes were living flames. Terrifying. My heart raced in my chest as she held out cupped hands to me, each one filled with rich, loamy earth. The dirt trickled between her fingers as she stared at me, her eyes burning hotter with each second.

  "Fire burns," she whispered. The glow around her intensified, so bright it made my head throb. I had to close my eyes against the light. "Earth cleanses... "

&n
bsp; Chapter 11

  My head felt like somebody had used it for batting practice. With every beat of my heart, a throb of pain made my stomach roil. I didn't want to open my eyes, but someone kept yakking at me.

  I wanted to tell whoever it was to shut up, but my mouth refused to connect to my brain. I inhaled and tried again. "Go 'way," I mumbled. It came out a lot whinier than I'd intended.

  "Not until you open your eyes." Kabita's tone brooked no argument.

  I mumbled something rude.

  "The same to you. Now open your eyes, or I'll open them for you."

  I cracked open an eyelid only to have the light stab viciously at my eye. Pain was a hot poker in my brain. I hissed and tried to block out the light with my hand. I was only moderately successful.

  I was in the hospital in what looked like a private room. Not that I was impressed. The mattress was too thin, and my back ached from lying in one position too long. The walls and floors were too white, the florescent lighting too harsh. It was clinical and cold as hell. The only colorful spot in the room was a really ugly painting of a vase of flowers which somebody with very poor taste had thought was a good idea.

  I turned slightly toward my visitor, careful not to jar my throbbing head. Kabita Jones, best friend and boss, let out a sigh as she dragged a metal chair next to the bed and sank down on it. I closed my eyes again as she propped her feet on the mattress next to me. "You really do know how to cause trouble, don't you?"

  I winced. "Keep your voice down. You're hurting my head."

  "Well, at least you're alive."

  Gods, I almost wished I wasn't. The pain was intense. I kept my eyes shut against the light. "Tell me you didn't call my mother."

  "I didn't call your mother."

  "Liar."

  "You're in the hospital, Morgan," she snapped. "I had no idea how bad it was, but it didn't look good. At all." She sounded worried. And if Kabita was worried, I knew I was a hot mess. "Of course I called your mother. "