I got to my feet. “Okay, thanks.”
Rushing out into the corridor, Laurel and I fell into each other’s arms. Her hair was spiked with twigs and leaves, her bare legs muddy. “How is she?” Laurel asked. “Is she alive?”
I nodded and pulled back from her. “She’s unconscious, but she’s alive.”
She gave me a sad smile. “That’s something, right?”
“Yeah, she’s a fighter.”
A throat cleared right behind me, and I turned to find the detective standing there. “Laurel, this is Detective Rockmore. He’s investigating Melissa’s murder, and obviously now is looking into what happened to Kayla, too.”
Kayla offered him a smile. “Yes, we’ve already met.”
“I asked Laurel some questions as well after we’d identified Melissa,” he said.
“Oh, right.” I felt stupid. Of course they would have talked to the other girls who’d also been with Melissa the night before she’d been killed. I wondered why Laurel hadn’t mentioned it—was the guilt I felt experienced by Laurel, too? It had never occurred to me that the other girls might also have been feeling bad that they’d not been able to do anything to save Melissa.
I continued, “I’ve already explained to Detective Rockmore how we were worried, and so went looking for her in the forest, because that’s where she likes to walk, but he wants to talk to you too.”
I tried to use eye-contact to tell her not to say anything about my predictive dreams or anything about magic, but I figured she wasn’t stupid. She’d stick to the story, which wasn’t far from the truth anyway.
“Of course,” she said, locking eyes with me. I knew she would say the right thing.
“Can I go in and see Kayla now?” I asked Rockmore.
One of the doctors lurked nearby, and the detective looked toward him. The doctor had clearly overheard and nodded his concession.
“Okay,” said Rockmore. “I’ll speak to Laurel in the office, so you go and see your friend.”
I gave Laurel a reassuring smile and followed the doctor down the corridor. Kayla had her own room, but she wouldn’t have been aware if she had company. Machines were hooked up all around her, things beeping and pumping. She appeared young and fragile.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand, careful of the tubes which had been slipped into veins beneath her skin, and strapped down with tape.
“Kayla?” I said, softly. “Can you hear me?”
I had no idea if she could or not, but I carried on regardless. “We’re going to find out which son-of-a-bitch did this to you, and make him pay, I promise you. For you, and Melissa as well. He’s not going to get away with this.”
I realized I’d used the word ‘he’ again. As Riley had pointed out, could I really be certain the killer was a he?
I wondered if there was anything Kayla’s circle could do for her. Perhaps Laurel and Dana could find a way to reach her, and find out what had happened. But as Laurel had pointed out, with Melissa gone, and now Kayla lying here unconscious, they weren’t exactly a circle anymore. What good was a coven without any witches?
Could this be what someone was trying to do? Was someone aware of the girls’ powers and so was trying to destroy them?
Mentally, I tucked it away as something to come back to. Though my theory might be a possibility, it didn’t explain my own experiences, or what Brooke had told me.
I had a feeling something far more complicated was going on.
Chapter
13
Once Laurel had finished with the detectives, and came in to visit Kayla, the nurses ushered us out, telling us Kayla needed to rest. I couldn’t see her doing anything other than rest, considering she hadn’t woken up, but I didn’t put up a fight. We had other things to do.
We left the hospital, side by side.
“What now?” asked Laurel.
“We need to find Dana and tell her what has happened. Both Melissa and Kayla have been attacked, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’re both part of your coven. You and Dana both need to be extra careful. In fact, I don’t think you should sleep alone tonight. Rockmore was right when he said we should stay together.”
Her eyes widened behind her glasses. “You think someone is killing off the circle?”
“I’m not sure yet. I just think you need to be cautious.”
She nodded. “You, too.”
I chewed my lower lip. “Yeah, maybe.”
What I really wanted to do was go and find Riley. I was worried about us, about our relationship, and I wanted his reassurance that we were all right. Plus, I missed him. I never wanted to be one of those girls who said they felt incomplete when they weren’t with their man, but right now I kind of understood what they meant. I had a hole in my heart and only he could fill it.
But I couldn’t abandon my friend now.
With heavy hearts and the air between us subdued, we walked back to campus. There was still a weird feeling around college. The murder of one of our own had left people vulnerable, so the students moved from lecture to lecture, and then huddled together in the coffee shop, diner, or back in their dorm rooms.
Laurel placed a call to Dana. She spoke quickly, telling her only that she needed to see her, before hanging up.
“She’s still working on the paper.”
“Did she ask after Kayla?”
“No, she just said she was busy.”
After everything we’d been through over the past couple of hours, Dana’s lack of concern about one of her own made my blood boil. Something was wrong with Dana. She’d always been slightly intimidating, but now she was acting plain cold. Part of me no longer cared if she was still angry with me about what happened on the beach. I was determined to get the right reaction out of her when we told her the news about Kayla. I had no reason to be frightened of her. Despite her magic, I was still strong and with talents of my own.
I stormed through the main campus building, mentally building myself up, and out to the library. Laurel hurried on my heels.
Dana sat behind her desk as if nothing had happened. Of course, she didn’t know about Kayla—not yet anyway—but she was still aware Kayla had been missing, and she must have realized something was wrong. I burst through the door, but she barely looked up. When she did, it was with an exasperated sigh.
“What is it now, Beth?”
“Kayla is in the hospital. She’s unconscious. We found her out by the forest, a little way from the pools.”
“I see.”
I slammed my fist down on her desk. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Two of your friends have been taken out—one hurt and the other murdered—and you don’t seem to even care!”
She lifted her cool, green gaze to mine. “I care. I just have work to do. We have the election in two days, and I need to get everything covered before then. How are people supposed to know who to vote for if they can’t read about the candidates in the school paper?”
My mouth dropped open in amazement. “Who gives a shit?”
“Plenty of people, actually. This is still important, Beth.”
“What the hell happened to you, Dana? Is this still about the ascendance? Are you still pissed at us about that? How do we know you didn’t hurt Melissa and Kayla? Is this your revenge? Am I next?”
She laughed. “What makes you think I’m responsible?”
“They both left their beds to go with someone they trusted.”
She lifted her eyebrows at me, but said nothing.
Laurel’s eyes flicked nervously between me and Dana.
I was so frustrated, I wanted to scream. Short of leaping across the table and trying to beat a normal reaction from her, I didn’t know what else to do. All I knew was that something about Dana had changed since that night, and it had only been since that night that our friends had started getting hurt.
With a growl, I spun on my heel and stormed from the room. More than anything else, I wanted to be with Riley, just him a
nd me, secluded in our own little bubble.
“Hey, Beth.” Laurel’s voice came from behind me.
I spun to face her.
“I’m just going to hang out here for a while, okay? I’m kind of worried about Dana. I don’t believe she would hurt Melissa or Kayla, but something is up with her.”
I figured Laurel couldn’t get into too much trouble in the middle of the day with hundreds of other students around, could she? And I couldn’t stay stuck to her side forever. “Okay, but don’t go anywhere alone. And if Dana asks you to go somewhere, say no. I understand that she’s your circle and you know her a lot better than I do, but I’m worried.”
She gave a rueful smile. “Yeah, me too.”
“If you hear anything, get in touch with me.”
“You still don’t have a phone.”
“Damn it. I’ll call you in a few hours to make sure you’re all right.”
She nodded.
“Stay safe too, Beth,” she called after me. “We don’t know that whoever is doing this is only going after the coven.”
My thoughts went to Brooke, Flynn, and of course, Riley. I hadn’t seen any of them for hours. If I was wrong, and it wasn’t just the coven being targeted, then the others would be vulnerable too. I couldn’t imagine anyone causing much harm to tough, strong guys like Riley and Flynn, but Brooke was extremely vulnerable.
I hurried down the corridor, keeping my head down. My main goal was finding Riley. I would deal with everything else with him by my side. We were stronger together. So much was going on I didn’t understand, and I needed his solidity to keep me grounded.
“Elizabeth?” a voice called to me, making me pause. I turned to find Dr. Spencer hurrying down the corridor after me. “I’ve got the final names and statements from all the candidates for the student election,” he said as he approached. “Are you able to come and collect them from me soon? We’re running out of time.”
I remembered Dana had wanted the piece already. Part of me wanted to think screw it, I had more important things to worry about, but the other part of me wondered if this might be my excuse to lay my hands on my professor again and see if I received another flash from him.
“Sure thing, Dr. Spencer. When’s the best time to come to your office?”
He checked his watch. “How does in an hour sound?”
“Can we make it two?” I still wanted to find Riley, and figured that would give me enough time.
“Fine. See you then.”
I had no intention of going to my final lecture. I needed to see Riley. Though everything pointed at Dana, some other things weren’t quite sitting right in my head. Maybe the feeling I’d gotten in the fog had been caused by her magic, and what Brooke had told me about her experience was her own paranoia. All I knew was that I wanted to find Riley. I would race back to his place, make sure he was safe, and that we were okay after our fight, and then get him to give me a ride back here to make my meeting with Dr. Spencer.
I stepped out of the building and my heart sank.
The fog had returned. I stood on the steps, white tendrils creeping up the lawns, as if trying to smother the school.
How had I not noticed it pressed against the windows? I’d been so absorbed in my own thoughts, I’d not given any thought to the conversation of the students who had passed me.
Craackkk … click-click-click …
My body froze, my breath catching in my lungs.
The clicking sound that had always accompanied the sensation I was not alone in the fog was back. I forced myself to be brave and not turn around and bolt back into the building. I couldn’t run this time. I needed to learn for myself what this thing was, because while I knew Melissa and Kayla hadn’t been hurt until after Dana and her ascendance, I was also aware that they hadn’t been hurt until after I’d started seeing and hearing this thing too.
There should have been people all around me, a busy afternoon at college, but suddenly I was completely alone. The fog gathered in thickness, growing dense and pressing all around me. Those who had been out earlier had seen the fog coming and sought shelter inside their dorms or classrooms. I was the only one foolish enough to be left standing in it.
“Hello?” I called, tentatively.
Click-click … Click-click-click ... Craaaack …
Every muscle in my body tensed, heart pounding so hard it was like a tribal drum in my ears. The thing in the fog had answered me, in its own way. What the hell was it?
The clicking sounded again, only this time it seemed to be farther away. The fog distorted sound, but I was fairly sure the creature had made the noise from my right.
Creature? Was I really thinking of it as some kind of creature?
Keeping the building to my left, I skirted around the outskirts, my hands out held so I wouldn’t risk bumping into anything. The white surrounded me in a cloud, and part of me expected the long fingered, black hand to reach out and grab at me as it had that first day.
Click-click …
No, from the sound, it was too far away to reach me, though I felt sure it could if it wanted to. I felt like it was calling to me, beckoning me to follow. What kind of connection did I have with this thing that it wanted to be around me? Did it come with the fog? Or was the fog simply something it used in order to move around unseen?
I’d reached the end of the main campus building, guided around by the strange click of bones cracking. Only now the sound came from above my head, toward the roof of the building.
I frowned and turned left, heading toward the wall of the college building. I knew I would hit the solid surface soon, but still the noise came from above me. My palms met with cold, rough stone, and I used it as guidance as I patted my way along the side of the building. My forearm bumped into metal. For a moment I wondered what it was, but then I traced the outline with my fingertips and realized I’d come across the fire escape ladder, which led up onto the roof. A walkway, leading to the old belfry of the building, ran around the outskirts. The school had stopped using the bell a long time ago to signal the start of class, but the bell and structure still remained.
Click-click … click-click-click …
I raised my face upward, though all I could see was the first couple of rungs of the ladder, and then the metal rails vanished into the fog. I knew with certainty, the thing was up there. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. Climbing up would put me in yet more danger, but staying down here would leave me as clueless as I’d been ten minutes ago.
Wrapping my fingers around the third or fourth rung, I pulled myself up onto the ladder. I felt as though I were climbing into a cloud—some crazy modern-day Jack and the Beanstalk where I’d switched the beanstalk for a ladder and the giant for some strange creature with bone-thin, black fingers and clicking for speech.
Up and up, I climbed. The distance felt farther than I’d remembered, but it must have been an illusion. The college was only on one story, with the second story given over to storage in the attic space. The roof of the bell tower was the highest point on the building, but I wasn’t planning on climbing to that height.
Finally, I reached the end of the ladder, and pulled myself up onto the narrow walkway that ran around the outskirts of the roof. From my memory, I felt sure there was a low railing to prevent people from falling off the side, so I reached out, searching with my fingers. I didn’t want to lean out too far in case I overreached and managed to topple from the edge.
My thighs met with the rail before my hands did.
“Shit!”
The curse burst from my lips, as I almost toppled forward. My hands had been reaching into midair and my body weight had almost carried me over the top of the railing. I held still, panting, regaining my composure. I hadn’t fallen, and I knew where the railing was now. I needed to keep going.
I edged forward. I wanted to use the rail as guidance, but it was lower than it should have been and would have meant I was walking at a lean toward the drop, which I didn’t wa
nt to do. I figured the presence of the railing would be enough to stop me just walking off the edge. Listening carefully, I kept going. Where had the thing gone? I was sure it had come up here. I hoped I wouldn’t end up needing to try and crawl across the roof. Even I didn’t have the stomach for that.
“Where are you, you freak?” I hissed.
I held my breath and waited for a response. The seconds passed, and I was starting to think the creature had gone, but then I heard it directly ahead of me. Cr-aa-aa-ack… Exactly as if someone had just cracked all the bones in their neck.
The sound made me shudder.
“There you are, you piece of shit,” I said under my breath.
I had no idea what I planned on doing when I got hold of the thing. I only knew I needed answers and part of the puzzle was somewhere ahead.
I edged forward in a shuffle, my eyes straining against the cloud of white.
Where the hell was the creature?
As quickly as it had arrived, the fog suddenly grew thinner and I found myself balanced on the edge of the building. There was no railing ahead of me. A twenty foot drop was only inches from my feet. The world swam as vertigo overwhelmed me, and I felt myself teeter. I swayed toward the edge, my sense of balance vanishing for the briefest of moments.
My stomach lurched as if I’d just fallen, but I managed to stagger back in the direction of the roof, taking myself away from the edge. But the fog was still thick around the bell tower, my vision blurred, and I didn’t notice the fingers against my shoulder until it was too late.
The hand pushed, and I fell.
Chapter
14
There weren’t many times in my life when I’d been thankful for being half-vampire, but now was one of them. The moment I felt nothing but air beneath my body, I put my fast reactions to good use and forced my body to totally relax. Only a split second passed, but it made the difference.
I hit the ground with a sickening crunch. Pain like I’d never experienced before shattered through my body. But I let out a groan, and that sound was enough to tell me I had survived the fall. Even as I lay on the ground, I felt my broken bones starting to re-knit, the pain fading. My healing was even faster than normal—something I could only put down to the amount of human blood I had consumed the previous month. My father had always warned me that feeding from human blood would only ever enhance my vampire nature, and this was the positive side of the experience. If the fall had been another story higher though, I had a feeling the outcome would have been different.
Twisted Magic (The Dhampyre Chronicles Book 2) Page 11