I turned back to face him. “What happened at the house?”
“Marianne got through to Ripley and he went to meet them. Arrived only seconds after you left. They were curious about why Ambrose and your scent had become mixed together. Ripley has told them what Ambrose did and why he was killed. He has told them that you are part of our Kiss, and not to be harmed.”
It didn't escape my attention that I was being classified as part of their group and despite my unease, I was delighted to think Lucas included me as part of his family. It didn't serve to ease my concerns about the three vampires, however. “Will they accept what Ripley told them?”
Lucas's eyes narrowed. “I believe so.”
“Will they really go away?”
Lucas frowned for a second, before deliberately smoothing out his expression. “I expect so. We will go out tonight and ensure they have continued on their journey south.”
I nodded, hoping they'd kept their word and left. The thought of them being somewhere out in the woods around Lucas's home was unnerving.
Chapter 17: Waiting Game
The tension was palpable in the house that evening. Although everyone seemed involved in activities as normal, each of them was alert and on guard. Ben sat with a book open in his hands, but never flipped the pages. Rowena worked on the computer, but every few minutes she scanned the windows anxiously. Marianne and Gwynn studied wedding catalogues. Marianne and Striker were getting married soon, and the girls were supposedly choosing Marianne's gown, but they flicked through the pages sporadically, without studying any of the designs. William sat reading a book to Katie, who was on an overnight visit. Her carer, Cecilia had a standing arrangement for one night a month, when William and Gwynn kept Katie, while Cecilia visited with her sister in Billings. The arrangement coincided, unfortunately, with the arrival of the visiting vampires. Ripley and Acenith sat side by side on the couch, flicking through endless channels on the huge television screen, which dominated the end wall. Striker was a mountain of nervous energy, pacing back and forth, as I worked on Marianne's painting.
Lucas stood behind me, his hands resting lightly on my shoulders as I painted. It was soothing to have him there, the touch of his hands against my shoulders a pleasant distraction from the tension surrounding me. I was completely calm, the voices in my mind were silent, and I could concentrate on painting. Occasionally, I heard Marianne's mother and knew instinctively that she was dropping by, to see how the painting was progressing. It had been initially disturbing when I realized Marianne's family could see the canvas through my eyes. Having embraced my psychic ability, I was discovering new aspects all the time as it continued to increase in strength and power. Mom had been silent tonight, there were no more warnings, and despite the tension in the house, I was positive the three vampires had left the vicinity.
It was almost eleven when Lucas rubbed his hands over my upper arms. “I think you should head up to bed.”
I glanced up and narrowed my eyes at him determinedly. “I'm not going to bed, until you've been out, and have come back safely.”
We'd had this discussion any number of times in the past few hours and Lucas was proving as stubborn as I was. Once Ben returned home from work, the group had gathered in the living room to discuss their plans for tonight. Lucas, Ben, and Striker intended to track the three vampires, following their scent to ensure they'd left the area. Ripley and William were staying behind, to ensure the safety of myself and the other women. Of course, all the women, except me, were perfectly capable of looking after themselves, all possessing similar superhuman strength, and skills as the men. I knew the truth – Ripley and William were staying behind to look after me.
I'd argued against the men going to search for the other vampires – particularly Lucas – panicked at the thought of him being out there in the darkness. Ben and Lucas had both assured me they, along with Striker, were the logical choices, as they had superior tracking skills. They'd also assured me Striker and Lucas were the strongest fighters if things went wrong. The idea of anything going wrong filled me with dread, and I'd insisted on staying awake and waiting for them to come home. Lucas was adamant there was nothing to worry about and wanted me to go to bed, promising he would be back by morning, but I looked up at him now and stubbornly repeated my refusal.
Lucas sighed wearily and frowned. “Charlotte, there is nothing to fret about. You need your sleep.”
“I'll sleep when you come back.”
“Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?” he grumbled.
“No. I'm not going to bed. I'll be fine, right here with Rowena and the others.”
“I give you my word – we'll be back in four, or five hours at most. I'll come straight to you when I return.”
“You won't have to come to me, because I'm going to be right here, waiting for you,” I retorted adamantly.
Lucas ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it. It was a warning sign that he was getting frustrated with me, but I didn't care. “Charlotte, you are being completely unreasonable.”
“No, I'm not. I won't go to bed. Anyway,” I announced airily, “I'm positive they're long gone. Mom hasn't said anything in hours, not since this afternoon.”
Lucas cursed beneath his breath. “Charlotte, your psychic abilities may not always be completely accurate! You've only recently accepted the voices – they may not give you a warning like you received this afternoon, every time. You're still learning about this ability yourself.”
“Then stay here with me,” I pleaded. “You'll know I'm safe and I'll know you're safe.”
Lucas took a deep breath, and then let it out in an impatient huff. “You are being impossible.” His eyes met Ben's, across the room. “We should go.”
Ben stood up, joining Lucas and Striker who had stopped his pacing and was now bouncing from foot to foot in his impatience to leave. I looked away as Marianne and Rowena kissed their partners goodbye, the level of devotion they showed to one another was so sincere, it made my heart ache to think they may be heading into danger and it was my fault.
Lucas was angry, it was evident in his rigid stance, and he turned to leave without another word. My heart twisted in my chest and I leaped up from the stool I'd been perched on to paint. “Lucas!”
He turned back, his expression hard. “I'm sorry,” I whispered. “I love you.”
He drew me against his chest and for a brief moment pressed his hard mouth against mine. There was a level of desperation to his goodbye and it sent a cold chill racing up my spine. Although I was certain there was no danger to us here at the house, I couldn't say the same for these three men, leaving the house to search the darkness. The guilt was overwhelming me; this would never have happened if it weren't for me. I wrapped my arms around Lucas and held him tightly, fearing I may never see him again. A vision of what he'd done to Ambrose flashed into my mind and I was terrified of another vampire doing that to him.
Lucas gently pried my fingers from his waist and stepped away. “I'll be back soon, I promise, my Charlotte.” He leaned down for one brief kiss and then he was gone, along with Striker and Ben.
The time passed at a snail's pace, so slowly, I was convinced the clock had stopped. I resumed painting, knowing it was the only way to keep my worry to a minimum. I glanced at the clock periodically and was frustrated to find only minutes had passed since I'd last checked. I was attentive to my mind, listening for warnings, but the spirits remained silent. The usual hubbub of voices was curiously absent, which was worrying in itself. I glanced at Ripley, wondering if he'd detected the stony silence.
He met my eyes and raised an eyebrow, indicating he was aware of the absence of voices in my head, and could probably hear my thoughts without disruption. He probably found it a relief, compared to the usual cacophony of sound. When I peeked at him again, he met my eyes and flashed a tiny smile.
“Do you think this means anything?” I thought.
He shrugged his shoulders imperceptibly. I assumed
he didn't want to speculate, until we established if there was any connection.
Another tiny nod greeted this thought.
Rowena had given up on the charade of working at the computer and sat in an armchair, watching television vacantly. Gwynn stood behind William, her arms around his waist and resting her head against his back. Marianne sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs, her eyes closed. Acenith still sat beside Ripley, and Katie was settled on the couch, soundly asleep and wrapped in a blanket, her thumb in her mouth.
“Can Marianne see anything?”
Ripley looked casually to his right, then back to the left. I inhaled deeply, confident if Marianne couldn't see anything untoward, it was a good thing. Although she had assured me that her ability was not perfect in any way, she'd been accurate about most things involving my activities, and I had to hope her good record continued.
I felt so terribly guilty, knowing I'd gotten them all into this mess. If I hadn't gone into the woods when Lucas warned me against it, if I hadn't left my scent everywhere – they wouldn't be out there now. Lucas was right; it was an impossible situation for him and me to be together. Lucas would be safe if he hadn't met me. I'd caused immense trouble for them and now they were out in the darkness, because of the mistakes I'd made. I wasn't worth it – life would have been better for them if Ambrose had killed me. My stepfather's words pounded in my head, echoes of everything he'd ever said to me – 'You're a worthless piece of shit.' 'No-one will ever want you, you fat, ugly bitch.' 'You're a useless, good for nothin' cow, who don't have a lick of sense.' 'You're nothin' but trouble; you won't ever amount to a hill of beans.' 'Who'd love a fucking ugly little thing like you?' I inhaled sharply, aware that my memories were becoming overwhelming, and Ripley was listening to all of them. Turning back to the painting, I doggedly pulled my thoughts under control.
The next hour dragged, more so than the previous one and I seriously doubted the clock was working. A feeling of dread plagued me and yet the voices were taunting in their absence. Perhaps Lucas was right, and my psychic abilities couldn't be trusted.
“Marianne? What is it?” Acenith had turned and was staring at Marianne, cupping Marianne's face with her hands. “C'mon honey, talk to me!”
Marianne's expression was alarming and she looked utterly terrified. Her brow creased and her eyes filled with agony. “Something's wrong, terribly wrong! There are four, not three and I see—” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed hysterically on Acenith's knee.
Rowena placed a hand on my shoulder. “Can you hear anything?” she questioned.
“I'm not sure.” Closing my eyes, I called to the spirits, searching for their voices.
They were silent initially and I pleaded desperately for their help. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't talk to me, weren't helping me. Mom finally appeared, shaking her head sadly.
“Why won't you help me? Lucas is in danger!”
“Others are not for us to warn,” Mom stated quietly.
“I don't understand! Why can't you help?” I gritted my teeth in frustration
“It is not our duty to help others. Only you.”
“Damn it! Who made the rules?”
There was a deathly silence as Mom shook her head sadly, before she spoke again. “I wish we could help, Charlotte. It's against the rules.”
“What rules? You can help! You're in my head; you contact me whenever you want to! Now you can help me when I want you to! Don't tell me you can't, I don't believe it!” My temper got the better of me. “If you don't help me now, I swear, I will never speak to any of you again!”
My childish burst of rage apparently worked. With a sudden flurry of noise, a chorus of voices yelled in my head, all shouting for attention simultaneously.
I chose the loudest one, listening intently to the voice that was frantically yelling. It was Ben's brother and in the background, I could hear Striker's Mom and Lucas's father. All wanted to speak without delay and I had to urge them to quiet down. Finding Ben's brother, I paid careful attention to what he explained, then listened to the other two voices to confirm what they knew. All reported similar stories, warning of imminent danger – and something else.
I snapped my eyes open and turned to Rowena, who grasped my hand. “They're in trouble, they need you, and they're in terrible danger.” I shook my head, trying to get the details I'd been bombarded with into some sort of cohesive order. Now the spirits had seen my point of view, they were overwhelming me with information. The others gathered around, their worry clearly etched in their faces and their bodies bristling with tension.
Ripley and William were watching me, their expressions hard.
“They were ambushed by the three vampires and something else. The vampires have formed an alliance with another creature.”
“What is it?” William snapped.
“Ben's brother says it's a… werewolf.” I was certain they'd think I'd lost my mind. A werewolf? They were myths. But then again, until recently, I'd thought vampires were a myth, too. None of them looked surprised by this announcement.
“What else did they tell you, Charlotte?” Ripley pressed.
“They were ambushed. The vampires lied to you this afternoon, they were here to take revenge for Ambrose's death, and they blame Lucas for killing him. Ambrose was the leader of their Kiss and they've joined forces with the werewolf to exact retribution. They will kill Ben and Striker, too. Their agreement to leave the area was planned; they knew you would track them. They've been with the werewolf since they left the house this afternoon.” When I looked at Ripley, his expression was chilling. “One of them has a shielding ability, which stopped you from hearing their thoughts. The one called Michael, he can—” I didn't know how to explain the ability and thought for a few seconds. “He can think something, which isn't true, and project it into your mind, so you'll believe it.”
Ripley nodded. “That explains quite a lot. I'd assumed the other two where shielding themselves, but what I got from Michael seemed completely genuine and I chose to accept he was telling the truth.” Ripley looked disgusted with himself.
“They need you. The werewolf is extremely strong and they're in danger.” I paused, glancing at the anxious faces surrounding me. “It's the only way they'll survive. Ben is talking to them, but he can only hold off the fight for so long with diplomacy. They aren't far away – the vampires took an indirect path, forging a trail that would be time consuming to follow.”
“Do you know where they are?” William asked.
Trying to get a pinpointed destination was difficult with all the voices yelling at me. “I'm not sure… wait, I think it's Harlow's Hill— no, Harlow's—”
“Harlow's Pass,” Marianne supplied.
Ripley took charge. “Acenith, you stay with Charlotte and Katie. The rest of us—”
“No!” Ripley stared at me, his hazel eyes stony at my sudden outburst. “The spirits say you all need to go. It's the only way to ensure they don't get killed.”
“We can't leave you here alone,” Acenith protested.
“One of us has to stay with you and Katie,” Rowena agreed.
I shook my head fervently. “Please, listen to me. They don't want me, they want revenge for Ambrose's death, and they're blaming Lucas for it. I'm just a pathetic human to them; they're not coming back here. They want this finished out there.”
Gwynn spoke angrily. “I'm not leaving Katie with her. I'll stay here.”
“You can't! Don't you understand? The spirits say you all have to go!” My own temper was growing short.
“And on your word, we all race out there? I don't think so,” Gwynn retorted.
“Gwynn, wait a minute,” Ripley commanded. He stared down at me, his expression intense. “Are you absolutely sure they aren't going to double back here?”
I nodded, relieved when he seemed to believe me.
“Alright.” He glanced across at William. “I believe Charlotte. But Katie is your responsibility, will
you go or stay?”
William didn't hesitate. “I believe Charlotte is correct. Katie will remain with her and I'll come to help the others.” He glanced at Gwynn, his expression serious. “Gwynn, you must come with me.”
“But Katie—”
“I trust Charlotte to keep her safe. We owe Lucas our existence. He took us in, kept us safe. He helped us to retrieve Katie. We owe him, Gwynn. You know that.”
With a sulky look, Gwynn nodded stiffly.
Ripley nodded. “Rowena, close the security screens.”
Rowena hurried off and with a deafening screech, massive metal blinds lowered simultaneously over every window.
Ripley turned his attention back to me. “Do not open the door for anyone, or anything. We will be back when this is over, and we will open the door ourselves. Do you understand me?”
I nodded mutely.
Ripley issued quiet orders and the others flitted around the room like lightning bolts, barely visible to the human eye. In a matter of minutes, they were prepared, and I watched William and Gwynn gently kiss Katie goodbye.
I stood at the door and Ripley paused before leaving. “You are wrong, you know. The best thing that ever happened to Lucas, was meeting you. You are worth all this, if it means he can look forward to a future with you.” He lowered his head to kiss me gently on the cheek and squeezed my shoulder. “Look after Katie.”
I nodded, standing in silence as I watched him shut the heavy door and lock it.
Now there was nothing to do but wait.
Chapter 18: The Minutes Tick by Slowly
I paced across the living room, feeling distinctly claustrophobic. Other than the clock, there were no visual indicators of time inside the house and I watched impatiently as the hands crept past three, four, and then five. I felt sick, worrying endlessly about what was happening outside. What if someone got killed? What if Lucas got killed? There was an ache in my heart and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ease the pain.
I couldn't stand this, couldn't bear losing anyone for a second time. It was like Mom and my siblings all over again. I didn't think I could survive another loss like that.
Knowledge Revealed (The Nememiah Chronicles Book 1) Page 22