Giggling to himself, Gavin filled the vessel with Janice’s blood and handed the cup to Jeremiah. The other vampire took it, and drank the contents in one gulp. He tossed the goblet to the floor, licked his lips, and focused on Gavin.
“Her heart has almost stopped, my friend. It is time to end her.”
Gavin gleefully returned to Janice’s body, hunger in his eyes. His fangs sprang forth and he attacked her neck, ripping into the skin like a rabid dog. Her body gave one last shudder as he drained the last drop, the woman no more than a fleshy husk upon the coffin.
Gavin’s laughter filled the air, the sound of death well satisfied.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daniel pulled the truck onto a side street beside Oakland Cemetery, and adjusted the angle so they were looking across the road to the house they needed to investigate.
As he cut the engine, Ophelia turned her eyes to his. “You don't have to do this, you know. I may not like your condition, but I don't want you getting caught, either."
Daniel reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. A nearby streetlight allowed her to see his smile when he looked at her. "I appreciate your concern, but don't worry. Serena will be able to tell us if the house is occupied as soon as she touches the door."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, doubt in her eyes. "You do realize we're looking for a live person, right? If Aunt Jan is here and all right, Serena's going to sense a presence, regardless."
Daniel scratched the back of his neck, then turned to look at the woman in question. "Is it possible to focus on supernatural beings only?"
Serena shook her head. "No, but I can differentiate between the ones I do sense. I just can’t tell you where they are."
Daniel returned his gaze to Ophelia. "That work for you?"
She sighed. "I don't have much choice, do I?” She opened her door and stepped out. "Everyone grab your weapons, and let’s get this show on the road."
Daniel and Serena jumped out after her, followed by Liam, and then Melina. They walked around the truck, meeting at the cemetery fence. Ophelia looked out over the dilapidated headstones, her skin crawling. She took a deep breath and silently led the group across the street to the house on the corner.
When they arrived at the front steps, Ophelia studied the outside of the old Victorian building. It had been grand, but no longer. The once pristine white and pink paint sat on the boards of the house, rotted and peeling. The long wall of multi-paned windows to the left of the small porch housed more broken glass than complete. The second story windows fared no better. The entire frame of one was ripped from the turret on the right corner of the house.
Ophelia grew up hearing tales of hauntings at the old house, but standing in front of it now, she thought it looked more sad than haunted. Most of the outer structure was held up by rickety scaffolding—a desperate attempt to preserve what was left of the house’s history. A frown on her face, Ophelia rolled her shoulders and looked back at the others as Serena stepped up onto the porch and placed both hands against the side of the house. Body tense, the woman leaned forward until her forehead touched the siding. A blast of warm air – warmer than the temperature outside – swirled around them, before settling over Serena’s form in a translucent red glow. As the color faded, she pushed away from the wall and frowned.
"I felt nothing," Serena told them. "Nothing breathes inside this building."
Ophelia and Daniel shared their own worried looks. The chance of Serena being wrong was slim. Taking a deep breath, Ophelia pulled out her gun while the others drew knives of varying sizes. She had hers, as well, but she feared what she might do if she had to get that close to someone holding her friend’s sister captive. She knew what it was like to lose control, and that wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat. Taking a deep breath, she forced those thoughts to retreat, and returned her full attention to the situation at hand.
Melina, who they had decided would act as lookout, wore nothing but black: black pants, shoes, top, and even had her strawberry hair piled beneath an old black hat. She stepped off the porch, leaned against the side of the house, and blended into the shadows. She nodded to Ophelia, who in turn, nodded to the rest of the group.
Walking inside first, Serena turned to them, wrinkling her nose as she blocked the doorway. “This house smells of death. Be on your guard.”
They all nodded, and Serena headed toward the staircase, closely followed by Liam. They were to investigate the second and third floors while Ophelia and Daniel looked around the first.
As the pair disappeared upstairs, Ophelia looked at her companion, who was busy scanning their soundings. She was reluctant to admit that she couldn't have picked a better person to work with. Daniel was strong, resourceful, and caring. Her only hang-up was that he was no longer alive in the technical sense. Which is stupid, since you’re in love with him, you idiot. But then there’s the reincarnation thing…
Ophelia shook her head, thinking instead of Serena's words as she placed her gun back into her waistband. She could tell by the dark look in Daniel’s eyes that he’d already reached the same conclusion she had.
“We’re going to find a body, aren’t we?” she murmured.
Daniel took her gently by the hand and waited until her gaze met his. “I think so,” he told her softly.
Ophelia closed her eyes for a moment, before she took a deep breath and pulled a flashlight from her pocket. She squared her shoulders, and without letting go of Daniel’s hand, led the way through the front door. She switched the flashlight on and shined the narrow beam of light around the large, empty room.
They moved through the space without leaving tracks. The dust, dirt, and grime on the floor was at least an inch thick in some places, and it was so caked on that it was practically a solid part of the floor. If anyone had come through before them, there was no evidence. Ophelia allowed Daniel to lead the way as she looked around. The rosebud patterned wallpaper hung in dark tatters, with lighter spots on the wall that stood out as mournful shrines to missing art.
Silver wall sconces barely gleamed in the pale-yellow glow of her flashlight. Floorboards creaked as they reached a small closet on the far-right wall. Still positioned in front of her, Daniel flung the door open.
Nothing jumped out, so Ophelia stepped around him and peered inside. There was an old mop bucket lying on its side on top of the worn wooden floor, but no dead bodies. She shined her flashlight around, looking for any sign of a hidden passage. All she saw was a very large spider skittering across the floor, which caused her to jump backward with a strangled yelp. She collided with Daniel, and a laugh rumbled up through his chest, vibrating her back as he wrapped his free arm around her waist to keep her steady. Ophelia considered him a very smart man for containing his amusement to laughter and not verbally remarking on her phobia.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself before stepping out of Daniels sexy and all-too-human arms. Ophelia let him take the lead again as they walked through the archway to the kitchen. The opening once held a set of ornate double doors, but now one was lying broken on the floor, and the other was missing everything but its hinges, which still hung on the frame.
They stopped on the other side of the doorway, and Ophelia shined the beam of her flashlight across the counter to their left. A bowl and spoon sat, covered in dust and filth, in the tarnished porcelain sink. Unfortunately, they realized the smell permeating the room had nothing to do with dirty dishes and everything to do with the initial stink as they’d walked into the house.
As she aimed the light around the room, Ophelia and Daniel watched the light stretch across the dirt-covered floor, and they found the source of the stench—confirming Ophelia's suspicions. They barely made out large footprints leading from a side door to a spot near a rickety wooden table. On the floor beside the table, lying on his back, was the body of what used to be a young man in his prime. His skin was withered, a pasty shade of gray-blue, and his abdominal cavity lay gaping.
&nbs
p; Ophelia gasped loudly and instinctively stepped back, but when Daniel tried to step in front of her, she placed her hand on his arm to stop him. He looked at her, and she shook her head. She took a deep breath between clenched teeth and steeled her resolve.
The man’s head was turned away from them, so Ophelia walked closer. As she stood above the body, she fought the urge to throw up. No organs remained in his abdomen. Whole chunks of skin were missing from the man’s arms, and fang and blade marks covered the parts of his body that weren’t hidden by the torn fabric of his shirt and jeans. It was obvious the man had been tortured before he was killed.
Ophelia was so shocked at the sadistic nature of the wounds that she didn't argue when Daniel took over and crouched down beside the body. With gentle hands, he turned the man’s head. A once handsome face, surrounded by healthy, if receding, dark hair, stared up at them from empty eyes that would see no more.
Heartsick, Ophelia sank to the floor. She didn’t know that face, but her heart told her she knew the identity of the man—he was the right age, and bore the same physical description that Carissa had given her when they began looking for her sister and brother-in-law.
Gwen’s husband was dead, and judging by the look of the body and the lifeless pallor of his skin, he’d been that way at least a night or two. Tears spilled from Ophelia's eyes. They were too late, and Jeremiah still had her aunt. If he was capable of this...
Her voice trembling and wracked with pain, Ophelia looked at Daniel and whispered, "We didn't look hard enough, or fast enough, and now he’s gone. We have to tell Carissa and her father.”
Daniel turned to her, but what he was about to say, Ophelia never knew. Just as he opened his mouth, they heard clattering on the stairs, and Liam and Serena ran into the room. Liam tossed Daniel the large white dust-covered sheet he carried, while Serena peered out the window.
Ophelia dashed the tears from her eyes, and looked around the room. “What’s going on?”
“Serena,” Liam answered. “Just after she heard y’alls discovery, she said she sensed something, a commotion, down the street.” He looked back toward the living room. “This means Melina—Ah. There she is!”
Melina rushed inside to join them, but stopped short at the sight of Rafe’s mangled body.
“Oh man,” She muttered, then shook her head and focused on Ophelia, “Cops are gathering at the DV shelter a few houses down. If anyone thinks to look this way, they’ll see the truck across the street, and that’s suspicious enough to get them past this house. If that happens, someone might notice the lock on the front door’s been broken. We need to scram.”
Daniel finished wrapping up the body and helped Ophelia to her feet. His light grip on her arm lingered for a moment before he turned and spoke to Liam. He gestured toward Rafe’s body.
“We need to take him back to his family. Help me get him into the truck.”
Liam nodded to his brother, and leaned down to grab the feet as Melina opened the side door. Daniel took the head and shoulders, and they used their speed to bring Rafe’s body to the vehicle. Serena, Melina, and Ophelia followed at a much more human pace.
Ophelia lagged behind the rest, having a difficult time getting her feet to cooperate. When she reached street beside the cemetery, tears began to fall again. She looked neither right nor left as she made her way to the truck. She climbed in and fastened her buckle mechanically, her thoughts as cloudy as her vision. She could hear Daniel and Liam talking quietly, their voices buzzing like bees in her ears.
Ophelia stared, unseeing, out the window and rode back to Jaune in silence. She didn’t snap out of the fog until after Daniel dropped their passengers off at Aden’s house, and started up the driveway to Carissa’s place.
There was a slight rustling sound, and the warmth of Daniel’s large hand covered her own, his fingers squeezing gently. The feel of him touching her was so unexpected that Ophelia’s tears dried up and her vision sharpened so suddenly her body jerked. She started to turn her hand over, but Daniel quickly moved his when she raised her eyes to his face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” His voice was soft, “It’s just that we’re almost there.”
Ophelia scrubbed her right hand over her face, and linked the fingers of her left with the hand he moved. “No. It’s okay. Really. I can’t be out of it for this.”
Gravel crunched under the tires as Daniel pulled up in front of Carissa’s house. Ophelia watched the headlights trail across the windows, followed by the shadows of the occupants. Less than a minute later, Carissa, Aden, and a man Ophelia didn’t know ran outside, guns drawn, though they put their weapons down when they recognized her vehicle.
Daniel got out first, and one look at his face had Carissa running to Ophelia’s side of the truck. Ophelia stepped out and immediately put her arms around her friend. Carissa returned the hug automatically, but stepped back quickly.
Her eyes were sad and shadowed when she asked Ophelia, “You found one of them, didn’t you?”
Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, Ophelia nodded. She gestured toward the truck, and the five of them walked to the bed. Daniel lowered the tailgate and jumped inside. With careful hands, he moved the body closer to his family.
Minute amounts of blood stained the white cover, and Carissa began to cry as soon as she saw the shape. Daniel spoke to her, “You might not want to look, Carissa. He was tortured.” His voice was gentle, and Ophelia’s respect for him raised another notch.
Aden wrapped his arms around his fiancé, while Ophelia held one of her hands. Carissa sucked in a breath and nodded toward Daniel.
“I need to know for sure. Let me see, Daniel.”
As he reached out and slowly uncovered the body, he spoke to the unknown man, and Ophelia’s heart clenched as she realized who he was – Carissa’s father.
“I’m sorry, Garrett,” Daniel said softly.
At the sight of Rafe’s empty eyes, Garrett fell to his knees. A soul-filled howl of anguish ripped from his throat, as he tossed his head back, his skin pallid under the night sky. Ophelia trembled where she stood, and shifted her attention to her friend.
Carissa gave one short, grief-stricken wail, and fainted, going completely limp in Aden’s arms. Ophelia released her friend’s hand as Aden scooped Carissa into his arms and turned to Daniel.
When he spoke, his words were raspy and faint. “I’ll be back out to help you bury him.”
Daniel jumped from the back of the truck as they watched Aden take Carissa into the house. He reached out and briefly grasped Ophelia’s hand, before crossing over to where Garrett was curled up, weeping on the ground.
Daniel leaned down and helped the sobbing man to his feet. He started to walk him up to the house, but Garrett stopped. He shook off the helping hand and walked to the truck on shaky legs. He reached out with a trembling hand, and gently touched the body of the man Gwen had married.
There were tears in his voice when he spoke to Ophelia. “I did everything I could to run his and Gwen’s life, and then Carissa’s. I wanted him to be a leader, but he just wasn’t cut out for it.” He turned those tear-filled eyes on his daughter’s best friend. “And I don’t think I ever told him or Gwen how proud of them I was. I am.” He shook his head. “Did you find any trace of my daughter?”
Ophelia shook her head. “No, sir. Nothing about her or my aunt. I’m sorry.” Ophelia turned toward Daniel, but Garrett grabbed her arm.
“Did you say they have Janice, too?”
Ophelia’s jaw dropped. “How do you–?”
Garrett pulled a small ring box from his pocket. “I was going to meet her in Shreveport in the morning. She was supposed to call me tonight, but I thought she just got caught up. I had no idea…” His voice faded as he flipped open the lid to reveal a small, tasteful diamond engagement ring.
Tears gathered in Ophelia’s eyes as the stone winked in the moonlight. She placed a hand over Garrett’s. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
The werewolf smiled sadly. “We didn’t want anyone to know yet. It was more my idea than hers. With what you know of my relationship with my daughters, and some of what I’ve done, I didn’t think you would have approved.”
“Sir, if Aunt Jan was in a relationship with you, that means she saw the good. That’s always been enough for me. I promise you, we’re going to do everything we can to get her and Gwen back in one piece.”
Garrett nodded, shoving the ring back into his pocket and lifting his gaze to Daniel’s. “You don’t need to bury Rafe. I’ll do it. It’s the least I can do for my Gwen.”
Ophelia heard footsteps, and Aden walked up with a shovel in his hand. “How’s Carissa?” she asked him.
Aden shook his head and frowned. “She’s awake. She’s sitting on the couch, shaking, and won’t respond to anything I say.” He dropped the shovel to the ground and spread his hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
Ophelia placed a comforting hand on his arm. “I’ll go to her. You help Garrett and Daniel, and I’ll do what I can for Carissa.”
She left the men to their somber task and walked into the house. Carissa sat on the couch with her hands clasped in her lap. She rocked back and forth, a silent scream etched on her face. Ophelia sat down beside her friend and wrapped her in her arms.
The dam broke. Tears streamed from Carissa’s eyes and incoherent babbling issued from her mouth. Every other word was ‘sister’ or ‘dead’, and her eyes were unfocused.
Ophelia just held on, determined to wait it out. She kept her own tears banked, and cradled Carissa’s shaking body as her friend’s heart shattered and sadness leaked out through the moisture on her cheeks.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Two hours later, Daniel parked the truck in Ophelia’s driveway. They got out and silently walked inside. Her movements mechanical, Ophelia went through the motions of locking her front door and discarding her purse and gun on the table in the entryway. She turned and was halfway down the hall when Daniel swept her into his arms.
Savage Bayou (Things that go Bump in the Bayou Book 2) Page 18