Shadow Chaser (Undeadly Secrets Book 3)

by Aaron L Speer

  “Well…what now?” Melina entered his study from the corridor and woke him from his stupor.

  “What?”

  “What do we do now? What do we do about this?” Melina waved the falcon-delivered piece of paper at him. “When the fuck were you going to tell me about this?”

  “I was waiting for the right time.”

  “Now. Now’s the right time,” she shrieked. “What else do you have on, eh? What are we going to do?”

  The letter was tense, though thankfully not drastic. Yet. The Messengers were not happy Vincent had been killed. However, he had disgraced himself with the Dream State and they had been going to remove him from his role in any case. Dante’s punishment was to take on the role of king, but in a probationary capacity. With no protection, no assurances. The Messengers could decide to execute him or incarcerate him at any time. Sydney had never been more vulnerable, more open to attack. Perhaps it was this thought alone, but something was unsettled in Dante’s mind. A threat was close by, a test for him. He could feel it. Something was coming. Dante needed to assess the situation and act fast. “It is my problem, not yours.”

  “Bullshit. You didn’t kill Vincent on your own. When you came to me you said, and I quote, ‘I have a plan. Trust me.’ Was this it?”

  “We’re still here aren’t we?”

  “For how long? Did you honestly think the Messengers wouldn’t find out? How did you not take any of this into account? You’re supposed to be the logical one here.”

  Dante sighed, wanting to just be left alone to his thoughts for one goddamned minute. “I didn’t think that far ahead. One crisis at a time.”

  “How can you be so calm. Did you think there would be no consequences for killing a king? Alejandro, we’re fucked. You lied to me.”

  “I suppose we’re even then?”

  Melina faltered at this, just long enough for Dante to continue. “You also failed to tell me you had entered into Go Deo with Julian. Did you not think to let me know before I engaged in a war against him? Don’t dare talk to me about honesty when you have been lying to me for over two hundred years. You still expect me to believe you know nothing about the creature that did this to me?”

  “Really? We are doing this now? Again? What more do you want me to tell you? I have no idea why he did what he did. I have no idea where he is. He used me just like he used you. I know how badly you want to find him, but there’s nothing more I can tell you.”

  “And yet you were well awake when I came around, a newborn vampire. You still maintain you saw nothing, heard nothing? He just…” Dante waived his hand. “…left us to fend for ourselves? This thing that attacked you specifically, in front of me and then suddenly turned up here, in Australia, where I happened to be, and you both turned me…just because?”

  “Jeezus, Alejandro. You want the truth, but you already know it! I wanted you to live. I begged him to spare you because I could not face eternity without you. He helped me turn you not as a kindness to me, but to make you suffer forever as the thing you hated the most. I knew this, and I didn’t give a shit. Because I’m a selfish bitch. God help me, I would’ve wanted you to spend all of eternity hating me rather than rotting in the ground loving me. Wrong or right, that’s how it is. I don’t know anything more than that. But I’m here now and godammit I’m all you’ve got!”

  “Actually, that’s not true…”

  Dante and Melina jerked toward the sound of Lauren’s voice, coming from outside his front door. Dante rose and Melina followed him down the short hallway. He opened the door and paused.

  Lauren stood leaning against the doorway, unable to cross the threshold.

  “I haven’t seen you since the fire.”

  She lifted her hands briefly in the air as an apology. “I heard you guys from a block away. You’ve got me too. But it’s not some wannabe hero thing. I just…kinda have nowhere else to go. Plus I need to talk to you guys about something I saw that night, and something I did.”

  Dante and Melina flicked glances at each other. “Let’s start with what you did.”

  “I killed Calibos.”

  “That’s no big loss.” Melina smirked. “We could raise a toast in celebration.”

  “Well, I mean I bit him and fed that night. But I might’ve…kept him alive for a bit.”

  “Why?” Dante asked.

  Lauren’s jaw clenched and she breathed in through her nose before letting out a sigh and answering. “Coz I liked hurting him after what he did to me.”

  Melina narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth. “I am so proud of you.”

  Dante was about to speak after Lauren gave a nervous smile, but thought better. “What else did you want to say?”

  “That night some Aboriginals took Matt.”

  “The Forgotten? They took him?”

  “Yeah, he was unconscious and Calibos was carrying him away from the fire. I attacked and fed on Calibos and they just walked past me like I wasn’t there. But, they did ask me about Alex though.”

  “What?” Dante snapped.

  Lauren nodded her agreement with his tone. “Exactly. One said, that they had been asked to find out what happened to her. That they’d let me live if I told them everything. I said she was ok, and that’s all I knew at the time.”

  “So it’s true. The Forgotten do have a leader.” Dante pondered this but set it aside. Lauren had brought him good information, but only one thing that could be sorted immediately. “Where is Calibos now?”

  “Well, now he’s dead, but…how do you get rid of a body?”

  Dante opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by Melina holding up her hand. “This is girl time.”

  “We need to move on this. We need to round up the escapees.”

  “So you want the body found, then. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “I’m saying make it quick.”

  Melina gave a half-hearted salute. “Relax. It’s not like we have a bunch of evil unknowns watching everything we do, now is there?” She turned to Lauren. “C’mon. I’ll introduce you to the greatest invention since the vibrator.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “A wood chipper.”

  Chapter 2

  One Too Many

  Nicole held her breath as the wand was waved over her stomach. Just as she did passing through the airport x-ray. Don’t be so stupid, she thought. They can’t tell anything.

  The wand gave a squawk as it hovered over her abdomen, and her heart gave a flip. Her face must have betrayed her too, because the officer eyed her with mild suspicion. “You got anything under there you want to tell me about?”

  With a sharp burst of air, Nicole woke in a flurry, someone’s hand resting on her arm.

  “I’m sorry, my dear.” Dr. Sarsky indicated the seatbelt sign. “The pilot just said to expect some heavy turbulence. Buckle up.”

  “Oh…” Nicole blinked heavily. “Oh. Right. Thank you.”

  “Only about an hour left till London. Then your journey begins! You’ll be able to meet Anthony. He’s another student I’m helping. Great grades like you. Nice chap.”

  He was clearly trying to be light hearted and supportive, yet Nicole wasn’t really listening. She clicked her seat belt into place and found herself holding her abdomen, pressing a touch harder as the plane shuddered. The dream repeated in her head, but the security person was replaced by Dr. Sarsky. How long could she possibly keep this secret? At what point did it become a sheer insult to lie to the man who had done so much, risked so much just for her to be on this very plane?

  What she was carrying was such…a mystery. No, that was the wrong word. A miracle? That wasn’t it either. It shouldn’t even be. They had been careful, as careful as a couple could be. Regardless, a child was in her womb. Was it human? Was it a wolf? Did it matter? How long could she possibly go on before it showed, three months? By then she would be neck deep in her studies, and what then? Spring it on Dr Sarsky?

  Another wake of turbulence br
ought an involuntary yelp. Dr. Sarsky patted her hand. She felt herself turning bright red, mostly in irritation. She wasn’t afraid of the turbulence; she was afraid of the future. And what of her parents? What would they say, their only daughter pregnant and a half a world away? They never knew Nick. Hell, they didn’t even know she had slept with someone while they were away. There was no choice. It wasn’t fair on anyone. Not her, not those who loved her, and especially not this baby who would never even get to meet its father. She had to have a termination.

  She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, coming to terms with her decision as finally the plane levelled. When she opened them, she looked down to her stomach, to her hands, folded over each other and still pressed hard into her abdomen. Despite her self-assurance, she couldn’t help but wonder: if she was so sure getting rid of the foetus was the right thing to do, why was her first instinct to protect it?

  *

  It had taken nearly ninety minutes after touching down to get off the plane and through customs. They collected their baggage and pushed their way past the throngs of people.

  “Dr Sarsky!”

  Nicole followed the voice and saw a young man, roughly her height with short, sandy-coloured blonde hair. “Ah, Anthony. Lovely. Right on time as usual.”

  Dr Sarsky shook Anthony’s hand, and Anthony immediately turned and offered his services to Nicole. “Take that for you?”

  Nicole gave him her best attempt at returning his smile. Her first instinct was to insist she could manage it herself, but the long flight and her worry had sapped her strength. She acquiesced. “Thank you,” she said, and the note of sincere gratitude surprised her.

  They and their luggage were loaded into Anthony’s car and they whisked off a few minutes later. The drive wasn’t far, but it was rather slow through all the London traffic. Nicole looked out and let the magnificent views submerge her sorrow. It’s your first time in London… Let it make you happy.

  Anthony drove past many of the more famous landmarks, and Nicole gazed thoughtfully out the window at Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, and others. She was going to thank Anthony for the sightseeing tour when she remembered that Nick had once told her that there were not really any main thoroughfares in London—that driving past the landmarks was simply what you had to do. She idly listened to the cheerful banter between Dr Sarsky and Anthony, and she joined in where she could. Though it was almost impossible to generate interesting conversation when your head felt like it was crushing your skull. The tension headache was the consequence of her choice, the dreaded one she had to make.

  They pulled up outside a two-storey town house. The small front garden was formal with well-pruned roses, but adding a touch of whimsy was a cherubic stone angel resting on the stone wall. The curly hair and chubby belly made her mind flash on babies once again.

  Nicole followed Dr Sarsky as he disappeared through the door, only stopping when Anthony excused himself. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

  Nicole shook his hand. “And you. Thank you for the lift.”

  “You’re quite welcome. Look…” Anthony appeared to wonder how to continue his sentence, “Uh, if you ever wanted to take a tour of London, it would be my pleasure. There’s lots of really great places most tourists don’t know about.”

  “Sure, okay. When I get settled in, maybe. That sounds nice.”

  Anthony broke into a huge smile. “Great! Well, hopefully I’ll see you soon.”

  Nicole took a deep breath and dragged her suitcase inside, planting it down in front of the fire place. She moved her head slowly from left to right, processing, taking in the sight of glistening plates all around her, along the walls. Designs ranging from the beautiful to the downright amazing.

  “Sorry?” Nicole asked, the fact that Dr. Sasrky was speaking registered.

  “I said he’s a nice boy.”

  “Who?”

  “Who do you think?” Dr Sarsky gestured with his head behind her as if Anthony was still there.

  It clicked for Nicole what he meant. “Oh no… I didn’t…that wasn’t…No no.”

  “Better tell him that. I think he likes you.”

  Great. This was the last thing she needed right now.

  *

  Talia ran her nails across the giant desk, the main feature of the study. Her father Wilson’s study, then Creed’s. Now, it belonged to her. The room looked…barren. She imagined it once contained things like trophies from Wilson’s battles, historical and family mementos, but now there remained only dust and a few insignificant knickknacks. The walls bare, no other furniture. Creed had probably wasted no time in stripping the place.

  “We could have a barbeque with this.” Radha jerked her head toward the desk.

  “No.” Talia flexed her fingers slowly again over the scorched wood.

  In a strange way, this desk, this room, was the closest she had ever been to knowing her father.

  They both registered a new person in the room, Taylor Pierce, yet neither turned until he spoke.

  “You have a guest requesting an audience.”

  Talia looked up. “With me?”

  “You are the Alpha, aren’t you?”

  Talia lowered her lids, glaring. “Who is it?”

  He cleared his throat. “Alicia Slade.”

  Talia froze.

  “What? She’s here?” Radha hissed. “You just let her walk in?”

  “She appeared out of nowhere.”

  “What, in a puff of fucking smoke?”

  “I was doing my rounds and found her just standing in the entryway. Just like that.”

  Radha took a step forward, livid. Talia though spoke softly, defusing the situation. “Send her up.”

  “As you wish.”

  He left them there, and Radha wasted no time. “Do not let her speak. Kill her quickly. I’ll wait in the master suite so she doesn’t hear my heartbeat.”

  And then Talia found herself alone. Should she stand, should she sit? Should she appear friendly or intimidating?

  She hadn’t even come to a choice when she was no longer alone. There, standing just inside the doorway was the woman her mother despised and wished death upon. The wife and mother of dead Alphas, she was famous among the British packs. Talia was told to strike as soon as she entered the room, but her nails weren’t set, her fangs weren’t flared. Talia did not feel the rage she thought she would, staring at Alicia. The woman’s golden hair was tousled, her clothes stank of dampness, like she had been caught in a thunderstorm and hadn’t properly dried. Then there were her bloodshot eyes, as if she hadn’t slept for days. Or the result of endless tears.

  “Thank you for seeing me. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

  Talia tapped her fingers on the desk, taking a moment. “I’m curious. How did you get past the guards?”

  “I lived in this house for almost twenty years. I know it better than the guards, even if some of them used to work for my husband.”

  Secret passageways. Hidden tunnels and chambers maybe. Interesting. She’d have to find those.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “I didn’t.” Alicia answered. “But I suspected. And…” There, was the smallest evidence of a small, sad smile after a brief pause. “You look like him.”

  Why was she even having this conversation? Radha wanted Alicia Slade dead. But then why was Talia not transforming, where was her rage?

  “I’m sorry to meet like this,” Alicia continued softly. “I would’ve loved to have known you existed.”

  “Me? Why?”

  Alicia shrugged. “I always wanted a daughter.”

  Talia shifted uneasily in her seat. This was making her uncomfortable. “What…what do you need? Want?”

  “I would like your permission to gather some personal items, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s all.”

  “I have a pack that would’ve shot you on sight, or would tear you apa
rt if most saw you. You are either very brave or very stupid to take the risk of coming here alone.” Talia made sure Alicia was aware of her sceptical tone.

  “There is no risk if one doesn’t care.”

  “So you want to die?”

  “Having no fear of death is not the same as wanting to die. When you lose the most important thing in your life, it gives you perspective. I just… I just don’t care anymore.”

  There it was, the tone in her voice cracking, the hard truth. The legend that stood before Talia was not pathetic, was not scheming. She was broken. The fight had left her. Talia had nothing to fear. In fact, there was a twinge of pity for her.

  “Take what you need,” Talia nodded her head. “When you leave, no one will harm you.”

  “I don’t think you can guarantee that, and you don’t have to.”

  “I’ll walk out with you. Come and see me when you’re ready.”

  Alicia gave her a solemn nod. “Thank you. I appreciate this.”

  “Wait, there is one condition.”

  “What is it?”

  Talia flattened her palms on the surface, looking at them. Did she really want to go there? Yes, she thought. To hell with it. “What was he like? My… I mean, Wilson. I don’t mean to… I just… I didn’t know him.”

  Alicia took a minute and Talia waited. “You know what? Neither did I.”

  “Please!” Talia spoke up. “I don’t want to antagonise. I just want to know.”

  “I understand that. And I think you deserve to know. But I really can’t help you with this. The man I knew wouldn’t have left a daughter in the wilderness. He would never have left you alone. So I can only determine from that that I never really knew him at all.”

  “He didn’t know. I’ve been told that only Damien Creed knew.”

  Alicia cocked her head at this news. “Who told you that?”

  Talia thought and spoke quickly. “My mother. She came here to tell Wilson when she was pregnant with me, but never spoke to him. She got as far as Creed before he turned her away. That was the day Wilson married you.”