Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1)

by Courtney McPhail

  Thankfully, her family had welcomed him with open arms which made everything that much easier. She didn’t want to believe it but for the first time, things seemed perfect.

  A blood-curdling scream sounded from inside the manor and then echoed in her mind as Anne sent out a psychic call that tore through her brain.

  Something very, very bad had happened.

  She shot to her feet at the same time as Gabe, accidentally knocking him aside as she raced towards the manor, turning into a blur as she defied the laws of physics.

  Demetri and Mary were right in front of her, having felt the same call she did and they stormed into the manor. They rounded the corner and Cordelia skidded to a halt as the smell of fresh blood hit her like a sledgehammer.

  Laying before them was Olivia, a large pool of blood blooming from beneath her. Anne was at her side, her hands wrapped around Olivia’s throat, blood seeping through her fingers.

  “She’s gone,” Anne said, tears filling her wide eyes as she sat back from Olivia’s body.

  “What happened?” Demetri growled.

  “I heard someone open the basement door and then shut it so I came up to see what was going on. When I got here, he had already gotten to her. I screamed and he ran. I tried to stop it but…” Her voice trailed off as she held out her blood stained hands, looking down helplessly at Olivia’s body.

  “Where did he go?” Mary growled, her eyes alight with a burning rage.

  “Upstairs.”

  Demetri and Mary thundered up the stairs and Cordelia followed close on their heels. As they mounted the stairs, a sinking feeling in her belly told her she knew exactly who the he was that Anne had seen.

  Armand had come looking for her and Olivia must have been in the way. A white-hot rage began to burn in her chest and urged her legs to pump faster.

  When she reached the landing, she was assaulted by the sickly sweet smell of cigarillos and cheap cologne, the same smell that had nauseated her at Roxy. She let her nose lead her down a hallway and she broke away from Mary and Demetri without a word. She wanted to be the one who found him, the one who tore him apart to make him pay.

  Armand’s trail ended at the closed door to one of the guest rooms. Without a moment of hesitation, she kicked the door open, the solid oak cracking as it split from its hinges and flew across the room.

  She saw him instantly, even though the room was pitch black. He stood in the corner, his face and neck stained with Olivia’s blood, long fangs flashing as he smiled sinisterly.

  A pounding filled her head as her rage reached its apex. She bared her fangs as an unearthly snarl hissed through her lips.

  “I’ll kill you.”

  She dove at him but before she could make contact, he disappeared and she slammed into the wall with bone rattling force. She ignored the pain, whipping around to find him now standing on the opposite side of the room, laughing at her.

  “You got lucky the first time we fought but it will not happen again. I will make you pay for humiliating me. Killing that human was just the first step. The next steps are a surprise. But I will give you a little hint: every single member of your clan will regret the day you joined them. Even the ones who don’t know you will curse your name.”

  The threat against her new family stoked the flames inside her until her vision took on a red hue. “You leave them out of this!”

  “Too late,” Armand replied, with a wave of his hand. “Besides, that would take away all my fun. I am going to make sure that everyone realizes the truth. It is your fault that woman is dead. As more people they care about fall, they will know it is your fault. Isn’t your clan so lucky to have brought you into the fold?”

  She lunged at him again but a rushing noise filled the room and he disappeared. She spun around, ready to tear him limb from limb but the room was empty and in her gut she knew that he had left the manor.

  Her hands were shaking with rage that hadn’t found an outlet and she looked at the place where he had stood a few seconds before. If she had been faster or stronger, she could have stopped him from leaving. She could have meted out the punishment to avenge Olivia if she had been better. She owed the dead woman that much.

  It was her fault that Olivia was dead. She had brought all of this on them. Everyone would have been better off if she had just died.

  Her emotions reached the boiling point and before she could register her movements, she lashed out at the wall, her fist punching through the drywall as if it was made out of butter. The pain that shot through her hand felt good and she repeated the action, punching another hole through the wall.

  She kept it up, her knuckles tearing and bleeding but she didn’t care. She welcomed the pain as long as the pain in her hands kept the pain in her heart at bay.

  She didn’t notice that she was no longer alone in the room until she felt arms band around her chest and drag her away from the wall. She fought against the grip, limbs flailing and she could hear the screeching howl that issued from between her lips as she fought like an animal in a trap.

  The arms didn’t budge, staying wrapped tight around her as she continued to rage. She fought the hold but eventually the fury inside her wore out and she stilled. The anger was gone and now all she felt was numb.

  “Can I let you go now?” Demetri asked, his arms still holding her firmly.

  She nodded her head as she tried to get her laboured breathing under control.

  He released his hold around her waist but kept in contact as he rested his hands on her shoulders for support. She leaned into him as she stared at the damage she had done to the wall. A ragged hole the size of her chest marred the smooth surface and crimson streaks from her blood were smeared here and there.

  She could not believe she had been the one to do all that damage. It wasn’t like her to react in such a violent way. Even when her father had died, the grief had driven her to crying fits but never to a breakdown like this. She had lost every sense she had and let her emotions take over.

  And it wasn’t just grief fuelling her. There was also a healthy dose of anger at Armand, not just for Olivia’s murder but for the words he had spoken. The threat against her family and the place she had found with them had flicked on a switch in her brain and the rage had surged forth.

  “What happened?” Demetri finally asked when she seemed steady.

  “He was here. Armand. I tried to stop him but…I couldn’t. He’s gone now.”

  She hung her head in shame and her voice cracked as she began to cry.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Shh, it’s not your fault,” he whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She sobbed loudly at his words, knowing that he was wrong but she didn’t have the strength in her to tell him. Instead, she selfishly accepted his embrace, letting him rock her in his arms and whisper other reassurances as she cried silently.

  When they finally separated, Demetri wiped the last lingering tears from her cheeks and offered her a small smile. She did her best to return the smile but she feared it was more like a grimace.

  “Come on, we better go downstairs and tell the others what happened.”

  She nodded and he slipped his hand into hers, leading her out of the room. When they reached the stairs, Cordelia saw that everyone in the house had gathered in the great hall.

  Gabe had been standing in the doorway of the library but when he spotted her, he made a beeline for her, meeting her halfway up the stairs. He reached out and grabbed her injured hand.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his face tight with worry as he examined the scraped skin.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He looked her in the eye, his gaze searching, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth.

  “What happened up there?”

  She looked to Demetri and he got the silent message, answering for her so she wouldn’t have to tell it again. “It was Armand who killed Olivia. He was in one of the guest rooms. He disappeared before Cordelia c
ould stop him.”

  Mary cursed loudly. “I should have gone after him last night. I should have done something to stop him.”

  Nicky entered the great hall, followed closely by a blood covered Anne. He looked over the occupants of the room, as if making sure that they were all there and still whole. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear and filled with purpose.

  “First thing we need to do is figure out a way to lock down this house. Now that Armand has seen the manor, he can shadow walk back inside any time he wants.”

  Beatrix stepped forward. “I can ask Wendat to put up a cloaking spell around the manor. We use one on our home. It will prevent anyone from shadow walking within the boundary. It will also hide the sight of the manor from anyone outside the boundary.”

  “Thank you, Bea,” Nicky said. “As of now, everyone is under house arrest. I don’t want anyone leaving unless they absolutely have to and even then, no one goes alone.”

  “Nicky, is there anything we can do for you?” Katerina asked, Zeke standing tall behind her, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  “Would you inform the Council of what happened here tonight? I don’t think I can face that task myself.”

  “Of course. When would you like me to call the meeting?”

  “Tomorrow night,” Nicky said. “It’s best to handle it as soon as possible so that rumours don’t fly. There is also something else we need to handle as soon as possible. Armand ransacked my study. He went through all my papers. We need to figure out if he took anything and if he did what it was.”

  “Fuck that!”

  Everyone jumped at Mary’s outburst. Her eyes were wild and her fangs were fully extended, as if they were itching to tear into someone.

  “What we need to do is go out there and find this fucker and make him pay for what he did to Olivia!”

  “You know you can’t do that, child,” Nicky said, his voice calm and even, as if his tone could placate the rage that was rolling off of Mary. “We have our ways of dealing with this.”

  “I don’t give a shit about the laws. We are the ones who lost her. We should be able to choose how she gets justice.”

  “Mary, we can’t be vigilantes. Armand broke the law and he will be punished. If we break the law in return, how are we any better than him?”

  “I don’t want to be better than him. I want to make him suffer.”

  Cordelia watched the battle unfold, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the corner and will herself to disappear. All this grief and animosity was her fault. She had cost one woman her life and all because she had been stupid and impulsive.

  If only she had asked Demetri or Mary to come with her when she had gone after Gabe. They would have made sure she didn’t challenge Armand and put all of this in motion. She should have just stayed home that night.

  Better yet, Nicky should have just let her die in that parking lot. At least that way an innocent woman would still be alive and Cordelia wouldn’t have her blood on her hands.

  She jumped when she felt a thumb stroking the inside of her wrist and she looked down to realize that it was Gabe. He gave her a grim smile as he gently cradled her injured hand.

  The gesture was simple but it meant so much to her. He was offering her his support. He didn’t need to say anything, his presence beside her and his tender caress said enough. She leaned into him, letting her head come to rest against his shoulder as the fight continued to rage around them.

  Demetri had decided to step into the fray as Nicky seemed to be failing with Mary.

  “I feel you, Mary, I really do but Nicky is right. Isaac is the one who needs to worry about rounding up Armand. What we need to worry about is what the hell he took from Nicky’s study.”

  “Olivia is dead! Who the hell cares if he took a bunch of Nicky’s useless scribbles about history?”

  “Those weren’t just meaningless papers in that room!” Nicky yelled back, his voice booming in the large room. His calm demeanour was gone, replaced with a fury that made him seem twice his size. “I lied to you. It wasn’t historical research I was doing. For centuries I’ve been compiling extensive files on the Council members and the prominent members of their clans.”

  Nicky’s declaration shocked the room into silence and Cordelia wondered why everyone stared at him agape. It seemed like such a small lie to tell them, she couldn’t believe that there would be such looks of betrayal on the others’ faces. It was Katerina who was first to regain the power of speech.

  “Oh Nicky, how could you?” Her voice was filled with a pained sorrow and Nicky hung his head in shame.

  “I’m sorry, Katerina. It is not that I don’t trust you or the others but I lived through the war. Most of you on the Council are too young to remember but I can never forget the horrors of it. There are no guarantees that our kind will not war again and I intend to be prepared if it comes to pass. Knowing my potential enemies inside and out means that I can end the war sooner.”

  “If you consider us potential enemies then you truly don’t trust us, Nicky.”

  Nicky visibly winced but before he could reply, Mary interrupted.

  “If you let me go after him now, it will solve all our problems. I’ll kill him and get back whatever he took then he has no chance of passing along what he learned.”

  “I forbid you from leaving,” Nicky said with finality.

  Mary glared at Nicky, breathing hard; her teeth clenched to the point where Cordelia thought she could actually hear them grinding together. Yet, despite all her anger, Mary made no move to the door. She looked longingly in its direction but her feet didn’t move.

  Cordelia remembered that as their sire, if Nicky commanded them to do something, or in this case, not to do something, they had no choice but to obey. Demetri had told her that even if they wanted to disobey their sire’s commands, Shadow Walkers were physically incapable of doing so. The body just stopped responding, as if the blood knew its true master.

  And so Mary stood there, frozen in place, glaring hatefully at Nicky.

  “I’m sorry,” Nicky said softly.

  “Fuck you.”

  “Would all of you just shut up!”

  Everyone turned to look at Anne, who was practically vibrating as she glared at all of them, hands clenched into fists at her side.

  “Don’t you have any respect for the dead? Olivia is alone, laying in a pool of her own blood and all you are interested in doing is yelling at each other. I’m going to take care of her body because that’s what you do to show someone you’ve lost that you love them. It’s not about getting justice for their death; it’s about showing respect for their life.”

  With that, Anne turned on her heel and left the great hall. Demetri followed Anne, taking a moment to look back at Mary before he disappeared.

  The wind seemed to have gone out of her sails at Anne’s words and she looked to Nicky, who nodded, and Mary followed the others out of the hall.

  Cordelia made a move to join them, knowing that the burden of Olivia’s body should be placed squarely on her shoulders. The least she could do was help the others. Nicky stopped her before she could go too far.

  “Wait, please. I need to speak with you.”

  A ball of ice formed in the pit of her stomach at his words. She could feel his pain as if it was her own. The loss of Olivia had beaten him down and it was all her fault.

  And so she obediently waited for her punishment as the others took their leave.

  Katerina’s shoulders were slumped and the air of happiness that had always seemed to surround her was gone when she passed by Nicky.

  “It is time for your clan to be alone to mourn your loss. I will call the Council as you requested. On behalf of the Faelan clan, I offer condolences for the loss of Olivia.”

  She held out her hand and Nicky took it, grasping each other around the wrist before embracing.

  Katerina headed to the
door, Zeke following in her wake but when she got to the doorway, she paused and turned back to Nicky. “I pray that you know what you are doing, Nicomachus.”

  “As do I,” Nicky replied as she left, his eyes pained.

  “I will have Wendat inform you when he has the shroud up. My condolences,” Beatrix said and Nicky nodded his thanks.

  While Beatrix made her exit, Cordelia descended the remaining stairs, Gabe at her side, to join Nicky in the hall.

  “Gabe, would you mind giving Cordelia and I a moment alone?”

  Gabe looked between the two of them, silently asking her if she was okay with his request. She nodded her head and he squeezed her wrist in reassurance before letting go. Instantly she missed the comfort and strength she had taken from him standing at her side.

  She watched as he walked over to join Marcus and Giovanni, the only others that remained in the great hall. She wanted to beg Nicky to let Gabe stay but deep down, she knew she had to face this alone.

  She had been the one to drag him into this mess, it wasn’t fair to ask him to help her with the fallout. She had to deal with the consequences of her actions.

  She followed Nicky as he led them into the lounge where he fell heavily onto the leather sofa. His head dropped back onto the top of the sofa, as if he didn’t have the strength to keep it up any longer. He patted the space next to him, indicating for her to join him.

  When she did, he reached out and took her injured hand between his own. The scrapes were already looking less red and angry.

  “These should be fine by morning,” he said as he traced her injuries tenderly. “However, that is not why I wanted to speak to you. Cordelia, you must know that no one blames you for what happened here tonight. Olivia’s death is on Armand. All this anger and fighting, it is because of what he did, not anything you caused.”

  The tears rose up in her eyes and she hung her head to hide them. Nicky let go of her hand and grasped her chin, forcing her to raise her head and look him dead on.