Dark Heart Surrender

by Lee Monroe

  He rubbed at his head gently. It still hurt. And he felt so weak, a horrible taste in his mouth.

  A shadow fell across the passenger window. He saw it out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw Polly, still wearing the clothes she’d had on the night before. She’d taken off all her eye make-up and her face looked ethereally naked – almost childlike, the colour of her eyes stark against that porcelain skin. She pressed her face up against the window, then opened the door.

  ‘Here.’ She held out a plastic bottle of water. ‘Drink.’

  Luca stared at the bottle, then shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’

  Polly crouched down and he saw she was wearing Ade’s jacket. Her long red hair hung in spirals. She gathered it up in one hand and coiled it into a knot at the back of her head in a skilled, swift motion. With her hair off her face, he could clearly see her prettily pointed chin and wide cheeks, two angular yet elegant ears.

  Luca thought he was going to be sick.

  ‘You really should drink,’ Polly said, as though she was genuinely concerned. ‘You’re dehydrated.’ She shook the bottle a little.

  Luca didn’t move to take it from her. ‘Where’s your brother?’ he asked instead. ‘And what are we doing here?’

  She unscrewed the cap on the bottle and took a long swig. ‘It’s just you and me, I’m afraid.’ She got to her feet and put one long leg into the car, followed by the other. Once she had shut the door, she sat, holding the water bottle, staring in front of her. In profile, her lips pouted beautifully. Luca looked away, determined to keep his wits about him.

  ‘I know who you are,’ he said eventually, shifting subtly away from her as he spoke.

  ‘You do?’ She turned to him, her eyes wide. ‘And who is that?’

  ‘The Vulpecula,’ he said, staring straight into those eyes.

  Polly’s expression told him nothing. She simply screwed the cap back on the bottle. Then she sighed.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said. ‘But then, I am feeling a little worse for wear.’ She smiled. ‘It was fun last night, wasn’t it?’ Her delicate nose twitched a little. ‘Once you started to relax.’

  Luca tried to recall the events of the night before. He remembered dancing with Polly – her hips against his body, her arms … He stopped thinking, knowing that she was doing it again. She was removing all his rational thoughts, leaving only basic, primal thoughts. Desire. He became very aware of her legs next to his.

  ‘Well, it’s been nice talking to you,’ he said, refusing to look at her. ‘But I have to get home. Jane will be going out of her mind.’ Thinking about Jane, he felt a mixture of guilt and dread. To his surprise and his dismay, he didn’t feel anything else. He shook his head and reached out for the door handle to his left.

  ‘Don’t go,’ Polly said softly. ‘It’s so peaceful here.’

  ‘I feel terrible,’ he said, his back to her. ‘What happened last night. It was wrong.’

  ‘You didn’t seem to feel like that at the time,’ she said. ‘I know when a boy wants me. And you wanted me. Last night – and this morning, for that matter.’

  ‘This morning?’ He jerked round to face her. ‘Nothing happened this morning!’ But the truth was he couldn’t remember … He felt cold with a kind of panic. Had something else happened?

  She put her cool hand on his, her long graceful fingers beginning to twine with his. He tried to pull his hand away, but found he couldn’t. Flashing into his head came images of Polly’s naked arms around him, her pale, taut body pressed against his. Had that happened? Or was she making him think it did?

  ‘I know how long you’ve been waiting for Jane,’ she whispered. ‘Didn’t it feel good not to hold back any longer – to be free?’ Her lips curled into a conspiratorial smile.

  Luca realized her face was changing, her mouth shifting, expectant, her teeth flashing – and a sudden visceral quality came over her expression. Her nose twitched again and her eyes narrowed out. She seemed to be smiling, but it was more feral than that. It was a hostile baring of teeth. The kind of stance a wild animal takes with its prey.

  Somehow he found the strength to pull his hand from under hers and open the car door.

  Once he was out, he knew only that he had to get as far away as possible from Polly. He started to run, his legs like lead, a whooshing sensation in his head – the ache giving way to a now familiar fuggy feeling.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Polly called after him from the car. ‘I won’t tell Jane what we did. Your secret is safe with me.’

  Slowly, the further he got from her, the stronger Luca began to feel, until finally he was running, bounding down the rough country road, blood pounding in his head. He ran for miles, gaining ever more strength, hoping that he would reach somewhere familiar and find his way back to Jane’s house.

  Out of nowhere a truck rounded the corner, driving slowly, but still a shock. Luca stopped suddenly, panting. He held out his hand for the car to stop, seeing with relief the familiar driver.

  ‘Luca!’ Jack Jonas stepped down from the truck, an expression of simultaneous relief and confusion on his face. ‘What’s happened? I’ve been driving round everywhere looking for you.’ He came towards Luca, putting his hand on his arm. ‘Never mind. Questions later. Let’s get you home.’

  In the car, Luca found himself trying to hide the shaking overwhelming him.

  ‘I lost track of time,’ he said. ‘And before I knew it, it was morning …’

  Jane’s father stared ahead. ‘I understand,’ he said. ‘Though it’s a long time since I was in that kind of … predicament.’

  ‘Nothing untoward happened,’ Luca supplied quickly, ‘if that’s what you’re thinking.’

  Mr Jonas looked almost amused. ‘Untoward? No. You’re a good lad, Luca. I trust you.’

  Luca nodded relieved, but the guilt he’d felt earlier grew in dimension. How was he going to explain this to Jane? Would she ever believe he had done nothing wrong? As Luca stared up at the morning sun outside, he realized he had absolutely no idea if he had betrayed Jane or not. But the thought that he had broken his precious code of honesty and trust, something he had been raised to believe in wholeheartedly – the thought that he might have destroyed that, was devastating.

  They may not be admitting who they were yet, but the Vulpecula had found a way to wreak revenge on the Hunters: by sabotaging the most precious thing in Luca’s world.

  He turned and looked behind him at the fields – half expecting Polly to be in pursuit, relieved when all there was was empty landscape.

  But as he turned, Jack braked suddenly, swearing under his breath.

  ‘What the—’ he started, and Luca paled at the sight in front of them. Jack stopped the engine and got out of the car. Luca stayed where he was, glaring at the figure in front of the car.

  Ade stood, his T-shirt a little torn, with what looked like scratches across his face. His skin was paler than ever. Though Jack was talking to him at the side of road, Ade’s eyes were rooted on Luca inside the truck.

  Luca stared back. Whatever game Ade was playing, he looked like he had Jack’s sympathy.

  Mr Jonas moved back to the driver’s side of the truck, opening up the door; he shook his head at Luca. ‘Poor kid’s been attacked.’

  ‘Attacked?’ Luca stiffened, unable to keep the sceptical look off his face. ‘By what?’

  Jack puffed out his cheeks. ‘A group of drunken lads apparently – it happened after you all left the club last night.’ He looked over at the boy. ‘Well, you were there, I guess you must have seen it happen.’

  Luca frowned. ‘I … No … I didn’t see anything.’ He bit his lip. He couldn’t remember anything that had happened after he had passed out after that glass of water – which hadn’t been water, obviously. The next thing he remembered he had woken up in the back of Ade’s car.

  Not that he could let Jack Jonas know that. Whatever Ade was up to, Luca would have to go along with it
if he was going to avoid awkward questions.

  ‘Is he OK?’ he asked, trying to inject some concern into his question.

  ‘Superficial I think.’ Jack glanced back at Ade. ‘He has a black eye and he seems a bit out of it.’ He sighed. ‘Lucky we found him.’

  Or he found us, thought Luca wryly.

  Jack was regarding Luca with faint disapproval. ‘You kids should take care of each other better,’ he said. ‘I guess it’s easy to get carried away, drinking and …’ He paused, clearly not wanting to get into what Luca might have been doing with Polly that was so distracting.

  ‘Ade disappeared …’ Luca began to protest but it looked as though Mr Jonas wasn’t particularly interested in the details anyway, he was busy getting a blanket out of the back of the truck.

  ‘I’m going to bring him back to the house,’ he said. ‘The last thing Lydia Ellis needs to worry about is her son getting involved in a brawl of some kind. We can clean him up and get him home.’ He stepped away from the truck and passed the blanket over to Ade.

  ‘You’re coming with us,’ he told him paternally. ‘You look as though you could do with a bath and something to eat.’

  Ade rubbed at his bare arms. ‘I don’t want to be any trouble,’ he said, lowering his eyes humbly. ‘I just need a lift back into Bale. I can get home from there.’ He drew the blanket over his shoulders, clutching it to him a little pathetically.

  ‘No trouble,’ said Jack gruffly, pushing back the front seat and beckoning to the boy to get in the back. ‘We’ll see you right.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Dalya left me by the Water Path while she went to fetch Ulfred and, I had to admit, the serenity of the place was a welcome relief. It was almost impossible to feel troubled while I sat by the burbling water, the clean air pushing all muddy thoughts out of my head.

  It seemed a lifetime before she returned with her father. At the sight of Ulfred, tall, bearded, twinkly-eyed, I nearly cried. It was like seeing my own father after a long time. I stood and waved a hand in greeting. He nodded formally in return.

  ‘Jane,’ he said. ‘It is good to see you. How have you been?’

  I smiled. ‘Fine, thank you, Ulfred.’

  ‘And Luca?’ He pursed his lips, concerned.

  ‘I don’t know. We’ve been going through a strange time lately. Luca, he is—’

  Ulfred nodded. ‘He came to see me not so long ago,’ he cut in gently, getting straight to the point. ‘We talked of the Vulpecula. At that time I didn’t seriously believe that they were living somewhere.’ He sighed. ‘But I realize now that Luca’s instincts should always be taken seriously.’ He looked kindly at me. ‘You’re worried about the boy, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’ Now that I was talking to people who weren’t going to laugh in my face at my fears, I felt a surge of emotion hit me. All the weird, unsettling events of the past few weeks were coming to roost. ‘I think he’s in danger. They were trying to get to him through me. I see that now.’

  ‘Tell me about “them”,’ said Ulfred. He settled his large frame on a flat rock by the river. ‘How do they behave?’

  ‘Well, they’re clever …’ I began. ‘I mean they’re sharp-tongued and sometimes vicious in what they say. But the main thing is the effect they have. They just sap all the strength from you so you can’t fight back. Worse than that, they somehow channel your thoughts so that you think they make sense and that the things they say are right and that you are wrong.’ I stopped. It all sounded so flimsy.

  But Ulfred’s expression had turned grave and he began to pace agitatedly in front of me. ‘This is not good,’ he said anxiously. ‘That is exactly how the Vulpecula operate. It has to be them.’ He channelled a fearful look at Jane. ‘And they have found him. They have Luca in their sights.’

  ‘But why Luca? Why would they have a specific vendetta against him?’ I could feel my heart rate increasing, not at all sure I wanted to hear the answer to my question.

  Ulfred hesitated. ‘A long time ago we – the Hunter breed, or a member of the breed – made a pact with the Vulpecula. We would assist their transition to Nissilum, where they could reside, under the pretence of redeeming themselves, living wholesome, non-predatory lives, but in reality to cause a violent and catastrophic war with all that live here. Toppling the Celestials as rulers and instating themselves as some kind of despotic governing force.’

  I swallowed an almighty lump in my throat. ‘But they didn’t, did they?’

  Ulfred shook his head. ‘No. They were betrayed by the Hunter who had promised them dominion. And they were forced out. They can only remain here if they are invited, officially, and that never happened.’

  ‘Betrayed,’ I murmured, knowing what he would say next.

  ‘And they have clearly been waiting for their chance for revenge. Over centuries of bitterness. Waiting for one of us to cross to where they are free to roam. Mortal Earth.’ He looked up at me and I could have sworn there were tears in his eyes. ‘And now Luca has done just that. While he is on Mortal Earth he is an easy target for them. They will use him to barter with us here to carry out the plan that was thwarted all that time ago. Luca must come home. He must come home if he has a chance …’

  ‘Come home?’ I said. ‘For how long?’

  Ulfred had been looking thoughtfully down at the ground but he raised his head at my question.

  ‘Indefinitely,’ he said carefully. ‘The Vulpecula won’t go away. And there is only one way of truly defeating them, of destroying them, that I know of. And that has great consequences in itself.’

  ‘How? What would destroy them?’ I asked, my heart in my mouth.

  ‘Fire. They are terrified of it, of course, but it is their souls that need to be burned, until they crumble. Any other death does not properly kill these creatures. They can rebuild themselves. But if their souls are destroyed then finally so are they.’

  I stayed silent, thinking.

  ‘But, Jane.’ Ulfred’s voice was quiet. ‘I will not let my son endanger himself that way, either. He must come home if he is to be truly safe.’

  I arrived back in the woods to find Bobby waiting patiently in the clearing where I’d left him. He stuck out a paw in friendly greeting and I grasped it miserably. I needed all the comfort I could get, because every way I looked the future was bleak. I clutched the dog to me.

  ‘We’d better get back, Bob,’ I said. ‘I need to make sure Luca is OK.’

  As we approached the house, I saw Dad’s truck was parked outside, the door open. Dad came out of the back door and Bobby rushed up to him ecstatically.

  ‘All right, boy.’ Dad rubbed the dog’s head.

  ‘Hey.’ I walked across. ‘Is Luca back?’

  Dad stopped cuddling the dog. ‘Yep. I found him out near Bale. I think he had a rough night. Had a little too much to drink – nothing serious. More than can be said for the other kid.’

  ‘The other kid?’ I frowned. ‘What other kid?’

  ‘Lydia’s boy – Adrian. Got into some kind of fight. Luca was a little vague on the details.’ Dad smiled in the way he did when he was trying to put a good spin on things. ‘Still, they’re both back home so no harm done.’ He shut the truck door and reached out his arm to draw me to him. ‘You OK, Janey?’ he said, as I nestled into him, glad of the warmth and the safety of one of his hugs. ‘You don’t seem yourself lately.’

  ‘Well, my boyfriend stayed out all night,’ I said, my voice muffled against his sweater. ‘But apart from that …’

  Dad stroked my hair, the way he used to do when I was small.

  ‘Boys will be boys, sweetheart. Try not to build it up into anything more than it is.’

  I nodded, steeling myself for seeing my boyfriend. And the odious Ade. I would have to pretend everything was OK in front of my parents. Act as though I wasn’t spooked.

  Dad took my hand. ‘Shall we go in?’ He began to lead me to the house when Luca appeared in the back doorway. My father let go of my
hand.

  ‘I’ll leave you two to it,’ he said quietly. ‘Go easy on the boy.’

  As he disappeared inside, pausing to pat Luca’s shoulder, I kicked at the ground with my boot.

  ‘You’re really angry with me, aren’t you?’ said Luca, coming towards me.

  I shrugged. ‘Not any more, no.’ I lifted my head to look at him properly. ‘I’ve figured it out now.’

  Luca stared at me expectantly. ‘You have?’ He came a step closer.

  ‘Yeah.’ I stayed rooted to the spot, not ready to totally forgive him yet. ‘It’s Polly. She has that effect on people. She just seems to … overwhelm you. She did it to me too. Kind of steals all your energy. All your free will.’

  It was Luca’s turn to kick at a stone on the ground. ‘You’re right – she does. I’d like to say I know exactly what happened after you’d gone. But one minute I was …’ He hesitated. ‘One minute I was drinking a glass of water, the next I was lying on the back seat of Ade’s car in a field miles from nowhere – and the sun had come up.’

  ‘You don’t remember anything else?’ I probed. ‘Did you…? Did she…?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said quickly, and there was a defensive edge to his voice. ‘I told you – it’s like I was drugged or something.’

  I watched him, the uneasy feeling that he wasn’t telling me everything creeping over me. I reminded myself to keep to the important facts and not let any of those other paranoid thoughts get in the way.

  ‘I don’t think they need to drug us,’ I said after a bit. ‘I think they have more sophisticated brainwashing techniques than that. Centuries-old skills.’

  Luca frowned. ‘You seem very clear about that.’

  ‘I saw your father,’ I said bluntly.

  ‘How?’

  ‘This morning – I took Bobby for a walk. I was so … so out of my mind with everything. When you didn’t come home I …’ I swallowed, dratted tears threatening again. ‘I didn’t know what to think – what to believe. All I knew was that I wanted to be somewhere peaceful – with happy memories attached to it.’ To my annoyance a tear slipped out and down my cheek. I wiped at it quickly.