Shadows Grow

by Kara Jaynes

  I’ve been able to shake him off my trail every time, but he keeps finding me.

  I climb down from the structure, the metal groaning under my weight. When my feet hit the pavement, I inhale deeply, identifying the scents that drift about me. Wet concrete from the drizzle of rain that has finally let up. Gasoline. Pollution.

  And underneath it all, blood.

  This city is packed with food. Humans.

  Mouth watering, I do my best to ignore the smell and set off for home at a brisk pace. I must try to resist. I have to.

  I’ve killed and drunk the blood of stray dogs. Their blood gives me nourishment.

  But it does nothing to slake my thirst. My desire.

  A small moan escapes me, and my whole frame shudders. You can do this, Wilder. You just need more time to resist. The need will fade with time. That’s all there is to it, right?

  Except my need for blood grows with every passing night. It’s a lust I’m terrified that I won’t be able to deny.

  But I must, for myself, and for Stella. I must be strong enough for her. I’ll never forgive myself if I hurt her.

  I take a roundabout way to reach home. It’s just an old, abandoned warehouse, nothing home-like about it, but it has a few closets to hide in. Cramped, but dark. Adequate for vampires trying to escape the burning brilliance of the sun.

  Because that’s what I am, now, right? A bloodsucking monster. The beast and bane of Liberty.

  But I’ve resisted so far, aside from the elven woman I killed when I was turned. That means I’m not a monster, right? I need to believe that. For her. For my heart.

  The elven prince is trying to win Stella’s affection. When I’d met him, I read it in his cold, gray-eyed gaze.

  Stella still cares for me. However, I’m not sure how much time I have to win her over, especially if royalty is trying to claim her hand. A lot more besides her hand, I’d wager.

  Stella and I will probably have to leave Liberty, but that’s what lovers do, isn’t it? They elope, they run, leaving their past and everything else behind them. Stella would do it for me. She’d do anything for me. And I’ll protect her. I might not be as strong as the elf prince, but I’m smarter. He’s lived a life of luxury, while I’ve had to eke out a living on the streets of Liberty. I’m cunning and crafty; a survivor. I’ll keep Stella safe.

  If you don’t kill her, first.

  A silent snarl splits my face, and I run and leap, scaling the warehouse side, clambering up and through a broken window. I love her too much to drink her blood.

  The moment my feet touch the worn, wooden floorboards, I detect the presence of others, here in this room.

  I’m not alone.

  Freezing, my senses narrow in on the imposters.

  “Wilder,” a voice speaks out. Male. “We’ve been looking for you.”

  “You have the wrong man,” I say evenly. “I’ve never heard of him. The name’s Aaric. Aaric Wright.” It’s a name I plucked out of a book Stella used to talk about.

  With a chuckle, the man steps into the city lamplight, a faint pool of it reaching the middle of the room through the window. He’s a vampire, but I already know that, picking up his not-quite-human scent the moment I came inside. His companion still lurks in the shadows, but she’s a woman. I can tell that much; her form slight, brown hair curling about her shoulders. She is also a vampire.

  “You’re lying,” the man replies. He doesn’t sound angry, but I detect a thread of boredom and annoyance. “I can taste it in the air. You are Wilder. And you’ve been summoned. You will come with us and report to Her. The Mistress.”

  “‘The Mistress,’ eh?” I opt to sound casual, but alarm flickers through me at his words. I am no lackey. I serve myself. And Stella. “What’s her real name, pray tell? And why does she want me?”

  “For us, there is only The Mistress,” the man says. “We haven’t reached a rank where we’re honored to refer to her by any other name.” His voice takes on a reverent tone. “Her power is beyond measure. She is a goddess among men and vampires. And she has called you, Wilder. You will come, and you will serve. You will fight her war.”

  “Fight a war for her? Well, you got me there,” I reply. “That sounds fabulous. I have absolutely nothing better to do with my life.” I gesture to the door. “Shall we go?”

  The two vampires turn toward the exit, and I’m out the window and falling. The second my hands and feet hit the concrete, I jump up and run, bolting into the safety of the city shadows.

  “You will serve!” the vampire’s voice rings out behind me. “Mark my words, Wilder. You can’t hide forever!”

  “Watch me,” I snicker, but he can’t hear me. I’m already several hundred yards away and widening that distance with every step. I was a fast runner before I was turned. Now, I’m a blur in the night.

  Still, I can’t help but feel a little rattled by the vampires’ presence. They’d known where I lived, and they’d known my name. How? And why do they want me? Who is this ’mistress’ they speak of?

  It hardly matters. I’ll stay here just long enough to woo Stella, and then we’ll be gone, like foam on the waves. No war for us.

  The scent of fresh blood reaches my nostrils, and I gasp, staggering. Falling to my knees, I grip my hair with both hands, shuddering with the effort of keeping myself there. I must not hunt—I must not hunt—I must not hunt.

  I’ve never been much for religion, but I pray now, pleading to the heavens to help me resist the lure of blood. There has to be a way to resist it. There has to. I thought animal blood would be enough, but it’s not. I crave human blood, more than I ever desired the star-blood drug. Sticky, wet, thick—

  The scent becomes muted, and I roll onto my side with a relieved sob. It’s raining again. I’m not sure when it started, but it helps with the smell. I can’t tell if the dampness on my face is rain or tears. Heedless of the world around me, I focus simply on breathing. In. Out. I must resist. I must.

  I have to be worthy of Stella. I failed her once.

  I will not fail her again.

  4

  Eldaren

  I need to finish writing this report, but I also don’t want to tell Father that vampires now stalk Earth. He’s not going to be pleased. Quite the opposite. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t there on the scene when the humans were turned, and that I had no idea what Gawynn was doing with the prisoners; that the magic they were using to heal them had been twisted and redirected.

  I’m the leader of this planet, and therefore, it is my duty to keep it safe. I’m praised for anything that goes right. I’m also responsible for everything that goes wrong.

  That means it is my fault that we haven’t been able to hunt them all down. A few vampires are still alive, and almost certainly infecting more humans, those they don’t kill outright. I am failing my duty on an almost spectacular level.

  I stare at the half-written report, a scowl furrowing my brow. No. No, it’s Gawynn’s fault that this happened. He should have noticed that a dark elf was there, hiding, tampering with the elf magic when they tried to heal the dream vagrants of their star-blood drug addiction. How could he have not caught it? How could they have not noticed? Dark magic can be cloaked, but on such a massive level that they turned dozens of humans?

  I can’t look like I’m trying to push the blame onto Gawynn, though. Father can’t stand what he calls ‘blame shifters.’

  And if I’m honest with myself, if anyone is to blame, it is me, truly. I’m half-mad with desire for Stella. That girl is in my mind, always, the Kenelky making thoughts about other things . . . difficult. I should have kept a closer watch on this city, keeping my eyes open for dark elves and black magic.

  I sigh heavily and begin to write again, giving a simple, accurate, emotionless account of what happened, ending with the fact that while we’d managed to hunt down most of the humans-turned-vampires, a few have managed to elude us.

  Namely, Wilder.

  My lip curls in a snee
r. Wilder. A once drug addict. Now a vampire. The most dangerous creature there is in existence.

  And Stella is in love with him.

  Foolish girl.

  Well, that isn’t quite true. She’s not completely in love. I can still feel the Kenelky. It connects us, binding us together. If she’d really chosen Wilder as her mate, those threads would have broken.

  But the Kenelky hasn’t worked properly between us, either. So while Stella dithers over which male she wants for a mate, I’m left unsatisfied.

  In every sense of the word.

  The vampire still has claim to a piece of her heart, spinning her emotions like a top.

  A growl builds in my throat and my hands clench. I want to spin his head right off his neck.

  “Focus,” I mutter. Leaning over the report, I continue writing. It’s not all bad news. Progress continues. We’ve planted several trees and shrubs throughout Liberty, and we’ll continue to do so. The humans still resist us elves, but less so than they had initially. I think many of them have come to their senses, or at the very least, have resigned themselves to the fact that we’re here to stay. Gang activity is low, and I think with a few more concentrated efforts, we can end them in Liberty permanently.

  Gangs have been a part of Liberty for almost as long as the city itself has existed. They’ve been a blight and a bane, and the humans seem unable to stamp them out themselves, surprisingly. They haven’t struggled in wiping out entire animal species or stripping the planet of resources. Well, gangs are something we elves can handle. We just need a bit more time to root them out completely.

  Finishing the report, I seal it using melted wax and a pinch of enchantment, for confidentiality. We don’t use technology in all of the same ways humans do—or did—relying more heavily on enchantment. As such, we still often use more ‘archaic’ methods of living, but at least they aren’t methods that destroy the planet.

  A knock sounds on my door. “Enter,” I call.

  Sol strides in, his gaze flitting to the report and away.

  “How was dinner last night, with your human female?” I ask. Trying to push down the frustration that burns in my chest, I meet Sol’s gaze. Why haven’t I asked Stella out to dinner? She must think I’m a terrible mate. It never occurred to me that women enjoyed that sort of thing. Food isn’t an intimate event for me. It’s fuel for my body, and nothing more.

  Sol smirks. “Lyra is a very attractive human, and she’s even cuter when she’s flustered. She was very flustered last evening.” He peers out the window. “I think she views elves as an enemy, so she isn’t sure what to make of an extremely charming, attractive elf like myself.” He’s quiet for a moment. “I think I want to get to know her better.” The smirk grows.

  “Watch yourself,” I growl. “She’ll rip your face off if she’s not interested in you. Human women go feral if you press for too much, too soon.”

  Sol laughs. “I guess you would know, wouldn’t you?”

  I scowl at him, and his laughter turns into a cough. “Sorry,” he manages. “Your situation with Stella is rather delicate right now, isn’t it?”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” I reply, unable to keep the acid out of my voice. “What is your reason for coming to see me?”

  Sol coughs again, and I realize he’s trying to mask emotion. Clever. I may have to borrow that the next time I’m with my father.

  “I haven’t killed him yet,” Sol says.

  I don’t have to ask who he means. We both know.

  Sol has been hunting the vampire, Wilder, for days. He needs to be destroyed before he has a chance to bite and either turn, or kill Stella. He hadn’t bitten her the last time they were together, but it is surely only a matter of time before he does. That’s what vampires do. They bite, drink, and destroy, either by killing or turning their victims.

  I can’t let that happen to Stella. I’ve doubled the guard on the grounds, and someone patrols the hallways outside her bedroom door every night. So far so good. Still, it’d be a relief if Sol could just take care of the problem.

  As if reading my thoughts, Sol explains. “It’s like trying to catch a greased eel with my hands. He’s always out of my reach. He can see, hear, or smell me coming, despite the care and precautions I take.”

  “Perhaps you are too emotionally invested,” I point out, logically, “given your past. You’re not careful enough.”

  Sol’s face contorts, his eyes flashing at my words.

  “My apologies,” I say coldly. “It is not my intention to offend you. But if my words sting, then I think you’d be wise to consider them. Sometimes words hurt because they carry a thread of truth.”

  Sol swallows, and nods. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I am trying to be careful, but fyit, Eldaren. Just the thought of Stella being hurt by a vampire makes me rage. That she could become like them…”

  I inhale deeply through my nose, doing my best not to mirror his anxiety. “I know. But emotion in the hunt gives you a distinct disadvantage, Sol. You need to remove your past and pain from the equation.”

  Sol bows. “I will try, my prince.” He glances out the window. “I’ve already slept a few hours. I plan to hunt for the rest of the night, and into the day. If I can just find where he sleeps, it won’t take much to kill him. Sunlight will do most of the work.”

  “Dispatch any other vampires you locate,” I say, and Sol nods. Men, women, or children, vampires are vampires, and must be dealt with accordingly.

  A sudden quaking seizes the room. Gripping my desk, I exchange a startled look with Sol. The walls creak and groan, and furniture rattles. What is going on?

  And then, almost as suddenly as it came, the shaking stops.

  “Wow,” Sol whispers, using a human exclamation. “Was that an earthquake?”

  I nod wordlessly, looking about. Nothing appears damaged. But in the five years we’ve been here, Liberty has never experienced an earthquake. “I thought I’d taken precautions against those,” I say. “Magic wards placed at the four corners of the city.”

  “You did,” Sol replies. His face is expressionless, but he shifts from foot to foot, showing how nervous he really is. “Maybe they are weakening.”

  I nod, and pushing my chair back from my desk, stand. “Perhaps,” I agree. “I need to inspect them. It should just be a matter of reinforcing the spells, if so.”

  “Would you like me to come with you?” Sol asks.

  “No,” I say. “Continue hunting. I will be back in a few hours.”

  “As you command,” he replies.

  Sol leaves immediately, no doubt to continue his hunt. Report in hand, I go as well, my mind a tangle of growing worry.

  What is happening to the earth if powerful wards can’t keep a single city still? Earthquakes are common, but not here; not where elven magic protects it.

  Something is very, very wrong, and I must discover what it is.

  Finding a gaia, now, is even more important. I need someone who can work with me in soothing and healing this planet.

  5

  Eldaren

  Striding down the halls, I go to Stella’s rooms first. I want to make sure she wasn’t hurt in the quake, and that she isn’t frightened.

  Reaching her door, I open it and step in.

  Stella is peering out her window; neck craned as she looks up at the sky. She glances over her shoulder when she hears me.

  “There was an earthquake,” she says simply, as if I don’t already know.

  “Yes,” I agree. “Are you all right, Stella, mine?”

  Stella doesn’t answer for a moment. She turns back to the window, gazing out over the city. We’re on one of the lower levels of the fortress here, only two stories up. She could try to escape again if she wanted, but since we’ve brought her brother to the base, Stella seems to have lost any interest in leaving, which is very encouraging.

  “I’m fine,” she says at last, “but is the planet okay?”

  I shake my head. “No, it is not.
It’s dying.”

  “But there has always been earthquakes,” Stella points out. “That doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy.”

  “That is true,” I reply, “but not with the sort of frequency that Earth has been experiencing. There are other signs, as well.”

  “And all of this because humans couldn’t take care of it.”

  It’s not quite a question, but I can see the curiosity flickering in her gray-blue eyes.

  “Correct,” I say. “Humans had the tools and even the basic knowledge on how to care for their planet, but they spent their time arguing over differences between race, religion, gender, and even paltry matters such as lifestyles and economic status. It bred discontent and hate with one another. Pathetic. The elves never allowed petty pride to sow such discord among us. When we saw that you were unwilling to turn aside from your hate, even to the destruction of your own planet, we intervened.”

  “But not until the damage had been done,” Stella says, and I see something almost like regret in her eyes. “You didn’t come until we’d ruined the earth.”

  I watch her, hiding my surprise. She’s a sensible girl, to realize that elven intervention was needed. She’ll make a fine mate.

  Hopefully, my mate.

  “Is there anything you can do?” Stella asks. “About the quakes?”

  I nod once. Stella is twining a lock of her hair around one slim finger, and I find it incredibly distracting. “I believe so. When we first arrived in Liberty, I had wards placed around the city to protect it from any further earthquakes. They’ve worked, until now.”

  Stella sighs, relief slumping her shoulders. “So it’s just a matter of strengthening them?”

  “I do not know,” I admit. “I am going to find out. Would you like to come with me, Stella?”