My feet faltered the instant I spotted her at my desk.
Dressed in skintight black leather pants and a jacket to match, Aurora trailed her gaze over me. Her red hair spilled across her shoulders in delicate waves and her piercing green eyes attempted to pull me in, but I refused to let them.
She was evil, and I wanted nothing to do with her.
“What are you doing here?” I asked without hesitation.
Her head tipped sideways while her eyes remained fixated on me. “You’re not going to say hello first or ask me how I’ve been?”
“I don’t care how you’ve been, and I damn sure don’t care to say hello. All I want to know is what you’re doing here?” My words made me sound braver than I felt.
She laughed, and I knew then she’d picked up on my emotions. “Fine then, we can skip the chitchat.” Her long fingernails tapped against my desk. “I was called here by a multitude of factors.”
My brows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean?
“Oh, pet, you look so confused.” She recrossed her legs as a slow smile formed on her face. “My blood runs through your veins, which means I can feel you. Always. I feel all the little minions I’ve created. Granted, you’re only one of a handful, which might make it easier to feel you as well as find you. Then again, it could have been the sudden shift in your power recently.” She arched a brow as the words dripped off her tongue.
A hollow sensation centered in my chest. I would never be able to hide from her. Aurora would always be able to find me. We were tethered by blood.
“Oh, come now. Don’t look so disheartened. Just because I can find you whenever I like doesn’t mean I care to.” She waved my worries away with a flick of her wrist. “You’re not my type. There’s too much heart and soul inside you still.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because like I said, I felt a sudden shift in your power. A strength passed through you unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It intrigued me. So, here I am…”
It didn’t take long to figure out what she was talking about. Somehow Aurora had been able to sense when I’d drained the hellhound.
“Tell me, what was it?” She leaned forward, eager to know my secret.
Admitting I’d drained a hellhound would lead to questions of why one had been lurking in Willow Harbor, which would lead to the guide we’d found. I couldn’t let Aurora find out about that guide. She was bloodthirsty and power-hungry. I knew all of this from the few drops of her blood that floated through my veins.
“I have ways of making you talk, you know? I’m merely asking as a common courtesy. Don’t get a big head about my curiosity regarding your little rush of power. Other things have brought me to this desolate town as well, things that do not include you.” Her bright green eyes narrowed. “However, I do find it somewhat intriguing a certain thing occurred at the same time you’re rush of power happened as well. It makes me question if the two instances are connected.”
She knew about the guide. Something in her eyes told me so.
I licked my lips as another thought occurred to me: If she knew where the book was, she wouldn’t be wasting time with me right now. I knew Aurora well enough to know she’d be performing the ritual to make herself into a psychic vampire. She craved power too much not to.
Maybe I could make this all play in my favor.
“I drained a hellhound. That’s where the sudden rush of strength you felt came from.”
Her fingernails paused in their rapid movement across my desk. I had her attention.
For once, I felt as though I had power over her. It was an odd sensation I was unfamiliar with. I’d always thought of myself as a victim. Of hers. Of circumstances. I was weak. Helpless. Never in control because of her and what had happened to me.
Until now.
“Would this particular hellhound have been guarding something?” Her green eyes flashed.
My stomach knotted. I’d been right. She knew about the book. “Maybe.”
“Something like a book perhaps?” Her eyes willed me to spill everything I knew, but I fought against her mind tricks. I was stronger. Her lips twisted into a wicked grin that had fear eating away my short-lived confidence. “A book that happens to be in this very building?”
Aurora hadn’t come here because she’d felt a rush of strength and power surge through me. She’d come here for the guide. My being here was an added bonus.
“If you know where it is, and I think you do, I suggest you tell me. Now. If not, I can guarantee a lot of people will get hurt in my search for it. Supernatural and human. Their blood will be on you, pet. Is that what you want?”
My throat grew dry. She wasn’t bluffing, I could tell from her harsh gaze and the wicked twist of her plump lips. She’d go on a massacre until she found the guide, and she’d enjoy every second of it.
“I’ll start with the dark-haired panther you were strolling the lovely beach with earlier.”
At the mention of Claire, I felt my fangs descend. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. I was ready to fight if need be. Aurora lunged at me. Her fingers wrapped tightly around my throat and she squeezed, choking me before I could get out of her way. Her scent invaded my nostrils as she positioned her face inches from mine.
“Where is the book?” Her grip on my throat tightened. “It’s mine and I’ve come to claim it.”
“I don’t have it,” I admitted. Claire did, though.
“While it might not be in your possession, I can sense you know where it is.” Her fangs became visible as the green of her eyes disappeared to be replaced by solid black. She was letting go. Whatever shred of humanity she’d held onto seconds before had disappeared. “I could end you right now.”
I knew she could, and for a moment, I wished she would. I wished she’d end my misery. It would be poetic in a way for her to be the one to do it, seeing as how she was the one who’d started it all.
Everything would come full circle.
There had to be something better waiting on the other side, even for someone like me. I thought of Claire’s brother. While he might not be in an ideal situation being stuck here in spirit form, it had to be better than what I was currently living.
An image of Claire popped into my head. One of her walking with me on the beach tonight, looking more peaceful than I’d seen her in days.
No. I refused to let Aurora end me. The second she did, she’d move on to Claire in order to get her hands on the guide, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I wouldn’t.
I gripped Aurora’s wrist and focused on breaking her hold on my throat. If there was any chance the hellhound had transferred its strength into me, there was no better time than now to find it and tap in.
“You cannot fight me. I’m stronger than you.” My ears picked up on the tremble in her voice.
Aurora was scared.
A smirk twisted at my lips. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
I forced her hand away from my throat with one final push. Her dark eyes widened as her mouth fell open. It was clear she’d never encountered another she’d created who was stronger than her.
Until now.
My hand went for her neck. I gripped her by the throat and walked her backward until she pressed against the wall behind her. The movement was swift, which surprised even me.
“I won’t tell you where the book is because you’re a monster even without it. I’d rather die before I let you have it.” My face was as close to hers as she’d been to mine seconds before.
Aurora shoved me. Hard. I slid across the room and flung into the kitchen counter, cracking my back against it.
“You know what the contents of the book are. I’m surprised at you, my little minion.” She grinned.
“Don’t be.” I charged forward, but by the time I reached where she’d been standing, Aurora was no longer there. She’d dashed across the room and positioned herself at my front door.
“That book is mine. I will g
et it back. Make no mistake.” She swung open my door and left my apartment in a blur.
Damn it. I couldn’t believe I’d let her get away.
My fingers ran through my hair as I released a long breath. Aurora would be back. The guide was too important to her, but I’d do everything in my power to make sure she didn’t get her hands on it.
Ever.
Even if it was the last thing I did.
Fourteen
Claire
The scent of bacon woke me the next morning. Someone was cooking in Danny’s kitchen. My ears strained to listen for who, but all I heard was the sizzling sounds of bacon cooking. Even so, it didn’t take long to figure out who’d let himself in. Instantly, I found myself ultra-awake. I slipped out of bed and pulled on my favorite hoodie before tiptoeing out of the bedroom. I’d slept so much better in Danny’s bed than on his couch.
Mason stood in the kitchen at the stove. All I could see was his profile, but that was enough to notice how lost in concentration he appeared to be. I didn’t know why he was here or how he’d managed to get in, but I was glad he was. It meant everything that happened between us last night still mattered. Right?
“You said we should meet for breakfast, but I didn’t think you meant here.” I continued toward him. “How did you get in?”
It didn’t matter, but I could’ve sworn I’d locked the door before going to bed. If he’d broken the lock, he was buying a new one, regardless of how much I liked him.
He shifted to face me and leaned his hip against the kitchen counter. A slow grin spread across his face as he took me in. “I taught myself how to pick a lock when I was a teenager. It’s a pretty decent skill to know. Comes in handy more than you could ever realize.”
“Nice to know you had a rebellious streak.” I grinned. It was nice to know. It made him hotter. I situated myself on one of the stools at the bar. “So, you cook.”
“I can, yeah.” He spun around and picked up a spatula. I watched him as he moved around the scrambled eggs in their pan. “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but you woke up before I could finish cooking. Guess that counts as an epic fail.”
“You did surprise me with breakfast in bed,” I insisted. “I was lying in bed when I realized you were cooking me breakfast, and I was surprised.”
He shook his head. From where I was sitting, I could make out the ghost of a tight-lipped smile twisting his lips. Tension rolled off him. Was his gesture not meant to be sweet? Was there something I was missing?
“I guess you’re right,” he said.
“Is there a reason you decided to make me breakfast in bed?” I pulled on the sleeves of my hoodie until they covered my hands while I studied what little of his face I could see.
“Sort of. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be gallivanting around town right now.”
The sharp sting of rejection stabbed at me. I didn’t understand. Was he ashamed to be seen with me? How was walking through town now any different from before? It wasn’t like it was tattooed on our foreheads we’d kissed.
“Why?” I asked, unable to let it go.
He ignored my question and continued busying himself with cooking. “Although it might not be a good idea for us to stay in this apartment all day either.”
“Umm…” I narrowed my eyes. What was he talking about? He wasn’t making any sense. “You lost me.”
Mason switched the stove off and grabbed two plates from a cabinet. He remained silent while he scooped food onto both. I watched him, waiting for him to fill me in on what he’d meant and what the hell was going on, as he walked to the fridge and grabbed a plastic container that looked like it had fruit salad inside. When he set it on the counter, he cleared his throat.
“Something happened last night; something that changes everything,” he muttered in a tone that made me think he had regrets.
My heart stalled. He’d seemed to enjoy himself last night. At least I thought he had. Hell, he’d been the one to take control over our kiss and intensify it tenfold. What changed between then and now?
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that something had changed. For him.
I tugged on the sleeves of my hoodie as I forced a box to rise up around my heart. What was this breakfast, then, a way to let me down easy? Screw that. I was a big girl. I could handle it if he wasn’t into me, or if he thought last night was a mistake.
“Look, maybe I stepped over some boundaries you wish I hadn’t last night, but you don’t have to do all this to let me down easy. I’m not a grand gesture type of girl. Besides, it was just a kiss. It’s not like we had sex. Even if we had, I wouldn’t expect you to make me breakfast and act all weird. You don’t like me like that. Noted. We can move on and go back to being friends.” I reached for the plate he’d made me. “Can you pass me a fork, please?”
“What?” Mason blinked, but didn’t move to get the fork I asked for. His eyes narrowed. “You think I’m turning you down? That I’m not interested in you? That’s not what this breakfast is about, Claire.”
“It’s not?” Heat spread up my neck to pool in my cheeks.
“No. I’d be the world’s biggest idiot if I turned you down.” He opened the drawers nearest him, searching for the silverware. Once he found it, he handed me the fork I’d asked for.
“Then what were you talking about?” I asked.
“Last night my maker paid me a visit.” He swallowed hard as if the words were difficult to say. “I’d hoped she wouldn’t be able to find me in Willow Harbor, but I was wrong. I learned last night she can sense me anytime, anywhere.”
“Well, duh. I could have told you that.” I rolled my eyes as I stabbed at large piece of egg, cutting it in two.
Mason ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well. I’m a complete idiot when it comes to vampire stuff. I’ll be the first to admit it, but it’s more than that. Aurora mentioned she’d felt a rush of power and strength course through me. It piqued her interest enough to seek me out.”
“From what, the hellhound’s blood?”
“I think so.”
My heart lurched to my stomach as something occurred to me. “Did you tell her it was from a hellhound?”
“She already knew.”
“As in, she could sense what the rush was from?” Icy tingles of panic spread through my chest. This wasn’t good, regardless of how she found out about Mason draining a hellhound. If word about the guide got to her, we might have a huge problem on our hands.
“No, I don’t think she knew what the rush was from. Actually, I think she thought it was a coincidence she felt it while the guide called to her.”
“It called to her?” I could feel all the blood drain from my face. This was not good. “Did she say how? Is it a vampire beacon to all, or just her?”
The last thing we needed was a bunch of vampires flooding into Willow Harbor searching for the guide.
“She said it was hers, so I’m not sure.”
My mind raced. Suddenly, it didn’t seem safe to have the guide in my possession anymore. Not if it was going to send crazy ass vampires to my doorstep. “Do you feel anything from it like that? Something more than what you already mentioned? Is there a signal coming from it now that the hellhound isn’t guarding it?”
There could have been a spell or charm placed on the book that hid it from vampires that wasn’t active now that the hellhound attached to it had been killed.
“I don’t think that’s what she meant. I think it has a connection to her. Aurora said it was hers, and she was here to get it back. Maybe it was once in her possession.”
“That can’t be right. If it was in her possession before, why didn’t she perform the ritual inside? From what you’ve said about her, she doesn’t seem like she’d be the type to shy away from a chance at more power.”
“She’s not. Maybe it isn’t something she can do alone?”
“Or maybe it calls for crazy ingredients or some kind of sacrifice. Maybe she didn’t
have time to gather everything before it was stolen from her?”
“Or she didn’t have time to read it before it was taken away?”
All options were plausible, but none of them mattered because I’d already decided we were getting rid of it.
Aurora couldn’t get her hands on it. Neither could any of the other bat shit crazy vampires who might come to town looking for it.
“We need to burn it.” I slid off my stool and headed to my purse where I’d left it last night. “Now.”
“What? No, we can’t.”
“Yes, we have to get rid of it, Mason. We can’t let it get into the wrong hands, especially not Aurora’s. Not if she’s as evil as you claim. Can you imagine the lives that would be lost because of her?”
“I understand that, I do, and I agree with you, but you’re forgetting the book is part of how we prove your brother didn’t kill himself. If you destroy it, you destroy the only tangible proof we have in clearing his name.”
My heart skipped a beat. For a split-second, I’d forgot about Danny and the whole reason we’d started down this path to begin with. An ache built in the back of my throat. What kind of sister was I? How could I ever forget him?
“We have to kill Aurora,” Mason insisted.
“What? No, that’s not an option!”
Mason walked to where I stood and placed his hands on my hips. His eyes locked with mine as his face twisted into a solemn expression.
“It is, and it’s the only one, Claire. I can’t let you sacrifice Danny’s name. I know how important that is to you. Hell, you dropped out of college during your final semester to debunk the claim Danny’s death was a suicide.”
“Mason,” I whispered. “No, I can’t…”
“Let me do this?”
I nodded. “If you kill her, you’ll die too. I can’t lose another person I care about. I don’t think I can handle it.” The words propelled passed my lips sounding shaky, but certain even if they came off as selfish.
If Mason were to go through with killing his maker, he’d die along with her. Every vampire she created would. While I didn’t care about her or any of the others she’d created in her time except for Mason, he was enough of a reason for me to fight him on this.
Vampire’s Descent: Willow Harbor - Book Two Page 12