Nightside

by Holly Hook

  "They were," Ella says. "Didn't you see how they moved? Those people were not human. Usually, they only come out at night and you don't have to worry much during the day. This is why we didn't want Lily to take a friend to the movies at this time of the night."

  "I can't believe this," I say.

  Mike turns onto my road as Lily gives him directions. At least I'll get home.

  "I know. You have to be on your guard. We think one of the Beaumonts has gone crazy and started attacking townspeople, and that might have been them right there, but we can't be sure. The whole situation is complicated. Stay inside at night," Ella orders.

  The itch creeps back under my skin and I struggle not to scratch.

  I've got to get out of here.

  "I will," I say. "Shit, I won't be sleeping tonight."

  "Neither will we," Ella says. "Don't tell anyone about this incident. It's best if we keep it under wraps."

  "Okay. I get it."

  Mike pulls into my driveway. Lily and I exchange one brief glance. Her face is unreadable. as if running from what I've done, I get out of the SUV and run to my house, diving inside before she can even tell me goodbye.

  And worse, the Beaumonts could all be hunting me now.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Should I even go to school?

  I'm still alive when I wake the next morning, but for how long? I pace around my room as I listen to Mom shuffling around in the kitchen, getting ready to go to bed. We barely see each other anymore and that makes my chest hurt.

  Thanks, Dad, for that again.

  I decide to go to school. At least there, I'll be around other people. The Beaumonts won't want to kill me around witnesses, right? And I need to talk to Riley no matter what, no matter how angry we got at each other the other night.

  So I head out. Today, it's sunny, which makes the Beaumonts less likely to come out. But that might mean Riley won't show up at school unless he's fed very recently. The walk there is uneventful, but the rare, clear sky does nothing to improve my mood. Especially since it's a chilly, frosty morning.

  Lily's waiting for me at the front entrance and a wave of sickness washes over me. She's tense with her shoulders hiked. Without a word, she nods at me and we enter.

  I follow her to the mostly-empty art hallway, where the Beaumonts most definitely don't hang out. "Lily, I should have attacked those vampires myself."

  "Olivia, this isn't your fault they attacked you. I know you're not the killer and they weren't right to do it," she said, holding me in a serious look. But Lily has a grayish tint under her eyes like she's been up all night worrying. "Besides, you don't know how to fight. Nobody expects you to be able to just take out two killers without any training. I don't even know if I could have, and I've been training all my life."

  She doesn't blame me. But I blame myself. "The truce is off, isn't it?"

  "Yes. Maybe not everyone knows it yet, but it is."

  That one word's a punch to the gut. Of course it is. Now the Beaumonts and the hunters are at war again.

  "Do you think the Beaumonts know your parents killed two of theirs?" I whisper after I look over my shoulder.

  "They'll figure it out. My uncle and his team cleared the bodies last night, but when the Beaumonts find out they're missing two people, they'll suspect the truth. Hunters always dispose of their evidence."

  The same thought has crossed my mind. "Lily, I'm sorry. I know, that's not enough."

  She grabs my arms. "This. Is. Not. Your. Fault. This just means we have to find the real killer before things go even more out of control. Did you find anything in the book?"

  "I learned a few things. Apparently I can do something called blood magic? But it didn't say who the killer could be. There was no list of famous Nightside killers in the appendix."

  Lily frowns. "We have to find them, and fast." She lets go and looks at a locker like she wants to kick it. "And before my parents or anyone else in my family gets hurt."

  * * * * *

  When the lunch bell rings, I rush to the cafeteria entrance. I've seen Riley enter the cafeteria alone on some days, and today I'm in luck. He approaches the door, alone, while I stand there waiting. Today he has a leather hood over his face, hiding from the bright light. He turns his copper-ringed eyes to me and our gazes meet. Electricity passes over my body, but this time it's tense. Riley is as beautiful as ever, but now the darkness in his eyes is somehow strained.

  Aren't we all.

  "I need to talk," I hiss, making sure no one in the hallway can hear me.

  Riley must be tuning in to his hunter senses, because he nods almost imperceptibly. "Not here," he whispers. Then he flicks his gaze in the direction of the forbidden hallway. No one's standing in it. "I was hoping you'd want to talk. It was hard for me to come out today and the other Beaumonts stayed home."

  We need to discuss this somewhere else.

  I can't believe my luck. Quickly, I follow Riley down the hall and towards the back doors of the gym. He pulls them open to reveal the big, empty room and we cross as fast as we can, exiting through the other side and emerging near the baseball diamond. Riley pulls his hood over his face even more, looking at the ground. This must be torture for him. Then we traverse that, too, and enter the woods.

  Darkness swallows me and my heart races as we step into the trees, far from anyone else. "What are we doing?"

  Riley doesn't respond. He just keeps giving me his back as we step over branches, rocks, and shrubs. The light dims. The pine needles muffle the sounds of our footsteps. Riley lets his jacket fall back down, revealing a head of messy hair. Whatever this is, it must be important.

  "Riley, do we need to go this far out just to talk?"

  He still doesn't respond. I ball my fists as he leads me deeper into the trees, and towards a small clearing underneath a thick clump of pines.

  "Riley--"

  He whirls on me.

  I freeze.

  The copper in his eyes has deepened to a deep, savage, rusty red. Riley bares his teeth--and he has fangs, yes, he has fangs--and he lunges at me.

  "Riley!"

  I backpedal as my senses kick into high gear, making every sense pop. Riley swipes at me with an open palm, missing by inches, and I grip a tree trunk as he flies past me, growling like an animal. This isn't the Riley I know. This creature is a monster and I don't want to see any more.

  "What are you doing?" I shout, bewildered.

  He whirls, lowers his palms, and stalks closer like a predatory cat. His eyes remain deep, savage, hungry. Every muscle in my body tenses like a spring.

  "Stop," I say.

  But he says nothing--which is somehow more terrifying than anything at all, even I'm going to kill you--and continues to close the distance between us. Mouth closed, he sniffs, balls his fist, and swings.

  The whole world pops into bright colors and vibrant smells. My body reacts on its own, and I lift my hand, blocking Riley's fist in a lightning motion. I splay my fingers over Riley's stopped fist, holding it in midair.

  I'm fighting him.

  I can defend myself.

  "What are you doing?" I repeat. "Stop!"

  Riley yanks his fist back, out of my grasp, and swings again.

  I whirl, raising my leg, and I strike Riley on the side, throwing him into the nearest tree trunk. He lets out a grunt and falls to the ground, only to push himself back up to lunge at me. We collide and his force sends us both to the ground. Now pinned, I flail as Riley reaches for my throat.

  "You need to stop! Right now!" I lift my knee and rake it up his thigh, more out of instinct that anything. Something's taken me over. Something fast, violent, and powerful. I'm sharp and in control.

  I strike and Riley shouts in agony and rolls off me. His hands release the flesh around my throat and he rolls away, a ball of agony, as I push myself to a standing position.

  The heightened senses and the inhuman feeling of power die, leaving me not a superwoman but just plain Olivia. I back off, ho
rrified at the look of sheer pain on Riley's face. He grasps his crotch, seething. "Olivia! You didn't have to do that!"

  He sounds like regular Riley again. My mouth dries out and I force down a breath. "What the heck was that? Why did you just attack me?"

  Riley can't speak again for what feels like a full minute. At last, he uncurls and forces himself to a bent-over, standing position. At least he recovers quickly. I did hit him pretty hard.

  Then Riley faces me, blowing a strand of hair from his cheek. His dark eyes have calmed down. And as he speaks, his teeth have returned to normal. "You did what you had to. Good. My family suspects--" he makes another face as he grasps his knees and straightens up the rest of the way. "My family still suspects you. They don't have proof, but they sent two assassins after you just in case. They want to cover all their bases. You need to be ready."

  Ice fills my veins, making my heart race all over again. "I know that. That's what I wanted you to know." Relief floods my chest.

  "I have good and bad news," he says, grasping a tree trunk. "The good news is that my coven's occupied with the vampire hunters now. They're distracted. But it won't be too long before they send more assassins after you." He stares me down with a single nod.

  I get what he means.

  Riley wants to make me ready to defend myself. He won't be able to protect me any longer. We're past that point.

  "I have to learn to fight."

  "Yes." He grins. "So far, things look promising. I'm sorry I did that but we can't waste any more time."

  "Promising?"

  "I surprised you, and you just reacted. That's good. Since you took our book, have you learned anything?" Instead of anger, he sounds hopeful. Things have changed since last night.

  I tell him the things I've read. Once I get to the blood magic, Riley's eyes bug out.

  "Well, now I know why my father's all worried," Riley says. "Why he rants against Nightsides. Blood magic. I haven't heard of that before. It must not be a very well known fact."

  "Or he just keeps you in the dark," I say. "That sounds terrifying. I'm not sure I want to learn it. The fighting, yeah." After Riley attacked me, I feel like maybe I could actually defend myself. Like my body will know what to do during the next attack, especially if I practice.

  Maybe I could have even stopped the war between the Riveras and the Beaumonts last night. Or prevented it. And that makes me feel worse for Lily than I did this morning.

  "That could be, too," Riley says. "Keep the book. I'm sorry I got angry at you over it. If anyone needs it, it's you. Now, how about skipping the rest of school?" He grins.

  "You want to train?"

  "Well, no one ever comes out here so I think we're safe. Special occasion."

  I'm going to learn to defend myself and I'm going to learn with Riley. A whole wave of heat and electricity sweeps over me and gathers in my stomach, chasing the sickness away. "You're kidding."

  "See how much I'm kidding." Riley lifts his hands, curling them like claws, before he lunges at me again. I dodge and he whirls. "Do whatever you have to do to keep me from hurting you. And don't feel bad about hitting me. I'll take the blows."

  I leap back, letting him hit a tree trunk. I laugh. "Is this for getting all mad at me the other night?"

  "Maybe," he says sheepishly, peeling himself from the trunk. "Watch out!" He swings, and once again I block his fist.

  "That's not healthy," I say. "Letting someone abuse you isn't right."

  He ducks from my grasp and tries to head-butt me, but I tackle him and we go down. The afternoon stretches out like this, Riley and I attacking each other, and as the minutes and hours crawl past, one thing becomes apparent.

  I'm a fighter.

  I just might survive all this.

  And as the sun sets and the light begins to fade, my senses, as if fed by the fact that I'm training, sharpen. The night turns beautiful and the colors into deep greens and blues. It's just me and Riley out here.

  At last, he looks at the stars. "Time for a break."

  "How long have we been out here?"

  "Hours. And you're kicking my ass."

  I laugh. Hand in hand, the two of us settle down on the top of a flat boulder, which offers us a view of the stars. Like the night we met on the beach, they're clear and amazing, and the more I look at them, the more I can see the galaxy stretching overhead.

  "What a great view," I say.

  "I know, right?" Riley lies inches from me. "I'm going to look out for you as much as I can. Watch out for those assassins, too. Let's not put all the pressure on the Riveras. They're going to have enough to deal with."

  "No kidding." My whole body lights at Riley's proximity. I roll over, letting my hand settle on his chest.

  Riley grins. "You know, my father hasn't caught on yet to all of this. That I'm helping you. But when he does, all hell is going to break loose."

  This is so forbidden. I slide my hand down Riley's sternum, tracing the lines of his muscles, and he shudders under my touch. "Why are you risking yourself so much? Going against your coven?" I pause between his chest muscles and his abs.

  He looks me in the eye. "Olivia, I think I'm in love with you. We've got a connection I never thought I could have with anyone, and it's too late to go back. We can't no matter how hard we try." Then he rolls towards me, extending his arm for an embrace.

  We're in love.

  Our lips meet, and Riley slides his hand down along my back as I melt into him. I reach under his leather jacket, feeling his side, his back, his hip. Every curve and line is perfect and makes my heart race. Riley moans as I reach the small of his back and slide my grasp downward just a little, squeezing, pinching, and then he gasps. I wonder if I've gone too far, but I release my grip and Riley smiles.

  "You're bold," he says. "I like that."

  We make out for what feels like forever, but when fatigue begins to creep in and we separate, the stars and moon haven't moved that far across the sky. We rise off the boulder and begin the walk back to the school grounds. It's as if we've entered another world, with the school quiet and dark, and no one bothers us as we cross the grounds.

  "The coven never hunts here," Riley says. "I think we're safe heading back to your house."

  "You think?" I ask. Despite the danger, I'm having a good time and I don't want this walk to end, even if I've allowed my senses to dull. A bit of the itchy hunger creeps back the closer we get to my house and I know I'll need to hunt again late tonight before bed. But that's becoming less and less of a big deal now that I'm getting used to it.

  The porch light is on when I get home, and the window's open despite the chill hanging in the air. Riley and I stop at the end of the driveway.

  "Mom must be home," I say.

  "Maybe she got let out of work early?" Riley asks.

  "No. Must have gotten a day off. She has an erratic schedule now." I've forgotten they gave her Mondays and Wednesdays off now, since the vet was open on the weekends.

  Then I hear.

  Mom's crying.

  Not just crying, but ugly sobbing.

  Riley and I exchange a terrified glance. My stomach drops and a horrible taste rises in my mouth.

  And without another word, I race up and into the house.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "Mom," I shout, throwing open the front door. She's left it unlocked.

  Or someone has left it unlocked.

  She's in the kitchen. And as soon as I take my first breath from within the house, I smell it. Something coppery, yet spicy and sweet. My stomach growls, but I swallow, forcing the hunger down.

  Blood.

  "Olivia," Riley says, but I bolt into the kitchen, the source of the smell.

  The first thing I find is Mom standing there, grasping the edge of the table. She's standing. Unhurt. Clothing perfectly clean. But she's staring at the kitchen wall opposite us.

  And there, painted in a drying, reddish-brown substance--blood--are words.

  Death follows you
.

  "What the heck?" Riley asks, appearing beside me.

  Mom whirls. "Olivia, who did this? Who would break in and do something so disgusting?" Her wet eyes plead with me for answers.

  "I..." My stomach turns like I might throw up. All the hunger vanishes. "I don't know who would do this. We just moved here not too long ago. You're saying someone broke into the house and painted this? It doesn't even make sense." Only it does make sense.

  Riley's jaw drops as he stares at the message. He looks at me with absolute terror in his eyes, widening his pupils so much that darkness obscures the copper ring.

  The Beaumonts are willing to come after my own mother to draw me out.

  This warning is meant for me, not Mom.

  "What is happening?" she asks again, voice rising.

  I have to calm her down, so I grab her arms. "Mom, breathe. I don't know what's going on but Riley and I will clean this up."

  "We need to call the police," Mom says.

  Riley shakes his head. Bad idea, he means. "They work for the Beaumonts. We can't call them."

  Mom faces him. "What do you mean?"

  Riley clears his throat. We exchange a glance.

  We have to tell her what's happening. The two of us are the only ones capable of protecting her now.

  He stands beside me as we turn away from the message. "My family, the Beaumonts, must have done this."

  That's bold. My mouth falls open as Mom surveys him with wide eyes. "Them?" She speaks like they're familiar.

  "Yes. Them," I say. "The rich people who run most of this town. Let's close all the windows, clean this up, and I'll make us some tea or something. And then we'll talk."

  Riley nods at me.

  And surprisingly, Mom gives in. "I'm confused, but I'll listen." She goes in and settles on the couch, just waiting for the truth.

  "That was easy," I whisper to Riley as we clean up the mess. It's not as if either of us are squeamish. "We've...we've got to confess." If anyone knows how messed up it is to get left in the dark, it's me. And I won't do that to my mother. She's been through enough.