Hunting the Dark

by Karen Mahoney

  She nodded. ‘But how did you get here so quickly? You said you were at home and there must be a ton of traffic out there.’

  Oops. ‘Did I say that? I meant that I was at a friend’s home. Much closer to the hospital.’

  ‘Hmm.’ She didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t argue. Better not to get her started, and I could see the worry in her eyes. This must be a huge strain on her, as the eldest sister, and I should definitely cut her some slack.

  Caitlín chose that moment to arrive, and was suddenly hugging me violently. I needed to concentrate on that so I didn’t get knocked over.

  ‘I don’t have long,’ I said, giving her a meaningful look. ‘There’s someone waiting for me outside.’

  Her jaw tightened, but she just nodded. ‘OK. It’s good to see you, sis.’

  I gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek and grinned. ‘Likewise.’

  ‘Gross,’ she said, making a big show of wiping her face.

  Sinéad frowned at both of us. ‘I’d like to get back to Dad now. Are you coming, Caitlín?’

  ‘Of course. Just give me a couple minutes with Marie.’

  Our sister pursed her lips, but thankfully didn’t argue. ‘I’ll see you back up there, then.’

  I breathed an internal sigh of relief as Sinéad trotted away. I was looking forward to a few precious minutes with Caitlín; I needed to make certain that she was dealing OK. We’d already lost our mother – something that none of us had really recovered from – and now Dad was in intensive care.

  Putting my arm around her, I wished that Theo wasn’t waiting for me. How dare he turn up here, uninvited, just to insert himself into my human family’s pain. It was wrong, and the real Theo would know that. It scared the crap out of me, but I couldn’t burden my little sister with any of that. I forced a smile and examined her carefully.

  ‘So,’ I said, ‘tell me how you are. Really.’

  Her shoulders slumped. ‘Not so good.’

  ‘Talk to me,’ I said.

  ‘Don’t you have to go?’

  I thought about Theo, cooling his heels in the lobby. Screw him, I thought. I pulled Caitlín back down into the green plastic chairs at the table, sitting across from her and holding her hands in mine.

  Theo could wait.

  A little later, Theo and I walked out of the main entrance of the hospital and through the ambulance bay. I was barely looking where I was going. All I could think about was the conversation I’d just had with my sister. I’d promised Caitlín that I would spend more time with my ‘real family’ (her words), especially while we didn’t know how Dad’s recovery would go. I had Dr Stark’s event to attend on Friday night, but that meant I had the whole weekend free. Free from vampire craziness.

  I intended to keep it that way. By then I would either have resolved the situation, or passed everything I knew to Theo – no matter what his state of mind. I was going to wash my hands of it all and be an O’Neal for as long as my sisters needed me.

  Forcing myself to focus on what was going on around us, I stared at an ambulance that was being unloaded. Nurses rushed past and pushed me out of the way, and I immediately felt guilty for staring. A middle-aged woman was dumped onto a gurney. She looked dead and there was so much blood that my stomach turned over, but she must still have been alive because they all seemed to be making a lot of effort to save her.

  Maybe that’s just what real heroes did.

  ‘Hit and run!’ one of the paramedics shouted. ‘She’s lost a lot of blood.’

  You think? I should probably rein in the inner-snarkfest, but I was on edge. My gums ached as my fangs threatened to extend all the way. Why couldn’t I keep it together? I figured that being upset over my dad must have something to do with it, but I was tired of always having an excuse. I was too young, or too tired, or too upset. When would I just be able to function the way that Holly could? Why did Theo have to be right about me not being ready to face the world on my own?

  He gripped my elbow, sensing my shaky control. ‘Keep moving. We’ll be out of here in—’

  But he didn’t get to finish his sentence, because there was a succession of sharp cracks and the air around us seemed to shift. Theo’s body jerked once, twice, three times, as blood exploded from his shoulder.

  He hit the ground, and then the shit hit the fan.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hit and Run

  The thing about being the victim of a shooting in a hospital is that at least you’re in the right place to get on-the-spot treatment. Of course, when you’re a vampire in the same situation, the very last thing you want is medical attention.

  The last thing you want is any kind of attention, but it didn’t look like were going to escape without a great deal of that.

  Screams filled the air, people ran, and vehicles collided in their haste to get out of the line of fire. Hospital security arrived on the scene, but as that consisted of two middle-aged, sleepy-looking dudes, I didn’t hold out much hope that they’d be taking down our mystery sniper anytime soon. It was chaotic.

  But it gave us a chance to get away.

  ‘Silver,’ Theo hissed, grabbing my arm so tightly I began to worry that he might rip it off. ‘He’s using silver bullets.’

  Ugh. He was still talking about Jace. Of course he was. I had to put him straight, but I could hardly do it now with everything going crazy around us.

  Theo’s eyes glinted silver with their own inner light, something I rarely saw from my Maker. His self-control was usually so good that his eyes looked gray and mostly human – especially out in public. Unless he was particularly hungry. I flashed on a disturbing image of how his eyes had looked like they were bleeding silver the night he’d turned me. That was the only time I’ve ever seen him lose complete control. It wasn’t like he was in that bad of a state right now, but if anyone happened to look at him it would be majorly obvious that he wasn’t entirely human.

  Either that, or people would simply justify his glowing eyes as a trick of the light or some such. That’s what they usually did when faced with the unexplainable Other.

  Theo gritted his teeth against the pain and closed his eyes, forcing breaths that he didn’t need to take. He was trying to appear more human and it was causing him even more pain. If we were talking about regular bullets, this wouldn’t be a problem – but silver would stay in the flesh and burn. I had my arm around him, using my own strength to keep him on his feet as we made for the nearest escape route. A doctor was heading our way, trying to work his way through the crowd of panicked people, and we veered sharply to the left.

  No way could we let anyone touch him, especially not if he was suffering the effects of silver. He was already dangerous enough when vulnerable. Kind of like a wounded animal. I had to get him out of there.

  I saw a bright gleam out the corner of my eye and made another detour, ignoring Theo’s complaints. One of the bullet casings was protruding from earth spilling from a shattered plant pot like blood from a wound. I picked it up without even thinking. The tiny silver slug, covered in my Maker’s blood, burnt my fingers. I hissed and almost dropped it, stuffing it in one of my pockets for later examination.

  No way this could be explained as anything other than a clear attempt to hurt Theo. Subject Ten hadn’t actually admitted anything concrete to me, so I figured there was still the possibility that my Maker had been the original target outside Subterranean, when Nicole’s long life had suddenly come to an end. Had she been an unfortunate victim? Maybe Theo had escaped death twice, now. Or maybe the mysterious Ten was simply after as many high-ranking vamps as she could get.

  But if that was the case, why use a deadly crossbow bolt for one and silver bullets for the other? It made no sense and I was getting tired of it all. I mean, what if she’d been shooting at me? She had warned me to stay out the way . . .

  ‘Theo, how many times were you hit?’ I could feel panic twisting my gut and almost sending me over the edge into full-on bloodlust.

  �
��Just once,’ he replied. ‘Well, twice. There were three shots. One skimmed me, one I managed to dodge, but the third got me full in the shoulder.’

  I tried not to be too impressed that he’d literally dodged a bullet, because that was just the sort of super-cool thing my Maker would do. I figured that was the shell currently burning a hole in my jeans pocket. (Metaphorically speaking.) Better that I focus on how grateful I was that he hadn’t been hit through the heart – like Nicole had been. Not that a bullet to the heart, even a silver one, was necessarily the end for a vampire of his age. It would have to penetrate the organ completely – which is why crossbows were far more efficient weapons if you actually intended to end our existence.

  Theo squeezed his eyes shut, still trying to keep himself under control.

  I tugged my shades from the inside pocket of my trusty leather jacket. ‘Here, put these on.’

  He took them from me and slipped them on without a word. At least his eyes wouldn’t scare anyone.

  ‘Maybe you got hit by accident,’ I said, knowing it was an idiotic thing to say, but unable to resist voicing the thought. It was the nervous-talking-thing I was cursed with.

  Theo stared at me for a beat, before shaking his head and wincing as we stepped off the sidewalk and his shoulder jarred. ‘Whoever it was is in possession of silver bullets, Moth. Either they were gunning for us, or they have very expensive taste in ammunition.’

  I gulped down another stupid comment before I could make it. Look, it’s not that I am stupid. I’m pretty smart, actually. I just get anxious and say things before I’ve really taken the time to think. It’s something I learned once I hit puberty and started arguing with my dad. Instead, I grabbed my phone and made a quick call, while Theo shuffled along beside me.

  ‘Holly and Castel are on their way,’ I said a moment later, stuffing my phone back into my pocket. ‘Here, sit down. What can I do to help?’

  ‘We need to take the bullet out,’ he replied, ‘but I’ll manage until we can get home. Best not to do something like that out here.’

  ‘Nobody’s watching us anymore, Theo,’ I said, because it was true. All eyes were on the front of the hospital and the police cruisers that had just screeched to a halt outside, sirens blazing. In the confusion and panic around us, we’d moved far enough away not to be on their radar. Yet, anyway.

  I hovered around my Maker, trying to stop the blood – to hide it from any eyes that might still be looking in our direction – while holding my breath and attempting to ignore its rich scent. My hands were slicked crimson, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at them.

  I almost rubbed my hands absent-mindedly against my jeans, but Theo stopped me just in time. ‘Be still, Moth,’ he said. His tone was surprisingly gentle.

  Thankfully, Holly and Castel pulled up at that moment. They were on Holly’s bike and I groaned. ‘What good is that? We can’t put you on a motorcycle. Idiots!’

  Theo shushed me and waited for the two vampires to disembark.

  ‘Master,’ Holly cried, her eyes flashing silver. ‘You’re hurt!’

  Castel rushed to Theo’s side, supporting his uninjured right side and taking some of the pressure off me. ‘Sorry about only having two wheels,’ he said. ‘Echo has the rental tonight, and Holly only had her bike. We figured getting here quickly was the most important thing.’

  Holly glared at me. ‘Moth didn’t mention that you were bleeding.’

  Theo waved away her anger. ‘I don’t want a fuss.’

  ‘No fuss?’ Worried anger tightened her face. It was the most concern I’d ever seen her show for someone else. ‘You’ve been shot.’

  ‘With silver,’ I put in helpfully.

  Theo silenced me with a look. ‘Holly can take me home,’ he said. ‘Moth, you and Castel will need to follow us. Get a cab.’

  ‘He can get a cab to your place, but I’m going home. To my home.’ I crossed my arms over my chest. ‘Alone.’

  There was a moment of shocked silence as Holly and Castel realized how directly I’d defied the Master vampire of the city.

  Unsurprisingly, it was Theo who challenged me. ‘I thought you were concerned about me, my Moth.’

  ‘Of course I am,’ I snapped. ‘I’m freaking out – about everything – which is why I need to be with my sisters. You know that’s the truth.’

  I wasn’t going to back down, not this time. Something about seeing my dad hooked up to all those machines, and then seeing Theo standing beside him like the Angel-of-freaking-Death, had shaken me to my core. I had to get away from all of this. I needed to; if only for one night. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about what had just happened to Theo, either. Of course I cared. But he would heal just fine – and Dad might not. I’d promised to call Caitlín as soon as I could, and I intended to keep that promise. I even said I’d go over to the house if I could manage it.

  Theo grabbed my hand. ‘You would really leave me while I am injured, little one?’

  I hardened my heart. ‘You have Holly and the others. You don’t need me.’

  ‘I always need you.’

  ‘That’s what you always say, and it’s never true. Not really. You need your Family – but maybe I need mine too. My human family.’

  He winced as Holly helped him onto the back of her bike. ‘We do not have time to debate this now, Marie. Go. Do what you must.’

  I didn’t wait around for him to change his mind. I didn’t give Holly or Castel any time to think about what had just happened – what I’d risked by disobeying Theo so publicly. He could have refused me. He could have made an example of me, but instead he’d let me go.

  My whole body vibrated with excitement as I made plans. Maybe I could just stop by my place and pack a bag, head straight to my sisters’ house and spend time with them. Hear more about the surgeon’s prognosis. Apparently it was fifty-fifty, and those odds had scared Caitlín more than anything else. That’s what she’d told me back at the hospital.

  Dad was sick, and my little sister needed me. Theo, on the other hand, was not exactly in mortal danger.

  I moved.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hungry Things

  I ran all the way back to my apartment.

  As I reached the building, I smiled to myself. Running made me feel better. Maybe I should do more of it. The whole breathing thing simply wasn’t an issue. For a moment, I began to entertain fantasies of entering a marathon – while I could still live my life in daylight, of course. I could break all kinds of records! I’d be considered some kind of a prodigy: a miracle of nature! There was the small matter of the fact I’d be cheating, but didn’t I deserve a little fun? And there were probably night marathons too. I should look into it . . .

  I screeched to a halt and cursed (loudly) when I realized that there was someone familiar leaning against the exterior wall of my building. I stared at him. Why couldn’t anything ever be simple? It would have been so awesome to have some time off from the World of Crazy.

  ‘One night,’ I said to Jace. ‘That’s all I wanted!’

  He grinned. ‘With me? Well . . . you only had to ask.’

  Why did he always have such a pervy answer for everything?

  I folded my arms across my chest. ‘You know what I mean. I just wanted some time off, that’s all! Some time with my family. I could put my feet up, drink some coffee, maybe even have a Buffy DVD marathon.’

  Jace made a face. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer? You’re into that crap?’

  ‘Sure, why not? Buffy’s cool.’

  ‘She’d kick your ass.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind,’ I replied, unable to keep the wistful look off my face. ‘I’d probably let her win.’

  ‘Riiight,’ he said. ‘Sure you would.’

  I pouted. ‘The world needs Buffy. She has to save the world. And . . . stuff.’

  ‘Whenever I watched it,’ Jace said, ‘she mostly seemed interested in her love life. She was this badass hunter, but she was still just a girl.’
r />   ‘Hey!’ I shoved him in the chest. ‘That’s my heroine you’re talking about.’

  ‘Only you would have your mortal enemy as a role model,’ he said, half laughing and shaking his head. ‘I can’t figure you out.’

  ‘Good,’ I said, as I let us both into the building. ‘I wouldn’t want to make things easy for you.’

  ‘Good,’ he countered. ‘I love a challenge.’ He flashed me a wicked grin and headed up the stairs before I could think of a snappy comeback.

  Why me?

  We sat at the kitchen table in my apartment, and I brought Jace up to speed on everything that had happened since we last spoke. Much as I was worried about Caitlín – and my dad – I was also dealing with everything that had happened since Nicole’s death. It felt good to share the load, even though I felt guilty that I still wasn’t sharing it with Theo. And then I felt doubly guilty because I was so relieved that my Maker was out of action while he recovered from being shot.

  At least he couldn’t go after a certain young hunter for a while.

  Speaking of Jace, I told him about the fight with ‘Subject Ten’ and what I’d found so far on Dr Stark and Nemesis. ‘Just give me the Cliffs Notes version,’ he’d said, but it took a long time to get through it all.

  I told him about my dad, too, but I didn’t want to dwell on that. Not considering how he’d lost his own father so recently.

  We were onto our second cup of coffee, and I was already contemplating making a new pot when Jace tapped his own empty mug on the table next to my laptop. ‘Tell me more about this mysterious Nemesis Project.’ He swung his chair around and then straddled it, leaning against the chair’s back.

  I sighed and pulled my own chair around beside his so that we could both see the laptop screen. I jiggled the cordless mouse, quickly locating the information on Dr Stark and accessing the hidden database. I’d half expected the portal to have disappeared, maybe even switched servers, but it appeared that we were in luck.

  We went through it all, and I had to admit it was such a relief to have someone know everything that I did. Especially in light of what I’d just been through with my dad. Especially with the way Theo had freaked me out, made me doubt myself, and even compelled one of my sisters. I hadn’t forgotten that. I wondered if I ever would.