Crimson Hollow

by Andrea Pearson

  When I went to answer the door, though, the pizza guy wasn’t on the other side. Instead, it was Rauel.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  My heart skipped a beat at the surprise. I hope he didn’t see it on my face.

  I didn’t invite him into my house. He might have temporarily been on my side, but I wouldn’t forget what he was. I leaned up against the doorframe. “Hey.” Yeah, totally convincing act of nonchalance. Maybe he wouldn’t notice I was trying too hard.

  “They’re ready to meet with you.”

  “But it needs to happen soon,” a woman said. I looked around. I couldn’t see her.

  Rauel glanced at his side. “Come on. No games.”

  Some mist appeared, and then a form took shape in that mist. And then the blond vampire was there.

  Deciding to put aside any differences between us and to take charge on my property, I extended my hand. “Hi. I’m Lizzie. I don’t believe we’ve ever learned each other’s names.”

  “I know your name,” the woman said, staring at my hand indecisively.

  Rauel nudged her with his elbow, and she begrudgingly accepted my handshake. “Jenna.”

  “Jenna? Doesn’t seem like a very old name.”

  “It’s short for Jennifer. I went by Jenny for a long time. And depending on which country I’m in, it changes. It was originally Guinevere.”

  I was hoping she’d tell me she was a young vampire. The “centuries-old” ones sort of creeped me out.

  A question popped into my mind. How did they change into vampires, anyway? The only vampire “literature” I’d read was Twilight, and as I was coming to find out, it was hardly informative regarding actual vampires.

  I turned to Rauel. “Thank you for helping me arrange a meeting. I’m looking forward to it.” I wasn’t really, but it seemed the polite thing to say. “Where and when?”

  “As I told you, in Crimson Hollow.”

  “Up Alpine Canyon, right?”

  He nodded. “We haven’t moved it yet. No need to—humans can’t see us if we don’t want them to.”

  Jenna glowered at me. “Oh, except for Rauel for a long time. Because you stole his flame.”

  I could tell that was only the tip of the iceberg where her frustrations with me were concerned. Her anger simmered just below the surface, and her eyes were dark as she glared. I avoided making eye contact, pretending not to notice her anger.

  “All right, Alpine Canyon.” I didn’t want to call it Crimson Hollow. That just felt weird. “What day and time?”

  Rauel shrugged. “We’re flexible. Whatever is good for you works for us. It’s not like we have anything else to do now that Lord Kenan has been revived.”

  I rolled my eyes to myself, but ignored his stab. “Okay, how about tomorrow?”

  He agreed, then asked what time. When I told him after sundown, he shook his head. “No. Daylight is better for us. We’re more powerful in the sun than in the dark.”

  “Why do you need to be more powerful for this meeting?”

  Jenna snickered, but Rauel’s expression didn’t show any mirth. “Because when large groups of supernaturals gather, trouble tends to follow.”

  I hoped he would be wrong, but something told me that wouldn’t be the case.

  “Speaking of which, do you mind if I bring a few of my own supernaturals along?”

  Jenna glared at me, baring her teeth, but her words were cut off by Rauel’s impatient wave.

  “What sort?”

  “Ifrits. They’re the ones who’ve been setting fires in the mountains. They were here to stop me, but their plans changed once they learned what happened. They’re going to help us fight Lord Kenan.”

  “Interesting. Be sure you have their word that once they’ve helped, they will leave this land and go straight home without causing any harm or damage to anyone else.”

  “I don’t plan on the battle happening here. We need to stop Lord Kenan before—”

  The pizza delivery guy walked up the sidewalk just then, and I clamped my mouth shut. I’d been too involved in the conversation to notice his car across the street. Besides, I didn’t want to give away too much of my plan, not until I’d had more time to think it over and to meet with the ifrits.

  But most importantly, that gangly teenager who was bringing a steaming box of pizza to the door didn’t need to know anything about my visitors. He grinned, showing a mouthful of braces, and extended the box to me.

  “Pizza?”

  “Yes, please.” I didn’t miss the look of disgust that Rauel and Jenna shared with each other as I accepted the box.

  Eleanora pressed a handful of cash into my hand, and I gave it to the teenager and thanked him. I hadn’t realized she’d been there, but it didn’t surprise me. I should’ve invited her to join the conversation. Then again, maybe it was better that Rauel and Jenna didn’t know much about her.

  I didn’t like the fact that they could be hanging around my house, invisible. I’d have to figure out if I could find a way to monitor them. And actually . . . maybe the amulet could help me keep tabs on creatures who didn’t intend to hurt me. I’d have to check that out when I had some time alone.

  Rauel and Jenna left after we decided we would meet at five p.m. the next day. The moment the door shut, Eleanora and I dug into the pizza. It was absolutely fantastic.

  ***

  My palms were sweaty as I stepped up to the trailhead, and it wasn’t just because of the blazing heat. The upcoming meeting had me nervous for more than one reason.

  I glanced back at Eleanora. She’d enlisted the help of her young men again, since her body had apparently had it after the earlier hike.

  The heat still hadn’t abated for the day, and the sun wouldn’t set for at least another hour and a half. I knew better than to expect cooler temperatures any time soon, even once the sun was gone.

  I couldn’t wait to get this meeting over with, and not just because I didn’t feel completely safe there. Memories of the first time I’d encountered an ifrit played on repeat in my mind. It would take a lot more than just an oath to get me to trust these creatures. Rauel’s warning had come at the perfect time. It wasn’t helping me feel confident, though, that the ifrits wouldn’t just destroy us once Lord Kenan was gone.

  I couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends or make them feel like they could seek retribution once they’d finished helping us.

  None of us spoke as we hiked. Because I knew where we were going, we arrived there faster this time. The ifrits were already waiting. All of them were in their human form, their robes shifting slightly in the small breeze that blew dust and hot wind across my face.

  I was surprised when they offered us food and beverages. They’d also procured chairs and a table. On the table was a folded-up map. I couldn’t believe how much preparation they’d put into this meeting on such short notice. Undoubtedly, they’d also put a lot of mental and emotional preparation into it too, just as I had.

  “Well, Ms. Ashton,” said the ifrit I’d been talking to the most. “Where do we begin?”

  “Introductions, of course,” I said. “Followed by expectations. Mine for you and yours for me.”

  The man introduced himself as Jack. He gave names for the other ifrits, but they slipped my mind as soon as he’d given them. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need them later. I introduced them to Eleanora and Corben and Garrison, who, apparently, were used to being around weird people.

  Once introductions were done, Jack raised an eyebrow. “I thought we’d already established expectations in our previous encounter.”

  “Just the same, I think it’s best if we make sure we’re on the same page.”

  “Very well. We agree to transfer our desire for retribution and vindication from you to Lord Kenan, working with you to destroy him. At that point, we will return to our homeland.”

  If it hadn’t been for Rauel’s warning, I would have left it at that, content that everything would be fine. Instead, I said, “And you vow not t
o touch anyone, not to hurt anyone, not to try to take up permanent residence or even temporary residence here the moment Lord Kenan is dead—er, the moment he no longer exists on this planet and has been destroyed.” I was quick to correct myself, knowing that Lord Kenan, as a vampire, was technically already dead. That would give the ifrits a potential loophole.

  Jack’s face looked serious, then he smiled. “Miss Ashton, we have no intention of causing harm to you or any of your loved ones. We truly are ready to destroy Lord Kenan and leave your world peacefully.”

  “Just the same, I’d like you to make a vow. Promise me.”

  Jack froze for a moment, and then relaxed when one of the other ifrits cleared his throat.

  “Very well. I swear, and my brothers swear, that none of us or our own will cause any harm to you, your friends, your loved ones—”

  “Or anyone else in relation to the matter with the ifrit that I killed while I was in Iraq,” I interjected.

  “Or anyone else related to that incident, while we are here. I swear that once the task with Lord Kenan is done, we will return directly to Iraq. We will not seek out vengeance on the way, and we will depart peacefully and as friends.”

  That sounded about right, but still, I had no experience in these sorts of negotiations. I glanced over at Eleanora.

  The woman had a shrewd expression on her face. “Why do I feel like you’re not being fully honest with us?” she asked.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jack looked at his friends, then back to her. “We don’t understand your question.”

  Eleanora snorted. “I’m sure you do. Your oath seems valid, and yet I still feel like you’re putting loopholes in it.”

  Jack glared at her. “I don’t know what you expect.”

  “I expect you not to do anything to cause any harm to come to Ms. Ashton or anyone else ever.”

  “We were created to defend and protect the holy ziggurats. If we make an oath such as that, we won’t be able to perform our tasks.”

  Eleanora nodded. “Good point. Still, make a vow that even after you return to Iraq, you will not seek to cause harm to Miss Ashton.”

  Jack carefully and slowly took a drink from his goblet. When he set the cup down, he licked his lips, his eyes stealing over to mine. Sudden appreciation and relief that I’d brought Eleanora flowed over me. The woman had saved my bacon. Even I could tell as much.

  “Very well.”

  “Swear it.”

  “I swear that even after we return home, we will do nothing to cause any harm to Ms. Ashton.”

  “Ever?”

  “Ever. I swear it.”

  He glanced at me, his eyebrows raised as if he was asking if that was satisfactory to me.

  I nodded once. “Accepted.”

  “In turn, what are you promising us?” he asked.

  “I, Dorothy Elizabeth Ashton, swear that I will do everything in my power to undo the damage I’ve done to you and yours by destroying Lord Kenan, who caused the problems to happen in the first place.”

  My oath seemed to please Jack, because he didn’t ask for any further negotiations. I hoped that wasn’t a bad omen, but thankfully, Eleanora seemed fine with it as well.

  Once all parties had agreed that the oath and promise had been complete, a speck of light appeared between us, growing from just a pinprick until a fistful of gold spun in the air like a wheel, growing larger and larger until it encapsulated all of us. I was unable to move, to react, to think or blink. It didn’t hurt, and it quickly went away. I half expected warmth to envelop me, but nothing happened.

  “It is done,” Jack said.

  “Very well.” I cleared my throat. “Now then, we need you to attend another meeting. We’re also teaming up with fire vampires who previously worked with Lord Kenan. They betrayed him, which led to his imprisonment. It is very important to them that he be destroyed.”

  “The plan,” Eleanora said, “is to stop him before he leaves his prison. We’re not sure if that’ll be possible. If it is, it would require you to accompany us to Holland, where his graveyard is located.”

  Jack agreed, and we discussed the particulars of the meeting that would take place the next day in Alpine Canyon. Once we finished all matters of business, we made small talk about the weather and how they felt about Utah’s dry climate in comparison to the Middle East. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t hot enough for them.

  When I asked the reason behind the fires they’d been starting, they wouldn’t respond. That annoyed me, but I decided not to press the matter further, and Eleanora seemed to agree. I hoped we’d eventually learn the reason.

  I realized how much the day had exhausted me when Eleanora and I got back to the car. We had leftover pizza back home, but neither of us wanted it and we were both famished. We decided to have a sit-down dinner at the Thai House.

  The whole time we were eating, I couldn’t help but think about the last time I’d eaten there. It had only been a month or so, but so much had happened since Abel had first come back into my life.

  Thinking of that day made my heart ache. The intensity of the pain and loneliness I felt took my breath away me. Yes, I had fallen in love with him. But still, it was shocking to find just how much his absence affected me.

  If Eleanora noticed my melancholy mood, she didn’t say so. Instead, we discussed the upcoming meeting with the fire vampires, the Russells, and all the revelations we’d had recently.

  We finished off our mango sticky rice and returned to my house. A strange car was out front when we pulled up, and my hand automatically reached to grab my amulet. It didn’t say or do anything, but still, just because the owner of the car wasn’t a hound or fire vampire didn’t mean it was a friendly visitor. I noticed a rental company’s sticker on the window. Whoever it was didn’t own the car. I hoped it was Abel. But why would he be driving a rental?

  The car was empty. I tried not to make it too obvious that I was checking it out, but the sun had long since set, and I couldn’t see well enough without a bit of staring.

  Eleanora and I glanced at each other, and I shrugged, then led the way to the house. The front door was still locked, and I forced myself to breathe, to calm down, while unlocking it and pushing it open.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw someone sitting on my couch. But then I recognized that it was Abel, his eyes full of concern as he inspected me, and my heart leaped into my throat. I rushed across the room, a slight squeak escaping before I had a chance to hold it in. I threw myself at him, practically landing in his lap in my effort to get close to him. He pulled me tight, burrowing his face in my neck with a moan. It hadn’t been long since I’d last seen him—only a week or so—but it felt like it had been an eternity.

  I was vaguely aware of Eleanora saying she’d give us some space before heading back to her room.

  “Where have you been?” I already knew he’d been looking for his mom, but the question blurted out before I had a chance to stop it. “Oh, Abel. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I missed you.”

  Chapter Thirty

  He kept his face burrowed in my neck, his response muffled. “I missed you too.”

  I smiled at the longing in his voice, surprised to feel wetness on my cheeks. Holy cow, I had it bad for this man. Not good, what with everything that was going on. There was no way to guarantee our safety. No way to know if falling for someone right now would only cause problems for me down the road. It gave someone a lot of ammunition against me.

  “I hope not too much happened while I was gone,” he said.

  I shook my head. “You missed some, but not much.”

  “Like what?”

  “We can talk about that in a minute. I need to know if you were able to find your mom.”

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t even figure out where she’s been held for the past month. I felt a burning sense of urgency to leave at the exact moment I did . . . but it didn’t pan out and I have no idea why.”

  “I�
�m so sorry.”

  Abel didn’t respond—he just held me tight, chin resting on the top of my head.

  After giving him a moment to collect his thoughts, I updated him on everything that had been going on with the ifrits, fire vampires, and the hounds. I told him about my neighbors, and we talked about the plans Eleanora and I had made to try to stop Lord Kenan before he left his prison in Holland.

  Abel approved of that idea, and we called Eleanora to join us. The three of us talked for two hours, discussing plans and different scenarios. Eventually, Eleanora bowed out, and Abel and I were alone again. He didn’t let me go the whole time.

  We talked late into the night. I hoped I wouldn’t end up regretting doing so, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away and go to bed. Instead, I rested against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and his grieving as he told me about the places he’d gone while searching.

  I didn’t get a whole lot of details, and that didn’t bother me. Apparently, in the beginning of their captivity, his parents and siblings had been held in an abandoned farmhouse in the Midwest. After he’d dropped me off at the hospital, he’d started there. He tracked them outward and to a couple other holding places, but he constantly ran into dead ends. He spent a lot of time walking as he tracked, and that made me feel bad because we’d already done a lot of that when he’d been with me.

  When I mentioned feeling bad, he brushed my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear and gazing into my eyes.

  “Don’t ever apologize for spending time with me,” he said. “Even if it means a lot of walking. There’s only one other place I would rather be, and even that doesn’t completely compare to spending time with you.”

  I didn’t need to ask him to know where that was. His mom’s side.

  His eyes got a faraway expression in them, and my heart twisted as I realized something. Yes, Abel was falling for me. But until he had his mom safely back, he would never fully be mine. It wasn’t possible. He was too caught up emotionally and too focused on finding her to have it be otherwise.