“That’s the girl from The Underworld,” I whispered. “I thought she was stuck there?”
She didn’t look as similar to me this time. Her hair was longer and darker, her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes were solid black. She looked positively terrifying and beautiful all at once.
“She was,” Ryan replied. “She escaped. She’s possessing a human’s body.”
What’s wrong with her?
She’s been in Hell for hundreds of years, Ryan whispered through the bond. She’s become a demon.
“What is your name, love?” she murmured.
“I don’t remember,” he said sadly.
“Then I shall give you a new one. I will call you Caleb, the chosen one, and you will live forever.” She reached down and cupped his face in her hands with such affection, it made her appear human for a short moment.
Caleb let out a small, strangled sob. “Who are you?” he asked in between coughs. “Are you an angel?”
Her rosebud mouth turned upwards in a wicked smile, but her eyes remained dead and black.
“I am Talitha,” she said softly. “You belong to me now.”
She took one of her long fingernails and drew it hard along the smooth skin on her wrist, until blood sprang to the surface. I looked closer and baulked.
It was black. Her blood was pitch black.
She pressed her open wound to Caleb’s mouth, and he drank greedily. I cringed as I realized what was about to happen.
He was going to Turn.
Sure enough, he dropped to the ground and began screaming and clawing at his face. I couldn’t watch. I looked away.
Thankfully, Ryan jumped to the next scene, rather than making me relive the entire painful and grotesque process of Caleb’s Turn.
We stood in a small clearing in the middle of a pine forest. It was nightfall, and things felt eerily quiet, until several pairs of footsteps began thundering through the undergrowth. Caleb and Talitha came into view and stopped in the clearing near us, both panting for breath. It was obvious some time had passed – Caleb was a vampire, though his eyes were still blue, not yet that insipid pearl white they had been when I met him in Mexico.
I heard growling and panting all around us and realized that the beads of light in the dark surrounding Talitha and Caleb were actually eyes.
Wolves?
Hell Hounds, Ryan confirmed.
One of the Hell Hounds stalked out of the shadows and into the clearing, the weak moonlight bringing it into focus a little better. It was huge, much bigger than any dog I’d ever seen, with short, glossy, black fur and teeth that glittered with anticipation.
Talitha was crying. She was a demon, but in that moment she looked like the broken human girl who had been tricked by the Devil. She and Caleb bent their heads together so that their foreheads were touching.
“You know what to do,” she said forlornly.
He nodded and kissed her forehead so softly, so gently, that I could not imagine it was the same person that had tortured me and made me bleed.
The Hell Hound leapt into the air, flew in a wide arc, and knocked Talitha to the ground.
“Noooooo!” Caleb yelled, as a second Hell Hound began chasing him away from her. The Hound easily jumped him and forced him down to the ground, all the while a horrific growl emanating from its thick throat.
The Hound snapped at Caleb’s throat, and it seemed to take all of his strength to hold the beast just far enough away to stop it from taking his head off.
Talitha was not faring so well. I didn’t want to look, but I could hear. The bigger Hound was literally ripping her to shreds. The smell of blood mixed with dead pine needles radiated through the forest, and I retched.
Within seconds she was dead. Faster than I could focus on, the Hound had dragged her ghost out of her lifeless body and fled, quickly followed by the second Hound.
Caleb dragged himself over to her almost unrecognisable body. He appeared to be in shock. With shaky hands, he withdrew a jar and a large hunting knife from his thick fur coat.
When he located her heart by pressing on her breastbone, my heart dropped.
He was going to cut her heart out.
And that’s exactly what he did. With trembling hands, he brushed away a single tear from his cheek and then cut into the dead flesh of his lover. After an agonizing and brutal surgery on Talitha’s corpse, he held her heart in his hands. He placed the heart in the jar and replaced the lid, then retrieved a small square of paper from his pocket. There were several Latin words written on it, which he said quietly over and over again.
At first I was transfixed by his face, by the way he was saying the words, until I heard a thumpthumpthump coming from the jar.
He smiled sadly. His spell had worked. Although she was dead and had been dragged off to Hell by a couple of Hounds, Talitha’s heart continued to beat.
THIRTY-TWO
Suddenly, we were back in the car.
“No more visions,” I said, pushing his hand away from my cheek. “I’m exhausted.” I felt sick. How many deaths had I just witnessed from the comfort of leather seats and air–conditioning?
Ryan nodded in agreement. “Me too.”
Neither of us made any attempt to get out of the car. I guessed he was waiting for questions. Really, what he had shown me hadn’t answered anything. It had just confused me even more.
“I know it’s a lot,” he said.
“A lot?” I echoed. “Watching all three Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting is a lot. That was like taking an acid trip and then getting onto a time–traveling spaceship to Narnia or something.” I rubbed my eyes.
“I’m sick of you speaking in riddles, Ryan! Just tell me. What does it mean? The heart. The girl that looks just like me.”
Ryan shrugged. “I think Caleb wants to use you to bring Talitha back.”
“Back from where?”
He looked at me like I was an idiot. “From Hell.”
“They were in love,” I said quietly, still shocked that two such cruel creatures could be driven by such a human emotion.
“Yes,” Ryan said. “You saw the way she looked at him before she died, such love for someone who was pure evil. She loved him, and he loved her just as much. He’s wanted to bring her back from the dead the entire time I’ve known him.”
“How?” I pressed.
“I don’t know!” Ryan exploded, slamming the dash with his fist so hard that it cracked. I raised my eyebrows.
Nice one. Isn’t this a totally rare car or something?
Ryan sighed audibly and slumped back in his seat. “You have to believe me,” he said. “If Caleb has both of you, I don’t know what will happen. That’s why I took you from Mexico. That’s why both you and the heart need to stay here, with me.”
THIRTY-THREE
I was bone tired after our expedition to Clair’s apartment and the visions I’d been subjected to. I called it a night and was surprised when I woke up the next morning in the exact position in which I’d fallen into bed. The energy required to concentrate on receiving psychic information was exhausting.
I was reading through my class schedule, armed with a strong black coffee, when Evie called.
“Hi,” I said into the phone, dumping the stack of UCLA papers on the coffee table and wandering into the kitchen.
“Hey,” Evie replied. “Whatcha doing?”
“Nothing exciting. You?”
“Just packing a bag,” Evie replied, and I heard the excitement in her voice. “I need a lift tonight. I get into LAX at seven.”
I felt the blood drain from my face as Ryan entered the room. So he had heard what she said from wherever he had been lurking. Typical.
“You’re coming here?” I said finally. “Now? Today?”
I was angry. I was ashamed. I didn’t want her to see me like that – a vampire.
“Yep,” she replied. “Can you pick me up? Or should I catch a cab?”
Ryan caught my eye and shook his
head.
“No,” I said quickly. “I’ll come get you.”
“Can’t wait to see you!” she said happily.
After promising her I’d be there, I ended the call and looked at Ryan. He must have seen the sheer panic on my face.
“It’ll be fine,” he said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want her to see you,” I replied. “She won’t like you.”
“I probably won’t like her either,” Ryan reminded me. “Vampires and witches generally don’t get along.”
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief.
“Except the badass ones,” he added. “Like Ivy.”
I rolled my eyes.
“So – airport?” Ryan prompted me.
“Oh, yeah,” I said, my stomach coming up into my mouth. “You don’t need to come. Can I borrow one of the cars?”
Ryan looked at me like I was an idiot. “I do need to come,” he said. “You could be driving into a trap, remember?”
I thought of the beating heart in the jar. “Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. “But prepare to have shreds ripped off you. Evie is…unique.”
“Most witches are,” Ryan answered. “I’m going out for a few hours. You need anything?”
“Where are you going?” I asked, immediately suspicious. He hardly ever left me alone in the house, so it had to be something important.
“To see our pretty little friend, Clair. I was up all night thinking about how I could possibly know her.”
“And?” I pressed.
“I have an idea,” he mused. “But I could be wrong. I won’t be long.”
“Wait!” I said. “What am I supposed to do all day?”
Ryan shrugged. “Order school supplies online. Do something with that rats-nest you call hair. How the hell should I know?”
I ended up nervously pacing the house most of the day. I made lunch, drank some blood–infused soda, and tried not to bite all my nails off. I couldn’t comprehend the fact that, in a way, I was meeting my best friend for the first time. The first time as a vampire.
It was a waste of a day. My nerves wouldn’t leave me and I kept zoning out whenever I tried to concentrate on reading the UCLA handbook, so eventually I gave up and watched daytime soaps until Ryan got back.
He was in a chipper mood when he returned.
“Did you kill her?” I asked dismally. Maybe that explained his stupid grin.
“What?” Ryan asked, as he added a dash of bourbon to his blood on the rocks. “No. I visited. We talked. Turns out she isn’t a threat after all.”
He didn’t offer any more. “Aren’t you going to tell me why she isn’t a threat?” I asked.
“I wasn’t going to,” he replied, draining his glass. “But since you asked: I knew her father, a long time ago. She needs a favor, is all.”
“Oh,” I said, the news not bringing me any relief. “Well, there you go.”
“It’s almost six–thirty,” Ryan mentioned. “You want to go now?”
The airport. Damn. I had forgotten about Evie’s imminent arrival for just a few moments. “Crap,” I said. “We’ll be late.”
Ryan grabbed a set of keys from the kitchen bench and started off towards the garage. I hurried after him, grabbing my bag on the way out.
Evie. My best friend in the whole world. I hadn’t seen her in almost two months.
Would she even want to be my friend once she saw what I had become?
THIRTY-FOUR
We made it to LAX in fifteen minutes flat. My mind was still reeling from the visions of Talitha and Caleb that I’d seen the night before, not to mention the date between Clair and Ryan where I had been a psychic third wheel. But as soon as we arrived at the airport, I forgot about everything. My nerves were on edge and I replayed potential meetings in my head. Would Evie cry? Would I? Would she be afraid of me? Would she try to stake me through the heart? I sure hoped not.
The airport was busy. We parked and went into the domestic arrivals section, Ryan trailing behind me at my insistence. I didn’t want Evie to see him until I’d explained him to her properly. I don’t know why I cared what she thought about him. Maybe it was because he was all I really had to fall back on if she decided she didn’t like Vampire Me. Or maybe it was because I was a vampire like him, and I was linked to him through our bond, and I stupidly cared about him despite everything he had done.
I smelled cheap coffee and sweaty bodies as I got closer to the arrivals gate. Being a vampire, my senses were so much more acute, which wasn’t always pleasant. I tried to focus on finding Evie. I scanned the arrivals board, seeing that a flight from Newark had landed and baggage was available. I started towards the baggage carousels, hoping I would find Evie waiting for her suitcase there.
I was halfway there when somebody grabbed me from behind in a bear grip around my shoulders.
I stiffened, fighting against the grip immediately. It was a guy, and he was tall. I broke free and whirled around, expecting a vampire.
Oh my God. My jaw dropped in disbelief.
It was almost an anti–climax. The moment I'd been wishing for, the one I'd given up hope of ever seeing, was jammed in my face so quickly and violently, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I didn't say anything, couldn't form words. I just stared at him.
“Jared?” I said shakily.
I still loved him just as much as I always had, and that was a relief, to feel something so light and wonderful amidst the darkness that had all but engulfed me.
He grinned like an idiot, his sandy blonde hair all messed up and his deep, brown eyes tired and lined with black circles. “Hey, beautiful,” he said affectionately.
“H–hi,” I managed to croak back. “Hey, you.”
He launched himself onto me in a second giant bear hug, which I returned tightly. He tensed, and I loosened my grip instantly, remembering my newborn vampire strength could probably suffocate him. I hoped he hadn't noticed. My throat got all tight and my eyes started leaking hot, wet tears that flowed faster as I felt his lips graze my forehead. I breathed him in, remembering all the other times I had held him like this. Under his olive skin, I could smell rich copper and chocolate pulsating through his veins – but it didn't overwhelm me the way the others had warned me it would. For that, I was grateful.
We parted eventually, and I took the time to drink him in – from his mussed–up hair that he always left forever before getting a haircut; his almond–shaped eyes that turned from chestnut to ebony depending on what he was wearing; his smooth skin, broken by stubble; his broad swimming shoulders that had been a place for my head to lay many a summer’s night; but most of all, the feeling that he was here, and that it felt so right.
“Don’t cry, Blake.” I smiled as Jared gently wiped my cheeks with his thumb.
“I’m so happy to see you,” I breathed. “You have no idea how happy I am.”
Was I dreaming? I wasn't, thankfully. But less than two minutes after Jared's arrival, dread was already settling into my bones like an old friend. The others had warned me about relationships with humans – and although I didn't feel the overwhelming urge to feed from Jared, I could still smell the rich coffee and spice scent of blood through his thin flesh, could still hear the steady thrum of his heart beating inside his chest. Pretty soon I felt myself drawn to him, wanting what was inside of him – I wanted all of him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, painfully swallowing my thirst.
“Surprising you,” Jared replied with a smile. Oh God, I could have melted hearing his voice after so long. I spotted Ryan ten feet away, watching everything with guarded concern. His presence suddenly brought everything crashing down inside of me. I wished he hadn’t come. How was I going to explain him to Jared?
“I just got a text from Evie,” Jared said. “She’s running late, said we should wait in the car for her.”
Evie. Of course. I had forgotten all about her.
I gulped. “In the car?” With Ryan?
&nb
sp; He nodded.
“I caught a cab here,” I lied, knowing that Ryan could hear me.
You are not coming with us, I told Ryan through our bond. You can follow behind in your car, but you are NOT chaperoning me home.
I glanced over to see him scanning the airport.
Jesus, Blake, he replied, mimicking Jared’s nickname for me. Catch a cab. Catch a flying saucer. I’ll drive at a respectable distance.
I was so relieved at his cooperation, I didn’t berate him for calling me Blake again. Nobody called me that except my friends, and I was sick of him pretending he was one of them.
“That’s cool,” Jared was saying. He dangled a set of keys in front of me and it took me a minute to realize they were the keys for my car. My Honda Element, the one I’d been walking towards when I was taken by the vampires.
“You drove here?” I asked incredulously. “From New Jersey?”
Jared nodded. “ I knew you’d be missing your wheels. There’s some weird little towns between here and there.”
“I have no doubt,” I replied. “So you drove all this way just to bring me my car?”
“And to see you,” he replied, swooping in for another leg–tingling kiss that flooded me with warmth.
“Come on,” he said, taking me by the hand. “Your chariot awaits.”
***
In the car, my car, I realized I wasn't just frightened by the prospect of Caleb turning up at the airport – I was genuinely nervous to be around Jared. I could feel myself turning inwards, shy and shameful of the secret that coursed through my veins, the secret that separated us from now on. Or did it? Why did it have to spell the end for us? It didn't seem fair; nothing about the last month of my life had been fair.
Wombstone (The Vampireland Series) Page 17