Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series)

by Raithby, Rachel M

  Copyright © Rachel M Raithby, 2013

  Cover Art & Interior Design by Indie Designz

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

  For my Gram, Dot.

  For always being there, no matter the miles between us.

  For always knowing the right words to say.

  I love you.

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you...

  To my beautiful children for putting up with average meals and days of watching movies whilst I sat lost in the worlds I created in my head, to my mum for the hours you spent reading draft after draft of “Lexia.” For always answering a fb message no matter the time of night and your support in this crazy adventure.

  To Dad for putting up with all the hours I stole mum and making my book trailer.

  To all my friends who put up with me, grumpy and tired from all the late nights I’ve spent writing, and to all my followers on FB and Twitter, you’ve kept me going on days I’ve wanted to cry!

  Also thank you to Indie Designz for the amazing book cover and to my editor, Raighne, for all your help and advice.

  And finally, to my husband, Richard, because without you I would have never dreamed of doing this, you are my everything, you make the impossible, possible.

  Prologue

  The panther prowled the night drawn to something he didn’t understand; leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he heard a soft cry. Landing on the next roof he looked down to see a young woman being attacked by vampires, but just as he was about to drop down to save her, she let out a wild cry, throwing them off. He froze, transfixed, as she ripped them apart with her bare hands like a wild, crazed animal. Moving with cat-like grace, she spun around to face the last vampire and when he noticed her eyes, they were a pure crystal blue until brilliant golden streaks bled through them lighting up the dark night.

  That’s what you are, Little Wildcat, he thought, moving back into the shadows as her screams rang out into the night.

  Chapter 1

  Her feet pounded on the pavement as she raced down the dirty backstreets of Deadwood; the night had turned cool turning each heavy breath into a misty vapor.

  They’re so fast, she thought, why didn’t I stay in tonight? Just for some stupid party! Now I’m being chased by these... these... things. What are they?

  Lexia turned the corner, stumbling on the uneven curb, and gasped as she came to a dead end.

  She whirled around to see the three creatures circling her. Fear closed her throat; she tried to scream but nothing would come out. Her eyes widened in fright as they flashed their razor sharp teeth at her. Vampires?

  They had blood-red eyes and pale ghostly skin stretched tight over hard angular bones; they looked like the living dead! And they were going to kill her.

  Lexia backed into the wall, her hands grazing along the rough surface, wishing she could somehow melt into it. She felt so frightened and her body shook in terror as tears silently streamed down her face. I’m sorry, Dad, she thought as they all leapt at once; a whimper left her lips as she curled into a ball, their razor sharp nails slashing at her skin, gouging into her flesh. She cried out in pain, fear crushing her mind, blackness taking over, when...

  Lexia felt her mind go blank and the pain... it was torture as adrenaline rushed through her veins, charging her muscles with strength, taking over her body. With a cry she stood up throwing the vampires off her; it all happened so quickly, she tore them limb from limb like a crazed animal until there was nothing left but her quivering body soaked in blood. A metallic bitter smell filled her nostrils; she could hear her heavy breaths, and looking around all she saw was red, death, and darkness.

  Lexia stood for what felt like hours looking upon the scene before her; the torn bodies slowly rotted in front of her eyes, then panic bubbled to the surface as she finally got her voice back and she screamed, screamed so hard her throat burned. Tears ran down her blood-stained face as she realized what she’d done—she’d created this darkness, she’d caused their deaths.

  People running to her cries could be heard in the distance; snapping back to reality, Lexia looked around one last time, how do I explain this? I can’t. She ran into the night not paying attention to the direction she took or the fact that she could now run faster than she ever had before. Lexia just thought of putting one foot in front of the other, of the vibrations travelling up each foot as it pounded on the pavement.

  *******

  Lexia woke early the next morning on the forest floor; her body felt stiff with the dried blood that coated her skin. As her brain slowly remembered the previous night she shot up on her feet, spinning around, bracing to attack.

  But she was alone, surrounded only by tall pine trees, their needles littered the floor and stuck to her clothes. Lexia glanced around herself one last time and then shot off through the trees to her home. ‘Dad’s going to freak if I don’t get home in time!’ As that thought drifted through her head, Lexia somehow found the energy to run faster. Five minutes later she stood at the edge of the trees that lined her garden. There were no signs of life in the old wooden house, so she ran to the trellis below her window climbing with an ease she’d never had before. She got back in her room and under the duvet as her dad poked his head around the door.

  “Time to get up Lex, sweetie.”

  Lexia’s dad, Mike, had raised her on his own since her mother, Lucy, had walked out when Lexia was 5 months old. Lexia had only one picture of her mother, it was taken when she had just been born; Lucy was looking down at her baby, her pale blond hair covering her face. Lexia didn’t know what she looked like but sometimes she would dream of a woman with blond hair singing to her.

  Lexia had asked her dad if her mother had sung to her as a child but he would never answer her questions about her mother; he always closed up and snapped at her as if the mere thought of Lucy caused him pain. Lexia had tried to come to terms with the fact that she would never know her mother and the reason she’d been left behind; but sometimes, no matter how hard Lexia tried, she would long to meet her mother.

  As her dad walked down the stairs, Lexia got up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror that hung on the back of the door.

  Her long boots were torn and the leather stained darker on the toes and ankles; her hands trailed over her shredded jeans. The back of her blouse was also in ribbons. She took it off looking at her torn skin and where it had already started to heal, some gashes were just faint, red lines. Stripping off the rest of her clothes, Lexia stood looking at herself in her underwear. Even with all the muck and blood that stained her skin, she couldn’t miss the subtle changes to her body. Her stomach was just that tiny bit tighter, the slightest hints of a six pack showing. In fact her whole body just seemed more refined; as she moved forward muscles shifted under her skin. Lexia looked closely at a slash across her cheek and gasped as it started to heal. She watched in horror as the flesh knitted back together, felt the tingling, stabbing sensation, and then prodded her finger against the red scar line as it disappeared.

  “What has happened to me?” she whispered against her fingers.

  She wanted to hide, to run, to cry, but then she noticed her eyes and how they had changed. No
longer were they just a clear, crystal blue but blue with a fine rim of gold lining the pupil. She couldn’t hide from this; there was something wrong with her, the evidence staring back at her every time she looked in a mirror.

  Lexia started to back away from the mirror. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the person staring back at her. She could feel herself trembling and hear the galloping rhythm of her heart. So many emotions bombarded her as she decided whether to call for help or hide away from the world. She stumbled forward as the back of her legs hit the foot of her bed. “What am I?” she squeaked.

  “Lexia, everything alright?” her Dad called up the stairs.

  She didn’t answer at first. Am I okay?

  “Lex?”

  “Yeah... fine, Dad. Just tripped,” she called. Her eyes hardening, she could never tell a soul.

  Lexia dashed across the hall and locked herself in the bathroom. She stepped into the bath, turning on the shower and watched as the water turned red at her feet from the near-scalding cascade skimming over her body. She stared at the pale blue walls of the bathroom, the night before playing over and over in her head and she wondered whether she had gone mad, whether everything that had happened had just been a dream. Then she glanced down to the pink water pooled at her feet and realized she wasn’t mad. The blood washing off her body wasn’t make-believe and the cuts and scrapes that covered her skin had been made from the sharp nails of vampires, but the scariest thing of all—magically watching her skin heal. What am I? she thought again.

  Chapter 2

  The school day had dragged, and Lexia struggled to listen to anything in class. Thank god school’s nearly over, she thought. Her friend Alice was talking to her now as they walked down the bustling school hall, the sounds of lockers banging and the shouts and calls of students echoed off the walls. Alice was talking about a party later but Lexia was finding it hard to pay attention. She looked at her friend and thought about how quickly things had changed. Alice had now moved on to babbling about some boy but her voice just blurred into background noise and Lexia turned her thoughts to more serious subjects. What had happened to her eyes and how had she killed those vampires? Vampires existed—how was that possible?

  “Lex, are you even listening to me? Lexia!”

  Lexia focused on Alice’s petite face, her big brown eyes glaring at her in frustration. Alice had a sprinkling of freckles over her cheeks and nose and her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Alice always dressed up-to-date with the latest fashion and spent most of her time worrying over her looks and the latest boy she liked. They had an easy friendship, one with no secrets or lies. Until now; why can’t I just go back to worrying about boys and which parties I should attend? God why do I have to keep replaying last night? Their blood red eyes, the feeling of power...

  “Lexia!”

  “Sorry, Alice, can’t do the party, I’m working.”

  She had a shift at the local diner tonight. It didn’t pay much, but she was saving for college so she could get out of this small town.

  “Oh, that’s crap, I’m not going alone.”

  “You could always come keep me company.”

  “No, thank you, I am not sitting there bored all night.”

  Lexia smiled to herself, Alice was allergic to hard work or being anywhere near it. They walked out of the school doors together. Lexia was lost in thought again, but she heard Alice this time. “Got time for a quick coffee before work?”

  “It will have to be quick.” She smiled at Alice’s face, how hard she had it, having to spend a night alone.

  They headed out of school and walked the short distance to the local coffee shop all the students used. The door chimed as they walked in and Lexia rushed for the last two remaining sofa chairs in the far corner.

  “Grab me a sandwich and cake, too, please Alice.”

  Lexia sat watching her friend impatiently tapping her foot on the polished wooden floors as she waited in line and Lexia smiled to herself; they were complete opposites, Lexia laid back and breezy and Alice impatient and fiery, but they complemented each other perfectly and had been best friends since the moment they met on the first day of school. Alice was the only one of Lexia’s friends who knew about her mother leaving her, the only one who knew Lexia was much older than all the other students in her year. Lexia told her everything and for the first time in her life she had something that not even Alice could know.

  Alice put down their food and then plonked herself in the chair opposite. She looked at Lexia and frowned at her troubled expression, “Hey, Lex.”

  Lexia looked up, “Yeah?”

  “Are you alright? I mean, you seem really distant; you’d tell me if something was wrong?”

  Should I tell her the truth? “I’m fine, honestly,” she said with a plastered smile on her face.

  Lexia spent the next thirty minutes forcing herself to pay attention to every word Alice said. Fortunately Alice was the talkative one out of the duo and did most of the talking. As long as Lexia added a comment or two, Alice was happy and when they parted ways, Lexia thought she’d done a good job at convincing her she was okay.

  As Lexia walked down the long driveway to her house she stopped; looking into the forest, she could have sworn someone was there. Quickening her pace she made it to the house and bolted the door behind her. The strangest feeling had come over her; the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and every nerve in her body felt like it was electrified. Waiting, Lexia watched for movement in the trees but when nothing stirred, she ran up the stairs and threw herself on the bed with a sigh. “I’m losing my mind,” she muttered.

  She’d never been one to be afraid of being alone, but right now she seemed to jump at every shadow. She felt as if her body was on high alert, ready and willing to attack at a moment’s notice. But if she wasn’t mad then that meant the world of the supernatural was real and Lexia couldn’t decide which was more frightening.

  Three hours later, Lexia looked at herself in the mirror. She was hiding out in the bathroom at Lucky’s Diner. Everyone kept mentioning her eyes; she’d tried to avoid eye contact with people but that proved hard when she had to serve them. Taking a deep breath she stepped back out into the diner, chanting the lie she’d been telling everyone all night: it’s just a play of the light, it’s just a play of the light. Who the fuck am I kidding? You’re a freak, Lex. Well, only 5 hours left, she thought with a sigh.

  The night turned out to be pretty busy, keeping Lexia from dwelling on her worries. Twenty minutes before closing, the door chimed; Lexia stiffened as a chill over her skin slivered over her skin. Looking up she saw a man take a seat in front of her. He was tall and well-built, the kind of man she and Alice would drool over, and his eyes were so light brown they could have been gold. He smiled at her but there was nothing friendly about it, the kind of smile that whispered of danger and excitement. Lexia gulped and the hairs on the back of her neck bristling.

  “What can I get you?” She smiled back, squaring her shoulders.

  “Just a coffee, black.” His voice was a deep, rough rumble that made goose bumps appear up her arms. Turning to fetch his coffee, she felt his eyes on her every move as a lion would stalk its prey. There was definitely something about this guy, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He felt off but not in a run for your life way. He was dangerous, but enticingly so.

  Shaking her head, she returned with his coffee. As he reached out to take it from her, his finger brushed hers sending a jolt of heat up her arm. Gasping she lost her grip on the mug and it started to fall. The man’s arm shot out so quickly all she saw was a blur. Chuckling, he said, “Careful now, love.” And placed the cup on the counter.

  “S-Sorry.” She turned and started to head out back needing to put some distance between herself and this strange-eyed man.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  Lexia froze not sure whether to tell him her name. Argh, stop being so paranoid, he’s probably jus
t being polite.

  Lexia turned and looked at him again, his eyes twinkled in mischief as he slowly took a sip from his drink. They never left her as his lips touched the rim of the mug. She felt trapped by his gaze, like looking into the eyes of a great hunter before he made his kill. She was a helpless rabbit caught in headlights; she had no choice but to answer, “Lexia, but most people call me Lex.”

  He snorted sending coffee splattering all over the counter. “You’re joking,” he laughed.

  Lexia’s temper rose. Breaking eye contact, she walked towards him feeling her fists clench and her face harden. “No, I am not joking. Why is that so funny?” She glared at him, her eyes ablaze with anger.

  He paused for a second, his smile faltering. “Lexia means ‘Man’s Defender,’” he answered.

  “And that’s funny because ? Actually don’t bother. Finish your coffee and get out!” Lexia never saw his reaction; she turned and strode out back. When she returned five minutes later, he had left and the diner was empty.

  “Do you wanna head off, Lexia? I’ll finish up,” said Jan, coming out of the kitchen door.

  “Hey, are you all right?” said the small plump woman, her brown eyes scrunching up with concern.

  “Yeah, just some jerk who was in here before got under my skin.”

  “Will you be okay getting home?”

  “Yeah, thanks, Jan, I’ll see you Friday,” she called heading for the door, wishing the day would be over already. All she wanted to do was crawl under her covers and hide.

  Lexia walked along Main Street away from Lucky’s Diner heading toward Upper Main Street; her home sat on the edge of town, about a fifteen minute walk from the diner. The house was set back off Upper Main Street with a long driveway enclosed by tall pine trees, a wall of dark greens hiding the house from view.