Summers' Shadow (Hunters Trilogy Book 2)

by Sara J. Bernhardt

  “Oh…I didn’t realize I needed to.”

  “You do,” I answered. “I got you involved rightly or wrongly.”

  She froze beside the car with a look on her face I had never seen before.

  “Jane, are you okay?”

  She didn’t answer, just stared at me. I got out of the car and took her hand.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Please trust me. It isn’t a big deal. I just need to take care of something. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She nodded and got in the car as if all I had to do was assure her once more that I wasn’t going to hurt her. It had finally come to the point where that was completely true. I had no desire to kill her, no desire for her blood as I once did. She was mine now, and I wanted her love and her life, but I didn’t want to steal it away from her the way Abraham would have told me to. I was Aidan Summers now. James West was dead, and it felt good.

  “You cannot turn around!” I snapped. She gripped the door as I sped down the road to Luna’s.

  “Aidan, what are you doing?” she yelled. “You’re driving like a lunatic. You trying to kill me?”

  “Contrary, Jane. Be quiet.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I need to talk to Luna. That’s where we’re going.”

  I felt bad lying to her, but I felt it was the only way to keep her safe. Hide her away at Luna’s and let her find out why from our mock conversation.

  “Why are you so nervous?” I asked her when we reached the porch of Luna’s little house.

  “What do you mean?”

  I touched her wrist, trying to make her stop wringing her hands together.

  “Don’t worry,” I said.

  “What if…what if she doesn’t like me?”

  I chuckled. Was she serious? “You make me laugh, Jane.”

  I stepped up to the door and took Jane’s hand.

  When Luna opened, she instantly smiled like she hadn’t seen me in months—which is exactly what I asked her to do.

  “Come in,” she said in the voice she used to use when trying to charm me.

  “He’s in North Bend,” I said, stepping inside.

  “How do you know?” Luna asked.

  “Many ways. The stone has been used, and I destroyed my clean slate, Luna. Forgive me.”

  “A bird?”

  I nodded. “It was like he was inside of me. Like he had invaded my mind and controlled me.”

  Suddenly, I realized that this was partly true.

  Luna nodded and embraced me, keeping up the act.

  “For a long time, you believed in the power of blood,” she said. “When you feel lost…lonely—”

  I shook my head. “I was frightened. I was a coward. I did it because I was afraid to not believe anymore.” That was my confession to Jane.

  “Never be afraid to be who you are, James.”

  James! I hated it!

  “I’m sorry, Jane,” I whispered, turning toward her, “for making you a part of my problems.”

  “I’d stand by you no matter what, even if you tried to run from me,” she said softly.

  I smiled. That was why I loved her. Her loyalty and her love were the most beautiful things I had ever seen in a person.

  “You look terrified,” Luna said, glancing at Jane.

  “I’m all right,” she answered.

  Luna nodded but didn’t look convinced.

  I kissed her cheek, hating myself for what I had to do. “Do me a favor, Jane,” I whispered, pulling her into a hug, “and don’t fight me.”

  “What?”

  “I’m doing this for you.”

  Luna pulled her arms from around my shoulders. Jane tried to struggle, but I held her tightly in my arms.

  “I love you, Jane.”

  Luna handcuffed her and dragged her away from me.

  Jane started scrambling toward me like I was going to disappear if she didn’t reach me. I could already see I had made her cry. I felt almost sick at the sight of the tears saturating her face. It was the only way I could explain to her the details of The Sevren without lying and the only way to keep her safe.

  “We really aren’t the bad guys, Miss,” I heard Luna say. “He really does love you. This is just his way of doing what he needs to do. Please don’t cry. He is only trying to protect us all.”

  I embraced Luna when she returned to the living room.

  “So the conversation didn’t work,” she whispered. “She’s still confused as to why you are locking her up.”

  “I can’t tell her,” I said. “It will only terrify her more than I feel necessary.”

  “Go home, James. I’ll take care of Jane.”

  I nodded and headed back to Walter’s. I explained to him the situation, and he had almost nothing to say.

  “Did I do the right thing?” I asked him.

  “You did what felt right to you,” he said. “If you believe she will be safer being guarded by Luna, then you are probably right.”

  “Luna can be ruthless,” I said, laughing. “When the situation calls for it.”

  He smiled at me. “I know.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Luna came crashing into the house, screaming my name. I shot up in bed and raced to the living room.

  “Calm down,” I demanded. “What’s happened?”

  She started shuffling her hands and stumbling over syllables. My heart started throbbing like it was about to tear through my very chest. I had never seen Luna look so distressed. Again came that intense, wrenching of my senses. I felt strained as if someone had placed their arms on the keys of a piano, and the sharp, sour notes pulled at my nerves. I concentrated on keeping my breath even.

  “She’s…”

  “She’s what, Luna?” I yelled acidly.

  “It wasn’t my fault!” she yelled, throwing her hands up dramatically. “But she’s…gone.”

  “What?” I bellowed. “Gone where?”

  She shook her head, her blue eyes wide and glazed. “I don’t know, but I found this.”

  She handed me a slip of paper. The words were written from an old-fashioned typewriter.

  James,

  We know what you are doing, and Abraham has summoned you to his home. You will finish the job if you want to live.

  ~Dorian

  “Straight to the point,” Luna said.

  Walter came into the room with a puzzled look on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his drawn, little mouth hung slightly open. “What’s all this shoutin’ about?” he asked seriously.

  “Jane’s missing,” I said.

  His face fell, and he looked as if he were trying to speak but remained silent. I handed him the note.

  “Oh God,” he mumbled.

  “What do we do?”

  “I know someone who can help.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, still with my senses screeching, warning me of danger.

  “I know someone,” he started, “who has undercover information about The Sevren.”

  “Walter, I don’t even know this…Dorian,” I said.

  He nodded. “I know. I, however, do.”

  My mind shut down for a moment, and all of my thoughts flooded out of my psyche and into the tension of the room. I got ahold of myself and shook off the feeling.

  “What do you mean…you do?”

  He sighed, picking up the phone on the wall by the couch. “He used to do work for us,” he started. “The Silver Wing.”

  “What?” I yelled. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  He put the phone back down and took one long stride toward me. “He’s vicious, sadistic, and almost inhuman. He came into The Silver Wing as a spy for The Sevren. No one saw it coming. He’s a very good actor, Clem, better than any I’ve seen. He speaks about twelve languages and is built like a rock. He’s completely out of his mind.”

  “If he is one of them, where has he been?”

  “He’s not part of the cult like you were, Clem. He’s more of a w
orker behind the scenes. There are dozens of them.”

  “I know. So what do I do?”

  “Let me phone my friend and see what we can set up.”

  My insides were quaking. I knew they wouldn’t kill Jane; they wanted me to do it. Yet even as I knew she would stay alive, I still had no idea how badly she would be hurt. If something goes wrong, they may decide to torture her to death anyway.

  “What?” I heard Walter yelp.

  I strained to listen to the person on the other end but couldn’t.

  “Where?” he asked. “Yes, but I don’t know how we can—” He paused after being interrupted. “Yes. Dorian. How could you not know?” He sighed.

  Luna whispered something.

  “What?” I turned to look at her and could tell she was trying not to cry.

  “I’m so sorry,” she muttered.

  I embraced her. “It isn’t your fault.”

  I couldn’t blame Luna, could I? I had the nagging feeling of wanting to. I did leave Jane in her care after all. But this was The Sevren’s doing. I understood better than anyone how clever and cunning they could be.

  I tuned in to Walter again.

  “Well, we have to do something.” He sighed. “Yes, okay, but Alex is one of them. We can’t trust him.”

  Alex—my brother. I had completely forgotten about my own brother. I halted my thoughts, reminding myself he was not my brother. But I had loved him as if he were and protected him from Abraham. Maybe he would help me.

  “Yes, I know that!” Walter yelled. “But again, just because Alex said so doesn’t make it true. Just…do something for her. If you believe he wants to help—”

  He was interrupted again. “Tell her…tell her James asked him to.”

  Asked him to do what?

  “Here?” he asked. “Yes, that will be fine.”

  He hung up the phone.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. “What does your friend know?”

  “My friend is a fool,” he growled.

  “What happened?”

  “He’s the one who kidnapped Jane.”

  “What?” I shouted. “Why?”

  “He felt he needed to protect her from you and at the same time get some inside information on The Sevren.”

  “Then why in hell does Dorian have her?”

  He sighed. “He handed her over to Dorian, not knowing he was one of them.”

  I turned away, covering my face with my hands. “What do we do?”

  “Ian is on his way here now,” Walter said. “We are going to try to figure something out together.”

  “What did you tell him I asked for?”

  “I told him to tell Alex you asked him to do something for her.”

  I nodded. “I would have.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not sure where she is,” Ian started, “but I have a feeling she isn’t hidden well.”

  “Then you don’t know Abraham,” I said.

  He chuckled. “James…where did Abraham tell you to meet him?”

  “At his house…”

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “I said not well hidden. I’m very sure she is well guarded.”

  “So how do we get to her,” Walter started, “if she is so well guarded?”

  I felt Luna grip my shoulder, and I touched her hand.

  “It doesn’t seem fair that this is up to you,” she said. “It’s my fault this happened.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Ian hissed. “I’m the idiot who took her.”

  I literally bit my tongue to refrain from saying something to him that might make things worse. Such as stating that he was an irresponsible, incompetent, idiot who may very well have murdered the woman I loved. I didn’t think that would help matters. I sighed heavily at these thoughts, and the tension in the room thickened among the maddening silence.

  “Dorian has to leave some time,” I said, breaking the stillness that was tugging at me.

  Ian nodded. “Wait for his arrogance to get the best of him.”

  “Yeah!” Walter shouted. “Because we obviously have the time. I’m sure Jane is fine in the comfort and care of The Sevren.”

  “Oh, stop,” Luna stifled. “Just listen to each other rather than snapping at each other.”

  Walter put his hand up. “Then enlighten us.”

  Ian nodded, his blue eyes tense and focused. “Once The Sevren are sure you aren’t giving in to the will of Abraham, they will become sure that a rescue won’t be happening.”

  “They will kill her by then,” I said. “Once they realize they can’t make me do it, they will do it themselves.”

  “Yes, but they will kill you along with her, and in order to do that, they have to find you,” he answered.

  “So…we rescue her when Dorian and Abraham aren’t looking?”

  He nodded.

  Something about that just seemed a little bit too easy. Perhaps things didn’t have to be as difficult as I had convinced myself they would be. After all, it isn’t like The Sevren were gifted with super-human abilities no matter how often it seemed they were. I decided to leave things up to Ian and Walter and hope that things would work out.

  I decided a walk sounded nice as usual. I stepped outside, instantly feeling the moisture from the approaching rain. I pulled my jacket over my stomach and just enjoyed the setting sun. I headed down the streets again and not through the woods. I glanced at Jane’s house as I passed, realizing she wasn’t there. It made me almost nauseated. I began feeling that familiar self-loathing from what had happened to her and what could still happen to her. It was all because of me.

  I pried my eyes away from her house, almost painfully, and forced my legs to keep moving. Before I had even moved five feet, I was startled by the sound of my name. I turned around and didn’t see Mike as I expected. Someone yelled again, and I realized that he was calling me “Aidan.” I didn’t recognize his voice.

  “Aidan,” he said again, catching up to me, breathing heavily.

  Oh God. Rudy. Perfect.

  “Where the hell is Jane?” he demanded.

  “What?”

  “Don’t play games!” he shouted, pointing an angry finger toward my chest and narrowing his eyes in resentment to my denial. “I know you did something to her!”

  I sighed and backed away from him. “Something’s happened. I know I don’t need to explain myself to you, considering you already know about me.”

  “Damn right!” he interrupted.

  “Oh, please, Rudy,” I said curtly. “I’m human for God’s sake, but something I got into by mistake has put Jane in grave danger, so do me a favor and shut up so I can explain.” Why was I telling him anything? For some reason, I felt I had to.

  “She’s been taken—kidnapped by one of The Sevren’s assassins. Probably the most dangerous of them all.”

  His turquoise eyes widened, and I was unsure what emotion had caused it. His breathing quickened.

  “My God, Summers…” His voice was frail.

  “We are going to save her,” I said. “I swear.”

  “Who is ‘we?’”

  “Me,” I started, “and my friend Ian.” I obviously had to leave Walter out.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” he demanded. “I’m coming with you.”

  It took everything in me not to laugh. “No offense, Rudy, but this isn’t a fieldtrip.”

  “Shut up,” he spat. “I love her, you fool! I’m not leaving everything up to you. I’m coming with you!”

  He put angry pauses between his words, and the look on his face told me he was just about as stubborn as I was. I sighed. Maybe he could help. Of course not. He would end up killed, and then I would have to face Walter.

  “No! Rudy, it’s just too dangerous.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you say,” he demanded. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Rudy—”

  “My dad is a cop, you know. Don’t make me bring him into this.”

  Damn. He was better than I
thought.

  “Fine,” I hissed. “But you have to do as I say, all right?”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me!” I yelled. “You have to listen to me if you want to stay alive.”

  “Does that mean I have to trust you?”

  “No. Not entirely, nor do you have to like me, but at least…try to do a bit of both.”

  He nodded reluctantly. “Don’t count on it.”

  I felt a flicker of annoyance cross my face but fought it off. This was a bad idea.

  “Where is she?” Rudy asked, his face appearing slightly composed and still, which surprised me by the way he had just been so agitated and angry only seconds ago.

  I tried to be honest. I hated being forced to lie. “She’s here in North Bend, but I'm not sure exactly where she is being kept. That’s what Ian is helping us with.”

  “Is she okay?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. They won’t kill her. That much I am sure of. It’s sort of against the rules. They want me to do it.”

  His face flashed with an unbalanced fury but subsided before he said anything. “Oh, well, I feel much better now.” His sarcasm turned to anger. “I knew you were one of them.”

  I bowed my head. “I’m not, Rudy. I used to be, and that’s why I am in so much trouble. The Sevren don’t take betrayal well.”

  “I can imagine.” His face shifted, and his eyes locked onto mine. “Wait… Do you know anything about—?”

  I raised my hand, shaking my head. “I don’t. I don’t know anything about your grandfather.” Forced to lie anyway.

  He bowed his head. “Jane?”

  I nodded. “Yes. She told me about his disappearance after she went to talk to you.”

  “And you don’t know anything?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “All right,” he said. “Let’s get started then. Save Jane.”

  I smiled at the childlike way he loved her. It was almost endearing. I couldn’t say no to him now. Even though he was one of the most obnoxious people I had ever had to deal with, he certainly wasn’t one of the worst.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “It’s impossible!” I heard him yell.

  I instantly threw on some mismatched clothes and raced to the living room.