Dark Descent (Vampire Hunter Book 5)

by S. C. Reynolds

  The thought sent chills down my spine. How had I turned from an innocent, sixteen-year-old girl, into this? A murderer. Even if it was just vampires, monsters. And even if they deserved it. Hell, what I did was self-defense. But it still felt weird. I was changing yet again and I wasn’t sure what I was becoming.

  Pieces of dried blood fell off of my face and arms as the warm water ran over my skin. I watched them go down the drain – gone forever. The last pieces of Thomas and Bartholomew.

  I continued scrubbing my skin long after the blood was gone. I wanted to feel clean again. But I wasn’t sure what that would take. Finally, I turned off the water, dried my body and pulled Lucas’ t-shirt over my head.

  Like the last one, it looked ridiculously huge on me. But maybe I could tie a knot in the back, to pull in some of the extra material. Then it might pass for a t-shirt dress.

  I tied the knot and stepped back, trying to see as much of my body as possible in the small mirror over the sink. It wasn’t a great look, but it wasn’t terrible either. I could pull it off without my mom thinking I was wearing Lucas’ clothes again. I didn’t have a brush, so I ran my fingers through my wet hair and hoped it wouldn’t dry in a tangled mess.

  “Any change?” I asked Lucas as I stepped outside the bathroom.

  He shook his head. “I gave Henry the second dose of the antidote a few minutes ago.”

  “Really?” I asked in surprise. “It’s already been an hour?” I walked to the couch and perched on the armrest, next to Henry. The blood on the floor was probably dried by now, but I didn’t want to sit in it.

  “Yes, you were in the shower for a long time,” he answered.

  “I couldn’t get rid of the icky feeling from all that blood,” I admitted. “Lucas…” My voice trailed off.

  “Yes?” he prompted.

  “You’re a seasoned hunter. Does it get better? How do you ever feel clean? Do you always come home drenched in blood and guts?”

  “It’s true that not all creatures die the same. Some are messier than others.” He shrugged. “I’ve been doing it so long now, I just don’t think about it anymore. If you were to start hunting, you’d become immune to it very fast. But that’s not going to happen,” he added quickly.

  “It seems to be what everyone thinks I’m fated to do,” I muttered.

  “If you were out there hunting day in and day out, I’d go crazy with anxiety. I’d probably take a stake to my own heart,” he joked. “But you’ve proven that you can take care of yourself,” Lucas added.

  “Except I was a minute too slow to act,” I said morosely.

  “Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Lucas said softly. “Without you, Henry would be a vampire now, loyal to Bartholomew forever.”

  I shuddered.

  “Henry will have to stay here tonight,” Lucas said, changing the subject. “Can you text his parents, make up something about spending the night at a friend’s house?”

  “Good thinking. My head’s so fucked right now I would have completely forgotten.”

  I reached over and grabbed Henry’s phone, which was sticking out of his jean pocket. “It’s locked, and I don’t know his passcode,” I told Lucas. “Now what?”

  “That’s not a problem. Be right back.” Lucas went into his bedroom and returned with what looked like a piece of plastic. I handed him Henry’s phone. Lucas pressed the device against the front of the phone for a couple of seconds. “Unlocked now,” he said, holding up the phone to show me.

  “You have the strangest gadgets,” I said, shaking my head. I took the phone from Lucas. It felt a little funny scrolling through Henry’s texts, but what choice did I have?

  The most recent text was from Bunny. Ugh. It was unread. I forced myself not to look at it. How annoying. What does she do, wake up on a Saturday morning and start texting him? Planning their day together? Henry had said he was playing basketball. Maybe he was lying to me as much as I was lying to him.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.

  “Nothing.” I quickly typed a message to Henry’s mom. I’m planning to stay at Tad’s tonight. I hesitated before hitting send. Did I have to ask for permission? Hell, Henry was 17 now. Almost an adult. I sent the message and set Henry’s phone down next to him on the couch, so I could see if his mom responded.

  Almost immediately, she texted back: Thanks for letting me know. Have fun!

  Of course Henry’s mom didn’t care. He had never given anyone a reason to doubt him. He was the nicest, most loyal and trustworthy person I had ever known.

  I leaned forward, placed my elbows on my legs and rested my head in my hands.

  Now, we just had to wait.

  Chapter 6

  Lucas had just given Henry the fourth dose when there was a knock on the door.

  “Must be Nic,” Lucas said. “He can take you home now.”

  But when the door swung open, it wasn’t Nicholas standing there. It was Emmett.

  “Emmett!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing,” he said, walking into the room.

  It wasn’t until he had come several steps in that he noticed Henry. “What’s happened?” he asked in panic. Emmett ran forward to Henry. “The blood!” he screamed. “Is that Henry’s? Is he okay?”

  “Calm down,” Lucas ordered him. “You have to keep your voice low. I have neighbors now.”

  “Henry is sick,” I said. “But it’s not his blood. It’s Bartholomew’s and Thomas’ blood.”

  Emmett’s knees buckled and he started to pitch forward. Lucas reached out to stop him from falling.

  “You need to sit down,” Lucas said. He helped lower the still shaken Emmett to the floor, away from the bloody mess I’d left.

  Emmett was breathing heavily, rapidly. I’d never seen anyone have a panic attack before. “It’s okay, Emmett,” I said gently. “At least, it’s going to be okay,” I amended. I hope.

  Lucas left the room and returned with a glass of water and a pillow. He wedged the pillow behind Emmett’s back so that he could comfortably lean against the wall. Emmett took a sip of water. His breathing, although not normal, was less frenzied now.

  Emmett’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He looked like a man on the edge. I had seen him stressed out before, but this was the worst it had ever been.

  I’m killing him, I thought sadly. But this was a slow death, one where he was plagued by images he didn’t understand, burdened by the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “Emmett, are you okay?” I finally whispered.

  He looked at me and ran his fingers through his hair – his greasy hair. It was then that I noticed Emmett was in the same outfit as yesterday. He was so screwed up – because of me – that he hadn’t even showered.

  Despite the fact that Emmett and I didn’t always get along, I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had ruined someone’s life. And that’s exactly what I’d done.

  Finally, Emmett spoke, but he didn’t answer my question. “What happened to Henry?” he asked quietly.

  “We were trapped by the twins,” I explained. “Henry didn’t realize the spell to keep them away was only temporary. We went to Night Owl so we could talk and Henry could get breakfast, and they locked us in the place. It was a setup. They were listening to our calls and knew where we were going. You’ve been right all along about not talking on the phone.”

  “What happened next?” Emmett asked. His face was expressionless.

  “At first we thought they were going to kill Henry, but Bartholomew was actually planning to turn him. They wanted a warlock on their side. Knew he would be their brother – eternally loyal – if they made him a vampire,” I continued.

  “Bartholomew bit Henry and something happened to me; something inside of me changed. I can’t explain it. Suddenly I had the strength to break out of the ropes,” I said. “I smashed a chair and killed them both.”

  Emmett’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

/>   “Bartholomew didn’t get a chance to take enough blood to make Henry a vampire, but he’s been poisoned from the bite. We won’t know if the antidote has worked until tomorrow morning,” Lucas explained. “He may or may not recover,” he added grimly.

  “Okay,” Emmett said slowly. He leaned back into the pillow and closed his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I asked again.

  “I haven’t slept, in case you can’t tell. I know that you met with Magnus last night,” Emmett said.

  “How?” I asked. “Never mind,” I said, shaking my head. It wasn’t important. And I had never understood Emmett’s psychic ability that well, anyway.

  “I came here to talk to you about a plan, a way to deal with Magnus,” Emmett said.

  “That’s great, Emmett!” I responded encouragingly. “But how did you know I was with Lucas?”

  “I didn’t,” he replied. “But going to your parent’s house wasn’t a stellar idea. They’d probably call the police if a thirty-six year old man showed up on their doorstep asking to see their seventeen year old daughter.”

  “That’s true.” I snickered.

  “So I came to Lucas’ apartment instead.” Emmett shook his head. “I’m just really pissed off at myself. I should have seen this coming. If I hadn’t been so caught up in dealing with the whole King of Hell situation, I would have been able to sense that the twins were after you.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said earnestly. “How were you to know? Your psychic abilities are real – I’ve seen it over and over again – but you can’t kick yourself for missing one tiny thing. Especially when you were totally engrossed with Magnus.”

  Emmett shot me a grateful look. “I appreciate your support, Aurora. But regardless,” he said, “I could have stopped this. I shouldn’t have assumed we were safe from the twins because of the spell. If Henry dies I will never forgive myself.”

  “I won’t forgive myself, either,” I whispered. Even if he lives.

  “What did you find out about Magnus?” Lucas asked.

  Emmett didn’t immediately answer. He struggled to stand up. Lucas reached out his hand. Emmett grabbed it, letting Lucas pull him to his feet. He still seemed shaky.

  Emmett motioned for us to come into the kitchen. Lucas’ apartment was small; Henry was only a few feet away.

  “Can Henry hear us?” Emmett hissed, once the three of us were in the kitchen.

  “I don’t know,” Lucas replied in a low voice. “Why? What’s up?”

  “We can’t talk here, if there’s any chance he can hear us,” Emmett whispered.

  “Then where?” I asked.

  “I can drive around.” Emmett turned to Lucas. “I assume you have to stay with Henry. Can you get in touch with Nicholas? I’d like for at least one of you to hear this.”

  “He’s cleaning up the mess at the diner,” Lucas responded. “He’ll be back here after.”

  Emmett nodded. “Let’s wait for him then.”

  We sat in silence, all watching Henry, until Nicholas finally arrived at the apartment.

  “Any change?” he asked as soon as he came into the room. “Oh, Emmett. You’re here. I didn’t know you were coming over.”

  Emmett smiled wanly. “I need to talk to you and Aurora. Alone.” He motioned towards Henry.

  “His breathing is stronger,” Lucas said, answering Nicholas’ original question. “He still looks like he has a fever, though. And I doubt the fever will break until the middle of the night, if we’re lucky.”

  “How did it go?” I asked Nicholas nervously.

  “All cleaned up. They slit the owner’s throat with a kitchen knife. I left that part of the crime scene alone, got rid of the vampire bodies and blood. I also brought Henry’s car back. It’s parked outside. There’s no evidence left of what really happened,” he assured me.

  “What did you do with the bodies?” I questioned.

  “Burned them. That’s what took me so long.” Nicholas turned his attention to Emmett. “You look….tired. I’ll drive. Where are we headed?”

  “I don’t care,” Emmett replied.

  “Before you go, I have a phone for you. It’s secure,” Lucas said. He handed Emmett a cell phone just like the one he’d given me last night.

  “You’re certain no one can listen in on it?” Emmett sounded skeptical.

  “Positive,” Lucas said.

  “Promise me you’ll call if anything changes with Henry? Even if it’s bad news?” I asked Lucas.

  “Of course.” Lucas walked us to the door. “One of you can fill me in on the plan tomorrow. After Henry goes home.” Lucas forced a smile.

  “Bye,” I whispered, and followed Emmett and Nicholas to the car.

  Chapter 7

  I got into the back seat and Emmett sat in the front. “Are you hungry?” Nicholas asked Emmett. “I could drive you somewhere, get some food.”

  “Food,” Emmett repeated blankly. “I can’t remember when I last ate. I’m not hungry, though, thanks. But you know what I would like? A stiff drink.”

  I could see Nicholas’ worried expression in the rearview mirror. “Um, okay,” he said. “It’s kind of early in the day…” his voice trailed off.

  “Don’t lecture me,” Emmett said. “I was never even a drinker until this.”

  Great, on top of everything else, I’m turning him into an alcoholic.

  Nicholas drove to a bar a couple of blocks away. The lot was nearly empty. “This should do,” he said.

  We walked inside the dimly lit bar and headed for a booth in the corner. I looked around nervously, half expecting it to be another trap. But there were people here. And a bartender. And besides, with the twins dead there was no other imminent threat. At least, I didn’t think there was.

  “I’ll have a bourbon and Coke,” Emmett said when the waitress came over.

  She looked at Nicholas and me suspiciously. “If you two are drinking, I’ll need your IDs.”

  “I’m not,” I said. “Just water for me.”

  “And me, too,” Nicholas chimed in.

  When the waitress left, I told Nicholas about the meeting with Magnus last night so that he was up to speed.

  “And you knew about this, without talking to Aurora or Lucas?” Nicholas asked Emmett.

  He nodded. “Yes, and I was up all night thinking about it. I have a plan. It’s risky, but if it works we’ll have at least some of our problems solved.

  His drink arrived. “You can go ahead and bring another,” he told the waitress. She gave him an odd look and walked off.

  Emmett downed the drink in one long gulp. He leaned his head against the back of the booth and closed his eyes. “Ah, that’s better.”

  Was he up all night drinking? Maybe that’s why his eyes are so bloodshot.

  Nicholas and I exchanged concerned glances.

  The waitress set down Emmett’s second bourbon and Coke. I was relieved that this time he sipped the drink.

  “Okay, so here’s what we know,” Emmett said. “Leon had you killed because of the whole demon killer prophecy. We also know that Tobias put the protective order on your life, because he thinks you’re going to win this war for him.”

  I nodded.

  “What we don’t know,” he continued, “is how you were resurrected and who put the order out to have you re-killed. When you first met Lucas, and he was supposed to send you back to your grave.” He paused and took another drink.

  “Right,” I whispered.

  “When Lucas found out that David Matthews was a warlock, David was working to have you killed as well. But who was he working with?” Emmett asked.

  “It wasn’t Tobias. He said in the meeting we went to that he didn’t put the order out to kill Aurora,” Nicholas said.

  Emmett snapped his fingers. “Exactly. And that’s what I figured out last night, what spawned this plan of mine.”

  “Who was it?” I asked. With all that was happening, I hadn’t given much thought to who was behind the ord
er to re-kill the living dead girl.

  “It was Leon,” Emmett replied. “Which makes sense. He had you killed once, then found out you were back, so he immediately put out an order to kill you again. And Matthews was trying to figure out a way to make it happen.”

  “Meanwhile,” Emmett continued, “Tobias was hatching his own plan to annihilate humans, which includes opening the Gates of Hell and unleashing all of the monsters living there. He wants total chaos. Tobias is delusional enough to think that if he kills the humans he can persuade every supernatural being to worship him. He’s greedy. Controlling earth isn’t good enough for him. He plans to bring Hell to earth and become the ultimate ruler.”

  Emmett paused as the waitress came over. “You guys want to order any food?” she asked, eyeing Emmett’s empty drink and our untouched waters.

  “No food,” Emmett said. “But I’ll have another. This time make it a double.”

  Nicholas and I were sitting across from Emmett in the booth. Nicholas pushed his water glass towards Emmett. “Drink some water,” he suggested.

  “I’m fine,” Emmett snapped. “Besides, I’m not driving. What’s it to you if I have a few drinks?”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Nicholas commented, ignoring Emmett’s question. “Leon and Tobias have two completely different agendas. Who is Matthews really working with?”

  “Precisely! David is playing both sides.” Emmett leaned back in the booth. He was starting to finally look relaxed, but unfortunately he was also starting to sound tipsy.

  “What’s really in it for Matthews to be the only human on earth with a bunch of supernatural creatures and an insane ruler? With no government in place, it would be complete anarchy. Right now, the hunters like you and Lucas keep the crazy, law-breaking beings in check. There are repercussions for breaking the rules,” Emmett said.

  “So why is he pretending to be Tobias’ loyal ally, if he’s really supporting Leon?” I asked.

  “He’s planning to double cross Tobias. Matthews is actually conditioning the army to obey him, not Tobias. Then, he’ll give Tobias to Leon.”

  “Why do both Magnus and Leon want Tobias in Hell so badly?” I asked. “What’s so special about him?”