Dark Descent (Vampire Hunter Book 5)

by S. C. Reynolds

  Emmett leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. “And you know what I’ve started thinking recently?” he asked me, eyes still closed.

  “What?”

  “I believed that, after Rachel died, there was no purpose, no reason to keep on living without her,” Emmett said. “And now, I’m starting to realize that this must be my purpose. I was obviously drawn here to be a part of something big. I’m not saying it makes losing Rachel any less painful, but maybe this is my destiny.”

  “I thought that if I focused on the problem with Magnus,” he continued, “and put all of my energy and concentration towards it, that this year’s anniversary wouldn’t be so bad. And it was a distraction. But not in a good way. It clouded my mind – I feel certain that if this were any other day, I would have sensed that you and Henry were in trouble.”

  “It’s okay,” I said quietly. “And I have to believe that Henry is going to recover.” My voice hardened. “There’s no other option.”

  “When I walked into Lucas’ apartment and saw Henry lying there, all I could think was that he was going to die on the same day as Rachel. It almost sent me into hysterics,” Emmett admitted.

  “Was that a psychic feeling or just a reaction?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

  “It wasn’t a premonition,” Emmett assured me. “It was an irrational thought by a grieving man.” Emmett paused. “But the plan I proposed – that was all too real – and I believe it’s the only way we can tackle this.”

  “Unfortunately, I know you’re right,” I said nervously. I was just about to add that I hoped Henry would be powerful enough soon so that we could hurry up and get it over with, but just then Nicholas arrived.

  He was carrying a big pizza box. “Emmett, you’re awake,” he said in surprise.

  “Yes, I still feel drunk but more than anything I feel like an idiot. And I’m not going to get sick; I’ll probably just pay for it with a nice big headache for the rest of the day.”

  “Well, I got you some human food. Maybe this will help.” Nicholas set the pizza box down on the table.

  I stifled a laugh. Human food.

  “Thanks,” Emmett said gratefully. He opened the box and took a slice out.

  “So what did I miss?” Nicholas asked.

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. What Emmett and I had discussed was personal. And it was his decision if he wanted to share that part of his life with anyone else.

  “Well, you look like you’re going to be okay, and I’m glad. If you don’t need me, Aurora and I should hit the road,” Nicholas told Emmett.

  “Yes, I’ve taken up enough of your day already. Check on Henry. Tell Lucas the full plan, and give Henry the details he needs to know, when he gets better,” Emmett said.

  You mean if he gets better.

  “I haven’t heard from Lucas,” I said worriedly.

  “I’m sure Henry’s the same,” Nicholas assured me. “Lucas would tell you if something had changed, even if it was bad news. Trust me.”

  I stood up to leave. “Bye, Emmett,” I said.

  “Yeah, see you later, man. Actually, it will probably be sooner rather than later,” Nicholas corrected himself.

  Emmett gave us a slight wave as we left.

  Now it was time to check on Henry. But why was Lucas being so weird about me staying at his apartment? Usually, he liked my company. Even Nicholas had backed him up when Lucas said I couldn’t wait it out with Henry.

  They were keeping something from me, and I was going to find out what.

  Chapter 10

  Nicholas insisted on taking me home even though I begged him to let me go check on Henry. “Lucas has it under control,” was all he would say.

  I was stuck back at my house, waiting. I had texted Lucas but all he said about Henry’s condition was that we’d know tomorrow morning.

  It was beyond frustrating. So when my dad knocked on my bedroom door and offered to take me for a driving lesson, I jumped at the chance.

  “We were thinking of getting your mom a new car and giving you hers,” he’d told me. “And you’re seventeen now. You don’t want to keep relying on your friends to take you everywhere.”

  My two friends? Well, four if you counted Nicholas and Emmett.

  “You’ll probably need a car when you go away to college,” he had added. I’d pretended I didn’t hear him.

  For the next couple of hours, I drove around the empty parking lot of my school. Dad seemed surprised that I was so comfortable driving the car. I had been forced to drive Lucas’ car under extreme stress when the twins had given him human blood, so I already kind of knew what I was doing.

  Dad wouldn’t let me go out on the road since I didn’t technically have my license, or even my permit yet. “A couple more times practicing and you should be ready to take the test,” he said when we were headed home.

  “Sounds good. Thanks for taking the time to teach me,” I told him.

  “I’m never too busy for you. Is…everything okay, Aurora?” Dad asked.

  “What do you mean?” I said, even though I knew exactly what he meant. I had been distant with my entire family since I came back.

  I could tell that my dad was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “I know you’ve always been closer to your mother than to me, so I haven’t been as concerned about how quiet you are, about the hours you spend in your room every day. But your mom mentioned that you barely speak to her anymore.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said, trying to make my voice sound normal. “She’s being paranoid. We talk all the time! I’m just really into high school, reconnecting with all my old friends.” Yeah, right.

  Relief washed over my dad’s face. “Great! You should bring your friends over sometime. Or maybe your mother could take you all out shopping one day. Or have a girls’ spa day?”

  “Maybe,” I said noncommittally.

  Mom wasn’t getting answers, so she asked Dad to snoop.

  But it was okay. Much as I loved my dad, he wasn’t nearly as clued in as Mom. It was easier to field his questions. He took whatever I said at face value.

  When we got back to the house, my mother was waiting, wanting to know how my driving lesson went.

  “It was great!” I said enthusiastically before running up the stairs to my bedroom.

  When I reached the door of my room, I paused to see if I could hear my parents speaking.

  “She said she’s fine,” my dad said in a low voice. I strained to listen.

  “She tells me that every time I try to talk to her, too.” Mom was speaking now. “But you saw how she ran up to her room. She wouldn’t have said a word if I hadn’t asked her how the lesson went!”

  “I think you’re overreacting, Audrey. She’s a normal teenage girl. It was inevitable that she was going to become more independent, less interested in spending time with her parents.”

  Thanks, Dad.

  “Well, I’m not going to back down on this.” Mom’s voice again.

  Shit.

  “I think we should consider therapy – family or individual – Aurora’s choice.”

  That doesn’t sound good.

  Ugh. I would worry about it later. Right now, I was way too stressed out about Henry. If he pulled through, I’d try to focus on rebuilding my relationship with my family. And if he didn’t…well, losing my best friend would surely make my mom back off.

  I continued into my room, not interested in the rest of my parent’s conversation. For the umpteenth time, I checked my phones – the secure one and my regular phone. No messages on either. And it was only six p.m.! How the hell was I going to make it until tomorrow morning?

  But I knew I didn’t have a choice. Whatever his reasons were for keeping me away, I had to trust Lucas. He would do everything to make sure Henry recovered from this. Right?

  Chapter 11

  It wasn’t until five the next morning that Lucas called me. I answered the phone, which I had been clutching the entire nigh
t, immediately.

  “Lucas, please tell me you have good news,” I hissed.

  “I have good news.” Lucas sounded exhausted. “Henry’s going to be okay, Aurora.”

  I resisted the urge to squeal and jump up and down. I didn’t want to wake my family. “That’s wonderful!” I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice down. “When can I see him? Is he awake?”

  “He’s drifting in and out of sleep. Mumbling some, but I can’t understand what he’s saying. The fever has broken, and he’s getting more and more lucid with each dose of the antidote,” Lucas said.

  “Thank you so much,” I said. I was drowning in relief. This was the best news I could ever have hoped for! Henry was going to survive.

  “Can I come see him now?” I asked.

  “Won’t your parents wonder where you went at the crack of dawn?” Lucas countered. “Besides, I can’t come pick you up. I have to stay with Henry. He would probably be alright alone for a little while, but I don’t feel comfortable trying that yet.”

  “No, I agree,” I said. “I could run there – super fast.”

  “Absolutely not.” Lucas voice was firm; he wasn’t going to budge.

  “The twins are dead, remember? And I killed them. Haven’t I proven I can take care of myself?” I really wanted to see Henry, to hug him and tell him how sorry I was for almost getting him turned into a vampire.

  “Sorry, Rory. Remember what I told you about taking risks? I have no doubt you can fend for yourself, but that would be a stupid risk. I’m not just being protective; I’m being smart. I’m still around, after all these years, because I stopped taking stupid risks. I can’t guarantee you aren’t being watched or followed. All I can guarantee is that your calls are no longer being monitored.”

  “Fine,” I said. “What time can you pick me up then?”

  “Not for a few hours. Just try to relax. I’ll call you when I can come and get you.” And with that, Lucas hung up the phone.

  I resisted the urge to throw my phone across the room. Lucas could be so annoying sometimes. And then an idea started to form in my mind.

  I had shown my father that I was a good driver yesterday afternoon. He’d been surprised by how quickly I’d gotten used to the pedals and the way the car reacted. I could take Mom’s car, drive to Lucas’ so I could see for myself that Henry was almost recovered, and get back here before anyone else was awake. It was a great plan. And surely Lucas couldn’t say I’d taken a “stupid risk” if I were in a car. I’d be protected.

  Pleased with my idea, I crept downstairs to turn off the house alarm. My parent’s car keys were hanging on a small hook by the door. I grabbed my mom’s and quietly exited the house.

  I was a little concerned that someone might hear me start the car, but there was nothing to do about it. My mom was already adding up all of the reasons to send me to therapy; what would one more matter?

  I started the car, put it in reverse and lightly tapped the gas. At least, I thought it was light. The car lurched backwards. I slammed on the brakes and was jolted forward when the car abruptly stopped.

  Come on, Aurora. You can do this.

  It wasn’t so bad, actually, once I got the hang of it. I reversed out of the driveway and headed to Lucas’ apartment, being very careful not to speed (even though I really wanted to). Driving without a license was a straight trip to juvenile detention. Or maybe to the police station downtown. I didn’t know which, and I wasn’t anxious to find out.

  I would simply knock on the door and surprise Lucas; surely he wouldn’t turn me away.

  “Aurora, what the hell are you doing here?” he exclaimed when he opened the door. “I told you not to walk here! I thought I could trust you. Are you asking for something else bad to happen? Haven’t you had enough after yesterday?”

  He ushered me inside the apartment. “I borrowed my mom’s car,” I said. “It’s cool. I’ve had a bunch of lessons. I just forgot to tell you.”

  Lucas looked at me suspiciously. “And your mom knows you borrowed her car?”

  I didn’t answer. I was too busy studying Henry. I sat down on the floor, briefly registering that Lucas had in fact gotten all of the blood out of the carpet. “Henry,” I whispered. His color had almost returned to normal, and his breathing was strong.

  “His fever is gone,” Lucas said. “That’s why I knew he was going to be okay.”

  “Thanks for letting me know,” I replied. “And I’m sorry to barge in like this; I just had to see for myself.”

  “How was your, um, meeting earlier?” Lucas asked.

  “Unbelievable,” I said. “Emmett got drunk, for starters.”

  “What?” Lucas asked in disbelief. He laughed. “I guess he needed some serious stress relief. He’s okay now?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t say anything about Rachel or the real reason Emmett was drinking.

  Lucas walked into the kitchen and motioned for me to follow him. “Can you tell me what Emmett said?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Some of it,” I replied. “I should warn you, you’re not going to like this new plan of his. But even Nicholas agreed it was the only way.”

  “What dangerous thing does it involve you doing this time?” he asked warily.

  “We have to set a trap. Emmett says we can push Tobias and Magnus into Hell, then seal the Gates of Hell shut. Forever.”

  “That won’t work,” Lucas said immediately. “There’s no way to seal the gates.”

  “Nicholas said the same thing. But Emmett swears that Henry can do it,” I replied.

  “What can Henry do?” came a weak voice from the couch.

  “Henry!” I exclaimed, rushing to his side. His eyes were open, but he looked out of it.

  “Aurora,” he said. He reached his hand out towards me and ran his fingers lightly over my arm.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I told him. “Don’t try to talk. Just rest. We can fill you in on everything later.”

  “I was bitten, wasn’t I?” Henry asked, still stroking my arm. “Am I a vampire?”

  “No,” I said with a nervous laugh. “But you almost were.”

  “Who saved me?” Henry wanted to know.

  “Aurora did,” Lucas said. He had come out of the kitchen and was standing by the couch.

  “How?” Henry asked.

  “I’ll fill you in on all the gory details later. Right now, you need to rest,” I said.

  “And you,” Henry said to Lucas, “you were giving me shots, right?”

  “Yes, you were poisoned by the bite, and the antidote is what saved you,” Lucas replied.

  “Thank you,” Henry whispered. His eyelids fluttered. He was struggling to keep his eyes open.

  “Please, rest,” I said again. But I didn’t need to talk him into it. I could tell by his breathing that Henry had drifted back to sleep.

  “How does Emmett propose we send them both to Hell?” Lucas asked, getting back to our conversation.

  I explained that I’d have to meet with Tobias, carefully leaving out all references to Henry’s father, just in case he could hear us.

  “I don’t like the sound of this,” Lucas said. “There has to be another way.”

  “Oh, Tobias is an idiot. He’ll be easy to talk to,” I said nonchalantly.

  Lucas gave me a look like I’d just grown another head. “An idiot, yes,” he conceded. “But a powerful idiot.”

  “Well, there’s no other way,” I said defiantly.

  Lucas walked to the opposite end of the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. Instead, he lowered himself to the floor and stretched his long legs out, leaning his back against the wall.

  “I give up,” he said. Lucas looked exhausted. But of course he had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours. It was easy to forget the impact of no sleep.

  “What do you mean?” I demanded.

  “Do what you like!” Lucas said irritably. He closed his eyes.

  “I’d like for you to support me,
” I shot back.

  “Really, Aurora, I’m too tired to argue. I hate this idea, but I don’t have another solution, either. I know if – when – we go through with the plan, I can’t be there to protect you. At least when you went to Tobias’ meeting, I knew Nicholas would keep you safe. And when we met with Magnus, I was there.”

  “If you’ve got another idea, then I’m all ears,” I said quietly. “Otherwise, I have to do this. The fate of the world kind of depends on it.”

  Lucas gave me a sad smile. “You should go home, before your mom realizes you, um, borrowed, her car.”

  “My parents are already pissed at me. What’s one more thing? You look like you could use some rest. Why not let me take care of Henry while you sleep?” I suggested.

  “No, he still needs a couple more doses of the antidote.”

  “I can do it,” I offered. “I gave myself that shot before the meeting. Needles don’t bother me…anymore.”

  “No,” Lucas repeated. “I’m going to see this through. Stay if you want – if you think you won’t be in deep shit with your parents – or go home. The choice is yours.”

  “Well, even though my parents are being a real pain, it could get worse,” I admitted. “Like if they ground me. Can you imagine if Magnus tried to arrange another meeting and I couldn’t go because I was grounded? ‘I’m sorry, former King of Hell, I can’t meet you because my parents have forbidden me to leave the house,’” I said in a mock serious voice.

  We both laughed. It was so insane, so ridiculous.

  “I guess I’ll go then,” I said reluctantly.

  “Do you feel comfortable driving home?” Lucas asked.

  “Yeah,” I replied.

  Lucas pulled himself up from his seat on the floor to walk me out. “I can come pick you up when Henry’s better,” he offered.

  “Thanks.” I turned to Lucas. “Tell me, why wouldn’t you let me stay here last night? And why did you and Nicholas need to talk privately?”