Dying To Be Heard (Book 1): Outcry

by Michiels, Jennifer

  Dr. Brennan finally glanced up long enough to make eye contact with her. “I am glad that at least one person benefitted from it,” he said quietly. “I was very disappointed to hear that it had all been destroyed; that is, until Harry called me and explained what happened.”

  Rayne’s eyes widened. “So you knew that he’d given my grandfather the formula?” she asked.

  He nodded. “A few days before he was killed, he contacted me and said that it had worked and that he’d found a buyer willing to pay a high price for it, and said that I should rightfully get part of it.” He shook his head. “I told him that I didn’t want any part of it, and within a few days, he was murdered.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, letting it all sink in. Finally, Dr. Brennan spoke. “Would you be willing to give a blood sample? It would be interesting to see how it has affected you on a cellular level after all these years.”

  Rayne immediately nodded. “Of course. It’s the least I could do after all the information you’ve given us.”

  A faint smile played at his lips. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 18

  Rayne sat on the decrepit couch in her tiny apartment’s living room, her laptop across her legs, and occasionally glanced at Camden as he paced near the windows and front door, peeking out ever so often.

  The two of them had discussed and debated all the new information at least a thousand times since they’d made it back to the familiar confines of her home a few hours ago. They’d bantered back and forth about this and that, trying to piece together the puzzle. She decided that the best way to do things was to give it a scientific approach, and resorted to her computer to type up a clear view of the timeline, however vague it might be.

  Chain of Events

  - Schultz and Brennan discover ancient tribe.

  - Research and take samples.

  - Develop the serum.

  - Brennan leaves project.

  - Government denies trials and orders everything destroyed.

  - Martin takes the serum and gives it to Rayne.

  - Camden approaches Schultz about a business proposition and reveals the existence of Vampires.

  - Schultz becomes greedy and seeks out other avenues.

  - Offers Brennan a slice of the profits.

  - Camden approaches Martin.

  - Schultz is killed.

  - Martin agrees to Camden’s proposition.

  - Fakes Martin’s death.

  - Martin lives in hiding with Camden for twenty years, somehow getting treated blood.

  Rayne grabbed her head and sighed. It was all too much. Looking at it all written down didn’t help clear it up at all. In fact, it only made her feel a little crazier.

  Camden sighed and finally moved away from the window to lean on the back of the couch and stare at the screen over her shoulder. “It just doesn’t add up.”

  Rayne nodded. It seemed as though the more information they gathered, the more confusing it all became.

  “If it wasn’t Brennan, then who else would have access to the blood?” he asked, more to himself than of her.

  She shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know, but obviously the people hunting us do,” she said quietly.

  She stared at the screen, rereading the information once again. “We need to know how these people found out about it.”

  Camden shrugged. “Schultz had to have told them. That’s the only way.”

  She nodded and placed the laptop on the couch before standing to pace the tiny living room in thought. “Ok. Say he did, and used my grandfather’s name as a successful client. That doesn’t tell me how they found out about me.”

  Camden clasped his hands and stared down at them. “Schultz probably mentioned that it was Martin’s granddaughter who was treated.”

  Rayne held up a finger. “Then why didn’t they come after me twenty years ago? Why did they wait until now to pursue me?”

  His face twisted in confusion as he realized that she was onto something. “You’re right. That doesn’t make any sense.” He stood and began pacing as he had before. “Something had to have happened or changed,” he paused, “but what?”

  They both racked their brains, trying to figure what had changed over the last few weeks.

  What was new? But nothing came to mind.

  The brainstorming duo was interrupted by the chirping of Camden’s cell phone. With lightning-quick reflexes, he reached into his pocket and brought it to his ear. He said nothing, only stared at the floor as he nodded. He gave a quick, “Ok,” and replaced it in his pocket.

  “That was Connor. They must have somehow known that we were onto them. They packed up shop.”

  Rayne nodded. Her mind was too busy trying to process everything else to really worry about anything taking place in Louisiana at the moment. Finally, she quit her pacing and grabbed her computer from the sofa. Closing the lid, she tucked it under her arm and sighed. All the mental exertion was giving her a headache. “Guess I’m going to head to bed.” A faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. “I know how Layla’s shopping trips can be. I’ll need all the rest I can get.”

  Camden straightened and studied her for a moment, trying to assess her emotions. He wasn’t sure why he even tried. She was the hardest person to read that he’d ever met. “Are you ok?” he asked quietly.

  Rayne pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I’m just suffering from brain overload.”

  He nodded and watched as she padded down the short hall and disappeared into her room. She didn’t bother to close the door behind her.

  This is all wrong.

  He typed out a quick text to Connor and sighed.

  The more we know, the less we thought we knew. How does that even make sense?

  He resumed his pacing and ran his hand through his short black hair. It’s a good thing that vampires didn’t need to sleep. There would be no chance of getting any rest now.

  Rayne dug through her bag, pulled out her grandfather’s old copy of, “The Iliad,” and threw back the covers on her bed. She crawled beneath them and snuggled in. As ratty as they may have been, she had to admit that it felt nice to be back in familiar territory. She just wanted to relax for a few minutes and forget all about everything else. Her brain needed some time to decompress.

  Wiggling around until she found a comfortable position, she opened the book and propped it against her knees as she folded them up to her chest. She rifled through the pages, inhaling the musty scent that wafted from the yellowed paper as the memory of her grandfather returned.

  It may have been twenty years since she’d last seen him, but the fondness she felt for him was still there. It was almost as if she could feel him sitting next to her, watching her just as she remembered.

  But he wasn’t there. She was alone, completely alone in a world where people wanted her captive, or worse, dead.

  Sure, Layla and Camden were there for her when she needed them, but it didn’t feel the same as having her mother or grandfather. There was nothing other than friendship holding them together, and an unsolved mystery for her and Camden. Who was to say that at any moment, either of them could decide they didn’t want the trouble that was following her around every corner and just up and leave. There was nothing stopping them, and it scared the hell out of her.

  Her mind drifted to the insanely beautiful vampire just a few feet away in her living room. As if this whole ordeal wasn’t enough, she also had to worry about him and what effect he was having on her. One moment, she was so attracted to him that it was nearly painful and she didn’t care what the potential consequences of pursuing him would be. The next, she was running because she was afraid of getting hurt. She was in over her head, and she knew it.

  Sighing to herself, she pushed all other thoughts to the back of her mind, and was about to flip to the page where she’d last left off, when something caught her eye. She opened the back cover, and a smile broke out across her face as she re
ad the scribbled message in her grandfather’s handwriting.

  Don’t live in fear of things that

  May never happen.

  A life like that, is not worth living.

  A tear rolled down her cheek and she half-laughed, half-sobbed at the hilarity of it. Martin Slade had last seen his granddaughter twenty years ago, when she was only five. He’d never met the adult Rayne, never saw her personality or her heart. Yet, somehow, it felt as though he were reaching through the years to send her a message, telling her that he did know her and who she had become.

  She stared blankly at the disintegrating binding of the cover and smiled. Slamming it shut, she placed it on the small table beside her bed. That was the little push she needed. Her mind was made up.

  How could he have known that?

  Turning out the lamp, she snuggled further into the covers. “Camden?” she called out.

  It was less than a second and he was standing at the doorway in all his shirtless, muscled glory. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyebrows creased in worry.

  The smile that she was holding back appeared in full force at the vision of him standing there. “Will you stay in here?” she asked quietly, almost fearing his answer.

  He stood silently for a moment and then sighed, running his fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Rayne hesitated, but nodded and gave a soft, “Mmhmm.”

  Slowly, and with graceful, almost catlike movements, he crossed the room to the opposite side of the bed. He pulled back the covers and climbed beneath them, smiling when she turned to face him and scooted closer to rest her head against his hard chest.

  He adjusted so that his head was on the pillow and hers on his arm. It was almost magical, the way she melded against him, as if they were meant to fit together. Her warmth felt foreign to him, something that he hadn’t enjoyed for quite some time. It felt good. It felt right.

  Rayne looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, the bright green almost glowing in the darkness of her bedroom, and his expression softened. Whatever she was thinking, whatever she was feeling, he was sure that it was peaceful.

  He didn’t know where she was going with this, what her intentions were, but it didn’t matter. Right now, he had her, and she most definitely had him. He was done for, there was no question. She just kept reaffirming that for him. It didn’t matter what she wanted or what she needed. From now on, he would be it.

  Her eyes fluttered closed and she nuzzled closer, a soft moan escaping her throat at how good it felt it to be held by him.

  His hand came up and gently pushed a stray curl from her face. How did I get in this deep?

  Her breathing became more even, and he could hear her heart rate slow slightly. How had this small, sweet, beautiful girl gotten to him so quickly? He leaned forward and gingerly pressed his lips to her forehead.

  Right then, it didn’t matter.

  Chapter 19

  Rayne sat up in her bed, her vision blurred in her sleep-fogged state, and was surprised to see that she was in her own room again. Her hand went to her forehead, and she closed her eyes to help her recall why she was here. Oh, that’s right. Dr. Brennan.

  The bed beside her was empty, and she felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach, as if whatever had filled it before had left with the occupier of the bed. Throwing back the comforter, she swung her legs over the bed and stretched before attempting to stand.

  She felt well-rested, as if she’d been asleep for hours on end, but she found it odd that it was still dark outside. She pushed the sheer curtains aside and peered out. Pitch black. She was able to see nothing beyond the window, not even the street light that usually lit the corner nearby.

  That’s weird.

  She shook her head and turned to make her way to the bathroom, only half-wondering where Camden had gone. She couldn’t imagine that it would be very fun watching someone else sleep when you yourself didn’t have to, and assumed that he’d simply gone to do other things in the middle of the night.

  It’s still the middle of the night, she reminded herself.

  Silently padding out into the hallway, she crept toward the living room area and paused, listening intently and straining her eyes to see through the darkness. She could see nothing, but she could hear something. It was an odd, rhythmic sound, like a muffled crunch, or possibly a thudding, even. Every so often she would hear labored breathing or a grunt mixed in with it.

  “What the…” she said quietly to herself.

  There was a quick rustling, and the noise stopped all together. She froze, afraid to move. Her heart pounded almost painfully in her chest, and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and she backed up a few steps to ready herself for a quick getaway.

  A few moments passed, and nothing happened. No more noises, no movement, just complete silence, and the blackest darkness that she’d ever seen.

  She inched forward, craning her neck and peeking around the corner into the kitchen. Before she knew what was happening, a tall, gangly figure half-stumbled half-bolted toward her. It gave off a putrid, disgusting smell, and it moaned or maybe growled as its rotting arms reached out to her.

  Rayne stumbled backwards and hit the wall. The groaning tower of rotting flesh lunged forward. Her arms bolted out and sunk into the putrid mush that once had been the thing’s chest. It leaned forward, mouth open wide and snarling as it tried to sink its nonexistent teeth into anything it could reach.

  She turned her head to the side and screamed, closing her eyes as she dug her fingers into the goo, clawing and scratching, trying anything to deter its onslaught. “Camden!” She gave a high-pitched screech.

  “Rayne!”

  She heard his deep voice, but she couldn’t tell which direction it was coming from, and she was too afraid to open her eyes.

  Her nails went deeper until she felt something hard and cylindrical. She wrapped her fingers around it and ripped it away. She could feel pieces of its flesh caked beneath her fingernails, and her stomach churned. The creature gave a snarling bite, completely unphased by anything she did.

  “Rayne!” Camden’s voice grew louder, and she could easily detect the worry laced within. “Rayne! Wake up!”

  His words somehow registered through the horror before her. “Wake up!” she heard again.

  Her eyes sprang open, and she realized that strong arms were restraining her. Gasping for air and with her heart pounding out of control, she pushed and struggled to get away as she screamed.

  “Rayne! Stop! It’s me!” The sound of Camden’s voice made her stop fighting immediately. She looked at him with wide eyes that still were full of fear.

  She was on the verge of hyperventilating, and the fight-or-flight adrenaline was still pumping through her body, but she managed to still herself.

  “Shh. It’s ok. It’s me. You were dreaming,” Camden soothed, his strong arms embracing her and pulling her against his chest.

  She was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and her auburn curls were a tangled mess, but she couldn’t care any less. Rayne tried to focus on the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her and willed herself to calm down. It felt as if they stayed that way forever, at least until she’d managed to stop panting enough to form actual words.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, and sat up enough to look into his bright blue eyes. “I was dreaming about the stupid zombie from Madam Laurie’s basement.” She pushed away some of the hair that had plastered itself to her forehead and managed a soft laugh at herself. “The damn thing was trying to eat me.”

  Camden forced a small smile, but the worry still was evident on his face. His hand came to rest on her jaw and the pad of his thumb gently rubbed the soft patch of skin there.

  Rayne pushed herself up into a sitting position and leaned against her headboard, closing her eyes and trying to control her racing heart. She smiled when he mimicked her position.

  They
sat in silence, neither feeling the need to speak, only letting the moment of intense fear pass.

  She wasn’t sure what was happening to her. At first it was the nightmares about the creeper in her room watching her. However, those went away soon after spending time with Camden. Now it was zombies. What would she be haunted by next?

  Slowly and even somewhat cautiously, Camden slid his hand across the small space between them and grabbed hers, interlocking their fingers.

  Rayne’s heart rate sped yet again, but this time, it had nothing to do with zombies or bad dreams. Her eyes drifted to their connection, then up to his face, which held a thin-lipped smile.

  “You ok?” he asked.

  She smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a bad dream.”

  A dream. A nightmare so real, she could still feel the rotting flesh beneath her fingernails. She glanced at her hand and immediately realized that there was something under fingernails. It was dark red and strongly resembled blood.

  She jerked upright and looked at Camden, noticing for the first time the three long scratches across his chest, but they didn’t look fresh. They were faded and almost looked like scars with just a slight tint of red at the edges.

  Her hands covered her mouth, and she gasped. “Oh my god! Did I do that?” she asked, fear lacing her voice.

  Camden chuckled. “That’s quite a grip you have.”

  Rayne backed away from him. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I…it was…”

  Camden held up his hand to calm her and reached forward to pull her into his arms again. “It’s ok. It’s just a scratch,” he said. “And besides, look. It’s already almost gone.”

  Rayne looked at the marks on his amazingly beautiful chest. He was right. They barely were visible at all now.

  She couldn’t believe what just had happened. Nightmares themselves were brand new to her, and now it was escalating to sleep attacks? What would happen next? Sleepwalking? Why? Why is this happening?