Day Dreamer (Undeadly Secrets Book 2)

by Aaron L Speer

  Lauren wasn’t sure what it was, but something in the tone stayed with her. She remembered what No-name had said those few weeks ago. How the Aboriginals could do things in Redfern that they couldn’t under ordinary circumstances. They were a long way from Redfern now, but she still felt that same sense of danger.

  “She’s alive.”

  The three of them took Matt and left. Just like that. Again, a sense of complete indifference in the movements. But Lauren wasn’t fooled. These were not a group of alcoholics or Centrelink no-hopers. These guys had some ability, a presence and a quiet power. More importantly, they were a serious threat.

  But she would report that to Dante later. Right now, she could hear Calibos whimpering weakly, which meant he was still alive. That was good, because Lauren was still hungry.

  Chapter 49

  Keep Off the Moors

  Tobias parked as close to the stone cottage as he dared. He had spotted it as he rounded the mountainside almost a mile away and followed a pebbled road until he was about fifty metres from the front door.

  It was late afternoon, and yet already his breath was visible as puffs of cloudy mist. He trudged down the slight slope, through the rolling fog that covered the grounds.

  While driving, he had received a call from one of Creed’s men, the only survivor of the invasion. Tobias couldn’t believe Creed was dead. That fact did not diminish his respect for the fallen leader, however. After all, Wilson’s spoiled pup bit the bullet too. At least that was something Tobias wouldn’t have to worry about. Unfortunately, Wilson’s bitch wife had made it out alive.

  He knocked on the thick oak door wondering what kind of weapon Creed had stashed inside. Whatever it was, he hoped it worked on a pissed off mama wolf with a serious revenge mindset. He had no doubt she would come back to the estate, and she would come for blood.

  The door opened a crack, and behind it stood an ordinary woman just shorter than he was.

  Tobias cleared his throat. “Radha?”

  “What do you want?”

  “I need to speak with you.”

  She looked him up and down with undisguised scepticism. “You’re not the one who brings the money and it’s the wrong day, too, so you can feck off.”

  “I was sent here by Damien Creed.”

  “So?”

  “He’s dead. He asked me for your help the last time I saw him. I could force the door open. Please don’t make me.”

  “Well…that changes things.”

  She let him in, stepping aside. Tobias looked around, unimpressed. One table in the middle of the room looked like it had been recycled from a tip. Small clay decorations lined the windowsills, that were themselves dark with grime. A small fireplace to the right looked like it was one more use away from bursting into ashes. Either the money she received from Creed barely put food in her stomach, or she was saving it somewhere. Why the hell would Creed send me here? Where the hell is this weapon?

  Tobias had had no idea what to expect, what he was looking for or why Creed wouldn’t just tell him. He’d been thinking of something along the lines of a physical weapon, like a cannon or an armoury full of anti-vampire bazookas; a mini nuke. Something.

  Tobias sat down and studied Radha, and truthfully saw nothing to think she could be a weapon to be used. She smelled human. Pale, Irish red hair, quite a few kilos overweight, not ugly but not striking, and not that old. Perhaps early thirties.

  “So what do you want?” Radha crossed her arms, speaking quickly in her heavy Northern Irish accent. The one where even “I love you” sounded like a threat.

  “Actually, I have no idea.”

  “Well this will be a quick visit, then.”

  “Look, Creed didn’t tell me specifics. All he said was that I had to come here and what I was looking for would just…I don’t know, be here. The pack is broken now, and he is dead, and a new Alpha has to be chosen.”

  “A new Alpha? What happened to…Slade?” She sneered at the last word like she’d sniffed something putrid.

  “Creed killed him months ago.”

  The words brought a slow but bright smile to her face. The door creaked open and another woman entered the small house. Much younger that Radha. Barely a teen. But Tobias could not help but stare at her remarkable features and he realised she smelt like a wolf. Rich hazel eyes and wavy black hair that she flicked over her shoulder. “Who’s this?”

  Radha didn’t answer. Probably because Tobias had risen and closed in on the girl, looking closely at her face. The cheekbones, the jawline.

  “Fuck…”

  He turned to Radha and then back again. Her look was enough; she didn’t have to say anything or confirm it. He knew now why Creed had summoned him here. He was staring at the weapon. Wilson’s greatest secret, the bastard he knew nothing about. And best of all, another tenth generation Alpha offspring with the strength Tobias needed. He would take her and her mother back to the estate and use them to strengthen his claim.

  “This is my daughter, Talia.”

  “Fantasic!”

  “You are way too happy…” Talia scowled.

  Tobias launched into his reasons for being there, spending almost fifteen minutes in feverish abandon, stopping only when Talia began to pace the room.

  “So let me get this straight. Wilson, Creed and now Nicholas are dead? The Alpha post is open?”

  “Exactly. We must prepare for Alicia’s return first. And you can expect the best of the best at the estate. I will ensure your complete comfort. You never have to step foot in this hovel again.”

  “You will ensure? Hovel? Insulting us isn’t really the best persuasion, is it? And since when does anyone have to ensure the Alpha’s comfort?”

  “What?” Tobias laughed, not sure she understood him. “You misunderstand. You can’t be an Alpha. You’re a woman.”

  “Oh…” Talia looked down at her hand, her fingernails had sprouted, long and sharp. “You misunderstand me. I don’t want to be comforted. I don’t want to be an Alpha. I want to be the Alpha.”

  Tobias stared at her, seeing the brightest silver eyes he had ever encountered, the darkness around them like the blackest night. He took a fearful step back. Talia was growing, changing before him.

  “It’s not the full moon…it’s not night-time. How? It’s not possible…”

  “My daughter has been changing at will since she was thirteen. You’re a fool to walk in here with your bullshit, thinking we would jump when you say. I went to the estate with her, Wilson’s child inside me, and was turned away. Creed would not let me see him, and why? Because he was readying to marry an Australian bitch that very day. He shunned me but gave me a monthly allowance to ensure my silence. Out of sight and out of mind. That was and will be the last time I turn to a man for help. I cut my own daughter from my stomach. You think we owe you something? Fuck your pitiful pack aspirations and fuck Alicia. We’ll bury what’s left of her next to her husband. We have been waiting for a chance and we will use it to take what’s ours.”

  Talia lunged for his chest, sinking her fist through his bones, snapping them inwards. She was the only thing holding Tobias up. His chest burned yet his fingers and toes had turned icy. He looked down, fighting for air at the blood frothing and spitting around her wrist. Right then, he knew the true meaning of fear. He realised that by letting them in on his whole plan, he had let them know the pack was weak, ripe for the picking. Talia was what Nicholas could’ve been, the product of her upbringing. Abandoned, impoverished and bitter.

  She was hunched over him, as she’d become taller than the height of the room itself, and she had almost tripled in thickness. She was not a mere werewolf—she was the definition of a raving monster.

  With barely enough time for him to beg, she pulled his heart free and he crumpled to the floor. Just before his eyes went dark forever, he saw the beast chew and swallow it whole, watching him with a superior smirk as she did so. What had he done?

  *

  “Hi, Dante.
” Alex knew who had called simply by the time of night. She guessed he had just woken.

  “I know you asked for time, but I was wondering if you had seen the news?”

  “No…should I?” It was a redundant question. Alex had clicked the TV on before Dante replied.

  “I wouldn’t.”

  “…leaving the scores locked at 18-all. And in follow-up to breaking news earlier this hour, police have confirmed the drug epidemic that has claimed over 7,000 lives is now coming to a close, with the inventor and distributor of the drug reported dead. Nicholas Slade, a teenage immigrant from England, thought to be one of over a dozen remains found in a suspected gang-related fire at a Darling Point mansion. Slade became known to police after security footage revealed an earlier altercation at Sydney Airport that caused part of the departure terminal roof to collapse, delaying flights for almost a week…”

  Alex shut it off. “How the fuck can they put all that shit on him?”

  “Julian, I suspect. It is a final middle finger to all of us. He has contacts in the media and Julian no doubt fed one of them a good story wrapped up in a neat bow. They don’t need a body to make a ratings winning story. He had all the elements there for it… Are you all right?”

  “No…” It was true. There was no point in denying it as Dante would see through it. Who was to say how long it would be before she felt ok again? Since when was there a timeframe on loss? “…but I will be.”

  “I understand, but please let me know if I can help.”

  Alex needed the phone call to stop. She felt the tears yet again and she was sick and tired of crying. “Yeah. Will do. Ok then.”

  “Alexandra, I know what I said, but I never meant for this to happen. He didn’t deserve this. Neither of you did.” Alex scrunched her eyes as her shoulders quaked. She covered her mouth but the sobs seeped through her fingers. “I am truly so sorry.”

  Dante saved her ending the call by hanging up first.

  She couldn’t speak. She wanted to be alone, she wanted to be held. She wanted to scream. She knew there was nothing more she could do, yet couldn’t help question what else she could’ve done.

  It was so hard to think about the reality that she would never see that wonderful boy again. In such a short time, he had captured her heart.

  This was nothing compared to the phone call to Nicole. Alex wasn’t ready to accept it herself, but there was no one else to tell her, and she needed to know.

  “Alex?”

  This followed a slow knock. Michelle’s voice. “Honey, I know you’re in there. I don’t know if you want to be alone but I want you to know I’m here. Please don’t shut me out. You don’t have to deal with this alone.”

  Alex leapt up, crossed the room and pulled the door open so fast, she almost fell into Michelle’s embrace. Her mind was all over the place, but as her tears flowed freely again, the fact Michelle was there meant more than she could ever say. Whatever the future held, Michelle’s very presence helped her feel she could face it. Tomorrow was another day.

  Epilogue

  “Excuse me?” Dr Sarsky called quietly. “Could you do me a favour, please?”

  The stewardess swept over to him in an instant. Business class staff on British Airways were probably more efficient than First in his opinion. But then again, he would never try to take advantage of that. They had a job to do, and he respected that, but this was a different situation.

  “My friend has been in the lavatory for almost half an hour. Could you please check on her?”

  The stewardess glanced over his shoulder, towards the facilities behind the bulkhead near the galley of the plane. “Of course, sir. Don’t worry about a thing. What is her name?”

  “Thank you very much. It’s Nicole O’Brien.”

  *

  Nicole barely registered the sound of the knocking, the pounding in her head drowning most of it out. When she did register it, she covered her mouth to stifle a sob.

  “Excuse me, Ms O’Brien? Are you ok in there?”

  Nicole cleared her throat as quietly as possible. “Yes, thank you. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  She wasn’t sure whether the stewardess believed her, or what she would relay to Alan before Nicole returned to her seat. So she guessed she’d better start fixing herself up.

  She stood up from the toilet seat and readjusted her skirt, taking a deep breath to stem the lump in her throat that threatened to make her cry again.

  She had just endured several weeks discovering the existence of vampires and werewolves. Then…Nick. How close they came to being happy. How stupid she felt for denying him, and herself, for the longest time. And then he came to meet her at the airport, to join her in the rest of her life. Only a few hours later he was gone. Leaving her alone and she never got the chance to tell him. Her body and her mind were probably still in shock.

  She washed her hands and dried them. Don’t think about it.

  But how could she not? She had planned, she had been safe. She was always responsible. She was on the biggest journey of her life, and the most terrifying. She had ignored the nausea, the headaches and the doubts.

  Nicole’s eyes darted to the edge of the sink, where what she shouldn’t be thinking about lay. Some part of her had not ignored, had been sensible enough to buy the test, had needed to know for sure. She could not look away from the two-line display on the small device. Despite all the precautions. Positive.

  Her mind could not quite fathom what was growing inside her, as she wiped at her tears and splashed cool water on her face to reduce the appearance of crying. Whatever happened, whatever the future held, she would have to face it alone. As if instinct willed her, she placed a hand on her stomach and made a brief circular caressing motion. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t be alone after all.

  Author's Note

  Thank you for reading!

  Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed Day Dreamer.

  Don’t forget to look up www.aaronlspeer.com and subscribe for all the latest news, promos and prizes on offer, a chance to ask the characters questions, and more!

  And best of all…

  Dante and Alex will return in Shadow Chaser

  About the Author

  I've been writing since I was around 11, and have rarely been seen without staring off into the distance or with a pen in my hand ever since.

  Whatever my genre I happen to be writing at the time, I am passionate about bringing this beautiful country I live in, Australia, to light. (Hint hint...even if that includes epic fantasy and vampires)