Animal Instinct

by Kate Davidson

  She had so wanted to live.

  Chapter Thirty

  “JACKIE. IT'S ME. S-SARAH... don't let... Sarah.”

  Jackie clutched the phone to her ear as she sat in front of Ultrano's stall with her knees pulled up against her chest and tears dripping down her face. There was an unspeakable pain in her heart, grief for the death of a too young girl. She had been crying since Jack had driven out to her ranch in order to deliver the news of Izzy's death in person. Liam had wanted to be there but no one could know he was alive until he got the all clear from the other vampires. He had called her repeatedly, trying to get her to talk to him. That was how she'd discovered she had one unheard message on her cell.

  Izzy's dying words were recorded on her phone. Jack had described the scene of the crime well enough for her to picture it in her mind. She had been shot twice in the back near the front door, probably trying to escape her killer. Then, bleeding heavily, she had dragged herself to the center of her apartment, reached the phone and made a call no one had figured out until Jackie checked her cell. She knew she should tell Jack, who was very kindly waiting in her house for her to pull her emotions together and talk to him. At the moment she just couldn’t bring herself to move.

  Vampire Emergency Services were handling the clean up and investigation since Izzy was a donor. The only reason Jackie even knew about her death the day after it happened was because Izzy was Liam's donor exclusively and they had informed him once they'd identified her. He had immediately sent Jack. She knew everything that the vampires knew, which she guessed wasn't really how it was supposed to work. The rules didn't matter to her right now.

  The security cameras in Izzy's apartment had most likely recorded whoever it was that had murdered her. Unfortunately the tapes were missing. The guy manning the desk in the lobby had also been killed and no one else had seen what had happened. They hadn't even heard it. Whoever murdered Jackie's best friend was free in Los Angeles, possibly getting ready to kill someone else.

  “Sarah,” Jackie whispered, staring at the phone in her hand. Izzy had used her last moments of life, not to name her killer, but to warn her that she wouldn't be the last. Jackie struggled to her feet, gasping out. Ultrano nudged her shoulder, his dark eyes concerned. “I'm fine.” Her cracked, tearful voice wasn't convincing. She shoved her phone in her jacket pocket and continued to lean against the stall door, taking deep breaths. She needed to be calm before she could drive and she needed to drive in order to get Sarah out of school early. “I'm fine,” she repeated, sounding much more solid that time. A cold gust of air rushed through the barn aisle and stung her damp eyes.

  “I'd be surprised if you were.” The cold, sharp voice startled not just her but every horse in the vicinity. She heard their panicked whinnies, the stomping hooves and bangs as they attempted to smash their way out of their stalls. Jackie stood up straight to face what she knew had to be a vampire.

  To her right where there had been empty air a second ago stood a man. At least he had the shape of one. He was taller than her by several inches and skinnier than he should be for that height. All he wore was a long white coat and pale bronze trousers that barely clung to his narrow hips. She could see a good portion of his ribs thanks to his lack of a shirt. The skin on him was so pale Jackie could also view the blue veins pulsing through his body. His hands were skeletal.

  “Then again, you have made it a habit to surprise me,” he murmured, drawing her attention to his face. Stringy pitch-black hair fell around his narrow face. There was a terrible sharpness to his cheekbones and nose that made him unnerving to look at too long. Black eyes, framed by sooty lashes, stared into her. It took Jackie a minute to realize that his eyes weren't just black. They were the way every vampire’s eyes were when they bared their fangs. But when he spoke she could see no hint of fangs. It occurred to her that maybe he had lived so long that his eyes had simply stopped reverting to human.

  “You're the Left Hand,” she said, petrified.

  His thin mouth curved in a humorless smile. “Most people would check to be sure.”

  “My horses are acting like Satan just stepped into their home. If you're not the Left Hand himself, you're an incredibly old vampire who could probably kill me by breathing in my direction. That's enough for me,” she said.

  “I would rather not kill you,” he murmured. “You're a very interesting human with an impressive gift for survival. However, my interests are far better served by your death.”

  “I can understand that. So did you come to kill me?” There was a strange relief in knowing someone wanted her dead for purely practical reasons. It wasn't personal and she most likely wouldn't survive. What did she have to lose? He would hardly think less of her if she mouthed off.

  “I wanted to see how you took the news of your friend's death.” Her heart iced over. “I'm surprised how quickly you seem to be rallying. I thought you might mourn her longer than a few minutes.”

  “When I know the rest of my family is safe, I will take the time I need to heal. Assuming I live that long,” she snapped. A crooked smile was his only response. “How many of the people I care about are you planning to kill before you finally get around to me?”

  “It is unlikely that I would have to kill you if you cut your ties to O’Connor. Then none of your family would die. Probably.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Probably? You don’t know?”

  The Left Hand looked suddenly delighted. “You've caught on. I worried that you would not.” Although he was several feet away from her, he took a single step and suddenly they were only inches apart. Jackie shivered. That kind of speed was terrifying. “You’ve got a quick mind. It makes you unpredictable. You never seem to settle on a single destined path. On the contrary, you make the path for yourself. Would you stop doing that or is it too late?”

  “Why aren’t I dead?” she demanded. Jackie was sure that the answer to that question would be important. If the Left Hand would only answer it she would be able to understand what was going on.

  “You couldn’t find a soul on earth who knows the answer to that,” he said, the stillness of his body reminding her of something long dead and buried. “Except for me, of course. And my answer would be that I’m not sure.”

  “Not… not sure?” she said, fists curling at the thought that she was so inconsequential that he hadn’t put much effort into killing her. “Not sure about what? Not sure why you haven’t killed me?”

  “Not sure if I need to.” He was completely unmoved by the fury in her eyes.

  “Then it’s about Liam?”

  “Would you die for him?” he asked, his eyes focusing on her face with a sudden intensity that made her fear what her response might make him do.

  Jackie cleared her throat. “I’d rather live for him.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. It was a chilling sound, like nails on a chalkboard or bones grinding together. “I wish you had been born earlier. These last thousand years would have been far less dull.” The Left Hand shook his head at her, a fond smile twisting his face. “I certainly hope you won’t be the one.”

  “The one what?” she asked. “Do you want to be head of Los Angeles? Are you just doing this for entertainment? What?”

  He frowned in a manner that she wanted to describe as a pout. But the last thing she wanted to say was that a thousand year old vampire was actually pouting. “There’s nothing entertaining about it. Quite the opposite. As for this city, well, rule of it might be something to amuse me until the Fount returns. Thank you for keeping me company, Jacquelyn. You have been a most interesting diversion.” He bowed slightly at the waist.

  “How did you know I'd be a threat to you before I even met Liam?”

  He paused, his eyes actually holding a glimmer of respect. “The blood of the Fount is at its most potent from the source. They made me and so I was granted talents none of these shadowy creatures who claim kinship with me could aspire to. Visions. Glimpses into
a possible future.” He reached for her and she jerked backwards. Her aversion to his touch only made him smile. “Perhaps if you’re wise, you will taste the coming glory.

  Before she could say another word the Left Hand vanished into the wind.

  *

  “I can't believe she's dead,” Sofie whispered, her damp face in her hands. “I was talking to her just the other day. She was thinking about going back to school. I can't - ” Her voice broke.

  Charles put his arm around her. He was new to this place and these people. He hadn’t known Izzy very well and for the time they’d been together she had made it very clear they were not friends. Still, he felt a sincere pain for the suffering of his daughter’s family and death of a woman still in the beginning of her life. He had been certain that in time Izzy would get used to him. Now there was no time. It was obvious that Jackie was shattered by the news. She had called him to the ranch after she’d found out and even though she’d had time to collect her emotions her face had been a portrait of heartbreak. Sofie was a wreck as well, huddled on the couch in tears. He wished there was something useful he could do. Unfortunately he couldn't bring back the dead.

  “I'm so sorry,” he said, gently stroking Sofie's back as he might a small child. His eyes went to the tall stranger who had been there when he’d arrived to see his daughter. He'd introduced himself to him as Jack Tanner but aside from that he knew nothing about him. At first he’d thought that he might be a detective come to ask his daughter questions about her friend but he had been waiting far too patiently for that. He stood quietly by the bookshelf, his expression the epitome of compassion. Charles cleared his throat before speaking. “Jackie will be back soon, I think. You won't have to wait long.”

  “It's fine. I'm not in any hurry.” Jack knew that Liam was probably climbing the walls back at his apartment but he wasn't going to rush out on Jackie just so he could inform Liam that she was devastated. He could figure that out on his own thanks to their bond. She needed time to grieve and then the two of them would have to discuss how Izzy's death was related to the Left Hand.

  “I'm sorry I'm such a mess, Jack,” Sofie croaked out in between sobs. He moved to put a hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing.

  “You're entitled. There's no shame in grieving.” The woman he had only thought of as Jackie’s young roommate looked up at him gratefully. The warmth in her eyes surprised him. Jack looked her over, registering just how lovely she was. All the times he’d come into contact with her before he had been working as a doctor. He always had tunnel vision when he was on the job, focusing exclusively on his patient. It hadn’t registered with him that her eyes were a beguiling shade of blue. He was suddenly aware of the beat of her pulse beneath his fingers and he abruptly released her shoulder. “The VES will find who did it.”

  “The what?” Charles asked.

  “Sort of an elite emergency services,” Sofie hastened to reply before Jack could explain. He stared at her with surprise. She just shook her head. Apparently Jackie hadn’t felt that her father needed to know about the existence of vampires. He supposed could understand that. Their relationship was only just getting strong. She probably wanted to hold off on any potentially traumatic revelations.

  “Yes, it's a delicate matter. She was connected to some very important people. Her death won't even make the news,” he told him. Charles nodded but his expression was far from satisfied.

  “At least she’ll get justice,” Sofie murmured, pressing her lips hard together as though trying to hold back a sob.

  Jackie burst into the house. “Sofie, I need you to call Danny and ask him to come over. Try to get his dad to join him. We could use all the help we can get. Also, get all the dogs inside. I don't want Macbeth wandering the property right now,” Jackie said, barely pausing to breathe. “Jack, call Liam. Tell him to get his ass down here, vampire law be damned. And do you know anywhere we might be able to get my dad that would be safer than here?” They all stared at her, stunned. Jack recovered first.

  “If you're gathering all the people here that you want to then I doubt he could get more secure. But why - ?”

  “Good,” Jackie said, cutting him off. “I'm going to get Sarah.” She started heading for the door.

  “But it's the middle of the school day,” Sofie protested. “Jackie, what's going on?” She grabbed her keys before turning to look at them.

  “We're circling the wagons. The Left Hand and I just had a chat. Suffice it to say, play time is over.” Without another word she sprinted out the door. There was a shocked silence in the house that Charles broke with his confusion.

  “What did she mean by vampire law?”

  Sofie and Jack exchanged looks. So much for keeping secrets.

  *

  Jackie arrived at Sarah's school in record time. She ran into the front office, skidding to a halt in front of the secretary's desk. Everyone there cast her distasteful looks. She didn't fit into the private school vibe in her jeans, plaid shirt and dirty windbreaker. At that moment, Jackie really didn't give a damn.

  “Hey, I'm Sarah Baldwin's mother. I need to pull her out of school early today. There's a family emergency,” she tacked on, hoping they wouldn't want too many details. The prim gray-haired secretary with her small brown eyes, wide, thin mouth and skeletal body hugged tight by her tweed jacket looked at her doubtfully. This pissed Jackie off since the woman had seen her there before during the whole custody mess. Everyone there knew Sarah was no longer in the care of the Crawley family. That didn't keep them from looking disapproving at every turn.

  “You just missed her. Sarah Baldwin's biological mother already picked her up.” Dread gripped Jackie by the throat. Sarah's biological mother. The cowardly Mrs. Crawley. She had taken Sarah.

  “When?” she snapped, leaning over the desk in her urgency. “How long ago?” The secretary looked terribly affronted.

  “I will not be spoken to in that tone of - ”

  “Fuck the tone!” Jackie shouted, slamming her fist on the desk. Now the secretary looked as though she was about to be attacked by wild dogs. She began to scoot slowly back in her rotating office chair. “When did that spineless bitch take my daughter?”

  “About ten minutes ago.”

  Jackie swore harshly and the one child in the office let out a shocked gasp. “I hope you fucking people choke on your goddamn superiority,” she snarled as she stormed out of the office. Once she got into her truck she took a moment to breathe and regroup. There was no way the Crawleys had entered into the equation by coincidence. They were connected to the Left Hand. Jackie was certain of that. Izzy had warned her Sarah would be next. Now Sarah was gone. Jackie's mouth curled in a snarl. In a snap decision, her hand turned the key in the ignition and she shot out of the parking lot.

  She was going to pay a visit to Sarah's ex-mother. And maybe she'd kill her.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  JACKIE HAD BEEN TO the Crawley house in Holmby Hills dozens of times. As she turned onto West Sunset Boulevard she almost wished she could divert to Liam’s house. Sadly that house was a pile of ashes and she had a little girl waiting for her. Jackie saw the house almost immediately, recognizing its perfectly manicured garden and tall pillars circling the front door. Nearly every room on the second floor had a balcony and there were plenty of rooms. The dark blue tiles on the roof went nicely with the soft gray tones of the house. It was very elegant, refined and large. To Sarah, it had been a prison where she'd been incarcerated after her father's death.

  The gate blocking the driveway was not as tall as Jackie but it was tall enough to keep a car from passing through it. She parked on the street before walking towards it. The black wrought iron was not particularly intimidating to her since it only came up to her collarbone. Reluctant to announce her presence, she gripped the top of the gate, hoisted herself up and swung over without looking too clumsy. Constant exercise really was good for the body.

  It was about the time
she knocked on the overly large front door that Jackie began formulating an actual plan of action that was more complex than going to the Crawley house and getting her daughter. Taking Mrs. Crawley hostage wouldn't be too difficult. The woman had about as much muscle as a stick insect. She was a quivering, weak little worm and intimidating her would be simple. Her weakness, however, was what made Jackie think she hadn't decided to steal her daughter back on her own. This was most probably a trap. Although why the Left Hand had decided to set a trap like this was beyond her since the way he’d talked to her hadn’t been particularly hostile. He’d seemed more curious than anything else. It made Jackie think that he was pulling strings she couldn’t see, affecting the future in ways she wouldn’t know about until it was too late to change.

  The door swung open to reveal Sarah's biological mother. It never ceased to amaze Jackie just how little she looked like her daughter. Clearly Sarah's father had some very strong genes. Mrs. Crawley was a natural blonde with a perfect oval face and a straight nose tipped up at the end. Her eyes were gray and fringed with thick lashes. She was slender and only came up to Jackie's shoulder. A lovely woman to some but all Jackie could see was a bad mother.

  “Ms. Chase,” she said, her whispery voice making an attempt at surprise. Jackie studied the circles under the younger woman's eyes and the tension in her hand as she gripped the door. No, this was not a woman prepared to do battle for her daughter. She was scared to death. She'd seen something that had frightened her to her core. To a sheltered woman like Mrs. Crawley, the Left Hand's appearance would probably have that sort of effect.

  “You took my daughter.” The shorter woman opened her mouth to object but Jackie kept on talking. “She is mine. Whether or not you carried her in your body for nine months is irrelevant at this point. You failed to protect her and now you've willingly put her in danger. I can see how petrified you are. It's obvious that you've gotten in way over your head. And you dragged Sarah into it. I ought to kill you for that.” Mrs. Crawley blanched.