“Okay.” Edison winced under the pressure he felt in his arm. “Do you mind letting up? We aren’t all gifted with that super healing factor.”
“Oh, sorry.” Sloan released her grip and took a step back. “I forgot.”
“It’s okay.” Edison looked back down at his notes with renewed vigor. “With training, the vampire soldiers were able to better control this blood rage, but who knows what form that will take in the future? So, now on to what I deduce will continue to happen. As your body finishes the change, you’ll get less and less tired. Blood may play an important factor later in the transformation, as well. The other subjects became weaker in the light of day, not quite back to their human level of strength and speed, but lessened dramatically. That doesn’t seem to have happened to you, perhaps due to the Phoenix Serum. We’ll have to keep a close eye on you for any changes that continue to occur.”
Sloan was hoping for more, but she realized Edison was doing all he could; a voice inside her head screamed for more answers, but at the moment there were none to be had. Part of her wanted to tell Edison about her dream of the woman with the fiery red hair, but what new information had that really given her? It was just a dream, right?
“Thank you, I’ll let you know if anything changes.” Sloan gave Edison and Elwood a small smile.
“Chin up,” Edison’s voice followed her out of the room. “The other subjects saw an end to their transformation within a week. Whatever last enhancements are being done to your anatomy will be over soon.”
Sloan left the cellar feeling a bit better about the news. If she’d known what was in store for her the following day, she wouldn’t have felt happy at all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jack
“I look like an idiot.”
“You look like a gentleman.” Abigail lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
After the pickpocketing expedition, the two had found a store named Bateman’s Boutique and had gone inside to find new clothes. The store was jam-packed with circular clothing racks; walls with shelves, floor to ceiling bursting with clothing and accessories; and the rudest clerk Jack had ever seen, until the clerk saw how much money they had.
As soon as Abigail waved her folded green bills in front of his nose, his tune changed. A different person entirely had come out from within the husk of the scrawny man.
“This is the latest fashion in New Hope, darling,” he crooned at Jack. “Trust me, sweetheart, you’re going to be the bell of the ball, mmm-hmmm.”
Jack turned again to look at himself in the full-length mirror. He wore a brown suit complete with a vest and a top hat. The suit coat fell down past the back of his knees in two coat tails.
“It doesn’t seem like a bit much?” Jack looked into the flawless mirror to catch Abigail’s eyes.
“We need to … fit in with the fashion worn here in New Hope.” Abigail looked over at the store clerk to see if he had caught any of her cryptic talk.
It was clear the man hadn’t. He was rifling through a rack of dresses, already choosing one for Abigail.
“Okay, I guess we’re doing this.” Jack adjusted his pants. “It just feel so weird and … uncomfortable.”
“Welcome to the world of a woman.” Abigail accepted the clothes from the clerk. “I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into a changing booth. A long, dark purple curtain shielded her from the rest of the store. Jack could only see the very bottom of her feet as she changed.
“So, are you two here visiting?” the clerk asked as he sidled up to Jack. “Where are you from?”
Jack was sure the clerk was only trying to make polite conversation, still something in the back of his mind told him they needed to be careful.
“We’re here visiting our family.” Jack did his best at a lie. He had never been comfortable lying, but he needed to now. Both his and Abigail’s safety depended on it. “We’re from just outside New Hope. I got a raise at my job so we thought we’d come in and buy some new clothes while we were here.”
“Oh, how fantastic!” The clerk clapped his hands together. “You look like a go-getter. What company do you work for? Wait, let me guess, you seem like an accountant.”
There was a snort from inside the changing area as Abigail tried to contain herself.
“Yes, how did you know?” Jack was trying to keep track of all the lies now. His new persona was proving to be difficult and the hole he was digging for himself was only getting deeper. “I work for a firm that deals in gnome job placement. You can imagine there is a high demand for those skilled little workers.”
“Oh, how interesting!” The clerk feigned admiration as a plastic smile twisted his face. “My brother-in-law does the same thing. What firm do you work for?”
“What’s that?” Jack’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as his mind worked on overdrive.
“I said my brother-in-law also works for a job placement company for the paranormal.” The clerk had slowed down his speaking as if it would help Jack understand. “He works for Martinez and Sons. What company do you work for?”
“Oh, what company do I work for?” Jack repeated the clerk now. He could feel his face grow hot as panic began to set in. “Well, that’s actually a funny story. I work for Martinez and Sons, too.”
Jack bit the inside of his mouth as he realized what he had just said. Not only had he doomed himself to be found out as a liar, but he was also sure the clerk would be able to see the sweat forming at his brow.
“What a coincidence.” The clerk’s mouth opened in the shape of a large O. “You must know Jerry, then. The company isn’t that large. I think there’s only a handful of employees.”
“Oh, yeah … yeah that Jerry.” Jack nodded along. His throat was so dry, it was hard to swallow. “He’s a heck of a guy. We go way back.”
“Well, what are the odds?” the clerk asked with a high-pitched laugh. “I’m going to have to tell him I met you. What was your name again?”
“Ja—”
“Jeremiah, what do you think?” Abigail pulled back the curtain, revealing her new outfit. She wore a black-and-red sleeveless dress that came down to her feet. The dress billowed at the bottom, making her look as elegant as any lady of New Hope. In Jack’s eyes, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“You look amazing.” Jack felt a cool rush of air wash over him as he realized she had saved him just in time from putting his foot into his mouth.
“Oh, you two just make the most amazing couple!” The clerk handed Abigail a black cloak she could wear in the evenings. “It does get chilly in New Hope at night. Be sure to also buy a cloak. Now, please allow me to ring you up at the counter.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jack
“Are you kidding me?” Abigail was practically giggling as they exited Bateman’s Boutique and reentered the busy streets of New Hope. “You’re officially the worst liar I have ever heard. You were even going to give him your real name?”
“Ugh, I know. I fold under pressure. Put me in the middle of a fight and I can keep my cool, but ask me to tell a bold-faced lie and I fold.”
“It’s not the worst attribute.” Abigail winked.
The two made their way through the busy city streets. The sun was still high overhead, with the buildings to either side of them rising high in the sky, creating a kind of canyon they traversed. Jack and Abigail had asked the clerk in Bateman’s Boutique where the largest pub was located. With a knowing grin, he had directed them to a place called The Wolf where the scene was always lively.
As they were walking down the cobblestone street, Abigail bumped into a well-dressed elderly man. Although the collision wasn’t violent, Abigail stumbled and fell to her knees.
“Oh, my.” The man reached down to lend a hand. “I’m so sorry, young lady.”
Jack also moved to help Abigail to her feet. A twinge of regret touched at his heartstrings as he realized the man would be left a wallet short
once their interaction was finished.
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you.” Abigail accepted both men’s assistance to her feet. “I really should be careful where I walk. I’m just so clumsy.”
“Please think nothing of it…” The man continued on, making his apology and polite chatter with Abigail.
Jack lost interest in his words as a feeling of being watched crept up his spine. The hairs on his neck stood on end. Jack had hunted and been hunted enough times in the Outland to cultivate a kind of sixth sense when it came to these things. He was sure that they were being watched at that very moment.
Jack turned around, but in the middle of such a busy street, there were people in all directions. A young boy stood at a corner, shouting the headline of the daily newspaper that was for sale; a gaggle of young girls strolled by, glancing in shop windows; and a horse and carriage trotted by under the direction of a tall man in a top hat.
Jack looked all around, but there was no obvious answer to the feeling he had. Then his eye caught movement on a rooftop. A shadow ducked down behind the roof’s ledge at the last moment.
“And to you, too, young man,” the elderly gentlemen that had bumped into Abigail addressed him. “Have a nice day.”
“You, too.” Jack nodded in his direction. He motioned to Abigail to move down the street. “We’re being followed.”
Her face immediately went a shade whiter. “By who? We escaped the palace dungeon. Who else would be following us?”
“I don’t know.” Jack quickened his pace. “I caught sight of them on a rooftop. There’s one, but there could be more.”
“Leah? Did she allow us to escape after all?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Jack altered his pace again so he was just under a jog. “Come on, we’ll lose him on the way to the bar.”
For the next few minutes, Jack and Abigail weaved in and out of traffic. They stayed away from areas easily accessible to someone who was traveling on the rooftops. They ducked in and out of alleys through side streets and even went into a few stores and out the back doors. With time, the feeling Jack had of being followed died.
“Do you think we lost him?” Abigail finally asked as the two left out through a rear door of a building called Vivacious Luxuries.
“I think so, I hope so.” Jack pointed down the alley to a building across the way, whose swinging sign had thick, black lettering designating it as The Wolf. “There it is.”
“You should probably let me do the talking once we get in there.” Abigail gave Jack a playful grin, then a peck on the cheek. “If I let you do the talking, we’ll be back in the queen’s dungeon by the end of the day.”
Jack followed Abigail across the street. The ache of hunger that had been growing in his stomach over the last few hours demanded he take action soon.
“You can do all the talking you want, as long as we can get something to eat while we’re here.” Jack placed his left hand on his stomach. “I feel like I could eat a unicorn.”
“Here”—Abigail pressed some stolen bills into his hand—“get us a table. I’m going to see what I can learn. Someone here knows something about what’s going on at the palace. There’s bound to be some kind of information that will be helpful to us.”
Jack accepted the bills, once again feeling that same stab of guilt for having stolen from the old man. It would have been a lot easier to accept the idea that he was stealing from people if their targets were rude or dismissive. The old man had been neither.
The building they approached roared with noise. Like some ancient beast of the past, it was prehistoric, with peeling paint and a sagging roof. The bar stood three stories high. Made mostly from stone, open windows provided a glimpse of the madness inside.
Men and women ranging from Jack and Abigail’s own age, to white-haired patrons, yelled and laughed. Drinkers clashed mugs together and shouted to be heard over the cacophony of noise. Jack grabbed the wrought iron handle of the door and swung it open.
The level of noise took on a new volume as they stepped inside the establishment. At once, Jack was hit with the smell of strong beer and liquor. The faint aroma of roasting meat was also in the air, but only as an afterthought to the hoppy smell of beer.
Abigail peeled off into the crowd in search of answers.
The inside of the bar was a mix of tables and chairs, a long bar top on the far end of the wall, and a lounging area with an empty fireplace. The occupants ranged from men and women dressed as elegantly as Jack and Abigail, to those wearing faded jeans and simple tops.
“Need some help, handsome?”
Jack turned to see a young girl about his own age. She was blonde with her hair in pigtails and a skirt so short it made Jack stutter. “I … uh, I was just looking for a table and a menu.”
“Sure thing, doll.” The girl pointed to her nametag first, then to the tables in the room. “My name’s Amanda. It’s self-seating here. The menus are on the tables. Feel free to help yourself. I’ll give you a few minutes to check out the options, then I’ll be by to get your order.”
“Thanks.” Jack smiled, feeling his face turn red as the girl winked at him.
Things were definitely different in New Hope compared to his life in the Outland. Before, Jack could go weeks without seeing another person besides his father, much less an attractive girl his own age. These thoughts led to Marcus, the father he had loved and lost to the wolf-like beast in Burrow Den.
Jack found a table near the corner of the room with a pair of stained menus. He concentrated on reading the list of offered food instead of fixating on memories of a dead father.
Whether it was intuition once more or stupid luck, Jack looked up toward the bar just in time to see the young waitress, Amanda, who had flirted with him a moment before, talking to two soldiers. She nodded in agreement with them, pointing toward Jack.
How Jack had missed the pair when he first entered the building was beyond him. Their faces were turned away, but they looked like they were off-duty, the normal, pristine buttoned uniforms loose at the collars and shirts untucked.
A jolt of panic seized at Jack’s heart. It looked like his disguise had proven useless and he’d have to call on his ability over magic sooner than he’d like.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sloan
She was really no closer to answers than she was before. The bottom line? She was still changing, and no one would really know the extent of her transformation until she was finished. It was a scary time in her life, but there was nothing to be done about it. She was angry, frustrated, and more than ready to take her vengeance on the queen. But that would have to wait. Right now, she was going on a date.
Sloan waited on the front of the porch, a hundred different things running through her mind. She knew she should apologize to Aareth, she just wasn’t ready quite yet. She knew she should be preparing a plan to see what happened to Jack and the Ahab sisters, but how could she leave Term now? They were about to feel the wrath from a bloodbath she helped to incite.
“You look pissed.” Kade sauntered up the long walkway with a backpack over his shoulders. “Dates are supposed to be happy, kind of exciting events. Unless you’re going on a blind date, then it’s pretty much a roll of the dice. But let’s face it, if you’re going on a blind date, you’re asking for trouble.”
Sloan was so busy with her thoughts of the future, she had missed Kade’s arrival altogether. She noticed him now. It was hard to miss the attractive cut of his jaw and the way his golden eyes practically twinkled with mischief.
“Sorry, I’m not pissed.” Sloan shook herself free from the many “what ifs” of the future. “I am excited to spend time with you on our non-blind date. I’m just not very good at showing emotion.”
“It’s okay.” With a tilt of his head, Kade motioned for her to follow. “You’re allowed to be preoccupied. There’s a lot going on right now.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Want to talk about it?” Kad
e asked as the two strolled out of the estate gates and down the dirt street. “I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”
Sloan looked over at Kade, who winked at her with a smile.
“I’m good, actually.” Sloan wasn’t sure where they were headed, but she kept pace with Kade as they maneuvered through Term. “It would be nice to get out of my own head for a while. Do you mind if we talk about you?”
“Not at all.” Kade adjusted the backpack on his shoulders. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, I know you’re a shifter by the color of your eyes, but what kind of animal do you turn into?”
“Aw, no you don’t.” Kade shook his head, giving Sloan a rueful grin. “Not that fast. You have to at least buy a guy a drink before you start getting all intimate with me.”
Sloan rolled her eyes and found herself actually smiling at Kade’s ridiculousness. The two had already reached the outskirts of Term. The woods bordering the city opened up around them.
The woods here were different from any Sloan had remembered seeing before. When she and Aareth had holed up just outside of Term, she remembered feeling the same things. The trees were thick and close together, the massive canopy nearly able to block out the sky.
Many people would be hesitant to journey through such a place, but not Sloan. She had felt a sense of wonder. Even now, something like excitement tickled her spine as she and Kade walked toward the dense woods.
The reason Sloan was happy to smell the heavy pine scent and hear the many small animals rustling through the brush hit her like an epiphany. She had been raised in New Hope her entire life. In the queen’s army, she had run missions outside of the city, of course, but they were never long missions. They never had her gone for more than a handful of nights.
House of Spells: (A Paranormal Urban Fantasy) (The Vampire Project Book 3) Page 10