“You’re right,” she said. “Ian Walker is incapable of loving me the way he loves you, and if I’d known the murderer, I might have framed you for his crimes to drive a wedge between you.” She laughed at the thought. “I doubt Ian would be interested in conjugal visits, but even that is more likely than him choosing me over you.”
“So you admit to framing me?” I asked. She was sticking to her story, pretending that she didn’t know who was responsible for the murders. But she knew. She had to know, because if she didn’t, who else could possibly have the motivation and capability to frame me?
“I admit that the idea has merit, but even if I did frame you, even with you out of the picture, Ian wouldn’t come to me.” She laughed, and I winced from the pain lacing her voice. “I’ve justified his actions in the hopes that he’d come back to me, but everything I’ve hoped for, everything I convinced myself would be worth the sacrifice, were all lies to deny the truth. And the truth is that no matter what I do or say, Ian will only see me as a monster.”
“You’re not human.” A deep voice suddenly spoke from behind me. “So what else could you be?”
My head whipped around at the interruption, and Walker stepped out from behind the trees and shadows into view beside me.
“How long were you—” I began.
“Long enough to know that your conversation with Officer Montgomery didn’t go well if you think someone’s framing you,” Walker interrupted blandly.
I scoffed. “I could take Officer Montgomery all day. My conversation with Special Agent Rowens, however, not so much.” I sighed. “How did you know I was here?”
“Logan told me when he joined the search. You can’t do this alone.”
“They need your help to find Colin. You can’t just—”
“They can search for him with or without me, but you need me here.” Walker turned away from me to face Bex. “We’re done here. You tell Bex that we’re waiting, and we won’t wait long. She’s familiar with my limited patience.”
I stared at Walker, confused.
Bex grinned. The pointed tips of her teeth poked through the bottom of her tight-lipped smile. “Yes, that I am, and y’all are familiar with the infiniteness of mine.”
Walker frowned.
I leaned in, as if she couldn’t hear me whisper. “That is Bex.”
It took a few seconds, but I knew the moment he recognized her. He openly gaped.
I stared at Bex and Walker’s reaction to her, shaking my head. “You never saw Bex in her true form?”
Walker blinked several times, before turning to face me. “I’ve seen other vampires in this form.”
“But not Bex.”
Walker shook his head.
Bex smiled a full, teeth-baring smile, and every tooth was pointed. “Knowing I have a day form and seeing it are two very different things. I’ve always been of the philosophy that Ian couldn’t see past this appearance to the woman beneath, so I only let him see my beauty and strength in the hopes that when he loved those forms, he could come to love every form. Ease him into the frigid water, so he could acclimate, you might say, instead of shocking him with full-body submersion.”
Walker’s struck-dumb expression had shifted to pure disgust, so I’d say her philosophy was right on target.
“But after speaking with you, Cassidy, I know what my philosophy should have been all along.”
I was almost afraid to ask, but I was too curious not to. “And what is that?”
“Submersion.” Bex cocked her head thoughtfully. “Dominic has tempered nothing from you. He’s shown you his true form, his thirst, strength, power, and lethal nature as surely as I’ve withheld them from Walker. He didn’t ease you into anything. He pushed you head first into the very darkest, bloodiest, ugliest parts of his world, but even after everything you’ve witnessed from him, you accept him for the creature he is.”
“I accept honesty,” I said, laughing ruefully. “In that respect, in showing me the true forms of himself, Dominic is brutally honest.”
“I thought that shielding Walker from my true form would ease his assimilation into the coven, but he’s fought me at every turn.”
“I fight you because I don’t want to be a vampire. It wouldn’t have mattered when you showed me this…this…” Walker gestured at Bex, searching for the words.
“True form?” I supplied.
“Monstrous form. Seeing you like this doesn’t change anything. It just confirms what I already know, what I’ve always known: that despite your beauty and strength, you’re a monster inside.”
Bex’s expression didn’t waver. She ignored Walker and met my eyes. “After speaking with you, I’ve had a change of heart. I don’t want Ian to join my coven until he can see past this form, as you can see the man beneath Lysander’s form.” Bex tapped her forefinger against her chin. “Despite the power struggle in Lysander’s coven, he’s had great success with you. Maybe speaking with him about you would help me with Ian.”
“Stop speaking about me like I’m not here!” Walker burst.
“Do you think Lysander would help me?” Bex asked me.
And there it was. Dominic’s plan had succeeded with the spectacular finality of fireworks, New Years confetti, and party blowers. I imagined him patting me on the head, the good little night blood who had mended fences between covens and enticed the opposing coven to seek counsel.
But it didn’t feel like a cause for celebration to me. I glanced alternately at Walker and Bex, and it felt like an impending storm about to strike lightning between us.
“You’re his ally,” I murmured. “I’m sure it would be Lysander’s pleasure to help you if he can. I’ll let him know you asked.”
“Yes, please do relay the message. And thank you, Cassidy, for opening my eyes,” she continued in a smooth purr. She pinned her gaze on Walker, and the muscles in the scooped curve of her eye socket shifted and twitched in response. “Or should I say, eye.”
I could almost hear the rumble of thunder in her voice.
“You’re welcome,” I whispered.
“Until then, I will not hide my true nature, nor resist my true form. You will see me as I am, so when the time comes, you’ll accept me and my coven in our entirety, in this form and every form, and you’ll relish the thought of living in this form with me for eternity.”
Bex’s voice never rose above a low rumble, but the power in her voice shook the earth. I could feel it press against my chest and the vibration of her will hurt my heart.
Walker cringed. He must have felt her power, too.
Abruptly, the pressure against my heart lifted, Bex stepped back into the shadows, and Walker and I were left alone in the woods in a void of utter silence.
I squinted into the darkness. “Bex?” I whispered, but I couldn’t see or hear anything to indicate whether she was still present. Walker looked up into the trees and around at the surrounding woods. The sun had nearly set during our conversation, so the trees’ shadows were longer and beginning to merge into one blanket of darkness.
My phone vibrated.
Shit, I thought. That was likely Dominic, impatient with how I’d ended our last conversation, but now wasn’t the time or the place to talk. My stomach knotted, hoping that Dominic had found a lead on Nathan. I knew he probably hadn’t. I knew that he believed Nathan was dead, but knowing didn’t loosen the knot. I wondered, not for the first time, how long I could hold on to only hope.
I glanced at Walker. “Is Bex still here?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. We should leave now, while we’re ahead.”
“We’re ahead?” I snorted. “I came here for answers, and I’m not leaving until I get them.”
“I don’t want a repeat of last night. We leave now, before anyone gets hurt this time.”
“I don’t want a repeat of last night either, but after my conversation with Montgomery and Rowens, I need answers about those murders,
and I need them now. You can go if you want, but I’m staying.”
“You’re not doing this alone, and we need more weapons if we’re going to do this right,” Walker hissed, exasperated. “If we leave now, we’ll live to fight another day. Isn’t that what you told me the last time we had this conversation, when I was the one who wanted to stay?”
“This is different. I—”
“I should have listened to you, but I was angry and vengeful and I didn’t know that I was in over my head until it was too late. I should have listened to you,” Walker insisted. “Please, listen to me now. We’ll go back to my house, you’ll tell me about your conversation with Rowens, and we’ll figure it out together.”
I look a deep breath. I could hear the rationality in his plan but that didn’t ease the impenetrable knot in my chest. I wanted to find Colin and solve the case now, before anyone else was killed and before I was blamed for it. I’d thought that I could leverage Bex to show her hand. I’d thought that I could put this case to bed tonight. And looming over everything I thought I could do, like approaching thunderheads on the horizon, I thought that Dominic would’ve found Nathan by now. I’d been wrong about so many things that I didn’t know what was right anymore.
I nodded. “OK. Let’s figure this out together.”
“Don’t take another step.” A light flashed in my eyes, blinding me. “No one is going anywhere.”
* * * *
Walker shielded his eyes with his forearm and squinted through the spotlight. “Riley?” He stepped forward.
“Stop walking and raise your hands above your head!”
By the panic in his voice, I’d guess that Officer Montgomery was aiming his gun at us. I couldn’t see anything past the blinding flashlight, but I wasn’t leaving anything to chance. I froze in place and raised my hands.
Walker stopped walking, but he didn’t raise his hands. “Riley, is this really necessary? What’s happening out there? Did you find Colin?”
“We still have parties out searching for Colin. It’s gonna be another long night if we don’t find anything more than his hat.”
Walker frowned. “If the search is still on, why are you—”
“Why am I here in the woods with you instead of helping the search party?” Montgomery finished. He laughed. “I’m here to ask you the same damn thing. I thought maybe you were following your gut, but instead, I find you here with Cassidy DiRocco. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, do you, Rowens?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Agent Rowens’ deep voice intoned.
I squinted into the flashlight, but my eyes still hadn’t adjusted. I could discern a second blob next to the first, whom I assumed was Rowens, but if more officers were out there, I couldn’t see them.
“I don’t know what it is you think you know, but you’re mistaken, Riley. Put down the gun, and let’s sit down and talk about this man to man.” Walker took a step forward.
“Not one step closer, Walker, I’m warning you! And put your hands on your fucking head!”
I balled my hands into fists, trying and failing to stop their trembling. Montgomery reminded me of Walker, barking orders from the business end of his gun, but this time, I was the one on target. Jolene’s ruined face sprang to mind, and I shuddered. I didn’t want to die, but I especially didn’t want to die like that.
“Tone it down, Montgomery.” Rowens’ deep, steady voice interrupted.
“I told you we’d find them together,” Montgomery hissed.
“I know you did, and here they are,” Rowens agreed. “Cool it.”
“She wasn’t the only one present at all the crime scenes. Ian Walker was with her. They’re conspirators!”
“No one’s conspiring with anyone,” I snapped.
“You’ve known me our entire lives, Riley.” Walker inched forward. “You can trust me. Put down the gun.”
“Stay where you are!”
“I said, calm down. You’re pissing me off, Montgomery,” Rowens said, “And if you take one more step closer, Walker, I’ll shoot you myself.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said.
“I’ll determine what is and isn’t necessary,” Officer Montgomery continued. “People got hurt last night, and you don’t want a repeat, remember?”
“You’re taking our conversation out of context and twisting it,” Walker said.
“I know what I heard.”
My eyes were finally beginning to adjust, and I could see that Montgomery and Rowens were the only officers there. Although Montgomery still had a gun in his hand, it wasn’t pointed at us anymore. I let my arms drop to my sides.
“You’re wasting your time here on us,” I said, trying for reason. “Every second counts in a missing persons case. If you don’t find Colin tonight—” I sighed and shook my head. “It might already be too late!”
“You’d better pray we find him tonight or that’s on you, too.” Montgomery stepped forward.
“Montgomery,” Rowens warned.
A soft but distinct growl rattled from behind us, and I remembered that Bex was still hidden in the shadows across the cave. If Montgomery moved too closely or too suddenly—if Bex thought Walker was in mortal danger—Rowens and Montgomery were toast.
Walker stiffened. He’d heard her growl, too. “You don’t know what you’re poking your nose into, Riley. Back down.”
“Are you threatening him?” Rowens asked, his tone low and dangerous, but not as dangerous as Bex behind us. “Montgomery might be hot-headed and jumping to conclusions, but he was right. I’m inclined to believe what he’s saying, so you might want to start explaining yourself.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” I said.
Rowens ignored me. “What are you doing out here with Cassidy that’s more important than finding Colin? You’re lead on this search, Walker, yet you left us.”
“Now I’m lead on the search?” Walker crossed his arms. “You were singin’ a different tune a few hours ago.”
“I’m here to lead this investigation, but you know damn well we needed you out there tonight,” Rowens said calmly. “You know these woods like the back of your hand. You grew up here. You’ve tracked game and other missing persons, and you should have fought me for lead on this search. You did, in fact, right up until you left.”
“Are you building up to a question or did I miss it somewhere in all that bullshit?”
Rowens cocked his head. “What did Logan say to you before you left?”
“The one has nothing to do with the other.”
“What did he say?” Rowens pushed.
Walker threw up his hands. “He asked how the search was going and how close we were to finding his son. Jesus, what else would he say?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Montgomery was twitchy with the need to act—that man was a loose cannon—but Rowens was unflappable. He looked comfortable with the thought of standing in the dark woods all night if it meant getting answers.
My gut twisted. We didn’t have all night.
“Was it the guilt?” Rowens continued when Walker didn’t answer. “Was reassuring Logan too much, knowing he’ll never find his son’s body? After all, no one knows the woods like you.”
Walker tightened his hands into fists. “You’ve crossed the line.”
“Looks like Officer Montgomery’s not the only one jumping to conclusions,” I muttered.
“Maybe,” Rowens said, “Then again, Montgomery’s conclusions were right, so maybe not.”
“Then why did you leave the search?” Montgomery insisted. “What are you—”
Montgomery was knocked down by a shadow the size of a mountain. Flashlights went flying. Their light beams swirled the air in a crazy strobe before hitting the ground and dousing us in complete darkness.
The sun had set.
Montgomery shrieked. Blood sprayed the air like a macabre fountain and splattered across
Rowens’ Kevlar. Rowens rushed forward, gun first, but Montgomery had already stopped screaming.
The shadow lifted its head to face Rowens. Its muzzle glistened with Montgomery’s blood.
Rowens squeezed off two shots. Walker grabbed my shoulders and dragged me down with him as he hit the ground. The shots didn’t seem as loud as they should have, not nearly as deafening as Walker’s sawed-off shotgun, but my hands snapped over my ears reflexively anyway.
The thing didn’t even flinch. Rowens had shot it point blank in the face, and it didn’t so much as flinch.
It reared over Rowens and knocked him to the ground. Rowens squeezed off an entire clip. The monster clawed at his chest, unfazed by the bullets. It started growling, that low, deep, rattling growl I knew so well from the vampires, but this creature was different. Although its ears were pointed, its hands were like talons, and its legs bent back like the hind legs of a bat, just like the others of its kind, this creature had scales, and from the effect Rowens’ bullets weren’t having on its body, I’d say those scales were impenetrable.
It continued clawing at Rowens’ chest, and like the sweet, fresh inhale of an epiphany, I realized that Rowens wasn’t screaming. His Kevlar was protecting him from the creature’s talons. I didn’t know how long the Kevlar could hold against its assault, but by the pinched, grim expression on Rowens’ face, I wasn’t betting on the Kevlar for very long.
Walker reached inside his vest and pulled out a gun. I yanked out my silver nitrate spray from the inner pocket of my leather jacket, but as defense against this creature, the spray seemed woefully inept. Walker shook his head and searched the other side of his vest. He pulled out a curved-tipped bowie knife. I accepted it, squeezing the handle tightly in my sweat-slicked palm.
Rowens slammed a second clip into his gun and squeezed off another round.
The creature reached out with its massive claw and crushed Rowens’ gun hand. Rowens did scream then, loud and shrieking, and the creature tore the gun away, and with it, Rowens’ right arm.
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