The elevators were adjacent to the leasing office, but I had seen a metal staircase on the outside of the building. Probably the fire exit. I’d have to take that, so Mark wouldn’t know I hadn’t really left.
When I got to the first landing, I tried the door, just to make sure it wasn’t locked. It turned in my hand. Good. It would truly have sucked to come this far only to find out the damn doors to the fire exit were locked from the outside. I continued up to the eighth floor and opened the door, quietly shutting it behind me as I stepped into a hallway. I was in front of apartment 815, and it looked like the lower numbered units were at the end of the hall.
When I got to 802, I hesitated for a moment, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. There was no one around. I slipped the key in the lock, opened it and stepped inside the apartment in one quick motion. I hoped Mark was right about Senara being out.
I stood frozen, listening for any type of noise. There was nothing. Fairly confident that no one was home, I allowed myself to look around. The only piece of furniture in the room was a chair. Quietly, I crept to the back part of the apartment. Just like the main room, the bedroom was practically bare as well. A small bed was pushed into a corner, with nothing else in the room. Senara wasn’t planning on staying here for any length of time, that was for sure.
Not really sure what else I was supposed to be doing, I sat down on the bed, trying to will myself to think. I knew where Senara lived now, and I had a way in. So what? What had this really accomplished? There wasn’t even anything interesting to snoop through!
I stood up to leave just as I heard a key in the door. Fuck! I looked around frantically, trying to decide where I could hide. There weren’t many options, and the door would be swinging open any second now. I had to make a decision. I darted back into the bedroom and pressed myself against the wall by the door.
Immediately, I knew that Senara wasn’t alone. “I’ve just moved in here,” she was saying, “so I don’t have much furniture yet.”
“As long as you’ve got the most important thing – a bed,” a gruff voice responded. “You know, we could have gone to my place.”
“Now what kind of girl would I be going to a complete stranger’s house?” Senara asked in a flirty voice.
What the fuck is Senara doing? She can’t seriously be about to hook up with some guy.
“Kiss me, baby,” the guy slurred.
“No, no, no,” Senara responded in a playful tone. “Not yet. Follow me.”
They’re coming into the bedroom! The closet was on the wall next to me. I dove into it, pulling the door partially closed so I could still see into the room. Although I was pretty sure I didn’t want to witness what was about to happen.
And then Senara and the guy were in view. He was old, balding and had a beer gut. Senara pushed him down onto the bed.
“You’re a strong one!” he said, with a big leering grin.
“So I’ve been told,” Senara responded.
The gross old man reached out, trying to grab Senara’s breast. “Not yet,” she repeated mysteriously, backing up away from him.
“Come on,” he whined. “You promised you were going to fuck me.”
I cringed.
“Well, honey, as romantic as that sounds, I’m afraid I’ve got other plans for you,” Senara replied.
“What the?” The man tried to sit up, but Senara pushed him back down.
“You think I’d ever give someone like you the time of day,” she sneered. Before he could answer, she slapped him across the face with the back of her hand.
“Don’t move,” she said harshly. “It will be less painful that way.”
I watched in horror as Senara placed her hand over the middle of his chest. At first, nothing happened, but then his eyes started to roll back in his head as he gasped for breath.
She’s killing him! I knew I should try to intervene, to stop whatever was going on, but I was paralyzed.
The man sputtered and flailed but Senara remained steady. And then I saw it – a glowing light, dim at first, but getting brighter and brighter the longer Senara held her hand over the man’s chest. And then it disappeared, as though it had been absorbed into her body through her hand.
The man had stopped struggling. He was dead. And based on what Lucas and Nicholas had told me about Senara, I was fairly certain I’d just seen her take his soul.
Senara turned and trained her eyes on the closet. I ducked down lower, hoping I was hidden in the dark space. Her eyes were wild.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she called in a singsong voice.
She had sensed I was in the closet. I cowered down more.
“Little dead girl?” she called. “Is that you?”
I wasn’t going to be able to hide. I stood up and stepped out of the closet, clasping my hands in front of me, trying to stop them from shaking.
Senara laughed when I came into view. “Now what, pray tell, are you doing here?”
I didn’t answer. I was too busy trying to decide the best escape route. There was a window on the wall, but I didn’t particularly like the thought of hurtling down eight stories to the ground – even if it wouldn’t kill me. The only real option was back out the door I’d come through.
I made a move towards the door, and I was fast, but Senara was faster. She reached out one hand and stopped me, pinning me against the wall.
“Why are you here?” she asked again, her eyes blazing.
Instead of answering, I kicked my leg into her knee, trying to knock her off balance. Senara lost her grip on me and stumbled backwards a few feet. I darted into the main room, my eyes trained on the door, on freedom.
But Senara was right on my heels. She tackled me and we both went flying to the ground. I struggled to get up, but Senara held both of my arms down, straddling me, her legs squeezing my midsection, stopping me from being able to move.
“Why are you here?” she asked for a third time.
Instead of answering, I leaned up and head butted her. She winced but didn’t lose her hold on me. “It’s going to take a little more than that to hurt me,” she seethed. “I can’t kill you…yet, but mark my words, I’ll find Tobias and make that little weasel show his hand. He knows how to send you back to your grave.”
She doesn’t know Tobias is dead! That was a good thing, really. She was going to be even more furious when she realized not only had I killed him, but the trick to re-kill the living dead wouldn’t exactly work on me.
Senara was still talking, threatening me, taunting me. “Before I get rid of you, I’ll torture and kill every single creature that means anything to you. Your parents, you sweet little sister, Kayla. Lucas, Nicholas, and even that psychic you’re working with.” She laughed. “Oh, and let’s not forget Henry.”
She knows everything about me! Lucas was right. It wouldn’t have mattered if we’d gone into hiding. None of us would be safe until she was dead. Even Jet’s protective order wouldn’t stop her.
As she ranted on about chopping up my family while they were still alive, a raging fury started to burn in my belly. Who the hell does she think she is? Senara needed to be knocked down a peg or two.
The heat took over and I ripped my arms out of her grasp, pushing her off of me. Surprise registered on her face, but Senara was quick to react. She was back on her feet before I could get in a hit.
“Oh, this is how you want to play?” she asked snidely. She struck out with her right arm, knocking it against the side of my head with a force that caused my vision to momentarily blur. I struggled to stay upright as she went in for another blow, pushing me against the wall.
I could still feel the heat coursing through my body, but Senara was stronger than anything I had ever fought before. It was a terrifying realization. But I wasn’t done yet.
I punched Senara in the gut, sending her tumbling to the floor. And then I kicked, over and over as hard as possible, driving my foot repeatedly into her head. I don’t know how many blo
ws I managed to get in before Senara grabbed my ankle and pulled me to floor.
She was breathing heavily, sweat showing on her hairline. Good. She’s met her match.
The trouble was, I still didn’t know how to kill her. There was nothing I could use in the apartment to even try and stake her, and Lucas had seemed skeptical that it would work, anyway. And as powerful as I felt, she was still able to retaliate, blow for blow. We were at a stalemate, and I needed to get out of that apartment before my strength returned to normal.
I climbed back onto my feet and looked at Senara warily. Neither of us made a move. She must be thinking the same thing. Senara didn’t want to get beaten up any more, either. Slowly, wordlessly, I backed up towards the door. She didn’t speak as I opened it and rushed out into the hall.
I fled down the emergency stairwell to the ground and ran to the bus stop, hopping on the bus just as it was leaving. My body was starting to feel normal again, the intense heat and strength subsiding. I rested my head against the windowpane, deep in thought.
Had my powers fully developed? As easy as it had been to overtake Thomas, Bartholomew and Tobias, I hadn’t expected for Senara to be such a challenge. I thought once the heat coursed through my body, I’d be able to restrain her, just like the others.
But I had met my match. And I was going to have to figure out how to kill her, because if I didn’t, she’d follow through on her threats to off everyone I cared about. And what was the point of being immortal if everyone who mattered was dead?
No one else could stop her. It was down to me.
Chapter 15
Instead of going home, I went to Lucas’ apartment. “Aurora, what are you doing here?” he asked in surprise, ushering me inside. “Your lip!” he said, reaching out to touch it. I put my hand to my face, realizing for the first time that my lip was swollen.
“No wonder I got some funny stares on the bus,” I said morosely. “I probably looked even worse before.”
“Yes, but don’t worry; you’ll heal quickly, but what the hell happened?” Lucas pulled me into his arms and I melted into his embrace, feeling safe again.
“I saw Senara,” I said, my voice muffled against his chest.
Lucas pulled back to look at me. “What?” he asked incredulously.
I told him what had happened, leaving out the stupid kiss with Mark.
“I should have gone with you!” Lucas exclaimed. “She’s dangerous; you had no business going to see her alone!”
“She’d have killed you,” I said quietly. “Lucas, I could barely hold my own against her. Her power – it’s unbelievable.”
Lucas didn’t immediately respond. “Okay,” he said finally. “She’s still collecting souls, getting stronger by the day, I imagine. But next time you meet her, we devise a plan. We’re in this together.”
“Okay,” I whispered. Lucas hugged me to him again. “I’d better call Emmett, let him know I’m still alive,” I said reluctantly. I walked over and sat down on Lucas’ couch.
Emmett answered immediately. “You were wrong about it being a house,” I told him. “Senara’s in an apartment.”
“No, that can’t be right,” Emmett insisted.
“I was just there,” I said irritably. “I would know.”
“Then there’s something wrong with the vision I had,” Emmett replied. “Tell me what happened.”
I recounted the story again for Emmett. When I had finished, he said, “It sounds like the address on Elm Street wasn’t the same one from my dream.”
“Which means?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe the fight I saw, the premonition, maybe it’s someplace else,” Emmett said helplessly. “But I’m glad you’re not hurt.”
“Me, too,” I replied.
I got off the phone and turned to Lucas, who had come over to sit beside me. “What now?” I asked him.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that we put Senara on the back burner. Focus on finding Leon, killing him.”
Instead of answering, I leaned forward and rested my head against Lucas’ shoulder. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with mine.
“I know you keep saying we should talk about the future after all of this is over,” I said, “but I’m terrified that if it doesn’t end well…you won’t ever really know how I feel.” I turned my head to face Lucas.
“I just want you to know, it we make it through this alive, I – I want to be with you,” I stuttered.
Lucas’ face registered surprise. “Come on, Rory. How can you be so certain? You know how I feel, but I’ve seen the way you look at him.” Him being Henry, no doubt.
“I think I’ve known deep down what I wanted for awhile now,” I said honestly. “But I’ve only just been able to admit it to myself. I want to be with you, Lucas, now and forever. If you’ll still have me, that is.” I looked at him shyly.
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” Lucas said huskily. He leaned forward, pulling me towards him. I pressed myself into his chest as our lips touched, gentle, sweet, and totally intoxicating. I ran my fingers through his hair, not wanting to let go, wishing I could press him closer against me.
After a few minutes, Lucas pulled back. “This is getting out of hand,” he said, laughing nervously. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“My only regret is not doing this sooner,” I replied, leaning forward to kiss him again. I slid my hands, which were wrapped around Lucas’ neck, underneath his shirt, running them over his muscular back. Lucas moaned and kissed me deeper. Impulsively, I pulled his shirt up, momentarily stopping our kiss, to take it off. Lucas started kissing my neck, his warm breath touching my skin, making me crazy with desire.
When Lucas made a move to take my shirt off, I didn’t stop him. And suddenly, there I was, in my bra, my chest pressed up against him, kissing Lucas with a wild, out of control passion. Feeling bolder, I slid my hands down to his waist. He inhaled sharply, his lips moving more urgently against mine, kissing me deeply. After a moment, I felt his sexy hands slide over my back, deftly unhooking my bra.
It fell to the floor as Lucas reached out to touch me, his hand gently cupping my breast, his fingers running across my nipple, making me think I was going to explode. “I’m ready, Lucas,” I whispered, my body yearning to feel him for the first time.
We both froze when there was a knock at the door. Lucas raked his hands through his hair. He looked flustered, torn.
I reached down and picked up my bra, hurriedly clasping it back on. With a sigh, Lucas got up to answer the door. I pulled my shirt back on just as he opened the door.
“Hey!” Nicholas said, stepping inside. He paused when he saw me. I tried to smile, tried to look normal.
“Am I interrupting something?” Nicholas joked, his crooked grin spreading across his face as he came into the room and plopped down next to me on the couch.
I smoothed back my frazzled hair, hoping it didn’t look as out of place as it felt. Lucas’ face turned a deep red. It was the only time I’d ever seen him embarrassed. Nicholas picked up on it, too, and now he looked embarrassed. He jumped up from the couch. “Sorry, bro, I was just kidding around,” he said hastily, already making his way to the door.
“Don’t be silly,” Lucas said, a little too forcefully. His face was no longer red, but he still looked rattled. “What brings you by here? In the daylight, no less,” he added.
“Honestly, it can wait,” Nicholas replied.
“I’d rather know now,” I interjected. “And I need to tell you about where I’ve been this morning, anyway,” I added.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Nicholas started. “Felt like I was crawling the walls. So I thought I might as well try and do something to help the, uh, situation, for lack of a better word. I’m not too keen on trusting Matthews, even though I think his intentions have changed now that he knows Henry is involved.”
“I agree,” I echoed. “He’s shady.�
��
“Right, so I have this friend who I knew would be able to find Leon. He wanted me to meet up with him, which I did before sunrise. This guy, he’s kind of undercover. He runs with a bad crowd, even though he’s not really like them,” Nicholas explained. “He feeds the Intel he collects back to the hunting agencies, then hunters like Lucas and me take care of the problem.”
“Are you talking about Raphael?” Lucas asked.
“Yes, none other,” Nicholas replied.
“He’s trustworthy,” Lucas confirmed, giving me a reassuring smile.
“It took him awhile, but Raphael made some calls and finally tracked down Leon’s whereabouts. By that time, the sun was up and there was no point in rushing home, so I figured I might as well head over here and fill you in,” Nicholas said.
“So where is Leon hiding out?” I asked.
“He’s squatting in an abandoned house,” Nicholas replied. “I guess, unlike Magnus, he’s not as concerned with the finer things in life. Although, I’m sure now that the Gates are closed, he’s going to be making more permanent plans. When Matthews warned him, Leon probably figured he’d only have to stay on the surface for one night.” Nicholas paused. “Which is why we need to act fast, before Leon makes a bigger effort to disappear.”
“Okay,” I said. “What’s the plan?”
“I hate having to do this in the sunlight,” Nicholas said, throwing an apologetic look to Lucas, “but I’m afraid if we wait until dusk we risk losing track of Leon. And then we really would have to rely on David Matthews – and who knows if Leon will continue to trust him at this point?”
“And just so I’m clear, you’re suggesting I kill Leon, right?” I asked nervously.
Nicholas nodded. “It’s as good a time as any to practice your demon killing skills.” He turned to Lucas. “I can go with Aurora, protect her. Once I restrain Leon, there’s no real danger. If worse comes to worst, I’ll use the demon extractor. I think it will still work. The spell transports them to Hell; the Gates don’t need to be open.”
End Game (Vampire Hunter Book 6) Page 10