by L. A. A. Law
“No, they found Amelia.” His eyes shift to the children.
“Paul, Julianne, why don’t you come with me. We’ll be back shortly.”
“Mom, we can help.” Nicholas says as we head out the door.
“Not this time. If someone is out in the woods, I want all of you to stay here. Don’t leave the building. I mean it.”
Paul’s tone is dead. “Charlie, Jeff wants you to go home as well, now.”
“But I can wait here.”
“No, you can’t, he wants you home right now.” He turns to Julianne. “Take him and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“But...”
He cuts her off immediately. “Please don’t argue. Just do it! We’re losing time.”
Julianne and Charlie leave with Paul and me. Jackson and Damian are waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “What happened?”
“They found Amelia’s body, her throat was ripped out.”
I gasp. “Where, when.”
“About five minutes ago. She was about fifteen miles from where you found Lucas. Dad’s distraught, Jeff is trying to get him back, but he ran off. Jeff said he is blaming himself for losing Nicholas and Kayla.”
“They wouldn’t have killed her Paul, they didn’t harm anyone. I believe Nicholas and Kayla did see someone else out there.”
“What’s going on?” Jackson interrupts.
“Nicholas and Kayla both remember chasing someone who they felt was a threat when they stumbled over Lucas. Someone is out there and I believe that someone is the one who hurt Lucas and maybe killed Amelia.”
“Mia, Lucas said it was a wolf that got him.”
“I don’t care. The wolf wasn’t Nicholas or Kayla.”
“Maybe they don’t remember it. We know that they couldn’t control themselves.” Jackson’s voice is full of understanding.
“No, I thought that too, but they did remember and they were thinking like themselves. They wouldn’t have gone after Lucas; Nicholas even recognized Reginald’s scent after a moment.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but with every passing moment we could be losing the scent and if dad is running anywhere near there and someone is out there, he could be in some serious trouble. We have to find him.”
“We’ll go. We’ll get out to the site and then find your father. Where is Jeff?”
“He’s taking Amelia’s body back here. Mia, he is afraid, he probably believes Nicholas and Kayla killed her, that’s why he wanted Charlie away from them. I know my brother is a fighter. You may want to get someone here to watch them. I know that he has been going after the clan here that David created and I’m not sure how that affected him or what his reaction to Amelia’s death will be. I know he became pretty violent when his mother died.”
Jackson pulls out his phone. He is talking too quickly for me to hear. Hanging up, he turns to me. “Go back upstairs with the children, we can move faster on our own. Eva and Catherine will be here in a few minutes and I have alerted Ryan at the school. When Jeff comes back here, see what you can find out about Amelia’s wounds. You may be the only person he lets near the body and see if you can determine if he is going to be a problem. We are going to meet Francis and Reginald in the woods.”
Paul interrupts. “I need to go with you. If Grant is as bad as I fear, he is going to need my help and you won’t be able to approach him. Not to mention, if there is any chance of a scent out there, I can probably help and truthfully you will need me to help convince them that it wasn’t your children who did it. Even you have lingering doubt. I can sense it.”
I hate to admit it even to myself, but despite how good they are, I wonder if they really couldn’t control themselves, and maybe Nicholas doesn’t remember everything. I know how the human psyche can block out things that the mind cannot handle and wonder if that is the case here.
Paul interrupts my introspection. “He’s right, you need to talk to Jeff, but don’t waiver and I need to go with them.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I can handle myself. I won’t be caught off guard. I only got caught in England because I was so worried about my siblings that I wasn’t concentrating enough, I won’t make that same mistake.” He heads toward the door.
I open my mouth to object, when Jackson puts his hand on me. “Don’t, he is right, we can’t approach Grant, nor would he believe us. We’ll make sure he stays safe. Don’t worry.”
I wait for Eva and then head over to meet Jeff at the terminal building knowing he would never bring Amelia’s body anywhere near his children. Jeff is already there when I arrive. His face is hard as if he has shut down completely and is on automatic pilot, carefully examining the wounds. He stops a moment when I walk in, but immediately turns back to the task at hand without even a word. I approach slowly and can see that not only are there several lashes, but one side of her neck and clavicle area is torn to shreds.
Putting my hand on his shoulder, I want to tell him how sorry I am about his aunt and to tell him what we discovered, but he whips around facing me, his eyes enraged, and his features murderous. His hand comes up as if he is going to push me when a voice calls out behind me. I freeze as Julianne yells. “She didn’t do anything and neither did her children. Jeff stop!”
He pushes past me and phases before he is even out of the room.
She comes over to me quickly. “Mia, you need to warn the others. He smells vampire and wolf all over Amelia and there’s no telling what he will do.”
“I call Jackson to warn him then call Ryan and Eva. We assume he is going after our party in the woods, but can’t be sure and I want to cover all of the bases. I even call Andrew, in case he heads that way.
After closing the phone, I turn to Julianne. I don’t understand, how could vampire be on her? Wasn’t she attacked by a wolf?”
“I don’t know, but I could smell it as soon as I walked into the room.”
It must be because Reginald was in here with David’s body earlier. “He probably smelled David. I’m sure there must be traces of him and my family all over this room.”
“No it wasn’t him. None of us would ever forget his scent and that is not it.”
“Maybe it’s Andrew’s or James.”
Julianne’s eye’s shift toward the floor as if she doesn’t want to see the body and considering who is on the slab, I cannot blame her. “Maybe we should leave.”
“I have to do this first and make sure that I am right.” Stepping closer, she inhales deeply and jumps back, her widening eyes staring into mine. “He smelled a vampire and wolf on her body. It is not from the room, it is from the wound. That’s what made him so crazy.”
Gently, I lead her outside. “Julianne, my family would not do this to your aunt. I know that you don’t know me and considering you have been dealing with David’s family, I can understand your apprehension about vampires, but I assure you that my family is nothing like that. They are dedicated to preserving life not taking it.”
She smiles. “I know that. You don’t have to convince me. I haven’t been here long, but I have talked to your students and observed what you have going on up here and I also know what you risked coming in for Jacob, Paul and I. Believe me, it is not Paul, Charlie, or I that you have to convince, it is the adults.”
“Do you recognize the scent?”
“Not really, there is something that’s familiar about it, but not quite, I can’t put my finger on it, but I know for sure, it isn’t your husband or his family, there is no trace of them coming from the wound, there’s only a faint scent of Andrew on her skin, but nowhere near the tear.”
“You can be that specific?” I inquire stunned.
“When a wound is pretty fresh and we really concentrate, yes.”
“Maybe you should go back and make sure Charlie is doing alright. I have to go and speak to a few people about what is going on. We have to get some answers before things get out of hand. Stay within the grounds and on your way back, try to call Paul and le
t him know what’s happening.”
“I can’t call him, he has probably phased so that he can detect scents and follow my dad’s tracks, but I’m sure that they will return soon and I’m sure that he heard your warning to Jackson.”
She’s off and I head to Andrew to tell him what’s going on. Although I’m sure he is busy with Lucas, if things are about to explode and there is someone else on the grounds, he has to know. Arriving, I hear Lucas is awake.
Opening his door, I see a distraught Catherine and weary Andrew. My heart sinks, it doesn’t look like David’s blood is working. Plastering a smile to my face and forcing my tone to sound upbeat, “I’m glad to see you up. You look better than when we first brought you in.”
“Mia, I look terrible, but Andrew and whatever is in David’s blood seems to be giving me some more time to spend with my Catherine and I’m very grateful for that. How are Nicholas and Kayla?”
“They are very worried about their uncle and they need you to get strong.”
“Come on Mia, we both know where this is heading, but you need to promise me something.”
“What?” Catherine’s features turn from desolation to stoic as she kisses his hand.
“You need to make them understand that it wasn’t their fault.”
“Lucas, can I ask you about the wolf that attacked you? Was there one or two?”
“There was only one and it came at me from the side. Mia, Andrew said they thought I was at the cabin, but I wasn’t. I would never risk them like that. I was only out in the woods after we got word that the kids had gotten loose. I didn’t want them to phase back somewhere alone, not knowing where they were and it was beginning to get light out. It’s bad enough knowing that I caused all of this.”
“I know you weren’t out there. Nicholas remembers what happened at the cabin, he remembers seeing Reginald and even his scent, but he doesn’t remember you there at all. He swears that he would have known it was you and Kayla confirms the same thing.”
“Kayla is talking again?” Andrew interjects surprised.
“Charlie and Jacob got her speaking again. Once she was convinced that I believed her that they weren’t chasing Lucas but someone else, she came out of her room.”
“Lucas, what did the wolf looked like?”
“It was brown and fairly big, why?”
My heart sinks, but as I look around the room, I realize how many different variations of one color there actually are. “Was the wolf a deep chocolate brown?”
“No, lighter, it was taupe, maybe tan, why?”
My heavy heart lifts realizing it wasn’t Kayla but turns fearful again as it strikes me that there’s another wolf on the land, one that was not the four that I had been with. “Lucas, neither Nicholas nor Kayla are light brown. They were telling the truth, they didn’t do this to you. They did find you.”
“Then who did it?”
“I don’t know, but Nicholas is almost black, while Kayla is a deep brown almost like dark chocolate. It couldn’t have been Grant or Jeff either. They are both shades of gray.”
“Do we know what color the others are?” Catherine asks, her eyes more alert.
“I don’t, but Julianne could probably tell me.” I call her. “Julianne says that she and her family are variations of gray, except for Charlie who is almost black.”
Andrew’s features turn grave and Gabriel is out the door before another word is spoken. Andrew turns to head out. “I’ll be back, get Lucas started on Marlena’s blood.”
“Be careful, if it bites you.”
“Don’t worry.” He kisses me gently on the forehead before leaving.
Before I give Lucas the blood, his body starts contorting, pain etched in his face. Finally he stops contorting enough that he can safely drink. “I’m alright now. Mia, you should really get back to the children.” Knowing he wants time with Catherine, I leave.
I want to check on the children, but wonder if it would be more useful to find James and see if Amelia’s body could give us any clues as to what we were looking for. I find him in the research lab. “I need your help.”
“Sure, just let me put this vile away. I’m testing the abnormalities in your, Marlena and David’s blood. Give me one minute.” He returns instantly. “What do you need?”
“How good are you at autopsies?”
“Why?”
“You know Amelia’s body was brought in. Everyone thought it was the kids that attacked Lucas but they didn’t. I don’t know what Grant and Jeff believe about Amelia’s attack, but they probably suspect the children or a vampire. I need to know what you can tell me about the one who killed Amelia. Everyone is out in the woods right now, and I need to know as much as you can tell me before something bad happens.”
He rushes downstairs and immediately starts examining the body, carefully cutting layers of muscle and cleaning the bone underneath. He shakes his head as he brings the light closer and closer. Finally, he turns to me. “I know why Jeff went so ballistic, he was right, he did smell vampire all over her, but it is not one of us. Come and take a look.”
Moving closer, he points out two nicks on the bone about an inch to inch and one-half apart. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes, and from the looks of it, not only was it done by one very determined vampire, it was done more than once.”
“What do you mean she was bit more than once?”
“Mia, look at the indentation carefully, she was bitten at least twice because the indentation indicates two different angles. The tearing through the muscle is quite barbaric. I have seen many a bite, but whoever did this was angry, not just feeding.” Although I can’t see it, I know he is sure. Just then, his watch goes off. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“No, that’s alright, I have to get in touch with Andrew. Call me and let me know what else you find.” Letting Andrew know what we found out and what we now suspect, I run to get Martina, other than Gabriel, she is the only one who could confirm my suspicions. We walk into Marlena’s room together.
She stares at me as a smirk crosses her face. “So I hear that your children did my job for me, Lucas is dying and because you killed David and turned me, he will turn to nothing before day’s end. It’s rather ironic, you may have turned me into a lowly human, but I will return to my rightful and superior state while your precious Lucas will finally be turned to ash by the one thing he insisted on saving.”
“Lucas will be fine.” I retort trying to sound convincing.
“You are not a very good liar. My blood is contaminated by yours, he was bitten by a wolf that...” She stops and then just stares coldly at me. “He will die.”
“Marlena, I know that some of those, David sired who live here have been contacted and that they are on our land. I know that they killed Amelia and that they somehow have a wolf that attacked Lucas, although why you would have what you claimed is a plague escapes me, but I know my children didn’t do anything to their uncle and that Lucas will be fine, but you will never be a creature of the night again. I’m done here, I have what I want.”
“There’s where you are wrong. You’ll never have the answers you are looking for until you know what you are.” She starts laughing. “You won’t be able to save him and you won’t be able to hold onto me.”
I turn. “What are you talking about?”
As I became more frustrated, she only laughs harder. Not being able to listen to her for one more second, knowing we now have bigger problems, I bolt from her room to warn the others that we have barbaric vampires and a werewolf on Sanctuary grounds endangering everyone.
Outside, Martina stops me. “Mia, you were absolutely correct, the minute you started talking about the ones David sired, her thoughts drifted to David contacting those who are here, while they were getting her in position to meet our family, they let them know that Marlena was on her way here with the imposter Jacob and that they were to help her if she needed them to take out Lucas and his family.”
“But they originally took Marlena to Victor’s farm, not here.”
“You forget that we didn’t try to interfere with them at all. When she thought there were more children coming, she gave them the order to find out from where and to find out about the family so that if everyone didn’t arrive, they would be ready to take them out wherever they are. They came across our name and Sanctuary doing a search. When they didn’t find anyone there, they must have figured out it was some sort of deception and they came here. Mia, this is not good. We don’t know how many are out there and by now, I’m sure they have contacted the others and know that David is dead and even if they don’t know about the imposter Jacob and what happened to Marlena, they will probably try to come here to get her, we are not prepared for this! They are not demons so what protects us from a demon’s most deadly powers will not help us. We have to gather everyone and let them know what is happening. I know that when she looked at you, there was a flash of you throwing David several feet, you should let all our witches know what you did, maybe it will work on the rest of them too. Did Andrew say if they found Jeff or Grant?”
“I know that Paul caught Grant’s scent heading up toward the cabin and they were following it.”
“Mia, they need to get back here. We are going to need everyone’s help if those vampires are coming. Do we even know how many?”
“Jeff may know if they found him, he said something about David siring a coven here and someone named William heading it.” Calling Andrew, it goes directly to voicemail. “Andrew you need to call me as soon as you can, we have some information and need you back here. We think a coven David sired is on the land!”
Martina is leaving a similar message for Gabriel. We call Eva to warn her and she informs me that Cecil and Amanda have arrived and are with them. Hanging up on her, we go to warn the witches. I instruct them about what I did to repel David and hope it will work. All of our children are moving up to the buildings, and I am about to go check on my own when I realize Sarah and the children are probably still in the house. Martina and I rush there.