Leila stared at her, unable to believe her sister’s nonchalance. ‘I’m an interpreter, Alisha. Nothing but a witch to them. Or have you forgotten?’ She shook her head as she stepped away. ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this.’
‘Even if I got the book here, it’s not as if I can read from it, is it? And time was short – too short for me to come and get you and explain it. Besides, I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you the truth. I knew you wouldn’t let me back here if I came to see you myself, especially if I tried to take the book with me.’
‘So you tricked me?’
‘It was the only way.’
‘You chose him over me.’
‘It’s not like that, Lei.’
‘What if I couldn’t have read it? What if it hadn’t worked? What if it had gone wrong?’
‘But I knew you could.’
‘Get my things. We’re leaving.’
Alisha backed away. ‘No.’
‘No?’
‘You don’t understand what he means to me.’
‘He’s a vampire, Alisha.’
‘He’s a consang. And I love him.’
Leila widened her eyes before laughing curtly in despair. ‘What, like you loved Carl and Martin and Toby? Oh, and like you loved Phillip? Those three weeks were the best ever, right?’
‘This is different.’
‘Because they were actually your own species? The only thing that’s different is that for some godforsaken reason you have decided to…’ she hesitated. ‘Alisha, I’m not going to argue with you. Get my stuff. And get anything of yours. We’ll finish this conversation when we’re home.’
Alisha took another step back. She crossed her arms defiantly across her chest, her brown eyes locked defiantly on Leila’s. ‘You can’t make me.’
Leila turned away for a moment. She closed her eyes and bit into her bottom lip. It was all she could do to stop herself screaming at her sister. She tuned into the sounds of the district travelling with the breeze through the open terrace doors. Alien sounds that only exacerbated her unease as they defined the danger they were both in, even if Alisha couldn’t see it yet. But Alisha didn’t see danger in anything or, if she did, she treated it like a fairground ride –especially when Leila was the one pointing it out to her.
‘I didn’t go out looking for this, all right?’ Alisha said. ‘I didn’t plan to fall for a consang.’
‘Vampire.’
‘I didn’t even realise what he was at first. I was in Lowtown, he approached me in a club, and we started talking.’
Leila turned to face her again. ‘You know they’re everywhere there at night. You should never have been there in the first place. You know the risks.’
‘I wasn’t at risk. Not after I met him.’
‘You’re a human in Blackthorn.’
Alisha tugged down the collar of her shirt, revealing the nook of her neck, the small tattoo there. ‘He marked me, all right? No consang will touch me. Caleb, Jake, they have standing around here. No one messes with them.’
Leila shrivelled up her nose in distaste. ‘You let him mark you?’ Unease clenched her chest. ‘How the hell are we going to explain that when we try to get back across the border?’
‘He did it to protect me.’
‘If you were at home you wouldn’t need protecting.’
‘Because all humans are such upstanding citizens?’ Alisha released her collar. ‘Lei,’ she said. ‘This isn’t a fling. I really care about him.’
‘And does he feel the same way?’ Leila glanced towards the hallway as Hade emerged.
He sent them both a fleeting glance before striding across to the steps and up and out of the front door.
‘Yes,’ Alisha said.
‘Which is why he was with another woman.’
‘He likes to feed.’
‘But he doesn’t have to. Isn’t that what they tried telling us all – that they had other ways of sustaining themselves? That feeding on humans was legend, myths of old, primitive? That simple medication now provides them with what they need?’
‘It gives him a buzz. Not that you’d understand any of that.’
‘He was with another woman, Alisha. He bled her to death. Doesn’t that tell you anything?’
‘You really don’t understand, do you?’
‘I understand exactly what I need to understand. I came here because I thought I was saving your life. And now not only do they have their hands on grandfather’s book, they know what I can do, too. Do you really think they’re going to let us go?’
‘Jake gave me his word.’
‘Well, that’s all right then.’
‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’
‘Don’t you dare tell me how I need to be.’
‘Caleb promised me he’d escort you back to the border of Midtown once this was all over. That was part of the deal. You saved his brother’s life, Lei. He owes you. He owes both of us.’
‘Well, something tells me he’s not the kind too keen on being indebted to someone like me, Alisha.’
‘He gave me his word.’
‘Then get our stuff and tell him we’re ready to leave.’
‘I told you, I’m staying.’
‘You’re leaving. And you’re leaving now.’
Alisha hesitantly held her sister’s glare. ‘You know, there are a lot of girls down in that club who would give anything to spend time up here with these two.’
Leila shook her head in disgust. ‘Is that what it is, Alisha? Is that what you see in him?’
‘I love him.’
‘Sounds like infatuation to me.’
‘At least I know how to have a good time. At least I don’t spend my life in a stuffy library with my head in century-old books. At least I go out there and have fun. I’m making the most of being alive. You criticise the consangs, but you might as well be the undead for all the excitement you get in your life.’
Leila stared at her, momentarily stunned to silence before grabbing her sister by the arm. She marched Alisha out onto the terrace and spun her to face her. ‘We have a duty, Alisha,’ she whispered sternly. ‘Grandfather taught us that stuff for a reason.’
‘No, he taught you. You’re the one who has the talent, not me. And I’m glad it’s not me who’s got it. I wouldn’t be you for anything. I like my freedom. And that’s what Jake gives me. But for as long as you stay tucked up all safe and sound in Summerton, you’ll never understand. You’re too indoctrinated to ever understand.’
‘I’m not indoctrinated.’
‘You soaked up everything grandfather taught us. You’ve never even met a consang before tonight, so how can you possibly pass judgement on them?’
No matter how tempted she was to blurt out the truth, this was not the time for revelations. Instead she shook her head in bitter disappointment. ‘I think the only one who’s indoctrinated around here is you. He’s really got to you, hasn’t he?’
‘I’m with him because I want to be. Because I choose to be. This is the twenty-first century we’re in, not the eighteenth. Read the headlines. They’re not preying on us, attacking us in dark alleys and taking us against our will. People are getting involved with them voluntarily.’
‘So that makes it acceptable?’
‘Drag your head out of your archives and take a good look around, Lei. Move on and accept that maybe grandfather was wrong.’
‘If he could hear you now—’
‘But he can’t, can he? He’s dead. Gone. Just like Mum. Just like Dad. And just like Sophie might be if we don’t find her.’
Leila’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Tell me that’s not what this is about?’
‘She could still be alive. And if she is and if she’s here, Jake will find her.’
‘Is that what he’s promised you?’
‘He can find her. I know he can.’
‘In exchange for what?’
Alisha glowered at her. ‘At least I’m doing something. At least I haven�
�t given up.’
‘Given up?’ Leila glared at her, her fury escalating as indignation hit her hard. ‘Ten months I looked for her. Ten months! While you were out getting drunk, taking comfort in whoever would listen to you, I was the one phoning the authorities, knocking on doors and putting up pictures. It was me who paid for the private investigators, the ads in the newspapers…’ She shook her head and marched past the large, round marble table that looked more suitable for sacrifices than al fresco dining. She stopped at the barrier and clutched the cold steel rail as she stared down the hundred-foot drop to where people swarmed the streets. If Sophie was amongst them, she was a grain of sand in a cove. ‘Alisha, I’m not discussing this with you anymore.’
‘Lei, just spend a couple of hours here. You’ll see they’re no different to us. You’ll learn more by spending one evening with them than another minute with your head in those stupid books.’
‘One of those stupid books saved your so-called boyfriend’s life tonight.’
‘And I am grateful to you, Lei. More than you can understand.’ She stepped alongside her. ‘So is Caleb. So is Jake.’ Alisha caught her by the hand. ‘It doesn’t matter that you’re a witch.’
Leila snatched her hand away. ‘Interpreter.’
‘Whatever. They’re not going to hurt you.’
Leila held her gaze. ‘Then prove it. Because from what I can see, the longer we stay here the more at risk we are. So I’m telling you – either you get us out of here now or your new friends won’t know what’s hit them. And neither will you.’
❄ ❄ ❄
‘I ache all over,’ Jake said as he eased himself up against the headboard.
Caleb withdrew his attention from the doorway where Alisha had run after her sister. The shock in the witch’s eyes had been convincingly real, supporting Alisha’s claims that Leila had no idea she was a frequenter to Blackthorn. The relief in Alisha’s eyes on seeing Jake was equally convincing.
He leaned back against the chest of drawers facing the foot of the bed and folded his arms as he turned his attention back to his brother. ‘If it’s sympathy you’re looking for, you’ve got a better chance of persuading me to install a glass roof. You’re a fucking idiot, Jake.’
Jake managed a hint of a goading smile despite his brother’s disapproving glare. ‘Survived though, didn’t I?’
Caleb didn’t reciprocate. ‘Hade, go and show your face down in the bar. If there are any awkward questions, spread the word that it was all just a rumour. Jake’s fine and no one died. As far as anyone’s concerned, we’re in business negotiations.’
Hade nodded. ‘Sure thing, Caleb.’ He glanced across at Jake. ‘Good to have you back, Jake.’
Jake smiled at him and rested his head back against the wall as their employee, their friend, exited the room and closed the door. ‘You missed me, right?’
Caleb took a cigarette from his top pocket and placed it between his lips to avoid giving his little brother the verbal and physical retaliation he deserved. He needed to stay calm and focused. It wasn’t over yet. ‘You are one more stupid move away from me putting a leash around your neck,’ he declared, igniting the tip.
‘Come on, Caleb. Don’t be mad. I got caught up in the moment, that’s all. She couldn’t do enough for me.’
‘Sex and a feed do not happen together. And you only feed on the approved. You know the rules.’
‘Yeah, your rules.’
‘My rules to protect you from this very thing happening. Maybe now you’ll finally see you’re not invincible.’
‘It was just a fun time that got out of hand, that’s all. It won’t happen again.’
He exhaled a terse stream of smoke. ‘Good, because you repeat a trick like that and I’ll kill you myself, understand?’
Jake tried to sit up further but failed. Instead he slumped back against the pillows again. ‘So what happened? Alisha just confessed to her sister being a witch?’
‘Basically. I take it you didn’t know?’
‘I think I would have remembered to mention it. What about the book?’
‘Theirs. The witch came fully prepared.’ Caleb strolled over to sit on the bed at his brother’s feet. Pulling the purification book closer, he flicked through the pages. ‘It seems we have quite the librarian in our midst.’
Jake handed him the ashtray from his bedside table. ‘She’s cute, too, huh?’ he remarked with a conspiratorial smile.
Caleb didn’t smile back. ‘What do you know about her?’
‘Leila? Not a lot. She lives in Summerton. She works in some kind of library and archive department. She doesn’t approve of vampires and drives Alisha crazy trying to tell her how to live her life apparently. How the hell did you get her here?’
‘Alisha inferred she was being held hostage.’
Jake raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘A hostage? Well, that explains the reaction.’
‘What about the girl you wasted, Jake? What did you know about her?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘You hook up with a girl who just so happens to have a very powerful witch as a sister. A sister who just so happens to have a very precious and rare book of spells that we’ve only ever heard of in folklore. And one of those spells just so happens to be the only known cure for the dead blood you just happen to consume from a complete stranger seemingly willing to dance that close to the edge with you. A fact which your girlfriend, incidentally, seems absolutely fine about.’
‘You make it sound like some kind of set-up.’ He frowned at his brother’s unflinching gaze. ‘You think that girl tried to kill me? For Leila to save me? And that makes sense because...?’
‘It’s all just a little convenient, don’t you think?’
‘Caleb, even if any of that did make sense, Alisha would have to have been a part of it. She would have been playing me for weeks. Sorry, but I know when a girl’s faking. And I was the one who approached her, remember? We got lucky, that’s all.’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We can’t rule out that the witch has only used a holding spell – a nice temporary measure. She leaves, dawn comes and you go right back to the state you were in.’
‘No way. She’s three districts from home and surrounded by vampires, with no chance of getting herself or her sister out of here in one piece without help from one of us. It would be a suicide mission.’ Jake frowned. ‘What’s really going on here, Caleb? What are you not telling me?’
Caleb exhaled a slow pensive stream of smoke. ‘No ordinary witch has the power to do what she did tonight. Certainly not one as apparently inexperienced as her.’
‘So her talent’s strong. That’s good, right?’
‘So talented that she performed nothing short of a miracle? Not just any witch can purify a vampire’s blood, Jake, especially not when they’re as near the Brink as you were.’
‘So what are you saying?’
‘There’s only one breed of witch powerful enough to do what she did tonight.’
Silence encapsulated the room as Jake held his brother’s gaze. He frowned then smiled with unease – a smile that quickly faded. ‘You’re kidding me, right? This is some kind of wind-up for me fucking up tonight.’
‘You think I’d joke about that?’
‘But they’re extinct.’ His eyes flashed with uncertainty. ‘They’ve been extinct for decades – six at least. Haven’t they?’
‘Maybe not ones savvy enough to lay low. Ones who are savvy enough to stay away from areas like this. Ones who now have that luxury because of the protection of boundary laws.’
Jake forced himself into a seated position. ‘A serryn? Here? Her?’ He shook his head. ‘No way. If she was, Alisha would have to be insane to bring her here.’
‘If Alisha’s not a part of it, she either loves you enough to risk bringing Leila here or she’s clueless about her.’
‘Is that even possible?’
&nb
sp; ‘Serryns are devious, lying little sluts, Jake. Even to their own families when they need to be.’
Jake frowned. ‘But if the strength of talent was the giveaway, you must have had your suspicions even before you brought her here.’
‘I didn’t have much choice, did I? I had to take whatever chance I could or you were dead anyway. But I know serryns don’t save vampires, Jake. Not that easily.’
Jake’s eyes flashed with concern. ‘And you needed to know if there was one still on the loose.’
Caleb closed the book and pushed it away.
‘What are you going to do?’ Jake asked.
‘What do you think I’m going to do? I’m going to find out for sure.’
He frowned. ‘But Leila must be assuming you don’t know. I mean they’re undetectable to the untrained eye, right? What if she was just planning on slipping in here and then slipping back out again? Is it really a good idea to make it obvious you know? And what if she is? It’s not like you can do anything about it.’
‘Can’t I?’
Unease ignited in Jake’s eyes. ‘I know how you feel about them, but this is Alisha’s sister we’re talking about. Alisha who helped save my life. I owe them. We both do.’
‘And at dawn we’ll know, won’t we?’
‘You’re going to keep her here? All night? Are you insane?’
‘Because letting her go wouldn’t be insane?’
‘Keeping a living, breathing serryn under this roof is not the way to handle this, Caleb.’
‘Neither is letting one back out onto the street. You know I can’t do that.’
‘No, what you can’t do is go down that path again.’ He leaned towards his brother. ‘Caleb, you’re making a mistake. She’s just a witch. A witch that can get us prosecuted for blackmail and kidnap if you go ahead with this. You hold on to her tonight, you have to hold on to her forever. That means Alisha too. You’re not just potentially fucking things up for you; you’re fucking things up for me. It’s not worth it on a hunch.’
‘Seventy years’ experience of hunting them is telling me this is more than a hunch.’
‘Even if it is, someone is bound to know she’s here. They’ll come looking for her.’
‘You know how many people go missing in Blackthorn every night. Besides, Alisha made sure she didn’t tell anyone. Apparently the witch doesn’t have anyone to tell. She’s quite a loner by all accounts.’
02 Blood Roses - Blackthorn Page 3