“I’m sorry, Lex.” I raised an eyebrow at this. “Really, I’m really, really sorry,” said Nelly.
Looking into her beautiful hazel eyes, I could tell she meant it. I wasn’t sure if I could completely forgive her yet, but I could recognize the fact that she needed me right now. She had been right about one thing: we were all we had left, and we needed to stick together. Honestly, I probably needed her just as much as she needed me. Besides, holding a grudge against people I love has never been something I was good at.
I should’ve known she wouldn’t go to sleep if she thought I was mad at her. I pulled her into a hug and felt her relax against me. “Just don’t lie to me again, okay? I guess I kind of understand why you did, but I have to know you’ll be truthful with me from here on out,” I told her.
She sat back and looked me straight in the eyes. “I promise. I promise I will never lie to you again.”
I gave her a skeptical look and smiled when she looked alarmed. “Okay, I believe you. Now, I have a few questions I need you to answer, and remember, you promised you’d be honest with me.” I had learned the big stuff from Olivia, but after a couple more attempts to learn it all, she’d insisted that we needed our rest. I hadn’t argued because, truth be told, I felt like I could keel over at any second.
Nelly looked like she didn’t really want to agree, but I knew she would keep to her word. She gave a small nod and I took that as my go-ahead.
“What are you, Nell?” I seemed to be asking that a lot lately.
She hesitated, then said, “I’m what’s called a Searcher. Similar to what Olivia and Akira are. I can see into people’s heads. I can touch them and know what they truly are, what they feel in their heart. That’s why we are called Searchers. We search souls.” She paused before adding, “And I can make people do things. I can force my will upon them.”
I gave a low whistle. “Oookay, well, that’s… good to know. What did you mean when you said similar to Olivia and Akira? What’s different about you?”
She looked away and I waited for an answer. When it didn’t come, I took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Look, Nelly, look at me. I don’t care what you are. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my little sister and there is nothing, nothing that will ever change that. Nothing you or anyone else can tell me will ever take away my love for you. Search me… or whatever, if you have to. You know I mean it.”
She drew a deep breath, and then her words seemed to tumble out of her mouth. “I don’t have to Search you. I know you’re telling the truth. Just don’t judge me, okay?” I nodded and she continued. “There are three different types of vampires, and each race has its own set of abilities. The Searchers you already know about. Then there are the Brocken Vampires. They are the soldiers of our kind, strong and fast and excellent fighters. The last kind you also already know about: the Lamias. What makes the Lamias different from the others is that they are part demon—condemned souls that chose to stay on Earth to do as much damage as they can until they meet their second and final death.” I picked my jaw up off the floor and raised my eyebrows so she would continue.
This time, she closed her eyes when she spoke. “What makes me different is that I’m half and half. Half Searcher… and half Lamia.”
This had to be some kind of joke, but as I stared at her, waiting for the punch-line, I realized she was serious. “You’re serious?” I had to ask. “How is that even possible? How can you have half of a condemned soul?”
She peeled her eyes open and looked at me as if she was surprised I hadn’t grabbed my sword and cut her head off. “I’m not entirely sure,” she said, slowly. “The closest I can figure is that my real mother was a Searcher and she died and turned Lamia while she was pregnant with me.”
“How does someone ‘turn’ Lamia?”
She looked startled that this would be my next question, but answered anyway. “Only women can turn, and it usually occurs when a young woman dies an untimely death or her soul can’t find peace. It is said that the soul then chooses to stay, reanimating the corpse. At least, that’s what the texts say. No one is really sure.”
“How did they find us? I mean, I doubt they just suddenly thought, ‘Hey, I bet they’re staying in a little podunk town in Missouri.’”
She looked ashamed and I couldn’t really figure out why. “Because Lamias are drawn to their own kind. They hunt in packs. And because even humans can become Lamia, their numbers grow much faster than that of any other supernatural race, and apparently, the blood of a supernatural is much more powerful, so naturally, we are their prey of choice. It was only a matter of time before they found us, and now that they have, they won’t stop hunting us.”
I fell back on the bed and draped an arm over my head. “Oh, okay, so just imminent death from demon-possessed bloodsuckers, an evergrowing population of the bastards, and some kind of beacon that you subconsciously put out to drawn them in. Anything else I should know?”
She shut off the light and plopped down beside me. “Oh, yeah, did I mention that Warrior blood is their favorite?”
I laughed out loud, though there was no humor in it. “No, I don’t believe you did.”
Chapter Sixteen
I fell asleep almost immediately after that, my body’s need winning out over my mind’s urge to stay up. And, much to my delight, I awoke feeling fresh and rested. I also awoke in a pretty good mood, considering the circumstances.
I took another quick shower because I was unsure as to when I would be able to again. Jackson, Nelly and I loaded our things back into the SUV as we were getting ready to leave. Olivia and Akira stepped out onto the porch, and we thanked them for their help. As I headed back to the car, Akira jumped off the porch and ran toward me. I scooped her up in my arms and gave her a hug.
“I’m going to miss you, Alexa,” she whispered.
“I’m going to miss you, too,” I replied, because I really would.
She pulled back and looked at me with those big, brown eyes. “Remember what I said, okay?” I nodded. “Will you come back and visit us sometime?” she asked.
Looking at her little face, I wasn’t sure if I could refuse this child anything. At the same time, I didn’t want to lie to her.
“I’ll try,” I told her truthfully.
She kissed my cheek and I thanked her again, then we hit the road. It would take us about nine hours to get to New Jersey from Ohio, and once again, I was anxious to get there before the sun set. The location Olivia gave us could only be found by using coordinates of longitude and latitude. Thank goodness for the GPS.
“Does anyone know what we’re walking into?” I asked, once we were on the highway.
“I’ve only ever heard stories,” Jackson said. “But don’t worry, darling. I’ll protect you.”
I laughed. I really was in a better mood. “Oh, good, now we have nothing to fear.”
In hindsight, we may have been better off facing the Lamia.
Chapter Seventeen
We reached a point where we had to turn off the main roads and follow a road that was little more than a dirt path deep into the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. We’d left Olivia’s at about nine a.m., and it was now six in the evening. We followed the road for what seemed like forever and then, it just ended.
I grabbed the GPS off the dashboard. “I guess we go on foot from here,” I said. “By the way the sun is looking, I would say we have about an hour before nightfall.”
My companions looked uneasy at this thought, but no one argued. We each filled a backpack with our essentials and headed into the trees. I kept my sword clutched in my hand, just in case.
Walking through the forest was not as simple as it sounded. More like we stumbled through the forest; the trees were dense and the ground sandy and uneven. I found out just how sharp my sword was and used it as a makeshift machete.
The terrain wasn’t the part that presented the issue, though. The greenhead flies were the problem. The little bastards seemed to swarm us l
ike a family of angry bees. I’ve never seen so many flies in my life. They were relentless—biting, and biting, and biting. If someone had told me yesterday the most painful thing I would encounter today would be fly bites, I would have laughed. Today it was not funny. Today it sucked.
I kept getting the feeling that something was watching us, but I never spotted the source. These woods were completely foreign to me, and I couldn’t help but think they hid more than just forest creatures. Something told me this was a not great place to get lost.
By the time the trees finally thinned out, we all bled in various spots on our limbs from the fly bites. I would not be making that trip again without bug spray. We stopped to catch our breath, then the air in front of us shimmered, and something completely unexpected appeared in front of us.
We stood staring at a high stone wall that seemed to stretch on forever in both directions. That wasn’t the problem, however. The problem was that the wall was flanked by a large river.
We stood on the bank of the river, and I blew out a heavy breath. “Seriously, a moat? Is there a trapped princess and a dragon on the other side?” I checked the GPS. “Well, it says we’re right here. How are we going to get across the river?”
Jack and Nelly had no time to answer me, because seemingly out of nowhere, ten men suddenly surrounded us. They were big men too, and all of them were dressed in black. I was tempted to make a ninja joke, but thought better of it. Instead, I kicked into fighting mode, shoving Nelly behind me.
“What is your business here?” one of the men asked. He was a little shorter than the others but just as well built. His hair was shaved close to his head, and I noticed he had a long scar running from his left eyebrow down to his chin. He wasn’t ugly, but he certainly wasn’t handsome, and he scared the crap out of me. Not that I would admit it.
“We were attacked by the Accursed ones,” Nelly answered, her voice calm and authoritative. I was proud of her. “We lost our mother to them. We have nowhere else to go.”
Scar Face seemed to be considering this. “How exactly did you escape?” he asked. “Three teenagers are hardly any match for the Accursed.”
I snorted before I could stop myself, and he whipped his head toward me. He didn’t look happy. “You don’t agree, little girl? You think you could take down a Lamia?”
Little girl? Was this guy serious? He was lucky he had his buddies surrounding us. Otherwise, I might have punched him in the face. Then again, maybe I was the lucky one.
I could feel Nelly’s eyes on me, probably begging me not to do something stupid. I knew she was right. Though I knew I was good, we were seriously outnumbered. Also, these guys just screamed dangerous. I had a feeling they could kick some serious ass.
So I did what I always do when I get into bad situations. I laughed. I know it sounds stupid, but when I get nervous or uncomfortable, I laugh. Not always the most helpful impulse, let me tell you. “You think this is funny, little girl?” Scar Guy’s face was bright red now.
I laughed again. I couldn’t help it. I knew he was going to say that, and it just sounded funny hearing him actually say it. Watching his face turn beet-red didn’t help, either.
I stopped laughing when he lunged for me. I can’t say I was completely caught off-guard. I managed to step out of his reach as he grabbed for my arm. He did manage to snag the sleeve of my jacket, and I spun out of it, thankful I had left it unzipped.
I heard a collective gasp, but didn’t take the time to consider it as I tightened my grip on my sword, sending the blade shooting out. I waited for his second attack. Only, he didn’t attack again.
I stood waiting and was finally able to take in the scene around me. Every single one of the men stared at me like I’d just pulled an elephant from my rear end. Some even had their mouths hanging open, and I had to suppress the urge to laugh again. Looking at their faces, I realized that they weren’t staring at me, exactly; they were staring at my arm.
Glancing down, I saw that in removing my jacket, my right arm was completely exposed. I was wearing a black wife-beater and the silver in my tattoo shimmered brightly in the sun.
One of the men uttered, “Impossible,” and I rubbed my arm selfconsciously.
Turning back to Scar Face—he was one of the ones with his mouth hanging open—I gave a weak smile and said the first thing that came to mind. “Umm… We come in peace?”
Chapter Eighteen
My words seemed to snap Scar Face out of whatever trance the sight of my tattoo had put him in. He didn’t look angry so much anymore as he did skeptical and confused. He took his eyes off my arm long enough to ask, “Who are you?”
I gave the obvious answer. “I’m Alexa, and this is my sister, Nelly, and my friend, Jackson.”
I figured this wasn’t the answer he was looking for, and he confirmed this. “I’m not interested in your names,” he spat. “Who are you?”
I considered what to say, but everything that ran through my head seemed like a stupid answer. Luckily, Nelly spoke for me.
“I’m a Searcher,” she said. “Jackson is Wolf-born, and Alexa…” Everyone’s eyes swung back to me, and I cringed as she spoke her next words. “Alexa is a Sun Warrior.”
Everyone remained silent for what seemed like forever. Finally, Scar said, “That’s impossible, there are no more Warriors left.” He didn’t sound like he was certain.
“She’s the last,” Nelly replied.
He seemed to be considering this, though doubt still clouded his features like hot breath on cold glass. After a moment’s debate, he made his decision. “Take them back to the city,” he told his men. “We don’t have time to entertain the delusions of children.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but the deep voice of one of the men stopped me.
“Gavin,” he said.
Scar turned to his left, drawing my eyes along with him. The man who had spoken stepped forward, and I was amazed I hadn’t noticed him before. He was magnificent. I figured he must be about six feet tall, and even through his long-sleeved, black shirt I could tell he was all muscle. His hair was a dirty blond and he looked like he could use a haircut, because he pushed it out of his face as he spoke, revealing eyes as golden as daylight. He had a little more than a five-o-clock shadow on his face and spoke with a slight Scottish accent. I reached up and wiped the drool off my chin.
Much to my dismay, he didn’t even glance at me as he spoke. “Perhaps we should take them to the Council and let them decide what to do with them.” He gestured to where the sun had just sunk below the horizon. “We can’t leave them out here now that the sun has gone down. They’re just kids.”
Ouch. There went any romantic fantasies I might’ve had. I pushed aside those thoughts as we all waited for Gavin to make a decision.
After a moment, Gavin said, “Alright, take them to the guest houses and I’ll schedule them for an audience in the morning. Let’s get back over the river so we’re not sitting ducks.” He switched his gaze to me and his expression hardened. “And don’t try anything foolish. I’m not sure if you are what you say you are, but I can assure you that you will not like our methods for punishing traitors.”
I was two seconds away from giving a snippy remark when someone took my arm and gently pushed me forward. I looked up… and up to see Scottish-accent-guy was leading me toward where a bridge was being lowered over the river. The bridge seemed to be part of the huge wall and fit perfectly from bank to bank. That wasn’t what I was paying attention to, however.
His grip on my arm was light but firm, sending heat up my skin where we touched. It was strange; I felt like I wanted to hug him, to throw myself into his arms. I didn’t even know this guy but I felt drawn to him, and I figured it had something to do with his glorious appearance. Either that, or I really was losing my mind. At the same time, it pissed me off. I didn’t like being treated like a kid, especially by the person who had just called me one.
I jerked my arm, but he didn’t let go, instead he looked do
wn at me and raised an eyebrow. “I know how to walk,” I said.
“I can see that,” he replied, his voice deep and rich. “I’m also sure you know how to talk, which is why I’m getting you away from Gavin before you say something stupid and he changes his mind.” He said this low enough so only I could hear him.
That pretty much shut me up, because as much as I didn’t like being led away like some kind of fugitive, I knew he was right. I looked back up at him to see that he was staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression on his gorgeous face.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling oddly grateful.
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrows in surprise, like he hadn’t thought me capable of being civil. After my stupid comments a few minutes ago, I couldn’t say I blamed him.
He was silent for a moment, then he gave a small nod and said, “You’re welcome.”
Just before we were led through the gates, he pulled me to a stop and looked me up and down. I felt heat flood my cheeks.
“If you take a picture, it’ll last longer,” I whispered.
He jerked his eyes away and held out my jacket. “You should put this back on,” he said, without looking at me.
I did as he said, then continued walking through the entrance, and if it weren’t for him urging me forward, I would have come to an abrupt stop at what I saw. There were houses and buildings everywhere; some looked like regular structures you could find in any suburb of America. Others looked like pieces of art. They were tall and short, colorful and well-kept. Every lawn had flowers and large trees and some of the houses were mosaic-like. All of the buildings had statues of people and large fountains in front of them, and paved roads with street names led off in every direction. Even the lampposts were elaborate; they were short and green and looked like something you’d find in an upper-class neighborhood of San Francisco. Medians split the streets and held cherry blossom trees and what seemed like thousands of multi-colored tulips. A light dusting of glitter wouldn’t have been at all out of place here. It felt oddly futuristic and ancient at the same time. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.
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