Into The Void (Vampire Hunter Book 4)

by S. C. Reynolds

  Nicholas stopped in front of a massive tree trunk of a man, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him towards the door. I followed along next to them, too scared to ask him what he was doing again. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know the plan, to be honest.

  When we got back to the door, Nicholas turned to the creature. “He’s an ogre,” he explained to me. “Physically, much more powerful than a vampire. I guarantee you he has more brute strength than all of the creatures here, combined.”

  The ogre teetered, a blank expression on his face. “Look at me,” Nicholas commanded, but the ogre didn’t respond. Nicholas sighed in frustration.

  “Let me try another way,” he muttered. Nicholas balled his hand into a fist, raised it above his head, and pantomimed smashing it into the doorknob.

  The ogre’s eyes flickered but he didn’t move. I looked around behind us. Still no sign of any gatekeepers, or any other ‘normal’ people. We’d been damned lucky so far. What would they do if they figured out we had infiltrated their top-secret meeting? Nicholas would be killed, and I’d be locked up until someone figured out how to torture me to death.

  Nicholas grabbed the ogre’s hand and twisted his massive fingers into a fist. He began pulling the ogre’s arm, trying to force him to smash the doorknob.

  “Do you have a plan B?” I hissed. “I don’t think this is working!”

  “Just come on you stupid ogre!” Nicholas said. I could hear the panic in his voice. This isn’t good. If Nicholas is losing his cool, then we really are screwed.

  On the third time he tried to force the ogre to break down the door, the creature snapped his head to the side. An angry look flashed across his face. With a bellow, he brought his fist high up in the air – but he wasn’t going to bust open the door for us. No, he was trying to bring his fist straight down onto Nicholas’ head.

  Chapter 8

  Nicholas swiftly moved out of the way and the ogre’s hand connected with the concrete floor, making a terrifying thud. I could see blood dripping off his fist as he stood up and turned to look for Nicholas, ready to go for blow number two.

  “Come on!” We both swung around to see who had spoken. Lucas was standing in the doorway!

  The ogre was gearing up to hit Nicholas again. “Go, Aurora,” Nicholas called. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  I sprinted out of the warehouse just as the ogre took another shot. There was a terrible cracking sound, deafening even from outside. But right after the horrific noise, Nicholas emerged, looking like he was still in one piece. Lucas slammed the door shut behind him, then double checked that it was locked.

  We all started running. No one spoke until we arrived at the car. Lucas hopped in the driver’s seat and Nicholas got in beside him. I slid into the backseat, next to Emmett.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Nicholas. “That ogre – he didn’t hit you, did he? What was that god-awful cracking sound?”

  “I think he broke his hand. He’s going to wonder what the hell happened when he wakes up.” Nicholas laughed. “Serves that meathead right. He was ready to smash me into the ground.”

  “I’m glad you two are alright,” Lucas said. I could see him looking at me in the rearview mirror when he spoke.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure how much longer I could have lasted against the ogre. I knew I might piss him off, but I couldn’t see another way out of that warehouse,” Nicholas said.

  He turned around to Emmett. “Let me guess, you had something to do with detecting we were in trouble?”

  Emmett nodded. “I had a bad feeling; thought it would be a bigger risk for Lucas not to go unlock the door. I’m glad I was right.”

  “Thanks, Emmett,” I said. “You and Lucas saved us.”

  Emmett smiled. He looked a lot more relaxed now that this was over and we were all still alive. “Tell us what you heard at this meeting!”

  “Oh my God, where to start!” I said excitedly, looking at Nicholas.

  “Yeah, it was a real doozy,” Nicholas said. “First they shoved us all into this contraption that transported us to the actual meeting. Aurora and I almost got separated, but we managed to stick together and not let on that we weren’t under the spell.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you there,” I told Nicholas. “I would never have been able to pull it off on my own. In fact, I kept catching myself trying to look around, to study everything.”

  “Me too,” Nicholas admitted.

  “Really?” I asked in surprise. “You seemed so unfaltering.”

  “So did you,” Nicholas assured me. “It was a team effort.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that this went as smoothly as possible, but get to the good part.” Lucas smiled at me in the rearview mirror to let me know he was teasing.

  “It was just like you said, Emmett,” I told them, continuing the story. “It was a huge dirt auditorium, for lack of a better description. Nicholas and I ended up standing in the middle, dead center in front of a massive stage.”

  “Until they pulled Aurora up onto a pedestal by the stage,” Nicholas interjected.

  “The blocker you were carrying worked once Aurora was moved?” Lucas asked us. “I didn’t think it would be effective for more than seven feet, maybe ten feet, max.”

  “No,” I said, remembering how Nicholas had risked his own safety to get close to me.

  “I had to break the rules,” Nicholas admitted, “and get closer to that stupid midget who ordered Aurora onto the pedestal.” He punched Lucas on the arm. “You know how much I hate breaking rules,” he said in a mock serious tone.

  Lucas laughed and shook his head. “I’m just glad you pulled it off, Nic,” he replied.

  “Why were you brought on a stage?” Emmett asked.

  “Uh, that’s the weird part,” I said, shooting a glance at Nicholas. “I was having trouble understanding what was going on. The farther I got away from Nicholas, the more it felt like darkness was washing over me. It was like a slow-motion version of the blackouts I normally have – those are instantaneous, but this was gradual.”

  “You probably didn’t hear it all,” Nicholas said. “I was shuffling forward the second those guys grabbed you, hoping like hell they wouldn’t notice me moving. As soon as they stopped, Tobias was screaming. He was going nuts for you to ‘go!’ as he said.”

  “Go?” Emmett echoed. He looked confused.

  “Apparently I was the star of the meeting,” I said morosely. “He and Mr. Matthews were talking about some special power I was supposed to demo.”

  “Emmett, do you know anything about this?” Lucas demanded.

  “No,” Emmett replied. “I told you, most everything with Aurora’s case has been impossible for me to see. I disclose everything I figure out.” Emmett sounded annoyed.

  “Sorry,” Lucas muttered. “Anyway,” he continued, “why don’t you two give us more detail about the warehouse, the meeting arena, and anything else you can think of? The more information we have for Emmett, the better his chances are to uncover something about this absurd situation.”

  Nicholas and I spent the rest of the car ride going over every minute of the night, from the second we stepped into the warehouse to the moment that Lucas opened the door and saved us.

  When I mentioned the part about Mr. Matthews and Tobias saying that Henry was going to help them, Emmett shook his head. “I was afraid of that,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Is Henry in danger?” I asked him. “He was acting so strangely the other day, when he turned up at my house in the middle of the night.”

  Emmett just stared out the window. “Everyone’s in danger,” he said quietly.

  “Come on,” I snapped. “If Henry’s going to follow in his dad’s footsteps, don’t I deserve to know it?”

  “I may be a psychic but I can’t always see the future.” Emmett scowled. “Whatever is fated to happen will happen. You can’t stop it. I can’t stop it. We’re all pawns in this game, just hoping that the outc
ome is the one we want.”

  Which is? I wanted to scream. There seemed to be no good outcome for me. I certainly wasn’t planning on helping Tobias rid the earth of humans, but if I didn’t, would the other side rid the world of…me? And where did Henry fit in?

  I decided to let it drop…for now. I was starting to learn how far I could push Emmett, and he sounded like he was at his limit.

  We had just pulled up to the woods by the cabin when I snapped my fingers. “Oh my God!” I exclaimed. “I can’t believe I’m forgetting something so important! Tobias mentioned a name – someone I’m supposed to help defeat.” I shook my head despondently. “I was trying so hard to take it all in. The name – it started with an ‘S’ – but I’m afraid that’s all I can remember.”

  “Oh, I remember,” Nicholas said. He placed his hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “I was waiting until the last possible minute to deliver the good news. The one that Aurora is supposed to kill is none other that Senara Grai.”

  How does he know her last name?

  “Sorry to break it to you, bro,” Nicholas was saying.

  Lucas didn’t answer. Instead, he hopped out of the car and began walking in the direction of the cabin.

  Chapter 9

  “What’s going on? How do you know this – Senara?” I hissed to Nicholas.

  “Let’s just all go inside and talk,” Nicholas responded, getting out of the car to follow Lucas.

  I looked at Emmett. “Any feelings?” I asked. I wasn’t trying to be snotty, but even to my own ears, my words sounded snide.

  Maybe Emmett agreed, because instead of answering me he also got out of the car and started walking in the direction of the cabin.

  I could barely make out the backs of Nicholas and Lucas in front of us. It looked like they were talking.

  “What are they saying?” I asked Emmett.

  “I’m not a vampire whisperer,” he replied sarcastically. “If you can’t hear them, neither can I.”

  I didn’t speak again until we reached the cabin. I was happy not to talk to Emmett ever again, if needed. I knew I was channeling my frustration at him, but hell, he was an easy target. His cryptic answers were almost as infuriating as most of Lucas’ responses.

  When we stepped into the cabin, Nicholas and Lucas were already there, sitting on opposite couches.

  “What was that all about?” I asked tensely.

  Lucas raised his eyebrows and held us his hands. The perfect picture of innocence. “Nothing,” he said.

  “Senara.” Emmett was staring at Lucas. “You had a relationship with her, no?”

  Lucas squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “We have a history, yes,” he finally answered.

  I sat down next to Lucas on the couch. “History?” I pressed. “As in you’ve heard of her? Or is there more to this?” I knew the answer but I was going to force Lucas to spell it out.

  Lucas wouldn’t look me in the eye. Finally, he turned to Emmett. “Usually I appreciate your abilities…” his voice trailed off.

  “Sorry to put you on the spot,” Emmett started. He didn’t look or sound sorry at all. “But this isn’t about us nosing into your past. All of our lives are on the line, and whatever you can tell us about Senara might possibly help.”

  Lucas still didn’t speak. “You want to spill the beans?” I glared at Nicholas. Obviously their conversation on the way in was about this hideously vile woman. Maybe I would join Tobias’ side, just to get rid of her. I commanded myself to calm down. I was already planning the death of someone I knew next to nothing about.

  Nicholas was looking at Lucas, who was still silent. “We did know Senara,” he said slowly. “Long, long time ago. Honestly, I thought she was dead now. She’s not in any of the registries. Believe me, I’ve looked.”

  “Why?” I asked him. “What’s so special about her? Is Lucas her maker?” I blurted out.

  “I didn’t turn her, no.” Lucas sighed and finally met my gaze. “I knew Senara a very long time ago, like Nic said, but she was already a vampire back then. Well, half-vamp.”

  “What do you mean?” Emmett asked. “Isn’t it all or nothing?”

  “One would think,” Nicholas said wryly.

  “We used to travel together,” Lucas continued. “Nic, Senara, and me. And a couple of other vampires,” he added. “We were much younger and dumber then; that was about the only thing we were smart about: safety in numbers.”

  “And we didn’t know Senara was a psychotic crazy bitch back then,” Nicholas interjected.

  I laughed, despite myself.

  Lucas shook his head ruefully. “Unfortunately, we found out when it was almost too late. Senara was going to kill me.”

  “Why?” I demanded. “Lover’s quarrel?” I added sarcastically.

  Lucas ignored me. His face was serious. “Senara wasn’t a normal vampire. She was a fairy, who was bitten by a vampire. That gave her the best –or worst – of both worlds, depending on how you look at it.”

  “Fairy? Like Tinkerbell?” I crinkled my nose.

  Nicholas shook his head. “Not quite.”

  “We found out that, even before she was bitten, she was up to no good,” Lucas explained. “She was pure evil from the very beginning. Senara practiced magic – black magic. And her specialty was making deals at the crossroads.”

  “Selling your soul at the crossroads? That’s real?” I asked in surprise.

  “All too real,” Nicholas said seriously. “Senara was interested in harvesting as many souls as possible.”

  “But you didn’t know this at first?” Emmett asked.

  Lucas and Nicholas exchanged a glance. “I guess we had our suspicions that something was wrong,” Lucas responded. “But we ignored them for awhile. I already told you I wasn’t the smartest vampire, back in the day.” Lucas turned to look at me.

  I shrugged. I was still pissed about Senara. I wasn’t going to cut him any slack – not yet at least.

  “Get to the point,” Emmett said. He was standing by the fireplace, arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked exhausted.

  “Senara wanted to kill this human that we had befriended,” Lucas said, looking down at his hands. “She wanted his blood, and I later found out she wanted his soul, as well.”

  “At the time, I didn’t understand it,” Lucas continued. “There were plenty of easy targets, and this guy was trying to help us – Charles was his name. He was a doctor; there was no synthetic blood, but he wanted to try an experiment. Cow blood.”

  “That shit was nasty,” Nicholas muttered. We all turned to look at him. “Sorry, didn’t realize I was speaking out loud.” Nicholas scrunched up his face. “It really was bad,” he said. “Synthetic is a lot better.”

  “Anyway,” Lucas shot a pointed glance at Nicholas. “Senara approached me about Charles. She wanted us to kill him – to feast on his blood together.” Lucas paused.

  “And?” I asked shrilly.

  “I was confused,” Lucas admitted. “I was also tempted, but I thought we were all on the same page – try the experiment with the cow’s blood. Worse case scenario, it didn’t work. And we’d continue killing – but we’d kill enemies, not friends.”

  “When I told Senara I didn’t want to kill Charles, she went ballistic. She started smashing up our place. At first I thought she was just a woman unhinged, that it would blow over, but then she turned on me. I hadn’t felt vulnerable since my rebirth as a vampire. But when Senara lashed out at me, I thought I was a goner.”

  “That’s when I showed up,” Nicholas said. “Lucas wasn’t expecting me, but it’s a good thing I came when I did.”

  “It sure is,” Lucas agreed. “I told you that Nicholas had my back, and that he would have yours,” Lucas said.

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  “I got there and Lucas was in bad shape,” Nicholas continued. “He was on the floor, not moving, bleeding profusely from his head.”

  I leaned forward on the couch.

  “Sena
ra was still there,” Nicholas continued. “She was preparing for the final blow. She had a crudely carved stake, but I knew it would do the trick.” Nicholas shuddered.

  “What did you do?” I whispered.

  “I tackled her, tried to take the stake out of her hands. But I couldn’t get a hold of it,” Nicholas explained. “There was a poker by the fire. It was iron, which doesn’t kill a vampire, but I knew it would stun her, buy us time. I grabbed it and staked her through the heart.”

  “It knocked her out, as expected,” Nicholas continued. “Once she was immobilized, I sprang into action. I could see Lucas wasn’t dead, just badly beaten. I picked him up and carried him the fuck out of there.”

  “Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say. I was reeling. The entire night, finding out Tobias wanted to exterminate all humans, then hearing that his nemesis was one of Lucas’ former girlfriends, was too much to process.

  “So you didn’t really kill Senara?” Emmett asked.

  “No,” Lucas said. “She disappeared after that incident.”

  “What about Charles?” I asked. “Did he finish the cow blood experiment?”

  Lucas shook his head. “I tried to warn him, but I was too late. Senara got to him first.”

  “You let him die?” I directed my question at Lucas. My tone was accusatory, but I couldn’t help it.

  “And you think if I had saved him he’d be around today?” Lucas asked harshly. “If he were still alive thousands of years later, it would mean I had turned him, which I vowed not to do.”

  “Just stop it!” Emmett practically yelled.

  I turned to glare at him. “I’m trying to understand all the nuances of Lucas’ ex-girlfriend,” I said sarcastically.

  “We don’t have time for this!” Emmett exclaimed. He paused, running his fingers through his hair and pushing his glasses up on his nose.

  “Senara is still alive. Charles is not. That’s basically all we need to know,” Emmett said.

  “He’s right,” Lucas piped up. “I, I know you’re interested in my past, Rory.” Lucas looked at me nervously. I forced a smile. “But we have to focus on how to get rid of Senara. Without you committing to fight for Tobias,” Lucas added quickly.