As if being unique was a bad thing.
He blew out a breath and tried to calm the part of him that was itching to continue the argument. He’d thought going home for a few days would help clear his head. It hadn’t. If anything, it just made things worse. Having to face everybody, knowing Sean’s killer was still walking free …
Guilt started to seep in, slowly and insidiously. The feeling of righteousness from only moments ago was replaced with a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Had he taken it all out on her?
She was oblivious to her own potential and it frustrated the hell out of him, but would he have fared better without someone to guide him? He wasn’t so sure.
With a sigh, he looked again at the empty road ahead of him. He should probably follow her and apologise. A soft growl and gentle nudge from his wolf very clearly conveyed the animal’s agreement. He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked briskly in the direction of the pub.
The night around him seemed unnaturally quiet. There were no cars passing, no rustle of leaves, just an icy silence. It was almost as if the night itself was pissed at him.
As he reached the main street, a sharp scent flowed to him from beyond the now dark shopfronts: fear.
He forced himself to remain still and listened closely, allowing his stronger senses to take over. A slight scuffling sound came from somewhere to the left. After a moment, the sound became louder and more frantic. Careful to remain silent, Ethan moved in the direction of the noise. The scent of fear grew sharper with each step he took.
An odd glow seemed to lighten the night beyond the row of shops, silhouetting the buildings against the backdrop of the heavily clouded sky. He’d barely gotten ten feet when the night was ripped apart by a violent scream.
Phoenix.
All thought of remaining silent was quickly forgotten as he sprinted to the end of the street. His claws elongated, and his canines ruptured from his gums. He knew his eyes would be yellow because his wolf was tearing at its binds to be released. But he didn’t care. His only thought was reaching her.
The sight that met him in the dark shadows almost made him lose what little control he had left. Phoenix was pressed against the wall of the building. Her head was thrown back in fear and agony as a large dark-haired vampire tore into her throat with his fangs.
The coppery tang of her blood filled the air and made his wolf howl. His vision sharpened like a laser on its target and he lost all sense of humanity, lunging with every bit of power his body possessed.
In the deep recesses of his mind, he was dimly aware they needed answers, they needed the vampire alive. But his wolf didn’t care. His wolf wanted blood.
Even in his heightened state, he was careful not to hurt Phoenix. He attacked the vampire, taking advantage of the momentary chaos to turn the tables and latch his own teeth into the vampire’s throat. With a roar, the vampire released Phoenix and tried to fling him off, but Ethan held fast.
The shift in position gave him his first proper view of the vampire, and he found himself staring into the empty black eyes that had haunted his dreams. It was him. It was the vampire that killed Sean.
Rage overpowered rational thought and the world around him became red. The vampire’s strength was phenomenal, but he was no match for the fury that coursed through Ethan. The more the vampire fought, the more Ethan tore at him.
Claws slashed. Fangs pierced.
The blood that coated his mouth was vile and poisonous. Still, he continued. Possessed. Tearing through flesh, sinew, and bone.
It was only the weakening thud of Phoenix’s erratic heartbeat that pulled him back to his senses. She lay slumped on the ground, unmoving. The slow beat of her heart was like a percussive death knell.
Fear gripped him. Had she reached her immortality? He had no idea.
In the periphery of his awareness, he noticed the vampire had stopped struggling beneath him and was shaking. It took Ethan a second to realise the vampire was laughing. A deep, shuddering laugh.
The vampire’s words, when they came, struck the heart of both man and wolf. “You can’t save her, you know.”
In an instant his vision clouded red again and with a furious roar, he ripped the vampire’s head clean off his body. Lifeless blood dropped to the concrete and slowly began to fade.
As Ethan stood panting and struggling to regain control of his wolf, he heard a whimper behind him. The simple sound made his heart clench violently.
***
Phoenix’s eyes opened wide as she surveyed the scene in front of her, unable to stop the low moan that sent a flash of pain through her throat.
A pair of blue, lifeless eyes stared at her from their position on the ground barely three feet away. A somewhat hysterical laugh bubbled up in her chest as she realised the eyes belonged to a head that seemed, strangely, to be missing a body.
She watched as the head began to disintegrate in front of her eyes. Some vague thought pushed insistently at her consciousness, something important she couldn’t quite grasp through the haze of pain. As the gruesome image gradually disappeared, it was replaced by a large black crow, its red eyes glowing as it stared at her. A soft, keening lament drifted on the night, not too dissimilar to the wailing she heard at the Ritual, but quieter, more gentle.
And then it didn’t matter because Ethan’s yellow-brown eyes appeared and his concerned face filled her view. Except his concerned face was covered in thick, dark blood and looked every bit as gruesome as the disembodied head.
He was speaking to her. She could see his lips moving, nearly hypnotised by the sight, but she couldn’t hear a thing. And then everything went black.
Phoenix didn’t know how long she was out for, but when she came to, the world around her seemed to be moving. Her stomach felt queasy and she scrunched her eyes tightly together against passing flashes of light. She felt a comforting hand smooth the hair back from her forehead as the world began to drift away again to blackness.
Phoenix shot up with a gasp. Blood rushed to her brain, making her head explode as spots formed in front of her eyes and the strange room began to spin violently. In an instant, Ethan was by her side making soothing noises and encouraging her to lie back down. But she couldn’t lie back down because he needed to know. She needed to tell him what she remembered.
She knocked his hands away and frantically tried to get the words out, but all that came from her throat was a raw croak. She tried again, but only managed a dry rasp.
Finally, recognising her distress, Ethan disappeared and quickly returned with a glass of water. He gently helped her raise the glass to her lips and slowed her movements when she would have gladly gulped it in one go.
The water felt like a solid lump trying to painfully pass through her throat, but still she gasped for more. Eventually, the cool liquid eased the burning pain enough that she could speak.
“I knew him.”
Ethan froze, and a strange expression passed over his face.
“The vampire. I knew him,” she repeated insistently, grabbing the sleeve of his jumper. He needed to understand how important this was.
Ethan sat down on the bed beside her – wait, how did she end up in a bed? – and took her hands in his. His thumbs rubbed soothingly across her palms to calm her frantic fidgeting.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re safe now. Just tell me what happened.”
A sob threatened to escape as the memories came flooding back to her like flashes from a horror movie. The sharp piercing of fangs. The violation. The lifeless blue eyes. She forced her breath to slow. Breathe in and out. In and out. Stick to the facts, you can do this.
“He attacked me from behind. I tried to fight back but” – her breath caught – “he was too strong.”
Ethan’s grip on her hands increased painfully, and for a moment she thought she saw his eyes flash yellow. But when she looked again, all she saw was warm brown eyes full of concern.
“Something happ
ened when he attacked me,” she continued, trying to pick through the haze of memories. “I felt a strange heat build up … Then he bit me, and there was just pain.”
Ethan stiffened slightly at her words, and Phoenix wondered vaguely whether it was the mention of the heat or the biting that got his attention.
“You said you recognised him?” he prompted.
She nodded and the sense of relief at being able to move her neck outweighed the aching stiffness that was setting in.
“His voice was familiar, but I didn’t get a proper look at him. Not until I came to and saw the –” Bile rose up in her throat and she swallowed with effort. “He’s the head of security for the Dublin clan. He works for my … uncle of sorts.”
Ethan’s jaw dropped in unmasked astonishment. “Your uncle sent someone to kill you?”
“No, no way.” Phoenix sat up so quickly that the room began to spin again.
Ethan steadied her, propping pillows behind her for support.
“None of this makes sense.” She scrunched her fists into her eyes and wanted to scream her frustration. “Uncle D would never hurt me.”
She tried to organise the million questions that were crowding her thoughts. “Raphael, he said something. I don’t think he was meant to kill me. I think he was meant to bring me somewhere.”
“Phoenix, that was the vamp that killed Sean.” Ethan’s voice was low and shaking with barely restrained anger. “Whatever his intentions, they weren’t good.”
Her breath left her in a whoosh. Raphael killed Ethan’s friend? Did Darius know? Surely not.
An uneasy silence fell between them, and Phoenix’s thoughts turned to her surroundings. The room around her was masculine but lacking personality. Navy and cream provided clean, efficient décor, but it was lacking personal touches. There were no photos or knick-knacks to provide clues to the owner.
Was she in Ethan’s apartment? His bedroom?
She lay on a king-size bed surrounded by soft pillows and a thin blanket covered her from the chest down. A large white t-shirt was the only thing separating her skin from the covers, and she tugged the blanket up to her chin self-consciously. While she was extremely grateful not to be caked in blood anymore – particularly her own – she cringed in embarrassment, wondering at what point she’d been divested of her clothes.
As if sensing her shift in focus, Ethan stood quickly and distanced himself from the bed, busying himself with a mess only he could see.
“I called Nate to pick us up. I didn’t think you’d want Abi to see you hurt. And Lily had stuff here to help with the healing.” Ethan seemed to realise he was rambling and stopped talking abruptly.
So, they were in Ethan’s apartment then.
The wild musky scent she’d come to associate with him was flooding her senses, which meant she was most likely wearing his t-shirt too. The thought made blood rush to her cheeks. Realising he was looking at her for reassurance, she smiled weakly and nodded her thanks.
He cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. “The others are here to discuss what happened when you’re feeling up to it. I’ve left some clothes at the end of the bed for you. Figured you might want to freshen up before you see them.”
Again she nodded, feeling awkward from the strange intimacy of finding herself in Ethan’s bed, wearing his clothes.
“The bathroom’s through there.” He indicated to a door to her left and turned to leave.
At the thought of being left alone, panic wiped away all concerns of where she was or who had seen her naked. She pushed it back angrily, but with it came another thought. A memory that left her cold.
That sound – a soft keening lament as she lay on the cold ground.
“Ethan?”
He stopped with his hand on the door and looked at her in question.
“How badly was I hurt?” As she voiced the words, she already knew the answer. She knew what the sound had been, and what it meant. But still she had to ask.
Ethan’s expression turned guarded. “Badly.” A muscle at the side of his jaw ticked. “If you hadn’t already reached your immortality, you’d have been dead.”
***
It took Phoenix a long time to drag herself out of the luxurious shower. Waterfall showerheads and scalding water did little to chase away the chill of Ethan’s parting words, but the pounding beat lulled her into a gentle trance that allowed her to stop thinking. At least for a few minutes.
When she walked into the living room, everyone was assembled in their usual places. Lily and Nate were at the breakfast bar, and Nate’s head was buried in his laptop. Shade slouched by the window, flipping his penknife open and closed as he stared sullenly into the darkening sky. And Ethan sat pensively on the sofa, his foot tapping as he surveyed the door she was exiting.
A deafening silence fell as soon as she appeared. She tugged self-consciously at the sleeves of the baggy jumper Ethan had left her. All eyes turned in her direction, and Ethan leapt from his seat to usher her to the sofa.
“If you’re feeling up to it, I thought we could talk about what happened yesterday?” he said, handing her a steaming cup of black coffee.
Phoenix took the cup gratefully and let the rich aroma fill her senses before taking a sip. It took a moment for Ethan’s words to register, but when they did, the scalding liquid caught in her throat, nearly choking her.
“Yesterday?” she wheezed out between coughs.
“You were badly hurt. You needed to heal.” Ethan watched her with concern. “Lily gave you an herbal remedy to keep you asleep while your body repaired.”
All things considered, losing a day of her life was really the least of her worries, but this new information only made her feel worse.
Shit, Abi!
Phoenix didn’t even realise she’d jumped up until Ethan gently pressed her back down into the sofa.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said as he took the half-spilled coffee from her hands and placed it on the table. “I texted Abi. Told her you had a family emergency and you’d be gone for a day or two.”
Sinking into the soft cushions, Phoenix added that text to the ever-growing list of lies she needed to keep straight. It would be a miracle if Abi was even speaking to her by the end of all this.
“Ethan said you knew the vampire that attacked you?” Lily’s question drew everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand.
“Figures,” Shade muttered, ignoring Ethan’s reprimanding look as he scowled out the window.
Phoenix sighed – good to see a near death experience didn’t change anything – and nodded, but confusion made her head pound. Why would Raphael have attacked her? Growing up in the Dublin clan, she’d always avoided the large man that worked as Darius’s head of security; he’d creeped her out in a way she couldn’t quite put into words.
But he worked for Darius. He knew who she was, and that she was under Darius’s protection. What would make him go against his Master’s orders? Was he working for someone else? She tried to remember his words as he attacked her, shuddering at the memory of his hands groping her and his large body crushing hers. He had said something … a name …
“Il Maestro,” she said, speaking her thoughts out loud. “That was the name he used. The person that had given him the orders.”
Nate glanced up from his laptop, gave a quick nod of acknowledgement, and resumed his furious typing.
Phoenix picked up what was left of her coffee and took a large gulp. The bitter liquid burned a path down her throat as she debated what to tell them. With nothing left to lose, she started from the beginning.
“My parents disappeared when I was fifteen. Uncle D – Darius – took me in. My parents’ families both disowned them before I was even born. Darius is the only one that stood by them. He’s the only other family I’ve ever known.”
“The vamps accepted you?” Shade waved his hand vaguely in her direction, looking at her with renewed curiosity.
“Most of them didn’t know abo
ut me, only his closest advisors. He kept me hidden to protect me. I left when I was twenty-one. They’d have no reason to hurt me …”
As her words trailed off, the memories assaulted her. The night her parents went missing, waiting, knowing in her heart that something wasn’t right. Going to live with the Dublin clan. The realisation, even from such a young age, that she must hide who she was if she were to survive. And the darkness. Most of all the darkness.
“What clan did you say this was?” Nate asked from behind his screen, breaking the tense silence that had fallen.
Phoenix cleared her throat and tried to keep her tone matter of fact despite the emotion that threatened to break free of her tight grasp. “The Dublin clan.”
Nate nodded, chewing on his lip in concentration.
“Did you ever find out what happened to your parents?” Lily’s voice was soft and childlike as she looked at Phoenix. Her green eyes begged for a happy ending to the story.
Phoenix just shook her head and looked down at the table in front of her. She couldn’t talk about this, not now.
“Got it!” Once again Nate broke the building tension with his sudden declaration. “Okay, let me see … Uh huh … yep … okay …”
“Nate, are you going to share anything useful here, or just keep making a lot of annoying noises?” Ethan spoke for the first time since she’d begun her story. He glared at Nate with his arms crossed over his chest.
Nate looked up sheepishly, a crooked grin on his face.
“Sorry,” he said, and flipped his laptop screen around so everyone could see. “It looks like an investment firm has made a number of payments to the Dublin witches coven recently.”
From the satisfied look on his face, Phoenix could already guess where this was leading. Empty of everything except the black coffee – which now threatened to make a reappearance – her gut clenched and she had to swallow back the feeling of nausea.
After throwing an apologetic glance her way, Nate continued, “The investment firm is called IM Investments. It appears to be owned by the Dublin vampire clan.”
3 Minutes to Midnight: Urban Fantasy Midnight Trilogy Book 1 Page 13