Shadow Lake Vampire Society: The Vision

by Wendi Wilson

  “It’s o-okay,” I stuttered, my body shaking as the adrenaline drained out of me.

  “Let’s get you back to dry land,” Sasha said gently. “May I?”

  I nodded, and she hooked her arm around my waist once more. She towed me to the lake’s edge, not letting go until I was standing steady in the knee-deep water. We waded up onto the shore, and it took all I had not to collapse on the sand. As if she could sense how weak my legs were, Sasha slid her arm around my waist and looped my arm over her shoulders.

  Supporting my weight, she led me up the path to Dean Purty’s office. The door to the dark building was unlocked, and Sasha flicked on the lights as she guided me inside and to a chair. Picking up the phone on his desk, she punched a few numbers then waited.

  “Hey. I’ve got her… We’re in your office… Yes, sir.”

  Shivering and soaking wet, I looked at her expectantly as she placed the phone receiver back into its cradle. She slumped into the dean’s chair before running her fingers through her own damp hair.

  “What did he say?” I asked. “Am I in trouble?”

  She cocked her head as her dark gaze pinned me in place. “Why would you be in trouble?”

  I shrugged, wringing the water out of my own dark locks and the front of my T-shirt. “I was supposed to lay low and stay out of trouble. I left my cabin and was outside after hours, which was the only reason Lars and Sarah were able to grab me.” I hadn’t realized I felt partially responsible until now, but once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. It had been so stupid to expose myself like that.

  She shook her head, saying, “You’re not in trouble, Piper. Dean Purty and Levi will be here shortly, and we’ll get this all sorted out.”

  I nodded, but I was quaking on the inside. Concern for my own safety battled with the fear that they might send me away from Camp Shadow Lake. Away from the dangerous vampires. Away from True.

  Away from Levi.

  That kiss flashed through my memory, and a shiver ran down my spine at the thought of never experiencing it again. I knew I was being ridiculous, that my own safety and well-being were more important. That staying in a dangerous situation to be close to a boy was the height of stupidity.

  They were going to drown me. Or close to it.

  But for once in my life, I didn’t want to be smart. I didn’t want to lose anyone else, even if that someone else was a boy I just met who also happened to be a vampire. I’d lost enough already to last me a lifetime. If they tried to send me away, I was prepared to fight.

  “Piper!”

  I jerked around in my chair as Levi bounded through the front door, followed by Dean Purty. Before I could blink, I was pulled from my chair and wrapped in Levi’s strong arms. My body relaxed, and I had to fight back the tears that threatened to burst from my eyes.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling back to let his eyes travel down my body. “Did they hurt you?” His voice had an edge of violence to it, like any hint I was injured would make him bolt out of here and destroy those responsible.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “They said they didn’t want to leave any marks.”

  Levi’s features tightened with rage as he nodded. His gaze wandered from my face to my neck, looking for any evidence that I’d been bitten by Sarah or Lars. I blushed a little, realizing I was wearing only a form fitting T-shirt and shorts which were still wet and clinging to my body.

  Seeing this, Levi darted out and returned in seconds with a towel.

  “They didn’t hurt me, Levi,” I said, wrapping the towel around my shoulders, then cast a glance at the dean. “They wanted to wipe my memory of what I saw and everything I know about… all of you.”

  Dean Purty nodded, saying, “I assumed as much. Sarah wouldn’t want you telling anyone about what you saw. She has been trying to prove she can be trusted again after what happened during the Christmas holidays.”

  “What happened?” I asked, looking from him to Levi, to Sasha, and back again.

  “She fell off the wagon,” Levi said, drawing my attention. “She got involved with some more… traditional vampires and started drinking human blood again. Dean Purty told her she had to clean herself up if she wanted to come back here, and she promised she was back to only animals.”

  “I’m disappointed Chef Chloe has been aiding Sarah’s relapse,” Sasha said, joining the conversation. “I know I vetted her, Charles. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, Sasha,” he replied, shaking his head. “I was fooled by her, as well.”

  “What will happen to them?” I asked. “Will you make them leave?”

  Dean Purty frowned. “I’m afraid I cannot. If I send them away, I can’t control them.”

  I wanted to make a smartass remark about the stellar job he’s doing controlling them as it is, but I bit my tongue. I couldn’t forget that I was standing in a room with three vampires. It didn’t matter how nice they seemed. Any one of them could kill me with a flick of their wrist.

  “I need to be able to keep my eye on both of them,” Dean Purty continued. “I need you three to help me.”

  Levi and Sasha nodded, and I stared at each of them with wide eyes. “What am I supposed to do if I see something else? They won’t hesitate to wipe my memory.”

  Or kill me, I added silently.

  “Do not try to interfere or follow them,” the dean replied. “Just let one of us know if you see anything suspicious from Sarah or Chloe.”

  “What about the others?” I asked. “Lars helped Sarah kidnap me. And Micah and Naveen helped load me into the boat.”

  I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but I was really disappointed. When the others had invited me and True to sit with them, they’d been nice. Well, all except for Micah.

  “Sarah controls them with an iron fist,” Levi answered, “so you’d be smart to watch out for them. But I don’t think they’re drinking from the kids. I haven’t smelled human blood on any of them.”

  “You can… smell it?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “I smelled it on Chef Chloe when she arrived,” Dean Purty added, “but I decided it was better to keep her here where I could watch her instead of sending her away. I hope I haven’t made the wrong decision.”

  “You haven’t, Charles,” Sasha assured him, then looked at me. “The three of us, along with Barbara, have this under control. Plus, the others can help keep an eye on things. We will reign Sarah in and keep closer tabs on Chloe. We just ask that you keep your eyes open, Piper. Nothing more.”

  I nodded at her, then looked back at the dean. He gave me an encouraging smile, and I took a deep breath. “I assume Levi told you about my vision?”

  He nodded, and I continued, “Do you think it’s real? That I saw my future, and a... vampire is going to attack me?”

  Dean Purty rubbed a tired hand over his forehead. I wondered, in passing, what he and Levi had been doing that took them away from the camp. “There’s no way to know for sure, Piper. What you saw could have been a trick of your mind as it tried to process what you saw Sarah and Chloe doing. Or you could have some witch blood in you, and it was a vision of the future.”

  “I’m sorry. Did you say witch?” I asked, my eyes bugging wide.

  “It’s possible,” Dean Purty replied, not even flinching at my outburst. “Take, for instance, Miss King.”

  “True? She’s a witch?”

  “She’s not practicing, of course, but she does have familial ties to a prominent coven in New Orleans. That doesn’t mean she carries the gene, but it’s possible.”

  I thought about True and the story she told me about her vision. She had the gene, but that wasn’t my story to share. Levi must have kept that to himself when he told the dean about overhearing my conversation with True and telling me the truth.

  “There’s no way I’m a witch,” I said, refocusing on the conversation. “I would know. Right?”

  “Either of your parents could carry the bloodline—”
>
  “My dad!” I shouted, cutting him off. I’d been so traumatized I’d nearly forgotten. “Sarah said she knows who killed my dad.”

  I couldn’t believe I’d glossed over that important fact until now. I barely restrained myself from slapping a palm to my forehead. That should have been the first thing I mentioned. My eyes searched their faces expectantly and didn’t like what I saw.

  “She was probably lying, Piper,” Levi said, his voice soft and tender. “She was trying to get under your skin.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head rapidly. “She brought him up, said he was poking around in something he shouldn’t have been. How could she know about him if she wasn’t telling the truth?”

  “We all know your father died from a vampire attack,” Levi said gently. “She was using that information against you. To torture you.”

  Could he be right? No.

  “That doesn’t make any sense, Levi,” I said aloud. “She was getting ready to wipe my memory. Why would she make up some lie to torture me about my dad when I would forget it less than a minute later? No. She knows something. I know she does.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Dean Purty said, “but I doubt she’ll tell me anything. If she has any information about a vampire killing a man and leaving evidence behind, she’d be executed, and she knows it.”

  “But she said it in front of Lars,” I responded, flinching at the pleading note in my voice. “And Micah and Naveen were on the dock, so they probably heard her, too.”

  “And I’m sure she’ll tell them she was lying to mess with you,” Levi said. Then he looked at Dean Purty. “I think I should take Piper to The Society.”

  “I don’t know, Levi,” the dean replied. “It could be dangerous.”

  “If there’s any truth to what Sarah said…”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked when Levi’s words trailed off.

  The dean looked from me, to Levi, then at Sasha, who nodded. His dark eyes landed back on me, and he sighed.

  “The Shadow Lake Vampire Society,” he explained, “monitors all vampire activity in the northwestern United States, enforces our laws, and enacts punishment for breaking those laws.”

  “Members of The Society reside in the Thornberry Estate about twenty miles from here,” Levi said.

  “An estate?” I asked.

  “The Society’s leader owns it,” Dean Purty answered. “Only humans who know about us and have been deemed trustworthy can visit.”

  He gave Levi a pointed look, and Levi shrugged. I knew what it meant.

  Levi trusted me.

  The thought filled me with warmth, but I beat it back and promised myself I’d revel in it later. I needed to focus.

  “You want to take me to this society and ask around about my father’s death?” I asked, unable to suppress the note of hope in my voice.

  “Yes,” he said. “If there are any clues that could lead us to your father’s murderer, we’ll find them within the walls of the Thornberry Estate and with its leader. He and the Shadow Lake Vampire Society have eyes and ears everywhere.”

  “But… My dad died over a year ago. If The Society knows who killed him, wouldn’t he or she already be dead for breaking vampire law?”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out,” Levi said, his expression earnest.

  “And if there was any truth to Sarah’s claims that my father was killed for poking around in something he should’ve left alone?” I asked, a shiver skittering down my spine at the thought.

  “We’ll find that out, too,” Levi assured me. “I want to help you find some closure, Piper, and The Society is our best bet.”

  I nodded, blinking back the stinging moisture in my eyes. I refused to cry, even if they were tears of joy and gratitude.

  I was going to find the truth about my father’s death. And nothing was going to stop me.

  Chapter Twenty

  I stared up at the mansion—lit with decorative landscaping lights that highlighted its opulence and splendor—and took several deep breaths.

  Beside me, Levi noticed my anxiety. “It’ll be okay, Piper. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

  I nodded, slipping my hand in his. His fingers laced through mine, giving me the strength to see this through.

  The Thornberry Estate was intimidating enough even if you didn’t know it was filled with vampires. I’d looked it up on the one ancient office computer the staff used to check their email during rest time, between swimming and crafts. I had to use the community PC because my phone had gone missing during my abduction and had yet to resurface. Between articles, I spent time worrying that Sarah had it and was poking through my texts and messages.

  The Thornberry Estate was once a prestigious lodging, but had since served as a residence to the uber-rich Thornberry Family. Moguls in real estate since the 1800s, the Thornberrys were very wealthy and very secretive. They didn’t attend society events or vacation with other rich families. In fact, there were no pictures of them or the interior of the mansion, only exterior shots from far away, but those showed opulence I’d never experienced before—three stories of grandeur, dozens of windows, and a courtyard with incredibly elaborate gardens.

  The fact that we would be rubbing elbows with the wealthy elite also explained the gown that I was currently wearing. After dinner, I’d returned to the cabin to find a white box lying on my bed. Amazingly, the strapless, floor-length, red sequined dress fit me perfectly, showing off my pale arms and dipping low to reveal a tasteful amount of cleavage. True had squealed when I’d tried it on in the girl’s bathroom after lights out. Staring at myself in the foggy camp mirrors, I had to admit the gown transformed me from simple teen counselor to a chic and sophisticated woman.

  True had helped me with my hair and make-up, so when Levi pulled up in a sleek, black car I’d never seen before, his jaw dropped.

  “You look amazing,” he’d purred as he helped me into the passenger side of the Bentley. The simple statement had sent chills running down my spine—the good kind.

  But now, standing at the bottom of the estate's stairs, all the excitement that had built up throughout the day seemed foolish. I was about to enter a new and frightening world with the sole purpose of trying to learn more about who murdered my father.

  This wasn’t some high school prom. This was life or death.

  Levi’s thumb stroked my hand, giving me courage, giving me strength. I glanced over at him. In his black tux, he looked more than stunning. He could be a prince or an aristocrat with his high cheekbones and perfect jawline. I wished desperately we were at prom so I could press myself to him and sway as the lights dipped low.

  “Piper,” he whispered, leaning in close so I could smell his cologne. “Your heart is pounding.”

  I nodded, my eyes trailing up to his lips. “I can’t help it when you stand so close.”

  He leaned in, bringing his lips to the tender skin of my neck. “That’s good. Better turned on than nervous. Vampires can sense if a human is anxious, and they take it as a sign of weakness.”

  His mouth brushed against my neck, flooding my senses with desire. “Keep kissing me like that, and we might fool them.”

  He chuckled, a low, melodic sound. “Don’t tempt me. Come on. We shouldn’t delay.”

  Gently, he led me up the wide, stone steps. I held onto his hand for dear life while keeping my dress out of the way with the other. My eyes drank everything in—the stately architecture, the perfect landscaping, the lit windows that showed several people’s silhouettes.

  No, not people. Vampires.

  Would I ever get used to the idea?

  I tried not to think about their fangs or the way they could crush me in an instant. I tried not to remember Sarah’s words in the boat. You. Are. Nothing.

  “Calm down,” Levi whispered as we stopped at the front doors. “Deep breaths. You’re safe with me. No one can touch you.”

  I did as he suggested, breathing in slowly and blowing i
t out just as the doors opened.

  A man in a butler’s uniform pulled the door back and regarded us with an emotionless expression.

  “Levi Kass and Piper Williams,” Levi announced. “We are expected.”

  The butler nodded, opening the door even wider. We’d already cleared security at the gate, two imposing men with guns—it seemed Mr. Thornberry used human security—so this must’ve been a formality. The butler stepped out of the way, and we entered the house.

  My senses were flooded with stimuli—sparkling crystal chandeliers, violin music and laughter, the smell of fresh flowers from the entranceway tables. Levi led me out of the doorway and down a dazzling hallway to a large gathering space with high ceilings and shiny tile floors. The space was the size of my high school library but with much more ornate decorations. Soft couches, molding and scroll work, and ancient oil paintings dominated my view. Two rows of giant windows looked out on what must be the courtyard. One wall held buffet tables laden with silver domed platters. Waiters and waitresses—new vamps who had to work for a living according to Levi—circulated with drinks and little trays of food.

  I was more interested in the attendees, however. I counted at least two dozen party-goers in fancy attire, about an equal number of men and women. All were beautiful and young, laughing and drinking without a care in the world.

  Did they know I was human? Likely. From what little I knew of vampires, they could probably smell my human-ness. My blood. A few glanced at me but looked away if I turned in their direction. Maybe they’d been told to expect me. Maybe having humans in their midst was normal.

  Either way, it was freaking me out.

  “Where is he?” I whispered. Levi had been vague on the details, only that we would speak to Warren Thornberry, the owner of the house and head of the Shadow Lake Vampire Society. Levi didn’t say more for fear of the other counselors overhearing our plans.

  Levi nodded toward a cluster of people at the end of the room. At the head of the group, a handsome man was holding court, telling some story that held everyone’s attention. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but when he paused, a round of uproarious laughter echoed from the crowd.