Phantoms of the Otherworld (In Spiritu Et Veritate)

by Reed, Zoe

  “Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell,” she said, and catching my next thought added, “And no, I’m not kidding.” She chuckled as I buried my face in my hands in pretend disappointment. “I don’t know what I want yet, I’m going to claim my prize when you least expect it.”

  “Oh geez.” I rolled my eyes sarcastically. “Remind me never to make a bet with you again.”

  She gave a coy grin. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my old age, little one, it’s never to make a bet you don’t know you can win.”

  “Want to arm wrestle?” I teased, to which Abby, knowing she would lose, instantly shook her head.

  We arrived at the dorms just a few minutes later, and Abby shivered as she got out of the car. “I swear it just got ten degrees colder.”

  “I don’t know why you’re only wearing this jacket.” I grabbed the thin material between my fingers and laughed. Even my coat was thicker than that. “You don’t have to compete with me, I’m too hot.”

  “And I’m the cocky one?” she scoffed, and quit rubbing her arms as we entered the warmth of the building.

  When we reached our floor we stepped off and started for my room. “When are you going on another errand for the Council?” I asked as I unlocked my door and pushed it open.

  Abby shrugged with a smug look on her face. “Why, want to break into another house?”

  “Maybe,” I told her dubiously as I took off my jacket and set it over the chair at my desk. “I got a taste for the life of a criminal.”

  She chuckled and plopped down onto my bed. “What kind of fantasy world are you living in?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted with a laugh and sat down next to her. “Thanks for tonight though, I had a lot of fun.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you had fun.” She smiled at me, and I smiled back as I sat there patiently, waiting for her to say something else.

  Only, instead of saying anything she nervously leaned forward so that our lips met in a soft peck, and when I didn’t protest or pull away, they met again. At first I didn’t know what I was thinking or feeling, Abby’s lips were velvet soft and her touch delicate, but after a few moments something came over me. All at once the emotions from the day, the last few months, they came barreling back, and they worked their way into this kiss.

  I kissed harder, deeper. I put my hand on Abby’s chest and pushed her down so I was on top. I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her so close I felt a huff of breath against my lips, squeezed out of her by the strength of my embrace. My other hand pulled her knee up so her leg would hug my curves, then it slid up her thigh and to her backside, where I grabbed to bring her hips more intimate with mine.

  I welcomed the affection, but this wasn’t a passionate, romantic kiss. It was an outlet, a desperate try at an escape. Like I was living it again, a graphic flash of my kiss with Camille danced across my mind. The way her arms curled around my body. The way she pressed herself so hard against me. The way she bit into my lip. With that memory came every frustration, every bit of confusion, and every hurt. With this kiss I was taking it out on a poor girl that had never been anything but sweet to me. I was letting loose everything that caused me distress through the storm of desire I threw on Abby. And though there was something inside screaming at me to stop, it wasn’t until I felt Abby pushing against my shoulders to interrupt me that I started snapping out of it.

  “Kyla, stop,” she pleaded gently, still delicately pushing against my shoulders and finally getting me to pull away.

  Shocked and embarrassed, I backed up until I was sitting at the far edge of the bed. “I’m so sorry.” My mouth was hanging open. “You shouldn’t have had to hear any of that.” I wasn’t only shocked at myself. I was appalled. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

  “No,” she shook her head as she sat up. “I needed to hear that. Is that what you’ve been trying to keep from me all night? About you and Camille.” Then she rubbed her neck like she was stressed out, and spoke to herself, “God that was strong, I could practically feel her.”

  I couldn’t hold still any longer, so I got up and paced at the side of the bed. “I’ve been trying so hard to let her go, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.” I stopped to look at Abby for a second and then, still ashamed, stared down at the floor. I’d never felt as guilty as I did now for leading her on this whole time, but now I had to tell the truth. Not just to her, but to myself. And it hurt just to say it. “I can’t stop loving her.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Abby told me, and then, slowly and thoughtfully, inched to sit on the edge of the bed. “I have a confession to make, and I really hope you can forgive me.” I looked up at her curiously to find that the fear was clear in her bright hazel eyes. “Camille’s still in love with you,” she admitted. “She doesn’t know he made you break up with her.”

  “What?” I said mindlessly as I tried to process what Abby was saying. How could Camille not know? “What do you mean? How do you know that?”

  She couldn’t even look me in the eyes anymore. “It’s all she ever thinks about, and your stories don’t match up. You think she just couldn’t forgive you for hurting her, but she thinks you really meant to break up with her. She thinks you don’t love her.”

  “Oh my God.” I was too shocked to hold myself up, and to keep my legs from failing I fell into the chair beside me. “This whole time, and with you, I just kept breaking her heart over and over again.” I stood, and then, finding myself still weak, sat back down. “I’m such a bitch.”

  “No, Kyla.” Abby got off the bed and knelt on the floor in front of me, taking my hands in hers. “Please don’t blame yourself. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me. I knew you still loved her, I could just tell, and I kept it from you anyway.”

  “But why?” I glanced up, and for the first time I could see that even though she was trying to make things right, she was hurt I hadn’t chosen her, and for that I could never be angry with her.

  “When I knew you’d never love me?” she asked, finally pulling her eyes off the floor and locking onto mine. I nodded, and she gave a sad shrug. “You were worth the risk anyway.”

  “I’m so sorry,” was all I could say. I could hardly think, didn’t know what to think even if I could.

  “Please, don’t be sorry. I knew what I was doing.” Abby stood as she spoke, and still holding onto my hands she tried to pull me out of the chair. “Come on, go see her. It’s not fair of me to keep you any longer.”

  Finally stirred to action, I got an exciting spark of hope in my chest. I grabbed my cellphone from off the desk and yanked open the door. Once I had it open I stopped and turned back to Abby, who’d been following me out. “Thank you. You know you deserve so much more than I could ever give you, right?” She gave a disbelieving smile, but nodded anyway. I gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Then I was off. As I raced to the elevator I dialed Camille’s number. It rang and rang, and as I got off the elevator it switched over to voicemail. I continued down the hall as I dialed again, banging on her door at the same time the phone was ringing. A sound caused me to stop knocking and press my ear to the door. I was able to hear the ringing of her phone coming from inside. Thinking she was sleeping, I hung up and pounded louder, calling her name. When she didn’t stir from inside or come to the door I paused, wondering if maybe she’d gone out and forgot her phone.

  I jogged the few doors to Will’s room and knocked, hoping he was there, and sighed with relief when he opened the door. “Hey, did Camille get back yet?”

  “Yeah, she got back about an hour ago,” he nodded and glanced down the hall toward the blonde’s room. “I don’t think she was planning on leaving, she should be there.”

  For the first time the excitement faded, and a small pit began to form in my stomach. I made my way nervously back to Camille’s room, hearing Will follow curiously behind me. “Camille!” I yelled this time and knocked loudly enough on the door that if she was
sleeping there was no way she wouldn’t be able to hear. Still, there was no answer.

  Now, growing too worried for comfort, I grabbed the handle and gave it a hard twist, not caring if it broke. The metallic crunch freed the door, and it swung slowly open. As I strode in the cold night breeze blowing in from the wide-open window gave me the chills. I reached sideways and flipped on the light, and the scene inside sent a shiver down my spine. Camille’s phone was on the desk right next to the jacket she always wore when she went out. The sheets had been pulled off the bed, and in some struggle thrown to the floor. The chair from the desk had been kicked over and the standing lamp lay broken on the ground. I put my hands to my head – all I could do to hold back shear panic. This wasn’t right. Something happened to Camille. Somebody took her.

  “Holy shit,” Will mumbled as he picked up a large syringe-like needle with black feathers coming out the end.

  I strode over and looked at it as he held it between his fingers. “Is that a tranquilizer dart?” Before he could answer I brought my foot back, sending it flailing at the fallen chair as hard as I could. “Goddammit!” The pain in my toes screamed at me, but I didn’t care. I was about to pick the chair up, and in my anger planned on throwing it out the open window, but the buzzing of Camille’s cellphone stopped me. I grabbed it to see who it was, but the caller ID read an unfamiliar number. “Hello?”

  “Camille?” the voice asked, recognizing that it wasn’t Camille who’d answered. The male voice sounded as panicky as I felt, and he spoke fast. “Camille, it’s Rook.”

  “Camille’s gone,” I told him, ready to give up and crawl under the desk. This couldn’t be happening again. “They took her.”

  Through the phone I could hear the screeching of tires as the car Rook was in came to an abrupt stop. “Okay look, I just got to Camille’s dorm building, are you nearby?” I choked ‘yes’ in a quiet whisper. “Get every werewolf you can down here now. We’ll call the others on the way. And hurry.”

  Will pulled his head away from being close to mine since he’d been listening to the phone conversation. As he bolted out of the room to Lacey’s I followed, dialing Abby’s number in my own phone. “Lacey!” Will knocked on the young girl’s door once, and when there was no answer he kicked it open.

  “Kyla? What’s wrong?” Abby answered her phone with the question, knowing that if I was calling her now there had to be something wrong.

  The scene in this room was similar to Camille’s. The window was wide open, an empty dart on the floor. “They took Camille and Lacey. Meet us downstairs right now.”

  She didn’t even waste time with a response, just hung up. When Will and I got to the first floor she was already waiting for us, and each of us ran outside to where there was a guy with dark, curly brown hair practically pulled onto the sidewalk in a sporty white sedan. When he saw us he waved, hurrying us to get inside, which we wasted no time doing. Rook sped away from the school, pushing his small car to its limits.

  Both Will and Abby pulled out their cell phones at the same time, and Rook looked back at them in the rearview mirror. “It’s a warehouse. Two-eleven on Carver.” Then he passed a glance over at me in the passenger seat. I was shaking my legs and tapping my hands on my knees in a frantic attempt to keep from losing my mind, and he said softly to all of us, “We may already be too late.”

  Abby was the first to get an answer on her phone. “Dad, the vampires made a move. We need everyone.” She paused to listen. “Yes, as fast as you can. A warehouse near the office, two-eleven on Carver.” Another pause. “See you in five.”

  As Will called Eli, Abby leaned forward to talk to Rook. “Hey, you got any weapons or something?”

  Rook turned and pointed to a fold down part of the seat between Abby and Will. “It opens to the trunk.”

  She pulled down the center of the seat and felt around in the back, a second later pulling out a sword that she laid across her lap. At the sight of it I leaned forward, resting my woozy head on the dashboard. All of this was starting to make me feel sick. Why did it have to happen now? What if we really were too late?

  I felt a hand rub my back, and I turned to see Abby trying to give a reassuring smile. “We’ll get to her on time.”

  When I sat up I could see the warehouse coming into view, already two more cars outside of it. A group of older people that I assumed were from the council had two vampires on their knees outside.

  “If we aren’t too late,” Rook started, slamming on his breaks and bringing the car to a stop right behind the other two, “Don’t let them finish the spell.” We all got out of the vehicle in a hurry and Rook popped open the trunk, pulling out a sword of his own before he rushed over to the other vampires.

  “You know, I actually liked you, Rook,” one of the vampires said, looking up at Rook with anger in his dark eyes.

  “Who are you?” one of the older men, who looked like the leader and possibly Abby’s father, asked Rook.

  Rook ignored him and walked straight to the kneeling vampires. “Is that right?” he asked, acknowledging the vampire’s statement. He scanned the area around him to make sure no one was too close, and then he swung the sword, bringing it clean through the vampire’s neck. “I always thought you were a prick.” He pointed the sword at the other vampire, who flinched at the movement. “Did they start yet?” The vampire just nodded, and without a moment’s hesitation Rook dealt another deadly blow with the blade.

  At the sound of another car behind us I turned to see a familiar SUV pulling up with all the other Pack members inside of it. They were bringing the vehicle to a stop when I heard a loud thud as Rook knocked open the doors with the sheer force of his palms, exposing the way inside. That was exactly where I wanted to be, inside, where I could find Camille. Everyone seemed to want the same thing, because they rushed into the warehouse at once behind Rook.

  Even as chaos broke loose, and once-startled vampires came alive to assault the group that moved into the warehouse, I pushed my way through to the front. I moved carefully behind my allies, avoiding attacks from vampires so I could find who I was looking for. Then I saw them. The three large cages, circled around a podium with a glowing black orb on top of it. I scanned the wolves inside the cages, wondering why they weren’t fighting to break out, but they were all unconscious. No doubt put to sleep with the same poison that had been in that trap. My eyes darted around frantically, locking onto a vampire standing on the far side of the warehouse. There were two others at his sides, guarding him, protecting him, and a third with a thick book in his hands.

  When the vampire saw me watching him he glared at the one who held the book, and I heard him yell ‘finish it.’ I broke away from the chaotic tangle of my allies and vampires, starting for the leader at a sprint. Seeing me coming, the two that were guarding him ran forward to meet me. Nothing but fury guided me now, and when I got close enough I targeted one of the vampires. I leaned into my shoulder, and with force that surprised even me I knocked both of us to the ground. I didn’t wait to scramble up. I wanted the one with the book, and I’d get him no matter the cost.

  I made it to my feet, but as I stood the other vampire skillfully grabbed my arms and locked them behind my back. I struggled savagely, managing to get one of my arms free right as the man I’d knocked to the ground sent his fist flying at my face. It caught me in the cheekbone, and my head whipped to the side with the force of it. After the blow I let out an instinctive roar, and a large gold wolf burst out of my skin. In staggering shock the vampire let go of me, and I turned on my hind legs, catching his neck between my jaws and bringing my razor sharp teeth straight through with a violent crunch.

  Before the other vampire had a chance to make a move I turned, baring my teeth at him with a furious snarl. He stared at me, feet frozen but still holding his ground. I had to charge him. I had to get to the one with the book before he finished. But as I shot a brief glance over the man holding the book was already closing it. My eyes darted back to the vampire
in front of me, whose lips turned up in a sickening grin, and then to the orb in the middle of the cages.

  The glass of the orb shattered with a resonant pop, and an incredible, dark light filled the entire warehouse. The light was most blinding in the center, just above the podium, as three flashes of it burst into the air and then formed a dazzling ball near the ceiling. Even though it burned my eyes to watch, I stared. What was that thing? There was only one reason now that the vampires could have needed three werewolves. There had been three streaks in that single ball that hovered, that sucked all the white light away and filled the warehouse with an ominous, black light.

  I had to do something, and my only instinct was to try and catch it in my teeth, just as I’d done with the vampire. I crouched, preparing to launch myself toward the light, but as I did the ball separated. In the blink of an eye each streak shot into one of the unconscious wolves, and the black light was gone. In the same instant the streaks disappeared and the light was restored, I hit the floor.

  For me, everything went black.

  As soon as those frightening streams of energy were released, Abby’s heart sank. Everyone stopped to watch, whether in terror or triumph, as the entire warehouse went film-negative dark. She wasn’t even sure yet what they were, but whatever it was couldn’t be good. Then, before she or anyone else could even make a move to do something, anything, the streams disappeared into the caged wolves. Out of the corner of her eye as she watched, she saw the gold wolf that Kyla had transformed into collapse to the floor. At first she feared the worst, but though there a vampire nearby, it hadn’t touched her. Kyla had gone unconscious when that thing went inside Camille.

  As the light returned to normal everyone picked up the slaughtering like it had never even stopped. Abby watched as the vampire near Kyla eyed the unconscious wolf suspiciously, then grinned and began moving forward to finish what he’d started earlier. Oh, hell no, Abby thought as she rushed over, kicking him away as he kneeled and took Kyla’s wolfish head in his hands, preparing to snap her neck. He went rolling away with an angry snarl, but was on his feet quicker than Abby could blink. She held the sword Rook had given her in both hands, pointed defensively at the vampire that now turned on her.