Unfamiliar (The Vandran Legacy Book 1)

by Anna-Louise Dann

  Yeah, right.

  “Call me when you’re on your way back. I’ll get dinner ready, then we can put her to bed.”

  He gave her a chaste kiss on her lips and left, with a smile on his face.

  As soon as she heard the front door close she ran to the toilet and threw up until she dry retched. She sat with her back against the cold wall taking deep breaths to calm her stomach which was still rolling.

  What was she supposed to do now?

  Her body was weak from throwing up and her head was banging, but she needed to find her phone. She couldn’t believe Will was working for the asshole who took Clara. How had he got involved with them?

  They had her little girl. She rushed down the stairs and grabbed her phone out of her bag. She couldn’t risk phoning Clara, they could be listening in. She would just have to wait for Will to call.

  She placed the phone on the coffee table in front of her and sat on the edge of the sofa willing it to ring.

  Colt

  Three hours later Colt’s hired black Land Rover sped down the motorway. The call he’d received twenty minutes ago had sent him rushing out the door without a second thought, he hadn’t had time speak to anyone.

  They had Hope, Will was dead and Emmie was in danger. Colt didn’t know where Heather was getting her information and he had learnt a long time ago it was useless asking.

  He needed to get to get to Emmie’s and fast. He prayed he would make it in time before that fucker’s men got there and tried to grab her.

  Yeah, that wouldn’t end well for them.

  She was a strong familiar and she was probably pissed, right now.

  He put his foot down.

  He pulled into a quiet cul-de-sac relieved to see no other vehicles parked on the road outside her house. Thank fuck. He jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him, and raced up her path. He banged on the door.

  A manic-looking Emmie opened the door to him wearing the coat she had on earlier.

  Was she just on her way out? “Colt, I am so glad to see you. Will is working for that sick bastard that took Clara, he left Hope with them. He should be back with Hope soon, it’s been a few hours.” She spoke really fast and the waver in her voice told him she wasn’t entirely confident of her husband’s return.

  “Emmie, we need to get going, there’s some men on their way here.” He kept his voice soft, she was wound up so tight he was afraid he would kick a transformation off.

  “No, we can’t, Will is bringing Hope. If he comes back and sees I am gone, he’ll take her back to them.” Shit, he had to tell her the truth.

  “I am so sorry, Emmie. Will is dead, they killed him, he was rambling about taking Hope home and Juliet killed him. He was supposed to bring you back with him,” he said, terrified what would happen next.

  “But – but Hope!” she shrieked.

  “Shit, Emmie, I’m so sorry, they still have her. It’s not safe here, please, we need to go.” “She’s just a little girl. They haven’t hurt her, have they? Oh, Colt, she’ll be so afraid.” Tears ran down her face; he didn’t know what to do. He pulled her against him awkwardly and tried to comfort her. Emmie sobbed into Colt’s jacket, soaking the leather.

  “Emmie listen, I know your head mus t be all over the place, but we need to get out of here. The men that are coming won’t give up until they’ve got you too. He won’t hurt Hope, he needs her.”

  She pushed away from him and walked into the house; he followed.

  Fuck, he could see the change in her features. It wouldn’t take much to turn her and then they’d both be fucked. “Let them come, Colt, I’ve got nothing left to lose. I thought I could have a normal happy life, but that will never happen for people like us, will it? If they turn up, they will see exactly what I am capable of.” She spat the words out with venom; her light blue eyes started to turn aqua.

  “We can’t fight them like this, Emmie, as much as I would love to join you in tearing some faces off, we’ll lose, and end up exposing our kind. We need to be smart, fighting with your emotions so raw will lead to mayhem. I promise you we’ll get Hope back and you’ll have your vengeance.” His voice sounds as erratic as he feels.

  She paces for a few seconds like she is contemplating what to do, and then turns to him. “You better be right, Colt, because if my baby has even a hair harmed on her head, I will not be responsible for what I do to anyone who tries to stop me ripping that sick bastard’s throat out.” The look on her face scares him a little.

  “We’ll be right there with you, Emmie, but ripping his throat out will be too quick for that sick fuck.” He offers her his hand. “Come on, we need to go – now.” She looks at his hand but doesn’t take it. Her eyes move to his face and she nods.

  She grabs her bag and reaches for her phone. “Leave your phone, it can be traced,” he says, heading for the exit. She nods at him again, and he storms out the front door. He sniffs the air and his eyes dart everywhere, making sure the coast is clear. Emmie follows him out and locks the door behind them.

  “Ready?” he says.

  “Not really, but I don’t have a choice,” she replies.

  “There’s always a choice, Emmie, it’s just the alternative would be worse for you. It’s the black Land Rover over there, just head straight for it. Keep your mind clear and your senses alert, they could show up any minute,” Colt says.

  They reach the car and get in.

  “Keep your head down so you’re not in view, just in case they pull in as we’re leaving.” She slides the passenger seat back as far as it will go and crouches between the seat and dashboard. Colt reaches into the back seat and grabs a blanket.

  “Here, put this over you.” Satisfied she’s hidden enough, he starts the engine and pulls out of the cul-de-sac as two mean-looking men driving a black Transit van turn into the street.

  When they were far enough away Colt pulled the blanket off Emmie; he was relieved and a little bit stunned that luck seemed to be on his side for a change.

  “We made it out of there just in time, two of the Master’s goons have just pulled in.” Emmie sat in the passenger seat and pulled her seat belt on. She didn’t speak as she stared at the road ahead, her mind was probably spiralling at a hundred miles an hour.

  “We’ll get her back, Emmie, I promise,” he said. Emmie looked like she needed quiet to process what was happening in her head, and after the last few weeks Colt was happy to just sit with no noise other than the local radio station playing music in the background. It wasn’t awkward which Colt was thankful for, considering the situation.

  They had been driving for about ten minutes when Emmie spoke. “Do you love her?” The question took Colt by surprise. He had been ready for Emmie to question his intentions with her sister, but he wasn’t expecting it quite so soon.

  “Yeah, I do.” He didn’t need to even think about it, Clara was it for him. “Good, because, by the way she was looking at you today I could tell she’s already in deep with you.” She turned to face him. “Listen, I don’t want to be the big bitch of a sister that threatened you, I can tell you’re a good guy. Just be careful with her heart, she doesn’t give it lightly. If you have it, that is major for our Clara, it means she trusts you completely.”

  “I would never intentionally hurt her, I give you my word. I would gladly lay down my life for her. Things have been strained a bit lately between us since Heather made her presence known, but I think we’re working on it.”

  “Does the great Heather not approve?” Emmie spits with venom in her tone. “Let’s just say she want s the best for her daughter and me being her familiar kind of puts her in an awkward position.”

  “You’re her familiar? Shit, that must suck...Well, you and Clara are both adults and can decide things between yourselves. Heather doesn’t own either of you so, fuck what Her Majesty thinks and make each other happy.”

  “Wow, thanks Emmie.” He chuckled at how much she reminded him of his companion. Heather has met her match in
the shape of her own daughter, this is going to be fun watching Heather squirm. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “Not good, I just keep on picturing Hope scared and crying for me. You don’t think they killed Will in front of her, do you?” She was chewing on her lip the way Clara did when she was stressed.

  “From what Heather’s informant said , Hope had already been moved from Juliet’s place when he got there. He won’t want her to be afraid of him, he’ll want to keep Hope safe. If she is Cailleach she’ll be like gold dust to him because of your heritage. I think it likely he is planning on raising Hope as his own,” Colt said, unable to hide the anger in his voice.

  “Over my dead body!” Emmie spat. “Precisely, that’s why we need to do this sensibly and not lose our heads. If we go in all guns blazing Hope could get hurt or he could disappear with her, and trust me, if that happens it could be years until he resurfaces again.” He pulled the car off the motorway and headed into Chester town centre. “I know it doesn’t seem like it but we have the upper hand. He’s panicking now because he believes Clara is dead. He tried to have you snatched by his goons, trust me, he’s losing control, he’s never this sloppy.”

  “How can you tell?” “Because he doesn’t like drawing attention to himself, everything he does is normally very businesslike and underhanded, nothing bad ever leads back to him. If he wants you gone you are gone. Trying to grab you at your home where any of your neighbours could have seen just proves how desperate he is right now. Thank fuck we got out before they turned up, it wouldn’t have gone down well, for his goons, you would have torn them a new arsehole.”

  “You’re right, my beast is as unsettled as me. It took everything to not rip Will’s head off earlier. What now?” she asked.

  “We’ll go to the bed and breakfast and call a meeting. I am going to call Heather and find out if there’s any way we can leave tonight, the sooner we are back at The Sanctuary the sooner we can start your training. Do you think you’re ready to explore what that beast inside you is capable of?” Colt asks.

  “They took my l ittle girl, Colt, of course I am ready. They are going to be sorry they ever fucked with my family.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Clara Clara paced the bedroom floor, it had been an hour and a half since Colt had left to go to Emmie’s and she was becoming a nervous wreck.

  He hadn’t said a word to her or Sarah about what was said in the phone conversation and Heather wasn’t telling her anything either; she was close to saying fuck it all and heading there herself to find out what was going on.

  Her hands shook as she pressed call on Colt’s number again on her mobile – it went to voicemail. She ended the call and threw her phone on the bed.

  She decided sitting around here with her own thoughts wasn’t being productive; she went in search of Sarah.

  They had booked two rooms in The Little House bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Chester. It was a secluded little place, hidden away down a little country lane.

  The manager Harry and his wife Janis were friends of Heather’s, they were both part of the spectral community. She had only met them briefly when they checked in. They had seemed friendly enough, Colt had dealt with the bookings and knew them quite well.

  She found Sarah in the other room they had booked which was just down the hall from hers. She let herself in using the spare key card. Sarah was freshly showered and wearing her pyjamas with a towel wrapped around her head, looking so relaxed. She was sitting painting her toenails red.

  She looked up when Clara walked in.

  “Oh, hey Clara, you ok?”

  “Not really, Sarah , have you heard from Colt? Every time I call him it just rings out, I am starting to get worried now.”

  “Aww, I am sure he’s fine, he’s probably driving or something and can’t answer,” Sarah said, applying the varnish to her big toe.

  “You’re right, I am just being silly. It’s just after the phone call I had earlier about Will being part of the kidnapping, and then Colt leaving, I can’t help thinking something really bad has happened.” Her nerves were shot.

  “What do you think might have happened?” Sarah’s face looked concerned now. Clara didn’t want to worry her as well.

  “I don’t know. Like I said, I think I am just being silly, it’s been a long few days.” “Yeah, it has,” Sarah agreed. “Would you like me to paint your nails? It always makes me feel better,” Sarah said. There was a little excitement in her eyes, it reminded Clara of Hope and how much she loved getting her nails painted; they had hours of fun experimenting with different colours on their fingers and toes.

  An image of Hope being carried down a corridor by a man with no face flashed through her mind. She all of a sudden felt light headed.

  Hope.

  The world grew dark.

  Where was she? There was whimpering sound coming from the room next door. She looked down at herself as she swung her feet onto the white carpeted floor.

  She walked over to the door and pushed the handle down, it opened easily into a long corridor. It was the same one from her vision before she had blacked out.

  A shiver went down her spine when she realised the corridor reminded her of the scene with the two little girls from Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’. That book had always freaked her out. She walked to the door the crying was coming from. She slowly pushed the handle down and opened the door. She peeked in.

  The décor was pretty much the same as the room she had just came from except this room was filled with toys and dolls. She looked over to the bed. Whoever this little girl was, she needed reassurance or comfort; she was hidden under the covers curled into a little ball.

  “Hey, precious, are you ok?” she whispered, trying not to be loud in case someone heard and thought she was a wierdo sneaking into a child’s room. There was snuffling and then a little voice.

  “I want my mummy.”

  That sounded exactly like – no, she was imagining things.

  “What’s your name, sweetie?” she asked, edging a little closer to the bed.

  The covers were pulled back and the little girl sat up and Clara nearly lost her footing. “I’m Hope, what’s your name? Can I go home now?” Her big green eyes shone bright with tears and stared right into Clara’s. She could see the fear in them and it broke her heart.

  “Don’t you recognise me, Hope?”

  “No, the man said the lady would come to look after me, are you the lady?”

  “Where’s your mummy, Hope?”

  “The man said she wasn’t home. He got mad, he’s scary. Wake up, Clara.” “What?”

  “Please wake up.”

  The world went dark again and she watched Hopes beautiful little face fade into darkness. “HOPE, NO!” she screamed, and tried to sit up. Big arms held her down. She opened her eyes and found Colt and Emmie kneeling over her; both of them looked scared to death.

  “My god, Emmie, they have our little girl,” she said, and launched herself into Emmie’s arms. “I know, they killed Will,” Emmie sobbed, and they held on tight to each other. “I am so s orry; you guys were never meant to get dragged into any of this,” Clara said, squeezing her sister tighter.

  “It’s not your fault, Clara, you’ve been hurt in all of this too.” Clara pulled away and held onto Emmie’s hands. She met Emmie’s tear-filled eyes.

  “I saw her, Emmie, she’s upset and a little scared but she’s ok.”

  “What do you mean you saw her?” Emmie’s brows dipped. She looked confused and a little annoyed. “I had a vision. One minute I was thinking about Hope and then everything went dark. I think I was transported into someone’s body. I think it was the woman who the Master has babysitting Hope... I spoke to Hope before you called me back.” Emmie was looking at her like she had lost the plot, she was pulling away from her.

  Colt, who had remained quiet until now, must have sensed the tension. He knelt down between them.

  The look he gave Clara right t
hen sent tingles over her skin; it was raw and primal, but also told her to trust him.

  “Emmie, this isn’t the first time Clara has had a vision of this nature. Her magic is very strong and she is still learning. You have both missed years of important training, please keep an open mind. The power you carry in your blood, is beyond anything you can comprehend.”

  Clara mouthed ‘Thank you’ to Colt.

  “Was there a nything significant about where you were transported, Clara? Anything that could be of any help?” Colt asked.

  “The room I was in was white, and I mean everything – the walls, carpet everything. The woman was even wearing a white night shirt. I heard crying in the room next door so I went to investigate. The corridors outside were weird, I remember thinking it reminded me of the corridors in Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’, it freaked me out a bit,” she says. Another shudder grips her.

  “That’s good, Clara. It sounds like he’s already back in Ireland with her,” Colt said. He looked at Emmie who had gone pale. “He owns a big stately home, it has been passed down through his family. This just shows how much he is slipping up. If she’s there, Emmie, she is safe. He only allows his family and close friends to stay at his home – this just proves what I thought. He is going to try and gain her trust. He obviously sees something in her, Emmie. You are going to have to come to terms with the fact that Hope could be Cailleach like your mother and sister.”

  “I don’t give a shit about what she is, I just need her back. What did she say to you, Clara?” She glares at Clara, her voice frantic and full of accusation.

  “She asked if I was the lady who had come to look after her, that’s when I realised I looked like someone else. I asked her where her mummy was and shshe...” Her voice broke but she caught it. “She said that the man had told her you weren’t home and he got mad and he was scary. She was about to say something else but your voices pulled me out of there.”