Darkest Whispers (Eternal Shadows Book 2)

by Kate Martin

  The door to the house opened, and I smelled Cade’s unique scent of steel and gunpowder. “How’s Millie?” I asked.

  “She will be all right. Superficial wounds mostly, aside from the blood loss. The Hunters are efficient at causing damage even before they go for the kill.”

  Cade had shown up only moments after I called him, bringing with him both Aurelia and the General. We’d covered the wound on her throat before the General whisked her away, back home where she could feed and begin to recover. I’d explained as best I could to Cade and Aurelia as they both ushered me home, inspecting the minor burns on my hand, but once within the house they had both left me to go to Millie. I’d gone straight outside, and hadn’t moved since.

  “I never wanted Millie to get hurt.”

  “Of course you didn’t. You did the right thing, given your knowledge and your circumstances. Attacking outright would have exposed you to them.”

  “And we wouldn’t want that.”

  “Not yet. Not if we can help it.”

  I put my face in my hands, wishing I could open my eyes and everything would be back to normal. Whatever that meant. “Am I always going to be pretending? Pretending to be human, pretending that maybe I want to be a Hunter?” My hands dropped heavily to my sides.

  “Not always.” Cade leaned back against the deck rail, allowing him to see my face. “But you are in a unique position, and we must learn from it.”

  “Just so you know, I am now officially on board with packing up and leaving. No questions asked, no return address.”

  “It may yet come to that.”

  Unspoken was clearly, but not yet. I wondered if Cade would take me to see Rhys again. I so badly needed him. Needed the comfort of his voice, his eyes, even if it was through the bars of a prison.

  “I think I charmed a Hunter,” I said.

  “Impossible.”

  “And yet, I did it. Fillip’s eyes change. I sank into his mind. It was only after that that he left us alone.”

  “Hunters cannot be charmed.”

  “Maybe I can do it because I was one of them.”

  “Your friend Solo cannot charm the other Hunters.”

  “He’s not my friend.”

  “Regardless, he does not possess the ability to charm his brethren, so your explanation is invalid.”

  “It’s always so much fun talking to you.”

  “Come with me,” Cade said, pushing away from the rail. “There are a few hours of daylight left, and I would like to make sure those Hunters have truly left our city. If we find one, we can put your charming theory to the test.”

  “You mean, we’re going hunting?”

  “Patrolling.”

  A smile spread over my lips, and I slapped my hand over my mouth, surprised by my own excitement. Surprised, and a little appalled. Of course, if I had to stay home, with nothing to do for one more minute I was going to burst—so patrolling it was.

  Cade laughed. “I’ll make a decent vampire out of you yet.”

  Being among the throngs of people in town was good. Being alone with my thoughts was bad. Bad, bad, bad. I didn’t want to think. I wanted something to do, a purpose, a goal. Good thing about Cade, he always had one for me.

  We walked along the streets, watching, studying. I didn’t see any of the hunter faces from earlier, nor did we sense any other vampires wandering in and out of the stores and restaurants. It seemed my charm had worked better than I had expected. If I had actually charmed Fillip. If I hadn’t, then I was simply far more persuasive than previously thought. Either way, go me.

  Which got me thinking. “I don’t suppose this charming stuff works on other vampires.”

  “Keep your voice lowered if you are going to speak so plainly. And to answer your question, only the very young. Those who still possess traces of human thoughts.” Cade watched everyone who passed on the street. The look of concentration on his face made me wonder if he was keeping count or something equally as tiresome.

  I turned my voice down below a human whisper. “Like me?”

  “No. The blood that made you is too strong. Charming has only ever worked on those beyond the generational count.”

  “Huh.” Well, at least I didn’t have to worry about someone twisting my mind around into whatever shape they desired. Of course, I should have guessed that hadn’t been possible. Had I been susceptible to mind-alteration, Cade would have had me wrapped around his little finger and coming at his every beck and call. Instead, he had to teach me the old fashioned way. Which I guess was a point in my favor, but at the moment, he didn’t seem receptive to the teasing I wanted to follow up with. His eyes had gone dark, and he was breathing a lot more than usual. “What are you looking at?”

  “Can’t you smell it?”

  I took in a big whiff of air and detected nothing but ice cream and warm waffle cones. “Smell what?”

  “One of us.”

  It was like the world had shifted, when in reality it was only my senses. Cade had trained me the old fashioned way, and well enough. That tone in his voice immediately set my entire body on alert. The din of human voices dropped away, fading into the background like white noise. My sight sharpened, each line and angle of the buildings coming into stark contrast with the people who moved about. I could see farther and clearer than I ever had before. But most noticeably I suddenly smelled so much more than waffle cones. Each and every fragrance of perfume became distinct to me, every vegetable and hamburger being cooked in every café and diner made my human memory ache with hunger—I probably could have picked out all the ingredients in the different secret recipes had I the inclination.

  What I focused on was the overpowering scent of rust and blood, so vibrant and with a sense of both life and death that told me one single thing: vampire.

  Panic crept up my spine, starting at my shoulders and slithering its way to my neck; the very opposite of my normal sense of doom, but no less unsettling. The sun beat down on everyone, hot and bright and very much not vampire friendly—not according to myth. We had no allies in town that I knew of, and judging by Cade’s alertness I gathered this was one instance where my knowledge was complete. If another vampire had come here, they were, without a doubt, VFO.

  We had come looking for hunters, but had found another vampire instead. And despite my diligent watch, I hadn’t sensed him or her at all. Guess my focus was more than a little rattled. I touched my dagger at my thigh. “What do we do?”

  Cade had slipped into his most business-like of modes, though perhaps mission-like would have been more accurate. Nothing would distract him. Any speaking done to me would be orders and lessons. “Find him. Take the other side of the street, but stay within sight. Do not engage in front of all these witnesses.”

  I nodded and crossed the street without question. The vampire could have been ancient, and if even centuries weren’t on the record of his life, he almost certainly had more years than me behind him. I felt for my dagger, strapped securely to my lower back and within easy reach. Just knowing I had it made me feel a little braver. I had fought with it before; I had taken out cariosus on my own, how much harder could a vampire be? And Cade wouldn’t leave me. He could handle anything. This would be okay.

  Cade trusted me. Trusted me to do what I needed to do; to do my job.

  My courage rose at that thought. How quickly a silly teenage girl could be turned into something more. I didn’t know which was more frightening; being a blood-drinking vampire, or being an immortal who could kill on command.

  Lucky me, I got to be both. As long as Cade had his way.

  Walking past one of the more popular outdoor cafés, I did my best to walk normally. In between checking faces and scents for anything unfamiliar, I glanced at the shop windows, not really seeing any of the wares that they displayed. On the other side of the street, Cade remained parallel with me. As far as I could tell, he didn’t check on my position once.

  I bumped into a man trying to jog along the edge of the
sidewalk. Due to the ear-buds lodged in his ears, he didn’t hear my apology, but jogged in place long enough to extend his arms to me in a gesture of annoyance before continuing on. Nice. I would have bet money he would have treated me differently if vampires were out and about and a normal part of society. In that case, I might have received the apology.

  I really hoped I never saw that day.

  When I came to the corner I looked at Cade for direction. Ahead was the intersection where Tabitha had thrown me into the street and I had been struck by a car. Curiously, I moved closer to the stone wall lining the walk and inspected it for the imperfection that my fist had caused in my attempt to quell my hunger. Nothing. Each stone was as flawless as if they had been laid in place the day before. Any evidence of my struggle had been completely erased. If this vampire attacked now, in broad daylight, I doubted Cade would be able to erase the damage so completely.

  “Cross the street. Head towards the pool.” Cade’s voice reached my ears, soft and almost inaudible, but clear and unmistakably his, and in no way heard by any nearby humans. I nodded, knowing he would see, and not sure I could keep my voice quiet enough, and stepped off the curb after checking both ways.

  No oncoming cars this time.

  The public pool had been built only three years back, and so the building that housed it was state of the art and incredibly boring to look at. Nothing like the older architecture Nook Farm had to offer. Why had all the craftsmanship died away and with its absence been replaced with straight lines and sharp angles?

  I had a gift for distracting myself with inane thoughts.

  Reaching the parking lot, I found myself surprised at the lack of cars parked within the painted lines. Normally the pool was crowded beyond belief even in winter. The seasons had no bearing on people’s hobbies here. The ice rink next door kept everyone busy all through the summer as well.

  I circled around one small cluster of cars all parked nearest the main entrance. Cade came around from the other side, mirroring my movements and heading for the door. With an almost undetectable gesture of his hand, he signaled for me to stay still. Slightly annoyed, but certainly in no hurry to engage an enemy vampire, I leaned back on the nearest car and touched the sixpence resting just below my throat. As Cade disappeared into the building, leaving me outside with nothing to do but watch and wait, I realized just how much the vampire in me had been enjoying the hunt. She wasn’t ready to give it up. I itched to follow Cade, to slip inside those doors and scent out the other vampire, to find it and—I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I found it. Or rather, I didn’t want to acknowledge that I wanted to do those things. I ran my thumb over the uneven surface of the Rhys’s coin, reminding myself of exactly why I let Cade teach me. But I couldn’t help but wonder just what Rhys would think if he knew the extent of my time with Cade now. He had wanted me able to defend myself, yes, but I didn’t think he wanted me turned into one of Cade’s well-trained super soldiers. What would he think when he finally came back? Would he hate what Cade was undoubtedly trying to turn me into? I didn’t think he could ever really hate me, but the thought still stung.

  Cade was taking an awfully long time.

  A family of four pushed open the large metal doors and walked out of the building, the youngest child, a boy, skipping around their feet with bright blue floaties still wrapped around his upper arms. The older girl busied herself with trying to wrap her towel around her body so it would stay up. The little boy went running out into the parking lot, heading straight for me at a speed that seemed unnatural, but he was undoubtedly still human. Probably just excited, maybe sugar-high. I pushed away from the car I leaned against and took a few steps back, thinking it might be the family’s car. I was prepared to apologize for using their car in such a way when they simply gave me a friendly smile and turned towards the minivan parked in the next spot over.

  Relieved, I found myself giving into the temptation to lean back against the little sedan again.

  A sticker had been placed in the back window. It read, “I brake for Dodos,” accompanied by a drawing of a crazy-looking bird with eyes looking in two different directions.

  Only one person in town had that sticker as far as I knew, and I knew that sticker well. I had bought it. For my best friend. I backed away and got a good look at the car, not wanting to see the deep blue paint, the ding in the back bumper from when a lamp post had gotten in the way.

  Sara’s car.

  That bad feeling hit me like a mac-truck, so cold and sudden on my neck that my body actually jerked in shock. I had the worst luck in history.

  I couldn’t wait for Cade any longer. I had to find Sara and make sure she was all right. An older man was exiting the building when I grabbed the door and pulled it open so hard I may have almost taken it off the hinges. The man thanked me for holding the door for him, then took his time walking through. I forced a smile to my face, more to avoid his alarm rather than to be polite, and catapulted myself inside the moment he was out of my way.

  My footsteps echoed off the tile floors and concrete walls. The whole place felt cold and artificial, and the smell of chlorine pervaded. I could barely smell the humans I knew lingered all around, in the locker rooms, showers and through the largest door to the pool. It became clear why the vampire was here. I wouldn’t smell him. God, I hoped Cade could.

  I strained to find Sara’s spicy scent. Frustrated at the abrasive smell of chlorine, I pulled open every door I passed, searching for her. She wasn’t in the first girl’s locker room, and I didn’t see her in the small lounge where a number of kids drank soda and banged on the vending machine that refused to give them what they had asked for.

  The pool was occupied by a number of swimming classes that seemed to be just beginning. Everyone else was busy gathering their things and clearing out. I headed down the hall again. A second girl’s locker room occupied the far end of the hall. It was my last place to look.

  Pulling open the door my senses were flooded with information. First, the water of a single shower pinged over the tile floor and walls, pattering against the cheap curtain that provided privacy. Second, the familiar scent of spices was carried on the steam from the shower, filling the room. And third, among that familiar and precious scent, lingered the distinct scent of rust and blood.

  Chapter Twenty-one: Vampire

  The pipes of the shower squeaked and popped as the water pressure changed, spattering a different rhythm on the floor. Sara’s scream followed.

  I burst into the room, somehow not slipping on the wet floor and tearing down the shower curtain to get to my best friend. The vampire had his hands around Sara’s waist, her one-piece bathing suit straining under his grip, and his head had already lowered over her neck. Long, stringy black hair, wet from the shower, clung to his shoulders, obscuring his face from my sight.

  I pulled my dagger free from its sheath and drove it deep into his neck, releasing the gold as an afterthought, forcing it through his flesh. He roared and dropped Sara, spinning around and grabbing for me. The movement forced me to pull my dagger back out of his neck, but when he wrapped his hands around my throat, yanking me closer, I drove the blade deep into his chest, aiming for the heart. Stabbing a vampire wasn’t quite the same as stabbing one of the cariosus. Where their flesh was soft and pliable, more like human flesh, a vampire was hard and sturdy. I put all my weight into my thrust, burying the blade all the way up to the hilt.

  The vampire convulsed when the gold touched his heart. His hands released my throat and we both tumbled to the ground, the water from the still running shower carrying his blood off his body, onto the floor and down the drain. I landed on top, hands clasped so tightly around my dagger they hurt. Jerking the blade back out, I slammed it into his chest one more time, not sure at all what I hit, but seeing the pain from the internal gold burns in his eyes.

  I knew in order to kill him I would have to either keep him bleeding, or tear out his heart, but I hadn’t the faintest idea how to acco
mplish either.

  In my moment of hesitation, the vampire clapped one hand around my throat and threw me into the metal corner of the shower stall. My spine hit the edge almost too perfectly, sending sparks into my vision and pain through my legs. I panicked, fearing the worst, before I remembered that such injuries couldn’t kill me. But again my confusion cost me time, and the other vampire was on me again. Wrapping his hand around my throat, he pinned me to the stall, my dagger still imbedded in his chest.

  “No one told me you had such pretty toys, Princess,” he said.

  I choked, unable to speak. My mind ran a mile a minute. He knew me. I could see it in his eyes.

  Pain still fresh on his face, he drew the blade from his chest and held it up in front of my face. I struggled against his grip, but it was becoming horribly apparent that the only reason I had done as well as I had in the beginning was because I had somehow managed to catch him by surprise. In reality, he was older and stronger.

  Tauntingly, he traced the steel edge of my dagger over my cheek. I could feel each stitch of my skin part one by one. “How did you manage to find me? I was only supposed to leave you a present for later, yet here you are. Are you better than we give you credit for?”

  I still couldn’t speak. I had no air. Why ask me questions when he denied me the means to answer them? I grabbed at his arm, his wrist, tugging and pulling in a feeble attempt to free myself. I managed a few gasps of air.

  “I am forever underestimated.” I coughed.

  “Maybe not forever,” he said, leaning in, brushing his nose against my throat and breathing deep. “None of us actually have that long. Some of us have far less than others.”

  “Like you?” Maybe I could keep him talking long enough for Cade to show up.

  “Like you.” He laughed, amused, and squeezed my neck just a bit tighter. “But don’t worry, Princess, as I understand it, you’ll get to see Rhys one last time. Then you’ll both be out of our hair. Mission accomplished. Or,” he said, his tone turning generous, “you get us the map, and we make this all go away. Though, honestly, I can’t imagine why they think you’ll help us. Like you would ever give us the map.”