Dark Secrets (Dark Heritage #1)

by Samantha Hoffman

  *****

  The Council was concerned when they heard about our trip to the graveyard. Not only did the necromancer they’d been looking for tell me that I was important to his plans, but I also failed miserably at the task I was supposed to accomplish today.

  Marcel Trent clasped his hands on the high table above our heads. “This is very troubling news. If he plans to use Ronnie to accomplish his goals, she’ll have to remain here under constant supervision.” He looked at me as the other Council members nodded their agreement. “Ronnie, I know you don’t wish to be here, but it really is for the best. If this man, Andrew, gets his hands on you, there’s no telling what could happen.”

  The double doors opened behind us and Finn walked in. He was covered in sweat and dirt, and his hair had twigs and dead leaves caught in it. He picked them out slowly and deliberately dropped them on the floor of the Council room, instead of the trashcan nearby. Marcel narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything.

  “I followed him through the woods and up the creek nearby, but I lost him after he got into his car and took off. There was something about his scent that confused me, but I’m not sure what it was. I’ll definitely know it if I smell it again.”

  “So he got away,” Lisa Valentine said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Finn bristled angrily, and I quickly stepped forward, putting my hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn’t move away from me. “It’s not Finn’s fault that Andrew got away. He stopped to check that I was safe before going after him, which, may I remind you, is the job you’ve charged him with. If you wanna blame someone for his disappearance, blame me.”

  Finn looked down at me with confusion in his eyes. He’d done little but ignore me since my first Council meetings, and he hadn’t really spoken to me much in the last few days. Listening to me stand up for him must have come as a bit of a surprise. He shrugged my hand off but didn’t say anything. Even though it hurt my feelings a bit that he was so hostile, I kept my mouth clamped shut, and focused on the Council members instead.

  “Miss Parker, until we capture and interrogate this strange necromancer, you’ll have to stay here. While you’re here, it will be best if you continue your training. You should have seen some improvement in the last week and you haven’t yet.”

  “I’ve been trying to get better; it just doesn’t seem to work!”

  Annie put her hand on my shoulder. “Ronnie will improve. She just needs more time. I’ll keep working with her and you’ll see improvement by the end of the month, or I’ll take her away from here, where she won’t be a danger to anyone, and I’ll personally continue her training until she’s safe.”

  Marcel nodded his head in approval. “Very well, Annette. Despite your young age, you are a very gifted individual and an excellent teacher. The Council trusts your judgment in this matter. You are all dismissed for the time being.”

  The three of us left the Council room, and Annie looked at me. “I’ll meet you in the morgue first thing in the morning. Starting tomorrow, your training intensifies. Don’t be late, or I’ll have Finn drag you down kicking and screaming if I have to. And trust me; I’m sure he’d enjoy it very much.”

  She left me and Finn standing alone in the empty hallway outside the Council room. “Finn, I want to thank you for what you did today. If you hadn’t been at the cemetery, and if you hadn’t done what you’re apparently best at, I’d be with Andrew right now. So, thank you, for saving me.”

  “All I did was track Andrew through the woods. It wasn’t that difficult,” he said, looking away from me.

  I don’t believe it. He’s uncomfortable right now. All I’m trying to do is thank him!

  “Well, even if it was a piece of cake, I’m still glad that you were there. If you hadn’t been, I’d be in a lot of trouble right now.” Even though I knew he’d probably hate me for it, I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” I said again.

  He grunted once and walked quickly away from me, leaving me alone in the hallway. I shook my head at his dislike of me and set out to find Tanya for lunch. She was already in the cafeteria waiting for me, and with her were Ezra and Holly. Tanya and Ezra both gave me smiles when I sat beside them, and Holly nodded without looking up from her bottle of fresh blood.

  “I heard about what happened in the graveyard,” Tanya said gently. “How are you holding up?”

  “Fine,” I said quietly. “What with everything that’s been going on lately, I’m getting kind of used to these strange things. So what if some creepy necromancer has plans for me that probably involve world domination? Who cares?” I might have sounded more convincing if my voice hadn’t just broken.

  Tanya eyed me dubiously. “Right. So after just ten days, you’re perfectly ok with the thought of being kidnapped by some supernatural freak? I don’t believe you one bit. Your hair is a mess, you’re picking at your lips, and your nails are bitten down. You look like you’re about five seconds away from breaking down.”

  Tears began to gather at the corners of my eyes, and I bit my lip to keep from bursting into tears. “I just don’t understand! A week ago, I was living a normal life with other normal people. I mean, yeah, I can see the dead, but it didn’t ever bother me like it does now. Now that I know why it happens to me, I’m so disgusted with it, and with myself.”

  “We all feel that way at some point in our lives,” Finn said, taking a seat next to Ezra. He looked at me and frowned. “Just because you’re a bit of a freak even by our standards doesn’t mean there’s anything necessarily wrong with you.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, unsure of what else to say to that. He shrugged like it was no big deal, but I thought I saw a hint of embarrassment and even a faint blush to his cheeks. Well, it looks like Finn isn’t always so tough and heartless. He can feel something…

  Unfortunately, that realizing made me see Finn in an entirely new light, and it wasn’t one I liked. I always hated knowing good things about people I didn’t necessarily like, because it made me feel bad for not liking them. If Finn could be a generally good guy, it meant that I’d most likely like him the same I liked Tanya and Ezra, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted Finn to be my friend or not.

  “So, what happens now?” Ezra asked me.

  “My training is gonna get harder and longer. I won’t be allowed to leave the compound again. At least, not until Andrew is either caught or killed. And even then I might not ever leave this place. I’m a danger to society, no matter what anyone else says. Annie thinks that with a lot of training I can lead a semi-normal life, but she’s wrong. I’ll never have that again.”

  Tanya put her hand on my shoulder. “Everything will work out for the best. You’ll see.”

  “I hope you’re right about that, because if you’re not, I’m in for an eternity of miserable, endless days, and a bleak future.”