Stalking Dead (Vampire Hunter Book 2)

by S. C. Reynolds

  Even as we got older and stopped the last day of school candy ritual, Kayla and I would still reminisce about that time in our lives, and any taste of candy was an instant reminder of that wonderful feeling of the beginning of summer and freedom from school for two and a half glorious months.

  I knew I didn’t have a heart, but I swear to god I felt an aching in my chest when I thought about my baby sister and everything I missed about her smiling face.

  Except that smiling face was now caked in makeup and her eyes were hard and untrusting. My death had changed her forever. And there was no guarantee that my return would make any difference. The damage was done.

  Chapter 16

  Soon after I had spied on Henry’s dad at the hotel, he surprised Valerie with two tickets for a weeklong cruise. Henry thought it was awesome, but all I could think is that he was trying to buy off his guilt.

  Isn’t that what men always do? Cheat on their wives and somehow justify it by showering them with attention and gifts? It was an impromptu trip and they left a couple of days later.

  “You won’t have to sneak around!” Henry had said excitedly. “We’ll have the house all to ourselves!”

  I didn’t want to ruin Henry’s time either – I knew how much fun it was when your parents left you home alone. It’s almost like you’re getting a vacation as well. So I still hadn’t said anything about his dad.

  I had been trying – with varying degrees of success – not to think about Lucas. I hadn’t heard anything from him since our graveyard excursion, and that was almost a week ago.

  So when my phone rang on Thursday morning, I jumped in surprise. Why is Henry calling me? Sometimes he’d text me during class, but he never called.

  I grabbed my phone. It was Lucas!

  All of the anger I’d felt at him for acting like a jerk, then disappearing for nearly a week, made me hesitate. He really didn’t deserve for me to give him another chance. But curiosity got the better of me.

  “Hello?” I said on the third ring.

  “Aurora!” Lucas sounded excited. I hadn’t heard him like that before.

  “Hey,” I said flatly. He needs to know I don’t appreciate how he acted.

  “I need you to come with me to meet someone. I can explain during the car ride.”

  “Why can’t you explain now?” I demanded. Although I knew deep down that I was just giving him a hard time; talking to Lucas again brought up all of those confused feelings. As much as I tried to fight it, I was drawn to him. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to see him.

  “Please, Aurora. I know you’re upset with me. I’m sorry I haven’t been in contact. I actually had another assignment to deal with.”

  “Shadowing some other dead girl?” I asked.

  Lucas laughed. “No, you’re still the one and only.”

  I could feel some of my anger dissipating.

  “So will you let me pick you up? I’m already en route. I can be there in ten minutes.”

  Ten minutes! That wasn’t going to be long enough for me to decide on an outfit and tame my hair.

  I was more than aware that I had let myself become almost too relaxed this past week. Dead or not, that was no excuse to look like a gross slob. But I’d been depressed and just hadn’t been able to muster up the energy to care.

  “I need fifteen,” I said.

  Before Lucas could protest, I clicked the phone off and ran up the stairs.

  Fifteen minutes later, I had showered and thrown on a blue sundress. I didn’t have time to blow dry my hair so I twisted it into a bun and pulled a baseball cap over my head.

  Lucas was already there when I got to our meeting place. I pulled open the car door and hopped in the front seat, taking the baseball cap off since we were protected by the tinted windows.

  “So what’s going on?” I asked.

  “Well, hello to you, too.” Lucas looked over at me, eyes twinkling. I knew he was teasing me again for always being so impatient.

  “You don’t contact me for almost a week and then insist I go to some unknown place with you. You’re lucky I even agreed.” Especially after how you acted last time.

  As if reading my mind, Lucas said, “I can tell you’re upset with me. I understand; I was being a jerk. I really am sorry. Forgive me?”

  I had wanted to stay mad at Lucas – somehow it made it easier to fight my attraction to him when I was angry – but I could feel my anger melting away.

  “No worries.” I waved my hand dismissively. “So tell me what’s up?”

  “I got a call from an old friend,” Lucas explained. “His name is Nicholas.”

  “He’s a vampire, too?” I asked.

  “Yes. He’s a hunter, also, but overseas, so our paths haven’t crossed in a really long time.”

  “If he’s a vampire, how do you know he’s really reformed – like you?” I asked nervously.

  “I just do,” Lucas assured me. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Anyway,” he continued, “Nicholas called me because he knows about you.”

  “Me?” I asked in surprise.

  “He didn’t want to get into specifics until we met him in person, but we may finally get some answers!”

  “Wow,” I said. “Where are we meeting him?”

  “I think it’s some type of warehouse or storage unit. Somewhere dark, I’m sure. Trust me, he’s not going to want to be in the light any more than I do.”

  “Does he drink synthetic blood, too?” I asked.

  “Yes, it’s the only way to survive and not go off the rails.”

  Off the rails. It was an odd choice of words.

  “I think this is it.” Lucas turned into an empty parking lot. There was a building in the middle with a FOR LEASE sign on it. He pulled his hood up and we get out of the car.

  “What if Nicholas was hired to hunt me, like you were?” I blurted out nervously.

  Lucas stopped and turned to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “You trust me, right?”

  I tried to ignore his hand and act cool, but inside I was quaking. “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Nicholas is my friend; he’s a good guy. I would trust him with my life. I wouldn’t have brought you here, under any circumstances, if I thought you could be harmed.”

  I nodded, too scared to speak. Lucas turned and started walking again. I followed close behind him.

  All of the glass windows had been boarded up from the inside. Probably can’t take the sunlight.

  I hoped I would at least be able to see once we got inside. I was vaguely reminded of the first time I met Lucas, when he kidnapped me and took me to the cabin in the woods.

  Without knocking, Lucas pulled open the door. He held it for me to go inside, but I shook my head slightly. I wasn’t going first! Now’s not the time to show me you’re a gentleman.

  Lucas stepped inside. “Nicholas?” he called.

  I was huddled up behind him. The room was dark, but not pitch black. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I knew that something was horribly wrong. This had been a terrible mistake.

  Lucas must have realized it at the same time as me; he spun around, furious.

  I turned to run back out the door we had just come in, frantically grabbing for the handle. But it was too late. I was tackled to the ground.

  Chapter 17

  I had known something was wrong, was off, as soon as I’d seen the setup. There was a huge chair with shackles attached to it. That’s where they had put Lucas; at first I didn’t understand how someone could overtake Lucas – he was huge and powerful – but then I saw that there were two men.

  They must have jumped on him before he could react and shackled him down to the chair. I could see him struggling to lift his arms and legs, but it looked like a pointless effort. Lucas wasn’t going anywhere.

  As for me, I was a little easier to contain. I’d been bound to a chair, hands tied behind me and feet tied to the chair legs.

  The men were identical. It was quite a sigh
t, actually. They were tall – not as tall as Lucas, but close. They had dark brown hair and pointed chins. One guy was wearing his hair long, in a ponytail; the other had a spiky hairstyle.

  “Do what you want with me, but let her go,” Lucas growled.

  Ponytail simply laughed. “Nice to see you, again, Lucas,” he said, ignoring Lucas’ demand.

  “You know these guys?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  “We have a history,” Lucas replied through gritted teeth. He looked like he was about to explode.

  “Ah, yes, where are my manners?” Now spiky hair was talking. He turned to me. I shuddered involuntarily. His eyes were a piercing blue.

  “My name is Thomas,” he continued. “And my brother here is Bartholomew.”

  Ponytail – who had now been identified as Bartholomew – smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them.

  “Let the girl go,” Lucas tried again.

  Thomas walked over to him, leaning down so that his face was inches from Lucas. “Oh, but we haven’t gotten to the fun part yet.”

  In response, Lucas spat in his face. Thomas jumped back and wiped his forehead. “You’re going to be sorry you did that,” he hissed.

  Please don’t antagonize them, I silently begged Lucas.

  I watched helplessly as Bartholomew wheeled out a hospital IV.

  “What are you doing to him?” I shrieked. My panic was rising.

  “Just giving him a taste of what he craves,” Bartholomew replied. He twisted Lucas’ arm inside the shackle so that his palm was facing upwards.

  “No,” Lucas tried to protest as Bartholomew stabbed the IV into a vein in his wrist. Lucas winced but didn’t say anything else.

  Bartholomew pressed a button on the machine. Thick, dark red liquid flowed through the tube as I watched in horror.

  Lucas gasped. “I’m so sorry, Aurora,” he managed to say.

  “Please!” I yelled frantically. “What are you doing to him?”

  Neither of the brothers would answer. “Please! Please!” I shouted over and over.

  “They’re giving me blood – human blood.” Lucas was doubled over now in the chair. He had gone a deathly pale color.

  “You’re killing him!” I screamed.

  Thomas just laughed. “He wishes.”

  “We’re just giving him what he really wants,” Bartholomew said. “He thinks he’s better than us, living off that synthetic shit. This will make him a killer again.”

  I felt like I was in a dream. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Lucas looked up at me. His face had gone from ghostly pale to flushed. When he spoke, I could see that his pointed vampire teeth were out.

  “Aurora, I’m so sorry,” he said again.

  “You didn’t know.” I was frantic now. The blood was making Lucas look wild. Maybe it wouldn’t kill him, but he obviously didn’t have a tolerance for the real stuff anymore.

  “Don’t pity him,” Thomas said. His eyes were blazing. “If you knew what he did – what he really is – you’d beg us to kill him.”

  “But that’s in the past,” I said desperately.

  “You might as well shut up now,” Thomas ordered. “He killed our brother. He can never be made to suffer enough for that.”

  There were once three of these monsters?

  “It’s your turn next,” Thomas continued.

  And that’s when I saw it. Bartholomew rolled a small cart to the center of the room. On the top was what looked like a punchbowl. And next to that bowl was Max, the stuffed elephant from my grave.

  Chapter 18

  This is it. They’re going to send me back and turn Lucas into a cold blooded killer.

  I looked at Lucas again, praying that he could fight whatever this intoxicating drug was doing to him. But he had an expression I had never seen before. He looked crazed, possessed.

  I felt like I was watching some scene unfold in a movie. It didn’t seem like I was really there, that this was actually happening.

  Bartholomew held up Max. “Recognize your little friend?” he asked. He smiled and waved Max in front of my face.

  I just sat in numb shock.

  Next to the bowl on the table was a pile of unrecognizable items. One looked like a chicken’s foot, but huge; the talons had to be at least two inches long. I could also make out several vials of liquid and what appeared to be some type of organ – from what animal, I had no idea. It looked mushy, bloody, and full of veins.

  Thomas opened a book, a huge leather-bound book with gold engraving on the cover. He started to read something, but I couldn’t understand the words.

  Is that Latin?

  The liquid in the punchbowl started smoking.

  I’m a goner. For the second time.

  While Thomas continued reading from the book, Bartholomew added items to the bowl, one by one. First a vial of liquid. Then the huge talon. Next another vial of liquid.

  I looked over at Lucas, who was also watching the ritual, but his eyes were glazed over, glassy. I wasn’t sure if he comprehended what was happening.

  I closed my eyes. I couldn’t watch anymore.

  I tried to drown out the sound of both of these lunatics chanting, saying some spell to send me back to my grave forever.

  Will I completely cease to exist? I thought frantically. Or will I still be alive, trapped in the coffin, pounding on the top for all of eternity?

  When I heard the humongous crash of glass shattering, my eyes flew open in surprise.

  Someone had crashed through the window.

  With a scream, the intruder knocked the entire table over. The punchbowl went flying and shattered into a million pieces on the floor. Deep red liquid cascaded across the ground. Is that blood?

  And then the person was on top of Thomas, tackling him maybe?

  It wasn’t until my savior stepped back that I saw it. A huge wooden spike covered in blood. And Henry was the person holding it.

  Chapter 19

  Bartholomew was crouched over his brother. He looked up at Henry and bared his teeth. “I’ll kill you for this!” he screamed.

  Henry was holding the bloody stake at arm’s length. “Stay back or you’re next!” he shouted. Henry didn’t look scared – he looked determined.

  “Please, brother,” Thomas whispered. “I need help. We can deal with them later.”

  Bartholomew seemed torn. He obviously wanted to rip Henry to shreds. And probably finish killing me.

  “We can’t take care of the girl until we gather the stuff again,” Thomas was saying.

  With one final snarl, Bartholomew effortlessly picked up Thomas and rushed through the broken window.

  Henry was at my side, untying my arms. “Wait, wait! Help Lucas first,” I said frantically. “They’re giving him blood. It’s hurting him.”

  “I’m almost done untying you,” Henry replied. As soon as I was free from the ropes, we both rushed over to Lucas. I carefully removed the IV from his vein while Henry unplugged the machine from the wall.

  “Get away,” Lucas said to Henry.

  Henry looked confused. “I’m trying to help you!” he shouted.

  “Thank you,” Lucas choked out, “but you can’t be around me like this. Please, Aurora, don’t take the shackles off. Not until he’s gone.”

  “But why?” Henry questioned. He looked around nervously. “We all need to get the hell out of here!”

  “Because I don’t want to kill you!” Lucas bellowed. “And I can’t control myself. I have to leave. I have to go home and detox.”

  Henry started backing up slowly. “But, but, how can you even drive in this condition?”

  “I can’t,” Lucas said. “I really can’t. Aurora will have to drive me home.”

  Somehow I didn’t think now would be the time to bring up that I’d never driven a car before.

  “We’ve got to get out of here. Henry – go!” Lucas screamed. It was a command, not a request.

 
; “I’ll be okay,” I assured Henry. “He’s right, we have to go! I’ll call you from Lucas’ house.”

  I could tell Henry didn’t want to leave, but there wasn’t any other choice.

  I reached out and hugged Henry. “I’ll be fine,” I whispered in his ear. “I promise. And thank you for what you did tonight.”

  Henry raked his hands through his hair. “Goddammit,” he muttered. “I guess I’ll see you at home.” He shrugged helplessly and turned to leave.

  As soon as Henry was out of the room, I leaned down to undo the shackles. “Wait,” Lucas protested. “I can tell he’s just outside. Don’t let me out until I say it’s safe.”

  I squeezed Lucas’ hand. I felt terrible for him. He looked so vulnerable.

  “Okay, he’s gone now,” Lucas finally said.

  Thankfully the shackles weren’t locked. They popped open easily. Lucas started to stand up, then clasped his hand across his forehead, slumping back down into the chair. “God I’m dizzy,” he said.

  I was really worried. What if these vampire freaks came back for us now? We really did need to get out of there.

  “I can make it,” Lucas said through gritted teeth. He stood up again and this time managed to stay standing.

  “Put your arm around my shoulder,” I instructed. I slid my hand around his waist. “I’m stronger than I look; you really can lean on me.”

  I could tell Lucas wasn’t putting any of his weight on my shoulder, but at least this might help him stay steady.

  “Can you pull my hood up before we get outside?” Lucas asked.

  “Of course,” I said.

  Lucas reached into his pocket and handed me his keys. “My head is starting to clear a little bit, but it’s probably safest if you drive.” I noticed that his vampire teeth were still out.

  I bit my lip and nodded. How hard could it be, right?

  Chapter 20

  Although it was true that I technically hadn’t learned to drive, my father did let me get behind the wheel and practice in an empty parking lot once. So I felt pretty confident that I could get us back to Lucas’ house; it just might not be the smoothest ride ever.