“Like I said, an Infected has two choices: be turned or be killed. The fact that she is a member of this family and the first born Infected, Christ, she was famous amongst the undead.”
“Do they still want t’kill her?”
“Aye, which is another reason we’re going t’London t’find her. Sofia died two months ago, and Heather is all alone, well, apart from the Werewolf my aunt sent to her—”
“I’m sorry, did you say Werewolf? Werewolves exist?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him. “You said there were some at the facility?”
“No, I said there were apparently wolves at the facility.”
“Well, there definitely were as there is mention of the Were-gene in your file.”
“Were-gene?”
“The—”
“I don’t think my head can take any more tonight.” He fell against the backrest, eyes wide. “So, you’re telling me there are people in this world that can turn into wolves?”
“Not exactly. Think more wolfman.”
“So, they just become hairy men.”
“Have you seen the film Van Helsing?”
“The one with Hugh Jackman?”
“That type of wolfman.”
“Oh my god.”
“And they don’t like Vampires.”
“Kinda guessed that from the mess of the facility. So, I’m going t’have a Vampire Slayer and a Werewolf trying t’kill me as soon as we show up to her door.”
“I won’t let them kill you.”
A satisfying ‘oh’ sounded in his throat. “So, you do care.”
“No.” I looked at him through the mirror. “I want answers, and having you alive, I mean mobile, will make it easier.”
“Are you seriously not happy t’see me?” He held his thumb and index finger up. “Not even a wee bit?”
“I haven’t seen you in ten years, Than, and you show up out of the blue as a—” My throat constricted. I looked back at the road. “I kill Vampires. It’s what I do. The fact that I invited you on t’our land, that I’m sat here having a normal conversation with you, it goes against everything I believe, everything I have been trained t’do.”
“Elle, it's still me. I haven’t changed.” His hand landed on my left shoulder, causing tension to seize my spine. “Well, apart from being a little older, a lot hotter, and undead ... but it’s still me.”
“Talking to you, it’s easy t’believe that, but you’re a new Vampire, and you’ve only been ‘out’ for the last three days. Neither of us knows what exactly has been done t’you or why. Neither of us know what makes you different or if there even is a difference between you and every other Vampire.”
“I feel—”
“Vampires don’t feel.” I rolled my shoulder forward, shifting away from his touch. “They don’t care.”
His hand fell away, but he remained leaning forward, close enough that I could feel his gaze burning into my cheek.
“I came back for help from my friend, who is the only living person I know would believe me. The only person who knows this craziness t’be true. If I didn’t feel or care, why would I do that? Wouldn’t I be off plundering villages and murdering people?”
“You didn’t come t’me because you care. You came because you had nowhere else to go.” It was the truth whether he wanted to admit it or not. “Besides, I’m not a hundred percent sure what a Vampire would do as I’ve never stopped long enough to have a heart to heart, let alone make friends, with one.”
His voice softened, a glimmer of hurt lacing his words. “I was your friend before I was made a Vampire.”
Then where have you been when I needed you? I bit my tongue, forcing the pathetic question back down my throat.
“The bottom line is we don’t know how dangerous you could be, or what might trigger you. You came t’me for help, and although there is a huge part of me that feels you don’t deserve it since I was so easy to forget about—”
“Elle—”
“I agreed t’help you,” I cut him off, not wanting this conversation to go on any further, not when we had hours stuck in my car ahead of us. “I’m now responsible for you, and believe me, Than, if you become a danger t’me or my family, I will put you out of your misery.”
“Understood.” The reply was almost a whisper as he slid to the opposite side of the car.
I watched as his focus turned to the outside world.
“So how come Heather has a Werewolf with her anyway? She’s a Vampire Slayer. If she’s had the same training as you, surely, she can handle herself.”
“The ‘why’ is what I’m hoping t’find out.”
“Your family is insane.”
“Aye, I know.”
Chapter Five
Thursday 15th October, 2015
4:44am
Wandsworth, London
I’d never been to Alexis and Dorian’s house. It was no big deal, and yet, now I was parked up on the curb looking at the terrace beyond the black gates, it suddenly seemed crazy. Families visited one another; they spent time in each other’s homes, right? Parties, general visits, mini breaks … Why had I never been here before?
Just looking at the pile of bricks that could very well have been a stranger’s house, it was just another reminder of how messed up my family truly was.
“You okay?”
A home was supposed to be a haven. A home was supposed to be the heart of a family, for a family to live and laugh and love together. Not just a rest stop between hunts.
This house had been Alexis and Dorian’s attempt at normality, and yet, look where it had got them both. Dead.
“Aye.” I cleared my throat and popped the seatbelt. “It’s just weird being here, that’s all.”
This house was a reminder that my family couldn’t lead normal lives, at least not for long. No matter how hard we tried to fit in and keep to ourselves, we were dead either way.
“When were you last here?”
“I’ve never been here before.”
“Never?”
His question only clarified how odd I already felt at being here.
“Never.” I climbed out my car, shutting the door behind me. My focus shifted to Nathan as he closed the passenger door and stopped by the car bonnet. “What are y’doing?”
“I’m coming with you, obviously.”
I shook my head. “No. Vampires—”
“I will behave. I promise. I just need t’stretch my legs after being cooped up for so long.”
“I don’t know if you’ll be able t’come in.”
Realization sparked in his expression.
“Ah. Vampire.” He pointed to himself. “Right. Got it.” He glanced at the house. “Well, I can try, and if I can’t, then I will wait right outside for you.”
I looked around the street. It was dark and quiet, apart from the gentle glow of the odd streetlights. All the other houses were dark as their owners slept soundly inside, savouring a few more hours of sleep before getting up for work or school. The wall around the house was tall enough that Nathan could stay in the garden without drawing attention to himself, in case there were any early birds around.
“Okay,” I agreed as I stepped onto the road and we made our way over.
“There’s a car in the drive.”
A black Range Rover sat on the other side of the gate. It was a newer model to mine, but still amusing to see. I’d always told her they were the best transport for a hunter. I guess she’d listened.
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “Just means that she didn’t need to take it with her.”
I would have liked to believe the presence of a car would indeed indicate someone was home—that was what we all presumed when a vehicle sat on a drive, wasn’t it? And considering the time of day, it would be easy to presume that Heather could be safe and sound in her bed.
“Your family really loves a barricade.” Nathan folded his arms, eyeing the wrought iron gate fixed between the brick w
all that had to be at least six-foot high.
“It’s t’stop people getting in.”
“Or out, by the looks of it.”
I shrugged off his words and opened the gate, stepping through onto the drive, ignoring the inward flinch at his comment. As always, the urge to argue the reasoning behind why my family lived the way they did niggled at me, but it would only make me a hypocrite. Hadn’t I recently thought the same about my own home?
Vampires couldn’t physically enter a home without an invite, but the land itself … they could walk right up to the door. So, what was the point in such high walls?
“It’s for privacy.” The answer slipped from my tongue as we stopped by the front door. “The walls,” I continued as Nathan stared at me blankly. “Stops humans from seeing things they shouldn’t.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
“It’s not just Vampire Hunters who like their privacy. Celebrities and people who are naturally reclusive do the same.”
He held up his hands. “Hey, no judgement intended.”
“Y’sure?” I punched the code into the key lock safe fixed to the wall beside the porch. Heather had thankfully told my mother the code during one of their phone calls. “You seem t’have a lot t’say about my family.”
“Woah. Relax. I’m just trying to understand.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I spent pretty much all of my teen years thinking this was all made up, and now—”
“You’re a Vampire.”
“Yeah. That.”
I slid the key into the first lock, pushing the porch door open. My grip tightened on the set of keys in my grasp as I stepped inside, pausing in front of the main door. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. If there would be anything to indicate where Heather was or why she hadn’t checked in for days, but this was the best, no, the only place I could start.
I unlocked the front door, pushing it wide open. The house was dark and silent. Not unusual considering it was the early hours of the morning, but it felt a lot eerier than a sleeping house should.
I put the key in my right pocket then slid my hand beneath my coat and retrieved the small blade holstered to my hip before stepping into the landing.
“Am I supposed to feel anything?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Nathan stood in the doorway, his toes right on the threshold. “How d’you mean?”
“I dunno, like an invisible barrier pushing me away, or something?”
Truth be told, I had no idea what an uninvited Vampire was supposed to sense standing at the door of a home. Was there indeed some invisible wall that stopped them from stepping farther? I’d never asked a Vampire to explain it to me, and I highly doubted anyone else in the family had either.
Not that Nathan needed to know that I had no idea what to expect.
“Do you feel that something is pushing you away?”
He shook his head, his eyes scanning the doorframe as if he were going to find instructions or an explanation carved into the wood. “I don’t feel a thing.”
“Then I guess that means you will have to just take a step and see what happens?”
“I’m not going t’burst in t’flames or anything, am I?”
“Only one way t’find out.”
His eyes widened, his expression almost cartoon-like. “Elle, that isn’t funny.”
The look of horror on his face was indeed funny. I had to bite my inner check to stop from grinning. “I’ve never heard of a Leech exploding crossing a threshold. They either can’t get in due t’being uninvited or they’ve been invited. There’s no in-between.”
Despite my amusement at the sheer worry claiming his pale face, every muscle in my body seemed to freeze just waiting to see what would happen. If he couldn’t cross the threshold, then that was surely a good sign. I could only presume that the deed for the house had passed from Alexis and Dorian to Sofia, and I had no doubt that Sofia would have passed it to Heather. So, if Nathan couldn’t enter, Heather was still alive?
He placed his right bare foot on the dark, wooden floor. His frame went rigid, gaze darting about the hallway as if he expected flames to shoot from the walls.
I suddenly felt sick at the thought. Naturally watching someone burn to death would be a horrible sight, but the thought of Nathan being barbecued before my eyes … The air caught in my throat.
His left foot followed. His hands balled to fists at his side as he yet again waited for something to happen.
Nothing.
All was still.
Complete silence.
He gave himself a once-over. His shoulders slowly relaxed as the tension slipped from his features as he took a few more steps inside.
I exhaled. He was fine. That was good, right?
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Not good. Not good at all. Did that mean Heather was dead? Or was there a chance that Sofia hadn’t passed the deed to the house on?
God, I wanted to believe it was the latter, because if the deed was in her name and with her now being deceased … explanation acquired.
“You look confused.”
That had to be it. Sofia hadn’t passed the deed on.
“I’m just—”
But Sofia knew the future. She knew what was going to happen, which meant she had planned everything. Of course she would have turned the deed over to Heather.
I turned my focus back to the kitchen. “Shut the door, will you?”
The room suddenly felt like it was spinning.
Oh, god, what did it mean that he could step into this house? Had everything we had been taught just been bullshit? Was my cousin dead? Or did it have something to do with the way Nathan had been created? He hadn’t been baptized with a Vampire’s blood, or at least his file hadn’t stated he had gone through the traditional stages of being turned. It just talked about procedures and injections. Successful attempts and a lot of failed ones.
The front door clicked shut. “What are we looking for?”
I took a deep, steadying breath, squeezing my eyes shut in the hopes that the darkness around me would stop vibrating. I exhaled. “A clue.”
It was pulling at straws, but maybe, just maybe, Nathan was able to cross the threshold because he wasn’t a bog-standard lower level Vampire. He was different. God, I hoped it was that. It wasn’t such a stretch of the imagination. He hadn’t shown the normal behaviour of a normal Leech. He seemed in control of his thirst. He seemed capable of emotions and normal conversation—well, as normal as conversations had always been with him. He didn’t know his strength. He didn’t seem crazy.
He was unique, but then, that brought a whole lot of other problems up. If Vampires were experimenting, trying to find ways to create other Vampires differently … Vampires that could enter residential buildings without invites, that didn’t go crazy, and could control their thirst … What did that mean?
“What type of clue?”
Nathan’s words cut through the avalanche of questions crashing in my mind.
“I need to know where Heather is.”
One thing at a time. I had to find Heather first and make sure she was okay. I would give her Nathan’s file, and then together, we could answer those dangerous questions.
Stepping inside the kitchen, I reached out, patting the wall, fumbling to find a light switch. The idea of lighting this place up seemed foolish, but a girl couldn’t find what she was looking for in the dark. Especially when she had no idea what she was looking for to begin with.
My fingers skimmed the switch. With a flick, the kitchen lights blinked on revealing … a normal kitchen. Not that I would know what an abnormal kitchen would look like … No sleep had clearly turned me a little coocoo.
I stopped at the edge of the breakfast bar, my gaze wandering around the room. It was immaculate. Almost as if it had never been used. There were no plates or cups out to indicate a meal had been eaten in here recently. No heap of mail sitting on the side. Nothing.
I trie
d to imagine Sofia and Heather sitting at this bar having breakfast. Sitting opposite each other. Sofia with a coffee and Heather with a glass of her mixture.
My focus moved to the right, to the large archway that led into a small dining room. The medium table with four chairs placed around it sat in the dark. Had Alexis and Dorian ever sat there and shared a meal together? The third seat occupied by Sofia and that fourth was to eventually become Heather’s?
I rubbed at my eyes as they became irritated by stray tears. Christ, what was wrong with me?
“Hello, my bonny lass.”
My heart stopped. Everything inside me seized up at the sound of the familiar female voice.
“This was my idea, the recorded message, and yet, I find myself speechless. I suppose I should start with the obvious.”
“Erm, Elle?” Nathan called.
I turned toward the dining room, which was now a little less dark, highlighted by a pale light coming in through another archway that sat to the right.
“The only way you are watching this is if I am dead and you have decided to stay in London, instead of going back to Ireland.”
“Elle?” Nathan called again.
I forced my feet to move toward that melodic voice, toward that soft, cold light, not stopping until I stood before the TV in the living room.
“Isn’t that—?”
“My aunt,” I murmured, my gaze fixated to the screen. This was it. The beyond the grave message.
“The choice is yours, but all I can say is, I am sorry you’re on your own. Knowing this day was coming so long before it arrived wasn’t easy, and I am sorry I have left you, my darling.”
Sofia had sorted the deed to the house, which meant either Nathan was a super special boy or Heather had seen this and gone off and got herself killed.
“What is this?” Nathan asked, the confusion in his voice loud and clear.
“Now, the charming man who is hanging around is Brendan. You won’t kill him. At least, I hope you won’t.”
“Whose Brendan?”
“Must be the Werewolf.”
“I’m sorry you have to meet each other like this. Waking up one morning and finding him in the house, but he saved your life, didn’t he? He’s a good laddie, so please, I know how difficult it is for you to trust. I am to blame for that, but Brendan is there to help, so try to be easy on him. He is mainly there because of me and Carter, his Alpha.”
Cross My Heart Page 9
