Cross My Heart

by Elizabeth Morgan

  I placed the bowl on the desk and shoved my hands in the pockets of the hoodie. “So, why are we down here?”

  “Well, there’s nothing in the house to indicate where Heather may have gone other than the DVD which was near useless.”

  “And really creepy.”

  I would have freaked out if a family member had left me some beyond the grave message. It was definitely one of the strangest things I had ever seen in my life. How was someone supposed to deal with that?

  “So, this is basically our last hope.” She picked up her mug and took another swig. “Hopefully, there will be something down here that may give me a clue to where Heather is or maybe where I can find the Werewolf’s Pack.”

  “Pack?”

  “Like a wolf Pack. Werewolves have similar traits to normal wolves the way they function.” She held her hand up. “Don’t ask because I don’t know a great deal about it.”

  With another swig of her coffee, she placed the mug on the desk and began clicking away at the computer.

  “I’m sure there will be something here,” I commented, trying to sound positive, and moved over to the large bookshelf jammed full of big, old-looking books all squeezed in with other books resting on top and bits of paper sticking out from between various pages.

  “Your breakfast will be cold.”

  “Not hungry.” Her stomach grumbled.

  “Liar liar.” My focus fell to a large trunk. “Is that an actual chest?”

  “Don’t. Touch. It.”

  If it hadn’t been for the modern computer and gym equipment, it would have been really easy to believe that this was a Vampire Hunter lair. I was just disappointed there was no medieval cage down here.

  “Shouldn’t you be thankful?” Teen Elle hopped on to the computer desk, legs swinging back and forth. “If there was a cage here, you might end up in it.”

  I ran my hand across the wooden lid. “Are there stakes in it?”

  “Than,” Elle warned.

  “Spoilsport.” I stopped beside her, ignoring the teen who watched us both intently. “I haven’t poisoned it. What good would it do me?” I pushed the bowl closer to her. “I need you, remember?”

  A sigh escaped her. “Fine. Leave it there.”

  “If you don’t want it, I spied some beans and other canned goods in the pantry. I can make you something else?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, but make sure you eat something today. I’m sure Vampire Hunters need their protein and fibre.”

  “What are you, her mother?” Teen Elle chimed.

  “If I eat the eggs, will you shut up?”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “Aye.”

  Picking up the fork, she skewered a chunk and popped it in her mouth. “Happy?”

  “Eggstatic.”

  Teen Elle fell back on the desk. “I’d say kill me, but I can’t die.”

  “Is there anything I can do t’help?”

  “Not really.” She dropped the fork back into the bowl and returned to the computer.

  “Well, I guess I will go and carry on catching up with world events.”

  “Okay.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think you’re going to get much out of her, Than.” The teen rolled off the desk and bounced to her feet.

  “Me neither.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Shout if you find that you do need a hand.”

  A grunt was my reply.

  Chapter Seven

  ~ Danielle ~

  Friday 16th October, 2015

  I woke at the sound of a smash. Jolting upright, I immediately regretted it as all the muscles in my neck went into a spasm.

  “Shit,” I hissed, cupping the back of my neck, working my fingers into the muscles at the junction where my collarbone and shoulder met.

  Nathan appeared beside the desk, collecting the pieces of the mug I had obviously knocked off the surface.

  The computer screen before me was black, the orange light indicating it had gone in to sleep mode. My head was killing, and my eyes were heavy.

  Damn it, I had fallen asleep.

  “What time is it?”

  “A little after ten-fifteen.” He placed the ceramic shards on the desk and walked back into the centre of the room.

  “What day is it?”

  A chuckle escaped him. “It’s Friday night.”

  I stretched my neck side to side listening to the muscles popping, the tension easing as I rolled my shoulders. Something slid down my back. Twisting, I noticed a beige blanket crumbled up between myself and the chair.

  He’d put a blanket around me while I slept.

  Second time you have fallen to sleep while there is a Vampire in the house with you.

  God, my father would have had a heart attack if he knew.

  Reaching down to my hip, my fingertips skimmed the hilt of my dagger. The feel of the blade always reassured me, but more so because I knew Nathan knew it was there.

  You can’t seriously trust him?

  He had had ample opportunity to hurt me, but instead, he had turned into a nanny, trying to make sure I was eating and getting rest. It was somehow worse than him trying to hurt me, because I didn’t understand why he was doing it.

  Guilt?

  Guilt would have made the most sense. He had been a rubbish friend. Maybe he was trying to apologize without having to say the words. As long as it wasn’t pity. Pity because I was worried about Heather. Pity because I was obviously still pissed about his absence in my life, which he no doubt found childish, maybe even pathetic. I didn’t need his pity.

  “How long—”

  “A few hours.” He sat cross-legged on the floor, the hoodie he had borrowed reaching over his knees and making him almost look like one of those toys that rocked back and forth; a weeble. “You’ve barely slept the last two days. I thought it was best t’just leave you be.”

  What had he been up to while I was sleeping? Had he left the house?

  I patted my left jeans pocket. The house keys were there. Not that it really meant anything. He could have taken them and unlocked the door and then put them back. In the meantime, he could have killed the neighbours.

  Pulling the blanket up and around my shoulders, I stood, ignoring the protest of my cramped-up legs. I stepped toward Nathan, studying him. I couldn’t say I was surprised to see that he had found something to style his hair. The brown mess that had original symbolized a mop had been swept and moved into a style that would make a boy band member proud.

  I think he had taken half a dozen showers over the last two days. I wasn’t sure why exactly. Other than removing the dirt, grime, and dried blood the first morning we’d arrived here, it wasn’t like he was dirty or even stank. His skin was pale and smooth but looked much healthier than the first time I had seen him at the graveyard.

  Apart from the ill-fitting clothes, he could almost pass for a human.

  “You okay?”

  He was looking at me; the blue in his eyes had come back, along with that mischievous twinkle that remained hidden in the depths regardless of his mood. He had been a cheeky lad, a joker always pushing his luck. Thinking about him as that young boy, I would go as far as saying he had the spirit of a leprechaun. A spirit I could still see now in eyes that should have held no life at all.

  “Elle?”

  Shaking myself from my thoughts, I nodded to the piles of books that surrounded him. “A little light reading?”

  He smirked.

  “Well, I figured I might as well learn something while I have the chance to.” He shrugged. “I guessed that your family would have a reasonable amount of information on the general working of Vampires and whatnot.” He lowered his head back to his current page. “You weren’t joking. They really hate my kind.”

  I flinched. It was the first time he had unconsciously admitted his predicament. The first time he had referred to himself as a Vampire and not ‘still him,’ still human.

  Even though I knew w
hat he was, the evidence was constantly in my face, from his complexion to the small indents of his fangs that constantly caught on his bottom lip. Watching him drink Heather’s mixture to watching his skin sizzle under my silver blade, seeing his skin heal in a second … looking at him now, crossed-legged, surrounded by books as if he were a student studying for an exam, it was a lot harder to see him as anyone but Nathan. My best friend.

  “Well, they’ve had good cause to.” I moved around him and glanced down. The pages were worn, the original text faded, but in between the sentences penned in ancient Romanian were the small, bolder English translations.

  The diary of Marko Pavel’s father. The man who had doomed us all to this lifestyle.

  “Neculai Pavel had good reason.”

  “Wife, daughter, and twelve-year-old grandson slaughtered by your own son right in front of your eyes? Hell yeah, it’s enough reason t’go on a revenge spree.”

  “A failed one.” I sighed. “Which is why Marko is still out there and why everyone who came after Neculai has been tasked with finding him.”

  He looked up at me. “Have you just spoilt the end of the book for me?”

  Typical Than, able to make light of something that was so far from being funny. And he did it in such a way that you still never doubted his belief in you.

  I moved past him. “Believe me, there’s no happy ending.”

  “The stories not finished yet, is it?”

  The question stopped me in my tracks. The way we had been brought up and trained, the story of my family had always seemed finished regardless of what we did. But we, Heather and I, we were still writing it. Every member of our family … they were like chapters in that book that Nathan currently held. They were parts of one ongoing story which had been told to us as if the ending was inevitable, and although it felt that way … it was nowhere near over.

  For the first time in my life, I felt unsure. For the first time, it actually felt like there was the smallest speck of light at the end of this dark path I walked. Yes, everyone died and one day I would, but maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be at the hand of a Vampire as I had been led to believe.

  You’re clearly going loopy if you believe that.

  “I guess not.” I wandered to the wall, pressing my back against the brick in the hope of releasing some of the bunched-up tension. My muscles clicked and popped as I pushed into the brick.

  “Did you need me t’get you anything?”

  I couldn’t help the tired laugh that escaped me. “You know you’re not my maid, right?”

  “I’d have a sexier uniform if I was.”

  I scrunched my face and shook my head dramatically. “Oh, that so isn’t an image I want in my head.”

  Such a strange boy.

  His laughter filled the space, bringing memories of our childhood rushing back to me. Of adventures and times when I was able to be anything but a Vampire Slayer. I didn’t have to train or learn the history of it all, to listen to my parents arguing with Alexis or Sofia. A time when the responsibilities I now had just seemed like distant worries.

  You shouldn’t let your guard down. He’s still a Vampire no matter what. He could still turn on you, betray you … leave you.

  My chest clenched. I opened my eyes and watched as his focus was lost in the pages of the ancient journal.

  The only reason he was here was because his world had been tipped upside down and I was the only one who would believe him. He was only here because he needed my help. If he hadn’t been captured, he wouldn’t have been here with me right now. I’d be here on my own.

  The thought hurt, but then, it was the truth. He was back in my life because he had no one else he could turn to. Once he had his answers, he would leave again … and I hated how much the idea annoyed me.

  My focus roamed around the room for what felt like the tenth time in the two days I had been down here. Yet again, I wondered if Dorian and Alexis had trained together in this room. Wondered what it was like to have someone who fought alongside you, who had your back. Someone who would follow you anywhere even if it led to their death.

  It was a dramatic thought, but considering our lifestyle, everything was all or nothing. It was a nice thought, having such a strong connection with someone. Having someone who would always take your side; someone you could always rely on. My mother and father had found it. Alexis and Dorian. Heather had Sofia … Not anymore, though. Now she was on her own, like me.

  I gave myself a mental shake, tearing my focus off Nathan. Such thoughts were irrelevant. I was here to find Heather. Not to wonder about life and what limited options I had, or the overall outcomes.

  Two days of searching through the computer’s archive. Flicking through every book on the shelf. Looking through drawers and every nook and cranny to see if I could find something, anything that would give me a lead.

  There was no information on where the Pack was located. I could only presume it was a privacy issue or that my aunt didn’t want anyone else in the family to know.

  No indication as to where the UK Nest was. Alexis and Dorian must have known so it should have been in with all the other information about the Colony, but it was missing. Had the Nest moved after Dorian’s death? Or had Sofia removed the details, so Heather didn’t go there?

  I was willing to bet it was the latter, but it sure as hell didn’t help me.

  I scrubbed my hands over my face, hoping to get rid of my jumbled thoughts. “I’m going t’get a shower. See if I can wake myself up.”

  “Maybe you should just go and get some rest, y’know, in an actual bed?”

  He really wants you to go back to sleep. Why?

  “I can’t sleep until I have a starting point.” I wandered over to the desk and collected the broken mug.

  “If I knew what we are looking for—?”

  “I don’t even know, Than.” I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders. “I will be down shortly.”

  “No problem. I will just be here, learning.”

  I wandered to the door, pausing at the threshold. My previous thoughts about his doings during my naps resurfacing. “Have you had enough t’drink today? Is there still plenty of mixture available for you?”

  “Yes, to both.” He angled a look at me. “And there’s still a few slices of pizza left from earlier, if you’re hungry.”

  Strangest Vampire I had ever met. He really wasn’t grabbing the concept of what a Leech was, but then again, he was the strangest boy that I had ever known.

  “Great.” I made my way up the stepladders. “I won’t be long.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Making my way through the pantry, I stopped in the kitchen, looking for the bin. “There has to be one somewhere.”

  “In the cupboard near the backdoor,” Than called up.

  I flicked the kitchen light on and made my way over to the backdoor. “I’m not sure if I should be freaked out at how well y’know your way around this house?”

  “I’m nosey, remember,” came the reply.

  Opening the cupboard, I saw a bin attached to the inside of the door. I dropped the shards inside, the heavy ceramic knocking the uneaten scrambled egg down the side of the black bag, revealing a crumbled envelope with the letters ‘er’ visible.

  I reached inside, pulling the small manilla envelope, and straightened it out on the counter. Heather’s name rested in dark pen on the front, written in my aunt’s handwriting.

  Reaching back into the bin, I batted away the odd bits of garbage until my fingers skimmed paper. I pulled the scrunched ball in the same shade and straightened it. Relief and fear collided in my stomach as I read the short note.

  Heather. The Sphinx. Right, back corner. Small group. Luca Mancinelli. September 25th, 2015. 11.30p.m. It’s your only chance.

  “Well, shite.”

  My mother had mentioned that Heather had stated Sofia had seen Luca in London, but well, my aunt hadn’t simply mentioned it. She had told Heather exactly where
he was going to be, and knowing my cousin, she would have gone for him, guardian Werewolf in tow.

  I closed the cupboard door, my hip hitting the side as I stared at the note in my hand.

  Luca was a Second Generation who would have had an entourage with him. I could only presume The Sphinx was a bar or nightclub of some sort, which meant my cousin would have held the advantage of them not wanting to cause a scene, but if she had gone … if they had fought … had she survived? If so, surely, she would have checked in with my mother?

  Did that mean she hadn’t made it?

  Yet again, my mind started to spin with all the possibilities. Throwing in the mystery of Nathan being able to cross the threshold and enter this house … I suddenly felt dizzy at the thought that my cousin could be dead.

  Despite being slightly stronger than a human and with the ability to heal a little quicker, being an Infected didn’t mean that she would necessarily survive. But then again, if Luca had killed Heather Ryan, the only born Infected, we would have heard, wouldn’t we? The Vampires would be gloating. They would be laughing at us. They wouldn’t simply keep it to themselves.

  I hated the idea, but it gave me hope that my cousin was still alive.

  I took a few deep breaths, calming myself, focusing on the sick knowledge that the Leeches would have made sure we knew if they had succeeded in killing Heather.

  If she was indeed alive, I then had to presume she was unable to check in with us. I knew she didn’t own a mobile, which I had always found strange, but there was still the odd phone box scattered around the place. And I’m sure the Werewolf would have had a phone?

  Whatever the reason, I could only presume that neither of them was able to check in. So, the big question was, what would stop Heather from calling my mother?

  “You look deep in thought?” Nathan stood by the fridge. “You okay?”

  “I think I found a lead.”

  “That’s great. Isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, we’re just three weeks too late t’follow it.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  I walked over and handed him the note. “Instructions from Sofia.”

  He accepted the paper, his brow furrowing as he read. “So, Heather would have definitely gone after this guy?”