Morgan and I cautiously make our way towards the scene, maneuvering around petrified patrons so we can get a better look. We both know we should be running away from the terror, but curiosity has taken its hold on us. We look down the long corridor, assessing the scene.
“The cops are going towards the store we just left,” Morgan says mindlessly. Her unblinking eyes are dazed with fright.
“I know.”
A police officer steps out among the crowd and waves his hands wildly. “I need everyone to back up! No one beyond this point!” he shouts, trying to block off the perimeter of the store from onlookers.
I spot a young looking security guard who looks almost green with disgust. His face is familiar and I realize that we graduated together.
“Hey, what happened here?” I ask him as he shakily sets up plastic cone barriers several storefronts down from the scene. His horrified eyes fall on Morgan and me, registering familiarity.
“Someone was killed in the dressing room,” he says with a quivering voice. “More like slaughtered. I’ve never seen that much blood in my life! It’s like someone ripped her fucking neck out!” he cries. Tears stream down his face and he’s hyperventilating. The poor guy is in shock.
Though there are paramedics on the scene, a frantic security guard is the least of their worries. Morgan and I usher the young man to a nearby bench. I take one of the smaller bags I’m holding and combine its contents with another purchase.
“Here, breathe deep and slow,” I say handing him the bag.
The guard, whose nametag says Paul, takes the thin paper bag with a shaky hand and begins to breathe in and out in it. After a few moments, he begins to calm down, and the shudders have ceased.
“Paul, can you tell us what happened?” Morgan says with a calm voice once he begins to get his breathing under control.
“I...I...I don’t think I should be talking to you two,” he stutters.
I reach my hand out and rest it on Paul’s bare forearm, and give him a reassuring pat. Instantly, almost magically, Paul begins to relax. Apprehension and fear roll right off his shoulders and his breathing has returned to normal. Holy shit!
“It’s ok,” I coo. “You can trust us.”
Paul’s once terror-stricken brown eyes meet mine and he nods his head robotically. “Yes. I can.”
“Now why don’t you tell us what you saw,” I say with a level, soothing voice. Morgan is looking on questioningly, unsure of what to make of this odd exchange and the sudden shift in Paul’s resolve.
“I heard the screams as I was patrolling. I was the first one there. Screaming girls were running around everywhere, crying that someone was hurt. They were pointing towards the dressing room. I hurried, expecting to find a minor injury. But what I saw was….inhumane.” Paul swallows loudly but remains calm. “Someone ripped her neck right out. There was a big hole where her throat used to be. And her eyes… They were so big and wide open.”
Hearing enough, I release my hold on Paul’s arm. He is still relaxed, though his eyes dance wildly, unsure of what just occurred. Even I don’t know what happened.
“I better get back to work, ladies. Thanks,” he says rising and jogging towards the other security officers.
“I think it’s safe to say you’re off early,” Morgan remarks as we make our way back to the quiet corner of the food court. “I’ve parked right out here. Walk me to my car and I’ll drive you to yours?” I can tell this whole ordeal has really shaken Morgan, as it should. I have to admit that even I’m freaked out.
“At least tomorrow we’ll be gone and will get a break from all this,” I mutter, as we make our way to the other side of the mall complex. Emergency response vehicles, police checkpoints and frantic onlookers have made it a time consuming feat. I would just leave my Honda here if it weren’t for us leaving in the morning.
“Yeah. That was insane.” Morgan looks at me with fear and question in her big brown eyes. I can tell she wants to ask me what happened between Paul and I but just can’t find the words. How would I even explain it to her? How could I?
Once we’ve made it to my car, we say our uneasy goodbyes, confirming our plans for the morning. Morgan looks as if she’s on the brink of tears, and I reach over to hug my forlorn friend before exiting her Mustang. This incident will forever change her, and my heart aches at the thought of knowing that her once carefree spirit will be hindered.
**********
“Oh goodness, Gabriella, I’m so glad you’re home! Are you ok?” my mom cries when I enter our home. Chris is right by her side and it looks as if he has been out.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I say nodding frantically to assure her. It’s late and I’m sure they’ve heard about what happened at the mall.
“Oh thank goodness! We thought…,” she sobs, holding me tight. Chris ushers us to the kitchen and puts on a pot of water to boil for tea.
“What happened over there, Kiddo? I went by to search for you but there were police barriers everywhere,” my dad says from the stove. He’s calm yet the sweat on his brow tells me that he was really ruffled. Donna gets up to help him with the tea, breaking out her container of secret herbs.
“Someone was murdered. In a dressing room.” I look up to meet their eyes, fear and exhaustion washing over me. “I felt it. Like someone was there. It’s like an alarm went off in my head and I got us out of there.”
“Us?” Chris asks, distributing mugs.
“Me and Morgan. We were shopping in this store and then I felt it. I don’t know what it was, but I just got this feeling that something was about to happen. I told her we should leave. Once we were away, and I didn’t feel it anymore, we heard screaming and people were running everywhere.” I turn to Chris. “She doesn’t know, by the way. She shared what she knows about her family, and she doesn’t know what’s inside of her.”
Chris nods, understanding what I mean. My best friend isn’t an immediate threat. “How did the girl die?”
“They said it looked like her throat was ripped out. I heard it was gruesome,” I cringe.
“Oh no!” Donna gasps, shakily pouring tea into each of our mugs.
“Someone was there for me. I know it! And Morgan could have been hurt!” Now it’s my turn to freak out.
“But they couldn’t track you. That’s a good thing. Must’ve been someone else there that you either came in contact with or had a little something in them already.” Chris takes a sip of his tea.
“So what are you saying? That they are tracking people’s powers? Or that they can pick up my scent if I touch them or something?”
“Yes, dear,” Donna chimes in. “That’s why the herbs are so important! You need to have them twice a day now. The smoothie in the morning and tea at night,” she says pointing to my mug. I take a small sip in response and nod. She gets up from the table and pulls a small plastic container from the cabinet. “Here. Take this with you on your trip, if you still feel the need to go. I really wish you wouldn’t. But if you insist, make sure you consume these twice a day. No exceptions.”
“Yes, Mom.” Combining it with hot water and drinking it as a tea should be easy enough to handle.
“Look, I’m exhausted. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine this weekend. The worst thing I could do is start acting strange and draw attention to myself. I’ll be safe, I swear. We’ll talk later, ok.”
Fatigue suddenly has hit me and I chalk it up to the trauma at the mall and my contact with Paul. Once my skin touched his, he was instantly soothed and cooperative. I’m reminded of the time Dorian helped me after my meltdown outside the Italian restaurant. He was so drained and visibly rundown, it was as if the process aged him. Could I be experiencing the same thing?
After a quick shower to wash away the day’s horror, I lie in bed, trying to piece together a reasonable explanation for the senseless murders. Someone obviously knows who I am. I’ve received messages, demanding that I pledge my allegiance to the Dark. So why is someone brutally murdering random
women? Why not come straight to me and finish the job quietly? Why draw so much attention from the police and FBI, and risk exposing themselves? It just doesn’t add up. Even Dorian said that he thought it was someone ignorant, someone that didn’t realize what he was getting himself into.
The only logical explanation would be that there is more than one Warlock after me. One trying to intimidate me into ascending into the Dark, the other trying to silence me altogether.
Chapter Twenty Six
Honk! Honk!
“Come on, Bitch, let’s go!”
There should be a rule against calling someone a bitch so early in the day. But try telling Morgan that. The only thing worse than Whiney Morgan is Excited Morgan and right now, Excited Morgan is in full swing. I shake my head at her sitting in the passenger seat of our rented van, clad in a fur vest and dark oversized shades. Miguel is in the driver’s seat and he jumps out to help stow my suitcase in the trunk as I approach. Usually it would have been Jared helping me but I discover that he’s a bit occupied in the backseat when I climb into the 9-passenger van.
“Oh hey, Gabs,” he says pensively as I take my seat next to James.
I look back and flash a lukewarm smile. “Hey Jared. Aurora.” Ugh. This is so not how I pictured our ride up to Breckenridge. Thank God it’s only a few hours.
“Hello, Gabriella. Oh, I just love your sweater. It’s so cute!” Aurora says with artificial kindness. I just want to punch her in her perfect little pink pout.
I look down at my V-neck black sweater and shrug. “Thanks,” I mutter, sliding on my own sunglasses and sitting back in my seat. This is going to be a long ride.
“Ok, ladies and gents! Our badass weekend getaway has officially begun!” Miguel announces, pulling away from the curb. The car erupts into cheers and applause.
About an hour into our trip, I get a nudge from James sitting a seat over. I’ve had my headphones in listening to my iPod to drown out Aurora’s singsong soprano as she giggles and flirts with Jared. Ugh, gag me. I remove one of my earbuds and look over at him.
“So I heard you’ve been holding out on us. A boyfriend, young lady?” James jokes.
I smile shyly at James and shrug. “Oh, it’s not what you think. But yes, I am seeing someone.”
I feel bad for not telling James the whole truth about Dorian. He’s a couple years older and I’ve always seen him as a big brother. Next month, he’ll graduate from UCCS along with Miguel and is planning on heading out to Denver to spread his wings in a bigger city. It’s hard to believe that our little group will get smaller. But then again, most of us are paired up now. Everything is changing, and though I love having Dorian in my life, I miss the old days.
“Well, I hear we’ll get a chance to finally meet this mystery man. Don’t worry, we won’t embarrass you too much,” James laughs.
“Oh, yes, James, since Gabriella here has been hiding Dorian from you all. I wonder why,” Aurora chimes in from behind us. I roll my eyes from behind my shades and purse my lips, refusing to even acknowledge her comment.
“Yeah, Gabs, are you ashamed of us or something?” Miguel calls out from the driver’s seat. I see Morgan jab a knuckle into his side, hinting for him to shut up.
“No one is ashamed of you guys. You know that. I’m just a private person. And you know how it is…when people feel the need to flaunt it, it’s usually because things are really not as great as they pretend they are,” I say sweetly, though from James’s sly grin and slight head nod towards the back, I know my comment is not lost on him. My statement closes the conversation and we all go back to our individual activities.
After another 20 minutes, we stop for a bathroom break at a rest stop when Jared approaches me. I try to smile warmly at my friend but after witnessing him and Aurora canoodling in the backseat for the last hour and a half, I can barely look at him without gagging.
“So Dorian is supposed to come up tomorrow?” he asks nervously, obviously trying to feel me out. When did things get so weird?
“Yeah. He’s coming in from Greece then meeting us there. Where’d your date go?” Hopefully back to where ever the hell she came from.
“Oh, she’s in the bathroom with Morgan. Freshening up, doing girl stuff, getting pretty, I guess.” He smiles then cringes, clearly worried about offending me. I wave it off.
“Seems like you two are pretty hot and heavy,” I remark.
Jared shrugs. “Well, you know how it is.”
I can’t argue with that. I know what it’s like to be totally consumed with someone. To want to feel them all over you. To feel physically sick and weakened when they’re not around. I’ve felt like that with Dorian. I still do, though this time is different. This time, I can breathe. I can actually function when he’s not around though I miss him terribly. This time I am anchored only by my love for him.
“There you are!” Aurora squeals, wrapping her arms around Jared’s waist. She stands on her tiptoes to give Jared a peck on the lips before turning to acknowledge my presence.
“Do you ski, Gabriella?” she asks in her sickly sweet voice.
“No,” I reply curtly.
“Well, that’s too bad. I would have loved to get you out there on those slopes.” Sure you would…so you can kill me and bury my body beneath the snow.
“Maybe next time,” I respond. Or just wait 11 more months then give me your best shot, sweetie.
Aurora smiles, showing her dazzling white teeth, and turns around with Jared to head back to the van.
“Just breathe, Gabs. It’s only the weekend,” Morgan mutters, standing behind me. Both of us are gazing at the lovebirds, strolling hand in hand.
“Let’s just hope she lives that long,” I say under my breath. Morgan chuckles and ushers me towards the parking lot.
An hour later, we pull up to the grand cabin-style property and scramble out of the van anxiously. Morgan’s parents have been generous enough to let us stay here at their time-share property, saving us starving college kids a ton. The décor is rustic but the amenities are modern and up to date. We set off through the vast house, claiming our bedrooms. The place is huge, boasting 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Morgan and I claim the only rooms with conjoining bathrooms while Miguel and James agree to sleep in the room with two twin beds. Leaving Jared and Aurora in the room with a queen size bed. I’m no fool; I know they’ve been intimate. Even a blind man could see that. But it just sickens me that they’re so open about it. As if it wouldn’t hurt me.
“So I was thinking us girls would head to the market, maybe do a little shopping if you guys wanted to hit the slopes for a few hours,” Morgan says as we all gather around the charming breakfast nook. Everyone nods in approval, while I internally cringe.
“Sounds like a great idea,” Jared remarks. “Give you girls a chance to gab about us.”
“Well, we sure wouldn’t have much to say then,” I retort coolly.
“Burn!” James laughs. “Guess she told you!” The rest of the gang chuckles along.
“Alright, alright, throw in your share for groceries and booze so we can get going,” Morgan says with an open palm. The guys fish out their wallets and pull out twenty dollar bills.
“Oh, it’s ok, honey. I’ve got it,” Aurora says to Jared. They engage in a whispered conversation, Jared ensuring her that he can pay. Finally he gives in with a shrug and stuffs the bills back into his pocket.
We drop the guys off with their snowboards and gear and head into town. It feels odd being able to wear our winter coats and snow boots in April but I don’t mind. The air is crisp and fresh and the sun is bright and warm. Being this high up on the mountain makes it feel like July in wintertime.
“Those boots are hot, Aurora!” Morgan gushes. We’re strolling along the supermarket aisles, grabbing all the essentials.
Aurora extends her leg, giving us a better view of her burgundy and leopard print fur ankle-length heeled boot. I have to admit, they are pretty cute. The slore does have good taste.
I shrug and give Aurora an easy smile. “Timberland,” I say flatly, extending my own leg to show off the tall tan lace up wedge boot.
“Humph, well…they’re cute on you,” Aurora says, struggling to recover. Her hope was to embarrass me. Little does she know, I’m fluent in Asshole.
After grabbing enough food and alcohol to sustain us for the weekend, we decide to check out some of the high end boutiques. The price tags are outrageous, and I scan the sales racks in hopes of something in my modest price range.
“Oooh, Gabs, this would look hot on you!” Morgan squeals holding up a white long sleeve mini dress. Black piping creates a keyhole design in the front and the sleeves are see-through mesh. I check the price tag. It’s nearly $500. I give Morgan an alarmed look, not wanting to disclose my money woes with Aurora lurking nearby.
“Don’t worry about it,” she whispers. “I’ll charge it and then you can just pay me back whenever you start making those big bucks at your new job.” She gives me a wink and I respond with a grateful smile.
“Oh wow, Morgan! Where did you find that beauty?” Aurora says approaching us, pointing at the dress.
“It’s for Gabs, actually. She’s getting it.” Morgan looks to me and beams. “Girl, Dorian is going to eat you alive once he sees you in this!”
The look on Aurora’s face is priceless, and I have half as mind to point and laugh. But that would be too much like something she would do. I follow Morgan to the shoe section where she finds the perfect pair of pumps to go with the dress, insisting that I can’t live without them. Once she’s found a few items for herself, we head to the register. Aurora is sure to grab just about every sexy dress in the store, and isn’t shy about whipping out her platinum credit card. I refuse to give her the response she seeks for her pretentiousness. I guess it’s true that money can’t buy class.
Dark Light (The Dark Light Series) Page 28
