Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2)

by L.H. Cosway

  I have never believed in ghosts. I never believed in a lot of things until Ethan and the vampires came into my sad little life. But there is a ghost before me now, and even though she is bleeding horrifically, I’m not scared. Somehow, I know she can’t harm me. The blood is the only part of her that seems real. But it can’t be. Ghosts aren’t flesh and bone, and therefore there’s no blood in them. This must be some kind of an illusion.

  I bite on my lip, and her mouth opens. She seems to be trying to say something, but she’s having difficulty getting the words out.

  She places her hand to the centre of her chest, and an odd, disjointed voice says, “Jennifer,” as though she’s trying to tell me her name.

  “Jennifer?” I ask. “Your name’s Jennifer?”

  She nods, there is still no expression on her face, but I can see the relief in the set of her shoulders that she managed to communicate with me effectively.

  “Why are you here Jennifer?” I continue carefully. There is surely some important reason for her to have appeared before me. Or am I just hallucinating from all the stress?

  “Warning,” her strange, ghostly voice replies. “Need to warn you…” She trails off and tumbles to her knees. Her form quivers in and out of sight, like she’s losing energy. Shit! I stand up from the table instinctively and go to her. But my hand just goes right through her. She’s not solid. Not a person, but a ghost. I have to remind myself.

  “What’s the warning?” I ask her shakily, my stomach turning at the sight of her slit throat up this close. Now I’m kneeling before her so that I can meet her gaze. My trousers sinking into her ghostly blood, but I don’t care about that right now.

  One sad eye meets mine, the other is hidden beneath the black patch. This girl must have suffered so much in her life, only to be killed carelessly by a vampire who I have no doubt doesn’t possess a good bone in his ancient body.

  “Find him,” she says, “before it’s too late.”

  And then she’s gone. No! That’s not enough. Find who before it’s too late? My dad?

  “Jennifer,” I call, “Jennifer, come back please,” I whisper then, knowing it’s useless. I peer down at the floor to find that the puddle of blood has disappeared. The surface is completely clean. What the hell? Maybe this was just a hallucination. Perhaps. Then again, with the way things have been going for me recently, seeing a ghost is the cherry on the cake so to speak.

  My thoughts are cut short because Finn walks in the door with Wolf at his heels and he looks like he’s aged a decade, his hair is all rumpled and his face is etched with worry.

  “Where’s Rita and the rest of them?” I ask him, as he sits down across from me at the table.

  “I sent them to try and scope out Whitfield’s mansion, I normally wouldn’t bring them into this but our best slayers are inside with Pamphrock. For all I know the vamps could have slaughtered the lot of them by now.” Finn sighs and curses under his breath. “I don’t know how I’m going to get them out of there. There’s only me and a hundred odd new recruits, but they haven’t been properly trained yet so they aren’t going to be much help.”

  “This isn’t your fault Finn, so stop blaming yourself.” I tell him.

  He’s nervously running his hands through his brown hair, messing it up even more. His eyes meet mine. “I’m not blaming myself. I just don’t know what to do right now.”

  At this moment, Rita, Alvie, Gabriel and Noreen arrive home. They enter the kitchen and silently join us at the table.

  Gabriel is the first to speak. “It looks like they’ve just about doubled the security at Whitfield’s place,” he says, “however difficult it might have been for Pamphrock and his men to breach the building tonight, it’s going to be even more difficult now. There are vampires everywhere.”

  “We almost got caught snooping around,” Rita adds. “Luckily we got away before they could catch us.”

  The squeak of Noreen’s chair sounds as she rises from the table, we all look to her. “I’m going to bed, I’m very tired,” she whispers, and then quietly, she leaves the room.

  “Mum’s been out of sorts since the house got burned down, I don’t think she’s able for all of this excitement,” Rita explains. Her eyes are lit up, showing that unlike her mother, Rita thrives on the kind of excitement that is currently afoot.

  “That’s understandable,” says Finn. “Look, I’m sorry to have to do this, but I have no other choice right now, I need all of your help to get Pamphrock and the rest of them out of there before the vamps kill them. I’m not going to force you though, so tell me now, are you lot in or out?”

  “In,” says Rita happily.

  “In,” Alvie adds, earnest but vaguely reluctant.

  “You are one of my closest friends Finn, of course I will help you in any way that I can,” says Gabriel sincerely.

  Then everyone at the table looks to me. My decision is not as clean cut as everyone else’s, especially since I am now intimately involved with a vampire who I will be betraying if I decide to help Finn. Then Rebecca’s face flashes in my mind, and my heart swells. The reaction is somewhat foreign, as although I would always feel for the child and her situation, the strength of my emotion for her is uncommon. I don’t know where it comes from. I feel like she’s my own flesh and blood even though we aren’t related in the slightest. Odd.

  This is the sole reason why I finally say, “I’m in too.” They all breathe a collective sigh of relief, and then Wolf lets out a loud bark to signal his involvement in the rescue also.

  It makes us all burst out laughing for a moment, but then the mood turns serious again when the laughter quietens down and I look at Finn and say, “Whitfield’s having his party tomorrow night, and I’m supposed to be accompanying Ethan, perhaps that would be a good time to make your move. Once the party is in full swing you’ll be able to catch them unawares.”

  Both Finn and Gabriel seem to be regarding me strangely, then the two make eye contact as though conducting a silent conversation.

  Finally, Finn says, “This is ideal Tegan, you will be entering the building as the companion of a powerful vampire without any suspicion whatsoever, we can really work with this. I just need to figure out how we can use your position to our best advantage.”

  “Ah!” Rita exclaims suddenly. “She can use the dowsing rods to find out where in the building Pamphrock and the slayers are being held, that will save us the wild goose chase of going searching for them.”

  “Um, the last time I used those fuckers I nearly went off the edge of a skyscraper Rita. I’m not touching them again, they’re lethal.”

  “But you’ll be in a house this time, so there won’t be that kind of danger Tegan. Besides, they really responded to you, it will be simple for them to lead you through the mansion to Pamphrock.”

  “Even so, I’m not comfortable using them,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. The fear I’d felt earlier tonight when I’d nearly met my maker is still too strong a deterrent for me to agree to do this.

  “How about a willow branch,” Alvie suggests. “Like the original dowsing rods, it will still lead you to what you’re looking for but the reaction will be more natural, more organic. I think it might have been your magic reacting with the harshness of the metal that caused such a violent reaction on the roof of the building earlier tonight. With wood, the magic won’t flare up so dramatically, metal comes from the earth but it’s too watered down and manufactured. A branch comes directly from the earth with no human interference. I assure you Tegan, you won’t be harmed with one of these.”

  “That sounds a little better,” I agree.

  Rita claps her hands together. “Brilliant, so what next?” She looks to Finn and Gabriel now.

  “We sleep, we need all the rest we can get if we’re going to go through with this tomorrow,” Gabriel answers. Finn seems lost in thought, already making plans in his head for this big rescue mission. My hands go clammy with sweat as I think of how I will be playing a
fundamental part in it.

  “Yeah, I’m wrecked,” Alvie agrees, rising from his seat. I notice him nod ever so slightly to Gabriel, whose eyes widen a little and then he gets up too. Well, well, I wonder what those two will be up to tonight.

  When they’ve left Rita begins waving her hands in front of Finn’s face. “Hello, earth to Finn,” she calls to summon him back to the present.

  He blinks a few times and then scowls. “I’m trying to think here, Rita.” His voice is low and harsh, marred by stress.

  “Jeez, sorry, I just wanted to tell you that you’ll need to get something of Rebecca’s and something of Pamphrock’s for Tegan to bring with her into the party tomorrow. The dowsing rod won’t work otherwise.”

  Finn rubs a hand over his jaw, where two days worth of stubble has grown. I try not to think about how good it looks on him. Me and my hormones.

  “Sure, I can do that,” he says, and then he too gets up and leaves the room. A moment later I hear him make his way up the stairs. I grab Wolf and begin giving his fur a ruffle, he loves it when I massage his neck. I wonder if Finn would agree to letting me bring him back to Manchester with me. I’ve grown so fond of this strangely wise dog. Before I can stop him, he rises up on his hind legs and gives me a big, slobbery lick on the cheek.

  Rita laughs, highly amused. I wipe my cheek dry with the hem of my t-shirt.

  “Do that again and you can sleep outside tonight,” I warn him, but I can’t help giggling. Rita’s laugh is infectious. Two seconds later, Finn comes elephant footing it down the stairs and storms into the kitchen. His bright blue eyes cut right into me.

  “Tegan! Would you care to explain why there’s a strange girl asleep in the guest room?”

  I gulp. Shit, I forgot all about Amanda. “Um, she’s my friend. She’s sort of in a bad way at the moment, I was wondering if it would be okay for her to stay here for a while.” I nervously run my hand through my hair.

  “No, it’s not okay,” Finn grits out. “If you hadn’t noticed, we have barely enough room for everyone as it is, not to mention there’s a bit of a crisis going on at the moment. You really are a magnet for misfits, Tegan.” Finn’s eyes touch momentarily on Rita, who eyes him right back in challenge. I grin when he’s the one to look away first.

  “Look, the girl upstairs, her name’s Amanda. She was one of my closest friends before I moved away, but while I was gone she got involved with a vampire and became addicted to his bite. It’s sort of my fault that she came into contact with this vamp in the first place, so I need to help her. Please, Finn.” I walk over to him and put my hand on his bare arm. His eyes soften ever so slightly. Perhaps because of the fact that Amanda is the victim of a vampire.

  Finn lets out a long sigh. “Fine, she can stay. I’ll sleep on a futon in the living room for the time being.”

  I give him the biggest smile ever and hug him tightly. “Thank you so much, this means a lot Finn, I won’t forget it.”

  When I pull back to look at him he’s staring at me strangely. Too intense, and his eyes are hooded. He leans in and whispers, “I know a way for you to thank me.” I bristle all over. In a good way. What is wrong with me? My subconscious is like, Finn and Ethan, get a hold of yourself woman.

  Rita brushes past us then, her eyebrows raised in sceptical amusement. “You could cut that sexual tension with a knife, my friends,” she calls cheerily as she climbs the stairs.

  Finn has a satisfied smile on his face. I jump away from him, making an incoherent nervous mumble and then dash upstairs to sleep in with Amanda. She’s still dead to the world. I duck under the covers, put my arm around her, and drift off almost immediately.

  The next day is a complete rush. Finn’s been in and out of the house all day, going back and forth, making sure all of the plans are in place for tonight. This is what is going to happen. I’m going to go to the party with Ethan, taking the willow bark dowsing rod with me in my bag. Some time after we arrive I’ll slip away, pretending I need to use the bathroom, when I’ll really be going to search for Rebecca, Pamphrock, and the rest of the captured slayers.

  Once I’ve located them, I’ll text Finn to let him know where exactly they are. At this point my job will be done, and Finn will enter the mansion with Rita, Alvie, Gabriel and several hand picked new slayer recruits.

  Finn has the entire mansion all mapped out on his computer, so he knows the most efficient points of entry. It will all depend on where the prisoners are being kept what point of entry they will use. Should they run into any vampires, Rita will be on hand with one of her confusion spells.

  It all seems rather air tight, so I really can’t explain why I feel so trapped, like I can’t breathe. I don’t want to do this. I want to be back in Manchester, because even though my life had been lonely there, at least I didn’t have to walk right into the hornet’s nest, so to speak. And that is exactly what I will be doing tonight. I try to ignore the pain in my heart at the thought of Ethan discovering my betrayal.

  I steel myself, and try to remember that Ethan deserves to be betrayed for what he allowed happen to Amanda. I spend most of the day nursing her, which is an absolute nightmare because she keeps fighting me. Begging me to let her go and see Lucas at the club. I’m almost at the point of resorting to tying her up to keep her from leaving the house. It’s for her own good in the long run. She needs to go cold turkey.

  In the end I give her some food and some sleeping tablets before going to get ready for my big night of doom. My brain is screaming at me inside my head, telling me not to go, that I’ll only get caught.

  I pull the fanciest dress I own out of my suitcase. It’s a cream lacy number, in keeping with the fashion of the 1920’s. I style my hair to match, in wet look set waves a la an actress in an old black and white movie. I finish the look with smoky eyes, red lips and black velvet heels, then I’m all ready to go. I grab my handbag and check on Amanda before I head downstairs, she’s still asleep. Hopefully the pills will keep her knocked out until I get back.

  The kitchen and living room downstairs are packed with people, all milling about to prepare for the rescue mission. There are lots of slayers I don’t recognise. Alongside Finn, Rita, Alvie, Gabriel and of course Wolf. The dog is sitting in the corner of the room, eyeing the strangers intently.

  “Woah, you look hot,” Alvie exclaims, fanning himself dramatically with a mischievous grin.

  “Why thank you Alvie,” I reply, good naturedly. Finn is gawking at me, so I roll my eyes at him. He straightens up then and clears his throat.

  Rita approaches, handing me the branch dowsing rod, it’s got a red ribbon tied around it and a chunky gold ring on one of the branches. “The ribbon belongs to Rebecca and the ring is Pamphrock’s, you’ll need to think of them in order for the rod to lead you to them. Just picture them in your mind, but make sure that it’s them you’re thinking of and no one else, otherwise it won’t work.”

  “Got it,” I reply, taking the branch from her and putting it nervously into my bag.

  Rita places a hand on each of my shoulders and looks me right in the eye. “Breathe Tegan, you’re going to be fine. If anything goes wrong text Finn and we’ll come get you straight away.”

  “Thanks,” I whisper, her words of reassurance aren’t really making me feel much better. “By the way, Ethan wants to know if you’ll come and work for him,” I remark sarcastically, knowing full well Rita won’t go for it. I expect her to tell me no flat out, instead she raises her eyebrows and slinks off, a contemplative look on her face. Oh, she better not be considering it.

  Finn’s looking at me again, but he doesn’t say anything. Suddenly he comes marching toward me, his expression is unreadable. He grabs me by the elbow and shoves me out into the hallway, slamming the kitchen door shut after him, seemingly to afford us some privacy.

  I lean back against the wall and he stands close in front of me. I raise my eyebrows at him but he doesn’t talk for a minute.

  Finally he says, “I’m really s
orry you’ve been put in this position,” his voice is low but steady.

  I shrug. “I’m getting paid for it, and it’s not like you’re making me or anything. I agreed to do this of my own free will.”

  Finn’s shoulders slump a little, it’s the only outward sign of his distress. “It still doesn’t feel right, you going in there. It’s one thing for you to be at the club with Cristescu, but it’s a whole other kettle of fish going to a party where every vampire in the city will be in attendance.” He pauses and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m – I’m worried about what might happen to you.”

  So am I, says a tiny voice in my head. But I can’t say it out loud. I need to be strong right now. I can’t let Finn know that I’m frightened of what I’m about to do.

  “I’ll be fine,” I whisper, before taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Finn’s eyes lock with mine, and it’s just too much to take so I try to diffuse the tension with humour.

  I nudge him in the shoulder and tease, “Jesus Finn, anyone would think you actually cared about me.”

  He scowls, but his lips twitch up a little in a suppressed grin. “Yeah well, you’ve grown on me,” he stops and winks then, his humorous demeanour has returned fully. “Kind of like a fungus you can’t get rid of.”

  I laugh and hug him just as my taxi arrives outside, I hear the driver beep the horn.

  “Good luck Tegan, if anything goes wrong I’m only a phone call away,” Finn reminds me as I close over the front door. I walk toward the car, my heart in my throat as I get closer to what could very possibly be the last party I ever attend.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They’ve Got Some Hungry Women There