“Okay, Thomas. You have my attention for now. What are you trying to tell me?” she finally spoke with a frown. He smiled.
“Guardians need to be more careful. You’re being fed lies.”
“What kind of crap is that?” she snapped, taking a step toward him, once again reaching for her gun. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alyssa grab Draven’s arm, bringing his wrist dangerously close to her mouth. Zarah took a deep breath to calm her anger, and let her hand drop from the holster again. Once Thomas saw she was not going to attack, he made a motion at the female, and she dropped Draven’s arm. Draven rubbed his wrist where the woman’s strong grip had held and then met Zarah’s eyes with fury.
“I mean Rogues are evolving, Zarah. We’re not all completely mindless killing monsters like you’re being taught. Sure, a lot of the species is. But not all.” Thomas appeared controlled, sincere. She saw honesty in his features and swallowed back her nagging troubles. He took a risk to seek her out, and after witnessing a few of her own weird events with other Rogues while hunting, she knew something wasn’t right.
“You know I’m telling the truth. Think about your hunt last night.”
She swallowed. Had Thomas been following her? Apparently. He knew about the Rogue she had killed the previous night—the one that she had heard speaking, conscious and intelligent. She shook her head in disbelief.
“How? How did your kind get like this?” she asked.
“Some Vampire made an elixir to better control our desires. He fed it to a Rogue, and then every vampire he bit after that or vampires that were bit by the conscious ones, became like him. Intelligent, controlled. I don‘t know all the details exactly,” he explained. She furrowed her brows and looked over at the human.
“You call that being controlled? Still taking humans to kill?” She held an angry accusation while staring at the unconscious human laying nearby.
“That was merely bait. You wouldn’t object to the death of a child molester, would you?” He blinked before a slow smirk spread across his face.
“I found that fool trying to rape a thirteen year old girl.”
Zarah narrowed her eyes and tried to access his thoughts. Images and voices swirled together and she saw Thomas wasn’t lying about the human. He had found the man on the first floor of the same abandoned building they were on about to force himself on a young girl. Alyssa had led her home while Thomas knocked the man out and carried him up to the roof. When she pulled away from his thoughts, Zarah stared at him in shock.
“The sun will be up soon. You two should get back to the Compound,” he told her before glancing over at Draven. Zarah nodded.
“I don’t understand though, Thomas, why would you tell us this?”
“This guy has big nasty plans. I don’t know what yet, but we would like to help figure this all out with you.”
Draven remained quiet, but Zarah could clearly see the anger working its way through his features. His jaw was set; his normally bright blue eyes were clouded and stormy. And with what she was about to do, she’d never live it down from him.
“Okay,” she said, agreeing to work with the two Rogues. There was definitely something unusual going on, and she had every intention of finding out what. No matter what it took.
“Good. We’ll find you again soon.” Alyssa approached then, taking his hand in hers as they turned to walk away from the scene. Zarah stared at the young woman, remembering her from before also. She hadn’t known Alyssa had sacrificed her life to be with Thomas until this night. Her disappearance had never been discussed before.
Draven walked over to Zarah, staring down at her furiously.
“You’re just going to let them go?” he asked in a low growl. His voice came out in a husky whisper, the accent winding harshly around the vowels.
“Yes, Draven. I intend to find out what is going on. He wasn’t lying. I could tell,” she replied with a simple nod.
“Thomas!” she suddenly called out. He stopped, turning his body slightly to look back at her. Alyssa tensed beside him, waiting.
“You do know that I will still kill you one day, right?” There wasn’t any joke in the question, but a fact…a statement that was left hanging in the fogged air as if this had been said before.
He smirked and nodded.
“Of course, Zarah. And I certainly look forward to dying by your hand.”
The two disappeared over the ledge, leaving the Guardians on the roof alone.
Draven turned to Zarah and looked down at her in confusion.
“Who was that anyway?” he asked curiously. She should have known he’d ask. She dreaded answering, bringing back the memories that she tried to tuck away and forget.
“Thomas?”
When he nodded, awaiting her response, she pulled her gaze from his and stared straight ahead, out over the city. The breeze ruffled her hair lightly, and the air had grown colder in their time up there. She sighed sadly.
“He was my brother.”
Four
The sun began to rise in the distance as Draven sped through the downtown streets to get back to the Compound. Zarah gripped the door handle tightly at each sharp turn he made, the tires screeching cries around the curves. She glanced over at him briefly, the light on the dashboard illuminating his face. He looked both furious and determined. Angry at what occurred on the rooftop, adamant to get back before the sunlight burned them to ash.
She watched him accelerate even more when the light of the sky began to grow brighter behind them. They weren’t far from the base and if they could make it into the garage in time, Zarah knew they would be safe. Thinking about the hues of orange and pink chasing them, she dared a look backward only to be met with pain in her eyes, causing her to let out a hiss and turn back to the front. Her reaction made Draven glimpse over at her momentarily as she covered her face with her hands and slide farther down in her seat.
Zarah felt the familiar bump of the garage entrance when Draven raced into the dark concrete parking garage but continued keeping her hands over her face. Her eyes burned from the flash of light that had hit them. She knew she would be okay though. When he came to a stop, parking the car at the farthest, darkest corner of the parking area, she remained still, taking deep breaths to calm herself through the pain.
After a few minutes, she began to feel lighter and cooler, her eyes only mildly stinging. Pulling her hands away, she slowly looked up. Draven continued to sit there quietly, staring straight ahead at the gray wall he had parked in front of.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. Zarah didn’t hear any concern in his voice, only its usual rough, cold edge.
“Yeah,” she muttered, pulling the seat belt off and getting ready to climb out of the car.
“Nice driving, by the way,” she added, though her tone was sarcastic.
“Wait, Zarah.” He reached out his hand to quickly grab her arm and demanded her stay seated in the car.
“We have to talk.”
She let out an exasperated sigh and glared over at him with impatience. All she wanted to do was get inside, splash water in her eyes, and take her rest. She didn’t want to sit out there having a discussion with him, knowing well enough that the talk would just lead into them fighting anyway.
“Can’t it just wait?”
“No. I want to know what is going on right now. Did you let Thomas go because he is your brother? Or did you let him go because you really believe what he was saying? Either way, both are crazy moves on your part.”
It was obviously bothersome. A vein was popping out in his forehead from frustration and she restrained from snapping back.
“I don’t want to argue about this right now,” she growled, pulling her arm out of his grip. She wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with him anyway, so he didn’t have the right to know about her past.
“Well, I do,” he replied through clenched teeth, leaning across the center console and staring at her. She hated it when he sta
red at her like that.
“Either you tell me what is going through your crazy little head about this, or I tell Nathanial that you failed miserably tonight and let two Rogues go. Plus I will tell him about their intelligence and other such interesting facts. He probably would be fascinated in that, don’t you think?”
Zarah glared silently at Draven, her eyes narrowed with fury.
“I told you. I believe what Thomas says. Something is going on, and it is our duty to find out. You saw for yourself that those two were different.”
When she answered, her voice came out cautious and soft, trying to refrain from yelling at him.
“I think the information needs to be kept away from Nathanial for now, at least until we find out what this is about.”
“Fine. I’ll go with this… for now… But, one wrong move from either of you, and I won’t hesitate to shoot.” He didn’t say if he’d just shoot the pair of Rogues or include her, too.
Draven jumped out of the car and slammed the door. She climbed out slowly to see that he still stood near the car, waiting for her. He was only there so that he could hit the lock button on his car remote. The chirp of the car as he pressed it announced that the alarm was set. They walked beside each other to the elevator in silence. Zarah had nothing to say about his remark. If he was right and she was wrong, she’d want him to shoot her anyway.
“I’ve been worried about the two of you! The sun has been up for half an hour now,” Nathanial said when they stepped into the Compound.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. We were held up a bit longer than expected, but made it back into the garage before the sun hit us at least,” Draven responded before Zarah could. She looked over at him, shock sparkling through her eyes. It appeared he wasn’t telling Nathanial what had actually happened and that pleased her. Glad that he was keeping his word, she nearly let out a breath of relief.
Nathanial glanced over the both of them, his eyes stopping on Zarah as worry creased his brows. Now that she was in a well-lit area, she could see from a nearby mirror that the skin surrounding her eyes were a deep pink from the mild burns.
“You tried to look back at the sun when it was too close. You should know by now that you can’t do that, Zarah,” Nathanial chided. She looked down at her feet in shame and nodded.
“Get some rest. There’ll probably be another busy night ahead of you, I’m sure. I don’t want to see you back so late next time though. That makes me worry too much,” Nathanial instructed the both of them before walking away.
Zarah rubbed around her eyes gently with her hands and began heading down the hall toward her apartment. She didn’t bother saying anything to Draven, and didn’t even realize that he was following her until she reached the door of her room and heard him clear his throat.
“Put a cold, wet rag over your eyes while you sleep,” he suggested. “That should help.”
“Are you suddenly pretending to be my friend?” she asked sarcastically, placing her key in the lock and turning the knob. She opened the door, flipped a light switch on the wall nearby, and then turned back to face Draven with a frown.
“Or do you have something else you’re trying to say to me?”
He looked down at her, his lips pressed in a thin line, his jaw slightly clenched as if he were trying to suppress his usual angry mood. For an odd moment, she wondered what it’d be like if they actually were friends before dismissing that thought completely with a foul taste in her thoughts.
“No, I was just trying to be helpful.” he shrugged and began to turn away.
“See you tonight.”
Zarah watched his retreating back from the doorway, her head tilted slightly in shock and confusion at his sudden mood change. When he disappeared around the corner, she stepped back into her room and closed the door.
Within a short time, Zarah had showered and was lying in her bed with the lights out and a cold rag over her eyes. She found getting much sleep difficult though, and the ticking of the wall clock wasn’t helping matters any. Thomas’ face kept flashing in her mind. She knew that he’d been Rogue, but had secretly hoped to never meet up with him again no matter how long she’d been casually looking out for him.
That night was strange…seeing Thomas with his mate, Alyssa, both of them seemingly normal. If it hadn’t been for the wild red eyes, she would have never known they were Rogue. However, something wasn’t right, and she knew it. Zarah was determined to find out what was going on within the Rogue community, and why the species were suddenly turning back into intelligent, controlled creatures. It was evident that they still killed to survive, they were still lost to the bloodlust, but there was an unusual change taking place.
As Zarah slowly and finally began to drift off into sleep, her mind filled with past memories of the dealings with her brother.
Six months prior to her going Rogue, she was a Guardian at the Compound with Thomas. He was one of the elite—the Vampire that you didn’t cross in a fight. They had been partnered together when Rogues became larger in numbers—an “infestation”, Nathanial had called them—and she had always enjoyed fighting alongside him.
One night in particular, however, tore the two apart, and nothing had been the same since.
“Zarah! We’ve been trapped!” Thomas yelled as he ran forward to stand beside her. Her eyes scanned the area around them, and she could see with clarity he had been right. There were dozens of Rogues surrounding them in that abandoned back parking lot, with only the two of them to fight. There was no way they were both escaping this situation alive and she knew it. Not unless there was a miracle—and she hardly believed in those.
“Thomas…what I want you to do is run. I’ll be the bait. You run and get back to the Compound as fast as you can,” she whispered to him, drawing her gun out slowly. If one of them was going to die, it was going to be her. He was the Compound’s finest, and he had a mate waiting for him.
“Like hell,” he growled out angrily, keeping his attention alert around the both of them. He yanked two guns from his holster.
“Get ready for the fight of our lives, little sister.”
Hisses and snarls grew louder as the Rogues were approaching them. Thomas began to fire his guns. As he did, Zarah aimed and shot hers off also. The rabids were coming at them full-force. Some of the Guardians’ bullets hitting a few in the head held them back. But there were still so many…and it didn’t take long before they were both out of ammunition, left to fight by hand the best that they could. The bullets had taken out barely half of the crowd.
“Get out of here! Now!” Thomas screamed at her as most of the Rogues were trying to overpower him. He was the strongest between him and her. Instinctively, the species went after the strongest for recruitment providing they didn’t kill him. Zarah let out a shout of protest, shaking her head, before continuing her fight with the three that were focused on her. She had a small silver dagger in her hand, and was using it well to defend herself against the Rogues. Silver was deadly to a vampire if struck through the head or through the heart. It was a slow, poisonous death.
She could hear Thomas’ struggles against the number of beings that he was fighting against, and could tell he was beginning to lose energy. Zarah fought harder, slashing the dagger at the Rogues, striking one through the heart. The other two, momentarily shocked, stopped fighting and looked down at the fallen vampire, allowing her just enough time to strike out at them without hesitation.
When she heard her brother’s shout of pain, the blood in her veins turned to ice. Slowly turning back to the scene, her eyes widened in horror. Thomas had managed to take all but one Rogue out during his fight. But the one remaining found the advantage quickly of her brother’s tired body, and bit him. Thomas lay crumpled on the pavement, the crimson liquid flowing from his neck. Fury overtook her and she charged at the Rogue that stood above her brother with a cry of outrage. The monster wasn’t phased. He reached out swiftly, hitting her with a force that se
nt her flying across the lot. When she recovered from the blow, she sat up and hissed, trying to get up again.
“Don’t bother. He’ll find you, I’m sure,” the Rogue said, causing Zarah to stop and stare in shock. She had never seen one speak until then. Before she could move, the creature had her brother and disappeared somewhere within the shadows. She started shouting for her brother, punching a nearby brick wall until her fists bled. Tears fell when she realized she was going to be alone—her brother had been all the family she’d had. According to Guardian rules, he was dead once he was bitten.
She searched until the morning sun began to rise, burning her skin, before going to a Hider’s community home. Ashamed and sorrowed, she refused to go back to the Compound at that time. She stayed with the Hiders for several days before returning, before going to Nathanial and relating the event.
That fight would be the last time she saw her brother, until six months later when she went Rogue herself.
The memories faded as Zarah awoke, the rag on her face no longer cold and the thirst eating at her insides.
Five
As soon as Zarah dressed, she heard a light knock on her door.
Opening it, she faced Draven. He stood there, the artificial blue-glow of the lights illuminating his features, making his pale skin stand out in contrast against his shaggy dark hair and his eyes gleam. Unlike the few other women that resided in the Compound, however, she did not ‘swoon’ over his appearances, no matter how handsome he actually was to her.
Darkness Comes This Way Page 3
