The song ended abruptly. A second of silence ensued before the next Alice in Chains song started. Marcus and I locked eyes, saying nothing.
I squeezed the handle of my knife. I should attack. Every time I readied myself to spring forward, my fear reined me back in. It was like trying to psyche myself to bungee jump off a cliff. The moment I got too near the edge I panicked. If I didn’t take the leap, Marcus would push me himself.
My heart lodged itself in my throat as I charged and rammed into Marcus with my shoulder. I hoped to knock him to the ground then plunge my knife into his heart as soon as I had him on his back, but even convulsing, Marcus was all rock solid muscle mass. He stumbled back a foot, but didn’t fall. Fuck!
His lips curled back. Without taking a step toward me, his hands shot forward and grabbed me by the neck. He began squeezing, crushing my windpipe.
The music drowned out my choking sounds.
Marcus squeezed harder. Another song ended and started.
I lifted my knife and jabbed at Marcus. It struck flesh.
He let go of my neck and roared in fury.
I gasped and sucked in deep breaths. I looked at Marcus with his hand pressed firmly on his thigh. His head bent to survey the damage.
Now, Aurora. It’s time to jump.
I pulled my knife back, took two swift steps up to Marcus, grabbed his shoulder with my left hand, and plunged my knife into his heart with the right.
His head snapped up, the whites of his eyes expanding to unnatural proportions. He tried grasping for my hair but I shoved him backwards.
I walked to Marcus’s side, watching to make sure I’d hit my mark. His lips opened and closed. The twitching stopped. His eyes stared at the ceiling, unblinking.
I waited. His body didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. “Angry Chair” filled the room. The volume had been cranked so high I felt the notes vibrate inside my body. I grabbed the remote where Marcus had left it on a speaker and hit stop.
The silence provided a momentary respite. I glanced down at Marcus one last time then fled from the padded room of horror.
I hurried past the living room to the front entrance and found my jacket and scarf, the only ones hanging from a hook.
I yanked my phone out of my coat pocket and dialed Melcher’s number. Hysteria overcame me the moment he answered. “I killed Marcus! He killed Mike and then he tried to kill me. So I killed him. He’s dead! Marcus is dead!”
“Aurora,” Melcher answered calmly. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Marcus’s townhouse!” Where the hell did he think I was?
“Stay put and stay calm. I’ll send someone over.”
I paced the entryway, clutching my phone in case Melcher called back. I walked in and out of the kitchen, briefly considering a swig of whiskey. I picked up my knife where I’d set it down on an end table before calling Melcher. In the kitchen, I ran it under the faucet, shook the water off the blade, and then wiped it with a kitchen towel. I pulled my sweater up in back and slid the knife into its sheath.
Back in the entryway, I pulled my scarf and jacket off the hook and put them on, slipping my phone back inside my pocket. I stood on the edge of the living room.
I heard tires whine to a stop outside and waited, my breath suddenly erratic. I turned my body around to face the door. The knob clicked as the person outside grasped the handle.
I watched the door open and Jared walked in. He was dressed casually in jeans, a black tee, and a blue bandana tied around his forehead as though he’d been hanging out right before receiving Melcher’s call.
I recognized that bandana. I’d focused on it in the seconds before my crash. The other driver’s face had been hazy, an afterthought as I took in the vehicle coming at me head on. I’d seen his lips mouthing a curse. I can’t imagine a head-on collision was pleasant, even for a vampire.
The bandana brought everything into focus.
Jared’s eyes locked on mine without a trace of sympathy.
25
Lost Souls
My breath caught in my throat as Jared started toward me. I couldn’t move, no more than I could when his vehicle had come crashing into me that fateful afternoon when I lost three organs and my entire life to the agents.
The boy in the blue bandana.
I wasn’t meant to die. Jared had done it. That evil fucker had all but killed me.
This night kept getting better and better.
I didn’t have time to react. Jared grabbed me by the arm as he’d done at the totem park, but the chance of him letting go this time was slim. He crushed my bones between his fingers, but I barely felt it, not after hanging from the rafters thanks to Marcus. Oh, how I wished they were both dead. I wished I could rewind time and pop Jared myself.
I couldn’t tell if he’d worn the bandana to try and jog my memory or if it was simply part of his casual attire. In Sitka he asked if I recognized him as though he wanted me to or maybe he’d been feeling me out. Keeping quiet felt best at the moment.
Jared squeezed my arm.
My lips curled back. I crushed my teeth together, wanting so badly to bite him. “Do it,” I said. “Break it.”
Jared squeezed harder.
“Let her go.” I heard Melcher’s voice behind him.
Jared kept me in his grip. I felt his hesitation, knew my chances were fifty-fifty. He might obey, or he might break my arm to spite Melcher. He turned his head slightly to look at Melcher. His eyes returned to mine, and somehow I knew the final decision was mine once more.
I smiled at him, my front and bottom teeth crushed together. I imagined it looked rather ugly and that made me smile bigger.
Jared studied me a moment then slowly released his grip on my arm. Inwardly I winced, but at least he hadn’t broken any bones. “Don’t ever disobey me again,” he said.
I looked at Melcher all spiffy in his suit. Did he have it on when I called, or did he change at warp speed like Batman when he responded to a distress call? What was he doing here anyway? I wouldn’t think he’d want to sully his hands with a mess like this. That’s what assassins and cleaners were for.
“Where’s Marcus?” Melcher asked.
“I’ll show you.” I led Melcher and Jared to the music room.
Melcher walked straight up to Marcus’s body and looked down. He stood silently for several minutes.
I looked at Jared who had leaned against the padded wall to survey the room. He didn’t speak.
“Marcus had Mike’s ring in a jewelry box inside his bedroom,” I said. I waited for Melcher to ask what I was doing in Marcus’s bedroom. When he didn’t, I continued. “He found me with it and confessed to killing Mike, but he wouldn’t own up to Agent Crist.”
“Andre Morrel killed Crist,” Melcher said. “He had her cross.”
I narrowed my eyes. If I had to come up with a theory, I’d say Jared killed Crist and used her death as an excuse to execute Andre and his entire family. If they’d left him in a prison to hang, as Melcher explained it, then Jared had plenty of motives to get revenge. He didn’t strike me as a forgiving kind of vampire.
“But why was Crist’s body found with Mike’s?” I asked. It all led back to the dump, and once more the pieces scrambled and refused to fit inside my brain.
“It appears we had ourselves two separate killers,” Melcher said. “For all we know Andre asked Marcus for help disposing of Crist’s body.”
Jared snorted. “Wouldn’t that be Marcus’s luck—a ready volunteer to take care of his own problem.”
“And Andre wouldn’t know where to dump a body being from out of town,” Melcher said.
Now that made sense, except for one thing. “I still don’t see what motivation Andre had for killing Crist…or how he even bumped into her.” I glanced quickly at Jared.
Melcher stared at me a long time. “Aurora, you remember the occupation I told you the Morrel family used to engage in?”
“Yeah.”
“Those instincts do
n’t go away. Andre Morrel has always been a hunter. He doesn’t get his blood from the blood bank.”
“So he just happened to bump into Agent Crist, who just happened to be patrolling this neighborhood?”
Melcher didn’t blink. “The murder is solved, Aurora. End of story.”
Yes, sir! If you say so. Did Melcher really believe that load of crap, or was he covering for Jared? I doubt Crist ever set foot in this area that night. Jared stalked people for a living. He probably followed her off base, broke her neck, and then stumbled upon an interesting surprise when he tried to ditch her body at the landfill.
Melcher crouched beside Marcus and closed his eyes gently.
I watched as Melcher hovered beside Marcus’s body. He began to speak in a low voice. I couldn’t tell what he was saying at first then realized it was a prayer. “By the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
I cranked my head back and looked at Jared. He barely glanced at me before stifling a yawn. I looked back at Melcher as he said, “Amen.” He stood, looking solemn. “We can’t pass this off as suicide.”
Jared grunted and pushed away from the wall. “This is what happens when you let rookies go solo.”
“What’s the problem?” I demanded. “Marcus killed Mike. I killed Marcus. Isn’t that how it works?”
Jared leaned into my face. I forced myself to take even breaths. “The problem, you little fool, is that Marcus was a prominent figure within the vampire community. Rumors have already been circulating about what we do. He’s been stabbed in the heart. Why not put up a neon sign while you’re at it? Vampire Hunter was here.”
“So make him disappear,” I said. “Bury him at the dump.”
Jared snorted. He looked at Melcher. “Can you imagine the vamp hunt to track down Marcus’s whereabouts?”
Melcher nodded, his expression far away, focused somewhere beyond that room. “You should have called it in first, Aurora.”
I balled my fingers into fists. I felt like shaking one in Melcher’s face. “And how was I supposed to do that after Marcus chained me to his ceiling?”
Jared snorted and smiled at Marcus’s body. “Marcus chained you to the ceiling?” He looked overhead as he asked, searching for hooks, no doubt.
“Not here,” I said, grinding my teeth together. “Upstairs in his bedroom.”
Neither man asked if anything else had happened or if I was okay. Fuckers, both of them. “What is Jared doing here, anyway?” I asked Melcher. “I thought you were sending him out of state.”
“Jared isn’t going anywhere,” Melcher said. “I want him where I can keep a close eye on him.”
Jared snorted again. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Melcher looked at me, his expression grave. “Aurora, how many people saw you here tonight?”
My lower lip dropped. I didn’t answer immediately. I couldn’t. In the battle against Marcus, I’d blocked out the other consequences of this evening. “Everyone,” I said. “Everyone who was here earlier.”
Henry’s words echoed in my ears. “You seem to have a knack for drawing unwelcome attention.”
Gavin had seen me head toward the upstairs and never return. Then suddenly Marcus ends up dead. No, I’m sure he wouldn’t find that odd in the least. I hadn’t gotten a look in the living room as I passed. For all I knew Henry and Tom had seen me, too.
“Aurora,” Melcher said carefully. “I think it would be best if we sent you out of town for a while.”
“Out of Anchorage or Alaska?”
“Out of state.”
“Really?” My voice lifted. I hadn’t thought anything could brighten my mood tonight, but there was nothing I wanted more at that moment than to get the fuck out of Alaska. Away from Jared and Melcher. Away from Noel and Fane.
“What about school?” I asked.
“I’ll get you everything you need to obtain your G.E.D. through correspondence,” Melcher said. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but having you stick around at this point isn’t a good idea.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Can you reassign me to another state permanently?” Indiana? I could still attend Notre Dame. Perhaps there was such a thing as second chances. Melcher certainly owed me. If Jared had gotten to me, it was only because Melcher gave him the resources to do so. I wasn’t about to ask Melcher what he knew about Jared’s recruiting practices. I trusted Melcher about as much as I trusted his new sidekick.
“No, we need you up here.”
I felt my heart drop even though I knew the verdict before Melcher delivered it. “We’ll send you away to finish your education, followed by boot camp as planned. You’ll be back by the end of summer and can attend UAA if you still choose to.”
“Where are you sending me?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Melcher said.
“I mean, should I pack flip flops? A bikini?”
Melcher walked out of the room instead of answering. As I passed Jared he leaned into me and said, “Nice try, Raven.”
I kept my expression neutral.
It didn’t matter where Melcher sent me. I was going to give boot camp everything I had, and when I got back, Jared better watch himself.
He had run me down and taken my life so that I would be forced into killing vampires. Well, that’s exactly what I planned to do. Kill Jared. It might be too late for me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t save countless other targets on Jared’s list of potential AB negative recruits.
Melcher stepped into the living room, lifting his phone to his ear. “Send in the cleaners,” he said into the speaker. He lowered the phone, glancing at me. “I’ll have one of my men drive you home.”
“Don’t bother,” I said. “I’ll have my mom pick me up on L Street. She’s expecting my call. She isn’t aware of this address,” I added.
Melcher nodded. “Very well.” With that he turned to Jared and started talking as though I were no longer there.
Fine by me.
As I approached the entry, the front door opened and two men in biohazard suits walked in wearing masks. I tried not to stare. I’d never actually stuck around long enough to see the cleaners. Not that I could distinguish anything beyond their facemasks.
They didn’t spare me a glance as we passed over the stones of Jerusalem. I looked over my shoulder one last time. No more disco. No more parties. No more champagne and blood.
Melcher had forgotten to say his customary lines. Justice had been served.
Despite this being the shittiest of shit nights in the whole history of my life, I knew I’d done the right thing, and I’d continue to fight the battle even if I had to start a war from within.
I stepped outside and breathed in the night air.
As soon as I’d put several blocks between myself and the townhouse, I sent Valerie a text in case she was checking.
We have unfinished business to take care of.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and pulled out my iPod, nestling each ear bud deep inside my eardrums.
There wasn’t a cloud overhead. The aurora borealis, for which I was named, weaved like a river in the sky. Usually it was too cloudy to see them, but tonight shades of pink, purple and green cast light across the expanse overhead.
I selected “Running Up That Hill” by Placebo from my easy listening playlist and began the long walk home.
The occasional car zoomed by, otherwise the streets were deserted. The digital clock on my phone showed the hour approaching one in the morning.
I didn’t want a ride home. I wanted to feel the hard ground beneath my feet, the frigid air going down my throat. I sucked it in. It didn’t chill me one bit.
About the Author
Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan with a degree in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She loves fantasy, magic, fictional bad boys, and heroines who kick butt.
Nikki married Sébastien, the love of her life, whi
le working as a teaching assistant at a high school in France during the 1999/2000 school year. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington in a town without a single traffic light.
If this book entertained you, please support the author by posting a review online.
Visit Nikki’s website at: www.nikkijefford.com
Dying For More?
Don’t miss STAKEOUT, Aurora Sky Vol. 2.5, a novella about Noel and Dante’s assignment in Fairbanks releasing this winter.
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Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2) Page 23
