Tabitha shoved her hands in her pockets. “Well, I’d better get home. My grandparents will probably be pretty steamed I snuck out.”
“Alright,” I said, looking at her. “It was nice meeting you, Tabitha.”
She nodded. “Thanks for breakfast, Ronnie,” she said again. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?”
“Sure.” Probably not, though.
Tabitha took off down the sidewalk at a steady jog, and I watched her go, feeling alone and unsure of myself before she was even out of sight. Now that she was gone, I finally realized just how badly I needed someone to talk to. How lonely I was. Tanya might be able to listen to me and my problems, if she wasn’t too busy flirting with Ezra or sneaking off to be alone with him. Holly probably wouldn’t even be able to fake interest in what I had to say, and I certainly couldn’t talk to Finn about what he was doing to me. Everyone else had their own problems to deal with, and I couldn’t burden them with my problems as well.
Who else is there? Annie might be willing to listen, if she wasn’t so angry with me right now.
“Ronnie!”
I whirled around and nearly tripped over my own feet in the process. Finn reached out and grabbed my arm to steady me, and his fingertips pressed roughly into my skin, hard enough to probably bruise later. As I regained my footing, I snuck a quick glance at Finn from under my lashes, and winced. He looked pissed off, angrier than I’d ever seen him, and I’d seen him in deadly warrior mode.
“Finn–”
“What the hell is your problem?” he snarled. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you out here on your own? Ronnie, there is someone out there trying to expose supernatural creatures, and if Andrew’s kid is behind this, you could be in danger. Why would you leave the store?”
“I left because I didn’t wanna see some blonde bimbo hanging all over you, giggling while she played with her hair, while she touched you, while you flirted back. How dare you expect me to stand there and listen to the two of you? I left so I wouldn’t be sick!”
“Ronnie–”
“How could you do that to me? Jesus, you just stood there behind me and flirted with some random stranger. Were you trying to hurt me?”
He backed up a step and his eyes softened as he realized why I had left the bookstore. “Ronnie, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn’t have–”
I held up a hand to silence him. “Don’t be sorry, Finn. You and I aren’t dating. You can have sex with as many girls as you want, but don’t ever expect me to watch you do it.” I turned and walked in the opposite direction Tabitha had gone, and Finn followed dutifully along behind me. His longer legs caught up to me immediately, and he gently grabbed my arm.
“Ronnie, I’m really sorry about that girl.”
“That girl?” I asked, still seething at the thought of them flirting. “Did you even get her name?”
“Her name is Marian,” he mumbled. “She actually gave me her number, too.”
I stopped suddenly, and he bumped into me. “Are you going to call her?” I asked, looking up at him. His eyes met mine, and I could see the indecision in them. He didn’t know if he wanted to call her, or if he didn’t. For some reason, that really annoyed me.
Maybe it’s because you’re falling in love with him…
I banished the traitorous voice in my mind, and looked away. “Do whatever you want, Finn.” I turned away from him and kept walking. “I don’t care.” I might have sounded more convincing if my voice didn’t break, but I couldn’t bring myself to care right now. The second I was out of earshot, Finn would call that girl, Marian, and he would probably have dinner with her. Then they would head back to her place and he’d spend the night there.
A jealous feeling reared up in my gut, and I fought to push it back. I wouldn’t let myself become some jealous, bitter girl that let a man become the meaning for her existence. I was stronger than that. I’d survived the tragic death of my mother. I’d survived foster care, being unloved and unwanted, I’d survived the revelation of my powers, and I’d survived being abducted and drugged by Andrew.
And most recently, I’d survived the trauma of killing my biological father and having my mother vanish for good. I wouldn’t let a little crush destroy my life. There would probably be more guys in my life than just Finn. Like people always said, there were a million other fish in the sea.
But you want this fish…
I shook my head and kept walking. Finn walked silently beside me, never saying another word. He didn’t try to convince me he wouldn’t sleep with Marian, because he knew that he probably would, if given the chance. He knew it was probably better for our relationship if he just kept quiet and pretended I didn’t know what kind of guy he was. And that was exactly what I was planning to do–pretend I didn’t know.
Finn’s phone rang, and he dug it out of his pocket. “Yeah?” I stopped and watched as a frown spread across his face. “Alright, we’ll be there in a few minutes. Make sure nobody else gets into the cemetery, and start damage control.” He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket with a solemn look on his face. “We have a serious problem…”
Chapter Four
There were two police cruisers parked outside the cemetery gates, and I could see Marcel talking with a group of officers. Lisa the witch was standing with him, arguing with what looked like a couple of college-aged kids. They were shaking nervously and tears were streaming down their faces, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something horrible had happened here, and they were trying to contain it as best as they could.
“Annie, what’s going on?” Finn asked, looking at the college-aged kids. “What are they doing here?”
One girl was only a couple of years older than me. Her gray eyes were wide with terror, and her entire body trembled. Her fingers dug nervously at her hair and clothes, and she had the look of someone that didn’t know where they were, or what was going on. She looked absolutely crazy.
“Our mystery necromancer raised a dozen fresh graves in broad daylight, with witnesses,” Annie said, nodding her head to the four college-aged kids. “They were here to visit the grave of a friend who had died recently in a car accident, and they saw the whole thing. They’re a little freaked out.”
The girl sniffed, and lifted her gray eyes to me. “It was Joey. He was here! He climbed out of his grave and just kept walking. That’s all he did. He didn’t answer us, or stop, he just kept coming. He…he b-bit me,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. My gaze slipped down to her hand, where I saw a double crescent shaped mark on the inside of her wrist.
The flesh was torn and bleeding, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. The bite marks looked like nothing I’d seen in person, but I recognized them from my many zombie movies. They were definitely human, and judging by the look of terror on her face, she was having trouble dealing with it.
Annie nodded her head at the cemetery behind her. “Get to work, Ronnie.”
Finn followed me into the cemetery, and I was surprised to find Kevin, the vampire council leader, leaning against a gravestone. It was only ten o’clock, but it was still bright enough to cause Kevin mild discomfort. To combat the headaches and nausea that came with being in direct sunlight, he wore sunglasses, a hat, and a long trench coat with full sleeves.
He looked up at us and frowned. Kevin didn’t like me, and he didn’t like Finn, either. Before my showdown with Andrew, Kevin had voted to kill me to keep me from falling into Andrew’s hands. He thought it would be safer for the supernatural community if I was dead and couldn’t be used against them. He got outvoted, because I’d already died once and become more powerful because of it, and the Council didn’t want to risk making me unstoppable if Andrew had found a way to bring me back.
He looked at me from behind his sunglasses, and I could only imagine the hatred in his eyes.
“Don’t waste time. Just release these corpse’s souls, and let’s get out of here. Too many peopl
e have seen us already. The longer we wait around, the more we risk being spotted by a news van. The last thing we need right now is to be featured on the ten o’clock news. Let’s go!”
Twelve zombies were wandering aimlessly around the brightly lit cemetery, and I could see a few of the Council’s men keeping them from moving too close to the fence. They were trying to keep them out of view of the nearby road, and out of view of any people passing by. It was going to be hard enough to keep this quiet seeing as the college kids had already seen the zombies, but if anyone else stumbled on this, it would be disastrous.
So I squared my shoulders, grabbed my pendant, and began to job of searching into myself for the ball of power that was always there. It was eagerly awaiting a chance to serve me, and it began to pulse and grow. When I had my power gathered, I began the process of banishing the spirits that inhabited the rotting corpses someone had dug up. Most of them were more than happy to go, and didn’t waste any time fighting me. A couple struggled, but they weren’t able to withstand a second powerful push.
Finn stood guard behind me as I worked, and I tried not to let his presence effect me. He remained silent, with his arms crossed and a stony expression on his face. He was incredibly angry with me for sneaking out of the bookstore, but he didn’t seem to realize that if he hadn’t been flirting with some random girl, he would have seen or heard me leaving.
The last soul departed, and the bodies became motionless once more. Slipping my pendant back into my shirt, I turned and forced myself to meet Finn’s eyes. His unnaturally pale blue eyes looked as cold and harsh as ice, and it sent shivers down my spine.
He has no right to be angry with me. And I have no right to be angry with him. It’s not like we’re dating or anything…
“Finn!”
Annie’s voice startled the two of us, and I whipped around to find a skinny boy of no more than twenty-one. He was perched on a low tree branch behind the cemetery fence, and he had a large black camera settled over his shoulder. That camera was pointed directly at me, and the look of fear, uncertainty, and astonishment on his face told me he’d seen everything.
Finn shot across the cemetery, and the boy dropped to the ground with a startled yelp. I watched as Finn took a running leap and jumped the fence, before disappearing from view. Annie hurried over to my side. She was panting and out of breath, and her eyes were frantic with worry. “I hope Finn can catch that boy and take the footage from him. If anybody found out about our community…”
She didn’t have to finish that thought, because I already knew what would happen. At first, people would be skeptical and unsure of what to believe, but eventually it would sink in. When it did, there could be mass hysteria and panic in the streets. The entire world would be set on its head as the things of myth came out of hiding and acknowledged their existence.
How would people treat those of us that weren’t considered normal? Would people start to stake vampires? Would they begin to burn witches, cage werewolves and shapeshifters, and test on fairies and necromancers? Would they try to exterminate us like rodents or insects? Would we be forced to go into hiding for the remainder of our lives?
The human race had proved it’s reluctance to accept others time after time. If we were exposed to the world, we could expect some kind of retaliation. Whether it was death or imprisonment, it wouldn’t be good for anyone involved, because the supernatural community definitely wouldn’t take it without fighting back. A lot of innocent people would be hurt or worse, killed.
Would I have to fight?
The thought had my gut tightening with uncertainty, and I longed for Finn to return with good news. However, as the minutes went by and he didn’t appear over that fence, I began to realize the news he brought back definitely wouldn’t be good.
“Come on,” Annie said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “We’ll wait for Finn back at the compound. Staying here in public view won’t do us any good. Besides, the Council will probably have to fill us in on what’s been going on…unless you already know.”
There was no question in her voice, and I forced myself to look directly into her accusing eyes. “I’m sorry, Annie. The Council wants me to keep my mouth shut,” I said quietly, hoping Kevin wouldn’t hear our conversation. “I want to tell you everything, but I don’t wanna get in trouble.”
“Finn knows.”
I winced. “I had to talk to someone, and I figured I wouldn’t be able to keep it from him for long.”
“So you confided in Finn, but not me. I’m your teacher, Ronnie! I should be the only person you fully trust, and you didn’t come to me. Instead, you went to Finn, a boy you argue with like you’re a married couple. Some student you are.”
Annie walked away, leaving me at the front gate of the cemetery. I wanted to be angry with her for saying what she did, but I knew that she was right to say it. Annie was my teacher, but she was more than that. She was a friend. A friend that happened to only be a few years older than I was. I should have gone straight to her, and not to Finn.
I sighed heavily, and walked after her, leaving behind the corpses in the cemetery to be handled by the Council’s lackeys. They didn’t need me anymore, and there were other things I had to do, like making things right with Annie if I could.
*****
“What the hell happened?” Kevin asked, sliding into his seat behind the Council’s table. “How did a raising in broad daylight go unnoticed until it was already over? How could we have missed something like that? Aren’t you necromancers supposed to be keeping an eye on the situation?” Kevin sneered at me and Annie, and I ducked my head in shame. I’d let this Council down, and we might be about to pay the ultimate price.
Annie looked Kevin right in the eye, and spoke very slowly and deliberately, like she was trying to control her temper. “This is not our fault. Perhaps if you had included me in the select group of people that know what the hell is going on, I might have been able to foresee this. Now, what the hell are you keeping from this place?” She glanced at me. “What does it have to do with Ronnie? Why is she so special that she gets to know about this?”
Marcel frowned. “Annie, it was this Council’s decision to keep people out of the loop, not your pupil’s. Your anger at her is misdirected. If you wish to be pissed off at someone, be pissed at me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Explanations. Now.”
Kevin’s lips tilted back in a feral snarl, revealing two sharp, gleaming fangs. Goose bumps broke out over my arms, and I felt myself take an involuntary step back. Kevin unnerved me, partly because he disliked anyone but himself, but mostly because he wanted me dead so I couldn’t be used against them.
“You would do well to remember who is in charge here,” Kevin said, eyes blazing in the dimly lit room.
Annie didn’t seem the slightest bit upset by his anger or fangs. Instead of cowering, she slipped her hand into her shirt and pulled out her pendant, before meeting his eyes without hesitation. “You would do well to remember which of us has the most power. The answer is not you.”
His eyes narrowed in hatred, but he leaned back from the table, trying to distance himself from the two of us. But it wasn’t that he was backing down that awed me the most. It was the fact that I was sure I could see just a hint of fear in his eyes. Deep down, he was terrified of Annie, and it showed.
Vampires are technically dead…I thought to myself silently. A necromancer controls the dead. Annie could force Kevin to become her slave. That’s probably why he backed down like an angry, petulant child. He doesn’t want to risk Annie’s wrath.
Marcel cleared his throat. “Annie, I think it would be best for Veronica to explain things to you. I believe she understands the most about the person we’re looking for, and she was the one to bring this possible suspect to our attention.”
Annie turned her questioning gaze on me as she impatiently waited for the answers she’d been anxious to get. I took one deep breath before beginning, and tried not to notice that she rol
led her eyes at me. It should have really annoyed me, but I understood Annie’s frustration at being kept out of the loop.
“Well?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.
I sighed. “Annie, I had an idea about who this necromancer might be, so I told the Council, and they agree with me. Andrew has a child. He told me that he and his wife had had a child, but he didn’t tell me a name, or even a gender. I mean, he said it was a daughter, but we can’t be sure he was telling the truth. I don’t know what they look like, how old they are or if they’re even in the area, but if they are, it seems likely that they’d be interested in getting revenge.”
Her eye twitched, and she glared at the Council. “You kept something like that from me? I’m the most senior necromancer in this damn building, not her! Why the hell was I kept out of the loop for so long? Haven’t we learned in the past that mistakes like this can come back to haunt us?”
“Annie–”
“What the hell are you doing to ensure the safety of this compound and the people in it? You know who we’re looking for, and you didn’t let the rest of us know! How can you tell us that our welfare is the most important thing to this Council, and keep this from us?” She looked at me and frowned. “How could you keep something like this from me? I trained you. I befriended you. I made it so you could move on with your life without being a danger to others, and this is how you repay me?”
I clenched my hands at my sides and bit my tongue to keep myself from saying something hurtful and stupid. Annie was upset, hurt, and angry with both me and the Council, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. If I was in her position right now, I’d be lashing out at probably anyone that was in the know.
Dark Heritage Trilogy Page 23
