“This will only hurt for a second,” Holly promised in a deep, gravely voice that belonged to an eighty year old smoker and not a seductive vampiress.
That terror turned to pain as Holly sunk her fangs deep into Tabitha’s neck. Tabitha shrieked and tried to jerk away from Holly, but she was held in place by an iron-like grip. I could feel Tabitha’s pain as a hot, burning sensation. Her pain was my pain, and her fear was my fear. I knew the second it transformed into something else, and all of a sudden, I could feel an intense pleasure spreading through me.
Tabitha’s choked scream turned into a sensual moan of pleasure, and she stopped trying to jerk away from Holly. I could feel her heart rate begin to slow as the terror ebbed from her. Tabitha wrapped a hand around the back of Holly’s neck and pulled the vampire closer, as if begging her to keep drinking. Tabitha’s desire overrode every other emotion she was feeling—including fear—and I tried not to think about the fact that Holly was unintentionally giving a fourteen year old girl some kind of sexual pleasure.
And that I was feeling every bit of it.
Holly pulled away with a gasp, and Tabitha whimpered, and even leaned closer, as if she wanted to be bitten again. Then she shook her head as if to clear it, and pulled away. I could see an immediate change in Holly’s condition. Already her skin was beginning to knit together, fresh and smooth beneath the charred mess. Her breathing was less labored, and she even had a tiny, content smile on her face as she leaned back against her bed.
Her skin was still charred and smoking in some places, but it looked like it was beginning to smooth over. And judging by the look on Holly’s face, it didn’t seem like she was in much pain at the moment, and I wondered if the fresh blood acted like a shot of morphine in this instance. Her dark brown eyes had a hazy, clouded over look to them, and I hoped that she wasn’t in anymore pain.
When Holly’s eyes closed and she didn’t stir again, everyone in the room released a collective sigh of relief. “She should be out for some time,” Lisa said, bending closer to examine the new skin along Holly’s forearm. “Hopefully by the time she awakens, her body will have nearly finished the healing process. Until then, we’ll just have to sit back and watch.”
“So, what happens now?” Finn asked, looking from Holly’s sleeping form to Lisa. “It’s obvious that someone here is gunning for us.”
“I thought you were sure it was Tabitha,” Ezra said quietly from Tanya’s bedside. He hadn’t left his girlfriend’s side much, and now that he was sure Holly was going to be okay, he was back with her once more.
“I’m pretty sure that Tabitha’s spirit can’t handle flammable chemicals and a lighter, or the chains to wrap Holly’s coffin. The only other person I can think of is the mayor. Maybe he found out about our location and is trying to get to Ronnie through her friends.”
Lisa nodded her head slowly, as if she hadn’t even considered the possibility of the mayor being behind this. “I will need to address my fellow Council members and get their opinions on this matter. Until then, I want the three of you to be extra cautious while you’re here. We can’t rule out anyone at this point,” she said. Her eyes flitted to Ezra, Finn, and then they settled on Tabitha. “And I do mean anyone.”
Chapter Nine
They’re on to you, Tabitha.
Shut up!
You won’t get away with this for much longer, I thought. Did you see the way that Lisa looked at you back in the infirmary? She definitely suspects something is up. She may not know that it’s you in my body, but she senses something is wrong. She must be more attentive than you thought.
That bitch doesn’t know anything! She’s grasping at straws, just like everyone else. Especially your man-whore werewolf. He actually thinks the mayor is capable of this.
He is, I pointed out to her, ignoring her jab at Finn’s character.
Well then I guess this mayor is giving me the perfect out. If your boyfriend can convince everyone that the mayor is behind this, they’ll never suspect me. I’ll be in the clear, and I can keep my plans moving in the right direction. Then, when they’ve been completed, I’ll just leave you behind to pick up the pieces. Or perhaps I’ll kill you first, and then leave your body. We can be two spirits suffering alone together in the afterlife.
I froze. From what I knew of Tabitha—and I knew quite a bit due to my previous encounters with her—she was dead serious. She would kill me before leaving, and I would be nothing but a spirit, left to wander the world. I would have to watch my friends continue their lives without me, and that was only if they managed to all survive Tabitha’s wrath.
What would I do as a ghost? Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to talk to any of my friends—aside from Annie—would send me into a downward spiral for sure. I had never been big on socializing with others, but after all we had been through together, these people were my new family. And if all I could do was watch the people I loved and cared about without touching or talking to them, I would go mad in probably a month, tops.
But I would be able to see my mother again.
I would be able to be with her, to speak to her, to be held by her…I wouldn’t be totally alone. For just a split second, the thought of possibly seeing my mother again had my heart beating faster and swelling in my chest. Our last goodbye had been so heartbreaking it had left me feeling broken and more alone than ever before. What would it be like to completely erase those tearful last moments together? It would be like our separation had never even happened.
I could already practically feel her embrace. I could feel her arms wrap around my back and pull me tight against her chest. I could imagine the words she would say, spoken with so much love that it would erase all of the loneliness and despair I had felt since her departure. For the first time since her death, I would feel whole and complete again. I would have the mother that had always loved me, and always would. She would stay by my side as long as I needed her to. We wouldn’t be alone anymore.
And this time she wouldn’t leave me.
As much as I wanted to see my mother again, there were still things I had to do here, in my lifetime. I had a lot of good times hopefully ahead of me. All I had to do was get past this one final hiccup in the road and I would hopefully be free to live my life the way I wanted, without having to worry about people trying to kill me or the people I cared about.
But in order for me to get to that happy point in my life, I would have to take care of my little sister…once again. I knew deep down that I would do anything necessary to keep the people I cared about safe, but I had no way of knowing how my actions would impact me afterwards. Killing Andrew had given me nightmares, which had only gotten worse after Tabitha’s death.
If I had to banish Tabitha for good, there was no telling what my mental state would be. Would I end up some crazy, mindless zombie that cried at the drop of a hat? Would I give in to my family’s dark history? Would I be plagued by vivid nightmares for the rest of my life? And oh, it would be a very, very long life. That is, if the High Council didn’t decide to have my killed due to the traitorous history my family had.
Tabitha, what are you going to do now?
She didn’t answer right away, and I waited for her to say something.
If you’re right, and they are on to me, I need to find a way to throw them off my trail.
And how exactly are you planning to do that?
Tabitha didn’t answer me that time. She began to pace around my room, back and forth over the floor. I could tell she was thinking very seriously about her next move, and I wondered just what she was thinking about. How could she attempt to throw people off of her trail? It wasn’t like there were many people she could possibly frame, and even if there were, how would she go about framing someone without getting caught?
Tabitha, whatever you’re planning, I promise you that it won’t work.
Actually, I think it will.
She walked out into the hall, closing the door firmly behind her. Tabitha looked around t
o make sure there was nobody in sight before heading down the hall at a brisk jog. I had no idea what her plan was, and I became even more confused when she slipped into the morgue, checking once again to make sure that she had remained unseen.
Tabitha took a few deep breaths, as if she were trying to collect her thoughts. Her hands gripped the edge of a nearby table so hard her knuckles began to turn white, and I could do nothing but sit and wait and watch. Before I could ask her what she was planning to do, she rushed forward and slammed her head into the edge of the table. She gasped in pain and staggered back while I watched in total horror.
This is your bright idea? I shouted. Are you crazy?
Tabitha ignored me while she held her hand to her face. I was so glad that I couldn’t feel anything she was experiencing right now, but I knew enough about pain to know that right now, the area beside her left eye had to be throbbing with a sharp, frequent ache. Tabitha gasped quietly to herself, and I wondered if she would have the guts to continue hurting herself, or if she was going to chicken out now that she was in pain.
Everyone will think the attempted killer came after me, and they’ll start looking for someone else to blame. I’ll become a victim, someone to be pitied instead of someone to be watched.
You think people won’t watch you if half of your face is bashed in?
Tabitha scoffed. Nobody will be paying any attention to me after this. Now I just have to figure out how to do this. Stop talking so I can concentrate.
Tabitha, this is stupid. And I will not stop talking. Maybe I can talk some sense into you before you fracture my fucking skull and accidentally kill me.
What makes you think I won’t do that? If you don’t stop talking to me, I might just accidentally slip and bam! No more Ronnie.
Bullshit. You need my body. If you could have used anyone else, you would have. You want mine because you want to destroy my life too, not just my friend’s lives. Without my body, your plans get seriously altered, and you won’t risk that. Now just stop and listen to me.
No, you listen to me! You and your incessant whining will not stop me from doing this! So just shut up and leave me alone!
Incessant? Ooh, big word for a little girl. And if you don’t wanna hear what I have to say, maybe you should just get out of my body and leave me alone. Problem solved.
Tabitha didn’t answer, which was surprising to me. The longer she stayed in my body, the more I seemed to learn about her. And what I had already learned was that Tabitha was easily goaded into an argument, no matter the topic being discussed. Once she got angry or annoyed, she usually couldn’t help herself but to continue arguing with me until I stopped. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to use that information to my advantage, but I would definitely keep it in mind.
Tabitha turned and faced the wall, and before I could stop her or tell her how stupid she was being, she slammed her forehead into the wall. With a sickening crack, she slumped to the ground, moaning quietly to herself. She stretched out across the tiled floor, closed her eyes, and didn’t move again. I think that’ll just about do it.
Nobody is going to believe you, I said, even as I was thinking the opposite. Of course they would believe her. They thought she was me, and I wasn’t crazy enough to beat myself up and make pretend that I was a victim. They had no reason to doubt me, especially now. No matter how much I wished it wasn’t true, Tabitha clearly knew what she was doing while in control of my body, and I wasn’t sure how to fight her anymore.
Right now, my only hope was Annie or Beth, but there was no way Tabitha would let either of them near her. Not when they could blow her whole plan for revenge right out of the water. No, she would stay in the shadows and carry out her plans where nobody could see her before it was too late. It was all up to me to stop her, and this time, I would have to make sure she didn’t have a chance to ever come back.
*****
“Ronnie!” Finn shouted, shaking Tabitha’s shoulder. “Ronnie, wake up!”
Tabitha moaned and slowly opened her eyes. “Finn…what’s going on? Where am I?” she asked, sitting up and looking around wide-eyed and quickly, as if she were afraid.
I rolled my eyes at her feigned confusion.
“You tell me,” Finn said as he helped her sit up straighter. “I went to the infirmary to look for you, thinking you’d be with Tanya and Holly. When you weren’t there, I went back to your room, and then I thought I’d try here. You’re on the ground and you’re bleeding.”
“Bleeding?” Finn reached out and gently probed the area beside Tabitha’s left eye. She hissed in pain and pulled back. “Don’t touch it!” she snapped angrily, pulling away from Finn. Just one more entry on the list of things I never would have done to any of my friends, but especially to Finn.
“Ronnie, what happened to you?”
Tabitha sighed. “I don’t know. I came here looking for some peace and quiet so I could find Tabitha’s spirit, and I heard the door open behind me. But I thought it was you, so I didn’t bother to stop looking for Tabitha. Then, the next thing I knew, someone grabbed the back of my head and slammed it down on the counter. They threw me up against the wall, and I think I hit my head and blacked out. They must have just left me here like garbage.”
Finn’s hands clenched at his sides. “I’ll find out who did this Ronnie. I promise. But right now, I have to get you to the infirmary so Lisa can look at you.”
“No, Finn—”
He picked Tabitha up and swung her into his arms. “Not up for debate. “You could have a concussion from hitting that wall. Just let me take you to get checked out,” he said as he backed out of the double doors. “And I’ll come back in a little bit and see if I can’t pick up a scent.”
Tabitha froze, and I could tell the thought of Finn’s tracking abilities hadn’t even crossed her mind until just now. “Scent? If you found one, could you track the person down or recognize it again?”
“Of course,” he said, looking down at her like he thought she was crazy. “I think you might have hit your head a little bit harder than you’re letting on. You’ve seen me track scents before, Ronnie. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Tabitha refused to answer, instead choosing to confront me instead. You knew, didn’t you?
Actually, I hadn’t even considered Finn’s tracking abilities, I said. And it was the truth. I knew she had been planning to pass herself off as a victim, but I hadn’t even considered the lack of evidence as to there being more than one person in the room with her. How was she planning to weasel her way out of this one? There would be no other footprints, no other scent, and no other fingerprints. Nothing except hers.
And Finn’s…
Ah yes, Finn. Perfect. I’ll just say I thought I heard Finn call my name, and then the attack, and then nothing after I blacked out until he found me. Naturally suspicion will fall on him, and since he’s the only other scent in the room aside from me, they’ll have no choice but to blame him.
It’ll never work, I said, fearful that her manipulative nature could get Finn into serious trouble. Nobody here would ever believe that Finn would hurt me.
Liar. He’s a werewolf, and everyone knows that all werewolves are angry, mindless beasts that let their emotions rule them. I could play this off as him being jealous when I tried to comfort Ezra, or maybe I’ll say that I told him I needed some alone time after murdering my baby sister…or I could just be honest and say that dating a werewolf is disgusting and I finally came to my senses and he flew into a rage and attacked me for it. That might work, too.
How dare you? I screamed at her.
Face it, Ronnie. You and Finn are both at my mercy. There is nothing you can do except wait and see what I have in store for you. It’s like a game of chess, but I can see four moves ahead. I already know the outcome of this game, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.
Seeing four moves ahead didn’t help you the first time around, I taunted. You failed to complete your plans then, and you’ll fai
l this time. I won’t let you win, Tabitha. I will never ever let you win. Not when the lives of my friends are on the line. If you give up now—
Never! Do you hear me? I will never stop. Not until I get my revenge. You picked the wrong family to mess with, Ronnie. Do you hear me? I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to me.
“Ronnie!” Finn said, obviously not for the first time. “Are you okay? Talk to me. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”
“Nothing,” Tabitha said quietly. “I’m just trying to think. I can’t remember much from before you found me. I was in the morgue trying to find Tabitha’s spirit, and the last thing I remember is hearing my name. I thought for sure it was you.”
Finn frowned. “Me? Ronnie, it couldn’t have been me. I haven’t been anywhere near the morgue today, except for when I found you out cold on the floor. I’ve been in the infirmary with Ezra, helping him keep an eye on Tanya and Holly.”
“Why?”
“Lisa thinks whoever tried to kill them is going to try again, so she wants someone with them around the clock. Ezra and I are the best choices for the job. Not only do we both care deeply about the two of them, we’re also incredibly capable of taking care of them if the killer did show up.”
“Yes, I’m sure Ezra is perfectly capable of protecting them,” Tabitha said with a sneer. “If anyone did try to finish them off, all he’d have to do is let out the inner monster that lies just beneath the surface.”
“Ronnie, what is wrong with you? Ezra is not a monster, and for you to even suggest—”
“Finn, I wasn’t,” Tabitha interrupted quickly. “I’m sorry. It’s just, my head hurts, and everything is so confusing right now. I don’t know what I’m saying anymore. You know I care about Ezra.”
He sighed, but I thought I caught a hint of lingering disbelief. “I can’t even begin to imagine the pressure you must be under. You’ve got the Council breathing down your neck about your sister’s spirit, someone is trying to pick your friends off one by one, and now someone came for you. I’m just glad that you’re alright for now.”
Dark Heritage Trilogy Page 48
