“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing much other than you sound like a nicotine addict who might quit smoking after her last cigarette runs out.”
With a drawn-out sigh, she scanned the crowd. College students were scattered around in their groups, sharing their first day experiences with one another. She was ready to drop her search when she spotted a girl from her class, waiting to place an order at the till. She nodded in the direction of the short-haired brunette in antique-looking clothing. “She’s in two of my modules.”
Laura turned in her seat to take a quick peek. An unsettling grin stretched her rosy lips. “I think we’ve found your target.”
“Now? You want me to talk to her now?”
“No better time than the present, Thorn. Go get her.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.
With much reluctance, Helena rose and checked her sweater for stains. It was clean. She straightened her posture and mentally grunted. It’s going to be fine.
Chocolate-brown eyes spied her approach with weariness. Her palms started sweating, so she wiped them on her jeans. The distance was covered too quickly for her liking. Stopping two feet away, she cleared her throat. “Hey, I’m Helena Hawthorn, and we are—”
“—in the same Mythology class. I am Nadine Smidt.”
They shook hands, and Helena blanked.
“Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh, right, yes!” Helena pointed to Laura. “Would you like to have lunch with us? I mean, we are almost finished, but it’d be great if you could join us, anyway.”
Nadine’s face lit up. “Let me get something to drink, and I will come over.”
Making a beeline for the table, Helena knew what to expect. Laura already had her ‘I told you so!’ look plastered on her face. Things turned out better than she had anticipated. Maybe Laura was right and introducing herself to someone was enough. That thought made Helena draw back on giddiness. There remained many secrets she hid from her family and friends. This was just another person to add to the list of people who wouldn’t know the real her.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to make a new friend.” Laura’s concerned voice brought Helena back.
“I am. I’m sorry. I was thinking about an assignment I was given.”
Laura raised a brow, saying nothing.
When Nadine reached them, Laura shot out of her seat. The sudden movement nearly knocked her chair back.
“I completely forgot!” Laura started clearing her things. “I got work to do. We’ll talk at home.” She winked at Helena and turned to Nadine. “It was nice meeting you.”
As if her curled strawberry-blonde hair caught fire, Laura fled the room, abandoning Helena to her quest.
Nadine didn’t seem to react to the situation at all. She pulled up a chair and sipped her green tea.
When Helena thought of something to say, it seemed irrelevant, so she remained silent.
After a few minutes, Nadine said, “Why did you choose to talk to me?”
“What do you mean?”
The girl settled the cup on her platter with the elegance of a lady, something Helena hadn’t seen before. “There are a couple of other people here from our course. Why pick me?”
She thought about it and shrugged. “You were the first person I recognised, and I thought we could chat, maybe become friends.”
Nadine’s eyes grew wary. “You wish to be friends with me?”
“I would like to, yeah.”
Hiding her face behind her cup, Nadine didn’t respond. In two quick gulps, she consumed her drink, gathered her things, and smiled that same pleasant smile that unnerved Helena. “I believe I have class now. I am sorry I couldn’t stay longer…”
Left to stare at the space where her classmate sat mere seconds ago, Helena assumed that the chair possessed some kind of mystical power that repelled people, or she was terrible at making new friends. She was leaning towards the latter.
Once her lectures ended, Helena headed into the City Centre to hand out her resume. She didn’t care where she found work as long as something came up. Even though Laura and Andrew assured her it was alright for her to take her time finding a job, she didn’t want to rely on them. She didn’t want to depend on anyone for that matter. Not even Michael.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him since they fought. Was he getting an earful from his angelic higher-ups about her mistake?
She came to a stop at the traffic lights on Dame Street, and her shoulders dropped. The sun had already set. How long did she have before the old buildings were claimed by the night?
Across the road, out of a cluster of people, a man clothed in all black stood out. He couldn’t be older than thirty, she guessed. He was tall and wore a leather jacket and a pair of fitted jeans. The wind toyed with his raven hair. His tantalising full lips formed into a half-smile, and she registered that his piercing blue eyes returned her stare.
Heat crept to her cheeks, and she diverted her attention to the ground. She hadn’t expected him to notice her.
The crowd shifted. She marched with the rest of the group, avoiding further eye contact with people until she bumped into someone.
Two large hands wrapped around her arms, steadying her. But, that wasn’t what made her raise her head. Where the person touched her, a prickling sensation spread through her skin. Apologies fled her mouth. Looking up, she realised it was the same handsome guy. She had made a mistake in her initial judgement. His eyes were a mixture of blue-brown that had a hypnotic effect on her.
A painful sting reverberated through her chest and strange energy tickled her gut.
Surprise registered on the man’s face.
She tore herself away from him and rushed to create as much distance between them as possible. Whatever she felt was not normal and anything abnormal she learned to separate herself from, except Michael who swore his mission was to watch over her.
She glanced over her shoulder multiple times, making sure he wasn’t there. When she rounded a corner, Helena smacked her forehead with her palm. Who would pursue a weirdo that ran off like a frightened animal?
With a heavy sigh, she moved on to drop off her remaining resumes near her bus stop before taking the first bus home. It was high time she got answers about her father and the strange link she had created.
Beyond her protective barrier, things seemed different. Something lurked in the shadows. It's slithering energy circled her shields like a shark, waiting for a crack—an opening of some kind. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and Michael’s words replayed in her mind, ‘Things would try to get in.’
Whatever was attempting to find its way inside did not seem friendly. The creature’s energy chilled her to the bone, causing her to shiver. So, she did the only thing she could think of and reinforced her shields with another layer of steel. Although she didn’t know whether it worked or not, she somehow felt a lot safer. That sensation didn’t last long.
The darkness coiled around her, forcing her barrier to creak like a submarine being crushed by the pressure of the water. A rivulet of sweat rolled down her forehead as she deepened her concentration.
What is that thing?
Fighting back, she fortified the structure with as many layers as she could create. Her energy depleted, and she crumbled to her knees. She gasped for air to fill her heaving chest.
In the distance, a bright light flashed.
Michael, she thought. He has returned.
His soothing glow cloaked her shields and forced the shadow back, bringing relief and warmth to her chilled body. At last, she could decrease her barriers to a single layer.
Amidst it all, someone’s voice called out to her, telling her to wake up. There was an undertone of panic as the words bombarded her with sudden urgency.
Someone tugged on her shoulders until her concentration broke, and she was staring into a pair of green orbs. The panicked mumbling came from Andrew. His face hovered above her
s.
“Thank God you woke up!” He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
Unsure of what was going on, she awkwardly hugged him back. Her skin populated with gooseflesh as she shivered within the confines of his hold. She felt as if she had been dunked in a pool of ice-cold water. Her pyjamas proved it.
Through chattering teeth, she managed to say, “I’m cold.”
Andrew hurried to her wardrobe, flinging it open. He selected whatever clothes he could find and returned to her side. Without warning, he started lifting her t-shirt.
She slapped his hands away. “Whoa, I can change by myself!”
He seemed to realise what he was doing and turned away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Why are you here?”
“Laura took a call for you downstairs. Since she left a note and went out, I came in to give you the good news. But, when I found you, you were groaning in pain. I rushed over to make sure you were alright… You were freezing to the touch, and I tried to wake you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “The rest you know yourself.”
Helena hugged him again. “Thanks for waking me up.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her closer to his chest. The warmth he radiated made her skin tingle. Not wanting to part, she buried her face in the soft material of his shirt.
Once her shivering subsided, she awkwardly peeled away. “So, what was the call about?”
Andrew’s lips stretched into a smile. “Looks like you got an interview tomorrow.”
3
Hunted
Three heavy knocks echoed throughout one of London’s backstreets. While waiting, Lucious shoved his hands in his pockets. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that no one else was nearby. He wrinkled his nose. The stench of rotting meat invaded his acute sense of smell from a large half-opened bin a couple of feet away. He didn’t care what or who laid inside.
Lucious glared at the metal door. He jerked his hand out of his pocket, ready to knock again when he heard heavy bolts being shifted on the other side.
About time, he thought and straightened his posture.
The door opened a fraction. “Why did you come here?”
Lucious scowled at the cramped space. Half a face of a short, dark-skinned vampire was the only thing visible. “You were the one who called me here.” He forced the door open. “Tell me what’s going on.”
The scrawny, hunched over man studied him with eyes as dark as the unlit alley he stood in. “You know exactly what’s going on!” Phil said, moving out of the way.
Lucious strode inside the dull, grey-walled office and collapsed into a chair. The soles of his boots stuck to the linoleum. Next to his foot, he noted a bloodstain and wondered who had pissed off the old man enough to bleed here.
“You are the informant. Tell me what’s going on.”
When five bolts locked in place, Phil ambled to his desk and eased into his leather seat. He entwined his fingers on the stack of newspapers and stared at Lucious as if searching for something.
Undaunted, Lucious returned the gesture. He didn’t care how old Phil was or how influential. What mattered was the information he stumbled upon.
Phil ran a shaky hand across his balding head. “You don’t know the Council is looking for you, do you?”
If his heart could beat, it would stop once more. “Why me?”
“I don’t know. No explanations were given. If you are discovered, you must be brought to them.”
Lucious pinched the bridge of his nose. What did the all-powerful Council want with him? As far as he knew, he abided by the common laws. There were no plausible reasons for their summons. “You said you found a new trail, so get on with it.”
With a shake of his head, Phil replied, “You are a fool for not running when you heard the words ‘Council’ and ‘looking for you’ in the same sentence. But, I will entertain the need to find your sire’s murderers. After all, you’ve helped me clean up a few of my messes.”
The old vampire rummaged through a pile of coffee-stained paperwork on his messy desk. Not an inch of the surface could be seen under the mounds of papers, materials, and manila folders.
Does he even remember the original colour of his furniture?
Phil smirked and pulled out a note from the stack. He offered it to Lucious who reached into his leather jacket pocket and retrieved a small velvet case.
“Hope she likes it,” Lucious said.
Phil traded for the box and hid it in his desk drawer. “She always does.”
Rising to his full height, Lucious stashed the info away. He didn’t dare to dream this was the last time he had to chase the hunters responsible for Anna’s death. “Are you certain the information is correct this time?”
“It has been over a century, Lucious. No one saw it happen, and we have exhausted every avenue. I’m as good as the information given.”
“You’re right.”
He turned to leave when Phil added, “Be watchful of the Council’s hounds. They never fail in their hunt.”
With an incline of his head, Lucious left. He had little time to find whoever the named person on the note was.
While listening out for footsteps, he made his way to the closest phone store. One of the halogen bulbs blinked on and off, but no human inside took notice of it.
The girl serving the customers couldn’t be older than twenty-five. A bright smile graced her lips when he walked in. Her dead, bleached hair swayed from side to side as she bounced over, smelling of cheap cigarettes and overpowering perfume. “How can I help you?”
Her high-pitched tone summoned forth a headache he didn’t have time for. “I need the cheapest phone you have.”
The sales assistant pursed her lips. Seconds ticked by. She eventually ran over to the wall decorated with different mobiles. She pointed to four bulky models. “They range from ten to fifty pounds. Which one would you like?”
Lucious yearned for the end of their conversation so he wouldn’t have to take her outside and silence her harpy-like screeches. He wasn’t hungry from his recent feeding, but her voice drilled away at his sanity.
He took out two fifty-pound notes from his pocket. “I have informed you of what I need, child.”
She scowled. “No need to be a dick, mate.”
Lucious scanned the orange interior. The browsing customers had left, and he was alone with this impudent human. He lifted her face, gaining her attention. Her body relaxed once their gazes locked. Being undead had its perks. One of them was an ability to influence weak-willed humans to do his bidding.
A blue glow escaped through his irises, intensifying the effect of his hold. With minute force, her will to fight shattered. Once he was certain of his control, he drew away from her.
“Give me the cheapest one, human. The rest you can put on it as credit.”
He handed her the money, and she scurried off, eager to please him. When she returned, he left the store and copied the minimal amount of contacts to his new phone. He took out the battery from his old device and discarded it into the nearest bin. The elders had countless ways of tracking. He wasn’t about to give in without a fight.
He dialled the one person he could trust, and his friend answered after the first ring.
“Alexander, it’s me.”
There was a heavy sigh on the other end. “Where are you?”
He scanned the dark alleys he walked past. “Still in London. I got a new lead.”
“Are you insane? The Council wants you captured, and you are strolling through the streets without a care?”
Lucious smirked at his friend’s concern. “Don’t worry. If this intel is correct, I can finally relax. Anna will have her peace.”
“And if it’s not and you’re caught, what then?” Rapid typing accompanied Alexander’s words. “Look, I can get you on a private jet, and you can lie low at my club for a while.”
“I can’t go. Not yet. What if—”
Alexander cu
rsed. “Come here, and I will track down your new lead myself.”
“I have to do this alone. I will meet with you once it is done.” Lucious ended the call when he heard the beginning of a furious retort.
Tucking the phone in his back pocket, he headed for his hideout. Over the century, he learned that staying in the same place for long brought nothing but trouble. The elders weren’t the only people who wanted him found. He wouldn’t be surprised if whoever put him on their radar was someone he had pissed off.
With his vampiric speed, he fleeted through the dark alleys and into a few buildings in case he was followed. Having arrived at his apartment, time continued chipping away at the night’s sky.
This is it. He took out the piece of paper that burned a hole in his pocket since he left Phil’s office and read the name. His shoulders slumped. It didn’t ring a bell. Once everyone close to Anna was scratched off the list, the names became a generic label. What did he expect?
Lucious strode to the fridge, pulled the heavy door open, and took out a beer. He popped the cap off. Taking a swig of the chilled contents, he collapsed on his torn divan to mull things over.
A strange flowery scent encompassed him, invading his mental shields with foreign energy. His right hand tensed around the bottle and the other shot to his aching stomach. He doubled over in pain and slid to the ground. The bottle burst in his firm hold, and he grunted as the glass sliced his hand. Beer mixed with his blood, staining an already dirty rug beneath him.
The stranger’s energy retreated, leaving behind a unique connection.
He clambered into a sitting position and rubbed his gut. The pain subsided as fast as it came. He didn’t like it. Many vampires swore the Council had witches working for them. The two races didn’t see eye to eye at times, but there were a few rogues willing to bend the rules of their community to benefit themselves.
He took out his burner phone and dialled Alexander. Once again, his friend picked up without delay.
“Do you know any witches in my vicinity?” Lucious asked.
“What happened?”
Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1) Page 4
