Stalked (A Secret Salem Novel)

by J. N. Colon

  Instead her face twisted in rage and she jabbed the silver stake in my leg.

  My scream echoed against the stone walls as hot pain exploded in my thigh, throbbing through my veins. Blood pooled on my leg and down to the marble floor.

  “Hurts, doesn’t it? Imagine how my mother felt when Whitmore tore her throat out. And she was just trying to save you from becoming a monster.” Madison dragged the silver stake along my arm, drawing more blood. “After I kill you I’m going to kill Whitmore. And then I’m going to kill Mac.”

  My prison of terror suddenly shattered at her threat to Mac, a hot, blinding rage I’d never experience boiling beneath my skin. My legs were unbound and my only weapons available. Madison wasn’t expecting such a quick violent response and I managed to kick her across the room, into the wall with a thud. She crumpled into a motionless heap on the cold stone floor, her black and red hair sliding over her face. It wouldn’t be long before she was up again, ready to make good on her threats.

  Panic and adrenaline hemorrhaged through my bloodstream. I needed to find Mac. I couldn’t let her hurt him. I’d gotten myself into this stupid mess and he wouldn’t end up dead because of it. Because of me.

  And that was the driving force surging a newfound strength through my muscles. I was finally able to wriggle my hands out of the binds, my heart knocking violently into my ribcage, and staggered up. Dizziness swam around me as I snatched the silver stake that still bore my scarlet blood and dashed up the stairs into the foggy night.

  Chapter 32

  I ran through the fog shrouded trees and the nightmare I had before enrolling at Highland came rushing back—only this time I was a little girl in a white cotton pajama dress. Instead of a knife I held a shining silver stake coated in blood. And the thing chasing me wasn’t a monster. There were no claws, sharp teeth, or fetid breath. A woman with dark flowing hair and dark eyes like Madison’s was closing the gap between us, running with trained precision.

  She didn’t look like a monster, but she frightened me like one. She wanted to kill me.

  The ancient oaks and twisting maples whizzed by much faster than possible and I could see too well in the dark. The leaves crunching beneath my feet and the woman’s as she chased me were deafening. It wasn’t normal.

  I glanced down with my little girl eyes and saw blood smeared on my chest just missing my little heart. She’d tried to stake me!

  But I wasn’t a vampire—and yet I didn’t completely feel a hundred percent human. How could little girl me be running this fast if I was.

  Just as she lunged for me, snatching my hair, a man jumped from the shadows and pulled her off. I fell in a pile of leaves.

  I watched him sink his teeth into her neck, her arms attempting to push him away without success. Finally her body stilled and the life flickered from her dark eyes. He let her slide from his grasp onto the ground.

  A small drop of scarlet glistened on his lip and his fangs were visible within his mouth. “Come here Rubi,” he commanded, holding out his hand for me. His hair was the color of night and his eyes shades of storm clouds and silver.

  I ran to him. He scooped me up in his strong, warm arms and held me tight.

  “Is the bad lady gone Whitmore?” My voice trembled right along with my tiny body.

  He nodded. “Yes Rubi. She’ll never hurt you again.”

  I tripped on a tree root, thrusting me back to reality and leaving me with an onslaught of new, unexpected emotions.

  The way Whitmore looked at me for the first time in the hall even before Mac and I were together flooded through my mind. He had known exactly who I was and I wondered if that was why he’d been so serious about my safety.

  My fingers found the scar my parents lied about for eleven years as I questioned why I had been at Highland when I was five years old. And why had a vampire hunter attempted to stake me?

  None of those questions were going to be answered because I suddenly went sprawling face first into the ground, dropping the stake.

  Madison rolled me over, snarling like a rabid animal. “You’re not getting away this time.” She held another stake in her hand, aiming at my chest and shoving it down so quick I didn’t even have time to gasp…

  The stake never hit its mark. Wild, midnight hair flashed above me and my attacker was yanked off as a vicious, deadly growl ripped through the atmosphere.

  Mac.

  I couldn’t stop my heart from fluttering at the sight him even in the face of danger. He looked like an avenging angel, the planes of his face thrust in hard shadows and jade eyes melting to smoldering silver. “Touch her again and I’ll burn you alive.” His words were low, barely more than a snarl and laced with threats.

  Madison only smiled cruelly, unaffected by his terrifying demeanor. “Good. Now I can kill two birds with one stone.”

  My heart went into a panic, fearful of losing Mac when I had just found him.

  She lunged at him, but he was more agile and experienced as a vampire, easily dodging her hit and sending her flying into a tree with a loud crack.

  Mac was by my side in seconds, kneeling down. “Where are you hurt?” His eyes travelled over me, taking in every wound. His face twisted, anger distorting his features. “I’ll kill her,” he growled and turned to attack Madison, but the spot she’d been lay empty.

  A sinking feeling twisted my stomach, knowing this was far from over.

  And sure enough as those thoughts coalesced in my mind I felt hard hands clamp around my neck, yanking me back.

  “I don’t need a stake to kill her.” Madison hauled me off the ground with a tight grip around my throat, crushing my windpipe. “I’ll snap her neck if you even think about moving,” she hissed.

  Terror lit Mac’s silver eyes as he realized I was possibly seconds away from meeting my end. The flush of anger drained from his face, leaving it ashen gray while his hands trembled by his sides. “Don’t.” His nostrils flared, a mixture of terror and frustration crossing his expression at his inability to get to me.

  Regret left a bitter taste in my mouth as I felt Madison’s fingers tighten, cutting off more air to my brain. I was going to die just when I’d found the person I was meant to be with. I’d thought the familiar beaches and warm sunny weather of southern Florida was home and the only place I’d ever feel comfortable. But I was wrong.

  Mac was home.

  I loved him. And now I was losing him.

  My vision began to spot with black, consciousness slipping away from me when the grip on my neck unexpectedly loosened and Madison sailed over me, landing right at Mac’s feet. A long overdue and ragged breath entered my lungs as I stumbled into a hard surface. I looked up, finding Whitmore behind me, an icy anger burning in his metallic eyes. My gaze flicked forward again just in time to see Mac slamming a silver stake into Madison’s chest with a ferociousness that telegraphed just how much he’d do to protect me.

  My gasp was drowned out by Madison’s ear piercing shriek before her body fell to the ground with a thud that sounded too much like her mother’s.

  Her skin was unnaturally pale in the moonlight as if she’d been dead for days. Sickness churned my stomach and I bit the tears back for the girl who had been my only friend for most of my time at Highland.

  But that person never really existed.

  If that was true why did I feel so miserable?

  My knees buckled and I headed for the ground until strong, familiar arms caught me.

  “Rubi.” Mac hugged me close, engulfing me in his woodsy, wild sent. He littered my cheeks, forehead, chin, and lips with desperate kisses, his body trembling against mine. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

  My lips quivered and I buried my face in the crook of his neck to staunch the sound of my sobs. “I know.” I shuddered, remembering how it felt when I thought I’d never see him again.

  “I never want to be without you.” Emotion broke Mac’s words. “I love you Rubi. I love you so much.”

  And there it wa
s. I knew he cared about me, but those words from him filled my entire soul with golden light. It washed away all the bad I’d been through and any fear of what was to come. “I love you too,” I whispered against his neck, feeling his pulse thunder beneath my lips.

  I loved him the moment I first saw him. It was ludicrous, unbelievable, and improbable and yet completely true.

  “Yes, yes we all love each other, but we really should get rid of that body before someone comes along.” Whitmore kneeled next to us, a somber smile twitching at his mouth. “It’s over now Rubi. You’re safe.” It was the same comforting look he’d given me eleven years ago.

  A shiver wracked my body and Whitmore shrugged out of his jacket, gently draping it over my shoulders. “Let’s get you inside now.”

  I leaned my head against Mac’s chest, feeling his strong arms slip under my knees to lift me up.

  Chapter 33

  “I can’t believe she tricked me.” Brant was leaning back on one of the white couches in the secret underground room, his face less pale and gaunt since he had some blood. “I thought she was under compulsion from Tristan.” He shook his head, incredulity clear in his expression. “I can’t believe I fell for it.”

  “Yeah because no one’s ever faked compulsion with you.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

  Brant rolled his eyes. “That was different.”

  While Whitmore and Roman took care of Madison’s body Mac led me to the secret room and bandaged me up. His jade eyes flashed with anger as he examined the stake wound in my leg. I wouldn’t need stitches since his blood was still running through my veins. I’d be healed in a few days.

  Tristan and Emmaline rescued Brant from the library, his unconscious body looking more like a corpse than anything living when they carried him inside.

  A few more vampires trickled in as Whitmore and Roman returned. A curious buzz resonated from those vampires and their gazes flickered toward me every few minutes. They were probably wondering why this hunter went through so much trouble to kill me and why one had attempted it when I was five.

  I was wondering the same thing.

  “Hey.” Mac gently squeezed my hand. “Are you okay? Do you want to lie down?”

  A small smile curled my lips. “I’m fine.” He’s been stuck to my side since they rescued me, his tentative gaze lingering on me and his hands always touching me.

  “If the crowd is bothering you when can close the curtain or go somewhere else.”

  I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, smelling his warm, woodsy scent. His arms tightened around me in response. The offer to leave with him was tempting, but I needed answers first. “I want to talk to your father.”

  Mac pulled back and peered into my face, nodding when he deemed me well enough to do more than cuddle with him. “I want to know too.”

  “I suppose you have some questions for me Rubi.” Whitmore was suddenly in front of our couch, staring down at me with kind gray eyes.

  I swallowed hard, wanting the truth and still hesitant to hear it. There had to be a good reason my parents kept something like this from me. I pulled my shirt down to reveal my scar. “Did I get this from falling out of a tree?”

  Whitmore shook his head. “No.”

  My stomach sank, a sour taste crawling up my esophagus. Part of me hoped Madison was lying about my time at Highland and how I received my scar. “So I was at Highland when I was five.”

  Shock resonated through Mac’s body. “What?”

  “You didn’t know either?”

  He shook his head, confused.

  Whitmore perched on the edge of the sofa and loosened his tie, his eyes turning pensive. “I met your father when he attended Duke University. I was one of his professors. Like you, he was too curious and didn’t accept easy explanations.” He sighed exasperatedly, but a look of fondness was beneath the annoyance. “He followed me one night and caught me having a snack.”

  I tried not to grimace, especially since one day I might be having his type of snack. “Why didn’t you just make him forget?”

  Whitmore smiled wryly. “I did. He just kept figuring it out.”

  Brant laughed. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Emmaline scowled at Brant from beside him. Realization crossed his face and winced. “Oops,” he mumbled. “Bad joke.”

  “Ah yes.” Whitmore’s expression sobered. “That story was my idea.”

  Mac bristled beside me. “You still haven’t answered how Rubi ended up here.”

  Whitmore’s brows rose at Mac’s irritation and some of the vampires shot warning glances at each other. Tristan appeared beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Chill Whit.” He flashed a wry smile. “You are being kind of slow with the story. Get to it already.”

  Whitmore rolled his neck, visibly choking his anger down. “Your father kept my secret for a long time before he told his wife and it was only because you were ill.” His jaw tightened as if he could grind the bad memory away. “When you were five you developed a rare blood disease and the doctors gave you less than six months to live.”

  Chills broke out across my skin and Mac pulled me closer. I had never known about my sickness either.

  “He tracked me down while I was teaching at Highland and begged for my help.” His hands flinched to his hair as if he wanted to jam his fingers through it the way Mac always did, but he let it fall back to his knee. His hair remained perfectly combed away from his intense face. “I refused until I saw you. You marched up to me and asked if I was the chef because you were promised a big juicy porterhouse.”

  My cheeks flooded with red as laughter echoed around the group of vampires until Mac let loose a warning growl that vibrated through his chest. The crowd quickly sobered.

  Whitmore smiled down at me and gently squeezed my shoulder in a fatherly fashion. “You were the most adorable thing I’d ever seen with your surly attitude and big golden angel eyes. So I gave you my blood—lots of it.”

  I wasn’t as surprised as the vampires, a collective gasp resonating from them, even Mac. In the memory I had of being chased by Madison’s mother I could tell I was different, recognizing the heightened senses and unnatural reflexes. Vampire blood was a plausible explanation.

  Roman squeezed in between Whitmore and Tristan, his amber eyes wide and lips pale. “But that’s against the rules—your rules.” He anxiously fingered the pipe in his hands. “To give a child blood as strong as yours…”

  Whitmore waved a hand in the air, halting Roman mid-rant. “Strong blood was the only thing that would heal her.” He motioned toward me. “Would you have let her die?”

  Roman’s gaze flickered toward me, the answer clear in his softening eyes. No. He would not have let me die.

  I squirmed under the eyes of the other vampires, probably debating on what they would have done in Whitmore’s position. I didn’t bother trying to decipher their expression. I’d rather not know.

  I cleared my throat. “That’s why I can’t be compelled and that’s why I’m changing so fast, right?”

  Whitmore nodded.

  “But why didn’t I change completely then?”

  “That was a possibility—the reason I made that rule—but your parents were willing to risk it. Your body used most of the blood to heal like I expected. But you did start to change a little.” Fury flickered over his features, reveling the moment in his mind. “That’s why the female hunter tried to kill you. She came for me, but saw you lying in the bed and thought it was her duty to end you before you became one of us.”

  My fingers reached under my shirt and found the scar, shivering as I remembered the scarlet blood spreading across my tiny white cotton night gown. “So she staked me.”

  Mac’s sudden intake of air echoed beside me and I glanced over, an expression of horror morphing his face. “I knew it was too close to your heart to be a coincidence.” His voice was rough and thick with emotion, making my chest tighten.

  Roman rubbed
the area above his heart, grimacing in pain as if he’d been staked before. He backed up and sat on the couch next to Brant and Emmaline.

  “Lucky for us Rubi was as unpredictable then as she is now. She snatched the stake and stabbed the hunter in the leg.”

  Brant laughed, earning him another contemptuous glare from Emmaline.

  Whitmore waved his hand to hush the other vampires who found my antics endearing. “Then you ran looking for me.”

  “But you found me. I remember.”

  Whitmore nodded, the memory of that night flashing between us. “And I put you in McCollum’s bed and told him to protect you.”

  Shock jolted through my insides and I met those jade eyes that widened, mirroring my emotions. Was this the reason behind the instant connection we’d both felt before we even shared blood?

  The entire room dissolved, taking everyone with it except Mac and Whitmore. It morphed into a smaller, dimly lit room with an enormous four poster bed. A little boy with wild midnight hair and brilliant jade eyes sat up.

  “This is Rubi,” Whitmore whispered as he deposited me next to the boy. He removed a small book with a gold embossed title from the bed and gently laid it on the nightstand. “Keep her safe until morning.” He flashed a stern look. “Don’t let anyone near her.”

  The boy nodded, his face so serious for a child. “Yes sir.”

  Whitmore left the room, closing the door behind him with a click.

  “Hello Rubi. I’m Mac,” the boy whispered, drawing the warm covers around us.

  “Hi.” A smile curled my lips, knowing he was someone safe otherwise Whitmore wouldn’t have left me with him.

  Mac pointed to my face in wonder. “What’s that?”

  I shrugged. “It’s a dimple. Just one.”

  “Oh.” He touched it with his index finger and smiled. “I like it.”