Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  Ryan looked beyond them, to the pool, chewing his lip.

  “But she stays,” Ivy added quickly. “She’s safe here.”

  “She’s mine,” Ryan said defensively.

  “No, I’m not!” I protested. “I’m nobody’s!”

  “What I mean is, you’re my responsibility,” Ryan said quickly. “I didn’t mean it the way you think.”

  I glowered. Nobody said anything.

  I threw my napkin down, stood up and went inside without giving anyone a second glance. I slammed every door I could find on the way to the room I had been assigned – I refused to call it my bedroom – and went back to my spot in front of the ensuite bathroom mirror. I studied my smooth neck again, looking for any tiny remainder of the scar Caleb had inflicted, but there was still nothing. My temple was perfectly smooth, no sign of a crushed skull there. My shoulder, the one I had dislocated and later landed on when I fell, felt fine. Better than fine – it had never felt better.

  I stepped back so I could take a good look at myself – so I could look at the girl I had become. Everything was the same, but everything had changed. My eyes, normally sparkling blue and full of energy, were now dull and almost gray in colour. Jared had always claimed to be able to tell what mood I was in by the subtle changes in my eye colour, and I had to admit now that he was right. I looked old and tired and washed–up, but if the vampires were telling the truth, I was never going to get a day older – even if I lived another seven hundred years.

  At that moment, I heard footsteps approach, and a gentle knock on the door.

  “What?” I called out, not really interested in talking to anyone.

  The door opened, revealing Ryan. What a surprise. The guy clearly couldn’t stay away from me. I looked at him impatiently. “What do you want?”

  He looked at my phone, still on the floor where it had landed after I threw it at him.

  “You haven’t called anyone yet.”

  I shook my head.

  “Why?”

  I shrugged, swallowing back a hard lump in my throat. “What am I supposed to say?”

  He thought about that for a minute, before sitting on the large windowsill that overlooked the pool.

  “I have an idea,” he said finally.

  “I’m not drinking more blood. Or that coffee,” I snapped.

  Ryan smiled. “Well, do you want to hear my idea?”

  I shrugged, still fuming inside, but too tired to keep fighting. “Sure. Why not.”

  He gestured for me to sit next to him, and I did.

  “Remember when we were in the diner, and I showed you my past?”

  I nodded.

  “And you seemed to digest that a lot easier than me just telling you things, right?”

  I nodded again. “It was like you couldn’t lie, even if you tried,” I admitted.

  “That’s right. Here. Give me your hands.” He stretched his palms out, and I took hold of them reluctantly.

  “Ready?”

  “I guess.”

  I felt the room fade into the background with a kind of sucking shoooook! as the memory Ryan was showing me came into clear focus in my mind.

  This time was just as bizarre and all–consuming as the first time had been. Except, now that I knew what to expect, I was a little better about receiving all of the information being fed to me.

  We were in Ryan’s apartment in Caleb’s compound in Mexico. I gazed around, wondering what he could possibly show me that didn’t involve killing stupid pretty girls and drinking their blood. There was a girl, maybe mid–twenties, holding a blackberry to her ear and obviously waiting for her call to be answered. She definitely didn’t look human. Her green eyes practically glowed with supernatural power. She sat on a brown leather sofa next to Ryan, who was poised to listen to whatever conversation she was about to have.

  “Sweetie, I missed you last night. I’m back in New York.”

  That was my mom on the other end of the phone!

  A voice that sounded just like mine came out of the scary girl’s mouth. “That’s okay, I stayed at Evie’s. Mom, you’ll never believe what happened!”

  That’s not me, I thought. How can she sound just like me?

  “Honey, I’m in the middle of a case –”

  “I got accepted into UCLA’s track program,” the Me Impostor gushed over the line. “Full scholarship and everything!”

  I heard my mother stop typing for a second, and I imagined her perfectly manicured red nails hovering in mid–air. “That’s amazing, honey. You want to come up to celebrate? We could have dinner with Warren at that little bistro in Manhattan, what’s it called?”

  “Mom, I can’t. I have to leave tonight to get there in time. My acceptance letter’s been lost in the mail for a week, can you believe it?”

  My mom had already resumed her typing. She was a smart woman, a very successful woman – and I knew she loved me, so I wasn’t offended. I’d learnt to accept her the way she was a long time ago.

  “That’s too bad,” my mom said. “Well, will we see you soon?”

  “Sure,” The impostor said. “Bye Mom, love you!”

  I blinked, and felt Ryan let go of my hand as the room came back into focus around me.

  “Who was that?” I demanded. “That wasn’t me talking – but it sounded just like me!”

  “She’s a shapeshifter.”

  I didn’t want to ask what that was. Vampires were enough for one day. It suddenly occurred to me how organized this whole charade had been, from me being alone walking to my car, to the fact that they had chosen a weekend when my mother was away to kidnap me.

  “How long was I being watched?” I asked Ryan slowly.

  Ryan looked out of the window, to the pool and the trees beyond. Day was gradually bleeding into night, the sun just a pale yellow glow amongst the dusk. There was a cool breeze coming through the open window, and I hugged myself against the sudden chill.

  “A year,” he said, in a perfectly measured, rationed voice.

  I took a minute to comprehend that. A lot had happened in the past year. “Was it you?”

  “No.” I couldn’t tell if his expression was one of sadness, or regret. “Not until the last few weeks.”

  “Right. What about my boyfriend? My family? Do they have any idea?”

  Ryan shook his head. “No. Which is why you can call them, without worrying. They all think you’re at college, just like your mom does.”

  I thought about the impostor calling Jared. Had she told him she loved him? Had he told her?

  “Sure, why would I worry,” I said sarcastically, but I was tired and it came out sounding perfectly reasonable instead of angry and frustrated.

  Ryan paused. “I didn’t make that up, you know. You’ve been accepted into UCLA. Full track scholarship. You also got into Brown, Yale, and some pissy little colleges over on the east coast.”

  I felt my hands start to shake. “Are you joking?”

  He smiled. “No joke.”

  My happiness was short–lived. “But I can’t go!” I wailed. “I’m stuck here while your crazy boss tries to find me.”

  Ryan frowned. “Don’t give up hope just yet. Caleb is way too busy to learn anything about his targets. That’s my job. He probably has no idea where you’re even from or how old you are. Plus he’s very impatient. If we can throw him off for long enough, he’ll get bored and start another project.”

  I was so ashamed at that moment because I thought to myself: I wish Caleb would find some other girl instead of looking for me. I don’t care if he takes her.

  I don’t care if he takes a hundred girls, locks them away, drinks them up and tears at their flesh until they are rotted and hollow and dead inside.

  I just want him to leave me alone.

  NINETEEN

  There was a time in those first few weeks after the change that I thought I would try to escape. I could run, but if I did, Caleb would find me.

  Please. I just want to go home.
>
  And once he did find me, he would take me again, lock me up and make everyone I love suffer.

  But the reality was, he was probably going to make everyone I loved pay eventually even if he didn’t find me. Especially if he didn’t find me.

  All I could think of was to hide, in the best hiding spot Ryan had thought of, in a house full of vampires – the only vampires in the world that, for some reason still unknown to me, Caleb couldn’t find.

  So I stayed where I was. And I prayed that Death would not find me.

  TWENTY

  I stayed at Ivy and Sam’s house willingly for most of the time, but there was one night, that first night I was there, when I thought I might try my chances at getting out. I didn’t know what to say to Jared or my mom, but I had decided to call Evie, to hear a familiar voice more than anything. I felt like I was losing my identity, and I needed something from home to remind me again who I was.

  I was also acutely aware that all of my fellow housemates had exceptional hearing, and I felt claustrophobic enough as it was without sharing my phone call, as well. So, after the house had gone dark and quiet, I grabbed my phone, slid on some sneakers and let myself out through the French doors in the kitchen. The night was humid, little beads of moisture clinging to the blades of grass underneath my feet. I jogged across the huge property, past beautiful old fruit trees, rows of grapevines, and a random old building that looked very much like a steepled church. Even in the darkness, I could see better than ever before, and I briefly wondered why Sam referred to vampirism with words like ‘virus’ and ‘infection’ when it seemed more like a bonus than a sickness, at least physically.

  I ran for a bit longer, forgetting my phone call for the moment. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, to think about where I was and what I was going to do. For the first time in weeks, I felt the breeze on my face, air in my lungs, and a tiny glimmer of hope started to appear. Being surrounded by death had made me realize how much I loved my old life and everyone in it. I was in love. I missed Jared so much it hurt.

  Just then, my iPhone beeped, and a text message from a number I didn’t recognize flashed onto the screen. I unlocked the phone and started to read.

  Bonnie and Clyde, it read. Hope you’re having a great adventure. Caleb sends his regards and says he’ll see you both very soon. I like your friends Jared and Evie. They are a real hoot. I bet the blonde would taste great mixed with vodka. And your mom, I’ll save her for an early start. The woman has caffeine for blood. Love from Ford. xx

  A second message came through, and appeared to be addressed only to me.

  Hey spunky, it read. Caleb wants to give you another chance. Agree to come back and we’ll forget about killing everyone you love. Starting with your boyfriend. xox

  I read the text messages over and over until the strings of words made no sense. I started to shake. I shoved the phone in my pocket and began running again, only this time I was headed for the driveway that led to the street.

  I was almost to the end of the driveway when I ran face–first into a wall that I couldn’t see. I cried out, flying backwards and landing awkwardly on my tailbone. Pain shot up my spine and I groaned, clutching my back.

  “What the hell?” I muttered. I got up, brushed myself off and tried to approach the gates again. But I just couldn’t get to them. There was an invisible wall keeping me from getting out.

  Just then, I felt someone watching me. I turned around to see Ryan, dressed only in black silk boxer shorts and clutching his phone, making his way down the front stairs.

  “What the HELL is going on?!” I screamed. “Why is there an invisible –”

  “Stop yelling at me!” Ryan demanded. He looked tired, and I realized he mustn’t have slept at all in the days since saving me. Oh well. I hardly cared about his comfort.

  “I’m trapped, aren’t I?” Pissed didn't even come close to describing how I felt.

  He looked away, clearly embarrassed at being caught out. “Technically, yes. But it’s not to stop you from getting out –”

  “– It’s to stop other people from getting in,” Ivy finished his sentence as she walked down the stairs from the front door. She was wearing a red lace negligee that skimmed her knees and left very little to the imagination. The woman looked amazing. And kind of evil.

  “I don’t trust either of you,” I said. “I want to talk to Sam. Sam!” I yelled across the yard.

  “He’s in the basement,” Ivy said, looking bored. “Steel walls, nice and thick. He won’t hear you.”

  “Can’t you just do that mind–communication thing with him?” I demanded.

  “No, I can’t,” she replied haughtily. “I’m a defective model.”

  “Let me out,” I demanded.

  A defective model? That must be why Caleb can’t find us here. The psychic mind stuff doesn’t work on her.

  “So you can get yourself killed, and us too for helping you? No way. Get over yourself and go to bed.” She turned and walked back into the house.

  I sank to the ground, tears blurring my vision.

  “Mia, come inside,” Ryan pleaded with me. He stepped closer, squeezing my shoulders with his cold hands.

  “I trusted you!” I said, pushing him away. “Even after you did all those things to me, I trusted you. And you lied to me! All that crap about protecting my family from myself? I am a prisoner. You’re taking up where Caleb left off. You’re keeping me here.”

  Just then, I felt warm hands on my shoulders. I jumped, turning to see a sympathetic looking Sam. So she had told him to come out after all.

  I backed away from Ryan so that I was standing next to Sam. He left one warm hand resting on my shoulder, and unlike Ryan’s unwanted embraces, I liked the simple comfort of his touch.

  “What is going on?” I asked them both impatiently. “Why can’t I get out?”

  Ryan’s eyes lingered on the gates and he approached the invisible wall I had run face–first into only moments before. He pushed his palm through the air, and it stopped, the invisible wall coming into focus for just a second. It shimmered translucent silver like a mirage in the desert, and by the time I blinked, it had disappeared again.

  “Magic. It keeps us all safe,” he explained. “Vampires sleep like the dead. We could all take guarding shifts, make sure nobody gets in – but this is easier, and I haven’t slept in a week.”

  “Well, you all come and go as you please,” I said. “How?”

  “There’s a key,” Sam said. “I’m sorry someone forgot to give you one. But you are definitely not a prisoner here.” He glared at Ryan.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small packages, each about the size of a box of matches, wrapped in calico and secured with brown string. They smelled like herbs and reminded me of the hex bag Ryan had made me carry around.

  Sam pressed one of the packages into my palm and gestured to the invisible wall. I reached out hesitantly, expecting my palm to bounce right off again, but this time it didn’t. I could still feel a slight resistance, but as I stepped forward, the wall shimmered again and rippled, allowing me to step out of the yard to the other side. Sam followed, and together we stood freely at the end of the driveway.

  “You want to go for a walk?” Sam asked, holding his arm out for me to grab a hold of. I smiled, relieved.

  “Definitely,” I replied, looping my arm around his. I didn’t wave goodbye to Ryan, who stood silently watching us. Screw him.

  There were no other houses in the immediate vicinity – Ivy's property must have spanned several acres. When we got to the end of the deserted street, Sam gestured to a park complete with a playground and bright red slide. We crossed the road, and made our way over to the swings. I sat in one, he in the other. I looked around, realizing there must have been a fire recently. All of the trees were charred black, devoid of any greenery save for a few precious shoots of regrowth that dared to peek out from some of the heavy trunks.

  “We should have told you,” Sam
said immediately. “I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged. “It wasn’t you,” I said. “It was the other two. I don’t trust them.”

  “Something else is bothering you,” Sam said, frowning as he studied my face.

  “Where do I start?” I said sarcastically.

  “No, really,” Sam persisted. I swallowed thickly and handed my iPhone over to him.

  He read the messages silently, his pupils growing bigger and his expression more alarmed.

  “Did you tell the others?” he asked, handing back my phone.

  “No,” I said. “I was too busy trying to climb over the magical prison wall.”

  He smiled then, and it made me feel a little less alone. He really was one of the kindest people I had ever met, human or vampire. Especially vampire. I think he was the only nice vampire I had met at that point.

  “Are you considering going back to Mexico?” Sam asked seriously.

  “Yes,” I replied honestly. “Of course. If everyone I love is going to be hurt, of course I’ll go back.”

  Sam shook his head. “They’re bluffing,” he said. “Trying to push your buttons. They’re in Mexico.”

  “What if Caleb does send Ford back to New Jersey?” I asked, as the gruesome notion popped into my head. “Ryan said I was watched for a whole year. They know everything about me My friends, my family. The text message mentioned Evie. What if they take her, too?”

  “She’s your best friend?”

  I stiffened. “How do you know?” I demanded.

  “Ryan told us about her,” Sam replied. “Said she was with you before he took you. Trust me, she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.”

  “How?” I said in disbelief. “What is she, a secret ninja or something?”

  “She’s a witch,” Sam replied. “Ryan thinks she knows something is up. And right now, she’s casting so many protection spells, all of your family and friends will be safer than ever before.”

  I arched my eyebrows. “Witch?” I spluttered. “Like Ivy?”

  Sam nodded. “Like Ivy.”

  My best friend is a goddamned witch?!