Twelve Shades of Midnight:
Page 26
He quickly glanced back at me before returning his gaze to the road. To his brother. His jaw worked in silent agony. “No.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ryan
The pain in my back was nearly unbearable. My muscles trembled every time I twisted the handle for more gas. Every time I swerved to avoid a pot hole. Every time I took a breath. It felt like hot irons dug into my back. I growled from the pain, forcing it back. I grew lightheaded. My peripheral eyesight faded away, giving me a bad case of tunnel vision. I couldn’t pass out. Not yet.
The streets passed in a blur. I set my mind on Anara. Seeing her fall from the roof. Hit the ground. My heart had stopped. She appeared okay. Funny how I hadn’t felt my back when I’d half dragged her to the car and shoved her inside. Not even a wince. Only now did the pain reappear with a vengeance.
That damn wolf in the back yard. It had attacked out of the dark. I should’ve been more careful. My mind had been on getting off the roof and to the front of the house, not being on guard for a nip happy man/dog.
The feel of warm liquid rolling down my back made it itch. My waistband grew heavy with blood. The wind whipped my tattered shirt and jacket against my raw skin. I’d never felt such torture.
The tires hit a bump and dip in the road and I sucked in a deep breath. I gripped the handles harder. The engine revved faster. My bike flew over the road. The muscles in my jaw ached as I gritted my teeth.
The house was only a few blocks away. I could make it. If I took a short cut through an alley, I’d cut two minutes off my time. I roared through the alley, turned onto my street. Halfway down the road, a dark, heavily-tinted windowed SUV sat in front of my house, the same kind they used to kidnap Sage. A petite woman with a dark, pixie haircut and dressed in an airy, yellow sundress stood at the front door, her hand raised to knock. I revved my bike engine harder, raced down the street, and when I jumped the curb, I vaulted off the bike and hit the ground running. I charged up the stairs, spun the woman around and held a knife to her throat, all thoughts of my wound gone from my head.
“Who are you?” I snarled near her ear.
If I was wrong, and I was holding an innocent human hostage with a knife, I was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but it was too late for a social call, and we’d just ruined a bunch of hungry vampires’ dinner plans.
The door cracked open and Lexi’s face appeared. “Gross, dude. What happened to your back? You gamers really need a reality check.”
Baby pushed Lexi out of the way and stepped outside. “Ryan? Did you find Sage?”
The woman’s body tensed when she saw Baby. Excitement flowed from her, bringing a disturbing flush to her freckled cheeks. “Baby, I’ve brought—”
A little press of the knife to her throat and she stopped talking. I slanted my gaze at the girls. “Get back inside.”
Baby hesitated, looking from me to the SUV. Curiosity had her moving toward the front steps.
The little girl was a wild card I needed to control before disaster struck…and there was no doubt disaster was seconds away. “Damn it, Lexi! Get Baby inside. Now.”
The front screen door opened and Lexi grumble something about crazy people as she tried to get Baby inside. I used my arm like a vice and squeezed the woman’s ribcage. I was rewarded with her sharp gasp of pain, and I asked, “Who are you?”
The woman had one blue eye and one green eye, and she blinked, more annoyed than frightened. “I’m no one.”
“Your kind isn’t welcome here. You have no idea how close you are to being ashed. Right here. Right now.”
“I’m not one of them,” she insisted.
She was playing the human card. It wasn’t impossible. Beau and I had a strict policy we didn’t kill humans. Maim if necessary but never kill. So much had gone wrong tonight, no way would the vamps send a human. The idea made my insides burn. “That’s what they all say until their teeth come out to play.”
Beau’s Mini Cooper skittered to a stop and he lunged from the car, his gun trained on the woman I held. “Everything good, brother?”
Anara climbed out of the backseat with Sage at her side. Blood mixed with dirty rainwater covered them.
Lexi suddenly gasped. “Ouch!” She let Baby go and shook her hand. “The little brat bit me!”
The sight of blonde hair attached to a tiny body rushed past me and down the steps. I couldn’t grab her and hold onto our uninvited guest.
“Sage!” Baby cried. Her sister took two wobbly steps forward before Baby nearly knocked Sage over with a hug.
Lexi looked from the knife I was holding to the woman’s throat to the scene unfolding on the front lawn. “This has gone from fun and games to seriously deranged. You people need help. I’m out of here.” The girl grabbed her violin and books from the entryway and scrambled down the porch stairs and down the street, giving me one last you-are-such-a-loser shake of the head.
“Let me go,” the pixie haired woman said in a voice that held more authority than I expected.
The adrenalin rush I’d gotten when I first arrived was starting to wear off. The knife I held suddenly felt heavy, and my arm actually shook. The woman I held shifted, and her bi-colored eyes stared into mine. My skin grew uncomfortably warm and I had to let her go. It was as if I didn’t have a choice.
With a smug smile on her face, she casually walked down the porch steps to the SUV and opened the door to the backseat. She clasped the hand of someone inside and helped her out. Though attractive in her yellow sundress, the petite woman didn’t fit the mold of the usual bloodsucker, but the stunningly beautiful woman with blonde hair in a formfitting red dress who emerged from the backseat did.
I glanced at Anara. Her mouth made a small oh, and her eyes were huge. I knew right then who the woman was.
Sage raised her head from hugging Baby and her face paled. “Mommy?”
Baby whipped around, still holding onto Sage, and stared as well. All three shared the same golden hair color. Same delicate features. Same intense blue eyes.
Though the vamps wanted the girls for their pure blood, their future held an ethereal beauty that would equal their mother’s and hypnotize every man they met.
The girls’ mother smiled, yet it didn’t hold any warmth. In fact, there seemed to be an odd void in her gaze. She stood next to the petite woman, clearly under her control, a pale shadow of a loving mother.
Anara noticed. She drew her blade and moved in front of the girls.
The petite woman laughed, the sound cold and mocking. “Is that any way to conduct a family reunion?” She tipped her head and looked past Anara to peer at the girls. “Don’t let her come between you and your mother, little ones. Come and say hello.”
Hope showed on Baby’s face and she took a step forward, but Sage held her back. The older girl’s assessing gaze was far too suspicious. Baby struggled against her sister’s restraining hand, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Let go, Sage. It’s Mommy.”
Their mother smiled. The tips of an impressive pair of fangs flashed for a brief moment. “That’s right. It’s Mommy. Come here, my angels.”
Sage’s face paled at the sight. The pixie-haired woman might not be a vamp, but their mother was, and freshly turned vamps with voracious appetites were hard to control, and this one’s hunger was clearly centered on the girls.
I started to warn Sage, but then her gaze hardened. She pulled Baby closer, protectively. “It’s Mommy’s body, but that’s not her.”
Anara turned to look at Sage, a thoughtful expression on her face.
The girl bit her lip. “Mommy hated vampires.”
Baby looked from her sister to the demon who had once been their mother. The little girl who’d always been perceptive was having a difficult time believing what she saw. “What’s my name?”
“Baby.” Her mother’s tongue curled around the name in a way that was almost a summons.
The little girl’s spine stiffened instead. “My real name.”
Eve
n I didn’t know that.
The petite woman flashed an overly sweet smile. “Your old name doesn’t matter. You can pick any you want. You can become anyone you want. Do anything.”
Baby’s gaze didn’t leave her mother’s blank stare. “You don’t know, do you? My mommy would know.” Her voice climbed in volume and horror. A shudder shook Baby’s frame. She turned and threw herself into Sage’s arms, her heart broken. “She’s not Mommy. She’s nothing like her. Make her go away.”
Rage flared in the petite woman. “Enough of this.” She kept a firm hand on their mother and her disturbing bi-colored glare encompassed all of us. “We’re taking what is ours, and you can’t stop us.”
“Who exactly are you?” Beau asked, moving beside Anara.
“They call me Midnight.”
“Never heard of you,” Beau said dismissively and glanced at me. “They’re getting weak, letting anyone call the shots now.” He’d run out of patience and was ready to end this little drama his way, but his way was messy and caused a lot of screaming and loud noises that would wake the neighbors.
The insult hit its mark, distracting Midnight for a moment, and that was all it took for the newly turned vampire to break free. She lusted for blood and she’d chosen the easiest targets. Her own children.
The girls screamed and Anara met the vamp head on. She beat her back, punching and kicking, choosing not to ash her. She wouldn’t. Not in front of the girls.
Beau picked up Baby and tucked Sage under his arm and headed to the house while I confronted Midnight, the pixie-haired egomaniac. I had her pinned against the SUV before she had the chance to blink. You’d think being at a disadvantage would make her second guess her tactics. Instead, she just looked annoyed. That worried me, and I snarled in her face, “What are you?”
“What do you mean?” She had the appearance of a cat that’d just cornered a mouse.
I looked her up and down. “You’re not a vamp. They’re particular about who joins their ranks and you don’t fit the profile.”
She bristled at my assessment. “And you’re no slayer.”
The whites of her eyes suddenly went black. The veins and capillaries along her temples and neck darkened. A dark swirling mist rose from the ground. “I’m a chimera. My skills are what make me valuable.”
Her hands clapped together, and a sudden black wave of energy punched me in the chest, pushing me back.
“You’re hurt,” she said, and another wave of energy hit me. “Weak.” She sent still another wave into my chest, bruising my ribs.
I staggered back, holding my side and struggled to breathe.
A look of triumph lit her eyes. She sent another wave, but I dodged it, falling onto my side and rolling out of the way. The magic crashed into the concrete porch and crumbled the bottom step.
I lunged to my feet and ducked behind a tree. She was some sort of witch. It was how she so easily broke free from me, and I had no intention of getting near her again. Another wave hit the tree. It cracked a blacked hole in the trunk and the shock waves knocked me onto my back. I gasped for breath and wondered if she’d finally managed to jab my ribs into my lungs.
A scream rent the air. The witch turned to see the girl’s mother being maneuvered near the SUV. Anara drew up her leg and leveled her foot into the woman’s chest, propelling her backwards and into the vehicle. She slammed the door closed and the SUV squealed away.
Their driver knew when to quit and had no problem leaving Midnight to fend for herself.
Anger crackled behind Anara’s gaze as she settled it on Midnight. “You should have left.”
The witch slowly backed up. Rubbing her hands together, she chanted in a language I didn’t recognize. A light wind spun together the smell of sulfur and pepper that stung my eyes. I sat up, supporting my ribs with my hand. My back was on fire and my mind wasn’t relaying things clearly. A strange haze settled over the yard, and I wasn’t sure if it was in my head or the magic that caused the ground to spin beneath me.
Thunder cracked. Clouds gathered. The next instant, I saw Anara diving in my direction and a hot blast coming my way. An oily black smoke whirled in the air. A loud boom shook the ground and lightening flashed, temporarily blinding me. When I could see again, Anara lay on the ground and Midnight was gone. The haze slowly faded and all that was left was a mess of broken tree limbs, busted concrete and a foul sulfur odor. I crawled over to Anara, turned her over and saw a gaping, smoking wound in her side.
Her eyes were open, her breath shallow. She had always been pale; now she was downright bloodless looking. I put my fingers to her throat and felt for a pulse. It was faint and painfully slow. I gazed into her gorgeous blue eyes. They held secrets I still wanted to know.
“We could have shared a lifetime of love,” she said.
“I’m sorry.” I should have killed Midnight. I hadn’t thought she was a threat. I knew better now, but it was too late. I pulled Anara into my arms and held her close. “Don’t go.”
Her soft breath tickled my neck. “I love you. Such a beautiful gift. I didn’t think I’d ever love anyone again. God knew I needed you.”
“I need you. He can’t have you. Not yet.” I buried my face in her neck. “Please.”
Her cool fingers gently skimmed the nape of my neck. “I’ve lived a long time. I don’t have the right to ask for more.”
“I do. I’m asking.” I lifted my head and stared into the starry night. “I’m asking. Please. Not yet.”
I heard Beau and the girls come onto the porch. Their hushed words flowed around me but didn’t touch me. I was wrapped up in Anara. Only she existed. Only she mattered. A few seconds later, Beau’s knees crushed the grass in front of me and he started to pull Anara away. “Let go,” he insisted.
I shook my head and held onto her tighter. “Go away.” My voice was harsh and filled with a pain I had never felt before. It came from deep inside me, in my bones and it fairly ripped me in two.
He pulled harder and I raised my head. Brother or not, I spat hate into his face. “Touch her again and I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you.”
“You’ve done enough killing for a lifetime.” He pulled back his arm and slammed his fist into my face. My arms loosened, and he lifted Anara out of my reach.
I couldn’t stop him. I screamed for him to bring her back, but it died in my throat. I could only fall back onto the wet grass as darkness flooded over me.
Chapter Fourteen
Ryan
A sliver of sunlight spilled beneath the shades covering the windows when I regained consciousness. I was in my room, my torso wrapped with strips of cloth from chest to waist, and I felt the itch of gauze on my back. I ached everywhere. I had a split lip. A swollen eyelid. Bruised and scabbed knuckles. Black and blue marks covered my ribs. I moved my leg and winced. Even my butt hurt.
My body was a mess, but I was alive.
Anara was dead.
My brother had taken her from me to try and save her. I know that now. I suppose it was a reaction to do something instead of watching her die. I understood that, but it wasn’t his right to take her. She was too broken to fix. If he thought he could have kept her alive until sunrise, he was crazy. She’d barely been alive when I held her, and we both knew it.
Had she cried out for me when she took her last breath?
The pain that lanced through me had nothing to do with my body.
I eased myself out of bed and sat there, my head in my hands, when the door slowly opened. I peeked over my hands and saw a tiny pair of bare feet covered with dirt, standing in front of me.
A small hand cupped my cheek and I looked into Baby’s face. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks pale, her hair a wild mess. Those little fingers slipped around my neck and she climbed into my lap. “I’ve been waiting forever for you to wake up.”
A tear landed on my shoulder where she’d laid her head and I pulled her closer. “I didn’t want to wake up. I’m still not sure I want to.”
I stroked her hair. “In case of what?”
She sniffed and said, “In case you turned into a werewolf. Don’t worry. It looks like you’re just you.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I like dogs.”
I opened my mouth to tell her werewolves were nothing like dogs, but before I could, she said something I didn’t expect. “Do you want to see Anara?”
I grew still. Did I?
She sat up straight, her big blue eyes gazing into mine all serious and adult. “It made me feel better. She’s so pretty.”
My heart squeezed. I didn’t know if I could handle seeing her lifeless body…yet I needed the closure.
I nodded and Baby slid off my lap and pulled me to my feet. “Are you going to faint when you see her?”
“What?”
“I’d faint if I saw the boy I love like that, even if he was pretty.”
She was such a weird little girl.
“I won’t faint.” At least I hoped I wouldn’t. At this point, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. “Where is she?”
“In the back yard.”
Beau was going to bury her in the backyard? I guess we didn’t have much choice, but I was surprised he had her out there. Anyone could see her if they made a little effort to look through the hedges that surrounded our yard.
Baby held my hand as we started down the stairs. Dark and dreary and empty, it was as if even the house mourned Anara’s loss. When we pushed out the back door and onto the deck, the sun hit me in the face, temporarily blinding me. I tripped over something on my way down the steps and stumbled onto the lawn. I furiously blinked at the fuzzy shape of Beau and Sage, trying to adjust my eyes to the light without much success yet. Behind them the shape of Anara lay still on the ground.
“I brought him,” Baby chirped in her high-pitched, little girl voice.
Anara was so close and the thought I’d never see her again hit me like a punch in the gut. I swayed a little and Beau grabbed my arm and steadied me. I rubbed my eyes and frowned. “Is this a good idea? Won’t people see her?” Boston was no backwoods city that burying a body in the back yard was legal.