Theron had killed Ganby.
The coach set me on a bed in the nurse’s office, and I balled my knees to my chest.
“Dear, dear,” the nurse said. “Let me clean you up a bit.” She tugged at my wrist, but every muscle in my body held rigid with shock.
“I’m going to have an EMT come look at you.” The coach spun to leave.
“We don’t believe in doctors.” I started rocking on the mattress.
The nurse laid her hands on top of mine. “I know. But, sweetie, I am really scared for you right now.”
I stared at her nametag. Betty Carson, it read. Betty Carson, University High, Nurse, I read over and over in my mind. Time seemed to stand still and two EMTs appeared in front of me.
“Miss?” One waved a gloved hand in front of my face. “Miss, are you okay? You tried to give the victim, Ganby, CPR. You’re covered in his blood. Why don’t you let the nurse clean you up?”
How telling someone they were covered in blood was supposed to help I wasn’t sure.
“Your mom is on the way, dear.” Betty sat behind me and rubbed my back.
“Poor thing is burning up.” She placed her palm on my forehead.
I scooted away from her. “Don’t touch me.”
“She’s probably in shock,” the other EMT said.
“She’s responding to her environment. Probably the adrenaline kicked in to elevate her temperature. I think we’ve done all we can,” the first paramedic said.
“Her mother is on the way.” Betty told them.
I covered my head with my arms, trying to block out all the sirens, the voices, the sobs, the smell of his blood covering my hands. The thought of Theron, of me, consuming someone’s blood, made bile rise in my throat.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I darted to the bathroom.
“Well, she can move pretty fast,” I heard the first paramedic. “I think she’ll be okay.”
“If the coach told me the story correctly, I’m not sure that child will ever be the same,” Betty told them.
Catching my reflection in the mirror, I stared at the blood, already brown and crusty on my clothes and skin. Ripping paper towels from the dispenser, I soaked them under the faucet. Scrubbing the paper across my skin, I moved to blotting my shirt.
“Child.” Betty entered the bathroom and turned off the water. “Let me get another shirt for you.” She left and came back with a red Wildcats shirt. Stripping the wet one from my torso, I tossed it in the wastebasket.
“Thank you,” I told Betty as I returned to her office.
“Here’s a sweatshirt. You’re starting to tremble.”
Sophie appeared in the doorway with my backpack. “Is it okay if I hug you?”
I let her wrap her arms around me. We sat like that till Mother arrived. I could hear her heels clicking on the tile floor and sat up straighter, loosening Sophie’s grip on me. As Mother came in, Sophie gave up the seat beside me.
“Okay.” Mother wrapped an arm around me and squeezed my shoulders. “Let’s get you home.”
“Here.” Sophie approached. “Cover your head.” She lifted the hood on the sweatshirt. “There are a lot of reporters.”
The police had created a barrier around the school, but it was hard to ignore the EMTs and officers gathered around Ganby’s sheet-covered body.
“If anyone tries to speak to you, I am going to kill them,” Mother hissed into my ear.
Will and four other of Mother’s security guards stood just outside the door and encircled us as we walked down the stairs. The onlookers and reporters seemed drawn to our pocket like flies to honey, and we created a wave as we forced our way through the crowd. At the car, Will opened the door, and Mother and I slid in. The silent, dark interior of the vehicle felt like fresh air in my lungs, and I laid down on the cool leather seat, letting its soft surface sooth my senses.
Curling my knees to my chest, I spun Hunter’s bracelet around my wrist. How could I ever face him again? How could anyone ever show me kindness again? I only brought death.
At the condo, we rode the elevator in silence. Crossing into the foyer, Mother gathered me in a hug.
“The nurse told me what happened. When you want to talk, let me know. I’m guessing you didn’t get lunch, so I’ll have Elizabeth bring you a plate.”
She followed me to my room. “I need to wash up.”
“Okay, well, come find me when you’re done.” Mother squeezed my hand.
“Thanks, maybe later.”
Flicking my fingers at my shades to make the space void of light, I shed my clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor. Entering the shower, I turned the water temperature to the hottest setting. Even with the scalding stream, soap, and shampoo, the smell of his blood wouldn’t leave my nose. A hand reached inside and stopped the flow of water.
“You’re going to drown, child. Here, I have your robe fresh from the dryer.” Elizabeth held it out for me.
I melted into the soft material and let her lead me to the bed.
“You need to eat something.”
“I want to be left alone.”
For the next three days, I slept and woke with Mother, Elizabeth, and Orm begging me to eat. They said Sophie came as well as Hunter and Nick. It wasn’t until Mother knocked on my door and announced Theron and Marta were in the foyer that I snapped out of my coma.
“What?”
“Marta and Theron are here to give their condolences.”
Anger welling up in my chest, I sat up and faced her.
“You have to get them out of here,” I whispered to her.
Her eyes were wide with misunderstanding. “What?”
“Either he goes, or I do.”
“Alena, you need to talk to us. You’re scaring me.”
“Get them out, and I will.”
“Okay.” She slipped out of the room.
I dressed and walked bare-footed through the house rounding up Orm from his study and Elizabeth from the kitchen. Finding Mother staring into the fire, I dropped to the floor in front of her and let the tears fall. I told them about the necklace, how Ganby had said those mean things to me, and about seeing Theron at school after Ganby had jumped.
“But you don’t have any proof?”
“Where is the necklace?”
“I threw it off as soon as I saw Theron. Probably near the front steps.”
“Will!” Mother yelled. He appeared in an instant, and he and Orm left to find the pendant.
“We will figure this out.” Mother wrapped her arms around me. “But you have to eat something. The service is tomorrow. Ganby’s parents sent you a personal invitation. They wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay.” I wiped the water from my face. “I want to go.”
Elizabeth raced to the kitchen, and within seconds, a plate of quail eggs, cheese, fruit, nuts, and homemade bread appeared before me.
As I ate, Mother retold how my friends had tried to make contact. She slid my phone to me.
“Please, call them.”
“What are we going to do about Theron? He can’t get away with this.”
“We may never have proof.”
“I know he did it.”
“I’m sorry.” She stroked my matted hair.
“I should shower.” I abandoned the plate of food and made my way to my room. Clutching my phone, I realized I needed out of the condo. Showering and blow-drying my hair, I dressed and gathered my things.
Orm, Elizabeth, and Mother intercepted me in the foyer.
“Did you find the necklace?”
“No.”
“He probably already picked it up.”
“I need to go out.” I moved to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“To the library. I need to finish my literature paper.”
“I’m sure they will give you an extension. School is still closed tomorrow.”
“It’s Sunday? The service is tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“W
ell, I need to finish my paper.”
“Alena, just—” Mother tugged at my hand.
“I’m not a child, let me go.”
I slipped away from her grip and dashed out the door, flinging open the stairwell door and running down the stairs. Outside, the bright sun blinded me, and I slipped my sunglasses on. Wishing for the cover of darkness, I made my way to Fahim’s shop.
Standing outside, I sensed the powerful hum of Chalondra’s magic and, with a large breath, smelled a multitude of vampires gathered in the back room. This was what I needed, a place with my own kind of people: outcasts, pirates, mercenaries.
Entering the store, Fahim and Eden were beside me in a second.
“We saw the news. We are so sorry.”
“A witch killed him.”
Fahim gripped my forearms. “What do you mean? What witch?”
“I can’t say. I just want a drink, some wine or liquor, I don’t care.”
“Child.” Eden’s tone and eyes pleaded with me.
I hitched my backpack higher on my back and started towards the back room.
Fahim blocked my path and called to Dimitri and Aaron. “Tell us what happened?”
“This witch I met gave me a necklace. When the boy was mean to me the witch hexed him to jump.”
Chalondra’s door opened, and a human stepped out.
“In my office.” Fahim tipped his chin in the direction of the small room.
Huffing, I followed Eden and sat at the table as instructed. Chalondra slipped in behind Dimitri and Aaron, and I planted myself on the counter to get as much space from her as possible. Left without options, I relayed parts of my experience with Theron, about him giving me the pendant, and my friend jumping from the roof.
“What of the necklace?” Chalondra asked when I finished.
“It’s gone.”
Chalondra’s eyes found the gazes of the others. I guessed they knew exactly who Theron and his father were. She jutted her chin out. “There is no proof, so there is nothing to be done.”
“I figured so.”
“Well, I believe she deserves that drink then.” Dimitri clapped his hand together. “To the bar with you, princess.”
Clutching my bag, I followed him to the back room and took a stool at the far end of the bar.
“I’m guessing no blood tonight.” Aaron winked at me.
“No, your strongest liquor.”
He poured me a shot of whiskey, and I swirled the brown liquid, admiring the way it clung to the side. Holding it to my lips, I tipped the glass up and let the alcohol singe my throat. It warmed my esophagus and stomach on its descent, and I set the glass on the bar.
Two more drinks in and Dimitri cut me off and put me to work. Introducing me to the customers, he had me deliver food from the kitchen. I hadn’t been wrong about the seedy crowd. Billy worked in the black market, supplying blood to the highest bidder. Cole sold weapons to anyone with cash. And Zeke, a toothless homeless vampire, lived like a gypsy, conning anyone and everyone to make money for food. Finally, there was Mary, a one-eyed vampire who said she came from the old country and traveled west on the wagon trains to find gold.
“City of Angels they call it. Hah, City of Demons, I say.” She spit on the table.
As it grew dark, the back room became more crowded.
“Good thing you’re here. We would be zipping around like bees,” Aaron said as I delivered a rare steak to a vampire from Seattle.
As I set the plate on the table, a breeze shot through the room and the front bell rang. The air carried a current laced with a sweet scent I would’ve known anywhere. Abandoning the customer, I dashed to the front door. Hearing several vampires on my heels, I spun to face them as I reached Hunter.
“He is mine.” I spread my arms to block them from reaching Hunter. Guttural sounds emitted from the chests of the vampires in front of me. “You will not touch him,” I yelled at them.
“He is a witch. Is this the witch that killed your friend?” Dimitri asked.
“No. This is a friend of mine. I found him. He didn’t know he was a witch. I was trying to help him.” The words tumbled out as Fahim, Eden, and Chalondra joined the group assembled in front of us.
Chalondra pushed through the crowd, and even though I wanted to protect Hunter from her, my secret was too important to let her touch me.
“I’m not going to harm him,” she said to me and refocused on Hunter.
“May I have your hand?”
“Don’t,” I warned him, and his eyes cut from me to her.
His gaze landed back on me. “I have to talk to you.” He held up a rolled magazine.
I spun to face the others. Several of the vampires had already retreated, but Dimitri, Aaron, Fahim, and Eden formed a semi-circle around us.
“Fahim, can we use your office?” I asked.
“Sure.” He stepped back, making room for us to pass him.
“What’s going on?” Hunter demanded as I closed the door. “He is mine. What was that about?”
“I told you not to come here.” My eyes pleaded with him.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days. To talk to you about your friend and this.” He tossed the tabloid to the table.
With my thoughts running in a hundred directions, I focused on the unknown. “What is this?” I picked up the pages.
He snatched them from me and flipped through the booklet. “Here.” Hunter slammed the page to the table. “Is this you?”
I studied the picture of me sitting beside Theron, Mother, and Marta at the game, feeling sick to my stomach again. “Yes, I told you we went with my mother’s friends.”
“Theron is my half-brother. And he was in the crowd at school when your friend jumped. I saw him on television.”
The air froze in my lungs. “Your brother?”
“Yes, Theron is my half-brother.”
“Hunter, Theron killed Ganby and your father is High Priest of the witches.”
“What?”
Taking a seat, I moved one out for him. As I relayed the story, he tried to take my hands.
“Don’t.” I pulled them away. “You don’t want to know me. Someone died because of me. I’m a killer. I can make you forget about me and being a witch and all of this. You can go back to being a normal human.”
“No, I don’t want that. He grabbed my shoulders. You are not a killer. I saw the video. You tried to save him.”
“If I’d only run faster.” Tears formed in my eyes, and I wiped them away. Straightening my shoulders, I hardened my resolve. Sliding his bracelet from my wrist, I stuffed it in his hand and closed his fingers on it. “I don’t need your permission to take away your memories.”
The chair flipped over and crashed into the wall as he shot out of it. “I’m stronger than you think. I won’t let you do that.” He grabbed my wrist and wound the leather strap around it. “We found each other for a reason, and I’m going to find out why.”
Fahim appeared in the doorway. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sorry.” Hunter righted the chair.
Fahim looked to me, and I confirmed Hunter’s statement.
When the door closed again, Hunter sat beside me. “Who are these people? Why are you here? Who is the witch? And what are the rest of the people? They aren’t witches. It looked like they were going to tear me to shreds.”
Wondering if it was time to tell him about vampires, I took one question at a time. “Chalondra is very old and powerful. She will know everything about you if she touches you.”
“And you’re just telling me about her now? Why haven’t you used her?”
“I can’t let her know who I am. It would compromise my family.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
I didn’t want him to know I was a monster, and I couldn’t jeopardize my family. “That’s all I can say.”
“Can I trust you, Alena?”
“Yes, above all, know that.” My eyes pleaded that he believ
ed me.
“I might be able to get answers from her, and I have nothing to hide.”
“Okay.” I stood up and walked from the room, Hunter behind me.
“No harm will come to your friend,” Fahim said. “Were you honest before when you said you found him and wanted to help?”
“Yes.”
Hunter stepped from behind me and approached Chalondra. I had to admit he had more courage than me. “You can tell fortunes?”
“I can.”
“Okay.” With a glance at me, he followed her as she hobbled to her office.
Without anything to do but wait, I made my way to the back room, bussed tables, and delivered food. Taking a break at the bar, I leaned against the counter.
“That boy of yours smells mighty nice,” Dimitri commented. “You’re lucky you got to him first.
“That is so gross.”
“Just sayin’ that vampires hate witches. They would have drained him and torn him to shreds.”
“Why do vampires hate witches?”
“Age old feud, engrained in the DNA. Witches have been keeping vampires down for centuries. Why do you think we have so many rules? So, the humans and witches don’t come for us.”
“Do vampires hate humans too?”
“Some.”
“What does that make me?”
“You decide who you are. But you got to stop thinking you killed that boy. It wasn’t your fault. Theron will pay for his sins.”
Worrying about how long Hunter had been in Chalondra’s office, I checked my phone. Seeing a string of messages from Mother, I walked to the alley to call her.
“Where are you? It’s after nine. No library is open this late on a Sunday.”
“I got hung up talking with Hunter.”
“Hunter? You went to meet Hunter?”
“No, we just ended up together.”
“I’m not comfortable with your behavior. You need to come home now.”
“Okay, I’ll get a bus. I’ll be home in half an hour.”
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 22
