Four against one is long odds, and, knowing what I do these days, I cannot even be sure that they are all human. I try to bluff, smiling at them brightly, already aware that it’s a wasted effort. They know who I am, and they probably know why I’m here, and if they know that then that’s not good news for Aiden. “I’ve come the wrong way. I’m just out for a run. I’ll go now, and get out of your hair.”
One of the men veers sideways in his approach, not flanking me yet, but he will be if he closes the distance much more. I step away, but they move forward faster than I move back. As though anticipating my next move, which would be to turn and run, one is moving faster than the others, barely a handful of steps away from me now.
“If we can reach the water, we’ll be safe,” I remember, but the water is at least three hundred metres away, if not more- the Isle of Dogs is surrounded on three sides by the
“That pathetic mess is the dreaded Aiden Cooper?” The words sound strange when given in the expressionless voice of Sutcliffe’s human speaker. “Why on Earth should we believe that?”“How dare you question your superior?” Whitfield demands, then glances at the screen and collects himself. “It’s easy enough to prove. Fletcher? Have the Seer brought in.” The observer from my earlier beating- Fletcher- opens the door and gives orders to someone outside.“Ah. The Seer I’ve heard so much about,” Ewing says, via his Voice. It’s impossible to tell whether he’s pleased, or excited, or sarcastic. It must get frustrating communicating this way. “She’ll be able to tell whether this is the Aiden Cooper she spoke about?”This Seer is how they knew about me? That’s how they discovered I was to blame for Laurence Taylor? I’m suddenly
Aiden’s alive, He’s seven feet tall, covered in fur and blood and rags, but he’s alive and he’s hugging me as if he’s never going to let go. I hug him back just as fiercely. The ghostly warriors have vanished back through the walls, and from the sounds in the distance they are finishing what they started. I should feel horrified at what I have done here, but from the moment I stepped through the door from the yard outside, and saw the eyes of the figures waiting for me, I have felt no regrets, These are not living, breathing beings. These are undead monsters.Aiden is speaking, but it’s hard to understand. His head is all wolf-y, so his mouth is the wrong shape. He huffs, and I get to watch him shrink back to a human. The process sounds painful but his face shows no sign of that when he’s himself again. His lip is scabbed and his nose is puffy. There’s blood all over his chin, which is probably his, and if his face looks that ba
Jade licks her lips. There’s colour in her cheeks, and her eyes are bright. She looks a hundred times better than she did only a minute ago. She stands slowly and backs carefully away from myself and Sarah, looking wary. Gabriella steps in front of her with a watchful expression on her face. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do! I’m just standing there, frozen with shock. There’s no right decision. I can upset my Mate and let her down. She’s afraid and she’s miserable and she’s feeling betrayed. She’s right, isn’t she? I’m betraying her by not trusting her on this. She wants… she wants… the Bond isn’t enough without words. Or maybe it’s me who’s not enough. I’ve never been enough. I look back at Jade. Someone who’s given her word to do me no harm. Someone who’s pretty much my prisoner. Can I trust her though? Vampires have honour, or so I’ve heard, but how can that be automatic when they are Turned? If a compulsive liar is Turned, does h
The building is empty. Deserted. The hall echoes faintly with my carpet-muffled footsteps, making me notice how hard I am stomping my feet down. Fury and misery burn through me in equal measures, and my thoughts are a mess. How dare he, after what I’ve done for him? I’ve already slammed the door on my awareness of his emotions. I don’t need to feel him fussing over his vampire best buddy.He knew Jade longer than he’s known me.Of course he’d cling to her rather than letting her go and staying with me. All I’ve ever done for him is to drag him into a mess of vampire takeover plots and horse-killing werewolves. I was so determined to rescue him, so happy to be able to save him. Now I feel like it’s that ancient video game. I’ve won the battle but all I get is to be told “Our princess is in another castle.”There’s not even any bodies. I wonder if the warriors take them to wherever Bellmout
Now I can understand why people living in London prefer the subway to cars. The traffic here is so slow! There are joggers overtaking us. The speed suits my mood. Every moment of our crawl along the street is taking me further away from my Mate. If she is still my Mate. If she’ll still have me, after this. After I abandoned her. She saved me, and I abandoned her. The day is grey, like my misery. The slow drag of the traffic matches the drag of my thoughts. I’m trying to do the right thing, but is this the right thing? Sarah doesn’t think so. My parents wouldn’t think so. They’d have killed Jade without a thought. That leads me to think about Reese. The idea of tracking him down and killing him for being a Hunter makes me feel sick, but that’s what I was raised to do. To fight Hunters and every other threat to my Pack. Ella and I are crammed together on the passenger seat. I know she’s there, pressed against me, smelling of child and girl and the cereal and milk she p
I am exposed, laid bare before the audience. I start the whole performance, solo, standing in the space beside the concert grand piano in front of the orchestra. Twin spotlights pick out myself, violin cradled beneath my cheek, and Amos, seated with his hands poised on the keys. I am still burning with anger, and I have no place for fear, not even in the harsh light that cages me. I fill the auditorium with my rage, letting my strings howl where I cannot. The rest of the orchestra sits in silence as Amos joins me on the piano, echoing my melody. The piano sounds weak, but perhaps that’s because of the roar of the fury within me, pounding in my ears. The music darts between us, first with one, then the other, then with both, my fingers flying across the strings to match the rippling notes called up by Amos’s hands as they dance across the keys. We are half way through when I realise what Amos is doing. He is gradually getting faster. His part is not easy, of course i
“After the attack. Shelley. Did you, or any of the others, call the police?” Shelley nods, but holds up a finger to stop me from jumping back in with any comment about it. “We had to. You two were missing. Someone was going to ask questions eventually. The longer we left it, the more suspicious we’d look. Don’t worry, we lied. We said we thought it was a gang of some sort, probably all on drugs. They tried to mug us, then started fighting amongst themselves so some of us managed to run off, but we didn’t see what happened to you.” She shrugs. “We thought if they found any vampire bodies, they’d think it was them who killed each other. I don’t think they did though, or they’d have been back asking questions. They haven’t given a call back or anything. We didn’t file a missing persons report. I don’t think anyone else has either?” “Maybe Mr Patel would, but…” Sarah didn’t. Sarah just came to get me. Look where that got her. I shake my head. “Nobody wou
There is a figure sitting on the front steps, huddled and dark beneath the neon spotlight of the street lighting. His feet are tucked in, his arms wrapped around his shins and his chin resting on his knees. I don’t need to be close enough to see his face to know who it is.I stop when there are still a couple of steps between us. If I get too close, I don’t know what I will do. Hit him, kick him, fall into him and howl. There is an invisible line between us. If I cross it, I will overload and break. There are too many words tumbling around my head, wanting to be poured out of me, needing to be set free. I snatch at my thoughts, scrabbling to find just one and voice it. I sound small. Lost. “You left me there.”The figure on the steps shakes his head. “You didn’t need me. You never have.” He sounds just as small. How dare he? How dare he pretend he’s the powerless one here?“I needed you to support me!”