“It’s really not a big deal, but I’m sure you’re not going to be happy about it. So... I just want to remind you that this doesn’t change anything. The wedding is going on as planned. It’s just... I’m going to have to take a little detour on the way to Iowa.”
Her eyes were as round as the dinner plates he’d just put in the dishwasher as she studied his face. She could feel her eyeballs bulging. “A detour where?”
“To West Virginia. Just for one night. I’ll be in Shenandoah by August thirtieth. That gives us three days before the wedding. It’ll be fine.”
“But we’re supposed to be up there a week before the wedding,” she reminded him. “I have everything planned. We are supposed to leave on Saturday. That’s in three days.”
“No, I know. And I can go with you on Saturday. We can be there most of the week. I’ll just have to le
Mika Ito hung up her desk phone and slid the burner phone she’d been given a week ago out of the bottom drawer, looking around to make sure no one else at the newspaper was watching. In all of her years as a Vampire, never once had she broken a single rule, and she wasn’t about to start now. There was no sense angering a group of people who could easily hunt her down and destroy her without a second thought. Yet, something about using a specific, untraceable phone to contact the man who’d gotten in touch with her about the Eidolon Festival seemed shady, and she didn’t want anyone at all questioning what she was up to.Of course, none of her coworkers were aware of what she was. She’d hidden it well over the last five years. Originally, when she’d been infected at a night club right out of college, she’d thought the world was over, that she may as well turn herself in and let a Hunter destroy her. Luckily, the man who’d accidenta
Dr. Hamish Stewart straightened a number of artifacts on his desk and peered out through the glass in his office door, trying to decide whether or not to let the students waiting there come in to ask him questions. After receiving the news he’d been looking for, a titillation crept through his skin, and he was afraid his joy might take shape in the form of pointy teeth, something he usually had control over, but given the situation, hiding them might be slightly more difficult.There was no reason for him to call anyone to let them know the plan had been set in motion. In fact, doing so would be quite dangerous. When he’d originally been contacted, he was told precisely what to do—find out as much information as possible on the blood moon, organize a team that could not be tracked back to him or the man who’d messaged him, and find a way to utilize his discovery to get rid of certain members of LIGHTS once and for all. Now that they had permission for
The flight would be relatively short, and everyone was chatting about other matters, not really concerned about the festival itself, except for maybe Dax, who looked a little pale, and Alex, who had nearly refused to get on either plane—the one headed toward the wedding or the festival. He said he just didn’t trust flying contraptions, never had. But Cassidy had talked him into going to the wedding because she said it wasn’t every day one got to invite a true American hero to their nuptials, and he’d gotten on the second flight because he said he never did trust those bastards—the Vampires, of course—and if they were going to be given free rein, he wanted to be there to, “keep them vigilant.” He’d insisted on sitting in the row nearest the exit, the one across from Cadence, and when she turned her head to look at him halfway through the flight, his knuckles were still white from gripping the armrests so hard.“So
Aaron had a point. Since LIGHTS had taken out so many of the Noncompliant Vampires, it had left very little for the Independent Hunters and Guardians to do. Since technically they didn’t answer to her or Aaron, it was fine that he’d taken it upon himself to get in touch with them. She was just surprised and wasn’t sure how she felt about them risking their safety to protect her. But then, he was right; there was very little chance of Holland actually moving in on Cadence and Cassidy during the Eidolon Festival.“You don’t look like you feel any better,” he mentioned.“I do.” She knew she wasn’t very good at lying to him. “I just have a bad feeling.”“It’s the wedding,” he said again, and she nodded, knowing in her heart that wasn’t it. “It’s not going to be easy to stand up there in front of all of those people and pledge yourself to me.” He made a face, a
Cadence opened her eyes to see the sun was long gone and a full, slightly red moon had taken its place. Her hand immediately went to her eyes, and she rolled over to see her sister sitting on the edge of the bed, which made her jump. “Oh, good. You’re alive after all,” Cassidy muttered, not even turning her head away from the open window to look her sister in the face.“What time is it?” Cadence asked, grappling for a glass of water she’d set on the nightstand before she’d fallen asleep. She hadn’t meant to doze off; the last thing she remembered, Aaron was assuring her everything was just fine, and he’d be back in no time at all. Now, before her sister even answered, she noticed the time on her IAC. It was 2:15 in the morning, which meant the Eidolon Festival had already started, and Aaron had been gone for over an hour. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell him goodbye.“I have a funny feeling,” C
Brandon was already moving toward his father before even realizing he’d said nothing to Jamie to let him know about the conversation he’d been having with Cadence and Cassidy. The Healer reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Brandon? What’s going on?” Jamie asked, stopping the teen and spinning him around.“I don’t know. Something weird is going on with Cassidy. I need to find my dad.” His eyes trained over the crowd, seeking out his father’s familiar face but not seeing him anywhere.“Okay,” Jamie said with a reassuring nod. “They’re over there.” He gestured in the direction of the big tent, the way Brandon had been walking before the doctor had slowed him down. Jamie didn’t take his hand off his shoulder as they moved in that direction.Unless he used his superhuman speed, which might alarm the Vampires dancing and gallivanting around between his current location
Grabbing her Glock off of the dresser, Cadence slipped it into her holster before she realized she needed to tie her boots. She dropped onto the bed. “Where’s your weapon?” she asked her sister, who was already pacing by the door.“In its holster,” she replied, pulling open her jacket.It hadn’t occurred to her that Cassidy was packing heat while she was sitting on the bed. “Keys....” Cadence mumbled once her boots were tied. Her hair was down, which generally drove her crazy during a hunt, but she had no time.Cassidy picked up the keys to the SUV Aaron had left them off of the dresser and tossed them to her older sister. “Come on! Let’s go!”Cadence glanced around, thinking it would be better if she took more guns, but they needed to hurry. She gestured toward the door, and Cassidy flung it open, both of them charging into the hallway, nearly colliding with Ashley who was just coming out
“Christian, I’ve got this.” Cadence pushed him away, and Ashley immediately started asking him if he had any idea where Jamie was. Cadence realized then that the other Hunter wasn’t up to speed.“Mika,” Cadence said, taking a deep breath. “Listen, we need your help. I’m not sure what you know, but we have at least four missing Guardians. Are you sure you have no idea what might’ve happened to them?”“No, I don’t know!” she shouted, shaking her head furiously. “I didn’t do anything. I only called Aaron to organize the festival. I didn’t do anything else.”“Was there something else to know about?” Cadence asked. “Do you know about the artifacts? The water, mirrors, obsidian?”“No, I don’t know anything!” the woman insisted.Before Cadence could press further, Cassidy said, “She’s lying—she k