Darklove (6 page)

I leave the kitchen without another word, hurry to the first guest room, and toss my duffel onto the bed. Riffling through what small amount of belongings I packed, I pull out a clean pair of black skinny jeans, a long-sleeved black Under Armour shirt, panties and socks, and a clean sports bra. Grabbing the smaller bag containing bathroom stuff, I head to the room's en suite bath. Within seconds I'm stripped and standing beneath a steaming waterfall. Soapy water runs down my body, my arms, and for a moment, I stare at the dragon's tail that's wrapped around one of them. I skim my hand over it, remembering the day my best friend, Nyx, inked it there. Starting at my lower spine, the dragon winds up and over my shoulder. The tail curls around my index finger. It was the last part to be colored in. Hurt like a mother, right there over my bony knuckle. And it seems so long ago. A whole life ago.

Rinsing the conditioner from my hair, I turn the water off, wrap my hair in a towel, and climb out. Just as I turn my head to close the shower door, the window catches my eye in the mirror. A face. My heart stops.

I whip around and stare at the window.

Nothing's there.

There's a ledge above the toilet, just beneath the window. I leap up and crouch, tilting my head sideways and peering out. I see nothing but a streetlight, the sidewalk, and the Rover I hijacked. Nothing else.

“What the hell, Riley?”

I turn and glance at Noah, standing just inside the bathroom door. “I thought I saw something. A face.” I peer back outside. Still nothing but darkness and shadows. I fine-tune my hearing, and everything normal screeches to a halt. The sounds I hear now are that of a mouse's heartbeat. The scratching of some small animal against the bark of a tree. A human's breath easing in and out of lungs.

Nothing else.

I look at Noah and jump down, clutching my towel to my body. I land on the white cotton bath rug. “It was Eli.”

“Come on, darlin',” Noah says in his Charleston drawl. “That fast and you know it was Eli?”

My head spins. “I don't know anymore. Get out so I can get dressed and we can get the hell out of here,” I say, frustrated. I look at Noah. “It'll only take a sec.”

Noah says nothing and backs out of the bathroom.

I drop the towel and throw on my clothes. Quickly, I pull my wet hair back and secure it with a silver clip. In my room, I yank on my boots and jacket and pass Noah in the hall.

The night air is chilled; it's early November in the Highlands. Funny, I can
tell
it's chilly out—probably more than chilly. Air is crisp. I feel the cold, feel the wind. My breath puffs out before me as warm meets cold. But it doesn't affect me as it did when I was solely human. My eyes search the dark, the shadows. I sniff the air. I listen.

Many things assault my senses.

None of them scream
Eli
.

“Shake it off,” Noah says. “And get your head in the game.” He glances at his watch. “Twenty minutes till midnight. Let's get moving.” One final glare, his gaze levels mine. “Don't take off away from me, Riley Poe. Swear to God, I'll kick your ass.”

With one more glance around our guesthouse, we head out to Montague Row and follow it along, side by side, at a fairly brisk human walk. It's still early, and there are people moving about. Not many, but enough that I have to tune back my hearing. Too many human heartbeats, voices, whispers at once. Almost makes me dizzy. It's become so easy for me now. I just . . . think it, and it happens. Kinda scary, and I believe that particular trait came from Vic's father, Senior Arcos. In times of extreme adrenaline, though, I have to concentrate. Probably a good thing, or else people would be slapping one another in the face, pulling hair, and tripping pedestrians.

We walk down to the river Ness, and follow the walkway hugging the shore. Even at midnight on a Thursday night, it's pretty lively on the riverfront. Several pubs and eating establishments line the river, and I have to stop and take it in. The moment I halt, Noah does, too, and he looks at me. I close out the drone of human conversation, and listen for minor details. A single racing heart. A whimper. A cry of fright, of disbelief. The air catching in a throat.

Fast footfall.

Heavy, a human male. Not used to running. Heart rate around one hundred and seventy now. I cock my head, listening.

“He's two streets over, heading upriver, toward the bridge,” I say.

We both take off fast, slipping closer into the shadows of the buildings, leaping over anything that's in our way. I'm a head and neck in front of Noah, and as we hit the walkway down to the river, I see him. I can't tell his age, but I'm guessing midthirties. Not used to a lot of exercise, and he's winded as hell. Dark clothes, gray woolen coat. He's got a black skully on. I scan the darkness. “What's spooking him?”

Noah and I are nearly on top of him, and we Y off from each other. I take the human, and with one leap I take him to the ground. His grunt resonates against my chest. Quickly, I roll off him and briefly glance up. Behind and above me, I see Noah leap into an ancient tree with long, heavy branches. I turn my attention to the man.

“You okay?” I ask, and jump to my feet. I extend a hand.

His face is stark white against the black skully pulled over his ears. He doesn't accept my hand, instead stares at me. Blank faced. “I dunno—”

It happens so fast my mind spins a little as I react. Noah and another—completely morphed and fanged—drop from the canopy of the tree above. The vampire swings at Noah, who has him by the neck, then builds strength and lunges directly toward the human. I find my blade in the back of my jeans and hurl it at the vampire's heart. It sinks a solid inch over the hilt. The vampire drops to the ground, inches from the human. The moment his body crumples, he begins to convulse.

The man stares wide-eyed at the seizing form on the ground. Stepping closer, I place my hand on his arm and pull him away. He doesn't resist. I turn him around and force him to look at me. The whites of his eyes take up nearly the entire orb.
Go straight home now. Forget you were chased. Forget what you've seen. And for a while, stay home after dark, if you can. Hurry.

His stare vacant, the guy turns, shoves his hands into his woolen coat pockets, and starts up the sidewalk at a brisk walk. I watch him until he turns up a street and disappears.

“One more down,” Noah says.

“One more saved,” I reply, glancing in the direction of the frightened guy. I look at Noah. “Did you get anything?”

Noah shakes his head. “Late twenties. Not a newblood, not old, either.” He shrugs. “Again, totally random.”

We continue on throughout the night, but find nothing more than a handful of drunken college students celebrating a birthday by pub crawling, a few domestic fights, and a guy out looking for his runaway dog.

My hearing picks up a female gasp. It's a scared, surprised sound. I jerk my head and stare downriver, toward a row of restaurants and pubs. No. Beyond that. A park. I hear her whispered plea.
“No, please.”
“Let's go,” I say to Noah. I take off. He's right behind me.

The rows we're running down are relatively even, and I think we'd make better time going rooftop. I turn down a close, leap from car, wall to wall, and climb the chimney until I reach the top. Noah's a step behind me. We take off.

Across the rooftops we fly, bounding off chimneys and gutters. I'm following the young woman's heartbeat. Thank God there's still one to follow. Might not be for long.

We haul over four buildings before the park is in sight. I make one final lunge and land in the branches of an old oak. Quickly I find solid footing, and I swing down.

When I land, it's just in time to see a dark head lift from the woman's neck. Her body is limp in his arms. She's blond, petite, maybe midtwenties. Wearing a pub T-shirt and jeans. The light from the streetlamp perched on the sidewalk close to the grass illuminates her face. Terror is frozen in her dead expression. Eyes wide. Eyebrows pinched. Mouth wide open in a silent scream.

The vampire holding her is in shadows. Slowly, he turns his head toward me. I see nothing but one corner of a fanged mouth tip upward into a smile.

A heavy, sickening wash of familiarity comes over me, and before I blink, he drops the dead girl and takes off into the darkness. I don't even hesitate. I follow.

“Riley!” Noah calls, and starts off behind me. The one I'm chasing is fast, and I'm having to kick in the extra energy to keep up. I can hear Noah's footfalls fade a little with each step.

The park is deserted, and I'm chasing this vampire into the shadows at the far end when suddenly, he has stopped, turned, and is facing me. I stop, too, and stare, peering into the shadows obscuring his features. I see his silhouette, though, and my insides feel sickened. Six feet. Broad shoulders. Muscular thighs. Arrogant stance.

The grass crunches behind me, and I turn my head. It's Noah.

“Riley, I asked you not to take off alone,” he says, distracting me for a half second.

I glance back at the figure. The vampire that has just killed a young girl.

He's gone.

I feel my knees go weak, and I want to sink to the ground, maybe even scream. I inhale instead and take off in the direction the vampire disappeared. Vampire. Killer. Bloodsucker who'd just stolen a life, ruined others because of it. That girl's family will never be the same, always a hole ripped in their lives. I hate it so much it makes my insides roil with rage. I hear Noah swear and he's right behind me again.

Without thinking, I crank up the speed, and I'm bounding over parked cars, rebounding off buildings, and next I'm leaping rooftops again. I scan the shadows, searching for the least amount of movement. I startle a flock of roosting ravens, and their wings sound like drums going off in my head. They slow me just enough for Noah to get his hands on me and yank me to a halt.

“Riley!” he says harshly, and snatches me toward him. Both of his hands grip my shoulders. “Stop!”

I look at my partner's face, and shadows fall across most of it. It's Noah, though. I know that. For a second, I'm dazed. What the hell's wrong with me?

Who was I just chasing?

I shift my gaze across the city's skyline. Down the river, the castle lights are still on. Dawn is close to breaking, and I see the river Ness moving like a black eel below me. I look at Noah, who is studying me with a cautious look.

“I'm losing my mind,” I say, barely above a whisper. “It has to be residual from entering that alternative plane.” I shake my head and lift my gaze to meet Noah's. “Why do I keep seeing Eli?”

Noah's brow furrows. “You thought that vampire back there was Eli?” He shook his head. “Come on, Riley. Eli Dupré? Your fiancé? My closest friend? Original guardian of Savannah? Entrusted by Preacher and Estelle? Forsake his parents? Eli, turned dark?” Again, he shakes his head and lets go of my shoulders. “No fucking way, Riley. It wasn't him. Your mind's playing tricks on you.”

“Then what's wrong with me?” I ask. “Why, ever since St. Bueno's, am I seeing him, Noah? Am I crazy? Am I being tormented?”

Noah looks down at me, his silvery eyes soft. “I don't think you are seeing him, darlin'. I think . . . ,” He grabs my chin and lifts it closer to him. “I think he is consuming your mind right now. You know Arcos made it out alive, and you want more than anything for the same to happen to Eli. I get that. And he may have. But he's not killing innocents.” Noah's eyes hold mine. “He's just not.”

The sun is just cracking the horizon. What were shadows and darkness are now haze and fuzzy light. I see Noah's face clearly. He's probably the most sincere soul I know. “Then why,” I say to him, “am I seeing him in a bad way? Killing people?”

One corner of Noah's mouth lifts. “Now, that I can't explain, Ms. Poe. But you need to relax. Concentrate. And let's get this job done. Then we'll work on Eli.” He taps my nose. “Together. With Andorra.”

I heave a sigh. “Yeah. Okay.”

Noah inclines his head toward the ground. “You ready to hop off this rooftop before we draw a crowd?”

“Guess we'd better,” I say, and leap the two and a half stories to a side alley. Noah lands beside me, and we walk toward the river. Early-morning businesses are opening up. Bakers, butchers, tourist shops. It's Friday morning, and there's a certain feel in the wind. Maybe it's coming from the youth, looking forward to a little fun? Kids out of school? Whatever it is, I know the streets of Inverness are no longer safe. Three rouge vampires killed already. One on the loose, and I have no idea who that one is.

Despite Noah's insistence that it wasn't Eli, I pray for it to not be.

It's only a matter of time before the local police discover the bodies being drained of blood, or minus a very important organ, are more than a fluke. Nothing screams
serial killer
more than a few dead bodies piling up.

Makes me wonder if that guy, before I put the mind whammy on him, knows just how lucky he is. That he was a half second away from having his blood sucked from his body. Maybe it's best that he doesn't know. Sometimes I wish I didn't.

“Let's walk the city today, in the daylight,” Noah suggests. “Arriving here after dark, taking off on a blind hunt.” He shakes his head. “I don't like to work that way. Inverness isn't too big. Let's head back to the guesthouse, get the maps Andorra gave us, and hit the streets.” He drapes an arm over one of my shoulders. “Come on.”

I meet Noah Miles's encouraging gaze. If anyone can make you believe in yourself, or a cause, it's Noah Freaking Miles. Must be left over in his human DNA from the Revolutionary War.

“Damn straight it is,” he says, reading my mind. “Let's go.”

We slip into the streets of Inverness, mingling with the mortals walking to work, to school, tourists checking out St. Andrew's Cathedral, Inverness Castle.