Dead and Beyond (7 page)

Cass was my best bet because she always seemed to know everything. But she was also the one who could never keep her mouth shut. If I wanted to shout it out to the world, Cass would be the one to contact. But I wanted to keep it a secret, so telling her wasn’t an option.

I didn’t know Thrain well enough.

Kieran and Aidan had fought against their hunger for centuries, but I couldn’t tell them because they would freak out. They did the most stupid and reckless things when they thought me in danger, like turning all Scottish and fighting people. I had no doubt they’d start blaming the Shadows in a heartbeat. Once the McAllister brothers got mad, heads would roll. While I had no idea whether it was true, I had no intention to find out.

My brain reeled, going through every possibility over and over again. Most people I knew either weren’t familiar with the paranormal world, or I couldn’t tell them for one reason or another. But there was one person who helped me in the past. Granted, he also betrayed my trust, and I ended up a prisoner with no means of escape. If Aidan didn’t come to my rescue, who knows where I’d be right now. This time, however, I’d make sure to read the fine print before signing any contract with a Shadow.

Getting up from the stairs, I tried to remember where I put the cell phone Devon once gave me. Not being the most organized person in the world sort of made me misplace my belongings. I climbed up the stairs to my bedroom on the first floor, and started rummaging through my possessions, tossing books and clothes aside until I had a growing heap on the carpet.

Eventually, I found the tiny, silver device at the back of my closet, pushed behind a pair of shoes I rarely wore. I didn’t remember hiding it in there, but it certainly made sense. No one would ever go looking inside a closet, unless they didn’t mind smelling someone’s cheesy feet in the hope to find a hidden cell phone.

The battery was dead and I didn’t have a charger—in other words, I couldn’t find it in the mess I had just caused looking for the phone. But that didn’t stop me. I removed the SIM card and inserted it into my own phone. Bless whoever invented unlocked mobiles.

There was no reception inside the house, so I ventured out onto the driveway, balancing the cell phone on my palm as I watched the reception indicator. As soon as the phone hit two bars, I flicked it open and stared at it for a while, wondering whether I wasn’t making a huge mistake. Trusting a Shadow was as stupid as standing near a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm and hoping one wouldn’t be struck by lightning, but did I have a choice? The Shadows’ ruler, Deidre, had been the one to perform Aidan and Kieran’s ritual. Since it seemed to be malfunctioning, I figured I could just demand a recast of a faulty ritual and Aidan would never find out. Getting in touch with Devon was definitely worth a shot.

My finger speed-dialed a moment before I even realized what I was doing. No going back now. I held my breath as I listened to the dial tone. Someone picked up almost instantly but they didn’t speak.

“Devon?” I said into the silence. My heart hammered in my chest until it was so loud I thought I might not be able to hear anything else over the noise.

“This can’t be who I think it is.” The male voice sounded foreign and cold.

“Surprise.” I waited for him to make some lame vampire joke but he didn’t.

“You’re speaking to Devon.”

I frowned. “Yeah, I figured that much.”

“Are you sure you got the right number?” he asked.

I began to tap my fingers against my thigh because he made me nervous. As usual, I couldn’t read the guy and it drove me nuts. “Pretty sure since this is the number you programmed into the phone.”

“I’m surprised you still have it. What do you want, Amber?”

Granted, I didn’t expect a friendly welcome but his tone was downright rude and invited me to hang up on him. I swallowed down my pride as I answered.

“I need to talk.”

“About what? I don’t think there’s anything you and I could possibly have to say to each other.”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. When I first met Devon, he was obviously looking for more than friendship. He used his charm to make me trust him. I knew I couldn’t let it happen again. But I also needed to ask a few questions. Literally. If I didn’t talk to someone with a pulse soon—I shook my head, unable to finish that thought. Let’s just say, someone had to know. And preferably someone who believed me. So I decided to spill the beans, all the while ensuring I wouldn’t reveal too much. I could bait him. My strategy: make him curious to reel him in until he had to see me, but don’t make any promises. And, most importantly, don’t offer anything in return. Now that part might just prove my downfall because I was always offering to do something for others, and usually ended up regretting it. “Something weird is happening to me. I feel different,” I whispered.

Devon hesitated for a few seconds before replying, “You’re a bloodsucker now, what did you expect?”

It wasn’t my fault, I felt like saying. But I didn’t. No point in arguing with him. It wouldn’t change anything. “It’s not that.” I shook my head and moistened my lips. “Listen, I need to see you. We really need to talk.”

“I don’t know. I’d be breaking a lot of rules.”

A dark cloud moved in front of the sun, bathing my surroundings in semi-darkness. Unpredictable changes in weather’s part of the Scottish charm, but it happened so fast, a shiver ran down my spine. I could feel something in the air; something dark and foreboding, gathering around me, talking to me even though I couldn’t hear a word, wanting me to do something.

“Amber?” Devon’s voice jolted me out of my reverie. “Are you still there?”

I nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see me. Or maybe he could. The Shadows had a reputation for hovering around Aidan’s property to watch their enemies.

Even though they liked to pretend they were friends, a silent war between the Shadows and the vampires had been raging for centuries.

Even though they liked to pretend they were friends, a silent war between the Shadows and the vampires had been raging for centuries.

“Can I see you?” I whispered, adding, “Please. For old times’ sake.”

Silence. Then, “Outside the gates?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there. Just be alone.”

The dead line indicated the end of the call. I moistened my lips and scanned the surrounding woodlands with their dark green bushes and tall trees stretching over thousands of miles of land. Devon would come, I had no doubt about it. I just wished he could’ve told me when.

The iron-wrought gates were only a few feet away. Lowering myself to the damp ground, I pushed the phone inside my pocket, prepared to wait for as long as it’d take him to get here.

Devon was trying to piss me off by keeping me waiting for almost an hour. Tapping my fingers on my thigh, I was slowly starting to get impatient and doubted he’d even bother to show up. He was such a moron, or otherwise known as the magnanimous Shadow. I still remembered the way he had spoken to me, looked at me, touched me. So calm. So superior. So eerie. There was a lot I didn’t yet understand about his race.

I sighed and stood from the cold ground to stretch my legs. A cold wind had begun to blow through the trees, whirling the leaves around my feet. I inhaled the aroma of oncoming rain and damp wood, and wondered when my life had become so complicated. It seemed such a long time ago, but until a few weeks previously, I had actually followed a routine: wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, hurry over to my after-school part-time job, then maybe even meet a few friends in the evening to chat over a hot beverage. I had taken all those things for granted—even complained about the lack of excitement in my life—and now I had lost that bit of normalcy that had meant I was still a living and breathing being. I missed being normal. Being a vampire wasn’t worth it, and certainly not when I sucked cute, little squirrels dry.

A twig snapped behind me, signaling someone’s presence. I turned slowly and peered through the metal rods at Devon’s imposing figure.

Dark hair that seemed a tad longer than the last time I saw him. Skin as smooth as alabaster stretched over high cheekbones. And then his eyes. I blinked several times as something stirred inside me: shock, fear. Had they always looked this scary?

His black gaze fell upon me, taking in my features. I brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face and rubbed my palm on my jeans to remove imaginary lint. But my own gaze remained glued to him, unwilling to show him how uncomfortable he made me feel.

“You look good given—” he started.

I cut him off, finishing for him. “That I’m a bloodsucker now. Yeah, I got that part. You look good, too, considering you’re a creepy shadow who can melt in the rain. Who does that?”

“No. I was about to say, given the circumstances.” He raised his brows. A glint of amusement appeared in his eyes. “And we don’t melt. No idea what gave you that impression.” His deep voice trailed off. I marveled at how calm and composed he seemed. It pissed me off big time because I wasn’t anything like it.

“You know nothing about my circumstances.” I narrowed my gaze, challenging him to disagree and be a show-off, which could only mean one thing: he knew exactly what was happening to me. But he didn’t take the bait.

“You’re right. I don’t. To what do I owe the pleasure? You said something’s wrong with you?”

“Yeah, I’m kinda jittery since I haven’t had a good cup of latte macchiato in ages. Thought you might bring me one.”

His lips twitched but he didn’t smile. “That’s a gesture of affection I reserve only for friends.”

Ouch. “I thought we were friends.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You ditched me the second your precious Romeo turned up whom, in case you forgot, we rescued. You didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye, which stung because I thought we really shared something special.” I opened my mouth to tell him the vampires stormed in like some kind of SWAT team and tricked me into following them when Devon cut me off, “We didn’t know each other well, but there was a spark there even you can’t deny. And yet you did. So, what exactly gave you the impression we were friends?”

I took a sharp breath, gathering my thoughts. “As far as I remember, you made me believe we were friends when you needed my powers. But the moment you had your precious book back, you deserted me. What sort of friend does that? Never mind answering that one ‘cause I’ll tell you. A shitty one. In that matter you’re probably right. We were never friends.”

“Amber—”

“I don’t want to hear it ‘cause I’m only getting started! You left me on a cold stone altar with a gash on my neck, bleeding to death. How could you watch me die, Devon?” I shouted. I tried not to get emotional but it kind of bothered me because I once trusted him. He made me feel special and then threw me to the wolves. That was bound to hurt more than my escape from Shadowville aka prison. Maybe I hoped he cared about me more than he actually did.

Did I had a small crush on him and was in denial? The thought caught me by surprise. I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind and glanced at Devon. He was still staring at me. Even though his expression had softened and his eyes looked miserable, it scared the crap out of me when people kept staring like that.

“Watching you almost die was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” he said quietly.

“Almost?” Snorting, I crossed my arms. Talking about what happened that fateful day was difficult. I felt betrayed by all. Aidan, Kieran, Cass, but most importantly Devon, because he told me the Shadows protected mortals. He guaranteed my safety. “I hate to remind you, mate, but my life kinda ended that day. My mortal one at least.”

“I’m sorry, Amber.” He moved and reached out, then withdrew his hand again, as though unsure how I’d react to his touch. “I should’ve been there for you when you needed me the most.”

My gaze bore into his, and for the first time I didn’t feel intimidated by his height and muscles and everything he represented. “Damn straight. If it weren’t for Kieran, I’d be dead and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Just admit I was expendable.”

He shook his head, his black eyes flickering with something I couldn’t place. “Don’t ever say that! I fought to get to you but—” He stared at me as though he wanted to say something but decided to keep it to himself. He looked so earnest I almost believed he cared, but my heart just wouldn’t buy it.

“We need to talk,” I said eventually, eager to change the subject.

“You mentioned that.” Apart from the tiny glint that vanished just as quickly as it appeared, I saw nothing else in his expression that would betray his thoughts. I hated that I couldn’t read him. “Why don’t you come out and we can sit down for a chat?”

Opening the gate would mean leaving the safety of Aidan’s magic behind. “Do you think ‘stupid’ is my middle name? I learned my lesson the last time I was almost kidnapped by one of your kind.” I waited for him to start defending his friend, Connor. He didn’t. “What? You have no excuse up your sleeve? That’s surprising.”

“Are you lonely, Amber? Is your boyfriend not spending enough time with you?”

His tone was too sweet. Too—mocking. Maybe even a tad hopeful. I could take the bite and start raving about my relationship with Aidan, which would only lead to Devon thinking he was right. Or I could just use his own strategy of ignoring everything I didn’t want to elaborate on. I bit my tongue and even managed to keep my mouth shut for a whole two seconds. And then I thought, toss it. Avoiding an argument had never been my style. My gaze narrowed as I smiled sweetly. “As a matter of fact, Devon, we’re very much in love and couldn’t be happier. But, like every normal person, we do spend a few hours a day apart, you know, just to keep the fire blazing.”

“I always had the impression you guys were cold. I guess that’s just a myth then.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. He didn’t take me seriously. I wished I had just kept my mouth shut.

I raised my chin defiantly, deciding to let his snide remark slide past. “Did you get to witness Deidre perform Kieran’s ritual?”

The sudden change in topic seemed to take him by surprise. He ran a hand through his dark hair, his gaze shifted to our feet for a few seconds before focusing back on me. He was being wary again.