Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3) (12 page)

“We don’t know that he did anything wrong,” I said as I pulled back so I could see
his face. “Yes, he should have told us about the gun, but that doesn’t mean he purposely
planned all of this.”

Simon gazed at me
,
cupping my face in his hands as h
is thumbs lightly brushed
against
my cheeks
. “Let’s not talk anymore,” he said softly. “We’ve done enough talking for tonight.”

He reached down and gently took the palladium coin from my hand, leaning over momentarily
to open the drawer of my night
stand and closing it once he had tossed
it inside. I felt shivers run down my spine when he gently caressed my lips with
his as he pulled me closer so that one of his thighs was wedged in between mine.
I felt heat course through my body as he deepened the kiss and I opened my mouth,
welcoming the velvety wetness
of his invading tongue. In that
moment, nothing existed except Simon and
me,
and the thought of doubting him seemed ridiculous.

“I promise I’ll do a better job of protecting you,” he whispered against my mouth.
“I failed you tonight. I won’t let it happen again.”

I shook my head slightly, my breathing becoming shallow. “It wasn’t your fault, Simon.
There was nothing you could do.”

Instead of reassuring him, my words seemed to frustrate him, and he pressed against
my li
ps harder, as if to blot out my
words.
A sound of pleasure escaped me when his hands slipped under my shirt and the rough
pads of his fingertips caressed my bare flesh. He gripped my
sides and pulled me closer so that his knee was pressed against
the apex of my jea
ns, and I couldn’t suppress a
moan as need rose up in me.

Despite my desire, I broke the kiss although it was almost painful to do so. As much
as I wanted Simon, this wasn’t the right time for us to be intimate for the first
time
. I also didn’t want to cloud my mind, and Simon had a definite way of making me lose
focus.

“Too fast?” he asked, his voice hoarse. I nodded and it seemed to take some effort
on his part, but he loosened his grip. He
lay
down
on the bed
and pulled me towards him so that he was cradling me from behind, and we stayed in
that position for a long time. Sleep evaded me, even though I was exhausted, as I
wondered if timing was the only thing preventing me from having sex with Simon.
As much as I loved him, I could never forget that he was a vardoger.

Chapter Nine

The lights from above were bright, illuminating the
room
harshly. I squinted my eyes, the flood of light painful as if I had just stepped
out of a dark room. I blinked in confusion when I saw two people standing a few feet
apart,
holding swords as they faced each other
. My gaze took in
the white uniforms and masks they we
re wearing and my confusion receded
as I realized they were fencing.
I was unfamiliar with the sport, but knew enough to realize what they were doing.
The two opponents were taking turns advancing and retreating, trying to get hits on
each other.

The sound of the swords swishing in the air was the only thing I heard as I watched
silently.
I was sitting in the front row of bleachers nearby and
I felt a trickle of unease as one of the opponents started to become
more
aggressive.
The strokes of their swords became a little more frantic as the aggressor
moved forward, forcing the other to retreat f
a
rther and f
a
rther back. I heard a sound of protest from the person being pushed off the field
of play, but the words were garbled through the mask.

I tried to stand so that I could walk
over and watch them close up
, but I was rooted to my spot as my muscles refused to cooperate. It was only at
that
moment I realized this
wasn’t real and I was in the midst of a vision. My pulse quicke
ned as I watched helplessly as
the
more forceful fencer
continued to advance on the opponent, but now I knew it was more than likely that
the aggressor was a vardoger.
Even though I knew it was a vision, my mouth automatically opened t
o scream a warning, but no sound
came out.

The vardoger raised its arm high and brought it down with
s
lashing force, the
sword slicing through the air
sounding
like a whip. The sword came down brutally against the neck of the victim, and a scream
gurgled in my throat when it sliced through the neck,
completely
decapitating the person.
Horror gripped me as blood spurted from the slashed neck and
I watched the severed head roll
towards me, stopping just inches from my feet.
Nausea roiled through me as I stared at the masked head before me
in a
pool
of
blood
, and
my body started to shake violently.

I gasped as my eyes flew open, fear still pumping through my veins as I got a hold
of
my bearings. I took a deep breath, trying to wipe the gruesome scene from my mind,
but I kept picturing the severed head rolling towards me. I shuddered in revulsion
and felt Simon stir next to me. In the next instant, he was awake.

“Did you have a vision?” he asked softly as
he propped himself up on his elbow
so that he was leaning over me. I could see in the dim light that he looked concerned.
I nodded my head jerkily, but the images were still too fre
sh in my mind to speak about them.
Simon just waited as he stroked my hair, trying to soothe me.

“It was horrible,” I said haltingly when I was
finally
able to speak. Simon was silent
as I told him about my vision, his expression
darkening when I got to the
decapitation. When I was done, I voiced the concern that had been worrying me since
I had awoken.

“I didn’t see the person’s face. I couldn’t even tel
l if it was a girl or a guy. How can I help the person in my vision if I don’t even
know what they look like?”

“I
don’t know,” Simon said
after a long pause. “Maybe you’ll have the vision
agai
n and you’ll be able to see their face
next time.”

I didn’t talk for a while as I
mulled over what my next steps should be
. I glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was barely six o’clock in the morning.

“Well, I know where to start. The fencing team.” Simon didn’t argue as I got up to
get ready for the day. I was beginning to believe that he was finally accepting my
role as a seer, and I was relieved that I didn’t have to deal with an argument from
him on top of everything else.

I showered and got dressed and walked out into the living room while Simon
took his turn
in the shower.
I was surprised
to find the living room empty
but the sheets were folded and stacked on the couch with the pillow, as usual. Ryan’s
bag was still there and
through the window
I saw his car parked
out
in front of the apartment building.

“Where could he have gone?” I muttered to myself. I realized that I had been counting
on Ryan’s help, and his absence affected me more
than
I thought it would.

I tried to suppress my
disappointment
as I turned to go to the kitchen to make some coff
ee, but before I could make any
progress, the front door opened. Ryan walked in with a gust of cold air, and I felt
a surge of relief that he hadn’t abandoned us.

“Where have you been?”

“I just needed some fresh air.” His hazel eyes
honed in on me
. “Rough night?”

I wasn’t sure if I just looked really bad or if he was able to sense that I had experienced
a vision, but I told him
about it in detail
.

“That’s a tough one,” he said when I was done. “We don’t know what the person looks
like, but at least we have
a
lead with the fencing.”

“Maxwell has a fencing team, although that’s as much as I know about it. I looked
up the team online and found out where they practice. I’m planning on going there
this morning.”

“Good idea,”
Ryan said approvingly. “And this will be a perfect opportunity for you to get stronger
in preparation for your father.”
I couldn’t help but feel a
slight
flush from his praise. It was reassuring to know that I had someone on my side.

Simon chose that moment to stride into the living room, and I started guilt
il
y, although I hadn’t done anything wrong. I reminded myself that no one was more on
my side than Simon.

“Did you tell him about your vision?” His glanced flicked from Ryan to me and I nodded.
His lips
tightened. “
Of course you did.”

I ignored his last comment. “I was just telling Ryan that I’m planning on going to
the auditorium where the fencing team practices. I have no idea what their practice
schedule is, but their matches are listed on the school website and they have multiple
matches next week, so I’m hoping they’ll be practicing today.”

Simon checked his watch. “It’s seven o’clock. I doubt they’re practicing right now.”

I raised an eyebrow but didn’t contradict him. “A quick breakfast, then I’m leaving.”

B
reakfast was coffee and a
piece of toast. I grabbed my coat but hesitated when both Ryan and Simon did the same.

“Someone should probably stay behind,” I said. “Sarah and Grant are still sleeping
and I don’t think they should be left alone.”

“I doubt they’re in danger anymore since Grant’s vardoger is gone, and you told me
you destroyed Sarah’s vardoger a while back,” Ryan countered.
“And your father’s not close enough to be a threat.”

“Still,” I said. “I feel uncom
fortable just leaving them alone
, especially since they’re both still asleep.”

“I’ll wake them up,” Simon said in a flat tone. I had a feeling he knew what I was
going to ask of him.

“Simon, please. They both ha
d a really rough night
and they need their sleep
. You don’t want to leave Grant and Sarah completely vulnerabl
e
, do you?”

I could see concern for them warring with his need to be with me, especially with
Ryan around, but the depth of his feelings for Grant and Sarah won out and he grimly
nodded.

“Fine, but I expect you to call me once you get there.” He turned to Ryan with a hard
look. “If anything happ
ens to her, I’m holding you responsible
.”

“Last time I checked, I was the one who saved her.” Ryan’s tone was nonchalant but
his words were meant to puncture, and they succeeded. Simon’s jaw tightened and his
fists clenched.

“Watch it. I can still destroy you in the blink of an eye.”

“I’m well aware of that. I just wish Caitlin would r
ealize that
as well.”

“Enough,” I said in a firm voice.
I leaned towards Simon and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for staying. I promise
to call you when I get to the auditorium.”

I brushed my fingertips
against Simon’s granite jaw and it relaxed imperceptibly, although he still looked
angry when I closed the front door behind me.

“You need to s
top provoking him,” I said as I braced myself against the
chilly morning air.

“I just want you to see him for what he is.”

I halted mid-step and turned to him. “Stop. Just stop. If you’re going to continue
with
your antagonistic attitude, I don’t want your help.”

Ryan’s expression turned grim. “It’s not a matter of wanting my help. You
need
my help.”

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the autocratic tone of his voice.
“Look, I appreciate you being here, but I don’t
need
your help.”

“Don’t you?” Ryan challenged. “What the hell would have
happened last night if I hadn’t been t
here?”

I couldn’t argue with his logic, but his belief that I needed him coupled with his
attitude towards Simon made my anger burn even brighter.

“Simon would have gotten to me in time.”

Ryan scoffed. “
And what c
ould he have done? He can only kill
humans and vardogers in
overtaken bodies. He can’t do anything against a shadow trying to enter you.
Only another seer can destroy them.”

I took a deep breath, trying to get control of my anger. “Simon and I have survived
a lot together without you. He would have figured something out.”

Ryan almost looked sad as he shook his head. “Ca
itlin, your loyalty is admirable
, but it’s misplaced. You’ve placed your trust in the wrong person.”

I was done arguing so I just continued walking, ignoring his presence next to me.
We were
silent for the rest of the way
, and I resolved to not talk about Simon with Ryan anymore. He would never understand
my relationship with him, and a part of me felt like I was betraying Simon by even
talking about him with Ryan.

My pulse quickened when
we entered the auditorium.
The far end of it looked exactly like what
I had seen in my vision, righ
t down to the bleachers. Not only that, but several people, presumably the fencing
team, were currently practicing. For once, luck seemed to be on my side.

Ryan followed me as I made my way to the bleachers. I shivered a l
ittle as I sat down in the
exact
same
spot that
I had been
sitting
in
during
my vision.
I had to admit to myself that I was glad to have Ryan with me. He sat down next to
me and we watched the fencers without speaking for a few moments.

“Is anything coming to you? Does anyone look familiar?” He finally asked.

I shook my head in frustration. “
Several of them could
be the person I saw in my vision.” I sighed heavily. “At least there aren’t that
many people to choose from.”

I had lea
rned on the website earlier
that there were only eight members on the fencing team,
and they were split evenly between
men and women since technically they were two separate teams. At least fencing wasn’t
too popular of a sport at Maxwell. It was hard enough trying to single out the person
in
my vision
from
eight people.

I instantly ruled out two guys and three of the girls. The two
guy
s were
too short to be
the person in my vision and three of the girls were
too
well-endowed
in the chest area
. There was no way I would have missed the generous gifts nature had given them, clearly
outlined in their uniforms
,
that signaled they were
singularly
female.