Shadow Born: Book 1 of the Shadow-Borne Chronicles (24 page)

A sound awoke Alec suddenly and he realized that he had fallen asleep on Silas’s couch.
 
He sat up just in time to see Silas, his face like storm clouds and his eyes sizzling with energy, followed by a worried-looking Marcus, enter the double doors.
 
Silas carried a tablet of some sort in his hands.
 
It obviously held Dorn’s report.

“Alec, what the hell happened?” Silas asked, his tone angry, but not with Alec.

“Are you okay?” Marcus asked quickly scanning Alec for injuries.
 
What Marcus didn’t realize was that Alec’s injuries were on the inside where no one could see them.
 
His spirit felt bruised and raw from the emotional damage that was being done to him.

Alec shook his head and addressed Marcus first, “I’m fine,” and then he filled the men in on what had happened since Xavier had shown him to the media room.
 
When they got to the part about Ms. Farris responding to Alec, Silas pulled out the tablet and hit a button, pulling up the surveillance video footage of the incident.
 
All three men watched the screen quietly.

When the video stopped, Silas stood quietly, thinking.
 

Silas finally asked, “Alec, are you sure that Ms. Farris was compelled by someone and not just insane?”

Alec nodded his head.
 
“She had the same slack look and dull eyed stare I’ve seen when one of you compels someone.”
 
He shrugged.

Silas grunted.
 

“Who the hell is ‘the Devil’?” Marcus asked.
 
At Alec’s confused look he clarified, “I know who the Devil is as far as literature and mythology goes, I mean who is the Devil in this context?”

Alec thought about it for a minute.
 
“In the Tarot the Devil card can mean self-bondage or some form of enslavement to an idea or cause.
 
It can also stand for the darker side of life; lust, greed, sadism.
 
That sort of thing.”

Marcus tilted his head and looked at Alec confused.
 
“Where did that come from?”

Alec shook his slowly, thinking.
 
“I don’t know. It just…felt right, like it was the right idea and right thing to say.”

Silas was biting the inside of his cheek, lost in thought.
 
After a moment he said, “I’m going to put security to researching any vampire cults or factions out there that might use the Devil as their symbol or icon.
 
Maybe there’s a group out there trying to make a point.
 
However, I don’t know of anyone off the top of my head that could compel a person’s heart to just stop on command. The compelled’s brain overrides such commands and ignores them since the body
usually
can’t just stop a biological process.”

“Maybe it was coincidence,” Alec said, but the words sounded hollow even to him.

“I doubt it.
 
A heart generally doesn’t just stop.
 
It usually goes through some sort of process, either spasms or erratic behavior, and then it stops.
 
I’m curious to see what Doctor Schubert’s autopsy reveals.
 

“Listen, Alec, I’ve made a decision.
 
I have business in Saint Louis and I’ve
 
been debating whether to take Marcus with me or leave him here to watch over things while I’m gone.”

“To watch over me, you mean,” Alec said smiling.

“Among other things, yes.
 
After what happened earlier I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone.
 
So I’m taking you with us.”

Alec perked up at this.
 
“That’s great.
 
When do we leave?”

“We were going to leave tomorrow night, but after what happened, I think the sooner the better.
 
If no one knows you’ve left, maybe that will buy us some time to figure out what’s going on.
 
We can tell the staff you are upset over everything that’s happened and that you have decided to stay in your room.
 
Dorn can take your meals in and make it look like you are still here.”

“You don’t think it will look suspicious, the head of security bringing me meals?”

“Considering all that’s happened, Alec it wouldn’t be suspect to take precautions for your safety.
 
By now I’m sure the staff knows what’s happened to Ms. Farris and everyone knows that you and Dorn were together when it happened.
 
He’s also human so it wouldn’t be unusual for you to place your trust in him.”

“Okay, but how are we going to sneak me out of the mansion?”
 
Alec was nervous about this whole idea but the thought of getting out of this mansion for a while and hiding somewhere sounded like a great idea to him.

“I’ll have Xavier call and prepare the jet for takeoff immediately and have a car waiting for us in the garage.
 
Alec, you stay here and out of sight.
 
Marcus, you go to Alec’s room like you are checking on him and saying goodbye.
 
Pick up anything you think he’ll need like his phone charger and anything small you can carry out in your pockets.
 
We will buy you clothes once we arrive.”

“Actually, Alec has been wearing some of my extra clothes.
 
I can just pack for both of us in my chambers,” Marcus said.
 
“No one knows how long we will be gone so it won’t be weird that I take extra clothes with me.”

Silas nodded.
 
“Good.
 
Let’s get started.
 
I want to be in Saint Louis before sunrise.
 
I’ll phone ahead and let Hisashi know that we will be bringing a guest.”

Marcus stood.
 
“I’ll let Dorn know what he needs to do and let him know that you want the rest of the staff questioned and monitored for any sort of compulsion that might be on them.
 
I’ll pack and meet you guys back here in an hour.”

“Alec, you stay here so that you aren’t seen and everyone thinks you are in your rooms.
 
I’ll let the kitchen know that Dorn will be delivering your meals to you.”
 
With that, Marcus and Silas left the sitting room to carry out their duties.
 
Alec sat quietly on the couch, thinking.
 
Two people had died because of him.
 
Hopefully, this would prevent anything else like that from happening while the staff was questioned.
 
He sighed.
 
Alec hoped Saint Louis wouldn’t be too dangerous.

Something else occurred to Alec.
 
It was time to be proactive.
 
No more being intimidated by others.
 
No more letting people shove him around.
 
No more.
 
It was time Alec Carson started acting like the man he wanted to be.
 
It was time to start standing up for himself.
 

Alec sat comfortably aboard the jet that belonged to Silas.
 
He’d never been aboard anyone’s personal jet before, nor had he known anyone who had one.
 
It felt very weird.
 
Silas and Marcus had gone about their preparations and met Alec in the sitting room.
 
They had exited through one of the doors in the back and taken a hallway, which led to a garage, where a car picked them up discreetly and took them out the back entrance.
 
Alec hadn’t even been aware that there was a back entrance.
 
He’d only seen the mansion from the front.
 
However, he wasn’t surprised.

Worry and doubt were eating away at Alec and getting the best of him.
 
Two people had died because of him today.
 
He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
 
He also couldn’t stop worrying about the issue of whether or not he was damned.
 
The fact that the Devil was coming for him, metaphorically speaking or not, had to mean something didn’t it?
 
And what about the horrible nightmares he’d been having?
 
Was this some sort of sign that Alec was now some sort of soulless creature that was damned for all eternity?
 
He didn’t really feel any different, but didn’t all gifts come with a price?

Alec was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t heard Silas speaking to him.
 
Alec jumped when Silas laid his hand gently on his shoulder to get his attention.
 

“Are you okay?”
 
Silas looked at the younger man, concern written on his face.

“I’m fine,” Alec lied, not meeting Silas’s gaze.

“Alec, I’ve been around a long time, and I know when something is eating away at someone.
 
Out with it.”
 
Silas crossed his arms across his chest and sat back.

Alec felt stupid saying it all out loud, but once he started it all came pouring out in a torrent of words and emotions.
 
Silas listened quietly while Alec unburdened himself. Alec realized that Marcus was listening as well.
 
He didn’t really care, he trusted Marcus with his life.

When he finished, Silas sighed heavily.

“Alec, the first thing you have to realize is that you did not cause the death of either Nancy or Max.
 
Someone else’s actions were responsible.
 
You didn’t pull the trigger and you didn’t set them on the course that led to their deaths.”
 
Silas made sure he had Alec’s attention.
 
“Yes, you were the focus of someone’s attention but that isn’t your fault either.
 
What happened to them was horrible and tragic, but it wasn’t your fault.”

Alec struggled to explain his feelings.
 
“I know that I didn’t actively kill either one of them, but if I hadn’t been there, they would still be alive today.”

Silas nodded.
 
“That may be true, but you can’t take the blame for that.
 
You were brought into this crazy world by Clarissa.
 
I took you into protection.
 
You were just as much a victim as they were.
 
But the sole person that is responsible for their deaths is still out there.
 
They alone are responsible for what happened.
 
Not you, and not I.
 
Do you understand?”

Alec nodded.
 
He felt a little better.
 
He still felt bad about what happened but he realized there was an unknown attacker out there that had set these actions in motion of his or her own reasons.
 
And they were the ones that needed to pay.

“And as for being worried about your soul,” Silas suppressed his grin, not wanting Alec to think he was making light of the situation, “I know someone you need to talk to.
 
I can’t make any guarantees that we can get to see him anytime soon or that he’ll see us, but I think your unique circumstances might pique his interest.”

“Who?” Alec asked intrigued.

“It’s a long story and I’ll let you hear it from the man himself, but his name is Jacob and he is the one vampire that has ever died and been brought back as far as we know.”

“What?” Alec asked hardly believing the words that Silas was speaking.

Silas nodded.
 
“I won’t go into details, it’s his story to tell, but he died and came back.
 
It’s a truly unique story, as unique as your own,” Silas said smiling.
 

A voice came over the intercom telling them to buckle up for landing.
 
They’d reached Saint Louis.

A limousine was waiting for them beside the runway.
 
The driver informed them that another car would pick up their baggage and have it delivered.
 
Alec had never been in a limo before and was staring wide-eyed at all the car had to offer.
 
Silas looked completely relaxed and at home amidst the luxury.
 
Marcus just looked amused.
 

The drive was short and within fifteen minutes they entered through a large, guarded gate and into a garage.
 
The chauffeur opened the door for Silas first and then for Marcus and Alec.
 
He tipped his hat to them once and got back into the vehicle and drove away.
 

Three men were standing, waiting patiently for Silas and his small group.
 
They approached and one of the men, a Japanese man that looked to be in his forties, greeted Silas warmly, first bowing to him and then shaking his hand.
 
He did the same to Marcus and Alec.

“I’m sorry,” Silas said, “but could we wait for introductions until we are safely away from prying eyes and ears?”

The Japanese man looked intrigued but nodded his consent.
 
They followed him and his three companions to an elevator that took them up several stories.
 
When they exited, they were led down a hallway and to a set of heavy black lacquered doors with Japanese symbols on them.
 
The man opened the door and invited everyone in.

Alec noted that the office they were standing in was large and was decorated with a Japanese motif.
 
Several sets of Samurai armor stood against the walls.
 
It all felt very authentic to Alec.

“Hisashi, I’m afraid that I must impose upon you, and ask that you keep a secret for me, at least until we leave,” Silas said clasping his hands behind his back.

“Go on,” the Japanese man said carefully.
 
Alec noted that his voice was deep and held only a trace of an accent.