B00528UTDS EBOK (15 page)

Now Nicole knew he was no ordinary vampire. He could read her far too easily. Probing her thoughts was as effortless for this immortal as pulling files from a cabinet.

Nicole sighed. It would seem that their journey had just begun. Fear gnawed at her stomach. Somehow she knew that Alec was in danger, even if it had nothing to do with Luciano.

* * * *

The house stood silent and dark. For a long time Darrien continued to gaze at Sarah’s home, as if he could not quite believe that no one was there. She was gone! He could no longer feel her presence. It was not like she had just gone into town, or was out on some errand. She was truly gone. If she’d been anywhere near, he would have been able to feel her.

Sarah had left without so much as a word to him!

But wasn’t that what he’d wanted her to do? He told her many times that she was not safe in Sutter Point, and that she should leave. She’d finally taken his advice, but he’d thought, or at least hoped that she would say goodbye.

Sarah was gone and the Fabre house was empty, but still something wasn’t right. Slowly, Darrien moved closer to the house. As he approached the front door, he felt sorrow seep into his heart. The door stood open, hanging from one hinge. The wood frame around the door was splintered. Pieces of it lay scattered on the porch.

They had been there for her, but how? He’d come to her house as soon as the sun had gone down. How had they had enough time to get to her before he had? Unless they’d been hiding someplace close, waiting for night.

Darrien stepped inside. It was dark, but he could see through the darkness. The house was trashed. Pictures had been pulled from the walls, the curtains hung in shreds around the windows, and furniture had been turned over.

Omar’s followers were not the most sophisticated of hunters. They tended to leave destruction in their wake. This was how he knew that the intruders had been Omar’s vamps. Had they gotten her or had she been able to get away?

Darrien cursed himself for not being able to get there sooner. There was no blood. He had to assume that she’d escaped, but the aunt was gone also.

How would he ever find her? And find her was something that he knew he must do. She was his life, the only source of light for his soul. Without her, the last spark of humanity that burned within his heart would soon succumb to the darkness. He had to know that she was safe.

* * * *

Sarah blinked and opened her eyes just as the lights of Reno came into view. The last thing she remembered before dozing off was leaving Sacramento and heading toward Donner Pass. She must have slept right through Lake Tahoe.

Having little opportunity to travel while she was growing up, Sarah found the trip exciting. At least it was exciting as long as she could forget why she was taking the trip, and as long as she didn’t think about Darrien. He would never know what happened to her. That thought brought on an ache in her chest and a feeling of emptiness.

“I hear the University of Nevada is a fine school,” Lex commented when he saw her peering curiously out the window as they drove by the campus.

“At least I’ll be able to keep busy.”

The two traveling companions said no more. Both Sarah and Lex were content to let the silence settled between them. At the beginning of the trip there had been a lot of conversation. Sarah had a great deal that she wanted to know, but now she preferred to retreat into herself.

Sarah now understood that her craving for blood was something that was bred into her. It would never go away. As soon as she’d caught the scent of Darrien’s blood, that hunger had awakened in her. Now it would be with her the rest of her life. It was just one of the consequences of being a born vampire. Not all born vampires had the craving, but she did. Something else that she’d found out from Lex was that she was probably immune to the poison of the vampire. Even if she were bitten, and fed on the blood of a vampire, she most likely wouldn’t turn.

According to Lex, this was a strength that she should appreciate. It would be especially useful if Omar were to ever get the idea to turn her, as he had apparently tried to do to her older sister. Sarah was extremely curious about these sisters, but Lex had refused to give her their names, at least not yet. He feared she might try to find them on her own, and put all of them in danger.

Lex turned off of the highway and into an apartment complex located close to the campus.

“So who is it that I will be staying with exactly, and does she know what I am?” Sarah was becoming a little apprehensive about staying with someone she didn’t even know.

“Well … you could say that she is the daughter of an old family friend. My daughter is married to her father’s cousin. There are some things about her and where she comes from that she has been instructed not to reveal. In fact, she can’t talk about this. It is against the laws of her people. She doesn’t know a lot about you, except that you are in danger. I did tell her about your gift.” Lex forced a smile.

Sarah was no longer sure she’d made the right decision. Lex still seemed a little apprehensive, and this made her nervous. She wanted to hit him with a storm of questions, but instead she asked, “What’s her name?”

“Summer Gray Eagle. Like I said, the two of you will have a lot in common.”

Sarah couldn’t quite understand what they could have in common. This Summer Gray Eagle was the daughter of a lycan, while she was the daughter of a vampire.

When they had parked, Lex popped the trunk open so that they could grab Sarah’s luggage. With both of them carrying bags, Sarah followed him up a staircase to the top floor of one of the buildings. Lex tapped on the door.

Sarah held her breath, waiting for the door to open. She wasn’t sure what it was that she expected to see - maybe a girl with hair all over her and big teeth? When the door swung open, Sarah was actually surprised to see a striking young woman staring back at them.

“Hello,” the girl said, as she stepped aside and let them enter.

Sarah was in awe of the girl’s stunning beauty. She had a tan complexion that appeared to be completely natural. Sarah would have killed to have the girl’s long golden-brown hair. Summer had the most exotic golden eyes Sarah had ever seen. They were like the eyes of a cat.

“I really appreciate this. I don’t know how to thank you.” Sarah set her bags down in the small room. On the twin bed was a comforter, decorated with a spray of brightly colored flowers. Against the opposite wall there was a small dresser and a little mirror. It wasn’t a luxury hotel, but it was nice.

“I’ll let you get settled in and then we can have a cup of coffee, if you’d like?” Summer offered.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

Summer left the room, shutting the door behind her. Sarah decided she liked the girl. She hadn’t picked up any negative vibes from her at all. In fact, Sarah was getting the impression that Summer was glad for the company.

Alec easily gained entry to the ancient church that was also the entryway to the Catacombs of St. Domitilla. It was one of the largest of Rome’s catacombs, consisting of miles of tunnels and four layers. The Catacombs of St. Domitilla were also among the oldest. If the Church was keeping the Book of Anu, it made sense that they might hide it in such a place.

The staircase leading to the tombs started out okay, but it soon changed, running into the original staircase. Alec assumed that the book would be hidden among the Christian burials, maybe even one that had been ordained a saint.

In the dark, there was no way to detect the predator that was behind him, but Alec’s sensed a presence. Stopping, he spun around to see who had followed him into the catacombs. Before he could react, he was slammed in the head with a blunt object and sent flying down the stairs.

The blow had stunned him, but not to the point that he could not act. Alec was on his feet, his eyes glowing with anger. He drew back his lips to reveal his sharp - white fangs. The dark figure flew toward him, but Alec easily maneuvered out of the way. Again his attacker swung at him with what appeared to be a large stick, but this time Alec was able to avoid being hit.

Now his pursuer pulled out a gun. But instead of feeling the separation of flesh like he expected to feel when he heard the blast, the gun was silent. All he felt was a sharp prick in his leg. He had barely enough time to realize that he’d been tranquilized before blacking out.

* * * *

Sarah left her bedroom to join her new roommate. When she entered the living room, her eyes caught movement in a dark corner. There were two lamps to illuminate the room, but the lighting was dim, leaving the corners of the room in shadow. Gina stared at her from the darkness.

Sarah knew that she should not fear her friend, but the grotesque image left her trembling.

“Go away now,” Sarah whispered, hoping that she could urge Gina to go into the light. Why was she still hanging around, Sarah had left Sutter Point like her friend wanted.

Turning her back on the horrifying image of her friend, Sarah stepped into the kitchen. On the table were two cups of coffee, and sweet rolls.

The smile on Sarah’s face vanished. “I don’t know why she’s here. She was warning me to leave, back when I was in Sutter Point. But she’s still around so I don’t know.”

“How much do you know about ghosts?” Sarah asked. Though she herself should have been an expert after growing up with them, she had to admit that she didn’t know that much about the otherworldly specters. She’d tried to avoid encounters with them as much as possible.