Blinding Light (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 2) (18 page)

Piled in a large black SUV, we drove down the snow-packed lane toward the main highway in silence. The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone knew the implications of my presence here tonight. The threat became real, and my purpose was protection.

The clear night provided a much wider range of vision than I had when I first traveled these roads. After turning onto the highway, I noted an old salvage yard about a half of a mile outside of town. When we approached the main street, numerous squat buildings came into view.

Moonlight cast eerie shadows over the road as the snow-covered sidewalks reflected its glow, washing the world in a cold blue hue. We crawled to a stop along the curb, the powder crunching under our chained tires. It appeared the main street had been plowed at some point in the last week, but all the surrounding side lanes were neglected. Wade killed the engine and turned to face the rest of us.

I focused on him, but my senses absently roamed the perimeter. Bells tinkled at a general store a block down the road. A large man in a parka came out carrying a plastic sack. He secured it to the back of his snowmobile before hopping on and riding off in the opposite direction.

“Okay, Max and I will head toward the morgue, which is a block from here across the street. If our recently deceased friend wakes up tonight, we will be the first defense. If he happens to get by us, Nick and Brody will be at the west end of town while Lucy and Allison cover the east end. I’ll call with a heads-up if he takes off in either of your directions. Lucy, Al will show you where our typical post is for that side of town. Brody, Nick, you know where to go. Be safe everyone. We’ll meet back here just before dawn.”

“Break!” I yelled, clapping my hands together. The giddy excitement resurfaced. Killing things was my happy place.

“Am I the only one who’s slightly aroused right now? All this danger and adrenaline is a real turn on,” Brody said.

Nick turned toward me while he replied, “I know, right.”

He winked at me while Brody rattled on and on about which girl in the house was the hottest. When he mentioned Carly, the red headed girl I had never spoken to, Allison complained about not being the center of attention. I rolled my eyes and opened the door, not wanting to hear the name on the tip of Nick’s tongue.

Everyone filed out of the vehicle into the frigid night while the conversation shifted into the lack of options in the house and the resulting sexual frustration. It reminded me of a similar conversation I once had with Holly. She told me my anger and snark came from my non-existent sex life. At the time, I still denied any feelings for Gavin. Even though I wanted him, I
wouldn’t
do anything about it. Now, I still wanted him and admitted to loving him but
couldn’t
do anything about it. What would Holly say about that, I wondered.

Stop thinking about them, Lucy.

No distractions. I pleaded with whatever deity was listening to help me find that Zen-like vampire composure I desperately sought.

The guys dispersed while Allison took off in the opposite direction, and despite my disdain for the girl, I followed her down the snowy sidewalk. We trudged through the massive side street drifts, losing the light of the few lamps peppering the central road. We passed several small rundown storefronts.

“Look, I may not like you, but we are on the same side, and I take this job seriously. I have your back tonight, and you need to have mine,” Allison said, interrupting the stillness of the night.

“Agreed,” I answered solemnly. “No one is dying tonight.” It was more of a prayer than a promise.

“Good, we’re on the same page then,” she responded.

Did we just have a moment?

“But I’m going back to hating you after tonight,” she added, thus ending the conversation and my internal debate on whether she had a heart or if it was merely a dark cavity where morality and self-doubt went to die. Now I was convinced she would survive a vampire attack. They only went for things with a pulse.

A pharmacy, an antique shop and several pawn shops later, we neared the edge of town and came to a stop under a tin roof overhang. Allison leaned against a wooden sign that read Bob’s Lumber. The large building sat on the edge of the woods. Behind it, a tall chain-link fence enclosed several piles of freshly milled logs lying under the shelter of a tin canopy, as well as unprotected piles of rough lumber peaking out of their fluffy, white blankets.

The first hour dragged on with uncomfortable silence. Allison sat on a stray stump and pretended to be fascinated by her nails every time I so much as inclined my head toward her, and my anticipatory enthusiasm kept me on my feet.

A throwing knife wound between my fingers and came to an abrupt stop, perched on my knuckles, when a twig snapped twenty yards inside the tree line.

My head whipped toward the sound, and Allison immediately straightened. Honing my senses, I heard the soft snort and stomping of hooves when the source of the noises tore off through the underbrush. My shoulders slumped with disappointment.

“Just a deer,” I told Allison. She sat back on the log and continued her inspection of polish perfection.

I sighed. Five agonizing seconds ticked by. Then ten. Fifteen. “How do you do this all the time? Doesn’t the boredom drive you mad?” I burst.

“No. I like the quiet, as opposed to the alternative. I’ve learned to appreciate the boredom. We aren’t all bloodthirsty, unlike some people,” she sneered.

Ignoring the jab, I went back to knife twirling. Underneath the bravado, she was just as scared as the others. I understood her anger toward vampires. We had that in common. It was difficult to begrudge her the resentment she held toward me when I once believed all vampires to be evil myself. Maybe one day she’ll get to know one who will change her mind. Like I did.

The next hour crept by torturously, leaving me to reflect on all those things that needed to stay locked away in my dark cerebral tomb. Angelic swords, prophetic dreams, ancient grudges. Oh my! Not to mention the personal turmoil.

Actually, no. Don’t mention that, Lucy.

After another round of pacing, the ominous vibrating tone sparked Allison to jump from her seat. I pulled my new phone from my back pocket, swiping the screen to answer quickly.

“Yeah?” I said, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Lucy, heads up. He got by us. He took off in your direction. We’re headed your way,” Wade clipped before the line went dead.

“What is it?” Allison stood, panic in her voice.

“There’s one coming this way,” I replied, stretching my hearing.

The building obstructed sound, so I moved away from it into a clearing next to the fence. Allison drew her weapon and prepared for a fight, her stance wide and on guard.

Half a minute ticked by without a breath. Anyone could pass this town in the blink of an eye, let alone a vampire. Something was off. Then again, I should probably be used to odd displays of vampire behavior by now, especially when I was involved.

Finally, footsteps triggered my senses, and my attacker revealed himself. He flew out of the forest, barreling toward me. He was a tall and lanky boy, no more than seventeen.

I grabbed fistfuls of his denim jacket and used his momentum to hurtle him forward. The chain link caved easily under his weight, and the loud thump of a body hitting a pile of logs disturbed the peaceful night.

A sound like skulls cracking together rang out as logs rolled over each other and splintered. Allison sucked in a sharp breath, and I glanced over to see her crouched against the back of the shop. When I looked back to my opponent, he already had a snow-covered log in his arms, charging toward me.

Before he could ram me, I sidestepped the makeshift lance. Grabbing the end of the log in a bear hug, I spun it so he ended up behind it in the forward motion. I proceeded to shove the trunk at him. It weighted him down and he fell backward. The log landed on his chest. I heard several internal cracks and assumed the broken ribs would keep him down for a while.

Another presence in the woods alerted my senses, and I immediately tore off in its direction. A spy was the last thing I needed, and I would rather not play that game again.

“Lucy,” Allison hissed at my departure.

Ignoring her, I raced toward the sounds of retreat and met a set of fresh tracks in the snow. Swirling flakes formed a wake behind me as I ran deeper into the pines. Branches snapped ahead of me. I was getting so close. A blur of long black hair whipping against a burgundy shirt appeared twenty feet ahead.

I ate up the distance between us. She was so close now I could reach out and grab a fistful of that dark hair. Reaching my arm ahead of me, I prepared to leap.

A scream pierced the night like an arrow. Dread clotted my veins, and I instantly halted my pursuit.

“Allison,” I breathed.

Spinning around, I bolted back toward the lumberyard at top speed but slammed to a full stop twenty feet away from a memory. Allison struggled beneath the injured vampire, blood smearing the pure snow beneath her head. But it wasn’t her blood I saw. It was Holly’s. The vampire above her wasn’t a weak newbie vamp.

It was Shane.

I was frozen in place, dropping to my knees, held completely captive by the flashback. There was so much blood, and I was too weak. Too unprepared. Too vulnerable. I couldn’t do anything for her.

“Lucy! Help me!” she screamed.

The terror in her eyes shot straight to my heart, and it gave a painful squeeze. Agony tore through me with the efficiency of a chainsaw. She was my best friend. My only friend, and she was looking to me to save her.

“Holly,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry.” I couldn’t help her. I was useless. Shane was right. I wouldn’t win this fight.

I watched helplessly as the light in my best friend’s eyes faded, her life draining slowly out of her, rendering me ineffective for a second time. No matter how it played out, the result never changed. She was gone. Tragedy would always prevail in my wake. Because I paved its path to victory, even going so far as to paint the freaking asphalt with arrows to my undoing. I seemed to go out of my way to get those around me killed. The vision of a broken Holly blurred around my tears.

Suddenly, I was bulldozed into a log pile. The vampire with the long black hair was on top of me, but I was still a prisoner to my nightmare. I only saw Shane’s face. He drew my own dagger from my belt and held it above me. I blocked, but it kept coming closer to my chest. I pushed with all my strength but it did no good.

The tip of the blade tore through my shirt and eventually punctured my tough skin. Inch by agonizing inch it slid closer to my heart. White hot fire tore through my chest. I blinked away the welling tears, ignoring the pain.

“Your eyes,” the vampire whispered, astonished. “He was right. You are different, not like him, but still different.”

Huh?

A flash of light to my left snapped me out of the trance, and I finally looked up into the female vampire’s curious face. Before she spoke another word, I grabbed both her wrists and held on tight to keep her still. Her confusion gave way to shock and ultimately fear when she registered the knife in her heart.

I let go before my hands were toasted. With black ash floating above me, I drew the dagger, very carefully like a game of Operation, out of my chest and looked up into Allison’s determined face.

Slowly, it crumbled to reveal years of torment. She transformed into a scared little girl, and it was disturbing to witness. Her eyes reflected my own demons. Vampire inflicted trauma marred her with scars that couldn’t be fully covered by anger and audacity.

We were both works in progress. We both had a lot to overcome before our courage would truly be put to the test.

“Thanks,” I offered, knowing I owed her a lot more than that. My panic almost cost her life.

I didn’t have time to apologize. Wade and Max were closing in on us fast. “Lucy! Allison!” they called.

“Holy shit! Allison, are you okay?” Max asked, motioning toward the large gash on her forehead.

She composed herself enough to respond. “I’ll be fine. Are
you
okay?”

Max cradled his arm gingerly. Wade looked a little battered and bruised, but nothing seemed broken.

“Yeah, I’ll survive. He tossed me around like a chew toy but didn’t actually get to chew on anyone, so that was a plus.”

“Lucy, your shirt!” Wade exclaimed.

“I’m fine. Already on the mend.”

“We should get ahold of the others and head back to the mansion. I’ll call ahead to have the medic on standby when we arrive,” Wade said in his leadership voice.

No one questioned it, and I assumed none of them had seen this much action around these parts in a long time. Frustrated with my own weakness, I wanted nothing more than to put a few massive craters in the vault.

The car ride home was filled with retellings of the night’s shenanigans. Nick and Brody’s excitement created a buzz of energy that fueled question after question. They were particularly interested in Allison’s heroics, and the more she talked about stunning her attacker with holy water and coming to my rescue, the more confidence returned to her. Her walls were slowly being built back up.