Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series) (20 page)

              "Then you do believe you're doomed," I said.

              Anton glanced over at me. "Yes. Don't you think we should be? You know what I am—what I really am. Don't you think this world would be better off without us?"

              "I can't say that I do," I said.

              "Even though we live on blood?" Anton asked.

              "Innokenti said you were all ultimately beneficial. He said you protect humans from other, darker creatures out there. I've seen you doing that myself. I saw what you did when the hybrids attacked last year."

              "That sounds like an evasion," Anton replied. "You can't possibly believe that."

              "I don't think you're doomed," I said. "And I don't think you're soulless, either."

              "Why not?"

              "I just don't. I can't. I can't think that's true of anyone."

              Anton shook his head. "I think we should be getting back."

              We turned, and as we did so, Anton glanced around.

              "You know, I was going to let this go," he said, his tone unexpectedly sharp, "but now I think I should take care of it before it becomes a distraction."

              Anton lunged forward suddenly and disappeared from my sight.

              "Anton?" I said.

              I heard a cry out in the shadows somewhere beyond my line of sight.

              "Anton, what's going on?" I said.

              I heard another cry, and I hurried toward it.

              In a dim alley between two houses, I found Anton struggling with a small, dark figure.

              "Let me go!" cried a voice.

              Their struggling brought them closer to the light, and I could see that Anton was wrestling with a young girl.

              "Anton!" I shouted. "Anton, stop! What are you doing?"

              Anton glanced over at me, and then grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her over to me and out all the way into the light.

              The girl had long, black hair, and dark, almond-shaped eyes, and she was clearly furious—but Anton held her fast. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen and was dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeved T-shirt—she was just an innocent girl out on a Saturday night.

              "Anton, are you insane?" I said. "Let her go."

              "Let her go?" Anton replied. "But I thought I would introduce the two of you."

              "Introduce us?" I said.

              "Yes. Katie, I would like you to meet the ghost girl."

Chapter 15.

The girl began to struggle again.

              "Anton, this is ridiculous," I said. "Let her go."

              "But Katie, this young lady has been causing you a lot of trouble," Anton said. "Surely you'd like to talk to her."

              "I haven't done anything," the girl said.

              "Anton, she's clearly just a high school student," I said.

              "She's clearly just a vampire," Anton replied. "If she is a high school student, I'll bet she's been one for a very long time."

              "You seriously think she's the ghost girl?" I said. "If that's true, then why hasn't anyone caught her before now? It doesn't seem like catching her was any trouble at all."

              "I'm just that talented," Anton said. "I told you I have sharp eyes."

              "Ask him what he isn't telling you," the girl said, twisting around to look at me. "Ask him what he's hiding from you."

              "Hiding from me?" I said. "What do you mean? Anton, what does she mean?"

              "Don't listen to her," Anton said.

              He gave the girl a brief shake.

              "Now you listen to me," he said. "I've seen you slinking around, watching us, and I've tolerated it up till now. But I've run out of patience. I'm warning you right now to stop following us. As I said, I have sharp eyes—others may not see you, but I can. And if I catch you trailing us again, I won't be so lenient. Now get out of here."

              Anton released his grip on the girl and gave her a shove. She stumbled away from him and then stopped and looked over at me.

              "Go!" Anton shouted.

              The girl abruptly vanished.

              "Anton, what's going on?" I said. "What just happened?"

              "I just caught the ghost girl," Anton said. "I told you that already. And then I let her go, just like you asked."

              "How is that possible?" I asked. "Haven't people been trying for months to catch her?"

              "Yes."

              "But you caught her tonight," I said. "Just a moment ago?"

              "Yes."

              "That girl is the one who's been making the vampires and the hybrids disappear?" I said.

              "No," Anton said. "But she is, in fact, the ghost girl."

              "Anton, please," I said. "Can't you just be straightforward for once?"

              "You know, I kind of resent that," Anton said, turning to face me. "I feel like I've actually been very straightforward tonight. You've asked me a lot of questions, and I've answered them. That's something I wouldn't ordinarily do. I'm hurt you didn't notice."

              "I have to admit that you've been pretty forthcoming," I said.

              "Thank you for admitting that."

              "So, let's keep the trend going," I said. "And you can start by explaining how that could possibly have been the ghost girl."

              Anton sighed. "The things I do for you. Very well. Okay, so—the ghost girl. As you know, someone has been unceremoniously dispatching vampires and hybrids alike, making them vanish completely. A female figure has been glimpsed at the scene of many of these tragedies, and there is a much-believed rumor going around that that mysterious figure belongs to you."

              "So far so good," I said.

              "Well, I have had the unfortunate distinction of being present at a handful of those tragedies," Anton said. "And I have personally glimpsed a fast-moving female figure exiting the vicinity. In fact, I got more than a glimpse of her. I actually saw her quite clearly—more than once. That's how I knew it wasn't you—even apart from the fact that you aren't really up to terrorizing the denizens of the dark."

              "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

              "You're offended? Really? Because I said you aren't really qualified to be an assassin?"

              "No, I guess not," I said. "Not when you phrase it that way. Continue."

              "Thank you," Anton said. "As I was saying, I've known all along that the ghost girl was a raven-haired beauty rather than a blond charmer like yourself—I do call you 'Sunshine' for a reason."

              "Are you trying to distract me again?"

              "I wouldn't dream of it."

              "So, the ghost girl is actually real?" I asked. "Because William said he wasn't sure if she actually existed."

              "You already know my opinion of William," Anton said. "And the ghost girl is most definitely real. And now, thanks to me, you've seen her just as clearly as I have."

              "How could anyone confuse me with the girl I just saw?" I asked. "We don't look anything alike."

              "That's the point I was just making," Anton said. "So try not to interrupt. I have seen the ghost girl, and I know she isn't you. So why do so many believe that you are the ghost girl? Because they have not seen what I have seen. The ghost girl moves so fast that no one but me can see her—unless she's standing still, of course. But under ordinary circumstances, it would take someone of my unusual gifts to be able to see her. I can see—and sense—what others cannot. All anyone else sees is a sylph-like shadow."

              "I think I glimpsed her before," I said.

              "You mean the glimpse of a dark eye you had when you received the second note?" Anton asked. "I think so, too."

              "Why could I see her when no one else could?" I asked.

              "Maybe she wanted you to see her."

              "And you said she's a vampire?" I asked.

              "Yes."

              "Why doesn't anyone else know that?"

              "She moves so fast that most vampires can't sense her, either," Anton said. "And in a room full of vampires—most of whom are already distraught—picking out just one is not very easy to do. Besides, this girl is unknown, and you are something of a household name. You're a much more likely candidate."

              "Why is the girl getting rid of vampires if she's a vampire herself?" I asked.

              "She isn't," Anton replied.

              "Isn't what?"

              "She isn't getting rid of the vampires and the hybrids."

              "But I thought you said she's the ghost girl?"

              "She is."

              "Then—"

              "The ghost girl has been present at many of these crimes," Anton said. "But she hasn't been committing them."

              "How do you know that?"

              "Because I can see her. She shows up just afterward. The commotion somehow attracts her. But someone else is actually there first and commits the atrocities. Whoever is actually doing it is someone I can't see. And that suggests one thing to me."

              "What's that?" I asked.

              "It suggests that the perpetrator could actually be a hybrid," Anton said. "As you know, hybrids emit a field of distortion that scrambles a vampire's senses. They are in some ways invisible to us. That's why we haven't been able to find out where they're hiding. We can't actually track them."

              He glanced at me. "I have heard that you
can
track them. You can actually see the distortion that surrounds them."

              "That's true," I said. "I see it as a trail of smoke. It comes from the kost part of the hybrid. I have the ability to track the kost, so I also have the ability to track the hybrid. The smoke trail looks a little different for the two groups."

              Anton's eyebrows rose. "That's really true? How about that? Incidentally, the rumor about your ability to see the hybrid's trail is considered another mark against you. It's supposedly a sign of your evil—it shows you have an affinity for the hybrids."

              "Great," I said. "That's all I need. So, the girl we just saw is the ghost girl. And at the same time, she isn't."

              "Exactly," Anton said. "She's the one everyone's been getting glimpses of. But she's not the one who's guilty."

              "What's her name?"

              "I don't know."

              "You don't?"

              "No. Tonight was the first time I've ever spoken to her—she's hard to get close to. And, as I said, no one else has seen her or sensed her. She's a phantom in more ways than one."

              "It's not just you," I said. "William sensed her, too."

              "How do you figure that?" Anton asked.

              "She's the one who's been leaving me messages, right?" I said. "She must be. And William sensed a vampire in Bryony's grandmother's house. That was the night I received the paint message."

              "Well, she was probably standing still at that point," Anton said. "And she wasn't in a room that was full of vampires. So that's really no great feat on his part."

              "Why haven't you told anyone about her?" I asked.

              "I have," Anton said. "That's the frustrating part. Nobody believes me. Although, to be completely accurate, I think Innokenti believes me, but he won't admit it—he knows only too well how unpopular the idea would be. The king and queen don't believe me, certainly. And neither does the average vampire I run across. It seems that very few have any faith in my special abilities."

              "What does the ghost girl want with me?" I asked. "Why is she following me?"

              "I don't know. But I've been working on a theory. I think she's a spy—kind of like your cousin Odette. She provides information. And information about you would be very valuable in certain quarters."

              "Oh," I said.

              "It's chilling, I agree," Anton said. "And you've had an exhausting night, to say the least. Let's get you some place to sleep."

              "What was that about your hiding things from me?" I asked, as Anton and I started walking back toward the car.

              "I don't know what you're referring to."

              "The ghost girl said that. At least twice. What was she talking about?"

              Anton shrugged. "How should I know? I guess I could have told you about the ghost girl sooner."

              "Is that really what she meant?" I asked.

              "Can you think of something else?"

              "You could tell me where William is," I said.

              "Do you really think the ghost girl is concerned about William?"

              "No, I suppose not," I said. "But you could still tell me."

              "Maybe I don't know," Anton replied.

              "I think you do."

              "You know, we should really hurry."

              Anton took my arm, and we sped on until we reached the car. Then his phone rang.

              "Yeah." Anton listened for a moment, and then glanced around sharply. "Oh. Okay. We're moving now." He put the phone away.

              "What's going on?" I asked.

              "We'd really better move," Anton said.

              We got into the car and sped off into the darkness. I watched the lights from the street streaking by my window, and before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of a hotel.

              "What are we—" I began.

              Before I could complete my question, Anton jumped out of the car and opened my door. I had just enough time to take off my seat belt before he pulled me out.

              "Come on," he said. "We've got to get you in there now."

              Anton pulled me into the hotel lobby and then on into the bar. Even in the early hours of the morning, there were a few people sitting in the room—some at small tables, others at the bar itself. Behind the bar was a yawning man polishing glasses, and a TV suspended from the ceiling was quietly broadcasting a movie.

              Anton pushed me into a chair. "Stay right here until I get back. You should be safe enough from him in here."

              "Safe from whom?" I asked. "You mean—"

              But Anton was already gone.

              I glanced around the bar, and the handful of people who shared it with me were staring back at me. I could well imagine that I wasn't looking very presentable.

              I remembered the mirror in my pocket, and I took it out.

              There was now a large crack running down the length of the little mirror—which was hardly surprising considering the events of the night. The only thing that was surprising was that the mirror wasn't shattered completely.