Darkness Wanes (40 page)

“Remiel wouldn’t want to be that helpful,” Lucas replied, giving me a consoling look. “Where do you wish to start the search?”

“Cage’s place. Maybe he saw or heard something that could help us.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Melena

Police were all over Cage’s house, gathering evidence. The male vampire had cleaned himself up before we arrived and his wounds had mostly healed, but he was far too pale and probably needed to feed again. Derrick had brought a human with him when he came over earlier in the evening, but with injuries like Cage’s, one person wouldn’t be enough without draining them. The vampire kept running his hands through his blond hair and pacing around the living room as investigators asked him questions. He was agitated and hurt but doing his best to stay under control.

“You were shot how many times?” one officer asked, holding a pen and pad.

Cage paused his pacing. “Five times in the chest and twice in the head.”

The other cops nearby stopped what they were doing and jerked their gazes toward him. One female officer ran her gaze all over him with particular interest. “I know you’re a vampire, but how are you still standing?”

“I wasn’t earlier,” he replied, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. “Until a few hours ago, I was passed out in a pool of my own blood, but I’ve been healing.”

The female officer walked slowly toward him and took a closer look. One of the bullets had hit him directly in his forehead. The skin was still puckered and pink where it was in the last stages of the healing process. On the side of his head, there was a missing patch of hair where another bullet had grazed him. He lifted his shirt so she could see the numerous wounds healing there. They’d closed, but they were still raw and red.

“Are you in pain?” she asked.

“Yes,” Cage gritted out, “but it will pass.”

She gazed at him in awe. “That’s amazing. My job would be so much easier if I didn’t have to worry about dying from being shot.”

I sensed the spike of annoyance in Cage and decided to intervene. “It might seem that way, but would you really want to be trapped inside all day when the sun is out?”

“Oh, right,” she said, frowning. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Cage gave me a grateful look.

I nodded at him. The forensic team was wrapping up their part of the investigation and leaving, so I wandered toward the back of the house. Bullet holes riddled the hallway. I stepped around several drying pools of blood and peeked into the bedroom. It appeared even worse. The white sheets were stained with dark splotches of red, the headboard was pockmarked with holes, and the bedside lamp was knocked onto the floor.

I’d listened earlier while O’Connell questioned Cage before the other officers arrived. He’d said he tried to keep them from taking Aniya, but they’d been too organized. The masked intruders started their attack by shooting them in their beds while the sun was at its highest and they were sleeping—both vampires being too young to fight their lethargy during the day. Before Cage could even react, they were already pulling Aniya away.

He’d tried to follow by crawling out of the room after them, which was evident by the fallen blankets and blood trails on the floor, but they shot him again in the hallway. That’s where he watched them cover Aniya in a body bag. She’d fought her attackers, but they’d put several bullets in her head, rendering her unconscious.

I heard his description over and over in my head as I surveyed the scene of the crime. Seeing all the blood made me want to curl up in a ball and cry—or break something. Aniya had not deserved this, and it was my fault. I should have warned her to be careful, but I’d been too wrapped up in my own world to think of her. My fingernails dug into my palms as I balled my fists. I had to do everything possible to find her before it was too late, but I would need some help.

Lucas and Derrick were standing by the front door talking to O’Connell when I returned to the living room. They were discussing ways to track down the culprits. Somehow, I doubted we’d find Aniya through conventional means.

I stopped next to Lucas and pulled him aside. “I’m going to talk to Derrick for a few minutes and then we need to go. I’ve got an idea.”

“What idea?” he asked, lifting a brow.

“I’ll explain when we leave. Just let me talk to Derrick alone for a few minutes first.”

“Very well.” He ground his jaw. “But do not take too long, or I may grow impatient with these humans.” Lucas ran his gaze around the room, staring at the police officers like they were prey encroaching on his territory. We’d been here for almost two hours. I supposed I should have been grateful he’d tolerated their presence for that long.

“Do not hurt anyone!” I hissed, pointing a finger at him.

“I guarantee nothing.” Which translated to—I better hurry up.

“Fine.” I gestured for Derrick to follow me outside.

“What is it?” he asked after we stopped in front of the garage.

“I’m going to Yvonne’s to see if she can do a locator spell on Aniya,” I informed him.

He rubbed at the dusting of whiskers on his face. “Do you think it will work?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” I shrugged. “But we have to try.”

“You’ll need something of hers,” he said.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a gold necklace with dried bits of blood on it. I’d found it while going through the bedroom. Aniya had gotten the necklace for her sixteenth birthday from her mother and always wore it. I could only guess it broke off during the scuffle.

Derrick peered closely at it before nodding in approval. “I should go with you.”

“From the looks of it, Cage needs you more right now. He’s even worse off than he seems—trust me.”

Derrick glanced toward the house. “I’m afraid you’re right.”

“How are you doing?” I asked, giving him a consoling look. “I know the thing with Zoe must have been shocking.”

He worked his jaw. “Rebecca and I knew her mother had done somethin’ to us. We already decided we could either let Zoe ruin our lives or choose our own path. I don’t care what brought us together. I ain’t givin’ my girl up for nothin’.”

“That’s good.” I smiled at him. “You deserve happiness.”

“So do you, Melena.” Derrick’s expression became stern. “Don’t think for a second this thing with Aniya is your fault.” He put a hand up when I started to argue. “We both know that’s what you’re thinking, but you can’t protect everyone—take my word for it.”

He knew me too well. “I’m still going to track Aniya down and rescue her.”

“Anything you need, you let me know.” His tone brooked no argument.

Lucas stepped outside and began pacing the front porch. Judging by his mood, he was about three seconds away from mass murder. I really needed to help him with his people skills.

“I’ll keep you updated,” I promised Derrick.

Then I grabbed my husband before he could commit any felonies.

***

Yvonne opened her front door as soon as we stepped onto her porch. Her gray hair was in a braid, and she wore a pink robe that went all the way down to a matching pair of slippers. It was after midnight, so I hadn’t expected her to get dressed up for us, but I’d thought she’d at least put on some sweats or something. She put a finger to her lips and gestured for us to come inside. Toward the back of the house, my senses told me her daughter and grandson were sleeping soundly. She’d warned me on the phone that she didn’t want them woken if we wanted her help.

Lucas and I walked silently behind her as the mystic led us to her dining room where we each took a seat at her round table. I wrinkled my nose at the herbs burning on a glass dish at the center. The aroma was potent and spicy, but I couldn’t identify the ingredients.

“Do you have the necklace?” she asked in a whisper.

I drew it out of my pocket and handed it to her. “It fell off her neck during the attack.”

“Good,” Yvonne said under her breath, grazing her fingers over the chain. “Her essence is strong. If this doesn’t do it, nothing will.”

That was comforting—sort of.

Yvonne closed her eyes and began a soft chant. I couldn’t understand a word of what she said, but eventually I began to catch the rhythm. She was repeating the same lines over and over. Smoke from the burning herbs shifted and swirled around her. The level of power she used now wasn’t as great as when she designed wards, but I could feel the air thickening around us.

With each moment that passed, her face became more strained. It wasn’t hard to figure out the spell wasn’t working. I looked at Lucas and mouthed at him. “Can you help her?”

The expression on his face told me he doubted it, but he leaned forward and cupped his hands over Yvonne’s. She jerked but didn’t push him away. The herbs sparked in the glass dish and a small flame rose up. I struggled to take a full breath as the air became even denser. Lucas repeated her chants and lent more of his power to hers. The magic bombarded my senses, making my temples throb.

It went on for another minute before Yvonne collapsed in her chair. “It’s no use. They’ve blocked us.”

“There must be a sensor helping them,” Lucas surmised, voice coming out strained. He really had tried to help the mystic with her spell.

I leaned my elbows on the table, frustrated. “Cage said the attackers smelled human, but that doesn’t mean none of them weren’t sensors.”

Lucas nodded. “I doubt they stayed in the city long, either.”

We’d had Micah take Patrick on a sweep of the airport since it was about a ten-minute drive from Cage’s house, but he didn’t detect Aniya there. They did ask some questions and discovered one suspicious flight relating to a private plane. It’d flown out about an hour after the attack. Agent O’Connell had guys checking on it.

I gave Yvonne a grateful look. “Thanks anyway for trying so hard.”

“It’s for a good cause,” she said wearily. Then she patted my hand. “Aniya is a sweet girl who doesn’t deserve this. I’ll keep trying every few hours. If they’re moving her around much, there will be gaps where I might catch her.”

“I’d appreciate that.” I did my best to swallow back the despair threatening to rise up my throat.

Lucas stood. “We will find her, sensor—one way or another.”

Chapter Thirty-three

Melena

It had been thirty hours since Aniya was kidnapped, and we’d found no trace of where her attackers took her. With every moment that passed, I grew more despondent. Memories of the last time she went missing kept running through my head. She might have “survived” that experience, but it hadn’t exactly ended well.

Forensics didn’t turn up anything useful, other than the types of pistols used. The intruders didn’t leave behind any DNA evidence, but Cage had said his attackers covered themselves from head to toe. We didn’t have any idea what they looked like. Derrick sent some of his werewolves around to sniff things out, but if the culprits had stayed in the area for any length of time, they’d chosen a remote location for their hideout.

We did have one witness—a middle-aged woman who lived down the street from Cage. She described a dark blue, windowless van and three men in black clothing. Because she’d already suspected Cage was a vampire, she’d been too afraid to report the incident at the time. Maybe if she had, we could have caught the guys before they left town. I knew they couldn’t still be around because Patrick and I had spent most of the day combing Fairbanks and the surrounding area to be sure.

Worn out and tired, we trudged up the steps and went into the house. Patrick headed straight for the kitchen, but Lucas gestured for me to join him in the living room. He took one look at my worn expression and pulled me into his arms.

“You will find her,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“I know,” I sighed. “But she could be anywhere by now.”

Lucas pulled away, his expression solemn. “Give yourself a break for a few hours. We have dozens of people searching for her and more seem to offer their assistance every hour.” He shook his head. “You’ve gained quite a few friends over the years who wish to help you.”

“But I can’t stop—even for a few hours. Aniya is depending on me to find her,” I argued. God knew I was exhausted and running out of ideas for what to do, but it just felt wrong to relax when my best friend was being held by a ruthless killer somewhere.

Lucas grabbed an envelope from the coffee table and handed it to me. “There are other people in your life who you should be concerned about. This is from Emily’s school.”

It was a diversion, I knew, but he’d picked a good one. “Thanks.”

I opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Classes had just finished yesterday so report cards weren’t supposed to be available yet, but I’d casually mentioned to Lucas that morning how I wished I could see Emily’s grades sooner. In the midst of everything, it occurred to me that I needed to know if I’d screwed up her life so much she was going to need summer school. He must have worked his magic to get the report in a day.