Finding Obscurity (23 page)

“Where in the hell do you
think you’re going?”

We both swung our gazes
to see a very pissed-off Stacy on the bottom step with her arms across her
chest. The movement caused the stool to wobble a little too much, making me
land on the concrete floor straight on my ass. I was pretty sure I may have
broken my tailbone with the fall and I groaned, standing back on my feet.

Paige stepped in front of
me. “Stacy. Fancy meeting you here. I hate to rain on your parade, but we were
just leaving.”

“I don’t think you’ll be
going anywhere.” Stacy glanced at Con before lifting her hands up in the air,
and wind swirled around the room like a mini tornado, blowing debris in our
wake.

Wow. I never saw that one
coming. I thought all she could do was read emotions, and now she was proving
me wrong on so many levels. Stacy wasn’t going to let us leave with our lives,
and I hoped like hell we could get out of here with our limbs intact.

“Watch it!” Paige grabbed
my arm, pulling me down as pieces of wood from the window, nails and all,
started blowing around the room, missing my head by less than an inch.

Stacy’s hair was twisting
in a cone above her head with the wind and she was murmuring something under
her breath. The wind died suddenly and I let out a puff of air I didn’t know I
was holding in. But when I thought everything was stopping, Con popped up like
a vampire out of a coffin in one of those cheesy horror movies.

“Shit,” Paige breathed.
“Listen, Lily, things are going to get real grim here in a minute. If I tell
you to get your ass out that window and run, you do it, and don’t second-guess
me. You got it?”

I nodded because I had
nothing to argue with that logic. However, I couldn’t just leave Paige here to
fight on her own. Con snarled at me with full-on fangs and I shuddered. That’s
when all hell broke loose. Stacy began her whirlwind again as Con was in front
of me in a blur, pinning my body against the wall, one hand wrapped around my
neck, cutting off my air. My legs were kicking about like a flopping fish on
dry land, while my hands were gripping his fingers with nails digging into his
flesh. He shook me like a ragdoll before tossing me to the side. My head hit
the concrete wall with a clunk.
Jesus, if I got out of here without brain
damage it would be a miracle.

“Kill her!” Stacy
screeched.

Con started to descend on
my body and I quickly stumbled up, fleeing away from him. I was across the room
in a second flat, and he blinked at me in surprise. He wasn’t the only one
surprised at what I had done. I guess impending doom let the vampire side of me
come out for the first time.

“Come here, you little
bitch.” Con was across the room and had me pinned against the wall before I
could move again. Well, so much for my vampire side coming out when I needed
it. He yanked my hair to the side and I cried out from pain when chunks ripped
out of my scalp. Fangs sank into my neck and I bellowed. It wasn’t at all
pleasurable like Stacy had said, and it felt like fire stinging my entire body
at each pull of blood he took into his mouth. Con released me with a howl of
pain. I fell to the floor, racked with quivers, feeling the warm blood flow
slowly down my neck.

Paige was holding her
hands at her side with fireballs dancing around her palms as Con shrieked,
trying to get the fire out. Stacy was momentarily distracted and the wind
calmed slightly as she rushed to his side, putting out the flames.

“Move it. Get the hell
out of here, Lily!” Paige pulled me up from the floor and my body screamed in
protest.

“What about you?”

“I can take care of
myself. Go!” She pushed me towards the window.

I propped my legs up on
the stool and reached for the window, but the vampire was on me again, yanking
a leg out from underneath me, causing my jaw to smash painfully on the wooden
stool. I fell to the ground and he pounced again.

“You’re mine,” he
whispered in my ear, and sank his teeth into me again.

I screamed out when his
teeth clenched on the tendons of my neck and said a little prayer that we would
make it out of here. We needed a miracle.

A loud explosion and a
flash of light came from behind me. Con yanked his teeth out of my neck with a
strangled cry. “Stacy!”

I lifted my head with a
groan and saw Joe standing on the steps with a double-barrel shotgun and Stacy
in a pool of blood on the cracked concrete floor.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

I knew Stacy was dead and
I stared at the big, gaping hole in her chest, unable to tear my gaze away. Con
stood over her lifeless body, taking gulps of air into his lungs as if doing so
would bring her back to life. I didn’t have time to stop what happened next.
Joe stood with his smoking gun and blasted another shot at Con, and even with
bullets slamming into his leg, he reached Joe quickly, ripping his throat out
with a roar. Blood spurted out of his neck in an arc and I stared in horror as
his hands went to his neck before falling face-first down the stairs. A tear
fell down my cheek at not being able to save him. Regardless of his bad
choices, Joe had become a hero in killing Stacy, even if it had ended his life
in the long run.

“Lily,” Paige said,
standing in my line of sight of the blood and death. “Get out of that window
now. Run to the woods until you reach the pond. I’ll meet you there. I got a
fanger
to kill.”

When flames burst along
her hands and up her forearms, I didn’t waste any time climbing up that stool
and propping myself up on the windowsill. I couldn’t help but to glance back as
she tried to trap Con, but even with his injured leg, he moved way too fast.

“Go!” she shouted.

Pulling myself the rest
of the way, I squeezed in between the damp ground and the metal frame and a
long-gone window. The smell of dirt, even with my face pressed against it as I
shimmied my way out, was the next best thing to heaven at the moment – that and
the evening sun fading in the horizon. Once my feet were free, I took off at a
full run towards the woods with my toes digging into the mud, and didn’t look
back until I cleared the edge of the trees. The windows had flames climbing up
the frames and I hoped like hell Paige could get out of there before the house
came crashing down around them.

The woods became a
problem with my bare feet and it slowed me down quite a bit as sticks and who
knows what else poked into the bottom of my feet. I hobbled along for what
seemed like forever and didn’t run across a pond of any sort. Taking a break on
a rotten log, I started to figure out which way I had run and which way I had to
go. I pulled a few thorns loose from my heel, which just added to my aching
body and the abuse I had gone through in the past few days. My jaw ached from
the wooden stool, my neck was killing me from being gnawed on, and my wrists
were scraped raw and bloody. To top off this wonderful nightmare was that the
entire front of my shirt and shoulder was covered in blood. I wanted to just
lay down right here and fallen asleep, no longer wanting to tread along in this
maze of trees and thorn bushes.

A bird let out a warning
caw before a ton of them flew out of the trees in a hurry. I held my breath,
listening to everything and watching for whatever scared the feathered
creatures from their perches. My breathing increased when I noticed it was way
too quiet for the woods. The evening sun was still low in the sky, but beneath
the trees it was eerily getting dark fast.

A branch snapped behind
me and I took off at a sprint to my left, not caring about the twigs poking my
feet. Tree branches slapped across my face and hands, thorns dug their sharp
barbs into my arms and clothes, and my feet were tripping over deep roots
climbing out of the ground. Alarms were going off in my head when I heard
footfalls gaining behind me, and panic was crushing my chest until I saw the muddy
water glimmering through the trees. Just a few more feet to go and I would be
at the rendezvous point. What if I was leading somebody there? Taking a sharp
right, I slid down a muddy hill with a swallowed scream and kept pumping my
legs to move forward, even though my body protested any movement. My lungs
burned from so much exertion and my heart beat in my ears at the exhaustion of
it all.

I darted between a few
trees and climbed back up another small incline until I reached the pond. The
footfalls were coming from my left, and making a last-ditch effort, I took a
running leap into the frigid water. Ice-cold water pummeled my skin like frozen
needles of pain and I started frog-kicking under the water, staying under as
long as I could.

Arms wrapped around my
waist, pulling me upwards, and I broke the surface with a gasp. This was it and
I was going to die after all this fighting for my life. It seemed like a waste
of time and I should’ve just let Con kill me.

“Dumbass,” Paige panted,
swimming with me to the shore. “It’s a little too cold to take a swim.” She
heaved my limp body onto the muddy bank and collapsed beside me.

I was still catching my
breath. “I thought you were going to kill me.”

She laughed a little
breathlessly from used-up energy. “Right now, I wish I would have.”

“What happened back
there? Is he dead?”

“Hell no. That bastard
ran like a coward. I’ll get him eventually.”

“Damn.” I sat up, rubbing
my eyes and shivered. “If you don’t, then I will.”

“Lily, I’m sorry they
caught you. It wasn’t supposed to happen. They were better at hiding than we
thought.” She inspected what I assumed were bruises on my face and a nice
bloody gash on my neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Considering the
alternative? Just glad to be breathing. Was that why you were always at places
like the bar and at the clothing store?”

 
“Yeah. I was supposed to watch out for you and
keep you safe from them. However, Stacy was a nasty surprise. She was one hell
of an actress.”

“I didn’t see that
coming, either.” I shivered again. “Of course, I thought it was you after me
all this time.”

Paige let out a giggle.
“That is hilarious!”

“What’s so funny about
that? You were so mean to me from the beginning. Stacy was nothing but nice.” I
frowned at her.

“I was mean to you because
I didn’t want to jeopardize getting too close to you and letting something
slip.” She smirked. “I always wanted to be a Bond Girl.”

“Who would be James
Bond?”

“You’ll see soon enough.
I have a backpack and supplies over the ravine. I’ll be right back.” She stood,
pushing her red hair out of her eyes, and walked into the woods.

My teeth were chattering
and my body trembling from the cold water. I’m sure there was some shock
involved as well, so I hoped that Paige had a blanket in the pack. So had Paige
been the person watching me all along?
 
What was her hand in keeping me safe? One thing was certain; I was going
to get answers soon. I wondered if she had a cell phone so I would be able to
call the guys to let them know I was okay. I missed them –Ashton most of all –
and couldn’t wait to see him in the flesh. I would be sure to give both Blake
and Sam one hell of a hug.

I must have dozed off for
God knows how long, because there was a fire going a few feet away and a warm
blanket had
me
cocooned in its warmth. The fire
crackled making nature’s lullaby and I fell asleep again.

When the dream started and I
was in Revive, I could have passed out with happiness. Blake was sitting at the
bar twisting a beer bottle around and around on the stainless steel top and his
leg was propped up on the stool next to him. He was deep in thought and had yet
to notice my appearance, so I watched him in silence. There were bags
underneath his eyes, his clothes were wrinkled, and his body was sagged in defeat.
 

“Blake.” I whispered because
I almost didn’t believe I was really seeing him.

He swung around at my voice.
I ran at full-throttle and threw myself into his arms, hugging him with
everything I had in me, taking in his fresh-smelling cologne. I wished at this
moment that everyone could be in this dream so I could hug them, too.

“Lily.” He kissed my hair.
“You don’t know how glad I am to see you. I sat in this dream every night and
slept every chance I got, hoping you would show up.”

“I’m here now. They kept me
drugged or knocked out so I couldn’t dream. God, it’s good to see you.”

He pulled me back and tilted
my head to the side. “Are you okay?”

Unfortunately for me, I
showed up just like I had fallen asleep by the pond in the woods. My feet were
still bare, my shirt torn and bloody, hair tangled, bruised face, bite marks on
my neck, and my wrists chafed from the ropes. At least he could’ve changed the
way I looked before I came into the dream, but he wasn’t thinking I would be
here, so I understood.

He took in every wound and
bruise before kissing me like it was our last time we would see each other. “I
didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“Is Sam okay? I heard the
gunshot before getting knocked out.”

Blake nodded and those gray
eyes never left my face. “He’s fine. Luckily the bullet just grazed his arm
when he jumped out of the way. Sam hates himself for not being able to stop
him, but I told him there was nothing he could’ve done.”

“No, Blake, there was
nothing that could have stopped them. I couldn’t even do it. Stacy was the main
one behind all this mess. She wanted to start a war and use me against you
guys.”

“Stacy? Are you sure?”

“Oh, yes I’m very sure.
She’s dead with a big gaping hole where her cold dead heart was. There was
another vampire there named Con something. I can’t think of his last name right
now but maybe Ashton will know him by name. He got away, though. The guy who
kidnapped me actually ended up being a hero and killing Stacy, so I hope his
heroic act gets him into the pearly gates. Anyway, you’re not going to believe
who I’m with right now and who saved my ass.”

“Who?” Blake frowned.

“Paige. She’s a pretty
badass Conjurer, believe it or not.”

He stared at me for a few
minutes in confusion. “Paige is a Conjurer? I never sensed that out of her.
What was she doing rescuing you? How did she know where you were?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? She
ended up being captive as well but only because she made that happen. I’ll find
out more once I wake up and let you guys know what I find out. I thought I was
treated badly but she was used as a blood bag for days. I don’t know how she
survived it.”

“Hmm. Are you sure she isn’t
after something too?”

“Why would she rescue me
from that nightmare if she wasn’t in this for the good?”

“Lily, maybe you should keep
your guard up even though she seems like a knight in shining armor right now.
You don’t who you can trust right now.”

“I don’t think she would
hurt me, except maybe with her smartass comments. I really think Paige is the
good guy.”

“Just watch your back, okay?
I would hate to lose you now that we’ve found you. I couldn’t live through that
again.”

“I’ll be safe, don’t worry.
Is Ashton with you? I wasn’t sure if he was on the manhunt for me.”

“Yes,” Blake sighed. “That
guy won’t leave my side for a minute, afraid he’ll miss me dreaming about you.
We had no clue where they kept you or how to find you. When you wouldn’t show
up in my dreams… we thought you might have been dead.”

The edges of the dream
started to become fuzzy and blur around the edges. “If I knew where I was, I
would tell you, but I have no clue. I’m so happy to see you guys again. Be sure
Ashton knows I’m okay. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

Blake nodded and kissed me
on the forehead. “We’ll see you soon.”
 

I woke to a loud pop from
a log on the fire and I watched the hot ashes float into the night air like a
thousand fireflies dancing in the wind. I sat up, trying to run my fingers
through my knotted hair and get somewhat decent. God, I would give anything for
a nice, hot shower right about now, but I was stuck in the cold, dark woods
until further notice. There was a bottle of water sitting beside my makeshift
bed and I chugged it down like it was the last drop of water on Earth. My belly
growled and I wondered if there was some sort of food around here someplace.

Paige was curled up a few
feet below me in a red sleeping bag snoring like she was sawing logs in half. I
watched her red hair splayed against the sleeping bag like waves of fire and
thought about what Blake had said about wanting to watch my back. I just
couldn’t see her being the bad guy. What would be the point of risking her life
to save me, only to hurt me in the long run? It didn’t make any sense, but I
could understand why he was so worried. There may be a lot of people after me
right now. The only thing I hoped was that I could tell the difference between
the good guys and the bad guys. Hell, I didn’t even think Stacy would have had
an evil bone in her body, and I thought Paige was the bad one, but those were
obviously wrong assumptions.

I stood up and stretched,
deciding that I needed to look for some food because I was starving. My whole
body screamed at every movement I made and wished I could take a nice, long
bath. There was a bag beside Paige’s sleeping bag and I saw a granola bar
peeking out of the front elastic pocket. Being careful not to wake her, I
tiptoed over to the bag, and slipped the plastic wrapper holding the chewy
goodness out of the backpack, tiptoeing backwards towards my sleeping bag
again. The plastic crackled when I opened it and she let out a snort/snore. I
took a bite, chewing as she moved in the sleeping bag. She opened her mouth,
letting out this god-awful noise as she slept.
My goodness.