Haven (33 page)

As they drew closer, I reached for my stake, realizing my
mistake as soon as I made it. Damn it, I had identified myself as the
Sâbbat
.

It’s that one,
the taller female said to other. I could hear her as clearly as I could hear Aidan speak in my mind.
We need to restrain the other two.

What happened next was entirely a blur. Somehow I was outside, sprawled on the grass. A full moon had risen and its light illuminated the dusky sky. Not ten feet away, daffodils ruffled in the breeze. Behind me, one female held Marissa, another had Kate. They both looked terrified, but neither made a sound. In front of me, Julius held Aidan captive, one thick arm around Aidan’s slender neck.

It was exactly like my vision. Stumbling to my feet, I reached for my stake.

It was gone.

“Looking for this?” Julius taunted, and then he kicked it toward me.

I lunged for it, grasping it in my sweaty palm as I skittered back, away from him.

“This is simple,
Sâbbat
. You take that shiny little stake of yours and you plunge it straight into Aidan’s heart, or your friends die. Your choice.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, I won’t.” The stake
slipped from my hands, and I bent down and retrieved it, bile rising in my throat.

Now, Julius!
one of the females demanded.

I heard Kate cry out in pain as her captor grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her head sideways, exposing her neck. Marissa’s captor did the same, fangs poised over my friend’s pale skin.

“Now,
Sâbbat
!” Julius commanded. “Now, or your friends die a slow and painful death.”

“Do it, now!” Marissa screamed, her voice full of terror. I couldn’t look at her or Kate. Couldn’t look at Jack and Joshua, now standing at the edge of the scene, watching helplessly. Instead, I focused on Aidan. This was where reality had to veer from my vision; where we had to do something to change what I’d seen, to alter the outcome.

Aidan’s gaze locked with mine, and he nodded, a faint smile on his lips.
Do it, Violet,
he spoke in my mind, his voice calm and soothing.
There’s no other way. Go on, I taught you how . . .

“No!” I screamed, tears running down my cheeks. Why was he giving in so easily? “I can’t,” I sobbed, my legs shaking so badly that I could barely stand.

Behind me I heard a horrible sound, an inhuman scream, and I realized it was Marissa. Turning in horror, I saw the female
vampire’s fangs buried in Marissa’s neck. Marissa’s whole body spasmed, her feet lifted clear off the ground.

“No!” Kate cried. “Make it stop! Violet, do it!”

Listen to me, Violet! It was all a lie,
Aidan said in my mind, his voice now rough, angry.
I loved Isabel, I never got over her death. I never loved you; only her. You look just like her, and I used you, I—

“Shut up!” I screamed, taking two steps toward him, pain slashing at my heart. I knew it was a lie, knew he was trying to manipulate me. Oh, God, I had to do it. I didn’t have a choice. They were killing Marissa, and Kate would be next.

We had failed.

My entire body trembling with fear, I raised the stake high above my head. Anger and fear flowed through my veins, mixing into some new emotion, giving me courage. I took a deep breath, felt strength surge through my arm, into the stake, and—

There was a horrible growling noise, a snarl behind me, followed by a scream. I spun around just in time to see an enormous dog lunge at Marissa’s captor, knocking the vampire to the ground. The other female released Kate, moving as fast as lightning toward the animal that appeared to be ripping out the female’s throat.

It was chaos. Everyone was yelling; vampire and human
screams all intermingled with canine snarls. Julius had taken a few steps toward the attacking dog, dragging Aidan with him, but a thick, impenetrable fog—created by Joshua, no doubt— appeared out of nowhere, shrouding the scene, increasing the confusion. Somehow I had dropped my stake, and I looked around wildly for it, in a panic. Not a second later it flew straight into my hand. My fingers closed around the familiar smooth wood as I silently thanked Kate.

Now.
I had to take advantage of the confusion. Without the slightest hesitation, I took a running start. Instantaneously the fog vanished, and I lifted the stake high, my grasp firm and steady. With an earsplitting shriek I plunged it down toward its target, as hard as I could.

Right into Julius’s heart.

Before I knew what had happened, Aidan was behind me, taking captive the female vampire who’d held Kate only moments before.

“Violet, here!” he called out, and I knew what I had to do; it was easy this time. I raised the stake and plunged it down once more, straight through her heart.

The huge dog released the other female—the one it had been attacking so viciously—and trotted over to my side, prodding me with its enormous snout. Its thick, coppery-brown fur was matted with blood, but bright blue eyes met
mine—intelligent, wolfish eyes, and yet they looked so familiar. A shiver of recognition rippled down my spine as the injured beast turned and limped off toward the bushes with a whimper.

But there was no time to think about it—I had one more vampire left to slay. The third time would be easy; thanks to the wolf, this vampire’s throat was already ripped open, her eyes glassy, her breathing shallow.

“Her injuries aren’t mortal unless you do it,” Aidan said, though I needed no prodding. She’d hurt my friend; maybe killed her. I took great pleasure in raising my trusty stake a third time and plunging it down through her heart.

And then I collapsed in the blood-soaked grass and cried— deep, gulping sobs. Someone yelled for Jack to get Marissa to the infirmary, and fast. I was vaguely aware of activity around me, of Aidan carrying away the slain vampires, presumably to separate their heads from their bodies and then burn them.

Familiar voices surrounded me—my friends, checking on one another, cleaning up the mess. I wanted to get up, to help. But all I could do was lie there—weak, entirely drained— and cry.

At some point Aidan returned, lifting me gently from the grass. “Shh,” he whispered in my ear. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

But how could it be? How could anything ever be fine again?

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he called out over one shoulder. “Close your eyes, Violet. We’re going the quick way.”

Swallowing the painful lump in my throat, I did as I was told.

I
woke up on Aidan’s daybed, blankets pulled up to my chin. Beside me, Aidan sat in a chair watching me, his gray-blue eyes unblinking.

“What time is it?” I asked, yawning, feeling as if I’d been drugged. I’d had a terrible nightmare.

“Almost eleven,” he answered, his eyes never leaving my face.

I shook my head in confusion. There were no windows in his room; it was disorienting. “At night?” I asked, stretching my arms out. I felt stiff all over, sore in places that weren’t usually sore.

Aidan raised one brow. “Eleven in the morning. You slept through the night.”

I sat up abruptly, panic washing over me. “I’m going to be late for class!”

“It’s Saturday,” he said, amusement in his voice. “You’ve just woken up in my bed, and your first thought is about being late for class?”

I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. “How did I get in your bed?”

“I brought you here. You needed to rest.”

My bare legs brushed against soft, silky sheets, and I started in surprise. “What am I . . . where are my clothes?” I peeked under the covers and saw that I was wearing nothing but one of Aidan’s T-shirts and my own panties. Oh, crap—what had happened? What had we done? If I got caught in his room . . .

And then I saw it, in the corner. A pile of clothes—
my
clothes, covered in dark, dried blood. Aidan reached for my hand just as it all came back in a painful rush—the events of last night.

Oh my God. The nightmare . . . it had been real.

“Shh, just let it come,” he said. “It’ll only hurt for a moment.”

I’d killed three vampires.
Killed
them. I’d enjoyed it too, I realized with horror, remembering the sense of . . . of
pleasure
I’d felt when my stake hit its mark. I glanced down at my hands, remembering the blood there, the—

“It’s your destiny, Vi,” Aidan said, interrupting the downward spiral of my thoughts. “You can’t fight it. Besides, they would have killed your friends.”

My friends? More painful memories came flooding back. Marissa . . . her lifeless body lying in the blood-soaked grass. “Marissa,” I breathed, barely able to speak. “Is she . . . is she dead?”

“No, she’s in the infirmary, recuperating. She’s going to be fine.”

“But . . . but how?”

“The damage wasn’t fatal. We put some blood back in her, healed the wounds in her neck. She’ll be weak for a bit, a little anemic.”

“But Nurse Campbell . . . what did you tell her? I mean, how did you explain—”

“Oh, Nurse Campbell is aware of . . . the situation. She’s a gifted healer, you know. Anyway, Marissa will recover. Jenna’s injuries are a bit more complicated, but she’ll recover too.”

“Jenna?” I asked, my heart accelerating.

“Jenna Holley.”

“What . . . what about her?” Jenna hadn’t been there.

“She’s in the infirmary recuperating from injuries too,” he said, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from my burning cheek. “We should go check on them later.”

And then it hit me.
The dog.
Oh my God, the dog. But that didn’t make sense; it was impossible. That meant she was . . . what? Some sort of shape-shifter? Or a . . . a . . . “Werewolf?” I whispered.

“I believe she prefers to be called a lycanthrope,” Aidan offered. “A vampire’s natural enemy, though it would seem Jenna didn’t get the memo.”

I nodded, unable to speak. She’d saved us. Somehow she’d saved us all.
But why?
She wasn’t our friend; she owed us nothing.

“What about Blackwell?” I asked, finding my voice again.

“No longer a threat” was all Aidan said in reply. He rose from his chair, his legs long and lean in a pair of frayed jeans, his skin pale against a rumpled black T-shirt. He was barefoot, I realized. I’d never seen him barefoot before.

“Are you feeling well enough to get up and get dressed? Cece brought you some clean clothes, there on the bed. She’s the one who undressed you last night, by the way.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The barest hint of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “Anyway, if you’re well enough, the headmaster wishes to speak with you.”

So Blackwell was still around, the traitor. “How can you stand to look at him, after what he did?”

“I think you’ll find there have been some changes at Winter-haven,” he said cryptically, reaching for a pair of sneakers and slipping them on. “Should I leave while you get dressed?”

“No.” No, I didn’t want him to leave my side—not now, not ever. “Just . . . just turn your back or something.”

With a nod, he turned toward the bookshelves, his hands thrust into his pockets while I reached for my clothes. Luckily Cece had remembered a bra, since I wasn’t wearing one now. Moving quickly, I shed Aidan’s shirt and put on my own stuff. “Okay,” I called out, zipping up my hoodie. “Ready.”

Aidan turned around to face me, a sad, almost bittersweet smile on his face. “Before we go”—he cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden—“I just wanted to make sure you understand . . . those things I said last night, before Jenna struck. Surely you realize . . . you know why I said those things, right?”

As painful as it was, I allowed myself to remember. When Aidan had said those hateful words, I’d known exactly what he was doing—and why. Still, I’d gotten angry; I’d felt myself grow stronger, more sure of my abilities. I’d been poised to strike—I
would
have struck if Jenna hadn’t attacked when she did. Whether I would have struck Aidan or Julius, I’d never know for sure.

But Jenna’s appearance had changed everything. It had
been the point where reality had veered away from my vision—it was the new element, the one that allowed me to believe we could change the outcome.

“Of course I know why you said those things,” I said at last. He would have sacrificed himself for me, for my friends. “Did you
really
think I’d believe it?”

In reply he reached for me and drew me to him—roughly, almost violently. I felt his lips in my hair, his fingers biting into my shoulders, as if he’d never let me go.

But then he did. Releasing my shoulders, he took a step back, his gaze meeting mine. I held my breath, the familiar frisson of electricity passing between us, making gooseflesh rise on my skin. Relief washed over me.
It’s still there.

Raising one hand to his lips, he kissed his fingertips, and then pressed them against my heart. Something about the gesture said more than any words could, bringing tears to my eyes.

I stood outside that big carved-wood door as I had so many times in the past, only this time Aidan stood by my side. I was scared—terrified, really. How could Aidan trust Dr. Blackwell again? He could be plotting against him still, at this very minute, summoning some other sect of rogue vampires to Winterhaven, some other killers who operated outside vampire law.

At last the door swung open, and I took a deep breath.
Squeezing Aidan’s cold hand in my own, I stepped inside and waited for the big leather chair behind the desk to swivel around.

It did, and all I could do was gasp.

“Good morning, Miss McKenna,” Mrs. Girard said cheerily, her hair perfectly coiffed. “I’m glad to see you looking so well.”

My mouth fell open, but no words came out before I snapped it shut again.

Mrs. G. just smiled. “If you’ll take a seat,
chérie,
I’ll explain it all to you.”

Nodding, I sank into the chair before me. Aidan stood behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders.

“Where’s . . . where’s Blackwell?” I stammered, finding my voice at last.