Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3) (9 page)

Ryan grimaced as he spoke. “No one knows exactly what the origins of it are.
A few pieces were rumored to have been
found decades ago in the home of a seer that was mysteriously killed. It was said
that this seer found a source in the Navajo Mountains in Uta
h. The fellow seers who found the palladium
at his home didn’t know what it was, but they could feel that it held energy. They
dispersed the few pieces amongst themselves, but no one to date has figured out
the identity of those seers. It’s
become even more urgent recently, now that we know the powers of palladium hurt seers
instead of helping us. We’re trying to destroy any we can find, but it’s
be
en an uphill battle finding all the pieces
.”

My mind went immediately to the piece of palladium that was still in my dresser, the
piece I had found at the scene of my mother’s car accident. The words were on my lips,
to tell Ryan that I had a piece of pall
adium, but I stopped myself. Although
I knew how dangerous palladium was, I wasn’t prepared to give it up so quickly. There
was so much we didn’t know about it that I wasn’t convinced that it was entirely bad.
I also had to make sure
not to disclose too much information
to Ryan. I could tell him about it later if it was necessary, but for now I decided
it was better to keep it from him.

Ryan was studying me, and I reasoned with myself that he had no idea what I was thinking.
Nevertheless, I felt like I was transparent and he could
tell I was hiding something fro
m him. Instead of prying, he just gave me a faint smile and leaned back in his chair.

I looked away from him and studied my hands clasped in front of me. I lifted my head
quickly when I heard him standing up.

“I’m going to get
some sleep,” he said softly. “Wake me up in a couple of hours so we can switch.”

I nodded, holding my breath when he paused in front of me, looking at me like he wanted
to say something
more
, but he just gave me a small smile before walking out of the bedroom
and closing the door behind him
.

I took a deep breath after he had left. I didn’t know why I felt
so
guilty about not telling hi
m about my palladium coin
. In reality, I had no obligation
to tell him anything. But I
reminded
myself
that he had traveled all this way to help me defeat my
father. I reasoned
that it was as much for his own motives as mine,
that he wanted to destroy my father not just to help me but for the greater cause,
yet
I still couldn’t completely push away the niggling feeling of guilt.

I was still debating internally about what the right thing to do was when the doorknob
turned. I tensed in anticipation, but was surprised when I saw Simon’s face instead
of Ryan’s. He walked softly over to me and I automatically made room for him in my
chair.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he admonished quietly when he had settled in.

“You need as much sleep as I do,” I said
. “And you were just a few feet away if I needed you.”

I was relieved when he didn’t argue. It was com
forting to have
Simon’s arm around me as I leaned into him, but I couldn’t take my mind off Ryan.
I wondered if I could truly trust him
and what my dream had been
trying to tell me.

Chapter Seven

The next day was pretty much like the day before. Ryan and I went with Grant to his
cla
sses, although we had to skip one
since the class size was too small for us to go unnoticed, and Simon accompanied Sarah
everywhere. I was just happy that it was Friday
,
although the impending weekend w
ould give me no relief in worrying
. I was also looking forward to having Marcus and Jenny over for dinner tonight. I
had missed their company and felt guilty for having avoided them, even if it was for
their own safety.

Our apartment was feeling a little crowded
since we had five people staying
there, but I didn’t see any other solution. I was busy making dinner while everyone
else was in the living room. I had refused offers for help because
I found cooking
soothing and I enjoyed having some time to myself. I was just finishing up when I
heard the doorbell ring and I went to join the others in the living room.

Marcus and Jenny arrived in a flurry of activity, mostly due to Jenny and her enthusiasm.
She hugged each of us with a wide smile and I felt a pang
of regret
at having neglected our friendship throughout all this.

“Caitlin!” she exclaimed as
she
enveloped me in a hug. “I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!”

“Sorry about that,” I said weakly but I returned her hug enthusiastically. I reminded
myself of the excuse of being sick. “Things were a little crazy and it didn’t help
that we all caught a nasty virus.”

“I’m so happy you’re feeling better,” she said sympathetically, and I tried
to not
feel like the worst friend in the world.

“I’m not surprised that you caught it too,” Marcus joked as he looked at Grant. “You
practically live here.”

Grant shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “What can I do? The old lady has me
on a short leash.”

“Hey!” Sarah looked affronted as she smacked Grant on the arm. Grant’s joke seem to
break the tension and it felt like old times, back when we were just a group of friends
enjoying the last year of college. Jenny looked
curiously at Ryan
, who had been standing back just watching w
hile we
greeted each other.

“This is Ryan,” I said, continuing the introduction with the lie we had already agreed
upon. “He’s a friend of the family that’s staying with me for a little bit.”

I figured the
fewer
details told the better, and I was relieved when Je
nny and Marcus seemed to readily accept
my lie, although they would have no reason not to.

“You guys came right on time. Dinner’s ready. We’re having chicken parmigiana tonight.”

“Awesome!” Marcus said with a cheerful smile. I hadn’t had much chance to see Marcus
and Jenny as a couple, and it was surprising
but endearing to see him with his
arm around her shoulders. He also looked much happier than I had ever seen him.

Once we had settled into our seats in the living room, each with a plate piled high
with food, I could almost convince myself that this was a normal night where I could
relax and enjoy myself. The food caught in my throat when Jenny started to ask Ryan
questions about himself.

“What brings you to Rochester, Ryan?”

I listened to Ryan’s excuse about having a job interview in the area, and wanting
to check out the town in case he got offered the job. I was amazed at how easily he
lied, giving just the right amount of detail to be convincing, bu
t not too much to be conspicuous.
He handled all of Jenny’s questions with ease, and I found myself a little unsettled
by
how convincing he was with his lies.
If I didn’t know better, I would
have
believe
d
everything he was saying.

I was relieved when Jenny seemed satisfied with his answers and switched the topic.

“When are you guys playing at the East End again? Joel has been contacting Marcus
non-stop because he says you guys never call him back.” She looked accusingly at Grant
and Simon, but it was with no rancor.

“We’ve been getting over the virus,” Grant said with a cheerful smile that looked
forced. If Ryan was a consummate liar, Grant was an utter failure at it.

“But you’re not sick anymore,” Marcus said, more a statement than a question. “How
about tomorrow?”

“How about next weekend?” Grant looked at Simon helplessly as he answered, unsure
if he was making the right decision. Simon seemed to sense his panic and spoke up.

“I think next weekend is a good idea. We’re still getting our energy up, and the last
thing we want to do is put on a crappy performance. We hav
en’t practiced in a while
.”

Marcus accepted Simon’s answer, and Grant looked relieved when the topic shifted to
how everyone’s Thanksgiving was. I almost choked when I had to say that Thanksgiving
had been great, trying to blot out
all the awful things that had happened in Connecticut.

The dinner I had so been looking forward to was becoming more of a chore as I realized
how hard it was to juggle all the lies.
I had been foolish to think that we could just be a
regular
group of friends enjoying a night in. Too many things had happened for me to ever
feel normal again. Even Sarah, normally bright and cheerful, was subdued, as if she
were afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Jenny and Marcus
seemed to sense the tension since they left much earlier than they normally would
have.
We all gave a collective sigh
of relief when they were gone.

“That was awful,” Sarah groaned.

“It was,” I agreed with a frown
. “It’s too hard because
there’re
so many things we can’t tell them.”

“It’s for their own good,” Ryan said. “The less they know the better.”

Ryan’s
statement made me even more glu
m, and the mood seemed to permeate the group. We all looked up when Grant stood.

“I need to get some more clothes from my apartment.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ryan said as he stood as well.

Grant frowned. “Is that really necessary? I’ll be just downstairs for a few minutes.
Marcus already thinks I’m acting weird. I don’t need a chaperone to make him think
I’m acting any weirder.”

“Please,” I said before Ryan could answer. “It’s for your own good. We just want to
keep you safe.
Besides,
they said they were headed to Jenny’s dorm.”

Grant sighed but nodded and they both left to go downstairs to his apartment.

“I’m exhausted,” Sarah announced as she leaned back against the couch. “I never knew
it could be so tiring just waiting for something to happen.”

“I know what you mean,” I said sympathetically. “This must be so hard on you. I’m
sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

I shrugged. “I feel like this is all my fault. My father is the one behind all of
this, and if it wasn’t for me, you guys wouldn’t be in danger.”

Sarah frowned deeply. “Don’t say that, Caitlin. You’re as much a victim in this as
anyone else.”

“She’s right,” Simon said. “The worst thing to do is blame yourself.”

I didn’t speak as he slowly started rubbing the back of my neck, trying to relieve
some of the tension that had gathered there.
I kept quiet but
I didn’t agree with them. It
was
my fault. But I was
n’t
a victim. I would be the one to resolve all of this if it killed me.

Suddenly, there was a yell from outside. We all bolted towards the door, but Simon
was the first one to reach it. He flung it open and we saw Ryan standing in the driveway,
looking frazzled.

“Grant ran off! I don’t know where he is!”

“Shit,” Simon bi
t out as he ran down the stairs
wit
h
Sarah
and I
following close
behi
nd him. His expression was ominous
as he spoke when he reached Ryan. “How the hell did you lose him?”

“We were in the apartment and he said he had to go to the bathroom. He asked me to
put some clothes in his bag for him
while he was gone
. When I was done, I went out to check on him and the bathroom door was open and he
was nowhere to be found.”

Ryan looked pissed, but I wasn’t sure i
f he was angry at himself or
Grant.

“Why would he do that
?” Sarah cried out, fear making her voice break.

“He might not be in control of his body,” I said, not mincing any words. “We have
to find him before it’s too late.”

“He’s definitely not in the apartment,” Ryan said. He glanced at the woods behind
the apartment
building
.
“He has to be out there somewhere since he didn’t take a car.”

“He’ll be okay, though,” Sarah said, her voice tinged with hysteria. “You said you
saw him being shot with a gun. Where would he get a gun?”

For the first time since I
had met him, Ryan looked nervous
. “I keep a gun locked in my glove compartment. I
didn’t think it was a problem
since I have
the only key. But I
check
ed
my car
after I could
n’t find him and the glove compartment is
open. T
he gun is missing.”

“Fuck!” Simon said fiercely. He glared at Ryan. “If anything h
appens to Grant, it’s on you.
And I won’t let it go.” He quickly scanned the woods before speaking again. “We need
to start looking for him
now
but we can’t sep
arate. That’s the worst thing we can
do.”

Fear was clawin
g at me, but I tried to keep myself
in control. We would get to Grant in time. We had to.

We followed Simon as he navigated his way through the woods, none o
f us even feeling the cold even though
we weren’t wearing jackets in the frigid temperature. Adrenaline wa
s enough to keep me warm as blood furiously pumped through my veins.
Unfortunatel
y, because of the cold weather
the ground was firmly solid, so there were no footprints to follow. The woods behind
the apartment building
were
dense and it was difficult to see in the dark. Simon made his way through with ease,
but it wasn’t as easy for the rest of us, especially Sarah. More than once I had to
catch her before she fell, but she continued on with determination, nothing stopping
her from finding Grant.

“Wait,” Simon whispered, abruptly stopping. “Listen.”

We all
strained our ears
, and then suddenly I heard it. I co
uld hear the crunching of twigs
from a distance
, as if someone was walking quietly, trying not to be heard
.

“This way,” Simon said softly. “The worst thing we can do now is let him know we’re
trailing him.”

Seconds seemed liked hours as we tracked the
noise.
We
were getting closer and closer when Grant, or who I hoped was Grant,
suddenly
seemed to realize he was being followed. The footsteps became quicker as he crashed
through the woods, not trying to be quiet anymore. Soon, it became obvious that he
was running.

“Dammit!” Simon quickened his pace, and we all broke out into a run, but Simon swiftly
outpaced us.

“Go!” I yelled out breathlessly,
the cold
night
air painful in my lungs. I was desperate to catch Grant and
I didn’t want Simon to wait up for us “Get him!”

Simon’s figure bec
ame
distant, but we could still follow him. The sounds of our heavy breathing filled
the woods as we struggled to keep up. Sweat was pouring down my face and back even
though the cold was turning my hands to icicles.

We all heard it at the same time. Ryan, Sarah and I swiveled our heads to the right
when we heard a noise that sounded like someone gasping in pain.

“Grant! It’s Grant!” Sarah cried out, abruptly changing direction and running to where
the sound was coming from.

“Sarah, wait!” I yelled, but it fell on deaf ears as she ran frantically to where
she thought she
had
heard Grant. “
Follow her!” I panted
to Ryan. I didn’t know
if we had actually heard Grant
, but the last thing I needed was for Sarah to go off on her own.