Into The Void (Vampire Hunter Book 4) (7 page)

“Henry, I’ve never even seen you talk to that jerk before. What
happened?”

Henry was still messing with a loose flap on his bandaged hand and
wouldn’t look at me. “
Benji
was being his typical
self,” he muttered. “It’s nothing.”

“Please, I’m not stupid. Something happened. Why won’t you tell me?’

Henry finally glanced up. “Because we got in a fight because of
you
,” he said,
then
returned his attention to his hand.

“Oh, so
Benji
was talking shit about me? What’s
the big deal? He talks shit about everybody. I tune him out. And normally, so
do
you
,” I said pointedly.

“Well this time he said something that I couldn’t ignore. He was in the
hallway talking so loudly that anyone at the other end could have heard him. He
said he couldn’t believe you had the nerve to show your face at school, after
how you acted right before you died.”

I groaned. “But I was possessed,” I whispered. “It wasn’t me!”

“Yeah, and even if it
had
been
you, that’s awfully rich of
Benji
to call you out for
it. He’s all over his girlfriend of the hour at every party where I’ve ever seen
him.”

“That really pissed me off,” Henry continued, “but I told myself to let
it go. It wasn’t worth it. I had just passed him and was about to round the
corner when I heard him say something that absolutely made my blood boil. I
couldn’t help myself. I was seeing red I was so angry. I spun around and
charged at him and started pummeling him in the face, over and over, until Mr.
Corbin broke us apart.”

“What did he say?” I demanded.

“It makes me infuriated just thinking about it now.” Henry’s face had
gone a deep red. I had rarely seen him angry. Usually he was so even tempered.

I placed my hand on his arm. “Calm down,” I whispered. “It can’t be as
bad as you think. Just tell me.”

“
Benji
said that he was so disgusted by ‘the
whore’ at the party, that he was glad when he heard you died. That if someone
else hadn’t gotten to you first, he was going to give you what you so obviously
wanted – from a real man.”

I shuddered. “That’s disgusting…and disturbing. I can see why you got so
mad.”

“Believe it or not I hadn’t started hitting him at that point. No, it
gets better. He then went on to say that since you woke up from your coma and
hadn’t actually died, he might just have to reconsider his original plan to
‘give it to you.’”

I leaned forward, gagging. I couldn’t vomit, but I could apparently still
have the physical reaction of heaving. I willed myself to calm down. “That’s
just awful! So now I have to live in fear of this rapist creep?”

“Now you see why I attempted to beat the shit out of him,” Henry said
grimly.

“Why in the world did they let you come to class? Usually fighting is a
straight trip to the principal’s office for a call to your parents, then
detention for at least a week!”

“That was the only funny part of the situation.” Henry laughed tersely.
“I’ve known Mr. Corbin for years. He wouldn’t even let
Benji
talk. He basically decided that
Benji
had attacked me
and I was the victim.
Benji’s
ass got hauled to
detention. I doubt they can involve his parents since he’s 18. But I got this
wonderful letter that I have to get a parent to sign, explaining the fight.”
Henry held up a sealed envelope.

“I’ll sign it,” I said quickly.

Henry smiled for the first time. “You must have read my mind. I was going
to ask. I’m sure I can get a sample of my dad’s signature from some legal
document in his office. Come home with me after school and we’ll figure it out.
He’s already breathing down my neck about college apps, doing more volunteer
work, running for class president, blah, blah, blah. I really can’t take
hearing an earful about
this.
”

“Understood,” I said. “It’s the least I can do.”

I had vowed I wouldn’t ask Henry about any other spells, but if
Benji
was really gross enough to come after me, I might
need his help.
Maybe he could cast a
spell to put
Benji
in a coma for a year.

It was a horrible thing to suggest, but
Benji
was a horrible person. I was still wary to start playing with magic, magic that
would fuck with people’s lives. But there might not be another choice.

I was already thinking about killing
Senara
and
now I wanted to do bodily harm to
Benji
. The happy,
go-lucky carefree girl I used to be would never have entertained anything like
that.

Of course, I knew I had changed since I came back, but I didn’t realize I
had lost myself, too.

The first week of school was uneventful, as usual (except for Henry’s
fight with
Benji
). His hand wasn’t injured that badly
and wouldn’t affect basketball tryouts in two weeks. And no one questioned the
note I signed as David Matthews.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was starting to feel, well,
almost
normal. But that wasn’t going to
last for long.

I had just slid into my seat for first period English when Henry leaned
forward in the desk across from me. “Tonight,” he said.

“Well good morning to you, too,” I replied sarcastically.

“I mean…tonight we do the spell,” Henry clarified his original statement.

“Really?” I hissed. “What if I can’t get everyone together?”

“Just make it happen,” was Henry’s only response.

Ms. Perry started talking so I couldn’t say anything else. The minutes
ticked by painfully. This year, we were going to read The Sun Also Rises, Jane
Eyre, Animal Farm, blah, blah, blah. I finally tuned out Ms. Perry. I’d figure
it out once we got the final syllabus. There were more important things at the
moment. If Henry expected for me to get Lucas, Nicholas, and Emmett together in
one place he could have given me a little more notice!

I tried to discreetly take my phone out of my purse, which was on the
floor next to my desk. There was so much I hadn’t told Lucas. He didn’t even
know about my last meeting with Emmett!

I knew Emmett had said our phones were being monitored, but what choice
did I have?

Can I come to your apartment after
school?
I typed the message to Lucas and quickly sent it.

Immediately he responded.
Sure.
Something up? Need a lift?

Yes, pick me up at 1:30? I’ll tell
you when I get there.

“Ms. Stone, care to share with the class what you’re texting?” Ms. Perry
eyed me disapprovingly.

“Sorry,” I said innocently. “I was just checking the time.”

“There’s a clock on the wall.” Ms. Perry pursed her lips.

Somehow, I forced myself not to look at the clock for the rest of class.
When the bell finally range, Henry turned to me. “Were you texting Lucas about
tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. “I have to go over there after school to tell him
what’s going on and see if he can get Nicholas to come over for the spell. Do
you think it’s safe to do it at his apartment?”

“That’s fine,” Henry said. “I already texted Emmett that we needed him
after school, but he hasn’t written back yet.“

I spent the rest of the day thinking about what the evening would bring.
It was so awkward with Henry and Lucas together! It would be the first time
they had seen each other since Mr. Matthews’ party. Unless you counted him
watching Lucas drag me off from Bunny’s party.

Well, at least Henry knew the truth…most of it.

 
 
School wasn’t out until 2:30, but I knew that
I could ditch Dr. Duncan’s study hall, which is why I had told Lucas to pick me
up an hour earlier. Henry was going to sign my name on the roll sheet that Doc passed
around each afternoon. Dr. Duncan never checked the names or paid any attention
to who was in the classroom.

Dr. Duncan might not care, but another teacher would if I was seen
leaving the school early. After fifth period, I slipped out the door of annex A
into the back parking lot.

Lucas was already there, parked at the far end of the lot. I jogged to
his car and got into the front seat.

“Is everything okay?” he asked me.

“Yeah,” I assured him. “I didn’t want to say too much on the text. Emmett
thinks our phones are being monitored.”

Lucas looked perplexed. “I should have thought of that. I can get you
secure phones. No one can listen in on mine, but they probably can – and have
been – on yours.”

“So how was your first week of school?” Lucas asked me, changing the
subject.

“Boring.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Is Nicholas still in town?”

“Yes, why?”

“Right after you dropped me off last weekend, Emmett pulled up to talk to
me. He was actually hoping to catch both of us, but he just missed you. He
wouldn’t call because of the whole unsecured phone thing.” I quickly filled
Lucas in on the conversation I’d had with Emmett and what we were planning.

“Henry’s going to do the spell?” Lucas questioned.

“Emmett didn’t think we had another choice. Why? Do you think it’s a
mistake?” I asked.

“No,” Lucas said slowly. “I know how close you are to Henry, and I don’t
want to see you get hurt.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s going to cast a spell to re-kill me, if that’s
what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t thinking that. Just worried about his role in this war.”

“Henry wouldn’t hurt a fly,” I said defensively. Why did everyone keep
questioning Henry’s intentions?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.” Lucas glanced at me before
turning his attention back to the road.

“I’m just sick of Henry’s character being doubted. He’s not like his
father!”

“Okay, okay, point taken. I surrender.”

I didn’t respond. My mind was whirling. “So are you going to call
Nicholas?” I finally asked. “Henry said he’ll track down Emmett and they’ll get
to your apartment around 3.”

“As soon as we get inside,” Lucas said. We had just arrived at his
complex. Lucas pulled the hood of his coat over his head before stepping out of
the car.

“Hey, now that the twins aren’t a problem, are you going back to your old
place?” I asked as we walked inside.

Lucas took his coat off and hung it on a hook on the wall. He looked
really hot in his plain black t-shirt and jeans. Suddenly I felt nervous, even
though I had been around Lucas a million times now.

“We’ll see,” he replied.

“I thought you couldn’t stand being so close to humans?” I pressed. I had
thought Lucas would be thrilled at the chance to get away from people.

“I can’t.” Lucas laughed. “But I like being close to you. My house is so
damn far away.”

I smiled and sat down on the couch.

“I’m going to call
Nic
,” Lucas said. “Be right
back.” He walked into his bedroom.

 
I leaned my head back and closed
my eyes.
I wonder if Emmett knows
anything? Like when I’m getting this amazing power that can kill
Senara
?

“Nicholas will be here soon.” My eyes flew open. I hadn’t heard Lucas
come back into the room. He had a funny expression on his face.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“
Nic
said he had some interesting information,”
Lucas replied. “He said he’ll tell all of us at once when he gets here.”

“He didn’t give you any kind of hint?” I demanded. “That’s kind of
cryptic.” What was it with vampires and their inability to spit things out?

“Yeah, he gave me a hint alright.” Lucas still had that odd expression on
his face.

“Why are you being so weird? Just tell me what Nicholas said!”

“He said that he found out – by complete accident – who killed you.”

 
“What?” My voice was barely above
a whisper.

“I know. I’m in shock, too,” Lucas said.

“He didn’t say anything else?” I asked.

“Just that he found out while he was working last night and hadn’t had a
chance to call me today.” Lucas had been pacing back and forth, but he stopped
and sat down on the couch next to me.

“I’m surprised you don’t sound more excited. It’s good news, really,”
Lucas said.

“I guess I’m just nervous,” I admitted. “I thought about what could have
happened so many times – why I was possessed before I died and who killed me.
But then, when all of the shit hit the fan – Henry’s father, Tobias,
Senara
– I had to put it out of my head. And now, I just
don’t really know how I feel, to be honest.”

Lucas nodded. “That makes sense. Well, at least it will be another piece
of the puzzle. Possibly a huge piece.”

“When’s Nicholas getting here?” I asked.

“Soon,” Lucas said. “He said he wasn’t far away.”

“Okay,” I replied. “Henry and Emmett should be here soon, too.”

As if on cue, there was knocking at the door.

Lucas stood up and walked over to answer it. Henry and Emmett were
standing there. “Come on in,” Lucas said, stepping to the side.

Henry walked inside and sat down on the couch next to me.

“Sorry I don’t have much furniture,” Lucas said apologetically. “I
haven’t had this many people in my apartment, well…ever.”

“No worries,” Henry said awkwardly. I could feel how tense his body was
next to me.
Does he hate Lucas that much
or is he just nervous about the spell?

“Nicholas shouldn’t be long. He was in the area when I talked to him.
Probably on his way now.
Can I offer either of you some
water?” he asked Emmett and Henry. Lucas looked uncomfortable.

“I’ll have a glass,” Henry said.

Emmett just shook his head.

Lucas looked relieved to have an excuse to leave the room. He headed for
the kitchen to get the glass of water.

“What’s that?” I asked
,
pointing to the duffel
bag Henry had set down in front of him.

“The stuff I need for the spell,” he explained. He leaned down and
unzipped the bag. “Here’s the book you were asking about.” Henry handed me a
leather-bound book. It was huge, about the size of the dictionary we had at
home on the bookshelf. The front had writing in gold lettering, but I couldn’t
read it.

“What’s it say?” I asked Henry.

Emmett walked over to look at the book.

“Here’s your water,” Lucas interrupted, setting a glass down on the small
end table next to the couch.

“Thanks,” Henry said. “I was just showing them my spell book, if you want
to see it.”
Good. Henry is at least
trying to be nice to Lucas.

“Definitely.” Lucas huddled in closer and we all studied the book.

“Aurora was asking me what that says,” Henry said, pointing to the gold
writing. “I don’t know the language, but it means
Black and White Magic, Volume II
.”

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

“Black magic is typically for evil purposes, while white magic is for
good,” Emmett interjected.

“Hmm.” I flipped open the book. The pages were filled with the same
writing from the cover. Some had pictures next to the text.

“What’s this?” Lucas asked, motioning to a crescent shaped drawing on one
of the pages.

“It’s a picture of the leaf from a
karava
tree,” Henry replied.

“What the hell is that?” I muttered.

“It’s a tree that grows in purgatory, according to the book,” Henry
explained.

“How in the world would you get a hold of that?” I asked.

“Good thing we don’t need to,” Henry said. “This is a spell for
spontaneous combustion – to burn someone alive, from the inside out.”

I slammed the book shut with a loud
thud
.
I’d heard and seen enough.

Henry laughed. “I’m not interested in doing anything like that. Don’t
worry, Rory, there’s some scary shit in here that I have
no
intention of touching. Ever.”

I forced a smile.

“Did you tell them what Nicholas said?” Lucas asked.

Henry looked at me quizzically.

“He was doing his job – nothing out of the ordinary – and found out who
had me killed,” I said nervously.

Henry jumped up from his seat on the couch. “That’s great!” he said
enthusiastically. “If we know who killed you, that’s half of the mystery
solved!”

“Right,” I said, but my voice sounded shaky.

Emmett was looking at me intently, but didn’t speak.

“What?” I snapped at him defensively.

“You’re scared to know the truth,” he said bluntly.

“And you’re full of it,” I muttered, but I knew deep down that he was
right. The truth was supposed to set you free. So why did I feel like a caged
animal?