Scarlet Night (Limited Edition) (9 page)

“Wait! My
father
?” she stopped and sneered, shaking her head, “Some nerve that asshole has to send one of his jerk-off lackeys out here to try and get me to come back to the clan! Screw that and screw you!” Serena pivoted on one heel and started back towards her cabin. “Tell the old man to go die and rot in he—”

“He
is
dead!” Zane’s voice was low and even, but there was more than enough venom and malice in those two words to sink into Serena’s heart.

Though she was sure he’d seen the shift in her posture at the news, she kept her back turned. “I don’t care!” she lied, hoping it sounded convincing enough, “Do you think that’s going to make a difference?” She cried out, the feeling of guilt piled in her stomach even as she spoke the words.

Zane stepped in front of her as she started to storm off again, his body shaking as though he were having some sort of seizure. Eyes widening in surprise, Serena backed away, noticing that the complex designs of his tattoos had begun to glow red.

“Listen to me! Your father
died
protecting you and everything—everyone!—he cares about! And he entrusted
me
with the task of getting your spoiled ass back in the clan’s walls! You will take your place where you’ve always belonged or you’ll let down a shit-load of fellow clan members who are depending on you!”

Serena froze as the thought that she might have even been important to the clan slapped her in the face. Looking up at the Zane, she realized how close he must have been to her father. She frowned, seeing the glowing designs on his neck begin to fade as he began to rub at them; remembering how the tattoos had reacted when Devon had taken over. She tilted her head and studied him for a moment.

“Your tattoos…?” Though she was trying to steer the conversation away from something that was clearly upsetting him, her curiosity about him was too great to shift entirely. And, even if it was only somewhat, she was still concerned by the pained look on his face. Though it
was
only somewhat. She sighed and shook her head. She didn’t need all this new chaos.

“DON’T!”—He frowned, averting his enraged gaze from her worried one—“Just… don’t worry about them. They’re nothing important to the situation. Right now we have a lot more to talk about.” As his tone and breathing calmed, the tattoos began to fade back to their normal hue.

Serena watched the phenomenon, scrutinizing both the tattoos and their owner. Finally she nodded, letting out a heavy sigh, “I’ll come. It’s been a while since I’ve been around other people. I guess it might be nice.” She smirked, strolling by him, “
Might
be.” After a moment she looked back over to his now-startled expression and realized that her words had appeared to calm him a great deal.

Somehow, knowing this made her feel at peace.

They reached the clan’s headquarters faster than Serena was ready for and she found herself frozen at the entrance, staring at the once-familiar surroundings with a growing sense of nostalgia and dread. Though the entrance still seemed like nothing more than a normal parking garage entrance and to any human walking by it would appear to be just another office building standing amongst many others like it. That, however, was
exactly
how the Clan of Vail and its members wanted it.

Though she could’ve easily stood and stared at the immense parking garage for several hours more without beginning to fathom what lay beyond, Zane’s patience wasn’t committed to such indulgences and a firm grip pulled her forward. Stumbling to keep up with the warrior’s well-trained pace, they entered the service elevator at the other end of the corridor.

As the doors slid shut behind them, a wave of claustrophobia knocked the air from Serena’s chest and she gasped in a panic.

“Stop it! You’re fine!” Zane said, sounding more annoyed than assuring as he flipped open a panel near the row of buttons. His fingers moved rhythmically over the hidden dial, and as he entered a final keystroke a mechanical chime sounded and the buttons shifted from yellow to red.

Still trying to get control of her nerves, Serena stared as her escort stabbed his calloused thumb onto one of the now-scarlet levels and there was a jolt as they began to descend.

“Th-that’s… that’s new.” She inhaled deeply and tried to let it out slow to ease any future stutters.

“Yes,” Zane nodded, standing ramrod straight and staring blankly at the doors, “Your father felt the need to boost security due to some recent incidents.”

Serena bit her lip, “Does this have something to do with the Odi—”

“It has something to do with
many
things that your father felt deserved his attention.” His gaze shifted towards her and he shook his head slightly.

“I see…” Serena looked down and wondered to herself what else she had missed.

As the elevator slowed and stopped, the two doors opened to reveal the headquarters’ main lobby, Zane showed no hesitation in stepping past into the room, Serena again found herself frozen at the familiar-yet-foreign scene. Realizing that he had exited alone, he turned and stared expectantly at her, signaling with his eyes for her to follow. Though her pride was quickly beginning to fracture, she couldn’t shake the familiar and crippling feeling.

A feeling like…

Just go, Serena!
Devon’s voice echoed in her mind and enveloped her in his warmth. She sighed, glancing over at Devon’s ghostly silhouette for one last nod of support before turning to Zane, who was staring impatiently at her.

She finally nodded and stepped
out of the elevator.

The subterranean complex was as massive as she’d remembered. As the elevator doors slid shut with a soft hum behind her, she accepted with only a minor tremor of panic that she
was
underground. Despite this, her father and his efforts had transformed their headquarters into something befitting royalty, and she was reminded of this fact as she caught sight of a large marble fountain a short distance away. A series of colored lights surrounded and adorned the monument, lending a sense of beauty and serenity to the otherwise barren setting. Past this, the room forked off into several corridors where the clan member’s rooms were kept.

Despite her father’s eye for décor, it was all still the same.

Serena couldn’t help but smile at the wave of nostalgia that flooded her at the sight of her childhood home. Though she couldn’t honestly say that they’d
all
been good, it was still the site of many fond childhood memories. As a little girl, she had always thought of the clan’s headquarters as her own, personal five-star resort, and as she welcomed the various flashbacks she stepped towards the fountain. Despite the rush of emotions, the rhythmic and serene sound of flowing water over the intricately carved marble had a soothing effect and she casually ran the tips of her fingers across the surface and watched the ripples echo out from her touch.

When she was young; she had always been fascinated with the fountains in the park and had often asked to go out to see them. However, due to the dangers that came with being both a part of such an influential clan
and
the daughter of its leader, casual outings of any kind were few and far between.

“He said it was built for you.” Zane stepped over, his purposeful stride resounding on the tile floor and pulled Serena from her own mind. “He never said too much concerning it, but we all knew. I used to find him sitting here when things were quiet enough and he thought he was alone.”

“My father… did this… for me?” She pulled her fingers away from the water hurried to rub away a burning pool that had begun to well in her eye, “I wouldn’t’ve thought, after everything that had happened that he’d even
want
to remember me.” Zane shrugged and sat on the outer edge of the fountain’s foundation. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, suddenly looking very exhausted. He stayed quiet, keeping his gaze locked on the floor as Serena finished her thoughts, and, while she appreciated it, it wasn’t a comfortable situation to be in with company. Dragging her focus away from the fountain, she turned her back to it and sat next to Zane. “How did you and he meet anyway?”

The question forced a smile to his otherwise sullen face and he rubbed absently at the back of his neck. “It’s a
long
fuckin’ story…” he chuckled and shook his head, “I guess you could say he adopted me.” He scoffed at his own choice of words and shook his head. For the first time since their meeting, Serena saw Zane offer a genuine smile. “Your fathe—”

“There you are! I was starting to worry you’d skipped town, Zane!” An excited, warm voice chimed from behind. Zane let out a small growl and cupped his face in his hands, beginning to grumble incoherently into his palms, as the source’s soft footsteps plodded towards them. “Is this her? Did you
really
find her
that
fast?”

Zane grumbled and pulled his face from his palms, “No, Zoey. This is a
hooker
that I wanted to hire for our warriors! Perhaps leap out of a cake and—”

“Oh stop! Like you’d
ever
get something
this
classy! I’d recognize Gregori’s lively aura in her
any
where!” The spritely girl hopped in front of them, her short, cartoon-like blue hair bobbing and swaying as she traded glances from her equally-blue eyes between the two. “I can’t believe it! You’re
really
here!” she clapped excitedly and Serena blushed and chuckled nervously. She wasn’t normally one to be put off guard, but this girl was so damn chipper. After another moment of giddy bouncing, she smirked over at Zane, who had retreated back into the comfort of his palms to continue his grumbling, “Aw! Poor Zaney, are we still cranky about being scolded earlier? I thought you were all better.” Serena didn’t pretend to understand what she meant, but knew from Zane’s reaction that there was no point in questioning it at that point. “So”—she shifted her shimmering eyes back to her—“
this
is Gregori’s daughter! Wow! She looks just like Rose! Did you know you look
just
like your mother?”

Serena felt a twitch in her eye at the mention of her mother.

Zane frowned and shook his head at her, “Zoey, that isn’t really a—”

“Oh hush!” Zoey stuck out her tongue at him, “You’ve seen the pictures, too! You can’t deny it! You and I have
both
heard all his stories!”

Zane growled and looked away, not offering a response. Serena watched him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking, before turning to Zoey.

“How do you know so much about me?” Serena asked, not trying to hide the venom in her tone. She’d noticed instantly that she had no aura surrounding her petite body, which meant she was an auric or dead, and she was far too lively for that to be the case, and
that
meant she had the ability to read minds. And while she hadn’t felt the familiar tug of an invading aura in her head, she wasn’t ruling out the possibility that this Zoey-girl could’ve taken the liberty when her guard was down.

Zoey’s exuberant smile remained as she shook her head, “No need to worry! Your father just told me a lot about you and your mother. He spoke very highly of you.”

Serena frowned, “Are you one of the clan’s warriors?”

Zoey shrugged, “More or less. I can get a job done when I need to, but your father was more interested in my research.”

“What kind of research?” Serena cocked an eyebrow.

“
Hematology, magic, and microbiological development.” She giggled as two sets of eyes went glassy,
“
Blood. I make blood. Well, fake blood; fake,
enchanted
blood. Zane, do you remember when The Gamer wa—”

Zane groaned, “Zoey. Babbling!”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” She giggled again, “Anyway, your father was interested in a synthetic blood substitute with nearly
ten
-times the potency.”

“Don’t mind her,” Zane rolled his eyes, “Zoey gets chatty when she’s nervous.”

Zoey pouted and stuck her tongue out at him again.

Serena sighed again and looked over at the two. They both were so welcoming to her. Well, Zoey was at least; Zane didn’t seem like he cared much one way or the other. She looked down and tugged at her skirt a bit, remembering their night together.

“You still with us, Princess?” Zane narrowed his gaze at her, his eyes burning into her, “Now that you’re here, we can’t have you slipping off into la-la land at your leisure.”

She frowned, again questioning just
what
he was and wondering if he had actually read her thoughts or if he was just perceptive.

“You see that, Zane? You
scare
the poor girl! She’s already been through a lot, so why don’t you give her a break?” Zoey smiled warmly and turned to her, “Serena, would you care to go for a walk with me?”

“Not now! She needs to be caught up on what she’s missed!” Zane said as he went to step between them.

Serena’s eyes narrowed and she pulled back her lip. She
hated
to be answered for! “No, Zane,”—she spat out his name like a bad taste—“I think what I
need
is to go for a walk.” Serena shot him a look and started forward, walking around him and linking her arm with Zoey’s as she pulled them both towards the exit.

“We can do it another time if it’s a problem...” Zoey whispered as Serena continued forward. Though she was reluctant to follow with Zane’s scorching gaze burning into their backs, but, unable to counter Serena’s determination and strength, was forced through the doors.

“It’s okay! No time like the present, right? Besides look at his face! It’s priceless!” Serena smirked and turned back for a moment to shoot Zane a wink and cackle as his eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists.

“I’m not sure Zane is going to like this...” Zoey chewed on her lip, but continued forward from Serena’s pull.

“Oh, he’s all bark and no bite!” Serena laughed.

Zoey whimpered, “I wish that were true…”

“Just come back soon!” Zane’s growling voice echoed after them, followed shortly after by the sound of his heavy steps as he stomped off.

“Oh! You’re burned!” Zoey frowned as she spotted the irritated red patch on Serena’s back.

They had found their way to a small spot in the forest near the city and sat by a log that gave them a wonderful view of a small pond glowing in the moonlight. Serena sighed, knowing she could easily make it back to her cabin from this distance.

So close to her serenity and solitude with Devon...

“It’s from earlier. I fell asleep in the forest and woke up in the sun. It’s really not as bad as it looks,” she explained, trying to shift her top to cover the spot—hoping she wouldn’t reveal any details about the night before. Though Zane was already upset about the whole thing, he would probably only get angrier if Zoey found out. She smirked at the thought and played with the idea a moment longer.

“Oh! Come to think of it, Zane did seem more agitated than normal! The sun’s always done a number on him because of his curse and all.” Zoey bit her lip and turned her attention towards some nearby flowers.

“Curse?” Serena’s eyes widened and she leaned forward, “What do you mean? Just what’s his problem anyway?”

“That’s… not really my story to tell.” Zoey shook her head and quickly stood, heading off into the woods. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to see if I can’t find something that might help your burn. Stay here.”

Before Serena could respond she had rushed into the forest, disappearing into the thick blackness of the trees.

Serena shivered and looked up into the moonlight. Who—or, more to the point,
what
—was Zane really?

Should I be nervous?
Devon’s voice called to her as his auric visage materialized in front of her,
You know that you’ve been thinking about him an awful lot lately, right?

“Not like
that
!” Serena lashed out defensively before reigning in her emotions. She shook her head, more to herself than to Devon, “I guess it’s… it’s just that I’m having a hard time trusting him and all. Plus, it’s hard to imagine rejoining my father’s clan after…”

There’s something about him; some strange power. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but when I possessed him there was… something else inside.
Devon continued, concern weaving through his voice as he struggled to explain.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I know better than to let my guard down, especially not for some douchebag I just met.” She sighed and looked into the water.

Devon stared at her a moment longer before he faded and disappeared from her sight. She knew she had upset him with what she said and she frowned as the loneliness crept up on her.

Where did Zoey go off
to?

Zoey hummed softly as she walked into an opening in the forest and kneeled down, absently examining the plants for any that might help with Serena’s burn. Though she
was
concerned, the excursion was more for Zane and his secret. She sighed, continuing to ruffle through the various plants, considering heading back before the sound of a violin resonated through the area and she looked up to find a source. Though eerie and out of place, the music was both beautiful and heart-wrenching. She stepped towards the direction and began to follow the sound.

Peeking through the trees, she saw a tall, lean man
perched against a tree with an empty bottle of vodka lying beside him. The music, she realized, was coming from him, and she watched, entranced, as he played an old, beat-up violin that seemed to be held together solely by the tenderness that its owner played it with. She stared at him for a time, taking in his handsome features. Dark-brown hair, long and unkempt, poured over his head and down to his shoulders; a great deal of the wild mane covering his face as he played. Past the curtain of hair, however, Zoey could make out his fierce eyes—dark and partially hidden behind hair and shadow—as they stared at the neck of the instrument and filled with an animal ferocity. Without meaning to, she felt herself stepping forward. She could see that he was a theriomorph—the shape-shifters responsible for almost every werewolf legend ever told—and a strong one, at that. His dark-green aura writhed and throbbed with a bestial fury and she could sense the raw energy radiating from him as he played. And while the code of ethics for the Clan of Vail would have her see
any
therion as an enemy, she couldn’t bring herself to fear or hate him. Though, Zoey didn’t mind therions as much as the others in her clan, they
were
still an enemy, and with the clan’s recent trauma still weakening their fortitude she knew it wouldn’t take much to collapse the system by breaking rules. Still, enemy or not, this particular therion didn’t seem to be engaged in anything to warrant an attack and, since the clan
was
bound to The Council’s laws she saw no reason to attack.