Scion's Freedom (Siren Publishing Classic) (4 page)

She was careful to keep her guard up as she climbed the flights of stairs. Shadows flickered and danced on the landing wall just ahead. Sounds drifted up from the street below in bursts as the building doors opened and closed. Her stomach fluttered with adrenaline. She flattened herself against the wall and took one slow step at a time toward the top. Whispers now accompanied the shadows. They grew larger and louder. Someone was approaching.

Three steps from the top a group of girls burst into view. They were whispering and giggling with one another. One let out a bray of a laugh before clapping her hands over her mouth. Cassy jumped and let out a breath she had not realized she was holding. Had she been paying attention to her senses, she would have tasted their perfume on the air, smelled the hairspray and talc, or heard the clicking heels they were trying to cover up. Most of the tenants were either vampires or werewolves. Cassy recognized two of the girls as the building’s rare human occupants. They were not sneaking. They were making an effort to be polite.

The door to her apartment looked as it did when she left. The locks tumbled and opened when the key twisted. The handle turned with the same effort as always. She pushed and stood alone in the doorframe. It swung open and hit the back side of the bar. No one was there. It looked the same as it had when she left.

She was not sure whether to feel relief or disappointment. Erica was not here, had not been here during the day, but nothing indicated she would not return. Cassy sighed and turned on the TV for noise.

The refrigerator held the same empty white wire shelves and nothing else. Not up to going to the store, Cassy opted to call Vein for takeout delivery. Within half an hour dinner was at the door.

“That’ll be $22.87, please,” said the spotty teenage human boy. He handed her the brown paper bag and took the money. He made it a point not to look her square in the eyes. It was company policy to help avoid being compelled.

“Keep the change,” Cassy told him. The boy smiled. It was a good tip.

“Thanks, lady! You guys are always the best tippers,” he said with an enthusiastic smile. Cassy wished she could share his optimism. “Just to be fair, I’ll give you a tip in return. There is a cop car parked outside of your building. I saw it there on my last delivery this way, too. So don’t speed, okay?”

Cassy’s chest tightened. “Okay. I promise,” she whispered. She gave him a weak smile. He turned and left whistling a happy tune.

Cassy put the bag on the kitchen counter and waited. Nothing. She pulled out the contents, uncapped the bag of O positive, and poured some of it into a mug. She waited. Nothing. The microwave whirled around and around until it beeped. Still nothing.

“You’re just being paranoid,” she told herself. She took her mug into the living room and sat down to the news. She might as well have been looking at a blank screen. Nothing registered with her. Fangs extended, she sipped dinner carefully as to not clip the ceramic cup.

Halfway through her second mug and sometime between “And now to Chet with the weather!” and “Tonight will be great autumn weather…” someone knocked on the door. Cassy froze. The knocking continued in short bursts.

“Miss Daniels, please open up. We know you’re in there,” said a polite yet unfamiliar male voice. “Miss Daniels, please.” Three more raps followed. Then silence.

Cassy did not even put down her mug. Having something in her hand gave her a sense of being steadier. She walked to the door. Any words announcing her approach were stuck in her throat. Fear ran through her. She could not even retract her fangs. It was rude to answer the door in such a state, but it could not be helped this time.

She undid the locks and gave the handle a turn. Half expecting someone to force their way past her when she cracked the door, Cassy braced herself. Once again, nothing happened. Two thirty-something uniformed officers just under six feet tall and a plain-clothed man with a badge around his neck stood there. It seemed like Cassy should know this man. He wore short black hair framing a face she was sure she had seen before.

Cassy was stunned. The plain-clothed cop was David from Halloween! Panic flooded her system. Was this about Erica or her? He had been in the bar. There were signs everywhere. Any human who consented to enter the building consented to being bitten. It was why most humans went there!

David asked, “Miss Daniels? Are you all right?” He did not show any signs of recognizing her. The look on his face seemed genuinely concerned. No signs of anger or deception played around his eyes. He did not smell of adrenaline.

“My name is Detective Ashe. They are Officers Mills and Trent. Ma’am, may we come in, please? This is very important,” he requested.

“Um…okay. Make yourselves at home,” she replied and stepped back to let them pass. They seemed unsettled by her fangs.

Officer Trent stayed in the hall outside. The other came in with the detective. Cassy noticed them staring at her mug. The uniformed cop wrinkled his nose in disgust. She hurried over to the kitchen to put it away. When she returned, the detective was seated on the sofa. Officer Mills stood to one side as if on guard. They were both observing her apartment.

Cassy sat down as far away from them as she could. It took her a moment to find her voice. “What can I do for you gentlemen?”

“Miss Daniels, do you know the whereabouts of your roommate, Erica Jordan?”

“No. She left for the office before I woke up. I haven’t seen her since last night, well, sunrise.” Her voice was full of worry and tension.

“Did she say she was going to meet anyone this evening? Maybe to feed?”

“No. She and I usually eat at home. What is this? Is she okay?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Her editor called us when this showed up at his office by special courier.” From his pocket he pulled out a small manila envelope with a bulge in the center. He held out his hand and poured its contents into his palm. It was Erica’s favorite ring, the one Cassy had given her for her last human birthday. The old-fashioned gold filigree sides still held the large, flat, rectangular, flawless two-carat emerald. “Do you recognize this?”

Cassy gasped. She covered her mouth and turned her head. She could not look at it. There were flecks of blood on it she could not see but could smell.

“Please, put it away,” she mumbled through her muffling hand. The ring made a swishing sound and a thunk as it slid down to the bottom of the envelope.

“Miss Daniels, do you recognize it? We need you to verify its owner.”

Cassy looked back at him, pink-tinged tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. She shook her head. “Yes,” she whispered, “I recognize it.”

“And to whom does it belong?”

“It’s Erica’s. I gave it to her in 1852. We turned twenty-one that year. It was her last human birthday,” she said. Her voice had begun to crack.

Officer Mills could not hold his tongue any longer. “That’s like over two hundred years ago! You two have been at it that long?”

“At what?” Cassy was not sure how to take his question. She could not help feeling a little insulted.

“Bloodsucking girlfriends,” he spat. This was not someone happy with the new world order. In fact, Cassy would have bet he hated anything to do with supernaturalism, not just vampires.

“We are not girlfriends in the way you mean. She grew up with me. We’re best friends. She was my lady’s maid.” Cassy did not break eye contact with the man.

“Officer Mills, wait outside with Officer Trent, please,” the detective interjected. He stood quickly and placed himself between Cassy and Mills. Mills made for the door. “I believe you owe our host an apology, officer.”

The uniformed man stopped, turned to face Cassy, and took off his hat. “My apologies, ma’am,” he said. It was very insincere and said almost with a sneer. He put his hat back on and left.

“I am sorry about that. He is a good cop, but he’s seen too much. The Fall did some terrible things to him,” he apologized.

“Where is Erica? Is she okay?” Fat, blood-tinged tears rolled down Cassy’s face.

“Her editor doesn’t think so. He said she was working on a story and left to interview someone. She didn’t come back, but the ring did. We came here hoping to find her at home. We waited outside for a while before coming up to ensure she wasn’t just en route. We will do everything we can to help her.”

Cassy was beside herself with grief. She pulled a tissue from the box behind the side table lamp. It had just occurred to her. This was the first time she could ever remember being completely alone in her life. The thought frightened her even more. Her tears turned to crying.

An arm went around her shoulders and pulled her in for a side hug.

“I’m sure it will be okay. Reporters get caught up in the moment all the time. She’s probably just interviewing another lead. I’m sure she just left it behind after washing her hands or something,” he said. The soothing effort was wasted. She cried harder. This was unlike anything she knew of cops. They tended to be hard, harsh, and to the point. They did not, to the best of her knowledge, show such optimism. She wondered if he was connecting with her through the compulsion.

“No, Detective Ashe, it most certainly will not be okay,” she sniffled. “I can smell the blood on her ring!”

Detective Ashe stood up. He pulled a phone from his hip and placed a call. He waited for someone to pick up.

“Sir, we have a problem. The missing woman’s roommate says she smells blood on the ring.” There was a pause. “Yes, sir, they are both vampires. We may not have a missing person on our hands.” He was silent for a moment. Then he looked down at Cassy. “Yes, sir, I will. Thank you, sir.” He hung up and went to the door.

“Officer Mills, I need you to go sit in the car and wait for backup. Officer Trent, you are to guard this door. Do not let anyone in without clearing it with me first.” Both men nodded. He closed the door.

Cassy asked, “What is going on?”

“Miss Daniels, it looks like we may have found your friend.”

“Where is she?” Cassy demanded. The temptation to compel him again was terrible. The waiting game had to end. Every last nerve in her body was tingling. Anger was seeping in to replace the worry.

“I’m afraid, Miss Daniels, she’s dead.”

All the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Cassy couldn’t breathe. She tried to pull some into her lungs but nothing happened. It was for the best. She was sure if she could inhale she would have screamed. There was no guarantee if she started she would be able to stop.

Crushing grief filled the numb empty voids in her mind. Pain and loss flashed in the form of memories. Images of Erica humming while braiding Cassy’s hair, a silver needle flicking in the candlelight as she repaired a hem, and watching her unpack in their first apartment blocked out anything Detective David Ashe was saying.

Slowly the world returned. It was like having the sound off and hitting the volume in increments. The muffled noise turned into indistinguishable words and then understandable phrases.

“I asked if you needed to call anyone, Miss Daniels,” Detective Ashe repeated. He had placed a hand on her shoulder and tilted his head to match the angle of hers. She had not noticed him sitting beside her. Numbness made her brain hazy and her limbs feel hollow.

A shuttered rasp of air entered her body. No scream followed. She could speak at least. “No. Thank you. She doesn’t have any living family members.”

“Is there someone you can call to stay with you? You’ve had a serious shock.”

“No. I don’t want to call anyone. Besides, the sun is rising now. There is no time. I need to lie down,” she said. She put a hand to her forehead. She could feel her powers slipping away. Weariness took their place.

“We will have a man on the door until sunset. Don’t worry about being alone. We will need a statement about anything that can help us find who did this,” he assured her. She nodded in assent.

“Could you stay with me?” She wanted someone familiar, even if he did not know how familiar they were.

“No, I’m afraid not. I have to get back to the office and file all the paperwork. The ring is now evidence and needs to be locked up,” he stated.

Cassy could not say anything. She nodded in acceptance and walked to her bedroom. The door clicked behind her, and she waited for him to leave. She leaned her head against the frame and listened. The front door opened, two men spoke in low voices, and the door shut. There were footsteps in the hall walking away. Cassy left her room long enough to lock the front door and shoot the dead bolt. Just for added effect, she slid the chain lock into place. The scratching sound it made as it moved against the door made her feel safer. It was the first time she could ever remember using it. She shuffled back to her room and fell face first into bed.

Sunset came and with it Cassy’s powers. She was like a battery recharging. She sat up and rolled her stiff neck. Looking down, she realized she was wearing her work clothes from last night. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she headed for the shower.

The mirror revealed a light crust of dark dried blood streaked down each cheek. Cassy had been crying in her sleep. She opened the medicine cabinet for her face wash. A folded note fell out. Erica’s familiar scrolling script stared up at her.