Night Visions (Night Series) (22 page)

CHAPTER 20

Sam stepped inside the doorway just as the woman vaulted out of the chair. She scrambled back into the wall, as if she wanted it to absorb her. Her blonde curls laid in a tangled mess around her face. Shaking her head, a stream of tears accompanied her sobs. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Sam shot a glance past the open door, making sure no one was coming. The empty hallway confirmed her hopes. She gripped the door with both hands, pushing it closed.

"What are you sorry for?" Her heart ached for whatever pain this woman inflicted upon herself. The woman's agony rolled off her in waves, nearly bringing Sam to her knees.

"I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know."

Her desperate pleas had Sam taking a cautious step forward. She softened her voice as if coaxing a timid animal. "Shh. What didn't you know?"

"If I had known, I would never have gone." The woman slid to the floor. Her body shook as the tears fell freely down her cheeks.

Sam pulled a quilt off the foot of the bed. Dropping to her knees, she crawled toward the girl, careful to not startle her. The muscles in her leg twitched from the sudden movement.

"What's your name?"

The question went unanswered. Under her breath the woman kept whispering
I didn't know…I didn't know.
Over and over.

Sam draped the quilt over the woman's body. The gesture didn't faze her as she focused on the mantra still spilling from her lips. Leaning in closer Sam swept the girl's hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. "What's your name?"

Grief filled eyes lifted, locking with Sam's. "Eve."

"Hi, Eve. My name is Sam."

"I know who you are, " Eve whispered. She could only hold Sam's gaze for a brief moment before her eyes shifted to the floor.

But her answer only increased Sam's curiosity. Something about the woman did seem familiar, though she couldn't place where they could have met. "Have we met before?"

Eve nodded her head.

"When...?" The questions stuck in Sam's throat as the pieces began to click together. Something in Eve's eyes whispered to her soul. Haunting whispers.

No…

Every second of that horrible moment crashed around Sam. She gauged the distance to the door from the corner of her eye. And just as her muscles burned in preparation to run, Eve's voice filled the air.

"I won't hurt you. If that's what you're worried about."

Looking at Eve, it was hard to believe she was the same vicious animal that attacked her last night. There was nothing about her that even hinted at what she was capable of. Yet
, the more Sam stared at her, the more her leg throbbed.

"I only meant to scare you. I thought you would heal."

Sam shook her head in disbelief. "Scare me?" She pressed her lips so hard they tingled. Then they parted again. "By nearly tearing my leg off?"

"You're a shifter. That wound isn't fatal to us."

Sam wanted to believe her. The absent voices convinced her that Eve spoke the truth. But anger continued to rage inside her. "How do you know what I am? I just found out myself."

Her eyes pleaded with Sam to understand. "I thought you knew what you are. You live in a community of shifters. How could you not know?"

Bryan? Mrs. Patterson? They were all like her? Were they ordered to guard her too? Before this was over, she would need a shovel to dig through all of the lies.

"But that still doesn't explain how you fit into all of this."

"I'm friends with..." Eve cleared her throat. Her eyes fell to the floor, where she stroked the burgundy fibers in the quilt. "I knew Ian a long time ago."

Waiting for Eve to continue, a flicker of jealousy tightened Sam's chest. Did she really want to know about Ian's past relationships? Especially when that woman nearly killed her.

No she didn't, but the tension unfolding between them said Eve didn't care if she wanted to know. She needed absolution.

"He took me in when
I had nowhere else to go. He gave me a home." Eve swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks. "I felt safe and loved for the first time in my life." Pain-filled eyes locked back on to Sam as a few more tears escaped. "You have to understand that I was young and damaged. I saw Ian as my savior. Even told him that I loved him. But it didn't matter." A twisted curl brushed against her face as she shook her head. "He said he loved another."

The words twisted Sam's gut. Had Ian been referring to her or someone else?

Her lips began to burn at the thought of his kiss. How he'd awakened a side of her that she'd forgot existed. A side that he cradled in his arms less than twenty-four hours ago. Why had he never spoken of her?

Eve cleared her throat, regaining Sam's attention as she continued. "Pride has a way of making you do really stupid things. Which is what I did. I left Ian and set out to do my own thing. And I was on my own for years. Just when I thought I'd moved on, Dr. Kingston found me and something inside me changed. Something I had no control over."

Kingston? Was that Scott's father? The possibility that Eve could also be a victim lingered in her mind. Could this doctor be working with Casimir? Fire spread down the back of her throat as she swallowed. The metallic taste of the left-over drug teased her tongue. Then her leg began to tingle from sitting in the same position for so long.

Gripping the arm of the chair
, she tried to pull herself to her feet. Not that she succeeded. Or needed to. In a flash, Eve looped Sam's arm over her shoulder, lifting her to her feet. The cushion on the chair gave once Eve eased her down. Kneeling in front of her she extended Sam's leg, examining her wound.

"I can help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" Sam cringed at the roughness in her own voice. No matter how much she wanted to be angry with Eve, a part of her empathized with the girl. Her vulnerability and need for love had sent Eve spiraling out of control.

The same would have happened to me had it not been for my family. Something Eve didn't have.

"You will never know how sorry I am. I made a mistake. Trusted the wrong people and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. I don't expect you to forgive me, but that doesn't change the fact that you need help. Help that I can provide. You can't stay here, Sam."

Well
, she didn't exactly want to stay here either, especially since Eve was the second person in a matter of hours that told her to go.

Eve stepped away from the chair, making her way to the door. The hinges growled to life when she cracked it. Poking her head into the hall, she looked both ways before closing and locking it.

Sam continued to stare, curious on how much she knew. "Do you know what's going on? Why I'm here?"

Walking to the window
, Eve glanced over her shoulder. "No. I've only picked up bits and pieces. I do know that you completing the transition is key." Pulling the curtains closed against the mid-afternoon sun, she turned and knelt in front of Sam again. "Are you ready?"

"What? You mean now?" She thought she would have more time to prepare. To better understand her heritage before delving into unchartered territory. Because once she made the transition, there was no going back. The whispers tumbled over one another in her mind. Her indecision agitated them. Now was the time to move forward. Too many lives hung in the balance. Clutching the arms of the chair, she prayed for Adirah to guide her. "Why should I trust you?

Eve held Sam's gaze. "Because Dr. Kingston will be back soon and you'll have the advantage if you transition now. You're linked to Ian, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Eve dropped her eyes, her cheeks flushed crimson. "You've bonded?"

Now Sam could feel her cheeks burn. How could Eve know about…?

A sigh blew through her mind. Her body stiffened as she narrowed her eyes on Eve. The awkward silence had Eve snapping her head up. Guilt blazed in her eyes, refueling the anger burning through Sam. "You were there?"

Eve's silence confirmed Sam's suspicion. Leaning forward in the chair, Sam closed the distance between them, her nose almost touching Eve's, who remained cemented to her spot. "You were watching us? The noise we heard?" Did Ian know it was her in the woods watching them in the pool? That's why he sent her back to the room, using the impending storm as an excuse.

"You don't understand," Eve whispered.

"Oh
, I understand jealousy." Hadn't she nearly ripped the woman's head off in the diner for flirting with Ian? Flirtation he didn't return. But she couldn't see that at the time. Could only react to the primal feeling that flooded her veins. At least now it made sense.

Not meeting her gaze, Eve rocked back on her heels, putting distance between them. She took a deep breath before she attempted to speak again. "I realized a long time ago that I wasn't in love with Ian. I honestly don't know what came over me. Dr. Kingston…" Eve wiped her palms on her pa
nts then lifted a shaky hand to her temple. "I've lost pieces of my memory. They come back in flashes."

"Then why do any of this?" Sam waited for Eve to meet her gaze, but she wouldn't. Easing back into the chair, she gave Eve some space, hoping it would motivate her to talk.

"Dr. Kingston said that only he could stop you. That you would destroy the world."

Voices buzzed inside Sam's head, warning her to focus on Eve's words. "Destroy the world? How the hell would I do that?"

"Something about your gift."

How is this a gift? It's beginning to sound more and more like a curse.

If her nightmares were indeed visions, then people were going to die because of her. Sam refused to believe it. She would never intentionally harm another person. Would her powers change that?

Coming to a stand,
Eve began to pace between the chair and the window. "Dr. Kingston didn't tell me much. Most of what I know I overheard and I don't know how much of it is true. But I see now that he manipulated me."

"It looks like we are all pawns in his game." Sam's gut churned at the thought. She didn't have time to deal with an insane doctor. Not when she had to figure out her powers. Powers she needed, to face off with a god. But the more she knew about this doctor, the better chance she had in escaping. "So who is Dr. Kingston?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Eve glanced out the window. "I thought I knew him. That he was kind. He taught me how to survive. Trained me to be a fighter. Said he was going to help our kind."

Great. She'd been kidnapped by Dr. Jekyll. Well
, she had news for him. He wouldn't get a chance to experiment on her. No way in hell.

"Okay. Let's do it. Help me make the transition." And try not to black out and kill me in the process.

Eve gave Sam's hand an encouraging squeeze. "Close your eyes and relax."

Sam let her eyes drift closed, focusing on Eve's voice as it flowed over her.

"You need to connect with your animal spirit. Call to it. When it comes, embrace it."

A gentle gray mist caressed Sam's skin. She spun in circles, searching the endless fog for her connection. Waiting, listening.

Maybe now wasn't the time. Maybe she was too late, waited too long. Her animal spirit grew restless and abandoned her.

"Please," she whispered.

The emptiness inside compelled her to stay. She couldn't give up now. The ache at her core screamed for her to push forward.

Something shifted from within, watching her, circling her. The air felt electrically charged, the hair on her neck springing to attention.

With her arms outstretched, she took a hesitant step forward.
Please don't let there be a body on the other side of this fog.

The beat of her heart thrummed in her ears. Then the mist began to thin. A bright light broke through the haze, drawing her forward. Slipping through the shadows, she stumbled into a bright green meadow. The sun warmed her skin, chasing away the lingering mist.

Her eyes trailed over a field of yellow and pink flowers. Adirah stood within the rows. At her side stood a gray wolf.

A warm smile brightened Adirah's face as she motioned her forward. "It's time
, Samantha."

Remembering Eve's words, Sam lifted her hand toward the wolf, her fingertips outstretched
, seeking her final connection. The piece that would set her free.

The wolf stepped forward until its head rested under her hand. Sam's body jerked from the energy pulsing through her body at their joining. Sparks zipped through her veins as gravity ceased to exist.

CHAPTER 21

Ian felt the satisfying crunch of bone under his fist. The metallic scent of blood filled the air.

"Ian, stop!" Cara cried. Her hands gripped his arms, trying to pull him back, but rage clouded his vision. This guy was what stood between him and Sam. Hearing her plea for help as they dragged her out of the SUV had pulled Ian back to consciousness, leaving his soul in shreds. He couldn't get to her in time. Not with the three assassins sent to kill him and Cara blocking his way. By the time they dispatched the first two, the van was out of sight. Now he drew pleasure from inflicting pain on the man in front of him.