Of A Darker Nature (33 page)

Corey's expression was thoughtful. “I've never tried it myself because it’s forbidden to share blood with a mortal without permission, but it's supposed to be very symbolic.”

Her fingers sought out the twin punctures again. “How do you mean?”

“It creates a bond.” He cast a meaningful glance at her. “A human would have to be very special to a vampire if he wanted to share blood with her.”

Remorse and heartache sang through her entire being. She swiped at the tears that ran down her cheeks. “Damn it.”

Scott still hadn’t changed back by the next morning. Quite honestly, Emily wanted his input on the situation. She needed answers that consisted of more than a tail wag or a whimper.

“You know I was just kidding about liking you better this way, right?” Emily drew her legs onto the couch and tucked them beneath her.

The coyote’s ears perked, tail held even with his body. Hazel eyes stared up at her and his velvety pink tongue flicked against her fingers. She patted the cushion next to her and his bushy tail swished across the floor. He scrambled onto the couch to rest his paws on her folded legs.

“I miss him, Scotty. I know you don’t approve, but I can’t help it.” Tears swam across her vision.

Scotty whined in answer.

Thunder rumbled outside, and lightning flashed across the sky. It looked like another dreary afternoon was in store.

Scotty laid his head on her lap and allowed her to scratch behind his long pointy ears. Everything outside was muddy from a short bout of sprinkles earlier. Emily had cautioned him about tracking mud into the house again, and he was most likely bored.

Later, Emily took a shower and redressed the bandage covering her shoulder. The perfectly spaced punctures were small and purple around the edges. She couldn't stop thinking about the reasons he wanted to share blood and what Corey had told her.

A car door banged shut, and Emily’s heart jumped into her throat. She wasn’t expecting company. Scotty emitted a low growl and used his body to steer her back inside. She forced her way past him and went into the living room.

“Emily?” Liz opened the door and invited herself inside. She tracked muddy prints on the rug in front of the door. Hahm was still outside, stomping mud from her shoes.

The coyote trotted past them into the yard with his nose low to the ground. His ears were forward, but his tail hadn’t bristled in warning. Perhaps he’d decided to search out the bunny again.

“Did you get a dog?” Liz scratched her nose. They'd never had one growing up because Liz was allergic.

Emily hoped her sister didn’t notice Scott’s folded clothing lying on the end table. Using her foot, she shoved his shoes beneath the couch. “What are you guys doing here?” 

“We were told you needed looking after.” Liz smiled like there was no bad blood between them. “So here we are.”

“Where's Scott?” Hahm finally joined them.

Scotty nosed the door open and trotted inside. His fur was damp, and he smelled like wet dog. He sat on Emily's foot and stared up at them. Liz glanced down at him.

“What makes you think he's here?” Emily was nervous they'd figure it out. 

Hahm smiled patiently. “Mr. Dane said he was and asked that I give him the news.”

Her heartbeat leaped into her throat. “You've spoken to Marcus?”

Scotty turned his hazel eyes up at her and flattened his ears. She wasn’t a dog whisperer, but she could tell he wasn’t pleased.

Hahm smiled and excitement glittered in her eyes. “Yeah, he hired me to help move things through the system if it regarded shifters or his kind.”

Emily glanced at her sister, eager to see how she was handling all this. Liz shrugged. “I was wrong. I'm sorry.”

“Okay, what does it have to do with Scott?”

Liz grinned. “You've had a crush on him ever since I can remember. And now that you're all grown up, I'm pretty sure he has one on you.”

She glanced down at the coyote that licked her shin. “So?”

“Mr. Dane decided to put him in charge of patching up his kind and their pets,” Hahm said, getting the conversation back on track.

Emily’s eyebrows rose and Scotty whined. “Claude was fired?”

Hahm shook her head. “He’s missing and the city already replaced him with some new guy. Mr. Dane said I should do what I can to make it look like Claude left town.”

She and the coyote exchanged a glance. There was no mention of Isabella and it sounded like Marcus was calling all the shots. “But Claude's a human, Hahm. He has a family somewhere.”

Hahm looked confused. She blinked and shook her head. “Mr. Dane says he left town.”

Emily didn’t like the suspicions that crawled around her mind. “Liz, have you spoken to Marcus too?”

“Yeah. He came to the house the other night.” A slow smile spread across her face. “He's so polite.”

“And cute,” Hahm piped in. Both she and Liz giggled.

“Mind control,” Emily murmured to the coyote who still sat at her feet. The tip of his tail swished in agreement.

A blaring car horn sounded nearby. Scotty bolted through the screen door and skidded into the yard. He sniffed the air and his lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth. He scrambled out of sight.

“Where is your boyfriend?” There was no hint of revulsion in Liz’s voice.

Emily’s chest tightened with emotion. It just wasn’t fair. “We're not together anymore.” 

“Oh Em, what did you do? Mr. Dane seems like such a great guy. You deserve a nice, stable guy like him.” Liz patted her shoulder. “He really cares about you.”

Emily swiped at her eyes. Next time she saw him,
if
she saw him, she'd give him a piece of her mind. He couldn't go around messing with people's heads like this. It just wasn't right.

Scotty’s clawed feet skidded across the porch. Instead of nosing the screen open, he tore right through it.

“What's wrong with your dog?” Hahm jumped out of the way as he streaked past.

He snapped at Emily, his teeth inches from her calf. She stumbled backward in an attempt to get away. “Hey!”

He ran down the hall to Corey's door. He yipped and stood on back legs to rake claws down its length. He seemed to be trying to dig a hole through the wood. 

Emily grabbed the scruff of his neck. She whispered, “See, this is why you should change back. I have no idea what you want. You know he's asleep. He can't come out until dark.”

Hahm removed the gun from her hip and checked the safety. “I'll be right back. Both of you stay here.”

“Wait!” A sick sense of dread coursed through Emily, but it was too late. Hahm had already gone through the ruined front door.

Scott’s lips drew back again to expose sharp canine teeth. His ears laid flat against his head and his eyes narrowed in warning. He gave up on getting Corey's door open and trotted back down the hallway instead. Emily tried to follow, but he turned and snapped at her before scurrying away.

“Stay here.” Emily brushed past her sister to follow Scotty into the yard. He headed toward the back of the property.

“Like hell I will. What’s going on?” Liz struggled up the muddy hill alongside her. “Talk to me, Emily.”

“Now you want to talk?” Emily groaned, thinking they should probably shut up. Whatever—whoever—waited beyond those trees might already sense their presence.

Although they couldn't see through the dense trees, it sounded like a party was going on. Emily gazed up at the cloudy, grey sky and cringed. Lightning danced above them.

Emily lowered her voice, “It’ll be dark soon. Go back to the house and try to wake Corey. He’s sleeping in the spare bedroom.”

Liz’s face was pale and frightened. “Don’t go in there, Emily. Come back to the house with me. Let Scott and Denise deal with it.”

“You knew it was him?”

Liz's grim expression spoke volumes. “It's why we broke up. I just couldn’t handle the truth.”

Grasping her sister's hand, Emily gave it a squeeze. “Marcus left his bag under the spare bed. There’s a gun in it. Be careful.”

Emily moved past her, into the trees. She had to trust that her sister would go for help.

Above her, the heavens opened up and let loose a burst of cold rain. Thunder shook the ground and the onslaught of rain continued.

She approached what could only be the end of her property. Voices drifted to her—soft chants and singing. She peered around a gigantic tree trunk and spotted about eight cars parked in a clearing. 

Close to twenty cloaked people milled around in the mud.

Cauldrons filled with flowers sat all around. Lilac, roses and daisies spilled out of their containers and ribbons of red and white were strung about. A short pole, which had been painted bright green, stood erect in the middle of the field. Four people wearing only mud walked around the pole, weaving the ribbons together and singing.

She spotted Starr behind the small wooden alter. A naked man and woman stood nearby. Brenda stood beside the platinum haired witch, holding a spool of ribbon. Starr spoke and Brenda wrapped the ribbon around the couple’s clasped hands to mark their union.

Wren Peterson looked worse than hell. Her lips were cracked and dried blood crusted her chin. She watched people move around her with indifference. No one paid any attention to her. Wren stumbled against a bale of hay and appeared exhausted. Clearly, she wouldn't be much help at all.

The rain had diminished to a sprinkle, but thunder still rumbled overhead. Starr was jovial tonight. Now that she was done with the wedding, she laughed and clapped several of her follower’s backs. She spoke to Brenda who walked alongside her. “I feel my power growing now that I’m so close to the line. Today is a good day for the ritual. The line feels strong and stable. Once I have full control over it, there will be no stopping me.”

She caught sight of Evan being dragged between two men. They dumped him beside Wren. The men stood on either side of them, preventing any chance of escape.

“Where are your bloodsucking friends now?” Starr laughed and kicked at his legs. Evan curled in on himself and screamed. She kicked at him again and again.

Emily couldn’t bear to watch her harm him. She stepped away from the tree only to have her leg nipped by sharp canine teeth. Scotty stood at her right, a wary look on his furry face. His ears lay flat against his head, eyes bulging and teeth barred. He cowed her against the trunk, preventing her from moving further. His nose nudged her in the direction of the house.

Twigs snapped and leaves crunched nearby. Both she and Scott froze. His ears moved this way and that, nose twitching as it searched out the source of danger.

It was too late to react. A blonde man in a leather jacket stepped from the shadows. He flicked the cigarette from his mouth and moved toward them.

In a flurry of fallen leaves and dirt, Scotty sprinted into the darkness.

“No!” Emily screamed.

Trent grabbed her and hauled her off her feet. Though she kicked and twisted, he refused to release her.

“You saved me a trip,” he laughed. “I was just coming to get you.” He carried her into the clearing and threw her onto the ground next to Evan and Wren.

“Oh good.” Starr grinned. “Emily’s here.”

Emily and Evan clung to each other.

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” he asked in a broken whisper.

With great effort, Wren pushed herself up to her elbows. “Yeah, probably.”

Starr turned in a tight circle to survey the land.

“Ready the balefire!” Starr grinned in satisfaction. There was a flurry of action amongst her followers.

Smoke wafted on the night air, mingling with the scent of rain, roses and lilac. Starr withdrew an old scarred book from within her cloak. She thumbed it open then searched its pages.

Emily edged away from the raging bonfire. “What are they going to do with the fire?”

Wren coughed, a fine mist of blood swirling in the night air. More stained the front of her dress. “They used to jump it in the olden days. It’s mostly symbolic now. I hope it stays that way.”

Starr placed the old book on top of the podium and ran her thumb along its leather binding. “Tonight my power will be fulfilled. Through Emilia Cross’s death my rebirth will come. Together, my loyal coven, we will fight the preternatural and win. With my immortality, nothing will stand in the way of our goals.”

The small crowd cheered and clapped, eagerly awaiting more words of wisdom from their leader.

Evan staggered to his feet, only to be met by Trent. He pointed in Starr’s direction. “She’ll turn on you too.”

“Shut up!” Trent backhanded him. Evan fell back, almost landing in the balefire. He scrambled away just in time to avoid catching his pant leg on fire.