Shiver (Night Roamers) (29 page)

I got
up as he walked out of the bedroom and quickly slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I then packed a duffel bag with more clothing and then went back into my mom’s room to grab the money she’d been saving for Vegas. I stuffed it into my pocket and went back downstairs. When I met Duncan in the great room, he was sitting in the dark, staring into the unlit fireplace.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Peachy,” he answered with a bitter smile.

I sighed. “Are you ready?
”

He stood up and grabbed the duffel bag from me. “Have you flown yet?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t like it when I was human. I’m sure I won’t now, either.”

“
That may be so, but it’s the quickest and cheapest way to get to Vegas. First, we’ll need to feed, though, so we have enough energy.”

Remembering the sweet ta
ste of blood, my mouth watered. “I just fed a little while ago. I think I’m okay until we get to Vegas.”

Plus, I wasn’t sure if I could do it again. Doing it out
of rage was one thing, but feeding on an innocent person was something entirely different. As far as I was concerned, it was still barbaric.

He sighed. “Fine
. I’ll wait, too.”

I touched his
cool cheek. “Are you sure you’re going to make it? You feel cold.”

“I’ll be fine
,” he said, turning away. “Now, let’s go.”

We went outside into the back fields
behind the cabin.

“Now,
” he said, “it’s time for a few “Vampire Life Lessons 101”.

“I can’t wait,” I answered dryly.

He smiled. “Just be lucky you have me. I had to learn all of this on my own. It wasn’t easy.”

“Nothing about being one of these things appears
to be easy,” I said.

“
Agreed. Now,” he said, picking up a handful of snow and forming it into a ball. “You may notice that the climate won’t affect you the same way as it used to. You won’t necessarily be cold in sub-zero temperatures but the sun will no longer be your friend. So get used to staying out of direct sunlight and use sunglasses if you can’t avoid being out during the day, or you’ll be very uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

He threw the snowball across the field, much farther than any normal person could. “We’re insanely dexterous and fast.”

I nodded. “So I’ve noticed.”

“Watch this,” he smiled.

In a blur
, he was gone, but seconds later, he was back and holding a fluffy bear that had been on my bed.

I smiled and took it from him. “Okay, very impressive.”

“Your turn, I want to see you move,” he said.

I raised my eyebrows at the way he
’d said it.

“What?” he chuckled. “I just want to see how fast you can go.”

“Okay, but don’t expect too much. I haven’t had time to practice anything, you know?”

“
It’s pretty easy. Just concentrate on where you want to go and then start moving your legs.”

“That easy, huh?”

“
Yep. Go on,” he urged.

I
thought about the dock and began running. In less than two seconds, I was staring at the spot where I’d last seen Sonny, next to the boat house. I closed my eyes and shuddered.

“You okay?” as
ked Duncan, coming up behind me after a few seconds.

I cleared my throat.
“So, where is he?”

“My dad?”

I nodded.

“
I buried him,” he answered, gruffly.

I touched his arm. “I’m so sorry, Duncan.”

He stared out towards the lake. “I still can’t believe it myself.”

I motioned towards the lake. “
My dad’s out there.”

He turned to me in surprise. “What?”

I nodded. “Celeste killed him. Ethan told me.”

“What a surprise,” he mumbled. “Ethan was around when your dad died.”

“Ethan didn’t kill my dad. He told me the truth.”

Duncan sighed. “
And of course, as always, you believed him.”

“For the love of God, he didn’t do it! I know it
wasn’t him. In fact, the night you were attacked and turned into a vampire, it wasn’t Ethan, either.”

His eyes widened.
“Of course it was, we both saw him!”

I shook my head. “No, i
t was Faye. She’s a shape-shifter! Don’t you understand? She is the one who tried killing you! She wanted you to seek revenge on Ethan because of her own jealous, twisted mind.”

“Why didn’t she just kill him herself?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? The point is, Faye’s dangerous and we have to find Nathan and my mom before she does.”

He let out a long breath
. “Okay, let’s practice flying and then we’ll go.”

I nodded
, very reluctantly.

“Someone’s coming,” he said, turning towards a pair of headlights in the distance. “We’d better hide.”

I nodded.

H
e grabbed me and flew us up onto the roof of the cabin, where we both crouched down. As the vehicle moved closer I recognized Rosie.

“I wonder what she’s doing
here,” I whispered.

“Probably looking for you. You’ve been gone for a couple of days and I think it’s pretty safe to say you probably haven’t filled her in on what’s going on.”

“I should talk to her. Maybe she knows something.”

He grabbed my arm. “It’s not a good idea. The less she knows, the safer she’ll
probably be.”

I sighed and watched as Rosie got out of her car and walked up the steps to ring the doorbell. When nobody answered, she started back down the steps.

“What in the hell?” whispered Duncan.

I looked to where he was staring and my breath caught in my throat.

“That’s impossible,” I whispered in horror.

A lone m
an was walking out of the woods; his smile was one that I’d recognized growing up. It was a cold smile that meant trouble.

My father.

“It’s my dad,” I whispered.

Duncan stared at me in shock.

“I know,” I mumbled. “Something’s going on here.”

“Can I help you?” hollered my dad, moving closer. He was dressed in
the sheriff’s uniform and looked more alive than I did at the moment.

Rosie turned towards him and I could
tell she was more than a little taken aback. “Oh, I’m sorry – I was looking for Nikki!” she called back. 

We watched as he moved closer to her. “I’m looking for her
, too, as a matter of fact. She’s missing, so are her brother and mother. You haven’t seen any of them?”

Rosie shook her head and moved closer to her car. “No, I haven’t. I’m sorry, have we met before?”

“I’m the new sheriff in town, Jim Smith,” he lied, holding out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Rosie,” she said.

Both of them were far away but my new senses caught their conversation as if I was standing there right beside them.

“So, you
really haven’t spoken to any of them?” he repeated.

She shook her head. “No, that’s why I came out here. Nikki’s missed work and hasn’
t returned my phone calls. That’s not like her at all. As for her mom and brother, I haven’t any idea where they are, either.”

He sighed and stared out towards the road. “Well, I g
uess you won’t be much help. But that’s okay.”

“What
do you mean by that?” she asked in confusion.

The next thing I knew, he grabbed Rosie by the throat and twisted her neck, snapping it.

“Oh, my God!” I choked, as he tossed her body aside.

Duncan grabbed my hand
tightly. “Shit, we have to get the hell out of here.”

“You can come out now!” yelled my father, staring up towards us. “I know you’re there.”

I stared at Duncan in horror.

“It’s not him,” said Duncan.

“It is him,” yelled my dad. “Now, both of you can come down here. I made dinner for you. Hurry before she gets too cold to enjoy.”

I stood up
and pointed towards him. “Who in the hell are you?” I screamed, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Nikki!” growled Duncan
, reaching for me.

“Ah…” smiled my father, a triumphant look on his face.

Before I knew what was happening, Duncan and I were flying through the forest, away from the cabin, as if we were faster than the speed of light.

We landed clumsily, rolling in the snow.

“
Shit, I’m sorry. You okay?” asked Duncan, helping me up.

I nodded and looked around. We were at t
he marina, inside of the fenced-in area where some of the boats were wrapped and stored.

“Duncan!” I screamed, as a shadow flew over our head.

He grabbed my hand and we began to run as our pursuer landed on the ground not far from us.

“It’s pointless to run!” laughed my dad. “You can’t escape me.”

We jumped over the fence and soon we were speeding out of town again, with my dad still hot on our tails. When something grabbed my arm and pulled me back, I screamed in terror.

“Nikki,” smiled
my dad, holding me firmly by my shoulders. “Come on, that’s no way to greet your father.”

Duncan came back around and tried grabbing my dad by the back of the neck, but he was no match for him.

“Fool,” he growled, releasing me. He turned to Duncan, grabbed him by the hair, and punched him in the face several times, sending him flying backwards with the force of the last one.

“No!” I choked, rushing towards
Duncan, who was getting back up from the snow.

“
So, where is he?” hollered my dad.

I turned to him. “Who?”

His smile was cold and evil. “Ethan.”

I watched in wonder as his face
and body began to change. Seconds later, we were staring at Faye, still dressed in the oversized sheriff’s uniform.

“
Ethan is gone,” I snapped. “How did you find out about my dad?”

She shrugged.
“It wasn’t difficult. Now, what do you mean, Ethan is gone?”

“He’s dead,” answered Duncan.

She stepped closer and stared up at Duncan. “Dead? Don’t tell me that you killed him?”

Duncan’s lips thinned. “I didn’t get the pleasure, but he is
most certainly dead.”

“Dead,” she whispered hoarsely
. “That can’t be.”

“It is,” I said. “Someone shot him in the head.”