The Hunted (40 page)

I closed my eyes briefly and prayed to a higher being as he swerved the car dangerously past some pedestrians who weren’t even off the crosswalk yet. ‘Besides,’ I said, opening an eye and watching the speedometer drop to near zero, ‘I only just left him at work. The sun’s high in the sky at the moment and it’s more difficult for him to get around. I imagine he might be thinking of meeting us sometime after three when the afternoon sun isn’t so intense.’

‘If we leave it too long, Elena, Dad might come home and then we won’t be able to leave again, especially not with you being grounded and everything.’

‘What are you suggesting then?’

He smiled. ‘Let’s get changed, get some food into us and then we can go. If we’re not at home then no one can stop us.’

‘What about your cell phone? They might try to call us and find out where we are.’

‘Oops,’ he said, covering his mouth in contrived surprise. ‘I must have forgotten to turn it on this morning.’ He reached into his pocket, retrieved his cell phone and switched it off.

I frowned. ‘I think I’m starting to rub off on you.’

‘Bullshit. I’ve always been a badass. I’m just way better at lying, sneaking out, and pretending to be a saint than you are. But if anyone ever asks, particularly any tall, gorgeous, overly inflated blondes—then I taught you everything you know,’ he said. He winked at me and then accelerated.

My mind boggled at this latest revelation. My brother obviously had more going on than I gave him credit for. Perhaps we weren’t so different after all?

‘How are we not blood relatives?’ I said, laughing at the irony—our misbehaviour might bring us even closer together.

He grinned. ‘It’s a frigging mystery.’

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

BLUSHING

T
he quickest and less obvious method of getting to the agreed upon meeting place was by foot. Taking the car meant trying to find a parking spot close to the grounds and fighting with the sporting fans packed into mini vans and utility vehicles all vying for coveted parking.

So Lucas and I ran down to the end of the street, dashed across the road and jumped the four foot fence into the high school grounds. We were excited by the prospect of our imminent meeting with William, if not just the tiniest bit apprehensive.

We paused for a moment, straightening our clothes and wiping away the beads of perspiration that had begun to form across our skin. There were plenty of people here on the high school grounds today which meant lots of witnesses. Not that I expected anything other than conversation to occur.

In the centre of the oval a soccer match was in full swing. To the side, track and field athletes were using the long narrow strip of grass to run their paces. Surrounding both parties was a smattering of family members and plenty of small children playing happily in the winter sunshine.

I had to ask myself why he had chosen this place. He’d said it was easier for me to get to. That was true enough, given I only lived down the street, but why here? Was it because the place was so littered with spectators? And if so, did that mean he selected the neutral location to ease my apprehension or his own?

My gaze drifted across the groupings of athletes and bystanders, searching for the skate ramp that William had been referring to. Given that I didn’t attend a regular high school myself, I’d never wandered here before. Sure, I’d walked past the fence, but I’d never ventured inside.

And then I found it.

It wasn’t far but you could hardly call it a decent skate ramp. It was no bigger than our driveway. It was a half-pipe concrete construction semi-recessed into the ground and offered very little in the way of excitement or newness. The ramp, or should I say, concrete dip in the ground, was practically deserted. There were only two young children in the vicinity, rolling their toy matchbox cars down the ramp rather than skating.

I smiled at them as we passed. They smiled back and then continued to argue about whose car could go the fastest. There seemed to be a tie between a little black hummer and a sporty red corvette, although the yellow convertible was most definitely still in the running.

I left the sound of their eager chatter behind us and headed towards the bench seats William had described.

They were closer to the basketball courts than the skate ramp and were completely covered in shade—thus the appeal, I supposed. The large overhanging mango trees were dense and closely packed together. Their branches spread like gnarled arms far and wide creating the perfect canopy for a vampire out wandering around in the afternoon sun.

‘There they are,’ Lucas said mechanically, his arm extended in front of him. I saw where he was pointing and spotted three vampires instead of just one. He’d brought his two companions. Why? I was suddenly grateful for the crowded park and Lucas standing by my side. Though we had not made any specific arrangements regarding our meeting, I had expected him to come alone.

‘He’s not alone,’ I said quietly.

Lucas shook his head. ‘Did you expect him to be?’

‘Honestly? Yes.’

‘Well lucky you brought me then.’ He grabbed my hand in a reassuring gesture and tried to smile. I could see the fear in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him. If it came down to push coming to shove, we were toast.

We pushed forward anyway. We were both too stubbornly curious for our own good. It was like opening the refrigerator door and seeing a rich chocolate cake with thick butter cream frosting. It was impossible just to look at it and imagine its sweetness across your tongue, only to close the door again without the courage to taste it.

It was the same scenario. We were both anxious to learn about what we’d been trained so proficiently to one day kill. And now an opportunity had presented. These three vampires were our chocolate cake.

Despite the mounting tension in the air due to the presence of his travelling companions, William, clad in a pair of jeans, a black, long sleeved shirt and with his trademark sunglasses, reclined comfortably on a seat behind them. He draped an arm casually over the back of the chair, his long legs spread out in front of him, one foot resting lightly over the top of the other. Behind the sunglasses I knew he was watching me.

I could feel it. His presence was all-encompassing, impossible to ignore. Not only was he exquisitely handsome, but he was downright alluring, seemingly oozing confidence. His scent of sandalwood and spice penetrated the air like a thick cloud and bathed my skin from head to toe in warmth. It was not overpowering like it had been at the rave, merely a pleasant aroma that seemed to wrap me in a cocoon, testing my resolve.

His two companions were less than enamoured by our approach, and contrasted with William’s outwardly calm appearance at our imminent arrival, they leapt forward into half-crouch positions, like lithe jungle cats defending their young. I watched as their lips curled back slightly over their perfect white teeth. Small snarls erupting from the backs of their throats, followed by the hiss of a warning.

What was with the hostility?

‘Kind of testy considering they called the meeting, aren’t they?’ Lucas whispered to me.

‘Maybe they just caught a whiff of that microwave burrito you ate for lunch.’

He jabbed me in the side with his bony elbow. ‘Better safe than sorry.’

I smiled. He’d only eaten it because the ingredients on the back of the box said that it contained garlic. Despite all the truths we knew about vampires, Lucas was still adamant that some of the crap you saw in movies had to be true.

We slowed down a little, realising that each step that we took closer was making them more and more uncomfortable. The last thing we wanted to do was cause a scene. The blonde girl we’d briefly encountered at the IMI with the Shirley Temple hair hissed at us like a rattlesnake. The other one, the male, was certainly wary of us, but not going as crazy as his sister was. He looked uncannily like his twin, except he was a head taller, extremely muscular and had soft curls of blonde hair that rested on top of his shoulders, just like Lucas. He smelt faintly of raw masculinity and a touch of lemon myrtle, while his sister smelled like citrus sorbet.

I wondered if that’s what their compulsion smells like. Or am I simply in tune with the individual aromas of vampires because I’m going to be one?

To ease tension and show that we meant no harm, I raised my hands in front of me in surrender, Lucas following suit. If nothing else, it was to simply appease the delicate nature of the blonde who couldn’t keep her fangs inside her mouth.

‘Easy now,’ I said quietly, as if talking down an overexcited thoroughbred. ‘We’re just here to talk.’

They both hissed at us again, an ominous sound rumbling from the back of their throats that halted the both of us in our tracks.

I looked to the right. The two kids playing with the matchbox cars back near the skate ramp looked over at us warily. The hissing was quite loud compared to the relative silence at this end of the field and it was clear that the children were more than a little frightened by what could have made such a menacing sound.

I forgot about the welfare of the kids and focused back on the scent that William was still wrapping around me. Whether it was purposeful or not, my knees went weak and my stomach filled with riotous butterflies. I didn’t like it, and I certainly didn’t like being snarled at by his two vampire friends.

‘William, call off the guard dogs please or we’re out of here,’ I said breathily.

They both turned around to look at him, as if waiting for further instructions. He said nothing at all, simply gave them a quick nod. They altered their stance slightly, straightening up a little and putting their teeth away, but neither one stopped watching us.

William stood up, stepped around in front of them and placed a reassuring hand on each of their shoulders to calm them down.

‘What do you want?’ the male companion asked me. I couldn’t remember what his name was, or his sister’s, who was looking at me as if I was contaminated.

I looked at him, perplexed. ‘What do I want? William’s the one that invited me here, not the other way around.’ The male looked to William for confirmation, confusion clearly evident in his eyes.

William patted his shoulder again and he seemed to relax a little. ‘It’s okay, Thomas. I asked Elena here so that I might get to know her a little better.’

‘Why?’ the girl said pouting. ‘She’s doesn’t look particularly special.’

I scowled, taking an instant dislike to her.

At least I don’t look like a four year old.

‘What about him?’ Thomas said, looking Lucas up and down. ‘Why is he here?’

Lucas held two fingers up in front of him and smiled nervously. ‘Peace man. I’m just a spectator.’

I interrupted. ‘He’s my brother and a Protector and I wanted him here,’ I said as I yanked his hand back down and shot him a look. ‘No doubt my reasons are the same reason that William brought the two of you here today.’