Outcast, page 17
Milo arched his neck as he went for Leif’s neck, but Leif held his wrist up just in time, feeling the strength of the mao’s jaw as it snapped shut on his arm. It hurt, as if he’d caught his arm in a bear trap. But this creature was far more dangerous than a simple bear trap.
If Milo thought he’d pinned Leif to the ground, though, he was terribly mistaken.
Using his vampire strength, Leif flung his arm as hard as he could to the side — with Milo still attached. His chest flared with pain where the mao’s claws tore flesh away, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. Upon smashing into the ground to Leif’s side, Milo released his locked-jaws, screeching as bones broke from the crushing blow.
Leif took one look at his mutilated arm, watching as the deep bite marks healed themselves. If only vampire abilities included the lack of feeling pain!
The growling of Tabitha brought his focus back to his present danger, and he decided it was time to run. He didn’t want to have to kill the weres if he didn’t have to, especially not in front of their daughter. She was probably traumatized enough by seeing how much he’d hurt them.
Tapping into his super-speed, he ran. The sterile ground his feet traversed indicated it had been burned recently. Leif was too busy making the observation that he didn’t notice a massive furry body lumbering toward him, and next thing he knew, he’d taken a diagonal hit that sent him flying the opposite way he’d been running.
Leif’s head snapped forward from the impact, causing stars to burst in his eyes. Bones cracked and popped throughout his body, and he felt the pain from each one. He experienced weightlessness for several seconds, then crashed to the hard ground, spewing dirt and ash everywhere. Slowly, he came to a rolling stop.
He moved sluggishly, but the effort sent bolts of pain down his body. Leif hurt all over, but mostly his right shoulder, through his chest, and down to his hip — right where he’d been struck.
Once his eyes came back into focus — and his bones snapped back into place — he saw a white-haired bear. It didn’t resemble a polar bear; it was more like an albino grizzly, sitting on its hind legs, swaying back and forth in a daze. Behind it, there were at least a dozen other weres, a mix of hounds, maos, and ursas, staring at him with animalistic eyes.
The group would massacre him if they surrounded him. By now, they knew he was a demonic vampire, somehow capable of surviving in the sun.
They charged him as one big howling, roaring mass. Turning his back, he ran the opposite way — toward the north.
They’d follow him, sure. But he could outrun them. And when he could actually get to a place where there were shadows, he could conceal himself. But in the openness of Slegr Ranch, that wasn’t a possibility.
With wide footfalls, he sprinted for all he was worth. Leif had no idea what was up that way, but he didn’t want to lead the weres back to Lubbock. That’s where his airplane ride home was.
After twenty minutes of hard running over the countryside, he chanced a look over his shoulder, happy to see he’d lost them.
That was way too close, Gemma said.
Yes, it was, he replied.
You have what you came for, she said. The question is, will you reveal the shifter’s secret to Draven? Will you let him crush The Island like the vampires crushed the boarding house?
It was a question he’d been avoiding. If he relayed the information to Draven, the vampire leader wouldn’t waste any time. Draven had spent most of his vampire life searching for the shifter school. But Leif was a vampire. Had this been his destiny all along? Was he fated for greatness, helping to draw in the era of vampire dominion over the world?
I don’t know, he said in response to both Gemma’s and his own questions.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“YOU’VE RETURNED, SO I presume your mission was a success?”
Draven stood in the hangar bay as Leif disembarked. The vampire leader’s hands were behind his back, and he was wearing a form-fitting turtleneck shirt as black as his heart.
Leif hesitated with an answer. He had the information. While still in Lubbock, he’d taken the time to search through maps at a local gas station and discovered right where La Framboise Island was.
“I had to take on a pack of weres, but yes, it was a success,” he finally said.
Draven rubbed his hands together, and excitement spread across his face. He laughed and raised a finger. “Leif, Leif, Leif, I knew you were the vampire for the job.”
Draven gestured for Leif to accompany him, and together they walked over the echoing hangar floor, heading for the large, soundproof doors that led back into the heart of the school. They passed a few of the other aircraft Draven had acquired over the years.
“Did you get a good look at The Island? What are we up against?”
Leif knew that the conversation was inevitable. He’d just hoped Draven was too preoccupied with other things.
“The shifter school isn’t actually in Texas, although the director’s family is,” Leif replied, wincing at how loud his voice boomed off the wide walls, even though he’d been speaking just above a whisper.
Leif felt Draven’s icy gaze fall on him, but continued staring forward.
“Were you able to glean information from the Slegr family then?” Draven asked. “You said you faced them, which makes me think you were caught while eavesdropping.”
Leif shook his head. “I approached them directly, posing as a shifter looking for the school.”
A laugh erupted from Draven’s mouth, the hangar echoes sounding as if there were dozens of him inside.
“Don’t tell me that actually worked.”
“It did, at least at first,” replied Leif.
“This shifter fools.” Draven shook his head, then clapped Leif on the back, “So, where is the school?”
Leif sighed. “From what the Slegrs told me — before they figured out my true identity, that is — The Island is located in South Dakota.”
“South Dakota?” Draven snorted. “That seems random. Are you sure that’s what they said?”
Leif nodded, and they finally reached the doorway. Entering in, Leif could see and hear vampires practicing in the nearby combat rooms that hugged the walls of the school. He had yet to receive any training from Beatrice, but he felt no remorse for the lack of experience. The less time he had to be around his ex-girlfriend, the better.
“Yes, I’m positive. I also learned the first name of the director: Zabrina. I don’t know how helpful that is.”
“It’s probably irrelevant, but we’ll put it in the file,” Draven said. “We can never have too much information. Do you have any idea where in South Dakota the shifters might be hiding?”
And there was the question he’d wanted to avoid. Leif had battled his own thoughts about revealing the precise location.
Do not tell him, Gemma said. You know what will happen if you do.
But if he finds out that I lied to him, I don’t know what will happen, he replied.
The only person who knows that you are aware of their location is you. You must give the shifters time to save themselves. Make Draven work for his prize. This is the least you can do.
“Don’t tell me you’re still experiencing memory jolts,” Draven said.
Leif threw him a look. “What did you say?”
“You should be cured of them, but you just relapsed. Only for a few seconds though.
Leif hesitated. “It wasn’t a memory relapse.”
Draven’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“I’m not used to fighting, Draven,” Leif said, hoping the quick lie would work. “That ursa… I’ve been through a lot, but I’ve never been hit that hard before.” To sell it, Leif reminded himself of the many bones he broke upon impact with the giant were.
“Of course,” Draven said in a robotic tone. Leif could tell he wasn’t convinced.
He followed the vampire leader into the Great Hall while their conversation paused. There were several vampires within the large lobby, talking in hushed voices. Leif could feel their eyes drawn to him, and he wondered what kind of rumors were being spread around the vampire school. He was new and hadn’t met most of the residents of the citadel. Surely they wondered why Draven had taken such an interest in him.
At last, they entered into Draven’s disturbing trophy room, and Leif could almost feel the spirits of the shifters who had once owned the body parts hanging on the walls. The scent of the chemicals used for taxidermy wafted in the air, indicating that a fresh part had been mounted recently.
I’ll never get used to this place, he thought as a chill flew down his spine.
Closing the door behind them, Draven spoke again. “I must say, Leif, I’m quite impressed. You completed your mission quicker than any other vampire could have. Your ability to daywalk is a gift not just for yourself, but for our people. But I’m afraid your proving grounds have only begun. A new task lies before you, and I would have you rise to the occasion.”
New anxiety rushed through Leif like a lightning bolt. What more did Draven want? The vampires could go on their hunt in South Dakota. They could raze the entire state if they wanted. Why did he have to be a part of it?
“I am grateful that you feel I am capable of such a mission,” Leif said, taking precautions with how he worded things.
“But?” Draven cocked an eyebrow.
“I need more training,” Leif replied. “I might be an older vampire, but my lifetime experience is severely lacking. If I could stay in the school and attend classes — you know, learn more about what I am — I could become even more useful to you.”
Draven chuckled, wagging a finger at Leif. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten your need for knowledge and understanding. It will come, and I’m sure you will outshine all other vampires with that brilliant mind of yours, like sunlight compared to moonlight. But this task trumps all others.”
So much for trying.
“And when you return, you’ll be a legend among your peers,” Draven added, smiling confidently.
A legend and a monster, Gemma said.
Leif’s eyes fell to the polished floor. Within the blackness, he could see his own reflection.
“I already am,” he mumbled, not meaning to say it out loud.
His words drew another laugh from Draven, and the vampire leader strode over to his desk. Sitting in his chair and throwing his hands behind his head, he said, “That’s the confidence I’ve been hoping to hear. You have become the talk of the school. The mysterious Leif Villers, Draven’s latest assassin.”
Assassin? Leif asked himself, surprised to hear it. He wasn’t an assassin. He wasn’t a hitman. Is that what the other vampires were whispering about back in the Great Hall?
Draven grinned wickedly, and Leif wondered if it was because of just how uncomfortable he looked after hearing his name associated with such a title, or if the vampire leader actually believed it.
“I’ll alert Simon to fuel up the jet,” Draven continued. “As soon as he’s done, you will be making the trip to South Dakota. And you won’t be going alone.”
“Who are you sending with me?” he asked. If he was lucky, it would be a team of vampires who could do all the dirty work.
“There’s only one person I’d send with you,” Draven replied, broadening his already-wide, awful grin.
Leif’s eyelids fluttered as he sighed. “Please don’t send her with me.”
Draven’s face shifted to a serious scowl. “You will know your place, Leif Villers. I’m sending Beatrice with you not because you’ll work well as a team, but because I know just how eager you’ll be to finish your mission to get away from her.”
Leif gritted his teeth and held back the outbursts that were threatening to spill out of his mouth.
Draven nodded toward the door. “Run along now. You’ve got work to do.”
Leif gave the vampire leader a hard look before turning around.
“One more thing,” Draven said, venom filling his tone. “If you fail in your mission, I will personally kill you and mount your head among my trophies.”
The death threat was misleading. If Leif failed the mission, the shifters would be the ones who’d kill him. Which meant that Draven intended to find his body afterward.
“I have one question before I leave,” Leif said, turning back around and making eye contact with the vampire leader.
Draven waited for him to continue, a single eyebrow raising curiously.
“It’s about my memories,” said Leif. “Why did you say I’ve been cured of re-experiencing them? Why have they disappeared?”
Draven leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk. “Because I mended your mind. Your memories were a liability. I can’t have you focusing on the past when it’s our future you should be worrying about.”
Leif wracked his brain, trying to remember an incident when Draven could have mended his mind.
“You have no recollection of me doing so, do you?”
Leif shook his head.
“Which is why fixing you was so important,” said Draven. “Anything could happen while your past kept you occupied. Now you don’t have to worry about such things.”
A chill peppered Leif’s back. The brooding justification hinted at the unnatural.
“What did you do to me?” Leif asked, unable to keep the panic out of his tone.
Draven looked down and grasped a glass cube containing the stinger of a naga.
“I’m not sure if you are aware of a particular ability all vampires have. It’s something that requires dedicated practice to master. Some vampires never actually learn it.”
Leif stared at him expectantly.
Draven took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m no siren, Leif. But I am quite capable when it comes to hypnosis.”
Hypnosis? Draven had somehow hypnotized him? When?
Leif’s lips quivered as he comprehended what he was hearing.
“This is a violation,” he finally said. “Those are my memories.”
Draven nodded. “And you still have them. I did nothing to remove them from you. I just… modified your behavior by suggestion.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I might enjoy re-experiencing my memories?” Leif growled. He knew he was getting into dangerous territory speaking to the vampire leader in such a way. But the invasive feelings coursing through him were like the flames of a fire, threatening to run wild.
Thankfully, Draven kept his cool. “Then the success of your mission will have an additional reward. If you can find the shifter school and aid me in the quest to eliminate them, I will reverse the hypnosis that’s on you.”
“I won’t have any part of this until you release my mind,” Leif countered. “You have no right to meddle with it like that.”
At this, Draven stood up, his own fire igniting in his eyes. “I have every right. Your memories aren’t yours alone. This world — and everything within — is mine. That includes you and your mind. You might not think that re-living your memories was a problem. For you, it wasn’t. For me, it was. And so I eliminated that problem.”
Leif hated how Draven twisted things his way. He didn’t belong to this monster. He wanted nothing more to do with him or any other vampire. He wanted to be back in his cabin, dwelling on his past. He wanted to be back in the boarding house, holding Gemma’s delicate hand while talking about their future. He wanted to be harvesting the apples from the orchards with Camilla in the tree next to him, telling jokes and laughing together.
But Draven had his cold, icy hold on him now. And the only way he could be released was by doing the vampire leader’s will.
“Fine,” he said at last. “We’ll do things your way.”
“Yes, we will,” Draven agreed cruelly. “Now, get out of my trophy room.”
***
Leif’s mind was all over the place. If Draven thought his memory jolts were bad, he had no idea how distracting it was to exist as a living tug-of-war.
He could remember Gemma’s face as clearly as if he’d seen her that day. But experiencing her closeness… thinking about those memories were but a shadow of the real thing. He wanted his ability to get lost in those memories again — almost as much as he wanted Gemma back in his arms for real.
At the same time, selling out the shifters and their school seemed like an incredibly selfish trade. On top of it all, Beatrice was with him, her watchful eyes ensuring that he stayed in line with the mission.
“South Dakota,” she said with a sigh, pulling her white-blonde hair back into a ponytail. It was morning, and they’d booked a cabin along the Missouri River for easier access to the islands that peppered the long body of water. The resort was called Pike Haven, and it resided at the center of the state. It was to be the base of their operations until The Island was found.
Beatrice was sitting on one of the furnished couches, her legs laying to the side. “What drew the frightened shifters here, I wonder?”
Leif shrugged. He wasn’t entirely happy about sharing a cabin with Beatrice. Based on the way she had been speaking on the plane ride over, she’d requested to Draven that they be housed together. And he’d complied.
“There’s plenty of remote places,” he said, looking out the cabin window and over the flowing river, glittering with the light of the sunrise. He thought briefly about the mermaid Camilla had helped save so long ago, and wondered if any merfolk swam up and down the river, or if they had any involvement with the hidden school. “It seems like a decent place to stay off the map.”
She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Sounds like a place you’d like to live.”
Leif didn’t respond. He’d have liked to be just about anywhere else at the moment.
“Would you look at us,” she said, causing him to angle his neck and look at her from the side. “Like a happy couple escaping to nature for a little while. Just the two of us, all alone.” She got to her feet and walked to him. She pulled down the shades to keep the reflective sunlight out.
