Violet Midnight (Violet Night Trilogy) (10 page)

“Thanks for kicking my butt tonight,” Emma said, rubbing her throbbing shoulder. “You’re getting wicked-strong.”

Jake shook his head and huffed. “I’m sorry, Em, I—”

“Hey, I’m kidding. It was a clean hit. You caught me off guard. It’s all good.” She swung their clasped hands as they walked through the grass behind her dorm. The three-story brick building cast a long shadow over them since the moon was so bright. Not a breeze stirred and the cicadas serenaded them with a romantic tune. “But you really are getting stronger. You feel it?”

He nodded, still analyzing the ground.

“Hey. Look. It’s okay, really. Quick healer, remember?” Emma ducked down to capture his attention. He finally made eye contact. “Something else buggin’ you?”

“Nothing.”

“You lie.” Emma cuffed his wrist. “I know I’m new to this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff, but I do know you’re supposed to be able to tell each other anything. So what gives? I threw a mental at the movies, crying and junk. I felt better after.”

“I’m not going to cry.”

“Jake!” Emma backhanded his chest.

He snatched her hand, turned it, and exposed her wrist. He touched a kiss to the mark, and a line of heat shot up her arm, leaving a wake of goose bumps.

“Remember when Dylan found me on the side of the road that one night? I didn’t really remember how I got there and I had those weird flashes.”

“It happened again?”

“Yesterday, after I met up with Cynthia in the bookstore. My mind was rioting and I was amped up. Met Dylan at the gym and worked out, then I did some meditating in the sauna.” He turned her hand and twined his fingers with hers.

“You’re just telling me this now, and it happened yesterday?”

“I didn’t want—”

“Later on that, tell me what happened.”

“I came out of it already dressed and walking out the front doors of the rec center.” Jake moved forward, bringing Emma with him.

Side-by-side, they walked in silence. Something was still happening to Jake. Emma’s transformation had been almost overnight, but Jake’s was different. She hated seeing his tense jaw like that. “Look. We’ll figure it out. Cynthia will probably get more information from her professor, like she said. Even what she did know helped. Confirmed what we both believe. We’re destined, Jake. Connected.”

“But by what? By whom? I feel so out of control. And you don’t have these dreams or visions. Whatever you want to call them. That has to mean something.”

“Just means you’re different. Jake, you’re strong. Smart. Dedicated. And you’re good. One of the most good, honest people I know. Why is this bothering you so much? You’ve taken everything else on faith. That it was Fate preparing you—us—to do some major, good work here on campus.”

“Emma, you don’t understand what it’s like to wake up somewhere and have no memory of it. Of anything. Like I had no willpower or control over my actions. And…” He tunneled his hand through his hair. “God, the images were so dark.”

“Tell me.”

“Like a slide show of pictures. Vamps. Feeding. Blood. Shadowed people nearby.” He glanced at Emma. “And you.”

“Me? What was I doing in there? Kicking some Vamp ass?”

“Yeah.” His voice faded.

“Unconvincing, Jake. What was I doing?”

“Trying to fight them.” He severed their connection. “But you were losing. And I was just standing there. Frozen.”

Emma wrapped him into a hug. “Jake. Holy crap. No wonder you’re freaking out. But don’t worry. They aren’t visions of the future. They’re probably your version of dreaming. Has to be. We don’t sleep, but maybe we do a tiny bit when we’re slowed down enough. Meditating like we do.”

“I looked some of it up in my Psych books, under dreams, and they could be me processing my fears. I never had them until recently.”

“Until you met me. Started worrying about me. It’s totally that, Jake.” She cupped his warm cheeks. “I’m going to look through the trunk some more tonight. I’ve only got a couple journals left to read. Maybe something—in English—will come up and help. Mention something about this. About you.”

“I think we should stay together tonight. Can you bring it over to my place?”

She’d not yet spent the night with Jake. The thought literally warmed her body. To be with him all night, cuddled up, reading through things in hopes of finding answers.

“I’ll behave. I promise.”

“It’s not that. I trust you. I know it’d be fine. But I already promised Ava I’d hang with her tonight. I’ll go through things until she gets back from class.” Emma steered them around the last corner of the building to the side door, then stopped on the bottom stair. “Meet me for breakfast tomorrow? Usual place?”

Jake laughed and wove his arms around her waist. “Library. Eight a.m. it is.”

She loved standing on the bottom step so she was at eye level. She coiled her arms around his neck. “And you better tell me what you want for your birthday. It’s only a couple days away.”

“Just want you.” He feathered a kiss along her cheek to her temple and ended at the tip of her nose.

“Well, you got me, already.” She pressed her cheek to his. “If Cynthia gets to throw you a wicked-huge party, I want to get you at least something little.”

“Okay. Come with me to my favorite place on my parents’ property. Up north of town.”

“Yeah?” Emma leaned back. “Favorite place? You only moved here a couple months ago.”

“I know. But my folks bought a huge lot with a really cool pond on it. It’s something corny romantic. Don’t tell anyone. I’d lose my man card. But the sunsets and sunrises are fantastic.”

“Deal. Friday night’s the big party, so Saturday you’re mine.” She dove in and pressed her mouth to his. Even though he never ate or drank, he always tasted sweet. His own unique, earthy, heady taste, but with a hint of sweet mingled in.

She’d only met him eleven days ago, yet it felt as if she’d always known him. Connected by a force bigger and stronger than both. She knew at that moment, she loved him.

It both scared and warmed her. More than the heat radiating from his strong, able body flush with hers. It resonated in her soul. Her Instinct triggered with peace about him. About them.

Maybe she’d tell him on his birthday. Share the three words she’d never said since Gabriel.

Yes. She would. That would be her present.

Jake pulled away, breathing heavy. “I better go or I’m going to whisk you away right now. Call me if you find anything, okay?”

She combed his hair back with her fingers and held his face between her hands. “I will.”

He touched one last kiss to her tingling lips and went on his way.

Within ten minutes, she was on her bed with the last three journals to go through and the trunk.

“Blah, blah, blah. Vamps drink blood, red eyes, super fast, super strong. Tell me something I don’t know.”

She flung the book onto her bed and reached for the brown leather journal. She flipped through it. Dates and recounts of her hunts while Gabriel was alive and kept records. A log of her powers and the experiments they did on her.

She chuckled as an entry caught her attention. The scribble was distinctively Gabriel’s chicken scratches.

Emma’s temperature remains 74.7 despite any activity. We measured after an hour of kickboxing. Fifteen minutes in subfreezing conditions. After a twenty minute sauna. She’s truly amazing.

She ran her fingers over the scribe. The indentations from where his pen creased into the paper brought a smile to her face. She pictured him hunched over his notebook scribbling away.

Sifting through his things was easier than she thought it would be. She’d truly moved on from Gabriel, hadn’t she? Would he approve of Jake?

That book joined the other one on the end of the bed, and she reached for the last one. Black, the edges of the leather frayed and faded. This journal had been around a while.

She cracked it open, and a sheet of paper shuffled from the book to her bed. Brown tinged the corner of the page, like it’d been held to a flame. She set the journal aside and took up the fragile piece of paper. She held it close to her face, and the faint scent of leather filled her senses. Thin, nearly crumbling, she carefully unfolded it.

The same sheet of paper she’d given Jake to have Cynthia check out.

The same stick figure drawing of a person and cross, along with the text below in foreign language.

Only difference was Gabriel’s writing below the Latin.

The Hunter must vanquish those who reject Love. Those marked for darkness must choose the Light or lose their souls to the deceiver for all eternity.
The Avenos family will return to their heritage with their prophesied son groomed for leadership. The three will reclaim the night, allowing darkness to rule once again beneath their watchful eyes.

“Yes.” She rolled off the bed and paced the length of the carpet in front of the door. Finally a solid lead. A name. So, obviously, this family had returned. Had to be the reason for the Vamp attacks. But, why here? A college campus not even a century old.

Time to start researching this Avenos vampire family. Because they were about to die.

Jake strolled the paved trail off campus toward his house. Beneath the shelter of the thick trees, darkness encapsulated him, wrapped him in a comfortable blanket. Emma was right. Everything would be fine.

Like a tidal wave, sounds and smells flooded his senses, nearly knocking him over. Bacon cooking. Baby birds chirping in a nearby tree. He scanned the deserted trails. Trees flanked him, a black void swallowed up the pavement on both ends.

The breeze was light despite the thunderous sound of shuffling leaves. He inhaled through his nose, but instead of bacon, a foul odor replaced the meat.

Tension squeezed his muscles. The hairs on his arms rose like static drew them into attention. Continuing toward home, he eyed his surroundings. Something felt off. His gut churned with each step he took closer to the end of the path leading to his neighborhood.

The rotten smell intensified, triggering his gag reflex. He stopped and looked to his left, then his right. As he started moving again, a tall figure darted out in front of him from the thicket. It moved with lightning speed but came to a screeching halt ten feet in front of Jake.

He froze.

Another came to his side, shorter with long hair. They both faced Jake. Their eyes flamed red. They huddled together. Jake’s ears rang with their growls.

“He wears their mark. I saw him earlier.”

“So it
is
true, then. They really did find him.”

“Just in time.”

Jake’s shoulder burned where his mark was. He groaned.

The Vamps cocked their heads like curious dogs.

Jake pushed up his sleeve to see the mark flaming bright red. He keeled over, cramps toiling within his stomach. He tried to keep his focus on the creatures, but he couldn’t. The desert took residence in his mouth.

“What’s wrong with him?” the smaller one asked. His voice was so loud, despite the distance separating them. Jake clamped his hands over his ears.

“Em.” Why wasn’t she there? Two Vamps would have ignited her wrist.

“His time is coming. Don’t you remember how painful it was?”

“That’s right. It was over a hundred years ago, I forgot,” the little one joked.

“His will be worse than anything we ever experienced.”

The tall one stood ramrod straight. The creature tilted his head back, inhaling. Jake followed suit but almost puked.

What’s happening to me?
He dropped to his knees.
Where’s Em?
If Vamps were near, she’d know. Why wasn’t she coming to help?

“Let’s get out of here. They’re coming.” That said, the two turned and ran.

Who’s coming?

Jake wrapped his arms around his stomach. Dizziness tilted his vision. “What’s happening to me?” he asked the empty darkness in front of him.

“It’s your time, my son,” A voice called out from behind him. As Jake turned to see the source, darkness claimed him, and he felt the sharp sting of his head cracking against the sidewalk.

***

“He is not as far along as I thought he would be.” Jake heard someone say. A soft female voice, like a harp.

He willed his eyes to open, but they wouldn’t; they were weighted down like iron lids. He lay on something soft, his bed maybe. But he’d last been on the path coming home from Emma’s.

“It took us this long to find him. Had we gotten to him earlier, we could have been grooming him.” A male voice spoke. It, too, sounded like music, only bass instead of soprano. “He’s been away from his kind too long.”

Jake tried to move his arms. It worked.

“He’s waking up,” the female said.

“Yes, I sensed that.”

The rotten smell had been replaced with sweetness. Not strawberries like Emma, but something sugary nonetheless. His mouth watered. He hadn’t felt the pangs of hunger in years, but he swore they stabbed at his stomach now.

Light blinded him as he cracked his lids open. Something touched his hand. He retracted it.

His enhanced hearing alerted him to someone gasping. It sounded like a woman who was very close to him. He shot up in his seat, scanning his surroundings. He was in his house, on the familiar brown suede couch where he’d spent many sleepless hours watching TV. The same dark gray, picture-less walls. TV in front, chairs on either side of him.

“Jacob,” the male voice said.

He whipped around to find a man sitting on the arm of the couch.

Jake jumped to his feet. Muscles tense. He felt a presence to his right. A small woman, black hair tucked into a bun so tight her black eyes bulged. Bright red lipstick covered her lips, setting her smooth, pale skin aglow.

Jake hurdled the end table that boxed him closer to the strangers than he preferred. He eased back as he shifted his focus from the lady with a bun to the man, who now stood. Easily six-foot-four, the stranger stepped forward, jaw set tight.

Jake’s senses alerted him that there were more than the two in the living room with him. Breathing, growling, and mumbling rumbled from nearby. Not sure if they were in the house, but they were close.

The female held a glass in her hand and as she rose to her feet, it sloshed. The sweet smell of sugar tickled Jake’s nose. That had been what he caught wind of while waking from unconsciousness.

“Jacob. Be calm. You are in no danger,” the woman said.

Jake’s alternated his stare between the two strangers like a pendulum. They felt so familiar, but yet so different. Something was off.

The man regarded the woman. “He has no clue.”

“Well, how would he?” Her lips pressed into a thin, ruby line. “Damn that monk, how dare he—”

“Be calm. We’ve dealt with him already.” The tall man turned his penetrating attention back to Jake. “Jacob. Don’t be frightened. We’re here to help you.”

“Who—” Jake cleared his throat. “Who are you?” He shuffled away, but the back of his knee bumped the TV stand and gave out. He palmed the wall to stay balanced and inched to his left, in the direction of the kitchen.

“Jacob—”

“How do you know my name?”

“Because we named you, child,” the woman said.

Jake’s stomach dropped. His hands fell to his sides.

“Yes, Jacob. I am your mother.” She inched forward, her long, graceful fingers reaching for him.

“Wha—” He choked on his confusion as he moved closer to the kitchen. His mind whirled. His breath came in short gasps, pushing him near hyperventilation as the panic set in.

His dazed glare shifted from the woman claiming to be his mother to the man beginning to cut the distance between them a little too quickly for Jake’s liking.

“Stay away.” Jake managed to spit out over the lump in his throat.

The man stopped. His smooth forehead creased, and he shoved his hands into his Armani suit pants pockets. A flicker of light bounced off a gold Rolex but it disappeared under the long sleeve of his tailored coat.

He could have stepped right off the set of a Goodfellas movie. His shiny black hair was short, but slicked back, while his ebony eyes lay sunken down and thick bushy brows hovered too close together.

Jake hustled into the kitchen and away from the strangers invading his space. She couldn’t be his mother. Was he in another vision?

He sucked in a deep breath as he remembered what they had said while he was coming to. They’d been searching for him. Parents do that—try and find the children they surrendered, right? They did feel familiar. Their eyes.

He leaned on the back of the kitchen table chair. He heard them shuffling near him. Jake cocked his head to the side to see the two strangers standing side-by-side, staring at him.

If he stayed, the walls would cave in around him. He had to get out. He scurried to the door and thrust it open. Fresh air. That would help. Two more people stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the front door, their hands clasped behind their backs. They faced Jake and dipped their heads as if bowing.

Jake leaped down the stairs and bolted passed them. He sensed the man and woman following but didn’t look back. He veered to the right, away from the house. Sucking in the cool, early morning air, he tried to cut through the haze forming in his head.

Sounds assaulted his ears and smells, his nose.

“Jacob, please wait.” A soft voice called out to him. Her voice. His mother’s—or so she claimed.

He slowed to a trot, his body responding to her command despite Jake’s desire to run. A small patch of green grass lay to his left. A common area for the neighborhood. The sun had risen, but no one had ventured out yet. He hurried to a bench that overlooked the open space.

“Who are you people?” he asked.

“Jacob. We’ve been looking for you for so very long,” the woman said. “We’ve finally found you.”

A hand caressed his shoulder. He shrugged it off and stepped away, putting the bench between them and him. Distance was good. He wished Em was next to him. She gave him strength, a confidence, he couldn’t muster on his own right now. “What do you mean?” Jake asked.

“Jacob. Please, let us tell you everything,” the man said. His voice resonated with Jake. A tone of familiarity, somehow.

“I’m listening,” Jake said, trying to find a calm voice amidst the shaking.

“You were taken from us many, many years ago. We’ve been searching, but only now found you. I was in agony for you, my son,” she said.

“Why would someone take me?”

“Son, it’s a very long story, we can tell you everything, but first, are you okay?” she crinkled her forehead in concern. “You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine,” he lied. Fear soured his stomach. Anger stabbed his gut. “You lie. If someone stole me, they wouldn’t have kept the name you gave me.”

“I didn’t say the person who took you was smart,” the man said. “He held the notion everyone would think as you did, so he kept your given first name, though shortened it.”

“
Debil
,” the woman said with a hiss.

“Son.” His alleged father advanced, but Jake kept the bench between them. “You’re scared. You don’t know who we are. And you’re going through certain—” He leered at the one who claimed to be his mother. “Changes.”

“What do you know about it?”

“More than you know, son.”

“Quit calling me that. I’m not your son.”

“Yes, actually, you are. The Cunninghams have taken decent care of you these last ten years, but they are not your rightful parents,” the woman said. She raised her hand to her chest and gently beat her hand against it. “We are.”

The rising sun beamed through the trees, temporarily blinding Jake. He sifted through the spots, working to focus on the grass. He shook his head as he leaned forward and put his hands on his knees. Noises accosted his ears. A woodpecker, dog barking, people talking.

“You hear it, don’t you?” the man asked.

Jake didn’t answer.

“And the smell. Something sweet. Rich with sugar?” the man continued.

Jake shook his head, indicating he didn’t, but he did. His mouth watered like Pavlov’s dogs. Do they have special powers, too?

“It’s okay, Jacob. It’s time.”

“What are you talking about? You know nothing about me. Let’s say you are my parents…it’s by genetics only. You don’t get to come in here and just step in. The Cunninghams have been my parents for ten years.” The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, watching Jake.

Their faces were smooth, their skin pale. Jake’s head throbbed. It swam in an ocean of uncertainty. Could they be his parents?
No. It can’t be true.

“Jacob, please, let’s go indoors and talk about this. We have much to tell you.”

He didn’t move, paralyzed by indecision. “First tell me what you meant by that sweet smell.”

The man looked at the woman, as if they talked without words. She dipped her head. “You’ll see. They’re coming by shortly. Can you hear them?”

“I don’t understand, I’m—” Suddenly, a sugary smell crashed over him with the force of a tidal wave. Sweet, like cotton candy from the county fair.