Violet Midnight (Violet Night Trilogy) (20 page)

“Jake. You okay?” Emma whispered.

He checked behind him and nodded, but the worried look in her eyes made him take pause. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re you. Right? No Rosa or Marek messing around in that brain of yours?”

“No. I’m good.” He nodded again as if to emphasize it. But she had a point. What if—no, they couldn’t get in his mind again. He’d chosen Love. He was protected, right? They’d never controlled Emma’s mind, so he had to be immune now.

“Okay. Go.” She nudged him with the back of her hand while holding the crossbow.

He eased forward and met a landing.

Ava’s heels clanked against the hardwood steps, and he stopped.

“Ava, take off your shoes,” Emma said.

“Sorry,” Ava whispered. Her voice was so loud she might as well have screamed.

Silence followed them to the first landing. Jake held his dagger in front of him while his other hand skimmed the walls as they worked their way up. Emma followed close. With one hand she held Ava’s, her other the crossbow.

The glow from his arm bounced off her violet eyes. The corners of her lips curled upward, and she winked. Despite the situation they were in, she still knocked him off his rocker with her smile. But that same smile beamed with confidence, and it oozed into him, fueled him. He would be strong for her—for Ava. He focused on what lay ahead, following his wrist.

As they rounded the first landing, he started up the stairs toward the door. His wrist throbbed its approval.

“Incoming,” Emma said.

Her voice shattered the quiet stairway, sending a shock wave of adrenaline through Jake’s veins. He looked back and froze.

Emma had put Ava between them and turned behind her, pointing her crossbow down toward the first level, finger on the trigger.

Rock solid, her hand didn’t even shake, unlike his. A 9.9 on the Richter scale shook less than him at the moment.

Two red, glowing orbs bounced toward them. Labored breathing filled the air. Footsteps echoed. More footsteps.

There were more than the one.

Click. Click. Click.

Emma sent off three rounds from her crossbow. They cut through the air as they searched for their targets.

One grunt, a second grunt.

Someone clutched his elbow. He brought his blade around ready to use, but it was Ava. He inched forward and stopped, back to her, arm still pointed toward the door. Emma fired off two more shots.

“Bolts,” she called more ammo and clanked them into place.

Footsteps still came. Before she got some shots off, two Vamps came down on her. He cocked his hand back and threw the dagger toward the second one, nailing it in the chest.

“Dagger, come,” he said.

The weapon returned to his hand, but in the meantime, Emma threw herself onto the Vamp that reached her before reloading. They tumbled against the wall, then down the flight of stairs they’d walked up.

“Emma.” He fought the urge to run to her. He couldn’t leave Ava. With the knife back in his hand, he used his free one to guide Ava down toward where Emma had tumbled.

A raspy grunt filled the air. She must have nailed it.

“Emma?” Jake said in a strained whisper. Footsteps made their way toward him. “Emma?” He switched the knife toward the noise approaching.

“Yeah.” She jumped onto the landing and into view.

Her violet eyes came into focus, and he started breathing again. Ava shifted behind him. She’d been pressed between the wall and his back while the threat was near. He stepped forward, giving her some room as Emma approached.

“We’re good. Let’s go,” Emma said. She positioned herself in front of Ava and took her hand again while Jake assumed the lead.

As they resumed climbing to the next level, the light from his wrist pulsed. What could be behind the door?

At the top, he reached for the handle and turned it. Creaking it open, he stepped into darkness followed closely by Emma. Her breath warmed his bare arm she was so close.

“This has got to be the place. If my wrist gets any brighter the sun’s going to want it,” Emma said. “Where are we?”

“Feels like we’re coming up on the main floor. Remember the dance floor space at the party?” He sure did. That was what attracted him to her. Such a sexy, subtle sway to the beat had set him afire.

“Why here?” Ava whispered. “This is a stupid Frat house.”

“Come on, stick to the wall. Let’s get a view of things,” Jake said, as he led them past the stairs leading to the room.

“Like we can see anything in this dark,” Emma said. “Even with
our
eyes and
your
arm.”

Suddenly, the lights clicked on. Four people stood in the center of the room, each with a crossbow fixed on them.

“Nice of you to join us, Son.”

Rosa and Marek glared at Emma. Dylan and Cynthia stood beside them. Emma had really come to like Cynthia. So refined, friendly, and supportive. Totally pegged that wrong.

Were those mystical crossbows like Emma’s? How did they get them?

Emma scanned the area. The only way out was the stairwell from which they came. They would never make it across the room to the sliding glass doors. More than likely, Vamps had all the doors guarded, anyway, the way her wrist was flaring.

She fixed her attention on the four in front of them.

“Surprised, I see?” Cynthia said, with a smirk.

“Why—? How could you do this?”

Cynthia smiled. “It’s their world, sweet Em. The sooner you realize that, the sooner—well, doesn’t matter, you’re done anyway.”

“Jacob, you were well on your way to becoming something so much greater. More powerful than God. And you threw it all away, for her?” Marek pointed to Emma. “The Hunter?”

Ava’s hand trembled in Emma’s grasp. She squeezed it. “It’s okay.”

“No, actually, it isn’t. Having to involve humans is always risky. But the loss of two will have to be acceptable,” Rosa said.

“Two?” Emma asked.

Rosa’s lids shut. She inhaled, then snapped her eyes open. They glowed a furious red. “Come here.”

As if on cue, Greg opened the door to his room, darted out and peered over the railing onto the little Vamp party that had formed on the main level.

“No,” Ava screamed.

Rosa raised her hand toward the startled student, and he froze as if entranced. “Come here, my child.” Her hypnotizing voice sang out.

As if a robot, Greg stiffly navigated the hallway to the stairs on the far side. Within seconds, he neared Rosa and Marek, his eyes glazed over, staring only at Rosa.

“Greg. No. Snap out of it,” Emma yelled.

He didn’t move. The trance was too powerful.

“Humans. Their minds are so weak,” Rosa said.

“What have you done to the rest of the people who live here?” Jake fisted his hands.

“Tucked safe and sound in their beds.” Rosa tapped her temple. “I sent them to bed early.”

Emma aimed her crossbow, ready to fire at Rosa.

“Ah, ah. Be careful of your actions, Emma. By the time you click off a round, your friend Ava will be dropped like a lead balloon,” Marek’s voice bellowed.

Ava whimpered.

Emma stepped in front of her.

“You’re not fast enough for all of us, sweetheart. Although you are good, indeed,” Marek taunted. “I saw you fight the Vamps out by the pool.”

“What?” Emma had thought they didn’t know anything about Hunters.

“Oh, yes. I saw it. You are quite a surprise, I don’t mind admitting.” He shook his head. “I spent hours researching what you might be.”

“But—”

“But, could find nothing.” Marek eyed Jake. “Then Jacob had Cynthia review that piece of paper. Things started falling into place.”

“The mark of a Hunter. Surprising, indeed.” Rosa reached for Greg and lured him to her side with her long, slender hands. “I had no idea about your influence over Jacob, however.”

“Cynthia. How could you do this?” Emma asked, her crossbow trained on the Vamp’s precious pet.

“Vampires have always interested me and Dylan. Look at the power they possess. They’re like gods on earth.” She smiled. “They’ll change us. All we had to do was get Jake to the party for the transformation.”

The corner of Rosa’s mouth twitched. Cynthia had no idea the Avenos Vamps would kill her and Dylan in a blink. Especially now that Jake and Emma were here together. The only ones who knew anything. The only ones who could stop them.

Jake lowered his dagger. “You can’t be changed. It doesn’t work that way. Dylan—”

“We’ve been studying the occult for years. The different sects. The Vampires date back thousands of years. I’ve been studying the myths.”

Emma shifted her weight. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They had no clue. Unless they were marked, they couldn’t be changed. They had to have found that in their research.

“When I found you in the study room passed out, arm bleeding from the mark etching your skin, I realized you were the chosen one, Jacob.” He smiled.

“Wait. That was in Minnesota. I—we didn’t—”

Dylan laughed. “So naïve, Jacob. I’m thirty-five years old. Was on campus for a night class for my graduate degree. I found you that night in the study cubes for a reason. Cynthia and I were meant to find you. To bring you here. For your transformation.”

“We simply watched you from afar.” Cynthia smiled. “Left you clues to lead you here. To that book store.”

“Finding that book at Horizon’s wasn’t luck.” Jake shifted his weight. “And you being in the store.”

“Of course it wasn’t luck.” She patted Dylan’s back. “He’s handy with a computer. Hacked into yours, found the keywords you were searching, and led you to the hit on the book. And I just
happened
to be there to help.”

“Bitch,” Ava whispered. “Greg. Snap out of it.” A tear trickled down Ava’s cheek.

Dylan puffed out his chest like the arrogant son of bitch he was. “The world knows your mark as the Mark of Chaos. Some cults claim it as their symbol, but it is The Mark of the Avenos family. The one prophesied to do great things as a Trinity.”

Dylan motioned with his crossbow for Emma, Jake, and Ava to move to the side, away from the door. She glanced around. No escape.

A little help, Gabriel?

“I dug deeper and deeper, researching the Prophecy, until I finally found Rosa and Marek.” Cynthia regarded the two standing next to her. “They were well hidden due to their importance to the Vampire world. It took me time to track them down.”

“They reached out to us, promising results.” Marek glared at Dylan.

“As we neared you, the pull became even greater,” Rosa said. “The land this town was built on is that of our ancestors. For over four-hundred years, Vampires transformed here in secret.”

“Their transformation was celebrated,” Dylan said. “A human was chosen to be sacrificed. The new Vampire would drain its first victim as a part of the conversion ritual.”

“It made sense that we were brought here, then drawn to you. When we found you on the sidewalk, writhing in pain, disoriented, we knew. It had to be you,” Rosa finished.

“We brought you together to bring the prophecy to fruition.” Dylan turned his glare toward Emma. “But then
you
found him, led him astray.”

“Now everything we’d planned is gone, but we will still have our vengeance. You and all you hold dear will surely die, Jacob,” Marek said.

All four lifted their crossbows and fired.

The weapons firing rang like shotgun blasts in Jake’s ears. Arrows whizzed through the air toward Emma, Ava, and Jake. At least they weren’t like the fast-firing weapon Emma held. He had time while they reloaded. Jake dodged the one aimed at him and turned to see Emma.

It was as if it happened in slow motion. Emma clicked a stream of bolts from her crossbow as fast as they’d dispatch, then the weapon disappeared with a flash of light. In one smooth motion, she pushed Ava down.

But the arrow headed toward Emma sliced her arm as it passed by. A smile filled Rosa’s pale face at the sound of Emma’s groan.

Blood flowed from Emma’s left shoulder. Jake’s anger exploded. He lunged, moving faster than he could have imagined, and tackled Rosa around the waist. They stumbled, but in a blink, she stood in front of him, fangs dropped.

He spun and planted his foot to her chest, sending her coasting through the air.

With a stunned look on his face, Marek watched his wife. Jake lifted his dagger and whipped it at his Vampire father, but he’d regained his composure quick enough and batted it away. Marek clicked off an arrow at Jake, but he dove to the side. It grazed his shoulder like a wave of acid, but he rolled and made it to his feet.

Marek tossed the weapon to the floor, and a feral growl ripped through the air.

Dylan and Cynthia ducked for cover while Greg stood frozen, fixated on Rosa. She’d landed at the far end of the room.

“Ava, stay there,” Emma said.

Emma clicked two arrows as she moved toward Jake. They whizzed past him and found a home in Marek’s chest. He didn’t vaporize into a cloud of dust, though.

His long, black, finger-nailed hand grasped at the arrows and plucked them from his chest as he leapt to Rosa.

Why hadn’t that killed him?

“Dagger,” Jake called. He hurled it through the air. Marek went to deflect it, but the dagger sliced through the center of his palm.

“Dagger,” Jake called it back.

With blurring speed, Marek ran at Emma and Jake. Emma got a shot off and nailed him in the thigh. Jake kicked, sending him smashing into the wall.

Rosa lunged at Emma, and they tumbled back, toward Ava.

Jake watched in horror as Rosa jumped to her feet on one side of Emma and Marek on the other. Both holding daggers to her neck. Each held one of her arms. As she struggled, the blades dug into her skin.

“Stop,” Jake yelled. His voice echoed off the cathedral ceiling.

He froze in the center of the room. Dylan, Cynthia, and Greg lay on the ground to his left, Greg fighting beneath Dylan’s weight. The trance must have been broken as he let out a panicked wail.

On the floor, Ava squatted beside the wall, crying, as she stared at the two Vampires holding Emma.

Her violet eyes flared with a furious anger, and her jaw clenched. Blood dripped down her neck from where the blades pierced her skin.

Rosa’s lips slanted into a wicked smile, revealing her elongated canines.

They’re going to drain Emma right in front of me.

“I’ve never tasted a Hunter’s blood. I wonder if it really is sweeter than that of a normal human, like Yanek said,” she taunted.

Emma thrashed, but the daggers to her neck reined her in quickly.

Jake tensed. His gazed darted from Rosa to Marek to Emma. What would he do? What
could
he do? If he daggered one, the other would kill Emma.

Rosa sunk her teeth into Emma’s wrist.

She screamed.

Every muscle in Jake’s body tensed. He wanted to rip Marek to shreds. The anger raged.

Emma’s stare pierced through Jake’s. Her nostrils flared, as if biting back another scream. She tilted her head in the slightest of movements toward Rosa.

What was she trying to say?

Emma kicked Marek’s knee, batted his hand, and ducked out of range of Rosa’s blade.

Jake whipped his dagger at Marek. It found a home in his chest. He squealed and thrashed, scratching at the weapon. It clanked to the ground, but the damage had been done.

Marek reached for Rosa, but as he opened his mouth, his bottom jaw turned to dust, followed by his face and the rest of his body.

“No,” Rosa screamed. “Marek.”

Rosa lunged at Jake, her lips curled back over her long canines. A growl flooded past her lips so loud it reverberated off the walls, and he heard it from every direction.

“Dagger.” Jake held out his hand. It landed in his palm as Rosa collided with him. Tendons popped and bones snapped as her long teeth sank into his flesh. Her jaw fastened to his neck, and they dropped to the floor. She sucked, the rhythmic pulls draining him of his blood and his strength.

His mother’s slight frame suddenly felt like a two-ton truck lay on top of him. She thrashed her head back and forth, jerking his body side-to-side.

Emma screaming his name followed him into the darkness.