Several nods make it clear to me that I have their attention now, and I return to stand between Noah and Rhine. Next, I give in detail Noah’s and my history regarding the Gullah, Savannah, and Charleston, and how Noah isn’t salivating by all the strong young pulses gathered in the room. More than a few look at poor Noah with notable discomfort, but I put them all at ease by letting them know his eating habits. His role in Charleston as Guardian finally puts them at ease.
Then Noah steps up and clears his throat. “One thing more you need to know about Riley,” he says, his Southern drawl commanding, raspy. “Because she has the most fucked-up DNA in existence, she doesn’t typically sleep every day, like you. She unexpectedly falls into a narcoleptic coma every few days or so.” He looks at me. “And she’s due one at any time.” He looks back at the guys. “She does exhibit a few signs you might want to look out for. Disoriented. Stumbles. Weakness. Difficulty expressing words. Eyes start rolling in her head. If you notice, she has no trouble at all with any of these. And when her body has had enough, she’ll start to slow down. Then fall out, sometimes for two days. So if you notice her acting bizarre, catch her before she hits the ground.”
I pass an uninterested glance at the TV, but something catches my eye. It’s the local news. “Can you turn that up?” I ask the one who is closest to the remote. He nods, and ups the volume. A young woman is broadcasting. Her smooth skin belies the fear I can see in her eyes as she reports.
“Two more bodies were discovered this morning, both in close proximity to the Eastgate Shopping Centre,” she says. Behind her is the entrance to the center, the large Eastgate letters standing out from the Celtic design behind it.
“Shoppers are encouraged not to linger after dark,” the reporter says. “This may be the handiwork of a serial killer. Take full precaution as the victims are neither all men nor all women. So, everyone, be careful. Rachel Canns, Inverness Live.”
I look at Noah. I don’t say anything. I can’t. Two more victims, right out from under our noses. Was it Eli? Has he become nothing more than a blood-seeking monster? Carrine is controlling him. She can make him do whatever she desires. Maybe she’s making him do the killing now? The thought totally sickens me.
Noah barely shakes his head, reading my thoughts. He turns to Rhine. “We need to hit the streets. What’s your method?”
All humor has disappeared from Rhine’s face. His mouth is pulled tight, eyebrows drawn. “We break into lots o’ no less than six. Scour the city. Run the streets.” He glances to the guys and inclines his head. “Jep there, we’ve known each other since we were wee lads. He knows every nook an’ cranny in the city.”
“Aye,” Jep answers. He’s tall, lanky, maybe twenty. His hair is longer, pulled into a ponytail. A scar slashes across his forehead, through one eyebrow, and disappears. He looks like he can kick some serious ass. “We got six groups now. More will join as they get off o’ work and such.”
“There’re a few still in school,” Rhine says. “They never miss a day.”
I nod. “Pretty little organized freaky society you got here,” I say. “I’m impressed.”
“We do all right, yeah,” Rhine agrees. “Ready?”
I nod. Several others voice their ayes and yeahs. Most stand up, shuffle their feet, and glance around, waiting on instruction, I suspect.
“I guess we should split up,” Noah says to me. In his eyes I can see doubt; he so doesn’t want to split up. We have no choice, though. To have me and Noah together wouldn’t make sense.
I nod. “Yeah, we should. Spread the powers around a little.”
“Noah, you can run wi’ Jep and his crew,” Rhine says. He grins at me. “O’ course, it’s only right if you run wi’ me, lass. In case you drop into one o’ your comas.”
I narrow my gaze. “Of course.”
We break up into six groups. The adrenaline gaining speed and rushing through the Ness boys is palpable. I can almost see it floating in the room. It all but quakes with their readiness, their hunger. Like a live thing. It’s absolutely incredible.
My group forms, and besides me and Rhine, there’s four others I’m introduced to. I’m terrible with groups of names at once, so I push that worry to the recesses of my brain; the last thing I need to concentrate on is trying to keep straight thirty names.
From now on, they’re the Ness boys to me. All of them, except Rhine.
“We’ll take city center,” Rhine announces to the others. “Everyone else spread out and take our regular routes. After hours, we’ll slip into Eastgate, see what’s on.”
Many voices agree with varying degrees of accent, and the groups disperse. Outside, the sky has fallen in dark shades of gray and purple. Duel lampposts at the end of the Crachan’s drive are lit, illuminating the street beyond. I inhale, and a sensation of pure evil washes over me. Different from Edinburgh, but still evil. It’s met with a sense of urgency, too. Something else that I can’t put my finger on. I’m sure it has to do with the fact that it all revolves around Carrine and Eli being the cause of it.
And that straight up makes me ill.
I close my eyes, inhale again, and let it out slowly. I gotta do this. I have to make things right. Whoever is calling the shots for the killings, they have to be stopped. If Eli’s involved, and can’t be saved . . .
My body shivers at the thought. Panic wells up inside me for a moment. Eli’s face flashes behind my closed eyelids, and he’s the old Eligius. My Eli. Sexy. Loving. Noble.
Then, in a blur, that face of his changes and he’s the Eli in Hush 51, the same one with the hateful glint to those cerulean eyes I love so much.
“Hey,” Rhine says. He’s standing by my side, a good six inches taller, and seeming far older than his nineteen or twenty years. Those knowing green eyes study me for a second. Study me like he’s known me longer than a few days. “You gonna be okay?”
I glance around me, up toward the darkening skies, and watch as the Ness boys separate and start their routes. If a pack of humans are hell-bent on keeping their streets and innocents safe, then I can do no less than every single thing I’m capable of.
I decide to put my own desires aside.
The old Eli wouldn’t expect anything less.
My gaze returns to Rhine’s, and I give him an assuring nod. “I will be. When all this is over, and the killings are stopped, and this city is safe again, then yeah, I’ll be okay.”
His mouth lifts at one corner and the smile lingers in his eyes. “Magic. Let’s get goin’, then, aye?” He inclines his head toward the street.
I push my heavy heart aside and fill the void with sheer determination. We start off down the drive, four other Ness boys behind us.
We’re on a vampire hunt.
I have a feeling there’ll be bloodshed from both sides.
Part Six
SEDUCTIVE FOE
If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour . . . you’re going to see some serious shit.
Yeah, Riley. I don’t know her all that well, but what I do know, she doesna take much shite off no one. That includes me, Miles, and more than likely, her bloodsucker boyfriend. As a human wi’ tendencies myself, I can sense a power wi’in her that is unlike anything I’ve yet seen before. Miles said she had fooked-up DNA. I can goddamn well believe it. Yeah, what I wouldna give to keep her.
We walk up and down the streets of Inverness until well after ten p.m. Rhine has gotten a few calls on his cell, but nothing panned out. We’re making our way up High Street for the umpteenth time, and I glance at the city center. Newer buildings mixed in and side by side with the older ones; some with coned turrets, others with tall spires. All flat fronts with colorful store signs above the doors. And the ever-present double arches of McDonald’s gleaming golden yellow in the shadows.