She gave me a short nod, her lips pressed together and I could see the flash of fear in her eyes. "Don't cross him, child. He's a mean one and a drunk. Just let it go. Your food should be ready in a few minutes." She glanced at the other end of the counter where his buddy was sitting. She didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes told me all I wanted to know.
Bad news . . . don't trust them . . . they are not mortal. Ulean's voice tickled my ears and I let out a low Umm-hmm.
As Anadey packaged my food and handed it to me, Snarly Dude came back from the bathroom, his full lips curling in a derisive, leering manner. I returned his gaze, keeping my expression neutral. Tossing a ten and a couple bucks for a tip on the counter, I headed toward the door, my senses on high alert.
Watch my back.
As always, Cicely . . . as always, came Ulean's calming thoughts.
Once I was in the parking lot, a shift in the current alerted me. I paused, listening.
They're following you . . .
I know, I whispered gently. I can feel them.
Not just them. Another. Older, more dangerous. I don't recognize the energy though.
I slowly exhaled, relaxing into my body. Tension could ruin a good punch, could turn a good fight into a bad one. I gave the parking lot a look-see. Five cars to my left. Another three to my right. Gauging how long it would take me to dash across the street, across the snow and ice, I headed for the sidewalk. The street was mostly empty; there were few cars on the road at this time of night, although two long, dark limos with tinted windows passed by, gliding silently, the sound of their engines muffled by the falling snow.
Vampires hunting. Ulean's thoughts were filled with distaste.
I gave an imperceptible nod and set a foot into the road. Immediately I sensed the men behind me speed up. I was two yards across the street before I broke into a run. The sound of footsteps told me they had done the same.
Crap. I still didn't know who they were or what they wanted, but it was obvious they didn't like me and I wasn't going to stick around to find out why.
I made a break for it, Ulean whipping along behind me, pushing me forward. With a shout, my followers picked up the pace as their boots drummed a tattoo of running steps. On the other side of the road, I assessed my best option.
No way in hell could I go up to my room--they could easily break through the flimsy lock. Favonis was my best bet. I'd rigged her with an automatic key and kept my keychain hooked on my belt loop just for situations like this. I'd spent my life ditching danger of one sort or another with my mother and had learned a thing or two along the way.
I tossed the bag of food to the side and fumbled for my key, but even as I hit the shadows surrounding my car, a noise cut through the night behind me--a sharp scream, choked off before it barely began. I whirled, only to see Snarly Dude turning tail to race back across the street into the light. He slipped once on a spot of black ice, righted himself, then disappeared into a truck and squealed out of the parking lot.
As I squinted, trying to figure out what the hell had happened, another sound echoed in the parking lot--a sickly gurgle--and the scent of blood washed over me. As I backed toward my car, another shift in energy cut through the night and whatever the hidden force was vanished.
Gone . . . and so is the man who cried out.
Crap. Gone? Where the fuck could he have gone? He'd been right behind me. I slowly edged my way toward the shadow that had engulfed him. The scent of blood hung thick but when I shone my pen flashlight on the ground, I could see only a few drops scattered red against the snow. I looked right and left--there was no place he could have disappeared to, but the man had definitely pulled a disappearing act. Not voluntarily, though.
I scanned the other side of the street. Nothing.
What the fuck is going on, Ulean?
I don't know, Cicely, but that's what we're here to find out.
What was the thing that took him? Vampire?
A pause, then, No . . . not vampire. Do not be so quick to blame the Vein Lords. This . . . is much darker than vampire signature. Dangerous, feral . . . hungry in a way the vampires cannot even begin to match.
Cripes. Vamps were at the top of the food chain--predators, often without mercy. If this was worse than they were . . . I didn't want to know what it was.
Without another word, I sucked in a deep breath, retrieved my dinner, and headed up the stairs toward my room. New Forest had changed all right, and I had the feeling I was just skirting the tip of the iceberg.
Chapter 2
The next morning I stared up at the rambling three-story house that had been my only home for the first six years of my life, and sucked in a deep breath, shivering in the twenty-two-degree morning.
I couldn't wait to see Aunt Heather and my cousin Rhiannon again. They were the only family I had, and they were good people. I knocked on the door and Rhiannon answered.
It had been nine years since I'd seen her, but my cousin looked the same--just a little older. Tall, willowy, with flaming red hair just like Aunt Heather's. But one look at her face told me something was wrong. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked like her head hadn't touched a pillow for a while.