Chapter 272
The SUV remained quiet as we made our way across campus. I climbed into the middle seat next to Ashley and she reached over and put her arm around me, which was comforting, but I still wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. I decided I would just sit there and get through it and only open my mouth if I was asked a direct question.
Aurora pulled the SUV to a stop at the curb, and I knew I had to get out because no one else in the back could move until I did so. I sucked in a deep breath and reached for the handle. Cadence waited for me on the sidewalk and patted me on the shoulder. I don’t think she realized exactly how I was feeling. I’m sure she thought I was upset about Bonnie and that I was tired, but beyond that, I don’t think she knew how I felt betrayed by my own team and angry at virtually everyone sitting in that room waiting on us.
I walked in and noted the scent of coffee in the air, which made sense because everyone was tired, even the Guardians who don’t have to sleep. I hesitated by the door as the other ladies took their usual seats. Mine was open, of course, and Brandon smiled at me, as did his dad. I strongly considered sitting somewhere else, but I couldn’t find it in myself to be that rude, so I made my way over and sat down, folding my arms and slouching down in my seat.
“Are you okay?” Brandon asked me, but I didn’t even look at him, only nodded. “Do you want some coffee?” His second effort was also ignored, and I wondered if Elliott told him to give me some space because he huffed and leaned back in his seat, and it wasn’t like Elliott not to ask me anything at all, but he has more experience with women and instinctively knew it was time to leave me alone.
Aaron started off the meeting by saying that he was going to make it as brief as possible, which I was thankful for. I felt like I could easily sleep until mid-afternoon the next day. I did hear my name almost immediately, though, and looked up at him. It was hard for me to keep my eyes focused on him without thinking of the image I’d seen of him ripping Mina’s head off, but I found a spot on the wall behind him to focus on as he explained that we needed to discuss the things Mina had told me, including the movement Mina had confirmed, the fact that the Vampires were congregating somewhere. I nodded my head slightly and then shifted my eyes to the chair a few feet over from where Aaron was standing. Cadence was staring at me, her eyebrows puckered. Perhaps she was starting to realize something was bothering me.
Aaron started the discussion by asking Jamie to explain all of the strange shift-shaping we’d seen. Even though he hadn’t done much healing that night, Jamie looked tired. He was the only male in the room I could look at without being angry, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure why that was, it gave me hope that the rest of my anger would eventually subdue itself since I remembered having been angry at the Healer before we left the RV park.
Taking a deep breath, Jamie said, “I did see a lot of it in Wallachia, which was a long time ago. Once you’ve seen stuff like that, though, memories of how to defeat it don’t go away.”
“What’s Wallachia?” Ashley asked. We all turned to look at her. Most of the team was gaping at her like she was the stupidest person in the world for not knowing, but I was proud of her for being brave enough to ask when she wasn’t sure. I knew exactly what it was since I’d spoken to Jamie about that particular hunt lots of times before, but I didn’t make any faces at Ashley as Christian answered her question.
“It’s where we destroyed Dracula,” the tech guy said in a condescending tone. I recalled that he had been there, as had Aaron, but I didn’t think that gave him the right to be rude.
Under her breath, Ashley muttered, “Oh. Sorry.”
Jamie was much nicer. “That’s okay,” he said with a small smile in her direction.
Before Jamie continued, I saw Elliott’s head turn and lock on my sister. She was looking at him, too. I am not a mind reader, but I know what they were thinking. Jamie was about to say that all of this strange behavior had to do with the portal, and that meant it was their fault.
“The good news is, we already know how to defeat them in those states. The bad news is, as you all discovered tonight, it’s hard,” Jamie continued.
That was the truth if I’ve ever heard it. Those werewolf things just wouldn’t die. I thought about the other bulging beasts the team had battled and how difficult it had been. If my sister and Brandon can’t defeat something pretty quickly, that’s a powerful Vampire.
“Was that thing a werewolf?” Aurora’s question brought me back to the room. I couldn’t see her from where I was sitting because Elliott was blocking my view, but I knew her voice. It was another legitimate question, but it seemed to me it was obviously a Vampire since it crumbled to ash when it was destroyed.
“No it was a Vampire, but under certain circumstances, we’ve discovered they can shift into the forms of wolves. Sometimes bats. I don’t know if there’s anything else. I don’t know why, or how some can do it and others can’t.” Jamie caught Aaron’s eyes, and the Guardian Leader didn’t have any insight to offer either, though I imagined he must’ve encountered some of those things in Wallachia, too.
Jamie continued. “Then there are the mist monsters, which aren’t as hard to kill once you realize they do have necks. Vampires in general who’ve been affected by this particular phenomenon are just stronger—like that real life version of Dr. Facilier who jumped out at Cadence and Brandon.” My boyfriend snickered next to me, and I almost turned to look at him, agreeing that was a good comparison. That guy did look like the bad guy from The Princess and the Frog. But then I remembered I was mad and didn’t turn my head; his laughter was short lived.
“The bottom line is, bullets alone are not going to cut it against these creatures. We have to weaken them and then use more concentrated forms of silver. And we have to be persistent.”
