Chapter 312
Concentrating all of my effort, I thought back to the dream, the one where I had clearly seen both of their faces. I had little memory of the images, but Mina reminded me when I’d spoken to her. A fluid picture came into my mind’s eye, and the harder I tried, the more I was able to bring it into focus until I clearly recognized where I was.
I was standing in at least a foot of sand. A dry breeze floated past me. I tried to remember I was still in my own mind, and I took a deep breath, determined not to leave until I found what I was looking for.
As I looked around me, I remembered some of these views from my dream. An old, dilapidated building stood to my right. From behind its walls, I heard the screams of a thousand people, dead or undead, I wasn’t sure. I also heard the sounds of hammers and other tools. Dirt, graffiti, and grime covered what was supposed to be a white exterior, and I immediately knew this place should be feared. The scent of death and decay filled my lungs. Above the wrought iron gate, a few letters swung back and forth in the wind, but there weren’t enough of them to put together a name. I had the feeling this place used to house the insane. Maybe it still did.
To my right, there was a large tree, but as I stared at it, the roots began to grow, buckling the ground beneath my feet. The upper branches reached out to the starlit sky as well. The more I looked, the clearer it became that this tree wasn’t healthy at all. The bark crumbled from around it as the branches and roots continued to stretch, but it grew and expanded just the same. I imagined this was the evil unleashed by the portal spreading out into the world.
A noise by the gates caught my attention, and it all came back to me. I remembered what was about to happen. I braced myself, thinking about how awful it had been the first time, watching the two entities who had come through the portal from hell meet and embrace.
This time, I felt as if I recognized both of them, though I also knew I’d never seen their faces before, not with my own eyes. And they were different. For some reason, coming back from beyond the grave had made their appearances change. Perhaps they’d wanted it that way. The woman’s long flowing red hair and white gown was swept up by the wind, and the man looked tired after having travelled a long way, though he was certainly happy to see her.
They met in front of me and wrapped their arms around each other. It was then that I knew for certain who they were despite the fact that they addressed each other using different names. I wasn’t part of the team the first time either of them had been destroyed, but hatred bubbled up inside of me as I thought about Jack and Drew. Had it not been for these two Vampires, perhaps my sister’s friends would still be alive. They kissed, and I swore I’d do everything I could to end them again, even as the rest of the Vampires from out beyond the shadows shouted in unison, “The time is now.”
The woman pulled away, and I was just about to step back into my own stream of consciousness when her black eyes bore down on me, and I realized I might not be quite as safe as I had assumed.
She was coming at me then, floating on top of the air, her feet not even touching the ground. Her pale face glowed in the moonlight, and her red lips parted as she came to a stop right in front of me. Her ethereal voice didn’t quite match her menacing stance, but her message was clear. “You may fool yourself, child, but we both know what you really are. Come to me, and I will show you power beyond your wildest imagination.”
So that was her game. She wanted to use me against my own team. She thought she could somehow infiltrate me and get me to switch sides. Despite falling for her ruse with Bonnie, I stood firm in my resolve. “I’m not one of you. I’m a Hunter.”
Her laugh was like the tinkling of a bell. “We know that’s not true.”
A picture of Jack Cook’s face came to my mind, and my anger flared. “I will find you! And when I do, I will destroy you!”
She smiled back at me, like she thought I was a little girl incapable of doing any such thing. “I’m certain that you will find me, eventually, child. And when you do… you will join Perses and myself, Asteria, as we reign for a thousand years. You know it’s true, little one. The. Time. Is. Now.” Her teeth parted, and her fangs came at me, but I was steadfast in my resolve not to back down.
“Cassidy! Cassidy!”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but suddenly, her face faded away from me, and I was swallowed up by blackness. I was having trouble sucking in enough air. My lungs began to burn. I felt like I was back underwater, as I had with Paul, but this time there was no oxygen at all. And then my body began to rock violently.
My eyes flew open, and I looked into the terrified face of my boyfriend. “Brandon!” Finally, I had enough air to speak. I began to gasp, and his shaking morphed into a bear hug, cutting off my oxygen again.
“Oh, thank God,” Brandon said, holding me against his chest. “I’ve been shaking you for five minutes. I was afraid I couldn’t get you back.” He kissed the top of my head but didn’t let go of me.
“I’m okay,” I managed. “You’re hurting me.”
“Sorry. I’m so sorry,” Brandon said as he pushed me back so that we were face to face again. “I waited thirty minutes like you said, and when I came out here, it was like you were in a trance.”
“Was I saying anything?” I asked, wondering just how far into that state I had been.
“No, but you looked ticked.”
I was glad I hadn’t spoken aloud. I suddenly realized that I knew the names of the people I’d seen. I was certain it was Holland and Carter, even though those weren’t the names they’d used while they were speaking to each other. I needed to talk to Cadence and Aaron as soon as possible. And then I thought about Paul and everything he was going through. We needed to find him.
“What’s the matter? Did you find Paul?” Brandon asked, reading my expression.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Is he alive?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” I remembered vividly how much pain he had been in.
Confused, Brandon asked, “What do you mean?”
“If I were in his position, I’d be praying to die. Unfortunately, he’s being held by creatures that can’t kill him—not for lack of trying. Man, are they ever trying.”
His face fell as he could see tears forming in my eyes. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Cass. We need to let your sister know right away.”
“You’re right. The sooner we get to Melbourne, the sooner we can get him back.”
“Do you think you can lead us to him?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.
“Yes. I know I can.” I had never been so sure of anything before.
A crooked grin broke out across his face. “Good. Then let’s call Cadence.”
I took a deep breath and contacted my sister. “I’ve got some info,” I said. “When can you meet.”
“Get over here as soon as you can,” she replied as if she’d been waiting for my message. “We’ll meet you in our office.”
“All right,” I answered. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I felt like I needed some time to catch my breath, but thoughts of Paul pushed me forward. “Cadence, it’s not good.”
“It never is.”
Unfortunately, I knew she was right. I took Brandon’s hand, and we headed back to the door. Something told me the next time I stood on a rooftop, the stakes would be much higher, and the danger much closer than it had been tonight, even if I had almost gotten trapped inside my own mind.
