Chapter 361
The algebra test was ridiculous, and by the time I’d finished it, I was ready to rip my messy bun right off the top of my head. I really don’t care about how many fence posts Billy needs to erect an enclosure around his pigs when length is represented by X and Y is the time it takes to fly from Nairobi to Shanghai on the back of a one legged flamingo. I mean, really, when am I ever going to need any of this?
But what I did need was to figure out how to get in Holland’s way long enough for my sister and her team to do what they needed to without tipping the Vampire off. I tried to shift my mind away from my arch nemesis, a.k.a. mathematics, and focus in on Brandon and the others. They were nearing the outskirts of Lexington right as I tuned them in, and for a moment it was like I was right there beside them.
Elliott was driving, Cadence in the passenger seat, with Brandon sitting next to Roar and Meagan, Ashley, and Martin in the way-back. I knew my sister was planning to give me a signal when she wanted me to put up the shield, but I was antsy. I wanted to try it out to see if I could even do it. Too bad that wasn’t an option. Holland might be able to read my mind long enough to figure out what we were up to. I was constantly reminding myself that this worked both ways. I wondered if she ever just hopped into anyone else’s mind and walked around the way that I did. The thought of it creeped me out, and I hoped we’d be able to detect her if she was there. I didn’t let myself think about it too long.
The SUV pulled to a stop on a dirt road where there were no houses in view and only the stars and moon lit the way. The team got out of the vehicle in silence, though I imagined there could be some chatter on the IAC. My sister didn’t say anything at all as she led the team through the ditch and across a field, occasionally weaving in and out of woodsy patches.
The Anderson House was even more impressive so close to real life than it had been from the research I’d done earlier in the day. It sat up on a hill, and in the moonlight, the Greek Revival porch, with its pillars and porticos, looked like something out of Gone With the Wind. What I wouldn’t give to be looking at it in person instead of through my boyfriend’s eyes.
I was included in the IAC chatter, though I’d have to tune them out later once I went to put up my shield, but I heard Elliott remark, “Nice place. A little small for me, but I could make it work,” and giggled. He was so silly sometimes. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a place half that size—not that our house in Shenandoah had been tiny, but I had sort of forgotten what it was like not to live in a shoebox.
Before the team stepped out from behind the last copse of trees, Martin noted that he would stay there. Even if Jamie had been with them, he probably wouldn’t have gotten much closer. The last thing anyone wanted was an injured Healer.
My sister and the others began to fan out around the yard, falling into position, and those that would be entering the former residence got into pairs. I knew my sister would be with Elliott, but I was surprised to see it was Meagan with Brandon. Of the Hunters present, she seemed like one of the weaker ones to me. I thought Aurora would be with him. Maybe my sister thought the Amazonian would be more useful in the yard in case Spittle or one of the others tried to run.
About ten yards in front of the door, Elliott stopped, and turning to my sister, he asked her if she was ready without even opening his mouth. Cadence replied, “Let’s do it,” and added to everyone, “be safe,” before Elliott moved in on the door.
“I’m setting up the shield,” I told her, trying to sound as confident as possible. She didn’t reply, but she didn’t have to. I left my IAC on so that I could be accessed if they needed me for anything else, but I completely shut it out of my mind as I did my best to hone in on Holland and set up a barrier between her and the unsuspecting Vampires in Lexington who were about to get a rude awakening.
I was expecting some sort of hostility from Holland, but if she knew what I was doing, she didn’t try to stop me. I had a clear image of the Anderson House in my mind, so I did my best to picture a bubble around it, encompassing most of the yard as well, and I thought about how that bubble would be impenetrable to anything Holland might try to send that direction. I had no way of knowing whether it was working or not. For all I knew, I wasn’t really helping at all, but it did seem to be zapping some energy out of me, so maybe it was doing something. Either that or the fact that it was the middle of the night was finally starting to get to me, despite my nap.
Flashes of what was going on during the hunt caught my attention, but I couldn’t let my concentration waiver. I saw that Meagan was hit and pinned upstairs while Brandon did everything he could to keep her from getting shot again. He was fine, and I was happy for that, but Martin couldn’t get up the stairs to Meagan because he could also be wounded. When Elliott came flying up the steps to help, and Meagan made it safely down, I breathed a sigh of relief, despite the fact that I wasn’t really supposed to be noticing what the team was up to.
