From the Shadows (Hunters #1)

Chapter 19

A few mornings later, Shay was in the kitchen putting breakfast together for everyone. He had quite the list of things to do when they all went their separate ways, including helping Jeremy with his shifting practice. He found it fascinating to watch Jeremy, his forehead crinkling as he focused on reading detailed descriptions about a snake, then closing his eyes. Depending on the size of the reptile, it could take anywhere from ten seconds to two minutes, but when he was done, Jeremy would hiss and give Shay a snakey smile.

It didn’t matter how many times Shay saw it happen, it was always endlessly fascinating for him to see. Especially seeing a four-foot kid become an eight-foot snake. The best part, though? When Jeremy shifted back and Shay praised him. There was utter adoration in his expression, and it warmed Shay to know the dream job he always wanted? He had it now, and they’d have to carry his cold, dead corpse out of the house before he gave it up.

“What’s for breakfast?” Ranna asked, her voice scratchy.

“Pancakes. I’ve got blueberry and chocolate chip. Unless you’d like something else?”

“Can you make a couple or ten with blueberry and chocolate chip? That sounds gross, but also yummy. ”

“Of course.” He went back to making Ranna her own stack. “Sleep okay?”

She grumbled and gave a half-shrug.

“Let me guess. Jakar and Hal?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “How’d you know?”

“They were haunting—no pun intended. At least I don’t think so—the halls, whispering to each other, and at one point, I swear I heard Hal giggle.”

“I’m not sure how they’ll do it, but I hope they can make it work. Jakar deserves someone he can call his own.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“Not really. In our tribe, the shaman is expected to be focused on the group’s well-being, even to the exclusion of his own happiness. Jakar never smiled. Like, ever. It was sad and pained me. When I tried to talk to my parents about it, they shut me down, telling me, as royalty, I had to think of the group as a whole, not the individual parts. And while it might seem like they’re doing the right thing, they assume that every person has the same needs, and that’s not true at all. They wanted me to treat everyone exactly the same. I couldn’t do that. To me, every person formed an important part of that whole, and I could no more ignore their suffering than I could my own. In the end, I couldn’t hack it and walked away.”

“Ran away,” Shay corrected.

“Fine, yes. I ran away. Not because I was afraid. I mean, they weren’t bad parents, but they were so far removed from the reality of our people that they almost considered them a different species. Me? I was happy going into the town and helping out at the tavern, or working at the diner when they were shorthanded. That stuff gave me purpose.”

“And you don’t talk to them?”

Her eyes widened. “What? Oh, no. I call them on occasion. I mean, I’d try more often, but it’s always the same. ‘When are you going to stop this foolishness and fulfill your duties?’ And my answer is also the same. I’m not. Ever. This place? These people? They’re more my family than my own, because they know me, and they accept that I’m a hell raiser. ”

Shay served breakfast. Jeremy came through, inhaled what Shay served him, then ran off to visit the library, where Shay had added new books about snakes. The rest of the team dragged themselves into the kitchen and wolfed down their plates, then got up and put their dirty dishes in the washer, before they went with the others to patrol.

The Fates had been on the phone frequently with Diego, telling him about things that they sensed. This sent them all scrambling every morning to get to the places the attacks would most likely occur. For a couple of missions, they successfully thwarted the vampires, but far too often, they were late and had to deal with the aftermath. It was taking a toll on Diego, whose nerves seemed to be fraying. He was snappy and easy to anger. Oh, he did his best to drop his troubles at the door when he got home, but when they were in bed, Diego clutched Shay, taking every death they dealt with as his own personal failure.

“Diego is torn, I think,” Ranna said, pulling Shay out of his thoughts.

“Oh?”

“Jakar tells him I’m not fully healed and ought not be out in the field. I say I’m fine, and there are too many fires to put out to be short people. He’s reached out to others, but they’ve got their hands full too. He gives me orders to go out, but if I find more than a few vamps, I’m supposed to call for backup.”

“Which you would never do.”

She grinned. “I love how you know me.”

“Ranna, you’ve got to be kidding me. We can’t lose you.”

She stood, half a danish in her mouth, and pulled him in for a hug. “We need you too, Shay. Never forget that.”

He knew that, and he loved it.

Ranna’s phone rang. She answered it, a scowl on her face. “Where?” she demanded. “I’m on my way.” … “No, I don’t need anyone else.” … “Yes, Dad, I’ll keep out of trouble.” Then she disconnected and slid the phone back into her pocket. “In a pig’s eye.” She gave Shay a quick kiss on the cheek. “The Fates called Dieg o. We have five groups causing havoc, so we’re off. We probably won’t be back until late.”

And with that, she was out the door, leaving the house empty except for Shay and Jeremy. He wasn’t lonely. He wasn’t. Much. He sighed at how quiet the house was. He missed the rambunctious team and Jeremy who filled it with life. Well, his duties kept him occupied. At least for the most part.

A few hours later, he made a snack for Jeremy, then took it up to the library, where he was poring over his books. When Shay put the peanut butter and grape jam—the only jam Jeremy would eat—on the table, he looked up and smiled.

“Thank you, Shay.” He pointed to the book. “Did you know some snakes live almost entirely underwater? They only come to the surface to breathe, and even then it could be several hours between breaths.”

Shay loved seeing Jeremy’s excitement. “I did not. That’s fascinating. Have you ever turned into a water snake?”

He frowned. “Some books say that sea snakes can’t really live well on land. I might try it one day, but not sure when.”

“You love your snake books, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Jeremy barked. “You don’t know how much I’m learning. Check this out.”

He got up and struggled out of his clothes. He closed his eyes, and Shay could see the concentration on his face. A few moments later, there was a full-sized anaconda climbing the table leg. When he got to the top, he shifted back.

“All that is done with muscles. It’s weird that I’m so skinny, but in snake form, I can crush prey.” He snickered. “I don’t want to kill things to eat, though. I’ll take a peanut butter and jelly any day.”

“After today, you won’t need to worry about that ever again” came a dark voice from behind them.

Shay twisted and found a vampire in their home. And it wasn’t Diego. “Who are you?”

“Come now, human. You know full well who I am.”

“Cristobal,” Shay snarled.

“Oh, you’ve heard of me. I’m sure they were fond words. ”

“Jeremy, go to your room,” Shay ordered. “Lock the door.”

“Have you learned nothing?” Cristobal asked, sounding bored. “A door won’t keep me out, just like it didn’t stop me from entering here.”

Patrice! Need help. Cristobal is here.

Damn it! I’m contacting the team. Stay away from him.

No kidding. He kept moving, slowly, methodically.

“Please try to run. I like it when my prey gets their juices flowing. It makes their blood so much sweeter.”

“Jeremy, go!” Shay shouted.

He took off down the hall, screaming in fear. Shay had to keep this animal away from him until Diego got home.

“I don’t know why you think this will work. I’ve been planning this for months. Turn a few dozen dregs, not unlike yourself, then set them loose to feed or cause chaos in a populated area. They were instructed to be creative. To show a level of violence and depravity no one had seen before. To show him what he’s missing by denying this part of his life. The carnage, the sex whenever you wanted, with whomever caught your eye. Then, when the hunters showed up and killed them, I made more. The nice thing about this city? It seems the filth outnumber the regular people, and you’re all too blind to see it. They make for a great army.”

“They’re no army. They were harmless people that you murdered.” Shay tried to keep distance between him and Cristobal. He knew it was fruitless. He could mist like Diego, so he could take him at any time. He was toying with Shay, that much was obvious. Then Shay understood why. “You’re waiting for Diego to come back.”

“Oh, very good. Perhaps you humans aren’t as stupid as I thought. These last attacks were meant to lull them into a false sense of security, knowing their precious home wasn’t the target. When, all along, it was the ultimate prize.”

Shay rushed into the kitchen, where he grabbed a towel that he put over the burner of the stove. It caught quickly. When he turned around, Cristobal was there, smirking. Shay held out the flaming cloth and shook it, ashes and bits of fire falling to the floor. Cristobal reached out and took it in his hands, snuffing the flame.

“You’re brave too. I’m impressed. Sadly, you all need to die, so the hold you have over his heart is broken and he returns to me. To my family.”

“You sick son of a bitch,” Shay screamed, slamming a fist into Cristobal’s face. He didn’t even flinch.

“Oh, how I wish I could kill you now. You’re the first human to actually stand up to me. All the others ran, begging not to die. You? I can see in your eyes you’ve faced darkness before.”

Shay tried to back up, but there was no room. He was boxed in with nowhere to go.

“Don’t worry, little human. I won’t kill you yet. He needs to be here. He needs to see you die.” He gave a sick smile. “Perhaps I’ll have him kill you. That would truly break him.” Cristobal’s hand lashed out, and he grabbed Shay’s throat. “But be certain of one thing. You will die.”

“No, he won’t.”

Cristobal smirked. “Ah, you’ve arrived. Finally.” He dropped Shay, who clutched at his throat, trying to draw a breath.

“Diego, I’m sorry.”

“Hush. You didn’t do anything wrong. Go find Jeremy.”

“No, I think not.” He stared at Diego. “You want to please me, do you not?”

Diego’s eyes narrowed, and then his face went slack. “Yes, I want to please you.”

“Very good. Kill him for me and bring me his head that I might make a goblet of it.”

“As you command.”

Diego stalked toward Shay. “Please, don’t do this,” he whimpered. “Diego, think of Jeremy. He’s in the house. Do you want him to hear me die?”

He continued, unfazed. Shay tried to stand, but Diego was faster. He pulled Shay up off the floor and leaned in close. “Go get him and get the hell out of here,” he whispered, then let go of Shay and launched himself at Cristobal .

Diego had just killed the last of the vampires that were attacking the preschool. He’d moved faster than he ever had before, getting kids out of the way, then taking down the vamps that stalked them. And, just like had happened recently, they all laughed as he ended their existence.

Diego! Cristobal is at the house. Shay and Jeremy are in trouble. The others are in it deep, trying to keep the vampires at bay.

It had been a trap. Cristobal had sent his thralls out every day, forcing the hunters to split up. And now he understood why. They were after Shay and Jeremy, and no way in hell would Diego allow him to hurt either of them. He misted, traveling the thirty miles to the great room of the house in seconds.

The overwhelming scent of Jeremy’s fear gagged Diego. Shay was frightened too, but not nearly to the level Jerm was. He peeked into his room and found him hiding in the closet.

“D, help Shay!” he cried. “He kept that man from touching me.”

For which Cristobal would die. “You stay right here, do you understand me? Do not leave this room unless Shay or I come to get you.”

“Okay,” Jeremy replied, his voice quaking.

Diego misted to the kitchen, where he found Shay pushed into the corner while Cristobal told him how pathetic he was, how he was going to enjoy killing him. Then he turned and smiled at Diego, before ordering him to kill Shay.

There wasn’t even a twinge of desire to obey. All he could think of was Jeremy, scared out of his mind, and Shay doing his best to keep them both safe. Rage bubbled up inside of him. This bastard had come into their home, terrorized the people who lived here, and worse, scared Jeremy. This would end today. He went to Shay, doing his best to stay between him and Cristobal. Then he told Shay to run and get Jeremy out of the house, before he turned and attacked the monster who’d dared step foot in this place.

“I will kill you,” he snarled .

“No, you will take your place by my side, as you were always meant to be. When I first saw you, first scented your blood, I knew you would prove strong enough to be mine. Every other human had been weak, pathetic. Within you there was the strength and conviction I needed to help me create more thralls to spread our influence everywhere.”

“I’ll never help you,” Diego replied.

Cristobal sighed. “Then I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

A laugh bubbled out of Diego. “You’re welcome to try.”

The fist to his face that snapped his head back shocked Diego. He had to remember that even though he looked young and slight, Cristobal was a vampire. One older—and likely stronger—than Diego. And he had enough thralls to…. No.

“I see the dawning in your eyes. Yes, I have thralls waiting outside, so when the human tries to flee?—”

The high-pitched scream tore through Diego. Jeremy was terrified, and that meant both he and Shay were in danger. Diego misted outside and found the thralls holding Shay and Jeremy. He wasn’t surprised to see Cristobal had come out as well.

“As you see, this is where you will give me what I want. At least if you expect them to survive.” He turned to his thralls. “Take them inside, like we discussed.”

The thralls marched away, taking Shay and Jeremy with them. As the last of them entered the house, Diego’s heart broke. He would save them both. There were no other options for him.

“They’re in your entertainment room,” Cristobal told him. “For my entertainment.”

Diego misted, appearing in the movie room with the enormous television that Jeremy loved to sit in front of with Shay and watch animated shows and movies. Where he and Diego would take in some sports and nosh popcorn. Where the whole family gathered to laugh and have fun. Cristobal had defiled it. Made it unclean.

Cristobal made his way to where the thralls held Jeremy and Shay. He grabbed Shay by the collar. “Disgusting that you have a human living here,” he said, then hurled Shay across the room, where he hit with a loud crack, shattering the slate wall. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Then Cristobal turned his attention to Jeremy, whose eyes were wide, the fear rolling off him in waves. He reached down and grabbed him by the neck, then lifted him up.

“Don’t touch him!” Diego screamed.

“And what will you do about it?” Cristobal snarled.

“I’ll end you,” Diego vowed.

Cristobal laughed. “Not before I take away everything you consider precious.”

And right now, he had the upper hand. He’d already hurt Shay, and now Jeremy was crying, pleading with his eyes for Diego to help, but he had no idea how.

Would he see his family slaughtered?