Jared shared my sentiment, because he wrapped me completely in his arms and hugged me tightly. I fought back there as the two of us sat on the bed, feeling as hopeless as at any point in my life, Jared’s scent and aura so intoxicating it was all I could do to keep from baring my throat and risking eternal damnation for a moment of passion.
Chapter 28
The house was cool and quiet when I made my way down the stairs after a restive night. Morning’s soft glow seeped from behind the curtained windows as I went room by room until I heard his voice from outside, beneath the rear porch by the kitchen. I busied myself making a meal of yogurt and bagels, and by the time I was done, he was back inside and seated at a round breakfast table, watching me as though fascinated by my every move.
“Morning,” I said, carting my food to the table.
He stood and planted a quick kiss on my cheek before returning to his seat. “Good morning. You sleep well?”
I shrugged. “I suppose.” I took a bite of bagel. “Who were you talking to?”
“Christina. She’s been nosing around, trying to see what she can find out about Carl. So far it isn’t positive. His apartment in Portland is deserted, and his cell phone’s now dead, so it’s untraceable.”
“Crap,” I exclaimed, nearly knocking my drink over. “I forgot to plug in my phone last night. But I have to call the school and let them know why I’m not in class. And my roommates…”
“You can charge it in here if you want,” he said, indicating an outlet by the counter. “But you can’t tell them where you are, and I’d ask that you take the battery out when you aren’t using it.”
I frowned. “You really think someone’s trying to track me? Come on, Jared. Seriously?”
“Probably not. But I don’t want to take any chances. Just do this my way for the time being, okay, Lacey?”
I sighed, exasperated. “So what do I tell the school?”
He shrugged. “There’s been an emergency. Family matter. An injury or an accident – that’s partially true, given what happened to the Porsche. You’ll be out for a few days. Nothing more.”
“And my roommates?”
“You don’t need to elaborate. Just be vague and say you’ll be back shortly.”
I took another bite of bagel, which suddenly tasted like cardboard as my mouth went dry. “I really hate lying, Jared. I…I’m terrible at it.”
“Don’t think of it as lying. There’s some truth in what you’re saying – this is an emergency, and there was an accident. Don’t embellish, and you’ll be fine.”
“How about I just tell my roommates I can’t tell them where I am?”
Annoyance flitted across Jared’s face for a moment, and then his expression softened. “That’s fine. Tell them you’re on an adventure and you’ve been sworn to secrecy. That’s true, too. But under no circumstances tell them where you are.”
I finished eating, cleaned my plate at the sink, and then turned to face Jared with my hands on my hips. “So…now what?”
“Plug in your phone, and I’ll give you a tour of the studio gear and play you some of my songs – assuming you want to hear them.”
“I’d love to, of course. But…what about the hunters?”
“I’m going to Ridley to meet with Christina before shooting starts. She’s pulling in favors from all her connections to see if anyone has heard anything. Obviously this is particularly concerning with the get-together happening in just a few weeks. We need to eliminate the threat as soon as possible.”
“You’re really hell-bent on filming, even with the hunters out there?”
He nodded. “Like I said – the best way to draw them out is for them to think I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Kind of hard to pretend Carl’s not missing, isn’t it?”
“True, but they have no idea how close we were, or even conclusive proof that I’m…special. It’s one thing to suspect, but another to know.”
“You don’t think they were able to get it out of Carl?”
His mouth tightened. “Not a chance. He would have gone to his grave without giving them anything. As would I. Or Christina. None of us fear death, and we’re impervious to most pain.”
Which made sense, I thought. If they were already undead, they’d gone through the death part of the equation and come out the other side – as had I, I realized. In some sense, at least. Still, the end of existence, never seeing another day…the mortal part of me recoiled instinctively from the idea.
I tapped my fingers on the table. “Then why…why kill him?”
“Because that’s what hunters do. It’s what they live for. It’s always been like that. Something drives them to kill us as their life’s calling.” He took my hand to quiet it. “Don’t worry, Lacey. In the old days there might have been whole villages of them. This is actually a huge improvement. Science and technology have largely rendered the old ways moot. Which is why I’m surprised about this, frankly. It’s been…decades since I’ve heard of any hunters in North America. In Europe and the Middle East, sure, there are still enclaves, but there hasn’t been anything in the U.S. since forever – and the last bunch were in New Orleans, which is a long way from Maine.”
“Was that group
