Dark Descent (Vampire Hunter Book 5) (4 page)

Nicholas looked
skeptical. “Don’t get me wrong, Henry’s great, but his father is one of the
most powerful warlocks in the world. And even he can’t seal the gates.”

“Henry is stronger
than his father,” Emmett said quietly. “I’m certain of it.”

“You’re saying it
has to be him?” I asked desperately. “There’s no one else?”

“No one else,” he
confirmed.

Emmett flagged the
waitress down. “One more double, please.”

She looked at us.
“Who’s driving?”

Nicholas reached
into his pocket and pulled the keys out. “Me. We’ll make sure he gets home safely.”

“Okay, but this is
the last one,” she warned Emmett.

Emmett rolled his
eyes when she walked away. “Try to have a couple of drinks on a Saturday
afternoon and they act like you’ve got a drinking problem or something.”

“Look, I don’t
want Henry involved,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. He’s mortal.”

“I guarantee you
if the vampire bite doesn’t kill him and we
don’t
seal the gates shut,
someone else will kill him. When this all comes to a head, we’re going to have
a lot of pissed off demons. What better way to handle it than to trap them
all
in Hell?” Emmett asked us.

“What’s your take
on this?” I turned to Nicholas.

“I know you don’t
want to hear it, but I think Emmett’s right. Is it ideal? No. But it just might
be the only way.” Nicholas shot me an apologetic look.

“Well that’s just
effing great,” I muttered.

 “You want to
hear the rest of the plan?” Emmett asked.

“Go for it,” I
said irritably.

“We have to strike
before Matthews gets a chance to double cross Tobias. Which means you need to
bring Tobias to the Gates of Hell. Alone.”

“That’s
impossible,” I argued. “David is Tobias’ right hand man. He’s not going to
trust me without David there.”

“Yes he will,”
Emmett replied. “You’re going to go to Tobias – by yourself – and tell
him that you know he’s building an army, and that you want to help.”

“I wouldn’t even
know where to find Tobias!” I exclaimed. “Isn’t he holed up underground?”

“I’m sure Lucas or
Nicholas can find out. Lucas was monitoring Matthews at one point. If he’s in
contact with Tobias, we can determine where Tobias is hiding out. Right?” He
looked at Nicholas.

“Yeah,” Nicholas
confirmed. He looked nervous. “Are you sure it’s safe for Aurora to meet Tobias
alone?”

“Do you have a
better plan?” Emmett was exasperated. “Of course it’s not safe – but none
of this is safe. Going to that underground meeting wasn’t safe, dabbling in
magic isn’t safe, going to the King of Hell’s house wasn’t safe!”

“Okay, okay, I get
it,” Nicholas said. “You’re right. I’m on board, but I know Lucas won’t be.”

“Yes, because he’s
in love with her.” Emmett rolled his eyes again. “We’re all acutely aware of
this little love triangle between Aurora, Henry and Lucas.”

“I’m right here,”
I said angrily, “so stop talking about me as if I’m not. And for the record, my
love life is none of your business!”

“Please, guys,
stay on track,” Nicholas said gently.

I sat back in the
booth and crossed my arms over my chest. I was still fuming, but I knew
Nicholas was right. Emmett was drunk and being a butthead; I just had to ignore
it.

“So I meet with
Tobias,” I said. “Then what?”

“Tell him you’re
going to give him a demo of your powers. That Leon is sending some demons to
earth and you need to catch them as soon as they come through the gates. We’ll
make sure Magnus is there, waiting. He wants to be the one to push Tobias in,
after all.”

“Okay,” I said
slowly.

“Henry will be
hidden. He’ll open the gates with a spell and Nicholas and Lucas will push
Tobias
and
Magnus in. Then Henry will say another spell to seal the
gates closed. Forever.”

Nicholas let out a
low whistle. “Man, if we could pull this off, it would solve almost all of our
problems.”

“Right, and then
we can focus on getting rid of Senara,” Emmett said. He finished his drink and
the waitress brought the bill.

“Ugh, I almost
forgot about her.” I groaned.

“Trust me, if
you’re as famous as Magnus says you are, it will just be a matter of time
before she learns your true identity,” Nicholas said. “We need to take her out,
ASAP.”

Emmett paid the
bill and Nicholas stood up to leave. “I’ll drive you two home now.”

“I need to go to
Lucas’ apartment to get my truck,” Emmett argued.

“No way.” Nicholas
shook his head forcefully. “Sorry, dude, you gotta go home and sleep this off.
You aren’t driving.”

Emmett sighed. He
tried to stand up but fell back down into his seat. “Shit,” he muttered. “I’m
kind of dizzy now.”

Nicholas walked
over and leaned down. “Put your arm around my shoulder,” he commanded. Emmett
did as he was told. Effortlessly, Nicholas pulled Emmett to his feet.

When we got into
the car, Nicholas turned to me. “I’ll take you home first. I feel like I should
stay with Emmett for a while. Make sure he’s okay.”

“Can I come with
you?” I asked. “Lucas won’t let me go to his apartment for some stupid reason,
and I don’t feel like being alone.”

Nicholas shrugged.
“Sure.” He turned to Emmett. “Where do you live?”

I was barely
listening as Emmett told Nicholas how to get to his house. My mind was in a
jumble. Emmett’s plan was good, but it sounded incredibly dangerous. If even
one thing went wrong, we would either all die, or be punished for eternity.

And we still
didn’t even know if Henry was going to live. Everything just kept getting worse
and worse. Was it ever going to get better?

Emmett lived in a
small, one story house in the middle of town. After we got there, Nicholas carried
Emmett inside and put him on the couch. Emmett, after muttering a few
incomprehensible sentences, had drifted off to sleep.

I sat down on the
couch opposite from where Emmett was resting. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” I
asked Nicholas.

“Yes. I just
wanted to stay here for a bit – make sure he doesn’t roll over and choke
on his own vomit. Wouldn’t that just be the ultimate? All this other shit’s
going down and Emmett dies from a few drinks.” Nicholas walked into the
kitchen, which was open to the main room we were sitting in.

“I don’t want to
snoop,” he said, “but if Emmett wakes up he needs to eat something. It might
help to counter the effects of the alcohol.”

“Yeah,” I said.
“What’s the rule? Don’t have more than one drink per hour?”

“Something like
that,” Nicholas replied.

I looked around
the room. It was the type of place I would have imagined Emmett in, if I had
ever stopped to think about it. There were two couches that faced each other,
with a small coffee table in the middle.

Against the wall to
the right of me was a bookshelf crammed with books. There was a small TV
against the wall to the left. A Nintendo Wii was on the floor next to it with a
single controller.
I didn’t know Emmett liked video games.
I used to
play with Kayla, back when we were younger. And before she hated me.

“There is
seriously no food in his fridge,” Nicholas announced.

“Check the
pantry,” I suggested. “He might have some crackers or canned soup. And check
the freezer, too. Maybe he just nukes freezer meals when he’s hungry.”

“Already checked
them all,” Nicholas said. “There is no food. Anywhere.”

“No wonder he’s so
skinny!” I exclaimed.

“I guess I’d
better go and get him something,” Nicholas said. “Are you okay to watch him?”

I nodded. “I’m
fine. He’s just sleeping.”

“What the hell do
humans eat, anyway? You were one more recently than me.” Nicholas smiled and
pushed his hair off his forehead.

“Pizza is always a
good bet,” I said, imagining the gooey cheese falling off of the crust. But it
didn’t make me hungry; nothing did. I’d forgotten what the sensation of hunger
felt like.

“Good idea. I’ll
order in.”

“Emmett will kill
you if he thinks you told someone where he lives,” I said. “He’ll probably be
mad that
we
now know.”

“Ugh. I guess I’d
better go out then. I’ll be back soon.”

After Nicholas
left, I took the opportunity to study the room. There was a picture frame, face
down on the coffee table. Ignoring the voice in my head that told me I had no
right to look at it, I did just that.

The picture was of
a younger Emmett and a beautiful blond girl. They were at a table, smiling,
with a bottle of champagne and plates of food in front of them. I could see the
sand and water in the background. The photo was obviously taken at a beachside
restaurant.

Emmett looked the
same, except his hair was short, and his face wasn’t gaunt. The girl, who was
grinning from ear to ear, had huge blue eyes and an engaging smile. They were
happy, in love.

“That’s Rachel.” I
jumped at Emmett’s voice.

“I’m sorry,” I
said, hurrying to place the picture facedown on the table. “I shouldn’t have
snooped. It’s none of my business.”

“It’s okay.”
Emmett pulled himself upright on the couch.

“Is she your
girlfriend?” I asked.

“She
was
my
wife,” he replied.

“Oh Emmett, I’m
really sorry.” He must have been drinking and drowning his sorrows, thinking
about his ex wife. Surely that was why the picture was facedown. He couldn’t
bring himself to get rid of it, even though the relationship was over.

“Why? Did
you
kill her?” Emmett laughed bitterly.

“She’s dead?” I
blurted out in surprise.

Emmett sighed.
“Yes. Rachel is dead. Today is the four year anniversary.”

“That’s horrible!”
I exclaimed. “I – I don’t know what to say.” I was at a loss for words. I
had no clue that Emmett had ever had a wife. The truth was, I knew next to
nothing about him, apart from the fact that he was a professor.
But you’ve
never made an effort, either,
I reminded myself.  

“How did she die?”
I couldn’t help asking. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,”
I added quickly. “I have no right to ask.” I stared at my hands, unable to look
Emmett in the eye.

“Drunk driver,” he
said flatly. “Which is why I can’t believe I even entertained the notion of
driving home today.” Emmett looked like he was on the brink of tears. It was
then that I realized the source of his bloodshot eyes. It wasn’t alcohol and it
wasn’t lack of sleep. No, Emmett had been crying, mourning his dead wife.

“I wasn’t in my
right mind,” he continued. “This day…even after four years, it’s still
unbearable. There are only two days I can’t handle – the day Rachel died,
and her birthday. She would have been thirty-three this year,” he said.

“That’s awful,” I
replied. “I really had no idea. Of course, now it all makes sense. This is a
horrible day for you. No wonder you were drinking.”

“It’s not an
excuse, Aurora. And…I’m sorry about what I said. The dig about your love
triangle. I was out of line.”

“It’s okay,” I
said. “Cut yourself some slack. And I’m sorry I snapped at you. I know we don’t
always see eye to eye, but I really do appreciate everything you’ve done to try
and help me.”

Emmett smiled but
didn’t answer.

“Are you feeling
better?” I asked. “You seem to have sobered up some.”

“I’m fine,” Emmett
assured me. “I’m fairly certain that last bourbon and Coke was just Coke. But I
am starting to get a splitting headache.”

 “Nicholas
went to get you food,” I said. “You have to eat something, whether you want to
or not. You’re skin and bones!”

“Thanks.” Emmett’s
voice was barely above a whisper.

I wanted to ask
Emmett more questions about Rachel, but I also didn’t want to pry. It was
Emmett’s choice, whether or not he wanted to discuss her. “Do you want to talk
about it?” I ventured. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m actually a very
good listener.”

“I’m not sure what
there is to say.” Emmett’s eyes had filled with tears again.

“Maybe it would
make you feel better – you know, to remember Rachel.”

Emmett forced a
smile. “We met during my last year of grad school. I knew from the second she
spoke to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Imagine my
shock when I realized she felt the same way.” Emmett paused.

“We were married two
years later. That picture – the one you were looking at – is from
our honeymoon in Hawaii.”

“Both of you look
so happy,” I said.

“We were,” Emmett
replied. “Rachel was everything to me. We were planning to start a family, but
then she died abruptly.” Emmett’s voice cracked.

“I can’t even
begin to imagine how painful that was. How do you pick up the pieces and move
on after something so horrible?” I asked.

“I was in shock. I
took an indefinite leave of absence from my teaching job. Packed up the only
things I cared about – pictures and memories of Rachel – and
just….left.”

“Where did you
go?”

“We –
I
–
had some savings. At first I just drove. That was one of our dreams
– to travel the world. Of course, Rachel wanted to go to exotic,
international destinations. I didn’t care where we went, as long as we were
together.”

“That’s so
romantic,” I said wistfully.

“I decided I would
drive until I found somewhere that seemed like a good place to start over. And
this was it. I don’t know why, but it felt right.”

“Did you know
about your psychic ability back then?” I asked.

Emmett shook his
head. “No, for the first year after Rachel’s death I was obsessed with finding
a way to communicate with her. I visited tons of mediums; most of them were
complete frauds. It was during that time I realized that
I
could see
things, much better than any of them.”

“Did you ever get
to communicate with Rachel?” I whispered.

“No,” Emmett said
curtly.

“I didn’t mean to
be nosy.”

Emmett’s voice
softened. “It’s not you. And thanks for listening.”

“Can I ask you one
other personal question?”

Emmett looked
taken aback but nodded for me to go on.

“Since Rachel
died, have you ever thought about getting out there, meeting someone else?” I
asked hesitantly.

“I suppose I’ve
had fleeting thoughts about it. But what’s the point?”

“To be happy,” I
said quietly.

Emmett laughed.
“You sound like Rachel’s mother. And my mother.”

“Maybe you’ll know
if and when the time is right…just don’t rule it out, okay?”

Emmett didn’t
answer. Instead he said, “You know, I was in a love triangle once.”

“With Rachel?” I
asked in surprise.

“No, this was
before Rachel. Becky – that was her name – chose the other guy in
the equation. At first I didn’t understand why, didn’t comprehend how the
universe could be so unfair, but once I met Rachel I knew it was fate. And
things with Becky worked out exactly like they were meant to happen. Just a
piece of advice to you, Aurora – don’t overthink it. Go with what feels
right. You can’t change destiny.”

But what the
hell is my destiny?
I still had no idea.

But I didn’t say
the words out loud. Instead, I asked Emmett a question, one that I wasn’t sure
he would answer. “You believe in fate, Emmett, and I’m starting to believe in
it, too. But why do you think it was Rachel’s fate to die so young?”

Emmett shrugged
and let out a long, painful sigh. “I’ve tortured myself with that question for
four long years. I’ll never know the answer. I just have to accept it, and try
to find comfort in the fact that I told her each and every day how much I loved
her. And who knows? I’m not immortal. Maybe we will be together again one day.”

Emmett leaned back
on the couch and closed his eyes. “And you know what I’ve started thinking
recently?” he asked me, eyes still closed.

“What?”

“I believed that,
after Rachel died, there was no purpose, no reason to keep on living without
her,” Emmett said. “And now, I’m starting to realize that
this
must be
my purpose. I was obviously drawn here to be a part of something big. I’m not
saying it makes losing Rachel any less painful, but maybe
this
is my
destiny.”

“I thought that if
I focused on the problem with Magnus,” he continued, “and put all of my energy
and concentration towards it, that this year’s anniversary wouldn’t be so bad. And
it
was
a distraction. But not in a good way. It clouded my mind –
I feel certain that if this were any other day, I would have sensed that you
and Henry were in trouble.”

“It’s okay,” I
said quietly. “And I have to believe that Henry is going to recover.” My voice
hardened. “There’s no other option.”

“When I walked
into Lucas’ apartment and saw Henry lying there, all I could think was that he
was going to die on the same day as Rachel. It almost sent me into hysterics,”
Emmett admitted.

“Was that a psychic
feeling or just a reaction?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

“It wasn’t a
premonition,” Emmett assured me. “It was an irrational thought by a grieving
man.” Emmett paused. “But the plan I proposed – that was all too real
– and I believe it’s the only way we can tackle this.”

“Unfortunately, I
know you’re right,” I said nervously. I was just about to add that I hoped
Henry would be powerful enough soon so that we could hurry up and get it over
with, but just then Nicholas arrived.

He was carrying a
big pizza box. “Emmett, you’re awake,” he said in surprise.

“Yes, I still feel
drunk but more than anything I feel like an idiot. And I’m not going to get
sick; I’ll probably just pay for it with a nice big headache for the rest of
the day.”

“Well, I got you
some human food. Maybe this will help.” Nicholas set the pizza box down on the
table.

I stifled a laugh.
Human food.

“Thanks,” Emmett
said gratefully. He opened the box and took a slice out.

“So what did I
miss?” Nicholas asked.

“Nothing,” I said
quickly. What Emmett and I had discussed was personal. And it was his decision
if he wanted to share that part of his life with anyone else.

“Well, you look
like you’re going to be okay, and I’m glad. If you don’t need me, Aurora and I
should hit the road,” Nicholas told Emmett.

“Yes, I’ve taken
up enough of your day already. Check on Henry. Tell Lucas the full plan, and
give Henry the details he needs to know, when he gets better,” Emmett said.

You mean if he
gets better.

“I haven’t heard
from Lucas,” I said worriedly.

“I’m sure Henry’s
the same,” Nicholas assured me. “Lucas would tell you if something had changed,
even if it was bad news. Trust me.”

I stood up to
leave. “Bye, Emmett,” I said.

“Yeah, see you
later, man. Actually, it will probably be sooner
rather than
later,”
Nicholas corrected himself.

Emmett gave us a
slight wave as we left.

Now it was time to
check on Henry. But why was Lucas being so weird about me staying at his
apartment? Usually, he liked my company. Even Nicholas had backed him up when
Lucas said I couldn’t wait it out with Henry.

They were keeping
something from me, and I was going to find out what.