Vampire Shift (Kiera Hudson Series #1) (21 page)

“Mother, this has nothing to do with you!” he barked at her.

“Enough Roland!” she screeched back. “Haven’t you done enough damage?”

“It’s only just starting,” he said, turning back towards me.

Roland grabbed for me, and as he did, he was yanked sharply backwards, crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Believing that Luke had arrived, my heart lept and I raced from the bathroom and into the bedroom. But he wasn’t there, just the old woman and her son.

Getting up from the floor and flapping his wings in anger, he leapt towards his mother, landing inches from her. “Mother go back downstairs and do whatever it is you do and leave this to me.”

Making her short height count, the old woman straightened her curved back and confronted her son. “For too long I’ve covered for you Roland,” she said. “For too long I’ve sat back and watched you murder the innocent people of this town to satisfy your lust for their blood. But no more Roland – it ends tonight.”

“I won’t tell you again, mother,” Roland shouted. “Now go back downstairs and mind your own business!”

“It
is
my business!” she spat. “We could’ve had a good life above ground. We had something good going here. But instead of going back under when the hunger was upon you – you gave into it. You’re weak, pathetic, and I’m so ashamed of you.”

‘Mother…” he started.

“No Roland!” she screeched.” I’m sick and tired of having to try and protect the good people of this town from the vampires you’ve created, and from you. For years now I’ve pushed those bottles of holy water and crucifixes onto the people of this town in the hope that it might protect them. But I’m tired of it, Roland. Please stop – if not for yourself – do it for me.”

He looked into his mother’s eyes and for a moment, I hoped that what she had said to him had made some impact. Then snarling, he said to her, “And you say I’m pathetic.” Then knocking her to the floor, he turned towards me again. But before he had taken one step in my direction, his mother had sprung into the air, a faded set of black wings flapping behind her. Reaching for him, she clawed at his back and pulled him down. Roland rolled over, crushing his wings. The old woman lunged at him, but drawing his knees into his chest, he kicked out, sending her spinning across the room. She crashed into the wall, which shuddered and then cracked, brick dust showering the room. She hit the floor with a sickening thud, and I thought that she must be dead or at least have broken all the bones in her body. But no sooner had she hit the floor, than she was up again and racing towards her son. Screeching, she clawed at his face, and he covered his head with his large hands.

“Get off me, mother!” Roland roared.

“No more!” she screamed.

Flitting all around him, her delicate and fragile looking wings humming up and down, she struck out at him, a diagonal gash appearing across his face. Wiping the blood away with the back of his hand, his eyes shone black with hate for her. Launching himself from the floor, he smashed into her, sending her spinning across the room. Again she crashed into the wall, lumps of plaster spraying up from all around her. But this time, she looked dazed and stunned. Seizing his chance, he was upon her. Taking her head in his bulky hands, he twisted it sharply to the right.

“Sorry, mother,” he said, which was followed by a cracking sound. She fell limp in his arms, her neck broken as easily as a stick of chalk.

Letting her drop to the floor as if she had meant nothing to him, Roland got up. Turning to face me he smiled, and said, “Where were we? Oh yes, I remember,” and he threw himself at me. Crashing to the floor, Roland sat on top of me, his colossal weight, squeezing the air from my lungs.

“Don’t kill me,” I gasped, looking into his bloated face. “I don’t want to kill you, Kiera,” he said. “You’re far too precious for that.” “What do you mean?” I croaked. “You really have no idea, do you?” he said. “Didn’t your mother tell you anything?”   “About what?” I mumbled beneath him, the last of the air leaving my lungs. Everything around me started to turn black and I fought to stay conscious. Just as I was about to pass out, the bedroom window exploded inwards in a shower of broken glass. I looked up in time to see Luke perched on the window ledge like a giant bird of prey.

“Get off her,” Luke said, and I had never heard such anger in his voice before.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Roland said, “If I were you, I’d disappear back into The Hollows, boy. After all, that’s what you’re best at.”

Without asking him a second time, Luke reached out with one hand, gripped the back of Roland’s neck, and tossed him across the room as if he were nothing more than a paper kite. At once, I could breathe again and I sucked in deep lungfuls of air. Sitting up, I watched Roland crash through the wall that separated the bedroom and the bathroom. The wall crumpled into a pile of brick and plaster onto the threadbare carpet, and the ceiling above it sagged inwards as if it was going to collapse. Within seconds, Roland had sprung back into the room, brandishing his teeth.

Leaping from the window ledge, Luke snarled back and slammed into Roland. They locked arms, and threw each other back and forth across the room. Like wild animals they snapped at one other, their fangs ripping and tearing at each other’s flesh. Scrambling out of their way, I huddled myself into the far corner of the room. Roland ducked under Luke’s arm as he swung for him. Then with both hands, he thrust out at Luke, sending him crashing through the doorway into the hall outside. The door came away from its frame in an explosion of jagged splinters. Brushing himself off, Luke got up and raced back into the room. Jumping into the air, he shoulder-barged into Roland’s chest, lifting him off his feet and sending him smashing through the window from which he had come. Pouncing onto the window ledge, Luke peered out into the dark.

Scrambling from the corner, I ran towards Luke. “Can you see him?” I asked.

Without answering me, Luke curled his arm around my waist and said, “Hold tight!”

Within moments, we were high above The Ragged Cove again, the howling wind and swirling snow all around us. Wrapping my bathrobe around me, I wished I’d had time to change. I looked at Luke’s face and it was a mask of grim determination, as we flew upwards. Looking down, I saw Roland racing after us, his wings folded by his sides to give him greater propulsion.

“He’s right behind us!” I shouted.

Tucking me beneath him, and arching his wings, Luke thrust forward. And then that sound came again – the thunderclap – which I’d heard so often before.

“What is that noise?” I asked, terrified of its deafening rumble and the vibrations it sent through me.

“It’s a sonic boom,” he shouted back.

A sonic boom?
I asked myself. Could we really be travelling so fast?

Banking hard to the right, I clung to Luke, my arms and legs wrapped around him, as we dived away from Roland and out to sea. Then plummeting down, we rushed towards the black heaving waves of the ocean. Racing just feet from its surface, sea water sprayed out behind us like the waves caused by a speedboat, soaking my bathrobe and hair. Glancing back over my shoulder, I could see that Roland was just feet away from us. He snatched at the air, trying to take hold of me, but Luke twisted and rolled to the left and headed back towards land. Within seconds, jagged cliff faces were sweeping towards us. Believing that we didn’t have enough time to change direction, I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth, readying myself for the impact. But it never came. Opening my eyes, I could see the jagged cliff face as were soared vertically up it.

Swooping over the top of it, I could see the burning steeple of St. Mary’s in the distance. It was at least three or four miles away, but we were soaring above it in just seconds. We shot into the smoke and came to a sudden stop. The smoke was so thick and dark that I couldn’t see more than a foot or two ahead of me. It was hot and choking. It filled my nose and made my eyes sting and water.

“Why have we stopped?” I sputtered.

“Shhh!” Luke hissed, looking quickly from left to right. “Here he comes,” he said. Roland appeared in the smoke ahead of us, and he just seemed to hover.

“Give me the girl,” he said, “and this will all be over.”

“You want her?” Luke roared. “Come and get her!” Then he let go of me.

Screaming, I dropped like deadweight through the blistering hot smoke.
“
Luke!”
I cried, unable to believe that he had let go of me. Looking down, I could see the seething flames of the burning steeple racing towards me. Glancing up one last time in the hope that it had been a mistake and I would see Luke coming to my rescue, all I saw was the gleaming yellow fangs of Roland as he lunged for me. Hoping that the flames would take me before he did, I closed my eyes and felt myself being suddenly yanked sideways, away from the fire. Snapping open my eyes, I was staring into the face of Luke. He kissed me, then threw me away like a rag doll.

“Catch her!” he roared, as Potter appeared from nowhere and caught hold of me.

Glancing back, I briefly saw the look of horror on Roland’s face as he realised how he had been tricked. Having me snatched from his clutches at the very last moment, he had no time to slow his descent and he shot into the seething flames like a bullet. But to my horror, he grabbed hold of Luke and pulled him down into the raging inferno with him.

“No!
”
I screamed, kicking against Potter.

Holding me tight, Potter plunged towards the graveyard. Setting me down, I looked at him and shouted, “You’ve got to save Luke!” But he didn’t seem to be listening to me. Instead he was looking up at the top of the burning steeple. With tears flowing down my cheeks, I followed his stare to see Roland shoot from the flames high above us. His wings glowed orange with fire and he spun over and over in the air as the flames consumed him. From the ground, I could hear his agonising shrieks, as he fought to put himself out. He fluttered left and right, until he finally fell still and dropped out of the sky like a blazing meteorite.

Pulling my robe about me against the freezing cold, I took hold of Potter’s arm and shook it. I looked into his eyes and pleaded with him. “You’ve got to save Luke. He’s in there!”

Then looking back at me, Potter said, “For someone who doesn’t get excited, you’re doing a pretty good impression.” Stunned by what he’d said, I shook him again and screamed, “That’s your friend in there!” Popping a cigarette between his lips, he smiled at me and said, “Easy tiger, we’ve got everything under control.”   “Who’s
we
?” I asked as Potter pointed over my shoulder. Spinning round, I saw Murphy sweep from the burning doorway of the church, carrying Luke in his arms. Racing towards me, Murphy landed and gently laid Luke in the snow at my feet. His wings were folded over him like a blanket. Tendrils of smoke rose from them as they smouldered.

“Will he be okay?” I asked Murphy.

“I don’t know,” he said, staring down at his friend. “I was in there as soon as I saw him fall into the flames. But the smoke and heat were so intense; it was hard to see him.”

Kneeling down, I gently peeled back the edge of Luke’s wings so I could look at him. His face was black with smoke and soot. With my lower lip trembling and tears running down my cheeks, I brushed his thick hair from his brow and kissed him.

“Wake up!” I pleaded with him.

Nothing.

“Please Luke,” I sobbed. “You can’t stand me up like this. We were meant to be having a date tonight, remember? I’m out here in the cold with nothing on except my bathrobe, my hair’s a mess and my feet are freezing. Just take me home so I can get ready, okay?”

Nothing.

Then looking up at Murphy and Potter, I pleaded with them, “Don’t just stand there, do
something!
” and for just the briefest of moments, I was sure I saw a flicker of concern in Potter’s eyes.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Murphy said, and squeezed my shoulder with his hand.

Knocking it away not wanting to be comforted by him, I lent over Luke and hugged him, my body shuddering with grief. Kissing him, my tears fell onto his blistered face. Then, planting the softest of kisses on his beautiful mouth, I whispered, “I love you.”

“I know,” he whispered back, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips.

Chapter Twenty-Three

We never did get to spend that night together. Luke was seriously injured and close to death. Murphy said that he would only heal if Luke were taken back down into The Hollows. So carrying him in his arms, Murphy flew him back to the station. Potter took me, and for once, there were no wisecracks or cocky remarks. Stopping to collect my belongings from the Inn, Potter was silent, almost sombre. While I changed out of my bathrobe and into some warm clothes, Potter took the body of the old woman and placed her in the fire that was still raging at St. Mary’s church.

By the time Potter had returned, I’d gathered together all of my belongings and it was like I’d never been there. Sweeping up into the night, Potter raced us back to the station.

Luke had been laid on a cot in one of the cells, and I found Murphy leaning over him.

“Is he okay?” I asked, stepping into the cell.

“For now,” he said, turning to look at me. “But we need to get him underground soon.”

Moving towards the cot, I knelt down beside it. Luke was pale all over, blisters covered his face, and it looked raw in places. His wings had folded away, and he lay with his hands across his chest. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up. “I’ll leave you with him, while me and Potter clear this place out,” Murphy said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Are you all going back?”

“Our work is done here,” he said. “It’s time that we moved on. Taylor and Phillips, if still alive, are dangerous. They will go someplace else – another town or city and start all over.”

“But -” I started.

“There can be no buts, Kiera. We have to go after them. Taylor and any others that join him can’t be reasoned with and they can’t be cured now that they’ve fed off humans. Like Rom, the only way of putting an end to this is…well you know the rest,” he said, turning away. Then at the door, he turned to me and said, “You’ve got five minutes to say your goodbyes.” Then he was gone, shouting orders at Potter to destroy any evidence that they had ever been at the station.