A Shade of Doubt

  “Yes.”

  A silence fell between us as I busied myself preparing the tea. I set a cup down for her and we sat opposite each other. I watched her sip it cautiously. She reached for the honey in the center of the table and added a dollop. Her freckled face lit up as she tasted the drink.

  She looked up, and our eyes met. Her expression was serious.

  “You know, I lost my partner too.”

  “Oh,” I said, taken aback. “I… I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She breathed in deeply, and a flicker of pain crossed her face. This was hardly turning out to be the light-hearted conversation I’d hoped to lead us toward, but somehow I was touched that she would choose to share something like this with me.

  “My mate,” she continued, tracing the rim of her cup with her index finger as she stared down at her tea, “he was killed back in the supernatural realm. During an attack by ogres—relatives of Brett’s, actually. My mate was the one leading everyone to charge. He went first. Got speared through the heart.”

  I guessed that this must have happened long ago, because she spoke calmly, as though she was just reflecting on a memory. Though her jaw still clenched. It reminded me of how I thought of Camilla now… as a distant memory. Except for when my daughter spoke of her—somehow that always sliced open the wounds afresh and it took a while to stem the bleeding.

  I reached for Kailyn’s hand across the table and squeezed it. She locked eyes with me and smiled.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t break down on you. This happened many years ago.”

  I was about to respond when there was a rapping at the door. I couldn’t imagine who it might be. I doubted it would be Derek or Sofia—they had both looked ready to flop into bed after the exhaustion of the day.

  I peered through the spy hole and swung open the door. I found myself face to face with Eli. His expression was serious, his eyes intense as he looked at me.

  “Eli? What brings you here?”

  “May I come in?”

  “Of course,” I stepped aside to allow him entrance. His eyes fell on Kailyn sitting at the table before he turned round to look at me.

  His brows were furrowed, his face agitated. I had no idea what could have caused such a disturbance in him. He normally avoided conflict at all costs.

  “How come you weren’t at the meeting today? Are you all right?”

  Eli scoffed, then began pacing up and down the room.

  I exchanged glances with Kailyn. She looked just as confused as I felt. When he still failed to respond to me, I reached out and gripped his shoulder.

  “Eli, what’s—?”

  His hand shot out, knocking my hand away from him. “Don’t touch me,” he snarled.

  I was so stunned by his behavior, I staggered back, barely believing what I was seeing.

  His breathing became louder and more uneven by the second. He took a step closer to me, and finally spoke what was on his mind. “I saw you with Adelle down by the lake last night.”

  His words knocked the breath right out of me. My face contorted with confusion. “What?”

  “Don’t mess with me, Aiden,” he snapped, his face now merely inches from my own.

  My shock was beginning to turn into anger at his accusatory tone of voice. “I wasn’t even at the lake last night,” I said. “And Adelle and I are just friends. Even if I did feel something for her, I would never, and I mean never, poach another man’s woman.”

  My words barely seemed to register. “How long have you two been seeing each other?” His hands shot out and gripped the collar of my shirt.

  I clutched his hands, pushing them away from me.

  What is wrong with this man? He’s crazed.

  My motion only seemed to agitate him further. His hands shot out again, this time, to my shock, his claws extending. I had to jump back to avoid being grazed.

  I stared at him, stunned. “Eli,” I gasped. “What the hell?”

  He lurched forward, aiming for me again. I caught both his forearms before he could reach me and pushed him backward.

  By now, Kailyn had abandoned her tea, too shocked by what was going on. She approached Eli from behind and attempted to restrain him. But as soon as she was within three feet of him, he lashed out at her too, catching her cheek with the tip of his claw.

  Sweat dripped from his forehead, his chest heaving. “You’re a cheat, Aiden,” he hissed.

  That hit a raw nerve.

  “How dare you,” I growled. “Whomever you saw Adelle with last night, it was not me.”

  I didn’t wait for Eli to lunge again. I dove for his waist, sending us both thudding to the floor. Gripping his neck with one hand, placing my other round his back, I flipped him over until he was lying face down on the floor.

  Perhaps the one advantage I had over him was that, despite being a vampire, Eli was not trained in combat. He used his brain far more than he ever used his muscles. So he barely had time to struggle as I snapped his neck with one swift motion.

  There was a grunt in the corner. I turned to see that Kailyn had now turned into a werewolf. She padded over to me, and we both stared down at Eli’s unconscious form.

  He’d be back to normal soon enough. I grimaced, thinking that we’d have to take him to Adelle to get fixed up and I’d have to speak to her.

  I didn’t know what to think as I stared down at Eli—always the most gentle of people. It sent chills down my spine, the way he had looked at me with such hatred… such darkness. How he could doubt me, and what I had done to deserve such doubt, I could only wonder.

  And who had he seen down by the lake last night? How had he managed to mistake that man for me?

  I could only wonder what had gotten into his head.

  Chapter 15: Sofia

  During the second day’s meeting at the Great Dome, we finally came to a decision—albeit temporary. Mona would enforce a boundary, separating their part of the island from ours. No werewolf could cross it without permission.

  We’d discussed the idea the day before, but I’d felt deeply uncomfortable about it. Now, after another day of discussion, we were no further forward. It seemed that this was our only choice if we wanted to keep this island from going under.

  I hated it. It caused a divide far deeper than the physical. I had begun to make friends with them. It felt like we were going backwards. I was grateful at least that Mona seemed to be understanding about it. Although she’d made clear in no uncertain terms that the werewolves were like her family, she was at least helping us deal with the situation and come to a compromise.

  Once this was decided upon, Derek and I paid a visit to Kyle and Anna, who were doing their best to care for Caroline and Thomas’ children—a ten-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl. Jack and Stephanie.

  Our witches were still scouring the island. I hoped they’d find the bodies soon and we would be closer to discovering the cause of their deaths. Part of me was afraid to find out who would have done this. If it was a vampire, it would be devastating—likewise, if it was indeed a werewolf, the animosity would become greater and there would be no chance of getting the boundary removed any time soon.

  But if it was not a vampire or a werewolf, the other explanation was far more chilling. I wondered if we could have another imposter living among us, just as we’d had Micah.

  After the meeting was over, I called Mona to stay behind with Derek and me. From the look on her face, she seemed to guess what this was about.

  “We need to screen everyone on this island. Just in case an imposter has managed to infiltrate us,” she said, before we could even express ourselves.

  Derek and I nodded.

  “As soon as possible,” Derek said.

  “How will we do it?” I asked.

  Mona took a seat next to us, placing a palm over her forehead.

  “We’ll have to arrange for every single inhabitant of this island to see me. I’ll cast a spell on each that will force them to reveal their true f
orms.”

  I breathed out, just thinking about what a colossal job this would be.

  Derek stood up and began making his way to the exit of the Great Dome. “We have no time to lose,” he called back. “I’m going to start appointing managers to help with this.”

  I realized with a shudder that we’d even have to screen the children. Of course, I wasn’t sure why a black witch would bother to kill Caroline and Thomas. But we ought to screen them anyway. In fact, we should have done this the moment we suspected Micah had been an imposter.

  I exchanged a few more words with Mona before we parted ways. I needed to return to our penthouse to check on Ben.

  As I neared our treehouse, I heard arguing booming down from the trees above. It was coming from Ashley and Landis’ penthouse.

  Not wanting to eavesdrop, I placed my hands over my ears and hurried away, but the tone of their voices shook me. I’d never heard them shout like that at each other.

  Everyone is just feeling this stress. Just as Eli had snapped so easily with my father at a simple misunderstanding. It was a surprise to all of us that Adelle would be cheating with another man, but I knew that man wouldn’t be my father. I fully believed my father when he said he would never do something like that.

  I hurried up to our penthouse and pushed open the door. It was so hard leaving Ben at home while Derek and I attended to the affairs of the island. My stomach was in knots because, even after all this time since his turning, Ben still hadn’t come to. Jason and Ariana had recovered much faster.

  I went straight to Ben’s bedroom and, unlocking the door, peered inside.

  I gasped to see my son sitting bolt upright in the gloom. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his eyes fixed on the mirror. He didn’t even register my entrance. When I recovered from the shock, relief rushed through me. He had finally come to.

  “Ben,” I said, hurrying over to him.

  His eyes remained fixed on the mirror. It was the first time I’d seen them open fully. My breath hitched. Now, as a vampire, Ben looked so much like Derek it was uncanny. His green eyes were just as intense as Derek’s blue ones.

  I touched his arm and shook him a little. “Ben?” Still he ignored me. “Ben, are you okay?”

  He seemed to be in a daze, and yet his eyes were not glassy. They were quite focused, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

  I stood in front of the mirror, blocking his view of it, and forced his head to face me.

  “How are you feeling?”

  He raised his eyes to me slowly, his jaw tensing. When he spoke finally, it was through harsh, uneven breathing. “I… need… blood.”

  I caught his hand and pulled him up out of his bedroom, leading him to the kitchen. The coldness of his hand sent guilt running through me. I could only imagine the guilt Derek would feel on seeing him finally, recovered and fully transformed.

  I pulled out a jug of blood from the fridge and poured him a glass. He stared at it on the table. He raised the glass and took a sip, then dropped it, doubling over and coughing. It was disgusting, and it would be torture for Ben having to drink this when all he craved was fresh, hot human blood. But he had to get used to it.

  “I can’t drink this,” he gasped.

  He staggered back, away from the kitchen, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Then he moved toward the front door. My heartbeat quickening, I rushed toward him. But it was too late. In barely the blink of an eye, he’d ripped open the door and leapt off the veranda.

  Chapter 16: Ben

  I landed in a tree opposite our own and leapt from branch to branch until I’d made it back down to the ground.

  My brain was in a fog. I didn’t know what I was doing or why I was doing it. All I knew was that I needed to get away from the stench of the blood my mother had just passed to me. It made my stomach turn. I heard my mother’s shouts, and the sound of her running after me, but I ran forward with speed I’d thought impossible even for a vampire.

  I caught the scent of hot blood in the air, coming from the Vale, and my stomach clenched. Although every fiber of my being was aching to run in that direction, I couldn’t allow myself to—at least I had that much presence of mind.

  I kept running until I reached the ocean. And I didn’t stop. I dove in, burying my head beneath the waves as if the cool waters would help to extinguish the furnace in my stomach.

  “Ben!” A female called my name as I ducked once again beneath the waves. It wasn’t my mother this time. I looked up to see Abby. She was already wading through the waters toward me. I kicked back and swam away from her.

  She was in no danger from me, but somehow I didn’t want anyone approaching me for miles. I just wanted complete space. Everything about The Shade suddenly seemed closed, claustrophobic.

  I swam further and further down the beach until Abby gave up on following me. Even though she was a vampire herself, her speed was no match for mine. I looked back to see her silhouette bobbing in the water in the distance.

  Every part of me felt on fire. I didn’t even know who I was any more. The bloodlust was consuming all rational thought. One vision replayed over and over in my mind—ripping open a human’s throat and drinking until they had no breath left to spend. Until their fragile bodies collapsed in my arms. I could barely even concentrate on my surroundings, I was so consumed with the vision.

  I was afraid that the first time I laid eyes on a human, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from ripping their throat out. It was horrifying to realize that the vision both disgusted and delighted me.

  I continued swimming, for how long, I wasn’t sure. I noticed my mother following me along the beach, keeping watch on me. I was glad that she didn’t follow me in. That she gave me this space.

  Although I felt close to passing out from hunger, I forced myself to remain in the water. I was afraid of what might happen if I allowed myself back on land.

  “Ben!” This time it was the baritone voice of my father.

  I’d been expecting him to arrive at some point.

  Unlike my mother, he immediately leapt into the water. It seemed that he was the only one who could match my speed. He caught up with me and, gripping my arm, pulled me round to face him. “Ben,” he repeated, staring at me with a mixture of concern and horror. His grip around my arm tightened. “You need to drink the blood your mother gave you.”

  I growled and pulled away from his grasp, swimming further up the shore. My father caught up with me again, gripping me firmer this time and pulling me toward the shore. I thrashed against him, but he kept holding me and wrestled me into submission. By the time we reached the shore, I was still fighting against him.

  He pinned me down against the sand, my arms locked in an arm bar behind me as he forced me to stand up.

  “If you don’t fill yourself with animal blood, you won’t be able to keep yourself from attacking humans.”

  I stopped struggling against my father as a moment of clarity fell upon me.

  So this is what it’s like to be a vampire.

  At that moment, I didn’t understand why I’d ever wanted to become one. Had I known this was what it would feel like, I doubted I ever would have wanted to turn. Of course, my parents had described what it was like. But no words could have prepared me for the pain burning through me now.

  Still gripping my arm tightly, my father ran with me until we reached my mother and Abby, waiting for us on the shore. I allowed my father to lead me back to the penthouse. My chest heaved as I stared at the animal blood still waiting for me on the table.

  My hands trembling, I picked up the glass.

  “Just hold your nose and swallow it back,” he said.

  I glared at him, but did as he said. With one swift motion, I swallowed back half the glass in one gulp. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the revolting taste. I was about to swallow down the rest of the glass when I doubled over, coughing. I retched all the blood I’d just swallowed onto the floor.

  It was completely involunta
ry, as though my body was having an allergic reaction to it. I leaned against the back of the chair, my mother wiping my mouth with a towel. When I looked up at them, both were looking at me with concern.

  “I can’t drink that stuff,” I breathed, before retching again. “I… I need proper blood. Human blood.”

  I could barely believe the words spilling from my own mouth.

  My parents exchanged worried glances.

  “We can try injecting you with blood,” my father said. “At least that will help to ease some of the burning.”

  “I’ll go to Corrine’s medical room in the Sanctuary and fetch some equipment,” my mother said and hurried off out of the door.

  I groaned, sinking into a chair, gripping my head in my hands. In addition to my burning insides, I now felt a splitting headache coming on.

  My father sat down next to me, watching me silently.

  I looked up at him. “Is this normal?” I managed, clutching my abdomen.

  My father frowned. “Detesting animal blood is normal. Throwing it up isn’t,” he said bluntly.

  I squeezed the sides of the table, another wave of hunger roaring through my stomach.

  “And being injected with animal blood,” I gasped, “it will make the burning stop?”

  “The craving for human blood will remain, but the burning will calm down. It won’t be as unbearable…” He pointed to the jug of blood. “Why don’t you try once more to stomach it while we’re waiting for Mom to return?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll just wait—”

  Barely had I finished my sentence when there was a knock at the door. I breathed out in relief. My father sprang to his feet and opened it. I turned my head, expecting to see my mother back already.

  Instead, my eyes fell on four girls. Girls I recognized, but suddenly could not put a name to as a darkness settled over my eyes.

  Two voices spoke at once amid giggling.

  “We heard Ben has woken up.”

  “We wanted to say hi.”

  “Get the hell out of here!” my father bellowed.

  He was about to close the door on them, but with speed I didn’t understand, my foot lodged through the crack and before my father could even grab me to hold me back, I’d caught a girl—I didn’t even have the sense to know which. I felt her squirming beneath me as I brought her to the ground. A split second later, my fangs found her neck. Her screams in my ear only added to my frenzy as her warm blood began to gush into my mouth, dripping down my throat like smooth, sweet ecstasy. Finally, the satisfaction I’d been seeking ever since I’d first woken as this beast.