A Shade of Vampire 11: A Chase of Prey (2 page)

I
returned
Annora to her island in the human realm. I didn’t know why Lilith had taken away her powers and rendered her a pathetic shadow of what she’d been, but I guessed Lilith had her reasons. Or perhaps she didn’t. Perhaps it had been an accident. I had, after all, interrupted a ritual. Perhaps in her excitement to see me back with Rose, she’d forgotten about Annora.

Lilith was getting more absent-minded recently, her concentration less sharp, her patience thinner than ever. A concern for all of us, and yet another reason we were pushing ourselves harder. We couldn’t take her life for granted. It had already been extended far past what any of us could have ever predicted, even after all the rituals and sacrifices we’d performed to give her strength. There was only so long even an Ancient could run from the hands of death.

Whatever the reason Annora was now a human, I didn’t care. I brought her to Isolde, who’d already moved into Annora’s chambers at the top of the castle, and left the girl under her care. Annora was now my aunt’s problem. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the only thing useful about Annora now was her blood. But Annora had been faithful to our cause all these years. She would be treated with respect, even if she was useless to us now.

Once I’d left the sobbing Annora, I headed straight for Caleb’s quarters. I broke down the door with a snap of my fingers and strode into the room. I walked over to his bed and examined his pillows. One hair was all I needed. I found what I sought on his bathroom floor. I placed the hair on his desk and reached into my pocket, drawing out two small glass tubes. One already had some of Rose in it—a drop of blood I’d scraped away from the stone where I’d left her back in Lilith’s cave. I opened the lid of the other and locked Caleb’s hair inside it before placing both bottles securely back in my pocket.

After I left his apartment, my next stop was the dungeons. I vanished myself down to the chamber beneath the kitchens and walked along, eyeing the prisoners as I passed by. I stopped once I’d reached the cell of Micah Kaelin. He was sprawled out on the floor, asleep. Since day had already broken here on earth, he was now in his human form.

“Wake up,” I said.

He continued to snore. I unlocked the gate and kicked him in the gut with my boot. That woke him. He jolted upright with a start and began coughing up blood.

He glared up at me. “What do you want?”

“Come,” I said. “We’re going on a journey.”

“What? Where?”

“No need to ask questions. You’ll be given information if and when necessary.”

He backed into a corner, narrowing his eyes on me. “Why would I go with you?”

“Because you have no choice.”

His questions were beginning to try my patience. I closed the distance between us and gripped his skull in my fingers. He screamed as I sent heat surging through my fingers, directly into his brain and down his nervous system. When I let go, he collapsed on the floor, every limb in his body trembling.

Manifesting a metal leash, I fastened it around his throat. “Come now, wolf. Don’t make me tame you again.”

C
aleb
and I both took turns using the shower before leaving our hotel room. Neither of us knew how long it would be before we reached running water again. After I’d dressed, I slipped on a pair of old sandals Caleb had found beneath the bed. They were almost a size too large, but they were better than nothing.

Once ready, we descended the stairs to the reception desk and handed in the key. Sun blazed through the glass-doored entrance as we approached it. We stopped as we reached the last patch of shadowed floor. I looked up at Caleb.

“We’re going to have to find something to cover you or you won’t last long,” I said. “We should have brought a sheet down with us, or maybe we could ask the woman for one.”

Not waiting for Caleb’s answer, I walked back up to the reception desk and placed my hands on the counter.

“Um, excuse me.”

The woman peered up at me through her spectacles.

“Do you have a sheet you could spare?”

“Eh?”

“Uh, a sheet. You know…” I began making a rectangular motion with my arms, which only seemed to confuse her further. Apparently she didn’t get many English-speaking tourists here. Either that, or she refused to learn English.

Caleb gripped my arm. “Forget it,” he muttered. “A sheet wouldn’t be thick enough anyway.”

“What about a blanket?”

“We need something that’s fitted or it’s going to keep coming off.” He pulled me away from the woman, who looked happy to get back to her newspaper, and returned to the entrance. “We’re better off looking for some kind of long… raincoat. I’m sure they sell something like that in the market to tourists who come trekking here in the Amazon.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go to the market and get it for you. Give me the wallet.”

He looked annoyed with himself as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the wallet. “There weren’t any raincoats around when I walked around the market earlier this morning or I would have swiped one then. You should get yourself another bottle of water and something to eat while you’re out.”

I opened the wallet and ran my thumb along the notes. There weren’t many left, but I hoped that there would be enough.

I motioned to leave but Caleb held me back. He looked down at me seriously. “Be careful. And don’t be longer than ten minutes. I’ll be waiting here in the lounge. A minute longer, and I’ll come looking for you.”

I nodded and checked the clock on the wall. “I’ll hurry.”

I tried to leave again, but again he held me back. He slipped a hand into his shorts pocket and drew out a sheathed knife. He gripped my hand and placed it into my palm, closing my fingers over it.

“What? Where did you get—”

“Just take it with you,” he whispered.

I looked around the lobby, hoping nobody had seen what Caleb just handed me. We were the only ones in reception other than the woman, who was busy reading. I exhaled, hiking up my dress and fastening the knife to my underwear as best I could. I dropped my dress and straightened it out. “Okay.”

Finally, Caleb let me go. I rushed through the main entrance and down the steps to the street below. The sun blinded me as the heat hit my skin, and I could already feel myself beginning to sweat. The street bustled with life. Market stands were set up on either side of the road. I held the wallet closer against me as I scanned the stalls. I couldn’t afford to have anyone pickpocket
me
.

I passed a fruit stand and eyed the ripe papayas hungrily. They also sold cold drinks. But my priority was the raincoat. Once I was sure I had enough money for that, I could spend the rest on food for myself. Without the raincoat, we weren’t going anywhere.

I was beginning to notice a pattern in the types of stands I was passing. During my first minute of jogging along the sidewalk, it was mostly food stands, but now I was approaching more souvenirs, and soon clothes. I stopped at what seemed like the largest garment stall and began sifting through the racks.

“Posso ajudar?”

I looked up to see a young man with deep tan skin peering over one of the racks.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese.”

He smiled. “Oh, I speak English. No problem. Can I help with anything?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “I’m looking for a raincoat. The longest one you have.”

“Planning to go trekking through the rainforest?” He flashed me another grin.

“Uh, yeah.”

He walked over to the opposite end of the stall and sifted through the hangers. He pulled out a long black suit and handed it to me. It was clearly designed for exploring a jungle. It was long and made of canvas rather than plastic, which meant it was breathable. It also had a large hood and a flap that fell across the face, with thin mesh around the eye, mouth and nose area to allow for breathing. It was more of a bee suit than a raincoat, designed for heavy-duty excursions.
Perfect
.

“My uncle runs a tour company, if you’re in search of a guide…”

I barely heard him. My heart dropped as I looked at the price. I opened the wallet and fingered through the notes.

“Something wrong?”

“Do you have anything similar to this but cheaper?” I asked.

He frowned and walked back over to the rack.

“Hm. No, I’m sorry. That’s the cheapest we have.”

I cursed beneath my breath.

“Okay. I’m afraid I can’t afford it, but thanks for your time.”

I walked away from the stall and moved on to the next one. Not all of them spoke English, which made my search even harder. But that seemed to be the only stall that sold what we needed. I was also sure that ten minutes had passed already. I couldn’t find a clock anywhere to check the time. I didn’t want Caleb to have to put himself through the agony of the sun to come chasing after me. But I also knew that I couldn’t return without a coat.

My thoughts drifted back to the suit I’d seen earlier at the friendly young man’s stall.

As much as it grated against my conscience, I did the only thing I could think of. I walked back over toward the stall and stopped behind a tree opposite it. Peering round the trunk, I spotted the man. He had his back turned as he chatted with a pretty woman who looked after the stall next to him. I left my hiding place and drew nearer, crossing the road quickly. I hurried over to the rack and, reaching out for the suit, unhooked it from the rail. Casting aside the hanger, I rolled the coat into a bundle and tucked it under my arm.

A pang of guilt hit me as I hurried away. That was the first time I’d stolen anything in my life. And that man had been so friendly. I felt tainted, dirty, for doing it. But my desperation had overcome my values.

As it turned out, I didn’t have long to feel bad about it. Guilt soon turned to panic as a hoarse voice shouted out from my left.

“Oi!”

My heart leapt into my throat.

I caught a glimpse of another tan man—perhaps a relative—glaring at me about five feet away from where I stood. I hadn’t noticed him in my rush to grab the coat. I lurched forward, snaking in and out of the crowd, trying to speed up. Footsteps thudded behind me, followed by more shouts in Portuguese. People in the crowd were beginning to respond to the commotion, turning their heads as I rushed past them. A woman lurched for my midriff in front of me. I swerved to the side just in time to miss her. The knife Caleb had given me slid out from my underwear and dropped to the ground. My heart pounding, my parched throat stinging, I couldn’t afford to slow down.

I dared to shoot a glance over my shoulder only once I’d reached the top of the stairs leading to the glass doors of the hostel. Three men were chasing me now—including the young stall holder. I ran through the doors and cast my eyes about the foyer. My heart sank to my stomach.

“Caleb?” I gasped.

I ran to the woman at the reception desk. “The boy I was with,” I mumbled, even though I knew she barely understood me. Her eyes widened as the front door swung open and the men lunged for me.

I stumbled back and ran deeper into the reception area. I swung open the doors of the dining area in the adjoining room, praying that I wouldn’t meet with a dead end. I didn’t know how long I could keep up this pace. I was already heaving from exhaustion. If there wasn’t an easy exit at the back of the kitchens somewhere, I’d be screwed.

The two men hot on my heels, I barged into the kitchen area.

A hollow feeling gripped my chest.
Where’s Caleb?
I could only assume that I’d been gone longer than ten minutes and he had indeed gone looking for me. We must have just missed each other.

Two bewildered cooks looked up at me as I skidded across the floor followed by three burly Brazilians. There was a door right at the end. I gripped it and swung it open. It led onto a tiny balcony. I hurried out onto it and slammed the door shut behind me, thanking the gods that there was a bolt on the outside. I pulled it shut and leaned against it, trying to steady my palpitating heart. I looked around me. Not far beneath the balcony was the bank of a river. If I could jump off the balcony and wade into the river, maybe they wouldn’t bother following me, but then what?
How will I find Caleb again? Damn it. Where is that stupid boy?

The door shuddered as the three men barged against it. I wasn’t sure how much longer the rusty bolt would hold up.

I swung a leg over the balcony railing and was about to leap off when a familiar voice cut through the shouts and crashing.

“Gentlemen, please.”

I held my breath as the banging stopped. Without warning, there was a mighty crack and the door flew off its hinges. I found myself staring into Caleb’s face. He stood a foot in front of the other three men. Their faces were red and sweaty. Their angry eyes fell on me. I could tell from Caleb’s skin that he’d been out in the sun. His face was much redder than normal and his arms had painful blotches on them.

Caleb’s eyes roamed me briefly, then he turned to address the men. “I’m sorry for my wife’s behavior,” he said.

I stared dumbstruck at the vampire. My stomach fluttered a little hearing Caleb refer to me as his wife.

“I hope you’ll forgive her. She has a mental illness, you see.”

Whatever thrill I’d experienced evaporated.
Gee, thanks.

The young shopkeeper glared at me over Caleb’s shoulder. “Give back the suit,” he demanded.

“Of course.” Caleb turned to me, his expression reproachful. “Now, Rose,” he began, talking to me like I was a child. “You know what I’ve told you about stealing. Hand over the suit, darling…”

As he closed the distance between us, he grabbed the suit from my hands and pulled it over himself. Hurling me over his shoulder, he leapt off the balcony and began racing along the bank.

Shouts erupted from the men again as they glared down at us. As Caleb began wading into the river, it was obvious that they weren’t going to bother following us. Instead they hurled insults at us as we drifted down the river.

As Caleb swam deeper, I suddenly remembered the wallet I had still clutched in my right hand. I’d been so panicked about running away from those men, I’d forgotten I was still holding it.

“Oh, no,” I said, lifting the wallet into the air. It was filled with water. I hoped that the notes would dry out and be usable again, but they were already starting to disintegrate and I’d lost several as Caleb had splashed with me into the water.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Caleb grunted. “If we need more money, we’ll just have to find some more.”

Feeling frustrated that we might have to rob yet another innocent person and overwhelmed by the crime I’d just committed, I took my frustration out on Caleb, even though I knew it wasn’t fair.

“Where the hell were you?”

“Why didn’t you pay for the jacket?”

“I asked you a question first.”

“I told you I’d come searching for you after ten minutes. I waited thirteen before I left the lobby.” His breathing was heavy as he swam upstream against the current.

“I would have paid for the jacket,” I said through gritted teeth. “But there wasn’t enough money.” I paused, trying to calm myself. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t out in the sun for long…”

He stopped swimming and groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“My eyes. The sun is blazing into them.”

It was terribly bright. The sun’s rays were reflecting on the waters, casting harsh glares on us. Having nothing else I could use, I placed a hand against his forehead like the brim of a baseball cap. I doubted its effectiveness, but Caleb kept moving, albeit slower than before.

We both drifted off into our own thoughts as Caleb continued swimming up the river. Buildings surrounded us, and we seemed to be in a more urban area. I hoped there weren’t as many leeches in these waters. Or alligators, for that matter.