Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) (2 page)

“Elijah, so good to see you,” Dr. Jameson said; stepping out into the waiting room, a big smile lighting his face as he walked over to Elijah with his hand extended. “I wasn’t sure if you would be making it back for a visit before you left the country.”

The two doctors moved towards the door, easily falling into a discussion about current patients and the treatment plan for Elijah’s non-existent cancer; while Barb stayed behind, chatting casually with Wendy.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Barb glanced back towards the front door. “Has anyone been in here asking questions or looking for the doctor since he’s been gone?” she asked; turning back to Wendy.

“Well, of course; all his patients have been curious, but we’ve just been saying he’s taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Other than that, it’s just been business as usual. Now tell me, Barb,” Wendy said; lowering her voice to a whisper, “how bad is it really? You know we all think it’s so sweet that you’re taking time off to care for him while he goes through all of this. I lost my mother to breast cancer a few years back and it is such a hard thing to witness. If you ever need anything, you don’t hesitate to call me, all right? I know there’s not much I can do with you traveling so far away, but if you ever need to talk, or if you need any help keeping things in order over here with your house, I’m here.”

Just as Barb opened her mouth to express her gratitude, the large window at the front of the lobby shattered, sending shards of glass flying into the room. The small metal object that burst through came down on the floor with a thud and rolled under a plastic yellow chair in the children’s play area.

Wendy screamed, startled by the sudden noise, but her voice was drowned out by the explosion which followed, sending her and Barb flying backwards into the wall behind the welcome desk.
 

For Elijah, the event seemed to pass in slow motion as he tried to run to the women, knowing full well what was coming as the quiet ticking of the device pounded in his vampire ears like a jackhammer. He made it half the distance to them before being thrown back by the force of the explosion as the device detonated. Dr. Jameson, who’d been standing in the open doorway, was thrown down the hallway, away from the deadly heat of the lobby.
 

With ears ringing and searing burns covering the left side of his body, Elijah jumped up and covered the rest of the distance to his dearest friend as she lay lifeless against the wall, the right side of her face and most of her body burned beyond recognition.
 

Not wanting to leave her there to disappear in the fire that was spreading rapidly throughout the building, he scooped Barb up and flung her limp body over his shoulder, despite the pain her weight inflicted on his already-healing burns. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils, as his eyes cut to Wendy whose neck was twisted at an odd angle, her mouth still agape in a silent scream. As he reached for her, gunshots rang out from the back of the building, followed by Dr. Jameson stumbling back into the lobby, gripping his chest as he fell onto a row of burning chairs.
 

Realizing it was too late for Dr. Jameson and the unfortunate nurse Wendy had mentioned, who’d made the deadly mistake of working late that night, Elijah leapt through the blown out window and sped towards his car. Before his preternatural speed had carried him more than a few feet, another shot rang out. With a roar of pain, Elijah fell forward, the force of his speed sending Barb’s body flying on to the grass as a bullet cut through his calf. He rolled on to his back, his eyes scanning the area for the source of the attack and landing on two figures clad in black combat gear. Elijah locked eyes with one of the men, his unusually calm face smeared with camouflage paint, while he and his companion climbed through the window. With guns drawn, the pair approached Elijah as a third man rounded the building. Based on the relative slowness of their movement, Elijah knew they were human, a stroke of luck which was the sole reason he would survive.

With a heavy heart, he pushed through the pain, using every ounce of his supernatural speed to move away from the attackers and leaving Barb’s broken body lying face-down in the grass. Elijah felt the breeze of bullets flying past him as several more shots resounded through the early evening air. The location of his car was well within the range of the gunman, and thus far too vulnerable, forcing Elijah to abandon it as he rushed away, saying a silent prayer for his fallen friends.

Running until his lungs felt as if they would burst, Elijah slowed and ducked into a dark alley. Typically, any vampire could have covered the same distance, exerting no more energy than a human enjoying a casual stroll but, with the extensive burns that covered his body, his system was directing nearly all of its resources to healing. His chest heaved as he dragged another ragged breath into his lungs and pulled the phone from his pocket. Miraculously, the slim device had survived the blast and appeared to be working properly. He looked down to survey his injuries and stumbled back as a sudden thirst for blood set his throat on fire. It had been a great many years since Elijah had felt the heavy pull of bloodlust and he slumped against the wall under the force of its weight. As much as it hurt, his thirst would have to wait.
 

Swallowing hard, Elijah tapped a few buttons on the screen, dialing the home his new in-laws were renting on the outskirts of the city. He leaned back, letting the brick wall hold him upright while he prayed that his family was safe.

After two rings, Rebecca Ryan answered, her voice cheery. “Hello, Elijah, how are —”

“Where is Chloe?” he rushed out; cutting her off.

“She’s right here playing with William and Jared. Is everything all right?” she asked with concern.

“No, Rebecca; I’m sorry; please put William on the phone.”

“Elijah, what’s happened?” William asked instantly; taking the phone from his wife.

“My clinic was attacked, and there’s no time to explain now. You need to leave immediately, get Chloe to The Elite in Boston. Barb is gone… she’s dead.”

“Oh, my God,” William said with shock. “I understand.” he said, knowing full well the implications of Barb’s passing. With her gone, all of her spells were broken, including the blocking charm which hung around Chloe’s neck and covered the bodies of Elijah’s entire family. “Where are you Elijah? Are you injured? I’ll send someone for you.”

“There’s no time, just take care of our granddaughter; I’ll be fine. Josephine will call you shortly and we will meet you if we can manage it, but do not wait for us, just get Chloe out of here,” he said; hanging up and directly dialing Ethan.

When he heard the click of his son picking up the phone, he didn’t wait for a greeting. “Son, you need to get back immediately. We were ambushed at the clinic; everyone is dead,” he paused; choking back his grief. “Barb is dead, we are all exposed. I have called the High Commander; they are moving Chloe to The Elite’s compound. I must call your mother,” he said in one labored breath.

“I have her on the other line. She had a vision; she already knows, but she needs to hear your voice. We will leave immediately for the compound; just let her know.” Ethan responded quickly.

“Be safe, son,” Elijah said; as Ethan ended the call.

Josephine picked up before the phone even rang on Elijah’s end. “Mí vida! Gracias a Dios!” Josephine exclaimed with relief.

“My love, I am all right, but Barb—”

“I know, I have seen. Do not worry about that now, please just get home to me,” she begged before he heard Cami demanding to speak to him in the background.

A second later her voice came over the line, calm and collected; the trained soldier in her taking charge. “Father, tell me what you remember. How many were there? What kinds of weapons did they use? How many bodies are in the building?”

As quickly as possible, Elijah recalled the details of the attack.

“Is there any evidence which could expose our people onsite?” Cami asked; already formulating a plan of action.
 

“No, I don’t think so. Barb and I had already cleared out all of the patient records, which would raise questions. Everything else is probably ash by now.”

“Okay; I’ll contact the Indianapolis base and get a team to the scene as a precaution, but it sounds like there isn’t much we can do. The humans will want to question you, but we’ll be long gone before they get the chance. We’ve got much bigger problems now,” she said; looking at her mother whose condition seemed much improved from the way it had been before she received the comfort of hearing her beloved mate’s voice. “Be safe, Dad; I’ll see you soon,” Cami said; before she gave the phone back to her mother and rushed from the room.
 

“I want you to wait for me in the tunnel. Call the Ryans as soon as we hang up and then go there. Seal the door; do not open it under any circumstances and, if anything happens or I’m not there within fifteen minutes, I want you to leave and go to the Ryans’. Do not wait for me. Promise me this, my love.”

“Te prometo, mí vida. Te amo.”

“I love you, too. I’ll be with you soon.”

As satisfied as he could be that his family was safe given the circumstances, Elijah turned his focus to the problem at hand. As much as he loathed the idea of attacking an innocent human, after years of only drinking bagged blood or from the vein of his wife, he didn’t have the time or the willpower to be so humanitarian. If he didn’t take blood while he still had some semblance of control over the craving, he risked putting the entire race at risk of exposure.
 

He could hear several steady heartbeats nearby, people going about their business, enjoying a beautiful summer evening in the city. Hidden in the shadows of the alley, he didn’t have to wait long before a young man wandered by, alone and vulnerable, stopping just beyond the entrance of the alley to watch as two fire trucks sped by with sirens blaring, no doubt on their way to combat the fire at the clinic. Elijah took advantage of the distraction, silently pulling the unsuspecting man back into the darkness behind a dumpster, his hand covering his mouth and effectively muffling the scream which ripped from his throat. Elijah soothed the man’s overwhelming fear with his ability to influence emotions and, within seconds, the man ceased struggling while Elijah continued to whisper reassuring words into his ear.
 

Elijah’s fangs dropped instinctually when his eyes found the steady strum of his victim’s pulse at the base of his throat. He struck quickly and efficiently, taking only what he needed before smoothing his tongue over the puncture marks and gently laying the man on the ground, with his body propped up against the wall. Kneeling down in front of him, Elijah looked into his hazy eyes, completely wiping away the memory of him and the regrettable attack. It had been years since Elijah had employed memory manipulation on a human, an ability that was inherent in all mature vampires, so he lingered a moment longer than was necessary to ensure that the process was completely effective.
 

Satisfied, Elijah wiped his mouth on what was left of his sleeve and stepped to the edge of the alley. He peered around the red bricks of the building, sighting an escape path before he sped off down the street, moving with so much speed that he was invisible to the eyes of the humans, his passing only registering as a brisk summer breeze as he made his way home.

✧

Josephine stood anxiously just inside the doorway to the secret tunnel, which ran beneath the home she had shared with Elijah for the last fifty years. Though its secluded location and beautiful landscape were what first attracted them to the property, it was the secret which lay beneath that sold them on it. Used as part of the Underground Railroad back in the late 1800s, the small tunnel, with its entrance concealed behind a large cabinet of shelves which housed canned fruits and vegetables from Josephine’s garden, originally led back nearly one hundred yards to the edge of the property.
 

Shortly after moving in, Elijah secured the exit there and began systematically extending the tunnel until after several years, it linked up with Indianapolis’ underground sewer network, providing access to a variety of exit points around the city. Enlisting the help of Barb and several other witches from a local coven, Elijah had concealed and secured the connecting exit, ensuring that no city employee, or enemy, would happen upon its location.

Sensing Elijah’s approach through their blood bond, she reached for the handle, intending to open the silver-plated door for him, only to stop short with a startled scream when a voice cut through the still air from behind her. “I thought I told you not to open that door, my love,” Elijah chided gently from a few yards away.

Josephine flashed across the short distance into his waiting arms. “Dios mío, you scared me,” she whispered; as she buried her face against his chest and inhaled deeply. Even polluted with the smell of smoke and blood, his spicy masculine scent comforted her. “Why did you not tell me you were using the tunnels? I could have met you.” she asked; as he hugged her close.

“When I spoke with you, I was not sure if I could get to the entrance downtown without being detected. The men at the clinic were human, but they were no doubt sent by Lucias. I feared they may have been accompanied by one of our kind and I couldn’t risk leading them to you, so I traveled above ground until I reached the entrance in the forest,” Elijah explained.

“Are you hurt?” Josephine asked; pulling back enough to look at Elijah’s tattered clothes, though she already knew he was healed; she’d felt the force of his pain during the explosion and sensed the undercurrent of grief now pulling on him despite his calm demeanor.

As Elijah looked into her concerned eyes, his restraint snapped. He fell to his knees and began to weep without restraint or shame as he clung desperately to Josephine’s waist. He cried for Barb, his dear old friend taken so abruptly, and for Wendy and Dr. Jameson. But more than that, he cried for his people as the full reality of the fate they had feared for so long, the fate he could no longer deny was upon them, engulfed him.