The Corollaria (14 page)

But it was dark, quiet, the open window providing the only light. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Her skin was on fire, her heart stuck in her throat. Before Emily could register anything else,
she was throwing on her clothes and grabbing the dagger from her dresser. She climbed down the lattice, and landed with a soft thud on the ground.

Where i
s Luke?

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t explain it, but she could almost hear his voice, feel his touch, and smell his scent in the air around her.

Luke,
she thought feverishly. She started walking, somehow following a maze of twists and turns until she was in a completely deserted part of town, stone and ash covered the ground amidst a carpet of trampled flowers.

Emily heard a familiar voice.

“Come with me, Luke. And I’ll show you.”

Emily ducked behind a wall at the sound of the smooth female voice. She peered around it and could just barely see Luke’s hand by his side and another, much more slender leg pressed against his. Emily felt her heart plummet, her insides twisted violently.

She closed her eyes. A thousand powerful emotions stung her skin, filled her lungs, choking and suffocating her.
Is that desire? Desperation? What the hell is happening?

She looked around the corner again, seeing a woman, dressed all in black, pressed against Luke, her lips molded to his. Just as she let out a strangled sob, someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with his hand.
Emily spun around wildly, pushing against whoever it was.

Trent.

“Shhh, Tink,” Trent whispered
earnestly. “It’s just me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I followed Luke.  He was acting weird this afternoon, something wasn’t right,” he answered, his eyes scanned the area around them.

“Who was that woman?”

Emily felt her whole world crashing down around her. Doubt and fear crept into her mind.

“A succubus,” Trent answered her, his voice deathly quiet.

Emily’s brow furrowed, but before she could ask another question, the shadows around them seemed to surge forward, giant solid shapes, moving faster and faster towards them.

“Run!” Trent yelled, grabbing for Emily’s hand and pulling her deeper into the alley. Emily stumbled over stone and cracks in the street as she followed Trent, not daring to look behind her at whatever was chasing them.

Emily felt hot breath against her neck and she tripped, Trent’s hand slipped from hers and she tumbled towards the ground.

“Trent!” She called out, her voice lost as the wall next to her crumbled, sending stone and debris falling to the ground, creating a thick suffocating, disorienting dust.  Emily scrambled to her feet, and ran in a new direction, until the dust began to clear.

She looked around wildly. Her heart pounded in her chest. Gray stone closed in around her. A dead end.  Behind her, hidden in the shadows, she heard a woman’s cackling laughter. Emily struggled to breathe.

“Well, well,” Allison grinned wickedly as she stepped out of the shadows. The alley was dank, thick with the scent of rain and smoke and trash.  Emily wrinkled her nose.  “I was so hoping I’d get you alone.”

Emily’s heart raced, all the
hair on her arms stood on end. Her skin prickled with the dark energy rolling off of Allison. She moved closer, lithely like an advancing predator. Her dark eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

She wasn’t even surprised to see Allison. She’d always known something wasn’t right about her. That something dark and evil lurked below the surface.

Emily didn’t move.  She tried to smooth her features into some semblance of calm indifference. She didn’t dare show her fear.

Allison
snorted. Her words were all venom, lethal and poisonous. “Don’t bother. I can smell you from here. Your fear is almost as enticing as the smell of your sweet blood.”

Emily felt some of her fear ove
rcome her for a moment. Her body trembled, and she ached to run. Adrenaline kicked into her system, her muscles twitched, and her eyes swept over the narrow alley, looking for escape. But it was all hard gray stone, slick with rain. Narrow and desolate. Even the street lamp from the street ahead couldn’t penetrate the darkness. She was trapped.

Allison
moved closer, backing Emily up against the wall. Emily’s hands slid over the wet stones. She felt the sheathed dagger she had grabbed digging into her back.  Some of the fear receded. Emily felt her own power, her own strength, her desperation to save Luke, explode, igniting like a fire inside her, spreading through her limbs, pushing the fear from her blood.

I can kill her.
Emily thought viciously. Her eyes, dark as midnight, narrowed, and her lip curled in disgust. “What do you want?” she spat.

Allison
laughed a haunting chuckle that spiked sharply when she stepped closer and focused her eyes on Emily’s.  “You’re not the only one with special powers, little flower girl.”

Emily straightened, her lips thinned.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Emily.”  Allison sneered, looking down at her painted black fingernails.

Emily snorted. “Like I’d be jealous of you.”

Allison’s lips lifted up, but it could hardly be called a smile. It was dark, calculating, and evil.  “You should be, seeing as your boyfriend came to me.”

“I know you kidnapped him,” Emily retorted,
but a sliver of doubt slipped into her voice.  Sliding her hand behind her, Emily gripped the ruby encrusted hilt of the dagger. 

Allison
laughed. “You can believe that if you want.”

Despite herself, Emily felt the sharp edges of doubt penetrate her resolve.  She cursed her shaky voice, “That’s not true. I know what you are.
You tricked him.”

The smile vanished from
Allison face. She stepped closer to Emily, pressing her even farther back against the cold damp wall until she was leaning over her, mere inches separating Emily’s skin from Allison’s menacingly sharp teeth.

Allison
’s bloodlust rolled off of her in sharp stinging waves.  Her thirst for revenge was palpable in the air, thick and hungry, almost suffocating Emily in its violent grip. Allison leaned toward Emily, trailing one long finger over Emily’s lips.

“Do you now?” Her voice was soft, sultry, and dark. Her eyes all fire. “Do you know that he kissed me?”

Emily’s throat felt dry, her heart stuttered.
She’s lying,
Emily thought fervently trying to convince herself.

T
he burn of tears in her eyes distorted her vision for a moment but she quickly blinked them away, and stood unflinching in front of Allison.

“You seduced him,” Emily’s voice quivered as she spoke, but her g
rip tightened on the dagger, its metal was hot against her skin.

Allison
’s lip curled up. “Maybe,” she admitted. She paused, staring at Emily with narrowed eyes. Emily didn’t move. Didn’t flinch.

Allison
grabbed her chin hard, her nails dug into Emily’s flesh.  Her eyes were deadly, unending in their darkness.  “You know, he called out your name at first,” Allison’s voice was as smooth as black silk, her lips curled up even more into a frightening smirk. She leaned forward, whispering in Emily’s ear, “But I’m sure he’ll forget it soon enough.”

White hot rage flooded Emily’s blood
stream, and exploded in her chest. Heat scorched her face. She trembled violently. But it was only seconds between Allison’s cruel words and Emily’s hand lifting the dagger and impaling it into Allison’s side.

Thick black liquid gushed from the wound as
Allison slumped to the ground and clutched her midsection.               Some trickled out her mouth and oozed down her chin as she fell to her knees. Emily pulled the gold blade from her flesh and spit on Allison. Her voice was dark, cold, and possessive, “Don’t ever,
ever
, touch my wolf again. Now, tell me where he is!”

Allison
made an indistinguishable noise in the back of her throat and coughed up more blood, spewing it onto the stones in the ally.  Emily raised the dagger again. Her only motivation was to kill. All she could see was red.

But
Allison was fast and lunged for Emily, wrapping her cold fingers around her leg.  Emily screamed and kicked her off and took off running down the alley into the street.  She looked back to see Allison rising to her feet, wiping the black blood from her chin with her sleeve.

Emily ran, fast and furious down the empty deserted street, through the crumbling buildings. She could feel
Allison still behind her at first, almost as if her hot breath was on her neck.  And then after several turns, the feeling started to wane, and Emily found herself on a familiar path.

In front of her stretched a garden, green and lush, flowers hung from vines and sprouted out of pots.  She walked slowly into the garden from the alley. Relief washed over her for a moment.

The eerily quiet stillness of the night was suddenly disrupted when Carson rushed from the house, followed by Jenny and John and Vanessa.

Carson grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her
against his chest, demanding, “Where have you been?”

Emily choked on her tears, the enormity of the night
’s events weighed heavy on her. She felt brittle and weak suddenly. Tired, full of doubt and fear. Utterly alone.

Luke, s
he thought. His name was like a salve to the festering pain. She needed Luke. She needed to see his eyes, feel his skin next to hers. She had to save him. She had to know he was still hers.

If she was honest with herself, it wasn’t just about Luke anymore. Emily felt stripped of everything. Samuel had taken her family, had tu
rned Curtis, and she was sure was responsible for Allison too. His wickedness haunted her, sought to drain her, defeat her, and possess her.

Emily sagged against Carson. He held her tight
and helped her inside. He smelled a little like Luke, and she clung to him as she fell apart. Her shoulders shook and her tears stained his cotton shirt.

Carson led Emily inside and helped her sit in an overstuffed chair. He sat across from her on the ottoman and clasped her hands with his. His voice was soft, but serious and controlled with he spoke. “Emily, tell me what happened.”

Emily took a shaky breath.

Luke. Luke. Luke. Luke.
The word echoed in her head.

B
efore she could answer Carson, Trent and Curtis both burst through the French doors, shouting, “Emily!”

Trent collapsed to his knees at her feet and Curtis wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him,

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Trent whispered hoarsely. 

She was shaking, crying hysterically against Curtis.

“What the hell happened?” Carson bellowed.

“A demon took Luke,” Trent said, his voice hoarse, still panting from his escape.  “We followed her, but, I lost Emily when these, I don’t even know what to call them—”

“Emily?” Cara Lyall’s soft voice sounded tired and hoarse as she came around the corner.

Emily’s eyes widened. Her throat felt thick, stuffed with cotton. Her lip trembled. Cara gathered Emily in her arms, smoothing back her
dirty hair.

“It’s okay honey, I’m here,” s
he cooed softly. She smelt warm and familiar. 

Still Emily couldn’t seem to focus, couldn’t find the words.

Luke. Luke. Luke. Luke. Luke.

His name was all she could think. The volume was reaching a crescendo in her ears,
a pounding rhythm in her veins. She had to find Luke.

“We’ve have to find
him,” Emily’s voice was a soft rough whisper against Cara’s hair. Cara pulled back, but Emily’s eyes were focused on Carson’s as she repeated herself, louder this time.

“We have to find him. We have to go. Right now,” Emily stood up quickly, reaching for the dagger she’d sheathed back in her dirty jeans.

Carson looked to Trent. “Do you know where to find her? The demon? Where to find Luke?”

“We were close before,” he answered. Carson nodded.

Emily stepped forward. “I’m coming.”

“Em—”

“No. This is my fight, Carson,” Emily’s eyes were a violent vivid blue, a hurricane of color.  “I can kill her.”

Carson stared at Em
ily for a long moment.  Finally he relented, “Okay then, let’s go.”

E
mily made her way through the dark empty house alone. Curtis, Trent, Carson, and half a dozen other Hunters and wolves waited outside, surrounding the area. She patted her side, checking for the golden dagger at her side.

She came to the end of a long hallway, and pushed open the wooden door. She gasped.  The whole room looked completely removed from the rest of the house. A large bed with black rod iron posts and blood red sheets sat in the center of
a large circular room. The walls were painted a dark maroon.  There was no other furniture, only flowers. A room full of red and black painted flowers.