I've never met the elders. Most vampires haven't but I've heard stories about them, dressed in extravagant clothes and covered with gold jewelry. John's never been summoned to speak to them so he can't answer any of my questions. Mostly, I just want to know if they're going to be nice to me. If they'll take pity on me when I fail my assignment or if they'll lock me up for eternity. My mind is running wild with fear but not just because of the elders. My hands tremble because my fate lies in the hands of either the elders or a hunter. I have no control over my own destiny.
"This is a pretty steep request, John."
I zone back into John's conversation with his friend to see if he's managed to find a place for me to stay, or if I'll have to go back to the hotel for the week.
The woman is wearing overalls smeared with dirt and red rain boots. Her curly hair is gray in most places but used to be brown. She has wrinkles around her lips and eyes from the warm smile that's still present on her face even though John is practically begging for help.
John takes the woman's hand in his. "I know. I know, Aurora. That's why I'm talking to you. I need someone I can trust right now." He motions toward me. "This girl is like my own daughter. You know that."
I withhold a gag at the thought of being Gunner's sibling.
The woman glances at me, and I force a half-smile, trying to look like I don't have half of Bolton County after me.
"She'll only be here a couple weeks until we can get everything sorted out," he continues.
"And what if the hunter tracks her back here?" Her voice is smooth like honey. "What am I supposed to do then?"
John tilts his head at her, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "Is the famous Aurora afraid of a little hunter?"
She rolls her eyes and playfully shoves him.
He puts his hands up in mock surrender. "I don't know. Doesn't sound like the Aurora I used to know."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Maybe because you never stop by for a cup of coffee like you used to." She shrugs. "Maybe you don't know Aurora anymore."
John sighs and nods. "That's fair. I've been absent ever since the... You know."
Aurora crosses her arms over her chest again. "Mmmhm."
John looks her in the eye again. "Let me make it up to you?"
It feels like I'm intruding on their moment, so I sneak through the wooden doors with cracked sage-green paint and into the backyard. Aurora's yard is full of plants and fruit trees. She has a vegetable garden even though she doesn't need to eat, and vining plants hang from her gazebo in the middle of the yard, right next to the pond with massive orange spotted fish.
I sit on the bench under a larger tree and let the trickling water lull me into a sense of security. Aurora's giggles float out from the open window in her kitchen. The air is crisp with pine and rain, but my head is heavy with sleep until my phone dings.
It's Liam.
My chest clenches. It's Liam. He has to be the hunter. I jump to my feet, jog to the house, and push through the backdoors with my phone clenched in my fist.
John and Aurora look at me, their expressions worried.
I hold the phone up and am about to push words out when there's a light rap on the front door.
All of us look at the door but only John speaks. "Are you expecting company?"
Aurora swallows. "No."
We stay silent for a moment while John thinks. "It's one of us," he says and Aurora nods like she'd already come to that conclusion.
My eyebrows pull together, and I look at John for answers.
He motions to his nose. "Their blood smells different." He looks to Aurora. "Take her to the basement. I'll deal with whoever's at the door."
Aurora nods once and nudges me to follow her. She leads me to an unassuming door and flips the light switch. "I'll come get you when it's safe, sweetie," she says.
I open my mouth to say something, but fear paralyzes the words in my throat, so I nod instead and make my way down the flight of stairs. I stand around the corner to avoid being seen if someone swings the door open to check but reality dawns on me almost instantly. This is stupid. If John is right and it's a vampire at the door, they already know I'm here. They were probably listening when they knocked.
The front door creaks open and John says, "Oh!" but nothing else.
A voice responds but I don't recognize it. "John, long time no see. We thought we'd find you here." Footsteps sound against the floor and tap into the kitchen. There's more than one vampire here but I can't be sure how many. Without hesitation, the same voice says, "Bring the girl upstairs. We need to speak with her."
By the time I reach the top of the staircase, Aurora is pulling the door that I'm pushing.
My eyes search hers for an answer to my unspoken question but the only thing I find behind her long lashes is fear. She swallows and forces a shaky smile before she nods toward the living room.
"The elders are here to speak with you," she says.
My heart drops. They've given up hope on me already. They're here to take me into their vampire prison for putting the fate of every bloodsucker in danger. Or, they found out about Crystal and have come to end my life for screwing everything up twice. I don't know how vampire law works. I don't know how severe my punishment will be.
I glance at the back door. Could I outrun them with a head start? No. Even if they don't catch me right away, they'll track me forever. I'll never be able to get away from them.
Aurora must sense what I'm thinking because she takes my hand in hers and shakes her head. "Come see what they want," she urges. "No use in panicking yet."
I nod, but I don't speak. Only follow her into the living room where everyone refuses to sit. Instead, they stand like statues, their arms crossed over their chests or hanging by their sides. John is the only one utilizing the couch, letting his head hang with the heaviness of his anxiety.
There are two of them. One woman, one man. They don't feel right. They've been vampires too long. They don't know how to blend in anymore.
The man takes a step forward, extends a pale, bony hand to me. He looks more like an alien than human; bald, lanky, and smells heavily of cologne. He's wearing a black button up with the sleeves rolled up and small glasses tinted purple. Everything about him is cold, even the smile that's plastered to his face as I shake his hand.
"Call me Leroy."
The woman steps forward and I'm glad she does, because I'm too scared to respond. She has curly hair and brown skin. She's shorter than me and wearing a flowy red dress—an odd choice for the weather but I don't mention it.
"Did you let the girl go on purpose?" she asks.
I stare back at her, taken off guard by the intensity in her eyes the same shade of red as her dress.
"Excuse her," the man says before I respond. "Leah's a bit excited." He narrows his eyes at her. "Apparently, her manners go out the window when we need to conduct an interrogation."
"An interrogation?" I hardly choke the words out. I've heard horror stories of interrogations.
John jumps to his feet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa now. We told you everything you need to know, and I don't think—"
The woman clenches his shoulder, and he crumples into his seat. "Sit down, young man."
Aurora pulls me back so she's shielding me with her body. "Enough!"
The elders look at her.
"You will not hurt my family in my own home. Do you understand?" Aurora looks from Leah to Leroy and continues when they don't respond. "There's no need to escalate the situation," she continues. "What are you here for today? We're more than willing to cooperate with reasonable requests."
John is still hunched over on the couch, clutching his shoulder, glancing between Leroy and Leah as the woman with wild eyes steps closer to Aurora, her lip curled over her teeth. She opens her mouth to speak when she's only inches away, but the man clears his throat from the back of the room to silence her.
"You're right, Aurora. There's no need for so much hostility so early in our companionship."
The woman snaps her head at him, and he puts a hand up to stop her.
"The truth is... We're here to conduct an interrogation on Gwendolyn Iona Flynn." He shifts his bowtie. "If you promise me to be truthful, I'll promise you to be as understanding as possible. Do I have your promise to be truthful?" he asks me.
I nod, too scared to find my voice.
He chuckles. "Good thing. Leah here is a spitfire so I wouldn't try anything sneaky." He lets out a bored sigh. "Ready then? Let's get to it."