Chapter 14
A New Focus
My heart finds my ears as everything around us slows to a halt. Power most have never known yields to Father Time and claims dominance. Humans become frozen in their tracks, their actions left suspended as dread fills the air around us.
A dark, rumbling cloud in the distance grows stronger, proving he's on his way, and he's pissed.
"What the hell is going on?" Zee almost whispers, too scared to speak any louder.
The first tear streams down my cheek, and I let it stay there as I make my way over to the cop carrying Thad's chain and coin. I pull it free from his stilled hand before pulling the silver piece from the bag.
Fastening it around my neck, I walk back over to the two night stalkers staring into the distance at the storm brewing.
"It's Drackus. He knows, and he's going to find whoever did this to Thad."
"Drackus?" Zee whispers even quieter, knowing how powerful Drackus is since the Castine debacle.
A car roars as it skids into the hotel parking lot, and suddenly Drackus materializes in front of us, pulling me into his arms. I haven't hugged my dad since I was a child, so I'm startled by the embrace.
"I'm so glad you weren't here," he crackles out, clearing his throat immediately after.
"I might not have been, but Thad was. And he-"
"And he will be avenged, I assure you," he almost growls, his tone laced with more anger than someone should ever try to provoke.
"How'd you know?" I ask, my voice starting to show my emotion.
"Gage called me directly after your ex-night stalker called him."
His eyes seep with venom as he glares at Kane, offering him an intimidating glower. Kane doesn't seem to notice as he and Zee converse quietly, avoiding Drackus with all their strength.
I guess it's a good thing Gage didn't tell him he was already on his way here. Drackus would be giving him that glare.
"I need to go see the room. I have to see if I can get a feel for who or what did this. I can't keep these humans frozen forever. It might leave them with long term damage," Drackus says while finally releasing me.
"I'm coming, too," I chime in, wiping away another tear.
I'm grabbed from behind, as Kane halts my stride. "Alyssa, no. You don't want to see it."
Drackus almost growls when he sees Kane's hand on me, and he steps in between us, knocking away the stray limb.
"Don't touch her again if you want to stay in one piece," he threatens, his eyes burning into Kane's.
"He's not going to hurt her, Drackus. The boy is here to protect her after all," Dray says from behind, his voice interjecting being as sudden as his presence.
I turn to face him, but he's not there. When I turn back around, he's right in front of me, stepping between Drackus and Kane like a protective lion caring for his pride.
"Last I checked, he already did," Drackus says through a sneer.
"Not physically. He'd never do such a thing. Let's go tend to the matter at hand before all these people end up brain-dead. You'll need me for the process, and I won't have you threatening my boys anymore."
Drackus cracks his neck to the side. "I won't tolerate him touching my-"
"He won't hurt her," Dray says again, interrupting Drackus before he spills my secret.
Drackus snarls, and then he vaporizes from in front of me. Kane walks up beside me, putting his hand at the small of my back.
"He's protective of you. What was he about to say? His what?"
"Nothing I care to explain right now. I want to go see this. I want to know who did this to Thad."
I start walking off, but he quickly joins my side, his eyes flashing to Gage on the balcony. I look, too, noticing Gage is almost shaking as he tries to recover from whatever gruesome sight lies ahead. Thad would go in there for me. I owe it to him to do the same.
"I really wish you wouldn't do this," Kane says softly, feigning concern.
"I really wish you'd stop pretending to give a damn."
He looks to Zee before we walk in and head up the stairs.
"You've broken the bond," he says in a near whisper, seeming hurt like the possessive night stalker he is.
"You told me to. I don't feel like discussing that right now. I want to deal with Thad, and then I'll fix you."
"Fix me?" he asks, seeming confused.
"You've got to do something about the witch blood addiction before you lose it. Drackus would kill you if you happened to lose it on me. I can promise it wouldn't be a quick death either. Dray wouldn't be able to stop him."
His jaw tenses, his whole body shifting, and I notice his hand shake before he steadies it.
"It was Drackus? That's who freed you from the bond?"
I just threw up in my mouth.
"That's disgusting on so many levels."
My nose wrinkles up, and he relaxes slightly. "How did you know-"
"Thad first, you later. Focus."
He tightens his lips, accepting my curt counter. We turn the corner to reach the long balcony that passes in front of all the rooms, and Gage instantly vaporizes, materializing in front of me as his arms wrap around my waist.
"Alyssa, you can't see it. I can't let you."
"I have to," I murmur softly while returning the embrace.
"No," he asserts. "I can't let that image be stuck in your head."
He brushes his lips against mine, and that's when Kane barges by, his teeth grinding as he does. I guess he finally did the math on who freed me from my bond. I'm surprised he even had to guess.
"Drackus will see you," I murmur against Gage's soft lips.
"I don't care. That could have been you in there. Thad stayed in your room since they were booked up when he got back last night. He called me because he didn't want to look like a pervert waiting in your room."
I don't have the ability to push the pain aside and find the humor in that statement. "Who would do this?"
Gage breathes out heavily before running a hand through his already disheveled hair.
"I don't know, but Dray and Drackus will find out. Dark angels have a handy power for such things. Combined with the things Drackus can do... We'll catch a clue."
"I have to go in there, Gage. Thad would do it for me."
He frowns, but lets out a relenting sigh while taking my hand in his. "Don't worry about Drackus. When you need me, use me. Believe me, you'll need me."
I shiver as we near the room, and his fingers lace with mine. We fall in behind Kane and Zee, but when they part enough for me to peer through them, I almost fall.
Bile rises to my throat, dizziness sinks in, and my whole body tries to go limp. Thad looks like someone ripped his throat out, bled him dry, and then painted the room in his red stain of life lost.
His eyes have glazed over white, his body is stiff, and his hands are strung out, tied to the bed in true crucifixion style. His wrists have jagged cuts in them from where someone drained his blood. His pupils don't even exist. His feet are bound just as his hands, and his ankles are sliced in the same vicious manner.
I can't even recognize him with so much blood and gore going on. His blond hair is clumped with his own blood. The bed is drenched, just as his body. They didn't just kill him, they bled him slowly.
"Damn it, Gage! Get her out of here!" Drackus scolds.
I swat him away when he starts to pull me out, and I shake my head.
"It's Thad. I'm not leaving," I strain out, my tears coming down in slow, heated trails.
Drackus tightens his lips, but he doesn't object. When my knees give out, Gage scoops me up and holds me to his chest. Drackus allows it, assuming it's because I'm overwhelmed right now and not because I'm with the dark user.
"Gage, keep a tight hold on her. This could be dangerous for a mortal to endure. If she struggles under any pressure, get her out," Dray instructs, and Gage nods knowingly.
Kane glances at me, his eyes teeming with pain and... envy? Surely he's not actually jealous. Are night stalkers that damn possessive?
Drackus waves his hand, and I can feel his dark magic brewing. This magic could swallow him up and destroy his sanity. I see it already sinking its claws in when his eyes start to glass over.
Dray steps up, his black fog releasing into the room as it circles over Thad in a constant whirl. Drackus's power mingles, the two combining, and then the room shifts before my eyes.
Hidden items come to life to create the pieces of a puzzle. Everything in the room that was cleaned up has been revealed.
I can't feel the power touching me, not anymore. I look up to see Gage concentrating, his eyes closed. He's shielding me.
"That's got it," Dray says. "Drackus, tell me you're still fine," he continues, worry staining his tone.
Drackus doesn't release his power, making Dray take a step back. The darkness he had to tap into in order to do this was apparently more than it took to face Castine.
Everyone begins gasping for air, except for Gage and me. Kane and Zee fall to the ground, and I uncoil from Gage's grasp to fall to my ex-night stalker's side, shielding him with my own energy, while Gage goes to help Zee.
"Drackus," I whisper, trying to slowly bring him back to reality without startling him.
Surprisingly, that's all it takes. His eyes meet mine, and instantly he calms, dropping the suffocating veil of darkness surrounding us.
I'm almost astonished at how easy that was. Kane breathes in heavily, still resting on his hands and knees beside Zee who is choking on air. Dray seems to be less affected, but I can tell it still got to him somewhat.
"Alyssa, I'm so sorry," Drackus says as he walks over to me, pulling me up from Kane's side and wrapping his arms around me.
"It's fine. You didn't hurt anyone... too much. What did that show us?" I ask, drawing back from the awkward embrace.
He clears his throat, pushing his emotions back into hiding as he points to the stains of an aura left behind on Thad's bed... My bed.
"Stains of witchcraft, but this was a setup. Someone wanted us to think this was your night stalker."
"What?" Kane asks as he stands up.
"I thought so," Gage murmurs, coming to stand behind me, but refraining from drawing me in his arms.
"What the hell?" Zee gripes, prompting someone to explain a little better.
Then Gage continues with the explanation. "They left behind your scent. Allegra, a lycan from Thad's crew, said she caught whiff of you specifically. Obviously she can't smell the night stalker in you, but since Heath's brutal murder, you've been on the watch list. You were here, and whoever did this wanted to kill Alyssa. They also wanted to set you up again."
Kane looks at me, his eyes showing a spiraling conundrum of emotions.
"They're trying to make me kill him," Drackus growls, and Dray steps to be between him and Kane before he gets any crazy ideas.
"They've got an issue with Alyssa as well. Whoever did this chose Heath - a mortal who couldn't stop harassing her - therefore linking her and Kane to that murder. Then they chose Thad, who was supposed to be her. They've made more than one common enemy it seems."
"What else is there in here that can help us?" I ask, trying to distract Drackus's attention from Kane.
"There should be quite a bit. A ritual such as this served some sort of purpose," Dray answers.
"A ritual like Isolis was performing?" I ask, turning to Gage.
"You know about Isolis?" Drackus asks, his eyes narrowing at my dark user.
Shit.
"Yeah, he's a bad guy in my old town. I learned a lot there. "
Gage lets out a trapped breath. My dad would flip the hell out if he knew I played bait in Gage's trap that went terribly wrong.
"Isolis didn't use a ritual like this," Gage says quickly, moving on with the facts. "This is something to evoke a spirit. The blood is a gift offering. The thing is none of our kind is stupid enough to call forth a spirit. You have to offer them your body as a host to seek their help. Rarely ever do they turn loose of your body after they're in control. To be eternally lost inside your own mind is a grave risk."
"You lose your mind?" I ask, sounding distracted as I quietly mourn my friend.
"Not at first. It starts slow. You lose control little by little on a daily basis until the possession drives your mind into hiding. Eventually, you're in the backseat of your own body, watching as someone owns you."
I shiver at the creepy thought, and decide then and there I need some tattoos like Gage has.
"If we're going against spirits, then-"
"I'll get you one as soon as we leave," he murmurs softly, apparently thinking the same thing.
"Get her one what?" Drackus asks, his eyes narrowing again.
"Protection from possession. She'll need it."
Before Drackus can interrogate further, Kane pipes in. "I suppose we all will need such a thing because I'm finding out who's so desperate to frame me."
My eyes are drawn to the bed as they all stand around discussing various other anomalies around the room, or which spirit they might be getting summoned. I've found something that makes me so confused I can't possibly begin to fathom what's going on.
I bend down, finding out I'm right about what I thought I saw.
"Alyssa?" Gage says while kneeling beside me. "You shouldn't be so close to-"
His voice trails off as he looks away, not wanting to finish that sentence. Tears keep slipping out at random, but I manage to hold it together.
"Look."
His eyes fall on the symbol that had barely been peeking out, hidden under the bed, and he slides the bed to the side, using his magic, so we can all gauge it better.
"A pentagram? So it is a witch?" Zee asks, showing how new he really is.
"Don't be foolish. Neither witches nor warlocks use such things. That's just old rumors and myths," Drackus says distastefully.
"Actually, Zee's right," Dray says while walking over to examine the symbol that had been drawn by hand and then stained in blood - Thad's blood.
"We don't use pentagrams," I grumble in frustration, agreeing with Drackus. "It can't be one of us."
"You're right," Dray says, completely contradicting himself.
"Huh?" I finally ask, since no one else will.
He studies it closely, and then he looks up to meet my eyes. "Immortal witches and warlocks don't use such things, but mortal ones do. They view this symbol as one of power. Magic is a tricky thing. We've known of mortals collecting power before. This one views this symbol as powerful; therefore it is because he or she has harnessed our magic."
"Preposterous," Drackus rebuffs. "Thad was the strongest changer I've ever known. He couldn't have been brought down by a human playing with power beyond their control. Any human that has ever touched magic never had enough to do anything like this."
While they argue, I stand up and walk over to Thad. He looks too terrible, and I can't stand to see it anymore. With a wave of my hand, the blood disappears from his body, leaving his blond hair soft and clean. The clothes lose their stains of death, leaving his wounds the only visible proof of his morbid death.
Gage joins me on the bed that I've also cleaned with my touch, and he stares at the man who never deserved a death like this.
"We'll find whoever did this, Alyssa."
I turn to look at him, feeling my aura burn furiously with ravaging, relentless anger.
"I know, and I'll make them pay."