Page 45 of The Rising Dark
Octavia spoke up from behind Lavinia.She had politely pretended not to hear their conversation, but even the quietest whisper would still be audible.Privacy among the Sisterhood was a polite fiction.“Their names are Stacey Jones, Taylor Richmond, and Elliot Warbrick.All of them still had their wallets with them.I had a look while I was waiting.”
Michelle frowned.“Warbrick?That’s my dad’s name.”
“Do you recognise him?”
Michelle shook her head.“I don’t know anyone in his family.And he’s too…” She swallowed heavily, “wounded to be able to tell whether there is any resemblance.I have only ever seen a handful of grainy pictures of my dad, anyway.”
“Could be a coincidence?”Lavinia offered.
“It’s not a common name at all.I never met anyone with that last name.”Her eyes whipped to Lavinia.“What if it’s not a coincidence?”
The puzzle pieces of the case in Lavinia’s mind tumbled, reshaped into a different picture.The warlock—the rogue—was killing people.Their souls have been taken, Arran had said.What if, somehow, he washarvestingthem?What had seemed random at first might not be so at all.
Michelle had a small amount of magic, the witches had said after their assessment.What if, for whatever reason, someone was going through her bloodline, picking off those people who weren’t under the protection of the Witch Council?It would explain why the witches themselves struggled to make the connection.Lavinia had no idea whether that was even possible, stealing another person’s magic.The only thing that really mattered was that someone might be after Michelle, not just because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but because ofher.Because of a heritage that she hadn’t even been aware of until recently.
“I think you’re right,” she said slowly.“I fear it might not be a coincidence at all.”
Michelle took a shaky breath.“What happens next?”
Lavinia leaned forward and brushed a fleeting kiss onto her forehead.“We will find who is responsible.Quintia will already be tracking him, and my Sisters and I will join her.It won’t be long until we find him.You can stay in the apartment, where you’ll be safe.I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“What about your leg?”Michelle asked.
The scent of death and violence had pushed any worries about her injury from her mind.Now she was reminded of it, the ache returned.“It’ll be fine,” Lavinia said.“I rested it for a couple of days.Don’t worry about me.”
Michelle smiled wanly.“No promises.”
“Come.I’ll take you to the apartment,” Lavinia said, wrapping her arm around Michelle’s shoulders.
“Zachary is outside too.Could you take him as well?”Octavia asked, looking up as they passed.
“Of course,” Lavinia agreed.
To leave the room, they had to step over the man killed by the demon.The man who might be related to Michelle.When they reached him, Michelle looked at him for a moment.She bent down, lightly touched his shoulder.“I’m sorry,” she whispered under her breath.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The ruined face of the murdered man haunted Michelle as Zachary drove them back to Lavinia’s apartment.Could it be possible that he had been a relative of hers, however distant?Why was someone trying to kill them?Was there some kind of family secret she knew nothing about, a birthright that had drawn a killer to them?More than ever, Michelle’s parentage felt like a gaping hole, a blind spot in which danger had festered.Had she been naïve?Had she been too trusting that nothing more sinister than a chronic illness or two had been lurking in that part of her heritage, such as a possible tendency towards high blood pressure or eczema?
They arrived at the apartment much too quickly.Lavinia brought them upstairs, letting Zachary go in ahead.Without a word, Michelle hugged Lavinia, wrapping her arms around her tightly.“I’m scared,” she said, her voice muffled by Lavinia’s shoulder.
“I know,” Lavinia said, stroking the back of her head.“We will get him, whoever he is.You’ll be safe here, and Zachary will keep you company.I’ll text when we have any news.”
“Okay,” Michelle said.She forced herself to let go of Lavinia.A part of her wanted to stay in her arms forever, to shut out any of the fears and anxieties of the real world.In her arms, everything was as it should be.
Lavinia kissed her gently.Michelle leaned in hungrily, grasping at the comfort of Lavinia’s lips against hers.“I—” she said, starting a sentence without knowing how it would end.Before she could sift through her confused mind to find out what she had meant to say, Lavinia gave her a final kiss and was gone.
Michelle stood by herself for a minute, feeling like she had missed an opportunity to say something important.Something that could change both of their lives.
“Would you like some tea?”Zachary called from the kitchen, releasing her from her paralysis.
“Yes, please,” she answered, walking into the room.All that was left for them was to wait.Wait for the seconds and minutes and hours to pass while the vampires risked their lives, hunting a vampiric serial killer with magical powers.She needed the strongest pot of tea she could find.
“It will be fine, you know,” Zachary said, glancing at Michelle.She must be radiating worry right about now.Her nerves practically vibrated with nervous energy.She couldn’t bear to sit, so she rummaged through Lavinia’s cupboards looking for some mugs.“I know this must seem terrifying, but they do this kind of thing all the time.”
The image of Lavinia in her body armour covered in gore rose before Michelle’s mind’s eye.The wound that had torn through her scalp, the bright bruises against the pale skin of her thigh.Lavinia might be a warrior, used to running headlong into danger, but that was not a comforting thought at all.All Michelle wanted was for her to be safe.
Instead, Lavinia was out there right now, trying to find someone who had killed a dozen people already and was somehow able to send demons to their doorstep.Lavinia was a hero, sure, but right now Michelle wished with all her heart that she wasn’t in need of one.
