A Dark-Adapted Eye Page 10

  “Oh,” I stammered. “Uh . . . Nair al Saif. I guess.” Not that I’d spent much time thinking about it.

  We all shot off the rest of the rounds and headed home, Criseyde griping about having to go to work after getting all hot and sweaty. Once the elation of shooting wore off, I felt tired and rather miserable. Sure, I could learn to shoot a gun, but would that help Ivory any? Would anything help him if we didn’t know who had him? I’d risk my life to go see Rade tomorrow in the hopes he’d have more information on my brother’s whereabouts, but if he killed me, what good would it do?

  Ivory wouldn’t want me to go to a vampire under any circumstances, I knew. But since when had I listened to him?

  “Are you working tonight?” I asked Les when we were back at the house. Criseyde had gone and we were alone.

  “Not in the usual sense. I have to go around and ask questions about Ivory. I don’t think I’ll take a job until I know something.”

  “I could come with you,” I offered.

  For a moment he seemed to consider this, but then he shook his head. “I don’t think so. The types of places I’m going—it’s better if you don’t see them.”

  “Come on, Les. I’m nineteen.”

  “Asha, you don’t know—”

  “I don’t want to stay in the house alone.”

  Les regarded me without expression. “I guess it’s better if you don’t,” he admitted. “And we’ve kept you in the dark too long. It’s time you knew more about . . . everything.”

  “Yes, it is,” I agreed.

  “We’ll take the truck and leave after dark. Wear real shoes. And comfortable clothes.”

  He stalked into his room, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. He was upset, perhaps because I’d badgered him into taking me with him. Although I’d gotten him to agree, I couldn’t bring myself to feel at all triumphant because Les didn’t even know the meaning of upset. Not yet.

  I would continue to keep my vampire a secret from him. For just a little while longer. Just until we found Ivory.

  eight

  secular: gradual, taking a tremendous amount of time to unfold

  “We have two stops,” Les said as we drove into the city that night. “The first is to the guy who usually hires me and Ivory.”

  “To kill vampires?”

  “Yeah. Sometimes there are people who want a specific vampire dead for whatever reason, and they go through this guy to get it done. Otherwise he or someone else might hire us to kill any vamp that’s terrorizing humans too much.”

  I glanced at him, his expression inscrutable and tense, almost angry-looking, as he concentrated on the road. “Are you and Ivory the only ones who hunt vampires?”

  “No. There’ve always been others. But most people don’t last that long, and it’s not exactly a field people are looking to join.” He paused and added, sounding somewhat rueful, “It seems like we never make any progress, no matter how many we kill. It’s not like we’re better off now than we were a year ago.”

  “Is it . . . hard? To kill?”

  “Ah, well, a little,” he said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable. “Vampires used to be human. And they even look human, for the most part. But when you see one coming at you fangs out, your instincts kind of take over. And when you see what they can do to people . . . well . . .”

  “They don’t normally get an advantage over you like Lucinda did, right? If they did . . . you wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

  “No. That wasn’t normal. Vampires are fast, but not supernaturally so. They’re strong, but some humans are stronger. It’s just a matter of technique, and it’s surprising how many vampires don’t know how to fight. They don’t really need to know, I guess. But Lucinda was out for blood—your blood—and when we got in her way she got angry. Still, we’d have had her if that second vamp hadn’t interfered.”

  We rode along without speaking for several minutes. Our first stop was a suite in a blue glass office building. I couldn’t see a light in any of the windows and I felt some trepidation walking into a dark, seemingly empty place, even with Les at my side.

  Entering through the loading dock, we took the freight elevator to the fifth floor. It opened to a dark hall, emergency lights glowing at either end.

  “Is anyone even here?” I whispered, eyes searching the shadows.

  “This way,” Les said, turning right.

  A hall of doors stretched behind a gleaming reception desk. Only one stood open. We stepped through it into an unlit office, a wall-sized window presenting us with a view of the light-spotted city. The room was bare except for a desk and chair. Someone sat in the chair, back facing us, looking at a laptop. The screen glowed dimly, casting a bluish edge on the person.

  “Mercer,” Les said in greeting.

  “I don’t have a job for you tonight,” the man said without turning around.

  “I’m not looking for a job. I need information if you have it.”

  Mercer spun in his chair, simultaneously shutting his laptop. In the dark I could see little more than his outline, but he paused and I could tell he was looking at me. I shifted nervously, trying to hide behind Les without making it obvious.

  “Who’s this?” he asked after a moment, a slight sneer in his voice. “Your new partner?”

  “Yes. Ivory’s been taken.”

  “What do you mean, taken?”

  “Kidnapped,” Les said flatly. “By vampires. I want your help finding out where he is.”

  After a pause, Mercer replied, “I haven’t heard anything about it. When did it happen?”

  “Last night.”

  “Well, I can keep my ears open. But I’m not sure how long he’ll last if vamps have him. I guess it depends on what they want him for, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah. See what you can find out anyway. I’ll be back for an update.”

  He turned away to leave the room, taking hold of my arm to keep me close by him. We strode in silence to the freight elevator. I had the feeling he was trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible.

  “What was that all about?” I asked as the elevator carried us down.

  “He works in that building during the day,” Les said. “I think he’s an insurance agent or something. Anyway, he has a lot of contacts all over the place. I figured if anyone knew anything it would be him.”

  “What if he was lying?”

  “Mercer doesn’t lie. He withholds information. If he’d known anything, he would have tried to get something out of me in exchange for it. That’s just how he is.” The elevator doors opened and he guided me out, lightly touching my elbow. “I’m pretty sure I know what he would have asked, too.”

  “What?”

  “Didn’t you notice the way he was looking at you?”

  I shrugged, remembering the creepy feeling of being appraised. “I guess.”

  Les looked uncomfortable. “Well, use your imagination.”

  Gross. I shuddered, not wanting to think about it. “Where are we going now?” I hadn’t expected our visit with Mercer to be so short and unproductive.

  “There’s just one more place that might be any help. If I can’t find out anything there . . . we might just have to search the city ourselves.”

  After we’d driven for a few minutes, a collection of ugly industrial warehouses appeared before us. This was the very opposite side of town from where we lived, and I had never been to this particular area. Les steered the truck slowly between the rows of warehouses, all of them indistinguishable to me except for black numbers illuminated by fans of greenish-white light. It was creepy here, but at least it was fairly well lit. That was important in a city of vampires.

  “This is our stop,” Les said, parking near an unmarked door in one of the buildings. “Wait in the truck for this one. I won’t be long.”

  Part of me wanted to defy him just for curiosity’s sake, but another part knew I was probably better off in the truck. He wouldn’t have told me to stay otherwise. I wai
ted impatiently though, checking the dashboard clock and glancing out at the night with the frequency of a paranoiac. But it wasn’t paranoia, I pointed out to myself, if there really was something trying to get you.

  My eyes alit on a harmless-looking middle-aged man emerging from the back door of one of the warehouses. Carrying a stack of flattened cardboard boxes, he paused and scanned the area carefully before proceeding to the dumpster. Idly I watched him go, just an ordinary man who had to earn his living after dark. I wondered if he had a wife and children waiting for him at home, worrying about his night shifts. I had to admit I worried about Criseyde sometimes. She seemed so confident and fearless, but she wouldn’t have worked late if she’d had a choice.

  I came to attention when, halfway to the dumpster, the man suddenly dropped the boxes and made a mad dash for the door. A figure appeared from the shadows and I froze, eyes wide, as it advanced swiftly upon the man. Shocked, I sank slowly in my seat and prayed the vampire wouldn’t notice me.

  It was over so quickly I wasn’t even sure what had happened. All I knew was the vampire had fled and the man was now on the ground. My skin tingled when he struggled to all fours only to collapse back on the asphalt. I let out a breath, not even realizing I’d held it. Light glittered on the small pool of blood beneath him.

  “Asha?”

  I started, not having noticed Les returning to the truck. Staring at him with round eyes, it was a second before I could articulate anything. “A man,” I said weakly, raising one hand to point.

  Swiftly Les ran to him. I watched as he knelt down to check for a pulse. He jogged over to the door the man had come out of and banged on it a few times. Then he ran back to the truck, getting in quickly. As he navigated the way out of the warehouses, he whipped out his phone and called anonymously for an ambulance.

  “It was a vampire,” I said when he hung up. I saw it.

  “Yeah. Someone will get him. He’ll be fine.”

  “Are we going home now?”

  Les nodded. “I don’t think I’ll get any information. Tonight was wasted in trying.” He sounded weary and worried.

  I pondered his words on the way home. If no one had any information for him, how would he find Ivory and bring him home? It was obvious humans weren’t the ideal choice for helping us in this case. Vampires had taken Ivory, and vampires would know where to find him.

  “Maybe Aleskie could help,” I suggested.

  “I’m not sure she has the connections we’d need. She’s too new. And too soft, I think.”

  “She knew about Lucinda.”

  “Only by chance. Anyway, Lucinda was notorious. Ivory and I knew of her before we even knew her name.” He sighed. “Look, I’d ask her in a minute if I thought she could help us. But she can’t. She’s just a girl who happens to have fangs and a weird diet . . .”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have kicked her out,” I said when he trailed off.

  “Maybe not,” he admitted. “But it’s done. The last thing I need to worry about is a vampire in the house, typical or not.”

  “Why did I have to wait in the car?” I asked. “What was in that warehouse?”

  He hesitated. “We call it the Market. Sometimes people want vampires for . . . medical purposes. Scientific. So humans can learn more about them to better protect ourselves, and maybe figure out how to get rid of them altogether.”

  “Oh,” I said. I pictured shadowy rooms full of cold metal operating tables and formaldehyde jars. Vampire bodies with skin like mushrooms.

  “It’s mostly computers and stuff,” Les said. “Maybe a couple bodies in drawers. I went there the night Ivory was taken, before I came back to the house. Sometimes we use it as a rendezvous point if we get separated. But he wasn’t there, obviously, or any of the other places we use.”

  We didn’t talk the rest of the way home, both of us sunk in brooding. I had never expected to actually lose my brother to vampires, despite his line of work. The hurt I felt at his absence was infinitely greater than what I’d felt at learning vampires had gotten our mom. The loss and emptiness didn’t even compare. I’d come to terms with her death rather quickly, but if the vampires who’d taken Ivory ended up killing him, how would I deal with his death?

  The porch light was on when we got back home, but for once the yellow glow felt cold and empty. I trudged inside behind Les, tired and troubled.

  “I’ll be staying home at night from now on,” he said, “at least until we get Ivory.”

  “Right.” I nodded vigorously. “When we get him.” Not if.

  “I’ll sleep in your room again, if that’s okay.”

  I had to swallow another inappropriate giggle. “Yeah. No problem.”

  He turned and headed into the kitchen for a drink. I wanted to stop him, to say something that would make him come out and talk to me again, but everything I could think of was just too depressing or tiresome. With a small sigh, I went down the hall to my room. It was late and I needed sleep. I’d worry more tomorrow.

  ~

  I woke around two in the morning. I changed positions and closed my eyes again, but I was wide-awake. Exhaling a gruff sound of annoyance, I swung out of bed and headed for the living room. Maybe I could bore myself to sleep with crappy late night infomercials.

  The living room lights were dark, but the TV screen was already flickering with a ghostly blue-whiteness. Les sprawled on the chair, one leg thrown over the arm. I hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t on the floor in my room. Not that I blamed him. It probably wasn’t too comfortable down there, even with blankets.

  His face turned in my direction but he didn’t say anything. I sat down on the couch, pulling the blanket off the back and wrapping it around myself. He was watching some low-grade action movie at a soft volume.

  This didn’t have to be awkward, I told myself. What could possibly be awkward about sitting alone in the dark with the guy I loved?

  At least some of the barriers between us had dropped. We were no longer the veritable strangers we’d been only a few days ago, living under the same roof and hardly ever sharing a meaningful word.

  I hugged the blanket tighter. Everything was different suddenly. Everything. What would happen, I allowed myself to wonder, if Ivory was killed? What would happen to Les and me? Would we continue living here like this? Would he decide to move in with a girlfriend? Would I have to sell the house?

  “Couldn’t you sleep?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  My eyes flicked to his profile, lined in white and dancing with shadows. “I was,” I told him. “But I woke up and couldn’t stop thinking.”

  He nodded wordlessly.

  “It sort of feels like a dream,” I continued tentatively. “Like these last couple of days haven’t been real. I never thought that Ivory . . .”

  “I know,” he agreed softly. He cleared his throat. “In school, before Ivory and I ever became friends, I didn’t even have any. I was always the kid wandering around alone on the playground. I ate lunch alone. I got into a lot of fights even then.”

  “How did you two get to be friends?”

  “It was just after we’d started seventh grade. We had a few classes together, but I always sat in the back and he sat in the front, so we never talked to each other. Then one day in P.E. we were playing soccer and I scored a goal. Ivory came up to me afterwards and complimented me on it. We just started talking every day after that.” He lifted one shoulder and smiled a little. “I wouldn’t sit in the front row in classes, so he moved to the back to sit by me. And he left his friends to eat lunch with me.”

  “Typical Ivory.”

  “Yeah. If it wasn’t for the two of you, I don’t know how my life would have turned out.”

  “Is this what you expected?” I asked in a slightly cynical tone.

  “No. But it’s a lot better than anything else I can think of.”

  Both heartened and chagrined, I bit my lower lip and squirmed into a more comfortable position. I settled my gaze on the movie
because looking at him right then was just too much.

  Despite having lived beneath the same roof for three years, I hardly knew anything about him. I didn’t know what movies he liked—unless he really liked crappy action flicks—or the titles of the few books on the little shelf in his room, or the names of the bands I sometimes heard faintly playing through his closed door. He kept so much to himself.

  And how, I asked myself, can you say you love him?

  An unpleasant knot formed in my stomach and I felt faintly panicked. I’d always known I loved Les. He was quiet and brooding, sure, but he was good, he wasn’t arrogant, and he’d begun hunting vampires with my brother in part because of what had happened to me. My love for him had never gone away and never wavered. It was the truest thing I knew.

  But what if I was wrong?

  I must have fallen asleep without realizing it because I woke up to a brightening living room, the TV off, the armchair empty. It seemed as if morning had arrived in a mere blink.

  Les’s door was closed, though I had no idea whether he was asleep or awake behind it. I hurried to get dressed without bothering to find out. After our unsuccessful outing last night, I decided I had a duty to my brother to help him in whatever way I could, even if he wouldn’t approve of my methods. If he ever came back home I wouldn’t tell him what I’d done, nor would I tell Les now.

  It was time to visit Rade again.

  I dreaded the thought of seeing him even as the prospect excited me. I loathed myself even though I wasn’t doing this for the vampire’s benefit or mine. It was for Ivory and no one else.

  Snatching the truck keys off the kitchen counter, I headed out the door. It wasn’t yet ten but the summer day was already as hot as any other. Rade had said to come back at night, but going during the day almost guaranteed Les wouldn’t notice or care if I left the house. He wouldn’t wonder where I’d been. And daylight might not have been convenient for Rade, but it was safer for me.

  The apartment complex was no livelier today than it was the last time I’d seen it. I pounded on Rade’s door with the side of my fist. The sun was still low enough that no direct light touched his tall, narrow frame when he answered my knock. His face was solemn, without expression, and there was no spark of life in his lavender eyes.