Broken Illusions Page 4

  His hand slips under my shirt, and he runs his fingers across my stomach. His touch is soft and light. Basically, it's everything I always wanted from an encounter like this, and then more. There's a connection here that I'm trying to deny. But with his hand on me. And his lips moving against mine in barely restrained passion, it's kind of difficult even for me to deny it.

  A crash sounds, and the two of us jump apart, guilty looks crossing our faces. Or I think they do. I can see the guilt in Bram's eyes, and can only guess mine look the same. I certainly feel it. I shouldn't have done that.

  Bram rubs his hand behind his neck. "I'm sorry," he says softly.

  "No need." My voice shakes, the built up tension apparently eager to get out. Always fun when that happens.

  "I-"

  Another crash cuts him off. My stomach sinks. I'm not sure what's going on out there, but I doubt it's good. No one ever makes this much noise here. It's like a library. Everyone knows to be quiet the moment they enter, but no one can actually explain how they know that.

  I hold my finger to my lips, and he nods. In reality, that was probably unnecessary on my part. But it's better safe than sorry.

  I creep towards the door, and crack it open. Not by much, just enough for me to be able to look through and see what's going on outside.

  Nothing.

  Despite the crash, there's no sign of anyone out there.

  I close the door softly, before turning back to Bram. "We need to get going."

  "I thought as much."

  I can get used to this working together lark if this is how he's going to be.

  "Is there anything you want from here before we go?" he asks, his thoughtfulness stopping me in my tracks.

  "Erm..." I look around a few times. "I don't know."

  "How can you not know?"

  "I don't really have much stuff? Mostly weapons."

  "They're always useful," he points out.

  And he's right. They are. I get down on my knees and shuffle under my bed, before pulling up one of the floorboards. I reach inside, and feel the familiar leather which surrounds my spare weapons.

  Once I'm back on my feet, I drop it on my bed and unroll it, revealing an array of sparkling metal. If there's one thing I always make sure of, it's that my weapons were all in good order.

  "Anything you want?" I ask. We can't take all of them with us, there's far too many and we have no bag to put them in. Although...

  I almost skip over to the wardrobe, excited at the prospect of finding what I need. Searching through the bottom, I find an array of clothing I don't think I've worn in years. At last, I find the backpack I'm looking for. It's small, but it doesn't need to be much bigger, I just need it so my stuff isn't in the way.

  Bram is still examining my weapons collection when I return to the bed. He draws his finger along the lines of a particularly wicked looking knife.

  "Use it, if you want," I tell him, before slotting some extra throwing stars into the holster I'm already wearing. I can never have enough of those. At least, now I don't think I can. Before, I was far too cocky for my own good in the projectiles department. If I'd had them with me, then maybe I wouldn't have died in that house. Well, not died. As Bram pointed out, I'm not actually dead. Just different. But my life certainly wouldn't be going the way it is now if I'd thought and brought some throwing stars with me.

  I try and feel bad about that.

  I fail.

  As much trouble as we're in at the moment, I'm actually kind of enjoying myself for the first time in my entire life. I would say a long time, but my life is far more accurate. There was never any time to play as a child, so I've never had a chance for fun.

  I also sheath another knife. Knowing my luck, I'll end up losing one of my others before we get back to the den.

  "Ready?" I ask, stuffing the remaining weapons into my backpack, along with a spare shirt. I don't need it back at the den, but with the way my luck is going, I will need it while we're on the run. It's a shame I don't have any men's clothing here though, then I could have replaced the shirt Bram ripped to stop me from bleeding. That was gentlemanly of him.

  "When you are," he replies shakily. I don't blame him. I grew up here, which adds an air of familiarity for me. But to him, this is just a place where we'll be killed on sight.

  Always a fun situation to be in.

  I open the door, and we steal out into the corridor, leaving my room behind for what is quite possibly the last time.

  Chapter 6

  The place is deserted, and a little part of me wonders if that's because everyone is out looking for Bram and I. It's perfectly plausible that's the case. But now my tracker is dead, or at the very least, dying, things could change at any moment. I just hope we're out of here before they do.

  "Where will the knife be?" Bram asks.

  "Isn't that the million dollar question?" I half-joke. That#s been playing on my mind as well. "I'm not entirely sure, but I'm guessing it's in the Commander's office," I tell him. Bram nods.

  We lapse into silence as we make our way through the last corridor. Still no people, which is odd, but good for us. I'm not exactly inconspicuous with the colour of my hair. Nor with Bram in tow. There may be a lot of hunters about, but most of them knew each other. It was a small, and tight, community. Even if most of us, no them, hated each other.

  The large ornate door stood in front of us, and I wave Bram closer. Even before, I thought the door was ridiculous, but now, having seen how Dimitri ran his vampires, I think it's even more so. There's no need for all the mystery and intrigue the Commander insists on. He'd probably gain more respect if he was open about his power.

  And yet again, I'm showing how my perceptions have changed.

  I'm a lot more disillusioned than I was. And I think that's a good thing. At least it means I can make more well informed decisions about my own life.

  I press my ear against the door, trying to work out if there's anyone on the other side. Nothing, as far as I can tell. But I give it another minute just in case.

  Still nothing. Not even the rustle of fabric against fabric as someone fidgets.

  We're safe then.

  I place my hand on the doorknob, and am completely surprised when it actually opens. "I guess he thinks his reputation will keep everyone out," I mutter.

  Bram chuckles. "Sounds like someone on a power trip."

  "Oh, he definitely is that."

  Even already knowing there's no one in the room, I scan back and forth anxiously, looking around for someone who may have been lingering regardless. I want to be in and out as quickly as possible, but considering we're working off my six year old memory, that may not be as easy as I think it is.

  "Let's start looking then," I say, exasperated already.

  "Do you remember what it looks like?" he asks.

  "Not really. I was young, and didn't know I needed to pay attention." I grimace. Annoying when life works like that.

  "I thought as much."

  "Did Dimitri not..."

  "No. He just sent me after the knife. No description other than I'd know it when I saw it."

  "Helpful."

  "I trust Dimitri, I didn't think there'd be any complications in this."

  "Until you got lumped with me, anyway," I joke.

  "So far you've been more of an asset than a detriment," he admits, walking over to a shelf and going up on his toes to look at what's up there.

  My chest puffs up with pride. I realise it's weird to be so proud of something so trivial, but I've been brought up being judged on what I can do. And not getting a lot of praise for that. So this kind of thing? It means the world.

  I start looking through some drawers, slightly repulsed to find a string of what appear to be vampire fangs in one of them. Not what I want to see. And kind of disgusting to boot. Who wants to keep them about? It's some kind of warped reminder of a misspent youth? It can't be anything else really.

  "Anything yet?" Bram asks.

 
; "Nope. Not even the hint of a blade. You?"

  "Nothing."

  "He must keep it somewhere." I throw down a cloth in frustration. In all the films I've ever seen, the bad guys always seem to make it super easy to find the things they didn't want the good guys to have.

  Maybe we're struggling because we only think we're the good guys? And actually aren't? But then, does that fit with what I'd experienced in my switch between human and vampire? I don't think it does.

  There's really only one place left to check. I saunter over to the big cabinet, and pull open the doors, groaning when I spot what's lurking in there, waiting for us.

  "How are you at safe cracking?" I ask Bram.

  "It'll take a while, but I can do it," he replies.

  "Better get cracking then." I point towards the ugly green box in the wardrobe.

  "Did you just make a pun?" He sounds bemused, like that's the last thing he expects from me.

  He has a point. It's not very me like behaviour.

  "Unintentionally," I answer honestly. If I lie, he might end up expecting me to be funny a lot more of the time.

  "Alright then. Can I have the knife you got from your room please?"

  He holds out his hand, as if he expects me to listen. Which I suppose is fair enough. At this point, I'll do pretty much anything to get this show on the road. I place the knife in his hand, and he nods his thanks. .

  I feel pretty useless watching him work. But there's very little I can do except stand guard. Only problem is, the scratching at the safe is kind of distracting even for my super hearing, and it makes it difficult to tell if there's people approaching.

  At least, it is until I hear voices. "Bram," I hiss.

  "Yes?" He's still working on the safe intently, so I only have half his attention, which is annoying.

  "There's someone coming."

  "Shit."

  "My thoughts exactly." I look around the room frantically as I speak, trying to find somewhere for us to hide, and failing miserably. There's only one thing for it. "In here," I say, pulling on his jacket and moving him into the cupboard space. It's going to be tight with two of us in there. Not that we have any choice. It's this or...

  Best not to think of that.

  The door to the Commander's office opens just as I shut us in. Bram slips his arms around me, and pulls me tight against him. I won't admit how much I like it.

  The crack between the panels let's us see out, which is good. I like being able to tell what's going on, and this way, we might even get some answers.

  Behind me, Bram sucks in a sharp breath, and it takes me a moment to realise why. One of the men in the room is without a doubt the Commander. I'd recognise him anywhere. But it's the other two people with him that surprise me.

  "What do you want, Lincoln?" Dimitri asks, sounding tired, but not at all concerned to be in the headquarters of his supposed enemy.

  "We need to talk about your new vampire."

  "Ashryn?"

  This time, it's my turn to take in a sharp breath. Why would they want to talk about me? I'm a nobody to both of them.

  "The Barker girl, yes." The Commander pours himself a glass of amber coloured liquid, and swigs it down in one go. I wonder if that's just normal behaviour for him, or if it's because there's two vampires in the room with him.

  Well, four. But as far as I'm aware, he doesn't know two of us are here. I hope he doesn't anyway.

  "She seems perfectly nice to me." Dimitri studies his nails as he speaks, and I can't decide if it's because he thinks I'm that boring, or if it's just him trying to appear as if I'm of little importance.

  "I need her."

  "For what?" Eric asks, speaking for the first time.

  Dimitri glares at his friend. .Maybe this was a seen and not heard situation.

  "She is an abomination."

  Dimitri laughs sharply, but I don't feel his levity. Dread settles in my stomach as I realise what this really means. I'm about to be outed. I'm positive Dimitri already knows, but Bram doesn't. Neither does Eric, I don't think. More worryingly though, I never realised the Commander knew. How had he found out? Not that it matters, if he knows, he knows.

  "Vampires are hardly the abominations you make us out to be, Lincoln. If I remember correctly, you even owe one your life." Dimitri picks up the glass the Commander had drunk from and studies it intently, as if looking for some trace of an unknown thing.

  "I'm not talking about her recent vampirism. Though we need to talk about that. She was supposed to end up dead."

  "Not my problem, Lincoln. You made the deal with the others, not with me."

  I shiver, and Bram pulls me even tighter against him, offering me wordless comfort. I'm grateful to him, especially with all his griping up until now. It's a surprise he wants to comfort me, but even so, I'm grateful and lean back into him.

  "That's not good enough," the Commander growls. "She shouldn't be able to do what she can do. For that, she needs to die."

  "And what is it she can do?" Eric asks, not seeming at all surprised there's more to me. He's aware then. Good to know.

  "She can see secrets."

  "You can what?" Bram whispers in my ear, a note of panic in his voice.

  "See secrets," I reply softly. But not quietly enough, if the sharp turn of Eric's head is anything to go by. Thankfully the other two appear engrossed in conversation. Eric winks in our direction. At least he's still on our side.

  "How many?" Bram asks.

  "Just one. The deepest, darkest secret someone has."

  "Oh."

  "Yours was that you wanted to let go of your anger over your wife," I say, not wanting to hide it from him anymore. "I was a little surprised it wasn't something more scandalous."

  I feel Bram relax behind me, which isn't the reaction I expected.

  "You have no idea how long I've waited to tell someone that," he whispers in my ear.

  "Oh." I have no idea where my current eloquence is coming from. Must be a special skill of mine.

  "We can talk about this later, but thank you, Ashryn." He rests his head on my shoulder, and I'm slightly shocked by how sincere he sounds. He really does feel relief in this.

  "Okay," I whisper back, one eye on the men outside the room. I'm not too sue what's happened while Bram and I were having our mini talk, but things seem to have become heated.

  Well, except for Eric, who is leaning against the far wall and still looking in my direction with an amused look on his face.

  "She's one of mine now, Lincoln. You know the deal," Dimitri says.

  "I want her dead," the Commander says calmly.

  "The only way that's going to happen is if one of your hunters catches her off my premises. You know that." Dimitri is actually calm. I'm more than a little surprised by that, this doesn't seem to fit the tone of the conversation. But there must be a reason for that, hopefully he'll spin it.

  Without thinking, I place one of my hands over Bram's. He still seems to be a little overwhelmed by the revelations he's just had, and I want to give him some sense of comfort. I just hope it'll be enough. That I'm enough. I've never been in this kind of position before.

  I'll admit I kind of like it.

  "My hunters have failed at that. You were supposed to send her out on a mission," the Commander says, and I suck in a deep breath. So this wasn't an accident then. This is where they all planned for me to be.

  "That's not my fault, Lincoln." There's a smirk on Dimitri's lips that makes me think it is what he intended. I'm becoming more and more confused about if Dimitri is actually on my side or not.

  "One of my hunters reported there was another vampire with her."

  "Ahh, yes. I could hardly send her on a mission alone now, could I? She's fallen for that once, I very much doubt she will again."

  A lump rises in my throat. Why has everyone got it out for me? All I want is to live in relative peace.

  "You could have sent her with someone useless."

  "I sent her with
someone that hates her. I'm pretty sure they'll have managed to kill each other already. You won't even need to get your hands dirty." I really can't work Dimitri out. What side is he aligned with? Is he friendly to me? Or an enemy? It's all so confusing.

  A loud knock sounds at the door, and all three heads swing that way. I don't bother. I won't be able to see from this angle any way.

  "Commander?" a familiar shaky voice asks. Roland, I think, but I can't be sure without seeing his face. I'm not really close to anyone here.

  "What?" he snaps.

  "There's been a development, you need to come see," the man at the door answers, a little stronger this time. I wonder what he means by that? It can't really be a development in the hunt for me. I'm already here after all. Maybe there's something else going on here.

  "Stay here," the Commander tells Dimitri and Eric, before storming out of the room, and letting the door slam shut behind him.

  Everyone stays completely silent for a few moments, probably as a result of listening for the footsteps outside the room.

  "You can come out now, Ashryn," Dimitri says, once there's absolutely no trace of anyone else outside the room.

  Bram squeezes me tighter, before letting go, and I push open the cupboard, hoping we're not making a massive mistake in revealing ourselves.

  "How did you know we were here?" I ask, as I stretch my arms. We may not have been in there long, but it's already taken its toll in making me cramp up. I'm made to be active, not cooped up.

  "I heard you."

  "Sorry," Bram mutters from behind me.

  "It's fine, Lincoln is as human as they come, he was oblivious." Dimitri shrugs as if it's really not a big deal, and Eric smothers a laugh.

  "Cause that explains everything," Bram mutters from behind me, before walking over to the Commander's chair and plopping himself down on it. He leans back, and stretches, causing my eyes to flicker downwards and imagine some things I shouldn't.

  I tear my eyes away, and look at Eric, who is examining me with a funny look on his face. Almost like he's interested too. But that can't be right. Things are confusing enough in my head with Bram and Remus. I don't need this beautiful excuse of a vampire confusing things.