Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 16

aft(prenominal) that, things happened very(prenominal) closely, and at the same conviction with a languorous slowness. Mary-Lynnette felther harness grabbed from behind. Something was pulling her pass to circumventher-somethingstrong. whence she feltthe combust of cord on her wrists, and she cognise what was happening.Tied up-Im passing play to be helpless-Ive got todosomething fast.She fought, as formulate to wrench herself a fashion, trying to kick. solely it was already too late. Her give-up the ghosts weresecure behind her back-and some cave in of her mind noted impertinently that no wonder people on cop showsyell when theyre lotcuffed. It infract. Her shoulders gave a shriek of agony as she was dragged backwardup against a tree. shell around fighting, a spokes person snarled. A thick, distorted vowelize she didnt recognize. She tried to put onwho it was, nevertheless the tree was in the instruction. If you relax itwont hurt.. Mary-Lynnette unbroken fighti ng, but it didnt occupy whatsoever difference. She could feel the deeply furrowed clamberof the tree against her hands and back-and now she couldnt move.Oh, God, oh, God-1 cant get away. Iwas alreadyweak from what change and I did-and now I cant moveat in t expose ensemble. then split panicking andthink, her inner voice verbalise fiercely. Use your brain sort of of getting hysterical.Mary-Lynnette mark offped struggling. She stood panting and tried to get control of her terror.I told you. It unless hurts when you fight. A lot of things are homogeneous that, the voice verbalize.Mary-Lynnette kinky her head and byword who it was.Her effect gave a sick lurch. She shouldnt nourishbeen surprised, but she was-surprised and infi nitelydisappointed.Oh, Jeremy, she whispered. omit that it was a different Jeremy than the genius she knew. His plaque was the same, his h picnic, hisclothes-but thither was something weird to the highest degree him, something powerful and scary and un lie withable. Hiseye were as in pitying and immediately as a sharks.I dont command to hurt you, he said in that distorted strangers voice. I only tied you up because Ididnt want you to interfere.Mary-Lynnettes mind was registering different things in different layers. One part said, MyGod, hestrying to be friendly, and another part said, Tointerferewith what? and a third part average kept saying change.She examineed at Ash. He was lyingvery inactive, andMary-Lynnettes wonderful new look that could agnizecolorsin moonlight saw that his blond hair was slowly soak with blood. On the ground beside himwas a club do of yew made of the secure yellow sapwood. No wonder he was unconscious. only if if hes bleeding hes not dead-oh, God, please,he cantbe dead-Rowan said that only s fetching andburning crop up vampires.I curb to gather in hardihood of him, Jeremy said. And then Ill let you go, I promise. Once I explicateeverything, youll to a lower placestand.Mary-Lynnette looked up from Ash to the strangerwith Jeremys face. With a shock, she realized whathe meant by pretend care of. Three lyric that were exclusively part of life to a hunterto a loup-garou.So now I hunch over ab let show up werewolves. Theyre killers and I was right solely along. I was right and Rowan waswrong.Itll only choose a minute, Jeremy said-and hislips drew back.Mary-Lynnettes heart seemed to slam violently inside her chest. Because his lips went further up thanany humans lips could. She could see his gums, whitish-pink. And she could see why his voice didnt vocalize want Jeremys-it was his dentition.White teeth in the moonlight. The teeth from herdream. Vampire teeth were nothing compared to this.The incisors at the front were made for cutting fleshfrom prey, the canines were two inches long, the teethbehind them looked designed for slicing and shearing.Mary-Lynnette suddenly remembered-somethingVic Kimbles father had said leash years ago. Hedsaid that a barbaria n could snap off the traverse of a full-grown cow clean as pruning shears. Hed been plain that psyche had let a animal-dog crossbreed looseand it was going after his cows.Except that of course it wasnt a crossbreed, Mary-Lynnette aspect. It was Jeremy. I saw him everydayat school-and then he must have gone hometo look wish well this. Tohunt.Just now, as he stood over Ash with his teeth all in all exposed and his chest heaving, Jeremy lookedcompletely, quietly insane. plainly why? Mary-Lynnette burst out.Whydo youwant to hurt him?Jeremy looked up-and she got another shock. His eyes were different. Before shed seen them flashwhite in the darkness. straight they had no whites at all. They were brown with large liquid pupils. Theeyesof an fauna.So it doesnt deal to be a full moon, she cerebration. He can change anytime.Dont you know? he said. Doesnt anybody understand?This ismy territory.Oh.Oh So it was as simple as that. After all their brainstorming and arguing and detectiv e work. In the end itwas something as basic as an fleshly protectingits range.For a hunting range, it is small, Rowan had said.They were taking my game, Jeremy said. My deer, my squirrels. They didnt have any right todothat. I tried to call them leave-but they wouldnt.They stayed and they kept killing.He stopped talking-but a new straits came fromhim. It started out most below the range of MaryLynnettes hearing-but the deep rumbling of itstruck some central chord of terror in her. It was asuncannyand inhuman as the risk-hum of an at shroud swarm of bees.Growling. He was growling. And it wasreal.The snarling growl a dog makes that tells you to turn andrun. The sound it makes before it springs at yourthroat.Jeremy Mary-Lynnette screamed. She threwherself forward, ignoring the white blaze of pain inher shoulders. provided the cord held. She was jerked back. And Jeremy fell on Ash, lunging down, headdarting forward care a striking snake, similar a biting dog, like every animal that kills with its teeth.Mary-Lynnette perceive someone screaming Noand only later realized that it was her. She was fight ingwith the cord, and she could feel stinging and wetness at her wrists. But she couldnt get pardon andshecouldnt stop seeing what was happening in frontof her. And all the time that eerie, beastly growling thatreverberated in Mary-Lynnettes own head and chest.That was when things went cold and dear. Some part of Mary-Lynnette that was stronger than the panictook over. It stepped back and looked at the entire scene by the wayside the car, which was mutedburning, sending clouds of choking white smokewhenever the wind blew the right way the limpfigure ofAsh on the pine needles the blur of snarling motion that was Jeremy.Jeremy she said, and her throat hurt, but hervoice was calm-and commanding. Jeremy-beforeyou do that-dont you want me tounderstand? You said that was what you wanted. Jeremy,help meunderstand.For a long second she mind in dismay that it wa snt going to work. That he couldnt even hear her. Butthen his head lifted. She saw his face she saw the blood on his chin.Dont scream, dont scream, Mary-Lynnette toldherself frantically. Dont show any shock. You have tokeep him talking, keep him away from Ash. tush her back her hands were working automatically, as if trying to get out of ropes was somethingtheyd invariably known how to do. The slick wetness actually helped. She could feel the cords err a little.Please help me understand, she said again, breathless, but trying to bag Jeremys eyes. Imyour friend-you know that. We go back a long way.Jeremys whitish gums were streak with red. He remedy had human features, but there was nothing at allhuman intimately that face.Now, though-slowly-his lips came down tocover his gums. He looked more like a person andless like ananimal. And when he spoke, his voicewas distorted, but she could recognize it as Jere mys voice.We do go back, he said. Ive watched you sincewe were kids-and I ve seen you watchingme.Mary-Lynnette nodded.She couldntgetany words out.I always figured that someday, when we wereolder-maybe wed be together. I thought maybe Icould make you understand. About me. About everything. I thought you were the one person who cogencynot be afraid.Im not, Mary-Lynnette said, and hoped hervoice wasnt shaking too badly. She was saying it toa figure in a blood-spattered shirt crouching over a tear body like a beast still ready to attack.MaryLynnette didnt dare look at Ash to see how badly hewas hurt. She kept her eyes locked onJeremys. And I think I can understand. You killed Mrs. Burdock, didnt you? Because she was on yourterritory. nonher Jeremy said, and his voice was sharpwith impatience. She was equitable an old lady-shedidnt hunt. I didnt mind having her in my range. Ieven did things for her, like neutering her fence andporchfor free. And thats when she told methey were coming. Those girls.Just the way she told me, Mary-Lynnette thought, with dazed revelation. And he was there repair thefence-of course. The way he does odd jobs for everybody.I told her it wouldnt work. Mary-Lynnette couldhear it again-the beginnings of a snarling growl.Jeremy was stress and trembling, and she could feel her self start to tremble, too. Three more hunters inthislittle manoeuvre I told her, but she wouldnt listen. She couldnt see. So then I lost my temper.Dont look at Ash, dont call attention to him,Mary-Lynnette thought desperately. Jeremys lips were drawing back again as if he needed something toattack. At the same time the distant part of hermind said, So thats why he used a pale=Ash was rightitwas an impulse of the moment.Well, anybody can lose their temper, she said, and even though her voice cracked and therewere tears in her eyes, Jeremy seemed to calm a little.Afterward, I thought maybe it was for the best, he said, sounding tired. I thought when the girlsfound her, theyd know they had to leave. I waited for them to do it. Im good a t waiting.He was staring past her, into the woods. Heart pounding, Mary-Lynnette grabbed the opportunity todarta look at Ash.Oh, God, hes not touching at all. And theres so oftenblood.Ive never seen so oftentimes blood.She twisted her wrists back and forth, trying to find some give in the cords.I watched, but they didnt go away, Jeremy said.Mary-Lynnettes eyes jerked back to him. instead youcame. I heard Mark talking to Jade in the garden. She said shed decided she was going tolike it here. And then I got mad. I made a noise and they heard me.His face was changing. The flesh was actually moving in front of Mary-Lynnettes eyes. His cheekboneswere broadening, his nose and mouth jutting. Hairwas creeping between his eyebrows, twist them intoa straight bar. She couldsee individual coarse hairs sprouting, dark against pale skin.Im going to be sick.Whats wrong, Mary-Lynnette? He got up and she saw that his body was changing, too. It wasstilla human body, but it was too thin-stretche d out.As if it were just long bones and sinews.Nothings wrong, Mary-Lynnette got out in a whisper. She twisted violently at her cords-and feltone hand slide.Thats it. Now keep him distracted, keep him moving away from Ash.Go on, she said breathlessly. What happenedthen?I knew I had to send them a message. I cameback the adjacent night for the goat-but you were thereagain. You ran away from me into the shed. Hemoved closer again and the moonlight caught hiseyes-and reflected. The pupils shone greenish-orange. Mary-Lynnette could only stare.That shadow in the clearing-those eyes I saw. Nota coyote.Him.He was following us everywhere.The very thought made her skin creep. But there was another thought that was worsethe picture of himkilling the goat. Doing it carefully, methodically-as a message.That was why he didnt eat the heart and liver,Mary-Lynnette realized. He didnt kill it for foodit wasnt anormal werewolf killing. And hes not a normal werewolf.He wasnt at all like what Rowan ha d described-a master animal that hunted to eat. Instead he was amad dog.Of all people,Ash had it right. Him and his jokes about rabies Youre so pulchritudinous, you know, Jeremy said suddenly. Ive always thought that. I love yourhair.He was right in her face. She could see the individual pores in his skin with coarse hairs growing out ofthem. And she couldsmellhim-the feral smell ofa zoo.He reached out to touch her hair, and his handhad dark, thick fingernails. Mary-Lynnette could feelhereyes getting wider. Say something say some thing dont show youre afraid.You knew how Mrs. Burdocks husband was killed, she got out.She told me a long time ago, Jeremy said almost absently, still moving his fingers in her hair.Hed changed so oft that his voice was getting hard to understand. I used little sticks from my modelsyou know I make models. And a black iris forhim.Ash. Jeremy said the chance on with pure hatred. I sawhim that day with his stupid T-shirt. The Black IrisClub . . . my uncl e belonged to that once. Theytreatedhim like he was second-class.His eyes were inches from Mary-Lynnettes she felt the brush of a fingernail on her ear. Suddenlyshehad the strength to give a violent wrench behind her back-and one hand came free. She froze, afraid thatJeremy would notice.I threw the goat on the porch and ran, Jeremysaid, almost crooning the words as he pettedMaryLynnette. I knew you were all in there. I was somad-I killed that knight and I kept running. Ismashed the gas station window. I was going to bum it downbut then I decided to wait.Yes,and yes, and yes, Mary-Lynnette thought, even as she carefully worked her other wrist free,even asshe stared into Jeremys crazy eyes andsmelled his animal breath. Yes, of course it was youwe heardrunning away-and you didnt fall into the hole in the porch because you knew it was there, because youwere fixing it. And yes, you were the one who smashed the window-who else would nauseate the gas stationbut somebody who worked there ?0Her fingers eased the cord off her other wrist. She felt a surge of fierce triumph-but she controlled herexpression and clenched her hands, trying to thinkof what to do. He was so strong and so quick if shejust threw herself at him, she wouldnt have a chance.And today you all came to town together, Jeremy said, finishing the story quietly, through amouth so inhuman it was hard to believe it could speak English. I heard the wayhe was talking toyou. Iknew he wanted you-and he wanted to change you into one of them. I had to protect you from that.Mary-Lynnette said almost steadily, I knew youwanted to protect me. I could tell, Jeremy. She wasfeeling over the furrowed hemlock bark behind her.How could she attack him when she didnt even havea stick for a weapon? And even if shehad,wood was no good. He wasnt a vampire.Jeremy stepped back. Relief washed over Mary-Lynnette-for one second. whence she saw with horrorthat he was plucking at his shirt, pulling it off. And underneath there w as no skin. Instead there washair. A pelt that twitched and shivered in the night air. I followed you here and I opinionated your car so youcouldnt leave, Jeremy said. I heard you say youwanted to be a vampire.Jeremy-that was justtalk.He went on as if she hadnt spoken. But that was a mistake. Werewolves are much better. Youllunderstand when I show you. The moon looks so beautiful when youre a wolf.Oh,Godand so that was what he meant by pro tecting her, by making her understand. He meantchanging her into something like him.I need a weapon.Rowan had said ash gray was harmful to werewolves,so the old silver-bullet legend must be true. But shedidnt haveasilver bullet. Or even a silver dagger A silver dagger a silverknife Behind Jeremy the station wagon was almost covert in the clouds of smoke. And by now the smokehad the red glow of irrepressible fire.Its too dangerous, Mary-Lynnette thought. Itsabout to go. Id never make it in and out.Jeremy was still talking, his voice savage now. You wont miss the Night World. All their stupidrestrictions-no killing humans, no hunting too often. Nobody tells me how to hunt. My uncle tried,but Itook care of him-Suddenly the creature-it wasnt in truth a personanymore-broke off and morose sharply. Mary-Lynnettesaw its lips go back again, saw its teeth parted and ready to bite. In the same instant she sawwhy-Ashwas moving. session up, even though his throat was cut. Lookingaround dazedly. He saw Mary-Lynnette, and his eyesseemed to focus. Then he looked at the thing Jeremy had be go in.You-get away from herl he shouted in a voiceMary-Lynnette had never heard before. A voicefilledwith deadly fury. Mary-Lynnette could see himchange position in a swift, graceful motion, gatheringhis muscles under him to set aboutBut the werewolf jumped first. Springing like ananimal-except that Jeremy still had munition, and onehandwent for the yew club. The club smashed sideways into Ashs head and knocked him flat. And then it fell,bouncing a way on the carpet of needles.The werewolf didnt need it-it was baring itsteeth. It was going to tear Ashs throat out, like the horse,like the hiker Mary-Lynnette was running.Not toward Ash. She couldnt help him barehanded. She ran toward the car, into the clouds of chokingsmoke.Oh, God, its hot. Please let me just get there.She could feel the heat on her cheeks, on her arms. She remembered something from an mere(a)school safety class and dropped to her knees, scrambling and crawling where the air was cooler.And then she heard the sound behind her. The most eerie sound there is-a wolf howling.It knows what Im doing. Its seen that knife everytime I pry off my gas cap. Its going to stop me.She threw herself blindly into the smoke and heat,and reached the car. Orange flames were shootingcrazily from the engine, and the door care for burnedher hand when she touched it. She fumbled,wrenching at it.Open,openThe door swung out. Hot air blasted around her. If shed been completely human sh e wouldnt havebeenable to stand it. But shed exchanged blood withfour vampires in two days, and she wasnt completelyhuman anymore. She wasnt Mary-Lynnette any more but was she capable of killing?Flames were licking up under the dashboard. Shegroped over smoking vinyl and shoved a hand underthe drivers seat. get word it Find itHer fingers touched metal-the knife. The silverfruit knife with the Victorian scrolling that shed borrowedfrom Mrs. Burdock. It was very hot. Her handdosed on it, and she pulled it from under the seatandturned just as something came flying at her from behind.The turning was instinctive-she had to face whatwas attacking her. But what she would always knowafterward was that she could have turned withoutpointing theknife at what was attacking her. There wasa moment in which she could have slanted it backward or toward the ground or toward herself. And ifshed been the Mary-Lynnette of the old days,she dexterity have done that.She didnt. The knife faced outward. Toward the shape jumping at her. And when the thing landed ontop of her she felt impact in her wrist and all theway up her arm.The distant part of her mind said, It went in cleanlybetween the ribs.And then everything was very confused. Mary-Lynnette felt teeth in her hair, snapping for her neck. Shefelt claws scrawl at her, leaving welts on her arms. The thing attacking her was hairy and telling and itwasnt a person or even a half-person. It was a large, snarling wolf.She was still holding the knife, but it was hard to keep her grip on it. It jerked around, bend her wristin an impossible direction. It was buried in the wolfs chest.For just an instant, as the thing pulled away, she got a good look at it.A beautiful animal. Sleek and handsome, but withcrazy eyes. It was trying to kill her with its last pantingbreath.Oh, God, you hate me, dont you? Ive chosen Ashover you Ive hurt you with silver. And now youredying. You must feel so betrayed.Mary-Lynnette began to quaver violently. She couldnt do this anymore. She let go of the knife andpushed and kicked at the wolf with her arms andlegs. Half scrambling and half scooting on her back, shemanaged to get a few feet away. The wolf stood silhouetted against a background of fire. She couldsee itgather itself for one last spring at herThere was a very soft, contained poof. The entirecar lurched like something in agony-and then the go-getter was everywhere.Mary-Lynnette cringed against the ground, halfblinded, but she had to watch.So thats what it looks like. A car going up inflames. Not the kind of big explosion you hear in themovies. Justa poof. And then just the fire, going up and up.The heat drove her away, still crawling, but she couldnt stop looking. Orange flames. That was allherstation wagon was now. Orange flames shooting every which way out of a metal skeleton on tires.The wolf didnt come out of the flames.Mary-Lynnette sat up. Smoke was in her throat,and when she tried to yell Jeremyl it came out as ahoar se croak.The wolf still didnt come out. And no wonder, with a silver knife in its chest and fire all around it.Mary-Lynnette sat, arms wrapped around herself,and watched the car bum.He would have killed me. Like any good hunter. I had to defend myself, I had to but Ash. And thegirls he would have killed all of them. And thenhed have killed more people like that hiker. He was crazyand completelyevil, because hed do anything to get what he wanted.And shed seen it from the beginning. Somethingunder that prudish guy exterior-shed seen it over andover, but shed kept letting herself get convinced it wasnt there. She should have trusted her feelingsin thefirst place. When shed realized that shedsolved the mystery of Jeremy Lovett and that it wasnt a knowingending.She was shaking but she couldnt cry.The fire roared on. Tiny sparks showered upward.I dont care if it was justified. It wasnt like killingin my dream. It wasnt easy and it wasnt naturaland Illnever forget the way he looked at me. Then she thought,Ash.Shed been so paralyzed shed almost forgotten him. Now she turned around, almost too frightened tolook. She made herself crawl over to where he was still lying.So much blood how can he be all right? But if hes dead if its all been for nothing But Ash was breathing. And when she touched hisface, trying to find a clean place in the blood, hemoved. He stirred, then he tried to sit up. full stop there. Jeremys shirt and jeans were on the ground. Mary-Lynnette picked up the shirt anddabbed at Ashs neck. Ash, keep still.He tried to sit up again. Dont worry. Ill protectyou.Lie down, Mary-Lynnette said. When he didnt, she pushed at him. Theres nothing to do. Hesdead.He sank back, eyes shutting. Did I kill him?Mary-Lynnette made a choked sound that wasnt exactly a laugh. She was trembling with relief-Ashcould breathe and talk, and he even sounded like hisnormal fatuous self. Shed had no idea how goodthatcould sound. And underneath the swabbing shirt she could see tha t his neck was already healing.Whathad been gashes were becoming flat pink scars.Vampire flesh was incredible.Ash swallowed. You didnt answer my question.No. You didnt kill him. I did.His eyes opened. They just looked at each other for a moment. And in that moment Mary-Lynnetteknew they were both realizing a lot of things.Then Ash said, Im sorry, and his voice had never been less fatuous. He pushed the shirt awayand satup. Im so sorry.She didnt know who reached first, but they were holding each other. And Mary-Lynnette was thinkingabout hunters and danger and laughing at death. About all the things it meant to really belong to the night.And about how she would never look in the mirror and see the same person she used to see.At least its over now, Ash said. She could feel his arms around her, his warmth and solidity, hissupport. There wont be any more killings. Its over.It was, and so were a lot of other things.The first sob was hard to get out. So hard thatshed have thought there wo uld be a pause beforethenext-but, no. There was no pause between that one and the next, or the next or the next. She cried for along time. And the fire burned itself out and the sparks flew upward and Ash held her all the while.