“I think we found it, and everything else she thought was important.”
“I’m going to head back to the apartment to read all this.”
“Are you sure, Hayley? The manor may not be one hundred percent protected, but it's far better than the apartment. Let’s stay here and look through what you’ve found, and then I can conceal them, and we can put them back.”
Did I want to do that? Would that be the safest option? Magic left a trail, an aura, especially recently used magic, and if there was a mole within these walls, they might try and find what we have hidden away. I thought for a minute or two on the subject, but my fingers itched, demanding I open the folders now and find out everything my mother knew.
Did she have information on Angelique? We only knew as much as our informants were able to get or I was able to get while nearly killing her minions, her vampire or werewolf soldiers.
“No, I will keep them with me. Conceal them so that only you and I can see them and come to the apartment with me and respell it. You can cover it with more protection and harder to break spells.”
“Alright, if that’s what you wish, I will do it.”
Although I felt Jackson and I were equals, almost the same person, he would always do as he was asked or ordered and never question me. Sometimes though, I felt that it was his downfall, as he had his own voice and it deserved to be heard.
13
Offering to join Jackson in due time, I headed towards Eric’s room. I knew we needed to talk, and I didn’t like how we left things. He still hadn’t returned mine or Jackson’s calls, and it was unlike him to go completely radio silent. I was hoping he was asleep or at least in the gym, but alas entering his room, the bed appeared to be still made and nothing was out of place.
Odd, as he was usually the messy one of the three of us. Strange even, looking around I noticed his running shoes and his usual gym attire were over the back of his desk chair.
Pulling out my phone again, I started to ring him, and the ringtone came from the bathroom, my heart sank as if my body awakened, and my senses started to tingle.Blood.
Pushing open the bathroom door slowly, it stopped as if something was blocking it and as much as I wanted to rip it off its hinges, I had a funny feeling it wasn’t something random blocking the door.
Managing to slip through the small gap and into the bathroom, there lying against the door was Eric, beaten and bloody. My eyes widened as I dropped to my knees, lifting him up and checking for a pulse. It was faint, but there. Quickly, I grabbed my phone and dialled Jackson’s number.
“I’m just leaving now, hold your horses.”
“Jackson! I need help.”
“What? What is it? What happened?”
I could hear the sudden urgency in his voice as he stopped whatever he was doing.
“Eric, I’ve found him, he’s badly hurt.”
“Where are you?”
“In his room, get someone here now to help! He’s lost a lot of blood.”
Eric groaned as I placed my hand against his cheek and his eyes faintly opened but only for a second before he coughed, and more blood spilled from his mouth as mine began to water.
Blood.
The sweet metallic smell hit my nose, and I couldn’t stop myself for a moment as I leaned forward, towards Eric’s mouth.
Blood.
Blood is life.
Blood is everything.
The voice of my father echoed in my brain as he chimed on about the Van Helsing line, where we come from and how we were made, created into killing machines but there was always a price, a price we had learnt to control, to suppress and yet here it was, calling to me, begging me.
“Hayley!”
Jackson’s voice broke through as he poked his head around the bathroom door and looked down at Eric and me. I hadn’t moved him away from the door for fear I might break something, but if I didn’t move him, no one would be able to get in and come to his aid.