A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(21)

Chapter 15: Sofia

We had no time to lose. Neither Derek, Corrine nor I knew how long this was going to take. Hopefully, if the humans weren’t too difficult to convince, we wouldn’t be gone more than a day.

We decided to head to the place where the first abduction had taken place in California. After the meeting was adjourned, Derek and I hurried back to our apartment to get ready for the journey, while Corrine returned to the Sanctuary to make her own preparations.

We hoped that by the time we returned, Mona would have formulated a plan on how to get rid of Lilith once and for all. In the meantime, we had to do what we could to prevent more human lives being lost.

We hurried about in our bedroom, stripping out of our pajamas and changing into comfortable and durable clothing. I pulled out a large umbrella from one of the cupboards and tucked it beneath my arm.

It was still early in the morning and we had no desire to wake Rose up. We would be back soon and Caleb would inform her of where we’d gone.

“Are you ready?” Derek asked.

“Yeah. I think so.”

We left the bedroom and made our way toward the living room to find my father standing there. He looked at us with concern. He drew me into a hug and kissed my cheeks.

“Be careful,” he said. He squeezed Derek’s shoulder before stepping back from both of us.

We descended to the forest ground and parted ways. Derek and I headed straight for the Sanctuary to pick up Corrine. We found her standing on her doorstep, lost in a passionate embrace with her husband. We waited until they were done before approaching. Corrine left her husband’s side and came to stand next to us. She had a map in one hand, and a thick cloak was wrapped around her shoulders. She breathed out heavily. “Okay, let’s go.”

She held onto both of us, and the peaceful courtyard of the Sanctuary vanished.

When we stopped spinning through the air and my feet touched solid ground, my vision came into focus. We were standing outside a large rectangular building, lit by fluorescent lighting. After adjusting my clothes, I ran my hands through Derek’s hair, smoothing it out. Then we headed straight for the entrance.

A plump, baldheaded man was sitting behind a wide wooden desk in the entrance area. He looked up as we entered. Surprise showed in his eyes. We had tried to wear clothes as plain as possible, but I supposed we still looked odd to him with our rather old-fashioned cloaks, especially me with my pale skin, and at this early hour of the morning.

He stood up, all five foot of him. “What can I help you with?”

“We have some information that will be of interest to you,” Derek said.

“Regarding what?”

“The school incident.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Please take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the seats around his desk.

We did as he’d requested, watching as he picked up a phone and dialed a number.

“Three people are here regarding the incident at the school,” he murmured, looking over us once more. “Can you see them now? Okay.”

He put the phone down and beckoned us over again. Retrieving a ring of keys from one of the drawers in his desk, he got up and pushed open the narrow door directly behind him. “Alex,” he called inside.

A young man appeared in the doorway wearing a uniform.

“Take these people straight to Wilson’s office,” the bald man said. “He’s stayed late.”

Alex nodded and led us out of the room toward a flight of stairs. We climbed two levels up before stopping outside a door labeled twenty. He knocked.

“Come in,” a deep voice called.

Alex pushed the door open. We stepped inside and found ourselves in a small office, lit by bright strip lights. A tall man stood behind a narrow desk. He had grey-streaked hair and deep lines in his forehead.

The police officer held out a hand for each of us to shake. “Officer Wilson. Your names?”

Derek replied before Corrine or I could. “My name is Kyle Ardene. This is my wife, Claudia Ardene, and this is our friend, Ashley Novalic.”

I would have fought back a laugh at the mishmash of names Derek came up with had my stomach not been in knots. Corrine scowled discreetly.

The man’s gaze fixed on Derek. “Mr. Ardene, what can you tell me?”

“There will be another attack. Likely more than one. Schools need to be closed. Adults and children alike need to stay in their homes. Each household must be equipped with at least one gun.”

Before Derek could continue, Wilson held up a hand. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a camera and a mini-tripod.

“I’m going to record this, if that’s okay.” He set up the tripod so that the camera was pointed toward the three of us and pressed record. Then Wilson folded his hands on the table and leaned forward in his chair, watching Derek intently. “Please repeat what you just said.”

Derek acquiesced.

“How do you know this?” Wilson asked. A deep frown settled in on his face.

“By now you may have realized that there exist beings who are very different from you. Nonhuman, supernatural beings. The three of us are such beings. That’s how we know.”

Wilson’s frown deepened. He looked from Derek, to me, to Corrine, then back to Derek again.

After almost a minute’s pause, he said, “What exactly do you mean by… supernaturals?”