An End of Night (A Shade of Vampire #16)(29)

Hermia shuffled uncomfortably next to me.

“Hermia,” I said. “You stay here. My mother and I will go in and start trying to gather people, and then you must escort them immediately through the boundary.”

“I will wait here,” Hermia replied. “Just be careful. If I sense Rhys heading my way, I’ll have to re-enter the boundary without you. I can’t risk being caught and him gaining entrance to The Sanctuary.”

My mother and I both continued over the rocks and touched down on the sand on the other side.

The full force of the wind against my face now was dangerous. I had to close my eyes for fear of being blinded. There was a tearing sound next to me and I felt my mom’s hands around my head, tying a piece of fabric so that it protected my eyes, nose and mouth from the brunt of the wind. When I touched the cloth, it seemed like she had just ripped it off from the bottom of her shirt. It wasn’t easy to see through it, especially in this storm, but I could just about make out the ground a few feet in front of me. Everyone was invisible anyway—there wasn’t a lot to see. I would have to find my way by watching the ground for footprints. Of course my mother had her acute sense of smell. She could keep her eyes closed and still find people without problem.

“Hopefully vampires will detect your blood and start making their way toward us,” she breathed.

We waited in the same spot for a minute, but when nobody approached us, we had no choice but to move forward.

I kept my eyes focused on the ground in front of me as far as I could see, holding the fabric tight over my mouth so that nothing entered it.

I was glad when my mother let go of me so we could go in separate directions. It would make things faster.

The first footprint in the sand was only about two feet away from me. And more footprints were being created as I looked down. I heard heavy breathing—it sounded like that of a female. I reached forward and felt cold skin.

“Rose?” Ashley had scented my blood.

“Come with me,” I hissed.

I dragged her away and raced with her toward Hermia by the rocks, leaving her there and trusting that Hermia would do as my mother and I had requested.

Then I rushed back toward the stormy beach. The next footprints I spotted were large—clearly that of a man. I stopped in my tracks, holding my breath and listening for any clue as to who this was.

A hand reached out and touched me. It was warm. “Rose?” It was Micah.

I hurried back over with him to Hermia.

“Has my mother returned with anyone since?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Quite a few. Your father, grandfather, and several others. She and your father are on the beach now searching for those remaining.”

“You remember Caleb, right?” I said. “You saw him with me that day you came for us on the boat. Has he returned?”

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

I backed away and moved back into the storm. I guessed that Mona must still be out here too causing this commotion. Perhaps she was keeping Rhys occupied.

It took me much longer to spot more footprints this time. Caleb should have sensed my blood by now. Why hasn’t he made his way over to me?

Finally, I noticed indentations in the ground about five feet away. Again, they were large, as Micah’s had been. These could have been Caleb’s. Or they could have been…

My stomach plummeted as the footsteps approached me. I barely had time to stumble back before a hand reached out and grasped my arm. The moment it did, the warlock appeared before me and I realized that I too had been made visible again.

Instinct took over and fire coursed from my palms, forcing him to shoot back away from me. His eyes sparked with fury and he glared down at me.

“Rose Novak.” As he raised his palms, I was about to hurl myself in the opposite direction when a heavy weight crashed into my midriff, making me fly several feet away from the direct aim of the warlock.

Arms wrapped around my body and lifted me off the ground. I was whizzed across the beach with lightning speed. The fabric my mother had tied around me flew off and I was forced to cover my eyes with my hands. But I didn’t need sight to know that it was Caleb. I knew my fiancé too well by now. His scent, the way he breathed… I could recognize his presence even in the darkest of nights.

I cast a glance over his shoulder toward where we had left Rhys. To my horror, he had begun following us. He was so focused on the two of us that he didn’t notice a green ball of fire fly toward him from his left—from Mona’s palms, I could only assume—until the very last minute, when he flattened himself on the ground just in time.

“Mona?” I called out. “Come!”

Caleb reached the rocks with me and I guided him to the spot where we had left Hermia. To my relief, she was still standing there waiting for us. I didn’t understand why I’d been made visible on coming into contact with Rhys, but I was grateful for it because it helped Hermia spot us faster.

She grabbed hold of us and vanished us away from the spot. We reappeared again behind the boundary, in a clearing near the woods, when Hermia left us again. I looked around to see the rest of our companions. Mona, thankfully, appeared about a minute after us, Hermia and my parents by her side.

The invisibility spell over each of us had been lifted by now, allowing me to see the state of everyone. Mona looked in the worst state, her hair a disheveled mess, with cuts and burns all over her skin. Most everyone else just looked red raw from the sand, as I was sure I was.