Blood Moon
Page 29
“Ask her what she was looking for,” Savannah snickered.
Lia flushed. “That’s not important.”
“Where’s your kit?” Hunter asked sharply. Lia grabbed it off the floor and practically threw it at her. Night-vision goggles, binoculars, stakes, and other contraptions spilled out over the blanket.
“Hey, I never got a kit,” I muttered. “I totally want night-vision goggles.” Hunter already had them in her hand so I reached for the binoculars.
We all bent our necks at an angle guaranteed to give us arthritis when we got old. Assuming we actually got a chance to get old, of course. If I crossed my left eye slightly I could just see the infirmary door. The path was easier once you knew what you were looking for. There was a flurry of movement behind the van door, but we couldn’t make out what they were doing.
“So what were you looking for that had you wedged back here?” Chloe asked Lia, while we waited impatiently for something to happen.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.” Savannah grinned. “She heard Kieran was in the infirmary and she wanted a look.”
Lia pinched her roommate. “You suck, Savannah.”
Savannah just shrugged, unrepentant.
Hunter smiled briefly. “Kieran’s already gone home,” she said gently.
“Oh.” Lia tried not to sound disappointed and failed miserably. She paused. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Hunter replied. “Lucy’s the one that brought him in.”
Lia looked at me, eyes round. “You know Kieran?”
I didn’t tell her he was dating my best friend. Well, according to Nicholas he wasn’t dating Solange anymore anyway.
“Heads up,” Hunter said.
Down below, two Huntsmen emerged, carrying the limp body of a human woman to the infirmary.
“Those are the Huntsmen that came at us in the woods.” I recognized the fang necklaces as well as the man I’d pepper-egged.
“Damn it,” Hunter muttered. “I can’t figure out what they’re saying. I knew I should have learned to read lips.” It was probably the only thing in the world she didn’t know how to do yet.
The Huntsmen rushed the patient under a lamppost. Hunter and I both fumbled for a better angle. The woman had short hair, short enough that I could see the side of her neck.
And the puncture wounds, which could only have come from fangs, dripping blood.
I sucked in a breath. “Shit.”
The Huntsmen knew there was a vampire out near the school; Jody and her idiot friends knew Nicholas was with me. And now there was the body of a human woman very clearly suffering from a vampire attack. I knew for a fact Nicholas hadn’t done it. And I also knew no one was likely to believe me.
The binoculars dug into my cheekbones but try as I might, I couldn’t see anything else. They’d already rushed the woman inside.
“She wasn’t a Hunter,” Hunter said quietly, thoughtfully.
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“For one thing they never bother sneaking wounded Hunters onto the campus. They’d just drive right over the lawns if they had to.”
“Which means?”
“Which means it was a mundane, a civilian.”
I sat back. “Do they do that a lot? Bring them here, I mean?”
She looked at me grimly. “Only if it was a vampire attack and they want to be sure the person wasn’t infected. Hospitals would be useless in that case.”
“Looks like we do need protection after all,” Chloe said quietly.
That seemed to be the consensus in the rest of the dorm as well. When we got back to Hunter’s room, there was a small pewter charm hanging on the doorknob. Hunter and Chloe exchanged a grim glance and opened the door. Hunter pocketed the charm and scooped up the folded note on the carpet. It was the number 113.
“Let’s go.” Hunter turned to leave again.
“Go where?” I asked. “Is that a secret code? Night-vision goggles and secret codes. Okay, this League doesn’t entirely suck.”
“Hunter runs a secret Black Lodge,” Chloe explained quietly. “Well, sort of secret. It’s authorized by Hart but no one else really knows about it.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah,” Chloe agreed, scooping her laptop up off the desk and slipping it under her arm. “It’s because of the whole teacher-vampire drug thing. Hunter is Hart’s secret eyes and ears at the school.”
Hunter shrugged, modestly. “It’s no big deal.”
Chloe just ignored her. “The Eye of Horus means someone’s got info. It calls a secret meeting.”
“In Jenna’s room, apparently,” Hunter said, shoving the note in her pocket. “That’s her room number.” She glanced at me. “Want to come?”
“Hell, yeah, I do.”
“I was going to see if you wanted to join. I think it would be good to have your perspective, just coming into the school and everything. You might see stuff we don’t even notice anymore.”
“You mean other than the fact that I’m surprised you guys don’t run around in black capes and call each other Van Helsing?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “Other than that.” She nodded to the door. “Let’s move.”
Jenna’s room was just down the hall, next to a window hung with a hideous lace curtain that was probably meant to be homey. It was just ugly. Hunter knocked once softly and then slipped inside. Jenna was at her desk, her red hair in a braid. There was one other girl and two guys with her, none of whom I recognized. Chloe went straight to the empty bed and stretched out on her stomach, flipping open her computer.
Lia flushed. “That’s not important.”
“Where’s your kit?” Hunter asked sharply. Lia grabbed it off the floor and practically threw it at her. Night-vision goggles, binoculars, stakes, and other contraptions spilled out over the blanket.
“Hey, I never got a kit,” I muttered. “I totally want night-vision goggles.” Hunter already had them in her hand so I reached for the binoculars.
We all bent our necks at an angle guaranteed to give us arthritis when we got old. Assuming we actually got a chance to get old, of course. If I crossed my left eye slightly I could just see the infirmary door. The path was easier once you knew what you were looking for. There was a flurry of movement behind the van door, but we couldn’t make out what they were doing.
“So what were you looking for that had you wedged back here?” Chloe asked Lia, while we waited impatiently for something to happen.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.” Savannah grinned. “She heard Kieran was in the infirmary and she wanted a look.”
Lia pinched her roommate. “You suck, Savannah.”
Savannah just shrugged, unrepentant.
Hunter smiled briefly. “Kieran’s already gone home,” she said gently.
“Oh.” Lia tried not to sound disappointed and failed miserably. She paused. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Hunter replied. “Lucy’s the one that brought him in.”
Lia looked at me, eyes round. “You know Kieran?”
I didn’t tell her he was dating my best friend. Well, according to Nicholas he wasn’t dating Solange anymore anyway.
“Heads up,” Hunter said.
Down below, two Huntsmen emerged, carrying the limp body of a human woman to the infirmary.
“Those are the Huntsmen that came at us in the woods.” I recognized the fang necklaces as well as the man I’d pepper-egged.
“Damn it,” Hunter muttered. “I can’t figure out what they’re saying. I knew I should have learned to read lips.” It was probably the only thing in the world she didn’t know how to do yet.
The Huntsmen rushed the patient under a lamppost. Hunter and I both fumbled for a better angle. The woman had short hair, short enough that I could see the side of her neck.
And the puncture wounds, which could only have come from fangs, dripping blood.
I sucked in a breath. “Shit.”
The Huntsmen knew there was a vampire out near the school; Jody and her idiot friends knew Nicholas was with me. And now there was the body of a human woman very clearly suffering from a vampire attack. I knew for a fact Nicholas hadn’t done it. And I also knew no one was likely to believe me.
The binoculars dug into my cheekbones but try as I might, I couldn’t see anything else. They’d already rushed the woman inside.
“She wasn’t a Hunter,” Hunter said quietly, thoughtfully.
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“For one thing they never bother sneaking wounded Hunters onto the campus. They’d just drive right over the lawns if they had to.”
“Which means?”
“Which means it was a mundane, a civilian.”
I sat back. “Do they do that a lot? Bring them here, I mean?”
She looked at me grimly. “Only if it was a vampire attack and they want to be sure the person wasn’t infected. Hospitals would be useless in that case.”
“Looks like we do need protection after all,” Chloe said quietly.
That seemed to be the consensus in the rest of the dorm as well. When we got back to Hunter’s room, there was a small pewter charm hanging on the doorknob. Hunter and Chloe exchanged a grim glance and opened the door. Hunter pocketed the charm and scooped up the folded note on the carpet. It was the number 113.
“Let’s go.” Hunter turned to leave again.
“Go where?” I asked. “Is that a secret code? Night-vision goggles and secret codes. Okay, this League doesn’t entirely suck.”
“Hunter runs a secret Black Lodge,” Chloe explained quietly. “Well, sort of secret. It’s authorized by Hart but no one else really knows about it.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah,” Chloe agreed, scooping her laptop up off the desk and slipping it under her arm. “It’s because of the whole teacher-vampire drug thing. Hunter is Hart’s secret eyes and ears at the school.”
Hunter shrugged, modestly. “It’s no big deal.”
Chloe just ignored her. “The Eye of Horus means someone’s got info. It calls a secret meeting.”
“In Jenna’s room, apparently,” Hunter said, shoving the note in her pocket. “That’s her room number.” She glanced at me. “Want to come?”
“Hell, yeah, I do.”
“I was going to see if you wanted to join. I think it would be good to have your perspective, just coming into the school and everything. You might see stuff we don’t even notice anymore.”
“You mean other than the fact that I’m surprised you guys don’t run around in black capes and call each other Van Helsing?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “Other than that.” She nodded to the door. “Let’s move.”
Jenna’s room was just down the hall, next to a window hung with a hideous lace curtain that was probably meant to be homey. It was just ugly. Hunter knocked once softly and then slipped inside. Jenna was at her desk, her red hair in a braid. There was one other girl and two guys with her, none of whom I recognized. Chloe went straight to the empty bed and stretched out on her stomach, flipping open her computer.
