Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Four

Keeping pace with Marina’s shadow, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m stepping into a chapter of history that’s still being written. When she came into my life, I wasn”t expecting her—a beautiful woman who fell right out of the sky, covered in blood. She is either crazy or somehow this all is real, which means that I might have stumbled upon something incredible. Marina seems convinced enough for the both of us, so I”ve been following her through the city since she left my apartment, trailing behind just far enough to keep myself hidden.

My hands twitch at my sides as I resist the urge to run after her. I don”t know what has gotten into me. My head keeps telling me to slow down, but my body won”t obey. The truth is, I want to make sure nothing happens to her. I want to help her get on her feet again. The kiss we shared was unexpected, but I can”t deny how much it affected me. She has this intoxicating aura that seems to draw me in with every step, and it would be easy to let myself be caught up in the moment.

So, I trail Marina at a safe distance, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. Every now and then, she glances over her shoulder, but she doesn”t see me. She”s on edge, and I can”t blame her. Someone is following her, after all. Still, as I follow her through the city, my thoughts are a whirlwind. I still can”t wrap my head around the idea that she really is a vampire, or rather, used to be one. Sure, I”ve studied the occult, but more out of morbid curiosity than actually believing. I still don”t believe it, of course, but it does seem very real to her.

I look up from watching Marina walk ahead of me. There”s a row of old churches down this side street, their stone walls painted a pretty shade of orange by the sunset. I”m about to turn around and head back the other way when something catches my eye: a man hiding in the shadows behind one of the buildings. He looks familiar...

Then, just as Marina walks by, he leaps forward, grabbing her by the wrist. It takes a moment for me to register what”s happening, and by then it”s already too late—the man in black, the same one from earlier, has her in his grasp. She kicks him in the stomach with all her might, forcing him to let go, but before she can run off again, he grabs her once more and drags her into the alley. I hear the sound of a scuffle as she tries to fight him off, and I charge forward without thinking twice, not realizing until I”m right there that I have absolutely no idea how to get her out of this situation. I”m a historian, not a ninja, and while I”m not afraid of a fight, I don”t make a habit of going around looking for one.

When I finally make my way inside, the man in black has Marina pinned against the wall, her feet dangling above the ground. Her hands are free at her side, and she thrashes around trying to knock him off-balance. He holds up a knife in his hand, but it looks dull and rusted. I take a step to rush forward, but Marina knocks the weapon out of his hand before I can even move an inch. When it hits the ground, it makes a clanging noise that echoes throughout the empty alley.

She turns to the sound of it hitting the pavement, kicking the man again to push him away. He stumbles back into the wall with a grunt and then growls as he jumps up and throws himself at her again. But this time, he doesn”t have the element of surprise.

With an unnatural speed, Marina kicks him again in the stomach, and he drops to his knees. She quickly knocks him on the back of the head with one palm, and he goes down hard onto the concrete pavement beneath him, unmoving. I gasp, my heart racing a million miles per second as I take in the scene before me. For a moment, I think she might just finish him off, but instead, she lets out a sigh and stands over his unconscious form, panting heavily.

Her skin is flushed pink like she”s been working out or running a marathon, and her chest rises up and down as she catches her breath. Her hair has come undone from its ponytail, sticking out wildly about her face, and there”s something captivating about her raw strength.

”Impressive,” a female voice calls from deeper in the alley.

I crouch down behind a dumpster, out of sight, just as a woman walks around the corner. She looks young; her face is fresh, no lines or wrinkles marring her features yet. But despite this, she carries herself with authority. When Marina turns to look at her, the two seem familiar, like they”ve met before, but then Marina says, ”Who are you?”

”That doesn”t really matter.” The woman walks forward until she”s standing directly beside the man on the ground. She reaches out to brush away his hair, revealing an angry-looking cut above his eyebrow, and then stands up again. When she looks up, she has fangs grazing her bottom lip, and I suck in a sharp breath at the sight. ”I think the more important question is, what are you? You smell like a vampire, but it”s muddled. Like you were once one, but now you aren”t anymore. But that”s not possible.”

Marina crosses her arms over her chest defensively. ”I don”t know how any of this happened, but it did happen. Believe me when I say that I”ve been through hell trying to figure out what is going on. This guy has something to do with it, I know that much. He”s stalked me ever since I woke up from... from my transformation.”

The woman makes a strange face, like Marina”s words are the most bizarre thing she”s ever heard in her life. I”m beginning to wonder if Marina was telling the truth—whether all of this is actually real or just a bizarre nightmare. Either way, I have no choice but to take her word for it now. The evidence speaks for itself.

”So, if you aren”t human, then what are you?” the woman asks, tapping her foot against the ground.

”Something in between, I think,” Marina admits. ”I don”t remember exactly how any of it happened. My memories seem foggy.”

She cocks her head to the side, studying Marina curiously. Then, after a long moment, she shrugs and says, ”Well, whatever you are, that one”—she points to the man on the ground—”won”t be bothering you again.”

Marina takes a step toward him, studying his face. She nudges him with her shoe, and he stirs, moaning in pain, but he doesn”t open his eyes. ”I tell you what. I”ll bring him back to our clan”s lair. When he wakes up, we”ll question him. If there”s a way to turn vampires back to human, we need to know about it. Care to join us?”

My heart stops at the notion. Even if it”s true that the strange woman is a vampire and that Marina used to be one, she isn”t one now. What happens if the vampire and her friends get hungry and Marina is the only snack in sight? I can”t let that happen.

Before I have a chance to second-guess myself, I pop out from my hiding place, holding my hands above my head to show I mean no harm. The woman hisses, and Marina whirls around to look at me.

”Gabriel? What are you doing here?” she demands.

”Protecting you?” It comes out more as a question, considering Marina has just proven she doesn”t technically need my help, but the words feel right nonetheless. I turn my attention to the vampire, the one who is baring her teeth at me right now. ”Hi there, um, I come in peace and all that.” Please don”t bite me.

”You know him?” the female vampire asks.

Marina nods, her expression softening when she turns back to me. ”Yes, we met at the hospital earlier today. He... He was helping me.”

The woman takes a step toward me, narrowing her eyes. ”A human helping a vampire? Strange.”

I swallow hard, trying to remain calm as she comes closer. I take a step back from her, but there”s no escaping her wrath if she wants to tear me limb from limb. ”Um, yes, strange. Is that what you are—a vampire? Fascinating. Marina tried to tell me she is, was, a vampire, but you know, stupid know-it-all human that I am, I didn”t believe her. Now, here you are, so... You win! Sorry about that, Marina.” I”m rambling, and I imagine it sounds ridiculous, but I can”t stop now. ”Well, anyway, I was just hoping Marina might consider coming back with me. I know you extended an invitation, and that was very kind of you, I just... I”d love to learn more about what”s going on so I can find a way to... help?”

She tilts her head to the side like a dog listening to music it doesn”t quite understand. Then she chuckles lightly and lowers her shoulders. ”Gabriel, was it? Gabriel, I”m Emily, and while I appreciate your willingness to help here, I think─”

”I think I should go back with him,” Marina interrupts. She takes my hand, lacing our fingers together, and gives me a weak smile. ”I”m not at my full strength, and I think this is something best discussed in a safe location. Away from all this.” She nods toward the man lying on the ground nearby.

Emily blinks, glancing between Marina and me, and shrugs. ”All right, then. Like I said, I”ll bring this man back to my place and question him. I”ll be in touch if we get anything out of him.”

”How are you going to do that?” Marina questions. ”I don”t have a way to reach out to you.”

The vampire slinks forward, extending her hand expectantly. She stands there for a moment, and it takes Marina nudging me with her elbow for me to realize she”s asking for a cell phone. Since Marina doesn”t have one, I fish mine out of my pocket and place it in her palm.

She quickly punches in a number before handing it back. ”There, you should receive an incoming call from this number soon enough. Don”t worry, Gabriel—I promise I won”t bite.” The vampire grins at us and then turns around and drags the unconscious man out of the alley toward whatever lair he mentioned earlier.

I stare at my phone, trying to come to terms with the fact that a vampire just programmed her phone number into my device. The whole situation feels surreal. I wonder if Marina feels the same way or if it”s all in a day”s work for someone like her. No, there”s no way. Emily said it shouldn”t be possible for a vampire to turn back to human, so this is uncharted territory, even for Marina. When I think about how troubling that must be for Marina, how lonely that must make her feel, my heart aches for her.

This poor woman has lost her identity, and her new one is unknown. How can she go on knowing everything she used to be isn”t who she is anymore? She must feel like an impostor, pretending to be a person. I”m still not thrilled that she bit me earlier, but it does make sense. She must have these residual urges that she”s not used to having to keep in check.

More than ever, I”m determined to help her find some answers to her current predicament. I could lie and call it professional curiosity, but I know that isn”t the truth. What I do feels more personal now, almost like I have a responsibility to look out for her. It makes no sense—we only just met, and I don”t even know much about her beyond her name—but it”s there all the same.

So, I walk back to my apartment with a reformed vampire in tow. Things could only get weirder from here on out, right?