Transformation: The Clandestine Saga Book 1 E-Book

Johnson ID

• Herausgeber: ID Johnson
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

If vampires aren't real, what did she just kill?

Cadence Findley never gave much thought to vampires until one night when a dark encounter changed her life forever.

When her friend is lured into the woods by a stranger with steel-gray eyes and pale skin, Cadence instinctively knows he is dangerous, so she follows at a distance. Moments later, she finds herself all alone with his decapitated head--and her friend's body at her feet.

Except she's not really alone. A mysterious man appears out of nowhere and insists she runs. The monster has friends--the blood sucking kind. 


And now, they are coming for her.

Swept into a world full of creatures she never dreamed existed, Cadence is left with a choice. Can she outrun the clan of vampires who've marked her for death, or should she follow the advice of the sexy man in black who warned her in the woods and now insists she transform into a vampire hunter?
Will Cadence escape the bloodsuckers on her tail as she enters the secret world of vampires and guardians, hunters and hybrids?

Book 9, Termination, the final book in the series, will be released September 15, so start this thrilling series today.

Leseprobe

Transformation

The Clandestine Saga Book 1

ID Johnson

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover art by Sparrow Book Cover Design

Created with Vellum

For Bill

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

A Note from the Author

Also by ID Johnson

Chapter 1

“We really should do something fun while you are all in town,” Drew Peterson exclaimed as she plopped herself down on a giant pink bean bag chair near the window in Cadence Findley’s bedroom. The rest of her friends were strewn about the room already; Taylor Christianson and Sydney Cox on the bed, Jon Chancellor and Kash Donatello in the two small chairs across the room, Jack Cook slumped against the wall next to the chairs. How many times had they all crashed here during high school? Now that all of them except for Drew, the baby of the group, had graduated from high school and gone on with their lives, these times were much rarer, and it had occurred to Cadence more than once that evening that this may be the last time she had her gang all together.

While her friends continued their idle chatter, Cadence sat in front of her computer screen, trying to finish the last two pages of her English paper. Professor Martin was such a jerk for giving them homework over Thanksgiving break! If she could just get this done, she would finally be able to enjoy her friends’ company, rather than haphazardly chiming in from time to time and occasionally shooting annoying glances in their direction when they got a little overzealous in their enjoyment of a week free from school.

The group was a bit of an eclectic collection of personalities. Cadence was never quite sure what the glue was that kept them together, though Taylor insisted that Cadence was the glue. She didn’t think so. With her long brown hair, large brown eyes, and perfectly proportioned facial features, she had been fairly popular in high school. Yet, she had always felt there was something different about herself, like she never quite fit in with the rest of the kids in school. She had participated in extracurricular activities, like cheerleading and choir. She had attended the dances and pretended to care about what others thought of her hair and her clothes. But at the end of the day, she always felt that the worries of high school were nothing compared to the “real” world. When she graduated last May, there was no question she was going away to college. She would have liked to have gone even farther than the University of Iowa in Iowa City, but they offered her a pretty nice scholarship, and she took it. And it wasn’t so far away that she couldn’t drive back to her hometown of Shenandoah for holidays such as this.

None of her friends had gone with her. In fact, she and Jack had broken off their two-year long relationship because he did not want her to go. He had already signed on to play baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers—a pretty big deal—and was hoping that he would show up "big man on campus" with his pretty little lady on his arm. But Cadence had other plans for her life, and his insistence that she follow him to Lincoln had ended their relationship, though they had somehow managed to remain friends, something that Cadence was thankful for.

The rest of the group had scattered to other institutes of higher learning, with the exception of Jon who went to work for his father’s plumbing company for a bit, hoping to save some money before starting college. And Drew was a senior in high school this year. She had been on the cheerleading squad with the other girls, and though her peppiness was often annoying, she had wedged her way into their group via a short-lived relationship with Kash.

“Cadence, did you hear me?” Drew’s chipper voice called from the corner. Cadence had been so preoccupied with finishing her assignment she had no idea what the rest of the group was talking about. “I said, 'Have you ever heard of an Eidolon Festival?'”

Temporarily pulling her eyes away from the computer screen, Cadence turned to address the spunky little blonde. “A what?”

“That’s exactly what I just said!” Jack chuckled from his slumped position on the floor.

“It’s so cool!” Drew said, bounding up from the floor and crossing to where Cadence sat in front of the computer. “I saw a flyer the other day at this gas station. We’ve got to check it out!”

“Because a gas station is where I always go to meet my entertainment needs,” Jon mumbled sarcastically as Drew shoved her way between Cadence and the computer.

“What are you doing?” Cadence asked, watching helplessly as Drew grabbed the mouse out of her hand and opened up Chrome.

“Okay, so, Miss English Teacher,” she said, referring to Cadence’s career ambitions, “what does eidolon mean?”

Cadence thought for a moment. She knew she had heard the word before, but she wasn’t precisely sure she knew the correct definition. In fact, she would be surprised if Drew knew. She wasn’t exactly known for her broad vocabulary.

Taylor was standing behind her chair now, a purple pillow pressed against her chest. “It sounds like a place lazy people go to drink wine if you ask me!”

Drew snorted and rolled her eyes. “It’s eye-dol-in not idle-wine!” she exclaimed.

“Isn’t it like a ghost or something?” Cadence asked. Drew was frantically searching Google, trying to find more information than what was printed on the flyer from the gas station.

“I’ve never heard of it before,” Kash remarked, “But if it’s a party, you can count me in.”

“A party about ghosts?” Sydney asked. She was still sitting on the bed but was no longer reclining. She strained her neck to peer across the short distance to Cadence’s computer screen.

“It just means a specter or a phantom,” Drew proclaimed. “I know, I looked it up on Dictionary.com.”

“And that makes you an expert!” Jon added in his typical sarcastic tone.

“I’m not an expert,” Drew responded as she continued various searches containing the words “eidolon” and “festival” and “Iowa.” “But I would like to be!”

“Well, what did the flyer say?” Taylor asked.

Drew continued to search, now adding the word “secret” into her search criteria. “It was kind of cryptic, for a flyer. It just said something like ‘Eidolon gather, Percy’s Lot, Villisca, witching hour, November 26th.’ I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t dropped my keys.”

The rest of her friends exchanged questioning glances, but Drew didn’t seem to notice. She continued to search as the others drew straws nonverbally to determine who got to ask exactly what Drew meant. Finally, Jon exclaimed, “Explain!”

Drew was used to having to explain herself. She was a bit ditsy at times—most of the time. She sighed in frustration, “I was walking out of the gas station, and I dropped my keys. I bent down to pick them up, and I noticed a red scrap of paper sticking out from behind a trash can. It was bright red, so it caught my attention. So, I grabbed it and read it. And I had no idea what eidolon meant, but I knew that festival meant party! So, I tried to find out more info on my phone, but I couldn’t find anything else out about it. I did find out that eidolon means phantom though, which sounds cool, so I think we should all go. It’ll be totally creepy and fun!”

“So, for all you know, this is, like, a private party?” Taylor asked, confused.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s a festival, and it was a typed flyer, so it’s not like someone just wrote a note and dropped it. They want people to go,” Drew said a bit defensively.

“Then why don’t they advertise it or at least have a website?” Sydney wanted to know.

Drew sighed, tossing the mouse away and crossing back to the bean bag chair. “Come on, guys!” she exclaimed. “All of you are off in college or working, and I’m here going to flippin’ high school. I never get to have any fun! Would you please just go with me?”

“It sounds kinda cool to me,” Kash agreed. For a moment, Cadence wondered why Drew and Kash ever broke up.

“Listen,” it was Taylor this time, “it’s the night before Thanksgiving. I don’t think my parents will like it if I’m out partying until the wee hours of the morning. My mom is going to expect me to help with the dinner, you know.”

“What time is the witching hour anyway? Midnight?” Sydney asked, her expression seeming to indicate that she was considering going with Drew.

“No,” Cadence said almost automatically. “It’s 3:00 AM.”

“Are you sure?” Jack asked. “I always heard it was midnight.”

Cadence’s glance became a bit sterner. “I’m sure,” she replied.

“Search engine it!” Taylor said, taking over the mouse.

Jon laughed, “Because the word Google is trademarked,” he commented quietly, almost to himself.

“She’s right!” Taylor exclaimed. “It is 3:00 AM. Says so right here.”

“On Wikipedia? The most reliable source of information since the invention of the Internet,” Jon sneered.

“No, it’s not Wikipedia! It’s a site about witches!” Taylor said defensively.

“There’s no way I’m going out to a party at 3:00 AM the night before Thanksgiving!” Sydney stated emphatically, her hands tugging absently on her light brown ponytail.

“Me neither!” Taylor agreed.

“Come on!” Drew pleaded. “We’ve gone out that late lots of times! Remember when we snuck off to Red Oak Tap? We all told our parents we were staying at Cadence’s house, and she told her mom she was at your house, Syd. It was the best time ever!”

Sydney seemed to contemplate this argument for a moment, her green eyes flickering with memories of times well spent with this group of friends. “I don’t know….” she said as the tides began to turn in favor of one last hurrah with her gang.

“Well, I’m in. And I’ll drive,” Kash said, slapping both hands down on his legs.

“I’m too scared to go!” Taylor proclaimed, pouncing back on the bed next to Sydney.

“You’ll be fine!” Kash proclaimed.

“I’ll protect you,” Jon added, rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows.

Taylor laughed. Jon was always flirting with her, but thus far, nothing had ever happened between them. “You’re going then?” she asked, tossing her long blonde hair back over her shoulder.

“Well,” Jon said hesitantly. He looked at Kash, who was nodding his head. The two of them had gone almost everywhere together since the beginning of high school. Even now that Kash was attending Iowa Western Community College, they still found plenty of time to hang out together. Cadence knew it would be hard for him to miss out on a chance to have another adventure with his best friend. “I guess so,” he said slowly. “If Kash is going, then I’ll go. I’ve never been to a festival based on wickedness before, but I can only assume this may be a prime opportunity to see some boobies.”

The girls all groaned in disgust, and Sydney threw a pillow at him while the boys chuckled in agreement.

“Jack?” Drew asked.

Jack was fairly reserved, so the prospect of seeing topless women probably wasn’t a motivating factor for him, at least not one he would be willing to verbalize. But as his eyes glanced around the room at his friends, they lingered on Cadence. She felt uncomfortable and had to look away. “I don’t know,” he began. “Cadence, what do you think?”

Having turned her back to the group when the pressure of Jack’s intense stare became too much, she slowly turned back to face them. She was silent hoping no one would remember that she was present, and therefore, she wouldn’t be asked to go. Of course, since they were sitting in her bedroom, the chances of this were slim. “Well,” she sighed, “this certainly isn’t my thing. There’s nothing at all interesting to me about ghosts and goblins, vampires, and all that.”

“Seriously?” Drew asked, slumping her shoulders. “You know no one else will go if you don’t, Cadence.” The pouty face was back, and Drew released a loud sigh before crossing her arms and leaning back sharply. “Fine, I’ll just go by myself!”

“I said I’d go,” Kash reiterated, but Drew didn’t lose her wounded kitten expression.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for some of us to go and not all of us,” Jack stated assertively.

As much as Cadence wanted to disagree with him, he did have a point. Drew was only seventeen years old, and even if Kash and Jon went with her, they still might end up in a situation that wasn’t safe. However, if all seven of them stuck together, like they always had, she felt better about their chances of avoiding evil regardless of the theme of the revelry. She glanced at Sydney, who was chewing furiously on her bottom lip, a sign that she had not decided whether or not to risk it, and Taylor who was staring at the floor, shaking her head back and forth slowly. Taylor clearly did not want to go. Then, Cadence looked back at Drew. Her arms were still crossed, her chin forced into her chest. “Fine,” she finally acquiesced. “Let’s go.”

The sky was pitch black, clouds covering whatever stars may dare to shine. The moon hung low, its enervating journey home to the horizon almost concluded. Though it was late November, the chill seemed to come from within, not from the cool breeze that gently nudged her back to the safety of their vehicle.

A glitch in the passage of time took place, and suddenly they were in the midst of the festivities. Flashes of smoke and fire clouded her vision. Many of the participants were masked, or perhaps their faces were contorted. They wound their way amongst the ghouls and specters. A parade of undead gamboled by, clad in crimson and black, shrill laughter ringing, percussion jarring them along. A pair of eyes that seemed to see through her very soul. Pure evil incarnate.

Suddenly, the search was on. Frantically looking, running about. She did not know who or what she was looking for, but she knew she must become whole again at once. And then a vision of horror. Scarlet droplets turning to an endless flow. Disbelief overshadowed by rage, and it was over. An incessant need to run, to escape, to flee this place, never to return. They would never return....

Cadence bolted upright. Despite the chilly room, she was sweating. At first, she couldn’t remember exactly what she had been dreaming about, but she knew she had been sprinting in her dream, and her chest heaved as if she had been truly attempting to outrun a predator.

She wiped her brow on the sleeve of her flannel pajamas, and after a moment to compose herself, turned to her nightstand and a drink of water. Whatever she had been dreaming, it was terrible, and she was afraid to go back to sleep. She glanced at the clock next to her bed. It was 3:00 AM. She felt chills climbing up her spine as she realized at this time tomorrow, she would be at the Eidolon Festival. Suddenly, she remembered, she had been dreaming about attending the fair. But, if her dream was any indicator of what type of phantoms they might encounter at such a place, it wasn’t ghosts and ghouls they should fear. It was vampires.

Cadence pondered making a phone call to one of her friends, possibly Sydney or Taylor. As the details from her dream came flooding back, it seemed more and more real. Considering the time, she decided not to disturb them, though she was sure neither of them would mind if she woke them up to discuss her trepidation. Nevertheless, it was in fact, just a dream. She finally withdrew her stare from her iPhone on the nightstand and slid back down under the covers. She would talk to Drew the next day and tell her she didn’t think attending the Eidolon Festival was a good idea at all.

Chapter 2

Kash’s mom had driven the same Suburban for the last twenty-two years and, even though it was old and had no bells and whistles, it had enough room for all seven of them to ride in one vehicle, so most times, it was their vehicle of choice. When they all piled in at 3:15 in the morning to make the short trip to Villisca, most of the girls did so reluctantly, particularly Taylor, who was actually crying, and Cadence, who had clearly lost her battle with Drew, and once again, given in to the sobs and declarations of attending solo. Cadence hated being late, but she figured for an event such as this it didn’t really make much difference.

Typically, Sydney and Drew sat in the back because they were the most petite. Cadence was shaped more like an athlete, and though she really didn’t have a much bigger footprint, she did have longer legs, so the other girls let her sit in the middle seat with Taylor, who was just a bit curvier than the other girls and Jack, whose position had changed from right next to Cadence to the far side of the seat once they decided to be “just friends.” Despite the fact that Jon had ridden shotgun approximately four thousand consecutive times, he still insisted on yelling “shotgun” as they approached the vehicle, just in case someone decided to challenge his position.

This time, however, the seating changed just a bit. Taylor and Cadence were ordered into the vehicle first so that the others made sure they didn’t try to escape. Though it was possible Taylor may turn and run at any moment, Cadence wasn’t going anywhere without Drew. She was determined to keep her younger friend in her sights the entire time and keep her safe no matter what. She had no reason to suspect that this would be anything other than a wild party, full of costumed drunks attempting to get lucky. Nevertheless, her dream had been enough to inspire a sense of caution, and she was particularly concerned about Drew’s well-being.

Drew was sitting in the middle of the seat in front of her, so excited that she would not even buckle her seatbelt but insisted on leaning up between the two bucket seats, shouting directions. It had not been easy, but she had been able to procure the address for Percy’s Lot through an extensive online search of property records. Luckily for them, there was only one Percy who owned a significant tract of land near Villisca, Iowa.

It was unseasonably warm, and most of them were only wearing light coats or jackets. Drew was wearing a bright red cape and had also brought a Guy Fawkes inspired mask. Drew mentioned that she was disappointed that no one else had decided to wear a costume, but she was so invigorated that they had decided to go, she let her disappointment lie.

Cadence hadn’t been easily convinced to come along. In fact, Drew had been forced to turn on the tears. Cadence had showed up earlier that day, adamant that this was a dangerous idea and that someone could get hurt. They weren’t invited to these festivities; they didn’t know anyone else who was going to be there, and for all they knew, this could be a group of devil worshipers. Drew had snickered at the last remark, which made Cadence angry. She explained what she had dreamt and that it had not ended well and, though she was aware it was just a dream, and no, she didn’t think it was a premonition, per se, it did make her more aware of the fact that what they were doing was potentially hazardous, and they should just find something else to do. By then, however, Drew had already purchased her costume and made arrangements to sneak out of the house. There was no way she was going to change her mind, and if Cadence didn’t want to go, she could just stay home by herself. Drew was going. Period. End statement.

So, Cadence had to go, too, because she was not letting Drew go without her, no matter how many gentleman escorts she may have. If Drew was going to put herself in a vulnerable situation, then Cadence was going to follow. She just wished she hadn’t quit karate lessons in the third grade.

It didn’t seem to Cadence like it took very long at all to reach what Drew was sure must be Percy’s Lot. At first, there didn’t appear to be anything much happening in the open field west of town. In fact, the countryside seemed to be sleeping. Then, Kash pointed out a soft orange glow off in the distance, and they realized there would be some trekking involved in reaching their destination.

They decided to pull into the field and drive in the grass for a bit, an attempt to determine whether or not there was an actual designated parking area or if they were supposed to hoof it from the road. As Kash carefully made his way over the uneven surface, they began to see dark shapes in the distance and realized there were, in fact, other vehicles. The sound of music drifted through the air, and Drew began to sway in time to the beat of the drums.

As they poured out of the vehicle, Cadence paused for a moment to look up at the sky. A soft haze illuminated the night around the festivities, but the rest of the firmament was nothing but ebony, crowned by a full moon sliding below the horizon, its pale orange hue lending an air of foreboding. Cadence knew this scene looked familiar, and she braced herself for what she felt may come.

As they approached what seemed to be an entrance, the entire party tensed up. They had no idea if they would be charged a monetary fee, required to show an invitation, or sign over their first-born child. There was no gate, however. No ticket taker. Only a ring of tents, haphazardly thrown up to create some sort of perimeter and several more temporary dwellings within the outer circle. It was difficult to ascertain exactly how large the area was. Several bonfires were strewn amongst the structures, and the smoke created a permanent fog that hovered around them. There was also a thin layer of fog that sat right on top of them, lending itself nicely to the eerie setting. As if reading her mind, Jack leaned over to Cadence and said quietly, “All we need now is a creepy castle, and we’ll be all set.”

Perhaps what was more disturbing than the setting were the partygoers themselves. Many of them were wearing costumes, much to Drew’s delight. Many more needed no costumes; they were even more frightening than those in masks and capes. Everywhere she looked, Cadence saw complicated facial piercings, brightly colored hair, and any skin that was showing (and there was a lot, despite the cooler temperatures), was tattooed. These were not your typical, “Mom” tattoos either. Rather, the majority of them depicted horror scenes and fantastic creatures hell-bent on ripping one’s lungs straight from one’s chest.

If anyone noticed they did not belong, they said nothing. There were a handful of other lost souls wandering around, eyes wide open, mouths ajar. But the majority of the attendees had clearly known what to expect, and they were there to revel in their own unique world of horror.

“Let’s go home,” Cadence pleaded, turning to Jack and placing her hand on his arm.

It was loud and difficult to hear. “What’s that?” he asked, leaning toward her.

Cadence glanced around again. She was accidentally making eye contact with many of the revelers now, and their piercing stares seemed almost mesmerizing, not in a way that made Cadence feel comfortable or safe. “I said, I think we should go home,” she repeated more urgently.

Jack had heard her this time, and he was nodding his head. Drew was still walking ahead of them, giggling with delight like a small child at her birthday party. Kash was close behind her, though his expression was not quite as chipper as his ex-girlfriend’s. Taylor and Sydney were both cowering behind Jon, only peering out from around his shoulders from time to time to make sure no boogeymen were about to pounce on them. Taylor was still crying, and it actually seemed to be working against her because it was drawing stares from the fiends around them.

“I’m not sure we are going to be able to get Drew to come with us just yet,” Jack explained.

Cadence knew he was correct. The only way they were going to get Drew back into that vehicle was if they picked her up and carried her. “Maybe we can convince her,” she said, letting go of Jack’s arm and walking toward Drew, who was bouncing up and down to the beat of the drums.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence saw a flash of black, perhaps a human form, but moving much more quickly than any human ever could. She turned to see what it was, but by the time she was able to whip her head around, it was gone. She didn’t feel frightened, for some reason, however, just surprised. She made a mental note and continued to attempt to catch up with Drew.

Placing her hand on Drew’s shoulder, she pulled her back gently in an effort to get her attention. Drew didn’t seem to notice as she was enthralled by the music. Ahead of them, some belly dancers were entertaining a crowd near a small bonfire, and Drew pulled away from Cadence, headed in that direction. In the speechless environment, they had to rely on expression and gestures, so Cadence and Kash locked glances and followed.

As they approached the small group of belly dancers, Cadence could see a sizable group of musicians off in the distance. There was a crowd congregated nearby, and every dancer was a portal unto him or herself, moving and gyrating however the music moved them. There were only a few couples dancing together, and they seemed to be performing some sort of mating ritual, or perhaps a few of them were mating, though Cadence did not wish to stare hard enough to find out. She did notice that a few couples slithered into the forest near the dance area, and she could only assume they must be consummating their relationships.

Drew seemed so fascinated by the belly dancers that she didn’t notice the other dancing going on behind her. Cadence was hopeful it would stay this way. She wasn’t exactly sure where the rhythm might take Drew, but she was afraid it wouldn’t be anywhere closer to home.

As her petite friend swung around in circles, swaying to and fro with the beat, attempting to move her hips similarly to the more accomplished dancers, Cadence turned to check on her friends. They were all still there, all still together. That, at least, was something to be grateful for. She turned back to Drew in time to see some sort of an Egyptian hand-flare, like something out of a Bangles video, and shook her head in disbelief. Kash began to dance along with Drew, an indicator to Cadence that, from his perspective, this whole thing may have been his attempt to re-hookup with his ex-flame, and Cadence had to look away in disgust.

She noticed the outline of a figure dressed in black just against the trees near where the band was entertaining the crowd. She peered more closely, and the person, what appeared to be a muscular man, faded back into the darkness of the trees and disappeared. She almost rubbed her eyes, attempting to determine whether or not they had been playing tricks on her. Why was she seeing these odd creatures? Were they real or imagined?

Just then, a loud booming began to shake the ground. From the back of the outer circle, a stream of percussionists started to pour out of one of the tents. They began to dance their way down the worn dirt path, banging methodically on their instruments, winding their way around the perimeter of the circle. There were other musicians within the parade as well, but it was the deep vibration of the bass drums that carried the reptilian line along.

Most of them wore costumes, almost all in shades of red. It was difficult to see anyone’s full face. Either a half mask, paint, outlandish makeup, or an instrument hid most of their faces from view. Cadence was standing directly beside the route, and she soon felt Drew’s arm slip through hers as she bounced up to get a better view.

As the procession began to wind down, the crowds along the route started to cheer. Tailing the parade was a small group of individuals who seemed to be of some significance. They slowly came into view, and as they did so, Cadence felt a chill the length of her spine. She knew she had seen those eyes before. The pale white skin, bright red hair, blood red lips. She recognized her instantly. This was the woman from her dream, the one she had been running from.

Beside her, Drew was gasping as well, but not at the woman. Once Cadence collected herself, she glanced at her friend to see she was blushing, staring incessantly at the man walking next to the redheaded woman. He had a light complexion with jet black hair and steely eyes just as piercing as his companion. And, much to Cadence’s dismay, those piercing eyes were firmly planted right on Drew.

It happened rather quickly, and Cadence wasn’t exactly sure what was transpiring until it was far too late. Just as the party approached where she was standing, the man reached out to Drew, taking her by the arm and pulling her into the parade. Kash was too far separated from her to get there in time, and the rest of their group was on the other side of the parade, so Cadence knew she had to act on her own. She reached after Drew, stepping into the parade route herself. Just then, the woman with the red hair bumped into her. Cadence shuddered when she felt the coolness of her body against her arm. She looked up into penetrating gray eyes, suddenly frozen with fear.

Her voice like the hiss of a snake, the woman opened her ruby red lips and snarled, “You should be very careful to watch where you are going!”

Cadence said nothing, only stared into those mesmerizing eyes.

“Otherwise, you might get hurt!” she continued, pushing Cadence backward into the crowd and away from where Drew was disappearing. Cadence caught herself before she fell. Something about the woman’s tone caused her fear to morph into anger, and no longer petrified, she fought her way back to the front of the crowd.

The tail end of the parade was just passing, and she was back together with the rest of her friends. She could still see Drew giggling as she rounded the corner, dancing along with the dark man.

“We have to follow her!” Cadence yelled to the rest of the party.

Those who had been standing on the other side looked confused. They had not seen Drew become swept up into the parade. “What are you talking about?” Jon asked, his arms now around both of the other girls.

“Drew!” Cadence exclaimed. They began to glance around, just realizing that she wasn’t there.

“Why bother?” Kash asked, a look of defeat on his face.

“This is no time for pity parties,” Cadence said as she began to step forward down the path where Drew had disappeared. “If we don’t find her, something awful is going to happen.”

“That’s what happens when you go off with strange men at parties,” Kash said nonchalantly.

Cadence spun on her heels. “Listen, you may have come here with the idea that you and Drew were going to hook up, but this situation has just escalated beyond what may or may not hurt your feelings.” Then, turning to Jack and Jon she said, “I’m telling you, if we don’t find her, something bad—very, very bad—is going to happen to Drew. I just know it.”

Regardless of how Kash felt about the present situation, it was evident to all of them that they needed to find her immediately and get the hell out of there. Taylor burst into tears, and Sydney dropped Jon’s arm so that she could comfort her. Cadence sighed; they were wasting time. “Look, Jon, why don’t you take the girls back to the Suburban, and we’ll find Drew and meet you there?”

Jon hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help find Drew?”

Cadence nodded. “I think we can find her faster without the three of you, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

He nodded and began to usher Taylor and Sydney away. “No, wait!” Sydney yelled, spinning back around. “I want to help!”

“No,” Cadence, declared. “You’ll be more helpful in the car, praying, where we know you’re safe.”

As if she had been given a command, Sydney nodded her head in understanding and turned to go. The little party walked quickly, and Cadence would not have been surprised to see them break into a sprint. What she was surprised to see was that they were clearly being followed by two figures dressed all in black. This time, she could easily see they were a man and a woman. They followed at a distance, never speaking to each other or anyone else, and although she had no idea who they were or why they might be following her friends, her instincts told her this was all right, and she needed to concentrate on finding Drew.

By the time the others left and Cadence continued down the path the parade had followed, she couldn’t even see the end of the chain anymore. In fact, the crowd had filled in the trail so completely she had to push her way through just to continue her search.

Upon reaching the tent at the back of the outer circle, where the parade had begun, she realized Jack and Kash were now far behind her, several groups of people separating them. She sighed in despair, running her hands through her long brown hair and stomping her booted foot on the ground. There, in the dirt, she saw a Guy Fawkes mask and realized it must be Drew’s. Picking it up, and feeling overwhelmed by helplessness, she yelled, “Dammit!” She knew she should wait for the men. They would, most likely, be a far better match for the dark haired man than she was. However, a feeling in her gut told her that, if she didn’t go right now, Drew was going to be in much more trouble than any of them wanted to think about. Glancing over her shoulder, she decided to press on with her search, though she had no plan and no idea where Drew might be. As she turned back around, she bumped directly into someone. At first, she assumed it was just another partygoer, but then she noticed his outfit and realized he was dressed entirely in black leather. He was only there a split second before he disappeared, a flash of black against the white tent beside her. It was almost as if he wanted her to be aware of his presence. There was only one facial feature that caught her attention and that was his piercing blue eyes.

Cadence shook her head violently, attempting to clear her thoughts, and took off toward the band and the area where the dancers continued to revel. She peered through the crowd, mask still in hand, jumping up to see if a different vantage point improved her perspective, which it did not. She became aware that there was a mounting presence of black-garbed persons on the perimeter of the dancers, and this alarmed her a bit. However, she knew she needed to find Drew immediately, and she was unable to let anything distract her from this mission. Jack and Kash were nowhere to be seen. She paused for just a moment to consider where Drew may have gone. Just then, she saw a couple slinking off into the protection of the trees, and she realized that Drew must be in the forest.

She took off into the woods, instinct completely guiding her now. She was moving so quickly, yet she was able to make her way between the twisted branches that reached for her coat and nipped at her hair, hardly making contact with any of them. As she weaved between the obstacles that lay between her and Drew, she began to ponder if this was what it was like to have an out-of-body experience. She was cognizant of what she was doing, but it was all happening so quickly, it seemed surreal. It was as if she was being guided by an internal force that knew exactly where Drew was and which path she must use to reach her the quickest.

Cadence began to hear noises in the trees in front of her. She knew that many couples had ventured off into these woods, and it was possible that she may come across someone else, but as she stepped into a clearing, she realized she had seen this unfold before. She was not at all surprised to see the gray eyes of the dark haired man staring directly at her, his mouth wide, razor sharp teeth exposed. Drew was there, her bare back glistening in the light of the few stars that had made their way through the clouded heavens. He knelt beside her, his hand cupping her head, and even from this distance, Cadence could see she was too late. A thin scarlet line trickled its way down her long, pale neck, dripping off of the back of her shoulder.

She had seen it all before in her dream. She knew what would happen next. The way he was looking at her, as if Cadence would be his next meal. She began to think, perhaps, he had also had a premonition. She wasn’t willing to wait to find out. The anger boiling up inside of her was too much to contain. As he stood to meet her, she ran straight for him, tossing the mask aside. She had no weapon, but she felt she did not need one. He opened his mouth so widely, she could no longer see his eyes, as if baring his teeth would somehow frighten her into submission. It did not. As he stepped toward her, she agilely stepped around him, grabbing his skull from the back. In one complete motion, she cranked his head from one shoulder to the other, ratcheting his neck, causing a popping and cracking sound like nothing she had ever heard before. She continued to pull until she realized she was holding his head in her hands, his severed body tumbling to the ground beside Drew.

If she were to pause and think about what had just happened, Cadence knew she would fall to pieces. Stopping to consider what she had just done or figure out how it was possible would have to wait for later. She tossed the decapitated head aside and knelt to ascertain the condition of her dear friend. She could plainly see that blood was flowing freely from two puncture wounds on her neck. She felt for a pulse and found none. She looked around, hoping to see Jack or Kash, thinking they could help carry her out, get her to a hospital, possibly resuscitate her. They were not there, but she realized she was not alone. There was no time just now to address the man in black with the piercing blue eyes who had suddenly shown up directly to her left. Rather, she turned back to Drew, feeling for a pulse, contemplating whether or not she should go for help or begin CPR. She hurriedly adjusted Drew’s clothing, standing now and peering through the trees, not sure if the noises she heard around her were her friends, or perhaps, more enemies.

“You need to go,” she heard him say as she turned back to Drew. Panic was starting to set in. She noticed that there was no longer a torso next to Drew but didn’t allow herself to contemplate where it might have gone, or, for that matter, how she had just managed to pull the head off of a vampire. She decided to start CPR and began pounding on Drew’s chest, praying her heart would start beating again.

“You really don’t have much time,” he said, taking a step forward.

Cadence began blowing into Drew’s mouth, trying to remember how many counts of each she was supposed to perform when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She continued to pump Drew’s chest, his hand still there and clearly in her way. “I have to save her,” she said as calmly as she could muster.

“If you don’t go now, we might not be able to help you.”

Cadence continued to pound, oblivious to the urgency in his tranquil voice.

The hand on her shoulder suddenly became much firmer, and she was being pulled to her feet. He spun her around to face him. “Cadence, Drew is gone. You must go now!”

She stared at the stranger, not sure what to make of him, the situation, or what he had just said. Suddenly, the sound of branches breaking and heavy breathing drew her attention away from those intense blue eyes and back to reality. She braced herself, afraid that it might be more vampires, but it was not. Jack and Kash came tearing through the trees, clearly out of breath and exhausted from attempting to keep up with Cadence.

“Cadence!” Jack exclaimed. He looked relieved at first until he saw Drew lying on the ground. Then, his expression changed from joy to overwhelming grief. Kash was standing nearby, his eyes locked on Drew, stunned.

Suddenly, the instinct from Cadence’s dream kicked in, and she had an overpowering understanding that they all needed to get away from there immediately. She did not know the relationship between the dark haired man she’d annihilated and the redheaded woman, but she was quite certain that, once the woman realized what she had done, there would be hell to pay.

“We have no time,” she said as calmly as possible to her friends. “We have to get out of here. Now.”

“What about Drew?” Jack asked. Kash was still not moving, but Cadence could clearly see the tears streaming down his face.

Cadence glanced back at the man in black. He nodded.

“Bring her.”

There had been plenty of chatter on the Intelligence Assistance Communicator, or IAC, recently, so it was no surprise to Aaron McReynolds to see Cadence and her friends arrive at the Eidolon Festival. He believed he had brought enough of his team with him to sufficiently cover anything that might arise, although he was hopeful that Holland and her clan would be particularly careful considering who Cadence was and how obligated he was to provide her with unconditional protection. He was, however, extremely surprised to see Carter pull such a bold move and whisk one of Cadence’s friends away like that. The Vampire should have known that would not be permitted. Nevertheless, he took her, and that livened things up beyond a typical peacekeeping operation.

As soon as Drew had danced her way into the parade, Aaron began organizing his team, calling in backup immediately. He knew from his vast experience that this would most likely activate Cadence enough that she would track Carter down. He was thankful she had sent most of her friends back to the car because it made it easier to protect them and gave him less subjects to worry about inside the perimeter.

After she bumped into him during her frantic search for Drew, he knew there was no stopping her Transformation. Rather than attempting to trail Cadence through the woods, he used the IAC infrared to track her and reach the destination simultaneously. If necessary, he was ready to step in on her behalf, but clearly, she needed no help defeating Carter, which was a shocking testimony to her strength and power. Now, as she began to realize what was happening around her and attempt to escape, his role became even more difficult. On the other side of those trees, a legion of vampires was just recognizing what had happened here, and they would all be willing to do whatever it took to bring her down.

Using the IAC, he was able to communicate to his team without speaking aloud. Therefore, Cadence and her friends had no idea the magnitude of the operation unfolding around them. His primary objective was to get Cadence, Jack, and Kash home with no harm befalling any of them. However, she was his main concern, and if that meant losing someone else along the way, so be it.

“Eliza, Jamie, Elliott, pick up on the other side of these trees. As soon as they’re clear, I need to hear some engines.” The orders were clear, and he knew his team would respond appropriately.

Jack scooped Drew’s limp body up, and Cadence began to lead them out of the woods. Her instincts started to kick in, and she knew exactly where she was going. However, she was also well aware of the fact that her friends were not keeping up with her. She did her best to keep pace with them, wondering why they were running so slowly. The man in black did not follow them. Conversely, as they wound their way through the woods, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of similarly dressed persons, and Cadence realized they were being escorted.

Approaching the edge of the woods, she could plainly hear the music from the band. She could see that the dancers continued. If any of those individuals happened to be vampires, and somehow, she seemed to know which ones were, they were presently unaware that she had just destroyed one of their own. While it seemed more reasonable to slowly walk out of the woods and nonchalantly exit the festival, hoping no one noticed the body Jack was carrying, every fiber of her being was telling her to run, sprint, fly out of that place as quickly as possible. It was all she could do to slow down enough for her friends to keep up.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble drowning out the music and causing the entire back section of dancers to pause mid-step. As if materializing out of nowhere, three jet black motorcycles came screeching out of the night, flying toward them. Jack and Kash jumped back into the woods, clearly a bit alarmed, but Cadence could plainly see they were there to help. The drivers were dressed in black.