Chapter Fourteen
At one o'clock, Blake was surprised to see Toby waiting for her at the entrance instead of Curtis. She had come up with nothing and the sight of Toby cheered her up.
"Hey," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"
Toby couldn't meet her eyes. "The boss sent me," he mumbled, looking at the ground. "Mind if I drive?"
Blake shook her head, confused. She had never seen Toby like this before. She followed him to the car silently.
Once they were on the road and he still hadn't said anything to her, she turned to him. "Toby, what's going on?"
Again he didn't look at her. "I can't say Blake," he shook his head, his voice soft and worried. "I'm sorry but I can't. This is serious, really serious."
Blake frowned, anxiety crept up on her. Something was going on, she knew it. The sight of Hunter Redfern's apartment building only managed to make her fear and anxiety escalate.
Toby led the way wordlessly and when they entered Hunter's lounge, Blake looked over Toby's shoulder to see Hunter, Malon and Curtis all seated on the sofa's. Toby walked away from Blake and took a seat, leaving her standing alone in front of them all.
Like a defender before a jury.
She swallowed once and cast a glance at Curtis. His face was set and pale. The hands that rested on the arm of his chair were drawn into fists and his knuckles were white. She looked back at Malon; he was leaning into the chair lazily, his golden eyes watching Blake carefully.
Hunter was frowning at her, a look of concentration settled on his face.
"Well?" she asked, surprising herself with the strength behind her voice.
Curtis looked at her at last. She stood tall and proud. Her head was held high and her stance suggested she was ready for whatever they threw at her. It reminded him of the day he was supposed to fight her and she entered the gym and her eyes had been drawn to him.
They were drawn to him again and he delved deeply into the blue green depths. She was strong, he knew that. But he didn't expect to see fear in her eyes. No one else could have seen it, it was buried deep but it was there.
He knew then. He knew that they were right.
Blake Starling, his soulmate, was also a Daybreaker.
There was nothing he could do to save her, she was already in Hunter's house for gods' sake and not even he was a match for the great Hunter Redfern. Besides, she was a Daybreaker and that was all that mattered.
She had betrayed him.
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Malon was going to enjoy this. He had known that there was something about Blake Starling. Something he couldn't quite put a finger on. And he had found out what it was.
He stood and began pacing the room, enjoying the fact that he was now centrestage.
He stopped pausing and paused. "It was funny you see," he began. "I dropped by your apartment, on Curtis' order of course." He saw Blake look at Curtis, hurt clearly evident in her eyes. She was putting on a brave front but Malon knew that it was slipping. "And who should I find on your doorstep but a girl," he continued. "A girl who jumped when she saw me, I could smell her fear. Then she asked me if I was Curtis Redfern.
'Now everyone in the Night World knows Curtis Redfern and they know what he looks like so I was surprised. Obviously, the girl wasn't from the Night World. So I took her inside and we had a little talk. She was a bit hard to crack I'll admit, but I got to her eventually.
'It turned out that this girl that was waiting ever so patiently at your door, Blake, was a Daybreaker." He paused again and saw Blake swallow. "So I was left to wonder why this Daybreaker was at your door step."
He stopped and let Blake take the full impact of what he was saying. The silence in the room was tense. Hunter's eyes were alert as they settled unwaveringly on Blake's face. Curtis' expression was unreadable and Toby was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Care to explain Blake?" Malon finished smugly.
Blake was now very very scared and it showed. It showed in the way she ducked her head and in the way she searched the room frantically for a possible ally. She found none.
Hunter stood slowly and carefully. His golden eyes never left Blake's and she saw the anger in them. He went to Malon's side and crossed his arms across his chest and tilted his head to one side, his eyes narrowing.
"It seems that we have a traitor in our midst," he drawled in a low, threatening voice. "And I don't take that kind of thing lightly. I let you into my confidence Blake. And you threw it back in my face. I'm not sure what we'll do with you," he shook his head in an expression of regret. "Ah, so much potential wasted. It's a shame, it really is."
He shrugged and continued. "Nothing can be done about it I'm afraid. You've just signed your death contract Blake Starling. I'll have to think about how I'll carry the sentence of course but just don't set your hopes on a clean and quick death because I can assure you it won't be."
He turned away. "Put her in with the other girl Malon, the stench of Daybreaker is getting to me." He waved a hand in the direction of the hall and left the room.
Toby and Curtis remained silent and the only noise was that of Malon moving towards her across the carpet to catch her wrist in a rough hold. "Come on Daybreaker, smile. You're just going to get reunited with one of your friends," he hissed.
Blake allowed himself to lead her down the hall and into a bedroom. It was obviously unused but they didn't stop there. He continued to lead her into the room and to another door that opened to reveal a walk in wardrobe.
He pushed her inside. "I'll admit, it's not exactly like the good old Night World dungeons, more's the pity," he snarled. "But you won't be in here long anyway."
He slammed the door and she heard the lock turn. She closed her eyes and took a breath. After she'd opened them she saw the girl huddled in the corner.
"I'm sorry Blake. I'm so sorry," Poppy cried.