Shadows Rising (Darkness Falls Book 2)

Chapter Five

I sat up so fast I almost head-butted Luke. His cat-quick reflexes saved him, but he just about fell off the bed in the process.

I stared at him, nervousness making my heart pound. Ava was here? Why? When I'd walked away from the team, I'd offered her the chance to build a relationship with me. Since I hadn't heard from her since then, I assumed she'd rejected that chance.

Straightening my clothing, I climbed off the bed and went to open the door. Luke tugged his own shirt straight and sat on the edge of the bed, the picture of innocence.

Elena stood on the other side of the door, her face unusually serious. Unease flickered through her eyes. None of us knew where Ava currently stood on the vampire hunting issue, which meant she was a potential threat. A potential threat inside our house.

"Do you want to see her?" Elena asked, her voice so soft only I could hear it.

I knew then that if I said no, Elena wouldn't question me or try and persuade me. She'd simply go back downstairs and tell Ava to leave. For a moment I was tempted. I could let Elena deal with Ava, and just close the door and pick up where Luke and I left off. But I had to know why Ava was here.

"I'll go and see her," I said.

Bedsprings creaked as Luke got up and came to join me. "You want me to come with you?" he said.

In so many ways Luke's presence was a source of strength and comfort for me, but this was something I needed to do myself. "Stay here," I told him.

He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, then I headed downstairs to confront my mother.

Ava was standing outside the front door, apparently too uncomfortable to come inside. Her face brightened when she saw me, but she didn't make any move forward.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked. It wouldn't be long before autumn gave way to winter, and the evenings had taken on a distinctly chilly quality. Clad only in jeans and a thin jacket, Ava had to be freezing. Wind tugged strands of her hair across her face, but she made no move to swipe them away.

"I just...I wanted to see you," she said.

Questions raced through my mind. Why now? What did she want? Why hadn't she made any effort during the last month? In the end I settled for, "How did you find me?"

Ava had my number, but I'd never told her where I lived. I simply didn't trust her not to tell Noah, and there was no way I wanted him knowing.

Ava looked at the ground, suddenly awkward. "I followed you," she admitted. "I've been pacing up and down outside ever since, trying to pluck up the courage to knock on the door."

I felt like kicking myself. How could I not have known she was following me? When Madeleine's rogues had attacked me in the woods one night, I'd known they were there before they struck. I might not hunt any more, but years of training were still sunk deep into my psyche. I should have been aware that I was being followed. But maybe I was being too hard on myself. Ava had been hunting a lot longer than I had, so it was hardly surprising that she'd perfected the art of shadowing someone. Still, I couldn't shake my unease. If Ava could follow me home, so could Leon. I had to be more careful now there was a threat out there.

I stood to one side, so that light from the house spilled out onto the pathway. "Are you coming inside or are you just going to stand on the doorstep?"

"I didn't know about Leon," Ava said, ignoring my question. "I need you to know that, Kiara. I didn't even know that he existed, let alone what your father told him."