The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 7

Whos Celia? Bonnie verbalize indignantly, as soon as theyd wiped off the source. Shed put the rose down mensural y in the middle of the front seat, between her and Matt, and they were al very consciously zero(prenominal) touching it. Pretty as it was, it looked more sinister than beautiful now, Stefan musical theme grimly.Celia Connor, Meredith tell sharply. Dr. Celia Connor. You saw her in a peck once, Bonnie. The rhetorical anthropologist.The angiotensin-converting enzyme and only(a) whos working with Alaric? Bonnie said. except why would her name show up in blood on my arm? In blood.Thats what Id a corresponding to possess, Meredith said, frowning.It could be some kind of warning, Elena proposed. We dont know enough yet. Wel go to the station, wel meet Alaric and Celia, and consequentlyceThen? prompted Meredith, meeting Elenas cool blue eyes.Then wel do some(prenominal) we assimilate to do, Elena said. As usual.Bonnie was stil complaining when they got to the poi nt station.Patience, Stefan reminded himself. Usual y he enjoyed Bonnies company, simply in force(p) now, his body craving the human blood hed make accustomed to, he felt up off. He rubbed his aching jaw.Id substantive y hoped wed get at least a partner off years of everything being normal, Bonnie moaned for what infermed like the thousandth time.Lifes not fair, Bonnie, Matt said gloomily. Stefan glanced at him in surprise Matt was usual y the front to leap in and try to cheer up the girls but the tal fair was leaning once against the closed ticket booth, his shoulders drooping, his give tucked into his pockets. Matt met Stefans gaze. Its al starting up again, isnt it?Stefan shook his head and glanced rough the station. I dont know whats sack on, he said. But we al need to be quick-sighted until we can figure it aside.Oh, thats comforting, Meredith muttered, her gray eyes alertly scanning the political program.Stefan folded his arms across his chest and shifted c loser to Elena and Bonnie. Al his palpates, normal and paranormal, were on ful alert. He r individuallyed prohibited with his Power, trying to sense any supernatural consciousnesses near them, but felt nothing new or alarming, just the calm stage setting buzz of ordinary humans going ab bulge their everyday business.It was impractical to stop worrying, though. Stefan had seen many things in his five hundred years of reality vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, angels, witches, al sorts of beings who preyed on or influenced humans in ways approximately people could never even imagine. And, as a vampire, he knew a lot about blood. More than he had cared to admit.Hed seen Merediths eyes flick toward him with qualm when Bonnie began to bleed. She was right to be wary of him How could they trust him when his basic reputation was to kil them? declension was the essence of life it was what kept a vampire going centuries after his natural life span should have ended. Blood was the exchange ingredient in many spel s both(prenominal) benevolent and wicked. Blood had Powers of its own, Powers that were difficult and dangerous to harness. But Stefan had never seen blood behave in the way it had on Bonnies arm today.A thought struck him. Elena, he said, turning to face her.Hmmm? she answered distractedly, shading her eyes as she peered down the track.You said the rose was just lying in that respect waiting for you on the porch when you candid the entre this morning?Elena brushed her hair out of her eyes. Actual y, no. Caleb Smal woods constitute it there and handed it to me when I opened the door to let him in.Caleb Smal wood? Stefan narrowed his eyes. Elena had mentioned earlier that her aunt had hired the Smal wood boy to do some work around the house, but she should have told him of Calebs radio link to the rose before. Tyler Smal woods cousin? The guy who just showed up out of nowhere to hang around your house? The one whos probably a werewolf, like th e rest of his family?You didnt meet him. He was perfectly fine. Apparently hes been around town al summer without anything weird happening. We just dont remember him. Her intonate was breezy, but her smile didnt quite r severally her eyes. Stefan reached out automatical y to pronounce to her with his mind, to have a private conversation about what she was real y feeling. But he couldnt. He was so used to depending on the connection between them that he kept forgetting it was gone now he could sense Elenas emotions, could feel her aura, but they could no longer communicate telepathical y. He and Elena were better again. Stefan hunched his shoulders miserably against the breeze.Bonnie frowned, the summer wind whipping her strawberry mark ringlets around her face. Is Tyler even a werewolf now? Because if Sues alive, he didnt kil her to become a werewolf, right?Elena held her palms to the sky. I dont know. Hes gone, anyway, and Im not sorry. Even before he was a werewolf, he was a re al jerk. Remember what a bul y he was at school? And how he was always drinking out of that hip flask and hitting on us? But Im fine sure Calebs just a regular guy. Id have known if there was something wrong with him.Stefan looked at her. Youve got wonderful instincts about people, he said careful y. But are you sure youre not relying on senses you dont have anymore to tel you what Caleb is? He thought of how the Guardians had painful y clipped Elenas Wings and undone her Powers, the Powers she and her friends only half-understood. Elena looked taken a arse and was opening her mouth to reply when the chase after chugged into the station, preventing further discussion.Only a some people were disembarking at the Fel s Church station, and Stefan soon spotted Alarics familiar form. After stepping down to the platform, Alaric reached back to steady a slender African-American woman as she exited bottomland him.Dr. Celia Connor was certainly lovely Stefan would give her that. She wa s tiny, as smal as Bonnie, with dark peel off and close-cropped hair. The smile she gave Alaric as she took his arm was charming and slightly puckish. She had large dark-brown eyes and a long, elegant neck. Stylish but practical in designer clothing, she wore soft leather boots, skinny jeans, and a sapphire-toned silk shirt. A long, apparent she-bop was wrapped around her neck, adding to her sophisticated demeanor.When Alaric, al tousled flaxen hair and boyish grin, whispered familiarly in her ear, Stefan felt Meredith tense. She looked like shed like nothing better than to try out a few of her martial arts moves on a certain gorgeous forensic anthropologist.But because Alaric spotted Meredith, dashed over, and took her in his arms, pul ing her off her feet as he swung her into a hug, and she visibly relaxed. In a few moments, they were both laughing and talking, and they didnt seem to be able to stop touching each some other, as if they needed to reassure themselves that the y were actual y together again at last. Clearly, Stefan thought, any worries Meredith had had about Alaric and Dr. Connor had been groundless, at least as utmost as Alaric was concerned. Stefan turned his attention to Celia Connor again.His first wary tendrils of Power discover a slight simmering resentment emanating from the anthropologist. Under floorable She was human, she was quite unripened despite her poise and her many professionalachievements, and she had spent a long deal of time working closely with the very attractive Alaric. It wouldnt be surprising if she felt a bit proprietary toward him, and here he was being pul ed away from her and into the orbit of a teenage girl.But more important, his Power found no supernatural shadow pause about her and no answering Power in her. Whatever the inwardness of the name Celia written in blood, it seemed Dr. Celia Connor hadnt caused it.Somebody take pictures Bonnie cal ed, laughing. We havent seen Alaric for months. We have to document his returnMatt got out his phone and took a couple of pictures of Alaric and Meredith, their arms around each other.Al of us Bonnie insisted. You too, Dr. Connor. Lets stand in front of the discipline its a terrific backdrop. You take this one, Matt, and and so Il take some with you in them.They shuffled into various positions bumping, excusing, introducing themselves to Celia Connor, throwing their arms around one another in a casual y exuberant style. Stefan found himself pushed to the edge, Elenas arm through his, and he discreetly inhaled the clean, sweet scent of her hair.Al aboard the conductor cal ed, and the train doors closed.Matt, Stefan realized, had stopped taking pictures and was staring at them, his blue eyes widening in what looked like terror. Stop the train he shouted. Stop the trainMatt? What on earth? Elena said. And then Meredith looked behind them, toward the train, with an expression of dawning comprehension.Celia, she said urgently, reaching out t oward the other woman.Stefan watched in confusion as Celia jerked away from them abruptly, almost as if an unobserved hand had grabbed her. As the train began to move, Celia walked, then ran beside it with stiff, frantic motions, her hands pul ing rapidly at her throat.Suddenly Stefans perspective shifted and he understood what was happening. Celias diaphanous scarf had somehow been firmly caught by the closing door of the train, and now the train was pul ing her along by the neck. She was running to keep from being strangled, the scarf like a leash yanking her along. And the train was beginning to pick up speed. Her hands pul ed at the scarf, but both ends were caught in the door, and her tugging only seemed to trim down it around her neck.Celia was approaching the end of the platform and the train was chugging faster. It was a straight drop from the platform to the scrub ground beyond. In a few moments, she would fal , her neck would be broken, and the train would drag her alo ng for miles.Stefan took al this in within the space of a single breath and sprang into action. He felt his canines lengthen as a surge of Power went through him. And then he took off, faster than any human, faster than the train, and sped toward her.With one quick motion, he took her in his arms, relieving the pressure around her throat, and tore the scarf in half. He stopped and put Celia down as the train sped up and odd the station. The remnants of the scarf slipped from around her neck and fluttered onto the platform by her feet. She and Stefan stared at each other, breathing hard. Behind them, he could notice the others shouting, their feet pounding on the platform as they ran toward them. Celias dark brown eyes were wide and fil ed with part of pain. She licked her lips nervously and took several short, gasping breaths, pressing her hands against her chest. He could hear her heart pounding, her blood rushing through her system, and he concentrated on pul ing his canines b ack and resuming his human face. She staggered suddenly, and Stefan slipped his arm around her.Its okay, he said. Youre al right now.Celia gave a short, slightly hysterical laugh and wiped at her eyes. Then she stood upright, straightening her shoulders, and inhaled deeply. Stefan could see her deliberately calming herself, although her heartbeat was reeling, and he admired her self-control.So, she said, holding out her hand, you must be the vampire Alarics told me about.The others were coming up to them now, and Stefan glanced at Alaric in alarm.Thats something Id rather you kept private, Stefan told her, feeling a prick of irritation at Alaric for divulging his secret. But his words were almost drowned out by a gasp from Meredith. Her gray eyes, usual y so serene, were dark with horror.Look, she said, pointing. Look at what it says. Stefan turned his attention to the pieces of sheer fabric around their feet.Bonnie gave a little whimper and Matts eyebrows furrowed. Elenas beautiful face was blank with shock, and Alaric and Celia both appeared entirely confused. For a moment, Stefan saw nothing. Then, like a picture coming into focus, his vision adjusted and he saw what everyone was looking at. The torn scarf had fal en into an elaborately twisted heap, and the supposedly random folds of fabric quite all the way formed letters that spel ed meredith