Cross My Heart by Elizabeth Morgan (motivational novels for students .TXT) 📗

at the markings, which could have passed for burnmarks apart from the ash texture. “They’re Vampires, aren’tthey?”

“They were.” She madeher way back to the large archway, glancing to either side beforeshe slipped into the last room that had been situated at the veryend of the hallway.

“Well, at least wedon’t have to worry about hiding Vampire bodies once they’re reallydead.”

Silver lining, Iguess.

Elle appeared. “Allclear. Storage that leads to a kitchen, and it looks like thebottom of that building could be a garage of some kind.”

She shrugged and madeher way back down the hallway.

I followed as she madeher way upstairs. She kept her back against the wall and a tightgrip on her blade. As she reached the landing, her eyes widened.Turning to me, she placed her index finger on her lips and thenpulled her ear.

Quiet and listenout.

She headed through thedoor at the top of the stairs. I waited on the landing. The wallswere white wooden panels with golden trimmings. As my gaze movedhigher, I noticed that the top border were carvings of what lookedlike vines and flowers, all painted gold. The ceiling was high, andtwo intricate crystal and gold light fittings hung down, castingthe same warm white light. The old beauty of this place was ruinedby the odd indents in the walls and the fact that the wide gildedmirror across the way was cracked, as if a heavy weight had beenthrown against it. A few shards had fallen to the floor and hadbeen crushed into pieces.

I tried to count themarkings of extinguished Vampires dotted about the rich wood floor,but I couldn’t be sure—they seemed to collide into one another as Idoubted a Vampire could be that large on only a liquid diet.

Elle exited the room,concern and confusion masking her face. She glanced at the openglass door to her left before descending into the hall. The frontdoor lay ahead of us, two large arches in the walls at either side.Elle glanced to the left at what I could only presume was thesitting room. A grand marble fireplace took centre stage, anothergilded mirror sitting high above the mantel piece reflecting thechandelier that hung down into the room … which was more of a messthen downstairs had been.

Even though the fancyfurniture now lay in pieces, it was easy to see that the roomhadn’t been heavily furnished. The mess was comprised of two redchaise lounges and armchairs, end tables, vases, and the oddornament. The same scorched markings splattered across theplace.

“Okay, I’m startingt’think this isn’t someone having a hissy fit over a hand ofcards.” Teen Elle stood among the mess with her hands on herhips.

I turned to thearchway on my right and stepped through into another sitting room,the décor almost matching apart from a grandfather clock and one ofthose fancy drinking globes. I stepped over the mess, glancing tomy right to see that the room extended a little further.

Elle stopped besideme.

“This is exactly thesame as the room across the way.” Her brow furrowed as she walkedover to the next archway that led to another hallway. “This is thehouse next door.”

“What?” I walked overto where she stood and looked at another front door. A glance to myright confirmed that there was another set of stairs and a doorleading out back.

We both looked at thearchway in front of us to see one more sitting room, but no otherarchway beyond the third hallway.

“Are you telling methat the Vampires own three of these houses?”

“And they’ve knockedthe walls through in the centre house to open them up to eachother.”

“Jesus, they’re filthyrich.”

“They’ve had time toget filthy rich.”

She took a deep breathand circled back to the centre living room.

“Okay. Safe to saysomething happened—” She glanced at the floor. “—There are a lot ofvanquished Leeches here.”

“That’s good, isn’tit?”

“That depends on whodid the vanquishing.”

“Heather andBrendan?”

A small pop of hopeentered her eyes. “Maybe, but … I don’t know. This is a lot ofVampires.”

“Your cousin’sspecial.”

“Yeah, but this isjust …” She threw her hands to the ground. “A lot.”

“Michael killed herfather. Poisoned her mother and therefore her. Safe t’say thiswould kinda make sense.”

She closed her eyesand pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. We need t’finishchecking everywhere t’see if any Leech is left alive and can tellus what t’hell happened.”

“And if Heather isn’there?”

Her shoulders sagged,arms dropping to her sides as she stared off into the room.

“Or whoever may havedone this?”

“Then we hope that wecan find something t’give us an idea of where t’hell we go next.”She pointed at the hallway of the first house. “Would you mindchecking the top levels while I start checking this house?”

“Sure. I will shout ifI find anything or anyone.”

“Ditto.”

***

~ Danielle ~

I rolled my neck in afull circle and then side to side, forcing the built-up tension inmy muscles to crack and pop.

This wasn’t good, andI wasn’t even sure what this was. Why were there a ton of disposedVampires littered everywhere? Why was the UK Colony Nest smashed topieces? Sure, I hadn’t finished searching, but I was willing to betmy life that every other room would be broken or at least containcharred Leeches.

Who would do this?Nathan was right—Heather had a million reasons to destroy theColony, but this was crazy. There were different generations inthis Colony, and although I knew my cousin was strong and had herWerewolf with her, I highly doubted they could have caused thismuch damage, especially to the number of Vampires who Nested hereand while there were civilians living on either side of it all.

And destroying anentire Nest? I know killing Vamps is what we did, but surely, therewould be some sort of consequence to slaughtering a Colony?

With Nathan searchingthe first house, I began my exploration of the second, movingfurther through the sitting room and trying hard not to trip overthe remains of expensive furniture that littered the floor.

I moved into the studyat the end of the corridor. It pretty much matched the one in thefirst house. Nothing of any interest jumped out, so I decided tohead upstairs before descending back down into the basement.

The mahogany banisterwas cracked in the centre; two of the wooden poles lay discarded onthe wide