Dead of Night (Hunters of the Dark #4) Read online

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  “I’m not sure you should let Eric do this,” Amelia said, breaking a thick silence.

  Shanna glanced over at her in the back of Hunter’s rented car before she resumed watching the house that Natalia had disappeared in with Eric five minutes earlier. One of the students lived there, one that Natalia believed was involved in the disappearances, and could be led to think about the location of their friends with a little direction. “Too late now,” she murmured. “He’s probably nearly done getting a fix on our boys.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  With a sigh, Shanna reluctantly met the sorceress’s eyes. “I have to do this, Amelia. You have no idea what this means to me. If he can give me specifics about the ritual, it will have some sort of meaning. My parents’ deaths will have been for some greater design. And then, I can destroy that design like I did the demons that killed them.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Revenge isn’t always the answer.”

  “I really don’t care. I need closure, and this is the only way I know to get it.”

  “I understand the why, even if I don’t agree,” Amelia said slowly. “But I’m worried about the act itself.”

  Shanna frowned. “I don’t follow.”

  “Eric poking through your mind. It’s dangerous.”

  Shanna snorted. “I think it will be the easiest thing I’ve done since I got here. For the past few weeks, actually. I may not be able to look Eric in the eyes after he’s done swimming around my thoughts, but I’m okay with that.”

  “Shanna.” Amelia put her hand on her forearm and Shanna stared down at it before slowly lifting her eyes. “Your mind isn’t something you should mess with. Do you remember what happened with Damien on our first mission? The only person that ever looked into your mind unlocked something within you. Something from a past life that probably should never have been tampered with. It unleashed Diana, or memories of her at least.”

  “I haven’t had a vision for weeks,” Shanna protested.

  “I’m not just talking about visions here. Her life, her history, is locked up in you. Her energy is still inside of you. Do you not get that? Having someone rummage through your mind is just asking for trouble. He could let loose something worse than what Damien knocked free last time. I don’t want to lose you over this. Do you understand that?”

  Shanna felt her mouth go dry as Amelia spoke. She’d never considered that what Damien had done would be just the tip of the iceberg. But could she really sacrifice this chance to uncover why her parents had been murdered? Why her life had been shaped the way it had? She wasn’t sure she could live with herself if she let this opportunity slip through her fingers. But what if it meant losing herself in the process? What would the point have been?

  Staring down at Amelia’s hand, still wrapped around her forearm, she felt her pulse deep in her veins, throbbing against the pressure of the stranglehold. “Maybe you’re right,” she relented.

  Amelia loosened her grip and released a sigh. “I just want you to consider the possibility that this isn’t the best method for revenge. And perhaps revenge is unnecessary at this point.”

  “Maybe this isn’t the only way for me to uncover what I need to know, or the best way,” Shanna agreed, looking out of the window to see Natalia and Eric rushing back to the car. “But revenge is going to be necessary.”