Page 11 of Destined for Shadows
“He wasn’t moving, and he didn’t appear to be breathing,” Cori said, though now she wished she had checked his pulse.
“What was the general area where you put his body?”
“Do you have a map?” Cori asked.
“Yeah, I do.” Melena left the kitchen, returning a minute later with it. She unfolded the map across the counter. “Where?”
Cori pointed to a remote area east of Fairbanks where she’d left Griff’s body. “Somewhere in there.”
“How long ago was this?”
She considered it. “Almost four years ago.”
“Damn.” Melena rubbed her face. “You aren’t the only person who was using that spot back then.”
Cori’s gut clenched. “What do you mean?”
“You remember that vampire-witch I told you about who used to run this area?”
“Wasn’t her name…Variola or something?” Cori remembered hearing about the vampire who’d been master of the Fairbanks area before Melena and others had taken her out. They said Variola had been evil and taken countless human lives during her reign. No one outside the supernatural community had a clue, though, since she’d covered her tracks well.
“That’s the one.” Melena glanced at the map. “And I think you put your ex-husband’s body right next to her dumping ground. They could have found him, and if he wasn’t dead yet…”
Cori gasped. “You don’t think they would have saved him, do you?”
Melena’s lips thinned. “I wouldn’t put anything past that woman or her minions.”
“So he might not be a ghost, and he could be alive?”
“It’s possible.” She started folding the map back up. “But if he was near death they would have had to turn him, and there’s only a fifty-fifty chance of survival when someone is transitioning into a vampire. What exactly happened when you saw him? Did he seem solid?”
Cori relayed the full story for her, leaving no detail out. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed plausible that Griff had been real and maybe not a ghost.
“Dark eyes, moves fast, and probably able take a bullet?” Melena shook her head. “It sounds like there’s a greater chance he was turned.”
“But I thought you killed all of Variola’s people except Emily’s mom,” Cori argued.
“We killed the ones who were here. If he wasn’t in town, he might have just decided to stay away until now.” Melena knitted her brows. “But it’s surprising he didn’t go after you right after turning.”
Cori stared into her coffee mug. “That’s what I’m wondering, too.”
“Variola could have had a tight leash on him, or maybe she sent him away. There’s no telling what that woman was up to back then.” Melena straightened her shoulders. “But we’ll figure it out.”
“I’m not trying to get you involved in this,” Cori said, though she was relieved to finally tell someone the story. A weight had lifted off her shoulders by finally sharing it with another person, and it hadn’t been quite as horrible as she’d expected. “It’s my problem to handle. I just wanted to figure out what I was dealing with so I’d know how to proceed.”
Melena rolled her eyes. “You’ve helped me plenty of times, and if this guy is a vampire, you can’t fight him by yourself. He’ll be too strong. I wouldn’t be surprised if the only reason you aren’t dead already is because he’s toying with you.”
“And Bartol showed up.”
“You’re assuming Griff saw him,” Melena pointed out. “But from the sounds of it, your ex may have already been long gone by then. This was just his first attempt to get at you.”
“Actually, it’s sort of his second.”
Melena frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He left a note on my door a few days ago, too. I thought it was some kind of prank, but now I know it was him.” Cori ran a hand through her hair. “He’s definitely dragging this out to make me crazy.”
“He’s not going to be easy to find, either. A lot of supernaturals have been moving into the area recently because they’re tolerated here better than most other places. I’ve been picking up all kinds of new guys on my radar,” Melena said, grimacing.
