Free Ordained by Devon Ashley Page B

tree as her blood continued to seep from her body.

 
    Chapter Twelve

    Noel had spent the better part of the night deciphering an ancient book in the library. Unfortunately, he learned nothing new. He looked at his watch…one-thirty. Abby had left before midnight to check on the girls in town. Surprised she was still out, he wondered what was keeping her. Abby and Noel were never ones to join in celebrations, so it was doubtful she did now.
    Deciding on a break, he tossed the book aside.
    Noel was not the only person to migrate to the kitchen for a late night snack. Surrounded by night crawlers, one would be more likely to find solitude midday than midnight.
    Valerie was standing by the stove, waiting for the tea kettle to boil. She acknowledged his presence by raising her eyebrows but said nothing.
    He rummaged through the cabinets until he found some chips worth munching on. One of the few benefits of being a vampire, his body didn’t actually require food intake to survive. Water was helpful; it kept his skin from drying out, but he never truly thirst for it. He ate to keep suspicions to a minimum – and the junk food was delicious.
    “So which one are you?”
    “Valerie,” she said dully. She didn’t even bother to turn around.
    “So why haven’t I seen you training with the other hunters?”
    “I’m no longer active.” She turned to look at him and added bitterly, “The Order prefers to take advantage of another one of my gifts.”
    Noel waited for her to continue but she didn’t. Apparently, she only offered an exact answer for questions.
    “Which would be…?”
    “I have visions of all the hunters. I inform the Order of anything that may lead to their demise.”
    “Ahh. Preservation of the school’s star pupils. Then you’re clairvoyant?”
    “Unfortunately,” she said acrimoniously.
    “I’ve befriended a few gypsies with your gift.”
    “Try curse.”
    Noel pulled a soda from the fridge. “Wouldn’t be if you were anywhere else in the world. The Order has a way of screwing up their protégés.”
    “Like Abby?” she dared, her eyes finally meeting his.
    The tea kettle whistled. Valerie returned her attention to the stove and poured water over her tea. She blew gently as the flavors and colors seeped.
    Noel didn’t like the way she said it. It never occurred to him that an individual within the manor walls would have the ability to see what he didn’t wish to share. Coming here was a bad idea.
    “What do you know about that?” he asked, each syllable toneless.
    “More than you would like,” she answered, continually lifting the tea bag up and down in the water.
    “Good. Then you know not to piss her off.” He rolled up the bag of chips and tossed them aside on the counter.
    “The red hair alone tells me she can be temperamental.”
    “So what have you seen?” Noel asked curiously, and worriedly.
    Valerie didn’t respond right away. Instead, she squeezed the tea bag, threw it away and stirred in a little honey. As she turned around again, she replied, “I know who she is, what she is. And although she’s an amazing warrior, three fights in particular left her seriously injured.”
    “Two, actually.”
    Valerie shrugged. “Then the third has yet to happen.”
    She left the kitchen, leaving Noel with a sinking feeling in his chest.
    Unsettled, he left the manor in search for what was keeping Abby. Walking down the mountain, he came across Emily and her friends. The girls looked worn out, particularly Mira, whose left side and back were covered head to toe with wet dirt.
    “Wild night?” he asked light-heartedly.
    “Wasn’t disappointing,” said Darby.
    “Till the freakin’ demon attacked!” cried Mira, pulling grass from her hair.
    “What!? Where’s Abby?” he asked Emily, panicked.
    “We just left her. Down the path a bit.”
    Concerned, Noel pulled Emily aside and whispered, “What the hell happened? Is Abby alright?”
    “Yeah, she’s fine,” she replied.