Vampire Hunt (Kiera Hudson Series #3) by Tim O'Rourke Page A

his pipe drooping from between his lips. Thick clouds of smoke tumbled from it and disappeared into the night sky. The moon hung high above, flat and round-looking, like a giant silver disc. Isidor stood with his rucksack and crossbow slung over his back and glared at Potter. Before another series of insults could be exchanged between them, Murphy was walking away.
    “This way,” he said over his shoulder and was gone.
    We followed him into the night, making our way across the deserted level crossing and into a nearby field. Potter trailed behind, silent and brooding. Luke walked beside me and I felt uncomfortable. It was the thought of what had taken place between Potter and me in the outhouse that made me feel like I had betrayed him.
    But I pushed Potter away, I tried to tell myself. But who was I trying to kid? I knew deep inside where those secrets lay – the ones that you don’t like to get out and examine too closely – the ones where I’d enjoyed being kissed by Potter and I’d enjoyed kissing him back even more. There was so much about the guy that infuriated me – made me angry – but when he held me, kissed me, pulled me close against him, I felt nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. He was what I guess you would call a ‘turn-on.’ But I knew that wasn’t enough for me. I’d never really been attracted to guys like Potter – the wise-guy – I’d seen too many of my friends get hurt by men like him, and I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. Luke was the sorta guy I usually went for, dependable, loyal and honest.
    But he’s just so boring , Potter said inside my head.
    So taking Luke’s hand, I pushed Potter out of my mind. Looking down at me and gently squeezing my hand in his, Luke winked at me and we quickened our pace to catch up with Murphy and Isidor, who led the pack.
     
    We walked the next two miles or so in silence. Then, reaching the brow of a hill, Murphy signaled for us to get down. On seeing his command, we instantly dropped into a crouching position and tucked ourselves behind the trunk of a large tree that stood alone on the moonlit hillside. Walking quietly over to us, he bent down.
    “We’re here,” Murphy said, his voice barely a whisper, and his eyes twinkling in the dark.
    “Where’s ‘here’?” Potter asked.
    “The Sacred Heart Monastery,” Murphy whispered back.
    “Monastery?” Isidor asked.
    Then spotting Isidor’s many rosary beads glinting back from beneath his coat, Potter said, “You should feel right at home.”
    Ignoring him, Isidor looked at Murphy and said, “Why have they brought Kayla to a monastery?”
    Hunkering down beside us, Murphy said, “It’s a monastery in name only. It’s one of the strongholds designed to protect the Vampyrus from vampires,” he said. “Just like Hallowed Manor was.”
    Glancing over his shoulder, looking down the hill I could see a large stone building set amongst the shadows of a nearby wood. The building looked very much like a medieval cathedral with a tall-looking bell tower that pointed up into the night sky.
    “The local community still actually believes that it’s a working monastery,” Murphy continued in his hushed voice. “The Vampyrus who live here are believed to be monks – they are known to the locals as the ‘Deserted Fathers’. See, it suits them to live here – they live like hermits, shying away from the rest of society. They led a peaceful and tranquil existence until -”
    “Until what?” Luke cut in.
    “Until the agents of that invisible man took the monastery over – flooding it with Vampyrus that believe in his twisted doctrine. It has become a breeding ground for vampires and a place where they can experiment on the half-breeds like Kayla. It’s the perfect cover, you see.”
    “So are you gonna tell us who led you to this place?” Potter asked, his eyes fixed on Murphy’s.
    “We’ve already had that discussion,” Murphy hissed.
    “But can we trust them?”