Cursed: A Supernatural Thriller (Legend Hunters Book 4)

by JL Terra

  “I don’t need a lawyer.”

  “Because you’re innocent?” The detective leaned back in his chair. “You know that’s what they all say.”

  Malachi didn’t respond to that. Instead, his mind whirled, piecing together the actions of his brother. First, Barnabas had implicated him. Getting Malachi’s picture out so that every cop in the city worked to find him. And he’d gotten the mayor out of the way as well—which meant he’d killed two birds with one stone. Literally, in the mayor’s case.

  And now, as soon as Malachi had caught up to him, he’d led him out to the cops. Which meant Barnabas had arranged for them to be called ahead of time so they’d be waiting.

  Once again, he’d been set up.

  Malachi had walked right into the trap and it had snapped shut around him.

  It hit him like a brick. Barnabas didn’t just want retaliation against Malachi. His brother also wanted him out of the way so he could get to Mei. To punish him? That had to be it—otherwise communication wouldn’t have cut off with her. Otherwise, he would know she was all right.

  The burn of tears threatened, hot and frustrated. All the years he’d lived, a millennia on earth, and there was nothing Malachi hadn’t seen. And yet, one ornery Chinese woman had managed to break through his shell. As much as he hadn’t wanted that to happen, it had. He’d connected with Ben and his entire family, and this was the outcome.

  He wanted to kick himself for not keeping Mei right by his side. What was he thinking, letting her go off on her own? Yet, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. If there was anyone who could take care of herself just fine alone, it was Mei. He had to believe she would be ok.

  “We have surveillance video and witness testimony. But I would like to hear what you have to say. It might be the last time anyone listens to your side of things before the media gets ahold of you and tears your life apart.”

  Malachi said nothing.

  “I have a SWAT officer who swears he put a bullet in your chest. He saw you fall off a thirty-story building. Yet, here you are. Right in front of me; in one piece.”

  “He must have imagined it. I’m sure you’ve had your mind play tricks on you before. Stress can affect the body in a lot of ways.”

  “What about the missing round from his rifle. Is that in his head, too?”

  Malachi shrugged. “I guess it can’t have been me, then. Because I’m sitting right here. Not dead.”

  “So you are.” The officer sat back in his chair, looking unconvinced.

  He wanted to hold out hope in Remy, and in his family, that they’d bring in the evidence needed from the surveillance video. Proof that it had all been fabricated. That the witnesses hadn’t really seen him stab the mayor to death.

  Was that a ridiculous notion?

  He wished there was a way he could tell them to focus on finding Mei right now instead. She likely needed it a whole lot more than he did right now. He could face this alone. After all, he’d lived a hundred lives.

  “Have you figured out why the mayor was the target?” Malachi asked the question not as a suspect, but as though they were on the same side, having a collaborative discussion.

  Skin around the detective’s eyes flexed. “A guy like the mayor of New York? He has plenty of enemies. You tell me why he needed to die.”

  “He was in the way.” At least, he knew that was why Barnabas had him killed, using the event to frame Malachi. “Which means, so was I.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Why else would I be dragged into this? He got rid of us both. The mayor can’t be a problem if he’s dead, and I’m hamstrung because I can’t go anywhere without being spotted by NYPD’s finest.”

  “Dragged into it?”

  Malachi wasn’t going to plead his innocence. Either he would be convicted and sentenced to prison, or he would not be. Getting emotional wasn’t going to change an outcome dictated by the One who had control of everything—even his freedoms.

  “Did you stab the mayor as the footage shows?”

  “You can prove I did. It shows as much on the video. What does it matter what I say?” He would need compelling evidence otherwise if he wasn’t going to fight it. His word meant nothing with cops convinced of his guilt. He’d have to have something that swayed them beyond a shadow of a doubt.

  “You do nothing, you go to jail. Then again, you murdered the mayor so…” The detective shrugged, “Looks like that’s where you’re headed anyway, so it makes no difference to me.”

  Malachi sat there quietly despite wanting to get up and walk away. Or run. Not that he’d be able to escape a police station.

  Plus, he was cuffed.

  That was the point of being bound, though. He’d experienced this before. It didn’t matter the futility of attempting to gain freedom. No matter how impossible escape was, no one ever wanted to acknowledge the futility. Everything in him still yearned for freedom.

  Trapped. Held captive. It was somehow anathema to his sense of self.

  Probably that was true for everyone, and he was simply an autonomous being like everyone else on this planet. He couldn’t say he was a human, because that wasn’t true. Still, there were some traits he shared with humans. A need to feel free was one of them, not a slave to someone—or something.

  The detective was about to say more when the door opened and a uniformed officer said, “Sellert? The lawyer is here.”

  Ben Mason filled the doorway. “I’d like a moment with my client.”

  The detective eyed Malachi, pushed the chair back and stood. He and Ben passed each other, and then the door closed.

  “You look like a mafia boss in that suit.”

  Ben’s lips twitched. “How’s it going?”

  Malachi ignored the question, “Did you guys find Mei?”

  “Remy and Shadrach hit the club right after you guys. Remy sent me what I needed to prove you didn’t kill the mayor.”

  “No, Mei! I need to know about Mei. Did they find her? Is she okay?”

  Ben pulled his cell from the inside pocket of his suit and looked at the screen. “Nothing yet. She in trouble?”

  “Yes, but I have no idea where she is. Barnabas led me straight to the cops before I could find her.”

  Ben sent a text. “We’ll get an update.”

  “And you have proof I didn’t kill the mayor?”

  “I left it with the lieutenant, and I looped in the district attorney. No one is sweeping this under the rug. You aren’t going to jail for a murder you didn’t commit.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell his friend not to count the many murders he had committed. He hadn’t always been the man he tried to be now, one who tried his best to clean up the messes he’d made, or rather, to not make them in the first place. To make amends and make the world better.

  “It might take some time to get you processed and out of here, but it’s going to happen. I don’t leave people behind to rot.”

  Malachi said, “I know.”

  His phone buzzed on the table. Ben glanced at the small screen strapped to his wrist—though Malachi knew it did far more than the average smartwatch. “They can’t find Mei at the club. There’s no sign of her.” He frowned. “Taya is outside here. She says there’s a problem.”

  Malachi sat up in his chair and leaned forward. “What is it?”

  “Two vans just pulled up to the curb. A crowd of young people, all with white hair, just poured out and are heading into the police station.”

  In the hall, a commotion broke out.

  A gunshot went off. Two seconds later, a red light began to flash in the hall outside and an alarm siren erupted.

  Malachi pushed back from the chair. “The police station is under attack.”

  “It’s worse than that,” Ben said. “Mei is in the crowd. She has white hair like all the rest.”

  Chapter 21

  Mei was at the center of the group entering the police station. She knew enough to know this situation wasn’t good.
At all.

  She had passed a car window and, looking in, noticed the white hair. On her own scalp.

  She was still lucid, though, much different than those she was surrounded by. And much different than the two men she had met in the alley a few days ago. A mental image of flashing teeth coming toward her filled her mind for a second. Her thinking was fuzzy, not quite remembering all the details. Only their white hair, like hers. Then, the image was gone.

  She shook out of her haze, realizing she was inside the police station now. Some kind of reception area that widened to a waiting area. Against one wall was a row of big, rough-looking guys, all cuffed.

  She blinked and managed to stumble back, bumping into the person behind her before being shoved forward. She caught herself before colliding with the person in front of her.

  She shook her head. It pounded. And this incessant ringing in her ears was driving her crazy.

  What were those guys saying, anyway? All the cops’ mouths were moving. Their guns were pointed at them…

  She shoved the girl next to her out of the way, stumbled, and landed on the floor on her hands and knees.

  Two of the other white hairs landed on her. A boom penetrated through the buzz in her ears and blood sprayed on the floor.

  Mei collapsed onto her front. Her chin bounced off the tile. The ringing in her head became eclipsed by pain that ricocheted through her jaw. “What’s going on?” She could barely form the words, and it was even more difficult to slur them out.

  Commotion erupted.

  She bridged and rolled, pushing the weight off her. The guy slumped to one side, staring at her with dead eyes.

  She sat up to find all the rough-looking guys now on top of the cops. Kneeling over them. Punching, both cuffed hands laced together, coming down like a battering ram.

  Mei pushed up and off the floor and barreled toward one of the guys. She slammed into his side, head ducked so her shoulder hit his arm. She knocked him sideways, and they toppled onto the floor in a tangle of movement.

  He shoved at her.

  Mei rolled with the force of it and her head glanced off the corner of the wall. She hissed a breath and hung her head.

  Her hair came down over her shoulder and the white strands framed her vision.

  She was one of them.

  The drug. Ricardo. It all came back. Only, she wasn’t mindless like so many others. A shudder went through her. Mei still had her wits about her. How, she didn’t know, but felt she could thank Malachi and his blood for that.

  Someone bumped her.

  She saw a cop subdue the man she’d tackled. He eyed her while blood dripped from his nose. The buzzing in her head grew until her vision swam again, and she had to fight to maintain control. Meanwhile, pandemonium around her kept intruding. She couldn’t focus. All the noise. What sounded like screaming. Or roaring. Gunshots. The tangy smell of blood.

  The cop yelled something.

  He spoke to her next. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t hear. Mei shook her head. She tried to stand but it was like the air weighed a thousand pounds. She felt it forcing her down. All she could do was remain on her hands and knees and try to remember how to breathe through pain. Her body continued to fight the sensation. In, and out. In, and out. She worked to steady her breath.

  She had to get control of herself.

  Figure out why they were here.

  The high lord. She’d been looking for Bella. But she hadn’t seen the girl since she’d charged into Sheila’s office to kill her. Where was the teen now? And where was the sword? The fear that rolled through her with the pending questions gave her a little control back. She needed that.

  The fear. The sense of betrayal, the sinking knowledge that she’d tried to help the girl and all that had been thrown back in her face.

  Mei lifted her head. The cop spoke angrily at her now, but she still couldn’t hear it. “Help.”

  She wanted to help fix this. The white hairs, the addicts and the victims. Unsuspecting, innocent people dragged into this; some against their will and some out of ignorance.

  The cop shook his head, said something, and then moved out of her field of vision.

  Okay. She wasn’t sure what to do with that. All Mei could do was twist over onto her butt and look around.

  Blood spattered the walls. At least three people were either dead or unconscious. This is what you wanted. The high lord needed the police at this station disabled for some reason. That had to be it.

  He was going to attempt something and needed them to be distracted. She would do whatever she could to make sure the worst didn’t happen.

  Which meant she needed to get up.

  Two SWAT guys ran past her, dressed in their full gear. Helmets. Rifles. She patted her pockets, taking an inventory of what she had and what she didn’t have on her. They’d been thorough in their search. She’d been divested of her knives and the stun gun she sometimes carried had been removed from its holster at the small of her back.

  So basically, she was left with the baton in her boot, and nothing else.

  Mei glanced around the floor, looking for a weapon. Her head swam. She keeled over and her temple hit the floor before she could catch herself.

  Breath hissed out between her clenched teeth.

  She pushed off the floor and tried to sit up. A group of people ran past her, but she didn’t see more than just a few shins covered with jeans and some sneakers. A pair of boots. Civilians.

  She couldn’t make sense of what was happening more than that.

  Her vision swam again. The buzzing in her head grew louder. Relentless as a bee on a window, trying to get inside. Was it the high lord? She couldn’t tell and didn’t want to find out. If he wanted control over her via whatever blood magic was in the drug they’d given her, then he was going to be seriously disappointed. She had no intention of succumbing to him—not now that she had control again.

  And that “awesome” high she was supposed to have had? Maybe that would come later, because she still hadn’t felt it. Mei didn’t recall much after the needle was stabbed into her leg. Maybe it was part of the high lord’s control, making the subject believe they were having an amazing experience they couldn’t get elsewhere. It would keep them coming back, again and again. Bringing their friends. Supplying him with more and more subjects to control.

  He could build an army that way.

  But why send them to this particular police station? She had no idea what the plan was and didn’t want to connect with the buzzing that sounded to control the herd. Would she be forced to comply?

  Mei stilled her mind, pushing all thoughts out until all she could feel was that relentless buzzing. It felt like someone tapping on her mind like they would a door. After a few moments, she finally was able to start relaxing whatever mental barrier she had up. All she needed was a tiny, very slow entry, and she could see what this was all about.

  No. Don’t—

  The barrier fell. A second too late as she realized she’d heard Malachi’s voice for just a split second.

  And then there was nothing but pain.

  Mei felt nothing, saw nothing, and couldn’t move a single muscle in her body. She felt small. As though she had been shoved down inside her own body so that she only occupied the tiniest part of her own self. Diminished. Crushed from every angle until she was barely a flicker.

  She tried to reach out. To figure out what was going on.

  The second she managed it, pain rolled through her. As though her entire body was being torn apart. As if that had ever stopped her from fighting against captivity. He’d picked the wrong woman when he chose her for this.

  Mei muscled every iota of strength she had in her and pushed through the pain. No matter how hard this was going to be, or how painful, it couldn’t come close to matching the things she had faced in her life. The way her experiences had cut to her soul. The injuries she’d sustained. The many times she had died and been brought back.

  Through the tunnel
of light, she found familiarity, like she was coming home.

  She knew that light. It had visited Malachi.

  In the beyond.

  Always, in the past, the light had sent her back, back to life and lucidness, and she was starting to wonder if she wasn’t supposed to go back this time. Maybe the light was hers now. That’s what everyone said to do when it came to the end, to go towards the light. Maybe she didn’t belong in the world anymore.

  Kind of like the way this hand of pressure in her mind didn’t belong in her body. The pressure increased sharply, her mind fighting the downed barrier, and the light disappeared like it had somewhere else to be.

  Mei’s entire body bowed. She slammed back onto the floor and managed to keep her eyes open. Every muscle flickered, as though she’d been hit with a stun gun and all that voltage still rolled through her. Aftershocks of it.

  She managed to lift her hand and scrub it down her face.

  Then she sat up and leaned against this wall. No. She wasn’t going to just sit here. She was going to fight. Even if the high lord’s influence was gone from her mind, she let it burn angrily in her. There was no way she would simply give up.

  Mei stood up. She was on a landing in the stairwell between two floors. She didn’t look down to see how far the fall would be. She clambered up to the door above. The direction she’d been heading. She fought the weakness, only able to remain upright because of her death grip on the handrail. She could hear sounds coming from the doorway. The sign read, POLICE DEPT.

  Right then, it swung open.

  A cop came through.

  She tried to speak. All that emerged from her mouth was a moan. Not even audible. She didn’t even know what she would’ve said had she been able to speak.

  He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against the wall.

  She gasped. “Wha—”

  “Shut up.”

  Mei frowned, barely having the strength to stand, let alone fight what this guy was doing.

  He pulled a syringe from his pocket. It looked like an Epi Pen, the same as Ricardo had used on her. Everything in Mei tensed to the point her muscles started to cramp. She brought her hand up…or tried to.