by T. G. Ayer
“So the ability to see these coral prints has allowed you to successfully track them?” I asked.
Kai nodded. “I guess you could compare them to a snail’s trail rather than fingerprints.” She shrugged, her expression saying she’d rather be talking about something else. Her cell beeped and while she attended to it I finished off my burger and drink.
She followed suit and when we got the check she insisted on paying since I wasn’t charging for tracking her Mom. I wanted to say that I could get my new boss to pay for the dinner, but I ended up just shaking my head at her.
We grabbed our bags and left the buzz of the bar. We walked to Kai’s apartment as the sun set, throwing an orange glare over the cobbled streets.
Chapter 22
At Kai’s apartment we headed to the dining room table. I hadn’t planned on wasting any time especially with Santiani still in the hospital and the Gia/Gina puzzle to solve.
Kai seemed to understand the need to be quick as she retrieved her portal key from her pocket and set it on the table in front of me. “Is it okay that I touched it?” she asked.
I nodded. “It should be fine. I need DNA, and I don’t usually have a problem with epithelial DNA causing interference.”
I took the key, sensing from Kai’s expression that she was tense and worried. I leaned forward and touched her arm. “Hey, I’m going to do a projection first, so I’m not going to disappear or anything. I’ll project, get the lay of the place, then come back and tell you what I know.” Only when she nodded did I let her go.
Giving her a quick smile, I focused on the portal key.
Shaking my hands, I inhaled and concentrated for a few moments before resting against the back of the chair for support. I took the key, holding it gently within my hands. My spine went taut as the blood drew me through the Ether to Kai’s mother with lightning speed, a mark of a powerful mage.
The feedback thread dropped me into a bare space, more a cell than a room. It took me a moment to figure out what it was, even then I was surprised. It’s not often that you see a giant refrigerator used as a prison.
A dark-haired woman lay unmoving on a cot against the left wall, her skin pale, her arms bandaged with filthy rags. Her eyelids fluttered and she stared blankly at the white ceiling, her chest rising and falling evenly. Though she was alive, she seemed to be holding on by a thread, her thin, fleshless arms and bony shoulders screaming of starvation.
I slipped through the metal coils and plastic, giving the building a quick scan, taking in the odors of oil and salty ocean and rust, the feel of metal and stone, the distant sound of gulls and the irregular blaring of a tugboat horn.
I returned to my body, feeling awful to leave her behind, and praying she wouldn’t suffer in any way until Kai was able to save her.
Kai bent close, speaking softly. “Are you alright? Do you need anything.”
I waved her off, giving her a tight smile. “I’m totally fine.”
“Did you see her?” Kai asked, her voice filled with urgency and fear.
I nodded, choking back the dry chafing in my throat.
“Is she okay?” Kai asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. I arrived right beside her. She’s conscious, but I think she’s been injured or maybe … I’m not sure … I think she’s being bled. There were soiled bandages around her arms. And she looked thin, emaciated. I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing to her.”
“I think I know.” Kai’s voice was soft and pained.
“What is it?” I shook my head, trying and failing to unsee the torture I’d witnessed.
“They probably know about the glow.” Kai whispered.
“What glow?” I asked, my voice a tad high-pitched with worry. Holding onto Kai’s arm, I waited until she was ready to speak.
“It’s my fault. The wraiths know about the glow. It’s what happens when my killing power comes into play. My hands glow golden and the wraith I’m touching dies.”
“That sounds cool, in a gross way.” I made a face, somewhere between impressed and weirded out. “So you’re saying the wraiths found out about this glow and think your mother has the same power because she’s also a Hunter?”
Kai gave a jerky nod. “And it’s my fault. They never would have learned about it if I hadn’t told Illyria how it works.”
Kai shook her head, her eyes a little unfocused as she frowned. Then she blinked and met my eyes. “Tell me, did you manage to get a good idea of where she’s being held?”
I nodded. “I got a feel for the room, then did a little exploring. She’s in a warehouse by the docks somewhere. She’s being kept in a disused commercial refrigerator. It’s fortunate I can project through anything, even metal. Or else I wouldn’t get her out.”
“I thought jumpers couldn’t pass through lead and… What was the other metal…? Silver?”
I smirked. “Metals are no match for a Master Teleporter. I can get her out.”
“Can we go now?” Kai asked impatiently.
“We can, but just because I can project in doesn’t mean I can jump in. So be aware that it might not work on the first run.” Kai nodded, disappointment darkening her eyes. I sighed. “There could also be another problem. Sometimes I can jump in, but I can’t bring the person through.”
“Why would that be?”
“Many reasons. Blood magic preventing the person from moving through the Veil. Or the person could be too weak.” I looked at Kai sadly.
“You think Mom will be too weak for a jump?”
“I’m sorry, Kai. I’m almost sure she’s too weak. She’s pale and she looked very undernourished. A jump could kill her.”
Kai’s face crumpled and her shoulders slumped.
“We can still go in, Kai. We just need to be well prepared.”
She nodded, schooling her features and I admired her strength. At least she wasn’t collapsing into a pile of damsel-in-distress. “Will we need backup?” she asked.
“Yes, I usually don’t go anywhere without knowing what I’m up against. I don’t always have the luxury of backup, but when I do have it, I take it, no questions asked. It’s always better to go in with company.”
“I can arrange a few people,” Kai said.
“I can wrangle a couple as well, if needed,” I offered, determined to help.
“That depends on what you saw. What are we up against? How many wraiths in the building? How secure is her prison?”
I fell silent and did a quick projection, returning a few minutes later. “So there are two guards on each corner of the building, two at the end of the drive. Inside, spread along all three floors, there are forty odd wraiths, and they have weapons.”
“Weapons? Not spears and swords?”
I shook my head, worried now. “No, they have guns, revolvers and rifles.”
“Looks like they’ve upgraded.” Kai’s jaw tightened. “So it means we have to amp up our ammo as well.”
“Do you have sufficient wraith ammo?”
Kai pursed her lips. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t planning on an all-out war. And with Tara gone, I can’t commission more ammo.” She sighed and rubbed she forehead. “Right. Are there guards where they’re holding her?”
“No. They have her sealed from the outside, in that commercial fridge. There are vents near the ceiling so she does have air. But she’s weak, hooked up to what looked like an IV. She’ll need to be carried out.”
Kai nodded. “Okay. What about other jumpers?”
“The more jumpers the better, I say.”
“I think I can round up one or two,” she said.
I smiled, about to ask her if she’d be calling Saleem. Then I figured it was best not to bring any attention to our relationship. Not just yet.
Kai’s eyebrows rose slightly, probably curious, but all she said was, “Okay, so how much time do you need?”
“Half a day? A day at most?”
“So tomorrow, sundown?”
“Yeah, if we coul
d time it to the instant the sun sets, we have an advantage. They are at their weakest at change of light.”
“Okay, so sunset and sunrise makes them weak. Are they stronger at night?” I asked.
Kai nodded, her expression saying she’d rather be talking about something else.
“I thought so. Too late for an early morning raid, unless you can round up your people that quickly?” I looked at Kai expectantly.
Kai rose, her expression determined. “Let’s aim for sunrise,” Kai said, reaching for her phone.
Seconds later we were both on the phone, gathering our people.
Thirty minutes later, Kai had received most of her confirmations. When she almost slammed down her cell I looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to get a hold of Logan, but he must be on a job. He’s not answering.” She inhaled deeply although I couldn’t be sure it actually helped to ease her frustration.
“I’m about to call Saleem. Do you want me to ask him if he knows where Logan is?”
Kai raised her eyebrow, sending me a suggestive look. Which in turn made my face hot. When Kai’s expression turned triumphant I glared at her and started to dial.
Ten minutes later Logan was on the line with Kai. I left them to talk although my ears did perk up when she implied that the Omega agents would have issues with Kai’s Sentinel contacts. I hoped not.
I got to my feet as she cut the call. “I have to go home, but I will be back soon. I’ll come back with my car and hopefully with my partner. I’d rather not do too many jumps right now. Not until it’s necessary.”
I smiled, then jumped.
Chapter 23
I knew I was going to be in trouble for jumping when it wasn’t necessary, but there were two reasons I tried to remain as stubborn as I’ve always been about using my talent.
One, if I had to suddenly change my attitude and actually listen to Drake, he’d know immediately that something was up. He knew me too damned well.
And two, I was not about to let some undead evil spirit get the best of me.
Who the hell would do such a thing anyway? I’d been so busy with Gia and her father, with Kai and Saleem and their mothers, that I’d had little time to wallow in self-pity. But then I wasn’t really the type to wallow. I tended to throw things.
And punch stuff up.
The house was empty when I arrived. I dropped my bag on the kitchen table and I took the opportunity to hurry upstairs. Too wired to do mundane things like shower and sleep, I threw on shorts and a sports bra, and headed to the basement.
I’d moved back into my childhood home a couple years back, but I’d brought company. Drake, however much he’d like to believe it, was far from housetrained. That he was able to cook a three-course meal was astounding.
The guy had been incapable of boiling water. After moving into the house, Steph and I had left him to his own devices as he scoped out the place. Little did I know what was in store for my basement when he’d expressed an interest in a gym. I had said my house was his. I never realized I may regret it.
Granted, Drake had insisted that we all needed it.
I descended the punched metal stairs, and scanned the space. One entire wall that spanned the length of the house was covered in glass. To the observer the glass appeared to be one single sheet. But Drake possessed a special skill, able to manipulate any of the earth’s natural elements. He had enough talent to smooth the edges of each of the glass panels so well that they blended into each other seamlessly.
I’d had only one concern, and Drake had voiced it as we’d all stood back and examined the stunning wall
It was going to be a bitch to remove.
The three remaining walls were linked with reflective metal panels and were dotted with hooks and shelves. Drake had sourced all the equipment and furnishings, but had kept his dealers’ identities a secret even from me.
What did he think? I was going to steal them from him?
I smiled as I headed for the treadmill and punched in a strenuous hill-climb program. Drake was good at making and keeping valuable connections though and on many an occasion I’d been grateful for them. Wine, gym equipment or otherwise.
Even now, I benefited as my thighs burned, as sweat dripped off my skin and my breath scorched my lungs. I hated exercise. Absolutely hated it.
But I’d learned a long time ago that sometimes it was better to fight air than to take the battle to people who didn’t even understand what they were fighting for.
So instead, I ran and I cycled and I punched away my anger and frustration, my depression and my pain. Drake had known all along how badly I’d needed the physical part of working off my frustrations and the man had been smart enough to find a way.
Years ago, he’d taught me how to fight, honed my skills so well that I could use my hands to kill if I chose.
I didn’t.
Drake and Steph were the only people who knew that I could snap a human’s neck in seconds flat. Only slightly longer for a paranormal.
I wasn’t proud of that skill. Not the way I felt about my astral projection or my teleporting. Or reading auras in the Divide.
As far as I was concerned, some things were better left untold.
My fist slammed into the leather bag, the impact absorbed by the hard-packed sand within. The punching-bag from hell. Drake had always said I’d thank him someday.
I did.
Although I’d never admit it.
So many thoughts fought for space in my head. A missing girl and her dead mother. A father having convulsions and stuck in a hospital room. An unfeeling sister who manipulated older men.
As cases went, this one was definitely not boring.
Then I had a mother who didn’t want to be saved, and another mother being tortured in captivity, and two children desperate to get them home safe.
Add a little hijacking on the astral highway, and you’d be forgiven for believing I was having a fabulous few days.
And that was without the evil spirit haunting me.
My knuckles hit the bag so hard that it swung wide away from me, the sound vibrating around the room long after the bag returned to me.
Drake caught it on the next blow, the muscles on his forearm taut.
I hated it when he snuck up on me.
Could only mean trouble.
I punched the bag again, and he merely held it in place using his body to absorb the impact. Then he lifted a finger and tapped my elbow. “Don’t drop your elbow.”
His expression said I should obey but it just wasn’t in my nature. I dropped my arms and stared at him.
“What’s your problem?”
He said nothing, just stilled the bag and reached for the disinfectant and paper towels. The anal cleaning routine was my requirement and he performed it with stubborn reluctance.
I sighed. I wasn’t going to get anything out of him right now. Not when his jaw was set so hard it looked like he was about to crush it into pieces. “We have a case,” I said, figuring now was a good a time as any to push his buttons.
He snorted. “Yeah. Missing kid, crazy sister. I heard.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed a towel to wipe my forehead and neck. “No. This is a missing mother.”
Drake’s sigh was pained. “Mel. We’ve talked about this before. You can’t just go and take on case after case without checking to make sure you can handle it. What about the nosebleeds?”
My eyebrows rose. “What the hell does one have to do with the other?” I asked.
Drake gave the punching bag one last vicious rub then balled the paper towels and tossed them into the garbage can behind him. “You know your stubbornness is going to get you into trouble. I’m not always going to be there to bail you out.”
I smiled sweetly. “Maybe not then, but you have to bail me out now.” He glared at me. “Sorry dude. A job’s a job.”
“What’s the pay?” he asked as I headed for the stairs. He’d ruined my peace and quiet.
&
nbsp; “Peace and love,” I said over my shoulder.
“Mel,” Drake yelled as he rushed after me. I paused on the stairs. “Another charity job?”
I shrugged. “Not sure helping out the Panther Alpha would be considered charity.”
His eyes widened.
“Nor would helping out a friend.”
He was silent, but that muscle throbbed at his temple and I stepped toward him. Squeezing his arm, I said, “Dude. What’s up?”
He was contentious at times but never this antagonistic. His tone was almost brutal.
He’d been acting strangely these last few weeks and I’d left him to it. Gargoyles needed their personal space much like any human did. Plus he didn’t need a mother.
If he’d ever gotten distracted or put me in danger I would have said something, but Drake on the job, was perfection.
Now he stared at me, his expression pained. I’d expected him to storm off, or be a wuss and change the subject but he sighed, turned, and sank onto the stairs.
I stood there confused, not sure what I was expected to do with this show of acquiescence.
He rested his head in his hands, then rubbed his hands over the top of his head. “I haven’t been fair to you.”
Stunned, I sank beside him. “Not sure what you mean.”
“I’ve kept the truth about my past from you. And now that everything is falling apart I’ve been taking it out on you.”
Shaking my head, I rested my hand on his biceps. “You haven’t, you know I won’t take your shit even if you gave it.”
He laughed softly. “Typical.”
I nudged him with my shoulder and smiled, letting him take his time.
“I’m a disgrace.”
“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow.
But he was looking into the distance, seeing something I would never be privy to. “I’m a warrior. I’m a seasoned killer. But I’m not a coward. War is war, and people die for a great cause. But I’ve never agreed with killing for personal gain. Never was a ruthless bastard. But my father was. The family tradition was the army. We had army in the blood of our men for centuries. A family proud of their warrior sons. So who was I to change fate?” He sighed and tapped his palm against his knee.
