“It was hard to tell what he looked like since he was covered in grease. He looked like he might clean up nice, though.” I replayed his smile in my head.
“Oh, he does, but nothin’ happened. I’m glad he was there when Ollie showed up. So what about you and Damon? Did you get to act out those high school fantasies?” Her face scrunched up and she started eating her cereal. “What?”
“I don’t really wanna talk about it.” This was the first time she’d had an interaction with a guy and didn’t want to talk about it.
“Come on. It must’ve been really good if you don’t wanna give any deets.” She stood and took her bowl to the sink.
“Nothin’ happened. It could have, but …” She hesitated. She was probably going to give me the excuse she was still hooked on Jace and couldn’t let anything happen with someone else. “It’s just that … that … his breath smelled like dog shit, and I couldn’t take it.” I almost choked on my food.
“Bahaha … Damon Young, the infamous lady killer has dog shit breath! Holy crap, that makes my day,” Dax laughed from the couch. Shayla cut him an evil look but couldn’t help but join him.
“How did you explain your sudden repulsion?” I asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“I tried to play it off and act like I had to go to the bathroom, well I thought that worked until I came out and he was standing there with this horny-ass look on his face. All I could think about was the decayed road kill he must’ve eaten before he came out. I told him I couldn’t do it and he kept on and on tryin’ to close in on me. I seriously thought I was gonna vomit all over the place. I’m tellin’ you on my momma’s life, that was the most horrible thing I’d ever smelt in my life.”
“Yeah, yeah so what did you do?” Dax asked, leaning in, obviously enjoying every embarrassing moment for Damon.
“After he refused to take any of my hints, I finally just had to break it down for him. I was like look, dude, I think you’re hot and all and wouldn’t mind having a heavy duty make out session with you or a little somethin’, somethin’ else, but … your breath smells like a couple of homeless guys dropped a sweaty sack in there and then wiped it out with a shit patty.” Dax rolled off the couch onto the floor, knocking my coffee table to the side.
“You didn’t have to break it down so harsh, did you?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I guess next time he’ll know not to keep pressing somethin’ that isn’t gonna happen. He deserved to know. There’s no tellin’ how many people he’s done put into a coma or permanently scarred.”
“Wow … that has officially made one of the best stories of the year!” Dax exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes. Before he could say another word, he got a text message.
“Do you have your laptop around here?” he asked. His face was back to business as he took my computer and started pounding away at the keyboard. The web cam activated, and we were looking at Fuzz with Steele right behind him. I wanted to look away from the camera, but I couldn’t. It felt so good to see him.
“Good mornin’, ladies! Dax, some footage just came through that I’d like you to take a look at,” Fuzz said. “Reese, are we still on for this afternoon?” I nodded. My mouth wouldn’t work. “You look happy today. Must’ve been a good time last night.” I glanced at Fuzz, shocked at his reply. Ollie shifted but said nothing. It was obvious by his body language he saw me riding away with a strange guy.
“It was, Fuzz. Thanks for asking.” I smiled back at him.
“Well, I don’t know if Dax has mentioned to you that we’ve installed a camera in the room where you last saw Derek. That was what we wanted to discuss with you the night before you decided to leave the training facility. We’ve been watchin’ it closely over these last weeks with nothin’ exciting happenin’ there until just a few moments ago. Dax has access to get into the feed, so I’ll let him show you the footage.”
“I’m signing off, Fuzz. Once we look over the footage, I’ll hook us back up. Be on standby. He pounded more on the keyboard, and the room appeared. It was the same one where I’d seen Derek, Wheeler, the Valk, and the Magal. I shivered thinking about that rainy day.
“How did you get in to install a camera?” I asked.
Dax looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Have you been out of the game that long? We have the best break-in person in the world workin’ with us. Raven got in and set that thing up, no problem. It was nice to get to use my little revamp. That Magal only thought he had it set up.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Shayla asked.
“Remember that little spider you two beat the hell out of? I rebuilt it, and now it’s resting in a web in the corner of this rat-infested room. I have eight cameras with direct angles workin’ on that thing. If someone picks their nose, we’ll see it. Now, let’s rewind to just a little while ago and see what’s goin’ on with our little friend.” The Magal entered first and started messing with something on the table. It was hard to see clearly what it was.
“He hasn’t arrived yet, I take it?” Derek asked as he and Wheeler entered about five minutes later.
The Magal shook his head. “No, sir. I just arrived a few moments ago, and there was no sign of anyone. I’m sure it won’t be long, and he will be here.” Derek slapped whatever the Magal was working on out of his hand, and it hit the wall with a bang.
“He should have been here already. The audacity of him … a filthy demon … making me wait? Who cares if he’s the Demon King, he has nothing on me and what I can do to him.”
“Don’t talk about me so harshly. After all, we are old friends, are we not?” Derek turned toward the entrance. The camera focused on our newcomer and his companion. I panicked. I had fought hard not to think about the terrifying vision from my childhood, but there was no denying I knew him. I shivered, remembering his fingers on my skin, and the screams of those he murdered in front of me. His smooth, silky voice sent my nerves into overdrive, like someone had stuck a live wire to my skin.
His dark blue skin looked wet, reptilian. He had droopy ears that came to a point on the ends. His mouth was pulled into a deep frown as he stroked a solid white beard that also came to a point. Two horns came out of the top of his head that almost touched the ceiling. He wore a white jacket, with the collar pulled around his neck, and its length hitting the floor. His companion was an average looking guy, nothing special.
Don’t think about it, Reese. Don’t think about it. It was a long time ago. You were a little girl. I repeated the words. I pulled a chair around and sat. There was no way my shaking legs could hold me right now.
“Varcies, we are old friends. That is why I don’t know why you will not take my side on this,” Derek replied. He looked like a puny boy next to this beast. Varcies’ yellow eyes danced around the room, making the silence uncomfortable.
“You are weak … even I can see that. You have roamed this realm for years in search of a way to regain your former being, one that is an appropriate ally for me, to what avail? You now have enemies. Your actions are being monitored as you create more problems for the rest of us that have lived in the shadows.”
Derek slammed his fist into the table, breaking a corner off. “I am on the verge of regaining the form that once was. These enemies were bound to come, Varcies. Did you think she wasn’t going to try to stop me? She’s been doing it for years … sending new souls in a pathetic attempt to stop fate. Our realms that were shunned over Earth, need to be ready for the day to rejoin. You are the first one I need, then the others will follow.”
Varcies scoffed, making the guy beside him chuckle. “Fine, brother … so be it. I will join you. You have the full support of Rigamor. Once you find the way to open the guarded portals, you shall have our army at your disposal.” Varcies stepped closer to Derek, and they embraced in some type of weird hug.
“You will see … the day is upon us. I can feel it. I have gotten word that she’s done something out of character. What she didn’t know was it provided me wit
h the last requirement to rid me of this retched form. I felt something the day we shared a memory, but this informant confirmed it for me. I can’t seem to locate her now, however. It seems to be some type of protection around her to shield her location.” I instinctively reached for Fuzz’s necklace. He was talking about me. He needed what was in me. “I will draw her to me,” Derek replied.
“I’m sure the piece will soon be at your disposal. Do you think she will lose the effort to stop you?”
Derek went to the window and looked out over the alleyway. “She will never give up. She has cloaked her fighting attempt well this time around. One that was at her side is here.”
Varcies began stoking his beard once again. “The warrior?”
Derek’s silenced answered the question. “How do you know of this?” Varcies asked.
“An unexpected addition gave me lots of information that proved to be very valuable. I haven’t seen him. He hides, so no one sees him. That is where our problems arise. She was sneaky this time. I never thought she would have parted with him. You know how our kind is when they find their mate … feels like never ending torture to be away from them.”
“That only makes the thought of his demise even sweeter, eh?” Varcies asked.
“You know my thoughts too well.”
“Both deserve to die at your hand, master,” Wheeler chimed in.
“That you are true in speaking,” Varcies agreed. “She didn’t stop the war from beating her. She just moved it to a different battleground … one that will be covered in human blood before too much longer.”
Derek said nothing. He stood and continued staring out the window. After his silence, Varcies bid farewell and left the room with the guy trailing him.
“Varcies wants power. He will do everything possible to stop me from regaining my form,” Derek said. He looked back at his two companions. “I am close now, and he will have to follow me. Let’s go. We have much to plan for, soon it will be time to act.” The three of them exited, leaving an empty room.
“Well, that was weird. It made my head hurt watchin’ them ugly assholes on the screen for that long. Re-Donkelus,” Shayla said, a bitter look on her face. Dax typed away at the computer until the screen went black and then rebooted with another shot of the room.
“Looks like Fuzz hasn’t seen this yet,” Dax said. His interest peaked as he stared at the screen. The Magal entered back into the room and picked up the many pieces of whatever he had been working on that Derek had thrown against the wall. Our vision started shaking, and the room turned upside down as the spider must have fallen out of its web. A shadow moved around and feet were abruptly visible on the screen. The Magal’s face appeared, looking directly into the camera. He made a clucking sound and shook his head.
“Uh oh. This isn’t good,” Dax said. “I should’ve installed some type of explosive device on that thing if it fell. At least then I could’ve blown some of these things away, less to worry about.”
“Look at what it is,” the Magal’s scratchy voice said into the camera. “I wondered where you went off to that night. Now I see you were in the hands of another tinkerer. Ah … Dax Newsome. Are you watching now? What goes on within our groups is of none of your concern, and you shouldn’t have crossed the line.” He pulled out a device. “Yes, we’ve been compromised. It’s time to get rid of Newsome; he’s causing too many problems. Find him, now!”
“Dax, how long ago was this?” I asked frantically. His face was ghost white, and his lips were moving but nothing was coming out. His hands trembled as they hovered above the keyboard. “Dax … come on, you gotta answer me!” I reached back and smacked him across the face. He blinked a few times and clicked a few things.
“It was about ten minutes ago.” I felt a little better. They probably hadn’t had time to locate his whereabouts, giving us time to get him back to the training camp safely.
“Shayla, get Fuzz on the phone now, and let him know what’s goin’ on. Tell him we’re about to head back out there with Dax.”
She nodded and walked to the living room to make the call.”
“None of this would’ve happened, Reese, if we were all still together. Why can’t y’all just work things out and move back in out there. It’s gettin’ too dangerous,” Dax said. He was scared; I realized that. He needed to know we weren’t going to let anything happen to him.
“I can’t do that now. It’s not right there for me. I’m not gonna let anything get to you, Dax.” He sighed deeply. “You ready to roll? Let’s get you back to the camp.”
There was a loud thud and crash from the living room. “Stay here,” I whispered. Silently, I pulled a hidden shelf out from one of my cabinets. It was lined with different types of blades. I had quite the collection I’d acquired from different dealers from all over. I grabbed two blades from their holders, tucking one into a sheath I quickly strapped to me. Having the other ready to do damage, I leaned close to the wall and crept to the living room. Peaking around the corner, I saw Shayla laying across the floor, facedown. My heart stopped. Her back moved slowly up and down, so I knew she was still alive, just unconscious. Relief washed over me, and I searched for her attacker. Nothing. The room was empty, but the front door stood wide open, letting the morning rays pour into the room. Maybe whatever it was decided against pushing any farther into the apartment and left. The LaModa in the window seal was no longer white. It was black as the coal.
I needed to get Dax into the car while the coast was clear. I tip toed back to kitchen—it was empty. My heart rate increased. A small sound coming from my bedroom alerted me, and as quietly as I could, I ran to the source. I pushed the door open to find the two huge windows to the side of my bed open and two Valks standing there. Both seemed to be struggling, weak. One pulled Dax by the neck, his body was slumped, eyes closed. I threw one of my blades with such force it went straight threw one of the Valk’s head, sending him to the floor with a crash. The other, that was holding Dax, turned in my direction and narrowed his eyes. He looked torn as he glanced at the window then back at me. He didn’t want to attack me. They were too weak to put up much of a fight. I felt a sharp pain at my neck, and I reached up to touch a small needle sticking out. My vision blurred, and the Valk doubled before my eyes. I turned slowly to find another behind me. Losing my balance slightly, I stumbled against the wall.
“I can’t believe we found her. Should we take her with us along with the other?” The one standing close to me said to the other.
“The master will be pleased. That would be one key to his plan in place.” It felt like small pinpricks were scouring my body, as the darkness was closing in fast. I couldn’t go down, if I did, Dax and I would surly be dead by the end of the day. But there was nothing I could do to fight it. I hit the floor with an unwelcomed grunt.
MY EYES FELT HEAVY, and I forced them to open. I was lying in a forest. It wasn’t a normal forest that I would have found anywhere in Alabama, though. There were giant trees that made weird shapes with oversized leaves hanging down from them. Transparent flowers bloomed from a few of them, which glowed brilliant blues, purples, and oranges. The air was sweet, unlike anything I had ever smelled. A small-lighted object whizzed past me, sending gold sparks off as it zipped and darted around the forest before floating in front of my face. I tried to knock it away, but it dodged my attempts easily. I swear it laughed at me. It flew a few feet in front of me, stopped, and came back.
“Do you want me to follow you?” It darted around in an excited circle and then flew away again, stopping a few feet from me. I pushed off the ground and walked warily behind it. My head ached and I was groggy. I moved a few of the huge leaves to the side as I made my way to wherever this thing was leading me.
I heard water pounding just up in front of us as a lake came into view. Two waterfalls poured into it, making the air sticky with mist. I stepped closer and looked into the water to find a face staring back up at me. The sight of the mermaid caught me off guard and I fell backw
ard. She jumped out of the water, sending her black hair flying around, and sat on a rock formation in the middle of the water. She said nothing, but sat and watched me.
The glowing light seemed to buzz around in an agitated manner. I stood again, dusted off, and followed it. We climbed up a trail that ran along the side of a mountain. At the top was an inclining patch of plush, green grass. I had been here before … in my dreams. However, in my dreams the grass was burning with blue flames. My stomach sank as I began climbing the slope because I knew what I saw the last time I was here. The war. A horrible sight that made me sick to my stomach. Regardless, this ball of light wanted me to see what was at the peak of this climb.
What I saw took my breath away. A vacant, completely desolate place that seemed unfit for any living creature to ever inhabit. It was blackened from the fire that had obviously spread over it. The trees standing, or what was left of them, were a decaying life form. The smoke still snaked its way through the air, burning my nose. In my dreams, despite the destruction happening, this place was still a beautiful piece of nature. A low rumble from off in the distance alerted me. The sound appeared to be getting closer and closer. Curious, I walked down the slope and through the woods toward it. Once I was sure I’d found the bush that separated me from the noise, I crawled closer to the source. Quietly, I pushed it to the side and saw an army. Brute, vicious Valks were just below me.
“The day draws upon us, fellow fighters. We shall be united in the other realm to make it bleed and squirm under our wrath. For now, go forth and kill what you can find hiding in these woods!” shouted a taller one standing at the front. Screaming, the army tore off in different directions. A few started climbing the cliff I was laying on, so I slunk backward to avoid contact. They were all around me. I didn’t know where to run. The bushes in front of me shook. I had been caught. The little light whipped in front of my face and darted at my forehead hitting it with a sting. I rubbed my hand across it and started feeling light-headed. I struggled to focus, but fell into a pit of blackness.
Reckoning Page 13
