Fatal Sight (Harbingers Of Death Book 2)

by LeAnn Mason

  “Hell yeah!” Raven pumped a fist. “You feeling like we deserve some fun? We never did get to have our night out when Seke got all hot and bothered over Aria.” She tipped her head back and swayed her narrow hips a little. “It’s contagious, isn’t it? Jessica would probably never leave.”

  Ember shook her head, turning back to reason with the hellhound. His eyes were on some doe-eyed chick smiling at him from across the room.

  “I think we should split up,” the big man said without breaking eye contact with the woman.

  “What? No,” Ember started. “The plan was—”

  “Gunhilde, Torgny, Seke, and Aria are busy trying to learn more about Enid’s holding spot. We have a lot of ground to cover with just the three of us.” He wrenched his eyes from the woman to look at Ember. His strange amber irises were turning slightly red as his canine side came out to play. “It’s for the mission. I’ll sniff, you can... do your thing, and Raven—”

  “Will make any potential vamps want to spill their innermost secrets. One way or another. For the mission!” Raven cheered. “So, let’s meet back up with the others in, say, two hours?”

  “Three,” Cole bargained.

  “Deal.”

  “No. No deal.” Too late, Ember whipped around, seeing Raven’s black hair slip out the door. “I really think —” Turning back, she caught Cole’s dreads vanishing into the crowd as he worked his way across the mass of bodies on the dance floor. She finished the sentence with a swear.

  “Looks like you got ditched.”

  Ember spun to blink up at a man who was impossibly tall — though that defined most men when you were petite. His smile was wide, dark eyes penetrating as if the rest of the room didn’t exist and nothing mattered but her.

  “Yeah, uh...” She really did not know how to flirt anymore.

  “I could use a drink.” His head cocked. “Are you a thirsty girl?”

  She licked her lips, squinting. Was he inferring what she thought he was inferring? “Very.”

  “Excellent.” His grin expanded. “I do love a redhead. Red is my favorite color.” He nudged his head toward the door. “I know a place just down the street. Quieter, where we can talk. Shall we?”

  Ember hesitated, her eyes flicking around the club, but she could no longer make out the tall, dark form of Cole, and Raven was probably in the middle of something at another loud joint already.

  She considered the man again. The flashing, multi-colored lights made it difficult to tell if his skin really did have a pale blue hue. His teeth were hard to make out without much light.

  Her lips pulled up, and she blinked her big, round eyes alluringly, or so she hoped. “We shall. I’d love to talk, get to know more about you.”

  For the mission, she told herself.

  My eyes popped open and for a moment, I was disoriented, uncertain about my location. There was a lot of darkness above me, a rushing sound, wetness beneath my body. I whispered, crossing my fingers, “Did I do it?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Seke’s voice made me deflate, though his warm fingers slipping through mine were comforting.

  I blew out a breath, tipping my head up. The darkness above was just the night sky. Away from the lights and sounds of the tourist attractions, the light pollution was almost non-existent. With this new angle, I could make out waves breaching the shore not far away from where I was sprawled on the coarse sand. “I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. It worked last time.”

  I lifted my free hand, admiring the ring. Why wasn’t it working like it had before? We’d been at it for over an hour and that was after another session of coaching from Seke and Gunhilde. The others would be getting back soon. And I’d have nothing to tell them. Hopefully, they’d found out something from some of the locals. Or, better yet, bagged us an actual vamp visiting the mainland.

  “Maybe there’s too much distraction here.” Gunhilde was building a sandcastle to my left. She picked a shell out of the ground and threw it toward the surf.

  I lifted my head to watch its trajectory, and my brows drew together. Torgny was in horse form, prancing around amongst the crashing waves, tossing his mane. His sleek, muscular body glinted in the moonlight as his hooves danced in the water.

  “Ugh.” I dropped my head back onto the sand. “I don’t think it’s that.”

  “Maybe it’s too uncomfortable. We could find another hotel...”

  “No.” Although there were grains smuggling their way into my pants and digging into my skin, I didn’t think getting another hotel with Seke would be less distracting. I wouldn’t be able to think about anything but getting him into my pants instead. “Thanks though.” I smiled softly at him.

  He was deep in thought and missed it. “Perhaps she is difficult to locate right now. Enid may be on the move.”

  “Well, that’s not good.” I pushed up onto my palms, turning half to face him. “We need to know where she is. If they move her to a new location, then my visions are no good at all.”

  “Unless you keep checking on her.” Gunhilde was adding small shells as windows to her castle.

  “It’s not going well this time, so I’m unlikely to be able to do it many more times before we get there,” I retorted, feeling frustrated. I rooted a stone from a small dune near my hand and threw it. It crashed through the delicate balustrade, and the tower slumped onto a lower portion of the edifice.

  Gunhilde turned wounded eyes on me.

  “Sorry.” I stood and brushed off my hands and pants, shaking loose sediment from my jeans, which just sent most of them into my shoes. “I’m going to take a walk.”

  Seke rose to join me, and I held out a hand, stopping him.

  “I need to be alone for a minute.” If we strolled along the beach, hand in hand, I’d definitely lose track. “Thank you, though.” I needed to regather my thoughts, focus on my mom.

  Wrapping my arms around myself, I started to amble, looking around at other late-night couples spaced out on the beach. It wasn’t cold, but I felt despondent.

  A warm nose nudged my arm, prickling my skin with long whiskers protruding from the soft flesh. I jumped, letting out a short shriek, nowhere near my normal banshee decibels, thankfully.

  “Torgny! You startled me.”

  The massive horse didn’t respond — he couldn’t. He just kept pace beside me, hooves sinking into the packed sand while his dark head and sleek neck bobbed in my periphery. I lifted a hand, tentatively placing it on his neck as we walked. He didn’t toss it off, so I kept it there, letting his warmth and solidity, his silent strength guide my course.

  Closing my eyes, I listened to my breath and his, to our steps in the sand, to the waves. “Mom,” I whispered. “Where are you?”

  Spray caught my cheek, and I flinched. Cold water hit my shins and I peeked open an eye, wondering if Torgny had let us wander deeper into the water where the waves could splash.

  Blackness met my vision, and for a moment, I panicked, stopping my steady strides. The sound of the water stopped too. With dawning realization, I patted my palm against the object on my left. The smack that echoed surely didn’t match the sound I’d expect from an impact against the dense flesh of a living horse. More to that of a rough, hollow tunnel.

  My breath picked up, and I grinned, gripping the ring tight in my hand.

  I picked up my pace, though it was a slow and harrowing effort in knee-deep sewage water. Nonetheless, I eventually met with the metal grate at the end of the curve as I expected.

  This time, I knew what to do and breathed out, closing my eyes and imagining that barrier losing its solidity, then stepped through. Of course, it was I who was not solid, but the trick worked, and once again, I slipped through to the other side.

  I rushed to the center of the room and picked up the candle, then waded toward the bed, my heart in my throat. As the light grew on the small gray lump huddled on the bed, so did my trepidation.

  “Mom?” I whispered, my heart in my throat. It was beati
ng heavily, thumping a dull rhythmic thud in my ears. “It’s me, Aria.”

  I didn’t know if she could hear me; last time, she’d seemed to at least sense me. Could banshees interact with each other in visions? Or had she had a vision that I would see this moment in my own? This was getting dangerously close to time-travel chaos. Did she know that I was seeing this point in time now? Whenever now was... All my previous visions had been in the future. Was this also the future? Or was she really here, right now, where I could come find her?

  Reaching out a hand, I willed it to be solid. I wanted — needed — to touch her, to know she was alive and really within my grasp.

  The grate overhead swung open, and I jerked into the shadows before remembering that no one could see me.

  I watched as the assumed vampire descended, a limp body slung over his shoulder. “Lookie here. A new roommate for ya,” he sang in a cold, biting tone.

  Jumping down the last few rungs, his dark boots splashed heavily into the water, sending droplets flying to every corner of the cell. He bounced the limp body on his shoulder a few times then slung it onto the bed.

  “Fresh from the mainland.”

  It landed sprawled half on top of my mother, who didn’t move, and I rushed forward as if I could help pull her from under the heap instead of having my hands slip right through.

  I froze, staring at the pale, heart-shaped face topped with a pixie cut of red hair. Blood seeped from a wound on Ember’s temple.

  “Got two more where that came from, too. They’ll be here shortly.”

  “No!” I screamed.

  “Aria?” Concern was palpable in Seke’s distant yell.

  I launched up from where I’d fallen in the sand, stumbling into the surf. Torgny moved toward me, and I braced myself against his sturdy rump as I heaved air into my lungs, hands dropping to my knees. My eyes were wide and wild as they lifted to focus on Seke and Gunhilde who were running across the sand in response to my call of distress.

  “What did you see, child?” the valkyrie pressed. “Was Enid there? Did you find out where on the island she’s stowed?”

  I shook my head. “No… but...” My words were punctuated with gasps, tight lungs frustratingly oxygen deficient. I spat out the relevant information I’d gleaned. “They’ve got Ember, Cole, and Raven. Or... at least, they will.” My brow furrowed as I tried to figure out the timing of my vision.

  “What?” Seke stepped forward, his expression slamming into captain-mode.

  “The vamps. I guess the team found them… or vice versa.” With that, I sprinted down the beach toward the clubs to find my team, not sure if we were too late.

  26

  People threw me dirty looks as I bumped and cajoled my way through the crowded thoroughfare, some making sure to voice just how rude I was. I didn’t care, I had a singular focus. Well, three, technically, and they didn’t have time for me to be careful and polite in finding them.

  Looking at the signs and into the windows of every establishment, I hoped something would jump out at me. They hadn’t given us the names of the clubs they were going to hit up, and even if they had, they’d planned to visit more than one.

  Don’t get caught. The mantra pounded like thunder through my skull as my urgency increased. “Don’t get caught. Don’t get caught.”

  “Aria, slow down. Caution is prudent right now,” Seke urged, catching up with long strides. “We cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves, especially you. You don’t think vampires will recognize a banshee if she’s tearing up their hunting grounds?” He’d caught up to me and swiftly stopped my frenzied march by wrapping me in steady arms, pulling my head to rest on his chest.

  To the rest of the tourists, it must have looked like a lover’s embrace, and they spared us no mind, weaving their way around where we stood entwined against a large plate-glass window that advertised a half-priced happy hour. But Seke’s strong arms held me fast to his body as he attempted to talk sense into me.

  Surprised and confused yelps faintly registered in my pounding ears before I felt the presence of more bodies in our huddle. Gunhilde and Torgny must have arrived, and since the humans couldn’t see them, they were irritated by the inexplicable solidity they kept bumping into.

  “Breathe, child,” the valkyrie urged. “Focus is key now. Your friends are depending on you to keep a level head. As is your mother.”

  Gunhilde was right, of course. I wasn’t following Dad’s or Seke’s rules very well of late.

  Snap out of it, Aria. You got this. Those asshole undead dickheads are going down.

  The mental pep talk worked a little — enough so that I could pry open fists that had been clenching in Seke’s shirt like a lifeline. It was tougher to push myself off the strong support that the muscly god offered. He was so comforting and warm and…

  Closing my eyes, I forced a few deep, cleansing breaths that allowed clarity to seep back into my consciousness and rationality to surface. I stepped purposefully away from Seke as his arms straightened to accommodate the rising space between our bodies.

  His molten hazel eyes conveyed how hard it was to drop the contact, but finally, he did, visibly gathering himself much as I had just done. A moment longer, and he was the stoic, composed leader I knew and loved.

  Don’t dwell on that little slipped word, Aria. Not the time.

  Pulling my shit together, I broke down the possibilities. “Splitting up would cover more ground, but I’m not sure that is the best course of action at the moment. There are two scenarios we could be walking into. One: they know about the HDPU members, but not about the rest of us.”

  “Or two: they know about all of us and are waiting in the shadows,” Torgny finished the grim probability for me, having resumed his human form. “Remember, Gunhilde and I are only unseen to human eyes. Our enemies will see through our cloak.”

  “Well, that blows,” I said mulishly. It would have been nice to have that ace up our sleeve. “Okay, I vote we move quickly and quietly. We should stay together, but maybe not obviously. That way if one group gets approached, there’s still a backup team. No one caught unawares. Not this time.” Don’t get caught.

  “Let’s hope that they are not well-versed in the ranks of harbingers. I think you need to stay as a pair,” Seke pointed to the valkyrie and her partner. “Your dress and mannerisms are too unique to be in two places, not interacting.”

  “Not to mention the oddity of people sitting alone or seeming to. This is not a place where someone comes to sit in quiet contemplation,” Gunhilde remarked. “They come to drink, get high, and fuck.”

  “Oh, snap!” I threw an impressed look toward the warrior woman. “Didn’t see those words coming out of that mouth, did you?” I asked Seke incredulously.

  “The valkyries are a hard breed to navigate,” was his cryptic response before steering the conversation back toward the task at hand. “The last time they reported in, Ember said something about a club called ‘Magic and Mayhem’. Let’s start there.”

  Sitting up proved harder than Ember wished to admit, but she was still woozy from the blood loss. That damn vamp had jumped her from the word “thirsty”.

  Perhaps, she decided in retrospect, she had not gone about her investigation of the guy in the best way. Too obvious, it would seem. That was the problem with living for centuries. It was damn hard to keep up with all of the passing nuances of speech and society. It appeared she’d need to brush up on all things “now” once she was free of… wherever she was.

  “Easy does it. Here, I saved my bread for you.”

  Ember’s head spun again as she attempted to pinpoint the feminine voice that bounced around the space. Opening her eyes to a squint, she assessed her surroundings: dark, damp, cool — but not cold — with stink the likes of which she hadn’t smelled since her days in London before indoor plumbing.

  “Ugh. So, it’s true. They’re holding you — us — in the sewers. Perfect.” The droll words feigned a modicum of calm Ember did not
feel in the moment, but she’d become adept at pretending. Mimicking the social expectations of those around her allowed her to blend in through the ages. Well, somewhat. Not amongst the club scene.

  “Is she with you?” Movement accompanied the question, drawing Ember’s attention to an extremely thin and rather bedraggled-looking woman.

  Her sunken, dull, blue eyes were overshadowed by dark bruise-like patches in the underlying skin. Grungy silver hair fell long and very matted around her shoulders, and her cheekbones were so sharp Ember was afraid they would physically cut her should she put a finger to one.

  “Enid, I presume?”

  “That’s right. You’re Ember.”

  “Yes,” the phoenix rasped. She didn’t ask how the banshee knew her name. Maybe Enid had foreseen this little meet-up. Hopefully, that didn’t mean one of them was about to kick the bucket.

  She continued surveilling the dank room in which they were confined. If Aria had a vision soon, she wanted to be ready, to find a way to help however she could. After all, it wasn’t only Enid’s survival that depended on the team finding the room; it was now hers.

  “Fuck, how could I have been so stupid? And Cole and Raven! I knew we shouldn’t have split up. With three of us, I wouldn’t be stuck in this shithole!”

  “One could argue it was always meant to turn out this way,” the mousy woman replied sagely as she again held out a chunk of nourishment. “Eat.” With a flick of the offering, she impressed upon Ember the need to regain her strength.

  Ember snagged the stale bread, continuing to take stock of their assets… if anything about their location could be called one. “So, what can you tell me about our situation?”

  “What can you tell me about my daughter?” the woman returned with surprising ferocity.

  Ember was surprised for only a second. “You had a vision, I presume?” It had been a while since she’d experienced a banshee… who wasn’t an annoying newbie. “She’s fine. A giant pain in the ass, though,” Ember murmured, biting off a large hunk of the bread. Her jaw strained to break down the tough fibers, the movement making her head pound. Deciding that the calculating look in the woman’s eyes meant that Ember needed to expound, she added, pushing the bread wad to her cheek, “But she’s a good woman. A good harbinger.”