by Eden Ashley
Even with all Rhane had revealed, the past remained hidden like it had never existed. How could she have ever forgotten Rhane? What kind of mother forgot her child?
But you didn’t forget. They were taken.
That was right. An entire lifetime…taken. And it wasn’t just her life with Rhane. Kali had lived well over a dozen lives in stolen human bodies. Yet she couldn’t remember a single one of them. Each of those little girls had been stripped from the arms of a family who loved them, only to be replaced by a soul-sucking, fire-setting siren. And for what reason? If Rhane knew, he wasn’t telling. Why won’t he talk to me? I’ve proven my trust.
Well, she amended the thought. I did push him away at first, but only for like fifteen minutes. Then Gabriel showed up and started ripping more of my life to pieces.
Kali took a breath and then another, but not with her lungs. Her skin absorbed oxygen from the water and exchanged it for carbon dioxide waste in her blood. The process didn’t come automatically. It took a lot of focus to make underwater breathing happen. In her two weeks on the lam, she’d discovered this new talent. And it had proved very useful, practically allowing her to live in water. Holding her breath was certainly easier, but that came with time limits. After twenty minutes, she had to surface.
She was determined to master underwater breathing. Concentrating on the task left her brain severely limited in the number of other things it could worry about. And that was a plus.
Feeling the faintest tremble in the water, she opened her eyes. The lights were flickering. After a few cycles of an ebbing and surging glow, they went out completely. She tried not to panic in the darkness, expecting the underwater lighting to illuminate soon. But instead, there came a muted thud. All of the lights suddenly flooded the pool arena. And Kali screamed.
Bodies were everywhere. Hundreds of them littered the swimming pool floor. Parts of their skin were burned. Charred chunks broke apart from decaying flesh. Tentacles of black liquid snaked into the water. The body of a child rose up, a bloated mass set adrift in a nonexistent current. Kali stared into the film of the corpse’s dead eyes with absolute horror. Black hair floated around his head in a dark halo of death. Even with blanched, graying and puckered skin, Kali saw in the child a startling resemblance to Rhane. Bubbles spurted from her mouth as she screamed again.
She kicked hard, trying to get as far away from the corpse as fast as she could. When her back slammed into solid concrete, she turned to scramble up the pool wall. Fingers slipping on the wet ledge, she finally managed to pull herself out and flop onto her stomach. Trembling with a dozen more screams welled up inside, Kali shook with the effort of not releasing them.
Pushing to her feet, she looked down into the water, needing desperately to believe she was not going crazy. There were no dead people. There was no dead boy. The pool was empty.
#
Icy water pounded from the showerhead, streaming into her eyes as it washed the chlorine from her body. All Kali could see was the boy. His lifeless face floating before hers, dark and gray and distorted in death. It took both hands to smother her sobs. She couldn’t understand what was happening. Was it possible that the vision was a real memory like the nightmares of the horseman had been real memories? If so, it was likely the boy in the pool was the child she and Rhane had lost. Was he Rhaven?
The lights in the shower room flickered and went out just as they had in the pool auditorium. Her breath caught in her chest as she waited for what would happen next. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Kalista,” a male voice sighed into the darkness.
She backed away. She was naked and blind. And in the shower was a stranger who probably meant her harm. The vulnerable state made Kali’s movements very clumsy.
“Darkesong.”
This time the voice was closer. So close, she could feel the whisper against her skin. She knew it was the thing pretending to be Cal. Kali bit her lip. She was too frightened to scream. But screaming wouldn’t have helped anyway.
At first, his touch was light. Kali reacted, flinching away violently. Then “Cal” grabbed her. He was an irresistible force shoving her against the wet shower wall. His hard body pressed against hers. The heat from him completely dispelled the cold that fell around them.
Kali felt his face against her skin. His hot breath steamed next to her cheek.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
Strong fingers slipped around her throat, but their hold was gentle. The lights partially returned, and she could see him. Physically, everything was the same…except for the eyes. Gone was the shocking blue of Cal’s stormy stare. In its place were two red orbs that reflected abnormally in the dim light. She would have recognized those eyes anywhere.
“Gabriel.”
He nodded. His body still had her pinned. His right hand grasped her throat, while the other rested idly against the wall. She waited for him to say or do something, but he didn’t. Nothing happened. Open malice and rage emanated from Gabriel’s still form, but Kali wasn’t entirely sure those emotions were aimed at her.
She inhaled a shaky breath. The action squashed her breasts against his chest. “What did you do to Cal?”
Another unnerving smile slashed his face. “He’s still here.”
“What do you want?”
Pressing his nose into the curve of her neck, Gabriel inhaled a dramatic whiff of her scent. Trembling, Kali tried to push away, wedging her body painfully into the wall. When Gabriel’s left hand moved, she went rigid. But the hand never touched her. It hovered next to her head, holding a tiny yellow stone.
“I want to help you remember.”
The events that followed would remain a blur of varying shades of grey darkness for some time. When Kali came to, she was standing in the rain, completely drenched. Rhane stood in front her, lips moving soundlessly as he shouted, the words swept away by an unforgiving wind. She had never seen his eyes so black or so deadly focused as he leveled a gun directly over her heart.
Chapter 6
The day had started out normally enough at Holsenbeck Manor. Well, it was a relative normal. After all, the household was comprised of a pack of shapeshifters and a teenage siren.
Rhane was in the kitchen whipping up his favorite dish of Asian cuisine, trying to concentrate over York’s nagging protests against serving sweetened, greasy chicken to a seventeen-year-old girl for breakfast. Warren and Rion, up since an ungodly hour, were in the living room pummeling each other in video games and wouldn’t care what was served for breakfast. Rhane wasn’t sure of Orrin’s whereabouts, but considering the young kin was the most rational and mature of the bunch, he wouldn’t have approved of the meal either, though he never would have said so. Rhane’s only ally had sat beside him since the first barrage of spicy aromas hit the air. Wagging his tail and licking his chops, Bailen was a moth hypnotized in lamplight. He followed Rhane’s every move around the kitchen.
“Seriously. This is the most important meal of the day. Feed her this and I will feel obligated to call social services.”
“Stop being such a den mother and chill out. General Tso chicken has never killed anyone at any time of day.” Reaching around York’s bulk to stir sauce simmering on another burner, Rhane scowled. “Could you give me some breathing room?”
“Not if it helps contribute to the delinquency of a minor,” York said, but moved anyway. His eyes boggled as they honed in on the bottle of white wine sitting on the counter. “Did you put alcohol in this?”
Rhane was cutting chicken and deliberately didn’t reply. Nothing short of stabbing York with the ten inch chef’s knife was going to get him to shut up. The guy usually didn’t get under his skin so badly, but Rhane hadn’t slept in a few nights.
Bringing up the heat in the wok before throwing in the meat, he wiped his hands on a towel and tasted the sauce. It needed more sugar. But for the sake of his sanity and York’s life, Rhane didn’t add any.
“You seem a little tense.”
Off the battlefield, Rhane didn’t consider himself to be a violent guy. But at that point, he considered punching York in the face. Taking a deep breath, he jerked the refrigerator door open as he went to retrieve more eggs. Even Bailen gave him more space at that point.
“Are you putting this over rice or noodles?”
“Noodles,” Rhane said curtly.
“I want rice.” York grinned easily but remained ready to duck. He knew Rhane was likely to hit him at any moment. He didn’t really care what Kali had for breakfast. The girl didn’t have human biology. But Rhane had gotten extra eggs. That meant he’d caved under York’s bantering and was probably about to make Kali a more conventional breakfast. York was willing to bet that as soon as the girl got downstairs, she would aim straight for the vegetarian lo mein Rhane had specially prepared for her.
The fact that York’s argument was centered on the nutritional content of stir-fried chicken should have cued Rhane into what was really happening. York knew Kali was a vegetarian. What he didn’t know was what kept Rhane up night after night. He guessed it had something to do with a certain little red stone a Builder had given Rhane a few weeks ago. But York wanted Rhane to admit it. Getting him to talk about the problem was the first step to understanding what to do about it. And if York had to send Rhane over the edge every morning to accomplish his goal, then it was exactly what he was going to do.
Rhane set the eggs very lightly on the countertop and put the chicken aside to drain. It was like York had woken up thinking it was a very good day to die, and immediately followed that thought with “Rhane should be the one to kill me.”
Hearing Kalista come down the stairs, he looked up. Moments later, she appeared in the kitchen with pillow tossed curls and cartoon pajamas, melting most of Rhane’s irritation away. He smiled as she shuffled over, and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist when she buried her face into his shirt and hugged him. “Good morning,” he said and kissed the top of her hair.
“Hey,” came her muffled reply. She looked up at him curiously. “Are you guys fighting?”
“No.”
“You looked like you were going to hit York a second ago.”
Rhane kissed her hair again but glared at York over the top of her head. “Have a seat. The food will be ready in a sec.”
“Okay.” Standing on tip-toe, she planted a kiss on Rhane’s cheek. He felt it all the way down to his toes. “It smells wonderful,” she said.
“That’s our food that smells wonderful,” York piped in. “Yours is the bird food on the back burner.”
When Kalista was out of earshot, Rhane directed his full attention back to York. “You know she’s a vegetarian.”
“Of course. And if you were on your A-game, you would have realized that a lot sooner. What’s going on with you?”
“That’s why you’ve been harassing me for the last hour? York, I almost stabbed you. You could’ve just asked.”
York snorted. “Like you would have answered. I was gearing up to bargain my silence for a heart-to-heart, but then Kali came in and significantly improved your mood, thereby foiling my master plan.”
“It was a stupid plan.”
“Why haven’t you given her the stone?”
“I don’t need to.”
“Rhane--”
“Not now.”
“Fine.” York could wait until a more opportune moment. Joining Kalista at the table, within seconds he had her laughing.
Rhane stood at the stove and calmly watched them. Then he fixed one bowl and two plates, grabbing plastic ware from the shelf. To him, Chinese food didn’t feel authentic unless it was eaten with plastic. He served Kali first and set the other plate in front of York. The bowl was for Bailen. He uttered a short whistle to signal the boys that the food was done.
War and Rion made it to the kitchen quickly, bringing with them a left-over argument from their game play. Rhane dodged around them.
“Dude, you’re losing again,” Rion heckled. “Are you trying to waste my time?”
“Try fighting like a real man. If you quit cowering like a yellow-bellied punk, I promise to kill you more efficiently.”
“I’m not cowering. It’s called strategic maneuvering.”
War snorted. “There’s nothing strategic about hiding behind refugee children or wounded hostages.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Rion grinned confidently. “To kill me you have to kill them. And that, my brother, cripples your scoring.”
War glared at him. “Try doing that in a real fight.”
“Nah.” Rion popped a piece of chicken in his mouth, still smiling. “In a real fight, I’ll just hide behind you.”
Shaking his head, Rhane made a mental note to schedule a sparring practice. Lifting the skillet that contained a half-cooked omelet, he went back to where York was making excellent headway on his meal. Then Rhane dumped the runny eggs right on top of his plate. York turned around, giving Rhane his best “what the hell” look. Kalista laughed.
Grinning, Rhane sat down. “Now we’re fine.”
Chapter 7
Rhane glanced at his watch. “Kalista, you need to move butt if you’re going to make it to school on time.”
“Are you taking me?”
He smiled at the hope in her voice. “Sure.”
She dashed up the stairs to get ready. After assigning War and Rion to the dishes, Rhane went out to his truck. If he hadn’t heard from Orrin by the time he dropped Kalista off at school, he would have to call him. Hearing footsteps, he lifted his head from the black finished tool box. Apparently, Rion and War weren’t the only two knuckle heads determined to continue a quarrel this morning.
York folded his arms. “Is it now yet?”
Grunting indifferently, Rhane went back to checking the stash of guns and ammo. But York was going to have this conversation with or without his participation. “I’ll take that as a yes. There’s no sense in letting this keep you up at night. River told me his theory. Maybe you really can’t summon the bane wolf at will because of what’s in your head. But Banewolf is the ultimate, unstoppable weapon. He’s also the best chance we’ve got. When Gabriel shows his ugly face again, we’re going to need unstoppable. We’re going to need ultimate. Rhane, give Kali the stone. You can’t change on your own, but maybe if she had her memory, she could help bring back the bane wolf.”
“Giving Kalista the stone won’t magically summon the bane wolf. I’ve already told her what happened on the day of the massacre. She doesn’t need the memory imprint.”
“By the same logic, there’s no harm in letting her have the real memory, then.”
“Maybe.”
“Okay.” York leaned over the tailgate. Given his height, it was a fairly easy thing to do. “It must be emotion holding you back.”
Rhane finished checking a semi-auto and slammed the clip into place. “I’m not being emotional.”
“Right. Throwing raw egg on my otherwise lovely breakfast was also you not being emotional.”
Methodically filling an extended clip with glowing, bluish-green bullets, Rhane glanced up at York but didn’t say anything.
“Seriously, why aren’t you guys talking? All she wants is for you to talk to her. And like you said, she already knows the big plot points of the horror story you call a life. You only have to fill in a few more details.”
Rhane set the gun aside. “Gee, when you put it that way, everything suddenly seems to make sense. I don’t know why I haven’t already bared my soul to her before now.”
York grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now aren’t you glad we had this talk?”
Rhane rolled his eyes. “She’s only been back a week.”
“A week is a long time.”
“I don’t want to distract her from school.”
“Tell her this weekend.”
“It’ll be her first day back at work.”
“You’re allowing her to go to work?”
“She wouldn’t like it very m
uch if I tried to stop her.”
“Rhane.” York shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you avoid anything so desperately.”
Closing the steel box, Rhane stood up and rubbed his hands across his face. “I know. There’s just so much history between us. I really don’t know where to start. The last time we talked about things, she bailed on me. I don’t want to scare her away again.”
York blinked. “First of all, your timing wasn’t all that great the last time. Actually, it was crap. You waited until precisely the last minute to sign a confession when Gabriel, her dad, and the cops were all converging. Of all the previous opportunities you had for full disclosure, you picked that moment to say, ‘You’re a siren. Dozens of small children have died so you could be reincarnated. I’m immortal. You’re a suspected murderer. I’m definitely a murderer. We both have death sentences hanging over our heads. Oh, and we’ll be executed if we ever set foot on my homeland.’” Intentionally omitting any mention of Rhaven’s death, York paused for effect. “Dude, if she didn’t go screaming for the hills then, I don’t think there’s much else that could scare her away.”
Rhane didn’t bother to hide a grim half-smile at York’s breakdown of events. “It sounds different when you put it that way.” Jumping down from the tail bed, he landed lightly next to York. “You’re right. I’ll talk to her.”
“When?”
Rhane scowled.
“What?” York shrugged his shoulders innocently. “Commit to this. Then the both of you can move on to the next crisis.”
“Pretend I’m you. Commitment gives me a rash.”
Caught off-guard by the quip, a short burst of laughter escaped from York’s lips. “Yeah well, guilt makes you a cripple.” He winced. That wasn’t the best comeback. It was like joking with a chronically depressed clown about suicide.
Rhane leaned back against the pickup, his expression growing distant. “Have you told War and the others?”
