Pursued: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Beasts of Edgewood, Book 3)

by Danica Rayne

  “That must mean that…” Liam took the book and studied the words. “Luigi’s is the sun’s first ray. What else got burned?”

  “The apartments,” I said.

  “Right.” Liam studied the words again. “There’s nothing here about an apartment building. Unless, could it be ‘where the darkest of shadows loom?’”

  “But only two apartments were hurt in the fire,” I said. “And those two had the darkest shadows? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “The darkest of shadows…” Liam handed the book to me as his eyes got a faraway look. “I’ve seen dark shadows. I know I did….” His eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “I got it! When I’m out flying as a dragon, there is one place that makes the biggest shadows I’ve ever seen.”

  Finn signed.

  Liam nodded. “Yep. The mountains.”

  “But there wasn’t a fire by the mountains,” I said.

  “There could have been,” Kayden mused. “No one goes there. No one would know if a hellhound lit a part of it on fire.”

  “Good point,” I said. “So we have two of the pillars taken care of. That leaves two more. But we know that the hellhound only managed to knock out three pillars, since the portal hasn’t been opened yet.”

  “Can I see the book?” Kayden asked.

  I passed it to him.

  “‘Where first stones laid foundation for a new future,’” he said. “That has to be the apartment building or the library.” He turned to Finn. “Finn, can you research the first stone building to be built in Edgewood?”

  Finn whacked away at the keys.

  Kayden focused back on the riddle. “‘Where fishermen quarreled and ultimately met their maker.’ Does this mean anything to anyone?”

  We shook our heads.

  “Unless…”

  “Yeah, Alivia?”

  “Well, it seems the pillars are located in different parts of the terrain. The mountains, the grassy land where Luigi’s is, and the flat land by the apartments. That only leaves the ocean.”

  “Where fishermen quarreled and ultimately met their maker!” Kayden said. “Finn, was there ever a shipping accident in Edgewood?”

  Finn motioned one second with his finger, then continued whacking away at the keys. We all waited patiently for him to find the answers. Finally he turned to us and signed as he said in my head, The first stone building to have been built in Edgewood was a bank, but that was demolished many years ago. But some of the foundation was left behind and used to build the next structure. Which was the apartment building.

  I was on my feet again. “So the fourth pillar was at the apartment building. Those two apartments were probably targeted because they are built on the first stones pieces.”

  “Why the second floor apartment, though?” Ryker asked. “Why not the basement?”

  “The pillar must be over the stone,” Liam said.

  “So…if the apartment building is one of the pillars, why was the library targeted?” Ryker asked.

  “Because the library isn’t one of the four pillars,” I realized. “Remember, the demon wanted to destroy the copy of the World of the Unnatural so I wouldn’t get my hands on it.”

  Kayden nodded. “Which was why the entire building was destroyed. Finn, did you find anything about the fishermen?”

  He signed as he said in my mind, There was a major fishing boat accident many years ago. A fight broke out and two boats collided and sank to the bottom of the sea.

  “‘Where fishermen quarreled and ultimately met their maker,’” I said. “It all makes sense.”

  “There’s just one problem,” Ryker pointed out. “There wasn’t a fire at that location.”

  “How can there be a fire?” I asked. “It’s in the middle of the ocean.”

  “Doesn’t mean there wasn’t one,” Kayden said. “Water takes out fire, but maybe the hellhound can light a flame over the location. I’m assuming the pillar is over the ocean.”

  “So that’s it, then,” Liam said, getting excited. “The last pillar the hellhound needs to take down is the one at the ocean. I say we go over there and catch him in the act!”

  “Assuming he hasn’t found it yet,” I said.

  “The portal hasn’t been opened yet, has it?”

  “But what are we supposed to do? Guard it in the hopes that he’ll show up? I don’t know, guys.” I slowly sat down as a strange feeling passed through me. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “The demon must have learned the information in the book, but he probably doesn’t know where the exactly location is,” Ryker said. “We can take a boat out to sea and Alivia and Kayden can use their super senses—”

  “No.” I shook my head resolutely. “Something isn’t right.”

  They all looked at me.

  Finn opened a map of Edgewood and started making circles with a red pen. Then he stared at the map. Guys, he said and signed, Alivia is right. Something doesn’t add up. He got off the chair and headed over to us, laying the map on the bed. This is location number one, where the sun rises in the east. Luigi’s. He circled it again. The far east. Next, over here by the mountains. He circled the area on the top of the map. Up north. Then comes the apartment building, on the south. He circled it again. And right over here by the beach? This is southeast. He connected all the locations. This should make a square, but the whole west side isn’t protected.

  “That means…one of the locations is wrong?” Liam asked.

  “It’s got to be the beach that’s wrong,” Ryker pointed out. “The last location should be in the west.”

  “What’s in the west?” Kayden peered at the map. “How can we know the exact location?” He grabbed the book and poured over the words. “‘Where fishermen quarreled and ultimately met their maker.’ What could it be if not the ocean?”

  “Can I have the book?” I asked.

  Kayden handed it to me.

  I studied the riddle closely, trying to make sense of it. Suddenly, the words grew blurry, forcing me to blink a few times. When I peered at them again, I gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” they asked.

  “The words. They’ve changed.”

  “What?”

  Liam took it from me. “They look the same to me.”

  “What do you see?” Kayden asked.

  I read the news words out loud:

  Where the sun’s first ray kisses the earth, there shall be the first location you seek,

  The second, not far behind, where the darkest of shadows loom,

  Followed, in third, where first stones laid foundation for a new future,

  Lastly, where the well of knowledge will never deplete.

  They stared at me with jaws practically sweeping the floor.

  “It’s secret words only I can see,” I explained. “Because I’m a slayer.”

  Kayden seemed to gather his bearings. “The true riddle was hidden behind a fake one,” he said. “To keep the demon off the trail.”

  “So only the slayer could know the true location,” Liam added. “So the pillars would stand forever. That’s why the hellhound hasn’t found the last location and why the demon hasn’t been able to open a portal.”

  “And once we figure out how to restore the pillars, Edgewood will no longer be in danger,” I said.

  “So where exactly is the last pillar?” Ryker asked.

  We all squeezed together to study the map. I muttered the words over and over as my eyes soaked in every location on the west side of the map. Then my body perked up. “Here!” I pointed at our high school. “‘Where the well of knowledge will never deplete.’ It has to be referring to our school.”

  “But the school has only been around fifty years or so,” Kayden said.

  Finn rushed back to the computer and started typing away. Then he spun around signed frantically.

  “Since Edgewood was established,” Kayden interpreted, “the location of our high school has always been a place of education. The first building bui
lt there was a small schoolhouse. Then there was an institute of some kind, a seminary for teachers, an academy that was burned to the ground due to an electrical problem, and finally Edgewood High.”

  “The last pillar…guys, we need to protect it before the demon learns its location,” Ryker said. “One of us should stand guard at all times. The hellhound only shows itself while starting the fire, right? If we can catch him in the act—”

  “But that’s risky,” I said. “We might lead the demon right to the location. We need to figure out how to restore the other pillars before the hellhound gets to the last one.” I grabbed the book. “There has to be something in here about restoring the pillars.”

  “That might take longer than we think,” Kayden said. “We need to set up a trap at the school. Catch the hellhound before he can even try to destroy the pillar. If we can…”

  His words floated away as my gaze landed on the text before me. “Guys?” I held out the book to them. “This explains how to restore the pillars. Do any of you recognize the language?”

  Ryker took it from me, scanned the words, shook his head, then passed it to Liam. Liam did the same, passing it Finn, who shrugged before handing it to Kayden. Kayden studied the words carefully, mouthing them. Then his eyes flicked to mine. “It’s not a language I recognize.” He pushed some dark hair out of his eyes. “I don’t think it belongs to any country.”

  I stared at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I read a lot,” he explained. “I’m sure I would have come across a language like this. So it’s either really ancient or…”

  “Are you saying…is this a chant? Like a magic spell?”

  “I can’t even attempt to say the words. But maybe you can.”

  “Because you’re the slayer,” Liam said. “That means—” His mouth suddenly snapped shut as his gaze shot toward the door. “Do you guys smell that?”

  We turned around to the door and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything,” I said.

  “It smells like—” Liam started.

  Ryker stumbled forward. “Smoke.”

  “Smoke?” I asked.

  Kayden’s body grew stiff. “The hellhound. He’s spying on us. He knows where the last pillar is.” He turned into a blur and disappeared out the door.

  Chapter Seven

  “Kayden!” I called as the rest of the guys and I raced after him. We ran out the front door and down the block, toward the direction of the school. “Wait for us!” I continued. “Don’t go there yourself.”

  It was dark out now. I had no idea what time it was. The guys and I had been holed up in the Caldwell mansion for hours. It could very well be in the middle of the night.

  The middle of the night. Aunt Bea must be so worried about me. I hadn’t checked my phone in hours—I left it in my coat pocket hanging in the hall closet.

  Kayden appeared before us. “Grab on!”

  All four of us took hold of him, and we were at the school entrance in a flash.

  “We don’t know the exact location of the pillar,” Kayden said as he hurried up the steps. “The school’s pretty big. It can be anywhere.”

  “The hellhound knows where it is.” Ryker tapped his nose. “Oh, he definitely does.”

  Finn flattened himself across the door and started to sign.

  “He’s right,” Liam said. “We’ll trip the alarm if we go in. Tell me you brought your disarming device.”

  Finn pulled it out of his pocket.

  “Smart,” I said. “But you’d better hurry. A hellhound doesn’t have to worry about tripping an alarm.” I wrapped my arms around myself at the chill. It wasn’t only due to the weather—we had all rushed out of the house without coats—but fear pricking every nerve in my body. The hellhound was in the building. If we didn’t stop him in time, he’d destroy the last pillar and then the demon lord would open a portal, unleashing his minions and taking over Earth.

  A warm hand slipped into mine and squeezed. Turning my head, I saw it was Liam. Due to the cold wind nearly swallowing us, the extreme heat from his hand didn’t bother me. But a few seconds later, I had no choice but to free my hand.

  “The alarm’s disarmed.” Kayden heaved the door open, and the five of us rushed inside. The place was pitch-dark. I didn’t have my phone, but luckily, Kayden and Liam did. They used their flashlights as Ryker followed the hellhound’s scent.

  “Smell him, Liam?” Ryker asked as his head whipped right and left.

  “I didn’t before, but I definitely do now. His smoky smell is getting stronger.”

  “Preparing for the attack,” Kayden said. “We need to hurry.”

  Ryker and Liam led us down one hallway and then another, up the stairs and down. “Maybe the hellhound doesn’t know the exact location after all,” I said.

  Liam made a short stop in front of the science lab. “He’s in here.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Positive.” He grabbed the handle and shoved the door open. I couldn’t see anything at first, but then I caught light coming from the back of the room. We dashed over, having to weave through the lab tables, and then I came to an abrupt halt. Because standing in the back of the room was a familiar guy.

  “Lawrence?” I said.

  I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the light was coming from. It was just there. And Lawrence? He looked…he looked all kinds of wrong. I couldn’t explain how, exactly, but it wasn’t right. And the feeling I had felt the last few days? It was magnified to the extreme.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  He grinned, a sinister look in his eyes. “The slayer is here. Late as usual.”

  I felt like a bulldozer slammed into me. How did he know what I was?

  “You…I don’t understand.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course you don’t. You’re nothing but a stupid girl running around town thinking she’s protecting it. When all the while, you were leading danger right to it.”

  “Shut up, Lawrence.” Ryker fisted his hands as he stepped closer. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  He held up a finger. “I suggest you stay where you are. See this area behind me?” He gestured to the back wall, where all the lab equipment was stashed on a table. “This is the last pillar. And the last thing you want is for the hellhound to destroy it.”

  “You know about the hellhound?” I asked.

  He grinned in that sinister way again. “Oh, I know everything. And even more.” He raised his eyebrows at us. “Like the sick relationship between the five of you. I mean, come on, slayer, isn’t one guy enough? You have to throw yourself at all four of them? And I thought I had issues.”

  “How dare you speak to her like that?” Ryker charged at him, but Lawrence grabbed a beaker from the back table and smashed it over Ryker’s head. Ryker stumbled for a bit, swayed, and then crashed to the floor.

  “Ryker!” Growling, I stormed at Lawrence. He quickly picked up a shard of glass from the floor and slashed it into my arm before I could tackle him to the floor.

  “Alivia!” the guys cried.

  They all pounced at him, even Ryker who was still a little disorientated. Blood dripped down the back of his head, but that didn’t seem to bother him. Lawrence quickly withdrew a rectangular black device from his pocket and pressed a button. The guys froze in place and cried out, their bodies seizing like they had just gotten electrocuted. Then they dropped to the floor like dead flies.

  “What did you do?” I cried.

  He grinned again. “Oh this?” He waved it in the air. “My latest toy. It knocks out all supernatural creatures in the vicinity. Well, at least the ones born here on Earth. Pretty cool, no?”

  “You bastard!” I charged at him again, but a set of arms wrapped around me and plucked me away, just as I was about to punch Lawrence’s face.

  “Watch it, slayer,” a familiar voice hissed in my ear.

  “Chase?” I craned my neck to get a look at him.

  He beamed. “Yes.
Finally, finally, gorgeous, I have you where I want you.”

  “Get your disgusting hands off me!” I knocked my elbow into him, forcing him to release me, but then he slammed into me, throwing me to the floor. Just as I was about to smash my fist into his face, something pricked my neck.

  Glancing at his hand, I saw him remove a syringe from my neck.

  “What did you do?” I demanded.

  “Just something to weaken your slayer abilities,” Lawrence responded. “We don’t want you to spoil our plans, do we? Get her off the floor.”

  Chase held me hostage against his body. I felt so numb I could barely stand on my own. If not for Chase, I’d surely collapse.

  “What do you want?” I said. “What are you doing?”

  “What I was born to do!” he announces. “What I’ve been waiting for my whole life.”

  “And what exactly is that?”

  Raising his head proudly, he said, “I’m Demon Kissed.”

  I just stared at him. “Demon Kissed?”

  He frowned. “Seriously? You’re the slayer of Edgewood and you don’t know what a Demon’s Kiss is?”

  I glared at him as I wracked my brain. The Book didn’t mention anything about that, but the truth is, I still hadn’t had the chance to read through it all. And Aunt Bea never mentioned this, either.

  “So are you going to tell me what it is?” I demanded.

  “Testy, testy. I like that. It’s hot.”

  Chase purred in my ear, tightening his hold on me. If I was able to move, I’d give it to him.

  “Come on, slayer, can’t you use that puny brain of yours and try to figure out what a Demon’s Kiss is? No? Okay, I’ll explain this very carefully so you can follow. I’ve been touched by a demon lord. He put some of his essence in me, giving me supernatural abilities.”

  My heart jumped in my throat. “Are you saying that…you’re behind it all? You’re the one who caused all the fires? You’re the hellhound’s master?”

  Lawrence smirked at Chase. “So the Scarecrow has a brain after all.”

  “But why?” I demanded.

  “The Master can’t very well control the hellhound from his world now, can he? He needed someone from here to do his bidding.”