by Julia Crane
He jumped away, slamming the door to the room. Lauren woke from her fear as he rushed across the basement, yanking her to her feet.
“Run!” he yelled.
Chapter 29
Lauren practically slammed into the exit door in her effort to escape the scene she’d just witnessed. Her breath came ragged from running up the stairs and down the long hallways, trying to get as far away from the dark magick as possible. The crisp air hit her face and she sucked in a deep, soothing breath. She’d never felt so relieved in her life.
It was unreal—they’d found the same type of creature with the same type of black magick ritual in the basement of Tristen’s office building.
“Did you know anything about that creature?” Lauren yelled, shoving Galen in the chest.
He stumbled backwards a step, then took her gently by the arm and propelled her down the alley towards his truck. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Calm down.”
“I’ve seen it before,” Lauren gasped out, still trying to catch her breath. She looked back over her shoulder, terrified someone or something was following them.
Galen jerked to a stop, whipping her around to face him. “What do you mean?”
Lauren filled him in on the alternative world Calvron had found and how she told Tristen about it, but not the location. “He was way too interested in it, Galen. This can’t be a coincidence. Oh my gods, Galen, what if the dark faeries are involved in some kind of sick, twisted conspiracy on an alien race? Just like they’re trying to get rid of humans!”
“Shh, Lauren…” For the second time that night, he wrapped her in a strong embrace and gently rocked her. “Slow down. Breathe.”
“Tristen knew something about it,” she said, calmed by his proximity. “But how could he have found it?”
“I don’t have any answers for you,” Galen told her, his voice rumbling beneath her cheek. “And I think we have a more pressing concern right now.”
Lauren pulled away, her eyes questioning.
“We didn’t get the virus.”
“Shit!” Lauren started walking again, his arms wrapped around her. “I’m not going back in there.”
“No, we’re not. We’re just going to have to stop them before they release the virus.”
“Are you supposed to take part in it?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah. So at least we have that advantage. We’re going to have to set up a plan, and I’ll probably need the help of your friends.”
Back at Lauren’s apartment, Keegan and Anna met them at the door.
“You didn’t get it?” Keegan’s voice came out higher than normal.
Galen shook his head. “Dead end.”
“You guys aren’t going to believe what just happened,” Lauren cut in as she dropped her purse on the hall table. “Another dead alien and black magick circle.”
Anna’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Are you serious? The black magick is here? We need to put a stop to this.”
Lauren shook her head. “I’m not going back there. No way.”
“I agree with Lauren. I don’t think we should mess with this,” Keegan spoke up.
“How can you say that?” Anna said angrily, looking between Keegan and Lauren. “Dark magick almost killed me not too long ago. There is no way I’m letting this go.”
Galen cleared his throat. “I agree, Anna, but right now we have to worry about the virus. Once we take care of it, I’ll help you in tracking down the person responsible for the sacrifice of that being. The ritual has already been performed. I don’t see how we can gain anything by going back there. Also, you’re supposed to be leaving tomorrow.”
Anna crossed her arms and glared at Galen. “There is no way in hell I’m leaving. Don’t even try to convince me.”
Lauren touched her shoulder. “Anna, you could die if the virus is let loose.”
“I could die in a car accident, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stay out of cars. I’m not leaving. You might need me if somehow this virus is connected to the black magick.”
Lauren hadn’t thought of that possibility. Could that really be the case? Tristen had been interested in what she’d seen, but were the two were related? Having Anna and her witch power around could come in handy—she was right about that. And Lauren didn’t think they’d have much luck convincing stubborn Anna to leave. In her shoes, Lauren wouldn’t leave either.
Lauren relented. “Thanks, you’re right. We might need you.”
Keegan didn’t say anything, but her face scrunched with worry. Lauren wondered what she was thinking.
Galen turned to Lauren. “Why don’t you call your friends? Between all of us, we’ll hammer out a plan for Friday.”
Lauren threw her arms around him, surprising everyone—including herself. “Thank you for helping us. I was so scared in there.”
In his lilting accent that sent chills down her spine, Galen murmured, “You did great.”
Lauren pulled away and laughed nervously. “If by great you mean ‘screaming at the top of my lungs and running as fast as I can’ then, yes. I was terrified.” She caught his gaze shyly. “I’m glad you were there.”
“Me, too.” His eyes lingered on her face for longer than necessary.
Keegan cleared her throat. “I hate to break up the moment, but we really need to come up with a plan.”
Lauren’s face flushed. “You’re right. Let me call Calvron.”
After the phone call, Lauren put on some coffee and threw a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven while they waited for the guys to arrive.
Just as Lauren was about to pull out the pizza, the doorbell rang. Anna jumped up to let the rest of the crew in.
“What’s he doing here?” Calvron boomed.
Lauren popped her head out of the kitchen to find him narrowing his eyes at Galen. “He’s on our side. Anna and Keegan can fill you in.”
“It smells delicious.” Donald sniffed the air, following his nose into the kitchen where he snatched a piece of pizza off the counter.
Audrey gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for making dinner.”
“Of course.” Lauren pulled a plate from the counter and offered it to the shifter.
Donald tiptoed back to the pizza sheet and grabbed two more slices, then flashed her a cheesy grin and rushed from the kitchen.
Lauren rolled her eyes. She should probably put a couple more in the oven. Once Spencer and Sam dug in, all this would be gone. Keegan came in and pulled sodas out of the fridge while Lauren put two more pies in the oven.
“Did you guys tell Calvron to cool it?” Lauren asked her.
Keegan nodded. “He was cranky about it at first, but I think he believes Galen now.”
Everyone fell awkwardly quiet when Lauren walked to the living room holding what was left of the original two pizzas. As soon as she set them on the table, they disappeared. Good thing she had extras. Maybe she’d actually get a slice next time.
“Thanks for coming so fast, guys,” Lauren told her friends. “We’re in a bad position here. Galen is going to update us.” She nodded to Galen.
Galen wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a swift drink of soda before he began. “Well, as Lauren already told you, they plan to release the virus at the Metro at six pm. I’m not sure who will be the one to release the virus, but if I had to guess it would be Garret or Tristen.”
“Why can’t you just use your gift to disable them?” Calvron asked.
“Good question,” Donald agreed, looking suspiciously at Galen. “Couldn’t it all be prevented before it started?”
“I wish it were that easy,” Galen said regretfully. “I can only use my gift on one person at a time, and Tristen never does anything alone. If they know I want to thwart the attack, I have no doubt they will kill me. I would give my life to save the lives of so many others, but I don’t believe that would prevent the attack. It would just end my life. If I do see an opening where I can use my gift—once I know who will be releasing the virus—I
won’t hesitate to act.” His voice was sure and steady.
Donald looked thoughtful. “Well, we obviously can’t rely on that. We need a backup plan.”
“Exactly.” Galen looked around the table, catching everyone’s gaze one at a time. “That’s where you all come into the picture.”
Galen pulled a Metro map out of his back pocket and spread it onto the table. He pointed his finger at Union Station. “This is where the virus will be released. It’s the busiest station at this time of day.”
They stayed up late into the evening, going over the plan and the possible outcomes. Tomorrow, the world would be thrown into chaos if they couldn’t prevent Tristen’s evil plan.
Chapter 30
“How are we doing on time?” Calvron asked.
Lauren turned her wrist to check the time. “They should be arriving in thirty minutes.”
“Everyone knows what they are supposed to do?” Calvron glanced around at all of them. They all had powers and hopefully those powers would be enough today.
“I just hope it works.” Lauren said gravely.
“It has to…” Keegan’s voice trailed off.
Lauren glanced around at all the passengers waiting for the next train. So many potential deaths. It was peak time at the Metro. Everyone headed home from work or out to dinner, going about their business unaware that today could be the last day of their lives. The deaths would not be quick, but slow and painful. At first, they wouldn’t even know they were infected; they would bring it home to their family and friends. Lauren shuddered at the thought. The virus would spread quickly.
Part of her wanted to scream for everyone to leave now, but she knew it was useless. The commotion it would cause could prevent them from containing the virus before it had a chance to be released.
Her stomach clenched when she saw a pregnant woman walk past her. The baby might never have a chance to be born. Lauren took a deep breath. She needed to stop the negative thoughts, focus on the here and now. They had a chance and she had to cling to that. She glanced down at her watch—twenty-five minutes. Tristen was a stickler for time so she knew it would go off exactly as planned.
“There they are,” Keegan whispered urgently.
They were early. Lauren’s head snapped to the left. Galen, Tristen, Connor, and Garret walked through the crowd. Galen’s eyes met her and she saw something that turned her body to ice—fear.
She thanked the goddess Tristen was too busy looking in the other direction to notice her.
Suddenly the four guys split up in different directions. What was going on? This wasn’t part of the plan. Then she saw the identical black backpacks. That’s when it hit her. They all had containers. Knowing Tristen, none of them would know who had the actual virus. Her money would be on Tristen, but who knew if he would actually get his hands dirty or not. Galen would not be able to help unless he got close enough to use his mind control.
A glimmer of hope sparked in her chest. Maybe Galen had the virus. If that was the case it would never go off. But the look of fear on his face told her he did not.
“Spread out,” Donald yelled. “Everyone take a backpack.
No. No. No. It was not supposed to be like this. There should only be one container for them to contain at all costs. Either Calvron with his powerful magick, or Anna with her witchcraft would throw out a spell and no one would be the wiser.
“Lauren, go with Anna. Keegan, you come with me,” Calvron said.
They split up; the shifters went right and the rest of them went left.
Anna grabbed Lauren’s arm and they took off through the crowd searching for one of the Tristen’s flunkies. She could feel her pulse throbbing in her neck. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. They didn’t have long and, in this chaos, they had a slim chance of preventing the release.
She thought she saw a flash of a black backpack, but it was hard to be sure. They picked up the pace, dodging around passengers. The speakers announced that the next tram was approaching.
The tram pulled to a stop and Lauren looked wildly around. Should they jump on the train or keep searching the platform?
The doors slid open; they hesitated. Anna raised an eyebrow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Calvron and Keegan jump on the tram. She shook her head. It was a gamble, but someone had to stay at the station in case it went off there.
“Are you sure?” Anna asked, just before the doors closed.
She wasn’t sure of anything at this point.
The train pulled out. In the window, she saw Tristen staring out at her. He waved. Oh dear gods, they made the wrong choice! At least Calvron and Keegan were on the train. She could only hope they would find a way to prevent the container from being opened.
“Did you see him?” Lauren groaned.
“Let’s keep looking. There’s still a chance it could be in the station. The trains run on so often, it’s always packed.”
They heard a commotion and raised voices to their left. Lauren looked over and saw Galen sprinting across the platform.
Anna and Lauren took off towards them, Lauren running as fast as she could through the crowd.
They skidded to a stop just in time to see Galen kick the back of Garret’s legs and drop him chest first to the ground. He drove his knee into Garret’s back.
Just then Connor walked up, a big grin on his face. He twisted the top off the container. A loud hiss and a cloud of mist floated into the air.
“No!” Everyone yelled at once.
Time stood still. Everything moved in a blur. Lauren heard loud chanting and turned to see Anna walking slowly towards them her arms spread out by her sides. Lauren couldn’t make out what she was saying; it sounded like a foreign language. Eyes wide, she watched as the mist flooding the the air seemed to seep into Anna.
Anna collapsed on the floor, her head slamming onto the cement.
Heart hammering against her chest, Lauren rushed to Anna’s side. Her friend’s open, lifeless eyes stared at nothing. Lauren pressed her fingers to Anna’s throat, searching for a pulse, but found nothing.
“Don’t you die on me!” Lauren screamed.
She heard someone yell, “Call 911!”
Bending down she pinched Anna’s nose and blew into her mouth.
Galen appeared at her side, and began doing chest compressions. They repeated the CPR over and over. Nothing happened.
Tears streamed down Lauren’s face. Why couldn’t she have been a healer instead of her useless power?
Power. She had power. “Move, Galen!” She pushed him aside.
Closing her eyes she searched for the nearest power source. Please help me save my friend. I just need some of your power. She felt the electricity dance through her fingers.
Placing one hand on top of the other she pumped Lauren’s chest. Nothing happened.
Please. Please. Please. Let this work.
Again. Nothing.
On the third attempt Anna’s green eyes fluttered open, then closed. Her head lolled to the side.
Galen pressed his fingers to her neck. He nodded. “You did it. It’s faint, but she’s alive.”
Sirens wailed in the background. Lauren collapsed against Galen.
“Did they get away?”
“They’re sitting over there. They are not to move until they are arrested.”
His power awed Lauren. He could take over someone’s will. She wouldn’t want that much power.
The paramedics rushed in and lifted Anna onto a gurney. “I’m going with Anna.”
“I’ll meet you at the hospital after I talk to the police.”
Lauren looked down at her shoes and back up at Galen. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you…”
“Shh…” He leaned down and his full lips touched hers ever so softly before he pulled away.
Lauren touched her lips and smiled. Then she ran over to jump in the back of the ambulance.
The door to the hospital room opened; Lauren glanced up from her chair next to Anna’s
bed. Calvron and Keegan walked in.
Keegan rushed to Anna’s side and grabbed her hand. “Are you ok?”
Other than a pale face, Anna looked fine. “Looks like we’ve both been to the other side. What’s the chances of that?”
“Did you see a white light?” Keegan asked curiously.
Lauren watched the exchange with interest. Keegan had died and been brought back by black magick, but they never talked about it. She wondered if Keegan had seen a light.
“I saw my mother’s white light.”
Keegan nodded her head. “She must have been terrified.”
Anna’s mom, a spirit walker, took souls to the other side of the veil once they passed from this world.
“I think she was relieved when she felt me being pulled from her. She just went to get coffee, but she’ll be back.”
“Did you get Tristen?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah. They arrested him and the other clowns for attempting a terrorist attack, breaking and entering, and conspiracy to commit murder. I don’t think they will see the outside world for a very long time.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she breathed a little easier.
They heard a sharp knock on the door, and then Galen peeked his head through. His hair was disheveled and he looked tired.
“Come in.” Lauren waved her hand.
“Glad to see you’re alive and well, Anna.”
“Thanks to you and Lauren.” She smiled.
“Don’t be modest. We all know you’re the real hero in the room.” Galen grinned.
“I’d say it was a joint effort all around. We make a great team.” Lauren squeezed Anna’s hand.
“Speaking of team. Anna, we could use your help tracking down the black magick.”
“Galen, I can’t believe you just said that! She’s lying in the hospital, for crying out loud,” Keegan protested.
Anna sat up a little straighter in the bed. “I’m in.”
“I thought you would be. Ok, I just wanted to stop by and check on you. Lauren, would you mind walking me out?”
