Smoke (The Slayer Chronicles Book 1)

by Val St. Crowe

  He cleared his throat. “If you think that being horrible to me is going to make me hate you, then you’re wrong.”

  I glanced at him. “I’m not being horrible.”

  He just laughed.

  I surveyed him for a moment, and then I shook it off. Forget it. I went and got my cell phone. I still had Joel’s Facebook up. “So,” I said. “I think that Joel’s closest friend is a guy named Booker, at least judging from his Facebook.”

  “Booker Hill?” said Naelen.

  “You know him?” I said.

  “Actually, yes. He went to school with Reign.”

  “Well, great,” I said. “You know how to get in touch with him?”

  “I think he’s in town,” said Naelen.

  * * *

  “Oh, Joel’s back in Jersey,” said Booker, who was lounging by the pool at his family’s beach house wearing sunglasses.

  “You sure of that?” said Naelen. “You’ve talked to him lately?”

  “Yeah, totally,” said Booker. “I talk to him all the time. We’re tight.”

  “So, he’s not missing or anything?” said Naelen.

  “He’s been posting on Facebook,” I said. “He’s not missing.”

  “Oh, right,” said Naelen. “Of course.”

  “Why are you asking about Joel?” said Booker.

  “We’re actually trying to find Reign,” said Naelen. “She is missing.”

  “No way.” Booker took off his sunglasses. “What the heck is up with that?”

  “We’re not sure,” said Naelen.

  “Well, I still don’t get it. What’s Joel got to do with that?”

  “Uh,” I said, “we were told that Joel and Reign were together.”

  Booker snorted. “No way.”

  “No?” said Naelen.

  “Me and Joel, we’re free agents. We’re not looking to get tied down, if you know what I mean? There’s no way. Now, I guess I’m not saying it’s out of the realm of possibility that they might have hooked up once or twice, but I doubt he’s got any idea where she is.”

  Naelen got his pinched expression on his face.

  Booker seemed to realize what he said. “I mean, nothing against your sister or anything. I’m not saying she’s you know, the kind of girl who…” He cleared his throat. “You know what? I’m sure that whoever told you that they were together was just confused is all.”

  “Thanks anyway,” said Naelen.

  “Sure,” said Booker. He waved at us. “Good luck. I hope you find Reign.”

  * * *

  “Um, where are we going?” I said, as we drove out of the city limits of Sea City.

  “To the airport,” said Naelen. “We’re going to take my jet to New Jersey to see Joel.”

  “But his friend just said the Joel wasn’t dating her.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” said Naelen. “There’s a possibility that Joel knows something. If he does, I need to find out what it is.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I guess I can see that. But, uh, do we really have to fly there? Couldn’t we just call him?”

  “No,” said Naelen. “Maybe Reign’s there. With him, somehow. And if so, I’m taking her home.”

  I guessed I couldn’t argue with that.

  So, there was going to be a ride in a private jet. Okay, then. I guessed there were worse ways to spend my afternoon.

  When we boarded the jet, it was like stepping into a luxury hotel suite or something. Two big leather easy chairs sat on one side. They could swing around to face each other or to look out the windows. Across from them was a long padded couch-type bench, accented with tasteful pillows. There was an enormous television screen at one end of the room and a mini-bar in one corner, complete with sparkling glasses. Through a doorway, I could see that there was a bed in a separate room. In case of flying overnight, I supposed.

  I felt out of place, frightened that I might break something or soil something. I wished that I hadn’t worn ratty jeans and a dirty shirt. I should be dressed up. Like Naelen. I didn’t belong with him at all.

  If he noticed my discomfort, he didn’t let on.

  We were quiet for most of the fairly short flight.

  I used the time to wonder why it was that Logan hadn’t showed up at my place begging for a place to crash or for forgiveness or another chance or something. I was glad that he hadn’t, because it made things easy for me, but Logan wasn’t in the habit of making things easy for me. I was worried that something might have happened to him.

  Probably, though, he’d just moved on.

  If there was nothing for him in Sea City, maybe he’d simply decided to hit the road again. The road was the only place he was truly at home.

  Then my thoughts turned to Naelen. Now, he was all business again. He might have teased me this morning, but I wondered if his actions toward me last night had been motivated largely by his being drunk. What did he want from me?

  Logan always said to me that I was the love of his life, and there was a time when I felt the same way about him. But years of disappointment and resentment had eroded that emotion. I didn’t think I’d ever be in love with him again, not unless the circumstances were vastly different. For some time, I’d been dreaming of another man coming into my life. Someone strong and sure of himself, someone who could hold his own against me.

  But I’d never pictured anyone like Naelen.

  I watched him for a little while, wondering what it would be like to be with him.

  He glanced up at me. “Yes?”

  “Nothing,” I said, looking away.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Oh, man, you haven’t heard from her either?” said Joel Stewart. He’d just come in from playing tennis, and he was a little sweaty.

  “No, not for weeks,” said Naelen.

  “Oh, wow.” Joel shook his head. “That’s not good. See, I figured she must have just blocked me or something. I couldn’t get through on her phone. I didn’t see any posts from her on any of the sites. I thought I did something to piss her off.” He shrugged.

  “Are you and Reign together?” I said.

  “Together?” said Joel. “Like together together?”

  “It’s not important,” said Naelen. “What’s important is what happened to her.”

  “I have no clue,” said Joel.

  “Where’d you see her last?” I said.

  “Uh… a couple weeks ago,” said Joel. “She and I were out at some bar, and these people came in. I don’t think they were dragons… I don’t know. They said there was a big party down in North Carolina, and that they wanted everyone to come.”

  “North Carolina?” I said. “And you were at a party here? In New Jersey?”

  “No way, we were in D.C.,” said Joel.

  “Still,” I said. “That’s got to be a ten-hour drive.”

  “Whatever, they were going to fly,” said Joel. “They were talking it up sideways and upside down. I didn’t want to go out to the sticks to some weird party, but Reign was into it. She tried to convince me to go. I said I didn’t want to. We fought about it. And then she said she was going, and she left. I didn’t hear from her after that, so I figured she was done with me.”

  “So Reign went to North Carolina,” I said.

  “Yeah, I guess,” said Joel.

  “Do you have any idea where?” I said.

  “Uh, the town was called Highpoint,” said Joel. “I think it’s in the mountains. Like out in the country and shit. Sounds horrible.”

  “You don’t remember the names of any of the people who were throwing this party?”

  “Uh…” He squinted. “Maybe, um, something like Ronald? Ronald something. I think it was his party.”

  “Well, that’s so specific,” I said, fighting to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

  “Yeah, sorry,” said Joel, scratching his chin. “I, uh, was kind of out of it at the time. A little high. I don’t know. Wish I could be more help.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Naele
n. “What you’ve told us is helpful.”

  “I hope you find her,” said Joel. “I really hope you find her.”

  * * *

  “When we get to Sea City, go straight home and pack a bag,” said Naelen. “We’re headed to Highpoint, North Carolina.”

  The two of us were back on the jet, and it had just taken off.

  “Wait, you want me to come?” I said.

  “Of course I want you to come,” he said.

  “Yeah, but I’m starting to get the impression that your sister isn’t a rogue dragon at all,” I said. “I think she’s just off on a bender or something.”

  “You think she’s been partying for weeks?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I bet we get there, and they tell us she’s run off with someone else to somewhere else.”

  “Well, that’s fine,” he said. “We’ll follow her trail wherever it leads.”

  “It’s only that you don’t need me for this,” I said.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “All we’re doing is asking people questions. You could be doing that. Without me.”

  “I guess so, but I wouldn’t have thought to do it. You’re the one who’s come up with all the good ideas to try to find her. It’s because of you that we’ve made any progress at all. I need you.”

  “You’re selling yourself short. You could think this through on your own. You may not have much common sense, but it’s in there somewhere.”

  “Clarke, I want you along,” he said. “Unless… maybe you really are quite serious about loathing me. I thought you were saying it simply because you weren’t interested in me sexually, but maybe you really can’t stand being around me, and you’d rather be rid of me.”

  “Well…” This was my chance to get out of all of this. My life could go back to the way it had been before.

  “Obviously, you can keep the advance on your salary,” he said. “You’ve done a marvelous job thus far. Worth every penny. So, um, if that’s all, then I guess we’ll part ways.”

  I sighed. Why couldn’t I simply agree to that? “No, I’m not saying that. I don’t mind doing this job, I suppose. If you still want me to do it. I can do my best to get that done. Do what you need. I just thought maybe you’d rather stop paying me for doing something that anyone could do.”

  “Stop selling yourself short.”

  “I’m not,” I said.

  “Then I suppose you’re insulting my intelligence.” He laughed.

  I smiled. “No, I don’t mean that either. What I mean is that I, uh, want the rest of the money you promised me. And if you want to pay me for doing this, I’ll happily do it.”

  “Good,” he said, and he did look genuinely pleased. “Then we’ll leave for North Carolina as soon as you’re ready.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Well, here I was in North Carolina. It had been quite a jet-setting day for me. I’d woken up in Maryland, shot up north to New Jersey, and then gone all the way down south. I couldn’t believe that I’d been in three states in one day.

  We’d landed at a small airstrip outside of Highpoint. It wasn’t a big commercial airport or anything, but it had served our purposes, and it meant that we didn’t have far to drive to get to the mountain town. A rental car had been waiting for us at the airstrip. Apparently, Naelen had arranged for it to be there when we arrived.

  Now, we were at a gas station, filling up the gas tank.

  Since we were just outside of Highpoint, I figured it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that someone might have seen Reign. I asked Naelen for his phone, and I went inside the store while he pumped the gas.

  There was a young woman behind the counter. She might have been in high school, but she was definitely no older than her mid-twenties. I approached her. “Hi there.”

  She looked up at me. When she realized I didn’t have anything in my arms to buy, she furrowed her brow. “Can I help you?”

  I held up the phone. “I was wondering if you’d seen this girl recently.”

  She looked up at the picture. Something flickered over her expression. Surprise, maybe. Dread? She looked down at the counter. “Nope. Sorry.”

  “You sure?” I said. “Look again.”

  “I haven’t seen her.” She didn’t look again.

  “It seems like maybe you have, though. Is there a reason you don’t want to tell me?”

  She raised her gaze to mine. “Are you going to buy something?”

  I sighed. “Please, she could be in danger. We don’t know if she’s been hurt or not. If you could just—”

  “If you aren’t going to buy anything, you should probably leave,” she said.

  I hesitated for a minute, and then I left the store. I went out to find that Naelen had finished filling the gas tank.

  “Weirdest thing,” I said to him. “I’m fairly sure that the girl behind the counter in there recognized Reign, but she denied it.”

  “What?” he said. “Why would she do that?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But it’s weird.”

  * * *

  “Here she is,” I said, holding up my phone. I’d gotten a picture of Reign from Naelen.

  The guy behind the counter at the Highpoint Post Office gulped. He looked away. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her.”

  “Are you sure?” I said.

  “Positive,” he said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to get back to my job.” He gestured around at the empty office.

  Right. Well, maybe he really was busy. I seemed to remember that working at a post office was extremely stressful or something. It drove people insane. The phrase going postal had to come from somewhere. “Thank you for your time,” I said.

  He just nodded and shooed me out.

  I left the post office and crossed the street, where I found Naelen coming out of the First United Bank of Highpoint. “Hey there,” he said.

  “Hey,” I said. “Same thing in the bank?”

  “Oh yeah,” he said. “Everyone acts real strange once they see her photo, but they all swear up and down they’ve never seen her.”

  “In the post office too,” I said.

  “So, she’s been here,” said Naelen. “But how are we supposed to find her if no one wants to admit that they’ve seen her?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “Maybe they’re not talking because they’re afraid.”

  “Afraid of what?”

  “Maybe we’ve both been wrong. Maybe Reign didn’t turn into a rogue or run away or even go on a bender. Maybe somebody kidnapped her. That whole promise of a party out here? Maybe it was a lure to get her.”

  “Kidnapping?” he said. “For ransom? Why haven’t I heard anything?”

  “Maybe for ransom, maybe for some other reason.”

  He turned white. “What other reason could there possibly be?”

  I could think of several, but I didn’t want to say any of them aloud. “Don’t worry about that. The point is, we’re on her trail. If we keep looking, we’ve got to find her somewhere.”

  He nodded slowly. “Then we’re staying here for a while.”

  “We are?” I said.

  “We’ll have to get a room at a hotel or something,” he said. “I saw signs as we were driving in. The Pine Winds Lodge? It’s… that way.” He pointed.

  * * *

  The Pine Winds Lodge sat up on top of a hill at the end of a road that meandered up and around to the summit. The hotel was stately but not fancy. It had a solidness to it, as if it had been there quite some time and weathered the winds and storms. It was also surrounded by pine trees.

  Naelen got us adjoining rooms on the first floor. We parked our car and got out our luggage. Naelen gave me my key, and I let myself into my room.

  I was alone for the first time in hours. I sat down on the bed, feeling a little shell shocked. Everything seemed to be moving so fast. And I felt as though the ground was shifting under my feet. When I’d left this morning, I thought we w
ere hunting down a drunk girl. Now, I was beginning to think that something more sinister was at work.

  Could I handle this? It was the kind of thing Logan would do, going after some missing girl, getting rid of whatever the obstacles were in his path to getting her back. I didn’t know if I was cut out for it. All I did was kill rogues. I did that to save people, but it wasn’t the same thing.

  I heaved a huge sigh and then flopped back on the bed.

  Hmm.

  Pretty comfortable.

  I looked around the room. It had a rustic vibe. The bed had a headboard made of rough-hewn looking wood. There were framed photographs of pine trees on three of the walls. Pretty, pastoral landscapes. I guessed they took the pine-theme fairly seriously. The room contained a desk with a chair and a dresser. The bathroom had both a stand-up shower and a big bathtub with bubble jets.

  I wondered what Naelen thought of the place. Surely, he was used to sleeping in much more posh places than this. However, for me, it was very nice, practically luxurious. I wondered how long we’d be staying.

  A knock at the adjoining door.

  I opened it.

  Naelen was there, and he wasn’t wearing a suit. He was in a button-up plaid shirt and a pair of khakis. “Hey there.”

  “You changed,” I said.

  “I felt as if I was sticking out a bit,” he said. “No one else seems to be running around in designer suits.”

  I guessed that was true. “Well, you look, um, fine.”

  He smiled. “You want to get some dinner?”

  “Like together?” I said.

  “Well, I don’t know anyone else in this town. It’ll be my treat,” he said.

  It seemed stupid trying to resist him now, considering we were miles from home. But something within me was fighting against the very thought of giving him an inch. Still… I sighed. “Yeah, okay.”

  “Great,” he said.

  * * *

  Moreau’s Bistro was a fine dining restaurant located about midway down the mountain that the Pine Winds Lodge sat atop. The rest of Highpoint sat at the foot of the mountain. Well, sort of. It wasn’t called Highpoint for nothing. The town itself was pretty high up. You could look out and see the tops of other mountains, fairly level with Highpoint. We were up in the Appalachians all right.