by Scott, Helen
Since his skin had melted off his cheekbones, the man hadn’t been sneering. But now? He sensed he had some leverage—the idiot. Just like our thoughts were on the same track, the flames began to soar once more and with it, I heard Winterborn’s heart rate soar too.
“No!” he bellowed, then his eyes were frantic as tears poured copiously down his cheeks, and he started to beg, “No, please! I’ll tell you.”
Marcella let the fire drop to half-mast. “Speak now or you’ll be left not only with Keiran’s leavings, but the flames too. Fancy being slow-roasted, Headmaster?”
The man began to sob, and on his knees, he crawled to the edge of the circle of salt. “P-Please, let me go.”
“Give me the answers I seek.”
Winterborn sank back on his heels. His chin wobbled. “Your father is Sylvester McCray.”
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, the name sending shockwaves through me.
“What is it?” Marcella demanded, turning to me, and it stunned me that she didn’t know the name.
“Not ‘what,’ Marcella, who. Your father’s a fucking—”
“Now you know, let me go!” Winterborn screamed, as my demons began to chant, the fire wove between them, making my own illusion look all the more badass, I had to admit. Apparently, she and I were a good team on this scape.
“No. Just because he’s this Sylvester McCray guy doesn’t explain why you hate me.”
“The man bleeds acid,” the older man cried. “He breathes shadows, illusions, making you wish for death even as you know there is no surcease from the torment unless he wills it. He’s poison. Toxic. Your presence in my school put everyone in danger, and I had no choice but to shelter you. Now let me go!” he begged.
She narrowed her eyes at him, but before I could do anything, utter a word, she dragged us from this dream. I expected to find myself in the living room again, but I wasn’t. I was in the maze of spirits in the dream world that my walker called home.
Except I wasn’t in charge here.
Marcella was.
She’d piggybacked my powers.
Had she always known she could do this? Was it a new development? Had being claimed by Darius given her this talent? Maker, what would happen when the bond was fully in place?
The questions swam through my brain like a shark seeking the scent of recently spilled blood.
“What are you doing, Marcella?” I demanded. Not knowing how we could communicate, just that we could. If it was Raven, I’d understand it, since he was a mind walker. But Marcella? Only the Maker knew what she was.
“I’m looking for the squire’s daughter,” she said matter-of-factly.
I gaped at her. “Why would you? We don’t have any of her markers. Without them, we can’t find her. This scape is too damn big.” Hell, Marcella shouldn’t even understand how this worked.
She turned to me, her body so corporeal it was painful to behold. Normally in this state, I was ethereal, ephemeral. My body was like the illusion I’d just seen her manifest. But now? We were both walking through this realm as though we were walking down a regular road.
“She will scent of Maximus,” was all she said, but I tugged on her hand and drew her to a halt.
“Marcella, what the hell’s going on?”
She shrugged. “I wanted answers. Now Darius needs answers. Might as well find the squire’s daughter while I’m in this realm.”
“How is it you know to do this?”
“I wanted to see what you did to Winterborn, and when I wished it, it was so.”
“That makes no sense.”
She snorted. “You want to talk of no sense? How about the fact you cursed when you learned my father’s name, and yet, here I am, not knowing who he is.”
“McCray was on the council once upon a time,” I explained, but the words felt like they were being torn from me.
“I suspected as much.” She pursed her lips. “What’s he done wrong?”
“Let’s put it this way—his treatment of you and your mother doesn’t surprise me now. In earnest, I’m surprised you survived. If anything, and as crazy as it seems, I think the fact you live is about as much pity and generosity as he’s capable of showing.”
She gasped and for the first time seemed floored. “You’re kidding.”
“No. I’m not. He’s evil, Marcella.” I shuddered. “He tore his family from the council. He’s…”
“What? Keiran! What is he?” she raged at me when I fell silent, as I became uncertain how to continue. She pulled at our joined hands, tugged at them to try to part us, but I wouldn’t let her.
“He’s ancient, Marcella. As old as Darius and akin to a bogeyman at Eastbrook. The family, the McCrays, they’re like our underworld. Most crimes hold his taint.”
Her jaw flexed. “Daddy dearest isn’t something to be proud of, I guess.”
“Let’s put it this way. It’s no wonder Winterborn didn’t like you.” I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck where tension held me in its vise. “We should have asked what leverage he used to hold him to it.”
“It wasn’t like Winterborn welcomed me to the fold with open arms, Keir,” she retorted with a huff.
“No,” I conceded, but I still felt like we’d left a stone unturned that would be useful to know in the future. Before I could fret about that though, I reached over and cupped her cheek. “Marcella, what you’re doing now, you realize it’s impossible?”
“No. It isn’t.”
“Well, no. You’re doing it, I suppose,” I said with a faint grin. Even as she amused me, she scared me. This was so far beyond anything I’d ever known to be possible.
She squeezed my fingers, but without the intent of pulling away this time. “Don’t worry, Keir. I’ve got you.”
I clucked my tongue. “You do realize I’m the one who’s supposed to be protecting you, right?”
Her laughter warmed my heart even as concern filled me. When she turned herself into me, slipping her other arm around my waist as though we were about to start dancing weren’t in the middle of the dreamscape, I wasn’t surprised when she reached up to press her mouth to mine and kissed me.
14
Marcella
By the Maker, Keir's kiss was sweet. Like honey and sweet wine. I couldn't let this distract me though, even though I just wanted to strip him down right there and feel him moving inside me once more. I may have been a virgin until Cade, but my bond with these men seemed to have awoken my sexual side, and it wanted to make up for lost time.
When I broke the kiss, my mind was already racing ahead. As much as Keir thought this was effortless, it wasn't. I wasn't getting tired per se, but it felt like there was a clock ticking down in my head, and something told me I didn't want to find out what happened when the buzzer went off.
As we parted, I sent my senses out searching for anything that felt like Darius. There was a giant flare of purple next to me that was tinged with black. I watched it for a moment, even though I knew it was Darius, and could practically feel the worry radiating off it. He was going to be so pissed when we came back from this adventure.
I couldn't think about that now though, so I pushed my senses wide, extending them as far as I could. It felt good, like a big stretch after being stuck in a cramped space. My power flowed over me, through me, energizing every part of me, as I pushed and reached for my goal.
Other than Darius, there was a big clump of purple in the distance, which I assumed was the Maximus family stronghold. A couple others were dotted around, but they seemed to be much too strong to be the daughter of their squire. Finally, just when I was starting to think I couldn't reach any further, I saw a faint purple spike that was separate from all the others. It was just enough for me to hone in on.
"I think I've got her," I said quietly to Keir.
As soon as I tried to move us there, it felt like he took over, and we were almost instantly standing in front of a pale flame of purple, that was almost lilac in color and mostl
y transparent.
I needed to see her, figure out where she was and what was going on, but all Keir's powers did was give me access to her while she was sleeping, or at least that's the only aspect I could figure out how to use. The truth was, we had barely discussed their powers and the extent of their abilities. I knew what they each could do, and what the standard definition of those skill sets meant according to the books, but I didn't know how the powers completely manifested for my guys.
I felt for Raven, trying to see if I could use his ability the way I was using Keir's. When I reached for them it was similar to reaching for my own power, almost like forcing myself to feel a specific emotion. I had to dig deep, but once I got my power to the surface it was more than happy to play, and now adding the conduit in, I felt like the play had taken on a hard edge.
Each of the guys felt different when I reached for them. I could almost feel the wet nose of Barclay's wolf and the earthy softness of Gid, but the walkers were all a little different. Reaching for Cade was like grabbing a hot poker, and I hadn't quite been able to do it yet, whereas reaching for Keir's power had almost felt like I'd relaxed into it, like I was curling up for a nap. Now, reaching for Raven, I felt more like I was diving into deep water from a great height. Not only did I go deep, but I couldn't seem to tell which way was up either. I took his power and wrapped it around myself, pulling it to me, and within moments he was there next to me.
"What the—" Rav sounded out of breath as though he'd just come home from a run.
"It's Marcella, she's using our powers to find the squire," Keir said next to me, his hand squeezed mine, and I knew he was grounding me back in the dreamscape.
When my eyes opened I turned to Rav, and said, "I needed you here so we could get inside her head."
"From the dreamscape?" He looked at me with confused eyes. "I don't think that's possible sweetheart, not unless she's asleep."
"Just let me try, and if I'm wrong then..." I paused as I tried to think of a good incentive so he didn't fight me. "If I'm wrong then I'll give you a blowjob."
Rav choked and laughed at the same time at my suggestion. "Sure thing," he agreed with a shit-eating grin on his face.
He thought I wasn't going to be able to do it, but he was wrong. Something in my gut told me that this would work, that this was part of who I was now. For a split second, I wondered how many other Sixths could do this kind of thing with their Brotherhood. I wasn't sure, but I kind of wanted to find out, to see if this was in any way close to normal. I doubted it, but I didn't want to be conceited either.
Before I started, I reached up on my tiptoes and pulled Raven's silver-haired head toward me for a kiss. I'd meant for it to just be a peck, but Rav had other ideas. It was only when Keir cleared his throat behind us that the mind walker relented. My own mind was focused on exactly the wrong thing now, the need had unfurled between my legs, instead of the squire I was trying to find.
The clock that had been ticking in my head seemed to be getting louder, so I knew we had to hurry if this—whatever the heck this was—could work. I mentally reached into myself and pulled Rav's power through, while I let go of most of Keir's power, holding on to just enough to keep us all in the dreamscape. I blinked slowly and everything around us seemed to change. The foggy monotone, the ephemeral feel of the dreamscape was replaced with hard edges and too loud noises.
I looked around and saw I was alone in a room with a vomit-stained king-sized mattress, which had a bucket next to it. Looking around the room, I saw a couch that had a threadbare blanket or two thrown over it, trash covering the floor, and needles and foil dotting any available table top. It was the most stereotypical drug house I'd ever seen. I carefully walked over the floor toward the hallway that came off the room. The first door was open and all I could see was a bedroom that was about as big as a closet, a mattress was on the floor, and every available floor space was covered in clothes and trash. The next room looked similar, but a man was passed out on the floor with a needle hanging from his arm.
The next room was cleaner than the other two and had a woman in it, and she seemed to be shaking ever so slightly on the bed, almost like her whole body was vibrating. I felt an instant connection to her, as though my bond with Darius recognized her as an extended part of the family. I pushed forward, trying to get further into her mind, but it didn't get me anywhere. When I tried to pull back, I felt like I was flipping through a sketchbook, or a series of photos, and I could understand why I saw the room with the big mattress and couch first, it was where she spent most of her time.
The pictures seemed to flow quickly then and I struggled to catch any details, but one thing I did see was the flash of Vegas lights. I only recognized them because we drove through there while we were traveling. I could see signs for all different casinos, starting with the fashionable, the middle of the Las Vegas strip, and moving slowly outward to more outdated and retro casinos, until there were no more casinos and the buildings of downtown were in the distance. Parks and cemeteries seemed to fly by, only slowing when I felt a desperation seep through me stronger than I'd felt in a long time.
A large building was in front of me, and before I could see exactly what it said, everything started flashing by in a blink again as I watched a brief encounter with a large, greasy man. She seemed to be selling things. As she left the building, I tried to see the name. Everything felt distorted and out of sync with the world around me.
I pulled back from her head, feeling nauseated and confused. Rav and Keir were still in the dreamscape when I reappeared and vomited everywhere. Can you vomit mentally? Did I just vomit in real life? This was way too confusing.
"Where the fuck did you go?" Rav said as he rubbed my back, while I retched on the ground.
"I told you, to find the squire," I said, before launching into a coughing fit. At least it gave me a chance to wipe any residual drool off my face discreetly.
"And did you?" Keir asked, clearly unhappy with me also.
I turned and grinned up at him. "Why yes, yes I did."
15
Gideon
Keir was seizing, there was no other word for it. He'd started doing it as soon as he fell unconscious. Marcella was out as well, and now Raven too. I didn't know what the fuck was going on, but I didn't like it. Cade had rolled Keir to his side, while Barclay had taken Raven, and I had Marcella. The three of them were shimmying like they'd just put a coin in a vibrating mattress.
I mentally searched my body for anything that could help. The trouble was, most of my tats were for outdoor use. I had a couple I could play with though. First up was my Valknut tat. It was on my back, just under one of my shoulder blades. I pushed my power into it and felt it warm.
"Be careful with what you use," Darius cautioned behind me.
I wanted to turn and snap at him, to tell him that of course, I was going to be careful, since Marcella was my future, my everything, but all the words dried up on my tongue. I was the least bonded to her and it stung. The thought wasn't something that should be loitering around my head when I called on my tats though, so I packed it away, hoping I'd be able to ignore it until after three of the people I cared about most in the world had woken up.
The Valknut was associated with death and transition. It usually gave me a sense of what was going on, whether the person or spirit was stuck or transitioning somewhere, or whether they had already passed on. I knew they were all still alive because their hearts were beating, or rather, galloping in their chests, which was worrying in a completely different sense. All I wanted to do was to get a cursory reading of their spirits to see if they were close to death or just moving between things, like Raven mind walking or Keir dream walking. They each gave different sensations.
What I understood from it was that none of them were close to death, at least not spiritually, and that was what I cared about most in that moment. Their bodies might give out if their hearts kept up the pace they were currently beating at, but that wasn't an immediate c
oncern.
Next up was my Svefnthorn tat. It was all about sleep, but usually about putting someone to sleep. While I tried to reverse it, to bring them out of the sleep they all seemed to have fallen into, I had to fight not to fall victim to it myself. The old Norse symbol was incredibly powerful and was amazing for anyone with insomnia. After I flooded it with energy, I waited for a moment before I tried to pull against it, to force them all to wake up.
Nothing happened.
My frustration was mounting as I was down to my last two tats that could even apply to this situation. The peacock feather and the blue heron. They were both on my legs, and I shoved power down from my back, toward them. Sometimes it was like playing an instrument, I had to hit the right chords at the right time or it wouldn't work.
The peacock was most commonly considered a symbol of royalty, but that was just the tip of the iceberg where that bird was concerned. My immediate use was for the awakening aspect of it, as well as the guidance aspect. I was hoping that if I couldn't just wake them up with it, then I could at least use it combined with the blue heron, which was for guidance and progress, to bring them home. It was all well and good, but the one factor I couldn't account for in all this was whether or not they wanted to. If I was fighting an uphill battle then I was going to lose.
I channeled my energy into those two tats, feeling them warm and come to life within me, as I called to my two brothers and the woman I was head over heels for. My power wasn't as flashy or easy to see as someone like Barclay's was, but that didn't mean it was any weaker. Calling to them became a mantra in my head as I kept the tats powered. I needed Marcella. We may not have a physical bond yet, but she was my home, just like my brothers, and now, although I was still somewhat unenthusiastic about it, Darius.
"Any luck?" the Enforcer asked, as though he'd picked up on my thoughts.
"I'm working on it." It was all I could say without becoming too distracted from my path.
