Huntress Clan Saga Complete Series Boxed Set: Books 1-6

by Jamie Davis

  “Just me. I went to check on the location alone. None of the others are aware of how I found the book and took it back. I told you, Quinn. I’ll do nothing that would endanger you.”

  Quinn considered Naomi’s words as she retrieved her earpiece from the floor beside Zabe’s headless body. She stood and put it in place. Part of her wanted to believe the woman. How far could she be trusted?

  Time to find out.

  Quinn walked over to Naomi at the top of the stairs. “Step aside so I can go down and retrieve the bowl.”

  The woman paused for a moment. Quinn didn’t miss the way Naomi’s fists clenched and her shoulders tensed. She expected the vampire to attack. Instead, Naomi stepped aside in slow, jerky movements.

  “Go,” Naomi said through gritted teeth. “I can resist John’s explicit command to protect the contents of this building, but only because that would threaten you. You should hurry, though. I don’t know how long I can hold off the command. I’ll do it as long as I can, but…” The woman’s voice trailed off as her body jerked and shook while she fought for control.

  Quinn understood. Naomi was fighting her master’s compulsion, and it could overwhelm her at any moment. With a single nod, Quinn limped down the steps as fast as her weakened state would allow.

  It didn’t take her long to find the case. It sat by the locked front door, awaiting pickup just like she said. Quinn opened the latches and lifted the lid. The book, scrying bowl, and dagger were all inside.

  Crouching by the container, Quinn tapped her earpiece to contact Taylor, but nothing happened. Cursing, she realized the device had pulled out of the remote radio connection. She took it off her ears. The tiny red light was off. She pressed and held the small button in the side with her thumbnail, waiting for the light to show it had turned on again.

  As soon as the light returned, Quinn replaced the earpiece and tapped the button.

  A second later, Taylor came on the channel. “Oh, my God, Quinn, you’re back. We couldn’t contact you—”

  “I’m fine.” Quinn checked over her shoulder. No sign of Naomi yet, but she could show up at any time. It was clear from the way she struggled that she couldn’t hold off the command indefinitely. It would only take her a few seconds to descend to the first floor once she lost control. “I’m bringing the bowl and the dagger back. Count down from ten and then recall me. I’m on the first floor by the front door.”

  “Got it. See you in a bit,” Taylor said. She began counting down. “Ten, nine—”

  Quinn lifted the crystal bowl from the case, hugging it to her with one hand. She picked up the dagger in her other hand, holding it close to her body for the return transfer. Then she looked at the book, wondering if she should take it. Deciding to try to carry it and the other two items, she leaned into the case and levered her hand under the hefty tome to pull it free.

  Then she ran out of time.

  A snarling scream sounded from upstairs, and pounding feet indicated Naomi was coming in all her vampire speed. In the end, she’d been unable to resist Handon’s commands any longer. Quinn stood, hoping Taylor pulled her back quickly.

  Quinn waited as Taylor got to one. Naomi had reached the bottom of the stairs and charged at Quinn. The change in the vampire was both stark and terrifying. The woman’s eyes now shone with a red glow, her fangs were bared, and talons had extended from her fingernails. Naomi had lost control.

  Naomi reached for Quinn and the huntress felt a wrenching yank as she started falling into the VR again. Then everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Quinn woke with a start, reaching for the bowl and the dagger, which were no longer there.

  “Noooo,” she shouted as she rolled to the edge. The rolling wave of nausea overwhelmed her. Taylor didn’t get there in time with the trash can, and Quinn vomited on the floor.

  When she finished emptying her stomach, Quinn sat upright and swung her legs over the side of the desk. She battled nausea and pain as she conducted a frantic search on the desktop.

  “Taylor, tell me you took the scrying bowl and a silver dagger from me as I came through.”

  Taylor stood up, looking around. “You don’t have them?”

  “No. Oh, God, no. Naomi took them from me just as I transitioned back here. Quick, send me back. They’re coming to pick up the book and the bowl any minute.”

  “I can’t, Quinn. I need a few minutes to recharge, and the system has to cycle first.”

  Another round of nausea hit her, and Quinn couldn’t hold it back. She leaned over, retching into the plastic trash can this time. Each heave sent shooting pains through her chest as the ends of her broken ribs ground against each other.

  Taylor held out a handful of paper towels.

  Quinn took them and wiped her mouth as she sat up.

  Miranda came around the desk and said, “Hon, you look awful.”

  “I don’t feel that great either, and I lost the bowl again. Any word from Clark?”

  Miranda and Taylor shook their heads.

  Taylor said, “I’m worried. He should have checked in by now.”

  “Did you try calling him?”

  Taylor nodded. “Several times. He’s either ignoring us or his phone is off.”

  “How long until you can send me back inside?”

  “At least a half-hour,” Taylor replied. “Quinn, even if I get the system ready to go again, what do you think you can do in the condition you’re in?”

  “I’ll clean up and get something to eat. That’ll help me heal up some. I can’t pull energy from the ley lines anymore without my amulet, so that will have to be enough. Once I’ve eaten, I’ll feel a lot better. You’ll see.”

  Taylor shook her head but didn’t argue with Quinn.

  Quinn was thankful her friend didn’t push the issue. “What about the VirSync command center location? Were you able to locate it?”

  “I’m running down some final leads,” Taylor said. “I should have an answer soon. Go and get some food. I’ll try to expedite the remaining parts of the search.”

  Quinn hopped off the desk, careful to avoid the mess on the floor, working to hide the pain in her side. She pointed at the puddle. “I’ll clean that up when I get back.”

  “No worries,” Taylor said, holding up the roll of paper towels. “I’ve got it.”

  “Thanks,” Quinn said. “Get that search done. With the bowl and dagger lost, it’s even more important to track down the Myles Hickman and his slayers. They have the Ruby Heart.”

  Quinn started toward the kitchen.

  Miranda said, “Mind if I tag along, Quinn?”

  “Suit yourself, although I might not be great company. I’ve got a lot to figure out right now.”

  The ghost nodded and drifted beside Quinn in silence as she limped her way down the hall to the kitchen. When she got there, she pulled open the refrigerator to see what she could grab in a hurry.

  There wasn’t much, and Quinn didn’t feel like heating up anything. She pulled out a jug of milk and shut the door. Turning to walk over to the table, Quinn grabbed the box of dry cereal from the top of the refrigerator and a bowl and spoon from the drying rack by the sink.

  After sitting down, Quinn filled the bowl with cereal and milk and began eating.

  Miranda hovered on the other side of the table, drifting lower to match Quinn’s seated position. “Did she do this to you?”

  “Who?”

  “Your mother, Quinn,” Miranda said. “Who else?”

  Quinn shook her head. “No, there were two other vampires there. It was them. And don’t call her my mother. She hasn’t earned that title.”

  “She gave birth to you, Quinn. She might not be Mom or Mommy to you, but she is your mother. Did you learn anything from her?”

  “We talked. She claims to have done everything so she could watch over me. I went through childhood in hell, and she thinks she somehow protected me from things.”

  Miranda shrugged. “It’s pos
sible for both to be true. There were some things she couldn’t protect you from—anything that happened in the daytime, for example. After all, she could only get away to look in on you after sundown.”

  Quinn hadn’t considered that part of it, and the revelation angered her. “Don’t try to make this better, Miranda. Nothing is going to fix my deep-seated mommy issues, certainly not a five-minute conversation. She’s a monster. She as much as admitted to killing people to feed, in the mistaken assumption that by becoming what she was, she could later justify it all by saying she did it to watch over me.”

  “So, what next?” Miranda asked, opting to change the subject.

  “We wait and see if Taylor comes up with a location or Clark calls in. After that, I don’t know. One thing is for sure; this location isn’t safe. Naomi knows about it. That means we need to relocate.”

  “Quinn, there’s no time to do that tonight. If we try to pack up and move, we won’t get the rig set up again in time to send you anywhere. And what if Clark needs help?”

  “I can’t leave you and Taylor here alone. I mean, Miranda, you’d be all right. They can’t kill you twice, but Taylor isn’t safe.”

  “You forget that Taylor’s a werewolf, Quinn. She can more than take care of herself. She might have issues holding onto control, but she’ll be fine if there are any bad guys around. There are more important things to worry about right now. First of all, how bad are your injuries?”

  Quinn finished the first bowlful of cereal without giving an answer. She wasn’t going to lie to her friends. Instead, she poured another bowlful of cereal, dousing the sweetened cornflakes with milk. Her body still ached, and she needed the extra energy to force more healing. She felt a little bit better, but her ribs still sent a searing, stabbing pain through her side with every deep breath. She knew her body could heal pretty fast on its own. The problem was, she didn’t know how much she could expect in such a short time without the magical assistance of her amulet to draw on the ley lines.

  Her thoughts turned back to what they had to do tonight, trying to assess what she might face in the hours ahead. There was no doubt in her mind she wasn’t anywhere near a hundred percent. The cereal might be taking the edge off her pain, but it wasn’t healing her.

  As for her friends and the risks they faced if they remained here, Miranda was right about Taylor’s ability to protect herself. Quinn had seen what her friend could do in wolf-woman form. As much as she worried about her best friend, she had to admit to herself that Taylor would be fine on her own for now.

  Thinking about Taylor gave Quinn another idea, though. “Miranda, how good is Taylor with the magic stuff?”

  “She’s good enough, considering how new she is. Why do you ask?”

  “I wondered if she could cast a spell and accelerate the healing process before I go back out tonight.”

  “That’s beyond what she knows right now, Quinn. It’s more than I could do before I died. Healing is a specialized skill that requires a lot of study to do more than ease the pain or take care of a minor injury.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of. I just wish I hadn’t lost the amulet. Then I could heal and be as good as new before facing off against anyone else.”

  Miranda shook her head. “Quinn, I think you’re using the amulet as a crutch. Hunters are known to have done great things over the ages, truly impossible things. None of those accounts mention they used an amulet to do them.”

  “It’s probably a trade secret,” Quinn said. “You wouldn’t want your enemies to know that all they had to do was to take your amulet away and you’d be helpless.”

  “You’re not helpless, Quinn,” Miranda said, laughing. “You’re probably the least helpless person I know.”

  “I can do some of the things I picked up while I was in VR in the outside world, but nothing like the power of the amulet gave me. I can’t pull on the energy of the ley lines like I could before.”

  “If you can sense them at all,” Miranda said, “then the block is within you, not due to an external cause like the missing amulet. The ley lines are invisible to those who cannot access them.”

  Quinn closed her eyes and called up the HUD in her mind. She opened the map overlay for the hospital. One of the reasons Clark had chosen this site was due to the ley line running behind the abandoned building.

  The bright shining line pulsed as if inviting her to touch it. Quinn reached out as she had with other lines when she had the amulet. She could sense the pulsing energy through her connection, but when she pulled it, nothing happened. It was as if she strained to bend a pipe of solid steel. The two times she’d drawn on the power lines before, the magical energy had flexed as she grabbed it until she’d peeled away the power she needed.

  After straining without success, Quinn opened her eyes to meet Miranda’s glowing translucent gaze. “It’s no use. Like I said. I need the amulet to access that kind of power.”

  From the way the ghost pursed her lips, Quinn didn’t think Miranda agreed with her. What did she know, though? She was a spirit who couldn’t use any power.

  Quinn regretted the thought as soon as she had it. The guilt surrounding Miranda’s death washed over her. She owed the dead witch more respect than that after what had happened in Handon’s office. Miranda might be right about Quinn’s abilities. For whatever reason, though, she couldn’t access it tonight.

  Miranda seemed to agree with her because she said, “Quinn, I think you’ll be unable to access that power until you have no other choice left to you.”

  Quinn didn’t answer. Miranda’s comment wasn’t a lot of help. Instead of responding, she ate the last spoonful, then picked up the bowl and drained the milk from it. Setting it down, she stood up and stretched, tested her aching ribs in a couple of simple attack moves. Even a basic lunge sent pain shooting through her torso. She could move. Maybe she could fight through the pain and hold her own. Each motion she made, however, would be a test of her will to continue.

  “Quinn,” Miranda said, “maybe we should try to reach Clark and leave a message for him about your injuries. I can see how much pain you’re in. That is not conducive to any sort of supernatural showdown. You need to be at your best, not half-beaten when you get there. Let Handon and the others have this small win tonight. You and Clark will live to fight another day.”

  “No, I have to find a way to stop them tonight. Naomi knows where we’re hiding. She’s avoided telling Handon where we are because she’s protecting me. He’ll figure out she’s hiding something from him, and she’ll only hold out so long before his compulsion overcomes her resistance. Then she’ll tell him everything. We have to take a stand now.”

  Miranda didn’t say anything. The brief shake of her head and frown told Quinn what was going through the spirit’s mind.

  Quinn said, “I’m going to wash up and change. Then I’ll head down and check on Taylor to see if she’s found anything. I think I’m as good as I’m going to get.”

  Miranda nodded as Quinn left the kitchen and went to her room. She felt a little better, but not as well as she’d hoped.

  When Quinn returned to the office, Taylor looked up with a frown on her face. “Good, you’re back. Miranda and I think we’ve got a problem.”

  “What?” Quinn asked the two of them. “Weren’t you able to track down the VirSync location?”

  “I got it, and that’s the problem,” Taylor said. She spun the right-hand monitor around, revealing a map of the city of Baltimore. As Quinn watched, it zoomed in, centered over East Baltimore. It eventually dropped a virtual red pin on the map.

  Quinn leaned forward, squinting at the screen. A few seconds later, recognition dawned on her. “Oh, my God, is that the same building where O’Malley’s is located?”

  “Yep,” Taylor said, a grim smile on her face. “It turns out a shell company of Handon’s owns not just the building, but most of the whole block, including all the row homes on either side of the street. When we were there the other night, t
hey were probably watching the whole time.”

  Quinn studied the map, trying to put it together with what she’d learned over the last few days and the little bit that slipped out tonight from Naomi. Since she’d started training with Clark, Quinn had learned not to trust coincidences where the supernatural was concerned. If it looked like a connection existed, it probably did.

  She pointed at the map. “That’s where it’s all happening, and I’ll bet Clark is there as well.”

  “Why do you say that?” Miranda asked.

  “It makes sense. He went looking for Filippa, and we know she’s been there in the past. On top of that, since he hasn’t reached out to us or responded to our attempts to reach him, Clark’s probably run into trouble. That matches what we now know about who else is lurking around that fae bar. And I think I know where to go when I get there.”

  Quinn sighed, and then, despite the pain in her side, drew herself up straight. She had to go. There was no one else. She reached out of reflex to check on her Bowie. It was still beneath her right arm. The blessed silver blade and her remaining strength would have to be enough.

  Taylor and Miranda exchanged glances.

  “Quinn,” Miranda said, “you don’t have to do this. You can barely move.”

  “It has to be me. If I’m careful, I should be able to sneak in and break him out of wherever Filippa is holding him. If I can do that, I won’t be alone. Then we can decide together what to do next.”

  Taylor made no effort to hide the concern in her voice. “Quinn, that is the worst idea I’ve ever heard. You don’t look any better than when you went down to eat. I thought you said you’d feel better once you ate something?”

  “I do. The pain is hardly there now. I can do this, T.” Quinn smiled at her friend’s concern. “If not me, who?”

  Taylor started to say something but closed her mouth. Eventually, she said, “All right, keep the earpiece in place this time and call me if things get bad. I’ll pull you back out as soon as there’s trouble. Got it?”

  Quinn nodded. Having Taylor in her ear would be helpful, and the VR system might heal some of her injuries on re-entry.