Cold Blooded jm-3

by Amanda Carlson

  “Those were likely the only wolves he could spare at the moment,” I replied. It was very unfortunate. I pushed away from the counter. “I want you to try and get in touch with Dad one last time before we move out. Go shift while we start to hammer out the details. We need to figure out how to handle the Vamp Queen and get us all safely to New Orleans. We can’t waste any time if Dad’s in trouble—”

  Something thudded loudly on the roof. The ceiling beams cracked, but held. Dust and dirt rained down on us as someone walked across them.

  “Ray’s back,” I announced. I shouldn’t be surprised that he would make an extreme entrance. This was so typical of him.

  Tyler opened the door and we all filed outside.

  Ray stood on the roof looking quite proud of himself. I rested my hands on my hips. “I see you’ve learned to fly,” I called. “That’s fairly impressive, but it seems your landing skills need a bit of work. The front door is down here.”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t watching,” Ray called down. “But I have a good reason. I was heading back fast, because something’s coming.”

  “What do you mean something’s coming?” I asked, alarmed, dropping my arms and moving forward.

  Naomi didn’t wait for him to answer. She shot into the air to investigate.

  “I mean, there’s some strange shit flaring off in the distance. It’s miles from here, but they’re starting to crop up all over. The power feels strange, like something is pushing against my chest. And it stinks.”

  “It stinks?” I strode closer to the roofline.

  “I flew over to one, but once I got there, there was nothing left but the smell of rancid eggs and some leftover energy. On my way back, two more popped up east and another one southwest. It seems like something is searching, and since you’re always stuck in thigh-high crap without waders, whatever it is … I figured it’s probably looking for you.”

  Rotten eggs was bad.

  That meant sulfur, and sulfur meant demons.

  Rourke was next to me in the next moment. “I don’t feel a strong power signature close,” he said. “But I’m not willing to doubt him. We need to get on the road. I want you back in that car. If whoever’s searching has your signature, I’m not sure how many miles it will take to get you in its sights.”

  Naomi landed right in front of us. “He’s right. The disturbances are off in the distance, but the power is strong and stinks of sulfur.”

  “Are they demon circles?” I asked.

  “Oui,” Naomi said. “I believe so. None but a Demon Lord can summon itself to this plane, so these must have been made by another.”

  “You mean like the sorcerers?” I asked. “Who else would team up with the demons?” Of all the supernatural Sects in existence, the demons stood alone in all ways. Demons and fey were the only two I knew about who lived on a different physical plane, but there hadn’t been a fey sighting in hundreds of years. Demons were their own creepy race and they kept to themselves for a reason.

  “The lesser demons have to be cooperating with spell casters to get on this plane,” Rourke said. “So the sorcerers would be the most logical choice, since they’re gunning for you already.”

  I turned around, frustrated. “This is crazy. Sects don’t team up with each other like that. Especially demons. They don’t make allegiances with others.”

  Rourke grinned. “You might want to take a look around at your current allies. Cats, wolves, vamps, and witches all working together. Things are changing in our world very quickly.”

  I glanced at the two vampires in front of me. Ray had jumped off the roof and stood next to Naomi. “Yes, but we didn’t team up on purpose. It just … sort of happened,” I ended lamely. I’d been the first Pack wolf to swear an oath to the Vampire Queen, which is how Naomi and I met. And I’d done it in a matter of days after my first change.

  “You just became a vamp Master willingly.” Rourke chuckled. “Your secretary, and best friend, is a witch. Her aunt, the most powerful witch in the country, just helped us escape, and her daughter is giving us information to help save your father. Jessica, there’s no doubt in my mind you were put on this earth to change things up in a big way. The moment I met you my world turned upside down, and so did each of ours.”

  “He’s right,” Ray said. “My life couldn’t be any different than it was just a few weeks ago. When I saw you that day at your apartment, I knew you were different. Something had changed, but I didn’t know what. Now look where I am.”

  “It could all be just a big coincidence,” I said, even though I knew that wasn’t true.

  “Jessica,” Rourke said. “I wouldn’t change any of this. It’s time to shake things up. This feels right. The supernatural world has been stagnant for my entire life. It’s time for all of us to evolve and change.”

  “I agree,” Danny piped in. “A world with too much repetition is a drag. We have been the same for far too long. Plus, I like having a female Alpha. Makes me feel daring.”

  Ray walked up to me with a swagger in his step, his new power hitting my skin in small pressure points. “Your detective pal, Nick, is on the road, just so you know. He’s not too far. You should probably go get him before he drives through one of those circles and gets himself hurt.”

  My head snapped to Tyler and Danny. “Did you tell Nick to come here?”

  Tyler shrugged, moving forward. “Yes and no. We all left the Coven together and he was with us when we went back to the Safe House and saw Naomi. He knew roughly where we were heading. He’s one of your best friends, Jessica. You can’t keep him out of danger forever. He’ll survive. He’s smart. We need all the help we can get and he knows that.”

  It was selfish of me to want to keep him out of harm’s way. He was worried about us and had a right to be here. “What’s he driving?” I asked.

  “A big black Suburban,” Ray answered.

  “Sweet,” Tyler hooted. “That means he has the Safe House truck, which is stocked to the hilt with supplies. That’s why I love Nick; he’s always thinking.”

  “Even sweeter”—I glanced around the group—“we all have a ride to New Orleans.”

  11

  I was dressed in my own clothes, waving my arms like an air-traffic controller on the side of the road. We’d just come down the mountain and I was trying to flag Nick down without giving him a heart attack. The Porsche purred quietly next to me. Rourke was waiting not so patiently inside. Danny, Tyler, Naomi, and Ray were back at the stream waiting for us to return with Nick.

  The Suburban’s headlights finally flashed into view and I jumped up and down. When Nick saw me, he slammed on his brakes and bumped onto the shoulder. By the look on his face, I’d surprised the hell out of him. I could’ve done a supernatural maneuver, but why make things more complicated? My arms worked just fine.

  Naomi had spotted him from the sky a half hour ago. But rather than her stopping him, because they didn’t know each other, we agreed it should be me. He hadn’t been on the right road, but we’d cut across a few back roads to reach him.

  The moment his tires came to a halt, he was out the door. “Jess, what’s going on? Are you okay?” He ran toward me and grabbed me up into a big bear hug.

  “I’m fine.” I hugged him back. “I just didn’t want to give you heart failure, so we thought this was the easiest way. Nobody’s phone works out here, so we couldn’t warn you we were coming.”

  “Well, it worked,” he said. “Seeing you on the side of the road was completely unexpected. But I was coming to find you, not the other way around.”

  “We had to make some quick changes to the schedule. We’re leaving early for New Orleans, as in—we’re leaving right now. Strange power blips are popping up all over. We think it may be the demons working with sorcerers, so we’ve got to skedaddle out of here. Circles are popping up all over. Jump back into the Suburban and follow the car. Tyler, Danny, Naomi, and Ray are a few miles away.”

  “I’m sorry, but did you just say the demons
and sorcerers are working together?” he asked, already heading back to the SUV without question. “I’ve never heard of that happening.”

  “Neither had any of us, but that’s the best guess we have at the moment,” I said. “Ray, of all people, picked up on the magic when he was flying around.” Rourke tapped the horn. “We have to get moving. I’ll explain it all later. I promise. I know I owe you so much, but I can’t explain it all now. I’m going to be sequestered in this car, because it’s spelled, until we hit New Orleans. Once we’re there we’ll work out a decent plan.” I walked over and slid into the waiting Porsche.

  “Ray,” Nick muttered as he slammed the door of the Suburban. “Who would’ve guessed?”

  That’s fine, Tyler, but you can’t risk anyone seeing you. He, Nick, and Danny were in the SUV behind us and we were having an internal conversation. It was four in the morning and we were a few hours outside of New Orleans.

  It was more than time to try and connect with our father again, so we were deciding on the best course of action. I was getting more and more anxious by the moment. Maggie hadn’t given Tyler any specific details, only that we needed to arrive in New Orleans soon. Now that we were closer to the city limits, it was time to try again.

  I can’t get out of this car yet, I told him. The car had done its job well so far. We’ll pull over and park while you shift. Up ahead looks pretty dense with good cover.

  Nobody is going to see me. I’ve been doing this wolf thing for a long time. If I make contact with Dad, I’ll let you know. We were both worried. It had been too long since we’d heard from him. This wasn’t normal. We were always in touch with him.

  Wait, I’m having second thoughts. Have Danny shift with you, I told him. We’d just decided Tyler was going to shift alone. It’s better if you stay together. I want you to have backup if anything goes wrong.

  The circles had continued to pop up all night, but they were almost always near a populated town. So we had simply steered clear of towns. If the demons really were working with the sorcerers, it was a massive collaboration. They must have gathered sorcerers from all around the country to act together, which was no small undertaking. Naomi and Ray had taken turns keeping an eye on the magic and directing us away from any activity.

  The Porsche had kept me cloaked, which was a very good thing. Every supe had their own signature, kind of like a magical DNA, and the Demon Lord who’d come to pick up Selene and tried to trick me into accompanying it to the Underworld had told me they’d gotten a sample of my signature off an imp I’d fought. So if the car wasn’t spelled, they would be able to find me eventually.

  Jess, it’s easier if I go alone, Tyler said. I can catch up with you faster once I’m done. Tyler’s special gift was the ability to run faster than any other wolf.

  No, take Danny, and don’t argue with me on this. There’s a town nearby. It makes the most sense to have full backup.

  Fine. Pull over up ahead. I see a bunch of trees after that road sign.

  “Rourke, pull over right there.” I pointed to the break in the trees. As we cruised up to it, I could see it was an old logging road. “Follow it in. Tyler and Danny are going to shift. Tyler’s going to try and connect with our father one more time before we reach New Orleans.”

  Rourke turned down the road, the Suburban right behind us. He drove fifty yards along the bumpy dirt road and parked. Tyler and Danny jumped out of their vehicle immediately.

  Before they could get to my car, Naomi and Ray landed in front of us.

  “Tyler and Danny are shifting,” I told the vamps through the window. “They’re going to try and communicate with my dad. Any more issues from the sky?”

  Since Ray had arrived back, he’d been civil and fairly cooperative. Our connection felt stronger each time we interacted. I knew he felt it, too, but he wasn’t acknowledging it, in true Ray fashion. I wasn’t going to push because I had no idea if having us tied together was a good thing yet or not. “There was one a few minutes ago about fifty miles from here,” Ray answered. “We shouldn’t hang around any longer than necessary. Every time one flares close by, I feel like gagging.” Ray carried himself like a police officer even as a vampire. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad combination. I doubted Ray would ever stop being a cop, so maybe that would make him an extra diligent vampire.

  Naomi nodded. “Yes. The magic tastes very bitter. We must not linger.”

  “How can they possibly keep coming so often?” I said. “They haven’t let up all night, and I’m guessing they’re doing this all around the country trying to find me.”

  “I do not understand it myself,” Naomi confessed. “I had not thought it possible for them to come so often. There must be an army of demons, each paired with a sorcerer or witch of some kind. A spell caster must be present to do the summoning, which is why they cannot pop up in the middle of the forest, because no one lives here.”

  “Jess,” Tyler called over his shoulder as he and Danny headed into the trees. “You should take off. No sense lingering. We’ll follow you on foot. I’ll let you know when you need to stop and pick us up.” Nick followed them in, likely to pick up their clothes.

  Before I could answer, a rumble came from inside the Porsche.

  “Something’s vibrating,” Ray said from his position against the car. “Do you feel that?” He placed an open palm on the hood of the car.

  “It has to be the spell,” Rourke said. “This is not good.”

  Inside, the car began to buzz and shake. It was like old-time TV interference, and we just happened to be inside the TV.

  “Damn,” I said as a quiver of energy blinked through me. “Didn’t Angie tell us the smaller the vehicle, the more it held the spell? The bigger the vehicle the quicker it dissipated?”

  “This car wasn’t meant to hold a spell for very long,” Rourke finished.

  “Tally never thought we’d take it to New Orleans.” Damn, damn, damn. “How long has it been since we left the Coven?”

  “It’s coming up on the third day.”

  Naomi stepped back from the car. “Go now, while you can. Get to the city. You can find cover there,” she urged. “We will follow you closely. If there’s trouble—”

  A loud popping noise rent the air, like a giant piece of bubble wrap, and the car shuddered for the last time.

  Then everything stilled.

  I yanked open the glove box.

  It was empty. No money, no passports. The spell was gone.

  Ray turned in a slow circle outside, his eyes flashing sliver. His concern and anger zinged through our blood connection, much stronger this time. Seconds later, a pulse of energy shot through the entire area, ending with an eardrum-sucking pop.

  Either the sorcerers were incredibly lucky, or they had the best tracking system in the world. They’d managed to find me. And it had taken only seven seconds.

  Rourke jammed the car in reverse. “Hold on!”

  “Go to the Vampire Queen’s immediately!” I shouted to Naomi and Ray as we peeled out. “It’s the only place I can think of with enough protection. Naomi, act like you just arrived back from our journey, but don’t tell her anything else. I will find you.”

  Eudoxia may be only one of a handful of supes who might be strong enough to ward off an attack from the Underworld. It didn’t matter in the end, because I didn’t know any other supes in New Orleans anyway.

  We had only one choice.

  Naomi appeared horrified. “She will know our bond is broken. I will be punished!”

  I grabbed on to Rourke’s arm to stop him as he wrenched the car around. I rolled down the window and craned my neck out. “No, she wants me too badly to risk harming you. Naomi, you have to go. I promise, we will be right behind you. It’s the only safe place that can shelter all of us. Ray will be the perfect distraction. Introduce him as your—”

  A huge burst of energy broke through the twilight, roaring through the predawn like a fog of malice-laced power.

  “Time’s up!�
� Rourke shouted.

  As the car sped off, I spotted Tyler and Danny running alongside us in their true forms.

  Naomi and Ray took to the sky. Nick was behind us in the SUV, but as I watched in the rearview mirror, he spun the Suburban 180 degrees in the opposite direction once we hit the pavement. “What’s he doing?” I yelled, turning my head around to look out the small back window.

  Rourke glanced behind us. “He’s buying us time.”

  “He can’t take on a demon alone!”

  “He won’t. Once they figure out he’s not who they want, they’ll move on.”

  “What if they kill him first because they can? We have to go back.”

  “Jessica, we are not going back. Nick is an adult supernatural who makes his own decisions. He is giving us a chance and we’re taking it. He knows the risks.”

  Go back and help Nick, I yelled at Tyler. He’s trying to block whatever is coming. If you stand together, you have a better chance. Naomi and Ray have already taken off.

  Got it, Tyler said. But get the hell out of here as fast as you can. Once we get to New Orleans, we’ll track you. We won’t be too far behind.

  Another shock of power rocked the car.

  The force of energy brought all four wheels off the road. On the way down, the car bounced, bucking us in our seats. Rourke yelled, “Put your head down!” right as all the windows in the car exploded simultaneously.

  I ducked fast, covering my head with my arms as tempered glass rained down all around us. Adrenaline shot through my system and my muscles coalesced in an instant. Once the barrage was over, I unlaced my arms and tilted my head up. Rourke had the Porsche at 150. The wind was incredible. “Can you outrun power like this?” I shouted as we flew down a back road.

  “We just broke through the end of that demon circle. That was the power burst.” He wrenched his head to look behind us, not slowing the car. “There are two things working in our favor right now. Demons have to stay within the circle they were summoned in. And daylight is breaking. It’s my understanding demons hate sunlight. If we stay rural and change our direction every fifteen minutes, we have a shot. The spell on the car is gone, but we still have GPS. It’ll have to do. We’ll use it to stay on the back roads until sunrise.”