by Dora Blume
Jessie reached out and took her hand. “Sloane, you’re not going to lose Mike. We’re going to find the demons who are threatening the order, and we’re going to stop them. Just like we always have, okay. I don’t want to hear you talk like that again. We are going to be fine. We have to be,” Jessie’s voice reverberated with her strength.
“Jess, you are so amazingly strong. You know that.” Sloane’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
“You’re strong too, Sloane. After everything in our lives, we’ve had to be.” Jessie’s mouth quirked up. “Come on, we have some hot bikinis to find.” She pulled Sloane into the nearest shop. She knew Sloane needed the time on the beach. There was a nagging feeling that she needed to find her mother, but they couldn’t get a flight until tomorrow. She might as well enjoy her time under the sun. Sloane brought up a good point. None of them really knew how much time they had. She might as well make the most of hers.
CHAPTER 5
“Um, so that girl with her boyfriend over there.” Erik tipped his head to indicate the couple in the water.
“What about them?” Jessie asked, lifting her head from where it rested on the towel.
“She’s possessed. There are a few other girls who are at her sorority which isn’t too far from here.” Erik’s voice was low as he spoke.
“Any idea what they’re doing here? It seems like a weird place to be possessing people.” Jessie paused, pulling her legs up to her chest. “I get that college campuses have been their modus operandi so far, but why here?” Jessie watched the couple. The busty girl with perfect blonde hair was perched on the shoulders of her boyfriend, getting ready to go at the other couple. Jessie felt a pang in her chest. They’d never gotten to be the lighthearted couple, just having a good time. Anytime they tried there was always something happening with the Shikari that never let them enjoy their time together. Something was always looming over them.
“I haven’t gotten that much yet. It’s weird they are at a sorority rather than a fraternity. I wonder why they went after women here? It was a guy who went with your mom,” Erik scratched his chin.
“Are you saying women aren’t good enough to be possessed? Maybe the guy my mom met was introduced to her by another girl.” Jessie gave Erik a sly smile.
“Oh, a smart demon would possess a woman. If it was only to stare in the mirror at their fine body all day, I certainly wouldn’t mind.” He bit his lip as his gaze raked down her body. The thin bikini she’d bought didn’t cover much. Jessie didn’t mind. Although she was short, she had great assets to show off. Erik had let out an appreciative gasp when they’d rejoined the men. “Okay, but seriously women are way more cunning than men. They’d be perfect for what the demons are currently doing. Hey, it’s probably a woman in charge of everything.”
“Be serious, you need to listen in on why they chose this sorority.” Jessie ran her hand up his arm.
“That’s a bit distracting. Didn’t you just insist I listen in.” His eyebrows rose as he looked from her hand on his arm to her eyes. His own eyes hooded with desire.
Jessie rolled her eyes at him. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you couldn’t handle a little touching.”
“Oh, I can handle it. I just won’t be able to listen while I’m thinking about all the places I want your hand to go.” His hand drifted to skim up her side. She inhaled a breath at the heat trail his hand was leaving behind.
“I get it, point made.” She moved her hand away from him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time for that later. For now, you relax and I’ll listen for the reason why demons are going after the ladies here.” He brushed his hand over the strings holding her bikini top closed then relaxed back again. His eyes stayed focused on the couple in the water. “Huh, the girl is getting a degree in biomedical sciences. Maybe that’s why they focused on the girls here. Maybe they are all some kind of science major. Maybe they needed their biomedical knowledge or something to complete whatever their planning.” Erik’s words ran together.
“Calm down, just listen. See what details she gives you. We can all go to the sorority later to dispossess them, but it would be good to know what they wanted with them. Every group that’s been possessed so far had a purpose. Maybe these girls have something they still need. I can’t imagine they’d still possess them if they didn’t.” Jessie watched Erik with renewed interest. She motioned for Sloane and Mike to join them.
“What’s up? You get something?” Sloane sat on the towel and focused her attention on Erik.
“Yeah, he said there’s a girl possessed on the water. She’s a member of the sorority here. She majored in something biomedical. Did anything like that come up in the research you did about the robberies?” Jessie looked to Sloane.
“I’m not sure. They stole from nine different labs around the US. I haven’t been able to piece the reasons together yet. But someone having a biomedical background couldn’t hurt whatever they are planning.” Her eyes flicked to Mike. “Maybe it’s good we took a detour here.”
“Some of the other girls are possessed too. He’s trying to see if he can find out more.” Jessie rested back after explaining.
“Okay, so let us know when you have more. I wasn’t planning on dispossessing any demons today, but I’m up for the prospect,” Sloane’s voice rose in anticipation at the end.
“When are you not up for it, love?” Mike’s eyebrows rose as he studied her.
“Good point.” She relaxed back. “Now if you don’t mind, I was trying to get a vision before I was interrupted.”
“Come now, you were working harder on your tan than a vision, Sloane,” Erik’s tone was biting.
She glared at him but rolled onto her stomach. “I can do both at the same time, Erik. It’s called multitasking, you should try it sometime.”
Jessie let out a laugh and Erik shot her a look. “What? We were just talking about the same thing.”
“It’s a little different,” Erik spoke in a low voice and trained his eyes on the water again. “They’re leaving soon. The girl just told her boyfriend she has to go back to meet with friends in thirty minutes. We should follow her.”
“We have to leave already?” Sloane pouted. “We haven’t even been here very long.”
“We need to follow the girl and try to see what’s going on at this sorority. She’s thought of three other girls who are possessed. It’d be nice to know what their plan is for once.” Erik’s tone was sharp and Jessie could hear the flare of annoyance behind his words.
“I just wish we could have one day without this demon business looming over us, just one day. Hell, at this rate I might even settle for a couple of hours.” Sloane sat upright and began collecting her things around her.
“Sorry to break this to you, sis, since you haven’t been around very long, but this has been my life for, ah, what? Six, maybe seven years now. It’s been yours for, what, like two maybe three weeks. Stop complaining, some of us have devoted our lives to this.” Erik hopped up onto his feet. He held his hand out to Jessie and pulled her to her feet. He caught her in his arms and kissed her before stepping back again.
“It’s not my fault you choose this life,” Sloane muttered.
“You know we didn’t choose it, none of us do. We’re born Shikari. You just left one day. We can’t all do that, demons would take over.” Erik glared at his sister, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
Jessie stepped between the two. She knew they were getting very close to fighting territory. “Okay, you two. I know you have some things to work through, but for now, can we focus on the demon-possessed girls. You can fight when we’re done. Or better yet, feel free to take out your anger on a demon or two. It’ll make you both feel better.”
“Oh, good point.” Sloane clapped Jessie on the shoulder. “A good dispossession always makes me feel better.” She smiled wide in anticipation.
Mike shook his head. “Well, that was easy. Come on, love. Let’s find you a demon to disposse
ss.”
“Mike, you’re not supposed to encourage her.” Erik shook his head.
“Why not? She gets the job done beautifully. Besides, aren’t we supposed to be fightin’ demons? You were the one blabbering on about having a job to do.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Erik.
“Sell out.” He rolled his eyes at Mike.
“You mean to tell me you wouldn’t do the same for Jess here?” He studied Erik as he shifted his weight. “Right, my point exactly. Now come on, we do have a job to do.”
Jessie watched the girl as she ran from the beach to a Jeep, laughing as her boyfriend tried to catch up. She wondered if she was faster because of the demon possessing her. “Come on, they’re getting in their car.” Jessie rushed to the car.
“Shit,” Erik rushed behind. The other two caught up in seconds. “When she said she had to go, she really wasn’t kidding.”
“It’s your fault. You two were arguing instead of staying focused.” Jessie shook her head. She stood next to the back door, tapping her foot. “Mike you going to unlock the car today or should we wait for the next demon to come to the beach. Maybe, we’ll catch up to that one.”
“Damn, what made you so testy all of a sudden?” He hit the button on the lock and when the door clicked, Jessie retched it open and jumped in. She wanted to find out about these demons. Maybe they knew about the guy who took her mom. She wanted to know more. Since they couldn’t get a flight right away, it felt good to be doing something. “I’m starting to think you all forget I’m a tracker. You guys aren’t the only talented ones here. I can find her if she gets too far away.” Mike started the car without looking at anyone. Maybe they were getting a little too flippant about their powers. Mike wasn’t one to complain.
“I also know where the sorority is located. I know where she’s going. We don’t have to stick so close behind her.” He rubbed Jessie’s knee and dropped his voice low. “I know you’re worried about your mom but is something else bothering you?” he asked.
“I’m fine, and would you please stop asking me that.” Jessie crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window. She caught Sloane turn around to give Erik a look, but she tried to ignore it. She was honestly not sure where her mood swings came from, but she wasn’t going to say anything to them. She watched the city in the window as Mike made his way to the house. They pulled up a block away. The Sorority house was a huge white stucco with green accented windows. Two decorative columns framed the double doors at the front. Jessie felt like she was stepping back into the fifties by looking at the house. Bushes in the front bloomed with large white flowers. She sighed heavily. It really was a beautiful place.
“So, Erik how many are inside?” Sloane turned in her seat to look at him.
“Will you give me a second. We just got here.” Erik shook his head and closed his eyes. After a minute of silence, Erik opened his eyes. “It sounds like there are three girls in there who are possessed. But, there are at least twelve other people in there too. Got any idea how we’re going to get in there to dispossess them?” His eyebrows rose as he looked to his sister.
“Um, not really. What cover could we use to get into a Sorority house?” Sloane tapped her finger against her lips as she thought.
A ding sounded in the car, Mike looked to his phone. “Ah, it’s Ely, he says he’s in California. What the hell would make him come to California?” Mike muttered and looked to Sloane.
“I don’t know, ask him?” She turned to look at Jessie and Erik. “You guys got any ideas?”
“Our best bet would be to wait until one or more of them leave. Then we can grab them to see what the hell is going on here,” Erik said.
“Ah, Ely’s got a place here. He said I popped up on some app for being nearby. He wants to know if we want to stop over or if we need any assistance.” Mike turned in his seat to the group. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk to someone who knew the area. Maybe he could have some insights about why they are possessing Sorority girls.”
“Sounds good. Where does he live?” Sloane asked.
“I’m going to ask if he can come meet us here. Someone needs to keep an eye on the girls. I agree with Erik, we should wait and see if they leave. We don’t really have a good cover for going in there to talk to all three of them, and they’d probably get suspicious anyway.” Mike began typing into his phone.
“So, who’s staying here to do surveillance?” Sloane asked.
“Jessie and I can stay. I’m the obvious choice since I can hear what they’re thinking and when they’ll be leaving.” Erik rubbed Jessie’s knee. “As long as you’re fine with that,” he added as an afterthought.
“Yeah, it makes sense. We can always meet back at the hotel or Ely’s place,” Jessie suggested.
“Yeah, he said he’ll be here in five. I guess he doesn’t live too far from here. We’ll fill him in on what we know and see if he knows more about the situation here. We’ll check in when we know more.” Mike shifted back to look out the front of the car.
“I’ll keep listening and let you know what I learn from the demons in there. We should be fine as long as we don’t confront all three of them. I haven’t gotten a whiff of any magical protections on them, so it should be easy if they figure out who we are or why we’re here,” Erik explained.
“I believe we can handle them.” Jessie wiggled her fingers at Erik. “I can freeze them.”
“Don’t do any major ass-kicking without me.” Sloane turned with a venomous look.
Jessie’s hand went to her chest. “We wouldn’t dare,” she teased.
“Jess, I mean it. You call me if there’s even a hint of a battle. We’ll find a place to question one of them. We need to know what’s going on here and if it’s connected to the problems we already have in Missouri.” Sloane’s eyes focused on her brother. “I’m serious, Erik. You better not just say, we did what we had to or some bullshit later.”
“I don’t do that.” He rolled his eyes.
“Yes, you do.” Her eyes narrowed on him.
“Fine, whatever. We will make sure you get to be part of any fighting we do,” he conceded.
“Good, I like when you see things my way.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked forward.
Erik shook his head and rolled his eyes toward Jessie. She let out a small giggle before she masked it into a cough. “You okay, Jess?” Sloane asked.
“Ah, yeah fine. Just a tickle.” She smirked over at Erik. They all knew each other too well. There was no way Sloane actually believed her, but at least she let it go.
A sleek black Audi pulled up across the street from where they parked. Ely rolled down the window and a sly smile spread across his face. One dark lock of hair curled above his eye and his goatee was perfect today. He’d looked a lot more cleaned up than he had at their last meeting. “It’s good to see you are all still on the case.” His honey tone made Jessie smile. She wasn’t sure why, but she’d like Ely instantly. It was probably because he was a friend of Mike’s. She trusted Mike beyond measure so any friend of his was a friend of hers. Mike and Sloane both hopped out of the front seats and got in with Ely. Jessie and Erik moved to the front seats. Jessie waved as she watched Ely pull away from the curb.
“Looks like it’s just you and me for the day.” He smiled wide at Jessie.
“Looks like it,” a playful smile spread across her face. “Too bad you have to be focused on what the demons are doing. I wouldn’t want to distract you from the mission.” Her hand slipped over his thigh, and she circled her thumb over his jeans.
“Oh, I think I'd like the chance to prove that I can multitask quite well.” He leaned over and captured her lips with his.
CHAPTER 6
Sloane
The dark-haired man in front of Sloane brushed the single curl that fell over his eyes away as he glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. She licked her lips as she looked at him. What the hell was she thinking? She was in love with Mike. Having these thoughts about o
ne of his friends was wrong on so many levels. But damn, the things she wanted to do to that chiseled body were probably illegal in several states. A flush crept over her cheeks and the corner of Ely’s mouth curved up. For a minute she stilled, Ely’s power was astral projection, but she wondered if he knew what she was thinking. She turned her head to look out the window.
“So, what has you in California?” Mike asked.
“Honestly, Colorado was too quiet for me. I missed at least some of the bustle of city life.” There was a wistful air of remembrance at his words.
“Why did you leave New York?” Sloane asked. She couldn’t help her curiosity. There was something mysterious about Ely. Mike mentioned he moved to Colorado to hide away because of his power. Sloane suspected there was more to it than that.
“My family wanted things I wasn’t willing to give. Plus, the order wanted to use me for my power. I don’t like being used.” His tone was sharp.
“Oh, I’m starting to think we all have messed up family lives. Well, except for Mike.” Sloane reached a hand to rub his shoulder. Her hand lingered and he rested his hand over hers. She needed to remind herself of their connection, his love for her.
“Yeah, we are pretty normal people. We just have a few extra abilities and an order that wants to use us for the greater good. I get it and all, I just didn’t want to do it at the time.” Ely flashed his eyes back to the mirror. She felt for a moment that it was her she was speaking to.
“So, is that why you’re here? You’ve changed your perspective?” Mike’s voice held a curiosity as he studied his friend. Sloane leaned back in the seat, breaking their connection.
“You know better than anyone why I didn’t join before. When you called me to come help, I felt a renewed purpose. I figured I could help a friend out. Now, I know what’s going on and how involved you are, I couldn’t go back and stick my head in the sand. I figured I could at least come here and help you,” Ely shrugged.
