Once he was gone I got out of bed, took two steps, then had to dash for the toilet where my stomach heaved for several minutes until it finally realized there was nothing in it to throw up. The signs had been there for a while and were only getting worse as time went by. I’d been ignoring them because Rook had been so sure I couldn’t be pregnant after that night on Dragon’s terrace. Now I knew there was a good chance he’d been wrong, but I needed to know for sure.
I threw on some clothes and asked the guard outside the room to let Rachel know I’d be right back if she woke up. There was a drugstore less than five minutes down the road. I could get what I needed and be there and back before anyone missed me. I made it as far as my car, put the key in the lock and turned it, but an arm shot out and stopped me before I could open the door.
“Where do you think you’re going all by yourself?”
When I turned around the man in front of me wasn’t much taller than I was with light brown skin, shoulder length dreadlocks and a brightly colored T-shirt that made him look like a tourist. I wasn’t fooled however because I knew his name was Malcolm and I knew he worked for Rook.
“I’m just running to the store. I’ll be back in five minutes,” I assured him.
“Do you have any idea what Rook would do to me if I let you leave here without an escort after that little visit from Danarius last night?” Malcolm shook his head. “Look, if you need to go to the store you can go, but I’m coming with you.”
I started to argue then thought better of it. He was right. I really shouldn’t be going anywhere alone right now even if it was still daylight. As evidenced by Malcolm’s presence not all supernatural beings had an aversion to sunlight. “Okay, but you have to wait outside while I go in the store.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“That’s the deal. Take it or leave it,” I told him.
After a moment he shrugged and walked around to the passenger door of my Mustang. Once we were both seated in the car we headed out of the parking lot and down the long driveway to the main road.
“So you’re obviously not a nightshifter...” I started.
He grinned at me and said, “I’m a wolf shifter. I was born here in this country so I was never cursed like the nightshifters were. Rook needed more personnel who could go out in the daylight so he offered me a job. It’s hard for them to trust outsiders, but I’ve been with them for a few decades now.”
“If Rook trusts you then I do too. Thank you for coming with me now. I should have asked for an escort, but honestly I wasn’t thinking very clearly.”
Malcolm inclined his head. “That’s what I’m here for, to look out for the safety of others, especially those who are considered part of the family.”
The rest of the ride was quiet and when we arrived at the drugstore Malcolm insisted on doing a security sweep before he would let me go in alone. I didn’t mind as long as he wasn’t able to see what I was there to purchase. When Malcolm went outside to wait for me I looked around the store until I found the home pregnancy tests. After comparing the available choices I picked the one I thought would be most accurate and easiest to use.
I was a few feet from the checkout counter when a man stepped into my path. He was almost as tall as Rook with broad shoulders, darkly tanned skin, and shoulder length black hair. His wraparound sunglasses and cruel lips combined with a black T-shirt and leather pants gave him a menacing aura that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
“Well that’s interesting,” he commented while looking at the box in my hand. “I don’t feel a bond. Could Sa’jon have been that careless?”
My heart started pounding as panic nearly overwhelmed me. Whoever this was, it was clear he wasn’t a friend of Rook’s. I took a step back and he smirked at me.
“First we have to make sure Sa’jon can’t reset time to keep you from leaving the safety of the sorcerer’s wards,” the man said as he pulled a gun from behind his back and shot the store clerk in the head.
I turned to run but he grabbed me by my hair and yanked me back against his body. The gun was jabbed in my side then he said, “Personally I hope he tries to turn back time because then he’ll save that human’s life, and the Elders will make sure he stays out of my way permanently. In the meantime, you and I have some business to take care of.”
Suddenly he spun us around and shouted, “I know you’re there wolf. Come out or I’ll put a few holes in Sa’jon’s new girlfriend.”
Malcolm stepped out into the open a few aisles down with his hands held out in front of him. “I think you want her for yourself too much to put holes in her this soon.”
“True,” the man said then lifted his arm so fast it blurred and fired several bullets at Malcolm who tried to dodge them, but even with his preternatural speed I knew he was hit.
I screamed and tried to get away but the man was just too strong. I struggled harder but he only laughed and said, “This is going to be so much fun.”
That was the last thing I heard before something hit me in the back of the head, hard, and my legs gave out as the world went black.
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What did you find?” I asked Lucien as I strode into the tech room.
“Nothing good,” he replied indicating I should watch the monitors in front of him.
When he pushed play The Catacombs came on screen filled with tattooed rock junkies wearing dark colors with lots of metal and multiple body piercings.
“Look who’s standing at the bar,” Lucien instructed, pointing out Solomon and Rachel. “Now watch what happens when Solomon goes backstage for a minute.”
Solomon left when one of his stagehands came to get him. As soon as he was out of sight Angela walked up to Rachel wearing her police windbreaker and brown slacks. Dread filled me as they exchanged words then Angela left. When Solomon returned Rachel said something to him then she left the club and headed out the back door for the beach.
Lucien quickly pulled up the recordings from the beach area and pushed play. Angela was waiting outside when Rachel arrived. They walked down to the bridge and crossed the moat then there was a flash of light as a portal opened up and they both disappeared through it.
I started to speak but Lucien said, “Wait for it.”
He pulled up another recording. This one showed Rachel exiting the elevator outside their suite then talking briefly with the guard before going inside for the evening. Instead of the almost nonexistent dress she’d been wearing in The Catacombs, she was now wearing my jacket and a pair of high heels.
My fists clenched and I had to lock down every muscle in my body as I tried to remain calm.
“Get me Solomon, Gabriel, Jared, Niko, Vivian and Rita. Have them meet me in my office in five minutes.”
Lucien started dialing his phone and I slipped a com-link in my ear to contact the guard outside Angela’s suite. I told him not to let Rachel out of her bedroom and to notify me the instant she tried to come out. I didn’t want to alarm Angela before I knew more details but I also didn’t want her alone with whoever was impersonating her daughter.
Five minutes later I was standing in my office with all the people I’d asked Lucien to find.
“I need some questions answered and I don’t have a lot of time for explanations,” I began. “Solomon. Last night you were at the bar with Rachel when one of your stagehands came to get you. Tell me what happened.”
“Eric came to get me because there was a minor fire backstage,” Solomon answered. His brows were pinched together and he was sitting up straight instead of sprawling on the couch like a teenager. “I’m not sure what started it, but it was most likely faulty wiring in the sound equipment.”
“What did she say to you when you returned?”
“She said she was exhausted and unless I wanted to join her upstairs she was going to turn in for the night and get some sleep. I declined the invitation and she promised to go straight to her room. I didn’t want to lea
ve the club because I still wasn’t sure what had caused the fire or if it might flare back up. I did call a few minutes later and Gabriel confirmed that she made it back to her room safely.”
I narrowed my gaze on Gabriel who shrank back into the couch a bit. “Did you notice anything unusual about Rachel when she came back to the room last night?”
He swallowed hard. “She didn’t smell right, but I figured it was just a combination of scents she picked up in The Catacombs. Then she had that jacket on, but I thought she probably met some guy who let her wear it home.”
I started pacing in front of my desk. “Next time trust your nose Gabriel. Jared, why didn’t you start trailing Rachel as soon as she left The Catacombs?”
Jared was straddling a chair with his arms crossed over the top of its back in front of him. “A fight broke out in front of The Wolf’s Claw and I helped break it up. When I came back to The Catacombs and couldn’t spot Rachel I asked Solomon where she’d gone. He said Gabriel had her in her room.”
I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck as I continued pacing. “Vivian, Rita, where are the rings Solomon made when we asked you to impersonate Angela and Rachel?”
The two females looked at each other with wide eyes then Vivian said, “When we got back that night Clarissa met us at the door and said she needed us to pull a shift in Mystique. We figured why not, dancing in Mystique always leads to a good time. I was going to return the rings to Solomon, but Clarissa said she needed us right away so I put them in my locker and forgot about them.”
I stopped pacing and turned to Niko who shook his head. “I trailed Clarissa to a club downtown last night and lost her. As far as I know she hasn’t returned to the resort.”
I’d heard enough and so had everyone else. We all knew we fucked up and Rachel was going to pay for our mistakes. “Last night someone did a very good job distracting everyone who should have been watching Rachel’s back while Dragon and I were with Lucien at the police station getting Angela out of jail. Since they used rings made by Solomon to impersonate Angela and Rachel the wards didn’t expose them as frauds. The real Rachel followed a fake Angela down to the beach where she disappeared through a portal. Then the fake Rachel went upstairs to sleep in Rachel’s bed.
I’m going to go upstairs now to break the bad news to Angela, then I’m going to interrogate whoever is impersonating her daughter. Solomon, how long will it take you to activate the boomerang spell I asked you to place on Clarissa?”
He shrugged. “Twenty minutes maybe, it depends on where she is. The spell will pull her back here but if she’s in another world or dimension it could take a little longer.”
“Get on it and let me know when we have her.”
I made it as far as the lobby where Harrison stopped me. “We might have a problem Rook.”
“What does that mean specifically Harrison?” I knew I was glaring at him but I didn’t have time for his petty complaints at the moment.
Harrison looked down away from my arctic gaze and said, “I think something might have happened to Angela.”
“What did you just say?” I grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground.
He spoke quickly with a higher pitch than normal. “She went out the front doors and I couldn’t follow in the daylight. Malcolm was here so I sent him to find out where she was going. He called after a few minutes and said they were at the drugstore down the road. He said she wanted to buy something and they would be back in a few minutes. That was over thirty minutes ago and I can’t reach him on his phone. It goes right to voicemail without even ringing.”
I threw him across the lobby and roared. Guests screamed and scattered but at the moment I really couldn’t care less what they thought. My only concern was making sure Angela was safe. It was farther than I could normally go back, but I thought with the power I’d stored from the River I should be able to go back to a point when I was still upstairs.
Just as I was about to reset time Claire stumbled into the lobby with golden tears running down her face. “Don’t do it Rook, no matter what happens you can’t reset time.”
I wanted to ignore her and do it anyway. I wanted to make sure that Angela was here, safe with me. But I knew the golden tear drops meant she’d had a prophetic vision and I needed to heed her warning.
Claire wobbled on her feet and I lunged to catch her before she hit the floor. Lifting her into my arms I called over my shoulder, “Find Dragon and have him meet me in Angela’s suite and send trackers out after Angela and Malcolm.”
Whoever was upstairs in Rachel’s bed was about to be very sorry they ever set foot in this resort.
I laid Claire on the couch and wondered how long it would be before she woke up. The images she saw during golden prophecies were always accompanied by rhymes or poems that could be interpreted in many different ways. Sometimes they were actually helpful though and could be used to avert disasters.
The door opened and Dragon strode into the room. He went to his knees beside his mother and brushed her hair back from her face with his fingers. I caught him up to speed while I used the control panel by the window to close all the storm shutters in the suite. No need to risk the nightshifters being exposed to sunlight.
“I’m going in there to find out who is impersonating Rachel now,” I told Dragon as I crossed the room heading for Rachel’s door.
When I entered the room there was a petite human girl sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs crossed. She looked nothing like Rachel and I noticed a silver ring sitting on the nightstand. Dragon came up beside me and we both studied the girl for a moment.
Finally I asked, “Who are you?”
“My name is Samantha.” Her chin came up like she was trying to put up a brave front.
My eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here Samantha?”
“I helped that girl Rachel escape. She was your prisoner and you were going to hurt her.”
“Who told you I was going to hurt her?”
Samantha smiled. “Danarius. He has her now and he will take good care of her.”
I growled and the girl’s face paled noticeably. I must have made a move towards her because Dragon put his arm out in front of me.
“Do you know where she is with Danarius?” Dragon asked Samantha.
“Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you. Danarius said you won’t hurt me, but you’ll hurt her if you find her again.”
“Dragon, we don’t have time for this. Will you just look in her mind and see if she knows anything useful before I kill her?” I didn’t have the patience for this kind of bullshit right now.
Dragon concentrated for a moment then made an irritated sound. “She really thinks she’s here to help someone, not harm them. Whoever brainwashed her did a good job; otherwise it wouldn’t have fooled the wards. Anyway, she’s just some runaway they picked up off the street and she doesn’t know where they’ve taken Rachel.”
“Fuck this; I’m going to go help look for Angela. Call me when Clarissa gets here.”
I was on my way to the door when Claire called my name. She struggled to sit up as I approached the couch, grabbing a chair on the way so I could sit beside her.
“How are you feeling Claire?”
She gave me a faint smile. “Like I could sleep for a week, but I need to tell you about the prophecy first.”
Dragon came into the room with a glass of water for Claire. She downed the whole thing and he went to the kitchenette to get more.
“I’m not sure what the vision means because I haven’t had time to sort through the images, but I thought you should hear the poem before you make any decisions.” Her color was coming back and her voice was getting stronger.
I sat quietly and listened while she recited the poem from her latest golden prophecy.
“Enemies aplenty, cunning not fools.
Traps they’ve laid, break all the rules.
Choices, choices, which one is right?
Darkness reigns, wher
e once was light.
The heart will pull, the mind will bend.
If you give in, all will end.
Time for one, can make the trade.
The other is lost, his life must fade.
Stay your hand, when you thirst for blood.
Vengeance is yours, after the flood.
Say the words, your soul burns bright.
Gather the strength, to make things right.
Nothing to lose, so much to gain.
Feel the wrath, release the pain.”
Closing my eyes I tilted my head back and let the words play through my mind a few times. When I opened my eyes again Dragon was pacing on the other side of the room and Claire was sitting up.
“Will you tell me about the images you saw?” I asked Claire.
Her eyes glazed over and I knew she wasn’t seeing anything here in this room. “They’re still so jumbled together... I can’t separate them yet. So much blood, so much death.”
“Am I going to lose Angela? Rachel?”
She faced me and her eyes cleared. “Their futures are not certain, but I can tell you without a doubt that your enemies want you to use your powers to set time back. They’re counting on it, and they hope that by doing so you will sentence yourself to punishment by your Elders.”
I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair. “What am I supposed to do now? I can’t just sit around here and wait to see what happens next.”
“Soon your choices will be clear.”
My teeth clenched and I gritted out. “Claire, for once, could you just speak plainly? Just tell me what I need to do.”
Dragon came over to stand in front of his mother but she waved him away.
“At this point even I don’t know what is going to happen. It’s just too soon. Concentrate on the riddle. This vision was clearly a warning and the riddle should guide you to the safest path for all of us.”
“It’s difficult to care about all of us when Angela and Rachel are both missing,” I told her. “We know Danarius has Rachel, and he’s already said he plans to make her suffer, but we have no idea what’s happened to Angela.”
Destined for Time Page 21
