Pure Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  “Please,” she moaned, changing her tune quickly when she realized she was out of options. “You have to let me go. I won’t call on any more dead. I promise! But I have to leave right now.”

  “Why?” I asked, coming closer. Her voice had broken at the end, anguish seeping through. She had my attention.

  She snapped her mouth shut and wriggled again, trying to get free.

  I stopped in front of her. “We can’t let you go. It’s not an option.” My tone indicated that we weren’t giving in on that point. “You’re a liability and you’re coming with us. But you can tell us what’s wrong, and if it’s possible, we will try and help you.”

  She pointedly looked away from me, refusing to answer. I nodded to Tyler, who began to half drag her toward the van. Marcy followed close on his heels, her fingers still up and ready.

  A few feet from the van, the necromancer finally found some purchase and dug her dirty bare feet into the ground, twisting in Tyler’s grasp, angling her head back toward me. “No, please, you have to listen to me! If I leave with you, she will kill him. I can’t let that happen. You don’t understand! Please!”

  At the mention of “him,” Tyler stopped moving, tensing, his breath labored.

  I moved around to face her. “You need to be more specific. Who’s going to kill whom?”

  Behind us, Rourke, James, and Nick came jogging down the hill, their jobs with the ghouls done.

  The waif saw them, her face panicked as she shot her gaze from them back to me. “The woman who kidnapped me! She said if I failed to do what she ordered, she would kill my brother. Please! He’s only fifteen and he’s all alone. I have to get back to him before it’s too late.”

  The guys pulled up behind her and fanned out. “I hear what you’re saying,” I told her, “but you have to come with us now. We can’t linger here and you have no way to get home that I can see. It’s going to take us a bit to figure this out. We’ll do it in the van.” Her face dropped. “But I’m giving you my word. If your story checks out, we will help you and your brother.”

  She didn’t respond, only continued to look stricken. Rourke walked up next to me and addressed her. “If you want our help, get in the vehicle.” He gestured to the idling gator van. “If we don’t buy your story, we don’t help. We need to vacate this area. Now.”

  James walked around the driver’s side and got in. Tyler guided the girl toward the side door, keeping a firm grip on her. I stepped in front of him and yanked it open. Tyler lifted her up and tugged her into the middle row. I hesitated before getting in. Jeb had told me to stay out of any vehicle. “I’m not sure if I should go with you. Enid might not be done yet.”

  A buzz sounded.

  Marcy had her hand on the front passenger door and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. She cackled as she turned, showing it to me.

  GET IN, CHICA.

  I smiled. It was about time we heard from her. “Okay, I’ll ride.” Then I called into the air, “It would be nice to actually talk to you. When I get home, there are several things we need to discuss!”

  Marcy glanced down at her phone. “No answer.”

  I chuckled as I got in, Rourke and Nick climbing in behind me. “I didn’t think she would reply, but I feel like I at least have to try. Her tactics are frustrating as hell.”

  Tyler and the necromancer had taken the middle bench, Rourke joined me in the back, and Nick scooted in next to the girl to make sure she stayed put. She didn’t look too happy, but she kept her mouth shut.

  As we drove away, I glanced out the back window.

  In the distance, Ray held a huge torch, and just as we careened out of view, he leaned over and lit the stack of bodies. It would be a raging inferno in seconds. We took off through the woods. I leaned forward and tapped the necromancer on the shoulder. “Can those bodies be of harm to anyone after we burn them?”

  She shook her head but didn’t turn around.

  “Are you sure?” I prodded. “The humans in this city are in for the shock of a lifetime when they discover this. There will be no explanation for what happened, so rumors will run rampant, but if the humans who handle the charred bodies of the ghouls and wendigos are at risk, it’s unacceptable.”

  “The wendigos are not contagious. You can kill a wendigo by fire if the brain has been destroyed—which I know you did, because I felt it.” Her voice held a hard edge. “I have fully withdrawn from the ghouls. They will not harm anyone. They are only corpses now.”

  I sat back, nestling into Rourke’s shoulder. “What’s your name?” I asked as the van continued to bounce over the grassy hills before James was able to maneuver us onto a small country road.

  After a long pause, she replied, “Kayla.” It was clear that was all she was going to give willingly.

  I glanced at Rourke. He nodded and I scooted aside so he could take over. We needed information from this girl whether she wanted to give it or not. I was not opposed to using whatever it took. “We understand you did all this against your will, Kayla,” Rourke started, leaning up so he was over her shoulder. She straightened her back and tried to inch away, but there was nowhere for her to go. “But we also know you’re a powerful necromancer, and we won’t hurt you, if”—he let that settle for a moment—“you tell us what we need to know. So why don’t you cooperate and start from the beginning? How did you come to be here?” He ended on a growl to force the seriousness of his request.

  She shifted in her seat with obvious irritation. “I have no time to start at the beginning, because by the time I reach the end, my brother will already be dead.”

  26

  James pushed the van faster than I’d thought it was capable of going. It zipped along the country back roads at breakneck speed, tossing us around in our seats continually. But James was a skilled driver and Marcy was keeping lookout.

  We’d waited for her to spill, but after that confession, Kayla still hadn’t divulged any information. Even though Rourke had stayed in her space. I tried again. “Kayla,” I reasoned, “we can help you if you give us a chance. But in order to do that, you need to give us more information than ‘she’s going to kill him.’ We can see you were kidnapped, and by the looks of it right out of your bedroom, but we need concrete details. And once we have them, we can figure out the next move. We are not your enemy. Enid is.” Still nothing. So I used a different angle. “If we decide to take you home to rescue your brother, are we at least heading in the right direction?”

  “No,” she snapped, finally angling her body around to face me. “In fact, each mile we go is another mile away from him.” Her voice was full of anger and emotion, and in that moment I knew exactly how she felt. I’d just traveled to the Underworld to save my own brother. Sibling bonds were important, especially in the supernatural world—since the odds were against you having them from the start.

  Before I could form a reply, Tyler said, “I say we go after him.” His voice was firm and authoritative. It was the first time he’d spoken since we’d gotten into the van.

  We all gaped at him, including Marcy, who turned in her seat, eyes wide. But she had the wherewithal to keep her mouth shut.

  Kayla turned from me to glance at my brother.

  She was frowning.

  I cleared my throat. “What my brother means is we’ll listen to what you have to say, and once we have the information—”

  “No,” Tyler said with an edge. “What I mean is we’re turning this van around now and going wherever Kayla tells us to go.” His power jumped to show his seriousness.

  Kayla’s frown turned into a tentative smile.

  I could see only her profile now, but she really was lovely. It was hard to think of not helping her. She was obviously in a lot of distress. She was a perfect blend of both delicate and hard. Her features were soft and rounded, but her body was toned and angular, ready for battle. She had full lips and high cheekbones, with a slight blush to them. Her long, dark hair seemed to war with her coloring, which was pink
er now that she was breathing again normally. She was a serious mix of backgrounds, but I had no idea which ones—possibly Greek or Italian with a mix of Scandinavian? It was hard to know exactly.

  “Tyler, we’re not turning around. We’re heading home first,” I said with finality. “Once we figure out the threat, we can decide what to do for Kayla—”

  He turned in his seat to look at me, his face set. “Are you really telling me you’re choosing not to save her brother while we still can?” Anger welled in his voice. “Since when do we not try and save an innocent? Kayla is as much of a victim in all this as we are. We help her and then figure out our next move.”

  Nick interjected before I could form my rebuttal. “Tyler, until we hear what Kayla has to say, we don’t really know who’s innocent and why we should risk our lives to help her. If she decides to trust us, and share her story with us, it might help sway us. And for the record, I agree with you—we should help—but not without more information first. She could be leading us into a trap or worse.”

  “It could take hours to get the full story from her, like she said,” he retorted. “By then we’ll be too far away.” He glanced back at me, his eyes pleading. “Let’s at least get this van in the right direction, and then Kayla can tell us her story.” When I didn’t respond immediately, he switched to internal communication. Jess, I need you to do this. We have to help her.

  We will help her. I’m not saying we won’t. But we have to hear what she has to say first. She’s extremely powerful and dangerous, and we can’t discount that. What if Enid had a backup plan and Kayla’s new route leads us into a trap? Nick is right.

  Tyler rubbed the back of his neck as a fine sheen of sweat dotted his upper brow. It doesn’t feel right that she’d lead us into something, he countered, but if that’s her plan, wouldn’t Juanita let us know? She told you to get in the van. Honestly, I don’t even care anymore. If you’re not going to help her, I will. Just pull over and we’ll get out and figure it out on our own.

  I can’t let you do that.

  Jess, my wolf is about to jump out of my skin. I can’t contain it anymore. Everything inside me is in turmoil. If you don’t let us out, I could go full shift right here.

  I could scent Tyler’s change and his agitation. He was telling the truth. I took a deep breath and made a decision. “Okay, Kayla, where do we go?”

  Relief swept through her features as she turned. “Baltimore.”

  “Baltimore?” Marcy said from the front seat. “Are you telling us Baltimore is a hotbed for necromancers? Who would’ve guessed?” She turned toward her mate and said, “You heard the lady, turn this van around. According to my awesome navigational skills, we need to head east.”

  James opened his mouth once to protest, but instead glanced into the rearview mirror at me. I met his gaze and nodded once. He slowed the van and did a U-turn.

  As James nosed the van in the right direction, Kayla’s entire demeanor changed drastically. I waited to see what she would do, and she finally decided to address Marcy’s comment. “Baltimore is not a hotbed for anything. That’s why we chose it. We move around often, and we’ve only been there for a year.” She glanced down at her lap. “I left him there… alone in our apartment. I didn’t have a choice—I know that. She threatened to kill him if I didn’t go, so I went. But that doesn’t make it any more bearable. He just turned fifteen.”

  “Why do you need to move often?” I asked, staying away from the heavier issues for the moment.

  She turned in her seat, trapping me with an intense gaze, her irises radiating brilliantly, a soft yellow hue sparking deeply. “You will not get me to tell you my secrets whatever you do. I owe you no allegiance.”

  I sighed. “I’m not asking for your secrets. I agree with you. You don’t owe us,” I said, “but if you want our help we need more. I refuse to walk into this cold. I want to trust you, Kayla. I do. But you’re making it extremely tough. You want us to free your brother, but you don’t want to give anything in return. That’s not how this game is played and I think you’re well aware of that. So give us something to go on—anything.”

  She openly assessed me, her eyes seeming to dip into my soul. Then her head bobbed down once in acceptance. “Fine, I’ll answer your questions, just as long as they stay on the surface, nothing more.”

  “Fair enough,” I said. “How old are you?”

  “I don’t see why you need—”

  “Just tell me,” I said, a growl in my voice, my wolf agitated with my decision to help this girl.

  “Twenty-three,” she said.

  “Why did Enid pick you? Out of all the necromancers she could’ve chosen in the area, why you?”

  “I don’t know.” Her eyes stopped churning for a split second.

  “You’re lying, but we’ll come back to that,” I said, waving my hand. “Why Baltimore?”

  “Just like I told the witch, because it’s under the radar,” she answered.

  She’s running from something, Rourke interjected smoothly in my mind. But she’s not going to tell us what it is and I can’t really blame her. She doesn’t know us.

  She’s fiercely loyal to her brother, I answered. It strums off of her. At least that’s a trait we can embrace. I’m also not getting an evil vibe from her, but I can’t be sure. Her magic signature is incredibly strange. It has its own pulse.

  I want to know what she is. She’s a mix of something. “Where do your people hail from?” Rourke asked.

  I guess that was one way to find out.

  She turned her head slightly in Rourke’s direction but didn’t make eye contact. “I am half Greek and half Icelandic. My mother was from Iceland, my father from Greece.”

  “Your parents mated out of species.” Rourke said it as a fact. That meant she was a supernatural mix, with more than one supernatural trait possible. Maybe that’s why her signature was so strange. When she didn’t acknowledge him, Rourke leaned forward, his mouth inches from her ear. “Iceland is known for only two things: elves and trolls. Your mother was an elf, wasn’t she? Your father a necromancer?”

  I hadn’t noticed her ears. Elves usually had pointed ears. But she could’ve had those surgically altered. An elf would certainly explain her tiny stature and fierce strength. Elves were rare, from what I knew. They were ancestors of the fae, and they were rumored to be great archers and quick on their feet. I’d never met one.

  Tyler shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with our line of questioning.

  Kayla didn’t answer Rourke, but her refusal was enough.

  I peered over her shoulder. Her hands were clasped tightly, her knuckles white. I decided to give her a break. I sat back, patting Rourke’s leg to let him know the plan was to ease up. “Tell us about your brother instead,” I said from my relaxed position, trying to calm her down. “You obviously love him and want to keep him safe. That’s admirable. I can relate, because I love my brother too. He’s the one you’re sitting next to, who’s championing you. I would do anything to save his life—and I have.”

  Tyler grunted, turning to give me a small smile, relief apparent in his shoulders and face. His wolf must have eased up now that we were headed in the right direction. “It’s true,” he said. “Jessica just pulled me out of the Underworld. But truth be told, I’m not the one who usually needs saving. If she’d stop getting into trouble every five minutes, my life would be so much easier.” He tossed me a lopsided grin, one of his dimples showing for the first time. “Keeping my sibling safe is a full-time job, so we get it.”

  Kayla took in a small, quick breath.

  My brother was incredibly handsome. His blond hair was longer than I’d seen in a while, curling in the back over his collar. That coupled with his sky-blue eyes and dimples gave him a sweet, rugged look. He looked like the kind of guy who could easily pick up a surfboard one day and scale a mountain the next.

  He was also loyal, fierce, and competitive as hell. I’m certain Kayla had picked up on all of it
already.

  When Kayla didn’t seem to want to answer my question about her brother, Nick prodded her gently. “Okay, so at least tell us your brother’s name.”

  “He goes by Jax.”

  “Is he a necromancer like you?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Is it possible for him to hold his own against Enid until we get there?” Nick asked. That was a crafty way of asking how powerful he was. Nick was always thinking.

  “No, he’s in danger. He won’t be able to… he can’t…” She sighed. “We just need to find him.”

  I caught my brother’s eye. She’s not going to give us anything more, Tyler said. Can we just give her a break now?

  We need to know a few more things, and then we’ll stop. I glanced at the back of Kayla’s head, assessing her. “Kayla, we need for you to answer a few more questions. Then we’ll be done for a while. I need to know how and when Enid found you. Did she come ahead of time to set it up? Or did she surprise you recently? And had you ever come in contact with her before? She’s a huge threat to us, and we have to understand how this happened. After that, we can all get some sleep.”

  “She came to me in my sleep two nights ago.” Kayla’s voice was low, barely above a whisper. “I could not resist her calls. She warned me that she would come if I didn’t cooperate, but I didn’t believe it—I refused to think she could force me when she only came to me in my sleep. Then in the early hours of the morning she woke me and led me to my brother. He was bound to his bed. I couldn’t get the chains off. They were spelled by something powerful.” She choked. “Then she somehow knocked me out. I have no recollection of how I arrived at the cemetery. My hands were tied. Once I was coherent, she was in my mind again, ordering me to raise the dead. At first I resisted, but she showed me horrible, awful pictures of what she would do to Jax—or had already done. I had no choice but to do as she asked.” She quietly sobbed, her head down. After a moment she cleared her throat and finished with “I don’t regret what I did to you. I would do it again in a heartbeat to save my brother. He is the only family I have left.”