“I don’t blame you, Kayla.” My voice was sincere. “We’d all do the same thing. When she was in your mind, did you ever see her face? Or get a clear picture of her?” It would help if we knew what she looked like.
Kayla shook her head. “No. Only a great, foreboding presence.”
“Damn, I was hoping—”
James slammed on the brakes and swerved, shouting a curse. “That vampire is a bloody nuisance!” As he regained control of the van, he slowed and eased it over to the shoulder.
Ray stood in the middle of the road ten paces ahead of us, his hands on his hips.
“Well,” I chuckled, “he could’ve landed on the roof. That’s a favorite of his. He must have spotted something urgent or he would’ve chosen another means to stop us.” Or maybe not. You never knew with him.
Ray gestured for us to park the van on the side of the road as he strode toward us. James shut off the van.
Nick reached over to the passenger door and opened it as I called to the front, “Marcy, check your phone.”
“Already on it,” she commented over her shoulder. “All’s still dead in Juanita-Land.”
Before any of us could ask what was wrong, Ray stuck his head in the door and launched in. “There’s a goddamn house up ahead, and it’s glowing. I’m trying to ignore it, but it popped up about three minutes after you turned the van around and headed east. Now its blinking like a lighthouse beacon. What the hell is going on? Why did we change course?”
He hadn’t been privy to our van chat.
“We’ve decided to help Kayla find her brother,” I answered. “We’re hoping to get to him before Enid does. We’re heading to Baltimore.”
Ray’s eyebrows hit his hairline, but if he thought our new plan sucked, he kept his mouth shut, which was a Ray-sized miracle. “Well, what do you want to do about the blinking house?”
“How close did you get?” I asked, knowing he would’ve tried to investigate it.
“Not very,” he said. “I didn’t want to stray too far in case a passel of dead bodies started chasing after the van.” He arched an eye at Kayla. “But the way it’s acting now, there’s no mistaking it. It’s some kind of beacon. It’s blinking at me like a disco ball, almost like it’s trying to piss me off. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s some kind of Morse code, but I don’t know how to decipher it.”
“Did you detect any magical signature?” I asked.
“Nope, it seems clean.” He shrugged.
I turned to Rourke. “What do you think?”
“Sounds to me like someone wants us to visit,” he said. “How many miles away is it?” he asked Ray.
“Looks to be about fifty or sixty by back roads,” Ray answered. “It’s due east, so it’s right on the path we’re taking to Baltimore. The sucker started blinking right when you turned around. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Likely not,” I said. “But the question is do we trust it’s not a trap? Jeb told us to stay out of vehicles, and here I am. Maybe this is his warning and he wants us to pull over and stop for the day?”
“Could be,” Rourke said. “Or it’s a message of some kind.”
“Marcy, anything yet from Juanita?” I asked.
She waved the phone at me. “Nope, but you know, if you’re looking for my two cents, I’m for getting out of this crusty van. We all need rest, and Jeb is powerful. If he wants us there, he could ward that house and make it safe. I say we go and check it out.”
James turned from the driver’s seat. “I second that. It sounds like something we should investigate. But we go in slow, each of us from different locations, and Ray from above. We don’t take any chances.”
I glanced at my mate.
Rourke nodded. “Let’s go check it out. Better safe than sorry.”
“Ray,” I directed, “you go ahead and scope it out. But don’t get too close. If you feel any danger, come back and let us know.”
“Got it,” Ray answered. Then he turned and gave James rough directions to where the mysterious house was located, as the bird flew—or in our case, how the vampire flew. He told us he’d check back in the last few miles and ended with “And don’t wet your pants when I stop on the road again, Irish.” He chortled, using Rourke’s nickname for James. “You shoulda seen the look on your face. Priceless.”
He nodded once and shot into the air.
27
It took us over an hour to get to the house. The back roads were small and twisty, not to mention we made several wrong turns. Ray had checked in twice, guiding us closer each time.
The sun was high above the trees when we finally pulled onto a dirt road off the main drive of what looked to be a secluded cabin next to a quaint lake in northeastern Georgia. It was fairly remote, heavily wooded. Any other cabins were acres away. Ray had already checked it out.
It was a perfect place to hide—or ambush—because there were no human witnesses for miles. The NO TRESPASSING signs we’d seen along the way made sure of that.
“This has to be someone’s summer estate,” Marcy said. “Judging by the gates and the driveway alone, it’s huge. The entire area looks well manicured and taken care of.”
Most supernaturals were wealthy, so we couldn’t rule out this might be owned by one.
We all piled out of the van after Ray assured us he didn’t detect any threat outside.
Rourke walked to the front of the gator van, its presence shouting, We aren’t from around here, gesturing his arm up the drive. “We go up to the cabin in twos. Jessica and I will circle around to the north, Irish and Marcy west, Ray and Nick south.” He glanced at me for my approval. I nodded. “And Tyler and Kayla east.”
If Kayla ran, Tyler could catch her, no problem. She hadn’t said anything more on our drive here, not even trying to dissuade us from stopping, so I was actually wondering what she would do with a little bit of freedom. Even if she managed to reanimate a dead body or two, if there were any around here, we’d be able to knock her out before it became an issue. Once she had collapsed back at the cemetery, all the ghouls had fallen.
I glanced at my brother. Keep her in your sights at all times. We still don’t know anything about her. If she runs, catch her quickly and let us know. We can circle around to meet you in less than a minute.
I’ll keep an eye on her, he said. I hope she doesn’t try to run. That would be tricky and another headache we don’t need.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Rourke’s directives. “Go in slow,” he cautioned. “I’ll give a low whistle when it’s all clear. Tyler and Kayla, meet us by the back door. Ray, you take the roof. Nick, you meet Irish and Marcy at the front. We enter at the same time.”
We had to be careful. Anything could be a potential trap. I was feeling some trepidation that Juanita still hadn’t made contact, but my wolf and I agreed that it felt right to stop. Juanita had made the trees glow in the swamp, so this could easily be her doing as well. But why she hadn’t pinged Marcy’s phone to tell us to stop was perplexing. That would’ve been the easiest route.
But when had any of this ever been easy?
“Marcy,” I called as we took off. “If you feel any wards or spells, let us know.”
“Oh, you’ll hear me,” she replied. “But so far I’m not picking up on anything. If a spell caster lived here, this entire gate would be warded. My best guess is a human owns this residence and it was chosen by whoever because it’s remote and said human doesn’t visit very often.”
“I guess we’ll know in a few minutes.” We all went different directions. Rourke and I circled to the east first, ahead of Tyler and Kayla, who headed into the surrounding woods.
Once we were clear of the group, Rourke grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. I brushed my body against his as we walked, running my other hand along his forearm. It felt good to be close. I needed to feel him.
“Do you sense anything?” he asked, scanning the woods like the predator he was.
“Nothing but your pheromone
s,” I joked, drawing in another luscious breath of his scent. I pushed my power out ahead of us to see if I could sense anything paranormal that could be amiss.
“I can’t help it,” he growled, leaning over to kiss the top of my head. “Getting a few seconds alone with you has become a feat of epic proportions on this journey. It’s all I can do not to take you now while I have you.” He rubbed his stubble into my hair, which gave me goose bumps. “When we are allowed two seconds of freedom, be prepared for me to tear your clothes off.”
“That sounds like a perfect plan.” Tingles raced through me at the thought of his hands on my bare skin. “Hey, look.” I gestured toward the back of the cabin, which was just becoming visible as we circled through the trees. “There’s a guesthouse and it has its own fireplace. Dibs.”
We continued to make our way around, but before we fully stepped out from the cover of the trees, Rourke stilled. “Let’s do some recon first,” he said as he lifted his nose in the air. He shook his head. “I don’t scent a damn thing. Whoever owns this house hasn’t been here in a long time, and even though the lawn was mowed a few weeks ago, there doesn’t seem to be a full-time caretaker living on the grounds. There’s barely anything left in the air, and all of it is human.”
I sniffed. “I can smell leftover gasoline and old grass, too, but you’re right, no one has been here for a while.” I glanced up at my mate, my hand caressing his forearm. “This is definitely why whoever wanted us here chose this place. It’s perfect, really. Remote, yet civilized.”
“Yes, but remote could equal a problem. It’s quiet enough to kill us all without much interference.”
“True, but I think that between the eight of us, we would be able to detect something evil, don’t you think? And if a bomb does drop on our heads, we should be able to fight our way out.”
“I do think,” he said. “Which is why we’re standing here and not in the van heading back down the road.”
I hit his arm playfully. “If I thought for a second this was a trap, we never would’ve stopped in the first place.”
He bent down and brushed my lips with his. “I know,” he chuckled into my mouth, his tongue tracing my bottom lip, “but I like to pretend I make the rules when it comes to your safety. Now, let’s head down to the back door.”
We went stealthily, moving fast and staying low. The back door was actually a huge set of French doors. There was an abundance of windows in the home as well, but the shades were drawn, so we couldn’t see in. As we neared, I didn’t sense any movement inside. The lake was to our right, and left us a little exposed, but looking out over it, there wasn’t any other cabin I could see. “I think whoever lives here might own this entire lake,” I said. “I don’t see any other homes and this lake looks like prime real estate.”
Rourke grunted, telling me he couldn’t give a rat’s ass who owned it as we rushed up to the door. Once we arrived, he placed a single finger on the doorknob. Nothing happened. “All clear,” he said. “I don’t sense any magic or any movement inside.”
A moment later Ray landed on the roof above our heads, and Tyler and Kayla turned around the corner from the east side. I was happy to see she’d followed the program, even though her mouth was set in a thin line. She wasn’t happy about it, but she’d done it.
I nodded to her.
She ignored me.
To my brother I said, Once we get inside, find her some clothes and get her cleaned up. I eyed her tattered nightgown. Looks like she could use some sleep too, though it’s unlikely she will agree to it.
Will do. She hasn’t said one word to me, but she didn’t try to run. I’m counting that as a win.
Rourke lifted his head and whistled low, signaling it was time to enter. He turned the handle. It was locked. He pushed his shoulder into the door, and it gave with a quick pop. On the other side of the house, James was doing the same thing. Ray broke a window on the second floor and we were all in.
The back door swung open into a huge vaulted kitchen–living room combo area. The eating space was nicely appointed with granite counters, expensive lighting, and stainless steel appliances. The living area had three couches, set in a U around a huge fireplace made up of dark stones that reached all the way to the ceiling. There wasn’t much of a cabin feel going on here. It was obvious that the owner had lots of money. James, Marcy, and Nick strode in from a wide hallway on the other side of the kitchen, just as Ray emerged from a stairway nestled between the two spaces. “Nothing up there,” Ray announced. “And it reeks of mothballs. This house has been locked up tight for a long time, maybe years.”
Marcy ran her fingertips along the kitchen counter, which was gray veined granite, and then wiped them together. “Dusty,” she said, “but nice. They spared no expense with this place.”
I glanced around. “Okay, we’re here, and there’s no apparent threat. So now what?”
“I don’t know about you guys”—Marcy walked over to the cabinets and began to open them—“but after I find some chow, I’m taking a breather.” She arched a brow. “And by the sounds coming from your stomach, you could use something to eat too.” She continued down the line, finding only dishes. “Let’s get fed and then we can start to unravel the mystery of this abandoned mansion in the woods.”
Ray walked over to the fireplace, picking up an old magazine, and sat down. “Hell, you don’t have to twist my arm to take a break. I need a shower too—”
The entire house blinked.
There wasn’t a better word for it.
It was like the house tripped its own circuit breaker for a split second and all the appliances and lamps jumped, flickering on for a second and then off.
All of us were instantly on high alert.
“Do you feel anything?” I asked Marcy. “Any magic in the air?”
“No, there’s nothing.” She had her fingers out and ready.
We all stood still for a few seconds, trying to sense the threat, then moved around the space slowly and quietly.
The silence was interrupted by a shrill ring.
It was the cabin phone.
It was mounted under the counter in the kitchen. We all stared at it until Ray broke the silence. “That’s not for us, Hannon.” He flicked his wrist toward the smooth black phone. “I’m thinking you might want to take that so we can find out what the fuck is going on.”
Rourke nodded and I walked forward. After a few more rings, I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Chica! I am so relieved to hear your voice. So happy you came to the house. I did not know if you would get the message. We have very little time, so we must hurry.”
It was a jolt to hear Juanita’s voice. She sounded exactly the same, heavy Spanish accent and all. A picture of her with her cherry red nails and perfectly coiffed hairdo flooded my mind. “I’m here, Juanita. The glowing house was indeed effective,” I answered. “But why not just hit Marcy’s phone and tell us to come?”
“Because I am being monitored, and this es the only chance I have to meet before I must leave for a very long time. It was good fortune you turned around. If you had gone the other way, we would not have this chance.”
“Meet? Are you here?” I went to the window above the sink and moved the curtain, glancing out. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I turned and mouthed to the group—who had heard everything Juanita had said—Do you feel any magic?
Everyone shook their heads no, but they all spread out to different corners of the room to pry back the curtains and blinds and take a look outside.
“I am in the guesthouse. You cannot see me,” she said after a few beats, “but, Chica, you must come alone.”
“I’m not sure I can do that—”
“I have just warded the grounds. That es what you felt when everything flickered. No supernatural can break in and none can track you, including my very dangerous sister.” The word sounded like see-ster. “You are safe. But only for right now. We must take this time, as we will not have another chan
ce.”
I knew Rourke and my family had heard. I glanced around to see what they thought.
One by one they all nodded reluctantly, agreeing to let me go alone.
“Okay, I’ll come out and meet you.”
“Your familia may take up a perimeter around the guesthouse, which I can see will happen anyway, but they must not enter. Warn the witch to take heed. If they enter, it will throw everything off. And, Chica, I am taking a great risk by being here to see you. Do not forget.”
“Got it. I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone. “We have to choose to believe that was really her. I think it was. It sounded exactly like her.”
Rourke crossed his arms. I could tell he was having the most trouble with this sudden turn of events. “It could be Enid posing as her sister. There’s no real way to know. You could be walking into a trap that will leave you an easy target. They are both powerful and can cloak their signature. If she’s here, she left no scent. There was nothing around the guesthouse.”
I nodded. “I realize this is dicey, but we have no other choice. This is my chance to finally talk to Juanita and get some much-needed answers. If what she says is true, I won’t get another shot. She alone can give us an insight into what the future will hold. It’s a calculated risk, but I have to take it. You know I do.” I started for the back door.
James opened it. “We will take up a perimeter around the guesthouse, like the Hag indicated,” he said, “and we will refrain from going inside unless there’s an emergency.” He didn’t have to add: The word “emergency” will consist of any whiff of blood or guts being spilled inside.
“Jessica,” Rourke said, following me out. Once we were in the yard, he grabbed my arm gently and I turned to face him. “If I don’t hear from you every five minutes internally, I’m going to break that door down. I don’t care what she said. There’s no other way I’m going to let you go in there alone.”
I placed my hands on his chest. “Okay. I promise to check in,” I said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. And if Juanita is all knowing, she’s expecting that. I promise I’ll keep you posted.”
Pure Blooded Page 24
