by Jaime Rush
“They're getting worse,” Lanna said as Copeland came down the stairs. “Lasting longer. The Darkness here is growing worse. Isn't it?”
“Torus said the instruments are showing that it's growing at a faster pace. They're having a meeting tonight.”
Lanna asked, “Could you feel the difference in town?”
“Yes, Darkness is definitely getting stronger.” Copeland gave her a sterile smile. “However, it worked perfectly today. Everyone did exactly as I told them. But people are getting more volatile and, thus, more apt to break free from my control. I don't think we'll get many more robberies in before they start killing each other.”
Erica traded looks with Magnus. Explosions, tremors, Darkness getting worse, and people breaking free. What in the hell was going on here? He was taking all this in with terrified curiosity too, if his expression was any indicator. All she knew was that people were going to die, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Taking out killers had given her purpose, a sense of control over a world with damned little of it. Now she was back to square one.
Lanna's expression grew panicked. “Will Yurek come here?”
“If he does, we have to get rid of these two before he arrives. Their presence would raise questions about how they came to be here that we don't want to answer.” Copeland shot Nester an irritated look. “If I call you, take them into the tunnel and shoot them. Do it near the second escape hatch so you can stash their bodies in the storage cabinet. While I don't plan for Yurek to come down into the basement, I'd rather only have to come up with an explanation for the cage and not why the walls are splattered with blood. So no heart rending.”
Lanna took Copeland's hand, giving him a coy smile. “I have a proposition for you. I've been a good girl, you have to admit. I haven't gone off the edge.” She shot Nester a look before reviving her sweet smile for her husband. “I have done everything you've asked, while you have done nothing that I've requested. But if you give me this one little thing, I promise I won't bother you for a year.”
“The human male is not a little thing.”
“No, he's not.” Lanna bit her lip. “It's only for the next seven days, and then we'll be out of here, and they'll be dust.”
Nester's laugh had a cackling quality to it. “Everything will be dust!”
Lanna rolled her eyes but kept her attention on Copeland. “I won't break your touching rule, because I'm going to …” She whispered the rest in his ear.
Copeland considered. “All right, have your fun. But you cannot release him.” He looked at Nester. “No killing the woman yet.”
Erica's heart jumped. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
“Whaaa?” Nester's face scrunched up. “She gets to play with them and I don't?”
“You've been a bad boy, Nester. You will accompany me into town and you will behave.”
And like a little boy, Nester stomped up the stairs, his shoulders hunched. Lanna clasped her hands together and kissed Copeland's cheek. He shrank away from her, as though repulsed by the act.
Lanna seemed used to the rebuff. “Thank you.” Hands still together, she turned to Erica and Magnus with a huge smile.
CHAPTER 10
Pope returned from the restroom where he'd tried to 'port to Magnus. He could not, and the block he encountered was disturbing. Nor could he reach him via phone. He returned to the table just as the server delivered their food.
“Real meat,” Suza said as she eyed the burger in its sesame-seed covered bun.
He was uncomfortable about her being involved, but he was familiar with this particular combination of stubbornness and drive to protect someone. Those in the grip of it would not be swayed. All he could do was keep her out of danger until she realized she was in over her head. Which would be soon.
Society in Surfacia was highly ordered. People obeyed. Here, they followed their emotions. Feelings were new to him. Picking up Petra's and Cheveyo's feelings had woken his own. That he had never experienced them made each one unnerving. And some, tantalizing.
“Tell me about Pope.” Suza picked at her cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, pickles, and other messy things that dripped down her fingers as she ate, requiring her to run her tongue down those fingers and…
He blinked, completely thrown by the sensation in the pit of his stomach and an area that's function was, well, merely functional.
She stared at him in a way that made him think he had a bug crawling down his nose. “I'm not asking you to spill any secrets,” she added, clearly perplexed by him.
A good reminder that she would look at him that way many times if he tried to have a relationship with her.
“Pope is…eccentric. No sense of humor, none at all.”
“Are you kidding? He's hilarious. I haven't had a man crack me up like that in years. Granted, he doesn't mean to be funny, but he seems to enjoy making me laugh and he never takes it personally.” She let out a soft sigh. “I love that about him.”
Her smile was so warm and radiant, he got caught up in it for a moment. He shook his head. “And he is quite naïve when it comes to relationships.”
She waved that off, then stuck her pointer finger in her mouth to suck off the mayonnaise. “I got that. It's cute. The guys I've dated, well, they're all plenty experienced and they think they're God's gifts to women, know what I mean? Like I should be grateful that they're paying attention to little ole me.” She shook her head, making her bangs swish across her forehead.
“But you are beautiful and personable. They should be grateful for your attention.”
“Bless you.” She tilted her head. “See, that’s the kind of thing Pope does, throws out these compliments without meaning to, which means he means them.” She rolled her blue eyes. “He gets me all tangled up.”
He had heard plenty about how she had suffered the consequences of not trusting her psychic feelings warning that her boyfriends were loathsome pigs. He could listen to Suza's stories in person forever, watching her animated face, the deep pink lips she pursed frequently, the pert little nose she wrinkled. All he could do was drink everything in before he had to leave her again. For good, he was afraid. Maintaining their connection was difficult for both of them. Petra teased him, saying that he was in love with her, that he pined for her. He was not sure how one could feel a tree for someone, but he did know that he felt deeply cut whenever he hung up. Felt it now at the thought of ending their friendship.
“Cassius?”
He realized she'd been saying his phony name for some time now.
“I was saying, tell Pope he makes me feel good in a way that is so genuine, so real, it breaks my heart not to see him again. But if he can't be in my life, it's probably best not to continue our conversations.”
Pope couldn't breathe for a moment. Finally he said, “That is a wise ultimatum. My brother is not a good man for you, Suza. Trust me on this.”
She set the remainder of her sandwich down. “Give me one good reason.”
A smacking noise drew their attention to a table nearby. The man and woman seated across from each other were bracing their hands on plates of food to keep their balance as they kissed ravenously.
Two men were arguing at a corner table over who paid the bill last time.
“This town has gone crazy,” Suza whispered.
Suddenly the whole place started shaking. Glasses slid off tables, silverware clattered, and anyone who was standing grabbed for something to steady them. It lasted a full thirty seconds before abating.
“They're getting longer,” someone said in an agitated voice. “This whole town's going to crack apart.”
Pope glanced at his watch. “I must go.”
“We must go.” Suza reached for her purse, but he waved it back and put a large bill on the table.
He did not want her involved with these people. He knew them; they disdained humans and had no issues terminating them. It struck him that he was now in that same category. Making it all the more dangerous
for her to be with him.
They headed down the sidewalk, which was still quite busy with what Petra called lookee loos and journalists getting interviews for their stories. He headed to the place where Copeland had spoken to Torus. Pope would have to be very careful to keep his distance so neither sensed his vibration.
He was keeping his eye on the scene when he picked up on that very vibration. Subtly he turned to find…Yurek. The shock of seeing the man assigned to terminate him was bad enough; that he was walking right toward them was inconceivable. The man's gray eyes were always bland and emotionless, so Pope couldn't tell if he'd recognized his vibration.
Pope didn't think; he acted. He grabbed Suza and pushed her into a store's alcove as though he could not wait another moment to plant his mouth on hers. His arms went around her, snug around her waist. The feel of their mouths mashed together knocked all sense from him. She made a squeaking sound, her hands slapping against his chest but remaining there. Her fingers tightened on his shirt, and her lips softened for a moment before she pushed him back.
“Cassius!”
Pope had to pull his thoughts together enough to surreptitiously glance in Yurek's direction. He'd continued on, but that didn't guarantee he hadn't picked up on something. Agents of the government in particular maintained a calm façade at all times. Which was why Pope was having a hard time reconciling the way his heart was pounding.
“I apologize,” he said, trying to remember the reason for his rash behavior.
“W-what was that?” She put her fingers to her mouth.
“It was rash behavior.”
“Well, yeah, I got that. I like your brother, you know.” She narrowed her eyes at him in a speculative way that made him nervous. “You don't look much like him, but you feel like him. Like you have a good heart, but that doesn't make sense, because a man with a good heart wouldn't kiss the woman his brother's been flirting with on the phone.”
“There is something about you, too, that makes a logical man act in illogical ways.” He glanced in Yurek's direction, spotting him meeting up with Copeland. “But I did have a tactical reason for kissing you. The man over there might also recognize me. I needed to hide my face in a manner that wouldn't raise his suspicions.”
The two men walked around the corner and out of sight.
She tugged her shirt down. “Well, I'm glad to hear that. I'd hate to think I misread you.”
She had read him too well.
“You stay here. I'll go around back.”
Pope wished he could hear them. He wished Suza would stay put. Neither was going to happen.
She followed right behind him. “Should I wander over again?” she whispered.
“No, it's too risky for you to do that again. But since you insist on accompanying me, you must help me appear inconspicuous. As we have already been spotted in a lip-lock, it would not be unusual for us to have ducked into the alley to continue our mad passions.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “If this weren't so serious I'd swear you were just trying to make out with me.”
“I am not, and we should not engage in the actual act of kissing. It's distracting, and I must try to listen to their conversation. We will merely—I think the correct term would be cozy up—over there, against the wall.”
“All right.” She shook her finger at him. “But it's only an act.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. She laced her arms over his shoulders, which pulled her flush against his body. He willed his penis not to react, focusing instead on the two men who would kill him instantly if they knew he was there.
He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of her perfume. Her fingers tightened on him, and she let out a soft gasp when he moved up the side of her neck. Her silver feather earring tickled his nose.
“Don't go any higher,” she whispered. “That's my spot, just under my ear.”
“Your 'spot'?”
“My spot. The place that drives me crazy.”
He stilled his movements, shifting so that he could keep an eye on the two men who were deep in conversation. They walked closer as they talked. He had to push past the feeling of Suza in his arms, her warmth and scents and the amazing newness of it, and concentrate on his hearing.
“Why haven't you told Torus how bad it's gotten here?” Yurek asked.
“I just discovered how fast the volatile behavior has escalated in the last few days.”
“Be ready to depart at a moment's notice.” Yurek glanced their way.
Pope didn't hide his face, knowing that would look suspicious. But he pulled Suza close and kissed her because that's what a man who was in an embrace like this, in an alley like this, would do. All the while he kept an eye on the two men who had continued on and were moving away. They gave each other the slight bow Callorians used for greeting and departing and headed their separate ways. Pope rolled what he heard around in his mind. Whatever was going on here was escalating fast. That was obvious by the erratic and wanton behavior of those in town. Their base emotions, Suza had said. Yes, he could understand how easily, with some influence, one could give into those desires.
“Cassius? They're gone.”
He pulled back, clearing his throat. “Yes, they are.”
Suza appeared to be dazed but blinked to clear it from her eyes. “And they have something to do with this weirdness.”
The whoop of a siren pierced the air from the direction of Main Street. Someone on a loudspeaker ordered the crowd to disperse, and people began filtering into the alleys. Laying his hand on Suza's shoulder, Pope pulled her close as blank-faced people passed by. She didn't object, her fearful gaze taking them in.
What did the Callorians have that was making people into zombies?
Pope picked up a Callorian vibration right before a man behind him asked, “Do I know you?”
Pope turned to see Yurek wearing a suspicious expression. Pope held back his instinct to attack. It was in Suza's best interest to bluff Yurek and get rid of him. “I've recently been sent to check on things. My name is Cassius.”
Yurek flicked a glance at Suza, but his steely gaze returned to Pope. “I’m Yurek, also recently assigned here.” He held out his hand.
Pope eyed it. Yurek had no interest in participating in this dimension's custom. He wanted to sense Pope's energy. Could Pope pull it off? He clasped his hand briefly and released it just as fast. “I'm sure we will see each other again.”
Yurek's voice lowered. “Yes, we will.” Then his face morphed into Pope's former visage, tall with a shaved head and violet eyes. “It is you, Pope,” Yurek growled, staring at his reflection in a window before turning back to Pope. “I sensed your energy but thought it couldn't possibly be because I killed you. But here you are.” His puzzlement changed to rage.
Suza let out a startled gurgle. “Pope? But how…killed?”
Beyond the bizarreness of seeing his former visage was the fact that using their powers in public was forbidden. Pope pushed Suza out of the way and knocked Yurek's hand from where it was about to touch his neck. Yurek had physically connected with him, which meant he could now mimic Pope's abilities the same way he could mimic his looks. Odd that he'd picked up Pope's default visage and not his current one.
“Suza, get out of here,” Pope managed as he used his outstretched hand to use his Flare before Yurek could do the same. Yurek flew backward, sliding across the asphalt, but he managed to send a Flare at Pope. He couldn't dodge it because Suza was right behind him. So he grabbed her and threw them both to the ground.
He rolled them so he was facing Yurek, who was on his feet and stalking toward them. He had gone back to his normal visage and was rubbing his palm where the Flare had initiated. “Your powers are weak. But somehow you managed to implant false memories. That's why there were no bodies to bring back. So the hunter and his girl are alive, too, I imagine. I will remedy that as soon as I kill you.”
Pope pulled Suza to her feet and pushed h
er away. “Go.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw her run. She was no fool, thank goodness. The thought of her being hurt…
Yurek called out to the people who had paused to watch the show. “Get her! And bring her back to me.”
To Pope's horror, they did as Yurek bid and ran after her. Suza had obviously heard Yurek because she picked up her pace. One man in the small mob was faster, tackling her. Pope sent a low-dose Flare at the people who fought her efforts to break free. It worked like a force field to knock them away from her.
Yurek took advantage of his diverted attention and slammed into his back, sending him to the ground. Claws sliced toward his neck, and he turned to find Cheveyo's black jaguar leaning down to finish him off. Once Yurek had absorbed another's ability, as he had with Cheveyo, he kept it, talented son of a bitch.
Pope thrust his hand out, pushing away the jaguar's jaw. Its hot breath moistened his fingers, the tips of its teeth grazing his skin. Where was Suza? He heard the struggle continuing, with her screaming, “Bastards, let me go!” Pope summoned his power, feeling his palm heat. No, he still hadn't recovered his full power, but he had enough to throw the panther several yards where it hit the back of the building with a satisfying thwump!
He lurched to his feet and spun to Suza where, incredibly, the mob had obeyed her. They stood in a confused state, staring at their hands.
Yurek commanded, “Get her and do not listen to anyone but me! Get both of them!”
The zombie'd people moved forward again, eager to do Yurek's bidding if the bloodlust in their eyes was any indication. Pope used his low-dose Flare again to shove them back as she dodged others who were trying to keep her from escaping. Seeing another group of people approaching, she ran back to Pope's side. He could grab her hand and 'port away, but what if it didn't work properly, and he left her there alone? Its reliability was still shaky. He would stay and fight.
“God, one's a kid. A kid!” Suza said, moving up beside Pope as they watched the people get to their feet and advance again. Their bodies were scraped and bleeding. Suza held out her hand. “Stop!”
