Esperance: (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Heart Lines Series Book 3)

by Heather Hildenbrand

Cord nodded once and I knew we were done. I walked to the door and just before I left, I turned back one more time.

  But Cord didn’t wave or smile or say good-bye. She had already turned her back to me and was once again bent over Abel on the steel gurney, her head bowed, her shoulders slumped. And I realized that, just like she’d said about RJ and Brittany, she took this much more seriously than just a job or duty to her people.

  Cord cared. She cared just as desperately as I did. And we were both committed to doing whatever it took which meant risking ourselves and others in our fight to beat the forces that would otherwise destroy us.

  Cord was right. She couldn’t ask for more than my best effort but we both knew it was up to me. If I failed, evil would win. The werewolves would be infected and then hunted and finally would cease to exist. If that happened, the moon goddess would have her revenge. And I would be a vessel for war.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alex

  The moonlight was as absent as my ability to feel; stuck behind clouds that promised rain, and a lot of it, when they became too heavy to remain. But for now, I was dry and the night was clear enough with the help of the flashlight I had wedged into my mouth to free up my hands. I really needed to ask Indra about getting an assistant or an intern or something. This was bull shit, doing all the manual labor alone.

  I finished my delivery and when the unconscious werewolf had been set inside the pentagram, I left. Indra was nowhere to be seen and I didn’t have time to wait for her. She would either find my latest present before it woke—or she wouldn’t.

  My orders didn’t include babysitting.

  I was also still a little pissed that she’d ordered Sam killed. I mean, I didn’t feel what I used to for her, but I didn’t want her dead either. In fact, I was betting Indra knew by now that her plan had failed. And if she asked, I wasn’t entirely sure what she’d say when I told her I’d been the one to thwart it. Better to slip out before questions could be asked. Questions I didn’t feel like answering.

  Out on the street, I hopped back in my truck and headed for home. I’d used the last of my tranquilizers on that last one—a hitchhiker I’d found forty minutes south.

  It was getting harder and harder to find werewolves in this town. I knew one place I would have no trouble. A stakeout at Sam’s would no doubt yield me plenty of prey. I could sit and pick them off as they tried to attack her. But then I remembered Breck’s warning. I wasn’t scared. Hell, I couldn’t feel fear if I tried. And strangely, I had tried.

  After he’d left that day. And then again every time Indra gave me an order. But so far, I hadn’t felt an ounce of it.

  Mostly, I just didn’t want to have to see Sam and RJ and explain to them what I was doing with the werewolves I was stealing from them. Or that I alternated between fetching werewolves for the evil bitch who used them to order Sam’s death and alternately killing them off myself before they could execute their orders.

  Again, I wished I could summon the words to just tell Sam and RJ or even Edie what was really going on. But I couldn’t. Hell, I couldn’t even write them. After almost an hour of sweating over a sheet of paper, the pen had ended up stabbing itself into the back of my hand and I’d only written: bitch.

  Again, having to answer hard questions would only slow me down. So, I hadn’t yet hunted near the others. Or tried contacting them again. But at this point, I was running out of other options.

  I slowed as I spotted Oracle’s lights on up ahead. I’d driven by the store several times over the past few days on my way to Indra’s and this was the first time I’d seen it open. I almost sped right by, but the dark SUV at the curb caught my attention. I stiffened when I caught sight of a familiar tanned figure rounding the corner of the building as if doing a perimeter check.

  Without really even knowing why, I hit the brakes and pulled sharply to the curb with a jolt of my tires. I hopped out, my keys jingling in my hand as I strode across the street to the front door.

  Oracle’s bell chimed as I entered and I already felt the warmth of a body close behind me. I didn’t turn to see if I knew them. It didn’t matter. They were probably on orders to bring me in or put me down by now. I didn’t give a shit. They weren’t going to succeed no matter which they tried.

  I rounded the insane amount of product display racks and finally spotted her at the counter in the back. Long, dark waves spilling over her shoulders. Dark eyes and creamy skin and full mouth I’d dreamt of more than once in the past couple of weeks.

  My stomach tightened at the sight of her—right along with another key body part that still managed to feel just fine. She stood with her lip caught between her teeth and her hands on the chest of a guy who I barely recognized through the haze of … something hot and sharp searing my lungs and chest. Jealousy? I wasn’t capable. Whatever it was, it was the closest thing to emotion I’d felt in over two weeks.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  Sam whirled, her eyes going wide at the sight of me. Her hands dropped away from the guy’s chest and he smiled at me. His expression was nice. I didn’t want nice from him. I didn’t want anything except his swift exit.

  “Hello, Alex,” he said.

  “Koby.” I offered a single dip of my chin.

  His smile dimmed and confusion swept his expression. Like he’d assumed I just didn’t recognize him. Fuck that. I knew exactly who he was. But seeing him all cuddled up to Sam like that, I regretted ever suggesting him to Edie.

  Behind me, more footsteps sounded as probably another half dozen hunters filed into the store behind me. I didn’t bother to look. Not when her eyes were locked on mine and I felt like a tall drink being gulped right down on a hot day. It might’ve been more enjoyable—or encouraging—if she hadn’t also looked like she might throw up at the sight of me standing here.

  “Hi, Sam,” I said.

  The sound of my voice seemed to break the spell. Sam’s eyes widened and she gripped the edge of the counter as if she needed something to help her remain on her feet.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, staring at me as if I were a ghost back from the dead.

  I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had no idea why I’d chosen to come in. Part of me had been toying with the idea of actually telling them Indra had ordered Sam’s murder, but now that I was here, the words literally wouldn’t come. Like a mute button being hit, when I opened my mouth to say them, no sound came at all.

  “I see you met Koby,” I said instead, a snarl twisting the words in a way that confused me. It had been my idea, after all, to seek him out in hopes that his abilities would somehow help Sam wield her own. An empath wasn’t that far off from a healer, after all.

  But watching her hands resting on his chest was still an image I was having trouble releasing. Even now. With three feet between them and Sam’s trembling hands clutching the glass counter, it was all I could see. And emotions or not, I didn’t like it one fucking bit.

  “I … he’s going to help out at the store for a while,” she said, her words lost to the tension in the room.

  RJ appeared behind her, no doubt having slipped in from the back. I wondered how long before Breck came thundering in to make good on his promise. But I couldn’t quite care. I’d leave when I was ready.

  “Why are you here?” Sam repeated.

  “I wanted to offer my services,” I said quietly, avoiding RJ’s eyes.

  “Services?” Sam repeated.

  “For your werewolf problem.” I let my gaze flit about the group of hunters assembled, mostly to assess the threat.

  Four behind me—not as many as I’d thought. Five including RJ. I stopped when I recognized one of the faces closest to my back. “I know you,” I said, wondering how I’d missed it before. This girl was clearly a hunter; something I should have known back when I was assigned to protect Sam. But I don’t remember her carrying herself like that before. “You’re Sam’s roommate.”

  “You were right, Sam,” she
called without taking her sharp blue eyes from me. She folded her arms across her chest and sneered. “He’s smarter than he looks.”

  Sam didn’t respond.

  I turned back to find her cheeks flushed and Koby standing even closer than before. His expression was slightly strained and more focused on Sam than me. Did they really think I was going to hurt them? Or her?

  “I heard about the increased activity. The infected targeting you,” I told her. “I came to offer my help dealing with them.”

  RJ stepped forward, eyes flashing. “We’re all good here, but thanks,” he said, sarcasm dripping off that last word.

  “Right.” I looked back at Sam.

  Her expression transformed and I watched as the shock of seeing me here finally wore off. There was a split second of sadness so deep I could almost feel it radiating out of her—and her temper took over. “You’re on the wrong side,” she said stiffly. “Working for Indra. She’s the enemy.”

  I shrugged, a little off-balance after the wave of pain she’d tossed at me. She hadn’t meant to and it wasn’t even my own emotion but it was the closest I’d come. And for that split second, it might as well have belonged to me too. God, it fucking hurt. Was that how I’d made her feel?

  Sam’s eyes narrowed with a twitch when I didn’t answer. “You don’t care.” It wasn’t a question and I knew she was having a hard time accepting it was actually the truth.

  “No,” I told her honestly. By now, she must have told the others about my lack of feelings for them. For her. But still, I felt their stiffening as I confirmed it. RJ’s eyes flashed with disappointed. It cut me—not as deeply as Sam but still. “Look, I know what Indra is but it’s not what you think. I am doing you all a favor,” I said, the words sort of leaking out without meaning for them to.

  “Do tell,” RJ said snidely.

  “She wants werewolves,” I said. “I bring them to her. Nothing more. I’m not the bad guy here.”

  “Why does she want them?” Sam pressed. “What does she do with them?”

  I shifted my weight and looked away, unable to meet her gaze. This was the part where my vocal cords almost seemed to take a break. I squeezed my injured hand into a fist, noticing the ache left behind by the traitorous pen. Finally, I sighed. “Why does it matter?” I asked. “I’m getting them off the streets. You should be thanking me.”

  RJ made a noise and started toward me. Sam put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Maybe he really doesn’t know,” she said quietly.

  I had no idea what Sam thought I didn’t know but I also wasn’t in a position to push it with her.

  RJ’s lip curled but he didn’t push her off or advance toward me. Behind me, I felt Brittany step closer. I could practically feel her fury against the back of my neck. But she was a soldier. She’d wait for orders. And so far, apparently, no one was giving any.

  Sam stared at me, her expression a mixture of fury and pain. “As long as you’re working for Indra, you’re not welcome here.”

  “Fine, got it,” I muttered, turning and shoving through the trio of hunters hovering behind me.

  “And Alex?” Sam called out.

  I stopped beside the display of calendars I’d helped her stock during one of our last shifts together and turned to face her. “Yeah?” I grunted.

  She glanced at the calendars and I knew she was also thinking of that day. Back when things had been complicated in a different way between us. A mask of pain contorted her features but then she blinked and slowly, it was replaced with hardened resolve. She took a deep breath and let it out again, until there was nothing left of her torn indecision.

  “You’re fired,” she said simply.

  I gave a nod, shrugged, and walked out, a strange sort of ache settling itself between my shoulder blades.

  The bell over the door dinged sharply and I scowled as I marched back across the street, purposely ignoring the SUV and anyone who might be in it. By the time I made it back to my truck, I knew the job wasn’t the only thing I’d just lost. And I wished like hell I’d cared enough to fight to keep it—to keep her—in the first place. I’d been so fucking wrong about Indra. That witch wasn’t my price. This was and I didn’t need a bleeding heart to know it because it was a damned fact. Losing Sam was the ultimate price.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sam

  The blue curtain made a scraping sound as I pushed it out of the way. My heart thudded in my chest so loud it almost drowned out the beeping of the heart monitor that measured Mason’s breath as he lay unmoving in the hospital bed beside me. I took another step closer and then stopped and looked back. Koby stood in the doorway, nodding at me encouragingly to continue.

  After seeing Alex yesterday, I’d almost lost my nerve. RJ had refused to even hear me out about Indra, cutting me off as he stomped around tossing out orders about what to do if Alex came near again. I realized then that his issues with Alex weren’t just anger at the fact that he’d walked out. RJ was hurt. I knew because I was too. And sure, Alex was capable of that, but the feeling that he was in too deep with a magic darker than mine nagged at me.

  The only thing that held me back was knowing if Indra’s magic could do that to someone, I was probably no match for her. Yet. But after mulling it over this morning, I knew that if I ever wanted to uncover the real truth about Indra—and better, to defeat her and help Alex—I was going to have to step up my magic game. Hard. Which meant, here I was. Attempting, once again, to right a wrong. And to use my magic for healing once and for all. If I could do that, I might stand a chance against Indra herself.

  I took another step forward, my palms going clammy as I reached for Mason’s hand. His was hot to the touch and I gasped. I’d held his hand last time I was here and it hadn’t been this hot. Was he getting worse?

  RJ was busy flashing the official CHAS directives Cord had supplied us with, using it to chase the nurses and doctors out so I could literally work my magic. If I wanted answers from them, that would have to wait.

  RJ was my walking “Do Not Disturb” sign.

  He also had way more faith in me succeeding at what I was about to do than I did. For that matter, so did the rest of them. I looked back at Koby again and he smiled, a flash of pearly whites against dark chocolate skin. “You can do this,” he said.

  Still, I hesitated.

  “What is it?” he asked and I had to give it to him. He was patient. We’d been through this together several times over the course of the past three days. And still, I couldn’t just accept that it would work. Not even after healing RJ and technically Koby’s sore feet—the fact that he’d taken the pain back was just proof that he was too nice for someone like me. I was terrified I would screw it up and Mason would stay in the coma forever. Or worse.

  I was terrified of “or worse.”

  “Oh, just the usual fear of failure,” I said.

  Koby’s lips curved. He took my hand in his, holding it tight until I felt his energy surrounding me like a warm blanket. “Sam, you can do this. The only thing left is for you to believe that wholly.”

  “Not the only thing,” I said. “He can’t hear me. He can’t give permission.”

  “We talked about this.” Koby’s brows furrowed with concern and possibly waning patience. “Why do you need permission?”

  “Alex said the magic needs the cooperation of both the giver and receiver to work,” I said uncertainly. So far, he’d dodged the issue when I brought it up, reminding me how I’d healed him without permission, but now, he actually looked confused. Koby’s confusion was…confusing. He was an empath with way more experience than me. Shouldn’t he already know this?

  “Sam.” Koby approached and took my hand in his. Immediately, I felt a buzz of energy between us. Koby’s energy was so much more alive than everyone else’s. “Do you feel my energy?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You didn’t have to ask to find my vibration,” he said. “It’s not hard to find if you’re paying attention.”
Then he nodded to Mason. “Find his vibration. Remove what doesn’t belong.”

  “But he hasn’t said yes,” I began.

  “He doesn’t need to,” Koby said. “The magic that is ailing him is a foreign element inside him. It doesn’t belong and it isn’t an inherent part of who he is. You don’t need the permission of dark magic in order to stand against it. Its power lies in making you believe that you do.”

  “Sushna needed my permission,” I told him, suppressing a shudder as I remembered all too well what her particular magic had felt like. “I had to invite her in and then—” I stopped, unwilling to go on.

  “Sushna. As in... You’ve met The Witherer?” Koby asked, eyes wide.

  “Yes,” I said, “And I don’t recommend it. But she needed me to invite it—”

  “Sam, Sushna’s magic is old and dark but more importantly, she’d been bound by those more powerful than her.”

  “Bound how?” I asked.

  “It’s a long story and clearly someone should have explained it to you,” he said, “But for now, just know that Sushna is playing by different rules than you are. Not only because what you have comes from the goddess but because it is good. It is light. Not dark. And it only works to remove what doesn’t belong. Sushna… she is the essence of the un-belonging itself.”

  I couldn’t argue that and although I wondered how Koby knew so much about it, I was still stuck on what he was trying to tell me. About doing this without the permission of the patient.

  “But Alex…” I began, biting my lip as I thought about it. Not only had Alex told me I needed his permission, I’d tried and failed more than once to go around that little problem and heal him anyway. “I couldn’t heal him before, because he refused to let me.”

  “You gave him your magic and nothing happened?” he asked, his brows rising in a clear challenge.

  I bit my lip, thinking back to that day in the hospital. “Well, not exactly. Something happened. I just—” I stopped, thinking back to the last couple of times I’d tried healing Alex despite his protests. There’d always been evidence. A rush of renewed energy—although it never lasted long—or some sort of spark from my skin to his.