Kyra glanced my way and I returned to lying under the kitchen table. I wasn’t getting it up there without making a lot of noise, and that was good to know.
Taking Kyra at home would be difficult with all their locks, paranoia and stair alarms. No. We would have to find another way.
The school was another option now that Pyke and Mia could move about unnoticed, but there were too many witnesses. I suspected Kyra wouldn’t go without a fight, no matter if she thought we were her friends or not.
Not at school. Not at home. Somewhere in between.
“He doesn’t need to know,” Kyra said, thinking to herself.
What didn’t he need to know? I assumed she was talking about Malcolm. Did she suspect something, but didn’t want to alarm him? Had we not been as careful as we should?
“It’s fine. We need to stay longer. Dad needs that promotion.”
She sat at the table with her food and began eating.
Good. She wasn’t suspicious enough to tell Malcolm so we were safe for now, but once Kyra told him about me, he might put two and two together. We were going to have to take her as soon as possible. It was too late now. Malcolm would be home soon.
I rested my head on my paws. The warmth in the house was lulling.
My ears pricked. A car pulled up outside.
He’s back. He can’t see me here.
I ran to the door and pawed at it to be let out.
“Relax,” Kyra said. “It’s just Dad.”
That’s exactly the problem. Let me out.
Kyra unlocked the door and I squeezed through the narrow opening and darted around the back of the house out of sight. I hoped he hadn’t seen me.
“Hi, kiddo,” Malcolm said, moving sluggishly to the front door.
“Hey, Dad.”
I relaxed. He hadn’t spotted me, but it had been close. I shouldn’t have let my guard down, but Kyra had that effect on me.
I couldn’t let it happen again. I had to stay away from her.
Chapter Eleven
I didn’t stick around in case Malcolm sensed my presence. I only hoped that Kyra didn’t tell him about me yet. Malcolm looked tired and it was late. The chances were they wouldn’t talk much.
I scratched the motel door until Mia answered. I slipped inside and shifted back.
“You’ve been gone a long time,” Mia said. “We were getting worried.”
Pyke lay on the bed, arms behind his head. “She was worried. I wanted to sleep.”
“I was fine,” I said.
“What have you been doing?” Mia asked, eyes watching me the whole time I dressed.
“I scouted the house. It’s no good. We need to take her somewhere between school and there.”
Once we had Kyra. I’d have to go back to kill Malcolm, but I didn’t want to tell them that yet. I needed Pyke to focus. Kyra was the main objective. We needed to make sure she was with us before anything else.
“Easy enough,” Pyke said, opening a bag of chips and shovelling them into his mouth.
“We need to do it tomorrow,” I said, pulling my shirt over my head.
“What happened to befriending her? I thought you wanted to take your time.” Mia had her hands on her hips.
“The faster we do this the better. Like Pyke said, Kyra thinks the Blooder is her father. She’s not going to believe us any time soon and we don’t have the time to convince her.”
“There’s more to this than you’re telling us.”
I hated the way Mia analysed me sometimes.
“Will?” she said.
I sighed. “Kyra might be planning to ask Malcolm to keep me as a pet.”
Pyke laughed so hard, flecks of chip sprayed over the bed.
“Seriously?” Mia shouted. “Why were you spending so much time around her? You know Djinn have an affection for dogs.”
“I needed to get close for information.”
“Yeah, information,” Mia said, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “I’m going to watch the house in case she gives us away and they try to run.” She stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her.
“Don’t worry about her,” Pyke said. “She’s just jealous. This is the first girl you’ve actually shown an interest in.”
Was I that obvious? Did they know that I craved Kyra’s touch?
“Relax, mate,” Pyke said as if reading my mind. “I was joking. Mia’s always jealous of any girl you talk to. I know it’s all business. We have a job.”
“Let’s just focus, okay? You and Mia will go back to school tomorrow and stay close to Kyra. Watch her, and when she’s walking home you’ll grab her. There’s a spot on her walking route, past the shopping strip, where no one else will see you.”
“You aren’t going to help?” Pyke asked.
“I have to check in with Ivan and someone needs to drive the getaway car,” I replied.
It was a terrible excuse. I could message Ivan anytime during the day, but I had my own mission. While they were getting Kyra I would take care of Malcolm. I’m not sure when I decided to do it, but I knew it had to be me. Mia wasn’t strong enough, and neither of us could let Pyke do it.
The thought twisted my stomach. I had killed Blooders before. I hadn’t been scared to take their lives. They were monsters, and Malcolm was no exception.
Maybe I just didn’t want Kyra to look at me with fear when she found out what I would have done. I was tearing her away from everything she’d ever known and killing the person she thought was her father. She would never forgive me.
What did her opinions of me matter anyway? When we took her back our paths would most likely not cross. Our lives would be very different.
***
Mia and Pyke left early for school. They were clear on the plan. They weren’t to take Kyra until she was alone on the stretch of road between the shops and her house. We couldn’t have anyone spot them and raise the alarm. Human police were a hindrance. Hopefully Kyra hadn’t given us away to Malcolm. Mia had watched the house all night and said everything seemed normal.
I sat on the bed and dialled Ivan’s number.
“You haven’t been checking in,” Ivan answered.
Hello to you too. “My apologies, Mr Greenwood, but we have located Kyra.”
“Do you have her yet?” he said.
“I have put a plan in motion and we should have her by this evening,” I said.
“I don’t want to hear that you have a plan. There’s always a plan,” he snapped. “I want results. You call me as soon as you have my daughter and have taken care of that Blooder.”
The line went dead.
I squeezed the phone until it whined and cracked. I let go before it broke completely.
What was I expecting? Ivan would just forget that he’d ordered me to kill Malcolm. Maybe if he didn’t mention it then I could have pretended to forget?
Why was this so hard? Kill a Blooder. That was my job. It was all I did, so I should just do it. I’d had no problem killing those Blooders who attacked us on the road.
Maybe no one needed to know. If I left now and took him out before the others knew then we could just head back.
Kyra wouldn’t hate me and I could give Pyke closure. He’d be pissed that I didn’t let him do it, but he’d be happy it was over. Mia would be happy, too, that I had protected Pyke from his own vengeance.
It was the only way and it seemed win-win. So then why did I feel sick inside?
Chapter Twelve
I parked the car beneath a large tree and walked the rest of the way to Malcolm’s work site. I took the high ground and crouched by a rocky ridge overlooking the partially-built house.
The air was still and I could smell a storm was on the way. Hopefully this would all be over before then. I spotted Malcolm by his workbench, going over plans and giving orders to other workers.
It was the afternoon and the builders moved more lazily, eager for their workday to be over. Malcolm checked his phone and I tensed.
One message from Kyra could ruin everything.
But Malcolm smiled and put his phone away. I checked my watch. Kyra would still be at school for another hour.
I had to wait. I guessed Kyra and Malcolm texted each other after school. I needed to wait until they were both satisfied that they were safe. Then I would strike.
I settled in, keeping my eyes on Malcolm at all times. I would need to get to him when no one else was around. A lot of the workers would clock off in a few hours and then Malcolm would be easier to get to.
School finished and Pyke messaged me that they were following Kyra. She was sitting out the front of the school reading a book.
I glanced to Malcolm. He pressed some buttons on his phone, but didn’t seem alarmed and continued to work.
A few hours later Pyke messaged again. Kyra was on the way home and they were in place to take her.
Most of the builders packed up their things and headed home, leaving Malcolm and his boss. They were going over plans and making changes, laughing and chatting like good friends.
I could kill the boss too, if it meant getting to Malcolm. It would be easy, humans were fragile, but he hadn’t done anything wrong. I wasn’t about killing innocent people.
I made my way down to the site, sticking to the afternoon shadows and ducking behind portables.
Malcolm’s boss held out his hand and looked to the sky. The clouds were a dark grey, ready to split open.
“It might be time to call it a day,” he said. “I’ll just grab those files and we can leave.”
“No problem, Kenny,” Malcolm said.
This was my chance. I pulled a blade from my belt and crept closer. Malcolm was alone and focused on the papers in front of him.
I gripped the knife and let out a long breath. You were ordered to do this. He killed you best friend’s father and stole one of your people. He’s a Blooder and he deserves to die.
There was no question about that, but the thought of Kyra looking at me with fear made me hesitate.
“Kyra?” Malcolm shouted.
I looked around the corner of the portable, Malcolm had his phone in hand.
“Kyra, where are you?”
Shit. Why was Kyra calling Malcolm? Pyke and Mia should have her already. I checked my phone. No messages.
What the hell had gone wrong?
“Kyra? Answer me!” Malcolm roared. He slammed the phone on the table, smashing it to pieces. He bolted to the truck. Thunder rumbled and rain poured down.
I had missed my chance to strike and Malcolm was driving away, his boss calling after him. I darted back up the site and cursed myself for parking the car so far away.
I dialled Pyke’s phone, but he wasn’t answering. I tried Mia, too. Nothing.
What had they done?
Chapter Thirteen
I parked the car outside the driveway. The rain was pouring as lightning flashed across the sky. I’d been calling Pyke and Mia’s phones continuously, but they weren’t picking up.
They should have been down the road. Kyra’s school bag had been there, spilled on the wet pavement. I had to gather her things and throw them in the boot.
It was supposed to be an easy grab. There were two of them, after all. They must have underestimated Kyra, judging by the way Malcolm fled work.
I stepped out of the car and walked up the driveway. I could see the blue truck parked near the house.
I swore under my breath. Malcolm was already here. I hadn’t been fast enough. I’d hesitated and now everything was a mess.
Mia was unconscious on the ground and Pyke was nowhere to be seen. Kyra was sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck, looking out at me.
Malcolm faced her.
I dashed across the yard and Kyra screamed. I tackled Malcolm, wrapping my arms around him and lifting.
He flicked his head back to head butt me and I let go to dodge the blow. I wouldn’t have felt the pain, but Jack had been right; I shouldn’t let myself get hurt just because I couldn’t feel it. I wasn’t invincible.
Malcolm and I circled each other. I watched him move. He knew how to fight but he had gotten old. I was faster.
He lunged at me, but I dodged with a sidestep.
“I know what you’re doing,” he said.
“Just give up,” I replied.
Malcolm shot a gust of wind with a single punch. He had drunk Djinn blood. Was it Kyra’s blood? Did she know what was going on?
I dodged again. “You couldn’t keep her forever. You must have known that.”
Malcolm faltered for a second, but it was enough. I darted in with several blows to his stomach and side. He groaned, hunched over and fell to one knee.
He punched out more blasts of wind, but there was no precision to them. It was the desperate act of a desperate man.
I punched him in the jaw and he fell back into the mud. I had to kill him. Ivan had ordered it. Guardjinn always followed orders.
Something slammed into me. I was knocked sideways with enough force that I slid along the ground.
I looked down.
Kyra had tackled me and was clinging onto my shirt as we moved. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders not wanting her to be hurt. If we hit anything it wouldn’t matter to me, but she didn’t deserve to be in any more pain than we were causing now.
We slid to a stop. Kyra’s gaze was fixed on me. This was the first time she had seen me in my true form and she looked shocked.
What was she thinking? Was she afraid of me? Intrigued? Attracted?
“Are you alright?” I asked.
I felt the slightest bit of pressure in my stomach. Looking down, I saw the knife in my gut, Kyra’s hand on the blade.
So she hated me. Of course she did. I was attacking her and the person she believed to be her father.
Her bright golden eyes bulged, staring at the knife. I didn’t think she’d ever hurt anyone before. The poor girl. Why did she have to be wrapped up in all this?
She pulled the blade out. I didn’t feel it and there would only be a small cut.
“What …?” she breathed and dropped the blade.
She was confused and I wasn’t helping. I wanted to help her. I wanted to pull her in close and continue to feel the warmth of her skin against mine.
Wait.
I could feel her warmth. I could feel? It was only the slightest hint in my arms around her, but it was definitely there like when she’d touched my fur.
Her skin felt soft and wet. The sensation was beginning to fade. I wasn’t in control of it. I’m not even sure how I did it at all.
I pulled a clump of leaves and mud from her damp hair. Our eyes locked and I wanted that feeling to return.
Malcolm’s screams cut like thunder.
“Dad!” Kyra shouted.
Malcolm was on his knees, Pyke standing over him with ice in hand, several wounds already inflicted to Malcolm’s chest. Kyra pushed me away and scrambled toward them.
“Dad!” she screamed again.
We had won this fight. We could take Kyra easily, but that wasn’t the point. We weren’t kidnapping her. We were returning her. How was she ever going to accept the Djinn as her people if she thought we were murderers?
Ivan had ordered me to kill the Blooder. He deserved it and Pyke deserved to be the one to do it, but I couldn’t let it happen.
Bringing Kyra home was my mission. I wouldn’t give her any more reasons not to trust us.
Kyra was on the ground, screaming at Pyke to stop. He was going to hate me for this, but killing the Blooder wasn’t going to bring his father back. Keeping him alive might keep Kyra with us.
I grabbed Pyke’s arm before he could strike. “Don’t do it, Pyke,” I said.
Pyke yanked his arm and tried to push me away, but I held on.
“Let me go, Will! I have to.”
I heard the desperation in his voice and I hated to hurt him like this. I twisted Pyke’s wrist and he dropped the icicle. Using my body weight, I forced Pyke into
a headlock.
“I won’t let you do it,” I said. “Calm down and stick with the mission.”
Pyke struggled more and more. I leaned close to his ear. “I know you want to do this. He deserves it, but you promised you’d follow my orders and I’m telling you not to kill him.”
Pyke groaned through gritted teeth and went limp. I released him and he slumped to his knees.
I had expected him to disobey me. I thought I’d have to knock him out, but I’d underestimated Pyke. He was putting his Guardjinn responsibilities before his own interests.
He was a better Guardjinn than me.
I had disobeyed Ivan’s orders. It was my duty to do as I was told, but I’d lied.
I’d lied for her.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia pushed up off the ground and stared daggers toward us.
“You good?” I asked her.
Her brows were scrunched and lips pulled in a thin line. I noticed the cut on her cheek and wondered if Kyra had done that.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“Grab Kyra,” I said.
“Get up.” Mia pulled Kyra’s arm and twisted it behind her back.
Kyra’s eyes were locked on Malcolm. He smiled at her. “It’s okay, kiddo. I love you.”
I punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. His words sounded genuine. Did he really love Kyra? Or was it all an act for gaining her trust?
Of course he was acting, I thought. He’s a Blooder.
“Dad!” Kyra screamed, and realised that knocking him out in front of her had been a poor move.
Kyra struggled to break free of Mia’s grip.
“Mia, you’re hurting her,” I said.
Pyke rose, his fists clenched and a dark look in his eye. He was angry with me. I knew it.
“Relax, Will,” he said. “We have to be careful with this one. She’s got fighting skills.”
“Ivan requested she not be hurt,” I said and felt a twist in my gut for throwing Ivan’s orders in Pyke’s face, knowing that killing Malcolm had been one of them.
Will Power: A Djinn Short Page 5
