Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  Vic pursed his lips and silently regarded Finn for a long while. The man looked like he had something to say, so Finn let him have the time to figure it out. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  “What if I told you, that I knew where Cross was? What if I told you I could take you to him?”

  Now Finn was confused. “Then I would tell you that if any of that was true and if Tanya does have my placed wired, you are in one shit-load of trouble.”

  Vic seemed to think about that. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Maizey, why don’t you introduce yourself to my good friend here.”

  “Hello, love.”

  Finn turned. A young woman with long red hair stood behind him. He hadn’t heard anyone come in the door. He would’ve have heard that. He was pretty sure he would have heard that. “Who are you? How’d you get in?”

  The woman stood next to Vic and gave Finn a wide grin. “I walked in through the front door, love.”

  “Vic, I am not amused. Tanya sent you. Take Red here and get the fuck out of my house.” Finn couldn’t come up with any other explanation. Vic was sent here to see if he would flip. To see if he would try and find Cross on his own. He would, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Tanya or Coben in on that. And right now he wasn’t letting Vic in on that either.

  “God, I hope not,” Vic looked smug. “No one saw us come into your loft Finn. No one is listening to us now. As far as Tanya or anyone who is listening is concerned, you’re still passed out.”

  There wasn’t enough caffeine or sugar in the world to appease the monsters pounding on the inside of Finn’s head. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and Vic and the chic he brought with him had worn out their welcome. “And as interesting as all that might be, I don’t care. Get out and take her with you.”

  “He is so not a morning person,” Vic said to Maizey. Suddenly the amused expression Vic had worn since Finn had let him in changed. “I’m not fucking with you Finn. I have never been more serious. But, knowing you like I do, I sense a little demonstration is in order. Maizey, if you would be so kind.” Vic sat down at the bar.

  “So, let me see, what would convince you?” Maizey circled around Finn, her brow creased in thought. “Well, it would seem you already realize that I might be a person of interest, as your Department calls us, but you’re still not quite sure if I’m friend or foe just yet.”

  “What part of get out are you having difficulty understanding?”

  Maizey appeared amused. “You wear your anger like a shield, as you do your humor. You despise people getting too close to the truth of who you are, so you try to keep them at a comfortable distance. That is exactly why Cross scared you at first. Not the rumors of his instability, no you didn’t believe that. What scared you was the fact that he is a psychic. He could worm his way through all those layers and walls you put up for everyone else. That’s why you had him promise to stay out of your head.”

  Finn narrowed his eyes at the woman. “Yeah, I get it you’re a psychic. Now get the fuck out of my head and get the fuck out of my house. Both of you.” His voice was controlled fury. He tried to control the temper that boiled just beneath the surface. He hated this, the violation, the taking of what was his and his alone. The fact that she spoke the truth only fueled that anger. Maizey did not seem impressed.

  “You also care very much for Cross.” Maizey continued. She stood dangerously close to Finn, but didn’t seem threatened by his words or his clenched fists held stiffly at his sides. “You were so young and so very eager to make a name for yourself when you graduated from Quantico. You believed every word they told you about us. The deviants. The misfits. We were dangerous and you, my dear Finnegan, were so altruistic. You wanted to protect the good people of this city from all the dangerous freaks.”

  Finn put a hand to his head as if that could stop her from prying. “Stop it.”

  “Then you saw Kale Delancey and you secretly wondered exactly what everyone was so afraid of. When you met Cross, he wasn’t the monster they told you he was.”

  Finn collapsed on the nearest chair. “No, he wasn’t.” His voice was a whisper, his thoughts in chaos. “Please stop this.”

  Maizey knelt on one knee next him and took his hand. Finn, the anger gone, was now only numb. “He became your friend.”

  “Yes.” He closed his eyes and decided he might deserve this private hell. “And I betrayed him.”

  “You faked the reports to Tanya and Coben. For years you tried to protect me. Didn’t you?”

  Finn’s head snapped up at the familiar voice. Standing behind Maizey was Cross. It didn’t occur to him to ask how he was there. “Guess I didn’t try hard enough.”

  “I wanted to kill you back in medical. I thought you used me. You lied to me and I wanted to kill you for that alone.”

  “How are you here, Cross? Why are you here? Are you planning on killing me now?” Finn glanced from Cross to Vic to Maizey. His head hurt, he was dizzy and he had no more fight left in him. If Cross wanted to killed him, he didn’t care at the moment.

  “You can go from anger to self-pity quicker than anyone I know,” Cross said. “No, I’m not here to kill you. I broke my promise.” Cross tapped the side of Finn’s head. “I had a look too and Maizey pretty much summed it up. I was the job until you got to know me, until you started to question things that were going on in the department. That’s when you started faking the reports.”

  “Then why are you here?” Finn said to all three of them. “Did you feel a little psychological payback was in order? Mission accomplished. If you’re not here to kill me, and you’re satisfied I’m not going to turn you into Tanya, then I’m asking you one more time to get the fuck out of my house.”

  Vic merely laughed. A deep rumbling noise that was oddly disturbing in its total lack of humor. “Oh we’re not nearly done here.”

  “What the hell do you want from me?” Finn said.

  “I’m not who you think I am,” Vic said.

  “What, are you one them?” Finn said. “One of the freaks?”

  “I’m just as ordinary as you. My job at the Department is just a front. I guess you could call me a spy. I belong to what we simply call the Underground. Not everyone out there with special talents is dangerous. Not one of them wants to end up in one of those glass-walled rooms. When they brought Cross in this last time, I knew exactly what they had planned.” Vic looked like he just ate a bug at the thought. “I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

  “You were on the monitors the day he got out. You helped him.” Finn was beginning to understand. The understanding didn’t make him like it any better.

  Vic shrugged. “No one likes monitor duty so no one objected when I volunteered. When I saw Cross was making his move, I simply gave him the time he needed, and then made sure the lovely Maizey was waiting for him when he made it out.”

  Finn rubbed his still-aching head. “So one more time. Why are you here? Why tell me all this now?”

  “We weren’t sure we could trust you until Maizey and Cross had a look. Sorry.”

  Maizey winked at Finn.

  “I owed you that, I guess,” Finn grudgingly admitted. Didn’t make him any less angry at the uninvited intrusion. “And what exactly did you learn? Are you going trust me, or kill me? Whichever it is I would appreciate if you would get on with it.”

  Maizey stood directly in front of him. “I don’t usually look without permission, but we needed to know who’s side you would be on if push came to shove.

  “You’re are a good man, Finn Doyle. You are a loyal friend. When it became clear to you that Cross was no longer an assignment, you did everything in your power to shield him from those who would do nothing but exploit him. You would have helped him if he asked it of you, but Cross felt betrayed by you and took fate into his own hands.”

  “We need your help,” Vic said finally getting to the point.

  “My help? You’re the inside guy. What can I possibly help you with?”

  “
When Tanya and Coben put you on Cross’s case all those years ago, she also brought you up to date on Kale, right?” Vic said.

  Finn didn’t like where this was heading. A cold slimy fist gripped his gut. “Yeah, and how does that help you?”

  “She gave you his files. You know where she keeps him, the level of security she has on him.”

  “I need to get my brother out,” Cross said. “And I need your help to do that.”

  Chapter 19

  IT WAS BAD this time. Tanya had him beat before, but never like this. When they finished they left him hanging by his wrists. Kale lost track of time. The pain settled into the deep muscles of his shoulders and back. It couldn’t hurt more if they had set him on fire. He couldn’t feel his hands, but the blood flowing down his arms had long grown cold and sticky by the time they finally came to cut him down. Kale couldn’t remember most of it, but he understood what they had done every time he moved. Every time he took a breath.

  Someone had put him on his bed, but that was the only courtesy he was to receive. Both eyes were swollen, the right one completely, the left still had a small slit he could see out of. His nose was broken and clogged with dried blood, so he had to breathe out of his mouth. He tongued all his teeth, there were a few loose ones, but all were presented and accounted for, thank you very much.

  Kale had no idea had much time had passed, he drifted in and out of consciousness. No one came to tend to his injuries. No one came to clean him up. No one came to give him water.

  No one came.

  Kale was alone, maybe that was the plan. They were just going to leave him in here until he died. Maybe they would leave his body here as well. He thought he might even be okay with that, because Cross had gotten out. He had kept his promise. His brother was safe. He only wished doing the right thing didn’t hurt so badly.

  Then his memory kicked in and he remembered the girl—Sybil. My God, Tanya had killed that poor girl. Tears leaked from his swollen eyes as Kale wished he would pass out again. He didn’t want to think about the girl.

  He didn’t know how many more Sybils, Tanya could threaten him with, but he knew she would do anything to get what she wanted. He could push her, he knew that. He could tell her to let him go, he could tell her to walk him out of here and then forget about him. He almost had a dozen times over. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want her to forget about him. A part of him didn’t even want to leave.

  For ten years, this little, windowless room was all he had ever known. Tanya was the only person he knew, the only person he was allowed to see, to talk with, to touch. He could communicate with Cross telepathically but it wasn’t the same. He knew nothing about the outside world. In truth the thought of going into the world outside his room terrified him. How could he leave? Where would he go?

  Maybe he was as dangerous as Tanya told everyone he was. Maybe it was a good thing he was locked up.

  Tanya loved him, Kale was sure of that. He failed her. That was why she punished him. He deserved it. He should never have tried to lie to her. Tanya knew everything. He was a fool. She was right, it was his fault that girl had died.

  Kale squeezed his eyes closed and tried to hide inside himself. The heavy metal door of his room opened. Fear caused Kale to hold his breath. If they started in on him again, he was sure he would die. He let his pent up breath out and prepared for the pain.

  A slight weight settled on his mattress. Even with his eyes closed, he knew who had come to him. Her energy was as familiar to him as his brother’s. Dread and relief coursed through him. As much as he hated being alone, the thought of why she had come to him was terrifying.

  “Look what you made me do, Kale,” Tanya’s voice was soft and held regret and sadness. She touched his face and he flinched at the contact.

  “Can you see?” She lightly touched his swollen eyes. Kale nodded once and tried to curl away from her. He felt her leave the bed and thought she would leave him alone again. He searched for the darkness but couldn’t find it. A warm wet cloth touched his face and he hissed as the water caused the wounds there to burn.

  Tanya gently pulled him to his back, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out. “Shh, be still. I’m just cleaning you up.”

  The warmth of the water and gentleness of her touch was deceiving, he understood that, but for now, all he could think about was someone cared enough not to let him die all alone. That thought nearly brought him to tears, but crying would hurt, so he kept his feelings in check.

  “Why do you make me do these things to you, Kale?” The cloth moved over his eyes removing the dried blood. It hurt, but the warmth soothed him. Hurt by hurt, she methodically cleaned every wound she had ordered them to put on him. When she came to his wrists, he grimaced and let out a hiss. His vision was blurry but he could see the skin there was shredded. The wounds deep. He had fought hard.

  “Do you think I like telling them to hurt you like this? Don’t you think I knew how much they wanted to hurt you?” She wrapped his wrists in clean bandages and then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his shattered lips.

  “I need to hear it, Darling. I need to hear the words.”

  Kale turned his face away from her. She grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. “Tell me. Tell Tanya and I’ll make all the hurt go away,” She held a bottle of water out to him. He was so thirsty.

  Kale tried to grab it but she held it just out of his reach. “Tell me.”

  “I’m sorry.” The words were barely audible but Tanya had heard him. She grinned and helped him drink. He gulped and the cold water spilled over his chest as he greedily swallowed. She pulled the water away.

  “Why are you sorry Kale?”

  God he hated this, but he had no pride left. He couldn’t even remember what pride was anymore. He chose to stay. He chose to live this way. He was pathetic and he deserved anything and everything Tanya did to him.

  “I lied to you.” His lips split open again and blood ran down his chin. Tanya took the cloth and wiped it away.

  “Will you help me find Cross? Or do I need to find another innocent child to convince you?”

  “No!” he said the word loud and everything spasmed. He clamped his eyes closed and caught his breath. “No,” he said quieter. “Don’t do that. Please.”

  “You will help me?”

  He nodded.

  “Say it, Kale. I need to hear you say it.”

  “I’ll help you find Cross, I’ll help you bring him back.”

  My god, what have I become?

  “That’s my Kale. That’s my darling. Now Tanya will make the pain go away.”

  Kale felt the sharp sting of a needle pierce his arm and then a few moments later, the hungry, demanding pain, fuzzed around the edges. If there was a God and if he chose to show Kale mercy, he prayed. He didn’t think his prayers would be answered, he had learned long ago he was on his own. But there was always a chance, so he prayed that if betraying Cross was his only choice, then maybe this God would be kind enough to see that he never woke up.

  * * *

  THEY WERE EIGHT or nine, Kale couldn’t remember. Tanya had locked them in their quarters after punishing Cross for not cooperating. Nothing new there. It killed Kale every time.

  “Why can’t you just do what she wants?” Kale cried as Cross curled up on his bed. His face was bloody, from falling when they used the Tasers on him. Kale could tell by the careful way he moved it hurt more than Cross let on.

  “Because she doesn’t own me,” Cross said.

  “I don’t understand you, all you have to do is show her what you can do. What’s so bad about that?”

  Cross turned to look at him sitting on the floor next the bed. “Because it won’t stop there. What happened when you showed her what you could do, huh? Yeah, she wanted you to use it- on people. She wanted you to use it to make people do stuff.” Kale looked at his feet. Cross was right, but he couldn’t stand to see his brother hurt like this.

  “If they think I
can’t do anything, maybe they’ll leave me alone.”

  “Or maybe they’ll kill you before you convince them. Please, Cross,” Kale was crying harder now. “Please, I couldn’t take it if they killed you. You’re all I have. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Then why don’t you push her? Why don’t you push Tanya and tell her to leave us alone, tell her to just let us out of here.”

  Kale backed away from the bed as if Cross were a snake ready to strike. “I can’t,” He shook his head denying even the possibility. “I can’t do that, Cross.”

  Cross grimaced as he turned to face the wall. “Yes you can. You just don’t want to. There’s a difference.”

  Cross didn’t understand. Kale couldn’t push Tanya. Tanya was nice when you did what she wanted. Why couldn’t Cross just do what she wanted? Kale knew his brother was hiding his talents, and that was one thing he absolutely would not tell Tanya. He had sworn to Cross he would keep that secret and Kale kept his promises. Cross always talked about the day they got out of here, out of the Department. Kale didn’t like to upset his brother, but he understood something Cross never would. They were never leaving this place. This small facility was home and it always would be. Kale saw no point in antagonizing the people who had the power to hurt you. He didn’t understand why Cross did.

  He would never understand that.

  Kale!

  Someone calling his name. The scene behind him faded. He wasn’t a child anymore and he was the one who had taken the brunt of Tanya’s fury this time.

  Kale?

  Go away.

  He didn’t like this dream anymore.

  “Kale.”

  Kale opened his eyes, at least the one that wasn’t completely swollen shut. Cross squatted on the floor by his bed. For a moment he thought Cross was still part of his dream, then he understood. Cross had a found a way to come to him. Not physically, but the way Kale had appeared to Cross over the years. Manifested energy.