by Aileen Erin
“No,” I said.
“Neither am I,” Dastien said.
“Me, too,” Adrian said.
“We’re all in. Let’s go,” Chris said.
“What about the meeting—” Claudia started, but Lucas cut her off.
“I’ll talk to Michael. I think we can delay it by a day if necessary.”
“Great.” I stood up. “How soon can we head out? Do we need to book tickets? What’s the—”
“Two hours.” Lucas pulled out his phone. “We’ll take my plane. We can be in LA by this afternoon.”
The chokehold around my chest started to ease. This was good. We had the start of a plan. Something that we could actually do. A demon expert to talk to. It wasn’t a ton, but it was a start. “I’m going to shower and grab a bag in case we’re there overnight. Then I’m heading to the library. Going to do a quick search and grab anything I can on Astaroth for the plane ride. Meet in the parking lot?”
“Sure,” Lucas said. “Everyone be there in an hour.”
I let out a long breath. “Great.”
“I’ll head to the library, too. Get a head start on research,” Adrian said.
“Awesome. Thanks.” We all got up from the table, heading off to get ready for our sudden trip to Los Angeles.
It was funny how much my life had changed since I’d been there last. That city wasn’t home anymore, yet I felt a sense of comfort and relief about going back.
Yes, what was happening now wasn’t good, but a lot of bad things had happened and we’d come out of them kind of okay. And if this girl couldn’t help us, then I’d find another way. Someone else. Something else. But I wasn’t going to stop. Not while I had enough air to breathe.
Astaroth hadn’t known what he was signing up for when he attached himself to me. That motherfucker was getting sent back where he belonged, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to be joining him.
Nine
By the time we landed at the Los Angeles International Airport, I was ready to get something concrete done. We’d each brought a stack of books with us but found a whole bunch of nothing in them. Sure there was info on who Astaroth was—Great Duke of Hell, blah blah blah. Evil Trinity, blah blah blah. But the overarching theme was if you saw him, run or else you’d die. Painfully. Miserably. And him knowing who you were meant death.
It was safe to say that he knew me. I was pretty cool with the running part, but once he had enough power to cross the barrier between hell and earth, I was screwed. And I was still pretty much screwed even if he couldn’t cross it. The demon had already managed to suck me into his world. He’d killed Muraco to do that.
The clock was ticking, and I couldn’t run forever if he was tied to me.
If Astaroth won, he’d have the power to open a giant portal to Hell and demons would overrun the mortal plane. My death would fuel the end of the world.
Fun times.
As I stepped out of the plane, the sun hit my face. I grabbed my sunglasses from where they were hanging on my shirt collar, and slipped them on. “Seventy-two and sunny.” I moaned. “There’s so much wrong with this city, but man, the weather’s awesome. I’ve missed it.”
“The smell is what bothers me the most,” Lucas grumbled from behind me as I started down the stairs to the tarmac.
“What is that? I never smelled it before, but I’m assuming it’s because my nose is so much better now…” Exhaust and sweat and dirt and garbage—so much garbage—all rolled into one indescribable aroma.
“Eu de big city,” Chris said.
“Paris didn’t smell this bad.” It was bad, but not quite so revolting.
“Paris isn’t in a valley,” Dastien said.
“Ah. Right.” It made sense. The smog was so bad that I usually couldn’t even see the mountains, but a good rain or the Santa Ana winds would roll in and clear it out. Those were the days I used to look forward to. I could really see how pretty LA was then.
An SUV was waiting for us with a driver. Is he Were? I asked Dastien.
No. This driver will take us to the lobby of the private terminal. But the driver there will be a Were. Lucas wouldn’t want to be driven by anyone else.
From the local pack?
Nah. LA is too crowded for a pack. We like space. But there are a few Weres who have made home here.
I thought everyone had to have a pack?
No. It’s better to have a pack, but you can live without one.
That sounded like an excellent option. One that I would be happy to take advantage of—
We’re going to have a pack. I don’t know why you think of it as a burden. Having a pack is a privilege, and if you stop to look around, you’ve already started one.
Lucas isn’t in our pack. He’s the Alpha of his own.
Right, but Chris and Adrian would be in our pack. More and more will come, and soon you’ll have a pack full of people that you care enough about that being their Alpha will be an honor.
I don’t even know what it takes to be the Alpha of the pack.
You’re already being Alpha. You’re always rushing to save everyone. Leading the charge. Protecting the werewolves that you care about and the ones that are weaker.
But aren’t my friends rushing to save me right now? I mean—Astaroth is after me.
Only because if he takes you down, the rest follow.
Maybe so, but I still didn’t feel like I knew what being the Alpha meant. All I knew was I was doing the best I could to keep myself and everyone else alive.
I blew out a breath. I had enough to worry about for now. I’d deal with the pack stuff later. Much, much later.
The private terminal was legit. Blue metal slats wrapped around the small, one-story building, hiding what was beyond it from view. A man in a suit stepped through the door, holding it open as we got out of the car.
“Just this way. We have your baggage already loaded into the car.”
Wow. I’ve been to LAX a bunch, but I’d never flown like this. Please tell me we can come through here on the way back.
I’m pretty sure we can.
Okay. This did it. Being a Were was seriously awesome. Dastien and I had flown first class on our honeymoon, but this was way better. “Do you always fly this way?” I asked Lucas.
“Usually, but there are times when it doesn’t work out.”
“Like?”
“Like when a fey named Gobble transports you to Costa Rica and we’re in a rush to get back to Texas,” Lucas said with a little grin and Claudia snorted a laugh.
“That’s pretty specific.”
“Well, it was a pretty specific kind of an event.” His grin faded away. “But yes, I usually travel this way. The flexibility comes in handy when dealing with werewolf business, and I’ve made considerable investments for many years that have paid off very, very well.”
I whistled. “You guys. Lucas is loaded.”
He laughed it off, but it was impressive.
I hadn’t been too keen on the whole going wolf thing at the beginning, but I enjoyed it now. And the perks? I wasn’t sure I would’ve risked my life by getting bit for this, but it was still nice.
Another giant SUV idled at the curb on the other side of the building. “Where does Samantha live?” I asked as we all piled into it.
“I looked her up, and she’s still living in the same apartment in some neighborhood called Los Feliz. Someone should tell them that’s grammatically incorrect.”
I snorted. “It’s pronounced fee-lez, not fah-lease, and I don’t think the locals care about grammar much. She’s probably pretty close to Griffith Park, which is nice, but it’s going to be a haul from here.”
We settled into a nice silence as we headed into the thick LA traffic. We’d debated too much on the plane. I was all talked out, and until we had new information, I was settling in for a wait. I leaned against the door, resting my head against the window. Being back was weird. I’d spent my whole life here, but I never missed it. Not until now.
We could come visit.
Maybe. I’m sure I’ll be tired of it in a few hours, but there’s something nice about it.
He grinned at me, dimples denting his cheeks. It’s okay to like where you came from.
I couldn’t help but smile back. It was the dimples. They got me every time.
I poked a finger in one of the dents and he laughed. Just relax for now, he said and I shifted in the seat to lean against him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer to his warmth. We’ll be there soon enough, but being calm and centered will only help. Especially if Samantha’s powers are anything like yours. Or how they were before I bit you.
Fair enough.
At some point during the drive, I nodded off to sleep, waking only as we jerked to a stop.
“This is it,” the driver said, pointing out the passenger side window.
I rubbed my eyes as I tried to fully wake up.
You were really out, Dastien said. I’m glad you got some rest.
Me, too. I feel like I could sleep for a million more years. I miss anything?
Not really. But we’re here. Dastien nodded toward the window.
There was nothing to make this apartment building stand out from the others in the area. The street was filled with similar two story buildings—tandem parking spaces took up the bottom stories and top stories broken into units. This particular one was painted a fading light pink with mint green accents that had yellowed over the years of sun and pollution.
Claudia checked her watch. “I checked into Holy Ghost’s site and it says—”
“Wait.” Chris perked up. “What’s Holy Ghost?”
“It’s the private Catholic school that Samantha goes to.” She shrugged. “As I was saying, the school’s site says that it got out thirty minutes ago. It should take about that long for her to walk home. So, we should be here just in time to meet her.”
“Does she know we’re coming?” I asked.
“No. I was worried if I called or emailed, she’d disappear for the night. So, we’re surprising her.”
Great. Sounded like Samantha was going to be a dream to work with.
I got out of the car to stretch my legs, and the others followed. Adrian and Chris were shoving each other, laughing about something. Claudia and Lucas cuddled together, leaning against the car. Dastien stood off to the side, letting me take everything in. Giving me the space he knew I needed and would never ask for.
As I turned to take in where we were exactly, I spotted a girl coming up the road. She wore a blue, gray, and white plaid skirt. A white button down was untucked, its long sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her brown hair—almost the exact shade of mine—was piled up into a messy knot on her head. But it wasn’t those things that stood out to me.
It was the silver skull earbuds that glinted in the sun. The way she side-stepped anyone who came close to her and looked like she was stepping over some things I couldn’t see. She kept her head down as she walked. Sunglasses shaded her eyes from me but from her hunched stance, she couldn’t be staring at anything else but the ground.
I stood in the center of the sidewalk, waiting as she approached.
When she was a few feet away from me, she stumbled back a few steps and froze. Slowly, she pulled the earbuds out, and draped the wire behind her neck. “Whatever your question is, the answer is no. I’m not fixing that.” She motioned her hand up and down at me, as if my whole mojo was in need of fixing.
She was pretty spot on for not even touching me. Whatever power she had, it wasn’t smalltime.
Claudia’s footsteps sounded against the pavement as she moved closer. “Prima?”
Samantha pulled her sunglasses off, squinting at Claudia. “Do I know you?”
“It’s me, Samantha. Claudia.”
Samatha’s eyebrows raised. “Wow!” She looked Claudia over, and then took in the guys. “Seriously, cuz? Why in the hell would you get mixed up with them?”
“They’re good people,” Claudia said, and she didn’t even mumble. I wanted to give her a big high five for sticking up for herself, but I figured Samantha wouldn’t appreciate it.
Samantha’s gaze went back to her cousin, and her brows furrowed as if she were seriously considering whether or not that were true. “They’re trouble.”
Shit. She wasn’t going to help us. Whatever happened between Claudia and Samantha back then must’ve been bad. “I need your help,” I said.
Samantha nodded. “Yup. I can see that.”
“What can you see exactly?”
“More than I want to.” She slid her dark sunglasses over her eyes again. “A lot more.”
“Like?”
“Like I know they’re all werewolves, but you’re not just wolf.” Her tone is very matter-of-fact and almost bored, and I get the sense that she doesn’t appreciate me testing her. Because that’s exactly what I was doing.
“I can see the pack ties all wound around and spreading out, like a yarn shop vomited up all over you. I can see the ties that bind you to the hottie back there, and the ones that tie my cousin to that one—” Samantha pointed to Lucas. “But that’s all pretty obvious.”
She finally looked back at me. “Because I also recognize you, Teresa. I’ve watched the news. And now that I’m looking at you, I want absolutely nothing to do with any of you. Two of you have ties to a demon, and from the look of the tie, he’s a real asshole. So, if you don’t mind, I’ve gotta get started on my homework. Midterms are next week and my chem teacher thinks we should understand the material regardless of how shitty a teacher he is.”
That was a pretty cold brush off, but at least she was being honest. And she was right to not want to get messed up with this. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to either. But I had to convince her to help us, because Samantha Lopez was definitely the person we needed.
“Please, prima. We need your help.” Claudia’s tone was a borderline whine.
“And where were you the last five years?” Her words weren’t too hostile, not yet, but I could see it coming from the defensive stance Samantha had taken. “Where were you when I was begging for help? Where were you when I got taken away by those idiots at child services and thrown into an institution?” Her words were dripping in bitterness.
I couldn’t stop the hiss from coming out. She was institutionalized for her abilities. That was enough to fuck up even the toughest person.
“Yeah. It was as fun as it sounds,” Samantha said. I couldn’t see her eyes through the dark sunglasses, but I was sure that part was aimed at me. “You never came to help no matter how many times I wrote to you.” She walked toward Claudia. “I begged you—”
Samantha looked off to the side for a long moment, and it was like the anger drained from her. When Samantha finally looked at Claudia again, she was much calmer. “You know what? I’m not doing this. Look, Cloud. I don’t blame you for bailing on me after we found out all that stuff about my dad, but don’t expect me to help you now.”
With that she stuck her earbuds back in and pushed past me and the rest of the guys. We stared at her in silence as she went around the side of the building to the stairs.
The door slammed behind her and I sighed. “Well, that went fantastically.”
“There’s so much I regret, but what I did to her… I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t even help myself.” Claudia tugged on her braid. “I’ll go talk to her. I’ll make this right. If she can see the tie to Astaroth, she can cut it. I just have to convince her we’re worth helping.”
I caught Claudia’s arm as she started forward. “Actually, let me give it a shot.” I didn’t have all the history that Samantha and Claudia had, which might make her more agreeable. Or at least less bitter.
Claudia looked to Lucas and then shook her head. “No. It’s my—”
“I’m not going to pretend to follow whatever was going on between the two of you, but I can relate to some of what she said.” I huffed a laugh as I ran a hand over my forehead. “I me
an, it sounds like she pretty much lived through one of my nightmares. My parents worked damned hard to teach me to keep my mouth shut about what I saw, especially at school…”
She seems very broken, chérie. That stuff about begging for help? It sounds like she’s had as rough of a time as Claudia these last few years. Maybe worse. You want me to go in there with you?
No. As much as I want you there, I don’t think it’d help. I can’t imagine being locked up like that. And if she was in there long…
He stepped toward me, pulling me against him. I’m thankful that never happened to you.
Me too. Samantha was like an alternate version of myself. If my childhood had gone any differently, I might’ve been her, instead of mated to Dastien and living a nice life. Granted, we were here because that life was being threatened, big time. But even in the worst of times, I was thankful for who I was, what I was, and for my friends. I had a lot to be thankful for.
Maybe Dastien had a point. Maybe I did have a pack. Maybe I would draw people to me. If there was one thing Samantha needed, it was a pack of her own. People who got her, despite the crazy. Even if she couldn’t help me, I had to let her know that I was her friend if she wanted one.
But the fact was, I did need her help. I hoped that I’d find a way to convince her, because I wasn’t sure how much longer I had before Astaroth used his tie again. I had to break it or be prepared to lose everything.
Ten
The stairs creaked a little as I walked up them to Samantha’s front door. The wood was nearly rotted through. If someone didn’t fix them soon, there was going to be a terrible accident. I was a little nervous as I reached up to knock. I’d faced a lot of terrifying things the last few months, but nothing was as scary as Astaroth having a tie to my soul. I wanted it gone more than I wanted air to breathe. This girl was the only person I knew of right now who could help me. I had to change her mind, but I didn’t have a clue how I was going to do that.
A whispered conversation filtered through the door. Spanish. Finally something not French. This I could understand.
