Vincent turned to me only when he found he was still unable to move forward. He seemed to struggle with what to say.
I knew exactly how he felt.
While watching Einar, I took Vincent's arm. When he wrapped it around me, I leaned on his shoulder while I watched Einar. The clay man stood, staring into nothing.
"Einar." When I spoke, Vincent gripped me tighter. Einar didn't look up. "Henry?"
There was a screech that reverberated through my mind. Vincent gasped and held me protectively until the cry died away.
We are Einar.
My energy was fading fast and I was having a hard time picking apart all the voices in my head.
"What is it that you want? What do you understand now?" I asked.
My tenuous hold on our protection was starting to break down. If Vincent tried to attack Einar or Einar us, I'm not sure I could hold them apart for long.
This world has changed.
"It has."
Would he attack now? Would we be safe if I stopped reading? Would it be safe to continue reading?
The lines of color were flooding over the surface of Einar's dark Path. He seemed to be having trouble containing everyone.
There is much more to learn before I continue.
"Let it go, Cass," Vincent said.
I hadn't realized I was leaning so heavily on him.
"Let it go." Vincent's eyes were on Einar.
Judging by the hard line of Vincent's jaw, I knew he had a plan, and I was pretty sure it wasn't one I was going to like.
Einar looked us both over before moving. I will take my leave for the evening.
Vincent's surprise mirrored my own. Einar came trying to kill us and he was leaving as though an invited guest.
Einar was out the door before we could say or do anything.
With him gone, my choice was clear. Concentrating hard, I moved the Path away. As the shimmering ripples disappeared, I sagged against Vincent.
He didn't move for a while. Since higher brain functions were mostly on hold for me, I wasn't sure if he was trying to decide what to do, if he was angry, or if it was something else entirely. With my head against his chest, I could hear his steady heartbeat. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on that sound, trying to drown out the confusion in my head.
"We should call Logan and Rider," Vincent said.
"Umm hmmm," I murmured, not opening my eyes.
Vincent guided me over to my bed. "I'll check the house first. Are you good here while I’m gone?"
The word 'no' almost flew out of my mouth. My insides twisted painfully because I desperately wanted to ask Vincent to stay. Einar was gone, but the voices were still there. I didn't want to be left alone with them.
Vincent sat down next to me on the bed. When he hugged me to him, I felt him shaking. I wasn't the only one having a difficult time with this.
After soaking up a few moments of comfort, I tried to sit up. His muscles tensed around me.
In a voice no louder than a whisper, he said, "I can stay."
The voices were starting to fade, but that only made me more aware of how utterly exhausted I was. I was trapped in indecision. Did I want him to stay?
That's a stupid question. Of course I wanted him there. It was Vincent.
Did Vincent really want to stay? I think he did. At least that is what I wanted to believe.
Did it matter either way? Another stupid question. It mattered in so many ways.
My mind twisted. Thinking through something was one thing, understanding the answers I tried to give myself was another thing altogether.
Vincent relaxed. Maybe because I hadn't moved away?
I closed my eyes and noticed once again that he wasn't wearing a shirt. My skin was warm everywhere we touched. It pained me knowing that I would have to move away.
There was a clatter downstairs. Vincent gripped my arm, and our decision was made for us.
"Stay here," Vincent said. He stood and was across the room before I could protest. His gun was in his hand, but my fuzzy brain couldn't remember if it was still loaded.
Trying to stand up and follow was a mistake. My stomach swam almost as much as my head and I quickly sat back down. Listening intently, I tried to decipher what was happening downstairs, but it was quiet.
After a few minutes, there were soft footfalls on the stairs. Relief flooded over me when Vincent appeared in my doorway.
"We need to call Logan," he said.
I took a mental note that he didn't enter the room. "Everything okay downstairs?"
"Einar's gone. Get some rest. I'll call."
Rest was something I could do. It was probably the only thing I could do. Trusting that Vincent had things covered, I slipped back into bed. I had barely tugged up my covers when I realized that Vincent hadn't said that everything was okay. Still, I trusted that he would let me know if he needed me.
Thunder rolled in the distance. The voices in my head were quieter, and focusing on the thunder helped me block out anything they might be saying.
After that long day, I should have slept like the dead. The real dead, not hopping-zombie-bunny dead. Instead, sleep came in fits of stilted dreams. I went from protecting my daughter in one dream to fighting Henry in another. When I woke up and saw the sun had come up, I decided to rise with it. The dream of running with the wind blowing through my fur left me feeling a little refreshed, but uneasy all the same.
The feeling of fur stuck with me so intensely that I checked the mirror twice to assure myself that there was only skin showing. After my shower, I had to resist the urge to shake myself dry.
My mind was too muddled from the night before. It was necessary to get up. I had to check on things, see what my partners were doing, and make sure everyone, especially Vincent, knew I was fine.
Then I could go back to bed.
Halfway down the stairs, the doorbell rang. "Come in!" I hollered, not wanting to be bothered with actually answering the door. Thankfully, Gran wasn't here to see me do that.
Rider came in. He looked almost as tired as I felt, but there was something else too. I narrowed my eyes and saw him do the same. Carefully, I moved towards him. Something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He looked, I don't know, darker somehow, like a cloud was casting a shadow over his entire being.
Rider glared at me. His lip curled back and he let out a snarl that caused me to pause, but I returned a scowl and continued moving towards him.
It was the animal in him. That was the difference. I could sense the beast that hid below his skin. Taking a wide circle around him, I could sense the shifting wolf. Rider's skin stretched around his hands as they began to change shape. He didn't turn as I stalked around him, but when I stepped closer, he growled.
Chapter 26
The growl from Rider reverberated through my bones, making me want to step back, but I stood my ground.
"Move back." It was a command that Rider issued, not a request.
There was something inside me that wanted to move away, but another part, the stubborn, stupid part of my brain, made me take a step forward. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. Rider, looking furious, took a step towards me. His hands were elongating, and sharp, thick nails protruded.
"Hey!"
Startled, my eye contact with Rider broke and I looked up at Vincent's glowering face. It felt like I had been doused with cold water.
"Cass, move back," Vincent said. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
The stupid part of my brain was still in charge, though. I glanced up at Rider and met his gaze. My face grew hot as embarrassment took root.
What the hell was I doing? "Rider-" I started.
Rider's hand shot out with speed that I couldn't follow. He gripped my arm, and pain flared where his nails dug in.
My mind whipped forward almost as quickly and plunged into the Path. With as much strength as I could muster, I shoved a wedge between us. Rider didn't let go of my arm, but I co
uld make certain that's the only part of me he'd reach.
But it wouldn't last. In moments, my grasp on the Path started to waver while Rider's became stronger.
"What's going on?" Vincent asked. I could see his eyes starting to darken.
"I don't know..." I started, but I wasn’t sure how to finish the thought.
A loud, high-pitched whistle filled the room.
Wincing, I looked up and saw Logan making the noise.
The sound caught Rider and Vincent's attention as well. Rider's grip loosened and I let the Path fall away.
The wolf looked down at me as the world went dull. Aside from his nose flaring, as though I smelled bad, there wasn't anything different about him. He was Rider and nothing more.
The noise stopped.
Rider looked down at his hand in confusion before drawing it away. He didn't meet anyone's eye, and he didn't look happy.
"Someone needs to tell me what happened." Vincent looked like he was having a harder time letting go of his frustrations.
"I think I started something," I said, trying to draw Vincent's ire away from Rider, "I'm not sure what, though."
"Rider?" Vincent asked.
"Something is different." Rider still wouldn't look at anyone. I could sense his irritation, but his hands were back to normal.
The uncomfortable silence spread throughout the room.
"I'm getting some coffee," I said. Even the small reading of the Path had wiped me out. And besides, I really wanted out of that room. I felt as though I had broken some unwritten rule with Rider, which made my stomach squirm.
Logan followed me into the kitchen, but the others stayed behind.
"Vincent told me you had quite the night," Logan said.
"Yeah." I thought about Vincent's arms around me and felt my face grow warm. I put those thoughts out of my head and poured my coffee. Once I was situated at the table, Logan started again.
"Seems to me, there might be some blanks in the story." When I didn't say anything, he went on. "Vincent said there was a long span of time where he wasn't sure what was happening."
I glanced towards the living room. Nothing could be seen or heard from Vincent and Rider. "I'm not sure I know what happened myself. It was... I'm really not sure. I read Einar's Path and think I know what he is. He's a golem."
Logan frowned. "You mean the creature from Lord of the Rings?"
Could it be that I knew of something that Logan didn't? "Um, not exactly. It's something created. Out of clay."
"You mean he’s not a Lost?" Logan asked.
All those voices that had called out from Einar. They had all been Lost. Henry had taken their essence and poured them into the clay man, along with himself. Henry had been a Walker. I looked towards the living room again. Would Vincent get upset if he knew? How would he feel if I told others?
"Uh, I don't think we can rule that out yet. Did you all find anything last night?"
"There was an old church, but nothing looked out of order. If you know what we're looking for, we should probably stop by again."
"I'm not exactly sure."
"I'll call Hank and see if he can-"
"No!" I hadn't meant to be so adamant, but it popped out of my mouth that way. "I mean, let's research a bit before bringing this to the office."
Was that approval on Logan's face? He doesn't like AIR knowing too much, so maybe he thinks I’m siding with him. Maybe I am. Sometimes I wondered why he works with the agency.
"It's not a big deal." I fidgeted with my cup of coffee. "I should go check on the rabbit."
"Your rabbit is gone."
"What?" Instinctively, I picked my feet up off the floor.
"According to Vincent, it seems like Einar took him last night."
"Why would he take the rabbit?"
"Maybe he was the one who sent it?" Logan suggested.
That thought wasn't appealing. If last night was any indication, Henry had the ability to put a soul into something.
"There's something you're not telling me." Logan didn't mean it as an accusation, only a statement. "Does it have anything to do with what happened between you and Rider?"
I shook my head. "I don't know what happened between Rider and me."
"Looked like the two of you were about to duke it out."
"I wasn't...I mean, I wouldn't..." I was stammering and had no real idea of what to say.
"Good." Logan's voice lost its musical tone. "Tell me what happened in there."
When I looked at Logan to repeat my answer, I saw that he wasn't looking at me.
Rider leaned against the kitchen entryway but didn't come any closer. "She is different."
"How so?" Logan asked.
"Her smell has changed," Rider said.
I rolled my eyes and went to get another cup of coffee. "I don't smell," I mumbled under my breath.
That got the first grin I had seen from Rider this morning, but he still seemed to be unwilling to look at me. "Everything has a scent."
"Great. Do I smell like Einar? I took a shower," I said. It seemed like a wise move to put a bit of space between Rider and myself, so I stayed behind the counter.
Rider shook his head. "I smell werewolf."
My mind flashed to the dream of the wind blowing through my fur as I ran. I felt rooted to the spot.
"Werewolf?" Logan asked.
"There are other smells. For me, the werewolf stood out. Especially when the wolf started to circle."
"You were going to attack her because her smell changed?" Vincent came in keeping his face blank. "I thought you two were friends?"
"I would have attacked the wolf." Rider glared at Vincent.
"Really? It certainly looked like Cassie you had hold of," Vincent said.
"It looked like Cassie, but the wolf was stronger."
"You only-"
Logan cut Vincent off. "Enough." They looked at the elf, but his gaze was on me. "Cassie?"
I felt like a teacher had called me out at school to 'share with the class' what I had been doing.
“My smell has changed before,” I said, trying to stall. “Why is this different?”
“Her scent has changed before, but she was still there,” Rider said, not looking at anyone.
“So what’s different now?” Logan asked, his gaze fixed on me.
Glancing at Vincent, I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping he wouldn't get upset when I told the others about the Walker. About Henry.
There was no use hiding it, though. Filling them in took a while. I described how I stupidly delved into the Path and then what I had learned. Vincent's cold face became stiffer the longer I talked.
Glossing over the details of what the Lost suffered at the hands of Henry seemed like the best idea. Sadly, things don't always work out the way I want them to.
"You saw this through Henry?" Logan asked.
"No.” I struggled with what to say. “Well, part of it I saw through Henry."
Vincent's anger was whipping around the room.
"The rest...” I took a deep breath. “The rest I saw through those that he took. Everyone.”
"Walkers can't do what you described," Vincent said flatly.
"I'm sorry, Vincent." I meant it too. I was so sincerely sorry to have to tell him about Henry in front of everyone else. "But I think this one can."
"You've been tricked," Vincent said, his voice still level.
"Tricked?" I hadn't really thought about that. Was it even possible to trick a Path? "I don't think so. Einar didn't know what I was, or what I could do."
"If he thinks he did all those things, really believes it, his Path would show you what he thinks." Vincent sounded so sure of what he was saying. It was starting to throw me off balance.
"I went into those lives. The old witch who put up a fight, the werewolf that thought of his wife. There were others too. They were jumbled and confused, but they were there."
Vincent crossed his arms and shook his head. "It's easier for you to beli
eve a Walker is a monster than it is to believe that you might be wrong."
Logan raised his eyebrows at Vincent. Even Rider, who still hadn't looked at me, was watching his partner with uneasiness.
"I don't think I'm wrong here," I said. "I'm not saying you would do this. I'm saying that Henry did this. He thought he was helping. At least in the long run."
"You don't take more than one soul at a time, and you can't animate a statue with what you have." Vincent's voice was starting to confirm his bitter anger.
Except we knew that Walkers could take more than one soul at a time, because we had seen it happen. Bringing up Vincent's friend now would only make things worse.
I tried a different tactic. "I don't think Henry tied their souls together with the clay. There was another man-"
"We heard what you said about the other guy," Vincent said.
My eyes began to sting. This was not the time to start tearing up. "This happened in the Civil War, right? Is it possible that Walkers could do different things back then?"
"Maybe what he is does not matter." Rider was watching his partner carefully. "Cassie could be wrong. I think we have to take that as a possibility. But, does it matter either way? He is a killer. We know that as a fact."
The doorbell rang. I hesitated, not knowing if I should walk by Rider, but then I decided it didn't matter. Anything was better than being in this room. Vincent and Rider both seemed to think I was wrong, my best friend wouldn't even look at me, and I had no idea what Logan thought about the whole situation.
When I yanked the door open, my spirits lifted. "Morning."
"I wish I could say it's a good one," Ethan said. "Is your team here?"
My heart sunk a little. "Everyone's in the kitchen." I closed the door behind Ethan, and when I turned around, he hadn't moved. "What’s wrong?"
Ethan tugged me into him and gave me a kiss. I had momentarily guilty thoughts about last night, but I shook them off. Vincent and I hadn't done anything wrong, and we had gone through a life-or-death situation. It was enough to stir up anyone's emotions.
By the time the kiss ended, I was smiling.
"I thought we should fit that in before business got in the way," Ethan said, looking down at me in his arms.
Stolen Sight (AIR Book 3) Page 21
