by Tess Oliver
"We've been in talking to Feenix." I looked past him at his horse. "How is Goliath? I heard he took a bite to the ass."
"Yeah, idiot. He shot me straight into the air. I nearly landed in a sludge hole. He'll be fine. What's up?"
Tracker joined us. "You just missed Rafferty and Colt. They were in a hurry to start their time off. Not sure why. Without the Wynter Fare showing up at Jemma's place, it's hardly worth the price of a pitcher of beer."
I raised a brow at him. "Really?"
"Nah, you're right. Jemma's beer is always worth the price. I just wish I had some Wynter pussy to go with it. Guess you heard about Kay." Tracker shook his head. "She was a wildcat. Even I couldn't handle her."
"Yeah, I told her she was going to get into trouble. Didn't expect her to get killed though."
"Actually that's what we're here about," Flint spoke up. "That MC that seemed to pop up out of nowhere—the Masters of Mayhem—turns out they really did pop up out of nowhere. Or to be more exact, out of Vapour's realm."
Zander looked at each of us to see if we were just pulling their legs. "You're kidding? How the hell?"
Stryker looked around for Catch. The goblin was on the other side of the river with Rikki. "We met up face to face with a few of them at the Sins. Flint recognized some of them as a few of the depraved souls from years past. The leader is Cannibal. It's definitely them. And we have proof that a witch is helping Vapour reanimate their souls to send out into the world. You've no doubt heard some of this from Jemma."
"She mentioned that you guys were onto something big." Zander walked around and climbed on his horse's back. Tracker did the same.
Zander held back his stallion, who still looked pissed off about the wraith bite. "I'll fill Raff and Colt in. Let us know if you need our help."
I patted Goliath's neck. "We will. We've already let Feenix know that we're going to need to be out in force to obliterate them. We just need to find them first. In fact, if you see any signs, track them down. Something tells me they know we're on to them, and they'll probably be avoiding Cliffmoor."
Tracker turned his horse. "Will do." He kicked Rio forward.
"Hey drink a pitcher for me," I called to them as they rode off.
Thirty-one
Rikki
Catch put his hands on his hips and stared down into the empty river. "Well, Trex, looks like you and I have some free time. Guess you'll be heading out to wherever it is you go. I think I'll go in and see if Steemer needs some help. The horses are taken care of, and the Boys won't be off for hours."
Sometimes it was easier to nod my agreement than to burn my throat with the terrible, scratchy voice. The job would be so much easier without the disguise. I nodded and waved to let Catch know I was on my way, then I turned the boat around to ferry back to the other side.
I was bone tired and ready to go home and eat, shower and drop into bed. I'd caught only fleeting glimpses of Maximus with his pack. They had gotten to work early to have a talk with Feenix. Unfortunately, it was too hard to talk with him while we were in the underworld. I'd have to wait until we were both free to find out how the meeting with Feenix had gone. I saw them talking to Zander and Tracker, so I could easily conclude that the counter attack on Vapour's plan was in full motion. The entire thing made me a little more than nervous.
I tied off the ferry and headed along the bank and across the sticky, mist covered barren field that led to my portal. As I walked past the slick, jagged rocks lining one side of the field, four big ravens shrieked and flew out of their hiding places. It startled me and I stumbled forward but caught myself. I had no idea what had scared them. Most likely it was just the river stench on my tattered cloak.
I reached the carved out rock where I stashed the cloak and veil. I was thrilled to be relieved of the moisture soaked garment. The cloak was several layers thick, which helped keep the smell of the river off my jeans and t-shirt. But tonight it seemed even my clothes had absorbed the rank odor. A hot, soapy shower would be nothing short of heaven.
Just like on the outside, the portal was not visible from the inside. But Trex had marked the spot with a black stone that was now worn smooth from years of us ferrymen traveling over it. That thought made me smile. I was never quite sure if my dad would even consider letting me take his place at the helm, and I was never sure I wanted it. During my teen years, I thought there would be nothing worse than the ferryman job. It gave me the creeps to even think about, and I knew my disdain for the idea had left my dad feeling a little lost about how the family business might continue without a logical male heir. But now that I'd been forced into taking the position, I found it a rather interesting career choice. Occasionally, the grim atmosphere and my equally grim cargo got to me, but I found it was easy enough to shake off the melancholy once I stepped back into the human world. In fact, it made me appreciate life just that much more.
I reached up and pressed my hand against the invisible gelatinous opening. I felt the warmth of my hand transfer to the plasma, and the sticky substance fell away. Just as I lifted my foot to step through, an ice cold hand pressed over my mouth. A strong arm wrapped around my waist. I struggled against my captor, but it was no use. We both fell through the portal together.
I landed face down in the loamy dirt of the forest with the man on top of me. The rock markers on the outside bruised my shins as I wriggled to free myself from his grasp.
"Lie still, girlie." His breath was as putrid as the odor on his pinstriped suit. The outdated suit, his burial clothes, assured me that Vapour had once again let loose one of his dangerous tenants. And from the looks of his clothes and the way he talked, it seemed my captor had been an earlier century gangster of some kind. Only the top level of criminals found their way to Vapour's realm, so he had most likely been a gang leader with a long history of murder and crime.
The gangster groaned as he pushed up to his feet, dragging me with him by my hair. What was with the underworld cretins and their obsession with my hair?
He held the long strands tightly, but I still spun around to face him. He was hideous with a deep scar crossing his neck and a nose that looked as if it had been broken so often it no longer resembled anything close to a nose.
"Ay, you're a pretty little thing. I think I'll get a big bonus for this catch. Thanks for getting me out of that hole."
My eyes shot toward the portal. It had closed up, but it would only take a quick touch for me to open it and jump back through, preferably without the mob boss on my tail.
"Uh," I said as I reached to my own neck. "I think you've got something there."
My theory that these reanimated criminals weren't terribly bright was proven. He released my hair and touched the scar on his neck, which I could only assume had been the cause of his untimely death.
I lunged toward the portal. Just as my hand warmed the plasma, he grabbed my feet and yanked me back so hard, my chin sliced open on the rock marker. My vision blurred from the pain, and a warm river of blood trickled down my neck.
I cupped my hand under my chin to catch the blood as he yanked me to my feet by my hair. "Fuck you. Let go of my hair, you lowlife."
His cold, dead eyes brushed over me. "You're just a little squirt. Now look what you've done to that pretty little chin." His fingers wrapped around my arm, and he squeezed it. "Come on. Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"I've got to find the boss and see what he wants to do with you. I was told to keep an eye on the ferryman and grab him when he went through the portal."
My instinct had been to catch the drops of blood. I realized, as he led me through the forest, that it was a mistake. Wherever he was taking me, I needed to leave a trail. Deep down in my heart, I knew Maximus would stop at nothing to find me. And I was going to leave behind something much better than bread crumbs.
It was close to two in the morning in the mortal world, and the roads were deserted. In the distance I could see the glow of lights from the Seven Sins. Only Maxim
us wasn't there. His shift had just barely started, which meant he would be in Wynter until tomorrow night. My dad would notice me missing first. But sometimes there were so many passengers my work shift was doubled. My dad might think I was working overtime. That thought sent ice through my veins. It could be hours before anyone noticed me missing.
I stumbled along next to the Al Capone wannabe and tried to keep ready for a chance to take off. But he kept his grip so tight, my fingers were numb from lack of blood flow. But the blood flow from my chin was working just fine.
We pushed through the last copse of trees. Through the branches I saw shiny flashes of chrome. His fingers clenched tighter as he yanked me through to the road. My head spun not just from blood loss but from the sight in front of me. Five more of Vapour's creatures were sitting out on the road, on their gleaming motorcycles, under a moonless sky. Each rider looked scarier and meaner than the next. And every one of them had a dead, lifeless gaze that cut right through me like shards of ice.
"About time," the biggest one with only one ear snarled. The way he looked at me, as if I was a juicy piece of fried chicken, sent a wave of nausea through me.
"Eh, don't break my head about it. The boss said I had to wait for the ferryman. So, here's the ferryman and what a knockout she is. Only she was better before the little accident." He pointed to my chin.
A white haired man with eyes that reminded me of the black and white googly eyes we'd used on school art projects tilted his head. The moonlight illuminated a deep scar across his forehead. "This isn't the ferryman, you fool." A long tongue wiped across his bottom lip like a windshield wiper. "But I say we take her back to camp for some fun."
"This is the same girl I saw," an angry voice spoke from behind the white haired creep. It was the man I saw when I fell through the portal. "Let's go before we're seen."
The big man who had eyed me like a tasty treat waved for the man holding me to walk forward. I made one last effort to break free from his grasp, but it didn't work. I had one more desperate idea that would probably earn me a punch in the face, but since I was already bleeding, I gave it a try.
We stopped right in front of the big, hungry man's motorcycle. I lifted my foot up high and brought it down on the gangster's black shoe. I gasped in shock as his foot flattened out as if I'd jumped on a pillow. The man stared down at his flattened foot, not showing even the slightest twinge of pain. It took a few seconds for the foot and shoe to bunch back up to their normal size.
The man laughed as he pointed at his foot. "Did ya see that? Boy, I could have used that skill back when I was alive." His comment earned him a fist in the gut from the big man. Just like with his foot, his stomach, pin-striped vest and all, spread out like a giant splatter and then slowly regained its shape.
"Hey, whad ya do that for?" he asked the big man.
"Because you're an idiot. Now put her on the back of my bike and climb on with Fibbs so we can get out of here."
His foot might have spread out like butter with one foot stomp, but his fingers gripped me like iron claws as he wrestled me onto the bike seat. My captor climbed on behind the man with the white hair.
My driver looked back. "You'd better hold on, ferryman. Don't want to leave you all over the highway."
"I'd rather be road kill than touch the likes of you," I sneered back.
"Suit yourself." He twisted the throttle and took off. I reached down and gripped the edge of the seat to keep from flying off the back. As I watched the asphalt roll past the bike, I decided road kill didn't sound all that fun. Besides, somewhere out there was a man with a six foot shoulder span and the strength of five men, who I was sure would move every last inch of earth to find me. I just wondered how long it would take Maximus to notice me missing. And I wondered just how long I had before these creeps decided to kill me.
Thirty-two
Maximus
I rolled my shoulders to get the kinks out. Shifting back to human form always left me feeling achy. The truth was I was too damn big for shapeshifting. I headed out of Wynter to pick up Barq and, with any luck, catch a free moment with the tempting ferry captain.
But the second I left Wynter, I felt my hackles rise as if was still in wolf form. Catch was pacing in front of the horses, talking to himself. The river was gurgling with souls waiting to be taken to their eternity, but the ferry stood tied to the dock with no captain on board.
"What's going on, Catch?"
He waved his hand frantically at the river. "We've got work to do and that stupid, old Trex hasn't returned. He sure does take long breaks these days." Catch shrugged. "Guess there's nothing I can do about it. Not my problem. That's what I told Steemer. Not my problem. Not going to worry about it," he said as he frantically scratched the spot behind his ear that he always rubbed when he was worried. I was feeling plenty worried myself.
"Grab Barq for me, and I'll go look for her." The stupid words slipped out so easily I hadn't noticed I said them until the goblin's puzzled face stared up at me.
"Who? Why are you going girl hunting? I need Trex, not one of your candy lipped curvy Wynter Fare. Even though I wouldn't say no to one." His laugh sounded like plastic being crumpled. But as my mind started circling around the idea that Rikki was in trouble, the stupidity just kept going.
"When did you last see her, Catch?"
Again, he blinked up at me, and I wanted to pound the befuddled expression off his face. "Her? Boy, you really do have your mind on women tonight, Max."
"I mean the ferryman. When did you last see Trex?" I snapped.
"Oh, Trex. He scuffled out of here about fifteen hours ago. That's why those souls are piling up out there. But guess that's no worry of yours now. You go on and kiss some of those pretty women for me." Catch reached out to knuckle me on the arm like we were just two good bros talking about women
I looked pointedly at his fist. He pulled it quickly back and shoved it in his pocket. "I'll get the horse." Fortunately, once his mind strayed to the topic of women, the little weasel forgot all about my slips of the tongue.
Flint had been hunting on all fours with me. He walked out rolling his neck. It always took a lot of physical energy and a great deal of pain to shift back to human form, especially after a long night of hunting. "Whooee, am I going to need a beer after tonight." Flint stopped to wait for Catch to gather up the horses. "Was it my imagination or were there more wraiths than usual tonight? And one of those sickle clawed ones, like the one that nearly killed Stryker, came at me from an overhead rock. Fucker jumped down in front of me and nearly got a chunk of my flesh before my fangs went into his throat. Ripped that sucker to pieces." He stopped and looked at me. "And you're not talking or adding to the narrative so something's wrong."
"Not sure." I motioned with my head toward the river. "Souls are piling up but no ferryman."
"Maybe she's just late getting back from her time off."
"Yeah, maybe. I'm going to head to her house to see if I can find her. See you at the Sins."
Catch led Barq and Harley out to us, and we climbed on. I reined Barq sharply around and pushed my heels into his sides. After a full night and day of rest, the stallion was ready to go. We flew back into Wynter. I lowered myself over his neck and we crashed through the plasma.
Barq's sides shrank and hardened to metal and his withers chromed up into a gas tank. The second my front tire hit solid ground, I grabbed the throttle. I headed straight through the forest, taking no time to slow for rough patches or deep holes. My motorcycle groaned as it slammed over the rough terrain. Once my tires hit smooth asphalt, I was off.
The white line down the middle of the road erased in a blur as I raced toward the marina. Each spin of the tire sent my pulse ahead just a little faster. I could sense it. I had already connected myself, heart and soul, to Rikki, and I knew something was wrong.
I stopped for only a short second to look up along the path that I knew Rikki walked to get to the portal. I turned my headlight toward the narrow stretch
of dirt and followed the glow with my eyes. I couldn't see any sign of her. I sat back down on the bike and took off again.
I'd start at her house and work my way back, all the way back to the river if necessary. I'd worried about startling Rikki's parents awake, but lights were on and Walt came hurrying out of the house, looking about the same shade as the pale moon above.
"Thank goodness, Max. Rikki never came home between shifts. I blame myself. I should have been working the ferry."
I patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Walt. I'm going to find her." I spoke with confidence, but my insides felt like fucking pudding. I had no idea where to look, and when I thought about how damaged every one of Vapour's creations were in human form and now in regurgitated form, I wanted to puke.
I headed straight back to the road. I'd start at the portal and work my way back from there. Every form of nightmare went through my head on the ride to the forest. I'd almost lost Rikki twice in a short span of time. Both times, with the banshees and in Vapour's realm, I'd been terrified but also confident that I could save her. I'd been in control in both of those situations, but this time was different. This time I had no control. Rikki was out there somewhere, scared to death and needing me. And I needed her. That was solid in my head now. Rikki was mine. I'd never imagined that I would find any woman who could work her way around my heart, but it had happened. I couldn't lose her.
I drove through the forest as far as I could on the bike and then ditched it to travel on foot. My gaze swept around looking for clues, like broken branches or pieces of clothing. I was so focused on finding something that I nearly missed the biggest clue of all. I stopped several feet from the rock markers in front of the portal and stared down at the black spots trailing along the forest floor. With the midnight sky above and the thick canopy of trees, it was almost hard to see them.
My heart slammed around in my chest as I stooped down and brushed my finger over one. I brought my finger to my nose. My horrifying hunch was no longer a hunch. It was blood. I looked up toward the rocks and saw a pool of dried blood on the rock marker.
