Transcend (Origin Book 2)

by Scarlett Dawn

  I lifted my hamburger, my eyes enormous with shock at his words. But I took another bite and watched the two stare each other down.

  “What?” Finn finally asked.

  “Jimble-Wamble-Boom.”

  Finn’s entire frame flinched. “You can’t call a Jimble-Wamble-Boom on God’s fucking mate!”

  They went back to their stare-down.

  I swallowed another bite. “What’s a Jimble-Wamble-Boom?”

  Did I really just say that?

  Cassander glared at his friend, explaining, “If I kill a shifter or a mate, they die permanently. But if someone else does it, they come back to life. Finn and I made a pact when we were much younger. If I ever needed someone dead but didn’t want them permanently dead, I would say Jimble-Wamble-Boom. Finn gave me his word of honor that he would do it, no matter what.”

  “Interesting.” I took another bite of hamburger, almost done with it. I wanted another one…and maybe water to drink too. “Sounds to me like Finn will need his sword instead of the blades he has on his body right now.”

  Finn snapped his attention to me. “That is God’s mate, Mina. You saw how he acted when she was just knocked out. Imagine what he will be like if I slice the little redhead up.”

  “You gave your word.”

  He ground his teeth together. “He is the alpha king, my alpha king. My loyalty is with him. If it were any other person, I would slice and dice, but it’s fucking Poppy!”

  “You gave your word,” I repeatedly slowly. “Or does that not mean anything to you?”

  “Don’t go there,” he muttered. His eyes flicked back to his friend. “Give me a reason. Just one fantastic reason.”

  Cassander’s lips thinned. “If you don’t kill her tonight, God is going to die.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  I smiled politely as I opened the front door. “Hello, Poppy.”

  She charged right inside and past me, mumbling over her shoulder. “Hey, Mina. Where’s Finn at?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  She marched off in the direction of the kitchen, her black boots eating up the ground quickly.

  I shut and locked the door and scrambled after her. For someone so short, she could really move fast. I finally caught up with her as she entered the kitchen.

  I was breathless.

  She was not.

  Perhaps I shouldn’t have had that last hamburger.

  Poppy continued to march into the room, but she slowed and turned in a circle. “He’s not in here.”

  “But I am,” Cassander stated. He walked into the far doorway and stared directly at Poppy. “Will you do something for me if I ask it? A favor to me?”

  “I don’t really have the time for it right now. But if it’s not tonight, I can do it. You know all you have to do is ask,” Poppy stated gently. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m going with you guys tonight. I don’t care what you say or what God says. If they’re letting Mina go, another mate, then I am going too.”

  Cassander took a step forward. “What if I told you if you go tonight, God is going to die?”

  She snorted. “Have you seen that man fight? Nothing will bring him down.”

  “I urge you to reconsider.” He took another step forward. “If you go, God will die.”

  “There are only two people who can actually kill him. And you and I would never do that.” She shook her head, her brows puckered. “I’m going.”

  “Please.”

  Her lips thinned. “You thought I was going to die today. And now God. Have you been sleeping? God says that you have problems sleeping occasionally.”

  He sighed heavily and ran his finger through his hair. “We’ve run out of time. Jimble-Wamble-Boom.”

  “What?” she asked, utterly confused.

  She didn’t even see him coming.

  Her back was to him per their plan.

  Finn moved so fast through the doorway behind me that the wind whipped against my face as he passed. His short sword gleamed under the interior light as it arced through the air.

  I shut my eyes. I didn’t want to see it.

  I’d hoped she would have listened to what Cassander was saying. She might have even been getting there. But she wasn’t fast enough.

  The thud of her head hitting a wall across the room caused my stomach to roll. Finn had decided head and arms. Those extremities would give us until we got back tonight. I flinched as the floor vibrated in front of me as her body fell.

  The two final hacks for her arms had me turning and running to the bathroom with my right hand over my mouth. Hearing it had been enough.

  * * *

  “What do you need me to do?” I asked, my entire body stiff with anxiety. “I can help with the cleanup if you’d like.”

  Finn had a rolled up clear tarp over his shoulder, the blood inside it smeared and Poppy’s torso and legs filling it. Apparently, when immortals come back to life after they die, the magic that regenerates them starts with the heart and works its way out.

  Finn was going to place her ‘body’ in one of the guest bathtubs while it healed itself.

  Cassander was burning her head and arms outside in a fire pit.

  I wasn’t sure who had the worse job.

  Finn cocked his head, asking bluntly, “Still think I should have done it?”

  My lips pinched. “If it saves God’s life, then yes.” I shook my head. “I just don’t see why Cassander couldn’t have told God not to go, instead of doing all of this.”

  “Have you met God?” Finn snorted. “He’s worse than Poppy is with his stubbornness. He wouldn’t have listened.”

  “How often are his visions correct?”

  “Almost always.”

  “But not every time.”

  “No, not every time.”

  “Well, I still think this was the best option. If I were in that situation, I’d rather die.”

  “I’m sure Poppy would have too. But we were in a time crunch.” He tipped his head to the cabinets. “There’re cleaning supplies in there. We only have twenty minutes before we need to leave. And we all have to take a shower before we go or God is going to smell her death on us.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Finn bent and kissed my lips softly. “Thank you.”

  There was a butchered body hanging over his shoulder, and all I could do was stare into his eyes.

  I had issues too.

  “You’re welcome.” I smacked his butt. “Get moving.”

  “Yes, my precious Mina.”

  I snorted and walked into the kitchen.

  It was a forensics unit nightmare.

  The bile that rose in my throat quickly swallowed down, I walked carefully through the blood…and bits. The cleaning supplies were right where he said they would be.

  I grabbed the gloves, bleach, and paper towels.

  The tiling was hard and cold on my knees, but the closer I scooched to the blood, the tiling warmed. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and started pouring bleach and scrubbing the floor of Poppy’s blood.

  A tear fell from my cheek into the mess.

  “Let’s go, people! We need to stop by my dad’s so I can drug him,” Cassander hollered and charged into the kitchen. His voice quieted when his eyes ran over my features. “That’s enough for now, Mina. It’s okay. Go take a shower.”

  I kept scrubbing. More tears fell.

  “Finn, you better get in here,” Cassander said, not raising his voice. “Your mate needs you.”

  A brush of air touched my back and then gentle arms were wrapping around me from behind. He had come for me. His large hands landed on top of mine as he murmured softly, “Let it go. She’s not actually dead. We didn’t really kill her. Remember?”

  I sniffled, sobbing, “I’m not cut out for this stuff. I tried to be strong for you. I knew what you needed to do. It was right. But this? The actuality of it? I can’t handle the aftermath of butchering a woman. It’s not right.”

  Finn’s gr
ip on my hands tightened, coaxing, “Then drop the rags. Leave it all behind. You never have to do this again.”

  I nodded and shoved it all away from me.

  My gloves went flying across the room.

  Then I turned and wrapped my arms around the white tiger, sobbing against his chest. “Get me out of here.”

  He lifted me into his arms and held me tight, speaking over my head. “We’ll take a shower together and be ready in time.”

  “Do what you must,” Cassander said softly.

  Finn ran down the hallway with me in his arms and crooned to me the entire time. Then he asked, “Do you want to go ahead with this tonight?”

  “Yes.” I rubbed my eyes against his shirt.

  “Okay, we’re going to catch a bad guy tonight.”

  “We damn well better.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  I poked through the antiques with trembling fingers. It was worth it, though. That was what I kept telling myself. The man who had led those women to their deaths would be caught tonight.

  The waist level shelf beside me didn’t look interesting, so I moved to the next one. I picked up a paper book and sniffed at it. Clean and fresh, not mildew and fire. It was tossed quickly back onto the littered table. How this business owner passed these items off as antiques was a miracle. One candleholder still had a price tag on it from a nearby city.

  I lifted a dainty, elegant hairbrush. It looked familiar—too familiar. I turned it over and found the name Odette on the handle.

  It was my mother’s hairbrush. An item her maid had stolen if I remembered correctly.

  “Fucking thieves,” I muttered under my breath. I pushed the handle of the hairbrush into my back pocket. I would be returning it to Mother as soon as I saw her next.

  My attention returned to the table with true interest this time. I shoved items aside and searched for anything else belonging to my mother. I found the table one row over.

  A pair of earrings went into my front right pocket.

  A silver necklace with my fucking picture inside it went into my left pocket.

  And the hat I hated the most out of my mother’s collection went on top of my head, the purple sparkle of it hideous.

  “Hello there, Ms. Kramer.”

  I jerked upright from my search and glanced over my shoulder to stare behind me. My nostrils flared as I turned around slowly.

  A man in a black mask stood behind me.

  Same voice, same mask. Same cold eyes.

  Mr. Valentine had arrived.

  I muttered, “Get the hell away from me.”

  Finn and Godric had stated I needed to play a part once Mr. Valentine arrived. I couldn’t act as if I wanted him to stay.

  “Don’t do anything rash. If you come along peacefully like last time, I won’t hurt you,” he stated calmly.

  I crossed my arms. “I’ll scream.”

  “And no one will hear you. It looks like the owner of this fine establishment has stepped out.” He waved a hand around the store. “Or hadn’t you noticed it was empty?”

  I glanced toward the owner’s office, acting afraid. “He’s here somewhere.”

  “I already checked. He’s gone.” Mr. Valentine walked toward me, and I started walking backward from him. “Don’t do that. It will only prolong this.”

  I sneered. “Sorry to make your job that much harder.”

  But I froze when the man jumped into the air.

  As in, he soared like a shifter.

  Mr. Valentine was supposed to be human.

  Or so the digital trail had said.

  I grabbed a golf club off the shelf and pointed it like a sword where he landed in a crouch.

  I growled, “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Who do you think I am?” Mr. Valentine lifted and stood straight.

  My brows puckered in confusion. “You’re a kidnapper.”

  He tsked. “I’m much more than that.”

  I sucked in a harsh breath. “You’re…”

  “Go on.” He strolled around the table in front of me.

  I kept moving backward, the golf club pointing. “You are a sick bastard is what you are.”

  “That wasn’t what you were going to say.” He waggled a finger at me.

  “You’re him. Master. You made Mr. Valentine up.”

  He snickered. “You caught me.” His hands flew into the air. “Now what are you going to do with me?”

  “Right now? Ask you why you did it all.” I lifted my chin. “I am a mate to a shifter, and I think you knew it too. You had me, played with me, and then left me. If you want mate souls, why would you do that?”

  He leaned forward, and whispered, “I like playing with them.”

  “Who?”

  “The six aberrations.”

  My eyes narrowed. “This is a game to you?”

  “No, I know what I want. I just go about it in a fun way.”

  “Let me guess. You’re some king of cat shifter.”

  He lifted his hands and curled his fingers like they were claws. “Meow.”

  “You’re fucking insane.”

  He stiffened.

  I smirked. “Oh, did that hurt the little kitty?”

  “You’ll know hurt tonight.”

  “I already have.”

  “Then you’ll know more. I’m finally going to get something I’ve wanted for a long time.”

  “That would be?”

  He pointed a finger at the ceiling. “Why don’t you tell them to come on in? We can start the fun then.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Fuck you.”

  All six of the ‘aberrations’ were on top of the roof, looking down on us through the sunroofs. They were watching and listening, waiting for that perfect moment to attack. It didn’t matter if he was a shifter or human.

  They didn’t want him to escape.

  And it wasn’t lost on me that he kept positioning himself near exits. Because I was doing that too.

  Godric walked through the front door, his hands thrown out, and a snarl on his lips. “I’ll play with you, motherfucker.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  The fake Mr. Valentine crooked a finger. “Come and show me how powerful the almighty God really is without his daddy around to save him.”

  Godric hissed, “Mina, get out of here.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice.

  I dropped the golf club and sprinted as fast as I could toward Godric, toward the front door. Another exit was closer but Godric was the safe bet. All that alpha king power was going to take that loon down.

  “Be careful,” I whispered as I flew past him.

  Then I was out the door.

  And slammed into a solid chest that belonged to my shifter. Oomph.

  Finn’s arms were around me in a flash, his lips pressed against my forehead. His muscled body was trembling softly. He breathed against my skin, and spoke, “He wouldn’t let me go in. He insisted it be him.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist. “It makes sense, Finn. I’m okay. And that asshole won’t be okay once Godric is done with him.”

  He continued to kiss my forehead in tiny, adoring pecks. “I need to get you out of here. Something isn’t right with all of this.”

  “Like bad intel?”

  “Yes. It feels like a trap.”

  The ground vibrated under our feet.

  I jerked inside his hold, peering up to his face. “Is that Cassander again?”

  “No, it doesn’t feel like Cass.”

  The earth sprouted golems all around us.

  One second, they weren’t there, and the next, they shot up from the ground taller than I was.

  There were so many, their disgusting leather skin touched me on all sides.

  I whispered, “Finn!”

  They weren’t ‘on’ yet. Now was the time to leave.

  “Put your arms around my neck,” he ordered.

  “I can’t even move my fingers. There’s no way I can get my arms up ther
e.”

  “Then hang on the best you can,” he growled, his furious eyes sweeping across each golem near us. “Here we go.”

  I dug my fingers into his back, holding tight around his waist. His arms were around my back, crushing me to him.

  I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t care.

  Finn bent his knees, jostling the golems around him. Then he shoved off with such power, my head flew back. It left me staring at the sparkling stars in the deep night sky.

  My eyes widened the higher and higher we soared, and then I huffed a harsh rush of air when we landed with a crackling thump. I wiggled inside his hold. He needed to let up on the rib cracking.

  Finn peered down at me, his arms releasing my frame. Only for him to place his palms on my cheeks. “Are you okay?”

  I sucked in oxygen, my heartbeat hammering fiercely inside my chest. “Yes. I’m okay.”

  I tipped my head to the side. We were on the roof.

  The five remaining corporate kings and Cassander were walking along the edges of the thick and flat concrete roofing,their eyes cast downward toward the golems.

  I peered down to study them too.

  And started shaking in terror.

  As far as I could see, there were golems.

  Black leathery creatures with no eyes.

  “He was playing with you,” I whispered in horror. “You know what he wants now.”

  He didn’t care about the mates’ souls.

  The bastard wanted the six aberrations’ souls.

  “Yes, we do.”

  The bastard had lured them here with false hope they would capture Mr. Valentine and the security that they could easily beat the golems. The vile man had played them quite well.

  I looked up at my white tiger. “Why hasn’t Godric—”

  He pressed the pad of his pointer finger against my lips and shook his head. He mouthed, “Information.”

  The most valuable commodity to have.

  Green lights started sparking around the building. One by one, they flicked on, casting out its evil power. It appeared as if the ground was black with glowing neon green holes pushing through the dirt. It was a terrifying visual.