Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  Sophie watched Lilli pale. “Yeah, it all happened so fast.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” Katie seemed oblivious to the panic on the girls’ faces and set a glass of sweet tea in front of both of them. “What are you going to order today?”

  Sophie told her their orders and waited for Katie to head toward the kitchen. She looked around again to make sure no one listened. No one was, everyone concentrated on their own conversations. Satisfied, she glanced back at Lilli. “Everyone knows about the library. That can’t be a good sign.”

  Lilli took a sip of her tea. A little bit of color returned to her face. “No, not everyone. Katie probably knows because her best friend works in the library, remember?”

  Sophie shook her head. “Yeah, I forgot that. I just feel paranoid now.”

  “I hope Jackson will be there.”

  “He will.” Sophie was sure Jackson would follow Lilli into hell if she asked him to. “They have as much riding on this as we do.”

  “Who do you think Ruth and Demetri really are? And why do you think the address leads to a church?”

  Sophie shrugged. “Maybe they’re from the Vatican?”

  Lilli giggled. “Nah. I don’t think they look like the Vatican type.”

  Katie set their food down on the table. “I brought you ranch dressing. That okay?”

  Lilli nodded, “Thanks, Katie. Hey, did you ever get into med school?”

  “My interview was last week. They say it takes a few weeks to hear an answer, so cross your fingers.”

  “Crossed.” Lilli smiled and held up her crossed fingers.

  “She’s so excited.” Sophie bit into her chicken. It tasted like heaven.

  “I would be, too.” Lilli poured the ranch dressing around in swirls on her salad.

  A small pang hit Sophie. She swung her attention back to Katie and concentrated for a moment. All she could sense was happiness and laughter bubbling out of their waitress.

  “We should hurry. I don’t want to be late for what may be the most important meeting of our lives.” Lilli took another bite.

  Sophie mimicked her. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  When they were done Sophie left a generous tip on the table.

  “She’ll need that.” Lilli bundled back up in her pea coat and slid her gloves on.

  Sophie slid her own jacket and gloves on when Lilli took the check to the register and paid. There was a shiver on the back of her neck and she fought to keep from staring around the room to see if something was here. She didn’t want to worry about it. Not right now when there were more dangerous things to be concerned with.

  They headed back into the cold rain and Sophie sighed. She could breathe easier without being in such a large group of people. She pulled her hood up over her hair. She’d straightened it with the hopes that Tristan would notice but hadn’t really thought about the rain.

  So much for trying.

  Morgan would probably look great, as usual. The rain probably didn’t fall on her pretty little head.

  “What was that?” Lilli turned her head to look at Sophie. They stood under the plastic cover at the bus stop.

  Sophie wasn’t aware she’d muttered her thoughts aloud. “Oh, nothing.”

  Lilli jostled up and down to keep warm. Her green eyes implored Sophie to keep talking

  “Why is Morgan such a witch? It’s not like I did anything to her.”

  “God, where is the bus? Sophie, I don’t know what makes her that way. You’re the empath, not me. She didn’t look happy when Professor Whittaker handed her the directions. I’ll be surprised if she shows.”

  Sophie was ashamed to admit she hoped the girl wouldn’t. Morgan knew Tristan, liked him, and that made Sophie’s skin crawl. The vision popped in her mind again. The bus rolled to a squeaking stop in front of them and they loaded on. Suddenly all she could think of was when Thane took Sofrina’s hand. The memories that had surfaced of the two of them.

  “What’s on your mind? You’re being quiet again.” Lilli led her to two seats near the front.

  There were more passengers this time but most of them were asleep. Sophie didn’t have to worry about their emotions right now. She only had to worry about her own. “Nothing.” She lied.

  Lilli frowned. “Whatever. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

  “Lilli, it’s not like that. Just give me some time to sort this out.”

  “Promise you’ll tell me when you’re ready?”

  “Promise.” Sophie held two of her fingers up.

  “That’s a peace sign, Sophie.” Lilli smiled. “You were no girl scout.”

  By the time they got off the bus the rain had tapered off to a drizzle but Sophie’s breath clouded in front of her. She and Lilli walked the block to the address Whittaker had given them. It was dark enough to creep her out with only the street lamps lighting their way.

  “I really don’t like the dark.” Lilli put her arm through Sophie’s and yanked her closer. “It’s so creepy out here.”

  Sophie glanced around and agreed. The sidewalks were uneven and weeds sprouted up in between the cracks. Litter clung to the streets and a group of men stood outside a rundown building covered in graffiti. They huddled in a circle, all dressed in ripped and stained clothing.

  The girls picked up their pace.

  Sophie didn’t know if this was what alerted the men to their presence, or if they’d already known the girls were there. And alone.

  The smallest one made a crude gesture to the others and the group erupted into catcalls and laughter.

  “Sweetie, where you going in such a hurry?”

  Sophie heard the small one’s voice when he called out. The undercurrent in his tone sparked fear in her and his muddy spirit rose to envelop her. No one was around to hear them scream. The old, condemned buildings shielded them from the eyes of the people on the next street. Sophie reached for Lilli’s hand and pulled her faster along.

  “Hey!” The man, obviously the leader by the way the others mimicked his actions, yelled louder. Like if they heard him, they’d stop and have a nice chat.

  Sophie felt his intent change. Now that they’d ignored him, he was angry. His essence extended toward them on black, skinny tendrils. She ran with her head turned to keep an eye on the men.

  “Can we?” One of the men asked.

  The short man took a last puff on his cigarette and discarded it. His foot stomped down, extinguishing it, then he nodded to his friends.

  The men shot forward.

  Lilli screamed. Her eyes widened when she saw how fast the men ran. Their footsteps pounded on the sidewalks.

  Two of the men crossed the street to stay behind them. The other three crossed the street a few yards ahead of the girls.

  Sophie’s breath burned through her lungs like fire. The men caged them in. Hunted them. Their anger rolled over her, making her stomach clench. She and Lilli skidded to a halt, there was no where for them to go. Horror seared her. Sophie could see the church now, only half a block past the small, crude leader.

  Lilli tightened her hold on Sophie’s hand but stayed silent. Sophie could feel the thread of panic twisting from Lilli’s arm to hers.

  The night closed in around Sophie. She watched the three men come to a stop in front of them.

  “Didn’t your mother teach you that it ain’t polite to ignore someone?” The leader came closer. A long, red scar ran down the side of his face. He smiled and flashed several gold teeth.

  The men around him laughed.

  Sophie glanced back and saw the two behind them move in. They were much larger than their boss, with tattoos that covered more than half their bodies. Underneath their tough exteriors they feared the small man.

  They were terrified of him.

  Which meant he was extremely lethal to have earned the fear of men much larger than himself.

  Sophie’s heart beat painfully in her chest. She turned back around with a new terror and locked her eyes
on the small man. She wanted to keep his attention on her and away from Lilli.

  The night was quiet around them. No one answered Lilli’s scream from before and Sophie knew they were on their own.

  The small man stared back. Then he looked over her shoulder and nodded.

  Rough hands grabbed her arms and shoved her forward. She stumbled in front of the leader and fell to her knees.

  “Right where I like my bitches.” He cackled. The sound made the hairs on her neck stand on end.

  Sophie’s lungs constricted.

  This man had killed many, many people in his lifetime. Their screams and horror filled her. He’d have no problem squeezing the life out of them.

  Sophie had to keep his attention on her. She forced herself to look into his eyes.

  They were dead. No emotion poured forth and that scared her more than hearing the victims scream inside her head.

  He was unmerciful.

  She started to shake. There was no way out of this. The irony of the situation hit her. They’d survived a demonic attack only to be killed by a human.

  “Such freaky eyes.” He grabbed her chin and leaned closer.

  Sophie didn’t let on that his fingers squeezed a little too tight or that his touch scorched her skin. More of his memories spilled into her mind and clouded her thinking. There were so many girls. She wanted to throw up when she saw what he did to them. Forced them to pleasure him before he raped and murdered.

  Lilli shrieked. Sophie jerked her chin out of his hand and looked back at her friend.

  One of the men held Lilli around the waist. His chest pressed up against her back and he rubbed himself on her. The other sniffed at the base of her neck.

  Bile rose in Sophie’s throat. “Leave her alone!” She leaped toward them.

  A brutal hand closed around her arm.

  “No!”

  The leader jerked her. Her body snapped back like a rubber band. The flow of her hair covered her face for a moment.

  “You aren’t going anywhere.” He hissed in her ear and tightened his arms.

  The movement brushed the hair out of her face.

  Breath caught in her lungs.

  Tristan stalked out of the shadows. His eyes burned with rage. He wasn’t as large as the men holding Lilli but his body moved with the deadly precision of a jungle cat.

  Jackson wasn’t far behind. He towered over the thugs handling Lilli. His angelic face seethed with righteous anger.

  Tristan growled low in his chest. He balled his fist and threw it over her shoulder.

  Bone crunched in her ear. The leader let go of her with a painful gasp.

  Sophie wrenched herself away from the small man and looked for Lilli. She saw Jackson use a small mental push to knock three of the thugs back.

  Aidan arrived and helped Lilli up. He pushed Lilli behind him and eyed the man advancing on him. Fire burst over his sleeves. Aidan hesitated and horror flared on the man’s face.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  Tristan held the small man up by his collar. He shook the guy, muscles rippling in his arms. Tristan’s anger pulsing through him. He looked every bit as lethal as the animals he could turn into.

  “Please. I wasn’t going to hurt her.” The guy looked over Tristan’s shoulder at Sophie. She could hear the scuffle going on behind her and knew that Aidan and Jackson were taking out the rest of the group. “Didn’t mean any harm. Just having fun.”

  Tristan growled louder. His eyes changed to their green-yellow.

  “Christ, I’m sorry.”

  “Just let him go.” Sophie whispered, tired of this. All she wanted to do was get far away from the men and their darkness.

  She moved closer to Tristan and placed a hand on his arm. The muscles jumped beneath her palm and heat spiked through her body. She did her best to ignore it, and the terror quaking through her, instead focusing on how rigid his body was. “We should go. We don’t want to be late.”

  Little by little the muscles in his body relaxed. He dropped the man.

  The guy scurried backward until he hit the wall of a building.

  Tristan looked down at her, his eyes going back to gray. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” Now that he was here. Distantly, she could sense the thugs leaving.

  “You girls are never coming here by yourselves again.” Aidan stood to the side as Jackson scooped Lilli up and murmured to her. “It’s not safe.”

  “Thank you.” Sophie told them. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you guys hadn’t came when you did.” Actually, she knew all too well. She reluctantly pulled away from Tristan. He kept a hand on the small of her back.

  “No thanks needed.” Jackson took Lilli’s hand.

  “I’m going to wait at the bus stop for Morgan. She shouldn’t be out here by herself.” Aidan glanced in the direction the men had fled.

  “Okay. We’ll meet you inside.” Sophie didn’t think the men would come back there for any victims. Revenge, maybe.

  Jackson and Lilli led the way. They walked close to each other.

  Tristan walked next to her. His hands were in his jacket pockets and his hair ruffled in the wind.

  Sophie saw his jaw clench. “Thank you.”

  For a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her whisper.

  “You’re welcome.” His voice was soft and he looked at her. Those gray eyes sent the cold out of her body. “Did he hurt you?”

  Sophie shook her head. “Not really.” Thought a moment, then, “I saw the women he...what he did to them. It was horrible.”

  “Will you dream about it tonight?”

  “Probably.” They were almost to the church now. “But it won’t be the first time.”

  They came to a stop at the church gates. A shadowy cathedral emerged to stare passively over an unkempt lawn. An iron fence that met at twin stone pillars protected the property.

  “Creepy.” Sophie whispered. She noticed the pair of midnight blue gargoyles that glared down at them from their perches atop the pillars.

  They stood in a line, staring through the gate at the hallowed grounds.

  A raven cawed and landed on the tip of a gargoyle’s ear. It flapped its wings in agitation when they looked up at it.

  Sophie could swear it looked directly at them when it pranced over the gargoyle’s head to the opposite ear. Chills shivered up her arms.

  It gave one more screeching caw and lifted up into the air. It dove straight at them, the beat of its wings feverish.

  The girls screamed and they ducked. The guys slung up their arms to protect their faces.

  The raven screeched again, veering up and away from them.

  Sophie watched it fly into the clouded darkness over the church. “Oookay.” She looked back at the others. “We going in or what?”

  Jackson pushed at the gate. It slowly creaked open. He rubbed the rust on his hands off on his jeans.

  “There’s no one around.” Sophie remarked. They walked up the cobblestone path. Wind whistled through the nearly naked trees lining the lawn. She almost thought she’d see several headstones off in a corner somewhere.

  “It’s too quiet out here.” Lilli frowned.

  The front entrance loomed in front of them. Two solid oak doors stood well above their heads. Smaller stained glass windows flanked the doors and wrapped around the corners of the building.

  “Ready to do this?” Tristan asked. He didn’t wait for them to answer and stepped up to the doors.

  Sophie’s stomach twisted. It wasn’t quite butterflies and it wasn’t nausea. She just felt something urged her to take the step forward.

  Tristan said nothing when she brushed past him and opened the doors. He followed behind her, not making a sound.

  The four of them entered the foyer.

  “Wow.” Sophie allowed her shock to color her voice. “This is beautiful.”

  “I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous.” Lilli spun around to take it all in.

 
; The vaulted ceiling went three stories high. Painted across the ceiling was the depiction of Michael defeating Lucifer. Everything was open, with archways and floor to ceiling windows. The floor was hardwood and rustic looking, molding well with the burgundy walls and golden orange decorative pieces hanging on the walls. The room was lit with candles and a crystal chandelier that hung low over their heads.

  The foyer itself was circular. There were three archways that led off to other rooms.

  “I’m glad to see you came.”

  Sophie started at the sound of Whittaker’s voice. She and the others turned around to see the professor dressed simply in a pair of jeans and navy sweater. She was much more beautiful without the straw hat and horned-rimmed glasses she wore in class. Her blonde hair shimmered in the candle light and her brown eyes were large and warm.

  “Hello, Professor Whittaker.”

  She laughed and motioned for them to follow her into one of the archways. “You can call me Ruth. It’s my real name.”

  Sophie and the others glanced at each other before they followed.

  “Just a guess, but you’re not really a professor, are you?” Sophie asked. They turned a corner. Tristan and Jackson strode behind the girls and remained quiet. Watchful. She was glad to have them at her back.

  “What blew my cover?” Ruth questioned wryly. She opened a doorway and then preceded them down a flight of stairs. “Me, Demetri, and a few others work out of the basement here. Our organization owns the church.”

  “What organization?” Tristan asked from behind. They came to a stop at the bottom.

  Another door stood before them. It was solid black. In the center was a red sun surrounded by six golden stars.

  “I’ll explain everything when all of you are here.” Ruth opened the door.

  The room was not what Sophie expected. It didn’t look at all like an “organization” worked out of it. The four walls were a deep red with the symbol painted on each one. The floor was the same hardwood as the foyer and decorated with small rugs. In the middle of the room sat a table with several chairs. In each corner a shelf held books wrapped in ancient leather covers.

  Demetri leaned against the table and brooded over a file. Even completely still he seemed full of force, like he could pounce in a moment’s notice. He looked up when he heard the door close behind them. The corner of his mouth turned down. Within seconds he went back to his reading.