Something vibrated, startling her. My cell. Janie drew in a deep breath and removed it from her pocket. Matt. She let it go to voice mail. A second later a text came through—miss u. She didn’t reply. Darn Imprint. Can life get any more complicated?
Not allowing thoughts of Kai or Matt to creep into her mind, she focused on the task at hand. She jogged into a sprint and barreled into the door. A spring shoved her body backward like she’d run straight into a large balloon. She opened her eyes—to her surprise, she was still upright and standing in the small kitchen, backpack slung over one shoulder and dagger in hand.
She ducked behind a tall chair. It sat squarely in the middle of the room, not one other piece of furniture in sight, other than a wet bar near the back wall. She realized the chair had created the rectangular shadow she’d seen through the window. The refrigerator must have been the other large shadow. She cringed to think about its contents. She doubted it was filled with grapes and bottled water, like at Kai’s.
As she stood to move, she kicked a red and white plastic cooler with the lid drawn open. She crouched back behind the chair and peered down into the box. A dark red, nearly frozen, human heart rested on top of the dry ice. Ugh—that gives new meaning to the term “frozen dinner.”
Janie skirted the chair and ran over to the far wall, shaking the gory image of human organs and TV dinners out of her head. She smashed up against the wall and listened.
Voices echoed in the room adjacent to the kitchen. A room she knew well—the old law office, just through a narrow archway. She’d been in that room one too many times. Kai was there, too. Again, she pushed any thoughts of him out of her mind. I have to focus.
There were at least three of them in the main room. They spoke at the same time. She heard a slap and realized the woman had struck the man for speaking over her. Apparently their manners were removed when their souls were.
Janie crept down the hallway, searching for a door leading to the basement. Peeling paint curled from the walls. She brushed by a strip of paint. It crumbled against her shoulder and the pieces showered on to the ground. The paint chips crunched under her boots. Janie shrank back, afraid they’d heard her.
The woman snapped at the man again. Janie continued forward.
She spotted a door. Pitch blackness shone through a small crack. Janie slid her hand in the opening and slowly opened it. Wooden steps led down to what looked like a black hole. She stepped down on to the first step. The wood creaked. She froze. The arguing stopped.
A man said, “Did you hear that?”
“It’s probably just the vampire. She could be awake,” the woman answered.
“Should we check?” A different voice spoke, a boy, definitely younger than the other two.
“Antony said to leave her alone.”
“Antony ain’t here,” the man said.
One of them, maybe the woman, stomped across the room. They continued to argue. Janie wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. It’s hot as hell in here. At least now I know Tanya’s down here.
Carefully and slowly, she descended into the basement. She searched for any sign of Tanya. A splinter of wood sliced her finger. She retracted her hand from the wooden rail and placed her lips around the cut. She sucked away the blood, the metallic taste on her tongue. Ouch!
“Tanya,” Janie whispered. She knew Tanya would hear her.
“Over here.” Tanya’s voice sounded weak. Janie wondered how they’d restrained her.
“My name is Janie. Jerome sent me to get you.”
“The Seeker?” Tanya laughed. “Why would Jerome send you?”
“I guess he figured I was the best girl for the job.” Janie stepped down on to the concrete floor. The smell of the basement made her nauseous—moldy cheese, stinky feet, feces, rotting meat and an outhouse rolled into one vile odor. Her boot adhered to something sticky. Unfortunately, she doubted it was gum. This was a time when gum under her shoe would have been a good thing. Her foot started to burn—Daychild blood. It had already begun to eat through the sole of her boot. Tanya must have injured one.
Ignoring the pain, Janie reached out in front of her. Her fingers brushed across a metal beam. Remembering her small flashlight, she slid it out of her pocket and clicked it on. “Where are you?” she said, waving the stream of light across the basement.
“You’re close, honey. Step to the right and come straight back. The jerk has me chained to a pole.” They had to be holding her with something other than silver. Silver burned their skin. They’d never be able to restrain her long enough to get the shackles on without injuring themselves in the process.
“Tanya, don’t try anything when I free you. I have orders to return you to Jerome.”
“Girl, if you get me out of here, I’ll be indebted to you. I don’t do filth. My mani-pedi is ruined. I’m a lady. Jerome keeps his Princess happy. . .and this—” Janie imagined Tanya scanning the room with a scowl stamped across her face. “This ain’t happy.”
Janie moved forward. Her foot squished like a wet galosh after a rain storm as she stepped down on to the concrete. She stepped lighter to lessen the burn. “Am I close?”
“Keep coming.” Tanya grabbed Janie’s arm. Janie spun out of Tanya’s grasp, shining the flashlight directly into her eyes. Tanya whipped her head out of the direct light. The chain rattled, metal against metal. Tanya attempted to retrieve Janie’s arm again. “How are you going to get these off me?” Tanya said. “And don’t shine that damn light in my face again.”
“Don’t grab me again, or I’ll leave you here to starve,” Janie said. She hadn’t thought about how to free Tanya from her restraints. Sure, she could move through objects using Kai’s ability, but that wasn’t going to free Tanya.
“I’m hungry and your Seeker blood sure smells good.” Tanya made a sucking noise.
“Tanya,” Janie warned.
“Just kidding, baby. Get me out of this dumpster and I’ll owe you. Cross my beating heart.”
“You don’t have a beating heart.” Janie jerked on the iron shackles.
“Details.” Tanya tapped her high-heel pump on the floor. “Girl, now don’t you think I’ve been trying that? Those chains don’t budge.” Tanya yanked at the iron bracelets, her long, dark hair spilling forward as she struggled to free herself.
Janie wedged her dagger into one of the links, attempting to pry the link open. Her jaw clenched and she thrust the dagger against the iron. “It’s not working.” Sweat rolled down her face. Do they have the heat blasting?
“Why don’t you let me try?” Tanya said, pouting her lush red lips.
Janie relaxed her grip on the dagger. “You’re not touching any weapons.”
“Whatever,” Tanya said.
Janie took a few steps back. The hilt of her dagger slid over her wet skin. She clutched it tighter. There had to be another way.
Abram’s words echoed in her head. Lesson five—resourcefulness. If you focus, you will always find the answer. You are gifted; special…there are no obstacles you can’t overcome. Always remember…use the resources around you; anything can be used as a weapon.
Dry ice—upstairs, in the kitchen. She’d seen something on Animal Planet about an alternative to hot-branding livestock—a freeze-branding iron using dry ice. It could work—weaken the metal so it will crack.
“I’ll be right back.” Janie scurried over to the bottom step using her flashlight and the faint light streaming down the steps to guide her to the exit. She skipped steps, landing quietly on the wood as she ascended. A step creaked. The three Daychildren stopped bickering for a moment. They resumed—another argument over what they’d heard. The woman said she’d heard a car outside. The man said it was Tanya. The boy didn’t seem to have an opinion.
Janie scrambled into the kitchen and snatched the cooler off the floor. She raced down the hallway, back to the door and down the steps.
“What are you going to do with dry ice?” Tanya peered into the cooler
. “And what is that red blob on top of it?”
“I think it’s a human heart.” Both girls grimaced. “Part of their diet.”
“I love blood, but eating the heart, ugh—those half-breeds are nasty.” Tanya yanked on the chain and twisted her wrists within the cuffs. Blood dripped on to the concrete from where the metal had filleted her skin open. “Can you hurry and do whatever you’re going to do with that stuff?”
Janie nodded, barely listening to Tanya. She placed the flashlight back in her jeans pocket and focused on scooping out the dry ice. It seared her hot palms and smoke rose from her skin. She quickly spread it over each cuff.
Tanya didn’t react to the cold. She couldn’t feel it. “Now what are you going to do?”
“Attempt to break the cuffs. I’m hoping the iron will crack more easily now. The ice may make it weaker.” Janie slid the dagger through the cuff and centered all her strength into the metal. With one quick upward jerk, the cuff cracked enough for Tanya to free her wrist.
Janie did the same with the other cuff. Tanya flicked her wrist and the other cuff split, fully freeing her. She massaged her wrists and examined her wounds. “Those hurt.”
“We’ve got to get out of here.” Janie grabbed Tanya’s bicep and tugged her forward.
“How do you suppose we do that? He’s home.”
Janie and Tanya froze at the base of the steps. The sound of Antony’s angry voice barreled through the upstairs office. He berated the three arguing imbeciles. “You idiots—who’s watching the vamp?”
“She’s still asleep,” the woman said.
“How do you know? Did you check on her?” There was a large crack. “Don’t make me plunge this through your skull.” Antony stomped toward the basement door.
“I can take him,” Tanya growled. She placed one red-soled Christian Louboutin pump on the bottom step. In the light, Janie caught a glimpse of Tanya’s Rock & Republic jeans, dark with flashy rhinestones creating symmetrical swirling patterns over the back pockets.
“I’d be willing to bet he has the rest of his crew with him. We need to find a way out of here.” Janie yanked Tanya behind the staircase and out of the light. “When they come down the steps and make their way over to your shackles, before they notice you’re gone we’ll shoot up the steps. Stay close to me and just keep running beside me. You have to be within reaching distance.”
“For what? Why?” Tanya said.
“We’ll be leaving through the wall.”
“What?” Tanya chuckled. “No joke?”
“Just trust me. It will be faster than dealing with a locked door.” Janie wiggled her foot around. She needed to remove her shoe. The demon blood had started eating away at her flesh.
“But I’m just as fast as they are. I don’t need to run through walls, or whatever.”
Janie spun Tanya around to face her. Tanya’s bare arms were muscular but slim and toned. “I helped get you out of the restraints. Now you are going to help me get out of here, alive, and with you.”
Tanya opened her arms, breaking Janie’s grasp around her biceps. “You never did say why you agreed to do this.”
Janie shrunk further under the staircase, taking Tanya with her. “Antony’s coming. I’ll fill you in later.”
Heavy footfalls clomped down the wooden steps above their heads. A fine mist of wood showered them. Wood shavings coated Janie’s arms. She raked her fingers through her hair, shaking out the particles. They watched four figures walk toward the empty shackles. Janie recognized Antony’s plump, round body in the back of the group. She heard the commotion of Daychildren upstairs. On instinct, Janie’s eyes shot up. Who knows how many are up there?
“Now,” Janie said.
The two girls leapt to their feet, swung around the steps and hurtled the staircase. Tanya did as instructed. She stayed next to Janie, within arm’s reach.
Antony’s angry voice boomed through the basement. “Get them! They aren’t leaving alive!”
They reached the top of the staircase. A set of fingers closed around Janie’s ankle. She kicked back, but the boy only tightened his grasp. He grunted. As he squeezed, his fingernails dug deeper into her skin. Tanya stomped on his forearm with the heel of her pump. He dropped his hold. Janie stumbled forward off the top step, landing on the floor. She hit the ground for only a second. Tanya scooped her up and helped her to her feet.
Janie sprinted forward, Tanya still clinging to her arm. Angry Daychildren yelled obscenities behind them. Their voices grew closer with every step they took. She could pick out the words: vamp, Seeker, they’re getting away, rip out their insides. The last comment made her tremble. She remembered the heart in the cooler of dry ice.
As they ran through the kitchen, Janie started to feel different, weak, like a fading source of electricity, a light bulb dimming. Kai’s life force was leaving her. She didn’t know how long she’d have her ability.
As she came closer to the brick wall, panic raked through her. Tanya’s hand tightened around her bicep as if she also could feel the dread of running straight into the unmovable and completely solid brick structure. Tanya could heal fast, so hitting the wall would only sting for a little while if they didn’t make it in time. But what if we go through? Janie wondered if Tanya would simply starve to death. What about me? Will I die immediately or die of starvation? What happens to molecules when they become trapped within another solid object? Chemistry wasn’t her forte.
They reached the wall. Someone gripped the back of Janie’s sweatshirt. The girls flew through the wall. They landed on all fours on the asphalt and stumbled upright. Tanya blinked, staring at the wall and Janie, the wall again and back at Janie. “D-did—Did we just go through the wall?”
Kai’s ability faded, leaving Janie weak. She doubled over in pain. The ability had left her.
Tanya helped Janie stand. “We’ve got to get out of here, sugar.”
Janie nodded and removed her corroded boot. She winced against the pain, and they took off up the alley.
CHAPTER 13
Tanya wrapped herself up in Jerome’s bony arms. He looked hesitant to let her go again. “You held up your part of the deal, Seeker. You brought her back to me, in one piece.” Tanya playfully tickled her red fingernails over his forearm and the dagger tattoo that ran up his bicep. He smiled, revealing a less gangster side of himself.
“Now will you help us?” Kai said. Janie guessed he felt her coldness. He stood closer to Jerome than her. She’d refused to look at him, even acknowledge his presence when they met in her back yard. It was too painful. This was business—she had to be near him for the moment. But after tonight, it’s over.
She glanced at her dark house. With her mother working the night shift at the hospital, they were alone. She knew neither her mother nor Abram would approve of any of this. Janie refocused her attention on Jerome for his answer.
“A deal is a deal,” he said. “You have the support of vamps. Whatever you need.”
“We need to stop Antony from Turning any more high school students,” Janie said. “Do you know what he plans to do next?”
“Word is he’s planning something at Loch Raven High on Friday night. Some sort of mass Turning. Whoever survives the Turn, survives. Those who don’t, don’t.” Jerome kissed the insides of Tanya’s wrists, her raw skin almost completely healed. “Tavares wants to see numbers. Baltimore’s down. It’s Antony’s way of stepping it up for the big man. And what better way to do it but on the Seeker’s turf.”
“Friday.” Janie flipped through her mental calendar. She knew that date. Something significant is happening this weekend: Matt, Homecoming. “The Homecoming football game.” She hobbled closer to Jerome. Kai reached out to help her, but she drew back and supported herself on her uninjured foot. “Antony’s planning to Turn the whole football team at the Homecoming football game.”
Kai stepped forward. “Now that we know, we’ll stop him.” He pulled his scythe out of his belt and rotated it by the tip of th
e blade and the bottom of the hilt. Janie knew he wasn’t nervous because of Antony’s plan. It was her. She radiated pure hatred; a hatred that could only develop when you love someone—the fine line between love and hate had been crossed. When was he going to tell me he killed my father? Ever?
“You okay?” Jerome addressed Janie. “You’re kind of green, sick-looking. . .and angry.”
Janie thought her sick feeling was from standing so close to Kai after what she’d learned, but she did feel nauseated. Her foot—it really hurt. Kai reached for her again. “I’m fine,” she barked. He retracted his arm. Janie stared at Jerome, fighting the urge to wobble over and hit the ground. “Meet us with as many vamps as you have at Loch Raven High—six o’clock Friday night so we can plan.” Jerome studied her expression. “Be prepared to fight.”
Tanya whispered something in his ear. He deliberated and finally spoke, “Seeker, you’ve got it. We’ll be there.” Tanya winked. Tanya said she’d be indebted to her for freeing her. She’d kept her word.
Jerome switched his focus to Kai, waiting for him to slide the scythe back into his belt. “I heard something else. You’re one powerful dude. Tavares made you. What’s it like to go against your Maker?”
Kai didn’t answer. Janie couldn’t read his expression. One thing was apparent—whenever anyone spoke Tavares’s name, Kai went silent.
Jerome didn’t press. He flashed a peace sign, or a gang symbol; Janie couldn’t tell. “I’m out.” Jerome and Tanya disappeared.
“Let me see your foot.” Kai slid his arm through hers, holding her upright.
“Don’t touch me.” She unhitched her arm and stumbled to the ground. Lesson two, the most important—don’t let them see your weaknesses. Unfortunately for her, he was her weakness. She wouldn’t let him see her broken heart. How crushed she felt after letting herself become vulnerable. Never again.
“Did I do something to upset you?” He knelt down beside her. Her heart tightened. He looked so worried. The bright green of his irises had washed to gray. Usually so cocky and strong, he appeared worn and feeble.
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