Liam squeezed his eyes tight and lowered his chin to his chest. “A little less than three days.”
“Yes. And Liam, I would ask one thing of you. The boy is like my son…”
Liam knew what his request would be. “I’ll do my best to watch out for Frank. There is a war coming. I can’t guarantee his safety, but I will look out for him as one of our own.”
Seemed Rylee wasn’t the only one collecting wards.
“Thank you, O’Shea.”
With that, Agent Valley jerked away and fell to the ground, his body twitching twice and then stilling.
Liam looked at his hands, goo hanging off the tips of his fingers, grey matter under his nails. Teeth clenched he turned to see Frank crying.
Nothing he said would ease the kid’s pain. He knew from experience when you lost a parent, there was very little anyone could say to even begin to help. So he kept it simple.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get cleaned up.”
Chapter 14
Doran, Alex, and I bolted through the castle, not really looking where we were going. Just running blindly.
We spun around a corner and there was Jack and Berget, waiting for us.
Fuck a duck, we were so screwed.
“Rylee, lovely to see you again, sister,” Berget all but purred. As with Faris, I saw the sign something was wrong, off with her. Her whole body quivered, like a horse covered in flies, its skin twitching uncontrollably.
“Jack, be a dear and grab her, would you? I’m feeling rather faint.”
Jack’s blue eyes swirled three tones, so he was still a Tracker, could still Read people, and now to add to that, he was a vampire. A baby vampire, but that didn’t matter.
He rushed forward, his eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed, and I saw in that moment he was holding back. Still, he was too fast for me.
Doran, though, was another matter.
The Daywalker slid between us, catching Jack off balance, and off guard, apparently. They crashed into the stone wall, shaking the place. Dust fell from the ceiling and Berget clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love a good fight. Shall we make a bet, Rylee?”
I yanked my swords out, and didn’t bother to answer her crazy fucking idea. “Alex, start opening doors.” We had to get out of here. I was banking on at least one doorway leading into the daylight.
Alex yanked doors open left and right. Night time, night time, and then, bingo.
Sunlight filtered in, early morning or late evening, I couldn’t tell. Didn’t matter. I jumped toward Doran and Jack, driving my blade through Jack’s chest. He reared off Doran long enough for the Daywalker to scramble from under him.
A mad dash was all we had, and the three of us tumbled through the doorway and into the sunlight, the door slamming behind us. Sand and surf, we lay on a barren stretch of beach. Alex, the previous danger immediately forgotten, ran toward the waves, diving in and under like a seal.
Doran sat up and I got a good look at him. “Not bad for tangling with a vampire, I hardly see any marks.”
“He was holding back. I think he is tied to her, like I was, and is fighting her.”
I snorted. “So? He chose this life, Doran. Did you chose to become a Daywalker, or did someone just take you?”
His eyes clouded over. “I see your point.”
I noticed he didn’t answer the question. Jack, in choosing to become a vampire under Berget’s power, made his choice. He was not on our side anymore.
Maybe he never had been. I stood and brushed the sand off my dress, checked my weapons and looked around. The sun was rising here, wherever here was.
I glanced into the water to see Alex further out than he should have been. “Alex, get your furry ass back here!” With no effort, he turned and headed back to the shore.
The waves crashed around us, and Alex was back in a few minutes, grinning like a fool. “Seals are fun.”
I stared into the water, saw dark spots humping up and down in the water.
And then the unthinkable—a set of jaws burst out of the water around one of the seals, clamping down on it, then dragging it under the water. Alex’s mouth dropped open.
“Sharks in water.”
“Holy shit, Alex! That could have been you.”
Doran stepped beside us, affecting a strong Aussie accent. “Can I interest you in a shrimp on the barbie?”
Australia, we were in the land down under. Shit, first time for everything, I suppose. Well, since we were here, I Tracked the Blood.
Expecting nothing.
Shocked as hell when I got a resounding thread to follow.
“They’re here,” I said, striding off in the direction of the Blood.
“Wait, are you serious?” Doran grabbed my arm.
I stared at him. “Well, what the fuck did you think we were going to do?”
“Wait for Faris?” He quirked an eyebrow at me, his piercing catching the glinting sun. “You know, since we just had to run like hell from Berget and Jack as it is?”
“We’ll be ready for them next time.” Shit, even I didn’t believe me.
“Fuck, Rylee. We need help. If not Faris, then can you connect with Blaz?”
I shook my head. “No, he’s too far.”
Doran held me loosely. “We should get you out of the sun.”
“I’m not frail.”
He frowned at me, the piercing in his lower lip dipping downward. “You sure as hell aren’t ready to go flitting across the continent right now, are you?”
A wash of fatigue and I had to concede he was right. “A few hours. Maybe Faris will catch up to us tonight.”
“Are you ill, Rylee?” Doran’s concern was heavy in his voice.
“No, I think I’ve finally just hit the wall.”
Then again, maybe we were on our own again. I tried to figure out how Faris would find us and I knew there was a reason he should be able to, something to do with Alex, but the thoughts slipped through my mind over and over, and then I realized I wasn’t awake any longer. I was out cold and dreaming.
Deerborne Park again. Hell, my life always seemed to circle back to this place. Berget and I were on the teeter totter this time. Up and down, her hair floated around her face for a moment before she went down, like she was in water.
“Rylee, you have to be careful. The madness is growing stronger without any blood to feed my body.”
I pushed off the ground. “Figured that out already.”
She shook her head. “I do not know if you can save me. I am fading.” As if her words were the ignition, she flickered, like in an old movie where the reel jumps from scene to scene.
I wanted to grab her and make her stay, but again, she shook her head. “If I must go, then I will. But when you try to stop the madness, realize it might be too late. I don’t think I will be able to reach you again.”
The teeter totter creaked as we bounced up and down, the old wooden seat jarring when it met the ground . “Are you saying goodbye?” I whispered.
“I’m saying thank you, for never giving up on me. For being my sister to the bitter end.” She smiled, a tear slipped down her cheek, and then she was gone and I blinked in the bright sunlight.
Doran peered down at me. “Hey, none of that. No passing out on me.” He reached out and brushed a tear off my cheek, his voice softening. “And none of that, either.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, but didn’t try to sit up. Nausea rolled through me, and I was afraid if I moved I’d puke.
Never mind.
I twisted to one side and spewed whatever miniscule amount of food I had in my stomach onto the floor. Wait, floor?
I looked around us. We were in an open roofed room, but there were walls and a floor and I was completely confused. “Where are we?”
Doran smiled and helped me move away from the bile. “Shamans are all over the world, you just have to know where to look.”
On cue, a wiry old Maori man stepped into the room. He was dressed in lo
ose khakis, but no shirt and his feet were bare. Tattoos covered his torso and several strings of beads and bones hung from his neck. Yet I didn’t feel animosity flowing from him. He reminded me of Louisa, despite the fact they were different genders, and worlds apart. There was that same calm knowledge deep in his eyes.
He crouched beside me, his fingers hovering over my forehead. “My name is Al.” He touched me gently. “You’re feeling rough, eh, little Tracker? You have the look of your mother, that you do, but it is the fire that comes from your daddy that drives you.”
My jaw dropped and I stared him, his words bouncing inside my head. “You don’t mean my adoptive parents, do you?”
Making a duck face, he shook his head. “Nope. But we don’t have time for stories, do we? Not today.”
He held up a piece of pottery, a barely molded cup, steam curling out of it. Fuck, the last thing I wanted was something hot, but Shamans were not to be ignored.
I took the shallow cup and put it to my lips. The liquid started out hot, but as it trailed down my throat it turned to ice. I gasped and choked, Doran pounded on my back.
“What is this?”
“A drink of my people. It will keep you cooler as you cross the desert. You won’t need water or drink for several days. But after, you need to take time off. Time to let your body heal. Understand?”
I nodded and the Shaman handed a drink to Doran and one to Alex. They swallowed and gave the same kind of response I did.
There was no way I could resist asking. “My parents, are they alive?”
He shook his head. “No. They died protecting you. It’s a long story, Rylee. One I have only a small part in. I have their story in your mother’s journal. When you are done, come and get it.”
I nodded, grateful beyond words. If I was going to lose Berget, maybe I could at least have the memory of parents who did love me. I wanted to ask the questions burning in my gut, but Al was right, there wasn’t time.
Revived beyond belief, I stood. “How long was I out?”
Doran’s eyes slid away from mine. “Almost a day.”
Holy shit. “Faris?”
“Yes. He was here all night. He can find us through Alex, since he took his blood. For some reason, he can’t find you anymore. He’ll catch up with us as night falls. But we have to hurry. We have less than a full day to get to the Blood.”
“Berget is in the same boat.”
His face was grim. “Which will make her desperate and even more dangerous.”
I thought about what Berget said to me. “I don’t think it will matter. We will try to get the opal on her, but …” I shook my head. Perhaps I was too naïve for this life, to keep believing the outcome would be anything but death and pain. Yet, with everything that had happened, I needed to believe there was hope, there was a possibility we could see this through and bring Berget back. Otherwise, what was the point, if I stopped believing?
“Something you want to share?” Doran asked, his eyes watching me closely.
“Nope. We’re going to kick ass, leave the names behind, and do this right. We’re bringing her back, and then we’ll figure out what the hell we’re doing about the vampires’ leader.” I checked my sheaths and thought about asking Al for a pair of shorts. The cocktail dress was really not doing it for me. Though, at least I’d get a tan.
A half-smile slipped across Doran’s lips. “Well, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”
“What are you talking about?”
He shrugged and turned away, saying nothing more.
Al loaned us his truck. Mind you, it was a Willy, an old army beast that looked like it had been through the desert more than once. The paint peeled in multiple places leaving gaping holes to the bare steel, but when Al started it up, the engine turned over no problem.
“Here’s a map, not that you should need it, but I’ve marked where you can find others who will help you if you have need of it.”
Grateful for his foresight, I took the map and had a look at it. Half a dozen places were marked with red dots. Al put his finger at the top center. “You’re starting here, we’re on the Cape York Peninsula.” He moved to the back of the Jeep. “Extra water and fuel in the back.” Al tapped two canisters marked diesel, then a third marked drinking water. “This one is in case you get stuck out there when my drink wears off.”
Alex yipped and leapt into the back, his front paws on top of the cab. “Car riiiiiiiiiiide!”
I slid into the driver’s seat without asking Doran if he wanted to drive. “Thank you, Al. I’ll be back for that journal.”
The old shaman winked at me. “Of that, Rylee, I have no doubt.”
We drove out of his place and I locked onto the threads of the Blood. They were a fucking long ways away. Like I barely felt them. Only enough to know what direction.
“How far do you think?” Doran rested his arm on the door of the Jeep, the wind whipping in around him.
I focused on the threads, their signature weak inside my head. “Could be on the other side of the continent, or could be they are just faint. Fucked if I know; I don’t have a sense of distance here like at home. They’ve been closed off for how long?”
Doran grunted. “I don’t know for sure. Several thousand years, at least. There are secrets held by these vampires, the Blood are a mystery, even us Daywalkers don’t know. It is part of how they keep us in line.”
I laughed at him. “That, and the fact they can kick your fangy butts into next week.”
“Smart ass.”
“Better than a dumb ass.” I grinned at him, feeling light, and better. Belief—who the hell knew that a little faith, a little hope, could give me so much?
We drove south until the Willy was nearly out of gas, stopped, fueled up, and continued on. We were well into the interior, and the landscape was nothing short of mind boggling. Blazing blue sky, empty as far as I could see, and the ground wasn’t any better. Scrub grasses and the occasional lone tree.
“Pretty barren.” I found myself driving more to the west now, heading toward what I knew was the center of Australia.
The desert. Even with Al’s drink coursing through my veins, I was soaked, the backs of my knees dripped sweat onto the floorboards and my back stuck to the seat. A glance at Doran showed me he was soaked too, his shirt clinging to his chest and abs, clearly showing he had at least one piercing I’d not known about.
I squinted against the bright, hot sunlight pouring in around us. If Al’s drink ran out on us, we were so screwed.
Killing someone with premeditation was not really his forte, and while he knew Ingers had to die, planning it was not easy. So he avoided it.
He stood with Milly and Pamela, watching Eve and Frank take off to bring the Harpies to their side. Good thing Rylee had a harness made for the Harpy, or he wasn’t sure they would have gotten Frank onto her back.
But to be fair, Liam could hardly keep his mind on the task at hand. Morning had come and gone, and Rylee hadn’t come back. Ingers would have to wait.
“If the task was so easy, why isn’t she back yet?” Pamela moved to his side and he glanced down at her.
“Where did she go, Pamela?”
She let out a sigh and seemed to struggle for a moment before spilling the beans. “She went to see Doran. That’s it.”
Liam frowned at this revelation, and not because he didn’t like the Daywalker. Pamela was right; Rylee should have been fine. Faris wasn’t due to show up for at least another five days.
His heart clenched, and a heavy premonition settled over his whole body. “Faris came early for her.”
Milly spun to face him, her feet slipping in the snow. Out of instinct, he reached out and grabbed her, stopped her from hitting the ground.
She pulled out of his hands, her eyes more than a little disbelieving. “How do you know that?”
He wiped his hand on his pants and headed toward the house. “Doran would have been a pain in the ass, but there was no reason for her not to
come back. The only thing that makes sense is Faris. He’s a liar, we know that.”
Which meant Liam had to hold to his word, and let Rylee do her job. And he had to do his. In the doorway of the farmhouse, he paused, struggling with his wolf and the desire to run after his mate, to keep her safe until his very last breath. A hand settled on his shoulder.
“Liam, she’s strong enough to survive this.” Milly’s scent and voice wrapped around him and his reaction was as instinctive as the one to catch her from falling.
His hand snapped out and wrapped around her tiny throat, the growl in his chest rumbling outward. “Do not touch me, witch.”
He dropped her before he could do any real harm, but it took more than an effort to do.
On his way to the house, he saw her slump to the ground, her hands going to her throat, but she said nothing.
Smart witch.
He strode through the house and into Rylee’s room, slamming the door behind him. Her scent filled his nose and the anger in him soothed away slowly with each breath.
One way to make sure she stayed safe was to get these guns off the market. To make sure no one could take her out from a distance. That much he could do.
A timid knock on the door turned him around. Pamela, he smelled her.
“Liam, are you okay?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and put his hands in his lap. “Come in, Pam.”
She opened the door, her movements uncertain and her eyes full of fear. “Is your wolf going to attack me?”
“No. You aren’t Milly.”
Pamela let out a quick breath and then got right down to it. “I think we should just hit the FBI office, and take all the information they have. Then we go after the coven.”
He couldn’t help the way his eyebrows shot upward. “You’ve thought this all through?”
She stepped in the room and began to pace. “Well, that seems like the best place to start; humans are easier to take out than a whole coven of witches. And you and Rylee pointed out they already have some technology to block us. They use it on their planes.”
Tracker: A Rylee Adamson Novel (Book 6) Page 14
