“Well,” she said brightly. “I must get back to work. I will let Assistant Director Hennessy know you were here.”
She held the door open, dismissing me from the office. Once I stood in the hallway, she closed the door firmly behind me until the lock clicked shut.
Dammit. If only I’d been a little quicker…
I wouldn’t find the door conveniently open again with the file unattended on the desk. But the evidence against my mother was mounting. Sooner or later, I’d have to take care of it.
14
AMBER
Our quarters were like Grand Central Station these days. We still didn’t have a schedule, but several times a day, somebody picked us up, one by one, for briefings or training.
Macha had just left when Callahan knocked on the door. Julian rolled his eyes and buried his head under his cover.
“Amber. A word.”
I sighed and tucked the transcription of Denholm’s book underneath my pillow. “Do you want to talk in here?”
“No. Let’s go to a meeting room.”
I slipped into my shoes and followed him down the hallway.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”
He slowed down, waiting for me to continue.
“Kiernan is still feeling his injury and could do with some fresh air. Any chance we could take some walks outside? We’re going stir crazy in here.”
The Irish man hadn’t actually said anything. But he didn’t have to. I could see how sore he was in the evenings.
Callahan stopped in front of yet another nondescript door and placed his hand on the handle. “Be patient. The command staff is still working out a program for you, especially since you were so adamant about not going to Quantico.”
At least, he hadn’t said no. Suppressing a sigh, I followed him into the room. Callahan pulled out a chair for me before seating himself. He was silent, as if deciding how to start. Avoiding eye contact, he looked supremely uncomfortable.
Finally, he cleared his throat and stopped squirming. “This isn’t easy to say. Before we discuss your physical training, we need to talk about something else. Somebody in your group has informed us that you want to do a rescue mission by yourself. Is that true?”
My heart dropped like an anvil. I pressed my lips tightly together to fight the nauseating stomach flip.
Long before we knew the truth about Farkas, Julian had ratted me out to her. He’d had his reasons, but it had taken me some time to trust him again. Had he done it again?
I worked hard to keep the shock off my face. My insides were still churning, but when I answered, my voice sounded neutral, unimpressed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Callahan’s tone conciliatory but firm. “You know we can’t allow that. You wouldn’t stand a chance as an untrained civilian.”
His gaze drilled into mine, his intensity scarier than his words. “Not only would you get yourself killed. You’d also cause untold damage to the relationship between human and Fae. We’re not going to risk that.”
If I needed another reminder that Callahan might be our friend, but first and foremost, he was Hennessy’s man, here it was.
I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest. “So what’s your plan, Callahan? You’re willing to risk scores of kids getting murdered because you’re too cowardly?”
His eyes flashed, but I ploughed on. “We’ve been here several days. So far, all you told us is that we need training. But you were there. You know Farkas wasn’t the ringleader. There’s somebody else pulling the strings.”
I watched him for any signs he might know more than he let on. But his expression betrayed nothing but polite interest.
Time to ramp it up.
“But maybe we’re being kept here on purpose. Maybe somebody in your command staff doesn’t want the kids freed. Ever thought of that, Callahan?”
I was being belligerent on purpose, wanting to provoke him into some kind of response. As his face turned crimson, I steeled myself for his comeback.
Before he could explode, the door opened, and Assistant Director Hennessy entered the room. Right on cue. She’d probably been monitoring the camera feed.
Callahan seemed as surprised as I was. But he hid it quickly behind a neutral expression. I wasn’t as successful. I stared at her, searching her face for anything that reminded me of Kiernan. Her nose was a little too large, just like his. But where it enhanced his masculinity, it emphasized her coldness.
“Amber Whitman. I must say, I’m disappointed in you. You were given a second chance. Why are you so keen on squandering it? Did you think we wouldn’t find out about your little plot?”
God, what a bitch. But I didn’t say anything and just waited for her to spread her vitriol. I didn’t have to wait long.
“For some reason, my son is besotted with you. I hope he told you his father was an incubus. If you had any hopes of entering a long-term relationship with him, I have to disappoint you. His nature won’t allow that.”
I’d been listening with growing anger. My ears were ringing, and I balled my hands to fist as I focused on not blowing up.
She placed her case on the table and pulled out a tablet. There was a triumphant smirk playing around her lips I didn’t like at all.
“I want to show you some footage so you don’t get any ideas about a future with Kiernan.”
I nearly said, “Don’t bother. I trust him completely.”
But that wasn’t true, was it? After all, somebody from the Quint had ratted me out. Again.
She flicked on the tablet, pulled up an app, and turned it towards me. Then she pressed play. The footage had a grainy texture and flickered every time the angle changed.
There was Callahan at the back of the room, and a beautiful woman agent. Kiernan sat in front of them, his eyes closed. Nothing happened, and I was about to ask what the point of the clip was.
Then Callahan shifted on his chair, grabbing his crotch. My head jolted and my eyes widened. What the hell was I watching?
The camera zoomed in on the female agent. She seemed uncomfortable, fidgeting, before sliding her hips forward until her neck rested on the back of the chair. She rubbed her legs together and cupped her breast.
“What’s happening?”
I sought Callahan, but he avoided my eyes, his gaze darting across the room, to the door, to the water bottle on the table. Anywhere but at me.
On the tiny screen, Kiernan sat still, completely unaffected by the agents’ bizarre behavior. The female pushed her hand into her pants. A blissful expression played on her face, lips parted, eyes closed, as she pleasured herself.
Hennessy turned the device off. “You don’t need to see the rest.”
“There’s more?” I asked faintly, regretting my words the minute they left my lips.
“Oh, yes. Callahan had quite a good time as well, I understand.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Callahan’s face looked as if he’d swallowed a whole onion. He got up and left the room, his rigid back betraying his anger and embarrassment.
“I’ll speak to him about his insubordination. But we can probably give him some leeway, given the circumstance. He certainly didn’t expect to come under my son’s influence.”
Hennessy had said the words under her breath as if talking to herself. But I had no doubt she’d meant for me to hear.
She said something else, but I was too shocked to listen. Then she left, and I sat at the table, staring into space.
I felt cold all over. Kiernan’s incubus nature had made two trained agents lose control of their urges. That wasn’t what upset me. It was what Hennessy had implied and Callahan confirmed when he stormed out.
How could Kiernan do this to me? To us. The words pounded through my head with the force of a steel hammer.
Eventually, I stumbled from the office without any clue where I was going. My feet carried me through one hallway after the next.
My eyes were blind and my ears deaf
from witnessing Kiernan’s betrayal. It seemed like my world was collapsing around me. Even without the Soul Weave magic, I’d thought we had something special. Apparently not.
Impatiently, I wiped my cheek. He wasn’t worth my tears.
I kept walking, running away from everything. In the end, my emotions ran out of steam.
Rational thought knocked on the door my despair had slammed shut.
Come on, Amber. Think this through.
Kiernan was half incubus, which made his sex drive so much stronger than normal people’s.
And why had Kiernan’s mom filmed the whole scene? She must have known something was about to go down. It had to have been a setup.
“What a nasty thing to do to your own son, just to break us up.”
Saying it out loud made me feel better. How small-minded was Hennessy? How petty and mean? Or was there more to it?
The light above me buzzed and fizzled out, throwing this part of the compound into sudden darkness. For the first time, I took stock of my surroundings.
This was an older area. The next functioning light further down dimly illuminated worn flooring. The walls were scuffed like hospital hallways. At waist height, there were black skid marks as if somebody had scraped along the walls with a gurney.
The heavy doors were old. But the electronic access pads were the stuff of sci-fi movies. The one closest to me had what looked like a retinal and hand scanner, and some other weird touchpad I’d never seen before.
The silence pressed on my eardrums. There were no voices in the distance, no banging, nothing. Only the intermittent buzz of the failing light above me. Even odder, there wasn’t a single camera. Somebody didn’t want to be observed.
Further up was a second door. I walked along, counting a third and a fourth. After that, the hallway came to a dead end, forcing me to retrace my steps.
During the fifteen minutes I’d been exploring this part of the compound, I hadn’t encountered another person. This place was so eerily quiet, I jumped when my stomach growled.
As I found my way back, I made sure to pay attention. Because something about this area wasn’t right. It pinged my sixth sense, and if I’d learned anything, it was to listen to my inner voice.
15
JULIAN
The next knock was for me. So far, everybody’d had a meeting with Assistant Director Hennessy, except for me.
I followed the agent without saying a word. Last night, in a dream, the Lobhadh Ocrach had found me. They hadn’t intruded, just taunted me, letting me know they were back.
I honestly thought I’d lost them. But apparently, I couldn’t rid myself of the stench of death.
When I’d woken up, their noxious giggle had followed me into wakefulness. Right now, they were tormenting me by darting around my head.
The agent, impeccably dressed in his regulation suit and tie, didn’t once check if I was following him. I envied his surety, his knowledge of where he belonged. He never had to worry about black rot poisoning his soul.
I fought the urge to slap at the black beasties. This morning, I’d decided to call them that. The cute name took away some of the dread their return inspired.
They hovered just inside my field of vision, but every time I turned my head to see them better, they darted to the side.
I must have looked deranged, the way I was swatting at them, but I couldn’t help myself. They were always there, hovering, chittering, until I reacted.
Sometimes, they dissolved when my hand passed through them. It gave me just enough hope to continue doing it.
Amber had been watching me, back at the room. She obviously thought I was losing it. Should I talk to her? But she had so much on her plate already. Telling her I’d brought something evil with me would only worry her more.
So I kept it to myself. I’d get used to it. They weren’t doing any harm other than irritate me.
The agent stopped so suddenly, I nearly ran into him. His expressionless face cracked and flashed a hint of irritation. Then he opened the door and entered after me.
Kiernan’s mom was waiting for us. She smiled, but I was sure she knew I didn’t like her. I’d always been polite to her, but I’d never been very good at hiding my emotions. It was ironic. Because lately, that’s all I was doing.
“Good morning, Julian. I hope you’re enjoying your stay at our headquarters.”
I took the seat she pointed at. “Yes, thank you. It’s nice to recover at a safe location.”
“I remember when I first met you.” Hennessy’s voice dripped with sympathy. “You were such a scrawny teenager. So scared. Of course, you’d gone through a lot, losing your parents like that. But you’ve grown into an impressive young man.”
I acknowledged her compliment, although my unease was building by the second. She was gearing up for something. I just didn’t know what.
“Your friendship means a lot to Kiernan, and he’ll do what’s best for him and for you. I’m worried about something else, though. I know Amber has made herself a trusted member of your group.”
I didn’t miss the implied insult. She was watching me like a hawk, her intense scrutiny incongruent with her concerned tone of voice.
“Our research has uncovered some worrying details about the young lady.”
Could she be any more condescending? It was hard to keep my face impassive. But I’d learn more if I kept my temper and listened.
Hennessy poured some water into a glass and pushed it across the table. Then she filled her own and took a sip. “Don’t worry, Julian. I won’t insist that you break up with her.”
This time, I could barely stop myself from rolling my eyes. Who the fuck did she think she was?
“I asked for and received permission to move your external basic training to a later date. In the meantime, we will train you here. Kiernan has already started learning to control his incubus powers.”
My eyes were popping from their sockets with surprise.
She laughed, delighted at my reaction. “Don’t be alarmed. We’re not asking him to do anything horrible. Only to be aware of how his pheromones affect his environment. As for you”—her gaze pierced me like a laser beam—“we have learned you’ve acquired some quite extraordinary powers over the last years. I understand your primary power is not in fact water, but that you’re a necromancer.”
My head swam, and I felt faint. Was that what I was? I’d never heard the term outside of books or anime. The silence grew.
Hennessey’s eyes were hard like pebbles, and the perpetual smile didn’t reach all the way.
I folded. “Okay. What’s a necromancer?”
She steepled her fingers and her smirk widened. “I thought you’d never ask, Julian. A necromancer is a mage with powers over life and death. There hasn’t been an active necromancer in decades. You’re an incredibly valuable asset to us.”
I raised my hands as if to surrender. “I don’t think so. When I bring something back, it doesn’t come back right.”
I looked up to gauge her reaction. She didn’t look at all surprised. I remembered the woman who’d watched me when I’d practiced in the cellar. It had been her. I was sure of it. “You saw me, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It was pure coincidence, but I’m glad I did. It helped me move in the right direction to figure out how to help you.”
Hennessy bent down and pulled a pack of manila files from her case. “Here’s some research my specialists have collected. They claim you’re able to bring back people and put them under your power.”
She pushed one of the files across the table. My hands were shaking as I opened it. I’d finally find out more about the black energy inside of me.
“Don’t read it now. I have copies.”
I dropped the file I’d been about to open. “You said I’d be an asset to the agency. What exactly do you want me to do?”
Her mouth twisted into an expression I couldn’t read. “As you witnessed yourself, we fight a dangerous battle against certain F
ae forces. Usually, it’s impossible to capture them alive. But we managed it.”
“You have a Fae prisoner here?”
“Yes. Our enhanced interrogation experts have been working on him for days without success. I believe he’d rather die than betray his allies. But now, we have you.”
My stomach roiled as I watched her with growing trepidation. “What can I do that your torturers haven’t managed?”
“No, Julian. You’d better get used to the terminology we use at the agency. We don’t torture. We employ refined methods to extract necessary information.”
“Whatever you call it, I’m not doing it.”
In a voice reserved for small children, she said, “Of course not. However, you can bring back the dead.”
My throat went dry. I stared at her, not sure I’d heard correctly. “Sorry, what?”
“Come on, Julian. You’re not usually that slow. It’s simple. We want you to kill him. And then make him tell us everything he knows.”
16
MACHA
I hadn’t told anybody about finding my dad. All night, I’d tossed and turned. One moment, I wanted to give up and move forward, forgetting about being reunited with him.
The next, I was convinced, I’d get him to remember me if I only found the right words. I was his son. He had to know who I was, somewhere deep inside of his addled brain.
When I woke up, the others were still asleep. I sneaked out of the room and closed the door silently. Then I prowled the facility, starting at the location I’d met him the day before.
It didn’t take long to find him again. He was kneeling in front of a ventilation shaft on the ground, tightening the screws on the grate. Was he a maintenance man? Yesterday, he’d been in a suit. Today, he wore gray pants and a beige polo shirt.
Cautiously, I approached him. He didn’t notice me until I stopped right next to him. “Hey.”
Second Chance Doom: a paranormal romance adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 5) Page 7
