by T. G. Ayer
“And this is a little something that will take her down for good. Consider it a last resort option.” Natasha moved the bottle closer to me. The orange liquid glowed, twisting and shimmering with magic, coral then bronze, then rust. I reached for it and Natasha raised a finger. “Handle it with care. The glass is fragile, meant to shatter on impact.”
I held the bottle gently, placing it in the bottom of my palm. “So I need to throw this at her?”
Natasha nodded. “It needs to land on her body, to touch skin. It’s the only way the potion will work.”
“So face, neck. Bare arms.” I pursed my lips and thought of all the possibilities. There weren’t many so I’d have to be careful. “I’m assuming it isn’t going to be easy to put her down.”
Natasha shook her head. “No. But if you are smart you won’t have too much of a problem.” She sat back, studying me. “I just have one concern.”
“Which is?” I already knew what she was going to say. I waited.
“About your unwanted companion.”
“Trying not to think about it,” I said, glad Drake was two rooms away and would hear this particular conversation.
“Which won’t help you.”
I shrugged. “Unless we find the person responsible I’m pretty much doomed. And I can’t drop this case. Once I’m done with the Santianis, then I’ll concentrate on my . . . campanion.”
Natasha sighed but I got to my feet, ending the conversation before she got started. I had to stop by at the hospital, and I still needed to rest before I headed to Kai’s place.
Natasha knew when she was beat. She rose too, her lips a thin line. I didn’t expect her to be happy about my reluctance to pursue the mysterious curser.
Curser. Is that even a word.
I was too tired to figure it out.
At the door, I glanced back at Natasha. “Thank you. I know I’m being a pain but I’ll be careful. What do I look for?”
Her lips softened. “Fatigue. Increased nosebleeds. I’d say manifestations, but that would probably only happen if you’re too weak. Right now, your magic is keeping it tethered. So take care of yourself.”
I nodded and began to walk into the hallway.
“One more thing.” I stopped and looked at her, my eyes saying this better be good. “If you start hallucinating, or if anything strange happens, call me.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to influence you. I want you to be aware of yourself. That’s all. Anything out of the ordinary happens, then call me.”
I shook my head and walked off to grab my bag, stow the potion and fetch Drake. As if I needed to be any more vigilant than I already was.
Drake drove me straight to the hospital, then headed home to change out his damp clothes. As I entered the building, my stomach tightened. How was I going to broach a supernatural connection to a practical man like Santiani?
I left my bag with Drake for safekeeping, thinking about the fragile potion. I headed up to the hospital room unimpeded, with the outside guard merely tipping his cap at me, and the nurse at the desk waving me in.
I knocked lightly and entered when I heard Santiani call. He was lying on his bed, his skin sallow, his face gaunt. The disease was eating away at him and my heart twisted just looking at him. I’d thought him a pompous rich man when I’d first met him, but now I understood what he was going through. He didn’t deserve this kind of horror.
Nobody did.
And should it ever happen, it ought to be the gods who decided. Mortals didn’t deserve to hold fate over the heads of the powerless.
There was still a possibility that Gina wasn’t the demon. That perhaps the creature had gained access to Santiani some other way. But even as I heard myself think those words I knew I was just saying it to make myself feel better.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, moving to his side. Somehow formality seemed unnecessary considering the circumstances.
The room was darkened despite being the middle of the day, and a fresh bunch of flowers stood on the side table. White roses. Could it be a message from Gina?
White roses for death?
“I’m glad you came.” Santiani wheezed and coughed and I handed him the glass of water at his bedside. He was too weak to manage the glass and I helped him, placing the straw in his mouth and waiting as he sipped. When he was done, he waved the glass away.
As I deposited it back on the bedside table he said, “I called my lawyer. If I didn’t make it through the treatments, you are to be reimbursed for all costs and paid for your services.”
I shook my head. Money was the last thing on my mind. Especially now that I knew of Captain Murdoch’s involvement. “Don’t worry about the money. It’s not necessary. And besides, I got nowhere.” I paused, not sure how to broach the subject.
When did dealing with clients become so difficult?
Santiani studied my face. Turned out he was a very perceptive man. “Until now?” He smiled.
I nodded.
“Do you plan to tell me?”
“No. I was thinking of invoicing you first.” The words popped out of my mouth and I sucked in a breath. What was I thinking? The man was on his deathbed and I had the gall to be disrespectful.
But he just laughed. “You remind me of my Gia. That smart mouth.” He paused and spent a moment thinking about the daughter he lost. Then he focused again on my face. “Is it something difficult to say?”
“It may be. For you.” I looked away, disliking the pain I saw in his eyes.
Yet he smiled. “How did you know?” His voice was soft and filled with hurt and guilt.
I knew immediately that he was talking about Gina and there was no reason to skirt the topic. “I’ve been watching her. Her behaviour towards you, towards the detectives on the case. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”
He laughed and shook his head. His mirth sounded hollow and harsh all at the same time. “Would anyone have believed me? I’d have been labeled a molester.”
“And that was what she’s been banking on.”
The demon was smarter than what we’d thought.
“How do you mean?”
“Mr Santiani. I’m not sure how to say this without insulting you, or hurting your feelings.”
“Go ahead and say it.”
“Your daughter Gina isn’t what you think she is.”
This time he smiled sadly. “You think she’s got mental problems? That what she’s done can be justified by a psychological illness?
“No. It’s much worse than a mental illness.”
“What can be worse?” he asked, bitterness curling his lip.
I hesitated. I hadn’t been sure how to broach the idea of the demon until now. “I believe that your daughter is being controlled.” He frowned. “It may be some type of cult, or even a coven of sorts”
“You think she’d dealing in witchcraft?”
I nodded. “It’s definitely something we shouldn’t rule out.”
His head jerked up and down. A nod. “Okay, so what then? If she’s been brainwashed and forced to do these things, then what? What do we do to save her. To stop her?”
“There is something.” I sat on the side of his bed. “We could draw her in. I’ll be right here in the room, but she won’t see me. You challenge her . . . tell her you know what she is. If it tips her over the edge, then we can grab her. Take her someplace safe.”
Uncertainty filled his eyes. “Will she be hurt?”
I couldn't lie to him. “I can’t guarantee she’ll be unharmed. We are trying to save her and really speaking, if she gets hurt in the process it’s a small price to pay for saving her life.”
He let out a rough sigh. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”
“Are you sure?” I was surprised at his quick agreement. I’d expected more resistance.
“I’m very sure. To be honest I am hoping you are right. I can’t understand why Gina would’ve do
ne the things she did. If she was being controlled, then I suppose she’d had no choice in the matter. I could forgive that. But right now . . .” He fell silent and I could almost feel his pain.
I patted his hand, careful of the needles and tubes. “We’ll try to get to the bottom of this.” I took a deep breath. “So tell me, when is her next visit?”
“Tomorrow. She comes every night, but she said she was busy tonight.”
A piece of good fortune. “I can’t do this tonight anyway, so that works out well. Tomorrow evening it is. I’ll have backup outside just in case.”
I briefed him on what to do and what to say, so as not to alert her that something was up.
Then I left him to his thoughts and to his grief. I hadn’t mentioned his wife. Nor had I brought up his missing child. Perhaps he knew that the search for Gia was now second to the apprehension of the one still around.
Chapter 32
It seemed Drake and I had returned to Kai’s apartment just in time.
Logan left Kai in the room with her brother Iain, and came to the dining table. Ivy touched his arm as he took a seat. “Don’t worry too much, dear. She’ll be well enough soon. She’s a strong woman, your Kai.”
Logan nodded and cleared his throat as he met my eyes. “Mel. Thanks for coming back. I was actually hoping you would.”
I nodded back, tired. No, drained from the Santiani case and Kai being injured on my watch. “What do you need?” I asked.
“We need you to track Celeste one more time. This time there is no Illyria to betray us. And I think it’s best to move as fast as we can. They won’t expect it—the last thing they’ll expect is a full-scale rescue mission. Especially when they think Kai is injured, and poisoned to boot.”
“That’s what they think. They obviously know nothing about walker physiology or immunization practices,” said Kai. She walked out of her room, slow and easy, an annoyed Iain in tow.
Silence reigned as all occupants stared at Kai.
“What?” she asked, laughing as she sat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter.
“Are you freaking insane?” Lily got to her feet, her red cheeks revealing her fury.
“I’m fine, Lily. I promise. I wouldn’t get out of bed if I wasn’t.”
A chorus of snorts echoed around the room. Kai ignored them She looked at Logan and asked, “So what’s the plan?”
“The plan is for you to go back to bed and recover.”
Kai pushed off the stool reached for the hem of her T-shirt, bared her abdomen, then turned to the right so everyone could see her wound.
No, not a wound.
A scar.
I gasped.
Only the walkers in the room, and Logan, weren’t surprised.
I took a deep breath. “Kai? Are you sure you’re fine for this?”
She nodded. “Walkers just heal fast, and alphas heal faster.” She shrugged, sitting to face me. “You up for tracking Mom again?”
I restrained the urge to roll my eyes. “The key will be fine unless you have something else.”
Kai glanced at Iain and then at Ivy, who both shook their heads and shrugged. “Okay then. The key it is. Do you want to do it in the room?” she asked.
I smiled and we headed to her bedroom. Leaving the door open, Kai headed to the bedside table. I sat on the bed while she retrieved the portal key from the bedside drawer. She asked, “Would you rather be alone? Do you need anything?”
Grinning, I shook my head, taking the key, while Kai sat beside me. Breathing in, I drifted into the ether. I skimmed along the strong threads that took me straight to Celeste Odel. Again.
This time what I saw was a whole lot worse.
Underground bunkers, medical equipment that was far too professional for the Wraith Army. All in all, enough to make me feel ill.
I blinked as I regained consciousness.
“You all right?” Kay bent close
I nodded, fear filling my gut, I felt sick.
“What’s wrong? Did you find her?” Kai asked.
“I’m fine.” I sighed and rested my elbows onto her knees. “We just have a bit of a problem.”
“Which is?”
“She’s being held in a secure facility in the Nevada desert.”
“Area 51?” asked Kai, her voice a little too high-pitched.
I shook her head, then stopped and looked at Kai. “You know, I’m not sure exactly. I was inside, managed to get around the place a little. But it’s not like I had coordinates or anything.”
“Okay, so what do we have to go on?” Kai got to her feet. “You want to tell everyone?”
I nodded and we headed back to the dining room.
“Right, let’s do this,” said Kai.
I sat beside Drake and inhaled. “So Celeste is being held in a facility out in the Nevada desert. She seems to be healthy and clean. She’s still weak and is being held in a secure room. The facility looks a lot like a hospital or medical center.”
“Guards?” asked Logan.
“Two at her door and two guarding a set of doors entering the wing she’s in. Security is tight, key cards for doors and elevators, cameras everywhere. It’s underground, so one way in one way out. We don’t know what facility it is, so schematics are out of the question.”
“I’m guessing you couldn’t tell the specific location?” he asked.
“No. I couldn’t see anything on the surface that would act as a significant landmark. Just desert and cacti.”
“Guards on the surface?”
I nodded. “Two in a hut at the entrance to the facility about a mile away. And two in a small office attached to the entrance. You go to the security desk; they check you out and allow you to pass through. Inside is just a single elevator.”
“Then that isn’t the only way out,” Kai said.
Logan nodded. “Yes. But there should be a maintenance entrance for larger equipment and maybe even supplies.”
“If there is, they didn’t bring her through that way. I tracked her through the top entrance.”
“What if we got in and then tried to find the alternative exit, just in case we need it? If we’re careful, we may not need it.”
Logan’s lips twisted. “I wish I could say it would likely be an easy in-and-out, but I can’t. Not for a facility like this. And especially not for something underground.”
Kai rubbed her forehead. “Okay, so we know she’s fine and not being tortured. She’s alive. That’s a bloody good sign.”
“The problem is, exactly who the hell are these guys and what are they doing with her? I didn’t see a single wraith anywhere I tracked.” I knew I sounded frustrated, but I couldn’t help it.
“An experimental facility?” Kai asked Ivy.
Ivy frowned, and went pale, her blue eyes dark with with worry. “You think Widd’en’s men sold Celeste to an experimental lab?” Her voice shook. I’d gathered this Widd’en was the Army leader but I didn’t ask.
Kai asked, “What else could it be? It’s not as if the wraiths have the means to build such a thing anyway. A facility like Mel described is so Area 51, it’s either governmental or heavily funded private.”
“What would a governmental agency want with your mother?” asked Anjelo, shaking his head, a little incredulous.
“Mom is a Hunter. She’s a Mage. She has powers similar to mine, including the glow when killing wraiths. Any government agency investigating the paranormal would kill to study a paranormal like her.” Kai spoke harshly, emotion and fear filling her voice. “It also means that going into a facility like this is more dangerous than anything you’ve ever done. We’re all paranormals here. Each of us would be a scientist’s delight. We have to be well organized. And we can’t get caught.”
“Okay.” Logan rose. “Let me do some digging. Maybe I can find information on similar structures. Perhaps that will give us a good idea of how something like that is built and where the likely emergency exits would be. If anything, at least it will give
us a better idea of what to look for once we get inside.”
Kai also got to her feet, staring at the table full of people. She looked so small, weighed down by the horror of it all. “Okay, everyone get some rest. Once Logan gets back with some schematics, we can plan a way inside. I’ll message you all with the time to meet.”
“We’re going as soon as possible, right?” asked Anjelo.
“Yeah. I’d go right now if I could, but yes, we aren’t going to waste any time about this.”
The boy sat back, satisfied. He nodded and got to his feet, and everyone followed suit.
Chapter 33
High, sloping dunes hugged the perimeter of the facility, and gave us much needed cover. Saleem and I transported Drake Logan and Kai to the facility in the desert. There’d been a last minute shuffle with Cassandra and Larsson conspicuously missing, and being short a jumper we’d ended up leaving Ivy and the two young shifters behind with instruction to keep weapons prepped and ready in case Saleem and I return for them. An excuse both were smart enough to see through.
The team, dressed in black from head-to-toe, waited as I projected and scanned the area, holding on to Celeste’s portal key. I nodded the all clear.
“Let’s get moving,” said Kai beside me.
“Let me just show Saleem where to go.” I held out my hand, and Saleem took it, following my lead on the jump. We returned moments later, and in tandem jumped the whole team directly to the floor Celeste was being held on.
We hurried into the nearest room, and Logan turned to face us. “Saleem and I will look for the generator and set these detonators to time with the extraction. We’ll do the same with the elevator. Make sure nobody can use it to get to this floor. Then we’ll eliminate whatever guards there are around here. Keep an ear out on the comms at all times. Kai, Mel, and Drake, go for Celeste. Mel, first priority is Celeste. Extract her first, then come back for the rest.”
I nodded, then looked at Saleem. “Saleem knows where we’ll be.”
As a precaution, I did a quick projection, thankful that I’d decided to be overly cautious. As Saleem held out his hand to Kai, I stopped him with a palm to his chest. “Wait. I just projected to check things out and there’s someone in the observation room. We need them incapacitated. I think it’s one of the scientists or technicians.”
