AIR Series Box Set

by Amanda Booloodian

  My face grew red with embarrassment. He knew about Zander trying to force me into a mental hospital. Shit, why did I ask the question? Did I want to know what he knew?

  Vincent continued. “The incident destroyed your trusting nature. You want to trust people, but inwardly you do not. This leaves me troubled. You appear to trust me enough to be in your home, but I don't understand why.”

  “I'm not sure I understand it myself,” I said.

  “You shouldn't trust me.”

  “Probably not,” I agreed.

  Vincent frowned. “I know what will affect your psyche, so I could manipulate your every emotion.”

  My insides tensed. “You’re sounding creepy again.”

  He said nothing, but the tightness around his eyes dropped and one side of his lip bent up the slightest bit.

  I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms. “Which is exactly what you intended.”

  For a moment, Vincent looked surprised, but it didn’t last long. All traces of emotion pulled away from his face.

  I rolled my eyes and got up from the table. He had looked smug until I called him out.

  “My intention was for you to understand,” Vincent said.

  A part of me wanted to call him a jerk and ask him to leave. Another part wanted me to tell him that I understood that he meant well, but he was a complete idiot.

  “It’s getting late,” Vincent said. “I am going to excuse myself.”

  I cleared my throat in an effort to keep my voice level. “Do you know where you are going?”

  “Hank gave me the address.”

  I nodded and led him out through the living room, grabbing the keys to the truck along the way.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said holding the door open.

  Vincent stopped on his way out. He stood there until I let out an impatient puff of air.

  “Tomorrow, I hope to find a way to apologize,” Vincent said. Then he walked away.

  Standing in the open door, I watched him go. Had he straight out apologized, I probably would have yelled at him. It would have been completely irrational, but I know myself well enough to realize that I was still aggravated and wasn’t ready to hear an apology. It was an eerie thought that he understood this about me after one day.

  When he pulled away, I shut the door and went to clean up. Apprehension started to build and I began to pace. The itchy spot between my shoulder blades was back, but it was deep under the skin now.

  Logan called on his way down south, but I kept the call short. After the call, my mind started racing through the past two days. Vincent, the fairy, my job, Gran, Logan, the case, my power, they all sprinted through my thoughts.

  When Gran came home, my anxiety was on its way out, but it was leaving a hole sunk deep in my middle. I tried to hide the desolation that was starting to spread over me.

  “Where’s your phone?” Gran asked.

  I forced a smile onto my face. “They gave me a new one today. It’s an upgrade.”

  “I see that. It looks very nice.” Gran gave me a quick hug. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Go upstairs and take a hot bath. You’ll feel better in no time.”

  I didn’t argue. It never did any good to argue with a psychic.

  My bath was short. I floated and stared at the ceiling while my skin turned pink. As the water started draining away, I did start to feel better. The anxiety was gone and the depression washed itself away down the drain. I threw my bathrobe on and went downstairs to talk to Gran.

  She was hovering around the window next to the front door.

  “Thank you, Gran, I feel much better.” This time, the smile was real. “The bath was exactly what I needed.”

  “Don’t be silly, dear. A bath can help ease the blues, but you need something altogether different for what ails you.”

  “What do I need?”

  Gran nodded out the window. Shaking my head, I gave Gran a quizzical look and peeked out the window shade.

  My face fell. “No.” Our work truck sat in the driveway. “No, no, no.”

  “I didn’t think the man would be fool enough to sit in the driveway. Go out there and bring him inside.”

  “What?”

  “It’s good manners. Besides, what will the neighbors think if we left some man in the driveway all night?”

  “They’ll see Vincent, and think those are smart women in that house.”

  Gran crossed her arms. “Cassandra Heidrich, you get out there and bring him in. You’re both being ridiculous.”

  I took another look out the window. “Did you invite him over? Do you know what’s going on?”

  “He was already nearby. I told him to come over and the only thing I know is that the two of you apart is not the best idea right now, for either of you.”

  “I guess I can make up the upstairs bedroom.” I sighed and went to the door.

  “Already done.”

  Stopping, I looked at Gran.

  She gave me a sweet smile. “I fixed it up yesterday.”

  Resigned to my task, I slipped on a pair of shoes and went out. Approaching the truck, I had no idea what to say. I didn’t see Vincent, so I knocked on the truck door.

  “Yes?”

  I jumped and spun around, my hand automatically going to my side. My heart pulsed harder when my hand landed on my thigh and not my gun.

  Vincent stood unmoving at the back of the truck.

  I took a steadying breath. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Margaret told me to come over.”

  “And you listened to her?”

  “She told me what would happen if I didn’t.”

  My curiosity was piqued. “What did she say?”

  Vincent didn’t respond.

  “Did she—” I started to say.

  “She told me what I would do.”

  “What would you do?”

  Vincent sighed and leaned his back and head against the truck. It was the first truly human thing that I had seen him do. I felt like I was intruding on something private.

  Maybe I was.

  “You feel better now though?” I asked changing the direction of the conversation.

  “Yes.” The relief was clear in his voice.

  “Me too.”

  We stood in silence. Whatever this was, it sucked.

  “It’s getting late,” I said, turning to head inside.

  “It is.”

  “Come on inside.” When I didn’t hear footsteps on the gravel, I turned back around. He was standing straight and tall again.

  “I’ll stay out here.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. What would the neighbors say?”

  Vincent didn’t move. “You don’t have to do this.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “What would my grandmother say?”

  There might have been a sigh, but maybe it was just a breath of wind. Vincent walked stiffly to the truck, grabbed his bag, and then followed me in.

  That night went easier than the last. Thoughts of what the hell is going on and what does this mean, kept me tossing and turning, but those were real things. I could name them and I knew where they came from.

  By the time, I dragged myself out of bed the next morning and headed downstairs, Gran was already gone. She left me a note telling me to take the aspirin with me. Not a promising start to the day.

  Vincent came into the kitchen and nodded. He looked completely put together and ready for the day. Something that I was not. I reached for coffee when the phone rang. I sighed before answering.

  “Cassie, this is Kyrian. A situation has arisen and we have a job for you.”

  “What kind of situation?” I asked grabbing paper and a pencil and sitting at the kitchen table.

  “We've had a report from over in Linn County. It’s not far. People have been spotted around the area the fairies inhabit for the past few evenings. Normally, they wouldn't have thought anything of it, but the fairies are adamant that the people are getting closer. If someone
has spotted the fairies, or has it in their head to catch one, we need to investigate. Can you and Logan check it out?”

  “Um, actually, Logan's translating in the Ozarks.”

  “Oh, yes, I forgot Barry loaned him out. There is a new guy, Vincent Pironis. He’s a transfer and hasn't been assigned anything. Are you up for it today?” It was a last minute question. Kyrian didn't have the full story on what happened yesterday, which surprised me. She was usually not one to be left in the dark.

  “I'm fine,” I replied. “Is there anyone else to ride along?”

  “Everyone's out already,” Kyrian said.

  “Vincent's here, we can take it.”

  “I'll have the information sent to your phone.” She disconnected.

  Hanging up the phone, I looked over at Vincent. “Logan is going to kill me.”

  “I think you're safe. I'm pretty sure he'll aim for me.” If anyone else had said this I would have laughed, but Vincent didn't sound like he was joking.

  I ran back upstairs and finished getting ready in a hurry. My hands shook as I laced up my boots. Logan was my partner and mentor. I had never been out without him. Maybe I should call him.

  Shaking my head, I dismissed the idea. Whatever he was doing sounded important. We could handle this. Within five minutes, we were headed out the door.

  The drive would take almost an hour even if we pushed it. The first few minutes were completely silent. My anxiety level went through the roof. Steady calm waves came from Vincent as he drove. I tried to grab hold of the calm, but it didn't help.

  Reading the reports out loud took up some of our time. After that, the silence started to stretch on. I made the mistake of trying to fill the void.

  “I've never been in the field without Logan,” I admitted.

  Vincent didn't respond. To give myself something to do, I grabbed a gear bag from behind the seat and started rummaging, trying to think of what we might need. We'd probably need everything. Grabbing my phone, I read the file to myself again.

  “Logan won't really kill you, you know,” I said, reading the descriptions of the fairy clan in question for the third time.

  In my peripheral vision, I saw Vincent grip the steering wheel tighter. “I'm not as confident about that as you are.”

  “That's ridiculous. I'm fine. Right as rain and all that.”

  If anything, he gripped the steering wheel harder. “If that was true, why did I spend the evening in the guest room?”

  “Physically I’m fine. Mentally, I’m—”

  “Shattered.”

  The words sat heavy in the air, threatening to weigh me down.

  “Not your mind,” Vincent said in a stiff voice. “Your soul.”

  Anxiety started to creep in, so I turned back to files on my phone. Mentally, I was fine, and I’d be damned if I let anyone tell me anything different.

  Vincent's tension started swirling against my anxiety. Usually, I had to be reading the Path to feel the atmosphere this strongly. Now I was being swamped by the emotions swirling through the air. Shivering, I sat the phone aside, took a few deep breaths, and closed my eyes. A whirl of worry from Vincent meandered around the other emotions.

  “You need to chill out,” I said opening my eyes. “I'm fine.”

  Vincent looked like he was concentrating hard on the road and the air cleared a bit.

  Deciding it would be best if I centered myself, I closed my eyes again and started emptying out my thoughts, concentrating on the feeling of my body. Sometimes I employed this meditation technique to center myself before using my gifts. Today my body seemed to fight me. Nothing seemed to flow correctly. After trying for a while, I gave up.

  “We need to come up with a plan,” I said.

  Vincent stared hard at the road. I watched him, expecting an answer, refusing to let him slide by without a response. Once I folded my arms and started glaring in his direction, he took the hint.

  “I'm not used to working with a partner. I've always worked alone.”

  “Company policy is that no one works alone.”

  “There are rare exceptions to that rule. Most would prefer not to work with a Walker.”

  Here I was, stuck with a Walker, alone, with no back up.

  Chapter 7

  We entered the sprawling state park and skipped the ranger station, instead, choosing to go straight to the location on the GPS. The temperature stretched toward eighty-five degrees. We passed cars parked on the edge of the road and people out enjoying a hike on the warm day. Once we parked, I hopped out of the truck and pulled a few items from our bags. Like most of our assignments, a handgun was out of the question with people so close by. Any shots could ricochet and hurt someone. The tranq gun and pepper spray would be adequate.

  Vincent grabbed his gear and stowed the bags while I carefully went over the map on the phone. My mind worked furiously fast. Do we have everything we need? Do I take the lead here? What if I can't read the Path? Will I be of any use?

  I pushed these thoughts aside. Putting forth my best was all I could do. Plunging into the woods, we headed to the fairy homestead. We decided to talk to the fairies and then scout the surrounding area. We'd see how close people came to the fairies and provide facts to the agency. The agency would decide if the fairies needed to be relocated.

  We hurried to the fairies. The open spaces and fresh air worked wonders on my nerves. Vincent followed close behind.

  “Do you get this type of job often in the North West?” I asked, slowing down to walk next to him.

  Vincent’s jaw tightened. “I’ve done many surveillance jobs.”

  “This isn’t really surveillance though, is it? I mean, we’re talking with the fairies, not staking them out.”

  He didn’t respond, but I pressed on, determined to know what type of expertise my partner had. “Surveillance jobs don’t sound too bad. We do more relocation and integration here. What other types of jobs do you do?”

  Vincent stepped in front of me and faced me in one fluid movement. I nearly walked into him.

  “Why are you pressing this?” Vincent asked. His voice would have frozen a pixie to the spot.

  “Pressing this?”

  Vincent was a head taller than I was. He loomed over me with eyes darker than I remembered them being.

  It wasn’t the best time to remember that I was alone with him, in the middle of nowhere. Instinct yelled at me to take a step back. I decided to screw instinct.

  Crossing my arms, I glared at him. “Why do you think? We’re on a job together. Like it or not, You. Are. My partner.” I slowed down the words to emphasize them.

  Crap, did his eyes get darker? I shook the thought out of my mind and continued, “In order to work with each other, we need to know what to expect from the other.”

  “I work alone,” Vincent said, enunciating every word except ‘I’. The air seemed to grow colder with each syllable. “I watch, I analyze, I deduce, and I kill.”

  I could tell that he was looking for a reaction, so I gave him one.

  “Not a people person. This is me being surprised.” I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever relocated one of the Lost? Do you have any experience working with fairies? Is there absolutely anything that you can do that is relevant here?”

  His eyes narrowed a fraction, his jaw clenched, and every muscle I could see tensed. His body howled out his anger without making a sound.

  The intensity of the animosity churned my stomach. The Path ripped open and a deluge of red, so deep that it was almost black, flooded over me. I stumbled back a step and fell. The real world was almost completely lost somewhere under Vincent’s fury.

  Then it became less. The Path of the world returned. My fear lessened as the inundation slowed enough for me to force the Path closed.

  Breathing heavily, I watched the colors of the world turn mute. With each blink I took, a ghost of sheer black covered everything.

  It wasn’t supposed to be this way. What good would I be for AIR if my power
s were out of control? I shouldn’t be worried about Vincent. He should be worried about me. I was the liability here.

  “It is getting worse,” Vincent said from some distance away.

  Depressed, I didn’t bother looking around. “Not worse.” I sighed, knowing that I needed to be fully honest. “But not better. And not as good as I tried to lead you and Logan to believe.”

  The expansive woods spread out in front of me. There were fairies in there. Maybe pixies too, I should have checked. What use was I to any of the Lost as a Reader that couldn’t control the Path? The black overlay started to dissipate and the dullness of the forest colors faded to reveal a lush green wonderland.

  I stood and turned my back on it. Vincent stood closer than I expected.

  “I’ll fix this,” he said.

  I nodded without meaning. “Yeah. For now, take this.” I handed over my phone. “The GPS will take you to the fairies.”

  “You’re too unwell to continue?” His forehead was creased with uncertainty.

  “I’m putting us at a disadvantage. I’ll meet you back at the car.” Trying to distance myself from the situation, I walked away.

  “We’ll call another team in to take this,” Vincent said, matching my steps.

  “There isn’t anyone else,” I sighed. “Go talk to the fairies.”

  “We can’t work alone, remember?”

  “You already work alone, you’ll be fine.”

  Vincent brushed past me and blocked my way again. This time, he wasn’t looming. There was no anger. Maybe there was a bit of weariness, but that could have been my own reflected feelings.

  He was making me think about it instead of letting me walk away. “You’re making this difficult,” I said.

  “We’re either going in together or leaving together.”

  I shook my head.

  He lowered his voice. “Do you really want to send me out to work with the fairies alone?” He didn’t sound menacing or malicious. It was an honest question.

  “You’re not going to hurt a fairy. I know that.” It was the truth. Something inside of me knew with certainty that he wouldn’t harm an innocent fairy.

  “How about being alone with the humans walking through the area?”