Earth

by Jaymin Eve

  I kept my head low, walk-running, but not full-on sprinting – that would definitely draw attention. More humans were pouring into the area, on bikes, foot and in vehicles.

  When I reached the large Ford, I sidled along the driver’s side, hoping like hell the door was unlocked. Reaching for the energy inside – my energy well was disgustingly suppressed on Earth – I scraped up enough power to sense for an alarm.

  There didn’t seem to be anything electronic protecting the car, so I didn’t hesitate to grab the handle, holding my breath as I pulled. There was a click, but the door didn’t pop open. Shit! It was locked and I didn’t have any sort of tool on me to be able to jimmy it open. I was just wringing my hands and scanning the garden beds in front of the car park for something when a shadow fell over me.

  I spun around to find Colton there. “I got the girls into the park. Brace thought you might need a hand.”

  My mate, always keeping an eye on me. I nodded at Colton, who smirked, his perfect teeth shining in the sunlight, icy-blue eyes shimmering.

  “The car’s locked,” I said. “I know how to get it open, but I need a piece of metal or wire to fit down the window and into the door.”

  That shiny grin widened. “Nah, all you need is me.”

  He reached out and placed a tanned hand onto the car, just above the locking mechanism. I felt the slightest rush of energy, and then all four locks clicked up. Well, hot damn, he’d just unlocked the car with his power.

  “We still have little tricks up our sleeves. If you knew how and weren’t so drained you’d have been able to do the same,” Colton said as he yanked open the door.

  I didn’t feel that drained now, but Earth made everything extra shit in regards to power. So who knew? I had to stretch right up to reach the bar and pull myself into the Ford; this truck was jacked up high. Before I could, though, Colton placed a hand under my elbow and with no visible effort gave me a boost. I landed in the seat. Showoff, I could have done that.

  By the time he’d journeyed around and climbed into the passenger side, I’d managed to drop the casing off the ignition and find the wires I needed. The noise was almost deafening as the beast sprang to life. Its owner clearly loved her. She started without pause and, despite the huge ass engine, was smoothly purring away.

  I reached across and slammed my door. Colton did the same to his. I took a moment to recall how to drive: adjust the mirrors and seat, shift into reverse, slowly ease out of the massive park.

  That part went smoothly and thankfully no cars were vying for my spot, so I could take my time. Colton said nothing as I continued to slowly adjust myself to driving again. I was now equipped with unparalleled Walker reflexes, which was helpful, but still, I was pretty rusty.

  At the lights I fumbled to find indicators, and after a few incidents with the windshield wipers, finally figured out the basic controls. Colton leaned forward and switched on the air, for which I was very grateful. It was hot here, and my nerves had me on edge; my shirt was sticking in sweaty rows to my back.

  You on the way, babe? I reached out to Brace as I eased the beast into a shaded area on the other side of the large garden area. We were partially hidden away, so unless the owner came looking for his monster, we should be safe for now.

  Just waiting on Chrissie to bring the last two girls, and then we’ll grab the others from the park and meet you at the car. There was a pause, and his inner voice lowered for the last part. I have to say, I definitely like it when you act all Earth-girl, Red. Very sexy. He growled low.

  Heat flared through me again, and just like that Brace negated the air-conditioning, and I was again hotter than hell. Damn Walkers. Such sweet talkers.

  I hadn’t turned the car off, or even shifted her out of drive. I knew I’d have to move fast when everyone piled in. Luckily the back seat was massive; it wouldn’t be comfortable, but we’d all fit.

  To amuse myself while we waited I leaned forward and examined the strange panel and dials in the center of the console. I turned the larger of the round buttons, and all of a sudden music flooded through the stereo system and around the entire car. Colton laughed then, his eyes lighting up like it was some sort of magic trick.

  Walkers were blessed with many gifts, but some things were beyond their understanding. The magic of human technology was one of those things. I wanted to laugh with him, but I was actually stunned into silence.

  The song poured from the speakers and seeped into me. It was slow and melodic; the owner must have had his radio set on a country music channel. As the female singer spoke of lost love and starlit nights, a flood of emotions slammed into me with the force of a tidal wave.

  I had always loved music. The beat, the melody, the way it threaded across my soul and weaved stories with my emotions. I hadn’t heard Earth music for years.

  There had been none during the worst of New York’s downfall. And despite the small tastes I’d had of music in the other worlds, this reminded me of home. Of being a young girl and hiding under the covers with Lucy and our radio, listening to whatever black market bands had still managed to transmit on the air.

  I wanted to cry, like throw myself down and sob like a fat-faced baby. But there was no time for a breakdown. Memories continued cutting through me with a painful intensity, and I was about to lose my shit completely when a hand reached across and grasped mine. Colton didn’t say anything. He must have sensed that I was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

  I squeezed his large palm, biting my lip to stem the rise of tears. I appreciated his comfort, and the fact he didn’t force me to tell him what was wrong. He understood pain, and he understood comfort. And that was all he needed to know.

  I was hit with so many feels as I sat there in the truck. Colton and Lucy were as much my family as Brace was. I loved them and had to ensure they all survived this. Of course, I didn’t want anyone to die, but there were some deaths that would completely destroy me. Brace, Colton and Lucy were at the top of my list. A list which was getting longer every day.

  Sniffling and blinking rapidly, I’d never been so grateful to see the shimmery green of a pixie in my peripheral vision. Lucy was in the lead of the raggedy group, the females following slowly, all of them wearing the strain of fear and exhaustion on their features. Still, they continued to move forward. Continued to fight for survival. One thing humans had in spades was fight. They never gave up.

  “You okay now, Red?” Colton didn’t use Brace’s nickname for me that often.

  I met the light blue of his eyes, and nodded a couple of times. I wasn’t exactly okay, but I wasn’t lying either. My tears were under control, and the memories shut away for another time. His eyes scanned my features, and he must have seen the same thing. With one final squeeze, he released my hand. I blew a kiss toward him.

  “Thank you for being my family. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.” Yeah, I knew I had a blood brother, but truth was Samuel and I just weren’t close.

  Sometimes family is not the people born of same blood, but the ones chosen through bloody warfare. This battle had forged bonds – unbreakable connections which were as strong as any quirk of being born to the same parents.

  The strong muscles in Colton’s neck moved then as he visibly swallowed. Emotions shone from his eyes.

  Eventually he said, “Until you and Lucy arrived, I was lost. My family were mostly dead, Brace had disappeared on some asinine mission for his idiot father, and I was simply wiling away the years. I contemplated the deep sleep, you know … maybe even rebirth.”

  He trailed off and I tried not to let my surprise show. Some of the older Walkers who had grown weary with life could choose to go into a sleep-like stasis. They weren’t dead, but neither were they alive. Walkers can also choose to be born again. Technically they’re the same essence, but their previous life memories are wiped clean. So they’re not really the same.

  “I don’t know what stopped me in the end, but something tells me it was fate trying to gra
nt me a sliver of patience. To slow the hell down because I had so many riches heading my way.”

  His handsome and fierce features softened then. His eyes were locked on his mate as she continued to cross the park area. They were almost at us now.

  “I’ll die a thousand painful deaths before I let anything happen to you or Lucy.” His eyes were back on me. “We’ll beat them, Abbs, there’s no other option.”

  The immovable nature of his animal was surfacing now. Unlike humans with varied and complex emotions, the wolf in Colton was relentless. It could not be tempted from its goal. And right then he was protecting the pack members.

  “We will beat them.”

  I offered him the same confidence in return, and I had to believe that good would prevail. Surely the great gods who controlled the balance would not let evil completely wipe out the worlds. The intensity of the emotions in the Ford’s cab dissipated as the back door was flung open and a bunch of females climbed inside.

  Colton was out of his side in a flash, and managed to not only gently toss his pixie mate into the front seat beside me, but also to help the rest in.

  On our way, sweetheart.

  I’d felt Brace’s concern during my emotional breakdown. He had no problem with the closeness between Colton and me. Our melding bond didn’t allow much room for jealousy. Besides, he could see and feel my emotions, and even if he joked about it at times, he knew that Colton was a brother to me and that there was no other male in any of the worlds that could take his place. Jealousy was a cancer which ate away at love and friendships. We would not allow it in our foursome.

  I could sense when Brace was close. This heat washed over my body and infused into my blood. Sure enough, his small group came into sight. The last of the females, including Chrissie, Eva and a pretty ebony-skinned female who wore her hair in rows of braid.

  The engine drowned out the sound of the doors opening and the girls entering the cab. I waited while all of them squished themselves into whatever spare spaces they could find.

  Brace was suddenly at my door, his intentions clear. With a huff, I threw the car into neutral and shifted across so he could take the driver’s side. I was plastered to Lucy, but we couldn’t complain. They were way more compacted in the back.

  Brace’s long legs filled the space, and even though the truck was a monster, his presence still dominated the space. Somehow he knew exactly how to drop her back into gear, and then with barely a hitch we were moving.

  I’m a fast learner. He grinned, enjoying his first drive.

  “Where are you planning on taking us?” Chrissie shifted closer to the front, her head practically between Lucy’s and mine.

  I rubbed at my face. “First thing, we need to get you some cash. Then we can stash you in a hotel until you all figure things out.”

  I didn’t have time for a complex plan. This was the best I could do at short notice with a time bomb ticking away in the background. The Seventine were the problem I had to focus on and it was time to face the music.

  Chapter 11

  Lady Luck was on our side again. It took about ten minutes to ‘borrow’ some money from a local bank – okay, we stole it. Colton and Brace set a small fire and then manipulated the computers and alarm system long enough for panic to ensue and the area to empty. Sure, stealing was technically wrong, but the girls assured us that they would do their best to return the money over time. And right then they needed it to survive.

  We took them across to a low-budget hotel. Chrissie checked in, and luckily they did not have much of an ID system in place at the Sunset Inn. The girls were now taking turns showering and salvaging what they could of their clothes before going out to start their lives here.

  I gave Chrissie a firm hug. “Good luck. Hopefully this side of the barrier is kinder to females than the other side was.”

  She returned the gesture before pulling away to stare at me. “Don’t give up, Abbs. You do everything in your power to destroy what’s trying to destroy us. I know you have a soft heart, but don’t let that be your downfall. Sometimes you must sacrifice the few for the many. You know that.”

  I sucked in deeply. I wasn’t okay with that sentiment, no matter how logical it was. My few meant everything to me, equally as much as the many. Still, if there were no worlds left, I would lose everyone anyways. It was a tough decision to make and one I hoped wouldn’t come to pass.

  Eva stood near the door, her features tight – emotionless. Although, she did give Chrissie a wave before we turned and walked away. I had a funny feeling in my chest leaving her there, like I might never actually see her again. I kind of hoped that wasn’t the case.

  We’d left the car a few blocks away so no witnesses could tell tales that would bring the police to the girls. I wanted to take it out of this area before we traced to the power grid.

  Whenever I thought about that energy transference barrier, I got that bad feeling in my gut. One that I also associated with the Seventine. They were up to something; I just knew it. I could only hope we got to them in time.

  Eva and Lucy jumped into the back of the black Ford. The Earth half-Walker was quiet, her expression shuttered. The only telltale sign of nerves was the way she continued to stroke the hilt of her sword.

  “You doing okay with all of this?” I asked, shifting around to see her better.

  She met my stare, her gaze unflinching. She was – kind of badass. Everything about her screamed tough nut; she would not hesitate in a fight.

  I liked this about her, but it also worried me. I hadn’t forgotten Chrissie’s warning. Eva had no fear because she had nothing left to lose. She was a loose cannon and a part of her wanted to die. I’d heard the pain when she spoke of her family. It was pain that had flowed across her soul and burned through her heart. I had seen it before, many times on the streets of New York. Those ones who had lost everything – lost their loved ones – they were bombs waiting to be detonated. It was simply a matter of time. The same empty hollowness of loss wore heavily in Eva’s golden tiger eyes.

  Despite the tenseness in her jaw, she answered smoothly. “Hard to say if I’m doing okay or not. The last few months I’ve learned to take shit as it comes. Good. Bad. Other. There’s no real way to predict what’s coming for me, so I just go with it.”

  Lucy snorted. “That philosophy will actually serve you well in our world. Trust me when I tell ya: everything comes at us. All at the same time. Better hope your raincoat is extremely shit-proof, because it’s about to get messy.”

  Colton cracked up. He was in the front seat next to me. “God, I love that pixie. She has such a way with words.”

  A burst of laughter fled from me, even though I was trying not to laugh in the face of my serious half-Walker, but I couldn’t help it. The visual Lucy had just painted was ridiculous. I so needed to get raincoats for all the girls.

  I had just composed myself when a smile crossed Eva’s face and I almost fell off my seat. She’d smiled. An actual, honest-to-god smile. Okay, it was only a slight tilt to her lips, but still, it felt like a massive achievement.

  “I’m going to leave the car over there.” Brace interrupted the moment. “No time to take it any further.”

  He pulled off to the side of an intersection, which was bordered by a large national park. There seemed to be more than one entrance into the thick canopied area, so he took the first path wide enough for the truck. As soon as we were far enough into the trees to be blocked from the sight of anyone on the highway, he ground to a halt and shut off the engine.

  We exited the car. There were more emotional pangs as I wondered if this was the last time I’d drive or listen to Earth music. I didn’t want to lose all these things from my past. But change was inevitable.

  Standing beside the black body of the vehicle, I held out my hands. Everyone but Eva knew what to do.

  “You need to hold on to one of us,” I said. “This won’t hurt, but it might feel strange. I’m going to move us instantaneously from one
spot to another.”

  Eva didn’t even hesitate. She just dropped her hand into Brace’s. Her features did not shift and no fear was in her eyes. Definitely had a death-wish chick on our hands here.

  I brought forth a mental image of the gray-colored power grid. I had taken note earlier, during my impromptu visit, that there was a small grassed section right in the center. This was as good a place as any for us to land. I drew on a little of Brace’s energy, knowing I probably didn’t have enough of my own. The warmth of his princeps power traveled through me, his energy strong enough to send jitters across me. I wasn’t sure if that feeling was simply because it was Brace and he made my heart race, or if his essence was something beyond any others. He was unusually powerful, even for a Walker.

  The jolt as I traced us was rougher than usual, but we got there in one piece. Mostly. Eva’s creamy skin looked to be a few shades paler than normal, but there were no other outward signs that she was freaked about the fact that she had just jumped hundreds of miles.

  Imagine when I explained to her that the same ability was hers for the taking. Not now, though. I liked to keep my new half-Walkers – who were generally flight risks – a little uneducated about the many ways they could avoid me. Saved me the trouble of tracking them down again, which would leave me a tad upset. Like itching powder and fire ants in their beds upset. Damn, I was starting to think like Lucy.

  We all broke apart, and Brace and Colton were the first to spread out and scan the perimeter. I shook my head, trying to shake off the electrical currents in the air. Yep, there was definitely something preternatural about this area. I could feel the otherness. It was like a tingle on the back of my tongue. But – the energy seemed to be gone.