Blue Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  Kayla stuck her chin out. “I am the strongest of my kind, and there are not just a few dead bodies down there. I sense hundreds. I could raise an army if I had to. But the most important part is that I will be able to see everything Jessica does, so if she’s in trouble, we will know instantly.”

  Marcy nodded, tapping her index finger against her chin. “That’s a pretty tricky plan. I’m on board, but only if I spell Jessica ahead of time with a few protection spells. Enid didn’t say anything about fortifying her in that little note of hers. I can even put a tracer on you”—she head-bobbed in my direction—“in case she decides to get grabby.”

  I nodded. “I like it. The plan has merit.” Being accompanied by a bunch of reanimated dead bodies wasn’t at the top of my list of things I’d love to experience, but freeing Danny was. I turned to my mate. “What do you think? Kayla has a great point. The piling is directly beneath us, and she will technically be with me, so you’ll know what’s going on. If there’s danger, you can react. Enid didn’t specify anything against that.” He didn’t look convinced. I lay my hand on his arm. “I don’t think Enid’s plan is to snatch me right now. I believe she left Danny for a reason. Whatever he has to say is going to change the course of what we do, so we have to find him. If Enid still has Naomi, Danny’s not going to stop until he gets her back.” Naomi was Danny’s mate, and they were a perfect match.

  “I don’t know.” Rourke ran one hand through his hair, settling the other on my waist. “Letting you walk into known danger is not going to get any easier, but this is the life we’re signing up for.” Although he was trying to be stoic, I heard the pain behind his words. “There’s no turning back now, is there?” His face took on a comical look, a combination of hope and resignation.

  “No,” I said. “We are committed. But you’re right. Walking into the path of danger is never going to get any easier. We’re going to be walking into a lot of dangerous scenarios for the rest of our lives. But if we stay strong together as a team”—I nodded around the group—“and make solid, thoughtful plans, I think we can minimize the chances of anything going south. I value that. And what Kayla and Marcy have offered is exactly that. I’m not interested in walking blindly into harm’s way, but I am interested in getting the job done.” My voice was firm, yet gentle. Rourke already knew that I would do anything to get my team back and save Jax.

  He just needed to hear me say it out loud.

  His expression was reserved. “Okay, I’m in,” he finally said. “The plan is for Kayla to have no less than twenty bodies waiting for you down there, and Marcy spells you before you open that door. Any danger arises, and we storm the castle.”

  “Good.” I addressed Kayla. “I want to make sure you’re up for this. Twenty is a lot. At the cemetery, you passed out and were near death.”

  Kayla gave me a look that indicated I had no idea what I was talking about. “When you found me, I’d just reanimated several thousand against my will, and I was hyper-stressed about my brother. I am in a calm state of mind. This will be no problem. I’m happy to help. Anything to get us closer to finding Jax.”

  Marcy declared, “It’s settled, then. Turn and face me so I can spell the crap out of you.”

  I did as I was told. “Go easy on me, ye ol’ powerful witch. I don’t want to break out in hives or have hiccups for a month.”

  She clucked. “Hey, aftereffects happen. Just so you know, I’m spelling you with three things. A protection-from-death spell, dialed to Enid specifically. It’s a tricky one, but I’ve been practicing it since we found out she was on your trail. The second one is a simple protection charm, an oldie but goodie. It basically works like invisible armor. It will protect you from anything physical down there, like a blow to the head with an ax or a dull knife to the heart.”

  “Jesus,” I said. “Okay.”

  “Relax, that’s not happening. But just in case it does, I’m stopping it before it spills your insides out. Third is a tracking spell. I don’t think even Enid can break it—it’s that good. That way, if you’re snatched, we can find you.” She began muttering under her breath.

  “I’m glad you’re so sure of yourself,” I said. That hadn’t always been the case. Marcy had struggled with her confidence in crafting spells for a long time. “Nothing like a wishy-washy witch to make you second-guess their abilities.” A tingly sensation flooded over my body, followed by warmth and, surprisingly, the smell of popcorn. I wrinkled my nose. “Am I supposed to reek like I work behind the counter at a movie theater?”

  “Quiet, you,” she shushed. “Can’t you see I’m working here?” She muttered a few more things. “And, yes”—she opened one eye—“the smell of butter is standard. It’s the buttery goodness that allows us to track you.”

  I laughed out loud. “The buttery goodness? Somehow I don’t think so.”

  Both eyes popped open. “Okay, fine, so I threw in a drama charm by accident,” she said. “These spells are tricky. One wrong word inflection and it’s an entirely different recipe. If you feel like quoting Shakespeare, don’t blame me.” I arched an eyebrow. “Well, I guess you can blame me, but don’t be mad.” After a few more moments, she announced, “I’m done. How do you feel?”

  “Fine?” I posed it as a question. “Am I supposed to feel any different?”

  “No,” she said. “But I felt like I should ask anyway. Any obsessive urges to quote Shakespeare?”

  “Get thee to a nunnery,” I intoned in my best English accent, joking. Hamlet was all I had—and maybe a little Romeo and Juliet. “What light through yonder window breaks—”

  “Okay, enough, funny girl.” Marcy couldn’t help but laugh. “It must not have been that powerful of a charm, if that’s all you got. That, and I put a Band-Aid over it, so your sonnet-oration urges should be in check.”

  “Happy fun time is over,” Ray grumbled from my right. “Time to get to work. I’m going to position myself outside the piling below. I saw some strange windows set in the stone. I wonder what the hell they used this place for. Strangest bridge I’ve ever seen.” He shook his head. “If I need to get in, I’ll break a window. Somebody yell if there’s an issue, but I’ll likely hear her first.”

  Rourke nodded. “Good. I’m staying by the door, along with Kayla and Marcy. Tyler and Irish, I want you to continue scanning the bridge. I want to know if there’s anybody here who’s not supposed to be. Nick and Lucas, you stand outside the shop and make sure nobody interferes. If the owner comes back, keep them occupied.”

  Everyone agreed.

  “I’ll put a ‘there’s nothing to look at here’ spell ten feet around this spot,” Marcy said, indicating where we stood. “If I make it any larger, people will start to arc in a circle around us and it will look funny.”

  I turned to Kayla. “Whenever you’re ready,” I said. “Do you need to sit down?”

  She barely refrained from giving me the stink eye. “No. I’m fine right here.”

  I nodded. I had no idea what I was going to find down there, but Danny had better be in one piece. Rourke took my hand, and I leaned over to give him a kiss. “I’m going to be okay,” I murmured into his lips. “My wolf is on high alert, and she’s not antsy at all. That’s a good sign. She’s in charge of supernatural threats. If Enid was down there, we’d feel it.”

  He nodded, but said nothing. His tension radiated outward. He was poised to strike someone or something.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” Kayla announced.

  “That was quick.” I glanced over Rourke’s shoulder.

  “They weren’t buried,” she said. “So that made it easier. Oh, and expect there to be some ghosts down there. Many of these people died a harsh death, some from starvation, but many from murder. Souls tend to linger when death is violent. Just a fair warning.” She smiled and winked. I found myself enjoying this side of Kayla. It was one we hadn’t seen before. “If you’re sensitive to otherworldly beings, you will likely perceive them.”

  Great. I tota
lly was.

  Ghosts were not my favorite by a long shot, but they’d been an asset to me in the past. “Unfortunately, I am sensitive. I found that out the hard way crawling around in Eudoxia’s backyard. But none of those ghosts were malicious,” I said. “Should I expect different today?”

  She shook her head. “No, on the whole, ghosts are very passive beings. They are simply stuck in limbo, most of them not even realizing they’re dead. If I inhabit a body with a soul attached, I can help them cross over. But other ghosts won’t pay any attention to me.”

  “Got it,” I said. “So any ghosts who talk to me are not coming from the bodies you’re reanimating.”

  “Yep, that’s it exactly,” she answered cheerily. A happy necromancer. Who knew? “It makes it less macabre that way.”

  I set my hand on the deadbolt. “I’m going to have to disagree with you there, but I catch your drift.” I slid the long latch out of the holes, and the door popped open without any impediment. “Okay, I’m going in.”

  Rourke growled, “If you’re down there any longer than necessary, I’m coming in after you.”

  “Define longer than necessary,” I said as I placed a foot over the threshold.

  “Fifteen minutes,” he deadpanned.

  “How about forty-five?” I negotiated.

  “Fine,” he said. “But not a minute over.”

  I leaned over, grabbing his shoulders, planting a kiss on his lips. “I’ll be back in forty-three.”

  12

  It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. The transition from bright daylight to black was doable, but it took time, even for a supernatural with enhanced vision.

  Once I could see, I noticed the steep staircase in front of me. It went straight down into what I could only assume was the abyss. The steps themselves were shallow, chipped and falling apart, made of old stone, the mortar that originally kept them together long gone.

  On my left stood two trash barrels. It was clear the only thing that this space was used for was to store garbage between weekly trash pickups. I couldn’t imagine the shop owner descending these stairs for any reason.

  Here goes nothing, I told my wolf as I descended the first few steps. She gave me a you can do it bark. She still wasn’t ruffled, which put me at ease—at ease as I could be knowing we were descending into the arms of almost two dozen waiting dead bodies.

  I had to keep my mind on the prize—Danny. He was the reason I was doing this.

  As I went lower, my eyes adjusted even more. Wolves had excellent eyesight, and mine was no exception. My retinas were grabbing light from every conceivable place they could find it. It worked to give me a hazy outline of the shapes around me, which wasn’t much. Just lots and lots of crumbling stone.

  How’s it going? Rourke asked in my mind. I wasn’t sure how long we were going to be able to be tethered if Enid had any say.

  It’s going fine, I replied. I’ve encountered nothing but steps and crumbling rock. These puppies go straight down. I began to hear movement below, not so much moaning, but more like sticks clicking together. I’m hearing some bone-on-bone action, I told him. I must be getting close to the bottom.

  You’re probably about two stories down, Rourke said. How are the smells down there?

  My wolf had been parceling them away. So far it just smells wet, moldy, and old. There was a little whiff of Danny, but not much. I’m not getting enough of Danny’s signature to let me know where he is. Enid is still playing games. I wish she’d stop. It was a waste of time. There was a clatter about ten feet below me. It sounded like bodies running into each other. Ask Kayla if she can see down here. It sounds like the bodies are crashing into each other. I should’ve brought a flashlight.

  Do you have a Pack phone on you? Rourke asked. These days they come with a built-in flashlight. Kayla says she’s having trouble seeing, as dead bodies don’t have the best eyesight. That was a joke, in case you’re wondering, since skeletons don’t have eyes.

  I got it. Very funny. I do have a Pack phone. I reached into my back pocket and pulled it out. Ah, technology. We forget in our supernatural-ness that innovation can be our friends. Rourke was saying something, but he was breaking up. Enid had had enough of our communication. Either that, or these walls were just too thick, because who knew how this mind-action worked anyway? I’m sorry, babe. I can’t hear you any longer. I’ll be back before you know it.

  I reached the end of the staircase and swiped on the phone light. I stifled a scream once I got a good look at my compatriots. “Holy gods.” It came out as a low moan. The scene in front of me was straight out of some crazy-bad horror movie, one in which lifeless bodies were sent to terrorize the innocent heroine.

  A mass of skeletons stood facing me.

  All seemingly eager to tear their sharp metacarpals into my flesh and cackle while they did it.

  This was so unnatural.

  “Kayla,” I called. “I know you can see me, but I don’t know if you can hear me. We didn’t talk about it. You have to back the suckers up so I have some room to move.”

  All at once, the freaky zombie bones took two steps back and parted so I could get through.

  She could hear me. That was a relief. It made it a little less spooky. And at least I had someone to talk to down here. “I’ve got a flashlight as long as my phone battery has a charge,” I said. “Let’s get this over with. I’ll lead, you and the horde follow.”

  There was only one direction to go.

  A long, narrow hallway snaked out in front of me. It was too dark to see how far it went, but it couldn’t be that long. The piling only had so much space. I had no idea what Ray had been talking about, because I couldn’t detect any windows.

  Can you scent anything? I asked my wolf as we began to walk. I’m not getting much, but you’re way better at it than me. My wolf infused us with more energy as I drew the damp, stale air over my tongue. I was only getting a little of Danny’s signature. Frustrated, I yelled, “You brought me here to get him, and here I am! If you haven’t forgotten, you want me to find him. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop playing games and show me where he is.” And then I muttered, “What, are we in first grade?”

  Something ice cold brushed by my face.

  A second later, a moan sounded in my ear.

  Oh, goody. A ghost. “Kayla, ghost encounter number one is happening right now.” I glanced behind at the stick figures shuffling in my wake. I didn’t know if I should address them directly, or if she just heard everything. These would’ve been good questions to ask before I descended into this pit.

  Too late now.

  You come…onto my lair. A breathy voice hit my ear. Seeking…something.

  “That’s correct, I do seek something,” I told it. “Any chance you could show me where the other living, breathing person is down here?” The hallway took a sharp turn to the left, and I followed. If it got any tighter, my bone army was going to have to go single file. That would make backing me up more difficult.

  What price are you willing to pay? the ghost asked on the barest of breath.

  I swatted by my ear. It was really cold, which made me wonder why ghosts were always cold. They had to mess with the air molecules. “Kayla,” I called. “This ghost wants me to pay it for help. I have no idea what to do. How do you pay a ghost?”

  You set me free, the ghost answered.

  “That’s fine,” I said. “I have no idea how to do such a thing, but I have somebody who can help you. In fact, I have two people. There’s a necromancer upstairs and a reaper outside this piling. Both of them could help you, if you decide to accept that as your form of payment.”

  You will set me free now, the ghost insisted.

  “We’re not getting anywhere with this, buddy,” I told it. The hallway abruptly ended. There weren’t any doors, just a solid rock wall on all sides. I flashed my phone around, looking for an opening somewhere. I turned around and stifled a gasp. Using a flashlight in a dark hallway and then t
urning to see a bunch of skeletons bunched up behind you was a heart attack waiting to happen. It didn’t matter that I’d known they were there. It was still unsettling. “Kayla, I need you to back these guys up. We ran into a dead end.” As they started to shuffle backward, I glanced around for any opening or doorway I’d missed. Ray had said he’d seen windows, so I was certain there was more to this place than I could see right now.

  You will set me free, the ghost said once again, brushing by my ear with a little more thrust.

  “Ghostman, you’re a broken record. If you tell me how to set you free, I’ll do it. But I have no idea how to do it on my own. On the other hand, if you show me where the other living person is down here, I can get somebody to help you.”

  There is one…

  I stopped, the ghost snagging my attention. “There is one what? A person? Are you talking about another living, breathing soul down here?”

  This way…

  I chuckled. “I can’t see where you are—”

  A small orb of light flashed in front of me, taking me by surprise. It began to move, floating into the wall straight ahead.

  I walked forward and placed my hand on the stone and pushed. It was solid. “I can’t follow you!” I called. “You’re going to have to show me a real, honest-to-goodness corporeal way in.” I waited. The ghost didn’t emerge.

  This could be Enid, toying with me again.

  Kayla had backed the bodies down the hallway so I had room to move. I ran my hand over the wall, searching for a way through, while still holding my flashlight. “Danny!” I shouted. It couldn’t hurt to try. “It’s Jessica! If you can make some noise, I can find you.” I sent out my energy, searching for our Alpha-wolf connection.

  It hit something. I stopped moving. It had been a bigger tug than last time.

  Did you feel that? I asked my wolf. We just have to find out which direction it’s coming from. “Danny, do it again! I felt it, but I need more!”