Stand-in: Take 3 of the Kanyon and Daylen Series

by K. B. Draper

“I’m glad you approve. I understand from my First that desire, sex, and lust are your weapons of choice.” Lexi gave a slow nod, which made the woman’s lips curve again in a sardonic grin. “I think I would like a taste of this power you yield.”

  Lexi’s eyes drifted shut as icy lips met hers. Cold wasn’t an accurate description she realized. It wasn’t the kind of cold that gives you shivers or frostbite, it was that the dark despair and emptiness was so vast that it emptied your soul.

  The woman’s lips lingered there, shadowy wisps of fog tracing Lexi’s body. “Let me in, child, and I will show you power and pleasure like you have never felt before,” the woman’s sex-laden voice whispered through Lexi’s thoughts.

  Lexi’s lips parted and liquid ice rushed into her, consuming her in a sexual mix of pain and pleasure.

  Lexi woke on her dressing room couch at the studio. She looked around the room, then down at herself. Someone had laid her on the couch with a blanket tucked around her. She ran her fingertips over her lips, which were still slightly stinging. She had flashes of immense pleasure and the cold that had crept in so deep that she’d felt it in the marrow of her bones. She’d felt that kind of emotionless abyss once before … the night after she’d first met Kanyon McKane.

  She had been eight or nine when her mother had locked her in her room after she’d stumbled over her lines at an audition. She’d cried herself to sleep that night, thinking of the perfect Kanyon McKane walking out of the audition. She still remembered the fake smile, the fake shy wave, and the “good luck” Kanyon had muttered as she walked past. Lexi had waved back. A “you too” slipping though her lips as she watched Kanyon leave, her mother’s arm slung around Kanyon’s shoulder. Lexi had mistakenly turned to her mother with a smile still on her lips and a hand still waving good-bye. Thirty seconds later, Lexi was in the bathroom stall down the hall getting scolded for not focusing on her lines and getting “tough love” swats across the backs of her thighs. She ran the back of her hand down her cheek. “Because we don’t strike the face. We never ever strike the face,” Lexi muttered. She’d cried herself to sleep that night, falling into a dream where Kanyon was pointing and laughing at her as she walked out of the audition. She mocked her with the real-life insults her mother often used. Then her mother was there, taking Kanyon into her arms, giving her all the love and praise that Lexi had so desperately wanted.

  It was then that Lexi had first felt the cold. The scene playing out before her switched and she found herself standing in the empty field of an old-time drive-in. Kanyon and her mother were on the large screen, living the life she’d so desperately wanted. As she stood with tears pouring from her eyes, an icy mist began weaving itself around her ankles, legs, stomach, and snaking up around her neck. She’d screamed and that’s when she’d felt the cold slide into her, past her lips, into her lungs, and pulsing through her veins.

  The cold distain continued to manifest inside her. She felt it take firm root a year later as her mother made her sit and watch every single minute of every episode of the television role “that should have been hers.” Instead, she’d watched Kanyon on the screen.

  “Ms. Cruze, we need you on the set in ten,” a young man’s voice said, waking her from her memories.

  “Look who has the role now, Mommy Dearest.” She sneered. “Or do you even get cable in your little rat infested trailer park?” She flicked the blanket off, a smile of satisfaction on her lips as she stood. She hadn’t forgotten her lines the day the police came to take her mother away in handcuffs. She moved to her dressing room mirror and admired herself for a long moment. “You come to help me change?”

  “In a matter of speaking. She wanted me to deliver this,” he offered as he sat a jeweled box in front of her.

  “I take it I passed her little test?”

  He gave a head nod toward the box.

  Lexi cautiously lifted the lid. Two metal bands lay in a rich red velvet liner. She took them out and held each band up in front of her. One was a band of silver, the other of bronze, both about an inch and a half in width. They were simple. Crude in their design. And they were old. The only distinguishing marks on them were two etched lines that twisted around and through each bracelet.

  Lexi stood, holding out the bracelets. “Put them on me?”

  “Ammit will be very pleased.” He took the bands from her and slid one on each of her wrists.

  “Ammit? That’s her name?”

  “She has had many over the years, but yes.”

  “And she called you her ‘First’.”

  “I am only one of many, but I serve as her First Soldier.”

  “And what does that job get you?”

  “A great many things. As do these.” He held up her wrists as he laid a kiss on both the bracelets. “Use them wisely.”

  Kanyon had been called back to the set for a meeting while Daylen had found two of the three guys that Theo had said made it to work. Unfortunately, all she’d deemed from them was they too had scored a bunch of numbers and that Tim had spent last week’s, this week’s, and next week’s paycheck in the G-string of a woman at Pinky’s, but “hey, they were in love so it was all good.” Mark had a similar story, and a half-dozen hickeys to document his night’s adventures. She texted Kanyon and headed off to find the third musketeer, who was reportedly in the prop warehouse.

  Kanyon was standing in the rear of the room, near the door, so she could escape as soon as they were done with updates and screen changes. Dammit, she should be out looking for the article with Daylen not in here twiddling her thumbs. Steven had moved to the “pep talk” portion of this little meeting. They were officially behind schedule and though Steven was faking calm pretty well, she knew he was getting a lot of pressure from the studio to get the film done for a fall release. She was just as motivated as him to wrap this up, thinking less meetings and more filming would help. But she stood, half-listening as did everyone else in the room.

  She was running through last night’s events and this morning’s events, not all case related, when a low buzz began ringing in her ear. She shook her head to clear it. She popped her palm against her ear a couple times but it only got louder. She put a finger in her ear and swirled.

  “Kanyon. What’s wrong? Are you listening to me?” Steven barked.

  “Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Got to get this movie done ASAP, no more delays,” she guessed.

  “Right.” He went on as Kanyon tried to focus on him and not the noise in her head. A tingle started at the back of her neck, then moved down her shoulder and into her arm. Maybe she was having a stroke. Or a heart-attack? Which one had ringing and tingling? She was just about to pull out her phone and Google it when the door beside her jerked open and a tall, dark, insanely handsome warrior filled the doorway.

  A collective girl sigh filled the otherwise silent room.

  “Marcus? What the–” Kanyon started.

  “You are needed. Come now.”

  “I’m kind of in the middle of something,” she said through gritted teeth as she saw the whole room looking at them, scratch that, looking at Marcus who was wearing nothing more than Ali Baba baggy pants and sandals, looking like a super-hot Spartacus on steroids.

  Steven stepped over two assistant producers, used a sound tech’s head to stabilize himself, and half jumped, half stepped on the actor that was playing one of the rogue CIA agents to land in front of Kanyon and Marcus. “Kanyon, who is your extremely large friend?”

  “Ahhh …”

  Steven didn’t wait for her to answer before he stuck out his hand to Marcus. “Who’s your agent? You’d be perfect for this movie I’m doing. Picture it, Marine Lieutenant sacrificed everything for his country and family only to find out that his brother was the one that sold him and his former team out. We were looking at Dwayne Johnson, great guy, but he’s been in everything lately. I’m thinking a new face. What do you say?”

  Marcus looked down at Steven for a long moment then turned back to Kanyon. “I do not un
derstand this strange world you live in. We must go. Your duties as a Guar–”

  “Guuarlfriend. Right, those girlfriend duties.” She laughed as she spun Marcus around and pushed him back out the door. “Outside. Wait in the hall and I’ll be right there.”

  “But you know not of why I com–”

  Kanyon gave him a hard shove, shutting the door behind him. She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Method actors. Sorry. New relationship. You know, he just can’t get enough,” Kanyon said.

  Blue, who had been sitting on the other side of the room, materialized suddenly. “Oh, Kan-ster. Kan-ster. Kan-ster, you have some explaining to do.” She leaned in to whisper. “Leavin’ team Ellen to play with oh my, my hunk-a-hunk-a-man-pie?”

  “Zip it.”

  “No problem. I’ll just go talk to Mr. HOT-ctober while you finish up here.” She grabbed the knob of the door and slid out before Kanyon could stop her.

  “Kanyon, do you know his agent’s number?” Steven asked.

  “Hum, you know I don’t, actually. But I’ll,” she hitched a thumb over her shoulder, “go get that for you. Okay? Cool.”

  “Great. Talk to him. We’re going to get the rest of the night shots and we’ll meet ya–”

  “On the set. Got it,” Kanyon said as she shut the door behind her.

  “Kanyon!” Marcus yelled, his arm outstretched, his hand palming Blue’s head like Jordan gripping a basketball.

  “Just one bicep touch, geez!” Blue argued as she tried to remove his hand by kicking out with a leg and twisting his wrist.

  Marcus simply stood, grimacing at the small rabid creature at the end of his arm. “No.”

  Kanyon moved quickly toward them. “Marcus. Blue.” They both turned to her, though Marcus continued to stiff-arm Blue’s head. “What the hell are you two doing?”

  “This child was trying to climb me,” Marcus stated.

  “I was trying to study his back musculature for a new creation,” Blue retorted.

  “Marcus, you can let her go. Blue, you can’t go around climbing people.”

  Blue huffed. “I totally asked him first.”

  “You asked me no such thing.”

  “I totally did. Give me a pony so I can see your Schwarzeneggers. What else do you think that meant?”

  “Your speech is foreign to me and I do not have any ponies. Though Kanyon has a very nice stallion. Maybe you should put your request before her for these Schwar-sin-nagers or for whatever you seek.”

  Blue turned to Kanyon. “Seriously? I mean, I get the,” she waved her hands in the shape of Marcus’s body, “because wow, but he’s totally coming in last in the mental marathon.”

  “Blue, it’s not like that. He’s … he’s just a friend-ish kind of thing.”

  “Right.” Blue stepped forward and punched Kanyon in the arm. “You suck, by the way. I totally thought you had the hots for Daylen.”

  “My hots are none of your business. Go back in the meeting before you get on Steven’s bad side.” Kanyon pointed to the door.

  “Fine.” She punched Kanyon’s bicep again. “Way suck.”

  “Ouch. Damn it.” Kanyon rubbed her arm.

  “You deserve it.” Blue spun on her heels and started back toward the door.

  “Are you and your little friend done with your squabbles?” Marcus asked.

  “Yes. What are you doing here?”

  “I am trying to alert my Guardian of a matter that needs her attention.”

  “So, coming to my work, interrupting a meeting, is your way of notifying me?”

  “I attempted to send you a signal.”

  “Well, I didn’t get– Wait, the buzzing and the tingling?”

  “Yes. You requested that we have a signal between us to notify each other in times of need, so I–”

  “Decided to send me signals in the form of stroke symptoms?”

  “I guess we could have worked on a better form of communication if you would have continued your training. Which I still have to say–”

  “Heard it already, Marcus. I told you I didn’t have a choice.”

  “One always has a choice.”

  “Message? Can we just fast-forward to the message?”

  “Right. Your Seeker is in trouble,” he said flatly.

  “Daylen? Where is she? What’s happened? Is she–”

  “Close your eyes.”

  “I don’t have time for–”

  Marcus sighed in annoyance. “Guardian, I am trying to give you the ability to find her. Close your eyes.”

  Kanyon’s body wanted to run, it was her brain telling her she didn’t know where Daylen was that kept her feet in place. She stared at Marcus wanting to protest, but he put a reassuring hand on her arm.

  “Close your eyes and find her.”

  “But I don’t–”

  “Start in the one place you know she is.”

  Kanyon tried to picture the tent, the movie set. She tried to imagine the different places she thought Daylen could be, knowing that she had been going to interview three of the guys from last night’s big outing.

  “I said search the one place you know she is, not where you think she is.”

  “But I don’t know where–”

  “Yes, you do, Guardian,” he said softly. “You feel her there every day.”

  Kanyon resisted at first, resisted the answer she knew all too well, before allowing herself to think about the place Daylen resided every minute of every day.

  “There you are, Guardian,” Marcus said, pride evident in his voice. “Now find her.”

  Kanyon was silent for a long moment, letting her mind and heart do the searching. And then, as if she had mental surveillance cameras, she saw Daylen. She only had to watch for a second to know. “The prop warehouse.”

  Marcus gave her a wide grin. “There is hope for you yet, Guardian.”

  Kanyon yelled back at him as she hit the corner. “We’re going to work on the signal thing.”

  Chapter 14

  Daylen wound herself through the rows and rows of props silently praying that the article was not sitting somewhere on one of the endless floor to ceiling shelves. She scanned the infinite stack of labeled storage containers not figuring that she’d be so lucky to see a “Supernatural Article” label amongst them. They’d be searching this place for the next ten years, maybe five if her new spidey article senses decided to go full-time and home in a little sooner. Distracted by the overwhelming possibility of such an undertaking, she didn’t register the movement to her left. It wasn’t until the lights dimmed suddenly did she stop to peer into the darkness ahead of her.

  Kanyon materialized from the shadows, moving quickly to wrap her arms around Daylen, spinning them both to the side just as two blue balls of light flew past and slammed into the shelves behind them.

  Daylen didn’t know if her heart pounding in her chest was from nearly being hit, seeing Kanyon, or because she was currently crushed against Kanyon’s long, lean body. Kanyon looked down at her with a devilish glint in her eye. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “I’m kind of thinking it was perfect timing,” Daylen said just before two more shots of light hit the corner of the wall that they were using for cover.

  Kanyon pulled Daylen down with her so they were both squatting low. “I’m going to cause a distraction, you run for that door.” She indicated an exit sign just behind them.

  Daylen held on to Kanyon’s arm as she started to rise. “No. It’s too dangerous.”

  Kanyon met Daylen’s eyes, stared into them for a long moment, then softly spoke. “Trust me.”

  Daylen knew Kanyon was testing her with the two simple words. She wanted to protest with everything she had, but finally broke the eye contact. “Aghhh, fine. But I’m going to kill you if you get hurt.”

  Kanyon smiled. “We’ll discuss how that doesn’t make sense later.” Kanyon pulled Daylen’s grip from her arm. “As soon as I move, you count to three, then run. I’ll meet you at my trailer.”
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  “Just for the record, I hate this,” Daylen said as she moved onto her toes and got ready to sprint.

  “Your complaint has been heard and will be promptly followed up by the I-don’t-give-a-flip department.” Kanyon smiled at Daylen’s grimace. Kanyon caught Daylen’s jaw and kissed her. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” She gave Daylen a wink, then bolted in the opposite direction.

  Daylen waited a short three seconds, then took off toward the door just as the walls before her reflected flashes of blue light and sounds of explosions. Daylen hit the door, took one step outside, then halted. “I have to give her this,” she told herself, forcing her feet to move again.

  Kanyon slid behind a metal rack, using boxes of movie props as a barricade as two more fireballs hit above her. A crate exploded and a shower of civil war memorabilia rained down. She held her arms over her head to protect it from the canteens and bugles that pelted her. She scrambled around the corner of the rack and moved from row to row until she found the section she was after. “There you are, my old friend,” she said as she reached for a box, but stopped as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She breathed out a sigh. “Way to give a girl freakin’ heart failure,” she whispered.

  Ralph scoffed then shoved his nose into the box. “Back up. Geez, it’s not a box of hot dogs.” She pulled out a sword and a shield. “Been a while, but let’s see if I can still manage to use these guys.” She stood, slid the shield on her left arm, then took the sword through a couple of spins and twirls.

  “Guardian, why don’t you come out and let’s talk about my earlier offer?” a man’s voice echoed throughout the room.

  “I got a job, thanks,” Kanyon yelled back. She pointed at Ralph and motioned for him to circle around the other side. Ralph bobbed his head once and headed off.

  “Maybe I can entice you.” The voice was closer now. “What do you desire?”

  Kanyon moved down the aisle. “Pizza and a beer sound pretty good right now, but I don’t think it’d be a good trade on my part. So yeah, I’m good.”