Rebels and Realms: A Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Heather Marie Adkins

  They spent a couple of hours discussing, pacing off first the lab, to take advantage of the build-in cabinet and workbench wall, then the more private rooms on the other side, using the spray paint to indicate the walls.

  “We’ll need more electrical.” She flipped a switch on near the workbenches, and the lights under the above cabinets turned on. “Hey now, I thought Candy said the electricity was turned off.”

  “She must have been wrong, yeah? Because I didn’t do it. And yes, you’ll need more outlets. I’ll need to take a look at the electrical panel. We may need to upgrade it. If you want refrigerators in here, you’ll need the extra power.”

  “I’m envisioning the ones like at grocery stores, you know, glass fronts? So I can see the stock without having to open the door.

  “Makes sense.”

  A sound from overhead startled them, and they both took a look up at the bank of windows above.

  “What the fuck?” Phee headed toward the hallway. “Who the hell is up there?”

  “Wait, where’s the stairway to the loft, anyway?”

  “It’s in one of the rooms just off the storefront. Follow me.”

  Elliott swore when she ran off, and he raced to catch up to her. Swung through the door and the door on the right, pounded up the steps behind her. She pushed the door open at the top of the stairs and disappeared from his sight with a short cry.

  Fuck.

  Rage boiled in him. He pulled in a breath through his nose, scenting the air. Gavin and … fuck. Tammy?

  The power of his rage blew the door right off its hinges, sent it spinning across the loft. His hair lifted off his back. Sparks flickered off his fingertips.

  “Breathtaking.” Tammy’s voice penetrated his rage. “But you’d better dial it back, Sparky, or your gal pal will end up dead.”

  Elliott focused. Gavin had Phoenix with a gun to her head. Her eyes blazed, and she looked pissed off rather than scared. She cut her eyes at Tammy, and he got her meaning. She’d handle Gavin, and he’d deal with the perky blonde.

  Their communication had taken just a couple of seconds. As if they’d been working together for a long time, both Elliott and Phoenix exploded into movement.

  Elliott ran straight at Tammy, his hands out in front, sparks flying. Behind him, he heard grunts, fists hitting flesh. Gavin bellowed once, and Phee grunted and swore. He trusted her to get it done, and focused ahead of him.

  Tammy met his rush with a length of steel pipe, twirling it around like he’d seen in old movies, and he slowed his approach.

  “You can’t get away from me this time. And we’ve got the guns.” She smiled, her ponytail bouncing behind her.

  He inhaled, scented her. Scented her uncertainty, and only the two guns…one of which Phoenix carried. Plus, young. She was young. Most likely truly twenty.

  “If you leave now, I’ll let you live.” Static sounded in his voice.

  She laughed and slammed him in the upper thigh with the pipe.

  He grabbed for it, missed. Stumbled as pain flooded his body.

  She danced back and laughed. “Oops, I think I might have broken something. My bad.”

  Behind him, the scuffle got louder and the gun went off before it skittered across the floor and out the door.

  “Grab the gun, you fool.” Gavin’s voice was hoarse, and he let out another cry.

  “I’m a little busy here.” Tammy wielded the pipe again, her gaze moving from Elliott to the other two in the corner.

  Elliott half-turned toward Phoenix. Tammy danced up to his other side, smashed the bar against his right kidney and danced away again.

  He let out a bellow of rage.

  Phee, behind him, chuckled. “Oh, you shouldn’t have done that. You really shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Bitch. You’re dead.”

  The malice in Gavin’s voice alarmed Elliott, and he moved sideways so he could keep Tammy in his sights while at the same time, getting a look at what was happening with Phee.

  She was face down, her top had flipped up and the gun she’d kept there was pointed, once again, at her head.

  The light bulbs overhead popped, showering glass down. In all his time down below at Borgati’s, Elliott had never experienced allowing the electricity to have control. Instead, he’d always had to catch it back, to hold it in. But now he had every reason to let it loose.

  Power filled his body, shortening his breath and stuttering his heart. The pipe caught him again on the same thigh as before. This time, before she could move it away, he grabbed it. Held it tight. Electricity skittered down the pipe to her hand.

  Tammy gasped, tried to pull away as ropes of visible energy wrapped around her hand. Crept up her arm. “You’re crazy.”

  “Not as crazy as Borgati. Not as crazy as Gavin. And nowhere near as batshit crazy as you are.” Elliott glared at her.

  “Let her go, or Phoenix is a dead woman,” Gavin yelled.

  Elliott turned slowly, taking Tammy with him, and shot a bolt of electricity straight at Gavin’s head.

  He fell backward, the gun falling out of his lax hand. Elliott waited until he saw Phoenix sit up and grab the gun before turning his attention back to Tammy.

  She was on her knees, the ropes of energy still holding her tight. He pulled back his power. Watched as it released her, then he switched it off and stuffed it away.

  He pulled the pipe away from her and she fell kind of sideways, her eyes blank.

  Elliott dropped the pipe and gasped for breath. His heart raced and his head swam. He staggered backwards.

  Phoenix slipped up under his arm and grabbed him around the waist. “You need to sit down.” She walked them to the wall and they both sagged against it until they were sitting.

  Elliott shook against her. “I killed them. My heart. My heart is fucked up.”

  Phee put her hand over his heart and rubbed gently. “Breathe, baby. Come on, nice slow breaths. You can do this.”

  “I’m going to be pissing blood, I bet. The bitch hit me in the kidney.”

  “You heal fast though, yeah?”

  Still shaking, he nodded. “Fast, yeah, but she put a world of hurt on me.”

  “Well, it doesn’t look like either of them will be a bother from here on out.” Phee kept up her gentle caresses.

  Elliott soaked it in. “I don’t understand. I know I killed them, but how? And why aren’t I dead, too?”

  “Electricity,” she said. “You disrupted their heartbeat. Oh, and I kind of stabbed Gavin in the heart when it looked like he was coming back around,” she said. “I’m guessing because Blondie here had electricity swarming her for longer, that it’s why she went into cardiac arrest.”

  “By that reasoning, I should have gone into cardiac arrest,” he murmured. His left thighbone ached as it healed. “I might be able to walk soon,” he added.

  Phee kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for not rushing to my rescue.”

  He snorted. “You had a gun and two knives on you. I was the one unprepared.”

  “I’m serious. If you had come toward me, I’d have been shot. By not trying to rescue me, you saved my life.”

  Elliott looked down at his hands. Flexed them. “I am no stranger to rage. It got me through some tough years down below. But today, when I saw him with your gun to your head? Whatever had suppressed this awkward power in the past just…snapped. I didn’t know I could throw electricity. I didn’t know I could use it like a rope.” He shook again. “I didn’t know.”

  “Shh. Shh now, baby. Shh.”

  He let her draw his head to her shoulder, wrap her arms around him, and rock him, finding solace in her arms.

  After a bit, he straightened with a sigh. “What are we going to do now?”

  “Leave.” Phee stood, winced. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Elliott got slowly to his feet. “Wait.” He unbuttoned his white shirt. “Hold this for me.” After whipping off his t-shirt, he went to the pi
pe and carefully wiped the end that he’d held.

  That done, he joined Phee at Gavin’s feet. The knife was still in his chest. “I think we should leave it there. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah.” Kneeling, he wiped the knife handle and stood. “It’s amazing how little blood there is.”

  “I wish I knew what his deal was. Now I’ll never know.” Phee reached for Elliott’s hand. “Come on.”

  “I didn’t think I’d have to kill. Not up here. Damn it.”

  “Once they attacked, we had to defend ourselves. Simple.” Phee squeezed his hand.

  “I hate killing. I’m good at it. I’ve been good at it for a long time now. But I hate it.”

  At the bottom of the stairs, Phee turned her face up to his. “That’s why I want to gather in those who leave Borgati. There are other things in life besides killing. I want to give the ones who come a chance to live. Am I so wrong?”

  “No.” He took a breath, then headed out the door. “No, you’re not wrong.”

  7

  Every part of her ached. Phoenix headed up the stairs to her bedroom, Elliott close behind. “I think I’ll use the other bathroom on this floor, and take a bath. You can shower in this one.”

  Elliott wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Thank you for what you did for me today.”

  “What? Let you get into a fight?”

  “You were there when I recovered. You talked me down. I’ve never had that before.”

  Sweet pain touched her heart. She turned in his arms and kissed him. “You’re one of mine. You’re family. Shawn and Tigger, family. Marie, family. But what we have…it scares me, and excites me, and gives me hope. But yeah, you’re one of mine, so of course I’m going to be there. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  He traced the bruise on her cheek, the fat lip she had. She winced and he sighed. “I hate that you’re hurt.”

  “Gavin didn’t know how to fight without a gun in his hand, and yet I could swear that was maybe the second time he’d ever held one.”

  “Still. He marked you, and that pisses me off.” He kissed her cheek gently, and she felt the touch to her soul.

  “You want to mark me?”

  Elliott stilled, his eyes searching hers. “Is that okay with you?”

  “As long as I can mark you in return. Let’s talk about it, okay? Rather than rushing into anything?”

  A smile crept into his eyes. “That works. Go, get your bath, and I’ll shower. I smell of ozone.”

  She wrinkled her nose and grinned. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

  “Ha ha. Go.”

  Phee grabbed her robe and her shampoo and headed to the bathroom just off the living room of the upstairs apartment. It was the bath Marie used. Phee frowned, remembering then that she hadn’t felt Marie’s presence since earlier that morning.

  She pushed the door open to the sight of Marie’s purple face as she hung from the showerhead.

  “El?” her voice came out weak, whispery, as tears clogged her throat. “Elliott? Elliott!”

  He came quickly, grabbed her from behind and held her against him. “Fuck. This time, we have to call the police. Don’t touch a single thing,” he warned, pulling her backwards with him and shutting the door once more.

  After calling 911, they took a quick, hot shower in the master bathroom and dressed again.

  When the cops came, they were sympathetic. The female cop took their statements while the male covered the crime scene and called the coroner’s office. With their permission, the male also went through Marie’s room, and the other rooms in the curious configuration of her rental unit.

  Now he came to where the other three had gathered, in the kitchen downstairs. They looked up from the cups of tea Phoenix had made for them.

  “Sorry to bother you. I thought you might want to read this before I take it away as evidence. I found it on the dresser in her room.” Officer Ron held out a piece of lined notebook paper between his gloved hands. “Don’t touch it, but feel free to read it.”

  Phoenix gripped Elliott’s hand and bent to read.

  Dear Phoenix,

  Thank you for everything you have done for me. I have known peace with you that I haven’t ever found before. But Gavin has destroyed that peace. He forced me to spy on you, and is planning on taking me back. I’m so sorry.

  I hope you are fine. I pray you are fine. But I took a whole bunch of pills and I’m going to end my life. It’s too hot up here. Too bright. And I am too damaged, despite your loving care.

  I was there, last night. Hold onto Elliott. The two of you give me hope for mankind.

  I’m better off, trust me. Nothing in the world would make me go back.

  Thank you.

  --Marie

  Phoenix let the tears come. She should have known, the minute she couldn’t sense Marie. She should have known.

  “Poor Marie. I wish she had confided in me.” Phee turned her face to Elliott’s shoulder.

  “We may have more questions for you. Even suicides aren’t a one and done deal.” The officer looked from Elliott to Phee.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Can I get you some tea?”

  Officer Ron shook his head. “Thanks anyway. Do you know if she had any living relatives?”

  “No.” Phee wiped her eyes. “As I told Officer Kate, Marie and I had met at the Rose Bowl. We were both shopping the flea market, about six months ago, and got to talking. She was new in town, and didn’t have any place to stay, so I said she could stay with me. She was sweet, quiet, and as you can see, I have the space.”

  The officer nodded. “It’s an interesting unit, that’s for sure. Well, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” More tears fell and she turned to Elliott, who wrapped his arm around her. The doorbell rang.

  “Probably the coroner. Kate, coming with?”

  Both officers left the room.

  Phee pushed away from Elliott and reached for a tissue. “I don’t know what to do. Do we have a funeral for her? But who would come? Do we bury her, or cremate her? Is it too late to donate organs? I suppose it’s too late, isn’t it?” She blew her nose and wiped her streaming eyes.

  “The coroner will have to do a full autopsy, I suppose. Then, maybe cremation? We can scatter her ashes in the ocean. Or maybe up in the mountains?” He stared at the scarred Formica table. “You know, I thought life was going to get easier on the outside. I was wrong, wasn’t I?”

  “Oh, El. This isn’t normal. Nothing about you being here has been normal. But I swear it’ll get there. We’ll find a rhythm and settle in.” She straightened her spine. “I need to do something, or I’m gonna go crazy.”

  “Play on your cell phone. Some mindless game, or something.” Elliott stood, stretched, sat back down. “I’m nervous. I don’t know if it’s because cops are here, or because Marie is upstairs and dead, or what. But I’m fucking nervous.”

  “I think it’s normal to be nervous. They’ve been here for hours already, and who knows how much longer they’ll have to stay here. Poor Marie.” Phee shredded the tissue into a small pile, then pulled a fresh one from the box and blew her nose again. “I want to have some sort of remembrance for her, even if it’s just the two of us.”

  “We can do that.” He rubbed his eyes. “I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t come here, Marie would still be alive.”

  “Someone’s been playing us.” She met his gaze. “Maybe we need to go into hiding for a while.”

  “Skip town?”

  “Or at least change locations. We have the new project to work on, so we need to stick around while we get that off the ground, I suppose.”

  “Or we could take a vacation. Hawaii. The Grand Caymans.”

  “Something else to think about, later.”

  Officer Kate rejoined them. “You said you had four people here, living with you?”

  “Five, if you count me.” Elliott raised an eyebrow, and Kate blushed.

&n
bsp; “Right. Five.” She turned back to Phoenix. “Can I have their names?”

  “Sure. Marie Travers, Shawn Robertson and Trent Dean, and Gavin Gordon. But Shawn and Trent left about four this morning. They are moving to Washington State. Trent got a really good job up there.”

  Kate nodded as she took notes. “And Gavin?”

  Elliott twined fingers with Phee. “He slammed out of here this morning, pissed off at the world, saying he was going job hunting. He hasn’t been back, as far as we know.”

  “I don’t know much about him. He’s only been here for, what, three days at this point. A friend referred him to me as a place to stay. He wants to be an actor.” Phee shrugged. “But then, doesn’t everyone who comes to Los Angeles?”

  “Right.” She flipped back in her notebook. “You said you were out most of the afternoon. At a warehouse?”

  “Yes. We got back before dark, and came straight upstairs. Elliott was going to shower, so I decided to take a bath. It’s hard work, designing and spray painting where walls will go.”

  “We didn’t argue that much, but the discussions got a bit heated at times.” Elliott bumped shoulders with Phee. “She knows what she wants, this one.”

  “But because he’s the architect, he thinks he should have the last say.” Phee sighed. “Men, am I right?”

  Kate merely smiled. “Is that where you got the bruise on your jaw?”

  Elliott dropped his head. “I boxed in high school. I was showing her a move and she stepped into my right hook.” He turned to her. “I’m so damned sorry about that.”

  “You told me not to move. It was my fault.” Phee patted his shoulder and looked back at Kate.

  “So when you got home this afternoon, you went into the bathroom, and that’s when you saw Marie?”

  “Yes ma’am. Like I said, I screamed, and Elliott rushed right to me. He said we needed to call the police, and we shouldn’t touch anything.”

  “I’ve watched CSI.”

  Kate chuckled at that. “Well you did the right thing.” She sighed. “Suicide is damned hard for everyone. The coroner will have a word with you before she leaves. She’s almost done upstairs. The cleanup squad is waiting for her to be finished and the body to be removed, then they’ll deal with the fingerprint powder, scrub the room, so there won’t be any lingering odors.”