“Let’s sit down. I’ve got a lot to tell you before Adam gets back.”
Britta wrinkled her nose at the mention of Adam, and the girl who was with her wrapped her arms a little tighter around her knees as she sat down on the couch. Something had happened there, and I hoped to find out what it was. Marcus grabbed a seat, and so did Britta. I took a seat on the far corner of the couch, and April stood next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t tell if she was being comforting or possessive. It didn’t really matter to me. Just having her by my side made me feel better.
Henry looked over all of us and was about to start talking when his eyes settled on the girl I didn’t know. “Britta, maybe we should do an introduction first.”
Britta looked over all three of us, but then her eyes settled on me. “This is my sister, Nikki. She’s here with us because of Jackson. Whatever you said to Adam about my situation worked. He helped me free my sister.”
That was unexpected, and Britta said it with a hint of sadness. I could tell she was ecstatic to have her sister here, but her parents had been with her. Since she didn’t bring them here, I could only guess that something had happened to them. I wasn’t sure what yet, but I was sure that we would find out soon.
“So this is Jackson,” Nikki said, shooting a wicked smile at her sister. “I can see why you called him man candy.”
“Nikki!” Britta exclaimed, and then tried to push herself back into the couch as if she could somehow sink through the cushions and disappear.
Marcus just started laughing. Henry gave me a smirk. April’s hand tightened for a moment on my shoulder but then relaxed. I didn’t know what to say, and Britta was mortified. Nikki sat there with a smile on her face. So she was testing her boundaries. What did you expect? She couldn’t have been a day over sixteen. Even that might have been pushing it. Seemed to be the kind of thing a kid would do at that age.
Henry managed to rein in his smirk, and then he spoke again. “Well, now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s get down to business.” He waited to make sure he had everyone’s attention, and then continued. “First I need you to tell me where you’ve been for the last two months.”
I gave Henry a look first to make sure it was ok to talk with Nikki in the room. He gave me a slight nod, indicating that I should continue. I recounted our whole ordeal from start to finish. At the end, I pulled the demon stone from my pocket and showed him what it had all been for. It didn’t look like much. It was a small black rock carved with red runes. It was heavier than I thought it would be, but all in all, unimpressive to look at.
“So for you, it’s only been three days?”
“Yep, and five or so for Marcus and April.”
“Well, a lot has happened in the two months since you’ve been gone. Britta, would you like to start with your story?” Henry asked while holding out his open palm in her direction.
“There isn’t much to say. Right after you left, Adam called me into his office, and we hatched a plan to get my family back. My parents didn’t want to come, but my sister did.”
“It was probably going to be my only chance to break away from them. I had to take it,” Nikki said. She didn’t sound too happy about it.
Henry let us absorb what they said and then continued. “About a month ago, we started to get reports that the demons were up to something big. Nothing could be substantiated. Anyone we sent too close never came back to report. Then a week ago, the demons opened a portal. We pushed toward the front and killed every demon there, but the portal didn’t close. Since then, we have been steadily losing ground to the demons. For the last week or so, we have given up even trying to gain ground and, instead, have focused on killing the small parties of demons as they flee the area. We haven’t given up, but it hasn’t been good.”
“So my mom and Adam are on the front lines?”
“They are working together to coordinate the groups. It’s been getting harder, as the demons coming through the portal now are stronger than what we have faced in the past. Not only that, but we have yet to receive any help from the Council. It seems they are content to let our country burn before they take action. If we let the demons gain a foothold here, when the Council decides to act, it will be too late.”
“And no one else has rallied to our call for help?”
“Your mother has secured the help of some of the Lycans, and surprisingly, Sarafina has contributed to the cause where she can. Outside of that, we have had a few of the Gifted from the East Coast trickling in, but not enough to replenish our ranks. If we don’t get the portal closed soon . . . Well, let’s just say it will be getting hot in here.”
“How has this not made the national headlines?” April asked.
I had been thinking the same thing. Our little foray back to my hometown had made the national news cycle, and it hadn’t been anything close to this magnitude of an event. Demons were streaming out of a portal to hell, and so far, no one had even noticed. It just didn’t make sense.
“Well, we’ve been lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you want to look at it. The demons picked an out-of-the-way location in Death Valley to open the portal. It seems they’ve also been able to infiltrate high enough in most of the news networks to redirect their attention to other events. They like to keep the news sexy. Death and racism. It keeps people from questioning what’s really happening in the country. I mean, have you seen who’s running for president?”
“So there is a media blackout, but why would that be unlucky?” Marcus asked. “Seems like just the kind of thing we would be trying to do ourselves.”
“In some cases, yes, but in this case, the media attention would have forced the Council to act. With their resources, we might have been able to contain the demons as they emerged from the portal itself.”
“So no news, and no support,” Marcus summed it up.
“Yes, and every day that the battle continues, it becomes harder for us to maintain the balance. More and more demons are escaping past our nets, and there is nothing we can do about it.”
“I need to get to Adam, Henry. The stone is the key. If I can get it to the portal, we will be able to seal it.”
“That’s what we’ve been hoping for. All of us have been praying that you would make it back so we would have a fighting chance. I sent word ahead to Adam and your mom. They are waiting for you. I’ll open a gate for you as soon as you’re ready.”
April and Marcus were ready to go, and although all of us were tired and beat up, we knew what had to be done. There would be time to rest when we were dead. Today we would be fulfilling our duty to humanity. The demons couldn’t be allowed to continue coming into our world unchecked.
“What about Britta? You up for this?”
“Oh, hell yeah,” Nikki said.
“Only if Nikki stays behind. Despite what she thinks, she isn’t ready for this.”
“Screw you, Britta. I’m ready. All I’ve been doing is training.”
“It’s your call, Britta,” I said.
“She stays, I go.”
“Then get ready.”
Britta left the room, and Nitro walked in. He looked better. His skin wasn’t as pale as it had been, and he even had his hair styled. If he was feeling this good, I was surprised he wasn’t out on the front lines with everyone else. He seemed to notice my questioning look and started to speak as our eyes locked.
“I’m still having some problems deciding friend from foe. The good news is we’ve had a few attacks here, so at least I’ve been able to do something.”
For the first time, I noticed that he had a blade strapped to his waist. You’d think I would have picked up on that right away, but I was just too excited to see him back at full strength. Nikki gave him a few sideways glances. Damn, the girls in that family worked fast. I stood up and closed the distance between us and pulled him into a hug.
“It’s good to see you back in action, and did you say there have been attacks here?”
&nb
sp; “A few demons have found their way inside. So far none of them have been able to leave to report our location to anyone else.”
“Maybe you can put Nikki to work while we are gone.”
He gazed at her sitting just behind my shoulders. No doubt taking in her long black hair, rather large chest, and trim, tight waist. “I’m sure I could find some use for her.”
She looked almost just like her sister, and it wouldn’t be long before all of the men here were fighting over which one of them could make a move first. Staying behind gave Nitro the first shot. “Just remember who her sister is.”
He seemed to consider it for a second and then broke out in one of his trademark grins. “I think I can handle it.” He looked at Nikki over my shoulder as if she couldn’t hear every word we had just said to each other. “You ready to kill some demons?”
“Hell yeah.”
They were going to be a match made in heaven. That is, if heaven were a reality show on MTV. But hey, we all had to have someone in our lives who enjoyed our own personal brand of crazy.
“Then get suited up.”
Nikki jumped from the couch and ran out of the room. Nitro turned to follow her. He popped his head back in the door and shot me a conspiratorial wink before ducking back around the corner. I let out a little laugh and turned back to face my friends. Both of them looked slightly amused at what had happened. April shrugged and checked her blades. Marcus just dipped his hands into his robe, checking his pockets to make sure they were loaded with his magical knick-knacks.
Britta walked back into the room. “Hey, where’s Nikki?”
“She ran off with Nitro.”
“Damn it. She’s been trying to get away from me all week. I’ve managed to rein her in until you three showed back up.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about,” Britta said with a laugh.
“So are we ready to go?” Henry asked.
I gave the group a quick glance. Everyone gave me a quick sign to show they were ready. “Let’s do this.”
Henry led the way back toward the hallway we had just come from less than an hour before. It had felt good to be home, but we were leaving again. Saving the world didn’t give you a lot of time to relax. He stopped in front of one of the doors, and it shimmered white around the edges for a moment before it opened. I waved everyone through in front of me before stopping to give Henry a quick hug.
We broke apart, and he said, “Give ’em hell.”
“I intend to,” I said, stepping through the portal.
CHAPTER 20
JACKSON
I stepped out of the portal into pure chaos. An alarm was blaring, and people were running in every direction at once. A few people stood in the middle of maelstrom, trying to coordinate them into groups. It didn’t seem to be going very well. People continued to run around the warehouse. Some were grabbing weapons, and others were checking their gear. A few just looked a little lost and confused.
Adam stood in the middle of the floor, watching the chaos. Next to him was my mom. I felt Adam’s power wash over the room, and then his voice filled the space as if it were thunder. “Enough!”
Everyone who was running seemed to stop all at once. The leaders were able to subdue their group members and line them up. I had no idea why they had all been so frantic. Adam’s anger seemed to have calmed everyone enough to fall in line.
“You all know what to do. Now get on with it.” His voice thundered through the space again.
Each of the group leaders turned to their team and started issuing orders. As soon as they were done, they started to move out of the building, their teams in tow. I wondered where they were going and if we would be joining them. There was only one way to find out. I strode across the almost empty warehouse toward Adam and my mother.
They didn’t seem to notice us coming, as they were involved in a heated discussion of their own. When we reached them, we stood there waiting for a moment. When they didn’t break off their conversation and turn toward us, I loudly cleared my throat.
Adam turned around with barely contained fury creasing his features. “You should be with your teams already. I’ll have Steven sort you out. Steven!” he shouted.
“Adam, we weren’t assigned teams. We only just arrived.”
I saw the first glimmer of recognition in his features just as I was wrapped up in a massive hug by my mom. She was shorter than me by almost a foot, but she lifted me off the ground like I weighed almost nothing. I pulled her tightly against me and buried my head against her shoulder. It was almost a nuzzle. It must have been the wolf in me poking its head out.
“Sorry about that, Jackson. Things have been kind of chaotic around here. I didn’t even realize it was you,” Adam said.
I managed to disentangle myself from my mother, and I reached out to shake his hand. I turned back to my mom. “It’s good to see you, Sarah.”
“Sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends, but we thought that something had happened to you.”
“Henry sent along a note, but we almost couldn’t believe the news. I knew I would have to see you in person before I let myself hope that you succeeded,” Adam said.
“Tell us about what happened.”
The next few minutes were filled with a short version of the story I had just told Henry and Britta. Adam seemed to be thinking about what I had said and trying to work out the time distortion that happened. Mom just pulled me into another hug. She seemed just to be happy that I survived at all. I felt the same way. Looking back on the mission, all of it had been a little more intense than I had imagined. There would be time to reflect later. Now we needed to figure out what to do next.
“Adam, what’s going on here?”
“We just sent the last of our remaining members after the demons that have been breaking through our defenses. We will bring down as many as we can as they flee into the cities, but it won’t be enough. More demons have entered this world in the last week than in the last thirty years.”
“We need to go for the portal.”
“That only works if you have what I think you do?” I started to reach into my pocket, and Adam laid his hand over mine. “Not here. Keep it safe. The fewer people who know about the stone, the better off we will be. Are you ready to play the part of Sir Roland?”
“As long as I can avoid the end,” I said with a laugh.
“This is no joking matter. You have to be prepared to do whatever it takes.”
“I am and I will.”
“Jackson, what happened to Sir Roland?” April asked.
“He sacrificed himself to save the world.”
“Well, that isn’t going to happen this time. You have us.”
“Damn straight, bro!” Marcus chimed in.
“And you have one thing that Sir Roland never had,” Sarah said with a smirk.
“What’s that, Mom?”
“A badass Lycan for a mother.”
“Well, that sword is pretty intimidating,” I said.
“Yep, and the fangs.” Marcus laughed.
“Hey, at least you don’t have to be worried she’ll rip you apart if you hurt her son,” April said.
“Sarah, you know where the portal is. Get them there safely, and then I must have your word you will let Jackson do whatever is necessary to close it.”
“I won’t sacrifice my son, but you have my word the portal will be closed.”
“That will have to do.” Adam turned away from her and laid a hand on my shoulder. He gave it a slight squeeze. “All of this world's hopes now lie with you,” Adam said. There was no joviality in his voice, but he did have a slight twinkle in his eyes.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.” He took his hand off my shoulder and walked away. Quickly, he was in discussion with a few of the remaining members of the Ascendancy. No doubt he was hatching some kind of plan to keep their focus pointed at them to let u
s navigate to the portal unseen. I would have loved to have been able to stay and see it as Adam laid waste to the demons.
I looked over my team and couldn’t help but smile. If I had to go to war, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to go with. Britta looked the part; she was every inch of Mila Jovovich in Resident Evil. She might not have been as combat ready as the rest of us, but she would stand with us to the end. Marcus looked like a wizard right out of a fantasy novel. His dreads were tucked into the hood of his cloak, and his long wooden staff radiated with power.
Mom didn’t look super intimidating in her human form, but she was breathtaking. Her waist-long black hair and Native American features made her stand out from a crowd. The almost six-foot-long katana strapped to her back looked too big for a woman of her size to wield, but when she changed forms, the blade rested easily in one hand, and she wielded it with deadly efficiency.
April was the love of my life. She wore a no-nonsense outfit almost matching mine. While I went for a plain white tee, she spruced it up a bit with a shirt from Firefly. It said something about reavers, which she pretty much was one without, you know, the crazy and the eating-people thing going on. Her bright red hair stood out against her dark outfit, and the handles of her swords peeked out over each shoulder.
Outside of the swords and my father’s necklace, I would have fit in just about anywhere. I looked like your average teen. Together we made up one of the best-looking crews I had ever laid eyes on. We were just as deadly. I had no doubts in my mind that we would succeed and hopefully with better results than Sir Roland had.
“Mom, you’re in charge of getting us there. How are we going to do this?”
“You’re going to love this. We are going to jump out of a plane.”
“You have to be fucking kidding me. I just basically rose from the dead, and now you want to throw me out of a perfectly good airplane?”
“Also, no parachutes.”
“Now I know you’re screwing with me.”
April tossed her shoulder into me. “Watch the backtalk with your mom. You put her in charge; let’s hear her out.”
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