Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3)

by Ayer, T. G.

  “And what would that be?” he asked, tilting his head, trying to retain the cocksure mien he’d worn upon entering the bar.

  “You may have a Hunter as a captive. But you have the wrong Hunter.”

  “How the hell would you know?” he snapped, clearly losing patience.

  “Because I am the greatest hunter that has ever lived. I am the bane of your lives, the only creature capable of killing your kind with simple ease. And let me tell you this. It will be my pleasure to be the one to end your life and free all humanity from the threat of your existence.”

  He sat so still it didn’t even look like he was breathing. I studied his body for a sign of life, then realized there would be none. The husk of the Wraith would be dead by now.

  Then he shifted, moving sideways along the seat, sliding out of the booth.

  “Oh, and Collins?” I called out, forcing him to turn to hear my parting words. “Touch one hair on her head and I will make your death worse than you could ever imagine.

  ***

  Chapter 28

  I sat in the booth for a moment, my body cold, wondering if I had just signed my mother’s death warrant. But no, he’d go back to whatever hole he’d crawled out of, investigate the truth of what I’d revealed. At best, he would believe me and take good care of Mom, fearing for their lives. At worst, they wouldn’t believe a word I said. I was confident Mom was too valuable to them or they would have killed her by now.

  Or so I hoped.

  Something moved in my line of vision, and I noticed Mel Morgan striding over. She was about to slide into the seat just vacated by Collins when I stood. “Let’s sit somewhere else.”

  Her gaze snapped to me, her eyes questioning. “Sure, the booth by the window?”

  I nodded and grabbed my satchel, following her to the seat in which she’d waited for me while I was speaking to the Wraith. When we were both seated, she leaned forward. “Kailin, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I snorted. “I have, in a manner of speaking.”

  “Who was that guy? He looked a little creepy.” She gave an elegant shudder, but the look she sent me made me wonder if she was in doubt of the company I kept.

  I sighed. “That crappy guy wasn’t a guy at all.” I pressed my fingers to my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Chicago is in the midst of a Wraith infestation. That was one of them.”

  Mel’s silver-gray eyes went wide. “What the hell was he doing talking to you?”

  “Giving me an ultimatum.”

  The strained silence that followed was interrupted by the waitress who came by and offered Mel a menu. Beth gave me a wink and said, “I don’t think you’re ready to order again, are you?”

  “Not by a long shot. I’ll just have an iced tea, Beth.” She scribbled the order on her little notepad, then did the same for Mel as she ordered the burger and a soda. With Beth gone, I sank into the soft cushion at my back. “I’m sorry for the spy-subterfuge thing. I just didn’t want you to run into him. The less he has against me the better.”

  “So what did he want?” she demanded, and I hid a smile. She was already beginning to sound like Tara.

  “He was threatening my mother. Said I needed to stay away from him and his kind or they will kill her.” The words left my mouth, but I didn’t feel even a spark of emotion. I quite liked the vacuum I was in, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. Mel paled, and I shook my head. “I think it’s bluster. Mostly. They assumed she’s the Hunter they’re looking for, but they’re wrong. And I told them as much. I will slaughter every single one of them if they hurt her in any way.”

  “How can you be sure they won’t hurt her?” asked Mel softly, her face dark with worry.

  My shoulders fell. “That’s the kicker. I can’t be sure. I’m just hoping they won’t. And that’s what I need you for.”

  She nodded. “To track your mom?” When I nodded, she asked, “You have something I can track her with?”

  “Yeah, but I forgot to put it into some sort of protective case.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a portal key. It’s got her blood in the crevices of the carvings. It was the only thing I had on hand in the apartment. If you need something else, I’ll have to go home for it.”

  But Mel was shaking her head. “That’s totally fine. It should work. I don’t see any reason why it won’t.”

  “Good.” I sighed, hoping she was right. The thought of a visit home was not in the least appealing considering I would be going there without Mom. “I really want to get this done as soon as possible.”

  “Right then. As soon as I’m done shoveling food down my throat, we can go back to your place and I will track her for you.”

  I stared at her quizzically. “No appointment, then?”

  “None at all. I have a little time, so what better moment than right now?” She met my eyes, and I was taken aback by her generosity.

  “And about your fee?” I’d almost forgotten about payment.

  She waved her hand at me, but something in her eyes made me accept her decline of payment. “No fee. Except I may call in a favor sometime in the future.”

  “Sure,” I said, now curious, and happy too. I would be able to return the favor and that made me feel better. I disliked unpaid debts. “Anything you can talk about right now?”

  She shook her head, her expression faraway, as if already delving in the details of her case. “Well, yes and no. I don’t have all the information. It’s just a suspicion at this point. When we have something more to go on, then I’ll call you.”

  “No problem. Just text me. And if I don’t answer, call Logan. He’ll know if I’m alive or dead.”

  She laughed mid-bite. “Very optimistic of you.”

  “Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it. Wraiths are unpredictable. And the more powerful they are, the more my life is at risk.” Just saying the words made me feel bone-tired.

  She looked at her plate for a moment. She seemed far away again, and I left her to it. She chewed, swallowed, sipped, and then asked, “So can you tell me something?”

  “Sure. Shoot.”

  “Okay, so when you track the Wraiths, what is it you look for?”

  I sipped my tea, then set the glass back on the table. The ice cubes clinked, and I thought about how simple life is for some people. The guy at the bar, kicking back scotch after scotch because his wife was nagging him to find another better job. He didn’t know how good he had it. At least his wife wasn’t part of the walking dead, possessed by a Wraith, with no hope of living if the demon ever decided to vacate her corpse.

  “One of my skills is the ability to see the tracks they leave. Everything they touch is colored by a fine dust. To me, it appears as a glowing coral powder. I can see it anywhere, on people, on furniture, anywhere a Wraith touches.”

  “So the ability to see these coral prints has allowed you to successfully track them?”

  I nodded. “I guess you could compare them to a snail’s trail rather than fingerprints.” I shrugged, just wanting to get as far away from Wraiths as possible. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  My cell phone pinged with a well-timed text from Logan announcing he’d be home later to see me. Mel had finished off her burger and was slurping up the dregs of her drink. I did the same, and we hailed the check. Which I insisted on paying since I wasn’t going to pay Mel for tracking Mom. She argued a little but eventually gave in, shaking her head at my bossiness.

  Post check payment, we walked home, enjoying the Chicago streets as the sun went down and the nightlife took over.

  ***

  We headed to the dining room table as soon as we entered the apartment. Mel was ready and I didn’t want to take too much more of her time. I dug the portal key out of my pocket and laid it on the table in front of us. “Is it okay that I touched it?” I asked, wondering if I’d just mucked up the mojo.

  She nodded. “It should be fine. I need DNA, and I don’t
usually have a problem with epithelial DNA causing interference.”

  I watched as she reached for the portal key, my heart thudding in my chest. She must have sensed my nerves because she leaned forward and placed her hand on my arm, the expression in her eyes warm and encouraging. “Hey, I’m going to do a projection first, so I’m not going to disappear or anything. I’ll project, get the lay of the place, then come back and tell you what I know.” She only let go of my arm when I nodded.

  Her bright gray eyes were soft as she gave me a reassuring smile. Then she turned her full attention on the portal key. She dusted her hands out, then took a breath, whether to calm herself or draw on her ability I didn’t know. All I did know was her inhalation made me do the same and it forced me to relax a little.

  She settled into her chair and then took the metal disk into her hands. Then she stiffened and fell silent. I felt my own muscles tensing as I watched her and had to force myself to calm down. My gaze remained on her face, as if any change in her expression may hint at what was happening in her projection, but her expression remained serene.

  The silence in the room kept me company. Even the refrigerator didn’t disturb Mel as I waited in silence. Soon she moved again, the slightest shift of her eyes beneath closed lids. Then she blinked and was back. I leaned toward her, studying her face. “Are you all right? Do you need anything.”

  She held out her hand and gave me a strained smile. “I’m totally fine.”

  “Did you see her?” I asked. I was probably moving too fast, but Mel nodded and swallowed hard. “Is she okay?”

  Mel shook her head. “I’m not sure. I arrived right beside her. She’s conscious, but I think she’s been injured or maybe… I’m not sure… I think she’s being bled. There were soiled bandages around her arms. And she looked thin, emaciated. I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing to her.”

  I gritted my teeth, a spike of fear stabbing straight through my heart. Poor Mom. “I think I know.”

  “What is it?” Mel was shaking her head, her eyes filled with the turmoil of what she’d seen.

  “They probably know about the glow.” I couldn’t get my mind to focus. I fell silent as my fears built up into an inaudible scream inside my brain.

  “What glow?” Mel’s tone was a little high-pitched with concern, but she rested her hand on my arm and waited for me to answer when I was ready.

  The words felt like they were stuck in my throat and I had to swallow hard. “It’s my fault. The Wraiths know about the glow. It’s what happens when my killing power comes into play. My hands glow golden and the Wraith I’m touching dies.”

  “That sounds cool in a gross way.” She made a face somewhere between impressed and weirded out. “So you’re saying the Wraiths found out about this glow and think your mother has the same power because she’s also a Hunter?”

  I nodded, the movement jerky and painful. The headache was returning with full force. “And it’s my fault. They never would have learned about it if I hadn’t told Illyria how it works.” I felt sick to my stomach for the second time in one day. Had I confided in the one person who had passed that information on to Widd’en’s army? Was Illyria the mole?

  Then I shook my head, recalling that the generals knew as well. What if one of the generals was the traitor? I had to let Illyria know. And I had to save Mom.

  Now.

  I blinked away the thoughts that crowded my head and gazed across the table at Mel. “Tell me, did you manage to get a good idea of where she’s being held?”

  Mel nodded. “I got a feel for the room, then did a little exploring. She’s in a warehouse by the docks somewhere. She’s being kept in a disused commercial refrigerator. It’s fortunate I can project through anything, even metal. Or else I won’t be able to get her out.”

  “I thought jumpers couldn’t pass through lead and… What was the other metal…? Silver?”

  Mel grinned a little too triumphantly. “Metals are no match for a Master Teleporter. I can get her out.”

  “Can we go now?” I asked impatiently. Every moment we waited was an extra moment in which they could hurt Mom.

  “We can, but just because I can project in doesn’t mean I can jump in. So be aware that it might not work on the first run.” I nodded, feeling disappointment well up in my gut. I’d hoped it would be a quick in-and-out to bring Mom safely home. Then Mel spoke again. “There could also be another problem. Sometimes I can jump in, but I can’t bring the person through.”

  “Why would that be?”

  “Many reasons. Blood magic preventing the person from moving through the Veil. Or the person could be too weak.” She looked at me sadly, and I knew where she was going with her line of thought. My heart sank.

  “You think Mom will be too weak for a jump?”

  “I’m sorry, Kai. I’m almost sure she’s too weak. She’s pale and she looked very undernourished. A jump could kill her.”

  My shoulders slumped. I hadn’t been prepared for disappointment.

  “We can still go in, Kai. We just need be well prepared.”

  I nodded, swallowing a little of the disappointment. We could still save her. It just wouldn’t be that easy. And when had anything I ever did been easy? “Will we need backup?” I asked, strengthening my resolve. I had to regroup, be strong in mind and body. These Wraiths were not going to beat me. I wouldn’t allow them to.

  “Yes, I usually don’t go anywhere without knowing what I’m up against. I don’t always have the luxury of backup, but when I do have it, I take it, no questions asked. It’s always better to go in with company.”

  “I can arrange a few people,” I said, my brain already listing all available bodies.

  “I can wrangle a couple as well if needed,” she offered. She looked ready to tackle anything, and I was glad. She may look all feminine and fragile, but Mel was tough as nails and I appreciated that.

  “That depends on what you saw. What are we up against? How many Wraiths in the building? How secure is her prison?”

  Mel fell silent as she sank back into the astral projection. She returned within a few minutes. “So there are two guards on each corner of the building, two at the end of the drive. Inside, spread along all three floors, there are forty odd Wraiths, and they have weapons.”

  “Weapons? Not spears and swords?”

  She shook her head, looking more worried than before. “No, they have guns, revolvers and rifles.”

  “Looks like they’ve upgraded.” I gritted my teeth. Seems the Wraiths had smartened up, and I didn’t like it one bit. “So it means we have to amp up our ammo as well.”

  “Do you have sufficient Wraith ammo?”

  I pursed my lips. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t planning on an all-out war. And with Tara gone, I can’t commission more ammo.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Determined to see this through, I said, “Right. Are there guards where they’re holding her?”

  “No. They have her sealed from the outside, in that commercial fridge. There are vents near the ceiling so she does have air. But she’s weak, hooked up to what looked like an IV. She’ll need to be carried out.”

  I nodded. “Okay. What about other jumpers?” I asked.

  “The more jumpers the better, I say.” I was glad to see she wasn’t the territorial type. Must be the fact that she was a Master Teleporter. From what I knew, there were only a handful in existence.

  “I think I can round up one or two,” I said.

  She smiled and looked like she was about to say something, then closed her mouth, having thought better of it. I was curious, but I didn’t have the time to get sidetracked. Then she said, “Okay, so how much time do you need?”

  “Half a day? A day at most?”

  “So tomorrow, sundown?”

  “Yeah, if we could time it to the instant the sun sets, we have an advantage. They are at their weakest at change of light.”

  “Okay, so sunset and sunrise makes them weak. Are they stronger at night?” When I n
odded, she said, “I thought so. Too late for an early morning raid, unless you can round up your people that quickly?” She looked at me, the question clear in her face.

  I got to my feet, more determined now than ever. “Let’s aim for sunrise,” I said, pulling out my phone.

  She got up too and started dialing as I did. Soon we were talking and dialing, calling in favors and calling up our backup.

  Within half an hour, Lily, Anjelo, and Cassandra had all called back. I arranged for them to meet me at the apartment at four in the morning. Logan was harder to track down, and I set the phone down a little too hard. That got Mel’s attention. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m trying to get ahold of Logan, but he must be on a job. He’s not answering.” I knew I sounded more frustrated than he deserved, so I took a deep breath.

  “I’m about to call Saleem. Do you want me to ask him if he knows where Logan is?”

  I raised my eyebrow and her cheeks turned pink. So that’s what she’d been holding back. Mel and Saleem. That was a happy little surprise. She gave me an impatient glare, then began dialing.

  Not ten minutes had passed when my phone began to ring, with Logan on the other end of the line. “What’s wrong, Kai? Saleem said he got an urgent call from Mel. And I see you’ve been trying me?”

  “Yeah. I need you here stat. Mel’s found Mom and we want to go in at dawn. They have her at a warehouse on the docks. Mel’s got the lay of the place, but we need manpower.”

  “Right. I’ll see what I can do.” His tone was all business, serious.

  “Oh, and, Logan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have a couple of Sentinel people on board for this. Is that going to be a problem?” I’d been worried that throwing opposite organizations into this mission would cause undue friction, so it was important I remained upfront with everyone.

  Logan answered immediately, no hesitation whatsoever. “Not a problem at all. I’ll be there in a couple hours. You need weapons, of course?”

  “Yes. Mel said they have revolvers and rifles. Not sure what else they have up their sleeves.”