by Ayer, T. G.
“I don’t understand. You’ve been killing Widd’en’s men. Why kill the army that you follow?”
“Widd’en’s men are weak, misguided. They refuse to answer to a woman, even though I am their rightful master.”
“That’s not possible. Widd’en would have had a second-in-command.” I was speaking slowly, stalling for time, but she was lost in her thoughts.
“The army doesn’t work like that. The reigning lord hands commandership down to his bloodline. Do you understand now?” she asked, spitting the words out against my cheek.
“You’re Widd’en’s daughter.” I gasped, slowly losing consciousness, my heartbeat barely a flutter. My fingers were slick with blood as she continued to twist the knife in my wound.
“Ah, the Hunter is smart too.”
“You’re wasting your time. Logan will have the team here in minutes.”
“Not if Wren’do has already eliminated them. And Wren’do is very efficient.”
“So is Logan,” said a rough voice from behind Illyria. She spun around, letting go of the handle of her knife.
Logan stood behind her. Everything moved in slow motion as I wondered how he’d gotten there. Was Logan a jumper? Then the air shifted beside me, orange embers swirling around and around to form the sexy Saleem. I smiled, but I was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace of pain.
He caught me as my legs finally gave out. “Hold on, Kai,” he whispered as he jumped me out of the fridge and into my apartment.
***
When Kai had said something was off, Logan had known it in his bones. He and Wren had been stationed on the rooftop on the next building, watching as best they could. The view to the driveway was clear, and he’d seen Lily and Anjelo take out the guards with a swift and silent ease that had impressed him. Perhaps Omega should be looking at those too as well as Kai.
From his vantage point, he could see the south and west ends of the building as well. He’d watched Kai and the Wraith Rebel leader enter the building without a hitch. But when Kai began to suspect things were a little too easy, Logan was forced to reassess their progress and had to admit she was right.
That could only mean that someone Kai had divulged information to was selling info to Widd’en’s men. Logan stiffened, glancing over at the Wraith general beside him. Wren had barely said two words to him since they’d scrambled up the south fire escape and taken up position.
Right now, Logan could trust no one.
He shifted a little to ensure he had the Wraith in his full sights, ensuring the Wraith would be unable to get the drop on him. Then he fished his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Saleem. Sec yr loc meet me asap. And he hoped the Djinn would know what he meant.
Minutes later, as Kai made progress toward the refrigerators, Saleem and Iain shimmered into solidity behind the Wraith and hunkered down beside an air-conditioning fan.
The wireless crackled with Kai’s shocked voice. “Illyria? What the hell?”
The Wraith moved, sliding around to grab hold of Logan, but the general didn’t get far. Saleem’s first bullet hit him in the upper back, the second at the base of his skull. If the poison wasn’t meant to kill, the second bullet would certainly have done the job.
Instead, Logan saw that Saleem had used the Wraith gun Illyria had given Kai. Kai had paid little attention to the weapon, and Saleem must have grabbed it at some point. Good call, Djinn, thought Logan. We might need this dirt bag to squeeze him for info.
Moments later, he heard Kai ask, “Why?” Her struggle to speak was clear, and Logan’s gut twisted with fear. What had the Wraith done to her? The pain in Kai’s voice was enough to confirm she’d been injured in some way.
Everyone on the wireless was privy to Kai’s words, and one look at Saleem’s and Iain’s faces said they weren’t wasting time either. Saleem motioned to Iain to wait for him, and Kai’s brother gave him a curt nod. Then the Djinn held out a hand to Logan, jumping him to the yard outside the south entrance as Kai said, “I don’t understand. You’ve been killing Widd’en’s men. Why kill the army that you follow?”
Logan’s heart raced. The flow of the conversation only confirmed that Illyria wasn’t intending to leave Kai behind. She had some plan to abduct Kai, and Logan wasn’t going to let that happen. No fucking way.
They entered the building using the same door as Kai and the Wraith, headed right, and slipped through the double doors. Left then right then straight ahead.
“That’s not possible. Widd’en would have had a second-in-command,” said Kai in his ear. He knew she was stalling for time. Smart girl.
“You’re Widd’en’s daughter,” Kai’s voice echoed in his ear both from the wireless and echoing from inside the fridge, and Logan’s muscles stiffened. This was getting worse by the second.
“Ah, the Hunter is smart too.”
Logan and Saleem slipped inside the room
“You’re wasting your time. Logan will have the team here in minutes.” Kai was speaking, but she looked like she was about to pass out.
Illyria was standing close to her, her hand at Kai’s side red with blood. The Wraith had her back to Logan, so confident that her plans wouldn’t be thwarted. “Not if Wren’do has already eliminated them. And Wren’do is very efficient.”
Sorry, bitch, this is not your day, he thought.
Then he spoke aloud. “So is Logan.”
As Illyria turned, Logan moved toward her. She grabbed the gun at her waist and raised her hand, but he kept moving. Saleem appeared beside Kai and spirited her away.
The Wraith managed to get off one shot before Logan pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit Illyria’s forehead dead center.
***
Chapter 33
Logan watched as Kai tossed and turned. Her pain couldn’t be relieved with normal drugs, and it would be a waste of time to procure the special pain relief she’d need as a Walker.
All they could do now was watch and wait until her fever broke. She’d been unconscious most of the day now. Ivy had confirmed that Illyria’s knife had been laced with poison.
Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was holding on to the faintest hope that Kai’s run-in with the Wraith-sword poison would strengthen her body against this one.
The apartment reeked of tension. But the one person Logan had expected to lash out at him had merely thanked him and slapped him on the shoulder. His heart twisted at Iain’s reaction, reminding Logan that he still had history with the Walker.
He left Iain with Kai and returned to the dining table. Cassie and Larsson had stuck around for a while before being called out on a mission for Sentinel, which left the rest of them waiting around for Kai to wake up.
Ivy touched his arm as he took a seat. “Don’t worry too much, dear. She’ll be well enough soon. She’s a strong woman, your Kai.”
Logan nodded at Ivy, giving her a small smile, but it was very disconcerting to have her call him dear when she was sizzling hot and looked not a day older than forty. The woman had to be at least sixty. Logan had to wonder if Walkers were part immortal. Something he needed to discuss with Kai.
He needed to think about something else or he would soon go crazy with the waiting. He cleared his throat. “Mel. Thanks for coming back. I was actually hoping you would.”
Mel sat across from him and nodded. She looked tired and worried, and he knew Kai’s injury had gotten to her. “What do you need?” she asked, getting straight to the point.
“We need you to track Celeste one more time. This time there is no Illyria to betray us. And I think it’s best to move as fast as we can. They won’t expect it—the last thing they’ll expect is a full-scale rescue mission. Especially when they think Kai is injured and poisoned to boot.”
“That’s what they think. They obviously know nothing about Walker physiology or immunization practices,” said Kai as she walked slowly out of her room.
Everyone stared at her in silence.
“What?�
� she asked, laughing softly as she slipped onto the one free stool at the kitchen counter.
“Are you freaking insane?” Lily asked as she got to her feet. Two bright spots on her cheeks revealed how livid she was.
“I’m fine, Lily. I promise. I wouldn’t get out of bed if I wasn’t.”
A number of people in the room snorted, including Logan, and Kai’s expression changed as she studied the faces watching her. Then she looked at Logan and asked, “So what’s the plan?”
Logan got to his feet and walked to her. “The plan is for you to go back to bed and recover.” She lifted her gaze slowly to his face, and Logan saw the warning in her eyes. He hid his smile and slowed his steps.
Kai pushed off the stool and reached for the hem of her T-shirt. She was wearing low-slung yoga pants and a fitted tee, and the sight of her bare hips sent sensations rippling through Logan that shouldn’t really be there when staring at an invalid.
She bared her abdomen, then turned to the right so everyone could see her wound.
No, not a wound.
A scar.
Mel gasped, and Logan knew exactly how she felt. The only people that didn’t look surprised were the Walkers in the room. And Logan, of course, having seen Kai’s healing processes before.
“Kai? Are you sure you’re fine for this?” Mel’s face was still pale with shock as she met Kai’s gaze.
Kai nodded. “Walkers just heal fast, and alphas heal faster.” She shrugged and then sat back down. Logan retreated to his chair as Kai swiveled to face the Tracker. “You up for tracking Mom again?”
Mel nodded. “The key will be fine unless you have something else.”
Kai glanced at Iain and then at Ivy, who both shook their heads and shrugged. “Okay then. The key it is. Do you want to do it in the room?” she asked the Tracker who smiled and followed Kai.
They didn’t close the door, but the room provided a little privacy for Mel. Logan paced while they were busy. Right now, all he wanted to do was shake Kai for giving him such a scare. On the other hand, shaking wasn’t the first thing that came to came to mind when he thought of what he wanted to do to her right now.
Logan shook his head and paced some more.
***
Chapter 34
As soon as I entered the room, I headed to the bedside table. Mel sank onto the mattress while I dug Mom’s key out of my bedside drawer. Before I handed it to her, I asked, “Would you rather be alone? Do you need anything?”
She grinned and shook her head, sending her wavy black tresses bouncing all over her shoulders. Her hair looked unruly, as if she’d been running her fingers through it over and over again. My stomach tightened as I realized I must have been the cause of her worries. In fact, I’d worried everyone who sat in my apartment right now.
I handed the key to Mel and sank down beside her. The sun was streaming through the window. How long had I been in a recovery stupor? I listened to Mel’s even breathing as she slipped into her astral projection, and my heart thudded with expectation. Where were they keeping her? Would we be able to get in and out easily?
I tried to distract myself by thinking about those last minutes when Illyria had tried to kill me. I had to admit that even now, even having heard her own admission, I still found it hard to believe. I wasn’t sure if my death had been her goal or if she’d just wished to incapacitate me. The poison on the knife would have killed a human, but she knew very well I was a Walker.
What she didn’t know was that I’d suffered the effects of Wraith obsidian poison before, and it seemed my body had built its own defenses against it. If in fact it was obsidian poison. I wondered if maybe she’d tried the Black Lake waters, but Wren’do would have informed her of my non-deadly swim. The fact that the Wraiths had actively used any poison against me was a concern. Would they advance to using it on humans? I shuddered to think how devastating that would be.
I’d woken briefly when Iain was sitting beside me, and he’d told me what Wren had revealed after the people at Omega had completed their interrogations. Illyria was the illegitimate daughter of Lord Widd’en, a rebellious member of the royal family. Illyria’s mother had kept the secret for years and only revealed it to her husband Lord Wrathyan when the girl was being forced to marry. Apparently, her mother could not bear the thought of her daughter having to go through an arranged marriage the way she had.
Illyria found solace with her natural father, although Wrathyan hadn’t formally denounced her. The marriage proposal still hung over her head, but Illyria had abandoned it all to follow in her father’s footsteps as leader of the Rebels. She idolized her father and had been driven near insane when he’d been killed.
Everything she’d done since had been a means to finding her father’s killer, who until I had revealed myself, had been assumed to be Celeste. I was thankful I’d taken the weight of that responsibility on my own shoulders, but I still feared for my mother’s life. I recalled the Wraith’s words, that my mother was no longer needed. The memory chilled me, brought my attention straight out of my thoughts and back to Mel.
My timing was excellent. Mel stirred, her face pale as she blinked and reconnected her mind with her body. “You all right?” I asked, leaning toward her. Mel nodded, although she looked afraid. “What’s wrong? Did you find her?”
“I’m fine.” But her expression told me otherwise.
Fear spun through my mind, making me lightheaded. I forced myself to maintain some semblance of calm and waited for the tracker to speak. Then Mel sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees.
“We just have a bit of a problem.”
“Which is?” I asked, trying to be patient.
“She’s being held in a secure facility in the Nevada desert.” Her words came out in one breath.
“Area 51?” I asked, my voice dying on an uncomfortably high note.
Mel shook her head, then stopped and met my gaze. “You know, I’m not sure exactly. I was inside, managed to get around the place a little. But it’s not like I had coordinates or anything.”
“Okay, so what do we have to go on?” I asked as I rose. “You want to tell everyone?”
Mel nodded and walked with me back into the dining room. I cleared my throat and said, “Right, let’s do this.”
Mel slid back into her seat beside Drake and took a breath. “So Celeste is being held in a facility out in the Nevada desert. She seems to be healthy and clean. She’s still weak and is being held in a secure room. The facility looks a lot like a hospital or medical center.”
“Guards?” asked Logan, his brows furrowed in concentration.
“Two at her door and two guarding a set of doors entering the wing she’s in. Security is tight, key cards for doors and elevators, cameras everywhere. It’s underground, so one way in one way out. We don’t know what facility it is, so schematics are out of the question.”
“I’m guessing you couldn’t tell the specific location?” asked Logan.
“No. I couldn’t see anything on the surface that would act as a significant landmark. Just desert and cacti.”
“Guards on the surface?”
Mel nodded. “Two in a hut at the entrance to the facility about a mile away. And two in a small office attached to the entrance. You go to the security desk; they check you out and allow you to pass through. Inside is just a single elevator.”
“Then that isn’t the only way out,” I said.
Logan nodded. “Yes. But there should be a maintenance entrance for larger equipment and maybe even supplies.”
“If there is, they didn’t bring her through that way. I tracked her through the top entrance.”
“What if we got in and then tried to find the alternative exit, just in case we need it. If we’re careful, we may not need it.”
Logan pursed his lips and nodded. “I wish I could say it would likely be an easy in-and-out, but I can’t. Not for a facility like this. And especially not for something underground.”
Logan’s words
were certainly not designed to make me feel better. I rubbed my forehead. “Okay, so we know she’s fine and not being tortured. She’s alive. That’s a bloody good sign.”
“The problem is exactly who the hell are these guys and what are they doing with her? I didn’t see a single Wraith anywhere I tracked.” Mel sounded frustrated as a frown wrinkled her brow.
The silence in the room was tangible as so many minds considered so many possibilities.
I glanced at Grams. “An experimental facility?”
She frowned, but all the same, the color drained from her already pale features. Her blue eyes had darkened with worry so much that I could have sworn they were black. “You think Widd’en’s men sold Celeste to an experimental lab?” Her voice shivered as she spoke and her gaze flitted to Iain who sat across from me, equally pale. At least he didn’t look like it was so unbelievable.
I glanced back at Grams and nodded. “What else could it be? It’s not as if the Wraiths have the means to build such a thing anyway. A facility like Mel described is so Area 51 it’s either governmental or heavily funded private.”
“What would a governmental agency want with your mother?” asked Anjelo, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe we were even having this conversation. I’d almost forgotten he was there. He and Lily had been strangely silent, and I assumed my injury had taken its toll on them.
I cleared my throat before I said, “Mom is a Hunter. She’s a Mage. She has powers similar to mine, including the glow when killing Wraiths. Any government agency investigating the paranormal would kill to study a paranormal like her.” My voice and my words were harsh, partly to mask the emotion ripping up my insides. The thought of anyone experimenting on my mother made my panther snarl. But I refused to sugarcoat it. Everyone in the room deserved to be made aware of the risks. “It also means that going into a facility like this is more dangerous than anything you’ve ever done. We’re all paranormals here. Each of us would be a scientist’s delight. We have to be well organized. And we can’t get caught.”
