by Jenna Kernan
“Who is that?”
“Isn’t he an actor?”
“Look at that guy.”
She clicked across the marble lobby on low heels, her tight plum-colored suit dress making long strides impossible. One foolish human stepped toward Alon.
Samantha looped her arm possessively through his and threw the woman a threatening look. Alon allowed her to cling as she glared at her competition.
“Don’t worry, Samantha,” he murmured low in her ear. “I don’t go for humans.”
He placed a hand casually over the one she looped through his elbow. His cool fingers stroked her skin, and her heart fluttered.
His breath brushed her ear as he spoke again. “Though you are no more human than I.”
“That’s true.”
Hope fluttered within her for just a moment and then died as he glanced toward the female, who hesitated as they passed by.
He exhaled through his nose. “If they saw me for what I am they’d be screaming and running the other way.”
She squeezed his arm. “I haven’t.”
He turned his head and held her gaze, and she thought for a moment she saw tenderness in his eyes. But then they hardened to ice once more. “You should,” he said and fixed his gaze on the closed elevator doors.
The bell chimed, the doors swept open and they stepped into the empty car.
She felt a momentary relief at being alone, away from the humans and thus far undetected by ghosts. Then she remembered that Blake would be able to see her aura. What would he say when he saw what had happened?
She shuddered and gripped Alon tighter.
“Samantha?” His brows lifted and his expression spoke of concern.
“I’m all right. Just, well...our auras. Blake will see them.” Samantha released him and stepped away from Alon. He tracked her retreat with a steady gaze and the lifting of one elegant brow.
“Blake isn’t going to like what you have to say, and I doubt he’ll be happy to meet me. He’s War Chief. That must be his prime concern.”
“Your sister is already with him.”
Alon watched the numbers ascend with their car. “Her text said that he has stopped trying to send her away.”
“He’s seen her? I thought she was going to stay hidden.”
“Bart and Bella agreed to stay hidden. Aldara is less submissive. She often does as she pleases.”
And it pleased her to show herself to her brother. Samantha scowled.
The doors slid open and they headed toward the suite of rooms rented by the Southeastern Council for their new War Chief. Her stride felt awkward and stiff. Suddenly Samantha was unsure what she was doing here. Neither her dad nor brother had asked her to bring the Ghost Children to the alliance. Would he even want their help?
Was she doing the right thing?
Alon drew to an easy stop before the door marked Presidential Suite and folded his hands before him, standing with the reassuring calm of an undertaker at a wake. He waited, and when she did not lift her hand to knock he glanced down at her. If he was worried about meeting her big brother, he did not show any outward sign. Meanwhile her upper lip was sweating.
“I’m nervous,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said in a hushed voice that Blake still could here if he were listening. “I smell your fear.”
That was enough to put some starch in her spine. She lifted her chin. “I’m not afraid of my brother.”
“Uncertainty, then. Either you think the Ghost Children should fight or you do not.”
“It’s not that simple.”
Alon’s complexion darkened as clouds of discontent blew over his expression. “It is.”
Samantha’s chin sank to her chest. “You don’t understand. Every time I have tried to do something other than what my family wanted, it has ended badly. I’m not sure I can trust my judgment. Nagi found us because of me. We’ve had to leave places that were safe because of me.” She slipped a hand into his. “I believe this is right. That the alliance needs the Ghost Children to win, but I don’t want to have to defy them again.”
“Doing what you think is right is never easy.”
“But what if I’m wrong?”
“What if you’re right?” He kissed her knuckles.
“We need you. We need all of us in order to win,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to convince me.” Alon motioned his head toward the closed door.
Samantha exhaled in a short blast, retrieved her hand from Alon and knocked.
Inside came the sound of her brother’s footsteps padded by the carpet. A moment later the door opened and Blake filled the opening. Dressed in a sky-blue shirt with the top three buttons unfastened, black dress slacks and bare feet, he looked exactly the same but very different from the last time she saw him. He stood straighter, looked at her directly and carried himself with a new confidence. His smile seemed easy instead of tight. He opened his arms and she stepped into the warm familiarity of his embrace, breathing in the scent of home.
Blake lifted her off her feet as he always did, swinging her back and forth before returning her to the carpet. The awkwardness began upon his release. He stepped back and glanced past her. His smile vanished as he turned his attention to Alon.
Samantha stood between the two men as they sized each other up.
“Blake Proud,” Samantha said formally, “this is Alon Garza, son of Bess Suncatcher and Cesar Garza.”
Alon extended his hand. Samantha held her breath and waited. Blake glanced down the exterior hall as if making certain that no one saw them and then took Alon’s offered hand. She had never expected Blake to accept the gesture, let alone reciprocate. Samantha expelled her breath.
The two performed a stiff handshake that established that they each had crushing grips and a high tolerance for pain.
Blake motioned them in. “Mom said you had company.”
He stepped aside and then shut and locked the door behind them. Clearly he did not want to be seen with them.
“You have met my sister?” asked Alon.
Blake flushed and Alon’s eyes narrowed. Samantha swallowed her dread. Blake hadn’t thrown Aldara out, had he?
“She’s here.”
Samantha’s shoulders sagged in relief until she recalled the flush of her brother’s cheeks and thought to wonder what exactly had happened between Blake and his attractive female bodyguard.
Alon’s stormy expression showed the same thing had occurred to him.
“She’s in here,” Blake said and led the way.
Samantha trailed him down the hall, wishing she could run in the opposite direction. She was a good runner. But today she would stand and fight.
“We are alone, except for Aldara,” said Blake.
Samantha stepped into the suite, which included a full kitchen, all creamy marble and stainless steel, and a conference table large enough for all the members of the Southeastern Council to conduct business in private. Beyond sat a sleek, stylish living area with a sofa and recliners clustered about a square coffee table. The artwork consisted of an enormous television hanging on the wall parallel to the sofa. To the right and left were doors that Samantha fervently hoped led to separate bedrooms.
Every single light in the place was blazing. Samantha’s eyes narrowed. That was a trick to hide auras. She spun on Blake, about to ask him what he was concealing, when she realized she also had something to hide. Calling Blake out would reveal her, as well. That made her hesitate, suspicion blooming with the anxiety. What would Blake do if he saw her aura blending with Alon’s?
Aldara appeared a moment later but not from smoke. Instead she emerged from the bedroom wearing a white terry cloth robe bearing the hotel’s insignia. Samantha’s skin prickled a warning of impending doom.
His sister was absolutely stunning. Fine blond hair slid like silk over her shoulders. She looked tiny in the bulky robe that ended at her knees to reveal shapely calves and pale bare feet. Her eyes were grayer tha
n Alon’s, but the siblings shared the same wide, sensual mouth and straight nose. Unlike Alon, Aldara had a heart-shaped face and pointed chin that gave her a dainty, feminine beauty. Deceptive, thought Samantha, and easy to underestimate.
Her choice of attire was either unfortunate or calculated. Samantha did not know her well enough to understand which, so she glanced to Alon to find he had tucked his chin as if preparing to attack.
Aldara flashed a look to Blake. Had he ever seen her fighting form, or was she still hiding it from him?
Alon greeted his sister with a kiss on both cheeks.
“Have you seen any ghosts?” he asked his twin.
“Four,” she answered.
Blake ran a hand through his glossy brown hair. He and Aldara exchanged a look.
“In the Sonora Desert,” Blake said. “Aldara had been trailing me as smoke. I saw her but didn’t know what she was until the attack.”
Aldara inched closer to Blake and then hesitated, coming to a stop midway between her brother and Alon.
“I was going to send them for judgment when she changed form and blasted them.” Blake turned to Alon. “That’s some badass power, extinguishing souls.”
Samantha wondered again at the responsibility of destroying the immortal essence and did not succeed in suppressing a shiver. Blake’s acknowledgement of that power, however, might serve to help her argument.
“You did well,” said Alon. If he felt any remorse, he did not show it. “We need the Seers. Without them we must kill all possessed humans.”
Aldara moved to stand beside Blake, who gave her a tender smile.
“There have been no others since Scottsdale,” she said.
Blake offered a recliner to Samantha then motioned Aldara to the couch. She settled beneath the bright side lamp. Alon took the chair opposite Samantha, beyond the coffee table, flanking his sister. His aura was slightly visible, a gray haze hanging about his head. Blake sat on the couch under the matching lamp, one seat cushion away from Aldara.
The silence grew uncomfortable as each sat stiffly, leaning slightly forward as if anxious to be somewhere else.
Blake spoke first, his voice seeming to boom into the void. “I want to thank you for protecting my sister, Alon, and for bringing her safely to her people.”
Her people? They never had people except each other. Was he talking about the Niyanoka? Those whom she had never met or even seen during her entire childhood?
Alon nodded his acknowledgment to this and glanced to Samantha, deferring to her. It was her brother after all.
She cleared her throat and her first word still came out as a squeak. “Blake, the Thunderbirds brought me to Alon.”
Her brother’s eyes narrowed and flicked to Alon.
Sensing a fight brewing, she hurried on. “He brought me to his family. All of his siblings have been raised to respect the Balance and human life. After meeting them it is my opinion that we need them. And you know yourself that they can defend against ghosts.”
“I don’t approve of killing souls. Even evil ones deserve judgment and to serve their time in the Circle,” said Blake. “Some might one day be forgiven and reach the Spirit World.”
“They’ve avoided the call of the Ghost Road. Refused the natural order. They deserve no mercy,” countered Alon.
“They can also force them to the Ghost Road,” said Samantha. Blake made no reply to this so she drew another breath and dived back in. “They are smart, protective, dedicated to preserving the Balance, and they are excellent fighters.”
Blake cast her an incredulous look. “Yes,” he hissed. “I remember. I learned this on the day they nearly killed us all.”
That made her squirm. Of course he remembered the attack by Nagi’s Ghost Children as well as she did.
“Yet you allow Aldara to protect you.”
“I wouldn’t call it that. She did not seek my permission, nor will she follow my direction. She is ever under her own authority.”
“I follow my brother’s command. Not yours,” said Aldara.
When it suited her, thought Samantha, recalling Alon complaining that Aldara tended to do as she pleased. Samantha considered his sister. Why did it please her to stay with Blake?
Blake did not notice Samantha’s distraction as he continued. “She gave me no say. She wouldn’t leave when I ordered her to. She might be the first person I’ve ever met who is more stubborn than you.”
Samantha met the challenge in his gaze. “Alon sent her to protect you.”
“It was a dangerous thing to do. If she had been seen...” His words fell off and he laced his fingers together as he rested both elbows on his thighs. He worried one thumb with the other for a moment and then glanced back at his sister. “She’s got to go.”
Aldara glared at Blake, her eyes now shining a brilliant mint-green. Samantha became more suspicious of just what was between them.
Blake would not look at her. “It took some doing, but I’ve succeeded with the Southeastern Council, Samantha. Mom is waiting for us in New York.” He glared at Aldara. “Just us.”
She felt a squeezing of dread in her gut. “Us?”
His dark eyes flicked back to his sister. “Yes. The Southeastern Council wanted reassurances that all the Seers will join their forces. They are afraid of the Skinwalkers having you or worse.” He glanced at Alon. “It makes no sense to exile you among...” His eyes shifted between Alon and Aldara. It took a moment for him to reformulate his thoughts. “I spoke with both Mom and Dad and convinced them to let you join the Niyanoka.”
“Let me?” Samantha snorted. “Well, thanks very much. And we will just deny that we are also Skinwalkers?”
“Samantha, you said you wanted to make a difference. You said you wanted to use your gifts. I’m offering you a chance to do both.”
That had been what she had wanted. But not anymore.
Blake sensed her hesitance and continued on. “There are plenty of Grizzly Skinwalkers, but only three Seers.”
She shook her head. This was going all wrong. She needed to steer the conversation back on course. She glanced at Alon, who kept his eyes on hers but lifted his chin toward Blake. The message was clear. Tell him.
She faced her brother. “But we fight better as Skinwalkers.”
Blake pushed off his thighs, straightening in his seat. “Are you going to defy them again?”
And there it was. Her refusal to do as she was told. Her insistence on bucking authority. And woven through Blake’s incredulous question like red yarn was the underlying condemnation he had served up on every occasion. Why was she always causing trouble?
Was that the real reason that she wanted the Ghost Children to fight with them? Just because she knew her family would object? The possibility made her hesitate, second-guess. What if she was wrong again?
Blake’s tone turned gruff. “What the hell are you up to now?”
“I’m trying to help.”
“By not joining the alliance?” Before she could answer, Blake fired another question at her like a barbed arrow. “Or do you plan to fight with the Skinwalkers?”
Alon lifted one finger and Blake turned.
“Maybe you should let her finish.”
Samantha glanced from one to the other. Blake’s flush made it clear that he objected to Alon’s interference. Alon’s locked jaw relayed that he didn’t give a damn. In another minute they’d be at each other. A glance in Aldara’s direction showed her body tensing as she eased forward, preparing to act. Which side would she take?
It was all going just as Alon had predicted, and she had not even made her proposal yet. Samantha spoke in a rush now. “Blake, listen. Nagi has recruited at least twenty Ghost Children fighters already. The Spirit Children can’t stop them. You can’t and I can’t. I know. I’ve seen them fight, and I’m not sure the Skinwalkers can, either.”
Blake rose slowly to his feet. A moment later they all stood.
“We’ll take out the ghosts and possessed human
s,” he said. “And Father’s forces will stop the rest,” said Blake, full of the bravado of a Halfling who had never seen his enemy in action.
“What if he can’t?”
Blake glared.
“What if the Skinwalkers fall? Who will stop Nagi’s forces then? The Clairvoyants? The Peacemakers? Nagi’s Ghost Children will shred them like tissue paper.”
Blake scrubbed his palm over his mouth and jaw, his expression dark. “What exactly are you proposing, Sammy?”
“We have thirty-four Naginoka who are loyal to the Balance, all raised by Bess Suncatcher and Cesar Garza. Alon is their Alpha leader, their War Chief, and he has agreed to lead them against Nagi. He’s come to join the alliance.”
“Join the... Are you out of your mind? They tried to kill us.”
“They did not. Those were Nagi’s fighters.”
“You heard Dad. Bring the Niyanoka by any means necessary. That’s what he said.” He pointed at Alon. “If I’m even seen with that, it’s over.”
“What about her?” asked Samantha, thumbing over her shoulder at Aldara, who growled in reply, her eyes more yellow than green. Samantha knew what came next. Did Blake?
“She stays out of sight.”
Samantha felt her fury peak. “How convenient for you both.”
Blake ignored her jibe. “It’s also for her protection. If the Niyanoka see her, they might try to kill her.”
“They wouldn’t succeed,” said Samantha.
“You’d be wiser to worry about the lives of any foolish enough to try,” added Alon, his voice no more than a mutter, but Blake heard the remark.
“Skinwalkers have succeeded in killing your kind,” said Blake, speaking as if the vigilante death packs were some source of pride instead of an abomination.
Alon stepped forward to accept that gauntlet, and Samantha found herself between them once more. But Aldara chose this moment to speak.
“They succeeded because they hunt babies.” Her speech was already slurring, and her mouth was now full of elongating sharp white teeth.
Blake stared at her. She held his gaze as Blake blew out a breath.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Aldara.
