by Dora Blume
“Do you know anything that could help us with what’s going on?” Sloane asked.
“Not really, I just followed you guys from Colorado. I have a place here, but I haven’t been here in years. I called the cleaning crew after I heard you guys came here first. What made you come here instead of heading to Kansas City like everyone else?” Ely asked.
“Jessie’s mom was last seen here meeting with some guy. She’s been missing since then. We followed a lead we got when we happened upon the possessed girl at the beach. It made me suspicious because of the robberies and the other college students who’ve been targeted. This all has to be connected in some way. I just don’t know how yet.” She crossed her arms and sat back in the seat. She didn’t like not knowing what was coming for them. Her gift of foresight wasn’t reliable, and all she wanted was to get a small glimpse into the future. The last vision she had was after she’d spent time with Mike. Maybe, she’d have to convince him for some more alone time, so she could get another vision. Her cheeks flushed at the thought.
Ely pulled into a driveway. “We’re here. I do have some soundproofed rooms here if we end up needing them later.” He gave them both a meaningful look. Sloane wondered how many times he’s needed those rooms.
“Well, that’s convenient. I thought you didn’t want to be involved with the Shikari. Yet, you just happen to have soundproof rooms?” Her tone was a little more suspicious than she meant it to be. She really didn’t want to piss off Mike’s friend. She had been out of Mike’s life so long, she didn’t know how close he was with his friends.
“Ah, yeah, but I thought I would use them to record music, not torture demons.” Ely scratched his chin.
“Oh,” Sloane’s voice rose, and she looked to Mike for support. He smiled and shook his head at her. She would need to work on being a little less suspicious of people. She couldn’t help it. Her father made her even more suspicious at every turn. Sometimes, that leaked into all of her relationships.
Mike walked around to stand beside her. He planted a kiss on her temple and she smiled. “Come on, let’s see if we can find out if anyone else knows what’s going on around here.”
Sloane took in the gray Mediterranean style home. She smiled at the two rocking chairs sitting just outside the white french doors of an office. It was such a quaint sight that contradicted what she’d learned about Ely. There was a delicately carved table between the rocking chairs. She wondered if Ely spent time reading books out here while enjoying the lush green landscape.
“Can you show me what you found about the robberies. Maybe I can shed a new perspective on the situation.” Ely led the way into the house.
“That sounds like a good idea.” Sloane hooked her thumb in her jeans as she followed Ely into the house. She couldn’t help but notice the way he filled out his own dark jeans as he walked.
“I’m going to call some friends in Los Angeles and see if they know anything else going on around here. It can’t be a coincidence they chose Los Angeles.” Mike stalked off without taking in much of the house.
“Okay, so do you have a computer?” Sloane turned to Ely.
“Of course, it’s this way. We can print the articles about the robberies.” Ely walked back to a small office where she’d seen the french doors earlier. There was a desk against the side wall. Floor to ceiling bookcases covered one wall. She liked the modern open feel of the room despite how small it was. The light shining through the french doors, lit the books. She ran a finger over the spines as she examined them. He had several classics along with a few books on architecture. She felt Ely come up behind her. A spark of nervous energy ran through her at his closeness.
“Oh, um, you have some interesting books. Do you like architecture?” she asked, turning to look up at him. There was something mysterious about him that intrigued her. She felt a heat radiate through her when his arm brushed up against hers.
“I studied it for a while. I wanted to continue but wasn’t able to because of the Shikari. I always thought I’d go back.” He brushed his hand over the books. The wistful look that passed over his face broke Sloane’s heart. So many of them had to give up their dreams to fight demons. She wished they could do both. “Should we get to work?” he asked. She noticed something flicker behind his eyes before he cleared his throat and took a step toward the computer. “Maybe you should look up the articles.” He stepped back and motioned for her to take the chair at the desk.
“Ah, yeah, it’d be nice to make some kind of connection between what’s going on here and the order. They have to be connected.” She sat in the chair while Ely fired up the computer.
The password screen filled the screen. “Oh, here,” he bent forward over Sloane to type in the password. His citrus scent enveloped her, and she took a deep breath, feeling heat flush through her. Damn, how was she reacting to him this strongly? He took a step back and met her eyes. She swore she saw her own desire mirrored in him. “There, I’ll be back. I’m going to go check something quick.” He raked a hand through his hair and retreated from the room.
Sloane took a deep breath. She needed to get it together. She couldn’t keep having these thoughts and reactions around Ely. She was with Mike, she was happy with him. They loved each other. They’d loved each other even before, when they were young. Now, for just a moment, she wished she had some experience with multiple partners. She flushed again, could that even be a possibility in her life? It would certainly be a first for her. Her mind flashed back to the jealous way Mike had reacted back at Caroline’s house and quickly dismissed the insane thought. Mike would never be willing to share her with anyone else. She shouldn’t want to be with anyone else, right? If she loved Mike, she should be okay with just him. She shouldn’t be having these thoughts at all.
Mike came in the room. He bent to place a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, you okay?” he asked. He was too perceptive when it came to her.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back to the computer.
“Are you sure, you look a little flushed.” His fingers skimmed down her cheek, and he knelt beside her. She wanted to confess. She wanted to tell him about her attraction to Ely. She should be able to be honest with him. “Oh, maybe it’s all the stress. I’m just going to print these articles quick, then I’ll join you guys.” Sloane blinked up him. A days stubble had grown on his chin. She stifled the urge to run her fingers over it.
“Okay, babe, maybe you need to relax for a little while.” His dexterous fingers worked at the knot forming in her shoulders.
“We relaxed enough on the beach. We need to figure out what’s going on. I wish I could get a vision of something. I haven’t had one since we were, um together.” A heat crept over her cheeks as she thought about the other night. His thumb worked circles over the back of her shoulders, pressing harder into the muscles. She moaned as he worked out the knot.
His eyes lit with amusement. “Well, then we should take care of that as soon as humanly possible. I wouldn’t want you stressing over not having a vision if there was something I could do about it.”
Sloane let out a laugh. Mike always knew just the right thing to say to cheer her up. She flicked her gaze to the door where she’d heard the slightest bristle. Ely was leaning against the doorjamb his thumbs through the loops of his jeans. “Hey, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Do you have something that brings out your visions? If so, you can learn to focus that energy. I had to learn when I first started astral projecting. I could help you if you wanted.” Standing there like that, with his shirt bunched up and his boxers showing, Sloane wouldn’t mind his tutoring.
Sloane felt a rush of heat and knew her cheeks were bright red. Mike narrowed one eye as he looked to her, then his gaze shifted to Ely. Sloane watched as his eyebrow lifted. She shifted in the seat. “Ah, that’s okay. I wanted to print out these articles, so we can get working on any connections.” She turned back to the computer and typed in the information. She felt Mike’s and Ely’s eyes on her as she typed. Mike took a s
tep back and dropped his hands from her shoulders. She felt the loss of his touch immediately. Hopefully, he hadn’t caught the lust she’d felt for Ely. That would only complicate their already fragile relationship. It felt like they’d just finally gotten to a good place. It’d be just like her to screw it all up with one look.
“I really don’t mind helping.” Ely offered.
“Um, thanks, but I think I got it.” She didn’t turn to look at him.
“Hey, let’s leave her to it.” Mike walked to the door and patted Ely’s shoulder.
“Okay, we’ll be in the living room if you need us,” Ely said as he followed Mike out.
She relaxed back against the chair. The look Mike gave her after Ely offered to help had her feeling puzzled. Was that intrigue on his face? There’s no way he would even consider what she’d been thinking earlier, would he? No, that was crazy. Mike was way too jealous to ever let another guy even look at her with anything close to desire. She’d seen his reaction in Colorado, and yet. There was something there, and it wasn’t jealousy. She hit print on the first article about the robberies and searched for the next. In a few minutes, she had a stack of articles in her hand. She carried them out to meet the guys.
“Here’s the articles on all the robberies. The stuff they stole connects to a potion they can make to help them possess Shikari but there’s also ingredients for a potion that can kill us outright.” She stopped and sat on the couch between the two. After the heat of both men hit her, she realized this may not have been the best spot to take. Instead of dwelling on that, she sat forward and spread the papers out in front of them. “So, I know why they robbed these places, but how does this connect to the students? They wouldn’t have needed science students to pull this off. They could have possessed anyone. Why are they targeting certain college students?” she ran her hands along the papers as she spoke.
“How do you know about the potion ingredients?” Ely asked.
“Oh, my mom taught me before she died. The Shikari entrusted her to pass on the knowledge to her children. She was the only one who knew some of the stuff. Bryant didn’t even know it.” Sloane turned to face Ely. Her knee brushed against his sending a jolt through her. She pressed her lips together and focused back on the articles. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mike studying her.
“Oh, so maybe they’re trying to change something about the potions. If they were picking students with scientific talents, maybe they were looking for some way to use the potions on a wider scale or something.” Ely scratched his chin.
“That could be.” Sloane nodded, looking back down at the papers.
“Do you remember what the students majors’ were in Minneapolis?”
“I think one was actually working at the capitol. They were picking students with political ambitions there. One was in a science field, but I don’t remember which one. We also didn’t know all of them, since we fought them on a larger scale all at once. The only reason we knew about the few we did, was because we were able to grab them before the battle.” Sloane tapped her finger against her lips, thinking. Was there a way to find out what the rest of the students were going to school for? The Shikari usually took down names after an incident, especially one as big as Minneapolis. There would be incident reports that would later be housed at the archives. Those tasked with cleaning up would have taken the student’s names and any pertinent information. She wondered if they could ask whoever was in charge of the cleanup. She turned to Mike. “Do you know who was in charge of cleanup in Minneapolis? They would have taken down the student’s names at the very least. We could get the names and look up what their major and any jobs or internships they had.” Her eyes were lit with the excitement of having some kind of lead they could follow.
“Um, Bryant would know who took care of the clean-up. He’s the one in charge of the area.” He rubbed the side of his face, looking away from her.
“Shit, so you’re telling me I have to call my father to find out.” She crossed her arms over her chest and heaved out a breath.
“Yeah, he’s probably the best source since he was in charge of it all.” Mike rubbed her arm. “I know you don’t want to, but it would be good to know. That way we can get an update on what’s happening in Kansas City.”
“Ugh, fine, I’ll call him.” She stood from the couch and stalked out to the kitchen. There were sliding doors that opened to a patio and the backyard. Two lime trees were in planters on either side of the door. The yard was filled with beautiful flowers and green foliage. The rich scents hit her nose mingled with the citrus from the limes and the orange tree on the right side of the yard. This is where Ely’s citrus scent came from. He must spend a lot of time out here. Sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs on the patio, she pulled out her phone. This was the last call she wanted to make. Erik was the one who always called Bryant to get information. He knew she hated talking to him. A knot formed in her stomach as she scrolled. When she found his number, she hit send and pressed the phone to her ear.
“Sloane, what’s wrong?” Bryant’s voice sounded concerned. She wondered if it was an act for someone around him or if he was generally concerned about her well being.
“Nothing, well, we found some students who are possessed here in Los Angeles.” She paused. She wasn’t sure how much information she wanted to actually share with her father.
“So, why are you calling, dear?” he asked. Yeah, there was definitely someone near him.
“Who would have the names of the students who were possessed in Minneapolis. I knew you were in charge of the cleanup. We think there may be a connection between them and the students here.” She bit her lip as she waited for her father’s response.
“Why are you worried about such a thing? You need to be here, helping with the demons taking over the order. Is it your goal to have us all possessed?” Her father’s tone was biting. He must have moved away from whatever audience he’d had before. This was the real Bryant, the one she hated.
“We think it’s all connected. Are you going to give me the information or not?” She spat back at him. She knew how to get what she needed out of him. She just wished she didn’t have to be the one to talk to him. He would have made this much easier if it was his prodigal son calling instead of her.
“I’ll text you the name and the number of the woman I put in charge after we left. She’d have what you need.” His dismissive tone let her know he was done listening to her.
“I thought you should know, we think Jessie’s mom may have gone to Kansas City after meeting some guy here. She may have helped with the invasion of the order. You may want to keep an eye out for her. Jessie would like to know if her mom is okay.” She doubted he would put any real effort into the information she’d given him. He was known for bailing when things got tough. She thought that was probably the reason her mother was dead. She blamed him more than anyone else for her death. He may not be directly responsible, but he certainly didn’t do anything to save her. All his actions came well after her death. Too little too late as always. She clenched her hands into fists.
“I will keep an eye out and inform the others.”
“You do that.” She hung up the phone. She couldn’t take much more of his superior attitude. He hadn’t done much in the fight so far. Sloane thought he was more of a coward than anything. He was known for sending his children into battle before him. A pang went through her at how many times he must have sent Erik into the fray. She couldn’t imagine what he endured while she was gone. It was nice that he was finally seeing Bryant for who he truly was. Maybe she would have to find some way to make it up to Erik. If she’d been around, maybe he’d seen who Bryant was much sooner. Not that it would have helped him.
Mike came out onto the patio. “How did it go?”
“As expected, he’s sending the name of the woman he put in charge of the cleanup. God forbid, he did anything himself.” Sloane rolled her eyes and clutched her knees to her chest. She hated the knot that alw
ays stuck around after talking to Bryant. He had been tough on her and Erik when they were growing up. She still cringed anytime she thought about their education. Her mother had been a good buffer between them. She never let him go too far in his tactics. When she was gone, Sloane couldn’t imagine a world without her. She couldn’t imagine continuing to live with Bryant. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what her brother had to live with long after.
Mike slid onto the chair next to her legs. He rested his hand on her knees. “You want to talk about what’s bothering you. I know there’s at least one thing on your mind, if not several things. You know you can talk to me about anything, even how you’re feeling about Ely.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Come on, Sloane. I know you, probably better than you know yourself sometimes. I’ve seen how you’ve reacted around him.”
“So, it doesn’t mean anything. I’m happy with you.” Her eyes searched his. Why was he bringing this up?
“I know you are. I’m happy with you too. But I’m always open to talking about something that may make you even happier. I don’t want to stifle you, ever. We’re a team. I don’t want you to feel resentful because you’re not getting everything you need.” His hand stroked over her knee. His voice dropped. “I don’t want you to leave again.” His eyes focused on a spot on the chair unable to meet his eyes.
“Mike, I’m not going to leave again. I promise. I won’t just leave you. I know what a mistake that was. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t want you to do something because you’re worried I’ll leave if you don’t.” Sloane dropped her legs to the sides of the chair and pulled his mouth to hers. She cherished his lips, the softness of them against hers. Sloane wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers over his curls. The back of his neck was a sensitive spot for him. Sloane loved that she knew every spot he responded to. He moved closer to her on the chair, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush with him.
