The Shikari 3: The Order

by Dora Blume

  Sloane glanced to Jessie. Her face paled, and she held up a finger before running down the hall. Mike darted to the side a second before she barreled into him. Her hand was over her mouth as she ran. Shit, her nausea was getting worse. Did anyone else know the possible cause of her illness?

  “I’ll tend to Jess. You all continue planning.” Tamslyn waved her hand as she made her way down the hall after Jessie.

  “So, Erik, Jess, and I will head to meet Ethan and Bryant. You and Mike go searching for others to help us. We may need a contingency if this entire thing ends up being a trap. What if Bryant is calling us in to be possessed by demons? What if he figured out we know about him?” Sloane asked, mostly to confirm it to herself.

  “How could he know?” Erik asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud I guess. I just want to be prepared.” Sloane ran her finger over her bottom lip.

  “Well, we better get there before Bryant wonders what’s taking so long. He made it seem like some kind of emergency.” Erik grabbed his keys off the counter.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Jess?” Sloane asked, her eyes darting down the hall. She couldn’t help but be worried for her friend. This wasn’t a great time to be sick with everything else going on.

  “I’m not sure Jess should go with us. If she’s ill, she should stay here.” Erik gripped his keys tighter, and Sloane could see the worry behind his words.

  “Do you think that’s what she wants?” Sloane asked. She watched as his jaw clenched, the obvious tension passing over his face.

  “I don’t know. I just want to keep her safe. If Bryant is behind this, I’d rather have her here where she’s away from everything that’s going on.” Erik pulled his hand through his hair.

  Jessie walked into the room. “If Bryant is behind this, you’re going to need me.” She stepped up to Erik, taking his hand. “Don’t even think about leaving me behind.” Her eyes were fierce. Sloane couldn’t help but chuckle. Jessie was a spitfire and there was no way Erik would keep her from something she wanted. That was obvious from how we raced after her mother. There was so much determination behind Jessie’s actions.

  “Are we letting them know I’m back? I believe it would be good if they think I’m possessed and still with Scott. I could be the ace up your sleeve, so to speak.” Tamslyn sat back down at the table.

  “That’s not a bad idea. Why don’t you help Mike and Ely round up some assistance?” Jessie suggested.

  “Yeah, I think we could manage that.” Her eyes met Scott’s and he nodded. Sloane wondered for a moment if there was more going on between the two. They seemed a lot closer than an ex-demon and Shikari. She wondered if there was a blossoming relationship there.

  “Well, are we ready? Do you think Bryant will ask about Mike?” Sloane glanced to meet Mike’s eyes. He was putting his phone back in his pocket.

  Mike walked over to join them. “Nothing happening in Minneapolis, at least nothing in which my contacts are aware. I would gander that Bryant was lying about not being able to find help. I let them know what’s going on. There’s a group heading this way. They should be here tomorrow. It sounds like ten people will be coming to join the battle.” Mike wrapped an arm around Sloane pulling her against him.

  Sloane pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss. He rested his hands on her waist. A thrill ran through her as his tongue slipped past her parted lips. He stroked the flame within her. He pulled back and gave her a peck on the tip of her nose. “Be careful,” he said.

  “Oh, you know me,” she gave him a wicked smile.

  “I do. That’s why I’m asking you to be careful.” He gripped her hand before letting it go. She stepped up to him. Her mouth brushing against his ear.

  “Keep an eye on the house if you can. Make sure no one gets their hands on the device.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek before backing away. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she strode out the door. Erik and Jessie were already getting in the car. Sloane never liked leaving Mike behind. So far, they’d been together for any fights. She wasn’t sure there would be a fight, but she felt like a part of her was missing. Mike had been such a constant force with her. He’d saved her ass so many times that it didn’t feel right being apart.

  Sloane slipped into the backseat. Jessie turned to look at her. “You okay going without Mike?” Jessie had known leaving Mike would bother her.

  “No, but I know he’s the only one who can find Shikari with powers. He’s got my back, even if he isn’t next to me.” Sloane rubbed her arms feeling Mike’s absence. It was weird feeling like this when her and Mike had only been together for a short time. In that time, she’d loved him more than anything. “Let’s go see what our dear old dad has cooked up for us. I’m curious to see what the big emergency is.” She put air quotes around emergency and Jessie let out a laugh.

  “You actually think he would make something up just to get us all there?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately, I do.” Sloane gazed out the window. The silence in the car after that was deafening. They all knew the stakes were high. If Bryant was behind everything, they could be walking into a trap. Sloane wondered how ready her brother was for that reality. She wished she could protect him from that, the way their mom had protected him when they were younger. Bryant had a real knack for corporal punishment. Something their mother never allowed. After her death, Sloane knew it would only be worse for them. She left. Erik stayed, and she could only imagine the wrath he faced every day for that decision. At least he seemed like it hadn’t affected him too much.

  CHAPTER 19

  Sloane

  Erik held the door open to the modern-looking office complex. “They’re here?” she questioned. The gray stucco building didn’t look like the kind of place Bryant would choose to make plans. She knew the archives were housed in an old stone building. It was supposed to be a new University for the Shikari, but they choose to put the archives there instead. They could dig a large vault under the building without much trouble. Sloane hadn’t been there in years. Her parents took them when they were kids.

  Erik led them down a long hallway until they reached a door on the end. The plaque read Shikari industries and Sloane covered her laugh. “This is so very wrong,” she kept her hand over her mouth. Erik shook his head at her.

  “Do you think you could pull it together?” Erik gave her a stern look.

  “No, it’s kinda funny. No one even tried to hide our name from others. I thought we were supposed to be a secret. Not very secret if the demon-hunting society name is on the plaque at the door.” Sloane smirked. “Like, hey demons, come get us. We’re right here.” Sloane waved her hands in the air.

  “Sloane, come on, we have work to do.” Jessie nudged her shoulder.

  “Fine, fine, I will do my best.” She pressed her lips together.

  Bryant waited with his arms crossed over his chest. “What took you so long, son?” He was glaring at the group. “Where is everyone else?” His eyes narrowed further.

  “Mike’s looking for more help. We figured we better get here as soon as possible. What’s going on with the demons at the archives?” Erik strode passed Bryant to the room where Ethan and Magnus had been standing. There was a cork board with several pictures hung up. Sloane figured they were demons.

  “Oh, good, you’re here. We think we have a viable plan to overtake the demons.” Ethan’s shoulders visibly relaxed as they entered the room.

  “Awesome, what’s the plan?” Sloane clapped her hands together and rubbed. She hadn’t kicked any demon ass in a few days. She was ready to fight.

  “We’ve been watching the building.” He pointed to the wall behind them which had screens with different views of what must have been the archives. “We’ve counted about twenty-five other people there. I believe this was less than the fight in Minneapolis so it should be manageable.” Ethan rested his hands on the table. A set of blueprints were stretched out on the table before them. Magnus stood next to Ethan.
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  “We’ve made plans to hit the two main doors.” Magnus pointed to the North and South entrances. “We need at least five at each door. I came again, so I can copy Jessie’s power. If there are two of us who can freeze them, it should be easy to take out any obstacles.” Magnus looked up to Jessie who had leaned against the back wall. Sloane wondered why she was backing away from the discussion.

  When their eyes met, she nodded. “Sounds about right.” She folded her arms over her abdomen in an almost protective gesture. Sloane wondered if she’d taken a test to confirm her pregnancy or if there was something else going on.

  Bryant took a place next to Ethan. “There will be at least six people for each door.” He cut in. He cocked his head as he took in Jessie. “Are you alright dear? Will you be able to battle with us?” His eyes were focused on where her arms were placed against her stomach.

  Sloane took a step to shield her from her father. “She’ll be fine. It’s just a stomach bug. We had some questionable barbeque earlier. Jessie got the worst of it.” Sloane rested her hand on Jessie’s shoulder. Jessie gave her an appreciative smile.

  “When are we going in?” she asked, ignoring his questioning.

  “We’d like to go as soon as possible, but it will be a few hours until everyone is gathered in one place,” Bryant explained. Sloane thought it was funny how he was taking part in the discussion. She figured he had very little to do with the planning. She knew it was probably Ethan and Magnus who had planned everything. Erik’s report of him not getting a hold of anyone seemed about Bryant’s speed.

  “It seems most fitting to make plans to go in first thing in the morning. There are fewer guards in the morning. Will that be enough time for you all to join the preparations?” Ethan’s eyes settled on Sloane. She wondered why he was focused on her.

  Erik cut in, “Yeah, we might be able to round up a few more people to help before then.” He took a step next to Ethan. “Can you show me all the weak points in the security?” Erik pointed to the blueprints.

  “Of course, I’ll give you the rundown of what I know about their rotations. They haven’t been as careful as I thought they would be. It’s like they know they don’t have anything to worry about.” Ethan’s eyes met Erik’s. Sloane narrowed her eyes at him. Was he trying to give us something? Did he know they suspected Bryant? They had been talking about possible insiders the whole time, but was Ethan aware of more than they were? Sloane wanted to dig more into that, but she had to lay the foundation for the bait.

  “Sloane, do you think I could speak with you a moment alone?” Bryant asked.

  Speak of the devil, “Yeah,” she turned her focus to him. He stood at the doorway, his hands clasped in front of him. He seemed to be relaxed, but Sloane knew he wasn’t really. Every movement he made was calculated. He had perfected the art of body language long before she was born. He turned and she followed him into a back room.

  When he entered, he took a seat behind a large desk. Even here he had a large desk at his disposal. He must have established himself as an authority from the beginning. His hands clasped as he rested them on the desk. “I wanted to talk to you in private. Have you seen anything with your visions that would be useful to our cause?” He looked at her expectantly.

  “Yeah, it’s how we were able to get the device away from the demons. I stashed it away for now. Not even Erik or Mike know where it’s located.” She watched her father as his brow rose at her disclosure. He was taking the bait.

  “Well, that was very ingenious of you, dear. Have you seen anything having to do with the archives?” he asked.

  What was he fishing for, she wondered. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been having trouble getting visions. You know that. I wasn’t able to make the potion Shaundra had given me before. If you know of anyone who could assist with that, I’d be all ears.” She gave her father a meaningful look. She was playing a part just as much as he was. She wanted him to think she really had no way of boosting her own powers. Both Mike and Ely had said they would be able to help her if she needed it. Was he checking to make sure she hadn’t seen anything about him?

  “I’ll see what I can do for you.” He gave her a pensive look. “So, I’m not sure it’s wise for you to carry the burden of the device. If you could pass it onto me, I could keep it safely hidden from everyone.” He folded his hands in front of him.

  “I think I’ll be fine, father.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the door jamb. “Why don’t you tell me exactly why you think you would be better equipped to carry the burden?” Sloane knew she wasn’t good at controlling her temper. At least her father knew, she hated him. There wouldn’t be any emotions coming from her that he didn’t already recognize. She hoped Erik was listening in on his thoughts. They needed confirmation of his betrayal.

  “Sloane, you are letting your emotions control your actions. This is why you need to tell me where the device is located. We can’t have the entire Shikari’s fate in the hands of someone with your volatile emotions.” He stood and walked around the desk. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she glared at it, then him.

  “Sure, I understand.” She nodded once, narrowing her eyes before she turned and left the room. There was no way she was continuing that conversation. Her father was definitely losing his touch. Normally he would be a lot more subtle. He must be worried about his current position.

  Sloane found Erik, “Hey, finding out anything good?” she asked.

  “Yeah, do you think you can hang out in here with us and watch the cameras. I’d like someone to keep an eye out for any activity. Plus, it’d be nice to know if any of them have those damn amulets we love so much.” Erik held his hand out indicating a chair she could take.

  “Are you asking because of my amazing surveillance skills or because you couldn’t find anyone else to do it.” She plopped into the seat swinging her legs over the side, crossing her ankles. She twisted one of the rings on her fingers as she looked at her brother.

  “It’s a little of both. I want someone I trust watching, so we know what we’re getting into and the only other person here is Jessie. She’s currently in the bathroom.” Erik dropped the papers in his hands and took the seat next to her.

  “Sick again?” Sloane asked. She liked that everyone else seemed to be off doing other things, for now.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what to do to help her,” he sighed heavily.

  “Get her some saltines and maybe some chocolate,” Sloane smirked.

  “Be serious, would ya. Her mom said she was pregnant and I’m starting to wonder if she’s right. Do women get sick right away like that?” he gave her a serious and slightly exhausted look. She could tell he was really worried about Jessie.

  “How should I know? I’ve never experienced it myself and I certainly was too young to remember when you were born.” Sloane reached out to rub her brother’s arm. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s just got a little nausea. It’ll pass.” She wanted to offer her brother reassurance.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s just shitty timing. Why did I have to push her to be so irresponsible?” He dropped his head in his hands.

  “It wasn’t just you.” Jessie leaned against the doorjamb. She strode toward him and took both of his hands. “I was waiting to tell you this, but apparently my body isn’t giving me much choice.” Jessie knelt in front of him, holding both his hands in hers. “Erik, I’m pregnant. I took a test at the house. It was positive. I didn’t think I’d get an answer so fast, but it must have happened one of the first times we were together. I still have to get it confirmed at the doctor, but yeah, Erik, you’re going to be a father.” Erik’s eyes went wide before he pulled her into his arms. He hugged her against him.

  Sloane smiled at them. “Congratulations!”

  “Yeah, I guess. It’d be nice if we could celebrate instead of going off into another demon battle.” Jessie’s eyes flicked up to the screens.

  “Jess, you don’t have to be a part of the fight. Y
ou can go back to the house and relax. I don’t want you anywhere near the demons or the battle.” His eyes were wide as he looked at Jessie. Sloane could see the fear grip him as he thought about the possibility.

  “Erik, come on, you guys need me. I’m the only one who can freeze the demons so no one gets hurt. Of course, I’m not just going to sit on the sidelines. I’m going to fight, and when this is all over we can celebrate appropriately by enjoying our lives together.” She dropped her eyes and then gave Erik a serious look. There was such a longing there that Sloane’s chest constricted. She could tell how much Jessie wanted that life.

  “Well, in the meantime, Jess, you want to help me watch the screens.” Sloane pointed to the surveillance she’d just started watching. She was looking for more than just the amulets. She was looking for her friend Amy. Her vision showed her that her friend was involved with the leader.

  “I guess, it’s not like I have anything more pressing to do.” She sat in the chair next to Sloane pulling her legs under her. “Do you think there’s anything to snack on here? Maybe some crackers. My stomach still isn’t great.” She rested a hand over her abdomen.

  “I’ll see what I can find.” Erik dipped his head to kiss Jessie before leaving.

  “So, how’d it go with Bryant?” Jessie turned her attention to Sloane.

  “Fine, he wants to know where the device is located. I want him to admit to being a traitor. So, you know normal father, daughter stuff.” Sloane rolled her eyes.