Caged Fire

by L M Preston

  “I guess. It was a strange feeling. If I stared at him too long, I felt a pull. It didn’t work though. He smelled horrible. Like worse than a dead body.”

  Demi was hopping on the bed then grabbed the edge of the sash EmVee was pulling off. “Stand still. I’ll help. You are moving like an old woman.” She got off the bed and moved around EmVee to remove the rest of the sash. “This is soaked with blood.”

  “We got the name of the guy who may know the woman who shot my father.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yes, it is. I think…I have a feeling he was there, watching us.”

  “He wouldn’t know who you were. Your father kept you covered up like a homeless person in the middle of winter.”

  “I know, but the guy…I saw him. He watched me with anger like he hated me. Like he knew me.”

  “Did you follow him?”

  “No, I was too busy dealing with Afanas, the vampire king, who tried to take something from me.”

  “Okay, no way were you able to fight off a vampire! Did Kayson defend you?”

  EmVee jerked the rest of the sash away from Demi. “I don’t need him to defend me. I taught the boy to fight in the first place.”

  Demi smirked. “You sure he wasn’t acting inept because he was trying to impress you? I think he has a thing for you.”

  “Inept? My gosh, Demi, first slang, now words like inept?” EmVee smiled and unbuttoned her vest.

  EmVee wondered at what Demi said. The way Kayson had fought, the brutality of his nature belied the clumsy innocent football player he was when she’d sparred with him briefly. He hadn’t been completely honest with her, yet he had the audacity to ask for her trust. Not a chance he would get it. His friendship with Silas proved there was more to him than he seemed.

  “Well, if you ask me, he’s got a thing for you. He watches you like you’re his last meal.”

  EmVee gulped at that. Unfortunately, that was the way Silas acted. She needed to be done with Kayson as soon as possible.

  “I don’t care if he watches me; he’ll never get me.” EmVee tossed her shirt and pants into the corner of the room.

  Demi gasped. “My God! What happened to you? Stab wounds…that are nearly healed.” Demi ran her finger down one on EmVee’s back.

  EmVee moved out her reach. “They were old.”

  Demi shook her head. “Nuh-uh, I know what you looked like before last night. Remember? We are roomies. Not that I am checking you out in a weird way, but I notice things, and the scars and burns on your back, they weren’t there before.”

  EmVee shrugged. She walked to the high-backed chair next to the bed and went into her father’s backpack. She hadn’t had a chance to look through it, but she was sure she had some shorts in there.

  “I’m okay. It’ll heal. I’ve been a semi-professional fighter most of my life; bruises and scars aren’t a big deal.” EmVee placed her father’s bag on the floor and started taking stuff out. She couldn’t calm the rapid drumming in her chest as she reached deeper, touching her father’s belongings. There was something warm inside.

  She frowned, grasping the item, but kept her hand inside the bag.

  “Sure. Okay, but how are you healing so fast?”

  “I just do.” EmVee squeezed the item in her hand. What could her father have in his bag that carried this amount of warmth? It felt like a ring. It was smooth, encased in something similar to the Soul Trainer amulet. The shape was different, square, and not oval.

  “Friends share things you know. They talk.” Demi huffed behind her.

  EmVee pushed her father’s backpack aside. “You’re right. You and Sax have been good to me. I appreciate you, I do. I don’t want you to get hurt. There is a reason your father didn’t tell you much about my dad or what he was involved in. It’s dangerous. I still can’t reconcile what I saw last night. I can’t believe I was there with creatures I’d only had nightmares about.”

  Demi came to stand in front of EmVee. “But you kicked their asses, right? You survived. I know we will find your family. Even though your father may be gone, there is still hope, right? He could’ve lived like your mom and siblings.”

  Tears ran unchecked down EmVee face. Her hands shook as she pulled her father’s backpack into her lap. She wiped away the wayward drops with the back of her hand. “Sure. He could have. Truthfully, I want this over with.”

  “Kayson, Sax and I will help you.”

  “Thanks, you and Sax I’ll take, but when we get to where I have the location of my mom, I want to leave Kayson behind.” EmVee grasped Demi’s wrist. “Promise you are with me on this. We leave Kayson.”

  Demi sighed. “He seems helpful and nice. Why leave him? He has nobody.”

  “Probably for good reason.” EmVee closed her eyes, rubbing them with her thumb and forefinger. “He is dangerous to me.”

  “How?”

  “Only one other person stared at me with hunger in his eyes. You said that, right? You admit the way Kayson looks at me is different than Sax looks at you. That person who looked at me like Kayson tried to kill me.”

  “What—a man?”

  EmVee opened her eyes, took a deep breath. “A guy I thought I liked. I’d even snuck around to meet with Silas. He was Kayson’s best friend. Silas was evil and did some horrible things. I can’t believe that Kayson isn’t like him. Not only that, but he is wanted for his father’s murder and who knows what else.”

  Demi frowned. “I don’t know. I’m a good judge of character. People who live in the city have to be watchful. I’ve been on my own for so long I have a gift for reading people. Kayson doesn’t look at you with anger or crazy obsession. He looks at you like he wants a chance to love you.”

  “He has a past, something he’s not telling me about.” EmVee bit her lip, covering her mouth with a shaking hand.

  “We all do.” Demi grabbed her purse. “I’ll let you shower and get dressed. Sax is waiting for me. Think about it. We are all here because we care about you.” She shrugged. “And, I may be an adrenaline junkie. I’m giving Kayson a chance. I think you should too.”

  EmVee waited until Demi left the room then slid her hand out of the leather backpack her father had given her in haste. Removing her fingers slowly, she felt the ring. It was warm, as though someone had held it next to his body, despite the coolness of the room.

  “A ring?” EmVee blew it. “The stone…glows.” She coughed down a choke. The ring glowed like the Soul Trainer’s amulet.

  “It couldn’t be.” EmVee took the arbitrium from her bra. The charm was encased in a decorative silver oval design. The chain that held it seemed thin and fragile, but it was stronger than any metal she’d ever touched before. EmVee had spent many hours trying to break it. Although small and dainty, it was indestructible.

  She headed to the shower and took the ring and necklace with her. EmVee washed the ring then dried it while rubbing her towel on her face.

  EmVee carried the jewels out of the bathroom with her towel tossed over her shoulder. She sat on the towel on floor to study the pieces closely.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Hold on a minute.” EmVee stood, lifted her shirt, and stuffed the ring in the inner pocket of one side of her bra and the necklace in the opposite pocket. Then she grabbed a pair of shorts off the floor and squeezed into them.

  “Demi’s shorts? Ugh!” EmVee sucked in her tummy and zipped up the pants.

  They knocked again.

  “Come in.” EmVee placed her hand on her hip. Her breath caught at Kayson’s dark appearance.

  He was frowning, his hair disheveled, but with clear eyes, he captured her gaze and closed the door. Then leaned against it. His T-shirt was white against his bronze skin, and EmVee was shocked that he hadn’t had a tattoo from his time in the band.

  “We need to talk.” His gaze flickered down to her bare legs. “I got a message from Megan.”

  EmVee sat in the chair, grasped its wood arms, and braced hersel
f for the information she’d been waiting to hear.

  “You know where he is—Zagan?” EmVee attempted to pull down the shorts to cover the curve of her hips then gave up and put her hands on them.

  “I do, but there’s a problem.” Kayson leaned against the door, arms crossed as he studied her. “That necklace you’ve been hiding from me, where’d you get it?”

  “I am not telling you.” EmVee crossed her legs.

  Kayson frowned. “You ever wonder why Megan doesn’t contact you directly?”

  EmVee shrugged. “We weren’t exactly friends.”

  “That never mattered to Megan. She uses friendships as a way in. A way to figure a method to use you for later. Unlikely, she ever gave her friends choices to reject her.”

  “Then why does she communicate with you? Isn’t doing so difficult from wherever she is?”

  “It is. She does it because she wants information from me. Rarely though—” He ruffled his hand through his hair. “—does she even say your name or ask me about you.”

  “Why would she?” EmVee tapped a finger on the curve of the chair’s armrest.

  “Can we stop this?” Kayson opened his arms. “You’re holding back, and I know it. Megan asked me if you had the gift.”

  EmVee crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you are asking me.”

  “The damn charm! Did she give it to you?” Kayson stalked toward her. “If she did, likely she had someone killed to get that amulet. Soul Trainers can’t take the necklace off unless they die doing so. If she gave you that amulet, Megan is a killer or knows one.”

  With every fiber of her being, EmVee forced herself to remain calm. Megan did give her the amulet. It was her sister’s, a victim of Silas’ attack, and she wasn’t ready to tell Kayson that.

  “Give me my answer, Kayson, and I will tell you what you want to know. Where is Zagan?”

  Kayson leaned down, placed his hands on the back of the chair, closing her in. His eyes were watery as if he was so upset, he was holding back tears. Blinking, he whispered, “The Void, and the only way in is with that Soul Trainer’s amulet.”

  EmVee licked her lips. He was so close she could kiss him. A surge of desire to do it spilled up from her stomach. “Then, Megan gave us a great gift. One of the few ways in and out of The Void.”

  A stricken look of shock flickered over his face. “You dealt with Megan? What is this to you—to her? A game? Is she using me?” Kayson reared back. He turned around while jabbing his hands into his hair.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t heard from Megan since I got this from her. It’s like she disappeared after.”

  Kayson pivoted around. “After Silas went missing. Did she kill him—set him up?” He pointed at her. “God, why are you doing this? What did you do?”

  EmVee sighed. “I was a victim to Silas, okay? Megan…her sister wore this amulet. She was the first Soul Trainer murdered by your friend Silas.”

  Kayson smirked while shaking his head. “That’s what she told you? You believed her?”

  “Why shouldn’t I believe her? She saved my life!” EmVee patted her chest.

  “Did she tell you the Trainer’s name?” Kayson paced in front of her.

  EmVee frowned, considering it. “Yes, her sister, Cara.”

  “She is using you. Cara, is her cousin and best friend. They were the same age. Megan had a thing for Silas, but he wasn’t interested. He wanted Cara. One day she disappeared, and Silas wasn’t ever the same.”

  “Megan may be using me, and you, but I don’t care. I will do anything to save my family. Are you with me on this? If not, you can go!” EmVee pointed at the door. She knew her hand trembled. Her heart wanted him, but her mind still hadn’t figured if it could trust him fully.

  “I’m with you more than you know.” Kayson charged forward.

  Before she could step away, he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her, and kissed her.

  EmVee’s hands shook as she rested them on his shoulders. Swept up into the kiss, her lips softened, and Kayson took the opportunity to press the kiss deeper until his breath was her breath.

  Kayson’s hands went up her back, and one braced the base of her neck. He buried his hand in her hair, pulling out the tie that held it in a ponytail.

  Kayson growled. He dipped his lips over hers again.

  Her entire body trembled. No one had ever kissed her this hungrily. She felt starved as she kissed him back, mimicking his rhythm.

  As if splashed by cold water, he abruptly released her, his eyes tortured. “I will earn your trust. I have much to make up for, but know this; you will be mine.” His hoarse statement echoed in the room. He opened the door. “We leave tonight.” His lips thinned and nose flared. Kayson pivoted away from her and slammed the door behind him.

  EmVee raised a shaking hand to her lips, tasting him and her tears.

  She couldn’t believe she was going back to where her nightmares started. Her father made her promise to never return there. What she’d thought of as a small city in Rhode Island, with quaint streets that had piers crowded with boats, was an illusion. That’s not where her father had moved her family to. He’d moved them beyond Rhode Island, into a small prison for magicals and potential enforcers, called The Void.

  Kayson drove the van. EmVee and he had ridden in silence most of the time with the exception of a question from Sax or Demi. EmVee guessed the two of them had given up on trying to make light conversation. She played with the Shuriken Star’s curved blade she’d pulled from the backpack. The circular knife that fit in the hooks on her belt was beautifully made. Her father had them in his bag, and she decided it would be a way of connecting with him. Sax and Kayson had given her some other concealable weapons when they went to the warehouse; she carried some on her, but this one from her father meant the most. They’d had a bulls-eye set up in the basement of their house for practicing before they’d move to The Void, and it was something they’d competed at during their family nights.

  “We’re almost there. You sure you want to go in? There’s a chance you will be trapped there.” Kayson’s deep voice vibrated through the interior.

  EmVee twisted around to see Demi and Sax. “I don’t think you should. It will be dangerous, especially since we aren’t supposed to be there.”

  “There’s a chance we can enter under the cover of magic. Megan’s got that covered, but getting in is going to be tricky and can be painful, depending on where we land.”

  She noticed a pensive appearance on Sax’s face. His lips were pressed to the side, and his chin rested on his hand while his thumb rubbed his cheek.

  “I think I know the place.” He leaned back and hugged Demi close. “My grandfather escaped there.”

  Kayson put the brakes on, and they skidded to a stop. “What the hell did you say?”

  “I may know more about The Void than I let on.” Sax cleared his throat.

  EmVee rested her elbow on the seat. “How is it you know about it?”

  “Demi’s father and my father are friends. My father provides the Vigilant supplies, hideouts, and launders their money so they aren’t found. His grandfather started this niche service for those who escaped The Void over a hundred years ago.”

  EmVee released a breath. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “Yeah, Sax, why didn’t you?” Demi’s question had more bite in it than EmVee’s. Her eyes narrowed at him as she broke his grasp and moved to the other side of the seat.

  “I was taught never to mention the Vigilant or how I helped them.”

  “Who are the Vigilant?” EmVee wanted to know. She even wondered if her father was one or if Demi’s father was his friend as she was told.

  “They were Enforcers that originally worked to keep the magicals in their Provinces. At first, they worked as…Soul Thieves then they were recruited by a benevolent force to fight their former creator. They worked to stop his breaching into the human Province.”

  “Wai
t? These were Soul Thieves who escaped The Void and know who created it, but never freed the others or defeated the Overlord?”

  Sax wiped his hand down his face, “It’s complicated. My father hasn’t entrusted me with the information. He’s grooming my oldest brother for his position as a Vigilant. I’m being spared the position and am my brother’s lackey,” he spat. “But I’ve been sick of that role for the longest. Then I met Demi, and I didn’t care about my family or what they were hiding from or working for.”

  “So, if your father knows Fenom, does that mean Fenom is a Vigilant? Or former Soul Thief?” EmVee wondered at that, if Fenom was a Vigilant or former Soul Thief, then the ring her father had could be Fenom’s…or his.

  Sax shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell since my father is more than the supplier for the Vigilant. He also works with other people to cover their tracks as favors to them or their families.”

  “Do the Vigilant wear rings?” EmVee asked, feigning innocence. She practically held her breath, waiting for his answer. Her hand played with the loosely tied sash she’d wrapped around her waist to protect the healing knife wound. It was closed but still had a pinch.

  “No, the Vigilant have a thing for being unmarked and without rings or anything. They break the Soul Thief curse and remove the ring. I suppose they may keep it for its power, but they don’t wear them. It’s like they have a personal aversion to it for some reason.”

  Kayson started the car again. “I’m sure they do. If they can remove the Soul Trainer ring without dying or giving away their location, they may want to be free from anything they think can magically bind them.”

  “I see how that makes sense.” EmVee turned around.

  “So, we’re going in. I have questions, and if I really need to get out, I have a way to let my brother know where I am,” Sax added.

  Kayson hit the dashboard. “Sax…man, you are a more useful friend than I could ask for. If you are in, you can be our way back out.”

  Sax moved close to Demi who was in the corner. “I can’t make any promises, but I will try.”

  EmVee caught the rise of Sax’s eyebrows and the biting of his lower lip. At that moment, she realized that Sax wasn’t the answer to their way out. He was bluffing.