“Down, girl,” Roman chided then turned to the warlock. “Sixx isn’t wrong. I met the dark mage after he approached Sixx, and I think he’ll help us. This isn’t just about your feelings, Asher,” Roman added, leaning on the door frame that led into the kitchen. He looked over at Tess. “In the end, it’s your decision.”
Chapter 28
Why was I the one who got volunteered for this? I held SOL Jr in my hand, fingers on the button, ready to push down at a moment’s notice. The alleyway was shadowed by the late morning sun. I peeked over my shoulder at my Kia crammed full of people. So strange how my life had changed in the last couple of months. Before, it was just Ana and me. Now, this. But now wasn’t really the time to reflect on that. We needed to gain Axel’s agreement to help us with our task.
Tess didn’t hesitate. She politely informed Asher that she could handle herself and it was her decision to work with Axel. That it was for the safety of our world and hers. There was no room for argument after that.
“I feel as if you consciously seek out danger,” a voice said from behind me. I jumped about ten feet in the air before twisting around and holding out my stun-gun. Axel raised his midnight black eyebrows at me, looked at my stun-gun, then at me again. “You do realize you aren’t nearly as intimidating as you think you are in your skinny jeans, knit sweater, and a stun-gun, don’t you?”
I snorted. “I’d be a lot less intimidating without the stun-gun.”
Axel’s lip twitched at that. He pushed past me to go into his alley. “What are you doing here?” Axel asked without looking back to see if I followed him.
It felt like a dangerous game to approach him in his domain, but we needed to get moving and fast. So far, we knew there were three gates that needed to be closed, but it was entirely possible there were more.
“We need your help.”
“You and your ragtag team of misfits? No, thank you. I will continue to play my game in my own way,” Axel said, waving away the idea of us.
“We’re not…” I started, then shook my head. “That’s not the point. The point is that I know how to close the gates, but we need someone with your talents to help us. And your behavior has proven that you want more out of this than an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“Not really,” Axel replied nonchalantly, lifting his shoulder.
“Not really?” I practically stuttered, my mind spinning. It made no sense. I thought for sure he would agree to help us!
“Look, sidekick, I get that you want to save the world and all, but sometimes chaos is the best medicine. Maybe a fresh start is what we need,” Axel said, taking his post by the gate.
“What? No. People are counting on me to make this happen. I will not…”
Axel gave me a creepy smile.
My head ticked back and I frowned. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”
“Thought it would be fun to mess with you. It was. But you have to give me something in return to help you. You do understand that the instant you somehow manage to close this gate, Key will know. He’ll attempt to push his plans forward faster, using the remaining gates to his advantage.”
Shit. I didn’t think that all of the way through. Of course, Key would know if his gates were shut. But frankly, that was a problem for later. Right now, we needed to know if we could even get the gates shut. We’d deal with the rest after I gained Axel’s agreement.
“And what do you want?”
“A lot of things,” he replied cagily. “Things I’m not sure you can offer, little human.”
“She might not be able to, but I can,” Roman said, striding down the alley. Axel straightened at the sight of the imposing male.
I groaned. This was why I asked Roman to let me handle the negotiations unless Axel became violent.
“Well, Sixx, you certainly do run with an interesting crowd,” Roman purred, then turned his attention to the dark mage. “We can talk about what you want, but not now. I will, however, agree to a meeting.”
“We need to do this, like, now,” I hissed to Roman.
But this wasn’t the playful Roman I was used to. He had a terrifying look in his eyes, without even a hint of playfulness in his stature.
“Nonsense, Sixx. We’ll meet in a couple hours. If you keep the appointment, then we’ll talk,” Roman declared authoritatively. Then he rattled off a few more details before gently gripping my elbow and pulling me away. Only after we were out of the alley did he lean down and whisper to me, “That’s how you hook them, Sixx.”
****
I chewed on my straw until it was completely flattened and teeth marks were indented into it. Roman’s shoulders shook in silent laughter. I glared at him while Tess took in the sights. Suddenly, a tingling sensation on the back of my neck hit me. I started to twist around and check it out, but Roman reached out and held my arm as if reminding me to play it cool.
The sun had almost set, and I was getting more anxious as it dipped further below the horizon. We didn’t know how much time was passing in the Veil. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason.
“Well, this is an interesting opening to a joke. You trust me around a druid, Rarog?”
“As much as I trust you around my sister, which isn’t very much. Don’t think for one second that I won’t kill you if you hurt either one of them.”
“Calm yourselves. I am perfectly capable of handling myself. Are you the Dark syphon?” Tess asked calmly. She sat gracefully at a bistro table situated in front of a café, which happened to be a couple of blocks from the alley. Also, the café was surprisingly close to the antique shop from whence I’d gotten my stun-gun.
“I can be that for you,” Axel said, his gaze lingering appreciatively at the female in front of him.
“Do you realize the responsibility that you are taking on, Dark Mage?” Tess asked without so much as flinching from his perusal. She held his stare and didn’t seem even remotely afraid. But to be fair, even though I still didn’t understand the power she held, she was one of the most powerful beings in the Veil. There wasn’t much she had to fear.
“I am here to understand, Druid. Strange to see your kind here,” Axel noted conversationally, sitting down in the empty chair beside Tess. “If you were willing to cross into our world, then I suppose it is my duty to protect you.”
For what felt like the first time since I met her, Tess smiled. A genuine, amused smile.
“So, you agree; you will help us close the gates?”
Axel's jaw was tight, but his gaze flickered to Roman. “You do realize that the gangs in this town who are tied with Key will be watching the other gates after the first one closes, don’t you? Do you have plans for that?”
“We do,” Roman answered with a nod. “The Sentinel will assist with the first one. After that, you two are on your own. Sixx needs to stay as far from this as possible, but since she’s the only one who can direct you, I’ll be coming along for the first one to protect her.”
“When do you plan on doing this?” Axel asked, sneaking a glance at Tess before looking back at me.
“Hopefully, tonight. We don’t know what Key is up to or how much time has passed in the Veil since we left. The sooner we get this done, the better,” I said.
After ordering a light dinner, we spent the rest of the meal, discussing what I’d learned from the book. The language was explicit about how the two syphons should use their magic. After going back and forth a couple of times on the plan, we agreed it would be best to do it tonight so none of Key’s followers could prepare for an attack.
Since we didn’t have any updates from the Veil, we had to move quickly and assume Key’s spies had already informed him about what we were up to. I had no doubt that was why he attacked the library. Key had spies everywhere. He proved that with Cyril.
Once the sun set, we piled back into my Kia and drove back to the alley. The ride was short but tense. I sat in the back with Tess, who was calm as ever, but the temperature in the car rose a couple of degrees the close
r we came to the alley. I looked over at Roman, who, like Tess, never seemed to lose his cool.
Axel would have seemed pretty chill if it wasn’t for the fact that he was tapping a finger against his leg every so often. I didn’t understand his reasons for abandoning whatever Key promised him, but it sounded like it was the same reason why he was so willing to help Ana – he was searching for a way out. With this endeavor, we were offering him that. I had to trust it would be enough for now.
We arrived back at the alley and climbed out of the car. As we approached the gate, Tess tensed up. She peered into the tear, which I could fully see into now. With a start, I recognized the dark forest on the other side and knew this tear opened into the Dark Court.
“It is very much like the other gate. I managed to shrink that one in size, though the danger of the magic it created still exists. This one feels very familiar. Were you drawn to it because of the power?” Tess asked the dark mage.
Axel nodded. “It is how I originally found it, yes, but Key made it very clear that I was never to feed on it. I never questioned why; I just did as he asked.”
“Why would you work for him?” I asked, genuinely curious. He didn’t answer. In a blink, the crackling magic around the gate intensified and expanded, seeming to brush against my skin.
“What do we need to do, Sixx?” Axel asked.
“You both need to syphon at the same time, but according to the text, you have to do it at the same speed. If one of you takes too much too quickly while the other is working, the gate could become unstable,” I explained.
Tess stepped forward and looked at Axel. “Do you know how to regulate your magic?”
“Sure do, Druid.”
They stood on opposite sides of the gate and gave each other a firm nod to signal they were ready. The instant they began, it felt like the air in the alley was being sucked away. It didn’t take long before I had to take a couple of steps back to gulp a few deep breaths, trusting them to continue working. It took a couple of tries for them to get into a rhythm that worked, but when they did, they both widened their stance as if prepared to do battle. Roman stood at the mouth of the alley, acting as a lookout. I went to stand closer to him. I was worried that if they got out of sync, the gate would have a catastrophic reaction. According to the text I read, it was probable and extremely dangerous.
“Shit!” Roman muttered before pushing me against the building to our left. His rarog flames erupted over his clothing and hands. I felt the blistering heat from where I stood. “Get your stun-gun ready. If anyone gets past me, knock them on their asses. Don’t allow anyone to interrupt them before the gate is fully closed. I’m sorry, Sixx. I didn’t expect trouble tonight.”
I was wide-eyed, trying to make sense of what was happening when I heard a stampede of footsteps rushing down the sidewalk, getting closer to the alley.
Roman whipped out a fiery whip in one hand and a short blade shaped by fire in his other hand.
“Fuck.”
In the mouth of the alleyway, silhouetted in the moonlight, the hulking bodies of two werewolves filled the space. Roman straightened and attacked first without missing a beat. He snapped the whip with a resounding crack, driving one of the werewolves back a couple of steps. The other one tried to use Roman’s diverted attention to his advantage to attack the rarog from the side.
Continuing to snap the whip at the first werewolf, Roman lunged and swiped his sword at the other one; the heat of it made sweat pop out on my upper lip. The werewolf’s pained roar echoed off the brick buildings, rattling the windows in their frames. I looked back at Axel and Tess. They both seemed to be in a trance, but they were making progress. Then, my eye was drawn above them. Another werewolf had taken the long way around and was poised to drop behind them.
Fear dumped into my veins like ice. I grabbed my stun-gun, worriedly glancing at the gate that was getting smaller, but not very quickly. They needed more time, and Roman had his hands full.
It was up to the sidekick to save the day.
Queuing up my stun-gun, I slinked down the wall, watching carefully as the werewolf checked for an opening before he pounced. He dropped on the farthest side of Axel, whose ear twitched as he noticed the threat, knowing he had to keep his attention on the tear.
My heart pounded in my chest as I moved in closer, the crackling of my stun-gun sparking in the air. Tess was so focused on her task that she didn’t even flinch as I crept past her. Axel smirked, and I felt his gaze on me before he returned his attention to the tear in front of him.
When the werewolf sprang forward, I did the most idiotic thing I’d ever done in my short life. I flung myself forward, leading with my stun-gun as I charged. The werewolf’s maple eyes narrowed at me, and he pulled his lips back to reveal jagged teeth, snapping his jaws in my direction. I felt his breath against my forehead as I shoved my stun-gun into his belly.
He threw his head back and howled in pain, and I kept my arm outstretched as long as I could. My stomach churned when I smelled his singed fur. He stumbled back, his lips peeled back in a grimace. He lumbered toward me, his eyes flashing and wild, and I gritted my teeth. The charge of the stun-gun wasn’t enough to knock him out, which was what I’d been banking on.
“Fudge, fudge, fudge!” I hissed as I swung my arm out to hit him again.
He easily batted my arm away, and I cried out in pain when his claws raked up my forearm. I tucked my injured arm close to my chest and transferred the stun-gun to my left hand, which wasn’t my dominant one. Maintaining eye contact, I backed up a couple of steps, leading him away from Axel and Tess.
I needed the werewolf to come to me, but I couldn’t go far enough away where he decided I wasn’t worth his time, either. Behind me, the scuffle between Roman and the other werewolves continued to rage on, and Tess and Axel continued to work. The gate was getting smaller, but I could tell they were both beginning to struggle more than before. The last remnant of the tear was sure to be the most difficult to seal.
Seeing I was distracted, the werewolf I was facing off with roared and swiped his claws at me. I stumbled and slammed my back against the wall. The werewolf didn’t hesitate. He rushed forward and tucked his chin in, his jaws opening to go for my throat. I waited until he was close enough then fired up my stun-gun again and hit him in the side of the neck. He faltered, howling. When he threw his head back, he gave me a larger target to hit.
This time when I tased him, he jolted in pain before stumbling backward, falling bonelessly to the ground and cracking his head on the pavement. I breathed a little easier, only to look over and see that Tess and Axel had almost closed the tear. As the last shred started to close, the air became thick, and my head began to throb.
“Sixx!” Roman yelled my name to warn me, but it was too late.
The tear snapped shut, the force of it propelling me backward. I smacked my head against the brick wall, and pain reverberated down my spine. Blinking hard, I tried to refocus my attention, but the pain in my head was too much. Footsteps slapped against the concrete next to me, and I squeezed one eye open.
“Are you okay, Sixx?” Tess asked, leaning down to help me stand.
My stomach twisted. Not sure I wouldn’t throw up when I tried to speak, I just shook my head once.
“Come on. We have to get you out of here. Roman is fending off the last of the werewolves, but Axel said he believes there will be more soon,” Tess said urgently as she helped me to my feet.
I glanced at the werewolf I’d managed to knock out, mumbling, “Yeah, we need to go.” My head felt like it was about to split in two. Each step I took sent a lightning bolt of pain slivering through my bones. We hobbled to the opening of the alley, creeping around Roman as he swiped and stabbed with his fire blade. The last werewolf was playing it smart, staying far enough away from Roman so he couldn’t land a blow.
Axel came up behind us and glanced over at Roman. “Get to the car. I’ll help him. We have to move quickly. If those wolves knew about th
is gate closing, they’ll ramp up security around the others,” Axel said.
Tess kept her arm around my waist and urged me forward. I didn’t completely trust Axel alone with Roman, but I was spent, and I couldn’t fathom helping Roman at this point. Once we reached the car, which was only parked a block away, we waited several tense minutes before we saw Axel walking down the street. Roman followed a little bit after. Roman looked pissed, but he gestured for Axel to get in first before he sat in the driver’s seat.
“Sixx, you alright?”
“I’m alive.”
“Tess?” Roman asked.
“Yes, I am alive and well. Closing the gate proved to be more challenging than we suspected. And the end result was unexpected,” Tess said.
It was good to know that the energy blast at the end was a surprise for everyone. “We need to get in contact with your Sentinel support,” Axel suggested. “The werewolves somehow found out about this one, which means they’ll send others to protect the remaining tears.”
“First, I’m taking Sixx home. Then we’ll deal with the next tear,” Roman said.
Chapter 29
The drive back to the house was silent. Roman was still tense, but at this point, I could hardly blame him. He had to fight off two werewolves while knowing I was fighting a third. My legs shook nervously, trying to expend my pent-up energy. While logically my brain knew those werewolves weren’t the same ones who terrorized me and Ana all of those years ago, I was positive I still reeked with fear. I was a different person than I was back then. Back then, I was a kid who didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into. Now I knew.
But my current fear and anxiety didn’t completely stem from my memories; it stemmed from my anxiety over what the next couple of days would bring. Now that Key knew we were trying to close the gates, would he move his plans forward even sooner? As soon as I got back to my computer, I planned to start running all of my programs to search for the keywords I’d bookmarked that dealt with Key’s businesses.
Sixx Saves the World: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 18
