That was clear enough for me.
aNice meeting you too, Blaz.a I gathered up my weapons and ran to the front entrance of the mock canyon. There, peeking through the other side was Alex, his golden eyes taking up his entire face.
aRylee hurt?a aNo, Iam okay. Where are Eve and Pamela?a Alex led me through the strewn boulders to see that the two girls were crouched in the ava of a boulder and the side of the mountain. Eveas eyes were pain filled, but cognizant.
aHow bad is it?a I knelt down beside her and moved her feathers so I could see the puncture wounds in her sides.
aIall live, the wounds will heal quickly, but I donat know about my wings. Iave never had broken wings before so I donat know for sure.a I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. aThe Beast canat be that far behind with this delay; we have to find you a place to stay and either Alex or Pamela is going to have to stay with you.a Pamela swallowed hard, her blue eyes as serious as Iad ever seen them. aAlex isnat going to be able to help her much. And I think my arm is broken. I can stay with her.a Already she was more grown up than Milly, a better person than Milly. I put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile, then eyed up her left arm. Broken for sure. s.h.i.+t, this was bad. aLetas go. Can you lift her again?a With Pamela holding Eve up in a spell, we moved her down the edge of the mountain. We walked for close to an hour, moving slow both so Pamela could maneuver Eve, and so I could help Pamela manage the downed logs and other obstacles. This far south, it was a lot warmer than where wead come from, and it didnat take long to work up a sweat in my lined leather pants. Suddenly they werenat feeling like such a good idea as I slowly broiled in my own sweat.
We found a small grove of trees where, thank the G.o.ds, there was a run-down shack that would provide some cover for Eve and Pamela.
I slipped out of the trench coat and laid it over a low hanging tree branch, then turned to Pamela. aLetas get you out of that coat and take a look at your arm.a I helped her out of the short leather coat, working it carefully down over her arm. Pamelaas face paled even more, and she swayed on her feet. I helped her sit down and then ran my fingers lightly over her arm. Broken, but clean. She sucked in a sharp breath as I prodded it.
aI feel like youare always leaving me behind,a she said softly as I helped her out of her long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt.
With a flick of my knife, I sliced her s.h.i.+rt and twisted it into a sling, tying it around her neck in a loop we carefully settled her arm into.
aIt wonat always be like this. There are going to be days when we go on a salvage that youall wish you were back here with Eve, hanging out in a p.i.s.s poor shack.a I grabbed my short leather jacket and zipped it up, then slid the long trench coat over Pamelaas shoulders.
Eve bobbed her head in agreement with me. aRylee is right. My mentor, Eagle, he told me much the same. We are young yet, we will not always be in the midst of the battles. Not until we are ready. If we try too soon, we put not only ourselves in danger, but those that are there to teach and protect us.a d.a.m.n, and why again had I brought the whole crew with me? Gut feeling a right. Slowly, I was learning that sometimes I had to just run with things. Even when I turned out to be wrong. Then again, Pamela had saved my a.s.s with Blaz. Or maybe I just needed to meet him? Maybe our paths wouldnat have crossed if we hadnat gone back for Pamela and Alex? In my world, there was little in the way of coincidences. For some reason this was all happening as it was. I just had to figure out why.
aEve, what was that all about, with the dragons? Do you know?a Shead lived in Europe in her early years and had more knowledge about the creatures specific to the area than I did.
Her beak stuttered with several sharp clacks before she answered me. aMy mother told me that the dragons were too tied in their prophecies. That instead of living each day, they were always looking to the future.a aAnd the blood mingling? How problematic is this going to be?a She settled onto the ground just inside the shack. aAccording to what my mother told me, I would think not that big of a deal. They see signs and prophecies in the smallest details. In things that donat really matter.a Eve attempted a shrug, then winced as her wings s.h.i.+fted.
I pushed all that away, had to. Whatever aminglinga of blood Blaz and I had, it was clear he wanted no part of it, or me. Which was just fine. And if Eve was right, it probably meant nothing anyway.
Pamela moved to my side, her eyes serious. c.r.a.p, she wasnat going to let this go.
aAlex gets to go with you,a Pamela said.
aYou volunteered to stay, remember? And Alex isnat a child,a I said, adjusting my weapon straps. aHe might act like one, but he isnat. Whatever his life was before, he was a grown up when he was turned into a werewolf.a Alex nodded his head along with my words. aAlex grown up.a I lifted my hands in surrender. aSee?a Pamela gave me a smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless. aSo as I get oldera"a aIall take you with me until you beg me not too. You take care of Eve; that is just as important as me and Alex going after OaShea. Weare a family; we take care of each other. No matter what kind of s.h.i.+t is thrown at us.a Her grin grew and she carefully put her good arm around me. I hugged her back. Alex hugged our legs and Eve reached out a talon, which I took in my hand. Though Iad said the words on a whim, they were no less true.
We were a family, messed up, supernatural, getting chased and hurt, but a family no matter what.
f.u.c.k, that was sappy.
aAlex, letas go.a I untangled myself from Pamelaas arms, pus.h.i.+ng her gently toward Eve.
We left them behind without a backward glance. Worst case scenario, they would have to wait for Eve to heal up and then they could fly to Jack. He would help them.
We, on the other hand, were most definitely on our own. I picked up a jog, and Alex kept pace with me easily, sometimes stopping to bite at a bush or a wayward stick. He was, as always, oblivious to the danger we faced, to what was coming behind us. That was, as always, a part of his charm.
For two hours we ran, not full tilt, but close to it.
Just before noon, we stopped on the outskirts of a town, or more accurately, a big city.
From the signs, we were still in France.
From the sounds of the ocean, and the heat that was making me sweat like a pig in my lined pants, Blaz had brought us all the way to the southern region. s.h.i.+t, this was not going to help when OaShea was in the north east. I Tracked him to be sure and got nothing back, not even a fuzzy signal.
Jack was right, we were running out of time.
aAlex, weave got to get a car,a I glanced down at him, and he rolled his eyes up to mine.
aYupsies. Feets are p.o.o.ped.a He waved a paw as if cooling it off.
It didnat take me long to find a car I wanted to drive. The black 911 Porsche was pristine, just sitting there waiting to be s.n.a.t.c.hed off the side road it was parked on. Fast, sleek, it would have us moving at a clip that would no doubt have our time cut in half. I slid my hand along the body of the car.
aToo flashy,a I muttered, hating that I was right. A car like that would get noticed and the last thing I needed was the apolitziaa looking for a missing Porsche.
Three blocks over, I found the car that would do the job, though I cringed at the sight of it. An older mini, painted white by hand, with perfect rust holes added for depth to the areas where the white paint hadnat peeled away to show the original red color.
Ugly.
But it was easy to break into and easier to start, seeing as the keys had been left in the visor. Maybe someone didnat want the piece of s.h.i.+t car anymore and had left it out to be stolen; that I could believe.
Alex piled in, all two hundred pounds of him, awkward limbs and seemingly endless tongue. There were mere inches between us, hardly enough room to breathe. The engine started after I pumped the gas pedal several times and begged it to turn over. With a sputtering cough, it revved up and we were off. Not as stylish as a Porsche, not as fast, but less likely to run into trouble along the way.
aStinky,a Alex said, about an hour into our drive.
What was he talking about a the stench of dog fart filled the small s.p.a.ce in a matter of seconds. I gagged, frantically rolling the window down. aWarning, you have to give me some warning.a aSorry.a With the window down, I did my best to ignore the steady stream of gas erupting out of the werewolf. What the h.e.l.l had he been eating? Nothing Iad fed him smelled like that. Unless you count in the milk and cheese. s.h.i.+t on a stick, I was never feeding him dairy again.
Tracking OaShea, I finally got a bead on him. He was even further north now, which could just have been because we were so far south. But I knew bettera"he was moving steadily further away from me.
aJust stay where you are, OaShea,a I whispered.
aOaShea stay.a Alex whispered back to me.
I could only hope that the man left inside of the wolf OaShea had become would hang on just a little longer.
Stay with us, Liam, just a little longer. Iam coming for you.
CHAPTER 12.
THE WOLF SLEPT easy, the taste of witch blood thick and sweet on his tongue.
Tonight, his dreams bled red with vengeance, soothing the beast raging inside him. More than wolf, less than man, he only knew that to kill those who had chained him would bring him peace.
The crack of a twig snapped his head up, a distant memory recalling a woman with dark hair and green eyes sneaking up behind him. When head been weak, when head still let the man rule his actions.
His eyes narrowed as he watched a figure approach. He lifted his nose to the air and breathed deep. Not a witch; something else.
Something more dangerous than a witch; a rival for his territory. Steel grey hair floated on the breeze and golden eyes stared down at him. Lean and wiry, the old mana"who the wolf somehow knew was like hima"stared at him from the shelter of the trees where he stood.
aWolf, you hunt the witches, but do you know what you are?a His lips curled back in a snarl, a rumbling growl warning the old man to back off.
Grey hair came forward, though, not back as the wolf had expected.
Closer with each step, the old man came to within leaping distance. A single leap and his throat would be in the wolfas jaws. Crushed.
They a.s.sessed each other, and finally the old man gave a slow nod. aYou must go. The witches come in a force even you wonat be able to stop. You endanger us all. Go to the north. Your mate will come for you there. She will save you. But, the witches will destroy her if you bring them together. Her death would be on your hands.a His words stirred something in the wolf, a buried thought, a broken memory. Tri-colored eyes, auburn hair and a sharp tongue that was sweeter than any witchas blood.
Lover. Fighter. Mate.
He shook his head and the old man was gone.
As if head never been.
The wolf slowly raised himself up and stared to the north. There, she would find him. If the witches came, he would end them. But no longer would he taunt them, hunt them. Not if her life depended on it.
Turning his muzzle into the wind, he headed north.
We made it to Warsaw, Poland with very little problem. No Beast, no cops, seriously relentless wolf farts, but otherwise, we didnat have much issue. Nearly eighteen hours on the route wead taken and I was done in. I had to sleep, no matter how much I wanted to keep going.
The car stuttered to a stop in front of a mid-sized hotel. Good enough for me. I told the front desk Alex was a therapy dog. It had worked in London and seemed to go over well in Warsaw too. Perfect.
I checked into my room, glanced over it quickly. We were four stories up, and while I didnat think it would stop the Beast, I still checked to make sure the window was locked.
The bed was lumpy, and I didnat turn the sheets down, just crashed on top of them, Alex curling up beside me. I pa.s.sed out in a matter of seconds.
A few hours later, I woke up with a jolt, sitting bolt upright. I didnat know what it was, but something woke me up. Blurry-eyed, fuzzy-brained, I acted on pure instinct. I rolled from the bed and landed on one knee as I pulled a sword free from its sheath.
A voice spoke from the darkest corner of the room. aYou know, I could have taken your blood ten times over, you were so deeply asleep. And your wolf there, he isnat much better.a Faris stepped forward, the light from the city through the window illuminating him.
aDo you ever make appointments, you know, show up when youare supposed to?a I didnat lower my sword, though I suspected I probably could. He made a good point; if head wanted to kill me, he could have on several occasions, not just that night.
I couldnat see it, but I knew he was smiling at me by the way his voice lilted as he said my name. aAnd would you make an appointment with me, Rylee?a aNope.a aWell then, it seems that this is the way it must be done.a He continued forward, pulling the only chair in the room with him, sitting down in it.
aAre you aware that your Milly is pregnant?a He laced his hands together in front of him.
aOld news,a I said, wis.h.i.+ng I could get to the light switch. Alex snored lightly, rolled over and burrowed his face into the pillows.
aQuiet, Alex sleeping,a he grumbled. What a guard wolf he was.
I s.h.i.+fted my stance, lowering the tip of my sword to rest in the thin carpet. aYou know I have people trying to kill me because they think Iave aligned with you. Now why would that be, why would they think Iam on your side?a Faris stared at me, his eyes visibly blue even in the shadowed light, like they glowed in the darkness. The freaky-a.s.s vampire.
aAm I wrong to a.s.sume you donat want the supernatural world announced to the humans?a f.u.c.k, this was not how I wanted the conversation to go. I did not want to agree with him on anything.
aDonat a.s.sume you know me.a aAm I wrong?a He bit out the words.
I let out a huff of air, once more aware that my level of fear around the vampire had dipped considerably since the first time Iad met him. aNo. You arenat wrong.a There. Iad said it. The words tasted a bit like bile, having to agree with him.
He spread his hands in front of him. aSo whether you like it or not, we are on the same side. I do not want to have the world know about us, and neither do you. The Child Empress wants the world to bow to her. That is a foolas way of thinking, one she learned at her parentsa feet.a Again, I agreed, but I didnat say as much. Since I had him here, I was going to see about getting some of my questions answered. Much as I hated to admit it, Faris knew a great deala"and much of it, I had no doubt, could help me survive. He was in the center of all the supernatural politics and I was barely on the fringes. Which meant I could use what he knew.
aSpeaking of the Child Empress, whatas her beef with Pamela?a Faris blinked several times and I realized that Iad caught him off guard. Score one for me.
aPardon?a So d.a.m.n proper. aThe Child Empress sent Doran after Pamela, why?a aDid you kill him?a There was just a tad too much eagerness there for my liking.
aNever mind that. What beef would this kid have with Pamela?a Faris pursed his lips, and his eyes dropped to half mast, cloaking the brilliant blue. aPerhaps jealousy. The Child Empress has been spoiled beyond belief, and now she is prepped to rule the world. Your Pamela, if my understanding is correct, once she matures, will put Milly to shame. That makes her a threat. What better time to wipe out a threat than when it is young and defenseless?a My jaw tightened and I gave him a nod. aPoint taken.a Silence then, as he sat there and stared at me, and I stared back, not sure what exactly was going on.
aWhat are you doing here, Faris? I doubt youare just stopping in to chit-chat.a He answered me with a question of his own. aArenat you even the least bit curious how I found you? You are, after all, one of the last Trackers in the world; Iad think this would be of interest to you.a I shrugged and leaned back on my bent knee. aMilly had some of my blood. I know she has the spells it would take, plus the strength to use them to find me.a Faris leaned toward me. aIave tasted your blood, Rylee. I can find you anywhere now. Anywhere at all. A particular talent Iave honed over the years.a Ah, f.u.c.k, that is not what I wanted to hear. But I acted like I didnat care, though my heart tried to leap up my throat, making my next words come out a bit strangled. aWhatever, anything else? A particular reason you wanted to wake me up in the middle of the night in the middle of Poland? Maybe you came to apologize for setting Milly on me, to have her try and kill my friends?a He stood and started toward me. I rose to stand, facing him. I refused to back down, to give him the pleasure of seeing him push me the way he wanted me to go.
aRylee, Milly and I were partnersa"of a sort. What she did to you and yours was nothing I had anything to do with, though no doubt that is what she told you. I wish you could see things as I do.a He reached out, put one finger under my chin and tipped my face up. I batted his hand away, and he just chuckled.
aSpit it out. I have only a little more time to get some p.i.s.s poor sleep before I have to leave.a He nodded, his face suddenly drawing tight, as if he had bad news for someone he cared about. But that was ridiculous, because one, I knew he didnat really give a s.h.i.+t about me. I was just a tool to him, and two, regardless of how bad things were for Milly, I wasnat helping her.
aAre you aware that your sister is in mortal danger?a That I hadnat expected. My heart lurched hard, and sweat beaded up in an instant on my lower back. Every moment of my life since Berget had gone missing, Iad dreamed of going back in time and saving her. Of making right the one thing in my life I could never take back. Son of a b.i.t.c.h, even while my head explained that Faris knew that about me, if he knew nothing else: that my sister was the key to making me do what he wanted. Even knowing that, my heart was screaming at me to move, to get to her and save her, screw the rest of the people around me. With everything I had, I forced myself to hold still, to remember that it was Faris I was dealing with.
aYou canat know that.a I struggled to deny him, to get the words out, old fears waking up with a vengeance as his words. .h.i.t me.
aBut I do know it. Her death is scheduled. Tomorrow at sunset, her blood will be spilled into the ca.n.a.ls of Venice.a I fought to keep my legs from buckling under me. There was no way he was telling the truth. I Tracked Berget, felt her happiness and laughter, she was finding something very funny. Her life coursed through the thread that connected us once more now that we were on the same side of the water. A faint hint of uncertainty lay there too, but no fear. aYou lie, I can feel her, she isnat afraid. There is nothing that woulda"a aShe knows it comes and she believes it is a thing she must do. She believes it is for the best. That it will save lives.a He reached for me again, and this time I didnat pull away. Not because I wanted him to touch me, but because I literally couldnat move. He had to be lying, there was no other answer. This was just a manipulation on his part. A way to make me do what he wanted. There was no way he would have come here just to help mea"just to save my little sister. There had to be some angle, some benefit to him that I just wasnat seeing. He was a vampire, not some G.o.ds-be-d.a.m.ned saint.
His hands settled on my shoulders. aYou could stop them, stay the hands that would slay her. But you would have to come with me. We would have to leave now.a Bergetas life danced inside my head. I felt her as surely as if she were standing in front of me. Faris could be lyinga"in fact, I was almost certain he was. This was a ploy, a way to get inside my head. A way to control me, to get me to do what he wanted.
Faris had never been straight with me, and he knew that Berget was a card I would have a hard time ignoring if he played it. f.u.c.k, I couldnat deal with this right now.
I took a deep breath and knew that I had to call his bluff, as hard as it was. aI donat believe you.a I stepped back from him, watched the unexpected sorrow fill his eyes. Sorrow, not anger.
aThen your sister will diea"tomorrow.a Panic clawed at my throat. If I was wrong, I was sentencing Berget to death without even lifting a single finger. I closed my eyes and Faris spoke from across the room.
aI would save her, if I could. But I canat. It is outside my abilities to stay a death such as hers, at least not without help.a aThen what makes you think I can save her?a I opened my eyes, stared at him as if somehow I would gain the answers I wanted from him.
aBecause you are the Tracker. The catalyst.a His eyes never left my face. aYou will blame me for her death when it happens.a aShe isnat going to die,a I said, finding the strength to push the doubts away. aThis is a game, an elaborate f.u.c.king game to you. You think Iam going to Venice? Youare wrong. Iam not. I donat believe you. Berget is fine.a aThen the Child Empress wins.a I blinked and he was gone, the room empty of his blue eyes that were becoming all too familiar to me.
af.u.c.k,a I snapped, grabbing my sword and driving it into its sheath with perhaps a little too much force. Alex snorted and rolled over, a jaw-cracking yawn splitting his muzzle.
aGoing now?a I paced the room, Bergetas threads strong inside my head. Happy, healthy, not a drop of fear in her, a small hum of sadness and uncertainty flickered from her to me, but it was gone in a flash. Almost like it had never been. How could Faris think I would believe him?
I Tracked OaShea, felt the fuzzing of his mind, the blip as he went off the radar, and then back on.
I didnat have time to check on Berget, to prove Faris wrong.
OaShea was slipping away from me, faster with each pa.s.sing moment, and that was if I discounted a team of witches going after him to end his life. But what if Faris was telling me the truth? What if this time there was no game in him?
I put my hands over my face. What the f.u.c.k was I going to do?