The music faded into a buzz. "No, that can"t be, he won"t kill Tad just to make me angry."
"It is. That has always been his style."
Ernie shook his head. "His methods could have changed. He hasn"t faced a monster like Alena for years. Maybe he"s got a new trick up his sleeve."
Zeus stared at me. "Heroes are, if nothing else, dependable in how they do things. They have their tried-and-true methods; I"d be surprised if he varied from his."
I pushed to my feet, said, "Thanks for the drink," and strode away from the table, through the club, and out the front door. There had to be a way to stop Achilles and save Tad. I refused to believe otherwise. Jimmy tried to grab me as I went by, and I spun around and hissed in his face, spit flicking from the tip of my tongue. "Don"t. Touch. Me."
My skin p.r.i.c.kled down around my neck, and Jimmy backed away, his mouth flapping. "You"re a Supe."
"You bet I am. And not just any Super Duper. I am a bona fide monster that could snap you like a twig if you don"t do as I say."
The crowd sucked in a gasp as a unit and Ernie groaned. "Maybe not the best moment to claim your t.i.tle."
"Shut up, Ernie," I snapped, then strode through the line, pus.h.i.+ng men out of my way where I had to, glaring at those who dared to meet my gaze, to where I"d parked my car. I didn"t know if Zeus was telling the truth, but I couldn"t take the risk that Ernie would turn on me. Or that he"d been leading me astray deliberately.
He popped into existence in the pa.s.senger seat. "Where we going?"
I revved the engine and backed out. "We aren"t going anywhere. Thank you for your help, Ernie. But I"ll do the rest on my own."
"What? Why? What did Zeus say to you?"
"Nothing that concerns you. This is my deal, not yours." I pulled onto the main road and headed north. To the Wall. There was only one person left I could tap into. And seeing as he"d put me into this mess, he owed me. Besides, he had my welcome package.
"Where are you going?"
"Get out, Ernie. I don"t want you to be part of this, I don"t know whose side you are on." I clenched the steering wheel and pressed my foot into the gas. We shot down the highway, Officer Jensen right behind us. I"d almost forgotten about him. A thought clambered to the front of my brain: I needed to pull the troops I could trust together. Which meant only Jensen at the moment. I pulled over to the side of the road, popped the car into park, and got out. Officer Jensen was out of his car in a flash.
"Is everything all right?"
I stepped in front of him, reached up, and touched his face. My plan that had been slowly forming kicked into high speed. "Do you have a walkie-talkie?"
"Yes, why?"
"Get one for me."
He hurried back to his cruiser and dug around in the front seat for a moment before bringing me back a black heavy-duty walkie-talkie. "What"s the range?"
"Close to forty miles."
And the stadium where Tad was being held was about twenty from the Wall. "I want you to go to the stadium, the new CenturyLink Field. Wait for me there and report to me on the activity. People in, people out. Anything you see."
Ernie fluttered closer. "What are you doing?"
I spun and faced him, clutching the walkie-talkie behind me. "I need you to leave, Ernie. I can"t risk anyone finding out what I"m planning. Please."
"Without me, how are you going to know things?" His eyes darted from me to Officer Jensen. "He"s just a human, there"s nothing he can do."
"Ernie. You"ve been great. But I have to do this on my own. I have to. I would feel awful if you got hurt."
"But not if Officer Jenny there gets hurt?"
Good grief, was Ernie pouting? Looked like it. I smiled at him, trying to think of a way to soften things. "He"s doing surveillance for me."
"I could do that for you." Ernie brightened. "I can get Hermes to run messages between us."
I thought for a minute. Zeus said not to trust Ernie, but maybe I could work that to my advantage. "Go watch Zeus. I think he"s up to something, I don"t think he told me the truth at all."
Ernie"s eyes widened. "What did he tell you?"
I leaned close, beckoning him to me, the lie forming with an ease that frightened me. "Hera. She wants me to work for her, so she"s testing me."
Ernie nodded. "That makes sense, she likes the powerhouses to be on her side. Okay, I"ll go watch Zeus. Hera would be good to you, Alena. She"s tough, but"-his eyes darted to the side-"I"ve worked with her. She"s been a good boss in the past."
My heart fell, but I smiled at him. "Keep an eye on Zeus. Send me a message only if he moves toward the stadium." Which I was almost positive he wouldn"t do. "I can"t have him trying to help me."
Ernie saluted and was gone with a small puff of feathers.
I turned back to Officer Jensen. "Stadium. Go."
He saluted and ran back to his car. I flicked on the walkie-talkie and slid the clip over my waistband. This was just like running the bakery. Plan. Rally the troops. Implement. Deliver the goods. I could do this.
I had to or Tad was going to die for real this time.
A huge sigh slid out of me as I drove away from Jensen and Ernie.
Two hours later, after about as much planning as I could manage as I drove, I came to the Wall, and the only official entry point on the southwestern side. The border crossing was only two lanes. One in and one out. In theory. There was no traffic to speak of other than the two large Supe Squad vehicles that sat to either side of the gate. I slowed the car and rolled my window down.
Looked like my luck was not going to hold. Smithy, my old friend, strolled up to the car and peered in, his icy-blue eyes nailing me to my seat. He braced his hands on the edge of the window, his fingers digging into the metal with a low grinding screech. The smell of donuts rolled off him. "You."
"Missed me?" I blinked up at him, batting my lashes with more than a little exaggeration.
"I"m taking you down to the station. Get out."
I took a deep breath and pouted up at him, pursing my lips. That uncoiling sensation rolled through me and I put a hand on his. "Wouldn"t you rather help me?"
He shook his head and blinked several times. Confusion washed over his hard features. "What?"
"Wouldn"t you rather help me? There are worse people out there than me. I"m harmless." The words flowed out of my mouth and seemed to tighten around him in a slow constriction.
His body stiffened and he began to tremble. Those blue eyes darted from me, away to the Wall and back again. "You"re going to stay on your side of the Wall from now on?"
I widened my eyes. "Of course. I don"t fit over in the human side anymore. They don"t want me. Maybe you know someone who does?"
His eyes softened and he leaned in toward me. "Maybe I do. But I have to . . . you"ll go down to the station on your own?" His words were tense but verged on slurred. I increased my hold on his hand.
"Of course. I"m free to go now?"
He pulled away from me, his hand red where I"d clung to him. He glanced back at his comrades. "This isn"t the Supe we"re looking for."
He waved me through the gate while his buddies stared with open mouths, obviously recognizing me. But not one of them argued with him. I checked my rearview mirror. He stood in the middle of the road, staring after me while he shook his head as if trying to clear cobwebs.
I waited until I was out of sight of the Wall and the guard tower before I hit the gas hard. Screeching the tires, I hurried, knowing time slipped away faster with every second that ticked by. How long would Achilles hold off before he decided he didn"t want to wait on me? Before he would torture or even kill Tad? My throat tightened and I tried not to think about what might be happening to my brother. How hurt he might be. I had to do this right and plan his rescue right, or we"d both end up dead.
Merlin"s house was lit up like a beacon as I approached, and even from down the street the sound of music spilled toward me. I tightened my lips to keep from snarling. Here I was fighting for my life and for my brother"s, and Merlin was having another poker-night party.
I pulled into the driveway, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door shut behind me. I didn"t bother to knock on the house door. Just grabbed the k.n.o.b and twisted. Locked.
I raised my knuckles, paused, and reconsidered. Really, if I was such a powerful Super Duper, I didn"t have to play nice. I took a step back, lifted one heeled foot, and snapped it forward, aiming for the k.n.o.b. My heel caught in the keyhole, and the door burst inward, taking my shoe with it. I slipped the other shoe off so I didn"t walk in lopsided. No need to be undignified.
Two steps and I stood in the main part of the house, with every pair of eyes locked on me. A couple of vampires, including Remo"s man Max; the same werewolf as before; and two new girls were the full count. Max gave me a wink I didn"t understand. Maybe he was here on Remo"s request? Not that it mattered to me.
I didn"t recognize the two girls, but by the sh.e.l.l-shocked looks on their faces they were newly turned. One was dark-haired like me, her eyes pale enough they were spooky in their incandescent nature. The other girl was the reverse. Blond hair cropped short to her head and dark eyes the deep black of midnight. I turned my attention to the warlock who"d started all this.
"Merlin. You"ve been a bad boy," I purred, the anger and frustration curling up through me. "You made me into a Drakaina. Do you know what that is? Do you understand what you"ve created?"
Merlin stood and made a soothing, flapping motion with his hands. "Now, Alena, my dear. Don"t get worked up. You could end up s.h.i.+fting into a monster, and you wouldn"t want that, would you? Remember, you asked to be special. I gave you what you wanted and then some. Don"t go and be a b.i.t.c.h about it now. Don"t make me think you"re not the nice girl everyone said you were."
For just a split second shame ran over me, embarra.s.sment that I would make a scene.
No. No, I would not be ashamed of standing up for myself.
"This was not what I asked for!" Sudden understanding tightened in my gut like a coiled knot of writhing snakes. "You turned me into this . . . because I was a good girl. Didn"t you? You thought I would be . . . what, easy to control?"
A flash in his eyes was the only clue that I was right before he shook his head. "Of course not-"
I took a step forward, my anger growing. "Because you thought I was weak."
Zeus"s words came back to me. "That I"d be an easy kill . . . for Achilles."
Merlin stepped back, the smile on his face not slipping for a second, but I saw the fear in his eyes. "Where in the world would you get the idea that I would want you dead?"
"Not you. Someone else. Someone you work for." I closed the distance between us, or tried to. He scooted around the large table dominating the room. I put the pieces together. "For Hera, perhaps?"
His throat bobbed. "I turn all my clients as per their requests. You asked for something special. I gave you that. What you do with your new abilities, and who you make enemies or friends with, is up to you." We circled around the table, the rest of his guests not moving an inch, as if they were statues. Some of them barely breathed, if the rapid beats of their hearts were any indication.
"And what did these two ask to be made into?" I flicked a hand at the two new girls. They glanced at each other and answered in unison.
"Vampires. That"s what we paid for."
I raised an eyebrow, a slow burning recognition flowing through me along with their scent. "Really?"
I slid over next to them and drew in a breath, tasting the air along the back of my tongue, and locked it into my mind. "You aren"t vampires."
They stiffened at the same time. "No, that can"t be," the dark-haired girl said. "He promised and we paid."
One way or another I had to push the warlock to tell the truth. But what b.u.t.tons to push on him? Let"s try b.u.t.ton number one: call him out.
"He"s a liar." The scent of their skin flickered something in my brain, something a part of me recognized. An image floated in front of me, superimposing over the two girls. Black and gold feathers layered over them, metallic in nature, with long bronze beaks that jutted from the middle of their faces.
Merlin tapped the table with his knuckles, drawing all eyes to him. "Ladies, please. I made you into what you asked for. Deadly man-eaters with beauty so bright as to be painful to the eye. That is what you asked for. Isn"t it?"
The two girls blinked up at me, and I saw in them what I"d been only a few days before. Scared, alone, misled.
Weak.
"What are we?"
"Birds. Beautiful deadly birds." Just as I was a Drakaina, I had no doubt there would be some funky name for what they were. I didn"t know it, though. The snake in me recognized them as creatures from the same time period.
They clung to each other, hands interlocking. The dark-haired girl shuddered. "I hate birds."
"It"s okay, Sandy. We"ll figure this out," the blonde said.
Merlin smiled at the three of us. "Our business is done. Get out of my house, Alena."
I moved forward, putting myself between the girls and Merlin. b.u.t.ton number two: take his latest creations from him. "For tonight, we"re done, you"re right about that. Girls, I think you should come with me."
Merlin startled. "You can"t take them."
I lifted an eyebrow, certainty growing fast within me. b.u.t.ton number three: point out how ineffective he was. "You can"t stop me. And I want my welcome package while you"re at it."
His jaw dropped open, and the other Super Dupers in the room s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably.
"Welcome packages are by the door," Max said. "Not that there is much info in them. A map of this side of the Wall, things to know about the Supe Squad. That sort of thing."
I gave him a nod. "Thanks."
The pet.i.te girls clung to each other as they walked to the door. I waited until they stepped through and were clear before following. I took a package from the high-backed bar near the door. "I"ll be back, Merlin. You can count on it." I pointed a finger at him.
He snorted, his composure back in place. "Bite me."
"Be careful what you ask for. You might not like my bite." I snapped my teeth at him, my fangs dropping down. Droplets of venom flicked off the tips and sizzled on the floor. Chairs and boots sc.r.a.ped on the floor as Merlin and his posse scrambled backward.
Merlin"s smile finally fell. "Go die, Alena. That"s all you"re good for."
And there it was, the words I wanted him to admit to. Of course I thought they were because I was headed to Achilles.
That was where I was wrong.
CHAPTER 13.