The ferry sailed off and docked in the mainland in less than five minutes. We were right on schedule.
Just as Morgan had estimated, the drive to the airport was a little less than an hour. We entered the airport through a side gate secured by two armed guards. The first SUV stopped to talk to the guards, and I saw one of them hand a clipboard through the passenger side window. Moments later, Ember handed it back; I assumed she had to sign some type of authorization form. The guards waved both vehicles through the gate. I was surprised how easy it was to enter a U.S. airport with two unmarked black SUV’s full of fairies, warlocks, and vampires.
We drove past several rows of small aircraft hangers similar to those self-storage buildings you see outside any city. Only these had airplane-size doors. We turned right at the end of the row, then sped up to at least sixty mph as we drove down one of the taxiways. A very large commercial jet roared past us on the next runway; its engines’ thrust rocked our SUV as its nose inched off the ground.
The SUV made a wide U-turn as we finally came to a stop on the opposite end of the airport. The chauffeur turned the radio down as Rain opened his door and stepped out.
Without warning or a single word, Kasiah pulled me close and kissed my lips softly, and just as suddenly, she released my hand and was out the door.
The chauffeur was watching me in the mirror. “Don’t look at me,” he said. “Go get her.”
“I wish it was that simple,” I responded, exiting the SUV.
I had never been on a private jet before, and I didn’t know what to expect; of course, after getting off one of the most amazing vessels on water, I was excited to see what the jet had in store for us.
Rain was standing next to me as I looked over the jet. “She’s an impressive aircraft,” he said.
The setting sun glistened off the cockpit’s windshield. Two powerful jet engines sandwiched the vertical stabilizer of the tail section. The front part of the fuselage was pure white, fading midway back to a glossy black that covered the entire rear section and the top of the wings. The transition from white to black was painted in a way that made it appear as though the black paint was peeling off from the intense speed. The name of the jet stood out more than anything else; “Ember’s Star II” was painted on the tail with the same large script letters as on the yacht.
“Not a very inconspicuous paint job,” I said.
“Actually,” said Rain, “the paint is blended with Ember’s dust. We only see it like this because she wants us to. Once we’re on board, she’ll change it back to a typical plain white.”
“Fascinating,” I remarked.
“Remember what I told you about curiosity?” Rain asked.
“It killed the cat,” I nodded, knowing I wasn’t going to get an answer if I asked how Ember was able to make the paint change color. I’ve seen stranger things in my time.
“It’s not easy for us to travel using commercial air,” Rain said as we approached the plane. “People have changed. Neither one of us can be around so many idiots in such a small space. I always have this uncontrollable feeling and want to take over the plane and break everyone’s neck. People bug me.”
Aerona walked up as Rain finished. “I hear that, Rain,” she said, pointing to the jet. “This is the only way to fly.”
Ember stuck her head out of the main cabin door. “Come on in and get comfortable,” she yelled as the engines started to wind up.
I heard the sound of screeching tires on the runway as another commercial airliner landed in the background, touching down with a puff of smoke trailing behind its wheels.
We all climbed the stairs into the main cabin of Ember’s Star II. The interior was unlike any commercial airliner I had ever seen. Ember was seated in the cockpit next to a blonde, female pilot, who was busy checking and rechecking instruments and jotting notes in a logbook.
The rest of the jet was luxurious. A small kitchen area, complete with a small refrigerator, oven, and even a slim dishwasher was just outside the cockpit; the counter tops looked like real granite, which I’m sure were artificial for weight reduction. The main cabin extended for nearly the full length of the fuselage. Two sets of dark stained wooden tables, each with four white luxurious leather chairs, were on either side of the cabin in front of a wet bar made of the same dark wood and artificial black marble tabletop. Several expensive bottles of liquor were securely fastened behind the bar. Beyond the bar was a sofa-style seat and a small glass coffee table, similar to the one on the yacht. Four more white leather, luxury airliner seats were at the rear of the main cabin. Considering the overall length of the aircraft, the main cabin seemed to end short. I assumed the door at the rear of the main cabin led to Ember’s private cabin.
“Feel free to take any seat,” Ember said, shutting the cockpit door and joining us in the main cabin. “We’ll be ready for takeoff in just a few minutes.”
I decided on one of the seats at the table to the right, making sure I was facing forward; I don’t mind flying, though I just didn’t think I would like flying backwards.
Kasiah sat across from me with Ember. Rain, Aerona, and Morgan sat at the other table.
I looked at Kasiah and said, “You do realize you’ll be flying backwards?”
“For someone from a world full of mythical creatures,” Kasiah said jokingly, “you sure are afraid of some weird things.”
To my surprise, Andrea appeared from what seemed like nowhere—again. She was wearing a crew member uniform as she did on the yacht, except this one was more flight attendant style.
“Would any of you like something to drink?” Andrea asked. “We have a full bar and a variety of sodas available.”
“I’d take a beer if you have one,” said Aerona excitedly, “and a slice of orange please.”
“I second that beer,” said Morgan, “minus the orange.”
Rain just nodded once to Andrea. She nodded back. I guessed that meant we wanted the usual.
Using her cute Midwestern accent, Kasiah asked for two waters for us.
“I’ll be right back with those,” Andrea said, darting away to the bar.
Aerona looked across the table at Rain. “So,” she started, “where’s your boyfriend, Whisper?”
Rain took off his sunglasses and gave Aerona a look that could have stopped a city bus.
“Aerona,” I cut in, praying Rain wouldn’t explode, “I’m not so sure pissing off a Shadow Vampire at thirty thousand feet is necessarily a good idea.”
“Don’t worry,” came an unfamiliar voice, “Rain is all bark and no bite.”
We all looked toward the main cabin door. I was amazed to see a young, dark-haired boy carrying an old-style leather satchel, its strap running down over one shoulder across his chest. The kid didn’t look a day over sixteen.
“I’m Whisper,” he said.
TWENTY-FOUR
Jess, startled by a loud knock on her front door, tiptoed from her kitchen to the front room to peer out the door’s peephole. A man in a blue Speed Demon Cable uniform and hat was standing outside on the porch staring down at an electronic clipboard. “Steve” was embroidered on his nametag.
Jess stepped back and pressed her back against the wall, silently hoping the man would just go away. She covered her mouth when the doorbell rang; her head was right next to the ringer.
“Jessica Whitefield,” Steve called out, “I’m with Speed Demon Cable. We’ve had some issues with DVR service in your area, and we’d like to check your box.”
Jess tried to recall if she had any issues with her cable. Her heartbeat raced like a rabbit running from a fox. She glanced at her watch; it was 7:00 p.m. and that seemed like an odd time for a cable guy to be out on a service call. Jess remained pressed against the wall as she slid over to her large front window. She parted the curtain just enough to see a white van parked in her driveway. “Speed Demon” was painted on its side in large blue letters.
Steve knocked on the door again. “Miss Whitefield,” he called
loudly, “if you don’t answer the door, we’ll have to fix the problem remotely. Your service may be down for several days.”
Jess snuck back over to the front door and looked through the peephole one more time. She didn’t like the thought of letting a stranger in, but she also didn’t like the thought of missing her favorite shows because her DVR wasn’t working correctly.
“Just a minute!” she yelled, intentionally directing her voice toward the back of the room.
Jess tiptoed over to her laptop and typed several quick commands, activating the internal security cameras hidden throughout the house. Unlike the cameras outside that run 24/7, the internal ones only recorded when the alarm was set. She then walked casually to the door and undid several locks, leaving the security chain latched as she cracked the door open.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Miss Whitefield?”
“Yes, can I help you?”
“My name is Steve, and I’m with Speed Demon Cable. We’ve had multiple complaints with DVR equipment in your area. It appears that the XL250 boxes have been infected with a virus. I’m going to need to check your box. It may need to be replaced it if it’s infected.”
Jess was hesitant, but Steve seemed legitimate. She unlatched the security chain and let him in.
“Thank you, Miss Whitefield,” Steve said. “You’re my last stop of a very long day. This should only take a few minutes.”
Jess showed Steve to the living room, pointing out the DVR. “The DVR is right under the television.”
Steve set his clipboard down next to the TV. “You have some nice furniture,” he said. “I like the dark stain over the oak. It gives the room a nice vintage look.”
Jess found it odd that a cable guy was commenting on her furniture, but it’s probably his way of making the long day go by.
“Thanks,” Jess replied, glancing at Steve’s clipboard. The screen was black. “So, what exactly is the problem?”
Steve opened the console cabinet door. “Something to do with the communication signal,” he explained, turning the unit on. “It’s between our server and the home units.”
Jess slowly backed away, desperately trying not to look terrified; Steve had just turned on her Blu-ray player instead of the DVR.
“OK,” Jess said, trying to remain calm. “I’ll just let you get to work. I’m going to get back to my computer. You can holler when you’re done or if you need anything.”
Steve removed a small screw driver from his pocket. “OK, will do,” he said, removing the screws from the cover of the Blu-ray player.
Jess backed away, keeping her eyes on Steve until she was in the next room. Then, as soon as she was out of sight, she hastily closed her laptop and shoved it into her bag with her small purse and cell phone.
“How’s it going in there?” she asked, taking a deep breath, struggling to control her anxiety.
“You’re in luck,” Steve answered, his voice echoing off the walls. “This unit hasn’t been infected. I’ll button it up, and you’ll just need to sign a job form.”
Jess didn’t waste another second. She swung on the bag, tiptoed through the kitchen, and went straight out the back door.
Jake, a.k.a. Steve the cable guy, heard a door shut behind him. “Fuck!” he yelled, furious that he did not just grab the girl as soon as she let him in. But he kind of enjoyed pretending to be Steve the cable guy for a day; it gave him the sense of being normal again. He dropped the Blu-ray player and ran into the next room. “Son of a bitch!” he shouted, racing out the open kitchen door.
Jake looked from side to side, trying to determine the direction Jess had taken. A gate to the side yard swung shut, triggering the latch to fall into place and lock the gate. He hurtled himself over the fence and into the side yard, running full speed to the front of the house. The next thing he saw was the hood of a small, black SUV slamming into him. His head ricocheted off the SUV’s windshield, cracking the glass in several places. Jake felt as though he was flying backwards in slow motion over the roof of the car, face first, down to the lawn. He opened his eyes just in time to receive a face full of dirt and grass from the rear tires of an SUV as it drove over the curb out onto the street. The SUV’s tires screeched loudly as Jess drove away.
Blood dripped down Jake’s face and onto his lips. He was hurt, badly. His head pounded from the impact, blurring his vision. The pain of several broken bones fueled his rage. Overcoming the pain, he forced himself to stand up and limp to the Speed Demon van.
Nothing was going to stop Jake from catching Jess and proving to Atmoro he didn’t need the warlocks. He pulled himself into the van and turned the key. The engine roared to life. He jammed the gear shift into reverse and pressed the accelerator to the floor. The van lurched out of the driveway, crashing into a car parked across the street. Jake slammed the gear shift into drive and pressed the accelerator back down to the floor.
“That bitch is dead!” he yelled, sideswiping another parked car.
Jake had no idea where Jess was headed, and he had already lost sight of her SUV, but he knew there was a main highway just a few blocks over. He took a risk and decided that was her best escape route.
Rushing through a stop sign without slowing down, Jake swerved to miss a car already halfway through the intersection. Blood would hurry the healing process of his wounds. He reached his arm behind the front seat and grabbed real Steve’s lifeless body, pulling it between the front seats. He lifted Steve’s arm to his mouth, and sunk his fangs into his wrist.
Jess screeched to a halt at a red light, with every intention of running past until she saw a motorcycle light approaching from the crossroad. The rider flashed Jess his middle finger as he passed through the intersection, inches from her hood. Jess’s eyes searched the rear-view mirror for anyone following. She couldn’t see the van but noticed her long red hair was an absolute disaster. She shut her eyes and took a couple deep breaths, letting her head rest back on her seat. Her heart was ready to burst through her chest. The gruesome image of Steve’s face cracking her windshield flashed through her mind. There were blood streaks on the windshield where his head had impacted.
“There’s no way he got up from that,” she said, shaking the image away.
A horn blasted behind Jess, forcing her back to reality. Her eyes opened wide, and her head snapped around to face the blowing horn. The driver in the car behind her had his hands up, shaking them in the air. The horn blew again.
Jess steadied her breathing and turned right towards the on-ramp to the highway, spraying washer fluid to try and clean the blood off the windshield. The wipers flipped back and forth, smearing thick red streaks across the windshield before it finally flowed off with the rest of the fluid. The blast of another horn caught Jess’s attention. Her eyes shot back to the rear view mirror just in time to notice the Speed Demon van forcing the car behind her off the ramp.
Jess couldn’t believe her eyes “How is that possible?” she screamed, recklessly turning onto the highway. She swerved into the next lane to avoid hitting a truck in front of her. Her free hand frantically searched the bottom of her bag for her cell phone. “Where is the damn thing!” she yelled as she swerved back into the other lane, barely missing a car.
Finally, her hand passed over the hard plastic of her cell phone. She yanked it out from her bag and searched her contacts for Aeron, trying to keep her eyes on the road as she swerved lanes again. The Speed Demon van smashed into her rear bumper, throwing the phone out of her hands and into the back seat. Her head bounced off the headrest, causing her to momentarily lose sight of the road. The van slammed into the bumper a second time, and Jess’s foot slipped off the accelerator. She fumbled to regain control of her vehicle, losing speed.
The car next to Jess honked its horn several times as the van crashed wildly into its side, pushing it off the road. She heard the faint sound of a police siren as the van smashed into her passenger side, causing the side window to implode. She was now halfway o
ff the road, driving on the gravel shoulder. Instinctively, she yanked the steering wheel toward the van. Jess had the position advantage this time, connecting with the van at its rear wheel. The tire shredded and ripped off as sparks sprayed from the tireless rim. The van struggled to keep speed next to her. Now was her chance. The engine’s RPM revved high as she pressed hard on the accelerator, pulling ahead of the van.
Red and blue flashing lights in the rear view mirror caught Jess’s attention. The sound of police sirens had never sounded so sweet, but when her eyes finally found the road again, she saw the brake lights of a tractor trailer in both lanes. Jess pressed the brake pedal with both her feet, turning the wheel sharply toward the left shoulder. The SUV skidded sideways on the loose gravel, losing control in a cloud of dust and gavel.
The vehicle finally came to rest sideways in the grassy median. Jess’s side window was faced directly back toward the highway. Her eyes widened with fear at the sight of the Speed Demon van approaching rapidly. Everything happened so quickly, she didn’t have time to react. The van collided right behind the driver’s side door.
The sound of the collision was defining as metal hit metal and glass shattered all around Jess. The seatbelt dug into her shoulder, and several airbags exploded around her, protecting her head and side. The Speed Demon van pushed the SUV backwards until the passenger side wheels caught a drainage ditch, causing the SUV to roll several times before finally coming to rest on its roof.
Stunned, Jess opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to realize she was upside down, hanging from her seat belt. She couldn’t hear anything—not a single sound. She tried to yell, but nothing came out. She couldn’t hear her own voice. She closed her eyes and wished it was all part of a bad dream. Her left arm was in extreme pain; it was probably broken. She spat out a mouthful of blood. Car horns and police sirens gradually became louder as Jess’s hearing returned. Two loud gun shots cracked outside the window, thrusting her back into reality. A police officer fell to the ground in front of the windshield.
The Blood of a Stone Page 17