by K. F. Breene
“Use the helicopter,” Jack said, watching my face.
I widened my eyes. “What helicopter?”
“Valens’s helicopter that is now Kieran’s. It’s…not close to here. We aren’t exactly central.”
I tapped my fingers against the kitchen island. “The ocean! I can’t swim that fast, but Kieran can. Maybe he could—”
Bria raced back into the room, and the cat darted behind her and then winged out to the side. The thing was on crack and Harding was going for a helluva ride. She held out her hands.
“What the hell are we doing standing there? Let’s meet Kieran on the way,” she said.
“And what? Hang out in traffic? Even with an escort, getting through the city and across the bridge will take ages. Cars can’t get out of the way if they don’t have somewhere to get out of the way to. We don’t have time! No, the ocean is the fastest. It has to be. ”
Bria gestured for me to follow her out of the house, which I did, bringing the address with me even though I knew it by heart.
“Meeting him would be out of our way, anyway.” I hopped up and down to expel some frantic, worried energy as the cat raced out of the open door.
Harding flew up out of it with his arms windmilling, landing on his butt. “That devil does not like co-existing,” he said, pushing himself to standing.
Kieran’s red Ferrari tore down the street, followed by two black BMWs and the pink Corvette from the other day. Given Aubri wouldn’t be called on to do my makeup in a crisis, Red must’ve owned it. It was like Valentine’s Day on wheels with a hockey-mask-wearing driver. How confusing.
Tires skidded against pavement and smoke drifted into the sky as they all stopped in front of my house. Kieran hopped out and jogged over, his eyebrows up.
“Over an hour away, not including traffic,” I said, handing him the paper with the address. “Apparently you have a helicopter, but Jack says we can’t get there in time, and Daisy only has forty-five minutes max. More like less than thirty.” Tears clouded my vision again. “I was thinking the ocean. How fast can you travel in the ocean? If at least one of us gets there…”
“Where is she?”
“Berkeley.” Bria said. “Not horribly far from the ocean.”
Zorn stepped up beside Kieran. I’d forgotten Zorn was a Marid Djinn, his magic originating from dark sea spirits. He, too, was at home in the water.
“We can manage this,” Zorn said, muscles popping out along his frame as he braced for what was to come. “We can get there in time, and we can drag Lexi behind us. We won’t want to be without her.”
“It’s just a woman who’s holding her. You don’t need me—”
“Let them take you,” Harding cut in.
Kieran zeroed in on Harding for a moment, as if he was reading into those words. I didn’t have time to wonder what game he was playing now.
“Fine. Drag me along, but only if we make it in time,” I said. With my blood bond to Kieran, I could survive underwater for a long time.
“Thane, grab a rope,” Kieran instructed, glancing behind him as his people jogged up. “Red, clear the train lines. That’s the second fastest way to Berkeley at this point. Get a train ready and meet us there as fast as you can.”
“Yes, sir,” Red said. “But where is there?”
Kieran handed off the piece of paper. “It’s not far from BART in the non-magical area.”
Red pulled out her phone as Thane ran from around the garage side of the house holding an ordinary rope I hadn’t realized was in my possession.
“We’ll be cutting through the water fast,” Kieran was saying, grabbing the rope from Thane and wrapping it around my waist. “I’ll be manipulating currents and the water itself, so it won’t feel natural.”
“Deep-sea swimming will never feel natural,” I said, lifting my arms.
He grinned at me. “Someday it might. Plug your nose, close your eyes, and hold your breath, okay?” He wrapped the rope around my shoulders and between my legs, and then used an impressive knot to tie it all into place at my stomach. “Maybe even cover your face.”
“Remember that you can hold your breath for more than an hour,” Zorn said, taking a black bag from Donovan, who unknowingly stood beside an eager Jack, and stowed a gun in it. He then peeled off his shirt, exposing thick slabs of muscle crisscrossed with silvery streaks of scars. “Just let Kieran drag you and do not think about gasping for breath, even if you crest the surface for a moment.”
Kieran leaned down a little so his beautiful blue eyes, stormy with emotion, connected with mine. He took hold of my upper arms. “I’ll tie myself to you in the water. Then do as we say and just hang on, okay?” He waited for me to nod before straightening and turning to Donovan. “Once you get off the train, get a car to meet us at the closest point. Zorn, do you know where that address is?”
“Yeah,” Zorn answered.
Kieran nodded and looked at everyone. “Watch each other. A Possessor took over Jack. I’m guessing the differences were subtle, mostly missed…”
“Very good,” Harding said, and his words from before filtered through my head.
Very few can feel souls the way you do, even those who possess others or use others to travel through spirit.
…even those who possess others…
That bastard had known all along, but he’d played Sherlock Holmes with the information. I’d be mad later.
“The Possessor took over the woman who grabbed Daisy,” I said before Kieran went on. I quickly went over the things I’d heard.
“Bria, get that information to Henry,” Kieran said. She nodded but didn’t immediately lift her phone to her ear, waiting for Kieran to finish. “If someone is acting different, ask them what we call Daisy. If you are asked, and you are yourself, answer princess.”
“But—”
Kieran held up his hand. “There is a chance others know that we call Daisy a little gremlin. But we have never called her princess, for fear of our lives. So that’s the code we’ll use, got it?”
Everyone nodded except for Harding, who was looking around at our faces.
“Good. Let’s go.” Kieran motioned me toward the cliffs and the groups broke off, the non-seafaring folk running to the cars as Red barked on the phone. Zorn and Jack followed us.
At the end of the street, trees dotted the way. The end of the rope bounced and swung behind me, snagging in the weeds. I pushed a tree branch aside before getting smacked by another. Brittle grass crunched under my feet.
“This is such a terrible idea” I said, adrenaline coursing through me. The salty air whipped my hair, and Kieran’s invigoration coursed through me. Suddenly I was running out to the edge of a cliff ending in sharp rocks below.
Harding appeared next to the very edge, a grin on his face and his arms crossed. “A woman of Hades and a man of Poseidon. This is what happens when the worlds collide.”
“We are stronger when we band together,” Kieran said, stopping beside Harding, on the very edge of the cliff. He had absolutely no fear he would slip and fall to his death. I did not know how.
“No doubt. I see the evidence everywhere,” Harding said. “And thankfully, you have plenty of money to buy underwear every time one of you shits himself.”
“It’s the ocean. You don’t need underwear,” Zorn said after I relayed what Harding said, pushing off his pants and then tucking them into the black bag now tied around his waist. He wasn’t kidding about that. The guy apparently went commando.
“Oh, but your Demigod will certainly need them the first time his body is left behind, and his soul is dragged through spirit.” Harding stepped out of the way of Zorn’s preparations. “Or doesn’t he know soul mates go both ways, and his Hades queen can yank her cheapie king into the Beyond with her?”
Zorn put out his hand to me, so I took it, edging closer to the cliff face.
He dropped my hand. “Clothes. Demigod Kieran will be able to wring the water from his clothes. He doesn’t need t
o waste energy on yours.”
“Chivalrous,” Harding said with a teasing smile.
“Zorn, leave it,” Kieran said, lifting his hands into the air.
I edged a little closer and watched the water beneath us as it surged over the rocks and rose up the side of the cliff. The chaotic currents within it pulled at me, thrashing and yanking.
“I’ll tie you to me once we’re in the water,” Kieran repeated, his power throbbing around us. “Then you’ll just hang on.”
“Right.” I licked my lips, staring down at the torrid waters still far below. If I jumped in now, I’d be swallowed in the surge, churned into butter within the white foam.
Kieran dropped his hands before turning and running a thumb across my jaw. “Love you. See you in there.”
“Wha—”
He dove off the side of the cliff, his arms stretched wide, his shirt clinging to the muscles across his back. At the last moment he turned the movement into a perfect swan dive, cutting through the mist and disappearing beneath the crashing foam.
“There’s nothing to this, Alexis. You’ll be safe.” Zorn nodded at me, as if that was any sort of pep talk, and followed Kieran. The sun glinted off the mess of scars along his back.
“That guy has obviously been through the stink, huh?” Harding said, watching.
“Come on, Lexi, you got this!” Jack ran and jumped a moment later, hitting the waters a second before changing form. Great spirit tentacles rose from the water before splashing down, no longer creating a disturbance on the surface.
“Man, I’m glad I’m not you. There’s a reason Poseidon was sequestered to the ocean,” said Harding, who’d taken a step back. “I mean, besides being too cheap to build much in the way of accommodations. This is…not great.”
“Yeah, thanks, man.” My heart thumped so hard that it felt like it was rocking my whole chest. Fear clawed at me—the fear of drowning, the fear of being bashed against the rocks…
“Without fear, there is no courage,” I murmured. “It is inaction that breeds fear. Be action. Be confidence. Fuuuuck meeeeeee—”
I took two fast steps and jumped, suddenly weightless, but not because I’d stepped into spirit. No, this was totally, completely, horribly real. I was really plummeting into the churning waters of a death machine. Suddenly the spirit world I’d walked earlier didn’t seem so scary. Not compared to this.
The deep chill enveloped me, sliding across my body and over my face. The current ripped at me immediately. The waters threatened to throw me into the solid rock of the cliff wall.
A strong hand grabbed my arm, and suddenly I was being pulled away. The current shifted, now rushing past me back out to the ocean. Frigid bubbles whizzed by my body. My head broke the surface, but still I held my breath, my eyes shut.
“You’re good, babe. I just need to tie you up. You can open your eyes. Breathe.”
I blinked into the wet face of Kieran, water clinging to his eyebrows and lashes. The surface of the water had calmed around us, with Zorn waiting not far away. Beyond us, though, huge waves rose into the sky, cutting into my visibility.
I treaded water, realizing why no one else from the Six had accompanied us. We were all strong swimmers thanks to Kieran’s blood bond, but this was ridiculous.
The rope tugged at my middle. Kieran stilled, confidence pumping through him.
“We’re going to make it,” he told me, his lips just above the water line. “She’s going to be fine, okay? We’ll get there in time. Just take a deep breath, close your eyes, and hold your breath. Don’t breathe, whatever you do. If something happens, send a shock of terror through the link and I’ll stop. Okay? Don’t die back here without letting me know.”
“That’s not funny,” I said, the situation making me shiver even if the cold did not. My clothes pulled at me, wanting to drag me down.
A small knot formed between his brows. “It wasn’t meant to be. Zorn, stay at her level. Watch her until we’re in the area. Then you can take over leading. We’ll move as fast as we can.”
28
Daisy
Daisy froze as something thumped in the outer room. It had been lovely and quiet for a while, giving her time to work at the coarse rope with her nondominant hand. Fatigue dragged at her and pain dulled her mind, but she’d nearly gotten it. Just a little yanking and she could shrug out of it. But now she could hear movement. Was that…sliding?
She glanced at the high, dingy window to her right. If someone was blocking the door with the intention of setting fire to the place, she had a way out. It would hurt like hell, sure, but pain had been her life for…however long she’d been in this damn chair.
Footsteps made their way toward her, heavier than before the surprising reprieve. It was either someone else, or the woman who’d grabbed her was as exhausted as Daisy was and not handling it any better.
Daisy’s heart sped up, but she controlled her reaction. She breathed deeply, focusing on the rope, on her goal of getting out. Hurrying would reduce her efficiency and end up delaying her. Same with panic. She didn’t work well when overly keyed up. It was one of the first things Zorn had identified. She had to be calm. Had to focus on the problem.
The problem was that the fucking knot would not fucking come loose and made her fucking pick at it like the motherfucking invalid she was.
That was not the way to remain calm.
The door handle jiggled. Breathing through her nose, she pulled her hurt arm up to loosen the binding. Pain blasted through her, making her dizzy. She cried through the pain, no shame, barely able to feel with her good fingers over the pounding in her head.
The door swung open, revealing her kidnapper—a heavy-lidded woman with frizzy hair and sluggish limbs. A knife was in a holster at her belt, and she flexed her hands, her fingers momentarily looking like claws.
Daisy kept her feet utterly still and pushed back against the chair legs as though they were tied. Why they hadn’t been, Daisy didn’t know. Probably an oversight. Whatever the reason, she didn’t plan on pointing it out until the last moment—until she could use them.
“So. What’s on the docket for today?” Daisy asked, not sure which path to choose here. She could look miserable and vulnerable at a drop of a hat, especially with her glassy eyes and tear-stained face. Guys responded best to that, though women with children also reacted to waterworks. At least, that was what Zorn had said. It certainly hadn’t ever helped her in the foster homes when she was getting slapped around.
Or should she sink into a state of calm, something that would invariably help her? Maybe the woman would think Daisy had something up her sleeve, like magic that might actually help.
“You got unlucky, kid,” the woman said, stopping in front of her. “I was supposed to grab the Soul Stealer, not her kid. You were probably part of someone else’s plan that went tits up. Unfortunately, that leaves me to clean up the mess.”
Daisy yanked at the rope, getting the knot a little looser. She whimpered with the pain, letting more tears fall. At this point, it really couldn’t hurt. This woman was about business.
“Yeah. That big guy messed you up, huh?” The woman glanced behind the chair and then grimaced. “That looks like it hurts. This isn’t going to feel too good either, but at least it has an ending, huh?” She curled her blunt fingers around Daisy’s neck. “It won’t hurt forever, though, I promise, okay? Just let yourself experience it, don’t fight, and it’ll be over really quick.”
“What do you want, money?” Daisy asked, stalling for time. She twisted and turned to pretend she was trying to get out of the woman’s grasp while she picked at the knot. Almost there. “I got money. I’m the Demigod’s girlfriend’s ward. I’m worth a lot. They’ll pay you, I’m certain. Demigod Kieran is great at covering trails, too. He fooled Valens, and no one fools Valens. He can set you up somewhere nice. You’ll never have to work again.”
“Why would I want to become a pawn between Demigods when I got plenty of money of my own? N
ot to mention the status that goes with it. A couple bad jobs doesn’t make a shitty life, know what I mean, kid?”
“I’m fourteen, did they tell you that? I’m not even old enough for a job. I’m not even magical!” The hands tightened on her throat. The stubborn knot held tight. “I don’t know who you are,” she said, wheezing. “I won’t—”
Her air was cut off, silencing her. Her vision sparkled with red and black spots. Another wave of adrenaline washed into her. She stilled, closing her eyes.
“There you go. Just let it come,” the woman whispered like a lullaby.
Zorn had trained her for this, though he had also tied her feet. Mordecai had thought it barbaric. Thought it too much.
Her heart hurt as much as her neck. As much as her wrist. All she wanted was to run back to Mordecai, hug him, and tell him that he was wrong and she was right. Na-na-na-na-na.
A tear leaked out of her eye. The pain flared from her wrist as she pulled again. It was now or never. Clumsy left hand or no, it was time to get that knot free. It was time to survive.
She scrabbled at it, disappearing into her head, cutting out the pain. Her mind might be fuzzy around the edges, not far from dying, but she wouldn’t let it get to her. She could do this. She could get out of this.
The rope came free in her left hand. It slid off her right arm and dropped to the floor. Her hands were free.
She thrashed her shoulders, taking the focus from her lower half, acting like she was trying to get out.
“Almost there now,” the woman said. “Almost there.”
“You’re going…straight…to hell,” Daisy mouthed, no breath to let the woman know what was coming.
She kicked her feet out, separating them at the last moment to hit the insides of the woman’s knees, as she jammed her left hand into the neck of her shirt. The woman’s hands tightened even more around Daisy’s neck. Blackness encroached on her vision.