by JJ Krzemien
Order up, I grabbed the warm paper bag and started back to home base. The mini mart was one block off my course. I stopped in to get soda and a bag of marshmallows. We had a fire, why not?
A big flat screen hung on the wall behind the counter. My eyes went to it too. Tuned to the local news, rather than sports like most places. The cashier stared up at it, too. I was about to ask her what the breaking story was, hoping I was old news, when the screen filled with a picture of Sarah’s parents.
I dropped the burrito bag. Leaving it on the floor as I read the text scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Ice hit the pit of my stomach hard and for moment I couldn’t breathe. They’d been killed. By a pack of rabid wild dogs. In Lake Oswego? Right. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Werewolves? The thought sprung up in my mind. Or maybe demons.
Of course, the news channel didn’t say werewolves. After all of the horrible things that had happened, this had to be the Amigis’ doing. The locket around my neck vibrated. Was that some of Oscar’s warning power? Could he tell when hybrids were involved with a murder? I needed to talk to him right now.
I grasped the locket with one hand and picked up the burrito bag with the other. Soda and marshmallows would have to wait.
Were werewolves even real? I felt so overwhelmed by loss already, that Sarah’s parents’ deaths seemed to sink into the hallow pit of my heart. My revenge had been solidified when Sarah had died in my arms, but now I had two more reasons to destroy the creatures and humans behind this.
Sarah’s family had been wiped out, all because they were trying to help me. I felt so hopeless. I couldn’t keep my friends and family safe, now it was too late. Hell, I couldn’t even keep myself safe. Thank God Oscar could look after himself, I’d be useless to protect him. I choked on a sob, burying my face in the fur collar of my coat, as I ran from the store.
I barely noticed anything on my way back. My eyes stung, and my heart ached.
One more block, around the pillar that supported part of the overpass, and I stepped into camp. And immediately halted. Oscar’s chair was parked by the fire pit, but he wasn’t in it.
“Oscar?” I called out. The only sound was the traffic overhead.
I went to his wheelchair. On the seat laid a folded piece of paper. He’d left a note at least. I flipped it open and read, my heart dropping
Nephilim, we’ve taken the garanth. If you want to save his life come to the two-story abandoned building with the bell tower on the river side of Highway 30 after dark on December 26th. -The Amigis
I read it again, this neatly typed ransom note. They wanted me for his life. They’d given me forty-eight hours. But why had they given me all of that time? What were they hoping would happen in that time frame?
The biggest question of all: How had they taken Oscar? He’d been so confident of his shield. My mind filled with a vision of him being shot in the heart. Blood pooling around his unconscious body.
I examined his chair and the ground around it.
No blood.
It was like he’d simply vanished.
CHAPTER TEN
I folded the note until it was about the size of a quarter. Then placed it in the small zipper compartment of my backpack. The burritos were still in their paper bag, sitting on Oscar’s wheelchair getting cold.
Everyone who got close to me got killed—or kidnapped. I needed to be shut away, far away from everyone. That was it, I’d had enough. More than enough. I had to act, and more importantly, act alone.
Forty-eight hours, why not immediately? No demands to bring anything other than myself. What did they expect would happen in two days? Maybe they needed that time for something. I whimpered, envisioning Oscar in chains, tortured.
Why had they even taken him? If the Amigis were so powerful that they could kidnap a garanth in broad daylight, why not take me instead? Something wasn’t right about this. It was a puzzle or a trap—or both.
I wanted to charge in right then and rescue Oscar. If I went now they would capture and kill me—or just kill me. Who knew if they were even at the old building right now, maybe that was only the meeting place. I needed a plan. Outside of movies and video games I had no idea what was involved with rescuing a person. Where would I even begin?
At least I knew the building they were talking about. It was supposed to be torn down soon to make room for more condos along the river.
What else did I know? The ransom note had been typed, so this had been planned.
And they’d taken a garanth. So, the Amigis were powerful enough to overcome Oscar, probably in a matter of seconds.
I didn’t stand a chance against them.
The locket at my throat sent a tingling sensation through me. I glanced around the empty camp, looking for danger. Blurs of shadow moved toward me, and the next moment four teenagers, dressed in black, appeared around the glowing coals in the fire pit. It was as if they’d materialized from nothing. I blinked and took a step back.
“Looks like we scared Oscar’s new friend,” said the only girl in the group. She had straight purple hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Even though she wore four inch heels, she was still shorter than me. Winged black eyeliner emphasized her almond shaped eyes.
My gaze moved to the other three and came to rest on Edgar. A part of me relaxed. Then I remembered Oscar’s warning and my defenses went up. If only he’d told me what a dhampir was.
“Hi, I’m Xiang.” In a whirl of black and gold, a boy wearing a black beanie stood in front of me with his hand held out. I fell backward and caught myself on the concrete wall. “Looks like we did scare her. Didn’t mean to though.”
I didn’t shake his hand. “Who are you? What do you want?”
All four of them studied me with glowing golden eyes. Given those eyes, paired with the sudden way they moved, my guess was dhampirs were similar to vampires.
The more I scrutinized them the more I was sure. All of them were absolutely gorgeous. I’d read my share of vampire novels, but—there were no words to describe their beauty. And these were only half vampires, if my guess was right.
My locket vibrated again. Dangerous half vampires, no wonder Oscar warned me to stay away from Edgar. Did these four want to drink my blood? My gaze darted around the field and the underside of the overpass, seeking an escape. Though even if I’d wanted to, I probably couldn’t outrun them.
Then I remembered that I was half angel. They couldn’t kill me, at least not easily. Would it even hurt if they drank my blood? The idea made me shudder.
Edgar tilted his head, wavy black hair falling into his golden eyes. He wore sleek black jeans and his leather jacket. “Lili, right?” His tone sounded casual, but his glowing eyes darted around.
I nodded.
“Seems he left you here alone. Something come up that he had to leave so suddenly?” He flashed his fangs—how had I missed those before?
I stood up straighter. It seemed like a good idea to at least put on a bold face. I was planning to take on the Amigis single handedly after all.
My voice betrayed me, squeaking out: “Uh, no, he’ll be back any moment.”
“You can’t lie to us,” the girl said. She looked Asian, like Xiang. “We can smell it when you lie.”
That was a lovely thought. What was I supposed to tell them, the truth?
Edgar said, “You know Oscar and I are friends, correct?”
“Uh, sure.”
The girl glared at me. “He probably told you to stay away from us. Trying to protect your human innocence from the big bad dhampirs.”
I glared back at her. “I’m not human.” I felt like I was lying, even though technically that was the truth.
In a flash the girl appeared next to Edgar and whispered in his ear. They had a hurried exchange, then he seemed to consider whatever it was she’d said. “What’s your parentage?”
That was a funny way to put it. I hesitated. “Half angel.”
“Oh! A nephilim,” said Xiang. He seeme
d intrigued. “We’re half vampire—”
Edgar cut him off with a scowl. “Where’s Oscar?”
I sighed. “Oscar’s in trouble. But it doesn’t concern any of you.” Just me.
“Trouble?” Edgar looked confused. “Police after him for something?”
“No.”
He bared those fangs again. “Oscar would never leave you here alone. If he’s in trouble and you know where he went, then tell us and we’ll help you find him.”
Help me? My fear of the dhampirs dissolved into pity. They had no idea what they were offering. If they helped me they’d end up dead. I was more dangerous than any of them could ever imagine.
In a low, sad voice I said, “I don’t want your help.”
Edgar moved closer. His golden eyes searched my face. “You know where he is. Tell me.”
My chest clenched. He was trying to intimidate me, and it was working. “Oscar’s been taken,” I blurted. “They left a ransom note.”
The four exchanged meaningful glances.
“Who could take a garanth?” The girl’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t accuse me of lying.
The fourth dhampir, red haired and pale skinned, with an imposingly broad build, spoke for the first time. “The Amigis.”
Edgar’s jaw tightened. “The note was signed?”
I nodded.
“Amigis?”
I bobbed my head again.
A long moment of silence followed. Apparently that’s not the kind of trouble they’d been expecting.
“The Amigis,” Edgar began, “that’s some big trouble.” He leaned in and touched my arm. “Lili, you’re coming with us. It’s not safe here.”
I side stepped, wrenching my arm free. “I’m not going anywhere. Oscar told me not to trust you.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t put so much trust in garanths.” Edgar’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “And you are coming with us, one way or the other.” He cut his gaze to the other three. “Let’s go home.”
As a black and gold swirl, Edgar picked me up, as if I weighed nothing at all, and ran. It almost felt like flying, except we stayed close to the ground and veered around pedestrians for a few blocks. I would have screamed. But the air filled my mouth and nose with such force that I could hardly breathe.
A moment later, he slowed to unlock a door that led into a wood paneled entryway, and Edgar set me on my feet. I gasped for breath. Feeling more steady, I glared up at him as he took my pack and coat, hanging them on wall hooks.
“How dare you treat me like this!” Irritation and fear wrestled for dominance in me.
“This way.” Edgar took my elbow and steered me to an old leather couch in the dimly lit living room. I plopped down and folded my arms. Edgar sent me an exasperated expression, then vanished into the kitchen.
Across from the sofa were two mismatched recliners, which the girl and Xiang occupied. A glass coffee table filled the space in the middle. One of those old, big-screen box televisions took up most of an Ikea entertainment center. Some weird machine played classical music in a corner. When the burly red-head, who stood behind the girl’s chair, caught me staring at it, he said: “Gramophone”. The place smelled like fresh coffee—which Edgar reappeared with and served in a floral tea set. No signs of the holiday season anywhere inside.
I stared over the cup rim at the four dhampirs. Who stared back at me. And their eyes had changed color. The girl and Xiang had brown eyes. The redhead’s were blue and Edgar’s green.
Edgar spoke first. “What do you plan to do about Oscar?”
I set the cup back into its saucer without taking a sip. Probably drugged anyway. “What I do about it is my own business,” I said, shoving my hands into my hoodie pockets to hide their trembling.
These dhampirs, as rude and scary as they were, needed to get as far away from me as possible. Otherwise they’d be killed, too.
“Lili, please. We can help.” Edgar took a seat next to me. His green eyes held sincerity and kindness. “We’re not the enemy. Let us help.”
“I can’t.” It was then that I realized how desperately I wanted help in facing the Amigis. How selfish.
The girl laughed, her white fangs fully exposed. “With or without you, nephilim, we’re going to bring it down on the Amigis. Those monsters have been terrorizing our kind for—forever—you can’t expect us not to do a thing about it?”
I shook my head. “No, I need to deal with this alone.”
“Not a chance, Nephy,” she said.
Edgar locked eyes with me. “Accept it, Lili. We’re helping you get Oscar back.”
As much as I didn’t like being kidnapped, and as much as I knew this would put their lives in danger, I accepted with a simple nod. The tension in the room seemed to dissipate.
“How rude of me,” Edgar said. “I forgot introductions.” His gaze fell on the others. “Xiang you’ve already met. Xiang’s twin sister Rushi. And the big one’s George.”
“So, Lili,” Edgar wasted no time, “were you the girl on the news last week? The amazing survivor of that cabin explosion.”
I took a sip of the rich French Roast, it probably wasn’t drugged, before answering. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Thought so, even though you don’t quite resemble your photo. That story drew everyone’s attention.”
I gave him a quizzical look.
“Often how the Amigis—and the Tribe—find out about new hybrids is stories like that. Person miraculously survives an unsurvivable event, they get looked into.” He stretched his arm along the back of the couch.
Xiang said, “It’s real fun for rogues. Most of us bet on whether the Amigis or the Tribe will reach them first.”
Appalled, I gaped at him across the coffee table. “And did you win anything on me?”
“No. There’s no category for being found by a rogue first.” He frowned. “Maybe we should add that in.”
“Xiang.” Rushi said sharply from the other recliner. She shook her head. George stared at Xiang from behind Rushi’s chair. His hands resting possessively on her shoulders.
“Rumor has it,” Edgar said, “you’re a slippery one. The Tribe is searching for you. Seems like the Amigis did find you, but are using Oscar as bait. I wonder if there’s anything more to that.” His green eyes searched my face. I stared back.
“The Tribe’s looking for me? Where can I find them?” I’d happily accept help from them to rescue Oscar. With their resources and people, we could finally end the Amigis for good.
“Not sure. They find people, people don’t find them.” Edgar swept back his shaggy black hair. “Some say they can be contacted through the rare book section in Powell’s Books. The person at the desk.”
“A bookstore. Really?”
He shrugged. “Rumor.”
I’d have to check into that later. “Why do you think the Amigis are using Oscar as bait? I mean, why didn’t they just take me?”
“Simple. Oscar’s power was protecting you. By kidnapping Oscar they remove your protector and give you a reason to come to them. If you’re that kind of person, which you seem to be.”
“What kind of person?” I chewed on my thumbnail.
He smiled—a genuine, real smile rather than a flash of fangs. “The type to care about a garanth enough to risk your own life.”
George put in his two cents. “They’ll kill you both, you know.”
“More than likely true,” Edgar leaned back into the couch. “But only if you went by yourself to get Oscar.”
I shook my head. “I know.”
“With our help it will be different. What’s your plan then?” He cocked his head.
We all sat in silence for a long moment while I considered my options. I might be able to find the Tribe in time. Showing up alone to face the Amigis would lead to certain death. “What powers do dhampirs have?” I finally asked.
This time Edgar did flashed his fangs at me. “Same as a vampire, only better.”
“We are strong, fast
, and have extraordinarily keen senses,” Rushi said. “Many dhampirs become vampire hunters. We’re the best at it.”
My mouth dropped open. “You kill your own parents?”
Xiang muttered, “Not like they ever did anything for us.”
“Vampires,” Rushi said, leaning forward, “Real vampires are horrible monsters. It’s not like the stories where they fall in love with a human and miraculously produce an offspring. They feed and rape and sometimes their victims lives. Yes, we hunt and kill vampires.”
George squeezed Rushi’s shoulders as she settled back into the recliner. I wasn’t about to ask her the big question on my mind: Did dhampirs feed, too?
Instead I said, “If you can hunt vampires then you can go up against whatever the Amigis has, right?”
Xiang stood up. “Before we go any further, let’s think about this. Do we really want to risk everything by helping her? Is this really the right time?”
He was not the one I’d expected to have the most common sense. Maybe they’d listen to him and let me do this on my own. I felt sick and overwhelmed at the thought of going alone. Maybe the dhampirs were right and they could beat the Amigis. But, I’d thought Oscar was invincible. Look how that turned out.
“What Xiang means,” Edgar said. “Is rogues like us live so far under the radar that the Amigis leave us alone—for the most part. If we were to attack them it would break this delicate, unspoken truce. All rogues could be in danger.”
Rushi stood up to face her brother. “Don’t you get it. We’re already in danger. They’re busy right now hunting down and killing other hybrids. When they’re through with them, don’t you think they’ll start hunting us? Truce or not, that day will come.”
Xiang backed away from her, “We’ve debated this for a long time. I’m saying I would rather wait until that time came to make a decision. No need to start hunting them right now.”
Rushi crossed her arms. “Right now we have an excuse: Oscar. Not to mention a place and time. We don’t have to hunt them, we only need to show up.”
George came around the chair and closed the distance between him and Rushi, as if standing a couple of feet from her was too great a distance. He rested a hand on her hip.