Flames of Mars (Celestial Shifters Book 2)

by Tjalara Draper

  “Yeah, well, we can’t go back and erase what’s been done. We can only move forward. We have to learn from our mistakes and promise ourselves to do better.”

  “Riiiight,” drawled Tio. “Is that Shakespeare or something?”

  Nathan shook his head and gave Tio a good-natured pat on the shoulder. “One day when you’re older, it might make some kind of sense to you.”

  Tio just smirked at him—a smirk that explicitly said, “Okay, Boomer.”

  “Look, all I’m saying is, nightmares or not, I’m just glad I’m out of there.”

  “Agreed,” said Tio. “You know, for a little hick town, this place ain’t too bad.”

  Nathan chuckled. “Compared to Tempecrest, anywhere isn’t too bad.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

  Since the remnants of the shaving cream had been washed down the sink, Nathan made do with what little remained on his face to finish shaving. The new razor was a dream, gliding smoothly over his jaw. He was almost done when he realized Tio had gone silent.

  “What’s up?” Nathan asked, rinsing the razor.

  Tio shrugged a shoulder. “Nothing.”

  “Come on, kid. I’ve spent almost a year being two cells down from you. I know that look. Something’s up, so spill.”

  Tio sighed and raked a hand through his raven hair. “I, uh, finally got in touch with my brother.”

  “That’s great.”

  Tio’s expression became somber.

  “That is great, right? You’ll finally get to see your family again, and I’ll finally get to meet this big brother you keep talking about. What was his name again?”

  “You don’t understand. It was my fault I got caught. I didn’t stay put like I was supposed to.” Tio crossed his arms. “Believe me, this reunion isn’t going to be a joyous occasion. My brother is going to kick. My. Ass.”

  “Aw, come on.” Nathan nudged Tio’s arm. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad. If he is angry, I bet it’s to hide the fact that he’s been worried sick about you. It’s a big brother’s job to look out for his younger siblings.”

  Tio chewed his lip. “I wish that were true. But in my family, I’ll be punished to ensure I’ve learned my lesson.”

  “Well. I’m all out of encouragements.” Nathan sucked in a breath through his nose. “So . . . good luck, kid.” He grabbed his belongings and headed for the exit.

  “Wait!”

  Nathan paused in the doorway.

  Tio winced. A few seconds passed before he spoke. “Will you, uh, come with me when I meet up with my brother?”

  “Of course.”

  The young Jiovis’s face broke into a wide smile, his shoulders sagging with relief.

  “When’s the rendezvous?” Nathan asked.

  “I’m waiting on a confirmation.”

  “Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”

  13

  Here Kitty, Kitty

  Violet turned the key in the ignition, and the jeep’s engine roared to life.

  As soon as Autumn had revealed she’d found Solace, anything she said afterward turned to white noise. When a map appeared on Autumn’s computer screen, Violet committed a single name to memory—Rivermyre. Then turned and ran out of the room. Her friend’s confused shouts, quickly muffled as the door swung closed, had fallen on deaf ears.

  Violet booted up the GPS and typed in Rivermyre. The suburb was located across the river from where she’d gone to college. She recalled hearing a few details about it; some fancy-shmancy developer had bragged that Rivermyre would be a utopia, featuring ostentatious high-rise accommodations with killer views, extravagant cafés and restaurants, and a shopping district with hundreds of designer stores.

  But halfway through construction, the developer went bust. Now, Rivermyre was a deserted wasteland of half-finished apartment buildings, known as the City of Silence.

  The cold voice of the GPS announced it would be a two-hour journey. Two hours? Frustration ramped up Violet’s heart rate. Forget the road rules—she was going pedal to the metal. As soon as she got there, she would have all guns—or rather, hands—blazing. After all, with her new arsenal of crystal blades and a triple set of fangs, she was practically invincible. One way or another, she was bringing her daughter home. Tonight.

  Just as she was about to put the car into gear, the passenger-side door opened, and Sagan slid in.

  “What are you—?” Violet cut herself off as both the back doors opened too, and Tio and Nika jumped into the backseat. “What the hell? What are you guys doing here?”

  “Coming with you to get Solace back,” Sagan said.

  “How did you know that’s what I was doing?”

  “We saw you leaving Autumn’s hut and heard her shouting after you,” said Nika.

  Violet shot a questioning glare at Tio.

  “What? I was coming out of the bathroom when I saw these two trailing you like you’d just stolen their wallets. When they told me what you were up to . . .” He flashed a toothpaste-commercial grin. “Count me in on this rescue mission. I’m here for the backup.”

  “I don’t need the backup. I’m just going to get my daughter back.”

  “And you’re not going without me,” said Sagan.

  Violet was about to argue, but her words fizzled when she saw the severity in his eyes. “Fine,” she blurted. “You can come. But as for the rest of you, get out.”

  Tio’s protests erupted full force, and Nika glared daggers as she said, “I’m coming too.”

  Violet narrowed her eyes at her. “Why? So you can find your opportunity to ‘do what needs to be done’?”

  Nika grinned, obviously not missing the reference to her conversation with Thane, but all she said was “Where my cousin goes, I go.”

  Violet’s jaw clenched. What were the chances Sagan would kick his own cousin to the curb?

  “Besides,” added Nika, “I’m already over this little village’s Kumbaya crap, and this little road trip seems promising for some action.”

  “Yesssss! Road trip!” Tio fist-pumped the air.

  Violet turned her attention to him. “You need to stay here, Tio.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I hardly know you, and you’re just a kid, and I don’t need to be looking out for you if things go south,” Violet gritted out.

  “Then how come Nika gets to come? You hardly know her. And for your information, I’ve done time at Tempecrest Island—as a gladiator. If things go south, you’re gonna need me.”

  He held up a hand and wiggled his fingers. Violet almost jumped and her jaw dropped as bright orange electricity crackled over his palm. What was he? A shifter, for sure, but she’d never heard of an electricity ability. How many kinds of shifters were there?

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re a badass,” drawled Nika. “Come on, let’s go already.”

  The idea of taking orders from Nika made Violet’s hands clench on the wheel, but she’d been delayed too long already. She released the brake and sped down the driveway, then onto the road toward the interstate. The forest whipped past, and gravel rumbled under the jeep’s tires.

  For a few minutes, everyone fell into silence. The presence of the others nagged at Violet, but at least Sagan tagging along gave her some scrap of peace. She knew she could rely on him. As for the others? Well, there was no point in worrying about it now.

  “So,” piped up Tio, “the idea of this trip is to get your kid back, right, Violet?”

  “My daughter, yes.”

  “What was her name again?”

  “Solace.”

  “Right. And is it true that Thane’s the father?”

  Violet drew in a long breath through her nose. What is with the twenty questions? She didn’t bother answering, but sadly, that didn’t stop Tio from badgering her.

  “He doesn’t know, does he?”

  When no one said anything, Tio’s laugh shattered the silence. “Hoo boy. I hope I’m there when someone final
ly tells him.”

  Violet glanced at Sagan, who shrugged a shoulder and shot her a look that seemed to say, “Don’t blame me. I didn’t bring him.”

  It was going to be a long car ride.

  Violet slowed the car as she drove over the bridge into Rivermyre.

  “Whoa,” said Tio.

  “Whoa” was an understatement. While the city lights behind them lit up the car’s rearview mirrors like the fourth of July, the ghost city ahead was dark and ominous. The eclectic array of skyscrapers gradually blacked out the misty moonlit horizon as Violet steered the jeep onto the offramp.

  The entire cityscape was as one would expect a city to be—with traffic lights, crosswalks, street signs, ground-floor cafés, and stores with tall glass windows. Yet everything was empty; there were no signs of a living soul. All this place needed was a fog machine and glowing eyes peering through the shadows to make the perfect setting for a horror movie.

  “So, which one of these buildings is your daughter in?” Tio asked.

  “I, um . . .” Violet grimaced. “I don’t know.” She continued down the same road she’d pulled onto from the freeway. The giant buildings towering on either side looked nearly completed, minus panels of glass in the upper levels. Other buildings farther along were still early in their construction, with moonbeams shining straight through their monstrous skeletons.

  “You do realize any one of these spooky buildings would be perfect for a kidnapper’s hideout?” said Tio. “Maybe just pick one and knock on the door and see who answers. There’s one—Xabat Biogenetics Research Inc. They sound friendly.”

  “Not helping,” said Violet.

  She turned down a side street, hoping to find a change in scenery. Nika and Tio leaned forward into the front seats to take advantage of the limited illumination the headlights offered for their path ahead.

  Violet scanned the area, searching for a clue, anything to prove Solace was close by. But each street was the same as the last: empty shops, unlit streetlights, grass and weeds sprouting from the cracks in the sidewalk, overgrown shrubs in the garden islands dividing the road.

  Violet was beginning to regret running out on Autumn so soon. There was nothing here. No one. Searching every one of these buildings would take months.

  “There!” Nika yelled.

  “Where?” Violet’s pulse spiked, and her eyes darted along the darkened storefronts.

  Nika leaned forward and pointed. “I saw something over there.”

  “I don’t see anything,” said Tio.

  “It went down that street.”

  A surge of adrenaline pumped through Violet’s veins as she hit the gas.

  “What did you see?” Sagan asked

  “I think I saw . . . There! It turned into that street on the right.” Nika slapped Violet on the shoulder. “Drive faster! We don’t want to lose it.”

  Violet yanked on the wheel, and the car lurched around the corner.

  Several silent seconds ticked by as they all peered into the darkness. Frustration started to churn in Violet’s gut. Was Nika having them all on? Was she really here to help find Solace, or was this just a game to her?

  “I think you’re imagining things,” Tio said.

  “I’m telling you, I saw something,” Nika growled.

  Violet’s chest heaved, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles felt ready to bust. “Just face it, Nika! There’s nothing here!”

  “Hey! Don’t yell at me. It isn’t my fault you decided to take a joyride without getting all the information first.”

  “This isn’t a joyride! Autumn said Solace is here. I’m getting my baby back.”

  “Oh, really?” came Nika’s snide response. “And where exactly did Autumn say your baby was?”

  Violet opened her mouth to retort, but there were no words.

  “See?” Nika leaned back. “Like I said, this is just a waste of time.”

  “Seriously?” Violet spun in her seat to look at her. “If that’s what you think, why didn’t you mention it two hours ago? Why did you even bother coming in the first place?”

  “Violet. Stop,” Sagan exclaimed.

  She rounded on him. “Don’t tell me what—”

  “The car! Stop the car!”

  Just as Violet registered that Sagan was pointing ahead, something banged against the front of the jeep.

  Everyone lurched forward with the sudden impact. Violet slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched and jolted to a stop.

  “What the hell was that?” Violet said.

  “I’ll check.” Before anyone could react, Tio was out of the car.

  “Tio, get back in here,” called Sagan, just as Nika jumped out too. Sagan released an exasperated breath. “Stay here, Violet. I’ll go check it out.”

  Forget that. She was sick of sitting on her ass while everyone told her to wait and stay put. She opened the door and stepped out before Sagan could say another word.

  “What was it?” Violet walked over to the alleyway entrance where Nika and Tio were standing.

  “I think it went in here,” said Tio.

  Violet peered into the murky shadows. A gentle wind stirred up a flurry of leaves and scattered debris, which tumbled into the alley to be absorbed by the dark.

  “There!” Tio pointed. “Do you see it?”

  Violet studied the area where Tio was pointing. An icy chill tremored through her body as ghoulish yellow eyes peered out from the black.

  Holy crap. They were in a horror movie.

  Sagan stepped into Violet’s periphery. With a subtle click, a beam of light shone into the alley. Trust Sagan to be the always-prepared-boy-scout type.

  “I think it’s a cat,” Nika finally said.

  “Aw, Violet, you hit a cat?” said Tio.

  “Seriously?” Violet’s shoulders sagged. All this drama over a stupid alley cat?

  Sagan’s flashlight revealed a furry feline face—tan with rounded black-tipped ears—peeking out from behind a dumpster about ten paces in. Its yellow eyes were much less creepy under the light.

  “Poor kitty,” cooed Tio. “Are you okay? Did the mean Violet girl hit you with her car?”

  “Tio, don’t,” warned Sagan.

  But Tio was already three “here kitty, kittys” in when the animal began to move out from behind the dumpster. He stopped mid-word when the “kitty” came into full view.

  Violet’s eyes grew wide. Her heartbeat sped up to double time.

  “Guys, I don’t think that’s a cat,” said Tio.

  Nika shot him a glare. “No kidding, moron.”

  The animal in the alley was like a leopard, but where the spots should be, large porcupine-like quills sprouted along its back. A murky-green crocodile tail dragged on the ground behind it, lined with spikes that continued up the creature’s spine. The beast glared at the group with two predatory eyes—and then four more yellow eyes opened on its face.

  Sagan grabbed Violet’s arm and pulled her back, which was just as well, because not only was the spiky leopard thing starting to move toward them, but Violet’s fear had clutched her in an iron grip.

  A low growl rumbled from the creature as it advanced.

  “Guys, get back in the car,” Sagan commanded.

  As one, all four of them turned and ran. But everyone slid to a halt when three more of the spiky leopards prowled out from behind the jeep to block their path. The three new creatures paced back and forth in front of the vehicle as a fifth jumped onto the jeep’s hood.

  Sagan and Nika drew their Diamantium weapons, and Tio’s hands flickered with electricity. Violet struggled to keep her fear at bay. The creature on the hood stood solid, its hackles raised, as the four on the ground began to circle Violet and her companions.

  “What are those things?” Violet asked. “Are they shifters?”

  “No,” said Sagan. “Definitely not shifters.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like them,” added Nika.

  Terror squee
zed Violet’s windpipe as the beasts circled closer. They began to growl. One bared its teeth, the bright light of the moon flashing on the white fangs and strings of drool.

  “Nika, take that one. Tio, take the one over there. And, Violet, take the one in front of you. I’ll deal with the last, then finish off the one on the hood.”

  A whimper escaped Violet. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this.

  “You can do this!”

  She flinched at Sagan’s commanding bark. She must’ve said that out loud.

  “Violet, are you with me?”

  A deafening rush roared through Violet’s ears, drowning out Sagan’s words. He was saying something about fire. Or was it fear? Her mind could only comprehend the leopards’ fangs, the claws, the quills, the savage yellow eyes. Her mind screamed for her to run, but everywhere she turned, a leopard mutant blocked her exit.

  Then one leaped into the air.

  She screamed.

  The snarling open jaws came right for her. She covered her face and crumpled into a ball, waiting for the teeth to sink into her flesh. When no pain followed, Violet looked up.

  Tio had jumped in front of her and was wrestling with the beast, which had clamped its jaws on his arm. The night erupted with vicious growls, snarls, and shouts from the others.

  Violet’s flight mode kicked into overdrive.

  She ran.

  Her shoes beat against the pavement. Her lungs burned with labored breaths. The growls and snarls echoed behind her.

  Someone was shouting her name, but all she comprehended was her fear screaming, Run! Run! Run!

  Soon the pounding of her feet was joined by more footfalls behind her. Whatever was chasing her was catching up fast.

  She pushed her aching legs. Faster! Faster! Faster!

  In a flash, two of the creatures flew past on either side. They bolted several feet ahead, then, with synchronized grace, spun to face her.

  Violet pulled up short.

  Fangs, claws, quills, yellow eyes. She needed to run, but which way? She couldn’t outrun these things.

  Sagan roared at her over the vicious showdown still going on at the jeep. “Violet!”