by Karen Lynch
I was getting to my feet when a scrawny white cat entered the living room and headed straight for Kelvan. It was easy to tell from the cat’s matted fur and staggering walk that it was unwell, and I automatically bent to pick it up. The poor creature weighed next to nothing, and it could barely manage a weak hiss in my direction.
Kelvan immediately reached for the cat. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
I was so shocked anyone would think I could harm an animal that I answered more sharply than I meant to. “Don’t be ridiculous.” I cradled the cat in my arms, my power already searching for the source of her illness. It didn’t take long to discover the tumors riddling her frail body. The poor creature would be lucky if she lived another two weeks. “She’s full of cancer. Didn’t you take her to a vet?”
His eyes widened until they looked like large black buttons. “How do you...? I took her to one of our doctors, and he said there was nothing he could do for her.” He held out his hands and I saw they were trembling. “Please, Lulu is all I have.”
I gave him a reassuring smile and sat on the couch between Roland and Peter with the cat on my lap. I had healed very sick animals before, but never one so full of cancer. I didn’t want to make any promises to Kelvan until I knew I could help Lulu. I laid both hands on her stomach and cringed as my power explored the extent of her tumors. They were so big that some of them had fused together. She should have been put to sleep weeks ago. The agony on Kelvan’s face told me he knew that, but couldn’t bring himself to part with her.
Kelvan came to stand before me, clenching his hands together. “What are you going to do to her?”
Roland stood beside him to watch me. “Dude, I think this is Lulu’s lucky day.”
“What do you mean?”
“Watch.”
Hoping Roland was right, I stroked Lulu’s head, letting my power soothe her. Soon her head drooped limply against my thigh, and my power went to work. I went after the smallest tumors first, gently consuming them with healing fire that repaired the organs they had damaged. The largest growth was attached to her lungs, and it took me a good five minutes to destroy that one. Then I had to fix her weakened heart and remove the remaining impurities from her blood. I smiled in satisfaction as the glow faded from my hands. That should do it.
“You killed her!”
I looked up at Kelvan’s grief-stricken face and shook my head. “No, she’s just sleeping. See? She’ll be perfectly fine when she wakes up. The really sick ones always do this after they’re healed.”
“Healed?” His eyes darted from me to his cat. “How... how is that possible?”
“It’s something I do, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself.” It had been careless of me to show my power to a stranger, especially a demon, but all logic had gone out the window when I’d picked up the sick cat. Standing, I placed the sleeping cat in his outstretched hands. One of my fingers grazed his hand, and he jumped as if he’d received a shock. “Sorry.” My power was a bit amped because of the healing and the presence of a demon. I forced it back down. The lessons with Nikolas and Chris had really paid off.
Kelvan’s next action shocked us. He sat on the coffee table, cradling Lulu to his chest while fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely when he could talk again. “Lulu was my brother’s cat, and she’s all I have left of him.”
“Your brother?” I prodded gently.
“Mallar, my older brother. He brought Lulu home five years ago when she was just a kitten.”
Jordan came to stand beside me. “Where is he?”
Kelvan sniffled and wiped his face with his hand. “He was killed two years ago. He and his friend, Jaesop, went out one night and ran into some vampires.”
“Vampires?” Peter asked. “Why would they kill another demon?”
Kelvan shrugged sadly. “Why do humans kill other humans? They are evil. Vampires think themselves superior to all other races, and they kill anyone who crosses them. There are few demons who would not rejoice if every vampire was wiped from the face of the earth.”
“Is that why you’re helping us?” I asked him. “Because of your brother?”
“David and I have been friends for years, so I would have helped him anyway. When he told me Madeline could lead the Mohiri to the Master, I made tracking her my first priority.” He stroked his sleeping cat’s head. “Hunters don’t help my kind, and we don’t help them. But if you need anything, you let David know and he’ll contact me. I can never repay you for helping Lulu.”
“You don’t owe me for that. I would have done it anyway.”
He gave me a watery smile. “You are not like other hunters, are you?”
Jordan snorted. “You have no idea.”
“How did you know what we are anyway?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Most demons can sense another demon when we get close enough. My people have a very good sense of smell, which is why I knew those two were werewolves.”
Jordan covered a yawn with her hand and looked at me. “As fun as all of this is, I’m ready to crash for a few hours.”
“Me too.” I gathered up the laptop, cell phones, and cash and looked around for my backpack before I remembered I still had to buy one. I spotted a paper bag on the kitchen counter and stuffed everything into it. If we ran into anyone on the way to the car, I doubted they’d take much notice of a Chinese takeout bag.
“Thanks for everything,” I said to Kelvan before I followed the others into the hallway. He held out his hand, and I shook my head. My control was a lot better now, but I didn’t want to risk hurting him. “Better not.”
“Oh, right.” He withdrew his hand and ran it through his curls. “Listen, I know you’re more than a hunter. It doesn’t take a genius to see that. David said the Master is looking for you, and I’m sure it has something to do with whatever you did to Lulu. Be careful out there. Word is that this is the most dangerous vampire anyone’s heard of in a long time. They say he’s insane, and he really has it out for the Mohiri. All vampires do, but he’s the worst.”
“If you know that, you must know more about him.”
“No one really knows anything about him, except what comes from other vampires, and they’re not saying anything. There have been some demon disappearances that have been blamed on him, too. No one knows what he’s doing with them, but everyone’s afraid. Just watch your step.”
“I will. Thanks.”
The four of us were quiet as we walked back to the car. Jordan started the engine and looked over at me. “I’m going to stop at the first decent motel I see.”
“Someplace cheap,” I reminded her. “We have to make this money stretch until we can get more.” David’s five hundred dollars would help a lot, but between gas, food, and hotels, it wouldn’t take us long to run through it. I had some diamonds that would fetch a good price if I could find a buyer. I put that on my mental list of things to do – after I got some sleep.
“As long as it’s not a total roach motel.” She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a thin wad of bills, which she handed to me. “Here’s four hundred. It’s all I could get.”
Roland leaned forward. “I have five hundred. I found a bank machine at the airport.”
“I can’t take that. It’s your car money.”
He laughed and sank back against his seat. “I don’t think a car is very high on my list of priorities right now.”
“I have two fifty,” Peter chimed in.
I opened my mouth but Roland spoke first. “We’re in this together.”
Jordan pulled away from the building. “See, we’re better off than we thought we were.”
Ten minutes later, we parked outside a Motel 6. Jordan and I went inside to get two rooms, and the boys stayed with the car. I leaned wearily against the front desk as I waited for the clerk to finish whatever she was doing and check us in. It had been a long, stressful day, and all I could think about was how good it wou
ld feel to lie down and close my eyes.
The featherlike touch against my mind was so faint I thought I imagined it at first. It came again, and I jolted away from the counter. Nikolas was here. Not at the hotel but definitely close-by. And if I could sense him...
I grabbed Jordan’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “We have to get out of here.”
“What? Why?”
“Nikolas is here.”
She scanned the parking lot as she ran after me to the car. “I don’t see him.”
“You know that bond thing? He’s here, trust me.”
“Shit!”
Roland and Peter were in the front seats so Jordan and I dove into the back. “Get us out of here, Roland,” I cried, sinking low in the seat.
He turned in his seat to look at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nikolas,” I gasped as the sensation grew stronger. Roland continued to stare at me, and I yelled, “Drive, damn it! Nikolas is here.”
“Fuck.” He started the car and eased out of the parking spot.
“Hurry,” Jordan barked. “I’d rather face a couple of hungry vampires than Nikolas right now.”
“If I drive too fast it’ll draw attention.” He pulled out onto the road and slowly picked up speed. “And I’ve seen what Nikolas is like when he’s pissed.”
“You’ve never seen him like this,” Jordan muttered.
I didn’t speak because I was too busy trying to sense Nikolas’s presence. It disappeared and reappeared several times, and each time my breath caught in my throat. His nearness awakened a storm of emotions inside me, and my Mori moved restlessly. It hadn’t even been a day, but I missed him so much. I hated the way things had been between us before I left, and part of me wanted to tell Roland to stop the car and let Nikolas find us. Shaking it off, I reminded myself why I was out here and what was at stake if I didn’t do what I’d set out to do. There would be no future for any us until the threat of the Master no longer hung over our heads.
“We’re clear,” I said at last.
Roland merged onto the highway. “How do you know?”
I swallowed past the small lump in my throat. “I just do. I’ll explain it later.”
“How the hell did they find us so fast?” Peter asked.
Jordan harrumphed. “My guess is they tracked the cell phones you were supposed to ditch in Boise. There’s no way they could have guessed we’d come to Salt Lake City.”
“But how’d they know we were at that motel?” Peter wondered out loud.
“I don’t think they did. They were probably driving around checking out motels.” And seeing if he could sense me nearby. It had almost worked. Another twenty minutes and I would have been asleep in my hotel room, unaware he was anywhere close by until he showed up at the door. Something told me he wouldn’t have knocked either.
It was just past four in the morning when Roland pulled into a roadside motel and declared that we weren’t driving any farther tonight. I had no idea where we were, and I didn’t care as long as there was a bed. I paid for a room with two beds at the front desk, and the four of us said good night. I didn’t even bother to undress. I fell on top of the covers and was out within minutes.
* * *
I leaned against the car, sipping the hot coffee Roland had brought back for me along with breakfast. The morning air was cold, but I was enjoying my first real view of Utah too much to sit inside the hotel room with the others. We were in a town called Green River, which the motel clerk told me was popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Watching the sun slowly turn the peaks of the distant rock formations to gold, I understood why.
I stared at the laptop sitting on the hood of the car, which was my other reason for being out here alone. I dreaded making the call, dreaded the worry and anger I would hear in Nate’s and Tristan’s voices, but I had to call and let them know we were okay. I wasn’t sure if Tristan would even be there or if he was out looking for me, but Nate would be there for sure. Kelvan had warned me not to use the cell phones to call home because they could be traced, but he’d assured me the software on the laptop would prevent the Mohiri from tracing my location.
I hope you’re right, Kelvan. I opened the app and typed in the number to Tristan’s office phone. There was a short delay before it began to ring. I held my breath until I heard someone pick up on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Tristan?”
“Sara! Is Jordan with you? Are you girls okay?” The relief in his voice brought tears of guilt to my eyes.
“Yes, she’s –”
“Where is she? Is she alright?” Someone demanded in the background, and I knew it was Nate before Tristan put me on speaker. “Sara, what the hell were you thinking running off like that? Where are you?”
I took a deep breath. “I can’t tell you that. I’m sorry I worried you, but I had to do this.”
“Worried? I’ve been half out of my mind that one of those monsters will find you.” I had never heard Nate so upset. “I know you’re angry about the decision to take you away, but this is not the way to handle it.”
“His decision, not mine.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I know you all want to protect me, but I can’t live that way, to be constantly guarded and never allowed to have any control over my own life. You know me, Nate. That would kill me.”
His tone softened. “Then we’ll figure something out. Just come home.”
The plea in his voice made my stomach knot, and I tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t cause him more pain.
“Tell us where you are and someone will be there in hours,” Tristan said, mistaking my silence for concession.
I stared at the ruggedly beautiful terrain and steeled myself to say what I had to say. “I can’t do that. This is about more than controlling my life. I’m tired of hiding and watching people I love get hurt. I don’t want us to spend our lives looking over our shoulders.”
“What are you saying?” Tristan asked slowly.
“I’m saying that as long as the Master is alive, none of us are free.”
Tristan sucked in a sharp breath. “Sara, you can’t mean to go after him alone? That would be suicide.”
“I know that. I’m just going to find the person who knows his identity.”
“Madeline.”
“Once I find out what she knows, I’ll tell you and you can take care of the rest.”
“What makes you think you can find your mother when Tristan’s people can’t?” Nate asked. “She could be anywhere in the world.”
I heard clicking in the background and knew Tristan was on his computer, most likely asking his security guys to trace the call. I sent up a silent prayer that Kelvan’s software blocked them from tracking me.
“I have my sources too, and according to them, Madeline is a few hundred miles from where I’m standing. If they’re right, I’ll be paying her a visit tonight.”
The clicking stopped. “Sara, if you know where Madeline is, tell me and I will bring her in.”
“She’ll see you coming, but she won’t expect me.” I let out a short laugh. “Who knows, maybe she’ll be curious enough to meet her daughter that she won’t try to run.”
A door opened behind me, and I turned to see Roland leave our room and start toward me. It was time to get on the road again.
“Listen, I have to go.” Nate and Tristan began to protest, but I cut them off. “I only called to let you know we’re okay. I’ll call again in a day or so.”
“You haven’t asked to speak to Nikolas,” Tristan said. I suspected he was trying to keep me on the line as long as he could, which meant he was having trouble tracing the call.
“That’s because I know he isn’t there.”
“You should call him.”
“I’m in no mood to be yelled at right now.” I bit my lip. I did want to hear Nikolas’s voice, even if he was yelling at me. I just didn’t trust myself to speak to him yet.
I changed the topic. “By the way, how
are Seamus and Niall?”
“Furious they were tricked so easily. It may take them a while to live it down.” Tristan released a slow breath. “You can’t go around using your power on the warriors, Sara.”
“Nikolas taught me anything is fair in a fight. They use their strength and speed against me. My power is my strength, so why shouldn’t I use it to level the field?”
“I don’t think that is how he intended for you to use it.” Tristan was stalling now, trying to keep me talking. Kelvan’s software was obviously working as he’d promised, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
“Tell Seamus and Niall I’m sorry.” My hand hovered over the keyboard. “I have to hang up now. I love you both and I’ll talk to you again soon.”
“Sara, wait –” Tristan said, but I ended the call before he could finish. I swallowed hard and closed the laptop with a shaky hand.
Roland leaned against the car. “Rough call?”
“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.” I picked up my cup and drained the last of my coffee. “Do you want to use the laptop to call your mom? She must be worried.”
“I called her from the Boise airport and told her we were staying a few more days with you. She wasn’t happy, but she said she’d let the school know.” He made a face. “She’s going to flip when I tell her it’s going to be more than a few days.”
“Who knows? It might be only a couple of days if we find Madeline,” I said hopefully. “And if not, you can always go back.”
“Stop trying to get me to go home. We’re in this together, and that’s it.”
I smiled and gave him a quick hug. “I’m really glad you’re here.”