She whimpers when I shake her, but she doesn’t move an inch. An ominous laugh sounds in the dark, and then I sense a powerful presence, malign. It’s not an Idol or a demigod. It feels ancient, primordial.
Whatever it is, we can’t stay here to find out.
I pull Daisy into my arms, and immediately she begins to thrash and scream from the top of her lungs as if she were in great pain.
“It’s okay, Daisy. We’re getting out of here.”
I try to fly out of the void, but something holds me back. It’s then that I see there’s a dark rope wrapped around Daisy’s waist and attached to the ground. It’s pulling her down.
Maybe that’s why she’s fighting me. She must be in pain. I have to break that cord.
Afraid to let go of her, I switch her weight to one arm so I can better move my chain. My golden spear hits the dark material with a precise hit, severing the link.
A roar of rage echoes in the void. I pissed off the evil presence, which means I have to get us out of here.
For a brief moment, terror grips me. What if I can’t find the way out?
No. I won’t fail now.
I picture the hotel room. Holding on to that image, I zoom us out of the void a second before the hanging light shuts off. I get back into my body as if I were shoved in there. I’m light-headed for a second, but when I open my eyes and the world is back to different shades of black and gray, I’m actually relieved.
None too soon, I’m pushed out of the way by Bryce, who’s now kneeling next to his beloved.
“Stupid, ungrateful boys,” I mutter under my breath, still feeling out of it.
“What happened?” Daisy asks.
“You went into a trance of sorts. We couldn’t get you to wake up,” Bryce replies.
“The island god took me back to his domain. He tried to kill me.”
Island god? Was that the primordial force I felt in the void?
“Where did you go?” Emo Boy asks.
“At first, I was on the island of horrors, and then… I don’t know. It was all dark. I couldn’t even feel my body or my mind. It was almost like I had ceased to exist.”
“You were trapped in another dimension—the Eternal Void, to be precise,” I say. “If you had stayed there a little longer, I wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
“I guess I have to thank you again.”
I make a noncommittal gesture, but before I can reply, Pretty Face chimes in. “How did Daisy get there in the first place?”
“I don’t know, but only a primordial deity would be strong enough to send her there,” I reply confidently. I’m actually only guessing based on what I felt, but I have to show conviction around these guys.
My body becomes tense in an instant when I pick up Stephan’s presence just outside in the hallway.
Crap on toast. He had to show up.
“Bryce! Open up!” His loud voice booms through the door, followed by the pounding of his fist against the wood.
“Great. Mr. Pain In My Ass is here.” I cross my arms and pinch my lips together.
I knew I couldn’t avoid him forever, but meeting face-to-face with so many witnesses wasn’t in my plan.
I have two choices: flee or fight.
I glance in Daisy’s direction.
Shit. I can’t go now. Too much is at stake.
Fight it is.
38
Stephan
I wasn’t at Paragon Academy when Bryce called. Soren and I got to the Golden Branch Hotel as fast as we could. The double doors to the suite open on their own, and we barge in. I halt when I see Andy.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, annoyed.
“I’m being social. I thought you’d be happy.” She smirks in my direction, driving me even madder. I haven’t digested her latest fuckup yet.
Soren walks around me and stops short when he sees Daisy looking fine. “What was the emergency?”
“It’s all good now. Andromeda was able to help Daisy,” Morpheus replies.
“You did?” Soren glances at Andy with wide eyes.
“Yes, I did. You should all be thanking me. If I hadn’t sensed a great disturbance in the vicinity, Daisy would have most likely perished. Next time, just call me.”
“Cocky much?” Phoenix raises an eyebrow.
He doesn’t know the half of it.
“No, realistic. You should know the Silverstone brothers are always a day late and a dollar short.”
She earns a glower from me, but Soren is out for blood.
“You know what? Fuck off, Andromeda. You think just because you’re blind, you can throw insults left and right. You’re nothing but a pampered brat seeking attention.”
In the blink of an eye, her chains shoot out. I don’t have the chance to shout a warning. Thankfully, Soren’s gift is super speed. He moves out of the way, and her chains strike the far wall instead.
“Andy, that’s enough!” I grab her arm, ready to drag her out of there if necessary. She tenses but, for whatever reason, doesn’t try to break free.
Phoenix whistles. “Damn. Talk about poking the beast with a short stick.”
“I’m not a beast,” she grits out.
He raises both hands in a sign of peace, probably not realizing that she can’t see his gesture. “It was just an expression. Relax.”
“How were you able to find me?” Daisy asks her.
“Through my chains. They can track anything, anywhere.”
I narrow my eyes to slits. That’s one more gift she never mentioned before. What else is she hiding?
“Can they also assist in your visual handicap?” Phoenix asks, staring at her chains, which are still imbedded in the wall.
Not picking up on any murderous intent from her anymore, I let go, stepping away.
“Yes.” She retracts her weapons, leaving two gaping holes behind.
Fuck, that could have been Soren. I’d like to believe she would have stopped her attack if he hadn’t moved, but the memory of her chains doing that to the mole come to the forefront of my mind. She’s ruthless, bloodthirsty. I have to accept that, even if it kills me.
“Now can you explain what the hell you were doing here and why you needed those special cords?” I ask the guys to steer my thoughts away from the grim subject.
“No offense, but should we be discussing this in front of her?” Rufio points at Andy.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Emo Boy. I’m not affiliated with any of your enemies”—she turns to me—“or wannabe allies.”
I have a split second to make a decision. If I send her away, I’ll never learn what she was doing here for real.
“You can speak freely in front of her. Despite her acerbic personality, Andromeda can be trusted,” I reply.
She flips me off, but Soren’s death glare in my direction is a worse reaction. This might’ve been a huge mistake, and if it is, he won’t ever let me forget.
“It’s okay, Bryce. You can tell them.” Daisy touches his arm, and immediately the guy’s posture changes.
He’s so in love with her, it makes me uncomfortable.
With a deep sigh, he replies, “Last week, my father took Rufio and me to the headquarters of the Neo Gods.”
Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting that confession.
“Son of a bitch.” I rub my face, then glance at Andy’s destruction on the wall. “We’ve been trying to find their hideout for years, but all the clues we’ve acquired led to a dead end.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, buddy. Our father made us wear blindfolds,” Rufio replies.
“Your mother said you were most likely given a test,” Daisy pipes up.
Bryce takes her hand in his. “Yes. They know the Knights have acquired a new weapon. They want us to kill you.”
Daisy’s face drains of color. “I suspected as much. What are we going to do?”
There’s a pause. Bryce glances at their connected hands, then finally replies, “We’re in an impossible situati
on. We have until tomorrow to find and kill the weapon. If we don’t comply, the Neo Gods are coming after you.”
Andy snorts. “Oh, the irony.”
Daisy lifts her chin proudly. “Let them come. I’ll be ready for them.”
“I don’t want to rain on your parade, sunshine, but you couldn’t handle that fat asshole without my help. How are you planning to face a horde of Neo Gods?” Andy chimes in, as blunt as ever.
“She wouldn’t be facing them alone,” Rufio replies.
Bryce shakes his head. “No, it’s too risky. We need more time to prepare. We’re dealing with high-level Idols here.”
“So how do you propose we appease your father and his friends?” I ask.
“I have an idea, but it requires us forgetting our morals.”
I catch the dangerous glint in his eyes, and I don’t like that one bit.
“Bryce, we can’t resort to anything illegal now. It’s thanks to the incident with Drusilla that you fell under the Neo Gods’ clutches,” Daisy retorts.
“That ship has sailed, girlie. Unless murder doesn’t qualify as a crime in your vocabulary.” Andy picks her nails as if the topic of conversation wasn’t a life-or-death situation. Why is she acting so blasé all of a sudden? She always flirted with the line of morality, but she wasn’t as cold and savage as she is now.
“What do you have in mind?” Soren turns to Bryce.
He looks up, his stare cold and calculating. “Do you know where we can hire an assassin?”
39
Andromeda
After getting caught up on the events leading to this point, I know things are never going to be the same. That’s the only thing I’m certain of. Stephan agreed to Bryce’s insane plan to hire an assassin. It’s the end of the world.
It turns out Daisy was at Calvin Cormack’s office on a hit mission herself. She’s not working for the Knights as I had originally thought. She’s under Jodie Fallon’s thumb, who is in fact Bryce and Rufio’s mother. It’s nuts. The woman married a Neo God, but she’s actually fighting for Norms and Fringes. Talk about drama.
With all the commotion, Stephan doesn’t have time to come after me. It’s a relief and also a torment. He probably hates me now, which would make things easier. But it doesn’t. He must think I was going to hurt his brother. As much as the pest annoys me, I’d never hurt him. I can’t put Stephan through the pain of losing another loved one.
The sun has finally set, and I should be getting into my pj’s. I’ve done a lot today, stretched my powers to the max. But I’m not tired; on the contrary, I’m filled with restless energy.
Maybe I should go see what Daisy’s up to.
My motives aren’t a hundred percent pure. I desperately need her help. That makes me a hypocrite, I know. I’ve always hated that people only got near me because they wanted something, and I’m doing exactly the same with her. But I never had a girlfriend before, and I think if we had met under different circumstances, I’d still want to be her friend.
Holding on to that thought makes me feel less guilty.
I change clothes quickly, not really worried that I may look like a clown. You can’t really go wrong with a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket. I tap the pocket to make sure my collapsible cane is there; if Daisy is busy, I’m might just go for a night stroll.
Once out in the hallway, I sense Daisy’s presence nearby. It came from the elevator ahead. She’s in it, going down. She must be going somewhere. I change course and take the stairs instead.
I’ve become quite the stalker lately.
When I reach the ground floor, I hear agitated voices coming from the courtyard. It seems Daisy is having an argument with her boyfriends. I move closer, keeping myself hidden until I know more. She’s with another girl, a Norm. Then I remember her sister came with her on this trip. She’s truly a Norm; she’s not faking to be one like Daisy.
“Don’t even think about pooping on my parade. Daisy and I are going out alone tonight, and I don’t want to hear a peep of complaining,” her sister says.
“Yeah, right. Nice try, baby shark,” Rufio replies in a condescending tone. What a toad.
“I’m serious,” the girl spits back.
Bryce moves closer to Daisy. “Do you think it’s a good idea to saunter off alone in Hawk City today of all days?”
He has a point. She’s a wanted woman; it’s not safe right now for her.
“I don’t see the big deal. Why can’t we have a girls’ night out without you guys losing your minds over it?” the sister contests, giving me an idea.
“Daisy knows why,” Morpheus, the level eighteen boyfriend, replies.
They’re not going to drop their argument. It’s time I intervene.
Andy to the rescue.
“What’s going on here?” I ask as I step out from my hiding spot.
“Oh, not you again,” Rufio grumbles.
“Bite me, emo boy,” I fire back. “So what’s the deal? Are we hitting the town or what?”
Daisy turns her entire body in my direction. I don’t need to see to know she must be watching me with a question in her eyes. I hope she’s smart enough to realize I’m giving her an out.
“Wait, are you going out with them?” the pretty face —Phoenix—asks.
I sense some tension coming from Daisy’s sister. She’s not happy about my intervention, though I can’t fathom why.
“Yup.” I wink at Daisy.
“Do you feel better now that it’s not only Rosie and me?” she addresses her boyfriends. I don’t know how she can handle four guys at once.
Another dude I hadn’t noticed speaks. “I thought you wanted a break from Idols,” he asks the sister.
He’s a low-level Idol, but he’s so subdued that he blended with the background. Now that he’s caught my attention, I notice two things about him. One, his power feels as new as Daisy’s. And two, he likes Rosie. It’s possible he’s her boyfriend, because her body becomes less tense when she turns to him.
“I did,” she replies with an attitude.
Great. She’s one of those teens, whiny and obnoxious. Gag me.
“I can pretend to be a Norm.” I smile sweetly.
“I suppose I do feel a little better that Andromeda is tagging along,” Bryce says. “Where are you going?”
“To Station 33 Mall. It’s mainly a Norm hangout with the occasional low-level Fringes,” Daisy replies.
“You aren’t seriously considering letting them go?” Rufio retorts.
“Letting me go? Did I miss the part when I suddenly became your property?” Daisy puts her hands on her hips.
Hell yeah. I knew I liked her for reason.
“Preach, sister,” I say.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Rufio backtracks.
Daisy not only has the stamina to date four guys at the same time, but it seems she has all of them wrapped around her finger. That’s talent.
“Going to a Norm hangout is probably the safest place for Daisy right now,” Morpheus adds.
Rufio makes a wild gesture with his arms. “I give up.”
“That’s the only smart course of action for you.” I laugh, ignoring the animosity rolling off him in waves.
Each of Daisy’s boyfriends proceeds to give her words of caution and instructions without missing the opportunity to say to my face that they don’t trust me. I kind of tune them out because their overprotectiveness is nauseating. Don’t they realize Daisy is one of the most powerful Idols in the world? Sheesh.
“Let’s go, then, before some kind of disaster strikes,” I say, heading for the street. “You’re a chaos magnet, after all.”
Daisy is nervous during the ride to the mall. She texts someone, and my guess is the content of the message is the cause. I pretend I don’t notice anything, something easy to do when you’re blind. I insist on paying for the fare, because I did hijack their sister bonding time, and it’s the least I can do. Rosie obviously doesn’t appreciate the gesture. Bra
t.
“Does she think we’re a charity case or something?” she whispers to Daisy, knowing very well I can hear her.
“Please, Rosie. Try to be nice. She’s not like the other Idols,” Daisy says.
“I know your name is Rose, but you don’t need to be so prickly,” I pipe up.
“I’m not prickly. I don’t like Idols, and with reason.”
I snort. “Really? Then why the hell are you dating one?”
“Toby is not an Idol,” she replies through clenched teeth.
Oh good grief. Is the girl daft? The guy wasn’t even trying to hide he’s an Idol.
I open my mouth to retort, but Daisy speaks before I can.
“Let’s go into the mall already. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to miss all the fun inside.”
“I see what you’re doing, Daisy. This is to be continued,” I reply.
I mask my powers completely, so now, for all intents and purposes, I’m a Norm, which sucks because I can barely sense things through my chains. They still help me navigate the busy mall, but with so many people clustered together, they’ve all become a big moving blob. I’m glad I brought my cane.
Rosie is walking ahead of us, still annoyed. I didn’t help matters with my sharp tongue. I don’t have siblings, but I suppose if I did, I wouldn’t want them to be mad at me.
“I’m sorry I created a rift between you and your sister. I was just trying to help you sneak out without your boyfriends,” I tell Daisy.
“I know. And I appreciate it.” She sighs deeply. “I used to be like her.”
“Let me guess. You hated Idols with a passion.”
“Yeah. Our parents were murdered by Neo Gods. We escaped thanks to Mr. Silverstone.”
“Stephan’s father,” I say.
My heart constricts sharply. Another family torn apart by those monsters. It seems I’m surrounding myself with people who will hate me forever once my secret is out. I have no illusions anymore that I’ll be able to keep them from knowing. To get out of a bargain with the devil, I signed on with another. Technically, I’m comparing apples to oranges, but it feels the same to me.
Reckless Times: A Paranormal Romance (Paragon Society Book 1) Page 22