Manipulating Mikey (First Wave Book 8)

by Mikayla Lane

  Mikey looked at her with exasperation as he threw his hands up in the air.

  “I didn’t think any of this was real! But it is! Why can’t she be real? It’s not like I’ve ever known anyone named Emily, so it’s not like it’s anyone from my past. So how could I have just pulled that name out of nowhere?” he demanded, hoping like hell Emily was real or he’d forget this alien business and sign himself into the nearest psych ward.

  Lauren could feel how upset and stressed Mikey was getting, and she knew that would get them nowhere in figuring this out.

  “Calm down, honey. I had to ask. You probably asked yourself the same thing; you can’t blame me for doing the same,” she said with a gentle smile. “Now, did she tell you her last name? Where she lives? Who were the others she thought were going to die?”

  Mikey shook his head, trying to remember everything that Emily had ever said to him.

  “No, I didn’t get her last name or where she lives. And I have no idea who anyone else was that she was talking about. I’ve only seen her a few times, and at first I did think I was hallucinating her. It’s why I didn’t admit to you who I was talking to,” Mikey said, feeling a little better now that Lauren didn’t seem hurt anymore and she appeared to believe him.

  “That was her? You were talking to Emily?” Lauren asked in surprise.

  “Yeah,” Mikey said with a shrug. “Grai came up on me one time as well, and she disappeared quick.”

  “OK, let’s go over what you do know and we’ll try and get this figured out,” Lauren suggested, hoping that he’d trust her enough to let her help him and maybe Emily if she was indeed real and in need of medical assistance.

  “She said she needed Indrid, but I looked all over this place and he’s not here, and no one knows how to get hold of him,” Mikey said as he paced around the spot under the window.

  “Honestly,” Lauren said. “I don’t know how to reach him either. Mikal would know though, and he’s easier to get, but didn’t Indrid say that you’d need him at some point and all you had to do was call him?”

  She knew how that sounded as soon as she said it by the look on Mikey’s face and she chuckled.

  “It’s a little late to think any of this is crazy. Don’t you think?” she asked.

  Mikey chuckled and nodded his head.

  “Yeah, I think we’re long past the crazy train. So what do I do? Stand in a darkened bathroom and call his name three times? Or click my heels together three times and call it? On a side note, why are all bad things in threes?” he only half teased.

  Lauren giggled, glad they could see the humor in this.

  “Maybe, you should just stand here and say his name a few times and see what happens. I’d pick something other than three though,” she said with a wink. “Just in case.”

  Mikey looked around to make sure that no one would see him embarrassing himself like this.

  “Indrid. Indrid,” Mikey whispered as he looked to the sky, half expecting to see the odd man flying towards him like a superhero.

  Lauren looked around the city to see if Indrid had come in but didn’t see anything and turned back to Mikey.

  “Maybe you need to do it louder,” she suggested.

  “Because waking everyone up is going to help?” Mikey asked in frustration.

  “No, silly,” Lauren said with a grin. “Not that loud, but not whispering either.”

  “Fine,” Mikey said before he resumed looking at the sky. “Indrid. Indrid. Indrid. Indrid.”

  Mikey clapped his heels together on the last one, making Lauren giggle at him.

  “Stop! You’re making me laugh; we need to take this seriously,” Lauren said.

  Mikey pulled a scary face, curled his fingers to look like claws and raised them above his head.

  “Indrid, Indrid, Indrid!” he said in a mock frightening voice.

  Lauren burst into giggles and squealed when Mikey reached out for her with his clawed hands. He playfully chased her around for a few minutes while she giggled until he finally caught her in his arms.

  “Thank you,” he whispered as he held her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “For what?” Lauren asked as she looked up at him, her face shining in her happiness.

  “For believing me. For listening to me even though it looked really bad from your point of view,” Mikey whispered as he felt the energy bonds between them strengthen.

  Lauren giggled again and gave him a squeeze before she pulled him over to a bench and sat down.

  “I’m supposed to always be the one person you can count on to listen even when it looks bad,” she said with a smile before she looked around at the still empty streets. “I’m not sure what else we can try here. We should probably go inside and get the contact information for Mikal since he wasn’t sure how else to get ahold of him.”

  Mikey didn’t want the peaceful, happy moment to end, but Lauren was right; they needed to get Indrid, and Mikal was their only hope at the moment. He stood and pulled her to her feet, her body inches from his.

  He leaned down and tunneled his hands in her soft hair and held her while he plundered her mouth. Moments later, he pulled away slowly and looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

  “I’m really falling for you,” he whispered.

  Lauren felt her heart soar before the sound of a throat clearing startled her so bad she screamed. Mikey spun around, putting Lauren protectively behind his back while he faced whoever had snuck up on them.

  “Indrid!” Mikey said, thrilled to see the man standing in front of him.

  “Indeed. I must say, you have an interesting way of calling upon me. I particularly enjoyed the playful growly one,” Indrid said with a completely straight face that made Mikey and Lauren blush.

  “Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I wasn’t real sure how that was supposed to work . . .” Mikey said, feeling like an idiot that Indrid had somehow heard all of that.

  Indrid’s hands were clasped behind his back, and his beautiful white eyes looked at Mikey as if they could see into his soul. Mikey fought the urge to squirm under the man’s scrutiny.

  “You have seen Emily.” Indrid phrased it as a statement, not a question.

  “How did you know that?” Mikey asked, shocked that Indrid had known.

  Indrid looked around the area and stared at the spot where Emily had stood each of the times she’d been there.

  “I can feel the remnants of her energy. I have felt something wrong with her energy strands for weeks now and expected her to come. I knew you would be the only one to see her and could call me when she did,” he explained calmly.

  “She’s real?” Mikey whispered.

  Indrid nodded his head slowly.

  “Yes, she is. She is a very special . . . person. So tell me, where is she and what is wrong?”

  Mikey looked at Lauren and grimaced before he turned back to Indrid.

  “I don’t know. Where she is, that is. Or what’s wrong,” he admitted, feeling Indrid’s disapproval through the man’s intense gaze.

  “What can you tell me?” Indrid asked, his words tinged with concern.

  Mikey ran his hands over his head in frustration, wishing he’d made more of an effort to talk to Emily and find out what was wrong instead of doubting his sanity.

  “I first saw her when I came here after Dillon. She didn’t say much, only that she was looking for the angel, Indrid, and if I saw you to let you know she needed you,” he said, seeing the concern deepen in Indrid’s eyes.

  “She is unaware of this place and believed my intervention when she was a child as divine. She was too young at the time to understand the truth, and I allowed her to believe whatever gave her the most comfort,” Indrid explained. “Did you see her again?”

  Mikey nodded as Lauren slipped her hand in his and squeezed it in support.

  “No, I saw her a few more times, and each time she said she needed you desperately but she disappeared quickly. Then I saw her again a little while ago. She looked
terrible, begged me to find you, and said that ‘they’ wouldn’t make it much longer without your help,” Mikey said, feeling that he had to find her. That for some reason, he was supposed to help her.

  “Did she say where she was?” Indrid’s tone told Mikey and Lauren that he was very concerned.

  “No, I’m sorry. She never did say. Don’t you know where she is if you helped her before?” Mikey asked.

  Indrid shook his head as he looked worriedly where Emily usually appeared.

  “No, I’ve been there years ago and she was gone. I have not seen her in a while and do not know where she resides,” Indrid admitted sadly, his concern beating at his energy.

  “Is she a hybrid?” Lauren asked.

  Indrid turned to Lauren and nodded.

  “Yes, she is what you call a hybrid.”

  Lauren was tired of the short answers and too many questions. Putting her hands on her hips, she faced off with the mysterious man.

  “Look, we want to help her. But to do that, you have to tell us who she is and what you know,” she demanded, holding his gaze.

  Indrid sighed and shook his head as he looked at Mikey.

  “You are well matched with your mate. Indeed, I will need your help if we are to help her. First, I need you to tell me exactly what she said last and how she looked,” he said.

  Mikey went over it again with Indrid, explaining what she said and what she looked like down to the smallest detail he could remember while Lauren sat and listened intently.

  When Mikey and Indrid were silent, Lauren spoke up.

  “If she’s a hybrid, her physical body should not be in that kind of distress unless there is an outside source causing it. Our bodies heal too quickly otherwise, and we aren’t affected by human wasting diseases. Do you know her last name? We may be able to find her through regular human records like a driver’s license,” she offered, hoping that might help in some way.

  Indrid nodded and sat down on the benches.

  “Her name is Emily Smith, but I don’t think she will be easily found. Her gift lets her see the unseen. A lot like Mikey, but differently. It would drive her to seclusion and would make her more difficult to find,” he admitted.

  Lauren pulled out her comm and logged into their access port to the human computer systems.

  “OK, Emily Smith is a pretty popular name. You need to give me something to narrow it down,” she told the two men.

  “Green eyes, light brown hair, between five foot five and six feet, maybe 150 – 160 pounds,” Mikey offered, then shrugged when he saw Lauren’s surprised look. “I’m good with details.”

  “I’m glad you are, I haven’t seen her in a long time and wouldn’t know how she’s grown,” Indrid said, smiling gratefully at Mikey.

  “What about a state?” Lauren asked, adding in the information Mikey gave her.

  “Last I saw her, she was 12,” Indrid explained. “That was 13 years ago in Louisiana, but she said her mom moved them around a lot.”

  Lauren snorted and shook her head in pity for the girl.

  “Yeah, that seems to be the life most of our people are forced to live. Her mother probably knew she was being hunted even if she didn’t know or understand why. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find her. What’s her mom’s name?” she asked.

  “Sally,” Indrid replied. “She had blue eyes, a slight build, and was at least five foot seven. They lived in a real small three room shack out in the bayou of Louisiana. No electricity, no phone. I think only the locals knew they were even there.”

  “No wonder she called for an angel,” Mikey said with a sad shake of his head. “What kind of life is that for a 12 year old girl?”

  “A very good one, for her,” Indrid said, staring at Mikey. “She sees things like you do, but she sees much more and she has no peace from it unless she is isolated. Very isolated. She called me to take her life so her mother wouldn’t be forced to keep living in seclusion with her.”

  “What?” Lauren asked, almost dropping her comm.

  “Of course, I did no such thing. But I heard her pain and there was something about her that I knew I couldn’t ignore,” Indrid explained, trying to make them understand.

  “What did you do?” Mikey asked, unsure if he wanted to know.

  Indrid turned to glare at Mikey as if he were dense.

  “I spoke to her on several occasions, and I tried to teach her ways to control her gift so that she could function easier, blend in easier, so she wouldn’t have to stay so isolated. I promised her I would be there for her if she needed me, and I left,” Indrid said defensively. “I’ve spoken to her here a few times over the years, but I haven’t heard from her in at least three years.”

  “That’s not much to go on, but I’ll see what we can come up with,” Lauren said, determined to find something on the girl even though she knew it would be close to impossible with so little information to go on.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lauren looked up at the clock, surprised to see that it had been hours since they moved into the room where Mikey had been watching the vids.

  She stood and stretched while Mikey and Indrid remained buried in the files they’d been researching trying to find a trace of where Emily Smith might be.

  “I’m going to get us some coffee,” she said as she walked to the door. Hearing no response, she turned back around at the door and saw that neither man had moved and slipped out.

  By the time she’d come back in with a pot of coffee and a large plate of fruit and cheese, they still hadn’t picked their heads up, and the doctor in her was getting concerned.

  “OK guys, heads up! Let’s get some coffee, some food, and discuss what we found or haven’t found,” Lauren said loudly as she plunked the tray down more loudly than necessary on the stone table.

  Two heads popped up immediately, and she smiled at Mikey as he looked at her with an expression that told her he was glad she was there with him. She felt the happiness roll through her energy and couldn’t help but feel . . . whole.

  Shaking off her thoughts, she started filling the cups and handing them out.

  “So?” she asked, encouraging the men to talk.

  Indrid took a cup of coffee and cleared his throat.

  “I do not believe she is still using the name Emily Smith,” he said before taking a sip.

  “What makes you think that?” Lauren asked, curious what he’d found that made him think that.

  “I think she went off the grid,” Mikey added as he came behind Lauren and hugged her to him with one hand as he reached around her to grab a cup of coffee with the other.

  Lauren sighed, wishing they’d come up with something different than she had because any of the scenarios they were faced with would not enable them to find the girl in time.

  “Should we even be in here? Should we be outside in case she comes back?” Mikey asked, trying to think of anything to help the girl.

  Indrid shook his head slowly as frustrated briefly emanated from his energy.

  “I would feel her if she came back here. There is no need to be outside, but this means that your technology cannot help us find her,” he said as his white eyes looked directly at them.

  Lauren covered Mikey’s hand around her waist with her own as she shook her head.

  “I’m not giving up. There has to be something we can do to help her,” she said, adamant there had to be something they hadn’t thought of yet.

  “You guys have tons of people and technology, isn’t there something else you can do?” Mikey asked Lauren, then kissed her temple.

  Lauren looked up at him sadly and shook her head.

  “No, if we had anything else, we wouldn’t need you to try and help find Koda. There are some things we can’t track, especially if—like in Emily’s case—they don’t want to be found. Her mother has done a great job of covering their tracks,” she admitted, wishing she could think of something else that would help.

  “The only other option is an energy t
race, but I would need Mikey to help,” Indrid said, surprising Lauren and Mikey.

  “What is an energy trace?” Lauren asked suspiciously, hoping it wouldn’t be anything dangerous for Mikey.

  Indrid smiled patiently, feeling Lauren’s concern in her energy.

  “It is nothing that will endanger him. I will need to help him magnify the energy he felt from her, as she is now, which will enable him to sense her energy nearby,” he explained.

  “But we have no idea where she is,” Mikey argued, wondering how this was going to help.

  Indrid smiled mysteriously, which Mikey thought was a little creepy.

  “We will start from the last place she was and track her energy from there,” he explained.

  Mikey just stood silently while he tried to comprehend what Indrid was saying. It just didn’t make sense to him.

  “How do you track energy?” he finally asked.

  Indrid chuckled and Mikey looked uncomfortably at Lauren who shook her head, not understanding Indrid either.

  They watched in silence as Indrid raised one hand and closed his eyes while his other hand moved horizontal to his waist, palm down. He spoke in a lyrical language that neither he nor Lauren could understand as he raised the horizontal hand towards his chest.

  Suddenly he slapped his chest with his hand when it reached his chest, and his eyes flew open as Mikey saw a myriad of unique colors shoot from Indrid’s body before slamming into his own.

  Mikey gasped, clutched his chest, and dropped to his knees from the force of the energy that had hit him like a brick.

  “What did you do?” Lauren yelled as she went to her knees beside Mikey.

  “I’m fine,” Mikey managed to say as he regained his feet and glared at Indrid. “What the hell, man?”

  Indrid chuckled, making Mikey want to put his fist in his face.

  “Calm yourself and breathe deeply. When you do, you will see that you can feel the energy around you more strongly,” Indrid advised wisely.

  Mikey took a deep breath, seriously doubting he’d notice anything dramatic and pretty pissed off that Indrid nailed him like he did without warning. But to prove he was game, he shut his eyes and took another deep breath. He opened his eyes, expecting to tell Indrid he was wrong when he saw the normally muted aura around Lauren pulsing much more vividly and strong.