“You gave me a scare,” I choked out, trying to control the emotions in my voice.
“The last thing I remember is the Hellhounds.” He stared me blankly as if studying my face would suddenly resurface his lost memories.
I patted his foreman. “I’ll tell you about that later,” I said, reassuring him.
He nodded, looking down at his arm. “Holy fuck! What’s this?” His eyes practically bugged out of his head, staring at the Reaper symbol, which was now burned into his skin like mine. “I fall out a slacker and wake up a total badass. That’s what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah…about that. I had to give you some of Grim’s blood. Otherwise you were going to die.”
His head whipped up. “I thought his blood killed anyone who wasn’t a Demoral?”
“I did too.”
He jerked back dramatically. “And you gave it to me anyway? Now I see how much you love me, Cade. What an asshole! Trying to kill me like that!” His performance was enough to make everyone in the room laugh. Suddenly his expression changed as he became aware we weren’t alone. His eyes skirted the room in one quick swoop before returning to me with a questionable arch to his brow. “Nah, seriously, thank you, brother,” he said just low enough for me hear.
“Shiloh, how long do you think it’ll be before he’s good to leave?” I didn’t want to rush him, but we needed to act fast since we had wasted so much time.
“I don’t think you need to push him. He just woke up,” Shiloh said, stepping forward.
Ryker turned and focused on her for the first time since he’d woken up, his eyes going up and down, rapidly absorbing her body, no doubt to put in his spank- bank. He ran a hand through his matted hair; clearly the sight of her heightened his insecurities. “Well, hello there, my beautiful lady. I’m Ryker, and you are…” he trailed off, wagging his eyebrows. His line sounded as if he were reading it straight from the book I found in his apartment. It was almost too embarrassing for me to even watch. Shiloh cut a sideways glance in my direction. I shrugged, giving her a half smile.
“Okay, maybe he’s fine,” she said, trying to maintain a stone face, but failing miserably.
“Oh, I am now,” he said, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. He stumbled to the side, missing the table he tried to catch himself on, and fell to the floor. “Maybe I’m not as fine as I thought.” I grabbed him under the arm and picked him back up. He sat on the bed, his head hanging low as his shoulders slumped forward.
“I’ll go get some stuff in de works to make ya feel better,” she said, motioning for her sisters and Justice to follow her.
Ryker needed to recover from that horrendous stunt, so to give him time I walked around the room, acting as if things were interesting. It looked a lot like my room in the house on a more intense level. The walls were lined with tall glass cabinets, inside holding a copious amount of bottles, bowls, and plants. I found a door in the corner, and pushed it open to reveal a small bathroom.
“You want to get that blood off you?” I asked, not looking at him.
“Might as well.” He glanced back between me and the open door. “Can you give me a hand?” Without a word, I walked over to him and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Gah, way to make me feel even worse about myself right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just fell in front of that hot-ass girl, and now my flimsy arm is draped all over your fucking huge muscles. I really need to start working out more.” His tone took a bitter turn. He was mentally beating himself up over his appearance. In truth, there was nothing wrong with the way he looked. Sure, he wasn’t as thick as me, but he still had muscles.
“Dude, after what you just went through, I don’t think busting your ass was a big deal. You almost died. She probably thinks you’re tough or something for surviving all that.” I really had no idea if Shiloh felt that way, but for the moment and for the sake of my friend’s feelings, she did.
“Thanks, Cade.” He leaned over and adjusted the water in the tiny shower. “Maybe after I get all cleaned up, she’ll see how smoking I really am.” And just like that, Ryker was back.
“You need me to stay…and like, help?” I asked. Silently, I prayed for a no. I liked Ryker, but I didn’t know if I could help him wash his junk. We weren’t like that.
“I can lean up against the wall for support.” A relieved sigh audibly rushed out. “On second thought, maybe I do need help. I can see it being really hard to lean down and get all up in my nut sack,” he said when he noticed my response.
I backed away, defending myself with my hands.
“Come on, now. I really hate it when I can’t get all up in there to get it clean. I’m sure Shiloh doesn’t like smelly balls.”
I shut the door just as he couldn’t hold it together anymore and laughter belted out. I smiled, glad to hear it again.
While he was in the shower, I jogged back to the house and found the clothes he’d worn here folded neatly on the edge of the kitchen counter. I was sure he would be like me and ready to get out of the hospital gown he was wearing. Something sizzled as a pot boiled over, water cascading down the sides, faltering the flame. I looked at it briefly before searching for someone. Odd. I bent closer, unsure how to work their cooking machine. Finally, I figured out how to shut it off and heedfully headed down the hall.
Quiet whispers came from a door at the end. Chants. Over and over again.
“It’s best to just let it ride out,” came one of Shiloh’s sisters.
“Dis just doesn’t feel right. Look at her,” Justice said, seemingly trying to reason his point of view.
“She’s having a vision. Dere’s nothing we can do till it releases her.”
I glanced through a small crack. All the sisters were around a kneeling Shiloh, her back hunched over with her face lying against the floor. Justice stared from near the wall, deep lines extended from his frown showing his concern. I backed away and headed outside once I’d snatched Ryker’s clothes from the counter. What kind of vision could she be having? Something about the whole thing made me uneasy. My muscles clenched with alertness as I swiftly threw the door open.
“You scared the shit out of me,” Ryker said, standing beside his bed with a towel wrapped tightly around his midsection. “What’s wrong?” He tilted his head as his eyes widened.
I wasn’t sure if I should spill what I’d witnessed. He just woke up around a group of strange humans. It might stress him out and set his recovery back.
“Nothing.” The lie sounded obvious the second it was out. Shit. I tossed him the clothes and shut the door behind me.
“Don’t lie to me. Your voice just got this weird squeaky thing going on, so I know you’re full of it.” His accusation hung in the air, causing me to look anywhere other than him. Mumbling something incomprehensible, he slowly walked back into the bathroom with the clothes tucked under his arm.
I twirled a chair around and straddled it backward. There was no way he was going to let this go. “I just saw something,” I said, peeking out the window to make sure no one had emerged from the house to hear our conversation. My eavesdropping had heightened my paranoia that someone might be doing the same thing to me. He reappeared, fully dressed, but hair unruly. Stumbling a bit, his arms shot out to the sides to rebalance himself. “You better sit down and take it easy.” Deliberately avoiding the conversation at hand.
He turned away, and I knew he was rolling his eyes. “I’m working through all this the best I can. I know it looks like I’m still messed up, but my strength is coming back.” He was in an uncharacteristically touchy mood.
My guess was this was the first time he had ever experienced anything this traumatic and was having difficulties coping with it. Within a matter of days, he’d left everything behind for a world he had never been to, trying to save someone he’d never laid eyes on, and on top of everything, almost died in the process of it all. He had every right to feel however he wanted, and I would be the friend I
needed to be.
He wrestled with his hair, attempting to smooth it, but gave up after a few minutes. “Now, what did you see, hear, or whatever?”
There was no point in trying to shrug this off like it wasn’t anything. “I saw Shiloh on the floor, having a vision.”
His brow cocked up, the arch disappearing under a wisp of hair draped across his forehead. “Really?”
I nodded.
“What do you think it means?”
I shrugged, crossing my arms across the top of the chair, and laying my head on them. “Can’t mean anything good. Humans typically only experience visions if something supernatural has touched them or if something traumatic is in their future.” Grim had given the grandmother a gift, but she said nothing of Shiloh having anything similar. Surely, she would have mentioned it if she knew, which made me believe something bad was coming their way.
“It’s got to be because we’re here.” He leaned down, burying his face in his palms. “Damn. I just got really light-headed.”
I jumped up, shoving the chair to the side. “Please, lay back down,” I said, tugging on his arm. “I was the same way when I woke up.” His muscles relaxed, and he stood, allowing me to usher him back to the bed. Before he collapsed, I put fresh towels over the soiled sheets. Once he was snoring, I retreated to my chair. The vision of Shiloh on the floor nagged my thoughts. If I was right and something bad was coming her way, I would need her to tell me, so I could help. The thought seemed so logical, like it was her only option. The more realistic part of me knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Shiloh barely trusted us. I glanced back out the window toward the house for what seemed like the hundredth time. Surely, she should be fine now. I kept expecting her to come through the door with some type of home remedy for Ryker.
Well after dark, my back screamed at me to abandon my chair and get some rest. I stood, stretching out the aches, and left the room. The nocturnal creatures of Earth were busy, as they practically harmonized around me. Despite the heat, a cool breeze skirted by, carrying the smell of honeysuckle. I trotted toward the only light amongst the darkness. The tiny porch light bathed the door, chairs, and top two steps of the house. I paused at the door, my hand resting on the brass handle, listening for any sounds of life inside. Nothing. I opened it to find the house empty. Worry halted my steps. Crossing the living room, I glanced down the hall to see light coming out from under Shiloh’s door. Low voices were muffled on the other side. I wanted to check on her, but that would let them know I had seen what happened, so I continued walking. I paused for a moment in the kitchen, grabbing something small from the refrigerator to snack on, and then closed myself in my room. I flopped back on the bed and pulled out the key. I flipped it over a few times, examining it. I had no idea what this could go to. Grim said it would get us back without prying eyes, which meant there was a door somewhere. We would need to take that instead of using the Demoral tattoo. I put it back in my pocket, closed my eyes, and drifted off.
Over the next few days Ryker continued to regain his strength. He wasn’t sleeping as much, and the dizziness was nonexistent. He even joined Justice down at the creek to try to catch a few fish. This however, led to him falling into the water and practically drowning. How he managed that, I don’t know. It was great watching Justice retell the story, though. I was pretty sure the both of them were making it more dramatic than what it actually was, but they’d bonded over the experience. The two of them cut up and cackled like they’d known each other for years.
Shiloh was practically a ghost. I only saw her a few times when she was giving Ryker his medicine and then at meal times. He was the only one that could make her smile. Watching the two of them together was entertaining. His off the wall comments always made her blush and laugh. She seemed to be warming up to him. Other than that, she stayed in her room. Something had spooked her, even though she had yet to tell me about it. I knew from the vacant look in her eyes, the way I had to repeat myself when talking to her because her mind seemed in another place.
The night before we were set to leave, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to know if there was anything I could do before I left. She’d done so much for us. I excused myself from the porch where Justice and Ryker chatted and went back inside. I turned the corner to the hallway, and came to a halt. The temperature dropped dramatically, speckling my skin with chills. I exhaled, watching my breath curl in front of an iced over family portrait.
Something pounded against the walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every picture shook, beating against the peeling wallpaper as if possessed by an unseen force. The carpet shifted slightly, rolling in no specific direction. It stilled, growing in size. Like a rolling wave, it moved in my direction. I took a step to the right as a black object materialized, its body twisting and turning as it growled. I was rigid, waiting for an attack that never came.
The creature stopped, mid-air, right in front of me, its veined wings silently sweeping through the air. A wheezing sound came from it as it appeared to be sniffing me. Its crimson eyes rolled over me, taking me in. Just before disappearing, it nodded. I took a deep breath finally brave enough to move. I had no idea what that was, and its actions had me puzzled. It didn’t appear to be threatening once it assessed me. I glanced back at the door standing ajar and heard the soft whimpers inside. It was protecting her.
I rushed in the room to find Shiloh hiding underneath the bed, trembling with fear.
“I’ve never seen it until now.”
I tugged at her arm until she was completely out and blanketed her in my arms.
“All dese years, dat’s what has been wit me. I always had de feeling I wasn’t alone.”
The creature had assessed me, deeming me not a threat to her. If it were there to cause any harm her way, it would have already done so. Just as if I wanted to hurt her, I’m sure I would have had a serious fight on my hands. Despite what I knew, there was no way to make her understand. The sight of that thing was enough to freak any human out.
“It’s gone now.” I rocked her back and forth.
She pulled away, looking at me. “Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want dem to know dis. They’ve always known I had special qualities bout me. Having visions, casting summoning spells, and healing people aren’t dat uncommon in our family. But dis…it might make dem not want to come here any more. I can’t handle dem not being dere for me. I just can’t…no matter how strong I seem, it isn’t something I can deal wit.” I was sure then that Shiloh had no idea how her grandmother went blind. Her family was more attuned with the supernatural side than she realized. If she would have known that would have been the first place she went for help with this.
“I won’t.” I paused for a moment. “I’ll help you figure this all out once I make sure Izzy is safe, but first, I need you to tell me about your vision.”
Her lip trembled. “How did you know bout dat?”
“I saw you the other day when I came inside.
That isn’t the first one you’ve had is it?” Judging from the thing in the hall maybe I was wrong about my first thought regarding the vision. At least, I hoped I was.
“No. I’ve had dem since I was little. They always involve Reapers. Dat’s how I know others are here.”
Worry constricted my chest. “I need you to tell me what you saw.”
She nodded. After a few moments, she started to talk. “I saw a girl. I think it’s de one you’re after because you were dere too. You were running toward her, but you didn’t make it. A Reaper broke her neck and dropped her just as you got close enough to catch her in your arms.”
Fear paralyzed me. The kind of fear that devoured all rational thoughts and spat them back out.
“Did you hear me?” She snapped her fingers a few times in front of my face causing me to blink away the colossal mind-fuck I was in.
“Do you know when it happens?”
She shook her head, lining my heart with even more despair. “It was daylight. At a ho
use.”
I needed to process everything. I stood after making sure she was okay to be alone, and drifted back to my room. I could change the vision. Part of me wanted to run through the house, grab Ryker by the collar of his shirt, and leave to find Izzy right this instant. If I did that, they would question why the sudden urgency. No, I couldn’t do that. I knew I had at least until daylight. All we needed to do was stay away from any type of house once we found her. I was in for a long, sleepless night. Antsy, I paced back and forth. My thoughts wandered all over the place, frustrated that I couldn’t do anything about them now. I dropped to my knees, gripping my hair.
“Grim…I don’t want to fail. But what if I do?” I didn’t know if he could hear me, but I needed to think he could.
I waited for a response I knew wasn’t coming. The silence was my enemy. After sitting there so long I could no longer feel my legs, I pulled myself up and sat by the window. I raised the blind and stared up at the sky, waiting for the sun. I had years of practice at sitting and waiting, but these few hours were nothing on years in that prison cell.
When the sun began to form a pink hue across the horizon, I jumped up and ran from my room. I beat down Ryker’s door and told him to get a move on. In the process, I woke up the rest of the house. Everything from Izzy dying to Shiloh’s protective companion had me on edge. After I found Izzy I needed to find out what that thing was around Shiloh. There had to be a reason it was protecting her.
An hour later, we were finally ready to go.
Ryker was determined to win over Shiloh before we left. He stepped toward her. She put up her hands and backed into her sisters. “Don’t run away from our love,” he continued his sad attempt to come on to her. “We could watch Star Wars together.”
She stopped and laughed, throwing a hand on her hip. “Star Wars?” After last night, it was nice to see her smile. Being around Ryker was good for her.
Ryker looked confused. “What? Maybe I could draw you some dick pictures?”
Defiance Page 12