“Where is she? Where. Is. Jenna?”
Our normally level-headed empath was red in the face and smashing his fists into anything he got near as he stormed back into the blazing cabin.
“Jaxon, go get him,” I demanded.
He nodded and ran into the burning structure, but I wasn’t worried about him. He was half-demon. They were fireproof, or so I assumed.
“What the hell happened?” Spencer asked as Deacon hobbled his way closer and Ethan shifted back into his human form.
“We were sitting in the cabin, trying to figure out rooms when I smelled the smoke. I went to check it out and was knocked out by some bitch vamp with red hair. I didn’t come to until you guys showed up,” Deacon answered, so I turned to Ethan, hoping he was calm enough to explain.
He glanced back at his friend, causing fury to rise back up within me, but I kept it in check knowing Jaxon and Blake were still in a burning building. Until we were far away from the cabin, I had to be in control, because I wouldn’t let my emotions make anything worse for the others. I’d deal with them well enough on my own later.
“There was a dozen of them. They moved so fast at first that we weren’t even sure what was happening. On top of that, the fire was spreading through the cabin, so we went out front, but didn’t even make it out the door before bloodsuckers were on us.
“I killed a few, and so did Gabe, but when he tried to use his power, it didn’t work for whatever reason and they got the upper hand.” Ethan’s eyes met mine. “I tried to help. I really did.”
Moving in closer, I placed a hand on his arm. “I know you did, and so did he.”
“Jenna was with Gabe, and he got distracted when the redhead took her. Jenna didn’t even put up a fight,” Ethan added.
“That must have been Kristen. Well, the good news to that is they probably don’t intend to hurt Jenna as long as she doesn’t try to fight them on her own,” I replied, then realized Blake was searching the cabin for no reason.
Before I could make the choice to go in after them, he and Jaxon came tumbling back out, covered in soot and coughing heavily. When Blake glanced up, I didn’t even recognize the furious man before us.
“Cara, calm him down,” Greggor said.
“How the fuck do you suppose I do that? Maybe if you’d showed up instead of calling first, she wouldn’t be missing in the first place.”
He ignored my snide comment and answered my question. “Use your power.”
Walking closer, Jaxon shook his head. “Stay back, Flower. I got this.”
“Just hold on to him and I can help.”
Trusting Jaxon would listen, I reached out to Blake. “We’re going to get her back, but we need your head in the game, not your emotions, Yeti.”
Blake snarled at me, literally snapping his teeth at me while Jaxon restrained him.
The empath’s power flooded through me as I dodged his attempts to shake me off, but I wasn’t afraid of him. He’d been there for me plenty of times, and it was damn time I repaid the favor. Once I was certain I had enough juice in me, I reversed the flow of power and sent calming waves through my heartbroken friend.
Within a minute, Jaxon let go of him and Blake was back in control. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s go get your girl back. Sounds like Kristen showed up with her new friends.” Turning to Greggor and Zeke, I marched toward them, fully intending to unleash a little bit of my pent-up fury on them. “Where would they have taken her?”
“Either to the prison to use—” Zeke cut himself off when he realized his choice of words might set Blake off again. “Or they’d take her to one of the compounds. The nearest one to here is in Denver.”
Greggor stepped up. “They’re congregating at the prison.”
“How do you know?” I pushed my finger into his chest. “How did you know they were here? How are you always aware of everything, yet you’re never man enough to do anything about it yourself?” With every word, my voice rose higher.
Greggor had tremendous power, and even more knowledge. The fact that he rarely used it for good pissed me right the fuck off.
“Cara, you don’t know what’s going on. I’m doing the best I can to tell you everything, but the sources I’m using are not conventional. They don’t always work how we’d like them to. Just remember things could have been a lot worse had I done nothing.”
Even though he was right, it didn’t help to calm me down as the “what ifs” raced through my thoughts. We could have lost them all, and a world without Blake was not one I wanted to see. He was the bright spot in our group. Well, except for right now. His aura was blazing crimson, even though he was acting calm.
Taking a minute, I let the guys continue to chat and focused on Blake’s ability. It was fascinating, and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to give it back. Well, that was until my sights landed on Ethan and the pain radiating off of him nearly made my knees give out.
Rage was easier to handle; the heartbreak was too much for me. I wanted to give the powers back but didn’t. Blake needed me, and this was nothing to suffer through if it meant keeping our friend from doing something that got him killed.
“He’s awake. We need to go back,” Jaxon announced, pulling my attention back to the conversation.
“Mason? He’s okay?” Relief flooded through me, because we couldn’t take another loss so soon.
Zeke opened a portal and stepped aside. This one entered right into his backyard, unlike the ones that Nixie always made. “I need to clean this up before we burn the whole forest down. I’ll be there shortly.”
We nodded as Blake, Jaxon, Deacon, Ethan, and I walked through the opening. I turned to see Greggor staying behind. “Leaving again so soon?” The bite in my words was hard to miss.
“I’m going to help Zeke.”
I doubted that. Fucker had his own agenda, and it reminded me of how uncertain we’d been about Owen when trying to get his help escaping the prison. I didn’t like it.
Blake began to shake and distracted me from my thoughts as I focused on him. “It’s okay. I’m right here. Mason is waking up, and then we’re going to bring hell to their front doors. This ends today.”
He took a deep calming breath and nodded. “We’re going to get her back.”
“Yes, we are.”
“And then we’re going to kill them all.”
“That, too.”
“And burn that fucking prison to the ground.”
“Totally acceptable.” I grinned, because while I didn’t enjoy his pain, I sure loved where his thoughts were headed.
The others had already run ahead, and by the time we joined them, Mason was already out of bed and changed into fighting gear. “When do we leave?”
“Easy, Brother. Let’s make sure you’re really okay,” Spencer said, then received a punch to the ribs.
“Does that tell you anything? I’ve never been better.” His eyes drifted to Nixie, filled with affection. “Thanks to her.”
Jaxon shoved him. “Come on, lover boy. Let’s get downstairs.”
My eyes met Nixie’s, and she was radiating. Her aura was almost too much to take in, and my heart was feeling the effects. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I wanted nothing more than for the two of them to run away from all this craziness and get their happily-ever-after.
As I stayed frozen, lost in the emotions I’d been assaulted with, Jaxon grabbed on to me and pulled me into him. His fingers grasped my chin and lifted my head, holding my stare until everyone was gone from the room.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Blake’s ability… it’s a lot. I don’t know how he isn’t a bubbling pit of emotion every day.”
His eyes flared, and for the first time since I’d acquired the empath’s power, I took in Jaxon’s aura. It hadn’t been as pulsing as the others who were hurting and had been distracting me, but now that he had my full attention, I wished I’d been paying attention sooner.
Reds, blues,
and purples mixed together with splashes of silver. I didn’t know what all of the colors meant, that apparently was something learned not instinctual, but I was entranced. My fingers reached out and touched the air around him, hoping I could feel more deeply what he did, but unfortunately, it didn’t work that way, either.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
“And you’re high on love.” He grinned as if it wasn’t the worst fucking time for me to be distracted.
“I’m not going to be able to fight with this power. I have to give it back, but we can’t risk Blake going cray-cray.”
Jaxon brushed my hair from my face. “Blake will be fine. He just needs to know we have a plan, one he agrees with, and then as soon as we get to the prison, you can give it back.”
His strong arms wrapped around me, and I wanted to tell him every emotion I felt inside. I wanted to break down the last of the walls and give him everything, but I stopped. I wasn’t myself, and when we finally had that conversation, I wanted him to know it was truly me speaking and not the magic currently overwhelming my senses.
“Let’s go join the others and make sure they’re not planning to nuke an entire state to end this quickly,” Jaxon joked, but I bet he wasn’t the first person to think it.
When we got back downstairs, Greggor, Zeke, and Owen were already back. Some were seated at the table, and others paced. I chose to do the latter with Jaxon by my side.
“Tell her,” Zeke grumbled.
“Tell me what?” My eyes went to Greggor’s.
He rolled his. “This is why I never leave my house. Why I never get involved. These feelings.” His hands flailed as if he could make it all go away with a flick of his fingers. “They’re awful. I don’t like any of you.”
Laughter escaped me, because Greggor did like me. I might have been pissed at him, but I knew he cared. He’d stepped in when he didn’t have to, and even though I’d wished it had been earlier, he had been right. Things could have been a lot worse without his help. Plus, I could have answered my phone the first time and been there sooner as well. I was just as much to blame as he was, if not more.
“Greggor, you’re the most badass demon I’ve ever met, and I’m sorry I got mad at you,” I said.
He snarled at me. “That’s not fucking helping.”
“I know, but it made me feel better, so what is it that you have to say?”
His hands curled around the chair, causing the wood to crack before Zeke punched him. “Don’t break my damn house.”
Greggor’s horns glowed red, and Zeke took a step back. That seemed to pacify the demon, and he continued. “I used to work for the Luccovinos.”
Sounds of aggression rang through the room. Rumbles, growls, snarls, and several “What the fuck?” shouts.
He held his hand up. “This was before I met your grandmother. It’s how she knew to come to me. Your father warned her that she would need help protecting you, and that I would be the only person to be able to do it.”
“Why?” Mason asked, and I noticed Nixie was on his shoulder. Selfishly, I hoped that wasn’t her new permanent home.
“Because I’m the only being to ever walk away from the Luccovinos and live. I quit and survived.”
“Explain more. We don’t know much about them, so that fact means nothing to us,” I said.
His hands rubbed over his face. “They’re afraid of me and my power. I’m not a host like Jaxon. I was never a human who had to merge with a demon soul. I was born from the pits of hell. I’ve been around for centuries, and my power is original, from the devil himself.”
Another original being. Holy shit.
“So then, you can beat them,” Jaxon said.
Greggor shook his head. “I can take them on, but I can’t beat them by myself. I need Cara.”
I froze from my pacing and tilted my head toward him, finding all eyes in the room on me with Jaxon standing right behind me. “What does that mean?”
“I can put the vampires into a sleep stasis or something similar, depending on how much their power has grown since I left, but I can’t end them without using their own power against them. This is why they’re afraid of you. You can take their power and kill them with my help. Niccolo, Luca, Gino, and Corinna.”
Huh, so that was the evil grandmother’s real name. I hadn’t cared to ask and really didn’t care to know right then, either. Especially because it sounded much too close to mine. If I’d been named after that bitch, I was going to change it.
“So, how do we do this?” Blake asked, his aura still flaming red, but his body remaining calm as I kept his emotions trapped.
“We have to go in and separate them. Our chances decrease significantly if we face them together. Even with all of us staying together, they’re stronger when they’re feeding off each other’s power,” Greggor answered.
“My suggestion is we split up into groups and hit the prison at multiple entry points. We begin letting the prisoners out and causing mass chaos. It will force the four of them to act or hide, and I’ve never known the Luccovinos to hide from anyone,” Zeke said.
“When?” Nixie asked.
Greggor and Zeke shared a look. This was clearly the only part they hadn’t figured out.
“I say we wait another day or two to get our shit together,” Zeke suggested.
Greggor turned to me. “What does your gut tell you?”
“That we leave right the fuck now,” I answered without hesitation.
“Anyone else?” the demon asked.
Owen sided with Zeke for obvious reasons, but our group, we all agreed the sooner the better. We had Blake and Jenna to consider. She might have been new to the gang, but Blake claimed her, and that made her irreplaceable.
Zeke threw his hands in the air as Owen tried to calm him down. They moved to the living room while the rest of us began to name off supplies we could have ready within the hour instead of a day like Zeke wanted.
Once everyone had their tasks sorted, I went downstairs with Nixie to the room I shared with Jaxon to change. I wasn’t going into the battle wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
“So, you seem to be doing better now that Mason is awake,” I said as I dug through my bag, looking for the suit she’d made me before.
“I guess so.” She shrugged, and I knew she was full of shit. Sure, they still had bodily logistics to work out, but him being alive was a great start.
“Does he know why you’re struggling?” I asked.
She opened her mouth with a scowl on her face, likely to yell at me, but then stopped, seeming to change her mind. “You really do care, don’t you?”
I snorted. “Of course, I do. I’ve cared about you since the moment I saved your ass in the alley.”
“I could have killed the fucker on my own,” she scoffed.
“I know, but it’s so much more fun with a team around you, isn’t it?”
She fluttered around the room while I began to change. Finally, she stopped and landed on the desk next to me. “I’m with Greggor. I don’t like all of these feelings, but I get it now. Watching Mason almost die made me realize that, for the first time in centuries, I have a family. One I don’t want to lose.”
“And you’re not going to. Plus, when this is all over, we’ll figure out a way to make Mason tiny or you big. I’m rooting for the former if you want my opinion.” I grinned, hoping that would cheer her up.
Before she could respond, Greggor’s voice sounded, and he entered the room. “I can help with that.”
“With what?” I asked as I buckled my suit the rest of the way up to avoid giving the demon a peepshow.
“I can make Nixie human-size, and she’ll keep her powers.”
Chapter 21
My eyes bulged from my head. “You’re saying she’d be exactly as she is now, just bigger?”
He nodded. “Well, minus the wings. I’d have to use those as the fuel to the spell, but she’d have all of her other same abilities minus flying.”
; Turning my head, I found Nixie standing in the same spot, face devoid of any emotion. “Are you okay, Nix? Did you hear Greggor?”
She didn’t respond, but he did. “Oh, she knows. She’s known all along it was possible.”
My mind flashed back to our past conversation when she mentioned changing herself and being unwilling to lose who she was. Nixie might be coming around to the idea of our unconventional family, but I did see how it wasn’t an easy decision.
“How about we have this conversation later? Did you need something, Greggor?” I asked, hoping we could change the subject.
“I, um, just wanted to, well, say that I was, uh. I didn’t mean for your friend to die. I didn’t know that the people at the cabin were vulnerable.”
Even though talking about Gabe’s death was nowhere near funny, I couldn’t help but laugh at Greggor’s bumbling. “Are you trying to apologize?”
“Fuck off.” He turned around, but I stopped him.
“I swear, you and Nixie should have been best friends. Thank you, Greggor, and I apologize for blaming you.”
He nodded, then continued back out the door. Everyone was doing their best, and I was finally accepting that was all we could expect. Greggor was who he was, and there was no changing him. Nixie was the same. They needed to take baby steps, and I wouldn’t be the one to push them or berate them for doing so.
As I was putting on my boots, Nixie finally moved into action, circling around me. “Your power has changed, and this fight won’t be easy. Stand up.”
I did as she asked—no, demanded—grinning all the while. Then, she spun herself into a flurry of fairy dust before continuing to move around me. Before I knew it, we were both in a tornado of her magic, and I had to hold my breath before I choked to death on the dust.
She finally stopped, and I peeked down at myself. “Nothing seems to be changed.” I was still in my boots and black body suit with nothing feeling any different than before.
“It’s not supposed to, but you’re safer now. I added a few fail safes to it based on what we know. Hopefully, you don’t figure them out, but if you do, then you can thank me later. Now, my turn.”
Escape (Elite Supernatural Trackers Book 3) Page 15