We had been right about the food court being the auction site. In the center of the room stood the catwalk. Seeing it caused a shiver to run down my spine.
“For the love of Danu,” Seth breathed.
“It’s a totally different feeling when you actually see it,” I said.
“Well, hello there,” a voice called from behind us. Gabriel was standing in front of a cluster of well-armed Angels. “Nice to see you all.” He was addressing everyone, but he locked his eyes on me. “I’m especially happy to see your pretty face.”
“Can’t say I feel the same.”
Gabriel barked out a laugh. “Oh, you will learn to appreciate me soon.”
“Doubtful.”
He smiled and stepped back. “Men!” he yelled out and his minions swarmed us.
Even while fighting off the Angels, I took notice as the rest of our clan joined us. We had them out numbered, and these minions were just speed bumps. They had limited fighting skills; some could barely handle the swords in their hands.
Gabriel enjoyed games, and that’s what this was to him. He was playing with us. So, I assumed each group of Gabriel’s men would be more skilled than the last, and harder to fight. This group though, didn’t take long to defeat. I no longer saw Gabriel. I looked around in search of him.
“Gabriel!” I yelled as I ran after him.
“I am here,” Ian said from beside me.
One store had the lights on up ahead and I increased my speed. The only thing left of the sign above the door was ‘Nord’. Mannequins lay in various stages of undress with limbs missing or twisted in odd ways. The Angels were as juvenile as they were evil.
Broken glass covered the floor of what must have been the cosmetics department. This made for a slippery path, but we made it to the escalator intact. I slid to a stop when I saw Gabriel standing at the top.
“Aw, you found me,” he said in a mock-pouty voice.
“I will kill you,” I responded.
He sneered and made a motion with his hand. “Come and get me.”
I lifted my foot to place it on the step when Ian grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Goldie, hold on a second.”
“What?”
“You cannot just go storming up there. We do not know what he has waiting for us.”
“Come on, don’t listen to him, Goldie,” Gabriel teased.
Ignoring him, I turned to Ian. Ian was much older and more experienced than me. He had the unsettling ability to stay calm in high-stress situations. I don’t think I’d ever achieve that talent, but I knew enough to listen to him… most times.
“What then?”
“We wait,” he said as he pulled me away from the escalator altogether.
“For what? He could get away!” But a quick glance told me he was still there, grinning like a fool.
“I prefer he gets away than risk losing you this night. We wait for our clan.”
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long. Leo, Flip and Slash arrived and informed us they had done some recon of the place, and they had found another group of well-armed Angels waiting for us on the second floor.
“Okay, now we know. Let’s go,” I said to Ian.
“We go, but we go slow and steady.”
“Understood.”
We went to the second escalator further in the store. Not only did this one not have Gabriel standing guard, but according to Leo there was a smaller group of Angels here. We’d run into more Angels, but this way we could start small and work our way through to the others. Then we could finish Gabriel.
I took the escalator running, taking two stairs at a time. Something that sounds easier than it is for someone of my short stature, but I bounded up them and slid to a stop in front of Rufus.
“What the hell?” I sputtered as I came to a halt in front of him, grimacing at the sly grin he wore. “Why are you—” I gasped in pain as his hand closed around my arm with a bone-crushing grip.
“You will keep that mouth of yours shut,” he growled in my ear low enough that I was the only one to hear him. “Lower your head to tell me you understand.”
I glanced up into his eyes to see what I could read there, but there was nothing. I may as well have been looking into the eyes of a corpse for all the emotion in them. He squeezed my arm again, and this time I felt the bone crack. It healed just as quickly, but it still hurt like hell.
I looked to Ian, he nodded imperceptibly. I didn’t understand what was going on or why, but I trusted Ian with my life, so I looked down as Rufus had ordered. The lascivious smile and wink Rufus aimed at me only confused me even more. He looked over to Ian.
“Well, brother, it’s about time you figured out where we were. We’ve been waiting for you. We were going to come to you, but you so conveniently delivered the mutt to us. Thanks for that.”
I glanced at Ian and again he subtly moved his head to tell me to stay quiet, though his eyes never left Rufus. A snake-like tendril of fear began to coil in my gut. Was this it? Was Rufus handing me over to Gabriel? I looked up into Rufus’s eyes trying once again to read something, anything, in them. This time he lowered his eyes for a split second before looking over to Ian again.
Rufus had glanced at my belt. He hadn’t taken my knives, and he held me by my left arm, leaving my dominant side free to reach them. I glanced up at him.
Much like Ian, Rufus moved his head in a tiny nod answering my unspoken question. I relaxed and waited for the right time to make my move.
“Follow me, if you will,” Rufus said as he began to half drag me to where I last saw Gabriel. I pulled away from him to test his hold. He loosened his grip silently telling me he’d let me go when I needed to fight.
We turned the corner and there stood Gabriel in all his glory, his minions behind him. He stood tall and proud; hip cocked.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up and his smile broadened. It was unnerving. I longed to wipe that smug smile off his face in a most permanent way.
Rufus’ hand twitched on my arm, a silent warning to behave. I looked around to see Ian and the rest of our clan behind us.
“Qadira, Qadira, Qadira, we were meant to be together,” Gabriel said. It took everything I had to hold my tongue. That and another bruising squeeze from Rufus. “Rufus, my friend, you’ve done well. I will reward you.”
“Thank you, dominus.”
Dominus? What the hell? I looked up at Rufus. He ignored me, his eyes on Gabriel, but he loosened his hold on my arm.
What the fuck was happening? One second he’s calling Gabriel master, the next he’s rubbing my aching arm. I groaned in frustration, earning a caress from Rufus.
When he moved his thumb in small circles, it hit me: he was signaling me that he was prepared for me to break free from his grip.
Not a second later Gabriel made a move in our direction. I spun out of Rufus’ grip and braced for action.
“Hiya, Gabe,” I said.
“You betrayed me!”
Rufus chuckled and looked way more relaxed than he should have.
“I once told you I serve only myself. You were the fool who believed me to be loyal, so really, if you think about it, you betrayed yourself.”
Gabriel screamed in rage and lunged for me. I was ready, knives in hand. He didn’t get within a foot of me before Ian tackled him to the ground, knife at Gabriel’s throat.
“NO! She’s mine! You can’t keep her from me. I have plans for us. Incredible plans.” He was sniffling at this point. His pathetic display disgusted me.
A noise drew my attention from Gabriel. I looked around to see a handful of his gang moving toward me.
I turned to face them. Some of them turned and ran. One of the more enthusiastic ones came charging at me. He ran himself right on to the end of one of my knives. Really, he’d done the work for me.
I shook him off and looked up to the next contestant in our lethal game. She ran at me with a scream. She was smarter and evaded my knives long enough to swipe at me with her own. I
ducked and spun on one foot knocking her to the ground. Once she was down, I hit my mark and moved on to the next.
Gabriel screamed in rage as he watched his henchmen fall. He didn’t put up a fight when Ian pulled him to his feet and dragged him over to where Rufus stood. This may seem like he was giving up, but we knew better. Gabriel was pathetic and deranged, but he was old, and in the banshee-world, old equates to powerful.
He used that power to flip himself into the air, freeing himself from Ian’s hold. Before Ian could react, Gabriel used the knife of one of his fallen comrades to stab Ian in the abdomen. Even as Ian fell to the ground, Gabriel began to run away… like the coward we knew him to be.
When I saw Ian lying on the floor covered in blood, I forgot about Gabriel.
“Ian?” No response. “Did he get his heart?”
“Close,” Ian said.
“Can you feed from me?”
“No. I will be okay in a minute.”
“You better be.”
Once he healed enough, we stood to find our team hovering close by.
“What are you doing here? Did no one follow Gabriel?” The frustration I felt was strong in my voice. Every time we got close to capturing and ending the slimy bastard, he slipped away.
“We followed. We were too late,” Rufus responded.
“Where. Did. He. Go?” I ground out through my clenched jaw.
“There’s only one place of which I can think. It is a place unknown to even the highest-ranking Angels.”
“How do you know of it, dominus?”
“Because I worked for many years to gain his trust.” He grinned down at me. “You have no idea the things I’ve done to protect Ian over the years, so you will never question me again.”
I stared into his eyes; eyes that reminded me of Ian. He was right. I had no idea what he’d been through to win Gabriel’s confidence.
“Okay, you’re right. You know where this place is?”
“I do. It’s not far from here.”
“Let’s go.”
When we got to the car, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Ian slid into the driver’s seat, even recovering from an injury he insisted on driving. I pushed the passenger seat forward for Rufus, but he motioned for me to get in the back seat.
“So not gonna happen, buddy. You can get in the back or you can walk. Your choice.”
Rufus chuckled. “All right, sugar, whatever you say.”
Ian followed Rufus’ directions, driving for twenty minutes before arriving at a simple one-story ranch-style home with Gabriel’s Hummer SUV in the driveway.
“This is it?” Why the hell would someone who hates mortals want to live like one?
“Yes. He wanted a peaceful place where he could raise his family. You kind of screwed that up by rescuing Juliana,” Rufus explained.
“Ah, shucks.”
He chuckled. “I can see why Ian loves you.”
“Well, gee, I’m so glad you approve.” I turned back to the front and cast a glance in Ian’s direction, but his expression gave nothing away… as usual.
“I never said I approve, just that I understand.”
I rolled my eyes and opened the door to step out into the brisk morning air. Looking up at the sunrise-hued sky, I sang, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood… to kill a psychopath.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Ga-a-abrie-e-el, come out, come out wherever you are,” I called from the way too average looking living room.
As we searched the house I was confused by its traditional design, with lots of whites, creams, and muted colors. The house and its décor were a stark contrast to the banshee who had called it home.
“You checked for an attic? Basement?” I asked… again.
Leo relayed, for a second time, that the attic had been empty. There was no basement, not surprising in south Florida, but you never know. As far as they could tell there were no secret rooms hidden anywhere in the house. Some of our guys were checking the perimeter for signs of Gabriel’s whereabouts.
I spotted a doghouse through the sliders that led to the backyard. I smirked at the mental image of Gabriel holding the leash of a poodle. Because with as weird as all this was, he could have just been out walking his dog.
“Wait a second,” I muttered as I walked out back.
I heard Ian call my name as I crawled into the doghouse. “Well, well, well,” I said to myself as I lifted the hatch in the floor and climbed down into a tunnel.
“Goldie?”
“In here. There’s a tunnel.”
Ian lowered himself into the tunnel and we stood looking into the dark. The warmth in my center grew so quickly, it took all I had to tamp down the fire. Ian felt it and wrapped his arms around me, trying to soothe me.
“Relax, Goldie. You can control it, you know how.”
“Talking helps.”
“So, talk.”
“How does this weasel keep getting away from us?”
“He can run, but he cannot hide for too long.”
“That is the corniest thing you’ve ever said.”
“What do you want me to say? You know Gabriel is a rat. Rats can be cunning. I know he has escaped again, but I assure you, we will get him.”
We heard someone on the ladder and turned to see Rufus.
“I know you’re upset, but we need to go,” Rufus said.
“Fine,” I agreed.
We drove in silence. Ian’s eyes never leaving the road. I gazed at the morning sky. And Rufus hummed an annoyingly upbeat tune in the backseat. When we got home, I went straight to the bedroom, ran a bath, and sank in up to my neck.
I needed a good pout, get it over with so I could move on and help plan our next move to find Gabriel. Closing my eyes, I sank even deeper into the bath letting the warm water cradle me.
Within minutes I was drifting into a half-sleep while thinking of Ian. Specifically, his hands moving over my body.
When his touch became real, I let out a moan. He slid in behind me rousing me from my daydream. His hands explored my body, eliciting more moans.
Resting my head on his chest, I felt his excitement pressing on my back. I began to move against it and soon Ian was grabbing me by the waist to turn me so I was straddling him. Our lips met as I lowered myself onto him and we began to move until we both cried out.
We held each other as the water cooled. He was rubbing my back, and I snuggled in even more.
“Mm, if you keep wiggling around, we are never getting out of this tub,” Ian murmured against my neck.
“I’d say that’s fine with me, but it’s getting chilly in here,” I said.
In response, he stood with me wrapped around his waist.
He lowered his lips to mine as I unwrapped my legs from him. When my feet touched the floor, a shiver coursed through me that had nothing to do with the frigid ceramic at my feet.
“Are you feeling better?” Ian stepped out of my embrace to grab two oversized towels from the linen closet.
He wrapped me in one before using the other for himself. Once we were dry, we slipped into our robes and stepped into the bedroom. With just a thought, flames burst to life in the fireplace.
“You have been practicing.”
The shadows from the fire elicited a vision of fairies dancing around a bonfire in a forest. It was so strong I thought I could hear them singing. I shook my head to clear it and the vision was gone.
“Now and then, when I have a moment to myself.”
We sat on the sofa in front of the fire.
“It shows.”
“I’m losing my fairy blood, aren’t I?”
He stiffened and shifted a little. My question must have surprised him.
“When is the last time you ate?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I have a point, just answer me.”
“I can’t remember. I can’t even remember the last time I was hungry. You saw what happened with the chili.”
; “Goldie, you are becoming banshee. Your aura is changing.”
“How?”
“I do not know, but I believe it has to do with you taking my essence. It somehow mutated your–”
“Mutated?”
“Perhaps that was a poor choice of words.” He pulled me onto his lap. “You need to know that this does not make you weird or any other term you choose to label yourself. You are one of a kind, and that makes you special and precious.”
The feel of his body and the sound of his deep, husky voice had me melting against him.
“Okay, so you think your essence is transforming me into a banshee?”
‘Transforming’ wasn’t the best word, but it was a hell of a lot better than ‘mutated’.
“Yes.”
Before I could react to this revelation, there was a knock at the door. Ian rose to answer it and I went out on the balcony. I leaned forward, elbows on the railing and my head in my hands.
“How you holding up, my pip?” Bryce asked from beside me.
“I’m becoming banshee.”
“I concur,” he said matter-of-factly.
Anxiety blossomed at his straight-forward acknowledgment. There was no holding it back, no calming it down, it had taken over and I could only ride it out and hope for the best. Of course, that didn’t happen. Instead, I lost my mind.
“What? How are you so calm? Your niece is becoming a banshee. The things you taught me to kill. The things you taught me to hate! I will become a soul-sucking banshee!” I was pacing and using my hands as I spoke, and I smacked him in the face when I spun. “Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“I’m fine,” he said so tersely that I took a step away from him. “Let me set things straight, because you evidently have some misconceptions in that stubborn head of yours. I taught you to defend yourself against immoral banshees. I most certainly never taught you to hate anyone. Any hate you have is your own doing, not mine,” he said. “I never thought it possible, but you’ve disappointed me tonight. I raised you better than this. Act like it.” And with that he turned and left.
His words and the distress in his voice snapped me out of my panicked fog, and what I’d done hit me like a slap in the face.
Becoming Banshee Page 15