Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out his phone and started texting instead of speaking. Since he’d mentioned Simms a minute before, I’d guess that was who he was contacting.
“Are you Argil?” I asked, taking the cap from the silver pen as unobtrusively as possible.
The shadow sat in silence for a few seconds before he spoke. “I am Argil, yes,” he agreed, his voice raspy and far less . . . there, than Loam’s voice had been. It was almost like he spoke through some sort of barrier.
“Hi. Nice to meet you. Why are you in my car?” I asked in as calm a tone as I could manage.
There was a pregnant silence before his gravelly voice filled the air again. “We were contracted to protect Dorothy Otto from her objects of myth. One of those objects was stolen from her house. Without it, she will die. I followed you because you were on the track of the thieves.”
Okay, that was pretty much what Loam had said. And it did make sense since they were supposed to keep Dorothy safe. The problem I had was that she had been hurt when they were ‘on duty’. Loam had gotten huffy about that. I wondered if Argil would.
I got into Realm Enforcement’s database and indeed found a file listed as ‘Shadow Walker Contracts’. I searched through it until I found the contract Leopold Otto had drawn up with them.
It was a serious stretch to say that they were ONLY supposed to protect her from her collection. The wording specifically stated protecting her from harm without mentioning magical harm or anything like that. They had neglected their duty and Dorothy had been hurt.
“Funny,” I said straight-faced. “It would have been easy for you to protect Dorothy and keep those guys from taking the cup in the first place. Why is it so important to you now?” I demanded, watching that mostly translucent form warily.
It was fortunate that Spencer seemed to get what was going on. He had slowed the car considerably, keeping the light the same so Argil was at least somewhat visible to me. I didn’t know how long that light would last, so worked as fast as possible without looking at what I was doing.
Argil made a hissing noise and the shadow moved closer to me. “You didn’t even know we existed before a few hours ago when your boyfriend did his communing with the spirits. Don’t assume you know what we can and cannot do.”
And the creepy took on a serious ick-factor. He had been in the house and we hadn’t known. How much had he seen? What had been the point?
“How did you know Ian was a medium?” I asked in a cold, quiet voice.
“You mentioned it.”
“I mentioned it at the house, so that means you rode back to Pittsburgh with us and spent the night in my house. I’d guess there are laws against those kinds of things.”
He made a slight move and all of a sudden, something shiny appeared in his hand. The shadow took on more of a form than he’d been before and I saw that what was in his hand was a knife. He didn’t speak. All he did was whip his blade toward me.
I raised my hand where I’d drawn a solar symbol and pressed my finger to its center. “Lumine solis,” I said . . . and the light blazed from my palm.
The shadow vanished but the knife didn’t. I did my best to get out of the way but before I could even move, Spencer had reached back and snagged the thing out of the air. He didn’t even swerve my car.
Erkens swore loudly before he brought his phone up and started bellowing into it. I felt bad for whoever was on the other end, although it was hard to concentrate on. Spencer had just saved my life.
TWENTY-THREE
Even my gratitude for the fact Spencer had saved me from the knife wasn’t as powerful as the truths my mind showed me. “Adrian talked the Shadow Walkers into helping her but I don’t know why a cup that grants immortality would be so important to her.”
Spencer glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “I told you about the wraiths when I was seventeen?” he nodded a little. “It turns out that Adrian was working with them. I was being hunted by my people at that point and they had hired some wraiths to bring me in. I’d guess Adrian made some kind of deal with them because my grandma told me that a wraith showed up at their house a few months back. Adrian was scared, tried to hand over my grandparents to the thing.”
My stomach churned at that information but my confusion deepened. “How did they get away?” I asked, needing to know that before I asked him for any more clarification.
“Preston,” he said with a half shrug. “Turns out, he’s my biological brother.”
My jaw almost hit my chest. A second demigod. Holy Conficker.
I pushed that thought aside for a moment, my head tipped to the side as I thought it all over. “Okay, so to protect herself from the wraiths, since you weren’t obliging enough to die, she manipulated the Shadow Walkers and the other two guys to take the cup from Dorothy? That still doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s Adrian. I stopped trying to figure out what was going on in her head years ago.” He glanced at me in the mirror again. “Your light rune was genius, by the way but it won’t hold the Shadow Walkers back forever.”
I inclined my head, relieved when we pulled up in front of a police barricade. We were in another crappy area of the city but that one simply looked like it needed some love. The neighborhood held the standard brick rowhouses, yet some of them looked like they’d been remodeled recently.
My heart sank when I saw a little girl peeking out the window of one of the houses, her eyes wide as saucers. That kind of violence set so close to her home would probably scare the parents half out of their minds. The little girl’s eyes met mine and something told me it wasn’t the first time she’d seen that type of thing.
Erkens nodded to the cop he’d been talking to and beckoned me and Spencer over. I didn’t know how he’d talked the guy into letting us into an active crime-scene but looking that gift horse in the mouth was not something I was willing to do.
My breath caught in my chest when I saw Adrian being led from the house. Tears slid down her cheeks and she had a split lip. She looked pathetic but as our eyes met, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that even me being there was all part of her plan.
Spencer stayed next to me, not reacting to the sight of his sister at all.
I hated feeling like she had outsmarted me, yet it looked like she had. She had set the situation up perfectly, making herself look like an innocent victim. She truly had done a masterful job.
I glanced to the side when someone stopped next to me, relieved to see Simms and Roy. I opened my mouth to say hello until I saw who stood next to him. Ian. What was going on?
Simms held up a finger to tell me to wait, motioning for Ian to walk up to the house.
I glanced at Adrian again, amused to see her eyes narrow as she watched Ian walk up the steps to the front door of the house. It was clear that him being there had not been part of her plan. She was obviously thrown and I was thrilled by that fact. We trooped along after him, all of us quiet as we watched him work.
Since Simms wouldn’t have known about Ian’s new gift, I could only guess that Ian had told him. If he’d done that, the spirits must have told him something after we’d left. It was going to take me some time to get used to his ability.
My heart sank when we walked in. The place had indeed been remodeled. The wood floors gleamed, the walls painted a stark white that gave the place a bold, clean look. Or that was the case until we stepped into what had probably been planned as the living room.
Over those walls was a reddish brown collage of horror. Streaks, lines, pools, the place was a mess of carnage. The bodies were no longer present but the outline of each was shown in white chalk on the ground.
I watched Ian as he walked toward one of the outlines, his eyes brown as that vacant look crossed his face. “Lars wanted to be a better man than his Pa. He came to America thinking the land of the free was the perfect place to start over. But his Mam got sick and he couldn’t afford to pay for the treatments she needed. So he did one quick job. Just one
job. But life kept getting in the way. He needed more money and his job and credit cards couldn’t cover it, so he did another job, then another, until he just gave in. He was a good thief like he’d never been good at anything else.”
I stared at Ian, awed by his ability and also intrigued by the story the ghost of Lars Nemen was apparently telling him.
“Then he met Adrian. He didn’t like her until she let him take her to bed. After that, he couldn’t get enough of her. And she made him feel like the only one. He knew he wasn’t. He even suspected that she was sleeping with Stelen. He didn’t care. She had told him what that cup could do.” Ian’s shoulders shook, sweat gleaming on his brow as he stared at the mess all around us. “Adrian told them that Dorothy Otto had the cup, so they got jobs at the cleaning service. Adrian was good at getting whatever she wanted, so she set it up so the three of them cleaned the Otto house. He and Stelen hid in the attic and Adrian drove away, telling them she’d come and pick them up in two days when the cleaning service was scheduled to come again.”
I stepped forward when Ian’s body convulsed in what looked like pain. His eyes changed color again, that time turning an icy blue.
“She took the cup before she killed me. I would guess she hid it in her car but I can’t be sure.” Ian’s voice had changed, sounding like he had been born in the Netherlands as his ice blue eyes peered at the outline of Lars Nemen’s body. “My mother. I took one of the healing stones from the Otto house. It is in my pocket. Please, give it to my mother. The treatments aren’t helping her.” Ian’s body jerked as his eyes changed to brown. “The shadows move. They are coming.”
I looked down at my palm, seeing the solar symbol . . . or part of it. I’d had my hands clenched so hard, it had smudged away. Some of the silver lines were still there, though not enough to use.
I took Erkens’ arm and started making the same symbol on his skin. Or I tried. Something slammed into me, knocking me off balance and into the wall. Before I could react at all, a hand was clamped over my mouth and I was yanked back into the shadows.
I became shadow as well, that thing’s hand on me making me as substantial as a ghost. My whole body felt cold and flimsy like a puff of air would disperse me into nothingness.
“I’m not your enemy,” a voice whispered in my ear.
I recognized Loam’s voice and again, understanding slammed into me. He hadn’t been at the other building just to look around. He had been tracking Argil. If it was true that Loam was on our side, that meant he HADN’T been working with Adrian. I could take nothing at face value, so I’d wait and see.
My guys were all yelling. Erkens snapped questions at everybody as he finished the solar symbol on his arm. Spencer’s eyes glowed that chartreuse color while he yelled questions at Roy. Simms whipped his head from side to side, trying to spot me in the shadows. But Ian crouched in the same spot, his eyes fixed directly on me.
I didn’t know if the ghosts had told him where I was or if he could see me himself. It was clear as day he could see me, though. His eyes had changed again, that time to a bold green.
I was getting tired of watching his eyes change, not knowing who was watching through his eyes. It was still Ian, I knew that. I could see it in the way he looked at me. He had a way of making me feel like the only person in the world, the most important one for sure.
Ian stood up, stepping over the chalk outline of Lars Nemen so he was next to the other guys. Right then, his head whipped to the side. He had seen something.
Roy lifted his nose into the air and sniffed, turning in the same direction Ian looked. I was only able to turn my eyes because of Loam’s hand over my mouth, although because of his power being used on me, I was able to see Argil.
It was one of the strangest things I had ever encountered. He was a man, slim and hard-faced, with hollowed cheeks and sallow skin. He was also a shadow or something. It was hard to describe. They were both there and not there at the same time.
And that was when I really got it. A Shadow Walker was a human with the magic to change itself into a shadow. It was a shapeshifter of sorts, which meant that silver was our best weapon against them. Or at least against Argil.
It was good to know that the guys couldn’t be taken off guard since Ian could see them . . . or one of the spirits he spoke to could. Whichever. All I had to do was figure out what the point was of those shadow-shifters being there.
Loam’s mouth touched my ear as he leaned even closer to whisper to me. “He has nothing left to lose. He is more dangerous than you can imagine.”
I nodded as much as he would let me with his hand still covering my mouth. I wanted to ask him about it. It was clear the crap and the fan were about to meet.
Ian took a step toward Argil, his hands held up in front of him in a ‘hold on’ gesture. “Whatever makes you think Adrian is on your side, you’re wrong. She uses people, manipulates them, and throws them aside when she’s done.” He nodded to the mess around us. “You will be her next victim if you--”
“Shut up, medium,” Argil roared, drawing out what looked like the same knife he’d tried to use on me as he faded into the shadows.
Ian’s eyes stayed fixed on him. “She manipulated a guy into murdering my sister, then tried to kill my girlfriend when she figured out what was going on. Her father says that she is responsible for his death as well, that she talked some guys into shooting him down. Her own father.”
Argil’s mouth went even harder than it had been before and he lunged at Ian. I let out a squeak of fear, my body jerking as I tried to get to them. Spencer’s power flashed out at that moment.
Unfortunately, it missed Argil. Spencer couldn’t see them, so he was shooting blind . . . which Argil knew because of his spying on us in the car.
He stayed quiet, his eyes malicious slits as he lunged at Ian. That was when Roy joined the fray. He leapt forward and latched his teeth on the Shadow Walker’s arm. Because Roy was a shapeshifter as well, he could do damage when the rest of us couldn’t. It was clear Argil hadn’t known that Roy was anything more than a police dog.
Since Roy had gripped the arm that held the knife, Argil couldn’t use it against him. Or he couldn’t at first. With a roar of pain and adrenaline, he slammed his arm to the side, bashing Roy’s body into the wall. When he was pinned, Argil punched the dog-shifter in the ribs several ferocious times. With a whine of pain, Roy released his arm, his body hunched in pain.
Simms pulled his gun but since he couldn’t see his enemy, he didn’t fire off a shot. That was when Argil struck. He raised his arms into the air, closed his eyes, and blackness engulfed the room.
TWENTY-FOUR
Because Loam still held onto me, I was able to see in the blackness Argil had created. It was still creepy, despite the fact I could see. The only things visible to me were Loam and Argil. Everything else had vanished into the black nothingness.
He turned to look at Loam and a sneer came to his face. “Traitor,” he accused, picking up the knife that had fallen to the ground.
Loam’s hand tightened over my mouth, probably telling me to stay quiet. “You are the traitor, Argil. We are contracted to protect Dorothy Otto and you betrayed that.”
Argil made a ‘psht’ noise. “The woman deserved what she got,” he spat out, his eyes turning to look at me. “And you, you will pay,” he declared, stepping closer to us.
Because he could see me and would know precisely what I was doing, I didn’t bother to try and hide my actions. I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the demon-mace canisters, praying Roy was far enough away not to be hurt by the salt and iron dust inside it.
Argil looked at the can and swallowed, making it clear he knew what was inside it. “Stupid girl. You think you’re so smart but you’re just a whiny little brat.” He wiped fake tears from his cheeks. “Little Maddie’s Mommy hurt her? Poor little thing. Maybe Mommy hated you because you’re so stupid,” he mocked, moving to the side like he thought I was about to fire.
&nbs
p; I wanted to but didn’t. I simply stood and waited. Once he got close enough and I could be sure Roy wouldn’t be hit, I would empty that can down his throat.
Loam’s hand twitched around my mouth. “Argil, what is wrong with you? What has happened? You were a good man for many years. That man would not be speaking in this way.”
Argil threw his hands up and scoffed. “Perhaps it’s the fact I have been forced to be a bodyguard for a silly old woman who has more money than brains.”
“You never minded our job before now.”
“Yes, I did,” he scoffed, taking a menacing step closer to both of us. “I just didn’t bother talking to YOU about it.”
Because Argil’s eyes were fixed so fully on Loam, I focused all my attention on the one hope I could see. Gabe Sheenan was in the city. If anybody could put an end to this mess, it was him.
The problem was, I couldn’t contact him without making it totally obvious what I was doing. It seemed likely that if I took out my phone and started texting someone, Argil would react in a hostile way.
Right then, I was a shadow as well, though. With Loam’s hand on my skin, I was the same as they were. They were vulnerable. Okay, so was I but that was nothing unusual.
With my eyes fixed on Argil, I slid my hand back into my bag. My fingers traced over the other can of demon-mace, over a silver pen, over a spare tablet, then finally, over the gun. I had been uncomfortable with it at first. After I had learned the proper way to handle it and to respect the thing, I found it to be a useful tool. I was still more of a baseball bat kind of girl but I couldn’t have everything.
Since I needed both hands, I slowly stuck the mace back into my bag, keeping them there as I watched the two Shadow Walkers bicker. They reminded me of brothers fighting over who Mommy loved more, which of them was the better son. Their argument was growing more heated by the moment.
The Shadow Walkers Page 11