“Who?” But she must have dropped the phone, because I heard a bunch of loud thuds and bangs as if someone was tapping the speaker with their hand. Then I heard Tory shouting in the distance. I hung up, realizing she couldn’t hear me.
“Time to go!” I climbed out of my chair, Gunnar hot on my heels. I looked back to see Achilles pointing at his lips frantically. “But you’re so much more fun like this,” I said. But before he could throw a fit, I ripped away the spell. He took a big breath, opening his mouth to shout all sorts of nice things at me. “Not now, Heel. My name’s Nate, and I’m a dick. I get it.”
And I ran down the hall, not even bothering to try and grab my satchel. I hadn’t needed it with the wolves. And this time I had Achilles, Carl, and Gunnar. A legendary warrior, a pastey, soul-eating lizard-man, and a handicapped Alpha werewolf.
Still, better than last time. I didn’t have time to go find Mallory and explain the situation.
I shouted back at Dean. “Tell Mallory what happened.” And I raced out the front door. Instead of a Gateway – since I had used that last time, and I wanted to keep the Academy on their toes – I readied myself to Shadow Walk, holding out my hands suggestively. “Grab me.”
Achilles, of course, grabbed me by the hair in a tight fist, smiling innocently.
I ignored his payback and thought about the school, and a likely place to appear. Hell, I hoped she was at the school, what with all the damage from the Gala. Then again, only one wall had been damaged, and the school had several classrooms outside of the cafeteria where we had held the Gala.
I imagined one of the classrooms where I had recently taught a precursor to magic to a group of the more advanced students, in order to show them what they might confront in the future.
We appeared in the middle of the classroom, cleanly slicing through several desks as my magic tore through them. Achilles let go of my hair, and I gave him a forceful shove to the chest. He tripped over the desk directly behind his knees, flipping over it to land on his back.
I didn’t wait for him to get up as I bolted out of the classroom, looking to pick a fight. Carl and Gunnar ran alongside me, and Achilles cursed, bringing up the rear.
Feral cries from different flavors of monsters rose up in the distance, inside one of the other rooms. I pointed at a few doors, urging everyone to pick one as I latched onto my own choice. There was a good chance that we could find some of the younger kids huddled in a room, likely watched over by the Reds, who had mind-control powers since they were dragons. They often helped Tory control some of the shifters. Like substitute teachers.
But my room was empty.
I heard Gunnar shout out and I followed his voice, bursting into the room, ready to kill.
He stood before a group of a dozen students, and like I had thought, both of the Reds were standing over them, their red eyes in full-blown dragon form, complete with horizontal pupils like a goat. Which sounds weird, but honestly looked kind of cool. And scary. Dragons didn’t have the typical snake eyes like many thought.
I shook my head clear of the useless thought, shouted for everyone to lock hands, and then I latched onto both of the Reds, completing the ring. Gunnar stood across from me in the ring, holding hands with two little girls. I nodded, closed my eyes, and focused. I had never Shadow Walked this many at one time, but I needed to get them to safety. Leaving them here under the control of the teenaged dragons wasn’t a good plan.
Because they were students as well, and didn’t have the strength to keep it up much longer. Especially with a dozen shifters under their influence. In fact, I was surprised they had managed to subdue them at all.
Because these kids were terrified, meaning they were on the verge of shifting.
I ignored several concussive blasts from an adjacent room, realizing Carl and Achilles had not joined me. Not wanting to wait, I ripped us back to Gunnar’s apartment complex, assuming it was the safest place in town. All the wolves and a few dragons were already on the premises, guarding their territory, and they could take care of any shifters that lost control.
I staggered, glad to hear Gunnar take control, commanding his wolves to gather up the children. The Reds collapsed into each other, but Ashley was suddenly there, catching Sonya while Gunnar caught Aria. I shot Gunnar a panicked look, regaining my own balance. I needed to get back.
“Go. I’ll take care of the kids. Bring the others back. Right here. I’ll be sure to clear the area and have shifters on standby!” he shouted over the din of many concerned voices.
I nodded, ripping myself back to the school.
It was oddly silent, and I feared that maybe I was too late.
Then the wall fucking blew inwards, and a body slammed into me. I caught the person, thinking he or she might be one of the students. I got a handful of boob as I staggered, informing my caveman brain that I held one of those elusive creatures known as a wimmin. And it definitely wasn’t a child. The figure groaned as I turned her around.
Indie stared up at me, eyes wild, confused, and slightly dazed.
Chapter 32
I held her for a few seconds, frozen. Then she shoved me back, standing of her own accord. She stared at me from a few feet away. I opened my mouth to ask her what the hell was going on, but she suddenly disappeared.
“What the hell?” I shouted at the empty air instead.
Then I raced through the Indie-shaped hole in the wall, chasing the sounds of fighting.
I saw Tory punch a man in the face, crunching his nose and sending him flying. But not as far as he should have flown, and not as damaged in the face.
Because Tory could literally bend metal, punch through walls, and pick up cars.
But this guy didn’t look like any Academy member I had ever seen. He wore hipster jeans, basically leggings, a pair of converse sneakers with the Avengers logo on the sides, and a bro tank. He also had an impressive horseshoe mustache.
I stared for a moment at the jarring image before Carl suddenly appeared out of nowhere, ivory blades flashing. The little hipster shit was fast, dodging, ducking, and evading like a ferret. But Carl kept him busy, chasing him out of the room. Tory stood, chest heaving as she guarded a small huddle of older students behind her. She locked eyes with me, relieved.
Which immediately morphed into fright.
I dove to the side just as a desk went sailing right through the spot I had been standing. It hit the ground, bounced, flipped, and flew straight for Tory.
Like Wonder Woman, she punched through it, snarling like a freaking bear. The desk shattered into splinters and metal shards, but the students behind her were unharmed.
I glanced behind me to see Indie panting, having thrown the desk at me.
“Just give me the book, Nate.”
“You?” I asked incredulously. “You did this?”
She opened her mouth to respond when a black fog flew out of one of the hallways, solidifying right before coming into contact, and decking Indie in the jaw. It was a short, petite, ebony-haired girl. Tory growled murderously, recognizing the woman who had drugged her.
I’ll say this. Indie took the surprise punch like a champ, even rolling with it to deflect the force of the blow. Still, it had to hurt like a son of a bitch. The dark-haired girl turned back to fog, and chased after Indie, who was suddenly high-tailing it down the hallway.
Leaving the immediate area enemy-free.
I raced up to Tory, motioning for her to gather up the students. “Let’s go. Join hands, kids.”
I received several dark scowls, because Tory’s students were older. Hell, a few of them might have been my age. But since they had spent a lifetime in the circus, they were wild and savage, only knowing the roar of the crowd, and fights to the death. Beasts in every sense of the word.
I saw the were-gorilla kid I had fought only a day ago. He clutched my chest. “Is Sonya okay? Did you find her? We need to get her to safety!” he looked absolutely panicked.
Which was just damned cute. I manag
ed a quick smile. “She’s safe. I’ll take you to her. Get everyone to join hands.”
And he did. Which was good, because Tory looked about ready to pass out.
As the gorilla kid convinced the more stubborn students to listen, I had a brief second to shout at Tory. “Where’s Alucard?”
She stared at me for a moment, eyes distant. I shook her, snapping her back into focus. “He grabbed a couple of the younger kids and vamped out. Fleeing fast as hell. They were too young to even stand a chance,” she smiled to herself, no doubt proud of Alucard’s decision.
“That’s great, Tory. I’m taking you guys to Gunnar. His place is the safest in town.”
She nodded, grasping a hand in each palm, completing the circle. Well, except for me. I was reaching out to close it when the black fog hammered into me. Well, it was black fog until a moment before a fist punched me in the gut. Instead of the girl, I saw the features of an old Asian man before I doubled over, flying backwards.
I hit a chalkboard, shattering it with the back of my head.
But at least it broke my fall. Or skull. I stared up, dazed, to see the little Asian man squaring off against gorilla boy. The boy lunged a telegraphed haymaker punch, which the lithe Asian easily evaded, shooting out a left cross to the kids jaw on his way by, using his momentum against him. Gorilla boy went down.
Tory suddenly latched onto the Asian man’s collar, and flung him backwards through the hole in the wall. He clipped the drywall on his way through, banging his head, but promptly shifted to his black fog form a moment later, protecting himself from further damage as he disappeared through the opening.
Tory grabbed me, hauling me to my feet. She yanked me over to the circle again, shoving my hands into the moist, clammy hands of two of her students. Then she picked up the unconscious gorilla boy in a fireman’s carry, and reached out with both hands to complete the circle, jerking her chin at me to quit slacking off. It looked comical, because Tory was tiny, and gorilla boy was a beefy, football-player-looking guy.
I Shadow Walked us out of the school, dumped everyone into a big pile, and before Tory could argue, I ripped myself back to the room in the school. My mind raced as I tried to discern what the hell was going on.
If Indie wanted my copy of Through the Looking-Glass, why had she chosen to attack the school? Unless it was just to draw me out since she had likely discovered she wasn’t able to hit up my house anymore.
Then I thought about it again. The hipster hadn’t looked like an Academy member. And I had never heard of the black fog spell before. And that dark-haired girl had been the one to drug Tory and leave me that note. Then Mr. Asian had pummeled me for no reason.
“The Syndicate,” I growled to myself, stepping over a broken desk as I reentered the hall, searching for any other students. Because whoever was left wouldn’t have anyone to prevent them from shifting. Which meant they were just as likely to attack me as the intruders.
Even if all the students were safe, I still needed to save the building and retrieve Carl and Achilles. I looked up to find Indie staring at me from a dozen paces away in the middle of the hallway, panting heavily. Her eyes darted here and there, no doubt looking for the black fog ninja wizards.
“We need to talk,” she whispered.
Chapter 33
I just stared at her for a breath or two. “I’ve got a few other things on my plate,” I finally spat. But I didn’t move. Neither did she. Other than her eyes continuously scanning the hallway for attackers. I could still hear fighting, and although it sounded pretty violent, I didn’t hear any animals growling, snarling, biting, or howling.
Maybe we had gotten all the kids out.
And Carl and Achilles were just taking out the rest of the trash. The Syndicate.
Still, I had to be sure. I took a step to follow the sounds of fighting, and was suddenly halted in my tracks by an unseen force. I lifted a very, very angry glare at Indie. My ex-fiancée. The whites of her eyes were black. The eyes of a Grimm. “Really cute, Indie. Just get it over with.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Nate. Jesus. Get over yourself.”
I blinked at her. That had sounded suspiciously like… the Indie I knew. I opened my mouth, but she interrupted me.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. This isn’t some elaborate ruse. My position hasn’t changed. And if you knew the whole story, you would be joining up with me rather than continuously getting in our way.”
“Our… You. And Ichabod.”
She nodded, eyes still flicking about warily. “I need the book, Nate.”
“That is never going to happen, traitor.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Nate.” She began walking closer to me, and I was as helpless as a babe under her powers.
“Ichabod’s hiding around here somewhere, isn’t he? That’s why you’re able to use the Maker power right now.”
Her lips thinned. “No. It’s one of my natural gifts, apparently.” I opened my mouth to shout out his name anyway, challenging him, because I wasn’t sure I believed her. And suddenly I couldn’t speak. Because some unseen force was covering my mouth.
Ah, Karma… I could imagine Achilles sitting in one of the desks, laughing at me right now.
“This is important. I need the book. Forget about Ichabod for a second,” she pleaded, striding closer. Then she was suddenly close enough to touch.
And she didn’t let the opportunity pass her by. She latched onto me with a hug I felt deep in my broken heart, a loving fire sewing the two shredded pieces back together with icy-hot thread. I shuddered, which was all I could do. She squeezed me like she once had, a full body hug, arms wrapped around my neck and back as if promising never to let go.
I felt tears falling from my eyes as I shuddered again.
I was so angry with her.
But…
Obviously, I wasn’t entirely angry with her. Or else I would have only felt abhorrence.
She pulled back for a moment, tears in her eyes as she whispered. “I miss you so much…”
Even if my mouth hadn’t been covered, I wouldn’t have been able to speak. My throat hurt. Like when you watch one of those tear-jerker movies, and your jaw and throat suddenly ache out of nowhere as you try to bite back the tears.
Then she kissed me on the lips, twining her hands into my hair in a violent, carnal lust, as if battling with herself. Fighting her urge with tooth and nail.
She pulled back, squeezing my shoulders affectionately, eyes flickering from black to normal as she stared at me, sobbing. “We’re trying to destroy them, Nate. They’re trying to kill you. We’re trying to end them. They’ve done… worse things than you could even imagine…” she trailed off, eyes lost in a silent, unspoken nightmare. But I could tell one thing.
Whatever it was had hit her. Hard.
“Why can’t you see that?” she begged.
My heart ached for her. To return the kiss. To touch her body. Rekindle our love and figure this out together. I flicked my eyes down at my lips, and her own lips quirked into a very familiar smile as she released her magic.
I struggled with a gravelly throat, almost too emotional to speak. “And why can’t you see…” I rasped, “that the ends don’t justify the means.” I managed. “Let me help you.”
She cast her eyes down in shame, nodding sadly. “I wish you knew the full story, Nate. Then you would understand,” she whispered, lifting her eyes back to meet mine. And I could sense a small difference in her look. The emotion she had displayed was genuine, and was still there, but it wasn’t stronger than whatever was compelling her. “I need the book. Please. Just trust me.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “It won’t do you any good, Indie. It won’t take you to him. Not anymore.” She blinked at me, frowning. “But even if it did, I… wouldn’t give it to you. Not until you explain why. What is really going on? What don’t I know?”
“As cute as this is,” a new voice suddenly spoke up from directly behind Indie, causing her t
o whirl around in a defensive crouch, releasing her bonds on me. “I’m not really into gushy romance. Or drama.” And the black fog jerked towards us fast enough to make the air whistle.
Indie rolled to the side, shouting, “Nate!”
The fog solidified into an older, silver-haired woman the moment before hitting me, and I prepared to meet my maker. How many of these assholes were here? I was entirely unprepared to be gently carried a dozen paces away, and carefully set down on my two feet.
Carl burst into the hallway, staring at the two of us, assessing for danger. I just stared at him, then the silver-headed woman standing beside me, and finally, Indie.
Carl followed my gaze, locked eyes with Indie, and stilled as if suddenly frozen. “Mistress,” he hissed softly, lowering his blades.
I think everyone frowned at him. I know I did. And Indie, too. Then she flashed a dark, silent threat at the silver-headed woman. She locked eyes with me a moment later, confident that the mysterious woman beside me – who hadn’t hurt me, but had protected me from Indie – wasn’t going to suddenly attack or kill me. Which to be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to stop. I was exhausted in the magic department, still a little rattled from my blow to the head, and I was an emotional dishrag, limp in my very soul.
“This isn’t over, Nate,” Indie said, her stare darting between me and my temporary companion. “We will find one. Especially after my Brothers are here to help.” She gave Carl one more glance, as if verifying he wasn’t about to attack. Or hump her leg or something, because he was still staring at her.
Then she disappeared. One what? I thought to myself, fearing the answer.
“Hello?” the woman beside me asked, voice very loud.
Which startled me. I blinked back. “What?”
“Thought you had zoned out on me. Or cracked your skull harder than I thought.” She looked me up and down, eyes briefly darting to Carl, who suddenly looked angry and murderous again. Back to his old self. “Get this straight. We aren’t friends. I just can’t stand mushy, emotionally manipulative shit like that. Get your head in the game.”
Tiny Gods: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 6 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 16