The Shikari Box Set

by Dora Blume

  Erik’s eyes darted to Amy and said, “Nothing,” quickly, then took another deep breath. “Jessie’s there, along with a few others. They told Jess what’s going on, since she’s the key to the plan tonight, but they haven’t filled the others in yet.”

  Amy continued to study Erik’s demeanor, “That’s cool, why is Jess so important for tonight?”

  Erik looked straight ahead, “She has the ability to freeze time. She’ll be able to get us in and out without being noticed.”

  “Wow? She can actually stop time.” Amy couldn’t believe it.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty convenient under the current circumstances.” Erik looked down at his hands. He wasn’t sure he was ready to see Jess, but it was inevitable.

  “So, your plan is to get the woman in charge, then what? How are you taking care of the rest of them? They know how to weaken Shikari members. Don’t you think you should have something planned, so the information doesn’t spread?” Amy thought they should be killing all the demons, not just the leader.

  “That’s what they’re figuring out at the pub. We have some ideas, but we came up with them early this morning after one too many drinks. I don’t think we should trust anything we came up with last night.” Erik thought that the plan to take the couple had been good, but Sloane’s idea of blowing up the whole building everyone be damned seemed like a terrible idea. He couldn’t believe she’d actually suggested it followed by a flippant comment about population control. Sometimes the things that came out of her mouth were outrageous.

  “Oh yeah, If Sloane was involved in those early morning ideas, I could only imagine what her plan would be.” Amy laughed at the possibilities. Sloane was pretty creative and ruthless when she wanted to be. She lacked a filter, especially when drunk.

  Erik shook his head, “Yeah, she’s something else. She was definitely involved.”

  “Was she any different growing up? I feel like with everything that happened when she was younger she would’ve changed.”

  “Other than abandoning us, she hasn’t changed much. She’s as selfish as ever but always was. She’s a pitbull for those she loves. Hard as nails to enemies, soft as a kitten toward those she loves. Life can be one surprise after another and fun is her middle name. Our mother’s death made her bitter and cold but only toward my father. She doesn’t show that to anyone else, which is surprising. She turned her back on everything after our mother died. I don’t necessarily blame her for it, but I wish she would’ve at least let me know she was alright. My father wasn’t the only one she left, and I hadn’t even done anything. I hadn’t seen her until the day in the club. It’s been five years.” Erik’s voice broke at the end. He loved Sloane, missed her the entire time she was gone.

  Amy’s eyes were kind as she looked to Erik. She reached out her hand to place it over his. “In all honesty she probably didn’t even realize that you would’ve thought about her after leaving. You’re right she is selfish, and the world revolves around her, if you weren’t in her immediate life she probably didn’t think about it. She probably thought you had moved on too.” Amy tried to be sympathetic, but at the same time, knowing Sloane, she hadn’t thought about the consequences. Looking back isn’t something she does.

  “Yeah, Sloane hasn’t changed in that regard. I’ll take time to talk with her eventually, right now we have to deal with all this other shit. There never seems to be a good time to talk. I tried the other day when we were checking out the fraternities, but all this shit has happened since then. I’m not sure a conversation with her would change anything.” Erik huffed out a breath. He’d been keeping his feelings to himself and it felt good to say it aloud. Amy knew Sloane, so it was good to talk to someone about her, someone who would understand how frustrating she can be.

  “You’ll get your chance to tell her when this is all over. And I think it will matter to her.” Her voice was confident when she spoke.

  “We’ll see.” He paused and looked back toward the school. The woman was still teaching another class. “What did you do before you got roped into our mess?” Curious about her life, he hadn’t pried into her head because he liked her and liked getting to know people. Listening to people’s thoughts was considered offensive to some. Sometimes he slipped, but no one needed to know.

  “Oh, I don’t know I work as a waitress at Curran’s but I’m also a student at Minneapolis Technical College.” Amy took her locket in her hand and began pulling it from side to side on the chain around her neck.

  Watching her hand, he asked. “What are you going to school for?”

  “Nursing, I like to help people so I thought I’d be a nurse. I want to work in the pediatric wing of a hospital or clinic. Working with kids has always been my dream.” She stopped pulling on her necklace and folded her hands in her lap.

  “That’s cool.” Picturing her helping kids with a stethoscope around her neck was easy. She was obviously someone who likes helping others. She’d certainly went out of her way to help them over the last few days.

  “Do you do anything besides hunting demons?”

  “Not really, I’ve been at the order’s beck and call since I was eighteen. We are trained from a young age, taught everything we need to be good warriors against demons. Shikari don’t have the options other people do. This is my life.” He shrugged.

  “Haven’t you ever thought about doing something else?”

  “No, I don’t have the option so why bother thinking about it.” Erik didn’t want to fill his life with disappointment. He just did what was expected. “I enjoy hunting down demons and making the world a safer place. The purpose it provides makes life easier. I held my first weapon at four, being molded for a purpose, I’ve always felt like I belonged. The Shikari is my life, my people. My life is never monotonous hunting demons and spending nights at the bar drinking with friends. Life has been good. Sure, we have bad moments but who doesn’t?” He looked out the window as the strong summer sun beat down on the car. Thankful for the air conditioning he placed a hand in front of the vent. He wanted to feel the cool air on his palm, wanted to keep from thinking about the bad moments he’d referred to since he was about to be confronted with one of them in a few hours.

  He perked up in his seat. “The couple is getting ready to go home for the evening, I better get back to the bar so we can move forward. I’m not sure I should bring you with me though. If everyone knows that you know about us there could be trouble since you haven’t been sworn in or anything. Do you mind if I bring you home?” He didn’t want to hurt her feelings by leaving her out of everything but he didn’t want her interrogated by others either. Not everyone was as understanding as Mike, and his father. They’d want to know why she hadn’t been sworn in. Not always kind to outsiders, the Shikari had strict rules regarding their secrecy.

  “Yeah, I can go home. Will you tell me what happens though? I want to know you’re okay.” She looked Erik in the eyes then down to her hands clasped in her lap.

  “I will keep you informed.” He turned on the car and headed toward her place.

  She looked to him when they pulled up, “I’ll see you later than?” She gazed at Erik, studying the strong lines of his jaw, the lines around his eyes, giving away his unrest. She reached her hand to his cheek and moved closer to his mouth, gently kissing him. He gasped, then returned her gentle kiss. She moved back and smiled. She looked him in the eye one last time before she reached for the door handle.

  “Thanks for coming with me today. It would have been long and boring without you.” He smiled at her before she closed the door.

  He watched as she walked up to her apartment. When she was safely inside, he pulled away from the curb and headed out. He needed to get back to the bar. Tonight, would be the beginning.

  Chapter 13

  Sloane was waiting for Erik outside when he pulled up to the curb. Glaring at him, her hand was resting on her hip and she was tapping her foot. When he reached her on the street, he pivoted, smiled, and continued into
the bar.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “What? I was watching the couple, you can’t be mad at me for that.” He walked over to the bar and took a seat. He didn’t want to get into it right now with her. “So, are we ready to go?”

  “Pretty much, Jessie ran to get something, she said she’d be right back.” Sloane walked over and stared at him.

  “What?” Erik couldn’t fathom why she was looking at him like that.

  “Why did you go get Amy today?” she said, an accusation.

  He turned in his stool looking from her feet to her menacing eyes. Stretching his legs wide and leaning back against the bar, resting his elbows on the counter he said. “I wanted company, what’s the big deal. She already knows about us.”

  “The big deal is that she’s my friend and you shouldn’t involve her in this without talking to me first.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

  “Seriously, I need to ask your permission to hang out with someone? Who the hell made you the fucking queen?” Erik spat. He didn’t need to ask her permission for anything.

  “No, you need to ask me before you take my friend out hunting with you. You could have put her in danger. Did you even think about that before you picked her up or was your dick doing all the thinking today?” Sloane’s voice rose and her eyes narrowed taking in Erik’s nonchalance.

  “Are you fucking serious? You’re the one here sleeping around, do I even need to mention what happened between you two last night.” He paused and sent a pointed look to both Sloane and Mike who’d walked up to take a stand behind the bar. “What the fuck? I just wanted someone to talk to while I sat in a parking lot all day. What the hell did you two do today?”

  “We got everyone on board with the plan, that’s what we did, you bastard. My love life is none of your fucking business. I can do what I want.” She threw her hands up and began pacing.

  Mike looked between the two of them, shook his head and went back to his office. He knew this was going to get worse before it got better.

  “And so, can I, Sloane.” he knew they weren’t getting anywhere. “We need to get on with the plan. We don’t have time for this bullshit.”

  “For now, I agree.” Sloane walked up to Erik, pointing a finger in his face she said, “Seriously stay the fuck away from Amy.” She looked him dead in the eye then walked away.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” he said. Sloane wasn’t going to be reasonable now, he wondered if she would ever be reasonable.

  “Whatever.”

  Jessie walked through the door. Noticing Erik, she sauntered up to him smiling. “Hey beautiful, I haven’t seen you in a while.” She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him on the other. When she moved away, his eyes were smoldering.

  Erik took a deep breath but his eyes never left hers. “It’s been a while.” Erik looked down at the floor. His heart was racing from her touch. His eyes followed her when she stepped away from him.

  “Are we ready to get on with this shit? Cause I’m ready to have some fun.” She rubbed both her hands together and stood on the balls of her feet. Her walk was more of a bounce. She was jazzed for what was to come.

  “Hold on, I’ll go get Mike.” Sloane disappeared to the back.

  “So, what have you been up to lover?” Jess winked at Erik. She walked over and stood close, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

  Erik expelled a breath. He tried to make his voice sound calm. “Jess, please don’t. We have work to do tonight and I would prefer it if Sloane didn’t know about our past.”

  “What? Why?” She ran her hand down his arm, “We’ve always been good at balancing work and play.” Her hand reached his belt loop, and she pulled him against her, looking up into his eyes.

  Erik took a step back, taking her with him. She stumbled a moment then withdrew her hand. She looked at him quizzically. “I just don’t want her to know, okay.” He was stern when he spoke.

  “Got it.” Jess looked to the floor. She walked up and grabbed a stool, avoiding Erik’s gaze.

  Sloane emerged with Mike, “So what don’t you want me to know?”

  Erik spoke up immediately, “Nothing, let’s go we’ve got to get to their house.”

  Sloane looked at him then to Jess who was slumped on the stool, leaning one elbow on the bar for support. She shrugged her shoulders, “You know the plan, right?” Sloane wanted to be sure they were on the same page before they left.

  “It’s the same as last night, right? You haven’t changed anything.” He narrowed his eyes at Sloane.

  “Nope, It’s the same. Why mess with perfection?” She smiled wide at Erik. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. They had gotten the car ready earlier as well as the basement in the house. She hadn’t told Bryant because she didn’t want to hear how they shouldn’t be doing this when she knew very well they needed to.

  “Alright then, let’s do this.” Erik followed them out the door. Sloane and Mike got in his car.

  Jessie looked to Erik, “Can I at least ride with you?”

  “Of course.” Erik walked over and held the passenger door for her.

  “Oh, now you’re a gentleman.” She glared at him as she got in the car.

  Erik ran quickly around to get into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry Jess, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t want Sloane to know about us right now. She was arguing with me before you arrived. I didn’t want to hear any more of her shit today.” He reached his hand over and took hers, he squeezed it lightly.

  Jess studied him, then nodded. “I guess you’re forgiven. Just don’t do it again.”

  “I can’t make any promises.” He put the car in gear and headed for the house.

  Erik got to the couple’s house quickly and parked in the back alley. Sloane and Mike parked on the street in front. They wouldn’t be there long enough to have to worry about anyone noticing them. They got out of the car quietly and entered the yard, through the back gate. At the back-door Jessie took a small box from her pocket and removed two small tools.

  “You brought a lock picking kit?” Erik asked.

  “Yeah, didn’t you?” She held the two pieces in the lock and turned, expertly opening the door in seconds. Holding the door ajar she peeked her head through the crack.

  “Do you have another job you haven’t told me about?” Erik shook his head.

  “Nope, just the one, you’d be surprised at how often I need to pick a lock doing our job though. I don’t understand why demons wouldn’t want to just let us in.” She smirked at Erik then opened the door slowly. She swept her gaze over the kitchen, it was empty. Turning to Erik, she nodded. Her head motioned to the right and her hand to the left. Erik nodded in agreement. She turned her attention back toward the house and crept in.

  Erik heard the couple conversing over the dinner table. He knew they’d been eating dinner when they entered. He held his hand out for Jessie to stop. Moving his finger to his lips to silence her, he pointed around the corner to let her know the couple was on the other side. He nodded once and Jessie stepped around the doorframe, hands raised. She looked back to Erik. He stepped out, and the couple was gone. “What the hell?” He whispered.

  Jessie shrugged, “Where’d they go?” Erik listened, but he didn’t hear anything from either of them, not a single thought. He turned back toward the kitchen. Suddenly Erik yelled, “Duck!” He dropped down in one swift movement, crouching. Jessie did the same, and a knife planted in the wall where her head had been a moment ago. The knife vibrated from the impact.

  “Oh, hell no,” Jessie raised her hands to freeze the woman. She didn’t stop, the woman advanced towards her. “What the hell, Erik? I can’t freeze them.” Her hands moved again, but nothing happened.

  “I know, the house is warded, your powers won’t work here.” He kept his eye on the woman as she smiled wide at the two. He kept low, ready for battle. This is what he was trained for.

  Jess glanced to Erik then back
at the woman. “Where the hell was that information when you fuckers made this plan?” Jess stood at the ready, bracing for the woman’s next move. The woman continued her advance, and they backed around the center island. The woman now stood with her back to the door, blocking their exit.

  “I didn’t know about the warding until a moment ago. They had no reason to think about it. Come on we need to get out of here.” He reached for her hand to pull her toward the dining room.

  The woman held up another knife. “You think you can just break into my home?” She advanced toward them, slowly with calculated movements.

  Erik looked to Jessie. He wanted to know where the hell the other two were. They were supposed to have entered through the front and should have been helping by now. Holding her hands in front of her, she eyed the woman.

  Sloane and Mike burst through the door behind the woman. Mike looked from them to the woman standing in front of him. The woman whipped around, surprised at the entrance, and let her knife fly. Mike pulled Sloane with him to the ground, the knife skidded over his hair, grazing him, and shattered one of the small windows in the kitchen door.

  “The house is warded,” Erik warned.

  “No shit,” Mike said, standing.

  “We need to get out of here.” Erik looked between Sloane and Mike.

  “Fuck that, I’m leaving with that bitch one way or another.” Sloane began taking steps to the side, away from Mike, splitting her attention. She crossed one leg behind the other as she moved further into the room.

  “Are you fucking nuts?” Jessie asked. “Our powers don’t work here, how the hell are we taking them with us?”

  “By force,” Sloane said and dove for the woman. She tried to move back but Sloane had landed a punch to her jaw, snapping it to the side on impact. When the woman raised her hand to rub her face, Sloane grabbed it, wrenching it behind the woman’s back and pulled the woman against her body.

  Mike walked over, “I’ll take her.”

  “Sure,” she yanked the woman’s arm over to Mike causing the woman to cry out. Sloane reached for her gun and used the end to hit her in the head. Her head fell forward with the blow, blood dripping from her mouth and nose. Sloane stepped back, “Ew.”