The Shikari Box Set

by Dora Blume

  “Seriously, It’s nothing personal.” She made quote marks around what he’d just said to her. “Oh. My. God. You. Don’t. Trust. Me. Wow, I thought I meant more to you than that Erik. I guess I was wrong.” She turned her entire body away from him.

  He reached his hand out to touch the back of her shoulder. “Of course, I trust you Jess.” He sighed. “I couldn’t tell anyone about this. You understand, right?” He rubbed her shoulder but after a moment was forced to focus back on the road. Silence lingered. He could hear her breathing slow.

  She spoke in a chilling calm, “Obviously I don’t understand Erik. Isn’t that obvious? After everything you and I have shared, you couldn’t trust me with this.”

  Erik inhaled, “Come on Jess, that was years ago. You could have changed in that time. I know I certainly have.” He pushed a hand through his hair.

  “Oh, that’s for sure. You used to care about your friends, enough to share important details with them.” She turned, filled with hurt. A tear slid from her eye. “I guess we’re not even friends anymore.” Her voice broke at the end. She turned back toward the window.

  His head dropped down as he spoke. “That’s low Jess.”

  Jessie turned to face him. “As low as you not telling me Bryant wasn’t a traitor. You know I care about him too. You don’t think that information hurt me too. Have you forgotten that we practically grew up together, and I think of him as a second father? No, of course not. You only think of yourself. You and Sloane are alike in that way.” She studied his face.

  He looked over to her, “You know very well that’s not true. I always put my duty before myself. You should know that better than anyone.” He glowered.

  “Oh, so that’s what this is then. You put your duty as a loyal Shikari warrior, above sharing vital information with your friend. One, who at one time you were rather close to. Ugh!” she let out the last word as a half scream. She moved forward and pounded her fists on the dash.

  “Holy shit, careful you might blow something up.” Erik exclaimed.

  She glared at him, “I’m so done with your bullshit, Erik. I’m so sick of you using duty as an excuse for everything.”

  “Okay, fine Jessie. I am extremely sorry I didn’t tell you. What else do you want me to say? Are you happy now, I’m sorry.” He let out a hard breath and looked out the window.

  “Happy, no I am definitely not happy, Erik.” She reclined back in the seat and looked out the passenger window.

  “Jessie, I am really sorry. You’re right I wasn’t thinking. I often don’t as you know.” He snuck a peek in her direction and continued. His voice a low whisper. “I still love you Jess.” He looked down at his lap.

  Jessie moved to turn and face him, his head down, but then he looked back to the road in front of them. “You do?” She asked softly.

  “Of course, I do. You are special to me Jess. I never stopped loving you even after everything. I couldn’t, you’re branded in my heart and soul forever.” He wanted to pull the car over, pull her into his arms, and show her just how much he cared about her.

  Jessie started in a whisper, “I care about you too.” She appraised him, watching the side of his mouth raise when she spoke. She bit her lip, wanting to hold him. It’d been too long since they were able to be together.

  “So, does that mean you forgive me?” He smiled in her direction.

  “I’m not sure, I’m still mad at you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned facing forward again, but her tone was more playful.

  He reached over and skimmed his fingertips behind her knee. She squealed in response. “Hey!”

  “You said, yet, which means there’s a good chance you do forgive me.” He reached up to skim the side of her stomach and she jumped away.

  “Not fair, Erik. You know all my weak spots.” She moved so her back was pressed against the door waiting for his next attack.

  He gazed into her eyes, “You know all of mine too.” He reached his hand out to hers and she took it and squeezed. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it before settling their hands between them.

  They reached the farm. Erik drove down a narrow road some ways and parked behind a rotting gray barn. He unloaded the bodies and went into the barn to get two barrels and gas from the pump. She was amazed that there was anything in there considering the condition of the wood. White paint flaked from the warped pieces of wood. She walked by and noticed one piece had pulled away from the structure and a nail jutted out from the depressed wood.

  Erik continued gathering supplies to burn the bodies. He wanted to make sure he could burn them beyond recognition, but also so no one would see them in the process. When he had the barrels set, he walked to the trunk and carried each one to a barrel and dumped them into the gasoline. He filled the rest of the barrel with gasoline before taking a step back and lighting a match and throwing it in each barrel. The gas ignited instantly, shooting up when the match hit. After a few moments the stench wafted over to her, and she had to take a few steps back. Erik walked over and wrapped an arm around her as they watched the fire disintegrate the bodies into ash covered bones. When Erik was content, the bodies wouldn’t be discovered, they got in the car and headed home. He planned to return without Jessie to bury the remains.

  The sun was rising to the east and Jess enjoyed watching the colors jet across the sky. She smiled remembering that life was not as complicated as it seemed, and beauty could be found anywhere. She looked over to Erik and drew the hard-jagged lines of his face in her memory. She liked to memorize his face. It was uniquely his own. She liked to find the small imperfections in people and then appreciate them for it. Erik had a slightly large nose that angled to the right just a bit to throw off the symmetry of his face. Most people thought that beauty was found in the symmetrical but Jess always thought it was the slight imperfections that made people beautiful.

  Erik pulled up to Jess’ place, and she moved to get out. She turned to look at Erik, she felt like a teenager with butterflies in her stomach. “Do you want to come up? I don’t want to spend tonight alone.” She looked him in the eye hoping he would accept her invitation, and for a moment she was filled with the fear that he would say no.

  He raised a brow, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He turned off the car. She looked him in the eye one last time before she reached for the door handle. She stopped after entering her apartment and turned towards Erik. She reached out and grabbed his shirt pulling him toward her. Angling her face up, he met her with a deep kiss. She wrapped her hand around his neck and twisted it in his hair. He grabbed her ass, and she lifted her legs to wrap around him. She wanted every part of her touching him. He walked with her wrapped tightly around him into the bedroom and brought them both down onto the bed gently. She clapped her hands, and the lights went out. She laughed at Erik’s surprised expression. She nipped his chin and pulled him back to meet her lips.

  Chapter 21

  Sloane didn’t know what to do with the information Erik and Bryant had unloaded on her the night before. She attempted to sleep but was restless all night. She got up and made coffee, unsure what she was going to do today. She should go back and talk with Bryant and Erik, but right now she didn’t know what she would say to them. She sat on the couch and started flipping through channels on the TV.

  Amy came out of her room and sat down next to her. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?” She assessed Sloane’s mood as she waited.

  “We beat the bad guys.” She continued to stare at the TV screen.

  “No really, I know something is bothering you. Why don’t you just tell me, and we can work it out together?” She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to study Sloane.

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.” Sloane slouched further into the couch. “Right now, I just want to relax and not think about anything.” She popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth determined to ignore Amy.

  �
��Okay… but that’s not going to solve anything.” She got up and went into the kitchen to get some coffee.

  Sloane shut off the TV and said, “Fine! I’ll tell you.” She filled Amy in on the happenings from the day before and everything Bryant told her. She ended with, “See, it kind of changes my entire world, and I don’t know what to think about it.”

  “Ah… yeah. I see the dilemma.” Amy sat back. She hadn’t been expecting all that. She didn’t know much about Sloane's family and the whole situation. “What are you going to do now?” Amy asked.

  “Get dressed and go talk with them I guess, even though I don’t really want to.” She got up from the couch sluggishly and meandered to her room, calculating each step she took.

  “That sounds like a good plan. They can help you figure all this out.” Amy turned the TV back on and took a sip of her coffee. She knew Sloane would figure it all out. Amy smiled, realizing they could still be friends. She glanced over toward Sloane’s room and beamed before turning back to the TV.

  “I know, I know.” She closed the door and grabbed the first thing she saw to wear from her closet and slid it on. She threw on a pair of shoes and headed out the door. Today, she couldn't care less what she looked like. She felt awful inside and didn’t care if she looked it on the outside. She got to their house and went in through the kitchen door. She spent so much time here lately, it was starting to feel like home again. Erik was pouring himself some coffee from the pot in the kitchen. Bryant had a paper in front of him at the table. They both smiled when she entered.

  “I wasn’t sure we’d see you today.” Bryant said from behind the paper. They both acted as if it was just another day. She plopped down in the chair and Erik took one look at her and grabbed another mug from the cupboard. He set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

  “I still don’t know what to think about everything, but I figured I should come here anyway and see what our next step is?” she took a long pull from her coffee mug. She wasn’t sure if there was enough coffee in the world to make her feel better right now.

  “Well, we’ve taken care of the problem in Minneapolis and I have some feelers out looking for the next city the demons will try to hit. Are you sure you want to be a part of this? Yesterday, you were not happy we got you involved in the first place.” Bryant watched her face from behind the paper.

  “I’m all in. I can’t sit back while the people who helped kill mom go free. I will hunt them to the end of the Earth for her death." her voice was stern and commanding.

  Erik smiled at her. “Good to have you back sis,” he sat down next to her at the table. He couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. She eyed him suspiciously.

  “What’s up with you this morning? You’re far too happy. Dare I say, chipper even.”

  “Oh nothing, just glad to have you back, that’s all.” he took a sip of his coffee and smiled again.

  Sloane smirked, “Yeah sure, bro.” she shook her head at him.

  “What?” he asked, when he noticed her eyeballing him.

  “You’re such a bad liar. How did I not see it before?” she took another drink of coffee and continued to examine him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m an expert liar.” he took another drink and avoided her eyes.

  “Okay let’s go with that.”

  Bryant’s phone rang, and he answered with a polite, “Hello.” He got up and walked into the other room.

  “Are you sure he’s not still hiding something?” Sloane asked Erik after Bryant left the room.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. You can trust him Sloane.” Erik looked at the door where Bryant had just left.

  A few minutes later Bryant came back in. “I’ve got a lead, looks like we’re heading to Denver. My contact says there has been unusual demon activity in the city. Young teens have gone missing, and they found one seventeen-year-old Shikari member possessed in Denver. You better go pack your things and make arrangements. We leave tomorrow morning.”

  “I thought demons couldn’t possess Shikari?” Sloane inquired.

  “They shouldn’t be able to.” Bryant responded.

  Erik looked up to Bryant. “Looks like we’re headed to Denver.”

  Sloane looked between the two, “Yes, we are.”

  Bryant looked to her and nodded. “Good to have you back.”

  Table of Contents

  The Shikari 2: The Evil Headmaster

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  The Shikari 2:

  The Evil Headmaster

  DORA BLUME

  Copyright © 2019 by Dora Blume All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Olivia Pro Designs

  Graphic ornaments Created by Freepik

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dora Blume

  Visit my website

  www.DoraBlume.com https://www.facebook.com/DoraBlumeAuthor

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: January 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-5136-4254-3

  For my students, who have changed my life

  in so many ways.

  You remind me every day to be better. Thank you!

  I love each and every one of you.

  Chapter 1

  “Ugh, I hate flying. So, what the hell are we doing now that we’re in Denver?” Sloane bent to the right of the exit, brushing off her pants.

  Erik shook his head and smirked. “I’m sure that kid didn’t mean to spill on you, it was an accident.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So, where are we going?” Sloane stood up, checking her dark spiky hair.

  “We’ve got to meet Magnus in baggage claim. He’s our contact in Denver. He’ll fill us in on the missing girl.” Erik shifted, waiting for her to finish. He brushed his blonde hair back out of his eyes.

  “Do we know anything beyond her being a high school student?”

  “That’s why we’re meeting Magnus; he’ll fill us in on the details. He has the reports from the investigation here in Denver. Her father was a high-ranking official in the order.”

  “Well, in that case, lead the way.” Sloane reached to grab the handle of her carry-on.

  Erik hurried and took the escalators down to baggage claim. They had to wait for a few minutes before the loud buzz announced their luggage was coming down the chute. Sloane had been leaning against the wall texting. Her hand seemed to be glued to her phone. He couldn’t imagine what she was texting that couldn’t wait until they got settled, or at least until they found Magnus. Erik only knew they were to meet Magnus, and he would fill them in when they got here. Bryant, Jessie, and Mike had driven because they had to make a few stops along the way. Bryant wanted them to get here quickly and start doing some recon work. Erik wouldn’t have minded the drive, but with his ability to hear people’s thoughts, Bryant thought he should get here as soon as possible. Bryant was also hoping that Sloane would get a vision of the future. Erik was truly doubtful she w
ould. He didn’t see her being much help.

  Sloane walked over to retrieve her bag. “Hello, Earth to Erik. I thought you were going to get our bags?” She waved her hand a few inches from his face, and he grabbed it before she could move back.

  “Don’t do that; I hate that,” he growled.

  “I know, that’s why I did it. Where did you go just now? Did you hear anything interesting?”

  “I was just thinking about what we’re supposed to be doing here. I’m not entirely sure it was necessary for us to get here sooner than the rest.” He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the carousel. His bag was coming around the corner. He grabbed it off the carousel and placed it next to him.

  “Oh, I see, you wanted to drive with them. Maybe get some time with Jessie? I noticed you two getting close. Want to share the history there? A few days in the car with her could bring you closer together.” She winked and laughed at the smirk he was giving her.

  “Our history is none of your business, and I wasn’t thinking about that since we’d be in the car with our father.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes.

  “Whatever, I’m glad we flew. Although, I hate it. I like that it’s so much faster. I have better things to do than spending a few days in a car.” She looked down at her phone.

  “Seriously, would you put that away for a minute. We need to go find Magnus.” He turned toward the exit and found the guys in suits holding signs. He glanced down the line until he saw a short man wearing a Hawaiian button-up shirt and khaki shorts. The old man's face was wrinkled with two jowls loosening his round face. He smiled, the old man had long gray hair swept to the side to hide his hair loss. His welcoming round face turned to look at the tall man in a suit standing next to him. He smiled up at the man and shrugged, then looked to the other man in a suit, towering over him. He shrugged again and looked forward, plastering a wide smile on his face. Erik knew that was Magnus. He was exactly as his father described. Bryant even made a point to say you would know him when you saw him. “He’s a little different,” were his exact words, and Erik could see why.