by Dora Blume
“Jess, we’re looking at about forty, maybe more. I’m not sure exactly, but there were quite a few. We have no way of knowing how many they’ve added since we were there last.” Erik bent his head looking grim.
“I’ll go grab the blueprints of the school. I had Magnus get these for me before I left Denver. They’re in the car. I’ll be back.” He strode out to the car.
“Sloane, any chance you can try to get a vision? I know they can suck, but we could use a bit of supernatural help right now.” Jessie looked to Sloane.
“I can try. I’ll need to focus all of my energy on it. I’ll be up in my room. If you need me, come find me.” She flew up the steps.
Mike walked through the door. “Where’d Sloane go?”
“She’s upstairs working on getting a vision,” Erik said.
Jessie bent to move the crystal bowl from the coffee table. “Here lay those out here.” She stood up and wobbled a little on her feet. Erik was next to her in a second, placing his hands on either side of her waist.
“Jessie, I know you think you're superwoman, but you were shot a few hours ago. You’re not ready to go running into another fight. We’re not going to be able to go to the school today, anyway. Maybe you should go rest.” Erik cupped her cheek with his hand. He gazed into her eyes. She closed her eyes and nodded.
“Okay, maybe you’re right. How about I sit here for a little while and help you guys plan? Then, I promise, I’ll go get some rest.” She placed her hand over Erik’s on her face.
“Okay, here sit.” Erik sat next to her on the sofa.
Mike spread the plans onto the table. “Okay, there are four different buildings. There’s a courtyard between them. There’s a parking lot for each building and a road that wraps around each building. The headmaster’s office is the first building you see when you drive up the hill. That’s where I suspect many of the possessed adults congregate, so we’ll want a team going in there first.” Mike pointed to the first building. “Okay, so there’s six entrances, two each on the North and South ends and one each on the West and East ends. We won’t be able to cover all the entrances, but I believe if we want to go in unnoticed, we should take the West entrance, it’s near the janitorial and loading dock. It might even be a good idea to go in disguised as one of the delivery drivers. We could manage it with a little help from Magnus. That guy has connections like no one I’ve ever met. I think it might have something to do with his side weed business, but it’s to our advantage, so hey.” Mike shrugged.
“I think that could work.” Erik leaned forward studying the plans before them. Jessie had lounged back against the couch. Her eyes drooped, but she nodded her head as Mike spoke. Erik turned toward her. “Jess, babe, please go up and get some rest. I’ll come and get you the minute I know anything new. I can fill you in on anything when I get up there.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “Come on; I’ll walk you up.” Erik stood and pulled her up with him.
“Ouch,” Jessie said.
“Oh, sorry babe,” Erik blanched, his eyes were wide as he dropped her arm.
“It’s just my bad arm. I’ll be fine.” She wobbled. Erik reached his hands out to steady her.
“Yes, you will after some rest. Come on.” He wrapped his arms around her and guided her up the stairs. She flopped down onto the bed. Erik bent and slipped off each of her shoes. He reached his hands to unbutton her jeans. Her eyes flitted open, “Oh, I thought I was supposed to rest?”
“You are going to rest, babe. You’ll be more comfortable resting if you’re not wearing jeans. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to come back downstairs without pants on.” He winked at her. He unbuttoned her pants and started sliding them down her hips. He bent to kiss her thighs, her calves; then he nibbled her toes after he pulled her jeans off. He crawled up next to her and captured her lips with his. He pulled the elastic band from her hair, letting her blonde hair fall back onto the pillow. He sighed, “Much better.” He kissed her again, lingering gently massaging her tongue with his own. “Okay babe, get some rest.” She reached her hand and twined her fingers in his hair. She pulled his lips back to hers.
She whispered, “Stay a minute longer.” She kissed him, sucking his bottom lip before dropping back down to the pillow.
“Get some rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He bent to kiss her forehead before he glided out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Chapter 19
Sloane relaxed back against the pillows she propped against the headboard. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She heard the door open and was enveloped in the familiar Sandalwood smell she loved. Her lips curved into a smile. She felt his weight on the bed, and his lips met hers. She moaned at the softness of his lips. She brushed her hands through his curls and clutched the back of his head in her fingers as her passion grew. She gripped his shirt with her hand and pulled him to her. He swung a leg over her and cupped her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb over her nipple. It peaked through the thin fabric of her shirt. She pushed him away a moment to catch her breath.
“You know I’m supposed to be up here getting a vision. How am I supposed to concentrate with you here?” She opened her eyes to gaze into his. She still gripped his shirt in her hands. He leaned back straddling her on the bed. He looked so hot, in his tight jeans. Sloane bit her lip as she assessed him. “Oh, fuck it.” She pulled him back to her mouth and ravaged his tongue with hers. She reached her hand to unbutton his shirt. When she reached the last one, she slipped the shirt off him, feeling the contours of his shoulders. Relishing in his hard pecs. She pinched his nipple, and he smiled against her mouth. He backed away, and her mouth followed, hungry for more.
“Love, I’m not sure we have time for what you have in mind.” Mike slid his shirt back onto his shoulders.
Sloane stuck her lip out in a pout. “We always have time for us. Besides, I need to relax. I can think of nothing better than you to help me with some relaxation.” She rubbed her hand over his pecs, sliding them down to his abdomen, stopping at his waistband. She gazed into his eyes, biting her bottom lip as she pulled the button of his jeans free. She looked up through her lashes before slowly sliding the zipper down. She licked her lips and watched his gaze alight with a hungry desire.
“Dammit, Sloane.” He captured her mouth with his. His kiss was hungry, and she knew he wouldn’t stop her. She slipped her hand beneath his waistband. She wrapped her fingers around him and his breath caught against her mouth. His hands moved to grab the headboard on each side of her head.
“Sloane, I’m yours,” he breathed against her mouth in desperation and desire.
“Always,” she breathed.
“Always,” he repeated against her lips.
After they were satiated, Sloane rolled back onto the pillows, “Oh Mike, you always know just how to help me relax.” She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heart race beneath her palm. She placed her hand over Mike’s chest, to feel his racing heart. Mike placed his hand over hers.
“Always, happy to oblige, love.” He gazed down into her eyes. He brushed his fingers down her cheek. She gazed up into his eyes, brushing her fingers through his curls. She loved his black spirals that fell in different angles around his face. They were never the same. His dark eyes were locked on hers. She leaned up to kiss him tenderly. She wasn’t sure when she fell in love with Mike, but at that moment she knew she loved him. She was happy. She turned her back on her old life to embrace what she’d always known she would return to. She had thought she loved Mike when they were young, but that was nothing compared to what she felt for him now. Her lips moved so easily against his. She sucked on his soft lips, slid her tongue along his, relishing in his gentle caresses as they kissed.
Suddenly, she was someplace else entirely. What the hell, she thought. Looking around, she could tell she was outside of the school. The same girl from before was leaning against the building. She looked right at Sloane.
�
��Well it’s about time you got here,” she said, eyeing Sloane.
“What do you mean, I’m not late?” She looked down at her phone.
“I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to Sloane.” She studied her.
“What are you talking about?” the voice asked.
“Sorry Katie, I used you to bring Sloane here. She needs to be warned before they come to the school.”
“Ah okay,” the girl said.
“Sloane, you guys can’t come to the school, yet. They know about Mullen. They’re planning for you. There are too many of them, and they’ve possessed too many students who have powers. There has to be another way. We need to separate the students who are possessed from the ones who aren’t. I can help you. I go to school here, and many of us know what’s happening. I’m going to meet with everyone tonight. We’re going to plan to divide and conquer. We don’t want to see our friends hurt. Meet me at the Caribou off Woodman road; eight am sharp. We need to discuss our next move. You have to stop everyone from coming. It will be bad, really bad.” The look she gave Sloane was grave.
“Ah okay, Chloe are you done now, cause I’m starting to get a headache,” Katie said.
“Yes, remember, eight am. Sloane.” Then she was gone.
Mike stared back at her, eyes full of concern. “There you are, love. Where did you go?”
“I think I got pulled into someone else’s head by another Shikari. The girl's name is Chloe, and she goes to school here. She warned me not to let anyone go in until we meet. The demons know about Mullen, and they are preparing for us to go there next. She said the students have a plan to divide and conquer. She wants me to meet her tomorrow morning at Caribou.” Sloane yawned. “I wish my visions weren’t so exhausting.”
“It’s okay, love. You got us what we need. I’ll go down and tell everyone. Stay here, rest. I’ll be back shortly.” Sloane yawned again. Mike’s mouth turned up at the corner as he looked at her.
“Okay, babe. Don’t be gone too long.” She sighed.
Mike bent to kiss her after he’d gotten dressed. “I wouldn’t dream of making you wait too long.” He swiped a few stray hairs from her forehead. Sloane sighed, happily. She heard the door close softly, and she drifted off to sleep.
✭✭✭
“Hey, it’s about time. Sloane get a vision or something?” Erik asked.
“Yeah, actually, she did. A girl from the school sent it to her. She wants Sloane to meet her at Caribou tomorrow morning. The girl said they know we’re coming, and she needs to meet with us before we go in. She has a plan to divide and conquer, I guess.” Mike shrugged.
“A girl sent her a vision? That’s new. Do you think we can trust her? How do we know she’s not possessed?” Erik asked.
“I don’t know. I guess we go with her tomorrow to check her out. If she’s legit, we trust her, and they help us dispossess the demons at the school. It’s a win, win from our standpoint.” Mike sat on the couch next to Erik. “You come up with any ideas, yet?”
“Not really, I keep staring at this map. I heard Caroline and Nick argue for a bit. Now, it’s crickets. I don’t know where they went, but I didn’t hear a car leave. They’re still in the house somewhere. I was hoping to hear from them about how many people would be able to help. I still haven’t heard from Bryant. I texted him a few minutes ago with no response.” Erik brushed a hand through his hair.
“Stalemate, then. Maybe, we call it a night. Wake up early and be ready to fight. It’s already been a long day. We could use the rest.” Mike stood.
“Whatever, you just want to get back to whatever you and Sloane were doing.” Erik narrowed his gaze.
“Oh yeah, like you don’t want to go join Jessie.” Mike side-eyed Erik. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Have a good night, brother.” Mike patted Erik on the back and hurried up the stairs.
Erik shook his head. He wanted to at least check on Caroline before he disappeared. He didn’t think she was going to just go to bed when demons possessed her daughter. He wasn’t sure what they were doing, but he doubted they were sleeping. He walked into the kitchen, but it was empty. A glass of water was on the counter next to the sink. It was the only sign anybody had been in here. Walking down the hall toward the study, he stopped at the closed door. He wanted to walk in but thought better of it. When he turned to walk back to the kitchen, the door opened.
Nick was coming out of the room. “Oh hey, what are you doing out here?”
“I was coming to see how it was going. Jessie is resting since she was injured today. Sloane had a vision about a student at the school and is meeting her tomorrow at a coffee shop. I guess the students have a plan about dispossessing the students. I’m not sure what else we can do tonight until we know who all is going to help us. I haven't heard back from Bryant, either.” Erik slouched realizing he wasn’t sure what he should do.
“Caroline is in there calling friends in the area. We have friends coming from all over. We’ll have at least fifteen to twenty people coming, but most won’t be here until tomorrow. You might as well catch a few hours of sleep. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow.” Nick patted Erik on the back.
“I guess. I just don’t feel like sleeping.”
“How about a drink, then? I know I certainly could use one.” Nick walked toward the kitchen. He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Highland Park. He poured two finger’s width into both glasses and slid one across the counter to Erik.
“Thanks,” Erik took a drink from the glass. It was smooth going down. “So, how did you convince Caroline not to go to the school tonight?”
Nick scoffs, “That’s what you want to talk about? Okay, Caroline is a reasonable woman. She knows if we go tonight, we’ll lose. She just had to see reason and have actionable steps to take. She’s making calls to everyone and arranging travel. She has something that will keep her busy and dull her thoughts about Nicole for the time being.” Nick shrugged.
“Good, I wasn’t sure she’d be persuaded. We might have to tie her down or something.”
Nick laughed, “Yeah, good luck with that.”
“Would you like to take a look at the blueprints we have for the school? I can go over what we discussed on the best way to go into the school. I’m not sure if it will still work considering Sloane will be meeting with one of the students tomorrow, but it’s something to do. I’m too wired to sleep, yet.”
“Yeah, I’d like to take a look. Caroline and I were going to send Nicole there at one point. If we were still together, she’d probably be going to school there.” Nick looked down and shook his head.
Erik could hear the pain in his words but didn’t ask about them. When they got to the plans, Erik sat and pointed to the West Entrance. “We think it’d be best to go in here undetected. We thought we’d talk to Magnus about getting a delivery truck, so we’d be able to blend in when we arrived. Mike said he thought Magnus would be able to help us get the truck. We could load everyone in the back. The delivery entrance has the fewest people. We also thought it would be unlikely any of them would be possessed like the people in the office.” Erik explained.
“That’s not a bad idea. You think Magnus can get the truck by tomorrow? I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold Caroline off much longer. We should have enough people joining us by tomorrow afternoon. If we can get a truck by then, we’d be all set to go by late tomorrow afternoon. Does anyone know the delivery schedule or anything?” Nick asked.
“I’m not sure. Sloane could ask the girl tomorrow, or we see who we can find on the inside who might know. I can do some scouting in the morning. If I can listen to their thoughts about who they’re expecting, we can match the truck or stop the truck before it goes to the school. That could be an option, too.” Erik pulled out his phone. “I’m going to send a quick message to Magnus. I think it’s weird my father hasn’t called me back, yet.” Erik typed a message about getting a truck to Magnus and asked if he had any people, he could spare to help them tomorrow. He included th
e details about Sloane meeting with one of the students to elicit help from them.
“I’m going to go inform Caroline of what’s going on and see what she may know about the school and deliveries. I think we have a good start for tomorrow and she’ll be appeased by this information. You should try to get some rest. I think it’s a good idea for you to a scout who they may be expecting tomorrow, which means you may need to be at the school around six am. You might want to catch at least a few hours of sleep before then.” Nick placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder and looked at him, before standing to go back to Caroline. Erik sighed. He wanted to be with Jessie, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure he’d want to let her go once he had her in his arms. Today scared him more than he was willing to admit. He let out a heavy breath and trudged up the stairs. He longed to wrap Jessie in his arms and hold her close to him. He also feared how close he came to losing her today. If that bullet had been a few inches over, she’d be dead. He couldn’t think about that. He needed to hold her. Forget about today and relax, knowing she was safe.
He quietly opened the door. He took off his shoes, jeans, and t-shirt and slipped into the bed next to her. She moaned softly when he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly against himself. He’d missed being this close to her after he’d broken it off. Today was a reminder of his reasoning, but he could never bring himself to do it again. He’d just have to get better at protecting her. He couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her again. He rested his head on the pillow and blew a heavy breath over her neck. She placed her hand over his arm and rubbed.
“Erik, it’s okay. I’m here.” She snuggled closer to him. The friction of her hips against his boxers elicited an immediate response. He couldn’t help it. He always had the same response to her closeness. He wanted to be insider her even now, sharing this tender moment. Every nerve in his body was excited by her closeness. He felt her like an electric current through his body. She turned and placed her hand on his cheek. “I’m glad you finally came to bed. I missed you.” She kissed him gently at first but then with growing need. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled her flush to him, she wrapped her leg around his waist, and he lowered his hand to skim her bare thigh. Their mouths moved with frenzied passion. She splayed her hands over his bare chest and rubbed her fingers over the light hairs on his sternum, scratching lightly. He laughed against her lips.