by Dora Blume
“Call me Tammy, I don’t get why you all have been using my given name. When you were kids you always called me Tammy.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, Tammy, we’re adults now. It seemed polite.” Erik blinked up at her. “Your food is delicious, thank you for making it.”
“Oh, it was no bother, really.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Jessie needed a good home-cooked meal. She’s eating for two after all.” Tammy gave her daughter the sweetest look, Sloane’s heart clenched. There was a happiness radiating from both of them. Sloane wondered if Jessie was as happy as she appeared though. There was an underlying trepidation to her. Her hand shook slightly as she continued eating. Had she gotten any better after some rest?
“Okay, back to the plan.” Jessie circled her finger in the air. “We need to get the ingredients for this potion to stop the demons from taking us as hosts. How are we stopping the people inside? We have to assume most of them are Shikari with powers at their disposal. We have no idea what their powers are. How are we planning to stop them?” Jessie asked, sitting back in her seat and meeting Erik’s worried gaze.
“I would think the same way we did at the school would work, but we had a lot of help with that. We don’t have a bunch of students who are willing to get all the innocents out of the way.” Erik shook his head.
“So,” Sloane shrugged. “There shouldn’t be any innocents, it’s the archives. Only Shikari should be there. We only have maybe twenty-five of them to deal with anyway. That’s less than we had to deal with in Minneapolis. We won’t even have the issue of possible bystanders showing up. We should be able to take care of that many easily.” Sloane narrowed her eyes at her brother. What was she missing?
“Yeah, but this time I don’t think Jessie should be involved.” Erik dropped his eyes before looking over to meet Jessie’s.
“Oh, so we won’t be able to freeze them and dispossess them. We’ll actually have to fight that many. I see,” Sloane’s voice dropped low. She had to admit, Jessie made things a hell of a lot easier.
“Wait, what?” Jessie scowled. “What do you mean, you want me out of it? You don’t get to make that decision.” She stood, pushing herself away from the table. “I’m not sending you guys into a fight without me. You need me there to help you, Erik. That’s stupid.” She rubbed at her temple. “You can’t protect me from everything. I need to be there to help you. If one of you got hurt because I wasn’t there,” she paused, her hand moved from her temple to the back of her neck, anguish in her stare. “I couldn’t live with that, Erik. I just couldn’t.”
“What if you were close by so Magnus could copy your powers but you weren’t actually in the fight. You were badly injured the last two battles we got in. I couldn’t stand to see you or the baby hurt, Jess. Not again.” He dropped his head in his hands. Both of them were suffering from the guilt. One for not being able to fight, and the other for not being able to protect her. It was a losing battle.
“I like that Idea. We could leave Jessie in the car nearby. We could even have someone protecting her. She could be on the lookout for other demons. Someone’s going to have to watch our backs, anyway, right?” Sloane’s eyes lit up. “Jessie could be the one in charge of everything that happens outside of the building. She could coordinate everything but still be out of harm's way.” It seemed like a brilliant idea to her.
“I’d be okay with that. It would mean we’d have to read Magnus into the entire plan. Are you sure we can trust him? He’s pretty close to Bryant.” Jessie took Erik’s hand. It was as though she needed his reassuring touch.
“Yeah, he can get the information of his betrayal right from my thoughts if he needs to. I didn’t get anything from him at the compound. I’d feel better if we met him someplace else though. I don’t want to bring him back to what’s become our safe haven.” Erik glanced around the house.
“That’s fine, we can make plans to meet him for breakfast in the morning and fill him in. In the meantime, Tammy and Jessie can get the ingredients for the potion, so we’ve got everything set on that part of the battle. Now we just need to figure out where we’re getting more people.” Erik rubbed his chin.
“I’ve got that covered. Ely and I made a ton of calls yesterday. We’ve got people driving in from four different states. They should be here by morning. Some will be here tonight, but we suggested they get hotels and wait until we contact them. We should have enough for two waves of attack if we need it.” Mike rubbed Sloane’s thigh under the table.
“We have to be prepared for their second wave. They have people in the facility, but we know they’re planning a second attack after we go in. They’re planning to surprise us by going after us from all sides. What would be nice is if we are able to neutralize their second force before they even have the chance to move in.” Erik rubbed his chin, lost in his own thoughts.
“We can make sure they never knew what hit them,” Ely smirked.
“Sounds like a good start.” Erik continued to rub his chin. “Is there anything we’re missing?”
A soft voice spoke from the hall. “Yes, the device, they have more than one. If you attack the building tomorrow, you’ll all lose your powers.” Amy braced herself against the hallway still weak.
“What?” Erik asked, shock emanating from him.
“I mean it. If you attack tomorrow, you will lose your powers. You have to disable the device before you attack or you’ll all be dead.” Amy wobbled even though she was braced against the wall. Erik flew up and caught her before she fell.
“Wait, there’s more than one device?” Sloane asked.
“Yes, we had two made. One was in California. The other we assembled from plans given to us. It should be ready at the archives now. It’s why we didn’t go charging after the other device. It was just a back-up. We planned to use it on the other Shikari as soon as the immediate threat was taken care of.” She gave Sloane a meaningful look.
“Oh shit, Amy, I’m so sorry. I thought by me leaving Minneapolis, you’d be safe.” Sloane’s eyes dropped to the floor.
“It’s okay, I know you were just trying to protect me. Now, I know everything about the demons and how they work. I know all their plans for trying to defeat you. I can help you stop them.” She braced herself against Erik. “I want to help you stop them.” Her eyes met his. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her face pale.
“Come, why don’t you have a seat at the table. We can get you some food. You don’t look so well.” Erik helped her to a chair.
“No shit, Sloane, did you have to hit me so hard?” she shook her head.
“Yeah, you were a demon at the time,” she shrugged.
“Still, the same old Sloane.” She rubbed at her temple and winced.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I hurt you.” She reached out to take Amy’s hand.
“I know. I’m sorry I insisted on helping in the first place. I should have let you and Erik go off and do your thing. If I would have gone back to our apartment and left you all to the demon-hunting, I’m not sure I would have been dragged into this.” Amy grabbed a roll from the table and broke a piece off to stuff into her mouth.
“I’m not sure that’s true. You came with us to the first meeting with our father. He had you pegged as a close friend of Sloane’s. He would have used you even if you never showed up again. He did it to get to her.” Erik rubbed Amy’s shoulder before taking his place back at the table. Jessie glanced between him and Amy, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Well, he certainly used me as soon as I was a demon. He’s calling most of the shots. Him and Mr. Hall. Both of which are higher up Shikari members. Mr. Hall is possessed, your father isn’t. I don’t know how or why he’s working with them, only that he’s got a strong vendetta against the Shikari to want to possess or kill all of you.” Amy shrugged as she continued to break off pieces of the roll.
“Okay, so how do we destroy the device before it’s used on us?” Sloane asked.
“Easy, we sneak in and disable it. I have all the information we need. I can easily get us in. They don’t even know I’m no longer a demon. I can get in and take care of everything.” Amy took another bite.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go alone.” Erik pressed his lips together.
“I agree,” Sloane added.
“Okay, well there are four people here who the demons don’t know are dispossessed. They can go with me. The rest of you will have to wait. They have your pictures and are on constant look-out for you.” She gave Erik and Sloane a stern look. “Scott, Tammy, and Jeremiah can come with me into the facility. I still have my badge and car. If we hurry, they won’t suspect a thing.” Amy finished her roll. “We need to wake up Jeremiah. You didn’t hit him as hard as me, did you?” She narrowed her eyes at Sloane.
“Hey, I didn’t even hit him?” She held her hands up in front of her.
“He should be up soon. Are you sure you don’t want us to go?” Mike stood, concern brimming in his eyes. “We could help you.”
“No, we have to go in undetected. All of you will send up red flags. Well, except maybe you,” she pointed to Ely. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“I’m Ely, Mike brought me in. I helped in Colorado.” He bowed his head slightly and a curl dropped over his eyes. He brushed it away and gave her a kind smile.
“Oh, we don’t have your picture in the database. I still don’t want to chance it. I could go back without anyone being the wiser. I know the specs for the device and I can dismantle it without drawing any suspicion. I can take the parts out and bring them back here. Leaving most of the device intact. They wouldn’t even know they couldn’t use it until it was too late.” Amy swept her hand through her hair. Sloane thought it was funny how it was perfectly styled now. Amy would never have cared about how styled her hair looked. Yet, here she was, in a tailored suit, looking fabulous. Sloane was so proud. Too bad she knew it was the work of the demon and not her friend.
“Okay, is there anything you need from us?” Mike asked.
“No, well, I’ll need my car back. I will also need a number to reach you. I’ll call you when it’s done. Do you think I should stay on the inside to give you information about the fight tomorrow? It couldn’t hurt to have us there, gathering intel.” Amy’s eyes brightened. Ever the strategist and helper.
“You would still do that?” Erik asked, his mouth agape.
“Yes, they possessed me. I know everything about the facility. I could help you.” Her voice was sincere. “Plus, I kinda like the idea of being a spy.” She rubbed her hands together.
“Can you give us the gist of what we need to know before you leave. Then, I’m fine with you staying and continuing to help. You were invaluable in Minneapolis and I know how much you want to do this.” Sloane stepped up and hugged her friend. She was forever grateful for the day she met Amy. Yeah, she may have been helping her out at the time. But Amy had truly repaid her in spades.
“I love you, Sloane. I will always be there to help you,” she said and squeezed her tight.
Sloane hugged her back. She held Amy out and appraised her attire. “I love what you’re wearing by the way,” she smirked.
“Oh shut up, you know I didn’t pick this.” She playfully smacked Sloane’s arm.
“I know, but you do look fabulous in it.” She tucked her arm around Amy’s elbow. “All right girl, tell us everything you know.”
CHAPTER 22
Sloane halted at the door. “I know you’re smart and amazing, but I’m not ever going to like putting you in danger.” Sloane blew out a breath.
Amy pulled her into a tight hug. “I know, but you have to trust me. I got this.”
“Of course I trust you. It’s everyone else I don’t trust.” Sloane pressed her lips together.
“You’ve been protecting me since the day we met. Let me save you for once, okay?” she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited at the door to leave.
“Fine, but I don’t like it.” Sloane rolled her eyes.
“I’ll call you as soon as I’m alone to give you an update. I will take out the device as soon as I can. Try to relax, tonight. You need to be prepared and well-rested before tomorrow, okay.” She smiled and gave Sloane a skeptical look.
“Damn, you’ve always been so motherly. Knock it off.” She pulled Amy into another hug. “Call me as soon as you can and be careful.”
“I will, you too.” She left. Jeremiah, Scott, and Tamslyn behind her. It was the only reason Sloane had agreed to this plan. She had backup if something went wrong. There were three other people there to help. It wouldn’t be enough if anyone actually discovered what they were doing, but Tamslyn was powerful. She could change the demon’s memories if she needed to. That gave Sloane some comfort. They needed to focus on their part of the plan.
Mike’s hands rubbed her arms. “Come on, we need to finalize our plans and then get some rest before tomorrow.” She felt the warmth of him spread through her entire body.
“Yeah,” She turned and wrapped her arms around him. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck. He held her tightly for a few minutes.
“Love, we need to talk with the others,” he whispered against her neck.
“I know, I just want to hold you for a second longer.” Sloane looked up into Mike’s eyes. “She’s going to be okay, right?” her bottom lip jutted out.
“She’ll be fine. She knows what she’s doing. Amy has been in that facility for months as a demon. I’m sure she’ll have it all taken care of in no time.” He bent to kiss her. Sloane savored the feel of his warm lips on hers. “Now, come on. I’ve never known you to stall. We have a battle to prepare for and some demons to kill.” He squeezed her before tugging her after him to the living room.
Erik was bent over the plans they’d drawn up with Amy’s help earlier. Amy was taking care of everything in the facility while they were making plans for tomorrow. They had several teams they needed to account for. Jessie would lead everything from a van parked a few blocks away. They would move her closer as needed so Magnus could copy her powers.
Sloane and Erik would be part of the first wave since their father gave strict orders not to possess them. Mike would also be with them since Bryant already knew he was here. Ely would be part of the second wave. He would bring in the other fighters to take care of the demons who were meant to take them by surprise. The only problem for them was that they planned to eliminate all of them before they even had a chance to enter the building. They had a diagram for where everyone would be stationed. Amy had details of the entire operation including the timing for when the demons would go in. They would be able to eliminate the threat. Tamslyn wrote down the directions for the potion. Jessie and Sloane were planning to make it in the morning before they went back to the complex to meet Bryant.
“I think everything’s set. Any questions before tomorrow?” Erik asked. Mike had taken pictures of the plans and sent them to the few trusted people who were joining them tomorrow.
“What are we going to do with our dear father? You know he’s not going to stick around for the battle. He’ll slip out just before it begins like he always does.” Sloane crossed her legs and leaned back against Mike. He absently played with her hair as she spoke.
“We have a team ready to stop him when he leaves.” Erik leaned back against the couch pulling his knees to his chest. “It has to be me, doesn’t it?” He looked up to Sloane over his shoulder.
“I think it needs to be both of us. Are there any potions that can get the truth out of him once and for all?” Sloane glanced toward Jessie. She had more color in her face than she did earlier. Maybe Tamslyn had been right about the food.
“Yeah, I think there is. When we go shopping tomorrow, we can pick up the ingredients we need for it. I hear it’s painful. You really want to put him through that?” Jessie bit her lip as she looked between Erik and Sloane.
“I’m surprised you even have to ask me. H
e deserves that and so much more.”
“And what about you Erik?” she asked.
“I don’t want to but at this point, I don’t trust a thing he’s told me. It’s time we learned the truth about our mother once and for all,” his jaw tensed.
“All right, I’ll make the potion. I think we need to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.” Jessie rubbed Erik’s back, and he sank back into her.
Sloane met Mike’s eyes and smiled. He rubbed her shoulders, and she stood up, offering her hand for him to get up. He shook his head but took the offer. She pulled him up swiftly against her and kissed him. A throat cleared behind them. Sloane dropped down from his mouth and turned to face Ely. “Is there something you wanted to discuss?” Her eyebrow rose as she looked back at him. She was curious if he wanted to join them again after everything. She had to admit she wouldn’t mind.
“Stay safe tomorrow, all right,” his voice was hoarse.
“Come on, Ely. If you want to join us, you just have to ask.” Sloane took a step forward.
Ely shook his head, his hand flying out in front of him. “No, I just want you both to be safe tomorrow. I won’t be fighting with you, so I wanted you to know that I, that I care about what happens to you. I don’t know where we go after tomorrow, but I want you to be safe.” He dropped his eyes and darted down the hall.
Sloane turned to look at Mike. “What was that?” she asked.
“Ely doesn’t always have the best way of expressing himself. I think he wanted us to know that he cares,” Mike shrugged.
“Should we go join him?” Sloane’s eyebrows rose in anticipation.
“Love, I know you mean well, but I think he needs some space.” Mike cupped her chin in his hand. “Besides, tonight, I want you all to myself.” He dipped his head and kissed her so hard her head spun. As long as Mike kissed her like that, she wouldn’t remember anyone else existed. He swept his arms under her knees and whisked her off to the bedroom.