In the distance, the demon’s voice floated like a pestering gnat; it kept bugging me. Yet, Sunny’s eyes called me. I held on to his arms. “Don’t go. Kick! Tell them in your head you change your mind. Do it!”
But when he sunk to his shoulders, my panic spiraled out of control. My hand was in my pocket, folding all the marbles into my fist.
At once, the metal charging me flat-lined, and the demon stumbled out of her cage.
I felt lost, the world spinning. What was I meant to do? I fumbled with the balls, their light energy pinching the tips of my fingers. But a blaze tore through me and a scream filled my lungs at the injustice, the unfairness, the ugliness of my life.
“Too late, petal. The boy is mine, and you, well, you are destined for wondrous things that will benefit my kind.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I pulled my hand out, still grasping the marbles, and I lifted my fist toward her. A fiery surge of power erupted within me. And in a sudden explosion, blinding light snaked outward from my knuckles, colliding into the demon’s solar plexus.
I screamed as I drove every threat of strength I had left. The anger, hatred, self-pity.
She wailed. Her pale skin turned brittle, burning like coal, and she burst into a billion pieces. I ducked as ash pelted into my back and my head.
Brushing them off, I ignored the burning hot spots on my flesh; they were unimportant compared to saving Sunny. I hurled the energy into the black quicksand swallowing him. At first, it made no impact. I rocked on the spot, the world wavering. We were so close.
But when the tar-like substance hardened and cracked around Sunny’s neck, I threw a heel into the ground. It crumbled. I seized the boy’s arms, dragging him into an embrace. The hardened material around his neck crumbled into dust, floating away on the wind, freeing him.
He broke out crying, wailing, shaking against me, and my throat thickened to know his parents wouldn’t lose their baby.
The pit was knitting itself shut, but not before I looked down to a lake of glowing amber lava. A whiff of rotting flesh expelled from the gap. I shuddered, picturing poor Peter and the other victims falling inside. Had they still been alive? My lungs refused to work at picturing their suffering. I prayed their deaths had been swift, though part of me kept wondering if their souls were stuck in hell.
Sunny was bawling his eyes out, trembling uncontrollably in my arms.
I stumbled away from the crossroads, setting Sunny down. But the moment I stepped up to the curb, every molecule in my body gave out.
Chapter 17
Someone prodded my shoulder; their cries muffled in my ears. The ground beneath me chilled my bones. I opened my eyes, finding myself planted face-down in a lawn, dirt between my teeth. The heavy stench of soil inundated my nostrils. I pushed myself to hands and knees and spat out the grass in my mouth. The night cloaked the yard behind Little J’s. How long had I been out? I checked the time on my watch. Two a.m. Crap, I’d been out for over an hour.
Next to me, Sunny sat with his legs crossed, tears streaking his cheeks, his chin trembling. His chestnut hair fluttered in the wind, way overdue for a trim. Anguish wrenched my insides to know this experience might scar him, but better that than being dead.
“Thanks for looking after me. You’re very brave.”
He broke into another fit of crying. I drew him into my arms and rubbed his back. “We’re both safe.”
My attention sailed to the crossroads. Not a sign of the fucked-up shit from earlier, but now the confusion from the past week made sense. How the mayor had gained his powers, why kids had disappeared, and even Dash. I could only guess he’d stumbled upon the child sacrifice and had gotten caught in the crossfire. The mayor must have ordered Dash’s death and to dump his body in the river, which meant the demon preferred to devour children. Or was that how Lash eliminated anyone who stood in his way? Like the two traveler people who’d gone missing?
The demon’s words about her gifting me with my power came to mind. I loathed the knowledge, but I controlled the ability, not the other way around. And I had always used it for good, to benefit others. Was it why I’d been involved in the incident that lead to my brother’s death? Had I been chosen?
I refocused on Sunny, driving the other thoughts out of my mind because I couldn’t handle them right now.
“Hey, Sunny. Feel like going for a bike ride?”
He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hands and on his pajama top. Teardrops clung to his long lashes, and he nodded.
By the time I had Sunny sitting in front of me on the motorbike, he’d stopped sniffling and smiled. He even gave me his address. When we pulled up near his small, brick home, I got Sunny off the bike and crouched next to him. “You’re safe now.”
The lights in the front window of his home switched on. Seconds later, his parents darted onto the front lawn. The mother’s tears burst forth, spilling down her face. Her arms stretched out, and she scooped Sunny into a tight embrace. The father bear-hugged them both, and they remained in their cocoon of reunited love.
My breath hitched at seeing them, reminding me of the month I’d spent crying for my brother, begging the universe to return him. I didn’t bury him for weeks, swearing he’d come back. I had come back from the dead, so why not him?
Once Sunny’s parents approached me, I explained I’d found Sunny wandering alone in the middle of a road behind Little J’s. I didn’t explain the specifics because the truth would give the family nightmares for years, but I did say I’d found him in the middle of the road, frozen in a trance, surrounded by a dark mist. I especially left out the part about my power. That wasn’t a necessity in knowing how their son had survived.
“You should call the police and tell them you tracked down your kid. But I’d prefer if you left me out of the discussion.” I didn’t need a grilling at the station, or to have the cops toss me in prison under the mayor’s control.
“You have our word.” The woman with short, blonde hair took me into her arms, squeezing tight, and I inhaled her clementine scent. “We can’t thank you enough, Robyn. You are incredible.”
“Thank you, but keep an eye on Sunny to make sure he doesn’t take off again.”
She nodded. I waved at Sunny, who smiled so wide, my chest tightened. This was why I helped people—to give them hope that all wasn’t lost in the world.
For now, my priority was stopping the mayor. I hopped onto my bike and pulled away from the curb. In no time, I sped down the empty streets of Amber.
The phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled over onto a side road, took off my helmet, and found a missed call from a number I didn’t recognize. Curiosity drilled through me because if someone wanted me after midnight, it wasn’t a how-you-doing chat. I returned the call.
“Hey, Robyn,” a female voice answered.
“Charity?” My head becomes giddy. “What’s wrong?” If I got through to her phone, it meant she wasn’t in the woods, which had no signal.
“Can’t get hold of Dante. He always touches base with us every few hours… It’s been half a day. Earlier, he left to confront the mayor to convince him to stop attacking the Lower Corner.”
My stomach dropped. “He went to the Town Hall, right? Did he take anyone with him?”
The roar of a motorbike sounded in the background of the phone. Was the gang searching for Dante? “Yes and no.”
“Shit. Shit.” Of course, Dante would go alone. I went into a summary of what I’d discovered about the mayor, the demon, and even how I’d defeated her. Damn, it felt amazing to tell someone.
“Son of a bitch. We need to find Dante.”
A ding hit my cell. I looked at the screen. Ryker. Was the mayor using him as a puppet?
“Okay,” I said to Charity. “Where are you?”
“Just entered East End.”
“Split up into three groups. One goes to Lower Corner and checks in on Little J’s. Another to North Side, as I heard the mayor lives somewhere there. And the rest should make t
heir way into the center. I’m going there too.”
“Got it. I’ll touch base.” The moment the phone hung up, it rang again. Ryker.
“Are you okay?” I answered.
“Where are you?” His voice was dark and heavy.
“What’s going on?” I hadn’t spoken to him since the Lower Corner incident when he’d struck me. A cocktail of guilt and confusion clung to me. A part of me prayed Ryker was no longer under the mayor’s spell so we could talk about everything. But after I found Dante.
“We’re at the River’s edge, near Splash-Splash,” he said. “Come now, or Dante won’t see morning.”
“Wait…. What?” Terror owned me, slithering along my skin.
He hung up.
The stew I’d eaten earlier hit the back of my throat. “What the fuck?” I couldn’t stop shaking. How had the mayor learned I’d survived and sent the demon to hell? Regardless, the bastard knew about my relationships with Dante and Ryker.
After a call to Charity, giving her an update on Dante, I raced down the road. I hadn’t told my friend about Ryker because I’d felt like a cheater and that I’d let her down. Back in the woods, the eagerness in her gaze whenever she’d spoken about me and Dante being together brimmed with hope. These past few days, my world had gone to hell, and I’d struggled with my feelings toward both Ryker and Dante. I’d been torn because I shouldn’t desire both. But now with the mayor and his demon powers, he might just rip them both away.
Ryker didn’t know about my traveler past, or how I used to be part of the Hood. He abhorred liars and I’d played him like a fool. I was such an idiot. And Dante, would he shun me after discovering I’d been dating Ryker for two years and yet I’d kissed him in the woods? My head hurt.
I wasn’t sure my life could get any more screwed up. I hit the throttle and raced toward the river. Despite the emotions shredding me, rage flooded me with adrenaline to rip the mayor’s spine out, to finish this mess. The Ryker and Dante situation had to wait. I wouldn’t allow that to get in my way. But one thing was certain: if I survived, I would come clean. No more secrets.
When I pulled into the parking area behind Friday Fish Fry restaurant, I burned up with anger. Darkness drenched everything. In the distance, the spotlights from the overhead bridge threw a yellow hue over the water. Near the shoreline stood five figures.
I squared my shoulders. “You’ve got this,” I mumbled to myself. “Kick butt and stop Lash’s torment.” I stuffed a hand into my pockets, my fingers grazing the three marbles, and at once the faint charge tickled across my flesh. While usually, I’d end up drained after using my ability, right then, the power bubbled with a new fever. Was it somehow related to me using all three balls at once?
The moment I emerged onto the pebbly shore, all five heads turned my way from twenty feet away. Ryker and Dante weren’t restrained but watched me with blank expressions. Behind each lingered a ninja all in black. And in the middle was the mayor tugging down on his vest, smirking.
The closer I moved, the bigger the boulder in my gut swelled. My gaze darted from Ryker to Dante, never in my wildest nightmare imagining them together. Not the detective who followed every rule, or the outlaw who broke them to benefit his cause. If they weren’t under a spell, what would they say to each other—or me? I hadn’t remembered the events from when the mayor controlled me, not until I’d touched my marbles; so did that mean these two wouldn’t either?
“Should have known you would be trouble.” The mayor stepped closer, pulling on leather gloves. “Lilith sent me a whisper about you escaping.” Shadows danced beneath his narrowing eyes, and pebbles crunched underfoot as he approached.
“On our first encounter, your resistance surprised me.” Lash stopped several feet away. “But now you’re just shitting me. You’ve made me do this, Robyn.”
Unease coiled in my stomach. How in the world was this going to turn out well? I wanted Lash gone, exterminated, finished. Out of my life.
I stuffed my hand into my pocket, touching the marbles, their static curling around my fingers.
“Not so fast,” Lash said. “I saw what you did at Little J’s, so the moment you hurt me, my ninjas will slit the throats of your two lovers.”
Rocking on the spot, I shuddered, but I held back my emotions. No showing the bastard my fear. “Let them go. This is between you and me.”
The mayor laughed, the hyena chortle stabbing my eardrums. “Everyone is connected. Just like you used to be in the Hood, how you and Dante were set to wed, and how both of you are from the Traveler community. And poor Ryker, who’s been blind-sighted by you. You lied to him, didn’t you?” His tone mocked me.
“It’s none of your business.”
His grimace was on full display, and his head tilted forward, predatory eyes fastened on to me. “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. I own this city and everyone in it. The boys told me everything.”
My throat parched, and I buzzed with the urgency to smite him, to turn him to dust. But what about the ninjas? Both remained behind Ryker and Dante.
“Then what do you want?” If I got close enough, I could knock Lash out and zap one ninja while throwing a knife at the other. Shit, though; those were impossible odds.
The mayor’s voice sliced through my thoughts. “I have a game for you, Robyn.”
Every molecule in my body contracted, ready to detonate. “Screw you.”
But when someone whacked a stick across my back, followed by one to my knees, I groaned and tumbled to the ground. Agony screamed at the points of impact, my body throbbing.
Lash moved with such swiftness, I swore he flew through the air. At my back, he held a blade to my neck and lowered his mouth to my ear. “Only one of your lovers can live. Choose, or I’ll kill them both.”
Chapter 18
The mayor’s blade pressed to my neck, biting flesh. Blood trickled down my chest. “Choose! Which one will you save?” he exhaled in my ear.
I stared at Ryker, my rock, my boyfriend. Then my gaze shifted to Dante, my past, my heart. Both watched me, eyes glazed, expressions neutral. How could I pick one? Losing either would destroy me. I thought I’d pushed Dante aside, but the last few days had shown me my love for him had only intensified. And I’d fallen for Ryker hard, giving myself to him.
I hiccupped a breath. “You sadistic coward.”
“Compliments won’t get you anywhere,” the mayor growled.
Was this about control for him, flexing his dick muscle? “Why are you doing this?”
His hand gripped my injured shoulder, fingers digging into the wound. I bit down on my lower lip hard to fight through the pain. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of crying out, figuring he’d enjoy the show.
“I want the Travelers to suffer, to lose their homes, and to have no help.”
Confusion burrowed through my thoughts. “Why? They’ve always been treated like crap by authorities, and those who won’t accept differences, but why is it personal to you?”
“Because they rejected me. You Travelers hate outsiders. You’re so secretive and only taking care of your own.”
“That’s not true.” Although that wasn’t the truth exactly. I recalled Sari and her pregnancy, and her husband not being a Traveler, the troubles they’d faced. There were others who wanted to change and embrace newcomers.
“Sure it is.” He spat. “The community threw out my mother and me after my father passed away because she wasn’t one of them. I was only eight. We lived on the streets and ate garbage because of you and your kind. No one would help us or give her a job. She died and I tried to kill myself.”
The shock of hearing he was one of us didn’t register at first. But I couldn’t deny the hypocrisy of a few people in the Lower Corner. They’d ridiculed me after abandoning the Hood. Either way, I would never fit back in, so yeah, I sympathized with Lash. But hell, I couldn’t share any traits with a murderous psychopath for long.
“No one paid attention to homeless scum. But I’d s
how them. I searched for a way to get back at them. Make them regret what they did. That’s when I learned about the crossroads.” He chuckled, and my skin crawled.
“You sold your soul for revenge! You’re the worst kind of person, killing for your own self-worth. What about the kids? You talk about your troubled upbringing, but you’ve torn families apart. Killed innocent children!”
He snarled in my ear and drove a fist just behind my kidneys. I arched from the dull ache, my eyes tearing, my chest heaving violently. My knees buckled, and I fell forward.
The mayor marched toward Dante. He stabbed his blade deep into his shoulder. When the mayor plucked the knife out, thick blood flowed out. Dante didn’t flinch or react. He was a zombie.
I scrambled to my feet, my hand in my pocket grasping all three marbles.
“Stop!” Lash yelled. “Or the next one will be in his throat. I didn’t even know the Hood consisted of Travelers until Dante told me. So I guess he’ll be first.”
Energy snaked up my arm, and every inch of me shook with rage. I’d had enough of this crap, the torment Lash had left in his wake so he could get his kicks out of revenge. I jutted my hand out, the electric blue zapping outward.
But Lash jerked out of the way, and my electricity struck Dante square in the chest.
I lunged for him as he collapsed to the ground, shaking. “Fuck, no.”
Lash backhanded me across the face. “Know your place. Kneel.”
I wiped my bleeding mouth, ignoring the sting crawling along my jawline. “Before the night is over, you’ll be on your knees begging for mercy.” My voice growled with intensity and I meant every damn word.
He laughed, a hand to his chest. “A girl after my heart. You have darkness inside you. What did you offer the demon in payment for your ability?”
My mouth opened, then shut because I’d made no such deal. Or had I? I remembered nothing from my afterlife, but what if I had? The quiet terror rose through me, except what could I do about it now?
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