Alexa O'Brien 05 - Death Wish

by Trina M. Lee

  The fallen angel looked over us each with scrutiny before dragging his judgmental gaze back to me. “You really aren’t the brightest crayon in the box are you, wolf?”

  I bristled at his tone, and my guard went up. After what had just occurred inside, I was in no mood to take lip from the asshole angel.

  “I have a name, you son of a bitch.” I met his gaze evenly, showing no fear. What the hell was he doing here?

  Tall and chiseled with fair hair, he looked like any model in a men’s fashion magazine. He was good looking, but it was a surface beauty. His wings were absent, hidden beneath some form of illusion that drove my curiosity crazy. Without them, he lost a lot of his intimidation factor.

  “Alexa,” he said my name slowly, dramatically emphasizing every syllable. “Do you have any idea of how stupid you are?”

  I sensed Kale’s sudden tension, but I didn’t dare take my eyes off Falon. The twenty feet or so separating the fallen angel from me became much too close for comfort. I wanted to claw his eyes out but wasn’t dumb enough to try.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Only an idiot would draw attention to themselves by calling power like that without good reason. Might as well walk around with a neon sign over your head that flashes the word, dumbass.”

  I seethed with hatred for this infuriating creature. “I had my reasons, none of which do I owe you as an explanation. Where do you get off coming to my place of business to judge me?”

  Falon’s laughter cut through the night, as malicious as it was melodic. “Your place of business is little more than a den of sin and sacrilege. Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “Fuck you, you pathetic demon lapdog.” I spat the words without thinking, letting my anger guide my sharp tongue. “If Shya sent you, tell him I have nothing to say to him through you. If he didn’t send you, then you really don’t need to be here.”

  I blinked, that was it. I never saw him move, but he was suddenly so close we almost touched. Glaring down into my face, Falon fixed me with ice-cold eyes.

  “You attract the attention of everyone with any ties to power when you do that shit. That power may be yours to command, but it comes from a place bigger than you can imagine. Use it wisely.”

  I had never felt any source of power or metaphysical wonder from him. It was there, I knew, but hidden. I didn’t feel it now either, but I saw it, there in the depths of his eyes. So cold and broken but immense, like the mountains and the sea, larger than I could dream. The promise of destruction was there, and I knew with deep-seated certainty that Falon’s power was something I never wanted to see.

  “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child, you pretentious bastard.”

  His cruel grin restored some of his intimidation factor, but nothing about him indicated that he’d ever been anything better than he was now. “Shya is so wrong about you.”

  Dismissing me entirely, Falon swept by me to get a closer look at Jez. She perched on the edge of the car, frozen in place. She stared at him like he was scum, but the anxious vibes she gave off betrayed her.

  “And, what have we here?” Ignoring her scathing expression, Falon studied her with curious intrigue. He seemed a little perplexed. “Of all the mixed bloodlines I’ve seen, never have I seen one quite like you. Fascinating. Where has Shya been hiding you?”

  Jez stumbled over her words as she attempted a stuttering response. Kale came to her rescue. Laying a friendly hand on Falon’s arm, he smoothly captured the angel’s attention.

  “Jez prefers to work the streets, clean up the trash. That kind of thing. Now, what brings you here?” Kale’s interest was authentic. He clearly knew how to deal with Falon.

  Falon cast a last lingering glance at Jez before turning his full attention on Kale. “The dreamwalker,” he spoke in low tones. “I need you there tonight.”

  I was still stuck on what he’d said about Jez being of mixed blood. How could that be? Her face was a mask of ice, carefully constructed to reveal nothing.

  “Dreamwalker?” I said, only half-listening. I was watching Jez as she forced a nonchalant expression.

  “Yes, dreamwalker,” Falon sneered. “As in, someone who can walk in dreams. Now there’s a power that even a botched crossbreed like you doesn’t have.”

  I snarled and lunged toward him. Kale effectively placed himself in my path, stopping me with both hands on my shoulders. Falon enjoyed my fury, which only ticked me off more. It was my own fault for letting him get under my skin. Something about him just stripped my composure away. Lately everything seemed to strip my composure away.

  Kale guided him away, quickly asking questions to keep things neutral. It wasn’t worth getting pissed at Falon. Between the target on my back, the mysterious FPA and the Shaz situation, I was overflowing with pent up frustration and the excruciating need to hurt something. Taking it out on Falon wouldn’t ultimately help me feel any better about anything.

  Running a hand through my hair in vexation, I looked around the parking lot.

  Something didn’t feel right.

  The light from the street lit up the entrance. Traffic passed by like usual. Nobody in the lot struck me as particularly suspicious.

  Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply of the air, picking through the myriad of scents. I could pick out little more than car exhaust and cigarettes from the nearby smokers.

  The sudden awareness of being watched set my senses on fire. My eyes snapped open, and I did my best to survey my surroundings without appearing as if I was. In case of a psychic attack, I focused my energy on reinforcing my shields. I saw nobody as I turned in a slow circle. But, someone was watching.

  “Lex?” Jez’s voice was breathy and low. Wary.

  The power of the earth vibrated beneath my feet. It was mine to call, though I was already buzzing with undead energy. Theoretically, I could create a shield strong enough to block a penetrative non-living physical object, like a bullet; unfortunately, I had yet to successfully do it.

  Slipping into the wolf’s alert and intuitive mind frame, I moved with a casual gait, feeling out my watcher. This dilemma left no room for fear, only readiness.

  I’d started to think, perhaps, they were only going to observe, but then I felt it. My sixth sense took over, and I reacted. The arrow sliced through the air toward me. I held it tight in my grip before I fully comprehended that I’d caught it inches from my face. It was a crossbow bolt; the tip was sharp and deadly.

  Everyone froze for a heartbeat. I stared in disbelief at the bolt in my hands. Then I snapped into motion.

  Following the direction where the shot came from, I threw a ball of power that exploded like lightning at the dark end of the parking lot. A moving blur was all I saw of my unwelcome company as they fled in the opposite direction.

  I gave chase, running as fast as two legs would carry me. It was fast but not enough. Not this time. I saw no sign of whoever had taken a shot at me as they disappeared out the other side of the alley that hugged the back of the club. The last thing I wanted to do was walk into a possible trap, so I turned back.

  I clutched the crossbow bolt tightly. It had all happened so quickly. Mere seconds. I guess the idea of a hit out on me wasn’t so incredulous after all.

  Kale was on my heels, so close we almost collided when I turned around. Falon and Jez were where we left them, watching us. Jez’s face was ashen, her jaw dropped in surprise. Falon’s expression wasn’t so easy to read. Stone cold and closed off, his silver eyes locked onto the weapon in my tight grip.

  “Oh my God, Alexa. Are you alright?” Jez was on her feet, braced for a fight.

  “Yeah,” I said with a nod. My heart was pumping pure adrenaline, but otherwise I was fine. “Whoever it was, they’re long gone now. Idiots. A rooftop shot would have been smarter.”

  Kale looked longingly in the direction my would-be killer had fled. “We should go after them.”

  “No.” I turned the crossbow bolt over in my hands.
It was heavy and sharp. Pretty damn deadly. “I don’t want you guys involved in this. They’ve targeted me. Let’s keep it that way.”

  “I can’t believe you caught that thing.” Jez shook her head in wonder. “That was impressive.”

  Falon smirked, but his eyes betrayed nothing. Whatever he was really feeling about what he’d just seen, he wasn’t sharing. “Ah yes, the wolf caught a flying stick. Fascinating. I’d be more impressed if you’d caught it in your teeth like a frisbee.”

  If I hadn’t just stared death in the face, I would have been pissed about that comment. As it was, the asshole angel wasn’t worth the energy. I waved a hand dismissively in his direction and turned my attention to Jez.

  “You should take off, just to be on the safe side. I’ll give you a call later.”

  “Are you sure?” She frowned, clearly unhappy with my request. “I don’t want to leave you after something like that.”

  “It’s cool. I’m not staying. I just don’t want to endanger anyone else tonight.”

  She looked uncertainly from me to Kale and then began edging away from us, toward the beat up, white Jeep at the end of the lot. “Be careful, ok?”

  “Promise.”

  “The dreamwalker, Kale,” Falon interjected. “Sooner than later.” With that he was gone, leaving me alone with the vampire.

  I watched Jez’s taillights disappear down the street. This was turning out to be a less than stellar night. Kale continued to glance toward the alley behind the club. I knew he was itching to hunt down the person daring enough to take a shot at me. I couldn’t let him do that.

  “Don’t even think about it, Kale. I can handle this. But, not tonight. Going after them could mean running straight into a trap. I want to do this right. On my terms. Not theirs.”

  We stared at one another, and I was painfully aware of how close we stood to the very spot where we’d made love in the rain. However, I was also aware of the weight of the crossbow bolt in my hand and what it represented. My skills and instincts had served me well tonight, but would they keep me alive every time? I had to hunt down the person behind the hit and soon. The next shot might get lucky.

  “You should get out of here.” The power rolled off Kale in tantalizing waves. “Want to come along to check up on the dreamwalker? Maybe we can do a little brainstorming. Figure out who could want you dead bad enough to take such a risky shot.”

  He expected me to say no. My common sense insisted I should. But, I was angry, scared and starting to shake.

  “I’ll come. You drive.”

  I waited until we were in his slick, black 73 Camaro before I grilled him for more information about the dreamwalker. Once we were moving smoothly through the late night downtown traffic, I used my many questions as a way to avoid further speculation on the near death experience I’d just had. “Whom exactly are we spying on and why?”

  “We’re not spying, Alexa.” Kale laughed derisively. “That sounds so Hollywood-action movie. Just keeping watch.”

  “Spying.” I corrected, grinning when he flipped me off.

  A smile danced along his lips when he shot me a playful glare. “You’re a pain in the ass. Anyway, it’s a seventeen-year-old dreamwalker. We’ve been watching him.”

  “Is he dangerous?” I’d heard mention of dreamwalkers, though I didn’t know much about them. I was tempted to run a search on my phone but decided to wait rather than show my ignorance.

  “He could be. Right now, he’s just your typical teenage boy.”

  “Why is he being watched, then, if he’s not a threat?” It sounded sketchy. There’s no way Shya or anyone else would waste the time and effort if there weren’t more to this kid.

  “To make sure he doesn’t become one, I guess. Or, a victim.” Kale didn’t offer more in the way of explanation.

  He navigated the city streets while I let my suspicions breed. I had been a teenager when Shya and Veryl had started pulling strings in my life. Whatever the demon really had planned for this kid, it couldn’t be good.

  The house we rolled up to was a basic two-level, middle-class family home. We parked on the opposite side of the street. It was late. I didn’t expect to see a damn thing. However, a light was on inside the living room, and the glow of the television could easily be seen.

  “He doesn’t sleep much,” Kale said, staring across the street. “Most dreamwalkers don’t. Usually, I find him playing videogames, surfing the net or screwing his girlfriend. Only once have I come by when he was asleep. It was pretty weird.”

  “Weird? Like how?” I could see the silhouette of a person sitting near the TV. “Where are his parents?”

  “Oh, they’re upstairs. They have no idea what their son can do, I’m sure. Most people give dreamwalkers some kind of diagnosis like insomnia or some such thing. Really, it’s just that they fight sleep because every time it means walking in the dreams of someone else.” Kale shut the engine off and turned to me. “It was weird because I could feel that he wasn’t really there. Even though his body was there, his energy was just gone.”

  Fascinating. I’d definitely have to learn more about dreamwalkers. Especially if Shya had an interest in them.

  “So why exactly are we here? I mean, what reason is there to come by and stare at his house? It’s strange.”

  “No reason really. Just to make sure we know where he is. To make sure nobody else does.”

  “That translates into, so he doesn’t somehow get away from Shya. Or, perhaps so he doesn’t get picked off by someone else.” I nodded, as a sinking sensation settled in my gut. “I get it.”

  It was disturbing to me on so many levels, most of all, because I knew the same thing had been done to me. Maybe Shya had no reason to have me followed now or maybe he had just changed his methods of doing so. Regardless, I was still very much under his thumb, and as I stared at this innocent kid’s house, it was devastatingly undeniable. Shya was the puppet master pulling our strings. What would he do if we cut the ties that held us?

  “So what makes this kid special enough to be worth watching?” I asked, my tone thick with skepticism. “Can he kill people in their dreams? Control them? What?”

  “Yes, all of that and more. The potential is there. Whether or not he knows how to use it remains to be seen.” Kale met my eyes then, his gaze heavy and intense. “There are incredible downfalls to being a dreamwalker. He can never sleep without entering a dream that belongs to someone else. What he chooses to do there is in his hands for the most part. You want to talk about spying, what better way to sneak a peek at an enemy than by taking a walk through his subconscious?”

  And, that right there was exactly why Shya wanted this kid. The poor bastard. Seventeen years old, and his life was already over. And, he didn’t even know it yet.

  “Poor kid,” I muttered. “He has no idea what’s in store for him. I don’t like being on the opposite side of this, the one watching.”

  I went cold inside. I acted like I had some control in my partnership with Shya, but that was merely an illusion he allowed me. A sinking sensation threatened to swallow me. Every moment I spent watching the silhouette of the teenager inside playing videogames made it worse.

  “I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I blurted, weariness in my voice. “I just want to hunt some scumbag vampire that gets off on killing kids or something. You know? I don’t want to watch people get sucked into the dark by a demon. I can’t help Shya do to others what he’s done to me. And, to think of how many years I never knew that he was always there, behind the scenes.”

  For the first time since Kale and I had met several years ago, I wondered if he had ever watched me like this. How close was he to Shya? I didn’t really know. Over the years, I had often had Kale at my side during a hunt, a constant shadow.

  I visibly shuddered. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I rubbed them uselessly. It had to be the paranoia talking. Kale would never do something so shady. Our friendship was authentic, not based on a lie.

&
nbsp; After several minutes passed, Kale broke the strained silence. “You have your own role to play, Alexa. Only you can decide what that is. Being associated with Shya doesn’t make you anything like him. He’s not a silent force in your life anymore. You’re not a caged animal. Don’t let him make you think you are.”

  “You’re right, I know that. The past month has been overwhelming. I’m still adjusting.” I blew a lock of hair out of my face. “But, thank you. You always know what I need to hear.”

  Kale was quiet for a moment, contemplative. “Hey, thanks for getting Jez to see me. I know you had something to do with that.”

  I shrugged as if it was no big deal. In actuality, I’d had to beg, threaten and cajole Jez endlessly before she’d agreed to meet him. “It was easy. She just needed a push.”

  A few minutes passed in silence. It was a comfortable quiet though. I was relieved. It was starting to feel the way it used to with Kale, easy-going and relaxed. No need for strange tension and awkward moments. I was starting to think we could get past the events of last month.

  I hesitated for just a second before deciding I had to share this. “The FPA is investigating the death of Abigail Irving. My sister is one of their agents. Not only did she survive the wolf attack, she claims Shya split us up. He got me and the FPA got her. Now, she’s hunting me, and I think she knows it.”

  That got Kale’s eyes rolling. “Don’t worry about the FPA. If they come for you, then they come for me, too. We shared that kill. You’re not taking the fall for that one.”

  I was surprised at how quickly he shrugged it off. “You’re not concerned? I have enough people after me. I don’t need the damn government pinning me for a murder. Oh hell no.”

  “Your focus should be on the hit and finding out who you have to kill for it.” Concern lay heavy in his eyes when he looked over at me. “I can’t imagine who would want to take you out, but please promise me you’ll be careful. I think I’d die if anything happened to you.”