by Susan Illene
“It’s almost disgusting,” Cori said, wrinkling her nose. “Aren’t immortals supposed to be more dark and brooding?”
“Not on our wedding day,” Lucas replied, carrying me toward the house as they followed behind. “I’m certain I’ll return to normal in a few days once my wife has found a new and inventive way to sour my mood.”
“Hey.” I slapped him on the chest.
Micah held the front door open for us when we reached the top steps. He bowed and stepped out of the way. “Welcome home.”
I grinned at him.
“Congratulations,” Patrick said from where he stood in the foyer.
Lucas carried me across the threshold and set me down. “Anything eventful happen while we were gone?”
Patrick shrugged. “Bartol came out briefly to finish the rest of the pizza.”
“Oh, my God, I’m so hungry,” Emily said, gripping her stomach. I’d forgotten she’d missed dinner with everything that had happened.
“How about I take Emily and Patrick to my house for the evening so you two can have some privacy?” Cori offered.
Emily bounced on her feet. “That’s a great idea.”
“Uh, okay.” Patrick didn’t appear nearly as excited.
“Go pack your bags,” I said, giving them a shooing gesture. I was all about clearing the house of as many people as possible for the night. Plus, it was Friday, so at least Emily didn’t have school tomorrow.
Just as they started to head for the stairs, Sable—currently in her black and orange lynx form—came bounding into the house, her fur standing on end. She let out a distressed yowl and circled us.
A sick feeling came over me. “Something is wrong.”
“I should have known something would interrupt us,” Lucas said, stepping to the side when the cat tried pawing at his leg.
“What is it, Sable?” I asked, kneeling down in front of her.
She meowed again and shot out the door. We all exchanged concerned looks. There was nothing to do except follow her and find out what she wanted to show us. It had to be serious for her to behave this way.
“Stay here,” I ordered Emily.
“I’ll make her something to eat,” Patrick said, pulling his daughter toward the kitchen.
The rest of us headed outside, following the cat. I cursed my dress as I made my way through the yard and had to use Lucas’ arm to keep my balance in the high heels I wore. Sable led us toward the woods behind the house and stopped in front of the tree line. It had become so dark in there that I could hardly see anything, but I caught a faint whiff of smoke.
“There’s a fire.” I ground my teeth, annoyed. “Not again.”
“It is coming from the north,” Lucas said, not appearing any happier than me about it. We’d both hoped for a romantic evening together—without any interruptions.
“The wind is going to blow it straight in our direction,” Cori added ominously.
Micah looked at his brother. “This is too much of a coincidence. As soon as most of us are gone from the house, a fire breaks out. Someone planned this.”
If the group had a human watching our home from somewhere nearby, they would have seen most of us leave. Their odds of successfully burning our house went up with only Bartol and Patrick here. Plus, Sable had been locked inside until Micah returned. She couldn’t have caught them before it was too late. I didn’t know why they wanted to destroy our home so badly. Maybe they thought they could drive us out or at least kill one or two of us. Did they not realize we wouldn’t go down that easily?
“I will find out how close it is.” Lucas flashed away. He was gone less than a minute before returning. “It is about half a mile away and has spread across more than an acre. They must have set it there thinking it would grow too large to extinguish quickly before it reached the house.”
I rubbed my chin. “That or they tried to set it near our home and hit the wards. This was possibly their plan B. I don’t sense anyone, so if they’re still around, they’re human.”
“Didn’t you mention Bartol can put out flames?” Cori asked.
“Yeah, if we can talk him into it.”
Micah eyed Sable. “Would you mind if I take her? She might be able to help me track the human who did this. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is waiting nearby to see if his fire gets the job done.”
“Yeah, sure.” I’d been keeping her inside for her own protection, but as long as Micah stayed with her, I figured she’d be safe enough. It was about time we caught one of the guys doing this. Maybe he could lead us to the rest.
“If I do not find him within an hour, I will return.” Micah picked up Sable and flashed away.
“Let’s go talk to Bartol,” I said, taking the arm Lucas held out.
He gave me an amused look. “You must wear a dress more often. It’s much easier to protect you this way.”
“Very funny. I’m changing the first chance I get.” I liked looking pretty as much as the next girl, but I couldn’t handle the long skirts anymore. Not to mention, wearing yards of silk and lace while a forest fire burned nearby didn’t seem all that prudent.
We made it into the house. Lucas picked me up and carried me toward the den so I wouldn’t knock anything over. I grumbled, but I didn’t argue. He set me down in front of the locked door to his office. The emotions I sensed coming from inside were dark. Bartol had sunken into one of his depressed moods that could last for hours. If I’d thought a trip to Heaven would have done him any good, I would have insisted he go with us. More likely, though, it would have made matters worse.
“Bartol.” I knocked on the door.
No reply. Lucas produced a key from his pocket, but I shook my head. We weren’t quite that desperate yet. If we could get the nephilim to come out on his own, it would be better.
“I hate to bother you, but we need your help. Please let us in,” I said, speaking in my sweetest voice.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Cori stepped up and banged on the door. “Can you get over yourself for two seconds and get out here? You can go back to feeling sorry for yourself later.”
“Don’t hold back or anything,” I muttered.
The door cracked open, and Bartol glared at Cori. He was only wearing a white undershirt and a pair of black boxer shorts. “Go away.”
“The forest is burning nearby. If you don’t put it out, this room won’t be a safe place to hide much longer. Then what will you do?” Cori asked, putting her hands on her hips.
It wasn’t the way I’d preferred to handle it, but at least she got Bartol to acknowledge us.
“There is something called water. Use it.” He tried to shut the door, but she stuck her foot in the opening before he could.
“The flames have spread too far, and the shaman won’t be able to do anything in time,” Cori said. I’d been keeping her updated on the latest events. “You’re all we’ve got.”
I gave the nephilim an imploring look. “Please, Bartol.”
He narrowed his gaze on me, taking in my appearance. “That is a…nice dress.”
At least my wedding finery distracted him from his bad mood.
“Thanks. I picked it out.” Cori slapped her hand on the door. “Now will you please help us or are you going to let Melena’s wedding night be ruined?”
Bartol worked his jaw. “Very well, give me a few minutes to get dressed.” He glanced at Lucas. “I’ll need you to come with me and lend me some of your power. I’m not quite at full strength.”
I didn’t know precisely how it worked, but supernaturals had the ability to share their magic if they wanted. The only time I’d seen it done before was to strengthen wards.
“Anything you need, friend,” Lucas replied, then he turned to me. “I will go change. Stay in the house and wait for Micah to return.”
I grabbed him and gave him a kiss. “Hurry back.”
“I will.” He gave me a heated look and flashed away.
“If only I could do that,” I said, shaking
my head.
Cori took my arm. “You aren’t the only one who wants that ability.”
We headed back toward the front of the house and took the stairs. By the time we reached my bedroom, Lucas had changed and flashed away with Bartol. I made a mental note never to wear a large gown again. How women ever wore them all day long, I’d never know.
“Turn around,” Cori ordered. I did as requested and she began working the buttons loose at my back. She’d gotten the dress on me in about five minutes, but it took a little longer to remove. I was relieved when we finally got the weight of the gown off of me.
“Thanks for everything,” I said, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “You really went out of your way, considering the short notice.”
“Hey, as I told you before, that’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to Heaven, so it was actually you doing me a favor.” She shrugged.
“Don’t sell yourself short.” I pulled on a pair of boots. “You’re a better person than you think.”
She averted her gaze. “You don’t know that.”
“One day you’re going to trust me enough to tell me what happened to you,” I said, hating to see the forlorn expression on her face. She usually hid the pain of her past better than this.
She ducked into my closet to hang my dress. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“But…” Micah flashed into the house, and I sensed a terror-stricken person with him. They had to be human since their strong emotions were the only thing I detected. “Alright. We’ll discuss this some other time. For now, we’ve got to get downstairs.”
We hurried to the living room and found Micah hovering over an unfamiliar man on the couch. The nephilim raised his voice, “You will tell me right now who sent you and why you keep attacking my home.”
“Do you recognize him?” I asked.
“Yes.” Micah didn’t take his eyes off his captive. “He was with the group who came here last time trying to burn the house down.”
I took a few steps closer and saw a young guy in his early twenties sitting there. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked up at Micah. “I don’t…know anything.”
Micah growled. “He’s taken the anti-compulsion elixir. So far all I’ve gotten is that his name is Ralph.”
“Can you break through it?” I asked.
“Yes, but it’s requiring me to expend more energy than I’d prefer to use. Give me a moment.” He stared down at Ralph, and I could feel the pressure he put on the human’s mind. “Tell me who sent you.”
“H-h-his name is Harvey,” the young man stuttered.
“What’s his full name?” Micah yelled.
“I don’t know, I swear! He usually gives us our orders through a message board, but he came into town last night to give them in person this time.”
Could Harvey be Grant’s second-in-command? If so, this could be the break we needed.
Micah grabbed Ralph’s shirt collar and jerked him up. “Is it your group starting all the fires?”
“Most of them—but we only target supernaturals.” The human’s eyes dipped down. He was starting to shake from his overwhelming fear, but I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him.
I stepped into Ralph’s line of sight, barely able to hold my rage in check. “Do you think it makes it okay if you only target supernaturals? There are innocent kids getting hurt in your attacks. What have any of us ever done to you?”
“N-n-nothing to me, but we know how powerful you are.” Ralph lifted his head, finding a brief moment of courage. “We have to s-s-stop you before you try taking over the world.”
“Oh, good lord. Because if they wanted to do that they couldn’t have done it already?” I threw my hands up. What was with everyone assuming the worst about others without any solid proof? It was like they were hard-wired to be suspicious of anyone different from them.
“How many more people have you been working with in Fairbanks?” Micah asked.
Ralph hesitated. “Eight. Other than me, there are eight main guys—not counting a few wives and friends who help us sometimes.”
Cori grabbed a notepad and pen from a side table and brought it to Micah. “You might want to make him write down the names.”
“I’m going to call O’Connell. He’ll be able to get information on them faster than we can,” I said, hurrying out of the living room. I’d left my phone in Lucas’ SUV, along with the clothes I’d worn before the wedding ceremony.
Heading outside, I was relieved to find the vehicle unlocked. I grabbed my phone from my jean’s pocket and dialed O’Connell’s cell phone number.
He answered on the second ring, sounding grumpy. “What’s going on?”
“Other than me just getting married?” I gave him a moment to stutter over that before dropping the next bomb. “Someone set a forest fire near my house, and we caught the guy who did it. Apparently, he’s working with a group who has been setting most of the fires around Fairbanks. We think they’re tied to Grant’s cult. I don’t suppose you’d be up for arresting the rest of them?”
“Do you have names?” he asked.
“We’re getting them now,” I said, going back into the house.
Ralph was leaning over the coffee table writing them down while Micah glared at him. Patrick stood there as well, questioning the guy to make certain he was telling the truth. I was glad he was helping. It was the only way to be sure the names were legit since the anti-compulsion elixir muddied things. Patrick must have joined Micah while I was outside, letting Cori take over watching Emily in the kitchen. It was amazing how good my friends were getting at handling these sorts of things in emergencies.
“Text me the names and bring the suspect to our office,” O’Connell ordered.
“We need to act on this fast before the rest of his group figures out he’s been caught.” No way did I want to miss this opportunity.
“Agreed. See you soon.” He hung up.
Lucas and Bartol appeared in the foyer a moment later, covered in ash and soot. The power levels on them both were much lower than when they’d left.
Bartol swept past me. “It is done. I will take a shower now.”
“Thank you,” I said to his fleeing back, then turned to Lucas. “Micah caught the guy who started the fire.”
His gaze drifted past me, toward his brother and our captive. “Good.”
“We’ve got the names of everyone in the local group. O’Connell wants me to bring this guy in and help arrest the others.” I gave him an apologetic look. This wasn’t even close to the wedding night we’d expected. “I need to leave in a few minutes.”
Lucas closed his eyes. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he was counting to ten. Nothing could make me feel worse than having to tell him I couldn’t stay.
“I will come with you,” he said, looking at me again.
O’Connell could suck on it if he didn’t like my husband coming. “Absolutely.”
“I’m going, too,” Patrick joined in, peering at the list of names on the coffee table. “If this guy—Harvey—is who I think he is, you’ll need my help to confirm it.”
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“I was ahead of Grant by a few years in college. We didn’t have much reason to interact other than being from the same race, but just before I graduated, he became best friends with a transfer student named Harvey—another sensor. That may have been a long time ago, but he could be the same person.”
“Alright, you can go, too.” I turned to Lucas. “You might want to clean up before we leave.”
He glanced at his shirt, grimaced, and flashed up to the bedroom.
Micah gestured to our captive. “If you’re taking him, it might be best if I relocate Emily to a safer place. I’ve got rounds to do tonight.”
I understood what he was avoiding saying in front of Ralph. Micah had to check in at the nerou compound, and that would likely be a safer place to keep Emily for the moment anyway.
“I’ll stay her
e and keep an eye on the house,” Cori said. “Bartol probably wouldn’t notice an attack on the place until he had a couple of bullets in his chest.”
Sadly, she had a point. “I’ll get you a gun and some ammo, but try calling us first before you get into a shootout.”
Cori gave me an affirmative nod. “You bet.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Melena
We strode down the corridor toward the DHS office. Lucas held our captive by the arm, who was a little worse for wear after the trip. Ralph may have acquired a sprained wrist and busted lip along the way. Despite using compulsion on him, he’d tried to escape twice when we’d stopped at traffic lights in town. Luckily, I was driving so Lucas could take care of him. Ralph had settled for the moment, but we didn’t want to take any chances. There was no telling how long the latest commands Lucas gave him would last.
We stopped in front of the protection ward. The witch who’d placed the spell packed some serious power. I waved my hand through the field of energy, allowing it to send sharp tingles through my skin. When I’d been here earlier, I’d hardly acknowledged it, but it hadn’t mattered as much when it was only Patrick and me.
“You might not want to cross this,” I said to Lucas.
“I discovered as much when I visited O’Connell a few weeks ago.” He scowled. “Do you know who created it?”
I averted my gaze, knowing it must have caused him a lot of pain. It could have killed him if he’d been a fraction weaker. “I might.”
“Who?”
“Don’t make me answer that, Lucas,” I said, giving him a pleading look. He had a right to be annoyed, but I didn’t want to give away the witch’s name. “She didn’t mean any harm by it.”
I was a little surprised my friend, Kristen from Juneau, had come all the way up here for the job, but the last I’d heard she’d been struggling to find decent work. The weak economy and the dissolution of her coven had made things particularly difficult. Witches tended to do better with the support of their kind. How O’Connell had managed to track her down, I didn’t know.