by Susan Illene
She looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “I could bring Cori. I can use her to scout the area once I’ve narrowed down the location since Grant won’t be able to sense her.”
“That is a start,” Lucas agreed, “But one human is not enough to engage him.”
“Maybe…” Melena’s eyes widened, and she fumbled to pick up her phone again. “I have to check on Lisette!”
Lucas listened to her phone call until he heard the pixie’s voice come over the line. Lisette answered calmly enough that he didn’t think her in any danger. Of course, her tone changed as soon as Melena gave her the news. Lucas decided he’d heard enough and wandered into the bathroom, taking his own cell phone with him. After shutting the door, he placed a call.
“Fallon, are you still in New Orleans?” Lucas asked. He’d given his vampire servant some time off to spend with his girlfriend who lived in Louisiana. With Sayer taking care of business in Juneau, Lucas hadn’t needed Fallon’s services for a while.
“Yes, master, I am still here,” the vampire answered.
“I need you to fly to California as soon as night falls.” Lucas was grateful that sunset came much earlier down there than it did in Alaska. “I’ll arrange for the master vampire of New Orleans to lend you his plane for the trip. You will meet with my wife and her friend Cori after you arrive. They will need your assistance to rescue another one of Melena’s friends.”
“Of course, master. Anything you need,” Fallon said without hesitation.
Lucas gave him further instructions before hanging up and calling Theirn next.
The master vampire answered on the first ring. “Lucas, it is good to hear from you.”
“My servant, Fallon, will need your plane this evening. Can you have it ready to fly by sundown?”
“What is this about?” the vampire asked, curious.
Lucas almost growled. Theirn owed him more than one favor and should have known better than to question him. “A matter of importance. That is all you need to know.”
The less he told the master vampire, the better. If Theirn discovered Melena would be waiting at the plane’s destination, he might decide to come along as well. That wouldn’t have been such a bad idea if he wasn’t disturbingly fascinated by the sensor. Lucas did not want the master vampire anywhere near his wife when he couldn’t be there to watch over her.
He was still not happy that Theirn had forced a challenge on Melena that required her to battle against a female vampire several times stronger than her with nothing except a sword. His wife had barely managed to win that fight—blades not being her best weapon. Theirn had wanted to see how an immortal sensor handled herself against a more powerful opponent, putting them all in a difficult position just to satisfy his curiosity.
“Alright. Your servant may have use of my plane,” Theirn said, sighing. “But I do hope you and your wife will visit once you are able.”
The master vampire was aware of the current geographic restrictions placed on Lucas. Word had spread quickly about how the archangels punished every nephilim who participated in the supernatural coming-out event and nerou rescue several months ago. Lucas didn’t like that so many individuals knew he could not reach them at the moment if they crossed him, but he reminded himself that his semi-confinement wasn’t supposed to last more than a year.
He ended his call with Theirn and went to check on Melena. She’d pulled on a robe and started packing a small overnight bag, stuffing items inside with no sense of organization. Lucas moved to the bed and took it all out. Then he placed her things back inside in a more orderly fashion. Melena didn’t comment on it, having gotten used to his tidiness.
“Will you go to Lisette’s home first?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. I want to make sure she’s safe, and it makes for a good base of operations. She wants to help.”
Lucas could at least take comfort that Melena would be in familiar territory. She’d spent many years in the Monterey Bay area and knew it well. He only wished he could go with her. Lucas did not like feeling helpless to protect his wife.
“Have you called Cori?”
She tossed him a pair of dark cargo pants to put in the bag. “Yeah. She has a part-time tattoo artist guy who can keep her shop running while we’re gone.”
“I suspected she’d agree if you asked,” he said, shaking his head. “The woman is crazier than you.”
Melena put a hand on her hip. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She is quick to run into danger with no thought for herself, yet she is even more vulnerable than you were when you were mortal.” Cori didn’t have any special powers unless one counted her weapons skills. Lucas could not figure out what drove her, but he did believe she was a good choice for this particular rescue.
Melena zipped up her bag. “Yeah, well, aside from you there is no one else I’d want watching my back more.”
“Very well, you may have use of my plane to fly to Monterey, but it comes with one condition.” Lucas hardened his expression so that she’d know this point was non-negotiable.
She stiffened. “What?”
“Fallon will be meeting you there a few hours after nightfall. You will not attempt to rescue Aniya without him,” he said sternly.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Melena glared at him.
“No, I am not.”
“Fine. I’ll work with him.” She wrapped her robe tighter around herself. “But I’m going to take a shower—alone.”
Melena stomped away from him and slammed the bathroom door. Lucas decided he’d give her five minutes to calm down. After that, he’d join her.
Chapter Forty
Melena
I pulled the rental car up to Lisette’s house, parking behind her yellow Mini Cooper in the driveway. She lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Seaside, California, which neighbored the town of Marina where we’d be going next. The pixie’s two-bedroom home was a soft shade of pink with a small porch and a well-tended flower bed. It was just as cute as I remembered and suited her taste well.
Cori and I got out of the car. She looked up and down the street with an expression of bewilderment. The neighborhood consisted of quite a few stucco houses painted a variety of colors, and the area wasn't as densely populated with trees as where we lived in Alaska. We weren’t much farther than a mile from the ocean, which gave the area a different vibe than Fairbanks. The air was salty, and the sun shone down brightly, but it wasn’t hot at all. Due to the geographic location, the town tended to have moderate weather year round. I’d spent a good part of my life here, yet it felt strange coming back.
California represented the old me. A hopeful young woman who’d lived a carefree life and avoided supernaturals for the most part. In the last few years, I’d become a much different person with a lifestyle that compelled me to interact with sups on a daily basis and throw myself into dangerous situations most people couldn’t imagine. It was different and sometimes scary, considering the trouble never seemed to end, but I was learning to accept that life—the good and the bad. I just couldn’t accept Aniya being taken. If everything went according to plan, I’d resolve that soon enough.
“Well, we’re not in Alaska anymore,” Cori said, coming around the car to stand next to me.
I grabbed our bags from the backseat and handed over hers. “Is this your first time in California?”
She nodded. “I’ve only left home a few times, but never to come here.”
We started walking toward the house. “Sorry you couldn’t visit under better circumstances.”
Before we made it up the steps, Lisette pulled the front door open. She was normally a cheery person, but there were shadows under her eyes and guilt in her expression. As soon as Aniya had gone missing, I’d let her know. When I called her earlier in the day to tell her I’d discovered our best friend’s location, she’d blamed herself for not figuring it out sooner—though how she could have known was beyond me. Lisette didn’t have special powers th
at could have helped, but no matter how much I’d pointed that out, it didn’t alleviate her guilt.
She led us into her small living room with its art deco-style furniture. “You can put your bags down wherever. I made up some sub sandwiches you can snack on before we go.”
“Thanks.” We hadn’t had time to eat much since this morning, but I’d figured Lisette would put something together. She’d always been big on food—no matter what else was happening in her life.
We settled onto her couch, taking the plates she handed us. Lisette sat in a high-backed chair and started tapping her fingernails on the wooden arm, waiting for us to finish eating. It didn’t take a sensor to figure out she was impatient and worried. I wanted to get going too, but since we couldn’t act until Fallon arrived, there wasn’t much point in rushing.
“So where do we start looking?” she asked a few minutes later.
I swallowed my last bite. “We’ll drive along Del Monte Boulevard first and see if I pick up anything. The town is only about nine square miles of land so it shouldn’t take very long to find her.”
Lisette leaned forward. “And after that?”
“I’ll go scout the place out,” Cori said, putting her plate on the coffee table.
The pixie frowned. “These guys are dangerous. Are you sure that’s a good idea? They could get suspicious if they see you.”
Cori gave her a confident smile. “Let me worry about that.”
“She’s good,” I assured Lisette. There was no way I’d ask this of Cori otherwise. “And she’s the only one who can get close if Grant is nearby.”
We’d worry about how to rescue Aniya once we got the lay of the land. As much as I wanted to go in there guns blazing, I knew better. Grant was my father’s son. He’d have some kind of trick up his sleeve to make things difficult. No way would I risk Aniya’s life when we were so close to rescuing her.
“Alright.” Lisette hopped to her feet. “Let’s get going before the sun sets.”
***
We’d just gotten off of Highway 1 when a minute later Aniya and Grant popped up on my radar. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to say exactly where they were without seeing the place, but this location was familiar. I knew how to pinpoint it well.
I cursed under my breath. “They’re at my old place.”
Lisette slowed the car down. “The same townhouse?”
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Probably one of the other units in the complex. It’s close, but not the exact spot.”
“What should I do?” she asked.
“Pull up to that Starbucks,” I said. The one advantage I had over Grant was that my senses worked a half-mile out and his only worked a quarter-mile. As long as we stopped before we hit his range, he wouldn’t know I was close.
“Mel, I hate to say it.” Cori stuck her head between the two front seats. “But this guy seems to know a lot about you.”
“No, shit,” Lisette muttered.
“We have no way of knowing if he dug into my past beforehand or if he got the information out of Aniya.” I curled my fingers at the thought. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. He’s not going to be bothering us anymore after today.”
“Agreed,” Cori said, then slapped the back of mine and Lisette’s seats. “Now get out of the car. I’ve got recon to do.”
I looked at her. “If you’re not back in twenty minutes, we’re coming after you.”
“Oh, I’ll be back,” she promised.
We exited the car, and Cori took the driver’s seat. By the time we got inside Starbucks, she was already gone. Lisette and I ordered a couple of coffees and tried not to look like two people planning a heist. A few people sat typing on their computers, and one guy was reading a book. Everything was so normal for them. It was all I could do to sit down and keep from running straight to Aniya right then.
I pulled out my phone and called Lucas.
“Grant took her to my old apartments,” I informed him.
There was silence for a moment. “What are you doing now?”
“Sitting at Starbucks with Lisette. Cori went to check things out, but she should be back in a few minutes.” I glanced at my watch. She’d been gone almost fifteen already, which made me nervous. The last thing I needed was for her to get taken, too.
“Fallon will be there soon. Do not do anything until then.”
One advantage to the vampire being two time zones to the east was that he could leave before the sun set in California. He was likely well on his way already since it was getting dark here now. I didn’t like having to involve Fallon, but he had some useful skills that might come in handy.
“We’ll wait. I promise.”
“Call me once you’ve picked him up—and take care, Melena.” Lucas’ voice softened. “I want you back here in one piece, preferably with no holes.”
“I’ll do my best. Love you.”
“I love you too, sensor.” He hung up.
“She’s back,” Lisette said, pointing to the front of the store.
Cori was just pulling into the parking lot. We got out of our seats and met her outside. She strutted up to us in her low-rise jeans and black tank top, a satisfied grin on her face.
“They’ve got one guy sitting out front. His name is George and he’s really bored. The windows were all covered so I couldn’t catch a glimpse inside, but he claims he has a couple of roommates. I heard some voices in there so they’re probably home.”
“How did you manage to get that close?” Lisette asked.
Cori pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. “These will get you almost anywhere. In this day and age, no one questions a smoker wandering around outside.”
She didn’t smoke much, but every once in a while I caught her lighting up—usually when she was bored or stressed.
“Alright, let’s plan to hit the place around midnight,” I said. That would give us enough time to plan our strategy and pick Fallon up from the airport because one way or another, I was getting Aniya back tonight.
Lisette nodded, a determined glint in her eyes. “Sounds good.”
Chapter Forty-one
Melena
We watched Cori pull away in the rental car while we stayed back in Lisette’s Mini Cooper. Fallon was none too pleased to be stuck in the small backseat. The tall vampire with spiky brown hair sat scrunched up and glared hard at us, but I ignored him. We hadn’t given him much choice in our rescue plan for Aniya, and as long as he remained Lucas’ minion, he had to do what I told him. I felt slightly guilty about that, but I didn’t have any more choice about him being here than he did.
Lisette drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, then glanced behind her. “So where are you originally from, Fallon?”
I knew what she was doing—trying to distract herself while we waited. None of us liked sitting around while Cori made the first move, but our goal was to avoid human casualties. This was a populated area where if things went wrong, they could go very wrong. We needed to hit the place quickly and quietly so that no one would ever know we were there, except Grant and his lackeys. I wasn’t all that particular about whether my brother went to prison or met his end tonight. He’d declared war when he took Aniya.
“I was born in the place you would recognize as Ireland,” Fallon said.
It surprised me that he answered. “Really? What was Lucas doing there?”
“Engaging in any battle he could find.” Fallon shrugged. “It was what he enjoyed doing. My brother and I did as well, which was how we drew his notice.”
“You’re answering our questions awfully easy,” I said, suspicious. During the rare times we’d been around each other before, he usually didn’t talk much. Until now, I’d hardly known a thing about him.
“Lucas ordered me to hide nothing from you.”
“Oh.” Well, that explained it.
My cell phone buzzed. I checked the screen and saw a text from Cori: George is asleep.
“Time to go,” I announ
ced.
My heart rate picked up as Lisette pulled the car onto the road and sped up fast. Less than two minutes later we pulled into the apartments. I’d already confirmed with Cori that our target location was not the same townhouse I’d lived in, but over in the next building. Lisette parked the car just as a human man stepped out the door where Aniya was being held. Cori rose up from behind the rental car and shot him with her tranquilizer gun. A few seconds later he slumped to the ground.
We jumped out of the car. I glanced around to be sure no neighbors were watching before pulling my pistol out and putting a silencer on it. One of the advantages to attacking late at night was that there were fewer chances of witnesses. Fallon dragged the two unconscious men Cori had knocked out behind some bushes. The rest of us headed inside the apartment.
The stairs to the second floor were next to the entryway on the left. I gestured for Cori and Lisette to check up there for any humans while I continued past a small kitchen and made my way down the hall toward my target. The place was fully furnished, making me think Grant must have rented it with furniture. Had he planned to be here for a while or was this simply a show for my benefit? My brother had gone to great lengths to get me here, which was disturbing on many levels.
I stopped dead in my tracks as soon as the living room came into view. Fallon positioned himself just behind me. A man who fit the description Patrick gave of Grant sat on the couch, not appearing the least bit surprised to see me. He had short auburn hair the same shade as mine, light skin, and a medium build. As much as I hated to admit it, the familial resemblance between us was there. It wouldn’t hold me back from what I needed to do, though. One look at the frightened woman sitting next to him—Aniya—and even the tiniest of doubts I might have had about taking down my brother vanished.