“How long do I need to hold the spell?” she asks, lookin’ tired and scared.
“Where are we going, Russell?” Reed asks me over his shoulder.
“Just down the block. Then we cut over a couple of blocks. There’s a pub,” I say.
“Why there?” Reed asks, frownin’.
“‘Cuz it’s the last place you’d go, especially now,” I reply. “If the Inikwi are here, then we can assume that they’re coverin’ the railway, the roads, and the river. Let’s go have a pint. They’ll think we slipped through and they’ll leave.”
Rubbin’ his eyes, like he thinks I’m completely out of my mind, Reed mutters, “You’re the most human and you’re right, it is the last place I’d go right now.”
“You’ll like it, Reed. I’ll buy you a beer,” I say, tryin’ to grin.
“You ready, love?” Reed asks Red softly.
“Uh huh, tell Anya the plan,” Red nods.
Reed speaks quickly to Anya, and although she seems to lose color in an instant, to her credit, she merely nods.
I gather energy to me, then I turn it outward, pushin’ it towards Red as she mumbles her spell. As Red releases energy slowly, she disappears from my sight along with Reed and Anya.
“Please tell me you’re still here,” I whisper, holdin’ out my hands and feelin’ Anya next to me. I trail my fingertips down her arm, findin’ her hand.
“Yes,” Reed and Red both say.
“My turn then,” I say grimly. “Red, you take Anya’s other hand and Reed’s hand. It’s just like kindergarten again, we’re gonna daisy chain. Reed, since you’re the caboose, it’s your job to make sure our tracks are covered in the snow.”
“Okay,” Reed’s voice answers me.
“Here we go—no talkin’ in the halls,” I order.
Leadin’ the way outside, I move slowly, cautious not to make a sound. When we make it to the sidewalk, I freeze. Several Inikwi are standin’ across the street from us. They’re not speakin’, but just starin’ at the house while their bodies twitch oddly—flares of unintentional muscle movements course through them sporadically, makin’ them twitchy.
One of the Inikwi sniffs the air loudly, mutterin’ somethin’ in his garbled tongue to his buddies. This one robbed a grave and snatched his body for sure, ‘cuz his skin is blue and his eyes are no longer moist, but dried beads in his eye sockets. Springin’ forward on all fours, the Inikwi pounds across the street toward us.
My breath sticks in my throat, not knowin’ if I should break cover and take him out or stay where I am and wait. The wind shifts then, blowin’ toward us. He halts, sniffin’ the air again, lookin’ confused as he crouches like a dog in the middle of the street.
Anya’s hand squeezes mine tighter, makin’ me inch away from the creature that’s causin’ my skin to crawl. With my heart poundin’ in my chest, I take slow, patient steps, easin’ down the sidewalk. When we make it to the corner, I immediately turn down the next street, increasin’ my speed. Hearin’ Red gasp behind me, I feel the rest of the energy she was holdin’ flow out of her. We all become instantly visible again.
“Sorry,” Red whispers, soundin’ weak.
“Naw, it’s cool, Red. We’re almost there,” I whisper back, wrappin’ my arm 'round Anya’s shoulder and usherin’ her quicker up the street, so we don’t draw attention to ourselves by holdin’ hands.
Hearin’ singin’ and the comfortin’ sound of human voices, I open the door of the pub, feelin’ warm air tumblin’ out. I hold the door for them and follow them in, headin’ down the stairs to the club below. Located in old town, this club is built in a cellar, consisting of three large rooms. Two rooms have rounded sofas and private alcoves. A third room is set up for dancin’ with a bar in it that is hoppin’.
Reed moves to one of the private alcoves. He leans down and speaks to the people seated there and they all immediately get up from their loungin’ positions on the sofa, vacating their seats without a word. Knowin’ that he just used his power of persuasion to make the humans leave, I grin at him.
I usher Anya to sit and I sit beside her on the soft sofa. As I take off my coat, I say, “Reed, remind me to bring you with me to the next keg party. You can clear the line for us.”
“Now what, Russell?” Reed asks, lookin’ across the table at me from his seat on the opposite sofa.
“Now we chill,” I reply, watchin’ Reed pull Evie against his side and feelin’ the familiar flare of jealousy that he’s touchin’ her.
“That’s it?” he asks, lookin’ frustrated.
“Listen, the plan is to keep it simple—be human,” I reply. “I’ve been a sailor in a few of my lives. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s better to drop the anchor when you can’t steer. We act human. We find out where the youth hostel is and we get a few beds for the night. We stay away from all the transportation in the area. Brennus is gonna put his feelers out and he’s gonna come up with nothin’ ‘cuz he won’t be askin’ the right people. Just make sure Red doesn’t cut herself and we’ll be fine.”
“We avoid youth hostels, Russell,” Evie says, lookin’ grim. “The Gancanagh frequent them like diners. Young women traveling abroad are…tasty.”
“Ah, that’s awful,” I say, my brows drawin’ together. “Where should we go then?” I ask her.
“Did you happen to see any furniture stores?” she counters.
“Why?” I wonder aloud.
“They have the softest beds on display…maybe a mattress carnival?” she asks with a small smile.
I grunt, my lips twistin’ into a grudgin’ smile as I remember bein’ with her in Houghton before we even knew Gancanagh existed. “Y’all hungry?” I ask, lookin’ at Anya for the first time. She’s starin’ at everythin’ ‘round her like a tourist and smilin’ as she’s runnin’ her fingers over the danglin’ crystal fringe hangin’ off the candlestick in the center of the table.
“Yes,” Reed says, holdin’ a menu out to me. Orderin’ food and drinks, we eat quietly, while the club-goers pour in around us. Reed and I take turns checkin’ our position, covertly tryin’ to maintain recon on the freaks only blocks away.
Comin’ back from checkin’ the door, I stumble to a halt by the archway that leads to the room with the DJ and dance floor. The party is in full swing as mad beats pulse from the sound system, but it is seein’ Anya near the dance floor that makes me stop. She’s holdin’ on to her glass of water, watchin’ a crowd of young dancers movin’ to the music.
She’s not goin’ unnoticed. She’s drawin’ a small crowd of her own as men have definitely taken notice of her. One in particular is circlin’ her, signalin’ his buddies ‘bout how hot she is behind her back and indicatin’ that she’s his. Feelin’ anger flare up in me, I change my direction, enterin’ the bar room instead of headin’ back to the table. I begin stalkin’ the silly boy who’s stalkin’ my—
“Russell,” Reed says behind me, “what’s the status?”
“Huh?” I reply, stoppin’, but not takin’ my eyes off Anya. Freak boy has made contact with her, leanin’ close to her and sayin’ somethin’ in her ear as his eyes rove over her body. Feelin’ my neck gettin’ hot, I run my hand through my hair.
“Did you see anything upstairs?” Reed asks, followin’ my eyes to Anya.
“Naw,” I murmur distractedly. “It’s all good. Where’s Evie?” I ask.
“Bathroom,” he replies. As if on cue, Red appears by Anya’s side. Now, every male in the place has their eyes on my girls.
As if in slow motion, the guy talkin’ to Anya, moves his hand, brushin’ it over the curve of her breast. A fraction of a second after that, Reed’s arms go around me as I tense to spring in the direction of the unfortunate man touchin’ Anya.
When I try to throw Reed off of me, he says in my ear, “You can’t kill him, Russell. And look—”
Tensin’, I watch as Anya grasps the human by his little finger, bendin’ it back so that he falls on his knees at her feet. She smile
s down at him, waggin’ the index finger of her other hand in his face before lettin’ him go.
Breathin’ hard, I relax a little, feelin’ Reed’s grasp on me loosen, but he’s not lettin’ me go completely.
“What was that?” I ask, feelin’ like I need to break somethin’.
“Instinct,” Reed replies calmly.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re Seraphim. You’ll protect what’s yours,” he explains.
I begin to argue, “Reed, she’s not mine—”
“She’s yours—she’s definitely yours. Some part of you remembers her, or you wouldn’t be ready to kill that boy,” he replies, noddin’ toward the boy gettin’ up from his knees.
“I still want to kill him,” I admit, grindin’ my teeth.
“Here,” Reed says, handin’ me an empty wine bottle from a table. Crushin’ it in my hands, it pours like sand to the floor.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Are you in control now?” Reed asks.
“Yeah…maybe…I don’t know,” I reply, and Reed lets me go, but he’s still watchin’ me. “Let’s go scare them away.”
Reed grins. “Okay,” he agrees, walkin’ by my side. Comin’ up on the men eyein’ Anya and Evie, I tower over them, scowlin’ and invadin’ the personal space of a few of them. They retreat from me, turnin’ and headin’ toward the bar.
Musical laughter sounds behind me. I turn to see Anya grinnin’ at me. Somethin’ in my chest twists, and my knees feel a little weak. “What?” I ask, pretendin’ innocence.
Approachin’ me slowly, Anya’s hand rests on my chest. She gazes up at me and her eyebrow quirks as she says, “Ne-ol.” The word means “storm.”
“Yeah, somethin’ is goin’ on in there and it ain’t pretty,” I agree, watchin’ as she trails her finger down my sweater. Heat coils in me again and I stop her, coverin’ her hand with mine.
“They’re closing soon,” Red says next to us. “What should we do?”
“Nothin’,” I reply. “We stay here. Reed, persuade the staff that we don’t exist. We can sleep on the couches. The sun will be up soon. I say we stay here durin’ the day. When it gets dark again, we’ll move out.”
Reed smiles at me again, noddin’. “I located a computer in the office. I’ll work on finding Brownie, Zee, and Buns while you and Evie sleep. You two look exhausted.”
“I’m walkin’ wounded,” I mutter, rubbin’ my eyes again.
Reed then talks to Anya, and she immediately takes my hand, leadin’ me back to the couches. Movin’ our coats, she gestures for me to sit down on a long couch. I sink into the seat and she gently nudges me to lie down. She covers me with my coat, and then sits across from me. Takin’ out a gold-tipped arrow from her quiver stashed under her coat, she notches it in her bow and places them in her lap. She shrouds the weapon from view with Reed’s coat over her lap. She’s guardin’ me.
I raise my eyebrow in question as I look at her face.
With a determined look, she says, “Anya yah-a-da-hal-yon-ih Russell,” tellin’ me that she’ll take care of me.
CHAPTER 10
Bow To The Champion
Evie
I awake and stare at the fake-crystal chandelier over my head while the scent of stale cigarette smoke clings to my clothes and my hair. Russell’s long body is stretched out on the couch across from me, asleep. Rubbing my eyes and wishing I had a toothbrush, I sit up on the couch. We’re still in the basement club a few blocks from Reed’s house in Torun. The place is completely empty, but I have no idea what time it is because there are no windows down here.
Glancing at the chair next to me, I startle, seeing Anya studying me with a blank expression. “Hah,” I gasp, feeling as if I’ve just been performing for an audience of one. “You scared me, Anya.” Her expression doesn’t change, so I ask, “Is it me, or do you feel like everything is being written in reverse?” Her green eyes scan me as if she’s picking out all of my weaknesses. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to smooth the tangles.
When she tilts her head, like she’s trying to understand me, I mutter under my breath, “Never mind.” Rising from the plush sofa, I ask, “Do you know where Reed is?”
She growls low and instantly Reed appears next to me. Not taking her intense eyes off me, she says, “Reed.”
“Uh…thanks, Anya,” I say, seeing the confused look on Reed’s face. “Hi,” I smile at him, walking into the curve in his side and feeling his arms instantly hug me. “What did I miss?” I ask, cognizant that I still need that toothbrush.
“The news conference, Mrs. de Graham,” Reed says with an ironic expression on his face.
My eyebrow lifts in question. “Huh?”
“Yeah, what’s that supposed to mean?” Russell asks, sitting up and rubbing a hand over his face.
“Brennus—he’s in Poland,” Reed replies.
“How do you know that? What’s the vampire doin’?” Russell asks as he rises from the couch looking rumpled from sleep.
“He’s looking for us,” Reed informs, motioning toward the flat-screens mounted around the bar. Switching all of them on with a push of a button, he uses the remote to turn up the volume. “He’s employing the haystack to find the needle.”
On every screen in the bar, a doctored photograph of me in a wedding dress standing next to Brennus appears along with a local phone number. “How very human of him,” I choke, feeling scared. “What are they saying?” I ask with goose bumps rising on my forearms.
Reed rubs my arms soothingly and says, “They’re saying that you’re Brennus’ wife—kidnapped from your home in Ireland. They’re asking that if anyone has information on your location that they call the number on the screen…for a substantial reward.”
A photograph of Reed at Crestwood flashes on the screen next. “What are they saying now?” I ask with my heart in my throat.
Russell answers, “They’re describin’ Reed as a stalker who has been harassin’ you. They’re sayin’ he’s a person of interest in this case and offerin’ a reward for any information on his location, too. Ahh! You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me…” Russell trails off, listening to the newscaster as his football picture encompasses the news item box at the left of the screen.
“What do we do?” I ask. “We can’t leave here without someone seeing us.” The wedding photo of me pops back up on the screen and I make a derisive sound, gesturing to it. “Please! Like I’d even be caught undead in that wedding dress!”
Russell, smirks, “Just when you think that maybe Brennus is runnin’ out of crazy, he shows up with a brand new can of it…economy size.”
“So now every human will be looking for us, too,” I say with a sinking feeling in my stomach. “How are we going to avoid being seen?”
“We’re not, love,” Reed answers in a gentle tone. “We need help. I contacted Dominion—”
“Dominion! We can’t do that! What about Russell?” I interrupt, feeling panic threading through me.
“Russell has an aspire—a Throne that outranks even the highest level Power. Anya can take care of Russell so that they don’t take him as their weapon,” Reed replies candidly.
“Oh,” I murmur, reading Russell’s confused expression. “You already contacted them?” I ask for clarity.
“Yes,” Reed says with his eyes shifting away from me.
My eyebrow lifts. “What?” My voice is suspicious, seeing his guilty expression. “Did you talk to Preben?”
“No,” Reed replies, watching our pictures on the screen.
I frown. “The war council?” I try again.
“No,” Reed shakes his head as he avoids looking at me, and when I gasp, he cringes a little.
“YOU SPOKE TO MY FATHER!” I yell at him while a blush stains my cheeks and my body becomes rigid.
Reed turns and looks in my eyes. “Tau is a master at strategy and tactics. He’s bringing an army to ensure that nothing happens to you. He may be able to catch Brennus here before he ha
s a chance to hide again,” he explains.
“You didn’t even ask me what I thought about that plan,” I say softly, feeling a stab of pain.
“You were asleep,” Reed replies in a low tone.
“You mean you waited until I was asleep,” I accuse.
His eyes narrow. “It was necessary to call for an extraction,” Reed says in a military tone. “I couldn’t call Zephyr. There are now hundreds of Fallen crawling around this city. The Inikwi are everywhere as well and…” he hesitates.
“And,” I ask with a lift of my eyebrow.
With reluctance, he adds, “And, I spotted Werree just a few hours ago.”
A shiver of dread goes through me at the thought of the Werree being nearby. “Brennus is allowing the Werree to hunt for me? Even after they killed Lachlan?” I ask, feeling numb from shock.
“Casimir is no longer pulling strings with the Werree, so they have naturally shifted back to their old alliance with the Gancanagh,” Reed says, like it’s to be expected—a foregone conclusion. But, Reed wasn’t in the hall when the Werree attacked us. He didn’t witness them kill Lachlan while Lachlan tried to defend me. I can still see the Werrees’ shadowy figures beetling over the walls and ceilings, trying to get to me so they could take pieces of my body for their flesh suits.
My throat constricts. “How can Declan and Faolan go along with that?” I ask in a shallow voice, remembering my Gancanagh bodyguards who fought with me. “What is wrong with everyone?” My eyes fill up with tears. “I don’t understand! How can they just let those THINGS hunt ME! HOW CAN THEY DO THAT?” Betrayal stabs me like never before. “I saved them from the Werree and now they’re going to let the Werree kill me?”
Reed frowns. “Evil is—”
I hold up my hand to him. “NO! I know you don’t understand this, but they were my FRIENDS!” I explain, feeling myself truly beginning to freak out as tears stream down my face. “DECLAN AND FAOLAN WERE MY FRIENDS!”
“Just like Eion was your friend?” Reed asks in a quiet tone. “But I just burned his body a few hours ago because he fed on you like you were a snack.”
I wave my hand. “That was Eion. He always lacked control,” I reply dismissively, wiping my tears on my arm.
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