by LJ Swallow
"I know them well. Thanks for your concern."
He takes his glass of whiskey and drains the contents. "If you need help, just holler."
I give him a tight smile. Early on, this would've worried me, but now I presume the girls were demons. Although I have to be honest with myself and admit some would’ve been hook-ups.
"Thanks for your concern."
I edge past the man who stinks of cigarettes, gripping the cues, and then back to the table. Xander nods towards the bar. "Who was that?"
"Random guy. Who's playing?" I point at the pool table.
"Hitting on you?" continues Xander, staring back across the pub.
"Don't go alpha on her," says Joss with a sigh. "Vee’s an attractive girl, of course guys will hit on her."
"When she walked away, the sleaze watched Vee as if he wanted to eat her alive," Xander snaps.
"Oh, maybe a demon, then?" I ask in a light tone.
"Ha bloody ha." Xander crosses his arms and stares at the guy. I glance over and the man’s returning the aggressive look.
"Bloody hell, Xan." Joss pushes his stool back and stands. "Vee."
"Yes?" I look around just as Joss's mouth meets mine. I make a noise of surprise as he rests his lips on mine for a few moments and curls one arm around my waist to hold me closer. Thankfully an affectionate, gentle touch and not full on, because this is directly in front of the other guys.
He withdraws and winks at me. "I guess she's with me, Xander. You gonna stare me down too?"
Xander breaks his gaze at the guy and drinks. "Nope."
I look back at the man, who's turned away. Did Joss's kiss satisfy him I'm taken and not worth hitting on?
"Thanks, Joss," I say. "The last thing we need is you going over the top, Xander."
Xander looks at us impassively. "Yeah. Whatever."
"Any time," says Joss with a laugh. "Hope you didn't mind, Vee."
I shake my head. "All good."
"Food." Ewan interrupts and holds up a menu. "Who's eating?" Xander takes it from him.
"Heath? Playing?" I ask.
"Sure."
I take my cue and head to the pool table. As I place the coloured balls into the triangle, I watch the guys. This situation is ordinary and sharpens into focus how extraordinary they are. A couple of girls who watched us curiously before now seem satisfied I'm with Joss and are attempting to catch the other threes’ attention. One of them follows Ewan to the bar when he heads over to order food. Subtle. Not. Unsurprisingly, Ewan barely pays her any attention, but I don't miss his aggressive proximity to the guy who hit on me. Oh great, he'd better not be following Xander's example.
Heath approaches and rests against the table then chalks his cue, focusing on the action. A smile plays on his lips as he watches me set up the game.
"You really think you're going to win, don't you?" I ask.
"Yep."
I stand against the nearby wall as Heath takes the first shot, watching as his hair flops into his eyes, and the pursed-lipped concentration. What would’ve happened if we’d been on a date before he introduced me to the others? Was he ever tempted? For the first time in weeks, I’m reminded of the strange night our lives collided the way my car did with his body.
Recently, Heath’s distanced himself and until now, I never noticed. Not deliberately, the way Ewan has, but as if he’s further from me since my unknown power increased.
Heath shifts around the table to take a shot in front of me, giving me a great view of the ass that I’m supposedly always staring at. Which of course means I have to again, because why break the habit? His T-shirt rides up, revealing a smooth, muscled lower back.
Hell, I’m a lucky girl.
I’m ashamed to admit that I sometimes thank whoever stuck me in this situation. What if they’d been a bunch of unattractive guys with manners that made Xander look like he could teach etiquette in his spare time?
But then why put us in a situation where I didn’t have any desire to "connect" with each and every one of the Horsemen?
Heath misses his latest shot and swears. Straightening, he turns to me and gestures at the table. "Show me what you’re made of. I’ve already potted five."
"Go you," I line up my shot, but can’t shake the need to speak to Heath. "How are you coping, Heath?"
"I should ask you that question."
The yellow ball clicks another of mine, spinning it into a pocket. "You’re all supporting me, but I’ve noticed you’re quieter than usual."
Heath shrugs. "You know me, ‘emo Heath.’"
"Heath..." I warn him; he’s well aware that Xander’s nickname for him is unfair.
"I’m lost, Vee. That’s all. I know we’re all struggling to cope, but every time someone new comes on the scene, or Xander agrees to ally with people we don’t trust, I get nervous." He steps forward and traces his finger along the edge of the table. "Mostly I worry about letting you all down."
"How?"
"Take your shot, Vee."
I do as he suggests, but I refuse to leave this. Deftly, I pot most of my balls, smug when I see his surprised expression.
"How so ‘let us down’?"
"Not fulfilling my role. Y’know. Not fixing things if they go permanently wrong for one of you." I’m confused by why he’s using euphemisms until I notice two guys in ear shot.
"We’ll be okay," I say, wishing I was as confident as I sound.
"Maybe, but until we get the stone—"
I interrupt by putting my finger on his lips. "No. We’re not talking about that. We’re relaxing and playing pool."
Heath pulls his mouth into a rueful smile. "True."
"And I’m winning."
"Huh." He sweeps me closer and bends to place his mouth on mine. "I bet I can distract you."
"I’m sure you can." His hard chest presses against mine and when he kisses me, his longer hair tickles my cheek. Ewan’s does too but isn’t as long. Heath has more to hold onto—and the thought reminds me how distant we are. "It’s been a while since I spent the night with you. I’m sorry I didn’t notice you felt alone."
He shakes his head. "I wasn’t. Just watching from the sidelines mostly."
"It’s not because you’re worried about what I am?"
"I hear you say that all the time Vee, and it stabs my heart because there’s nothing ‘wrong’ about you. I mean, if you decided to start tearing your way through British institutions and destroying any demons who are disguised, yeah, then we might worry. But you have yourself under control."
I share his laugh. "Okay. True."
"And you know what, Vee? When this is all over, I’m stepping back. Taking time out. You know how I feel about wanting to be more human. I’m gonna do that."
I chew on a nail as I watch him, hearing the determination in his voice. Ewan says not to worry about the future, but Heath’s firmly focused there. "Do you know what I love about what you just said?"
He takes the cue, readying himself to continue. "That I don’t think you’re hellbent on killing?"
"No. That you said ‘when this is all over’. That you believe this will end well."
Heath pushes hair from his face, bright green eyes shining as he studies me. "I meant Chaos. Once he’s gone, the world will change, one way or the other."
"But we won’t," I whisper. "We’ll always be us."
Heath chalks his cue and nods. "I hope so."
I close my eyes and drag myself away from his seriousness. The click of pocketed balls brings me back to the game and I’m shocked to see Heath’s almost won.
Edging closer, I wait until he’s about to take the shot and slide my hand across his ass before pushing my hand into his pocket. Missing the shot, Heath snaps his head around. "Vee... that’s cheating!"
I smirk. "And I can always distract you."
15
EWAN
I'm terrified to look away from the online world for more than five minutes, even if we’re supposed to be switching off for a
few hours. How’s that bloody possible? Maybe the others can fool themselves things aren’t as bad as they appear, but I've come face to face with Seth in his true form.
This...thing is pure evil. I've met a crap load of creatures who do shit I never want to think about again, but I’ve no doubt that Seth is capable of more. And I'm sure he wants to show us that.
The little pantomime with me, Vee, and Joss by the portal was him flexing his muscles. Showing us his power. Can he drag Vee to him any time he wants? If he does that before we figure out who she is and why, things could end badly and quickly.
We have one last card in our hands, and it’s not Vee. We have the book, and the answers soon. He doesn't have all the facts and can't carry out his destructive plans until he does. Heath's confused and asked if Seth’s a god with his power and the capacity to destroy everything, why hasn't he?
Isn't the answer obvious?
He's violent. Sadistic. We’ve only seen three deaths he’s responsible for, but how many more will we witness? Chaos wants to have fun and watch human life suffer at his hands. He told us as much—they’re insects crawling across the world he created. The world he wants destroyed.
Personally, I'd like to track him down and rip him to pieces, but even Xander knows this is futile without all the facts. We could die. All of us.
No. Once we're in full possession of the knowledge held in this cryptic book, we attack first. We follow to the letter what it says to do.
But even then, we’d need to find him first.
I fidget, checking the phone again. Vee finished her pool game with a sulky Heath and now sits between him and me as Joss and Xander play. Does this protect Vee from teleporting? It never did with me and Joss, but at least if Seth pulls a stunt like that again, they'll both go with her.
I take a drink then swipe my mouth before combing the internet on my phone: message boards, breaking news, anything with a hint what Seth could be doing.
I don't need to.
Because, of course, the bastard prefers to taunt.
A message from Seth, with a link. Early reports from a weather station. A huge hurricane has formed in the Atlantic, sudden and not predicted by long-range weather forecasts.
"Shit." I scroll through the site, the calculations for when the storm will reach landfall as a category 5. The hurricane is headed straight for areas with dense population, and with it, worries there’ll be greater devastation than Hurricane Katrina. Lives will be lost and homes destroyed. "Heath, get Joss and Xander. Now."
Heath calls them over, and Xander holds his hand out for my phone. "What's happening, Ewan?"
I run through options in my head as Xander reads, stony-faced, before passing to Heath. My phone sounds and Heath blinks rapidly as he reads the message.
"Fucking arsehole," I growl.
Xander's face pinches, and he strategises in his head as I do. "Do you think he has the other part of the stone?"
"No."
I wave a hand. "We have to consider he might. We won't know until Syv and the Collector return."
"I’ll call her. We focus on Seth." Xander stands and pulls out his phone. He wanders to a quieter corner, but not before draining his beer first.
"Do we reply?" I ask.
The phone beeps again.
I stand too. "We need to leave. Now."
The situation cuts short our night out, but how could this have ended any other way? The decision is made not to interact with Seth until we get home. Negotiating with him over a beer in the pub isn’t a good idea.
I’m home first, and a good few minutes before everyone else. Vee knows the trip on my bike will be a fast and unpleasant one, so travels with the others instead.
They finally arrive as I pace around the lounge clutching the phone in one hand, watching for a message like a hawk watching prey.
"Anything else from Seth?" asks Xander as he drops his jacket over the sofa.
"No. He must be waiting for a response. Probably smirking to himself that he’s scared us into silence."
Heath sinks back on the sofa and drags both hands down his face. "Why a storm? I expected him to go after us or attack a portal again. Why this?"
Joss perches on the sofa arm. "He's digging at our weakness, isn't he? Humans."
"But we can't stop the weather," puts in Heath. "This is impossible."
"Yeah, but Seth can—he created it. We stop him." Xander jabs a finger at the phone.
"How? By giving him what he wants?" asks Joss. "Taking Vee and the book to him?"
"Be serious," sneers Xander. "No."
"We need to know where he is, though," Heath says. "Reply and ask where."
I do and there's no response for a few moments, until a picture message comes through. Seth. Grinning. Sitting in a desert, surrounded by green scrub and a huge blue sky above the barren land stretching into the shimmering horizon behind him.
In his sick selfie, bodies on the sand surround him in a circle, like a gruesome protection rune.
"What the fuck?" I breathe. "Are they human?"
Xander grabs the phone and places his fingers on the screen to zoom in. "I can't tell. I doubt it."
"Screw this." I swipe to open the video calling app, ignoring Xander's words not to bother because Seth won't answer.
They always underestimate him, and that’s partly how we’re in this fucking mess.
Of course the bastard can’t resist the opportunity.
"Hey, boys!" Seth's face appears onscreen. "How was your evening?"
"Where are you?" asks Xander.
Seth pulls the phone away from his face and he sweeps it around him. "Do you have names for your portals? Like Disneyland does? Is this one Fae World? I'm still hoping one of the six is Dragon World."
I inhale and concentrate on not retorting. What is it about him and fucking dragons?
Joss turns to a pale-faced Vee. "Has he attacked a portal?"
"I don’t know." Her response is barely a whisper.
"I can’t sense anything has touched one," puts in Heath. "We usually do."
"Fucking mind tricks," mutters Xander, then says to Seth, "Tell us where you are, and we'll tell you which portal you’re near." I look at Xander in horror. We can't give him anymore information, is he insane?
Seth pans the phone to the neatly arranged bodies, lying with heads touching feet, bodies curved into a macabre modern art display. "Which portal did you send these idiots to protect? And why the hell are others doing your job?"
"Holy shit," mutters Heath. "There're ten bodies there."
"I always thought fae had the prettiest eyes." Seth zooms in on a victim's face. Then another. Where each victim’s eyes once were, there are two black scorch marks in a bloodied, mask-like face .
"Where were the fae sent to protect a portal?" I mutter at Heath.
"The States," he whispers back.
"Shit."
Xander turns away, as he does when trying to hide how he feels, and Vee watches, sitting forward as if about to go to him.
My horror vies with anger—and panic. "Have you opened the portal?"
Seth returns the camera to his gleeful face and snickers. "I think you'd know if I had. Don't you? You can hide one demon dog, but if a whole tribe of fuck-knows-what’s behind this portal escape, I’m sure the humans might just notice."
I breathe out relief. That's one thing, and proof he's killing time.
"Maybe Seth can't open them," Heath says quietly. "Maybe he needs the book to work out how."
"He did something to the last portal though," says Joss. "He can definitely open them if he wants."
"Maybe he needs Vee there?" Heath glances at her. Vee now stands with Xander, hand on his arm as they speak in low voices.
"Yo
u think he needs Vee to open them? Is that what’s in the book?" I whisper.
"Hello? Guys? Pay attention!" calls Seth. "I had this idea I wanted to run by you."
My stomach flips over as he moves one of the bodies into a position he can lean himself against. Sharpened fae features. Young. Hair the colour of Logan’s. These must be this newly created powerful fae he arranged to guard portals. To help us.
And they died.
Seth holds the phone above his head and looks up. "I think the world needs to know what lives amongst them." He lifts and drops the arm of the dead body. "Hey! Should I drop these guys off in the middle of a city? I bet people would love to see what real fae look like. That would be cool!"
I stare at his insane babbling. Cool?
"Do what you want with them," replies Xander in a cold tone. "We never guaranteed their safety. Portia and Logan can deal with this issue."
"Xander." He jerks as Heath pushes him. "Don’t be fucking stupid."
"Does that mean Portia will want to catch up with me too? Awesome. Hey, do you think I can still go see her theatre performance? When is it? I could hold off my plans until she’s had her chance to shine. I really did like her." Seth shields his eyes and the phone against the brightness. Okay. Now I can’t tell if he’s genuinely taking the piss, or just mad.
Xander snorts. "I doubt the fae will send someone so important to risk death by meeting you."
Seth's face moves closer to the camera and his voice cools. "But the Horsemen will bring their most important when they meet me. Where is she?"
Vee steps beside me and into view. "Here. Planning how to kill you." Her voice could cut diamonds, sharp and precise.
Seth's laughter peals around. "You still think that's why you're here? To kill me? That’s cute."
"So you know who I am?" she asks.
He pulls a face and shrugs. "Yeah and nah. I'm missing the crucial information, like you guys are. Hence. Bring. Me. The. Book."
Xander laughs at him. "Pointless if you can't translate it."
"But I'll have the ability soon. I know you have part of the stone needed to decipher the book, and I hope you’ll see sense and give it to me." He pauses. "And Vee? That was really not nice killing my friend. He was helping me."