by Sarah Noffke
“Morgan was my brother,” Kris blurted out, making every one go still.
“I’m sorry,” Connor said, his words hoarse.
A single tear peeked out of the corner of Kris’s eye and slid down her cheek before she held her breath, seeming to hold in the tears with it. She shook her head at her brother’s murderer and then nodded. “I don’t blame you,” she said. “This is all Mika’s fault. I spent all this time spying on you, but I didn’t tell Mika anything that I learned while here. I promise. I lied to him. But while I was here, I learned how good the Lucidites are. I realized how horrible Mika is and—
“You didn’t realize that when he had men abducted or mutated them into werewolves?” Adelaide said, cutting her off.
“I made a mistake. I admit that I went along with some horrible stuff, but when I knew better, then I did better. All I can do going forward is be a better person,” Kris said, and then let out a surrendering breath.
That didn’t feel like enough for Adelaide. However, hadn’t she been like Kris at some point? Operating from her own place of unknowing? Adelaide had done her fair share of bad things, but when her emotional intelligence grew, then her actions changed. And even now, with her own son, she wasn’t always making the best decisions, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t trying to change. Sometimes that’s all a person needs, the opportunity to change. A second chance.
“I want to help you all. That’s why I freed Rio. I wanted to prove to you that I could be trusted and more than anything, I want to be a part of the effort that brings Mika down,” Kris said.
“She could have just gone off on her own, but instead she came here,” Rox said, giving Kris a measuring stare. “I say we at least listen to what she has to say. Give us something we can work with.”
“Well, for starters, I know that Mika is going after that lady who is running the werewolf protests. That was the last thing I heard before I let Rio out. He was having his security team go after the woman to stop her,” Kris said. “And then—”
“That’s my mother,” Kaleb said, his eyes widening with horror.
“Which means we’re going to have to intervene,” Zephyr said, certainty in his voice.
Chapter Six
“It is the act of dream traveling that strengthens a person’s mind and feeds the energy that creates the special ability.”
- Dream Traveler Codex
The old house was supposed to bring up feelings of loss, right? Kaleb failed to understand why staring at his childhood home produced no feelings of longing or nostalgia. Was he blocking his emotions, like how he stopped time?
“Okay, Runt, you know the drill?” Rox said, checking that her trusty knife was in its holster at her waist.
“Yeah, FBI Blondie, I’m good,” he said, his voice hollow as he stared out the window of the SUV at the two-story house that had been his whole world for so long. But in truth, Kaleb never felt that he belonged there. “I’ll sit here, like the good boy that I am, and warn you and Invisible if there’s a sign of trouble,” he said, resenting the plan. Why when they were on a mission to rescue his mother did he have the lamest job? Kris got to do reconnaissance to ensure the coast was clear. Rox got to go in and flash her badge at his mother and bring her out safely, protecting her from any of Mika’s demons that popped up. And Kaleb got to sit and watch and radio if he spied trouble, which was the easiest job in the world, well, besides sleeping.
Nodding off seemed like a good idea right then, but that was only because Kaleb had been too worried the night before to sleep or dream travel. This was his mother, and they were here to rescue her from Mika’s evilness. She’d brought it all on herself, but still he didn’t want anything to happen to her. But he also didn’t want to see her again. His own mother had exposed him as a werewolf. She’d looked at him coldly when he confessed what he was and rejected him. But that’s how it had been his whole life. That’s probably why he was so indifferent at present. He just wanted this whole operation to be over so he could return to the Institute, the place that actually felt like home. The place where he was a badass agent. Yes, he was still an outcast, but that was only because he was better than the rest with a superior skill and they were jealous that he’d bypassed the holy training.
“All clear,” Kris said over the radio that was plugged into Kaleb’s left ear. “Marianne is in the back of the house, in the garden.”
It felt weird to hear someone refer to Kaleb’s mother by her first name, but stranger was that she was a part of this operation. How weird his life had gotten. His sisters would have criticized him profusely for all this trouble he’d brought on his family simply by existing. They’d say it was because he’d gone off on a backpacking trip and if he would have just stayed in school this never would have happened. His sisters were the direct byproduct of his parents. Full of judgment.
“Show time,” Rox said, opening the SUV driver’s side door. “I love this part.” She exited, giving Kaleb a wink.
“Wish I knew what it felt like,” he said dryly.
“Stop sulking, Runt. It makes your pretty brown eyes look sad like those of a basset hound,” Rox said over the radio.
“I’m not sulking,” he lied, closing those brown eyes, feeling something well to the surface.
Finally. Finally Kris had been assigned to a mission. And so immediately after joining the Lucidites. They knew she was a valuable asset and didn’t think lesser of her because she was a woman. Trey Underwood, the Head Official of the Lucidites, had extended a warm hand to her, welcoming her with a sincere smile. That was a man she could happily work for. He was everything Mika wasn’t. And he led the Lucidites in ways that built them up and promoted goodness. Never before had Kris felt such a strong loyalty to a person or the place they ran. But now she knew she’d made the right decision to risk it all to be a Lucidite. Finally she’d arrived. And she was their very first Middling. However, Trent, the head strategist, said after this mission she’d have to go through training, but she was all too happy to do that to be an agent. And Aiden was going to study her to understand how her invisibility worked. Everything was finally okay. Morgan was still dead, but at least his death had led to something positive. That’s how Kris used to think before Mika had poisoned her mind. She used to think in terms of positives like returning home; that’s how she thought now.
“I love you, Morgan,” she said under her breath, staring up at the blue sky, tears welling up in her throat. She shook them off and returned her gaze to where Marianne Magner was trimming roses along the back windows of her mansion.
Kaleb would be all right. Not now, not tomorrow, and probably not in a few months. But one day his wounds would heal and he’d come away better for everything he’d been through, Rox thought. He was so young. She remembered being eighteen and thinking she had everything figured out. How wrong she was. And at almost twenty-five she knew she was still so immature as far as life experiences went, although she had more than most people her age. Still, she respected Kaleb for what he’d done so far. He’d walked away from the family tree so he could find his own sunshine. One day he’d discover it. And now, it must be difficult to be here, on a mission to rescue his mother after his father’s death. Rox didn’t know how she’d feel in that situation. Her parents had been her foundation and she was their world. She shared that with Zephyr, but unlike him, she could go home. Rox knew this made his heart ache because she saw it in his eyes when he didn’t think she was watching.
Rox tramped through the side yard, her wedge heels mashing down the green grass. She couldn’t see Kaleb on the passenger side because of the dark tint of the windows when she turned back to the SUV. He’d get a more challenging mission in the future. All he had to do was hold on for it.
Rox pushed the white picket gate open, entering the backyard. These people had really tried to create the idyllic home from the stories with this brick mansion, but they’d failed to put the one thing in it that mattered the most. Love. Rox’s dream house wouldn’t hav
e a picket gate because it would have no fences. It would sit on the top of a mountain, free rolling hills flecked with wildflowers stretching out around it. She smiled to herself at the thought. There was no way that she’d feel claustrophobic in a home set in such a perfect place.
A sound met Rox’s ears as she neared the back of the house. Marianne was humming, she guessed. Rox confirmed this when she peeked around the corner of the house. A woman about her mother’s age was pruning roses, a sad tune reverberating from her closed mouth.
“Mrs. Magner?” Rox said, striding forward. The best way to gain trust was to announce one’s presence at once. That’s not the strategy she’d used when apprehending Zephyr, but he was different. She knew he’d run if she didn’t jump him. And secretly she wanted to leave a lasting first impression, which Rox thought she’d easily accomplished.
The older woman looked up, a startled expression in her brown eyes.
“I’m Agent Rox Spear, with the FBI,” Rox said, unfolding the badge that always earned her instant trust.
“Oh my, is this about the werewolf? Is this about Kaleb?” the woman said, holding the pruning shears in a gloved hand.
“Yes and no,” Rox said. “Your protests have angered an extremely dangerous organization and I’m going to need you to come with me.”
“Organization? But they’re werewolves…” Marianne said, her gaze falling on one of the topiaries as though it could answer the gap in her understanding.
Behind Rox, she heard the back gate she’d just come through click.
Kaleb watched as Rox trudged through the side yard. She looked about like she was heading back there to sunbathe in her sundress and sandals. Maybe he’d start calling her Fashionista instead of FBI Blondie. Coming up with nicknames was something Kaleb took extremely seriously. He laid his head back on the rest, his eyes closing for a moment, the sleepiness making the ambient noises over the radio feel instantly cozy. He always enjoyed small noises, like grass crunching underfoot, or people breathing or a door shutting. They lured him to sleep usually.
Kris’s head snapped to the side when she heard the gate shut. “Kaleb?” she said into the microphone, as quietly as she could manage from the edge of the property. “Is that you?”
No answer.
Stepping carefully, Kris moved until the side of the house was in view. Rox had already spun toward the sound of the noise. Kris respected how well trained the FBI agent was. However, Rox couldn’t see who was on the other end of the house.
Oh shit! “Malcolm is on the side of the yard,” Kris whispered into her radio.
“Take the target. I’ve got this,” Rox spoke into the radio, appearing to others to be talking to herself.
“You got it,” Kris said, switching into her visible form and dashing in the direction of Marianne. The woman’s eyes darted at her as she came into view, her hands frozen with the shears still in them and a dumbstruck look on her face. “We’ve got to go. You’re in danger,” Kris said, grabbing the woman’s other hand and pulling her toward the back exit of the house. They’d shortcut it back to the SUV as long as the house wasn’t invaded with Mika’s people too.
Rox sank into a fighting stance. Sparring with one of the werewolves wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she’d learned a long time ago that FBI agents do many things they don’t want to. Preservation was key. Completing the mission was another one.
Malcolm stepped around the corner of the house, his green eyes dull, but his actions sharp.
Yep, he was brainwashed into submission. Fucking great, Rox thought. The man squinted from the overhead light, his short wiry black hair catching the sun as he came into full view.
“How about you come back to the Lucidite Institute with me? We’re the good guys. Mika bad. Lucidites good,” Rox said, her tone, as always, belittling. “Got it, doggy?”
Behind her, Rox heard something move and turned just as a wheelbarrow raced in her direction, knocking her off her feet as it scooped her up. She fell back into it, her head banging against the metal. The wheelbarrow sped forward and halted just at Malcolm’s feet.
She looked up at the man, a sultry expression on her face. “Well, hey there, hottie. You want cream to go with that coffee skin?” she said, winking casually up at the guy who had menace written on his face.
From her peripheral she spied a shovel racing from the side of the house in her direction. This telekinetic asshole didn’t know a good offer when he got one. Rox rolled to the side, the wheelbarrow falling over as she spilled out of it. The shovel flew through the air and came down on her head to no effect just before she dove forward away from further assaults.
She rolled on her back, coming to her feet in a crouched position, one knee down. “Seriously, you’re making this harder than it has to be. Snap out of it and play on our team,” she said, as Malcolm crossed his arms over his chest, a narrowed look on his face. Rox loved that part. The moment when the bad guy realized that none of his attempts to hurt her had worked. Bang a shovel over her head and she’d jump back up like hit with a cotton ball.
Although Rox didn’t want to hurt Malcolm, one of the weres, she had to stay with the target and Marianne and Kris could have found trouble inside the house. Rox noticed a potted plant racing toward her and rolled behind the upturned wheelbarrow just as it did. Malcolm must have redirected its path to follow her, which was why she heard the crack when the plant rammed into the back of the wheelbarrow. Knowing she only had one chance, Rox lifted the wheelbarrow as she stood; then she raised it over her head and launched it at the werewolf. Not having a moment to react using his telekinesis, he ducked his head and raced in the opposite direction as the wheelbarrow was thrown at him. Rio would be proud of that display of power, but Rox didn’t have long to think of that as she sprinted for the back door. She locked it behind her, knowing that wouldn’t stall Malcolm long. What they needed to do was get away with the target, but that wasn’t going to happen if she had to kill a dumb mutt who didn’t know any better.
The whispering over the radio was the perfect ASMR, the experience that triggers a tingling sensation on the scalp that sometimes precedes deep relaxation and sleep. Kaleb had only recently read about the phenomenon in one of the books he’d gotten from the Lucidites’ library. He’d been picking up the most random books lately, hoping that he could supply the most random pieces of information in conversation going forward. Randomness took skill.
Kaleb’s visual cortex registered two trees in the distance. Palm trees. He climbed into the hammock tethered between the trunks, staring at the mountains on the other side of a lagoon. This was the perfect experience and yet it felt so wrong for some reason. The tide brought a new wave, but there was something riding on it. How strange that the calm lagoon would have waves, he thought with a shrug. The water parted as a great white shark slid onto the sandy beach, its black eyes straight on Kaleb. Then the beast opened his mouth and said, “You owe me twelve dollars.”
Oh no! Kaleb realized at once what was wrong. His eyes sprung open. He had fallen asleep. And his sloppiness had come at a price. Down the middle of the road, where he’d first learned how to ride his bike, there stood a man, standing crossed-armed next to a white van. The black uniform he wore told Kaleb that he was one of Mika’s men. The black bun and sniveling stare he wore told Kaleb the guy was no-nonsense and here to do business. Business that involved his mother!
The house appeared as it had before, quiet and mostly empty. Hopefully, he awoke just in time and could cut this guy off before he screwed up everything. Kaleb knew he should radio for backup, but instead he opened the SUV door and caught the attention of the guard. It was Kaleb’s turn for some action. As soon as the guard took notice of him he began to sprint forward. Kaleb did exactly what only he could do and paused time, making the guy freeze in mid-sprint, his black boot down in front of him and his other one kicked up in the air.
Racing in the guard’s direction, Kaleb cleared the fifteen yards in only a few seconds. He f
roze in front of the guard, who although slight in build, looked to have the type of muscles conditioned by martial arts. Now facing Bun Man, Kaleb didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t the violent type and therefore, his initial idea of knocking him out while the clock was stopped wasn’t going to work. Never had he liked the idea of bringing his fist across someone’s face. And wasn’t that what his skill afforded him? A unique advantage. Kaleb shot his gaze around, looking for a weapon. Time was running out. He could only keep it paused for another few seconds. Knowing he was limited on options, he did the only thing he could think of and extended his leg out in front of the guard and released time.
Bun Man’s shin connected with Kaleb’s leg, knocking into it harder than he had expected. However, the result was as he intended. The guard tripped over Kaleb’s leg, tumbling forward. Unfortunately, the impact brought Kaleb off balance, knocking him back as well. Bun Man ricocheted off his back, like Kaleb had seen in all those dubbed martial arts movies, landing on his toes. He was going to learn that trick later. But for now, he needed to make this lemming of Mika’s pay. The guard didn’t look as surprised as he should have that Kaleb had sprouted up out of nowhere and tripped him. Instead, Bun Man grunted, sinking down into a fighting stance, his fists raised up close to his face, which wore a pinched expression. Mika always employed the sourest people.