by Eden Ashley
Creeping up one stair at time, she was careful to miss the third step that always groaned beneath the slightest amount of weight. She flattened her body against the wall as she edged down the hallway. Pausing at the corner, her eyes struggled to refocus in the darkness. As far as Kali could tell, she was alone.
The music came from Rozzy’s room. It was a haunting voice, singing in a language entirely foreign to Kali’s ears. Goose bumps pricked her flesh, covering Kali from head to toe. She adjusted her grip and raised the skillet. Then she moved toward the sound. A soft whistle from behind redirected her attention. Kali looked but saw only shadows. Suddenly, one of the shadows flickered, disappearing into an open doorway.
Breathing deeply, Kali tried to stay calm. She considered retreating downstairs to call for help but shook away the thought. She wasn’t sure anyone was actually in the house.
Clutching the pan in both hands, Kali brought it overhead and charged through the doorway. She swung like a madwoman as sudden movement flashed and moved toward her in the darkness. Screaming, Kali hurled the skillet. There was a loud crack. It was followed by the sound of shattered glass crashing to the floor. Kali slapped frantically at the wall until she found the switch, and light flooded the room.
Breaking house rules, Kali spat a four-letter word and repeated it several times. She felt like a complete idiot. No one was there. No one had ever been there. And the bathroom mirror was destroyed.
Kali stared at the remains with dismay. It was going to be a tough one to explain.
She grabbed a broom from the closet and started sweeping up the glass. Something unusual caught her eye. Kali knelt down. Several large fragments were all reflecting a single image. She picked up a shard…and nearly fainted.
#
Rhane was several streets away from the three-level home Kali shared with her adoptive family. Still formulating how much to reveal in order to explain their uncanny situation, he slowed the truck to a crawl to buy extra time. That was when he heard the scream. Knowing without a doubt it was Kalista, his mind mapped from memory the quickest route to reach her. Wheels would only slow him down. Throwing the truck in park, he bailed at lightning speed.
The grassy green of well-manicured lawns went by in a blur as he traversed backyards and without slowing, sailed over two fences. The second was intended for an in-ground pool measuring twenty feet across. Rhane cleared it in one bound, amazing himself with a sure-footed landing on the slippery deck. He stopped only after he’d reached the Metts’ residence.
He tried to sense if Kalista was alone. Barging in unexpected only because she had been frightened by a bug was not ideal. He listened.
Her unmistakable song drifted to his ears. The whispered melody called to him, urging him closer.
Climbing the old oak tree, Rhane entered the house through an open bedroom window.
#
The reflection in the glass was not Kali’s. A different face, one of a strange woman with beauty not of this world, stared back at Kali. Her skin was flawless and bronzed. Blood red lips stood in stark contrast to grey eyes heavily lined in kohl. Shimmers of gold glinted above thick eyelashes. A dark mass of curly hair, wild and untamed, framed the visage of an ancient goddess.
Cold fear clutched at Kali’s heart. Blinking repeatedly to be sure she wasn’t hallucinating, she set the shard on the floor. The woman smiled. Her expression was a dark invitation.
With a startled gasp, Kali brought the broom handle down in a decisive arch again and again, smashing the glass into a dozen more pieces.
#
Rhane stood outside the bathroom door watching Kalista. It was amusing how she attacked the mirror’s remnants. But he felt somewhat uneasy. They were alone, and Rhane had no clue what had frightened her.
“Kalista,” he called softly.
Reaching for the skillet in a blur of speed, she hurled it straight toward him. The iron cookware burst into a ball of grey flames. Behind the inferno, Kalista crouched in the broken glass. Her eyes had changed to match the flames, and her hair was transformed into a wild mass of curls. Hypnotized by the resurgence of this creature, it wasn’t until the last possible second that Rhane saved his skull from the fiery projectile. He stepped aside and the skillet sailed past him, crashing into a seventy-two inch plasma television in the den across the hall. Recognition filled Kalista’s eyes. They changed back to brown. Her hair fell straight to her shoulders as she uncoiled from the floor.
She met his steady gaze with confusion. “What are you doing here?”
Chapter 20
It made her panicky, the way Rhane watched her.
He stood calmly with both hands in his pockets and shrugged casually at her question. “You’ve just reminded me why it’s not a good idea to break up with you.” He glanced around. “Or sneak up on you,” he added.
Kali followed his gaze. Shards of glass and splintered wood laid everywhere around them. And across the hall…Greg’s television was in smoking ruins. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed. “What happened to the T.V?”
Rhane looked uncertain. “You don’t remember?”
“You showed up and the television exploded. How am I doing so far?”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
“Then what happened?”
Rhane rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s focus on getting this mess cleaned up before your parents get home.” Easing the broom from her hands, he began sweeping.
Kali was bewildered. She closed her eyes and tried to wish away the scene. But she opened them and the bathroom was still a mess, the television was still destroyed, and Rhane was still there. Kali really didn’t mind the last part so much. Cal calling her childish had more to do with her terrible mood than anything Rhane had actually done. She took a moment to admire his tanned, well-muscled arms manipulating the broom.
He looked at her expectantly. “Do you have a dustpan or something I can take this up with?”
Kali went to the closet and got a dustpan. Instead of placing it in Rhane’s outstretched hand, she dropped the dustpan at his feet. Then she turned on heel and walked away. She had nearly reached the hall when his fingers trailed against the underside of her wrist. It calmed her immediately. Her temper didn’t stand a chance against his gentle touches.
“Kalista, you’re angry. Again, I’m sorry. There’s a lot I need to explain.”
She hesitantly faced him. “There’s been way too much drama from your species in the past few days. So I’m not sure I want to hear it.”
“Tell me what you want then.” His fingers slid away from her wrist to brush against her cheek.
Kali’s blood warmed. Her pulse fluttered. She couldn’t answer Rhane. Then her phone rang, and she didn’t have to.
She stepped away from him. The distance allowed her to think more clearly. “Hello.”
It was Wes, sounding a little tense. “Hey, Kali. How was school?”
“It was school.”
He must have understood from the curt reply; he wasn’t the only one on edge. “Is everything okay?”
Kali looked up. Rhane hadn’t moved. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m fine. What’s up?”
A door softly thudded shut from Wes’s end. The background noise immediately ceased. “Did you take something from the office yesterday?”
“Just the file for the desert. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”
“It is a big deal, Kali. And I need you to bring it back.”
“Wes, I’m sorry. Mr. Richards was on my case about this one. I needed extra time to sort it out.” She glanced at Rhane. He was busy dumping glass into the trash. Kali had a hunch that he was listening closely.
“We talked about this. I thought I helped you to understand how unique this deal is.”
“I do understand. Why are you so upset?”
He sighed. “Bring the file back today.”
“Okay. I’ll be at the office in half an hour.”
“See you then,” he said and hung up.
Kali looked at the phone. She was floored by Wes’s reaction. It wasn’t like she had stolen anything. The whole point of taking the file was so she could do her job better. What if Mr. Richards finds out? Goodbye, internship. But Wes wouldn’t rat on anyone, especially not Kali. If ever she needed to cover up a crime, Wes would help hide the body and be her alibi without a second thought.
“Are you okay?” Rhane’s voice interrupted her contemplation.
“No,” she said and left the room abruptly. In her bedroom, she closed the open window and grabbed her purse. The weather would be chilly by the time she got home again. Cal’s sweatshirt was the handiest thing, so she took that too. Downstairs, she stopped to shut down the desktop and gathered the file. Slipping it inside her messenger bag, she turned to go but jumped. Rhane was standing right behind her. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Stop doing that!”
“Sorry. Where are you going?”
“My father is dead and Greg isn’t home. But thanks for the inquiry.” Moving past him, she went into the kitchen and took a set of keys from the wall. They were for the beater parked in the garage. No one drove it because the motor was bound to blow at any time. But it was Greg’s first car and he had trouble letting go of things.
As Kali took an extra minute to leave a note for Greg and Lisa, the genuine look of worry on Rhane’s face nudged in her a whisper of regret. She relented with a shrug. “I have to go in to the office. In exchange for my soul, I collect a paycheck.”
“Do you really feel that way?”
“No. I like my job.” She held the door open for him. “It’s a great opportunity in my field of study. Besides, I need to save money for college.”
He stepped outside first and waited on the porch while she secured the house. “Your parents are well off. With their assets, it’s fair to assume your education is already paid for.”
“Yeah, well, parents aren’t guaranteed.” Kali knew that sounded bitter, but it was how she felt. “I feel better having a Plan B to fall back on.”
“Kalista, you’ve suffered loss. But don’t go through life expecting the people you care about to leave you.”
Unable to muster a suitable deflection, a heartfelt reply leeched through. “I don’t know how not to.”
“Let me show you.”
Kali thought of the lost girl in the mirror, there for the past nine years. “I have to go,” she said.
In such a short time, Rhane had broken down so many of her defenses, peeled back the rigid outer layers, and gotten inside of her. She was walking away from him as fast as she could. But instinct screamed for her to run back. Whenever she was with Rhane, Kali felt safe. Maybe she could tell him about the lost girl. Maybe he could help find her.
#
Rhane watched Kalista leave from the end of her driveway. As soon as the battered little car disappeared around the corner, he pulled a cell phone from his pocket and hit a speed dial. A woman’s voice answered on the first ring. Rhane spoke briskly, “Alice, get the jet ready. I need to leave in two hours.”
“What is your destination, sir, for fueling purposes?”
“Baotou, China.”
Chapter 21
Wes was on the phone, but paused when Kali entered the office. He covered the mouthpiece with one hand. “Leave it on my desk.” Then the chair swiveled, putting his back between her and the important call. Kali decided to make herself scarce for a while just in case Mack felt inclined to check the status of the report. After grabbing a snack from the vending machines, she took the elevator down to storage. Low wattage lights, designed to cause minimal damage to the delicate relics, automatically adjusted as the elevator touched the basement floor. It was a large room, the temperature separately regulated in order to maintain an ideal environment.
The basement was limbo. Artifacts went there to loiter between obscurity and recognition. Most would eventually find homes with museums, collectors, or private dealers.
Unable to get the statue out of her mind, Kali accessed the computer and checked every reference number of the most recent additions. The monitor beeped as the search returned without results. There was not a single record of any entry within the last week. She widened the search to thirty days. The same result displayed. Weird.
Kali decided to investigate the company collection. It boasted quite a showcase. Masks, statues, jewelry, tools, and weapons from various ancient peoples amounted to dozens of displays and hundreds of items to comb through. Even after an hour of searching, Kali hadn’t found anything similar to the sketch from the file. But she was getting close. With each passing moment, the rhythm of her heart had accelerated, pounding louder and faster until her blood thundered with anticipation.
The northern collection held just one display not illuminated. Kali floated toward it like a moth trapped in lamplight. And then she heard the voice. The one from only hours before, and it was singing the same melody.
A cold knot formed in her stomach. For the first time since entering the basement, Kali was afraid. Unsure of what do, she waited nervously. The singing stopped. But a soft whisper followed, a single word carried on a faint breeze that should not have existed in the windowless room: “Soon.”
“I wondered how long it would take you to get down here.”
Kali whirled around at the sound of the voice.
Wes’s eyes widened with concern. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No.”
“No, you’re not okay?” He frowned and moved closer. “You’re sweating.”
“I’m fine.” She shook her head, trying to realign. “Why is this one not on?” she asked, pointing at the dark display. It was getting harder to breathe.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Kali nodded but said nothing more. Wes took the hint. “This only arrived a few days ago, and Mr. Richards is being top secret about it. Even I don’t know who the buyer is yet.” He pointed to the access panel. “Using the dial will allow observation. But without this code an alarm will be triggered. I guess when you steal something you have to be extra careful so the original owners can’t take it back.” His tone was half-joking.
Her palms had started to itch. “What is it?”
“It’s called The Siren’s Heart.”
The singing began anew. Kali’s throat was cotton. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. “Do you hear that?” she whispered.
Wes raised an eyebrow. “Hear what?” His timid laugh sounded strange in her ears. “You’re getting a little creepy.”
“I need to see it.”
His expression turned wary. “Maybe you shouldn’t, Kalista.”
“Please, Wes.” She said more forcefully, “I have to.”
Wes hesitated. Then he moved toward the display. “This means I can’t hide you anymore. Everything must change.” His fingers traveled across the keypad, methodically entering a six-digit code. The case lit up, bringing the relic into full view. And Wes’s words came true. Everything changed.
#
Neither moon nor star twinkled in the sky. Two hours ago, darkness had settled over Holsenbeck Hall and its surrounding acres. The air was heavy, thick with anticipation for an approaching storm. Swollen rain clouds loomed above the estate, water ready to burst forth from black and menacing wombs.
A light drizzle splattered onto the pickup’s windshield, quickly becoming larger droplets as the storm progressed. Over twenty-four hours had passed since Rhane had last slept. Seeing the file from Mack Ventures, Inc spawned an impromptu flight to Baotou on a semi-private jet. After meeting with a contact of indistinct loyalties, he returned from the other side of the world distracted and frustrated.
Time had the tendency of blurring lines of ownership, especially when it came to artifacts. And though The Siren’s Heart was already rightfully his, Rhane had been forced to buy it back from the Chinese government. According to his l
iaison, the sale was a done deal. Instead the artifact was stolen again, this time by the company Kalista worked for, Mack Ventures, Inc. If Rhane wanted The Siren’s Heart, he would have to bargain with a scumbag millionaire treasure hunter. He snatched the front door open with disgust. Two back to back flights was a whole lot of wasted time. On top of it all, the discovery that Kalista was only a teenager had been a bucket of cold water dumped on the campfire keeping him warm.
He tossed an aged leather scroll on the coffee table. “Quarter of a million dollars and all I get is a stupid map.” He rubbed his face. “What a useless middleman. I should have killed him.”
He paced around the living room. The words his contact had spoken circled his mind like a drain. If The Siren’s Heart is lost to you, then take this scroll. Guard it well.
Something big brushed against his leg. Without looking, he knew it was the black canine. The animal quietly took a seat beside him and placed its large head on his lap.
“Oh, quit it. I know you smelled the Chinese food before I even got out of the truck.”
The canine sat up to lick Rhane’s face, whose bad mood fled as he pushed at the animal playfully. “You don’t have to kiss my butt. I promise there’ll be plenty of leftovers.”
Shoving its nose closer, the canine mauled him with a barrage of drooling kisses. Rhane threw up his hands to ward off the attack. “All right, you win! You can have yours now, Lassie.”
He retrieved a large dog dish from a kitchen cabinet and filled it with two orders of General Tso chicken and lo mein. The canine pounced on the food while Rhane watched in mild amusement. “At least one of us is happy.”
He sat on the couch but stood again restlessly. Lighting several candles, he situated them around the room. The soft light flickered and swayed in and out of unison with the dark silhouettes of the flames. Rhane watched them dance, letting memories take him to another world existing long ago. A world he sometimes longed for.
Outside, the rain was hammering every surface with a densely walled downpour. The noise of it almost hid the sound of car tires crunching over the gravel drive. Rhane frowned. He hadn’t been expecting anyone. His frown became a smile as he recognized the scent. A soft knock pounded lightly on the front door. Already there, the canine sat waiting.