by Eden Ashley
When the door closed, York went over to War and placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. Then he erupted with laughter. “You totally blew that one.”
War shrugged him off and silently walked out onto the balcony.
Seeing the shame in War’s heavy step, York followed the boy outside and leaned next to him against the rail. “Living this way hasn’t been easy for any of us. We’ve done our best to protect you but also lend freedom. Rhane tried very hard to strike a balance between raising you and the others to know the old ways and teaching you to reason for yourselves.” York waited for War to acknowledge that statement. The boy did, meeting his eyes. “There’ll be plenty of chances to show him how well he’s succeeded.”
#
It didn’t take long for Rhane to contact her. She agreed to meet him in half an hour at the center of the city. He checked his watch. The subway was the only way to get there in time. He suppressed an inward groan. Underground again.
It was rush hour: too many people, too many smells, and too many sounds. He’d developed a terrible headache right around the time the ceiling collapsed in the tunnels. The pedestal was programmed for organic download, activated by his touch like the fake statue in the basement of Mack Ventures. Likewise exuding monkshood in the same manner, the scent caused considerable pain to those who were sensitive to it. The sensory overload from the crowd didn’t make things better.
Each time the steel doors opened, fresh air rushed in and afforded him a little relief. Moving air and a visible exit relaxed him further. He wasn’t trapped with the walls closing in, a disintegrating floor, and the caving ceiling…stop. He forced his thoughts to redirect. This time York had seen the vision, except for the grand finale involving the fire-breathing monstrosity. Rhane really didn’t want to think about the possible implications of such symbolism.
He glanced up at the subway map. Only one more stop. He wasn’t usually so jumpy, but what happened in the tunnels was literally his worst nightmare come true. The fall left him disoriented under a hundred feet of water with no idea if there was a way out. He couldn’t see to find Kalista. Rocks hammered down from everywhere with lethal force. His lungs had burned, every instinct begging him to flee. But he couldn’t have left without her. Yes, she would have been fine as long as she was conscious. He knew that. But losing sight of her after the cave-in, Rhane had no way of knowing if Kalista was conscious. It was solely willpower that enabled him to remain submerged, find her, and reach the surface.
The doors opened, returning Rhane to present business. Zijin Cheng, the Forbidden City. It was the subway’s last stop. Home to many emperors throughout the ages, the city had been built to dazzle the senses and harmonize the earth with the heavens. Instead, it had become the object of conflict and war. The city was a prominent piece of Chinese history, and conversion into a public museum helped it finally achieve its original purpose.
Rhane wanted desperately to shove through the crowd and breathe outside air again, but waited politely as everyone else bustled through the doors. Then he calmly stepped off the train. At the red and gold Meridian Gate, he purchased a ticket. He’d seen the palace many times before, but the elaborate architecture of overhanging roofs and upturned eaves still impressed him. He absently counted stone gargoyles interposed along the path to the Imperial Gardens. He was nearing four hundred when he spotted the woman on the bridge.
Of mixed descent, she was surprisingly tall. Dark auburn hair framed her round, pale face. Honey-colored, almond shaped eyes stood out boldly against otherwise delicate features. As usual, her lips were painted red. Always up to date with modern trends, she wore a rather painful looking pair of sky-high heels in the same shade as her lipstick. The scent of cherry blossoms wafted from her skin.
“Cixi, always a pleasure,” he said without inflection.
Without looking up from the water, the woman smiled thinly. “And you’re ever the charming liar.”
He leaned against the bridge beside her, but faced the opposite direction. “Is that why you chose such a public place for this meeting?”
“One has to be careful to whom they lend trust.”
“You’ve trusted me in the past.”
She lifted her eyes, leveling a honey gaze on him. “I trust you, Whytetree. I just don’t trust the devil inside of you.”
“I only need information.”
“Let me guess. Now that you’ve found your pet, the powers that be won’t let you keep her.”
Rhane narrowed his eyes. “What do you know about it?”
“Knowledge isn’t free.” She slid a green and black fingernail along the railing. “What shall I get for helping you?”
Both time and his patience were running short, so Rhane wasn’t in the mood for Cixi’s usual coyness. “Somehow I keep finding excuses to let you live.” Grabbing her wrist, he squeezed with enough force to make her notice. “But don’t you ever forget my purpose with regards to your species. I haven’t.”
She tried to wrench her hand away and was successful only on the second attempt. Flecks of anger dotted her eyes. “Fair enough. Your contact, Tsai, brokered a deal with the Americans to smuggle The Siren’s Heart out of this country. And then he arranged another to bring it back.”
“The statue he sold to the Americans was only a replica.”
“So the true Heart remains with you?” Rhane shook his head. For the briefest of moments, her expression widened excitedly. Then the emotion was quickly smothered. “The true statue must have never left this continent,” she finished indifferently.
Rhane pretended not to notice Cixi’s blunder. “It would seem not.”
“There are whispers that the Fallen has been freed from his entombment…and the curse is lifted. He is free to mark a human symbiote.”
It was all Rhane needed to hear. He started to walk away but stopped, looking back at the woman carved of long and graceful lines. “Be careful, Cixi. Stay out of sight.”
“Why did you come here, Rhane? I suspect I’ve told you nothing you didn’t already know.”
“Maybe I wanted to see an old friend.” Rhane smiled and turned away, wondering why Cixi’s eyes had become so sad.
Chapter 46
The Hellespont Providence traveled through frigid Pacific waters, churning a trail of foam in its wake. The steel leviathan was headed for a ship yard in the United States, carrying 152 crewmen and several hundred tons of commercial cargo. Dozens of freight containers were below deck, stacked and ready to be unloaded. Hidden inside one of those containers was Gabriel, waiting patiently for the moment when his feet would touch the earth again. For hundreds of years, he had been imprisoned, fully conscious but trapped inside his own body—blind, deaf, and paralyzed. A living tomb.
In a bid for power, Gabriel had greatly miscalculated. His rebellion led to civil war, months of fighting, and casualties on a scale beyond what was acceptable. The bloodshed captured the attention of a race whose existence was once only a myth. Balance, they whispered. Balance must be restored.
Those voices of detached arrogance floated in Gabriel’s head even as all feeling left his body. Blight will return.
Hatred seethed in Gabriel’s mind as he remembered how numbness crawled into his body. Staring in his feet and legs, creeping upward until there was nothing.
Unmatched, it will bring death to us all.
For centuries, he knew only darkness and thoughts of revenge. The desire consumed him. To defeat ones so mighty, he needed power that rivaled even his. He needed the siren.
Gabriel’s skin rippled and convulsed, pulse racing as his two hearts beat faster. His hot breath steamed in the chilly darkness of the shipping container. He could still smell her scent on the desert wind.
#
A black shadow breezed past as Bailen whisked through the front door just before Kali closed it. She’d had only one condition when Rhane practically demanded that she take the dog home: Bailen had to have a bath. The r
equest caught Rhane off guard. But he had agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. The couple of hours that followed explained his lack of enthusiasm.
As soon as Bailen heard the word bath, the dog took evasive action. Rhane chased Bailen all over the manor before catching him. Hauling the dog to one of the downstairs bathrooms, he locked himself and it inside. What sounded like World War III came next. There was growling from both parties, some yelping, and several crashes. Rhane and Bailen finally emerged, soaking wet. Suds dripped from Rhane’s hair as he glared at Bailen with open hostility. Bailen wagged his tail, looking smug. That superior air vanished when Rhane forced the dog to ride in the bed of the pickup all the way from Hunter’s Valley to the Metts’ residence.
But actually having Bailen at her house was a smooth transition. Lisa was away trying a case, and Greg wouldn’t be home for another day or two. The hard part would come when he arrived, and Kali had to explain the presence of the new family pet. It would be especially difficult since Greg was allergic.
Honestly, Kali was grateful for the dog’s company. For the past two days, Rhane had been tense and distracted whenever he came around, which wasn’t happening often. He kept saying he was trying to figure things out. But it was a lame excuse. A guy only said that when he was deciding whether or not to break up with his girlfriend, and since Rhane and Kali weren’t actually dating, she didn’t know what his real problem was. Kali repeatedly tried to talk about the desert. But Rhane completely shut down whenever she approached the subject. If she wanted answers, she would have to find them elsewhere.
She watched Bailen dart from the kitchen to the living room wagging his tail playfully, but Kali wasn’t fooled. The dog was carrying out his bodyguard assignment, checking the house for danger. When she headed for her room, there came a clatter and scrape of several chairs being knocked aside as Bailen dashed to reach the stairs ahead of her. He bounded up to the second level, stopping on the landing to throw back his head and sniff the air. The dog took off to the left. A moment later, he streaked past to right. Then Bailen reappeared and seemed ready to stand still. Sticking his massive head between the railings, he looked down at Kali impatiently.
“Satisfied?” she asked.
He responded with a huff of approval.
Kali looked at him and couldn’t help wondering if he was really a dog. If she hadn’t already seen Warren and Bailen together in the same room, she would have had a hard time believing the two weren’t one in the same.
Now that she had Bailen’s permission, Kali climbed the stairs. The third step groaned in its usual manner. At the top, she scratched him behind his ears. He really liked that and nudged her hand appreciatively with a cold nose.
“Rozzy, I’m home!” she called. When no one answered, Kali looked at Bailen. “Was anybody home, boy?”
Bailen wagged his tail. At the same time, a loud hiss came from behind him. His honey-colored eyes danced with mischief as one ear flicked in the direction of the noise. Kali peered past the dog’s gigantic form and spotted Moses. Back arched and fur sticking out in a frazzled fluff, the cat’s eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits. Her miniature but sharp teeth glittered through a partially opened mouth. Flicking her tail stiffly, Moses hissed again.
“Moses? What’s wrong, girl?” Rozzy’s worried head peeked around the corner. Then her face relaxed. “Oh. It’s only my sister and the return of Godzilla. How was school?”
Kali shrugged. “It was high school. You remember how that was. And his name is Bailen.”
Rozzy scooped the cat up and held it protectively against her bosom. “Yeah, well whoever named him dropped the ball.” Under Rozzy’s calming strokes, the cat was soothed, though, it still glared at Kali. “I can’t wait to watch Mom and Dad freak when they see him.”
“I can.”
“So, when am I going to meet this new guy of yours? Unless your taste has drastically changed, I’m gonna climb out on a limb and guess he’s a hottie.”
“Since Greg has forbidden him to come near this house again, probably never.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Her eyes slid toward the direction of Kali’s room. “So…is it really the end of Cal and Kali, then?”
She frowned. “Why would you bring Cal up?”
“Don’t be mad.” Rozzy backed away.
Kali’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“I’m sorry, but he was so sad standing there. I said you weren’t home, but then he just sat on the porch looking very pitiful and hot.”
“Rozzy!”
“I’m sorry! Go and talk to him.”
Kali couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “He’s still here?”
Rozzy blinked innocently. “I said that, didn’t I?” She darted into her room and closed the door. “He’s in your room,” she called.
“I do not believe this.” Kali pushed her room door open. The last person on earth she wanted to see was sitting on her bed. Cal looked up as she entered. His expression held an apology, but she didn’t give him time to utter it. “I thought avoiding you in school was a clear sign that I didn’t want to speak to you.” She turned her glare to Bailen. “You’re fired.” The dog stretched his muzzle in a toothy yawn, ending with a little whine. Then he sank to his haunches.
“Kali, I want to talk.”
“Then go call your shrink,” she spat. “You kept the number, right?”
“I’m sorry for avoiding you at school.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about that bit. The avoidance was mutual.”
“Give me a break. I’m trying to apologize.”
“Apology accepted. Now feel free to go.”
To her dismay, he shook his head. “I don’t want things to be over between us.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that while you were leaving bruises on my face.”
Cal looked genuinely horrified. “I never should have done that.” He squeezed his eyes shut, opened them and stared at his hands. “I know what it feels like…I’m sorry, Kal.”
She folded her arms, trying not to let her resolve soften. She had known all along that Cal was damaged. The idea of fixing him had been a part of the twisted attraction. But she was so over it. Kali needed to figure out what it would take to get him out of her house. She looked down at Bailen, wondering if he came with some kind of attack command. The dog studied her, beating his tail hesitantly against the floor. She sighed. “Cal, it’s okay. But you have to get this through your thick skull—we are over. And I have a ton of homework to catch up on, so would you please leave?”
“Don’t push me away.”
“I don’t have to. You did enough pushing for the both of us.”
He blew out a frustrated breath and stood up. “Are you seeing someone else?”
“That’s none of your business.”
The nice guy act began to buckle. Cal strode toward her, blue eyes flashing above a clenched jaw. Kali backed away. When her ex reached out, Bailen exploded into action, jumping between them in a giant blur of snarling fury. Cal stumbled backward, raising his arms defensively as the dog shoved two enormous paws against his chest. Dropping to all fours, Bailen stood in front of Kali. A warning growl rumbled deep in his throat.
Realizing the mauling wasn’t going any further, Cal lowered his arms. “Geez! Do you have a permit for that thing?”
Keeping both eyes on her ex, Kali addressed the dog. “I want you to give this guy thirty seconds to remove himself from my house. If he’s not gone by then,” she paused to lend the threat more weight, “I want you to eat that pretty face of his off.” Bailen bared his teeth and licked his chops like a true sport.
Cal held up his hands. “Take it easy. I’m leaving.” He started to step forward but then hesitated. “Is Cujo going to let me pass or should I jump out the window now?”
“I don’t mind if you use the door.” She glanced at Bailen. “But I can’t make any promises for him.”
“Okay. Right.” He slid past the dog, carefu
l not to make any sudden moves.
Kali didn’t relax until she heard the front door slam. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching down to pet Bailen’s soft ears. She tossed her messenger bag on the bed and sank into the soft mattress. The spot radiated with Cal’s warmth. Groaning, Kali threw herself onto her back and promised to start homework as soon as her thoughts settled. But she wouldn’t get the chance. Rozzy poked her head in only a few seconds later.
“Ready for your next surprise?”
Chapter 47
Kali sighed, rolling onto her side to face Rozzy. “I don’t think I can handle any more of your surprises right now.”
“Come downstairs,” Rozzy said and ducked from the room.
Kali shrugged. Homework could wait. She found Rozzy in the kitchen putting plates on the table. The delicious aroma of chocolate, caramel, and nuts prevented her from immediately noticing there were four place settings instead of two.
“I got around to baking that disaster cake I promised you.”
Her mouth watering, Kali staggered to the table like a drunken zombie. Bailen followed eagerly, no doubt hoping to taste the human food that smelled so wonderful. It seemed to take Rozzy forever to serve the cake. She slid a plate across the table to Kali, kept one for self, and put the third on the floor in front of Bailen.
“Are you crazy?” Kali protested around the spoonful shoved into her mouth. “Chocolate is like poison to dogs!”
Rozzy laughed and patted Bailen’s head. “I think you’d need a silver bullet to kill this guy.” It was a good thing Moses wasn’t around to witness that little act of betrayal.
Bailen watched Kali with two huge drops of dark honey. He looked at the cake and back at her again.
“Fine, suit yourself.” She could have sworn the dog smiled before digging in. Kali stared at the last plate of dessert on the counter. “Who is that for?”
“Well, you know how mom and dad are always riding me to figure out what I want to do with my life? I think I’ve got it figured out.”
Kali wasn’t sure if she liked where the conversation was going. “That’s great, Roz!” She plastered a smile onto her face. “But what does this have to do with a plate?”