by Eden Ashley
“Can’t you give her memories back? Let her return to me.”
“Kill Gabriel, become our champion, and we will return your Kalista to just as she was.” Wes closed his eyes and reopened them quickly. “I can do this for you.” He pressed a smooth red stone into Rhane’s hand. “This is a fragment. An imprint of Kalista’s memory from that day… the day she was taken. Let the girl touch it, and she will remember.”
“That could destroy her.”
“It could. But it may also empower her.” Wesley glanced out the window into the fading light. “Trust me. You should go to her now. Go.”
With one final dark look, Rhane turned and left the office. Wes sagged against the desk, stiffly releasing his fingers from the wood. Fear. Love. Trust. He had experienced them all in such quick succession. Human emotion was truly exhilarating.
Chapter 49
The sun sank to the horizon, dragging with it the last of daylight. Now it was dark. Kali was alone. And she couldn’t find Rhane’s dog.
One hour earlier, she had considered making the drive to the state park and run in more challenging terrain. The view was beautiful up there. This time of year, streambeds often overflowed onto hiking paths, offering a refreshing cool-down for any runner that splashed through. But the state park would have been empty so close to sunset. And after nearly becoming monster chow the last time she was alone, isolation of any kind was not desirable. So, Kali chose the responsible, and theoretically safer, route. She took Bailen and went to the community park only ten minutes away.
When the car door opened, the dog jumped out to explore before Kali’s sneakers touched the black top. After being cooped up in the house, Bailen was all energy. Thousands of new scents captured his attention all at once, and he seemed determined to pursue them all. He was almost an indiscernible blur darting about, head low, tail high, and nose to the wind. Kali couldn’t help smiling at his antics.
She laced her cross trainers tighter and pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail. Hitting play on the mp3 player, she was ready to go. The mid-tempo songs helped her settle into an easy run. It had been over a week since her last. Underwater and on the trails was where everything made sense. She emptied her mind and savored the feeling. By the sixth song, it was dark, and Kali couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Bailen. She hoped he hadn’t wandered too far. Combing through the woods to search for a lost dog was the last thing she wanted to do.
She called to Bailen and circled back toward the parking lot, at a slow jog. One of many signs marking the trail confirmed she had run much further than usual in a thirty minute time span. Kali began to feel anxious. Somehow she had reached the most distant end of an eight mile track that looped back on its self. Even at an all-out run, it wasn’t possible to reach the car before dark.
Left of the path, a whisper came from the woods. Kali’s steps faltered. Knowing it wasn’t Bailen, she called to the dog anyway and picked up speed. She heard the noise again. It was like a low whistle, the sound of wind blowing over cut reeds. The blood in her veins chilled. Kali ran.
It was those things from the desert. Somehow they followed me. The whistles became more urgent, closer together and closer to her. The night erupted as fierce hisses and moans tore through the air. A huge mass of shadows crashed through the low brush and trees. Then an incongruous popping sounded in rapid succession, loud enough to surpass the fracas. It was enough to set her limbs afire.
With speed and agility that had never before infused her body on land, she raced away, willing her legs and feet to fly. As the car came into sight, the edges of her brain flashed a warning. Something about the scene was off. Kali ignored it. She had to escape.
Her tennis shoes smacked across the parking lot with the speed of a professional track star. Reaching the car, her heart sank like a stone in fresh water. All four tires were shredded. Mauled by wild animals. Mangled rubber was everywhere. Ignoring the screams of protest from her burning muscles, she continued on foot. Outside of the park, the whistles and whispers were gone. But Kali kept running. In her mind, she was in the desert again.
An engine roared from behind, breaking into the haze of panic. Kali thought of the pervert at the theater. Her pace doubled. She left the sidewalk, cut through bushes and shrubbery, and crossed to the other side of the street. Legs, chest, and throat on fire, her eyes searched desperately for another human on the deserted street. But every house she passed was a silent, dark disappointment.
She gasped as the inevitable fall came. She stumbled, landing hard on her hands and knees. A dark pickup roared past and braked hard. The vehicle slung into a one-eighty turn as Kali struggled to her feet. Bright lights bore down on her, a small, frightened doe not quite ready to meet its maker. About six inches from where she stood, the truck slid to a stop angled parallel to her body. The passenger door swung open. “Get in,” the driver said tersely.
She recognized the voice but for some reason could not make herself move again. She felt light headed. Vomit pressed at the back of her throat. The ground swayed. The driver swore. Huge arms encircled her waist, lifting her inside effortlessly. The truck slammed into motion again, racing down the street with no regard for pedestrians or the posted speed limit.
York stared at her, his enormous mass filling the space inside the cab. Somehow he managed to be that muscled and not look like a freak. As usual, his face was friendly. Tonight, it was also edged with worry. “I said, are you alright?”
Kali had never been so glad to see another person in her life. She opened her mouth to thank him, but his cell rang. Between the phone call and the speedometer edging toward triple digits, she decided not to divide his attention further. York spoke quietly. Once or twice he glanced in her direction.
“Yeah, I got her. She’s fine.” He paused, listening. Then his voice was harder. “I can be there in ten.” The caller on the other end spoke louder and faster. From the way York set his jaw, he didn’t seem to entirely agree with what he heard. “I’ll take care of it.” He hung up and turned to Kali with a wide grin. “Looks like it’s you and me, kiddo. Hungry?”
Chapter 50
Rhane arrived just as the Reapers executed the well-planned attack, a group of three herding Kalista to a bigger pack waiting in the forest. Catching their scent, Bailen ran off in pursuit, leaving Rhane to eliminate the remaining creatures. Two dead Reapers lay at his feet. The third was much larger and still alive, dragging useless rear legs behind as it headed toward the tree line. Rhane tried to calm his anger with little success. He couldn’t help thinking of how differently things could have turned out if the Builder hadn’t warned him Kalista was in danger.
Reapers smelled bad and were worse to look at. Instead of fur, knotted and leathered skin covered their bodies. Walking up to the injured creature, Rhane wrapped his hand around the hunting knife buried hilt deep into its spine and yanked. Coming out, the serrated edges did more damage than they had going in. Bellowing in pain, the Reaper whirled, snapping at Rhane with large, protruding jaws. Eyes dimming in defeat, it collapsed, no longer able to hold its weight. The fight was done. Rhane aimed the semi-automatic and methodically pulled the trigger. Three bullets later, the Reaper was dead. Too bad its smell didn’t die with it.
After dragging the three corpses into the cover of nearby trees, he put his back to the wind and whistled. The low and mournful sound drifted through the forest, traveling for miles, unheard by human ears. When the last echo faded, Rhane waited. There was no rallying answer. He whistled again and frowned at the silence.
Rhane plunged into the dense woods, watching, listening, and smelling for any sign of Bailen. Two miles from where he started, the scent of blood and smoldering flesh brought him to an abrupt halt. Swearing softly, he forged ahead.
The battle had been brutal. The aftermath hit Rhane like a punch in the gut. He had miscalculated. Way more Reapers than he’d projected were involved in the attack. And Bai
len…Bailen was drawn right into an ambush.
It looked as if Gabriel’s minions had gotten the worst of it. Everything in the clearing was dead. But two sets of tracks fled higher into the hills. Rhane wanted to follow them. Maybe the trail would have led him straight to Gabriel. But seeing Bailen lying so motionless in the dirt stopped him cold. The young Warekin was a torn and bloody mess. Shadows of a large outcropping mostly hid his smallish form. Rhane went toward him with a heavy heart and wooden legs, grasping the ledge for support. His fingers came away covered in black dust.
Rhane knelt beside the canine. Bailen didn’t move.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, and the words nearly choked him. He reached to Bailen’s fur, matted with drying blood. Rhane sat back hard, dropping his head. The weight was too heavy to bear. He exhaled until no air was left in his lungs. Then he was still for a long time, sharing silence with the dead.
Sometime later, he felt something touch his knee, seeping warmth through the denim of his jeans. Rhane lifted his head. Bailen…it was his nose pressed against him. The canine glared at him with mock anger. Laughing in relief, he pulled Bailen close. The canine whimpered. Rhane muttered a curse and loosened his hold. He scooped Bailen up as gently as possible, looking around as they left the clearing. “You’re going to have to tell me about this later.”
Then he started down the trail, grateful his burden was alive.
Chapter 51
Returning to normal took a while. The average person didn’t encounter in an entire lifetime the sorts of things Kali had dealt with in ten days. Her brain had managed the series of bizarre experiences in the only way it knew how—putting them off to be handled later. She would examine recent events when the time was right. And then she would probably scream until her throat bled.
York turned the pickup into a parking lot Kali recognized immediately. The faded sign of The Fat Italian hung as crookedly as always. Incredulous, she stared at York. “Pizza?”
He shrugged. “What? It’s your favorite spot, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“You’ll feel better if you eat something.”
“I’ll feel better when someone tells me what the hell is going on.”
York jerked his head toward the diner. “Get inside and let me feed you. Then we can talk.”
Kali obediently climbed out of the truck but hesitated at the threshold. When he gently nudged her forward, she relented. The waitress slid an appraising look in their direction as they entered and led them to a table near the middle of the restaurant. When York shook his head and asked for something more private, the young woman seemed doubtful. So close to closing, the back area was typically unavailable for seating. But York flashed a smile that transformed the terrifying giant into a huggable teddy bear, and the waitress became putty in his hands. Smiling goofily, she ushered them away from the crowd like it was the best idea she’d heard all day.
They ordered. York forgave Kali for choosing the garden pizza but drew the line at extra olives. After the waitress left to put in their order, he leaned away from the table, dropping one thickly muscled arm behind the booth. “This is how this is going to work. I can’t tell you anything directly. That’s not modus operandi. But if you’ve already kinda figured something out on your own and just need confirmation, I can be of assistance.”
“Why would you do that for me?”
He folded his arms and answered in a slightly patronizing tone, “Because you clearly don’t have a clue about what we’re dealing with. And that’s dangerous.”
“Tell me who Rhane is.”
York rolled his eyes. “Do I have to repeat the rules?”
“Sorry.” Kali held up her hands. “This is my first time playing. Give me a sec.” She thought of another way to get what she wanted. “From the first night I met him, Rhane never felt like a stranger to me. It’s almost like I’ve known him before. Is that possible?”
“Yes.”
“I’d met him before last Friday?”
York nodded. “Most definitely,” he said.
“Why don’t I remember him? He knows so much about me.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Can you explain why he’s been in my dreams lately…like every night?”
“First, I need more info.” Eyes full of nothing except mischief, the look that came across York’s face plainly revealed where his mind had gone. “What are you wearing in these dreams? And does it stay on?”
“Oh my god!” Kali laughed in spite of her mood. “They aren’t those kinds of dreams. But we are in crazy costumes. Rhane is wearing armor and riding a huge, black horse. And a monster is chasing me. It makes noises similar to the things that were after me tonight. ”
York drummed his fingers against the table. “So, what’s the question?”
“What do the dreams mean?”
“I can’t answer that.”
“Come on,” she urged him. “It was a fair question. I’m following your rules.”
“I honestly can’t say, Kali. I wasn’t there.”
“Huh?”
York blinked slowly. “Next question.”
“The things that came after me in the park had to be like the ones from the desert. They clearly weren’t human.”
“Clearly.”
“But they weren’t wolves or like anything I’ve ever seen on Animal Planet…or National Geographic for that matter.” She paused, choosing the right way to phrase her question. “Since I’m already pretty sure they’re something supernatural, can’t you tell me what they are?”
“Once upon a time they were honorable men. But now they are twisted, horrible freaks that mindlessly do the bidding of their leader, Gabriel. We call them Reapers because they lack human forms and their goal is to harvest willing souls in order to change back to men.”
“Why haven’t they?”
“Remember when Rhane gave you that tidbit about the monster in your dreams?”
Kali nodded.
“Well because Reapers helped stage his little coup, they too were punished. And so they became what they are now, forced to live as animals.”
“Do they want to kill me?”
He laughed. “No. Just us.”
She jumped up from the table. “I left Bailen out there. I couldn’t find him!”
York held out his arm, barring her from leaving the booth. “Please. Sit down, and keep it down.” He looked around the room.
Kali was embarrassed for the outburst, but didn’t sit. “I have to find Bailen.”
“The little guy will be fine. He wouldn’t be with us if he couldn’t take care of himself.”
He sounded so sure. Kali wanted to believe him. Flopping back into the booth, she tried not to worry.
York narrowed his eyes. “What were you going to do if I hadn’t stopped you?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Go find him? What if he’s hurt?”
“Well, that won’t be necessary. Rhane is looking for him.”
Kali’s worry returned, exploding full force. “If you’re with me, who’s helping Rhane? Is Warren with him?” She was ready to spring from her seat again. “York, tell me he’s not alone out there.”
“Okay. Wow. That didn’t help.” He pinched his brow. “Kali, you need to relax. Back in the desert, Rhane single-handedly eliminated at least a dozen of those things. That’s a testimony to his remarkable sense of self-preservation. He’s fine. I promise.”
In her gut, she felt the truth of what he said and settled down. York also relaxed, exhaling to make that relief obvious. “I thought I was going to have to stop you.” He looked up as the waitress returned with their drinks. “Perfect timing,” he said, turning on the charm again.
The cold soda only touched the edges of Kali’s thirst. She sipped the beverage thoughtfully. A lot of questions had been answered, but there were many more. Shannon had said Mack sold Kali to save everyone else. What did that mean? Maybe Shannon would
tell her…I could visit the hospital.
“Bad idea.” York’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
The straw dropped from her lips. “Huh?”
“Don’t worry. I can’t read your mind or anything. I saw your eyes light up with what had to be a bad idea.”
“Not knowing is really starting to get to me.”
“He’s doing it because he cares about you. He wants you to feel safe, Kali. There is more. Lots more. But you knowing certain things right now won’t help you or any of us. Things need to go on normally for as long as possible. If you lose control again, it would be bad, very bad.”
“I’ve lost control before?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.” The way he said it wasn’t really accusing. And understanding had modulated his words.
She nodded slowly.
“Right now, we need you to stop doing stupid things like going for a run in the woods… at night…and alone.” He ticked off each offense on three large fingers as he said them. “We’re not going to let any of those animals touch you but, for the love of beads, you sure ain’t making the job easy.”
He was right. Kali slumped in her seat. Going to the park had been pretty dumb. Rhane or York or Bailen could have gotten hurt. And it would have been totally my fault.
“Mind if I give you a piece of advice?”
“Sure.” Nothing he said could have possibly made her feel any more rotten.
“Don’t ever take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same night.”
While she didn’t laugh, the absurd counsel distracted her from feeling so horrible. “That’s disgusting.”
York slid his soda across the table, pushing aside the empty glass in front of her. “The pizza should be here soon.” He drummed his fingers next to the empty dinner plate waiting to receive his food. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” Kali perked up. “Is Warren a werewolf?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“But I’m pretty sure I saw him turn into a wolf.”
York’s face turned dead serious. “Okay, you caught us. War is the Wolfman. Rhane is Dracula. And I’m really the Easter Bunny.”