by K. G. Reuss
“Shit. Me too.” Damien paled at the thought.
“Well, brothers, guess we’re about to find out, huh?”
“That makes me not want to do this even more,” Damien grumbled, pulling open the driver’s side door and calling out to Ever as he got inside. “Torres, I swear I better not see ghosts when we get there or I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Doubt it,” Ever replied. “You’ll be too scared to move.”
I smiled at her sarcasm as Damien shook his head, worry still evident on his face. It was no secret we hated haunts.
But now, we might hate them even more.
Thirty-One
Everly
Raiden went over more about the plans for the evening. I only half listened to him, my mind on my own issues—mainly on how I was going to deal with a bunch of damn ghosts. Aside from being faster and my psychic abilities taking off a bit more, I hadn’t really noticed a lot of changes in my skills. Not that I’d tried. The last thing I felt like doing was being more of a freak.
“Are you nervous?” Mason asked from beside me. He’d joined me in the rear seat, so it was just the two of us.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
Mason nodded. “I am too. The last mission I went on was rough. I’ve never killed anything before.” He grimaced and stared down at his hands.
“That sucks,” I said softly. “I haven’t killed many things either. They’re typically already dead or trying to kill me.”
Mason glanced over at me and gave me a small smile. “Well, I think we have a good group. They look out for one another.”
I nodded and peeked at Raiden. He’d been watching us. His gaze trailed over me quickly before he turned back around in the front passenger seat and addressed Eric who was driving.
“Especially Raiden,” Mason continued softly as everyone else talked about the haunt and teased Damien about his ghost fear. “He seems to really care about you.”
“He does,” I murmured.
“If you don’t mind me asking, do you think you’ll ever forgive him?”
“I already have. I’m just not in a place to do anything more about it.”
Mason nodded and glanced to Raiden who appeared to be stiff in his seat.
“Besides,” I continued, not knowing why I was confiding in Mason. It wasn’t like we were close. “I did something stupid that I’m not sure he can forgive.”
“Blackburn.”
“Yeah.” I sighed and shifted in my seat.
Mason looked to Raiden then back to me. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s forgiven you too. Maybe it’s time to make peace and let the past go. All we have left is now with a hope for a better future.”
I gave him a small smile. “You’re right. But what if our futures are complete shit? What if we were only meant to be together to tear everything apart?”
“Well, then I’d say give it hell. If you’re going to crash and burn, make the ride worth it.”
“You’re right.” I settled deeper into my seat before glancing at him. “So what’s your superpower aside from shifting?”
“Math.” He laughed. “Or at least that’s what Damien says.”
“Well, I have noticed I’ve been getting better at calculus,” I said with a chuckle.
He grinned at me and relaxed a little.
I moved to rest my head on the cool window, thinking about home. I needed to call my mom. And I wanted to see Nina. The holidays were coming. So much had already happened during my time away from home. To go back and feel normal for a moment might be just what I needed. If that were even possible now.
I tuned everyone out as we rode to the haunt. I had so much shit on my mind I wasn’t even sure how I’d manage to get through the night. Wanting to be there would never top my list of things to do, but there I was anyway. But I was still wishing I could be anywhere or anyone else.
I closed my eyes and breathed out.
“Are you OK?” Raiden’s voice cut into my thoughts.
I cracked an eyelid open and peeked at him, but he had his back to me.
“I’m fine.”
“Liar.”
“Are you OK?” I countered.
“No.”
Neither of us said anything for a moment. Finally, he spoke again, “Do you have plans to go home for the holidays?”
“Can I?” The idea of leaving Dementon seemed foreign to me. I figured I couldn’t with the dead after me. I’d been fortunate the last few times I’d left campus. But scurrying off alone seemed like a bad idea.
“Of course you can. You get some time off for Christmas.”
“I doubt I’ll leave. I have too much shit after me.”
“I’ll go with you,” he said, his voice soft in my mind.
I shifted in my seat. “What? Why?”
“You have a family, Everly. I know you miss them. If you’re worried about your safety, I’ll go with you if you ask me to.”
“I’ll, um, keep that in mind.”
“Good. I wanted you to know before we went in to fight tonight. Maybe it would give you some hope.”
“Thank you… Shadow. I’ll think about it.”
“You’re welcome.”
He broke off our connection as Eric pulled the SUV down a dark, narrow trail.
“Why do these Special towns always have to be in creepy ass places,” Sloane muttered as we bounced along the tight road.
“Kill the engine,” Raiden instructed as we neared the edge of town.
Eric pulled off the road and cut the engine. The sun was just starting to set. Raiden turned in his seat to face us all as my heart thudded unevenly in my throat.
“All in. All out. Stick together. You know the rules. If I go down, leave.”
“That didn’t work so well last time,” Sloane called out, giving me a pointed look.
“Don’t worry. She’s mad at Shadow. She’ll leave his ass this time.” Damien winked at me.
I looked to Raiden to find his eyes on me. I nodded at him. “Same goes for me.”
“What? We aren’t going to leave you—” Eric started.
“Ever is right. I can bring her back. If she falls, let her.” Raiden gave me a look which did nothing to reassure me. “We won’t leave her behind, but we need to take care of ourselves. Everyone ready?”
“No,” Damien muttered but nodded anyway.
Raiden accepted it and pushed his door open. He stepped into the night in his all-black hunting attire, weapons strapped all over his body.
We tumbled out behind him. At least Eric hadn’t parked far away. He’d hidden the SUV along the dark tree line. We’d be able to make it back to the vehicle with minimal effort as long as things didn’t turn out bad.
“Stick to the shadows,” Raiden’s deep voice sounded out in my head.
Or everyone’s head I assumed since everybody shimmered into shadow form as they stalked forward. I did the same without effort. It was like sliding into my favorite jeans. Like I’d done it a million times. The only thing I disliked about the shadow melding was how cold it was.
The town was desolate when we stepped through the archway that read Welcome to Helvitica.
Change that to Hell, and it’d be about right.
“Sweep the perimeter. Sloane, Damien, Eric, Mason, Jared, start checking houses. Be careful. Ever, come with me,” Raiden’s deep voice called out in my mind.
His dark form moved next to me as everyone split up.
Speaking using telepathy was weird. I was getting used to it though. I simply had to focus on who I wanted to talk to and do it. The magic of being part of Conexus would never stop surprising me.
“Weapons out,” Raiden said in my head.
I pulled my sais out and crept behind him as we moved through the darkened streets. He held his sword in his hand.
“Should I call you Shadow now?” I asked.
“Up to you,” he answered. “It’s what everyone has always called me.”
“Is it because you do
this shadow melding thing?”
“Yes. One of my gifts I bestowed on the members.”
He craned his neck around the corner of a building and looked back at me with his red eyes. “Two rotwraiths. I don’t see anything else.”
“We taking them out?” I tightened my grip on my weapons.
He nodded. “I’ll take the one on the left. You grab the one on the right. Be fast—”
I stepped around him before he could finish his instructions and shot blue flame from my hands, engulfing both creatures and turning them to bits of ash before they could even squeal.
“Or we could do that,” he grunted.
“I really just want to go home.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “As do I. What do you say we find out what we’re made of?”
“Like running in guns blazing?”
“I was thinking more like we fire up the night. I also want to get home.”
“Big date?” I teased, hoping he’d say no.
“Hardly. There are about a dozen other things I’d rather be doing than this.”
“Really? Name one.”
He adjusted his hand on his sword. “Like sleep. I’m tired.”
I nodded. I’d buy that. He was always gone or working in his office.
“Fine. Let’s do this.” I shifted to walk past him, but he reached out and caught my arm.
“Me and you, Everly. We’re a team, OK? Don’t forget about me.”
I reached out and brushed my fingers along his jaw, not even knowing what drove the action. “I could never forget about you, Shadow.”
His red eyes wavered for a moment before he gave me a quick nod. “Let’s do this, Miss Torres.”
“After you, General Hawthorne.”
Thirty-Two
Raiden
We burst through the first building and tore through the handful of rotwraiths inside without batting an eyelash. Ever was fast and efficient. I hated to give credit to Blackburn, but I could tell she didn’t learn all of her moves from me or Eric.
We’d managed to clear out three buildings before we met up with Damien and Sloane.
“Nothing, Shadow. There’s nothing here. It’s a ghost town.” Sloane let out a sigh.
“No pun intended,” Damien muttered.
“We haven’t seen anyone either,” Ever said, surveying the area.
Something about seeing her slender frame in shadow form did something to me. A gift I’d given her that made her stand out.
“Most evacuated when the attacks started. Aside from some rotwraiths, I’m not noticing much either.” We spoke openly now.
“We’ve got a few bodies on the east side of the town,” Eric’s voice cut into my mind. “Four. Just as reported, but something is wrong. These. . . are old.”
“Old?”
“Yeah, like decaying old. Not fresh. Something isn’t right. The smell. . . If I had to guess, I’d say this is a trap. This place was abandoned days ago.”
“Keep your guard up. Meet us in the center of town,” I sent the message to all members and looked to Ever. “Something isn’t right. Can you link into your psy abilities to see if you can see anything?”
She shimmered and came into her true form. “I-I haven’t really gotten good at that yet. It comes and goes.”
“Will you try? Please. I’ll try to connect with you. Maybe combined we can get it figured out.”
She nodded tightly.
I turned to Damien and Sloane. “Keep a look out while we’re doing this.”
“Got you, man.” Damien spun, weapons out, his red eyes scanning the area. Sloane was on our other side, doing the same. She cast a quick protection charm around us.
I held my hands out to Ever. She hesitated for a moment before placing hers in mine. I tugged her close, twining my fingers through hers. We were so close, our noses nearly touched.
“What do I do?” she whispered.
“Close your eyes.”
She did as I told her, her dark lashes fanning across her cheeks. I stared down at her for a moment before closing the remaining distance between our bodies, molding her to me. Her warmth curled into me, her scent taking over my senses.
She trembled in my arms, whether from fear, the cold, or something else entirely, I wasn’t sure. In our world, to combine powers, connection was key. With her in my arms, there was no higher connection between the two of us. I rested my forehead against hers, feeling her chest rise and fall against me.
“Concentrate,” I whispered. “Will it. Focus on it. The secrets are yours to command. Take them. Weave the shadows. I give them to you. See, Everly.”
The pull from her drawing from me sent a delicious current through my body, making my breath tremble on my lips. The air around us grew colder. Her hands shook in mine. Our breath came out in tiny, white puffs.
I held her tightly as the world blurred and faded, following her into a vision.
It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t a normal vision. We weren’t within our bodies. It was an out of body experience, free from the flesh our souls were bound to. In this ability, we could walk between, through, within. It was utterly fascinating and terrifying.
We stood in the center of town just as we had been. The world was quiet.
“Everly?” I called out in her mind as she pulled away from me.
Her eyes were brighter, greener as she turned and surveyed where we were.
“Ever?” I tried again, but she walked forward, her boots crunching on the gravel.
“We are not alone,” she murmured, scanning the area.
I stepped up beside her, following her eyes as they took in our surroundings. All sorts of creatures lurked around corners and through windows.
“They hide,” she murmured. “They fear. . . you.”
“As they should,” I growled, taking her hand in mine.
She shook me off and stepped toward a dark alley. I watched as she reached her hand out, my pulse racing, as a ghost shimmered in a light blue glow in front of her.
A male. Young. Maybe twenty. His dark hair brushed against his shoulders, his clothes from a century prior.
Her lips parted.
“Everly, no…” She didn’t listen. She never did. I shot forward, but it was too late. Her connection with the spirit was immediate, freezing me where I stood. I watched, terrified, as she communed with the dead.
It was over nearly as fast as it started. I lurched forward as I thawed, the ghost shimmering out of existence as the rest of the dead peered out at us.
“The other creatures, the rotwraiths and rakes and others… they’re commanded by another. The dead, they want freedom. T-They are not free. The Cipher commander has promised freedom to the creatures and beasts, but the dead? T-They’re the power source to open the doorway to pull the monsters from the Veil out.” Her breath puffed out in a white ball as she turned to face me.
I looked around us, noting the dead trying to hide when my gaze landed on them.
“How did they get out of the Veil?” I asked, nodding to the dead and moving to stand beside her once again. “How are they here?”
She shook her head. “I-I don’t think they ever left here. They’ve been. . . waiting. The ones who have left, many wish to return. I-I’m the key.”
“I’m the lock,” I murmured.
She nodded. “I-I don’t think all the dead are bad. They’re angry. Confused. They’ve been promised something which may not work in their favor. But all that lives, or has lived, wishes to flourish. But you. . .” Her green eyes trailed up to my face. “You trap them. You capture them and send them away. If…if I make the wrong choice, they’ll never be free from their wanderings, here or in the Veil. They’re meant to leave this place, but the gateway between worlds seems to be cut off for them. They’re trapped in their own personal hells.”
I ground my teeth. The news was not good news. But it was worth knowing, even if confusing.
“They need a leader,” she murmured, looking around u
s. “They need a queen to set them free. Or command them.”
“Everly,” I growled, reaching for her hand and giving her a tug.
“Rakes,” she murmured. “Three of them. Eric.” His name shook on her lips.
“We need to leave. Now.” I faced her again and took her hand, our fingers twined together, my forehead resting against hers. “Wake up, Everly. Take us back.”
A rumble sounded in the distance.
“Eric,” she whimpered again.
“Everly, focus. We need to save him. Wake up. Take us back.”
She nodded her head and squeezed her eyes closed. The world around us shimmered and sparkled before fading away.
I caught her as she fell against me, both of us breathing hard.
“What the hell was that?” Damien called out, glancing over his shoulder at us.
I ignored him and reached out in my mind for Eric.
“Where are you?” I shouted mentally.
“On the way. About six blocks to the west. Something’s coming. The air is charged.”
“Rakes. Run. We’ll meet you.”
I broke off the connection to him before shoving an order out to everyone else that we needed to get to Eric and Mason.
“Fly,” I shouted to Damien.
He didn’t question me. He simply burst into a massive eagle, his wings making a loud whoosh as he cut through the darkening sky.
“Go,” Sloane shouted at me as we ran. “I’ve got Ever.”
I looked over at Ever as we sprinted. She caught my eye, fear dancing in hers. I didn’t know what she saw, but I knew it wasn’t anything good.
“Save him,” she choked out.
And with those words, I burst into black cloud of bats and took off into the night.
Thirty-Three
Everly
Seeing Raiden shift into a cloud of bats would’ve knocked me on my ass had this been a less serious situation. I mean, he was a shifter. I knew that. But a whole cloud of bats? Like a storm, he tore through the sky, blotting out the stars.
Eric was going to die.
I saw it plain as day.