Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  Woo directed Robert out of Manhattan and into Harlem. “They’re weak now, very weak, but their auras are truly spectacular.” Woo sighed. He looked as if he had just been watching porn.

  He looked directly at Tanya. “Such power. I’ve never felt anything like this. You can’t take this one.” He giggled. “She’ll destroy you.”

  Who he was talking about, Cross? Kale? More likely no one, just another voice is the chaos. “I’ll take my chances. Just find them.”

  Woo nodded eagerly. “Find them.” He told Robert to take another turn, then suddenly he sucked in a breath like he was in pain. His expression went from amused and confidant to furious in a heartbeat. “No… Nonono! How could she do that? No one has ever done that to me before.”

  “What happened,” Tanya said.

  “She found me. No one ever finds me!”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means she found me! How else do I need to fucking say it? She realized I was tracking her and she blocked me.” Woo hit the seat in front of him. “Bitch, no one gets away from me. No one!” Apparently Woo forgot he was hunting for Tanya and not himself. He grew more agitated and began kicking the seat, Tanya glanced at Robert who pulled the SUV over and calmly reached around and shot the Taser probes against Woo’s thigh.

  Woo went rigid and then went limp. When he lay stunned, Robert uncapped a needle and injected a sedative.

  Only when Woo was unconscious did Tanya move.

  She put her head in her hands for just a moment. “Do we know who the burned building belongs too?

  “A professor at Columbia, some doctor by the name of Jude Case,” Robert said.

  “Get Woo back into a secured cell. Then I want everything there is on this Dr. Case. Family members, friends, anything. What do Cross or Kale have to do with him? I need information Robert, and I need it now. All we know is they were headed for Harlem. Set up patrols throughout the borough. They cannot just fucking disappear.

  “Find them. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  Tanya tried not to scream in frustration. Was Cross Delancey worth all of this? Perhaps when she got them back, she would kill Cross in front of Kale, just to teach him a lesson. Any future escape attempts would lead to immediate consequences to one of his fellow freaks. Any disobedience would be dealt with in the same manner. If he pushed anyone other than who Tanya told him to push, another innocent would die.

  Kale would learn his place. Once Tanya had him back, that was the one thing she had absolute certainty of.

  Chapter 35

  GABRIEL COULD SEE the end game. Not the exact circumstances but the pieces were in play and there was only one logical ending. He didn’t want to be around when it all went down. He was aware his actions had brought him to this moment. Some of them he regretted- deeply and some of them he did not.

  His part in recent events was in some small way an apology. It made very little difference, but he wasn’t seeking absolution. The best he could hope for, if he was still alive at the end of the day was to be able to sleep at night.

  Vic Harris was one such apology. Gabriel hadn’t had to destroy Vic’s mind to discover where Cross had fled, but Tanya didn’t need to know that. Once he extracted the information, he’d simply implanted the suggestion into Vic’s subconscious that he was very tired and needed to sleep soundly for a while. Tanya had believed his lie. He hadn’t worked with her for over ten years and not learned how to manipulate her.

  Tanya might indeed discover where Cross was hiding but she wouldn’t learn it from Gabriel. He might be a few decades too late, but he was finally accepting his parental responsibility. His sons might be dangerous, but in his opinion Tanya was more so.

  Gabriel had one last task to accomplish. And then he could take Niko and walk out of this place. The thought was oddly liberating.

  * * *

  VIC SAT ON the cold concrete of his dark cell and wished he knew what was going on. What bothered him more than the lack of water or food or light was the lack of knowledge. He was in the dark in more ways than one.

  Gabriel had at him, and that was a less than pleasant experience. Vic had worked with Cross for years, but never once had he pried into Vic’s thoughts. Gabriel had no such ethics. It was a violation Vic had difficulty coping with. He could defend himself against any manner of physical threats, but he had no defense against something like that. Gabriel pried open his mind like a can of tuna and had a peek inside. Vic couldn’t remember anything and had only just woke up a few hours ago. Vic was alone and confused as to what he had learned. He feared he had betrayed Charlie, Maizey and the entire Underground. But if that were the case, wouldn’t Tanya have come to talk to him by now?

  His head was pounding and his belly churning, either from lack of water or Gabriel’s indelicate probing. He was having a hard time seeing a way out of this one. They hadn’t killed him yet, so the fact that he was still alive gave him hope that Cross and the Underground had somehow eluded Tanya and the Department.

  He was just drifting into a restless sleep when the cell door creaked open. He squinted, raised a hand to shade his eyes as he tried to determine who had come for him.

  Instead of the expected security guard, he heard soft footsteps just before a cold nose pressed to his face. His visitor was Niko, Cross’s dog.

  “She knows you.”

  Gabriel stood in the doorway. Vic tried for an I don’t give a damn front, but he knew Gabriel could see past it.

  “She should. I spent a lot of time with Cross and her over the years.” Niko sat down and put her head in Vic’s lap. For some reason that made him feel better. He ran a hand over her head.

  “What do you want?” His gut clenched at the thought of Gabriel prying his mind open again.

  “Redemption?”

  Vic screwed his face up in confusion. “Come again?”

  Gabriel tossed a small rectangular object to Vic. It landed on the floor next to his hand.

  When he picked it up he saw it was Coben’s ID badge. He looked to Gabriel for an explanation.

  “I wanted to apologize for any discomfort I caused you. I needed my probe to look convincing to Tanya. When I looked in your head I found out some interesting things.”

  Cold fear gripped Vic.

  “Not only did you help Cross get out,” Gabriel continued, “But you have, for the last several years, been an informant to an underground organization consisting of people like Cross and Kale. People like myself with abilities the Department would be interested in. You help shield them from this department.”

  “They are good people, Gabriel. All they want is to be left alone. To raise their children in peace like everyone else. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “I do. I do understand that, Vic,” Gabriel said.

  Now that Vic’s eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see how tired Gabriel looked. His normally impeccable attire was rumpled, Vic might even have to say disheveled. His silvery hair was mussed and he needed a shave.

  “I could never be mistaken for father of the year. I helped to hide the truth from one son and ignored what was happening to another. I can’t go back and change that. What’s done is done.”

  Vic held up Coben’s ID. “What’s this all about?”

  “I decided to do something I should’ve done years ago.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Grow a spine. I told Tanya that you knew nothing more than what you already told us. Right now she thinks I broke your mind. She’s trying to decide if you are anymore use to them.” He indicated the ID badge. “That will get you out of here. I’ve cleared the way. You won’t encounter anyone and the badge will open the doors. I won’t stop you, and I won’t tell anyone what I know.”

  Vic got to his feet. “How do I know this isn’t a trap? An excuse for Tanya to kill me trying to escape.”

  “Since when does Tanya need an excuse to kill anyone? It’s not a trap, Vic, I would ask you to trust me but I
understand how ridiculous that would sound. Look at it this way, what do you have to lose?” Gabriel stepped aside and offered Vic the open door.

  Vic put Coben’s ID around his neck. “How did you get this?”

  “I have other talents besides violating people’s innermost sanctums. Coben won’t know its missing for a few hours, but if I were you I wouldn’t waste any more time asking questions when you could be getting out of here. Use the fire exits. All the alarms have been disabled. I would have arranged transportation but the department vehicles are easily traced.”

  “It’s New York, I’ll manage.” Vic paused in the doorway. “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but thank you.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Just do whatever you have to, to keep my sons out of her hands.”

  Without another word, Vic walked out of his cell.

  Chapter 36

  WHEN CROSS AWOKE, he couldn’t remember where he was for a moment or two. In the tunnels. He was still in the chair next to Kale’s bed. Someone had taken his glasses off and covered him with a blanket. He could hear no echoes of footsteps, no hushed voices. Only the sounds of the night greeted him. It almost felt as if they were alone.

  Shadows, all that was left of his vision, greeted him, which told him nothing about the time of day- or night. Sitting up, he felt for and found Kale, still sleeping. He felt rested and decided to use his newly-learned sight. He was amazed at how simple it was.

  Everything around him lit up in a subdued blue, not the bright blue/white he had experienced before. Apparently his new spectrum had its own limitations. He saw Kale stir as if he knew Cross watched him. Maybe he did. His brother braced his side with one hand and sat up. He gave him that well-remembered cocky grin.

  “Hey,” Kale said.

  “How’re you feeling? You look better, more with it than before.”

  “Yeah, I’m good. Wait. What do you mean I look better? How would you know?”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot you don’t know. Maizey taught me a way to see. Sort of.”

  “You can see?” Kale waved a hand in front Cross’s face. Cross caught it and held it. “Not real sight, not like before, but yeah enough to get around on my own. It’s kind of pretty, like blue energy surrounding everything. Only thing is, it taps me out if I use it for too long.”

  “That’s kind of cool,” Kale just stared at him for a long while.

  Cross understood, he stared back. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were dead, Kale. They told me you were dead.” He shook his head as shame burned his face. “All the times you came to me, I always thought it was a dream. You know, just wishful thinking. If I’d known you were alive, I would’ve come for you. You have to know that, Kale.”

  “Which is exactly why you had to keep believing I was dead. If I told you anything else, Tanya would’ve brought you in years ago. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  “I could’ve got you out. We could’ve both got out.”

  “You don’t know Tanya. I do. Trust me it was better this way.”

  “Better for who? I spent all this time thinking my brother was dead. I thought I lost you. I did lose you,” Cross tried to control the swirling emotions coursing through him and couldn’t decide if he should be pissed, sad or relieved. He settled on a combination of all three. He should have known Kale would understand. Not only did they both have the psychic thing going on, but they were twins. They always knew what the other was thinking.

  Kale put a hand on Cross’s shoulder. The simple contact almost made Cross break down. “You never lost me,” Kale told him. “You’re the one who found me.”

  Cross took a deep breath to collect himself. “I don’t plan on losing you ever again. Got it?”

  Kale gave him the sideways grin again. “Yeah, man, I got it.”

  They let the moment hang there in the silence, content to simply be together again after all the time lost. After a while Kale started to look around the room. He tried to stand and found himself tethered to the bed by an IV attached to his arm. He pulled it out and put his hand over the small wound until it stopped bleeding.

  “I’m pretty sure, Jude isn’t going to like that,” Cross said.

  Kale shrugged. “I’m fine. Trust me, I’ve been in worse shape and I’m still alive. Come on.” Kale motioned for Cross to follow him.

  For a moment it felt like they were kids again, trying to get into trouble just to piss everyone off. “Come on where?”

  “Outside. I want to go outside.” Cross tried to keep up with Kale as he navigated the maze-like tunnels as if he’d been born in this place. Then he realized Kale was simply following his nose. Cross could smell the fresh air cutting through the stale air. Cross imagined if he had spent the last ten years caged inside, he would have been able to pick up the scent of fresh air just as easily. Still, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

  The tunnel exit opened in front of them. Kale picked up speed until he stepped outside and lifted his face to the gentle night breeze. The early November night was chilly. Cross wrapped his arms around his chest to ward off the cold. He realized Kale wore only a short-sleeve t-shirt and jeans and was barefoot.

  “Aren’t you cold?” Cross said.

  “No way. This is great.” Kale opened his arms and with his eyes closed and head lifted toward the night sky, he turned in a circle smiling blissfully.

  Cross looked around at the dirty little lot that delighted Kale, and that pang of guilt hit him again. This littered, abandoned lot, with grass growing out if the cracks in the concrete and smelling of urine, was the best thing Kale had seen in forever.

  Despite the guilt, it still made him smile. Kale was happy and that was an amazing thing. Cross just wanted to watch him for as long as he wanted to stay there. He watched until his sight slowly dimmed and left him in the dark again. He swayed with the sudden lack of visual input. Funny how after all the years he had spent in the dark, he had become used to the light again so quickly. Now the dark seemed all the more lonely to him.

  He reached his hands out hoping to find something to steady himself with.

  Kale’s hand slipped under his arm. “Hey, whoa there, you okay?” he led Cross to the concrete steps. “Sit.”

  “Yeah, guess I overdid it with the sight thing. Damn, I’m in the dark again.”

  “You can’t control it?” Kale sat next to him on the step.

  “Working on it, but the bottom line is I’m still blind. I’ll always be blind.”

  “What do you remember about that night?” Kale’s voice sounded like he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  “You mean when we were fourteen? The night we tried to get out?”

  “Yeah. Do you remember it?”

  “Some of it. Some of it is like a story someone else told me. Charlie took away the blocks they placed and showed me the truth, but he couldn’t fix the damage caused by the bullet.”

  “Charlie?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry, you were really out if it on the way here. Charlie is Maria’s father. He’s our grandfather, Kale.”

  “We have a grandfather?” Kale sounded excited.

  “Apparently. Anyway, Charlie has this ability to let a person see the truth. But like I said, there was a lot of damage from the bullet. What I remember most is more of a feeling than memory.”

  “Anger,” Kale said.

  Cross looked in his direction. “Yeah, exactly. Every time I think about that day, all I get is a lot of anger.”

  “You were pissed man. I mean more than usual. I know they messed with your head, made you into someone you weren’t but I remember you Cross. You were always the other half of me. You used to tell me you were the better half,” Kale laughed quietly. “The day before you went all postal…” Kale paused.

  Cross heard the hesitation in his voice.

  “What, Kale? What happened?”

  Kale took a deep breath and let it out all at once. “You never showed them what you could do. You hid it. I didn’t, because I
thought Tanya would be happy if I did what she wanted.”

  “But she wasn’t.” Cross could remember bits and pieces.

  “No, no way. She knew you were holding out on her. The day before, she beat me in front of you, to try to get you to do something.”

  Cross tried to remember that day. It was all a fuzzy picture in his head. “What did I do?” Cross hoped to hell he’d showed her something. He hated to think he had allowed his brother to take a beating because of his stubbornness.

  “Nothing. You didn’t have too. I pushed them.” Kale sounded pleased. “Told them to leave us alone and they did.”

  “Holy shit. Bet Tanya wasn’t too thrilled about that.” Cross couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Kale getting one over on Tanya.

  “She wasn’t. That’s when you said we had to get out of there. You said if we didn’t they were going to kill us, or make us kill someone else. Someone innocent. You said if she wanted to see what you could do, then you were going to fucking show her what you could do.”

  Kale paused, swallowed audibly. “We showed them all right. Together we killed a dozen of her people before Gabriel shot you. He was aiming to kill you. I tried to push you out of the way. Guess I wasn’t fast enough.”

  “Hey, I’m still alive.”

  “But your eyes man.”

  “Kale, it’s cool. You saved my life.”

  “Did I, Cross? They took everything away from you. All your memories, your eyes, everything that made you who you were. They programmed you into who they wanted you to be. They told you I was dead and gave you a lie to live. Exactly what did I save?”