by Janice Jones
“Thanks,” she grunted, taking his hand and letting him drag her to her feet again.
“You good?” he asked.
“I’ll live,” she tried to smile, but she knew it looked like a grimace instead.
Xavier took her under the arm, then helped her toward Sebastian and the young woman lying on the floor. He looked up with a satisfied look on his face. “She’ll be awake soon. What do you want to do with her?”
The three of them stood over the body as it twitched and jerked to repair itself. The flash of blue lightening and the sound of odd words in some language Alex had never heard before turned them away from the unconscious young woman for now. Xavier stayed with the girl as Alex and Sebastian went toward the blue light.
To both their surprise, Amy held the troll at bay with a magical force field. His fireballs bounced off one by one as he cursed. Kai, David and Amy were safe behind the sheet of energy, but Alex could see she couldn’t hold it for long. A thin stream of blood slid from her nose, over her red lips and down her chin. She was about to lose the battle and they’d all be deep fried together.
Alex reached down, plucked an unopened can of bright white paint from the ground. She steadied herself on her good leg and flung it like a bowling ball. It struck the troll in the back of his bald, round head, which sent the fireball way off its flight path. He landed on his face with a witchy scream of pain. Amy dropped the field of light and Kai caught her before she did the same.
“Nice shot,” Sebastian laughed.
Taking a weak Amy from Kai, he and David headed for the troll.
“Leave him,” Alex stated. “He’s nothing. The girl was leading these idiots. David, call Jason and tell him we need some help down here, now.”
Chapter 45
“Like hell this isn’t my concern,” Alex snapped at Adam. “They tried to kill us!”
They stood outside the private lounge a few steps from the door that was now guarded by two of Jason’s best, according to Adam anyway. The prisoner was being readied for transport somewhere Alex couldn’t follow.
After the EMT patched up her leg, which was just a scratch by the time they arrived, she and the team were kicked out of the lounge when the interrogation of the young woman they had captured began. Over Adam’s shoulder, she could see her team as they sat against the wall like children at the Principal’s office door. Their bags on a cart next to them.
“We’ll take it from here,” Adam replied.
He was so relaxed and smug it drove Alex crazy. She’d never seen him without a suit this whole weekend. Now he looked like they’d pulled him off the golf course. Pristine grey polo shirt and black pants with black leather shoes to match. If it hadn’t been for the fact that it was nighttime, she would have thought he’d just finished a round and probably won.
“I want to be there too,” she continued. “I want to know where she came from, who she works for.”
“And we’ll let you know as soon as we find out,” his hissed down on her. “But you are expected back in Texas. If you deviate from the plan, whoever hired her will get suspicious. Jason’s jet is waiting. Get on it. I do agree, delivering the others to their final destinations is a good idea, though.”
She wanted to slap that condescending grin off his thousand-year-old face. Another quick glance at the team and Sebastian stood, followed by Xavier. She shook them off and turned her attention to Adam again.
“Where are you taking her?” Alex asked.
“Don’t worry,” Adam answered with a pat to her shoulder. “She’ll tell us what she knows.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, child! Run along. Let the professional handle this one.” His smartphone buzzed in his pocket. He threw his finger up when she opened her mouth. She wasn’t sure what she was going to yell at him, but all she could think to say brought a smile to his face as he looked at the screen.
“Bite me, Adam,” Alex growled.
“The Secret Service will meet the twins in San Francisco,” Adam went on as if she hadn’t said a word. “The Senator insisted.”
“Great,” she said.
“I understand Mr. Rayne and Mr. Ramos have insisted on returning to Texas with you,” he sighed with bored look on his chiseled face. His phone buzzed again. “Ms. Sinclair is safe, I just received confirmation.”
Alex opened her mouth, but he’d already walked away. He spoke to the guards at the door in a hushed tone. Her head hurt too bad to try to hear the conversation. They both nodded as they all looked in her direction.
Adam said his good-byes to the team then stepped in Alex’s personal space.
“Don’t do anything stupid. They have very specific instructions,” he grinned. “And the next time you make an offer like that to a vampire as old as I am, be prepared to follow through.”
He nodded and walked away with two more guards in tow.
_______________
Jason’s leg shook because the ride to where the young woman would be interrogated seemed to be taking forever. He checked his phone every few seconds even though he would have felt it vibrate and hear it ring if Alex called. Why hadn’t she called?
Adam ordered him to go to the safe house instead of the airport. He felt Jason’s presence there would muddy the water too much. He didn’t think Jason could exert enough power over her to tell her she couldn’t be involved in the interrogation. Like he didn’t have the strength to tell her no or that she wouldn’t listen anyway. The very thought made his blood boil, but he did as he was told.
His hand began to itch again and he absently scratched at the bandage. As if defying his effort to stifle the irritating itch, it began to throb.
“Screw this,” he hissed.
Snatching at the tape, Jason unwrapped his hand expecting to find torn red flesh and blood. But, what he saw took his shallow breath away. His skin was intact and perfect. After only a few days too. He’d never healed from silver burns that fast before. Only once had he had a silver burn and it had taken at least two weeks to heal and it hadn’t even been as bad as this one.
He turned his hand over and back again with amazement in his eyes. With his hand close to his face, he sniffed it, examined it with the same results. It was completely healed. No trace of silver on his skin.
“What the hell?” he asked out loud.
_______________
She was glad for the silence of a private ride back home, compliments of Jason Stavros. All around her, the team slept. As she scrolled through the messages on her phone absently, she thought about Jason for the first time tonight. Where was he? Why wasn’t he there to take her side? Too busy with other business, Adam announced when he arrived without him.
Adam was on her list of vampires she’d like to kill now. Back to her messages, she saw that Ivy would pick her up at the airport. Won’t she be surprised when Sebastian and Xavier get off the plane too? She smiled at that thought. The photos were ready to be reviewed. And Leland Ramsey had called. That made her stomach turn.
“Leland Ramsey, please,” she sighed into the receiver. “It’s Alex Stone, returning his call.”
The most awful hold music blared through the tiny speaker as she waited. Whatever he wanted, Alex hoped it would be quick. He probably wanted to bust her chops for saving Jason’s life. Or maybe he wanted to gloat about forcing her to take this job in the first place.
“Alex,” his voice oozed condescension. “I was beginning to worry.”
“Why?”
He laughed, then dropped the timbre of his voice slightly. She took that to mean he wasn’t alone. Good. This would be a quick conversation then. “I heard about the attack,” he sighed. “Mr. Craig was kind enough to call.”
“I’m sure he was,” she replied. “Is that why you called?”
She heard him clear his thr
oat. “Of course. I just wanted to be sure you were in one piece. And to remind you of your mission.”
“I don’t need you to remind me of my mission. I know what I need to do. Anything else?”
Alex felt the plane rumble; turbulence. She felt a gradual ascension and then the pilot came on to report a storm just ahead. They were going above it, but it might be a little bumpy. Salem had just received snow, so she wasn’t surprised they’d run into some weather on their way back to Texas. The guys didn’t wake at the announcement. She buckled up.
“When you return, we’ll talk more,” Leland replied. “Have a safe trip.”
He was gone before she could respond. A sharp pain sliced though her head. And a sick feeling overtook her body. She reached into her bag and pulled out the pain pills she always kept for these types of headaches. They came more frequently now—just like trouble.
Once she was eased back in the leather seat and felt the pills kick in, Alex lost the desire to worry about what was coming next. All she really knew for sure was that she wouldn’t be alone. How much she trusted her new team was irrelevant. What she wanted most was peace. And even if it was just for now, on this flight home, she would have it.
About the Author
Being an introvert doesn’t mean you have no voice. It just means you have the ability to communicate in different ways. For author and champion introvert, Janice Jones, that way is writing. She began by reading anything she could get her hands on, but after college, she found herself in roles that required more business-focused writing than fiction. This didn’t stop her—she continued to create her own stories to feed her passion for the written word.
Honing her skills as a paralegal for several years, Janice continued to feed the beast by spending every spare minute she could creating the world of her first fictional character, Alexa Stone. The idea for In Her Blood came during a rough time in Janice’s life. Overcoming loss can be tough for anyone, and for Janice, writing helped her focus and heal. As a tribute to her late sister, she had the opportunity to release a short story entitled “Dancing on a Sunday Afternoon” in 2009. Receiving positive feedback, she continued to write and focus on improving every way she could. Earning a Master’s in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, Janice was encouraged to finish the Dagger Chronicles series.
Acknowledgements
Mom and Dad, thank you doesn’t feel big enough, but I’m saying it anyway. Bo, I couldn’t be prouder of everything you’ve accomplished and I can’t imagine not having you in my life. Madison, you are filled with a joy that is infectious—don’t ever change. Myles, my movie buddy, I see your Mother in you and I know you will do great things. Nickolas, keep drawing kid, one day we’ll do a comic book together. And, Serena. How do I thank you for never letting me fall? To the biggest and best family ever, I feel the love! And finally, to the most amazing friends anyone could ask for and Kayla R., Dayna and the Amberjack Publishing Team: “Y’ALL ROCK!”