by C. B. Haight
“Jeffery?” the bald man questioned. “This is a surprise. We thought you lost to us.” Jeffery glanced at his new friends then back to the hostile party. “I see,” Victor said, following his gaze. “Kill him as well,” he commanded lazily.
The four vampire demons brushed past Victor, grinning. He knew they hated being directed by someone so weak but would follow his orders as long as Niall continued to favor him.
Jeffery didn’t hesitate any longer as his will to survive took over. He threw out a burst of bright light to blind the men and sprinted across the room to warn Nate and Cade.
As Jeffery made his way back to his newfound friends, Nate was thrown into him. They clattered to the ground, grunting as air was forced from their lungs upon impact. Nate rolled off Jeffery and muttered, “Stupid, half-breed demons.”
“That’s not our only problem.” Jeffery jerked his head toward the vampires.
Nate yanked his bag off his shoulders and looked back to Cade, and noted his situation was under control for now. “I guess it’s time for the essentials then,” he replied conspiratorially, and a grin spread across his face.
Chapter 11
Jarrett’s breath left him as he was thrown against the wall. Sharp, burning pain stabbed his shoulder where the previous idiot shot him. His body was on fire, and every inch of him hurt. Well, maybe not his toes, he thought. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the ugly, mindless demon he was battling stepped on his foot. Now every inch of his body hurt. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even force the change to fight back. He thought he heard a gunshot in another room, but before he could dwell on it, he was lifted and bashed against the wall so hard he felt tissue tear and bone break.
The demon pulled him forward, intending to repeat the action, but halted when his Russian leader interfered, “Cease!” He walked over to Jarrett, inclined his head, and looked upon him with disdain. “Do you know, Hunter, it is said you killed my brother?” he asked with a thick heavy tongue from his native language. He drove his fist into Jarrett’s wounded side as he hung in the demon’s grasp. Jarrett’s snarl rapidly turned to a groan as the fist ground deeper into his tender flesh.
“I wonder if it is true,” The Russian sorcerer continued casually, emphasizing the consonants like a man unused to speaking them in English.
A loud crash echoed from somewhere in the warehouse, but the man was unconcerned. This was, after all, a competition of sorts, and the prize was in his possession.
Jarrett’s sensitive hearing picked out a familiar voice, but he wasn’t sure if he imagined it. After all, imagining things kept happening to him a lot lately.
He couldn’t focus as his eyes rolled back from the crippling pain in his side. He could barely breathe. Even Jarrett had limits, and he was beginning to think he had reached his.
Hanging there limply, understanding he was minutes from death, Jarrett considered keeping quiet to avoid added torment, but his stubborn nature wouldn’t allow it. He forced his eyes open, glared at the Russian defiantly, and spat out, “Yven was weak and stupid. He deserved everything I gave him and more.”
His enemy’s expression turned cold, and Jarrett felt a shadow of a magic shock course through him. He groaned to keep up the façade and buy more time to think.
“Well, it is no matter. I was happy to hear you were…what is it, ah yes, game open,” he sneered. Upon mixing up the idiom, Jarrett couldn’t help but think that apparently stupidity ran in the family. “I waited years for this. You should have not upset Him. Now you will finally die, and I will get my revenge,” he vowed.
When the Russian released his spell and his fist, Jarrett released a heavy breath of relief that wasn’t feigned. Jarrett saw the owner of the familiar voice outside, past the doorway in the other room. While surprised, he now knew the voice he heard earlier wasn’t imagined, and he may yet live another day after all. Relieved, he gathered what reserves he had left and tried to speak, but his voice was quiet, sounding so weak even he was surprised by it. “Mis-take,” he managed to murmur.
“What?”
“You made a mistake,” he rasped.
“And what was that?” the sorcerer asked annoyed.
“You stopped the demon from killing me.”
He laughed, “What will you do about it? You are practically dead already, and I will finish you now.”
Jarrett lifted his head with a sinister grin covering his features. “You won’t have time,” he replied wickedly, and a renewed energy coursed through him.
Cade barreled into the room at full speed. The Russian's eyes widened with shock, and he back-peddled away from Jarrett. The black werewolf plowed full force into the demon holding Jarrett, knocking them all to the floor. An explosion rattled the walls of the building. Concussive sound waves rocked them, and smoke leaked its way in from the entrance.
For several minutes, Jarrett could do nothing more than lie still as he listened to Cade rip and tear into the demon. He half wondered why the sorcerer didn’t finish him off. Wincing, he rolled slowly to get up, and a strong hand pulled on his arm. He instinctively jerked back with violent intent, but he stumbled into the wall and cursed instead.
“Not the bad guy here—I’m with Rescues 'R’ Us,” the man stated as if it should make complete sense.
Jarrett looked up and scrutinized the man in front of him. He was young, by Jarrett’s standards, but looked capable. Instead of fear, his eyes held an excited gleam, indicating experience and guts.
“I’m Nate, let’s be friends. How 'bout we get the hell outta here?” he quipped rapidly and moved again to help Jarrett stand. This time, Jarrett actually let him.
They assessed the melee in the darkened room. Cade was still viciously locked in battle with the large, gray demon and Jeffery gestured wildly as light arched from the Russian into him.
Nate carefully helped Jarrett to lean against the wall. “Hang tight a minute. I’ll be right back,” he said as he put a hard object in Jarrett’s hand. Jarrett looked down and arched a single brow at the grenade. “In case we have any survivors from the other room,” Nate replied with a smirk, and then he ran full speed to flank the Russian sorcerer.
Jarrett looked back to his brother, feeling an unexpected gratitude. Cade battled fiercely against the full-blooded greater-demon with a viciousness Jarrett could appreciate. Claws and teeth tore into the rubbery flesh, leaving gruesome, leaking wounds in their wake.
The demon smashed him against a brick wall hard enough to crack and split the framing and drywall. Before Cade could react, the behemoth repeated the action.
Cade’s breath was forced from him, and he gasped in pain. His clawed animal hands dug into the demon’s back as he clung to it in an attempt reach its neck. He felt the crushing impact of each blow against his spine.
To make matters worse, the demon did not relent. It planted its feet and pushed with all the force it could in an attempt to crush the life out of Cade. The old, weakened wall began to give from the weight, and considering the condition of the long-abandoned structure, Cade began struggling to free himself, inflicting as much damage as possible as he did. He knew that if the wall gave, at least part of the ceiling would also collapse. He managed to clamp down his sharpened teeth on the demon's shoulder near its neck. Satisfaction coursed through him when the thing opened its unnatural jaws and yowled in pain. It was short-lived though as he felt the behemoth press against him harder.
A burst of light flooded the room from the battle between the sorcerers. In that blinding moment, Cade thought he saw a new enemy racing toward him. When things cleared, Cade realized the figure was a ragged and bloody Jarrett. He clamored up the opposite side of the demon and shoved something past the demon's serrated teeth into the wide hole created by the demon's painful bellowing.
“Get out of there!” Jarrett snapped urgently at Cade.
Cade wasted no time and worked himself free as the beast leaned forward, gagging on whatever was lodged in its throat. It swung its
arms wildly at Jarrett as he made an attempt to escape the beast. The fleshy fists connected, and he was thrown to the floor.
Cade forgotten, the ugly creature stepped toward Jarrett as it continued to choke on the obstruction. Before it could reach him, there was a sickening, popping sound originating from the creature's throat. The beast’s head exploded, leaving only a gruesome body behind. A split-second later, what was left of the creature dissipated into dust and scattered over the two brothers.
Cade scanned the room, seeking Jeffery and Nate. He found them easily as they had finished with the Russian and hurried toward them. Cade then went to Jarrett, who tried rising from the floor, but completely drained of his waning strength, he fell down to his knees. Cade bent down, offered Jarrett his fur covered hand, and pulled him up. “You look like hell,” he growled grimly.
“Well, you’re not so pretty either,” his twin shot back before he passed out, leaving Cade to deal with his battered body.
“What next?” Nate questioned seriously.
Cade could only stare at him, not quite sure himself.
Minutes moved slowly and turned into an hour. For those left behind at the house, each minute felt eternally long as they waited to hear from Cade. With frayed nerves, Collett and Cynda passed time by practicing magic.
They heard Rederrick from time to time, pacing and grumbling. Both knew it bothered him to be here, out of the action, when Cade, Nate, and Jeffery might need him. He kept going from room to room in an unconscious routine. Jenny was the only one who slept and only after she extracted promises from everyone to wake her the minute they knew anything.
With her eyes closed, Collett focused to control the fire she was manipulating. She increased the flame and pulled it back, using the practice to stretch her mental muscles. Over the last month, Cynda taught her the importance of repetition. Much like running gave a person more endurance, the more a person used the arcane arts, the stronger their will could become. This basic exercise with the flame helped Collett use her mind and stretch her limits, plus it kept her thoughts from wandering and worrying.
She heard Rederrick check his cell phone once again for missed calls and felt her own worry rise despite her distraction. Biting her lip, she concentrated and forced her flame to spread out in a wider circle and then contracted it into a tall, slim flame.
“Good. Collett, you’re getting very good at this,” Cynda encouraged. Her praise felt empty though, and Collett knew she was hardly looking at her. Rather, Cynda’s attention kept drifting back to the phone in Rederrick’s hand, hoping it would ring.
As if by some sort of telepathic command, the little black cell phone began to hum a standard tune. Jumping, Collett lost focus on her fire, and it flared wildly. She released the magic and rushed to follow Cynda to Rederrick’s side.
He had already answered by then and put it on speaker so all could hear. “Go ahead Nate,” he stated firmly.
“We’ve got him,” came Nate’s clipped response from the other end of the line.
Collett felt relief rush through her and let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Cynda, equally relieved, placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“How bad?” Rederrick questioned.
“It’s not good. We even had a visit from a man Jeffery calls Victor. Know him?”
Rederrick considered it. “Heard of him once. Don’t know much.”
“Got out by the skin of our teeth. We’ve got a few bumps and bruises, but all of us made it out. That’s what counts,” Nate reported.
“And Jarrett?” asked Rederrick as he glanced at the two anxious women.
There was a slight pause. “He’s in bad shape, not even conscious right now.” Nate let go of a heavy breath. “He took a beating that’s for sure, but I’ll know more after we find a safe place to hole up. We’ll let you know. Cade says get some sleep as we’re likely safe enough for tonight.”
“Nate—” Collett began.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell him,” Nate said, guessing her desire to tell Cade she loved him.
“Watch your backs then, and stay in contact,” Rederrick warned.
“Same goes,” replied Nate, and disconnecting the call, he followed his friends away from the warehouse.
The four men eventually made their way from the dilapidated building and out of the industrial district. As they did, Jeffery explained the significance of Victor’s appearance. They knew Victor had escaped the blast because he was not among the wreckage. Which, unfortunately ensured that more of The Faction’s glory-seekers would be on their heels per his orders. They all understood they were not as safe as they proclaimed on the phone, and they had little time to figure out what to do next.
In the early hours of the morning, Cade sat on the edge of a bed in a substandard motel looking at his still unconscious brother trying to figure out what to do with him. He was in bad shape and had barely stirred in the hours since they rescued him. Cade, on the other hand, didn’t sleep at all.
Jeffery and Nate still slept in the adjoining room, but the sun had begun its ascent in the sky. Cade knew they had to get moving. He also knew they all needed more sleep, but they couldn’t afford any more the few hours they’d already taken. Somehow, The Faction kept tracking Jarrett, or so he mumbled during his one and only semi-lucid moment as they practically carried him here.
Resigned, Cade heaved himself from the bed and moved to the door that connected the two rooms. They left it open in case of attack, so he easily moved into the room and gently kicked the bed Nate occupied. “Time to go,” he said simply.
To his credit, Nate, who slept fully dressed on top of the covers, jumped-up, dagger in hand, ready to fight. Seeing only Cade before him, he groaned and relaxed.
“Time to go,” repeated Cade to make sure Nate understood. He moved to the other bed and tried to similarly rouse Jeffery, whose reaction was the exact opposite of Nate. He barely moved. Cade had to physically shake him to get him moving.
“He’s a little slow in the morning,” Nate smirked as Jeffery rolled wearily out of the bed. “Needs his beauty sleep. Though, it doesn’t seem to be working.”
Jeffery didn’t even reply. He was too tired to bother, but Cade grinned slightly, knowing well that Nate’s teasing was his way of lightening the mood in the early hours of what was likely to be a long day. That was Nate’s way.
“Well, let’s go, Sleeping Beauty. We’ve got to make plans and get moving,” Cade replied, playing along.
Jeffery rubbed his hands over his face and mumbled, “Coffee.”
In response, as he left the room, Cade tossed one of the coffee packets offered by the motel to Jeffery. He still held his eyes closed, and it smacked right into the side of his head.
“Let’s go, pretty boy,” chuckled Nate as he followed Cade into the next room. His smiled died when he walked in and watched Cade inspect the worst of Jarrett’s injuries. “He’s not healing,” Nate observed.
“No,” Cade confirmed.
“Silver?”
“Must be.”
“What about the rest?” Nate asked.
Cade glanced back at him and saw Jeffery finally stagger in. “His body can’t keep up. We heal fast, but he has too many injuries. He hasn’t had time to rest or deal with them. Some of these are days old, and this wound looks badly infected. That would slow things down.” He replaced the bandage and stood. “At least that’s my guess. I’ve never seen a one of our kind in this bad of shape. At least, not still breathing.”
“The shoulder?” Nate asked, already suspecting the answer.
“Silver, but new, probably last night. It went straight through. Doesn’t look too bad yet.”
“Not a good sign— that they know how to take you two down.”
Cade shrugged.
“They make it their business to know someone’s weakness,” Jeffery added solemnly. He knew better than most how good they were at exactly that. After all, Finnawick had kidnapped his mother to kee
p him in check. Shaking off his regret, he questioned, “What do we do now?”
“Can you blink again?” Cade asked.
Jeffery reached for the magical energy in his body then replied, “Yeah, after I get something to eat, probably.”
“Jarrett needs medical attention. These wounds aren’t likely to heal without it.”
“We can’t just take him to a hospital, Cade,” Nate pointed out.
“I know, and we can’t go back to Rederrick’s if they’re tracking him—at least not yet.”
“Then where—” Realization dawned, and he replied firmly, “No!”
“What?” Jeffery asked confused.
“We don’t have a choice,” Cade responded.
“If we go there, we’re bringing this mess with us. You can’t really think that’s a good idea.”
“Where?” Jeffery questioned, but they continued to ignore him.
Cade shook his head. “I don’t, but there’s no real choice here.”
“She can’t come with us,” Nate expressed with determination.
“No, she can’t. That’s why you’ll have to help her, and I’ll help him.”
“What are you two talking about?” Jeffery demanded.
“Jeffery, have you ever been to Michigan?” Cade replied.
Nate scowled and left the room.
Chapter 12
As Cade, Jeffery, and a reluctant Nate made and executed their plans, Rederrick sat with a newspaper in hand and skimmed over the day’s latest stories while waiting for Delphene to arrive. Her flight ran late due to weather. Rederrick couldn’t help feeling nervous by the delay. He tipped the paper down for the third time to check his watch to see only three minutes had passed.
His frustration built. Rederrick had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn’t shake, no matter how much he tried. He adjusted his paper again, only this time he reached for his cell. He called Cynda to check in, and she picked up on the first ring. “We are all still accounted for, and nothing interesting has happened—if you don’t count Jenny’s amazing lunch. And it was amazing,” she exaggerated.