The Price of Knowing: A Powers of Influence Novel (The Powers of Influence Book 2)

by C. B. Haight

  They heard a crash and then splintering glass falling to the floor. Resolved, Collett grabbed Cynda’s hand.

  “Come on,” Collett insisted.

  “Let’s go,” Cynda said in unison.

  Their concern for Delphene and Jenny had them sprinting toward the noise. As they ran down the hallway, they saw broken glass scattered on the floor beneath a picture hanging oddly on the wall. It was clear where the glass originated from.

  Cynda slowed and pointed to the floor where grayish ash dusted the ground, and Collett nodded. Neither one of them spoke in case there were more intruders. Cautiously, the two women made their way toward the stairs that led to the main living area of the home.

  Loud, popping gunshots echoed from downstairs. Terror gripped both women, and they rushed the final distance to the stairs together.

  At the bottom, it was clear that the danger was in the den. Cynda ran into the room, and Collett was overwhelmed by the emotion emanating from her friend. Cynda’s fear for Rederrick and Jenny invaded Collett, and she stopped for a moment to cope with it. Cynda, however, did not stop. She charged to help Rederrick with a spell on her tongue.

  Collett opened her senses and allowed emotions to wash over her. She felt the rush of adrenaline that accompanied battle and a vicious, angry need for vengeance from Rederrick. She also still felt Jenny’s injuries and fear more acutely. All of these compounded within her. Collett’s stomach churned, and her skin prickled.

  Horror gripped Collett as she looked into the room to find Rederrick in fierce combat and completely surrounded. There were at least seven opponents, and despite giving them a good fight, he was clearly losing ground.

  Doubt assailed her. What could she do against such an enemy? She shoved her doubt aside and reminded herself that any help would be better than none at all. She rushed over to the corner and snatched the standing lamp. She used it like a staff and slammed it across the nearest enemy’s back with as much force as she could.

  Her attack succeeded. Well, sort of. He did turn to stare at her.

  He looked confused briefly, then he grinned at her wickedly. Collett took in his small, sharp teeth and his grayish, blotchy skin and realized he wasn’t an ordinary man.

  With a gleam of excitement in his black eyes, he advanced on her rasping, “Ah, there you are. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  Collett thrust out with the lamp, trying to keep him at bay, but he sidestepped it easily and continued to advance. Instinctively, she backed away from him. She could hear the chaos around her, and her eyes darted to her friends. Rederrick grunted and fought with the dagger he had in hand, while Cynda chanted her spells. A man screamed and crumpled to the ground before the witch, and another intruder hissed inhumanly as Rederrick connected the blade with demon flesh.

  Collett knew there would be no help from them. Resolve began to course through her. She silently reminded herself that she had trained for this very scenario for months. Determined to put that training to good use, Collett stood proud, refused to cower, and she attacked with a fierce yell.

  Cade fared better than his friends in Colorado. He fought with deadly purpose, and it wasn’t long before he overcame the leech that dared enter Ashley’s office. Once finished, he glared down at the dust coating her floor. Violent energy still coursed through him.

  Turning his head, Cade pricked his ears at the noise coming from the living room. Still in his hybrid form, he charged toward the melee, crashing through the hallway as he went. He didn’t even notice the hole he created in the wall as he made contact with it at the turn.

  When he entered the room, things were almost under control. Jarrett remained engaged with his opponent, but the fight clearly favored his injured brother. Nate was pulling a nasty looking knife free from the man stupid enough to attack him.

  Jeffery though, was locked in a strange sort of magical battle of his own. The sight would have been comical if Cade didn’t have first-hand knowledge of how deadly their magic was.

  Jeffery’s features were pinched, and his posture was rigid. Sweat beaded on his brow. His muscles were rigid, his arms out wide, and bent slightly at the elbow. His hands, pointed in towards his waist. It looked as if he was trying to mimic a bear. He glared at his much older opponent who grimaced, and tightened his fists, showing his own intense struggle to ward off Jeffery.

  Cade moved to assist him, but before he could cover the short distance, Jeffery released a determined shout, and stepping forward moved bring his hands together. Veins bulged in his neck, his face reddened, but when his hands finally met, a thunderous clap reverberated in the small room. The walls shook. Cade cringed and yelped, and Jarrett, still in his human body, winced and covered his ears as the violent sound wave pulsed in their sensitive ears. An orange-colored light filled the same spot where the dark man battling Jeffery stood. It dissipated almost instantaneously, taking the other sorcerer with it. Jeffery crumpled to his knees, and Nate moved to help him.

  “WHAT the hell was that?” Jarrett snapped darkly with angry fever in his eyes.

  Jeffery shrugged, not fully understanding the complexities of the spell himself. Mostly mentorless, Jeffery often followed his instincts or obeyed the pull of magic. This often created varying results.

  “A better question is how they found us?” Nate chimed in, taking Jarrett and Cade’s focus away from the young mage.

  “Niall,” Jarrett replied tiredly. “If he wants you, he’ll find you. He has ways to find anybody.” Looking around at the carnage of Ashley’s home, he shook his head in defeat.

  Cade saw the emptiness in Jarrett’s eyes an instant before he turned and left the house. Nate and Jeffery diverted to Cade with puzzled expressions, wondering who Niall is and what to do next.

  Cade shifted back into a man then asked, “Jeffery, where’s Ashley?”

  “Wal-mart in Bedford, Virginia.”

  “Wal-mart?” Cade questioned with surprise. He was confounded by Jeffery’s choice of location.

  “It’s the only place I could think of that would be open with people around, at least it’s the only place I could think of on short notice,” he explained.

  Cade couldn’t help but smile at the quick-thinking sorcerer. “It’s fine,” he assured. “Take Nate to her, and then stay with them. I’ll call you when I can.”

  Jeffery began shaking his head in his first small act of defiance.

  Cade’s expression turned grim, “Do It! Stay with them.”

  “You’ll need me if they are tracking him,” Jeffery argued.

  “What I need, is for you and Nate to make sure Ashley and Tracy are safe. Jarrett and I can handle ourselves.”

  “I’m not even sure I can. I’ve used too much magic the last couple days.”

  “You’ll do it because you have to!” Cade snapped uncharacteristically.

  Jeffery assented with a quick, silent nod, but his eyes conveyed his mixed emotions. He grabbed Nate’s jacket, and they disappeared before Cade could say anything else.

  Cade cursed as guilt at how he’d spoken began to fester in his gut. He glanced to the door Jarrett had exited and knew he didn’t have time for guilt. He went to the bedroom and quickly put on his pants from earlier that day. So much for the new clothes, he thought. He grabbed his shirt, boots, and backpack and rushed to follow his brother.

  Taken completely by surprise, the gray-skinned man stood dumbfounded while Collett cried out and rushed him. She used the lamp as a barrier of sorts and lashed out with it, connecting several times with flesh. On the last strike, a bright light flashed between them and the half-demon crumpled at her feet.

  Before she could shift her focus to the next opponent, Delphene, or the animal she assumed was Delphene, rushed past her in a blur of violence. She began tearing and biting into demon and human flesh with equal vigor, laying out the remaining enemy ranks in no time at all.

  Collett took that short respite to study the female lycanthrope. Even though Cade told her about Delphene, seeing he
r in this form seemed a bit strange. Unlike Cade, her coloring was a dark brown with reddish tints, and oddly enough, her tail sported a white tip. Seeing the chocolate colored wolf with black ichor covering her lips, Collett found it difficult to associate the startling creature with the Amazon like woman she laughed with a few hours before.

  As if sensing her scrutiny, Delphene pinned her with her golden gaze, and Collett could see the woman within the animal. She immediately recognized the compassion and fire in her eyes.

  She had a similar experience with Cade. When she met Cade for the first time, his eyes drew her in even before she knew he was her werewolf rescuer. Later, when she discovered his secret, Collett understood his very identity could be seen within the depths of his gaze. Delphene was no different. Collett felt she could connect to her, even in this form, through her eyes.

  The lycan flicked her eyes away and, with an inhuman, gravelly voice that somehow still sounded like the woman herself, ordered, “Time to go!”

  Rederrick nodded and bent to pick up his discarded gun. Without a word, he turned back to the door leading to the security room.

  “Jenny?” Cynda questioned hopefully.

  Collett felt a shiver run through her. She knew the answer before Delphene’s expression turned sad, and she looked back to the doorway where Delphene had laid the beloved woman.

  “Is she…” Cynda inquired with choked words and tears in her eyes.

  Shaking her head, Delphene bent to gently scoop up the limp form with the same clawed hands that, only minutes before, ripped through their enemies with cruel efficiency. “Non, but it’s not good, Chèrie.” Her sympathy rang through her animal-like voice.

  A small light of hope sparked in Cynda’s tear filled eyes. “Collett, you have to help her.”

  Dumbfounded, Collett looked back to Cynda. “What can I do?”

  “Whatever it is, it has to wait!” Rederrick barked from the other room. “We’re at risk here. We have to go!” All of them obeyed and hurried into the extra room. Rederrick secured the door behind them. “Cynda, get the rifles. Collett, get the extra phones and the packet from the safe.” He moved to the other side of the room and opened what looked like an electrical panel. He flipped the breakers in a seemingly random order, and there was an audible click that came from the closet.

  Rederrick looked back at the women to verify they had gathered up the items he instructed them to. As they made their way to him, he opened the closet and then pushed open a false wall, easily accessible behind the few items stored there.

  Delphene moved to go through. “You remember the way?” he asked. She nodded her canine head in reply.

  He jerked his head, motioning for her to go through first with Jenny in her arms. Cynda was next, handing him one of three loaded rifles as she passed by. Collett wasn’t far behind.

  “I’m sor—” she began.

  He stopped her with a shake his head. “Don’t. It is not your fault. Go on now. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She gave him a sad look but obeyed.

  Rederrick looked back into the room with a pang in his chest. He had known the chances of something like this happening increased when he invited Collett into his home, but to walk away from everything he had built here grated against his pride and his will to fight.

  He watched the monitors, resigned, as more demons and men rushed through the house ransacking it as they moved toward the den. It was as if they knew exactly where his security room would be found.

  In response to the pre-programmed code he had entered in the breakers, the computers began to crash and electricity sparked in various places. All his files were being destroyed, and he watched as the last TV went black, no longer affording him a view of the monsters destroying his home.

  He’d meant it when he’d told Collett wasn’t her fault. He’d been opposing The Faction and everything they stood for since they tried to take his beloved Cynda from him decades ago. He and Cade organized The Brotherhood to protect others who couldn’t do it for themselves. This room was created as a base of operations, and it was only a matter time before The Faction brought the fight to his door.

  He heaved a sigh and moved into the escape tunnel. The closet door would shut on its own. Rederrick slid the secret panel back in place and didn’t look back again. He wiped the regret from his mind and began to focus on the present. They were at a point of no return. It was time to take down The Faction once and for all. Otherwise, their enemy would stop at nothing to destroy The Brotherhood, and Rederrick refused to even consider that.

  He knew the best way to kill a serpent was to cut off its ugly head. That is exactly what they intended to do, but some sacrifices would have to be made to do it. Dismissing thoughts about the home he was leaving, Rederrick moved to catch up with the others.

  Chapter 16

  He sat in the still quiet of the cold evening leaning back, his arms supporting him, with his long legs stretched out before him. A light breeze stirred the chilly air around him, making it feel even colder. Not that he noticed such things. He could see the lights of the nearby town flicker on as darkness set over the landscape.

  That is how Cade found him, sitting in solitude, on the frozen hillside in Pennsylvania. Cade knew Jarrett heard his approach. He also knew Jarrett would have caught his scent and allowed Cade to follow him through the night and into that day on the long journey to this place. The fact that Jarrett made no attempt to conceal his actions or stop Cade was a good sign.

  Jarrett remained silent as Cade walked up carefully and sat down next to his brother on the cold, frozen earth. They sat together, the silence between them stretching out, as the sun finished its descent and long after the moon took its place above them. The night was as quiet as they were. Only the bitter wind stirred, making the trees rustle softly. In a way, the night felt subdued and peaceful.

  Finally, Jarrett showed his annoyance with a clipped, “What are you doing here?”

  Cade didn’t let Jarrett’s crisp words bother him. He simply shrugged. “Helping.”

  “I’m long past the age of needing a babysitter,” Jarrett replied tersely.

  “Oh I don’t know, you’re still prone to temper tantrums,” he retorted with a smile—inciting a fierce glare from his twin. Cade remained unfazed by his brother’s attempt to provoke him. He simply waited for Jarrett to do the talking.

  After a few more minutes passed, Jarrett asked, “Do you sense it?”

  “What?”

  “The shift in the balance—the darkness.”

  Cade offered no reply.

  “Things are changing,” Jarrett continued.

  “They always do,” Cade supplied, scrutinizing his brother. “Sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right.”

  Jarrett snorted. “I’m tired,” he admitted. “I’m not sure if I want to see any more changes. I hate change,” he finished and looked at Cade with empty eyes.

  “Change isn’t all bad,” Cade began, and Jarrett scoffed. “There’s indoor plumbing.” Shaking his head in disbelief, Jarrett couldn’t help the slight grin that pulled at his lips. Though, he didn’t allow Cade to see his reaction. After another long pause Cade asked, “Why fight so hard to live then? I’ve seen you in action. You don’t fight like a person who’s too tired to go on.”

  “Habit,” he replied with a shrug.

  “I don’t buy it. You fought like a demon, like someone who wants to live. In fact, I forgot how fierce you can be. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen your equal.”

  Jarrett ignored the compliment, letting Cade know he didn’t care much what his brother thought.

  “The demon part isn’t far off,” he finally mumbled as the breeze picked up.

  “Why are we here, Jarrett?” No reply was forthcoming as Jarrett turned his attention back to the town below. Cade tried again, “Why this place?”

  “Didn’t she already tell you? Don’t you two talk, or are you too busy doing other things?”

  Cade felt his
temper rise at the crude reference to his relationship with Collett, but he carefully held it in check. He knew it would only satisfy Jarrett if he lost it. He decided to let Jarrett tell him what he wanted, and keep what Collett had revealed to himself. “She doesn’t really understand it all herself,” he explained instead, “Plus, she’s determined to protect you, something I’m unsure about. She only told me to find you, so here I am.” He waited a beat then asked again, “Why am I here?”

  “Ever the obedient lap dog,” Jarrett sneered, but Cade could tell it was forced. There was no anger in his tone. Jarrett was as worn down as he claimed. Cade knew patience would be needed here.

  The night fell quiet again for a long time. Right when Cade felt his patience thinning, Jarrett finally spoke. “This is where it all changed,” he paused, “where I changed.” His willingness to share that revelation surprised them both. Jarrett wasn’t even sure why he said it. The memories were so hard for him to think about, let alone talk about.

  Jarrett hated the monster inside. He hated himself every time he lost his fragile control. Deep down, even so long after those horrific days of his childhood, he still believed the preacher’s words. He was a damned soul, a monster without hope of salvation. There was nothing left for him but death. He’d pondered it often these past weeks and believed he was nothing more than the bastard son of a demon. Frustrated by where his thoughts were taking him, he stood abruptly and started to walk away.

  “It’s not your fault you know. It is what it is,” Cade said to his back.

  Jarrett’s shoulders slumped, and he looked back with an expression that could only be described as pure agony. “You’d be wrong about that. It was my fault. She died because I wasn’t strong enough.”

  Cade understood with sudden clarity why Jarrett had fought so hard against everything throughout his life. It was a rebellion against weakness. He refused to bend to another’s will because of ancient events that were out of his control as a child. Anger helped mask the pain and guilt that were his constant companions. Cade recognized from the look in his brother’s eyes that the life shaping events from childhood were not the only ones haunting him—merely the first.