“Why? Wouldn’t she be the fastest way to get to Seattle?”
“Of course, she would,” I snapped. I didn’t think he needed to know that Eve was carrying an egg. Or eggs. “She’s not 100 percent, and if I can find a way to leave her behind for the next leg of the journey, I will.”
Cactus grimaced. “So what do you want to do?”
What I wanted to do was not take him with me. But unfortunately, the prick made some good points. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, thinking. Realistically, Eve would not be in any danger. She could fly me, us, as it was looking, to Seattle and there was no reason I should worry. Except that it was a salvage we were on, and I had no doubt there would be more danger ahead. Really, if I were honest with myself, this was the reality of any salvage that involved supernaturals. Or in this case, Elementals. Even I knew I was stalling, there was no other option.
“Once we’re at the airport, I’ll leave you to your own route,” Cactus said.
“That’s not the entire issue,” I snapped at him again, unable to contain my frustration. Damn it all. I could feel the clock ticking down, almost as if I could still Track. As if I could still feel Belinda on the ends of the threads that would lead me directly to her.
And I could feel the growing need to feed, and Cactus was starting to look good.
That was all it took to push me into a decision. “Come on. Eve can take us to Seattle.”
CHAPTER 6
WE FLEW UP the coastline, veering only once as we approached the territory that had previously belonged to the ogre tribes. They were all gone now, wiped out completely in the war with the demons. Except for the three babies. Kav, Rut, and Bam. They were the last.
The forest was coming back from the lava flows, and the site of Blaz’s burial was a testament to his life, a flowering oasis with a few giant thorn trees tossed in for good measure. I lifted a hand in salute and Eve let out a screech. Movement in the trees caught my attention, a flash of black I couldn’t be sure of and then it was gone. I narrowed my eyes and breathed in deeply. Even at our height, I caught a whiff of musk. Wolves.
Cactus was behind me on Eve, his hands rested lightly on my hips for balance. “You see what that was?”
I glanced at him. “You caught it, too?”
“Yeah, looked bigger than a bear to me.”
I twisted back to stare into the oasis and the surrounding area. “I smell wolves.”
“Big ass wolves then.”
I shrugged. “I’ve seen them big enough to dwarf a horse.”
He grunted as if I’d punched him.
“You know,” I said, just as a black-fletched arrow shot between Cactus and me, “Fuck, go high, Eve!”
She didn’t waste time in answering with anything more than powerful strokes of her wings that sent us climbing. Three more arrows shot toward us. Cactus flung a hand out and three basketball size rounds of fire shot in succession at the arrows. “We can take them, Rylee. I only saw three.”
“Three what?” I asked.
“Ogres,” he said. “I’m sure of it.”
Damn. If he was right, then the babies were not the last of their kind. Of course, if he was right, that didn’t necessarily make it a good thing that we’d found the remainder of the ogres.
Eve twisted her head. “If he is right, three on three we could take them.”
Everything in me rebelled at what came out of my mouth, but I knew the words I spoke were right, down to the marrow in my bones. “Leave them. We have a mission, we are on a salvage. They won’t follow us. They aren’t a part of this.”
“You’re turning away from a fight?” Cactus spit out. “Why?”
I half spun as we climbed and put a hand to his throat before he could say anything else. “I learned something from Lark, Cactus. There is a time and a place for everything. The ogres are not in our way. They have nothing to do with the girl. You, on the other hand, are a Salamander. And I’m hunting lizards. Got it?”
He paled. “I thought we were friends.”
“We are.” I smiled. “And that’s why I’m not pushing you off Eve’s back right now or digging my fangs into your neck.”
Funny enough, he didn’t put his hands back on my hips for balance but kept them instead on Eve. The rest of the flight to Seattle was quiet. We stayed high enough that any other surprises from the ground would be nullified by distance. On the other hand, we saw three more fighter jets whip by.
Eve shuddered as the third one passed, close enough to feel the ripple of the air it displaced like a wave from the passing of an ocean liner. “I don’t like it, Rylee. Human war . . . I know enough about it to know it won’t go well for anyone.”
I put a hand on her. “I doubt it will get that bad, Eve. They aren’t so stupid. No matter what Doran thinks he sees.”
Cactus startled. “What Doran sees?”
I shrugged and filled him on what Doran thought was coming. “He’s been wrong before.” And then I thought about what I’d said. Maybe that wasn’t exactly correct. I couldn’t remember a time Doran had been wrong. Things didn’t always pan out exactly the way I thought they would, but that didn’t mean he’d ever been wrong.
Eve brought us down in a big green space in the middle of Seattle. Kerry Park by the sign we passed. I jumped off her back and landed in a crouch. I looked over my shoulder at her, “Eve—”
“Yeah, I know. Stay here. I’ll wait for you.”
I reached up and touched her side. “If I’m not back by sundown, go home. It means I’m catching a flight out of here. Understand?”
She nodded and moved in a small copse of trees and tucked her head under her wing once more. I stood, feeling bad that I had to leave her behind again, but I knew it was for the best. She needed rest. More than anything, right now, I had to make sure she would be okay. If I worried about her, I wouldn’t be focusing on finding Belinda.
I did a quick check of weapons, touching them all, going over in my head what I might need. “Cactus, you coming?”
“Yes, Mother,” he snipped.
Fuck, I would be glad when he was on his own. I did feel like his mother. The mother of a mouthy assed teenage boy who thought he was all that and a bag of potato chips. Idiot.
He caught up to me and we moved quickly through the park until we stood outside the green space, cars zipping by. “Left or right?”
“Right. That takes us in the direction of the airport.” He turned and started down the road, which meant I was following him whether I wanted to or not. I refused to hurry and catch up. He could lead. Maybe he’d get mowed down by the next big bad ugly that wanted a piece of me. That thought made me smile.
Although after Orion was through with the supernatural world, I had to admit there weren’t that many big bad anythings left to deal with.
Cactus flagged down a cab. He got in and looked back at me. “You coming?”
With a nod, I slid into the cab and held my breath. The bright yellow cab coughed, the engine spluttered and then rumbled loudly again. I let myself relax into the seat, doing my best to keep my weapons out of sight. Which was kind of a joke. Then again, the cabbie didn’t seem to notice, which was fine by me.
Cactus kept up a running commentary with the driver that became nothing more than white noise to me. He was from Canada, making his way south and then east, looking for family members. Young guy, big and bulky like a body builder.
Cactus leaned forward and they chatted through the glass. I closed my eyes, thinking about what was ahead of us. Elementals stealing human children. Why? It didn’t make sense. Maybe Cactus would be of more use than I thought if I could get more info out of him.
The cab slowed to a stop and Cactus hopped out. I pulled money from my jacket pocket and slid it through the glass. “Thanks.”
The cabbie grinned and gave me a wink. “Anytime.”
I glanced at his nametag. Ivan. “Do I know you?”
He shook his head. “Nope, just willing to help one of my
own.”
I drew in a breath. Wolf. He was a werewolf. Damn, I was getting sloppy that I didn’t pick up on that. “Thanks. I think.”
Once out of the cab, the airport sprawled in front of me. The only thing to do was start smelling the air, seeing if I could pick up on the kid. “Where do we start, Cactus?”
“Anything going to Japan. I wasn’t kidding about Delta, though. We use them the most.”
I pushed my way in through the main doors. The crush of people, the smell of so many bodies, perfumes, food, unwashed clothes, nearly took my legs out from under me.
I was caught between wanting to run out, and wanting to dive into them, biting and drinking them down. Shaking, I held my breath for a moment to get my bearings. I could do this, I had to if I was to continue salvages. If I was going to live a life where I could be with my family. That thought strengthened my resolve. Fuck it all, I would do this if it killed me.
I looked up and away from the crush of bodies.
The big screen in front of me flickered with flight numbers, destinations, and time of arrival and departure. I scanned the destinations, found Okinawa, and underneath it, New York. A thought rumbled through me. A plan as it formed seemed to me like it might just work. I turned to the left, heading for the nearest ticket counter.
“How are you going to get through?” Cactus asked.
“I’m going to buy a ticket, idiot.” I made my way to the counter for the airline flying into New York. In a matter of minutes, I had a ticket.
“And the weapons?” Cactus whispered in my ear. He had bought himself a ticket and was in the security line with me. I was next to go and I had to restrain myself from reaching back and smacking him. It was almost as if he was trying to get me into trouble.
“Ticket.” The agent said to me, waving me forward. He was older than me, maybe in his fifties if his short, shorn, gray hair was any indication. With a hard lined face and steely blue eyes, I was betting he’d either been at this job a long time, or he’d moved in from being a beat cop. Great, I had to get the hard ass.
I handed him my ticket. He glanced over it, then up at me, eyes narrowing as they took in my leather jacket and the slight bulges of my hidden weapons. “Business or pleasure?”
Here we go, time to embrace my new strengths. For a salvage, I would do it, I would use everything I had at my disposal. “Pleasure.” I all but purred the word at him. His eyes fluttered and he swallowed hard. “How long?”
I weighed every word with as much oomph as I could. Doran had said to be careful with how I used my influence but I didn’t think I had time for careful, I needed it to work. “A very . . . very long time.”
His face pinked up and he swallowed again. “Go through the—”
“I’d rather you patted me down.” I smiled up at him and went so far as to bat my eyelashes.
He nodded. “That is your decision, of course.”
“In private,” I added.
I didn’t think his face could go many more shades of pink, but I was wrong. He motioned for me to follow him, his face a brilliant shade of red that could not be healthy for his heart. I obediently did as he asked, of course. The officer led me into a small room with no window. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.
“You are going to let me go without patting me down. I’m an FBI agent with special clearance.” Damn, I should have brought Liam’s old badge. It could have helped with the story.
“Excuse me?”
Shit.
Maybe I wasn’t so good at the mind mojo after all. I didn’t wait for him to ask again. I leapt at him, his eyes widened and I pinned him to the wall. I didn’t mean to do what happened next. All my reflexes kicked into overdrive.
Without thought, I buried my fangs into his neck and drank down the warm pulsing life. He tasted like whiskey and prime rib. I groaned and drew in another mouthful even though I knew I had to let go if I didn’t want to kill him. And I didn’t.
But this was one of only a handful of times I’d taken blood directly from a vein and there was far more pleasure in it than drinking from a flask.
With great effort, I pulled back before I’d taken too much to weaken him to the point where he wouldn’t be able to function. I licked my lips and stared into his eyes. “You are going to let me go without patting me down. I’m an FBI agent with special clearance.”
“Of course,” he mumbled, slurring his words. “Special clearance.”
“You got something I can wear that allows me clearance for weapons?”
His head bobbled as he stood, wobbled as he walked, and went to the only desk in the room. He pulled out a badge on a lanyard. He gave it to me, his eyes glazed as though he wasn’t really seeing anything.
“You’re going to stay in here and rest for a bit.” I pressed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him down into a chair.
He laid his head on the table and closed his eyes. “Good idea, I’m tired.”
I didn’t want to push my luck. I backed out of the door and strode away as if I belonged. A few of the other TSA agents eyeballed me but I held up the badge. “Special clearance.”
They were busy enough that after two of them took a close look at it, I was allowed to go. Cactus, on the other hand, was still stuck in line. Being patted down by an older woman who looked like she was completely enjoying herself as she slid her hands over his ass. I couldn’t help myself. I stopped one of the agents. “That red head, he was talking about people dying in the plane he’s booked on. I’d check him out thoroughly.”
They swarmed him as I left, laughing to myself. The last thing I saw of him a pair of tight lips and pissed off eyes as they dragged him away to some tiny room. Sure, he could blow holes in the walls with fireballs, but that wouldn’t get him on a plane.
Then again, he’d been trying to get me into trouble back there, turnabout was fair play.
Shit. I forgot he said he was supposed to be helping Lark. I paused then shook my head. I’d go back for him in a bit. Right now, I needed to see if there was any trace of the kid.
The area that flew into Okinawa was sparse. Must be between flights. All the better for me to pick up Belinda’s unique scent. I wove my way around the waiting area at each departure gate. Back and forth, back and forth. Nothing, over and over, nothing.
“Fuck it all to hell,” I bit out as a teeny tiny white-haired granny who slumped with age, passed me.
“Language, dearie. Only say fuck when you really mean it.” She smiled at me, her whole face wrinkling.
I smiled right back. “Oh, I always mean it.”
“Well, I guess it’s all right then.”
She toddled off, and a flood of new passengers worked their way toward me. Shit, I was going to have to hurry if I was going to—there it was. Belinda. I spun around, following my nose. I pushed between a couple much to their yelping displeasure, but I couldn’t do anything about it. My nose was leading and I couldn’t slow my feet; I was like a hound who’d finally caught the scent of its prey.
I hopped over several seats, people grumped and I flashed my ill-gotten badge which shut them up fast enough. I followed Belinda’s trail all the way to the gate I presumed she’d left on. The problem was I couldn’t tell if it was recent or not. In my head, I compared the smell from Belinda’s room and here. The gate was newer, of course, but not fresh. Damn it. How long since she’d passed through?
The ticket agent stared at me. “Can I help you?’
I didn’t miss a beat. I held up my badge. “When did the last flight out of this gate leave?”
“Last night,” her fingers flew over her keyboard. “Midnight, actually.”
Almost twenty-four hours then. “And they fly out how often?”
“Daily.”
If Camos was telling the truth, Belinda came through here weeks ago, and the faded scent confirmed that. I rapped my knuckles on the desk. Damn. Starting my search in Okinawa was going to be a bitch of epic proportions. “Do you have a phone I can use?”
She nodded, her eyes darting to my badge several times. “Do you need a private line?”
“That would be best.” I needed to get me one of these badges for everyday use. Suddenly the airport wasn’t a total and complete pain in my ass. Betsy, per her nametag, pointed at a door across the way. “Swipe your badge, down the hall to the left is a conference room you can use.”
I gave her a thumbs up and headed the way she pointed. I swiped my badge over the card reader and the piece of shit blinked red at me. “Mother—”
“Miss me?” Cactus breathed into my ear. I spun with an elbow, driving it hard into his solar plexus before I could stop myself.
“Fuck off, man! Don’t sneak up on me.”
He doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. I slipped off my badge and shoved it into his hand. “Make yourself useful.”
Slowly he straightened and pushed the badge against the reader. It blinked green and I grabbed the handle before it could change its mind and shoved the door open. Cactus stumbled after me. “I begin to see why you have so few friends.”
“My friends don’t talk down to me, Cactus. They don’t try to make themselves feel big by making someone else look dumb. We reserve that for people we don’t like.” I snatched my badge from him and went looking for the conference room. I found it, second door on the left and this time, it wasn’t locked. I went in and shut the door, leaving Cactus to thump on the barrier.
I grabbed the phone and lifted it to my ear, hoping that I would at least get a dial tone.
The steady beep was as welcome as a heartbeat. I dialed Liam’s house—I still thought of it as his, even though I lived there too. He picked up on the third ring.
“Hey.”
“Did you know it was going to be me?”
He chuckled. “Not too many other people are calling here.”
I smiled, missing him and the babies fiercely in that moment. “Everyone is good?” Liam hesitated and my heart sank and I struggled not to grip the phone receiver too hard. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. The triplets aren’t doing great. They’re hardly eating, they’re sleeping lots. No rough housing since you left.”
RYLEE (The Rylee Adamson Epilogues, Book 1) Page 7