by Tate, Sennah
Desmond’s arm draped around her again. She tried not to flinch this time.
“That’s okay. We’ll just have to play offense,” he said.
“Easier said than done,” said Ty.
“We can do it though, patrol around town,” Trick said.
“But we won’t be able to cover everything at once,” Carson replied.
“Something is better than nothing, though,” Gemma said, her gaze still locked on Alina and Desmond.
“That’s true,” said Carson, “and I’ll be most effective as the wolf.”
Gemma whipped her head to face him, her hair flying in the process, “But…”
“I promised I would always tell you, I didn’t promise I wouldn’t do it anymore,” he said, interrupting her objection.
“I don’t like it,” she said, “the others can’t even see the shadows, how are they going to help you?”
“I… uh… I think that might be different now,” Alina offered, “If P-p-preston is getting stronger, that means the shadows are, too.”
Gemma frowned; wasn’t Alina supposed to be on her side? What ever happened to girls sticking together?
“Okay… but that’s still not a guarantee. What if something happens and I have to pull you back?” Gemma asked with tears welling in her big brown eyes.
Carson’s hands settled on her hips and pulled her into a close embrace, “I won’t let that happen, Gem.”
She clung to him for a moment longer than necessary. She wanted to remember this — the strength of his embrace, the steady beat of his heart against her chest, the warmth that flowed through her veins at the very sight of him and the woodsy smell that overwhelmed her senses when he was nearby — she didn’t want to forget a single detail. Carson was too precious to her and this plan was too foolhardy.
“We’ll wait until nightfall. There won’t be much use going out before that.”
Gemma pulled Carson aside and left her hand resting on his taut bicep.
“What about Aaron?”
“What about him?” Carson’s eyes flashed with anger giving her a glimpse of the wolf beneath.
“Do you think he’ll be sobered up by then?”
“Gemma, I have better things to do with my time than babysit a grown ass man.” He knew the minute the words were out of his mouth that he’d been too harsh with her.
“I… I would just feel better if you had more people with…” her lip quivered and Carson wrapped his arms around her, cursing himself.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do about those two,” he said.
“You wanna try to switch? I’ll talk to Aaron and you can talk to Izzy?”
Carson laughed, “I’m pretty sure I’m the next to last person Izzy wants to talk to. You’re more than welcome to talk to Aaron, but you’re wasting your time.”
She frowned.
“I don’t think you should exclude him,” she said.
“He’s excluding himself. You saw him; he’s a mess.”
Gemma nodded, remembering all too well the signs of addiction and avoidance from her youth.
“I know. But aren’t we all, right now? It just manifests in different ways.”
Carson smiled and surprised her with a firm kiss.
“See! That’s why I love you. You always find a way to empathize.”
Gemma shrugged, “I just have to remember that everyone else is human, too.”
“Except when they’re not!” Trick chimed in.
“Eavesdrop much?” Gemma teased.
“Ow. It’s going to take weeks for me to recover from that burn,” Trick volleyed.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Gemma said ignoring Trick.
“Ooh, baby, I love to hear what you’re thinking,” Carson said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
She smacked his shoulder with a playful grin.
“I give Aaron a few hours to finish sleeping it off before I tell him you’re going out without him. He can make up his mind then if he wants to sober up to help you or not. Then, I’ll stand faithful watch over your limp body as you go fight evil shadow monsters and worry me half to death,” she feigned a swoon.
“Hmm. That’s a pretty solid plan, but I noticed a pretty sizable gap. What are your plans for the next few hours?”
“I’m so glad you asked that,” she purred. “I was going to ask if you had any suggestions.”
His hand traveled down her back, drawing out tiny shivers as he traced a line over her spine.
“I could think of a thing or two to entertain you,” he whispered, his voice growing husky.
“Oh god, please. Just get naked or get out of here. My gag reflex is only so strong,” Trick said.
Carson looked peeved, but Gemma laughed it off.
“Well, let’s give the man what he wants!” She said, reaching for the hem of her shirt.
Carson’s eyes grew ten times their normal size and his hands flew to cover hers before she could pull her shirt up. In one swift movement he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up the stairs, her laughter trailing after them.
<<<>>>
“Ugh, can you believe them?” Trick said, making a face of disgust.
“Yes, seeing one of our best friends happy and in love is quite revolting, I agree,” Ty said.
Trick answered with a roll of his eyes.
“Yeah yeah. I’m the bad guy because I think all this mushy crap is getting in the way of more important things.”
“Oh?” Ty asked, quirking an eyebrow without ever lifting his gaze from the monitor in front of him.
“Yeah! Like why I don’t have super powers yet,” he said.
“You have to find your Evoker,” Alina said, drawing their attention to her. She sank back into her chair, her cheeks turning pink.
Dez urged her to continue.
“But there’s no way of even knowing if you are a Traveler…” she muttered.
“So, why haven’t we all turned into crazy people if this frenzy is so strong?” he asked, feeling like he was finally getting somewhere with figuring this all out.
Alina shrugged; the corners of her mouth fell into a frown and her eyes refused to meet anyone’s.
“The most vulnerable people are those that have damaged their souls or — in the case of Travelers and Evokers — have met their soulmate but have yet to have the chance to bond with them. It leaves a kind of… hole. The frenzy takes hold and the hole grows and grows.”
Trick drummed his fingers on the table.
“So then… the shadows move in?” he asked.
“Like some kind of nefarious hermit crab,” Ty added.
“And, according to Carson, he can sometimes pull them free, but sometimes they’re too ingrained and the person can’t survive,” Trick said.
Alina nodded, impressed with how quickly they’d all caught on.
“That still doesn’t explain how Isabel’s shadow disappeared,” said Ty.
“I think I have a theory about that,” said Alina.
<<<>>>
There was blood everywhere. Her stomach turned at the sight of it. But even worse than the gore in front of her eyes was the stench that assaulted Izzy’s nostrils. The metallic scent of fresh blood mingled with the caustic fumes of vinegar.
She was terrified. Yet she wasn’t scared at all. She knew that smell. She knew this place. But where was it?
Her heart raced, but she couldn’t feel it in her chest; she only heard the roar of her blood rushing through her ears.
The trail of blood seemed like it would never end.
The pit in Izzy’s stomach grew and turned over and over, churning a tsunami of panic.
She stepped through a doorway and the scene changed. There was rubble everywhere. A feeble cry for help. Silence.
The blood roared in her ears and she strained to hear the call again.
She stumbled over a pile of debris, catching herself with her hands; white-hot pain lanced through her but she held in her cry,
hoping to hear something else. Blood trickled from her palms and dripped on the rocks underfoot.
The rocks slipped away from under her. One by one they crumbled and slid down the heap until she was no longer there.
The scene fell away and Isabel found herself in a large empty space.
She spotted it on the horizon: a small mound that could have been anything, but it wasn’t nothing. Everywhere else she looked was nothing.
She ran to the something.
It looked like another rock until she grew closer.
Her blood turned to ice.
It was a person.
She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t remember breathing this entire time, but it didn’t bother her until that moment.
She gasped, trying to catch a breath that wouldn’t come. Her lungs burned with emptiness. She felt like her chest would explode.
She knelt next to the body.
It was cold and still. Stiff.
Her blood continued to drip and she balled her hands into fists to stem the tide.
Izzy thought she might be sick, but the burn in her lungs forced her to inhale instead.
Dizziness encroached on the far reaches of her mind. Her vision tunneled.
But she had to see who it was…
She turned the body, bracing herself for the mask of death on their face.
Her eyes fell on the face, but the tunnel was already there. The body slipped away from her fingertips.
She fell.
And fell.
She thought she would keep falling straight to the center of the Earth.
Izzy awoke in her bed with a jump.
She gasped for breath, trying desperately to fill her lungs though they’d never really been empty. Her chest still ached from the lack of oxygen.
Her heart raced and her stomach roiled against her. She thought about the pale gray skin of the person in her dream and shuddered.
The blood everywhere…
It was the warehouse. She was sure of it. But it was just a dream, wasn’t it?
She debated warning the others, but after the way they’d all turned their backs on her, she didn’t know. She didn’t really want to have everyone calling her crazy again.
It was just a dream; there was nothing to worry about.
Izzy pulled herself out of bed; a thin layer of sweat coated her skin and she didn’t particularly feel like laying in a damp bed.
She made her way into the bathroom and reached for the hot water. In the light of the bathroom she saw something she hadn’t before; something that made her heart stop.
Angry red raised scars criss-crossed her palms.
<<<>>>
“Aaron! Open the door!” A woman called to him before banging her fist against his door furiously again.
“Goway,” he muttered, pulling the blankets over his head.
“Fine, you asked for this!”
He heard something slip between the door and the jamb and then a click as his door swung open. In his drunken stupor he’d neglected his usual six-lock ritual.
“What the—” He pulled himself out of bed, ready to bite the head off of whoever dared break into his house.
He spotted the blond in his kitchen, clearing off enough counter space to make a cup of coffee.
“Gemma, what are you doing here?”
Her eyes met with his, but her jaw stayed resolutely set. She clearly thought he should already know the answer to that question.
“If you’re here for an intervention, you’re wasting your time.”
She made the coffee in silence.
Aaron realized he was standing there in only his boxers and rummaged through the piles on his floor for something acceptably clean to wear.
He reemerged in the kitchen and she thrust a mug of coffee at him.
“No thanks. What are you here for?”
She offered the coffee again and sipped on hers without a word.
He sighed and took the mug. She obviously wasn’t going to talk to him unless he played by her rules.
“How did you get in?”
She raised her eyebrows and glanced at his still-full mug.
He sighed and took a long gulp of the piping hot liquid. It flowed through him and helped to wake up parts of him he’d let go dormant.
“Carson taught me a few things,” she said.
“That fucking credit card trick?”
She hid her smile behind another drink.
“So why are you here? If you’re looking for apologies you’re wasting your breath.”
“I just thought you should know that the other men are going on patrol in a couple of hours.”
“Patrol? They’re going out looking for trouble?”
Gemma shrugged, “I’m not thrilled with the plan.”
“So what makes you think I give a shit about their suicide mission?”
A frown deepened the faint lines in her forehead.
“I thought you’d want to be involved,” she said.
“If they don’t want me around, that’s fine by me.”
He set the mug down and crossed his arms.
“You did what you set out to do. You can leave now.”
Gemma shook her head.
“You know, I thought that they would have taught you better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“In the Army? Don’t they tell you to never leave a man behind?”
“I don’t need rescuing, Gemma.”
“I’m not talking about you, you narcissistic asshole. I’m talking about your friends. The men you claim to care about?”
“They’ll be fine without me,” he said dismissively.
“And you’re full of shit. We both know that none of them are giving this situation as much weight as it deserves. If something happens to one of them, I’m holding you accountable. You are the one with the training and skills they need and you are turning your back on your friends. You really want to pick a fight over Alina of all people?”
Aaron’s eyes fell to the floor. He knew he should be ashamed of the things he said to her. The dull ache in his face reminded him that Dez agreed.
“Everyone is pissed at you, but if you show up tonight, it’s not too late to redeem yourself,” she said.
He reached for his coffee and emptied the mug.
“What about Izzy?”
“How about you stop worrying about her for a while and worry about your friends?”
Aaron groaned and set his mug down with more force than necessary.
“I can’t stop thinking about her. Don’t you get it?”
“Then why the Hell do you have to argue with her every step of the way?”
“Well…” he scratched absently behind his ear, avoiding eye contact, “I mean… it didn’t actually happen that way.”
“What way did it happen?” she asked.
He rubbed the stubble on his chin and shook his head.
“It didn’t happen at all. She wants everyone to think I took advantage of her or something.”
Gemma sighed; “No, she swears it happened. I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but come to an agreement or forget about her because this is screwing with everyone.”
Aaron didn’t appreciate being given orders by Carson’s girlfriend, but he realized that within their group, Gemma was the Alpha female. If it was Carson’s job to keep everyone on task, it was Gemma’s to keep everyone happy. It was an unenviable position and he’d only been making it harder for her.
“All right. I’ll come tonight,” he said.
Gemma smiled and took both of their mugs to the sink for a quick rinse.
“Sun down. Don’t be late,” she said with a satisfied grin as she turned to leave.
Chapter Four
“He said he’d be here,” Gemma said.
“I don’t care what he said. We’re not waiting for him all night,” said Carson, a harsh edge creeping into his tone.
“Just give him five more minutes,”
Gemma pleaded. She knew Carson was anxious about going out as the wolf. She was too.
And she knew that he was more worried about Aaron than he let on. Aaron wasn’t the only thing either; Carson worried about all of his friends joining him in this dangerous situation.
He was conflicted for wanting them all to be there; there was safety in numbers, but also more opportunities for accidents. By asking them along, Carson knew he was risking their lives.
“Fine, five minutes. Not a second more,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Carson wasn’t well-renowned for his patience. His anxious nerves certainly didn’t help matters.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Florida air came alive with the sound of mosquitoes buzzing, cicadas singing and the occasional cricket chirp. The constant hum of activity just outside the window only made Carson more eager to get out there.
Gemma pulled Carson away from the window.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.
“It’s just like neighborhood watch, it’s not a big deal.”
She placed her hands on her hips with an exasperated glare, “Most neighborhood watches don’t have to contend with shadow monsters and magic addictions.”
He kissed her pout until it disappeared and she was left grinning despite herself.
“Have no fear! I’m here!” Aaron announced himself as he walked through the door.
“About time you showed up,” Carson said.
“And you didn’t bring your usual cloud of fumes,” Ty added.
The delicate muscles in Aaron’s jaw twitched.
“I just came to help. Can we lay off?”
Carson nodded and said “Okay.”
Ty didn’t say anything for a few minutes until Carson turned his steely blue gaze on him.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
Dez nodded and relaxed his shoulders.
“What’s the plan?” Aaron asked, laying out an arsenal of guns and knives on the table in front of them.
Gemma inhaled a breath and took a step back from the table. She’d never been so close to a gun in the wild. She’d seen them on Police Officers and the like, but this was somehow different.
“What’s all this for? We’re just patrolling,” said Trick.