Dark Seeker

by Taryn Browning

  Janie checked out her own chest, covered by her T-shirt and zippered hoodie. Not that there was much to look at anyway.

  Albania placed a kiss on Kai’s cheek. He held her hand gently, as if not to break her. A quiet intimacy lingered between them. They regarded each other in a different manner than Kai regarded her—not abrasive, direct and clumsy, but kind. Janie wondered if Kai and Albania were a couple.

  “You must be Janie?” Albania left Kai’s gaze and extended her long thin arm. Gold bracelets jangled around her wrist. “Please don’t stand. You’re injured. I will come to you.” Her light green eyes smiled.

  “You’re so young and pretty.” Janie sucked in a breath, realizing the words had left her mouth involuntarily.

  “She was expecting green skin, warts and a pointed hat—” Kai broke off with a laugh.

  “You forgot the broom,” Janie jeered. She looked past Kai, too irritated to meet his sarcastic expression.

  “She’s feisty. I like her,” Albania said. “And my broom’s outside. How else would I have gotten here?”

  Janie laughed, not sure if Albania was joking. Vampires and Daychildren, she could do. Witches were a whole new territory.

  “Now let me see your head.” Albania skirted the table and gently placed herself next to Janie on the couch. She smelled of citrus, as if she’d just rolled around in a barrel of oranges. “This might hurt a bit.”

  Albania gently separated the hair along her scalp. Janie winced.

  “Sorry, dear,” Albania said.

  “What do you think?” Kai peered over Albania.

  “I can get that out,” Albania assured him.

  Janie moved from Albania’s grasp and glared at Kai. “Get what out? I thought you said I needed stitches.”

  “You will, as soon as she gets the demon splint out of your skull,” he said.

  “The what?” Janie’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. She imagined a stake sticking out of her skull. I surely would feel that. “I have wood sticking out of my head?” she said, on the cusp of passing out.

  “It’s worse than that,” Kai said. “I would have just taken you to the hospital for a stake in your head.” He winked at Albania. “And let Albania sleep.”

  “Worse?” Janie swallowed repeatedly to moisten her dry throat. “My fingers feel numb.”

  “It’s an effect of the poison,” Albania said. She rolled a leaf into a ball and dipped it into some kind of citrus-scented oil. “This may sting for a second, but this should soak up the poison after I’ve removed the splint.”

  Janie bit down and tasted the blood from her split lip. Kai held her head tightly while Albania dug around in her skull. Janie’s dinner rose into her throat. She was a Seeker—tough. But this was different. The poison burned, and her insides felt as if they were on fire. She heard a rip and a tug, and then everything went black.

  Janie woke in a strange bed. She lay under black satin sheets on top of fluffy pillows. The sheets were warm and soft. Her legs slid across them, as slick as an ice-skating rink. Legs! She sprung upright and immediately remembered the splint. She grabbed her head, spreading her fingers out in her hairline, but there was nothing there, not even a bump to indicate a scar. And the searing pain was gone. Her nausea and numbness had also dissipated.

  Remembering her bare legs, she lifted the sheet and peered down. Where are my jeans? She felt slightly panicked. She was clothed in a deep maroon tee. The color of dried human blood. It smelled like clean lavender.

  “You’re up.” Kai poked his head in the door of the white bedroom with bare walls. There was a black dresser across the room. A flat screen hung on the wall over a stack of DVDs. “I thought I heard you.”

  “Where am I?” She gripped the satin in her fists. “And where are my clothes?”

  “Let’s start with question number one.” He strode over to the closet wearing only a towel. “You’re in my room.” He put his hand in the air. “Before you get your panties in a bunch, I didn’t undress you. Albania did. She thought you’d be more comfortable that way.”

  “That was nice of her. Please thank her for healing me.” Janie flipped her legs over the side of the bed, so they dangled in the air. “Where did you sleep?” His eyes stayed on her bare legs longer than she would have liked. She felt uncomfortable.

  “Downstairs, on the couch.” He retrieved a fresh T-shirt from his closet and slid it over his head. “I’ll put my jeans on in the bathroom.”

  “Thanks.” She tried to look away, but his towel dipped below his abs, exposing the V-shape swimmers have. She redirected her attention. “S—so what’s a demon splint, other than a thin piece of wood?”

  “It’s something demons use to inject poison into their victims.” He placed a black leather band around his wrist.

  “Humans?”

  “Usually.”

  “Why do Daychildren have them? I’ve never seen one. They usually just fight me with their speed, strength, and in some cases, abilities. I rarely see them with tangible weapons,” she said.

  “A demon brought them up from the demon community. They’re made of wood. Since Daychildren can’t touch silver without getting burned, they took a liking to this kind of weapon. Unfortunately, now the Daychildren know how to make their own poison. It’s lethal to humans. You would have been dead within hours.”

  Janie straightened her spine, wide-eyed and outraged. “And you were just going to let me ride the bus home with a poisonous demon splint in my head?”

  “You came in, so I didn’t have to consider it,” he said.

  Janie sank into thought. “What is your last name?”

  “Why?” He stood in front of the mirrored closet doors and ran his hands through his wet, highlighted hair, placing each platinum strip in its proper location.

  “I’m just curious.”

  “Sterdam.”

  “Kai Sterdam,” she repeated.

  Janie checked her watch. “Crap—it’s three—in the afternoon.” She jumped to the floor.

  “You were tired, effects of the poison.”

  “I missed a whole day of school, and my mom, she’s got to be worried sick.” She fumbled around, looking for her things.

  “Just think about how she’s going to feel when you tell her you stayed with a Daychild,” he said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Where are my clothes? Can you drive me home?”

  He pointed. “Albania folded them on the dresser.” Kai removed a pair of jeans from a drawer and exited the room. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  Janie retrieved her phone from the nightstand and called her mom.

  When she opened the front door, the sun battered her in the face. It felt as if she’d been asleep for days. It was chilly, but the blue sky helped soften the bite. In the daylight, Kai’s neighborhood seemed friendly enough. Kids rode their bikes up and down the sidewalks, and teenagers and adults sat on their porches and lined the entrance steps to their homes.

  “Are you ready?” Kai appeared at the base of the staircase.

  “Where’s your bike?” she said.

  “Out back.” He waved for her to follow.

  They exited through an unfinished basement. Nothing but concrete, wooden beams and exposed wires. She did notice a washing machine and dryer. Kai opened the sliding glass door for her. She stepped onto a compact paver patio. It extended into a small patch of grass. A tall wooden privacy fence outlined the small yard.

  Not even a bush or a potted plant surrounded the patio. “I still don’t see your bike.”

  Kai removed the metal disk from his pocket and threw it back into the air. Like before, a motorcycle formed and glided toward the ground. The rubber tires bounced onto the stone pavers.

  “Why didn’t you just leave it parked on the street like everyone else?”

  “Not in this neighborhood.” He lifted the kickstand and hopped on.

  “If I didn’t need to get home, I would ask you again how a thin metal disk turns into a Harley.”
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br />   “I’ll be anticipating that question, then.” He threw her a helmet.

  She caught it and held it between her palms. “Pink? This helmet’s different from last night’s.”

  “I had to get another. You dropped the other one in the city.” He didn’t seem as annoyed as she had expected.

  “Why pink?”

  “Don’t human girls like pink?” Janie stared at him. “Okay, next time, I’ll go with black.”

  She nodded. There won’t be a next time.

  She placed the helmet on her head and threw a leg over the side of the bike. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned forward, hugging his back and interlocking her fingers. “Ready,” she said. “One question—how are we going to get out of your yard with the fence?”

  Kai removed a small knife from a hidden compartment on the bike. He raised his arm and flung the knife forward with full force in the direction of a double gate. It lodged in the lock, flipping the metal latch open. The double doors swung out. The engine roared to life and the bike lurched forward. They slipped out of the gate, veering left into an alley, and exited on to the street.

  Janie’s house was located in a quiet suburban neighborhood in Towson, only a few streets away from school. They drove down her cul-de-sac. She pointed to her driveway. A white two-story Colonial with black shutters and a red door sat squarely on about a quarter acre. Its wraparound porch made the three-bedroom home appear larger. She smiled. Her dark blue Honda Civic waited for her in the driveway.

  “Who’s that?” Kai said.

  “That’s my car. The one I tried to hit you with. It had to be fixed.” A familiar silver Acura sat across the street, parked in front of Ava’s car.

  “No, not what’s that, who’s that?” Kai said, louder this time.

  Janie’s eyes slid over to her porch. Then she realized. It was his Acura across the street. “Oh—that’s Matt,” she said. What’s he doing here?

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “No!”

  “Then why is he holding that?”

  She had no idea why he’d shown up at her house, and certainly couldn’t imagine why he’d be holding a rose. Janie dipped her head into Kai’s back. “I don’t know.”

  CHAPTER 4

  The motorcycle’s engine roared to life. Kai sped down her street and disappeared around a turn. Janie breathed in a sigh of relief. She wondered if Matt would disappear too if she walked slowly enough up her front walk. Nope, still there. Damn!

  She searched the porch for Ava, but didn’t see her. Did she really have to be alone with him?

  “Hey, Janie.” Matt greeted her a few feet from the steps, wearing his varsity wrestling jacket, a lightweight sweater and jeans.

  “What is that?”

  “A rose.” He smiled.

  “I mean, why?” She focused on the single yellow rose; the petals had just started to unfold. From what she remembered, yellow only meant friendship. It was red she had to fear.

  “You saved my life. It’s the least I can do. Besides, I was worried about you when you didn’t show up at school today.” He handed her the rose.

  “Thanks.” She half-smiled. “I was sick today.”

  “Who was that guy on the bike? Your boyfriend?” he said.

  She blinked and replayed his question in her mind. It sounded ridiculous.

  Janie coughed, stifling a laugh. “Who, Kai? Hardly.”

  “Yeah, who was that?” Ava appeared in her doorway. Luke followed behind her, wearing plaid pants and a solid gray sweater. A white scarf hung meticulously around his neck.

  “When did you two get here?” Janie said.

  “A few minutes ago,” Ava said. “We stopped by to check on you. Your mom let us in. I noticed your Honda in the driveway this morning. When you didn’t answer the door, I figured you got to school some other way.”

  “Where were you, and who was the hottie on the Harley?” Luke added. He gazed off into the distance, no doubt picturing Kai riding off into the sunset.

  “Nowhere, and nobody important.” She brushed by Matt and climbed the porch steps.

  “So, Janie, there’s this bonfire tonight, at Pete’s. His parents own like acres of land. Are you interested in going?” Matt said.

  Janie swung back around. “Um, what?”

  Luke hung over the porch rail, entranced by every word that rolled off of Matt’s tongue. “Sounds fun.” His scarf acted as a good bib to catch his drool.

  “Um—” Janie glared at Luke. “I’m busy.”

  “Come on, Janie, it does sound fun.” Ava shot her an are-you-crazy look. “Live a little.”

  She didn’t participate in lame school activities, but Janie knew she wasn’t going to win this argument. Anyway, Luke had probably already mentally picked out his outfit. “Fine, I’ll think about it,” she said.

  Isabelle rested the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She waved her hand for Janie to sit. Janie plopped down into the leather armchair and propped her feet up on the ottoman. She massaged her calves. It was nice to finally take her boots off. Her dagger had been digging into her leg half the night, well before she ended up in a T-shirt asleep in a very odd Daychild’s bed.

  Her living room was large enough for a sofa, chair and ottoman. A flat screen hung above the brick fireplace. The walls were still a light sage green from when they moved in. Isabelle never put any effort into painting since they moved every four years. One large scenic picture of a barn blanketed in snow hung above the sofa. A picture of Janie’s dad perched on the side table next to a bulbous lamp. Janie sighed. The ache in her heart twitched. Dad, I miss you.

  “Sorry, that was Abram.” Isabelle entered the living room, her dark brown eyes serious under knitted brows. “Did you come home last night?”

  Isabelle had seemed too preoccupied with her conversation with Abram to be that angry. “The city was crazy last night. You know how it is. Some nights are worse than others.”

  From Isabelle’s blank expression, Janie wondered if she’d even heard her explanation. “Is everything okay, Mom?”

  Isabelle sighed. “The Apotheosis had a meeting last night, over at the old Baptist church on Dulaney Valley Road.” Pieces of her straight black hair had fallen out of her loose bun. They wisped around her forehead as she spoke.

  “What did Abram say?” Janie knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good. The Baltimore-based Apotheosis Chapter only met under troublesome circumstances. The Chapter consisted of three men—all former Seekers, Abram included. He’d been her mentor for as long as she could remember. Janie regarded him as a second father.

  “Apparently there’s been some sort of uprising in the city. It seems as though the Daychildren have upset the vampire community.”

  “But why would they do that? Vampires created them,” Janie said.

  “Somehow, Daychildren have figured out how to ‘Turn’ humans. They no longer need vampires or demons to create more of their kind.” Isabelle paced the floor, mulling over the ramifications of the new information. “Fortunately, humans who are Turned are not as powerful as demons that are Turned, since they don’t possess a demonic ability, but we still need to consider them a threat.” She turned to Janie. “They are still Daychildren, ability or no ability. You will have to treat them the same.”

  Janie thought back to the Daychildren she’d fought over the last week. Mr. Muscles didn’t appear to have an ability, but Mr. Telekinesis with the mullet did. Even though only one of them possessed an ability, they were both equally as dangerous to human society. “Mom, not all Daychildren have abilities. In fact, more and more I come across don’t possess an ability, but that’s not the issue right now. . .we can’t allow humans to be Turned. We’ve got to put a stop to this. It’s hard enough to keep humans from dying, but now I have to keep humans from Turning?” Janie exhaled in frustration. “It’s going to be twice as much work.”

  “According to Abram, they are forming gangs to support their cause,” Isabelle said.
/>   “That explains why there was a gang of them in a law office downtown. I ran into them last night.” Janie touched her head, remembering the demon splint.

  “Were you prepared?” Isabelle examined Janie for cuts or bruises.

  Janie brushed it off. “It was fine. I got away. But at least I know where they are now.” She sank back into the chair and clutched a green throw pillow to her chest. She wasn’t ready to tell her mother about Kai. Isabelle would be furious to hear she’d spent the night with a Daychild, even if he had saved her life. “So what’s the plan? How do we stop them?”

  “The Chapter is meeting again tonight to discuss action. Abram will come by tomorrow morning. Hopefully they’ll have a plan by then.” Isabelle aligned the magazines on the coffee table into a fan pattern. “I wouldn’t confront them again until we hear from Abram. Maybe you should lay low tonight.”

  “You mean take a night off?” Janie leaned forward and rested her palm on her mother’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

  In the background, she heard a news anchor reporting on a high school kid’s disappearance. Janie and her mother turned their attention to the TV. “. . .his parents reported the Towson High School student missing after he went out to play basketball and never returned home. If you know anything about the student’s disappearance, please call the Baltimore County Police Department.”

  Isabelle shut off the TV. “I hope they find him. I can’t begin to imagine what his parents are going through right now.” She placed the remote in line with the magazines. “What are your plans for this evening? I noticed you had quite the entourage on the front porch.”

  “It was just Ava and Luke.”

  Isabelle directed her attention to the rose Janie had placed on the side table. “Who gave you the rose? I doubt it was Luke. You don’t seem like his type,” she said, smiling despite herself.

  “Matt Baker. Now can we drop it?” Janie escaped her mother’s stare.