AIR Series Box Set

by Amanda Booloodian

  "Before this, I had never thought about it." Now it would plague my thoughts, but I kept that to myself.

  "Well, I'm going to get back to Kyrian so we can give Agent Boone the good news."

  "Thanks," I said. "Let me know if you need anything else from me."

  He left the room, and I felt relieved when he shut the door behind him. Once again, I felt the need to take a few minutes to myself, before people came in and I'd have to deal with them again.

  On the plus side, I felt better. The interrogation had worn me down a little. Finding out everyone had thought I died hadn't helped matters, but in all, I was antsy to get to my feet. Before I could do that, I needed to convince someone to bring me clothes.

  I didn't get long to think about it. Dr. Yelton came back in to check up on me since my interview was over.

  "I'm fine," I said. "Better than I thought I'd be."

  "That's good to hear," Dr. Yelton said. He didn't take my word alone, though. He checked me over again. "I'm going to ask a nurse to remove everything except the IV fluids. We'll keep you on those until tomorrow."

  "I don't suppose I have any clothes lying around here, do I?" I asked.

  "Logan brought a bag in for you. Once the nurse is done, she can help you into your clothes, but that doesn't mean you get to start running around. Stay in bed."

  "Can I get a tablet?" I asked.

  "No working."

  I sighed, but at least I could get dressed. The nurse took Dr. Yelton’s spot a few minutes later. After she disconnected me from various machines, she hovered while I changed. Once I climbed back in bed, she left. Checking everything within easy reach of the bed, I looked for a phone, any phone, I didn't care whose, but I didn't find anything. Had I been in a real hospital, one would be in my room, but I had no such luck in the clinic.

  Outside the room, coming from down the hall, I heard whistling. The enchanting whistle that could only come from an elf. Even though the song probably talked about cowboys, I couldn't help but smile.

  Logan came into the room, his cowboy boots clicking when they struck the floor. "Howdy, partner."

  "I'm glad to see you," I said. "I need your phone, any phone, I want to call Gran and Mom."

  "Sure thing." Logan dropped his hat on the bedside table and dug around his pockets for his phone. "Rider will bring yours later today."

  "Wasn't he supposed to bring it last night?"

  "Doc asked us to hold off. Today though, even after your busy morning, you're looking better."

  "Thanks. I'm feeling loads better. I'm crossing my fingers he'll let me out of here tomorrow."

  Logan handed over the phone.

  "Have they released Boone yet?" I asked.

  Logan shook his head. "Haven't heard they were going to."

  "Oh." I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

  "We have a meeting in a few minutes. Maybe they'll fill us in there."

  "We, as in the agency?"

  "No, it'll be Hank, Vincent, Rider, and me. I think Paulson and one of his crew will be there, along with the director."

  "I take it I'm not invited." It sucked to think I couldn't be at the meeting. It wasn’t that I enjoyed the meetings, but I hated feeling left out.

  "Not this one. Don't be in a hurry to rush to your feet." His light tone had a kernel of seriousness tucked in his tone.

  My partners had spent days worrying I died, then I came back, they thought they were watching me die. I could see his point of view about not wanting to see me rushing back to work.

  Clasping my fingers together, I twiddled them around in my lap. "Paulson filled me in on what happened while I was gone."

  "Did he now?" Logan asked.

  I couldn't tell if Logan was upset about that, but I moved on. "I'm really sorry if you all thought..." My eyes started to burn. "I mean—"

  Logan chuckled. "You're apologizing for being dragged into another dimension by a madman?"

  "Pushed in," I said, wanting to set the record straight. "I was pushed in."

  Logan raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask what I meant. "We figured you'd give Boone a run for his money."

  "Did you?" I asked, trying to smile.

  "We were worried, but after the first day, we went at it assuming you'd be waiting for us to get the portal back open."

  "After the first day?"

  Logan dropped some of his smile. "Well, they tried to keep us off site for a while. We only heard what happened."

  "I can't even imagine." I tried to shake the thought out of my head, but it lodged in tight. Sniffing, I knew I'd break down if I followed that train of thought. "So, they tried to keep you out."

  "Well, there's not much they can do to us to keep us away. Agent Paulson was the only one even to try to block Vincent's way. No one likes the idea of standing between a black-eyed Walker and his intended destination. Especially when he's adamant he's going to be there."

  "I imagine they'd be pretty hard pressed to stop a werewolf or an elf." I grinned, imagining the picture.

  "Well, they do know what we can do. Mind you, I thought all bets would be off when Vincent grabbed Paulson's arm."

  "What? He didn't try—"

  "No," Logan said. "He just pulled the man closer for a private chat. No idea what he said, but Paulson thought it over, then let us through. He watched us, naturally. Once Rider was convinced you hadn't shed a drop of blood on this side, we had hope. Vincent thought your soul was still kicking, so we figured we'd better get the portal open."

  "We waited there on the other side." My eyes burned and I knew I had to change the subject. "Speaking of which, we need to rethink our gear bags."

  Logan stood. "Funny, we were thinking the same thing. We'll do that when you get back to work."

  I grabbed his hand and gripped it. "I knew you all were coming to get me."

  He gently squeezed my hand and let go before picking up his hat. "You went and beat us to it. It's good to see you back."

  "It's good to be back." I settled against the bed, but didn't lay it flat and remained propped up. "Do you mind closing the door behind you?"

  "Sure thing."

  When the door clicked shut, I looked at Logan's phone for a minute and took a few meditative breaths before typing in Logan's code and calling.

  As soon as I heard Gran's voice, I realized I should have meditated longer. "Gran, it's me."

  "Darlin', it's so good to hear your voice." Gran's voice cracked.

  After that, there were a lot of tears. Being at work, I tried to restrain mine, but someone would have had to be made of granite not to tear up when Gran cried. After a few minutes, Gran passed the phone to Mom. There were more tears. Mom was the first to recover, and then she turned all business.

  "When are they letting you out of that wretched place?" Mom asked.

  "I'm hoping tomorrow." I tried to reign back in my emotions and get myself under control.

  "Well, if not, I'm calling the police. They can't keep you locked up for no reason."

  I chuckled. "I assure you, Mom, I'm not locked up. It's basically a hospital, but the doctor only has a few patients. Trust me, I'm getting better care here than anywhere else."

  "Well, your grandmother insists you come home as soon as you can. She can't see anything about you in the building. Too much interference, she says."

  "Yeah, that's usually the case."

  "I heard Logan and the others stopped by," I said.

  "When they weren't at work, one or more of them would stop by to check on us. They kept us filled in on their progress, and Vincent made sure your rabbit was fed. There seems to be something wrong with the thing, but your grandmother wouldn't let me take it to the vet."

  "Frank's okay, and he has a doctor," I said, thinking about Taylor. I'm pretty sure Taylor could count as Frank's doctor. He takes blood samples, anyway.

  "Well, that's good to hear, at least."

  "I should let you all go," I said.

  "But you might be home tomorrow?" Mom ask
ed.

  "I hope so, but it's up to the doctor."

  "Well, be sure to let me know when you are on your way home and I'll stop by. I can stay for a while if you need me."

  "You don't have to do that, Mom." Mom was fine in short doses, but I didn’t think a few days of her would work.

  "I don't want any extra stress on your grandmother right now. I can take care of you."

  It had to have been a hard time for them, those past few days. Or had it been a week? "I'll be fine when they send me home. Actually, I'm fine now, but they want to monitor me for a while."

  "Do you not want me here?" Mom asked. I could hear the hurt in her voice, but there was a hint of warning there as well.

  "Of course I want you there, Mom. It'll be great to have you around," I lied. "You and Gran, you're okay, right?"

  "We are now that we've heard from you. Get some rest and come home."

  "I will."

  The talk with Gran and Mom had done what the doctor, visitors, and interrogation hadn't been able to do. It had worn me down. It didn't help that my head pounded. I put Logan's phone on the table by the bed and used the controls on the bed to lie down a little more. I had intended on only resting my eyes, but I fell asleep.

  When I woke up, it was quiet and outside the window, it looked as though the sun had given up on the day. The door clicking shut had been what woke me.

  Seeing Vincent, I couldn't help but smile again, although if he kept sleeping here, he would never get any real rest.

  "Hi," I said. "How did the meeting go?"

  He smiled at me. "It went well. Boring stuff." He walked over to the tall table that stood beside the bed.

  My smile fell. "What's wrong?" Something felt off. Vincent didn't smile like that. At least he rarely did. Not for the whole world to see.

  "Nothing’s wrong," Vincent said. He looked nervous.

  Vincent didn't do nervous. Maybe I was mistaken and he was just really happy. "Okay," I said, unconvinced. The smile looked manic and creepy, but I didn't say anything. "Did anything happen today?"

  "The usual." He dumped something onto the table and wouldn't look at me. At least the weird smile began to fade.

  "Did they let Boone out?"

  "Don't worry about Boone. I'll be seeing him next."

  "Listen," I said, reaching out and touching Vincent's arm, "I wanted to talk to you..."

  Vincent looked down at my hand, and then went back to whatever he was doing.

  No fire sprang between us. No energy. No connection.

  This wasn't Vincent.

  Swallowing hard, I took my hand away and tried to ease myself to the other side of the bed, away from the man.

  My stomach felt like a stone had landed in it and I knew talking would give me away. I reached my hand over to the call button.

  He snatched the button away. "The doctor is busy at the moment. You don't want to go bother him."

  "Right," I said. "Listen, I was going to go down the hall and…" I swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

  The man gripped my arm, hard, and yanked me back toward him.

  When I looked back at him, his eyes were flat black. A clone of Vincent's face—even the thin scar that ran across his temple, but this wasn't the black-eyed Walker people feared. The features were the same, but the face contorted with emotions.

  Then I saw the needle. Swinging my leg up, I kicked the man in the chest. He let go, looking stunned that I had kicked him. I scrambled off the side of the bed, pulling off the IV tube on the way. The man rounded the bed faster than I had anticipated.

  "Cassie, what's wrong?" he asked.

  "Who are you?" I hated that my voice quavered. I glanced at the door, but I was on the wrong side of the room and I wasn't sure I could get past him.

  "You've had a hard few days. You need to relax. That's all I'm trying to do."

  My head pounded, but I felt steady on my feet. He moved toward me and I moved back. When I realized I was retreating, I stopped and reached for the Path.

  Through the pounding in my head, I had expected there to be resistance, but I jumped smoothly into the Path. A light, rippling overlay flowed around the room. Drawing in more energy, I tried to let it build when he moved toward me, but not much power came to my aid. When he got close, I threw what little I had at him.

  His hair ruffled as though the room had a draft.

  I'm not sure what crossed my face, but he used my distraction to his advantage. He shoved me into the wall and had the needle in my arm before I managed to land a kick right where it counted. He stumbled back, clutching at his groin. Somehow, the needle managed to stay in my arm.

  I'm pretty sure I screamed at that point. My mind went blank, and I yanked the needle out and threw it across the room.

  "What is happening?" Rider came into the room, but I barely registered it.

  My eyes were glued to the needle until the fake Vincent answered.

  "Something's wrong. She's not herself. I'm going to get the doctor." He hurried to move out of the room and I launched myself at him.

  I only managed one sharp hit before Rider had me. It wasn't the best time to panic, but I did. Could I even trust this was Rider?

  "What are you doing?" I yelled, struggling to get out of his grip.

  The man rushed out of the room.

  "Why aren't you stopping him?" I yelled.

  With Rider's strength, he could easily crush me. Strong arms wrapped firmly around me, but only firm enough to keep me from breaking free. That had to mean he was the real Rider, right?

  Chapter 19

  Still, Rider and I hadn't been on the best of terms.

  I continued to struggle and berate the werewolf. "You're seriously going to let him walk out of here?"

  "What's going on?" Boone entered. He moved slowly and looked leery, but I knew he would be no match for a werewolf.

  "Use your nose, you stupid werewolf. That's what it's there for, isn't it?"

  Rider held tight.

  "I think you need to step away," Boone said. He looked as though he were steeling himself for a fight.

  "Rider, if you don't let me go, I'm going to..." In my frustration, I couldn't even think of what I could do to him. "I'm going to be pissed."

  His grip loosened, and I rammed my elbow back and into his stomach as hard as I could. Rider let go, but I don't think my hit caused it.

  "Cassie, I think—" Boone said, approaching cautiously.

  "Stay out of this," I snapped at Boone, moving away from Rider. "Rider?"

  Rider didn't look at me. He began to move around the room, looking thoughtful.

  Boone stepped back when Rider came his way, but didn't say anything. Boone didn't look happy about it, though.

  Finally seeing Rider doing what I expected, I started to calm down my breathing. My friend—and I was convinced by now he was my Rider—found the needle and his nose scrunched up and his lip curled back.

  Seeing the thing, I once again took a step back and hit the wall. Memories of being trapped in a basement and being injected welled up and I started to shake. Those memories were hard to push down once they were out.

  Rider threw the needle on the table. "It was not Vincent."

  "No shit. Go find him!"

  Rider nodded and strode to the door.

  Vincent chose that moment to walk in.

  Rider picked Vincent a foot off the floor and pushed him into the wall. Blank faced, Vincent looked at his partner. It was Vincent. I could sense it the moment Rider picked him up. It was the real Vincent.

  Slowly, almost hesitantly, Vincent's green eyes began to cloud over.

  Once again, I tried to work with the Path, but met a rivulet instead of the heavy torrent I had been used to.

  "Rider. Put me down. Now." The words came out clipped, but didn't contain the cold undercurrents I expected.

  "That is Vincent." I tried not to get angry. "Smell him already and go."

  Rider gently set Vincent down. He looked around the
room, but not at us. Rider's eyes focused on something else—the trail, maybe? Then he left the room.

  Vincent watched him leave and adjusted his shirt. His eyes were back to normal when he turned to me.

  "What was that?" Vincent asked. His voice held no emotion, but I could see Rider’s actions troubled him.

  "Rider had her arms pinned down," Boone said.

  I rubbed my head and looked around the room. The Path barely made an impression. Nothing I could work with remained, so I leaned back against the wall and pushed the useless energy away.

  Vincent spared a cursory, but not too friendly glance at Boone before he came over to me.

  "Why would Rider do that?" He aimed the question at me.

  Behind him, Boone moved to the table.

  My hands shook and the ordeal made me tired. I was also more than a little confused. When I looked at Vincent again, I tensed. It was him, right? Rider would have been able to tell. He looked like my Vincent.

  He sensed the apprehension and kept his distance. "I need you to fill me in when you can."

  "Someone came in," I said. "And... things got confusing from there."

  "And Rider?"

  I let out a shaky breath. "Got confused."

  "He's not the only one," Boone muttered.

  Vincent ignored him. "Come on. You can sit down and let me know what happened."

  I nodded, but when I looked over Vincent's shoulder, I saw Boone holding the needle. Those memories hadn't been pushed down far enough. Before they took over, I closed my eyes and wrestled with them again. The basement had happened months ago. The clinic looked nothing like it.

  I was fine. Vincent was fine.

  "Put it away, Boone." The harshness in Vincent's voice made me jump.

  The moment my eyes opened, they strayed immediately back to Boone. "I'm fine," I lied.

  Vincent moved into my line of sight. He looked pale and practically vibrated with anger.

  "The person that came in," Vincent's eyes roved over me. He took one arm and started to turn it over. "Was it someone familiar? Did he—were you injected?"

  "I don't know."

  Vincent glared at me and my eyes darted over his shoulder again. "Boone, if that isn't out of sight..." He turned and saw a little black folio that looked oh-so-familiar.