On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “What the hell’s going on?” he asked, sniffing the air. “Did you just call out to Jonathan?”

  I nodded, trying to catch my breath. “He was here.”

  Papan didn’t say anything. Instead, his eyes flashed amber and he ran down the stairwell, disappearing out of sight. Leaving me clutching the wooden banister as I collected my thoughts and sorted through what Jonathan had said. Sure, there hadn’t been any real clues or whereabouts that would give us the advantage but he’d confirmed Maya wanted Willow to lure me. I wasn’t going to let anyone use someone I cared about like that again. Not after what happened with Ebony.

  How many more people would these assholes be willing to hurt in order to fulfill their stupid ambition? The fact this bitch was part of the Obscurus made sense of everything, and filled me with the same rage Mauricio had instilled the night I stabbed him to death.

  “He’s gone,” Papan said when he returned. “What the hell did he want? And why didn’t you call out for me?”

  “You didn’t smell him?”

  He shook his head.

  “He must’ve been telling the truth for once.”

  “The truth about what?”

  I looked at Papan and sighed. “He looked pretty sick, said he wasn’t under the demon’s influence and wanted to tell me something.”

  He frowned but asked, “What did he want you to know?”

  “That Willow’s in a whole lot more danger than we thought.”

  “These are awesome!” Willow said between bites of her second taco.

  I had to agree, Papan had really outdone himself tonight. We’d stopped by a local grocery store on the way home from the office and spent a lot more money than I’d expected on food. Living on my own meant my grocery bills were quite moderate. With so many people coming in and out of the house, it made sense to stock more food in the fridge and pantry. Besides, I’d recently found out that Papan liked to cook and was pretty good at it. So I was willing to store whatever he needed in order to enjoy his cooking. Not that he’d let me pay, insisting it was the least he could do to thank me for my hospitality. I’d let it go today—it wasn’t worth fighting about.

  “You’re very good in the kitchen, Jason,” Oren said with a smile. I’d never seen him eat so much, but he was busy stuffing his face with tacos and guacamole.

  “What do you think, Fox?” Papan asked with a wink.

  “I agree with all of the above,” I said, packing my second taco.

  The atmosphere around the kitchen table felt different. After seeing Jonathan and realizing just how bad things were, my mood had darkened and I’d expected to come home to a sad ambience. Instead, I found Willow teaching Oren how to play a computer game on my laptop. Good thing Papan convinced me not to mention Jonathan while we were in the store.

  “Why ruin a good mood?” he’d said.

  Now, looking around at their smiling faces, I totally agreed. We really could be mistaken for a happy family enjoying a meal without a care in the world.

  “So, did you have a nice day?” I asked Willow.

  She smiled and took a sip of her soda. “Yeah, it was nice to hang out with Oren. He’s been teaching me how to meditate and calm myself down. I’m showing him how to play some games.”

  “Seems like a fair exchange,” Papan said with a laugh.

  “Not as fair as you’d expect.” Oren shook his head, causing his white braid to sway. “These games are hard and very frustrating. Not to mention addictive. It’s no wonder kids spend countless hours on them and lose track of time. I lost several hours I’ll never get back, and still haven’t been able to beat Willow’s score.”

  “Is the meditating helping you?” I asked my sister. This was something Oren had tried to teach me many times, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it. I found it too hard to quiet my mind and the few times that I had, I found myself astral projecting to another part of the house.

  She nodded. “It’s great for the soul.”

  “Wait until I teach you other, more involved things,” Oren stated.

  “You’re going to teach her more?”

  He nodded. “We need to find out what her necromantic potential is, and I’ve got just the exercises to figure that out.”

  I really wanted to ask him when—and if—he was planning to tell her the truth of who he was in relation to her. How would Willow take it? She was acting so differently from the girl who’d practically collapsed from exhaustion last night that I didn’t know what to think. Maybe she was faking the good mood for our benefit, even if she looked genuine.

  “I’m also looking forward to finding out what I can do.” Willow polished off another taco. “Until I met you guys, I had no idea there was even a name for it.”

  “Don’t be in any rush to learn too much too quickly.”

  “Relax, Sierra, I know what pace is best for a newbie.”

  I quirked an eyebrow at Oren’s newly-developed vocabulary. It looked like they were teaching each other, and I couldn’t help but be happy about that. It was strange, but until a few months ago I’d been an only child with parents who didn’t give a crap about her and deceased grandparents. Now, I had my biological grandfather helping me understand the true extent of my power and a younger sister who needed my help.

  We spent the next half hour eating in silence. When we did speak it was mostly light and fluffy comments about mundane things, which was fine with me. I didn’t want to get into a big discussion about what everyone’s powers were and how we could help Willow become stronger. I knew it was something Oren would eventually broach because he’d done the same with me, but right now was about enjoying a nice meal and having shallow conversation.

  “Do you guys mind if I take a few photos?” Willow jumped out of her chair.

  “Go ahead,” I said with a smile.

  “Great!” She turned on her heel and headed for her bedroom.

  “What did you put in her drink?” I asked Oren.

  He shrugged. “She’s been like this all day and I had nothing to do with it.”

  “How does someone go from totally devastated to this?”

  “Willow’s mind is in a delicate place right now,” Oren said, meeting my gaze. “It seems to be playing musical chairs with her, but I believe it’s a side effect from her unusual condition.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Papan placed a hand on my thigh. “Don’t worry about her, she’s a kid. Kids bounce back a lot quicker than adults sometimes.”

  I nodded but felt a shiver crawl down my spine. Sure, kids might recover from devastating events a little quicker because they had their whole lives ahead of them, but Willow had been through more than most. And had just found out her boyfriend and best friend were currently connected to her because they’d become poltergeists. Then again, maybe knowing they were nearby affected her in a positive way. I wasn’t sure, but if she kept acting so carefree I’d have to speak to her about it.

  “I’ve got my phone—are you ready?” Willow asked with a beaming smile.

  We all nodded and sat closer together so she could snap a shot of us. Then she went about snapping a variety of shots—Papan and me, Oren and me, Papan and Oren, Papan and Oren with her in between—until she’d pretty much taken every combination she could manage with four people and finished up with a few of us two together. I couldn’t pretend the thought of having a photo taken with a sister I’d only recently found out about didn’t excite me.

  “I’m sending these to you,” she said, moving her fingers over the screen.

  I nodded.

  A knock on the front door interrupted the easy flow of conversation. Even Oren, who was doing the dishes while Papan tidied up the table, stopped to peer over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. It was past nine and we weren’t expecting anyone.

  “I’ll get it.” I stood and headed for the door with Papan shadowing my every move. I peeked through the peephole. “It’s Conrad.” Papan nodded and I opened the front door.

&nbs
p; “Conrad, what are you doing here?” I asked, motioning him inside and locking the door behind him.

  “Man, you’re not a very sociable person are you?” He seemed a little distressed, dressed in dark blue jeans, a white tee with a cartoon character I couldn’t see, and a black leather jacket. “Don’t you ever ask how someone is?”

  I folded my arms. “Cut the crap and tell me what’s going on. Did you find the vampire you mentioned earlier?”

  “What makes you think something’s going on?” He was pacing in front of the front door.

  “Well, you do seem to be carving a path on the floor,” Papan said. “And you’re a little jumpier than usual. So I’d also guess something’s going on.”

  “It is about the Lamia, isn’t it?” I whispered.

  He looked at me, his brow furrowed. “Why are you whispering?”

  “Never mind. Just tell us what’s going on.”

  Conrad stopped pacing long enough to look me over before saying, “It’s about Eb.”

  “What happened?” If Maya had somehow tracked her down and planned to use her against me, I was going to kill the bitch with my bare hands.

  “Chill, will you? Let me tell you what’s going on before you totally lose it.”

  I took a deep breath and relaxed—barely. “Go on.”

  “We’ve got a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” Papan asked, frowning.

  Conrad started pacing again. “You both know Eb’s been having a hard time after what happened, right? So I introduced her to the vamp world, hoping it would show her something new, give her something else to focus on and learn about. It worked out that way the first few nights, but then I showed her something I maybe shouldn’t have, and she…got a real taste for it.”

  I took a step towards him. What the hell was he talking about? “What did you do?”

  “Hey, don’t go accusing me without finding out the facts.” His eyes didn’t mirror any of the anger he tried to portray.

  “You just told me you shouldn’t have shown her whatever it is has gotten her into trouble, so quit playing games and tell me what’s going on.”

  “Okay, okay…”

  Both Papan and I waited while Conrad ran a hand through his hair, ruining the just-got-out-of-bed style he seemed to pull off so well.

  “You have to understand that I didn’t go out of my way to show her this. It just happened one night while we were partying in a vamp club and had a little too much to drink.” He rubbed his goatee, looking a little devastated. “I didn’t think she would become so interested in it.”

  “Just get to the point already!” I couldn’t stand the suspense.

  “I think she’s addicted to bloodletting.”

  I gasped—even if I didn’t know what he meant I had a pretty good idea it couldn’t be good. “What does that mean exactly?”

  Papan took my hand. “It means she’s offering herself up to vampires—willingly giving them blood to feed on.”

  “What? Why would she do that?”

  Conrad looked me in the eye. “Bloodletting has a euphoric effect on humans, and makes you forget about everything for a while.”

  “So it’s like a drug?”

  He nodded.

  “You’ve turned Ebony into a vampire junkie!” I extended my right fist with the intention of striking him but Papan grabbed me before I could. “Papan, let go! He deserves a whole lot more than a punch in the face.”

  He slowly, but forcibly turned me around until I was facing him. “I know, but getting angry with him right now isn’t going to help Ebony. If she’s offering herself up to these vamps, she can end up dead or worse.”

  I didn’t even want to think about what could be worse than death. Tears blurred my vision and I swallowed back a sob. “We have to do something. We need to help her.”

  She was right—this is my fault.

  “Yes, we do,” Papan said. “The sooner the better, because I once investigated a case involving a missing girl and it led me to this… By the time I found her, she was already dead.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” Conrad said behind me.

  I tried to take even, shallow breaths to calm down. “How long has she been doing this?”

  “Long enough, but I haven’t seen her for the past few days.”

  “What?” I turned on him and even Papan dropped his grip on me. “You told me she was staying at her place for a night, and led me to believe you were with her last night when you checked out the clubs. How could you let her get lost in something like this without telling me about it?”

  His blue eyes hardened. “Maybe because I knew you’d totally lose it. And I was right!”

  “Conrad, she’s not in her right mind at the moment!” I shouted. “How could you leave her alone? I trusted you to look after her.”

  He sighed, running both hands through his hair this time. “Don’t you think I know that? I really care about Eb—it’s why I thought she could use a little down time and a chance to forget about what happened. You’re not there when she has nightmares, but I hear what she says and goes through. I’m there when she wakes up crying and can’t get back to sleep. I just wanted to help her. I didn’t think she would seek this much comfort from it.”

  As angry as I was with him, I couldn’t hold him responsible for Ebony’s decisions. She was a consenting adult and if she’d chosen this self-destructive path it wasn’t his fault. Though it still didn’t change the fact I was going to kick Conrad’s ass as soon as this was over.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, you need to take us to her.”

  “I’m not sure where she is—”

  “That’s not important.” I didn’t care if we had to turn the whole of Sydney upside down to find her. “What does matter is that you know this nightlife better than anyone and can lead us in the right direction. I’m not leaving her there for another night. We need to find Ebony and bring her home. If she needs help, I’ll do whatever it takes to get it for her…but I refuse to let her give her life away to a bunch of bloodsuckers who are obviously taking advantage of her.”

  “Sierra, what’s going on?”

  I looked over my shoulder to find Willow standing there with her arms crossed and a sad look in her eyes. She had to know our easygoing night was over.

  “I’m sorry, Willow, but I’m going to have to go out.”

  “Now?”

  I nodded.

  “Did they find another dead girl?”

  I shook my head. “No, this has nothing to do with any dead girls. I just need to help a friend.”

  Oren appeared beside her and said, “Willow, why don’t you go and set up another game for us to tackle? I’m still determined to beat your score on a few of them.”

  She nodded but her gaze was on me.

  “Don’t worry, Willow, I’ll be back soon.” I really wanted to say “I’ll be back in time to tuck you in for the night” as I’d been doing every night since she got here, but I didn’t want to embarrass her or make her feel like a baby. “Make sure Oren doesn’t beat any of your scores.”

  Willow nodded and her face broke out into a rueful smile before she headed back into the kitchen. Oren stepped into the darkened hallway.

  “What’s going on now?” The friendly face he’d shown Willow was replaced by a serious stare, hardening his light blue eyes.

  Yeah, there was always something bad going on around here. I tried to laugh but it came out as a derisive snort. “Looks like Ebony got mixed up with some vampires and is letting them take blood from her.”

  “What can I do?”

  “I hate to do this to you again, but staying with Willow would be the best thing you can do to help.”

  He nodded. “Of course I will. Every moment I spend with the girl gets me a little closer to telling her the truth about who I really am. But what do you intend to do?”

  “We’re going to find Ebony and get her out of there.” Wherever that happened to be…
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br />   “Sierra, it won’t be easy,” Oren said with a firm shake of his head. “When vampires set their sights on a donor, they rarely release them.”

  “She doesn’t belong to them. Besides, I wasn’t expecting it to be easy. Nothing ever is.” I exhaled. “I just want to make sure we get her out before it’s too late. I’m not going to let her forfeit her life just because she thinks she’s ready to.” I could understand her being down and in a dark place at the moment, but I wasn’t going to let her give her blood and life away to some greedy vampires.

  “I agree. You can’t let her get lost in that world. I’ll wait here, and I’ll see what I can do to help ease Ebony back from however far she’s let herself go.”

  “Thanks, Oren.”

  “Yeah, thanks, old man,” Conrad added.

  “Okay, let’s get outta here then.” I took a step but Oren called my name so I paused. “Yeah?”

  “You might want to grab those silver spikes I gave you, and maybe some holy water.”

  “Don’t worry about the water,” Conrad interrupted. “I’ve got plenty, but the spikes sound like a good idea.” He opened his jacket to flash a bandolier filled with spikes similar to mine and a bunch of wooden stakes in between.

  “You better keep all that silver away from me,” Papan said with a low growl.

  “Relax, Wolf, I only use these on vamps. I’ve got no quarrel with werewolves.”

  I headed up to my bedroom, leaving the guys behind to continue their conversation or argument—whatever it turned into. All I wanted to do right now was equip myself with weapons that would help get Ebony out of whatever mess she was in.

  A few minutes later, I was ready. I’d tucked some spikes inside my jeans and a few in my jacket. I’d also changed into a sleeveless, high-neck tank top and secured my silver dagger inside my boot. I raced downstairs and back to the hallway as quickly as I could.

  Conrad was handing Papan a bunch of small bottles I assumed were filled with holy water.

  “Where’d you get those?” I asked.

  “You can fill them at any church, but I get my supply from Father Luke.”

  “Really?” I knew the helpful priest. He was an exorcist and often pointed me in the direction of hauntings.