by Liliana Hart
“Sage,” I yelled and started forward only to be yanked from behind and pulled back into the alley and shoved up against the brick wall, hard.
“Don’t be stupid, my friend. It’s too late,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
I pushed back, but he had me pinned as good as a professional wrestler. When I was about to yell a few choice obscenities at him, he shoved his forearm under my chin, cutting off my air. I struggled to breathe let alone say anything.
“Don’t be an idiot,” he hissed in my ear. “You know what they are, don’t you? They may wear the skin of men, but trust me, that’s an illusion. You have no idea what they’ll do to you if you try to take her back.”
The SUV slowly pulled into traffic, and when it passed the alley where I was being held prisoner, I stopped fighting and glared my hate at the guy holding me.
He didn’t even try to hide the pity in his eyes when he said, “They would have killed you on the spot.” A second later, he let me go.
I shoved him away and put some space between us. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“A friend.”
A crazy laugh threatened to bust out of me. “I don’t have friends in this city anymore.” After Sophia died, Beau and I cut off ties to all the people we’d ever known. It was safer for everyone that way.
I rubbed my bruised neck and sneered, “A friend? Well, you don’t know me very well, friend. I won’t try to take her back. I will take her back.”
His gaze studied me. “Are you serious about that?”
“Dead serious.” Sage had no one. Neither did Baby. Anara and I had become the only people in the world who cared they even existed.
His gaze didn’t waver and neither did mine until he pulled out a business card from his breast pocket, scribbled down an address and handed it to me. “It’s where they prepare them before dinner. Don’t go alone. Take your brother.”
“How do you know I have a brother?” I rasped, surprised he knew so much about me, yet I knew absolutely nothing about him. “Who are you?”
“Let’s just say, I’m good with money and they trust me.” Sorrow flickered over his features. “I’m sorry she was taken. It’s cruel to prey on the young.”
The implication was clear. “You work for the vamps?” I couldn’t keep the disgust from my voice.
“They didn’t give me much choice in the matter.”
I looked more closely at his clothes and noticed, although they were casual, they were upscale. He wasn’t some hood poking his nose in where it didn’t belong; he held a special place in the enemy ranks. “What’s a numbers guy doing here?”
“Saving a life. Once I found out they’d located one of the little girls they’d been after, I tried to get here before them, but like you, I was too late.” He took in the sword I stowed on my bike and flicked my jacket aside to see what else I carried. “I hope you’re as good as you think you are. If not, then I’ve just risked everything. Vamps don’t have a forgiving soul, so don’t make me regret trusting you.”
The guy had gotten in over his head. Vamps weren’t stupid and like he said, they had a way of convincing others to do exactly what they wanted. “What’s the layout of this place? How many are there?”
“It’s a house. There are way too many of them and only two of you.” He looked away and murmured, “I already regret telling you. You’ll probably die.”
He didn’t know me. I didn’t die easily.
He eyed me and shook his head. “Are you sure you can’t let her go?”
“She’s special.”
“Everyone’s special to someone. You can’t save them all.”
He sounded just like my brother. “Maybe not. But I can try.” I stepped out of his reach, more than ready to get Sage and go home.
He nodded toward the card. “Do me a favor. Memorize the address and then burn the card.”
The address he’d scribbled was on one side. I flipped the card over and read under a big company emblem, “Alden Caldwell. Caldwell Investments.”
Although the address was in the heart of Boston’s business sector, I’d never heard of it or him. I looked up to say so, but he was gone. I stepped out of the alleyway and glanced up and down the street. People milled around oblivious to two men who’d been talking about monsters and murder in the shadows. He was gone just as quickly as he had appeared. I grabbed my helmet and shoved it on. My motorbike revved to life. I spun the tire, burning some rubber as the bike rotated 180 degrees and then shot out of the alley and into traffic.
I knew where they’d taken Sage. Now all I needed was to convince Beau I had a lead on a den of wolves that needed to be euthanatized. That shouldn’t be too hard. Beau liked a challenge, especially one that could end in death. He was warped like that.
Chapter Ten
Anara
Baby sounded possessed. It was a wonder Ryan’s brother didn’t break down the door to see for himself how someone could survive such retching.
Even though I was trapped in a stone cocoon, Baby peppered me with questions. Everything from what I ate to if my hair needed to be cut. It didn’t seem to matter I couldn’t answer her.
Time made no sense while I was encased in stone. If I were lucky, only a handful of hours remained until the moon came out.
A knock sounded on the door. “Hey, kid. You doing okay in there?”
Baby smiled and said in a dramatic, breathy voice, “Yeah. Ryan gave me crackers and ice.”
“Where did you say he went?”
She flipped over on the bed and hung her head off the edge. She found it gave her voice a more believable “sick” sound when she did. “Don’t know. He said he’d be right back.”
Her aptitude for lying made her a talented actress, unlike me. My talents showed themselves in my ability to wield multiple weapons at the same time and kill someone with ease. Not brag-worthy skills, to be sure, but handy in fighting the monsters that roamed the dark.
The doorknob rattled for a second. Baby flipped to her stomach and pretended to throw up in the tin Ryan had given her. Beau’s footsteps faded as he walked away. I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to be exposed to Baby’s germs. The little girl pumped the air in victory, though I had a sinking feeling her victory would be short lived. Beau was getting worried. I predicted that within the hour, he’d break down the door just to make sure Baby was okay.
The rumble of a motorcycle sounded, and Baby’s head jerked toward the door. “Ryan.” Her voice was filled with relief. She bounced off the bed as the front door slammed shut and stood rock still when she heard Ryan talking to his brother. She hovered near the bedroom door waiting and then glanced at me. “I don’t hear Sage.”
I didn’t either. Sage would have come straight to the room. Baby’s features twisted with worry until she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. She unlocked the door and darted out of the room. I heard her demanding to know where her sister was and Ryan fending off questions from his brother.
“There’s more than one?” Beau boomed.
There was a pause and Ryan said, “Baby, go to the cellar and bring up a couple of root beers. I’m going to make us some root beer floats.”
“Then you’ll tell me about Sage? Promise?”
“Yeah, I pinky swear.”
I heard a door open and close and then Beau said, “What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
“The usual.”
“No, this is worse than that. The usual is just a blip compared to this. Where’s the other one?”
“The vamps have her.”
Beau cursed and stomped around. “Perfect. And I suppose you want to go get her.”
“That’s the plan.”
“You’ve lost it, Ryan. I’m beginning to think one of those vamps hit you upside the head so hard, you’ve lost the ability to think straight.”
“You’re going to help me anyway, right?”
Their voices moved away until I couldn’t hear them anymore. Ryan
had yet to mention me. Did my existence embarrass him? When I returned once again to flesh and blood, would he be glad? Scared? Disgusted?
As the day grew later, worry climbed over my nerves, torturing me in my stone cocoon. The moon rose. Now all I needed was for the sun to set and I’d be free. Its descent felt like forever away as I watched the fiery star inch toward the horizon.
The sudden screech of my name rattled my ears. “Anara!” Baby yelled again and again. I could hear her feet pounding up the stairs and into the room. She pushed so hard on the door, it hit the wall and bounced back, nearly closing.
“Anara,” she said in a breathless gasp for air. She clutched my foot and climbed onto the bed, scrambling over my stone legs to settle between my wing and outstretched arm. Her face was intense as she said, “Ryan won’t let me go and rescue Sage, and Beau says we’re stupid.”
The sound of feet coming up the stairs cut through Baby’s whine. “Sage’s just a kid,” Ryan said. “I won’t abandon her because it’s going to be hard.”
“It’s not going to be hard,” Beau said, his voice coming closer. “It’s going to be nearly impossible.”
“Would you abandon me if I was in her place?” Ryan challenged.
“You’re my brother.” The disbelief that Ryan would even question Beau about that rang in his voice.
“Like it or not, we’re the only family these girls have now. So, do me a favor. If you’re not in, then stay out of the way.”
“I can’t. We’re a team, remember?”
“Hey, that’s my room. You can’t…” Ryan began to say when the door to his room flew open.
Beau stood in the threshold, his intense gaze staring straight at me. He wore his hair cut tight to his head, and his clothes plain in a serviceable way that said nothing about who he was or what he did. I could see glimpses of Ryan in his face and might have even called him handsome if he didn’t scowl so much. He was a harder version of Ryan, stronger looking. Meaner.
Ryan pushed past his brother and blocked his way into the room. “See? No one’s in here except Baby.”
Beau leaned to the side, looking past his brother to me, his mouth tense. “What is that?”
Baby’s feet hit the floor and she moved between the brothers. “Anara. She rescued me and my sister. She’s our angel.”
Ryan shoved his hand against Baby’s head and pushed her out of the way and laughed stiffly. “Funny, kid.”
“Stop already, Ryan.” Beau took a step forward. Baby grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him aside. They whispered, their heads close like two conspirators.
I’d been stared at before, but never with such pointed focus. Beau studied me while he skimmed his hands along my wing. He shook his head. “It’s marble. It has to weigh a ton. I’m—I mean…how? I don’t—”
He stepped in front of the window, put his hands on his hips still shaking his head and gaped at me like I was a circus sideshow. Behind him, the sky darkened to reveal the moon. It was a supermoon, one bigger and brighter and more powerful than a normal moon, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
“You were nearly killed two nights ago, and now you’re adopting children and you have an angel statue in your bed. This is a cry for help, isn’t it? I’ve pushed you too hard.” His shock slowly eroded into an unexpected decision. “Your time as a slayer is done. No more flirting with the dark side. I should have been more careful. Looked for signs. Clearly you can’t handle this lifestyle. I want you packed up and on a plane out of here.”
“What?” Ryan stepped toward his brother, his chest heaving and his jaw tense. “You can’t make me leave.”
“I can and I will.”
I had just begun to feel human again, I couldn’t bear to lose Ryan now.
“I’m not crazy,” he yelled at Beau.
A tiny moonbeam found the tips of my fingers and the stone gave way to supple skin.
Ryan saw what was happening to me and faced his brother. “You want to know how we’re going to succeed? Move.” He jerked Beau away from the window so hard, a quick tussle started, and it quickly turned to a series of punches. The moon’s rays hit me, and the rest of the stone glowed. Where once there was stone, my body softened. My limbs loosened. I blinked and lowered my arm. My wing slipped back and disappeared.
“Stop!” I shouted and launched myself at the brothers, hitting Beau off balance and placing myself between them. I faced Ryan’s brother who stared open-mouthed at me from his place on the floor. I bent toward him and snarled, “You would be wise to listen to your brother more.”
Beau’s eyes were huge. Baby squatted next to him and said sweetly, “We need the angel. Don’t make her mad.”
I spun away and collected my armor and boots that Ryan had placed by the bed. I couldn’t look at Ryan. I was scared at what I’d see. I had a lot of explaining to do, but we didn’t have a lot of time. “The vampires will be awake soon, and they’ll want what their pets have collected for them.”
As I dressed, Ryan approached me, his touch on my arm hesitant. “Are you—”
“I’m perfectly normal,” I interrupted, not wanting to hear the disgust he must feel, see the fear that would be in his eyes. My fingers stiffened on the boot laces, and my efforts slowed. “You want to know what I am. I’m just like you.”
“You don’t have to explain anything. I can wait, but that’s not what I meant. Go easy. I don’t want you to aggravate your wound.”
He was concerned about me? I blinked back my surprise. Straightening, I stared into his face, one that didn’t show disgust or fear. He appeared completely comfortable, like there wasn’t a huge gulf that separated us. I lifted my shirt, peeled off the gauze and showed him the area where I’d been wounded. A thin, white scar was the only evidence he’d find of the attack.
“What the...” He looked closer and saw several pale lines nearby attesting to other injuries I’d endured. He touched them, his fingers warm against my cool skin, and raised his gaze to mine.
My tongue darted over my lips, and I swallowed heavily. “The process of becoming stone heals me. Don’t ask me how. I don’t know. It just does.”
“And you let me carry on about helping you?” He squeezed my torso, his touch gentle and comforting.
I had expected him to stay away, to be shocked by what I was, but Ryan didn’t hold back. He touched me like before, looked at me with concern, like I was something to cherish. My mouth grew dry. I had expected him to reject me. I didn’t trust what I was seeing…feeling. “At the time, you seemed to need to be needed and…” I should stop. I didn’t know the extent of his acceptance. I wanted him to see me, not the strange creature I’d become. I lowered my voice to a whisper so Beau and Baby wouldn’t hear. “…and I liked it.”
A wicked smile tipped his lips and he moved closer, his voice just as quiet as mine. “I know. You really liked it. I could tell.”
Heat bloomed in my cheeks. “You kiss very well.”
He bent close and skimmed his lips over the shell of my ear and said in a rough whisper, “I do a lot of things very well.”
“Like getting into trouble.” We tilted our heads to see Beau standing far too close, completely recovered from his shock. His brows were drawn together as his gaze latched onto me. “I don’t understand what you are, and I’m not in the habit of trusting people, but from what little Miss Sunshine over there tells me, you’re quite the fighter.”
“I’m a protector, not a monster. I’m human, most of the time, just like you. I was cursed.”
Beau didn’t hide his skepticism. “Whatever. Fantastic. If it made you a badass, then I can’t say I’m upset. I’ve been told I need to start trusting more. It’s not in my nature.” His voice dropped to a rumble and his eyes hardened as he stared into mine. “Take this as gospel. I’ll destroy you if you turn on us. Pulverize your cold, marble ass into little grains of sand, understand?”
“Beau…” Ryan took a threatening step forward.
I held Ryan back and nodded at
his brother. “Perfectly. You have nothing to fear. I will rescue Sage and kill every demon in that den of evil with or without you.”
“I like what I’m hearing, but you’ll need all the help you can get, because raiding the vampires’ pantry before they’ve had a chance to get a taste is going to seriously piss them off.”
“We still have a problem.” Ryan put his arm around me like it was the most natural thing in the world. I leaned into him, wanting it to be true, and he nodded toward Baby.
The little cherub jumped on the bed and faced us. “I can help. I can. I’m not scared of the dark anymore.”
“You should be,” Ryan said. “I am.”
“Delusions of grandeur.” Beau nodded, a lopsided grin graced his face. “I gotta say, she fits right in.”
Ryan’s brother couldn’t be serious. “She can’t go.”
“Anara,” Baby whined, but I shook my head. I wouldn’t be convinced, not about this.
Baby shrieked and threw herself onto the bed and cried out her frustration.
Beau motioned us toward the door. Baby was so committed to a show of temper, she didn’t notice when we left. Once in the hall, Beau reached for a key above the door, and quietly locked her in.
“What are we going to do?” Even I, with the limited knowledge of children that I had, didn’t feel comfortable leaving her locked up while we attempted to rescue her sister. Baby was too clever to be left alone.
For a moment we stood there, our brains churning. Then, as if on cue, the brothers said in unison, “Alexis.”
Chapter Eleven
Ryan
The clear night grew cloudy, and a burst of heavy showers gave way to a steady sprinkle when our babysitter knocked on the door. Not only had the weather become unpredictable, but little Alexis had definitely changed, and it didn’t look like it was for the better.
The happy girl I remembered had grown a little embittered and had chosen to act out her frustrations via an overly dramatic make-up session. Dark, heavy eyeliner enhanced eyes she’d smeared with rouge, making it look like she’d been on a marathon crying session. Her black hair had streaks of dark red that matched her blood-red lipstick, and her frothy dress—appropriately black—was held together with safety pins. She clutched a book of spells and a violin case sporting the faded stickers of her past—puppies and rainbows and a few sayings like “Love is all you need” and “Happiness is just a smile away.”