Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4)

by Dark, Dannika

  Before I could formulate a smart comeback, Stone turned the wheel and backed out the car. He knew about Breed. He knew I was in trouble. And for Good Samaritan reasons I’d never understand, he wanted to help.

  I used to doubt the existence of angels, not realizing they were men and women walking among us.

  ***

  Stone lived in a modest house with tall iron gates along the sidewalk. A small key unlocked the gate that secured his front porch. He had all but built a cement wall around his property. Once inside, he flipped on the lights.

  My eyes widened at the guns all over the room.

  “These are my babies,” he said unapologetically. Stone went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. “Take a load off on the sofa if you want to sleep. My room is off-limits, and if you want to use the bathroom, hold the toilet handle down.”

  “I think I’m past sleep at this point. I’ll take the coffee.”

  “Fair enough, have a seat. Let’s start with your name.”

  Ah, to tell or not to tell: that was the question. My false name would come up in one of the Mage databases if he reported it.

  “Let’s not.”

  “You got any family?”

  I shrugged.

  “Is there anyone who can help you out? You might start by telling me what you are. I’m trusted among Breed and I could get you the right kind of help. I don’t know why you’re mixed up with a Chitah, but that’s the wrong kind to tangle with.”

  I sat on his musty plaid sofa from the 1970s and dropped my feet on the coffee table. Dirty feet with holes snagged in the socks. Embarrassed at my lack of manners, I crossed my legs, peeled off the wet socks, and stuffed them inside Christian’s coat pockets. I couldn’t help but imagine what delightful things he’d have to say when he discovered them. It was getting warm, so I unfastened the coat and slipped out of it.

  “Put your feet up. I don’t care,” he said from the connecting kitchen on my right. He tossed a frozen bag of tater tots at me. “Sorry, I’m all out of peas.”

  I stared at the bag and my stomach growled.

  “For your head,” he said, tapping his skull.

  “Thanks.”

  I pressed the frozen bag to my aching head. Stone returned with two white mugs, setting mine on the end table to the right and switching on the lamp. It was the most hideous thing I’d ever seen—celery green with a hula girl on it.

  Stone was a weathered man with silver hairs sprouting through the dark color of his youth. He appeared to be in his late forties, and time was not on his side. His features were strong, but his face looked like a man who’d seen too much and a boy who had once had an acne problem. His nose had been broken a few times and his lips were nonexistent. Yet there was something pleasant about him, and it had to do with integrity.

  I took a sip but wasn’t in the mood for coffee. Especially not his. I pulled one of my dirty socks from the coat pocket and tossed it at him.

  “Thought you could use a coffee filter,” I joked, picking the granules from my tongue. “I could be some lunatic, you know. Cut you up in your sleep and ship you to Taiwan.”

  His lip twitched and he raised his cup. “My sister was strangled with an extension cord by her boyfriend. Let’s just say I didn’t cuddle up to the idea of sending you home with Dickhead.”

  His mother and sister were victims of abuse?

  “Some people would have taken his money.” I wondered what made him stand apart from those kind of men. “He would have offered more too. He probably would have given you his damn car.”

  “Maybe I should have held out,” Stone said with a chuckle. “Does he own a Mercedes? Always pictured myself in one of those. Someday… when I retire.” Stone had a three-second daydream as he sipped his coffee.

  “Why don’t I call him and find out,” I grumbled.

  He leaned forward in his chair and moved the bag on my head. “You need to keep the tots on this end and hold it firm.”

  “Is this going to be breakfast?”

  “Are you hungry? I got sausages, ham, bacon, and leftover pizza.”

  “Sounds like a heart attack. No thanks.”

  “When’s the last time you ate?”

  “Probably around the last time I slept. I’m way past that now. I just need to sit for a while. My head hurts too much.”

  Suddenly, the lights shut off, submersing us in total darkness. I dropped the bag on the couch and strained to hear anything out of the ordinary.

  “Stay put,” he ordered in an authoritative voice.

  A flashlight flipped on and shone in my eyes, forcing me to throw up my hand.

  “You stay here while I check it out,” he said. “Don’t move.”

  My eyes followed the bright stream of light as he reached up and pulled a large gun off the wall. Stone walked out the door, and the waiting game began.

  Chapter 26

  The most frightening sound you can hear in the dark is silence.

  I felt my way around in the tight space, using my memory to lead me to the door. This was a process I was familiar with, having been temporarily blinded not too long ago. Officer Stone had gone outside, and I admired how brave cops were to run into the face of danger while the rest of us cowered. It had nothing to do with a uniform or a gun—the badge of character was one they wore beneath their skin.

  I pressed my ear against the door.

  Another minute passed, then another. My heart steadily thumped against my chest like a basketball being dribbled on a court.

  All of a sudden, the power switched back on and I gasped, turning in a circle to look behind me. Stone must have reset the breakers, something I knew a lot about from an old apartment I once lived in.

  I opened the front door and peered through the locked iron door on the porch, my breath floating into the predawn light that was subdued by a heavy fog. There was a slight breeze as wisps of my black hair floated about, and I wedged my face through the bars, squinting at the movement ahead.

  With haunting clarity, I saw Tarek standing behind the gate that circled the yard. He was distanced from the house, but the unblinking gaze made it feel as if he were standing right in front of me. My heart sped up and a terrible feeling of dread washed over me in waves.

  “Open up,” he called out.

  “Where’s Stone?”

  “The human?” He chuckled. “He’s having a chat with me. Why don’t you join us? Open up.”

  “I don’t know how. You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

  “Of course not, sweetie. Not yet, anyway.”

  Tarek removed his gloves and tucked them in his pockets before folding his coat and dropping it at his feet. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and stood as a mass of muscle like I’d never seen. Tarek was more than a man or a Chitah—he was an abominable demon unleashed on the earth. His pecs flexed as one of his men brought Stone into view.

  “Don’t hurt him!” I screamed out.

  Tarek faced the human and in a calm voice said, “Open the gate and I’ll let you live.”

  “Fuck you,” Stone spat, his face bloody and bruised. Tarek’s guards held him tight.

  God… No, no, no.

  “Officer, please open the door and let me out!”

  Tarek lowered his eyes to Stone and ordered the guards to release him. His men stepped out of sight and Stone wobbled unsteadily. Then a calm fell over him and he stood up, looking Tarek straight in the eye.

  “Last chance, Mage,” Tarek warned. “Let me in and save his life.”

  “I can’t!” I yelled from the porch, my fingers wrapped around the bars. “They lock from both sides. Officer Stone, do what he asks and give him the key. He won’t hurt me and you don’t need to be involved in this.” My heart raced as I watched Tarek’s fists relax. “Tarek, please don’t hurt him. He doesn’t know who you are.”

  My voice croaked and I trembled, watching how calm Tarek was standing in the freezing cold, wearing only a pair of slacks. If only I could use my gifts, I’d be
able to slide the lock open.

  “Last chance, human,” Tarek said, shoving Stone toward the gate.

  Stone lifted his eyes to mine and delivered a glance I knew well.

  Defiance.

  “Stone, no!”

  With a smooth turn, Stone faced Tarek and mumbled something I couldn’t hear. Tarek’s canines punched out and his switch flipped. A unique pattern rippled across his skin as rage consumed him. The colors were intense, dark spots that covered his torso and shoulders.

  Before I could scream, Tarek tore out his throat.

  My fingers squeezed the metal bars and I soaked in the pain of a good man who died for nothing.

  Blood sprayed over Tarek’s chest and Stone’s limp body twitched as Tarek sliced him up with his fangs. I had seen enough.

  I stumbled back inside and locked the door behind me. I’d never felt such a coldness stir within me, such a feeling of dread that settled on my skin like a sheet of frost.

  Stone lived in a desolate area of town where most of the houses were condemned and abandoned. Tarek’s roar over a fresh kill was chilling, and my hands trembled as I fumbled through drawers in search of a cell phone. I laughed when I glanced up and saw he had a regular phone on the wall with the curly cord.

  Who was I going to call that could possibly stand up to a Chitah? I tried Christian, and on the third ring, I heard a click.

  “Silver, what’s wrong?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I can hear your fecking heartbeat through the phone. Where the hell are you?”

  “He took me to his house. He was going to… oh God.” My voice trembled. “Tarek is here. He killed the cop outside and now I’m trapped in the house.”

  “Your location!” he demanded. “Christ, I can hear him.”

  I held the receiver away to listen. Tarek roared and it sounded primal—like a caged animal, thirsty for a kill. With the taste of blood buzzing in his head, I knew that nothing would stop him from getting inside.

  “He’s flipped, Christian. He’s… I’m going to die. I can’t get this necklace off!” I said in a shrill voice, pulling at it until I grimaced in pain.

  “Silver, calm yourself down.” Christian’s voice was rich and dark, scaring me to silence. “Tell me where you are.”

  I gave him the directions, but I had no idea where he was and knew he didn’t have a car. No one could reach me in time.

  I dropped the phone when the locks on the door clicked. The brass knob slowly turned and Tarek appeared in the open doorway.

  Which meant he had found the keys on Stone.

  Blood that once filled Stone’s body with life was now splattered on Tarek’s bare chest like a shirt. His eyes were soulless and black.

  I wasn’t sure if his instinct was to kill me, tear me apart, or drag me to an altar, but none of those options sounded agreeable.

  He blew out a steady breath and a ring of gold appeared around the black orbs, framed by heavy brows. But all my eyes could see were his fangs, and the scars on my neck burned like phantom pains.

  “What a convenient setup the human has; the gates are impenetrable. At least without this,” he said, holding up a small bloody key. “Did you know he actually swallowed it?”

  A blanket of chills swept over me and I shuddered, blocking away the images that flooded my mind. While I looked at him—at least as much as I could with his intense gaze—my peripheral vision was working overtime to assess where the weapons were in proximity to my position in the room.

  Tarek reached for the phone on the floor without breaking eye contact, pulling the cord until the receiver was in his hand.

  “To whom am I speaking?”

  I heard a garble of obscenities through the line.

  “Likewise, Vampire. Let me give you a piece of advice: stay away. I’d like some private time with my fiancée. If I hear so much as one sound, I promise you on my word as a Chitah I will tear her apart.”

  He placed the phone back in the cradle and pulled a cell phone from his back pocket, pressing a number and holding it to his ear. We stood only five feet apart. I couldn’t outrun him, and I was locked inside with weapons that probably wouldn’t kill him.

  “Good morning, Cross.”

  I gasped, and Tarek grinned.

  “Is that any way to greet an old friend? Shame. How are things working out with you and the little miss? I just wanted to express my congratulations that you have found a replacement.”

  Tarek stalked forward and corralled me in the corner of the living room. My eyes scanned the weapons hanging on the wall, weapons I had no clue how to use.

  “If you mean to kill me then just do it. Quit playing these games,” I hissed under my breath.

  “Would you like to talk to Silver? She’s right here. Say hello, sweetie.”

  I pinched my brows together when he held the phone to my ear, wondering what his intentions were. “Logan, whatever he says, don’t listen to him.”

  Tarek smiled and pulled the phone back. “Yes, don’t listen to me. I know you have plenty of things to be doing. Laundry, picking up groceries for the new lady love—all that relationship bullshit. You have my condolences.”

  I blanched, wondering if Tarek meant to kill Logan’s intended mate. “Tarek, don’t,” I said, adamantly shaking my head.

  He smeared his hand down his bloody chest and brushed a finger across my cheek. I jerked away from his ruthless hands. He smelled like bitter sweat, earth, and something metallic.

  “For? Your loss, of course. I know it doesn’t mean much now, but you carried a torch for Silver once, even if she isn’t your kindred spirit. In lieu of flowers, you can give me your girlfriend, if you like. But… Hold on. No need to yell,” he said in an amused tone. Tarek patted his Mohawk and left a streak of blood across his scalp.

  I was close to hyperventilating.

  Tarek nodded at me as a man who had just won. When I reached for the phone, he backhanded me, and I yelled as the crack of his knuckles hit my cheek.

  “Ah, you know how it is. She’s not really my type; I guess I don’t do sloppy seconds after all. Not to mention, she’s a lying whore who would bed a man beneath my nose. But I guess you know all about that, don’t you? That’s what I get for choosing a Mage, such an unworthy mate compared to a Chitah. What honor could I have in walking away? None. That’s what. A sinner deserves to be punished, don’t you agree?”

  If Logan had any residual feelings for me, Tarek was baiting him.

  “Logan, don’t listen to him!” I screamed, but he shoved me to the ground.

  “What?” Tarek plugged his finger in his other ear theatrically. “Sorry, I wasn’t able to make out what you said. I was preoccupied with beating my woman. Have you ever hit Silver? Feeling her skin break beneath my fist feels spectacular. I can give her a smack on your behalf—just say the word. Maybe I should cut out her tongue,” he said wonderingly as he watched me on the floor.

  “Tarek, stop,” I whispered. “I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t bring Logan into this.”

  He smiled lazily before all expression melted away. “Godspeed, Cross. We’ve had a lot of bad blood between us over the years and I wanted to mend the rift by giving you a chance to say your last goodbye. Although in time, she would have sabotaged your new relationship. You know how a Mage mind works—they have no respect for what’s honorable and good. Here she is.”

  Tarek tossed the phone at me and I hung up, throwing it across the room.

  With Chitah speed, Tarek retrieved it before I could move an inch.

  He pinned me down and held me to the floor by my hair while he dialed Logan.

  “Do that again, bitch, and I promise Cross will die. He might have been able to pretend the rest of his life away with another female, but let’s see if he can deny his love for you under the blade of a knife. Talk to him, or I promise you he will die. A broken heart is better than one that is cut out. You decide.”

  I held the phone to my ear. “Logan, I’m
so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Where are you?” Quiet rage filled the dark corners of his voice.

  “Don’t cling to honor over something that was never meant to be. Don’t ruin your life for a Mage who could never love you the way you deserve. Just go on with—”

  Tarek yanked the phone from my hand. It was my last chance to give Logan peace of mind. I refused to have my death haunting him his whole life, and maybe it would settle his conscience if he thought that he’d never mattered to me.

  But he did.

  Logan meant everything.

  I choked when Tarek’s knee pressed into my neck. “You’re a disgrace to our kind, Cross. You’ll never know the emptiness of losing your true soul mate. I have lived my entire life knowing I will never have my true mate because she chose a man who could not guard her life. It makes you half a man, and it’s a gift I want to give to you.” His stony eyes flicked to mine and I gasped for air as his knee sank against my windpipe. “Every female you dare to love for the rest of your life will die by my hand, starting tonight.”

  My eyes widened.

  “Know this, Cross. Before I take this female’s life, I’m going to take her body. I will be baptized in her blood and born a new man. I have waited a long time for my revenge. Eventually, I’ll find the one who matters to you. Goodbye, Cross. I hope you enjoy what you’re about to hear.”

  Tarek set the phone down on the end table. I punched him in the groin and leapt up, running for the door. He grabbed my ankle and I flew over the edge of the coffee table, smashing one of the legs.

  “Wooo! I love my females feisty!”

  Laughter poured out of him like fifteen seconds of poison. He lost his grip on my ankle, so I scrambled for a shelf and lifted a gun. When I pulled the trigger, nothing happened. I cursed at myself, trying to figure out how to work the safety release. Tarek laughed at the show I was giving him, pouncing closer with each step.

  “I wish you could see how your female fears me, Cross!” he yelled. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I like to take my time with the chase. It satisfies the predator in me.”