Secrets of Night (Order of Night)

by Virginia Cavanaugh

  She followed closely behind him as they made their way to a metal door. They both winced as Lex pulled the door open and rusty hinges groaned loudly in the still night air.

  “We have to move fast,” Lex said softly before dashing down the stairs.

  She descended behind him, taking the metal steps two at a time. Her heart raced with nervousness as the bad vibes she’d felt increased. They came to a platform marking the second floor, and she peered through the small, square glass window on the door beside them. Beyond the door, she spied a dimly lit hallway with doors leading to what she assumed had once been offices when the factory had been operating. Seeing no sign of movement, she whispered, “Let’s go.”

  She twisted the metal doorknob and pulled back gently, sending up a quick thank you when the door opened silently. Lex entered the hallway first, his nine millimeter in hand. With quiet steps, they made their way toward the first door. She reached for the doorknob, and Lex quickly pushed her to the floor as the door at the end of the hall opened, revealing three shifters. The hallway filled with the loud pop-pop of gunfire. Lex took out two with bullets to the chest before the third got off his own shot. Lex howled with pain as the bullet tore into his flesh and lodged in his left shoulder.

  Kierra reacted quickly, sending a lightning ball at the shifter as he tried to assume his animal form. He fell to the ground with a solid thud. She crawled over to Lex as he fell to his knees, releasing hissing breaths between clenched teeth.

  “It’s titanium … it’s burning…” he ground out, his fangs digging into his bottom lip.

  “Hold still,” Kierra stated, coming to her knees in front of him. She placed her hand over the entry wound and closed her eyes as she reached out with her mind. The scent of burning flesh and bone filled her nose. The bullet started to sear the joint in his shoulder. She wrapped her will around it and navigated it out of his body. His exhaled breath was audible. “I don’t have healing power. My abilities are mainly connected to electrical current. I have a very limited telekinetic range, and I’m lucky to have that.” Though most sorceresses had only one set of abilities, every once in a blue moon a sorceress would pop up with a low-range secondary talent.

  “It’s fine. It should begin to heal as best as it can, now that the titanium is out. Let’s get moving.”

  Kierra rose to her feet and began checking behind the doors. The first room only contained a bunch of cardboard boxes. She didn’t bother with shutting the door before moving to the next one. A moan from inside reached her ears as she placed her hand on the knob. “They’re in here,” she whispered before entering the room.

  Five cots lined the dirt-smudged white wall, holding the sleeping forms of the women. Clear plastic tubing trailed up from their arms to the pumps that fed them the sedative. “We need to pull the IVs, but you’ll need to lick the entry points to keep them from bleeding everywhere. Can you do that without getting the drug into your system?”

  “There might be a small transfer, but not enough to affect me.”

  They set to work quickly, freeing the women from their drug-induced bonds. As she pulled the last IV, roars, growls, and gunfire erupted below them. All hell broke loose downstairs. Her heart pounded as fear for Kale’s life washed over her.

  “Hurry up and cast that animation spell so we can get the fuck out of here.”

  She blinked rapidly and brushed aside the impulse to seek out Kale, putting all her focus into connecting with the women’s nervous systems. It took only a few seconds to have them on their feet and lined up at the door.

  “Damn, that’s freaky,” Lex whispered as he held open the door.

  They looked like mindless zombies as their heads rolled on their shoulders, dark circles surrounding their closed eyes. She marched them down the hallway behind Lex and prayed, as they made their way to the roof, that Kale would be all right.

  Fresh night air filled the stairwell as Lex held the metal door on the roof open for her to move the women through. She escorted them to the edge and made them all lie down. Below, she could see shifters running out of the front door of the building.

  “I’ll jump across with the first two and then come back.”

  She nodded her agreement as the bad feeling gripped her emotions like a nightmare. Unable to stand it any longer, she released her link with the other women, waited for Lex to jump, and turned, hauling ass toward the door. She heard his curse right before she descended the stairs.

  Kierra rounded the platform of the second floor and kept going, feet pounding down the stairs. Smoke assailed her nose as she reached the door leading to the first floor. She tested it for heat with the back of her hand before opening it and slipping inside.

  The room was open and large. A small fire burned various pieces of lab equipment in the corner diagonally across from her. Shattered beakers and bottles littered the floor, their spilled contents fueling the flames. The blaze provided the only illumination in the smoke-filled room. Her eyes watered, and she wiped at them with the backs of her hands. She could make out the shapes of three dead shifters lying on the cement floor. They appeared to be all men. Her skin tingled; all her senses were running wide open as her gaze darted around the room searching for Kale.

  Relief ran through her as she spotted him crouched behind a metal table that had been turned over, sliding another clip into his gun. Movement in the shadows behind him caught her attention. A pair of yellow eyes shined in the darkness and watched Kale. She recognized them as the eyes of Eric, who had shifted into his panther form, preparing to pounce.

  “Kale, behind you!” she called out and watched as Kale turned faster than she could blink. His finger squeezed the trigger multiple times as he unloaded his gun into Eric.

  His gaze turned in her direction as she started to run toward him. “No, Kierra! Bree is still—”

  A gun fired, cutting off his words, and Kierra halted as the heat from the bullet burned in her chest. She turned her head to see Bree across the room, holding a gun. With a deafening roar, Kale attacked Bree, ripping her throat with his fangs, letting her limp body fall to the floor.

  Kierra felt her knees growing weak as Kale arrived at her side, wrapping her in his arms. She let him guide her to the floor, where he cradled her in his lap. “I guess I should’ve been more afraid of the rabbit,” Kierra whispered and then groaned as pain filled her lungs.

  “Where is the nearest healer?” he asked frantically.

  “I won’t make it,” she whispered, placing her hand on his face. She knew his healing kiss could not heal the severity of her wound. “I love you. I have loved you for a long time. I just thought you should know.” She winced as she inhaled a staggering breath.

  “Hell no. You don’t get to talk like you’re going to die. I won’t let you.”

  “You can’t stop it,” she whispered.

  “The hell I can’t. I love you. You hear me. Now you fight damn it.”

  Her heart fluttered in her chest, and that place deep inside where she could feel their bond seemed to rejoice in the fact that he loved her. At least she’d heard him say it before she died. She watched as his full lips pulled back from sharp, white fangs. His wrist moved toward his mouth, and he pierced his own flesh. Blood dripped down his arm.

  “Drink,” he demanded, placing his bleeding wrist in front of her mouth.

  She accepted his offering, wrapping her lips around his warm flesh as she pulled his life force into her. After a few seconds, she released her hold and gasped as her heart accelerated, pumping fire through her veins. A loud drumbeat filled her ears, matching the tempo of her pulse, and she cried out, clutching at his shirt. Fear swelled up inside her throat and threatened to choke her. Her mind wanted to fight off what was happening to her body while that deep place inside her, where she kept her secrets and her dreams, whispered seductively to roll with it.

  His arms encircled her, holding her tight to his chest. “It’ll pass,” he spoke softly into her hair. “I’m right here. I won’t
let you go.”

  Her body convulsed as blackness took her.

  Chapter Seven

  Kale lifted Kierra’s limp body into his arms. Her breathing remained erratic as well as her pulse, but she’d become unconscious. He had to get her out of here before the other shifters who’d escaped brought back reinforcements. He started toward the door as Lex ran through it.

  “Oh hell.” His eyes landed on Kierra’s limp form. “Do not tell me you have done what I think you have. Have you really lost your damn mind?”

  “Shut the hell up, Lex. We have to move now.”

  “The Hummer is parked right outside,” Lex replied, stepping out of the way.

  Kale opened the passenger side door and climbed in, placing Kierra across his lap. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the five women huddled in the back seat still unconscious. Lex had already taken his seat behind the wheel and was shutting the door when the sound of squealing tires reached their ears. A red SUV came to halt at the end of the block. Kyle—one of the other senator shifters—bounded out of the vehicle and charged toward them, shifting as he leapt toward the Hummer. He landed on the hood in the shape of a mountain lion. Lex hit the gas. Claws scraped over metal with a deafening screech. Large gouges marked the top of the hood.

  “Damn you, you fucking overgrown housecat. I just had this thing repainted,” Lex yelled as he whipped the wheel left and right in an attempt to dislodge their new hood ornament.

  “We’re going to attract too much attention. Start heading out of town.”

  “Ya think?”

  “Just get on the interstate and go.”

  Lex whipped the wheel again as he headed toward the on-ramp for the interstate, successfully dislodging Kyle in the process. “We’ll be out of town shortly,” Lex said as he floored the gas pedal.

  Kale looked down at Kierra as her body began to convulse again. “Just hold on, Kierra. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Lex looked over at Kierra. “Is that normal?”

  Kale sighed. “I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve tried to change someone. You know, the whole death penalty for changing someone is a real good deterrent.” For the first time, he was willing to give up his own life if it meant she would live. He only hoped he’d taken in enough of her blood for the change to go smoothly.

  They left the lights of the city behind and now were in the dark surrounded by trees that blocked even the moon’s light. Kierra’s eyes flew open, and she began to scream.

  “What’s wrong?” Lex asked, glancing back and forth between the road and Kierra.

  Kierra clawed frantically at her chest.

  “Damn it. I wasn’t thinking. She’s going to react to titanium like we do. Apparently her sorceress side isn’t going to protect her from its effects. We have to get it out.”

  “Here.” Lex handed Kale his pocketknife.

  Kale grimaced as he took hold of the knife. “I’m sorry, Kierra. This is the only thing I know to do.” Kale placed the blade into her chest and made a small incision where the bullet had entered her. Her screams became wilder, and then lightning shot through the car. The engine died, and Kale yelled out a curse as he dropped the knife onto the floor while Lex guided the now coasting Hummer over to the side of the road. Kierra continued to scream.

  “Well, don’t stop now. You have to get it out.”

  Kale sank his finger into the wound and retrieved the bullet, clenching his teeth as he tried to ignore the burning of his own flesh. Sadness for the pain he’d caused her wrapped around his heart.

  When the bullet came free, he dropped it to the floor, and Kierra’s screaming ceased. The wound began to close.

  Lex popped the hood and got out of the Hummer. Kale slid out of the car, leaving Kierra in the front seat.

  “The engine is fried.”

  Kale walked around to the front of the vehicle to stand beside Lex as he reached into his pocket. “Shit. I forgot my phone got busted last night.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Lex replied as he held up his own phone. “She fried my phone as well.”

  “Damn it.” Kale ran a hand through his hair. “They’re going to catch up any minute. I guess we’re going to have to take them on. Are you with me, brother?”

  “When have I ever not been? Besides, it’s been a long time since we were able to fight. I think I just might enjoy this.” A full grin spread across his face.

  Kale lifted his head as the sound of an engine reached his ears. “They’re here. It would be best to lead them into the woods away from the females.” His gaze returned for a split second to the unconscious females in the back of the Hummer then darted back to the road ahead of them. “Revenge will probably be the first thing on their minds.”

  Lex removed his gun from the waistband of his pants at the small of his back. He pulled the slide back and loaded a round into the chamber. “Let’s hope our guns are still operational.”

  The SUV rounded the corner and stopped in the middle of the road. Five shifters filed out of the vehicle, Kyle still in his mountain lion form. Senators Chris and Mike were also there.

  “You will pay for murdering Eric and Bree,” Chris sneered.

  “No!” Lex shouted. “It’ll be you who pays for what you’ve been doing to those poor women. And you will pay with your lives!”

  Gunfire erupted from both sides as Kale made his way toward the forest, drawing the gunfire away from the Hummer. He took cover behind a large pine before glancing around for Lex. He spotted him a few trees down on his right, returning their enemies’ fire.

  It didn’t take long for the gunshots to stop, but Kale was not fooled into thinking that they’d killed all of the shifters. Most likely, they had shifted into their animal forms and were now on the hunt for him and Lex. He peered around the trunk of the massive tree as he made use of his super-sensitive hearing. The faint crunching of dead leaves reached his ears, signaling the approach of a shifter on his left. He waited patiently for it to show itself. It didn’t take long. A form emerged from the darkness, and Kale unloaded his clip into it. The body of a leopard fell at his feet and then turned back into its human form. It had been one of the other shifters that he was not familiar with. He heard Lex’s growl and turned. He watched as Lex landed a solid punch on a black bear’s maw. Lex appeared to be holding his own, so Kale stayed low to the ground and went in search of the other three.

  He spotted Kyle prowling low through the dense foliage. He was just about to make a move for him when the sky lit up with several bright flashes of lightning. He had lost his chance to attack by surprise. Kyle leapt toward him, and he dodged, rolling across the ground and back to his feet. His back toward Lex and the highway, he fortified his stance, ready to do battle with the shifter before him. Kyle hissed, his ears laid back flat as he started to charge, but he suddenly stopped, his eyes peeling wide. Kale didn’t take his eyes from his enemy, too afraid that by turning, he would fall prey to a trick. The night sky lit up again, and Kyle started backing away slowly.

  “Ah … Kale. You might want to go get your girl, ’cause she’s acting kinda scary.”

  Kale turned slowly to the side so as to keep the shifter in his sights as he looked to see what Lex was talking about. His gaze found Lex first, a dead bear lying at his feet, and then the lightning flashed again, and Kale looked beyond his brother to see Kierra.

  “Holy shit.” Kale stood transfixed at the sight of her. Lightning surrounded her body, zipping up the length on her extremities before snaking up to reach for the sky. And her hair was definitely standing on its end. Ribbons of bluish-white light danced in its out stretched length. The air crackled with the noise of it.

  As each ribbon died off, another took its place with a snapping crack that resembled a whip. She currently had her mouth locked around Mike’s neck, feeding her newfound blood lust. She dropped his limp body and turned to face the rest of them, hissing through her elongated fangs as blood ran down her chin. Lightning lit up the sky a
gain, a bolt landing next to her, and then she seemed to glide up, to hover in the air. As lightning bolts hit the ground around her, she jumped from bolt to bolt.

  “Oh damn, Kale. That puts a new meaning to riding the lightning,” Lex called out as he moved out of her way.

  Fires burned all around them from the lightning bolts hitting the earth. Kierra glided slowly to the ground and strode toward Kale.

  “What is happening to me?” Kierra ground out.

  “It’s going to be okay. You just need to calm down. I’m right here, and I won’t leave you.” Kale watched as some of the brightness surrounding her began to fade. “That’s it. You’re doing good. Just listen to the sound of my voice.” He directed his full attention to Kierra so he’d forgotten the shifters until Lex shouted, “Watch out!”

  Chris took Kale to the ground, and they rolled together with the force of the landing. Kierra screamed, and then all hell broke loose. Kale was suddenly sailing through the air as he was thrown from Chris. It had been like sticking a screwdriver in a light socket. His muscles spasmed. The sound of an animal in agony reached his ears, and he looked up from his position on the ground. Lightning poured off Kierra in waves, scorching the forest and setting it ablaze. Kyle and Chris both writhed in pain, receiving the brunt of the electricity into their bodies before growing still and lifeless. Kierra turned toward Kale, and then all the brightness was gone, leaving him nearly blind in the sudden darkness. His gaze focused as she took an unsteady step and then collapsed.

  Kale ran to her and gathered her up in his arms. Her pulse and respiration were normal, but she was unconscious again.

  “Gotta go. I can already hear sirens.”

  Kale tilted his head and heard the blaring noise of the fire engine. “We’ll take their SUV. I’ll help you get the others from the back of the Hummer. We can report it missing tomorrow so we’re not connected to the arson.” Kale ran beside his brother as they made their way back to the interstate. Lex’s brow wrinkled, and a muscle in his jaw ticked. He didn’t say anything, but Kale knew he was pissed about having to leave his precious Hummer.