Maia had been headed through the park, running for the subway. I’d have to move my ass to catch up. The streetlights were on, and running around in the dark was one of my least favorite things to do.
* * *
There had been four burly guys who had followed Maia down the path, I’d taken on the Malleus before, and had no illusions about what they were capable of. They’d remember me too, I had no doubt. After rush hour, the subway station wasn’t as crowded, which was a good thing and a very bad thing. The only time I was ever nervous was when I was alone… and in New York, no one is ever alone. There’s always someone on their way to do something. I caught a quick movement out of the corner of my eye, ducking just in time to miss a punch that had been thrown by a tall man dressed in a black turtleneck and trench coat.
Why did they always have a uniform?
“Bruja,” he growled, “we’ve missed you…” No shit, I’d been setting up wards and protective spells for months now, nothing got through that shit, especially not these idiots.
“It hasn’t been mutual,” I muttered. I didn’t have time for this shit.
The Malleus reared back to throw another punch, and this time I dodged easily and planted my palm in the middle of his chest, blasting him back with a burst of purple fire. He stumbled and fell to the gravel walkway, the material of his turtleneck smoking lightly.
Without waiting to see if he was getting up, I ran down the subway stairs towards the platform. There was only one way that she could go, and that was back towards downtown.
“Hey!”
The shout echoed up the stairwell and I pushed myself to go faster, jumping the bottom steps and sliding into the sickly green light of the subway platform.
A train was just rumbling out of the station, and the platform was empty, except for three tall, wide men dressed in black and a teenager with red hair.
Maia.
The last time I had fought these assholes, they had cornered me in my apartment hallway. Down here, I had room to move, and no one to hide my magic from.
“Back off, I don’t want any trouble, I’m just trying to get home…” Maia’s voice was loud and strong, but I could hear the hint of fear that she was trying desperately to hide. She was strong, but she was also in deep shit.
Believe me now?
She hadn’t seen me yet, preoccupied with her current predicament, but one of the Malleus had noticed my ungraceful arrival. A baton slid out of his sleeve and into his hand.
Some things never change.
He charged at me with a roar, weapon raised, but I didn’t even give him the opportunity to swing. My fingertips crackled with power and I raised my hand casually in his direction.
A jolt of purple fire caught him in the shoulder, spinning him into the wall and knocking some ceramic tiles loose. They clattered to the ground as he fell with a heavy grunt.
The other two paused, turning to look at me.
“Get the little one, I’ll take this one,” the shorter of the two growled. He pulled a taser out of his pocket and I paused for just a moment. That was new.
The subway tunnel rumbled with the approach of the next train and I edged closer to the edge of the platform, trying to get myself in a better position.
The Malleus I’d thrown into the wall was groaning pitifully into the rubble around him.
Behind me, I heard a group of students enter the platform on the other side of the tracks, and the Malleus smiled menacingly.
“Can’t use your magic now, bruja, too many eyes.”
I gritted my teeth and glanced over my shoulder. Definitely too many eyes.
The subway tunnel rumbled again. I was running out of time, and so was Maia.
“You might not remember me, but I don’t need magic to make you regret your life choices,” I muttered.
The Malleus lunged for me, trying to force me back farther, all it would take is one misstep and I’d be on the tracks, and then I’d be fucked.
I tried to circle around him, but he lunged again, cutting off my path. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the other Malleus advancing on Maia and the glint of a knife in his hand.
The crowd on the other platform hadn’t noticed what was going on yet, but it wouldn’t take long before the camera phones were out and someone would be calling the cops.
The Malleus launched at me again, taser crackling, and I reacted the only way I knew how. I met his lunge, stepping inside his arm and wrapping the taser in the jacket. With his hand trapped inside the twisted canvas, I stomped downwards, driving the heel of my boot hard into his instep. The man yelped and stumbled as I spun him around and pushed his canvas wrapped fist into his throat.
The taser crackled as the electricity arced into the man’s body and he shuddered violently. Without another thought, I pushed him away from me and turned to help Maia.
The other Malleus swiped his knife at her, making her jump back. Her eyes were wide and panicked, and I heard a scream from the opposite platform, someone had finally noticed what was going on.
I heard the metallic shriek of the subway car as it came around the corner and a shuddering cry as the Malleus I’d pushed teetered on the edge of the platform.
Just my fucking luck.
A chorus of screams echoed through the subway platform as the man danced his death jig at the edge of the track before finally falling into the path of the train.
I winced as I heard him land. And then Maia’s train was careening into the station and the screams were drowned out by the arrival of the outbound train. I only had a few seconds to get her to safety; I’d have to deal with whatever happened next on my own.
I ran forward, slamming my shoulder into the Malleus with the knife as hard as I could, knocking him off balance as he slashed with the knife again.
“Run!” I shouted, pushing him back again with a surge of magic. The trains were blocking the view from the other platform, so I could chance a little bit of magic without being caught. The man crashed into the wall and his knife clattered to the tiles.
Maia was frozen for only a moment, and then she ran headlong into the train, squeezing onto the empty car just as the doors closed. Her pale face was pressed against the glass as the train pulled away. Safe for now.
Someone would have called the cops by now, and I had to get out of here. I looked back to where the Malleus had been, but he was gone, and so was his compatriot, the one who had lain their groaning during the whole affair. The one I’d left on the gravel path in a smoking heap was probably gone too.
Assholes.
Maia’s jacket was crumpled on the edge of the platform; I picked it up, brushed it off and ran for the stairs. If those cretins were headed anywhere, it was exactly the same place Maia was.
I took the stairs three at a time, wondering how long it would take for police and paramedics to descend on the station. I pulled Maia’s jacket on, ignoring the black scorch mark under the arm and pulled up the hood to cover my hair.
My boots crunched on the gravel and I heard sirens blaring in the distance. Definitely time to get out of here.
* * *
I don’t know why I’d been worried that I wouldn’t be able to find Maia. I had shared my memories with her, poured some of my own magic into her veins, and I could feel myself being pulled in the right direction—that magnetic tug to the left or to the right.
9th Street Station.
Warmer.
Turn right, colder. Turn left, warmer.
I paused in front of a hotel, expecting something a little different than the graceful new building. I don’t know why I’d expected that Maia would be staying in a shit hole, but I was used to staying hidden, and Maia was eighteen and didn’t care what anyone thought or expected of her. I knew she was here. That magnetic tug on my spine was screaming for me to go in.
The front door of the hotel slammed, shaking the plate glass, and I flattened myself against the wall as two black-clad figures turned left and walked together up the street.
I waited, counting my breaths until I couldn’t hear their footsteps anymore. The street was quieter here, more upscale. I wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t safe. I had to get Maia out of here, but I knew she wouldn’t come with me against her will. Maybe she would run back to Seattle. But they would find her there. Now that they knew who she was, and what she was, she’d never be safe.
I opened the lobby door carefully, walking past the abandoned concierge desk briskly and into the waiting elevator. I closed my eyes and reached out for Maia with my magic. I held my hand in front of the buttons, and let my magic guide me to press the button for the right floor.
Five.
I shrugged out of Maia’s jacket, hoping she wouldn’t be angry about the black marks that had been left by the dead Malleus’ taser. I’d apologize later, if she gave me the chance.
Five-oh-seven.
I knocked gently on the door and then rested my palm against the dark wood, sending just a little bit of my magic through the door towards her. Reassuring and protective.
The loud slap of Maia’s hand hitting the other side of the door made me jump.
“Get the fuck away from me!” I heard her through the door, and I stared into the peephole. I knew she was there, watching me.
“I’m sorry about what happened back there, but I’m glad you made it here in one piece,” I said quietly. Maia didn’t reply. “I brought you your jacket.”
“I’m not opening the door for you, or for anyone, got it? You can fuck right the hell off!”
Fair enough. It had been an action packed night. For both of us.
“Okay, Maia. I know you’re scared, and confused—“
Maia’s hand slapped against the door again, and I smiled.
“I am not scared, I’m pissed off!”
Atta girl.
The deadbolt clicked loudly and the door was wrenched open, halted sharply by the chain lock that allowed half of Maia’s face to be seen.
“You killed someone. I watched you do it,” she hissed.
“Maia, I was trying to protect you… you don’t want to know what they would have done if they’d captured you. You’re not safe here. If you come with me—”
Maia’s eyes widened, and I knew she was remembering all the fire I’d shown her. She knew what would have happened if they’d gotten a hold of her. I didn’t need to tell her.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. If you don’t get out of here. I’m calling the fucking cops,” she said between clenched teeth, slamming the door in my face. The deadbolt clicked.
I counted the beats of my heart, waiting for it to slow, and then I hung Maia’s jacket over the door handle.
“You know where I am if you change your mind,” I said quietly, stepping back from the door.
I held up my hands, murmuring the protection spell I’d used time and time again to lay a camouflage over the door. If the Malleus came back, they wouldn’t be able to find her. They would know that she was here… but Maia would be invisible to them as long as she stayed in that room.
I just hoped that she was smart enough to order pizza and not go wandering.
I didn’t want to leave her alone, but I knew that she needed time to think. If she wanted answers, she’d be able to find me.
Chapter 10 ~ Maia
All I knew was that I had to get the fuck away from that apartment. That crazy woman and her crazy cat and those crazy dreams… what was all of that anyway? I wasn’t staying in that apartment a minute longer, and as soon as I slammed my way through the lobby doors the haze that had been crowding my mind began to lift. Every step I took away from that place made me feel lighter, more in control. I shook my head, trying to clear the last of the tendrils of purple smoke that had wrapped themselves around me.
It had all been a dream. Some kind of hallucination brought on by that tea she’d given me.
But you didn’t drink any.
Right. I hadn’t.
A hallucination brought on by an allergy to cat hair? No, that sounded even stupider. I didn’t even know if I was allergic to cats. Sitting in that apartment was the longest I’d ever even been around one.
I ran as hard as I could through the garden Ophelia had brought me through. There had to be a subway station around here somewhere. I checked over my shoulder quickly, just to be sure that she wasn’t following me. I didn’t see her, but I didn’t slow down either. New Yorkers didn’t move when you ran, in Seattle it was common for someone to try to stop you, especially in my old neighborhoods. Everyone knew everyone else, so if you were running and weren’t wearing yoga pants, you’d better have a damn good reason for it. Here, no one batted an eye.
I was starting to like being anonymous here.
The train station.
My heart leapt in my chest, all I needed to do was get on the train and get my ass back to the hotel and figure out what the fuck was going on. A hot bath, some take out… maybe a donair. That would set me straight again.
I jumped down the stairs towards the platform that would take me back towards 9th Street. It wasn’t far to go, but I knew if I walked I ran the risk of getting lost, and that was the last thing I needed. Besides, it was dark out, and I’d left my jacket at Ophelia’s apartment… my night couldn’t get any more fucked up, and I wanted it to stay that way.
A train pulled away just as I stepped onto the platform and I groaned. I didn’t know how often these trains came through, but every second that I waited was a second too long. I leaned against the tiled wall, drumming my fingers on my thighs, trying not to think about the images that had flashed through my mind in Ophelia’s apartment. The heat of the fire, the taste of the oily puddle, and the gleam of the strangely pale man’s fangs in the flickering streetlight.
“Hey!”
I jumped, startled by the hard voice that echoed through the empty platform. Three men dressed head to toe in black – complete with sweaters and trench coats stood on the platform between the stairwell and me. The tracks buzzed with electricity and the loudspeaker crackled with an announcement I couldn’t understand.
I looked at them nervously, holding up my hands. “What the hell? I don’t have any money; I’m jumping this train without a ticket… are you transit police? If you are, I was totally planning to pay for the ticket as soon as I found my wallet…”
The three men spread out, blocking the exit, and my heart leapt into my mouth.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Could these guys be O’Mall – Malleus? Whatever the fuck? Whoever they were, they didn’t want money. What if everything Ophelia had said, everything I’d seen – hallucinated… what if it was all true?
“I’m just trying to get home…”
One of the trio turned away, but I was focused on the one who had pulled a knife. It was longer than the one I had tucked in my boot, and he looked capable enough to be able to drive it into my ribs before I’d even have a chance to get mine free.
“No tricks this time, bruja,” the one with the knife said, a gold tooth glinted in his mouth and I backed up a few steps, knowing that the end of the platform was behind me, a solid wall.
All at once there was a crackle of energy and a crash as the third man spun into the back wall of the platform and fell heavily to the tiled floor.
Standing defiantly on the platform, her red hair shining strangely in the eerie green light was Ophelia. She’d followed me here… I didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.
“You deal with this one,” the thug without the knife muttered to his partner, turning away to face off with Ophelia.
Laughter echoed off the walls of the platform and across the tracks as a group of students crowded on to the opposite platform. My gaze whipped back to the man in front of me. He’d seen them too, and he changed his grip on the knife to hide it from their view before he lunged for me, trying to grab my arm and pull me closer.
I could smell his breath,
it was dark and acrid, and his fingers were stained black, like he’d been digging in a garden… or in the ashes of a fire. The thought hit me like a bolt of lightning.
They’re going to burn you. Just like your mother. Just like my family.
Ophelia’s voice burned its way through my brain and I stumbled just a little as I tried to avoid the man’s lunge, the knife in his hand caught the edge of my tank top, ripping the fabric.
“Fuck! Fuck you, what do you want?” the words shot out of my mouth before I could stop them. The man’s dark eyes glittered in the strange light.
“En el fuego,” he said. “Ella lo demanda…”
He struck again, this time the knife flashed across my bicep, right above my birthmark. A thin trickle of blood snaked down my arm, itching as it dripped. I felt panic start to slide up my spine. These guys weren’t fucking around.
Then, someone screamed, and I saw Ophelia grappling with the shorter man, pushing him to the edge of the platform.
No. No, no, no.
My back hit the tiled wall, and the man with the knife loomed closer. My arm stung and then the screams from the opposite platform got louder. I gasped as the man Ophelia had been fighting with fell off the platform into the tracks.
The train rushed into the station, the sound of its arrival screaming in my ears.
The next thing I knew, Ophelia was shouting at me, telling me to run. But my feet were frozen in place. Ophelia crashed into the man with the knife, and my feet started to move.
Something pushed me onto the train, and I squeezed through the doors just as they were closing.
“Ophelia!” I shouted, hammering my hand on the window, as the train pulled away and sped off into the flickering light of the tunnels.
Holy shit.
The subway car was empty, swaying and rocking as it picked up speed, and I felt sick. Sick to my stomach. What the fuck had just happened? I’d watched a man die, I’d come way too close to being killed... my arm stung. I was still bleeding, and the blood on my shirt was starting to dry, black and stiff.
Moonlight Burns Page 9