“Anything so far?” I asked after flashing our ID.
She ushered us along, generators buzzing alongside other machines as we followed her through a canvas tunnel. We passed through a secured area where other detectives worked.
Simone stopped outside a zipped strip of a doorway guarded by two soldiers. When she confirmed our identification they moved out of the way, and she unzipped the plastic covering to let us through. We next came to another cordoned off section fashioned with steel poles. More guards stood to attention, their weapons in hand. But they stared ahead, staying at their posts.
“We’ve found nothing during our initial assessments,” Simone explained, tapping away on a laptop set up on a tall table in front of her. Machines beeped. Wires hung from inflated channels above. “We have people in quarantine that my colleagues are dealing with off site. Combined with them and who we have here, we’ve tested samples on site and sent the rest off to to our base in Atlanta. But I’m eliminating more than I’m finding. Did General Hanley tell you about these people’s backgrounds?”
“That they’re registered as deceased,” I replied. “Yes. He did.”
“I’m investigating their medical records, trying to keep my imagination in check. But this is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. And trust me, I’ve seen weird.” She pushed her jet black hair from an attractive face—one that looked strained and worried. I didn’t blame her.
“Our subjects are in here.” She took us to a make-shift cage to see three people standing there, staring into space. “Until I’ve cleared the samples, I won’t be examining them further. But as of an hour ago they went from aggressive to catatonic. That’s about all I can tell you, aside from their names and ages.”
Kaleb said, “Just give us what you’re able.” But a growl erupted. He coughed over it, ignoring my pointed stare.
Simone, not noticing, did what he asked, reeling off their bios. “Judith Fitzgerald, aged forty-two, a palliative care worker for a private hospital. She supposedly died from a hit and run. They buried her a few weeks ago. Injuries sustained include broken ribs, bruises and lacerations, and the bleed to the brain listed as the cause of the death. She left a young child and husband behind. The body has experienced no other further decay since being,” she hesitated, “since being embalmed and buried from what I can see. It should have if we’re dealing with the Judith Fitzgerald.”
The woman, dressed in a blue floral dress, pretty pearls around a delicate neck, stared out into the space before her. Her glossy eyes remained vacant. Skin sagged in places while shiny in others. Dark purple and green patches crept up her soiled hands, her arms, and up to her throat. Her light brown hair fell against hollow cheeks.
I understood why many of the witnesses had called them zombies. In effect, that’s what they were. But not because of a virus. Because of magic. And I needed the reminder that no souls remained inside those Dreven had risen. It was a pity I couldn’t tell this information to Simone and her ready-to-blow mind.
“And the next?” Kaleb asked, sensing the woman’s distress. But she held it together. Simone may have seen worse than most in her line of work, but the knowledge of them listed as dead knocked her off balance. A woman of science would crave a scientific reason to explain it all. But unfortunately, she wouldn’t find one.
“Paul Weber. Insurance salesman,” she continued. “Heart attack was the COD this time. He died on the operating table. Aged fifty-four. Married for thirty years, left behind a wife, three children, seven grandchildren. Buried a week after Judith.”
Paul had dark thinning hair, a rotund stomach as age caught up with him. Almost white lips rested beneath a graying mustache. He had soulless eyes and decaying marks across his body. But the decomposition hadn’t fully grasped him either as the magic pulsed through them both, keeping them fresh.
“Then we have Lemar Stevens,” said Simone. “Innocent victim of a drive-by shooting. He got caught in the crossfire between two local gangs on the way home from school. He took two bullets to the chest, one hit a main artery. He died before paramedics reached him.” Her voice faltered slightly. “He’d just turned eighteen.”
My heart wrenched at the sight of Lemar. The youth in him struck a chord as his horrific, pointless death yanked at my empathy. I imagined him walking home, books tucked under his arm, music thrumming through pods in his ears. He would never have seen his end coming.
I took a breath, pushing my imagination out the door. It wouldn’t do any good envisioning the bullets tearing through his skin. The fear as he looked up at the sky, the life leaving his body as he lay there, cold and alone, his hopes seeping away with his blood.
Goddamn it. I need to get out of here.
Lemar’s eyes stayed blank. It’s not him anymore, I had to remind myself. Neither was it Paul. Or Judith. They were shells. Empty caskets. Nothing more.
“Anything else?” I asked, our canvas and plastic surroundings becoming a bubbled cage. Fresh air called to me.
“Nothing I can give you that will help you understand what’s going on. Hopefully, I’ll have more for you soon. When I have the results back from Atlanta, I’ll move in, sedate them, see if we can get more.”
Sedation wouldn’t stop the magic. “Don’t sedate or approach them until you receive authorization from me, Simone. We have intel that means you doing so may make it worse. You must make me aware of all steps along the way because for now I outrank Hanley.”
She nodded, gnawed at her lip. “Okay. But I’m worried.”
“Me too.”
“No, agent. I’m worried because I’ve seen what’s out there, waiting. Waiting for something behind some form of an invisible barrier. And I witnessed them when we first got them here. They were quick, enraged, with a desperate desire to reach this location.”
“And that’s our problem to resolve.”
“I’ve witnessed the number of soldiers here,” her face fell, “I’ve seen how many of the Infected there are. How many are there of you?”
I got her point.
“We’re not like other agents,” Kaleb said, his reassuring confidence gone as his eyelids drooped. He blinked them open. “We know what we’re up against.”
“I hope so, agent,” she replied. “For all of our sakes may depend on it.”
9
“Kaleb,” I said, trying to catch up with him when we exited the tent. I caught hold of his arm and pulled him to a stop. “What is going on with you? You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine.” He avoided my eyes. “Let’s check if the others have returned.”
“You’re worrying me.”
“Erm, Agent Vane?” a soldier said, appearing beside us. “General Hanley wanted me to inform you we’ve set up the tent, and it’s ready for you to use.”
Kaleb took advantage of the disruption. “Thanks. Point us in the direction?”
Once he knew the location, Kaleb made haste to hurry away.
When we reached the tent they’d erected, I had to admit Hanley had worked fast to arrange such a setup in such a short time frame. High enough for us to walk into with plenty of space to store our gear, the tent also had a portable toilet close by and floodlights for when night came around.
“Agent Vane!” Hanley bellowed from across the way. He dismissed the soldier he spoke with and made his way over. “Does the set up meet your requirements?”
“Yes. Thank you for getting it sorted so fast.”
“I expect a briefing soon. But I will give you and your team time to assess the threat and for your specialists to report back. I understand they exited the site?”
“They did. We need supplies. They’ll be back shortly. I also have two agents speaking to the local authorities. But we need the soldiers gone from any view of the southwest of the shields. That’s where we will run the diagnostic and we’ll need privacy.” He frowned, but I ignored it. “I’ll brief you when we have more.”
“All right.” He nodded. “I’ll release my men
from duty on that area alone, and until you’ve run the diagnostic. But I’ll expect that briefing soon. I’ll give you the hour.”
He left before I could argue with him, leaving me standing there like a lost lamb in the dark. Not that night had fallen yet.
The weight of everything hit me hard, and I gulped at the sight before me. Army. Mass outbreak protocol. Zombies. And I was at the center, trying to make the major decisions.
Kaleb snatched me out of my despair and hauled me into the tent. “Have I told you I love you today?” He lowered the flap to give us privacy and pulled me into his arms.
Happy to see the familiar twinkle in his eyes, a reluctant smile broke free. “Not yet.”
“Then I’m gonna say it. I love you. But I hate it when you doubt yourself. It rankles me.”
“You picked up on that, eh?”
“You’re a very easy person to read,” he smiled, dropping a kiss on my lips. It comforted.
“I’m not military.” I lowered my voice. “I’m not even real FBI. I’m out of my depth here.”
“Bullshit. Treat it as you would any other case and stop worrying what Hanley or anyone else thinks.”
“I have to worry. What if I drop out the real reason while we’re here? Or one of us forgets and uses our gifts?”
“That’s not on you. We’re grown-ups, accountable for our own actions. And we won’t let you down that way.”
“I know that,” I breathed. “We’re juggling so many balls in the air. What if we drop them? If it were someone else in my place…”
“They wouldn’t have got this far because they don’t think like you do. And I know it’s hard to keep fighting when so many believe you’re not capable. But stop letting their stupid, narrow-minded opinions affect the one you have of yourself. You’re a good agent. A psychic agent with experience working in both worlds. That’s why you’re our leader. Not because of a fluke. Trust in that, baby.” He stroked my cheek.
“I trust you in you,” I told him. He smiled and pulled me closer. I leaned against his warmth, letting myself absorb it for a second. His chest rumbled beneath me, and another growl erupted from his throat. His breathing rate increased.
“Kaleb? What the hell is going on?”
“I’m all right,” he bit out, but I heard the agony woven within it. His skin perspired, and his eyes faded from amber to blue, blue to amber.
“Your wolf,” I whispered, tentatively touching his cheek. “He’s coming close to the surface.”
“It’s okay.” His body shook.
“Don’t you lie to me, Kaleb Cipher. What’s happening?”
He took in a deep gulp of air and held onto to my shoulders. “It’s a full moon tonight.”
“So? You’re not a werewolf?”
“No shit,” he ground his teeth together, “but the claiming, my wolf… I can’t control him wanting to take you at the best of times of late. But with the moon full.”
I recalled what Anya, the pack mate of the Caladonia Moor, said to me on my last case about claiming. Something about doing the mating ceremony, and making love to deepen the connection. The bite of the wolf happened under a full moon as the magic of the shifters blended with their mate on a deeper level. Or words to that effect.
“Why is your wolf acting up now? He’s been fine during other full moons?”
“We hadn’t,” he hesitated, “done anything during those times.”
“Ah,” I replied, realizing he referred to when we’d had sex in the cabin on the shifter lands. The experience had rocked my world—and broke the bed—but Kaleb had experienced a searing pain, his wolf clawing to get out and claim me after he’d climaxed. Since then, it had worsened, hence why we weren’t making out too much or getting heavy between the sheets. “Can we try to calm that side of you?”
He shook his head, a quick shake, one that told me he was hiding something.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“What?” I demanded.
He rolled his eyes. “When I claim you, it will ease. It will sate him. But now isn’t the time.”
Agitation filled me. “When will be the right time? After we capture the last escaped prisoner? When we catch a break? When we’re dead and buried in the ground because our luck runs out?”
“I want to do it when we can have a proper ceremony. And when we’ve dated for a while longer. I want you to be ready when I do so.”
“I’m ready now.”
His eyes snapped up at that. “What?”
“You know I am. I’d claim you tomorrow, so do it today. Claim me. Bite me. Do what you need to do.”
“You don’t know what you ask of me,” he breathed.
“You said you wanted it right?”
“Yes, I do!”
“Then do it.”
“No,” he shook his head, “next cycle of the moon maybe, when you’ve had more time to think about it. I’m not rushing you into anything.” He took in another draw of air. “I will be fine. I can deal with this, okay? I’ll follow your lead, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
My stubbornness took hold. “Claim me, Kaleb.”
“Not now.” He rubbed his cheek against mine. “And you’ve gotta stop saying that, baby. My wolf isn’t rational at the moment. Your scent, the feel of you, drives him insane. But my human side is struggling to keep a rein on him. Especially when I feel the same way.”
“Something you could ease by claiming me.”
He laughed and took a step back. “Always so stubborn. I’m not rutting you and biting you among the trees just so I can keep control. That’s bullshit. We claim because it’s the next step and a special occasion we can celebrate. I will not have you sold short just because my wolf is a spoiled brat.”
His eyes flared, the conflicting souls within in him clear.
“Maybe he thinks it’s for the best?”
“And I told you claiming is a big deal. It’s not the same as marriage. It’s a blending of souls, a connection so deep you would never be free. And I’d hate for you to feel caged again. Especially by me.”
Love for him filled me at that moment, goosebumps prickling my arms as it rushed throughout my core. Claiming him had taken root inside, but I wouldn’t force him to do so, either. We both needed to be in this one hundred percent. And I didn’t want him experiencing guilt or claiming me out of duty.
“You need to tell me if this gets any worse.” I narrowed my eyes at him when he wiped the sweat from his brow. He smiled, a sweet one, and one filled with relief.
“I will. But you have your plate full. Let’s tackle the mage and his zombies first.”
“Zombies.” I kicked at the ground and wrapped my arms around my chest. “Do you remember that time you made me watch Night of the Living Dead?”
“The Earthside zombie movie?” He laughed. “Yeah. I remember. I also remember how you chomped on the popcorn like a chipmunk, your eyes glued to the screen, then you punched me in the face when I jumped out on you after your visit to the bathroom.”
“It was a reflex. I hate zombies.”
“Zombies and demons, if I recall?”
“Not all demons,” I poked him in the chest, “only those weird, jagged ones that move on all fours, and climb walls and shit.”
He chuckled, trying to rein it in. Kissing my cheek, he said, “I recall you removing all zombies from Movie Night.”
“Yeah. Now we get to fight an army of them.” I shuddered.
“I’ll protect you, baby. You can scream like a banshee at my side.”
“No chance.”
“See? Even with zombies you’re stubborn.”
“I just refuse to let you play ‘the man is the hero’ card. But I can’t promise I won’t scream like a banshee.”
He smiled, looking more like the balanced Kaleb I’m used to. “I can’t wait.”
10
While waiting for the others to return, we set up a map of Seattle Kaleb found from somewhere, and the blu
eprints of the mall. I gathered a few chairs. A soldier found me a table, and a few bottles of water we could keep close to hand.
They transported food in for when we wanted any, but I text Bernard and asked him to bring something back with them.
Arranging the chairs, Kaleb stumbled. I caught his arm.
“Kaleb.” When I brushed the hair from his face, he flinched. “It’s getting worse.”
He took a deep breath. “No. It isn’t. Just try…I hate saying this to my core. But, try… Try not to touch me, okay?”
I nodded, letting him go. I stayed in the tent, but out of touching distance. The spark had gone from him. A slump to his shoulders. He staggered when he walked, righting himself when he noticed me looking.
I hated seeing him this way. And, if I allowed myself to fret, then I’d have to accept the possibility we couldn’t take him into the mall with us. Not when we had a potential battle on our hands. But with Kaleb out of the picture, we’d be seriously out-manned. He might not be able to turn wolf while in combat with the humans, but he was a force to be reckoned in his human form: strong and fast, and heightened senses. The memory of him pummeling his brother into the ground during the challenge came to mind. It took a lot for Kaleb to lose control, and when he let out his fire, nothing would get into his path.
It seems I’m one of the few people able to stoke his temper. Not at me, but toward anyone who threatens me. Add this into the mix with his wolf needing to claim me as a full moon approached, and we were about to head up shit creek without a paddle.
“Will it be better tomorrow?” I asked him. “Once the full moon is past?”
“I don’t know. But I started feeling the affects yesterday. They’re worsening. I can’t guarantee I’ll fine by tomorrow.”
Bernard, Mayra, and Zax returned with the supplies. We helped to offload them out of the car Bernard had parked close. Several trunks containing our weapons half-filled the tent. Mayra had already changed into her dark combat gear. So had Bernard and Zax. But she looked so different in hers, her white blonde hair now tied back off her face. She’d emerged from the witch with floaty skirts to a woman ready to fight.
Death Be Rising (The Terra Vane Series Book 7) Page 5