Hanif howled as the bullet shot into his shoulder, staining the white camo. Peter flinched back, but his hands continued to support the now gasping Seer.
Takao’s words were colder than ice—and I now knew just how cold that could be. “The next shot claims his life. Now, Kate. Return now.”
Shaking so much I couldn’t see clearly, I located the internal pull inside my body. Found it and embraced it, letting it jerk me away from this nightmare before anyone else could get hurt.
The next thing I knew I was shivering on the warehouse floor. Lee was grasping my arm, her face completely amazed. For her, I’d gone from sweating in a dry parka to wet and trembling in an instant.
I was slipping into unconsciousness, the rush of distorted time forcing me to black out. I tried to make my mouth work. “Demon . . . Lord,” I breathed.
“What?” Lee asked, leaning closer to catch my weak exhale.
But I was already gone. My vision was black, and just before I went under, I heard Toni curse and call out Hanif’s name . . .
***
“. . . I know. But she’s all right. Hanif had the only injury, but Claire was able to stop the bleeding. He’s still a little pale, but the damage was pretty superficial.” A pause, and then Lee continued, her voice almost meek. “I’m sorry. I should have called you sooner. But relax, okay? She’s fine . . . Yeah, about an hour now. Dr. Radcliffe thinks they’ll be out for at least another hour or two, if they all came back at the same time, and things went according to plan.” Another break. “Well, obviously not perfectly, with Hanif shot. But we won’t know exactly until they wake up.” Worn sigh. “She wasn’t hurt, as far as I can tell. She was shivering, that was all. Peter was the same.” Pause. “Of course. I’ll have her call you when she wakes up.”
I couldn’t move my body, but my thoughts were becoming clearer. An hour? How was I this awake after only an hour? Normally I was out for much longer.
And then I remembered why I was fighting so strenuously to get through the fog. Peter was a traitor. He’d betrayed our plans to the Demon Lord. Takao had come back to stop our efforts, and the Demon Lord was waiting for us. What did that mean?
I needed to wake up. I needed to warn them. What else had Peter told Selena? What if the Demon Lord was on his way to the warehouse right now?
“Patrick, will you stop freaking out? Worst-case scenario, they ran into some trouble. But all three of them made it back . . . Yeah. Okay, bye.” Lee ended the call.
I struggled to find my voice.
I felt Lee’s hands pull up my blankets, tucking me in more securely. Her fingers brushed my forehead, and that simple action lulled me back into sleep.
I lost my only chance to warn them of the incredible danger we were all in.
Nineteen
When my eyes finally opened, I knew everything had changed. I didn’t need to look around the room to know Lee wasn’t with me anymore. In fact, I was pretty sure I was alone in Patrick’s room.
Moving came slowly. I laboriously shifted my weight, rolling onto my side before forcing my shaking arms to lift me up into a sitting position on the bed. I was trembling, despite the fact I was now warm and dry. Trembling with an emotion I knew all too well—fear.
I looked to the desk, but my phone was gone; Lee must have moved it. I rubbed my eyes and tried to keep my head steady while my vision spun. The silence rang in my ears, and I fleetingly wondered if I was the only one in the entire warehouse.
Peter Keegan had lied to me. He’d betrayed us. How much had Peter told Selena? Obviously he’d told her about our plans, but did she know where we were? Did she know where the twins were? No. Not possible. I hadn’t told him, and I doubted he would have dared ask anyone else. Still, it was a thought that hadn’t occurred to me until just now, and I needed to confirm they were safe. I needed to call Patrick.
I needed to find Toni. Claire. Lee. Anyone. I needed to find Peter and make sure he didn’t try to hurt anyone else. If he did, it would be my fault. I’d asked for his help. I should have listened to Patrick. I shouldn’t have trusted the Demon Seer.
I glanced at the clock and saw that three hours had passed since I’d gone back to 1971. I’d lost three hours. Hours I could have spent finding the damage Peter had caused. I couldn’t afford to stay here any longer. Still faintly dizzy, I forced myself to stand. Blankets slid off my weak body as I gained back the use of my feet, and I shuffled toward the closed door.
I leaned briefly against the door frame, taking a last opportunity to close my eyes and breathe in slowly. My head was pounding, but the pain was noticeably retreating with each throb. I just needed to alert Toni, and then I could crawl back in bed until the ache disappeared completely.
I took in a last shallow breath, then turned the knob, pulling the door open. I stepped out into the makeshift living room and found the Demon Lord’s pleased smile trained on me.
“Why, Kate. How quickly you recovered! I hope your headache isn’t too severe?”
I stared at him, standing so calmly in the middle of the room. He was holding an apple I imagined he’d just gotten from the small fridge in the corner. The Dmitriev brothers were positioned at the far end of the room, both of their blond heads focused on the man lying on the floor at their feet. My breath caught in my throat—it was Toni. He was curled up on his side, his hands bound behind his back with layers of duct tape. Blood matted his hair and was splattered all over his clothes. A knife was buried high in his back, keeping him from healing and regaining his strength. He breathed heavily into the floor, his whole body quivering with pain.
Lee was on the couch, her eyes red from crying. Her bruised face now sported a few shallow cuts and her arms were wrapped tightly around her stomach as if she were suffering from a sharp pain. She was looking to me, pale and afraid. The white poofy scarf that had once been around her neck now served as a gag. Selena was sitting next to her, studying her manicured nails while holding a small handgun, aimed lazily at my best friend.
Mei Li was near the Demon Lord’s arm, her thin body straight as a rod but somehow perfectly relaxed. Her hands were small but deceiving. I knew firsthand what she was capable of.
Far Darrig stood back near the door, wearing a black button-up shirt. He looked so much like his brother, it was uncanny. Sleeves rolled at the elbows, dark jeans, and a firm jaw. His eyes were the same as well; a penetrating blue. He looked to be in his thirties, and he was attractive—except for the black aura surrounding him and his almost haunted expression. He was keeping an eye on Claire, who was tied to a chair with ropes that crisscrossed her chest, and she had a knife in her side. Her face was covered in a sheen of sweat, and like Toni, she had more blood on her than wounds to show for it.
Obviously they’d put up a great struggle. It just hadn’t been enough.
Dr. Radcliffe, Hanif, Takao, and Peter were nowhere in sight.
I didn’t need anyone to explain what had happened. The Demon Lord had finally come for me, and my friends had lost the fight.
The Demon Lord was dressed immaculately in a perfectly tailored black suit. He had a dark purple tie, and he looked completely harmless. His aura was just as confusing as it had been the last time I’d seen it. There were too many shifting colors to make sense of—they all seemed like a twisting rainbow of confusion.
He was handsome. His face perfectly sculpted with only slight wrinkles around his eyes. He clicked his tongue at me. “Now, Kate, don’t look quite so distressed. You really left me no choice. You ran away, and then you defy me by trying to destroy me in the past. For obvious reasons, I can’t allow such behavior.”
“Let them go,” I whispered, my shoulders too heavy to support. “You don’t need them. It’s me you want.”
He winced. “There, see, I knew this would be a problem. I’m afraid you’re really not worth the trouble anymore. You can promise to be good and obey, but there will always be a part of you that longs to rebel. I should have seen this from the beginning.”
&
nbsp; I fought against the trembling in my hands—forced them to stay at my sides. “So what do you want?”
He fingered the round apple in his hands, green eyes still on me. They’d turned regretful. My stomach dropped in response. “I hate to waste a Special Seer,” he mourned. “But you leave me no choice. You are a liability, Kate Bennett. And I know how to handle liabilities.”
I swallowed hard, trying not to let my fear show. I’m sure I failed. “So why didn’t you just kill me? Why let me wake up at all?”
“Because I’m a businessman, Kate. I hate to be on the losing side of any deal. The other special Seers the Guardians found, I probably can’t use them either. Not after what they tried to do today. So, where does that leave me? To lose three Special Seers in one day? No. It’s bad business.” He took a bite from the apple and turned to look over the room while he chewed.
His eyes fell on Lee, and he swallowed.
I stiffened.
“This girl,” he said calmly. “She’s not a Seer, I imagine?” Before I could form words, he was shaking his head. “No, I’m sure she’s not . . . But she must be special to you. Why else would she be here?”
He took another bite and twisted back to face me. “Where are your sisters, Kate? And I’m not in the mood for games.”
“What do you want with them?” I demanded, trying to ignore the throbbing in my head. “They have nothing to do with any of this.”
“Don’t they? I was under the impression your grandfather was a Seer with special abilities. You had them too. Your sisters . . .” He shrugged. “It’s just good business. So tell me: where are they?”
I gaped at him, irrationally shocked by his sick intentions. He wanted to turn my sisters into Seers. He wanted to turn my sisters into Seers—just as Selena had made Peter into one. He wanted to almost kill my sisters, to awaken their Sight, and then he was going to make them serve him.
I was shaking my head. “No. You can’t do that.”
“Can’t I?” A single eyebrow rose. “Kate, I think you’ll find I’m in a position to do whatever I like. They aren’t at your house, and since Patrick isn’t around, I’m assuming he ran off with them? Now, I’ll ask you again: where are they?”
My mind was scrambling for something to say; anything but the truth. “I don’t know. I told him to take them somewhere safe, but I didn’t want to know where. They’d be safer that way, if I didn’t know.”
He smiled, and it was chilling. “I think you’ve seen one too many movies, Kate. But then, that’s a good thing—you won’t be surprised by what happens next.” He turned on his heel, nodded curtly to Selena.
Toni gasped from the floor where he’d been watching the proceedings through a veil of pain. “Lee!” he panted feebly, choking from the effort it took to lift his head.
Too late I realized what was happening.
“No!” I screamed, letting the shout rip through my throat despite my aching head.
Selena moved casually. Lee’s eyes only had time to widen before the bullet pounded into her chest. She was blown back against the couch, blood blossoming through her pink blouse.
Toni snarled and writhed on the floor, unable to push himself up. Viktor, the Russian brother with long hair, kicked him soundly in the face, stopping the pitiful squirming effort.
I lurched forward but Mei Li reacted just as quickly. She darted in front of me, landing a kick to my stomach before cinching my wrists behind me. She held me in place as I watched Lee slump deeper into the old couch, slipping to lie on her side.
Lee was blinking limply, her eyes slightly unfocused. Selena set the gun on the coffee table and stood, straightening her long black skirt. She leaned over Lee and ripped off the gag so my friend’s tortured breaths could fill the room. She tossed the scarf aside and grabbed Lee’s wrist, unceremoniously drawing her up from the couch and slinging her body to the floor. Lee slammed hard against the cement, her lungs shuddering at the impact, and an almost surprised cry escaped her.
“Lee!” I sobbed, so shocked by how things were unraveling I could barely breathe.
The Demon Lord stepped in front of me, blocking my view of her. His mouth was a tight line. “My patience is nearly spent, Kate. I will allow one of your Guardians to take her to the emergency room, if you tell me where your sisters are. But speak quickly; she’ll be dead in minutes.”
The words jumped out of my mouth without thought. “They’re staying with one of my grandma’s friends. She lives on a small farm—about fifty miles from here.”
“Where is it exactly?” he demanded.
I couldn’t remember the address. I told him the city and gave him hurried instructions for where to turn. “It’s a small yellow house at the end of the road, with a big barn in back,” I finished in a pinched rush. “Please, let Toni take her to the hospital!”
The Demon Lord ignored me. He turned to his most loyal servant, Far Darrig, who hadn’t budged at all. “You can find it?”
Sean nodded once. “I can find it.”
“Take Yuri with you. One of you can distract O’Donnell while the other takes care of the twins. I will wait for your word, once the job is complete.”
Sean nodded again.
I was trying to get a good look at Lee, but Mei Li was holding me too tightly. I heard Toni’s voice, cracking and weak. “Hold on, Lee. Please hold on . . .”
Everything we try fails . . .
The door opened and the Demon Lord turned to see the new arrival. My eyes flickered between the door and Lee, whose aura was dimming . . .
Takao Kiyota stepped inside, looking tired. Peter was right behind him, looking troubled. He stopped dead when he saw Lee on the floor.
“What happened?” he demanded, looking first to me and then Selena. “You promised she wouldn’t be hurt!”
Selena smiled thinly. “Oops.”
Peter pushed around Takao, hurrying to Lee’s side. He knelt beside her, touching her shoulder. Lee whimpered when he rolled her over. “She needs help!” he growled, looking to Selena. “You promised she’d be safe!”
She shrugged. “I lied.” She stooped over to pick up the gun. “My Lord?” she asked, looking to the Demon Lord.
He nodded once, bringing the apple back up to his lips.
Selena raised the gun, and I was sure she was going to shoot Peter. My stomach clenched, but he wasn’t the target.
Lee’s body jerked from the second shot, this one catching her in the head. Her aura vanished as she grew still—just like Grandpa.
Peter fell backward, sitting heavily on the floor with a white face.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.
My best friend had just been shot to death in front of my eyes.
Toni was staring at her lifeless body, his rigid shoulders shaking. He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t make a sound. A single tear burned a trail down his bloody cheek.
Selena tutted him softly in the sudden silence. “That’s one of the biggest reasons not to love a mortal, Antonio.”
The Demon Lord frowned at Peter, who was reaching to touch Lee’s limp arm. He swallowed his bite of apple. “Get up. Go keep an eye on the other Seers. I will see to them later.”
Peter’s face was blank. He looked up at me. Looked at Selena.
She shook her head at him. “You’re pathetic, Peter. Trust me—a stepdaughter wouldn’t have been any fun. You’ll thank me someday.”
His chest rose and fell with a quick, angry burst. He came quickly to his feet, blinking back tears. He stopped short when she raised the gun on him. “I’ll kill you next,” she said calmly. “And then her mother. Is that what you want? Follow orders, Peter. That’s a good dog. Go stand guard with Jose.”
It was obvious he didn’t want to listen to her, but that didn’t stop him from backing away from the gun. He turned abruptly and marched from the room, hands trembling at his sides.
As soon as the door closed Takao shook his head. “He’s unstable. Too emotional. You could do better, Selena.”<
br />
“He just needs to be trained,” she disagreed.
The Demon Lord turned to Far Darrig. “Go. When you’ve finished, call me. These loose ends can be tied after the Bennett girls are secured.”
Far Darrig bowed his head stiffly. “Of course, my lord.” He stepped away from Claire, gesturing sharply with his chin for Yuri to follow. The huge Russian with spiky blond hair stepped around Toni’s broken body, moving for the door. He pulled it open and stepped into the hall. Far Darrig moved behind him, but before he could leave the room I forced my mouth to open.
“Sean, please don’t do this. Please!”
Surprisingly, he stopped. He didn’t turn, but he was listening.
Tears rolled down my face, making my voice crack. “Please. I went to see your father. He doesn’t want you to be this person. You don’t have to do this!”
I watched for a reaction. I didn’t know what I expected. A complete change of heart from a Demon?
His head twisted and he peered at me over his shoulder, taking in my tearstained face. “My father is dead,” he finally whispered. “So is Sean.”
He strode from the room, shattering the last hope I’d been clinging to.
***
I was sitting in the corner of the room with Toni beside me, my arm sagging around his shoulders in feeble comfort. He now had a dagger in his stomach, making that two knives sticking out of him. His face was covered in sweat and tears. Though I hadn’t been bound, I didn’t dare move. The Demons were watching me closely, and the fact that I was unbound and yet still completely helpless only made me feel more defeated. Maybe that was why they’d done it.
Toni’s head was on my shoulder. He was too weak to support it. He stared unblinking at Lee’s body, lying prone in front of us. Her head was turned away from us, but the blood covering her still chest was completely visible. One of her hands had been stopped in the act of reaching for Toni—her curled fingers were inches from his foot, now that he’d been forced up against the wall.
Claire was still in the chair, her bowed head unmoving. None of us had spoken since Far Darrig had left. The Demon Lord was sitting on the couch, Selena beside him. Mei Li was standing alertly near the coffee table, Takao was keeping an eye on Claire, and Viktor Dmitriev was standing next to me.
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