Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3)

by Charmaine Pauls

  “I understand.” Kat moved closer. “You can be honest with me. I can handle the truth.”

  Eve rubbed her eyes. “It’s not that I have no hope. It’s that I’m running out of time.”

  “Is there something I can do to help?”

  “Unless you’re an experienced scientist, no.”

  Kat glanced at the books on the shelf. “You’ve been doing a lot of reading lately.”

  “I’m reaching beyond what the lab can give me. I’m trying to find answers elsewhere. Maybe somewhere in history…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Lann has been doing research of his own, even if he doesn’t want to tell me.” Kat smiled. “He thinks he’s protecting me. I’m not ignorant when it comes to ancient scripts. Give me your list. I can help you read and flag whatever seems important.”

  “You’re working on your thesis. It’s important to you. You should focus on that.”

  Kat had never mentioned her thesis to Eve. “Is that what Lann said?”

  “He told me it meant the world to you.”

  “Maybe it used to, but things have changed.”

  Eve considered Kat’s words for a moment, and then sighed. “All right, but Lann isn’t going to like this.”

  “Don’t worry about Lann. Just tell me which books you’ve already covered.”

  “I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” Eve admitted, “but I’m going through all the forbidden books I can get my hands on, searching for references to births of gifted babies. So far, I’ve come up empty-handed.”

  “Lann owns an extensive collection,” Kat offered.

  “We went through his first, with the help of his library staff in Santiago.”

  Wow. He could’ve told her. It hurt that he hadn’t shared the information with her.

  “Joss has some,” Eve continued, “but they’re about the arts itself and not about the birth phenomenon. I’ve checked with museums and libraries, but I’ve got to be careful not to leave a trail, or someone might become suspicious.”

  “I’ll see what I can pull from my sources. I’ll speak to my mentor, Charles. I’ll tell him that I’m considering including a new chapter in my thesis so he won’t suspect something. Are there other private owners you know of who I may contact?”

  “Cain is looking into that. He’ll let me know if anything comes up.”

  “Cain?” Kat hadn’t expected him to get involved with the research.

  Eve grinned. “He’s actually a good guy, you know.”

  “I didn’t think he was bad. I just didn’t expect that from him.”

  “I’ll make a list of what I still need to go through, and we can split it.”

  “Good. I’m going for a walk. Want to come?”

  Eve looked toward the window. “In this cold? No thanks.”

  “I need to get some air,” Kat said, but Eve was already studying the spines of the books again.

  In the entrance, Kat pulled on her coat.

  “Where are you going?” Lann asked from the top of the stairs.

  “A walk.” She smiled up at him. “I need to escape these walls.”

  He descended and took her scarf from the coat stand. Winding it around her neck, he said without returning her smile, “I’ll come with you.”

  His seriousness frightened her. “You don’t have to.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  She tensed, but tried not to show it as Lann donned his jacket and escorted her outside with an arm draped around her shoulders.

  They followed the path that ran through the garden to the shore of the lake. The sky was gray, the heavy clouds crowding it like cotton wool jammed into a jar.

  “It’s going to rain,” Lann said, glancing at the horizon.

  They stopped on the slate-colored sand.

  Turning her to face him, he said, “I’m going after David.”

  Her heart tripped in its beat. “Why risk your life? It’s over.”

  “It’s not over.” He spoke with urgency. “It’ll never be over. If I don’t find him first, he will eventually find you.”

  Fear constricted her chest. “When?” was all she managed to force through numb lips.

  “This morning.”

  “Today?” she cried out.

  Lann took her hands. “Joss, Maya, and Cain are staying to protect you. You’ll be safe.”

  “What if something happens to you?”

  He stroked his thumbs over her palms in a reassuring caress. “I have to do this.”

  “Don’t go.” Tears burned behind her eyes. “Please.”

  Regret washed over his features. “I don’t want to leave you, but it’s my job. More importantly, I’m trying to protect you.”

  Kat pulled her hands from his. “Your protection of me and my feelings has only ended up hurting me.”

  She turned her back on him so he wouldn’t see the tears that finally fell. In the silence that followed, she tried to focus on the distance beyond the lake, but the scenery was a blur. He gripped her shoulders. When he turned her gently, she wiped at the tears and looked away.

  He tilted her chin with a finger. “Don’t cry. I don’t want to leave you like this.”

  “How do you expect me not to cry?” she asked with impatience.

  He smiled. “Does that mean you care?”

  She gaped at him. “How can you even ask me that?”

  “You’ve never told me how you feel about me. What I’m sensing is resentment, anger, and sadness.” He wiped a tear away with his thumb. “What must I take these tears for then?”

  How could he not know how she felt about him? How could he not understand how hard it was for her to let him go?

  “It’s unbearable for me to think that anything should happen to you.” She paused. “If you still haven’t figured it out by now, I love you.”

  “You love me?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  He crushed her body against his. “Say it again.”

  She sniffed. “I love you.”

  “Since when?”

  “What does it matter?”

  He pulled back to look at her. “It matters to me.”

  “Since before the first time you left me,” she whispered. “I knew that day at the lake, when you took me for a picnic.”

  Every promise she’d ever wanted a man to make shone in his eyes as he stared down at her. He claimed her lips with a hard kiss, drinking the air from her lungs until she saw stars. Only when she needed to breathe did he let her go.

  “Please don’t go,” she said, tangling her fingers into the lapels of his coat. “If anything happens to you…”

  “I know it’s hard.” He kissed her forehead. “The same thought, if anything should happen to you, drives me insane. Every minute of every day.”

  He wiggled his ruby ring from his finger. When it came free, he lifted her hand, and slipped it onto the ring finger on her left hand.

  “What are you doing?” she whisper-cried.

  “Katherine, please accept this ring. Say you’ll marry me.” She tried to pull away, but Lann held fast. “Don’t turn away from me. Not now. If you love me, you’ll wear my ring. God knows, you’re already carrying my baby in your belly.”

  “That’s exactly why I won’t do it.”

  He shook her gently. “Why? I love you. I’m the father of your child. You just confessed to loving me. Why won’t you do it?”

  Freeing herself from his grip, she took a step back and said in a brittle voice, “Because I don’t want to make you a widower.”

  The sharp intake of his breath accompanied the pain in his eyes. He didn’t chase her when she took another step away.

  They faced each other silently.

  After a moment, he said, “Come back here.”

  She hesitated for a second, but then obeyed, because she’d vowed not to walk away from him again. Even if it was an oath made in the heat of the moment, it was still a promise. When she was within his reach again, he hugged her
against him.

  “I’ve made many mistakes in my life,” he said, brushing her hair from her face. “The worst was letting you go, even if I did it to protect you. You said I didn’t give you a choice, and you’re right. I didn’t. I should have, and I regret not giving you at least that. Now, I’m asking you, even if I don’t deserve it, to give me a choice. Don’t make my mind up for me, Katherine.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks, but she couldn’t wipe them away because Lann pinned her arms at her sides.

  “Please, Katherine.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the ring he’d slipped onto her finger. “Marry me.”

  He was right. He deserved the choice. If the tables were turned, she would’ve wanted the chance to make up her own mind.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Because I want you to, or because you want to?”

  “I want to.”

  He eased his tight hold. “Am I crushing you?”

  She laughed. “A little.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll try to give you space to breathe, I promise.”

  A squall lifted the end of their coats, isolating them in a whirlpool of invisible molecules. At the same moment, the veil of clouds shifted, creating a hole through which the sun became visible. As the thick layer of gray sky dissipated, the sun split into three, hanging on top of the trees.

  She pointed at the sight. “Look!”

  “A sun dog,” he said, his face solemn.

  The air stilled.

  She prayed the phantom sun wasn’t a bad omen.

  Chapter 10

  The helicopter landed a short while later in the open space of the garden. Joss had commissioned Bono. It was faster by air, and time was of the essence. Lann watched from the front steps, Kat pulled tightly against his side. It was hard for him to leave her, especially now that she’d promised to become his wife. He needed to own that title with a fever he’d never felt. He wanted to make her his in every way possible. As soon as possible. They hadn’t shared the news yet. They’d decided to wait until his return.

  Joss embraced Clelia on the steps. He’d put her three steps above him so that they were on eye level. It was time to go. Lann turned Katherine to him and kissed her deeply. While their lips touched, no one else existed. Not even David. He was only aware of the hammering of his heart, and the echo of hers under his palms. He imagined a faint fluttering in her belly where his son was growing. Wind twirled around them, a magical caress. The air dance was becoming stronger with every passing day.

  He tore his lips from hers and rested their foreheads together. “I’ll be home before you know it.”

  “You better be.” She offered him a sweet smile. “We have a wedding to organize.”

  Joss caught his eye. Lann nodded, giving his commander an unspoken vow. He’d make sure no harm came to Clelia.

  Joss and Lann loaded their weapons into the aircraft. When they were done, he spared Kat a last glance before he got into the helicopter after Clelia. It was supposed to rain, but he’d call up a clear sky.

  “Nice weather,” Bono said, grinning at Lann over his shoulder as he started up the engine.

  Lann acknowledged the words with a nod, but his gaze was fixed on the redhead who wore his ring, the woman who carried his baby.

  Bono chuckled and shook his head. “Man, I’m never going to jettison like you or Joss. It sure must hurt to crash and burn that hard.”

  “Yeah.” Lann snorted. “I hope it hits you right in the balls. That way, when it happens, you’ll swallow your words.”

  Bono cleared his throat. “We’ve got a lady on board.”

  Clelia only smiled. “One day I’ll remind you of your words, Bono, so don’t swallow them before I get the chance to bask in your defeat.”

  His laugh reached Lann through the headphones. “Hold on. I’m taking this baby to the sky.”

  They landed at the private airfield in Paris. Using the hangar as base, Lann connected to the secure satellite feed Joss had set up. With the powerful technology, Lann could not only zoom in on the vamp bar, but also penetrate the walls with infra-blue to scan for bodies. Vamps and Piranha shifters didn’t show up with normal infra-red, as their body temperature was too low. The infra-blue was brand new technology. He activated the software that converted the thermal waves into a 3D image on the computer monitor. The bodies in the bar took shape while their facial features became clear.

  “That’s David.” Lann pointed the hunter out to Clelia. The shifter was with someone in a back room.

  “He knows we’re coming,” Clelia said. “He’s posing as a sitting duck.”

  “He also knows we’re watching.” He handed Clelia a revolver loaded with silver bullets, and a box of ammunition.

  “I don’t need it,” she said, “not for the lizard shifters.”

  “Sure enough, but keep the weapon on you,” Lann said. “The bullets won’t work on David. His sponsor, I’m assuming Godfrey, made him immune by feeding him werewolf meat and blood. Considering how fast he disappears, I’m guessing his rotten flesh must be grafted with vamp too.” Lann regarded her. “Ever faced a vamp before?”

  Clelia shook her head.

  “They’re frightened of fire. Just throw some or surround yourself if they decide to encroach on us in numbers. Whatever you do, don’t let them out of your sight. They’re fast, and they like to bite.”

  “Got it.” Clelia zipped up her leather jacket and secured knife holsters around her thighs.

  “Try not to be nervous. They can smell your fear.”

  “I’ll just focus on the gift hunter then. It’s not hard to be pissed at the coward.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Bono entered the hangar with a key dangling from a chain with a Dracula charm. “Your ride.” He handed the key to Lann.

  Lann held the charm up to the light. “Evil sense of humor.”

  Bono laughed. “I’ll be ready. Let me know when I need to start spinning the blades.”

  Lann nodded.

  Clelia patted Bono’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

  He winked. “Take care, little one.”

  An SUV waited outside.

  Lann took the driver seat and activated the GPS. “Ready for vamp valley?”

  Clelia shuddered.

  “That’s what I thought,” he said.

  They were quiet as they drove to the heart of the old city. They passed the tourist districts and entered an area that was eerily void of people. The buildings were dilapidated.

  “Where’s everyone?” Clelia asked.

  Lann glanced up at the sky. “Sunlight. There’s not much else living here but vamps. They’ll come soon enough.” There was little time left before nightfall.

  He parked at the back of a bar. “Let’s check it out before the light’s gone.”

  The windows of the bar were painted black. They walked around the building until they were back where they’d started.

  Shuffling noises came from the inside.

  “They know we’re here.” Concern for Clelia dampened Lann’s need to hunt. “This is where we split.”

  She smiled. “I’ll be fine, Lann.”

  “You better be.” He motioned at the front of the building. “They’re going to open the door as soon as the sun sets. I’ll walk inside and ask for David. He’s expecting me, and if he carries the authority he’s supposed to, I should be able to enter unharmed. We’ll be connected to ground base via the comm system, but if, for whatever reason, I’m eliminated or the system’s dead, you run for it, you hear me? Take the car.” He removed the spare key from the chain and handed it to her. “Burn anyone who threatens you. Can you pull up a firewall against bullets if they shoot at you?”

  “Yes.”

  “If all goes according to plan, we’ll let David take us. Once we’re out of vamp valley, I’ll find a way of getting the upper hand. Keep your eyes open.”

  “Where are we taking him for questioning?”

  “To the hangar. It
’s reinforced and armed with smell diverters.”

  “Do you think he’ll talk?” she asked.

  “I’ll make him. Quiet now,” he said as he inched forward. “These fuckers have a good sense of hearing.”

  When he was close to the front, Clelia motioned that she was going around the back. He waited another five minutes and checked the sun. The shadows were long. They stretched over the building and covered the parking. Another minute, and then they were gone.

  It was time.

  He knocked on the door, two hard raps. A second later, the bolt moved and a vamp in a bouncer suit, his arms bulging in the jacket, opened the door. His fangs showed when he pulled his face into a grimace.

  He looked Lann up and down. “What are you, take-out?”

  Lann glanced over the vamp’s shoulder. The inside was crammed with bodies. This hole was the worst of them all. The ones who came here wanted cocktails of a specific substance—human blood mixed with neuroenhancers. The vamps who favored the joint claimed the drug heightened their sexual euphoria when they fed.

  “I have a date with David,” Lann said.

  The man stepped aside, his nostrils flaring as Lann passed. He bolted the door, and led the way to the back. The music was a loud assault of disharmonious instruments. The smell of aromatic smoke hardly masked the musky odor of sex and the metallic tang of blood that hung in the air. Willing human donors were lined up behind the bar for the vamps to take their pick. Normally the selection process would lead to a few bar brawls, which was why all the chairs had been removed. The last time one broke, a vamp used the leg to stake a rival’s heart. The dump was a far cry from the glamorous vamp clubs on the southern side of the city. All of this Lann knew from Cain’s weekly reports. Cain had informants everywhere. He liked to keep a close tab on paranormal news.

  A naked girl lay on the bar counter, making low moaning sounds. A vamp was feeding from her neck while another fucked her. Some vamps watched, one of the spectators masturbating. Couples were fornicating in all corners, some pressed up against the walls, others bent over in front of an audience. When Lann and the bouncer passed, the vamps turned their heads. Lann didn’t stop at the counter where pale vamps with red eyes stared back at him, but passed through a flap the bouncer lifted, and through a door next to cooling shelves stacked with jars of blood where more humans queued.