by Dora Blume
“Maybe we could talk about it later, in private.” Ely glanced around at the busy airport.
Sloane followed Ely’s gaze. “Ah, yeah, maybe we can have this discussion later,” she winked at him. Her eyes wandered back to him. She couldn’t help but notice how tight his shirt was against his body.
Jessie looked between the two of them. “What’s going on between you two?” she asked.
“Nothing,” they said in unison.
“Oh yeah, I totally believe you. Does Mike know?” she asked.
“Yes, Mike knows. You actually think I would do anything without his blessing?”
“I don’t know. I guess not.” Jessie sat back on the bench. “Well, I do have good news. The lake house is free. I booked it for two weeks. I know it’s a little long, but I wanted to make sure we had it for the entire stay.”
“Great, we have the cars. You guys ready to go?” Erik stopped in front of the bench.
“Oh God yes, I am so ready to be out of this airport.” Sloane stood in one fluid motion.
“I know you hate airports.” His eyes rested on Sloane. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Mike looked to Jessie. “Did you find a place?”
“Oh, yeah, I got us a lake house. I texted you the address. We can stop there before Erik goes to the order. I’ve been thinking, do you think I should go with you? See if they’ve learned anything about my mother?” Jessie bit her lip and looked to Erik.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll let you know anything I find out.” Erik rubbed Jessie’s back and bent to kiss her temple.
“Ugh, fine. I just don’t like the idea of you going in there alone.” Jessie took his hand in hers. Sloane could see the concern in Jessie’s eyes. Erik rubbed his hand over her back.
“He’ll be fine. He’s the only one who can fool Bryant. If he senses any of our nervous energy, he’ll know we’re onto him. We can’t let that happen.” Sloane gave Jessie a serious look.
“You don’t think I could keep my emotions from him? I was doing it for years. I think you forgot how often I stayed with you two.” She rested her hand on her hip.
“I know, I just want to be absolutely sure. Besides, we should be relaxing. You haven’t been feeling great lately. You could use the rest as much as any of us. I thought that was the plan.” Sloane wrapped an arm around Mike.
“Okay, I get it.” She sighed and leaned toward Erik. “We should be going. I do have relaxing to get to.” Jessie rolled her eyes and walked out of the door.
CHAPTER 12
Jessie
Trees canopy the driveway as they drove to the lake house. Sloane already liked the privacy this choice offered. The quaint, cobalt house emerged in the clearing. The lake glistened in the sun just beyond the house. Pulling up to the house, Jessie’s phone began buzzing. “Sorry, I don’t even know who has this number.” She looked down to her phone confused.
“You might as well answer it. Especially if you don’t know who it could be.” Sloane stepped up next to Jessie to peer down at the screen. “Well, the suspense is killing me. Answer it.”
“Okay, okay,” Jessie hit the button and held the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Jess, I’m so glad you answered,” her mom’s voice came over the phone.
“Holy shit, mom is that really you?” Jessie’s voice was filled with shock.
“Yes, darling, of course it’s me. I need to speak to you in person. I don’t have much time. We’re at a gas station somewhere in Kansas. We will be in Kansas City soon. We need to meet before we get to the order.” Her mother’s words were rushed.
“Okay, where do you want to meet?” Jessie asked.
“We’re stopping at Roscoe’s on our way into the city. I convinced him they have the best barbeque in all of Kansas City. Honey, you need to get here, before we get into the city. He’s planning something bad, very bad. Oh shit, I have to go. We’ll be there in about four hours.” The phone went dead.
“Holy shit, that’s a game-changer. It didn’t sound like she was possessed. Why would they keep her without possessing her?” Jessie’s hand dropped still clutching the phone.
“I don’t know, but she just gave us one hell of an in. If we can get to the place and stop him from even making it to the order, we’ve won.” Sloane’s eyes were lit with triumph.
“I don’t know. That felt a little too easy. Erik, you should still go and see what’s happening with your father. We need to make a plan to meet my mother. Can you be back here in a few hours?” she met Erik’s concerned gaze.
“Yes, of course. I’ll get the update. I’ll tell them I have to check on you. I’ll let them know you haven’t been feeling well which isn’t entirely a lie. Then, I’ll come back. You guys figure out how we’re taking these guys out at the restaurant without being noticed by them or anyone else.” Erik dipped his head behind the trunk. “Jess, here’s your bag.” He held his hand out to her. “I want to get there as soon as possible now that we have a timeline.” He closed the trunk and grabbed Jessie up in his arms. She gasped in surprise. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back soon. Please, try to rest a little as you plan, okay?”
“Okay,” she blinked up at him. That kiss had been filled with a softness, his gentle hands stroked over her back. He held her a moment before letting go and slipping back into the car. Jessie watched as he drove away from the house. A pang of worry filled her. She didn’t like the idea of Erik going in alone. She knew he was with other Shikari, but a part of her still worried. His father wouldn’t hurt him, right?
Mike rested a hand on her back. “He’ll be back as soon as he can. You know Erik wouldn’t do anything to put himself in jeopardy. Come on, let’s figure out how we’re going to handle your mom’s call.” He patted her back and she nodded. He followed her into the house. Sloane and Ely had already made themselves at home. Sloane had her legs thrown over the arm of the chair. The gray walls and white trim made the room feel bigger. The large picturesque windows on the far wall showed the beautiful lake beyond. A large Oak tree sat to the right of the vast lawn. A tree swing hung from a long branch. There was a worn path beneath from the dozens of shoes that must have skimmed across the surface wearing the grass down to the dirt beneath. Jessie stood for a moment, arms crossed gazing out the window, picturing the happy times that tree has seen. With the constant turmoil being a Shikari, she wondered if she’d ever be able to push her own kids in a swing. Would she ever be free of this life to have her own kids? Would they constantly be in danger because of who they were?
A warm hand rested on her shoulder. “Jess, love are you okay? You seem to be lost someplace else.” Mike’s voice was soft as he spoke.
“I’m fine, I think I’m just tired.” She sighed as she took one last look out the window. The dreams of a life she couldn’t have lost beneath the worn path of the swing.
“Do you want to take a nap while we make a plan for today. We can fill you in when you wake up.” Mike’s eyes flickered with concern.
“No, I want to make the plan. It’s my mom we’re talking about. I need to be there for her.” Jessie took a seat on the sofa. Mike took the seat next to her. Ely was pacing near the kitchen.
“So, what do we know about this guy your mother’s with?” Sloane asked her phone propped in her hand as she spoke.
“Not much, he was a University student in California, or at least we can assume as much since he was focusing on other science students at the school,” Mike said.
“Plus, he would have to know something about science to know what to look for in students,” Ely jumped in.
“Okay, but how does that help us? We need to get my mother away from him.” Jessie slouched back against the sofa.
“So, maybe our focus should be on the place, not the guy. I’ll pull up images of the area from Google. Do you think he knows what any of us look like?” Sloane asked as she sat up and began typing onto her phone.
“He probably knows what I
look like. My mom has pictures of me all over,” Jessie said.
“Okay, so you need to stay hidden from his view at least. Did your mom give you any indication of how many people she was with, was it just the one guy?” Sloane asked.
“No, I don’t know who else was with her. She didn’t mention anyone but him.”
“Okay, so it’s probably safe to assume it’s just the two of them. Maybe two of us are in the restaurant waiting for them. Jessie, you’d be the best as long as you are facing away from the door. You can freeze them as soon as they take their seats. We can have a backup team on the car. If we don’t get the guy, we need to stop them from getting the device or whatever to the order. Maybe you and Erik can be in posing as a couple eating. Mike, Ely and I can be outside. We could even have a car on the exit or something, so we know when they’re coming or if they don’t get off the highway. Do we have enough people for that?” Sloane looked at each of them.
“That sounds like a good idea. Mike could be in a car just off the highway, that way if they don’t get off, he can track them.” Ely glanced over to Mike. “Sloane and I can focus on getting the device from the car. It sounds like we’ve got a pretty good plan already. Should we look for any possible problems before our implementation?”
“I’m going to scout around the building, see if there’s anything we need to be aware of before we go. Do we have anyone that can keep an eye out for them on the highway? I think she said she was in Kansas somewhere. Do you think we can pinpoint their location if they will be at the restaurant in four hours? It’d be good to get eyes on them before they reached the city.” Sloane met Mike’s eyes.
“I can make a few calls, see who might be in the area.” He moved out to the deck.
“Okay, I’ve got some pictures. It looks like this place is also a gas station. It wouldn’t be that noticeable if there were a few extra cars around. We should be able to scout the area before they get there. Jess, you and Erik can hopefully sit at a booth away from the door, so they don’t sense you right away. It sounds like this place gets busy, so we may need to be a little early to make this work.” Sloane tapped a finger to her lips as she thought.
“If it gets busy they’re going to want us to eat and run, how are we going to keep the staff from asking questions?” Ely asked.
“We’ll just have to tip them enough, so they don’t ask any questions.” Sloane’s eyes flicked to Ely.
“Okay, so what if they do?” Ely pushed.
“They won’t okay. We’ll just have to time everything perfectly. Maybe we can even bribe them to hold a specific booth for us or something.” Sloane’s attention went back to her phone.
“I just want to be sure we’ve thought through any possible problems before we go. If there’s even the slightest chance we could lose this opportunity, I think we need to be prepared. We need to stop whatever’s coming before they get to the order.” Ely sat forward resting his elbows on his knees.
Sloane rolled her eyes before looking at Ely, “Fine, you figure out any possible problems. I’m going to go relax by the lake and try to get a premonition before we go. Maybe I can help with the prediction aspect of the plan.” She stood in one fluid sweep and walked out onto the deck with Mike.
“What’s her deal?” Ely asked.
“She’s been having trouble with her power lately. She gets a little testy any time anyone brings up foresight of any kind. Don’t worry, it’s not you. She just gets like that.” Jessie’s eyes looked down the beach where Sloane disappeared. She wished there was something she could do to help Sloane. Her power helped all of them. She knew there was a potion for boosting it. She got it from Shaundra. Running out to get the ingredients could be a whole day event. It might be worth it.
“Oh, I didn’t realize. She had a vision the other day with us.” Ely scratched his chin.
“Oh yeah, what were you guys doing at the time?” Jessie’s eyebrows rose as she studied Ely. The blush that crept over his cheeks was endearing. It gave Jessie all the answer she needed.
“Ah, why, does that matter?” Ely blinked, looking down to his hands.
“Well, she’s been having visions during or after sex. Lately, it’s been the only time she’s had them. So, if she had one when she was with you, I can only assume, you were having sex.” Jessie pressed her lips together to hold in a laugh. Ely’s face was turning multiple shades of red as he stared at his clasped. “Oh, so you were having sex,” she blurted.
Ely cleared his throat. “I’m not the type of guy to kiss and tell,” he said before standing. “I should probably make sure she’s okay.”
“Wait, does Mike know about this? They just got back together and it would be just like Sloane to ruin everything for them. She has a few issues with commitment.” Jessie flew up from the sofa to catch Ely’s arm before he left.
“Yes, Mike was with us,” Ely said in a low tone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He looked down to where Jessie’s arm rested on his.
“Oh, wow, ah, yeah, go ahead,” she stammered stepping back from the door. Holy shit, Sloane had sex with both of them, together. Jessie watched as Ely clapped Mike on the back before following Sloane down to the beach. What did that mean for them? Jessie wondered. She stared out the window in awe for a few minutes. She couldn’t believe Mike was on board with this, whatever this was. Maybe she had underestimated her friend. Maybe, he was doing whatever he could to make Sloane happy. She didn’t like that he may be doing it just for her. She hoped her friend was taking care of himself too. Mike had a tendency to go all-in for his girls, giving them whatever they wanted. Mike had never loved anyone as much as he’d loved Sloane. She just hoped her friend wasn’t taking advantage of that love.
She sighed. She needed to focus on her own worries. The nausea she felt during the flight hadn’t gone away. She was beginning to wonder more about the cause. Jessie rarely got sick. It may be from all the traveling and lack of sleep. Although, that wasn’t anything she hadn’t done before. To top it all off, her moods had been shifting unexpectedly. She hadn’t meant to go off on Erik ion the car. She had no idea where her sudden fear and insecurity had come from. It was like for a moment her body wasn’t her own. She wondered if someone power over her emotions like Bryant had. Would they have been near the car to affect her? What scared her even more was that she didn’t think it was someone else at all? Could she be turning out more like her mother than she ever realized? Her mom had been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder when she was young. Jessie had lived through her random mood swings.
Fear clutched at Jessie’s chest. She couldn’t be like her mother. It had to be something else affecting her like this. Maybe Erik was right, she probably needed rest. She had to admit, she’d never felt so tired before. Sighing, she went to find a bedroom she could lie down in. The others would wake her when it was time to go. Hope filled her for a moment, clouded by fear. In a few short hours, she may have her mom back. There was a moment where she wondered if that would be a good thing or bad. Jessie knew exactly what got her mother into trouble. She wasn’t sure she could take much more of her mother’s whims. Being an adult hadn’t saved her from her mother. She’d only learned to deal with her differently. Someday, her mother’s adventures would get her into trouble that she wouldn’t be able to escape. Jessie just hoped that today she could save her mother. Tomorrow would be something she could worry about later.
Finding the bedroom she laid down, pulling the covers around her. For now, she would get the rest her body desired. At least she wouldn’t have to worry so much about Erik while she slept. She closed her eyes and in moments, she was lost to the world.
CHAPTER 13
Erik
“Ah, my son, it’s good to see that you’ve made it back from your errand. We could use your assistance.” Bryant clasped his hands in front of him.
“Father, you know I wasn’t on just any errand. I was helping Jessie find her mother. So, what’s the update? I haven’t called in a few days. I know Sloane calle
d and filled me in. What have we learned?” Erik’s eyes moved to Ethan.
“Ah, yes, Jessie, how is she doing by the way? I know she was rather distraught the other night. Certainly, it couldn’t have just been her mother causing such distress.” Bryant feigned concern as he cocked his head to the side and softened the lines of his mouth. Erik knew something was up with him. He was far too focused on Jessie than on the fact that demons were currently residing in the archives.
“Father, don’t you think we have more important things to discuss right now?” Erik narrowed his eyes at him.
“Erik, you know there’s nothing more important than family.” The side of Bryant’s mouth curved up slightly. Erik took a breath. He knew his father was trying to rile him up so that he’d let down his guard and show his true feelings. Erik knew him well enough to know what he was up to. In return, Erik gave his father a wide grin.
“You’re right. Jessie is not feeling well. We haven’t had a chance to find out what’s going on, but I suggested she rest while I came here to get an update. I told her I would be back to fill her in on everything as soon as I possibly could. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to know what’s going on before I go back to her.” His eyes shifted back to Ethan. “Can you tell me the latest. Have you been able to locate and protect the other elders? Have they gotten into the archives? What’s our plan of attack?” Erik leaned forward focusing on Ethan. He didn’t care about his rule. He had full intention of listening in on everyone’s thoughts now that he suspected his own father of being a traitor.
“Well, we have been in contact with the surviving elders. They are being protected in cities around the country. We did what we could as soon as they were able to safely flee from the city. As of right now, they have not been able to crack the protective wards on the vault in the archive. They have managed to acquire the books in the library but the most important spells and texts are kept safe within the vault walls. There isn’t much that would be able to break those wards, which is working in our favor. We’ve been throwing around a few ideas about an attack on the demons, but as it stands we just don’t have the manpower.” Ethan blew out a frustrated breath.