by T. G. Ayer
And I understood how she felt. But I was taking her out of the astral plane now, even if I had to knock her out to do it.
You can explode an entire bedroom in your sleep. One weak demon hunter should be a piece of cake.
I curled my arm around her waist and held her tight, then lied. “As soon as you’re safe, I’m coming right back for Kai.” Hearing my words, Celeste relaxed, and she didn’t resist as I jumped her to my room at Elite HQ. I suspected it was more because she was weak that she gave in at all.
I materialized, hand still encircling Celeste’s slim waist. I’d intended on grabbing my phone and ringing Horner—better than yelling out into the hall for help.
But I didn’t get the chance.
The moment we solidified, heels on the hardwood floor, Celeste’s weight jerked me down so hard that I stumbled and sank to my knees, my arm still wrapped around her. She tilted to the left, and I tightened my hold, at the same time craning my neck to look at her face.
Eyes blank and staring at the ceiling, Celeste sank further to the floor, unaware of my feeble attempts to support her dead weight as she slipped into unconsciousness. Perhaps it was the fluorescent light of the lab, or my rush to get her out of that awful place to safety, but I hadn’t registered the extent of her injuries, nor had I understood how weak she truly was.
Celeste’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and her breathing was so faint that I panicked, stricken with fear that she was going to die right there in my arms.
But I shook my head and forced the fears away, storing them where I’d now begun to hoard all my fears and disappointments—somewhere deep within the dark recesses of my mind.
And then, I bent to the floor, curled my arms beneath Celeste and jumped her to the bed where I laid her down as gently as I was able to while having to remove my arms from her waist. Then I raced to the hall and yelled for help.
To hell with the phone.
I’d barely begun to pace the carpet when Horner rushed into the room, a taller silver-haired man at the director’s heels—I’d left the door wide open in the hopes of speeding up the arrival of help.
Horner slowed his steps, eyes widening at the sight of Celeste, lying deathly pale on the bed. The agent who’d arrived with Horner hurried around us and made his way to the far side of the bed where he proceeded to climb up beside her.
He was taking her hand in his when I started to speak. But my voice cracked, and I had to clear my throat and swallow the ache in my throat first before looking over at Horner whose eyes had at last left Celeste and were focused on me.
“They were holding her hostage in the same facility as Kai. She was lucid, aware, when I found her, but she’s not responding anymore. There were drugs in her system, sedatives I think, but I was sure the effects had faded, so I’m not sure what’s wrong.” I could hear the fear in my voice, but I didn’t care. I was afraid damnit.
That was Kai’s mom lying there at Death’s door.
But Horner only held out a hand, placing his warm palm on my shoulder. He applied a gentle pressure to guide me out of the way as the room was suddenly filled with agents—medical ones from the way they moved so quick and silent, performing their tasks; checking Celeste’s pulse and pressure, supplying oxygen and running a line into her arm for hydration.
“She will be fine, Agent Morgan.”
Horner’s voice broke through my fear. But I ignored him, my senses reaching for Kai again, and I was further relieved to know she’d reached some sort of air duct that would lead her out of the underground facility.
I leaned my head toward the Elite’s director and gave him a whispered update, to which he responded with a short nod and a flurry of texts.
My gaze flicking beyond Horner to the doorway and caught Cassie as she skidded to a stop on the threshold. Wide-eyed she studied the scene, then rushed toward me. “What happened?” she asked me in a hushed whisper.
Horner glanced at me, apparently also keen on hearing my update. I suppressed a weary sigh and gave them the Cliff’s Notes version of the hybrid shocking the shit out of me, my dazed exploration through the ether, and my short, though totally mind-boggling visit to a place that shouldn’t exist.
When I attempted to gloss over the whole Celeste-within-the-astral-plane-in-a-physical-form, and having remained there while I’d been stupidly lost, the entire room fell deathly silent.
I swallowed and evaded all shocked eyes.
“Well, then,” said Cassie, almost under her breath. “That rather takes the wind out of my sails doesn’t it?”
I frowned. “Why? What happened?”
She raised her hands saying calm down. “Kai’s fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “I knew that,” I replied, letting out a tense breath.
Cassie said a rude word a little too loudly.
“What?” I whispered, leaning toward her.
“Nothing. Wind. Sails,” she waved a hand blandly, “you know...again.” She threw me a disgusted glare and shook her head.
I coughed, her meaning finally sinking in. “Sorry, Cass. It’s been a long day.”
Before Cassie could reply, the medic standing beside Celeste called out, “She’s lost a lot of blood. We’re going to need a transfusion here.”
A second flurry of activity had me stepping further away as medics disappeared and reappeared bearing more supplies. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to do now that Celeste may not actually survive—Horner hadn’t fooled me with his assurances.
“Keep her sedated,” called the second medic. “She needs rest. I’d have induced a coma, but I think she’s just been physically devastated and needs recuperation.”
With that news, Cassie threw an arm around my waist. “You going to be okay if I run along and check on the shifter?”
I nodded, then let out a defeated sigh. “I’ll be fine. Just tell her to get her ass moving. Saleem can’t wait forever.”
Cassie smirked at that, then gave me a pointed look, the kind that meant anything from ‘Behave yourself because I know you’re bad,’ to ‘Take care of yourself because I suspect you won’t,’ to ‘Don’t worry, everything will be fine, even though I know you don’t believe me.’ Then she hurried out of the room wiggling her fingers over her head in a farewell wave.
Smiling, I focused on Kai’s mother again and watched the agent—a MindMage no doubt—who’d been sitting beside Celeste as he administered to the Hunter. The slight young man sat so silently, Celeste’s other hand in his palm, his face strangely serene, platinum hair shimmering as it reflected the lights from the room.
Then he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes, blue sparks flickering in his gray-green eyes. “Her mind is untouched. But her memories are filled with a terrible amount of pain. She’s been in the facility for the last two weeks, sir.” The man’s eyes clouded in confusion.
I glanced at Horner and found the same expression mirrored on the face of the Elite’s director.
He let out an exasperated huff. “Thank you, Ridley. Celeste was meant to be in Galakris, procuring a batch of Krisl stamens,” he muttered to himself, his features now shadowed as he lifted his hands and then dropped them at his sides. He really wasn’t handling this revelation very well.
That’s a bit of a concern.
I shook my head, and the movement must have caught his eye as he looked over at me as I spoke. “She’s been gone for two weeks, and no one thought to go in search of her?” I asked, aware too late that the question sounded critical and had been aimed at Horner himself. But if the director was affronted, he didn’t display the emotion, nor did he defend himself.
I fell silent for a long moment as I stared at the emaciated frame of Kai’s mom. She’d returned in a similar condition the last time I’d retrieved her from Omega’s desert facility.
I let out an annoyed grunt. “I’m getting a little tired of saving Celeste from secret evil research facilities. Maybe we need to put a tracker on her or something.”
It only struck
me that I’d spoken out loud when Ridley chuckled and turned his head to look at me. “She says she already has a Tracker.” He snickered then, eyes sparkling now with amusement.
I rolled my eyes. “Please tell me she can hear my voice, and not that she can read my thoughts. There’s enough of that going around already.” I curbed the temptation to glance at Horner as I gripped the strap of my satchel. I needed to go check on Kai, and it appeared Horner and Co had everything under control.
Celeste too, since she could sass so well while unconscious.
Ridley laughed softly. “Celeste wishes to let you know that she is unfortunately unable to read your mind, but she does have one instruction.”
“Which is?” I asked, scowling.
He grinned and shook his head. “Her exact words are: Get your skinny ass moving, honey, and fetch me my daughter, or so help me, I’ll get up from this bed right now and give you a paddling.”
I raised an eyebrow and matched the mage’s laughter with my own. The sound was a mixture of fear and tension and relief—something I was pretty sure the entire room was well aware of.
Don’t need to be a MindMage to know she scares the crap out of you.
I smiled at her sleeping face wondering if I should just tell her that Kai was fine. Instead, I just said, “Yes, Mom,” then shook my head to the sound of more laughter. These Elite agents sure seemed to find me amusing.
I wonder why.
I shared an amused glance with Horner who whispered, “We’ll get Kai here. You go get some rest.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t able to decline. For some strange reason, I was hit with a sudden wave of fatigue, and I nodded at Horner wondering if he also had the power to induce sleep.
I straightened and gave Celeste one last look, then obeyed Horner’s orders.
Only, I’m pretty sure his instruction to get some rest hadn’t meant that I should pass out cold right beside him.
Chapter 16
With my mission with Kai over, I had time to think. And by thinking, I mean I was pacing up and down inside my office, scowling at the carpet as I went.
Then Drake walked in, his face resembling a dark cloud, a pretty mean feat especially for him, given his dark gargoyle complexion. “That’s not a good sign,” he said, studying my face as he settled into the sofa that sat against the wall beside the door. He leaned back, and stared at me, then—when I didn’t reply—he cocked his head. “Care to explain what happened?”
I shrugged, then headed to my desk to take a seat. Somehow, I felt a lot better with the heavy piece of furniture between us. Funny that I could face-off against demons and powerful hybrid ass-wipes made of electricity, but the prospect of my gargoyle bestie being angry with me made me all tense and worried.
“I got the details from Steph,” he said. “But it appears even her version isn’t the whole story. So…what exactly happened Mel? You had us worried what with being unconscious for more than twenty-four hours.”
My eyes widened, and I sank against the back of the chair. “Twenty-four hours?”
His eyes narrowed. “Have you not looked at your phone. There’s a thing called a clock. Appears on the lock screen. Numbers that tell the time. Words that tell you what day it is.”
I made a face. “It’s a little too early in the day for lectures, Drake,”
“It’s almost lunchtime,” he said with a smirk.
“Well, it’s not even my breakfast time yet, okay? I just got up.”
“Then what are you doing in here? Have you even had something to eat?”
“No, she hasn’t,” said Steph as she breezed into the study bearing a large tray filled with plates and cups. Drake sprang to his feet and cleared my desk—not that it was all that hard considering I hadn’t sat at it for almost a week.
Steph laid the tray on the table and handed out plates and mugs. She tucked a stray string of blonde hair around her ear and pointed at two decanters, “Coffee and tea. And I have OJ, scones, Victorian sponge cake, Devil’s Food cake, chicken-and-mushroom pastries, and custard pies.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Is that all?” I asked dryly.
Steph paused and glanced at Drake and then back and me, eyes a little wide as she hesitated. “Um…if you want anything else I can go out and grab it,” she offered, her expression filled with concern.
I let out a soft laugh, feeling a little bad for teasing her now. “I’m kidding, Steph. This looks amazing. I didn’t even know you were home.”
She shrugged. “I had it all prepared for when you woke. I knew you’d be hungry. You’ve barely eaten in the last few days anyway. So with a full day unconscious, I figured you’d be needing some calories.”
“Yeah, that I do,” I muttered, tugging at the waistband of my jeans. “I think I lost a few pounds.”
Steph gave me a sharp look, then pursed her lips as though she was biting down on the urge to say something. I let her be, pouring a mug of coffee and grabbing a scone covered in cream and jam.
After a few moments of dedicated chewing by all three of us—including a concerted effort to eat as much as possible of what Steph had provided—I sat back and let out a deliriously sated sigh.
“Damn, I didn’t even know I was that hungry,” I said pouring another cup of coffee as Steph cleared plates and neatened up the table. She didn’t leave though, just settled back and waited as the silence thickened within the room.
“Okay, okay, I can take a hint,” I muttered and got to my feet, feeling a disturbing energy rippling through me, as though I was still experiencing the electric rush that I’d been zapped with so many times. “So, what do you know? So I don’t repeat myself.”
Steph shrugged. “Chloe and the Chief dropped you off. Chloe’s been back regularly to treat you, but she’s been a bit reticent.”
“So nobody has said much? Have you guys spoken to Kai?”
Drake nodded. “Briefly. She’s been holed up with her mother, so I didn’t harangue her. I just felt they were a little preoccupied. And I knew you would tell us what happened when you did wake up. Things are a little crazy with everyone.”
“You did get a couple of visitors though,” Steph said.
I lifted a brow in question as I sipped my coffee.
“Cassandra and Nerina both dropped by. Said they wanted to ensure you were okay, see for themselves,” Drake said, his tone sober. “Problem is, they too didn’t want to say anything. Nerina said you’d tell us. And she also said they were all waiting to find out what happened to you when you disappeared.”
“Why do I feel like I recall telling Chief Murdoch what happened?” I said with a frown as a hazy memory popped into my head.
“Yes, you did. But even he thought it was rather strange and I have a feeling he wasn’t exactly sure himself—suppose it’s not hard to question a person who sounds a little like a raving…er…. So. I suggest you tell us before we die of curiosity, or frustration.” Drake smiled evenly and waited.
“Or both,” said Steph.
“Okay, fine, I’m assuming that since you already know about Celeste, there isn’t a need for secrecy in terms of Kai’s mission any longer. She’d been targeted by a small group of Alpha council members and from what we could understand they had a strange and suspicious relationship with a man who we’d previously crossed paths with. A human agent who had once belonged to an organization called Division 7 that performed experiments—attempts to create a super-powered soldier. All in all, it meant Kai’s life was in danger, and we had to keep her safe while still pulling the wool over the bad guys’ eyes.
“Unfortunately for us, the Alphas had no idea who they were in bed with, nor the slightest clue how dangerous Jones and Division 7 are. We wanted to get Kai away so we could draw Jones and his cohorts out, help us identify what was going on, fix the whole situation with Kai’s death-threat, and hold the two council members responsible. But as usual, things never went to plan.”
“No kidding,” said Steph and Drake in unison.
Chapter 17
“Cassandra disguised herself so she could be Kai, and we arranged for her to be taken to a high-security prison outside of the city, as though Kai was out of his hands. Murdoch then arranged for Kai to be taken by a different transport, in a different direction. On the way, we were attacked by what Drake and I already know as the Shadowmen, or ShadowWraiths. They’re elf-demons, a sort of mercenary assassin-for-hire type of supernatural.”
Drake scowled at that, though he remained silent.
“A couple of these shocking dudes attacked the van. Knocked Kai out with an energy blast. Did a whole number on me too, I might add. I tried to stop them from taking her, but…. “ I paused and looked at the two of them. “Ever hear the term ‘got the shock of my life?’ Well, anyone using that phrase…they don’t know shit. This jolt of electric power was a real doozy. Blasted me back into the astral plane. Even when I tried to jump back, I couldn’t. It was as though every molecule of my body was vibrating and I was no longer solid.”
Steph sat forward. “Could it be because you are a jumper anyway? That ability may have amplified the effect of their power on you.”
“Yeah, I can get my head around that. The problem is what happened next. When I tried to attack them, I was—for want of a better word—transported.”
“Where?” asked Drake warily. His expression was the one he usually wore when he knew he was not going to like what I was about to say.
“Mithras.”
Neither Steph nor Drake replied.
I chuckled. “Yeah. I was a little surprised, to say the least.”
“What happened?” asked Steph.
“That jolt shocked the shizzles out of me. My brain was kinda fried for a while. Had to wait until I regained a bit of energy.” That met more silence, so I kept going. “But that unexpected trip to see Saleem wasn’t the shocking part.”