Eternal

by C. C. Hunter

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “I told Marla to call you,” her mom said. “Did she forget?”

  “No, she called,” Della said and tried to figure out a good reason for her to have visited her aunt.

  “Look, Mom, I know you guys are upset—”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back,” her mom said. “We’ve been busy.”

  Della held tight to her cell. Her mom never beat around the bush. When there was a problem, she put it out there. And fast. So did that mean the problem wasn’t that aunt Miao had spoken to her dad about Della’s visit?

  Relief filled her chest, but the next second, fear chased it away. If whatever was wrong at home wasn’t about her, then what was it about?

  “Mom, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing … Della.” Her mom’s voice broke. Was her mom crying?

  Hell, yes, she was.

  “Mom, what’s wrong? Just tell me what it is.”

  “I’m sorry, hon. This isn’t something you need to worry about, okay? Chances are it’s nothing.”

  “Are you sick or something, Mom?” Della recalled one of her friends’ mom finding out she had breast cancer. “Did you find a lump or something in your breasts?”

  “No.”

  “Dad? Is he—?” Her heart gripped.

  “Nobody’s sick. And you’re just going to have to accept that I can’t talk about things now.”

  “Mom, that scares me. If something is wrong, I need to know.”

  “Not now, sweetheart. You just concentrate on you.” She paused. “I’ve got to go now. I love you,” she said.

  Tears filled Della’s eyes. “I love you, too.”

  Then her mom hung up. Della sat down beside the tree and gave in. She cried about whatever was wrong at home. She cried because it felt like forever since her mom had told her she loved her. She cried because she didn’t think she could save Natasha and Liam—and they would never get that apartment. All that love they shared would die with them.

  She cried because she missed Chase.

  After a good minute of letting herself go, she wiped her cheeks. She called Marla back and told her Mom wouldn’t talk, but she made Marla promise she’d call her if she figured out what was wrong.

  “Hang in there, okay?” she told her sister.

  “I will,” Marla said and she sounded alone.

  “Why don’t you go see your friend Mickie?” Della asked. “Get out of the house and enjoy yourself.”

  “I am,” Marla said. “Her mom is picking me up in an hour.”

  “Good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. No smoking, alcohol, or sex. French kissing’s okay, even if it is gross.”

  Marla laughed and then said, “I miss you.”

  The swell of emotion hit tight. “I miss you, too.”

  Della hung up, the ache lingering in the pit of her stomach, and stared at the phone. The temptation hit. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

  She did it.

  She hit dial.

  “What’s wrong?” Chase answered on the first ring.

  “Why would you ask that?” she asked, holding her voice steady, remembering her mom’s voice breaking up.

  “Because you should be visiting with your family right now.”

  “Yeah, well … something came up.”

  “They didn’t show?” he asked, sounding offended.

  “No, but it doesn’t matter.”

  “Sorry,” he said and then, “Shit, did your aunt tell your dad you went to see her?”

  “No. I thought it was that, but … I spoke with my mom and it seems like it’s something else. I’m sure it’s no big deal.”

  So why did it feel like it was?

  “I was just thinking about Natasha and Liam,” she said.

  “Me, too. I’ve been searching the Internet for tattoos like they had. If I find the artist who did it, I thought it might lead us to them.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Della said. “Why didn’t I think of that? I should get Derek to do it, too. He’s good working with the Internet.”

  “Maybe he’ll have better luck than I did,” Chase said, sounding disappointed.

  Della leaned back against the tree. “You know the first time I saw the tattoo, it reminded me of … something. Like I’ve seen the emblem before.”

  “But you don’t remember where?”

  “No.”

  There was a moment of silence and she knew they were both fearing the worst.

  “I did a rough sketch of the tattoo,” Chase said. “Do you want me to take a picture of it and send it to you so you can shoot it to Derek?”

  “Yeah, that would be good.”

  A bird landed in the tree to her right. Della looked at it. “A red-headed woodpecker just landed,” she told him, remembering him pointing one out yesterday on his porch.

  He chuckled. “I’m making a birder out of you.”

  “Not on your life,” she said, but she watched the bird gripping the bark of the tree and make knocking sounds with its beak. What was it that Miranda had said? Oh, yeah, watching birds lightens up your aura.

  She supposed her aura could use some lightening.

  “What are you doing now?” he asked.

  “Talking to you. Watching birds.”

  “Besides that?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  “You want to go for a ride?” She heard the anticipation in his voice.

  Her heart lifted. Then dropped. Burnett would be upset.

  “Say yes.” He sounded lonely. He sounded like she felt.

  “Yes,” she said, and then, “No.”

  “Which is it?” he asked, disappointment ringing in his voice.

  “Yes, I want to go, but not just for a ride. I want to go to Uck’s. See if maybe that were comes back.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes … or less.” She could hear the smile in his voice. And she could imagine it on his lips.

  “Don’t speed,” she said.

  “I’m not the speed demon,” he said, chuckling, and hung up.

  A minute later, she got the picture of the tattoo from him. She stared at it, and again got the crazy feeling she’d seen it somewhere … somewhere other than in the visions. But where, damn it?

  She shot it to Derek and asked if he’d do a search on it. Then she got up to go find Holiday to tell her she was going out with Chase.

  Knowing Holiday, she would probably make her go and tell Burnett, but right now, Della didn’t care. She needed to see Chase. And she needed to do something, anything, that might help them find Natasha and Liam.

  Della needed to stop thinking about problems at home that she couldn’t do diddly-squat about.

  She hadn’t taken two steps when Burnett cleared the corner. Obviously, he’d come looking for her.

  And the look in his eyes told her something else had happened. She recalled his phone call. She recalled thinking if it was news on Natasha and Liam, that it wouldn’t be good.

  It took everything she had not to turn and run. She didn’t want to hear it.

  Chapter Forty-one

  “Your parents aren’t showing?” Burnett asked.

  Della prayed this was what he wanted, that his look was concern for her and not …

  “No, there’s something going on and they can’t make it.”

  He exhaled, and that sad sound hit Della right in the gut.

  “What is it?”

  “They haven’t identified anyone, but they have two African-American males and one girl who appears to be Asian. We don’t have DNA from Natasha. But we’re doing a DNA test to see if one of the males is Liam Jones. I’ve called in some favors and asked for them to do the test ASAP. I’ll let you know as soon as I have something.”

  Della started shaking. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t them. That they didn’t know for sure that Natasha and Liam were at a junkyard. That it couldn’t be. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away.

  She tilted her chin and met his
eyes. “Chase is picking me up and we’re going back to Uck’s to see if the were is there.”

  Burnett’s brows tightened as he frowned. He opened his mouth and she knew what he’d say. That she was wasting her time. That she shouldn’t be with Chase. But then his gaze met hers right when a tear slipped down her cheek and he just sighed. “Fine. Don’t be late.”

  She took in a stuttered breath and ran to the parking lot to meet Chase.

  * * *

  When Chase pulled up, Della could tell from his expression that Burnett had called him. Her throat tightened again, but she swore not to cry. Crying wouldn’t help. She recalled a saying that her father had once translated from Chinese. Crying does nothing but water the pain and allow it to grow.

  She didn’t have room for this pain to grow.

  Chase leapt out of his car and didn’t open the door. He moved to her. “Did Burnett tell you?” she asked.

  He nodded and pulled her to his chest.

  She didn’t fight him. Not even when some parents walked past to get to their cars. She held on. She’d never needed to feel someone’s arms around her as much as she did his right now.

  “Come on,” he finally whispered in her ear. “Let’s go to Uck’s.”

  They both jumped into his car. She bit down on her lip and looked at him. “Are we wasting our time?”

  “We don’t stop looking until they have a positive ID.”

  She nodded. “I agree.”

  They drove off and the wind in her hair and just sitting next to Chase made some of that pain lessen.

  When they arrived, they were the only two supernaturals in the place.

  They sipped Cokes and chatted about the visions, trying to find anything that might help them.

  “The place they’re at—it doesn’t look like a junkyard, does it?” she asked.

  “I don’t think so,” he said.

  “What kind of place could this be?” Della finally asked. “It looks like it’s underground. It had block walls.” She let the thought run through her head. “There’re some underground tunnels in Houston. I know Kylie had a confrontation there a while back. Maybe this is something like that?”

  He frowned. “I’ve been in those and it’s not like that. This is like … a tomb or something.”

  She let go of a deep sigh and looked at the phone sitting on the table. Anytime now, Burnett could call and tell them it was over. That hurt like hell thinking about it.

  Della went to refill her diet soda and got that first hint of … were.

  She swung around and looked at Chase. He’d obviously smelled it, too, because he was already on his feet.

  “Is that it?” he asked.

  She inhaled again, waiting for her sensory bank to start pulling up old files. And then, bing. It hit. “That’s it!” she whispered, and had to lower her upper lip to hide her extending canines. Not from danger, but from her determination not to lose the dog this time.

  She started looking around. A group of three guys sat in one corner, all of them with hats on.

  She moved closer to the three, checking if they were were. A noise suddenly clattered in the front of the restaurant.

  “Where are you going?” someone called.

  “What the hell did he run for?” someone else asked.

  Della turned around and the closer she got to the chaos, the stronger the scent got. She arrived at the counter, and not willing to lose this creep, she leapt over it and shot between the fryers and grills, dodging several confused-looking employees.

  She felt and heard Chase right behind her.

  “You can’t be back here,” someone said, a manager-looking guy. A human manager guy.

  She ignored him and followed her nose to the back. She went through a hall and then a prep room. She’d no more stepped foot in the prep room when a solid steel door leading outside slammed shut.

  “Stop them!” yelled the manager dude.

  Della surged forward, but about five Uck’s Burgers guys surrounded her and looked eager to do as their boss ordered. Chase was suddenly at her back. “Too many humans to let our power show,” he whispered in her ear.

  Indecision boiled inside her. She wanted to barrel though them, yank that door from the wall, and see who’d just gone through it, but she knew Chase was right. Burnett had preached this lesson from the very beginning. Public displays of power were the biggest no-no.

  She felt her eyes brighten and inhaled, thinking calming thoughts.

  “Who just left here?” she asked.

  “Who wants to know?” asked the manager dude. “I’ll need to tell the cops when I call them.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll call them for you.” Chase grabbed his phone.

  She thought he was calling someone from the Vampire Council. But then she heard Burnett’s voice on the line. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need some assistance at Uck’s. Someone just ran out the back to escape us and the manager and his employees aren’t cooperating.”

  “I’ll be there in five.”

  * * *

  It only took three minutes. Burnett walked in, his badge prominently hooked on his belt. He didn’t ask permission to go behind the counter. He didn’t jump over it, but his demeanor wasn’t any less intimidating. He came to stand right beside her and Chase and gave them a quick once-over.

  “Who are you with?” the manager asked, gawking at the badge.

  “FRU, an agency that works with the FBI for local cases.”

  “What the hell is the FBI doing here?” He kept on rattling about how they’d lost a few customers due to the commotion. Then he started in about past robberies.

  Burnett ignored him and turned to Della and Chase. “What happened?”

  “We had a runner,” Chase said. “I think he might have recognized Della and escaped out the back, and these guys didn’t want us to go after him.”

  “I have a safe in my office.” The manager kept talking on and on. “I can’t just let anyone come back here. You should arrest them,” the balding guy told Burnett. “I don’t think…”

  Burnett swung around and faced the guy and gave him his best glare. “Shut up!” he snapped. “One more word, and I’ll have the health department out here before you throw out that expired meat you’re cooking. And I saw about fifteen other violations just walking in here.”

  Chase leaned in. “That badge sure does come in handy.”

  Della looked over her shoulder at him. “I know.” It was the first positive thing Chase had said about the FRU, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t coming around.

  Burnett didn’t have to say anything else for Mr. Manager to become cooperative. And after Burnett posed the question of who had run out the back, he started singing like a happy bird. “It was one of my new employees. He came in, went to run the register, and the next thing we know, he’s flying out the back so fast we barely saw him. Then these two jumped the counter like they’re superhumans.”

  “Get me everything you’ve got on the guy. Now!” Burnett ordered when the man didn’t move fast enough for him.

  The manager tore off to his office. Before Burnett followed him, he came over to Chase and Della and in a low voice he said, “The DNA was negative on Liam.”

  Della wanted to kiss him. Hell, Chase looked happy enough to kiss him.

  A feeling washed over her. A feeling she really, really liked. Hope. Natasha and Liam were alive and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure they stayed that way. Della had to swallow four or five times not to let the tears of joy fill her eyes.

  When Burnett followed the guy into the office, Chase brushed the back of his hand against Della’s. A gentle touch, but it spoke loudly. Chase felt it, too. Hope. Amazing how much one appreciated that feeling when it had been robbed from you.

  “What did Red do?” one of the guys hanging in the back asked.

  “Red?” Della asked. “That’s his name?”

  “That’s what we call him. Red hair an
d all.”

  Red hair? Della’s mind started playing connect-the-dots again and she found more dots than she expected. The last red-haired guy she’d encountered had been a were at the cemetery where Chan was buried. The cemetery where the security guards had worn uniforms. And on the uniforms had been a … cross emblem.

  Suddenly, she heard Chase’s remark from earlier: This is like … a tomb or something. She turned to Chase. “I know where they are.”

  Burnett came walking out of the office, looking surprised and somewhat content that he’d gotten something useful.

  “He worked at the graveyard, didn’t he? Evert something, right?” Della asked.

  Burnett nodded. “How did you know?”

  “They said they called him Red because of his red hair. And Natasha and Liam had tattoos—like a brand—similar to the ones on the uniforms of the security guards at the cemetery. They have them there, Burnett, in some kind of underground tomb.”

  He pulled out his phone. “We’ll turn that graveyard upside down if we have to. I’ll have some agents meet us.”

  * * *

  It was dark when they got to the cemetery. Della glanced up at the moon, only a day from being full, which meant the weres would be at their most powerful. Not that it concerned her now.

  They landed at the front entrance. The silver moonlight brushed against a rusty metal gate, baring the cross symbol. She could kick herself for not remembering it earlier. But she had no kicking time. Three other vampire agents showed up within seconds. Della inhaled and got hints of were just outside the gate. And Red was amongst them, too.

  Burnett paired them up and sent them each to a side of the cemetery where they would enter. “Chances are the guards aren’t cooped up in the office. They are probably walking the grounds. If we get the graveyard surrounded they’ll have less chance of escaping. Let’s get these guys,” he said and glanced up at the moon. “Remember, they’re at their most powerful right now.”

  Della and Chase went to the west side of the cemetery as Burnett had ordered.

  Right before they leapt over the fence, Della got a strong scent of were.

  Chase glanced at her, letting her know he’d gotten it, too.

  He held up three fingers, and when the last one went down, they both bolted over the six-foot fence.