“We all have our cell phones. If something happens or we’re running late, we need to let each other know.” Bryce piped in.
“And make sure your cell is on silent, not vibrate. Dark Ones will be able to hear it otherwise.” Roland grinned, baring his wicked fangs.
“So, we have to compulsively check our cell phone throughout the night. Got’cha.” Weylin picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. “Just making sure.”
Ree rolled her eyes and checked the clasp on her short sword hilt. The others all drifted into their groups and headed in the directions of their tasks. Ree looked back up at Paden and Weylin. “Well, let’s go.”
“Do you want to set the pace?” Paden cocked his head to the side.
“Human pace. There are some secrets that should only be shared at the right time.” Ree headed toward the busiest nightclub in town, the boys a half-step behind her.
The streets weren’t very crowded. There were the usual groups near popular tourist spots and restaurants, but the cold, wet weather seemed to have sent most people home. Ree kept her head down as they walked past people. Paden and Weylin clustered on either side of her as they hustled down the sidewalk. Ree cut her eyes at Paden and studied his profile. His green eyes watched the people they passed; his hard expression enhanced by the stubble along his jaw. On the rare instances they came across other pedestrians, the people quickly moved to the opposite side of the road.
Paden looked down at her and winked before returning his attention to the street. Ree let the power search ahead of her for any signs of Dark Ones or darklings. As she scanned an alley, her eyes fell on Weylin and she was shocked to see Paden’s deadly expression repeated. Weylin had always been attractive, not that she would tell him that, but to see his usual relaxed face turned into something so serious was unnatural. If she was being very honest with herself, she had wanted Weylin with her and Paden so she could keep an eye on him. Ever since her talk with Aphrodite, she had been worried about her friend. What if he was an acceptable loss? She didn’t trust the gods as far as she could see them; and that wasn’t very far.
Turning onto a side road, they headed for the nearest nightclub. Loud music boomed along the walls and Ree winced. It sounded like thunder in a can, thankfully she could still pick out the lower voices of her friends and the people closest to the inside wall of the club.
“There are Dark Ones here. We need a good vantage point until they leave. Somewhere nearby, where they hopefully won’t sense my presence.” Ree looked back out at the buildings across the street. She pointed at the tallest building from City Market. “There. We wait on the roof.”
Weylin took point as they made their way to the building. Paden slid his arm around Ree’s shoulders, but kept his intense expression as they dodged people. Pedestrian traffic increased closer to all of the shops and restaurants. Weylin ducked into the alley behind the old, three-story restaurant. They were busy as usual, but no one was near the back door. Paden looked from side to side before jumping and grabbing an old rickety ladder. It slid down the wall, making a loud racket. Ree glanced over her shoulder, sure someone would have heard the noise, but no one came to investigate.
They made quick work of the ladder and hopped onto the roof. The concrete was cracked but sturdy. They slid through the maze of metal vents and generators to the perimeter where they could watch the club. Ree could still hear the booming music from their perch, but focused on the cold spots that mingled with all of the bright lights of humans.
“Can you still sense them from here?” Paden knelt next to the short wall at the edge of the building.
“Yeah. My range seemed to grow after Sophie gave me her power.” It still hurt to think about Sophie and her sacrifice.
“So, you don’t think they will be able to sense you here?” Weylin leaned against a large brick pillar and crossed his arms.
“I don’t think so. They would have to move in this direction for them to get a whiff of me and the power, and even then we would probably still be far enough away that they wouldn’t be sure where we are.” Ree sat next to Paden, her back against the wall, and closed her eyes. She didn’t need to see to know where the Dark Ones were at that point.
“Best to not let them sense you if we can help it. We want them to think you’re on the island, right?” Weylin’s voice was eerily calm.
“You’re right. We should keep our distance at this point.” Ree felt Paden reach into his pocket for something. She assumed it was his cell phone, because he didn’t say anything and returned whatever it was pretty quickly.
Ree let them discuss things between themselves while she concentrated on the Dark Ones. There were more in the area than she would have liked. One was lingering outside a bar at the other side of the market, another was leaving the area and she was pretty sure they were headed to River Street. Part of her wanted to chase them all and kill them. While she had always wanted to keep them from killing innocent people, the unexpected feeling was almost bloodthirsty. She wondered if this was the new part of being immortal. No wonder the others had been so ready to go hunting that first day. They were programmed for it.
She felt one of the Dark One’s cold spots flash brightly, and she gasped out loud. She clenched her fists and ground her teeth. She knew they were feeding, and there was nothing she could do about it at this point. By the time Ree and her friends busted into the club it would be over and they would have blown their cover. Paden’s hand closed on her shoulder, and she felt his sympathy. He must have picked up from her emotions what was happening.
“They’re feeding?” Weylin’s voice was quiet and rough.
“There isn’t anything we do can at this point.” Paden’s voice was slow and calm. She knew he was telling her as much as answering Weylin.
“They will head out once they feed. No reason to stay where they might be caught.” She stood up and turned to look at the club. She grabbed her cell phone to check for missed calls and shoved it back into her pocket. Her hands shook from the rage that gripped her heart. She wanted to kill. Narrowing her eyes, she placed her hands on the top of the wall and spread her fingers as wide as they would go. Her hands itched to grab a weapon and to run for the building.
She took a deep breath and turned to look at the guys. They were both waiting on her signal to move. Paden stood with his hands hanging limply beside him. Weylin held the short pommel of a collapsed sword in one hand, his eyes bright with determination. As soon as she felt the Dark Ones gather, she nodded at the guys and walked back near the brick pillar Weylin had been leaning against. She flashed Paden a wicked smile and ran toward the edge. With one large push, she leapt from the wall to the next building. Air pushed against her face and her stomach twisted with adrenaline. When she landed on the flat top across the street she couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her mouth.
Paden landed two seconds after her, his eyes glinted with amusement. Ree turned to watch as Weylin cleared the space smoothly. He obviously enjoyed it as much as Ree had, because his eyes were bright and excited. Taking a moment to decide which way the Dark Ones were headed, Ree turned and raced for the next rooftop.
The Dark Ones eventually ended up in a less-than-savory neighborhood. Chipped paint and a sagging porch greeted them as they walked into the house. A darkling sat on an old couch beside the front door. He was a large man with squinty eyes and a foul expression. The tattoos on his left arm indicated he was part of a gang, his whiskered face and dirty clothes showed a lack of concern for cleanliness.
Ree crouched down on the roof of an old store a block away. Paden took out his two long knives and held them loosely in his hands. A snap-hiss announced Weylin’s sword as he released it from the sheath. Ree could see the shine of her eyes reflect off of the long blade and smiled. She pulled out her cell phone and typed a quick message to everyone else.
“I think it’s time to make a statement.” She took off her jacket and pulled her short sword from the sheath on her back.
“Here.” Weylin pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Ree. She caught it, pressed the small button, and swung the blade as it released.
“No one leaves.” Ree looked from Paden to Weylin so they knew she was serious.
Ree moved to the edge and dropped to the ground. She landed in a crouch, her swords held out at either side. Paden and Weylin landed silently beside her. She took off running, the houses passing in a blur. She came to a stop on the front porch, her sword sweeping up and around as she decapitated the darkling on the dilapidated porch. Dark, tainted blood splattered from his neck, but his eyes registered only shock as his head bounced along the broken floorboards. A Dark One arrived at the porch just as quickly and threw himself at Paden. He held two wicked, curved, short swords and was obviously well-trained. Weylin didn’t stop to help; instead he dodged the flurry of their movements and headed straight to the back of the house.
Ree followed suit, not ready to unleash her magic yet. She didn’t want to accidently be sensed by Dark Ones that might be nearby. The house was lit by two small lamps and the stink of grime and marijuana instantly filled Ree’s nose. She sensed that Weylin was engaged near the back door, so she checked the rooms along the hallway. She kicked in two doors that were locked and felt her anger flare. There were dirty beds with chains and straps. The dead body of a beautiful black woman lay discarded near the closet. Welts and raw markings along her wrists and ankles testified to her last hours on Earth, the gaping wounds on her neck examples of the violence she suffered. Her sightless eyes burned a hole in Ree’s soul.
The power flowed around Ree’s feet, sending dirt scattering along the floor. Turning from the room, she ran for the last bedroom and the Dark One that hid there. She pushed the door open with the power and flew at the man with blood dripping from his mouth.
“Too late. I already called them.” He laughed at her and pointed at a small fire in the corner of the room.
Ree didn’t stop to decipher what he was talking about. Instead she came at him with all of her strength. He met her strikes with his own, whirling to dodge her slashes and thrusts. She dropped to her knees and spun her swords at his legs. He didn’t see it coming and fell to the ground with a roar. His hands reached for her, but she was already gone. She stood behind him and severed his head with a quick scissor move. She watched as his body disintegrated slowly. Her shoulders moved with her angry breaths.
Paden crashed through the wall and landed on his back, his fangs bared in a feral smile as a Dark One followed him through the man-sized hole. The Dark One couldn’t have been any older than a high school freshman, but his eyes were purely animal. He fell on Paden with a hiss, his hands scraping at the godling with speed and precision. Paden laughed before grabbing the boy’s face and savagely twisting. The stunned Dark One fell to his side, but he wasn’t dead. Breaking his neck had only slowed him down. With blood dripping from his face, Paden knelt next to the kid and thrust his long knife into the Dark One’s chest.
He stood and looked at Ree, his eyes lingering on her cheek and blood-soaked pants. She reached up to touch her face, not registering the wound until that moment.
A loud crack of energy sent Ree’s heart plummeting. They ran for the back of the house and skidded to a halt as they watched Dark Ones pour through a glowing slash in the wall. Weylin backed in their direction and held his sword ready.
“I think it’s time for a dramatic exit, Ree.” Her friend turned and winked at her before pushing them all toward the front door.
As they exited the house, Ree turned to look over her shoulder. Dark Ones followed them out into the streets. She couldn’t risk her secret being exposed yet, so made a quick decision.
“Get behind me.” She spun on her heel and felt Paden and Weylin skid to a halt. She let go of the power leashed inside of her and threw all of it at the house and the Dark Ones spilling out. The ground shook under her feet before her shoes left the ground in a wash of power.
She pulled energy from her friends and from the trees along the street. Raising her arms she directed it all at the drug house and the evil monsters inside. Wave after wave of energy flew across the space to crash into the house. Dark Ones burst into ash and the house itself shook with each burst. The porch splintered into flying wood and the front wall collapsed. The house seemed to fall into itself, nothing left but a large cloud of dust and dead Dark Ones. The old homes on either side of the rubble shook as if frightened. Glass from their windows littered the road, and she could hear screams from inside.
Ree fell to the ground, landing on one knee, and used her hands to catch herself. She looked up at the destruction and felt hollow. She had killed the trees along the street. The plants sitting on porches were wilted and brown. Dead bodies of birds littered the ground under drooping limbs and she prayed she hadn’t killed anyone’s pet.
Strong hands slid over her shoulders and helped her stand. Paden turned her to face him, his green eyes searching hers. She nodded her head, letting him know she was okay.
“Jesus Christ, Ree. You’re one scary chick, you know that?” Weylin stood with his sword at his side, his eyes wide with amazement.
Paden glared at him, but Ree felt her lips turn up into a small smile. She was okay with being scary. As long as it meant they won.
Chapter Fourteen
Sirens filled the night air and Weylin cursed. Ree wanted to make sure no one had escaped, but they couldn’t risk being caught by the cops. She knew they had connections in the department, but that wasn’t an obstacle they needed to deal with right now. Paden pulled her with him, his hand clamped firmly on hers until she seemed to be moving on her own. They scaled the old store to retrieve their coats and made a quick getaway along the other roofs. Paden didn’t want to leave any evidence if it was at all possible.
Ree pulled her phone out of her pocket to check for messages as they ran. The first one was from Juliette telling her to be careful and that they had tagged several Dark Ones on River Street. The next message was also from Juliette. They had decided to take out a safe house of their own. The Dark Ones had taken in a young couple. Her next message was to let them know they were okay. The next message was from Roland. They had seen Ree’s blast and were worried. Next message was from Melanie saying Roland wanted to meet back at the boat.
“Roland wants to head back.” Ree looked at the others and nodded in the direction of the restaurant.
“Have they found any other houses?” Paden asked as they scaled another roof.
“Jules and Bryce took one out. Apparently the Dark Ones had kidnapped a young couple/” Ree shook her head. In reality, they were still young too. She just didn’t feel like it anymore.
