Avenger (4 page)

Dane’s eyes grew troubled. Black-rimmed frames slid down his nose a bit. “Greta’s been gone awhile. Oh, my brother will know how to help you. He knows everything.”

The boy materialized, all four feet of him. He ran to Raven and grabbed his hand. “Come on. I’ll take you to him. He knows everybody. He knows everything about the tunnels.”

“Idolize much?” Raven mumbled, then threw a pleading look to Nikki. He tried to pull away from the kid, but Dane would have none of it. By the looks of his small hand navigating Raven’s larger one, he was used to leading unwilling people.

The boy walked them through a series of spaces that could be considered rooms, each containing walls of some unknown material. It could be concrete, or maybe very smooth rock, or even dirt rubbed slick from years of wear. Nikki fought the urge to reach out and touch. Whatever the rooms were made of, they were a spider’s heaven, no doubt. She ran her hands over her hair again … just to make sure.

“Do people actually live down here?” she whispered to Raven, hoping his new appendage wouldn’t hear.

“Some,” Raven said.

Nikki shuddered and couldn’t imagine calling this home. She needed sunlight, fresh air, trees. Then they crossed a larger space littered with people, and a woman reached to lift a child into her arms. Pain pierced Nikki’s heart. Home was where your family dwelt. Underground or otherwise. At least Dane had a home; she couldn’t say the same anymore. “They don’t have a choice, do they?”

Raven stopped to look at her, the bespectacled boy dangling
at the end of his arm. “Most of them don’t,” he said in a whisper. “A few are fugitives, others are homeless. None of them want to be found. It’s kind of a separate city down here. Believe it or not, they all watch out for each other.”

Nikki’s eyes found Dane, and for the briefest of moments she saw him homeless on the streets of Paris. A bubble of emotion rose to her throat. She dropped to her haunches and reached out to grab the boy and hug him. “Thank you so much for your help, Dane.”

Statue still, he stared straight ahead. One side of Dane’s face slowly broke into a lopsided smile when Nikki released him and stood up.

Finally free of the boy, Raven sank his hands deep into his pockets.

Dane blinked a few times, gauged Nikki with an unsure look, and reached to drag Raven’s hand from the safety of his jeans.

Raven swatted at him with his other hand, but Dane wouldn’t be deterred. He grasped Raven’s wrist with all his fingers and tugged until the cloaked fist was free and back in his grip.

“We’re almost there. My brother hangs out at the Cave.”

The Cave, Nikki learned, was a dimly lit room that appeared to serve as a gathering place for anyone over sixteen. Several people mingled at a handful of tables, and some stood among a few pieces of inspired artwork — mostly chunks of shining metal twisted into abstract designs. She searched the space for a friendly face but found none. One table of girls stopped talking to turn around and glare at them. A man traversed the room walking so close that when he passed she was almost knocked down even though she stepped aside. None of it fazed Dane.
But Nikki felt like she’d just stepped into a private party where she not only wasn’t invited, she certainly wasn’t welcome.

Old movie posters dotted the walls, and music — a style she’d never heard before — filled the air, giving the place its own alternative vibe.

“I’m liking the tunes,” Raven said to her as Dane dragged them toward a table of tough-looking guys in the corner.

“It’s different. If Lenny Kravitz married Alanis Morissette, this is what their offspring would sound like.”

Raven laughed.

A guy with short hair and big muscles—highlighted by the tight white tank top he wore — stood from the table and stepped out. “Yo, Great Dane. What’re you doing here?” His voice was gruff, and Nikki began to think following Dane was a mistake.

Dane released Raven, ran toward the guy, and jumped. He landed in his arms.

“Whoa,” the guy said, ruffling Dane’s hair. “You are getting way too big for that, lil’ bro.”

Nikki sighed with relief. Beside her, she swore Raven did the same. “You weren’t scared of him, were you?” She felt wicked for saying it, but she couldn’t resist.

Raven cut her with a look. “No. And even if I
had
been, we need their help.”

Dane beamed, and as the older guy carried him over, Nikki saw the resemblance in their faces. Same bow-shaped mouths, same brown eyes. Same accent.

“This is Frank. He’s my brother. He knows everything.”

Frank had yet to crack a smile in their direction, and Nikki’s heart increased with the ticking seconds. “I don’t know who you two are or what you said to get this far, but strangers aren’t welcome down here.”

He threw a glance behind him, signaling the other boys at the table to stand. The half dozen guys made a half circle around Raven and Nikki.

Dane pushed back from his brother. “Frank, they’re my friends. He’s looking for Greta.”

Frank scrutinized Raven, and Nikki could only wonder what the intense examination was about. Who was this Greta, and why was she so important? And how did Raven know her? One more quick motion of Frank’s head and the pack of guys slithered back to the table.

“Greta’s not here. Why are you looking for her?”

Raven took a step toward him. “What does it matter if she’s not here?”

“Everything matters in the tunnels, my friend. If you want help, you should work on your attitude.”

Raven relaxed. “Yeah, I keep hearing that. Greta brought me down here a few years ago.”

Frank answered by raising his brows.

“Anyway, she brought me down here because I was … injured … in a fight.”

Frank loosened his grip on Dane and the boy slid to the floor. “Makes sense,” Frank said. “Greta always was one to bring in strays.”

“Was?”

“She’s dead.”

If Nikki hadn’t been looking at Raven, she might have missed the way he practically doubled over with the words. He stared at the floor for a long time. “What happened to her?” The muscle in his jaw twitched.

“She was trying to help a mutt like you.”

Chapter 3

D
ane hugged his brother’s legs “I miss Greta. She always brought me candy.”

Nikki wanted to cry. For Raven, for Dane. For Frank, who obviously cared for Greta too — more than his steely shell could hide.

“I’m sorry,” Raven said. He slid his hand into Nikki’s and started to turn. “We’ll find somewhere else to stay. We just needed a place for the night.”

Before they could get to the door, the stone walls carried Frank’s voice to them. “We’ll help you, Halfling.”

Raven stopped in his tracks. Nikki risked a peek over her shoulder and stared at the muscled giant.

“What’s after you?”

Raven turned slowly.

Nikki followed, and her confusion must have been glowing on her face, because Frank directed the next statement to her. “I’m a Xian and a Seer.”

Okay, maybe he could help. After all, Xians already understood the spiritual realm surrounding them, and if he was also a Seer, like her, he might actually be able to tell them where to head next. Of course, her Seer abilities hadn’t helped at all during this whole nightmare. She didn’t even know what a seeker looked like, and until Raven appeared at Viennesse she’d hadn’t realized she was in danger.

Frank almost smirked at them. “Even if I wasn’t a Xian, you both fit the profile.”

“Profile?” Nikki echoed, still a little freaked. No one had ever blatantly called her out as
other
before.

Frank gestured to Raven. “Light hair, blue eyes on the guys, and dark hair, golden eyes on the girls. Sorry, but you sort of stick out like a cannibal in a vegan restaurant.”

“Okaaaay,” Nikki said, wincing at the metaphor.

“And since I’m a Seer, I know something’s hunting you.”

Nikki ran forward and gripped Frank by the arms. “Please tell me everything you know. Can you see it? Can you see where it is now? I haven’t been able to sense a thing.”
Let it be far from Viennesse
. Or, if the seeker was after them, she prayed they’d succeeded in rerouting it. Though if it had picked up her scent … Had she put everyone in the tunnels in danger?

Raven pulled her off Frank. She forced herself to focus on his thumb gently rubbing the underside of her wrist instead of the thoughts swirling through her mind.

“What’s after you, Halfling?”

Raven opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and looked down at Dane.

The motion wasn’t lost on Frank. “Go get me something to drink,” he told his little brother.

Dane sighed and moped off in the direction of a doorway.

With a glance back to make sure they boy was out of earshot, Raven said, “A seeker.”

Frank’s mink-brown eyes narrowed. “Don’t know that one. I’ve met with hell hounds, watched Halflings fight demons, but a seeker? Wimpy name. How bad could it be?”

“Worse than anything you’ve seen. It’s like a million razor-sharp knifes slicing at once, leaving you in ribbons. And it never stops hunting until it finds the target.”

Frank pointed to Nikki. “You, right?”

Nikki dropped her head.

Dane returned, and when his brother wouldn’t take the can of soda he offered, he sat it on the ground at their feet.

So far, no explosion about drawing the seeker into the tunnels. That had to be a good sign. Though why
wasn’t
he yelling at them? Did the guy have no sense of self-preservation? Nikki felt the questions rise in her throat and the fear accompanying them. Especially for Dane, who had already lost someone he cared about — Greta — because she had stuck her neck out for someone like Raven.
Someone like me
. “Look, I don’t want to stay down here. Raven brought us here because we didn’t know what else to do. Just point us to the nearest exit and we’ll go.”

Frank rocked back on his heels. “Just like that?”

“We can’t just let them
go
!” Dane pleaded, his small hand patting the sure-to-be rock-hard stomach beneath Frank’s tank.

Nikki marveled at her ability to mess everything up. If she survived this latest nightmare, maybe she’d write a book.
Ten Thousand Ways to Ruin Someone’s Day
. “Yes, we will leave just like that. It’s not your concern and we’ve put you in danger.”

As Frank stared at her, Nikki realized his features were chiseled enough to belong to a Halfling. But he was sporting a five o’clock shadow and springy arm hair, as well as eyes that were
far from blue — not to mention he didn’t possess the Halflings’ smooth manner and breathtaking beauty. Instead he looked beat up by life, but stronger for it. There was wisdom and fearlessness in his gaze.

“Well, you’re wrong about a couple of things.” Frank reached to the ground and snagged the soda. “First, you’re here. And that makes it our business. Second, you didn’t put us in any more danger than what we live in day by day, baby. So stop with the pity party.”

Nikki closed her mouth abruptly.

“I may not know anything about seekers, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid to fight whatever tries to infiltrate our domain.”

Raven reached a hand to Frank’s shoulder in a brother-in-arms sort of way. She’d learned warriors had their own language, one Raven and probably Frank spoke fluently. “I appreciate that, but this creature just destroyed three of our friends. Halflings named Deux, Paix, and Tronc.

Frank slowly sat the soda can back on the floor. When he rose, Nikki could tell he was struggling to maintain his composure. “They were our friends too. You sure? Deux is an amazing fighter …”

“We’re sure.”

Nikki chanced a glance at the corner table. The guys seated there reacted to tragedy the same way—all dropped their heads a degree, while one rubbed a hand over his face and another leaned back, sniffed, stared at the ceiling.

More pain and sorrow to leave in her wake.

Frank moved a millimeter closer to Nikki and trapped her in his stone-cold gaze. Beside her, Raven bristled. Frank’s entire composure had shifted once more — now something was
boiling in the depths of Frank’s eyes. His teeth were clenched so tightly, she wondered if his jaw might shatter. As he took a predatory step toward her, Raven countered with a defensive stride between them.

Tension rose until Frank reached out and grabbed her by the shirt. “Stop it, Nikki!”

Now what did I do?
She tried to ready for a punch, an attack of some kind, but instead he pulled her to his face. Nikki wanted to search for Raven, but couldn’t drag her eyes from Frank. “W-what?”

He drew her even closer and growled, “Stop it
now
.”

Where is my sworn protector while I’m being manhandled by this Xian bully?
Beside her, she actually felt Raven relax.

“I — I don’t understand.”

“It’s not about
you
, little Halfling. This is the battle we’ve chosen. Stop feeling sorry for us. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It reeks like yesterday’s trash. You want to help? Be a fighter. Be a soldier. Stop being a baby.” Frank released her with a shove. “You were called into this war. Start acting like you’re worthy of it.”

Well
.

Raven clapped a couple of times. “Thank you. I’ve been wanting to give her a wake-up call for a while now.”

Nikki’s cheeks were fire hot and she couldn’t utter a single word. Not that she wanted too. Crawling into the nearest crack in the unidentifiable wall seemed a much better solution. Who was she kidding? Frank was right. She spent half her energy feeling bad for, well, everyone, even though they didn’t feel bad for themselves. She needed to get over herself.

The boys continued to talk, but she caught only bits and pieces of the conversation. Something about seekers, victims,
knowledge. How much energy had she spent worrying about the circumstances rather than taking action? Too much. She purposed to do what Frank challenged her to do. Be a warrior. Be worthy of the battle.

She tuned back into the discussion just as Raven explained what had occurred when the seeker arrived at the castle in France. As she listened, all the pieces of the puzzle settled into one giant question. “Why would the seeker go to Deux’s home rather than Viennesse?”