Breaking Normal (Dream Weaver #3) (25 page)

             
Once again, I was torn whether to keep my beagle boy with me or lock him in the car. Neither alternative felt better than the other. ‘Six of one. Half dozen of the other,’ my mom used to say of equally weighted decisions. Keeping him with me hadn’t saved him from Thomas’ clutches before, but I didn’t think leaving him behind would be any better choice. And, it seemed like Thomas was capable of being two places at once. Finally, I stroked and kissed his soft domed head and shut him in the car to go find Nick.

             
The woods around my cottage had never felt so villainous. I’d wandered through these trees countless times, accompanied only by moonlight. Tonight, the moon only shared half its light. The crickets had silenced their song, and even the bullfrogs were hushed in anticipation. The air continued to vibrate around me as though charged with electrical current. In violent waves, the sensation washed over and through me. Then, at the crest of a flaring pulse, a scream echoed through the night and rattled down my spine. The wave receded and flared again, punctuated by another scream. Nick’s scream. My feet grew wings. I raced through the brush, that lashed my skin and tore at my clothes, and dodged hulking Ponderosas until I spilled out of the woods onto Yale Road. All fell silent. The crunch of gravel under my feet was the only sound to puncture the night.

             
The mountains of rock at the quarry loomed in the near distance, white and glowing in the half-light of the moon. Nick’s screams began again, closer together and growing more primal. I had to find him. I lit out across the quarry and phased mid-leap to get an aerial view. Splashes of light fanned out across the sky from the furthest corner of the quarry. Each flash preceded Nick’s waning wails, so I dived in that direction. As I circled the quarry like a vulture in search of carrion, I spotted them. Thomas towered over Nick’s prone body that convulsed and writhed in torment. With the ferocity of a hurricane, I whorled in behind him.

             
“Did you decide to come out and play, Miss Sweet?” Thomas warbled as I materialized.

             
“Let him go!” I demanded with power I didn’t feel.

             
Thomas chortled. “Let him go? I was just beginning to have fun.” He pouted like a spoiled toddler, but his face turned hard as the granite around us, and his eyes blacker than the night sky. “I have every intention of releasing him,” he said with feigned sincerity. “When I’m done.”

             
“You’re done.”

             
“No. I think not.”

             
I skirted around his position to get a better look at Nick. His face was drawn, his eyes sunken and closed, but they darted from one depraved nightmare to another. There was no way to tell how much of Nick’s mind Thomas had already destroyed. I could only hope he was still in there, fighting. Thomas drew a blade from his belt. The edge glowed in the muted light. He stooped and hovered over Nick’s body, and traced Nick’s jaw line with the point of the blade.

             
All the months of anger, fear, grief, worry and dismay crashed in on me as I stared down at the Wraith. Without hesitation, I took a step forward. I was
so
done playing this game.

             
“Uh uh uh,” Thomas tutted at me and waggled a disapproving finger. The blade tip popped through the skin just below Nick’s left ear. I froze. Blood seeped from the wound, down his neck and over his shoulder where it pattered to the ground in a growing pool. “Just a tiny flick of my wrist and the poor boy will exsanguinate right here before you. Would like that, my dear?”

             
I could only scowl at him. I couldn’t trust the words that might come spilling from my mouth. I’d never hated anyone in my life, but for him? I was more than willing to make an exception. Ari pricked my skin under my shirt and blood throbbed at eight tiny puncture wounds. Images of Nick phasing out of Thomas’ control flooded my mind. Then the spider herself phased out of sight, and her ruby glow sparked to life on Nick’s chest. Panicked breaths lurched in my own chest as the Wraith slid the shining blade a tiny fraction of an inch deeper into Nick’s flesh. But, Nick’s body began to effervesce, and the rancorous roar of Thomas’ indignation wouldn’t bring back his prey.

             
I’d also never chortled in my life, but couldn’t help the evil laugh that bubbled from the murkiest part of my soul. Thomas whirled around to face me fully, and crouched in a brutish stance, ready to leap on me. With not a moment to waste, and having Thomas alone and clear of innocent bystanders, I plucked the lye grenade from my belt. Reaching out with my gifts, I caged him, pulled the pin on the grenade, and counted. One…two…three. And lobbed the explosive squarely at his chest, where it detonated and saturated him with the caustic solution. He roared and thrashed as the acid burned his skin and eyes. And still, I held him to the spot. Raging and screaming, he struggled to get to me. Despite my confidence in my ability to hold him, I backed away and drew the sai at my hips.

             
“Let me go!” Thomas roared.

             
“Let you go?” I echoed his words. “But I was just beginning to have fun.” But in truth, it wasn’t any fun. Inflicting that kind of pain on anyone was grotesque. When I couldn’t stand his screams any longer, I finally phased away, releasing him from my clutches.

Chapter 3
2  Uprising

              When I coalesced at the back of the car, Ari again splayed against my chest. I stroked her ruby abdomen, and she shivered and shrank to her smaller size. And again, her tiny legs pricked my skin and images of Nick in a place of safety inundated my mind. I didn’t recognize the place, but I trusted Ari that it was safe. She’d lain on his breast, her ruby abdomen glowing like star dust. She knew my intention for Nick—safe and well. And she’d ministered both to his battered mind and body. Now, this magical spider was siphoning off a sample of my blood to rejuvenate herself.
Thank you, Ari.
Only a few short months ago, I would never have believed that her kind of magic existed. Or in the reality of any magic. Now, we were both more magical than I’d ever dreamed.

             
I wanted to catch my breath, wash the slime of Thomas out of my head, but we needed to regroup. Tossing the sai in the back compartment, I jumped in the car and headed to Sabre’s. Eddyson laid across the emergency brake with his head on my lap, his brows teeter-tottered in askance of silent questions.

             
“I know, little man. Just stay close to me,” I said as I stroked his velveteen ears.

             
All was quiet when I pulled up to Sabre’s house—until I opened my door. The grunts and growls of combat tumbled out the open garage door. Eddy and I spilled out of the car and sprinted to the garage. Sabre and Thomas crashed around the shop, leaving a furrow of destruction behind them. They whorled and phased from one form to the other so quickly I could barely keep up. Finally, the two crashed to the dusty, cement floor. Thomas pinioned Sabre beneath him but both struggled for control of a taser gun. Neither seemed to realize my presence.

             
My hands flew to my hips in search of my favored weapons, but the sai were still in the back of the car. And I couldn’t waste the time to go get them. I fingered the remaining weapons on my belt. The .45 with specialized lye rounds would be the most effective—but using lethal force could jeopardize Sabre, as well. I slid Pinky from my belt, hunkered down and skulked along the perimeter of the garage to get better, more accurate access. The two scrabbled around in the dirt, with Thomas always coming out on top and Sabre always able to free himself.
Geez, if he’s this lethal after the damage of the lye grenade, I don’t want to know what ‘full on’ Thomas is like.
Eddy whimpered and snugged up against my thigh.
It’ll be okay, puppa,
I assured him with confidence I was lacking. I crept forward in a low crouch. Then, taking my aim, I fired the taser electrodes at Thomas’ back. At that exact moment, Sabre got the upper hand, pitched the Wraith off of himself and rolled on top of him. The two probes, trailing its wires behind it, embedded in Sabre’s back. Before I could grab the wires and jerk the probes from his skin, the taser delivered a Caphar-scrambling jolt. Sabre’s back arched and he roared in pain and anger.
Oh god! Sabre I’m sorry!
With the wires knotted in my hand, I yanked the probes free, but the damage was already done. Sabre collapsed on the floor, guttering between corporeal and ethereal. What was I supposed to do now? Nick was out of commission because of Thomas, and Sabre fell to friendly fire.

             
Eddyson took cover behind me and peered around my legs to growl at Thomas, who was stalking our direction.

             
“Why thank you, Miss Sweet,” he glowered. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”

             
I sneered at him but didn’t validate him with a response. Thomas skulked forward and Eddy darted past me and chomped down on one of the Wraith’s legs. Thomas stumbled but kept his feet. With a bestial growl, he scooped the pup from the ground and jettisoned him across the garage. Eddy hit the cluttered wall with a resounding thud, yelped and crumpled to the floor. Panting, pain-filled breaths were the only indication of life from the heap of fur on the floor. Before the pup’s name could leave my mouth, Thomas was upon me. But apparently, he’d forgotten the taser in my hand—or didn’t know Sabre had modified it to a two phase weapon. Thomas crushed my jaw between his thumb and fingers and leered down into my face.

             
“Emari Sweet,” he crooned. “Such a lovely name. I wonder how sweet you truly are.” With that, his vile tongue parted his lips and he trailed the hot, slavery thing up my cheek. Like lava, bile erupted in my throat and it was all I could do to keep it down. Then again, puking on the guy just might be the distraction I needed. I swallowed hard. “A little salty for my taste. But the cold sweat of terror does that to a girl.”

             
I could think of a few smart come-backs to lob back at him, but with my jaw detained in his grip, I kept the comments to myself. The sneer on his face proved he’d heard them anyway in my memories. While he was distracted with my insolence, I pressed the taser to his side and pulled the trigger. His hand dropped from my jaw, and he jittered and jerked on his way to the ground. Even after he hit the dirt, the Rephaim laid twitching and shifting forms. I delivered a hard, fast kick to his head and he flopped, unmoving to his back—except for the involuntary muscle spasms that still jolted his body.

             
Sabre staggered to his feet, only mildly affected by the taser’s current. I ran to his side and helped him sit on a bench.

             
“Sabre. Oh my god. Are you okay?”

             
But Sabre waved me off. “Check the dog,” he demanded with the shadow of worry on his brow. Had Sabre grown fond of the pup? Or was he angry with me for tasing him, and wanted me to stay the hell away from him? With Sabre, it was hard to tell.

             
I dashed to Eddy’s side. The beagle struggled to stand but pain kept him off his feet. Grazing a hand along his body, his instinctive canine mind showed me where he hurt. His left hip throbbed with pain as well as three ribs along that side. The metallic scent of blood from gashes to his thigh and head, soured my stomach. I had to do something. But I had to kill this Wraith and help Sabre too. And I had no clue where Nick was—just somewhere ‘safe.’

             
Emma! Honey, where are you?
This was way better than texting.

             
Here, Em. In my room.

             
I need to bring you Eddy, again.

             
I can come to you.

             
NO! No, don’t. Thomas is here. I want to keep you away from him. He’s jonesing for a treat like you. Stay there. Put a blanket on your floor. I’ll bring him to you.
I didn’t have time to clear this with Adrian. I’d just have to deal with the backlash later.

             
Okay.

             
Crossing back to Thomas, I pressed the taser nodes to his chest and, just for good measure, pulled the trigger to keep him incapacitated while I was gone. I scooped the pup in my arms. “I’ll be right back,” I told Sabre, who simply grunted and waved me away. Then, I phased from the gloomy garage into the soft, glowing lights of Emma’s bedroom.

             
“Put him here,” she whispered and indicated the bed.

             
“The floor would’ve been fine, Em,” I told her.

             
“Not for Eddy,” she declared with an indignant snort, and I realized the impact of one small creature on so many lives.

             
“Emma?” Adrian rapped twice on the door and pushed it open.

             
“Dad! I could’ve been changing!”

             
Adrian slipped into the room. “But you weren’t. What’s going on in here?” he demanded.

             
“I didn’t have another choice. Thomas tortured Nick and now I don’t know where he is. And then he attacked Sabre and tossed Eddy across the garage like trash. He’s hurt bad. His hip and three ribs, I think.”

             
Adrian scowled until he caught sight of Eddyson on Emma’s bed. His mouth twisted with reproof but seeing the pup, battered and bruised, thawed his sternness. He crossed the room in two quick strides, kneeled by the bed and palpated the pup’s body.

             
“I have to go back. Sabre’s alone with that freak,” I told them.

             
“Tell me you didn’t lead that nightmare to my home,” Adrian said.

             
“He was out cold. But I don’t know for how long. I have to get back.”

             
Adrian stood and grasped my arms. “This isn’t your fight, Emari. It’s
theirs
. You don’t owe either of them anything.”

             
I scowled at his hands on my arms and he released me. Staying there in that cool, safe house appealed to my desire for normalcy. But this wasn’t about just Nick and Sabre anymore. And it wasn’t simply about revenge—though the thought was alluring in so many lovely ways. “Not my fight? Did you know Thomas killed my mom and dad?”

             
“What’s going on in here?” Celeste, so perky and pretty, slid into the room and closed the door behind her. The only one missing now was Peter.

             
Adrian’s face flushed. “That was a tragic accident. Nothing more.”

             
“A tragic accident?! Are you kidding me? It was no accident at all. Thomas tormented my dad and then he weaved a nightmare while Daddy was driving home from Cali. He
caused
the crash.”

             
An ominous specter haunted Adrian’s eyes. A look I’d seen only one place before. Thomas. Celeste must have noticed it too. She inched away from him. I whipped my butterfly knife from pocket and flipped it open with three flicks of my wrist.

             
“Emari, honey. I don’t think that’s necessary,” Celeste pleaded.

             
I shook the fog of disbelief from my brain, and ignored my auntie. “You can’t be one them. You’re not Caphar,” I said, pointing the blade at his face. Real terror flooded his face.

             
“I’m not, Emari. I swear.” Apparently, Uncle Adrian was a bit scared of me.

             
Images of witches and their black cats and ravens flooded my mind. “You’re a familiar. He uses you for his purposes. Why, Uncle Adrian? Why would you do that?”

             
“I had to,” he bleated. “He threatened my family.”

             
“What is going on?” demanded Celeste.

             
“Daddy?” Emma whimpered.

             
“I’m so sorry, Emari.” Adrian shriveled from the stature of the man he’d always been in my eyes, to a sniveling, groveling stooge. But I didn’t have time to deal with family dynamics. I needed to get back to Sabre before Thomas came to and finished him off.

             
“Emma? Can you fix Eddy?” I asked without moving my glare from Adrian’s eyes.

             
“Yes,” she squeaked. “But I don’t understand.”

             
“We’ll hash this out later. Can I leave my dog—
Uncle?
”

             
Adrian peered around at the women of his family, completely abashed. “Yes. It’s fine. We’ll keep him safe,” he forestalled my next question.

             
I flipped the blade closed. “Don’t come looking for me. You, especially,” I sneered at Adrian. “I’ll let you know when the coast is clear. Maybe we’ll all get free of this demon by the end of the night.” And, with quick glance at my limp little dog, I phased from Emma’s bedroom.