Burning (18 page)

"Hurry," she ordered. 

I wasn't about to argue with her while she was dressed like a mercenary.  I found clothes like the ones Anita and Carlos were wearing and more knives.  The knives she’d left me were bigger and better for someone with brute force on their side.  Hers were meant for speed, which she had in spades.

Back downstairs and fully armed
, I noticed that Carlos didn't have any weapons on him.  He acknowledged my interest by producing his wand.  "I don't really need anything other than this.  I'm pretty powerful.  I don't have Chloë's offensive magic talents, but I'm strong." 

"Chloë hasn't been very strong for a while," I disclosed. 

"Let's go find them and fix that then, shall we?" he suggested. 

I dipped my head. 
Definitely, let's go fix this. 
And if we didn’t, God save Bridgett, because only he could stop me from ripping out her throat.

Finn

My head throbbed.  Actually, my entire body ached, but I only felt a wound on my head.  I gently reached back and felt a knot forming on the back of my head.  I searched my memory for details.

I
’d gone into the classroom to find my phone.  I’d bent down to search the floor and then...nothing. 

I sat up and realized I was in some sort of cell. 
The bars were thick steel, and they had runes and Latin inscribed all over them.  That was dumb, but still, I reached out cautiously to touch them.  I briefly touched one finger to the bars and nothing happened.  I daringly wrapped my hand around one—still nothing.

"I thought you said them bars would repell this creature from touchin'
, Garrett," said a whiny country voice. 

"That wizard we collected
said it would lock in a demon," answered another voice, probably Garrett. 

I
looked around. I was alone, and for a split second, I was grateful. That was until I realized that, if I felt this sick, Chloë must be in agony.  I leaned my head against the bars.  She must have been worried sick about me right now.  Maybe Carlos was able to help her with the withdrawal from our bond.  At least she wasn't here. 

"
What we gonna do wit 'em, boss?  That girl we done grabbed sure is purdy.  If she stops floppin’ around, can I have some fun wit her?" the bumpkin asked. 

It hit me
—a sick girl. Damn, they did have Chloë. 

"I want to see her," I demanded.  My voice rasped like I
’d swallowed sand and salt water. 

"
I don't see that you are in a position to demand things, demon," Garrett informed me. 

I pointedly
rubbed the bars.  "Obviously I'm not a demon.  My girlfriend has a medical condition and only I know how to calm her down," I lied.  I didn't want to say that I had her medicine because they probably searched me. 

Garrett narrowed his eyes at me. 

"Are you really willing to let her die because of a false superstition that we are demons?" I pushed. 

"There are always
casualties in war," he responded coldly. 

I tried a different angle. 
"I can see that you have a purpose for us. Otherwise we would be dead already.  What good can she serve you if she dies?"

He grunted.  "Get up and put your hands on your head."

I followed his instructions.  He pushed my back with a long, wooden rod to direct me forward.  He led me down a dark, cement hallway with a flickering bare bulb as its only light.  Everything was gray.  Due to the cold seeping through the walls, I guessed we were deep underground.  It was probably an old bomb shelter or something that had been built by a fanatic.  On second thought, considering my current company, it had definitely been built by fanatics.

He shoved me into another cell, but this time
, I wasn't alone.  Chloë was lying on the floor, and I could tell she was unconscious.  I hurried to her and pulled her onto my lap.  I started to feel better immediately, but she remained unconscious.  Her breathing did even out, and I was encouraged by that. 

"What are you?" Garrett demanded. 

I stopped murmuring encouraging nonsense to Chloë and glared at him.  "What do you mean?" 

His friend pointed to the side of my head.  "You've got pointy ears.  You
some kind of fairy or sumpin?" 

I
tried to hide my cringe while listening to him butcher the English language and decided to continue lying.  "It's a birth defect, but thanks so much for pointing it out."

"Is she going to recover?" Garrett interrupted. 

"I hope so," I answered honestly.  "I need to stay with her, or it will happen again." 

"I've never heard of a condition where someone suffers physically without another person," Garrett
challenged. 

"It's psychosomatic.  She sees a therapist, but it hasn't helped.  We are searching for a specialist," I fibbed. 

"If it is mental, she should be fine when you are apart," he countered. 

"Ordinarily yes, but she has a heart condition that makes her mental condition dangerous," I
argued.  It sounded believable enough. 

"I'll allow it for now," he said and abruptly left us in his dungeon.

"Chloë, baby, wake up for me please," I begged. 

Nothing.  Not even a flutter of her eyes.
  There was a cot with a scratchy, gray-wool blanket against the wall.  I carried her to it and stripped her down to her bra.  I pulled my shirt over my head and laid her on my chest. 

If touch helped, then more skin might work faster.  I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try something. 
I lay there for at least a half hour, praying to every god I could think of for her to wake up. 

"
Finn?" she whispered. 

"Mmhmm.  Does your throat hurt?" 

She gently touched her throat.  "Yeah.  Is there any water?" 

"No.  I don't think they plan
on keeping us long.  Do you remember anything?  Maybe we can figure out a way to escape," I plotted. 

Chloë rubbed her temples.  "I remember being grabbed outside of the
science building and then nothing until now.  I think I was drugged or they used chloroform." 

That would explain why it
had been harder to wake her this time.  With her weakened state, the drug could have killed her. 

"Finn, what are we going to do? 
I barely have any magic left.  I can't teleport us out of here or fight back." 

"
We will wait and watch for a chance to escape.  But right now, we are going to hold on to each other.  We are going to be thankful we are alive and together.  Nothing is impossible as long as we have each other."

"I love you," she said with her face pressed against my chest. 

I kissed the top of her head.  "I love you too.  You should rest.  Maybe you will get a little strength back.  And don't forget—our friends are going to come looking for us.  No way would they let us pull a disappearing act." 

I knew they would find us, but would they find us alive? 
If Garrett and his redneck sidekick didn't kill us, our partial bond might do it for them.  One thing was certain; if we made it out of here, we were going to have the bonding ceremony.  I would never leave her this vulnerable again.

Chapter Ten

Into the Dark

Grey

I
’d been sure we were going to find them.  I’d followed every scent, every intuition, even errant idea by the end of the night.  I’d really thought I’d caught their trail out in the tiny town of Kittitas.  I followed them out to an old farm, about a mile away from the nearest neighbor.  I could swear I smelled Chloë's perfume and Finn's aftershave in a dilapidated barn set in the back of the property, but they weren't there. 

The smell led me to that one spot, and it didn't leave there, but it was like they
had disappeared.  It would take a lot to hide a scent from me once I had caught it.  That was one of the reasons I had been particularly deadly when I’d still been hunting humans.  Aside from Chloë and Finn, I smelled hay and stale air, as if a room had been closed off for decades and had only been recently opened.

The floor of the barn was littered with fresh hay.  Odd since I
’d noted that this wasn't an active farm.  Besides the hay, there was absolutely zero evidence of livestock on the premises.  Actually, the main home was also in disrepair.  It seemed that the entire farm had been abandoned, but I’d definitely followed them here.  They had to have been here today.  But where had they gone?

I threw the bag of weapons I
’d gathered earlier in the evening when Cooper had come and told me they were missing.  Damn sun.  If it hadn’t been moments from dawn, I never would have given up the search.  I’d tried to continue as it was, but Leah pushed me to come back home. 

"What good can you possibly be to either of them if you die?" she demanded. 

I shot her an irritated look.  Sure, there was something starting between us, but she couldn't expect me to abandon Chloë over it.  I'd already abandoned Chloë before, and I’d hated myself for almost a year.

She propped her hand on her hip and gave me a withering look. 
"Don't read anything into what I'm saying, Grey.  If you get sick, someone is going to have to leave the search and take care of you.  You are going to get weaker and weaker as the sun rises and will only be in the way.  I know you don't like hearing this, but we need you to leave so we can keep looking.  I like Chloë and Finn.  I want to find them too.  Now go home."

"Listen to the girl," Cooper said in a clipped tone.
 

"Fine.  I'll search the
Internet to see if that professor we were looking into has any properties in the area.  Maybe I can find something useful," I reluctantly agreed. 

"Great idea.  Now get the hell out of here," Dean practically growled.

I stared at him, shocked.  This was not the calm and cool Dean I was used to.  This was a volatile shifter with barely contained rage roiling immediately under the surface. 

Anita left his side and guided me to the door.  "Don't mess with him.  He is having a hard time with this.  He feels responsible for their abduction."

My mouth fell open.  "I don't know why.  None of us expected this.  I was sure we had kept an adequately low profile.  The
auto-da-fé
should not have any idea we are here, let alone names and where to find us.  I can't figure out how this happened."

"I think I might have a clue," Carlos spoke up. 
Everyone turned to hear his theory.  I guess my conversation with Anita hadn’t been very discreet.  “Remember I told you that a Wiccan from Nevada was murdered?” 

Cooper and I nodded yes while the others shook their head
s no. 

"Anyway, her best friend went missing at the same time.  Her body hasn't been found. 
There is a chance she is still alive, but if she is, I don't envy her at all." 

"If she is alive
, she is better off than her friend," Anita remarked. 

"Don't be so sure about that.  At least her friend died quickly.  I fear this young lady, if she is still alive, is being tortured.
"

"Why would you guess that?" I asked. 

Carlos sat down on an old, overturned barrel and rubbed his tired eyes.  "Something has been bothering me about this person or persons knowing who we are—or at least Chloë and Finn, especially with Nik disappearing recently.  I think they had to have gotten the information from him, but he hates humans.  He would never betray any of us to a human."

He sighed, and he looked worn out. 
"Except I discovered that Nik has been paying the girl's rent.  I couldn't believe she was his girlfriend because, like I said, he really detests humans. He thinks they are beneath him.  I did some more digging to see what her connection to him was.  I discovered that she is half witch.  I made some calls and found out that they were in fact in a romantic relationship.

“
Nik is a fully mature wizard.  He is invulnerable to everything except for the magic of your coven.  However, that doesn't mean he is powerful enough to escape from a cell.  He doesn't have the firepower Chloë does. 

“
I believe this girl was taken to force Nik to cooperate.  I bet they killed her friend to prove to both of them they would kill.  I talked to Marguerite, and Nik received a call that seemed to sour his attitude.  It was shortly after that he disappeared.  I think they used her as blackmail to force him to come to them.  Once they are done with Nik, I'm positive they will kill this girl."

"What can we do?" I asked. 

"
We
aren't doing anything. 
You
are going to go home, and the rest of
us
will continue searching," Cooper interrupted and shoved me out the door.

Being exiled from the daylight was extremely vexing
.  I had longed to live the life that had been taken from me a thousand years ago, to be human and enjoy the sun.  It was mostly a passing fancy when I was too idle, but when my friends needed me—yes, even Finn—I didn't want to have to retreat into the dark because I couldn't face the light.

Finn

"Do you think they'll find us?" Chloë asked.  Her voice was raspy, and her lips were cracked from dehydration.  They had tossed us into this hole and forgotten about us. 

"I know they won't give up on us. 
We just have to stick together until they find us.  Come sit on my lap. You are shivering."

I pulled the one scratchy wool blanket around both of us and tried to lend her as much of my body heat as possible.
  She seemed to be declining rapidly now.  I didn't want to tell her, but I wasn't sure if they would find us in time to save her.  If they were too late, they’d better leave me too, because I wouldn't make it without her.

"Hey
." She stroked the side of my cheek.  "Where did you go just now?  Your forehead scrunches together when you are thinking about something upsetting." 

I schooled my expression to what felt like calm and confident.  "
I'm worried about you.  You are so cold.  I couldn't handle it if something happened to you."  So much for not sharing my concerns with her, but one look in her chocolate-brown eyes and I'd give her anything, even a truth I wanted to protect her from. 

"I know I seem weak right now, but don't count me out yet.  I'm still here, and as long as you are too, I'll hold on.  I promise," she whispered. 

Hours passed.  I couldn't say how many because we were so deep underground that there wasn't any sun.  My watch had been taken while I’d been unconscious.  We paced, we talked, we slept a little in turns, and we held each other. 

The monotony and silence started making me crazy.  A scream ripped through the concrete structure, and I started praying for the monotony to return.
  I rushed to Chloë and wrapped my arms around her. 

"What was that?" she mouthed. 

I shrugged and touched my finger to my lips, signaling to remain quiet.  The pounding of heavy footsteps raced overhead.  For about a fraction of a second, I thought our friends might have come to rescue us, but I heard Garrett shouting, "Don't let her get away!"  I prayed for her, whoever she was, to get away.  I wanted to believe it was possible to escape this cement hole. 

The creak of metal cut through the tense quiet.  More pounding footsteps, and then our door was yanked open.  Chloë was torn out of my arms, and I was shoved forcefully back into the cell. 
I got up as quickly as possible, only to be hit with a jolt from a Taser. 

My muscles jerked against their will, and I crumpled to the floor.  The last thing I saw before my eyes forced themselves closed was the defeat on Chloë's face.  One single tear raced down her face, and I passed out.

Anita

"Did you hear a scream?" I asked
, spinning quickly in every direction, trying to pick it up again.  I could hear thudding footsteps, but they sounded like they were coming from beneath me.  "Hey, guys.  I think there is something under the ground here."  I tried to dig at the ground, but I only managed to dig gouges into the plank floors.

Dean grabbed my waist and pulled me away.
  I struggled to get free, but he was motivated to make me stay put. 

"Dean, I love you, but if you try and keep me from helping my best friend
, I'm going to bite you." 

"Anita," he said
, grinding his teeth, "I can't risk you getting hurt or captured too.  I need you to take Leah, Jo, and Bridgett and go back to Grey's house." 

Out of the corner of my eye
, I saw Cooper cringe and my father shake his head.  My eyes became brighter, and my fangs tickled to emerge. 

"I'
m physically stronger than all of you here.  I'm. Not. Leaving!" I shouted. 

Dean's face was both determined and desperate.  "Anita, I won't be safe if you stay here.  I can't look for
Finn and Chloë if I'm trying to look out for you too." 

I kissed him quickly.  "I can't go." 

He nodded.  "I know, but I wish you would." 

A frantic thudding suddenly filled the room.
  I felt the vibrations spread across the floor.  Under a few strategically placed bales of hay, we found a trap door.  Cooper and Dean pulled at the handle, trying to budge the rusted hinges.  I could hear the heartbeat of the person on the other side of the door growing more anxious.  The faint sound of running feet wasn't too far behind. 

I joined my husband and his cousin at the trap door.  "Step aside
, boys," I said, shooing them away with my hand.  I picked my foot up and crushed the rusty metal hinges.  I waved my hand a few feet above the hatch like I was showing a prize on a game show.  "Carry on."

With one final pull
, Dean and Cooper had the trap door pulled off.  Inside was a rail-thin and dehydrated girl struggling to climb up the makeshift manhole.  Cooper reached his hand down and pulled her out. 

"Run," she squeaked in a parched voice.  "We have to run
.  They're coming!" 

"Is there anyone else down there?" Dean demanded. 

"I'm not sure.  I thought I heard some voices yesterday or today.  Time doesn't mean much down there," she answered.

My father put his hand on Dean's shoulder and gave a quick squeeze. 
"As much as I hate this, we have to go.  We stand a better chance of rescuing them after dark when Grey can join us.  He is a ruthless fighter, and no human can match a vampire's speed." 

Dean stepped away from him
, glaring.  "We can't just leave them here.  What if they move them while we are gone?  How are we going to find them again?" 

The sound of footsteps grew closer, alerting us
that we were exposed.  The girl began to tremble in fear.  Taking charge, my father silently directed us to hide behind a shed near the woods while we finished arguing strategy.

"We will have to monitor this
farm as covertly as possible," my father agreed.  "Leah and Josephine, both of you shift and watch the farm from the tree line.  No one will suspect deer foraging in the fall.  Bridgett, can you conceal yourself in the foliage?" 

Surprisingly, given her usual attitude, Bridgett agreed to help.  She went to the trees at the back of the farm and transformed into a small tree.

"This doesn't mean I like her, but that was pretty cool," I admitted. 

"Now we have to pray she will actually alert someone if she sees something," Dean grumbled. 

"All right."  My father clapped to get our attention.  "I am going to step into the layer of magic where I can see them but I won't be visible.  I'll cover the front while the girls have the other three sides.  If anyone signals, I will teleport to you right away."

"Why are we leaving?" Dean asked petulantly. 

My father sighed.  "Dean, the three of you and Grey are our strongest fighters.  I need you to go home and rest.  Gather more weapons and come back here at dusk if we haven't signaled you before.  Make sure to tell Grey to come back.  He will join us as soon as it is full dark, but I want the rest of us to get into position first."