Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (212 page)

The color drained from Herman’s face.
His eyes flitted across the property, like he feared someone
listening.

Aiden glanced around, too. “You know
him?”

Herman didn’t respond right away.
“W-we best talk ‘bout this inside,” he whispered and motioned them
to follow him.

Chapter 9

The stench of wet dog and BO radiated
through the air as we walked into Mountain Man’s house. I cupped my
hands over my nose and mouth, trying to stop the foul odor from
invading my senses. Barely breathing, I followed Aiden and Herman
single-file through the closet-like entryway and into the front
room.

Aiden
reached around and pulled up the back of his shirt. I blinked and
then stared at his smooth, tan skin. His fingers ran ever so slowly
over the pistol tucked in his pants before he gripped the handle.
Two clips sat on either side of the gun: one equipped with titanium
bullets for Rygons and regular bullets for, well, anyone else.
Kembers were required to carry both. I diverted my gaze; a flush
spread over my cheeks.
He’s reaching for
his weapon not giving me a peep show!

If this wasn’t the house of a serial
killer, I didn’t know what was. Dead animal hides, antlers and what
looked like ancient battle weapons covered every inch of the
walls.

“
Where’s the torture
chamber?” I muttered.

Herman sat on a rocking chair with a
missing arm and rested his elbow on the half-chewed one. He
motioned to a dingy orange couch coated in a thin layer of black
hair. “Have a sit.”

Aiden did as he was told. I, on the
other hand, wanted to run screaming out of the disgusting hellhole.
I held my ground. And Ian said self-control was impossible for me.
Huffing, I walked toward Aiden and sat on the armrest next to
him.

Seconds later, Herman’s furry dogs
rushed into the living room, each carrying what I took to be part
of the smell. I gagged and turned my attention toward Herman, but
he definitely didn’t lessen my urge to puke.

Herman leaned forward in his chair. In
an almost unintelligible voice he said, “You best be steerin’ clear
of them gents. They be bad news.”

Aiden’s curiosity mirrored my own. He
shifted in his seat. “What do you mean?”

Mountain Man swallowed. “They come
here from time to time, lurkin’ through them woods and
such.”

“
Do you know what they’re
doing?”

“
No idea. I just notice
folks come up missin’ whenever they be ’round.”

Rygons did tend to suck energy from
Norms and Kembers, but it didn’t kill them or take a Kember’s
abilities like it did us Dreas. It simply weakened them and made
them vulnerable. Rygons usually murdered them for sport. Sucking so
much negative energy twisted their minds and souls. Aside from
their addiction to us, the amount of energy in one Drea equaled the
same as ten Norms. Another reason they preferred us.

“
Will you tell me what you
know?” Aiden asked.

“
I dunno much. The leader’s
name’s…Gage—Sable Gage. ‘E gots ’bout fifty men at ’is beck’n
call—the ones with them gang lookin’ tattoos on their faces. He
owns some club up in Portland.”

Aiden studied Herman and waited. “Is
that it?”

Beads of sweat formed on Herman’s
forehead. “I’ve heard rumors…rumors of witchcraft. They say this
Sable can—can torture som’one just by looking at ’em.” He inhaled a
shaky breath. “They say ’e summons the Devil—controls ’m to do ’is
biddin’.”

Witch
craft? Summons the Devil?
Even
I
knew it wasn’t likely
someone was controlling the Devil, even if he was real. I scoffed.
People really knew how to blow things out of proportion. Though, I
guess the good—yet slightly off-balanced—people of Oakridge
wouldn’t know how else to justify what they’d
seen.

Aiden spoke, his voice completely
unemotional. “I’m sure they’re rumors. We think he’s after a young
woman.”

Herman shook his head, eyes wide. “She
probably owes ’im money, or has somethin’ ’e wants. There’s always
the chance she caught ’im doin’ somthin’ he ain’t supposed tuh. He
don’t bother ya, if ya mind yur own.”

Finally, not able to take the lack of
answers anymore, I removed my hands from my face. “The girl lives
around here. You have to have seen her.” Herman and Aiden both
turned toward me like they’d forgotten my existence.

Herman’s brow furrowed. “Like I said,
I ain’t seen ’er.”

I stared
off. The girl really wasn’t here…Perhaps the vision I saw was some
sort of premonition. The one house was for sale. Was it possible
she’d move there
then
everything would unravel? Or did I start us on a dead end
hunt? I shook my head, willing myself to get back into the
conversation.

My body stiffened, and my lungs
stopped working.

A huge dog—no, more like a rabid
Sasquatch on four legs—sat at my feet, its face inches from my
knee. Even though its matted black hair covered its eyes, something
told me they were set on me. Two long strings of saliva hung from
its mouth, as if it had swallowed a shoe and saved the laces for
later. The mop’s spotted tongue pulsed from its mouth, causing its
breath to hit me like a tidal wave.

Slowly, and oh so carefully, I slid
down the armrest. If that dog drooled on me, which was no doubt his
plan, this mountain man would have one more skin on his
wall.

Aiden coughed when my butt hit his leg
and quickly scooted over. His quizzical gaze shifted to me then the
dog. Apparently realizing the reason for my closeness, he continued
talking.

Herman interrupted Aiden and motioned
to the creature. “’E ain’t gonna hurt ya. ’E wants ya to scratch
’is head.”

A shudder shook my body. No
way.

Herman stood and booted the dog with
his foot. “Come on. Git outside.”

The dog jumped up and followed him
back toward the doorway.

“
Portland,” Aiden mused
under his breath. He leaned back on the couch and pulled out his
phone.

I scooted back to the other end of the
sofa. “Are we going?”

“
No.”

“
What? Why not?”

“
I won’t put you in danger
for something as measly as curiosity. Plus it’s a club. You’re not
twenty-one.”

“
So, get me a fake ID.” I
jumped to my feet. “That Sable Gage guy could be the one who
killed—” A sharp pain shot through my heart. “We’ve gotta do
something,” I choked out.

“
No.” His voice stayed
level. “I’ll pass the information on to Ian. He’ll make sure it’s
checked out.”

“
We don’t
even know all the details. Can’t we go up there—like
undercover—figure out what’s going on,
then
tell Ian?”

Aiden shifted forward on the couch,
staring at me intently. “You know how dangerous that’d be? If all
this is correct, there’d be dozens of Rygons waiting for his
command. They could easily find you.”

“
Is that
supposed to
scare
me? Don’t you think there are more important things going on
right now than
my
life? There’s a girl out there—somewhere—that we need to find.
Don’t you think, because we have a lead on the other end, we should
go and try to prevent this?”

His eyes widened. For a minute, I
actually thought he’d consider. “No. I’ll make sure the Authority
sends someone.”

“
Yeah, and while you’re at
it, why don’t you broadcast it on the news? What you’re planning is
painfully obvious. Rygons’ll keep hidden if they know Kembers are
around, especially a lot.”

“
Ian knows
that.”

“
No—!”

Herman returned, cutting off further
argument. “You kids want somethin’ to eat?”

I shook
my head vigorously, all the while glaring at Aiden. Who knew what
kind of “
something
to eat” Herman had in mind: Mice, squirrels, road kill…the dog
he took out back?

Aiden stood. “No, thank you. We should
be going.” His eyes met mine and, with a jerk of his head, motioned
for me to follow Herman toward the exit. Too angry to be relieved
we were finally leaving, I spun on my heel and followed.

Right before Herman pulled open the
door, Aiden said, “Do you go to Portland often?”

Herman shrugged. “I’m wanderin’ up
that way next week tuh do some huntin’.”

Aiden measured the man for a few
moments. “While you’re up there, would you mind talking to some of
the locals? Maybe figure out which club Sable Gage owns and have a
drink.” Aiden pulled a wad of cash from his wallet.

In an
attempt to fight my anger, I bit the inside of my cheek. Did he
really think sending
Herman
would shut me up?

Herman’s breath caught. “Y-yeah, I
could do that fur ya. I’ll be down thur anyway.”

Aiden nodded and handed him the money.
“Be discreet. Leave us out of it. If everything goes smoothly and
you manage to scrape up some good information, I’ll give you the
other half when you get back.” He pulled some random business card
from his wallet and scribbled down his phone number.

Herman took a step back and wiped the
sweat off his forehead, looking like he might pass out. “Got it.
Notta word ’bout either of ya. It’ll take me a few weeks—if that’s
all right.”

Aiden reached toward the door and
pulled it open. “That’s fine. We’re not in too big of a
hurry.”

I scowled and pushed by them to get
some fresh air. “Nope, not at all.”

As soon as my butt hit the passenger
seat, I slammed the truck door closed, fury building with every
breath. “Are you freakin’ kidding me?”

Aiden winced, but not at my anger.
“Don’t slam the door.”

“
How old
are you—
ninety
?”

“
Don’t slam it.”

“
Yes, Grandpa.”

Aiden stared at me without blinking.
“Are we going to have a conversation or play your game?”

I felt a foot shorter, looking into
those overwhelmingly stern eyes. It was too much to even sit under.
“I—I…um…” I stammered like a damn fool, all the while wanting to
crawl in a hole. Taking a silent, deep breath, my adrenaline and
anger diminished. “Why’d you ask the deranged mountain man to go?
We won’t know anything for weeks.”

He started the truck and backed down
the driveway. “No one would see him as a threat. I’m sure most
places he goes he’s completely unnoticed. Plus, he’s afraid. He’ll
be cautious and not barrel in irrationally.” His gaze flitted
toward me.

“
You couldn’t have asked
anyone else?”

“
Like you said, we need
someone to go in undercover. Who better than Herman? He doesn’t
even have to pretend.”

“
Weeks, though. The chick
could be dead by then.”

“
Haven’t we established
there is no girl?”

I crossed my arms, pressing my fists
against my ribcage. “Maybe she was traveling or hadn’t moved here
yet.”

He didn’t respond.

An earlier thought surfaced again.
“What if she moves into that yellow house or something?”

He shrugged, not looking convinced.
“It’s possible.”

“
So, could we, you know,
keep an eye on it?”

Aiden raked his hand through his dark
hair, letting out a slow breath. “I suppose.” He hesitated. “I
don’t think this Sable Gage guy is the one you’re keen on finding.
The man in those “visions” and the man who killed Del—” he stopped,
hearing my nearly-silent jagged breath, “…had the gift of fire. He
was a Kember.” His eyes met mine. “From what it sounds like, Sable
Gage has the ability to torture with this mind, like some
Dreas.”

“
That’s why you don’t wanna
jump on this? You think he’s harmless.”

“
Not harmless. Just not the
threat we’re seeking.”

“
What about the Rygon army?
Doesn’t that fit?”

“
Possibly, but you have to
observe this from all angles. This Sable Gage could very well be a
Rygon himself. He could even be a normal person who knows
witchcraft. You never know.”

“
Witchcraft? Funny how
people always jump to that.”

Aiden shot me a side-long glance. “How
do you know it’s not true?”

“
Oh, please.” I almost
laughed. “All that voodoo BS? There’s no way. I believe in what I
can see and feel.”

“
So do I, but I’ve also
learned not to rule anything out.”

“
You
can’t tell me you believe
that
.”

He shook his head. “I think people
have misinterpreted what they’ve seen. I’ve been wrong before, so
I’m not ruling it out…completely.”

Funny, that’s what I’d thought
earlier. People and their wild imaginations. “If Herman does find
out some good stuff, then what?”