Destiny Kills (6 page)

I finished off the last of my coffee, then rose. His gaze swept down me, sending little prickles of desire skating across skin already overheated from my earlier imaginings.

“That’s like asking a dog if it wants to roll in something disgusting.”

“I know I alluded to you being scruffy earlier,” he said, voice wry, “but even I don’t think the analogy fits.”

“Of course it does. Think about it—a dog doesn’t
have
to roll in the muck, but it always
wants
to.”

Amusement touched the corners of his mouth again. “You’re right.”

“I usually am.” I brushed past him, teasing us both. I swear his toweling got a whole lot more forceful. Grinning slightly, I turned on the faucet and ran the water over my hands, stepping in once the water was tepid.

For several minutes, I did nothing more than simply stand there, allowing the water to wash over my skin. The sea might be my home, but we could survive in freshwater for quite a while. Which is why there were so many myths of monsters in lakes and lochs. In times of sickness, as well as times such as birth or death, the gentler waters of the ancient lakes were a far safer refuge than the wildness of the seas.

Of course, I had no idea just how long we could go without seawater. Or whether, after a certain time, it began to have ill effects. Certainly I’d been locked up for eleven years in the research center without going near it, and I was basically fine, but that wasn’t to say that there couldn’t have been problems further down the line.

Mom would have known, but aside from the brief moment of contact when she’d told me that I needed to get out for my dad’s sake, I hadn’t managed to talk to her.

After washing my face and hair with the little bar of soap the hotel had so generously provided, I got out and dried myself. There was no toothpaste in the bathroom, let alone a clean toothbrush, so I used my finger to give my teeth a rough clean, then rinsed my mouth out with water.

“So where do we need to rush off so early to?” I said, as I walked back into the main room.

Only to stop in surprise.

Trae—and his bag—were gone.

Chapter Four

M
y gaze immediately went to the bed, and the two pillows sitting there. Had they been disturbed? Was the ring and the money still safe? With Trae gone, I’d need my stolen goodies more than ever.

Heart accelerating, I walked across and quickly lifted the second pillow. My fingers touched cold metal and plastic, and relief swam through me. The thief had been in such a hurry to get out, he hadn’t noticed his own pockets had been picked.

But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t notice soon, and that he wouldn’t come back. His need for the ring was obviously greater than his need to fulfill any promise made to Egan, which meant I couldn’t trust him any more than I could those who hunted me. He might mean me no harm, but he definitely had an agenda of his own, and it didn’t seem that my needs were high on it. I had to get out of here.

I dropped the pillow onto the bed and walked across to the window. The hotel’s sign flickered intermittently, washing blue light across the moonlit parking lot. There’d been three cars in the lot when I’d looked out before. Now there were only two. The thief had obviously stolen himself a new one.

Annoyance ran through me, though it wasn’t really caused by him running. I might not have any idea how I was going to break into the safe, but at least now I wouldn’t have the worry about him being caught or killed by the scientists. What pissed me off was the fact he’d obviously intended to run all along. And while the ring would technically probably belong to him now anyway, he still shouldn’t have taken it without telling me. For all he knew, Egan had gifted me that ring, which meant he certainly had no right to it.

But then, when did a thief ever ask for permission to steal?

And if Trae had asked for the ring rather than simply trying to take it, would I have given it to him?

Probably not, I thought ruefully. Not before he’d explained what was going on with the thing, anyway.

At least I’d discovered the theft before it was too late. At least I could still return the ring and uncover its secrets myself.

Question was, how was I going to protect the ring, and make damn sure Trae didn’t get anywhere near it a second time? He was bigger, stronger, faster. If it came to force, he’d overpower me in a second. I didn’t think he would do something like that, but who really knew? I hadn’t actually thought he’d run out on me the minute my back was turned, either.

I blew out a breath. First things first. I needed to get out of this room.

Now.

I grabbed the room keys, then headed out the door. The night was clear and cool, the breeze lazy but smelling ever so faintly of the sea. I breathed deep, and again felt that flick of longing run through me. After eleven years away from the power and beauty of the deep, cold oceans, it seemed my soul just couldn’t get enough.

I walked across to reception and slid the keys under the door, then turned and studied the street. The desire to get to Maine was a slow, strong beat in the back of my mind. I needed to get there soon, because my dad was dying and I had no idea how much longer he had left.

Which is part of the reason why we’d taken the awful risk of attempting a breakout in the first place. It could have gone so wrong—more than it had, anyway—and we could have been killed, leaving the kids with no one at all to guide and protect them.

But I’d had no choice. Dad was a fire dragon. His death would come near dawn, as Egan’s had, but unless someone was there to pray for him—to guide him—his spirit might get lost between this world and the forever lands.

Dad had no one else but me and Mom. I couldn’t ever remember him mentioning his family or having photos of them. It was as if something big had happened in his past, something that he didn’t want to—or rather, refused to—acknowledge or remember. I knew he was American, that he’d grown up near Las Vegas somewhere, and that he had scars—terrible, criss-crossed scars down his left arm and leg, like someone had tried chopping him up with a large knife—but that was about the extent of my knowledge.

Which is why Mom had demanded I go to Maine rather than attempt any immediate release of herself and the others. She didn’t want him to die alone.

And yet, she might well have been condemning herself to a lonely death and an eternity drifting lost between two worlds. Because she was dying, too.

I blinked back the sting of tears, and tried not to think about the unfairness of it all. There was nothing I could do to alter the fact that I was going to lose both parents. What I could change was the way it happened. The way they went.

But as much as I wanted to get to Maine, it just wasn’t practical when Florence was so close. We—I—needed those codes. I’d promised little Carli and the others that I’d come back, that I’d get them out of there, no matter what. They only had Jace to protect them now, and a fifteen-year-old shouldn’t have that sort of responsibility on his shoulders for too long.

I had no idea where in Florence Marsten’s mother actually lived. All we’d really known was that she and his brother were investment partners in the foundation, as well as members of the board. It was no certainty that she actually held backups of everything that was going on at the facility, but Marsten was a careful man. He would have made sure that if anything went wrong at the foundation, he could still get to the years and years of data he’d collected. And we were also hoping that he’d included the security information in that backup plan.

But with any sort of luck, Marsten’s mom would be in the phone directory. If not, I’d have to go to plan B. When I could figure out what plan B was, anyway.

My gaze went to the dark horizon. My first priority, though, was taking care of this ring. And really, there was only one place where I could be totally sure it would be safe.

The sea.

I glanced up the street at the sound of an approaching car. I doubted it was Trae, but I broke into a run anyway, heading across the parking lot and into a side street. Trees lined the curb, blocking many of the street-lights, casting shadows across the pavement that swayed gently to the tune of the soft breeze.

Headlights swept across the night behind me. I jumped the nearest fence and dropped behind a spiky-looking shrub. The lights, and the car, got closer, and my breath caught somewhere in my throat. But the car didn’t stop.

The sudden surge of relief had me shaking my head in amusement. Here I was, having a near heart attack at the thought of being caught by a thief when far worse people were out there hunting me. It was them I should be frightened of, not some damn thief who had no intentions of looking after anything but himself.

I shoved the cash and card into the zippered pocket of my pants, then climbed back over the fence and broke into a run again, heading down the street toward the sea.

If I wanted to ask my favor, I had to be there by dawn.

I kept on jogging. I was reasonably fit despite all those years of being caged, but by the time the long blue line of ocean became visible on the horizon, I was beginning to pant. I slowed to a walk as the houses gave way to more historic-looking buildings and shops. I crossed another street paved in what looked like cobblestones, and under an arch that said Nye Beach. Old-fashioned streetlights washed brightness across the cobbles, sloping down toward the beach. I followed their lead, walking in and out of shadows, listening to the sigh of the wind and hearing nothing beyond the mournful cry of gulls and the hiss of foam across sand. My pulse rate quickened, as did my steps.

There weren’t any cars parked in the turnaround and not a soul on the beach. Of course, dawn had yet to break free. I had no doubt that when she did, I would not be alone on this beach.

I jumped the fence lining the turnaround, and dropped down onto the sand. It was cool under my toes, gritty and sharp. I took a moment to wriggle my toes in delight, but the sea, and the task I was about to ask of it, pulled me on.

The hum of dawn touched the air. Energy began to dance lightly across my skin—a crazy tingling that once again chased the chill from my flesh. My gaze rose to the horizon. Night still held court, but that would soon change. I had to be in the water by then.

I quickly stripped, dropping my clothes well out of the water’s reach before continuing on. My feet slapped across the wet sand, barely leaving an imprint as sea foam rushed up and caressed my toes. I strode on, into the water.

The hum of power filled the air with its forceful beat, flaying my skin with its rawness. The sea washed across my thighs, the chill water a sharp contrast to the warmth of the air and yet welcoming in its own way. When the gentle waves began to wash across my butt, I stopped and waited. On the horizon, slivers of gold began to breach the curtain of darkness. The energy grew frenetic, reaching a crescendo as the slivers became a river of red and yellow, flooding across the sky. As the beat of energy came to a peak, and the air came alive with the hum and power of a new day, I raised my left hand, the ring sitting in the middle of my palm and my fingers clenched around it.

“To the Gods of the sea, I call on thee.”

The words rode across the energy, held by it, shaped by it, becoming things of power and beauty and command. The waters around me began to stir, the rush of waves momentarily lost to the gathering whirl of energy. Droplets of water shot into the sky, sparkling like diamonds in the gathering brightness.

“To my brothers of deep, dark waters, and my sisters of the quick shallows, I call on thee.”

More energy touched the air—a deep bass thrum that spoke of vast, cold places. It flooded through me, filling me, completing me, in a way the warmth of the day never would.

The droplets became a water spout that glittered, spun, and danced on the rich, dark waters. I unclenched my fingers, offering the ring. In the gathering light, the dragon’s jeweled eyes gleamed like blood dripping from a wound.

“Keep this ring safe. Keep this ring unfound. Take it to the dark and secret places and let no man nor animal nor fish near it until I command otherwise.”

There was a flash of silver, the warm kiss of water across my palm, and then the ring was gone.

“Thank you.” My words were little more than a whisper, but they seemed to linger, riding the disappearing night and the thrum of power, accepted and acknowledged by the deeper energy of the sea and the sparkling, spinning spout of water. I lowered my hand. The water spout gave a final whirl, then fell away.

Dawn broke fully across the night. The hum of energy faded, as did the rich resonance of the sea. The waves were just waves, buffering my legs and butt, chilling my skin.

It left me feeling oddly empty.

I sniffed, then turned around and walked back to the beach. When I reached the water’s edge, I stopped, letting the sea foam tickle my toes as I looked left and right. How did I get to Florence from here?

I could hire a car, but that would take ID, and all I had was Trae’s credit card. Stealing a car was also an option, but only if some fool left their keys in the ignition. Unlike Trae, I wasn’t a thief. Except when it came to clothes and some much-needed cash.

Which left me with some form of public transport. A bus, maybe?

I studied the buildings lining the beachfront. Given I didn’t know this area, the logical thing to do was ask the locals which was the best way to get to Florence. Shops lined the bottom of the turnaround, near the street, and at least one of them was a café or restaurant of some kind, if the packing and crates out back were anything to go by. I had no idea when any of the shops would be open, no idea if they would even
be
open today, because somewhere along the line, the days and nights of constant running had merged into a blur, and I actually had no idea what day it was. Still, asking a storekeeper for directions was a good option. It was either that or stop a local in the street. And shop and café workers, especially in a tourist area like this, were far more used to people asking for directions.

Frowning slightly, I got dressed, then made my way up the last bit of sand and back onto the turnaround, only to discover that the parking lot was no longer empty. A dark car stood in the middle of it. Leaning against it, arms crossed and looking decidedly sexy, was Trae.

I stopped. “What day is it?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What, no accusations? No tantrums or histrionics?”

“Would they get me the truth?”

“Probably not. And it’s Thursday.”

“Ah.” At least I’d have more chance of catching a bus if I needed it. “Why are you back?”

“Because I discovered my wallet had been picked.”

“How?”

“Pulled into a gas station to get some gas, and discovered I was missing a credit card and some cash. Further investigation revealed a ring was also missing.”

“Is that the only reason you’re back? For the ring?”

“Yes.” He gave me a twisted little smile that had my pulse rate leaping. “Sweetheart, as much as I’d love to stay and explore your—” He paused, and his gaze did a slow, heated tour of my torso, sending pinpricks of heat skating across my body and a shiver that was all delight running through my soul. “—‘problems,’ I have business that negates that.”