Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan (23 page)

The air around them thickened.

The leaves swirled
vertically
, defying
basic physics. “What’s happening?” Izzy asked.

“The doorway is opening,” Stone said.

“Then let’s go,” she said. “We don’t need to
wait for Everly. She’ll delay us needlessly.”

Stone chuckled. “Two Sighted-Ones are far
better than one. Don’t you think?”

He knew. “How?”

“I’ve been following your trail for a while,”
he said. “One night I thought I had you, but when I got nearer I
realized it wasn’t your power I’d been picking up. It was
another’s. She’s a lot more powerful than you. Probably why I
hadn’t been able to detect her before.” He swirled his hands,
making odd patterns in the air. “I only caught a glimpse of her,
but it was enough to know that I was dealing with two Sighted-Ones.
When I return to my world, I will be honored as a hero.”

“You’re going to be a hero for kidnapping two
women?” Izzy asked. “Your world must have pretty low standards, if
that’s the title you get for such a despicable act.”

“For finding two Sighted-Ones,” he corrected.
“No one in my world has done such a thing. I will be rewarded for
my bravery.”

Izzy snorted. “Bravery? You’re a coward,” she
said. “You hide in the shadows. You attack the innocent. You don’t
fight fair because you know you’ll lose.”

He hit her again.

This time Izzy didn’t fall. “Truth hurts,
doesn’t it?”

Stone shook his head. “You really aren’t
bright. If you were, you wouldn’t test me this way.”

Dark fur rippled over his skin, and his jaw
cracked. The bone extended until his human mouth disappeared and a
muzzle replaced it. His clothes ripped and fell to the ground. He
kept growing and mutating, until a monster stood before her.

Izzy had seen Moonlight Kin in their beast
forms. They’d been larger than real wolves, but had maintained the
general shape of the animals. Stone didn’t. He looked like
something out of a bear-themed horror movie.

She scrambled away. “Stay back.” Izzy grabbed
a stick and swung it at him.

His claws extended, and he sliced the wood in
half as if it were a ripe peach. With lightning speed, he struck
her, scratching Izzy down her arm. Blood welled on her skin. The
wound burned like fire, but she wouldn’t give Stone the
satisfaction of knowing he’d hurt her.

He slowly shifted back to human form. Sweat
covered Stone’s naked body, and he was panting from the exertion.
He glanced at her arm and grinned, flashing teeth too long for his
mouth.

“Now you have to come with me,” he said in a
garbled voice. “If you stay, that scratch will lead to madness and
death. That’s what happened to your sister’s friend, Celina
Gibson.”

“Her boyfriend killed her,” she said.

“I know,” Stone said. “I didn’t want to do
it, but she got too clingy, and since she wasn’t a Sighted-One, I
didn’t have a lot of use for her.” He snorted. “Other than the
obvious. Celina was so needy that she let me do whatever I wanted
to her.”

Izzy glanced down at the wound. The furrows
were just deep enough to bleed. “You infected me like you infected
Celina?”

Mindy had told her all about Celina’s death.
It hadn’t come as a shock, since Izzy had seen her friend’s spirit
prior to the phone call. At the time, Izzy hadn’t been too
surprised, given her friend’s dangerous lifestyle, but now she felt
horrible for what Celina had gone through. Not only had she been
used, but she’d been betrayed.

“In a fashion,” he said, then pulled out a
clean pair of clothes from his tote.

The sense of evil emanating from him
overwhelmed her. “Celina’s boyfriend’s name was Slade.” They
couldn’t be the same person.

His smug expression said they were. “Slade,
Stone, I really don’t care what you all call me,” he said. “It’s
unimportant as long as it doesn’t interfere with my mission.”

Izzy clutched the wound. If she was going to
die anyway, then maybe she could take him with her. She turned and
ran for the water. The blood would attract the gators. With any
luck, they would take Stone out at the same time.

“What are you doing?” he shouted. “Come back
here!”

She ran faster. The branches and bushes
pulled at her clothes, slowing her down, but Izzy saw water up
ahead. This was it. She was almost there. Just a few more feet and
the bayou would take her into its watery embrace.

It felt like a truck hit her from behind.
Izzy sailed through the air then landed hard, knocking the wind out
of her.

“I told you that you couldn’t get away,” he
snarled and yanked her to her feet. “Don’t try anything stupid like
that again, or I’ll knock you out and throw you through the
portal.”

Izzy tasted blood in her mouth as Stone
dragged her back to the clearing. The leaves were swirling faster
now, and the darkness at the center of the mass grew. Soon it would
be big enough for them to fit through.

* * * * *

Everly stared in shock at the phone in her
hand. Had she just heard Izzy die?

Izzy told her to run, but the guy had sounded
serious when he’d threatened her friend’s life. What should she
do?

She glanced down and spotted the business
card Tristan had given her. The thought of phoning them terrified
Everly, but the thought of losing Izzy was even more
frightening.

Everly picked up the card and punched the
number into the phone. It rang twice, then someone picked up.

“La Fontaine residence,” the man said. “How
may I help you?”

“I’m—I’m...”

“Is this a crank call?” he asked. “If so, you
should know that we have caller ID.”

Everly swallowed hard. “No!” she said. “My—my
name is Everly. I’m a friend of Izzy MacDougal’s.”

“Hold please,” he said.

A strong male voice came on the line a second
later. “This is Pierre La Fontaine. Whom am I speaking with?”

“I’m a friend of Izzy’s,” she said.

“You must be Everly,” Pierre said.

She jolted at the mention of her name. How
did he know about her? Everly pictured Tristan and swore under her
breath.

“Listen, I don’t have a lot of time,” she
said. “I just heard from Izzy. She’s in big trouble. If I don’t
meet her, she’s going to die.”

“Where did she tell you to go?” he asked.

Everly quickly filled him in.

“You did the right thing by calling,” Pierre
said. “Sit tight. I’ll send some of my men over to guard you.”

“What?” Her voice rose before she could stop
it. “I don’t need a guard. I need to get to my friend before the
psycho she’s with does something crazy to her.”

“He won’t harm her,” Pierre said.

The deepness of his voice sank into her
bones, making her body relax a little. Everly wanted to believe
him. He sounded like the voice of authority, but the truth was she
didn’t know this man, this creature. She wasn’t about to take a
chance and risk her friend’s life, when she knew she could save
her.

“I’ve got to go,” she said. “I know what
needs to be done. My path is clear.”

“Don’t hang up!” Pierre shouted, but it was
too late.

Everly pushed the disconnect button and
grabbed her keys. She didn’t know how long it would take him to
notify Tristan or to get wolves to her house, so she had to
hurry.

“Hang on, Izzy,” she murmured, then snatched
her gris-gris before running out the door.

* * * * *

Tristan was searching a few miles from the
cabin when he heard the wolves howl. He knew what the sound meant.
They’d found Isabel. His heart jumped then began to race. Was she
alive? He couldn’t imagine that the Darkling would kill her—at
least not on purpose or without provocation.

His chest squeezed. In the short time he’d
known Isabel, Tristan had discovered just how annoying and adorable
she could be. Darklings weren’t capable of feeling human affection.
What if Isabel had spouted off to the Darkling? Fear embraced him.
He had to get back to Pierre’s house.

Tristan had run a half a mile and was about
to turn toward town when he caught Everly’s distinctive scent
wafting on the air. The only way he could’ve smelled her was if she
was nearby. What was she doing out here? It didn’t matter. He had
to get back to town. The spicy scent faded.

He took a few more steps then stopped. There
was no reason for Everly to be in this area. Tristan sniffed the
air. Her scent was faint now. He shook his head and snorted to
clear his lungs. When he inhaled again, the scent wasn’t just
faint. It was moving.

There were only so many directions Everly
could be going this far out of town. Tristan kept his nose in the
air and followed her scent. Instead of heading toward New Orleans,
it led him deeper into the bayou.

Something wasn’t right.

The howls came again. This time they were
closer, but they were still miles away. Everly’s arrival along with
the wolves couldn’t be a coincidence. Tristan focused on her and
prayed to the goddess that Everly didn’t drive too fast.

* * * * *

A gaping mouth of darkness stared at Izzy.
When Stone had said he came from a world without sunlight, she’d
hoped he’d exaggerated. The darkness was so complete it swallowed
the light.

Izzy couldn’t spend the rest of her life in
there. She wouldn’t survive. She glanced at Stone/Slade. He grinned
now that the portal was open.

He must’ve sensed her watching because he
turned to her. “Are you ready to leave this horrid place?”

“No.” Izzy stepped back. At least Everly had
been smart enough to stay away. It wasn’t much of a consolation,
but it was a small victory.

“Come now,” Stone said. “Don’t be shy. There
are a lot of warriors eager to meet you.”

Izzy shook her head and ran. She wouldn’t get
far, but she wasn’t about to make it easy on him. Stone caught her
and swept her off her feet. Izzy kicked and hit him with all her
strength, but he held her easily.

“Let me go!” she cried.

Stone had a bemused expression on his face.
“You need to take a deep breath. It’s going to hurt.”

Her head swam, and her vision dimmed.

“Put her down!” The shout came from behind
them.

Stone turned, giving Izzy a clear view of
Everly.

“Get out of here!” she shouted. “Run!”

But Everly didn’t run. She stood her ground,
glaring at Stone. If she noticed the dark opening—and there was no
way she could miss it—she didn’t acknowledge it. “I said, put her
down.”

Stone grinned. “I’m so glad you could join
us,” he said.

“You won’t be, when I get done with you,”
Everly said.

He laughed. “You think your power is stronger
than mine?” Stone put Izzy down but didn’t release her.

Everly smiled, flashing her vampire fangs,
but there was no warmth in her brown eyes. “Not my power,” she
said. “But the one who’s coming for you will be more than your
match.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder.

“He won’t get here in time,” Stone said. “Now
be a good little girl and come with me.” He grabbed Izzy by the
hair and dragged her toward the portal.

She cried out in pain and struggled, but her
resistance was useless against his overpowering strength.

“No!” Everly screamed and raced forward.

“Stay back,” Izzy shouted, but Everly ignored
her and dove for Izzy’s legs.

Stone pulled hard to break her grip.

Everly held onto Izzy for dear life.

Izzy felt like a human tug-of-war rope.
“Everly, let go! You have to get out of here.”

“No,” she said. “I can’t let him take
you.”

* * * * *

Tristan saw the ash on the road before he
found Everly’s car. He touched the hood. Heat rose from the engine.
She hadn’t been gone long. He scented the area a second before the
lodestone flared, indicating dark magic nearby.

He rushed into the woods. Everly and Isabel’s
scent appeared along with the Darkling’s foul odor. Screams and
cries rang out. Tristan followed the sound, shifting into human
form as he ran.

The leaves parted and Tristan stepped out of
the woods, clutching Selene in his hand. He stopped when he caught
sight of what was happening. The lodestone pulsed again. Despite
its strength, Tristan felt the Darkling steadily siphoning his
power. He didn’t have much time.

Tristan ran toward the women. He couldn’t get
a clear shot at the Darkling without the possibility of harming
Isabel or Everly. He swung the sword and caught the Darkling in the
side. The blade struck true.

The Darkling screamed in agony and staggered
back. He dropped Isabel in the process. The move was so unexpected
that Everly fell onto her back. She quickly scrambled away on her
hands and knees. Isabel didn’t move.

It was then that Tristan saw the bruises on
her neck and the blood on her arm. The perfect finger placements
around Isabel’s slender throat made the weapon used easily
identifiable. A red haze covered Tristan’s vision. It had dared to
harm what was his.

Fear filled the Darkling’s amber eyes, as he
touched the blood and brought it up to his face. He glanced at the
sword in Tristan’s hand and put even more distance between
them.

“That’s right,” Tristan said. “This isn’t a
normal sword. It’s made for killing your kind.”

“I should’ve finished you when I had the
chance,” the Darkling said, staying out of reach.

“Yes, you should have,” Tristan said. “Go to
your friend, Isabel.” He never took his eyes off the Darkling.

“Move and I’ll gut you,” the Darkling
said.

“Tristan, stay back,” Isabel said. “He’s
infected me. I’m going to die.”

“I won’t allow that to happen,” Tristan said,
glancing at the scratch.

Pain filled Isabel’s hazel eyes. “It’s too
late. Get Everly out of here.”