On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (12 page)

Rhys matched his pace. “I worked with a human group in Washington DC a while back. Covert ops shit. They blew stuff up all the time. I learned the smells of different charges, different ammo. I’d be able to tell you for sure, if it wasn’t being cloaked.”

The scent continued to take them north, to the gothic architecture of the local Big Ten university. A huge population within a few acres…were the Deserati planning an attack on the school?

They crossed campus in a heartbeat. The Deserati demons hadn’t stopped here. The trail kept going.
North.

Toward the Lash demons’ home.

Toward Gin.

Mathias’s trepidation morphed into hard-edged rage. “This is too close to home. Too close to the girls.” Phone still in hand, he dialed Gunnar.

“What up, Hunter?” Gunnar drawled. Computer-generated gunfire echoed from the room.

“Check the perimeter of the house.”

The sounds of the video game ceased.

“We’re tracking what we believe to be one or more cloaked Deserati demons. We’ve followed them north, out of the city, past Northwestern University’s campus, and they may be near you soon.”

“We’re on it.” Gunnar’s voice was gruff. “Fuckers better not—”

“There’s more. They may have explosive charges.”

“What the fuck?”

“I can’t tell for sure because of the cloaking spell.”

“Shit. Okay, Bren’s already outside.”

“We’re on our way.” Mathias ended the call as he and Rhys hurtled toward the tree-lined street full of stately old homes.

Nicole gasped and leaned forward on the couch in the movie room as if all the air had whooshed out of her lungs. A shot of rage-fueled panic poured down the mate bond she shared with Gunnar.

On the opposite couch, Gin’s eye went saucer wide and her jaw dropped. “Oh my god!” Her glass of soda fell to the carpet, splashing ice cubes and fizzy liquid.

Brooke jumped up from her seat next to Nicole, looking wildly from one sister to the other. “What’s going on? Are you guys hurt?”

“S-something’s wrong. There’s some kind of danger com—” Nicole shot off the couch as Gunnar appeared in the doorway. She flew into his arms, pressing as close as she could. “You’re scaring the crap out of me. What’s going on?”

“We need to go. There may be hostile Deserati demons nearby, cloaking themselves.”

“What?” Brooke and Gin gasped.

Brooke paused the movie. “How can they get close to us? And why don’t I feel...” She looked at Nicole and Gin. “Whatever you guys are feeling from your men?”

“Kai’s patrol was on the far west side tonight. He’s on his way here now, but he didn’t know about this until a minute ago. Mathias is the one who picked up on it and he just called in.” Gunnar held Nicole close. “And I don’t know how they can track us, or find us.”

“Oh my god, I feel it now. Holy shit.” Brooke wrapped her arms around her waist. “His emotions are screaming for us to get out.”

“I second that. Let’s move.” Gunnar turned Nicole around to face the door.

“We can fight.” Nicole said as they exited the room. “With three of us, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“It’s too risky. I need to get you girls out.”

“Don’t go all Neanderthal on me.” Nicole glared at him, but she couldn’t maintain it. Devastating concern in his bright blue eyes washed away her moment of defiance and she knew there was more to the story. “What else?”

“They may have explosives.” His voice snarled with barely-contained fury.

“Explosives?” Nicole echoed his words in a stunned whisper.

“Are we immune to that?” Gin asked. As the last one to accept her power, she had the most to learn about their limits.

“I don’t think any of us are immune to fire.” Gunnar raked a hand through his hair. “Unless you can take our demonfire and use it as a shield…but if everything around us blows up and debris is falling back down…no. We have to leave.”

Nicole nodded as all the possibilities zoomed through her mind. Gunnar was right.

“Couldn’t Gin extinguish any fire?” Brooke asked.

“Yes, but I can’t put brick and mortar back together, or keep it from crushing us.” Gin rubbed her sternum.

“Out.” Gunnar ordered.

They hurried up the stairs from the lower level and met Brenin when they reached the kitchen. Snow dusted his long blond hair. “I can’t smell a thing, can’t hear anything either. But that makes sense if they’re cloaking.”

Gunnar strode to the hooks along the back wall and grabbed each sister’s coat. He pushed the bundle at Nicole and then turned to Brenin. “Rilan?”

“Right here.” The Elder hurried in. “No time to do a location spell on them. We need to trust the Hunter. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Where are we going?” Brooke pulled on the boots she’d left at the kitchen’s rear door.

“Outside and as far from the house as possible. Let’s move.” Brenin held the door to the back yard wide as the girls shrugged into their coats. They filed out and headed for the vehicles parked behind the home.

Nicole pressed close to Gunnar as they walked across the snow, infinitely glad for his physical presence. Gin and Brooke dialed their mates on their phones, as they were too far away to speak through their mental link.

Gunnar, Brenin, and Rilan wore furious scowls, adding reality to Nicole’s disbelief. Demon Central had always seemed like an impenetrable fortress.
This can’t really be happening, right? This is just a precaution. Has to be.
She looked up at Gunnar. “Do you really think—”

A sharp whistle screamed through the air, growing louder.

As one, the group looked up into night sky.

“I can’t see anything in the dark! What is it?” Nicole yelled.

“A projectile, heading this way.” Gunnar pointed to the southern sky. “At ten o’clock, baby. I need to you to send it somewhere else. Now.” Urgency vibrated through their bond.

“Oh my god. Okay.” Nicole blinked, summoning every ounce of her affinity to wind, and sent a gale force blasting up from the ground. The snow reversed direction, flying up, along with the girls’ hair and a flurry of leaves and small branches.

“Woo-hoo! Go, Nic!” Brooke shrieked over the wind.

“I’m sending it up!” Nicole screamed. She couldn’t see and still had to keep the thing away from the homes that packed the area. Shit.
Where is it?
She asked Gunnar.

You did it! It changed direction, heading up. Keep doing what you’re doing. Ah, fuck.

What?
she asked.
There’s another one. Can you handle both?

You know it!
Nicole split her focus as she’d done numerous times before, guiding the first projectile with half of her ability and with the other half, forcing the new one to change direction.

Got it!
Gunnar said.
You’re doing great.

Nicole was dimly aware that the yard had become a mess of swirling debris, but she kept her focus on juggling the two missiles, or whatever they were. She guided them to the east, where Lake Michigan stretched a few miles away.
I’m sending them out over the lake
, she told Gunnar.

Good, because we’ve got one more.

Shit! Once again, she sent a surging air current up, high into the dark night.
I still can’t see these things.

Doesn’t matter. You’re doing great. You got this.
Pride flowed through the mate bond, tempering the danger.

Nicole smiled and directed the third missile east, toward the lake.
Any more?

Gunnar paused a heartbeat before answering.
No. But be ready just in case.

Nicole released the wind and sagged into Gunnar’s strong arms. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, leaving her wobbly.

“Oh my god, that was amazing!” Gin popped up from her spot behind one of the black Cadillac Escalades.

“Seriously cool, sis,” Brooke called from where she’d avoided the flying debris behind another Escalade. Rilan was with her, and Brenin jogged to the perimeter of the yard.

Footsteps scattered snow at the side of the house, just as Gin shrieked, “Mathias!”

Her sister’s mate barreled across the snowy ground to Gin, wrapping her up tightly in his arms.

Rhys joined them. “You guys all okay?” His attention darted between Brooke and Rilan.

“We’re fine. Got out with about thirty seconds to spare,” Brooke said. “Nicole kicked ass.”

“Mother fuckers. I mean, that’s cool, Nicole, but still. The situation is shitty as fuck.” Rhys tore off his black knit cap and scrunched it up in his hands. “Goddamn it.”

“Did you lose the Deseratis?” Gunnar asked.

“They took a turn to the east.” Rhys muttered. “We were heading that way when Mathias heard the first projectile. We ran here.”

“It flew so fast!” Nicole said. “How? What’d they use?”

“Possibly their own hands, or tails.”

When she stared at him, uncomprehending, he went on. “The black lily extract.”

“Oh shit.” She covered her mouth with her hand and looked up at Gunnar. “That would give them the strength to fling it faster, and farther, with accuracy?”

Gunnar nodded grimly.

Brooke came to stand beside Nicole, squeezing under her arm. “Kai’s on his way. I-I just can’t believe this.”

Nicole turned around to check on Mathias and Gin. “You saved us, Mathias. I don’t know how they figured out our location, but I’d bet money they didn’t know you were here.”

“
You
saved the group, Nicole.” Awed gratitude lit the Hunter’s face. “And I’m betting they had no idea the Solsti were here.” He dropped a quick kiss to Gin’s mouth. “I gotta go while their scent is still semi-traceable. Brenin, you in?”

“Yeah.” Brenin stalked across the fresh snow. “I’d love to kick some Deserati ass.”

“Be careful.” Gin watched Mathias catch up to Brenin, then turned to her sisters. “Or
do
they know we’re here? Why else target our house?”

“I know rumors have been spreading, but half of Torth still didn’t believe them,” Nicole said. “Not while we were there.”

“The bigger problem is that our location has been compromised.” Gunnar scrubbed a hand over his jaw.

All eyes turned to him, then to Rilan. “So, what do we do?” Nicole asked the Elder.

“If Mathias doesn’t find them, someone needs to stay and keep eyes on the area.” Rilan shoved a hand through his mop of hair. “Rhys. You’ve spent the most time on Earth. You stay. The rest of us will go to the safest place I know of.”

“Which is…where?” Brooke asked.

“To Lash demon headquarters on Torth.” Rilan gave a tight smile. “Where else?”

C
HAPTER
N
INE

A
LINA
WOKE
AND
REALIZED
TWO
things. She was lying on the softest cotton sheets imaginable, and the room was utterly silent.

So quiet. She and Sebastian so often lived in cities and heavily populated places that she was used to a constant level of background noise. Even when they had lived in more remote locations, there were birds squawking. This was…surreal.

She opened her eyes to her simple yet elegant room. The lower portions of the walls were painted light brown, the upper half cream, with a mahogany chair rail circling the room. The same dark wood echoed in elaborately carved crown molding and in a writing desk and armoire. The four poster bed was piled with beige and cream linens. Alina ran a hand across the sheet, absorbing the tactile pleasure of touching something so exquisite.

She’d hadn’t figured the Watcher headquarters would be in a cave, but she hadn’t imagined this level of luxury until she’d seen the marble floors of the compound last night.

She turned to face the other side of the huge bed. It seemed so empty. She wriggled to the middle, lay on her back, and extended her arms and legs like she was making a snow angel.

I’m a Solsti.

She stilled, eyes settling on the heavily carved bed posts. Since the night of the party she’d had her suspicions, though she’d barely dared to attach words to them, even in her mind. It had seemed to make it too real.

Yet here she was. Rescued. Protected.

By Caine.

Disappointment flared in her chest, knowing he would be away for two days.

A soft knock at the door drew her from her thoughts. Alina got up and crossed cautiously to the door. “Yes?” she called, without opening up.

 “It’s Ashina,” the healer called through the door. “I just wanted to check on you.”

Alina opened the door wide to see the other woman holding a glass of juice, dressed in a green T-shirt and jeans. Just like last night, seeing the juice made her parched. “Come in. And thank you.”

“I didn’t know what you wanted for breakfast, so I just brought you orange juice.” Ashina handed her the glass and walked over to the desk.

Alina gulped greedily. “Mmm, this is great. I’m not that hungry. I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

Ashina smiled. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Like a baby.” Alina bit her lip. “Did Caine leave for his assignment?”

The healer paced to a huge paned window draped with a mix of sheer white curtains and heavy burgundy ones. “Yes.”

Alina sensed heaviness in the healer’s mood, but she didn’t know her well enough to know for sure. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“There are some people here who want to meet you.” Her gaze shifted around the room. “Actually, quite a few. But I’ve informed everyone that you got caught up in the chaos of a club fight, and you sustained a minor injury and need rest. Healer’s orders. I’ll look at your cut, but I’m sure you’re fine to walk around and meet everyone as soon as you’re ready. And three people, in particular, have priority.”

“Three?” Alina whispered. She sat on the bed, knees wobbly. The emotion in the healer’s eyes answered her unspoken question, but something pushed her to ask anyway. “My sisters? They’re here?”

“Yes.” Ashina came to sit beside her and took her hand.