Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One) (13 page)

Ramsey created a pallet for himself on the floor next to her. He argued with Hannah about getting sleep and insisted he would be fine in the room with Sarah, but she disagreed. They finally compromised, agreeing to rotate watches as long as Hannah promised that she would wake him if there were any changes in Sarah’s condition.

That night, Ramsey took the first watch, and he lay restlessly on the floor near Sarah’s bed. He could hear her labored breathing, but she slept. He wondered where Declan was. After their conversation earlier, the man had disappeared. He had met and spoken to Hannah, but that had been the extent of his conversation with either of them. Ramsey could only assume that his stepbrother’s senses were on high alert and he didn’t want any distractions.

After his five hours were up, he relinquished his spot to Hannah and headed to a back bedroom to sleep. He expected to toss and turn but was out the minute he hit the pillow. He awoke six hours later to the sunlight streaming through his window. Jumping out of bed, he found Hannah sitting with Sarah, keeping her cool with a wet cloth. Her temperature had spiked again in the night, and he argued with her about waking him, but she argued back that he needed the rest and that she was capable of handling a fever. He conceded the argument and admitted that the rest had helped, and Hannah let him take over with Sarah so she could make breakfast. The rest of the morning passed without incident. Declan appeared out of nowhere to eat something but then disappeared again to make his rounds. Ramsey had no idea if he’d slept or not.

Sarah remained quiet but restless throughout the day. She frequently slipped into incoherent states and would rant about numerous things, none of which made sense to anyone. She still refused to eat but continued to drink water. Ramsey’s lack of knowledge about Red-Lines and how they shifted troubled him as he cared for her. All he could do was wait and watch.

They went through the bathing ritual again the second day. Hannah thought it would help reduce Sarah’s temperature, and it had seemed to calm her and improve her lucidity the night before. It did both again. Sarah looked better and was able to move around on her own for a few short minutes afterward, before succumbing again to weakness. She said nothing about her condition to Ramsey during these moments. It was as if she had totally entrusted herself to him and put her recovery completely in his and Hannah’s hands. He felt humbled by her faith in him, considering all she’d endured in the last forty-eight hours.

That night, he took the second watch. He slept for five hours and replaced Hannah to let her sleep. Again, Sarah slept restlessly and murmured softly to herself. As he lay on the pallet, he reached out to her energetically even though he knew it was discouraged to connect with a Shifter. Their energy was highly unbalanced, and they could sap a Protector’s strength if they weren’t careful. Or it could compromise the Shifter if they fed on energy that did not benefit them. His curiosity and worry had gotten the better of him, though. Was there something she needed? Was he doing enough?

Her energy felt chaotic and tumultuous. He couldn’t get a clear connection, and she withdrew from him, sensing his presence. He probed deeper, not wanting to invade her privacy, but still curious about this ability of hers to shut him out. She rewarded him with a full frontal assault as he was shoved back energetically with force. His eyes shot open, and he took a breath, realizing then that his presence, at least the non-physical version, was not welcome. If she needed him to know something, then she wasn’t sharing. Despite the result, the experience provided him with insight into a Red-Line’s ability to manipulate and direct energy, and it impressed him.

He lay there, reeling from the energetic encounter, and stilled when he heard a noise in the room. Ramsey sat up to see Declan standing by the bed.

“What is it?” asked Ramsey.

“Someone’s watching the house.” Declan stood at alert in the shadows as all his senses tuned in to the potential threat.

“You sure?”

Even in the dark, Ramsey knew that Declan looked at him as if to say, “Really?”

Ramsey got the point and stood up. “What do you want to do?”

Declan was quiet but firm. “Stay with her. I’m going take a look around. Stay aware. I’ll let you know if I need you to move.”

“Okay.” Ramsey knew he would pick up on Declan’s warning. Despite their past differences, they had spent enough time together to recognize each other’s energy signature. If Ramsey had not been tuned into Sarah, he would have picked up on Declan’s approach much faster.

Declan left, and Ramsey waited. He remained by the bed in case he needed to grab Sarah and exit fast. He tuned his senses and focused on the house and the surrounding area. He picked up on nothing, though. That was Declan’s area of expertise.

Five minutes passed, then ten. Sarah stayed restless but never awakened. Another ten minutes passed. Ramsey had almost decided to go check things out for himself when he felt Declan’s presence.

“They’re gone,” Declan whispered as he reentered the room.

“They? How many?’

“Two, near as I could tell.”

“Did you see them?”

“No. They took off as I got close.”

“Do you think they knew you were there?”

“I don’t think so. I kept myself shielded. Even so, we better prepare.”

“Prepare for what?” asked Ramsey.

Even in the lightless room, Ramsey could feel Declan’s stare. “They’ll be coming. I didn’t see them, but I felt them.” Declan’s energy intensified. “They want her, John. And they don’t intend to leave without her. You understand what I’m saying?”

Ramsey knew immediately. They planned to take Sarah, and they didn’t care who got in the way when they did. Ramsey looked at Declan through the darkness. “Then let’s batten down the hatches,” he said.

“Absolutely.”

THE NEXT MORNING, Ramsey, Hannah, and Declan sat at the kitchen table. Breakfast was made, but no one ate.

The rest of the night had passed without interruption. Ramsey kept watch over Sarah while Declan continued surveillance, although Declan believed that the immediate threat had passed. Once dawn arrived and Hannah was up, they scrambled up some eggs, put on some coffee, and sat her down to discuss the situation and their options. None of them were promising, but at least Hannah chose to remain instead of heading for the door. Ramsey admired her for that. Thirty minutes later, the eggs were cold and they were no closer to an answer when Declan announced an impending arrival.

“Leroy is here,” he said. Both Ramsey and Hannah looked at him when thirty seconds later, they heard the garage door rumble.

“How does he do that?” Hannah asked Ramsey.

Ramsey glanced at Declan. “Don’t be too impressed. It’s one of his many annoying traits.”

Declan made a half smile. “You’re just mad because I could always tell when you were up to no good.”

“No,” replied Ramsey, “I was mad because you always snitched on me.”

“Yeah, well, it was an easy way to piss you off.”

“It was pretty effective at pissing my mom off, too.”

Declan stopped smiling. “You and your mom always fought, as I recall. But what mother and son doesn’t, huh?”

Ramsey poked at his uneaten eggs. “I haven’t spoken to my mom in three years. What do you think?”

“And whose fault is that?” Declan asked.

Ramsey set his jaw and debated his retort, but was interrupted when Leroy opened the back door.

“Well, looks like one big, happy family,” he said as he entered the kitchen.

Hannah looked at both brothers and addressed Leroy. “You got here just in time.”

Leroy walked over to the table, whose male occupants remained quiet, pulled out a chair and sat down. “Don’t all say hello at once.”

Declan spoke first. “Leroy. How are you?”

“Good, Dec. And you?” he asked, looking at Declan and then Ramsey.

Before he could answer, Ramsey spoke. “You know Declan, Leroy. Not much has changed, has it?” The brothers exchanged stony stares.

Leroy took stock of the situation and surmised that a change of subject was needed. He eyed the new occupant at the table. “You must be Hannah.”

She smiled. “And you must be Sampson Leroy. Nice to meet you.” She raised her hand to his and shook it. “You’re friends with these two?” she asked, nodding her head at the other two at the table.

Leroy smirked. “Only when I have to be. The rest of the time I find them both to be a pain in the ass.”

Hannah grinned. “I get that.”

Both Ramsey and Declan ignored them.

“How’s Sarah?’ asked Leroy.

Hannah took that question, looking just as eager to change the subject. “She’s pretty sick. She’s very weak and has been running a consistent fever. She’s occasionally lucid, but mostly she’s semi-conscious or even delirious. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do until this phase passes.” She looked toward the bedroom and then at Ramsey. “I’m going to look in on her.” She stood and left the table.

Ramsey finally shifted in his seat and appeared to shake off his mood. “Thanks,” he said to Hannah as she walked away. He turned toward Leroy and asked, “What did you find out?”

It was Leroy’s turn to look uncomfortable. “We’ll get to that in a minute. How about you get me up to speed. What have you guys been up to these past two days? You haven’t been watching sappy movies and eating junk food, I hope?”

“No,” said Ramsey, sitting back in his seat. “But we did a séance and channeled dead relatives. You missed out. By the way, we spoke to your great-grandmother, and she disapproves of the shaved head.”

Leroy didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, well, my wife likes it, so Great-Grandma can get over it.”

Declan observed the banter between his brother and Leroy. “You two haven’t changed.”

Ramsey addressed Declan but didn’t look at him. “Nope, we haven’t.” He paused. “It’s one relationship that doesn’t cause me pain, for which I am eternally grateful.”

“Can I quote you on that Sherlock?” asked Leroy, smiling.

“Absolutely not. And if you do, I’ll deny it,” replied Ramsey.

Declan said nothing.

Hannah reappeared and sat back down.

“How is she?” asked Ramsey.

“Same. She’s sleeping.” She brought the group’s attention back to the main subject. “As much as I am enjoying this male bonding, or not bonding, as the case may be, can we discuss what happened last night?”

Leroy turned serious. “What happened last night?”

“Two men in a car,” said Declan. “Across the street, watching the house. I tried to get a closer look, but they took off before I got a chance.”

“What the hell? Why didn’t you call me?”

“There was nothing you could do. They weren’t an immediate danger.”

“But will they be?’”

“They will be, yes.”

“Then we need to get you all out of here. Take you some place safe.” Leroy reached for his phone.

“We can’t do that,” said Declan.

“Why not?”

“Because there is no place safe.”

The statement caught them all by surprise.

“What do you mean?” Ramsey asked.

Declan’s tone was grim. “Because there’s nowhere for her to hide.”

Ramsey and Leroy exchanged glances but stayed quiet, so Hannah asked the obvious question. “Why not?”

She waited as the men around her silently debated the answer. “Is it because she’s a Red-Line?” she asked. That got their attention.

“How do you know about that?” Ramsey asked.

“I saw the mark. It’s on her back, beneath her shoulder blade.”

“Told ya,” said Declan in Ramsey’s direction.

“Already?” Leroy asked.

Ramsey wanted final confirmation. “You’re sure?”

“It’s pretty apparent. I wasn’t positive at first. Thought it was a scar, but last night it had deepened in color, and she winced when I touched it. It’s a red mark for sure. Just like our gray ones.” She watched everyone’s varied reactions and surmised their obvious concern. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to say anything. This will stay within these walls.”

They all watched her, as if judging her truthfulness. Apparently she passed the test, because they all relaxed their postures and returned to the subject.

“Is that why we can’t move her?” Ramsey asked Declan.

“Probably. It’s like she’s broadcasting a signal right now, and if someone knows the frequency, then they can find her.”

“But who knows the frequency, other than us?” asked Leroy.

“I don’t know, Leroy. That’s the question. I could pick up her signal, but only because I’ve met her and only within a certain range. I get the feeling…”

“What?” asked Ramsey.

“There’s something else about those men.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve never felt anything like it before. Their signature was different. It was strange.”

“Strange, how?” asked Leroy.

“I’m not sure how to describe it. Like fog; very ethereal. It was hard to grasp.”

“And they mean us harm?” asked Hannah.

“Their singular purpose is to retrieve Sarah. If we let them have her, they won’t hurt us, but if we get in the way…”

“Why do they want her?” Ramsey asked.

“That, I can’t answer.”

Leroy listened and cautiously replied, “I might have some insight into that.”

They all looked at him. “So spill it,” said Ramsey. “What’s got you on edge?”

Leroy sighed. “Arnuff is dead.”

“What?” asked Ramsey and Declan.

“Who’s Arnuff?” asked Hannah.

Leroy wasn’t finished, though. “And Emerson is ill. They don’t know if he’ll survive.”

“What the hell?” asked Ramsey.

“Who’s Emerson?” asked Hannah, still confused.

“What’s going on, Leroy?” Declan asked.

Leroy leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “When I left here two days ago, I went to the council magistrate to request a Gathering. I figured at this point, somebody had to know something. I was told no, that the councilors were not available. Well, I didn’t accept that. I started making the rounds and calling them directly. It got their attention, and Morgana contacted me. I met her yesterday and spoke with her.”

“How is it that Morgana is always in the middle of it?” Ramsey asked.