Tracker: A Rylee Adamson Novel (13 page)

Liam eyed the place, looking for a way in. “Did you get inside, Frank?”

Frank sat on the other side of the backseat and shook his head. “No, I got this close, and then slipped around to the back. They were doing some sort of demo outside to prove the guns worked.”

“How did you know they were doing a demo? How did you know these guns worked against supernaturals?”

Frank swallowed hard enough that the two witches in the front seats turned to look at him.

“They had a firing squad.”

Chills swept through Liam, and though he suspected he knew the answer, he still had to ask. “What exactly were they shooting, kid?”

Frank swallowed hard again before answering. “I didn’t know what the creatures were, but they were tied up together and they weren’t human. Not even close. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

It didn’t matter what kind of supernatural had been rounded up for the firing squad, the point was it had been done.

“What a clusterfuck,” he said softly, wondering in that moment how Rylee was faring. Hell, she was probably back at Giselle’s, pissed off they were taking so long.

He made the decision quickly. “Milly, can you show Pamela a way to hide us, so we can slip in?”

Milly snorted. “Like a cloaking device? This isn’t Star Trek, O’Shea.”

The wolf in him had him leaning forward kani18" align and physically crowding her across the seats before he could stop himself. A low growl slipped though, making it very difficult to think of anything but her neck snapping between his teeth.

“Liam.” Pamela put a hand on his shoulder. “I can cause a distraction, I don’t need her to help us get in.”

He turned slowly to look at the young witch. Not a drop of fear trickled out of her; she trusted him with her life. With a slow easing of his muscles he slid back on the seat.

“What are you thinking?”

“I did it for Rylee once, I started a fire. Everyone rushes to that, and we sneak around back and in.” She tucked a strand of blond hair behind one ear. “We can leave Milly in the car and take Frank with us.”

Milly stiffened in her seat, and he heard the beat of her heart shift. She was afraid to be left alone, afraid Orion would come for her when she had no one to save her ass.

“Good idea, Pam. Let’s get this done.”

The three of them piled out of the Jeep, and Milly didn’t move from her seat, didn’t wish them luck, didn’t ask them if they were sure.

He almost thought he saw a tremble of tears shine across her eyes, but he ignored it.

The bite of the North Dakota wind snapped at his bare face, but the fresh air was welcome after sitting in the Jeep with three other people and the residual odor from Agent Valley.

Taking the lead, he motioned with his hand for the two kids to follow him. Shit, this must have been how Rylee felt, towing Pamela, Alex, and Eve around on her salvages and such. While they were powerful in their own rights, they were children, untrained and so very young.

With nothing but the soft crunch of their feet on the packed snow, they slipped around the side of the building, staying well back from the lights.

Halfway there, Liam saw a major flaw in the plan and touched Pamela on the arm. “They will see where the shots come from. Go back to the Jeep, get Milly to drive and let off two or three fireballs. Be sure not to hit the doors, we want to drive them out front, not push them out the back.”

Her jaw tightened. “And then just you and Frank go in?”

Liam drew her close. “They can’t hurt me. And Frank can raise the dead. We’ll be okay, but not if they are on top of us before we even reach the door. We don’t want a fire fight, not with people who have guns that work against us. Double back and meet us along the road there.” He pointed to a dark line passing through dense canopied trees that ran parallel to the building. He didn’t point out he had a gun—Frank’s—tucked into the back of his pants under his shirt.

She let out the building steam of teenage indignation in a big gush of air. “You’re right.” No more words, she turned and ran back the way they’d come, her long hair streaming behind her.

Liam didn’t waste any time. “Frank, let’s go.”

They jogged around the perimeter and were at the back of the mirrored building within a few minutes, crouched low against the snow. Between the building and them was a line of dark, dirty snow, posts driven at twelve-foot intervals, chains dangling from them. Liam lifted his nose and took a deep breath.

Trolls, they’d used Trolls. Not that the killing of the slimy bastards was any loss, but if the Trolls decided they had a vendetta against the humans, and the Trolls were aligned with Orion … shit, clusterfuck didn’t begin to cover what they could be looking at.

“Ho kustwithw are we going to know the witch does anything?” Frank whispered, his eyes round and dilated behind his glasses.

“You’ll know. And don’t call her ‘the witch.’ She has a name. Use it,” Liam said softly. There was very little finesse behind Pamela’s abilities, just sheer power. With her, it was all or nothing.

“Sorry.”

Without warning, an explosion erupted, lighting the night on fire as a column of flame shot high into the sky straight up the front side of the building.

“Holy shit,” Frank breathed. The kid had missed Pamela’s previous light show, exploding Ingers’s cars, since he’d been unconscious.

“Remember that next time you try to take her on or call her ‘the witch,’” Liam grunted as he started forward. A second column joined the first and then a streak of flame the size of a truck soared in an arc toward the top of the building.

Liam paced himself so the kid could keep up; even at that slow speed, they made it to the back of the building without anyone seeing them.

They skidded to a stop, and Liam pressed his hands against the door, which opened easily. Not even locked? That was cocky beyond any FBI agent or operation he’d ever known.

They stepped inside and Liam froze, his nostrils flaring, every nerve in his body dancing with recognition.

Witches, and lots of them, had been here. His thoughts connected. “Frank, we have to get some of these weapons out of here, and then we have to burn this place down.”

“Isn’t that what the witch—I mean, Pamela—is doing?”

Liam forced himself to move forward, deeper into the building, deeper into the thick smell of witch and dark magic. “No. And we have to hurry because we aren’t dealing with humans.”

Frank swallowed, his Adams apple bobbing several times. “Other supernaturals are helping them kill their own kind, that’s what you’re saying?”

Liam followed his nose, sniffing for gun oil, and picking it up pretty quick. He didn’t bother to answer the kid. “This way.” He wove through the lower levels of the building. The weapons were always stored down low in the FBI buildings, easier to grab on the way out. They didn’t run into anyone as they traversed the hallways, though Liam heard footsteps now and again.

He brought them to a door labeled “Armory.” With a glance at the kid, he pushed the door open and peered inside. Armory indeed. Guns of every size and type. Without questioning himself, he grabbed two handguns to replace those he could no longer use. While he didn’t mind Rylee’s blades, guns would always be his first choice.

“Grab two guns and the ammo for them.”

Frank did as he was told and Liam gathered up ammo for himself, stuffing it into a large backpack on the floor. Footsteps coming down the hallway made him pause. He snapped his fingers and got Frank’s attention. “Hide.”

Frank stared around them, settling on tucking himself between two desks.

Liam loaded the weapon, almost casually, though his heart thumped hard. The last time he’d used a gun, he inadvertently killed his partner. Being as close to supernaturals as they’d been, the bullet veered sideways instead of staying on its intended course.

The door swung inward and a man in his forties strode into the room, his head down. “Gods be damned, I thought we’d taken out that meddling coven.”

Liam didn’t wait for the witch to bring his head up, didn’t gi k, d thatve him time to use a spell. He just pulled the trigger. Even in his hands, the gun worked and the bullet stayed true, driving through the man’s head.

The witch was dead before he hit the floor.

“That was loud, Liam,” Frank whispered, standing.

Liam nodded. “Yeah, guns tend to be that way. Time to leave, I think.”

Frank nodded, then lifted his hand, and the body at Liam’s feet twitched. Frank gave him a half grin. “I’ll leave him to guard the weapons. That should scare the shit out of the rest of them.”

The dead witch rose slowly, pushing itself to its feet, but only had eyes for the kid who intoned in a more than creepy voice. “Protect this room, kill all who enter.”

The zombie nodded, its head lolling forward and back with far more looseness than it should have.

Liam scanned the room, saw two files on the far side. He grabbed them and stuffed them into the bag alongside the ammo.

All of this seemed too easy, too well laid out. Then again, it wasn’t the FBI running the show; it seemed to be a coven of witches who thought no one could touch them. Who thought no one was left to slip through the back door and steal their things.

“Pride goeth before the fall,” he whispered as they stepped out the room, quickly retracing their footsteps. The back door was in sight and he pushed the kid ahead. “Go.”

The crackle of air, the scent of ozone. He didn’t think, just leapt for Frank, tackling him to the floor as the lightning zig-zagged through the hallway, bouncing off the walls.

Liam rolled, and brought up the gun, sighting down the barrel. The gun barely bucked in his hand as he squeezed off two shots. The witch at the end of the hallway dropped, her eyes going wide as she clutched at her chest.

“Not so much fun when your shit is turned on you, is it?” He pushed to his feet and grabbed the kid, the sound of many feet and voices coming their way. “Come on, Frank. They’ve taken away the welcome mat.”

They shoved through the door and out of the building, bolting across the open space, across the firing squad line, and into the dark winter night.

Running hard, they met up with Pamela and Milly on the side road.

Liam jerked the door open. “Pamela, let it burn, we have to destroy it.”

Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of the Jeep. Fire flew from her fingers, tagging them exactly where they were. But it didn’t matter. The building was burning hard and fast and for all the witches who were left, it was too much. They scattered as multiple explosions in the lower floors burst windows.

Milly got out of the Jeep and went and touched Pamela on the shoulder. “That’s enough. They won’t be able to st
op it, but they will come for us. I know them well enough.”

Pamela dropped her arms and sagged. Liam caught her and stepped into the Jeep, her slight weight nothing in his arms.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Milly didn’t hesitate, put the Jeep in gear and hit the gas pedal. Frank said nothing as they drove down the dark road, the raging fire behind them lighting the night sky.

Cha n, d tjan Propter 13

F
aris found us,
asleep, waiting on him. To say he was not happy was an understatement.

“What in all the seven bloody fucking hells are you doing?” he roared, his foot swinging toward Alex with a kick I knew from past experience would break ribs. Alex scrambled out of the way, barely missing the blow.

“Resting after we almost got eaten by a spider Guardian.” I yawned and stretched as though we had all the time in the world, my skirt sliding even further up my thighs. Hell, if he could have a nap there was no reason we couldn’t too.

Faris spun twice where he stood, one eye bloodshot and twitching like crazy, his words making no sense. “Piece of what—do you think—there is no reason Tracker—sunrise is coming—prophecies fade …”

Doran grabbed me and jerked me out of the way as Faris continued to flail and speak like a maniac. “This is bad. He doesn’t have the control to go without blood, Rylee. Power, yes, in spades. But not control. He’ll never make it to the end.”

I stared at the vampire in front of us, who twitched and jerked like an epileptic having a grand mal, his bones creaking with each jump of his body, teeth snapping and a low pacing growl trickling out of his mouth. And he seemed to not see us at all.

“Then we have to kill him, we can’t be dealing with a vampire gone mental,” I said, carefully removing my sword, doing my best not to draw Faris’s attention. Fast, this had to be fast and without warning if I was taking his head.

Doran put a hand over mine, stopping me. “There is another choice. If we feed him, it will bring him back.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why the fuck would we do that?”

“Because he is powerful, even if he doesn’t have control right now. And if we kill him, Berget wins. There is no guarantee we can stop her on our own. You do understand what we must do if the spell and opal don’t work?”

I jerked my hand out from under his, and before I could say anything, Alex let out a howl.

Faris had him pinned to the ground, his face buried in Alex’s fur along his neck, feeding deeply.

“Fucking vampire!” I leapt toward them, driving the point of my sword through Faris’s middle. He reared back, his lips smeared with blood, his eyes no longer twitching or bloodshot.

“Enough. Enough.” Faris raised his hands in submission, his movements slow.

Alex scampered away, whimpering, putting his paw to his neck. “Owie, fucking vampire.”

“Stay over there, Alex.” I pointed to the far wall as I pulled my second sword. There was no need for me to say what I was going to do, we all knew.

Faris, his skin dull and his eyes dim even after taking blood from Alex, continued to hold up his hands. “I am out of the running now. I free you from your oath to help me find the Blood.”

Holy shit. I lowered the tip of my blade lightly. “And the other oaths.”

“Even after you kill me, you will hold to your oath to kill the Child Empress.”

I shook my head. “No. I won’t. You killed my friend, Faris, and you threatened everyone I love. Big mistake.” I raised my sword, and his eyes widened. The swing of the sword was halfway through when he spoke.

“Charlie isn’t dead.”

I froze, the blade mere inches from his neck, shocked snec am that he would admit it. But I played along. “Bullshit.”

He leaned back on the stone floor, bracing himself on his elbows. “Charlie is fine; he’s a brownie, Rylee. He can move through time and space using doorways and windows. An opening through the veil is a doorway.”

I lowered my sword tip. “Then why?”

Faris snorted and lay down on the stone, flat on his back. “Rylee, you are the most stubborn, difficult woman I have ever dealt with. I tried seducing you, I tried to help you, I tried asking, but none of it worked when it came to getting you to help me. You forced me to resort to methods even I am loathe to use. And yet even blackmail isn’t enough, is it? Berget tried the same methods, attempting to kill your Eve, yet none of it worked.” He lifted his head slightly just to arch his eyebrow at me and then lay back down. “You are too fucking stubborn to do anything you don’t want to. Did you tell the others that I was blackmailing you?”

I flushed. “Yes and no. Charlie told them, but I would have anyway. They’re my family; we don’t keep secrets.”

“Do you see, Doran, what I was trying to work with? Wait, you knew Charlie was alive?” Faris lifted his head and stared at me, his eyes wide.

I lowered my blade. “Yes.”

“Then why did you come with me if you knew it was a bluff?”

“Faris, you are the biggest asshole in all the world, but at least you are not going to turn the world over to the vampires. You aren’t going mad with power. As much as I hate to say it, you
were
the best choice.”

Besides, we needed the vampires unified—and not under someone certifiable—if I was going to convince them to help me in the upcoming shit show with Orion. Not that I was ready to spill those beans to Faris just yet.

He thumped his head back into the stone. “And now, there is only one.”

I cleared my throat and slid my blades back into their sheaths. “That isn’t true, exactly.”

Doran let out a strangled squawk. “No. Rylee. Just. No.”

Faris wobbled to his feet. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

And if Faris knows you plan to turn Doran into a vampire, and take the throne, you think he won’t just kill him?

Time to think fast and lie through my teeth, something I wasn’t all that good at. “I have an idea.”

Faris’s eyes focused on me. “And the idea is …”

“Not sure if it will work yet.” I shrugged. “When the time comes to tell you, I will.”

Doran hadn’t moved, his green eyes distant, and I could almost feel him closing off from us.

“Faris.” I lifted my hand, stopping him, feeling my world tighten further. “Let it go. Apparently, I am the only one who has to make a sacrifice to save this fucking world. Let’s find the Blood. We’ll wait for Berget there and deal with her.”

I wanted Liam so badly I ached all over. I didn’t trust either of these men I was with. I’d thought I could trust Doran, but apparently I was wrong.

Faris surprised me by doing as I asked. “So, it is proven now that I do not have the control to lead, but we know the Child Empress is no better. It will be difficult at best to kill her, let alone implement whatever plan it is you two have hatched.” He limped forward.

I put a finger to his ch sgeralone implest, my next words measured and slow. “What the fuck is going on? I cannot deal with this mercurial shit you’re pulling, Faris. Either you are trying to hurt me, or you are on our side. I will tell you this straight right fucking now.” I took a step closer, pulling my blades and pressing them into the hollow of his throat. “Turn on me one more time, play one more fucking game with me and nothing you say or do will keep me from striking your twisted head from your shoulders.”

His eyes never wavered from mine, but he didn’t try to bespell me.

“You have my word, Rylee. I will not turn on you again, or even seemingly turn on you. Now, what is your plan for our little empress?”

I dropped my blades. That would be the best I could get out of him. A glance at Doran showed him still off in la-la land. Some help there.

“If we can pin her down, we can end her.”

Faris threw back his head, his laughter echoing off the stone walls. “Just how do you plan to ‘pin’ her down?”

I frowned at him. “Hadn’t got that far.”

The vampire put a hand to his chin. “We can figure that out as we go, but perhaps it would be best to find the Blood first. There is a time limit on this.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Spit it out.”

“Three days until the winter equinox rolls around. And depending on where the Blood resides, that could mean we have less than three days.”

Why was there always a fucking time limit? Even if we found the right door, the Blood wouldn’t be waiting for us on the other side, they could be thousands of miles away. “If you feed, can you jump me across continents?”

He nodded. “Yes, that would be the fastest way to Track them.”

My brain kicked into overdrive. “You go feed. I’ll keep checking doorways, see if we can’t find what we’re looking for before you get back.”

“So we are a team now, are we? And you are Red Leader? Interesting turn of events.” Faris turned his back and jumped the veil, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

“Did he just refer to
Star Wars
?”

“Yes,” Doran said. “I believe he did.”

“Done sulking?” I wouldn’t look at him, couldn’t. He’d let me down, and that disappointment was like a fire in my gut.

“Rylee—”

“Don’t fucking bother, Doran. You don’t want to take responsibility. I get it.” I strode toward the next door. Doran might not want to lead the vampires, but what other choice was there? Berget? Fuck no.

Forcing my thoughts back to the task at hand I stared at the next crossing. Classic castle doorway, heavy bands of iron across it with round loops of iron for a handle. Sword in one hand, I grabbed the ring of iron and pulled. The door slid open on what felt like oiled hinges, revealing just another part of the castle. Also lined with doors.

That wasn’t what made my jaw drop, though.

Nope, my jaw dropped because I found myself staring at Jack. Not the sickly, almost dead Jack I had met, a cranky old Tracker who couldn’t stand without help or a cane.

The Jack I found myself staring at was young, vibrant with life, and had a brand spanking new set of fangs.

B sn="n Py the time they got to the farmhouse, the twenty-four hours Rylee had said it would take her had come and gone. And Liam was close to pulling his hair out.

“She’ll wait for us, or she’ll come looking for us,” Milly said as they slowed to a stop in the driveway. “She does have this nifty little trick that allows her to find people.”

Liam let out slow breath. Much as he hated to admit the witch was right, she was. They might be behind, but Rylee could find them a hell of a lot easier than they could find her.

“Let’s check on your uncle, Frank. See if we can’t get something out of him.” The four of them stepped out of the Jeep and headed toward the barn. A loud squawk drew his eyes upward. On top of the barn perched a perturbed Harpy.

“Eve.” He lifted a hand, and the Harpy let out a second squawk and flew down to greet them.

“Liam, Pamela! The big lizard has buried himself in the fields, under the dirt as if he is hiding.”

I’m not hiding; I’m being inconspicuous.

“Whatever, lizard.”

Blaz didn’t answer and so, that was that. Though what he had to be inconspicuous about was beyond him.

Eve flapped her wings, drawing his eyes to her.

“There is something,” she said in a lowered voice and her words were hitched. “Dead in the barn. Please tell me it is not Dox and the others.”

“No, it isn’t Dox.” One of these days, he would have to ask Rylee about that, about where the bodies of the supernaturals went. Because as far as he’d been able to tell, they just vanished.

“You’re right, though, there is something dead in there,” Liam said, reaching up to put a hand on her ruffled feathers. The Harpy shook her head, a flash of silver and gold flickering off her. That was different.

“New jewelry?” He’d never thought to see anything like that on the Harpy, yet the dangling earrings suited her.

“Gifts from the unicorns, to show they mean to honor the old ways.” She fluffed her wings. “I will leave soon. I have to convince the other Harpies to stand with us.”

A chill swept through Liam. “You’ve said they’d kill you.”

She lifted her head. “I will take the chance, as we all do each day. I must try.”

His wolf puffed up with pride. His pack was strong and loyal to the core, even if they were from all walks of the supernatural world. “Be safe, Eve, and come back to us.”

Her luminous eyes flicked over them, then strode to where Frank stood, shaking. “Who is this?”