Wounded: Book 8 (A Rylee Adamson Novel) (28 page)

He grimaced. “I’m going to summon them.”

“What the fuck?” I couldn’t help stepping back, even though he held up his hands.

“Every Slayer can do it, but once I do, there is no turning back. It’ll be good for you to see though. Just another tool in your belt as a Slayer, something you need to learn.”

They were keeping me out of the line of fire. My jaw twitched, but he wasn’t looking at me. “When is he planning this?”

“Tomorrow night, if the summoning works as it should. Blaz should be here by then, and the vampires can help if Pamela can get the fire put out.”

There was something in his voice I couldn’t pin down, and I didn’t like it. “Erik, is this really what’s happening?”

His eyes shot to mine, eyebrows climbing. “What are you asking?”

“What’s really happening?”

“Liam has a plan to shut the gate and stop the demon packs. It will work, but you aren’t central to it. Is that what bothers you?”

Like a slap in the face, his words smacked me. “No, I don’t need to be at the center of things. Fuck. I’m just getting a weird vibe is all.”

I stomped away from him, jamming my second blade back into its sheath, not knowing what else to do.

The reality was, there was nothing I could do. If Liam thought he had this under control, who was I to question his plan? I could be as difficult as anyone out there, but I wasn’t into causing drama if it wasn’t warranted. If Liam had a plan, I could trust him.

I found my way to the library. Everyone had left except Liam and Doran, who had their heads together over the violet book of prophecies.

“You two plotting against me?”

Their heads snapped up in unison, telling me they were really not paying attention to the world around them if I could sneak up on them both without even trying.

Doran laughed and shook his head. “Hardly. But this book here, it is fascinating. There is a great deal in here about you facing Orion and beating his ass into the ground.”

“There is?” This was what we needed, some good news, finally. I moved up beside them and Liam slipped his arm around my waist as I bent over the book. Doran pointed out a section that I read softly to myself.

“When the blood of the lost shall break on the altar of sacrifice, bound to that which she fears the most, then shall the world be free of the darkness that seeks to devour it. When her eyes shall open, then shall she see.”

I lifted my eyes to Doran’s. “Not exactly what I’d call helpful.”

He shrugged. “Thing is there are clues here. Lots of them. Altar of sacrifice, you’re going to have to give up something, which isn’t really a surprise. We know blood is involved, and now we know you have to be bound to your biggest fears.”

With a snort I poked at the book. “It still doesn’t say
how
all that is going to happen. Or even where! It’s like trying to understand a different language. Is it all like that?”

Liam’s hand tightened on my waist. “Yes. We’ve been pouring over it, all of us. Just in case it goes missing again.”

While it made sense they would all have a look at it, there was a part of me that knew ultimately I had to understand what was asked of me. If I couldn’t figure it out, there was no way I’d be able to stop Orion. I picked up the book and went to Jack’s chair, sliding down into worn and well-broken-in cushions. Neither of the two men said anything, they just watched me, the weight of their eyes on me a palpable thing.

Ignoring them, I flipped the book open from the beginning and began to skim through, looking for key words. Unlike the black skinned book of demon prophecies, I didn’t feel dirty reading the violet skinned book. The words were all like the first, a mess of sentences that, while I could read them, made very little sense. Worse than all the other books of prophecy. At least those could be deciphered for the most part.

Sitting in Jack’s chair, trying to read my own future in a book written hundreds, if not thousands, of years before, I couldn’t help but think there was something else we should be doing. Yet there was nothing but to wait on Liam’s plan, a truth that ate at me and my natural inclination to run in, kick ass and ask questions later.

“Are you sure we can’t go tonight?” I asked him as we ate lunch in the kitchen, the violet book tucked in beside me.

Liam shook his head. “No, I’m sure. Besides, Erik said he needs time to prepare. Shouldn’t you be helping him?”

That was something I didn’t want any part of, but Liam was right. Reluctantly, I Tracked Erik and followed his threads to the rooftop. When I got there, the harpies were off flying, or at least, most of them were. Three roosted with their heads tucked under their wings on the far side of the roof, oblivious to us. Erik sat cross-legged next to a chalk drawing. I crouched beside him. The drawing was a simple circle with two lines bisecting it. “What do you have to do to call a demon? I thought there would be a pentagram involved.”

He didn’t open his eyes. “This isn’t calling a demon to posses their power, this is calling them out.”

“Like a bar fight.”

“Exactly. Demons are somewhat sensitized to Slayers, so when we announce ourselves, they are drawn to us. The problem is, you can’t just call one demon. You end up calling anything within range.”

My eyes widened. “Then why would this be something you would even want to learn?”

He blew out a soft breath. “It’s a form of suicide for a Slayer, a way to go out with a bang if you will.”

I sat beside him. “What do you have to do?”

He finally opened his eyes and tapped the chalk drawing. “This is a compass. North, south, east, west are represented and the Slayer becomes the center of it. Essentially, you throw yourself at the mercy of the elementals to take your call to all the demons of the world, to draw them to you. If they take your request, they will give us notice.”

There it was again, that elemental thing. “You say elementals like they are cognizant of us.”

He chuckled. “They are, but they are not allowed to interfere with the rest of the world. They are neutral.”

“Why?”

With a shrug, he closed his eyes. “I don’t know. No one does. But they will either take my message to the demons that are here or they won’t.”

I hated to admit it, but the whole thing intrigued me. Though, maybe again it was the mention of elementals. A part of my brain insisted I’d met one, but I couldn’t remember that being the case.

“Would it help if I added in a request of my own?”

“Might. Sit quietly and reach for the demons, demand they show themselves.”

Well, that was a new one. “That’s it?”

“Yes.” The way his lips curled told me it wouldn’t be that easy, but a challenge was what I needed to keep my mind off the time ticking by. I sat beside him and closed my eyes.

Fucking asshole piece of shit demons, come and get me.

His hand tightened on Doran’s shoulder. “A minute, please.”

Doran stilled under his grip.

Liam took a slow breath, finding the scents around Doran disturbing and yet somewhat comforting too. “You love her.”

“Yes.” Doran stared back at him, unmoving for a few seconds before nodding. “But she sees only you. She doesn’t have it in her to be any other way. I don’t think that will change, even … after.”

“But we both know what’s coming for me.” He had to swallow any jealousy, any hurt on his part, and it tore out a chunk of his heart to say it. “Keep loving her, Doran. She’s going to need you.”

Liam couldn’t help but see the qualities in Doran that would pair well with Rylee. Doran’s sense of humor, his laid back way of dealing with things, they would temper her seriousness. His jaw ached from holding it tight, from not snapping out that Doran should stay the hell away from Rylee. The mix of emotions made him sweat and he had to fight to keep his wolf under control for the first time in a while.

“Liam, I don’t think she will see things that way. But I will always stand with her. I won’t let her fight this alone.” Doran’s uncharacteristic solemnity eased Liam’s anxiety … at least a little.

Teeth gritted, he walked out, leaving Doran behind. It was all he could ask now, to make sure those around Rylee would be with her when the time came. Because if there was anything Liam knew, it was that Rylee wouldn’t let him go without a fight.

Next, he went to find Pamela, scenting her out and finding her in the kitchen. She was baking, something he’d learned she did when feeling uncertain. The smells filling the kitchen told him she was indeed feeling out of sorts. Alex sat awkwardly on a stool next to her, his gangly legs hanging off the edge, like some sort of unhinged puppet. Just Alex’s eyes followed him and in them was a worry that Liam felt.

To ask Pamela what he’d asked of her was brutal. “Pamela.”

Her head came around slowly, but she didn’t lift her eyes.

He tried again. “Pamela, I’m sorry I have to ask you to do this.”

She bit her lower lip as if to stop the tremble that reverberated there. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she lifted her eyes to his. “I don’t think I can. Anything but that. You’re a part of my family.”

His heart and gut clenched into a knot he wasn’t sure would ever release, and he pulled her into his arms. She was covered in flour and grease, but none of that mattered.

He kept his voice low. “It’s the only way to save Rylee. And she’s more important than me. You know that.”

Her words were hiccupped out between sobs. “But it will kill her, and she’ll hate me.”

“She won’t hate you. I promise.”

There was no choice. Orion had backed them into a corner, and Liam had to give Rylee time, time to deal with the newest twist in her life. The only thing he could do now was pray it would be enough.

And that Rylee would forgive them all.

Chapter 20

THE NEXT NIGHT didn’t roll around, it fucking well erupted into chaos that we should have seen coming. Erik and I had taken turns calling out the demon packs with no apparent success. Until the sun set.

Erik and I were on the rooftop after dinner. Alex was with us this time, his head in my lap as he mumbled obscenities at the demons. Not that he was adding to the actual call out, but it was funny as hell.

Maybe the elementals also found it funny because there was a sudden break in the air. The tension that had been building around us for the last twenty-four hours snapped.

The harpies roosting launched into the sky with a chorus of screeching and squawking that made me clap my hands over my ears. Erik stumbled to his feet, and looked over the edge of the roof.

A woman, floating on the air rose in front of us. Gauzy and surreal, she gave us a soft smile. The wind picked up, swirling her soft pink skirts out around her. Eyes the color of storm clouds pinned me to the roof. “You have called the demons, and I will take your request to them. Do you wish for the giant demon to be called as well?”

I shook my head at the same time as Erik. It seemed that both of us were a bit star struck. An elemental was the thing of legends. And we were staring at one.

Her smile was soft and full of sadness. “It will be done. They will come with a roll of thunder. Be ready, Slayers.”