Chapter 5

 

 

Atlanta, Georgia

 

 

Reese held still as rain pelted her in the dark. After midnight in Atlanta.

If Yáahl hadn’t fed her a bunch of crap. She didn’t even have a watch.

She listened, waiting for the attack.

Wouldn’t it be just like Yáahl to drop her in a nest of demons? Where were they? Her energy vibrated, warning her of at least one demon nearby, but she didn’t see him.

That was new.

When had any demon ever hesitated to come running for an energy- meal-to-go?

The air buzzed, and she could hear a humming a little ways off. Was something flying in this crappy weather? Dogs barked down the street. She melted into the available shadows. The humming sound had come from the end of the street, maybe half a mile away where it looked like this road connected with a bigger one.

Nothing stirred in what she recognized as an older section of Atlanta, but where, exactly, was she? A smattering of small to midsize cars parked for the night hugged curbs on both sides, but no one was out and about.

She couldn’t blame them. She’d like to be home with Gibbons on a rainy night like this.

Buzzing increased, and the humming grew louder. Was it coming toward her? The sound died down as if moving away, but… No, it was coming back again.

What in the world was going on in Atlanta these days?

She hadn’t heard anything about this out on the West Coast, even though she kept up with preternatural news.

Down the street near the entrance to this area, a tall figure appeared suddenly. A male wearing dark coveralls. He was running full speed in her direction as if he’d teleported into the middle of a road race.

Had he opened a bolt-hole?

She had no experience with bolt-holes, but understood they existed.

“Get back here!” an invisible person shouted.

This was getting stranger by the minute. Was someone yelling at this guy from the other side of the bolt-hole? Was that even possible?

The guy kept running. He couldn’t have seen her hiding here, but her energy vibrated more the closer he came. Was he ...

He lifted his head, revealing two bright red orbs for eyes.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

She yanked out the medallion with her left hand and lifted her right, calling her energy to her fingers.

Nothing happened.

Footsteps were slapping the wet pavement, as loud as gunshots now.

“You will pay for this if you lied to me, Yáahl.” She hadn’t done this in ten years. Calm down and focus. Feeling inside for her power, she pushed it to expand. Her chest warmed in a way it hadn’t in a long time, but not fast enough. That demon would be here in seconds.

“Come on,” she whispered, frantic for anything. Contact would be in ten seconds.

Nine.

Eight.

Heat rolled through her arm and spread to her fingers. Not there yet.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Power hit her hand so hard she thought her fingers might explode. She jumped away from the tree she’d hidden behind and fisted her hand, hitting him an upper cut to the jaw as his sickle-like claws reached for her.

She hit him so hard his head flew back ten feet, dragging his body with it.

Oh, yeah, baby. I’m back. She stomped over to where he was trying to get up. She booted him in the chest. He hit a fire hydrant, but thankfully didn’t break it. She checked all around. No lights on. No humans to interfere.

He made coughing sounds as he reached his feet again. Blood ran down his head from where it must have cracked on the hydrant. He swiped blood from his mouth, turned those unholy eyes on her, and smiled.

His voice sounded like he’d been chewing on rusty nails. “I would have made it fast. Now, I’ll take my time draining you just so I can hear you scream.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get that. I don’t speak bullshit.”

He stopped and crooked his head, confused.

She noticed the buzzing had vanished. “Did you open a bolt-hole?”

He answered with his own question. “What are you?”

“Besides in a bad mood?”

Whatever confusion he’d suffered must have cleared up. He leaped at her and she hoped her power didn’t fail her this time. She slapped her hands together with the medallion between them and sent a bolt of energy at him that blew a hole through his chest.

It knocked her on her ass, but he dropped to the ground, smacking it face first.

Nice.

His body turned into gray dust and made a pfft sound when it shot up and dissipated. Now that was how it oughta happen.

Gotta love easy clean up.

That demon had just appeared in the middle of the street. She had to choose a direction. Turning around to head away from this street sounded like a good plan.

Reese considered her next move as she covered new ground. “I have nowhere to stay. No money and now I have to spend the night wet because you didn’t even give me an umbrella. Thanks, Yáahl.”

The rain started falling even harder.

Water ran along the street, rushing toward the drains.

She’d heard about Nightstalkers in this area who traded information for a handshake with a powerful being, but she wasn’t sure her babysitter medallion would deem that a worthy use of her powers.

Probably better to avoid the ghouls since they held no allegiance, sharing intel with anyone. That meant they’d tell a Belador she was in the city, which would get her pulled into VIPER. They’d ask too many questions.

She’d lived off the preternatural radar for the past ten years and wanted no part of that coalition. They were the equivalent of Big Brother in the supernatural world. A person like her would have to choose sides in a conflict.

She would not be pushed into joining anybody’s side in any supernatural fight.

All she had to do was find one body.

She’d do it, too. That little taste of her powers hadn’t been enough. Yáahl would have to make good on his offer, because she had every intention of collecting.

At the end of the street, she turned left. There were few streetlights, so darkness shrouded much of the area.

Just the way she liked it.

Without access to Nightstalkers, she had to get to the dark net that might have information on Kizira’s burial. That meant finding a device with internet capabilities. A mobile phone would work, but she hated a thief so stealing one was out. Once she reached the main roads, she might be able to convince some sympathetic soul to loan her their phone. She’d give them a down-on-her-luck story, which wouldn’t take much effort.

Two more streets down, she looked back to the right.

No buzzing. Maybe she could zip up this street to the main road and get out of this neighborhood.

This area reminded her of Midtown. If it was, she’d head for somewhere like the Flying Biscuit near Piedmont Park. That had been one of her favorite places to eat. Nice people. Someone would help her out.

Halfway up the street, she picked up that buzzing sound again. Energy in her chest revved up. This time, she anticipated a demon, but where was it?

What was this place? Preternatural central?

Well, hello. Atlanta was the headquarters for VIPER and the Beladors in North America.

She moved to stand by another tree. Not that it kept her out of sight last time, but at least she had something at her back.

Now that she knew to watch for something to emerge from the buzzing, she grasped the medallion where it dangled from the leather cord tied around her neck. The minute she concentrated on the humming sound, she could see the air wobble and undulate. Like looking through wavy glass, she could see through to the other side, just not clearly.

Barking cranked up again at a house on her right.

A movement close by pulled Reese’s gaze to a woman who hurried out of her house with an umbrella in one hand and the leash to a big, lumbering mutt in the other.

She missed Gibbons. That goofy dog would love all this rain.

The odd vibrating noise got louder and seemed to rise above her head. Was it spreading?

Reese waited, gauging when the cloud of buzzing would reach the woman. Was another demon hidden in it?

She tightened her grip on the medallion and called up a shield to prevent a demon from sensing her power, which would work great until she needed her hands free to defend herself. But if she could avoid a battle, all the better.

Shouting broke out in the middle of the street, but no one was there.

The woman with the umbrella turned toward the noise. Then she was sucked off her feet and yanked by some invisible tether to the middle of the street, where she vanished.

The umbrella fell to the ground.

Her dog went crazy barking at the street.

Reese sighed. She dropped her shield. If a demon had the woman, Reese couldn’t stand by and allow that death.

A demon appeared out of the air just like the last one and fell backwards from where the strange vibrating noise had parked in the street.

All at once, the buzzing quieted and four men appeared. They were holding the woman and looking up as if they’d been caught with their pants down.

The demon was on his feet. Red eyes glowed in Reese’s direction.

“I could have stayed in San Diego if I wanted to fight demons all night.” She gripped the medallion, ready to put it to use again.