The motel Kara directed us to looked as if someone had abandoned it long ago; a long brick building with a weak beam lighting the walkway. An office, cast in shadow, sat off to the right with an old man sitting inside—the glare from the TV illuminating his heavily lined face. He didn’t even look up when we pulled in.
Who in the fuck basket would actually want to stay here?
“How the hell do you know about this place?” I asked, getting out of the car.
She climbed out and surveyed the lot. “It’s seen better days.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
She winked. “And I’m not going to.”
I nodded. “Oh, but you will.”
She smirked and turned toward Alek. He got out of the Nissan and glanced around the lot. “This should work,” he said, his gaze going to the office. “I’ll get a key for the room at the end. There’s less light down there.”
I turned and looked at the last room in the row. He was right, there was less light. Correction: no light. Kara handed me Alek’s keys and got in the man’s Nissan. Once we parked, we got out and waited. Alek came strolling down the walkway just as Devlin’s SUV pulled into the lot. Devlin switched off the lights as he made his way toward us.
“What did you say to the clerk?” I asked when Alek handed me a key.
He tapped his head and walked over to the Nissan. Well, I guessed he wouldn’t have had to say much if he used his magick. Jonah got out of the SUV and helped Alek heft the man out of the car.
Rachel came bounding over to us with a smile stretched across her face. “Wish I could have gone on a high-speed chase with you,” she said with way too much enthusiasm in her voice.
“Maybe next time,” Kara offered.
I turned away from their gleeful display and opened the motel room door. A smell that could only come from a mad scientist’s lab rushed out and punched me in the face. “Oh, dear god,” I said, blinking a few times to fight the sting in my eyes. “When is the last time they aired out this room?”
Devlin walked past me. He must have been made from stronger stuff because there was no way in hell I was going to wade into that stench. And I do mean wade. That funk had teeth.
Devlin opened the front window and motioned for us to come inside. I let Jonah and Alek carry the man in, then waited for Kara and Rachel to go inside before I sucked in a breath and stepped into the room.
“Maybe we should question him outside,” I suggested, looking around at the large space. A single bed sat flush against a dingy white wall. Next to it was a lone nightstand that looked on the verge of collapse. The lampshade sported a Rorschach test of stains. The small table with two chairs rested near the bathroom. And at this point, the carpet was just loose beige threads.
I glanced at the rest of the team. They were moving around as if they had lost all sense of sight and smell. “You all don’t smell that?”
“Breathe through your mouth,” Jonah offered, as he positioned a chair in the middle of the room.
Alek tossed me the man’s wallet. “Make yourself useful?” His smile saved him from me giving him the bird.
According to his driver’s license, the man’s name was Karl Hemmings. He was forty years old and lived in Tulare. In his panic, he must have decided to drive home. Probably thinking it was his best option. So, not too bright, then.
Devlin shut the front window and took up a position by the door. “Wake him up,” he said.
Alek stepped in front of the man. Deep orange light flooded the room as magick saturated the air.
Karl stirred, and Rachel stepped over and crouched in front of him. He blinked a few times, then jerked back when he got a look at us. “Who the hell are you people?” he yelled, his eyes darting around the room.
Rachel smiled. “You don’t know? You were watching our house.”
Karl cut his gaze in my direction. “I was watching her!” He said this as if what he was doing was okay and didn’t understand why we would have a problem with it. Yep, definitely not too bright.
“Nicole,” Devlin said, dipping his head toward Karl. I guess I was up. I sucked in a deep breath. I could do this.
I moved in front of him. “Why were you watching me?” I asked, suddenly feeling as if I should have come up with some sinister lead-in to my question. Like villains who recite random bits of history before threatening their victims.
He looked away from me. “You all won’t get away with this!”
“Get away with what?” Devlin asked.
I scowled at him, and he shrugged. “What he said,” I said unnecessarily.
“I’m thinking of moving to the neighborhood,” he said, smirking.
I stood up. “You know, the only reason I’m questioning you is to keep you alive. I can have my friend ask, but she likes to use chemicals when she interrogates people, and they”—I leaned forward—“never survive the questioning.”
“You won’t get away with this!” He didn’t even blink at repeating the veiled threat.
“You have said that already. Now…” I rested my hands on the side of the chair, getting in real close. “What exactly will we not get away with?”
“Xavier will destroy you!”
“Xavier Young?” Why the hell did Karl believe a teenager with no magick could destroy us?
Karl blinked, then slammed his eyes closed. He must have slipped when he said Xavier’s name.
“Why does Xavier want you to watch us? And how did you know where we were?”
Karl didn’t respond. He just sat there with a smug, resolute look on his face. Maybe I should have let Rachel interrogate him.
Alek moved in close. “Would you like me to help you answer?” he asked, his tone even.
Karl spared him a brief glance before turning his gaze back to me. “Xavier told me about you.”
“He did?” I asked, still trying to figure out why Xavier sent this man to watch me. “What did he say?”
Karl gave me a cynical smile. “He said you came sniffing around his mother’s place, wanting to join her harem. Be a whore like the rest—”
I slapped him. When he laughed, I lost it. All those feelings of being violated came bubbling to the surface. Rage filled every pore on my body. My vision had gone red. I continued to pound on his face no matter how irrational my response to his taunting was. Fuck Gavina and fuck him for believing I would ever let that sick bitch touch me again. Someone called my name, but I ignored them and continued to take out all my pent-up anger and frustration on Karl. He showed up at Devlin’s purposely to watch me. He had no right to do that. And Xavier, that useless piece of shit, should have never sent him. I was not Gavina’s whore!
Karl buckled under the onslaught of my blows. I heard a loud crack, the chair toppled backward. Before I could follow Karl down, someone grabbed me around the waist, and the next thing I knew, I was being deposited outside.
My chest heaved as I stood there with angry tears streaming down my face.
Alek studied my face. “Better?”
Karl’s manic laughter drifted out the door. Seriously? “Maybe I’m not as dangerous as I thought I was. The guy is still laughing after I just pummeled him to death.” I rubbed my sore hand. “He got under my skin.”
“That was the plan.”
I stared up at him. “And I fell for it.”
“We all do sometimes.” He steered me toward the door. “Best get back in there. Show him you are not so easily defeated.”
“Let me pull some fresh air into my lungs first,” I said, and he smiled.
After a brief hesitation, I walked back inside. Alek shut the door behind us.
Karl had been secured to the other chair, the broken one in a heap by the bathroom door. He stared at me, hatred brewing in his eyes. I studied his bloody face. At least I’d done some damage.
“Do I need to repeat the question?” I asked as if I hadn’t just gone into a rage and beat on him.
“Fuck you,” he said, his tone even. Okay, so we were both going to pretend. Fine with me.
“Why does Xavier want you to watch us?” I asked again.
He didn’t respond. I lifted my hand and he flinched back. “He told me to follow you,” he stammered out. “Said you are strong and if I can convince you to join him, I can move up in the church.”
“Join him?”
“I’m done talking.”
“You’re not doing a very good job of convincing me not to let my friend question you,” I said, infusing my voice with disappointment. Rachel handed me her brass knuckles.
“How did you defeat Gavina?” Karl asked, his eyes glued to the brass knuckles.
He was stalling, and it took a minute for me to figure out what he was talking about. “At church?”
He nodded. “He said you made his mother finally feel pain.” A maniacal smile stretched across his face. “Women should never be put in a position of power. That’s a man’s place. Boyd is weak. He lets her control him. In the new order, Xavier will rule, and I will be by his side. I will finally get what I deserve.”
I glanced at the others. None of this was making any sense. “So, Xavier is trying to take over the church?”
“No. The church is bullshit. Boyd is a fraud. And Gavina just wants to have sex with the women. No.” He shifted in his seat. “True power comes from the gods. Xavier has summoned one who was created long ago. Once we amass enough power, we will bring him back into existence.” He chuckled darkly. “I will lead by Xavier’s side, ushering in a new age,” he said, repeating his assumed destiny again. “So, beat me all you want, you silly little tramp. I will one day rule you as well. Those that don’t go willingly will be brought down.” He looked down the length of me. “I will enjoy breaking you in.”
I tried really hard not to react. Sadly, it wasn’t hard enough.
I barked out a laugh. Karl jerked back as if he’d been slapped. Seriously? What was next? They were going to take over the world. Build a kingdom? And it would literally be a cold day in hell before I let this foul-smelling idiot touch me. I ripped off one man’s dick; I wasn’t above ripping off another.
I glanced around at the others, belatedly noting that no one else was laughing. They were too busy staring at Jonah. He stood near the bathroom door, staring at Karl’s back with horror in his eyes. After a brief pause, he stalked over to the man and got in his face. “Which god?”
Karl smiled again, and before I could stop her, Rachel slapped him. She must have gotten tired of standing on the sidelines.
“Legos. He is waiting for us.” Karl said, his voice filled with delirious glee.
“Idiots!” Jonah yelled. “Do you even know how a god is created? And what kind of power they have if they’re able to get loose?”
“Xavier is strong. He is the chosen one.”
Jonah glared down at him as if he could impart common sense by simply staring and willing it into Karl’s brain. Karl, like most zealots too far gone for reason, stared back with a defiance born from the constant reassurances that he was always right.
Devlin stepped between them, causing Jonah to take a step back. “When does he plan on doing this?” Devlin asked.
Karl sat back and made a point of smashing his lips together like a child refusing to talk. Seriously?
We were getting nowhere.
Karl turned from Devlin and glared at Alek. “Xavier will make you pay for hurting me.” It took me a minute to figure out he was talking about Alek’s mental attack.
“Why don’t you make me pay?” Alek asked, his tone deadly.
Devlin glanced over at him. “Step out,” he said.
Alek gave Karl one last look, pushed off the wall, and walked out. Jonah and Rachel followed. What was that all about?
I focused on Devlin, trying to figure out what the end game was. It was obvious Karl had no intention of answering our questions directly. True, Rachel could inject him with her concoction or pummel him to death. The look in her eyes said she was ready to do both. But I had already given him enough blows, and those seem to have had no effect whatsoever.
Devlin seemed, for the first time, lost, as if he didn’t know how to handle Karl’s brand of crazy and something had broken inside of him. Hell, I didn’t know, either. And the longer he stayed tied to the chair, the worse it would get. We had to do something.
Devlin jerked his head toward the door, signaling for me to step out. Good. I could use a break from Karl’s noxious motor oil scent. Was he repairing cars, or sleeping with them?
It wasn’t like we hadn’t been in a similar situation. Only that time, our attackers had shown up at my apartment, killed Wade, and assaulted Alek and me. That questioning, and its eventual outcome, was justified. At least that’s what I had convinced myself of. But now, we had run a man down, kidnapped him off the street, and tied him up in a seedy motel.
We were treading on dangerous ground.
It was that gray area Devlin had warned me about the first time. They didn’t do black and white. He and his team colored outside the lines and operated in the gray. And now, I was part of the team, also playing in the ambiguous shade.
I glanced down the walkway and looked in the office. The clerk’s head lay slumped forward, the light from the television dancing over his head. “What did you do to the clerk?” I asked.
“He’s asleep,” Alek said.
I nodded while trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with Karl. He was obviously hell bent on antagonizing us. He didn’t even seem concerned about his wellbeing. “I think I should question him alone,” I said before I could stop myself.
Alek moved next to me. “Not a good idea.”
I ignored him because I knew he was angry, and I didn’t want to argue with him about it. It was sweet he wanted to protect me, but I also needed to prove myself.
“What’s your game plan?” Devlin asked, surprising me. I thought for sure he’d object to me putting myself in danger.
What was my game plan? Aside from keeping the crew from killing him.
“I can…” I trailed off.
“Get him talking. He’s fixated on you.” Devlin answered for me as if he had been thinking the same thing.
I felt Alek move up beside me. I turned to him. “I can do this,” I said, trying to sound brave and sure of myself. It wasn’t working.
He moved closer and stared down at me out of dark blue eyes filled with a brewing storm. “Devlin is right. He is fixated on you. For the wrong reason.”
I smiled, mostly to reassure myself, but also to calm Alek down a little. I needed his support if this was going to work. “Did you forget what I can do?”
He fought the smile gallantly, but in the end, his lips quirked up just enough to signal to me he understood what I was saying.
“Before you rip his dick off, make sure he tells you about Xavier’s plans,” Rachel said.
“Okay,” I said, thankful for the brevity. I was afraid. But mostly, I just wanted to get this shit over with quickly.
“Do you need me to help?” Kara asked.
I stared her for a minute. After what she just confessed to me, having her in the room was beyond not a good idea. True, she could probably get a confession out of him. But she would also have to inflict enough pain to get him to open up. Maybe even place some strategic cuts on his body. Damn. I really needed to stop my imagination before it got out of hand. I had no idea what her training comprised of, and imagining it wasn’t going to help me process it.
“Kara,” I started, and she held up her hand to stop me from finishing the statement.
“No. I will wait out here,” she said.
“I’ll wait with you,” Jonah offered. He put his hand on her waist and guided her toward Devlin’s SUV.
“They’re going to make kissy face,” Rachel said. There wasn’t in joy or teasing in her tone, which startled me until I looked at her and saw her face was filled with worry. It was a little surprising to see her in that state. She usually charged at danger like a kid in a candy store.
“I’m going to be okay, Rach,” I said, trying out their nickname for her.
She smiled at that.
“As I was saying,” Devlin said, his impatience showing, “get him talking. People often relish the idea of being able to tell you what they’re doing.”
“Like a villain’s speech?” I asked.
“No. We don’t have time to get into the psychology of it. But trust me, Karl wants to talk. He wants to gloat. Give him the opportunity to do it. If you get in trouble, yell, and Alek will shut him down.”
That was reassuring. Because I had absolutely no idea how I was going to get that man to answer my questions. After a short hesitation, I turned and placed my hand on the doorknob.
When I pushed open the door, I strong gust of motor oil and sweat rushed out as if it had been building up inside the room. I hesitated, wondering about the stench and the magnitude of it. The smell had actually managed to snuff out the motel’s stench. Easing the door shut to keep Karl from hearing, I turned to the team and asked, “Does his smell have anything to do with magick?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
Jonah pushed off the SUV and walked over. “It can. Demons have a distinct smell. Not fire and brimstone, but something close.” He inhaled. “I’m not smelling anything other than motor oil.” He grew quiet, his eyes cast down as if he were thinking. “If a demon were controlling him, we’d sense its presence.”
I swallowed the sudden boulder in my throat. “I thought demons couldn’t roam free.”
Jonah looked at me, his hazel eyes blazing in the darkness. “Where do you think the stories of possession come from? All history has a kernel of truth. Once created, if they are not contained, they do roam free. Some choose destruction and mayhem. Others choose quiet assaults.”
“Like Legos?” I asked as fear wormed its way up my spine.
“Like Legos,” he said.
I stared at the door and could have sworn I heard the music from The Exorcist. Why the hell did I open my big mouth to volunteer? I turned to everyone. They all watched me. Rachel ringed her hands like she was agitated. Maybe it wasn’t worry I glimpsed in her, but anxiousness. A need to be a part of the action. Damn. She really did get off on this shit.
I pushed open the door quickly, before I lost my nerve or peed on myself, and stepped into the room. After shutting the door, I walked around Karl and stood a few feet away.
Before I could speak, he said, “Where are your protectors?” I sat down on the floor and leaned up against the wall. “They’re scared of me. Of my power,” he continued when I didn’t answer.
“They’re throwing up. Your smell like you bathe in motor oil and ten-year-old sweat.”
“Fuck you.”
“We’ve already established you won’t get anywhere near me.” I regarded him, taking in the surety in his body language. “Xavier doesn’t have any magick.”
“Legos will give him magick. He will give us all power, and I will bathe in his baptismal waters to cleanse myself of this plain of existence’s stench.”
“So, have you been keeping yourself pure until then?” By not bathing, I left unsaid. I could goad him all night, but I doubted it would get anywhere.
“As Xavier has instructed,” he said, bobbing his head up and down. “I…” He stared at me. “I don’t trust you.”
“Why not? I want to know all about Legos. You want me to join you, right?”
“You have me bound to a chair. How can I possibly believe you have nothing but contempt for me if you leave me in this defenseless position?” I would have believed this bothered him if not for the glimmer of manipulation in his eyes.
I gave him a mocking frown. “You’re going to have to work a little harder than that, Karl.”
He closed his eyes. “Do you people really think you’re going to get away with this?” He asked in an extremely reasonable tone. The switch from religious fanatic to rational human being was a bit jarring. But I was willing to play along.
“I don’t know, Karl. I mean, you were watching us. Two defenseless girls sitting outside talking, and some big, burly guy comes up, trying to hurt us.”
He opened his eyes and smiled. “With those three men inside? You’re going to have to try a little harder than that, Nicole.” He laughed, the sound filling the room and taking all the available air.
A brief jolt of fear raced through me as I thought about Jonah’s brief lesson on demons, then settled when Karl suddenly stopped and stared at me. He was trying to get a reaction.
“Let me guess: You heard our conversation outside the door.”
His lips quirked up into a leering smile. “Of course, I did.” A faraway look crossed his face, and he leaned back as far as he could. “But that would be something. To be possessed by the most powerful”—he snapped forward and stared daggers at me—“god that has ever existed.”
“I hear the Old Ones are more powerful,” I said casually. “You have heard of them, haven’t you?” I asked, mocking.
He shook his head in disgust. “They are humans playing god. Insignificant.” He paused, biting his lip as he turned away. “Xavier could create one if he wanted to.”
“How?” I already knew how. I just needed to confirm that was Xavier’s end game.
“Sacrifice is…” Karl started and then froze.
His eyes rounded, and suddenly, he pitched forward. Only the bindings were keeping him up. His mouth opened on a silent scream, and he began to convulse.
Shit!
“Something is happening,” I yelled and quickly undid the ropes holding him to the chair. He fell to the ground in a thump. I went to my knees and turned him over, so his back was on the floor. I didn’t want him to swallow his tongue. He continued to spasm as if someone were shaking him from inside. The sickly sweet smell of burnt cherries rose around him. I scanned the room, looking for the Old One as I sniffed the air, searching for the acrid scent of sand.
Nothing. Only the cherry smell.
The others rushed into the room. Alek knelt beside me and stared down at Karl’s spasming body. “Someone is locked on his mind.”
“How close would they have to be to do that?” Devlin asked in a rush.
Alek looked up. “Close.”
Devlin rushed out of the room; Jonah and Kara followed. Rachel knelt with us and bent forward, sniffing. “He smells like cherries.” She looked up at me. “Is it Set?”
I shook my head. What the hell were we supposed to do?
“Can you stop them?” Rachel asked Alek.
“No,” he said and rubbed his head. He must have tried.
“Are they too powerful?” I asked, curious. I’d seen Alek use his magick on a crowd of people.
“Not too powerful. Karl is allowing this. It’s like…” He stared at the convulsing man. “Back up,” he said finally.
Rachel and I both moved back. Alek took the man’s head in his hands. Bowing forward, he started to hum. The dark melody filled the room. The power pushed at me, and my protective mark woke up.
The phoenix wings unfurled, and the hands opened as if waiting. My body lit with a wave of what felt like electricity, starting from my head and launching its way down my body. I blinked once. And when I opened my eyes, I could see the orange tendrils crawling around the room—filling the space completely. Just how powerful was Alek?
“Nicole,” Rachel said, sounding far away.
My protective mark must have sensed a threat to me. But I wasn’t the one being assaulted. So, what if the proximity to someone who was being attacked was the reason it was reacting? No. That didn’t make sense either. Especially since I was sitting on Alek’s lap when he latched onto Karl’s mind before. My mark hadn’t reacted then. It had to be the person who was attacking Karl. They were the threat. And my magick knew it. Going out on a limb, I knelt next to Alek and placed my hand on Karl’s chest. His heart rammed so hard; I could feel the pounding in my palm.
Alek turned to me. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice low.
“Helping,” I said, hoping it was true.
Alek’s sudden roar told me it was working. My mark now perceived the threat and assumed it was for me. He jumped up and stepped away from me. I didn’t look back to confirm he was okay. Instead, I focused all my attention on Karl.
The gold phoenix wings beat rapidly, pushing at the sudden onslaught of magick. My body shook, and a cold sweat ran down my back. Pain circled inside of me like a cyclone working its way from the center of my chest out. A steely voice suddenly echoed inside my head.
He is mine. He is mine. He is mine. The voice was too scratchy for me to determine if it was male or female.
Drool slid down Karl’s cheek. “I am yours,” Karl slurred.
I slapped him. “He is killing you!”
The fucking idiot didn’t even want to fight. I had tried to avoid his death. But it looked as if that effort was in vain.
A smile stretched across Karl’s face as his convulsions slowed. He was dying, and while my mark was protecting me, it was doing nothing for Karl. From the looks of it, he didn’t care.
Some people just couldn’t be saved. And I needed to accept that.
Alek pulled me up. The others came rushing back in the room.
“No one is outside,” Devlin said, his voice flat.
Alek shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do.”
But wait for him to die, was left unsaid. This was our fault. We should not have brought him here. When Karl’s body went still, I ran out of the room.