“Yeah. Ovulation. Dat's da word.”
I took the cup from her hand and set it on the coffee table. “Okay, Mia, no more drinks for you tonight. Let's sit down before you break your neck in those heels.”
The moment of truth was fast approaching. Holding a beer in his hand, Robbie jumped onto the coffee table and announced, “Two minutes 'til midnight!” followed by an eruption of cheers. At this point of the evening, all he wore was the top hat, jacket and boxers, his pasty torso bare to anyone with the stomach to look. Three giggling girls tackled him to the floor and smothered him with kisses.
The clock was ticking and people scrambled around for a partner. Mia was the odd one out. I looked to Dougie who leaned in as Olivia whispered in his ear. I couldn't leave Mia alone like this. This was the worst night of the year to be dateless. I'd never realized that until now.
“Go find Caleb,” she said over the noise.
“No, it's cool. I'll stay here.”
“Uh, Sam, you cute. You really are. But I ain't gonna kiss you at midnight. No point in both us with no man, so go. I'll be fine.” She patted my head again. I was really getting sick of people petting me.
I searched the deejay booth for Caleb and found it empty. He must have left to look for me. There were too many people, so I jumped to see over the heads on the dance floor as the partygoers began to chant. “Thirty-nine. . . thirty-eight . . . thirty-seven . . .”
I shouldered through the crowd, but all my efforts were wasted. I began to panic.
“Thirteen . . . twelve . . . eleven . . .”
I doubled back and headed toward the couch. Mia was still sitting there, looking sad and abandoned, holding her cup in her lap. Out of nowhere, Dougie appeared in front of her, took her drink, and set it aside. He pulled her up and trapped her face in his hands.
“Three . . . two . . . one! Happy New Year!” Just as he leaned in and kissed her, soft fingers touched my chin and turned my head. A pair of lips met mine and I didn't need to see who they belonged to.
I knew those lips, knew that touch and scent. I simply closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. Noise-makers and horns honked, glitter fell from the ceiling, and elation rained over us in a gentle downpour. I was trapped in a snow globe of confetti and I wanted this moment to last forever. Everything was as it should be, though I knew it wouldn't last. In this time in this place, drunk with the joy of it all, I wanted to believe that it could.
Â
After the party, everyone exchanged hugs and left. Cabs were called and keys were passed off to the DD's. Mia was drunk off her ass and there was no way she was driving home, a fact that Dougie made a point to enforce. Caleb stayed behind to pack his equipment and promised to meet up with me at the hotel. Since I arrived at the party with Olivia, I swallowed my pride and caught a ride with her.
The journey back to the hotel was tense and nothing but the roar of the engine broke the silence. Gunner sat behind the wheel while Olivia and I kept to our appointed sides of the back seat. I kept sneaking glances at her, while copying her posture and how she crossed her legs. She made grace look effortless whereas I nearly broke into a sweat in my attempt to be ladylike.
Growing sick of the hostility, I said, “I saw what you did with Dougie tonight. I appreciate it. Thanks.”
She fumbled with the beaded clutch bag on her lap. “Sure.”
“No really, thanks. You had him wrapped around your finger and you let him go. You can have any guy you want.”
“I know.” She stared out of her window and watched the lights and trees speed by in a blur. Her hair swooped to one side and a black teardrop earring dangled against her neck. “But I don't want someone who is in love with someone else. It's sickening to watch, and even worse to taste. I'm not that heartless.”
“I never said you were heartless,” I argued. “I know you have some issues with me, and I don't blame you for hating me.”
“I don't hate you. I think you're stupid, but I don't hate you.”
I adjusted in my seat to look at her fully. “Excuse me?”
“What else would you call someone who continues to date a boy who feeds off women without shame? The son of a killer? The same boy who let my sister die instead of helping her?”
“Helping her? Caleb did everything he could to save Nadine. Her neck was broken; there was nothing either of us could do,” I said in his defense.
“He could have given her his life,” she muttered.
I paused mid outburst. “What? How?”
“It appears that you haven't been reading the journals as you were instructed.”
“I've been kinda busy,” I mumbled.
With a loud sigh, she returned her gaze back to the window. “There was a story about a Cambion female in Greece whose son was dying from a war wound. The physician lived too far away. She couldn't bear the thought of living without her son, so she gave him her energy while he was on the brink of death. His life was gone, but his soul had yet to leave the body. It was enough to revive him in time for the physician to arrive and treat the wound. This is rare for our kind to do this since we are designed to take life, not give it away. But it is not impossible if enough human will is put behind it.”
I settled back in my seat, drinking all this in. Though a new revelation, the story seemed to line up with my own experience with donating life. When Caleb was in a coma, I had to give a good amount of my energy to sustain him, but he needed more than I could supply. Not even his brothers' energy was enough to bring him out. The deadly cost of giving too much energy had sparked my next question. “What happened to the mother, the Cambion?”
“Her heart gave out and she died,” she replied.
And there was the catch. “Great story, Olivia. Four out of five stars. And you wanted Caleb to do that for Nadine? That might not have even worked. He might've died.”
“Death is always a possibility, but it's a noble risk. It would be the least he could have done after what he allowed his father to become. Nathan Ross murdered many women and the brothers stood by and watched. His sacrifice would've been penance for his cowardice. But we will never know. And he will probably die anyway when the Santiago family sees him for what he is.”
Wow, I'd never seen a cold-blooded creature walk upright. At least now I knew her position on the matter, and right now she was two seconds away from getting snatched bald. “You do know that Cambions can't kill those in the same line, right? They can't harm their source. For example, I can't stab you in the neck with my car keyâLilith won't let me.” I smiled nastily.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Which is why the rogue Cambion must be reported to those who can do what his family could not. The brothers' disobedience will not go unpunished. The Santiagos are ruthless.”
“So am I. Ask Nathan Ross.”
She scoffed, but all her snark fell away when she saw I wasn't kidding. In that moment, I didn't feel the need to emulate her anymore. I had something that she couldn't have, something that years of pampering and Swiss tutors couldn't teach her. So I uncrossed my legs and stared out of my window, forgoing any further attempts to be anyone else but Samara Nicole Marshall.
Not much was said after that and I was perfectly fine with the arrangement. The car pulled up to the Charlotte Hotel and not a moment too soon. When the valet opened the door, Olivia flew out of the car and raced through the revolving doors. I strolled behind and by the time I made it to the lobby, she was already gone. Probably to her room to cry, but I wasn't sure. I was too distracted by the sound of drowning kittens coming from the lounge.
I entered the dimly lit room and saw Michael on the tiny stage near the piano. Drink in hand, Michael sang his heart out in a pitch high enough to torment every dog in the area. Haden sat by the bar, waving a lighter in the air.
I moved over to him and grabbed a seat. “Hey. What's going on?”
“I dared Michael to serenade the brunette in the first row and he lost. The boy needs to get laid. He won't be so crazy all the time.”
I looked up at the stage to Michael slow dancing with the microphone stand. His shades were off and he was using his powers of seduction to win over the crowd, which was primarily female. The ladies giggled and squealed at his lighthearted solo.
I leaned in to Haden and asked, “How drunk is he?”
“Very. That's the only way I can get him to do anything. He's painfully shy. It's crippling.”
“Why is he like that? Not the shy thing, but the whole twitch, talking-to-himself, klepto-schizo thing.”
He pondered the question for a moment then asked, “You ever wanted to be a super hero?”
Not sure where this was going, I shrugged and said, “Sure. I wanna be Catwoman when I grow up. I'd look good in leather.”
“Well, Michael thought he could be a super hero, fighting the forces of darkness, using his ability to take down evildoers. There was a time in his life when he would feed only on the wicked: murderers, rapists, child abusers, and all that. Thought he was doing the world a service.” Haden's face went hard. “That's the last thing our kind should ever do.”
“He was feeding off males?” I asked. “There are evil women in the world too, you know: gold-diggers, black widows, child pageant moms. Will his spirit even accept male energy? I thought it preys on its opposite.”
“It does, which was another reason why it didn't work. But what every Cambion must know is to never feed off the insane, or else the insanity might latch on to you,” he explained. “Imagine feeding off a killer, seeing all his victims, experiencing the thrill of each murder. The remorse that the killer should've had is now yours to bear.”
I nodded my understanding. “Imagine knowing not only the killer's entire life history, but the history of every victim. Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Haden looked to me, conveying sympathy that I didn't want. “I'm sorry, Samara.”
“Me too. We should probably get Michael to bed.” I pointed to the stage where he was now stretched out across the top of the piano, hitting a high note that could make glass shatter.
Caleb soon joined us and winced at the display. Together, the brothers finally pulled Michael off the stage. The audience booed them and demanded one more song.
“Sorry, ladies. Maybe tomorrow night,” Caleb yelled back at them.
I helped the brothers drag Michael to the elevator. Michael leaned his head against Caleb's shoulder and stroked his cheek lovingly. “I don't mean to be forward, but I dink you're a v-very beautiful woman, and I'd be . . . honored to buy you a drink,” Michael slurred then puckered his lips, ready to kiss him.
Disgusted, Caleb looked to me for aid, but got nothing but laughter. “Go ahead, don't play hard to get,” I teased, then made kissing noises.
Caleb gave thanks to the ceiling when we reached his floor. The elevator door slid open and Haden was the first to step out. From what little I could see, someone was standing in the hallway waiting to step in. I peeked around Haden's broad shoulder and saw Olivia's bodyguard standing there looking more intimidating than ever before.
His skin glistened with sweat, and his chest rose and fell from heavy breathing. There was something threatening about his posture, the way his shoulders hunched, the way his head bowed, and the promise of murder in his eyes.
I didn't need extrasensory powers to detect immediate danger. It was as apparent and straightforward as the weapon in his hand, the one that now pointed directly at us.
“Hey look, guys! Gunner's got a gun. That's funny.” Michael giggled.
12
“G
et back in the elevator!” Haden yelled and took a step back and in the same moment, a gunshot cracked in the air.
I hit the floor and Caleb followed suit, managing to pull Michael with him. In the sea of moving limbs and flashes of darkness, I lifted my head to get a better look and saw Haden tumble back into the elevator. Still on the floor, Caleb reached for the up button on the wall and the doors began to close. Another shot fired into the car and punched a hole into the back wall. Then another fired into the top right corner.
There were bodies all around me, blocking my view, but I could see the gap of the sliding doors grow smaller. Gunner charged forward, one hand stretched out to wedge between the doors. His face twisted in a fierce mask of anger, while his eyes glowed bright gold.
Michael's weight was on my legs, crushing my shins. There was a jingling sound at my right and I turned as best as I could. Caleb got to his feet, holding his key chain and a tiny Swiss army knife attached to the link. With one of the blades raised, Caleb sliced the meaty fingers peeking between the doors. A howl came from outside of the door, but Gunner kept to his mission to pry his way in. Blood dripped down the metal panel and over the fingers, making it too slippery to keep his grip.
The doors were trying to open again. I reached over and pushed the close button repeatedly until finally the bloody fingers disappeared. Only when I felt the car begin to lift did I stop.
Don't freak out, don't trip, just be cool
, I chanted to myself. This wasn't happening. I was just having a good time and talking to my boyfriend, not being held at gunpoint in an elevator. Of all people, why Gunner? Did Olivia hate Caleb so much that she put a hit out on him? Did she even have that kind of pull?
I dismissed that idea before it could settle. I saw Gunner's eyes, small and spaced too close together, but instead of their usual piercing blue shade, they were like fire. Only one person had eyes like that, and he had the means and the motive to dispatch an enemy; he was the only one right now with a good reason to want to kill any of us.
“Is everyone okay?” Haden groaned from the opposite side of the car. I couldn't see himâMichael's shoulder was in the wayâbut I could hear evident pain in his voice.
“Yeah. What the hell was that?” Caleb asked and helped pull me to my feet.
“I think that was Tobias. In fact, I'm sure of it,” I said.
He looked at me with impatience. “Sam, don't startâ”
“You saw it yourself. Gunner has blue eyes, now he's walking around with glowing yellow ones. And he's a hired guard who just tried to kill us. Do the math, Caleb.”
“Gunner's possessed? We need to tell Evangeline. He was hired to protect Olivia. Where's Olivia?” Haden asked, crouched on the floor holding the left side of his chest.
I looked at the dark red spot growing on his white T-shirt. “Oh my God! Haden, you've been shot!”
“Just a scratch. Don't worry about it,” he said, but his scrunched up face told me it was much worse than that.
The elevator doors opened and the familiar design of Angie's hallway came into view. Caleb poked his head out and searched both ends of the small corridor. Satisfied, he helped Haden up and draped his arm around his waist. I did the same with Michael who teetered in and out of consciousness.
No sign of any crazy gunmen appeared in the short hall and the glass door leading to Angie's suite was in plain view. I could see Olivia inside, her shoes dangling in her hand as she neared the stairs. Any hope of turning in for the night was ruined when she heard our knock.
“What happened?” Olivia cried and rushed to the door.
When she opened the door, we all spilled into the foyer. Both Caleb and I held a body in our arms. “Call the police!” I ordered then dragged Michael to the living room and dropped him on the couch like old luggage.
Caleb didn't make it as farâHaden collapsed in the middle of the foyer floor. “We need to get you to the hospital.” Caleb lifted Haden's shirt to assess the damage. “No exit wound. Looks nasty. I need something to stop the bleeding.”
Olivia's head bounced back and forth as she looked in horror at the living room and the foyer, and being completely useless. “Will someone tell me what's going on?”
“Gunner's got a gun!” Michael sang, shooting finger guns at the ceiling.
“Gunner?” Olivia stepped back, shaking her head frantically. “Impossible.”
“Believe it. Your guard's gone trigger happy,” I looked around the sitting area and spotted champagne, an ice bucket, and some folded dinner cloths. A little fancy, but they would serve the purpose. I snatched the cloths, brushed passed Olivia and joined Caleb back on the floor.
Caleb took a cloth and placed it over the dark gash on Haden's chest. Then and only then did I notice the thick trail of blood on the floor. Against the white of the marble it looked like barbecue sauce. “That's a lot of blood. He needs help now. Olivia, would you stop staring and call the police?” I yelled at her.
“I've got you. You're gonna be fine. You'll be fine,” Caleb chanted over and over, more to comfort himself than Haden. I could see the tension in his arms as he pressed down, I saw the strain in his face, but worst of all I could feel every twist of pain coursing through his body. This was his brother, biologically and spiritually, and another family member he could lose.
“Here, hold this. Press down as hard as you can.” Caleb and I switched positions, while he pulled out his cell.
His hands, slippery with blood, were shaking so bad he almost dropped the phone, but now was not the time to go into shock. He seemed to agree and worked up enough strength to dial. Meanwhile, I placed my full weight over the wound. The muscles in my arms burned as Haden's heartbeat thumped against my hand. Blood soaked through the cloth and I quickly replaced it with another.
“Operator says the police are on their way now. Someone must've heard the shots downstairs and called already. Might take longer for the ambulance to come,” Caleb reported quickly then continued his call. “Yeah, I'm still here.”
Haden was turning pale. His lips were almost white and dark circles were shadowing his eyes. I kept pressing down, not really seeing him anymore, not paying attention to Caleb's panicky voice on the phone, but focusing on the task at hand. This wasn't the first, second, or the third time I stood over a person who was dying. But if this one had a chance at a better ending, I had to pull myself together, fast. If Caleb couldn't wig out right now, neither could I.
“What on earth is going on?” Angie raced downstairs in a silk nightgown, gawking at the entire scene. Szymon and Mishka tumbled behind in their pajamas and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Just looking at them reminded me of enchanted forests, breadcrumbs and gingerbread houses. My first instinct was to shield their eyes from all the blood, but Angie beat me to it and ordered them back upstairs.
More questions flew at us as the panic grew, and I had no idea which one to answer first. Olivia was dead weight, Caleb was screaming to the operator, and Haden was bleeding all over the marble floor.
From the couch, Michael had felt the situation needed a jazzy soundtrack. Snapping his fingers, he sang into his fist Sinatra style. “Gunner's got a gun, pow, pow, pow. Gunner's got a gun.”
“Gunner did this? Why?” Angie shook her head, dislodging the confusion from her brain. “He's been our loyal guard since Olivia was a child. Why would he do such a thing?”
“They did something to him.” Olivia accused as Angie held her.
Caleb ended the call and looked up at Olivia, rage blazing in his eyes. “Yes, because that would explain why
Haden
is bleeding all over the place. We didn't do anything.”
Olivia ripped from her mother's hold and rounded on Caleb. “You
always
do something. Everything you touch, you destroy. I'll kill you before you hurt my friend.” Her eyes lifted to something over Caleb's shoulder. “Gunner!” She leapt over Haden's body and raced to the door.
“
Nooo!
” was the unified cry in the room.
I snatched my bag off the floor and dug inside for the tiny spray bottle of olive oil. I wasn't sure what good it would do, but it was the only weapon I could find. Maybe if we tackled Gunner, I could force him to drink it. A long shot, but it was worth a try.
Everything seemed to be suspended in time, making it impossible to move fast enough. Olivia slipped through the door, her hair a long tangled mess trailing behind her as she dashed out into the hallway. Through the glass doors, I saw Gunner step out of the elevator. With pistol still in hand, he spotted Olivia.
I couldn't see her face, but I could almost feel the transition in her moods: relief, confusion, and as she planted her feet to stop, fear.
I was at the door and Caleb was right behind me. Gunner studied the girl in front of him. Through his new demon eyes, his reaction was no different than others who looked at Olivia. He stood in the presence of a ghost, one that had come back to haunt him. For a brief second, his expression softened and as if enchanted by the vision, he reached out to touch her.
“Olivia, run!” Caleb warned.
Gunner saw our advance, then yanked Olivia by the arm. When he spun her around, I could now see her face, and the terror there was just as I imagined. Gunner pointed the pistol at us with one hand while holding Olivia's fighting body by the throat with the other. And thus began the hostage negotiations.
“What do you want?” I asked, choosing my words carefully. I couldn't say Tobias's name in front of Olivia. That would only compound the problem.
“I already told you and you're going to help me.” He held tight to Olivia's throat. She gasped and choked while her bare feet dangled in the air.
I hid the bottle of oil in my bra, then stepped from behind Caleb and held out my hand in surrender. Maybe he would agree to a swapâme for Olivia. If I could get close enough, I could hose him down. “Fine, whatever you wantâjust don't hurt her,” I said.
“Let my daughter go!” Angie cried from the doorway.
“Mama!” Olivia croaked.
“Ah, the great queen of the demon hunters. You sure have beautiful daughters.” Gunner looked down at Olivia's tear stained face. “It's remarkable. She looks just like her.” Thick, bloody fingers reached out and brushed the hair off her face. “Only there's one little difference.” His eyes lifted to meet mine. “Isn't there, Lilith?”
He was toying with me, and I hated it. I also hated how close his mouth was to Olivia's. I recalled the black cloud in my room, that swirling storm system with the gold light in its center, and the voices that came out of it. I wouldn't let Olivia join that chorus, and judging from the light green filter over my vision, I knew Lilith had my back.
“Fine, you've made your point. Let her go and I'll go with you. Anywhere you want.” I stepped forward, but the steel bar of Caleb's arm blocked me.
Gunner snickered. “It's a little late for that. I want my body. Those demon mutts stole it.”
“What?” I turned my head to Caleb who looked just as confused as I was.
Caleb shook his head slowly. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Think real long and hard. I'm sure it'll come to you what you did to me and Lilith.”
“Again, what are you talking about?” Caleb yelled.
“I swear if you hurt my child, I will rip your heart out!” Angie cried.
“I'm sorry, what was that?” His hand squeezed Olivia's neck. She yelped in pain, still wiggling in the air.
“Let her go!” I demanded.
With the gun pointed at us, he took a step back and then another toward the elevator. “I want what's mine, and you get what's yours.”
“No, no! Olivia!” Angie rushed to the elevator doors. “I'll find you. No matter where you go, I'll find you,” Angie promised as the elevator doors began to close. “And when I do, I'll kill you. You hear me, demon!”
“Mama!” Olivia shook her head wildly, terrified that we would leave her, but we had to do what he said for her sake. The elevator door slid closed and her screams could be heard from several floors down.
“Olivia!” Angie desperately pushed at the button on the wall.
“Come on.” Caleb tugged my arm, leading me to the twin elevator to our right. The doors wouldn't open and the number at the top had gone black, indicating it was out of service.
“Stay here and watch Haden! Stop the bleeding until the medics arrive,” he ordered Angie as we dashed to the service stairs.
The twelve-story descent was a slow and dizzying spiral to the lobby where complete pandemonium met us at the bottom. Guests stood by the main doors as security raced toward the elevator.