“Everyone stay calm. Everything is under control. The elevators are currently out of service. If you need to get to your rooms, the emergency stairs are down the hall. We appreciate your patience. Please remain calm,” the security officer ordered. He then alerted the front desk over his radio that he needed backup for crowd control.
I shouldered through the masses, my eyes glued to the revolving doors. Guests in the lounge filled into the lobby inquiring about the commotion. Walkie-talkies crackled static. Cell phones were out and in use. Fingers pointed at the entrance. Witnesses watched in horror, demanding police assistance but offering no help themselves. Voices mingled in a steady rumble of noise.
“Oh my God, look at them! Why is he covered in blood?”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the police are on their way.
Please
remain calmâ”
“There were shots heard on the eighth floorâ”
“. . . blood all over the floor. Bullet holes in the wall andâ”
“Dammit! I can't get a signal. Let me use your phoneâ”
“He had a gun, so I couldn't do anything. I feel badâsomeone needs to help that poor girlâ”
“Did you get a good look at the guy? Big son-of-a-bitch tooâ”
“. . . thin, blond girl, maybe eighteenâdidn't get a good lookâ”
“Yes, a girl's just been abducted at the Charlotte Hotel. Charlotte. C-H-A-Râ”
“. . . stole my car! Someone call the police! God, I think my nose is broken!”
We finally made it outside then raced to the grassy patch in the middle of the driveway. We stopped by the fountain and allowed the helplessness to seep into our skin with the cold. My nerves were fried. Old phantoms stared me square in the face. Images flashed in my head, featuring a blond girl lying dead on the floor, broken and cast aside as collateral damage in a senseless war.
Olivia would not join her sister, not on my watch. But there was too much commotion, too much confusion, and not enough time. The odds were against us especially since Olivia and Gunner had completely vanished from sight in a matter of seconds.
We could go after them, patrol the streets all night, but what would that accomplish? We had no weapons to stop him and we didn't even know what kind of car Gunner took. No, we would need help with the search, and I could only pray that Tobias would keep her alive until then.
Plus the rough hands on our shoulders made it clear that we weren't going anywhere.
We turned around to find Detective Ruiz standing behind us wearing a black suit and tie. He appeared to have been enjoying the New Year's celebration like we had before the world came to an end. “I think it's best that you come back inside before you make a scene,” he said and tipped his head toward the crowd.
We soon noticed we had an audience. Guests kept their distance as they looked directly at us, noting our attire, which was comprised of sweat and a lot of blood. I stared out to the black night and the spinning flash of the police lights. Five squad cars charged up the paved strip toward the hotel. One thing about Williamsburg, when wealthy people are in trouble, the cops come a runnin'.
Not knowing what else to do, I looked to Caleb. His eyes had cooled to their normal shade. Despite the tremor of rage coursing through his body, he managed to have enough sense to understand that we were in for a long night.
13
W
hat a way to bring in the new year, but then why would this be different from any other celebration?
It seems no holiday could go by without some mishap that had to be explained to the authorities. Seriously, why did we keep going out? The very definition of crazy was to repeat the same pattern in hopes of a different result. But if I was crazy, I wasn't the only lunatic in the Petrovsky suite.
The past three hours had been absolute madness. The police took statements from everyone, and it was only by Evangeline's “powers of persuasion” that they didn't call my parents. Ruiz had escorted Mom home only moments before we arrived to the hotel, which was inconvenient because we carpooled to the hotel earlier tonight and she was my ride. I called and informed her that I was spending the night with Angie, and covered the phone to block out the three-ring circus performing in the background. With that done, I tucked my phone in my bra, shook my limbs loose and dove back into the fray.
The paramedics took Haden to the hospital. He'd lost a lot of blood and he was going into shock. It took three police officers to restrain Caleb, insisting that he had to stay until he finished the interview. It required twice as many men to keep Angie from destroying the room.
I'd never seen her so distraught and rightfully so. Her hair was flying everywhere, her makeup was smudged, and she couldn't care less who saw her sleepwear or the otherworldly glow in her eyes. She was putting out some serious homicidal vibes and making eye contact was not conducive to one's survival.
For the most part Caleb and I just sat on the couch eating chocolate after-dinner mints while Angie and Ruiz discussed arcane Cambion politics. Michael was passed out on the couch across from us and people walked by like he was part of the décor.
I could tell by the reddened faces in the room that somebody was going to swing, and I had my money riding on Angie. I figured it was best to stay out of grown folks' business. We were already in enough hot water for not telling Ruiz that there was a body-snatching demon parading around Williamsburg. Again I adhered to the policy of keeping my mouth shut when dealing with otherworldly creatures. It was just safer.
Between the failed attempts to get to the door, Angie sought the comfort of her cancer sticks and parked in front of her laptop, monitoring Olivia's location from her bracelet. According to the tiny dot on the digital map, Olivia hadn't changed locations in twenty minutes. Since Tobias knew well about the bracelet's tracking device, I hoped he hadn't had time to remove it like he had done with mine.
Equipped with this information along with extra photographs of Olivia, the police left vowing to exhaust all their resources to begin the search. Considering Angie's affluence and Cambion allure, I believed them, but this kind of missing persons case was well out of their jurisdiction. In any case, we needed supernatural backup posthaste.
During Angie's fifth effort to get to the door, Ruiz blocked her path. “No. Let us handle this. We can't afford to have you hurt.”
“He has my daughter!” she screamed.
“I understand that but you'll create an incidentâ” Ruiz barely got the words out before a white hand wrapped around his throat.
The movement was too fast for sight. The flow of black silk that trailed behind her was the only evidence to prove that she hadn't teleported five feet to get to the detective. She might as well have, because in a blink she held the man who was twice her weight by the neck and a good foot off the ground. Caleb broke from his thoughts to watch the scene while I moved in to intercede. I wasn't sure what Angie was capable of in her current state, but things didn't look good. In fact, it was downright fugly.
“I lost one daughter and you allow another to be taken from me on behalf of protocol?” She hissed and if she had fangs, they would've been on full display and planted in Ruiz's jugular. It amazed me how someone could look graceful and gruesome at the same time.
“Evangeline.” I placed a hand on her very tense shoulder. “Don't kill him. Please.”
“I say have at him,” Caleb muttered.
My head whipped in his direction. “Caleb, so not helping.”
“You forget your place, David. I told you what would happen if any of my progeny were harmed. I warned you,” she growled.
The look on Ruiz's face was priceless. I had to hand it to him, he didn't seem scared and didn't back down, and I was sure that was one of the reasons he was called the Cuban Necktie. But he couldn't look directly into Angie's eyes, and he winced whenever he tried. The piercing green light bounced off his olive skin like a laser pointer on a sniper rifle, and was just as deadly a weapon.
She must not have been holding him too tight because he was able to speak. “If you kill me, you will wage war against every Cambion this side of the world. Do you really want that? I'm not in the habit of striking women, so don't make me start now. Put. Me. Down.”
A notable pause engulfed the room. Finally, Angie released Ruiz's neck one finger at a time. He slipped from her fingers and plummeted to the floor.
Towering over him, she said, “Alert your people and call for reinforcements. Cambions, none who can be persuaded or possessed. If the family objects, I will declare war, if they interfere in any way, I will declare war. I will burn this city to the ground before another demon hurts my child. In the meantime, make yourself useful and take Samara home and guard her house. She and her mother are in danger.”
I stepped between the two of them. “No. I wanna stay. I can help you.”
“You will not get involved with this, little one. You will stay safe,” Angie said.
“Then let me at least stay here. I already told Mom I was spending the night anyway. I don't want to be left in the dark.”
“Fine.” Angie turned away and drifted to the security of her laptop. “You are free to leave, David. Return at noon to take Samara home.”
Ruiz got to his feet and straightened his suit. “I'll have men here in five hours. No oneâand I mean no oneâleaves this building until I return. You want to declare war? Refuse to comply.” He swept a glance to all of us before leaving the suite with his tail between his legs.
“That was pretty badass, Angie,” I said once we were alone.
She lifted her head to the ceiling and sighed. “No. That was foolish. I should not have threatened him. We can't afford a war among the family. I need their support and I may have made things worse.”
I shrugged. “So what? Ruiz isn't one of us. He doesn't have pull like that. You're afraid the Santiagos will show up?”
Angie laughed and lit another cigarette. “Samara, they have already arrived. They have been here for months. Do you really believe that the family would allow an outsider to know so many Cambion secrets? Have you ever wondered why Ruiz knows so much about our kind?”
“Yeah, it did cross my mind a few times.” I looked to Caleb and then back to Angie. “Wait, are you saying he's a Santiago?”
“Nephew of the eldest leader. He would have been second in line to lead if things were . . . different,” Angie explained. “He has influence inside and outside of our circle. That is why he's so valuable.”
Caleb drew closer, intrigued by this new discovery. “But the Santiago spirit is male. How did it skip over him like that? Was he adopted?”
“That, I'm afraid, is a story he alone should share.” Angie stared at the computer screen again. “I'll need to fly the children back home tomorrow. It's not safe here. I need to call their father to pick them up,” Angie muttered, thinking out loud, I figured. She went on for a few more minutes reciting her to-do list.
I looked up at the bottom right corner of the screen and noticed it was four A.M. Looking at the time sent a signal to my brain, telling me that I was tired. All the energy I took tonight had burned off and I was running on fumes.
“If it's any help, I don't think he'll kill her. She's a good bargaining chip. He needs her alive,” Caleb said, wearing down the floor with his pacing.
“He doesn't seem to feel the same about your brother,” Angie replied. “Do you know where his vessel is?”
Caleb shrugged. “I have no idea, but once Michael sobers up, I'll be sure to ask him.”
“That would explain why they keep disappearing. I'm pretty sure they have it hidden somewhere,” I added.
Angie crossed the room and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Samara, you do realize what must be done, don't you? He must be destroyed and I will not leave until he is found.”
“I'm all for that plan, Angie, but how would we kill him if his soul is out of his body? How can he die?”
“We must first make sure he is back inside his own body. The vessel would have to be consecrated and burned. If it is destroyed before he is reunited with it, he will be trapped in whatever body he currently resides. He will be a Cambion with Gunner as his host.”
“He won't be one for long, if he consumes enough human energy,” Caleb jumped in. “Tobias wants immortality more than anything else. Knowing him, he'll be back to full demon status in a week and this merry-go-round will start all over again, like some screwed up reincarnation.”
Damn, these demons were like cockroachesâthey just wouldn't die. But Caleb presented a valid point. Tobias's longevity was the root of all his actions, including his obsession with me. “So if he's trapped inside Gunner, what happens to Gunner's humanity? Could he fight the transition like we do?” I asked.
“It depends on his human will,” Angie said. “It is a balancing act that takes years to master. You should know from experience how difficult control can be. Gunner knows nothing about our world or how to combat it. But that will not matter; he would have to be destroyed as well if Tobias is inside him.”
Her flippant attitude toward murder took me aback. “There has to be another way. Is there a chance that Tobias can leave Gunner's body after his vessel is destroyed?”
“I'm afraid that is highly improbable if he wants to survive. The body keeps us anchored to this world. The soul alone cannot exist on this plane. It needs a body and life or else it will fadeâit cannot simply float on the wind. If Tobias is as fearful of death as you say, naturally he will latch on to any human rather than face the beyond.”
I recognized the ugly truth in what she was saying. I was a living example of what a soul would do to dwell among the land of the living. If there hadn't been a human body nearby, Lilith would've faded to God-knew-where.
“ âWho would fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death: the undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns? Puzzles the will,' ” I recited to no one in particular.
“ âAnd makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,' ” Caleb finished the next line.
I stared in quiet amazement, and not because he knew Hamlet's monologue. He didn't; he'd never even seen the movies, but he knew me and that was equally impressive.
“We cannot risk Tobias resurfacing,” Angie spoke up, effectively killing the moment. “The demon must be destroyed completely, both body and spirit. If Gunner isn't dead already, I'll see to it that he is dispatched. In the meantime, you two will figure out where Tobias's vessel is held.”
“If you kill him, you know what will happen to us,” Caleb warned.
“I'm afraid the rules had changed the moment he touched my daughter. I will not lose another child on account of him. I suggest you handle your affairs quickly. I trust that you will make the right decision when the time comes,” Angie answered solemnly, the edict of a queen facing the detriments of war.
In that moment, I saw why males feared Cambion females. They were some bad bitches.
I looked to Caleb for suggestions, and a small shake of the head was his only answer. Even now with death so close to our front door, he wouldn't bend under the pressure. We would bond on our own terms and for our own reasons. End of discussion.
Caleb turned to his brother still snoring on the couch. Actually, the sound coming from Michael's mouth went beyond the basic snore, but more like two grizzlies fighting over a salmon.
“I should get him to bed. He's drooling all over the upholstery,” Caleb said.
“I'll help you.” I took one of Michael's arms and helped pull him to his feet.
“Sam, you need to stay here,” he warned.
“No I don't. Ruiz said not to leave the building. Last time I checked your room was still in the building. You really wanna fight about this? Tell me you don't want me around and I'll stay here.” I waited. In the corner of my eye, I saw Angie look up from her laptop, anticipating his reply.
He didn't answer and his face gave nothing away as he draped his brother's limp arm over his shoulder. We each took a side and dragged Michael out of the room.