And then there was Mia. They couldn't stand each other for years, but somehow he got under her skin. I've been the witness to their roller-coaster romance since day one and now I would to be the one to end it. I had to hand it to Tobiasâhe was a true strategist. God, if anything happened to Dougie, she would die. Not the way a mated Cambion would, but slower and that would probably kill me, and then send a domino effect through everyone I knew.
But what choice did I have? If I delivered Tobias's body, he would only go after Caleb and his brothers again, and then probably kill Dougie anyway just to spite me.
I felt tired again, which reminded me that I hadn't fed. My weight grew heavy as my head pressed against the steering wheel. A warm sensation rushed over me like a breath and I knew what it meant. I heard footsteps approaching, rubber crunching against gravelly concrete, then a tapping on the glass.
“Sam! Sam, are you all right?” Caleb asked.
I shook my head. I didn't know what to tell him, didn't know how to even comprehend it myself.
“Open the door,” he demanded.
I shook my head again.
“Sam, please, talk to me.”
With my head still on the steering wheel, I reached over and clicked the lock. Immediately, the cold from outside rushed in and a hand pulled me back against the seat. I opened my eyes and saw two glowing orbs staring back at me. “What happened? Are you all right?”
He unhooked my seat belt and pulled me out of the car. After setting me down, I leaned against the car while he cupped my face with his chilly hands. “You hungry?”
I nodded.
“Feed from me.” He drew closer, ready to kiss me.
“Tobias has Dougie.” I pushed out the words in one breath.
He stopped, his eyes wide with surprise. “He has him or he
is
him?”
I let the sob answer that question.
“Did you look in his eyes?” he asked. His voice was controlled and soothing, as if he was coaxing a jumper off a ledge. “Did he kiss you?”
I didn't know what that had to do with anything, but I shook my head. “I had a reaction to him. It's stronger than it was before. I'm not immune to him anymore, but that's not the reason I feel weak. I'm more afraid of what he'll do with Dougie.”
He pulled me into his arms and squeezed. “I'm so sorry, Sam.”
What was he apologizing for? It was too early for that. I pushed away and almost fell over, but he caught my arms. “You make it sound like he's dead. He's not dead. We can still help him if we give Tobias his body.”
He offered me a neutral half smile. I knew he was trying to be careful with me, trying not to say the wrong thing, but he must have forgotten that I could feel his pity. “You know we can't do that. And you know once Angie finds out where Tobias's soul is, Doug is as good as dead.”
I stepped back and used the car for support to stand. “Not if we can get him out first, not if he's back in his own body. She said that was the only way for Tobias to be destroyed for good,” I replied. “He wants his body back by tonight or he's gonna kill both Mia and Dougie.”
Letting out a breath, he spun around the parking lot then stopped on sight of Mia's BMW in the lane ahead. “Where's Mia now?”
“She's with him and he won't hesitate to kill her.”
Caleb tilted his head, still looking at Mia's car. “Oh, I think he'll hesitate, seeing the body he's using. That might buy us some time.”
I had to think about that for a minute. It was possible. Gunner had resisted and was able to gain control for a few seconds, but it wasn't enough.
He looked down at me and touched my face. “You're not driving like this and you need energyâyou're about to faint. Let's go to my Jeep where it's warm. I'll take care of you.”
Did everything he said lately sound suggestive, or was it just me? Either way, I couldn't say no and I didn't own the strength to bitch at him for gorging on hospital staff. He didn't need to tell me, I knew that he had fed before he got here, gaining back what he donated. But he was full to the brim with energy, so much whirling, living power that if it were dark, he would glow from radiation. Just standing next to him was drugging, a contact high that gave me the munchies and he was the food.
I buried my nose into his collar and breathed him in. “We need to get to that storage unit. Did Haden say anything?” I asked.
He held the small of my back as he helped me to the side door of his Jeep. “No. I told you, he just kept going on about Mom . . .” He stopped moving and his eyes widened as if an idea struck him. “But I think I might have a clue of what the code is.”
19
A
fter Caleb's dirty version of a “reboot,” I was able to function within a world that didn't spin.
Rich, potent life regenerated each cell and had me trembling in its aftershocks. I sat back against the headrest inside his Jeep, savoring the kinetic activity and wondering how much Caleb fed today. He promised that he would cut back, but he was able to revive me and still have enough extra pep to carry out this mission. I would've confronted him about it, but he was busy doing God knew what in the rental office.
Century Storage looked like any other self-storage facility. U-Haul-style trucks and pickups were parked in the back. Portable pods and minitrailers were lined in a row on the grass. Across the lot was a plain white brick building with a big sign advertising Century's deal on moving trucks for twenty dollars.
I expected a maze of outdoor units with metal roll-up doors, but they were indoor compartments trapped in a concrete warehouse at the side of the property. That was our target, but for some reason Caleb went inside the office to talk to the owner and waste precious daylight hours. He'd been in there for forty minutes, and I wasn't trying to be here after dark.
To kill time, I called Mia and got her voicemail again. I texted Angie with the location of Gunner's body, but left out how I came about that information. Hopefully, the search for Gunner would keep the Cambion militia distracted for a few hours. Mom called me twice to check on me, but I left her a vague text telling her I was with Caleb and turned off my phone. I figured if I was going to be grounded, I might as well be legit about it. It was for a good cause.
With that accomplished, I looked in the back seat to double check the inventory in the duffel bag. Before arriving here, we'd made a quick stop at the hardware store for supplies: a hand saw, some rope, gloves, bolt cutters, a lighter, a can of kerosene, and a bag of Starburst. This was a sketchy combination to have rolling down the conveyer belt, but the tattoo-clad girl ringing up our items couldn't have cared less if we were setting a church on fire.
“Have you ever done something like this before?” I had asked Caleb once we were back in his Jeep.
His eyes were on the road and with a slick, dimpled grin, he said, “Search my memories for the answer later.”
Thinking now of what we were about to do and what was at stake, I realized that we were still unprepared. All we had was half a plan and a whole lot of nerve, but countries had gone to war with less.
The sun was falling behind the trees, pulling away its warm coat to reveal an early glimpse of stars. With darkness approaching we had maybe four hours to hit the rendezvous point. There was no telling how long it would take to get Tobias's body, and Caleb was operating on his own directive.
Just when I was about to fall asleep, Caleb approached the Jeep with keys in his hand.
I rolled down his window and asked, “What was that about?”
He leaned inside the window, chewing on a cherry Starburst and looking all kinds of hotness. “Rented a moving truck. Whatever they've got in that unit is gonna be big and won't fit in my Jeep. We need to be mobile. Got a good deal too. The dealer's a nice old guy, but can't see for shit. He'd seen my brother around here a few times and he thought I was him.”
“Are you really that surprised? You guys are like really messed-up triplets. I have perfect vision and still get confused.”
“Yeah, but I'm the cute one.” His smile fell as quickly as it appeared. “I'm gonna pull the truck back here, then we'll go into the building. I checked out the areaâwe should be fine. There're only men around so in case anyone approaches us, I'll need you to work your magic.” He winked at me then leaned farther in the window for a quick peck on my lips.
I couldn't argue with that. At least Cake Boy was on point, and though I might not know all the details of his plan, I trusted him. I had to.
He left for a few minutes, spoke to the owner, then returned inside a white industrial pickup. Caleb parked the truck then climbed out. I joined his side with the duffel bag of supplies. We walked toward the doors, staying cool and keeping an eye out for any overly helpful workers.
No, we didn't look obvious at all rolling up in A-Team posse formation. All we needed was to walk in super slow motion with hard techno music in the background. Adrenaline pumped in my system, excitement, fear, and raw badassery.
Since it was business hours, the automatic glass doors slid open without a key. The air sucked through the vents in a vacuum and as we stepped in, the doors sealed closed again with a Tupperware burp.
“It's climate controlled; keeps moisture out,” Caleb explained.
The place was an oversized cinder block with metal stairs, a giant freight elevator on the bottom level, and very active security cameras in the black ball in the corner. I felt like a spy on a secret mission with all the covert ducking and dodging.
Caleb spotted a cart with wheels and pulled it into the elevator with us.
Before I could ask, he dropped the duffel bag inside and said, “We need some way to get it out, just in case.”
The doors opened and we stepped into the wide hallway of cell block five. Gray walls with glass doors lined either side of us. Just as Tobias said, the floor was covered in oil. It glistened inside the cracks in the concrete, though black with dirt and tread. We followed the letters on each unitâodds on the left, even on the right.
Stopping in front of our desired unit, I understood why it was hard for Tobias to just crawl under the door. The doors were airtight with thick tinted glass; hiding whatever was inside from view. The key pad was imbedded into the wall so it couldn't be pulled out or broken.
“Are you sure it's this one?” Caleb asked.
I nodded. “That's what he said, 521.”
Caleb stood in front of the key pad and punched in a series of numbers too quick for me to see. Nothing happened. Swearing, he tried another set of numbers and failed. He pressed his back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling, consulting the overhead bulbs for insight. I kept eyeing the elevator, getting anxious as the risk of being caught grew severe.
Caleb used five more codes with no success. He placed his head against the glass and took a deep breath. He must've had a eureka moment, because his head shot up and he rushed to the security box again. This next code elicited a beeping noise then a metallic clank. I looked down and saw the door part from the wall an inch.
“Awesome! What was the code?” I pulled the handle and almost dislocated my shoulder. The glass was at least four inches thick.
Caleb grabbed hold and pulled it the rest of the way. “At first I thought it was Mom's birthday. Then I thought it was the day she died. I even tried all of our birthdays. But turns out it was our parents' wedding day.”
“Aww. That's so sweet.” My smile withered when I caught the strong whiff of spring flowers and something sour just underneath it.
“Yeah, Haden's a softy like that.” Caleb scrunched up his face, no doubt smelling the odor, too, then stepped inside.
He clicked on the switch by the door and glaring fluorescent lights flooded the empty room from above. Two sets of air fresheners were taped to opposite walls, the kind with those battery-operated spritzers with a timer. I half expected a coffin or some sort of time capsule, so it came as a disappointment when we found a large deep-freezer on top of a wooden pallet in the center of the room. The front of the white box was sealed with a metal latch and reinforced with a padlock.
“Now what?” I touched the lock and found greasy residue on the metal. I wiped my hands on my jeans.
“It's a simple padlock; a bolt cutter should do it.” He went for the cart in the hall and returned with the cutters. Once the lock was off, he lifted the latch and went no further. We stepped back, expecting an explosion or some glow to fill the room like an angry genie, but nothing happened. That meant we had to open it manually. Great.
“We shouldn't look in there,” I muttered, the full weight of what we were doing now coming to a head.
“It could be pork chops in there for all we know. We need to make sure it's Tobias's body.” He said a whole lot for someone who didn't move a muscle.
I tipped my head toward the box. “Fine, you look in there.”
He shook his head keenly. “No, you look.”
“You're the man with the plan. You go see. Didn't you want to be the hero here to save the day? Well, here you go.” I gestured to the ice box with a sweep of my hand.
“Where's all that feminist rhetoric now? You wanted empowerment; have at it.”
“Feminism has nothing to do with crusty dead things. Unless Tobias's corpse is being sexually harassed on the job, or not getting equal pay, then it's not my department. Now hop to it.”
We just stared at the freezer, terrified at whatever curse came with opening Pandora's Box. Whether it was from superstition, watching too many movies, or good ole common sense, we completely froze, but we'd come too far to turn back now.
“Fine, we'll open it together,” he decided, his voice thick with uncertainty.
Side by side, we snuck toward the box. We stretched our arms out as far as they could go until our fingers tucked under the lid.
Eyes glued to mine, he said, “Ready? On the count of three. One, two, three!”
The lid flipped open and we backed away and almost fell to the floor from the odor that shot out of the freezer. Rotting meat, sewage, and decay rolled up in a mixture of eye-watering funk. I'd never smelled a dead body before, but it was an odor I would never forget. I covered my nose in the collar of my shirt and inched closer.
Sure enough, Tobias's bodyâwhat was left of itâlay at the bottom of the freezer. I recognized his inky black hair, muscular frame, and the angelic, ambiguous features. He lay on his back with his knees bent so he could fit inside. His eyes were shut and his mouth was closed, giving the impression of peaceful sleep. But the illusion fell flat due to the broken arrow poking out of his chest and the dark circle of blood around the piercing. This sad image had all the makings of a slain vampire in his coffin, except a vampire should've turned to dust, whereas Tobias looked, well . . . soupy.
Half his body was submerged in a dark green liquid, which I guessed was olive oil. It had mixed with something else, parts of Tobias too disgusting to name. Everything below the shallow surface had dissolved into a thick sludge of grease. Only his face, his hands, which rested on his stomach, and his bent knees were intact, but hollow and as thin as a plastic mask floating in water. Sustaining its familiar, human form, the skin looked delicate with no bone structure to support its shape.
My knee bumped the side of the freezer, making the body wobble in a life-sized Jell-O mold. I was certain that if I touched itâand I sure as hell wasn'tâthe skin would cave in and sink to the bottom.
Then there was the smell, that noxious, acidic rank that clung to the back of my throat, no doubt stuck to my clothes, and would ruin my appetite for the next few weeks.
I wasn't Tobias's biggest fan, but this was cruel and unusual punishment that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I couldn't blame him for wanting vengeance. I would want the same thing if the tables were turned. Caleb, however, didn't share my compassion.
I was so horrified at the sight that I hadn't noticed Caleb pulling out his phone. Using both hands, he tilted the phone for a good angle. “Marvelous, darling. Work it, work it, work it. Make love to ze camera. Fabulous,” Caleb coached in a really bad French accent.
“What are you doing?” I asked, covering my mouth.
“He's gonna want proof that we're not bluffing,” he answered, twiddling with his phone.
“Why the photo? Aren't we going to just give it to him?”
He made a face at me like I'd lost my mind. “Hell no. We're gonna make a deal.”
“What sort of deal? Caleb, we can'tâ” Whatever I was going to say had been interrupted by movement in the freezer.
I screamed, jumped away, and almost knocked Caleb down. I held on to him, snatching at his body for safety, comfort, reason, anything. I hadn't imagined it, and the horror-struck look on Caleb's face confirmed what I saw.
Swallowing my heart back down, I slunk toward the box again, inch by agonizing inch. My plan was to close it and by no means look inside, but it didn't work. I saw it, and worst of all, it saw me. The eyelids had opened and revealed a milky white film over the eyes where color should've been. Nothing else on the body moved but those blank sockets, which followed me from left to right.
Having seen enough, Caleb slammed the lid shut and hooked the front clasp.
“All right, that's it. I'm out.” I went to the door. A hand caught mine and I jumped, ready to swing.
“Sam, wait,” Caleb said. “He can't move. He's paralyzed, remember? He's harmless.”