Infinite Risk (15 page)

The killer clown didn't budge. “Yeah, and orders are orders.”

“Have you no ambition? How long do you intend to hunt as Winter's hound?”

“Eh, I'm not much for long-term planning, and I like the perks. Lots of carnage, good hours, benefits package.” He grinned, showing stained, scary teeth. “Plus dental, obviously.”

“Then I am through wasting my precious time since you've chosen to be a minion instead of a power.”

“You should talk. All
you
ever do is flit around the fringes of the game. There's a word for assholes who consistently go after low-hanging fruit.”

The Harbinger dug his fingers into my shoulder, likely not realizing that his protection was starting to hurt. A normal girl wouldn't utter a sound, terrified out of her mind, hopelessly bewildered, and maybe wondering if somebody had slipped something into her drink. So I did my best to cower and look bleary. Forty crows cawed and shifted behind me, a palpable air of malice settling over the room like a death shroud. The tension clung to my lips and frosted my eyelashes. If the Harbinger had been half playful in his defense before, he was amused no longer.

“Take care,” he said softly.

“You think I'm scared of some angry birds? I beat that app like five years ago. But see how far this pissing contest gets us? You're starting to piss me off, Trick.” Buzzkill cracked open his go bag, revealing an array of knives.

“Starting?
I'm
finished. Scuttle back to your master before the choke chain throttles you.”

The clown let out an exaggerated sigh, kind of like an evil balloon deflating slowly. “Be reasonable. The Oracle fingered this one as screwing up the timeline, blocking the boss from acquiring a necessary asset.”

That explained how Buzzkill knew I was here, and the trouble I had breathing because of the Harbinger's aura intensified, resulting in near hyperventilation. My heart raced so hard, it hurt, and it wasn't hard to act like I was passing out. Head rush sparkles popped as the Harbinger caught me in one arm. His strength was absurd and effortless, belying his lean frame.

“She dead?” His heavy boots clonked a few steps closer. “That would solve everything. We'll find a replacement, no problem. This is the style you like?”

The sound of beating wings engulfed me, and to my astonishment, through my lashes I saw the birds had formed a feathery wall, fluttering together in a formation so unnatural that it filled with me a sort of grateful revulsion. Playing the damsel in distress sucked, but if I deviated, then all the Harbinger's bullshit would be for nothing, and I had to hang on here somehow, long enough to get Kian past his personal nadir. But it was tough letting them talk while all hell broke loose downstairs. Every muscle in my body quivered with tension as I resisted the urge to break free and run—not away from Buzzkill—but to help the terrified people below.

“You reek of blood and bratwurst, cretin. Another step, and you shall see why the others find it wise to leave me be.” His tone rang like sharped blades over smooth ice.

“Don't be dramatic. I'm just trying to do my job.”

“Does it seem as though I'm interested in your employer?”

“Not really.” Buzzkill seemed to make a decision and snapped his kit shut, hiding the silvery glimmer of multiple blades. “See you soon.”

“You'd better gear up and come heavy,” the Harbinger said gently. “Your little knives will barely scratch the surface.”

“Don't worry about
my
firepower. See you later, asshole.”

I kept quiet until the clown faded into the shadows and then for a minute more, just in case. “Is he gone?”

“It seems so.” The Harbinger let go of me and phased into Colin.

“Was it smart to talk about that stuff in front of me?”

“He thinks I'm draining you. By the time I finished, you'd be incoherent and broken, if not deceased.”

“But a slow death isn't good enough. They want me facedown immediately.” A shiver went through as the screaming intensified downstairs. “We have to help them. Buzzkill probably brought monsters.”

“I'd be surprised if he didn't, though some things just slither in greater shadows, hoping to feast off the carnage that others provoke.”

Fear made my words run together in a desperate rush. “They'll try to frame Kian, force him back into the role of school pariah.”

“Probably,” he said.

“Will you help me stop it?”

The Harbinger thought for a second, the pensive look illuminated faintly by the moonlight shining through the window. “I've already rescued one person tonight, dearling. I'm over my limit already.”

I sighed. “Never mind.”

“Then…” He swept out of the room, probably thirsty to drink in the chaos and fear.

I followed, conscious of the chill that pervaded the upper story. The bedroom doors weren't locked anymore, but the couples were half dressed and trembling as they clung to one another, likely not even positive why they were so terrified. On some level, they must grasp that this wasn't a normal power outage and that things were prowling the dark, even as they tried to convince themselves it was all in their imaginations.

In the kitchen, I found Vonna and Devon standing guard over Carmen, who gazed around with a blank stare. “Something truly screwed up is going on here,” Devon said softly.

“Get to the car. Give me fifteen minutes to find everyone else. But if I'm not there, get out of here, don't wait. You can drive, right?”

“I don't exactly have a license, but yeah. I know how.”

Vonna held out her hand. “I have mine. Give me Carmen's keys.”

I went over and fished them out of her purse, dangling limply off her shoulder. “I think you know this but don't leave her alone. It'll take her a while to feel like herself again.”

“You seem pretty sure what's wrong with her,” Devon said.

“It happened to me once.”

Vonna studied Carmen with an increasingly worried look. “She hasn't been—”

“No,” I cut in. “It's kind of like a roofie, but nobody raped her.”

Not physically anyway. I didn't have time to get into the particulars of how she'd feel after being psychically drained. That was definitely a violation, but not the sort they were worried about. After checking that we had our meeting time straight, they led Carmen out the back door onto a snowy patio, and I turned back toward the enshadowed house.

How many people am I looking for? Nathan, Amanda, Elton, and Kian.
The Harbinger didn't need
me
to rescue him. So four. In the hallway leading to the laundry area, two human forms cowered. Someone sobbed, low and breathless, as darkness crept closer, amorphous with red eyes in a blob of a face. I almost made out claws atop thin, elongated arms.
I can't just watch. I brought these monsters here.
Silently cursing, I touched Aegis, and it sprang to life in a shimmer of a gold. I swept the thing from behind, piercing it with a hiss of dark steam. It wheeled on me, and I slashed again. This time, I passed through the thing's core, and it dispersed like a malevolent cloud. More unsettling, the darkness whirled around me like a tornado of evil, until Aegis drew it all in.

Oh, shit. It's … Am I
feeding
it?

Suddenly, I wished I had asked more questions of Govannon or paid more attention when Rochelle tried to warn me. But before worry could lock me down, a rush of a pure energy shot up my arm. I'd never mainlined any illegal drugs, but this must be what it felt like. Euphoria crackled through my veins like fireworks, and I bounded away from the cowering humans on the floor.
They're safe, good enough. I have more killing to do.

Stepping into the laundry room, I nearly tripped on Jake Overman, on his knees and scared shitless of the shadow fiend that had him by the throat. Kian lay unconscious in front of the washer and dryer, and that checked my reckless fervor.
Dammit, I'm not here to fight. I'm supposed to be saving people.
But sometimes there was overlap between mission and inclination; Jake's gaze locked on mine, but I could see the smoke tightening on him like an ethereal noose. I didn't hesitate; the creature noticed too late, dropping its prey to face me, but I executed it in two sweeps of the blade. These creatures posed no challenge, just scavengers.

“What … how…” Jake was breathing, but not getting much oxygen.

If he kept huffing like that, he'd pass out. Which might not be bad for me. Bruises ringed his throat, and his eyes were glassy but he didn't have that vacant look yet. The thing hadn't finished feeding on him when I interrupted it. I had a feeling the shadow might've killed Jake since Kian was unconscious nearby and he wouldn't be able to explain
anything
later.

“You throw a weird-ass party. Pull yourself together and look for Tanya.”

“Oh, shit.” He hauled himself to his feet, nearly pulling down a metal shelving unit in the process. It wobbled and so did he, but fear for his girlfriend distracted him from the sword in my hand and the fact that something deeply disturbing had just happened in his utility room.

Once he ran out, I sheathed Aegis and knelt beside Kian. He didn't respond when I shook his shoulder, so I rolled him over and found the same bruise Carmen had, in multiples, like three shadows went at him at once.
No wonder he passed out.
When I checked his pulse, it was weak, like a dying bird fluttering against the glass.
But … he can't die, right? Wedderburn would flash-freeze all these things and make coasters out of them.
Trembling, I used the rage-strength Aegis granted me to get him over my shoulder, but I couldn't stand. Seven minutes had already elapsed, and I still didn't know where the others were.

As I staggered on one knee, trying again, Jake burst back in. “I can't find Tanya, and people are passed out everywhere, and they're talking about calling the cops. Lara's saying I roofied everyone or put some hallucinogenic shit in the beer or—”

“Slow down. What's the plan?”

“Damn, I don't know. You're not panicking?”

“First, we need to get the power on. Where's the breaker box?”

“In here. That's part of why I came back.” He went over to it, flipped some switches, but nothing happened. “Damn. What the hell is going on anyway? The generator should be running after five minutes or so. My dad has it on a timer, so it doesn't start right away in case of a brief fluctuation in the grid.” Talking seemed to calm him down; he was breathing better now.

So I asked, “Is he a survivalist or something?”

“Nah, he just doesn't want his steaks to spoil.”

“Rich-people problems,” I mumbled.

When we had blackouts in Boston, we always ate the ice cream first. The memory came at me hard like a tackle, but I held steady as Jake took Kian from me. He had no trouble with the fireman's carry I had been attempting; I led him out the back as the others had gone. Nathan and Amanda were ten feet ahead of us, slip-running down the drive toward the van. When Jake put Kian down outside the minivan, he was stirring vaguely, and I nearly fainted with relief. Devon and Elton hauled him in; then Amanda and Nathan jumped in after.

“What're you waiting for?” Devon asked.

Vonna revved the engine in emphasis; she was more than ready to take off. “Hurry up.”

“One favor, Devon. Kian's got the same issue as Carmen, but … maybe worse. If you send them home like this, we're all in deep shit.”

“How long before they recover?” Vonna asked.

“For me, it was about four hours. I think Kian got more, though, so it might take longer. Would you mind taking them home with you? If they're not better in the morning, take them to the hospital.”

“We should go now,” Amanda muttered.

I could tell Vonna and Devon were weighing the risks of trusting me. Then she nodded. “If Carmen's not talking sense in a few hours, I'll call her mom and drive her to the ER.”

“I'll give Kian until morning,” Devon added. “He can stay at my place tonight. My mom should be asleep when I get home anyway.”

“Get in already,” either Elton or Nathan called from the back.

I stepped away from the minivan. “Take off without me. I promised Jake I'd help get things in order here. I can find my own way back.”

Vonna didn't wait. The door slid shut, and she backed down the drive, eager to get away. Damn if I wasn't lucky all the people who had come with me were leaving in one piece.
I won't be so reckless again. I can't afford to wreak havoc in this timeline.
Jake was already pulling me toward the house. As we raced up the slick path, the generator kicked on, illuminating the windows to golden rectangles. That would help in driving off the shadows. Anything that lingered might take on human form, though, like the Harbinger as Colin.

Lara had everyone gathered in the living room, and like half the guests had bruises on their necks. “Why don't you just admit you did this to scare us, Jake?”

At that accusation, he stopped in the doorway. “Excuse me?”

“You're always looking for ways to make your parties memorable. I'm guessing you dosed everyone, turned out the lights, and waited to see what would happen. Have you heard what people are saying? Monsters, demon shadows; I mean, seriously. It's obvious you gave us something. Maybe you rimmed the red cups you passed out at the start?” She peered at the Solo cup in her hand suspiciously.

I had to admit, it was plausible. “If that's what you think, take the cup to be tested. Get a full checkup while you're at it. Then bring back the proof.”

“Why are you encouraging her?” Jake demanded.

“It's not like
you
can prove you didn't do anything wrong, but science will.”