Jake smiled. He had not one, but two secrets. He ate breakfast with Aiden and Raphael while they talked about Alex getting killed the night before. Raphael’s forehead wrinkled, and he looked worried. If Alex could die, that meant Raphael could die too. Jake squeezed his hand into a fist in his lap. He hoped he was the one who would kill Raphael. Jake lowered his face to hide his smile. He might be able to do it now.
Jake felt powerful, more powerful than he’d ever felt. He wished he could gloat about knowing that Alex died before Aiden did, but he couldn’t risk him finding out about the shadows. Aiden would know soon enough. While Aiden might be able to control fire and the people around him, Jake could control air as well as fire. With Jake’s increased air power, who knew what he could do.
Still if Aiden and Raphael didn’t know about Alex being dead, that meant neither one of them killed him. Unless the one who killed Alex was hiding it. That wouldn’t be a surprise.
“It had to be Will or Marcus,” Raphael mumbled over his coffee. “There was water everywhere.”
“And yet no signs of a fire. Emma wasn’t there.”
Jake’s heart fluttered several beats before settling down. He hadn’t considered his mother. Thankfully, she wasn’t part of it. Killing Marcus or Will would be hard since they’d been nice to him, but Jake couldn’t even think about killing Mommy.
Aiden paused, tilting his head as he watched Jake. “There’s something different about you, Jacob.” He tapped his index finger on his cup. “What is it?”
Jake blinked. “What?”
Setting his cup down, Aiden leaned forward. “I can’t quite pinpoint it. What have you been up to?”
What did Aiden suspect? The mark the shadows gave him or his extra power? Jake looked down at the table. “Nothing.”
“Nothing, is it?” His fingernail tapping on the cup was the only sound in the room.
“No, sir.”
“Raphael,” Aiden’s voice rose. “Don’t you agree there’s something different about Jacob?”
“Do you mean his attitude? Did you ever punish him for his outburst yesterday? Or the day before in Little Rock?”
“Is it really your place to question my judgment, Raphael?”
“No…”
The tapping resumed. “Still…Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it is his attitude.”
Jake sat in tense silence, holding his fork over his plate.
“I’ll let it go for now as long as you don’t defy me, Jacob. You would regret that very much.”
Jake nodded as he watched Aiden under hooded eyes. Was he strong enough to kill Aiden yet? Should he try it right now? Raphael was here, but Jake suspected Raphael would side with whoever he thought would win.
His power rumbled deep in his bones, like an electric current charging his skin. It made him feel so full that he thought he would burst. If he caught Aiden off guard….
The shadows, normally still around Aiden, slid closer to Jake. “Don’t do it,” they whispered in his head.
“Did you see that?” Raphael shouted, jumping up so fast his chair fell backward.
“See what?” Aiden asked in an exasperated tone.
“Those shadows just moved.”
Aiden shook his head, rolling his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The shadows moved. Could the ancient prophecy be true?”
Jake sat up in his chair. “What’s that?”
Aiden scowled. “It’s childish nonsense.”
“Maybe not so childish.” Raphael looked scared. “Indulge the boy. Tell him.”
Heaving a sigh, Aiden pushed his plate away. “The prophecy says that one day the shadows will come back to reclaim their realm. A very long, long time ago, the four of us elements banished the shadow creatures to the otherworld. Needless to say, they weren’t very happy about it. Long ago, humans believed in ancient gods and the shadows convinced the humans that if they helped them escape, they would be rewarded.”
“Did they do it? Did they help them escape?”
“No, of course not. But the shadows told the humans that one day they would return to save them from the elements. We destroyed the civilization of course, so there’s no human record to prove it, but apparently Raphael has childish nightmares about their return.”
“Did Marcus help too?”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “Why the interest?”
Jake widened his eyes to look innocent. “It’s a story. Mommy used to tell me stories all the time. I miss them.”
“Well, soon you will be reunited with you mother and she can tell you stories to your heart’s content.” Aiden stood up. “Someone bring Antonia.”
Antonia had been nervous all morning, and Jake worried Aiden would sense it and become angry with her. Jake searched her out in the other room and covered most of her thoughts with his power. He had no idea if it would work, and he worried what Aiden would do to her if he realized what Jake had done, but it seemed worth the risk.
Thirty seconds later, she hurried into the room, lowering her face to hide the fear in her eyes. Now Jake was really worried and readjusted his power so Aiden could only sense the words she spoke.
“Antonia, I need Jake to be ready to go around twelve-thirty today. At that time, have all of his things packed and taken to the car. We will leave as soon as we are done with our errand.”
Jake’s stomach twisted. Not again.
Antonia bowed her head and nodded. “
Si, Señor
Aiden.”
“Jake, you may go for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“
Señor
Aiden.” Antonia’s voice shook.
Jake froze next to his chair, his fear for her turning his feet to stone.
Aiden grinned with a wicked twinkle in his eye, amused that she dared to address him. “Yes, Antonia.”
“May I take
Señor
Jake outdoors to play this morning? He’s a little boy and he needs fresh air and time to run.”
Aiden chuckled. “He’ll get plenty of fresh air this afternoon. Besides, it’s hot outside.”
“I will make sure he’s back in time to shower and be presentable before your outing.”
The silence that filled the room was deafening.
“What about you, Jake?” Aiden asked. “Would you like to go outside to play with Antonia?”
Jake glanced up at her, unsure what she was doing. She never dared approach Aiden with anything. “Yes, sir.”
“Very well, then.” Aiden waved his hand. “But don’t be late or you
will
regret it.”
“
Gracias, señor
.” Antonia nodded.
Jake moved toward her, careful not to go too quickly and rile Aiden’s anger. When they entered Jake’s room, Antonia’s hands shook as she grabbed his backpack. “We shall leave now.”
“Okay.”
He was curious what she was up to, but prepared to wait. The blanket he’d put over her thoughts kept Jake out as well. If they discussed her plan, there was a good chance they would be overheard.
Antonia picked up his pack and held his hand, leading him from the suite to the elevator bank. When the doors open, she pulled him inside, her grip tightening and making his fingers tingle. He looked up at her, but she kept her eyes on the numbers over the door, her mouth pinched in a tight line.
The doors opened to the lobby and apprehension tumbled in Jake’s tummy. None of this was right, but he trusted Antonia.
The air was hot and sticky when they left the hotel. They walked down the street, through the crowd of people. Jake’s feet dragged, the crowd reminding him of Jackson and what he’d have to do this afternoon. His stomach twisted and he thought he was going to throw up.
“Jake, we must hurry.” Antonia’s pace picked up the farther they got from the hotel. Soon Jake had to run to keep up, hoping he didn’t barf on the street.
“Antonia, wait.”
She halted, tears in her eyes. “We must hurry. We don’t have much time.”
“Where are we going?”
“You must trust me.”
He had no reason not to but couldn’t figure out what she was up to. This was so unlike her it made him anxious.
She waved to a passing taxi and the beat up yellow car pulled to the curb. Opening the back door, she pushed Jake onto the backseat, climbing in behind him. “To the airport, please.”
Jake’s heart lurched. “Where are we going?”
She took his hands in hers, her chin quivering. “I am saving you.”
His mouth dropped open. “What? How?”
“There is a plane that leaves in the next hour, but we must hurry if we are to make it in time. It is our only chance.”
“But Aiden… if he finds out… he’ll…” Fear screamed in Jake’s mind.
“That is why we must hurry. We must be on the plane before it leaves. It is our only chance.”
He wanted to be far, far away from Aiden, but Aiden knew everything. “He’ll find us,” he whispered, wishing he wasn’t so afraid.
She shook her head. “No. I will use different names. He will not find us. No more talk for now.” She turned to the front, still holding his hand.
The drive to the airport was short but long enough for Jake’s terror to build. Could she really save him from Aiden? Did he allow himself to hope?
The taxi dropped them off at the curb and Antonia entered the airport, her hold on him so tight he didn’t think anything—not even one of his storms—could pull him from her. She stopped at a machine and entered a credit card, tapping the screen furiously, mumbling prayers under her breath. The machine spit papers out and Antonia’s fingers fumbled to pull them from the machine.
One fell on the floor, and Jake bent over to pick it up. He handed it to her, looking up into her anxious eyes.
“Antonia, we don’t have to do this.”
She knelt in front of him, a tear falling down her cheek. “It is the only way I know to save you.”
“If he finds out…”
Pulling him into a hug, she buried her face in his hair. “Then we shall make sure he doesn’t find out.” Still kneeling, she pulled him back and looked into his face. “You are Tony Rodriguez. You live in Monroe, Louisiana. You are six years old. I am your Aunt Barbara and we are going to visit your grandmother in Houston. Now repeat.”
She was really doing this. His voice shook as he chanted. “I’m Tony Rodriguez. I live in Monroe, Louisiana. I’m six years old. You are my Aunt Barbara and we’re going to Houston.”
“Why are we going there?”
“To see my grandmother.”
“Good boy.” She kissed his cheek before she stood up and took his hand. They headed to a long line of people waiting to go through machines. Jake looked up at her, gnawing on the inside of his cheek with worry.
“This is the security checkpoint. If we can make it through this line, we are safe.”
The line moved slowly and Jake eyed every man around them suspiciously. He couldn’t believe it could be this easy. What should he do if Aiden showed up? Or Raphael?
Antonia stood in front of a podium and handed her papers to the man in the uniform. Jake’s hand turned cold and clammy. Mommy had always warned him that men in uniforms were usually enemies. This man glanced over the papers, then eyed Jake up and down with a frown.
“What’s your name, little guy?”
“Tony.”
“Tony what?”
“Rodriguez.”
“How old are you?”
“Six.”
“When’s your birthday?”
He tried to keep his eyes from widening. Antonia hadn’t told him that answer. “July.”
The man grinned. “You just had a birthday, huh? Did you have a party?”
Jake’s breakfast rose in his throat. “No.”
The man looked at the papers again, then from Antonia to Jake.
“So you’re going with your mom to Minneapolis?”
Sweat broke out on Jake’s neck. “No, sir. This is my aunt and we’re going to visit my grandmother in Houston.”
He cocked his head. “Why do you have blond hair and your last name is Rodriguez?”
He didn’t know what his question meant. “My dad had blond hair.”
“Had?” The man shook his head. “I’m going to have to have you step aside, ma’am.”
No
! Jake screamed into the man’s head.
The guard jerked, his eyes widening.
You will let us in
.
The order was so harsh, the man shook.
Jake stood on tiptoes and whispered to Antonia. “What does he have to do?”
“Hey, that guy’s not looking so well,” a man in line behind Jake said.
Antonia’s eyes were wild with confusion. “He has to stamp our tickets and make a line through them.”
Stamp our papers and put the mark on them. Do it now
.
The man in the uniform stabbed his stamp onto the tickets, then marked through them with his pen.
Hand them to my aunt and forget about us
.
He handed the papers to Antonia and turned to the next person in line.
Antonia crossed herself.
They took off their shoes and put them in bins to run through a machine along with Jake’s backpack. Jake was nervous until they made it through the line and out the other side.
Antonia took his hand again. “We must hurry. We only have thirty minutes.”
They half ran down a hall, stopping at an area with lots of chairs. A long tube extended from the building attached to a plane. It was much bigger than the ones he’d flown in with Aiden “Is that our plane?”
“
Si
.”
She sat in a chair, tugging him next to her. His nerves had him jumpy and he fidgeted. She covered his hands with hers. “You must be still. For just a little longer. If we are too nervous…”
He nodded, trying to sit quietly.
She leaned over to his ear. “What did you do to the security man?”
“I told him to let us through.”
“I didn’t hear you say it.”
I said it in his head
.
Her eyes widened and her rosary beads jingled. She cupped his cheek and searched his eyes. “Are you a
demonio
? You do not look like one.”
Maybe he
was
part demon after everything he’d done. “I don’t know. Aiden and Alex said that I am a mix of elements. My father was air. My mother is fire. Does that make me a demon?”
“
Mi dios
.” She crossed herself.
The images of the dead bodies flashed into his mind. “Aiden makes me do terrible things. Terrible, terrible things. I don’t want to do them anymore.”