Authors: M. R. Merrick
I reached out and shook Chief’s hand, thanking him for his time. Although Rayna wasn’t happy about it, I felt relieved knowing there might be a chance we could help her. Now I needed her to see it that way.
********
The SUV hummed over the pitted road and an odd silence hung around us. It was thick and uncomfortable, and I was happy when Garrett spoke.
“He’s a good man,” he said, brown eyes watching me through the rearview mirror. “Chief, I mean. You can trust him. I was where you are once. I hated what I was. I didn’t want anything to do with anyone, especially not the Hollowlights.”
“What changed?”
“Chief came into my life. He came into all of ours.”
“It sounds kind of strange that one man changed all your lives,” I said.
Karissa turned around. Her hazel eyes held the most serious expression. “If you'd ever met Arian–our old leader–it wouldn’t.”
“What made him so bad?”
Karissa released a sarcastic laugh.
“Arian was not a nice man,” Garrett said. “He thrived on torturing shifters, and if a werecat refused to join his pride, he killed them. Plain and simple. Things were not ideal for us.”
“That's putting it lightly,” Karissa added.
“When Chief came to Stonewall, he saw the fear and pain Arian inflicted. He taught us what Arian refused to: how to control our beasts. As more and more shifters went to Chief for help, Arian started to notice a change in his pride. When he discovered what was happening, he kidnapped and tortured Chief, threatening to kill him if he didn’t fall under his command.”
“So how did he get to be the leader?” Rayna’s mind seemed distracted by the story. Her feline eyes looked eager to learn what happened next.
“Chief challenged him.”
“To what?” I asked.
“All shifters follow a code. When a challenge is made, a shifter must either step down from their rank and leave the pack, or accept. If he accepts, the challenge is to the death.”
“So Chief won,” I said.
“Had there not been other shifters present, he would have surely killed Chief on the wall he was chained to, but even Arian wouldn’t attempt that in front of the pride. It wasn’t an easy battle, but even after weeks of torture, Chief defeated him, making him our new leader.”
“Wow.”
“Like I told you, he’s a good man. He is honest, and most importantly, he shows compassion.”
“Is that so?” Rayna’s sarcasm came back with a vengeance.
“Chief didn’t kill Arian. He gave him the opportunity to choose: death or exile. Arian chose exile and left the pride. With Arian gone, Chief has built this pride into something amazing. Other shifters like bears, foxes, coyotes, and all the birds, have always been on the bottom of the food chain. They are even rarer than the werecats, and because of that, they have no families. No pack. Chief has opened the door to them. Given them a home and somewhere they can belong. He cares not just for his people, but all people.”
Garrett brought the vehicle to a stop in front of the condo and turned in his seat. “You don’t have to love what you’re becoming, Rayna, but you should love who you are. Love the life you have and the people who are in it. If you try to do this on your own, you won’t have it for much longer.”
Rayna stared at Garrett, but I couldn’t read the expression on her face. She shook her head, jumped out of the vehicle, and didn’t look back.
“Try to talk to her, Chase. It’s in her best interest.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Rayna was in the elevator and as I raced to beat the doors, our eyes locked and it started to close. She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. I was too late. The doors closed and the elevator sprang to life.
I moved up the stairs with a hunter’s speed. I let the concrete steps vanish beneath me and I gripped the railing as I turned around the corner of each flight of stairs. “Rayna, wait.” I came through the front door of the condo, but Rayna didn’t stop. She took the last few steps and disappeared to the second floor. I followed her up and used my hand to stop her bedroom door from closing. “What, am I invisible?”
“Out!” Rayna pointed to the door.
“No, not until we talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Now leave.”
“Well, I’m telling you there is.”
“What do you want to talk about? How much easier things will be for me if I go? That I need to gain control of this
monster
inside me?”
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
“Because I don’t want to go.”
“What’s so bad about learning to control it? Or are you happy to let it kill you?”
“Don’t stand there and nobly tell me it’s for my own good because you don’t have a clue what’s best for me.”
“I know it’s killing you. You’re trying to shrug this off like it’s nothing, and it’s not. I was there. I saw what it did. You need Chief’s help.”
“I don’t need anything. Not from him, and not from you. Now get out of my room!”
“Too many people have died to keep us alive. I won’t let you throw that away,” I said, and my stomach tightened. I knew that was a low blow, but it needed to be said. I didn’t know how else I could get through to her.
“Don’t you dare throw that in my face!”
“It’s true, or have you forgotten the sacrifices that were made for us?”
“Screw you, Chase!”
“Dammit Rayna, why are you so afraid of this?”
“Because you’ll think I’m even more of a monster!” Rayna screamed, and silence fell over us.
I was frozen. “What?”
“Forget it. Just leave me alone.”
“That’s what this is all about? What I might
think
?” Rayna turned and stood with her back to me. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but I’m not that person anymore.”
“Oh please, I see the way you look at me. At Tiki, Vincent, even Willy. You pity us.”
“I do not.”
“You feel sorry for what we are. You think you're better than us.” Rayna’s voice was quiet, but I could hear the anger in it.
“You have no idea what I think. If you did, you’d know the reason is so I can keep you in my life. I don’t want to lose you, Rayna. Not Willy, not Tiki…I’d be okay with losing Vincent, but that’s beside the point. All of you and Marcus are all I have left.” Rayna turned around and met my eyes, but while her face showed anger, her eyes showed sadness. “But since you can read minds, you don’t need me to tell you that, do you?” I turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
I felt the fire burning within me. Anger and fear vibrated in my soul, rising to my fingertips and threatening to explode. “Not now.” I spoke to myself through gritted teeth, closing my eyes and concentrating on the element. I tried to push the power back, not focusing on water to neutralize it, but reaching down and shoving the flame into my soul.
The memory of my dream came back. I had perfect control then and I needed that now. I couldn’t afford to let this power own me. Not anymore. That confidence calmed me and allowed me to hold the fire back. The element churned, and with an invisible hand, I pushed it back beneath the surface.
The magic faded, as did my anger, and I released the breath I was holding. My pulse was racing in my throat and I took deep breaths, slowing it to a steady pace. I stood in the hallway, surrounded by silence, when Rayna's voice came from the other side of the door.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Chase, come on, get up.” Rayna’s voice echoed around me.
The world was fuzzy and I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s late. Come on, we’ve got to go.”
I pushed myself up and leaned against the headboard. “Forget it. I'm not coming shopping with you again.”
“We're going to Vincent’s.”
That name pushed away the sleep that had clung to my body. “You woke me up to take me to Vincent? No thanks.”
“He’s got information about the ring.”
“I’m sure he does. And I bet it comes with a pretty little bow and price tag attached. Not interested.” I slid back down onto the bed and rolled over.
“He’s offering it to us for free.”
“Now that doesn’t sound like there’s an ulterior motive at work.”
“Look, I don’t buy it either, but if the Circle and Riley both want it, it’s worth checking out.
Get dressed,” she said and walked from the room.
I pulled the pillow over my head to block out the sunlight. Rayna wasn’t wrong. Riley and the Circle wanted it, and that painted an even bigger target on me than usual. But this was Vincent and he operated on hidden motives. He was the reason I had the ring and the Mark in the first place. I wanted nothing to do with him, but he did have a talent for finding answers.
I cursed myself and rolled out of bed, getting ready for what I could only imagine would be a day full of lies and deceit. Maybe once we’d sifted through all that, we’d get lucky and find some answers.
I didn’t want to bring up Chief and his offer to help Rayna again. I knew the discussion wasn’t over, but the last thing I wanted was another fight. She hadn’t said a word about it on our trip to Vincent’s, but the tension was there, floating between us.
Vincent’s warehouse looked dull. The chain link fence was sagging in most places and the gate that was usually chained and locked was open and inviting. The boarded up windows and broken brick walls were in their true form. No glamour to be taken down. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why the head of a powerful vampire family lived in a place like this. It just didn’t seem right.
A blonde woman met us at the gate and led us inside. She pushed open one of the dented steel doors and smiled. “Welcome. I’m Veronica and I’ll be taking you to Vincent.”
She was one of the many vamplings Vincent had working for him. They watched over the vampires during the day and did whatever was needed on command. I knew they were just emergency food, but the vamplings thought they were a key piece to the vampires’ survival; they all hoped to serve their master until he sought to turn them.
Veronica led us to the elevator and we got off at the mezzanine above. There was a single door with a handle and a deadbolt. The lock clicked with a turn of her key and she pulled it open. Darkness spilled from the room and she flicked a switch. Fluorescent bulbs flickered and hummed as they came on. The room was long and narrow and filled with musky, stale air. Painted brown walls were solid and windowless, hiding the light from the coffins that filled the room.
It was noon already, and by the smell alone, I knew each of these boxes was filled with a lifeless, rotting corpse. The thought of being in this room full of vampires–even dead ones–wasn’t my idea of a good time. The fact that Vincent was still awake in the middle of the day spoke volumes for how powerful he was.
She led us into another room and rather than switch on the light, she touched the wall and pushed open a secret passage. Carpeted floors and warm colored walls were a change of pace from the concrete and steel warehouse. Wooden doors lined the hallway, and I could hear Vincent’s voice as we neared the end. Veronica opened the last door and ushered us in.
Vincent sat in a high backed leather chair behind an oak desk. Leather furniture sat around the room, creating a modern feel and making the old paintings that hung on the wall seem out of place.
“Yes, I know what’s at stake here,” Vincent said. He turned in his chair, hands clasped together, and a single black earpiece hung from one ear. He put a finger up and continued with his conversation. “I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. The Taryk family appreciates your support, and as always, we promise to deliver. Talk soon.” Vincent pushed a button on the headset, pulled the earpiece from his ear, and threw it across the desk. He gave us a strange smile. “Forgive me, you know how things are. The Taryk family is involved in so much it’s hard to find a moment’s peace.” His eyes fell on Rayna, a seductive hunger filling them. “And might I say, you look stunning today.”
“Uh-huh,” Rayna said.
Vincent frowned before turning to me. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure Rayna would be able to convince you to come.”
“The last thing I expect from you is honesty, but we need answers, so we’re here. What do you know?”
“Skip the pleasantries and straight to business. I like that. Now, where to begin…”
“You said you had information about the ring, so start there,” Rayna said.
A look passed through his eyes, one that made my stomach clench, but his tone remained cool and even.
“I’ve been looking into your little finger decoration, and it turns out it may be a thing of great importance. An item many have spent lifetimes searching for.”
“I'm listening.”
“After the Great War between the Circle and the Underworld, the gods made an oath, one that forbade them from returning to the dimensions they’d created. The oath physically bound them to the higher plains, however, they all feared that Ithreal might one day break free of his prison, so they made a loophole of sorts.” Vincent pointed to the ring.