The Soul Seekers: Horizon (16 page)

“Maybe it’s not from Cade,” Xotichl says, looking from the mask to me. “What if it’s from Dace? You have to at least consider it, seeing as how he’s aligning
himself with the Richters.”

“One visit does not an alignment make,” I snap, feeling bad about the edge in my voice the moment it’s out, but I’m really tired of everyone speaking against him. If by
chance he was turning evil, he could hardly be held responsible. He made a choice with the noblest intentions, without fully understanding the consequences. If he could take it back, he would. If
he could control the beast, he’d do that too. Still, I refuse to believe he would ever act out against me by sending such a cryptic gift with no note.

“Whoever it’s from, the question is: What are you going to do with it?” Auden asks.

I lift the mask from the box and hold it before me.

“Are you going to keep it?” Lita casts a nervous glance my way.

“For now.” I return it to the box and pack the tissues around it.

“Are you going to wear it? What if it’s cursed? Or worse?” Xotichl says.

“I guess we’ll leave that to the pendulum to decide. Come.” I usher them inside. “We have training to do and that’s as good a place to start as any.”

When I get to the Rabbit Hole, the grunt guarding the entrance starts to give me some grief, until I push my sunglasses high on my head, allow him a look at my blazing red
eyes, and he waves me right in.

Guess Cade chose to ignore my request.

Yet another regret to add to his growing list.

I slip past a barricade that’s well into the process of being torn down, and make my way inside. Barely moving past the entry before I’m stunned into silence. The space is so new and
improved it bears absolutely no resemblance to its former, run-down self. Every last trace of the shabby, old, dive bar has been successfully eradicated. Leaving a sleek, modern establishment, with
high-end, minimalist design to stand in its place.

A sort of luxury Coyote lair.

The walls are an earthy mix of charcoals and browns. The floors are crafted from quartzite. While tall metal sculptures shaped to resemble trees jut from the corners, giving the place a cool,
natural vibe.

I move among a row of plush, low-slung banquettes, and sculptural aluminum tables that appear as though they’ve been crushed by human hands. Noting how the one familiar symbol that remains
is the red Coyote insignia marking the barware.

“So, what do you think?”

The voice is Leandro’s and I wait a handful of beats before I acknowledge it.

“A definite improvement.” I turn, allowing my gaze to roam the expanse of his face from behind my dark lenses. Searching for some semblance of myself in his sweep of dark hair and
shrewd gaze. Though he’s never been a father to me, there’s no doubt he sired me. Turns out, we have more in common than we could’ve guessed. “So, you survived the
blast,” I say. Nothing like stating the obvious. Still, while I came here with an agenda, it’s best not to rush it.

“Did you doubt me?” He cricks his neck, studies me with a practiced eye. His suspicion made plain in the look on his face.

I shrug. Hook my thumbs into my belt loops, aiming for a cool and casual stance. “There were many who were wishing you’d perished.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say
many.
” He laughs, but the sound is hollow, short-lived. “Though I’m sure there were a few. Which leads me to wonder—were you
among them?”

I fix my gaze on his, surprised to find the answer comes quickly. That it’s not at all complicated, and surprisingly genuine. “What kind of son would I be to wish such a
thing?”

His gaze narrows, searching for signs of falsehood, mockery, but he’ll find none of that here. I’m glad he survived. More than he could ever realize. Though from the looks of it,
Leandro’s hard to convince. “I’m afraid that’s a tougher sell than you think.”

“Why would I lie?”

“Same reason most people lie to me. To gain special favor.”

“I’m not seeking favors.”

“Aren’t you?” His brow creases and lifts, his lips fall thin and flat. “That’s not what I hear. Cade warned me you’d come. Says you want your old job
back.”

“Then Cade’s a liar.”

Leandro tenses, his fingers curl ever so slightly, yet there’s no denying his curiosity’s spiked.

“I have no interest in being yet another underpaid lackey.”

He shifts his weight onto his heels, shoots me an appraising look. “So, what do you have in mind?”

“I want that pay raise you promised last New Year’s Eve.”

“That so?” His eyes crease in amusement. “And tell me, Dace, what do you plan on doing to earn it? What sort of services are you offering to provide?”

“Whatever’s needed. You’re the boss, you tell me.” I take a moment to glance all around, trying to guesstimate just how much this renovation might’ve cost. No
doubt, it set them back a good bit. Still, the Richters are wealthy beyond measure. Whatever the number, they can afford it.

“Turns out, there wasn’t a whole lot that came out of pocket.” Leandro tries to appear as though he read my thoughts, when in reality, we both know it was my body language that
gave me away. “Luckily, we were well-insured. Not that it concerns you.”

“Doesn’t it?”

A group of workers file past, making last-minute adjustments to the furniture placement, the angle of the lighting, as Leandro leans closer and says, “You planning to inherit or claim a
portion of the profits?”

“Yes to both.” I meet his gaze. “I figure once you go, at least half should be mine. Don’t forget, I am part Richter.”

“
But not the half that counts.
As you so eloquently stated last New Year’s Eve.” He tilts his head back, stares down the bridge of his nose. “While I find this
all very intriguing, I’m afraid you’re testing my patience. I’m a busy man. I have a club that’s set to reopen, and a long list of things to accomplish well before then.
Aside from the responsibility of running this town and looking after its citizens who depend on me for their very well-being. So why don’t you get to the point. You want a job, is that
right?”

“For starters.” I nod.

“And why should I hire you when, from what I hear, the gas station just gave you the boot? If you couldn’t even handle that brand of grunt work, what makes you think I want you
working in my establishment?”

I duck my head, stare at my feet, figuring it’s better to remain silent than to rush to my own defense. If Leandro feels the need to exert his authority and show me who’s the alpha
Coyote, so be it. I’m fine with holding my cards until it’s time to play them.

“Excuse my suspicion,” he continues. “But it wasn’t long ago when you wanted nothing to do with me. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, and rest assured I never am, you
saw fit to threaten me. Going so far as to say, ‘
I’m the mistake you will live to regret
.’”

He pauses, giving me ample time to explain. And since there’s no denying anything he just said, I lift my shoulders, and admit, “That was then. This is now.

“Yeah? And what exactly has changed?”

“A lot’s changed. I’ve changed.”

“What specifically?” He shifts his weight from foot to foot, sneaks a peek at his flashy gold watch. Signaling that I am mere seconds from losing his attention for good.

“Specifically—this.” I push my dark shades high onto my forehead, revealing a set of red, glowing eyes. “Turns out, I couldn’t control my destiny in the way that I
thought. There’s no stopping it. No way to fight it. So, I figure if this is what I’m meant to be, then it’s time I embrace it.”

Leandro moves closer, his expression as unguarded as I’ve ever seen. He lifts a hand to my cheek, whispers a string of words that at first I don’t understand. It’s only a few
moments later after replaying them in my head that I realize he’s saying,
son—my son,
as he gazes upon me with the sort of reverence normally reserved for saints.

Though, I guess to Leandro, my blackened heart and tarnished soul hold a similar appeal.

“I knew it.” He’s transfixed by my gaze. “I knew it when I saw you last New Year’s Eve. Despite your bravado, I could sense the beast growing within. I knew it
wouldn’t be long before it made itself known—and now this.”

He places a hand on either side of my face, thumbs pressing into my temples. That simple, singular touch enough to infuse me with a cache of esoteric secrets and arcane knowledge, until the
entire history of the dark arts is coursing through my blood. Much of which comes as no surprise considering the countless times I eavesdropped on the elders’ private conversations as a kid.
Still, seeing it unfold firsthand and discovering the whispers were true is something else entirely.

In order to be fully initiated into the dark arts—whether it be skinwalking or, in my case, making the full transition into the malevolent beast I’m destined to be—killing a
relative is the price of admission.

Turns out, it’s the most useful thing Leandro has shared.

It may well prove to be the last conscious choice I’m able to make before the beast fully dominates.

It’s an act no Richter has ever achieved. As Leftfoot once said, Leandro is unwilling to spare even the dimmest Richter. Which explains why Cade’s transitions are always temporary.
Not a single one of them has ever been willing to go all the way—until now.

I have every intention of being the first.

And I know just where to start.

“Father.” I clasp his hand in mine. The two of us joined in unspoken solidarity, when Cade calls to him from across the room.

At first Leandro ignores him, but it only causes Cade to shout louder. “What do you want?” Leandro barks, making no effort to disguise his annoyance.

“What do you mean,
what do I want?
What the hell are you doing with
him
?” Cade crosses the room in a handful of steps, his voice steeped in outrage, as he says,
“You’re not seriously considering giving him his job back, are you?”

“Of course not.” Leandro spares his son a cursory glance, just long enough to see him visibly relax, before he shifts his focus to me. “I’m giving him your
job.”

“What the—?” Cade stammers. So enraged by the situation, he can barely get to the words. “Are you freaking crazy? Dace hates us! He’s out to destroy us! He’s
working with the Seeker. They’ve planned this all along, and you’re playing right into their hands!”

Leandro meets my gaze straight on. “Is that true?”

“It was.” I take a moment to acknowledge Cade, reveling in the look of defeat plastered across his face. “But not anymore.” My glowing red eyes confirm what words
can’t.

Leandro turns to Cade, voice filled with loathing as he says, “Clear out your office and make room for your brother. Once that’s done, check in with the kitchen staff and offer your
assistance.”

“No. No way.” Cade is red-faced and furious. “I’ve worked way too hard to let you mess it all up!”

“No?” Leandro mocks. “No? And just what are you going to do about it? Go ahead, show me why I shouldn’t choose your brother over you. It’s been so long since I, or
anyone else for that matter, last saw the real you.”

Driven by his hatred for me and a true determination to prove himself to Leandro, Cade’s face darkens, his body trembles and shakes. Straining with all that he’s got to make the
shift, but the transformation that once happened so easily he could barely contain it will no longer come.

“Just as I thought.” Regarding his son with a look of blatant contempt, Leandro shakes his head and shoves him aside. “I had high hopes for you, but clearly I overestimated
your abilities.”

“This is bullshit!” Cade shouts. “It’s the worst kind of trick, and you’re falling for it! Dace is—”

“Dace is the reason you stand here today. Don’t you ever forget that.” Leandro glowers. His anger so palpable I can actually feel it streaming off him. “First, you do me
considerable financial damage when you flooded the tourmaline market. Then you lied about killing the Seeker, and your brother too, for that matter. Then you put this entire family at risk last New
Year’s Eve when you couldn’t manage to stop the girl and her crazy father from blowing up the place, after assuring me I didn’t need to get involved because you had it all under
control—”

“But I killed Paloma! Did you seriously forget that? Or maybe you’re determined to ignore it because you’re embarrassed by how easily I succeeded where you failed!”

Though he does have a point, it only serves to feed Leandro’s rage. His voice lowers to a whisper that’s far more threatening than any scream could ever be. “You’ve made
the tragic mistake of thinking you’re one step ahead of me, when the fact is, you have brought shame upon this family by failing it in every conceivable way.” He thumps his son hard in
the chest, humiliating Cade to no end. “You are no longer useful to me. No longer a revered member of El Coyote. So pull yourself together, deal with your failings, and show your brother a
little respect. So far as I can see, Dace is the only one with any hope of someday replacing me.” Dismissing Cade with an impatient turn of his head, Leandro slides an arm around my
shoulders, and says, “Come. We’ll go into my office and nail down the details. By the time we’re finished, your new office should be ready.”