Fragile Brilliance (Shifters & Seers) (26 page)

Any… minute… now…

“Oh, you’re not waiting for your rescue party, are you?” Reid gave a mock pout. “Sorry, I may have sent them a message letting them know you were okay and they could go home.”

The place where hope exists is somewhere between the breastbone and bellybutton. Maggie knew because she felt it die a quick but painful death.

“You don’t want to do this,” she pleaded, tears springing to her eyes. She knew she should be ashamed to beg for her life, but she wasn’t. It was her life, after all. Without it, she was nothing, and Maggie didn’t want to be nothing. She wanted to create. To love. To
live
. “Please. We can all just walk out of here, and I won’t tell anyone. We’ll call a truce.”

Boyfriend sneered. “No truce. No walking away. And no more talking.” He nodded to Reid. “Ready, Babe?”

Reid moved behind Maggie. “Ready.”

Before she make a grab for the gun Charlie gave her, Boyfriend wrapped his arms around her midsection, immobilizing her. In the next second, Reid jerked back one of her arms and wrapped something around her wrist. The pain was so intense she couldn’t process what was happening, let alone fight back. By the time they let her go, she found herself laying on the ground, her arms and legs bound with barbed wire.

A Zippo lighter flashed in Boyfriend’s hand. “I’m disappointed to have to let go of my original vision, but we do what we must.” He cocked his head thoughtfully at Maggie. “Maybe we could strap you to the counter and move your hands…” He put one hand to his head and reached the other one out as if trying to grab onto something. Maggie recognized the pose immediately. It is hard to forget how the body wearing your face in a horrific painting looks.

“We don’t have time, baby. Next time.”

“Next time.” He nodded, disappointment coloring his eyes.

Reid knelt down in front of Maggie, who was using all her focus to keep from giving them the satisfaction of hearing her scream. “Bye, Mags,” she said. “I hope you enjoy the way the flames feel licking your dirty skin. You’re going to feel it for the rest of eternity.”

And then they were gone. Maggie heard the snick of the lighter and saw the flash of light on the far side of the room. Unable to keep it in any longer, she screamed. She screamed as she used her knees and elbows to drag her body across the floor. She screamed as the world ignited around her. She screamed and screamed until she couldn’t scream anymore. The flames were so close the heat of it was searing her skin. Through the smoke, she imagined she saw Charlie standing in the door.

Look at me
, she thought.
Come for me. Save me.

But he looked the other way, and when he spoke, it wasn’t to call her name.

“Scout!” was the last thing Maggie heard before everything went dark.

Charlie realized his mistake the minute the door to the basement closed behind him. No one was down there, which meant he’d left Maggie unprotected when the killer was God-only-knows-where. He caught Davin’s scent just before the door clicked shut, and heard the lock slide home before he could make a grab for the handle. Since the door was metal and he was lacking both lock-picking tools and skills, he’d been looking for another way out of the basement when he’d heard Reid leading Maggie to the metalworking shop. He ran up the stairs, screaming for her to not go, but she hadn’t heard.

That’s when he started trying to tear the damn door down.

It was a contest to see which would give first - the door or his shoulder. Just when Charlie thought he was going to be nursing a shredded rotator cuff until the full moon, the door swung open.

At the end of the long hallway to his left he saw the door slam shut behind Reid and Davin’s retreating forms. The coyote wanted to run after them, and Charlie’s human half almost agreed, but as he turned towards them a flash of fire poured out of the metalworking shop, accompanied by a boom he could feel in his chest. The majority of the blaze was swallowed as quickly as it had erupted, and in its wake he heard Maggie’s screams.

“Scout!” he yelled, not even realizing he’d picked up on the Alpha Female’s scent until he was screaming her name. He pulled his shirt over his mouth, trying to keep from inhaling lungful after lungful of smoke. He got a supply of almost usable air and tried again. “Scout! Liam!”

He was about to charge in on his own when a white wolf leapt over a flaming beam and landed beside him.

God. Damn. It.

“You were supposed to be in human form.”
And have a fire extinguisher.

The Alpha Female gave him an apologetic look.

“She’s in there. I heard her.” The smoke was blinding and logic said no one could be in there and still be alive, but he knew there was still a chance. It was nothing more than a feeling deep in his stomach, but he trusted it.

Scout dropped her head, peered into the smoke, and then stared into the room. It only took a second for her white fur to disappear completely into the haze. When she’d gone about two or three steps, she let out a short, commanding bark. Charlie took it as a sign to follow.

Winding his way through the inferno, Charlie realized the fire wasn’t as widespread as he initially thought. The good thing about metal is it’s hard to burn. Flames still shot up from the wooden cabinets, but with Scout as his guide, he avoided the worst of it.

He spotted Maggie before Scout did, her green-and-black patterned dress bright enough to serve as a beacon. He shoved past the wolf, nearly losing his leg to a shear in the process.

He braced one hand on the dirt beside her head, and then froze.

What the…?

Charlie couldn’t feel the heat of the flames from his forearm down. He leaned in next to Maggie’s head, and when he built up enough courage to do it, sucked in a lungful of air.

A lungful of fresh air.

She was holding back the flames and smoke with the energy she was drawing from the earth, but she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. She’d already drained herself to the point of unconsciousness.

Charlie slipped an arm under her legs and lifted her gently off the ground, careful not to jar the barbed wire wound around her delicate wrists and ankles anymore than necessary. The sight caused a white-hot rage to burn in his blood, and he vowed he wouldn’t rest until Davin paid for what he’d done.

Maggie’s body trembled as she coughed against his chest. Before he had her completely settled, Scout was leading the way back out. Charlie had been able to hold his breath most of the way in, but he was a Shifter, not a vampire. He tried to pull oxygen into his lungs, but since Maggie was no longer touching the dirt, there wasn’t any to be had. His chest burned and little lights dance in front of his eyes, but he walked on. By the time he reached the door, his field of vision had narrowed to virtually nothing. He thought that was why he couldn’t see the hallway, but as he began to crumble, he realized he was wrong. The fire had spread, and he wasn’t going to be able to get them out after all.

The world was upside down.

No. That wasn’t quite right. Charlie was upside down.

No. That wasn’t it either.

“I don’t want to be mean when you’re obviously having a bad day, but have you considered a diet?”

Charlie’s eyes and brain finally adjusted enough to realize Jase had the top half of his body. Since his feet weren’t dragging on the ground and there was no way in the world they were moving, he assumed somebody else was supporting those. A pillar of black smoke threatened to block the stars out of the sky above his head. He took a deep breath, and the resulting coughing fit making Jase say a few special words and tighten his hold.

“Take it easy, bro. You’re going be fine.”

Charlie licked his lips and opened his mouth—

“Don’t talk. She’s okay. Your Maggie is a fighter.”

His Maggie. He shouldn’t have liked the sound of that, but he did. She was his. And she was alive. Although, the sooner he saw the proof with his own eyes the better.

“Let’s move him onto the stretcher.” The voice came from over Jase’s shoulder. The owner, a guy with silver hair and a blue EMS shirt, leaned into Charlie’s vision just a second later. “How are you doing there, big guy?”

Charlie meant to say he was fine, but the coughing got in the way.

“He was only out for two, maybe three minutes,” Liam said, outing himself as the person carrying Charlie’s feet. “He’s got some burns on his right side.”

Burns? Huh. He couldn’t feel those…

Wait. There it was. And dear, sweet Jesus, it
hurt
.

He made a mental note to thank Liam for pointing those out as soon as he could throw a punch again.

“Where is the other ambulance?” Jase asked as they slid Charlie onto the stretcher and started pushing him across some pavement. Since Charlie could only see the pretty patterns the ambulance’s flashing lights were making on the black cloud of smoke, he didn’t know exactly where they were, but he guessed they’d carried him as far as the main sidewalk winding through the center of campus.

“We sent it on with the girls in it,” Mr. EMT said.

“Girls? As in both of them?”

Mr. EMT flinched slightly at the tremor in Liam’s voice. Even the most human of humans felt an instinctual ripple of fear when the Alpha Male growled at them. If Charlie was able to talk, he would’ve told the guy it was Liam’s I’m-freaking-out-with-fear growl, not his I’m-going-to-kill-you-and-make-you-like-it growl. Not many people could tell the difference, but Charlie and Liam were tight. Not to mention, Charlie was wanting to do a little freaked-out growling of his own.

“The blond one… Senator Harper’s granddaughter?” One of Charlie’s friends must have nodded, because he continued. “She gave us a lot of lip, but then someone mentioned the press was on their way, and she relented. I’m guessing she didn’t want the world speculating on why she ran out of a burning building, carrying a girl while wearing nothing but an old Rolling Stones t-shirt.”

Charlie turned his head to look, and sure enough, Liam was going around bare-chested.

“Her injuries?”

Even Charlie knew what HIPPA was and how it meant the guy wasn’t supposed to answer, but it was Liam, so Mr. EMT said, “None we could see, other than a second-degree burn on her foot, but they’re going to check her over.”

“And Maggie?” It was more of a croak than actual words, but Jase had his back.

“The other girl,” his cousin translated. “She’s going to pull through and be fine, right?”

“She’ll probably need to stay in the hospital a few days, and there is going to be some scarring, but she’ll be fine. No lasting physical damage.”

In the end, Charlie had to go to the hospital, too. The burning in his lungs and on his side were pretty bad, but nowhere near as excruciating as having to lay in the emergency room, looking at the water-stained ceiling tiles, while he didn’t know what was going on.

He tried to focus on what Liam and the others might be doing to locate Reid and Davin rather than Maggie. If he thought too hard about her, he would think about what she had looked like when he found her. About the way the barbed wire had bit into her soft, delicate flesh. About how she was crumpled, lying still and lifeless on the ground. About how he felt when he thought he might lose her forever. About the scars she might carry on the inside now. About how she too was somewhere in this hospital alone.

Did she know he was alive? Did she know he wouldn’t rest until they paid for what they did to her? Did she know he was about two seconds away from ripping all the medical crap off his body and going off in search of her?

“Don’t do it.”

Charlie’s hand fell away from the IV at the sound of his father’s voice.

“You’re strong, but you’re not Superman, son.” As far as hallucinations went, this one was pretty vivid. Not only did he hear his father, but he saw him, too. The original Charles Hagan moved to the foot of Charlie’s bed. In Charlie’s eyes, his father had always seemed larger than life. Not so much anymore. Arms, which had once contained enough strength to send a boy flying into a wall, now looked too frail to lift a gallon of milk. “Let the doctors do their magic.”

Charlie ripped the oxygen mask off his face. “What are you doing here?” He sounded like someone had taken a sander to his vocal chords, but he could talk. That was a bonus.

“My son almost died in a fire. What the hell do you think I’m doing here?”

After the battle with the old Alpha Pack left Charlie in a coma and then bound to a hospital bed for months, his parents had stayed by his side. They’d gone so far as to rent an apartment in Nashville where they wouldn’t have to make the forty-five minute drive back and forth to their house. It was rare for him to look up and not see either one of his parents, his brother, Jase, or Talley in the chair beside his bed, no matter the time of day. But Charlie knew his father’s presence was nothing more than a show. People were watching - the Alpha Pack was watching - and so Charles Hagan had put in his required appearances, but Charlie knew better than to mistake his performance as actual care and concern.

“How did you get here so fast?”

It had only been a couple of hours since the fire started, not nearly enough for someone to make the drive from his parent’s house to the hospital in Lexington.

His dad concentrated on the machines monitoring his oxygen count and heartbeat as if he knew what they meant. “I was around.”

“You were around?” But then he understood. The familiar scent he’d caught around the farm on occasion. The way all of the guards shrugged him off without looking him in the eyes when he asked why they continued to let “the neighbor” on the property. “You’ve been spying on the Alpha Pack? Are you insane? That can be considered an act of treason.” And the punishment for treason was immediate execution. Charlie might have some very mixed feelings about his father, but he didn’t want to have to stand witness as Liam ended his life.

His father shot him a you’re-an-idiot look. It was one with which Charlie was very well acquainted. “I haven’t been spying on the Alpha Pack. I’ve been watching out for you.”

Charlie tried to make sense of that in his head, but it wasn’t happening.

“What? Why?”

Charles, Sr., rubbed his top lip with his thumb. “You’re my son,” was his very short, non-helpful answer.

“Since when?”

“Since your mama birthed you, or more accurately, about nine months before that.”

He knew it was weird, but Charlie had never thought of himself as his father’s son. His father’s disappointment. His father’s punching bag. Those roles he’d filled, but Charles Hagan’s son had always been Toby. He’d been fiercely proud of his first born. The two of them had a relationship Charlie watched and envied his entire life.

“Afraid I would screw up as a Stratego? Making sure you wouldn’t have to barge in and save the family from public embarrassment?”

There was a flash of anger in his father’s eyes, and Charlie found himself bracing for a blow. “You’re my son. I miss you. I miss Layne.” His father’s fists clenched so tightly the loose skin Charlie had been eyeing earlier was pulled taunt. “One of my kids is dead, and the other keeps trying to get himself killed. He refuses to come home. I only get to see my grandson with one of the Alphas looking over my shoulder.” He worked the muscles in his jaw, his eyes trained on the ceiling. “Your mother left me. I have nothing left.”

Charlie questioned the working order of the hospital’s equipment, because it said everything was fine, but he was pretty certain his heart had stopped.

“Mom left you?”

Charlie couldn’t decide if he was happy she’d finally grown a backbone and done it, or if he was angry she hadn’t found the strength to do it when he needed her to.

His father nodded, and Charlie thought there might be tears in the man’s eyes. Not that it mattered. Charlie wouldn’t feel sorry for him. Not after everything.

“Right after the hustings where we were ordered to give you custody of Layne. She said I’d taken everything from her she’d ever cared about.” He swiped at his eyes with one hand and Charlie felt a stabbing pain in his chest. “She moved in with your Aunt Rosemary. I tried to tell her she could have the house, but she said she didn’t want it.”

“And so you started stalking me?” Charlie was grateful he was laying down. Otherwise he was pretty sure he’d have landed on his ass by now due to the way his world was spinning upside down. “How did you get away with it? I mean, I get that you got those idiots from the Hagan Pack to cover your ass, but Liam and Scout should have sniffed you out ages ago.” His father’s silence was all the response he needed. “They knew,” he realized. “They knew, and they let you?”

“They knew. Scout told me that should I, and I quote, ‘cause you an ingrown toenail’s amount of discomfort’ she would ‘end me with as little speed and as much pain’ as she was capable of.”

Charlie sank back onto his pillow. As if his night hadn’t been shitty enough, now he had to deal with his dad? Or this strange person who sorta, kinda, but not really looked and acted like his dad. When he was younger he’d dreamed of this moment, of a time when his dad would realize what an ass he’d been and come begging forgiveness. He’d always imagined it would be more satisfying. Then again, he’d expected the words “I’m sorry” to come out of his dad’s mouth. All he had so far was finding out his dad had become a major creeper.

“I checked on your girl,” his dad said, grabbing Charlie’s attention. “She’s going to be okay. She’s got a pint of someone else’s blood in her now and a few stitches, but they say her lungs look better than yours. You’ll get to take her home soon.”

“And Scout?”

His dad snorted. “Checked out against doctor’s advice before even seeing a doctor. She and the rest of your friends have gone on a manhunt. If those morons who set the fire were smart, they’d go turn themselves into the police. There is a chance prison bars might keep Scout from turning them into human origami projects.”

“I should be out there with them.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Ah, there was his real father. Finally. The explanation about how he wasn’t smart or strong enough to be of any use was coming in 3… 2… 1…

“You’re hurt, and you got that way saving the girl. That’s the most important thing. No matter what they do tonight, you’re still the hero.”

Okay, that was it. Aliens had gotten to his dad. Aliens or maybe demons. Demons who were actually nicer and better at being human than his father ever was.

“You know, I like her.”

Charlie had no idea what his dad was talking about, but that seemed to be the theme for the evening.

“I didn’t expect to, you know. When I first saw her, I didn’t think she was good enough for you, and not because of her color.”

“Dad, if you have to say it’s ‘not because of her color’, then it’s because of her color.”

“No, it wasn’t.” His dad had his don’t-even-think-about-arguing-with-me face on, and after many years of learning his lesson the hard way, Charlie didn’t. He might not agree with his dad, but he wouldn’t ever say so. “I’m not racist. I served with good men of every color in the Middle East.”

“Of course you’re not.”
And you’re not a child abuser either. Oh, wait…

“She was just different than us, you know. She wore those weird clothes and was always wandering off to draw in her book. She didn’t talk much, and she always looked like she would take off running if someone yelled boo at her.”

“I like her weird clothes. And she’s an artist. An amazing one.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know much about art.” His dad shifted uncomfortably as if he was embarrassed by that confession. “I just knew the girl was strange, and I didn’t like her too much. But then I started seeing the two of you together, and I saw who you were when you were with her, and I changed my mind.”

Charlie really couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut. He thought they would lapse into a nice, awkward silence, but apparently once his dad started opening up and sharing he couldn’t stop himself from going on and on and on.

“Scout was never a good fit for you. I know you two thought you were going to grow up and get married and have a bunch of pups of your own someday, but I knew it would never work. Scout was always too strong for you. She didn’t need you.”