Bedeviled (9 page)
W
hen they finally stumbled their way out of the meatpacking plant, the sky had lit up with oranges and pinks, offering Kyana only her third experience with a real sunrise in two hundred years. She'd seen the black and white version while in Lychen form and she'd seen sunrises Below, where the sun wasn't actually real, but neither was comparable to seeing the beauty of an authentic sunrise.
Unlike the previous two mornings, however, this time, she could drink it all in while Ryker shared the last of his ambrosia and bread with her. She sat on the edge of Haven's father's cracked, grease-stained driveway, waiting for Silas to return with a car that would get them back to St. Augustine. They couldn't wait the hours it would take for Ryker's port to be usable again.
She closed her eyes and reluctantly reopened them to finally look at him.
“Tell me that I won't be knocked out of commission every time I face a fight,” she said.
“When you learn to balance the ambrosia it'll get less debilitating. Remember, your transformation isn't complete. You're only half you and half what you'll become.”
She didn't want to think about being only half as good as she was used to being. She was facing enough of a challenge as it was. A cloud rolled over the bright sun, casting shadows over the trailer park before the sun popped out once again and coated her skin like a fleece blanket. She wished she could sit here and do nothing but drink in the day, but sadly for her, the agenda wasn't going to be that pleasant.
Haven's father tripped his way down the trailer's steps, stinking up the moment with B.O. and stale cigarettes. She glared over her shoulder at him, pissed that, not only was he ruining her sunrise, but that she'd also been talked into returning to pick him up in the first place.
Ryker and Silas had insisted that it would go against the Order of Ancients if they left the man to die. They'd sent for help for the people huddled in the malls; it was only fair to help Haven's bastard daddy as well.
As he made his way toward them, she squinted, scrutinizing his face for some resemblance to Haven. She found it buried beneath thick gray eyebrows that covered the familiar blue eyes staring back at her with apprehension. This man had fathered her best friend, had given Haven to the world, and yet even that acknowledgment didn't soften her toward him.
As far as she was concerned, there wasn't a Dark Breed ever created that could equal the evil of an abusive parent.
Pushing herself to her feet, she finished chewing the last bite of her bread and looked to Ryker, who was leaning on the lamppost beside her. “You know what pisses me off the most? I know what it means to be a monster. I don't want to believe I've given that fate to my best friend.”
“She's only a monster when you've given up and left her to whatever fate Cronos is trying to hand her.”
Kyana tried to read him, but his face was a blank page. She knew he didn't think Haven was worth her time, but something in his voice told her he
wanted
to think she might be. That because Kyana believed it, maybe he'd try as well.
“I could try to link with her again,” she heard herself say, though it was the last thing she wanted to do. So far, each time she'd reached out to Haven, what she'd seen had grown darker and more frightening.
Ryker gave a faint smile and turned his attention back to the road, probably wishing Silas would hurry the hell up so they could be on their way. “We have a long drive. A nap might not be a bad idea. If you sleep, maybe you can reach her.”
Nodding, she looked around at the mobile home and tried to envision her friend growing up here. It was hard. Haven was so bright and bubbly, so sunny. How did someone grow up in this environment and turn out so damned happy and eager to help people?
The same way someone born of privilege ends up cynical and bitter like I did
.
Kyana knew better than anyone that one's material environment meant nothing. She'd been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Wanted for nothing as the daughter of a very wealthy businessman. She'd married a prince, lived in a palace, and yet the royalty and nobility that had surrounded her had been no better than the scum Haven had been brought up with.
The only difference was, Kyana had cleaned up her blood with silk and Haven had dabbed hers with toilet paper.
“You're shivering,” Ryker said, pulling Kyana from her funk. “It's like eighty degrees and you have warm blood now, so what's making you shiver?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Family.”
The sigh she released was filled with weariness as she shut her eyes against the sun. “It takes strength to care, I think. Haven was way stronger than I ever was.”
“Just because you care about different things doesn't make you weak, Ky.”
She felt him watching her, but she refused to look up at him. “What if she
is
stronger than me, in every way that counts?”
“She's not Haven right now, which means all those attributes you're envying don't exist.
You
have the advantage.”
Kyana dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. “And how's that?”
“This time, you're the one who cares.”
His faith in her was generous, and it gave her the courage to meet his gaze. “So love conquers all, huh?”
“In this case, yeah, I think it might.” He stepped toward her but stopped when a small red car spun into the tiny driveway, braking a mere foot away from them. Silas was back. It was time to hit the road. Time to admit she didn't have the first clue where to go from here.
She tossed a glare at Haven's dad. “What's your name, anyway?”
He blinked. “K-K-Kevin.”
“Well, K-K-Kevin, if you have anything you want to bring, grab it now. Unless you want to be stranded alone when your daughter decides to come back and finish what we interrupted, you're coming with us.”
His throat rose and fell in a deep swallow before he turned and stumbled into his home.
“We give him five minutes,” she muttered. “Then we leave him to whatever fate he deserves.”
She waited six. Then, with an irritated huff, she snatched up her baggy jeans, hoisting them so she wouldn't make an ass of herself by tripping, and went in after him while Ryker and Silas fussed with the car's radio.
She heard Kevin rustling around his bedroom and waited by the door, half tempted to stomp in there and drag him out by the scruff of his neck. That would require physical contact, however, and she'd already met her quota of filth today.
While she waited, her gaze skimmed the dusty shelves behind the television, the yellowed family portraits lining the walls. This was all a tiny piece of Haven. Her childhood. Her past. This was where she'd come from, and it was absolutely amazing that she'd managed to become such a phenomenal woman despite it. Even evil, Haven was a force to be reckoned with.
Kyana traced her fingers over the grimy pane of glass covering a collage of snapshots hanging above the kitchen bar. Her fingertips came away black, and as she brushed her hand on her flannel shirt, her gaze froze on a photo of identical twins, grinning ear to ear.
She felt as though she should have been able to tell which child was Haven, but the girls were so alike, Kyana couldn't make out a single attribute that was distinctive to one but not the other. She squinted, leaning in closer. Still nothing.
They even wore matching bruises over their left eyes.
Bastard
.
The girls wore pink dresses and stood in front of a road sign. She tried to make out the grainy words, and when they finally became clear, she chuckled.
CAUTION: SPIRITS CROSSING
It looked exactly like a deer crossing sign, but clearly had to be a joke. Behind the twins, a bright pink building looked like it had been painted with Pepto-Bismol. The sign on the lawn read:
AURA READINGS $10.00
TAROT READINGS $25.00
PAST LIFE REGRESSIONâPLEASE INQUIRE
“I know this place,” she muttered aloud. But for the life of her, she couldn't place it.
“Cassadaga.” Kevin's voice boomed behind her. “It's a spiritual camp down South.”
Kyana made the connection in her head. “Where the psychics go to retire.”
Haven had made Kyana go there with her once at the beginning of their friendship.
She swallowed. If Haven was scared, if she felt at all inadequate in what Cronos was making her do, she'd have her nose in a book committing new spells to memory. And if there were any rare spells, charms, or potions to be learned, she'd likely find them in a place like Cassadaga.
She'll return to the familiar
.
It was why Panama City had made sense. If Haven was returning to places that held some trace of her humanity, why not Cassadaga? Why not a place where she might find answers that could possibly help free her of Cronos?
Or even help her give him what he wanted?
Her heart began to race. “Did she go there often?” she asked.
Kevin stuffed a jacket into a beat-up duffel bag. “Her mother took her there all the time before . . . before our family fell apart.”
Before you murdered your daughter, you prick
.
Leaving Kevin standing between his kitchen and bedroom, Kyana jogged out of the trailer and leaped down the stairs, landing on the pavement with a smack to her bare feet.
Ryker and Silas looked at her with curious expressions.
“You said Cronos might be telling her things she can't possibly know,” she managed, excitement making it hard to be coherent.
It was Ryker who answered. “Yeah. Haven knew how to get to the trident and claims to know where the other Eyes of Power are hidden. She can't possibly know without a psychic connection.”
Kevin loped down the steps to join them and she gave him a rough shove toward the vehicle. “Get in the car.”
“Where are we going?” Silas asked.
“Where the psychics go to retire.”
E
ven without traffic as a hindrance, the trip from Panama City to Cassadaga was tortuously slow. Silas drove, Ryker navigated, and Kyana tried to lie in what some might call a backseat of the little red car. But lying down was impossible given the size of the seat and the bulk of Haven's dad wasting space beside her. She'd considered stuffing him in the trunk, but was pretty sure he wouldn't fit.
He let out a rumbling snore and Kyana elbowed him in the ribs. She might have to put up with his presence but she didn't have to put up with his obnoxious breathing patterns.
“Sonofabitch.” Silas brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop. “Another barricade.”
Haven's father sputtered, knocking Kyana in the chin with his big ogre-sized palm as he flailed back to life. “Whasgoinon?”
“Go back to sleep.”
His eyes darted nervously around the car interior before focusing on the roadblock illuminated in the bright orb of headlights. “Another one?”
The GPS chirped as Ryker punched buttons searching for another route. The damned thing had already given Kyana a headache. She didn't do any better around electronics than she did automotives. It was the Lychen in her. She had hoped Artemis's blood might quiet the static technology caused in her head, but that probably wouldn't happen until her other breeds completely faded into the background.
Her patience worn completely thin, she struggled to separate herself from Kevin's bulky mass. “I swear I can walk faster than you two can drive. Let me out.”
She wanted to get to Cassadaga and find out if her hunches were right. If someone there was peering into the unknown on Haven's behalf, she wanted to find them and cut that connection off pronto. She didn't want to leave Haven even more lost and alone, but evening the playing field meant not being two steps behind all the time.
With a heavy sigh, Ryker exited the car, flipped his seat forward, then offered his hand to assist Kyana. She didn't need a hand, she needed a bloody
shoehorn
. It took Kevin another five minutes to unfold himself from the tuna can on wheels, his joints snap, crackle, and popping as he tried and tried again.
Finally Ryker reached in, grabbed the man by his collar, and lifted him out of the open convertible top as though he weighed no more than Kyana.
Leaving their tagalong to Silas and Ryker, she stood in the middle of the interstate and took in their surroundings. The green highway marker declared they were just outside Tallahassee. At this rate, Ryker's porting powers would be ready again before they even reached the halfway point.
“This is ridiculous,” she snapped at Ryker. “If you don't know how to read the bloody map, why don't you let someone else navigate?”
Ryker raised his eyebrows, but remained quiet. Silas wasn't so polite. He climbed from the car and tossed the keys at her. She managed to catch them before they hit her in the nose.
“If you think you can do better, you drive.”
She felt a little guilty. It wasn't their fault. Unfortunately, GPS didn't mark Dark Breed destruction or military barricades. They were doing the best they could with what they had to work with. However, knowing that did nothing to cool Kyana's frustration or motion sickness.
She chucked the keys back at Silas. He wasn't as quick on the draw and they caught him on the chin.
“If you hadn't gone for cute and sporty and had gotten us something useful, we could push our way through this mess.” She pointed to the wide patch of wet winter grass not yet fully greened by the approaching spring. “Or at least go around it.”
“We'll backtrack to the last exit and find a way around this,” Ryker said.
“Fine, you two have fun. When you get back to the interstate, look for me.” She didn't make it two feet before Ryker had her arm and Silas blocked her path.
She snatched her hand away, knowing what they were going to say and not wanting to hear it. “I can take care of myself. And trust me, I'd rather take my chances on the road than in that contraption with the two of you.”
She wasn't used to needing a nursemaid. She understood their concernsâshe wasn't running on all cylinders yet and her role as Goddess of the Hunt was too precious to put in danger. But goddess or not, she wasn't going to be babysat or held against her will. The Lychen and Vamp sides of her might be dying, but the independent woman inside her sure as hell was not.
With one last look that warned them to back off, she vaulted over the first row of barricades. She shuffled her way around the second set of obstacles only to be brought up short by a very young, very nervous soldier and his rifle. Judging from the grunts and muffled expletives behind her, Ryker and Silas were giving pursuit and Kevin was desperately attempting to roly-poly his way over the barricade as well.
She looked around for the soldier's companions as she waited for her own to join her. There didn't seem to be anyone else here. “Put the weapon down. You have nothing to fear from us.”
The kid shook his head but did what she asked. She was surprised and a little put off that he'd given in so easily. She eyed the gun for a moment before swinging her gaze back to the man's face. He was pale, but certainly didn't seem to be in shock.
“You all right?” she asked.
He swallowed, a sheen of perspiration glowing beneath the fine hairs pressed against his forehead. “I'm not allowed to let anyone pass.”
It took great effort to keep from snapping him in two for being another obstacle in her path. Instead, she dug deep and found a tiny bit of compassion for the lone soldier.
“Your orders don't include us.”
His jaw clenched and he shook his head, but when he opened his mouth, he said, “You may pass.”
He looked so startled by his own words, she expected him to pop his hand over his mouth. “You sure you're okay?”
Nodding, he stepped aside, and as Ryker caught up to her, she cast the man one last glance over her shoulder. “What was that all about?”
“I'll explain later,” Ryker mumbled, looking back to make sure Silas was following with Kevin.
“Was he under some sort of spell or something?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked, intriguing Kyana even more. “Something like that. Like I said, I'll explain later.”
Something had put him on edge, but the hope-on-wheels looming before them shoved Kyana's questions to the back burner. A row of Humvees lined the barricade walls to the left, looking far roomier than the sports car, not to mention a better choice for avoiding obstacles like this.
“Is your troop sleeping in those?” she asked, turning back to the soldier.
“No.” He rubbed his temples. “They'll be back at sunset.”
“We're going to borrow one. And a list of any roadblocks set up between here and Cassadaga if you have one.”
“Ma'am, you're going to get me in a lot of trouble.” Once again, he looked like he was going to object, but instead, he walked toward them, pulling a well-worn piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to her. “Blockades are marked in black. Open roads are outlined in green. Try to avoid back roads and smaller towns. They're not guarded.”
“We're not the ones who need to be careful,” she said, tucking the map in the waistband of her pants. “Whoever left you out here alone should have his ass kicked. Stay hidden from anyone else that comes this way.”
Without another word, the soldier turned, opened the door to a nearby armored car, and disappeared inside.
“Well, he was certainly agreeable,” Kyana muttered when the door shut behind him. “Think he was on drugs?”
“Didn't expect it so soon.”
She snapped her gaze to Ryker. “What? Drugs? I'm sure those who could get them started building a habit the night Hell broke open.”
He held a serious gaze on her as he folded his arms across his chest. “He wasn't a pushover, Ky. That was Artemis working through you. Humans have a hard time denying gods' requests. Once we put some distance between you, he'll forget your order and return to guard his post.”
Not sure what to make of this revelation, she took a moment before following the men to the lead Humvee. Ryker offered her the front seat, but certain it was better for her stomach if she couldn't see the trees flying by, she refused and climbed into the back.
“So, I have the power of persuasion,” she finally said. “Interesting.”
“Don't abuse it, Ky.”
She glared daggers at the back of his head as he jumped into the shotgun seat. “I wouldn't.”
“You drive,” Silas said, stepping in front of Ryker's door. “I want to work on something that might help us.”
Kyana peered over the shoulder of the car seat as Ryker moved to the driver's side and Silas hopped in front of her. He began pulling items out of his bag and settling them around his legs.
“What's all that?”
“You'll see.
If
I have all the materials I need.”
When Kevin crammed himself in the backseat beside Kyana, she tapped Ryker on the shoulder with her newly acquired map. “See if you can get us there without any more delays.”
He shut his door and ripped the map from her hand. “Take a nap, Ky. See if Haven can show you where we go once we get to this place.”
In other words, stop bitching and do something useful.
Two hours later, it turned out Haven had nothing to show her but the backs of her eyelids, and they were approaching Cassadaga.
Ryker pulled over next to the
SPIRIT CROSSING
sign Kyana had seen in the photo of Haven and Hope and turned off the ignition. “What now?”
She eased out of the Humvee and stood in the middle of the road. Closing her eyes, she turned in a slow circle. She didn't know what she hoped to sense, but apparently, all the
spirits
were crossing elsewhere because she didn't detect a single humanâor anything else, for that matterâin the entire area.
With a sigh, she looked at Silas and Ryker. “One of you stays with Kevin. The other goes with me to search for Haven.”