Breaking Out (5 page)

I nodded, admiring my pal’s quick thinking.
“Maybe a code word’s a good idea.”

“Cool. I’ll come up with something.”

“Something clean and normal. It wouldn’t help
if you suddenly shouted out the name of some obscure video game
character.”

“What, you wouldn’t recognize Manny Calavera
as a code word?”

I threw a small rock at his foot. “No.”

“Fine. But don’t expect something like
ketchup
or
mustard
. Even I have my limits.” Jay dug
in his pack, throwing me a couple of energy bars. I needed to eat
often to replenish my reserves when I used magic. Since Jay was
always hungry, he made sure I ate too.

“You, know, a code word won’t help us if we
have a lot of info that has to be conveyed privately.”

“Mmph.” Jay had stuffed a whole bar in his
mouth and was furiously chewing.

“Can I try something?””

He swallowed the glob. “Sure. Whatcha need me
to do?”

“Relax and drop your shields.”

He frowned. “Don’t need to. They aren’t
strong. You went right through them when we worked on your spooky
mind control shit.”

“You’re a magical creature, right?”

“I guess, even though I don’t feel that way.”
He spread out his hands. “To me this is normal.”

“That’s one of the problems. You don’t see
the parts of you that make you different from human. What do you
feel right before you shift?”

“Vibrations and that tingly feeling like your
foot’s asleep, only it’s all over your entire body. Then the pain
starts in. But you must feel the same before you shift, right?”

“Not as much. I power through a shift
quickly, so the physical changes are blurred. I think it’s
different for me. Do you…do you open your mind? Is there any
sensation similar to that?”

Jay twisted his mouth, thinking it over. “I
let go. I let go of my human form. I make the decision to become my
bear before any of the other feelings kick in.”

“When I reach out to your mind, there’s a
block, a shield. It’s not very strong, like you say, but it’s still
there. Do you think you can try to let go of that block?”

“Why, if you can just go right through
it?”

“I think we might be able to talk mind to
mind if you do.”

He huffed, looking at me like I was nuts.
“I’m no fae.”

“Why can vampires speak mind to mind but not
shapeshifters? Both species are using the ley lines. “

“The same ones?”

“No. Shifters, the fae and most sorcerers and
witches use the lines the fae create with their magic. If blood or
pain is part of the process, then that creature is using
demon-borne magic.

“Vampires use demon magic?”

“Yep. Most of their magic is fueled with
blood.”

“Nice. How about zombies or ghouls?”

“C’mon, Jay. Zombies? Ghouls?” He had some
crazy imagination.

Jay swallowed down his third energy bar,
crushing the wrapper and sticking it in his pack. “I guess I could
try, but I might start shifting.”

“Don’t think about your bear. Relax your body
and think about letting go and telling me something important.” Jay
didn’t look convinced. “I’ll buy you a big steak for dinner.”
Samson whined. “You too, chow hound.” And the tail was wagging
again.

Ten minutes later, we gave up and started
walking south on the Old Redwood Highway, a road that ran parallel
to Highway 101. “You’re still blocked, blockhead.” I shoved his
shoulder, frustrated that it wasn’t working.

“Maybe I don’t feel like letting you into my
head, rearranging my awesome intellect.”

“I can talk to you. I just want you to be
able to talk to me too.”

“Yeah? Tell me something, big shot.”

“
You’re a stubborn asshole.”

He looked shocked at first, then laughed. “So
original.”

“Hey, I’m no Shakespeare. All I want is for
you to send me a message without using your big mouth. I’m not
going anywhere near your gray matter.”

“Do it again. I’ll concentrate this
time.”

This time I said something dirty in Rux, the
demon tongue. Jay happened to know that particular expression and
was busy laughing as a pack of human females jogged by. “Hey,” Jay
called out to one of the pretty girls on our side. “You know where
we can get a steak dinner?”

She jogged in place. We watched. “There’re a
couple of restaurants near the shopping center up ahead.”

“Thanks. You hungry?” Jay asked.

Still running in place, she looked him over
and smiled. “Maybe, if you clean up nice.”

“Oh, I clean up real nice.” His grin was wide
as he tilted his head in my direction. “You got a friend you could
bring? I know he isn’t much, but he can string a few words together
to make a sentence and he can use a knife and fork without dropping
food in his lap.”

She giggled, looking me over like I was some
foreign refugee. She shrugged, I suppose deciding that I didn’t
look threatening. “Sure. I’m Sherry.”

“Jay and Charlie.” Watching him in action was
an education: AP Flirting.

They exchanged cell numbers and decided on a
time to meet. The girl took off, running faster to catch up to her
group. That view was nice too. The whole interaction took no more
than two minutes.

“I gotta admit, you’re smooth.”

“It takes years and years of practice.”

“When did you start, when you were five?”

“Ah, little Susie Polk. My first kiss.”

“I never heard of Susie Polk.”

“Please. I don’t kiss and tell. And you
should talk. Linn was all over you at five. And Brina…”

“We’re not going there.”

“Okay, fine.”

This being a touristy area, motels were as
easy to find as fields covered in grape vines. The first one we
tried was a pet friendly motel with a large room, perfect for all
three of us. We checked in and showered, meeting Sherry and her
friend Kristin at the local steakhouse at seven. Samson was far
from happy that we’d left him alone in the motel, but the
restaurant didn’t allow dogs.

“Hey, I’m Charlie.” I stuck out my hand and
Sherry’s friend Kristin giggled, blushing. Wow. Great start. I had
zero normal social skills. Oh I could handle myself in front of the
King of Faerie or the son of an archdemon, but give me a pretty
human girl to talk to and I was hopeless.

Kristin stared up and up. “You’re so tall.
Where’re you from?” she asked.

“Up north.”

“Alaska?” Her eyes grew wider.

“No. Near the Oregon border.”

“He’s part tree,” Jay teased, already sitting
and holding hands with Sherry under the table. And I thought
vampires were fast.

“You ordering wine, Jay?” Sherry asked,
leaning against him and pouting her lips. Maybe she was interested
in him the same way Jay was interested in her. I’d have to get
another room. He could keep Samson with him.

“Nah. My body’s a temple, Sher.” It was hard
to hold in the laugh, but I’d had lots of practice around Jay. His
body was a temple full of burgers, fries and blueberry
pancakes.

“Ohhh. You’re one of those fitness fanatics?
Are you vegan?” Sherry asked.

He flexed one of his muscles, about to
probably go off on the benefits of eating meat. “I believe
that...”

I spoke loudly, interrupting. “He believes
animals are sacred and that a truly righteous man should consume no
flesh.” Part tree, huh? Can probably use a fork, huh? We’ll see
about that.

“Hey…”

Jay was about to protest, but Sherry
interrupted, wrapping her arm around his and scooting her chair
closer. “I think it’s wonderful that you care so much about
animals.”

I raised my eyebrows in a
see-how-I-did-you-a-favor expression. “You do?” Jay asked.

“Are you a righteous man?” Kristen asked me,
not at all interested in leaning against my shoulder or holding my
hand. She was more the wait and see type, like me. Hey, that could
work.

“Yes. One who eats steak.” Jay’s eyes had
narrowed, his mouth thinning. If he could’ve sent me a message
mind-to-mind at that moment, it would’ve been X rated.

The two girls and I ordered steaks, Jay
playing along by ordering a large salad and some garlic fries.
While we waited for our food, we asked the girls a few questions
about themselves. Kristin majored in music at the local community
college and ran track for their team. Sherry, also on the track
team, majored in business, hoping to eventually get a job as a
buyer for a local department store chain.

When the food came, we talked some more,
always steering the conversation away from us and on to more
general topics like movies and music, the usual. When Kristin and
Sherry finished eating, they both left to use the restroom.

Jay started to rant on me about the steak
dinner thing, but I got his attention fast when I told him,
“They’re lying.”

“What?”

“They’re lying about everything: their ages,
their school, the track team. Even the movies they like.”

He scowled. “They’re human. You can’t read
humans.”

I shrugged. “Maybe they’re not human. Or
maybe I can read humans.” Truth was, I didn’t know half of what I
could or couldn’t do.

“But you’d know if they weren’t human. You
always know.”

“I thought I did.” Everything seemed
different now that I was away from Crescent City.

The server came by. “Can I get you anything
else? Dessert?”

“I’ll take two more steak dinners to go.” The
server looked at me like I was nuts. “I have a couple of dogs back
at the hotel room.”

“Your dogs eat the roasted potatoes and the
side of broccoli?”

“Yes. Everything.” The server nodded and left
to put in the order.

“Thanks, but I’ll get you back.” Jay was
smiling, already figuring out some way to embarrass me tomorrow or
sooner. These mind games were normal for us and I never minded the
distraction.

“Be nice or I’ll give both steaks to
Samson.”

“Ha. If he’s lucky he’ll get the bones.”

“I knew you’d never last the whole evening on
salad and fries. Can’t have you fainting on me.”

“I could faint on Sherry. She’s sweet. And
probably really soft in all the right places.” His eyes widened.
“Oh shit. What if they’re lying about being in college and they’re
in high school?”

I shrugged. “Let’s play it safe and not take
any chances. We’ll make sure they get home okay and then we’ll call
it a night.”

“Man, hanging with you isn’t the party I’d
imagined.”

“I can always take you back home.”

“You kiddin’? I have great hopes for the
future. Wait till we get to the land where stars are not only in
the sky, but also on the sidewalk and in hot tubs.”

The server returned ten minutes later with
our check, a takeout bag and an envelope written in a strange hand.
The lettering was fancy and old fashioned, like something Isaiah
might write. I touched my forehead with my index finger, giving Jay
the silent signal to keep watch.

“Have you seen the girls we came in with?” I
asked the server, smiling at the human male to set him at ease.

“They handed me this envelope and then left
through the back.” He saw my surprised expression. “Sorry,
dude.”

I gave him cash to cover the check and the
tip, opening the envelope as soon as he moved away from the table.
I read it and passed it to Jay.

“
Mr. Cuvier,

I apologize for the subterfuge, but we were
certain that a direct approach would not be appropriate or welcomed
in your case. Our spies have reported that Caelen and Isaiah have
trained you well and that a perceived threat might have resulted in
an injured messenger. Our people are precious to me and therefore
not expendable.

The two young human females have been
glamoured to deliver this message and to tell a harmless falsity
concerning their lives. They know nothing useful to you so I appeal
to your sense of honor when I ask that you do not take action
against them.

Now to the point: I wish to offer you my
assistance on your journey, without any future obligation on your
part. I will not expect repayment of any kind: not blood, nor
promises of future support. All that I ask is that if you do
require my assistance, you spend one full cycle of the sun—24 hours
earth time—as my guest. I assure you, your stay will be comfortable
and your companions will be welcomed and not harmed.

Say my name and enact a beckoning sigil if
you feel yourself to be in danger. One of my messengers will appear
to bring you to my home.

Good journeys-

Ammon

The steak in my stomach was threatening to
make a break for it. I folded the note and stuck it in my
pocket.

“
Who the fuck is Ammon
?”

“
No clue
. I grabbed Jay’s shoulder.
“
You said that in my head
.” Jay waited for me to say more,
but I was in shock, speechless—even mind-speechless.

He spoke out loud. “Man, two bizarre things
happening at the same time is too much.”

“Try it again. Tell me what you think I
should do.”

He shook his head. “
Your call,
Char
.”

I swallowed and forced myself to focus.
“Guess it was the stress that brought it on. Try to remember how it
feels so you can do it again.” He nodded, still waiting. “Tonight,
we’re back on the road. We’ll pick up Samson and leave the
area.”

“And go where?” I shook my head, frowning
down at the steak knife I’d automatically picked up after reading
the note. “If you want to go back to Crescent City…” Jay began.

“We’ll hit the coast. Monterrey or Pismo.
Work our way to LA.” I was not going back to Mom and Dad with my
tail between my legs. I was more than capable of keeping us
safe.

A heartbeat later Jay nodded his agreement.
He was in for the long haul. “Fine, as long as I don’t materialize
in the Pacific. Sharks are not my favorite swim buddies.”