Catch Me When I Fall (6 page)

“Yes, please!”

When she slipped her hand into mine, I evaporated us back to the apartment building.

fter Kayla’s emotional breakdown—and my near slip-up—I’d tried to force myself to sit down in front of the television and pay attention to
Sportscenter
. But my attention had only stayed on the show for about twenty minutes before returning to her. Annoyed, I’d found a late afternoon course on OSU’s campus and hid, invisible, at the back of the room, listening to the professor lecture about imagery in eighteenth century literature.

Now, I stood next to Tabbi in Kayla’s room, watching as she put finishing touches on the portrait she’d drawn of the old man sitting in the courtyard. The in-progress version had already impressed me, but her finished product was incredible. She used only pastels, yet the picture looked life-like and had captured so much beauty of the garden below.

The door to Kayla’s room opened. A heavy-set nurse walked in with Kayla’s usual nighttime cocktail. “Lights out, Kayla.”

Kayla closed her crayon box before taking the cup of water and swallowing her medicine.

“Push the button if you need us,” the nurse said, leaving the room.

Kayla climbed into bed when the nurse flicked off her light. Her soft snores were our cue. I pulled two daggers out of my belt while Tabbi went to work.

Above the bed, the dream Tabbi weaved came to life. This time, Kayla stood on a stage in a long, black gown. She brought her violin up to her left shoulder and placed her chin in its rest. In her right hand was the bow, and after taking a deep breath, Kayla moved the bow across the violin’s strings.

Music filled the room, each note on perfect pitch. It was a beautiful, melancholy tune that she played with so much emotion the song took on a life of its own. The melody sped up and slowed down in just the right places, grew louder and fell softer in a way that told a story. Goose pimples rose on my arms.

I closed my eyes and listened to the music, letting the notes transport me to a place of serenity. Only when the last note played and her dream filled with an eruption of claps and cheering did I open my eyes. The Kayla in the dream wore a smile that made me smile in return. She was so beautiful, so happy. And she looked so confident, like she knew where she belonged.

Then the scent of sulfur filled the air.

Bugger
. The Nightmares were coming.

Moving closer to the bed, I gripped my daggers tight in my hands. Tabbi sensed my movement and glanced in my direction. I knew she felt them too.

“Just keep working. I’ll keep you safe.”

Tabbi nodded and weaved another dream.

The first Nightmare came through the wall at the far side of the room. The creature slithered through the white stone until its whole scaly body was in view. Breathing through my mouth—the sulfur smell was intense—I threw my dagger. My blade, spelled to kill what was already dead, entered its skull right between the eyes. The beast hissed as it fell to the floor. I quickly disposed of the monster, lighting its body on fire, then waited for the second.

From behind the first came the other, the Nightmare’s glowing, red eyes staring holes into me.
Got you, bitch,
I thought, bringing my hand back to throw my dagger. But through the window came a third, through the door a fourth, and near the rocking chair came a fifth.

What the hell?
Nightmares never came out in fives. I might have gotten five in one night before, but never at the same time.

Yanking my mobile of my back pocket, I sent a “1-1-2” text—standard emergency number in Italy—to Giovanni. He would document the message and send Samantha to help me. Before I could stuff the phone back into my pocket, the Nightmare from the door rushed me, the nails in its claw-like hands extended like a cat’s. I blocked the beast’s first slash and kicked it in the stomach, sending the creature flying into the wall. It hit with a thud and fell to the ground.

A Nightmare neared the bed from the window. Sprinting, I leapt over Kayla’s body, slicing off the hand of the Nightmare before it could touch her. The monster screamed, its voice earsplitting, like a baby’s cry through a megaphone. I groaned at the sound, knowing if I covered my ears, I would lose my defense. The Nightmare sliced at me with its other hand, but I chopped that one off, too. Again the beast shrieked, and I kicked it into the window while fighting the urge to cover my ears.

Ready to throw my dagger into the Nightmare’s head, a blow to my side sent me flying into the wall next to Kayla’s bed. My shoulder hit the wall with a crunch, and the knife fell out of my hand. I swore and, with my good arm, back-handed the Nightmare that was still on top of me. My fist hit cheekbone. The creature’s face snapped sideways, and its moment of stunned silence was all I needed. With the dagger still in my hand, I sliced through the Nightmare’s neck. Black blood spattered onto my clothes, and I pushed the creature off my body.

Before I had a chance to get up, Tabbi’s scream filled the room. I snapped my head in her direction to see a dagger in her back—my dagger. The Nightmare on the far side of the room must’ve taken the blade from the one I had killed earlier and thrown it—something I’d never seen before.

“No!” With a grunt, I jumped from the ground. My left shoulder was dislocated, but I wasn’t going to let Tabbi die. I ran to her and threw my arms around her, evaporating to Giovanni’s room.

Our sudden appearance startled him. “What the—”

“I called for backup. Why didn’t you send Sam?”

Seth and one of Giovanni’s guards, Rosado, sprinted to where I knelt on the ground with Tabbi. Her face was wet with tears, and she squirmed in pain. Rosado picked her up and carried her out of the room. Seth stared at me with fear in his eyes.

“Seth, go with Daniel now. I will send Samantha immediately,” Giovanni said.

Grabbing Seth’s arm, I evaporated us to Kayla’s room. She writhed on the bed, screaming in terror. A Nightmare had taken Tabbi’s place as soon as we left.

On the wall above Kayla’s head, the nightmare played. A man twice her age—and twice her size—crushed her against a desk and stuck a dagger in her side. I rushed the beast and tackled it off the bed onto the floor.

Wincing at the pain shooting down my left arm, I balled my hands into fists and beat the Nightmare mercilessly. The monster rolled on the floor underneath me, its cries making my eardrums ache. But I didn’t stop. The creature’s shrieks only made me want to end its existence more.

I hit the beast again and again, its bones crushing beneath my fists. Black blood coated my knuckles, and all I could smell was sulfur. But I hit the hairy creature again, determined to make the bastard pay for hurting Tabbi. It wasn’t until Samantha’s hands rested on my arms that I stopped.

“Daniel, it’s gone. The fight’s over.” Samantha’s eyes peered into mine. I knew her well enough to see the fear in them. Jumping up, I took a step toward Kayla’s bed. But before I could reach her, the door to the room burst open and three nurses ran to her bedside, speaking to her and trying to wake her. When Kayla finally did, she shook like she’d been outside in negative degree weather too long.

“Call for Dr. Malcolm,” one of the nurses said as she sat next to Kayla on her bed, rubbing her back.

I stood there, watching, my chest tightening. With a growl, I evaporated to Rome and landed in Giovanni’s office. When he wasn’t there, I ran down the steps to the hospital wing on the fifth floor. Samantha, knowing me as well as she knew herself, chased after me.

“Daniel, slow down. You don’t want to do this.”

“Back off, Sam.”

She grabbed my arm. I smacked her hand away and barreled through the doors into the medical ward. As expected, Giovanni was there, checking in on Tabbi who was still crying.

I rammed Giovanni up against the wall. “This is
your
fault! I called for backup. I followed protocol. And now Tabbi’s wounded and my charge was attacked. What the
hell
happened?”

Giovanni’s face glowed red. He pushed me off. Samantha placed a hand on my chest before I could retaliate.

“Your frustration is understandable, Daniel, but if you take one more step out of line, I will bench you.”

I stood there, my heart pounding and my hands clenched at my sides. Giovanni adjusted his shirt and stormed out of the wing without a second glance in my direction. Watching him go, I pictured running after him and slamming his arrogant head into the wall, but I forced myself to stay put until I’d had a moment to calm down.

Tabbi’s cries stopped. Turning away from Samantha, I entered Tabbi’s room. She was asleep, her bright red hair like fire around her head. An Indian woman stood next to the bed, taking her pulse. The stone she’d used to intensify her healing abilities still glowed in her hand. I recognized her from when she healed one of my previous, almost fatal injuries. Trishna, a witch and the leader of our allied coven.

Not entirely human, witches and warlocks—or the Magus
,
as they were collectively called—were the only beings in the supernatural realm we actually had relations with. Not surprising Trishna’d been called in to assist with healing Tabbi.

I stepped back into the hall knowing Tabbi was in safe hands then jumped when a short, thin man appeared out of nowhere, his black hair falling into his face.

Bartholomew spoke with a thick, Middle-Eastern accent, “Daniel, are you injured?”

Bartholomew was our Keeper and the oldest Protector in existence. Rumor said he was picked by the Angels themselves to watch over humans in B.C. times, and he was the one who decided who was chosen as a Protector of the Night. Bartholomew knew everything about everything, including medicine—though some injuries were beyond his abilities. Like Tabbi’s.

Almost as if on cue, the pain in my shoulder throbbed. I was coming down from my adrenaline high. “My shoulder. I think it’s dislocated.”

He nodded and led Samantha and I to a different room. “Sit.” He pointed to the table in the middle of the room. I followed his instructions and avoided Samantha’s gaze. Did she really have to be here for this?

“I need to reset it.” He rested his left hand on the top of my shoulder and placed my arm between his side and right arm. “Three, two, one—”

I managed to spout off every swear word known to man in thirty seconds and swore again when he stuck a long needle in my shoulder, pumping my joint full of the same healing serum I’d received the night before. Bartholomew handed me a sling and a bottle of painkillers.

“That should heal in a day or so. Take the medicine as needed, but remember the pills will make you drowsy.”

Nodding, I slipped my arm into the sling with a grimace. “May I ask you a question?”

Bartholomew stared at me, his eyes wide. He wasn’t used to people of my level coming to him for advice. Usually it was just Giovanni. “Well of course, my boy. What do you need to know?”

“How often do Nightmares show up in groups of five?”

“Five?” Bartholomew’s eyebrows rose. “I suppose… Well, I haven’t heard of it happening since the fourteen hundreds. Why?”

“The girl I’m protecting had five Nightmares come after her tonight, all at the same time. I didn’t know if that was common.”