Chosen (The Chosen Few Trilogy #1) (11 page)

“And I offer Eliza’s help, and that of her shades,” Tristran said around a choking cough. “Eliza…is our best… by far.”

I heard Ceriden whisper, “
Do you think I should offer the services of David Beckham?”
and
blessed him for lightening the moment. The guy was an odd card, sure, but was he a Joker? Or an Ace?

Belinda said, “I wouldn’t mind being offered the services of that ribbed broomstick,” under her breath.

“Good enough,” Myleene said, taking Giles
’ silence as affirmation. “Now,
I know this will cause contention,” she paused. “Marian Cleaver.”

Felicia surged to her feet. The small lycan looked out of place, but her words carried true conviction. “He should
never
have been left to face this alone.
Never
. “

The Aegis leader held
his hands up
as if in surrender.
“Fine
. I was wrong, you were right. I m
ade a mistake leaving Cleaver
vulnerable. I wanted to…
g
ive him a righteous goal, if you like. But it was a decision we all took, and something he
wanted.
Needed even,” Giles said carefully. “And I will not take all the hits for it.”

The Aegis leader
l
oosened his tie.

“A mistake that can be rect
ified,” Ceriden put in
. “Now.”

Felicia nodded so hard I thought her masses of blonde curls might fall off.

“I hear you,” Giles pulled on his shirt collar for ventilation. “
Eldritch will meet up with him soon.”

“
And s
ince
we know
Gorgoroth will make his appearance in
Miami,” Ceriden said. “Perhaps we should start to congregate more than just a few teams there,” his bony
hands were steepl
ed together on the table
.

“Later,” Giles told him. “I want to know more about Gorgoroth and his Destroyers before we take any major action. Also, it might draw attention to
you
,” he flapped a hand generally. “To Ubers, I mean.”

“Agreed,” Tristran overruled Ceriden. “
Unfortunately, t
he
only clear facts are
that we must protect the Eight
a
nd
we must learn more about this Gorgoroth.”

“And what of the new threat?” Cheyne asked between sips of wine. “What of the Hierarchy of Demons?”

Myleene looked confused
. “New threat?
”

“Dementia has surfaced in San Francisco, and she is a
demon
,” Cheyne spoke with care. “Not a Destroye
r. Something is not right there. . .” 
she
trailed off
.

There was a long silence. Cheyne, it seemed, had raised a point
no one else had
considered.

Cheyne was scratching at her chicane-like nose. “
Summoning Dementia
is an act without reason. I mean, demons are demons, loyal only to Lucifer- the Devil Himself. I’ll be burned at the stake if I can’t figure out why they would ally themselves with this Gorgoroth, this world-ender.” Cheyne ran her fingers through her dark, curly tresses. “
And m
ore pressing needs mean we have to focus on Gorgoroth and worry about the Hierarchy later.”

A
lull
followed
. If only someone had continued
that
line of conversation.

Tristran coughed. “It seems that we Ubers are taking on the role of protectors and seekers of knowledge,” he said, his voice wet. “What will be the role of Aegis, I wonder?”

Giles stood immediately. “To find
the Eight,” he said
. “To unite them on the training ground. To overlook
all aspects
of every operation. In short, we will police this whole undertaking.”

I saw Felicia shift uncomfortably. Ceriden sniffed. I could tell Giles’ words didn’t sit well with them. As I thought, diplomacy
wasn’t his strongest suit.

Myleene
sensed the sudden tension. “”We all
have a part to play,” she said
. “And we have to rely on each other. If we lose this one we don’t just lose the trophy and come back to try again next year. We lose our world. “

“Learn what you can from the text,” she inclined her head at Cheyne’s monitor. “Tap all your resources for information on Gorgoroth
.
Someone out there knows something. They
have
to.”

“And use an
y means,” Tristran added
.

“Yes,” Giles made a fist around his tie. “We’re already playing towards the endgame here and we know
nothing.
”

Belinda
rose to her feet.
“There are no trophies,” she said. “No rewards. We fight for the right to exist, and for the good and the innocent out there who make the fight worthwhile.
”

My mouth was dry.
I squeezed Lucy’s hand in reassurance, as much for me as her.

We’d been shown the full weight of the task
being laid upon us. I prayed
I had the strength to bear my part of it.

1
6

MIAMI, U.S.A.

Marian Cleaver climbed the f
light of stairs that led to his
door, then stood and leaned his head
against the cool glass. Taking on Mena Gain
es had challenged everything
he stood for.

You have been found wanting.

But she was a snake, at best. A lying, conniving piece of evil that slithered and crawled its way along whatever filthy gutter her master commanded.

Aegis was
sending help now. Was that a good thing? Miami was the staging area for
an
end of the worl
d event. But the kids were safe;
he’d saved the day. And yet judging by the type of questions fired at him earlier by the goddamn feds you wouldn’t fucking think it.

He entered the house, lost the duster, and cracked open the fridge. A single lonely slice of congealed pizza stared back at him.

Mmmm…tempting.

He threw his weapons on the kitchen table and checked the cattle prod. The sound of his cell phone ringing shattered the predawn quiet. Cleaver closed his eyes and wished for a
moment’s
peace.

“Cleaver here.”

“Clancy. Where are you now?”

“At home, Hector. I told you I was going home, so where else would I be?”

“Well, Sir Cleaver, I’m sorry to have to do this to you,” Clanger didn’t sound sorry at all. “But you’re needed downtown. Now.”

As he listened to his boss speak Cleaver heard distant sirens. Lots of them.

He bit his lip. “What’s happened?”

Clanger was silent for a moment, then launched into nervous mode, his words falling faster than water in a rainstorm. “Don’t know with any certainty
, but
a large group of people have attacked the Coconut Grove shopping mall
.
You know, the open air one?
A p
art of it is on fire. And people…people have been seen leaping into the flames.
And
your
Gaines woman
is
involved in this one too.”

Cleaver breathed out slowly. Mena Gaines’ words resounded in his head:
Miami is the New Babylon and soon it will start to explode with rage and passion and death!

“I’m on my way, Hector,” Cleaver said very slowly. “I’m on my way.”

CHAPTER 1
7

YORK, ENGLAND

By the time I’d returned to the kitchen it had occurred to me that the world hadn’t exactly stopped turning. I had a business to run, bills to pay, and a daughter to care for. How the hell was I going to trade everything off against all this latest crap?

Whilst I waited for the coffee I called my office manager, Tom. By the time it arrived I was dwelling between contented and concerned. The treasure hunt event had generated a few interesting enquiries. One thing was missing though.
Me!

“Zambia Terranova Estate,” Belinda broke into my thoughts and placed a mug before me. “It’s a Black Apron coffee. The best.”

I nodded
, shaking my head at that
Innocent
t-shirt. Lucy filed in. She stared at me. “You know it’s a school day?”

“I thought of that, Luce. Then I remembered…they’re not expecting you,” I looked briefly at her bandaged arm, now covered by a sweater.

“I didn’t mean for
schoolwork,”
Lucy made a face as if she was talking to the dumbest person in the world. “I meant to see my friends.”

I rolled my eyes. “
Fifteen
year olds.”

“Almost
sixteen
.”

I sipped the delicious coffee in an effort to ignore both Lucy’s birthday reminder and the unfathomable looks being directed at me by a particular playful lycan. My mobile vibrated in my pocket, making me jump. I hadn’t turned it off silent mode. When I managed to fish it out I saw that I had a voicemail from Holly.

Recorded three minutes ago.

It
went: “Dean, I know I sound
stupid, but I keep remembering what you said about staying safe.
Well, there’s a woman outside and I’m
sure
she’s watching the house. I don’t like it, Dean. I’m going out to talk to her.”

Holly!
My face went ashen. I turned to Belinda.

“You mentioned before that one of the Six was already in York. I can’t remember- was it a woman?”

“Yes."
Belinda frowned at the stress choking my voice.
“Ashka.”

“Would she target my friends?”

Lucy shifted in her seat. “Dad? What is it?”

“She might f
or several reasons. To distract you, to draw you out,
or
to cause you distress. Why, Logan?”

I pressed speed dial two, holding the phone tight to my ear and praying my best friend would answer.

Please, Hol, please be there.

Belinda walked over to me. Felicia leapt off the worktop. Ceriden pushed his seat back.

Holly answered, “Dean?”

“Holly, thank God! Are you okay? What’s happening over there?”

“Just- oh, hang on, there’s someone at the door. Probably that damn woman.”

“Wait!”

I think we all held our breath, except Ceriden, who didn’t breathe.

“What is it, Dean?” Holly sounded scared now.

“Just wait,” I said.

Belinda pulled
her c
ar keys
off the hook by the door
.

“Hold on!” I shouted down the phone. “Hide. Keep your mobile with you. But
please
, Hol, don’t talk to that woman!”

Belinda ran for the kitchen door, Felicia close behind. I stared after them. “I’m coming,” I said. “She’s my best friend.”

“Dean, what the hell is-” Holly sounded half scared, half-amused.

“We’re coming to get you,” I hissed. “We’re ten minutes away.
Do not
go near that woman.”

I ran after Felicia, glancing back at Lucy as I exited the kitchen. She was staring after me with huge, anxious eyes. Guilt shredded my will. Maybe I shouldn’t leave her like this. A depressed child would fear the worst- that her father might die. I could almost see our new, fragile bond tear at the seams.

“I’m co
ming back,” I told her
. “Don’t worry.”

Ceriden made his way around the table. “Since it is daylight and I can’t accompany you,” he patted my daughter’s shoulder. “I will look after your Lucy.”

I hesitated. It felt wrong. It cut deep when I noticed Lucy’s eyes brighten. But by then I was out the door.

I was committed.

Ten minutes. Did yo
u ever wonder how many thoughts-
happy and sad,
positive and terrifying-
can race through your mind in just ten minutes?

By the time we pulled up outside Holly’s house I was wound as tight as a chartered accountant
paying for his daughters’
birthday meal. Sunlight blasted us as we leapt out of Belinda’s Audi. Felicia was fast beyond belief, leaping sure
-
footedly between the bushes and hitting Holly’s garden at a dead run. Belinda was right on her heels. I flailed about behind them. In truth I am no slouch. I am fit and capable, but man, I’m only human.