Elixxir (The Brethren Series) (3 page)

“Excellent, excellent! Well, hello, long-lost little girl, now a woman. It took you long enough to surface, didn’t it? Looks like your hide-and-seek game is all but over because I gotcha now! Ha! Jorge, get the helicopter ready. I’ve cut my vacation short. I want to leave within thirty minutes.”

“Your destination, sir?”

“Sedona Airport, Arizona. And make sure my limo is ready when we arrive.”

“Yes sir,” Jorge replied and left quickly.

He took his gun out of the desk drawer and loaded it. “Oh, my dear Ariana. You may have cheated death once, but you’re not going to be so lucky this time. You’re the last thread, the last piece of a family I’ve long despised. I’ve imagined for so long a world without any Kupis left in it. And now my dream will finally come true! If only I could have gained custody of you twenty years ago, this could have been over with already. Ah, well, what did I expect after being investigated by the FBI? Not exactly the proper father figure, now was I?” He aimed his gun at an imaginary target. “Pow! Right between the eyes, just like your mother! No wait, that’s too fast. Maybe I’ll kill you the way I killed your father. Pow! One in the left lung. Pow! One in the right lung. Pow! One right through the heart. Or better still, maybe I’ll let you decide how you die.”

Chapter Two

Kemuel and Raphael laughed up a storm as they entered Serena’s Sikes and Sounds of Sedona Jeep Tour shop. It was too early for customers, but some of the guides had already begun trickling in. Raphael opened the door to her office with a bit of drama and flair.

“Honey! I’m home!” He topped it off with a big toothy grin. Serena looked up from her desk with a mixture of a smile and a grimace. The smile was for her husband. The grimace was for the cad, Kemuel.

“Hey!” She jettisoned from her chair and leapt into his awaiting arms. “Did you just get back? How was the Healing Conference? I missed you!” She didn’t give him a chance to respond as she planted a searing kiss on his lips.

“Ahem! Get a room, you two.”

She released Raphael from her clutches and stared at his buddy with eyes she hoped bored holes through his lunkhead heart.

“What? What’d I do? I just came in!”

“You’ve been gone for a long time, no goodbye, no information about where you were going, nothing. And you have the audacity to walk into my establishment, where Callie works, as though you were only in here yesterday. You are unbelievable, Kemuel.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, well, it couldn’t be helped. When the boss man says
jump
, you say
how high
? E.L. needed me back at base, interviewing recruits for the new Warrior to take Seraphiel’s place. You know we’ve been down a Brother for a while now. The Brethren work best in triads—three Protectors, three Saviors, and three Warriors. Plus, I got a new assignment.”

“You couldn’t call, or let one of the others know, or Callie? For God sakes, Kemuel, where is your sense of responsibility to the woman? Your sense of decency?”

“The Brethren knew, but no one else could. Jeez, Serena, I was only gone a couple of days!”

She glared at her husband. “You knew? You are so in the doghouse, dearest. As for you,” she said, turning back to Kemuel. “Are you kidding me? A couple of days? It’s been months!”

“Aw, man!” he groaned, hitting his palm against his forehead. “I forgot about the freakin’ time differential. Shit, she’s gonna have my balls for breakfast.”

She shook her head in exasperation. “I wouldn’t worry. She’s so not interested in your balls in any way, shape, or form. Jesus, Kemuel.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to clear the incredulity from her mind. “All right, listen. She doesn’t come in until seven. You better get your ass out of here before she sees you. And if I were you, I’d spend the day working on how you’re going to get back into her good graces. I gotta warn you, though. She’ll probably not even give you the time of day. You don’t know what you’ve done to her. She’s different. Changed. Hardened in a way. Whether she wants you to or not, you’re responsible for fixing her. Do the right thing and explain things to her. Tell her the truth about who you are. I want my best friend back, Kemuel. Whatever it takes.”

“I’ll do what I can, Serena. Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her.” He gave her a troubled look, shook Raphael’s hand, and left the shop.

“About that doghouse….” Raphael started.

“You’re in it until I get home. Then I’m really gonna make you suffer, you very bad angel, you.” She sent him a private message through their telepathic, threaded connection. A promise of wanton pleasure after a bit of slow, seductive torture.

***

Kemuel deemed himself worthy of an ass-kicking. His latest assignment was supposed to be a cakewalk—find the location of the flask containing the Elixxir of Life, take possession of it, and return it back to base for safe-keeping. Well, there’d be no cakewalk now. He’d be lucky to get within a thousand miles of the flask at this point.

Damn his stupidity! He should have told her he’d be away on business, but it slipped his mind, and he didn’t think she would care anyway, free spirit that she was. It was only a couple of days! But not to her. Jesus, did he ever screw up. She’d never tell him where to find the flask, let alone want to see him at this point. He would have to present a clear, logical argument for his behavior, give her lots of presents, and pour on the charm. He could do that. He was real good at charm.

***

The alarm proved to be no friend come Monday morning. It wouldn’t stop buzzing. Callie picked it up and threw it clear across the room. Before hitting the far wall, it managed to nail a delicate glass figurine, smashing it into a thousand pieces.

“Well, shit.” She got up to get the dustpan and broom, and swept her mess away. She fell back against her bed and ruffled her hair. “All right, sister, you promised yourself you’d change, so here we are at Day One. Get your act together, put some decent clothes on, and paint a smile on your face. Today is the first day of the rest of your life!” She sat up and smiled a cheesy, fake smile at her reflection in the dresser mirror and got ready for work.

She saw things in a whole different light by the time she downed her coffee and ate her English muffin. After tossing her plate and mug in the sink, she did a final check of her face and hair in the foyer mirror, opened the door, and slammed straight into a wall of man.

“Whoa,” said a rich, baritone voice.

“Oh, my God! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were….” Her next words were frozen on her tongue as she identified the mammoth creature in front of her.

Kemuel.

Too stunned to move, she looked straight into his jade-colored eyes, momentarily lost in the memory of how they once made her knees turn to jelly. The memory faded quickly, and she smirked as her knees held her steady and strong. Having regained her composure, she saw a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. Crushed flowers, now.

“Hello, Callie. I—”

Before he could say another word, she backed up and slammed the door in his face.

Leaning against it, she closed her eyes, wishing that she’d simply imagined him, and it was really the guy from the florist down the street. She turned and looked through the peephole. No such luck. Kemuel stood there, all right.
What the hell is he doing here
?
Maybe if I stay in here long enough, he’ll give up and go away. No, be realistic, woman. You’re gonna have to throw him out. Just do it
.

Slowly, she opened the portal to Hell to find him still standing there in all of his six-foot-four, god-like glory, looking shell-shocked. She hadn’t forgotten how perfection had shined down upon him, kissing his head with pure white strands of hair, and blessed him with a muscular build meant to be scaled by her. She also hadn’t forgotten being left high and dry for months on end, either.

“Callie, I….”

“Shut up,” she said softly, venomously. “I will say this once and once only, so you’d better listen good. You have some fucking nerve showing up here after all this time with a bouquet of stinkin’ flowers. If I see you anywhere near my place or the shop, I’m gonna call the fucking police and have you fucking arrested for…for…being an asshole! Now, get the hell out of my way. I’ve gotta go to work.” She pushed past him, slammed her front door, and wished her eyes flashed real death rays.

“But…sweetheart, please, you gotta let me explain!” he called to her, and quickly followed to her car. She noticed and began running. With her door thankfully still unlocked from last night, she threw herself into her seat, locked it immediately, switched on the ignition, and tore out of the parking lot. When she looked in her rearview mirror, a plume of dust gave way to a vision of Kemuel caked in red dirt.

***

“You will not believe who I just left standing in my parking lot!” Callie slammed Serena’s office door closed and pulled the privacy shade down. She turned to face her and continued, saying incredulously, “Kemuel!”

“Really?”

“Uh huh, asshole! When the
hell
did
he
get back? What does he think? We can just pick up where we left off?” She sat down on a chair, her right knee bobbing up and down frantically.

“Hmm.”

“I mean, he’s been gone forever! And he thinks he can waltz right back into my life with some stinkin’ flowers and that will make everything okay? What an idiot, right?” She got up and paced the office.

“Oh yeah, complete idiot. I’m right there with you, Cal.”

“So, you know what I tell him?” She sat down again.

“No, sweetie. What?”

“I basically tell him to fuck off and leave me the hell alone. And the best part of it all, when I saw him, my knees didn’t go weak. I’m so over him, it’s not even funny. Now it’s up to him to take the hint.”

“I’m so happy for you! Here,” Serena said, as she whisked out a couple of water bottles from her tiny fridge. “Let’s drink to your new beginnings!”

Callie smiled broadly as they “clinked”. New beginnings, she mused.
Yeah, I know how to do that
.

***

“What am I going to do, Raph?” Kemuel asked, and hunkered down on the sofa in Raphael’s living room, munching on a bag of chips. “She’s never gonna let me near her to even ask about the damn flask. I gotta find that Elixxir, and she’s the only one who knows where it is.”

“Damn shame you blew her off like you did.”

“Hey, what am I here for, anyway? To shack up with some chick and play family? That’s not what I signed up for. That wasn’t in the contract. I’m here to wage war against evil. I’m a Warrior. That’s what I do. I’m thinking I should pass this assignment off to another Warrior. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan. I would also ask you to apologize to Callie. Think of what I have to live with, my brother. She and Serena are like sisters. And it’s been a hellish amount of months I’ve had listening to them bitch and moan over you. I now know the myriad ways you can be turned into dead meat. I need you out of my life, man! Figuratively, of course.”

“Of course. All right, all right.” Kemuel got up and tossed the empty chip bag in the garbage can. “I’ll go make nice. But that’s all. I’m done with attachments, and I’m giving the assignment to Nathanael. This is right up his alley, anyway. He’s the bounty hunter. He’s got a knack for sniffing people and things out.”

“You’re right. Good call.” Raphael smacked his hands together and grinned. “I can’t wait to
not
talk about you at dinner anymore!”

Kemuel punched him soundly on the shoulder, and as he headed out the door, winked and flipped him the finger.

Chapter Three

When Kemuel entered his apartment, it confirmed the fact he’d been gone a long time. An immediate musty odor greeted him when he opened the door, and he could see a thick layer of dust coating every exposed surface.
Great
, he thought, as he fought with a spider web.
I’d better call someone to clean this place up
.

He didn’t dare open the refrigerator. The cleaning service could have that bit of fun. Proceeding to his bedroom and his wardrobe, he reached in and grabbed a couple days’ worth of clothing, stuffed it in his saddlebag, and adjusted the sword resting against his back. It would be best to stay at a hotel during the detox. He called a company and scheduled them to come the following day. Riding his Harley Cross Bones, he headed to the cheap hotel up the road.

He didn’t know exactly how to apologize. Flowers had been a major fail, but maybe jewelry or a Coach handbag would work? Or maybe a Rolex watch. Or maybe all of the above. Hell, he’d think about that later. Right now he had to get Nathanael on board with his plan.

***

It wound up being a nightmarish kind of day at work, which worked out quite well, since it kept Callie’s mind off the shambles of her personal life. Richie hadn’t been seen anywhere near the shop. After telling Serena about their date and the attempted rape, her best bud called a sheriff friend of hers. He assured her he would put the fear of God in the man, but should anything further happen to escalate the situation, he would haul his ass straight to jail. Kemuel hadn’t shown up at the shop, either. Good thing, too. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.

Closing time presented a problem. She would have the rest of the night to obsess over Kemuel’s sudden reappearance. “Heading out, Serena,” she said, peeking into the office. “Have a good night, and thanks for everything. I appreciate it.”

“If there’s anything more I can do, you know I’m right here for you, girlfriend.” Callie smiled, gave her a wink, and headed for home.

***

With the door good and locked behind her, Callie kicked off her shoes and sorted the mail. Spaghetti and meat sauce leftovers would be dinner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flashing light.
A message
?
At home
?
How strange
. Anyone that knew her always called on her cell phone. Puzzled, she approached the machine sitting on the corner of the kitchen counter and pressed Play. The voice startled her. The man groaned and grunted, and each pained word grew fainter. The meaning, however, transmitted loud and clear.