From Gods (24 page)

“Don’t go after her,” Mason said to his family. “She may lead us into a trap. Remember what she said before…she takes orders from someone else. It’s too dangerous. We’ll get her next time. I think I know where she lives. I found her lingering around the diner a week ago and I’ve been following her.”

The others did as Mason had said, and the four of them huddled around Skylar.

Seeing Mason’s face and watching him bend low to help made her feel a sense of relief. Unable to move from the tremendous pain, she slumped over, supported by the table behind her. “Don’t touch me,” Skylar said softly, afraid she would kill him. “How did you know?”

“You didn’t answer my text. I told you if you didn’t answer it, I would know something was wrong and that I would come for you.”

“I’m sorry.” She looked up to see Amanda, Everett, and Nick. “I forgot I had it on silent. I guess it was a good…thing?” Skylar shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, feeling bad for not answering her text. The movement caused her to squeal softly, biting her lip from the sharp pain. She was waiting for it to heal on its own, but it wasn’t. After the pain subsided, she asked another question. “How did you know I was here at the bio lab?”

“When I lost her tracks
,
I had a bad feeling, so we were already on our way to pay a visit, and I…I…um…had put a tracer on your phone. It’s connected to mine, so I know exactly where you are.” He sounded nervous, most likely thinking he should’ve asked for her permission.

“Oh,” Skylar said, thinking she liked his protective side, but at the same time she didn’t know if she liked the fact that he would know where she was at all times—just in case.

Too busy dodging Alena’s bullets, they hadn’t noticed Emily, but now they heard whimpering sounds underneath the lab table behind Skylar. “It’s Emily, my roommate. Can you please help her?” In too much pain, unable to move, Skylar didn’t have the strength to look for her.

As Mason continued to squat next to Skylar, Amanda and Nick pulled Emily from under the table.

“Here she is,” Nick said sweetly, as if he’d just rescued a cute little puppy.

Emily was still shivering. Her eyes grew wide and more terrified when she saw Skylar’s blood.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” Skylar assured her, having a difficult time getting her words out. “Don’t forget your cell phone.”

Emily nodded her head.

“Why don’t we take her home and help her forget all about today?” Nick winked.

“Sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you take Everett and Amanda with you?” Mason suggested.

“Sure; see you back at the house.”

“Don’t be too long,” Amanda urged.

“Be careful,” Everett spoke for the first time since he’d arrived.

After they left, Mason examined Skylar’s arm. “I’ll have to take the bullet out. Thankfully, it’s not lodged in too deep.”

“Okay.” Skylar inhaled and exhaled uneven breaths; the combination of the pain and the blood loss made her feel like the room was spinning, and the feeling of nausea was rising to the surface.

His eyes looking mad as hell underneath those thick eyelashes, he spoke with a scolding tone. “I told you not to be brave. Look what happened to you. What if…what if…?”

“I wasn’t trying to be brave. I thought you didn’t care,” she said wearily.

“I don’t.” His tone was sharp and cold, but Skylar knew why. He was upset with her for making him worry and for putting her life in danger. “And you definitely need time out in a naughty corner for not listening to me.”

Skylar furrowed her brows, but despite her arguments, she knew he was right. She deserved to be in a “naughty corner,” or worse. This all could have been avoided if she had accepted the reality she didn’t want. But her reality was like a bad dream, and though she knew she was in constant danger, it was difficult to grasp. Everything had happened so fast and in such a short amount of time that it all felt like a blur. There was no time to breathe, no time to understand what was happening around her and to her.

Perhaps thinking danger couldn’t touch her was her way of coping with it all; pretending that it wasn’t real even though fear had overcome her. She had reacted the same way when her dad left. Pretending to feel nothing was better than feeling the agonizing pain. Pretending that these new terrors couldn’t happen was a way to cope, to shut out the world around her. Perhaps Mason was doing the same thing.

But tonight, she had woken up from the dream into her reality. Not only was her life in danger, but Emily’s as well. This couldn’t happen, ever again. Who knew…the next time it could be her mom, her aunt, or even Kayla. She had to be careful, be more aware, and completely trust that Mason knew what he was doing. Most of all, she had to accept who she really was.

Mason released a relieved sigh and his eyes became soft. “I’ll be right back.” He stood up, looked around, opened cabinets, and came back with some tools—rubber gloves, tweezers, scissors, cotton balls, and a bottle of alcohol. “It’s going to hurt, but afterward, when you start to heal, you’ll feel better. Squeeze any part of me if you need to.”

With a nod from Skylar, Mason put on the rubber gloves, squatted down, and cut Skylar’s soaked bloody sweater and her shirt with the scissors, just enough to be able to clearly see the wound. Then he dipped the cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dabbed it on the open cut. Skylar squealed in pain.

“Sorry,” Mason said, looking distraught.

Skylar wanted to faint, and the room became dim and blurry. Her whole body burned as if she had been tossed in fire. The intensity of the pain grew, and the rubbing alcohol didn’t help, though she knew why it was needed. She turned her head, trying to think of anything but what Mason needed to do. When he reached in with the tweezers, her breathing became heavy and jagged, and the pain that had started to ease up erupted again, pinching every nerve and muscle. At last, he pulled the bullet out.

“It’s done.” Mason took the towel and cleaned the surrounding area. Then he tore a section of his shirt and wrapped it around the wound. With the gloves still on, he cleaned the mess on the floor and tossed everything in the trashcan.

“Thank you,” Skylar whispered, looking half-asleep. Her eyes felt heavy, fluttering desperately as she tried to keep them open. She gazed at Mason, looking at him with admiration, thinking what an incredible being he was, and thanking him inwardly for being there, for caring enough, though he denied it. The pain had already started to reduce, which was a good sign. It meant she was healing.

“Sky, are you okay?” Mason asked, now sitting in front of her. “Is the pain better?”

“Yes…mmm…tired.” Uncontrollably her eyes shut, and she could hardly get any words out.

“Now you owe me two shirts.”

“O…kay.”

“I’m going to take you home with me. I’ll feel better if you’re with me while you heal.”

“Mmm…don’t…stare.” She let out a small giggle.

“You took my words. And I’m not staring,” he snorted.

“You’re…still…staring.”

Since her body had just been through distress, she lost the fight to stay awake and fell asleep. But just before she did, though she wasn’t absolutely sure, she heard what sounded more like a whisper that tugged her heart. “I’ll always stare at you, Sky.”

Chapter 31

By the time they reached Nick’s house, Skylar was feeling much better. Though the pain still lingered, and the wound had not quite healed all the way, it was bearable. The nap she took in the car gave her a second wind, and she was wide-awake when Mason drove up the driveway.

“I’m feeling much better. I guess I should have asked you to take me back to my dorm,” Skylar said.

Mason turned off the ignition. “It’s close to midnight. I think it’s safer for you to stay here for tonight. Your roommate is fine. She won’t remember a thing when she wakes up in the morning. You’ve been through so much lately; I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay calm.”

“I’m really not calm; I’m actually terrified. I have something that evil beings want.” Then it dawned on her. She hadn’t thought about the night the vultures ransacked Kayla’s house for a while, but now the answer was clear. “Mason…the vultures were looking for me the night they broke into Kayla’s house. They weren’t looking for something tangible…they were looking for me. After they knew I lived there, the robberies stopped.”

“I know. I mean…I didn’t know it at the time, but I realized it later when Alena explained about who you were.”

“Oh….” It was all she could say, and she started to shiver. Having the heater turned off, it became cold in the car.

“Let’s get inside the house. It’s getting colder in here. Plus we’re fogging up the windows. If they see us out here, they’ll think we’re making out.”

“Oh….” Skylar felt her cheeks heat up by his words.

“Nick texted me several times to make sure we were on our way. He must be worried. I didn’t respond.”

“Why didn’t you text him back?”

“I was driving. Remember what I said to you about texting and driving?”

Skylar rolled her eyes. How could she ever forget the hot cop that pulled her over and told her texting while driving was illegal? “Yes.”

“Well…Ms. Rome. Shall we go in?”

With a nod, they got out of the car and walked into the house. Being that the kitchen was dimly lit, Mason led Skylar toward the light. Amanda, Nick, and Everett were sitting at the rectangular oak dining table with mugs in front of them. Seeing steam rising from their mugs, she assumed they were drinking something warm.

“Where the hell were you?” Nick asked, looking annoyed. “Man, you are a demigod. You can still text me back and not crash your stupid car. Next time you don’t answer my text, especially since Alena is something to worry about, I’m going to ace you myself. Got that?”

Mason stuck his hands inside his front jean’s pockets, stood there listening, and let Nick have his say. “Are you done now?”

“No,” Nick snapped, then turned to Skylar. “I’m glad you’re doing better. You look great for someone who got shot. I mean…I’m not used to thinking you’re somewhat like us…kind of…I guess.” He shook his head, thinking he should just keep his mouth shut.

Mason pulled out a chair for Skylar, gesturing for her to sit. He sauntered out of the kitchen and came back after a few minutes with a light blanket. After tossing the blanket around her shoulders, he went to the stove and came back with two mugs of hot tea, placing one in front of Skylar.

“Thank you.” Skylar cupped the mug with both of her hands, taking in the heat, and then took a sip. It was green tea, just what she needed at that moment. Warmth traveled from her head to her toes, soothing and calming her. Gazing upon her friends, she noticed that they were fidgeting, shifting their bodies from side to side. Sometimes their lips parted to speak, but instead, they shut them.

“What are we going to do about Alena?” Everett finally spoke, breaking the silence.

“You said you followed her. Why didn’t you tell us?” Amanda leaned over the table as if she could draw the answer out of him. “Mason…you’ve got to stop taking matters into your own hands. You’re too worried about our lives. Have you thought about how we would feel if we lost you?”

Dead silence.

Mason was just about to take a sip. His mug was to his lips, but he didn’t drink. Instead, he placed it back on the table. “This isn’t about my mother.”

“Oh, the hell it isn’t; and you know it.” Amanda’s tone was angrier. “You can’t blame her death on yourself. You didn’t know who you were. We’ve all lost loved ones. So stop sacrificing your life to wash away that guilt.”

“Amanda is right, Mason. We’ve all lost our parents. I too wished that I could have done something, but I know now that I was overwhelmed with all the weird craziness that was unbelievable. We’ve lived together for many years, but we’re more like roommates. It’s time that we start acting like brothers and work as a team,” Everett urged. “Maybe…if things were better between us…Remus would have been different. I don’t think he was all that bad. I know he had a temper and was crazy at times, but maybe that was his way of coping.”

Guilt wrapped around Skylar’s heart. Hearing about Remus, sorrow consumed her again, especially after hearing Everett’s speech about how it might have been Remus’s coping mechanism. She was astounded that those words even came out of Everett’s mouth. Though she disliked him, she was seeing a different side of him; perhaps she had been wrong about him. Knowing how they had lived during the past years, she became sympathetic. Truly, she had no idea what they’d had to endure.

It must have been beyond difficult for them to lose their loved ones and then find out their father was a descendant of Zeus, who’d had numerous affairs just to keep his family line going. Not only did they deal with the loss of their parents at an early age, they were forced to accept who they were and the powers that were bestowed upon them.

While it must have been terrifying, perhaps equally terrifying was having to constantly look over their shoulders for Hades’ creatures. It was certainly not a vision of an ideal life, but they seemed to have adjusted and accepted who they were. Skylar gave them each a lot of credit for their inner strength, for the ability to move forward, and for their courage, but that did not forgive Remus’s actions toward her.

“So, now that we’ve all said our peace, what do we do about Alena?” Nick brought the subject up again as he traced the rim of the mug with his finger tip. Wiggling his fingers, he pointed his index finger into the mug and zapped a light.

Startled by the sudden flash of light, everyone’s eyes zoomed to Nick with alarm.

“Sorry. My tea was cold. Too lazy to get a refill.” Nick shrugged his shoulders.

“Thanks a lot. You just blinded me.” Amanda blinked rapidly, adjusting her vision. “I say we hunt her down and get rid of her once and for all.” A look of fury shot out from her eyes as she got up to pour more tea for herself and sat back down.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. She did say she takes orders from someone else. We’ve got to find the leader,” Mason suggested.

Everett scooted his chair back, crossing his legs to relax. “She could be anywhere, or show up anytime. How do we find her?”

Mason turned his head to Skylar. “I once followed her near our cabin, but further up. I think she lives around there. I’m not sure. I didn’t actually stick around and hold a conversation with her; however, I did see a cabin.”

“Then do we just show ourselves? ‘Hey…we know where you live. We’re here,’” Amanda snorted.

Still cupping her mug for warmth, Skylar gave a nervous cough. “I can lure her out. I’m the one she wants.”

Skylar felt all eyes on her all at once.

“No. Out of the question.” Mason’s tone was unyielding. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t even know what we’re up against. I won’t risk your life.”

Skylar let out a heavy sigh. Wanting to be part of them and making herself useful was difficult, especially when it seemed as though Mason always had the last word.

“She may have a point there,” Amanda stated. “At least Alena would be the one who was surprised for a change and not us.”

“I know it sounds like a good idea, but it’s not. We’re so tired we’re not thinking straight. Let’s talk about it later.”

Skylar suddenly froze, worried for her mom. If Alena almost killed her roommate, who was to say she wouldn’t harm her mom to get to her? “Maybe I should go home. What if Alena goes after my mom?”

“Your roommate was a means to an end for Alena,” Mason said. “And right now, she’s not interested in your mom. You can keep it that way by keeping your distance from her. Make your phone calls short, and try not to visit her on the weekends for as long as you can. Alena never once went to your mom’s house when I was tracking her.”

“How about Kayla?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got that department handled,” Nick said.

“I’m sure you do,” Amanda grumbled, rolling her eyes.

Nick gave her a “be quiet” look, lighting a fast spark from his fingertips.

“Don’t you dare,” Amanda flared, trying to keep a straight face.

Mason stood up. “I’m taking Skylar back to her dorm tomorrow. We can think of another plan, but we’re not using her as bait.” With that, his words were final.

Amanda, Everett, and Nick had nonchalant expressions on their faces. Either they agreed with Mason’s decision, or they were too tired to argue with him, or they had given up on expressing their opinions knowing Mason would have his way. With the blanket still draped around Skylar, they headed for his room.