Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) (34 page)

Someone cleared his throat at the door. “Not that it’s not entertaining, but are you two done?” asked Saleem, a huge grin on his face as he stood in the doorway.

I glared at Logan and got to my feet, but when I tried to tug my hand from his, he held on tight. The look he gave me was hot and filled with sizzling promise.

Then he let go.

***

Saleem jumped us back to my apartment, bustling with activity.

“Seems we should have called ahead,” said Logan with a wry smile.

From where I stood, I could see my father sitting beside Mom on my bed. “Why do you say that?” I asked, a little distracted.

“Probably a good idea not to give people the shock of their lives at Saleem’s arrival. Or better yet, to avoid arriving on top of some poor guy.” Saleem laughed at that.

I snorted at the image he drew.

Lily and Anjelo waved from the kitchen where a kettle was boiling and cups and plates were set out. I left them to their task and kept walking, while Logan and Saleem headed toward the counter.

Both room doors were open. Niko sat up in bed. There was a guard at the window and one beside the door, making sure my uncle didn’t make a run for it. He met my eyes as I walked toward his door, then lowered his gaze. I wasn’t surprised that he felt guilty. He deserved to be, considering everything he’d done.

“How do you feel?” I asked, standing a foot away from his bed. Not that I was particularly concerned. I just wanted to ensure he’d survive to be held accountable for all his crimes.

He lifted his gaze to mine. “A sore throat, but mostly I’m fine. They’ve taken good care of me.” He left the rest unsaid, but I knew what he was thinking. They were taking care of him despite what he’d done.

I couldn’t wait for the right time to ask. As far as I was concerned, there was never a right time for anything. You made the time to do the things that mattered. “I take it you weren’t dead when Widd’en kicked you into the pond?” He shook his head. “Was it Illyria who fished you out?” A nod.

I waited a moment, my patience running thin.

“What were you doing to Mom?”

“What I was doing to her was nothing. I pretended to take blood for research, keep her sedated so she wouldn’t inadvertently give anything away, and I made sure she wasn’t experimented on in any direct or harmful way. I made them wait, buying time and hoping someone would come for her.”

There was something in his voice that said that wasn’t all. “What were you supposed to be doing to her?”

“Testing the obsidian poison, how her body reacted to it, and the Synthe effect using her blood. They wanted to go to the next level, testing her ability to kill Wraiths with her golden hands, but Celeste was too weak for that and they knew it, so they scheduled that particular testing for last.”

I took a moment to absorb his words, but it was just too much. “What would you have done if we hadn’t come?”

Niko shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest.”

“Why did you protect her?” I asked, keeping my tone even.

“Because I’d already done enough to hurt my family. I’d seen what the Synthe did to Greer, and I blamed myself. It seemed to have sucked the soul out of her. She became vicious, and I never liked to see that in her. But the Synthe, it took control… Its strength is terrifying.”

“You know she’s dead?” I asked, feeling nothing. I watched his face and was satisfied to see the sadness in his eyes, the droop of his shoulders.

He nodded. “Yes. Mother told me. It’s my fault, I know. While she was with me, she was my responsibility and I didn’t look after her the way I should have.” He nodded to himself almost as if he’d forgotten I was still standing there. “My fault.”

I didn’t say anything to make him feel better. Mainly because I didn’t feel he deserved to feel better. He deserved to be punished. I wrapped my arms around my body and took a deep breath. “I need to know something.” When he met my gaze, a question in his eyes, I asked, “Clancy. Why?”

At first he didn’t react, as if the name meant nothing to him.

“The girl you killed with the metal claws,” I snapped, my voice edged with hurt that I hoped he didn’t notice.

“That wasn’t me. Brand. He thought it would be a good way to teach you a lesson. Abduct your friend as a message to make you stay away. Unfortunately, I never had control over Brand. I couldn’t stop him. And the Synthe… By that time, it was having a terrible effect on me. My memory, concentration, emotional control. Everything.”

I shook my head, not wanting to hear about his distress. Frankly, I didn’t care if he suffered. “And what about Lily? What reason do you have for what you did to her?”

He shook his head again. “Lily? I don’t know a Lily.”

I sighed, already having had enough of him. I moved away from the bed, expecting him to try to stop me. But when I paused at the door and looked back at him, he gave me a sad smile. I couldn’t rouse even a hint of good cheer toward him. Not yet. And he seemed to understand, giving me a resigned look.

I hesitated at my door.

Grams, Dad, and Iain surrounded Mom, who looked very much awake and well. They all turned to look at me, and Mom beckoned for me to sit beside her. Iain shifted, and I slid onto the mattress and moved close to her. I stared at her face for a moment as if I needed to be reassured that she was truly there. But she was.

I’d saved her. I’d brought her home safe and sound.

I sighed and a sob caught in my throat as I looked at my little family that was missing one person. I lay my head on Mom’s chest and listened to her heartbeat. Then I whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

I felt her hand trail across my forehead. Butterfly kisses is what she used to call them. The barest touch of her fingers on my skin that had always soothed me, that had once brought a little girl peace. “Sorry for what, honey?” she asked, her voice just as soft.

“For Greer.”

I heard her heart stutter, then settle back into its regular pace. “Greer is not your fault, Kai. You can’t carry her death on your shoulders. You did everything you could to save her, but maybe this was her fate. Perhaps she wasn’t meant to be saved. You need to accept that, honey. Accept it and put it behind you.”

Her words enveloped me with so much love. She didn’t blame me.

I nodded, and Iain held out his hand. I placed mine in it, and he squeezed. “You did good, Kai,” he said, and his eyes deep-green eyes agreed. Dad watched his family from Mom’s feet, and for once I saw happiness shine in his eyes.

And though there were still things I needed to face, a job to decide on, a blood promise to fulfill, a lover to help heal, I felt something new deep within my heart.

A sense of peace.

TO BE CONTINUED …

If you want more of Kailin and her continued adventures, look out for the following set of books in 2015 that continues the Skin Walker series.

Blood Promise

Scorched Fury

Demon Hunter

And keep up with the SkinWalker series – Cover Reveals, Sample Chapters, Free Books and Release Day News

***

Want more of the DarkWorld? Try BLOOD MAGIC!

Read
Blood Magic – Book 1 in the SoulTracker Series

BLOOD MAGIC – A DARKWORLD SOULTRACKER NOVEL #1

My phone buzzed and I grabbed it from the seat beside me, while keeping my eyes on the road. I flipped it open, gave it a quick glance and raised my eyebrows in surprise. Martin Cross. Desperate father in search of his missing child. Something I knew a lot about. I’d just taken his case, a stressed mechanic whose kid had disappeared into thin air months ago. A case I’d assumed would be pro bono considering he didn’t appear to me to have exceedingly deep pockets.

He was confirming my payment had been deposited and I should see it reflect in the account tomorrow. For once, I was happy to have pegged someone so wrong.

I threw the phone back on the seat and peeked at the rearview mirror. It never hurt to be cautious considering I’d pissed off enough paranormal criminals in my time, but no one was following me.

***

I drove to the outskirts of town, wondering again why I bothered with these visits. I could hear Drake’s voice. “Why do you waste your time? The man probably doesn’t even know you’re there.”

Drake Darvon was my best friend and my sparring partner. He was also a gargoyle. Real live blue-blooded in-the-flesh gargoyle. Drake didn’t realize I went because I needed to. Because something deep inside me drew me to Samuel.

I pulled up in front of the house, a part of me refusing to enter the grand old house, the other part wanting to rush in there and take Samuel away from it all. To take him away and fix him and make him whole again. It still felt like my fault, even though everyone, including Samuel himself, insisted it wasn’t. But if I hadn’t been so persistent, if I hadn’t wanted to find Ari so badly and finally bring her body home for some closure, maybe Samuel would still be whole. Maybe he would still be around to guide me.

Not that I needed his training anymore, though. Samuel Fontaine had once been the Master Teleporter. There was only one person who exceeded him in his ability to cross the Veils and enter the Other worlds. And that was me. A secret only Samuel and I knew. Both Omega and Sentinel could never be privy to that piece of information. Samuel contracted to both organizations so he was allowed on occasion to do his own search and rescue jobs. Storm had arranged for Samuel to train me, to help perfect my astral projection, thus putting in motion a friendship of a lifetime.

But Samuel couldn’t be hoodwinked. He’d forced me to admit my front as an astral projector was a sham. Then he’d taken it upon himself to train me to teleport better. How to jump better, faster, smarter. And to this day he was the only one who knew exactly how powerful I was. How far I could jump, how strong my self-protection was, that I could move through most magical wards.

I rested my head on the steering wheel. Maybe I should just start the car and go home. Maybe Drake was right and coming here only made things worse for me and for Samuel. No. I punched the steering wheel, as if it was Drake arguing with me. I’d come this far. And Samuel deserved some company. I got out of the car, controlling the urge to slam the door shut. Fishing in my jacket pocket for my keys, I jogged to the porch, as if by walking any slower I would give myself the chance to change my mind.

Beneath the elegant French columns, with their flaking paint, I hesitated only a moment before I slipped my key into the lock, the rest of the bunch jangling against each other as I moved. I was about to turn it when the giant oak door swung inward so hard I had to let go of my keys or go flying inside with them.

Cassia stared at me, her honey-gold eyes as expressionless as she could make them. “Hello, Melisande.”

“Hi, Cass.” The skin at her eyes tightened. She hated it when I shortened her name. But it didn’t matter. She pretty much hated everything I was and everything I stood for, all on account of the fact I ruined her life. I wasn’t in the mood for a stare down so I tugged my keys from the lock, and took special note of the dark glare Cassia gave them, as if I had no right to have them. I brushed past her and headed for the stairs.

“He’s not taking visitors,” she said, her voice dripping ice as she pushed her tightly spiraled curls away from her face.

I stopped, my foot on the first stair, my hand on a banister badly in need of staining, and glanced back at her. I smiled sweetly. “Well, good thing I’m not a visitor then, isn’t it?” I watched as blood rushed to her dusky cheeks. She smoothed her skirt down, tamping down her anger with the same action. I really shouldn’t bait her. She did take care of Samuel. But I could care less if she left. I’d just hire someone else to look after him. I turned my back on her and left her to stew in her fury, taking the threadbare stairs two by two, knowing even Cassia would disapprove. Poor Cassia. Samuel’s niece hadn’t inherited his teleportation powers, and being born normal into an almost entirely magical family was a great burden to bear. The problem with Cassia was she bore it with vicious anger.