Out of the Ashes (20 page)

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Logan

The dagger is above my head and Cara is looking up at me. My mind races with thoughts. Swinging the dagger around. Getting used to the way it feels in my hand. A phone ringing. My cell. Anton’s voice. How am I hearing Anton?

“Hey, man. What are you up to tonight? Hot date with Cara?”

“No. Cara’s not here,” I answer.

“Why do you sound so out of breath then?”

“I’m running.”

“Where?”

“Police station. I have to get rid of this.”             

“Rid of what?”

“Dagger. It’s messing with me.”

“Logan, what are you talking about?”

“Got to go.”

Smoke. I smell smoke. And there’s a pile of ashes on the ground in front of me.

A fist connects with my jaw, knocking me back, and the dagger is ripped from my hand. I shake my head, and my vision returns. What the hell just happened? The arm of the chair is black and charred. Now I remember. Mrs. Tillman threw a fireball at the chair and tackled Cara. I search the room.

“Where’s Cara?”

“Where you can’t hurt her,” Garret says.

My eyes land on Monique. “I think I remembered something.”

“You were in a trance,” she says. “Did you see something? You were talking, but it sounded like one side of a conversation.

“I was talking on the phone last night. To Anton. And I was running back to the police station.”

“Is that when you found the girl? And then you killed her?” Garret clenches his fist like he’s going to hit me again.

“No, I smelled smoke, and then I saw ashes.”

“Yeah, you’d like us to believe you got there
after
she died, wouldn’t you?”

“I believe him,” Cara says, coming back from the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands.

“How could you after he tried to attack you?” Garret yells.

“I didn’t.” I sit up straighter because I know if I try to stand, Garret will punch me again. “Something came over me and I raised the dagger because that’s what I did last night.”

“Yeah, when you killed that Phoenix girl.” Garret yanks me up by my handcuffs. “I’m locking you up and charging you with murder.”

“You don’t have a body,” Mrs. Tillman says. “You only know who the Phoenix was because
you
invited her here under false pretenses. If we’re locking anyone up, it will be the both of you together.”

“Why did you go back to the police station?” Linette asks. She’s sitting up now, but the pain on her face makes it clear that it’s taking all her strength to stay upright.

“I was going to get rid of the dagger. I didn’t like the way it made me feel.”

Garret kicks the chair. “He’s admitting it affects him. We know he’s a Hunter. Why are we still debating what’s going to happen to him?”

“We’re debating what’s going to happen to the both of you,” Mrs. Tillman says. “If Logan is telling the truth, then he tried to resist the dagger.”

“That means something, doesn’t it?” Cara asks. Her eyes fall on me briefly before going to her mother.

“I would hope so,” Monique says.

“What are we going to do?” Jeremy looks around the group. “Because I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting tired of all this arguing.”

“I think we all have to stick together,” Cara says. “We’re safer as a group.”

“Does that include me?” I ask, my eyes locking on her, trying to judge how she feels about me.

“We can’t send him home to his father,” Linette says.

Mrs. Tillman sits down next to Linette. “His father doesn’t appear to be an active Hunter. It’s possible his Hunter gene was never tapped into either, but there’s only one way to find out for sure.”

“What’s that?” Cara asks, taking a sip of tea.

“We send Logan home.” She pauses and lowers her eyes. “With the dagger.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Garret yells. “We are not giving him the dagger.”

“We’re safer with it out of our possession,” Mrs. Tillman says.

Doesn’t anyone care what I think about all this? It is my life and my dad we’re discussing. “I don’t want the dagger.” All eyes turn to me. “I don’t want to black out anymore and have to wonder what I did during that time.”

“You’re not getting the dagger,” Garret says. “This is crazy. I’m taking the dagger and hiding it somewhere safe.”

“No, you’re not,” Mrs. Tillman says. “After what you did to that girl, you’re not getting the dagger back.”

“Fine, but you’re not giving it to him either.” Garret glares at me. “You might have them fooled, but you’re not fooling me.”

“No one is being fooled, Garret,” Monique says. “We’re trying to find a solution. One that will tell us if Logan’s father is a threat or not.”

“Maybe the gene didn’t come from his father,” Cara says. “It could be from his mother.”

The fact that she’d even suggest it is insane. My mother was as close to perfect as a person could get. She’d never be a Hunter. “No way. If anyone is a Hunter, it’s my dad. My mom was too good for this.”

“Is there any other explanation? Are we sure this is a gene and not something else?” Cara’s voice shakes. I know she doesn’t want to believe this is what I am or that I’m anything like my dad. I don’t either.

“It’s all right, Cara. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, and that includes my dad and me. I’ve never been able to convince him of anything, but I’ll make him move us back to New York so we’re not near you if I have to.”

“You’re all idiots if you let him go,” Garret says.

“We’re idiots if we continue to let you lead us,” Monique counters.

Cara puts her teacup on the coffee table. “I met Logan’s dad. He could’ve killed me if he wanted to, but he couldn’t have cared less about me.”

Garret waves his hand, dismissing the idea. “That could’ve been an act. And besides, we had the dagger. What would he have killed you with?”

“There’s another dagger. We know that now.” Cara looks at me. “You had the dagger when the girl was killed but you didn’t kill her. Someone else did, with another dagger. There are two. At least.”

“I’ve been thinking about that lately,” Mrs. Tillman says, starting to pace. “The original Phoenix egg was large enough to produce two daggers. I mean, think about it. We thought it could only produce one, but somehow another one was created. My guess is that one of them is smaller, and maybe not as dangerous.”

I stare at the dagger in Monique’s hand. It’s not that big, but I’d hate to think of one being bigger. “You got that one from Nick. He was working alone, right?”

Everyone turns to me, and Mrs. Tillman nods. “Yes. He’s the only Hunter we know of who wasn’t working in a group.”

“Because he was too greedy to share the Phoenix’s essence when he made a kill. I’m willing to bet Nick came from a long line of rogue Hunters. I’ll even venture to say he killed his own parents just so he didn’t have any competition.”

Cara stands up. “Or maybe we’re wrong about the Hunter gene. Maybe some people are just born Hunters and it has nothing to do with who their parents are. Nick’s parents might have been normal human beings who had no idea their son was a Hunter.”

“Then who trained him?” Linette asks, coughing and grabbing her chest.

Mrs. Tillman rushes to her and places her hand on her chest.

“Have you guys ever thought to do that as a group?” I ask.

Mrs. Tillman turns toward me. “What do you mean?”

“Healing Linette. I know you’re the big healer of the group, but maybe you don’t have enough power on your own.”

“As a group we might,” she finishes my thought.

I nod.

“Everyone come here.” She motions for them to huddle around. “Place your hands as close to the wound as you can.” She waits while they all get into position. “Everyone ready?” Nods go around the group. Cara’s eyes meet mine for a moment and I can tell she’s grateful for my suggestion. “On three,” Mrs. Tillman says. “One. Two. Three.”

Linette’s chest glows red like hot embers and her eyes widen, though not in pain. “I think it’s working.”

I smile because I like Linette. She’s always been nice to me, and I hate to see her hurting. I’m confident this will heal her enough that she won’t be confined to this house anymore. And that means that I have to worry about something else, something bigger. I have to get the dagger out of here so the Hunters don’t come knocking down Cara’s door to get it, and I have to find out if my dad really is a Hunter.

I glance at the dagger, which Monique placed on the coffee table, and then at the group, still hard at work healing Linette. I know leaving now might mean I’ll never see Cara again. If the dagger takes over, I’ll have to go away for good. I look at the back of her head, searing her image into my mind. Then I slowly inch toward the coffee table, watching everyone’s backs to make sure no one senses what I’m doing. I grip the dagger in my hand and back out of the living room. I head for the dining room, which connects to the kitchen on the other side. No one sees me, so I awkwardly turn the knob on the back door, which isn’t easy in handcuffs and holding a dagger. I slip outside and get a crazy idea.

I place the handle of the dagger in my mouth and bring the tip down on the handcuffs. Nothing happens, so I duck behind the bushes and work on using the tip of the blade to pick the lock. I never realized how much of a point this thing comes to, but I’m grateful for it now. After a few moments of awkward maneuvering with my mouth, the handcuffs come undone. I toss them aside and watch Cara’s house, knowing they must be done healing Linette and enraged that I slipped past them.

Garret rushes out the back door and searches the yard. I back up down the line of bushes and run into the neighbor’s yard. Their garage is open so I duck inside. I know how to hotwire a car, but if I go speeding out of here, Garret will only follow me in his patrol car. I have to stay hidden until he’s gone.

A car starts and I assume Garret is checking the streets for me. I wait until I see taillights before I peek out. Linette is coming out the front door, looking as good as new. I can’t help smiling.

“I’ll go check his house. No one will question me being there,” she says, heading for Mrs. Tillman’s car.

Monique leaves next. My guess is she’ll check the falls. Dad’s still at the office, and I know I have to break my promise of never setting foot inside his place of work. I have to see him and find out if he knows what I am, and if he’s a Hunter too.

I take off at a jog with the dagger in my back pocket, once again covered by my t-shirt. It’s getting late, but I have no doubt Dad will still be working. The office is on the outskirts of town in the one and only office building. I go inside and head straight for the receptionist’s desk.

“I’m here to see Simon Schmidt,” I say, completely out of breath. I wouldn’t doubt I set a new personal best on that run.

“He’s in his office, but he has his phone set to ‘do not disturb.’ I’m sorry,” she says in a well-rehearsed voice.

“I’m his son.”

She looks me up and down. “I wasn’t aware that Mr. Schmidt had a son.”

Of course she wasn’t. Why would he mention me? “Well, he does. Now if you just tell me where his office is, I won’t ask you to break his ‘do not disturb’ phone policy.”

She lets out a loud huff, pointing down the hall. “Corner office on the right.”

“Thank you.” I’m not surprised Dad has a corner office. Those are the biggest ones, and he wouldn’t settle for anything but the best. Which is why no one he works with knows about me—his biggest failure.

Without knocking, I turn the doorknob and march right inside. Dad looks up from his desk and scowls. “What do you want?”

“Let me see. There’s so much. Mom back, a father who isn’t a pompous ass who ignores me all the time, and to have a nice normal relationship with the girl I’m crazy about. Since it doesn’t look like I’m going to get any of those things, I’ll settle for you telling me what you know about this.” I pull the dagger from my back pocket. “Tell me about how we’re Hunters, Dad.”

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Logan

I expect his eyes to widen, for him to curse me out for talking about what we are in a public place, even though no one else is in his office with us. Instead, he shakes his head and starts flipping through his paperwork again. “I don’t hunt.”

“Really? Never? Not for birds or anything like that?”

“Do I look like the outdoors type to you?” He types something on his computer and then glares at me. “Why are you still here?”

“Because I want answers. Have you seen this dagger before?” I hold it up, giving him a better view.

“No. I figured you just bought it. I’m sure a town like this has plenty of hunting equipment and people who could show you how to use it.” He waves me away. “I’m busy.”

“How old are you?”

He huffs. “Logan, I don’t have time for this. Maybe your mother entertained your crazy notions, but I’m not going to. I’m busy. Leave.”

I turn and walk away because he’s not a Hunter, just a major ass. I head back through the hallway, thinking Cara must have been right. Hunters don’t have to come from a long line of Hunters. Some of us are just born like this, or more like we’re awakened if we hold a Phoenix dagger. Maybe I was drawn to Cara that day at the falls when we met because something inside me recognized what she is. That would make sense.

“Simon Schmidt,” Monique says.

I jerk my head in the direction of the receptionist’s desk. Monique came to see my dad. I duck into the bathroom and wait for her to pass. I hear the receptionist tell her that Dad isn’t taking visitors.

“I’m not here to visit,” Monique says.

The receptionist stands up with a panicked expression on her face. “Look, I already let his son go back there. If I let you go too, I could lose my job.”

That’s all she needed to say. Monique’s heavy footsteps sound down the hall. By the way they keep pausing, she must be reading the nameplates on the doors. I wait until she stops, knowing she’s found Dad. Do I follow her in there? Make sure Dad’s okay?

I know he wouldn’t care if it were me, but Mom would want me to check on him. I tiptoe out of the bathroom and back down the hall. Monique isn’t yelling. She sounds calm, actually.

“Have you seen your son?”

“Who are you?” Dad asks, sounding just as annoyed as he was with me.

“I know your son. Have you seen him recently?”

Dad sighs. “I swear I moved to Hell on Earth. What is with the people in this town? Why my wife ever wanted to live in a place like this is beyond me. You’re all crazy. Some of us have jobs and do important things with our lives. Unfortunately, my son isn’t one of them. He’s more like the rest of you. Coming in here and telling me he wants to take up hunting.” He scoffs. “I can’t imagine a worse waste of time. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to get back to something that means something to the real world.”

I’m pretty sure that’s enough to convince Monique that Dad’s not a threat to anyone but me, so I take off down the hall, running right past the receptionist and out the door. I don’t know where I’m going. With all the Phoenixes looking for me, I’m not safe anywhere. I take all back roads that I’m sure no one will check. And before I know it, I’m at Nick’s house. I haven’t been inside it since the day of the party. The
‘For Sale’
sign is still on the front lawn.

I creep around back, climb up onto the deck, and use the dagger to pick the lock on the back door. The house is musty smelling from being locked up. I cringe and raise the neck of my shirt to cover my nose. This should be a good place to hide the dagger and lay low until I figure out what I’m going to do. I want to call Anton and see if he can book me a room at a hotel in New York, but he’ll ask why I don’t just stay with him and I can’t give him the real reason. He doesn’t know Phoenixes and Hunters exist, and he’s better off not knowing.

I check out all the rooms, looking for somewhere to stash the dagger. I decide on Nick’s bedroom. It seems appropriate since this is where he probably kept it. I look through the dresser and the closet, which are empty now since Garret cleaned the place out so it would look like Nick skipped town. I decide it would be easy to lift the mattress and stick the dagger inside it. I flip the bed up and slice a line just big enough to force the dagger through. Then I lower the mattress and step back.

“Better let us have that.”

I whirl around and see two guys dressed in navy blue hoodies. One is the same guy who attacked Cara and me at the falls. He’s got the burn on his face to prove it.

“So you weren’t boiled in the water after all,” I say.

“I wasn’t even in the water when your girlfriend pulled that little stunt,” he said.

“How’d you manage that? Do we Hunters have supernatural powers I haven’t discovered yet?” I emphasize the word “we.”

They both look at each other and then me. “What are you talking about?” the second one asks.

“Turns out I’m one of you guys.” I hold my arms out at my sides. “Who would’ve thought, right?” As I keep them talking I plan my escape, but I can’t figure out how to get the dagger
and
get out of here.

“You aren’t a Phoenix?”

I laugh. “Not even close.”

“But you were with the girl,” the blond guy says.

“It’s easier to kill them when you get close to them first. Plus, she’s nice to look at, am I right?”

Maybe I can chuck the mattress at them, grab the dagger, and jump out the window. It’s not that far of a drop onto the back deck.

“Not buying it,” the redhead says.

“Take a good whiff. Do you smell cinnamon?” I hope my time inside Cara’s house hasn’t made me smell like them. Her mom goes heavy on the cinnamon potpourri.

The redhead sniffs the air like a dog.

“Satisfied? Because you should know a whole slew of Phoenixes are after me right now. Sticking around isn’t a great idea, unless you’re both really good at dodging fireballs.” I motion to the burn on the blond’s face. “I know you’re not.”

“Let’s get the dagger and go,” the redhead says.

“No way. His girl burned me, and I’m going to get my revenge.”

“Kyle, don’t be an idiot. We can’t take them all on.” The redhead looks petrified, like he might shit himself.

“Maybe you can’t, Will, but I can.”

“See, this is why you nearly got yourself killed at the falls.”

Really?
These
are the Hunters that have the Phoenixes running around scared? They’re morons.

“Don’t you guys already have a dagger?” I ask, interrupting their argument. “I mean, you bagged that Phoenix girl at the police station, right?”

“No, that was our buddy, but he left,” Will says. “Told us to find a dagger of our own.”

Kyle shoots him a look for telling me that. I have no doubt he’d use the dagger on Will right now if he had it.

“Well, I’d follow him if you want to make it out of this town alive.” I look at my watch. “I’m guessing they’ll be banging down the door any minute now.”

“Fine,” Kyle says. “Give us the dagger and we’ll go.”

“No way. I stole this dagger from the Phoenixes. I earned it.”

“Then maybe we’ll stick around and work with you,” Will says.

“I work alone. I’m not sharing the Phoenixes’ essences with anyone.” I repeat what I heard back at Cara’s, hoping it sounds believable.

Kyle waves his hand in front of him. “I’m not buying this. You were too chummy with that Phoenix chick. No way are you planning to bag her.”

I step closer, hoping to intimidate him. “I’m planning to drive the dagger straight into her heart and steal her essence, and then I’ll do the same to the rest of them.”

“You don’t need all that time added on to your life. There’s plenty to go around,” Will practically whines.

I cut him a look, which makes him cower behind Kyle. “I told you I work alone.”

Kyle shakes his head. “No. I don’t think you work at all. I think you’re full of shit.”

I grab the mattress and tip it over onto them. The dagger is on the side by the floor, and I scramble to get to it before they do. Kyle and I reach it at the same time, and we wrestle for it. He kicks at me and connects with one of my ribs. Damn, why does he like ribs so much? I double over, and Kyle’s foot connects with my temple. My world goes black.

***

When I come to, I’m tied to a chair at the kitchen table. My head is throbbing from Kyle’s foot playing kickball with it, and my neck is sore from being slumped over for who knows how long. I don’t know if the Hunters are still around or if they took the dagger and went after Cara.

“Hello?” I call and listen for any response or movement in the other rooms. Nothing.

I wobble around in the chair, pushing it back from the table. I’m good with locks, but getting myself untied is another story. No matter how much I wiggle around and tug on the ropes, I can’t loosen them. I don’t think I could move my hands enough to open a drawer and search for a knife even if I could manage to stand with the chair attached to me. I get angry and start bashing the chair against the kitchen counter when Kyle comes rushing through the back door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He knocks me over and I fall to the ground, where I’m stuck like a helpless beetle on its back. It’s beyond humiliating. “Don’t make me knock you out again. That would be bad for the both of us.”

“Why is that?” I continue to squirm even though it’s completely ineffective.

“Because we need something from you.” Kyle holds up my cell phone.

“Where did you get that?”

“From a certain Phoenix’s house,” he says with a smirk.

Oh my God, did he kill Garret? Not that it would be a big loss or anything, but that would be one step closer to getting to Cara.

“What did you do to Garret?”

“Lucky for him, he wasn’t home when I took it.”

Will comes through the back door carrying a big brown bag. “We should’ve gotten more Cheese Doodles. Those things are seriously addictive. One bag isn’t going to be enough.”

Kyle whips his head in Will’s direction. “Would you drop it about the Cheese Doodles!” He turns back to me and mutters, “Moron.”

I have no doubt Kyle plans to get rid of Will at some point. My guess is he’s only keeping him around now because there are so many Phoenixes in Ashlan Falls. Kyle needs numbers on his side. Which gives me an idea.

“Look, you are way outnumbered here. Why don’t you let me help you? I know I said I work alone, but since there are so many freakin’ Phoenixes in this town, I’m willing to team up this once.”

“Like last time, I say you’re full of shit.” He motions to Will. “We know what we’re doing.”

“We do?” Will asks, placing the bag on the counter.

Kyle punches him in the arm.

“Are you two brothers or cousins or what?” I ask, not seeing how these two could have ended up working together.

“Believe me, we’re not related,” Kyle says. “Hunters rarely come from the same family because even though we hunt in packs, in the end, it’s a competition. Fighting family isn’t exactly cool.”

I’m surprised that would bother him. He doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself.

“That’s enough with the chit chat,” Kyle says, bending down to me. “It’s time for you to make a little phone call to a certain bird you know.”

“I’m not calling Cara for you.”

“Oh, but you are. Because if you don’t, I’m going to make her suffer. I’ll pluck every feather from her body until she begs me to stick the dagger in her heart. And even then, I won’t kill her. I’ll make her watch me kill every one of her little bird friends”—he leans down and breathes in my face—“and you. I know you mean something to her. Seeing you die might be the greatest form of torture.”

“You’re wrong about that. Cara doesn’t remember that she loves me, and when she found out I’m a Hunter—”

“Would you lay off with the whole ‘I’m a Hunter’ bullshit? I’m not buying it.”

“Put the dagger in my hand and you’ll see what happens to me. You’ll see the effect it has. The way I can black out and not know what I’m doing because the dagger takes over.”

Kyle cocks his head. “How do you know about that?”

“Because it happened to me last night when I held the dagger. I’m a Hunter, you ass.”

Kyle grabs my chair and pulls me to a sitting position. “Maybe you are, but I don’t believe you want to hurt your girlfriend. So I’m going to do it for you.” He presses my cell phone into my hand. “Now call her and I promise to end her life quickly and painlessly.”

He presses Cara’s number on my speed dial, and I hear it ringing. “Logan?” Cara answers, her voice quivering.

Fine. Kyle wants me to talk. I’ll talk. “Cara, don’t come near Nick’s house. They have the dagger!”