04 Last (6 page)

“Oh,” I said. “Why?”

“She didn’t say why, just that she wanted to talk to you,” Serenity said. “So, a favor for a favor. What do you say?”

The others looked at me, to see how I would answer. Though no one was eager to speak for me or make my choice, they all had opinions. Alex’s cool eyes were telling me I shouldn’t do it. She didn’t trust Serenity – she only trusted the fact that we would be double-crossed. Alex wasn’t the only one who cautioned against agreeing to Serenity’s demands. No one was certain that ‘yes’ was the proper response. No one could see the endgame of Serenity’s offer. Even Jackson, who knew Serenity longer than anyone else, was warning me with his eyes. They were all telling me that Odette was not a Watcher I took advice from without there being consequences I might not like. Her power was immense; her ability to see the future reached far beyond Daniel’s power. They all feared it, and questioned whether or not I would be manipulated in to a future none of us wanted to face.

Despite the feeling that they were right to fear her power, I did not have the same feelings. I knew she was powerful, could see centuries in to the future, but that didn’t mean her future had any meaning for me. I could always change the future – it was easier than changing the past. There were no certainties in the future. And, it was possible she could give me answers to why I was hunted and different. Her answers might mean stopping Marcus. I would not let the others’ fear prevent me from that. Not only that, I couldn’t leave Han and Beatrice to certain torture and death simply because Odette wished to speak with me. They needed help, and I could provide that help. It was simple. All it took was a ‘yes.’

I avoided Daniel’s eyes as I made my decision. His eyes were the most conflicted of the group. Two powerful urges – one, to protect me, the second, to protect his parents – were at war. I didn’t need the confliction any more than I needed the fear. It only clouded the truth.

“I’ll do it,” I told Serenity.

“I trust you’ll keep your word,” Serenity replied.

Though her voice was silk-like, it was a threat; a threat that she would keep me to my word, even if I tried to back out. It was one I didn’t like.

“I said ‘I’ll do it,’” I said in a firm voice.

She nodded once, a silent promise to keep me to my word – no matter the cost. Then, she turned her attention to the others. They were the ones who would plan the attack. Not me. I was just the holder of the promise.

“I believe we have some planning to do,” Serenity said. “Our timing needs to be precise. I would hate to get caught with my pants down, so to speak.

“It’d be the first time,” Daniel muttered.

Reaper took control of the room. Now that the promise was made, it was time to focus on the plan. He was used to such measures of command – he was also used to Serenity holding back. His eyes raked the darkness behind Serenity. Daniel and I were not the only ones who knew Serenity always held a hand she didn’t always show; not until it was absolutely necessary.

“Before we began, I think you should bring your people in on this discussion,” Reaper told Serenity.

“My people?” Serenity asked innocently.

Reaper was not fooled by her innocent tone.

“If we’re going to do some planning, I’d prefer to do it without a crosshair on my forehead,” Reaper said.

“I would never point a weapon at you,” Serenity said in a hurt voice.

Reaper’s expression was sarcastic. Serenity sighed and snapped her manicured fingers once.

Two figures immediately detached themselves from the shadows at the snap. The movement was graceful and perfect, two lions moving in for the kill. The others gripped their weapons again, though less dramatically as when Serenity had first spoken. It was a tensing of muscles and wary distrust for people they couldn’t see.

The first figure had olive skin and dark, sultry eyes. His hair was curly, and his face was a combination of mystery and sexy appeal. He made the other Watchers in the room look as if they were trying too hard to be beautiful. His appeal was animal and unintentional. I recognized him. He worked with Serenity – he had bartended at Serenity’s bar in New Orleans and had been her spy at Marcus’ nest. His name was Mick. The moment I connected eyes with him I felt a subtle blush heat up my body. It was unstoppable. I looked away from his eyes and saw Alex having the same reaction. Her pale cheeks were flooded with color, highlighting the blue in her eyes. Mick didn’t even seem to register our looks – he was focused on Serenity and the scene that was playing out in front of us.

The second figure stayed in the shadows a couple of seconds longer than Mick. I strained my eyes to see the figure, wondering at the hesitation that seemed to surround the movement. Through the darkness, the person felt familiar, yet foreign. It was as if I had met the person, but had never really gotten to know him or her. I wondered at the connection.
Had
I met the person? In the next moment, my unspoken question was answered. The shadowy figure took the final step forward. The light touched his somber face, and I saw the reason behind the sense of familiarity.

It was Eli.

He had changed. His blond hair was cut in a military style, and his face was more confident – there was no question of his heritage. He knew what being a Watcher meant and how he played in to the bigger picture of things. The quiet demeanor was the same, but the certainty was new. He had answers; answers brought him confidence. He was no longer the street kid. He was a Watcher. His eyes – one blue and one brown – searched our group in a question. They were the only place I saw doubt. His eyes moved from my face to Spider’s, and, finally, on to Alex’s. His cautious glance was uncertain – it questioned the meeting he was facing. It questioned if he wanted the coming drama.

Spider looked as if he had been slapped in the face – hard. Eli had been his brother, his protector from a lifetime of bullies and criminals on the streets. He had been the first to save Spider from a life of crime, to give him safety in the storm, and then he had abandoned him without as much as a word of parting. Eli had cut Spider out of his life as easily as a tailor cut a piece of thread, before moving on to another garment. To see Eli after so many months of bitter resentment and hurt was a blow to Spider’s emotions. For the first time since meeting Spider, I saw a boy crushed by the weight of his pain.

Alex had a different reaction. Instead of pain, she felt anger. It was written across her face like a map of her emotional turmoil. I understood the anger; it was the same anger I felt at seeing the pain in Spider’s eyes. It was the same anger I felt at knowing the hurt she felt under the anger. Her anger though, went beyond anger at seeing a friend hurt. It was personal. It was the anger of being scorned by a person she could have loved. It was loss and betrayal. It was seeing a man who had fled their shared experience of the joining, rather than deal with it. Her anger flared out of control.

There was no slow fight of milky white against brilliant blue. Her eyes shifted to white in a second’s time. Her face contorted with the emotion. A slow shifting of muscles, something that should not have been possible, started underneath her skin. It was as if another being was trying to escape her skin – which it was. She was close to turning in to a Nightstalker.

“Alex…” I said in a low voice; a warning against the truth I saw in her face.

It had worked before to stop her from doing something she regretted, but this time it was not enough. She was too angry, too wrapped up in her hurt. She looked at me when I spoke, awareness dawning behind the white, but she was too far gone in the change. She could not control what was happening any more than she could control her emotions. The anger was too intense – Eli’s presence was too unexpected. The monster was crawling to the surface, and she didn’t have the power to stop it. She did have the power to run away, however, to prevent others from getting hurt because of her.

Before anyone could react, Alex took off running. She disappeared in to the darkness of the tunnels faster than I thought possible. Her running feet changed sounds as she shed her boots in favor of a more beastly set of feet. Sharp nails tore up the rock as she ran as fast as she could...away from Eli, away from the pain. The others, those who weren’t aware of what she could do, listened to the sounds in confusion. Those of us who knew the truth listened with regret. My hope was that she would not find anyone in the caves to hurt – or anyone who would hurt her first.

I started to follow her, to stop her from herself, but Daniel stepped in front of me. He blocked my path with no fear to the way I was purposefully gripping my knife.

“Daniel...I love you, but, move,” I said.

“You don’t know where she’s going…you’ll end up lost and circling the caves for days,” he said. “That helps no one.”

“I’m not just going to let her come back to me. I did that once…it was a mistake,” I said.

“Just…wait a minute. Let’s talk about it,” he suggested.

“You have a minute,” I said.

Eli finally spoke. His voice was filled with hate and a tone of voice I had only heard once before – it was the voice he had used when he had found out about Alex’s condition. His own emotions of doubt and fear created a certainty grounded in his prejudice.

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Eli said. “Just leave her to the caves. She deserves whatever fate she finds in there.”

Spider and I had similar reactions. Jackson grabbed the boy by the shirt, before he could attack Eli and possibly get hurt. Daniel grabbed me, before I could do the same, though I had no doubt Eli would be the one doing the hurt. Daniel had to hold on tighter to me to get me to stop. It was not inhuman anger that made me strong – it was love for Alex. I fought against his touch, eager to give Eli what his comment, and actions, deserved. Eli didn’t smirk or try to rub in his comment. He merely looked at Spider and me as if he couldn’t understand our reactions.

It was not us that Eli needed protection from, however. Reaper, cool and calm, despite the anger in his silver eyes, stepped in front of Eli. Reaper looked Eli in the eyes for a brief second then he punched Eli as hard as he could.

Eli flew back and hit the opposite wall with a resounding ‘thud.’ Dirt and rock fell on top of him as he bounced off the wall and hit the cave floor. Silver blood trickled from Eli’s nose. Eli wiped at it angrily and a second later, it was healed.

Reaper kept his place, not caving in to the desire in his eyes to hit Eli again while he was down. I knew how strong of a desire it was. If Daniel had not been holding me around the waist with both arms, I would have run over to Eli and kicked him a couple of times, just to make sure he got the point.

“You are talking about one of my people,” Reaper said. “You will watch your tongue.”

“Do you even know what she is?” Eli asked. “Do you know what sort monster you keep in your company?”

Reaper looked at me for a second. His glance was questioning. It was also strangely aware. He knew we were keeping Alex’s condition a secret – he just didn’t know what kind of secret we were keeping. The use of the word ‘monster’ startled him. He was not prepared for such strong words – not in relation to Alex. He didn’t let the question in his eyes linger long. He had a point to make. He looked at Eli again.

“Do you think it really matters?” Reaper asked. “She is a Saint; one of mine. That’s all I need to know.”

Eli clamped his mouth shut and pushed off the cave floor. Serenity looked at Eli in a warning; her glance suggested she was disappointed in him. They had obviously talked about starting fights over Alex’s ability to change in to a Nightstalker. She had warned him to keep his mouth shut and not start a fight he could not win. I could see how difficult it was for him. It took a tremendous amount of willpower to hold his tongue, especially with the rest of us looking daggers at him. His anger went beyond anger for being hit. Eli was prejudiced against all Nightstalkers – one had killed his mother. He had never found the killer, so he took his anger out on all Nightstalkers. It was his personal mission to eradicate them from the world. That mission happened to include my best friend.

Eli stepped back in to his place behind Serenity without another word. His glare spoke volumes. Reaper did not return the glare as he took a couple of steps back to join Sara and Preacher. Reaper had made his point. He didn’t waste time pushing it beyond what was necessary. Reaper thoughtfully looked at the darkness of the tunnels.

“Someone
should
follow her,” Reaper pointed out. “We can’t leave her here. There’s no telling what could happen.”

“I’m going,” I said. “I’m the only who can find her.”

“I thought you were gung-ho about rescuing Han and Beatrice,” Daniel said, trying his best to distract me from the danger of following an enraged Nightstalker in to an unknown cave system.

“I am,” I said. “But, let’s be serious for a minute. You know Serenity will never take me in there. It isn’t just because I’m not as Watcher-y as the rest of you. She won’t risk me dying and abstaining from my end of the bargain.”

“She’s right,” Serenity agreed. “I was thinking Jackson, Daniel, me and the boy.”

Spider finally looked away from Eli. His eyes were surprised at her words. He obviously had not expected to get to go inside the fortress. He had expected to be forced to sit in the cave and watch the fun from a safe distance. It was something he had put up with a lot while with the Saints. He grinned at the thought of being involved so closely in the action, his anger finding an outlet in motion. I didn’t know if it was a healthy outlet, but it would have to do for the time being.