Burning Emerald (20 page)

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Authors: Jaime Reed

BOOK: Burning Emerald
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T
hanksgiving wielded a type of magic that complemented the ever-changing foliage.
Nature and tradition conspired, performing works deemed impossible, except this time of year. The enchantment held healing properties, a warm salve in the form of hugs, laughter, and comfort food. Relatives traveled long distances, arms full of goodies and well wishes.
This was the only occasion where the fridge exceeded its storage capacity, yet everyone starved until that Thursday. Even then the torment continued, because no one could enter the kitchen when my nana was throwing down. Equipped with her own ingredients and cookware, Nana toiled over her concoctions, sending thick clouds of peppery spice to tease our empty stomachs.
Family members—mostly from my dad's side—rattled the walls with laughter, howls, and clinking silverware. The festivities took place at our home since Nana's house was too small for large parties, Dad lived too far away, and everyone wished Grandpa Marshall would die in a fire. My house became neutral territory where everyone behaved themselves, though not like in the family get-togethers usually seen in movies. The feast itself was much like dinner theater, with a parade of oddball characters who resembled me to some degree.
Dad came by with his wife, Rhonda, and the twins. Prim and proper as she pleased, my stepmother wandered around, forcing small talk behind a tight, condescending smile. I withstood every thinly veiled insult she slung at me, while my brother and sister ransacked my room and terrorized the guests.
When Rhonda wasn't turning her nose up at everyone, she voiced her conspiracy theory on how Mom's parenting skills had caused my “bad juju.” The rest of my family didn't discuss my sudden transformation, but Rhonda tried to expose me to anyone who listened. If she only knew just how close her assessment came to the truth, these greetings would be far less hospitable. It took all my willpower not to drain her dry.
David Ruiz made an appearance during dinner, bearing cheesecake and a bouquet of roses for Mom. The next hour was a tense affair, for both the investigator and investigated. Dad shifted in his chair, gritting hard at Mom's new companion. A few of my uncles cleared the room for fear of Ruiz digging into their shady pasts. The women circled around the detective, crooning at his northern accent and forgetting that their men were in the house.
I still didn't know Ruiz's motives, but he made Mom happy. Most of all, he wasn't a Cambion or any facsimile thereof, which was a plus in my book. Mom was a cautious woman, and with good reason, but I couldn't help notice how she came alive when Ruiz was around. I wasn't the only one who noticed and Dad got all in his business, making such a stink that Rhonda pulled him aside to have a “talk.”
After the big meal, the guest list dwindled in size and I could now see the floor and the trash left behind. Children ran everywhere, women gossiped in the kitchen, and the men gathered in the living room, screaming to the television at the missed touchdown. Everywhere I looked, people lounged around like beach seals, giving in to the drugging effects of the Itis.
Itis [i-tus] noun
A chemical reaction when too much blood rushes to the stomach in order to help digest large quantities of food. Symptoms occur frequently during holidays and gatherings that involve pork, poultry, or Chinese takeout. Symptoms include: light-headedness, fatigue, laziness, indigestion, bloating, sudden weight gain, and a propensity to repeat the gorging cycle an hour later.
I sat on the other side of the kitchen island as I had done every year since I was five, watching the best entertainment in town. My legs swung under the stool while I listened to the women gossip and talk smack about the men in their lives.
Things were quiet on the paranormal front. Tobias hadn't made any effort to contact me and if he knew what was good for him, it would stay that way. I didn't want to entertain any negative vibes today. I was surrounded by chaos, warm, loving chaos, and I savored the flavor.
My peace crashed and burned when Mom opened the door and Haden stepped into the house. My aunts and cousins swooped in to appraise the merchandise. The Ross brothers may be ladies' men, but none of them could handle the wanton females in my family.
Squirming from the throng of pinches and petting, he pulled me to a secluded corner. “Samara, I need you to come with me.”
“Why?” I asked with a mouthful of pecan pie.
“Caleb's gone.”
I froze mid-chew, unsure if I heard him right. “What do you mean gone?”
“He's not in the hospital. I went to grab a bite to eat. Michael popped out to use his phone for a moment and when we came back, he was gone. Three nurses on duty were taken to the emergency room tonight. Heart complications.”
His words, though simple, held deadly connotations pertaining to our kind. A donor experienced stress to the heart and could die if too much energy was taken, and the severity of the news forced me to set down my plate and take action.
“Do you think it was Caleb?” I asked.
“Well, it wasn't us,” Haden snipped. “Are you really shocked that he'd go to this extreme? You haven't been around and he's starving for energy. Why did you abandon him when he needed you the most?”
“I didn't abandon him,” I said, not wanting to see the resentment on his face.
“Caleb must've taken it that way and decided to take matters into his own hands. I'd assumed this would be the first place he would go, but I guess not. Two possibilities are at play here. If he left on his own, he's running about somewhere, desperate for energy. But if he was taken ...” The sentence went unfinished, but the words poisoned the air.
I didn't want to think about the possibility of someone abducting him. “Where do you think he is?”
“I don't know. That's why I need you. You can sense where he is, can't you?”
“I'm not sure. I've been out of whack after all that's been going on.” I looked around for anyone listening. Good thing Ruiz had left an hour ago—he would've loved to walk in on this conversation.
“I don't mean to ruin your celebration, but this is important. Can you please come with me?”
“All right, but I need to tell my mom.” Julie Marshall was a woman of compassion, the defender of the underdog with warm, maternal instincts. Surely, she of all people would understand my plight.
“Absolutely not!” Mom threw her head back and laughed, the red wine swooshing around her goblet. “This is a holiday. You need to be at home.”
So much for sympathy. “Mom, Caleb is missing and there's no telling what's happened to him. He needs me.”
“If he needs you, then he can come here. And if he's in danger, then you need to call the police.”
Okay, this was why parents shouldn't know about otherworldly happenings in their children's lives; they always interfere with lectures about safety.
“Mom, Haden is coming with me. He'll protect me. He just needs me to track where Caleb is, nothing more. When we find out, he'll bring me back.” I looked to Haden, who confirmed with a nod.
I saw Mom's resolve wavering and I moved in for the kill, doling out my best sad-puppy face. “Their family is broken, Mom. All they have is each other. Imagine if I was the one missing. You'll know where I am.” I waved my bracelet in front of her.
“All right, fine. Keep your cell phone on and call me every hour on the hour, you hear me?” When I nodded, she moved to Haden and caught his chin between her fingers. I knew that wide-eyed, innocent look that turned manic as she devoured her prey.
Her voice tingled with perverse glee as she spoke. “Mr. Ross, you cannot truly comprehend the horror that awaits you should something happen to my daughter. Just know that I'll find you. I have heavy connections, impeccable aim, and my family owns a pig farm in Smithfield. It will not be quick. You get my meaning?”
Haden's Adam's apple bobbed as he gaped at the small woman in front of him. “Yes, ma'am.”
“Good,” she chirped with a wide smile, then turned to me. “Grab a coat, sweetie. It's chilly out.”
“You're one hell of a woman, Ms. Marshall,” Haden commented. “You remind me a lot of my own mum.”
“Yeah, your father seemed to think so too,” Mom replied from over her shoulder, the icy delivery putting Haden in his place. I giggled under my breath, savoring the moment of raw pwn-age.
I gathered my stuff and slinked out the door while Mom distracted the company, namely Dad. As soon as I stepped outside, my body screamed to race back into the warmth of the house. Frost capped over the lawn and on the cars lined around the driveway. Music blared from houses nearby and Christmas lights glittered through the naked trees.
Haden leaned against my car, rubbing his cold hands together. “I took a taxi here, so we'll have to use your car. It's better that I drive so you can concentrate.”
I played with the keys in my hand, reluctant to offer up my firstborn to a commoner. “You're fortunate that these are dire circumstances, 'else your impertinence would come at the cost of your head,” I said with theatrical flair. “My car doesn't know you, and we drive on the right side of the road in this country.”
“So I hear. Now I see where you got your warm personality,” he mused. “Does your family really own a pig farm?”
“That's confidential information, Mr. Ross. If all goes well, you'll never have to find out.” I smiled and tossed him my keys.
 
We cruised down the main strip through this ghost town with its closed shops and vacant parking lots. People were home with loved ones while we drove in the cold in search for the lost. The repetition of the road, black and slick as night waters, held me in a trance.
This thing living inside me, this growing connection, was better than any GPS in existence. In truth, it was more of a wire cable that pulled me in whatever direction Caleb moved. This would've been a handy little tool if it actually worked when I needed it. I centered my thoughts, even stuck my head out of the window to get a better signal, but there was nothing.
Perhaps my connection with Tobias had muted it. That sneaky pest gnawed at the cable's protective covering, splitting some of the wires and scrambling the frequency. I shuddered at the thought. If Tobias had kidnapped Caleb, there was no telling what he would do. Caleb could be in danger and I couldn't find him. Panic grew by the second, and that malignant tumor fed from every negative thought. I had to cut it out before it rotted my brain.
Our phones lit up with calls from Michael and Mom wanting updates, but the news stayed the same by the second hour. Michael combed the area around the hospital and came up empty-handed. He agreed to meet back at my house to compare notes, so Haden decided to end our scavenger hunt for the night. I stared out of my window, watching the sleepy city speed by in long streaks of light. I wouldn't let this get to me. I couldn't.
Confusion, rage, and excruciating hunger filled my senses out of nowhere. It came in waves, making me rock and sway with motion sickness. I'd been too distracted, too preoccupied, to even notice, or maybe the feelings were so familiar I'd mistaken them for my own.
“Turn around!” I ordered.
“What's wrong?” Haden asked with his eyes still glued to the road.
“I feel something. Head toward his place again.”
“You sure? We've driven by there twice already.”
“I'm positive. Go back,” I insisted.
Haden veered to the left shoulder, crossing two lanes and busting a U-ie in the intersection. We doubled back and made our way to Caleb's neighborhood.
The houses in the subdivision displayed a model of suburban life, but they were as coldly artificial as a movie set. As we drove closer, the vibe grew stronger, and hunger like I'd never felt before overwhelmed me. The feeling worsened as we reached his street. The only one who seemed cool with any of this was Lilith.
Haden parked a block away to keep from rousing any suspicion. He killed the engine and turned to me. “You sure he's here?”
I nodded. “I feel him.”
He climbed out of the car. “Wait here.”
Was he serious? That's how people got killed in horror movies. “Mom said that I'm not to leave your sight. I'm going with you.” I jumped out of the car before he could argue.
Strolling up the quiet street toward the walkway, I kept watch for landmines that might appear within the unmarked terrain. Neither of us knew Caleb's current mental state or whether he was alone, so our approach had to be handled delicately. Even more so when we found the front door unlocked. Pushing the door open, Haden and I stared into the dark interior—two kids forced to enter a haunted house on a dare.
“You sure he's here?” Haden asked again, not moving a muscle.
“Yup.” Instinctively, I patted the spray bottle of olive oil in my pocket, hoping I wouldn't need to use it tonight.

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