Electric (10 page)

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded, as I had a mouthful of burger and some fries. Once I swallowed I said, “Now that we have the sword, we can finish this. Let’s do it right now.”

“Now?”

“Yeah why not? We know where he is. Let’s just go there and kill him. He totally won’t be expecting it.”

“Merlin isn’t Thane and the other Malice members. And we barely survived them. We need to find another way, then just popping in on him.”

“How then?”

“At a time when he’s the most vulnerable.”

“Didn’t you tell me that we are at our most fragile when we’re feeding?” I shoved the last of the fries into my mouth.

He nodded.

“Okay, so we need to surprise him when he’s sucking someone dry. How hard could that be?” Frustrated, I got to my feet and paced the room.  “And if you didn’t notice, that was sarcasm.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“How are we going to sneak up on Merlin when he’s feeding? It’s impossible. Unless he’s snacking on one of us.” I watched him as he finished off his milkshake. I knew that look in his eyes. “You know something you’re not telling me.”

“You’re going to be mad.”

“If you’re breaking up with me, I’m going to kill you.”

He reached for my hand and pulled me into a chair. “Remember when you wondered why I’d been late showing up and stuff at your place when you called?”

“Yeah?” My heart hammered in my throat. I was afraid of what he was going to tell me.

“I’ve been watching Jamie and Chloe for a few weeks now.”

“What? Why?”

“I wanted to make sure they weren’t in any danger.”

I smiled at that. He was worried about my friends. I was the luckiest girl alive to have a boyfriend like Trevor.

“Then after that girl was found, I knew someone was beaking off.”

“But we followed Heather?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure still at that point. But now I am.”

My stomach dropped.  “If you say Chloe I’m going to cry.”

“It’s Jamie.”

I wanted to be shocked, but somewhere deep down I had my suspicions. His hate for me had obviously swelled to epic proportions. I had seen it in his eyes the other night when I’d popped into his room unannounced. There had been fear there certainly, but also anger.

And his grief for Deanna had been enormous. More than I thought seemed warranted considering their brief liaison.

“He wouldn’t talk to Merlin.”

“No, he’s been seeing Seth.”

I frowned. “Ah, what do you mean ‘seeing Seth’?”

His eyebrow went up. “What do you think I mean?”

“Wow, Chloe had said she thought he was dating someone new, but...” I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my mouth. “Do you know for sure?”

“Yeah, I’ve followed him a few times now to a club called Sharps. “

I knew of the place. It was a small run-down club where alternative bands played now and then. I’d gone there one time with Chloe and Jamie, to see a band Jamie had loved. We’d sat at the back, drinking Cokes, and watched Jamie jump off the stage and speakers and into the crowd. On the nights bands weren’t playing, I’d heard it doubled as a gay bar. It was one of four in the city.

“I saw him with Seth inside.”

“Did you know Seth was gay?”

Trevor shrugged.  “They’re shapeshifters remember? They all use to be other people. Devon used to be a dude. I don’t really think it matters to them. A soul is a soul, regardless of gender.”

“I never thought Jamie would go for a guy. He’s always been so focused on boobs.”

Trevor chuckled. “You have to remember a cambion’s allure. We can seduce anyone. That’s part of our powers.”

“Yeah, sometimes I forget that.  I forget I’m one, you know?”

He squeezed my hand. “I know. I do too.”

“So, I guess we need to go talk with Jamie again.”

“I already did.”

“What?” I sprung to my feet again. “What about all your big talk about doing this together?”

“I know. I’m sorry. But after his outburst at you, I had to have a little chit chat with him.”

I wanted to stay mad at him, and I had every reason to be angry, but I knew he went to talk to Jamie because Jamie had hurt me.  Although I didn’t condone him doing it behind my back, I was a little pleased by it.

“And? What happened? What did he say?”

“He confessed to telling Seth stuff. He said he couldn’t help himself. It just all came out.”

Shaking my head, I leaned against the counter.  It hurt to hear how much Jamie had betrayed me. His blabbing had hurt more people than he probably even realized. Because of his betrayal, Deanna Moser had been targeted. I realized now it had been a way to hurt me and to expose Jamie.  Merlin wanted me to know that Jamie had deceived me.

“What an idiot.”

“To be fair, he probably didn’t tell them stuff completely on his own free will. He was likely seduced into it.”

“Well, we’ll never really know, will we?”

“Probably not, no.”  Trevor got up and moved toward me. He put his hand on my shoulder, and pulled me to him. He hugged me tight.  “There is a silver lining though.”

“What is that?”

“We have our way to get Merlin.”

I looked up at his face. “How?”

“Jamie volunteered to be bait.”

I pushed out of his arms. “He did what?”

“He wants to redeem himself.”

“By risking his life?” I shook my head. “No way.” Then I whirled on Trevor. “You put him up to it, didn’t you?”

He had the decency to look sheepish.  “I may have suggested it.”

“Trevor!” I whirled away from him and stomped the room. “How could you do that?”

“Lives are at stake, Sale. I had to do something.”

“Yeah now Jamie’s life is even more at stake.”

“He wanted to do it. I may have suggested it as a way to kill Merlin and end this, but Jamie jumped at the chance to do it.  I didn’t twist his arm.”

“There has to be another way.”

Trevor grabbed my arm to stop me from moving around. “There isn’t.”

I looked him in the eyes. He had amazing eyes. Dark. Guarded. Fierce. But they had softened over the months when he looked at me. It made my belly flip and my heart beat just a little bit faster.

I knew he had my best interests at heart. Well, his too. He was as much in danger as I was.  But if it had just been him, Trevor would’ve done something different. He’d probably charge in full steam ahead without any care of what happened. It was my welfare that made him stop and think. Made him develop a plan.

Sighing, I leaned into him.  “And I suppose you already have it all figured out.”

“Maybe.”  He gave me one of his rare full grins. “It’s just missing the best part.”

“Which is?”

“You.”  He ruffled my hair, then pulled me close and kissed the tip of my nose.

I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I nuzzled into his rock hard chest, and inhaled his smell.  He was impossible to stay mad at, especially when he would do anything to keep me safe.

––––––––

T
hat night I lied to my mom, told her Trevor and I were going to a movie, but in reality we were meeting with Jamie and Chloe to plan a murder.

Trevor thought it best that we meet in a location new to everyone, that way no one could knowingly or unknowingly divulge the address. It was all very cloak and dagger. The place he chose was a Chinese restaurant off the beaten path. When we arrived, the place was virtually empty save for an ancient looking Chinese couple at a booth near the window. We chose a booth near the back.

Jamie and Chloe came together and sat opposite Trevor and I in the booth. Jamie sat across from Trevor. Which I was grateful for, because if I had to look at his pinched pale face for longer than two minutes I might’ve reached across the table and punched him in the nose.

“I’m sorry, Salem,” he mumbled to me, after Chloe elbowed him in the side.

“You should say sorry to Deanna Moser.”  I knew it was a cheap shot and that it would hurt him, but I was hurt deeply by his betrayal. He was supposed to be one of my best friends. He was supposed to have my back and not stab it at the first chance he got.

“Salem, that’s not fair,” Chloe said, as she put her arm around Jamie.  “He didn’t know.”

“Well he should’ve known. I told you both how dangerous these guys were.”

I looked at Jamie’s face. The tip of his nose was red and I could see the tears welling in the corner of his eyes.

Trevor grabbed my hand that I was balling into a fist on the table. “We’ve all done stuff to be ashamed of.”

“I haven’t,” Chloe said.

“Except for Chloe,” Trevor continued. “And we all have to learn to live with it and make up for it, if we can.”

“And that’s what I’m doing,” Jamie said. He looked up at me. “I want to make things right again.”

Our server took that tense moment to shuffle up to our table to take our order. We ordered four different dishes and four Cokes, and he shuffled away to fulfill it. At least I hope he would, as I wasn’t completely sure that he understood what we had ordered. Oh well, maybe he’d bring us four other dishes that were just as delicious.

When he was gone, we got down to the business at hand. The plan. The plan to kill Merlin.

“So cambions are at their most vulnerable when they feed,” Trevor explained to Jamie and Chloe. “We can take Merlin out then.”

“How?” Chloe asked.

“With his sword. Excalibur,” I said.

“Wasn’t that King Arthur’s sword?” Jamie asked. “I remember the movie.”

I shook my head. “That movie wasn’t accurate. The Lady of the Lake gave the sword to Merlin. Then when she got pissed at him, she encased him in ice with it. I know, I stole it from him once already.”

“You told me the sword disappeared,” Chloe said.

“Well, I got it back today. The stupid water lady nearly drown me though in the process.”

Trevor squeezed my leg under the table. “So we have the right weapon and now we just need to set up the right circumstances.”

“That’s where you need me.” Jamie ran a hand through his messy rat’s nest of hair.

“Yup. You’re our ace in the hole.”

Our server returned with the right food and our Cokes and we dug in, all too hungry and contemplative to talk much. Besides it was rude to talk with mouths full of Chow Mein and Ginger Beef.

While I shoveled in some Kung Pao Chicken, I heard the little bell over the front door chime. It wasn’t the ringing that gave me pause but the funny vibration of movement that accompanied it. I’d felt that sensation before. In Seattle. Trevor must’ve sensed it as well, because he turned just as I did to see who’d just walked into the restaurant.

I nearly choked on my chicken as Seth and Quinn walked across the room toward our table.

“Oh shit.” Jamie dropped his fork mid-way to his mouth. Rice scattered all over the table.

“Hello boys and girls,” Seth said with vicious glee, aiming his 100 Watt bulb smile at Jamie. He was Hollywood good-looking and had the swagger of a rock god. I could totally understand why Jamie had succumbed to his charms.

Quinn just looked like Quinn, all anger and fury vibrating inside a bulky beefy tattooed dude with a bald head. He just scared the crap out of me.

“Aren’t you going to say hi to me, lover?” Seth blew a kiss to Jamie.

Jamie blushed hard. I’d never seen him look so uncomfortable. He squirmed in his seat and refused to look up.

The server took that moment to approach the newcomers.  “Table for two?”

Quinn snarled at him, and his smile faded and he scurried away into the back. I didn’t blame him, that was exactly what I wanted to do.

Trevor got to his feet, and stepped out in front of the table, effectively blocking Jamie and Chloe from the cambions.  “What do you want?”

“Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll,” Seth said, “Oh and to understand what the heck ‘twerking’ is.”

Quinn smirked at that.

“We’re here to deliver a message,” he continued. “Bring the sword to Merlin, and no one else needs to die.”

“Get bent,” I spat.

“How did you find us?” Trevor asked.

“Well, Trevor, my man, while you were following Jamie here, Quinn was following you.”

I scrambled out of the booth and stood beside Trevor.  “What, is Merlin too afraid to come himself, he has to send you two clowns?”

Seth pinned me with his dark gaze. And it became blacker as he incubus-ed out.  “Be careful what you wish for sweetheart, because you just might get it.”

Trevor stepped up to Seth and got in his face. “Leave now, or I’ll stop being nice.”

Seth laughed. “That’s funny, boy. The last time we saw you, if I remember correctly, you could barely speak let alone fight. It was your little girly there that had the balls to do anything about it.”

“I’m calling the police,” the server yelled from the back room.

Everyone ignored him.

Trevor smirked. “Yeah, but it took four of you to take me down.” He looked past Seth to Quinn. “Two down, two to go, I guess.”

Seth lost his smugness then.  He shoved Trevor into the table. All the dishes and glasses fell onto the floor.  Some Kung Pao landed on the toe of my boot. I kicked it off, and then launched myself at Seth, newly protruding talons aimed right at his face.

I was quick especially with righteous anger on my side, but Seth was bigger, stronger and quicker. He knocked my hands away, then grabbed me around the waist, picked me up and threw me across the restaurant.

I landed hard on the elderly couple’s table near the front window. Thankfully they had already vacated the area. But I did land on top of their dishes.  If I had still been human, I would’ve definitely broken a bone or two, but because I wasn’t, I rolled off the table onto the floor with only a back ache and a cut on my left hand.

I got back to my feet and ran toward the fight which was still going on. Trevor and Seth were exchanging blows, while Quinn stood back, smoking a cigarette and watching with lazy interest. Jamie and Chloe were cowering off to the side, trying to stay out of the way.

With a banshee shriek, I came up behind Seth and kicked him hard in the back of the leg. It didn’t have the desire affect, and he just turned around and back handed me across the face. The sting in my jaw was immense, and I actually saw stars in my vision as I stumbled backwards like I was drunk.