Emanare (Destined, #1) (27 page)

CHAPTER 31

Lauren followed him through the hallway. She stepped over a dirty needle and zigzagged around an emaciated couple with purple rings under their eyes, arguing about where they were going to get their next fix. Part of her wondered why she wanted to be there, in a drug house, but she realized she didn’t care where she was. She would follow him anywhere. She had met him last night, when he approached her outside of her dorm. He was gorgeously mysterious and dark—his eyes, his hair, and most of all, his manliness—definitely in his mid-twenties. Ryan was only nineteen, just a boy. Not the brooding, confident traveler Cale appeared to be. Cale’s touch injected her like a drug—she wanted more and more of him. She almost felt as if she related to the drug-seeking tenants. She, too, craved her very own drug of choice—Cale.

Cale had asked her to follow him, so she did. She had known him for a fraction of a second, yet she walked with him through campus and entered a sewer drain next to the library. He had helped her down the iron ladder and carried her through a tunnel she never knew existed, surrounded by dirty rain water, concrete, rocks, and mud.

She didn’t know how he’d gotten down to Remington so fast—maybe he ran, she couldn’t see. Cale stayed in a rundown row house that had been split into apartments.

Moments ago he had told her they were going back down into the tunnel. All logic told her to take the next cab back to Tolbert, but she didn’t want to leave him. Cale had told her he loved her and had waited his whole life to meet her. He was romantic, but there was a forced edge to his words. Lauren didn’t care. She no longer had control over her own actions; it was a chemical attraction.

The sun had set. Only one streetlight lit the sidewalk. The streets were empty, only row house after row house. It was cold outside. She figured most people were inside. He clutched her arm, guiding her forcefully down the sidewalk. A police siren blared from a nearby intersection, followed by another and another. The noise became louder then faded in the urban symphony. Cale tightened his grip on Lauren’s bicep and pulled her even more briskly. She tried to keep up, but her legs had quickened into a sprint. She wondered what the sudden urgency was about. She was sure the tunnel would still be there when they arrived.

Cale focused on the asphalt. Within seconds, a sewer drain appeared. Effortlessly, he popped the lid off the drain. “Ladies first,” he said. His sharp tone contradicted his courteous words. Lauren climbed down the ladder and stepped onto the concrete passageway, her feet becoming drenched with water. Cale plunged into the tunnel, bypassing the ladder altogether. Once they were in the tunnel, Cale focused on the hole they’d just moved through. Lauren wasn’t sure if the hole had closed up on its own, but suddenly the concrete tube turned pitch black.

“Are you ready to see my home?” he whispered darkly.

 A jolt of fear raked through her. “Y—yes.” Lauren’s voice shook. She couldn’t see a thing.

***

“We’re here. Twenty-ninth and Sisson is right above us,” Alea said, pointing up. Everyone stopped to join her next to a ladder, only there was no sewer drain above it, only black. “I’m not sure if they came in through here. There doesn’t seem to be an entrance. It appears to have been closed off.”

Sam looked down at Chase, still in animal form. Draylan pried Vicky off his back and dropped her on the tunnel floor. She landed on all fours. After wiping her wet hands on Draylan’s shirt, Vicky used her fingers as a brush, combing her hair back in place while scowling at Draylan. He smirked at her.

Malachi turned up his nose. “Hey, they’ve been here. I can smell them. They haven’t been gone long. They can’t be that far up ahead. Let’s continue,” he suggested. “Uh—oh.” He froze in place.

“What?” Evrik asked.

“I think she’s awake,” Malachi whispered. In that moment, Ann lurched her body upward, arching her back against Malachi’s firm hold over his shoulder

“W—hat is going on? W—where are we? And why are you holding me?” Ann screamed in a terrified Long Island accent. She stopped flailing, focusing on everyone's stares. “And—ugh—what is that terrible taste in my mouth?”

“Rat,” Vicky responded.

“What?” Ann snapped sweetly.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Everything’s okay,” Sam assured her. “Cut it out,” Sam scolded Vicky. Vicky responded with an irritated eye roll.

“Where are we?” Ann asked. Malachi placed her on the ground. She nodded thanks and quickly glanced over her dirty, wet clothing. “Eww…I stink.”

“When you can smell your own stench, it’s pretty bad,” Vicky mumbled, picking the dirt out of her finger nails. “My beautiful manicure is ruined.”

“Vicky. If you’re not going say something significant, don’t say anything at all,” Sam warned.

“Got it—golden rule.” Vicky made the okay symbol with her fingers.

Ann jumped back into Malachi’s arms. “What is that?” she shuddered.

“Oh—yeah—that’s Chase,” Sam said uncertainly. She wasn’t sure how much she should explain to Ann—angels, people-animals, Lightwarriors, and demons. That was a lot of supernatural craziness to process, especially after waking in a tunnel missing a whole day of memories, smelling like a dumpster with the foul taste of rat in your mouth. Evrik was going to have to erase Ann’s memory of the whole incident, and soon.

“T—that’s not Chase.” Ann’s voice shook.  “That’s a big scary cat.” Ann burrowed into Malachi’s chest.

“Evrik, can you do something?” Sam pleaded. “I don’t think we can explain the whole cat-Chase thing, tunnel-under-Baltimore thing, and well Cale-Lauren-abduction thing to Ann in enough time to still save Lauren.”

“You’re right, Sam. We’ve got to hurry. I think I know where Cale is taking Lauren,” Alea said grimly.

Evrik stared deeply into Ann’s trembling blue eyes. Within moments the creases along her forehead started to soften and her frown straightened. “Everything is okay. I am safe,” she said calmly, almost mechanically, releasing her grip on Malachi’s arm. He placed her back on the ground cautiously. Malachi held his arms out on either side of her until Ann’s feet were steady. She looked at him and smiled—the real Ann was back!

“Yeah—everything’s real hunky-dory. Can we please go get this over with?” With a hair flip, Vicky pushed by everyone and stomped her high-heeled boots in a puddle of water. “I hate this place,” she said under her breath.

 “Let’s follow the Ice Queen,” Draylan groaned.

Malachi guided Ann forward, and Alea followed behind them.

Sam touched Evrik’s arm, stopping him from following. “Thank you for calming Ann down.” Sam ran her hand down Evrik’s arm and placed her hand in his.

“I would do anything for you,” he said.

“I know.” Sam’s heart skipped multiple beats.

A deep growl emerged from below her. Chase’s exceptionally blue cat eyes squinted. His muscles tightened and the hair on his back stood on end. After one final growl, he continued loping along after the others.

“I think I’ve really hurt him.” Sam sighed.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of this.” Evrik stroked Sam’s cheek with the back of his fingers.

 “Don’t forget the worst part.”

 “What?” he asked.

“Finding out that I was being protected by Vicky, and I use the word ‘protected’ loosely.”

Evrik chuckled half-heartedly. “Unfortunately, I think the worst is ahead.” His gaze jumped to the concrete wall, hiding his expression.

“What?” Sam redirected him with her hand.

“Sam, Nieander has a plan. He wants something from you.” Evrik inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Watching you gain your abilities so rapidly, you’re unlike any angeling I’ve heard of. Malachi did a lot of research. You’re not supposed to be able to do everything that you can do until after the change.”

“Do you think I’ve already changed?” Sam looked back at her tiny rose-colored wings.

“You’ll know when you’ve changed. Your wings will be much fuller—you’ll have a collective wingspan of more than one foot.” He smiled.

“Then why can I do so much?” Sam sensed Evrik’s hesitation. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Malachi couldn’t find any other case where a Seraph was born into a human family. You are the first. You’re making history, Sam.” After moments of silence, he bent down and kissed her lightly on her forehead. “We should catch up to the others.”