Feral Craving (11 page)

Chapter
Twelve

Bari doubled over as they appeared.
Christ, that threw him off balance, made his body feel like Jell-O, caused his
head to spin. Mike’s rumbling laughter came from the side, and Bari fought the
urge to wipe that smirk off his face with a check to the gut. When his team had
suggested some time away, a visit to New York City, Bari believed the trip
would involve hopping in a car. He should have known with all they had thrown
at him the past few weeks, it wouldn’t have been so easy. Who would have
realized that, being demons, they’d have the capability to transport themselves
to different places? Bari didn’t have his own ability to transport as he hadn’t
recognized his demon, whatever
that
meant, so hitching a ride along with the crew had been the answer.
Apparently—he glanced up—they had the ability to mask their presence as well.
The crowds around them seemed to not see them, but being in New York, anything
could happen.

Swallowing hard, Bari straightened his
body and glanced around. As if the world he knew still existed, everything
appeared as he understood it to be, but no longer the same. Fifth Avenue in
Manhattan bustled with activity, yellow taxis speeding down the road,
pedestrians crossing the streets in groups and the overall atmosphere screaming
with a sense of life. This was the very same life he had always taken for
granted.

Tony warned him, told him he’d be
disoriented. Nausea swelled in his gut, the warning a bit understated. Bari
blew out a breath, trying to push his swirling stomach back into place, and
glanced back at the boys. They watched him, their eyes dancing with delight and
acceptance, something he hadn’t felt anywhere but with his team. He didn’t want
to admit it out loud but knew he wasn’t ready for the world as it was,
through the eyes of who he had become. Instead, wanted to see it as he
recognized it, as a human. He needed some sense of normalcy, to see everything
was fine and not the fucked up situation that had been explained to him. His
world had been thrown off kilter, and while he appreciated it was where he
belonged, he still missed out on the chance at having some sort of normal life.

Bari’s head turned at the rasp of a
lighter and under the darkened brim of Tony’s hat, the red flame lit up a dark
face. Tony’s hands dropped and in their place perched a cigarette, the end
cherry red.

Bari took the offered pack from Tony and
lit up one of his own, inhaling the smoke before studying his surroundings,
wondering exactly why Tyler chose this particular location. When Tyler asked
him where he wanted to go, his response had been a place bustling with life as
he knew it. This answering response confused him but in the city that never
slept, he figured however long they were here, at least they’d never be alone.
A hand clapped him on the back, and his attention turned back to Tyler who
smiled and nodded toward a local tavern.

They all stepped off the curb together
and crossed traffic, dodging the vehicles speeding down the road before
reaching the other side. Tossing the cigarette aside, he flashed his ID to the
bouncer and entered the bar, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. The thumping
bass echoed through his body, a local band rang through his ears, and as his
gaze tracked around until they landed an open line of stools at the bar.
Pushing his way through the thick crowd, his crew spread around them. Being the
team leader, a large weight set on his shoulders for each and every one of
their lives.

Sitting down at the bar, Bari leaned
across as a big, brawny bartender walked up and took their orders. Bari ordered
a Scotch. The boys remained quiet, and he was grateful for the reprieve. He
turned around, his arms leaning back on the bar, and considered the crowd. On
one hand, being surrounded by so many people after spending such a long time in
the empty desert should have been uncomfortable. Tonight was different. He wanted
the surroundings, wanted to feel normal.

Instead the
world as he understood it crumbled and left behind a bleak and miserable
existence he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around. Life would never be the
same. He was shown through “mental” images what would happen should the world’s
evil and good tip in different directions. The images were laced with death and
destruction, a dreary, hateful existence in which they all feared. So instead
of allowing the world to continue on with chance, with decisions some felt they
were able to control, Bari was left with the knowledge that he was the future.
It was only he and his brethren deciding on exactly what would come to be with
mankind. The responsibility left him speechless. Bari’s thoughts scattered as a
hand brushed across his chest and curves came flush to his body. He turned his
eyes and met a light green gaze. The eyes didn’t strike him as beautiful, even
though they should have. Familiar, yet a deeper shade of green eyes flashed in
his mind. He shook his head, trying to wash away Mackenzie’s face.

Mike leaned in and spoke only for Bari’s
ears. “Get it out of your system, Bari. You’ll never get there unless you learn
yourself.”

Bari ground his teeth together and lifted
a hand, tangling his fingers in the woman’s hair, tilting her head back. Her
eyes grew hooded. He battled with indecision, warred between taking comfort and
going to it. He could turn, go back to Nantucket and work things out with
Mackenzie. Yet, the prospect of what he was becoming scared the shit out of
what he might one day be to her. Right here, right now there was a warm and
willing woman offering the comfort his tired body yearned for.

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

****

“No, Alex, I’m fine. Really. It just
freaked me out a little at the time.”

Holding the phone to her ear, Mackenzie’s
attention shifted between watching Byron play outside and listening to her
brother. She’d always been unable to hide anything from him, so after about two
minutes on the phone with Alex, his cop instinct had picked up and the line of
questioning began. She explained to him what happened last night, and he’d been
pissed she hadn’t called him. Well, pissed was an understatement to the good
tongue-lashing she received from her twin.

“Mac, you’re safe here in Nantucket but
still, too many weird things have been going on. I mean, between Bari
returning, the new crew he brought along for the party, and the recent
break-ins across town, something is up. Perhaps you could give your older
brother a break and humor me with a call next time?”

She snorted. “You are a minute older.”

“Mac…”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess so.” She paused as
she thought on his words. “Break-ins?”

“In your words, yeah, yeah. But that’s
all you’re going to get out of me.” A radio squawked in the background, and the
phone muffled while Alex’s voice grew garbled. Used to him taking calls on
duty, she checked on Byron. He was kicking a soccer ball by himself in the
backyard. He had been so quiet recently, so withdrawn. Something happened at
school, she knew it. The only problem was Byron wasn’t talking about it.

Standing about three and a half feet
tall, Byron had recently gone through a growth spurt and shot up. His dark hair
fell in boisterous curls down his forehead, and she smirked as he swiped it
more than once from his eyes.

Turning from Byron, she checked on
dinner, bending down to open the oven before she heard Alex come back on the
line. “Hey, Mac, I gotta go. But look, call me next time. I’ll even throw in a
please.”

Heaving out a dramatic sigh, she straightened
and leaned against the counter. “Fine. But seriously, I don’t need a bodyguard
service. But yes, I will call you next time. Better?”

“Much. Gotta go.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Yes, I know. Bye.”

Mackenzie chuckled and pulled the phone
from her ear. Alex had good intentions, but was a bit overprotective. It had
taken him time as well, when Bari came into her life. Bari and Alex were like
oil and vinegar. They just didn’t mix, but they tried, all for her. Her mind
drifted to Bari, wondering what he was doing and who his friends were. They
seemed so menacing, secretive, and Bari seemed almost a completely different
man to her.

Yet still, he made her legs go weak, her
heart swoon, and her stomach clench. Mackenzie shook her head, pushing off of
the counter, and turned to glance back out the window. The sun came down,
casting an orange tint across the yard. This was her favorite time, when the
day sighed, before the night woke up, a time when everyone got ready for dinner
and children played outdoors, trying to milk the day for every second it would
give.

She searched the backyard, the trees
lining her property. Byron was nowhere in sight, and she frowned. Mackenzie
walked outside and stood on the porch. The air chilled, and she wrapped her
arms around her body. “Byron?”

Stepping down, she walked around the side
of the house and saw the side gate open. Byron knew better, knew to stay inside
the yard. A sudden spike of fear shot through her.

“Byron!”

Jogging out through the fence, Mackenzie
ran to the front yard, brushing her curls back from her face as a gust of wind
pushed her hair, panic now pulsing. The obstruction halted her steps for a
moment. Mackenzie parted the thick hair from her sight and glanced down the
street. Byron was talking to a man, the soccer ball passing between them. She
took a step forward. “Byron!”

He turned and lifted a hand, waving with
a slight cringe on his face. “Come on, By. Dinner time.” Just then, Byron
turned back to the man and listened to something he said. She couldn’t make out
what it was but tried to look at the man. The figure was tall, dark, and
imposing, and his features seemed familiar, yet a red baseball cap prevented
her from getting a good look at him.

“By!” Her son glanced her way and lifted
a hand as he stepped away. Walking faster now, she met her son in half the
distance. Her arms came around Byron as she watched the man walk off. He didn’t
live in the area; they all knew one another here. But yet, he seemed so damn
familiar. His head tucked down under his cap and his shoulders covering his
profile, he turned to walk away from them, but kept glancing over his shoulder
at them.

“Who was that, Byron?”

“Some guy who told me to give you a
message.”

Byron’s words jilted her attention,
caused her blood to run cold. “What was the message?”

Byron shrugged and turned toward the
house. “It didn’t make any sense really. He just said the first few lines of
‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’.”

Mackenzie stopped walking, dread pushing
through her. “He what?”

Byron stopped and looked at her. “You
know, Mom. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder where you are. Well
that’s what he said, but I don’t think he knows the song.”

Mackenzie whirled around and searched for
the man. “Byron, get in the house.”

“Mom?”

“Now!”

She heard Byron run toward the house and
scanned the street. The man was nowhere to be found, and now she recognized why
he looked so familiar. Oh dear God, no…

Chapter
Thirteen

Bari groaned and lifted a heavy palm to
scrub his face. His body felt laden, exhausted, and like he had hit a brick
wall. No, scratch that; it was like he stood in between the brick wall and a
two-ton truck that hit the brick wall. Yeah, that sounded like a better
explanation. Groaning, he peeked his eyes open cautiously only to slam them closed
again as he caught the sight of a grinning Tyler, sitting in a chair watching
him. He had no clue where they were, and his mind spun in an attempt to
remember what had gone down last night. A familiar rasp of a lighter came from
where Tyler sat. The smell of a freshly lit cigarette penetrated his nostrils.

Bari shifted on the bed, grunting as
muscles he didn't know existed protested. Tossing his legs over the side of the
bed, he sat up, his forearms resting on the tops of his thighs. His head
dropped between his shoulders as a headache made itself known.

"Fucking hell, what happened last
night?"

Tyler's rumbling laughter caused him to
wince, his stomach to roll. Bari reached up and grabbed his head as the sound
bounced around in his cranium with the force of a hurricane.

"Damn it, Tyler. This shit isn't
funny." The answering response gave more laughter and with a curse, Bari
stood, the sheet wrapped around his body dropping down to the floor.

The place was small and from what he
remembered about the area, most NYC apartments were. Scarves in a plethora of
colors dangled everywhere along with beads marking the entrance of the room. A
TV, which looked to have seen better days, sat at the foot of the bed, against
the wall on a short table, a blanket covering the top. He continued to scan the
room, looking for his clothing and any indicator of where he was before he saw
a picture. He walked over and plucked it up, studying the female before
recognition hit. She looked familiar last night and for the first time, he
realized why. She looked like Mackenzie and
that
thought did not bode well. Setting the picture back down, Bari turned and spied
his pants. Padding over, he picked them up, ignoring Tyler's new round of
laughter as he started shoving his legs inside.