Tracker: A Rylee Adamson Novel (11 page)

“Roll the window down, Pamela.” Liam did his best not to gag on the words. Agent Valley was in the very back of the Jeep, letting out a moan every now and then, but otherwise his old boss was being pleasant. Not including the smell. And considering he was a rotting zombie…

Pamela wretched as she rolled the window down. “Ugh, that is fiercely awful.”

Milly’s face was green as she drove, her eyes darting all around as if expecting another ambush. “How did Ingers find us? And why would she throw grenades at the house?”

Liam snorted and took a deep breath, immediately regretting it. “She was trying to kill us, Milly. That’s why the grenades. And we asked after Agent Valley, that’s how she found us. Logic. She is an FBI Agent.”

“I … am … Valley.” Agent Valley wheezed from the back, his fingers gripping the back of the seat, juices flowing down around him. They had barely escaped the collapsing house, only to find Agent Ingers waiting for them outside. Pamela blew up the black sedans in the driveway. The necromancer called up dead insects to swarm Ingers and two Agents with her. The combined efforts between the young necromancer and witch had caused enough ruckus to give them time to get moving.

Liam looked to the necro kid next to him. Only minutes had passed since they’d all escaped being trapped in a house at the mercy of Ingers and her deadly accurate bullets. “How do you know Agent Valley?”

The kid shifted in his seat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “He’s my uncle.”

Well, that explained a great deal. Agent Valley’s desire to help the supernatural world stemmed from the fact he had one in his family. It made perfect sense now, but still …

“Then why did you turn him into a zombie?”

The kids jaw trembled and then tightened. “Because Ingers had him killed. She doesn’t want him to help me. Us.” His light brown eyes flicked to Liam. “I thought you were on her side. She threatened to send people to finish the job [inio help .”

Damn, the woman was colder than he’d thought when first meeting her. But that didn’t matter, not right now. There were more pressing matters than a bitch having a hormonal day. “What do you know about the guns? Did your uncle tell you anything?”

Pamela turned in her seat. “Do you have a name, necromancer?”

He blinked several times. “Frank.”

“Aren’t you going to apologize for trying to shoot us? That is rather rude since we saved your scrawny ass back there.” She arched a delicate eyebrow at him and he flushed from his neck up to the roots of his light brown hair.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t know who you were, but I’d seen you going up and down the street with what I thought was a sniffer dog.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Did you get my gun?”

Liam snorted. “Not been around many other supernaturals, have you? And don’t worry about your gun, you don’t need it.” It pressed into the small of his back, the steady presence of an old friend.

Frank shook his head and swallowed hard. “No, my mom and Uncle Roger didn’t encourage me trying to find other supernaturals. They were trying too hard to keep me under wraps to let me meet anyone like me.”

Agent Valley shifted in the back. “O’Shea. Guns, manufactured … with … witchcraft.” The last words breathed out with a spray of spittle that splattered the seat.

Liam stared at Frank. “Do you have anything to add to that?”

The kid sat, unmoving before finally answering. “I followed my uncle once, to where they were making the guns. I could take you there.”

Pamela twisted in her seat again. “It will be dangerous. Are you sure you can handle that?”

Frank stiffened in his seat and Liam glanced up to see Milly flash a quick grin in the rearview mirror. Yeah, Pamela learned quickly. Part of it was truth it would be dangerous if other witches were involved, but if Frank knew where they were, then they needed him. And the best way to make sure he came of his own volition was to stick his pride.

“I’m not afraid of danger. But the place, it was way out of town, at least a four-hour drive.” Frank glanced back at his uncle. “And even I don’t want to be this close to him for four hours.”

Liam did a quick calculation. “Which direction?”

“Southwest.”

“Perfect, we’ll drop him off at the barn.”

Pamela blanched and Milly’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. Liam didn’t apologize or back down. While no one wanted to be there—the barn—hell, the farm was safe with Blaz there.

The drive was quiet, and the smell worsened each mile. By the time they pulled into the farmyard, they’d all had more than enough. Milly hit the brakes and slammed the Jeep into park, stumbling out with a wretch, her body heaving uncontrollably. Pamela wasn’t far behind.

But as bad as the smell was, Liam still remembered the man in the back of the Jeep had been his friend.

“Come on, Agent. Let’s get you settled in the barn.” He opened the back of the Jeep and helped Agent Valley shuffle out of the vehicle and toward the barn. The cold air was bracing and Liam took in a big drag of the clean scent.

A low rumble reached his ears a split second before Blaz slowly revealed himself coiled around the barn, his scales sparkling in the sharp winter sun. He blinked sleepy eyes at them, his jaw cracking in a hug [kined hime yawn that showed off every one of his massive pearly whites.

Hello, Wolf.

“Blaz. Rylee’s gone off on her own again.”

Pissed her off, did you?
The dragon had the nerve to give him a wink. Liam didn’t think it was funny, nor did he feel like explaining himself to the dragon.

“No, I did not piss her off. She’s off on one errand, we are on another.” He waved at Agent Valley. “This one is going to stay here awhile in the barn. At least until we get back.”

He got his former boss settled into the barn and then stepped back into the cold, grateful for the fresh air.

Blaz reached out with one claw and drew a line in the snow in front of himself.
You will have to let her go at some point. You know that, don’t you? She is for the world, not just you.

“I don’t need to be schooled by an oversized gecko,” he snapped, not caring that said gecko could tear him apart limb by limb, the only surefire way to kill a Guardian.

Blaz let out a low, rumbling laugh.
The others cannot hear me, Wolf. Let me guess, you know the time of your death is coming, and Rylee does not? Yet she knows you carry a secret? It will drive her mad not to know. Give her something, a false secret.

Liam went very still, his heartbeat skipping into overdrive. How the hell could Blaz know what he himself had only just learned?

The dragon stretched his wings, the scales catching the light.
Bonded to the Tracker as I am, I know her heart even better than you, Wolf. Better because while I have some affection for her, I do not love her as you and the others do. So I see her more clearly. And if I must, I will drive her to do what the prophecies call on her for.

“And if that means her death, you don’t care, do you?” Anger surged through him. The dragon might be their ally, but he was apparently not their friend.

Blaz shrugged, his shoulder bumping into the barn and shaking the timbers.
I do care, for we are tied together, she and I. If she dies, as will I.

“Then why aren’t you with her right now, making sure she’s okay?” Damn it, this dragon was the most infuriating creature—

Because unlike you, I know she will come to me when she is damn good and ready. Trust her, Wolf. Her instincts run true, even if at times they seem to be contrary to what you believe.

Liam threw his hands into the air and turned his back on the dragon. “Whatever, Blaz. We’ll be back later to pick up Valley.”

Ahead of him, Frank was sprawled out on his back, the two witches hovering over him.

“What the he
ll is this?”

Pamela covered her mouth with one hand, giggling. “He passed out when Blaz showed up.”

What the hell was he going to do with a fainting necromancer, a green witch, and a witch he hated, who had no abilities at all at the moment? Yeah, not much. Not much at all.

th="100%"/>

Chapter 11

F
aris had a
plan, or at least, he said he did. He took us via the veil to the castle, which acted as a central jumping point to many parts of the world. For those who couldn’t jump the veil, the castle was a place that allowed one to pick and choose where they went. Of course, you had to know where each door opened, and hope they didn’t get destroyed while you were on the other side. Already, we’d managed to close one permanently.

Yeah, my bad.

We were on the first floor of the castle where walls were covered with sconces, their light flickering in the air. It was not an area I’d been in before. Faris strode ahead of us, my weapons strapped to him. They looked small on his big frame, and out of place against his designer cut clothes. He stopped in front of a plain wooden door, the slats barely held together with bent and twisted nails, rusted with age. Hanging by a thread? Not even. This was not a door I would have picked to try, but since I wasn’t running the show …

“Hurry up, Tracker.” Faris snapped his fingers, and pointed to the ground beside him, as if I were his pet, a dog eager to obey its master. I tightened my hands into fists.

Doran gave me a push on the small of my back. No words, we couldn’t discuss anything without Faris hearing.

I moved to Faris’s side, my blood pounding in my ears, and I reminded myself of Charlie, this was a game Faris was playing. One where he didn’t know I’d uncovered his secrets. But I also reminded myself he had two of my friends at his disposal now. Faris’s left eye twitched. Something had been off with him since he’d jumped the veil, which meant that no matter what I thought I knew, it could all go out the window in one big ass vampire tantrum.

Fuck, talk about being stuck between a set of fangs and a sword.

Faris pointed at the wooden-slatted door. “This is what we’re going to do. We will open doors, you will step through and Track the Blood. If you find them, that is the doorway we will use.”

“And if I can’t?”

He glanced down at me, the glint in his eyes unforgiving. “We keep trying until we do.”

With his left hand he pushed the door open. On the other side it was night and a deep jungle, the rustle of bush and wind blowing through the myriad of plants floated through the doorway. I had a sudden urge to run away, the presence of something dark, so heavy it clogged the breath in my throat.

“Step through, Tracker.”

“You have to tell me their traits, idiot. I can’t just guess at what I’m Tracking.” I put a hand on my hip and cocked one leg, though I was not feeling all that damn confident.

The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “The first vampires, vicious and wild, uncontrollable, power mad, blood hungry. Now get on the other side of the doorway and Track them.”

I didn’t move, sensing something through the doorway. “There is something on the other side, we should try another door.”

His hands twitched now along with his eye. “I don’t fucking well care, Tracker.”

For all that Faris was the ultimate in asshattery, something was wrong. Like really, really wrong with him.

“If Rylee gets hurt, you will have lost your only way to find the Blood,” Doran said, breaking our standoff.

“Good thing you are here then, Shaman. You can keep c Yoify her alive when the injuries happen.” Faris didn’t turn as he spoke, just stared into the night darkened vines and trees, hands trembling with what I assumed was rage.

“Alex, come with me,” I said softly, refusing to snap my fingers for him. Never again would I do that, not after Faris doing it to me.

He stepped beside me, lifting his nose to the doorway. “Uglies.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Come on, we’ll make it quick.”

My feet barely crossed the threshold of the doorway when the ground around us shook and a roar broke the air. Alex cried out and pressed hard against me. My first thought was we were going to face another giant, but no, there were no giants in jungle areas I was aware of. I stood weaponless, and for the first time truly, truly understood the situation Faris had me in, a position I had gone into willingly, thinking I could handle him and it.

I was completely at his mercy and completely without any way to protect myself.

Shit.

Shaking, I Tracked the Blood, or at least what I knew of it.

I didn’t pick up anything, couldn’t sense a thing out of the ordinary. I tried Tracking vampires in general and got a distant ping, way far to the south.

“Nothing, there is nothing here.”

The creature, whatever the hell it was let out another roar, far closer this time. I spun, and froze.

Faris blocked the doorway, one of my own swords pointed at me. “Be very sure, Tracker.”

“Fuck, I’m sure! Now move, that thing out there is getting closer and I’d like to be on that”—I pointed into the castle—“side of the door before the big fucker shows up!”

The crash of bush and trees behind me spun me around. Like a cross between an ogre and a giant, the creature stood easily fifteen feet tall, but it had only one eye. Correction, she had only one eye, her pendulous breasts swinging as she skidded to a stop. She blinked several times, sniffing the air, then launched toward us.

I had no choice.

I sprinted to the left, away from the door, away from Doran and Faris. If the asshole wouldn’t let us through, he’d have to find me. I wasn’t about to stand there and let the Cyclops scoop me up for dinner, thank you very much.

In the darkened jungle, I couldn’t see where the hell I was going. “Alex, lead the way.”

He brushed past me, the silver tips of his coat seeming to gather the little bit of light coming through and giving me a glowing lead. At a full tilt run, we wove through the jungle, the crash of the female Cyclops not far enough behind.

I had no way to stop her, not even a deterrent—

A tree flew through the air crashing into the ground right in front of us, dirt and bush spewing up in a wave of earth. “Over it!”

Alex leapt over the downed tree with ease and I vaulted it, felt the brush of fingertips along my shoulders. We either had to go faster, or find a way around this big bitch.

Sprinting full out in a tiny black cocktail dress in the middle of a jungle in the dead of night was, surprise surprise, not going well.

The only thing I knew about Cyclops was their hide was thicker than a giant’s and their only real weakness was their single eye. But getting to that eye would prove to be the problem. I needed a weapon, something that could be used at a distance like my crossbow.

Jungle, what the cle, needed a hell was there in a jungle to help?

Tribes.

“Alex, find humans.”

A tribe would have weapons. Spears, bow and arrows. Anything sharp and pointy would work at this juncture.

Alex veered to the right, his tail streaming out behind him. “Close,” he yelped as the ground dropped out below us and we skidded down an embankment. The Cyclops, unfortunately, was right behind us. I didn’t dare look back, that was the kiss of death in chase scenes and it was a rule I lived by.

Never look back.

“Faster, Alex!” I screamed as we hit the bottom, a shallow creek gurgling along softly. On the other side, the chatter of voices erupted and torches were lit.

He’d done it; he’d gotten us to a village.

Now I had to get a weapon and pray it was strong enough to do the job.

When we were midstream, the men of the village poured out of their huts, their nut brown faces lit up with horror alongside the fire. I didn’t know the word for weapons, or spears, but I didn’t need to.

The man closest to me threw me a spear. I grabbed it mid air and spun, facing the Cyclops. With weapon in hand, fear skidded away from me. This I knew, this I could deal with.

The big bitch swung a hand toward me and I caught it on the tip of the spear, driving the point deep, praying it would at least stall her.

Nope; the spear’s haft broke in the middle, blasting apart under the pressure. I caught the broken spear, knowing I had no choice but to wait for the opening I needed to take her out.

To pop that bulbous eye like a grape.

A hail of arrows arced over my head and hit the Cyclops. None of them stuck, but it got her attention. She let out a roar and I got a good look at her mouth. Blunt, flat teeth, meant for grinding bones, snapped at the tribesmen. There was no fucking way they could take her on, yet they were buying me the time I needed.

“Alex, we have to hamstring her.” He ducked a swing from her, and got around to her back side, driving for the flesh and tendons above her thick cankles.

Teeth and claw, he attacked her. Clinging to her leg as she spun to dislodge him. A single thick belt hung from her waist, bones dangling as if mementos of kills. A blocky thighbone swung by me. I grabbed it with one hand and let her momentum pull me from the ground.

Clamping the spear haft in my teeth, I clawed my way to her belt, felt her stiffen as my hands touched her bare skin. I glanced down, saw Alex had gained nothing, hadn’t even drawn blood.

“Alex, get away. Leave her!” His obedience saved his life. The Cyclops swung down hard, her fist sending up a spew of water and rock where he’d stood only a moment before. With her bent over, I scrambled up her back and straddled her shoulders in a second.

This was a death I would lay at Faris’s feet. Letting gravity take me as she stood, I let the weight of my body pull me around her neck. As I slid in front of her I clamped my thighs tight and faced a very surprised Cyclops. I dropped the spearhead from my mouth into my hands and drove it deep into the wide-open eye.

There was no sound, no final roar of pain. Her eye frosted in a matter of half a breath, from the exterior in toward the point of the spearhead, as if dipped in ice. She slumped to her knees and I jumped off as she fell face into the creek bed, the water sluicing around her, her body melting into nothing as if it had never been.

“Good ctifr anight, big girl,” I said softly, for the first time in a long time feeling a sorrow at the death of a creature trying to kill me.

Breathing hard, my brain tried to tell me why I was feeling bad. The pieces put together slowly in my head. The large breasts, the sagging belly, driving me away from her territory …

“Ah, shit.” I hung my head, shame burning through me. A mother protecting her babies. Dying to protect her children. A big ass nasty mother, but that wasn’t the point. She never would have come after us if she hadn’t felt threatened.

A hand touched my shoulder and I spun, settling into a half crouch. The tribesman held up his hand, palm outward.

“I speak little English. You Tracker. Yes?” His dark eyes were wide with something akin to awe. I didn’t like it.

I slowly came out of the crouch. “Yes, how did you know?”

“Magic man tells us. You kill one eye. You make us safe.” He gave me a tentative smile.

I swallowed hard. “Did she have babies?”

He bobbed his head. “Yes, yes. Babies are excellent.”

My guts lurched and I backed away, feeling as though I’d been duped. Excellent, as in … “You ate them?”

He bobbed his head again. “Yes, take strength. Be better warriors.”

Horror, absolute and pure, rippled along my spine, through my heart and soul. They’d eaten her babies, and then she’d come after us thinking we were the ones? Fuck, fuck, fuck. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I knew I had penance to pay for this one.

“Alex.” My voice was thick with tears I couldn’t seem to stem. “We’re leaving.”

I slogged through the stream, standing for a moment where the Cyclops had fallen. “I’m sorry.”

Something drew my eyes upward, to the top of the embankment. Faris stood watching me, his eyes hooded.

I could lay this at his feet, but it wasn’t all on him. I’d made the choice to run, even if he’d forced it on me. I’d chosen to fight the Cyclops instead of circling back. A part of my brain—the logical part Liam would agree with—argued with me.

You had no choice. You can be sorrowful, you can regret, but you have to live. She would have killed you, and then Alex.

My jaw clenched and unclenched. “I will make this right. I don’t know how, but I will make it right.”

I bent and scooped a rock from the stream, the edge just sharp enough. I dragged it across the palm of my hand, opening a shallow cut, my blood dripping into the stream. A blood oath, one I gave freely. At some point, I would make this right.

“Are you coming, Tracker?” In the dim light, I couldn’t see his condescension, but I damn well felt it.

“I want my weapons back. This clusterfuck wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had to run through the damn fucking jungle, you fanged ass.” I didn’t step toward him. He needed me, and while I wouldn’t trade my friends for obedience, I also knew at some point I had to draw the line in the sand.

“Rylee, do I need to make another point?”

I kept my eyes on him, not ready to call what I hoped was a bluff. “If you aren’t going to protect me, then I need to take care of myself. I won’t kill you, Faris. Unlike you and Milly, when I make an oath, I fucking well keep it.”