Alix (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #1) (5 page)

Sam slowly shook her head. “It won’t matter.”

The thin line of light that peeked under the door from the hallway darkened, as something passed by out in the hall. It came to a stop just in front of the door. Sam froze.

Two sharp knocks broke the sudden silence.

Alix stopped pressing numbers, and got to her feet.

“They’re here,” Sam whispered.

“Dammit Sam,” Alix hissed. “Stop it, you’re freakin’ me out.” She stepped around her frozen friend, and headed for the door. Something wrapped around her ankle, causing her to stumble to a halt. “Crap!”

Sam gripped Alix’s leg like a vice. “Don’t open the door.”

Alix knelt. “It’s gonna be all right Sam. Relax.” She pried Sam’s steely grip open, and scooted away. “We’re gonna figure this thing out.” She went to the door, pressed her hands against it, took a deep breath, and slowly put her eye to the peephole.

Troy waited in the hallway. The number 307 sat neatly etched into the brass knocker on the door in front of him. His doubts about being at the right place had pretty much evaporated. He had been fairly sure that the information his friend down at the police station had given him was correct, but seeing the short blonde run into the building as he pulled up to the apartment dispelled any doubts. Troy remembered her from the tattoo parlor. She and Alix had seemed close friends.

An image of the purple-haired tattoo artist danced to the forefront of his thoughts. Alix had knocked his senses sideways the moment he’d laid eyes on her. The tight curves of her figure, and stunning pale-green orbs she had checked him out with, had broken through his defenses instantly. The conversation that followed was the sort he could have spent a lifetime enjoying. She was the girl he wanted to know. She was the one he wanted to be close to.

But then she had touched him, and all hell broke loose.

Alix had done something to him that couldn’t be explained. It was the reason he had sought her out, or so he told himself. His pretense for coming to her doorstep had nothing to do with the fact that he saw her in his dreams every night, or that he hungered for her every time he awoke from those dreams. No, he was here for answers about why he should have died on his trip down south last week, but didn’t.

The heavy oak door creaked open to reveal the girl that had enveloped his dreams for the last two weeks. The fringe of purple on black hair was just as striking as he remembered. Her green eyes were opened wide, while her lips had parted in surprise. The oversized pajamas that hung from her sensual form did nothing to dampen her allure.

Troy strangled a lust-filled moan that tried to escape his throat at the sight of her. He closed his eyes briefly, and fought back the urges of desire building within him. His mouth went dry, but he managed to say, “We need to talk.”

The door creaked as she pulled it further open. “Yeah, okay.”

The sound of her voice stroked Troy’s desire for her to greater heights.
Calm yourself,
he thought angrily. He took a moment to find his center, and then walked into her apartment.

Her scent magnified by a hundred fold once he was inside. The girl’s voice had been tempting enough, but the smell of her made Troy grind his teeth in frustration and restraint.

“You did something to me,” Troy growled, as he turned to face her. “What was it?”

Alix flattened her back against the door, as it closed, eyes still wide. Her expression held a mixture of fear and wonder.

Perhaps she had misinterpreted his hunger for her as anger. Troy was having trouble distinguishing the difference himself. Whatever she had done to him, it had turned his world upside down, and he wanted it fixed. “What did you do?!” he repeated.

Alix flinched at his tone. “I…I don’t know exactly.”

“Lock the door for God’s sake!” Sam screeched.

Troy whipped around. He’d completely forgotten about Alix’s friend coming into the building. His jaw dropped upon laying eyes on her.

Blood had been splattered across her face and clothing. She huddled on the floor, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her breathing was rapid and shallow.

The haze of lustful desire that currently plagued Troy shattered, as instinct and years of job experience took over. He moved to Sam’s side, his hands probed her body for injury. “Are you hurt?” Her skin was cold and clammy, while her pulse was weak.

Sam just stared at the door, but slowly shook her head.

“What happened to you?” Troy asked. He took of his jacket, and wrapped it around her.

“I think she was attacked,” Alix said, as she came up and knelt on the other side of Sam. “But I can’t get a clear answer from her.”

“Well, she doesn’t appear to be injured, but she’s definitely in shock,” Troy said, finishing his inspection. “Did you call the police?”

“I was about to just before you knocked,” Alix replied.

“I’ll call,” Troy said. “We can meet them at the hospital.”

“Okay. Let me change clothes.”

Troy got to his feet, and pulled out his cell. He called the police, and then the hospital. Within a few minutes, he was able to find out who was on duty. He didn’t know the guys, but that didn’t matter for this deal.

Alix came back into the room with a bag and a set of keys. She had a long, dark gray scarf with skulls on it, wrapped around her neck. Her shapely torso was covered by a skin-tight shirt and a heavy, leather jacket—both as black as her hair. Blue jeans hugged her curves all the way down to her black, knee-high boots. A multitude of straps and buckles ran up the outer sides of the thick heeled stompers.

Troy’s gaze lingered on her hips, and the gaudy belt buckle.

“What?” Alix asked after a moment.

Troy jerked his gaze away from Alix’s lower half, and locked eyes with her, only to find himself at a loss for words.

“We’re too late,” Sam mumbled.

Alix’s frown joined Troy’s, as they both looked down at Sam, and then followed her gaze to the door.

Shadows, cast from the light under the door, danced across the floor. A low hissing sound echoed from the hallway, just before the door exploded, showering them with splinters of oak.

A
lix hit the floor and rolled. Shards of wood streaked through the air like a volley of tiny arrows. Her leather jacket absorbed most of the sharp debris, but the back of her right hand stung from the impact of a dozen or more splinters.

Sam screamed, and Troy cursed.

Alix jumped to her feet. A sudden oily feeling slithered over her nerves. The unclean sensation, as well as the accompanying headache, was almost familiar. She choked back the urge to puke, and glanced around.

Her friend hadn’t moved other than to curl up into a ball. But Troy had been blown over the sofa, and currently scrambled to his feet. Splinters lined his shoulders, and a trace of blood dotted his cheek.

“Fire escape?!” Troy demanded when their eyes met.

Alix knew what he was getting at, but she couldn’t leave Sam. “Get up!” she cried, as she raced to her friend. She didn’t know if Sam had heard her, or if the terrified girl was even in the condition to do anything about it if she had. Not caring which, Alix took two handfuls of bloodied sweater, and yanked the girl to her feet.

A horrid wailing came from the hallway.

“Get out of here!” Troy yelled, as he ran toward the door.

Alix hauled Sam over to the window. She fumbled with the lock, her fingers stiff from fear. The latch finally popped open. She grabbed hold of the sill, and yanked upward with all of her might, until the window came free with an ear numbing screech.

Cold air poured into the room. The railings and steps of the fire escape where already covered in snow a couple inches thick. Streetlights illuminated the pavement below, their shimmering beams of light visible against the sheet of falling snow.

Another monstrous cry sounded from the hall, answered by Troy’s roar of challenge.

“Dammit Sam, move!” Alix shoved the catatonic girl through the window.

Once Sam had stumbled onto the metal platform just outside, Alix followed, pushing her friend toward the snow-covered steps. Sam staggered down the stairs, like a drunkard.

Alix risked a glance into her ruined living room.

Two silhouettes battled at the broken entrance to her apartment. Other figures darted across the hallway behind the grappling pair, but were lost to sight, as Alix’s favorite softback chair shattered against the head of whatever Troy was fighting. The massive, shadowy figure cantered to the side from the blow, exposing proportions that weren’t entirely human. The arms were too long, and its head and neck sloped like that of a gorilla. Heavy ridges protruded from and covered its broad body, similar to a suit of scale armor from the middle ages.

Alix recoiled from the sight.

Troy took hold of the unbalanced beast, and threw it across the room with inhuman strength. His heaving chest was exposed, as he twisted her way, shirt torn to ribbons. The tattoo she had imprinted on him glowed brightly with orange light like that of steaming coals.

Alix gasped.
What have I done.
She took an involuntary step toward the window. She wasn’t sure if she should, or even could, help Troy.

The creature that had been pitched aside so easily got to its feet. It stood inches away from the window. The suit of armor was actual scales of bone. It shook its head and roared at Troy, huge canines protruding from the bearish muzzle.

Alix froze.
There’s no way that thing is real,
she told herself, as she struggled for calm. She tore her gaze away from the monster, and saw two more intruders come in through the broken doorway behind Troy. They appeared to be human, but who could say what they really were at this point.

Without thought Alix screamed, “Look out, behind you!”

That’s when she realized her mistake.

Every eye in the room turned toward Alix, and for a split second, all went quiet. The beady, glowing orbs of hellfire that the monster used for eyes, narrowed as it took a deep breath, smelling the air. Alix couldn’t say for certain, but the creature appeared to grin in satisfaction just before it snarled, and charged the window.

Alix backpedaled, and slammed into the railing on the far side of the landing.

The creature crashed into the wall, shattering glass, and stone. It was too big to get through, but began gouging chunks out of the wall, screaming in rage.

Panic ran through Alix’s veins like a shot of adrenaline. Her thoughts raced by in flashes, until an image stuck in her mind. Lightning. She fell to her knees, and slapped her palm onto the cold steel of the landing. The panicked thought released into the real word on her command. An image of a giant, yellow lightning bolt, imprinted across the metal grating.

Bricks blew past her as the beast burst through the wall.

Alix rolled toward the stairs. She didn’t try to stop herself, as she tumbled down the hard steps. Instead, she squeezed into a ball, absorbing the barrage of jarring blows. She ended her descent against the railing of the second-story platform. A groan of pain escaped from her lips. Blinking back the spots of color that danced across her vision, Alix looked for her pursuer.