Darkest Dawn (21 page)

Chloe rubbed her hands on her jeans. Her fingers appeared to have sparks coming out of them. “So much for a break.”

Abbey shouldered her bow. “Chloe and I will lead her away. You need to get the girls out of here.”

“Where’s Max?” Bri cried.

Kael sprinted to the couch, helping Bri up. “She’s fine. She’s upstairs armed with a lot of kitchen knives. The Siren wants you two, not her.”

“How comforting,” I said.

He placed those strange headphones on his head again, covering his ears. “Let’s go.”

Kael held Bri in his arms as if she weighed nothing. “Mom?”

Abbey smiled reassuringly. “I will see you soon. Love you.”

“If we go through the woods we can lead her away,” Chloe suggested.

Abbey nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”

“I don’t need to be carried,” Bri said.

Kael tightened his grip around her. “You can barely walk. This is our only option. Sloane, get the door.” I expected him to yell over the headphones but he spoke normally.

Bri wrapped her arm around Kael’s shoulder. “Are they going to kill her?”

Kael indicated for me to head to the foyer. “She won’t stop until she gets what she wants.”

The cool night air sent a wave of goose bumps across my arms. I hadn’t thought to grab my coat. Bri’s teeth chattered like a woodpecker.

Kael’s breath fogged the air in front of him. “I have a car in the lake house garage. It has a full tank and I stashed some money.”

“You’re prepared.”

He laughed. “We have to be.”

The stillness of the night made me shiver. “Are you sure she can’t control us with her voice too?”

Bri gasped lightly. “You didn’t bring enough for us?”

I could hear Kael’s smile in the darkness. “It only affects men. Besides, if she could control you then she would have already.”

“Was Mom lying? Are you sure she doesn’t know what Coach wants from us?” I asked.

Kael stopped and adjusted his grip on Bri. “She would have told Chloe and me.”

“What’s the deal with you and Chloe anyway?” Bri asked.

Kael hesitated. “That’s a difficult conversation.”

Something rustled nearby. “What the hell was that?”

Kael turned in a circle, peering into the night. “We need to hurry.”

We quickened our pace. My heart thrummed in my chest and my breath quickened. My mind completely blanked as I focused on our destination. A light in the distance signaled the end to our journey and the closer we got the more I could see the outline of the house.

“Sloane,” Kael said a bit breathless. “There is a small bridge up ahead. It’s the closest way to cross Willows Lake. Whatever you do, don’t go near the water.”

Don’t go near the water. Scary creature might be lurking. “Got it.”

With Kael’s instructions we got to the bridge quickly. I ran across it like it was made of hot coals. At the end I continued running but soon figured out I was alone. I whipped around. “Bri? Kael?” I squinted through the blackness. My surroundings were only dimly lit by the moon. I walked carefully along the same path I’d come, still not seeing my companions.

The sound of water gently lapping against the bank taunted me. This wasn’t the time to joke around. “Bri?” I hissed.

Something splashed in the water and I jumped back from the edge, tripping over my own legs. Something sharp sliced through my hand and a searing heat filled my palm.

Bri appeared in front of me, half of her body inside the dark lake. I reached forward, pulling her out. She gasped as if she’d been holding her breath.

“What happened?”

“It. Pulled. Us. Under.” She crawled across the grass, dragging her leg behind her. “Kael?”

The night was silent around us. I hated to think what might have happened to him.

She sucked in a breath and I reached for her. “Is it your leg?”

She moved her pant leg up and the gauze had turned almost black with blood. “I think I opened the wound.”

A strange pulsing throbbed in my hand. I had the uncontrollable urge to press it against her leg.

Bri took my hand. “We’re not supposed to.”

I closed my hand into a fist even though the pain intensified. “I know!”

Something splashed in the water and we moved further away from it.

“Mom said we get powers. We stand no chance against her.”

The psychic power we’d had earlier was only a taste. Something dangerous inside of me wanted more.

I leaned toward her, alarm bells going off in my head, and I pressed my palm against her leg.

Bri gasped and I gripped her leg tighter. All of my nerve endings fired and I inhaled sharply. My senses were on overdrive and I couldn’t help the giggle bubbling from my throat. I could feel everything around us. The trees, the air, all of it. We both fell against the grass, out of breath.

I sat up, and immediately knew I’d done something awful.

The Siren’s form rose from the water. The alien-like creature elevated herself above the water as if she were standing on the surface. I pulled Bri beside me and we both stood. She squeezed my hand, realizing too late that it was the injured one. A fluttering sensation took over my middle as the pain I expected never came. I flexed my hand a few times, not feeling any discomfort.

Bri backed up a few steps and I realized her limp was gone.

The Siren came to the edge of the water and transformed into Kendra again. Did she need the water to be that creature? Could that be an advantage for us? I knew I wasn’t going in there no matter what.

Kendra tilted her head back. “Can you feel it?”

“What do you want with us?” Bri’s voice wobbled.

Kendra’s inhuman eyes shimmered green against the moonlight. “I’m guessing Abbey kept you in the dark?” She continued on without us answering. “With all the other mistakes they made in the past I suppose keeping what you two are a secret would benefit them. I’ve waited enough time though.”

“For what?” I asked.

Kendra slinked across the bank, her feet made a suction noise with each step. “You don’t realize your potential. The power you now possess has infinite possibilities.”

I squeezed my hand again. I still couldn’t believe how quickly I’d healed.

Bri’s voice rang in my head.
“Me neither.”

The sensation wasn’t alarming yet it was very different than it was at the pool. It was clearer and the crackle of something more moved inside of me.

“Now that your blood bond is complete, there is only one more step before I get what I want.”

Even though this creature had made Bri and me into something incredible, I still didn’t trust her.

“Don’t you want to know what the next step is?” Kendra asked.

Not really.

“If we keep her talking maybe Abbey and Chloe will get here before she does anything else.”

“Yes,” I said. “But first I’d like to know what it is that you want. Enough to lie about my mom to get me here.”

Kendra’s head cocked to the side. “Lie? I didn’t lie. Although you have a good point. I never gave you what I promised.”

My heart raced. Abbey said that the Siren only needed Bri and me. I’d given up hope on getting information about my mom. A fluttering in my chest erupted at the thought. “What happened at her accident?”

Kendra’s white teeth shimmered under the moonlight. “I caused it.” She chuckled to herself.

I stepped forward, my hand in a fist. “You killed my mother?”

Kendra shrugged. “I thought she had what I needed to find my mate. Her blood wasn’t enough.”

“You crazy bitch!” I screamed and lunged for her. I caught her off guard and we toppled over. Tears blurred my vision but I found her neck quickly and squeezed.

“Sloane!” Bri yelled.

“Run!”

“No. I won’t let you get hurt.”

“She won’t do anything while we’re split up.”

“How do you know that?”

“She spent too much effort getting us together. Go for help.”

I wasn’t sure how long I could hold the bucking form beneath me.

Bri disappeared into the night.

In the brief moment I took my eyes off her, Kendra was able to get loose. I fell to the side, face-planting into the mud. A splash nearby made my stomach turn. I stood and pushed away from the bank. I didn’t get too far before something wrapped around my leg and pulled me toward the beckoning water.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Bri

Bri’s shoes pounded against the wooden bridge.

“Bri!”

She stopped when Sloane’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Are
you okay?”

Sloane didn’t respond. Bri listened to the silence around her. It was too quiet for the circumstances they were in. Sloane was in trouble. She never should have left her. She turned away for a second and lost her balance, crashing into someone.

Strong hands wrapped around her arms and she screamed. One hand pressed against her lips. “Bri, it’s me.” Kael spoke into her ear.

She stopped screaming and relaxed against him. His hand lifted from her mouth, leaving her lips moist.

He was soaked from head to toe. “We need to go.”

“Not without Sloane.”

Kael chewed on his lower lip. “Let me get you safe first.”

She stood her ground. “No.”

“How are you standing on your own right now?”

“Something happened—”

He cursed. “The blood bond.”

How had he guessed?

He let out a sigh, put the headphones back on, and took Bri’s hand. His was much larger than hers, wrapping around hers like a protective glove.

She tried to ignore the vibration streaking over her skin.“How do you plan on stopping her?”

Kael pulled her against him, blocking her body with his. “She can only die in her true form.”

Bri swallowed the lump in her throat. “You have to kill her?”

“It’s what we do.”

Bri pondered that. It’s what her mom did. She was a murderer by trade. How had Bri been so blind? In her defense, it wasn’t as if she’d ever imagined there were paranormal anomalies out there.

“What else is she hiding?”

Kael cleared his throat, but said nothing.

He exhaled sharply. “I can’t really talk about this with you.”

“I’m not weak, you know,” Bri said sharply. “I don’t need to be protected.”

Kael turned so quickly Bri stumbled back. His hands wrapped firmly around her arms; his fingers pulsed over her skin. “I don’t think you’re weak. If I could tell you the truth, I would. This is something between Abbey, you, and Sloane.”

Bri stared at Kael’s chest. “Okay.” His mask fell once again, closing off the person who had been more open to her than anyone since Sloane came into her life.

She held on to his shirt, keeping him close while they walked across the bridge. She lowered her voice. “Do you know what Coach wants? She said something about her mate.”

“Sirens mate for life,” he explained. “She can’t find him and the only way she could locate him is through Sarah.”

“Who’s Sarah?”

“The witch who created you.” He paused before continuing. “Little does the Siren know that her mate is dead.”

“How do you know that?”

He didn’t elaborate. “If we can keep you and Sloane separated then we have our best shot at delaying her.”

They reached the other side of the bridge and stepped onto the grass. “She’s going to use Sloane to draw you out. And under no circumstances should you listen to her.”

Bri knew she’d do anything to save Sloane.

“Me too, sister.”

The voice was so close, Bri jumped back. A shadow shot out in front of her and Kael fell to the ground. A ringing sounded in her ears. Was the connection with Sloane petering out?

Kael jumped up from the ground and Bri came to his side. “Are you—” Her words and breathing were cut off as something squeezed her neck. Kael stared blankly at her as he held Bri by the throat. His headphones were on the ground next to them. Black spots filled her vision. A few of them came together to create a new shape. Soon she realized it wasn’t just any shape. It was the Siren. Coach Kendra was gone.

“No more games.” The Siren’s voice was deeper, slicker, and almost snake-like.

Kael loosened his grip on Bri’s neck and used his other hand to guide her closer to the shore.

Her whole body wanted to fight back, though she knew she couldn’t. Not when she saw Sloane. Her twin waded waist-deep in the lake.

“A great sorceress created Two from one life. And someone that powerful is the only one who can bring me together with my own destiny. My mate.”

“How would we be able to do anything about finding your mate?” Sloane said.

“
You
won’t find him,” Kendra snapped. “You are the key to awakening her.” She grinned; her teeth were worse than Bri expected. They were almost like tiny shark teeth, sharp and way more than any human should have. How was she ever going to get them out of there? “I made a mistake with Cara. She disposed of her twin. That’s not the survivor blood I need. I need the blood of the one who is sacrificed.”

Sloane struggled in the grip of Kendra’s tentacles. “Can you stop speaking in code? It’s really annoying.”

“I’ll speak in simpler terms. One of you must take the other’s life.”

Kael had wanted them to distract her. Since he was under the same control as Jake and Tucker had been, Bri knew she had to continue his plan until she could figure out what to do. She wondered what had happened to Abbey and Chloe. As much as she was pissed at Abbey, she would die if anything happened to her.

“Don’t joke about that.”

She ignored Sloane’s voice in her head. “Why would we do that?”

The Siren neared the shore, bringing Sloane with her. “I’m sure by this time you can already feel the other. The power that the other possesses.”

Bri felt Sloane, just like she was able to hear her thoughts. The strength she felt from Sloane was strong. What would killing her do for anyone?

“The curse was meant to make you always search for the other. And now you’ve found each other, thanks to me, it’s only a matter of time before you won’t be able to be apart for more than a short while. The blood sharing that you executed solidified this connection. And it’s only going to get stronger.” Kendra smiled, a strange and terrifying expression. “Soon enough it will consume you and make you want to destroy the other. I’m only easing the process.”