Death Wish (7 page)

“Lex?” Jez’s voice was breathy and low. Wary.

The power of the earth vibrated beneath my feet. It was mine to call, though I was already buzzing with undead energy. Theoretically, I could create a shield strong enough to block a penetrative non-living physical object, like a bullet; unfortunately, I had yet to successfully do it.

Slipping into the wolf’s alert and intuitive mind frame, I moved with a casual gait, feeling out my watcher. This dilemma left no room for fear, only readiness.

I’d started to think, perhaps, they were only going to observe, but then I felt it. My sixth sense took over, and I reacted. The arrow sliced through the air toward me. I held it tight in my grip before I fully comprehended that I’d caught it inches from my face. It was a crossbow bolt; the tip was sharp and deadly. 

Everyone froze for a heartbeat. I stared in disbelief at the bolt in my hands. Then I snapped into motion.

Following the direction where the shot came from, I threw a ball of power that exploded like lightning at the dark end of the parking lot. A moving blur was all I saw of my unwelcome company as they fled in the opposite direction.

I gave chase, running as fast as two legs would carry me. It was fast but not enough. Not this time. I saw no sign of whoever had taken a shot at me as they disappeared out the other side of the alley that hugged the back of the club. The last thing I wanted to do was walk into a possible trap, so I turned back.

I clutched the crossbow bolt tightly. It had all happened so quickly.  Mere seconds. I guess the idea of a hit out on me wasn’t so incredulous after all. 

Kale was on my heels, so close we almost collided when I turned around. Falon and Jez were where we left them, watching us. Jez’s face was ashen, her jaw dropped in surprise. Falon’s expression wasn’t so easy to read. Stone cold and closed off, his silver eyes locked onto the weapon in my tight grip.

“Oh my God, Alexa. Are you alright?” Jez was on her feet, braced for a fight.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. My heart was pumping pure adrenaline, but otherwise I was fine. “Whoever it was, they’re long gone now. Idiots. A rooftop shot would have been smarter.”

Kale looked longingly in the direction my would-be killer had fled. “We should go after them.”

“No.” I turned the crossbow bolt over in my hands. It was heavy and sharp. Pretty damn deadly. “I don’t want you guys involved in this. They’ve targeted me. Let’s keep it that way.”

“I can’t believe you caught that thing.” Jez shook her head in wonder. “That was impressive.”

Falon smirked, but his eyes betrayed nothing. Whatever he was really feeling about what he’d just seen, he wasn’t sharing. “Ah yes, the wolf caught a flying stick. Fascinating. I’d be more impressed if you’d caught it in your teeth like a frisbee.”

If I hadn’t just stared death in the face, I would have been pissed about that comment. As it was, the asshole angel wasn’t worth the energy. I waved a hand dismissively in his direction and turned my attention to Jez.

“You should take off, just to be on the safe side. I’ll give you a call later.”

“Are you sure?” She frowned, clearly unhappy with my request. “I don’t want to leave you after something like that.”

“It’s cool. I’m not staying. I just don’t want to endanger anyone else tonight.”

She looked uncertainly from me to Kale and then began edging away from us, toward the beat up, white Jeep at the end of the lot. “Be careful, ok?”

“Promise.”

“The dreamwalker, Kale,” Falon interjected. “Sooner than later.” With that he was gone, leaving me alone with the vampire.

I watched Jez’s taillights disappear down the street. This was turning out to be a less than stellar night. Kale continued to glance toward the alley behind the club. I knew he was itching to hunt down the person daring enough to take a shot at me. I couldn’t let him do that.

“Don’t even think about it, Kale. I can handle this. But, not tonight. Going after them could mean running straight into a trap. I want to do this right. On my terms. Not theirs.”

We stared at one another, and I was painfully aware of how close we stood to the very spot where we’d made love in the rain. However, I was also aware of the weight of the crossbow bolt in my hand and what it represented. My skills and instincts had served me well tonight, but would they keep me alive every time? I had to hunt down the person behind the hit and soon. The next shot might get lucky.

“You should get out of here.” The power rolled off Kale in tantalizing waves. “Want to come along to check up on the dreamwalker? Maybe we can do a little brainstorming. Figure out who could want you dead bad enough to take such a risky shot.”

He expected me to say no. My common sense insisted I should. But, I was angry, scared and starting to shake.

“I’ll come. You drive.”

I waited until we were in his slick, black 73 Camaro before I grilled him for more information about the dreamwalker. Once we were moving smoothly through the late night downtown traffic, I used my many questions as a way to avoid further speculation on the near death experience I’d just had. “Whom exactly are we spying on and why?”

“We’re not spying, Alexa.” Kale laughed derisively. “That sounds so Hollywood-action movie. Just keeping watch.”

“Spying.” I corrected, grinning when he flipped me off.

A smile danced along his lips when he shot me a playful glare. “You’re a pain in the ass. Anyway, it’s a seventeen-year-old dreamwalker. We’ve been watching him.”

“Is he dangerous?” I’d heard mention of dreamwalkers, though I didn’t know much about them. I was tempted to run a search on my phone but decided to wait rather than show my ignorance.

“He could be. Right now, he’s just your typical teenage boy.”

“Why is he being watched, then, if he’s not a threat?” It sounded sketchy. There’s no way Shya or anyone else would waste the time and effort if there weren’t more to this kid.

“To make sure he doesn’t become one, I guess. Or, a victim.” Kale didn’t offer more in the way of explanation.

He navigated the city streets while I let my suspicions breed. I had been a teenager when Shya and Veryl had started pulling strings in my life. Whatever the demon really had planned for this kid, it couldn’t be good.

The house we rolled up to was a basic two-level, middle-class family home. We parked on the opposite side of the street. It was late. I didn’t expect to see a damn thing. However, a light was on inside the living room, and the glow of the television could easily be seen.

“He doesn’t sleep much,” Kale said, staring across the street. “Most dreamwalkers don’t. Usually, I find him playing videogames, surfing the net or screwing his girlfriend. Only once have I come by when he was asleep. It was pretty weird.”

“Weird? Like how?” I could see the silhouette of a person sitting near the TV. “Where are his parents?”

“Oh, they’re upstairs. They have no idea what their son can do, I’m sure. Most people give dreamwalkers some kind of diagnosis like insomnia or some such thing. Really, it’s just that they fight sleep because every time it means walking in the dreams of someone else.” Kale shut the engine off and turned to me. “It was weird because I could feel that he wasn’t really there. Even though his body was there, his energy was just gone.”

Fascinating. I’d definitely have to learn more about dreamwalkers. Especially if Shya had an interest in them.

“So why exactly are we here? I mean, what reason is there to come by and stare at his house? It’s strange.”

“No reason really. Just to make sure we know where he is. To make sure nobody else does.”

“That translates into, so he doesn’t somehow get away from Shya. Or, perhaps so he doesn’t get picked off by someone else.” I nodded, as a sinking sensation settled in my gut. “I get it.”

It was disturbing to me on so many levels, most of all, because I knew the same thing had been done to me. Maybe Shya had no reason to have me followed now or maybe he had just changed his methods of doing so. Regardless, I was still very much under his thumb, and as I stared at this innocent kid’s house, it was devastatingly undeniable. Shya was the puppet master pulling our strings. What would he do if we cut the ties that held us?

 “So what makes this kid special enough to be worth watching?” I asked, my tone thick with skepticism. “Can he kill people in their dreams? Control them? What?”

“Yes, all of that and more. The potential is there. Whether or not he knows how to use it remains to be seen.” Kale met my eyes then, his gaze heavy and intense. “There are incredible downfalls to being a dreamwalker. He can never sleep without entering a dream that belongs to someone else. What he chooses to do there is in his hands for the most part. You want to talk about spying, what better way to sneak a peek at an enemy than by taking a walk through his subconscious?”

And, that right there was exactly why Shya wanted this kid. The poor bastard. Seventeen years old, and his life was already over. And, he didn’t even know it yet.

“Poor kid,” I muttered. “He has no idea what’s in store for him. I don’t like being on the opposite side of this, the one watching.”

I went cold inside. I acted like I had some control in my partnership with Shya, but that was merely an illusion he allowed me. A sinking sensation threatened to swallow me. Every moment I spent watching the silhouette of the teenager inside playing videogames made it worse.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I blurted, weariness in my voice. “I just want to hunt some scumbag vampire that gets off on killing kids or something. You know? I don’t want to watch people get sucked into the dark by a demon. I can’t help Shya do to others what he’s done to me. And, to think of how many years I never knew that he was always there, behind the scenes.”

For the first time since Kale and I had met several years ago, I wondered if he had ever watched me like this. How close was he to Shya? I didn’t really know. Over the years, I had often had Kale at my side during a hunt, a constant shadow.

I visibly shuddered. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I rubbed them uselessly. It had to be the paranoia talking. Kale would never do something so shady. Our friendship was authentic, not based on a lie.

After several minutes passed, Kale broke the strained silence. “You have your own role to play, Alexa. Only you can decide what that is. Being associated with Shya doesn’t make you anything like him. He’s not a silent force in your life anymore. You’re not a caged animal. Don’t let him make you think you are.”

“You’re right, I know that. The past month has been overwhelming. I’m still adjusting.” I blew a lock of hair out of my face. “But, thank you. You always know what I need to hear.”

Kale was quiet for a moment, contemplative. “Hey, thanks for getting Jez to see me. I know you had something to do with that.”

I shrugged as if it was no big deal. In actuality, I’d had to beg, threaten and cajole Jez endlessly before she’d agreed to meet him. “It was easy. She just needed a push.”

A few minutes passed in silence. It was a comfortable quiet though. I was relieved. It was starting to feel the way it used to with Kale, easy-going and relaxed. No need for strange tension and awkward moments. I was starting to think we could get past the events of last month.

 I hesitated for just a second before deciding I had to share this. “The FPA is investigating the death of Abigail Irving. My sister is one of their agents. Not only did she survive the wolf attack, she claims Shya split us up. He got me and the FPA got her. Now, she’s hunting me, and I think she knows it.”

That got Kale’s eyes rolling. “Don’t worry about the FPA. If they come for you, then they come for me, too. We shared that kill. You’re not taking the fall for that one.”

I was surprised at how quickly he shrugged it off. “You’re not concerned? I have enough people after me. I don’t need the damn government pinning me for a murder. Oh hell no.”

“Your focus should be on the hit and finding out who you have to kill for it.” Concern lay heavy in his eyes when he looked over at me. “I can’t imagine who would want to take you out, but please promise me you’ll be careful. I think I’d die if anything happened to you.”

The discomfort we’d both been successfully battling settled over us like a heavy blanket. The love that could never be. Our story would have no happy ending; it was impossible. And yet, we were so inextricably, emotionally entangled.

I found it hard to meet his eyes and searched for any reason to break contact. “I guess this means I’m really big time now. Is this some kind of rite of passage or something?”

“Take this seriously, Alexa. We need to find out who’s got it in for you. Don’t be reckless or careless. That just makes it easy for them.”

“I know. I appreciate your concern. Really, I do.” Guilt settled in to taunt me for my suspicious thoughts a few minutes prior. How could I think he would be capable of double-crossing me?

“You know I would do anything for you.”

“Don’t get yourself killed for me. I mean it, Kale. I can handle this. I’ll deal with it somehow. But, I don’t want anyone I love getting hurt because of me.”

Strained silence settled over us as we both sat with the awareness that this was as close to acknowledging our feelings as we were going to get. Everything we could say had already been said. We had to move on.