Dire Wants (23 page)

Chapter 36

J
inx was lying on his back on the couch, willing himself to get up and out and into the shit waiting for him just outside the apartment door. Brother Wolf wasn’t going to push him, didn’t want to deal with the plethora of ghosts that circled the building.

But they were tame compared to the other things that hovered. Jinx could feel them so deep down, like they were attached to him, yanking at him. Attempting to force him out into the darkness he normally loved.

Jez finally pulled a chair over and sat next to him, staring directly into his face, fangs elongated. A show of violence, of domination, but it had come out of nowhere.

Jinx jumped up, prepared to fight, Brother Wolf rising to the challenge. “What the fuck is this, Jez?”

“Just waiting for you to get up off your ass and notice that the building’s shaking,” Jez said, seemingly unconcerned, but his glowing eyes told a different story. Unlike wolf’s eyes, deadhead eyes seemed to lose their pupils; the ring circling the iris was an odd glow around the blackness inside.

That ring was the only thing that differentiated the deadhead from a demon—and it was unlike any vamp he’d ever seen. Good info to know, and Jinx put that in the back of his mind as he hightailed it to the window.

The building was moving, like some kind of earthquake that wasn’t stopping. The streets were cracking and humans ran into the streets, looking at the sky, like the answers could all be found there. “Gotta be Stray’s witch—”

“Not her,” Jez said, and Jinx felt the skitter of cold fear wrap his spine when he realized the vamp was right.

“We’ve got to get out there,” he breathed as he watched humans continue to pour outside and begin fighting—out of fear, mostly. Mixed in with the humans, he noted Weres in human form and the horrors of purgatory flew over them. Circling and watching. “Gotta figure out what’s going on.”

“I know exactly what this is. Seb’s having a temper tantrum,” Jez said. “And it’s nothing compared to what the Dire ghost army can and will unleash on us.”

“But for now, if the trappers can’t even control him—” Jinx started.

“Then he’s vulnerable—and so are they,” Jez finished. Jinx was already calling Liam and the twins.

“Time for reinforcements.”

* * *

Vice burst into Rogue’s room, where Kate still sat, recovering from talking with Rogue. Stray immediately stood, because something was really wrong based on the fact that Vice was ready for an imminent shift.

“We’ve got to get downtown—big trouble.”

As he spoke, the house began to shake. “Is that just us?” Stray asked as Kate said at the same time, “That’s not me.”

“It’s not you—it’s Seb,” Vice said. “That’s what Jinx said, anyway. What the hell happened in here between you guys?”

“Seb’s angry because I talked to Rogue,” she said.

“Rogue told her to help with the Dire ghost army—to work with Jinx, not to worry about him,” Stray added.

Vice whistled. “Yeah, that’s gonna work out well. Look, Liam’s rounding up whatever Weres he can trust to try to help get the humans under control—Seb’s got them in the streets, fighting. We need you and Kill.”

Stray looked back at Kate. “She’ll have to come with. I can’t leave her alone with Seb this angry.”

“Do whatever you need to, brother, but let’s roll.”

There was no time to waste—Stray helped Kate up and ushered her down the stairs and into the garage, stopping only to collect shoes and a jacket of Gwen’s for her.

Killian was waiting by the truck. He nodded to Stray and Kate and got into the front seat next to Vice. Liam and the twins had already taken off.

Rifter, as much as it pained him to send his men out without him, would remain home and keep Gwen safe.

“What’s the plan?” Stray asked.

“Same plan—just a smaller scale this time. You and Kill reverse Seb’s message inside the humans’ minds. I realize we’re giving away our hand, but Seb already knows what Kill can do. I’ll watch out to make sure he’s not laying other traps. Stray, you made sure it’s working, weed out any trappers. Liam’s Weres will usher the humans back to safety with Cyd and Cain helping. Jinx is close to the area as well.”

“I guess we’re jumping into the fire without practice,” Stray said.

“Believe in us, brother, the way you do your witch,” Kill told him. “I’m going to have to plant some earthquake story to the network news, too. In the scientists’ minds as well, or people are going to get really suspicious.”

“Witch, you need to stay close to Stray—you can’t defend yourself.”

“I can fight,” Kate insisted. “I’ve taken a lot of self-defense courses.”

Vice turned to hand her a covered silver-bladed knife. “This can hurt a Were, kill a demon or human. Use it if you need to.”

With that, he blasted the truck out of the garage.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Kate stood and watched Liam talking to a small group of Weres, including Cyd and Cain, his voice loud and firm over the chaos just outside the woods.

“We don’t hurt the humans—we herd them back to safety, understood?” Liam told them and one of the Weres called out, “What about Seb’s spells? They work on us, remember?

“Killian won’t let that happen,” Liam assured them. “The newest Dire has my trust, and that means he has yours as well.”

She watched Killian nod in appreciation. Whatever had happened between Stray and Killian went a long way toward Liam’s sentiment, and she hoped it would be enough to control this situation.

And then the unshifted Weres begin to move toward the rowdy crowd.

She wondered if she could distract Seb, give the wolves enough time to clean this up. She’d started this mess in the first place, and it should be her job to end it.

She realized she was trembling a little, with the threat, the crowds, the smell of violence that permeated the normally more peaceful city.

Although there was gang violence and other crime here, this particular section of town wasn’t usually a hotbed of activity.

Things were getting darker now, and not just because of nightfall.

“Don’t use your powers out here,” Stray admonished. “You don’t know who’s watching. Bad enough we had to bring you out.”

“I can’t stay locked inside forever.”

“It’s not the time to argue with me. Stay close,” Stray told her. “Stay right between me and Kill. Tuck your arms in ours and keep your eyes peeled for trouble.”

He turned to talk to Stray for a minute, his hand still on hers. She jerked away fast. “You’re worried Seb’s going to call to me again, and that I’m not strong enough to resist.”

He wheeled back around to her, said fiercely, “I’m worried you’re going to let him in, in some misguided attempt to save everyone.”

“I wouldn’t do that. There’s too much at stake.”

But the fact that he didn’t trust her at all . . . that nearly killed her. “You said you wouldn’t read my mind unless I invited you to.”

“Or if we were in a dangerous situation. This shit counts.” He lowered his voice. “I’m with you, distracted. You could get us both into a really bad place. Do you understand? I’m tied to you, in more ways than one.”

If I go down, you go down.

When he nodded, the monumentality of that hit her, probably for the first time since she’d met Stray and discovered what she was.

“Let’s do this,” Killian interrupted them. “You can deal with your personal issues later.”

Neither argued. She threaded her arms through the big wolves’ arms and let them lead her into the mob.

* * *

Stray had wondered if this would be too much, if Kill’s skinwalking curse would interfere with their abilities.

If anything, it made their bond stronger, more effective. Kill had been right—Stray could see the difference between a permanent memory and a suggestion, as Kill had demonstrated to him when they picked their first human to fix.

A dark gift turned darker by default, and Stray listened in to the humans’ minds and told Killian what he needed to say to quell their confusion and fear and turn them calm and docile.

An army of docile humans. He was sure this wasn’t what the Elders had in mind, and he also knew this was nothing compared to the battles to come.

“Concentrate, brother,” Killian muttered now, his hand in the air as he and Stray pulled Kate along through the relentless crowd. Kate had her head down, her hand gripped both his and Kill’s biceps tightly and he tasted her worry.

Stray couldn’t delve into her thoughts at the moment and risk Killian getting to them, and so he hoped she was doing as she promised, staying out of it. He continued to read minds and make sure the suggestions were implanted.

“He’s resisting.” Stray pointed to a man in overalls walking away from the crowds.

“Trapper,” Killian said, baring his canines ever so slightly. He closed his eyes and his body shook from the effort—and Kate and Stray’s by default.

In seconds, the trapper turned, slowly, dazed and disoriented. “He’s Shimmin’s bitch,” Stray caught Liam and told him. “Leave his memory intact and take him alive. Bring him to Vice to interrogate later.”

Liam sent Cain over to collect the confused man, and Stray and Kill continued, even as the crowd began to surge again, like Seb was starting new with his violent attempts at control.

Chapter 37

S
ome of Kill’s attempts were too aggressive. These powers had never been used and trying to hone them among the masses of humanity wasn’t working well. Time after time, he’d bend a group’s brains too hard, take them too far, erase too much until they collapsed like husks on the floor, bags of bones encased in skin.

Weak. Mortal. And still he pressed on to help them because he’d promised the Dires and the Elders he would. Because not doing so wouldn’t gain him death. Because Stray believed in him, guided him, as he’d promised. Told him when to rein it in. Killian put all his trust into his brother and together they worked their brand of magic on the crowd.

He fisted his hands as thirty more rushed at him, watched them drop to their knees. Only then did he ease the pressure, remind them,
It’s an earthquake—we should be inside, helping one another.

Like lemmings, they stood, shakily, as the earth still shook under their feet, and made their way toward buildings and homes and cars.

* * *

Jinx and Jez stayed along the outskirts of the fighting, watching to make sure that the humans and Weres who came their way were nonviolent.

Jinx was clawing to get into the fight—Brother Wolf as well, although he knew that staying out of it was the best thing he could do.

He hated being helpless, now more than ever, and he could only imagine how Stray felt at points in his life. Even now, watching the power he and Killian had over these people—it was both reassuring and frightening as hell.

“I should be out there,” he muttered.

“I’m sure Rifter and the others feel the same way. You can do more good when this is over. Your Dire brothers have it under control,” Jez pointed out.

Jez was right. Kill and Stray moved through the crowds, Kate between them, subduing herds of humans. Kill was changing the crowd’s memories so that they’d always remember this as merely Mother Nature, a small earthquake, and nothing to get violent about, while Liam’s Weres were acting as crowd control under his leadership, stopping fights and keeping themselves calm, pushing the humans back to their homes and businesses.

The Weres appeared unaffected by the mob violence, but Jinx would bet anything that all of them would shift if pushed just slightly further.

And that would truly be madness.

“It’s not only happening here,” Jez said as he checked his iPhone. “CNN and other affiliates reported riots all across New York State. Reports of an earthquake are unconfirmed.”

“At least what Kill’s doing is working,” Jinx muttered.

As he watched, Killian stood in the middle of the empty street, still holding Kate, who clung to him and Stray like her life depended on it. Killian closed his eyes and for a long, tense minute, Jinx wondered what the wolf was doing.

“Skinwalker,” the ghost who floated in front of the partially opened window whispered, and Jinx jerked his head toward it, as did Jez.

“Is he right?” Jinx asked Jez.

“Do I have encyclopedia of the damned stamped across my forehead?” Jez demanded. “What the hell did you wolves do before I got involved?”

“Looks like you’ve always been involved.”

* * *

What Kill and Stray were doing was working, but not fast enough. The crowd swirled around her, and Kate felt choked by the thickness of the hatred. All of that was directed at her.

Defying Stray wasn’t first in her mind, but she needed to help, to stop being powerless.

Maybe she was strong enough to do this. If Kill could gain control as she watched, why couldn’t she do the same?

She opened her mind and focused her thoughts.
Seb, please, stop this.

Stray jerked his head to stare at her. Yelled something, but she’d already made the decision to stop this on her own.

Come to me and I’ll stop this,
Seb told her.

She suddenly had more strength than before, extricated herself from the wolves and began to walk through the crowds that seemed to part for her.

“Kate!” Stray’s voice was behind her, but she ignored him, walked faster even as she felt the heat from his body behind him.

If you run, I will catch you,
Stray warned.

Tell your pet to follow
, Seb instructed.

She was helpless to resist, and had realized too late that Seb was far more insidious than she’d have thought. “Stray? Please?”

If she was doing it for Stray or Seb, she didn’t know, wasn’t sure it even mattered.

If you come to me, I’ll end all of this. Keep walking.

“Bullshit. Kate, don’t believe him.”

Keep coming, Kate—just a little farther.

She listened to Seb’s voice, since the riot seemed to be calming, or maybe it wasn’t, but she couldn’t stop now. She was in too deep.

* * *

Kate was leaving, against orders, and hell, he was being dragged along with her. Helplessly, because of their bond. Stray would never let that happen again. Not for anyone.

He tore his mind away from Kate’s and called, “Help me, Killian.”

He felt his brother reaching into his mind. It hurt like a headache from hell as he allowed his brother to manipulate his mind. He felt a tearing inside, like the bond with Kate was ripping apart, and no, he didn’t want that, not completely.

He stared at his brother as the realization of what Killian could do to him—for him—in this regard dawned on him. And then he shook his head no.

Kill understood, eased up so the bond was stretched, not broken. It was enough to stop him from walking behind Kate, although she continued along.

Stray turned to see Killian. His brother looked . . . different, like he was morphing into something other than himself. But then his entire body shook and Stray heard him tell Kate,
Turn around and go back to Stray.

She stopped and dropped to her knees and he knew Killian was inside her mind as well. She cried out, “I can’t. This is the only way—”

“He’ll kill you, Kate. Look straight ahead at what’s waiting for you,” Kill told her even as she struggled to her feet.

Stray made the mistake of looking and saw Shimmin, waiting at the edge of the woods, holding a semiautomatic by his side . . . and a hypodermic needle tucked into his free fist.

Kate gasped and then she turned, hard, right into Stray. He grabbed her and ran with her, back into the crowd, toward Killian, as the humans around them began to close them in.

And the shaking began again.

* * *

Kate had closed her mind against Stray—and Stray only. He dropped away from following her; in essence, she was saving him.

But he’s bonded to you forever.

When she looked up again, she saw a man with dark hair and a fierce expression.
Seb.

She stopped in front of him. “I’m here.”

“Good. Shut your mind to me—now.”

She did, and the silence was deafening. Wonderful. She waited to be taken away, to see Leo Shimmin, but none of that happened. Instead, Stray was tugging her and when she looked back, it wasn’t Seb who stood there, but Kill.

“How did he do that?” she asked.

“This isn’t the time or place to talk about any of this,” Stray told her. “Don’t do it again.”

But nothing had changed—nothing stopped. The earth still shook hard and people were screaming. Shots rang out and it felt like the world was ending.

I’m so much stronger than any of them. Don’t worry about Shimmin. I won’t let him hurt you. Go to him now.

Kate believed him because she had to stop this. And so she broke away from Stray’s grasp when he was distracted and she ran toward Shimmin, like Seb had directed. Stray’s voice came from behind her just as shots rang past her head.

“No!” she shouted, broke the contact with Seb at that moment when she realized everything had gone so very wrong.

In retrospect, it was the stupidest move ever. But her instinctive need to protect Stray and his kind overtook her. She’d never had anyone to care about that deeply, and now.

And now she’d killed him. And it didn’t matter that he couldn’t die, because she watched him collapse to the side, blood streaming from his chest. She opened her mouth in a silent scream. Tried to sink to her knees toward him, but someone pulled her up from behind.

Friend? Foe?

“Stray? Stray!” she called. And he opened his eyes, but they were cold. And for the first time, she totally understood the consequences of Stray being bound to her. “I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t be helpless anymore.”

“Don’t talk.”
Don’t think. Do nothing until I have you in a safe place.

It was fair, and maybe more than she deserved.