Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) (27 page)

“What??” she glared back in bewilderment, her fists on her hips.

And I know exactly what I want to do now, but she’s not gonna like the idea.

“What you heard,” he said, shrugging.

She cocked her head to the side, as if he were speaking Chinese all of a sudden. Her eyes flashed up and down, regarding his expression with menace.

Oh, crap, who cares what she thinks?

He grabbed her waist and slammed her into a metal rack, winding his fingers into her hair. Her eyes got impossibly big as she opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out. He leaned down, tightening his hold on her, and she drew a ragged breath when his lips brushed hers—

And in the next second they were kissing frantically, Pain grasping his tangled hair in her hand, pulling him closer and forgetting to breathe. He was all over her, pressing her into the shelves, holding her so firmly that she couldn’t move an inch. The air around them got fervent, and she was surprised by its shimmering – how
much power exactly did she have?

She realized she was dizzy from holding her breath and inhaled sharply, closing her eyes and grabbing his belt to pull him closer. Her fingernails scratched the hot skin under it, and he gasped and let go of her hair, sliding his hand down her spine and under her jacket, grazing her scarred back with his fingertips. It was feverish – she felt too hot in this goddamn cellar and her gear. Distractedly, she wondered why she had never felt this uncomfortable during a battle. Maybe because there wasn’t anyone feeling thousand degrees to the touch pressed against every inch of her body.

Her fingers released his hair and ran down his back lightly, tugged on the hem of his sweater, and then got under it to slide back up his spine. He shivered at that, hugging her closer, though it seemed impossible at the moment. Only this time she wasn’t like a marble statue in his embrace. She leaned into him, because it was exactly what she wanted.

She wanted to dissolve in the embrace, forget about the Beasts, the bloody war, the responsibilities, and the future altogether. To feel like a person, not a killing machine, at least for a minute. To be alive, reckless,
human
again. In this situation when the ground was falling from under her feet, she wanted to forget it all just for a moment so badly that she gave up. And she did feel better for a minute; in fact, she felt better than she could ever imagine, no matter what would happen next.

His lips slid down her neck, his teeth pulling at her skin—

But she froze, not responding to him anymore. Everything inside her was screaming in protest, trying to make her slip back into the bitter bliss, never stop kissing him, never think again. But there was something else, too, something so much more powerful somewhere at the very bottom of her soul, still remembering what was right and wrong. Maybe kissing him now felt right, but dragging him into her life was wrong, it was all wrong from the very beginning. When humans and Sky Ghosts got mixed together, it could only end with the death of one of them.

She stiffened, and then her palm slid from under his sweater, releasing him. She shrank back into the shelves and opened her eyes, but they just stared sightlessly at the wall. At the edge of her sight she could see Chad draw back slowly and look at her. She could feel the hammer-like beating of his heart under her palm as it rested on his chest. Unable to bear it, she dropped her gaze.

Chad’s eyebrows slowly rose. She was so quiet and still that for a moment he thought he had hurt her, but no, it was Pain, she wouldn’t care about it. He ducked his head to peer into her eyes, demanding an explanation from her. She sighed at last, shaking her head.

“What are we doing?” she whispered, and it came out barely audible. “What’s next?”

He flinched, staring at her in bewilderment. His heart was racing inside his chest, as if ready to break out of the rib cage, and she was asking him questions all of a sudden?? Chad swore through his teeth, taking his hand from under her jacket, but still not letting go of her waist.

“What??” finally he managed to speak.

Her eyes focused on his then. Her look had changed: she watched him sternly now, with challenge and arrogance, not different from the first look she gave him in that alley.

“You’re not a Ghost,” she said, and it sounded like an insult. “There’s no future for us. We shouldn’t have done what we did.”

With that, she broke away from him, took the last of her knives from the bag, and strode to the hatch before Chad could come up with a reply. He only had the time to make a surprised noise, and she was already out of his sight.

And so she left him alone in the cellar for the second time.

Outside it, Pain walked straight into her sister, who was stuffing cash into her jacket’s inside pockets. Jane glanced at her questioningly.

“I’ve started to worry what’s taking you so long,” she muttered, zipping up her jacket and giving a half of the cash stack to Pain.

“Nothing,” she cut off, taking the money and heading to the lodge to look for the phone. “Did you take the stuff from the first-aid kit?” she called out to her sister.

“Yes, we’ve got everything. I can barely zip up my jacket now,” Jane answered with a crooked smile.

“Don’t worry, there won’t be much to zip once the Beasts get to us,” Pain tried to sound ironic, but on the last word she realized that she had only upset herself more with these words. She swore inwardly, turning off the lamp and coming out of the room to the others. “We’re gonna need backup. I’ll call Marco.”

Jane nodded and took a flashlight out of a pocket, turning it on and illuminating the space around them. They headed for the doors, Pain leading, but when she almost reached the exit, she paused and turned to her sister.

“I think we shouldn’t rush outside like this. I’ll get out through the window and take a look around. I’ll knock on the door if everything’s alright, okay?”

Jane nodded, and Pain darted upward to the window. She drew out one of her knives, using its hilt to break the glass. When she cleared the frame of the jagged shards, the opening was just big enough for her to slip outside.

Once she got out, she kept close to the roof, peering into the black sky. Nobody was there yet. The fields were peaceful and quiet, just as they were a couple of days ago, when she and Chad watched the runaway horse. How quickly everything had changed. Suddenly, she felt a twinge of regret and realized that it was hard to leave this place. Of course, she missed her home, but this barn in the middle of nowhere held something majestic, something she couldn’t even define.

She called Marco’s number, but there were only long beeps on the other end. Now she was sure something had happened at the Headquarters. This was why Jerry had told her to lie low and not to come home.

She jumped off the roof in front of the doors and knocked three times lightly. The high doors creaked, and her sister showed up from the inside, carrying the heavy padlock. She looked calm and collected, and Pain couldn’t help but feel a spark of pride for her little sister not being even a little bit scared by the situation. The guys walked out from behind Jane, and Pain had to look away because Chad immediately tried to lock his gaze with hers. When the padlock was returned to its place, and they were ready to leave, she held out her hand for Dave.

“Go on your maximum,” she said to her sister.

Jane nodded, her face set and emotionless in the silver-white glow of the moon. She took Chad’s hand, and in the next second they disappeared into the black sky.

Less than an hour later they were already rushing through the sleepy outskirts of New York. First there were row houses, shining below them like fireflies; then high-rising apartment buildings, spangled with dozens of glowing windows; then there were first skyscrapers, glittering with signs and billboards. And of course, as soon as they reached the tunnels area, a black swarm of Beasts darkened the space below them.

“We have to land somewhere!” Pain shouted, trying to outvoice the rushing wind.

Jane approached her with Chad, both of them enveloped in the shimmering air and slightly blurred.

“They’ll attack any moment! Let’s land up there!” She pointed at the roof of a skyscraper that loomed in front of them.

They rose higher, only to land heavily near one of the cabin-like structures upon it. The sisters shoved Chad and Dave back, standing in front of them, tensed and ready to face what was coming. The wind was harsh up there, making their hair fly wildly, blowing from every each direction, and only their leather gear protected them from freezing, no matter if it was July or December. The building was tall, fifty-story or more, and they could hear none of the usual New York sounds. It was almost as if they were alone, lost in the middle of an infinite sea, only the black sky and stars filling the space around them. Soon enough, the Beasts appeared on the other side, rising slowly from below the wall and landing on the roof one by one. Jane reached for her sword, but Pain caught her arm with a quick movement.

“Wait, not yet,” she said in a low voice.

“Did Marco pick up?” Jane muttered back.

Pain swallowed, taking a moment before the answer.

“No. I called the office, Ryan, even our cells. No one picked up,” she said heavily.

Jane nodded as her look got darker and her hand tightened again on her sword’s hilt.

The Beasts strode to them casually. There were about twenty of them. They all wore black clothes, though they didn’t use any uniform like the Ghosts. The moon was waning, and only gleaming blades and white sneers were visible in the darkness, making them look like a small army of Cheshire Cats. In their head was a short, swarthy man in a floor-length leather coat that flapped in the wind like a wicked wing.

“Clown,” Pain coughed out with spite.

The man was neither big nor fearsome, and there was nothing special about his appearance, but somehow the look of him made Dave’s blood run cold. There was something in his face, that half-smile that played idly on his lips, those ironic eyes, studying them all confidently. He grinned, showing the absence of one tooth, then stopped and crossed his arms on his chest. The men behind him stopped too, waggling their weapons idly, waiting for the order to start the carnage.

“I have a business proposal for you two,” he called out, chewing gum and indicating the sisters with an unconcerned gesture of his index finger. His voice bore a light Southern accent, and it suited him somehow.

Pain stepped forward, leaving Jane with the guys, and headed to him slowly and deliberately.

“And you’ll be…?” she let her question hang in the air while she came up to stand in a couple of steps from him.

“Chuck.”

Dave thought he could see her go rigid all over even from the distance.

“O-oh, this is not gonna end well,” Jane noted anxiously.

“Is this the Chuck you were talking about? The one who’s been killing your fighters?” Dave asked in a nervous whisper.

“Hm-mm,” she muttered under her breath, her focus on her sister.

Pain knew about his skills from Marco – Chuck was extremely good with knives. She could see some of them now, but for sure, there were dozens more hidden in his clothes, ready to hit their targets any moment. Marco had said that Chuck didn’t use a sword at all. He fought with knives of all sizes, striking faster than anyone he had seen, able to finish a group of opponents in a few seconds without even moving from his spot. She didn’t want him to know that she had heard about him, so she kept her expression composed when he named himself.

“You don’t need to tell me your name, though,” he continued at last, his voice musing and even intimate, his smile getting wider. “I know who you and your sister are.”

“Then why are you still here?” She smirked involuntarily, and he smiled back.

“I thought we should make a proper acquaintance.” He inclined his head slightly, that half-smile not leaving his face.

“I’m thrilled,” humor left her voice and expression as she responded. “So, what’s your proposal?” she asked coldly and cocked her head to the side with interest.

“You give us those two, and we let you and your sister go,” he said, watching her through his slitted eyes. She thought they were the eyes of an animal: hungry, greedy, bestial. She certainly didn’t like the way they were studying her, glistening with that self-confidence.

As she contemplated his words with a speculative look, images were flashing in her mind. All the fighters Chuck and his squad had killed during the last month. Most of them were rookies, but some she knew. They were all different: young and not that young, big, small, funny, and not so much. She never showed any of them a good attitude, but it didn’t matter. She would shred to pieces a hundred of Beasts for every single one of them, because they all were a team.

She restrained the wave of fury that was boiling in her veins.
Not yet.

Behind her, Dave’s fingers dug into Jane’s forearm as the silence lingered.

“She’s not seriously considering this, is she?” he muttered, bending his head down to Jane’s ear.

“Shh.” She was waiting for what would happen next, her eyes and ears strained for a possible attack.

Dave glanced at his friend with frantic despair. Chad looked back steadily, sure that Pain wouldn’t do that. He was more worried about her, standing there in front of the crowd of Beasts, pretty sure that once she met the man she had been holding a grudge against, she would do anything to include his decapitation in their not very successful escape plan.

“I think we should negotiate the details,” she said finally, trying to sound genuinely interested and keep the seething hatred out of her voice.

While Chuck’s expression wavered, she dropped her hands from her hips and shifted her posture ever so slightly so that she would distribute her weight on both feet. Chuck didn’t seem to have paid attention to that as long as her katana was behind her back. But while he knew all rumors about her, he still didn’t know a lot of important details because there were no living witnesses.

“Negotiate? May I just say that it’s pretty generous of me. You two have no chances against my squad,” he noted, apparently thinking it was her pride that didn’t let her accept his idea right away.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said remotely, and heard Dave gasp behind her and exclaim something in a harsh whisper.

Just what she needed.

She didn’t hear what he said to her sister and wasn’t really aware of them anymore. All she saw was Chuck, and more precisely, his eyes. Distracted eyes.

Time seemed to stretch out for her, but for the others everything happened simultaneously. In one moment Pain shot her hand upward, seizing her sword; Jane, Chad, and Dave got blinded by a sudden flash of its blade; Chuck returned his gaze to her, the expression on his face changing to surprised… And then his head flew away, hit the ground, and bumped into the edging, leaving the body stand lonely until it crashed to the ground.

Behind her, Dave’s jaw fell open.

“Oh. My. God. You crazy woman. They’re gonna be mad, so mad now,” he jabbered.

“No,” Jane cut off, looking over the gathering with a sort of cold, practical interest. “I think they’re scared.”

On the other side of the roof, Pain looked at her smeared katana, murmuring in a wistful voice:

“Now, isn’t this just a lovely acquaintance?”

“She’s crazy!” some of Chuck’s men muttered to another.

Then one of them stepped forward, gripping his sword, and her head whipped up.

“It was a negotiation, you bitch!” he yelled, obviously astonished by the cruelty and swiftness of her attack.

She lowered her sword, letting the blood drip onto the ground, and looked at him with a rueful smirk.

“No,” she said in a bitter, matter-of-fact tone, “This is war. You wanted it?? You can have it!!” she snarled, spreading her arms wide lightly, as if she didn’t have her sword in one of them. “Now I’ve got a business proposal for you all! You turn around, leave this roof, and WE let you go! Or you can stay here and try to take those two,” she threw her arm back, pointing at the guys. “And I swear, not even one of you will leave this place in one piece,” she finished in a voice that could have cut through steel. The Beasts kept silent, their gazes flicking from her to Chuck’s limp body and then back. “What? No more negotiators?” she inquired, and her voice sounded so cheerful that even Dave felt a thrill of horror in his veins.

And then a fierce roar broke the silence, and a huge guy with his face all covered in scars lunged forward, swinging his heavy axe on the run. After a moment the others were racing to her, too. Shouts, growls, words mixed together around her as she dodged from the axe, got behind the attacker’s back, and swung her katana. The sword flashed in a wide arc, cutting off her enemy’s head. As the black sea of cutthroats closed around her, she shot upward, landing a few yards away and standing beside her sister.

“Your proposal didn’t really work, sis,” Jane noted.

“Oh, it worked. Look how freaked they are,” Pain replied, taking a short sword out of her waist sheath and pressing it into Dave’s palm. She noticed something gleam in Chad’s hand, too. Her sister must have provided him with a knife already. Somewhere deep inside, she begged the skies for them to never have to use their weapons this night.

“Okay, now this is really serious,” Pain instructed Dave and Chad as the enraged crowd of Beasts rolled on them, and she stepped aside, simply seizing her first attacker by the back of his jacket and sending him tumbling to the side with a knife in his throat. “You two can use your weapons as much as you want, but your main task is to keep next to us! Is that clear? You step when we step; you dodge if we dodge, or you’ll be digesting a knife in a second.” She grabbed another one that lunged for her and slammed him head first into the wall behind her with a terrible crunch. “It’s no apartment fun anymore! There’s a big possibility that we won’t get away this time.” She stepped to another side now, letting Jane take a good swing and cut off two heads in a row.

“Fun? You call that fun??” Dave exclaimed hysterically behind her.

“Shut up and repeat what I said!” she bawled out.

“Keep next to you, I got it!” he shouted over the deafening roar of the battle.

As she craned back, letting a sword swish in front of her face and sinking her katana in the Beast’s side, he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed into the wall. Now, this was nothing he was ready for, training or no training. His right hand gripped the sword, feeling numb and alien. The three blades were flashing around them like a windmill while the Beasts shoved among each other, trying to reach the girls. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that there was a pile of bodies by their feet already.

“Watch out!!” Jane lunged to the left, covering Pain from a flying knife with one of her swords.

Chad dodged abruptly after her, bumping into Dave and almost knocking him off his feet. He straightened up, pulling Dave with him, and saw some Beast’s sword make a long slash in Pain’s gear when her shield flickered out for a moment. His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly he was glad it was so dark, because this way he wouldn’t see the blood on her skin. Another one followed, and Pain hissed furiously, and he felt a sickening knot form deep in his guts as he remembered her words back in the cellar:
We’re not gonna make it through this night, I can feel it.
Maybe she was right. Who was he to tell her anything about this life where he didn’t belong?

He swallowed hard, tearing his eyes away from the scuffle in front of him. And then he saw that more Beasts were landing on the roof, rushing to the battle, their sharp blades and heavy axes shining fiercely in the moonlight.

“Reinforcements! They brought reinforcements!!” he shouted, not hearing himself.

Jane was too short to see them over the mob of Beasts in front of her, but she glanced at her sister worriedly.

“We gotta leave, Pain!” she said, driving both of her swords in two different chests at once. One of the falling Beasts almost crashed on her, but he was kicked out of the way by the big sister, his body knocking down another one along with him. “There’s too many!”

“We’re staying! They’ll finish us in the air!”

Just as she said that, what she had feared most happened. A few Beasts slammed into the middle of the battle, knocking the sisters down and separating them. Pain jumped to her feet, angrier than ever, and grabbed Dave’s jacket, pulling him with her and shoving him behind her back.

“Now use that sword, Curiosity!” she yelled. “Use it like hell!” And she swung her katana in a wide arc to ward off the attackers so she could get a glimpse of her sister.

She saw Chad stab someone in the stomach with his knife, and she thought Jane’s silhouette was behind his back. They weren’t that far apart – seven, maybe, ten yards. So she started to make her way back to her sister, sending fine fountains of blood left and right, which made the Beasts shrink back involuntarily. That was why she always loved long swords, because they let her keep most of it off herself. Well, that and the fact that she was much smaller than male fighters, and the katana gave her a certain advantage.