Specters: A Monster Squad Novel - 8 (13 page)

*****

Kalen paused outside of Brooke’s room and raised his hand to knock lightly on her door. A reflection caught his eye and he quickly lowered his arm, his hand covering the bracelet on his wrist. He felt his face flush with embarrassment as he raised his hand and saw the stone glowing. The Wyldwood beckoned.

Kalen slipped into his room and lowered the lights. He gazed into the stone and Loren’s face came into view. “You called, Wyldwood?”

“Have you found signs of the demon queen?”

Kalen shook his head. “No, she has disappeared. There is the possibility that she was injured greatly in the explosion and may not be able to continue her…”

“No.” Loren interrupted. “The elders have seen her attempts to finish what she has started. She will also attempt to attack the capitol building of the United States. You need to warn Chief Jack so that he can prepare for her.”

“It shall be done.” He turned to rise then looked back to the stone. “Is there more, Wyldwood?”

He watched her glance both directions before lowering her voice. “Yes. Be careful, Kalen. A wound in battle may heal, but a broken heart sometimes never mends.”

Kalen felt a lump in his throat as he stared at her image. “I-I’m afraid I do not understand, Wyldwood.”

Her face softened slightly, and she gave him a smile. “I believe that you do. It is one thing to trust your heart. It is another to give in completely. Just, be careful, young one. Some loves simply cannot be.”

Kalen knew then that his secret was known. “You have been watching me?”

She chuckled slightly and shook her head. “No, my sweet one, I have seen it in my visions.” She sighed, and he could see the sadness in her eyes. “Just know that the one you give your heart to can never be a part of our world. She can never enter the Anywhere. As long as the two of you are together, you cannot return home.”

Kalen felt a knot grow in his stomach and he felt his head shaking in protest. “But I do not understand, Wyldwood. If she becomes my mate, then surely—”

“She is of the undead, Kalen. She can never enter our world. Vampires cannot be allowed to exist here. They are forbidden.” Her face hardened slightly and she squared her shoulders. “Remember your history, my child.”

Kalen gave her a slight nod. “I remember it. But she is different. She doesn’t feed on—”

“She is what she is. If this continues, you will be forced to choose.” Her face grew larger as she came in closer to the stone and lowered her voice. “Just make sure that whatever you choose, you are
certain
.”

*****

Mick walked slowly around the familiar hangar. He could only see the two guards on duty at the outside shacks and they didn’t seem to pay him any attention as he walked past. The uniform and haircut went a long way toward hiding him in the crowd. He slipped into an office building that was opposite the hangar and noted that it sat empty. Whatever had occurred here in the past was long since discontinued.

Working his way upstairs and finding a location that he felt comfortable keeping watch on the hangar, he made himself a small campsite. Nothing more than a few discarded sofa cushions and a barricade made from desks left behind by the previous occupants, he settled in for what he hoped would be a long and uneventful watch.

He just wanted to make sure that Jen was okay. He needed to see her with his own eyes. He needed to know that she was indeed happy and not under some sort of spell cast by the Fates. He had tried on so many occasions to put himself in a wolf’s shoes. To be fated to one mate forever? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. To be fated to somebody who tried to kill you? That just wasn’t right. The Fates were a bunch of messed up psychos in his book.

He wished he had Walter Simmons’ phone. He could call him and tell him that the intel was bad, that Jen was still inside. He could let him know that he was forced to give them bad info and that his men were going to be set up. He could let him know that the man he intended to hunt down and kill would end up killing his daughter. He could tell him that it was too late.

Mick tried to think how Simmons would react. He knew the man was twisted in the noodle. Could he be reached? Could anybody make him understand that his daughter’s life would be endangered no matter what he did? Would he care at this point? So much money had been spent and the attack was thwarted. How many of his wolves died in that attack? Where were the others at? Could Mick catch up with them before they tried anything?

He sat and watched the hangar, knowing that if he had any chance of reaching Walter Simmons, it would be through his wolves when they came back to finish the job. Once they realized the intel was bad, they
would
return to the hangar to finish the job. If he could just intercept them first.

*****

Bigby shoved the weapons into his duffle bag and tossed it onto the bed. He pulled the night vision goggles and checked them then slipped them into the side pocket. A little late night recon wouldn’t hurt anything. Better to get a lay of the land before planning his attack. He didn’t really get a chance to study the hangar drawings much before it all went to hell last time and he wasn’t given a chance to recon much while under fire.

He hefted the duffle up onto his shoulder and reached for the door when the phone in his pocket buzzed. He paused and dropped the duffel. He knew who it was before he ever pulled the sat phone and looked at the incoming number.

Clicking the phone on, he heard Simmons’ voice, “Where’s Martinez? He isn’t answering.”

“Your boy Martinez and his mates are all dead.” Big took a certain degree of satisfaction in saying those words.

“What do you mean they’re all dead? What the hell happened?”

“He wouldn’t listen to me and it got him dead. That’s what happened. The old boy said he had everything handled, and instead of bugging out when I told him to, he tried to make a stand and it cost him.” Bigby chuckled into the phone as he sat at the foot of the bed. “Actually, it cost you, didn’t it?”

“What the hell am I paying you for if you can’t keep my men alive?” Simmons’ voice bellowed over the phone. Bigby had to hold it away from his ear as the old man screeched. “You’re supposed to be a professional.”

“I
am
a professional, mate. I can’t help it if your boys don’t know how to take orders. Maybe next time you’ll send real soldiers instead of these puffed up Boy Scouts.”

“I don’t have to take this from you. You work for me!”

Bigby chuckled into the phone. “You think so, do ya? Well, not any more. I’m a free agent, mate. From now on, I’m doing things my way.”

“What does that mean?” Fear crept into Simmons’ voice as he spoke to the deranged man.

“Exactly what I said. I don’t need your wolves to act as cannon fodder. I can creep in, do what needs doing, and sneak back out before anyone’s the wiser.”

“What are you planning, Major? What about my daughter?”

“For cavorting with the enemy, she’s collateral damage as far as I’m concerned. If she’s in there, she’s a casualty of war.”

“Now see here! I’ll not have you—”

Bigby clicked the end call button and tossed the phone into his bag. “The old windbag doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. If those blokes were the best he had to offer, he’s no threat.” He picked up the bag and shut the door behind him.

*****

Samael stormed out the cabin and absently tossed the limp body through the door as he stood on the porch. His eyes scanned the woods surrounding the cabin but he couldn’t see Lilith anywhere. “Where could she have gotten to?”

He stormed to the rear of the cabin and stared down the slope, hoping to see her trail in the dead pine needles. “Damn that woman and all that she stands for.” He stepped away from the rustic structure and took to the air, making slow circles outward from the cabin and hoping to find her or her trail.

He let the wind carry him in a lazy arc, the rustling of his leathery wings flapping in the breeze as he dipped through the air currents to gain speed. He felt his jaw clenching as his eyes cut through the gloom of the trees, constantly searching for her lithe form as she apparently made her attempt at escaping the mountain to meet with her Legion.

He fought the urge to call to her as he knew that there were hunters in the area. He doubted that their bullets could kill his physical form, but he had just been healed by Azazel, he didn’t need to add any more injuries to the body he had.

Cursing to himself as he widened the arc once more, he thought he saw a figure cutting through the trees. He banked to the side and swooped low, his eyes piercing the gloom below. There! He caught a whisper of light blue darting between the trees. It had to be her gown. He rose into the air and found a break in the canopy. Folding his wings, he shot downward and landed with a thump just yards ahead of her. He rose to his full height and noticed the startled look on her face as she slid to a stop before him.

“What do you think you are doing?” he growled.

“Going to my Legion. I told you, they need their queen.” She pushed past him and tried to go around his huge form.

Samael reached out and took her by the arm. “You need to regain your strength first.”

“Once my Legion is reformed, I will rest.” She tried once more to go around him, and he scooped her up into his arms.

“And I said, once your strength is regained, we will gather your Legion to you.” He leapt into the air and, with a beat of his wings, was airborne once more. He soared higher until he could spot the roof of the cabin then began a gentle glide toward the structure. “I found you a hunter to feed upon.”

He placed her on the ground beside the front of the cabin and she punched at his massive chest. “You fool! I don’t need to eat to regain my strength.” She pushed away from him and stormed into the cabin. “I’ve got my old body back. I feed it through sex.”

“And blood.” He lifted the prone body of the hunter and waved it in front of her. “I’m offering you both.”

She glared at him and shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for either. I want my Legion! I want them now! We have work to do!”

Samael dropped the hunter on the floor of the cabin and glared at her. “And what would you do with them once you have them. You’d start making plans to storm the human hunters to regain your lost devices. You can’t even think straight when you are weak, how do you intend to lead?”

Her eyes narrowed on him as she stepped forward and grabbed the hunter by the arm. “Fine! First I’ll feed, but then you had better get my Legion to me.”

He grabbed her by the shoulder and tugged her gown from her shoulders, exposing her breasts. “They’re already on their way.” He spun her around and bent her over the unmade bed and lifted her gown. “Now eat!”

He watched as she bit into the hunter’s wrist and began sucking the lifeblood from his body. He grabbed her by the hips and took her from behind as she fed.

*****

Analyst Robert Stevens sucked the last of the coffee from the cup as he turned off the interstate and to the main gate at Tinker Air Force Base. He had a rough idea where the hunters based their operation, but he wasn’t completely sure where to go. He knew that asking at the front gate would just get him stared at as if he were crazy.

The gate guard checked his ID and allowed him to pass. He maneuvered through the concrete barriers and drove slowly past the different buildings. He drove past the base exchange, the commissary, a few operational buildings, and began to make a slow circle through the base.

This would take forever. Clandestine groups don’t hang a sign outside their workspace advertising that this is where they operate from. Well, except the CIA. They didn’t care who knew. Their main building was well advertised.

Robert pulled the car over into a parking area and began sifting through his notes. He knew that there had to be something in the paperwork that would give him a clue to their location. He sorted through emails, phone records, purchase records…something would point him in the right direction.

Wait…purchase records. He went back through the records and noted a peculiar purchase. He smiled to himself as recognition hit him. “I know where you are now.”

He pulled the car out of the parking space and began looking at building numbers. He followed them through the base until he came to a dilapidated looking hangar on the southern end of the base.

From the outside, it didn’t look like much. Yes, there were quite a few vehicles parked outside, so it was obviously still in use. There were two guard shacks; both manned. But what he saw parked by the main doors is what made him smile. “Bingo.”

Robert pulled the Crown Vic into the gravel parking lot and stepped out. He stretched his tired body and went to the trunk. Popping it open, he retrieved the rest of his files and started toward the door. He only made it a few steps before he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. “State your purpose.”

Robert froze in place and stammered as he stared at the man holding him at gunpoint. “M-my name is Robert Stevens. I’m an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency.”