Chapter 41
Dylan gazed in awe at the firearms surrounding him. He was uncomfortable, not knowing the terminology, or what anything was. He suspected the guy behind the counter knew that, but seemed genuinely happy to see potential customers. When he greeted Gabriel by name, Dylan felt even more out of place than he had when he walked in.
While Gabriel talked to the man in what to Dylan sounded like a foreign language, he wandered around, looking at the different guns on display. Handguns were in a lower case, long guns - he couldn’t tell the difference between a rifle and a shotgun - were on the wall. Thankfully, they all had tags identifying them, though beyond the brands, it was just gibberish and meaningless numbers.
He was staring at something on the wall he swore looked like something from Rambo and cost more than his first car when a voice started whispering in his head.
Dylan, this won’t work. There is another way.
He knew that voice. Seemingly in the distance, he heard the man make a comment to Gabriel about Dylan having good taste, when the voice came again. Louder than before.
Dylan. Listen to me. Carina has found something, but you have to hurry. She’s in trouble.
He cursed himself for not recognizing that voice the moment he heard it. He knew that voice, as well as he knew his own face in the mirror. Glancing through the glass door, he saw a shimmering reflection of his father. His face went blank, and he headed towards the door. He didn’t hear the bell chime as he walked outside.
Then, as quickly as the vision appeared, it was gone. Gabriel was standing beside him, and he realized he had no idea how long he’d been staring at the spot his father had been.
“What’s wrong?”
“Get what extra ammo you need for what you’ve brought and let’s get back. Something’s wrong. I’ll wait right here.”
Gabriel’s voice was soft as Dylan sat down on the curb. “I was thinking after we got everything loaded, and I don’t think we really need anything else. If something’s wrong, we probably shouldn’t waste any more time getting back.”
Dylan sighed, and a strange voice came across the parking lot. “You! Where’s your friend?”
Gabriel’s face dropped, and he sighed.
“Who is it, Gabe?”
“It’s the guy Johnny was talking about.”
“The one that killed my dad?”
“Dylan, we don’t know that for sure. For all we know, he was just spouting bullshit.”
Dylan was on his feet before Gabe could finish his sentence. He locked eyes with the stranger, who looked like he could be related to Johnny. His long dark hair was tied back, exposing a weather-worn face.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Dylan’s entire body vibrated with rage. A low growl formed in his chest. He knew this guy did what he had told Gabriel and Johnny. His father’s voice screamed in his head.
No! Don’t hurt him. Take him to the cellar. Use the cells, that’s what they were designed for.
Dylan didn’t think. Before the stranger could take another step, Dylan’s hands were up, and the asphalt broke away. Roots and dirt swirled around this murderer . He could see the roots tightening around the man’s neck.
Dylan. Don’t. He is the key.
Dylan sighed, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Nothing moved, not even the wind.
“Dylan?” Gabriel’s voice held an unfamiliar tremor, and Dylan hated the sound of it.
“He’s alive. Can you open a rift to the house? In the cellar?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Don’t know. Guess I could try.” He glanced around, not sharing Dylan’s nonchalance about using magic openly.
Dylan heard him take a deep breath and as he slowly exhaled, a rift opened behind the man. “Close it when we’re through, then get back to the house as fast as you can. I’ll open the cellar as soon as I’m able. I don’t have time to explain, but I think Carina’s in trouble.”
Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “You’re not going to kill him, are you?”
Dylan blinked and flashed a wan smile. “Not if I don’t have to.”
“Why do you think she’s in trouble?”
Dylan’s smile faded. “Dad told me.”
Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but the man started screaming and cursing. He pushed through the earth, moving the mound containing him toward the rift, leaving a deep gash in the asphalt. “I don’t have time to explain, but if there’s anyone alive or dead I trust to know what the fuck’s going on, it’s him.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Dylan nodded and pushed the man through the rift and into the cellar. He followed, looking back at Gabriel as the rift closed behind him.
When the rift was gone, he touched the wall to seal the cellar. As the dirt and roots fell away, he snarled, “Don’t make me kill you. There may be a way for you to survive this. But you are not leaving this cellar until this is over.”
Dylan smirked but stepped aside as he ran towards the exit. “It’s sealed with magic. I think that seal is also what’s keeping the wards from pushing you off the property. There’s only one way for this to go. You get in one of those cells. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”
The man spun around and snarled. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I am Dylan Coates, and if what you said to my friends is true, you murdered my father.”
His face melted into a jeer as he turned. “I thought the other boy was the Coates. I’m going to have as much fun killing you as I did when I killed your father and the other one.”
He launched himself at Dylan. Thanks to Carina’s constant drilling, he nimbly sidestepped as the man entered one of the alcoves his father had called a cell .
Dylan smiled. “Guess that was easy enough. I didn’t think you’d get in there voluntarily.”
Before the man could exit, Dylan raised his hand, and stones rose from the floor, closing the cell off. He closed his hand, and the stone heated and melted, until it formed bars out of molten rock.
The Vurdalan stepped back. “How did you do that? The Coates only inherit one power. I’ve seen you use two now.”
Dylan flashed a sly smile and pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his finger. The room stopped glowing, other than the cooling molten rock.
“You can thank me later. Those are to protect you.”
The man growled. “From what?”
The door opened, and before it closed again, he heard his mother. “Gabriel, how the hell did Dylan get down there before you got back?”
Dylan smirked. “From her, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know if they’ll be enough.”