Chapter Four. #2
I sent Chance a dark look. “You aren’t carrying my ass!”
“Wasn’t suggesting I did!” Chance retorted. Leaning heavily on Calamity and Inglorious, I hopped into the sitting room and collapsed.
Drake slowly eased my boot off, ignoring my winces as I breathed through my mouth. The pain was now overwhelming, and I puffed out a sharp hiss instead of screaming. Kate fluttered around, and I reached out and yanked her down beside me.
“There’s a first aid kit in the SUV,” Phoe said, wringing her hands.
“I’ll go,” Inglorious replied.
“Not alone,” Drake ordered, and Inglorious hesitated. “No, I don’t care what any fucker says, shit ain’t right here. Nobody goes anywhere alone.”
“I’ll go with him,” Vladimir offered.
Drake paused before answering, and I guessed he was suspicious of Vladimir. “Thanks. You’re both armed?”
“Yeah,” Inglorious replied, and I knew Drake had just checked that our friend could defend himself.
“Indeed,” Vladimir responded as well, pulling out a knife.
“Be quick; it’s still torrential out there,” Phoe said, glancing out of a window.
“I think there was a cloakroom. Let’s see if they had any raincoats.” Vladimir spoke to Inglorious.
I leaned forward and peered at my ankle. Damn, the bruising was already coming up. Drake ran my wounded limb through a series of tests before sitting back.
“Ya lucky, James, it isn’t broken in my opinion. You’ve got a bad sprain and possibly some muscle damage. You need to stay off it,” Drake said finally.
“Good job Inglorious was driving,” I quipped and winced.
Clio shoved some tablets into my hand and passed me a glass of water. “Painkillers, James, take them now because you look like you’re in pain.”
“Thanks, babe,” I said, and the shy wife of Chance smiled and backed away.
“God, I was scared when I heard the crash,” Kate murmured, curling into my side as Drake put a cold compress on my ankle and tied it into place.
“Yeah, me too. I didn’t expect that shit,” I replied.
“Hero man here saved both of us,” Inglorious announced, returning. His hair and the lower half of his jeans were soaked through, but the rest of him appeared dry. Looked like they’d found coats.
“James did?” Kate asked, sitting up.
“Yup, he pushed Inglorious and me out of the way,” Nanci murmured, gazing at me with something akin to hero worship.
“It was nothing,” I brushed it away.
“Bullshit. You got injured protecting my woman. James, I’ll not forget that,” Inglorious retorted. “Stop looking at him like that,” he snapped at Nanci.
Nanci grinned and leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek, and Inglorious growled. I sent him a smug look as Kate giggled.
“Asshole,” Inglorious said, but there was no heat behind his word.
“The link broke on the chandelier; it looks like it’s been cut,” Lucian declared, entering the room with Daniel. Damn, I’d not even noticed they’d been gone.
“What?” Calamity demanded, spinning to face them.
“This wasn’t a random accident,” Daniel added.
“The question is, was it meant for us or Jacques and Eden?” Sabine asked.
“Where are they? Surely the noise should have brought them running?” Maggie inquired, and I agreed.
“The sooner we leave, the better,” Chance stated, and I couldn’t disagree. Whatever was going on here was amping up, and we were in its direct line of attack.
Emmaline
“What do we do?” I murmured as I stood by Vladimir as he dried off by the fire.
“Don’t know. Whatever Jacques and Eden are fighting has nothing to do with us.”
“Should we help?”
“No. Supernaturals tend to stick to their own races and problems unless help is requested. The Vam’pirs haven’t asked for aid,” Vladimir replied. But my husband looked troubled.
“What do you think it is?”
“Again, I’m unsure. I smelt sulphur, which leads me to believe demon. Vam’pirs have crossed paths with other supernaturals, but whatever they are hunting, they reckon they can manage.”
“Vladimir, those three mortals could have been killed,” I whispered, worry in my voice.
“I know. The presence here is becoming more aggressive. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence we were drawn here, something wants us dead to give it power,” Vladimir murmured as Phoe drew near with a warm smile.
Casually, I returned her smile, and Clio distracted her, calling her name.
“We need to keep a sharp watch over everyone,” I said.
“Yeah,” Vladimir agreed.
I didn’t mention it, but the sinking sensation in my gut was worsening every minute we stayed.
Maggie
Lucian, Daniel, and Sabine all accompanied me to the kitchen to check the stew.
“What do you think is happening?” I asked, and Lucian looked puzzled.
“What do you mean, my love?”
“Don’t you suspect something weird is going on? Come on, Lucian. After what we’ve seen, we are aware that the paranormal exists. Something is haunting this place,” I pushed.
“Maggie, we don’t know that,” Lucian replied, and I frowned.
“Are you for real? Lucian, wake the hell up. Blood coming from taps, doors banging, those howls which you claim were the wind. There’s an evil here,” I pressed.
“My love…”
“Don’t you dare try to shut me up!” I exclaimed angrily.
“I’m not—”
“Yes, you were! Ever since you came back from investigating those noises, you’ve been off,” I stated.
“Maggie is right,” Daniel backed me up, and Lucian scowled.
“Who asked you, Harrington? This is between me and my wife,” Lucian snapped.
“Wow, tone it down!” Sabine jumped in, and Lucian opened his mouth and shut it.
“What happened when you, Drake, and Vladimir went to investigate?” I asked.
“Nothing. I remember thinking the noises were due to the wind,” Lucian replied slowly.
“You saw nothing suspicious?” Daniel pressed.
“No, Drake and Vladimir think the same as I,” Lucian mused.
“Yeah, I noticed,” I muttered as I tried to figure out what was going on. After The Jekyll and Hyde and Margery’s war, I understood things existed that I’d thought were fiction.
As I stirred the pot one last time, a scream raced through the air. We turned to face each other, alarmed, as a second joined it.
“That’s Clio and Rosie!” I gasped and hurried towards the door. Daniel and Lucian were through it first, with Sabine and me on their heels.