Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
I t took a team of Section 8 nerds and at least eight of Hunter’s vampires from the Council to dig up and translate enough info on the Kurgan to pull together a complete list of strengths (impenetrable skin, dimension skipping abilities, being able to reduce pretty much anything to ash with a touch, energy siphoning, etc.) and weaknesses (um…none), along with a summoning spell.
Haven had been assured the spell was “probably” a good one, which wasn’t exactly comforting, especially since she got lucky the last time she screwed up a summoning spell. She couldn’t imagine getting that lucky a second time. Accidentally summoning, like, Lucifer himself would suck pretty hard.
So, now, Haven and Roan were waiting in the basement below the prison ward of Section 8’s central building while Hunter’s vampires gathered the last of the sacred herbs and oils needed to summon the Kurgan.
The space was, more or less, a glorified bomb shelter. It had been created to withstand a nuclear attack. Not that Section 8 was expecting a nuclear attack. Demons, vampires and all the other paranormal creatures they knew of didn’t generally need man-made weapons of mass destruction. Much like her friend from Kurg, they were weapons.
Regardless, the basement had plenty of other perks going for it. First of all, it was magically warded to prevent rifts from opening up within its four walls, which meant no one (especially her) was going to get snatched up and carried off to another dimension against their will. Secondly, it was far away from the school and living quarters on campus. If the Kurgan did somehow break containment, he was a long way from innocent bystanders who didn’t want to be melted today.
It was also a big, open space with nothing but a couple of metal folding chairs and relatively high ceilings for a basement. That meant it had great acoustics for anyone that might be tempted to belt out a Celine Dion melody.
Haven decided to let that particular urge go for today. Tomorrow, though…that was another story entirely.
If she survived today, of course.
When they’d chosen their spot in the center of the room, Roan let out a deep breath and laid his hands on her shoulders. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She leaned her cheek against his hand. “No. But I don’t see where I have much of a choice. I can’t hide from this thing forever.”
He snorted. “As if you ever hide from anything.”
“Character flaw?”
“I used to think so,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over her lower lip. “Now I know it’s a strength.”
She grinned up at him. “You’re just saying that because you want to see me naked.”
“No. I’m not.” He smirked, before adding, “And yes, I want to see you naked.”
“I did not need to hear that,” her father muttered from the doorway.
“Sorry,” she said.
He frowned at her. “You don’t sound sorry.”
She wasn’t. She totally wasn’t.
With a sigh of the damned, he came into the room. All the usual supernatural suspects trailed in behind him. Her mother, Benny, Gabriel, Addy, Seven, Lucas, Nikolai, Quinn, Hunter and Mischa…pretty much everyone she knew that had superpowers of some kind, except for Lane and Lucien, of course. Things were going to have to get a lot worse before she was willing to call them in from their honeymoon.
Haven’s hands went to her hips. “What are you all doing here? Overwhelming the Kurgan with a show of force is not part of the plan.”
Her mother laid her crossbow on the ground at her feet and mimicked Haven’s stance. “Well, the part of the plan that might allow my daughter to be melted if things go wrong doesn’t exactly thrill me.”
Haven sighed. “I know. But it’s not going to come to that.”
“We know,” her father said. “Which is why Quinn bugged the room. We’ll be right outside the door, and if it sounds at all like you need us, we’re busting in.”
Benny held up a wicked-looking hunting knife, grinning. “I had this made out of tungsten, just in case. It has a melting point over 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s one of the hardest metals found in nature.”
Everyone side-eyed him.
“What?” he grumbled, sliding the knife back into the waistband of his jeans. “Because I’m comic relief I can’t know science-y shit, too?”
Harper ignored him, turning back to her daughter. “The point is that we’re all here for you if you need us. Not because we don’t think you can handle this. We know you can. We just…can’t stay away, OK? We’ll give you all the independence you deserve, but you can’t ask us to not be here for you. That’s what families do, damn it.”
“Fuckin’-A,” her father said.
“That goes for all of us,” Hunter added, handing her the last of the herbs she needed for the summoning spell.
Haven’s eyes filled with tears. Nearly everyone she loved in the world was here, supporting her, ready to go to war on her behalf if necessary. “I…shit…I don’t know what to say. Thank you. All of you.” She’d never felt more loved—or more terrified—in her life.
Roan kissed the top of her head. “I hope you don’t think I’m staying outside this room.”
She snorted. “I’ll make an exception for you. As long as you let me do the talking.”
“I can do that.”
Pulling herself together before she could do something unforgivable (like burst into tears), she squared her shoulders. “Any words of advice before I do this?”
“Say ‘pumpernickel’ if you want to signal us,” Quinn suggested. “You know, a safe word.”
Nikolai frowned at him. “Why ‘pumpernickel’?”
He shrugged. “Because I hate it. It’s what I’d say I wanted if I wanted to alert you that I was in trouble.”
Mischa offered, “Keep something in the back of your mind that enrages you. The rage will help you focus your power if you need it.”
Haven thought for a moment. “Logan dying immediately after he married Veronica on Veronica Mars ?”
“Yeah, that’d do it,” Mischa grumbled.
“Being brave doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself,” Gabriel told her sternly. “If you need to run, fucking run. Live to fight another day, yeah?”
She nodded and choked back more emotion when he leaned in to give his brother a back-slapping hug and a shoulder clap.
“Take out his knees,” Seven advised. “I don’t care how indestructible he seems. No one can come after you if you destroy their knees.”
“Thanks, Aunt Seven.”
Lucas slung an arm around his wife. “You’re terrifying. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Benny sniffed and handed her his tungsten knife. He didn’t say anything. Just gave her a jaunty little salute and followed Seven and Lucas out of the room.
Her dad leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Just follow your gut and you’ll be fine.” Then he slugged Roan in the arm. “Let her use you as a shield if she has to.”
Haven rolled her eyes, but Roan nodded solemnly. “Of course.”
Finally, it was her mother’s turn to offer advice. Comfort. Words of wisdom. Harper looked her right in the eye and said, “You’re Haven fucking Hall. You got this.”
Well, not exactly a speech that’d make it onto an inspirational poster. But effective, nonetheless. “Semi-charmed, just like my mom, right?” she joked.
Her mom’s eyes misted over with tears she’d never shed at work. “Fuckin’ A,” she said quietly.