5. Erin
Chapter five
Erin
We pulled up to the power plant in Riverside a few hours later, Seth and Libby rode in his car while I hitched a ride with Derik in his oversized, metallic-grey Silverado. In part because I wanted to avoid being stuck in a small car with Seth and Libby after the little tease-the-new-Nephilim fiasco earlier.
I went to push the passenger door open when Derik hit the automatic button on his side and locked the doors. “What the hell, dude?” I huffed.
“Chill out, Snow. Just want to brief ya before we head in. I know I was messing with you earlier but Seth was right about needing to be careful,” he leveled his eyes with mine. “We don’t know exactly what we’re heading into here. A couple of our guys have been looking around scoping the place out but you need to be careful. Don’t run off and stick with one of us. I know you and I ain’t buddies so I’m not going to be up your ass but…just stay close at least to Seth or Libby.”
I’m not some lost puppy.
I bit the inside of my mouth and nodded my head. “Okay, got it. Don’t run away from the superhumans. Anything else?”
He cracked a smile at that. “Try not to lose your shirt when you see what I can do.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes as I held back the gag that wanted to follow.
I wrinkled my nose. “You wish, perv. Now let me out of this damn truck.”
Derik unlocked the door and I might’ve pushed a little too hard because I stumbled forward as it slammed open.
An arm jutted out and caught me before I face-planted on the cracked pavement. I grunted out a thank you and steadied myself, using the individual as leverage.
I’m blaming my lack of coordination today on this whole Nephilim bullshit.
Had I spent the entirety of my life clumsy? Maybe. But that was beside the point.
“Are you alright?” A gravelly male voice kissed a deep part of me, Holy hell. I slowly looked up at the person attached to the savior arm. Talk about hot. Oh my lord . He stood at least half a foot taller than me. His hair was a deep chestnut brown, cut short, and lightly spiked in the front. His jawline chiseled and kissed by one hell of a five o’clock shadow. His eyes, a piercing blue speckled with flakes of gold, like what you’d see looking out at a tropical hot spot. I was completely captivated.
“I…I…uh. Um. Yes! Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. Thanks.” I was a stuttering mess. And pretty sure a drop of drool hung onto my gaping mouth for dear life.
Chill out, Snow. Take a breather.
“Thanks for the save.” I laughed nervously as I snatched my arm out of his warm grip, my blood hammering in my chest.
“My pleasure,” chills shivered down my spine at the deep timbre of his voice. “I’m Josh.”
“Erin. Erin Snow.” I croaked.
We stood there staring at each other for what felt like forever.
Wow.
“Yo! Snow, Josh! You coming or not?” Derik yelled, snapping me and Josh out of our little trance. Derik was already across the pavement, jogging into what remained of Riverside.
We started toward the ghost of the building, following the path Derik had taken. “So, you must be the new blood then, Miss Snow. What are your thoughts so far?” Josh kept his voice low and even, as if strolling through a pyromaniac’s abandoned funhouse was a daily thing for him.
I kept my eyes forward, doing my best to avoid tripping over the rubble surrounding the outside of the building. The power plant was in complete disarray; the concrete walls were blown out, the pavement cracked and broken beyond repair, and glass from what used to be narrow windows scattered around the grounds. Black ash surrounded the premises. It was utter devastation.
Were there really no deaths?
An ache pierced my pounding heart at the possibility of the missing people somehow being here when everything went down.
What if they…died?
A tear threatened to slip.
Not now. Not in front of someone you don’t know.
I sucked in a steady breath. “Definitely overwhelming but Seth explained the basics and his whole memory manipulation thing. Not sure what superpowers Derik or Libby have going for them but that’s what I’ve got so far.”
Josh chuckled. “Superpowers? You mean our abilities?”
“Superpowers, abilities. Same thing. Either way, more than human,” I said, waving my hand up and down to brush it off.
“Fair enough. So, Seth didn’t fill you in on the rest of us, I take it.”
“Nope, nothing,” I glanced sideways at Josh. “But I am curious. What tricks do you have up your sleeve? And how many of ‘us’ are there?”
“Nothing too intimidating, Miss Snow, I assure you. There’s but a handful of individuals you’ve yet to meet. As for myself, I’m simply capable of invoking illusions and causing someone to see things that aren’t really there. My ability seems limited to Demons and humans, but it comes in handy during battle.”
“Two out of three doesn’t seem so bad. Why would you want to use that against another Nephilim anyway?” I glanced at Josh out of the corner of my eye once more.
Illusion against the bad guys and the people we’re supposed to protect doesn’t seem like a bad thing.
“To shield other Nephilim from the worst of the worst. Imagine seeing your closest friends, fellow warriors that you’ve fought side by side for decades, centuries, slaughtered right before your own painful death. There are some…that I wish I could’ve saved from experiencing that…in their last moments.” Josh’s face fell, shadowed with grief.
“I’m so sorry.” It came out barely more than a whisper.
He nodded as we passed another massive pile of debris and reached the rest of our group. Seth, in the middle of giving a run down to Libby, Derik, and a few others, motioned to Josh.
Seth continued, the authority emanating from him as he spoke, catching me off guard. “From what Josh has found so far, it’s definitely pointing toward the fire and disappearances being Demon handiwork. Black rings of smoke and ash were found around the entire premises in addition to three of the larger electrical panels on the main floor of the power plant, as well as the homes of the individuals who disappeared. Nothing from their homes was taken either,” he paused, rubbing his thumb and pointer finger across his brow line, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Right now, we don’t know what the tie between each person is or why they were targeted. Be on the lookout. Keep your eyes peeled. We’ll split up into teams to cover some more ground”—Seth’s eyes grazed over the group. His finger pointed in my direction—“Erin, you’ll be with Libby. Derik, with me and Josh. Everyone else take the perimeter and be on the lookout.” We all nodded in agreement and separated.
Libby led the way toward what would’ve been the east wing of the plant, if there was anything left of it. She stopped in the center of the ash-covered remnants of the wing. Kneeling, Libby placed her hands flat on the cracked cement floor, her arms spread away from her body. She breathed in, her eyes closed. A sudden breeze picked up, snaking its way toward Libby. It picked up speed and encased her in a whirlwind of debris, whipping her shoulder-length hair across her face and neck. Sparks flew from chunks of cement as they made contact with the ground at a mind blowing speed.
What the hell is happening?
My throat tightened as Libby’s head snapped back. Her back arched, the wind stopped, and the rubble that had encircled her dropped, colliding with the broken concrete floor. The whole area stood still. And then, she crumpled to the ground.
Panic welled in my stomach and I launched forward barely catching her head before it slammed into the ground. “Libby? Libby! Hey!” I looked around frantically, trying to see if any of the guys were nearby. The blood rushed from my head and it was just the two of us.
And Libby was unconscious.
Fuck fuck fuck. What do I do? Think, Snow. Think!
Libby shifted in my grasp, turning her head slightly.
“Libby? Are you okay!?” The panic was evident in my voice.
Thank God, she’s awake.
She blinked up at me, her emerald-green eyes clear. She wiggled out of my arms and sat up. Libby shook her arms out and gathered herself as a proud grin spread from ear to ear. She stood, dusting off her blue jeans and held out her hand to help me up. She rested one hand on her hip, as if she didn’t just collapse in the midst of some miniaturized tornado. “Thanks for the catch, Erin!” I furrowed my brow.
“Are you ok? What was that? You collapse and now you’re completely fine? How are you okay right now? What the hell happened?” The words rose frantically as they rushed off my tongue.
Libby shrugged. “Yeah, that happens. No biggie.” She waved me off, her smile almost angelic.
“No biggie? Dude, you almost busted your head and looked like your ass was possessed.”
My heart continued to race.
“It’s just a part of my power. I have the power of retrocognition, meaning I can see the past. Events or situations that have happened,” she must’ve noticed that it made zero sense to me. “Okay, think of a fortune teller”—I nodded my head, wanting to understand—“where a fortune teller can see the future and things to come, I can see the things that have been. Even if I wasn’t present for it.”
A reverse fortune teller?
But…aren’t fortune tellers just a sham?
My brows pressed together, not fully believing it. “How does that work? Is it just random?”
“Nope, not at all. Thank goodness. I don’t know how I’d be able to function if these visions and memories hit me out of nowhere all the time. I need to be in the space to be able to conjure the memories of it. And in instances like this, having physical contact and touching a significant part of the area intensifies the memory. And it’s the same with people, too. Except I actually have to have physical contact with someone to dive into theirs.” My mouth was hanging open.
Holy hell.
There’s no way that can be real.
I wavered. “Can you show me?”
Libby blinked at me.
And then a giddiness enveloped her as she leaped in the air, her smile wide as she squealed, “Hell yeah, I can!”
Oh god. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. I should’ve just took her word and her crumpling to the ground like a wet tissue at face value.
Libby giggled and grabbed my hands, palms up. “You need to trust me, okay? I’m not going to be all creepy and try to learn all your deep dark secrets. I’ll look for something recent.”
I racked my brain, thinking of anything that could cause this to be a terrifying trip down memory lane, even if it's supposedly recent. My eyes widened.
Oh no.
“Ah…wait. What exactly are you going to be able to see?” Heat spread across my face.
Seth. What if she can see the way I’ve started panting over him the last few days?
Shit.
She giggled, a knowing twinkle in her emerald eyes. My stomach twisted. “Oh , don’t you worry, Erin. It’ll stay between us,” my eyes widened. “I’m just messing with you, love. You’re in college, right? I’ll just search for a class memory.” She flashed another killer smile before she squeezed the palms of my hands. Her head snapped backward once more, her mouth agape, and eyes closed. The wind lapped at the air around us, far less intense than before.
I closed my eyes in anticipation.
It’s not going to be anything bad. Breathe.
I was half-right.
An image of Seth and me on campus fluttered behind my eyelids. We were eating lunch in between classes and he was droning on about our history finals that were quickly catching up to us. He’d thrown his tattered notebook on the grass and ended up spilling his coffee all over the contents. He cursed up a storm and I laughed my ass off before offering to share mine. He grumbled the rest of the day but it was a highlight for me. As that was the day after the first of my recent nightmares and for those few minutes of heavy laughing, I forgot about the darkness.
My eyes flew open in awe.
“Seth is the one who ruined his notebook? That goober. He told us that he lost it.”
I laughed. “Lost it? Far from it. He burned that thing after it dried. The ink was completely smeared and unreadable. He was so mad! It was hilarious.”
Libby winked. “I could see that. And I’m totally ratting on him to Derik. He had some details on the Demons written in that thing, too, so it was kind of important.”
“No wonder he was so cranky about it.”
“Yeap, he never stops, whether it's with us or the Demons. He’s non-stop.”
Tell me about it.
A soft smile lifted at the corners of my lips. “Thank you for showing me that, Libby.”
She quirked a brow at me. “What do you mean?”
“For showing me that memory?”
Libby tilted her head to the side, studying me. “When I use my ability on someone…I’m the only one who can see the vision of their past.”
Oh.
“Am I broken?”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh my gosh, Erin. No! That’s just the first time that’s happened to me! No one’s been able to see what I’m pulling from them before.”
“Well damn. It’s official. You’re way cooler than Seth.” She cracked another killer smile.
“Oh, please, for the love of God, tell him that. I’d love to see the look on his face,” Libby laughed. “Let’s go ahead and catch up with the guys so we can fill them in on what we found.”
Libby’s contagious excitement dwindled within me.
What you found…I did nothing.
We walked toward the opposite end of the power plant in search of the guys and the other Nephilims. My mind began to wander. “Hey, I um, I don’t know if Seth told you, but I’m staying at his place for a few, at least until this whole human-turning-into-a-Nephilim thing is over. I hope that’s okay. I…I don’t want to intrude or anything,” I said, wringing my hands.
Libby smiled down at me. “Yeah, he filled me and Derik in before we picked you up last night. His place is super nice. I’m so jealous!” Guilt flashed across my face. “Not like that, Erin! That whole thing was a while ago. We ended it like months ago. There just wasn’t any chemistry there. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the guy is an animal in the sack but we just didn’t work like that.”
My checks burned with embarrassment. “I…uh, okay, cool. I…I didn’t want to, you know, overstep or anything. Seth’s been my best friend since forever but when a guy has a girlfriend, you know, it’s…I don’t want to cause any issues,” I stammered.
Libby stopped abruptly, her determined gaze locked with my own dull, uncertain stare. “Sweetie, look at me. Me and Seth? We are not dating. He’s my partner and leader in the whole us-against-the-demons business but nothing hitting the romance line. I got my eyes on a different piece of candy.” Libby winked at me as we caught up and neared Derik, Josh, and Seth.
The three of them were huddled together, each focused intently on their conversation. Seth’s eyebrows were knitted, his jaw clenched. We wedged ourselves into their superhuman huddle. Libby between Derik and Josh; me squished between Josh and Seth, our shoulders brushing.
Seth and Libby aren’t together.
So what?
Josh peered over at me, flashing a grin. I returned my own as best as I could and turned my attention to Libby.
“We got ‘em.” She beamed.
Derik hooted, “Hell yeah, Blondie! That’s what I’m talking about.” He slapped Libby on the shoulder causing her to roll her eyes. A dusting of pink tinged her cheekbones.
“What did you find, Lib?” Seth asked.
“From what I was able to see, there were three of them who hit this place. Luckily, it was empty when they ransacked it and burned the place down. All following the typical big bad and scary look. From what I could tell, the leader was some dark-haired douche canoe with a scar covering his left eye. They left heading away from town, so they might’ve just been the decoys while the real party was going down with the snatching.”
Seth nodded, his jaw loosened slightly. “Okay, did any of them say anything important or anything that stuck out to you?”
“Unfortunately, no. There was nothing that spilled the beans on the why behind it or where they were heading next.”
“Damn.” Seth closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose again. That seemed to be his go-to that day. He was usually the most carefree, ain’t-no-thang-but-a-chicken-wing type of guy. But at that moment, the Seth I knew was nowhere in sight. His eyes softened as he looked back at Libby. “Thanks for backtracking for us, Lib. Much appreciated.” My chest tightened at the hint of affection in Seth’s voice.
They might not be together…but there’s something there between them.
I turned my head wanting to hide the sliver of jealousy plastered on my face only to find Josh staring at me. Concern briefly flashed across his features. Our little group spread across the lot, each walking in our own direction—except Josh. He tilted his head in question. I shook mine, shoving my hands in my jean pockets, praying he left it alone. Left me alone.
Erin, get a grip. You didn’t have any of these feelings a few days ago. Slow your roll.
For some godforsaken reason, Josh took that as his cue to move closer to me. Could the guy not read body language?
“Hey.”
I quickly glanced up at him. “Hey.”
He gave me a small smile. “Was it just me or did you turn a shade of green for a moment, Miss Snow?”
I shrugged my shoulders, feigning ignorance. “No idea what you mean. Just distracted for a second. It happens a lot.”
It’s nothing.
I’m just being weird.
It’s hormones.
A low chuckle drifted from Josh’s lips, curling its way into my spine. “I’m sure, Miss Snow. So, tell me, what is it that distracted you this time?”
I glared at him, clenching my fists. “Nothing. It’s none of your business, Josh.” So much for earlier. This guy was kind of an ass. Okay, maybe not but, “Ugh!”
“Erin, you good over there?” Seth asked.
Shit.
That came out louder than I thought.
I nodded. “Yeah, sorry.” He went back to addressing a person I’d yet to meet. They stood a couple of inches shorter than Seth but equally built with broad shoulders and waves of muscle easily seen with the tight jacket that morphed into his form.
Okay, are they all freaking gorgeous? Because this is nuts.
“For what it’s worth, Miss Snow, he’d be crazy not to be attracted to you. You are quite beautiful,” Josh whispered in my ear. Blood rushed to my face.
“I…I…what!?” He gave me that low chuckle again, a slight victory lit with his freckled eyes, sending another shiver through me.
I huffed, begging for the rosiness on my cheeks to vanish. I closed my eyes to settle myself and breathed in deeply. When I opened them again, I caught Libby watching me, her gaze flitting back and forth between Josh and me.