walker saga 07 - earth (21 page)

“I don’t know what stopped me in the end, but something tells me it was fate trying to grant me a sliver of patience. To slow the hell down because I had so many riches heading my way.”

His handsome and fierce features softened then. His eyes were locked on his mate as she continued to cross the park area. They were almost at us now.

“I’ll die a thousand painful deaths before I let anything happen to you or Lucy.” His eyes were back on me. “We’ll beat them, Abbs, there’s no other option.”

The immovable nature of his animal was surfacing now. Unlike humans with varied and complex emotions, the wolf in Colton was relentless. It could not be tempted from its goal. And right then he was protecting the pack members.

“We will beat them.”

I offered him the same confidence in return, and I had to believe that good would prevail. Surely the great gods who controlled the balance would not let evil completely wipe out the worlds. The intensity of the emotions in the Ford’s cab dissipated as the back door was flung open and a bunch of females climbed inside.

Colton was out of his side in a flash, and managed to not only gently toss his pixie mate into the front seat beside me, but also to help the rest in.

On our way, sweetheart.

I’d felt Brace’s concern during my emotional breakdown. He had no problem with the closeness between Colton and me. Our melding bond didn’t allow much room for jealousy. Besides, he could see and feel my emotions, and even if he joked about it at times, he knew that Colton was a brother to me and that there was no other male in any of the worlds that could take his place. Jealousy was a cancer which ate away at love and friendships. We would not allow it in our foursome.

I could sense when Brace was close. This heat washed over my body and infused into my blood. Sure enough, his small group came into sight. The last of the females, including Chrissie, Eva and a pretty ebony-skinned female who wore her hair in rows of braid.

The engine drowned out the sound of the doors opening and the girls entering the cab. I waited while all of them squished themselves into whatever spare spaces they could find.

Brace was suddenly at my door, his intentions clear. With a huff, I threw the car into neutral and shifted across so he could take the driver’s side. I was plastered to Lucy, but we couldn’t complain. They were way more compacted in the back.

Brace’s long legs filled the space, and even though the truck was a monster, his presence still dominated the space. Somehow he knew exactly how to drop her back into gear, and then with barely a hitch we were moving.

I’m a fast learner.
He grinned, enjoying his first drive.

“Where are you planning on taking us?” Chrissie shifted closer to the front, her head practically between Lucy’s and mine.

I rubbed at my face. “First thing, we need to get you some cash. Then we can stash you in a hotel until you all figure things out.”

I didn’t have time for a complex plan. This was the best I could do at short notice with a time bomb ticking away in the background. The Seventine were the problem I had to focus on and it was time to face the music.

Chapter 11

Lady Luck was on our side again. It took about ten minutes to ‘borrow’ some money from a local bank – okay, we stole it. Colton and Brace set a small fire and then manipulated the computers and alarm system long enough for panic to ensue and the area to empty. Sure, stealing was technically wrong, but the girls assured us that they would do their best to return the money over time. And right then they needed it to survive.

We took them across to a low-budget hotel. Chrissie checked in, and luckily they did not have much of an ID system in place at the
Sunset Inn
. The girls were now taking turns showering and salvaging what they could of their clothes before going out to start their lives here.

I gave Chrissie a firm hug. “Good luck. Hopefully this side of the barrier is kinder to females than the other side was.”

She returned the gesture before pulling away to stare at me. “Don’t give up, Abbs. You do everything in your power to destroy what’s trying to destroy us. I know you have a soft heart, but don’t let that be your downfall. Sometimes you must sacrifice the few for the many. You know that.”

I sucked in deeply. I wasn’t okay with that sentiment, no matter how logical it was. My few meant everything to me, equally as much as the many. Still, if there were no worlds left, I would lose everyone anyways. It was a tough decision to make and one I hoped wouldn’t come to pass.

Eva stood near the door, her features tight – emotionless. Although, she did give Chrissie a wave before we turned and walked away. I had a funny feeling in my chest leaving her there, like I might never actually see her again. I kind of hoped that wasn’t the case.

We’d left the car a few blocks away so no witnesses could tell tales that would bring the police to the girls. I wanted to take it out of this area before we traced to the power grid.

Whenever I thought about that energy transference barrier, I got that bad feeling in my gut. One that I also associated with the Seventine. They were up to something; I just knew it. I could only hope we got to them in time.

Eva and Lucy jumped into the back of the black Ford. The Earth half-Walker was quiet, her expression shuttered. The only telltale sign of nerves was the way she continued to stroke the hilt of her sword.

“You doing okay with all of this?” I asked, shifting around to see her better.

She met my stare, her gaze unflinching. She was – kind of badass. Everything about her screamed tough nut; she would not hesitate in a fight.

I liked this about her, but it also worried me. I hadn’t forgotten Chrissie’s warning. Eva had no fear because she had nothing left to lose. She was a loose cannon and a part of her wanted to die. I’d heard the pain when she spoke of her family. It was pain that had flowed across her soul and burned through her heart. I had seen it before, many times on the streets of New York. Those ones who had lost everything – lost their loved ones – they were bombs waiting to be detonated. It was simply a matter of time. The same empty hollowness of loss wore heavily in Eva’s golden tiger eyes.

Despite the tenseness in her jaw, she answered smoothly. “Hard to say if I’m doing okay or not. The last few months I’ve learned to take shit as it comes. Good. Bad. Other. There’s no real way to predict what’s coming for me, so I just go with it.”

Lucy snorted. “That philosophy will actually serve you well in our world. Trust me when I tell ya: everything comes at us. All at the same time. Better hope your raincoat is
extremely
shit-proof, because it’s about to get messy.”

Colton cracked up. He was in the front seat next to me. “God, I love that pixie. She has such a way with words.”

A burst of laughter fled from me, even though I was trying not to laugh in the face of my serious half-Walker, but I couldn’t help it. The visual Lucy had just painted was ridiculous. I so needed to get raincoats for all the girls.

I had just composed myself when a smile crossed Eva’s face and I almost fell off my seat. She’d smiled. An actual, honest-to-god smile. Okay, it was only a slight tilt to her lips, but still, it felt like a massive achievement.

“I’m going to leave the car over there.” Brace interrupted the moment. “No time to take it any further.”

He pulled off to the side of an intersection, which was bordered by a large national park. There seemed to be more than one entrance into the thick canopied area, so he took the first path wide enough for the truck. As soon as we were far enough into the trees to be blocked from the sight of anyone on the highway, he ground to a halt and shut off the engine.

We exited the car. There were more emotional pangs as I wondered if this was the last time I’d drive or listen to Earth music. I didn’t want to lose all these things from my past. But change was inevitable.

Standing beside the black body of the vehicle, I held out my hands. Everyone but Eva knew what to do.

“You need to hold on to one of us,” I said. “This won’t hurt, but it might feel strange. I’m going to move us instantaneously from one spot to another.”

Eva didn’t even hesitate. She just dropped her hand into Brace’s. Her features did not shift and no fear was in her eyes. Definitely had a death-wish chick on our hands here.

I brought forth a mental image of the gray-colored power grid. I had taken note earlier, during my impromptu visit, that there was a small grassed section right in the center. This was as good a place as any for us to land. I drew on a little of Brace’s energy, knowing I probably didn’t have enough of my own. The warmth of his princeps power traveled through me, his energy strong enough to send jitters across me. I wasn’t sure if that feeling was simply because it was Brace and he made my heart race, or if his essence was something beyond any others. He was unusually powerful, even for a Walker.

The jolt as I traced us was rougher than usual, but we got there in one piece. Mostly. Eva’s creamy skin looked to be a few shades paler than normal, but there were no other outward signs that she was freaked about the fact that she had just jumped hundreds of miles.

Imagine when I explained to her that the same ability was hers for the taking. Not now, though. I liked to keep my new half-Walkers – who were generally flight risks – a little uneducated about the many ways they could avoid me. Saved me the trouble of tracking them down again, which would leave me a tad upset. Like itching powder and fire ants in their beds upset.
Damn,
I was starting to think like Lucy.

We all broke apart, and Brace and Colton were the first to spread out and scan the perimeter. I shook my head, trying to shake off the electrical currents in the air. Yep, there was definitely something preternatural about this area. I could feel the
otherness.
It was like a tingle on the back of my tongue. But – the energy seemed to be gone.

“There’s nothing here,” Colton said. He had his nose slightly elevated as he sniffed around. “I don’t think the energy was ever stored in this grid.”

Lucy nodded. “That makes sense. We were taught that power isn’t stored in these grids. This is simply where they distribute it after it’s generated.”

Told you the pixie was a nerd. A sexy, smartass nerd. She just loved school.

“So, where the hell did all the power they gathered through the barrier go then?” I said, still attempting to shake off the tingles like a wet dog.

“Do you think the Seventine already have the power?” Lucy’s nerves had her voice wavering. “Did we waste too much time making sure the girls were secure?”

Eva made a sort of growl noise. “It wasn’t wasted. No matter how important and powerful you are, if you forget about the little people around you then you don’t deserve the gifts you have.”

Lucy gave a heaving sigh. “Yes, I get that, but we’re ultimately working to save all the people in these worlds. Not exactly
forgetting
about them.”

“That means nothing to those girls if they’re raped and brutally beaten to death by smugglers. That was almost certainly the fate for most of them. You gave them a chance to survive. You don’t have to do more than that, but people deserve a chance.”

Some of the defiance had left Eva now, but she wasn’t backing down.

Lucy simply flipped some of her golden hair over her shoulder. “I’m not saying I disagree with you. I’m just hoping like hell that when we get back to First World, we don’t find the last Seventine free and kicking.”

I knew the last Seventine wasn’t free yet. I was tied to those evil-suckers, and for now I sensed no change in their energy.

“Looks like it’s time to head back to First World,” I said. “As long as we join the seven half-Walkers together and perform the ritual before the last is freed, it doesn’t matter if they have the energy.”

Let’s hope it ended up being as easy as that.

Girls!
My tether shot out in five different directions.
We’re on our way back and there’s no time to lose. Find Jedi and meet me at the mountain entrance. We need to perform the ritual.

I hadn’t included Eva in the call. I was getting good at controlling who I connected with. I was heading straight for Jedi now, he had the information on the ritual. It was time to lock the Seventine away for good.

“You ready?” I asked Eva.

She was still looking skittish.

She took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Nervous, though … what if they don’t like me?”

I was sure that since her family’s death she hadn’t given a shit about anyone liking her, but already the half-Walker magic was working on her.

I gave her a one-armed hug. “Girl, if everyone can like Fury then you’re going to have no problem.”

Lucy snorted. “Word on that. Double word.”

A warm, furry body hit me right around the time the screams of
Abby
rang out. I’d traced us to the spot near the dark mountain entrance. Cerberus was enthusiastically greeting me and I was grateful he managed to keep the majority of his bulk from crushing me. Luckily he was only in his horse size. When I finally managed to untangle myself from the two-headed hellhound, I found myself surrounded by the half-Walkers.

Sapha cleared her throat. My gaze was drawn to her dramatic red eyes, which practically glowed at me.

“Jedi will be here soon. He said to meet him at the … prison.” She still struggled with some of our words.

All the worlds spoke English, as that was a main dialect of Walkers, but they had their own languages also. So some of the halves were a little rougher at it than others.

“Everyone,” I said, capturing the group’s attention. “This is Eva.” I pulled the blond female forward. “She’s the Earth half-Walker. Eva …” I left my hand on her shoulder while I introduced everyone and also their sacred animals.

I knew she wouldn’t keep them all straight. There were a lot of names to learn, but it was a start.

Eva met each of their gazes, before giving a brief nod. She wasn’t overly friendly, but not rude either. Cautious was what she was.