Unchained: Feathers and Fire Book 1 Read online

  I nodded. “We need something to carry him.” Claire dashed from the room, and I could hear her rummaging around in my bedroom closets. I did the same, heading to the entryway. Nate went to the guest bedroom. Finding nothing in the hallway, I returned, wishing I had skis or some hipster hobby like surfing. But I didn’t. I just had weapons. And that wasn’t going to help. Claire came back to the room, shaking her head.

  I heard laughter from the guest room and frowned at Claire, then we moved closer, wondering what Nate found so funny, and why he wasn’t searching. We found him staring down at a wagon. One of those red wagons we all used to ride as kids, a Radio Flyer. It was stuffed to the brim with teddy bears and stuffed animals.

  Nate met my eyes with a grin, then began tossing out teddy bears after a quick shrug. “Unless you found better?” he asked, not looking up.

  I sighed, staying back as Nate rolled it into the living room for Roland to see.

  His face purpled. “Absolutely not.”

  I whirled to face one of the walls, sensing… something dark that was suddenly close. Near the front door of the building. Someone screamed in the distance, then cut off abruptly.

  The monsters were here.

  Chapter 34

  I rounded on Roland. “Now, old man. This is no time for pride.”

  Nate held out a stuffed unicorn with a very dark grin. “Grimm will keep you safe,” he smiled, tossing it at Roland.

  “You named my unicorn?” I asked with a faint smile.

  He grunted, but didn’t answer. Then we were all moving him, untucking the sheets to lift him into the wagon. It was much too small, but we tilted him so that his uninjured thigh sat in the bed of the wagon. Claire very carefully tied down his injured leg to rest as comfortably as possible on top of the other, his bare feet dangling from the edge towards the handle. She tied him down securely, but not tightly, but she had a worried frown on her face as blood began seeping through the sheets at even the slight motion we had given him.

  Before Claire could speak, Nate unbuckled his belt, bent down to Roland, and wrapped it around his thigh above the wound. He met Roland’s eyes, then shoved the unicorn into his mouth. “Bite down and think of a unicorn shitting a rainbow.”

  Roland’s eyes went wide at the bizarre command, completely caught off guard as Nate tightened the belt in one swift movement, buckling it tight around the wound as a makeshift tourniquet. Roland groaned, eyes almost rolling back into his head as he began to pant. Nate slapped his cheeks lightly to make sure he wasn’t about to pass out, and yanked the stuffed animal out of his mouth.

  Roland was muttering under his breath, eyes alive with pain. After a second, his glare locked onto Nate, and he had the pistol in his fist, pointed directly at Nate’s forehead. Nate didn’t even blink. “Thank me later,” he said, then stood, never taking his eyes away from Roland. I noticed he was fiddling with the coin again, and frowned. A nervous tic? Even though his face didn’t show it, he was obviously nervous.

  Roland saw it, too, but he frowned, lowering the pistol. “Yes… later,” he said instead.

  Claire let out a breath of relief, having been silent at the tension in the room. “It’s the best we can do. We just need to get him somewhere safe as soon as possible. We can take your truck, Callie. Somewhere no one will know to look for him.” Claire set a hastily packed medical kit on Roland’s chest, and swiped my keys off the night stand, hands shaking.

  “Or the spear,” Nate added. “Nowhere she’s been.” He pointed a finger at me without looking. “In fact, it should be somewhere none of you even know. Good thing I’m here, huh?”

  He turned his back. The whole thing had taken only a minute or two.

  “They should be here by now…” I growled, ready for battle.

  “Claire, you’re on sled duty, Callie, watch our ass and be ready to fling crosses or whatever you warrior nuns do. I smell vampires.” I didn’t even care to argue with him, although I could practically taste Roland’s displeasure. He clutched his pistol and the spear in either fist, looking ready to meet death. “Wait for it,” Nate murmured, staring at the door, seeming to listen. As if on cue, a large thump rattled the walls and a few plates on the counter. A picture even fell off the wall.

  “What the hell?” I blurted.

  Nate had already ripped open the door, and was motioning for us to hurry. “I put some minor wards up around the apartment. Just to be safe. I also put some up at your dad’s house.” I didn’t bother arguing, because his initiative might have just saved our lives. But… how had he known where my dad lived? Nate’s mention of my dad only increased my sense of urgency. What if he was in danger? We needed to get Roland safe. Now. So I could go check on my dad.

  Claire followed, tugging Roland as gently as possible. He still grunted, which meant that it must be truly painful, because he was not one to show his pain.

  For the first time, I was thankful I lived on the first floor and near the back parking lot, because the explosion I had heard had come from the street, towards the front of the building. Right where I had sensed the dark presence moments before. As I left the apartment, I glanced down the hall towards the front of the building and saw only a cloud of dust from the explosion, but I was willing to bet that dust consisted of disintegrated vampire. Doors were beginning to open as neighbors peeked outside to discover the source of the noise.

  They stared open-mouthed at our procession as Nate led the way down the corridor, Claire and Roland behind him. I heard him kick open the back door, a sudden shriek of pain, and then the roar of Roland’s pistol, but I was too busy watching our rear. Still, I itched to run and help.

  At the sound of the pistol and scream, the doors in the hallway slammed shut, and I saw two sets of eyes appear in the dust behind us. Then they began to run, much faster than humanly possible, claws biting into the stone floor as one went to all fours.

  Vampires.

  I began flinging bolts of energy, not daring to use fire and risk catching the building in flames.

  I continued jogging backwards, and felt my heels bump against the wagon, causing Roland to grunt softly as the rear wheels of his wagon were shoved over the raised lip in the floor beneath the door. Then he was outside. I stood in the doorway, watching the vampires race closer.

  Thinking of Roland, and Nate’s snide comment, I flung up a hand and threw a blast of power much different from my energy sticks. Similar to what I had done at the auction. Three crosses bloomed into existence, flaring out as they screamed down the narrow hallway. They struck the two pursuing vampires. The vampires exploded on contact with the glowing crosses, and twin clouds of dust erupted in their place. A shockwave of power from the explosion sent me skidding on my ass out the doorway and onto the damp pavement.

  I scrambled to my feet, spinning quickly to see that Claire had already started the truck and backed it up to us. Nate was flinging his whips at two vampires darting back and forth just out of reach, willing to do anything to reach the man in the wagon. Roland had his pistol out, waiting for a clear shot, but he looked very pale and was sweating profusely.

  I placed my hands on the back of the wagon just as Claire scrambled out of the truck, stumbling up to the wagon to grab the front. I heaved with all my strength, and felt a sudden burst of heat deep within my chest. The wagon jolted as I tossed it into the back of the truck, Roland hissing with pain. Claire just stared at me, stunned.

  I turned my back on her, having no answer to the sudden burst of strength, and began flinging more crosses at the vampires. They struck true, and Nate glanced over his shoulder, flashing me a smile. Then his face transfixed in horror as he stared past me.

  I was supposed to be watching our rear, not helping Nate.

  I began to spin, but Nate was already flinging one of his hands my way, and I saw his whip sailing at my face, but it wasn’t fire or ice. It was pure white, like stepping from pitch darkness into a sunny land of snow, momentarily blinding me.

  I heard a shriek beh
ind me as his whip lashed past my shoulder, and then a flash of heat washed over me, sending me crashing into the back of the pickup truck, where I struck my stomach, knocking the wind from me. Nate didn’t waste any time, grabbing my hips with firm hands and throwing me up into the truck. I lay on the floor for a second, staring up at the sky. Roland was staring down at me with concern, but also a mask of pain at the mad rush from the apartment.

  I heard the bed of the pickup slam closed, and then two thuds as Nate pounded the metal bed with his fist, letting Claire know to get us the hell out of here.

  I climbed to my knees unsteadily, gulping air, my back tender from the wash of heat, and my hip bones aching where they had struck the metal of the truck. Nate was staring at me with concern, but then I saw something launching out of the back of a parked truck as we slowed for the exit to the parking lot. I grabbed his shirt and yanked him towards me as I flung up my other hand, the black fan blooming into existence before me.

  Nate’s face slammed into my chest, but I didn’t let go. The vampire’s claws swung through empty air, and then they hit the fan.

  He exploded into a cloud of dust, the force flattening me to the pickup bed, with Nate still atop me, face pressed into my cleavage. I couldn’t move, exhausted.

  Nate began laughing into my breasts, and then rolled off me to stare up at the night sky.

  “Bucket list,” he murmured under his breath, folding his hands over his chest, still laughing.

  Even Roland chuckled lightly before wheezing in pain at the motion. I just lay there, too exhausted to even laugh. Or shout.

  But also because neither of those had been the first reaction I had to Nate’s face pressed against my chest.

  It had been a flash of heat. A merging of hope and desire.

  I had never felt anything quite like it before, but I remained silent, simply breathing as the truck drove on. It wasn’t simple lust, and definitely not love, but it was… something. I heard Nate directing Claire where to drive through the now open back window of the truck.

  He had saved me.

  I had saved him.

  And now I had to trust that he could keep Roland safe, hidden. Claire would help make sure he remained alive. While Nate and I raided the home of the bears. I hoped our plan was enough. But there was still the third piece of the spear, and if Roland spoke true, the pieces called out to each other…

  Sooner or later, we were going to have to find the Demon bitch that had attacked me.

  I shivered involuntarily, watching Nate as my thoughts rippled like a pond after a pebble had been thrown in. Well, more like a boulder.

  As soon as Roland was safe, I would check on my dad. After all, if Roland wasn’t safe, no one was.

  Chapter 35

  We secured Roland in a storage unit Nate had acquired in the distant past. Under an alias corporation that was owned by other corporations, and yet other corporations, masking his ownership in a web he said would take months to untangle. He had boxes filled with battery powered lights, water, and other bug-out items. When asked about it, he had replied simply, “This is one of many shelters I have in Missouri.”

  Ah, the power of money. But if it kept Roland safe, I couldn’t be too disgusted by the strange world Nate lived in. But with money like he had, why did he spend time picking fights with monsters? Helping me? Going to auctions? Starting schools? He could have just as easily sat back on his mountains of money and done nothing, watching the world spin on by.

  It was curious.

  Nate had stepped outside for a few minutes while Claire and I saw to Roland. When he came back, he sat on a box, resting. It took Claire twenty minutes to feel confident he wasn’t about to die, and I told Nate I was going to check on my father.

  “He’s safe. I saw to it,” he said in a soft tone, eyes still closed.

  “Those wards didn’t stop the vampires at my apartment.”

  “I took additional measures,” he said, waving his phone, eyes still closed.

  “What?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Let’s skip past the part where you yell at me, angry I didn’t ask your permission first, and focus on the fact that your dad is safe. His safety is more important than your pride. Right? Give me a sliver of trust. I’m not the one who has lied to you, so stop taking your anger out on me.” He did open his eyes, then. And they were challenging, daring me to argue. And with the last statement, he did shoot a meaningful glance towards Roland, reminding me of the real source of my anger. I didn’t say anything, biting my tongue. He nodded satisfactorily. “I’m going to go get some rest. There’s roll up mats, blankets, and pillows in those boxes,” he pointed absently. Then he Shadow Walked, leaving us staring at each other.

  I turned to Claire, who shrugged back. Roland was asleep. “I’m going to go check on him. Can you stay here and watch over Roland? I might end up staying with my dad overnight. I can Shadow Walk him here if we have any… visitors.” She nodded, obviously not happy about me going off alone, but understanding my decision.

  I helped her unpack the bedding supplies, turning on a few more lamps, bathing the storage unit in blue light. Thirty minutes later, Claire urged me to hurry up and get going, shoving me towards the door.

  I let out a slow breath, and tried to remember how I had Shadow Walked on my own on the roof of the hotel. I had wanted to be away from the sound I had heard behind me — Nate. Maybe if I just imagined where I wanted to be…

  I found myself standing in the driveway near the garage door at my dad’s house. A faint echoing crack reverberated around me, but no louder than if a tree branch had snapped in one of the yards.

  I rushed to the door, knocking loudly. The porch light turned on and my dad came downstairs, bleary-eyed. “Callie? I thought you were… Come in. Hurry,” he said, glancing over my shoulder.

  I did, sitting down in the couch in the living room as he sat on the recliner, still trying to wake up. “What are you doing here, Callie? It’s late.”

  I nodded. “I just… wanted to check on you.”

  He nodded, barely reacting. “A friend of yours came by. Well, he used acquaintance. Older gentleman. Nice guy. Different,” my dad said, eyes still looking blood-shot for some reason. I frowned. A friend of mine? My dad sensed the silence and looked up. “He gave me a gift… and told me he would keep an eye on the place. He also gave me this marble in case I felt in danger. Said to use it only in emergencies, but that it would send me to safety if I broke it at my feet.” He held up a familiar glass marble, shaking his head. Not disbelieving, but… incredulous.

  One of Nate’s tiny traveling balls.

  Part of me was upset at Nate for obviously involving another of his friends in the mix — this older gentleman — but part of me also wanted to hug him. He hadn’t asked. Hadn’t tried to persuade me. He’d just made sure my dad was safe, only mentioning his actions after I told him I wanted to check on him.

  My dad cleared his throat, and I looked up. “I trust him, Callie. Trust me on that…”

  I nodded absently, wondering why my dad felt so trusting of him. He had mentioned a gift, but I could tell by the look on his face immediately after saying it, that he didn’t want to talk about it. Had Nate’s friend bribed my dad?

  I had told Nate not to involve his friends in the matter. Especially not with my dad. But… he had done it to protect him. Didn’t that count for something?

  But deep down, I still didn’t know Nate well enough to fully trust him. Not that he was a bad person, I presumed he was quite the opposite, but just because he was against bad guys didn’t mean he didn’t have ulterior motives of his own. After all, many bad people killed other bad people. To thin the herd. Remove competition.

  I didn’t think this was the case, but the problem was, I just didn’t know.

  Regardless, this elder gentleman had given my dad a gift of some sort to prove his good faith, and amazingly, it had apparently been enough to do just that, converting one of the most skeptical people I had ever k
nown in a single encounter.

  But who had Nate sent? Not Gunnar or Ashley. They weren’t old. And what had this gentleman given my dad? Because he had given him this gift in order to prove who he was or that he had my dad’s best interests at heart. Only then had the man given my dad the glass marble. Which meant that the sphere wasn’t the gift. And my dad was not very material, so what gift could have changed that? A gift more special than a sphere that could teleport him to safety.

  Somewhere.

  Perhaps somewhere not so safe. Somewhere only Nate knew of.

  To use against me? Against Roland? Or was I just being paranoid?

  I peppered him relentlessly, frowning at the joyful glaze in his eyes whenever I pressed about this mysterious ‘gift.’ But my dad refused to elaborate. “I promised,” he said. Which only inflamed my curiosity.

  I had finally admitted defeat, and told him that the man worked with Nate Temple. My dad had been surprised to hear that. Downright stunned, actually. Which only added to the puzzle in my mind. The man hadn’t said he worked with Nate? Why not, if there was nothing to hide? Was that good or bad?

  I let out a breath, content that my dad knew he might be in danger, if not the circumstances that caused the danger. “I’m staying here tonight, but if you even have a suspicion of danger, I need you to promise you will use that marble, and immediately call me after.” He agreed, trying to usher me upstairs into my old room, but I wanted to be on the couch by the front door. That’s where an attack would come in. He finally left me downstairs, and went to bed.

  I felt better knowing he was safe. And that he would call me if he used the marble, letting me know where it had taken him. And that he was safe.

  And so that I could rescue him from Temple if needed.

  A fitful, restless sleep took over after I had triple-checked every door and window leading into the house, even setting obstacles before each door so I would wake if someone broke in.