Dread built, pushing hard on her chest, her guilt growing the longer she stood amongst the blood splatter. She could've prevented this. And if she didn't work faster, there'd be more. With a nod, Caly walked away. There had to be something she missed.
"I'm going to head back and test these." Jarred lifted his bag to indicate the specimens he'd collected. She couldn't blame him for hurrying back to Brie's side.
Desperate for the smallest clue, Caly waved him off. There had to be something, some tiny speck of evidence left for her to find.
They wanted her.
They wanted the medallion.
So why did they hit the park? Tension gripped her neck, twisting her muscles into knots. Tipping back her head, she rubbed the over-worked muscles.
And stopped stock-still.
Strewn through the branches of one tree was a blood soaked scarf. Caly made a beeline for the base of the trunk, cursing that the lowest branches were feet above her head. When she searched for a foothold, she saw a symbol emblazed into the bark.
Crouching over the frosty ground, she peered closer, getting a nose full of burnt wood. The shape appeared melted into the tree. She reached out to touch the symbol then thought better of it.
But too late.
An electric current jolted through her. All her muscles snapped tight, throwing her back through the air. The ground slammed up to meet her, knocking the wind out of her lungs.
The bastards obviously knew the medallion was in the area but didn't know where. Not until she was stupid enough to trigger the nasty little present they'd left to LoJack her. It was only a matter of time before they hunted her down like a dog.
"Shit." She gritted her teeth at the resonating ache in her bones, while her lungs took their own sweet time to remember how to function.
"What in Hades happened?"
Her eyes fluttered, and Ruman's face slowly came into focus as he bent over her. His stoic expression gave nothing away. She struggled to sit, swatting away his helping hand. "I'm fine."
"You're not. You-"
"The tree." But any evidence of the carved symbol had been obliterated. Only a nasty scar on the trunk remained.
"It was there." When Ruman reached for her, she ignored his hand, afraid that if he touched her, he would be able to read her newly learned emotions before she had a chance to come to grips with them herself.
Jaw clenched, he stood and took a step back. A distant look came in his eyes.
Distance she had put there.
Unable to bear it, unwilling to give him up before she was forced to, she took a deep breath and lifted her hand to him. With a gentle tug, he helped her stand then refused to release her hand, which was fine with her. A tremor took up residence in her muscles, and she didn't know if it was the reaction to the shock or his touch.
She suspected the later.
"You need to go back to the house." Ruman swept his thumb across the back of her hand, scattering her thoughts, and she prayed he never found out how susceptible she was to him. She'd never hear the end of it.
Caly glanced over the park knowing there was nothing else to find. A physical battle with the Fallen would leave her group at a disadvantage. She was part human. Ruman was part demon. Neither, alone, was strong enough to take the Fallen down, and she refused to chance Ruman dying now that she just found him.
Caly nodded and raised her voice, "Pack it up and head back." The team scattered, training enabling them to disappear as if into thin air.
Crossing the grass, Caly swung her leg up and mounted the bike. When Ruman snaked an arm around her waist, warmth enveloped her, and she allowed herself the small luxury of being near him. She'd expected him to leave the way he'd arrived. Though she knew she should use the time to plot, she couldn't regret spending a few minutes alone in his arms.
* * *
Ruman didn't speak as Caly battled with herself. He hadn't intended to follow her that evening, giving her time to accept the future he envisioned for them. She was relatively safe in public with her friends. She could handle a few demons. She was that good.
The instant she became injured, though, everything changed. Through his connection with her, pain slashed through his mind. He wanted a future with her but that wouldn't happen if he allowed her to die.
In a blink, he dissolved and reappeared over her still body. To see her sprawled on the ground stopped his heart, and all he could do was stand over her like some idiot.
Sweat beaded on his upper lip. Swallowing became difficult. When she gasped for breath, his knees gave way, dropping him to the ground with a jarring thud. With a shaky hand, he touched her face.
Alive.
Her eyelids fluttered, but her evergreen eyes didn't show any recognition for a few seconds. Even now, holding her tight in his arms, his mind kept flashing back to seeing her so still and beyond his reach.
The bike roared to life, but the ride was over all too soon, leaving him only holding air when she dismounted. His arms ached to snatch her to him, bundle her back up into the blanket and take her away from all this.
Instead, they had to hunt the killer who was stalking them before it grew too late.
Unwilling to lose his connection with her, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "You'll have to show me how to handle a bike." Although he liked holding Caly close, he also wanted the freedom of driving and relished the thought of having her hands on him.
Caly nodded. "When things have settled down a bit."
But Ruman heard the words that she left unspoken.
If he was still here.
Sadness cloaked her as she walked away, leaving an ache in his chest where his heart should've been if she hadn't stolen it.
* * *
The attack came unexpectedly.
One minute Caly was at her desk, the next she was flat on her back, the chair an uncomfortable lump on the floor beneath her, and her feet up in the air. Pain sliced through her body. Blood sizzled under her skin like someone was trying to filet her alive.
Carnwennan. The blade at her side burned red in warning, nearly cooking the flesh of her side with its intensity. It was reacting to the presence of one big badass in her house. Fucking-fantastic.
She quickly tampered down the pain and prayed no one came to investigate the noise. He'd slice them down before they took a step into the room.
Caly scrambled to her feet and peered cautiously over the desk. The creature was larger than she expected and more powerful than she'd feared.
"Come, little one. Stand up. I mean you no harm. I only came for what's mine." The voice rose and fell on the air, the melodious sound called to something inside her, urging her to comply. She fought the compulsion. Her muscles spasmed against the strain, but she remained perch behind the desk.
A low, husky laugh echoed in the room, skittering up her spine. "You're strong but no matter. All you have to do is hand over what was stolen from me, and I'll leave you in peace." In the guise of a man, the creature smiled. Quite charmingly, actually. She wasn't fooled.
Although the beast in no way resembled the hollow husk they'd seen at the temple, Caly had no doubt the medallion belonged to him. "I have nothing for you."
The smile came and went but this time with no amusement. A sharpness entered his eyes that warned her if she complied with him, she was dead. "All you have to do is tell me what I want to know." The man, for want of a better description, resembled Azazel. But instead of a unique charm and a dangerous innocence, the essence of this man left a bitter aftertaste like an unripe Brazil nut.
Blood filled her mouth, and she realized she'd bitten the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from babbling. "I don't … " The lie stuttered on her dry lips, and she couldn't spit it out.
This time the laugh sent a chill snaking up her legs to coil in her stomach. When he moved toward her, her heart pranced against her ribs. She scurried around the desk on her hands and knees, unwilling to face him without some barrier between them.
"The man next door will be much more accommodating. He stole my charm, and my vengeance won't be swift." The beautiful smile that crossed his face was at odds with his words. "I can spare you that if you hand it over now. If you don't tell me where it is, he will." The good cheer belied the cold indifference, making the threat all the more chilling. "Later it'll be too late for you."
The medallion gouged into her ankle like a beacon. She just prayed he couldn't sense it. "I-"
His fist slammed down on the desk. The wood trembling under the blow but held.
Caly leapt to her feet and out of the way, Carnwennan clutched in her fist. The blade shimmered as energy poured off it, feeding her with a need to take action.
The creature stopped short.
"A young slayer." He rubbed his chin as if her value suddenly rose in his eyes. His interest pierced her composure.
The angle of his jaw was clean and clear. The light olive skin, the dark hair and eyes created an alluring picture, but the soullessness of him scared her cold. She'd underestimated him, thinking they had more time. If she didn't stop him, others would be fooled by the charismatic charm he used so effortlessly and fall like sheep to the slaughter, failing to see the vile creature underneath.