“They weren’t going to be any help to us dead. Anyway, I asked you to.”
They kept talking, but their voices sounded farther away. Sleep was calling to me. No. Not sleep. Exhaustion. Fatigue. A huge lack was yawning open inside of me. Lack of strength. Lack of hope. Lack of joy. My body felt brittle, a million years old. And fragile. Like my limbs were made of glass threads.
A fat drop of rain landed on my forehead. Another on my forearm. Painful drops. Sharp as rocks.
“It’s starting to rain,” Sebastian said. “Should I pull the Jeep up? I can probably get them both inside.”
“Sure, let’s,” Daryn said. “But no need to hurry. A little rain won’t kill them.”
They left us there.
Above, the clouds pulsed with light, electricity splashing across the night. It was just me and Death now, getting pummeled by raindrop meteors.
And the creature, beating its wings as it flew across the stormy sky.
CHAPTER 27
The sun was rising in a clear blue sky when I awoke in my Jeep once again—this time with a pounding headache, my stomach in cramps, and my Giants sweatshirt thrown over me. My body felt like it had been tenderized.
Through the grimy windshield I saw Daryn, sitting on the hood. Her hair was up in a knot and she was talking to Sebastian and Marcus, who stood in front her. I saw no trace of the storm, or of the winged creature.
“I know you guys want answers,” she said, “and I wish I could give them to you. I really do. But right now, all I can tell you is that bringing the four of you together quickly is the only way we’ll succeed. As soon as I can, I’ll tell you more. I promise.”
“All right,” Sebastian said, nodding. “We’re almost there. We’ll find Conquest, then play the rest by feel.”
By ear, I wanted to say. Play the rest by ear.
“Man, forget that,” said Marcus. “It’s not all right with me.”
He had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head and his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans. His face was in shadow but I saw a cut on his cheek. I hoped his clothes hid a lot more damage, because I could barely draw a breath without talking myself into it first.
Hunkered into his shoulders and with his head slightly bowed, Marcus struck me as guarded and dangerous. And I couldn’t help feeling like by adding him, our team had taken a big step backward. I hoped I was wrong. But I felt like I was right.
“So what then, Marcus?” Daryn said. “Are you going to leave? Ignore your ability, and the fact that you can call a horse from thin air and just go about your life?”
“There’s horses?”
“Well, yeah.” Bastian shrugged. “I mean, we’re horsemen.”
“Tell me something,” Marcus said. “Do I look like a cowboy to you?”
“We have to do whatever’s needed,” Daryn said. “If the Kindred—”
“I don’t have to do nothin’,” he said.
“Yes, you do,” she pressed. “You do, because right now there are demons out there who are organizing, and if we don’t—” She stopped suddenly, realizing what she’d just said. Then she sighed. “I didn’t want to drop that on you yet. But I guess I just did.”
Sebastian and Marcus weren’t moving. That word—demons—had shocked them both into silence, but I’d been expecting it. I think I’d known from the first time I saw Samrael at Joy’s party, but then there were the bone blades magically summoned at the studio, and the unnatural speed with which they moved. And last night, my little blind buddy. But hearing it from Daryn was still crazy. Having the confirmation. It still hit me hard.
Marcus spoke first. “Demons have come after you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Just did an about-face and walked away.
“I’ll talk to him,” Bastian said. “I’ll make him hear reason.”
“Thanks, Bas,” Daryn said.
He went after Marcus.
My gaze went to Daryn. I’d only known her a few days. Not long. But I’d been kind of avoiding some obvious things about the way I felt around her. “Martin.”
She turned and saw me, then hopped off the hood and came over, pulling the door open. “How long have you been awake?” she asked.
“Long enough.”
Bastian and Marcus had stopped at the Mustang. The freeway was getting busier, cars and semis speeding past.
Daryn propped her foot on the skid bar. “He might actually be more work than you are,” she said, following my gaze.
“He’s the troublemaker. You’ll get used to me. But about last night…” The situation with Marcus had gotten way out of control. I was partially responsible for that. Time to own up. “I didn’t know he was going to be such an asshole, and—”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I probably deserve that.”
“You definitely do. Let’s just forget about it.” She glanced through the windshield again. “We’ll get him on board. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“He said that?”
She paused, then shook her head. “No.”