Phantom Game (GhostWalkers 18)

Briony wrung her hands together. “Do you think you can stop this? At least keep her alive?”

Jonas wasn’t certain the way Mari had been living was worth it. He wouldn’t want to live out his days suffering the way Marigold had been. If they couldn’t stop what was going on with her, then what was the point of her being alive? He didn’t ask that question of Briony. He figured she wouldn’t welcome it.

“I don’t know, Briony. If it can be done, Camellia will do it, but it isn’t an easy task. In fact, it’s downright daunting. Whatever this crap is, it looks like an alien invasion. If the rest of her bones are like her spine, I don’t see how whoever read the bone marrow scan could have missed it. There were hundreds of nests of this stuff. Granted, the ones we took out were tiny, but there were so many. Practically every cell had one of the little leechlike invaders attached to it. Anyhow, getting them off without damaging the cells is no small feat. It takes time, and we don’t know how fast these things replicate. It’s also tiring.”

“And you have to be somewhere,” Logan said. “After, can we take you to the top of the mountain by helicopter? Would that help save time?”

Jonas considered it. “Depends on where their scouts are. As soon as we’re done here, Logan, we’ll clean up, eat and rest while I find out where their advanced scouts are, and then we’ll see if we can get away with a helicopter ride.”

Logan nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Camellia’s eyes were wide open, looking into Jonas’s. “Let’s get it done then, Jonas.”

Kyle stood and reached a hand down to her to help her up. “This time, loop me in so I know what you’re doing.”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “You got it.”

“I’m all for that,” Jeff said.

She nodded.

Jonas liked that she was coming to accept his friends, the ones he considered family.

16

You up for this, Cami?” Kyle asked, nudging her. “I’m thinking you should use a blue fog, with purple undertones. Make it really eerie. Night’s beginning to set in. Can you add in flickering lights, like fireflies only bigger?”

“Fireflies?” Jeff gave a snort of derision. “You have no imagination, Kyle. Dragons, Camellia. Think really big, like dragons. Fire-breathing dragons. The dragons don’t have to be big, just the concept of them, coming out of the fog and raining fire on the bastards. I’d like that.” He smirked at Kyle and folded his arms across his beefy chest.

They were like two little boys trying to outdo one another. “You two. I’m only supposed to be spreading a fog across the mountain slowly, not trapping anyone in it. The scouts can get through the lines right now. We’re going after the leaders. That means we have to sneak into their lines. The fog bank will help with that.”

“Not we,” Jonas said decisively. “You’re staying here, Camellia. You’re running everything from our command post right here.”

She made a face at him behind his back. “You certainly can sound bossy when you want to. You didn’t say anything about leaving me behind when we talked about our partnership.”

Jonas raised an eyebrow. “I’m certain I did.”

He sounded way too innocent, so much so that both Jeff and Kyle burst out laughing. Camellia didn’t smile; she just continued to look at him. She refused to be charmed by him. It didn’t matter how tough and strong he looked sitting on her porch in her garden. Or that, surrounded by Middlemist Red Camellias all in bloom, he managed to look more rugged than ever, which just made him more appealing. His bossy attitude certainly didn’t make him appealing.

Jonas shrugged. “Need you here, honey. This is the perfect command post.”

“Then you stay here, and I’ll go with Kyle and Jeff and find the leaders of these soldiers. Gray and Blue respond to me best. I can understand their peculiar language. I’m used to the way they communicate. The same with the wolves.”

She didn’t take her gaze from Jonas’s, not even when she heard Jeff give a little snort of pure derision. She was going to kick him hard in the shins the first chance she got. Whose side was he on, anyway?

“Beautiful place you have here, Camellia,” Kyle said.

She was beginning to understand he was the peacemaker. He was subtle about it, but he wanted them to get along. He also didn’t want her to go with them, not if he knew she’d be safer right there in the garden.

“Camellia, it doesn’t make sense for you to go.”

Jonas used his most gentle voice when she was certain he wanted to just order her to stay behind.

“I can understand that you would want me to set up a command post when we’re going to have to take on their army, Jonas, but not now when you’re sneaking behind enemy lines and need my help to cover all of you. Hiding me away in the garden doesn’t make sense, and you know it. You’re just doing it to keep me safe.”