Storm and Fury (The Harbinger 1)

I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Zayne parked just off the old gravel road. The trees hid the car from anyone on the road, and when I climbed out, I was immediately grateful that my shirt was loose as humidity smacked me in the face.

Zayne came around the front of the Impala, joining me. “We head west, through the woods, Gideon told me, and we should come to a gate. Roth and Layla will meet us there.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of the daggers attached to my hips as I stepped off the gravel and skidded down the little embankment. I scanned the trees. With dusk quickly turning into night, this wasn’t going to be exactly fun.

“Are you good?” Zayne asked, a few steps ahead of me.

I started to say yes, because I didn’t want to be a hindrance, but I couldn’t see crap in front of me and the terrain was completely unfamiliar. “I...I don’t—I can’t see a lot.”

Up ahead, Zayne stopped and turned to me. A second later, he was right beside me. Without saying a word, he took my hand, and I flushed. “It’s, like, rocky—the ground. Plus, there’s a lot of fallen trees and branches.”

“Okay,” I whispered, a little embarrassed and a little grateful. “Normally it’s not this hard. Back home, I can run the woods like nothing, because I’m familiar with the landscape. I’m sorry—”

“Don’t apologize.” He squeezed my hand. “It’s no big deal.”

“You have to hold my hand,” I pointed out as he led me around something large on the ground—a rock or branch.

“I don’t have to. I want to.” He caught a low hanging branch, holding it out of the way as we dipped under it. “And remember, I told you I would be your seeing-eye gargoyle whenever you needed me.”

Shaking my head, I laughed. “Well, you’re doing a really good job at it now.”

“Oh, I plan on excelling at it.”

I pressed my lips together, unsure how to take his light, teasing tone. I decided I could stress about it later, because Zayne’s steps slowed.

We were at the fence.

Slipping my hand free, I stared up at the lit cement pillars and the closed gate. I took a deep breath, tasting the fresh air that mingled with the crisp winter mint of Zayne, and—

“It’s weird,” I said.

“What?” Zayne angled his body toward mine.

“I don’t feel any demons. The only time I haven’t felt demons was when we were at your clan’s compound...and here.” I looked up at the gate. “I guess I was expecting to feel them here.”

“That’s got to be a lot to deal with in a city like DC, constantly feeling them.”

“I’m getting used to the varying degrees.” Lifting a hand, I dragged my palm over my forehead. “But if the senator is hooked up with Bael, wouldn’t there be demons here?”

“That doesn’t mean anything, really,” he replied, and I glanced over at him. A long moment passed as everything around us slipped farther into shadows. “Trin, I—”

I felt them then.

So did Zayne.

A hot breath along the back of my neck, and sudden heaviness in the air around us. We both turned to the gate just as a form appeared out of the shadows, on the other side of the gate.

“Roth,” Zayne said, stepping forward.

The demon prince stopped, and I squinted, seeing someone else behind him. I was guessing that was Layla. “We scoped out the house first. Appears no one is home.”

“Crap,” I muttered.

“Not bad news,” Layla spoke up. “We can get in and look around, see if we find anything.”

She had a point.

“And the senator will probably be home at some point tonight,” Zayne said, and I nodded. “Well, let’s get to some breaking and entering.” Placing his hands on the center of the gate, he twisted. Metal grinded and then gave way. The gate parted, swinging open. He stepped aside. “After you.”

“Show-off,” I murmured.

He chuckled. “What? You can’t do that?”

“I’m strong.” I nodded in Roth and Layla’s general direction. “But not that strong.”

“There was an alarm on the house, but we disarmed it before we came out here,” Layla said, and I wondered how that was accomplished without alerting the alarm company. I figured that was due to Roth. “We haven’t gone in yet.”

“Okay,” I said as we walked up the thankfully flat surface of the driveway.

Zayne fell in step beside me as Layla said, “Did you guys look into this senator? We did today, and he’s probably the last person you’d think would be involved in anything demonic.”

“Or the first person, if you ask me,” Roth chimed in. “The illustrious senator is involved in a lot of charities that benefit at-risk youth. Goes to church every Sunday. Comes from a long line of Baptist pastors. Married once, to his high school sweetheart, who passed away from breast cancer two years ago. Since then, he’s also been involved in health care reform and women’s services.”

The corners of my lips turned down. “Why would you think he would be the first person?”

“Because it’s always the last ones you suspect, in my experience. The ones who hide their dark souls rather than show the world what a shit ball they are,” he replied, and I shook my head. “And the fact that even though he’s involved in all these good works, he voted down every reform or bill that would have actually helped people in need.”

“Oh.” Well, that last part sort of sealed the deal.

“If we don’t get to meet the senator tonight, Layla’s going to try to find him so we can get a look at his soul, but I have a feeling we know how that’s going to turn out.”

Our pace picked up as the sprawling, one-level ranch house came into view. Floodlights kicked on, and I winced at the sudden harsh glare. Roth and Layla headed around the house, toward the back.

My heart was pounding as we walked under a breezeway and Roth stepped up to the back door. He turned the knob, snapping the lock in two.

“Now who’s the show-off?” Layla said.

“Me,” Roth quipped. “Always me.”

Glancing at Zayne, I took a deep breath. Nervousness filled me as I followed Roth and Layla inside the dimly lit house.

Zayne was behind me. “I haven’t seen any cameras yet, but keep an eye out for them.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Roth replied.

We started opening door after door, revealing empty bedroom after empty bedroom, and with each vacant, normal-looking room, more disappointment surged through me. By the time we checked out all the bedrooms, the living room, a kitchen and a den, I knew Misha wasn’t here.

I didn’t think Misha had ever been here, and if I had been honest with myself from the moment we learned about the senator, I’d known deep down that he wouldn’t be here. It would’ve been too easy.

“Here’s an office,” Layla called from the other wing of the house as I stood in the middle of a large, sunken living room.

There were photos framed on the walls, and as I walked over to them, I could see that they were of a family. Their faces were nothing but blurs, but I imagine the senator’s living room was no different from millions of others. I reached up, touching the black, matte frame of one photo. Dust covered the tip of my finger.

“Trin?” Zayne called from behind me.

I turned, arms at my sides as I opened my mouth, closed it and then tried again to find words. “He’s not here. Not Misha. Not the senator. Nothing. I don’t think anyone has been here in a while.”

“Trin.” Zayne’s voice was soft as he stepped toward me. “I’m—”

“Don’t say it.” I held up my hand. “Please don’t apologize right now. This is just another dead end, and Misha is out there, somewhere, most likely being tortured to death, and what are we doing?”

“We’re trying to find him.”

“What if we never find him? What if we don’t find him in time?” My heart was pumping too fast as I turned away. I didn’t make it very far.

Zayne snagged an arm around my waist, pulling me toward him. I protested, but he folded his arms around me, one hand folding along the nape of my neck. I shuddered at the contact, and when I felt his breath along my forehead, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“We’re going to find him,” he said. “We will.”

Resting my cheek against his chest, I didn’t give voice to what I was realizing. That the only way I could get to Misha was by using myself as bait.

“Hey.” Roth’s voice intruded. “Layla has found something I think you guys are going to want to see.”

Zayne was slow to pull back, but he didn’t let go. His hand was still curled around the nape of my neck. “We will, Trin.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded.

“What did you find?” Zayne asked, sliding his hand off me.

“Follow me.”

I got my feet moving, ignoring the curious look Roth sent my way. We followed him back to an office lit by a desk lamp. There were walls of books. A freestanding globe. More pictures of what I was guessing was the senator’s family. Layla was behind the desk, her hair nearly white in the glow of the lamp. She was staring down at what appeared to be large papers that covered nearly the length of the desk. Roth walked over to the globe and started spinning it as Zayne joined Layla.

There was a weird twinge in my chest, seeing them together, and I ignored it, because that twinge was so, so wrong. Crossing my arms, I walked to the desk.

“What is it?” I asked, since I couldn’t make out any of it.

“It looks like...” Zayne turned over a paper. “It looks like plans for a school?”

Layla peered around him. “Yes.” She pointed out several marks. “These are classes...and over there are dorms. What is...?”

Zayne leaned in. “Nursery?”