Twilight War (7 page)

Her lips
touched his once more in a tender goodbye kiss. “I’ll get him,
baby,” she whispered. “Mark my words, Cooper O’Toole will die.”

Chapter
Four

Flame stood at
the curb outside of the hospital—just staring into the darkness.
She’d spent the entire day and most of the evening hoping for a
miracle that never came. Raef was gone. Her body felt numb from
crying for hours on end. Her heart felt cold and empty, void of
feeling. She didn’t know where to go.

“You look like
hell. Do you need a ride?” His voice was unusually gentle.

“I didn’t even
hear or see you pull up.” She stared blankly at his gleaming black
Harley.

“Hm, another
perk of my new life.”

“Can you bring
him back? Your master brought you back. Can you get him to bring
Raef back?”

Von gazed at
her with sad eyes. “I heard about your friend. You may not believe
this, but I am truly sorry for your loss. I liked him.”

She tilted her
head. “For some reason I do believe you. You could’ve killed him on
the beach that night but you didn’t. Why?”

“Because I knew
you loved him. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“But you’re
from the Twilight Realm. Why are you being nice to me?”

“Everything is
not as it seems, sugar. Now how about taking a ride with me?”

“You didn’t
answer me. Can you bring him back?” Her voice sounded as cold and
removed as she felt.

A pensive
expression flitted through his eyes. “That’s not what you
want.”

“Don’t tell me
what I want! I just lost the only person who ever loved me. The
only man I ever loved. Don’t assume you know what I want.”

“You’re in
shock. You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I want Raef
back. Can you do it? That’s all I want to know. Can you do it?”

He gave a
slight nod. “I could make a deal but the stakes are high.”

“For who?”

“Everyone. The
Twilight Master calls in favors. Your boyfriend would not be the
same man if you make a deal with the devil to bring him back. He
would be in debt and I don’t think you want that.”

Flame hung her
head and sobbed. “I don’t know where to go. For the first time in
my life I feel lost.”

“What about
your secret society of warriors? Can’t you stay with them?”

She glared at
him, drawing her lips together tightly. “Don’t even try to fish
information out of me.”

“You know what
and who I am. I know who you are and what you have to offer. Let’s
not play games.”

“Why are you
here? You told me the next time we met you wouldn’t be a gentleman.
Yet here you are, pretending to be a caring friend. I might be numb
with grief but I am not stupid. You have no feelings. You only seek
to fulfill your mission…a fight you lost the first time.”

He arched one
brow in a casual manner. “You’re half right. I did have other
intentions for the second time we crossed paths.” He sighed. “But
when I saw you…I didn’t have the heart to mess with your head.
Don’t ask me why. I haven’t felt anything in decades. I have no
idea why I feel sorry for you now.”

“I don’t need
your pity. I need revenge.”

“On who?”

“The bastard
who killed Raef. He barged into the house and knifed him without
provocation. He just became number one of my list of targets.” She
shot him a warning look. “Which dropped you down to second. Must be
your lucky day.”

“I’m
flattered.”

She scowled at
him. “Don’t be. Once Cooper O’Toole is dead, I’ll be gunning for
you. This war has only begun. Did your evil master bring more
creepers back along with you?”

“I can’t tell
you that.”

“Oh yeah, I
forgot, you work for the evil side. Get lost.” She turned and
started to walk up the street.

He followed
alongside on his bike. “Did you say Coop took out Jackson?”

“Yeah and stop
following me. I can walk back to Raef’s for my bike.”

“Let me give
you a ride. We need to talk.”

She stopped in
her tracks and glanced his way. “About what?”

“We just struck
a common bond.”

“Lies, more
lies. You’re trying to trick me.”

“What if I’m
not? You know how this war works. One of us must win.” He grabbed
her arm. “Do you think it will be you?”

Their eyes met
and locked. Rage and sorrow bubbled in her soul. His intriguing
eyes drew her in. She spied something in there that warranted a
closer look.
Is it possible that his humanity is beginning to
show?
She recalled what the Lioness had said about making Von
feel again and that by using a human’s body to bring him back the
evil realm instilled a sense of humanity in him.
What is Von’s
story? Could this be the tiny window of opportunity?
If so,
then Raef’s death would not be entirely in vain if her intense
sorrow had evoked feelings in Von. Regardless, that didn’t ease her
pain.
Still, if anything good could come from this senseless act
of violence, then perhaps I shouldn’t ignore the
possibility.

At that moment,
she longed for a sign, anything to reveal a glimmer of hope. She
gazed up at the night sky.
Raef…where are you? Did you hear me
when I said that I love you?
Tears welled in her eyes again,
making them burn. Von released his hold on her arm and she could
feel him staring at her.

“He knows.”

“What?” She
turned her gaze toward him with a sharp turn of her head.

“Jackson, he
heard you. He knows that you love him.”

Flame gasped,
pressing a hand over her heart. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know.
I am in between worlds. I guess he can speak to me. He hasn’t
crossed over yet. He’s trapped in the void.”

“Why?” A wave
of heartache deluged her again. To think that Raef was not at peace
burned her soul.

Von closed his
eyes and those long black lashes touched his high cheekbones. “Your
boyfriend is unable to move on until the score is settled.”

“Why would he
talk to you? He knows you walk in darkness.”

“Like I said
all is not as it seems.”

“You’re making
this up.”

“Believe what
you want. I might be a lot of things but I’m not a liar.” He kicked
his bike into gear. “Raef said something about a horse, your
mother’s horse? He said Paloma carries the key.” Von revved his
bike. The engine growled as he prepared to ride.

“Wait!”

He stopped and
half-turned his head. “What?”

“Maybe we
should
talk.” She knew without a doubt that nobody could
know about her mother’s mare. Even Raef hadn’t known, as she’d not
told him during their visit to Celestial Village. This had to be
the sign she needed to move forward. For reasons she failed to
understand, Raef chose to communicate with Von.
Maybe because
he’s immortal and the only connection available, either way, I have
to follow this lead.
“Can you give me a ride back to his
house?”

“Hop on.”

She swung her
leg over the back and settled her butt into the passenger seat of
his Softail. Von’s unexpected connection to Raef brought a strange
sense of comfort. If Raef trusted him enough to send a message,
then maybe there was still hope for Von’s soul.
Maybe he can be
saved.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head
against his back, trying to reach into his soul and touch whatever
part of him had touched Raef. Tears stung her cheeks as the wind
whipped her hair around her face. They flew down the highway at a
high rate of speed. The pleasing scent of leather from his jacket
combined with his natural masculine aura swirled around her and
eased some of the grief. She began to find uncanny comfort in his
presence.

They rumbled
into the drive of Raef’s home as the moon peaked in the sky. She
slid off the back and drew a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can do
this.” Her motorcycle appeared untouched and the house was dark and
quiet. It didn’t look like anyone had been around since the medics
had taken Raef.

She stopped at
the edge of the sidewalk and thought surely that the place would be
crawling with cops.
Where’s the yellow tape? Why isn’t anyone
here? Something doesn’t feel right. Of course it doesn’t feel
right. None of this is right! Raef has been killed. None of this
makes sense. Where are the cops?

“Do you want me
to stick around?” He cut the engine.

Eerie quiet
surrounded her. “Strangely…yes. Will you come inside with me?”

He parked his
bike and dismounted. She’d forgotten how tall and impressive he was
until just now.

He looked down
into her eyes. “Yeah.”

They walked
toward the house slowly with her leading the way. The door was
unlocked so she pushed it open. The pungent stench of stale blood
made her wince. She glanced at the floor and saw Raef’s blood still
there.

Von cast a
guarded look around. “There’s a strange aura in this house.”

“What do you
mean?”

“Something
powerful.” He shrugged as if to rid an uninvited chill. “Innocent
blood.”

She studied him
briefly then shifted her attention back to the floor. “I have to
clean this up.” In robotic manner, she went to the kitchen and
retrieved cleanser and paper towels, then knelt in the foyer and
began scrubbing. “So much blood…Raef’s blood.” She started to cry
again, then sat back on her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. “This
is wrong. This should not have happened. Why did Coop do this?”

“Hey…” Von
knelt beside her, wrapping strong arms around her. “He’s not a nice
man.”

Flame allowed
him to hold her as she wept and her body trembled. Her thoughts
flashed back to another night long ago, a sudden déjà vu ensued.
Von had been there for her then, before she knew anything about the
Satellite. And on that dark night of pain, he’d held her and
comforted her as she cried bitter tears. Later he’d taken her away
until Hatch and Coop’s biker gang found them on the highway. Back
then, she considered it a rescue when Von seemed like the bad guy
as Aiden’s accomplice.

But now—now the
picture was changing.

“You told me
that my ex-husband and his family were involved with Hatch somehow.
I didn’t believe you. Yet here you are, helping me again. Why?”

“Aiden told me
that you were in danger so I helped him. When I saw what they did
to you, I changed my mind. Believe it or not, I do have a mind of
my own.”

She wiped her
eyes with the hem of her shirt and sniffed back tears. “What common
bond do we have?”

“We both want
Coop dead.”

“Oh yeah, I do
recall hearing about the power struggle between the two of you and
that is why you started your own biker group.”

He settled on
the floor and pulled her onto his lap. She didn’t resist. The
gentleness in his touch right now was soothing.

“What I’m about
to tell you must never leave this house. We are in a protected
domain, so-to-speak. The Twilight Master cannot invade my thoughts
where innocent blood has been spilled.”

Flame wrinkled
puzzled brows but nodded in agreement just the same. “I know how to
keep a secret.”

He half smiled.
“I know, which is why there are some things I need to tell
you.”

She took a deep
calming breath and gave him her undivided attention. “Go on.”

“You asked me
what I did to end up in the evil realm.”

“Yes. You said
you trusted a friend.”

His expression
deepened and his eyes stared straight into her, making her
shiver.

“About fifty
years ago, give or take a few decades, I’ve lost count, I started a
biker group with someone I considered a friend. Didn’t take him
long to rise within the ranks and win the respect of the entire
pack. He was a strong leader, fearless without a shred of mercy.
Everyone felt safe riding behind him.”

“Cooper
O’Toole.”

Von nodded.
“You put that together rather quickly.”

“Just a hunch.
I figure a man capable of cold-blooded murder is probably
intimidating enough to draw a following.”

“I didn’t know
that Coop was part of the Twilight Realm until he killed me.”

“He killed you,
too?” Flame gasped. “Coop is immortal?”

“Yeah, but that
was only the beginning. Coop is a recruiter of sorts. He chooses
his targets carefully then hands them over to the ruler of that
realm as future Satellites. I was preselected. If I refused the
position then my ass would’ve been thrown into a fiery sulfur pit
for eternity.”

Immediately she
thought back to the nightmare that plagued her only days ago, but
she didn’t speak on it. Those details had been revealed to the
Supreme Lioness during a sacred visitation.

“So you
accepted the mission to come after me. You
did
know who I
was.”

He gave a
reluctant nod. “When Aiden told me what he’d heard about you, I had
no choice. I was trying to save my own ass and hoping to save yours
in the process. My only hope of redemption was fulfilling
Twilight’s plan. But when Aiden’s family lost control I took
matters into my own hands.”

“Redemption?”
She couldn’t believe he uttered the word.

“The only way
to break this hellish curse is by joining with a Sai warrior from
the sisterhood, as you already know. Once you came into the open,
once I met you…I devised a plan of my own. I was going to take you
into hiding and gain your trust somehow. Then Twilight unleashed
the hounds so I let you go without a fight to spare you more
suffering. You were in pretty bad shape that day. Later, when you
came after me, I tried again but you killed me before I got close
enough. I guess I could’ve gone about gaining your trust another
way.” He sighed. “I don’t know. Trying to stay two steps ahead of
Twilight and win you over at the same time didn’t work out so
well.”