“Go straight for the jewels.” My gaze swept the gawking crowd. “Any questions?”
The boys’ hands shot up, and I was surprised to see a few adults raise theirs as well. I nodded at a Mox male who looked to be in his thirties.
“You make it look easy, but you’re a trained warrior.” He waved a hand at the Gulak. “How can one of us hope to defeat the likes of him?”
“Anyone can learn to fight,” I told him. “Look at humans. They take martial arts or self-defense lessons all the time to learn how to fight bigger and stronger opponents.”
“But we cannot walk into one of those places for lessons,” he said.
“That’s true.” I turned my head to look at Beth, who stood over the other defeated Gulak. He was facedown but still breathing. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
I faced the Mox demon again. “What you need is to have your own self-defense classes.”
He shook his head. “Most of us here are quiet people who abhor violence. We know nothing of fighting or self-defense.”
I bent to pick up my sword. “And that’s why Gulaks will always prey on you. They know you won’t fight back.”
“I-I want to fight back,” one of the Vrell boys declared as I straightened.
“I do, too,” his friend said earnestly. “Will you teach us?”
His question gave me pause. When I’d suggested they learn to fight, I’d assumed there had to be someone among them who could teach them. I hadn’t even considered me taking on that role. I’d just been having fun at the Gulak’s expense and making an example of him. I’d be a terrible teacher.
“I’m only in Chicago for a short visit,” I told them, although that wasn’t exactly true. As long as Hamid was in Los Angeles, I couldn’t go back there. Chicago was as good a place as any to spend my self-imposed exile.
“Oh,” said one of the boys as their faces fell.
The Gulak groaned behind me and tried to stand. I walked over and put a foot on his back to keep him down until I decided what to do with him. I didn’t want to kill him in front of children, but if I let him go, he’d most likely come back another day to cause more trouble.
I shot Beth a questioning look, and she shrugged to let me know she was leaving the decision to me. She’d probably let them go if it was up to her.
I released the Gulak and leaned over him. “Looks like this is your lucky day. I’m going to let you live. You and your pal have exactly thirty seconds to clear out of here before I change my mind.”
He muttered something I couldn’t make out and stood on wobbly legs. Still holding his injured groin, he hobbled over to his friend, who was slowly getting to his feet. They were a sorry-looking pair as they limped away.
Beth walked over to me, grinning. “Not a bad day’s work. We found our girl and kicked some Gulak ass.”
The girl. I’d almost forgotten our main reason for coming to the wrakk, and I looked around now for Lia. She was standing beside Terra, who had a protective arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“Did he hurt you, Lia?” I asked the girl, who looked down timidly as I approached them.
She shook her head without looking up. “I am okay.”
“You don’t have to be afraid. You’re safe with us,” I told her. “But I hope you see how dangerous it is for a girl your age on the streets.”
“Yes.” She sniffled. “I-I don’t like it here.”
I thought back to the weeks I’d lived on the streets when I was even younger than Lia. I remembered the gnawing hunger and the cold, the loneliness even when I was around other kids, and the constant fear of being attacked for what little I had. I’d chosen that life because it was safer than my foster home. But I would have given anything for a loving family who cared enough to search for me. My foster mother probably hadn’t even reported me missing just so she could keep collecting the checks.
“Are you ready to go home?” Beth asked kindly.
Lia wiped her eyes and lifted her head. “I defied my parents, and they must hate me now.”
“It was your parents who asked for our help to find you,” I said. “I’m reasonably certain they wouldn’t do that if they hated you.”
Hope filled her eyes. “Really?”
“Yes.” I looked at Terra as I pulled out my phone. “Would it be okay if Lia stays with you until her parents get here?”
Terra hugged the girl to her side. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” I walked a few feet away and called Sara to let her know we’d found her runaway. I left out the part about the Gulaks because it would be more fun if Beth and I shared that story in person.
“Oh, that’s such a relief,” Sara said. “Lia’s parents left to drive to Chicago as soon as Kelvan told them he found Lia. They should be there in an hour or so.”
Hanging up, I relayed that information to Lia and Terra. Smiling tearfully, Lia thanked us for saving her from the Gulaks before letting Terra lead her away.
Beth smiled at me. “This was fun. I missed doing stuff like this with you.”
“Me too. The guys are cool, but I need my girl time, too.”
“Mason still hates going to night clubs?” she asked with a knowing grin.
I scoffed. “You’d think I was dragging him to the dentist. Not that we’ve ever been to one, but you know what I mean.”
She laughed. “I tell you what. There’s a new night club here that opened a month ago. I’ve been meaning to get Chris to go with me. Why don’t we check it out tomorrow night?”
“It’s a date. I left most of my clothes in L.A. though, so you’ll have to go shopping with me tomorrow. I’m in the mood for something slinky.”
“Ow. Stop twisting my arm,” she said with a pretend grimace. “And I know just the place.”
“Perfect.”
She glanced around. “Do you think we should stay here until Lia’s parents arrive?”
“Wouldn’t hurt to hang out for a while,” I said.
Beth tilted her head toward the two Vrell boys who were still standing by my sword. “I think you made some fans today. Maybe you can teach them a few moves while we wait.”
I looked from the boys to her and let out a breath. “Only if you agree to be my assistant.”
“I’d love to.” She grinned wickedly. “Let’s go teach these boys how to kick some ass.”
Chapter 7
Approaching the command center, I clicked the new fob on my keychain that activated one of the bay doors. As soon as the door was high enough, Beth and I rode inside and parked our bikes. I hit the button, making the door come down again.
I pulled off my helmet and smoothed down my hair, trying to figure out why I suddenly felt out of sorts again. In addition to occasional bouts of light-headedness, I’d also started getting these weird mood swings in increasing frequency. One minute I was fine, and the next I was cranky and irritable. I hoped I didn’t have to deal with these until the bond completely dissolved.
“It was really nice of you to offer to give self-defense lessons at the wrakk,” Beth said as she dismounted her Harley. “Lem and Jal already idolize you, and I think some of the adults do, too.”
I shrugged. “It was more fun than I expected it to be, and I figure I might as well do some good as long as I’m here.”
“And how long do you plan to be here?” she asked for the umpteenth time.
“Long enough for you to get sick of me.”
“Never!”
I laughed, and we started toward the kitchen, where we were most likely to find Sara. The door to the control room opened, and Nikolas stepped out followed by Chris.
Suddenly, my Mori started to go haywire.
A second later, I found out what was wrong with my Mori when a third person came into view. I stopped walking abruptly as my stomach clenched. “What the hell is he doing here?”
Beth’s gaze followed mine, and it took her all of two seconds to figure out who our visitor was. “Oh my, is that Hamid?” she asked in a hushed voice.
I think I answered her. My mind was racing, and I thought about hopping on my bike and getting the hell out of there. But I didn’t move as Hamid strode toward me with long purposeful strides.
I glared to let him know exactly what I thought of him showing up here. Had I not made it clear enough that I wanted nothing more to do with him? He didn’t want the bond either, so what was he thinking coming here without warning me? He had to know that distance was essential to dissolve this thing.
“What are you doing here, Hamid?” I bit out. “Shouldn’t you be in Los Angeles heading up the investigation?”
“You and I need to talk,” he said without his usual gruffness.
“I’m pretty sure we said all we needed to say before I left.” I swallowed dryly. This non-scowling side of him was throwing me off kilter. It didn’t help that my Mori was practically doing flips at having him there.
“There’s been a new development.”
I frowned. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I will explain when we talk.” He waved at the small exit door. “We can do it outside or in the office.”
“What?” I stared at him as heat suffused me.
“Where would you prefer to talk?” he asked, and there was no mistaking the gleam of amusement in his eyes.
“Outside.” I wanted to take no chances of my friends overhearing a word of this conversation.
I spun on my heel and walked briskly to the door, wanting to get this over with. I’d been having such a good day. Leave it to Hamid to ruin it for me.
I exited the building and walked a dozen paces away from the door before I turned to face Hamid, who had followed me. He was watching me silently with an almost apologetic look in his eyes. My stomach knotted with apprehension. Hamid never apologized, especially to me.
“Alright, spit it out. What is so important that you had to come here to talk to me?”
He walked toward me, stopping a few feet away. His nearness was unsettling, but I stood my ground, not wanting to reveal that he had any effect on me. There was no denying the physical attraction I had for him, which had only intensified with the bond. But it was the warmth in my chest that really threw me. There was no way I was happy to see him. Not unless hell had frozen over and no one had bothered to tell me.
“Orias has been doing more tests on me as part of his study of the demon’s magic,” Hamid said. “Last night, he made a discovery that complicates things.”
“If you mean the magic isn’t going away like he said it would, I already know that.” Sara had been checking daily to see if the magic was still there, and according to her, it hadn’t faded at all since I arrived.
“It’s more than that.” He exhaled slowly, looking almost reluctant to continue. “The magic he detected isn’t remnants of the two spells. According to Orias, when you and I got caught in the crossfire, we became a part of the new spell that sealed the tear in the barrier.”