Chapter 2

• I stood there staring at Davis, some creeper named Herman, and some big sweaty, bald guy whose name I couldn’t remember. The bald one stood there watching the other two walk around the room waving their hands in the air. Usually, I was the strangest person in the room. I mean I could do magic, and that just wasn’t something you ran around telling people. These guys here were mages and aside from waving their arms around like they were guiding planes to land…I really didn’t know what it was they could do.
• I glanced out the window and left them to do their thing in the bedroom. They’d already done their little dance in the hall and bathroom. I decided I was wasting my time watching and hoping they’d do something to jazz me. We’d crossed over last night and after I threw up, I realized we’d actually teleported. To where? No idea. A tiny little house in the middle of nowhere, was all I knew.
• When my brain wasn’t throbbing from staying connected to Leone, I’d have to find out a lot more about that. Imagine being able to get from one end of the city to the other without riding buses or subways full of people crammed together. Wouldn’t that be something?
• Lifting my arm, I looked at the strange watch thing they’d told me to keep on. When I asked what would happen if I didn’t, they told me ‘bad things’, so I was wearing it.
• “Are you sure he’s coming out this morning?”
• Davis practically yelled in my ear. Scared the crap out of me. I turned and stepped back, putting some space between us. “Yes. He’ll be up shortly.”
• He nodded like a bobble-head. “Good. Draw him to you, then we’ll sedate him to get him inside.”
• “And then what?” I watched the other two go out to the kitchen.
• “Don’t worry about that. All you have to do is stay here with him until we call you with the time for the trade.”
• I crossed my arms over my chest. “How am I supposed to make him stay here?”
• He waved me off like I was an idiot. “He won’t be able to leave the house.”
• My brain was prodding me to ask more, but right now I just wanted to get away from these guys. “I’m going outside to find somewhere to get comfortable before he wakes up.”
• “Fine, fine. Just let us know when he’s close.”
• I watched him go to the kitchen. Shaking my head, I went out the door and then stopped and looked around. Endless fields, no matter what direction I looked. Turning I started walking to the one and only tree beside the house. Whoever lived here, they clearly didn’t like people—or anything.
• Sitting down, I leaned back against the rough bark and tried to relax. Staying tethered to Leone since we’d teleported had been a lot easier. I don’t know where he lived, but he was much closer than before.
• “Okay, Leone, time to wake up. Let’s get this done so we can both get back to our regularly scheduled lives.”
• Not that I had a phenomenal life to return to. After bailing on my job when Erin was taken, I was definitely unemployed—which was no big deal. Being a cashier at the supermarket wasn’t exactly my dream job. I had two weeks to come up with rent or Erin and I were homeless. Our one-and-a-half-bedroom apartment wasn’t the Ritz, but it was a roof over our heads. The creativity of calling a one bedroom with a room the size of a closet a one and half bedroom still got me.
• I blew out a breath to focus. Maybe Leone’s life was a little more interesting than mine. Closing my eyes, I reached for him. Suggesting he should wake up now. It was a beautiful day today. Perfect weather. Great time to get out for some fresh air…
• I stood in the door listening to the commotion. Something crashed and hit the floor. I cringed at another sound that sounded like a yelp of pain.
• “Did you give him the proper dose?” The bald one asked, sounding like he was doing some serious straining.
• To me, it sounded like they were wrestling. Then again Leone turned out to be some kind of giant. I hadn’t expected that at all. His thoughts and persona, internally, didn’t come off as some sort of he-man body-builder.
• “I gave him a full dose.” That was Davis.
• “Give him….” Creeper dude grunted, “more.”
• Hurried footsteps echoed the hall. Davis came running into the room and opened his bag. He glanced at me, a panicked look on his face. “Come and help us.”
• I jolted like he’d slapped me. “Do what? Get trampled by a giant when I get in the way?” I’d always felt like my body had forgotten to grow. At five feet tall, there was no way I was going to try to help them ‘tame the beast’.
• He filled a syringe from the little bottle. “No. I’m going to give him more sedative. We need a sample of his blood.”
• “For?” Warning bells were chiming in my head again.
• “Proof it’s him we have.”
• As far as proof went, that was solid. I guess the one thing you can’t fake would be someone’s blood.
• He held out a small vial and another needle. “Take these, stay out of the way until he’s more compliant.”
• I snorted as I took them. “Good luck with that.” I was really feeling like this was a bad plan, but still followed him to the bedroom.
• The room was wrecked from the four of them wrestling. Leone had been groggy when they carried him in, but he was wide awake now.
• I stood in the door as the three of them tried to hold him still so Davis could drug him again.
• Baldy went flying into a wall as Leone snarled and shoved him with one arm. The Herman guy was trying to hold his other arm, unsuccessfully. Leone raised it up and Herman’s feet left the floor, as he dangled from it.
• If this was the drugged version of this man, how many did it take when he was alert? My mouth was probably hanging open—but seriously this guy was a brute.
• Using his shoulder, Leone knocked Davis back again. Swinging he caught Baldy in the jaw. I stood there, eyes wide, waiting to see if he hit the floor from the force of that blow.
• “Bastard, Davis,” Leone growled.
• Davis had gotten close enough to stab him and empty the contents of the syringe into him.
• A few seconds later, Leone shook his head like he was trying to clear it. The three men dove on him and down he went. The cracking of the little table by the bed filled the silence in the room.
• “Now.” Davis looked over his shoulder at me.
• I rushed in and held out the needle to him. There was no way I was sticking that in anyone.
• Leone moaned and tied to swing his arm, but it ended up giving Davis the access he needed when Herman grabbed on and held it.
• Leone kicked out when Davis started to draw his blood, I stepped back further.
• Getting up, Davis came over. “Here.” He nodded to the vial I held.
• I pulled the stopper and held it out for him. He started emptying the blood into it. Leone kicked out again and bumped Davis, who squirted blood on my hand.
• “Uh, watch it with the bodily fluids.” I handed him the vial and wiped my hand on my jeans. Looking around him, the other two were lifting the rest of Leone’s body onto the small bed. He didn’t exactly fit. “Now what?” I looked back to Davis who stood looking at the vial of blood.
• “He can’t leave the area from the bathroom to the bedroom, so all you have to do is watch and feed him.”
• I nodded. “I can do that.” I looked at Leone and again and the feelings of guilt started to hit me. “How-how long do you think?”
• Davis glanced to Baldy and then looked back to me. “We’re supposed to give them two days to panic and try to find him, then deliver the message and blood.”
• “Try to find him? What if they do?” My heart was beating so hard inside my chest I felt like a cartoon character-where you could see it beating.
• “Don’t worry,” Herman said pushing past us, “this house is so well cloaked even people that know it’s here can’t find it.”
• I followed him. “Does that wear off?” This would teach me for not asking questions before I agreed to do things. If the people looking for Leone were even half the size he was… I would not stand a chance.
• He shook his head, then stopped and shrugged. “In about fifty years.”
• I smirked, feeling relieved. “Okay. So-so, two days, no biggie.”
• Baldy came in wiping the sweat off his face. “Kitchen is fully stocked for you. We’ll call you as soon as we have a time.”
• They headed to the door.
• “Okay. See you in a few days.”
• They left without another word.