20. Lighthouse of Horrors

TWENTY

lighthouse of horrors

"June, we need you, Michael, and Brayden to come with us." Amelia moves closer as the lycan shift back into human form. "It's not safe for Brayden to be out here."

"What the hell do you mean?" Michael spews. "This is the first time I've ever felt unsafe while being in New Orleans."

"Believe me, sir. We're not the danger." Topher moves closer.

June pulls a phone from her purse. "I'm calling the cops."

"Don't do that, June," Fran says, moving closer to the young family. She steps in front of the mother, placing a hand on her arm and looking her in the eyes. "Put your phone away. The police won't help you." June follows the directions of Fran's calming voice .

Fran smiles. "Good. You and Michael go back to your hotel room."

"Not without Brayden," Michael interrupts.

"Brayden's going to stay with us for a few days."

"Fran, are you sure this is a good idea?" Amelia whispers.

"No, but they're not going to let him go willingly."

Brayden steps between his parents and the team of paranormal creatures. "Why am I in danger?"

"You have a gift, Brayden. A gift that someone wants very badly. Alex has a gift, too," Fran continues.

"What gift?"

"You heard Thorne speak in his mind yesterday, and you have the ability to raise and lower shields," I answer honestly, trying not to waste any time.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're special, and if your ability is enhanced by becoming one of us, there is no limit to your ability."

"You people are insane," Michael continues. "You can't take our son."

Brayden turns toward his parents. "No, Dad. They're right."

"What?" he continues. "You can't be serious."

"You know I've always been weird. These people are telling the truth. I can sense it."

"Brayden, you're eight years old. You don't have the mental fortitude to make a decision like this. We… I won't allow it," Michael continues .

"Then you have one option." Brayden stands straighter as he speaks. "You can come with me and let these people protect me, or you can go home and let these people protect me. Either way, I'm staying with them until the danger has passed."

"Like hell you are. You're coming—" Michael starts.

I move in front of him, interrupting his words, while Fran does the same to June. "Michael, we are not going to hurt your son."

"You are not going to hurt my son," he repeats.

"He's already been discovered by the woman who took Alex, and there is no doubt that she will come after Brayden, too."

Michael repeats my words, his pupils dilated, while Fran convinces June. When we're finished, they resemble zombies, waiting for their next meal.

"What did you do to them?" Brayden asks.

"It's called compulsion," I answer truthfully. "We're simply…"

"Making them think something different," he answers.

"Yes."

Brayden looks back at his parents. "I can do that, too." Fran and I share a look.

"We need to get you somewhere safe," Micah says as he and Luna move to our sides.

Brayden turns toward his parents. "Mom, Dad. We're going with them now." Michael and June nod like good little zombies and begin following our scantily dressed crowd out of the zoo.

"Alex?" I call through our connection, praying he'll respond. I'm met with silence on the other end. My mind reels over who the woman who smells like sulfur is. Anger fills me at the thought of Patrice or this woman hurting the boy I've grown to love.

Ten minutes later, Topher pulls our mode of transportation to a stop in front of a typical French Quarter home. Decorative metal fencing lines the perfectly manicured yard. Topher pushes a button, forcing the fence open and revealing an oversized garage.

"Your family can stay here until the threat is over," Amelia says, climbing out of the SUV.

We usher the family inside, through the secured entrance. The house is beautifully decorated and, like all of the ones we've been inside since being here, reminds me of a decorator magazine. "Your rooms are this way," Fran leads them upstairs.

"What the hell are we going to do with them?" Luna whisper-yells. "They're human in case no one noticed!"

"We couldn't leave Brayden out there," Amelia answers. "Have you heard from Alex?" She looks at me as she asks.

"Not since the zoo."

"Dammit. What was he thinking?" Luna asks. "I can't decide if he was being brave or stupid."

"He was thinking that someone needed to follow her, and he's the one she was least likely to kill." Anger fills my voice, thinking about the boy who sacrificed his safety for us.

Topher lays a large map on the dining room table. "I've been thinking." He moves to one side of the paper. "Alex said Patrice was in the water. Aside from being on a ship, which the Coast Guard would've found by now, she has to be on land somewhere." He points to a tiny dot halfway between the bay and the Gulf. "This is the only place large enough to hold anything. It's a lighthouse that was built during the Civil War and used to keep Union soldiers from moving into the city."

I move to his side. "You think this is where she is?"

Topher shrugs. "It makes sense." He looks around the room. "That's where I'd go."

"We can't just take a boat and demand that she gives us the kids back." Luna crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Luna's right. We need a plan," I agree.

Fran sets a laptop on top of the map. "These are the original blueprints for the lighthouse. The house next to the lighthouse was built to house the keeper and his family. There'll be a large room on the bottom floor and bedrooms on these floors." She points at two rooms above the main room. "If she's there, Patrice will most likely have the children in the bedrooms."

"Patrice is strong, but with the children's help, we can overtake her." Micah crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"You all are forgetting something important. We can't get close without her recognizing our energy," I add to the conversation.

"Not if you take me," a young voice says from the landing of the stairs. "Sorry, I was eavesdropping. Mom says it's a bad habit."

"Brayden, we can't take you. You're human, and…"

"Is Alex there?"

I nod. "We think so."

"Then I'm willing to risk it." He nods his head toward Luna. "She can protect me."

Luna laughs. "Although I look tough, I'm young and no match for Patrice. You'd be the one she'd be after."

"How would you be able to hide us?" I ask, ignoring Luna's words.

Brayden shrugs. "I don't know. Like I did at the zoo, I guess."

"Do you know how you do that?"

"I imagine a big clear shell and place it on top of whatever I don't want to hear, or I guess, what I don't want to hear me."

"Is that what you did at the zoo?" Micah asks.

"Not on purpose. Sometimes it happens without me realizing it."

"Can you do it now?" Topher asks the young boy.

Brayden closes his eyes, and the lycan and vampire energy disappears in an instant. It's like I'm standing alone in the middle of a silent room.

"Holy shit," Amelia whispers. "I don't feel any of you. Even Topher's energy is gone. We could leave him on the boat?—"

"No," I interrupt. "We will not put him at risk."

"You, Thorne, and I can go into the lighthouse, the lycan can stay on the boat to protect the boy," she continues.

"You can't be serious. What if this were Edon?" My words are harsh, causing Amelia to recoil.

"I want to go," Brayden continues. "If I come close to dying, one of you can turn me into a vampire or a wolf, if it works like that."

I huff a laugh. "That's not a solution, Brayden."

"Elsie!" Alex's faint voice calls through our connection. "Thorne? Can you guys hear me?"

"Alex is talking." I hush the crowd.

"We're at a lighthouse in the middle of the water."

"We know where you are. We're coming, Alex." I turn toward the group. "You were right. She took him to the lighthouse."

"Keep him talking," Amelia says. "Fran?"

"I'll stay with Edon and Brayden's parents. I always miss the excitement." Fran looks annoyed.

"Alex, we're on our way."

"Elsie, the woman is strong. She's stronger than Patrice."

"Who is she?"

Alex pauses before answering. "Autumn says her name is Samirah."

"Bitch!" I yell out loud .

"What are you not telling us?" Topher asks.

"Samirah's there, too," Thorne fills in the blank.

Fran looks around the room. "Who is Samirah? I feel like y'all are dropping names like raindrops at this point."

Thorne and I share a look. "Samirah was a friend of mine," Thorne says without looking up. "She's from Savannah. I helped her and a few others out of a bind a few years back. They returned the favor by helping us retrieve Elsie from Kragen."

"Why is it a bad thing that she's with Patrice?" Fran continues.

"Samirah betrayed us," I add. "Turns out she was working with Kragen the entire time. The only reason she'd be there is because of him. That son of a bitch has his hands in everything. Seems like nothing's changed. She's still working with him." I resist the urge to glare at Thorne.

"Am I the only one thinking clearly?" Luna raises her hand from the side of the table. "We still don't have a plan. If Samirah's there, you're going to need us to get off the damn boat."

"Dammit." I slam my hand on the table, knocking a piece of antique wood to the floor. "We'll have the boat leave with Brayden after we get there. By that time, it won't matter

if we have a shield or not." Amelia takes control of the situation. "When we get inside, we don't leave either of them alive. "

We load the SUV, leaving Fran in charge of Edon and Brayden's family. "I'll have a boat waiting for you at the dock by the Riverwalk," her voice echoes through the speakers as we pull away from the curb. "Make sure Brayden puts the shield up before you board the boat. We'll wait for him at the docks when the boat returns."

"Thank you, Fran. We'll keep in touch." Topher hangs up the phone. "That's only a mile or so away. As soon as we get there, can you put up your shield?" Topher asks the human boy.

"Yes, sir."

The Alpha pulls the SUV to a stop in the middle of the road, blocking traffic in the already congested area. We unload, running toward the dock. I wrap my arm around Brayden, helping him keep up with the rest of us. "Put the shield up," I remind him as we run.

"Already done," Brayden answers.

Just as Fran promised, a center console fishing boat is docked at the pier. We load without slowing down just as an older man steps out from behind the wheel. "Howdy, folks. Seems you're in a hurry." He laughs.

"Whatever she promised you, I'll double it if you can get us to the lighthouse quickly." Amelia moves in front of the man.

"That's not necessary," he laughs. "I have to follow all the maritime rules."

"Triple," Amelia offers.

The man smiles. "Y'all might want to sit down and put a life jacket on the boy." He moves us out of the marina slowly, then pushes the boat to its limit once we're clear. "Hang on."

"This is fun!" Brayden exclaims as we bounce along the rough water of the Mississippi River.

"Don't let the shield down," Amelia warns from the other side.

He nods.

"It's right up there," our captain says as we fly through the water. He's gone from wanting to obey the rules to a wild man behind the wheel.

"We're almost there, Alex," I send through my mind.

"You're going to have to swim," he answers.

"We can't. Brayden's with us."

"You brought him? Why?"

"He's our shield."

"Patrice will hear the boat." Disappointment sounds through his voice.

The glow of the lighthouse is visible, even during the day. "We need to slow down!" I yell toward our captain. "We want to surprise the people we're coming to visit."

The man slows the boat down to a no-wake speed as our trek toward the lighthouse slows to a crawl. "Everyone quiet," I whisper. "Brayden, whatever happens, don't let that shield down." Nodding toward the small door under the center console. "Climb inside and hide. Don't come out until you're back at the marina and not for anyone except Fran. Do you understand? "

"Yes, ma'am." He climbs through the door, hiding underneath a large tarp.

"Go straight to the marina." Amelia warns the captain. "A woman will meet you with your money and will take the boy."

He silently brings the boat to a stop along a narrow dock leading to the rocky terrain of the lighthouse. The six of us exit the boat, moving toward the tall building.

Brayden's shield is still in place as the boat silently moves away from the dock and back toward the city. I can't feel any energy other than my own, which means the shield is still in range. We're almost to the entrance when his shield releases, sending a rush of energy straight into my body. I've gone from feeling nothing to being overwhelmed by energy in less than a breath.

The door opens, and Patrice exits with hands propped on her hips. "Well, hello there. I wondered when you'd show up." She looks at our group. "Oh, you brought friends!"