Page 12

12

JAMES

"Why isn't Will back?" I demand of Hank.

He shrugs. "Why does Will do anything? It's who he is." He kicks back and takes another bite out of his sandwich. "Don’t stress it. He’ll be back soon."

I chew on my lip, trying to work out what the sense of doom in my gut is all about. Something is wrong, and I don't know what it is. The events of the last few days tell me either Callie or Will could be in trouble. Luckily, or unluckily for us, they’re together right now.

At least, they should be. He followed her to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. Which means they could both be in a lot of trouble.

"Do you think they're okay?" I ask Hank.

"Yes," he says, sounding unconcerned.

Is he really not worried? How the hell is he so calm? This isn’t like him.

"He said if he wasn't back by one to assume the witches got him," I say, looking at the clock that shows that was nearly two hours ago.

"He's a grown man." Hank sighs, but his fingers are tapping on his knee, a tell-tale sign he isn’t nearly as unconcerned as he wants me to think. "He can take care of himself. He’s one of the most powerful beings I know."

"A grown man with witches after him," I point out. "And have you seen Callie come home?"

That worries me more than it should, too. She didn't tell us what she was going to do once we'd had breakfast, but having known her for the brief amount of time I have, I can almost guarantee it's something that'll put us in danger.

"Maybe they decided to stop and 'have a shag' somewhere." He mocks me. His fake British accent is actually pretty good.

"Please don't use the word shag." I shudder.

"Then stop reacting to it." He smiles to show he’s teasing me.

I don’t laugh. This isn’t the time for it, and Hank’s odd behavior is starting to worry me. "You haven't answered the question," I point out. "Has Callie come home?"

He frowns, and he’s tapping his knee again. "No, I don't think so. But she'll be fine if Will is with her."

I glare at him. "Is that right?"

He doesn’t answer, just goes back to eating his damn sandwich.

Hank drives me nuts sometimes. He thinks I overreact to things, but the truth is he underreacts. Our best friend is being hunted by witches and hasn’t checked in all day. It’s not exactly far-fetched that something could’ve happened to him.

I take my phone out and pull up Will's number. If he’s having some alone time with Callie then it'll be no big deal, and I can leave them to it, even if I will feel a little jealous. But if not...

"I'm going to call him again," I announce.

"You do that." Hank turns back to his sandwich, and I'm not sure whether to be annoyed or reassured by his nonchalance, even if it is odd. He does know Will better than I do, after all. They’ve been friends for years.

I hit the dial button and listen to the tone, waiting for him to pick up and tell me to piss off. I want him to answer. I'm verging on desperate for him to.

When his voicemail picks up, I shut off the phone. "No answer," I say needlessly. Hank can quite easily figure that out by the fact that I'm not talking to Will right now.

"Maybe they're fucking after all," he mutters, jealousy clouding his eyes.

He's not the only one who feels that way. I don't like the idea of Will stealing time with Callie any more than he does.

I stand there, mulling over my options and only coming to one conclusion. "I have to go out."

"Alright." Hank frowns at me, clearly confused. I don't answer the unspoken question, and not because I’m in too much of a hurry. "James, listen. I’ve known Will for a long time. He’s gone underground, or he’s with Callie. Either way, he’s fine. I’m not worried yet."

"Something is pushing me to find them, and I don’t know why, but I have to." I shove my hands in my pockets and start to walk to the door.

"Just keep an eye on your phone, will ya? I don't want to have to fight a fire on my own," he calls after me.

I chuckle. "As if you couldn't."

"I didn't say I couldn't , just that I didn't want to," he points out.

"Alright, I'll keep checking it. I'll be back soon." Though I don't know if that's going to be the case. I know it won't take me long to track down the person I want, but getting information out of them, that's a lot harder.

"And I’ll be here. Waiting for Will to show up like he always does. I’ll call you when he arrives."

For some reason, I get the feeling Hank is telling me that to reassure himself more than me. A final sliver of the Hank I know rather than the man of the past ten minutes. "Thanks."

The sun beats down from above, warming my skin and reminding me I need to take better care of myself. My kind needs to have regular basking time, or we'll get lethargic or slow. Not that I'm like the rest of my kind. Or that they care.

I make my way to the Seaside Shack in record time. There's a lot on the line, and I don't want to put anyone's life at risk that I don't have to. I'm not even sure what's brought me here, other than a rock in the pit of my stomach that this place will have the answers.

The floorboards creak under my feet as I walk in, but I know that's me projecting the atmosphere of the place into the way I'm walking.

Unfortunately, it isn't Mel behind the bar.

This day just got a lot worse.

"James," Delilah hisses.

"Hey." I pull up a stool and sit on it. "Where's Mel?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "That's all you're going to give me?"

"You told me never to talk to you about anything ever again," I point out, trying not to rehash the way she screamed it at me.

"With good reason."

"Can we leave the past in the past?" I ask. If it's completely up to me, I wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. I came to see Mel, not Delilah. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I shouldn't be. There are far more important things I could be doing." She crosses her arms across her chest.

My eyes don't even flicker down. They would have, once, when I thought we were going to end up together for a long time.

She sighs and leans against the bar. " He wanted to see Mel," she says.

I chuckle darkly despite the worry for Will and Callie that’s made itself known inside me. And how can I not be worried? I know first-hand how ruthless the witches can be. "Of course he does; she wouldn't leave the bar for anyone less than the king." I try to keep the bitterness out of my voice. I don't want Delilah thinking it's because I'm secretly in love with Mel or something. I don't even know the woman very well beyond her being one of the king’s favorites. Or she used to be. Since she's now tending the bar here and taking trades for human lives, I doubt she's quite the favorite she once was.

"What do you want, James? I know you don't want back in."

"How can you possibly know that? I might have decided to come join you again." I shrug, trying to play it as if I'm interested despite the fact I'm not. I wouldn't go back there if someone paid me to.

It's her turn to laugh. "If you wanted in, you wouldn't have helped that fire mage against Mel's golem."

I stiffen. How does she know about Will?

"Please, he goes around town strutting and showing off. Everyone knows what he is."

"I didn't say anything." The statement is pointless. Delilah is a strong empath and can probably guess the direction of my thoughts just from what she can sense off of me. "Do you know where he is?"

"No. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"I don't understand why you stay with them," I whisper.

She sucks in a sharp breath and glances around the empty bar. "Don't say stuff like that around here," she hisses.

"Then tell me why you do?" It’s something I’ve always wondered. She's not a bad person. Or she wasn't when I knew her. I hope our breakup didn't lead to her turning away from a non-evil life.

"You know why not. It's safer to be part of them than not. You and your firefighters are playing with fire by staying unaffiliated. And don't think he doesn't know you're in town just because you avoid the pub."

"I expect him to know exactly where I am," I say firmly. At least a small part of me is relying on him knowing, so he'll leave Will and Hank alone. Those two don't deserve the punishment the current witch-king brings down on people who work against him.

"Then you should know to get out of town," she points out. "Don't waste time sitting around. Pack your bags and get out."

"I heard this town used to be nice." I'm aware I'm making idle chitchat rather than progress, but if she's going to tell me anything, I need to get her to relax a little bit.

"It did. Now, it's not. Get used to it or go away, James." Her voice cracks, and I know I'm starting to get through to her. They're fools if they think putting her behind the bar is a good idea. Delilah's problem has always been that she's too kind-hearted. She doesn't want to play by their rules, even if she tries to.

"Tell me where Will is?" I ask.

"Fine. If I do, will you get out of here?"

"That depends on what you tell me."

"You can't get involved," she reminds me.

"Alright, I promise not to get involved." The lie is thick on my tongue, but I have to say it. If not, she won't tell me. There's a chance she won't anyway, but I'm going to risk it.

"Mel said he came in here earlier and picked up a girl."

My heart nearly stops. "What kind of girl?"

"How should I know? I wasn't here." She shrugs.

"Delilah..."

"Mel said pretty and blonde."

Callie .

Heat rolls inside me, heating me from the center of my being, even though I haven't been out in the sun enough. "And what happened then?" I ask.

"Paul."

The name hangs between us, with all the knowledge that comes with it.

"Thank you, Delilah." I mean every word.

I turn to the door and prepare to walk away.

"You're not going to leave this alone, are you?" she says to my retreating back.

I still, then twist around to face her. "No, I'm not. But I won't tell anyone you helped."

She flashes me a weak smile, one I know means she hopes I won’t but wouldn’t blame me if I tell. That's the world of the witches here. I should know. I lived in their community before I found Will and Hank.

But as frustrating as that is sometimes, it’s going to help me today. Because I know where the witches like to keep people when they torture them. And the little dance studio is down the street, close enough that I’ll hopefully reach them before anything too horrible can happen.

I leave the bar and jog down Main Street. A loud crackling sound assaults my ears, and I know what it is before I see it. Speeding up into a run, I spot the little flower shop and stop dead in my tracks.

Because the building I’m sure Will and Callie are in is standing in front of me, with flames licking out the window. Holy hell, they decided to kill him. He finally pushed them too far. No, Will couldn’t die by fire, but when the roof caves in, he’ll be done for.

And then there’s Callie...

I pull my phone out of my pocket and hit Hank's number as I run toward it.

"Hank, I need the fire truck," I say the moment he picks up.

"You can't use the firetruck whenever you want," he mumbles.

"How about when a building on Main Street is on fire?" I can't tear my eyes away from it.

"Then you need the firetruck." He sounds more alert now, and I'm grateful for it.

"See you in five?"

"It will take me a minute longer without you guys here." I hear him starting to move around the station, getting things ready to go.

"Alright. But I think Will and Callie are inside. I'm going in."

Silence meets my statement, probably Hank weighing up the pros and cons of me doing just that. I won't die from the fire, and he knows that, but it doesn't mean I can't be killed by the other problems fire brings. Like falling bricks and beams.

The same weaknesses as Will, even though we’re not the same.

"Fine, but be careful."

I hit the end-call button and take a deep breath, barely even noticing that Hank didn't ask how I know Will and Callie are inside. That's probably for the best. The other two don't know about my past, and I want to keep it that way.