“I’d say you do,” she said. “Your shifter friend left shortly before you arrived. Off to find you and warn you, I suppose.”
“He needed the rest,” I said. “Why would he do that?”
“He’s got a fondness for you, I can sense it,” she said.
A cuckoo clock chimed and the little bird popped in and out, chirping with an annoying sense of alarm.
Shelly tensed. “You have to go now. Someone’s coming again. They must have followed you here.”
She walked back to the front door. “You’re being sloppy, Skylar. You father taught you better.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek. I could do better. “I’m sorry, Shelly.”
“No time for that now.” She opened her front door. Instead of the parking lot, there was another room.
“What the?” I blinked a few times, trying to make out the new room I could see through the door.
“It’s a portal,” Elias said. “Your friend has a gift.”
“You don’t think I’ve stayed alive all these years because of my healing abilities alone?” Shelly said with a grin. “Come on, everyone through.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. “I am so glad you’re on our side.”
“This is it, though,” she said. “I can give you this place to use, but I can’t help anymore. It’s too risky.”
“I understand,” I said. “Thank you.”
I walked through the portal, Elias behind me. We turned back to face Shelly who was still standing in her townhouse.
“Be careful, Skylar,” she said.
“We will,” I said.
She started to close the door and I stepped forward, blocking the progress. “Can I ask one last favor?”
She waited quietly.
“When Xander returns, can you send him here if he wants to join us? I didn’t even get to tell him what happened,” I said.
She nodded. “I’ll send him.”
“Thank you, Shelly.” I smiled as she closed the door. The path I was on was dangerous and I owed Shelly a debt I’d likely never repay. I could keep her out of it, though. That was the least I could do for the gift she’d given us.
I looked around the room. We were in what appeared to be a tiny apartment. Right now, we stood in the center of a simple living room with an old tan couch and a bookcase filled with average looking books. There was a shriveled plant on the windowsill and the coffee table was covered in dust. She clearly hadn’t been here for a while.
I walked to the window and peeked out into the sunlight. In the distance, I could make out the crumbling smokestacks and derelict buildings. “We’re in Dead Man’s Alley?”
“Probably the safest place we could be,” Elias said. “They’re more likely to think we’d flee than stay in the center of our enemies.”
“Enemies,” I said, the word hanging heavy in my chest. “The vampires, of course. But don’t forget the demons. And maybe even the shifters. Why not, right? Oh, yeah, and the royal vampires, I’m sure they’re going to be after us now too.”
“It’s going to be okay, Skylar,” Elias said.
The whole room seemed to be spinning, my pulse racing as the realization of what we were up against seemed to grow more insane by the minute. “How is this going to be okay?”
“Skylar…” Elias winced, grabbing his chest with his hand. He stumbled forward, managing to make it to the wall for support.
All worry about the looming crisis ceased, completely replaced by concern for Elias. I ran to him. “What’s wrong?”