CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

“IF THEY’VE TAKEN her alive they would have taken her to Hell,” Ethan said.

“What’s Hell?” I asked after seeing the dismal faces around me. It was as if I was missing a vital piece of the puzzle that everyone else already had.

“The Rain headquarters in New York is down in Chelsea, near Hell’s Kitchen,” Clay explained. “There used to be a running joke that any creatures taken there were being sent to Hell.”

Ethan’s initial meeting with Fiona had gone better than any of us could have hoped for, probably because he was old enough to remember her when she’d left. He’d recognized her almost immediately, even down to the sound of her voice. With Clay and me backing up her word, he didn’t accuse her of being a doppelganger like Clay had. In fact, he was so accepting that Fiona seemed more comfortable around him almost instantly. Then again, it only made sense—it was easier to relax when not threatened with an axe.

After Fiona had told him of Mackenzie’s disappearance and her suspicions that the Rain was involved, Fiona’s most trusted guards had been called to join the meeting and Ethan fell into strategy mode. He was a master planner and seemed to guess all of the moves the Rain would have made so far, or possibly he was simply listing the moves he would have made.

“Where do you think she’d be in Bayview?” Clay asked.

“What’s Bayview?” I asked, feeling like I was still on a different page to everyone else.

“It’s a prison,” Clay said.

“Not anymore,” Ethan corrected. “It’s the Bayview Hotel now.”

“Since when?” Clay asked.

“A few years ago.” After answering his brother, his focus shifted to me, the only one in the room who didn’t know all the details. “It’s the latest front for the Rain. For years, it was a prison that accepted all sorts of nonhuman prisoners alongside the regular ones. The prisoners were ones who needed restraining until they could be interrogated or killed. Some creatures are extraordinarily difficult to destroy, and it can take days or even weeks to find their weaknesses. Others are so unique, we need to find out what—” He stopped when he saw my horror-struck expression.

A shudder raced through me. That could have been me.

Clay had said the Rain had tried to kidnap me when I was young. Kidnap, not kill. I could only imagine the tortures they would have subjected me to had they succeeded. I said another silent thank you to Dad for spending so much of his life trying to keep me out of their hands.

Ethan directed his attention away from me and toward the rest of the group. “Running the prisons and keeping the external teams on the road was extraordinarily expensive. For years, the Rain received government grants and private donations, which, combined with training us field agents in credit card fraud and other money gathering techniques, were enough to fund everything. These days, people don’t believe in monsters, so they’re not willing to help finance the protection of the human race. That and with the failing economy, the government doesn’t have the black holes available to siphon money our way like they have in the past.

“The same issues happened all across the world, and for a while it looked like we would have to stop doing the good we do. That was, until a few years ago, when one of the bean counters realized that we had a way to make money right under our noses. They’ve been slowly reconfiguring our prisons and converting them into part luxurious five-star hotels, part prison ever since. The first ones were in Europe, as a trial run, but they were such a success it’s been implemented all over now. The tourists lap up the “historical” angle of sleeping in an old prison, even paying a premium for it, and we get to keep a few key rooms on selected floors as holding cells. It was a win-win. In the end, it provided us with enough money to fund anything we needed, including actually increasing our presence worldwide.”

“And no one notices the prisoners coming and going?” I asked, feeling a little dubious that they could sneak a creature like the wendigo into a luxury hotel without someone noticing.

“They usually get taken up via service elevators but they never leave,” Ethan said. “At least, not alive. Or whole.”

Fiona gave a sharp intake of breath, and Clay tensed and shifted in his seat beside me. Aiden’s gaze cut to me, as if to assess my reaction.

The implications of Ethan’s words seeped through my mind and my hands caused the material on the arm of Fiona’s couch to start smoking. I lifted my hand away quickly, casting her an apologetic grimace, but she simply shook her head, gesturing not to worry about the damage.

Ethan shrugged. “There is nowhere else they would have the protections they need to keep her in and possible rescuers out.”

Clay laid his hand on my knee. “You don’t have to come with us; Eth and I can handle it alone.”

“No way,” I said.

“Don’t even think about it,” Aiden said angrily at the same time. “Mackenzie is our family; we’re going to be there to help you too.”

“You can’t,” Ethan said. “The whole place is set up with anti-fae protections. They were built into the prison bars and most of them were kept when it was converted into a hotel. In addition to the measures built in by our forefathers, there is also a range of sophisticated equipment that constantly scans for nonhuman indicators. To be honest, I don’t even think you’ll be able to come, Evie.”

“I’m not letting you two go into that place alone.”

“Us either,” Aiden said. “Surely there must be some way of getting us in?”

“In theory, we might be able to knock out or neutralize a few of the defenses along the way,” Ethan rationalized. “Maybe even enough to get you into the secure areas, but we won’t know exactly what we’re dealing with until we’re inside. I haven’t been to Bayview in at least six months.”

“How have the defenses changed?” Clay asked.

“Some parts haven’t. The iron bars are still in place; they’ve even worked them into the design of most of the rooms.”

“Iron could prove to be problematic,” Aiden surmised.

“Iron? Why would that be problematic?” I asked.

“It is a repellant of sorts for fae,” Aiden explained, leaning forward to address me directly. His eyes burned into mine as he spoke. “In very small doses, it causes us little more concern than a slight discomfort. However, in cases where there is a significant quantity forged together, as there is certain to be considering who designed it and that it is a defensive structure, it can cause severe agony. In fact, it can be so deathly painful to try to move past a structure of iron that it will physically stop us from even passing through a doorway. The use of amethyst, obsidian crystals, and a vanilla scent can counter it though. The task will be difficult, but with some assistance, we should be able to penetrate those defenses. What other protections are potentially in place?”

While Aiden was talking, Clay’s eyes slid between Aiden and me, his brow scrunching into a concerned expression. When I met his eye, he glanced away with disgust twisting his mouth and left me feeling confused about the exchange.

“In the Rain-secured areas, every staircase, hallway, and doorway has an anti-fae symbol etched throughout it, among the myriad of other symbols,” Ethan added.

“That may prove to be a little more difficult,” Aiden mused. “However, if the symbols can be broken they should be rendered ineffective, or at least enough that we may pass.”

“The trouble will be trying to set the crystals and break the symbols without drawing any attention to ourselves,” Clay said, shaking himself free of whatever had concerned him moments earlier. “Eth and I can pass through easier without having to do all of that.”

“But how will you get Mackenzie back out?” I challenged.

“The thing is, that’s just the start of the protections,” Ethan said. “The Rain isn’t stupid. A whole team of handpicked security and mythology experts designed the electronics in the building. Not only are the hallways and lobbies set with cameras, but all of the publicly accessed areas are filled with infrared thermal imaging cameras, EMF monitors, and digital voice recorders, plus the video is looped through facial recognition software.”

“Isn’t there any way to get around those?” I asked. I could already see my heat being an issue trying to get past the security system. Clay had been able to track me through the software once before, and although I hoped my disguise might be able to trick it, there was no way of knowing until I was actually inside and exposed to the risk.

Not going wasn’t even a consideration.

My mind spun with the minimal information I had about what the Rain had done to Clay after he’d left me in Charlotte—subjecting him to physical and mental torture to try to firm up his alliance to their cause. If that’s what they did when he returned willingly, what might they do if they caught him trying to break a fae prisoner out of their headquarters?

There was no way I could let Clay out of my sight to walk back into their hold, not again. Not if I could help it.

I wouldn’t risk us being torn apart again. I wouldn’t survive it, and I didn’t want to try. Better to die at the hands of the enemy than to suffer another—possibly final—separation.

“The guest floors of the hotel aren’t quite as covered as the public or secured areas, or at least they weren’t,” Ethan said. “If you can get through the lobby, you’re halfway there.”

“I think we need to do some serious planning if we’re going to pull this off,” Clay said quietly, finally realizing that I wasn’t going to back down.

Ethan rubbed his hands together gleefully. “All right! Now, when do we do this?”

I was starting to understand that I’d been so wrong with my first assessment of him in Salem. It wasn’t the hunt, or even the killing, that thrilled him. It was the action. He was, for lack of a better definition, an adrenaline junkie. The way Clay had been rapt and attentive while Ethan had been talking about his past few months earlier made me think that maybe Clay was too.

“It has to be soon,” Fiona said. She’d sat silently throughout our conversation and, aside from our quiet encounter, it had almost been easy to forget she was still there.

“We’ll need time for the enchantments to wear off,” I said. It was reasonable to make the assumption that given the enchantments opened up the benefits of the fae world they could just as easily render someone susceptible to the disadvantages. “At least, I’m assuming we’ll be vulnerable to all anti-fae symbols until it does?”

“It would be best for you to find alternate sleeping arrangements until after the rescue. Ethan, if you are amenable we should take time to run through the potential anti-fae protections. I will provide you with details of any counters I have knowledge of and show you how best to break the symbols.”

Ethan nodded. “Fine by me.”

“Evie and I will find a hotel room for tonight,” Clay said.

Ethan tossed him a phone. “That’s a spare with my number already programmed in. Call me with the details once it’s sorted, and I’ll meet you guys there. While you’re at it, can you guys sort out how Evie will get past the heat sensors? That get-up should trick the cameras, her cheekbones seem higher.”

The fact that he'd paid enough attention to my cheekbones before to notice the difference threw me momentarily. Recovering quickly, I agreed to the task.

“Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll meet outside the Bayview and launch our attack,” Clay said, his voice a little unenthusiastic considering how desperate he’d been to get into the Rain the night before.

Aiden shook his head. “We will not meet you there. We shall be there tomorrow afternoon, but we will remain on the ethereal plane until the last possible instant. I do not wish to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves and risk the plan going awry.”

“Okay,” Ethan replied. “That sounds like a better plan. After we eliminate the protections, you’ll have to be quick though. I’m not sure how much time we’ll be able to buy.”

“Understood.”

“I will be attending as well,” Fiona interjected in a tone that left little room for argument.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ethan argued anyway with a shake of his head.

“I can be of some assistance,” she insisted.

“My queen, you are too emotionally invested in this rescue—I do not mean to imply that you would be a hindrance . . .” Aiden added.

“Remember to whom you are speaking, Aiden. Do not mistake me for a dotard on a throne. I was not always a ruler; I was once a protector. I do know how to wield a weapon and will not hesitate to do so if I am required.” Fiona stood to her full height while she was talking and the lights of the room appeared to bend around her aura. Her stance, and the harsh edge to her voice, demonstrated that, despite her years sitting as a regent, she was still strong, and still able to instill fear in those around her. “She is my daughter. I refuse to stand idly by when I am able-bodied.”

Aiden appeared more than a tiny bit scared of her as he agreed. “Then it is decided. On the morrow, Fiona, myself, and three of our best soldiers will wait on the ethereal plane to provide assistance.”

Ethan stared at Fiona with a newfound awe. It was clear that the siblings’ protective instincts and hunting ability didn’t only come from their father. “Bad ass,” he said with a quiet chuckle. “Let’s do this.”

Even though he had a reluctant expression on his face, Clay nodded his acceptance of her inclusion in the rescue effort. “Good luck.”