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CHAPTER 50
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Marked CHAPTER 51
I took a deep breath as Caleb and I walked up to the barn and slid back the heavy, wooden door.The first thing that hit me was the smell. Pot. Clouds of it hung in the air.That, mixed with the smell of stale beer. Way too much of it.Then what struck me—more than everything else—was the smell of an animal. I had never had such keen senses before. The shock of this animal’s presence raced through my senses, as if I had just sniffed ammonia.I looked to my right and zoomed in. There, in the corner, was a large Rottweiler. He sat up slowly, stared at me, and snarled. He broke into a low, guttural growl. It was Butch. I remembered him now. The Colemans’ nasty Rottweiler. As if the Colemans needed a vicious animal to add to their picture of mayhem.The Colemans had always been bad news. Three brothers—17, 15, and 13—somewhere along the way, Sam had become friends with the middle brother, Gabe. Each was worse than the next.Their dad had left them a long time ago, no one knew where,
Marked CHAPTER 52
I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Caleb. He was still there. He must’ve sensed my anger rising, the animal instinct between us. He was trying to calm me, to tell me to control myself, not to let myself go. His presence reassured me. But it wasn’t easy.Sam finally turned and looked at me. There was defiance in his look. He was still mad. That was obvious.“What do you want?” he snapped.“Why aren’t you in school?” was the first thing I heard myself say. I wasn’t exactly sure why I said that, especially with all the other things I wanted to ask him. But the motherly instinct in me kicked in. And that was what came out.More snickers. My anger rose.“What do you care?” he said. “You told me to go.”“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean it.”I was glad I had a chance to say it.But it didn’t seem to sway him. He just stared.“Sam, I need to talk to you. In private,” I said.I wanted to get him out of that environment, into the fresh air, alone, where we could really talk. I not
Marked CHAPTER 53
Caleb and I walked slowly along the bank of the river. This side of the Hudson was neglected, littered with abandoned factories and fuel depots no longer in use. It was desolate down here, but peaceful. We walked in silence, each in our own world. I felt embarrassed that I had shown such a display of rage in front of Caleb. Embarrassed that I’d been so violent, that I couldn’t control what was happening to me.I was also embarrassed by my brother, that he’d acted the way he did, that he was hanging out with such losers. I had never seen him act like that before. I was embarrassed I had subjected Caleb to it. Hardly a way for him to meet my family. He must think the worst of me. That, more than anything, really hurt me. Worst of all, I was afraid where we would go from here. Sam had been my best hope in finding my dad. I had no other ideas. If I did, I would have found him already, myself, years ago. I didn’t know what to tell Caleb. Would he leave now? Of course he would. I was
Marked CHAPTER 54
{KYLE’S POV}If there was anything that Kyle hated more than humans, it was politicians. He couldn’t stand their posturing, their hypocrisy, their self-righteousness. He couldn’t stand their arrogance. And based on nothing. Most of them had lived barely 100 years. He’d lived over 5,000. When they talked about their “past experience,” it made him physically sick.It was fate that Kyle had to brush shoulders with them, walk past these politicians every evening, as he rose from his sleep and exited above ground, through their hub at City Hall. The Blacktide Coven had entrenched their habitat deep beneath New York’s City Hall centuries ago, and it had always been in close partnership with the politicians. In fact, most of the supposed politicians swarming about the room were secretly members of his coven, executing their agenda across the city, and across the state. It was a necessary evil, this commingling, this doing business with humans.But enough of these politicians were real hu
Marked CHAPTER 55
{SAM’S POV}Sam woke to a massive headache. He opened one eye, and realized he had passed out on the floor of the barn, in the straw.It was cold. None of his friends had bothered to stoke the fire the night before. They’d all been too stoned.Worse, the room was still spinning. Sam lifted his head, pulling a piece of straw out of his mouth, and felt an awful pain in his temples. He’d slept in a weird position, and his neck hurt as he twisted it. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the cobwebs out, but they weren’t leaving easily. He had really overdone it last night. He remembered the bong. Then beer, then Southern Comfort, then more beer. Throwing up. Then some more pot, to ease it all out. Then blacking out, somewhere during the night. When or where, he couldn’t really remember.He was hungry but nauseous at the same time. He felt like he could eat a stack of pancakes and a dozen eggs, but also felt like he’d puke the second he did. In fact, he felt like throwing up again righ
Marked CHAPTER 56
{SAM’S POV}Sam parked, and walked across the property, to the old barn. The “old barn” is all they had to say. They both knew what that meant. It was the place they always went when they lived in Oakville. It was at the back of a property with a vacant house for sale that had been on the market for years. The house just sat there, empty, asking way too much. Nobody ever even came to look at it, as far as they could tell.And in the back of the property, way back, there had been this really cool barn, just sitting there, totally empty. Sam had discovered it one day, and had showed it to Caitlin. Neither of them saw the harm in hanging out in it. They both hated their small trailer, being trapped in there with their mom. One night they stayed up late in it, talking, roasting marshmallows in its really cool fireplace, and they both fell asleep. After that, they’d crash in it every now and again, especially whenever things got too crazy at home. At least they were putting it to use.
Marked CHAPTER 57
{SAM’S POV}A girl stood in the entryway to the barn, leaning casually against the wall.Wow.She was stunning.She had long, wavy, red hair, bright green eyes. A perfect body. And she looked about his age, maybe a few years older. Wow. She was smoking.Sam stood.He could hardly believe it, but the way she stared at him, it looked like she was flirting, like she was really into him. He’d never seen a girl look at him quite like that. He couldn’t believe his luck.“I’m Samantha,” she said sweetly, stepping forward and extending one hand.Sam stepped forward and placed his hand in hers. Her skin was so soft.Was he dreaming? What was this girl doing here, in the middle of nowhere? How did she even get here? He didn’t hear a car pull up, or even hear anyone walking towards the barn. And he’d just got there. He didn’t understand.“I’m Sam,” he said.She smiled wide, revealing perfect, white teeth. Her smile was incredible. Sam felt his knees going weak, as she looked direct
Marked CHAPTER 58
Caleb and I stood beside the river, staring into each other’s eyes.I trembled as I worried if he were about to say goodbye.But then something caught his eye, and his line of vision suddenly shifted. He looked at her neckline, and seemed transfixed.He reached out, and I felt his fingers brush my throat. I felt metal. My necklace. I had forgotten I was wearing it.He lifted it and stared.“What is this?” he asked softly.I reached up and put my hand over his. It was my cross, my small, silver cross.“Just an old cross,” I answered.But before I’d finished saying the words, I realized: it was old. It had been in my family for generations. I hadn’t remembered who gave it to me, or when, but I knew it was ancient. And that it had belonged to my father’s side. Yes. It was something. Maybe even a clue.He stared intently, examining it.“This is no normal cross,” he said. “Its edges are curved. I haven’t seen one like this for a thousand years. It is the cross of Saint Peter,” he
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