Chapter 15

Callie stood over to the side, her body aching from the battle with Aidan. Her emotions were strained to the breaking point as she watched Marcus slowly feeding Armand Rand with blood they'd had brought up from ASP. He'd drained six packets so far and was just beginning to act normal.

"You okay?" Shadow asked, coming up behind her and leaning close.

"I'd be better if Angel was with Marcus and you and I were in your bed," she said, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"Me too, baby," he whispered. "You don't know how badly I want that." He kissed her hair, not caring who saw the emotions between them. "I'm not going to have to stand guard over you in the med unit so you don't bash Dr. Chanteuse with another bedpan, am I?"

"When this is all done, I'll go willingly as long as I can go home with you after."

"It's a deal. Marcus told me about your fight with Aidan. He said you kicked his ass. I wish I could have watched."

"You wouldn't have just watched and you know it," she teased, her eyes on his. She could see the emotions he felt, the love he held in his heart for her and it made her own heart soar. Now if only Angel were still here, her life would be close to perfect.

"We'll get her back, Callie," Shadow muttered against her ear, dropping his head so that his forehead rested against her hair.

Callie's eyes closed and she laughed softly. "Am I that transparent or have you developed some new power you should tell me about before I embarrass myself?" She felt his hand move to her waist and then to her stomach, gently pulling her closer until his warmth seemed to be all around her.

"I'll never tell," Brian said. "I love it when you lean against me like this."

"I love it when you hold me," she whispered, looking up at him.

Marcus cleared his throat, his face almost like a marble mask when they looked at him. "I think Armand is more stable now."

"Callie!" Armand yelled. "You've got to find Angel. You've got to find my daughter!"

"We will, Mr. Rand," Callie said, limping over to the distressed vampire. "But we're going to need your help, yours and the council's. Can you get them involved in this?"

"Hell yes, I'll get them involved in this." He shook his hands when Marcus easily tore apart the shackles he'd replaced on Armand's wrists when he'd been in the midst of the blood lust. "What do you need?"

"Armand, we need to know where Dorian could have taken Angel. Do you have any clue where he could be holing up to wait out the day?" Shadow leaned down, helping the elder vampire to his feet.

Armand began to shake his head no then stopped, his brow furrowing. "Wait, I just might know where they are." He closed his eyes, his hands still shaking as he lifted them to grab Shadow's shirt. "Dorian was on the phone. He thought I was too gone to the blood lust to really understand anything he said. He spoke of a railcar, specially built to ward off the sun."

"A train? But to where?" Marcus asked.

"It doesn't matter. The only place that would be big enough to hold his railcar and have tracks to it close enough to the city has to be Kale Ridge Station." Shadow grinned. "He won't have time to get an engine out there before dawn."

"Then what are you waiting for," Armand growled, beginning to sound like himself again. "Get out there and save my daughter!"

"We will, but sir, we still need the council's permission to take Dorian," Callie said, straightening her shoulder even though she felt a rippling pain and a trail of heat that meant it started to bleed again.

"You'll have it by the time you need it. You have my word as one of the Council of Twelve. Now go, find my Angel. Be safe," he called as the three leapt for the door.

Marcus was down the stairs and across the floor quickly. He barreled through the agents and the cleaners that were working the scene. The club would be set afire as soon as everything that could be traced back to the supernatural world had been eradicated or taken back to ASP. Bodies would be piled as if they were rushing to get out. The minds of those left alive would be altered. They would remember a big fire and the mad exodus to get out of the place.

The cleaners were experts in their jobs, knowing every new bit of forensic science that was possible. Smoke would be forced into the lungs of those who'd died, making it look as if they had perished due to inhalation. The fire wouldn't be reported until it was a blazing hell, making the corpses unrecognizable. No clue would be left that this wasn't just a tragic accident that had claimed so many young lives.

If Marcus had his way, Dorian would be staked out in the center of the building, left to burn to death slowly. If he'd hurt Angel, Marcus would make sure of it.

"I'm flying," he shouted back to Shadow.

"Don't you take Dorian on by yourself," Shadow ordered, hoping the ancient warrior would listen to his words just once. "He's too strong. Marcus!"

Marcus leapt into the air, his wings beating hard. He looked back at Shadow once, sending him a cocky salute. Then he was out of sight.

Shadow hurried to where they'd left the truck, unlocking the doors quickly as Callie reached the passenger side. She climbed in, slamming her door, leaning back in the seat and breathing harshly. Shadow leaned over her, reaching for her seatbelt and fastening it for her. "I'd take you to the med unit but I don't think I could get you to stay, could I?"

She shook her head, bravely smiling even though her shoulder hurt like it was on fire and blood loss was making her pale. "I'll be fine," she said.

His eyes lingered on her face, the pale bruises that haunted under her silver eyes, her soft skin losing that rosy glow of health he loved so much. "If you die on me..." he growled, unable to finish the thought.

"I won't, baby."

"Famous last words," he muttered as he started the truck. Hitting the siren, he raced through the city, barely daring to hope that he'd be able to reach Kale Ridge before Marcus. He reached into his jacket, yanking out a packet of green power. Holding it between his teeth, he reached for a bottle of water that was kept in a small cooler between the front seats.

Callie grabbed it from him, twisting open the cap and then tearing open the packet with her teeth. With one hand she carefully tapped the green powder into through the small opening, then capped it and shook it, moaning only slightly as the movement jarred her shoulder. "You never did tell me what this is," she said, reopening the bottle and handing it to him.

"My cross to bear so to speak. If I don't drink this, my body will begin to shake and I'll lose all molecular cohesion. In other words, I'll shake into jelly onto the floor and die."

"Did the old man give you this?"

He tipped the bottle up, drinking half the contents at one grimacing time. "You'd think I'd get used to the taste after all these years. Yes, he gave it to me and then I gave it to your father. He manufactures it for me now." Taking a deep breath, he drained the last of the bottle of pale green water, shuddering in distaste. "I swear he must know how I feel about you. This shit tastes worse all the time."

"Aww, poor baby. I guess you'll just have to give him a reason to like you again." She moved against the seat, slowly pulling the zipper tab down on her shirt and exposing her shoulder. Opening the glove box, she pulled out the first aid kit.

Shadow screeched through an intersection then turned his gaze to her wounded shoulder. "Cal..." he gasped, shocked at the damage that had been done.

"I'm fine," Callie insisted, dabbing at some of the worst punctures with a wad of gauze. "I just want to clean it up a bit before we get there." Blood still flowed with sticky stubbornness down the front of her shoulder and over her breast. The inside of her shirt was dark with the stuff.

"You're staying in the truck," Shadow ordered, knowing he was going to be in for a fight. "With as much blood as you've lost, you could be more a hindrance than a help." She opened her mouth to argue and he held up his hand. "I love you," he said softly, careening around a corner and taking the big SUV almost up on two tires. "I can't afford to worry about you and Dorian both."

"I handle myself, Shadow. I'm not going to sit on my ass when the team is in trouble." He opened his mouth to argue when she held up her hand. "I'll stay back and out of the way, but I'm going."

"You were a lot easier to deal with before we slept together," he said, careening around another corner and then slamming down on the accelerator and letting the big engine run. Grabbing her hand, he gave it a kiss. "You stay back, you baby that shoulder because when this is all done, you and I are going back to my place."

Callie gave him a sassy smile, letting her jacket drop just far enough so that it caught on the tip of her breast. "You aren't planning on seducing me, are you boss?"

"Seducing? No," he said, laughing at the disappointed look on her face. "I plan on ravishing you until neither of us can move." He hand rose, pushing aside her jacket and cupping her soft breast. He played with the rounded flesh, his other hand on the wheel, his eyes on the road. "I've often thought of doing this to you."

"Doing what?" she breathed, a gasp coming from between her lips as he twisted her nipple.

"This, you and I together." He laughed, pulling his hand off of her and hearing her sigh of disappointment. "When this is over," he said softly, the words a promise he was more than willing to keep. "Now, get that wound cleaned, we've got a bad guy's ass to whip."

The rest of the trip was made quickly, the huge engine on the SUV easily outrunning any traffic. Within twenty minutes, they were pulling up to the locked up gate of Kale Ridge Station. Shadow slowly pushed against the gate with the grilled front end of the SUV, popping the lock and sending the gate flying on its hinges. It rattled loudly, making Shadow swear.

Two huge buildings were just inside the fence, beyond that were railroad tracks and rail cars, old and abandoned. The line had been out of commission for quite a while.

"Check out those tracks," Callie said, nodding toward the far building and the tracks that ran up to it. They were clean, the only tracks within sight that weren't covered in weeds. The rails looked new, freshly laid. "I think we've found what we're looking for."

"Good eye," Shadow said. They stopped the truck close to the other building and out of sight of their prey. Leaving the doors opened, they drew their weapons, holding them down so that they pointed at the ground. Callie scooted around the corner of the building, jogging toward the doors.

Close to the door, Callie caught sight of something white on the ground. She bent quickly and scooped it up. "Shit," she hissed, holding it up so that Shadow could see the long white feather. "Marcus is already here."

"I could have told you that." Shadow pushed open the door then counted to three. Going in high, he felt Callie brush against him, going in low. "You stay back," he ordered.

"Yeah, sure thing," Callie said, staying just behind him and covering the rear.

The room was full of boxes, some bolts of fabric and tools. A blueprint was tacked up in one corner and Callie skipped over to it, studying the lines. "A railway car," she whispered, tapping the paper.

Shadow had made his way to the door, glancing through the top part which was mostly reinforced glass. "In there," he said, cocking his head at the door.

He pushed open the door, sliding through, feeling Callie coming after him.

They heard the voices first, Angel's shrill and a little panicky. Dorian's low and angry. The words were easy to make out so they moved closer. In the center of the warehouse, a sleek railcar sat on the rails. Callie bent, looking under it, seeing Angel's feet and part of her lower legs.

"Over there," she mouthed at Shadow.

Shadow motioned to her, gesturing towards the door and having his fingers walk in the air. Callie rolled her eyes, nodding toward the far side of the railcar and pointing to herself. She skimmed along the side of the sleek metal car, ducking under specially made windows that kept the harmful rays of the sun from getting inside.

Shadow growled but then made his way along the other way. His eyes were searching the rest of the warehouse sized building, searching for Marcus or more of Dorian's changelings. He got to the platform at the end of the car, slipping up the iron stairs and checking inside the railcar with a quick look in the window.

Nothing.

"Just leave him alone, Dorian. I'll g-go with you without a fight if you leave him alone."