We headed out, waving at the waitress. Debbie’s Diner had good food, I thought, filing away the diner on my list of joints for good eats.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The I-90 bridge was relatively clear—the game hadn’t ended yet, and it had started a couple hours ago, so we zoomed across, then turned south on our way towards the Sammamish-Issaquah area.

  Sammamish was a suburb city, like the other cities that surrounded Seattle on the north, south, and east sides of Lake Washington. Not far from the iconic lake, and eight miles east of Seattle, Lake Sammamish was seven miles long, and about one and a half miles wide. At its north end, the lake drained into the Sammamish River, which in turn, meandered north to where it eventually fed into the north end of Lake Washington. All the bodies of water around here seemed to come together at some point—Lake Washington fed into Lake Union, which opened into Puget Sound. They were all one, big, watery family.

  The park itself was over five hundred acres, with almost 7,000 feet of waterfront property. During the summer, boats, water-skiers, jet skiers, wind-surfers, and swimmers filled the lake while families on picnics, corporate groups on day-retreats, bikers, hikers, joggers, and sunbathers spread out through the park, enjoying the limited season of sunny days.

  Unfortunately, swimmers braving the waters during winter didn’t fare as well. And at one point Ted Bundy had managed to abduct two of his victims, on the same day. Neither one made it out alive, and their remains were found some months later, near Issaquah.

  Some said the ghosts of those two women haunted the park, but there were plenty of other ghosts hanging around, so it was hard to tell whether they were among the parks’ spirit-bound populace. So the lake had history, and both accidental and deliberate deaths had left their mark.

  Erik and Analee’s house was at the southern part of the park, off of NW Sammamish Road, just past Sövde Landing. I glanced at my watch. We were a little early, but we parked in the lot, and slipped out of the car, leaning against the trunk.

  The sun had set at nine, the weather had cleared, and the temperature had risen enough to be comfortable. The stars were coming out and it looked like we’d have a good amount of light from the waning crescent to see by.

  “How long till the others get here?” Penn asked.

  “I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be long,” I said. “I want to head over to the house, but—” But as I spoke, a car entered the parking lot. I recognized it as Dante’s. “Dante’s here.”

  He parked and hopped out, heading toward us. “Hey, so what’s going on?”

  “Wait for the others,” I said. Within another ten minutes, Lazenti and Orik arrived.

  “So, here’s what we think,” I said. I told them about the meeting. “We’re not sure why they’re attracting people—other than for money. That’s one hell of an initiation fee and even ten members a year would be a quarter of a million.”

  “That’s not spare change, for sure.” Dante frowned. “But there has to be more. There’s no dedicated temple or church or anything, as far as I can tell. They always hold their meetings in rented spaces. But Carson couldn’t find any mention of any permanent structure owned by the group.”

  “Maybe it’s in their name, and not under the temple’s name?” Orik suggested.

  “Good idea. Text Sophia, would you, and ask her to check all the properties owned by Erik and Analee.” I glanced at the sky. “Let’s go. If they close out the meeting around eleven, it will probably take them half an hour to get home. It’s ten-thirty now, so we have an hour on the outside.”

  We headed across the parking lot at a good jog. Even Penn could run faster than most humans, and we made pretty good time. The house was about three-quarters of a mile from the parking lot. By cutting across the park, it took us barely ten minutes.

  We reached the tree-shrouded front of the house by 10:40, and swung around the corner into the driveway, slowing as we crept through the shadows. The house, which was only a few hundred feet back from the lake had its own private pier. Lit by dim lights, the driveway showed one car, parked to the side. It could be a spare car, or there could be somebody there.

  “What do you think?” I asked the others as we neared the house.

  “They have cameras pointing at the driveway, so avoid the pavement area. Continue creeping along the side fence here,” Dante said. “In fact, give me a moment and I’ll run in, in my wolf form. They’re not going to think much if they see that on the camera. I could be just a huge Samoyed, for all they know.”

  We stopped, crouching beneath a massive maple tree that was out in full leaf. Dante shifted form, then—still skirting the edge of the driveway—padded toward the house.

  “It’s handy, having a shifter along,” Penn said.

  “Most definitely. Thank gods he heals up so fast,” I said, settling back on a nearby rock that was the size of an ottoman.

  We waited for someone to come out, but everything remained quiet. A few minutes later, Dante came running back, shifting as he skidded to a halt beside us.

  “All right, if there’s anybody there, they aren’t making any noise, and they didn’t seem to notice the big doggo running around their house. I looked in several windows and couldn’t see anybody. It’s a one story house, as far as I can tell. The lights that are on inside appear to be dimmed, and I think that they’re just trying to keep burglars at bay. They’re stupid, though, because if they have an alarm system, they’ve screwed up. I saw an open window, leading into what appears to be a den. I also saw a staircase going down. So there’s a basement.”

  “Okay, let’s give that a try. We don’t have time to be particular,” I said.

  “What are we looking for?” Orik asked.

  “Signs that Mark was here? I’m not sure. Just…something that might tell us what they did with him.” I paused, then grimaced. “Other than draining his insides.”

  Dante led us along the edge of the fence to the room with the open window. Then, motioning for us to wait, he turned back into his wolf form and easily—with a single jump—managed to fit through the space between the sill and the frame.

  I held my breath, waiting. A few moments later, he opened the window the rest of the way and we all crawled through.

  “What about the alarm?” I asked as I crawled through the window.

  “It’s not actively armed. Hell, it might be for show only, as far as I can tell. You can have cameras without them being attached to some security alarm,” Dante said.

  Orik helped Penn in, and we took a moment to look around the den. The house was tidy, with very little mess. But I quickly realized that the place felt barely lived in. There was a bookcase, but only a few books on it. A computer at a desk, but the desk was almost clear of papers and pens. Seating, but nothing looked used. In fact, the place felt staged.

  “This is odd,” I said, peeking out the door. As we spread out through the house, the entire place felt empty, and—as a home—soulless.

  “I don’t sense much here,” Penn said. “But…there’s something beneath the surface. I can’t quite pick it up, yet.” She looked around, holding out her hand. “Over here,” she said, heading toward the staircase that led to the basement.

  As we approached, my stomach flipped and I tensed. Something was very wrong. My solar plexus was warning me that something was up—in a bad way. Something magical, and yet—not.

  I followed Penn down the stairs, with Dante behind me and Orik standing guard above. Tapping her on the shoulder, I motioned for Penn to get behind me.

  “I’m stronger than you,” I whispered. “It’s safer that way.” The basement door was shut, with a padlock on it. I reached for the lock and tugged on it. “I don’t think I can break this. I wish I’d brought my lockpicks with me, but I didn’t expect we’d be out in stealth tonight.”

  “Will a hairpin help?” Penn asked, pulling one from her air and offering it to me.

  I took the pin. “Do you mind if I bend it?”

  “Be my guest.”

  I bent it and then, stripping the plastic off the tip, inserted it in the lock and began jimmying it. A moment later, I heard a click and the padlock opened. I quickly pulled it off the hook and pocketed it. Thank gods the skirt had pockets. That was another thing—I wasn’t dressed for this, but it would have to do.

  “Dante, do you have a flashlight?”

  He nodded, pulling one out of his pack. “Get ready—hey, you don’t have any weapons,” he said, handing me a dagger. He motioned for Penn to get behind him. “All right, ready.”

  Holding the dagger in one hand, I eased the door open as he shone the light inside.

  The first thing that hit me was the smell. The stench was so rank it made me gag. What the hell? It smelled like a fish factory. Or…

  Dante gasped. “What the hell?” He pointed his flashlight toward the back of the basement. There were three cells there, and two of them held some sort of creature. They both looked like a cross between a short Godzilla and the creature from the Black Lagoon. Both were wincing, trying to fend off the light. The third cell was open, and the door looked broken.

  “What on earth?” Penn advanced to stand beside us. “Who…what…are they?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, crossing over to the cells. Neither of the creatures in there looked remotely human. “Hello…can you understand me?”

  One of them looked directly at me, and in those soft, golden eyes, I saw fear and bewilderment. Then, along with the other creature, it backed up toward the wall, cowering against the bars. What the hell was going on here?

  “Kyann, look,” Penn said, her voice trembling.

  Dante and I turned to where she was standing by a desk. A large box sat beside the desk. Penn was looking in it, a horrified look on her face. She pointed to it, shaking her head.

  “What is it?” I peeked in, then froze. At first, I thought it was a deflated balloon, but then—I realized it wasn’t. “No…”

  “Yes,” Penn said. “I’m not touching it but that looks like a skinsuit.”

  “Like Mark’s.” I glanced back at the cells, looking at the third, empty one. It was open, broken, and next to a narrow window that was busted. I looked back at the other two creatures, and examined their doors. The locks had been reinforced.

  “Can you say anything? Do you understand me?” I asked the figures inside.

  Neither seemed to understand me. Both just huddled against the back. Their skins were glistening, and it was at that point that Penn said, “The scent is coming from these…bodies?”

  “How many are there, in there?” I asked, my throat feeling raw.

  “Two,” Penn said.

  “Two…” Dante let out a soft breath. “I think we know what happens to the initiates. They aren’t sucked dry out of their bodies.”

  “You mean these…belong to them?” Penn asked.

  “My guess is that they were part of those creatures a few days ago. I think they…changed? Transformed? A little later than Mark. Somehow he escaped, but he must have transformed once he was out of the house. Did he know what was happening to him? Did he realize what was going on?” The reality of what we were facing horrified me even more than what we’d imagined. I had no idea what the end plan was for these creatures, but I doubted even they knew.

  “What are they?” Penn asked.

  “Some sort of lizard creature.” And then, I knew. “I have a feeling this is what’s behind Erik and Analee’s glamour—you felt snake vibes…and these are in the same family.” It suddenly occurred to me that we couldn’t leave these creatures here.

  I had no idea if they knew what they had realized what they were getting into, but the fact is that they were being held captive. And that meant they hadn’t planned on being here. “What do we do now? We can’t just leave them here.”

  “Call the cops? But we’re breaking and entering,” Penn said. “And while I think Destiny would understand, I’m not so sure about the rest of the cops. Erik and Analee seem pretty convincing to me and you know they have to have some story already cooked up.”

  “We should get out of here,” I said, suddenly aware of the passing time. “I honestly don’t know what to do about these two⁠—”

  At that moment, Orik let out a whistle, which echoed down the stairs. Crap, we’d been puttering around too long.

  “Hurry, let’s get moving—” But the next moment, Orik came racing down the stairs. He could move pretty fast for such a big man.

  “Are they home?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, and they have company. There are at least three others with them.”

  “Bodyguards?” Dante asked, as I began eyeing the broken window. We could make it through, but there were still jagged edges of glass and the last thing I wanted was to get stabbed in the gut as I wormed my way through a window.

  I grabbed a pillow off of a wing chair that was beneath the window, then clambered up on the chair itself. Steadying myself, I reached up and used the pillow to protect my hands as I tried to break away the remaining shards. Then I unzipped the sham and tossed the stuffed insert onto the ground, resting the sham over the edge of the window.

  But, before we could flee, there was a loud noise and the clattering of footsteps. Light flooded the basement. I turned just in time to see Analee and Eric stop on the stairs as they took in what was happening.

  Erik let out a snarl that didn’t sound human, and that was when I saw three men behind him. All five of them were staring at us, their eyes reflecting the light, much like a cat’s eyeshine. The illusion surrounding them began to dissolve, much like a watercolor painting that had been hosed down. The colors of their skin and clothing faded, as their true natures came into view.

  To the side, Penn had been muttering some incantation and now I felt a shield form around me. It had to be some sort of group protection spell.

  Dante and Orik held out their blades, waiting. I pulled out the dagger that Dante had loaned me, wishing I were wearing better clothes for fighting.

  “Who are these two?” I asked, deciding there was no use in keeping my mouth shut. “Did you capture Mark Ryle the way you captured them? Only he escaped, didn’t he?”

  Erik and Analee, by then fully in their reptilian form, seemed quicker than they had in human form. Analee leapt, landing on the floor near me. She was almost my height, looking almost exactly like the pair of creatures locked in the cages.

  “You have no idea what you’re messing with,” she said, her voice a combination of clicks and hisses. The words sounded ethereal, as though she hadn’t really said them aloud, but somehow they echoed through the room.

  “Then tell us. What are you? Some form of dragon?” I didn’t think they would answer, but I hoped for some clue. Even though I suspected we were going to have to kill them, we needed more information for our records. How many of them were there? Where had they come from? What did they want?

  Erik lifted something that looked like a key fob. He pressed the button and there was a noise from the cells behind us. The doors were swinging open. The pair of creatures inside began to move toward us. Holy hell, were they going to work with Erik and his buddies? I hadn’t expected that.

  “Do you really care?” Analee asked. “You’re not going to be around much longer.”

  “Then tell me,” I said. “If you’re planning on killing us, tell me what you are.”

  She looked over at Erik and let out a series of grunts, clicks, and whistles. He answered in kind and it sounded like they were having an argument. Finally, Erik let out a loud growl and Analee shrunk back.

  After a moment, she turned back at me. “You want to know? Erik says to tell you, while I’d rather you just mysteriously vanished. But since he’s our leader, I will obey.”

  Now I was the one confused. I glanced at Erik—or the beast that had been Erik. “Yes, we want to know.”

  “Very well. We’re Darconians. We are, indeed, related to Dragonkin, but we’re creatures of the water, rather than of the air. As for Mark, he chose to join us. And then, when it was actually happening, he changed his mind and managed to get free. But it was too late. Once the transformation begins, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. He’s out there now, wandering your streets, looking for a way back to the Mother.”

  The Mother. Was this the mother they supposedly worshiped? But then her words clicked. They were creatures of the water, and he was looking for a way back to the Mother. Of course. The mother was the ocean—it had to be.

  “It wouldn’t be hard for him to find his way to the docks. You can smell the water in the air,” I said.

  “You begin to understand. That he has no guide is regrettable, but we can’t be everywhere,” Erik said. He and his goons—who had also dropped their illusion—spread out. “As to why we’re here, we only seek to expand our race. Too many of our kind have been destroyed over the years, strangled by the pollution that litters the water and shores. You have no case against us. We only accept those who are willing… Those who have nothing to lose. Those who have a history with our kind.”

  I froze. As much as I wanted to plow into them right now, consent could alter everything. I motioned for the others to hold up. “You mean Mark chose to become one of you?”

  “Yes, he chose to become a Darconian. As did the pair behind you.” Analee’s voice was cool, almost to the point of ice. “Each person we take has a faint connection, a drop of our blood line in their DNA that allows the transformation to take place. That’s why you couldn’t understand Erik’s speech tonight. Only those who have that inner spark can fully comprehend it. Others find themselves charmed, but quickly drift away.”

  “Do you have proof of this?” Dante asked.

  He had figured out what I had. If they did, indeed, have proof that Mark and the others had voluntarily stepped up to be transformed, it would be no different than a human who chose to become a vampire, who offered themselves up for the transformation. And that compliance would hold up in court. If they chose to file charges against us for assault, we could be tried with everything from assault to murder, depending on our actions.