Daughter of Eden, Book Two and Book Three

By J.M. Cagle

Book Two: Protector of Man
Joey Trevor might be going insane. Or she is in the company of a man who is insane. As she flies hundreds of miles from her home, leaving behind the only family she has ever known, she faces an uncertain future. Natural disasters are throwing the world into chaos, but for Joey, the chaos is sitting right beside her.

Five days ago, Sam was stalking her. Then he broke into her apartment just in time to save her from an unknown attacker. And then, again, he saved her. Now, he seems to be the only person who understands the gift that has plagued Joey all her life, her ability to see what lies beneath the façade people show to the world. But is it really what he says it is? Is what she sees really the true nature of a person’s soul? And is it a good enough reason for him to send one of his followers, a vampire Joey had thought was her kind, anemic friend, to kill someone?

Joey allows Sam to take her somewhere safe because she has no other choice. Her gift has grown stronger and begun to work in unexpected ways. Only Sam seems to understand what is happening. And she cannot deny the attraction that is building between them. But, how can she trust him when she does not even understand who, or what, he is?

Book Three: Children of the Fallen
War has come to earth. The angels of heaven, tired of watching humans grow continuously unworthy of God’s devotion, have come to earth to destroy them. Sam, the archangel Satan, was appointed man’s protector and he continues to fight for them despite losing the loyalty of his own legion of angels.

Joey Trevor, an English teacher from Austin, Texas, met Sam shortly after she was attacked in her shower by an unknown creature. A short time later, she found herself under Sam’s care, barely outrunning continuous attacks, including a massacre at an Illinois lake-side cabin where she saw Sam in his angel form. As natural disasters and a raging illness destroy much of what was the modern world, Joey begins to learn the truth about who she is and the role she will play in this war.

Joey is the key to stopping the war between the angels. Joey has a gift that allows her to see the souls hidden behind the façade humans show to the world. She can see which souls can be a productive part of the future and which harbor evil, those who serve a purpose to the raging angels. This gift continues to grow and change as the war progresses. Sam tells Joey she is destined to lead the humans should they end the war, but she must find her soul mate, the man she would have shared her life with if the war had not begun. The only problem is, Joey is in love with Sam.

In a struggle that makes both Joey and Sam question the ideas of freewill and fate, they gather together an army and turn their attention to ending a war over which, they quickly discover, they have very little control.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Mulle
• Release date: Jul 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311931450

J.M. Cagle

J.M. Cagle began writing stories while in high school. She went on to attend California State University, Dominguez Hills and continued her pursuing her writing interests by interning at KTLA, a Los Angeles television station. She also became a sports writer for two community newspapers. She would attend sporting events and write articles on the games. Ms. Cagle also worked part-time at internationally acclaimed The Studios at Paramount where she garnered first-hand knowledge of the intricacies of television and film production. She has since gone on to write a multitude of screenplays and theatrical productions.Ms. Cagle’s focus is now centered on the writing genres of romance, paranormal and suspense novels. She also enjoys writing in the spiritual genre as well. When she isn’t engaged in her favorite pastime of writing she takes pleasure in singing, visiting the beach, bicycling, reading, walking and spending time with her loved ones. Ms. Cagle currently resides in Michigan where she continues to speak her heart through her writing.

Book preview

Book Two: Protector of Man

Chapter 1

Joey stared out at clouds, ear buds stuffed in her ears. She tried to pretend she couldn’t feel him breathing beside her, that she didn’t feel his knee occasionally push into her thigh whenever he shifted in his seat. Tried to pretend that he hadn’t, just two hours ago, given her the most earth-shattering kiss she had ever experienced.

Bruno Mars sang in her ears about regrets. He knew nothing about it.

Either she was going insane, or the world was facing total destruction. Neither sounded like an option she was too excited to face.

She had only known Sam for four days. But in those four days, everything had gone to hell. Almost literally. She had been attacked not once but twice and saved each time by Sam. A man who had been stalking her for several weeks before the first attack. A man who had broken into her locked apartment somehow, just in time to save her from some unknown creature. Nephilim, they told her. The tortured spirits of the children of angels and humans.

And there were vampires.

And apparently werewolves, though she had yet to see one of those.

Not only that, but this thing Joey could do—a gift, her grandmother Dotty had once insisted—this ability to see behind the façade most people show the world and see their true selves, was growing stronger. She had once been able to control it, to keep it from happening as long as she didn’t look a person in the eye for longer than a few seconds at a time. She rarely saw what she didn’t want to see. But yesterday, all that had changed.

It had never happened like that at work before. But when her principal approached her in the hall she had seen something like nothing she had ever seen before. And when the woman touched her—

Joey shuddered at the memory.

Touch had never had anything to do with it. Joey could hold hands all day long with a stranger and, as long as she didn’t look them in the eye, nothing would happen. But that, too, had changed.

And now it was happening without any warning. She didn’t even have to look them in the eye anymore. All she had to do was glance at a person, and the façade would slip. The TSA agent at the airport, the ground supervisor as they waited for takeoff, even a stewardess just a bit ago leaning over to offer her a pillow from the overhead bin.

She was staring out the window to keep from focusing on the people around her for fear of what else she might see.

Sam said it was their souls she was seeing.

She was pretty sure she was going insane. It wasn’t an impossibility, really. Her mother had been locked in the state hospital since Joey was three. Schizophrenia. It was hereditary.

But it didn’t really explain Sam. And the vampires.

Joey bit her lip as the song playing on her iPod Touch changed. Back to the beginning, back to wild girls and fancy cars. Back to something like normal.

She closed her eyes, and thoughts of Dotty slipped across her mind. She was flying halfway across the country, and she hadn’t said goodbye. Dotty, her beloved grandmother, the only family who really mattered. She had been a large animal vet, the kind of woman who was never afraid to stand up to a man but capable of the most tender of affection. Now she was stuck in a nursing home, all alone, a nearly broken hip finally taking away her independence just months ago. They had been constant companions since the day Joey was born until the moment Joey left her in that nursing home.

Now Joey found herself wondering if she would ever see her again.

Joey’s iPod startled her with a sudden tone that alerted her to a notification on her email account. She had connected the iPod to the plane’s wifi system to check her email as the flight began. It was her only way of staying in contact with the technology of real life since Jackson, her friend, had felt compelled to throw her cellphone out of a moving SUV the day before. She forgot it was still connected.

The email was from the school district where she worked and mentioned her principal in the subject line.

We are sorry to inform you, the email began, of the unfortunate death of the principal at William B. Travis High School. Mrs. Amelia Hernandez died in a car accident this morning. She was 42.

Joey gasped, her hand coming to her mouth to hold in the sound. Sam touched her arm, making her jump. For a brief moment, she had actually forgotten he was there.

What’s the matter? he asked, tugging away her ear bud.

My principal was killed in a car accident.

Oh, he said, as though he had expected her to say something else. He sat back, crossed his legs and picked up the magazine he had been reading.

That’s it? she asked. A human being I knew and worked with for two years dies, and all you say is, ‘Oh?’

What would you like me to say, Joey?

He sounded so calm and reasonable that she wanted to reach over and slap him. Gee, I don’t know, she said. Maybe, ‘I’m sorry . . .’ Maybe something along the lines of, ‘Her poor family.’ Joey straightened the line of her ear bud in preparation of putting it back. She had two kids, you know.

I am sorry for them, he said. But it would have been much worse for them if she had been allowed to live.

Joey stiffened, the coldness of what he had just said sinking in slowly, like being dunked in a tub of ice water. What does that mean? she asked.

It means, he said, leaning toward her just a little, that a woman with such a dark soul couldn’t be allowed to live.

The memory of the laughing, demonic face Joey had seen when Mrs. Hernandez approached her in the hallway yesterday afternoon burst through her mind. It had been a horrible sight, so horrible that Joey had been violently ill afterward. But it was just a vision. Just a figment of Joey’s imagination. Wasn’t it?

What are you saying?

Sam looked at her, his blue eyes so beautiful in his classically handsome face. Her soul was corrupt, Joey. You saw it.

I saw a vision. I saw whatever this is that I do. It doesn’t make it real.

It’s more real than you could ever imagine. He touched her hand lightly. You are special, Joey. You have the ability to see the soul. Do you know how amazing that is?

She pulled away. You killed Mrs. Hernandez?

Jackson did, he said, turning back to his magazine.

Like it was nothing. Like talking about the death of a human being was nothing more than stepping on a cockroach or swatting a fly.

Her stomach clenched. She jumped out of her seat, nearly tripping as she climbed frantically over Sam and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She thought she might throw up, but nothing happened as she leaned over the chemical toilet, its smell only making the acid at the back of her throat burn that much more.

You’ve got to take it easy, kiddo.

Jackson’s hands were on her, one hand around her upper arm in order to hold her up while the other stroked the back of her head. She jerked forward, smacking her shin hard on the edge of the toilet.

How’d you get in here? She turned. Her eyes flew to the door. She knew she had locked it, distinctly remembered feeling the little sliding bolt fall into place. I didn’t even hear the door open . . .

Vampires have certain skills, he said with a soft, familiar smile.

She backed up, her legs spread too wide to accommodate the toilet between them, her butt against the wall. He was still too close, so close she could see the tiny flecks of gold in his brown eyes.

Don’t touch me, she said, holding up her hands as though that could ward him off.

Jo, he said quietly, it’s still me. I’m still the same guy you’ve known for two years.

You killed Mrs. Hernandez.

I rid the world of a dark, dangerous soul.

She shook her head. You believe him? You believe this crap he’s saying—

Watch what you say, Jackson said quietly, his jaw beginning to transform even as his mouth spoke the words. He is our leader, our protector.

Again that feeling of sinking into an ice-cold bath washed over Joey. You’re all insane, she whispered.

We’re trying to protect you, Joey. If not for us, the Nephilim would have killed you already.

She shook her head even as tears started to sting her eyes. I don’t understand what’s happening. I don’t understand what I’m doing here, what all this is about.

It’s about a struggle between two very powerful factions, he said, touching the side of her face with a long finger, a finger that was suddenly tipped with a nail that was thick and sharp. It’s about right and wrong.

And what side are we on?

That remains to be seen, doesn’t it? he asked.

And then he disappeared as though he had never been there to begin with.

Chapter 2

Joey went reluctantly back to her seat. Sam didn’t even look up when she sat back down.

They landed in Springfield, Illinois a little over an hour later. Joey stared at the ground as Sam led her through the crowded airport. But it didn’t matter. There were people everywhere, children playing on the floor, adults who walked into her path, brushed her arms, her legs with their hands. She saw darkness everywhere. A three-horned beast behind the face of a three-year-old girl with the prettiest yellow curls, the decaying skin of a zombie behind the face of an elderly war vet, the crawling, sucking beetles behind the façade of a kindly TSA agent who was patiently watching a mother of three repack her diaper bag. Even the mother sported a strange hitchhiker behind her exhausted face, a tiny, faceless lump of darkness that had yet to form into any particular persona.

She was shaking uncontrollably as they climbed into yet another black SUV.

Do you have a whole fleet of these? she asked in a weak voice.

That’s a good sign, Jackson said with a little laugh. She hasn’t lost her sense of humor.

Sam gave Jackson a look, and he instantly fell silent. Sam climbed into the bench seat beside Joey while the other vampire, the one with the pretty mouth, climbed behind the wheel. It was just the four of them. Joey found herself glancing at the busy sidewalk, wondering who brought the SUV here in the first place. She quickly regretted it as façades began to slip in horrible numbers.

She cried out, and Sam immediately reached for her, pulling her face down against his shoulder. Don’t look, he whispered against her ear.

His hand was firm on the back of her head, his thumb gently brushing against her temple. It was gentle, soothing. She felt like a child sucking its thumb while holding tight to a security blanket. It made her forget, for a moment, the visions that waited just outside the window.

Why is this happening? she asked after a minute, when her heart was no longer in her throat and she knew she could trust herself. Why is it changing?

She had meant it as a rhetorical question. But he answered.

Because the war is coming.

War? She pulled back, her heart stuttering at the loss of his touch, but she needed to see his eyes. What war?

Again that overwhelming sadness she had seen on the plane filled his eyes. The apocalypse.

It’s a war?

Of sorts.

What does that have to do with my . . . She waved a hand at her face. My visions?

You’re special, Joey, he said, touching the tip of his finger to the curve of her jaw, letting his finger slide slowly down until his finger was sitting in the center of her chin. You can see souls. You can see the humans who deserve to survive, and those who do not.

She pulled back, shaking her head as she did. What do you mean, ‘survive?’

Not everyone will survive the coming war.

What does that have to do with me?

Everything. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. He seemed bothered by her refusal; his hand paused in midair as though he did not know what to do with it. After a minute, he turned in his seat, settling back with his legs crossed, so much like the way he had acted after she had told him about Mrs. Hernandez. You’re not ready to know the truth, he said quietly. We’ll wait. We have time.

How much time?

He shrugged. Some.

Joey threw herself back against the bench seat, moving like a petulant child. She stared out the window for a moment, but there were too many people, too many slipping façades. She turned to the inside of the SUV, her eyes meeting the vampire’s in the rearview mirror. He smiled, his beautiful mouth so perfect without the distortion of his previous appearance, his vampire façade.

What’s your name? she asked.

They call me Corey, he said.

Corey. She looked at him for a long minute, grateful she couldn’t see anything in his face but his lovely brown eyes and slightly crooked nose. That’s nice.

He smiled again. Thanks.

Be careful, Corey, Jackson said. She’s a bit of a flirt.

I am not, Joey said.

You are. Don’t you remember when that pianist from the university came to the school to follow me around for the day? The one considering going into teaching at the high school level?

Joey blushed, remembering the day well. The guy had been six feet four and had the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen. That was an exception, she said.

Jackson laughed. I think the poor guy was afraid you were going to jump over the table and devour him right there in the teachers’ break room.

Joey shook her head while at the same time trying to peek at Sam to see if he was listening. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. His total and complete disinterest was not it. He had a cellphone in his hand and was completely engrossed in flipping through something, email, probably.

Did the two of you ever hook up? Corey asked.

Jackson shook his head at the same time Joey said, You do know he’s gay, right?

Corey’s eyebrows went up. She doesn’t know?

Jackson turned slightly in his seat even before Joey could ask. I’m not gay, he said.

But Ronan—

He’s my donor.

Your donor?

My blood donor.

Joey had seen Ronan and Jackson together a dozen times. At parties, at staff events, at the multiple concerts Jackson’s music classes put on throughout the school year. There had been several times when she had spotted them in a corner, and looked for all the world like they were making out. Now, she realized, it could have been something else. It had always been Ronan up against the wall, always Jackson in the dominant position. And maybe his mouth was closer to Ronan’s neck than his mouth . . .

Your blood donor, she repeated.

Yeah, one of my favorites, Jackson said as he settled back into his seat with a sigh. I’m going to miss him.

Joey bit her lip, wondering how many more things about her life she was about to learn were all lies. She was afraid the answer was, quite a few.

They left the highway a few minutes later and began traveling small side streets that led them farther and farther away from the city and into the farm-dotted countryside. Joey finally felt safe staring out the window. She watched the fields fly by, most of them filled with row upon row of foot-high corn stalks. Eventually they came into a small town dominated by a single grocery store and a classic town square. As that town melted into more corn fields, Corey eased the SUV onto a long, dirt lane that ended in a sprawling farm house complete with green shutters and a red barn about a half mile farther down the lane.

Who lives here? Joey asked as Corey and Jackson climbed out of the car.

It’s a safe house, Sam said.

Safe from what? Joey asked as she looked up at the old clapboards that had been painted so often that new paint would no longer stick.

You don’t want to know.

Sam pushed open the door and stepped out of the vehicle, reaching back in for Joey’s hand. She hesitated only for an instant. She really had no idea what choice she had at this point. Where else did she have to go? Until things settled down with her visions, the world had suddenly become a dangerous place she could no longer navigate alone.

Even if her only chance at survival was in the company of killers.

She took his hand.

As they walked to the house, the front door opened. A woman stepped out onto the porch, wiping her hands on her old-fashioned, lace-trimmed apron. Joey missed a step, her heart stuttering so unexpectedly in her chest that she thought it would never pump properly again.

It was Dotty.

Her grandmother was standing on the porch of this strange house.

Chapter 3

Joey? Sam asked quietly. Are you okay?

How did she get here?

Sam frowned as he considered the absence of color on Joey’s face. Then he turned and looked at the woman on the porch. Oh, hell, he whispered under his breath. It’s not Dotty, he told Joey.

It looks like Dotty.

He tugged at her hand, pulling her to a stop and then moving in front of her. Look at me, Joey, he said.

Joey looked at him, her gaze weary. I know what my grandmother looks like, Sam.

And I’m telling you, that isn’t her.

Then who is she?

Sam’s head came up slightly, his jaw tight with something he didn’t want to say. It’s complicated.

Everything is with you. She put her hand on his chest with the intention of pushing him out of her way. He refused to move. He ran his hand over the back of hers, pulling her tight against his hard chest. Move, Sam, she said quietly, moving closer to him.

You aren’t making this easy, he said against her temple, his breath blowing against the thin tendrils of curl that had come loose from her ponytail.

Her breath was caught in her chest, making it hard for her to remember how to take the next breath. I’m not the one playing games, she whispered.

He grunted, his hand pressing hard against hers for a second longer before he let go and stepped out of her way.

Joey thought she might fall from his sudden absence. But then her eyes fell on Dotty’s familiar features, and she remembered where she was, what she was doing. She walked forward with purpose in every step. She opened her mouth to call out to her grandmother when the woman turned to her. As she did, Joey saw her eyes.

Gray.

Dotty’s were a steel blue.

It wasn’t Dotty.

You must be Joey, the woman said, stepping down from the porch to greet her. I’ve heard so much about you.

Who are you?

The woman frowned, her eyes moving to Sam. Joey saw him give just the slightest shake of his head from the corner of her eye.

My name is Valerie, the woman said, stepping closer to Joey and offering her hand, not as though she wanted to shake but more like someone would offer their hand to a dog in order to offer their scent. Joey didn’t know what to do with that.

You live here? she asked.

Valerie studied Joey’s face for a long second before she nodded, dropping her hand to her side. Sam moved up behind Joey, laying his hands lightly on her shoulders. We should go inside, he said quietly.

Valerie turned and gestured for them to lead the way. They walked up the front steps, steps that creaked and groaned under their weight, and into a large room that was surprisingly modern. The furniture was expensive, all walnut and microfiber and leather. There was a desk in one corner with a tower-less computer connected to a bank of four monitors, each displaying a different image. One looked like it was tracking stock trades, one had a constant news feed running across it, another appeared to be displaying security footage from around the house, and the last had what appeared to be a pornographic movie playing. Valerie clicked her tongue when she saw that and said, Trevor, in a tone that made Joey glad she was not Trevor.

Despite the modern technology, there was no television in the room, no radio, or any other type of entertainment. It had the feel of a business office, of a place where work got done. Valerie continued on into the depths of the house, and Sam propelled Joey to follow with a hand on the small of her back. They moved through a narrow hallway. There were several doors there, closed off to the hallway. But Joey could hear voices behind them. Some were raised in what sounded like anger.

Joey glanced back at Sam. His face was hard, unreadable.

At the end of the hall, they walked into a wide, bright room. A kitchen. This room was warm, filled with the smells of good, homegrown cooking. Joey could smell onions and garlic and some kind of meat that made her mouth water. She realized it had been a while since she had had a decent meal.

Sit down, child, Valerie said, gesturing to the table. You must be starving.

Joey smiled gratefully but hesitated. She turned to Sam. Despite her fears and overwhelming confusion, she was glad he was there. Just being near him somehow had a calming effect on her nerves. It was like he could read her thoughts because his face softened somewhat as he looked down at her. He touched her cheek lightly, his fingers just skimming the surface.

You can trust Valerie, he said in a low voice meant only for Joey’s ears.

What happens next?

He studied her face for a long second. You eat. And I need to go talk to some people.

You’re leaving?

I won’t go far. He stroked her cheek one more time. You’re safe here, Joey.

He glanced at Valerie, again offering that barely-a-nod thing, before he turned and walked away. Joey watched him go, a lump rising to her throat. She barely knew him, knew nothing about him, really. For all she knew, he was insane, and all of this was some sort of cult devoted to his crazy delusions. He’d ordered the death of a woman he didn’t even know based on something Joey had seen. Something she still wasn’t even sure was real. And Jackson had done it without hesitation.

Who would do that?

But still . . . it scared her a little to watch him walk away.

Sit down, child, Valerie said, her voice soft and gentle, as though she were talking to an infant.

Joey looked at her, struck again by how much she looked like Dotty. Even that tone was so familiar. It made her miss Dotty that much more.

Joey sat, her fingers working over some of the scars on the old tabletop. It was a very old table, one of those that you sometimes see in period homes refurbished to give visitors a sense of what it was like to live during that time period. Joey had gone to one of those places, an old army fort, with Dotty years ago. She remembered how excited she had gotten when she saw the women dressed in period costumes baking bread in an old, iron stove. It made the whole idea of living without electricity and modern conveniences seem romantic. How naive she had been.

Try this, Valerie said, setting a bowl of steaming stew in front of Joey, pulling her from her memories. I made it myself.

The smell was heavenly. Joey closed her eyes and sighed. Thank you.

Valerie smiled, the smile so familiar to Joey, before she turned and went to the sink to busy herself with a stack of dishes sitting there. Joey dug into the stew, her taste buds in heaven as the thick gravy spread over her tongue. So good. She ate half the bowl embarrassingly fast, forcing herself to slow down as the bowl emptied of carrots and potatoes, leaving behind only the amazing gravy and bits of meat.

Joey was lingering over a spoonful of gravy when a young girl came into the room. She didn’t speak a word, didn’t acknowledge either Valerie or Joey. Simply walked up to the counter and began chopping a head of lettuce that had been sitting there, as though waiting specifically for this young girl to come into the room. Joey watched her, not because she was particularly skillful with a knife, though she was, but because there was something about her, an aura, perhaps, that seemed to speak to Joey.

When the girl turned to reach for a bowl, Joey could see that she was severely burned over one side of her face. The burns were so bad that they had hardened into thick, ropy scars, contorting and twisting that side of her face until her eye was forced into a perpetually wide-eyed stare while her lips looked as though she was always about to scream. It was hideous, the kind of scars that made a person wonder who could allow a child to remain that way, why doctors had not been consulted, why surgeries had not been performed.

But that wasn’t what Joey really saw.

What Joey saw was the face of an angel.

Chapter 4

Who are you?

The girl turned, her unscarred eye as wide as the other. She focused on Joey for a long second, and then her eyes dropped to the floor. She started to turn around again, but Joey stood and moved to her side, caught her chin to force her to look up.

Who are you? she asked again.

She’s called Bethany, Valerie said. Just a local girl who helps out with the chores.

Joey only half heard what Valerie said. She was so awed by this girl’s face that it was like looking on a priceless piece of artwork and finally understanding the concept of beauty. Joey smoothed her hand over the girl’s scars, but instead of feeling the rough, damaged skin, she felt something softer than silk.

You’re beautiful, she whispered.

Bethany’s eyes instantly filled with tears. Please, she said, pulling away.

You are, Joey insisted. You have the most beautiful face. Like porcelain.

Bethany shook her head, backing away but only inches as she pushed herself into the corner of the counter.

Joey touched Bethany again. This time there was something different, a spark of electricity that seemed to move from her fingertips to Bethany. The mask, the façade, that Bethany wore on the outside slipped away completely, her true face glowing slightly as it revealed itself fully to the world. Valerie gasped, backing away from the two women until her back hit the stove, making its load of pots and pans rattle with the impact.

Bethany reached up and touched her own face. Her eyes again widened with surprise. And glee. She threw herself at Joey, hugging her so tightly Joey couldn’t catch her breath for a second. But then she laughed, overwhelmed by the joy flowing from this poor, broken girl.

Sam! Valerie bellowed, rushing to the doorway. Someone find Sam!

Joey could hear running feet in the hallway, too many for the number of people she had thought were in the house. Jackson suddenly appeared beside her, concern in his eyes even as his jaw contorted with his vampire fangs. He seemed almost disappointed that there was no danger here. Just two girls holding each other.

Bethany finally let go of Joey, stepping back, tears on her face. Thank you, she whispered over and over. Thank you so much.

I didn’t do anything, Joey said. It was all you.

The girl shook her head, began to say something, but was stopped by something behind Joey. It was as though an electric current had run through the room. Everyone stood up straighter, everyone seemed suddenly unsure of themselves. Even Jackson stepped away from Joey a little, as though afraid of offending someone with his open concern for her.

Joey turned. Sam stood in the doorway, watching the chaos that had erupted in the room. And it was chaos. There were half a dozen people standing around, most people Joey had yet to meet. A couple of young men, tall and thin, their jaws distorted with vampire fangs. And a young woman, something about her powerful stance suggesting to Joey that she too would have a distorted jaw if she felt threatened. Then an older man with a long, shaggy mane of hair that gave him a sort of baffled look was standing beside Valerie, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder.

Behind Sam was another man. He stood in shadows so that Joey could not see his face. But there was something about his posture, about the way he leaned casually back against the far wall, that made Joey think she knew him.

Sam walked into the room, and the people parted, moving quickly and carefully out of his way. There was a definite sense of power about the way they looked at him, the way they bent their heads in deference to him. Joey had gotten the sense that Jackson and Corey respected Sam, but this was something more, something bigger. It was as though they looked at Sam as more than just a leader. Almost like he was a god walking the earth.

Bethany shuddered as Sam approached. Joey turned back to her and watched as she bent double, lowering herself in front of Sam. It’s all right, she said quietly, taking Bethany’s arm and drawing her to her side.

Bethany was shaking.

Sam stood in front of them and lifted Bethany’s face with the touch of a finger under her chin. When she looked at him, he gasped, his eyes widening slightly.

How? he asked quietly.

She touched me, Bethany said.

Sam looked at Joey. Have you ever done this before?

Joey considered Bethany. Her beautiful face still glowed, the aura faded only slightly. You can see it, too? she asked.

Sam studied Joey for a long minute, a frown marring his beautiful features. He turned back to Bethany, ran his finger over her now scarless face. He leaned close to her, whispered something into her ear. Bethany immediately inclined her head, her eyes on the ground.

No one is to speak of this outside of this room, Sam announced. And then he grabbed Joey’s hand. Before they could take more than a few steps, someone called out from the living room: We have company.

Chapter 5

Sam pulled Joey along with him out of the kitchen. The strange man who had seemed so familiar to Joey was gone.

Sam moved quickly, his strides so long Joey had to take three steps just to match one of his. They turned a corner and were in the living room again, standing in front of the bank of computer monitors. On one of them, a group of pickup trucks was coming up the long lane outside the house.

We have to go.

The man sitting at the computer typed a list of commands into the computer. When he finished, a door opened in the wall on the far side of the room.

What is that? Joey asked.

No one answered her. Instead, Sam pulled her through the door, leading her into a dark corridor that seemed to move downhill. She could hear footsteps behind them, but when she turned, she could see nothing in the pitch dark that had suddenly enveloped them. She could see nothing at all but the silhouette of Sam’s back in front of her.

What’s going on? she asked.

Again her question was ignored.

After a few minutes, Joey could hear the sound of dripping water. She couldn’t see where it came from, but the temperature had clearly dropped as well. Her skin was covered in goose bumps. What she wouldn’t give to be wearing jeans and a t-shirt, to have good running shoes on her feet instead of the linen skirt and blouse she had worn to work the day before and flats that had seemed sensible but now pinched her little toes unrelentingly. She was going to have to talk to Sam about a change of clothes.

Here, Sam said, stopping abruptly and turning, pulling Joey through a thin crevice in the wall. A moment later they stepped into a huge, underground cavern that was filled with more of those black SUVs. Dozens of them.

Do you own a dealership? Joey asked.

They come in handy, he said.

He drew her to one in the back, helping her into the passenger seat as though they were on a date, not running from unknown invaders. He closed the door and crossed to the driver’s side. Jackson, Corey, and Valerie suddenly appeared on the bench seats behind her. Joey gave a little scream when Jackson touched her arm.

You okay, Jo? he asked.

She tilted her head slightly. As okay as anyone would be under the circumstances.

It’ll be okay, he said, leaning forward so that their heads were right next to each other. He knows what he’s doing.

Joey’s eyes moved to Sam as he pulled the door open and climbed in. I hope so, she whispered. Her life, her sanity, appeared to be in his hands at the moment.

Sam started the SUV and put it into gear, pulling out so quickly that the tires skidded a little on the wet, stone floor. He drove down a narrow pathway along the back of the room. The source of the dripping water appeared ahead of them, an underground stream that fell from the roof of the cavern to a small pool that stretched several feet along a back wall. They were driving straight toward that wall, Sam picking up speed as they did. Joey watched the stone grow bigger, come closer. It looked for all the world like they were going to slam into it.

Suicide, she thought, closing her eyes tight. He dragged me down here to commit group suicide.

And then the sun was shining on her face.

Joey opened her eyes and twisted in her seat, looking back from where they had come. There was nothing there. Just fields. Rows and rows of corn growing in fields.

How . . . what—

Jackson leaned forward and patted her arm. Don’t try to figure it out, sweetie, he said. It’ll just drive you crazy.

Joey laughed. It was all she could do.

Sam found a road, a rutted, dirt road, that he carefully drove along until they finally came to blacktop. Joey expected they would end up back at the airport, another commercial flight to another obscure location. Instead, he took them through more farm towns, navigating dozens of back country roads until darkness descended. They continued driving through the night until they came to a beautiful lake tucked in among small hills. They drove slowly around the lake, taking a short lane up to a cabin.

We’ll stay here for the night, Sam said.

The others climbed out. Corey and Jackson disappeared around a corner of the cabin while Valerie let herself in the front door. Joey started to climb out of the SUV, but Sam reached over and grabbed her hand.

Wait just a minute.

Why? Isn’t it safe?

Probably. But we should let them check it out anyway.

Joey sat back, stared out the window. She could see the lake just beyond a line of trees that stood as a wind guard beside the cabin. The surface was calm, sparkling in the moonlight. She wondered what it would feel like to step into it, to feel all that cold water washing over her skin. She went skinny dipping once, with a group of friends. They had gone down to Galveston for spring break and snuck onto one of the public beaches well after midnight. It had been exciting, the feel of the water on her bare skin. She remembered how her inhibitions had gone flying out the window that night, with a little help from the bottles of Jack Daniels one of her girlfriends had brought along. She had thought that would be the night Bill would finally want her, would stop acting like a celibate monk.

She’d been wrong.

The memory brought a familiar frustration, a tightness in her lower belly she was afraid would never find satisfaction.

She was going to die the world’s oldest virgin.

Joey?

She glanced at Sam in the dark SUV. He was leaning toward her, watching her across the wide console that separated them. He reached his hand across and touched her, tugged lightly at the sleeve of her blouse.

You okay? he asked.

She glanced out the window again. Can I ask you something?

Anything.

She looked over at him again. Why can’t I see you? Or Jackson and Corey?

Our souls, you mean.

Yes.

Jackson and Corey are vampires. Their souls are different than a human’s. You’re gift only works with humans.

And Valerie and the others at the safe house?

They are not humans.

Joey thought about it, thought about the other people in her life she had been unable to see. A math teacher, a barista. And closer to her, Bill, her college boyfriend. And Dotty.

We’ve been watching over you for a long time, Joey, Sam said quietly, as though he could read the direction of her thoughts. People in your life you couldn’t read? Most of them were there to watch over you, to make sure no danger came to you before we were prepared to tell you the truth.

And what is the truth?

Sam’s head dipped a little as he looked down at the console. It’s complicated, he began

Sam—

We’re good, boss, Corey said, suddenly appearing at Sam’s window.

We should go inside.

Yeah. Joey climbed out of the SUV, ignoring Sam as he came up beside her and tried to take her hand. They walked into the house, which, again, was expensively decorated. This one was missing the fancy computer system but did have a small television in a corner of the living room. Jackson was sprawled on the couch, flipping through the television channels trying to find something worth watching. Valerie was in the small kitchen, searching through the cabinets as though she didn’t feel whole without a cooking project to work on. Corey had disappeared again. Joey had an image of him flying around like a bat in the night sky, watching over the cabin.

Nothing would have surprised her at this point.

Is there a bathroom?