by Deanna Chase
“Iris?” Dax asked, letting surprise fill his tone. Strix would know that Dax was her neighbor and that they knew each other. “What the hell are you doing here with this asshole?”
She shrugged and glanced up at Strix, giving him a flirty little smile. “What can I say? He’s my kryptonite. I just can’t seem to stay away.”
“That’s right, baby,” he said and leaned down to nudge her neck. She tilted her head to the side, giving him full access to her throat. His fangs descended, and Iris shivered as he scraped them down her flesh and over her pulse.
“Save it for the bedroom.” King’s face scrunched up in disgust.
“It’s been a minute,” Strix said. “Right, baby?” He trailed a finger over Iris’s breast.
Her smile fell for just a second, and that one tell clued Dax in on the fact she wasn’t enjoying being manhandled by the vampire. His suspicion that she might not have been telling Phoebe the whole truth fled. She was the real deal, and he knew he could count on her when the time came. Suddenly their odds were looking a little better.
“Right, baby,” she mimicked but then slipped her hand over his and removed it from her bare flesh. “Still, we don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
“Fuck that. It’s my goddamned house.” Strix glared at King. “I’ll do whatever I fucking want.”
King stared him down. The room was completely silent as the two men glared at each other. Finally Strix held his hands up and took a step back. “Fine. No PDA. Got it. If you losers would find some pussy, maybe you wouldn’t be so uptight all the time.”
“Strix,” Iris chided. “Don’t be crass.”
He leered at her. “But you like my dirty mouth when we’re in the bedroom.”
Iris flushed deep red and shook her head as she strode out of the room. Strix followed her, practically salivating.
“Charming,” Dax said to King after the door slammed behind them. “That’s who you have working on your team? All it’s gonna take is one girl who gets under his skin and he’s gonna fuck everything up.” Little did King know that one girl was already on the inside.
“You think I don’t know that?” King asked. “Why do you think I brought you here?”
Dax shrugged one shoulder. “To clean up his mess?”
He laughed. “Mess? Ha! You’re the one thing he did right. With you on our side, Glacier has the potential to go head-to-head with Cryrique in the corporate world. And Eadric Allcot’s power will be cut off where it hurts him most—his bank account.”
“So that’s what this is about? You want Cryrique’s market share? Of what, Scarlet?”
His lips curled into a slow, predatory smile. “All of it. Scarlet, the magic-infused pharmaceuticals, gene therapy for vampires and shifters, weight loss supplements, cosmetics, synthetic blood. You name it, we’ll produce and distribute it.”
“And where does the shifter army come in?” Dax asked.
“Protection. Security. Right now Glacier can’t compete with Cryrique. They have far too many daywalkers. Too many strength-enhancing drugs. Do you know what they do to competitors?”
Dax could guess. Cryrique didn’t stand for anyone getting in their way. Not on the streets and not in business. “I imagine Allcot sends his goons and one way or another, whoever was working on the latest project either ends up working for Cryrique or ends up missing. How’d I do?”
“Just about right on the nose.” King lifted his glass in a salute. “And that’s why we want you on our team.”
“Do I have a choice?” Dax asked, swallowing the resentment threatening to choke him.
“Everyone has a choice,” King said. “You can either choose to be with us or against us. If you’re with us, you’ll be free to live your life as you see fit. If you’re against us… I guess we’ll have to figure out a better way to keep you chained up.”
“Some choice,” Dax said and picked up the bourbon. He’d yet to take a drink, but he did press the glass to his lips and sniff the liquid. As far as he could tell, it wasn’t tainted. Still, he wouldn’t risk it. Just because it smelled fine didn’t mean it hadn’t been magically altered.
“It’s not a bad life.” King rose from his chair. “Once the team is in place, the boss man will set everyone up with their own houses, cars, staff. You’ll have everything you need. No more working for the corrupt government and their bullshit salary. You’ll basically be doing the same job, only on your own terms.”
“You mean Glacier’s terms.”
He laughed. “This is why I like you, Marrok. No bullshit gets by you. Think of what we could build together.”
“What if I say yes?” he asked. “What happens when this shit in my veins starts to take over?”
He waved an unconcerned hand. “It’s just like a steroid, meant to build your physical strength. Once it kicks in, you go through some training, learn to control it, and come out the other side stronger and faster than you ever imagined.”
“Have you taken it?” Dax asked, watching him carefully.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. Then he locked eyes with Dax. His green eyes flashed pure gold as he added, “I was the first.”
Dax nodded, pretending to contemplate the other shifter’s offer. Then he asked, “How long does it take to go through conditioning? And do I get to build my own team?”
“Conditioning usually lasts a couple days to a few weeks after the toxin activates in your bloodstream. It all depends on what kind of control you have. Someone like you, I’d guess a day or two tops.” He pursed his lips as he studied Dax. “As for building your own team, you’ll have to prove yourself first.”
“After that, this magical life of riches and prestige just appears out of nowhere?”
“Not nowhere, Marrok. It’s funded by Paul Macer, owner of Glacier’s parent company Macer, Inc.”
“Holy shit,” Dax muttered. Now it all made sense. Paul Macer was the richest vampire in Europe, the natural rival to Allcot and his company Cryrique. There had been reports some six months back that there’d been a deal to join forces so that Cryrique had a presence in Europe while Macer had one in the US. Only the deal fell apart when Allcot partnered with the Barrés, a vampire dynasty from the northeast that was rapidly moving into the UK markets. Was Macer so crazy that this was some sort of revenge?
“Exactly,” King said as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He quickly flipped it open and showed Dax a picture of a mini-mansion on the side of a hill overlooking the bluest sea he’d ever seen. “This is my place in Greece. I have another one in Italy and a condo in Paris. All you have to do is play ball and by this time next year, Macer will set you up anywhere you want to be.”
Sure, Dax thought. All you have to do is play ball. Dax glanced up and gave the other shifter a cocky grin, pretending interest in his fancy houses and bullshit status. Nothing ever came without a price. And Dax wasn’t willing to bargain his life or his integrity for some house on the side of a mountain. But before he showed his hand, he needed to get Leo the hell out.
“I’m in,” Dax said. “But I want Leo on my team. The kid is like a son to me. That’s a deal breaker if I can’t have him.”
“Why do you think we brought him here?” King stood and moved to the gold table.
Dax followed him and watched as the shifter pulled out a syringe.
King held the syringe out to Dax and said, “He’s yours if you have the balls to make him one of us.”
22
Make Leo one of them? King was out of his goddamned mind if he thought Dax was going to inject that shit into anyone, let alone Leo. But he had to play along if he had any hope of saving the kid from that very fate. Dax took the syringe, mostly just to get it out of King’s hands. No one was going to inject Leo with that toxic shit if Dax had anything to say about it.
“Go on.” He gestured to Leo’s arm. “The sooner you get on with it, the sooner you’ll be set up in your mansion on a hill.”
Jesus, this guy must’ve
thought Dax was the shallowest fucker on the planet. Was a house all it took to ruin another guy’s life? Dax leaned over Leo’s prone form.
The moment his face was shielded from King’s view, Leo opened his eyes and mouthed, No!
Good, he was awake. That would make this easier. Dax gave him the tiniest shake of his head, indicating he had no intention of injecting the drug into Leo’s bloodstream. Then he bent his head and pushed up the sleeve of Leo’s T-shirt, exposing the kid’s shoulder as he whispered, “Keep your arm close to your body. Got it?”
Leo mouthed, Yes.
“Whatever happens, just pretend you’re high. Trust me,” Dax said, his voice so low he wasn’t even sure Leo heard him.
“How much do I give him?” Dax asked, holding the syringe so that the needle was straight up. He pressed the plunger, sending a tiny spray of the red liquid in the air.
“Don’t waste it, man. That shit is precious,” King said, running a hand through his thick red hair. “Expensive too.”
“Sorry.” Dax gave King an apologetic smile. “Old medic training.”
King’s eyebrows shot up. “Military?”
Dax nodded. “Six years. It sticks with you.”
“Nice. That’ll come in handy.” He nodded to the syringe in Dax’s hand. “It’s already prepped. Give him all of it unless he’s never shot up before.”
“Leo isn’t a user.” Dax gripped Leo’s arm, holding the younger shifter steady. “I’ve never seen him high before.”
“In that case, give him half and you take the other half,” King ordered.
“Why? I don’t want to be high,” Dax said. “That’s not my bag.”
“Too fucking bad, Agent.” King strode up to Dax and got in his face. “No one knows exactly how much of the toxin got into your system. We need to know that you’re one of us, and the only way to do that is to make sure you’ve got enough of the drug in your bloodstream. Understand?”
Dax understood perfectly. They were making him prove himself twice before they decided to trust him. Well, joke was on them. Leo wasn’t getting a drop of their shit. Not if Dax had anything to say about it. “Fine. Care to step back so I can get to work?”
“Yeah, I mind. This is something I have to see,” he said with a gleeful laugh.
Fucker, Dax thought. Fine. If he wanted to watch, he was going to get one hell of a show. Dax quickly undid the button and zipper of his jeans, then yanked the denim down, exposing his hip. Without any fanfare, Dax jabbed the needle into the fleshy part of his upper thigh and let out a grunt. He pressed the plunger of the syringe and hissed as the vile drug worked its way into his bloodstream.
Instantly the drug went to Dax’s head and his vision blurred.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” King roared as Dax spun and faced the small blurry crowd that had gathered at the far door. “Look at this guy. His balls are bigger than mine.”
In Dax’s already fuzzy state, he briefly wondered if King meant his actual balls. Dax glanced down to see his jeans had fallen to his ankles, and King was bent over, cackling at the scene.
Now! The voice sounded in Dax’s head. Do it now. Dax turned, grabbed Leo’s upper arm, and aimed. By some miracle, the needle hit the fleshy part of his own thumb just as he intended. He stared down at Leo and through clenched teeth said, “Hiss as if it hurts like a motherfucker.”
Leo sucked in a sharp breath, grunted, and then threw Dax off him. The syringe went flying through the air. Dax watched it, his vision blurred and his body feeling as if it were weightless. Then he heard Leo say, “Fuckin’ A, man. This shit is amazing.”
Dax floated in and out of awareness. He knew he hadn’t passed out; he just couldn’t remember what was going on around him. Leo was there. So were King and Strix and Iris. Their faces peered down at him, King’s and Strix’s amused, Leo’s and Iris’s worried. He tried to tell them he was fine, but his tongue was too thick and wouldn’t let him get the words out.
Eventually he became aware he was in a large bed, sandwiched between Leo and Iris. Iris was mopping his head with a cool rag. Leo was stretched out, pretending to sleep off his high. But the moment Dax moved, they both sat straight up.
“Jesus, Dax. You okay, man?” Leo asked.
“I have no idea,” Dax croaked out. “Water?”
Iris reached for a cup on her side of the bed and handed it to him. Dax gratefully gulped the water down. As soon as he emptied the cup, he glanced up at Iris and asked, “That wasn’t laced with anything was it?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“Good.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Are you both all right?”
“Yeah,” they said in unison.
Dax glanced between the two of them, noting the stress lining their lips and the dark smudges under their eyes. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Iris said, fierce determination shining from her light eyes.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“She thinks Strix is on to her,” Leo said quietly.
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t sleep with his sleazy ass,” she ground out. “I told him it’s because I’m still trying to learn to trust him, but he doesn’t believe me. The moment I volunteered to keep an eye on you both, he knew. I’m pretty sure I’m never getting out of this room.”
“Of course you are,” Dax said, sitting up. His head was fuzzy from the drugs and his limbs ached from his still-healing wounds, but at least he could think. “I’ll get you both out of here, one way or another.”
“I’ve been telling her that, but she’s not convinced.” Leo placed his hand on Dax’s arm. “Hey, thanks, man. What you did for me back there… I don’t even know what to say. You saved my ass.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Dax said. “My blood is already tainted by the toxin. Taking more isn’t going to change anything.”
“It was still really fucking heroic,” Iris said.
Dax patted her hand and slipped out of the bed. Iris quickly glanced away, her cheeks turning bright red. He looked down at himself and realized he was once again completely naked. “What happened to my clothes?”
“You ripped them off during your rendition of ‘Love Shack,’” Leo said with a snicker.
Dax eyed him, trying to determine if the kid was fucking with him. But then Iris and Leo caught each other’s gazes and both of them burst out with the lyrics of the chorus, and Dax knew he’d never live down the shame. “Christ,” he muttered.
Leo and Iris both laughed.
“Don’t worry,” Iris said. “I got it on video, so you can watch it later.”
“Great.” He shook his head and moved to the window. The orange moon was still high in the sky. “How long was I out?”
“A couple of hours,” Leo said. “Apparently your metabolism is faster than most, even for a shifter. They said we’d be out of it for hours.”
Dax saw his opening. “So they aren’t expecting us to emerge anytime soon?”
Iris shook her head. “Not until morning. Though who knows when Strix will come looking for me again.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she added, “He just never gives up.”
Dax moved to an armoire and pulled out fresh clothes. Just like every other shifter compound he’d ever been in, there were clothes stashed everywhere. Once he was in another pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he glanced back at the two still sitting on the bed. “What kind of resources do we have? Any vehicles we can snag? Weapons? Elements of surprise?”
“The only vehicle I’ve seen is Strix’s. It’s in the garage, but it’s impossible to steal. And even if you did, he’d track it down in no time flat. The man has at least half a dozen trackers on that thing,” Iris said.
Of course he did. Dax would too if he drove a Bugatti. “Weapons?”
“I found this.” Leo pulled a small steak knife out from under the pillow.
Dax raised one eyebrow.
“What? It’s a knife. Got any better ideas
?” he asked defensively.
“Yeah. How about we just walk right the fuck out of here?” Dax turned to Iris. “Any idea where we are?”
She nodded, a grin spreading across her face. “Sure do, thanks to Phoebe.” Her smile vanished and was replaced with a scowl. “Unfortunately, we’re on a small island out in the fucking bayou.”
“Strix got his fucking Bugatti out here?” Leo asked incredulously.
“It’s a private car ferry. Only runs for him. The rest of us get a foot bridge that looks like one wrong step will put us in the swamp.”
“Great,” Dax said. “Well, it’s now or never. You in?”
She jumped off the bed. Leo followed, but just as they were about to slip through the french doors, he hesitated.
“What is it?” Dax asked him.
“Do we have all the information we need to bring them down? You know the minute we walk out of here, they’ll find a new place to hole up.”
Dax grinned, pleased by the kid’s commitment. “Thanks to King, I’ve got everything we need to put the pieces together. Once the Void finds out, the shit is gonna hit the fan.”
Leo let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Then let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Dax held the door open for them, but the minute he stepped out into the humid air, he let out a long string of curses.
King stood in the middle of a dozen shifters. They were all lined up, just waiting for the trio to try to make an escape. King stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. “You didn’t think we believed that shit show, did you?”
Dax shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”
“Let’s hope you think so while you’re down in the pit with the rats.”
“Rats?” Iris squeaked out, taking a step closer to Leo. The younger shifter put his arm around her, holding her protectively to his side.
“Get your fucking mutt hands off her,” Strix said from behind them.
Iris spun, and before anyone else could move, Strix struck, hitting her so hard across the face that the impact was followed by her gut-wrenching cry echoing across the bayou.