by Trina M. Lee
“Just a little farther,” I prodded Dalyn, leading her into the shadows, away from all streetlight. Working the clasp on the locket I wore, I dropped it into my small purse. “Ditch the glamour. They’ll be looking for that appearance.”
Moving slow allowed us to move in silence, aside from Dalyn’s labored breathing as she struggled to catch her breath. Her heartbeat thundered a mile a minute, loud in my head.
Slipping between buildings, cars, and anything else that acted as cover, we made our way down the street toward the agreed upon rendezvous point. Rayne was supposed to be there. Still there was no return message on my phone.
At one point a blacked-out sedan rolled slowly past us as its occupants scrutinized anyone on the street. I’d kept to the shadows, so we were able to watch them from where we stood between two buildings while they searched for us.
Several bars and restaurants lined the busy downtown area. We’d be meeting Rayne in the parking lot of one of the busiest. The dense human presence proved a good way to ensure the Feds couldn’t pull any dangerous shenanigans.
When we stood across the busy street from our destination, I said, “On the next break in traffic, run for it. If anyone chases us, we go inside. If not, circle around to the parking lot.”
“Got it. I don’t think anyone tracked us this far.” Hair in disarray and bare feet bleeding, Dalyn held her heels up. She’d stuffed her magic pouch into her cleavage to keep her shoes in hand.
She looked so ridiculous in that moment, I burst into poorly timed laughter. Smacking both hands over my mouth, I muffled the sound until I could compose myself. Nerves could really fuck with a person. “After that van we go. You first. I’ll watch your back.”
I kept expecting half a dozen government cars to come screeching up on each side of us as we darted across the street. Instead we made it to the other side without issue. Dalyn paused to slip her shoes back on. I didn’t miss mine. They’d hurt like hell anyway.
When we rounded the noisy lounge to the lot where Rayne should be, my heart plummeted into my stomach. He wasn’t there.
“Fuck,” I hissed. Trying a call, it went unanswered.
Knowing that Ghost had gone with him as a second, I called him too. We’d all been given a secure phone to use when running Circle jobs, even those of us who never usually carried one, like the mysterious vampire. He didn’t answer either.
“I have no idea where Rayne is.” Wary of standing about too long and having the Feds catch up with us, I nudged Dalyn toward a bench near the lounge entry, where people could wait for their cab or ride service. “If they don’t show in five minutes, I’ll call Smudge and have her send someone else.”
With unease hunching her shoulders, Dalyn kept sneaking glances behind and around us. “What if we don’t have five minutes?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
RAYNE
Before I left the house to pick up Blaze and Dalyn, Nova pulled me aside. Clapping a hand on my shoulder, he steered me into the front sitting room. Even though he intended to intimidate with his heavy grip, I didn’t shrug him off. I wasn’t daunted.
“Try to get there and back without any trouble. But if you run into any, I expect you to do whatever it takes to make sure you all make it back here alive.” Red eyes glinting with the unspoken promise of violence, Nova’s hand tightened on my shoulder. A split second before I knocked it away, he removed it.
“Is that your covert way of telling me to protect Blaze? For one, it goes without saying that I’d take a bullet for her. For two, I sincerely doubt she needs either of us to take care of her.”
“You don’t have to be an asshole about it,” Nova snarled. “I have no doubt that all the time she’s been spending in your bed has made you quite loyal to her. I’m counting on that wolf loyalty to ensure you do take that bullet when the time comes.”
Yeah, I figured he knew about that. Blaze and I hadn’t gone out of our way to hide the time we spent together. Why should we? We were all on borrowed time here. It was a risk we deemed worth taking.
Every night I fell a little harder for her. No point denying it.
“Jealous, Nova? I hear the bitter envy in your voice. But I’m not the incubus she melts into a puddle for with just a glance, so I wouldn’t be too quick to think that I have it all. You’ve got your own thing going with her, and you know it. So back the fuck off.” Knowing better than to let the demon lure me into a heated exchange, I turned to leave.
Nova’s parting words left me fuming. “If she dies on your watch, you die.”
On my way into the garage I slammed a fist through the drywall. Fucking demons and their possessive bullshit. If Blaze knew he’d said that, she’d have been pissed. The woman had existed far longer than I had. I had no doubt she could fuck up anyone who did her wrong. She didn’t need me or Nova to protect her.
Nova knew that. His anxiety likely stemmed from his inability to be there himself. Being Circle elite meant that he had duties beyond recruiting and training us rogues. He’d referred to his work at Mayhem House as a punishment, but I’d never asked what he did to get here.
I didn’t expect to find Ghost lurking in the dark garage. I tensed when I saw him leaning against the gray BMW.
Without acknowledging my display of temper, he said, “I’m your second tonight. Ready to roll?”
I pulled the keys from a pocket and unlocked the doors with the fob. “Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here for a while.”
Blaze and Dalyn had arrived at the party twenty minutes ago. It would take me about that long to get over there. My instruction was to wait for them to reach out to me. If I didn’t hear from them after an hour, I was to call Blaze. If she didn’t answer, we’d be going in. Since it was a bachelor party with drunk federal agents, I didn’t expect trouble.
Unless the ladies triggered suspicion.
Ghost sat quietly in the passenger seat. The man didn’t say much. But he had a way of moving like a cat through the night, unheard and unseen, that made him a deadly asset to the team. If anyone asked me if I trusted him though, I’d be on the fence. Although he hadn’t given me a reason for suspicion, my trust had to be earned.
“Mind if I smoke?” he asked in a raspy voice that sounded like he’d smoked plenty in his time.
“Just open the window.” Had to give the guy credit for asking. Most vampires didn’t.
We drove through the city toward the downtown core, a relatively uneventful drive spent in comfortable silence. Ghost didn’t seem like the small talk type, and that was a nice change for me.
Of course I was curious about the vampire that nobody knew jack about. Not even Blaze who’d had a one-night stand with him. The strength of his power was impressive, and I’d much rather be with Ghost than against him.
Blowing a cloud of smoke out the window, Ghost slid a glance my way, which I felt before he spoke. “Nova’s getting pretty hot under the collar over our girl, isn’t he?”
His question left me tongue tied and blindsided. Most especially his reference to Blaze as “our” girl. So surprised I had to slam on the brakes to keep from running a red light. “It appears that way. Demons are used to taking what they want. He can’t do that with her.”
“Fuck no. Not Blaze. He’ll learn though. There’s no forcing your way in with that one. Too many scars left by those who came before. She’s not that person.” Taking another drag, Ghost blew smoke rings toward the open window.
His insight into Blaze made me look a little harder at him. As the driver behind us honked their horn, Ghost motioned with his cigarette to the now green light. I hit the gas and sped through the intersection, forcing the BMW quickly up to speed.
“How well do you know her?” I asked, curious because I didn’t think she’d told him the things that she’d told me about her sire.
“Not as well as you do,” he replied easily, not at all bothered by this conversation. When it came to her, he had the complete opposite reaction from Nova. “But you can learn a lot about
a person when you fuck them. Even just once.”
Vampires connected with another person’s energy on a deeper level than most. I felt it every time I was inside Blaze. She was everywhere, all around me, in my head. They had a way of capturing you fully, completely. They delved deep enough to learn the things that were never spoken aloud.
I nodded, slowing to take a left a block ahead. “Can’t argue that.”
“Keep signaling left but take a right.” Ghost didn’t sit up straighter or sound concerned, but he added, “We have a tail.”
A glance in the rearview mirror confirmed it. Four cars back a black SUV got into our lane, preparing to turn left. For me to go right, I’d have to cut across the right lane of traffic and hope like hell I didn’t cause an accident.
“That didn’t take long. They must have cars watching key areas for us.” Accelerating toward the left turn instead of slowing, I glanced over my shoulder before jerking the wheel to the right.
The BMW slid across the right lane, cutting off the pickup truck there and just narrowly missing its chrome bumper. Several pedestrians in the crosswalk were forced to jump out of the way. Shit.
From the passenger seat, Ghost chuckled and flicked his cigarette butt out the window. “Nice. They’re scrambling now.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the road long, but I managed to catch a glimpse of the FPA vehicle as it screeched to a halt and tried to cut across traffic after us. The pedestrian flow slowed them down too.
Speeding toward the next intersection, I checked the time on the dash. I didn’t want to be late to grab Blaze and Dalyn. Leaving them without a ride could put them in danger.
“Keep an eye on those assholes.” Without signaling I turned at random down a side street, then took another turn down an alley before killing the lights.
“They just drove by the alley entrance.” Ghost monitored the activity behind us. “I don’t think they saw us. Unless they plan to head you off on the other side.”
As soon as he said that headlights beamed bright in our eyes as the SUV rounded the bend ahead, coming right at us. The alley was wide enough for only one vehicle at a time and offered no room to turn around. Slamming the car in reverse, I gunned it backward.
Ghost let out a little whoop of excitement as we shot back onto the street that we’d come from. “Now we’re having some fun. Do you want to stop and fight them? Or keep moving? I think we can take them.”
We quite possibly could, but I didn’t want anything to keep us from getting to Blaze on time. “Let’s make that last resort. This thing has more horsepower than what they’re driving. I’m sure I can shake them.”
I cranked the wheel, put the car in gear, and raced down the street with the black SUV hot on our tail. They did a better job of keeping up than I’d anticipated. I’d been nagging Nova to upgrade our vehicles, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer after this.
My own personal ride was one of the fastest machines on the road these days. Maybe it would have to become a bait car instead of a fun luxury ride. The bright color and flashy exterior would easily draw FPA attention and still outrun them.
“Hang a right up ahead. I’ve got this.” Turning in his seat to eye the SUV behind us, Ghost flung a psi ball out the open window.
It hit the front of the SUV, denting in the center of the hood, causing the driver to swerve erratically. Still they stayed on us. Once the first shot had been thrown, they were fast to retaliate.
The passenger stuck a handgun out the window, aiming for our back tires. I swerved to make it tougher, ducking when a bullet nailed the trunk. Adrenaline pumped through me, calling the wolf out. I held tight to the wheel, willing the beast back. “Fuck these assholes.”
“Still want to keep moving?” Ghost asked, a sly dip to his gritty tone. “If we stop here we can kick their asses without any witnesses. If you want to keep going, head back downtown. There’s too many people this time of night. They won’t be able to take any more shots at us.”
We wouldn’t be able to take any more at them either, but it seemed like the best plan. My phone screen lit up from the bracket on the dash that held it. I thought I saw Blaze’s name but had no time to check the message. While I raced through the night, Ghost watched our pursuers, launching whatever attacks he could from the speeding car.
Upon reaching the next intersection, I headed toward downtown’s busy main avenue. As we got closer both the vehicular and pedestrian traffic began to thicken. The FPA car lost ground when a truck zigzagged through traffic to cut it off.
The light turned from green to amber, and I made it easily. The Feds didn’t have the same luck. The light turned red, and cars in front of them stopped. They were trapped in the pack.
We’d lost that car, but they might have called for another to head us off. We had to get to Dalyn and Blaze before another squad found us.
“That was some seriously sweet driving, brother.” Ghost lightly punched my shoulder before pulling out another cigarette. “I’ll ride with you anytime.”
It took several minutes for my racing heart to slow. A glance at my reflection in the mirror revealed wolf eyes. With the moon growing fuller, the wolf grew more demanding.
“Thanks. Keep watch. They might send another car from a different direction.” I flicked on the air conditioner, craving the icy blast on my hot skin. Nothing like a car chase to get the blood pumping, something I hoped Ghost didn’t enjoy too much. No doubt he could hear the pounding of my pulse.
A few more blocks without incident and we reached the lounge where Blaze and Dalyn were supposed to meet us. They weren’t there. When I checked the messages that had come in from her and saw the missed call, I cursed myself for not connecting my phone to the car’s system.
“Do you see them anywhere?” Trying to keep calm while the wolf inside wanted to tear frantically down the street sniffing them out, my gaze darted about.
Ghost sat there unperturbed, scanning the vicinity, puffing smoke like a lazy dragon. After a few moments of consideration, he pointed down the block to a bus shelter. “There.”
Waiting impatiently for a row of vehicles to stream past, I pulled back into traffic and blasted toward the enclosure at an alarming rate. People on the sidewalk shouted at me to slow down.
I slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop as Blaze and Dalyn darted toward the car. In a tangle of limbs, they jumped in, simultaneously shouting at me to drive. I didn’t need to be told twice.
Although I didn’t know exactly how Ghost had so easily felt them out, I was glad he did. The two of them sprawled across the backseat like they’d just run a marathon. Dalyn gasped for breath while Blaze watched out the back window for any sign of pursuit.
“What the hell happened in there?” I asked when I was sure we were in the clear. “You smell like death.”
Blaze finally sat back, half relaxed as we made our way back to the house. “Let’s just say I think the Feds expected us to send someone. The groom himself lured me to a room to kill me. It’s going to be a lot harder to get close to them than Nova thinks.”
CHAPTER NINE
Two nights passed without Nova visiting the house. He hadn’t come by after our eventful visit to the bachelor party, and try as I might not to overthink it, I couldn’t help but worry that he’d run into trouble on his own outing.
Shortly before midnight I went down to the living room where Dalyn and Corr sat on the couch with a mountain of snacks between them, watching their latest Netflix binge show. Since we’d been told via a message sent through Smudge to sit tight at the house and wait on Nova, nobody had left longer than necessary. Food runs and victim visits, that kind of thing. When we did leave it was in pairs at the very least. Assuming the FPA would be looking for the BMW or our SUV, we made a habit of swapping out vehicles as well. Grab one here and ditch it there.
Restless and in need of some action, I ambled over to the easy chair across from the couch, where Corr had left his latest read. Picking up a worn copy of I
nterview with the Vampire, I snickered to myself.
“I’ve gotta say, I sure am glad that whole coffin bit is bullshit,” I muttered beneath my breath.
Corr laughed at my random observation, throwing a piece of popcorn at me that fell short, landing on the carpet a few feet away. “Yeah, I was pretty relieved to find out that silver doesn’t do shit to werewolves. Of course nothing was better than learning this thing is controllable. For most of us anyway.”
During our time here Corr and I had become friends. Or as close to friends as one could become with a guy that doesn’t trust anyone. And who could fault him for that? I couldn’t help but wonder what the always-in-control werewolf had done to land himself here if it hadn’t involved a reckless snap in judgment. We’d gotten friendly, but we weren’t exactly sharing secrets yet.
We talked books, an easy topic for the wolf who didn’t speak more than necessary and read constantly. It always got him talking. And we discussed fight moves, which as a former MMA athlete, Corr knew plenty about. But we had yet to get too personal.
“Don’t even get me started.” Dalyn paused the TV to fetch a can of pop from the bar near the pool table. “Nothing about my life as a witch comes anywhere close to what books or movies portray. Until now there was a lot less action too.”
Rayne sauntered in from the patio, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. Muscles rippled beneath the inked skin of his arms, drawing my eye. It was impossible not to stare. But since the time he’d tossed me in the pool, I tried not to let him catch me.
“Just got a message from Nova,” Rayne announced to the room. “He’ll be here in ten minutes. We’re going out tonight. Something about training. He wants us all ready when he gets here. I’m sending an alert out to the others.”
That news had us all moving. After heading back up to my third-floor bedroom, I exchanged satin lounge pants for jeans and pulled my hair into a braid that fell over one shoulder. Since it was a hot summer night, I didn’t bother with a jacket or sweater. A spandex tank top and my running shoes kept me comfy but ready for whatever Nova had planned. At least, I hoped so.