by Knight
Working his jaw, he shakes his head. “What the fuck does it matter anyway,” he mutters to himself before looking back at me. “Victor Valkov is the man in charge, he hides away in the city, like a puppet pulling the strings. He has too much going on so you can slip some things through him. His rules are simple, they don’t deal in people or drugs, but what he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.”
Wow, real fucking classy.
“So, myself and a few other guys started this enterprise. It began small but kept getting bigger and bigger until we had a client base and buyers already lined up, putting in their own requests. I had no choice but to bring Tim on board, and he was all too happy to help, getting a split off the profits.”
“How did you bring him on board?” I ask, needing to know.
“I found out he was stealing from Victor, skimming the books. I mentioned it might slip out if he was to say...not help us.” As he speaks, he straightens haughtily, his power and money appearing once again.
“Anyway, eventually someone calling themselves ‘The Others’ approached us. It’s not unusual for clients to give us fake names or organisations. We didn’t think anything of it when they set up a meeting.”
Getting bored holding him, I push him back against the wall and cross my arms, his eyes drop to my breasts, making me grunt. “Eyes up top,” I warn.
He holds his hands up, wincing as he uses the injured one, before leaning back against the wall like he’s here for a business meeting.
“Anyway, at the meeting there was just something weird about these guys. They wanted some very specific things and before I knew it, they had proved that freaks...I mean, people with, erm, powers were real. It all moved really fast from there. They suggested that if we so happened to find these people, they would pay big money for them. They were clear that they didn’t want the humans, only the freaks.”
I hear a growl float on the wind and I want to agree with Griffin. Someone is going around snatching and buying supes...but why?
“These others, what can you tell me about them? How do they pick up? What do they look like? Any names?” I step forward. “You must have done some research, you’re smart and I’m betting you don’t trust easily. You must have had an insurance policy in case it all went wrong.”
His eyes dart to the side, a clear indicator that he’s going to lie to me. “Truth,” I order with power lacing my words. I’m starting to get itchy from all this waiting and talking. All I want to do is kill this bastard and hunt the others down, and fuck and eat.
“You’re right. I couldn’t find much, they were good. Real fucking good. They obviously have money and power, hell, they even have the cops in their fucking pockets. I did catch one man’s name, Veyo.”
“Anything else?” I press, needing something else to go on.
He purses his lips. “If I tell you, we need to make a deal, will you let me go?”
Pouting for a moment, I pretend to think about it. “Sure,” I agree and he must be desperate to accept that, though I’m not exactly lying.
“I think they were like the women, I think they were freaks,” he says, dropping that bombshell.
Griffin growls again, making menace drip down the alley from him above. “What makes you say that?” I question, wanting to pace, but I don’t move from my spot in front of him.
“They were...different. They were too strong, too rich, too everything. They knew too much, even for buyers of the freaks. It’s like they could sense them without even having to check.”
Motherfuckers. I give into my urge and begin pacing back and forth, before I start to mumble to myself. “Why the hell would supes be buying other supes?” I whisper.
“All I know is, freaks and humans aren’t that different.” I spin on him and he holds one hand up again. “Maybe freaks do it for the same reason we do, money and power. They are big influencers.”
How the hell did I get myself wrapped up in this? I just wanted to kill the man who hurt me and now I find myself in the middle of a fucking cattle market with enemies on every side with no idea who to trust. My whole world has been thrown upside down and I’m scrambling to try and stay a float.
“Okay, anything else?” I ask distractedly.
“No, I swear. I can go?” He pleads, his eyes darting to the alley entrance.
I nod and step back, even as Griffin growls again. Marco sighs, holding his injured arm as he sends me another look as if unsure. I grin, waving my hand towards the alley end, but blocking the door.
He starts edging that way, his eyes on me until he passes me, then he turns and starts to run. Giving him a couple seconds head start, I burst into movement just as Griffin takes off from the roof. Increasing my speed, not wanting him to get to him first, I grab the back of Marco’s shirt just as he reaches the end of the alley. Turning, I throw him back into the dark and away from safety.
I grin wickeldy as I saunter down the alley and he starts to crawl backwards away from me.
“We made a deal!” he yells looking around for help.
“I let you go, I didn’t say I wouldn’t come after you,” I point out.
“You fucking freak!” he shouts, grabbing a bin lid and flinging it at me.
Plucking it out of the air, I throw it behind me and advance on him as he scuttles back faster and faster. He swears and drags himself to his feet and I pounce, bored with the game of cat and mouse.
He goes down hard, his back hitting the floor and knocking the breath out of him as he cries out. Lunging down, I yank his head to the side and bite his neck. This isn’t about feeding, or even changing, this is about killing him.
I rip back and tear through flesh and arteries, pulling a chunk of skin with me. Letting it drop to the floor beside his head, I look back at his pale face and smile, no doubt my mouth and teeth covered in the bright red blood, which is currently pumping from his neck.
He gasps, his eyes wide and filled with fear, and that knowing look people get when they realise they are dying and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. They finally understand the fragility of life and how easy it is to snuff out. This man craved power and money, and it won’t help him while he bleeds to death in the back alley of his own club.
“Messy, but effective,” Griffin drawls, and I look over to see him leaning against the building, watching me as I hover over Marco’s cooling body. His breath is rattling now, his body fighting as it dies and decays beneath me.
I don’t know whether it’s the blood, pain, or even the killing, but it calls to me, making me act on instinct. At the moment, that instinct is geared towards Griffin, a call pulling between us.
His eyes round as I fling myself at him, leaving Marco to die alone. Unlike Nos, he doesn’t catch me. He grunts as I hit his body, climb up him, and wrap my arms and legs around him.
“Whoa, Dawn, look at me. This is just the power, death is heady, it brings out our baser instincts for any monster. Just breathe,” he says, but his hands slip to my arse and hold me to him.
Licking my lips, I watch him like he is the prey and his eyes narrow dangerously, that mist and smoke reappearing in his gaze. “Vasculo,” he warns, his voice pained like he’s fighting his own instincts, but I don’t. It might be stupid, it might be wrong, but they haven’t led me awry since my rebirth. Life is fleeting, why not just go with it?
Licking down his neck, leaving a blood trail behind, I taste the sweat and flavour that is just Griffin. It explodes in my mouth like the sweetest wine, making me groan.
“You taste like smoke and magic,” I murmur and he groans, the sound rolling through me and making me shiver.
“Dawn.” The way he chokes my name out is like a plea, but for mercy or more, I’m not sure.
Trailing my tongue across his cheek, I hover over his lips. He might look like an angel but he tastes like sin, and I’m craving more. I wait there, our breathes mixing as we both freeze.
“Griffin,” I murmur and he groans. His hand reaches up and cups the back of my
head, his fingers weaving into my hair as he yanks me to him, closing that distance and kissing me.
My lips part and he sweeps his tongue in, the taste of blood mixing with him and making me moan and rub against him. He kisses me hard, dominant, like it’s our first and last, and before I know it, he yanks me away and drops me to the ground, backing away from me. His chest heaves, his eyes are dark, and Marco’s blood paints his mouth.
I hear a noise behind me and spin, crouching down ready to spring at the encroaching person, but I freeze at the sight of Nos. He’s framed by the alley light, watching me with glowing, white eyes, and his body is vibrating with the need to change.
“Little Monster,” he growls, and I straighten as he strides towards me, completely ignoring Griffin. Did he see us kissing? Will he care?
He doesn’t stop until we are pressed together, his hand touching me gently, almost reverently, as he cups my chin and raises my head until I meet his eyes.
Watching me intently, he sweeps his thumb across my lips and lifts it away, showing me the blood. I swallow hard and watch in rapt fascination as he sucks it into his mouth.
“What have you been up to, Little Monster?” he whispers seductively. He lifts his head and grins when he spots the body of the dead mobster on the alley ground.
Then his eyebrow arches as he looks at Griffin. “Fallen,” he greets, nodding his head, but I see his eyes twitch and clench.
Fallen? Like Fallen angel?
I look over at Griffin to see his face wiped clean, his hands by his side in a stance ready to fight as he eyes Nos. It’s clear he doesn’t know what he is and he doesn’t like that, or maybe it’s the fact that Nos is touching me, seeing as his eyes keep darting to the hand Nos has on me.
“How do you know what I am?” His tone is threatening as he steps forward, making Nos smirk.
“Fear not Fallen, I mean you no harm. I am just here for my mate.” Nos looks back at me with a soft smile before pulling me under his shoulder so we both face Griffin. Pain and confusion flash across Griffin’s face before he conceals it so quickly that if I didn’t see it for myself, I could have imagined it.
“Mate?” he spits out, throwing me a venomous look.
“Yes, problem?” Nos questions, frowning hard.
Griffin laughs bitterly, throwing his hands in the air. “For fuck’s sake! Yes, mate, there is a fucking problem because it seems we both have the same mate.”
He sneers the word like it’s dirty, the hate and...hope, behind it are confusing. I’m new to this world, I haven’t given much thought into being destined for one person, never mind two, but I can’t deny the attraction and pull I have for both of them...and the dragon from my dreams.
“Is that common for a person to have more than one mate?” I query, the word feeling strange on my tongue.
Nos taps his chin deep in thought and when it becomes clear Griffin won’t answer us, too busy throwing us glares, I turn to face my god.
“The more powerful the person, the more powerful the call is. Your supernatural side knows what you need and it will only call those who can help you, who your very soul was made for. Like missing pieces in a puzzle, you will fit together. It is common for the more powerful or older supernaturals to call more than one mate, but usually over years when your powers develop and you grow with them.”
Arching my brow, I cuddle into his side as my need disappears while I think through the ramifications. “So, there are more monsters looking for me?”
“Maybe, probably. With the power it takes to sustain your shifts, I would say yes. Skinwalkers are unbelievably powerful and also unknown. This will all be new and I am guessing different than most other mate calls. There has only ever been a few, and they didn’t last long once the council realised what they could do,” Nos replies, and I realise he knew what I was.
“You knew what I was and what do you mean?” I ask and Griffin scoffs. I throw him a glare, back to being annoyed by his attitude.
Nos frowns at him before turning his intense eyes on me. The white is slowly fading the more we talk, until they are back to being his human colour. “You can change into anyone you want, think of the ramifications. You could infiltrate the council itself. It means they fear you and what they fear, they destroy. They made skinwalkers into the undesirables. People call them vessels, face stealers, or changers.” He stops, wincing at the names people call what I am.
Are we really that bad? Thinking back over the last few days since I woke up as a skinwalker, I guess I’m not a great case against all those slurs but fuck. “Wonderful,” I comment.
“But you seem to be more than that,” Griffin adds and Nos sighs.
I look between them, and then finally settle on Nos. “What? What does he mean?”
He shifts from foot to foot before sighing again. “You didn’t notice, but I did. Your eyes, they went white when I came down the alley and when you killed the man in the hotel.”
I gasp. “Like yours?”
He smiles at that. “Yes, it seems when you connect or feed from your mate, you gain some of their power. Makes sense when you are essentially feeding from it. Everything I know about skinwalkers are myths, lore, and stories passed down through time, so I am afraid we are all learning as we go.”
Griffin scoffs again. “Yep, our mate, the fucking unicorn of the shifter world.”
Ignoring his attitude I ask Nos, “Are there unicorns?”
He shivers before nodding. “Yes. I love all creatures, it’s part of being an animal and forest god, but they even creep me out.”
“Erm, are we talking about the same creatures? The ones with horns and shoot rainbows?” I muse, confused.
“Fucking hell, she knows nothing about this world, lucky fucking me,” Griffin adds, but at this point I’m just ignoring him.
“They are nothing like the stories told to human children. They are dark creatures, their horn is coated in a poison, and they are moody, evil bastards who control the elements and can move through space at will. They tend to be very primal and they do not take well to others, human or supe alike, interrupting their land.”
Well fuck. “Okaaay, so no unicorns. They sound fucking horrifying.”
“Just you wait, vasculo, this world is dark and filled with monsters. Monsters who will all want you,” Griffin sneers, and I glare over at him.
“What the hell is your problem? It isn’t my fault I called you or whatever!” I throw my hands in the air in exasperation and he stalks forward until we are nose to nose.
“I do not want, or need, a fucking mate. You are nothing but a complication, one I will be rid of soon,” he drawls, and each word is like a blow or a knife to the gut.
I don’t let the hurt show, since he’s right, he didn’t ask for this, but neither did I. I might not know him well, but he is still buried inside me with my new skinwalker and powers wanting him. “I didn’t ask for this either. I didn’t ask to be beat, raped, and murdered and buried in a shallow grave in the fucking forest!” I scream, letting out all my excess emotions, it’s been a long night after all.
He flinches like I slapped him, regret and...caring enters his eyes before Nos interrupts.
“We should leave, Little Monster. People will start to investigate soon.” He nods at the body.
Sucking in some deep breaths, I back away from Griffin and nod at Nos. “Where are we going? We can’t go back to the hotel,” I inquire, wanting nothing more than a shower and a bed to curl up in with my monster at my back.
“Fucking brilliant,” Griffin mutters, and when I swing him a look he grabs a phone from his pocket. He doesn’t look at me as he thumbs in a number and hits dial.
“Clean up, no witnesses. The Clubhouse, downtown,” he snaps before ending the call and sliding the phone away.
“You two are bloody useless—a new skinwalker with no impulse control and a fucking mystical old god with no place to go.” He rolls his eyes to the sky before sighing. “You can stay with me for one night, on
e fucking night, and you will tell me everything about your involvement in my case,” he orders.
I look at Nos with an arched eyebrow but he waits for me to decide, and right then and there, I fall a little bit more for my god. He should be mad, he should be jealous. Hell, I can feel it running through him, but he lets me make the decision. He doesn’t bark out orders or demands. Instead, he waits, his eyes telling me that whatever I decide, he will go through it with me.
Mate. I can understand that word now. I just don’t know what it means for a messed up person like me, but I know if I say no, if I walk away from Griffin now, that will be it. He will shut down, he will lock me out and curl up in his hate and anger. His mind twisting so all he knows is that beast. He might not want a mate, he might deny it, but he needs me and I obviously need him if my power makes any kind of sense.
Fate brought him to me for a reason, another monster from the dark waiting for me. His hands and future are in my hands. Do I walk away and leave him to crumble and fade away like mist?
“Okay,” I agree, my decision made. The world speeds up again, the power in me settles like I made the right decision, but that remains to be seen because the same danger I sense in Nos, I sense in Griffin, and he seems like a different kind of monster altogether.
Witches’ blood covers me from ear to hoof. Roaring again, I watch the witches cast spell after spell, their magic running low from such a long assault. I dodge the spells and ignore the ones that hit me, and charge them. I impale one on my horn before flinging her across the room.
The next I rip in half, and it goes on and on, until the walls and floors are painted with the blood of my enemies as I work my way through the house. There were more than I thought, and when I reached the landing they were ready, obviously hearing my massacre upstairs.
“Monster!” one calls out, from the circle of her coven in the middle of the room. She insults me from safety, they always do. They think they are so untouchable, so immortal. I’m about to show this witch what it means it be mortal.