Supernatural Taskforce Academy: Mission One, Scorpion Blood

by J. L. Weil

  “What?” I asked, confused and hypnotized by her all at once.

  “Renna, excuse me. A little help over here!” a girl shouted from the other end of the room. What looked like energy spheres burst from her hands toward the Spider Queen, that was chasing a young man with glasses as he ran for his life, screaming like a girl.

  What the fuck?

  “Are there any bullets left in that thing?” the beauty called Renna asked me.

  “Yes, I have six shots left.”

  “Okay, I’m going to wrangle Miss Itsy Bitsy over there, and you shoot her.”

  “It won’t do anything. Her body swallowed the bullets. I was only able to slow her down by—”

  “Shut up,” she ordered. “You are wasting time. Just shoot her in the eyes.” Turning, she ran full force toward the creature, her body blurring in front of my eyes from the insane speed she possessed.

  What the fuck is happ—I was barely able to think the question, before she sent the whip flying through the air again. The iron cord wrapped around the creature's neck, pulling her back from attacking her guy friend, and slamming her against the ground with force. But Renna didn’t stop there.

  Circling the whip over her head, it flew again and again, tangling around the Spider Queen’s body. She tried to escape, but her efforts were in vain. With each movement the cord seemed to tighten around her, slowly becoming imprisoned by the iron weapon, like it had… magic.

  WTF?

  I knew we only had one chance to end her, so when I saw my moment, I took it. Without waiting for Renna’s cue, I ran toward the jerking creature and jumped. Stepping on a table, I propelled myself higher until I was at the same level with the Spider Queen and pointed my gun at her eyes.

  The sound of the two shots exploded in the silence. My bullets hit their mark just as I fell wrong, and my back crashed against the table I had used to propel myself—I bounced to the ground, my head hitting the floor.

  “Great. Now the human is dead,” the guy mumbled from somewhere in the distance. “We are going to have a blast explaining this one.”

  “Shit. Shit. Shit.” Renna appeared above me. “You are not dead, right? Please say you are not dead.”

  I blinked, and my dancing sight brightened with her gorgeous features. I tried to focus. “No,” I coughed, feeling the aching in the side of my head. “Is she gone?”

  Renna nodded. “A puddle of black tar.”

  Her otherworldly eyes connected with mine, and held me in what seemed like a trance for a few moments. I couldn’t make sense of what had just happened, but I didn't really want to as long as Renna looked at me that way. The image of her wielding the iron whip returned, and my whole body awoke for her.

  Fuck it. I had clearly lost my mind already, so why not?

  Sitting up abruptly, I cupped her cheeks and pulled her to me, my lips crashing against hers fiercely. She stiffened in surprise for a split second, but her body relaxed against mine, and our hungry lips began to dance together. Enticed by her, I knelt over her as I took control of the kiss, and gripped her waist, pulling her flushed to my chest. Renna’s head tilted upwards for me as I curled around her, deepening the kiss, and relishing the delicious feeling rushing down my spine as our tongues grazed each other.

  She was hot as sin. I was so glad I was hallucinating her.

  My lips were suddenly wrenched from hers, with surprising force for someone of her build. “Get off me, you mongrel!” she seethed, pushing me away.

  Eyes of blue fire pinned mine.

  Her words completely contradicted the way she had just responded to my kiss, to my hold, as though she was hungry, thirsty for me. Renna shot to her feet, her panting breaths struggling to pass her lips.

  “Wait!” I stood after her, gripping her arm to stop her from leaving, and pulled her harshly against my bare chest. Our lips just a breath away.

  Big mistake.

  Her knee rammed into my groin the next second, knocking the air out of me, until black spots appeared in my vision. My hands flew to my crotch, tightly cupping it as I doubled over, crashing to the floor again. All strength left me. Fiery pain burst from between my thighs, and every inch of me throbbed. Not in the fun way.

  Renna’s retreating form beside her friends, was the last thing I saw while I forced myself to breathe, fearing she might have actually pushed my testicles back into my body from the force.

  That was a hell of a hallucination, but I still had to admit it…

  “I think I’m in love...”

  RENNA

  Who does he think he is kissing me like that?

  No one kissed me without my permission, regardless of how hot he was, or how dreamy his eyes were. Don’t get me started on the smell of his skin, mixed with his blood, that taunted my senses, and his chiseled eight-pack abs. The delicious warmth of his lips lingered with the slight taste of beer and sweet spice inside my mouth.

  And dammit it if I didn’t want more.

  But that was insane. This whole night was insane, and I didn’t have time for distractions, not even from six-feet-four-inches of bronzed muscle.

  For a human, he was... impressive, and not my usual choice of kissing partner, but he managed to knock me off my game, a rarity. Not many men could claim to have rendered me disorientated with a kiss.

  With each step I took away from—I still didn’t know his name, but mongrel seemed appropriate—the beating of his heart vibrated in my body. A song of hunger hummed through my veins, knocking the air out of my chest. He was still groaning on the ground, and the image brought a smirk to my lips. Guys were so helpless when it came to their manhood.

  Seeing him again was unexpected, and really crappy timing. I didn’t have time to do the things I wanted with that body of his, not when the witch was still out there. The Aereum were counting on me, and though I’d done some pretty questionable things, this one task I refused to fumble. Finding the witch was my number one priority, but after...

  Damn him for making me want to kiss him again.

  Damn him for being shirtless. Why was he shirtless?

  Damn him for letting the taste of him linger on my lips.

  Don’t you dare lick your lips. Don’t. You. Do. It.

  I licked my lips.

  Shit.

  I stomped through the club, stepping over gunk of black goo—remnants of the demon’s blood before vanishing back to Infernum—and weaved through the mess left behind. Broken bottles and spilled drinks littered the floor. It would be only a matter of minutes before the police showed up, locking this place down.

  “You guys okay?” I asked Oliver and Tricksy, stopping next to them by the abandoned bar.

  “Demons suck. They’re so... disgusting.” Oliver scrunched his nose, lifting his foot from the sticky floor.

  “The real question is, what was it doing here? Why? And what was it after?” I questioned. Demons occasionally popped up in the mortal world, wreaking havoc wherever they went, but this hadn’t been a lowlife hellish grunt. She had been a higher demon, a queen possibly, and that was so many different forms of bad.

  “The Aereum are going to want to hear about this,” Oliver admitted.

  They would.

  The Supernatural Council made it their personal business to know about any invasions from other worlds. It was one of the reasons the STA had been established, to send back those who didn’t belong in this realm. The universe was filled with a slew of different dimensions, some good and some very, very bad. Muspelheim was one of those beastly places, especially because that was where Infernum was located.

  My guess, our queen spider bitch was from Infernum. But how did she escape?

  “Did you just compel that guy to kiss you?” Tricksy asked, staring over my shoulder at the mongrel.

  I made a face. “Why the hell would I do that?”

  Tricksy gave me one of those if-you-say-so looks. “It was kind of hot.”

  That it was.

  “We can’t just leave him there,” O
liver stated. He had a rescue complex. Always wanted to save everyone. That included me.

  Poor guy. He didn’t know a losing battle when it stared him in the face.

  I’d avoided glancing back at the human, who was actually a freaking good shot, and clearly knew his way around weapons. Until now. He was pushing to his feet slowly, concerned eyes sweeping over the destruction. “I don’t have time to babysit a human,” I mumbled, facing my friends again. “We have a job to finish.”

  This was supposed to be a simple extraction mission. What the hell had we gotten ourselves into? A vibrant string of curses rolled off my tongue as I damned the Aereum.

  Tricksy’s mouth curved into a menacing smile. “Well, he’s coming this way, and by the expression on his face, he might be ready for round two with your lips.”

  Elbowing Tricksy in the ribs, I glared at her. “I’ll take care of him,” I assured, and spun around—under the assumption that I had myself under control. Then, I came face to face with him.

  I stared too long, but it couldn’t be helped. That face. Gods, that face. It was all angles and sun-kissed glow, but it was the scent of his blood that made my knees tremble.

  Oliver cleared his throat, uncomfortably.

  “I must be really drunk,” the human mumbled confused, forking a hand through his chestnut hair.

  Hearing his voice, the deep, smooth timber, reminded me of his admission of love. My lips quipped. “Your life is about to get seriously screwed up. What’s your name?” I asked with a twist to my lips.

  “Scorpion,” he replied, eyes blinking as he steadied a hand against the back of a barstool.

  My brow arched incredulously. “Were your parents hippies or something?”

  A hint of a smile hooked the corner of his full lips, lips that I had kissed only minutes ago. “That’s funny.”

  I laid my palm onto his bare chest, right over his beating heart, preparing to use my compulsion, but the daze in his eyes took on a dangerously naughty gleam.

  His gaze dropped to my hand then returned to mine. “Changed your mind, gorgeous? You can take me for a spin if you want. I’ll allow it.” He winked.

  A knowing grin stretched his lips when my eyes widened with his bold invitation. Then they viciously narrowed on him. “Sorry, Scorpion, as much fun as this has been, it’s over. Now, I need you to look into my eyes.”

  He did as I asked, unable to resist the intoxicating tone of my voice, and a part of me felt instant regret for what I was about to do. What was it about this guy? I’d never cared about compelling humans before. I sure as hell never felt remorse over the task. If anything, I enjoyed rendering another fully and wholly under my control. There was power there. A different sort of power than magic or spears.

  I bet he’d look exceptional wielding a sword.

  Shaking my head, the image vanished, and I concentrated on holding his bright emerald stare. “I need you to forget—”

  “Renna?” Tricksy interrupted.

  “What?” I growled, my gaze never wavering from Scorpion’s.

  “She’s here,” Tricksy announced.

  I blinked. “What?” My mind was still clouded by the compulsion I never got to finish.

  “She’s. Here,” Tricksy’s emphasized, and I felt her eyes glaring at me, trying to tell me something.

  It finally clicked. “I guess Vegas is lucky after all. Scorpion, how do you feel about helping me hunt a witch.”

  “A what?” he mumbled, half dazed by my power as it began to take control of his mind.

  “Renna!” Oliver hissed.

  “Don’t worry. He won’t remember this in the morning, will you? Now, I need you to stay by my side. No matter what happens, don’t engage.” He seemed like a military guy who took commands well.

  Scorpion’s eyes remained blank for another moment or two, until I broke the connection. Dealing with the human was going to have to take a backseat.

  The screaming sirens blared in the distance. “The cops are in route,” I confirmed. “We need to make this quick.”

  Tricksy’s eyes were already raptured by the amulet she held out in front of her, it pulsed with a vibrant purple light, similar to the color of her eyes. “Hello?” she called out to the empty club. “Is anyone here?”

  “Where is she?” I demanded in a low murmur.

  “Close. Very close. If I had to guess, somewhere in this room.”

  Scorpion bumped into me as I halted near a booth, and I tilted my head to the side. “I said by my side, not glued to me—” My hiss stopped when I noticed he seemed too affected by my compulsion.

  With my ability, I was able to take control of other’s actions, yes, but they remained somewhat themselves—alert and conscious—only at my mercy. Scorpion, however, seemed in a zombie-like state. Following the motions but not able to do anything else. His body swayed drunkenly, and a frown creased my forehead, that was not normal. It was almost as if there was already a spell on him, and now his mind was overwhelmed by the excess of magic.

  “Scorpion?” I reached for his bicep, to check on him, and then I heard it. The quickening of a pulse. My attention returned to the task at hand. “Gotcha,” I whispered.

  Following that increasing heartbeat, I ducked down to peer under a table and was blinded by pink. Loads of pink.

  “Holy shit, she’s a living Bratz Doll,” I muttered.

  The pixie looking girl was huddled with her knees up to her chest, long pink hair framing her oval face. Although her misty gray eyes were wide, there was also a spark of resilience gleaming in them. Her bottom lip might have been caught between her teeth to keep it from wobbling, but she had spunk, and proved it the moment she opened her mouth.

  “And what are you? A bad replica of Selene from Underworld?” she retorted from her crouched spot.

  Oooh, this girl. I was going to kick her ass back to the toy store shelf, where she belonged. She was definitely the witch we came here to extract.

  “Renna, play nice,” Tricksy warned, crouching down beside me, and extended a hand to the witch. “You can come out now. It’s safe,” she assured in a calm voice, while I watched them perplexed. Why was this witch such a scaredy cat? She had powers; couldn’t she just defend herself?

  “Is it?” the witch challenged, her eyes shifting to me, which made me think she’d seen far too much.

  “Are you Catina Whitlow?” Tricksy inquired.

  There was no mistaking the flicker of unease that dashed over her pretty features, but she was doing her best to keep her expression indifferent. “Depends on who is asking.”

  A heavy sigh left my mouth. “I don’t have time for games. I can make you answer me.”

  Her untrusting eyes narrowed. “I saw. Neat trick.”

  I didn’t care if she was a witch. She was going down. My mouth opened as I held her gaze, preparing to compel the little imp into submission, when something furry rubbed against my legs.

  I sneezed. What the—?

  “Bless you,” Scorpion offered dazedly from where he stood behind me.

  My eyes snapped down toward my thigh, irritated by the disruption. Nothing was going according to plan. Why would it? This was me. Mayhem was the title of my life.

  A dark shadow of fur curled itself around my leg. “Whose is this, and why is it touching me?”

  Catina finally crawled out from under the table, bending down to scoop up the thing with clearly no boundaries for personal space. “Zero,” she crooned, her voice losing all of its sharp edges as she buried her face into its onyx neck. “Where have you been? I was worried sick.”

  Straightening to my full height, I recoiled at the sight of her smothering that thing with kisses. “What is that?”

  “A cat. You do know what a cat is?” she replied condescendingly.

  This witch was about two seconds away from losing her tongue. I’d like to see her talk back then.

  “Renna,” Oliver warned, seeing the shift in my eyes.

  I was getting tired of my frie
nds treating me as if I was a loose cannon about to explode. “Let’s just get this over with, shall we? You need to come with us, witch. The Aereum has summoned you.”

  Tricksy eyed the pink-haired girl appraisingly, witch-to-witch or some shit. “I don’t know, Renna. For some reason, I can’t sense any power from her. Perhaps the amulet is wrong.”

  “What power? What on earth are you two talking about?” Catina demanded, holding her cat closer.

  “Or, she’s impersonating Catina Whitlow,” I suggested, ignoring her rant.

  “What do we do?” Oliver asked, peering at Catina through his glasses.

  My hand went to the back pocket of my leather pants. “We give the witch this,” I announced, holding up the strange vile Serenity had instructed me to have the witch consume.

  Tricksy’s violet eyes went wide, her hand outstretched as if she was bound to touch it, but stopped before she could. “Deus Tactus,—Touch of the Gods,” she breathed in awe, the unique, magic infused bottle was something only a witch could appreciate.

  “You can tell what it is just by looking at it?” I asked thoroughly impressed, a feat that didn’t happen often.

  Her eyes were transfixed on the glittery quartz moon that rested on the amber glass. “I’ve never seen that kind of vial before, honestly, I thought they were just a myth. We have only read about them at the academy, but those bottles are presumed to be powerful on their own, increasing the potency of the potion they contain.”

  Scorpion’s warm, naked chest pressed to my side, and I tried to ignore the flutters that went through me. Couldn’t anyone get him a freaking shirt? Why was he still half naked? “You mean in one of those ridiculously large books you are always reading?”

  Tricksy nodded.

  “What do you mean, she’s a witch?” Scorpion questioned, somehow able to keep up with all the crazy he’d seen even in his current zombie-like state. I had to give this human credit. He had kept a cool head through this ordeal. He dealt with the supernatural well.

  The witch stared at us, stroking her furry mutt. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not a witch.”

  “Well, this should be interesting,” Oliver muttered, taking a step away from Catina.