by K. A Knight
Hopefully it’s nothing, but the details were too specific to be a lie or a dream. It only takes me ten minutes to arrive at her apartment building, and then I wait like the stalker I’m turning into. It takes hours, and night falls before I spot him—the vamp. He’s waiting for her, ready to finish off his kill like I suspected.
Judging by his long, ragged nails, his unkempt hair, and his stench, he’s definitely a feeder. One that gorges on blood, kills his victims, and doesn’t care about being found. He wears a hoodie covered in blood stains and holes, old jeans, and boots. He doesn’t have a shirt on, and the wind carries his disgusting odour to me, like old pennies and decay. It looks like he might have been feeding on himself, fucking scum. He’s bad for their race and for all of us.
He’s feral, a stray.
He sniffs the air and turns to look at me, his face more skeletal than human. His hair hangs limply around him in clumpy, thin, greasy strands. His eyes are blood red and locked on me. The vamp’s lips pull back to show two fangs, one chipped, both stained. He’s fed recently and plans to again.
I have to kill him. It will be a fucking pleasure too.
He slides back into the shadows. Fine, he wants to run?
I’ll fucking chase.
I stride across the darkening street and down the side of the building to a fenced in area where the bins are. I crane my neck around, searching for him, and the air whistles a moment before I feel him. I look up to see him leaping from the fire exit above. I move at the last second, and he lands in a crouch, snapping his fangs. He’s ready to drain me, to feed on anything with blood. The fucking cretin.
I roll my eyes and pull my stake, twirling it between my fingers. “You’re an animal.”
“I smell your blood,” it hisses, and then snaps at me before laughing and pulling back.
“And you’re dead, you just don’t know it yet.” I grin, and it leaps at me with a snarl. We fall back, and I flip mid-air, slamming him against the cement. He snaps and bites like a feral animal, so I smash him down again as I try to lift the stake, but he takes that moment to turn his head and sink his fangs into my arm.
Agony rocks through me as he starts to feed. Gritting my teeth, I let him suck my blood as I smash the stake down into his chest, smashing my fist on the end to get it past his ribs and into his heart. With a scream, he rips free of my arm, wrenching skin and muscle with him as blood streams from the wound. He starts to writhe as he dies, but I just set him on fire and leave him there to blow away with the wind.
Another monster dead.
It’s time to find my mate again. We need to talk.
REMI
I’m pissed as hell he got the drop on me. The motherfucker is going to die painfully now. No one gets one over on me. I was weak, vulnerable there, passed out. Desire or not, he will pay for it. I stomp back to my house, but as soon as I get there, my phone rings.
“What?” I snap as I answer it.
“Careful, girl,” the voice replies, and I freeze. Tomin, my council contact. “We are disappointed the asset has not yet been killed.”
“He isn’t—”
“As I was saying, we are disappointed, but you can make it up to us. There is a time sensitive contract, and we need you to complete it. A fae has disguised himself as a human and has been running a crime ring with mortals. He’s using magic to defeat other competitors to gain money and ground. He is in the city for one night only. I am sending you the information. Get to him by any means necessary, and we will not put a strike against your name for failing your current mission.”
“Fine,” I retort and then pause. “Am I still to kill the other target?”
“Yes, and quickly. It is becoming an embarrassment that you can’t even handle one human,” he snarls.
Ah, so they think he’s human. Do they really not know he’s more? For some reason, I don’t tell him. What the ‘human’ did to get a contract from the council, I don’t know. Maybe I need to ask him.
“I expect a confirmation of the contract by morning. You have one more chance to show us why we employ you, or you are terminated.” He hangs up.
“Cunt,” I curse as I wait for the information to come through. When it does, I read it quickly. He’s holed up at a house downtown. I read up on his business and contact a friend for inside tips. My informant has his ear to the ground, after all.
“Snake,” he greets.
“The Winged, what do you know of them?” I ask in response.
“Some up and coming dirty company that sells women, drugs, and alcohol. Why?” he inquires, his voice rough, but that’s normal for the troll.
“I need a way into them.” I sigh.
He thinks for a moment. “Word is they’re hunting for a girl who got away from their operation. She apparently knew secrets. They don’t know what she looks like ’cause she was fae, so it could work if you set it up right. They are looking in the slums downtown as we speak.”
“Thanks, Snake, money transferred.” I hang up and do just that. Always keep your snitches happy.
A woman, this could work. If I act scared when they come for me, if I pretend I have glamour on and hide my animals…yeah, it could work. Plan sorted, I load up on weapons but then decide I wouldn’t have them if I was an escaped fae, so I grudgingly put them back, only keeping the knife in my boot and the ones in my hair before I head out, gunning my bike and going right for the slums.
I will kill them, please the council, and get off their bad books. I’m on my last strike, after all. One more and I’m terminated, and then I become a contract and the prey. I won’t allow that. I’ve worked too hard to secure my safety and future.
One man will not get in the way of that.
I park my bike next to an old, boarded up house and, using some slightly damp cardboard, I cover it to make sure it doesn’t get stolen. Then I start to wander, being loud about it. I pretend to look scared and on the run. His men are clearly shit hunters, because it takes them over two hours to find me.
Idiots.
That’s the problem with having humans working for you.
I’m standing near some other homeless humans when they spot me. I throw them a panicked look as their eyes narrow. One calls someone, and I start backing away dramatically.
“You, wait!” one of them calls. His shirt is torn, his pants hang low, and his body is covered in tattoos, but he stinks like a human and my tiger scoffs at the order. My wolf agrees. The other…well, let’s not talk about it.
I turn and start to run, making sure to go humanly slow as I wind through the warehouses and around to the dock and back up. But I don’t see them, so I slow down further. What does a girl gotta do to be abducted around here?
I’m looking back at the corner I just turned when I hear it. Sneaky bastards. Maybe they aren’t total shit after all. I turn my head to see them coming from the other corner. There’s a new man at the front, and he’s not human.
Fae. I smell it.
The stink of magic.
Not to mention the ears I see poking through his longish blond hair. His slightly upturned blue eyes are a giveaway too. He’s dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, and I’ve never seen a fae so human-like before. He grins as I turn and pretend to try and get away. Other men in jeans holding bats come from the other corner, blocking me in, but they are human.
I turn back and wonder if he’ll notice I’m not fae, but as he steps closer, I don’t think he does. It seems he’s so desperate to find the girl and give her back to his boss, he doesn’t even notice that I don’t smell right. I did add a dab of magic cologne to my skin, but if he looked hard enough, he would smell shifter. Also, he would see, or not see I should say, the glow of glamour.
Idiot.
“Don’t even try it,” he calls. “We have you surrounded.” He throws his magic at me. I see it coming. I could dodge it, my animals roar at me to, but I don’t. I let it hit me.
Everything goes black.
I fucking hate magic.
Brilliant.
I keep my eyes closed and my breathing even, giving no hint that I’m awake as I assess my surroundings and self. I’m not dead, which is good. I was counting on them wanting a bit of torture or payback first, and they clearly do. I’m also okay. Nothing is broken or bleeding. I can feel the knife still in my boot and the clips in my hair, so they haven’t found them, even if they frisked me.
I take a long sniff and sort through the scents assaulting my sensitive nose. I smell something damp and slightly musty, like I’m in an old, unused room. The air is slightly sweet, and my nose twitches at the wet earth smell. So I’m definitely not in the middle of the city, since there’s no odour of exhaust or rotten food. I smell copper, oil, and machinery. Maybe an old warehouse? The ground under my feet is solid, like cement. I can’t hear road traffic, but there’s a whistle as if there’s a broken window. I hear a slamming door and footsteps far away as I re-evaluate the size of the room. Definitely bigger. I hear the soft coo of a bird, more than one. I can hear at least six, wait, no, make that eight heartbeats. I smell their sweat, human and fae.
Next, I start on my body. I’m sitting in a chair with a hard back. My legs are tied to the base of the legs, and my arms are resting on the armrests, which are also restrained. I test the bindings and find them tight but easy to break when I want to. Especially with my strength. Idiots used rope. I can smell the magic on them, feel it against my skin. They were expecting a fae, and it’s targeted at that, I would bet, unless it will be a fun surprise later on.
Guess only time will tell.
My head is tilted back, and my neck aches where it hangs over the chair. Cracking open my eye slightly, I notice the metal ceiling above me, the rafters covered with perching birds. To the right is a dirty, broken glass window. I was right. I hear no one close by, so I sluggishly let my head flop forward like I’m still passed out and peek through my lashes.
There are two humans with their backs to me, standing in front of a table cleaning guns. There are five more sitting on an old metal table in the corner playing cards. Old, abandoned machinery sits to the right, and there is a huge metal door to the left.
Where is the fae?
I feel him then.
Behind me.
I listen to his heart. It’s calm. Does he know I’m awake? Does he know I’m not the fae he’s looking for? I need to distract him, to get free, then kill them all, find the boss, and kill him too.
I lift my head, and he calls out, “Good, you’re finally awake.” Footsteps sound, and then he’s before me. His blue eyes watch me as he smirks. “Hello, Cariso.”
I purse my lips and don’t speak.
“You’ve been a naughty little fae, stealing secrets. Bossman can’t have that, can he?” he taunts. Really? How original. He might as well have said ‘say hello to my little friend.’
“Are you wearing ladies’ boots?” I ask. It throws him, and he blinks and looks down at them. “They look like the ones I have. You see—”
He nods, and a henchman steps closer. This is the fun part. His hand cocks back, and he punches me in the face, twice. I barely move. The hits feel like a fly’s wings. The fae blinks and watches me. “Tell us who you told, and we will kill you quickly.”
“Nah, I like the long, drawn-out type, if you know what I mean. Never been a quickie girl.” I grin and look at the human. “You punch like a little bitch.”
He snarls, and his fist comes again, harder and faster, until he steps back panting. I feel my nose heal, my lip dripping blood as I giggle. “Wow, can’t even show a girl a good time.” I shake my head and lock eyes with the human. “Allow me to demonstrate.” I rip my hands up, snapping the ropes, and before he can even move, I tear out his throat with my teeth and spit the bloody chunk on the floor.
I grin at the fae. “Where’s the boss?”
His eyes widen, and he stumbles back. Rolling my own, I grab him, but the other humans are coming at me now. With an annoyed flick of my eyes, I toss the fae into the chair and tie him with the same ropes as I point in his face. “Sit. Stay,” I demand as a bat breaks across my back.
“What the fuck is she?” one of them yells as I turn.
I know my other eye is bleeding black now, my animal coming to the surface, the one I never let out. It’s drawn by blood, death, and the hunt. I try to push it back, but it stays there, lingering, watching, offering me its hunger and hatred. Even my tiger cowers into the dark, hiding from its sickening touch.
Seven men, they should have brought more. One rushes me, and I twirl, kicking my foot backwards. The knife in my heel flicks free and impales him through the chest. He falls backwards as I duck an oncoming punch and slice across his belly with my claws before turning to the next man. He takes a look at the others and hesitates, and I use it against him. Running forward, I leap into the air and wrap my legs around his neck and twist, snapping it before I land on my knees and roll to my feet. Two come at me with guns then, but I dodge the bullets as I run at them, sliding to my knees between their legs. I pull the knives from my hair and slice their femoral arteries in their thighs as I go. They fall to the ground, their blood spurting as they both try to stop the flow with their hands.
I look around for the last man, who is simply holding a knife in his hand, unsure what to do. The stench of his terror fills the air—and yep, piss. He gulps as he stares at me, and I shove my knives back into my hair with a wink. “You can go now,” I tell him. He nods and starts to back away before turning and running.
But what if he tells the boss?
Shit. I grab the knife from the floor, dropped by one of the men, and throw it. It sails through the air and embeds in his back with deadly accuracy. He screams, falls, and hits the floor face first before he starts to crawl. What a determined little human. Rolling my eyes, I head over to him and press my boot into his back as I lean down, twisting the knife until he stops moving. The blood pool around him grows.
Leaving the knife there, I stand up and turn to look at the bodies strewn across the floor. Not bad. Not my best work, but definitely not my worst, however, I did enjoy the whole prisoner thing.
“Right then, small dick,” I start as I turn back to the struggling fae, his eyes flickering across the dismembered men around us before he looks at me.
“Actually, I’ve measured it. It’s a normal size—Why the fuck am I telling you…” He looks down at the ropes and swears.
Interesting.
“What’s your deepest sexual fantasy?” I ask, trying something. Fae can’t lie, not really. They can do half-truths though, and they are experts at that. This one is simply blurting things out. Coincidence? No.
“To be pissed on,” he blurts before his cheeks heat in mortification while I laugh.
“Golden shower, nice.” I nod. “I’m more of a rope and bondage girl myself, but to each their own. I like the spell you put on the ropes, really handy. Let’s try another. What are you most ashamed of?” I tease, enjoying myself.
He shakes his head as the words come out. “I once shit myself in a restaurant. It went all over the floor and walls in the bathroom. Human food didn’t do well with my system, and I blamed a child.” He closes his eyes. “Please stop.”
“Dude, that’s cruel, even for you.” I giggle.
The ropes must be enchanted to stop lies and gain information. Smart really, apart from it only working on fae…which he is. “Where’s your boss?” I repeat, and his eyes widen. He tries to stop the words by closing his lips, but the spell is too strong.
“Forty-five Willow Road.” He sucks in a breath, fear filling his face. “Oh god.”
“Nope, not a god, just a bitch.” I smirk.
I turn then, leaving him tied up. If he gets free, he’s a dead man anyway, and if not? Well
then, let’s just say the feral strays who search this area will eat well tonight.
“You can’t just leave me here!” he screams as I head to the doorway.
“Sure can,” I reply as I open the door. I pause and look back, giving him a wink. “Have a nice night… Try not to let the ferals bite.” I grin, laughing as I duck outside into the waning light. Shit, almost nighttime. This contract needs to be finished and now. Luckily, I have his address. I might have to go in guns blazing though. I doubt he will be unprotected. He might even have supe muscles.
It’s time to weapon up.
I take a quick look around. I’m outside a warehouse, but in the distance, I can see the city. So I’m not too far away, but there is a forest between me and my destination. My animal instantly roars, wanting to be let free. My wolf howls, and my tiger tries to persuade me, telling me it would be quicker for them to cover the gap.
I debate my options before deciding they’re probably right. It’s almost dark and this isn’t a hiking forest. If any humans are in there, I’ll hear them and stay clear. I should be able to reach the city limits in under ten minutes and change back, get weapons, and have him murdered in time for a nice cup of tea and reruns of House.
I strip quickly and tie my clothes in a bundle with my boots around them before placing them on the floor and letting my wolf come out. The change is quick, and as soon as she stretches, we pick up the parcel and bounce towards the forest, bursting into a sprint as we duck under trees and leap over logs. The distance is quickly eaten under our paws as we run. We howl and lope as prey scurries away to hide. The forest is quiet, bar the crack of trees and the whistle of the wind. I hear no other strays or shifters, thank fuck.
I allow the animal side to take over completely, but when we start chasing a rabbit, I reel us back in, turning us back to the purpose at hand. We reach the edge of the trees in record time, and my wolf moves back with only a whine of protest, allowing me to transform. Leaning against the tree, I catch my breath, and it uses that time to surge forward.