by D. R. Rosier
I melted against him and ground down a little when he pulled me down into a hungry kiss, the jolt of energy absorbed by my magic to increase both my abilities and songs, had just given him a major shot to his stamina. He rolled us over, claiming the top, and then started to drill me hard and fast. I wrapped my legs around his middle and started to pull him down with my heels while I arched my back and thrust up, to meet his every delicious stroke into my yielding body.
I was so sensitive from the first, that my second orgasm hit like a tornado touching ground, and my body trembled beneath his, and he just kept going. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, and he was gazing down at me adoringly with lust and pleasure glowing in his eyes.
I lost count of the times I reached my height that night, and came around his invading flesh with abandon, soaking up his adoration, as I continually absorbed power, and felt pleasure, from my bedpartners sensual assault.
Soon enough though, it was over, and I felt… flush with power, and completely sated. I gave him one more kiss, and then hummed a few notes as I caressed his face, and he fell asleep under my spell. It was better this way, otherwise he wouldn’t want to let me leave, I’d made the mistake of bringing a human man home once, never again.
I took a quick shower, got dressed, and called Lisa to pick me up, she was done with her meal as well, and the sex that had surely accompanied it. I felt both supremely satisfied, and utterly empty as I gave him one last glance before I left. I never even asked his name, it was better that way. At least, that’s what I told myself. I went home, to an empty bed, and slept alone…
Chapter 4
Vampires weren’t allergic to the sun, and they didn’t even tan, much less burst into flames. They were a little less focused during the daytime, but not by much. Vampires were nocturnal hunters, they had sharp eyesight and could see in the faintest of starlight, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t function in daylight. Which is why I wasn’t surprised to see Lisa sitting at the kitchen table as I shuffled my way in for a cup of coffee.
“I love you,” I said in complete sincerity as I got a cup, she’d brewed it for me. Obviously, since vampires only have one item on the menu.
Lisa winked, “You’re too easy, you need to set the bar higher before people start thinking you’re a coffee slut.”
I snickered, “Nice, although if you play your cards right...” I cut myself off, what the fuck was I doing flirting with Lisa?
I asked, “Any idea who you’ll get stuck with while I’m on this probation thing? I’m going to miss my crazy partner.”
Lisa lost her smile and showed me red eyes, “I don’t know, but you better fix it, I hate partnering with the other hunters.”
“Why? I don’t think they’re that bad, are they?”
Lisa snickered, “They’re too by the book, and don’t appreciate my sense of humor.”
I translated that as not liking crazy, but kept that opinion to myself.
She asked, “Do you know what you’re doing?”
I shook my head, “Not a clue, probably be stuck at my desk until a job comes in. I’m not looking forward to Chad or Tad either.”
I threw a frozen breakfast sandwich in the microwave, I’m not much of a cook.
She giggled, “Chad is the better choice. Overbearing works for me more than arrogance does. I’d probably wind up gutting Tad.”
I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that. Arrogance was more silent than overbearing in my experience.
I pulled my sandwich out of the microwave and scarfed it down, and then took a shower. I put on my tactical outfit, which was skintight, if I was going on guard duty I wanted to be as bullet and sword proof as possible. It was made with puncture resistant material that would harden at any impact point, it was also spelled. Then I pulled on a dark red blouse, and black pants, followed by a pair of boots. Like it or not, I had to dress the part if there was a chance of me pulling guard duty today.
I strapped my sword on my back, my daggers and guns on the belt, and went back into the kitchen, where Lisa was waiting.
She gave me an appraising look, and then we walked out the door.
That was when I realized why I’d been flirting with Lisa, it had been floating around in my mind that Brent wasn’t the only one I could have a real relationship with, ever since Lisa made that neck comment yesterday evening. But it hadn’t really occurred to me until I found myself checking out her cute little rounded ass as she walked out the door in front of me.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the idea at all… Was I really attracted to a woman? Or was this just me feeling sorry for myself about only being able to have one night stands?
I dismissed it all as I slid into the car seat, it didn’t matter, she didn’t want that anyway according to what she said last night. I actually felt pretty good though, all things considered, last night had also hit the spot…
I sat at my desk, a little bored. Lisa had come up long enough to get the next target, and had taken off with Tad. I guess I’d find out later if she’d really shoot him. For the last hour or so, all I’d done is keep checking my e-mail bored out of my skull. Of course, if something did come in I’d be stuck working with Chad, the alpha wolf shifter that would no doubt try and give me orders. I didn’t take orders well.
Chad was a broad mountain of muscle, and not a bad guy at all really, we just had difficulty working together. He was a control freak, and I was impossible to control. Worse, he had seniority, so technically he would be in charge. He was six foot one, with very short, almost buzzed brown hair, and hazel eyes that could either be liquid warmth, or granite depending on his mood.
I took a look around. My office was on the second floor, and there were about fifteen people in today. Half of those were simply office staff, working on sales and all the other crap that kept a business running. The other half like me, were field agents. Most I’d probably never work with, they were specialists, like Tom and Cindy for instance, a mage and a witch that didn’t get combat type assignments, and only set up wards or protections for private or government buildings.
It was only ten in the morning, and I was already going stir crazy, bored out of my mind sitting behind a desk, and I wanted to kill Brent for taking me off my usual job of hunting down criminal supernaturals on the run, be they bail skipping, or fleeing justice. Working with Chad was actually becoming appealing to me, anything to escape my desk.
My phone rang and I snatched it up like a striking snake, “Hello? Mel here.”
Pricilla said coldly, “Mr. Walker wants to see you.”
I grunted a ‘be right there’ sound, and hung up the phone. I was out of my chair and office in seconds. I really did hate sitting at a desk. When I got to the elevators Chad was already standing there in enough tac gear to take out a battalion, and I nodded to him.
“Carter,” I said neutrally.
His lips twitched, “Smith,” he returned in a grumbly but friendly voice.
So far so good.
The elevator opened and we took it up a floor. I’d have rather taken the stairs but those were locked down barring emergencies.
“Any idea?”
Chad shook his head, “None at all, there’s nothing in the system yet.”
I didn’t even glance at Pricilla as I walked past. I know that seems rude, but it really isn’t. The less I interface with other women, the less they want to strangle me. It’s just better that way.
Chad pulled open the door and held it open for me, his alpha coming out a little. I almost rolled my eyes, but smiled in thanks instead. I was already in deep shit with Brent, fighting over Chad opening a door for me right in front of the boss would just be… stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind when a man held a door open for me, but in this case it was an alpha looking after someone he considered subordinate, not a guy on a date showing respect.
Brent was wearing a suit and looked absolutely edible in it, I schooled my reactions so he wouldn’t notice the effect he still had on me.
He was sitting at the small conference table by his desk with Stuart Baker.
Stuart was human, about five foot eleven, blond hair and blue eyes. He didn’t work for Brent, he was one of the city’s liaisons between the government, and companies like Brent’s that did security work. I’d met him a great number of times, he was here a lot, and we got along fairly well.
Brent spoke, “Good morning, Chad, Mel, take a seat.”
Well at least he didn’t call me Melody again, he always used my full name when I was in deep shit, which was annoying on a few levels, but I didn’t examine it all that closely. I pulled out a chair and took a seat.
Brent tapped a control on the table, and screen came up on the nearby wall. A man’s picture came up on the screen, he was wearing robes, some mages did that even if it looked ridiculous in my opinion. The man in the picture was otherwise extremely ordinary and average looking, with light brown hair, brown eyes. He was also a major competitor of Brent’s, and arguably more powerful from what I’d heard.
Brent said in a wry tone, “The government has hired Harold Moffett to refresh and redesign the wards on the criminal court building.”
I raised an eyebrow, that was something Brent usually did. I wisely kept my trap shut.
Stuart explained, “He broke new ground with his latest wards, they are more reliable and harder to fool for various reasons.”
Brent didn’t look happy with the interruption, or the information imparted. I had an odd feeling, it was like watching my parents argue with subtle innuendo and verbal strikes, disguised by pleasant conversation. Was the company in trouble?
Brent sighed, “Regardless, Harold has demanded a protection detail as well as two body guards as part of his fee, while he works the wards. Apparently, most of his spelled defenses will interfere with the formation of the new experimental wards.”
Ouch, bitter much boss?
He continued unaware of my thought, “He has many enemies that might try and capitalize on that. The job starts this afternoon at three, he’ll do the initial groundwork and spell carving, and when the building closes down he’ll implement the changes.”
He looked at me, “He specified no mages, so you may want to hold back on your magic unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”
“Alright, what about our spelled weapons and armor?”
Stuart answered, “They should be fine as that kind of magic is confined to the item in question, it’s the personal wards and magic that interact with the environment that would be a problem according to Harold.”
Chad frowned, “So the two of us, plus the building security? Will they take orders?”
I almost smiled at the typical alpha question, but he had a good point. If there wasn’t a clear chain of command and things went to shit, we’d probably be more dangerous to each other than the attackers.
Stuart replied, “Their job is to secure the whole building, while your concern will be only Mr. Moffett’s protection. They will not take your orders, but they’ve already been told not to interfere with you either.”
Chad grunted, “Very well, where and when do we meet Mr. Moffett?”
Brent instructed, “You need to pick him up at his residence at two, which is a little under four hours from now. Take one of the company’s warded vehicles. He has indicated he wants to meet and speak with you before your arrival at the courthouse. Be respectful and follow procedures, any questions?”
Now why was he looking at me when he said that last part? I shook my head no.
Chad said, “No, we got it.”
He dismissed us then, and we both walked out.
Chad turned to me as we waited for the elevator, “Spar?”
I smiled, and said, “Sounds fun,” and he hit the sub-level two button.
It’d been a while since I sparred with anyone outside of Lisa, plus, it sounded so much better than going back to my desk…
Chapter 5
Sub-level two had the armory which housed all the weapons like my sword, daggers, and guns. It also had the support equipment room which, housed things such as the magical communication earrings, healing patches, spelled handcuffs, and other things of that nature. Outside of that, it held a gym with machines that could handle supernatural strengths and speeds, as well as large, heavily padded and warded rooms, for sparring that cut down on truly damaging accidents.
It was one of the latter rooms that I followed Chad into.
“Rules?” I asked.
He frowned, “No magic. I know you can kick ass while singing a song, but I want to see my partner’s capabilities without it since you’re not supposed to be using magic tonight.”
That made sense, we both needed to know that little detail. My magic could be resisted to a certain extent, but I favored using magic to confuse my opponents in a fight, it worked to a different extent on everyone depending on their race, resistance to magic, and even their sex. It was the reason my instincts to enslave a lover always came on strongest during sex, because that’s usually when a person’s guard is the lowest.
Regardless, the point was I was used to having at least a small advantage in a fight.
The silver in my sword was deadly to Chad, as well as deadly sharp, so I grabbed one of the practice swords off the wall. Not only were they just normal steel, but they were blunted and covered in spells that would simulate disabling wounds when a target was hit. In addition to the wards in the room, it made training as safe as possible, but hardly curtailed the chance of any accidents.
Chad nodded and grabbed a sword of his own, his was a bit larger than mine and a better fit for his body. He had a much farther reach than I did, and werewolves were extremely strong. My only advantage lay in speed, I was strong, perhaps as strong as a vampire, but shifters were the strongest in raw strength of all the races.
I was extremely fast though, only the elves could boast faster movements.
I was about to tell him I was ready, when he rushed me. Bastard. I dove to the side barely escaping the sword he’d swung hard enough that it whistled by my ear. I came back to my feet in a roll-out, and spun with my sword leading. He slammed it to the side knocking it from my hands.
I kicked him hard in the nuts, stepped into his guard and snapped a punch into his throat, stomped his instep as I ducked under his swinging sword arm and spun around, nailing his kidney hard with an elbow.
He grunted in pain as I dove for my sword, pushing off the back of his knee to give me another split second, and picked up the sword while I rolled and jumped back up to my feet. He looked at me hard for about ten seconds, and then smiled in glee before he came at me again.
That fight sequence took place over and over with myriad variations. We beat the crap out of each other for about an hour, and like him, I hadn’t had so much fun in a long while. I felt really good after soaking in that power last night. He hit me less, but it hurt like I couldn’t believe. I hit him a lot more, and in more sensitive areas, but he soaked up the damage like a sponge, his shifter nature built for punishment. It was why all my weapons had silver, shifters were really hard to stop otherwise, about the only way was taking their heads, or stunning them with a head shot long enough to get them in cuffs.
I felt sore, but good as I got under the hot shower after our work out. Sluicing the sweat off my body while the hot massaging water relaxed my newly sore muscles. I always kept spare clothes in my locker, and soon had my skintight armored suit back on, which was enchanted to stay clean, and I put on a pair of off white slacks, a creamy white blouse, and my black boots.
We still had a couple of hours to kill, we went and got some lunch, then checked over our gear. I had to admit, Chad wasn’t being as overbearing as usual. Or maybe it was that I was freshly fed from last night, and wasn’t being as much of a touchy bitch as usual. Regardless, I was hopeful we’d work well together, at least I’d shown him I could hold my own in a fight.
Nah, it was probably because we weren’t in danger in the moment, I was sure his protective
alpha personality would sharpen in the field.
I let Chad drive, because men are generally big babies if they don’t get to. Of course, I was just as bitchy driving or not, so I probably shouldn’t judge. I closed my eyes and tried to relax for a few minutes, I wasn’t one for meditation, and that wasn’t exactly what I was doing. For a siren, the world was alive with… unheard music that we could tune into.
I remembered when I’d heard it for the first time at thirteen, and it had scared the crap out of me. I’d thought I was going crazy, or hearing things. It was how I determined, outside of how they were dressed and acted, what races people were.
The world, nature, had its own song as well, that had been my teacher, where I’d picked up what I could do with magic. Enthrall, enslave, confuse, sleep, erase short term memories, promote healing, and other such things. I’d learned later in life, that the song of nature itself, and because the sirens heard it when their powers awakened, was called the song of awakening.
There was something calming about it, but also seductive and highly dangerous. Not so much listening to the notes of the beings around me which were incredibly complex but still limited in scope, but the raw song of nature. I’d almost gotten lost in it a few times, and had started to sing along with it, which wasn’t healthy for the people around me. It was rather ironic, that the same song we could use to lure men or control nature was also a danger to us for the same reason. It was seductive.
It is like, or rather, it is my magic. My magic works on things that are alive, but inanimate things such as swords, or the car I was riding in, had no song, and were unaffected by the nature of my magic. The song was also stronger by the sea, which is why most sirens were on islands in the middle of the ocean, not smack dab in the middle of Texas. I’d never travelled to the ocean though, so I don’t know for sure the truth of it.