The Others Agency

by V J Lee

  Athena looked down at her body, then picked up a stilettoed foot. “I could use these puppies as weapons. Of course I can fight.” She grinned. “What about you? Can you handle yourself in that get up?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time I wore a tux as I killed something,” Cosmo started.

  “And it won’t be the last,” Ethan finished for him.

  And off they went, into the night.

  Please enjoy this sneak peek at “Throat Punch Pixie,” the next installment of “The Others Agency.”

  Chapter One

  Blue, pink and green gossamer butterfly wings fluttered, taking the girl from one multicolored flower to the next, as she painted smiles on their beautiful little faces.

  Flying low over a diamond shimmering lake outlined in blue, she scattered diamond dust over the top of the water, and hovered in midair, as she watched the pink, purple and yellow fish jump to catch the dust. When she was here doing her work, she felt like the most gorgeous creature in the universe.

  She skimmed the tops of fluffy, cotton candy like trees. The pinks and light blues gleamed as the silver sun shinned down on them, while their white and red striped trunks carried them to the sky. The air smelled fresh with a hint of candy. The silver sun revived her, making her go higher into the sky, as she fluttered her wings up above the trees.

  Without warning, her heart stopped, her wings quit working and her body froze with dread.

  The darkness that was once only a small part of this beautiful land was now taking over half of it. The dark had turned the cotton candy like trees into black twisted nightmares, with their gray gnarled branches reaching out, trying to grab her and pull her into the darkness—where things screeched and screamed. Moans of pain rent the air. The sound of bones being crunched sent chills down her tiny spine. Yet, the darkness called to her like a lover’s sweet whisper.

  The darkness needed her sparkle. If she went into it, she would shine brighter than anything that resided there. The darkness felt right. She needed to go where she would be the shiniest, brightest thing in the dark creatures’ lives. Those who lurked in the blackness needed her.

  The pull was getting stronger, every time she came to work on the lovely landscape of this land.

  It was only when her tiny body started hurtling to the ground that she realized she needed to move her wings, but it was too late. The wind was rushing past her too fast. Her breath was retched from her lungs and her wings were pushed together. She was unable to move, due to the force of the wind. She was falling to the copper-gold sparkling grass.

  Rachael jumped with a start. Even though she had this same dream for as long as she could remember, the falling always made her wake up, shaking in terror. She looked over at the red numbers of the clock … four o’clock in the morning. She still had an hour before she had to get up and go to work.

  Laying back down, she thought about the dream. She used to have the same dream about once or twice a year. Then it started coming every few months. Soon, it was every other week. Now, it seemed like she was having it every week, sometimes twice in the same week.

  In the dream, the darkness covering the colorful land was spreading like an out of control wildfire. She had bought dream books and went to psychics, to try to help her understand the dreams, or nightmares was more like it, but nothing helped. Heck, all the psychics turned her away, after turning white and visibly shaken.

  Rachael figured the sparkling beauty in her dreams was just her wanting to feel pretty for once. She wasn’t blind to the fact that she was plain—painfully so. Her mousy brown hair, she kept in a tight bun at the back of her neck. She had thin lips, and her button nose was so small that her big black-framed glasses always slipped off it, causing her to constantly push them back up. She was petite, with no boobs and no butt. Her legs were long and lean, and very well defined, not that anyone gave her a second notice. Her dark eyes were just as unremarkable, but she was a killer in the field.

  Rachael had been brought into the Other’s Agency about five years ago, by Rissa Jackson … Snow, now that she married the dreamy Trevor Snow. If only she could get a man like Trevor, she thought. He was everything a woman could want—looks, brains, muscles. Not to mention, he was always so nice to her.

  The Agency was made up of humans who cleaned up after and helped the Others who lived among them. Up until she was brought in, she had no idea that there was anything but humans on earth, until she was brought into the Agency. Now she knows there are Others—some good, some not so much.

  Vampires, Werewolves, Trolls, Mermaids and Aliens were real. There were many other kinds of Others—too many to name. Humans couldn’t see them, because they hid their true identities with human masks. Rissa was one of the very few who could see behind the masks. She told Rachael it was a skill she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy (Petra, Trevor’s ex). Some of the things that lurked under those masks would make a grown man pee himself.

  Rachael had no idea what Rissa had seen in her, but whatever it was, Rissa was right. In training, Rachael shined in combat. She had a wicked side that came out when she was in battle. Fighting was like second nature to her.

  Jumping on her adversaries with her legs wrapped around their necks, she would bring them to their demise with a swift twist. However, it was the knife play that she really loved—getting up close and personal with a knife. There was nothing like the feel of the steel blade slicing through skin and muscle until it reached bone or a vital organ. She didn’t even mind the warm and sticky blood that would soak her hands.

  When Rachael graduated from her training at the Agency, Rissa had given her two of the most gorgeous butterfly knives she had ever seen. One was pink, with what looked like tiny diamonds in it; the other was pearl, with pink diamonds. They were killing weapons for the girly girl on the go. She had no idea why Rissa would give her these girly weapons. She was so far from girly, she was just steps away from being a well-worn couch or something.

  The more she fought, the more she liked it. She had no remorse about killing. The way she saw it, she was doing the world a service, by ridding it of the scum trying to do ill-will to mankind. The problem was, she liked it a little too much. She could feel the darkness in her heart taking up more space, every time she went crazy fighting and killing.

  That’s why she was relieved when Jock, her boss, came to her, asking if she wanted to work in the daycare, with the children of the agents. Yes, she liked to fight and even kill, but she also loved to mold a young child’s mind. She adored being around children. They were so open and honest. Watching them learn and grow was just as exciting as being on the battlefield fighting. She would protect the children she cared for with her own life.

  There was no use trying to go back to sleep, so she decided to get up early and go to work. After Rachael got out of the shower, she opened her closet to white button-up shirts and black slacks, which were the standard issue uniform for the day shift agents, and tan pants and black polo shirts, which were her standard issue uniform for the rest of her life. Both uniforms included a beige bra and panties. She also had two pairs of Crocs, one black pair for work and one tan pair for her days off.

  It only took her a total of fifteen minutes to get ready—shower, hair in a bun, glasses on, clothes on and done. She always had the same thing for breakfast every morning … actually it’s all she had for every meal—a cup of warm water and a rice cake. It didn’t matter what she ate, because nothing had flavor. Everything she put in her mouth, tasted like rice cakes and tepid water … so that’s what she ate.

  Walking past her wall of books on her homemade bookshelves, Rachael stopped, looking for something new to read. Just having finished her last book, she needed something to read on her breaks, during lunch and when the kids had naptime. Books were the only way she could see colors and feel included in the lives of others. Books were her escape. She could see pictures the author’s words, painted for the reader. Grabbing the latest from Kresley Cole, she shoved it int
o her black bag, locked up her house, and got into her black company issued sedan.

  Seeing how she still had time before work, Rachael decided to go to the coffee shop across the street and get a few chapters of her book read, before she had to go in.

  Standing in line with her head down, looking at her black Crocs on the white tile, Rachael was thinking how gray everything was—how blah the world was. The light of her day was working with the kids and the light of her night was her books. So, caught up in her blasé world, she didn’t hear the large man in front of her talking to her.

  Looking up, she saw Trevor Snow, and her heart skipped a beat. Tall and gorgeous, Trevor Snow was Rissa’s man. He only had eyes for his wife, but that didn’t stop Rachael from coveting him in private. He was a cross between Thor and Capitan America—insert sigh here.

  He was in his standard issue Agency attire—the same as hers, except he filled his out in all the right places. His dark brown hair was cut short, and Rachael knew his hazel eyes would change color with his mood. She almost drooled at his muscular chest and arms … and that ass was so tight, she bet Rissa bounced quarters off it when they were in private, because Rachael totally would. Looking at his strong chin brought her eyes to his luscious lips—that is, if men had luscious lips. She thought about kissing those lips so many times, it was just wrong. She then realized those lips were moving, so she looked up to his eyes.

  “Sorry, I was in my own little world. What were you saying, Trevor?” His name came out breathy like a sigh.

  “I was asking you what you’re having, so I can pay for it.”

  The thought of this sexy man wanting to do something for her caused her body to heat up. Everyone she looked at just seemed blah, but there was always something about Trevor that made her see him in a different light. It was like he was bathed in magnificent colors. Even though he wore black and white, he was the most colorful person she had ever seen.

  “You don’t have to do that,” she stammered.

  He honored her with a megawatt smile, and even though his nose was a bit crooked, he was perfection to her. “Are you kidding me? The woman who takes such wonderful care of my kids, deserves more than just a coffee.”

  The barista laughed. Trevor turned to him. “Something funny, son?”

  The kid shook his head, and said, “She only gets warm water, then takes up space reading.”

  Rachael felt her face heat up, as she tsked, and said, “No, I don’t … well, not always. I’ll have a large …” Trying to think of something cool that everyone ordered, she looked at the board, and nothing jumped out at her. All the words blended together.

  The kid behind the counter snorted, as he said, “See, she doesn’t even know it’s a Venti, not a large.”

  Trevor threw the kid a look that Rachael couldn’t see, but she noticed the kid paling, so it must have been menacing. He then turned back to her. “If you want warm water, darling, then warm water it is. Nothing to be ashamed of, by choosing to be healthy. I wish I had your discipline, but I’m addicted to the dark side of coffee, and if Rissa doesn’t get her mocha, I better not show up at the office.” He looked at the book in her hand, as she tried to hide it behind her back. “If you ever run out of reading material, Rissa has a ton of books. She reads some guy named J.R. Ward, and a bunch of others.”

  She swallowed. “J.R. Ward is a woman.”

  Trevor bent his head down so he could hear her better, as he said, “Pardon. What did you say?”

  Everything always smelled the same to her. She guessed everything smelled like the color beige. But not Trevor. He smelled like life, making her tingle everywhere. “I said J.R. Ward is a woman, and she is one of my favorites.”

  Trevor paid for his coffees and her water … because yes, they did charge her fifty cents for it.

  “You should come by our house sometime, and you two can talk about all the hunky vampires.” If she didn’t know better, she would think the big man was jealous of his wife’s fictional boyfriends. She smiled at the thought, as Trevor handed her the water. He then continued. “You should smile more often. You have a gorgeous smile. It lights up your eyes, making them look purple.” Her smile faded, as she looked down at the floor. “Well, see you at work soon. Come by the pit. Rissa made some awesome muffins,” Trevor added, as he walked out the door.

  Rachael turned and watched his tight butt, as he walked across the street. Some guy in a business suit walked right into her like he didn’t even see her, and didn’t say excuse me or anything. People were so rude, but then again, most people never seemed to notice her. It was the story of her life.

  About the Author

  Vicky Wahl writing as V.J Lee writes the glowing series a paranormal romance, sci-fi, action series with steamy content and characters you will love but also want to punch in the face. There are other spin-off novels in the works. Vicky lives in Colorado with the best husband in the world and besides writing stays home to care for her furbabies. She has two sons Nick and Larry, and they each have one son each (two days apart) the entire family loves the mountains and hiking, but Vicky also enjoys shopping for shoes and reading.

  Also by V.J. Lee

  Afterglow

  There’s a war raging between the Light aliens and their Dark counterparts. Humans are unaware they are being used for their sexual energy by both sides.

  The Dark aliens want to sexually enslave the entire human race, while the Light struggle to maintain the balance between good and evil on Earth. As they fight the never-ending battle to save mankind, they must also fight the battle within their own hearts. Their destinies have been pre-determined by the Fates.

  The question is, do they give up their immortality for love?

  Aurora is the most beautiful and talented Healer the Light aliens have had in centuries. She can heal even the most devastating wounds with just the Light energy from her hands. But can she heal her own broken heart?

  Titus is the fiercest Warrior the soldiers of the Light race has ever had. Trained by the best he is afraid of nothing – but will he fight for love?

  Set on a path destined by the Fates, will they be able to change their destiny and be together – or will they forever be alone?

  Dreamglow

  When plain unassuming curly haired Rose Samuel got pulled into the sleek, sexy Light alien world, she never dreamed she would find her niche being their therapist. Heck, a few months ago had anyone told her this alien race existed she would have pointed them in the direction of the nearest psychiatrist.

  Falling for the stunningly gorgeous long-haired lead Healer Apollo was a major perk of her job. Now if Rose could get Apollo to make time for her, it would be a dream come true.

  Apollo didn’t have time for distractions, and the inquisitive little Rose was a huge distraction. His destiny as the lead healer for his race took up most of his time the rest was devoted to his mission of finding his family-the same beings that betrayed the entire colony. With their enemies, the Dark Ones not only trying to enslave all humankind but also unleashing a new dark predator onto the Light there was barely time even to sleep much less have a relationship.

  Will Rose and Apollo be able to use the light in their relationship to connect their dreams or will the darkness lurking inside forever pull them into nightmares?