by Brenda Trim
Sores riddled the male’s face and it weighed next to nothing. The significant feature and reason they came were the partially shifted claws on its hands. That coupled with the canine teeth and coarse hair covering parts of his body marked this male as different. There was no mistaking the precise incisions made through fur and skin above each black claw. These men were trying to determine how this was possible.
“Is it Angel’s Kiss?” Jax asked.
Evzen shook his head and glanced at the warrior. Jax was in front of the computer typing commands to delete any evidence of this shifter’s existence. It wasn’t every day that Evzen encountered such horrors and the sight before him distracted him from his mission. He’d make a terrible warrior, he decided.
With a wave of his staff, Evzen cast a detection spell. The body lit up like a Christmas tree. At least that’s what it looked like to Evzen. Sorcerers saw magic in terms of colors and this body was riddled with evidence he hoped to never see again.
Evzen failed again. One of his sorcerers was doing illegal magic. This culprit didn’t give a shit if they killed innocent beings or that they would die if caught. “Fucking hell. Yes. It’s Angel’s Kiss, but this is slightly different than before. Likely, because a different sorcerer or sorceress is making the drug now. Before, part of what we detected was Lady Angelica’s signature.”
“Can you tell who is making the shite now?”
Evzen shook his head in response to Bhric’s question while his brain scrambled to gather as many details about the magic as possible. “There’s no way to tell who did this by looking at the body. We will only understand that after we catch the asshole responsible. The question is whether or not the new guy is using her system. We never located all of her dealers.”
“Gods dammit,” Bhric cursed. “Destroy all evidence of his existence while I wipe some memories. Killian should be deleting files in their system. We will need to hit the station and take care of the detectives and their captain. Thank the Goddess this guy was found in the middle of the night. I can thrall the entire station without needing to have them all in the same room.”
“Killian is definitely in the system. The open file where they were recording their examination is already gone,” Jax confirmed.
Evzen pointed his staff at the bags and glass jars next to the body and muttered, “Díothaigh.” A bright white light flashed, obliterating all the trace evidence collected before he assisted Bhric in laying a plastic body bag next to the body before they lifted the shifter and zipped him inside the plastic. Another spell and no evidence remained to tell there had been a body on the table.
“Let’s get out of here. We still need to investigate the house where he was found,” Bhric instructed as he hefted the black bag over his shoulder.
This night couldn’t end fast enough. Being surrounded by so much death made Evzen’s gut churn and his anger spike. He needed to search through his people to find out who was creating drugs capable of killing supernaturals and humans.
Jax leaned over the steering wheel and looked out the windshield. “Why is it that all crack houses look the same?”
Bhric chuckled and opened his door. “Aye, it does. But, how do you know what a crack house looks like?”
“From TV and movies. This is what every crack house has ever looked like with the boarded-up windows, spray paint, and the trash and weeds all over the yard.”
“And then there is the neighborhood. I’ve never seen slums firsthand before,” Evzen replied as he tried to hide his shudder of revulsion. He had to agree. Any movie he’d ever watched with a drug house in it looked just as lifeless.
“This is the ugly side of life. The one Elsie wants to save everyone from,” Bhric replied as they headed up the sidewalk.
Evzen was nodding his head in agreement although no one saw because they’d crossed the threshold. “She’s made a lot of changes to the way we run the realm and, I for one, thank her. It’s difficult to rid the guilt from ignoring the way many suffered because we believed the realm was above poverty and abuse.”
Bhric withdrew a sgian dubh from the waistband of his leather pants. “Och, now you sound like Zander.”
Evzen cocked his head and tried to see what had the warrior spooked. Nothing stood out to him to warrant a weapon. The house seemed empty, but Evzen still whispered his response. “That’s because we are responsible for countless civilians. We made decisions that impacted their lives and not for the better like we wanted.”
A staircase was to the immediate left of the entryway while a living room was to the right. The carpet to the right was filthy. Evzen’s nose was hit by urine, feces, rotting food and chemicals.
The sagging couch had more holes than swiss cheese and metal coils filled with white cotton stuck through nearly every square inch of cushion. The trash was piled so high in places he wondered what it started out as. The aluminum cans were fairly obvious, as was the empty pizza boxes. The rest looked like bags, but he couldn’t be sure.
Through it all, there was a hint of magic in the atmosphere, but when he glanced around, Evzen saw no indication of the source.
Bhric’s boot stuck to the ground when he took a step to head through the living room. Evzen cringed when his shoes squished through Gods-only-knew what on the floor.
“Do you sense anyone in the house?” Bhric asked Jax.
The shifter stopped next to a broken table and flared his nostrils then shifted his eyes around the room. “No. The house is empty.”
“That’s what I thought.” Bhric used the tip of his weapon to move trash off the counter.
“How are we supposed to find anything in this place? I’m not touching anything here,” Evzen informed the warriors. The Gods only knew what lurked in the all this crap.
“Don’t be a douche,” Bhric growled at him. “You two check down here while I clear the second floor.”
Jax kicked aside a broken chair and Evzen used his staff to move debris around on the counters. “I doubt there is any useful information in this shithole. I can’t believe the shifter was able to live like this. My stomach will never be the same.”
“I’m pretty sure that pile over there moved.” Evzen shuddered and was tempted to burn the entire place to the ground. He would have used a spell to clean up, but he had no idea where to start. “You’d better let Hayden know we have the body?”
“Shit. I’m surprised he hasn’t called me yet. I know he wants to come out to the humans, but this is not the way. The entire planet would think shifters were nothing but drug addicts if this guy was how they discovered us,” Jax mumbled as he pulled his phone out and typed a message to his Omega.
Evzen didn’t agree with Hayden about coming out to the humans. There were severe consequences of going against the Goddess’s edicts, and Evzen believed she had valid reasons for keeping their existence secret. Mortals were terrified of what they didn’t understand and could do nothing to fight the demons which was why he wanted to let the world know about them.
With a wave of his hand, Evzen opened every cabinet and drawer, but didn’t find anything. When Jax opened the fridge, a blast of rotten food had them both hauling ass out of the kitchen.
“Was that a dead body in there?” Evzen asked when they reached the entryway.
Jax stopped by the open front door gulping in fresh air. “I wasn’t sticking around to find out. Damn, that’s rancid. You about done up there, B?”
“Aye. There’s nothing up here but a couple empty bedrooms and one with a filthy mattress on the floor.” Footsteps above them echoed as the Vampire Prince headed down the stairs.
Evzen hadn’t checked anything in the living room yet and crossed the room ignoring the way his leather loafers sunk into the carpet. It might not be carpet after all, Evzen thought as he lifted one shoe and looked at the sticky crap on the bottom.
“You’re going to have to burn those expensive shoes, Evzen,” Jax tossed out from his position by the door.
Disgust had Evzen waving h
is staff and muttering, “Phléasc.” The couch jumped into the air and hit the wall behind it, leaving a square indentation. Drywall flew into the air, making him cough. A gentle tinkling noise caught his attention because it didn’t fit the situation.
“What was that?” Bhric asked as he came down the stairs.
“I was going to say Evzen throwing a tantrum but seems it’s good that he got pissed. Look at this,” Jax said as he bent over and stood up. The shifter had a small vial in his hand and waved it in the air.
Bhric and Evzen joined the male, but Evzen didn’t need to be any closer as he saw the red glow on the object. When they were close enough to see the Angel wings and lips, his suspicions were confirmed. “Shite,” Bhric cursed.
“That sums it up nicely. One of mine is creating Angel’s Kiss again and they are going to die,” Evzen vowed.
Whoever had the balls to go against the laws regulating harmful substances was going to pay, and Evzen was going to make sure they suffered in the process. This shit was not going to keep happening. Perhaps it was time to bring back the guillotine.
* * *
Chapter 12
Arousal and surprise infiltrated Kennex as she parked her car near the beach and got out. Thoughts of Ayil continued to plague her. The Angel was nothing like she’d expected. For longer than she could recall her opinion of everything angelic had been clouded by hatred that went soul deep.
After suffering Jared’s abuse for many years, and then being retargeted by the vile angel, Kennex never believed her thoughts about an Angel could involve anything but blood and dismemberment.
And yet, a day after Jared’s last attack, her mind was pulling a Rainman on her, refusing to let go of images of an Angel with red wings. Ayil was gorgeous in the way only a warrior could be. Or, perhaps it was in a way only Ayil himself could be. His piercing green eyes saw through too much, while at the same time, they drew her in like a tornado. His pull was inexorable, and she was powerless to do anything but get swept away by it.
While he tried to throw lightning, she was fixated on his silky black hair and how it called her to run her fingers through it while pressing her lips against his to see if they are as soft as they looked. She nearly plugged her straightener in and held it under water to reboot her negative neurons toward the heavenly species.
She didn’t do anything drastic for several reasons. She was afraid any movement would ruin the moment. For the first time, Kennex was enjoying her time with an angel. Sure, it had been great to meet Jared, but that lasted two seconds at most. With Ayil, she was forced to rethink her hatred as she saw how fun he was. There was a levity to him that was unexpected given that he constantly dealt with demons and the dregs of humanity.
Ayil’s effect was infectious. From his enjoyment of his enchiladas to his discovery of how a jalapeno enhanced flavor to the time he managed to throw fire at a tree during the video game. More than once the urge to step out of herself and grab hold of his shoulders so she could kiss him gripped her.
Somehow, she managed to hold back, and it had nothing to do with the fact that it was clear he didn’t trust her. He never stopped asking her about the clan and its demonic involvement. And, then there was the blood she missed after Jared’s first attack a week ago. She thought he was going to call her on it, but she saw empathy in his gaze when their eyes met. It threw her for a loop. Suspicion and mistrust she could handle. Caring was another issue altogether.
A chill wind made her shiver as she opened her car door. Before hefting herself out of the vehicle, she reached into her back seat and snagged a sweatshirt. Perhaps, she could trust Ayil, she mused as she pulled the thick cotton over her head.
It would be a relief to tell someone what Jared was doing to her. Lexie knew a little, but thankfully, no one saw her return naked and bruised the other night. Her clothes burned with her flames and fatigue was threatening to take her under by the time she limped to her house. No way did she want to tell her friend of her shame. It was bad enough the Angel nearly raped her.
Fantasy played through her mind for several seconds where Ayil played punching bag with Jared’s face before he sharpened his sword of light on Jared’s skull. Ayil might be fun and sexy, but her gut screamed at her to keep her mouth shut. The bloodlust riding her inner Phoenix confirmed she wanted to clip Jared’s wings.
It had nothing to do with the shame churning her gut over what she allowed the Angel to do to her. And, for so long, Kennex should’ve stopped it sooner. She wasn’t helpless, especially now after more than a decade of taking self-defense classes, yet she hadn’t fought back until he pushed her to a breaking point.
The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end as if she was being watched. Paranoid much, she chastised while her eyes roamed the area, searching for the culprit.
Angels, like most supernatural beings, possessed the ability to heal quickly, but she doubted Jared would be coming for her again so soon. Her flames burned to the bone in more than one place on his body before he disappeared. She didn’t give a shit where he went but couldn’t deny her curiosity.
The words almost burst from her when she was showing Ayil how to use the controller. Thank the Gods her need for vengeance kept her mouth shut. The warrior already suspected her of siding with demons. She didn’t need to add assault to her list of crimes in his mind.
Her heart didn’t slow its pounding when she noticed no one watching her. It had been so long since she’d truly relaxed her guard that she doubted she could function like that anymore. The innocent female of her youth died many years ago, and was beyond her basic Phoenix abilities of resurrection by flames.
Her vision flickered orange as her rage called her vengeful Phoenix forward. She’d done nothing to warrant Jared’s treatment. She was on the verge of life when she met him. Innocent and full of passion. Jared stole that from her.
“Time to fight back,” she muttered to herself. Scum like Jared didn’t deserve to live, and she was going to make certain he didn’t live to see another full moon. After she got the lead out with Ayil and spent time with him she realized she could do this. It wasn’t going to be as difficult to use him to get to Heaven, after all.
The far more difficult part was getting her hands on a weapon that would ensure Jared couldn’t teleport to safety and heal. No amount of web browsing, and brain calisthenics produced a solution beyond drastic measures that put innocent Angels in danger.
That thought jolted Kennex to her core. Before meeting Ayil she didn’t think of Angels as innocent. In her mind, it wasn’t possible. They were all vile, selfish beings that took what they wanted regardless who suffered.
Shaking her head, she focused on her surroundings and noticed more than council member cars in the parking lot. Relief flooded her at the sight. She worried Ash called her to the meeting for help in another ritual she wanted no part of.
Kennex didn’t trust what the council was doing, but there wasn’t much she and Lexie could do on their own, and she wasn’t bringing Ayil into the mess yet. Perhaps she and Lexie could incapacitate Ash and keep him from causing more harm.
She turned around and scanned the cars for Lexie’s green convertible. When she didn’t see the familiar car, she contemplated pulling her cell from her pocket and texting Lexie for backup. That wasn’t the best idea. It would place her friend in danger and that was no way to repay Lexie’s night-in-shining armor rescue.
Kicking back into motion, Kennex cringed as her feet sank into soft sand a few steps later. The normally golden crystals were grey in the scarce moonlight. Unlike the Georgia coast, there was no sand dune with tall grass separating the parking lot from the ocean. In San Diego, it was sand all the way to the water.
As soon as she got close to the shore, she saw a fire roaring in the distance. Bile rose in her throat as memories of the last bonfire rose to the front of her mind.
From several feet away she couldn’t see any human sacrifices, but that didn’t stop her skin from crawling when she sa
w Ash.
Ash waved his hand as she approached. “Glad you could join us, Kennex.”
“Yeah,” she replied and glanced around the gathering. Her back stiffened as she noticed something wasn’t right. She couldn’t tell what it was. “I wouldn’t miss a bonfire cookout. I swear I haven’t been warm since we left Arizona.” There were no visible runes drawn in the sand where she was standing, but then again, she didn’t spot Gina among the group.
Ash picked up a bottle of beer from a log on the sand. “This isn’t just a cookout, but I did bring jalapeno brats this time. Emily is cooking some if you want one.”
Her stomach rumbled as she watched Emily twist a stick in the flames. Grease dripped from the sausage and sizzled when it hit the hot coals. “I never turn down jalapeno brats.”
As she stepped closer to Emily, Kennex noticed the automatic way her arm moved. It was then that the silence registered in her sluggish mind.
When she was brooding about Jared and pondering if she should involve Ayil her mind felt sharp, but now a blanket was draped over everything. Not only was her mind slowing, but also her body moved like a ninety-year-old human.
Panting by the time she made it to Emily’s side, Kennex wanted to plop onto the ground, but refrained because from her new position she had a perfect angle to see Gina on the other side of the sand. Stick in hand, Gina was drawing into the soft surface.
Kennex’s heart raced in her chest, as adrenaline dumped into her bloodstream giving her enough energy to turn, but she didn’t make it far. Ash was right behind her watching her closely. “Jesus. You’re like a creepy stalker standing so close to me. Personal space, Ash. Ever heard of it?” She hoped her snark covered the fear that nearly crippled her.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he couldn’t go through with the ceremony. Last time he needed a human sacrifice to summon the demons, and there were none present from what she could tell. And, every member of the council was present. Perhaps Kennex made a mistake in assuming the worst.