Shit. Shit. Shit. Breathing in, I all but convinced myself to turn around and bail when one of them spoke.
“Hey! You!”
Fudge nuggets.
I peeked back up and realized they were both watching me with reflective eyes.
Oh, God. Why did it have to be werewolves? Of all the paras, it had to be fucking wolves.
“Whatcha’ doing here, little girl?” one of them asked, deadly and low.
Badass. Pretend you’re a badass.
“I’m no little girl,” I said, trying to sound more confident than it came out.
They both chuckled, and the taller one slapped the back of his hand on his friend’s chest. He had a square jaw and an unforgiving gaze. His features were too harsh, too vicious to be considered handsome. “Sure, you ain’t, sweet thang. How can we help a tasty little morsel like you? Did you lose your way?”
“No. Actually, I believe you have something of mine.” I planted my hand on my hip and glared at them like I had all the right in the world to be standing there, demanding my drugs. Please don’t ask me what it is, because I don’t know the name.
The shorter one snorted. His nose was upturned enough that he looked a bit like a pig, and the patchwork of facial hair made him look disheveled. I let my annoyance cross my features; otherwise, fear would override my scent and give me away. I knew from experience how much that excited wolves.
“You? You’re here for Dreamscape? Doubtful.”
“I am, and I believe you were already paid, so if you don’t mind.” I held out my hand while tapping my foot, hoping it would calm the twitch in my calves that encouraged me to run in the opposite direction.
They exchanged a glance before looking back at me. When they moved forward and circled me, my fear spiked. One of them lifted his nose, and I saw his canines elongate, bumping out his upper lip.
“Why so nervous, tasty morsel? We were told a guy was coming for it. Tell us, did he give you the code word?”
Fudge! Think fast.
“No, because there was no code word, as you put it. And as for the “guy”, well, they never specified their gender. You assumed.” My stomach knotted so painfully, I had to dig my nails into the fleshy part of my palms to stop myself from retching.
They both laughed.
“Alright, little girl. We believe ya. But I think we deserve a little something extra since you were so late.” One of the wolves trailed his finger over the curve of my hip. I stiffened, wishing I hadn’t dropped SOL at Effie’s.
“I don’t think so. You can either return my money and I walk, or you give me the drugs and I leave.” I focused on the wall ahead of me and feigned boredom. If I looked at them, I was afraid I would crack. My knees were close to giving out on me, and my heart raced in my chest.
“Strict, this one. Alright, little girl, when you come back for more – and you will – we will require more. Don’t think you can talk your way out of it, either. We have your scent now.”
The pig-nosed one stood in front of me with a smile as the smothering heat of the other one hit behind me. Where Z’s heat was comforting, the wolf’s heat made my skin crawl. The wolf behind me grabbed my hips and pulled me back against his chest. I grunted and barely held back my scream. He wrapped one arm around me, locking both of mine down in the blink of an eye. Dipping his head, his nose nuzzled against my neck.
The pig-nosed one stepped closer and pulled out a little baggie that contained one pill. He reached for the top of my dress and tucked the baggie inside my bra cup, his heated knuckle brushing my skin.
“And we never forget a scent.”
****
They released me with a shove and cackled as they walked down the alleyway. I waited, pressed against the brick wall and trying to catch my breath. Tears fell from my eyes, and I let out a choked sob. Their laughter haunted me.
Panting, I tried to calm my breathing. The whole time, it felt like I was stretched thin, my skin fragile and breakable. The anxiety I barely held at bay came rushing in like a tidal wave, taking me under and turning me all around so I didn’t know which way was up.
After a few minutes, I managed to compose myself. Pushing my hands against the brick, I winced when I caught a sharp edge, causing blood to swell from a cut on my palm. I shook my head and held my hand close. More than anything, I wanted to get home, shower this night away, and crawl into bed and never leave again.
Badass, I was not.
****
Sharp teeth and claws flashed in my mind. I whimpered. God, I was so young, so, so, young. Ana, too. She huddled next to me as we were forced into another cavern. Questions kept popping in my head. How did we end up here? Why us? Why? Why? Why?
One of the werewolves followed us into the rear of the cave. I gripped Ana’s arm painfully tight, even as she moved forward to block my body with her slighter one. Though she was tiny, I had seen what she could do. Even if she said she felt weakened after her first attack.
Fear wracked my body as he prowled closer.
“Your little human pet is going to die, and you’re in a lot of trouble, little fae,” the werewolf growled, showing off wicked teeth.
I woke just as he lunged forward to grab me, just like he had all those years ago. Breath rushed out of my lungs in a panic.
I clutched my blankets a little closer as my head pounded with the memory. Ana had managed to pull off a feat that night that she shouldn’t have been able to do. After practically decimating half the pack that stole us, we staggered our way back to our sleepy little town, where Aunt Lola helped us with the rest. She had connections that allowed us to escape without any legal problems. Just like human laws, we assumed there were laws that governed the actions of paranormal beings. In any event, Lola never said anything to us, and we never spoke about it with her after that night.
Ana had a hard time coming to terms with what she had done until she realized that in her world – our world now – escaping sometimes meant life or death.
Surviving our first…adventure, if you wanted to call it that, was a miracle. Memories of that harrowing experience still haunted me and welded our friendship tighter with the passing of each year we weathered together.
****
Ana found me curled up on the couch, wrapped in three of our softest blankets. I had a bag of cookies in my cocoon that crinkled when she hugged me tightly. I’d managed to take a shower before hiding away, but the stench of the night clung to me like a second skin. Ana probed me a couple of times to try to get me to talk, but all I did was hand her the baggie containing the pill.
I shuffled my way into bed and pulled the covers over my head, but Ana would not be deterred. She followed me in, carrying our pitiful first aid kit that I’d insisted we buy when we first moved to the city.
“Hand.”
I stuck my hand out for her. She worked quietly as she wetted a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dabbed at my cut, tightening her hold on my wrist when I hissed and tried to pull it back.
“Are you going to tell me how you got the drug?”
I pressed my face against my pillow. “Would you accept magic as an answer?”
“From literally anyone else,” Ana replied, humor lightening her tone. But her careful hold on my wrist and the thoughtfulness she used while taking care of me showed me how worried she was.
“It was stupid. I should have just Parised it out of there.”
“You’re only making me more worried by dragging it out, Sixx.”
I gave a ponderous sigh and told her my whole stupid plan and about everything that happened after I left the bar. Ana released my wrist after wrapping a bit of gauze around my cut.
“Sixx…”
“Not tonight, please. Don’t scold me tonight. I realize what I did was stupid, and I know I’m not well equipped to help because I’m just a lowly human.”
“Okay, we are totally addressing that tomorrow. No one talks about my best friend that way. Since you don’t want to talk about what happe
ned tonight, why don’t we talk about our other problem?”
“That’ll work.”
Did I really want to think about how Z was a bad guy? Because tonight, as stupid as the thought might have been, all I wanted to do when I got home was have him hold me. He made me feel safe. Ana did the same for me but in a different way. And tonight, I needed the kind of comfort only a stupidly handsome male who thought I was his mate could provide.
“Kallan and Z talked to my new boss for a while, then Kallan left, and Z stalked around the place for a bit longer. I only caught snatches of their conversation, but it sounds like they’re both trying to peddle the drug.”
“Dreamscape,” I muttered.
“Yeah, that’s the name, but I just don’t understand!” Ana exclaimed. “Kallan seemed to want to help me figure out my powers, like for real. Finally, I thought I would be able to learn something beyond my experiments with my magic.” Ana looked sad over the revelation.
It sat on the tip of my tongue to tell her that Z thought I was his mate. That he had been calling me that in Russian almost since our very first meeting. Instead, I swallowed it back down. For tonight, I needed him to be the good guy. A protector.
The thought fluttered in my mind to text him. To even call and hang up, but I shook my head. I was just feeling vulnerable since the encounter with the werewolves. I might have been vague about telling Ana what type of paras I’d encountered in the alley. If Ana knew, she would be even more protective. But she had enough on her plate.
“Want me to sleep with you tonight?” Ana asked, breaking the silence between us. I think we were both lost in our thoughts. More than anything, I needed the comfort of a friend.
“If you want, but I get to be little spoon.”
Ana chuckled. “You’re always little spoon.”
“I deserve it tonight.”
Ana snort-laughed at me as she crawled over my prone form and flopped down on the bed. She tucked herself under my comforter and I remained cocooned in my blankets. I closed my eyes, hoping the night wouldn’t bring more nightmares. Tomorrow, I would begin my real research on the drug, Dreamscape, which through dumb, stupid luck, I miraculously got my hands on.
****
Morning came all too soon, heralded by a thunderous knock on the door. Ana groaned and nudged me with her arm as her way of asking me to get it. I rolled out of bed, wearing my cotton short-short bottoms and a t-shirt that was a size too big. I often got hot when I slept, so I slept in lighter clothes.
I shuffled my way through our small apartment to the front door while the knocking continued. I wished I’d kept one of my blankets with me. It was chilly outside my cocoon, and goosebumps trailed over my skin, causing my toes to curl and my nipples to pucker. I yawned just as I reached for the door, forgetting to check the peephole.
I swung the door open.
“What?” I snapped at my early morning visitor before I managed to open my eyes, which were gritty and aching since I left my contacts in – an accessory I rarely wore because I forgot to take them out all the time.
As my vision cleared, an unnatural warmth filled me with the sight of the massive chest in front of me with thick arms crossed in annoyance. My eyes followed the trail from his pecs up to his thick, corded neck, to a stubborn jaw that twitched under a fashionably sexy five o’clock shadow.
His nostrils flared when his fiery gaze dropped to my bandaged hand.
“Fudge nuggets.”
“I think it’s time we talked, mate.”
“Mate?” a screech came from behind me.
“Fuck. Nuggets,” I muttered.
Chapter 14
Olezka
The Night Before
Sixx had been in my thoughts since the moment I saw her because I knew she was mine. Every possessive instinct screamed Mine! the instant her taunting scent blossomed over me. Turning to see the curvy little human only solidified what my body already recognized.
Mine.
The image of her eyes meeting mine over her shoulder as they rushed out of Kallan’s house haunted me. She had fit perfectly in my arms the night before. I had planned to leave her alone in the bed and sleep on the floor in the living room with Kallan, but she grabbed onto my arm in her sleep and would not release me. Granted, my pchelka couldn’t physically hold me, but as it was, she had me wrapped around her little finger.
Instead of chasing after my pchelka, I let her leave, knowing we had work to do today. Kallan headed to the bathroom to shower, grumbling. I knew he was frustrated with the condition Anastasia had been brought in last night, but I would not stand for him berating my mate.
My top lip curled back in a snarl as I thought about how he handled the situation last night. While he was fairly new to this realm, had only been on this side about twenty years or so, he had little patience for humans.
Scowling, I twisted on my heel and strode to the bathroom, pounding my fist on the door. The shower turned off with a squeak.
“What the hell was that, Kallan?” I growled, still pounding my fist against the door. My anger skyrocketed as I thought of how my mate walked out of this house. Since we met the duo, they had been getting themselves deeply involved in business they knew nothing about. They didn’t realize how dangerous it could get.
Kallan swung the door open and stood there naked, using a towel to dry his hair. Fae were not modest creatures. His nudity didn’t bother me, since my brothers often did the same thing after a shift. What bothered me was his frown.
“It was obvious that Sixx and Ana wouldn’t be sticking around. I didn’t chase after them because, right now, I need Ana’s trust.”
“Your desire to have her trust does not override my desire to keep my mate safe. They’re putting themselves in far more danger than they realize.”
Kallan walked past me, waving away my words. “Ana will protect your human. You’ve read her file. She is very protective of the human, and she hasn’t posed enough of a problem for the Sentinel to get involved yet. If they turn up anything, we can take their research and use it to forward our own case. But Ana is the one in danger, especially now that she’s working at Erebus’s bar. She doesn’t know who he is. She’s like a baby walking around in our world.”
“All the more reason to have kept them here. You should have warded the place to keep them in,” I snarled, my anger boiling over. I finally had a night with my mate, able to hold her in my arms, but now she was gone, and the emptiness she left behind was driving me insane.
Kallan looked at me disapprovingly. “You might want to compose yourself, sir. We have a briefing to get to.”
I growled at him one last time and disappeared into the guest room where I had some spare clothes. Since we started the Dreamscape case a couple of months back, it only seemed to be getting worse. We had late nights and even earlier mornings. My house currently held two of my brothers and sat on the other side of the city on the outskirts. Staying with my work partner was easiest even if he pissed me off.
Then again, we didn’t start really going at each other until Anastasia and Sixx showed up on the scene. We were invested in each woman for our own reasons. Growling, I tried to refocus on the meeting we had with our commanding officer today. We’d managed to get a sample of Dreamscape, but our scientists were used to more… magical techniques than human ones. Erebus was our only contact so far, and he believed Kallan and I worked for the Dark mage gang that had been pushing the drug. The stakes increased with each passing day. Now, my reasons for pulling Dreamscape off the streets had more to do with the brunette who stole my heart and haunted my thoughts.
****
After the briefing with our commanding officer, we met up with the rest of the team to discuss notes and cross-reference any information we had. The Sentinel force worked separately from humans, in the shadows and away from their eyes. There were a select few human detectives that were brought in, but they went through a rigorous screening process. We had precious little information to go on since Dr
eamscape seemed to be human-produced, but Kallan and I planned to use an upcoming meeting with our contact Erebus, who ran a pharmaceutical company, to discover the missing link.
Xibalba’s wards and glamours were up tonight. I pulled in a deep breath as we headed into the frequently visited bar. Erebus ran the bar and made sure it remained clean. Kallan and I first visited a week or so ago to meet with Erebus and see if he had noticed anyone pushing the drug Dreamscape, but he claimed he’d never heard of it.
Another agent from our team and I did a drug transaction here to see if Erebus’s security would catch it. If they did, they didn’t say anything. The other agent, Aria took the drugs Kallan and I bought off a human and took it back to our lab to be tested.
I halted in the entrance to Xibalba as the subtle, floral scent that was unique to my mate hit me. Had she come in with Ana at some point and I was picking it up because I was that attuned to her? It was possible. My kind’s ability to scent was triple that of a werewolf.
Searching the bar, I noted that it seemed to be filled with a different crowd tonight. Most of the paras sat around booths or tables while waitresses fluttered around. The bar was filled with customers, and I saw Erebus’s tall, lithe silhouette sitting near the end of the bar in a dark corner. When he stood and jerked his chin toward a booth, we followed.
Kallan tensed. He belonged to the Light fae court whereas Erebus belonged to the Dark fae court. Their two courts were natural enemies. Wars often erupted between the two courts in the Veil, leaving a bloody, dark history simmering between them. I had a much different relationship with the Dark fae than I did the Light. Hellhounds resided in the Dark fae court. But even then, we were not considered high on the food chain. Especially with this particular fae. Even though we knew not all his human businesses followed human law, as long as they stayed within the parameters of human law, Sentinel wouldn’t intervene.
As we sat down, something about Erebus’s scent was off, like he was concealing it. My nose wrinkled as my instincts flared. I hated when fae glamoured their scent.
Sixx and the Hellhound: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 9