“I tried to run away, but he was so fast. So fast… He tried that mind-control thing, and it didn’t work. That intrigued him and he knocked me out. I woke up chained to that wall, that’s when I met Gabriel. His aura is so thick with evil, I am surprised it hasn’t solidified around him. He really enjoyed the fact that his mind-control didn’t work on me. Out of all the… uh, banshees that visited that basement Gabriel’s aura was the worst. Still, they shared the same basic structure.”
“You can read auras, which makes you a mortal lie detector?” Ian asked.
“Basically, yes. I’ve never told anyone about this, but I secretly use it to get ahead in my career.”
“Which is?” Ian asked.
“I work for a private detective agency… or at least I did. They transferred me to Coral Gables. They took me before I could even start my new job. Seeing that it’s been about a year since he took me, I figure I don’t have a job anymore. I had so looked forward to moving to Florida. No more freezing winters. Guess I should have stayed in Chicago…. Being a mortal lie detector helps when trying to find out information. I knew who to press and who to leave alone.” She shrugged and smiled at Ian.
“Resourceful,” Ian said, his expression thoughtful. “You remember everything? Are you willing to tell me what you know?”
“Yes, though, I don’t know too much.”
“I am sure whatever you can tell us will be helpful.”
Juliana sat staring at the floor for a few moments before looking back at Ian. She took a deep breath before she began.
“Once a week they washed, dressed, and made us up. Then they blindfolded us before piling us into vans to transport us to the auction location. I don’t know where it is, but I think it was always the same place. We were always in the van for the same length of time, and it felt like we always made the same turns.
“When we arrived at the site, they kept us blindfolded until we got inside the building. They never put me on the stage. Gabriel always sat me beside him and ordered me to watch, as a kind of threat. He kept telling me I was lucky I belonged to him. That it could be me if I didn’t keep him satisfied. That I should be honored to be with him and not sold to another man who wouldn’t be as kind and attentive as he was.”
She was turning that odd grey color again.
“Ian, maybe she should take a break. Maybe get some fresh air?” I said concerned that Juliana may pass out soon.
“It’s okay. I’d prefer to just get this over with in one shot.”
“Your call.”
“So… I kept thinking if Gabriel was being ’kind’ I definitely didn’t want to know what the others could do to me. And I could not even try to imagine what happened once they sold the others. I think that would have driven me over the edge.”
My heart broke for her and the pain she had suffered. I moved closer to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
“You’re safe now. We will keep you safe.”
She stiffened at my touch, but after a moment she relaxed into it. Progress?
“You can tell me I’m safe all day, but I don’t think I will ever feel safe again.”
At a loss I turned my focus to Ian, thinking he may be helpful in some way, but he asked, “How long were you in the van?”
“Um, actually not that long. Maybe fifteen minutes or thereabouts.”
“Okay, think back to the auction room. Tell me what you saw there.”
I sneered at him. He just shrugged as Juliana closed her eyes for a few moments.
“The room was big, mostly empty, except for the one-way mirrors they had set up along one end. This way the bidders could see us, but we couldn’t see them. In front of the mirrors was a kind of runway, with chairs lined up along one side. This is where Gabriel and I sat, along with his Chiefs. Like an appalling fashion show. The bidders each had one of Gabriel’s men assigned to them. When they made a bid Gabriel’s man sent a message to Gabriel. When an amount satisfied Gabriel, he’d name one bidder a winner. I never saw the person being bid on again.” She stared into space for a few moments before giving Ian a sheepish grin. “That doesn’t really describe the room, does it?”
Ian smiled, cleared his throat, and looked to me.
“It’s okay. You obviously wanted, or needed, to get that out,” I said.
“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, other than the mirrors and runway the room was nondescript. Beige walls, those fiberboard ceiling tile things with the ever-present water stains, fluorescent lights, and no windows. It reminded me of a conference room in a hotel or even a larger office building.” She shrugged. “Not a very good detective, am I?”
“You were stressed and abused. It is understandable that you cannot remember every detail, no matter how well you were trained to do so. You have been helpful. I thank you. Qadira will see you back to the hospital wing. We will see about getting you a more permanent room.”
As Juliana and I walked back to the makeshift hospital ward she asked, “Is he always like that? I don’t want to say he’s unfeeling, but I get the idea he doesn’t understand what me and the others have been through, you know?”
I took a moment to think about it and I would have agreed with her a couple of years ago, but now I know otherwise. “He understands, more than we think… he just doesn’t show it.”
“And he speaks so proper, I guess is how I’d put it, but it comes off a little stiff.”
“Yeah, his parents were strict, so he doesn’t use contractions often.” It was a lame explanation, but I was not about to tell her that chances were Ian’s form of speech was more than likely due to him being really old. Ian had not disclosed the fact that banshees are as close to immortal as can be, so I wasn’t about to divulge that information.
I walked her to her little corner and made sure she didn’t want or need anything before I left to go clean up the kitchen.
********
“Dammit!” I yelped, jumping back as the plate hit the tile by my feet, shattering. I crouched to clean up the mess, berating myself. “This is the second one tonight! At this rate we’ll have to eat off the counter tops. OW! Son of a b—”
“What is going on in here?” Ian asked, stepping into the kitchen.
I turned to face him, my injured finger in my mouth to stop the blood flow. I could tell he had fed recently. His skin was bright and flushed. His blue t-shirt clung to his chest and arms showing the muscle underneath it. His jeans were loose, but not so loose as to hide the strength of his legs.
“Have you hurt yourself?”
He took my hand to examine the wound. A little pearl of blood appeared. I tried to tug my hand from his, but his hold tightened.
Our eyes locked as his lips closed around my finger. A flash of heat passed through me. I could feel my face flush as his eyes traveled to my lips. He took a step closer to me and slid my finger from his mouth to examine it once again.
“All better.”
“Uh-huh…” He turned and left the room without another word. “I don’t understand that man.”
“Talking to yourself?” He returned with a broom and dustpan. I watched as he swept up the remnants of the plate. After he emptied the remains into the garbage, he sat on a stool and patted the one next to him.
“What did you think of Juliana?”
“I think she is telling us the truth. Or at least what she remembers of it.”
He nodded. “It is a shame she cannot tell us more of the day-to-day operations.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s kind of hard to pay attention to the inner-workings of the gang holding you hostage and torturing you.”
“You have misunderstood my meaning. I did not mean to belittle what happened to her. I only meant—”
“I know what you meant, Ian. I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You were kind with her during our talk.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Besides, I agree, I wish she knew more, but maybe the information will come out the more she relaxes.”
“Perhaps.”
&nb
sp; “I feel like a run.” I looked outside to see it was raining. “Ugh, I can finally run on the beach and it’s pouring. Care to join me in the gym?”
“I have a better idea,” He said as he swept me into his arms and headed for the stairs.
I’d run later… or not.
Chapter Eight
Seth joined me for an early morning beach run the next day. When we got back, I made a huge breakfast for the food-eaters of the house. I brought Juliana her plate and sat with her as she ate. We talked for a while even after she ate. We told each other a little about ourselves, nothing too personal though. We both had trust issues.
A woman after my own heart, she was a cross country running star in her hometown. She’d won a couple of half marathons and come in second in a full marathon. She told me about her job as a P.I. and how she enjoyed the thrill of tracking down a bad guy or missing person. She missed her work, and running, so I introduced her to the in-house gym. I was not letting her back outside alone until we could trust her, so this was second best. She forgot herself for a second and hugged me.
“I’ll let you get acclimated. I’ll see you in a bit.”
As I stepped out of the gym, Ian called my name as he reached the top of the stairs.
“Yes?” I answered, turning to face him.
“Where is Juliana? She was not in the guest wing.”
“She’s in the gym.”
“Okay. I have selected a room for her. We will have her moved after we return.”
“Return?”
“Leo called. He knows of a location that may be the auction site.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
“We need to hurry. Meet me downstairs.”
I showered, dressed in my fighting gear: a black tank top, calf-length black jacket, black jeans, and, of course, my banshee-ass-kicking knee-high black boots. I entered the den within fifteen minutes, still buckling my knife belt as I sat on the couch beside Sheryl.
She nudged me with her elbow. “Hey Midget, it’s about time you showed up.”
“Shut it, Blondie.” I nudged her back, maybe a little harder than she’d nudged me. She just laughed, and I rolled my eyes. A typical exchange for us.
I noticed several banshees had arrived while I had been getting ready. Some were still filing in as Ian spoke. He told us what he’d learned from Leo. My money was on it being true; it was too similar to Gabriel and his gang’s M.O. of young people going missing in the area. We just needed someone to keep an eye on the mortals while we were gone. Not to mention feed them.
“I can cook for everyone,” Juliana said from behind everyone.
“Um…” I muttered.
“That will be a great help,” Ian said “Everyone, Juliana. Juliana, everyone.” Ian spread his arms to include the entire den.
I turned to give Ian a questioning glance and caught my uncle moving closer to Juliana. She attracted his attention when she was close. I had lived with him my entire life and had never once known him to have dated anyone. I wanted him to find someone to share his life with, but I did not want to see him hurt. I was torn between being encouraging and being protective.
Ian caught my eye with a wave and motioned for me to follow him into the kitchen.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I was able to work my way into Juliana’s mind while she slept. I did not get much. She is trying to figure us out. She also wants to help us hunt Gabriel. For now, I trust her enough to let her stay and help with the cooking and cleaning… with someone here to watch her.”
“So, you’ll keep evaluating her and trying to read her thoughts? And when you can trust her, then what? Train her to be like me?”
Ian chuckled. “Not possible. No one will ever be like you. You are one of a kind.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that wasn’t what I meant, but he was looking at my lips, his own slightly parted. I watched as his face lowered toward mine.
“We ready?” Peder asked, interrupting us when Ian’s lips were a breath away from mine.
“I’m ready,” I said, stepping away from Ian. “You?”
“Yes.”
When we were in the garage, Ian took my hand and led me to the car.
“Tonight—” Ian began as he got in the car.
“Do not say that tonight will be different.”
“I told you I will never set you up again. I meant it. You are going to have to trust me. Completely.”
“I’m sorry. I do trust you. Completely.”
“Good. Do you want my essence?”
“Yes, please.”
He gripped me around the waist and pulled me across his lap. His lips touched mine, tentatively, as though waiting for me to pull away. I did pull away, but only to shift so I was straddling him.
This time I closed the gap between us. His eyes widened in surprise for a second before my lips met his. It was a thrill to know I could excite him. When a few seconds went by and he still sat frozen, I nibbled on his bottom lip earning a deep groan from him and he deepened the kiss.
He moved his lips to my ear. “Ready?” he whispered as he took the lobe into his mouth and suckled. The sensation brought a little moan from me, which he took as consent, and brought his lips back to mine.
Tingles of pleasure-filled warmth soon covered my body as he began to release his essence. When I’d had enough, he pulled away earning a disappointed groan from me.
He chuckled. “We will finish this soon.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
As we arrived at our meeting point my thoughts had to switch to warrior mode. My developing feelings for Ian would have to wait. I looked out the window and saw the guys from the night we rescued Ian and Seth, along with a half a dozen others. We had a small army. I smiled thinking how great it was to have such loyal and skilled friends.
When I stepped out of the car, my legs felt like jelly and I stumbled. Strong hands grabbed me before I fell.
“Whoa.” The power Ian had given me was stronger than what Peder had. The euphoric sensation was so powerful I could have turned on some Pink Floyd, lay in a field gazing at the night’s sky and just enjoyed the ride.
“QADIRA!” Someone yelling my name snapped me out of my daze.
“Huh?” It had been Seth who’d caught me, but Ian who yelled my name. Apparently, he’d been trying to get my attention for a bit.
“What?” I snapped. Seth began to laugh. “Oh, crap.” I was caressing Seth’s chest.
Peder walked up, also laughing. “She does that when it hits her.” Seth nodded, still smiling while Ian glared at me.
“What? I didn’t even know I was doing it.” I shrugged and looked back to Seth as I pulled my hands away from him. “Sorry, it’s the shirt. It’s so soft.” Peder laughed harder.
“It’s all good, beautiful.” When Ian stepped between us and growled, Seth backed up, hands in the air. “Whoa, chill out, bro, all I did was stop her from falling. She’s not your property.”
Ian grabbed him by the collar. Ian’s behavior shocked me and so, I was slow to react. Before I could even try to stop their fight, a female voice called out, “Okay, boys. Let’s stop the pissing contest and get to the real reason we’re here.”
I leaned to the side to see around Ian to find out who had spoken.
“Gorgeous,” I whispered, unintentionally.
I needed to work on building up my brain-to-mouth filter. She stopped beside Seth. Ian still had Seth’s collar in his hand, but the woman had his full attention. She had everyone’s full attention. She deserved it. I had never seen anyone so magnificent. It was more than her beauty; her aura gave off a sense of poise I’d never encountered.
She tossed her curly, waist-length auburn hair over her shoulder. With the sword strapped to her back she was the vision of a Celtic warrior goddess. I returned my gaze to her stunning face. Her deep green eyes sparkled with humor. She was enjoying this display of testosterone.
She smiled warmly. “You’re not too bad you
rself.” Her amazing eyes roaming over me from head to toe.
“Thanks.”
Banshees don’t see gender. They may have a preference, but ultimately, it came down to one aura’s attraction to another. I looked around to see all eyes glued to the newcomer. Including Seth, except he had a peculiar look on his face.
Ian let go of Seth’s shirt and gave him a gentle nudge to snap him out of his stupor.
“Kadi, Triza. Triza, Kadi,” Ian said, using the name he knew I preferred others to call me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kadi. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Motioning to Ian as she held out her hand. I took her hand in mine but looked at Ian. “All good. He’s had nothing but good things to say about you. You’re quite the Hunter. I look forward to fighting beside you tonight.” She smiled again. She leaned closer and whispered so low only I could hear her. “I’m flattered that you find me attractive, but a Celtic warrior goddess?”
I knew I did not say that out loud. She’d been in my head.
“Do not read my mind again.”
“Understood. My apologies.” With a slight bow of her head she released my hand. Not before I felt the immense strength of her aura. She could tear me in two with just a thought. So, her acquiescence was out of kindness or respect… or both. “She’s just as you described. I like her already,” she said to Ian.
“Wait until you see her in action,” Seth replied, having recovered.
“We ready to move?” I said as I moved toward Gabriel’s supposed hideout.
“Kadi, hold up,” Triza called, catching up to me. “So, you and Ian, huh?”
“I just met you. I am not going to share my personal life with you. We have more important shit to deal with.”
“And we are headed to that important shit. We can talk as we walk. You felt something tonight, and it has you worried.” I spun to face her. She held her hands up in supplication. “Hey, I read your thoughts. I owned up to it and apologized. It won’t happen again. Get over it.”
I wanted to stay angry with her, but it was hard to be mad when she was being so honest and direct. “Fair enough. I didn’t expect to feel what I felt…”
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