Searc didn’t believe for a second the testing ever really stopped. He assumed the bad guys simply got smarter about it all. About hiding it. He’d read over the files, and everything that had recently come to the attention of PSI regarding genetic manipulation. Some shady shit had gone down, and a number of people who had surfaced from the projects were showing multiple strands of supernatural DNA.
That could explain the strange pull he had to Jessie. Maybe she had a strand of something in her that called to him on a supernatural level.
He had to shake thoughts of her from his head as he continued onward. The lure of the static energy pulled Searc deeper into the club, in the direction of the VIP section that was on the upper level, keeping it and its clientele separate from the commoners dancing and partying on the lowest level. Many of the humans there would be food for the vampires in attendance. None would remember, and all would have memories of having the best night of their lives implanted by whomever fed from them.
That was just one of Cormag’s many rules.
As he approached a roped-off set of steps, he locked gazes with the vampire standing there. It had been some months since he’d last seen the man, and it was clear from the hard expression on the vampire’s face that time had not healed old wounds or riffs.
“Islay,” said Searc with a curt nod. “He up there?”
“Aye,” returned Islay with a clipped tone. He undid the velvet rope, his jaw setting. “I do nae know why he even permits you access to the grounds. Yer nae one of us anymore. He shouldnae have summoned you for this. Yer nae needed.”
“Guid to see you too, cousin,” supplied Searc as he walked past the man, flipping him off as he did. Islay had always been difficult since they were boys. Searc was three years his senior and Islay used to always try to tag along when he was little. As they grew, a strange rivalry began that had yet to end. While they were first cousins, they were also brothers by blood. That meant something.
He ignored the feeling of Islay glaring daggers into his back and headed up the stairs. The heavy press of static energy increased tenfold, and he knew he was getting closer to Cormag. He was about to send a mental push out to his maker, telling him to stop the theatrics, when a different, yet familiar, energy rushed over him, causing his breath to catch and his dick to harden.
Jessie.
She was here.
As much as he wanted to see her, she was a temptation that he found harder and harder to resist. She was young, and she was the only child of his sire. Saying she was off limits was the understatement of the century. Cormag would show him no mercy if he dared to act upon his growing feelings for the young woman. And then there was the fact that she’d never so much as hinted that the pull was mutual. That she felt it too.
It could be entirely one-sided. He didn’t know, and finding out would be deadly. Still, his entire body lit with the need to follow her energy signature and ignore Cormag’s.
Do nae lose focus.
Her sweet scent of jasmine with a hint of roses assailed him, making him shake with need. Instantly, his thoughts went back to his time being held captive. When the scientists had used the dress bearing the same smell to get him to find release. The dress had held the smell of perfection and pure temptation. The smell of Jessie.
There was something else mixed with her scent—a smell he’d long since memorized—but it was different, not in a bad way, but in a way that made his eyes burn with the change. His demon thrust up and he needed a moment to collect himself. He wanted to hurry to the woman and keep all away from her. Whisking her away to his home and never letting anyone close who may harm her sounded perfect, not to mention totally insane.
Pull yer shit together.
He froze at the top of the staircase, his gaze sweeping over the upper level. It was crowded as well. There was a long bar against the far wall that catered only to the VIPs. Searc found himself unable to look away from the area, Jessie’s energy demanding his attention.
While her energy signature felt similar to a vampire’s, he knew better. Knew that she didn’t suffer a life with a demon inside her, but that she was more than human. How much more, no one was sure and none seemed willing to test the theory. All he knew was, he couldn’t answer the call of his maker. Not when Jessie’s energy was riding high.
He headed in the direction of the bar, each step causing the pull to the woman to intensify. For a split second, he worried his demon would surge up and seize control of his body. He’d not lost control in such a manner in nearly a century. The young woman had the ability to make his hard-earned control wane. That was worrisome.
The crowd near the bar parted, and Searc’s gaze zeroed in on her, the tall redhead who was standing in the middle of a group of young women. She had a water bottle in one hand, and her other hand moved to her abdomen, making his gaze slide there as well. His entire body began to shake with the need to go to her, to drag her into his arms and protect her at all costs.
His dick more than liked the idea. It was hard enough to hammer nails.
He swallowed loudly, his throat suddenly feeling very dry as Jessie lifted her bottle of water and sipped from it. Thoughts of her mouth wrapped around his cock in such a way hit him quickly, and he nearly reached down to alleviate the tension in his cock—onlookers and all.
She’d not seen him yet, and he was damn thankful. It was already nearly impossible to keep from going to her. If her wide dark brown gaze were to land upon him, he’d fold. She made him that weak of a man.
She smiled at something one of the women near her was saying; the sight of her happiness was so intense that for a second Searc was fairly certain his long-since-dead heart had kicked into overdrive. Her skin was paler than his and his had not seen the sun in centuries. But he was forever locked into the skin coloring he’d died with. He’d been a warrior then—his body honed from battle and swordplay, and his skin was bronzed from being outdoors daily back then. Her skin was what most thought a vampire had—pale, creamy white.
Flawless.
He wanted to caress it, to explore every inch of it with his tongue.
Her deep red hair hung to her waist in long waves, and his fingers itched for the chance to run through it. Everything about her said she was Scottish, and she reminded him of home. She made him ache for it and for her.
She laughed again at something the brunette next to her was saying, and the sight of her smile actually caused Searc’s chest to tighten. Positive he was having a heart attack, he clutched his chest, his breathing growing rapid.
A hand fell upon his shoulder, and the overwhelming lure of the redheaded temptress dulled quickly, allowing him to breathe.
He relaxed, coming out of the daze that had settled over him. He turned his head to find a man who stood equal to his six-and-a-half-foot frame. Both men were muscular, and Searc knew from experience that they could spend hours upon hours sparring and training together without tiring. Should a battle between them occur, he wasn’t sure who would be the victor.
Where Searc’s features were darker, his hair just this side of black and currently pulled back at the nape of his neck, the newcomer had deep auburn hair that hung free past his broad shoulders. There was no denying the man was Jessie’s father. The hair alone was a dead giveaway.
Searc nodded to his maker. “Cormag.”
Cormag squeezed his shoulder gently. “It has been too long since our last visit. You do nae have to avoid me, Searc. I’m nae the devil.”
With a snort, Searc nodded. “Says you. And need I remind you that yer place is called Sin?”
A smile greeted him in response. “Guid to see you again. Sorry for the summons. I thought it best this conversation happen in person. Did I pull you from important PSI business? The Fang Gang keeping you busy?”
He wasn’t surprised to hear Cormag mock the Crimson Ops. Cormag had a twisted sense of humor and had always found the name hilarious. Searc knew some vampires who were as old or older than Cormag who didn’t cling t
o humor and they often spiraled down into the dark abyss. He himself had been on the path of darkness for the majority of his immortal life. To this day he was still unsure exactly when he’d had his awakening from evil as a close friend had called it. He was simply thankful it had happened. The man he’d once been had been locked deep within his body—the demon in him reigning free for so long—but no more.
Now Searc was in control—for the most part. Not the vampire side. He had not fought his dark urges in decades and credited his teammates with helping to make sure he didn’t stray from the path. It would have been easy to do. There was always temptation around him. Always easy prey within reach, but he would not spiral downward again. He’d not killed an innocent in so many years that he’d nearly lost count. The only people he ended the lives of now were bad guys—men and women who played for the side he’d been a part of for so long.
People who did not see the proverbial light.
He shook his head. “No. You dinnae draw me from anything of great importance. Unless you count Blaise being shit-faced and passed out important. Is all well? Yer summons had an urgency to it I’ve nae felt from you in decades.”
“Come. Have a drink,” said Cormag, heading off to the right. For how insistent he’d been about Searc dropping everything to come to him, he was being strangely calm.
Searc followed, though he couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder in the direction of Jessie. She looked his way, and her gaze froze on him. His breath caught. He paused in his steps, unable to look away from her. Her full lips fell open in an expression that said surprise before they drew into a smile. One meant for him. He nearly came then and there. The woman held that kind of power over him.
Cormag cleared his throat, and Searc realized he’d stopped following his sire. He glanced at him and bit his lower lip. “Uh, sorry. I’m nae sure what has come over me tonight. Do vampires have heart attacks? I may have had one. Hell, I may be havin’ another.”
Cormag’s lips twitched as he clearly fought the urge to laugh. “Tell me what, or possibly who, brought about this condition?”
His gaze flickered toward the bar and he stiffened as he realized Jessie was no longer there. The urge to search for her was great. He took a step to do just that only to have Cormag’s hand clamp around his arm, locking him in place.
“Searc, come,” Cormag said, using a push in his voice that left Searc wanting to comply. He could have tried to fight the command, but a fight could break out.
Following behind Cormag, Searc’s demon tried to rise, wanting to defy its maker and search for Jessie. That caught Searc by surprise. To defy a direct command was serious.
As Cormag took a seat at a large table that had a bench seat along the back, Searc followed suit and bent his head, taking deep breaths, trying to regain some semblance of control. It didn’t really help. Not that he thought it would.
The woman was clearly a witch. There was no other way to explain it. She’d bespelled his demon side and was probably going to turn him into a toad or something. They’d all been concerned with her creation, the testing that had been done to her as an infant, and the end result was clearly that she was a temptress of the tenth order.
Cormag’s laughter pulled Searc from his thoughts.
“Och, this is nae funny, and if you knew what I was struggling with, you’d find no amusement in it either,” he snapped.
His master’s brow crinkled. “And what, exactly, are you struggling with?”
Searc’s thoughts filled with Jessie. “Erm, uh, nothing.”
Cormag tossed his head back and laughed, deep and from the gut. He motioned to a waiter, and within seconds, drinks appeared before the men. Cormag handed him a scotch on the rocks. “Drink.”
He slammed it and handed it to the waiter for a refill.
Cormag snorted. “Bring the bottle. This one needs it.”
Searc eyed his friend, the need to know more about Jessie so great it took over for a moment. “Have you reached out to my contacts at PSI yet regarding yer daughter and the testing she was born from? You can trust them, Cormag.”
Searc had been at Cormag to have Jessie looked at by specialists who had experience with the types of testing that had been done on her as an infant. They could help uncover truths and possibly pinpoint just how supernatural Jessie was, if at all. The desire to know was born less out of curiosity and more out of the fact that if she leaned more toward the side of just human, Searc could break her if he ever acted on his impulses around her. He could leave her damaged and broken beyond repair when all he wanted to do was love her.
Love her?
He jerked at the thought.
“You’re still stuck on me putting her through more tests?” asked Cormag, studying him carefully. “Why?”
Searc cleared his throat, feeling as though his every action and word were under a microscope. “To clarify some things.”
“Such as?”
“How human she may be. And if she’s part siren or nymph or both,” said Searc without thought.
Cormag’s expression hardened. “Och, no! She’s nae a nymph. And I’ll thank you nae to bring up as much again. She’s nae one of those sexually charged tarts.”
He and Cormag had run into their fair share of nymphs over their lifespans and each had been quite sexual. They’d all had certain amounts of pull over the opposite sex as well. Just like Jessie had over him. Searc found he couldn’t look away from the area she’d been in.
When Cormag tapped the table before him, it startled him. “Searc, do you sense something different with Jessie?”
He thought about how her scent had changed slightly and found himself nodding. “Aye, her smell is slightly different. Nae bad, but not the same as it had been.”
“Who do you smell on her?” asked Cormag, his gaze even, but his voice betraying his outward calmness.
“Who?” echoed Searc. The very idea of another touching Jessie nearly sent his demon into a rage. His nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply, catching her scent once more, trying to focus in on the new addition. It took a moment, as the club was crowded and she wasn’t close to him, but he managed. When he did, he concentrated hard on the change.
What he smelled caused him to jerk back in his seat, his eyes wide. “She smells of my line—my blood kin. Has Islay touched her?”
He would rip the vampire to shreds. His death would be painful and drawn out.
Cormag did a slow blink as he shook his head no. “It is nae Islay yer smelling on her. Smell again.”
He did, but the results didn’t make any sense. Confused, he tipped his head, drawing in yet another deep breath. “Me? I smell me on her, but I’ve nae touched her. You’ve my word on that. How can that be?”
Leaning back, Cormag lifted a leg, putting an ankle on his knee, his expression curious. “I would like to know the same thing. You know I can sense lies. She told me she’d nae laid with you and I believe her. And I believe you when you say you’ve nae touched her, but that does nae change the fact I smell you on her, Searc.”
It made no sense to him either. He’d not seen Jessie in almost six months. And even then it had been in passing, catching a glimpse of her as she left her father’s home. His scent should not be on her in any way.
Searc looked across the club and willed the patrons to part so that he could see Jessie. They did and he didn’t dare question it. He knew his vampire side had something to do with it all. Jessie came into view as she took another sip of her water bottle. She turned to the side and he noticed the slightest of swells on her lower stomach. She’d always been too thin. Searc had often wanted to force-feed her to get her to gain some weight. He’d once seen Cormag’s cook, Hilga, chase Jessie around the kitchen, threatening to do just that. He’d hoped the iron-willed cook would catch her and make her eat more. He liked his women with cushion and curves. Everything except Jessie’s lower stomach was still rail thin. Now she had a swell.
Cormag tapped the table once more, drawing Se
arc’s attention to him and away from Jessie. “We need to talk.”
“About?”
“My daughter,” said Cormag. “Word reached me of an attack that occurred in Scotland, where I’d been staying.”
Searc sat up and took note.
“I was nae to be here now. I returned early, telling no one. Only the few men I had with me knew.”
“What of Islay?” Searc asked, though he wasn’t sure why he felt the need for clarification.
Cormag watched him. “He dinnae know of my change of plans.”
“Why? You used to always tell me everywhere you’d be when I was yer second,” said Searc.
Cormag nodded. “Aye, and normally I tell Islay all as well. I do nae know why I dinnae do so now. All I know is the attack was meant to capture me.” He leaned back in his seat. “Many have tried and failed to hold me long. This is nae what prompted me to reach out to you.”
“Then what did?” asked Searc, already knowing Cormag didn’t scare easily.
“The inner knowledge that my daughter is at risk now did,” returned Cormag. “My demon roared at me to the point it was nearly deafening. It warned me she’s at risk now. That the attack meant for me was to also spill onto her in some fashion.”
Searc was used to Cormag and his odd ways. The man had been attuned with his demon for centuries, never ignoring it and its warnings. If the man’s demon was telling him Jessie was at risk, she was.
“Why have her here, in public?” demanded Searc, wanting to go to her and pull her into the safety of his arms.
Cormag sighed. “Because my demon is telling me nae to trust my own men. Nae to believe my home is a safe haven. My demon thinks yer the key to her safety.”
“Me?”
“Aye.” Cormag watched him. “Though when I smelled yer scent upon her, I first wanted to summon you to kill you for daring to defile her.”
Searc remained perfectly still. “I’ve never touched her, Cormag. On my mother’s grave, I’ve never laid with yer daughter. She should nae bear my scent.”
Expecting Darkness: An Immortal Ops World Novel (Immortal Ops: Crimson Ops Series Book 2) Page 8