E.V.I.E.: 13 Slayers, 13 Missions

by Lexi C. Foss

  “I’ll take care of this, Marley. Just get back to work,” an incredibly deep and smooth voice said from just behind my right shoulder.

  12

  Rowan

  I twisted around and looked up…and up…and up.

  “Nichyevo sebe,” I breathed in awe. I gawked as I beheld one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen.

  He was tall—at least a foot and a half taller than me—and muscular. He wore jeans and a t-shirt and stood with his feet braced apart and his arms crossed over his defined chest, making his huge biceps bulge. His left arm sported a tattoo of a wolf—oddly, it looked a little like the weird birthmark on my hip—and a thick forearm was marred with claw marks. The scar was old, but it was easy to see that they had been deep. He had light brown hair that was pulled up into a thick man bun high on the back of his head. He wore a neatly trimmed full beard over a firm, square jaw. His eyes were silver and surrounded by long, thick lashes that I kind of hated him for.

  He raised an eyebrow at my expletive. Did he speak Russian? As if he could read my mind, he inclined his head, confirming my speculation. Everything about my situation just kept getting curiouser and curiouser. I wasn’t sure how to react to this information. Did he have strong ties to Russia? Or was he just a fan of the language?

  I didn’t have time to figure it out and I would simply be wary of revealing too much. I cleared my mind and refocused myself. “Nathan King, I presume?”

  “Da, eto ya. Shto ya mogu cdyelat dlya vas?”

  So…since he just said yes and asked me what he could do for me, I was going to go with yes on the whole knowing Russian thing.

  “Can we speak in private, please?” I kept my tone pleasant, but I doubted he would miss the demanding undercurrent. I’d asked it as a question, but I clearly expected it to happen. When his eyes flashed with wolf, I conceded that it might not have been the smartest move. Alphas didn’t like following commands.

  But he studied me in calm silence for an awkward amount of time and I resisted the urge to wiggle. It wasn’t that he made me uncomfortable, it was just that I’d been standing still for too long and needed to expel some energy. It was like an itch and drove me crazy. I refused to let him misinterpret my restlessness as a sign that he’d gained the upper hand. “It’s incredibly important. Life or death.”

  Finally, he ceased his contemplation of me and glanced over my shoulder, lifting his chin at someone. “Willa, please show Ms. —" He broke off and raised his brow at me in question.

  “Rowan.”

  He waited a beat, obviously expecting a last name, but when it was clear he wasn’t going to get it, he sighed and looked over my shoulder at someone.

  “Escort Rowan to my office, please.”

  A young woman with a dark complexion and jet-black hair appeared at my side. She had golden eyes and I immediately detected she was a shifter, but then I noticed something else. I could sense her power. Willa was also a witch. She blinked at me a few times, obviously trying to figure me out as well, then gestured toward a bank of elevators that was finally something familiar to me.

  “You’re half witch?” I asked as we strolled across the lobby.

  “Mother is a witch; father is a shifter.” When she glanced my way again, I was mesmerized by her golden eyes, and then the urge to laugh almost overtook me.

  Bozhye moi! Willa was a black cat. From what I could sense, she was what humans referred to as a domestic cat. She was a witch who shifted into a black house cat!

  A snort escaped my mouth and Willa sighed. “You can laugh,” she said, her tone indicating that this was nothing new to her. Once we were on the elevator, I wasn’t able to hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

  “I’m—hahahaha—I’m so”—snort—“sorry.” I really felt bad for laughing at her, but it was just so ironic.

  “Don’t worry about it. If I couldn’t see the humor in it, life would suck.”

  I admired her attitude and told her so once I was able to form coherent sentences. She smiled and thanked me as the elevator came to a stop on the top floor and we stepped into a similar, but different, reception area. She walked me to Nathan’s office, which looked like it belonged in an awesome log cabin.

  “Go ahead and take a seat. Nathan should be right up.” She gave me a little wave before walking back out into the reception area and shutting the doors softly behind her. Pacing around this office certainly wasn’t new, but I also took the opportunity to snoop. What I found most interesting was a business card on the desk that indicated Nathan was the owner of King Security. I filed that away for possible use in the future.

  I did a circle around the room and when I came across a small table and chairs, my feet rooted to the ground. I blinked a few times, sure that I was seeing things. But it was still there.

  On the little table was a beautiful wooden chess set, each piece meticulously carved. It looked so much like the one in Jude’s office that for a second, I wondered if it was. But that wasn’t possible. Jude didn’t even know that the amulets could open portals, much less that they could send you to another realm.

  Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there were a few differences. The wood used for this set was slightly darker and the edge of the board had wolves running in packs carved all around.

  The door to the office opened as I bent to take a closer look. I didn’t indicate that I’d heard anything and kept perusing.

  “A friend of mine made that for me,” Nathan said, now standing just to my right.

  A tiny smile played at the corners of my mouth as I slowly stood up, but I smoothed it over before I turned to face him. His expression was brooding and I had to suppress a smile again. He’d been expecting me to jump in surprise, putting me off-kilter. It was always so fun to mess with people when they thought I was an easy target.

  Our gazes met for another beat before he walked over to his desk and sat down. “Have a seat and tell me what is so important that you had to pull me away from my plans for tonight.”

  I shook my head in refusal of his offer and kept wandering. “It’s all a little hard to believe, but considering the world we live in, try to be open-minded.”

  Glancing in his direction, I saw his eyes following my every movement, still studying me, probably trying to unravel the mystery. I laughed in my head. Good luck with that, dog. I don’t even understand myself most of the time.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to sit down?”

  I didn’t bother to answer. Instead, I launched into my explanation of Dorian and his penchant for killing witches and how I worked for an organization that monitored vampiric activity and stepped in when necessary. I told him a little about the amulets, leaving out the fact that I made them and who they belonged to. I glossed over the past as much as I could, trying to avoid mentioning my roots in the Romanov Dynasty. If he put the pieces together, he didn’t say anything about it.

  “So, apparently, these things give you the ability to traverse realms.”

  Nathan’s expression turned dubious, but I kept going. “That jackass led me into this one with Em—an amulet. How the fuck he got it is beyond me. But I need to know why he’s jumping realms and what his hard-on for witches is. The fact that he found out about it and knows how to use it”—It annoyed me to no end that he’d figured it out before I did—“makes me wonder if he has some kind of connection to a slayer bloodline. Except, he’s a nightwalker. From another realm.”

  Nathan waited until I appeared to be finished, then rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers. “And how exactly were you hoping we could help?”

  “I’m assuming you have contacts all over within the supernatural world.”

  Nathan nodded briefly. When he didn’t say anything else, I suspended my movement in front of his desk, put my hands on my hips, and glared at him in exasperation.

  “I would think you’d be just as interested in ridding the world of this psycho as I am. I mean, it could be shifters next.
And I happened to notice you own a world-wide security company. You could tap into those resources as well.”

  Nathan’s probing stare was becoming incredibly annoying, but he responded after a minute with, “You have a point. What you’re saying sounds rather improbable, but better to be safe than sorry.” He stroked his beard and leaned back in his seat. “You know, your best bet would be to go to the head of the witch’s council with this.”

  I stiffened, but immediately forced myself to relax and appear at ease. “Maybe I’ll do that,” I replied with a noncommittal shrug. My magic did a little dance. That is definitely not happening. It practically sniffed and huffed at me before backing off to go sulk. I don’t want anyone finding out I’m here. I was met with stony silence and mentally sighed. Hopefully, there would come a day when we could coexist in harmony again. But right now, it was too dangerous to give anyone the opportunity to find out just how powerful I was.

  “Alright,” Nathan said as he stood. “While I’m not confident that I’ll be able to find out anything that you wouldn’t learn faster from them, I’ll look into it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” His mouth suddenly pursed and his expression turned thoughtful. “Have you thought about reaching out to the vampires here in New York?”

  Ice trickled into my veins at the very thought of being anywhere near the vampires in this realm. I had no idea who had connections to whoever was currently ruling the Vampire Dynasty. Prince Dimitri Ivanov had probably been crowned king by now. After destroying everything I knew, destroying my family, I had no idea what he would do if he found out I was still alive.

  “I’d rather not deal with any more of the living dead than is strictly necessary.” I smiled sweetly and added, “Strictly necessary being the equivalent of a stake to the heart.”

  Nathan looked taken aback for a second, then stroked his beard thoughtfully again. “You are very unique, Rowan.”

  I tossed my head and flicked my hair over my shoulder, then smiled and winked. “You bet your ass, baby. There’s no one like me.”

  “So I’ve noticed,” Nathan said with a chuckle. “Come on, I’ll walk you down. I’m meeting a friend for a drink.”

  I nodded politely and waited for him to come around the desk before falling in synch as we strolled to the elevators.

  “I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” It suddenly occurred to me that I still had no clue how I’d ended up here. It had taken me a century to return…what if I was stuck here? No. I refused to consider that option. There was nothing for me in this realm anymore. The only people I cared about were back in the E.V.I.E. world and that was reason enough to find a way to return.

  13

  Jax

  The morning of the same day

  I woke up late, thankfully sleeping through the worst of my hangover. As a shifter, my body healed faster and naturally pushed toxins out without the help of medications and other stuff that had zero effect on us.

  I took my time showering and dressing in comfortable jeans and a blue and white, long-sleeved rugby shirt. Then I sat and drank a mug of coffee while scrolling through the news on my iPad. My fingers were swiping, but my mind kept going back to the dreams I’d been plagued with all night. Not that I hadn’t enjoyed them; they just fueled thoughts that I had no desire to explore. When I’d drained my cup, I gave up on attempting to read the news and since I had errands to run, I laced up a pair of black biker boots and forewent a coat despite the lower temperatures because shifters ran hot all the time. Asher was just dragging his ass out of bed when I poked my head into his room to let him know I was headed out.

  “I’ve got an appointment at eight tonight, so I’ll meet you guys around nine,” he told me as he stretched and yawned.

  His sheet began to slip and I grabbed the first thing I could reach—which turned out to be a book on his dresser, and threw it at him. “I don’t need to see your junk any more than I already do, Ash.”

  Nudity wasn’t a big deal with shifters, particularly since we had to be naked to shift if we didn’t want to rip those clothes to shreds. Most kids ended up with a whole new wardrobe when they first began to shift, though it didn’t take long for them to get in synch with their animal and learn to control the change. Even so, despite our lax attitude toward nudity, I’d rather not be subjected to Asher’s dick when it wasn’t necessary.

  The book hit him in the center of his forehead. “Ouch! Son of a bitch!”

  I grinned and quipped, “Guess I’m the one with perfect aim around here.” I gave him a brief wave as I sauntered out of his room and down the hall to the front door.

  I needed some new tools from a specialty shop in SoHo, and when I was done there, I ran several other errands. The weather had gotten cooler and with it came earlier nights. So it was already dark by the time I returned to the council HQ just after eight. I entered the building and went through security where I saw Nathan having a serious discussion with a tiger shifter who was also on the council.

  There was a waiting area with a few comfy chairs and a coffee table not far from the bank of elevators, so I moseyed over there to wait. When the Tiger left, Nathan stalked to where I’d dropped into a chair and a frown set into his features. “I need to deal with an unexpected situation. Do you mind waiting? Or do you want to meet at The Spot?”

  The Spot was a local club that was run by, and catered to, the paranormal community. It wouldn’t be getting busy for at least another hour, so there was no need to rush. Sam, the owner, always saved us a table when he knew we were coming because Nathan’s company handled his security.

  I shrugged and relaxed back into my chair. “I’m good.”

  Nathan nodded in gratitude and headed over to the bank of elevators. I slipped my phone out of my pocket and pulled up the e-reader app, but I kept getting distracted by a scent lingering in the open space. It was sweet and spicy at the same time and it made my mouth water and my dick perk up. It also had my wolf’s attention. In fact, he seemed to be laser focused on it. It was an intriguing aroma, but it was faint, and I was feeling lazy. My wolf though, he was being extremely insistent, pushing hard against me, obviously urging me to investigate the smell. I sighed as I put my phone away, knowing he wouldn’t stop harassing me until I did what he wanted.

  I climbed to my feet and walked around, finding that the scent began near the security desk, though it wasn’t coming from the female falcon or the witch. I followed it again as it strengthened, but it ended at the elevators. Going from floor to floor searching for the source wasn’t an option. Not only didn’t I have permission for many of the areas, I wasn’t interested in putting that kind of time into a fling, which is all the owner of that scent and I would have. Despite my wolf’s eagerness to find her. Ignoring his agitated state, I ambled back over to my chair and once again sat, pulling out my phone. I started to read and ignored my wolf as he paced restlessly.

  It was just before nine when I received a text from Nathan letting me know that he was on his way down. I took the opportunity to run to the men’s room so that I wouldn’t have to deal with the crowds at the club. Plus, it wasn’t all that uncommon for a shifter to take a booty call in there and lock everyone else out. Especially during the full moon.

  When I left the bathroom and reentered the lobby, Nathan was exiting the elevator with a woman that, despite how small she was, took up all the space around him. My body immediately froze. I had a sudden urge to rip Nathan to shreds for being so close to her.

  Mine.

  What the fuck? I’d never had a reaction to a woman like this. Felt so incredibly possessive after one look. But my body was instantly on fire for her, and my wolf…he wanted to stake a claim on her. I was confused by his reaction. He hadn’t seemed interested in a woman any more than I had. In fact, he usually retreated and sulked when I spent the night with one.

  My attention refocused on the woman with Nathan. She was looking up at him as he walked beside her and speaking. Then he said som
ething, and she turned her face forward. My heart jolted, my cock turned to solid steel, and my breath got caught in my lungs.

  Mine.

  Fuck.

  My wolf had the opposite reaction. He wanted her just as much as I did and was going apeshit that I was just standing there while some other man was so close to her. He was fighting hard to get out and get to her. My teeth elongated and the tips of my claws tore out the ends of my fingers.

  Back off.

  He seemed to understand my tone, if not the words. I was worried about scaring the female. I wanted her in a way that I’d never felt before and I was determined to have her, for however long it lasted.

  I’d known immediately that she wasn’t a shifter, but I sensed that she wasn’t a true of the mill human, either. My wolf seemed to agree with my logic and while he kept up a constant, low growl, he stopped trying to force a shift. Again, I was a little taken aback by the level of his desire for her. I wouldn’t have expected him to react to a woman this way, particularly a human. He acted like there was a wolf inside her. It wasn’t altogether impossible if she was some shifter’s true mate. The thought had my wolf snarling and gnashing his teeth, ready to rip out the throat of anyone who might try to claim her. Damn. I’d never felt him act like this.

  When a shifter in my bloodline, and some others, imprinted and bonded completely with a human or most other non-shifter creatures, they shared the same mingling of souls and scent, as well as the same mental and emotional links. The non-shifter even took on some characteristics of their mate, though they would never be able to fully shift. The exception was true mates.

  When fate created a pair that were perfect together and meant only for each other, then it stood to reason that they would come into the world prepared to be everything to their true mate.

  The non-shifter would never know unless they met their true mate, they were born with the spirit of their wolf already inside them. It was the other half of the animal’s soul. It was similar to having a latent wolf, except it was just a spirit and the wolf didn’t fully form until the couple was bonded. Once that happened, then they would both be able to shift. However, just like recognizing a true mate, it was near impossible to sense the wolf inside. So, I wasn’t sure what was causing him to sit this way unless there was some—incredibly unlikely—reason he sensed the spirit of a wolf in her.