The Shikari Box Set

by Dora Blume

  “Mike, I’m not going to leave again. I promise. I won’t just leave you. I know what a mistake that was. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t want you to do something because you’re worried I’ll leave if you don’t.” Sloane dropped her legs to the sides of the chair and pulled his mouth to hers. She cherished his lips, the softness of them against hers. Sloane wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers over his curls. The back of his neck was a sensitive spot for him. Sloane loved that she knew every spot he responded to. He moved closer to her on the chair, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush with him.

  “Damn, Sloane, I love you so much.” Mike breathed against her mouth. For once, she didn’t freeze up at the declaration. Mike kissed her harder and with renewed passion. Her tongue slid along his lower lip. She wanted to take this so much further, but there was a curiosity tickling the back of her mind. Would he really be willing to include other partners with them? Did he want to do that? She couldn’t help her distraction.

  Mike backed away from her mouth. “Okay, where did you go?” he smirked.

  “Um, I was just thinking about what you said. You’d really be open to, ah changing things up sometimes?” She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous about asking. He already saw she was attracted to Ely. She didn’t want to hide it if there was a possibility that Mike was okay with it.

  He laughed. “Oh, my little hellion, always looking for new ways to experience life. I would never stifle that about you. It’s one of the things I love most about you, Sloane. I never know what you’re going to come up with to do next. I’m open to anything as long as we are doing it together.” His fingers stroked down her cheek in a loving caress. Her heart tightened.

  “Mike, I love you so much.” He needed to know how she felt about him. She had no reason not to say it anymore. They were in this together.

  He pulled her against him and kissed her. There was so much love behind this kiss. She wanted to show him how much he meant to her. Too bad they were at Ely’s house and trying to figure out what the hell was happening with these possessed students.

  Mike chuckled against her mouth. “Too many responsibilities, love?”

  She breathed out. “Yes,” there was a touch of annoyance behind her answer.

  “Well, let’s table this and figure out what’s going on with these students. Hell, maybe we can wrap this up, so we can still have a little fun before we fly off to the next city.”

  “Ugh, I just want to spend time with you without all this other shit happening.”

  He took her hand and pulled her up from the chair. “Me too, love, me too.”

  Ely was sitting on the couch, intently reading one of the articles. “Finding anything?” Sloane asked.

  “Not yet, I just thought I’d start reading the details, so I can get up to speed.” Ely set the article down. “Did you get the information about the students?” he looked pointedly toward Sloane.

  “Bryant is sending over the information. I’m not going to hold my breath.” Sloane sat back on the couch next to Ely, leaving the space next to her for Mike. She wanted to see how comfortable Mike actually was with them being together. He sat back and squeezed her knee before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

  “I think maybe we need a drink and some food before we start diving in.” Mike glanced from Sloane to Ely.

  “Oh, yeah, I have some beers in the fridge, or soda if you prefer. I could order us food in. There’s several great places around here.” Ely stood. “What can I get ya?”

  “I’ll take a beer,” Mike responded.

  “Ah, yeah, do you have anything I can mix? I could go for something a little stronger.”

  “Of course, follow me, I’ve got a fully stocked bar.” Ely held his hand out for her. She glanced from his hand to Mike then back to the hand. The little nod he gave her made her smile. He really meant what he said. She took Ely’s hand and let him pull her up from the couch.

  “Have you been with Mike for long?” he asked.

  “Oh, ah, I only came back recently. We were together when we were younger, but I left after my mom died. I guess we’ve only been back together a month or so.”

  “Wow, you two act like you’ve been together for a long time. Only a month?” he shook his head.

  “Oh, well we grew up together,” Sloane shrugged.

  “Ah, that makes sense.” Ely stopped in front of a cupboard in the kitchen. There were twenty different bottles inside.

  “Damn, you weren’t kidding. You got any Jameson?” Sloane asked.

  “Ah, a whiskey girl. I can get on board with that.” He pulled out the Jameson. “I’ll make you the best damn whiskey sour you’ve ever had.”

  “Wow, that’s a tall order, but okay.” Sloane rocked on her feet as she watched him pour Whiskey into the glass.

  Mike strode into the kitchen. “Ah, we need to go check on Jessie and Erik. Neither one of them are answering my call. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on with them when we left them watching three demons,” Mike’s voice was tense.

  “Let’s go,” Ely didn’t even hesitate. He set the bottle on the counter and grabbed his keys off the hook by the door. Mike took Sloane’s hand, and they both rushed behind him. Why wouldn’t they be answering? They hadn’t been gone all that long, had they?

  CHAPTER 7

  Jessie

  “So, are we seriously going to sit in the car and wait for them to leave or something?” Jessie wasn’t the type to sit around all day and wait for something to happen. She was the type to make things happen.

  “Why? What did you have in mind?” His hand slipped over to squeeze her thigh.

  “Not that,” she swatted at his hand playfully.

  “Okay, so what then?” he asked.

  “I swear, you guys forget what I can do sometimes,” she rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we go inside and find out what these demons know.”

  “Wait, how are we going to do that without them noticing two strangers in the house?”

  “Um, again, did you forget what my power was? I can freeze them as we go. No one will notice us go into the house if they’re frozen. You can pinpoint where the demons are, and we can try to question them. When we get the information we need, we dispossess them and move on. It’d be good to know what’s actually going on before we take off to Kansas City. Besides, I need to find out what’s going on with my mom sooner rather than later.” Jessie met Erik’s gaze.

  “We could do that.” He shifted his head to the side and scratched his chin. “There are a lot more people in the Sorority than there were when we went into the headmaster’s office in Colorado, but we should be able to pull it off. The demons are all on the second floor. They are in two different rooms. We can isolate the one who’s alone and question her first before anyone even knows we’re there.” Erik continued to rub his chin as he pondered.

  “Okay, so you listen to their thoughts, I freeze them. You ready?” she asked.

  “As long as you are. You’ll be the one who has to freeze the other girls. There are at least seven girls milling about on the first floor. We’ll have to get in the door first. I think our best bet is to sneak around back. No one will notice us trying to get into the back door.”

  “Oh, Erik, Don’t you know it’s always better to hide in plain sight. I’ve always found that the best approach was to walk right through the front door like you own the place. No one questions when you are acting like anyone else. If we sneak around back, anyone who sees us on the way will question what we’re doing. I think we should walk right in the front door.” Jessie turned to face Erik.

  “Okay, I guess we could do it your way. There are three girls discussing some assignment right when you walk through the door. They are getting ready to leave for class.”

  “Should we wait until they leave so the door is clear?”

  “Probably a good idea,” he nodded.

  “Okay, let me know when they leave.” Jessie put her foot up
on the dash.

  “What are you doing? This isn’t your car.” Erik’s eyes darted from her feet to her eyes.

  “Are you annoyed that I put my feet up?” Her lip twitched up as she suppressed a smile.

  “Well, it’s rude when it isn’t your car.” A muscle worked in his jaw as he stared at her.

  “Oh, so you don’t mind when I do it in your car?”

  “Well, I mind a little. Especially if there’s dirt on your shoes.” He pressed his lips together in a hard line. Jessie rubbed her nose, trying to hide her laugh. Erik rarely shared the things that bothered him with anyone. He always played close to the vest.

  “Is there anything else I do that annoys you?”

  “Oh no, I’m not answering that question,” Erik shook his head.

  “Why not? I think we can be honest with each other.”

  “Jess, there’s nothing you do that annoys me,” he said deadpan.

  “You are so lying right now,” shaking her head, she moved to squeeze his side. He tried to jerk away but wasn’t fast enough. She got his most ticklish spot, and he let out a perilous giggle.

  “Hey, that tickles.” He laughed and held her hand away from him. Jessie shifted so she could use her other hand. Erik held her hand in a firm grip.

  “Come on, I know there’s gotta be something I do that bothers you.” She went for his side again, and he flinched away trying to grab her other hand. She was too fast for him, and she went for his side. She tickled him again, and he let out the sweetest giggle she’d ever heard.

  “Okay, okay, uncle, Jeez Jess, why do you want to know so bad?” He held himself away from her.

  “I’m just curious. We should be able to talk about anything, right? Even the stuff that bothers us.” She rubbed his arm.

  “Jess, I think you’re just trying to stir up trouble. What’s bothering you?” Erik turned to face Jessie. “You try to pick a fight when something’s bothering you. What is it? You’re the one who said we should be able to talk, and we can. You know we can, Jess.”

  “Hey, did the girls leave? We should get in there to question the demons.”

  “Oh shit, now I know it’s something big. Is it more than what’s going on with your mom?” Erik moved closer to Jessie, taking her hand in both of his.

  “No, it’s not about my mom,” Jessie admitted, looking down at their joined hands.

  “Erik, do you want to be with me?” Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

  “Jess, of course I do. You know I do.”

  “Okay, I just needed to be sure. I need to know that you’re going to choose me.” Her voice softened as her eyes stayed trained on their hands. A wave of nausea swept over her, and she swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure where her sudden fear was coming from, but she had an overwhelming sense that Erik was going to leave her. That he would pick the order over her if it came down to it. She needed to be sure. She wasn’t sure why, but him saying it wasn’t enough. He’d already chosen the order over her once. Him being here now was a big step forward, but she was still scared.

  Erik pulled Jessie into his lap and squeezed her tightly. “Jessie, I am never going to let you go again. I promise. I love you. Is that what you’re worried about? Me leaving? I would never leave you. We’re in this together, forever.” His voice was thick as he ran his hand through her hair, hugging her close to him. She felt safe in his arms. The feelings from before dissipating.

  “I love you, Erik,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too, Jess.” He held her against him. “I plan to show you just how much I love you later,” he whispered against her hair. He pushed her curly locks aside and kissed the crook of her neck.

  “Oh?” Jessie smiled and captured his lips with hers. She loved kissing Erik. It was her favorite thing to do. Even when they were younger, she had loved making out with Erik for hours. He’d changed so much since then. They both had. She hoped they would be ready for whatever came next.

  “Jess, I don’t mean to interrupt this moment, but the girls left a while ago. If we’re going into the building, we should probably go.” Erik rubbed his hand over her back.

  She tilted her head back and smirked. “I thought you were going to choose me over everything else?”

  “You’re the one who suggested going in and taking care of the demons ourselves. I’m just following your lead.” He ran his fingers down her jaw in a subtle caress.

  “Fine, you’re right. I don’t know where all that came from anyway. I just had this overwhelming fear that you wouldn’t choose me.” Her head dropped.

  “Jess, it’s fine, I get it. Are you ready to go in? We need to be completely prepared before we go in and face the demons.” He cupped her cheek and tilted her chin up to look at him. She smiled weakly and blinked.

  “Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go,” she nodded. Erik jumped out of the car and went around to open the door before Jessie could get out. He took her hand and guided them to the front door. “Is there anyone in the main room?” Jessie asked before they reached the door.

  “No, not right now. There are two girls in the sitting room off to the right that you’ll need to freeze before we can get up the stairs.” He squeezed her hand. “You ready?” He stopped, his hand rested on the handle of the door.

  “Yeah, let’s do this.” She nodded and he opened the door for her. She stopped just to the right and froze the two Sorority girls, mid-conversation. Jessie and Erik would be well up the stairs before they unfroze and continued their conversation. They ran quickly and quietly up the stairs. Erik held an arm out to stop her before they crossed the landing.

  “There’s a girl about to leave the bathroom. You should freeze her before she opens the door.” He pointed to a door partway down the hall. Jessie held her hands up in front of her and nodded at Erik when she’d frozen the girl.

  “All clear, where are the demons?” Jessie asked.

  “The fourth door on the left.” He took her hand and led her to the door. He paused with his hand on the handle. “You ready?”

  She nodded. He opened the door and Jessie froze the two in the room. One girl was perched at her desk, reading through a textbook. The other was lounging on her bed. Both girls were stopped mid-motion. Erik closed the door behind them. Jessie walked up to the blonde girl who’d been reading. “Which one do we want to question?”

  He paused and listened. “We should maybe question the other girl. That way we don’t have them ganging up on us in a weak moment.”

  “Are you sure? What if one of these two have information we need that the other girl doesn’t?” she asked.

  “So, you’re suggesting we question all of them?” His eyebrows rose. “Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?”

  “No, we need information. We know so little about why they went for the order. Don’t you think it would be good to see if one knows more than the others?” Jessie walked around the other girl on the bed. “We should question this girl first. I can hold her while you question. That way you can pick up on her thoughts. Then we can dispossess her and question the second girl.” Jessie’s gaze raked over the girl on the bed. She assessed her for weaknesses she could exploit in the moment.

  “Okay, agree with you. We could use the information. I’m not sure any of these girls have very much to share, though. I was listening to them before we came in and didn’t get anything that would indicate they knew much about the demons.” Erik scratched his chin.

  “It’s worth a try.” Jessie began opening drawers to look for something she could use to restrain the girl. She pulled out a few scarfs. Wrapping one around the girl’s wrist, she pulled it gently to tie to the headboard. She did the same with the girls’ other hand. When she was satisfied that she was mostly restrained, she waved a hand to unfreeze her.

  The girl’s cobalt eyes grew wide with realization. “Who the fuck are you?” she yelled out. Jessie waved her hand again to freeze her.

  “Shit, I didn’t think about her talking. Is there anyone who j
ust heard her yell?” Jessie shifted her weight and looked to Erik.

  “Not yet, but if you unfreeze her again, they might.” Erik glanced to the door then back to Jessie.

  “Shit, what do we do?” Jessie glanced frantically around the room. Opening the drawer where she found the scarves, she pulled out another one and stuffed it into the girl’s mouth. “There, now you can still ask her questions and hopefully she’ll think the answers.” Jessie pulled her gun out of her waistband. “I’ll give her a little extra motivation.” She pointed the gun at the girl. Waving her hand again, the girl unfroze. The girl yanked at both arms and screamed against the scarf. It was muffled enough that no one outside of the room should hear her. Jessie held the gun inches from her face. “Stop yelling before I shoot you. Erik ask her something.” Jessie kept her eyes trained on the girl.

  “What do you know about taking over the order?” Erik’s attention was focused on the girl. She continued to pull against the restraints. Jessie pushed the gun against her forehead and she stopped.

  “Why did they choose this girl or the other two in the house?” Erik waited. Jessie glanced back and he nodded his head once. She backed the gun away from the girl’s face.

  “What do you know about the bombs the demons are creating?” The girl’s eyes went wide as she must’ve realized that Erik could listen in on her thoughts. Her arms yanked against the restraints. She cried out against the scarf. Jessie pressed the barrel against the girl’s cheek, and she stopped.

  Erik took a step to stand next to Jessie. “We can dispossess her. I think I got all the information I’ll get out of her.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. They dispossessed her quickly and Jessie froze her again. She turned to look at Erik.