by Mina Carter
Devon looked quizzically at Karma. “Accidental deaths don’t generally fall under the purview of the PBI.”
“No, they don’t. But these are peculiar and demand a thorough investigation.”
Karma flipped on the big screen with her remote. Two faces appeared on the television. She shot the red laser to the first man. Dark hair, dark skin, hazel eyes, goatee, and dangerous stare. “Jerrell Jackson, an alpha wolf from Washington State. Parts of his body were discovered in the wood chipper on the compound.”
Fang ran a hand through his blond hair. “Are we sure this wasn’t murder?”
“It was labeled as an accidental death. He was drinking the night before, somehow fell asleep in the chipper, and when the crew came in the next morning and started the machine his body went through.”
“By the gods!” Fang rarely spoke in debriefs, but this obviously had an impact on him. “Horrible way to lose an alpha.”
“And so the local authorities concluded that falling into a wood chipper was an accidental death?” Devon shook his head.
“It happens,” Karma’s eyes flew to the redheaded stranger in the room, “unfortunately.” She took a deep breath and continued. “According to the report, Jerrell was drinking, he made the chipper his bed, and passed out, and when the workers came in the next morning and turned on the machine,” she swallowed hard, “…the rest is detailed in the report.” Even Karma looked sick as she gave what little details she could.
“Come on!” Frankie blurted out. “I mean, unbelievable.” She followed her statement of disbelief with one of astonishment when all eyes turned toward her.
“Frankie’s right. Seems a little impossible.” Devon backed his partner up.
Karma shrugged. “Freak accidents happen all the time, I myself have been responsible for a few of them when karmatic justice is delivered. Not chipper accidents, mind you.” She shuddered. “It’s a little too gruesome for my taste, but last year alone there were fourteen deaths by wood chippers across the country.”
“So death by freak accident.” DeLuca rolled her eyes. “Were there any witnesses?”
“Not any according to the report. A good friend of the deceased had been there, but when he left Jerrell was alive, and when he returned in the morning he was the one to start the machine. What makes this peculiar is the gruesomeness of the death ensured that the alpha wouldn’t survive.” Karma clicked the remote again and the next face appeared on the screen. “We know how to kill paranormal creatures, but the humans don’t. That leads me to believe these killings, if they turn out to be murders, are by a supernatural, or at the very least, preternatural with a lot of information.”
The agents cast glances at each other and the screen, but none spoke so Karma continued. “Frankie and Fang will go to Washington to investigate a little further.”
“Persephone and Tucker, I want you two to take a second look at the suspicious death of Libby Good. She is a witch that died by drowning in her bathtub.”
“Were there any defensive marks?” Persephone DeLuca raised a dark eyebrow.
“No, and there were no bruises on the body to indicate she was held down either.” Karma answered the next obvious question.
The group started flipping through the files again.
“What connects these two together?”
“They are part of the Order.” Jasmine supplied the answer. She looked at the two strangers in the room. “So are the two of you.”
“Very good, Jasmine.” Karma smiled warmly.
“That is why we believe one of us are next.” The small woman with shiny, red hair and twinkling blue eyes joined the conversation. Her voice held a soft Irish lilt.
The second woman with long black hair and olive skin nodded. “Usually, we wouldn’t be concerned with something like this. We’re very capable in handling our own affairs. The problem is this threat is taking down our best operatives.”
All eyes turned to the two women. The ginger woman offered a grin that didn’t touch her eyes. “We come to you asking for sanctuary. Our team was disbanded a month ago. Once we’ve been retired, we’re on our own. My name is Mackenna, but my friends call me Red. The dead on the screen were my friends, and at one time, teammates.”
“And I’m Olivia,” the dark-haired woman who carried a holstered sword between her shoulder blades added. These two women looked far more dangerous than they had first appeared. Frankie didn’t know what the Order was, but she had a feeling it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the Order?” Frankie asked after a long silence stretched between them like an abandoned highway. Both gave her the creeps.
“The Order works for the Fates, my mother and aunts. Their job is to simply keep destiny on track for major players.” Karma began.
“Game changers. If someone whose path impacts large numbers of people, and the fate of nations is not on track, it is our job to help them back on the rails, so to speak.” Red offered.
“So you manipulate fate.” Frankie now understood why they were here. It was an odd form of nepotism.
“No one manipulates fate. It has already been decided. We just help it along.” Olivia’s tone was stern leaving no room for argument.
“And you think someone is trying to kill you all?” Devon asked.
“We’re a six person team, and two of us are dead within a month of leaving the Order. Supernaturals are hard to kill.” Red added, “Order members are far more difficult to terminate.”
“Libby was excited to go home and learn her heritage, not to mention she was a water witch. There is no way she could drown. Water was her friend.” Olivia’s tone sounded odd.
“Jerrell was in love, and he was the new alpha for Washington State. He had everything to fight for.” Red added.
“In love? With who?” DeLuca asked.
“Me.” Red answered. “He was happy.”
“Sometimes people are good at hiding how…” Tucker used a soothing voice, like a comforting hand on the shoulder as he began to question the witness.
Red rushed up on him, inches from his face, “I’m not a naïve civilian. I’ve lived centuries as a Nephilim. I know how people can hide feelings and thoughts. Don’t patronize me, boy.”
“Down, Red.” Karma commanded. “My agents are only trying to help. If you prefer, we can let you handle your own investigation.”
Red backed up, but the glare from her stone-cold eyes caused Frankie to shiver. She didn’t like this angel half breed, and would be happy when the case was over.
“I’d like Devon to run point, and Jasmine and Dev can stay here guarding Red and Olivia while you investigate the crime scenes. Then return here, and we’ll coordinate next steps.” Karma snapped the screen off and sat down at her desk, dismissing them.
Chapter Five
Have you ever been in a room where the tension was so thick it was difficult to breathe and impossible to think? It was the best way to describe the excruciatingly painful flight to Washington State. Fang buried himself in his files on one side of the plane while Frankie focused on her search for Sarah across the aisle. Both of them stole glances at the other whenever they weren’t looking. The attraction was not the problem. The issue was Frankie didn’t like the were-bear. He was an overbearing, cave man who often took what he wanted, and didn’t bother asking or begging for forgiveness. In her view, that wasn’t fair. He was sorry he bonded with her, but she suspected it was because he was effectively neutered the moment he mixed his blood with her and spoke the magic words that linked their life forces together.
It was true he took most of the risk. He couldn’t have sex with another woman as long as she lived. He couldn’t control himself when she was fertile, and had to leave the human world just to get away from her during those few days of the month. She got to be immortal like him, enjoyed his strength, and his enhanced senses which made her a better agent.
The sad part of the story was if he had asked to bind himself with her,
if they’d had more time together, she might’ve agreed to be with him. But the way he took her fate in his hands, and forced this life onto her was unacceptable, and forgiveness was not on her list of ‘to dos’ today.
“Are you going to stare at me the entire ride?” Fang asked looking up from his files catching her eye. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the attention, I’d just like it if you were a little closer.”
She rolled her eyes as he patted the seat next to him. “Not going to happen.”
“You know, there is nothing saying we can’t be friends, Francesca.”
By all that was holy, the man was mesmerizingly sexy. At sometimes irresistible with his long, blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and body that wouldn’t quit. When he gave her that ‘come hither’ look she found herself waning. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.” She went back to the news reports she gathered that could have a connection to Amazons, doing her best to ignore his presence as he got up and sat next to her. He smelled delicious.
There were no words said. He just stared at her with those soul-searing, emerald eyes. The eyes she swore he used to see into the deepest part of her. Her tongue glided across her suddenly parched lips. She needed to quench a thirst she knew only he could satisfy. Shaking her head, she focused on her reports, doing her best to avoid his masculine, tantalizing scent, and the heat he produced from their close proximity, both of which began to drive her mad, and wreaked havoc with her control.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was most likely five minutes of uncomfortable silence, she broke down and spoke, “I thought we were in an unspoken agreement to avoid each other?”
“I don’t presume to know what you’re thinking. You should do me the same courtesy.” He absently twirled a strand of her golden brown hair around his tanned finger. She wanted to bite that finger, and not in an angry way.
Her first instinct was to push him away. Her second was to pull him close and kiss those rugged lips. Instead she said, “Stop that.”
His hand went to her neck, forcing her to look at him. “The things I want to do to you right now should be illegal.” His voice was raspy, rough with emotion. His eyes grew dark as passion rose in him. She could see the physical response his body had to her, and thanks to his enhanced senses, she could smell the musk of desire emanating from him.
“Space.” One word was all she could muster as she fought the insane attraction his proximity was creating.
He moved closer, his lips a breath away from hers. The heat radiating off of him was like being next to a furnace. His eyes pulled her in with a magnetic force like the sun. Making out was nice, and with him she knew it was intense, despite all her rebuttals they’d shared moments of passion in the past. But in this moment, the silent seduction of his eyes and his touch was far more enticing. In that moment, she’d give him the world if she could.
The smug smile that grazed his lips told her he knew it, too. “One kiss.”
“No.”
His hand moved from her neck to her shoulder and ran softly down her arm making the hair on her body stand at attention. “I could just take it.” It was a warning, and if it came from any other man, she’d ram the palm of her hand up his nose, but this was her Fang. Her subconscious knew the difference even if her conscious mind refused to recognize the connection.
“You won’t.” A barely audible whimper escaped her lips as he moved even closer. Her eyes closed as she waited for his lips to touch hers, his mouth to devour hers, his hands to roam over more of her body. She wanted him despite her anger at him. Part of her needed him. That biological connection forged when he bound their life forces together, saving her from death, but making her captive to him. She barely had control of her own body when he was this close. Bastard!
“I want to,” he whispered against her ear, causing fires to ignite down her spine.
“I want you, too.” The words poured out of her mouth like water from a faucet. She never meant to speak them, only think them. It was all the invitation he needed. His lips claimed hers and she was suddenly in his lap, taking as much as he was giving. Hands roamed as their bodies responded to each other’s touch. Tongues clashed in sword play as they both tried desperately to scratch an itch deep inside their souls.
Control flew out the window, Frankie didn’t care about all the reasons she shouldn’t be with this man, she only cared about the one reason she should. His touch turned every nerve ending on. Her senses exploded as they struggled to get inside each other’s skins. When his lips and teeth found her earlobe she lost all idea of time as desire crested in her body like waves slamming against the rocky shores of the west coast highway in Oregon.
The need that grew in every cell of her body felt so foreign, and yet a deeper part of her felt like she’d come home. She couldn’t remember why it was so important to fight this thing between them as the haze of their biochemical connection clouded her mind.
Their breathing quickened. Pulses raced. Bodies fitting together like custom made gloves. Somehow both of their shirts disappeared. His touch on her skin was like a searing hot brand, marking her forever his.
“You are the most beautiful creature on the planet,” he mumbled before his lips tasted her neck and collarbone.
“Fang,” She moaned as need took over.
He stopped and forced her to look at him. “Say my real name.”
Her tongue tripped over the word, or maybe it was the intensity in his eyes, “Levi…”
A growl rumbled in his chest and vibrated against hers as he pulled her in for another kiss, his hand at the nape of her neck, directing the contact.
Her fingers went to the buckle on his belt and managed to undo the latch. His hand snatched hers as she went to the zipper. “No.” His breath quick and hot against her face.
“What?” Her breath shallow as their gazes held firm.
He kissed her fingers. “As much as I want you, our first time is not going to be on the agency jet.” He stood up, and she slid down his thighs and let her feet touch the carpeted floor.
She closed her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing and clear the fog in her mind. She lowered her head as a blush burned across her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she’d almost gave in. That they almost had sex on the jet. It was official, she’d lost her mind. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was rejecting her.
He wasn’t really rejecting her. She knew that, intellectually, but it didn’t ease the embarrassment she was feeling at the moment. “You’re right.” Tears moistened her eyes as she looked at him, refusing to feel bad for what almost happened. “We can’t keep doing this.”
He ran a frustrated hand through his blond waves. The leather band that held the unruly locks in place at the nape of his neck had come out and his hair bounced around his shoulders freely. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through his golden, silky strands.
“You’re right. We need to make this official.” He dropped to one knee.
The world around them disappeared, she suddenly had tunnel vision brought on by fear. “What are you doing?”
“I want to make a commitment to you right now.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me right now.”
“I don’t take what I’m about to do lightly, Francesca.” Fang smiled as he dug in his pocket.
“Fang, don’t make a fool of yourself.” Frankie warned. She couldn’t believe the man was about to propose to her. Idiot!
He really was a Neanderthal. She turned to move away from him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward him.
“I need you to know I’m ready to take the next step in this relationship. I want you to know I’m committed to making this happen so I’ve…got it.” He pulled out a key and held it out to her.
Relief flooded her. Thank, God, it wasn’t a ring. But it was just as dangerous. “What’s that?” She looked at the shiny copper key like it was alien to her.
A grin spread across his face. “The key to my he
art.”
Frankie laughed out loud. “Give me a break. You don’t have a heart.”
“Ha ha ha, you’re so funny. Okay,” he stood up, “it’s the key to my home off the compound premises.”
She recoiled. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
“When you’re ready to take the next step with me, use it. I’ll be waiting.” He put the key in her hand and she dropped it as though it was a hot pan she pulled out of the oven without mittens.
“Seriously! What is wrong with you? You have no idea how to act in a relationship. We’re friends, Levi. Friends! That’s it. Nothing more. You can’t just give me your key and expect me to fall into bed with you.”
Fang stood up, fury entering his blue eyes, confusion creasing his strong forehead. “Damn it, Francesca! It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me. I’m giving you my key. Use, don’t use it. Come over and spend time with me as a friend or a lover. I don’t care. I just want to be a part of your life, however you want that to be is up to you.”
Frankie wanted to scream, to yell, to hit something, someone. She had so much frustration running through her body she was going to explode. “Look, Levi…”
“Everyone please take your seats and buckle up. We’re about to begin our decent into Seattle.” The captain’s voice came on over the intercom.
Frankie shook her head and took her seat. Fang picked up his key and sat across the aisle from her after he placed the key in her hand.
She stared at the inanimate object as dread coiled around her spine like a snake.
Chapter Six
“Do you think this is wise?” Olivia asked Red as she braided her long, black hair in preparation for bed.
“I think Jerrell had everything to fight for, and he was killed in a horrific way.” Red slipped on her bedtime shorts and t-shirt. “I know Karma will do what she can to protect us because we used to help her, her mother, and aunts keep balance in the world.” Red joined Olivia at the mirror and braided her own curly, red locks. “She’ll bring in Sebastian and keep us safe until the killer can be found.”