by Renee George
A hand slipped across her shoulder. Eric. She entwined her fingers with his. Something inside her had clicked. I’m meant for both of these men, and maybe neither of them. Something else clicked as well. “Oh, my God, oh, my God. We didn’t use condoms!”
“We are truly as one now, Mina,” Gav said. “You are my mate, as is Eric now. You are my Pride. Both of you.”
Eric tilted his head. “I felt it when it happened,” he said. “We are tied together now. All three of us. What happens to one, happens to all.”
Mina didn’t know how to react to this news. In the heat of sex, she’d joined her life force to these two very different men, and somehow they accepted it without question. So why did she feel hesitant?
“Eric is half leiol, I can see him going along with our little threesome, Gav, but you? I hadn’t thought…” Had she really been so wrong about Gav all this time? Could he really accept her love on her terms?
“Leogenus often bond in threes, Mina. When I understood that you loved us equally, I opened myself to him. I love you, Mina Vail. I’ve made no secret of it. And I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you in my life.”
No one spoke for a couple of minutes.
Her heart pounded as if it would break through her chest.
Finally, Mina said, “Eric?”
Eric nodded. “I’m in.”
Mina smiled. “I guess you have a Pride, Gavriil Doyle.”
Gav kissed Mina. “That makes me really happy.”
Chapter 12
“Meeting tonight. Between Tolliver and unknown. Twelve midnight. Mayweather’s Food and Drink. 958 Wyandotte.” Mina played Bobby’s message again then looked at the clock. Eight-thirty, plenty of time to shower and digest the day’s events. The cleaners had done a great job on her apartment. No one would ever know the wall had a huge hole in it or that blood had soaked the carpets.
“I’m going with you,” Gav said, coming up the hallway behind her.
“Damn you and that super-sonic shifter hearing.”
Eric stepped out from behind Gav. “We’re both going.”
“No. Tolliver knows you.”
“He knows you too,” Eric said with a sigh. “I’m coming, Mina. End of discussion. Someone is hell-bent on ruining my life, and you have a crazy aunt out there trying to kill you. There is safety in numbers.”
“Agreed,” Gav said. He’d put on his shoulder holster, and seeing him strapped with a gun made her girly bits dance.
He raised a brow.
“We don’t have time for that. Again.”
Eric smiled. “There is always time for that…”
She was still sore from earlier. “I might need a little break between rounds.”
They both put out some very pleased-with-themselves vibes. The testosterone in the air surrounding the two gorgeous, if disheveled, men was palpable. Rolling her eyes, Mina smiled.
“Okay. You both can come. But I’m leading. We have a few hours, so you guys go get cleaned up, and meet me back her at eight.”
* * * *
If his mother had thrown a fit over him dating Mina, she was going to have a real conniption over him bonding with leiol as well. He didn’t care. If they shunned him from the Pride, so be it. He had created his own Pride now with Mina and Eric. He didn’t know the man, but he’d seen the love, the concern, and the fear that had been mirrored in himself when they both thought they were losing her. Before he’d left, Keane Silvertail had told them the “gift of Qetesh” was rooted in three. She was, after all, the goddess of three. He’d felt Mina getting stronger when both he and Bishop had touched her. And at that moment, the moment she was once again breathing on her own, Gav took a leap of faith.
He’d showered and changed into jeans and a tee shirt, something inconspicuous for an evening of stealth. There was something about what Mina had said. Or more what the seer had said, about the betrayer controlling the snake. He’d heard a legend once, something one of the Pride elders had told him.
He picked up his phone and dialed the Grayman’s office.
“Destan, here,” the man who picked up said. “How can I do you?”
“Uhm.” The odd greeting startled Gav, but he recovered quickly. “Do you know the real story behind the legend of Medusa?”
“You’ve called the right place,” Destan Gray said. “Hold on. I’ll look it up.” A minute later, he was back. “Jesus, you’re pretty fucking smart, Doyle.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me.”
“Medusa was the child of a basilisk and a human. A species called the negasa. Instead, of a tail of a snake, she grew snakes from her head. What the mythology got wrong, really wrong, was that Medusa didn’t turn her victims to stone. Yes, she could paralyze them with her venom, but she had the tail covered in thick scales and a hammer-like end that she used to strike her enemies from behind. It made a strange crisscrossing pattern.”
“My killer is Medusa?”
“Not the Medusa,” Destan said. “I can’t believe there is one still in existence. After her death, all of Medusa’s children were killed as well…or so history believed.”
“How do you take down a negasa?” Gav asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Destan paused for dramatic effect. “You have to cut off its head.”
* * * *
Boot heels clacking and the soft pad of men’s dress shoes were the only noises in the alley behind Mayweather’s as Mina, Gav, and Eric headed to the back door entrance. Mina opened her bomber Jacket, pulled out her gun from the shoulder holster, checked the clip, replaced it, took the safety off then put it back.
She glanced at the guys and gave them a once-over. “I know I said this already, but you two clean up good.”
Gav wore a deep blue button-down shirt and dark blue jeans while Eric dressed in a silver button-down shirt and black leather slacks. Both men knew exactly how to accentuate the positive. Not that she’d ever noticed any negatives in their looks.
“Thanks,” Eric answered. “You clean up real nice yourself, Ms. Vail.”
Mina beamed a radiant smile at the green-eyed man.
“Agreed,” Gav replied. “You smell nice.” He snapped his teeth. “Good enough to eat.”
“It’s vanilla,” Mina said.
“I know, but it’s not the smell I’m referring to.” This time, Gav smiled, his teeth shining in the moonlight sending naughty shivers down her spine.
“We’ll pretend it’s my shampoo and move on.” They had work to do, and she didn’t want to spend the whole night distracted. She took a lock-picking tool from her front pocket and put it to the keyhole on the door, grasping the handle with her free hand. It turned. “Huh,” she grunted. “Not locked.”
Pulling the 9mm, Mina carefully opened the door and peeked in. A shadowed figure leaned against the wall. “It’s about time you got here.”
“Goddamn, Bobby. I almost shot your ass off.” She holstered the weapon.
“I can think of worse places to get shot.” Bobby’s hand ghosted to his groin then he waved them in. “Come on. Tolliver is in a corner booth away from the windows.” His gaze traveled to Gav and Eric. “What’s with the entourage?”
“They can handle themselves.” Gav was a trained cop, and Eric had managed to fend off a lion shifter.
They all shuffled past the “his and hers” johns in a tight line. The smell of beer and stale cigarette smoke filled the place. It was nearly midnight, and Mina motioned the boys to stay back while she positioned herself at the end of the bar. It was out of sight from Tolliver’s booth, but Mina could see him and a woman having an intense conversation through the mirror.
“If only I could read lips.”
Bobby came up behind her and placed an ear bud in her hand. “Don’t have to. The table’s bugged.”
Pleasantly surprised, Mina placed it in her ear. Sure enough, she heard the woman’s voice. There was a little static, but the signal was clear enough that Mina heard her sa
y, “You worry too much, Tobias.”
Mina grinned at Bobby. “How’d you know where they’d be seated?”
“Didn’t. Just bugged all the tables and numbered the receivers.”
Mina smiled and cuffed his shoulder. “Smart man.” She settled into her seat, her sights once again on Tolliver and the woman. She wore a scarf over her head, and Mina couldn’t see her face. The voice was unfamiliar as well. Who was Tolliver talking to?
“I’ll take care of Bishop and Mina Vail,” the woman purred. “You need to distance yourself from any trouble.”
“And the detective.”
“He is a non-issue.”
“My contact in the state department says the Feds are trying to get a warrant for a forensic accountant. They don’t have probable cause yet, but if Bishop isn’t convicted or silenced, he’ll give it to them.” He paused. “Look, I only went along with your plan because your people have given me access to overseas ventures that have been lucrative. But between the Feds and the murder, I am having some second thoughts.”
The woman leaned forward, and Mina could see her profile. There was something familiar… “Don’t be foolish, Tobias. You don’t want to cross my friends.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“It is not a threat.”
Tobias’s face blanched as he looked past the woman toward the door. Mina turned her gaze in that direction. A man, dark hair, average looking, white streak on the right side. Could he be the negase? Or was it the woman? Neither looked like that had snakes for hair. But if Gav was right, it was a negase that killed Samuel Wilson. He was human passing, and Mina could feel the confidence roll from him as he closed the distance to the booth.
The skunk, as Old Helma so named him, scooted into the seat next to Tolliver.
The woman flashed him an annoyed look, and Mina finally saw her face.
“Oh man.”
“What?” Bobby asked.
“Eric,” Mina said. “Come here and look.”
He moved close behind her, and she resisted pressing her back against his chest. No distraction. “You recognize her? From the party.”
“Jesus,” he whispered. “That’s Jennifer Wilson.”
“The victim’s wife?” Gav asked.
“Yes.” Eric shook his head. “She wanted to meet with me yesterday. I almost forgot about it after everything…” He let the sentence hang.
She knew what he meant.
“You don’t want to betray me, Tobias. I can hurt you in ways you can’t even imagine.” She leaned forward, looking terribly and horrifyingly beautiful. Her dark hair had taken on a shimmer, lights dancing under her skin.
“What the fuck?” Eric asked.
Mina shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like that. A sorcellarie, maybe?” She held up her phone and took a picture and forwarded it to Keane Silvertail. He might be able to find out what kind of OW Jennifer was.
Jennifer’s head turned sharply in Mina’s direction.
“Oh shit.” She had no idea what she was dealing with in Jennifer Wilson, nor was she certain who or what her man Greer was. A confrontation now would be stupidly ill-advised. They needed more info. “We should go.”
“Good idea,” Gav agreed.
Unfortunately, intention wasn’t always a determining factor.
“Mina! Mina Vail, as I live and rock!”
Especially when the world was populated by idiots.
Fucking hell! Dressed in tight leather pants and a painted on purple tee shirt, Siggy Mayhem walked, almost jogged, toward her with his posse in tow. So much for laying low. The skin-walker and the wicked witch looked up, eyes flashing to the mirror, and their angry gazes flickering to Mina. She heard the distinctly female voice through her headset. “Greer. Get her.”
“Oh, shit.” Her hand went to Gav. “Run. Run fast.” Jumping off the barstool, she knocked Siggy Mayhem over into his group. They stumbled back into each other, sentient bowling pins teetering as they tried not to fall over. It gave Mina the head start they would need.
Bolting to the hallway, she pushed Eric, Gav, and Bobby, shoving them toward the alley exit, pulling her gun in the process. “Run, goddammit!” She didn’t know what would happen if they were caught, whether they could stand against Jennifer Wilson or not, but she didn’t want to find out.
Eric’s shoulder shoved against the back door as it flung open. All four of them tumbled into the alleyway. Mina couldn’t stop herself from falling hard onto the pavement, the gun sliding a few feet from where she landed. Scrambling on all fours, she managed to pick it up. When she oriented on the exit to the street, Jennifer stood between them and freedom.
Mina looked around for another exit. Nothing. “Fuck me running.”
“That might be doable.” The voice came from behind her. Mina whipped her head to the back doorway. Greer stood a few feet from them, a snake writhing from his scalp where the white lock had been, and holding his tail, the end of it club-like.
“Semina Vail.” Jennifer’s voice was curt, scolding. “Such a pretty girl you’ve turned into.”
“How do you know me?” Mina drew her weapon and took aim as Jennifer took a step toward her. “Stay back.”
“My dear, bullets are so last season.”
Before Mina could even think of squeezing off a shot, an invisible force threw her against the wall—holding, pressing, squeezing the life from her. She wanted to worry about Eric, about Gav, about Bobby, but she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Jennifer had been quick, quicker than Mina, and she was helpless. Forcing her head to the side, she saw the sorceress was glowing, bright orange hues, then she saw a blur. Eric? He’d rushed the woman, and when her attention focused on the incubus, the power dissipated.
Mina hit the pavement. Taking aim again as Jennifer used her power to throw Eric off, Mina squeezed three rounds into the woman’s chest. Blood poured from the wounds. The dark-haired woman looked both astonished and pissed.
Mina smirked. “Bullets are back, bitch.”
“You have spirit, child.”
Okay, not the response Mina expected. And the fact that Jennifer Wilson was still standing and her glow had turned from bright orange to fiery red did even less for Mina’s confidence. Bobby was on the ground, unconscious. Gav and Greer were grappling in the corner. Eric was pinned against the Dumpster, and Jennifer was digging her fingers into her chest and pulling out bullets as she stalked toward Mina.
“We’re so fucked,” Mina said.
“You have no idea, niece.”
Niece? Oh no. No. “Aalia?”
The woman moved closer to Mina. “So you know me?” She smiled, but her eyes held sadness. “Good. It will make his easier.”
An unseen force squeezed Mina until all the breath left her body. She tried to fight it, but the lack of oxygen took its toll. The world went black.
Chapter 13
“Ain’t this a bitch,” Mina mumbled, her head pounding with what she could only equate to the worst hangover of her life. She swallowed down the bile forcing its way up her throat. Everything was gray, from the walls, the metal beams in the ceilings, to the cold concrete floors. She’d been stripped down to her tee shirt and skivvies. “God, please don’t tell me I’m dead, because I was really hoping dead would be more pleasant.”
“We’re not dead,” Gav growled from behind her. “Though it’s probably a better alternative.”
“Bobby… Eric?” Worry coursed through Mina as the chill of the room seeped into her bones.
“I’m here,” Eric said. “Bobby… he’s still alive. But I don’t know for how much longer.”
They’d gone to a bar to solve a murder, but instead, Mina had managed to put herself in the hands of the woman who’d killed her mother…who wanted to kill her. She fought back the tears, struggling to maneuver so she could see them, but she was shackled to a column with handcuffs. “Can you move?” she asked either of them.
“No,” came a simultaneous re
sponse. Then Gav added, “She’s bound us using some kind of energy.”
“I’m in cuffs.” But they were everyday cuffs, nothing magical about them. Probably Bobby’s. Apparently, she didn’t think of Mina as a physical threat.
“Mina,” a voice whispered in the shadows.
Her eyes widened. “Mike?”
He silently made his way to her. “I followed you guys from the bar. That was some freaky shit.” He held out the cuff keys and started fiddling behind her.
A click-click and her wrists came free. “Where’s Bobby?”
“Over here,” Mike said.
Mina raced to her partner’s side. “Bobby. Bobby.” She patted his chest, turning his head slightly to look at the blunt trauma. “This is not happening.” The vicious wound to his head needed tending. Immediately.
“I didn’t call the cops, Mina. I… I…” Mike stammered over his words.
“S’okay. The cops couldn’t handle this. We need warriors. Big and badass ones. Get Bobby the fuck out of here while I figure out how to help Eric and Gav.”
With a curt nod of his head, the large ex-Marine lifted Bobby with a grunt. “Back in a few, boss.”
“No. Take Bobby to the hospital.” Mike nodded again.
She scrambled to Gav and Eric, the two men locked back-to-back, knees bent close to their bodies. Trying to pry them apart, she stuck her fingers into the crease between them.
“Whatever is holding us is keeping me from shifting,” Gav said. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
“You can help him, Mina.” Eric’s green eyes framed red pupils. He was definitely channeling his inner leiol.
“This is above my pay grade. I have always been a kill from a distance kind of gal. I don’t solve problems. I fix them.”
“Then fix this,” Eric told her.
“Mina,” she heard her name as a harsh whisper. Out of the darkness, white hair almost glowed.
“Keane?”
“Yes,” he said.
“How?”
“I never left the city, and when I got your text, I tracked you here.”
“Help me get them free,” she said.