Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel)

by Linsey Hall

  “I’m going to leave you to it,” Mac said. “Do a bit of thinking.”

  “I probably can’t afford the rent.”

  “With skills like yours, you can.”

  “I don’t know how to turn those skills into rent money.”

  She nudged my shoulder with hers. “We’ll figure that out.”

  Before I could respond, she’d disappeared down the stairs, back to her flat. I turned, inspecting the space more closely. It was a million miles better than my place back in London. And right now, I was glad I didn’t know how much it cost.

  Maybe I could have an amazing new life in this magical world. With friends and fun and excitement, instead of merely surviving with my mini boxed wine and raccoon bestie.

  My mobile buzzed, and dread uncoiled within me. I had so few friends in the real world—none, to be precise—that it had to be Corrigan.

  The text message that popped up on the screen made my heart pitch.

  There has been another murder and an abduction. One body left, one person taken. One witness who may be able to exonerate you. Turn yourself in now.

  My heart began to race.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Who may be able to exonerate me? That meant the witness hadn’t gotten a good look. They might or might not be able to clear my name. I wanted my name cleared. More importantly, I wanted to find Beatrix’s killer. Even more importantly, someone had been abducted.

  Someone could still be alive.

  I had to find them.

  Now.

  I spun toward the door, determined to find the Devil and get a move on.

  He stood in the doorway, looking cold and perfect as ever, but there were shadows under his eyes that made him look almost human.

  Had he had a bad night?

  I shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. “Thank God you’re here.”

  His brows rose. “I can’t say I mind the enthusiasm.”

  “That’s not it. The police have evidence that the killer has struck again. And someone has been abducted.”

  “Then you’ll be glad to know that Remington’s potion has found a location.”

  Relief surged through me. “Let’s go. We need to be in time.”

  The Devil nodded and turned to leave. I followed him, giving the flat a last longing look as I headed down the stairs. I peeked into Mac’s flat, but she wasn’t there. I’d tell her everything when I got back.

  When we reached the street, we nearly ran into Quinn. He was dressed for a jog, looking handsome and disheveled. His cheeks glowed with healthy color, and every bit of him looked a world away from the Devil’s cold, hard strength.

  “Are you all right, Carrow?” Quinn’s eyes sharpened on the man next to me. Suddenly, I could see the panther in his soul.

  Any other man might have quailed under the Devil’s frigid glare. My companion stepped closer to me, raising one eyebrow. “We need to be on our way.”

  “I’m fine, Quinn.” I touched his arm to reassure him and immediately felt the weight of the Devil’s stare on my hand.

  He didn’t want me to touch Quinn. He didn’t like it.

  I glanced quickly at the Devil, certain that I spotted jealousy in his eyes.

  No way. That wasn’t possible.

  I turned back to Quinn. “I’ll see you later. We need to run.”

  “I’ll be at the bar. Check in when you get back, so I know you’re safe.”

  “She’ll be fine.” The Devil’s voice was as icy as his demeanor.

  “I’d like to see for myself.”

  What the hell was happening?

  Were two enormous, handsome, powerful men fighting over me?

  Because that was sure as hell what it felt like. And boy, was that unusual.

  “Be careful.” Quinn gave me one last look before he turned and entered his building.

  “Come on.” The Devil’s voice was cold, but the chill I heard was not directed at me. It was almost as if he could shoot icicles at Quinn’s retreating back.

  Together, we strode in silence toward the city gate. I didn’t mention the encounter or ask the Devil about his behavior. Underneath his cool exterior, I sensed that he’d surprised himself. Or maybe I was making that up.

  Seeing the two of them together had been a revelation, though.

  If I were wise, I’d be interested in Quinn. Handsome, strong, clever, nice.

  Instead, I wanted the Devil of Darkvale—also handsome and strong and clever, but scary and powerful and cold and mysterious.

  Idiot.

  I sneaked a glance at him, noting the way the sunlight gleamed off his dark hair. Hang on… “You can go in the sunlight?”

  “Did you expect me to burst into flame?”

  “Maybe.”

  “No, that only happens in a church.”

  “Really?”

  “Also no.”

  I grumbled. “Where are we headed?”

  “London. Your London.”

  Damn. I didn’t have a face-concealing potion, and there wasn’t time to find one. Not if we wanted to save this person, whoever they were. I’d just have to keep my head ducked.

  Instead of going to the gate that Mac and I had been using, the Devil led me to the other side of town, back toward his club.

  I frowned. “The gate isn’t this way.”

  “I use a private gate.”

  I raised my brows. “You’re the only one?”

  He nodded.

  I hadn’t been in Guild City long, but even I knew that had to be a big deal.

  The Devil led me toward the tower that contained his bar and, presumably, his home.

  “Have you lived here long?” I asked as we approached the two guards at the door.

  “A while.”

  “That’s a non-answer.”

  He shot me a rare smile. “You’re clever.”

  “I know I am, now answer the question.”

  “Too late.” He gestured to the guards, who stood only several meters away. “We’ve arrived.”

  They opened the doors, and we strode in. The Devil nodded at the hostess, then led me down several halls. We bypassed the club portion entirely, sticking to the dimly lit passageways that were currently empty. I wondered where he lived in here—it certainly couldn’t be his office, and the place was huge—but there were no clues.

  We reached an unassuming black door a moment later, and he pressed his hand to it. I could feel the faintest swell of magic in the air—it seemed to take my breath away, like the downward plunge on a roller coaster—and the door disappeared.

  “Come.” He stepped through first, and I followed.

  Magic seemed to suck me in, and a moment later, I stood in a dark alley.

  “We’re near the Haunted Hound,” he said. “Only a few streets away.”

  “How do we find our guy?”

  The Devil pulled a small compass from his pocket. I peered at it more closely, realizing that it wasn’t marked with north and south like a normal compass. There were no headings at all, in fact. Instead, the little red dial just pointed forward and slightly to the left.

  “Let’s go.” The Devil strode away, and I followed him.

  As we exited the alley onto a busy street full of shops and restaurants, I pulled my hood up to conceal my hair. I kept my chin tucked as I walked and stayed close to the Devil. We left Covent Garden and walked farther, finally reaching a shadier neighborhood that wasn’t nearly as nice. The crowd had thinned out, and the quality of the restaurants and bars had severely declined.

  The neighborhoods had one thing in common, though: my face, plastered on posters in several windows.

  “We’re not far now,” he said.

  “How can you tell?”

  “It vibrates as we get closer.” The Devil pointed to a shoddy-looking pub on the corner. “I think that’s our target.”

  Just beyond the pub, a policeman stood with his back to us. We were only about ten meters apart, and if he came this way…


  As if he could sense my discomfort, the Devil said, “You’re worried he’ll recognize you from the wanted posters.”

  “Yes.”

  The policeman shifted as if he were about to turn, and I grabbed the Devil’s arm. “Come on. Into this alley.”

  We darted into the narrow passageway, which was distressingly empty. There were no rubbish bins or old boxes to hide behind, and it was tragically shallow. The Devil peeked around the edge of the building to check on the policeman, then ducked back in.

  “He’s coming.” His serious gaze met mine. “I can take care of him.”

  “No.” Whatever the Devil would do to him wouldn't be good, even if he didn’t hurt him. I didn’t want him using his mind control power on some unsuspecting policeman.

  An idea flared to life.

  Excitement and fear rushed through me as I grabbed the Devil by the jacket and pulled him closer to me. His firelight scent wrapped around me, and he towered a good head over me.

  “Pretend to kiss me,” I said.

  “Pretend?”

  My gaze flicked up to meet his, and the heat in his eyes made my muscles go weak. His broad shoulders blocked the light at the end of the alley, and his head was bent low. He rested his hands on the brick wall on either side of my head, caging me in.

  “Yeah.” My voice was rusty as I spoke. “Pretend.”

  He dipped his head to my neck, his lips hovering over my skin. The faint brush of his breath made me tremble.

  “Put your arms around me,” he murmured. “So the cop will think you want to be here.”

  A shiver raced through me. Oh, I very much wanted to be there. My solo nights with an adult juice box and Cordelia were nothing compared to this. To say I’d been in a drought was an understatement.

  I wrapped my arms around his back, making sure they were over his jacket so that the cop could see them if he looked in. We needed to hide our faces, but we didn’t want to get hauled in for public indecency.

  “That’s it,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my skin.

  I shivered again, heat racing through my veins. I wanted him to kiss me. To press his lips firmly against me, to feel his touch.

  A shudder ran through him, and I gripped him more tightly.

  17

  The Devil

  Holding Carrow in my arms was heaven, or as close as I’d ever get to paradise.

  It was also hell.

  The scent of her was a drug, making my head spin as I resisted sinking my fangs into her neck. It would be so sweet, so perfect.

  A shudder ran over me.

  Resist.

  But I had to have something. She called to me like a siren.

  Unable to help myself, I pressed my lips to the smooth, warm skin of her neck.

  A soft rush of breath escaped her as she tilted her head to the right, giving me more access. A low groan was torn from my throat, and I pressed against her, nearly forgetting the cop that we were hiding from. My lips parted.

  Just one taste.

  When my tongue touched her skin, it was bliss.

  A moan of pleasure escaped her.

  “All right, all right,” the cop’s voice sounded from behind us. Protectiveness surged through me, but when I heard his voice again, it drifted from down the street, and I realized that he’d kept walking as he talked. “Break it up, lovebirds. Not too much in the daylight.”

  In my arms, Carrow sagged. She dropped her head back against the brick wall and looked up to meet my gaze. “That was close.”

  “It was.” My voice was oddly rough as I spoke.

  I forced myself to pull back.

  I’d kissed her skin. For fate’s sake, I’d licked her.

  I hadn’t done that in centuries.

  Shocked by my own actions, I turned and looked out of the alley. The cop was turning down another street. “He’s gone.”

  “Good.” Carrow’s voice was nearly back to normal. “Let’s go get our guy.”

  She strode out onto the street, and I joined her. I pulled the magical compass out of my pocket and held it in front of me. The arrow spun and stopped, pointing at the ramshackle pub at the end of the street. The little thing vibrated fiercely in my hands, indicating that we were nearly there.

  “Is he really in a human pub?” she asked. “Just sitting and drinking? What about the abduction?”

  “It does seem odd.” I inspected the dreary surroundings. “Some places in the human world are actually secret supernatural hot spots, like the Haunted Hound, but I don’t think this is one of them.”

  “This is just too strange.” She leaned over and looked at the compass, which was still buzzing.

  We stopped in front of the wooden door. It was impossible to see through the dirty glass, but I could feel our prey on the other side. It was a vampire instinct.

  “He’s inside.” I raised my wrist to my mouth and spoke into the comms charm strapped there, calling for backup from my shifter bodyguards.

  “What was that for?”

  “Just in case. They’ll wait outside unless I call them in.”

  “Right, then. Let’s figure out why the hell our target is in a pub.”

  Carrow

  We were about to catch this bastard.

  My name would be cleared soon. Lives would be saved. Finally, I’d be in time to save someone. If we caught this guy, the deaths would stop.

  Heart pounding, I moved to push the door open, but the Devil was faster. He stepped into the pub first, blocking me from any threat. I followed, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. Every inch of me was on the alert—to flee, to attack, I wasn’t sure.

  But the pub was…normal. Gloomy and dingy, there was almost no one inside. Still, my gaze went unerringly to the guy sitting at the bar alone. The bartender stood on the far side, giving the guy a wide berth.

  The Devil nodded to the seated man. “It’s him.”

  “Really? He seems so…normal.” Not like a necromancer at all.

  “He’s human. No magic that I can feel. Not even well controlled magic.”

  “But he still committed the murder?” I could hear the faint buzz from the magical compass that the Devil held.

  “Yes. He may be a hired gun.”

  I looked back at the man, anger bubbling inside me.

  He was tall, with broad shoulders and a partially bald head. His plain white T-shirt was covered in dark stains that I initially took for blood.

  No way.

  I blinked, realizing it was probably engine grease.

  Still, he had Beatrix’s blood on his hands. Anger seethed inside me like a snake, twisting and writhing.

  As if he could feel the intensity of our scrutiny, the man turned to look at us. Moving in synchrony, as though we’d been partners for years, the Devil and I approached the bar and seated ourselves on either side of him. I clenched my fists to keep from punching him.

  The man turned to look at me, his heavy bulldog’s face creased in a scowl. “What do you want?”

  Heart pounding, I returned his stare.

  Our suspect.

  The murderer.

  I could feel it, just like I’d suspected I might.

  The Devil gripped the back of the man’s neck. “Look at me.”

  The man flailed in his grasp. he Devil’s knuckles whitened, and the bastard stilled.

  The bartender took a hasty step back, moving away from the confrontation.

  I didn’t blame him. The Devil looked so ruthless that even I didn’t want to be near him right now, and he was on my side.

  “Tell me about the murders you committed,” the Devil said.

  “Where is the abducted person?” I cut in. I was desperate to know about Beatrix—but there was a living person’s life on the line. They had to come first.

  The Devil tightened his hold on the man. “Answer her.”

  “I have no idea what—”

  “Answer truthfully.” The Devil’s voice lowered, and magic sparked in the air around
him.

  “It was a job, all right?” The words seemed torn from the man. “Just a job I was paid for.”

  As we’d thought—he wasn’t the mastermind. Helpless rage twisted inside me at the idea that another person was out there, and that Beatrix’s murder had been just a job.

  “Murder isn’t just a job,” I said, voicing my thoughts aloud.

  “It is for me.”

  “Where is the person you abducted?” I demanded.

  “I don’t know!”

  “It’s the truth.” The Devil’s voice was grim.

  No. I couldn’t accept that. “Where do you think they are? Any clues? Anything at all.”

  “I don’t know. The client mentioned something about a church.”

  Just like the Devil had said. Flares of dark magic coming from different churches. “Which church?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t care about churches, so I didn’t recognize it.”

  “You’ve been there?” I asked.

  “What if I have?”

  “Where was it?”

  “Somewhere in the city. Maybe near Fleet Street. Don’t know exactly. The client’s guys took me there to meet him, but I was blindfolded.”

  Damn it.

  I drew in a bracing breath, then reached out and touched his shoulder. A wave of disgusting energy flowed into me, making my stomach pitch. Sometimes, when I touched something with a particularly vile past, I could feel it. And this guy had a very vile past. I prayed I wouldn’t see Beatrix’s death.

  Flashes of the recent murders ran through my mind…a club coming down on the first man’s head. A blade plunging into a chest. It made me ill. Cold chills raced over me, and my insides turned to snakes.

  I swayed on my seat. The Devil gripped my shoulder, steadying me. I relaxed against his hand, absorbing his strength as I drew an unsteady breath.

  The church…the church.

  I had to see the church he’d been to.

  But it was impossible to call up certain images or information. My gift showed me whatever it wanted, not whatever I wanted.

  “The church, man.” The Devil’s words were harsh, and his magic flared in the air. “Think of the church.”

  He knew what I was trying to do. I gave him a grateful smile.