Better to use these crude weapons and disguises than deal with endless questions.
They exchanged a look then separated, each taking a different side of the building. The last thing Dante could afford now was a bullet to the brain. Given his genetic make-up, it would not be fatal, but after all this time and planning, he had to end this the right way, no matter how badly he wanted this vengeance done.
Most days he craved eternal rest almost as much as he craved the pain to survive.
Inching down the side of the wooden shack, he stayed alert for the slightest sound, his gaze seeking any suspicious movement, anything out of place, any sign of an intruder.
Nothing. Nothing but the howling wind and the baking sun.
Then a startled scream split the air. A decidedly female scream. His heart tanked.
He squeezed his eyes shut and made his way back to the front of the building.
“Thought you said you took care of this shit.” Basher held Anna Frost by the scruff of her neck like a stray dog. As if to humiliate her further, he leaned in and licked the side of her face from jaw to temple. “Just can’t get enough of us, huh, bitch?”
White-hot rage bubbled through Dante’s chest. His finger twitched against the trigger of the gun and his inner pain demon growled possessively.
Mine.
True to form, Anna fought back. At least until Basher smacked her hard across the face. When he released her neck, she crumpled to the dusty ground, out cold, a red hand-print surfacing on her lovely pale skin. The ridiculous wig, at least, remained in place.
Dante kept his gaze lowered and followed the gang’s leader into the shack, relieved to see Anna’s chest still rising and falling evenly. It was not unheard of for a wrath demon to kill a human with a single blow. Still, the purple bruise blossoming on her cheek and the finger-sized marks around her neck in the shape of Basher’s massive hand had him seething, had him vowing—despite his earlier promise—that this would be the last time anyone would mark her again.
Anyone but him.
His muscles tensed with pent-up frustration as he trailed behind Basher into the shack and over to a trap door in the floor, covered by loose hay. Basher kicked the straw aside then lifted the opening while Dante did his best not to cringe at the wafting stench of human waste, unwashed bodies, and desperation. They climbed down the rickety stairs into a concrete bunker.
Before them stretched a line of filthy, cowering women. Dante strode past them and did his best to ignore their flat, hopeless stares. At least the blankets he had stolen for them were still present, amongst the empty junk food wrappers. The nighttime temperatures in the desert could hover near freezing and these poor souls had a hard enough time generating body heat with the sugar-rich, nutrient-cheap snacks Basher provided to keep them alive.
After several of his prized psychics had perished from hypothermia, Basher had finally allowed Dante to provide the blankets. He would work on getting them a better diet once the next batch arrived.
Then again, if his plans worked, there would not be a next batch.
“These bitches will bring a fine price.” Basher kicked one of the women’s legs, ignoring her scream of pain as he stepped over her. “Four more days and we’ll be rich again.”
Dante assessed the overall condition of the prisoners, keeping his tone casual as he dug for more details. “Same time, same place for pick up?”
Basher glanced over at him in the dim light and shrugged. “Juan asked for the medicine wheel this time. Something about a convergence or some shit.” He snorted. “Fucking human idiots.”
“Right.” Dante walked back up the stairs then outside again. The human in him roiled with disgust over the way those women inside were being treated. He took several cleansing breaths and made mental notes of what he had witnessed. The FBI planned to raid this location soon. Given the number of victims involved—twenty-five, by his count, maybe more—perhaps they would move things up a notch.
Anna still remained motionless on the ground.
“Can’t say I blame you.” Basher slammed the door to the shack then weaved heavy chain link through the door’s handle before attaching a huge padlock.
“Excuse me?” Dante said, glancing over at the gang leader.
“That one looks like a nice piece of cunt.” Basher joined him beside Anna’s body, crushing the butt of his cigarette into the dirt.
Lightning-fast, Basher had Dante by the throat—his full-blood demonic reflexes so fast, the movements were nothing but a blur. He squeezed Dante’s windpipe, severing his air supply then ramming him hard against the side of the shack. Struggle only made the pressure worse, so Dante went limp instead.
Sadists hated limp.
Furious, Basher pulled his gun and cocked it at Dante’s temple. “Don’t fuck with me again. You get that bitch under control or I will. Understand?”
Dante closed his eyes and nodded, mentally rehearsing all the ways he would make this arrogant motherfucker pay. This bully who considered himself so superior to all the lowly half-breeds with torn allegiances, those from different realms or different worlds, creatures like him who lived in constant fear of discovery.
Minutes passed before Basher apparently got tired of strangling his underling and flung him aside like so much trash before stalking off toward the bikes.
Gasping for breath, Dante dropped to his knees, crawling to Anna’s side again. Anger pulsed hot through his blood—for himself, for Anna, for her sister and all the others who had suffered under Basher’s reign of terror. He touched the swelling bruise on Anna’s cheek and a new emotion took root inside his soul.
Something deeper, stronger, scarier.
Something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in all these long centuries.
Affection.
Dante stood and slung Anna’s slight weight over his shoulder then strode back to his bike. Keeping her with him for the ride home would be tricky, but he would manage. Keeping her with him until Friday would be even trickier, but he had no choice now.
As Basher had said, that was when the planetary convergence took place.
If everything went to plan, more than heavenly bodies would align that night.
After settling Anna on the seat of his chopper, Dante climbed aboard, her dead weight resting heavy on his back as he slid on his sunglasses and started the engine. Above the roar, he used his demon powers to rouse her enough to grip his waist and hold on tight as they took off back toward Seven.
Chapter Four
For the second time that day, Anna cracked open one eye and spotted that wonky ceiling fan above her head. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face and winced, touching the painful lump on her right cheek.
“How are you feeling?” a male voice, his voice, echoed from the shadows.
Dante.
“I’ve been better.” Anna rolled to her side and caught his scent on her clothes. Fuzzy memories of the ride back drifted into her mind, his strong, muscled back pressed tight against her chest, the protection of his body shielding her from the wind, the heat of him as they’d sped down the deserted open road.
Slowly, Anna sat up and covered her eyes against the long beams of late afternoon sun. She needed to check-into her motel, get showered, get a good night’s sleep so she could start her search for Liz all over again tomorrow. “I need to go.”
“You are not going anywhere.” The sound of sloshing liquid drew her attention to the far corner of the room. She made out the tip of one of his black motorcycle boots in the deepening shadows. His commanding tone brooked no argument.
Still, head pounding and mood frazzled, Anna pushed to her feet and crossed her arms, resisting anyway. “I’m not a dog. You can’t just order me around.”
His aggrieved sigh, followed by the creak of his chair as he stood, had her stepping back toward the ragged sofa again. Dante moved closer and held up his hand, a bottle of liquor clutched tight as he pointed at her with his index finger. “You have no idea of the danger
you are in.”
One look in his dark eyes gave her an inkling.
“You followed me.” His outraged tone was laced with a thread of disbelief.
“I had to.” Anna sidestepped to the end of the sofa then stepped backward until she hit the wall. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same in my place.”
“No one follows me.”
“Yeah, well.” She shrugged, a niggle of unease burrowing into her gut. He seemed genuinely shocked she’d tailed him to the shack. “I did.”
He cursed again and turned away, the same guttural language she’d heard earlier. Curiosity—and no small amount of fatigue—got the better of her. “What language is that?”
Dante turned slightly, his eyes narrowed. “Rhefugi.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Of course not.” That crimson spark flared hot in his eyes again. “Few humans have.”
Her voice emerged less confident than before. “What realm are you from, exactly?”
“I warned you.”
She’d been hoping he’d forget about that, that maybe she’d imagined it all.
If you show up here again, I will take you. Fair warning…
Anna tried to laugh off her growing fear and need. “You weren’t serious.”
“I never joke about sex or money.” Dante took a long swig of booze straight from the bottle, and she couldn’t seem to make herself look away. In fact, she had the crazy urge to run her tongue along all the corded sinews of his neck, to taste his salty skin and feel the scrape of his dark stubble against her flesh. “You have returned. Which means you are now mine.”
“Yours? We barely know each other.” She scoffed. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m human. There are treaties, rules, laws.”
“This is Blood Ravagers territory. Those rules do not apply here.” He stepped in front of Anna again and gave her a slow once-over. “Turn around.”
“I will not.” He leaned in closer and a strange warmth trickled through her blood—hot and languorous and undeniably powerful. She moved, her body turning as if of its own volition.
“Do not deny your desires. Not with me.”
His tone was pure, wicked temptation and she was so tired. Tired of denying her true self. Tired of always trying to be so perfect, so strong, so in control. Molten heat pooled in her core and she faced the wall, placing her palms against the cool stone.
Several seconds passed in silence while she stared at her toes. Where was he now? His fingertip traced slow and feather-light down the nape of her neck. She shivered. Behind her, he was definitely behind her.
She shook off his gentle caress. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Dante pulled the auburn wig from her head, sending her pale blonde hair cascading around her shoulders. He pushed the long fall of it aside then exhaled against her exposed skin, his warm breath tinged with mint and bourbon. “He harmed you.”
She trembled as he caressed the bruises on her neck. “He grabbed me pretty hard.”
“I will never harm you.”
“Good to know.” She tried for a laugh but ended up closer to a moan.
“I will hurt you, but never harm you.” She heard a slight smile in his voice.
Anna did her best to stay focused on her task and not his potent touch. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Dante’s chuckle, low and sexy, flowed over her like honey. “Pleasure and pain. Love and hate. Dominance and submission. One does not exist without the other.”
“I still don’t see—” He slipped his hands around her waist then pulled her back against him. The heat of his chest penetrated the back of her thin cotton shirt. She was trapped between a wall and a very hard man, at least from the feel of his stiff cock nudging against her lower back.
She was unprepared, undone. She closed her heavy-lidded eyes and surrendered to the possibilities. He placed his hands on her shoulders, slowly pushing her down to her knees in front of him. His strong thighs pressed into her upper back and she leaned forward to rest her forehead against the cool stone wall.
Then he crouched behind her and whispered, “Tonight.”
“Tonight?” It seemed her voice had gone all breathy without her consent.
“Tonight, I will have you.” He kissed a burning path down the side of her neck to her collarbone. “And you will have me.”
“What about Liz?”
“What about her?” He stopped to nibble on the sensitive spot behind her ear.
“Where is she?” Anna took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at Dante. Tonight, she might share her body with him, but what would happen once their passion burned itself out by morning. “Will you help me find my sister?”
He frowned, his expression incredulous. “You would trade your body for information?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She looked away, embarrassed by the insinuation. One-night stands were not her forte. Honestly, she had no idea what she was doing when it came to a man like Dante. “I just thought…”
“You thought wrong.” He straightened and walked away, grabbing the bottle of booze on his way back to his seat. “I am not into sexual blackmail anymore.”
“Anymore?” Without the heat of him close, cold panic set in again. “But you were?”
“There are things you do not know about me, about Seven. Things that could get a lot of people killed, including us.” He set the liquor aside and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I should not be telling you any of this.”
She gathered what courage she had left and squared her shoulders, pushing to her feet and facing him once more. “You can’t keep me here. People will notice I’m gone. I’m a teacher. I have students, classes.”
Dante slumped back in his chair. “Fifth grade. San Miguel Elementary School.”
Her blood froze. “How did you know?”
“Liz told me.”
“So you have seen her?”
“She is very proud of you.”
She is…
Present tense, not past. A tiny ember of hope flared brighter in Anna’s heart.
The smell of fried food drifted upward from the bar below and her stomach growled. She placed her hands over her abdomen to muffle the sound, but it didn’t help.
He glanced at her for a long moment. “Hungry?”
Anna shrugged and looked away, not sure any food they’d have in an otherworld biker bar would be suitable for human consumption. She could grab a quick bite at the coffee shop on her way to the motel. If she ever got out of this place.
“I will bring you something.” He stood and walked to the exit. “Stay here and keep quiet.” Dante pointed toward a door on the other side of the bed. “Bathroom is through there.”
He left, locking her inside. Anna plopped down on the sofa and dropped her head into her hands. This day had turned into a cluster fuck of epic proportions. Eyes closed, she pictured her sister, happy and laughing and silly. Liz was always such an optimist.
Restless, Anna pushed to her feet and surveyed Dante’s living quarters. There was a small kitchenette area, a TV in one corner, a king-sized bed, the bathroom, and what appeared to be another, narrower doorway in the opposite corner. Curious, she weaved around the chair he’d been sitting in and headed toward it. Tried the handle, but found it locked.
Anna leaned against the battered wood door and sighed. Then she peered out another window beside her and spotted her car parked on the street alongside the walled courtyard. The gang must’ve retrieved it from where she’d hidden it near the shack. At least she wouldn’t have to explain to the rental agency how’d she misplaced their vehicle in the Big Horn foothills.
Mind racing, she paced. She still needed to look up the medicine wheel and Dante’s tattoo. Maybe after she ate, he’d let her get her things from the car. She peered out the window again. Or she could get out of here herself.
She tried to open the window, but it didn’t budge.
Dammit.
Ma
ybe she could smash the glass, then look for a way down. Not ideal, but better than nothing. She’d just started to search for something to use to bust out the window when Dante returned.
Balanced on his arms were several Styrofoam containers and in his hands were two drink cups. He placed it all on a small table near the kitchenette then locked the door again and pocketed the key. “Come eat. I will not bite. Not unless you beg first.”
The aroma of cheese and fried onions had her mouth watering and Anna made her way slowly to the table. She took a seat across from him and opened the container he put in front of her. Burger, onion rings. It all looked normal. She took a sip from her cup. Chocolate shake. Her favorite.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked so I got you my regular.” Dante straddled his chair and tore into his food, speaking to her around a large bite of burger. A glob of ketchup dripped on to his chin and she battled the sudden urge to lick it off.
“Not bad,” he said.
Nope. Not bad at all.
She tried to eat slowly and maintain some semblance of manners, but after the first few bites Anna devoured the delicious food as quickly as he did. “This is really good.”
“Dex is an accomplished chef.”
“Dex?”
“The bartender.”
Anna remembered the looker with the violet eyes from when she’d first entered Seven. Given his shaggy, sun-kissed handsomeness, she would have suspected he was a surfer, not a chef. Then again, the more time she spent here, the more she felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. “I’ve never been to an otherworld bar before. You guys have all kinds of hidden secrets, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.” Dante said, the crimson spark in his eyes flaring bright once more.
Anna took a huge gulp of chocolate shake then kept her head down.
Tonight, I will have you…
“So.” Dante finished his meal then pushed his empty container aside, his chest beneath his vest tanned and toned and infinitely inviting. He watched her through half-lidded eyes, his dark gaze entirely too perceptive for her comfort. “What is your experience level?”
Blood Bound (Blood Ravengers Book 1) Page 3