Mud squicked around my shoes as I made my way to the back door. An even bigger window than the one that graced the front door was built into it, paned by small pieces of wood forming smaller windows. But the room beyond was dark, so I was just going to have to take a chance.
I smashed the small piece of glass closest to the deadbolt and then paused, listening. My heart thudded so loudly it was hard to make out anything else. So I stopped and breathed, trying to calm myself, trying to listen.
Nothing. I removed what I could of the glass with the crowbar and then reached in and turned the lock. Then, very slowly, I turned the handle and pushed the door.
The room beyond was dark, and I turned on my flashlight to see beyond the small space illuminated by the open door. The cobwebs in the corners of the room suggested the place was vacant, and the layer of dust on an old desk in one corner supported the suggestion. My shoulders dropped. It had been a small chance, but I’d hoped.
I shook my head. Search this place or move on?
Moving on to the next warehouse seemed like the best idea. Wasting time here wouldn’t get me anything.
I stepped back, then reached for the door when something caught my eye. Dirt and grime covered the floor—mostly. A small trail of less-dirty spots went from the door through to the opening into the next room.
It wasn’t clean, and there was nothing so obvious as footprints, but less dust coated its surface that the ones around it.
I frowned and chewed on the inside of my lip. A caretaker could have walked through here. Perhaps one of the Chevaliers who routinely checked out the properties?
Maybe. But maybe not.
I slid my hand over my gun and stepped back into the warehouse, making my way farther in as quietly as I could.
My gun caught a bit in the holster, and I tugged to get it out. I struggled with my flashlight and the crowbar in my other hand, before finally finding a balance that allowed me to hold both, if a bit precariously.
The air was cool and faintly damp—tinged with other things. Scents that made me think of back alleys and bars. I stopped and peered around a corner, swinging my flashlight and gun as I moved. Nothing.
As I crept forward, careful to avoid rustling the papers that appeared haphazardly along the floor, a bit of light caught my attention. That couldn’t be the outside, could it?
It seemed too close to be some sort of break in the wall, too minute to be a small window.
My flashlight revealed a door. To creep or to fling?
I frowned. If a Covenant witch and his bodyguard were behind that door, they’d hardly be impressed by the noise and sound of me hurling open the door and shouting
“police” at them. No, sneakiness was best. Besides, if I were lucky at all, they were being arrested at La Maison as I crept through the dirty warehouse.
I opened the door slowly, wincing as it creaked. The light was on. Electricity ran in this warehouse. Excitement surged through me and I stepped into the room.
Movement across the room immediately caught my attention. My eyes met Viktor Koslov’s, and I swung the gun around without preamble.
“Police!” I shouted, and then I cried out as I felt pain surge from my hand and shoot up my arm. My gun clanked to the floor and I risked a glance. Blisters grew and bubbled on the backside of my hand, and tears sprang to my eyes. The pain overwhelmed me as I took in the damage to my flesh.
Koslov smiled and nodded to my side. I followed his gaze, blinking through the tears. Tall and built like a linebacker, the man from the lobby stood, arm outstretched, with eyes as black as night.
Chapter Thirteen
Faced with the salamander ready to burn me, and the Covenant witch ready to do who knew what to me, I raised my hands, wincing as the skin stretched with the movement. The burn hadn’t reached my palm but rather had only touched the outside of my hand, extending from the middle knuckle of my fingers to several inches of my arm above my wrist. So he couldn’t burn just anything, or he would have burned my palm, I figured. Directionally based? Like a person standing with a hose, he could point it and shoot, but not otherwise direct the flow of power? I should have asked Costa.
“Keep your hands up, Ms. Whitman,” Koslov ordered.
He nodded to the salamander and the big man took a step toward me.
My foot slid back as if it had a mind of its own and that mind was set to get the heck out of there. As the salamander raised a hand toward me, I swallowed hard.
“Please don’t worry, Detective. Leon is merely going to search you. You will be quite unharmed, I promise. Of course, your continued health is dependent upon your cooperation.” The council member flashed a smile at me, and I supposed he thought it a comforting expression. I suppressed a shudder at the creepiness.
The salamander tossed my flashlight and crowbar into a corner of the room and picked my gun up from the floor, tucking it into his belt. Then he searched me quickly and with a brisk efficiency and confidence. Former law enforcement?
This got better and better.
“I just want my sister,” I said, then added, “and Natalie.
You guys can go, get out of town. I never saw you here.” Koslov chuckled, but Leon maintained his expressionless demeanor. “Oh yes, Detective. I’m sure that you’ll keep your word when we leave.” Koslov’s humor faded. “Who knows that you are here?” I snorted. “Everyone, of course. I called for backup on my way in.” I had, sort of. Although a quick call to Costa hardly equated with really calling in the cavalry. But Koslov had no way of knowing that.
“Lie.” Koslov gave me a small smile. “Nice try, but I’m a witch, Detective. And not an idiot.” His gaze traveled down my body, but there was no real desire on his face, no lust. He looked at me with the cold calculation of a car salesman checking out the trade-in. Finally, he pursed his lips and said, “Well you’re not as...young as I would like.
But you’re definitely attractive enough. Isn’t she, Don?” Leon grunted.
“The police background will certainly reduce your value. Unless...” He snapped his fingers and a smile of pure greed appeared on his face. “Oh yes. This will be just fine. I’m sure I have some potential customers who would like to work out on you some lingering issues with law enforcement, Detective.”
The corner of my lip rose into a snarl and I struggled to keep my cool. “Just give me the women. Do you really think I was too stupid to call in for backup before barging in here?”
He grinned. “Oh yes. I think you were just that stupid.
That’s the thing about you cops—especially otherworlders.
Always with something to prove. You’re all a bunch of wannabe cowboys.”
Dammit. I was stupid. But Costa would come for me, wouldn’t he? He’d check his voice mail and head here, especially once they figured out that Koslov wasn’t at the hotel. I just had to delay them.
“Put her in a room by the other two,” Koslov ordered.
He turned to a small desk with a laptop sitting on top of it that was situated farther into the room. The desk stood out in sharp contrast—new and shiny in a room full of old, dirty things. Apparently Koslov didn’t like the idea of working at one of the old, dirty desks stacked in the corner of the room.
“Why are you doing this?” I called. When all else failed, try to get them to discuss their glorious plans.
“Really, Detective?” He crossed his arms. “Trying to get a villainous monologue out of me is the best you can do?”
Crap. “Well, I’m curious.”
“So sorry to disappoint you, but I’m hardly going to discuss my affairs with a woman—a succubus besides.” He turned back to the desk and the salamander took a step toward me.
“I just don’t understand why you’re moving on from succubi? Surely the market for sirens isn’t as flush.” He stiffened, whether it was because I knew more than he’d expected me to, or because he was just getting irritated at my prattle, I wasn’t sure. His salamander paused and glanced at Koslov.
> “I mean, I get the succubi thing. Pet sex slave that you can drain, that’s gotta be pretty damn appealing to a lot of scum-suckers. But sirens?” I shrugged. “I just don’t see the point. I mean, when a siren’s power is used, sure you can control a person for a brief period of time, but they always remember that they were controlled afterward. And using a siren’s power is treated the same by the law as using a gun.”
Koslov turned to me, expression dark. He’d nearly reached his desk. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, succubus.” He named my species with such venom I started, and I thought I saw Leon stiffen next to me. “In fact, I wouldn’t expect much at all from you. Heaven forbid you have enough imagination to consider the benefits of being able to drain a siren of its powers. While you don’t get the long-term power over a person that succubus powers provide, you do get their unwavering obedience during the song and for a time after. The song can be used to eliminate any witnesses as well.” I mentally winced, and Leon shifted his weight beside me. That was true enough. If a criminal had no morals, they could use the siren’s song to make a victim kill themselves in any number of ways before the effect faded. “Then why do you keep killing them?”
He shrugged, raising his hands up as he did. “Succubi were quite easy; it was merely a bend of their inherent powers. A reversal, if you will. But sirens are not built to transfer power…the results are unpredictable and irreversible.” His smile returned. “But don’t you worry your pretty head about it. I’ll figure it out. And if a few bitches die in the process…” He shrugged and the smile that blossomed on his face made bile rise in my throat.
Whatever other goals moved him, I’d bet my badge that Koslov’s primary motivation was hurting his victims.
I snorted. “Doesn’t seem likely. I hope you don’t run out of succubi anytime soon. Maybe you’ll have to move on to incubi—and they’re still pretty tough to find. Hope you have some women in your buyer ranks. Or maybe incubi just don’t move you in the same way?” I watched his face carefully as I spoke, and the slight snarl that arose at my question clinched it for me. Koslov had a serious issue with women.
It fit.
He kidnapped female-only species, and succubi and sirens were women who could control people with their powers. “So what woman pissed you off, Koslov? Let me guess, Mommy was a little controlling? She didn’t hug you enough?” I lowered my voice, as if I had an intimate secret to share. “Or maybe she hugged you a little too much?” He snarled something in Russian at me, and then said,
“Get her the fuck out of here!” to Leon.
“Guess you’re just not good enough to do anything other than bend nature, anyway,” I called out, keeping my smug grin firmly affixed to my face, but inside my chest my heart beat wildly, and I felt like I might explode from the tension. “Besides. I’m guessing that your succubus power transfers are highly exaggerated.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” He smirked and sauntered toward Leon. Koslov reached up and touched the taller man’s shoulder, then slid his hand down, caressing the salamander’s arm. Leon shuddered, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. Then Koslov stepped away and headed back toward his desk. Leon reached out and grabbed my arm, his grip iron against my skin.
My mouth dropped open and the pieces in my mind fell into place. No wonder the burned bodies had been left in such precarious places. He was controlling the salamander using succubus thrall? Holy hell, I didn’t even want to know the lengths he’d had to go to in order to establish that control. Succubi powers were inseparably linked to sex. Had he been abusing Leon in the same way he set up the succubi he sold to be abused? Was he sleeping with him? Or was it rape?
I swallowed hard against the bile rising in my throat and looked at the salamander. God, was that why he’d stared at me, so oddly intense? I should have seen it. Should have noticed that he was trying to tell me something. Should have picked up on Koslov’s magic.
I shook my head slightly. That’s why Koslov had seemed just a little more charismatic than normal when I met him in Natalie’s office. He carried the unconscious powers of a succubus as well—a small amount, anyway.
I should have picked up on that. But there was no point in berating myself about it now. I’d have all the time in the world to mentally scold myself after Elaine was safe.
Right now I had to concentrate on freeing her.
Across the room, Koslov’s grin widened as he watched my expression. He knew. He knew that I had figured out what he was doing, how he was controlling his pet salamander, and my horror amused him. Leon’s grip loosened on my arm, and I wondered if he was merely waiting for orders or if he again struggled with Koslov’s influence.
If Leon was already struggling against the witch’s control enough to leave hints for the police to find, could I free him with my own ability? I couldn’t reverse Koslov’s thrall, but maybe with a touch of my own power, it would weaken the witch’s hold just enough for Leon to break free. All I had to do was drink in some of his energy, and a small amount of thrall would naturally pass to him. I’d never used it that way, but I knew that it was possible. The closest I’d ever come was trying to make myself appear even more attractive to my prom date in high school. I’d kept his attention, all right. But it hadn’t kept the jerk from dumping me two weeks later for another girl.
“Take her, Leon.” Koslov made his way to the desk, and his voice had regained its coolness, its calm. His interest in me gone.
Leon released my arm and motioned for me to go ahead, down a hallway to the right of where I’d come in. I stiffened my spine and walked past him.
A loud crash sounded behind us, and I pivoted around just in time to see Leon do the same.
“Police,” Costa shouted as he entered the room.
He’d decided on the dramatic entrance.
Hope surged until I saw Leon raise his hands. I didn’t know how his power compared to Costa’s, but I knew Costa could be burned. The OWEA agent’s attention was firmly focused on Koslov, and he wouldn’t even have a chance to defend himself against the other salamander.
I grabbed Leon’s arm, but he ignored me. Desperately I reached for his energy and tried to pull, but failed. I could feel it, but I couldn’t touch it. Of course I couldn’t touch it. Succubi powers were heavily connected to sex and, barring that, desire. Other strong emotions could trigger succubus powers as well, but none so reliably as lust.
Dammit.
Leon tried halfheartedly to buck me off while taking a couple of stumbling steps toward Costa. Koslov had a hand raised at Costa, and was speaking—spewing lies to get Costa to let his guard down, no doubt. But Costa was having none of it. He shouted at Koslov again to get on the ground.
Grabbing energy was tricky business, especially for a succubus who never used that side of her power. But I could do this; it was as natural for me as breathing. It had certainly felt natural last night, when I had to force myself not to take energy from Costa. My heart leaped into my throat.
Costa. That was it.
I blinked through the tears in my eyes and tried again, grabbing the salamander’s body in a full hug. He grunted in surprise, but didn’t move his focus from Costa. He knew who the real threat was, or perhaps he was under specific orders from Koslov to protect him first.
I held on tightly, pain throbbing its way from my hand up my arm, and tried to think of Costa. I pushed away the outside world where Costa shouted at Koslov and Leon tried to squirm away from me. I thought of our night together. Of how he made me feel. Of how Costa’s power felt licking along my skin while he made love to me. All the while, I reached for Leon’s power. After a few seconds, it clicked.
A flash of worry shot through me. Was Costa watching? Would my actions confirm to him that I was just another succubus looking for a fix? And most haunting of all, would siphoning power from Leon change me?
Leon’s power jumped from his skin to caress mine, shoving all of my worries and fears away with its seductive power. I could feel it, just a small dr
ain on him, but it was there. Spurred by my success, I kept Costa firmly in my mind and tried to open the flow even more. The power no longer caressed, it burned with a slow pleasant heat.
Flowing from his skin to mine, it rode my veins, racing through them into my head in a rush of power so heady I barely kept my grip on the large man. I gasped as the energy started to pour into me, and the power combined with the magic and thoughts of Costa heated my blood and made me suddenly ache to be back in his arms.
Then it wasn’t just Costa and me in my thoughts. Leon was there, too. A man I knew almost nothing about. His emotions flitted through me. Despair. Lust. Helplessness.
Love.
Rage so fierce it shook me to my core.
Leon growled and yanked me off his back, tossing me into the room with Costa and Koslov. I landed hard on my side, and the air flew from my lungs. I struggled up to my knees and looked back at Leon. The salamander, as if the small gesture of tossing me had taken his strength, fell to one knee and his head dropped. He looked around, dazed.
My mind fogged, and thoughts—important thoughts—
stayed just outside of my grasp. I looked around dumbly.
Only seconds had passed since I’d jumped on Leon, but it felt like forever. Long enough to get caught up in the man’s explosive emotions. Long enough to get to know Koslov’s captive salamander just enough to hurt for him.
Long enough to almost lose myself in a man I didn’t even know.
Costa was shouting something at Koslov, but the witch ignored him and seemed to be muttering under his breath.
A bit of a green plant peeked out from his tightly clasped fist, and I yelled, “He’s doing a spell!” at Costa.
“Put it down, Koslov,” Costa said, his voice loud but calm.
Koslov muttered a final word and tossed the herb at us, and then dove under the desk. Costa shot, but I couldn’t tell if he connected with Koslov because the room was suddenly filled with black smoke that coiled and then sprang around the room like a living thing. Unnatural and dark.
Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2) Page 12