Embrace the Power

by Caris Roane

  “Several of them are pregnant.”

  He took a couple of seconds to do a deeper search of the room and she was right. Not only were there large women serving the clientele but several average-sized women who were with child.

  He’d only been inside Gary’s club a few times, but he’d never noticed pregnant women before. Of course, he hadn’t been looking, either. Connor’s work was centered on drug-running, not sex-for-sale enterprises. Any business he’d had with Big Nuts would have involved seeking information about a runner.

  ~ ~ ~

  Iris tried to ignore the smells assaulting her from within the oh-so-fine establishment. She smelled sex and a variety of body odors, a cigar stench and somewhere a layering of beer and vomit.

  Having reached the opposite side of the room and passed down a narrow hall, Alejandro stood outside a doorway. Two plump, naked beauties held back a pair of blue velvet curtains. Iris half-expected Big Nuts to be reclining on pillows with several women servicing him.

  Instead, he sat behind a desk, smoking a cigar, his eyes narrowed as if in some discomfort. Four bodyguards, in addition to Alejandro, were stationed around the room.

  She forced herself to take deep breaths, not because she was frightened, but because the wood-paneling of the room was trying to talk to her, screaming at her.

  Violence was part of night-life in the Row. So of course the organic elements of the room would try to gain her attention, to warn her away. She even thought about attempting a calming spell. But she knew the moment she lit up her witch skills, one of the vampires present would probably cut her throat.

  Big Nuts looked her up and down. He was bald, had a wide nose, and wore a black tank like Connor that showcased his shoulder tattoos, one of them a screaming skull. “You’re pretty for a witch. Too skinny, though.” As an alter species, he could tell she was a witch just as she knew he was a vampire.

  He rose from his chair, then rounded the desk to plant his ass on the corner, legs wide. He wore snug, leopard print pants.

  Okay, she couldn’t help herself. Her gaze dropped to the bulge across his groin and there they were, about the size of softballs, which was probably the most accurate description possible in every respect. There was nothing sexy in the display, however. Rather, she felt like she was standing next to a cage at the zoo, looking at an animal she’d never seen before.

  Gary’s nickname suited him extremely well.

  When she could finally lift her gaze to his face, he wore a satisfied smile and took a drag on his fat cigar. It was as though God had given him a single outstanding asset and he worked it like a one-ring circus.

  “So you knew the bridge would blow. That a witch thing?”

  “My witch thing. Yes.”

  “Yeah, you witches have a complete panorama of gifts. I lose track. And I never use one of your kind in my club, in case you’re offering.”

  “I’m not.”

  Big Nuts’s gaze slid to Connor. “What d’you want, anyway, Officer?”

  Connor’s deep voice rolled through the room. “Heard a rumor you sent a runner my way tonight. A woman with a fake jacket. I need to know why.”

  Iris felt the tenor of the room change, like a first strike of lightning in a thunder storm. It was a warning from a spiritual plane and she knew she couldn’t ignore it.

  She drew her gun, whirled, then settled her back against Connor’s arm. She was essentially at a right-angle to him. He didn’t move, yet she could feel his body had drawn up into a single tense line, ready for action as well.

  Big Nuts’s bodyguard force came to attention during the same split-second of movement. Blades came out and a couple of hand guns.

  “Back-off,” Iris cried out, “or I’ll start shooting because I don’t give a damn who dies here tonight. Not me, not Connor, not any of you.”

  There was a joint intake of breath. A few of the bodyguards muttered a string of expletives. A witch making threats in a Crescent Territory establishment was something to be feared.

  Gary waved a hand. “Put your weapons away.”

  Big Nuts’s force obeyed immediately, though all eyes were on her.

  “What are you doing?” Connor asked, nudging her gently with his arm from behind.

  “Protecting your ass.”

  For some reason, this made Connor chuckle. “Thanks, but I got this.”

  “You sure? Because I felt a premonition glide through the room. I think maybe you need to ask Big Nuts here who paid him to set you up?” Iris didn’t shift position. The warning still registered with her like an itch on her skin. She kept her gaze moving from the shifters she could see back to the velvet curtains and the two women ready to reopen them on command. Each stood with eyes wide and panicked.

  Connor’s voice once more rolled through the space. “So, Gary, why did you set me up?”

  “It was all in fun. I sent Tammy out there myself just to give you a hard time. No one else had a hand in it. This is on me.”

  Iris didn’t hesitate to share her thoughts. “He’s lying.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Connor loved that Iris was as deeply engaged in the process as he was and he could feel her witchness as she stayed connected to his arm. She’d also brought the real issue to the forefront, exactly where it needed to be.

  He began again, holding Gary’s gaze tight. “Now, why do you want to lie to me? Haven’t I always been fair with you? When was the last time I raided your establishment?”

  “Never.”

  “Exactly. So, why the runner?”

  Big Nuts released a heavy sigh. “All right. Someone wanted you to kill her. He was sure you would. Said you had a habit of putting innocent women in the grave.”

  Clearly, whoever was after him knew the worst parts of his history.

  “And how did you know Tammy? She was too thin to be one of your big women.”

  “She came to me pregnant and knew I hired a few women who could sport the belly. She did good for a while but she pounded down blood flame like you wouldn’t believe and I had to let her go. When I was approached with a boatload of cash, I knew Tammy would do whatever I asked. I was right.”

  Connor grew uneasy, though he wasn’t sure why. Something in the room didn’t feel right to him either and not because Iris was feeling it. But he couldn’t put his finger on the problem.

  Then it hit him. There was a theme going on here. The woman he’d killed all those years ago had been pregnant. Tammy had been as well. And Big Nuts used pregnant women as part of his sex club. But none of this would get him the answers he needed.

  Yet, as he recalled the woman he’d killed a decade past, guilt drove a spike through his heart all over again. The moment he’d realized the pistol had been strapped to her wrist, he knew he’d been set up, maneuvered to kill the woman. But he’d never known why, never gotten to the bottom of it. Even back then he couldn’t find anyone willing to talk.

  The event had changed him, made him cautious, more careful than he’d ever been before.

  Now here he was, facing a low-level sex club owner who had sent Tammy out to repeat history. “I need to know who set me up. That’s all. Then I’m out of here.”

  He felt Iris tense up once more. “We should leave,” she said quietly.

  He took in the field once more. Five shifter bodyguards and Big Nuts. Two women by the blue velvet drapes. Iris’s gun and her witch powers, his own weapon still in its holster. His sword at the ready.

  He made his move and brought his gun into his hand. He was fast and even Big Nuts’s eyes widened.

  Big Nuts held up both hands. “Let’s calm down.”

  “Let’s not. Iris, start making your way to the door. Gary, you should let us go.”

  “See, it’s this way. I can’t. I was told to hold you and these were orders I couldn’t refuse.”

  “Whose orders?”

  “Can’t tell you that either, except to say it wasn’t one of the big three.” He lifted both arms in the air and with his index
and middle fingers pressed together, waved to his troops. It was a signal of some kind.

  Connor fired up into the air and the women at the velvet curtains screamed and ran out of the room. The bodyguards, however, froze in mid-motion like playing statue, but he wasn’t sure why. Gary with them.

  Then he felt Iris’s witch energy all around him, though how she was doing it he had no idea. She seemed to be employing some form of enthrallment, a spell maybe. It was on a massive scale, something most witches couldn’t do. So who was Iris anyway?

  Connor kept shifting his gaze from Big Nuts, to his men, and back.

  “Iris?” He didn’t dare take his eyes off the men in front of him, though he feared more guards may have already arrived at the entrance. If they had, he and Iris were screwed.

  Connor waited, then asked, “What’s going on, Iris?”

  She didn’t respond, but he could still feel her streaming some kind of spell. And since Big Nuts hadn’t moved because he, too, was frozen in place, Connor turned toward the door. But no one was there. No one had come to support Gary’s troops.

  He then looked back at Iris. Holy shit. She stood eyes closed, with her arms raised, her gun in hand and the pistol pointed toward the ceiling.

  He finally understood. She was holding the room in some kind of stasis. All with her own power. Unbelievable.

  But it was a brilliant move because he knew exactly how he could make this work for him.

  He moved back to Big Nuts, whose eyes looked dull.

  “Iris, it would help if you could partially release Gary.”

  He felt her focusing intently and after a moment, Big Nuts finally blinked, meeting Connor’s gaze.

  “Tell me now, Gary, who set me up and what species was he?”

  Big Nuts shook his head. Despite the fact that his troops were immobilized and couldn’t come to his aid, he still wouldn’t give up the information.

  Connor looked down at the man’s leopard pants and the two oversized bulges. How bad would it hurt if he was in a witch-trance?

  Time to find out.

  Using the butt of his gun, he came down on the left testicle.

  Big Nuts arched his neck, opened his mouth wide and a high-pitched scream left his voice.

  “Tell me now, Gary, or I’ll do the same to the other one.”

  “He was a vampire but didn’t give me his name.” Gary’s face had turned bright red from pain. He also had a hard time pushing his words out of his throat. “He gave me cash. A lot of it. Seemed like a small thing to do, sending you out to Amado, then over to Sentinel. I didn’t know he meant to blow the bridge.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Couldn’t see his face, only his eyes.” He squeezed each word out. He was having a hard time breathing. “Green, maybe hazel. Not sure. Black hair. Tall. Lean. But he was in shadow, like some kind of spell was on him. That’s all I know.”

  “You called him, didn’t you? Before we came in.”

  “Yes, he’s on his way. A couple minutes out.”

  “Was he paying you more to turn us over?”

  Big Nuts nodded. “A lot. The man has money.”

  So they were dealing with a vampire of wealth, maybe the vampire who’d shown up at Iris’s just before they left.

  “I should kill you for this.”

  Big Nuts glanced down at his crotch. “I think you already did.”

  Connor was pissed as hell. He brought the butt down on the other ball and watched as Big Nuts folded up then slid off the desk.

  He returned to Iris, facing her. “Can you talk while you’re holding this spell?”

  She shook her head, her eyes still closed.

  “Can I?”

  She nodded in quick bobs of her chin.

  “Good. I want to wait for our mystery man to arrive. You okay with that?”

  She shook her head.

  “You’re running out of steam?”

  Another nod.

  He noticed the white, compressed look to her lips. “Okay. Can you move?”

  Once more, her head wagged side-to-side.

  “Can I pick you up?”

  She dipped her chin.

  He slipped behind her and put her in flight position on his boot once more, holding her close. He levitated slowly back into the hall. He could feel her spell still flooding the space around them.

  When he moved into the main sex room, he saw that the spell had shut everyone down there as well. He’d never been more grateful in his life. Or astonished. Iris had a helluva lot of power.

  As he moved through the room, he searched for the man who was hunting them, but saw no one who might fit the description.

  However, when he slipped through the front door and past the bodyguards, he happened to glance back over his shoulder. A tall vampire with unusually pale skin, stood watching him. He was lean with maybe greenish eyes and had black hair, but that’s all Connor could make out. Big Nuts was right; a witch spell of some kind cloaked him. Great. They were dealing with a vampire who didn’t mind making use of a witch’s powers.

  He could feel Iris’s spell start to weaken. He rose swiftly into the air and Iris collapsed against him, the spell vanishing at the same moment. He carried her two streets over, then landed to put both guns away. It was tricky since she was limp against him, almost unconscious.

  As soon as the weapons were back in each holster, he slid an arm beneath her knees and cradled her against his chest. He then launched back into the air. He realized now that Iris, acting on her prescience, had gotten them both out of there alive, though he didn’t know how. For one thing, he should have fallen under the spell at the same time as the others. For another, he’d never heard of a witch being able to enthrall so many at once. Again, Iris must have a phenomenal level of ability.

  He decided it would be best to return to her home since she would need time to recover. He knew enough about her culture to understand Iris would gain strength from her garden. But he wasn’t sure they should stay there long since their shared enemy knew where she lived.

  He flew to her backyard and slowly made his descent. When he touched down on the lawn he looked up and saw that her earlier spell, full of power, had created a shield over her entire property, something that looked like soft trails of mist through the air.

  “I can see your spell,” he said quietly. He didn’t let her go. He knew she’d crumple if he did.

  “Makes sense.” She spoke slowly, as though drugged. “I included you in the binding incantation. Sorry I’m so weak. I used everything … I had to hold the spell. I knew he wouldn’t tell us anything otherwise.”

  Connor carried her to the back door and opened it carefully. At the same time, the yellow cat rushed out, his quiet bell jingling at his neck.

  “Don’t take me into the house,” she whispered. “Follow Pips.”

  He turned and saw that the cat was sitting in the middle of the patch of grass, his back to Connor. Pips then turned slightly to watch Connor over his shoulder as though waiting for Connor to figure things out.

  When Connor levitated and moved in the cat’s direction, Pips trotted to the tree then sat down off to the right of it. “Pips is by the sissoo.”

  “Take me there. He always knows best.” Ah, yes, the world of the witch.

  Once he reached the old, massive tree, he had to set her on her feet for a moment, but held her pressed against him. He unclipped his Glock holster first, then his sword, bending to place each on the ground. He picked her up again and leaning against the tree slid down to sit on the grass at the base. He held Iris on his lap, still holding her close.

  The tree felt like life to him, as though everything good and powerful in the universe had gathered in one place and showered a life-force down on them both.

  A breeze blew through the garden, rustling the leaves of the sissoo, and making a shushing sound.

  His throat grew tight and he had the strangest feeling as though for a brief moment he’d returned to the human world
restored. He rubbed his gums, checking for the lumps that would release his fangs, but they were still there. The sensation, as transient as it would no doubt prove, made him long for things he’d pushed to the deepest parts of his mind.

  He’d been twenty-eight when he’d taken the blood flame drug, laced as it was with the vampire alter serum. But in this moment, with Iris in his arms, he could recall the vision he’d had for his life. He would become an engineer and build entire cities. He would find the right woman to be by his side, they would marry and have four or five kids.

  He’d found the right woman, but after a year of marriage she’d died unexpectedly of a brain aneurism. His grief had been profound and had led him to take blood flame, which in turn had brought him here, to this exact spot, beneath a life-giving tree and holding a beautiful, strong, resourceful witch in his arms.

  When Iris began drawing deep breaths, he felt her strength returning. With skin like cream, her brows in fine arches, and her lips full, she looked like a model.

  Without thinking, he stroked her face, pushing a few loose strands away from her ear.

  She drew another stream of air into her lungs, then rolled her head back to look up at him. Her gaze skated past him as she looked in the direction of the sky. She smiled. “I’m so glad to be home and you’re right, my spell holds. We’ll be safe here. I knew you were worried about that.”

  Her cat jumped up on Iris’s stomach. “Hello, Pips.”

  Iris shifted just enough to pet her cat.

  Connor’s throat now ached like he had a noose around his neck. For a moment, he didn’t know why until he realized he’d felt this way once before, during his way-too-brief marriage.

  The night had already been strange with the runner and her fake jacket, the explosion on the bridge, and now Big Nuts turning him over to a madman for cash.

  But maybe the most bizarre part was realizing he was falling in love with Iris Meldeere, a woman who by nature of her alter species was his enemy.

  How the hell had this happened?

  End Excerpt from BLOOD FLAME

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