by N Gray
The bodyguards reached for the flashlights on their vests and illuminated the contents within; there was only a sarcophagus resting in the middle of the container on a wide floor made of wood. The boards creaked underfoot as Sebastian and I entered; the flashlights moved as the others followed behind us, but I didn’t take my eyes off the coffin. It matched the sarcophagus in the photos. Someone had wanted me to find this, and that same someone must have left the key chain for me to find. But who was helping me, and why couldn’t they help Léon themselves? Unless it was all just a coincidence— but I didn’t much believe in those.
Sebastian and I gripped the lid of the coffin at the same time, and the others followed suit. Sebastian and I stood across from one another, and Kai and Lee stood beside him while I had the two bodyguards on my side. Ralph remained outside the container. Was he afraid or would he only help when all hell broke loose after we opened the lid?
We started lifting together. It moved easily, and we all coughed as dust rose from the inside. We lifted the lid, and Sebastian, Kai and Lee moved around to our side of the coffin to lay it gently on the floor near the wall of the container.
We went back to the base of the coffin to see what was inside. As in the photos, it contained the mummy wrapped in its black-and-gold linen, and, there, at the cadaver’s feet lay three of the most beautiful jewels that I had ever seen. I was no expert, but each one appeared flawless, a potent emerald star sparkling against the gloom each time they caught the light from the flashlights. At first, I was entirely captivated by them, but as I started to regain my senses once more, I stared at Sebastian and wondered whether he would reach for them first or if I should. No one moved.
“What the fuck are those, Sebastian?” Kai asked, protecting his face from the dust particles that danced in the air around our heads.
“Something that can fuck with the master. Do you have a bag for me, Kai?”
“Yeah, sure; let me get it.” We could hear Kai’s shoes squeak as he ran.
“Aren’t you going to destroy them?” I asked.
“That is up to Léon, Blaire. It was his decision for the jewels to be shipped from Egypt, and so I will take them back to him. We need to find out who did all this. To be able to hide them in one of Léon’s own warehouses, it confirms that the culprit is someone who had access to it all—someone on the inside.” Sebastian raised both eyebrows.
We heard Kai’s squeaking shoes as he ran back with a drawstring bag in his hands, which he handed to Sebastian. Sebastian turned to me, clutching the bag, but he stared at the jewels. Was he afraid that direct contact with the jewels might do something to him because he was a were-leopard?
“Do you want me to pick them up?”
He handed me the bag, and I carefully reached for the first one. When I touched it tentatively with my finger, there was nothing, just the coolness of the gem against my skin. I picked it up and placed it into the bag, and then I did the same with the other two. Once all three were in the bag, I closed the top and slung it over my shoulders. There was nothing to it; I didn’t feel any different. I didn’t feel like the jewels were any threat to me.
Sebastian looked at me with wide eyes like something had suddenly struck him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I sense an uneasiness—or something.” As Sebastian said that, each of the were-leopards looked up and sniffed the air.
“What now?”
“Someone is here—and there are lots of them.”
“How do you even know?”
“We can smell the oil on their guns.”
“Shit.”
The two bodyguards to my left drew their guns and held them in a ready stance. They started walking out of the container first. It was their job to protect us, and they readied themselves to do so.
Ralph started backing away from the container until the warehouse wall stopped him. He stared at me with wide eyes and mouthed, “What’s going on?”
I hurried toward him and grabbed his arm. “There are people here, and I don’t think they are friendlies.”
Kai and Lee came to join us, and Lee said, “Follow us.”
That’s what we did, with Sebastian close behind us.
Glass shattered overhead and rained down upon us. Jagged shards sliced a few scrapes on Ralph’s face as I sheltered my head with my hands. Kai and Lee were bleeding, too, but I could see their skin almost instantaneously knit together as they healed. Ralph saw it too and gave me wide eyes. I glanced back at Sebastian, but he showed no emotion. He had his blank face on, the epitome of focus, and I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his line of fire. He had his own gun out, ready to shoot at anything that came near us. I didn’t know that he was carrying one; he must have kept it in a holster at the small of his back.
Kai and Lee led us to a door in the far corner of the warehouse. I didn’t see it until we were right upon it. Lee opened it and started ushering us through. We followed Kai while Lee brought up the rear. I heard gunshots behind us, and as we started running, there was an explosion that shook the building. We fell to the ground as the walls vibrated from the aftereffect. When Kai stood up, so did we.
We continued walking at a fast pace until we reached a drain cover in the ground. Kai pointed to it and said, “This is our way out. It’s disgusting, but I am sure whoever is out there will have the building surrounded and will shoot at anything that walks out of here.”
Kai and Lee lifted the drain, and I held my breath. The stench of feces and piss made my eyes water. I lifted my shirt to my nose and mouth, hoping that it would help with the smell, but it didn’t. I also needed both hands to climb down the ladder into the drain. Shit. No pun intended.
We climbed down into the bowels of the underground, hoping that we didn’t bump into any unsavory critters while we were trying to run away from the men with guns upstairs. Lee had closed the drain in time because he said he heard men running our way and we had to move faster.
All five of us started running in the sewage-infested water, which ruined my shoes and jeans. I felt slime move into my shoes as I sloshed in the murky water behind Kai and Sebastian. Ralph was behind me, and he was awfully quiet. I thought that he was trying not to throw up—as, I guess, we all were.
I thought too soon. Lee was the first to throw-up. Luckily, he was behind us and I didn’t have to see it, but I heard the retching. When he had finished, he caught up with us, and then it was Ralph who stopped and blew his chunks. I had to walk away from him.
“How much further?” I asked through the muffled shirt I was now holding in front of my nose and mouth again.
Kai didn’t look back. “Not much; there is a clearing just up ahead.”
“Thank God,” I whispered.
Ralph caught up, wiping his mouth, and I dry-heaved. I kept telling myself that I would not throw up. I would not throw up. But I stopped, and I threw up.
Ralph patted me on the back and waited with me until there was nothing left. A shiver ran down my spine, and I wiped my eyes dry with the back of my hand.
“Argh, I don’t think I can stand this filth for much longer,” I said.
“I know; me neither,” Ralph said, and he started to push me along so that we could join the other three.
When we reached them, we stood in front of a large wire mesh that was too thick to cut through.
“I hope you have a plan to get us out of here? Look at that thing—there is no way we can cut through it.” I started to complain, but Sebastian lifted his hands and touched the thick mesh. He closed his eyes, and his power rolled off him, around and through us, onto the wire. The effects of his power hit me in a wave of heat. It felt like my skin would peel back and burst into flames, but nothing happened to my skin. The thick mesh and the sides that held it in place, however, started to drip onto the floor—it was melting as I watched.
“Jesus,” I whispered, rubbing my arms and hugging them close to my body.
Sebastian let go of the mesh, s
tepped back, lifted his right leg and kicked the mesh from its hinges, and it went flying out into the clearing.
Kai and Lee walked through first. They scanned the surroundings and gave us the ‘all clear’ signal to follow them.
The drain ended at a clearing where an old building stood, which I suspected had probably been responsible for cleaning water years ago. Now, the building lay in ruins amid lush trees and overgrown shrubs. We all stopped at an open fresh water feature and washed our hands and faces. Those of us who threw up rinsed our mouths.
I marveled at Sebastian as I walked past him. “You don’t take shit, do you?”
The corners of his lips reached his cool green eyes, and he looked both handsome and dangerous. “It’s good to have me on your side, Blaire.”
As we walked through the clearing together, he lifted his hand and touched the small of my back under the bag I was carrying. There was power at his fingertips, and it flowed through my spine and caused my breath to catch. I spun my head to look at him, my mouth slightly open, as his power pulsed through my body. His smiling eyes softened, and he bent forward, his hand still on my back and his mouth coming closer to mine. I was transfixed between his power and his body, and I stood there, waiting. His lips brushed mine gently, and he kissed me. The kiss started softly at first, as if waiting for me to push him away, but when I didn’t, he kissed harder, and I allowed him to explore the inside of my mouth. He cupped my face in both of his hands, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, my hands feeling all that strength under his clothing. This was the second kiss we had shared, and it tightened my stomach and other, more intimate parts just as it had the first time, like butterflies trying to escape.
He stopped kissing me, and when he let go of my face, I was breathless. I lost a few I.Q. points because all I could do was stare at him. He chuckled and gave me a chaste kiss with his soft lips.
“I’m glad I have that affect on you.”
I couldn’t speak; the only thing I could do was nod at him as a small squeaking sound escaped my lips.
“Come, we need to catch up with the others.”
I focused on them; they were quite a distance ahead of us, so we had to run to catch up.
I looked back toward the opening of the drain, but it was empty of bad guys. With a tinge of regret, I also thought of the two bodyguards who we had last seen back inside the warehouse. With all the shooting we had heard, it was likely that it would be the last time anyone saw them alive.
Sebastian took my hand in his, and we ran together.
CHAPTER 20
WHEN SEBASTIAN AND I caught up with the others, I asked, “Where are we going?”
Kai turned to me and said, “We have a safe house over there”—he pointed to a neighborhood where children were playing—“where we can hide and clean up before moving out again.”
The sun was out and hot, and I was sure we all stank something awful. The residents could most likely smell us a mile away. We reached the safe house without being seen by any neighbors or being followed by the bad guys. Lee and Kai checked the perimeter of the house first before we entered. Once we were inside, Lee washed his hands and went into one of the rooms to retrieve a stack of towels and clean clothing for all of us.
“Sorry, these might be too big for you.” He handed me some clothes and stacked a towel on top.
“I don’t care; I just want to get clean. Thank you.”
“Use the shower at the far end. It’s the nicest.”
I made sure the shower was on its hottest setting so that I could burn all the crap off my body, and I washed my hair twice until it smelled of nothing but shampoo. I dried myself and dressed in the clean clothes. Lee had been right; they were slightly big. The jeans hung loosely on my hips, and the shirt was baggy, so I tucked it in.
I towel-dried my hair with the same towel I had used on my body. I left my dirty clothes in the room, but I removed all the contents from the pockets and put them in my new jeans.
When I had finished, Ralph went in after me. Lee had used the first shower already and was already making coffee in the kitchen while Sebastian was cleaning up.
Kai chuckled when he saw me. “Jesus, those clothes are way too big for you, luv. Lee, you sure there isn’t anything smaller?”
Lee turned to look at me and shrugged. “Sorry, that’s all we have—we rarely have women with us, and when we do, they aren’t so small.”
“Don’t worry about it, guys; this is perfect. I’m just glad to be clean.” I smiled appreciatively. “What must I do with my dirty clothing? And are there extra shoes?” I stood barefoot, the cool tiles a comfort to my aching feet after wearing the wet socks and shoes.
“Yeah, we might have, although they’re probably steel-tip boots.”
“That’s okay; add socks, and I’m happy.”
Kai went into the room where I assumed they kept all the extra clothing and came out with a pair of black steel-tip boots and black socks. “Here, luv—these should fit you.”
“Thanks, guys. And the coffee smells good.” I smiled and felt it reach my eyes.
My body ached, but we were safe. After the hot shower and clean clothes, I had to admit I felt better.
“Almost done,” Lee said, starting to take food out of the fridge.
I pulled the socks on, followed by the shoes; they were new and stiff, but they were my size.
The first bathroom door opened, and Sebastian came out with steam trailing him like a halo. He had a towel wrapped low around his waist, and I fought hard not to stare at his inguinal crease and chest. He looked at me as he crossed the hallway and went into the other room.
Kai went into the bathroom.
Lee came toward me with a steaming cup of coffee. I thanked him and took a sip. I relaxed in the seat and sat back, put my feet—boots—up on the couch, and hugged my knees with my left arm. I tilted my head against the couch, only lifting it for sips of coffee.
With my eyes closed, I listened to the sounds of the house. Lee was in the kitchen; I heard him retrieve a pan from a cupboard and place it on the stove, the tearing of a packet and the opening of an egg box. The first bathroom shower was turned on. I heard Ralph switching his shower off, and then little else from him as he was probably getting dressed. There was no sound from Sebastian. I heard the birds outside as they were flying around the house. I heard whistling and the faint laughter from children playing outside. I felt a smile forming on my face as I exhaled.
“You look very peaceful.”
The mug tilted and almost spilt on the couch and my lap. I sat up.
Sebastian loomed over me while he slowly dried his chest. He wore low cut jeans, but he was naked from the waist up. I watched him dry himself in front of me, and my hand started to burn—I had spilled coffee over my hand, but only felt it now.
“Geez, you need a bell, Sebastian. I didn’t even hear you walk across the room.” It’s a wooden floor; I should have heard him—at least one footstep—but I didn’t.
He smirked at me. “I’m a black leopard, Blaire; no one can hear me.”
“No shit. But hey, after what we just went through, at least warn me next time.”
He gave a throaty chuckle, threw the towel onto the couch and went into the kitchen. Lee gave him a mug of coffee, and he returned to sit beside me on the couch.
“Now what do we do?” I asked while I stared into his luscious green eyes, so close to me. There were a few drops of water on his chest, and I wanted to lick them off him. By being so close to me, Sebastian was intolerably distracting, and so I glanced at Lee, and I felt better.
“We eat,” he said. “While we do that, we can also see just what the fuck happened at the warehouse.”
“How?” I said, turning my attention back to him.
“Cameras. We can tap into the feed from here.”
“Ah.”
“Where are the jewels?” he asked me.
“In the room with my dirty clothing. Should I go get them?”
&n
bsp; He nodded. I set the mug on the table and went to the room. The door was open, and when I entered, Ralph was busy pulling pants up over his naked ass. I swore, held my hand in front of my eyes and turned around.
“I’m done, Blaire. You can turn around.”
“Fuck. Sorry, Ralph, I thought you were dressed already.” I grabbed the bag from the floor and exited as fast as I could.
Still feeling hot in the face, I sat down on the couch and took my mug. I offered Sebastian the bag, but he didn’t take it.
“Just keep them with you, always. I don’t want to have to hold them or have them too close to me.”
I placed them at my feet on the floor, and we drank our coffee in silence.
The smell from the kitchen tickled my nose, and we all circled the counter like vultures. Lee must have been a chef in a previous life because the food was presented like a pro, and when we started eating, it tasted like nothing I had ever eaten before. The scrambled eggs were light and fluffy; the bacon was crispy, but not burnt; the biscuits were soft, airy and melted in my mouth.
“Lee, this food is delicious! Are you a chef?”
“I was—before the attack.” The flicker in his eyes showed hurt and despair.
There were laws against were-animals working with food, children, any kind of medical equipment or offering any medical care. If that was your profession and you turned, unfortunately, you lost your job. Employers couldn’t discriminate with regards to other jobs, such as boring, mundane desk jobs—so long as you could prove that you were in control of your inner animal. And you were only able to prove that after a two-year probation assessed by animals of your own kind.
I didn’t know what to say to Lee, so I thought it best not to say anything else. From the look on his face, I doubted that he wanted to speak about it—some men just don’t want to get deep-and-meaningful, anyway.
Kai spoke first. “I was in the military when I was bitten—they wanted me to stay on, but I didn’t like how they pushed were-animals, especially the predators. They used them on the frontline like they were expendable, just because they could heal and were a little harder to kill. It was barbaric. And they tested on some of them, too. So, I left without permission and came here. Sebastian took me in, and I joined his leap. That’s when Léon offered me a job.” His smile was sad, and he carried on eating with no emotion, like it had been somebody else’s story that he had told.