by C. M. Owens
Dark Beauty
The Deadly Beauties Live On (Book 1)
Copyright 2015 by C.M. Owens
Edited by Tonya Houle
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author. This eBook is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
There are always people I want to thank and show great appreciation to. But this series is dedicated to the fans—the ones who said they wanted more Deadly Beauties. Every story was spawned after numerous requests for more. This is for you, because I happen to love the hell out of all you.
Over twenty years ago, the gates of purgatory were opened to release the forbidden. The dark king and queen emerged from within the depths, and all focus was put on destroying them or returning them.
In the end, they were destroyed, but more things escaped amongst the chaos that were never found. All this time, they’ve slowly been gathering strength, growing, and creating a new generation of powers that could send the fey nation into an uproar. And they’ve been doing it in secrecy, going undetected by most, but not by everyone…
Chapter 1
GAGE
“Hell yeah!” Dice announces, his eyes on his phone as I tirelessly sift through the endless amounts of bullshit.
This looks like a preschooler’s idea of organized chaos.
“Finally,” Dice says, trying his best to get me to question what has him so excited.
Not happening. I really don’t want to know what makes a horny incubus happy while he’s staring at his phone—one that is definitely hooked to the internet. Sick.
“I’ve been waiting for so damn long,” he continues, still doing all he can to get me to fold.
After several more attempts to bait me, I finally drop my head back in defeat. He’s never going to let me get any work done if I don’t give in.
“What?” I snap.
“Since you have to know,” he says in that damn annoying way of his, “the hashtag is back!”
I keep waiting for him to tell me what has him so excited, to explain why he’s smiling like a child on Christmas morning. I don’t have time to be patient either.
“Well?”
He frowns as though I’ve just stolen his pass to the chocolate factory.
“Well? Really? I said the hashtag is back. It quit being cool about ten years ago, but it’s cool again, damn it. And everything is better with a hashtag.”
Why in the hell did I get stuck with the incubus? Oh. That’s right. Because no one else can stand him. Assholes.
“Glad they brought it back,” I mumble dispassionately, hoping he drops it, but I’ve never been lucky.
“It’s an important part of daily life. Everything sounds so much cooler if you get to add a hashtag. You can rant about your day, then you add a hashtag and say something like fuck my life. Everyone laughs. My heart broke when people stopped using it.”
It must be nice to have nothing more pressing to be concerned about.
“What are you working on?” he asks, not sounding genuinely interested.
I need to be working on a spell that will forever leave him on mute. A smile graces my lips at just the thought of silence. However, I vent instead of ignoring him the way I probably should.
“Drackus sent over a detailed list of various dark users for me to track down. But the damn order of these documents are random at best. He’s always been terrible with organization. I still don’t know why Alyssa puts him in charge.”
“Probably because you aren’t there to handle things. You’ve sort of avoided them for over twenty years.”
“That long?” I muse, thinking about how that’s not long enough.
“Yep. Closer to twenty-two years. You’ve missed a lot in that time. They could really use you.”
The only thing I’ve had to miss is seeing Kane always touching the girl who broke my heart. I understand the fact that she loves him, and they have some weird bond, but that doesn’t alleviate the permanent damage inflicted on me. Nothing appears to help. At least not seeing them helps me to ignore it.
“I’m still running the dark user council, just as she requested. I don’t have to be there to handle those things. The only thing I don’t do anymore is run the Somage or live close by. But I’ll have to talk to them about these rogue dark users. This is an oddly large amount. I hope Drackus is wrong about this.”
“Why’s that?” Dice asks, confused.
“Because… This many dark users don’t go rogue unless they’re working an angle—which spells danger for the queen.”
Dice shrugs, looking as bored as always while continuing to play with his phone like an adolescent.
“Alyssa rewrote all the laws and enforces them. Some people have probably been plotting a rebellion for a while. It’s not like an army of dark users can take her or Kane down. They’ll shred them. People need to just get over it.”
He’s right, but I don’t exactly like knowing someone might be going for her. I told her it was stupid to change so many laws and enforce them so strictly so soon. A gradual process would have been better, but she wanted to save all the humans she could. Which, in our world, makes her a traitor for caring more about the weaker race than our own. Damn stubborn girl.
“Kane can’t convince her to loosen the leash just a little?” I ask him, knowing he talks to them on a regular basis. I only talk to Alyssa over the phone, and it is all strictly professional and need-to-know information that pertains to my duties. Nothing more. It’s easier that way.
“He’s tried to reason with her, but she’s adamant about people learning to deal with it. She’s not trying to be a tyrant. She’s compassionate. Too compassionate. Annoyingly compassionate. But in the eyes of the oppressed, she’s no different than a dictator with too much power. Rebellion happens when people see their liberties stripped away. You have to slowly steal all their freedom so that they don’t even realize they’re under your thumb. Like the humans do.”
I laugh lightly while shaking my head, and I return to my stack of madness.
“I really hate Drackus’s filing system—if that’s what you can call this nonsense.”
With a heavy sigh, I stand up and start to walk toward the kitchen, ready to drown myself in some strong coffee so that I might pluck up the energy needed to deal with this shit pile.
“Damn,” Dice says, rummaging through the hellacious stack of papers. “People still print things? Hasn’t he heard of—Bloody hell! They’re handwritten. In Old English!”
He bursts out laughing, and I roll my eyes. Stacks and stacks of handwritten pages are gathered in no real order, and shoved inside a box.
“It’s Drackus. In his mind, it’s still the Dark Ages.”
Dice’s laughter continues on while I grab my laptop, planning to convert the files to text tonight. Then I’ll message Alyssa and tell her to never allow her father to be in control of information distribution again. I’d use my magic on this mess, if the bastard hadn’t written it on protected paper—all of them bearing the etched symbol like a no-magic watermark.
“I’ll be working on this for at least two days. If not longer. So don’t annoy me, incubus.”
“It’s you and me until we meet up with Thad. Alyssa wants to know what sort of progress we’re making. She offered to send Ella over to help.”
What progress we’re making? Does that insinuate that he believes he’s being helpful? Hell, he just asked what I’m looking at.
“Ella?” I muse, distracted as I read one of the pages in my hand while waiting on my coffee to finish.
“Alyssa’s daughter, Einstein. Ella i
s good at deciphering all things Drackus. Kimber too, but Kimber is too busy to help.”
“No thank you. I don’t want either of Kane’s daughters anywhere around me. The last thing I need is for the king to get the wrong idea. I’m sure he doesn’t know Alyssa volunteered her, or he’d already be calling me.”
Of course the incubus starts laughing. “Well, Ella wouldn’t touch you. So no worries. Unlike her mother, she prefers the sweet boys. And Kimber isn’t technically their daughter.”
“Not by blood,” I murmur to myself. “But they raised her.”
“You really have been gone a while. They wanted to raise her, even adopted her, but she decided early on she preferred Drackus and Calypso, who adopted her from them. So technically you’d be dealing with Drackus, not Kane.”
He acts as though I was supposed to be keeping tabs on the happy family.
“No fucking thank you to that one either. Besides, they’re both too young and naïve. I don’t have time to educate someone as new to the world as Alyssa was. I’d be answering more questions than I would be sorting out this mess. So again, no thank you.”
Dice continues to snicker before saying, “Hashtag—judgmental ass.”
I glare at him, forcing his riotous laughter to spark again.
“Are you always so grumpy?” he muses, seeming to delight in his ability to drive a sane soul mad.
“I’m tense. There’s a lot of work to do, and this is serious. A word you should probably look up.”
It’s obvious I’m going to have to enlist help from the Somage. There’s no way I can track down all these leads on my own.
“Hastag—you need to get laid.”
I roll my eyes while his cackles break free.
“See? The hashtag is fucking brilliant.”
I really need to see about dumping him on someone else.
***
GAGE
“Doesn’t look like your old crew,” Dice points out, as though I hadn’t noticed. I had heard the Somage integrated, taking in more than dark users, but…
“Is that an ogre?” I ask in shock, seeing a man twice the size of a normal male, muscles bulging on top of muscles. His long strides and hefty size are just part of his intimidation package.
“Yep. Hashtag—Shrek looks hot.”
“Seriously?” I groan, glaring at him.
“What? It’s a good one. Ever since that damn movie, people think ogres are sweet little green things. They don’t realize they’re gorgeous creatures who feast on the bones of humans.”
Stupid ass.
“Not what I meant. Anyhow, I need to find K. At least that’s what everyone is calling him. Do you know which one he is?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Um… No. I sure don’t.”
“I thought you worked with the Somage all the time.”
“Doesn’t mean I speak with their fearless leader all the time. I’m a freelance hire.”
Great. Yet again, I’m with the useless incubus and stuck being the one doing all the work.
We’re in front of an old farm house, which is odd. But considering the isolation, it seems pretty perfect for a Somage hangout for the privacy aspect. The fences host nothing but pastures of open fields without grazers, and the winding road behind us is too narrow to hold more than one passing car at a time. It’s definitely off the grid.
“Hey,” I say to a girl passing by, her dark hair streaked purple.
She turns to look at me, and her eyes flash a purple hue to match those streaks, and I curse inwardly. A black widow? Really? They have fucking widows on the team?
Stupid ass leader.
“Hey yourself.” She licks her lips suggestively, and Dice sidles up next to us.
“Where’s K? Alyssa sent me here to meet up with him and help with the rogue dark users case.”
An amused smile crawls up on her dark lips, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Not getting anywhere, darlin’,” I drawl, bored.
She frowns before motioning over her shoulder toward the house. “K is inside with the rest of the center group. You’re not allowed in. They’ll be out in a minute.”
“Center group?” I ask as she walks off, but she doesn’t bother answering.
“She’s hot, and she was totally bleeding lust for you.” Leave it to the incubus to turn any moment even more annoying.
I give him what has to be an incredulous look. “And? Last I checked, everyone in our world is hot. Beauty is overrated amongst the immortal populace. Forgive me for not being captivated.”
“Could have at least tossed her my way.”
“It’s not my fault you’re an impotent incubus,” I say absently, enjoying the way his aura fumes with fury.
“I’m not impotent!” he yells, garnering the attention of every single immortal out here—at least twenty men and women. He growls when he sees all the eyes on him, and mutters something about me being an ass that will pay.
Considering I could take him out with barely a wink, I choose to ignore him while looking back toward the house. The meeting seems to be breaking up because several people are flooding out of the door. I turn and look at Dice, who is pouting with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Showtime.”
He mutters something again, but follows me. A large, bald man with numerous tattoos lining his skull, neck, and arms, steps out and walks toward us after talking to the widow girl.
“You looking for K?” His eyes flash a warning dusty color of purple, a shade darker than the widows wear.
They have jinn here? Unbelievable.
“Yes. You K?” Please let him say no.
He snorts derisively, shaking his head as though I’ve said something stupid or humorous. Not sure which.
“You want K?” a girl’s velvety voice says from behind me, forcing me to turn around.
My jaw tenses at the sight of her pure, blonde hair, crisp blue eyes, and very alluring body. I’m not usually tempted—by anyone—but…
“Yeah. You know him?” I ask, letting my eyes stroll down to her very tight T-shirt where her breasts seem to be just as perfect as her soft, plush, pink lips.
Damn.
“I know him. Why do you want to see him, Gage?” she asks, drawing my attention back up.
“How do you know my name?” I ask, unable to keep from looking down her body one more time, shamelessly taking in how tight her jeans are, and finding myself wishing she’d turn around so I could get a look at her ass.
“Don’t remember me?”
“No,” I say absently. Pretty sure I’d never forget someone who looks like her. So much for beauty being overrated.
“Didn’t think so. Some people call me K.”
That gets my eyes back where they need to be. “You’re K? The leader of the Somage?” I ask in disbelief.
Considering my tone, I expect her to act offended, but she shrugs a shoulder at me instead. “What can I say, Gage? It’s not Medieval times anymore.”
Again she says my name, and I let my greedy gaze roam all over her once more. Knowing she’s badass enough to run a unit like the Somage makes her even hotter. Deliberately, I take a step toward her, trying to make sure our intimate proximity ruffles her, but she stays calm and collected, irking me a bit.
“What do others call you when they’re not calling you K?” I ask mildly, hoping her name rings a bell. My eyes drop back down to that luscious chest that blocks my view to her feet. I’ve been around for a long time, but I rarely forget a face. There has to be a reason why I can’t remember—
“Others usually call me Kimber Devall,” she drawls.
With that announcement, my head snaps up and I recoil, stumbling backwards in a haste to put some much needed distance between us.
No fucking way.
Her amused grin taunts me, and I release a muttered litany of curses. I’m grateful when my phone buzzes with a message, because I need an excuse to get the hell out of here. When I see it’s from Dice, I tilt my head, confused… until
I read it.
Dice: #YouAreSoFucked
I flip off the incubus jackass who is openly smiling his shit-eating grin and enjoying every twisted second of this.
Chapter 2
KIMBER
You’d think I just zapped the poor guy. Gage. Unbelievable. He’s nothing like I remember. Of course, it’s been a really long time since I last saw him.
His inky black hair hangs in a soft, messy way, leaving his bangs flopping over his forehead. His dark blue eyes are only made more noticeable by the heavy lashes that line them. His right eyebrow has three piercings now. The left eyebrow no longer has any. There are two lip rings on his lower lip, drawing my attention where it doesn’t need to be. His strong jaw is tight, ticking as though he’s pissed.
Guess I really shocked the hell out of him. From what I’ve heard, he’s not much for surprises. Given the way he was looking at me—like I was a pint of blood and he was a starving vampire—I’m very positive he’s going to be pissed for a while. After all, he has done all he can for the past two decades to avoid my family.
He’s so much taller than I was expecting, and it took all my willpower not to squirm when he was towering over me, staring down at my chest like he was going to take a bite at any moment. As much as I was enjoying the game, I was actually relieved when he asked for my name.
“K!” Alex yells, prompting me to turn and look over my shoulder to see what his problem is. He stalks toward us, his eyes shifting from Gage to Dice. He’s never been a fan of the flirty incubus.
“You got coordinates?” I ask, ready to get far away from Gage… What the hell is his last name? Surely I’ve heard it over the years. It’s never bugged me before now.
“No,” Alex says gruffly, still warily inspecting the two men.
Considering Alex is also a dark user, you’d think he’d know exactly who Gage is. And I know he has seen Dice before.
“Uh, sorry to butt in,” Dice says insincerely, “but we’re actually here for a reason. Apparently Gage has forgotten how to speak, so I’ll talk on his behalf. We have a bit of a problem with rogue dark users—”