by Trina M. Lee
Tension grew, thickening into something ripe with anticipation. I waited for one of them to make a move.
Ebyn’s beast snapped first. He lunged at Jez. Whatever his marriage was built on, he definitely didn’t want Jez presenting the proof that she’d been sent to obtain.
I couldn’t imagine why any marriage of convenience would need a P.I. to get involved, but really, I didn’t care. Seeing as she had some pent up frustration to get out, I stepped back and let them go at it.
It could have been a good fight. If two SUVs full of Feds hadn’t careened around the corner and screeched to a stop in front of us.
Both Ebyn and Jez sprang apart before either could take or land a damaging blow. The new threat had our full attention. Jez slid a dagger from her boot before they even got the doors open.
Agents poured out of the vehicles.
I was without my dagger, having left it in my car. But I didn’t need it, as I was my own weapon. Hands burning with power, I braced myself.
Weapons at the ready, they surrounded us, swarming like insects to cover us from every side. Jez, Ebyn, and I drew closer together, forming a triangle, our conflict forgotten.
“You can just blast them all to hell, can’t you, Queen V?” Ebyn was all fangs and claws, ready to slash throats.
“Put the claws away, dirtbag. We don’t want to turn anybody here.” As an afterthought, I added, “And it’s Alexa.”
“Alexa, huh?” Ebyn pondered this. “You look more like a Candy. Or Lacey. Something like that.”
There was no time to hand out the bitch slap he deserved. The Feds moved in with weapons held ready. Some of them held Tasers; others had guns equipped for both wolves and vampires. But what raised my hackles was the tranquilizer guns. I knew from firsthand experience that they packed enough punch to take down a vampire.
I didn’t give them a chance to come at us. With a flick of my wrist, I targeted the agents with the tranq guns. The force threw them around like ragdolls. That was when they realized the mistake they’d made.
“We don’t want any trouble with you,” one brave and stupid Fed shouted. “We’re here for Ebyn Tyler. Let us take him, and we’ll be on our way.”
Jez and I exchanged a look, communicating without a word as close friends do. Did we let them have him or fight? Ebyn meant nothing to us, and he’d done nothing to endear himself to either of us. But he was a wolf. And they were the government op who’d tortured Kale and arrested Dayne.
The Feds vibrated with tension. They didn’t want to take me on. A few of them regarded me as if I were vermin, much the same way I regarded them.
Ebyn nudged me, a forced grin plastered on his face. It didn’t disguise the worry in his eyes. “What’s it gonna be, Queen V? Help a fellow wolf out, or let me get what I probably deserve?”
Decisions, decisions.
Jez’s wide green leopard eyes revealed nothing. She was leaving this up to me.
I studied the agent who’d demanded Ebyn, determining him to be just another power-hungry human hell bent on governing forces far beyond human control. He glared at me with as much bravado as he could muster. Fingers tight on his gun, the Fed attempted to outstare me. He failed.
Moving with vampire speed, I grabbed his gun and wrenched it from his grasp. After smashing him across the face with it, I tossed it aside. Taking advantage of being able to move faster than they could, I hit them all with a blast that threw them into the street.
“You know, Candy, you’re really not as bad as they say.” Ebyn burst into action, rushing the closest fallen agents as they rose.
Unsure if I should take that as a compliment, I moved in to do the same. Targeting the guys with the tranq guns, I hit them with a blast that wrenched the guns from their grasps. Jez and Ebyn fought their way through the rising Feds, each of them surrounded. Bodies flew as creatures of the night took on humans who had no business among us. If they were sending a small arsenal of humans to abduct supernaturals, I could only presume the few supernaturals working for them had dwindled down to just my sister, who was currently in Las Vegas.
A gun cracked against my skull. Pain shot through my head, gone as fast as it had come. I whirled to face the woman who’d stupidly thought cold cocking a vampire would work. Eyes wide, she dropped the gun and raised both hands in surrender. A snap of my fingers flung her against an SUV, knocking her unconscious.
With hands held ready, I hit every agent who came at me. So easily I could kill them all. I knew it would feel so fucking good. And that was why I couldn’t do it.
Beating them down, forcing them back, it kept them on their toes. However, it didn’t stop them. A burly guy with a Taser came at me, and I took him down with a right hook that snapped his head to the side.
Jez’s dagger whistled as it sliced through the air. The next Fed to reach for her got a taste of it when the blade bit through his forearm. Agents tried to close in on each of us, but we moved fast, making it hard for them to take shots that would land.
Until one did.
A wooden bolt from a crossbow pistol found its way into my shoulder blade. Shame filled me. I was horrorstruck that one of these pricks had gotten the drop on me. So when I pinpointed the agent who’d shot me, my control vanished.
After ripping the small bolt from my back, I tore the gun from his hand with enough viciousness to break his wrist. His strangled scream filled my ears, as I dragged him close and sank fangs into his artery. Blood sprayed, spattering my face. Like tangy, liquid copper, it filled my mouth. The sheer terror that engulfed him pleased the monster within me.
His fellow agents reacted in various ways. Some froze; others leveled their guns at me. Someone barked an order for them to retreat. I let his body drop and stepped over it, intent only on continuing the bloodshed.
“Lex!” My name was a sharp warning in Jez’s mouth. “Don’t go dark side on me here.”
“They asked for this,” I said, my tone smooth and seductive, more Arys than me. “I’m just giving them what they want. You hunt a vampire, you must expect to get the fangs in the end.”
One shaking mess of a man managed to stutter, “W-we didn’t come for you.”
I grinned, a wicked reveal of bloodstained fangs. “And yet, you found me. Let this be a lesson to you all. Fuck with one of us, and you fuck with all of us. Please pass that message along to Agent Winston and anyone else who may be interested.”
Winston had taken over for Briggs when he went missing. She struck me as someone who knew how to play the game. Or at least she had, until she led a raid on Doghead that would have taken Shaz too if I hadn’t been there. Although she’d insisted she wanted nothing more than to work with me, in the end she’d left me high and dry when the FPA refused to take Briggs back in exchange for the Doghead Alpha.
“You can tell her yourself when we take you in.” The same agent who’d demanded Ebyn now challenged me with adrenaline making his decisions. “We have a cell with your name on it.”
A snap of my fingers and every agent hit their knees. The cocky one did his best to appear unfazed. The slight tremble in his chin betrayed him.
With a twirl of my wrist, the power swept over them. Frozen, they could only watch helplessly. I ran a hand through the guy’s hair before using it to wrench his head back, so I could stare down into his face.
Jez hovered close but made no move to stop me.
“Briggs couldn’t contain me, and neither will Winston.” Gripping his jaw with a firm hand, I extended my index finger so a claw lengthened just inches from his eye. I rested the claw against his skin, just hard enough to sting without piercing. “Tell me why you’re abducting supernaturals.”
A push of erotically charged energy meant to manipulate accompanied my unspoken threat. I had no problem getting inside his head. The feeble human mind is weak and easily influenced.
He swallowed hard, both afraid and intrigued. As much as he tried to resist, the words tumbled out. “Just following orders. Everything’s need to
know.”
“So you don’t know what’s happening to them in there?” I pressed for more info, frustrated by the blank look in his eyes.
He didn’t know shit. “No,” he said, speaking truth. “We just grab them. We don’t have access to the labs.”
“Shit. Well you’re useless, aren’t you?” Frustration coaxed me to bleed him.
“Uh, Lex?” Jez’s wary tone struck a nerve.
“Let them go, and I won’t blow her head off.”
The hissed threat had me spinning to find the woman I’d thrown against the SUV. Gun in hand, she had one arm around Jez’s throat, the barrel pressed to her temple. I should have known better than to assume an unconscious body would stay that way.
“You’re not going to hurt her.” I pushed a manipulative pulse toward her, careful not to approach.
She cocked the hammer and spoke through clenched teeth. “Stay the fuck out of my head. I’ll kill her. I swear.”
Sure, I could move faster than she could. There was a strong possibility that I’d be able to rip the gun from her hand before she could even think about pulling the trigger. However, it would take only a split second to put a bullet in Jez’s brain. Was I willing to take that chance with my best friend’s life on the line? Did I want to find out tonight if I were faster than a speeding bullet?
No.
“Fine.” I held up both hands in a show of surrender and released the agents from my hold. “Now let her go.”
Everyone moved slowly. One of the Feds shot her a scowl loaded with an unspoken reprimand. It went ignored.
“You.” She gestured to Ebyn with a jerk of her head. “Get in the SUV. Now.”
With me compromised by the gun digging into Jez’s temple, there was nothing stopping the others from leveling their weapons on Ebyn. He considered the demand, as if pondering his options. He had none.
So fast this had spun out of my control. Perhaps my mistake had been letting them live once they stepped out of the vehicles. Arys wouldn’t have. He’d hidden in wait for Briggs and a crew of agents. Only Briggs had survived. I’d thought his actions rash and impulsive, but maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe that’s how we had to fight this particular foe. Neutral ground didn’t exist. No peace could be had. Kill or become a lab rat. Not much of a choice.
Ebyn let them shove him along to one of the SUVs. His face was a mask of rage. I had a feeling they’d be sorry they’d taken him.
The bitch holding Jez waited until everyone piled inside the SUVs before dragging Jez to the nearest one. Alarm widened Jez’s eyes.
I stepped forward. “You’re not taking her. Let her go now, or you’ll spend the rest of your miserable life praying for death because what I will do to you will be so much worse.” Spoken in a calm, cool tone, my threat didn’t need any real vehemence.
The Fed saw the promise in my cold, blue gaze. She waited until she was right next to the SUV before releasing Jez with a shove and jumping inside. Both SUVs peeled away, fishtailing on the icy street.
Rolling a swirling gold and blue psi ball in my hand, I launched it at the SUV containing Ebyn. The back end crumpled, and the vehicle skidded on the ice. I could have stopped them. It wouldn’t take much to flip that SUV on its roof. But I let them go. I’d spent years working to keep our secret from the public. Throwing a vehicle around the street didn’t fit that agenda.
But my plans had changed. After this altercation, I wasn’t waiting to go into FPA headquarters. Since I didn’t know what would happen to me the night the moon was at its fullest, it seemed best to go in sooner than later.
“What the fuck?” Jez griped, rubbing her temple. “Why do I always get the gun to the head? You should’ve killed that bitch.”
“Not worth the risk.” I leaned into Jez when she slung an arm around my shoulders. “She’s already dead. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
We watched them go. It wouldn’t be long before I came after them. On my terms. I could wait.
CHAPTER SIX
The bass beat reverberated through my head. Tucked into my favorite booth in the corner near the door, I settled back against the cushy seat and watched the band play. Where else would Jez and I go after such a particularly shitty run-in with the Feds? The Wicked Kiss was home base now, in some twisted, fucked up way. I’d finally come to accept it. Guess it had to happen sometime.
“Well, I’m not getting paid for this job. I figure photographic proof of Ebyn coming out of his mistress’s apartment doesn’t mean shit if he’s missing.” Jez plucked the tiny umbrella from her drink and tossed it aside.
“He’s not missing,” I said. “We know where he is. And we’ll break him out when we go in for everyone else.”
I tapped my fingernails on the table in an erratic pattern that matched the tumultuous hunger within. Hayden had sauntered by to offer himself to me. After taking one look at the bite marks he wore, I turned him down cold. I wasn’t in the mood to share someone else’s toy. He didn’t realize I was doing him a favor. I couldn’t be sure a human victim would survive me tonight.
“And how exactly are we going to do that? I don’t want to end up in the lab, Lex. What do you think they’re doing to them in there?” A melodramatic shudder racked Jez. Or maybe it was real. FPA headquarters had a way of getting under one’s skin.
“My guess? They’re trying to recruit them, control them, and turn them into weapons, or they’re trying to find a way to confer their powers on human agents without turning them.” With a shake of my head, I offered her a half shrug. “Or maybe it’s wilder than we can even imagine. I just know we have to stop it.”
Jez twisted a curl from her golden ponytail around a finger. Straw between her scarlet lips, she drained half the drink in one swallow. “And if they have your blood? Briggs never said where it is. Who knows what it could be used for in the wrong hands?”
“I don’t even want to think about that. I’m just hoping they don’t have enough to work with. Their supply is limited.” I envied and resented Jez’s ability to seek solace in alcohol. It was all I could do to keep from unraveling as my sinful hungers tore me apart. What I wanted was beyond anything Hayden could give me.
One person could though. The power and violence I craved, a way to unleash this pent up frustration and aggression, one person could provide the outlet I needed. I hadn’t seen Falon in at least two weeks. Which explained why every night this feeling grew. Living with a hunger for power and abstaining from feeding it was like going without food. The first few days didn’t hurt too bad. After several I was starving.
Our time together in Shya’s house of hell had revealed to me that what had started out as a way to work out the darkest parts of myself had evolved, becoming the ultimate drug. A high that, the more I dabbled in it, the more I wanted. A trip I had to stop taking, lest one day I’d never come back from it.
“Kale called me earlier tonight.” With those words, Jez shook me from my thoughts. “Sounds like he’s kicking ass in Vegas. Maybe it was a good idea for him to go there after all.”
“Oh, good.” I searched for something better to say but came up short. “I’m glad he’s keeping busy.”
Deep green eyes scanned my face. “He hasn’t called you lately, has he?”
“No, but I don’t expect him to. We’ve said all we have to say.” Injecting a light note into my tone sounded as fake as it felt.
“Damn, Lex.” Her frown spoke volumes. When I remained quiet, she continued, “No Wendi working tonight? Bummer. I guess it’s just as well.”
“Oh? Explain.”
I listened as Jez rambled on about her recent fling. Although I wasn’t sure Jez was in the right place to start a relationship, it was nice to see her moving on after Zoey’s death. She’d placed such hope in their budding romance just to have it ripped away from her. I just wanted her to find happiness with the right person at the right time.
“I suppose I should have left it as a hook up, but I made the mistake of trying to get to know her.”
Eyes downcast, Jez’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “She works here, so it came as no surprise that she’s been with vampires. Imagine my horror to learn that she’s been with Kale.”
“What?” If I’d been able to drink, I would have spewed it. “When you say she’s been with him, you mean—?”
Jez’s laugh was sharp, abrupt. “Exactly what you’re thinking. I like Wendi. She’s pretty rad and smoking hot, but I think that’s a deal breaker.”
“Yeah, that’s a sticky situation. No getting past that, huh?” Ouch. Kale’s conquests in this place were legendary. Still, I didn’t enjoy discussing it any more than Jez did.
“She slept with one of my best friends and bled for him. Nope. Can’t do it. Not knowing that Kale nailed her before I did. Oh well. I don’t think I’m up for anything serious anyway. Could sure go for another drink though.” Shaking her empty glass so the ice clinked inside, Jez scanned the vicinity for a server.
Needing a brief reprieve from the unpretty picture she’d just painted for me, I grabbed her glass and stood up. “I’ll get you one. Just go easy tonight, ok?”
“Have I ever told you how much I appreciate having a best friend who owns a bar? You’ve saved me a ton in free drinks. Candy Apple, please.”
Ignoring her all too joyful grin, I slipped through the crowd to the bar. The aroma of so many human bodies crammed around me tested my control. Every time I managed to resist the urge to go on a mindless slaughter, I considered it a testament of my strength. It was both encouraging and agonizing.
I slipped behind the bar, careful not to get in Josh’s way. The stand-offish bartender was busy making drinks. He acknowledged my presence with a quick, dismissive glance. A mix of cologne and man tickled my nose. Temptation thou art a bitch.
After splashing vodka and Sprite into a glass, I turned to scan the rows of bottles for the grenadine. Spying it, I grabbed the bottle, swung back around to the bar, and froze.
Falon sat there smirking at me, looking like he’d stepped out of the pages of a men’s fashion magazine. “I’ll have a Tequila Sunrise while you’re at it.” Short silver hair as trendy as his grey shirt and black jacket, Falon was already capturing the attention of nearby females. But his attention remained locked on me.