Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume One

by Mickie B. Ashling

  IT WAS EMBARRASSING how easily Leo had overpowered Noah. It gave him no comfort that he had proved everything right that he had told Michaela, what felt like so long ago—he was useless in battle. What good was someone who had to stop and draw bloody pictures midfight in order to have any sort of power? Noah twisted as far as he could, ignoring the friction of the rope against his skin. Leo had tied him to a chair like some kind of bad movie villain. Despite the violent method of subduing him, Noah didn’t feel as though anything was broken. His head pounded with the beginnings of a probable concussion, but he could push past that. If he ever made it out of the lotus machine alive, he would take some courses in offensive magic or something.

  Now, though, Noah just needed to use his brain. What was the point of the machine? Why trap people in a sex club they never wanted to leave?

  “Oh.” He breathed the word aloud. “Incubus.” It explained everything. The club was an insane factory of sexual energy. All those missing men were nothing more than power cells. How could Noah even begin to fight that? If he weren’t trapped by the lunatic, he’d have been impressed at the ingenuity and sheer audacity of the idea.

  You two together are…delicious.

  He could only imagine what had happened to the missing men.

  Urgency took over, filling his veins with adrenaline. Noah scrabbled with his fingers at his pockets and could have crowed with delight when he realized that he could just about reach them. The incubus would never have left him with his hands tied in front if he had realized what Noah was capable of. The chalk piece had been snapped in half, but half was all he needed. Noah shifted his hands as far as he could and scrawled lines on one of the rope pieces. His hand trembled so much that the circles barely constituted rings. It took several attempts, but the runes worked enough for the rope to disintegrate. After that, it was easy for Noah to twist out of the remaining rope and untie his ankles.

  Noah staggered to his feet and looked around the room as it spun. It was some kind of office, one desk filled with papers but no phone because of course that would be too easy. Noah groaned as the headache increased. He needed to get out, get help. He was no good to Erik like this.

  Chapter Seven

  ERIK STARED OFF into space, losing his train of thought. Hadn’t he been going somewhere? There was something that he had been meant to do. He was meant to—the thought moved just out of reach.

  “Are you all right?”

  There hadn’t been someone there before. Or had there? Erik looked up at the person before him and reached for a name. A few seemed to float by as he tested out names against the face.

  “Leo?”

  The man smiled indulgently. “Yes, Erik.”

  “What was I doing?” Erik asked. He didn’t recognize the hallway, couldn’t remember how he had got there. Staring did nothing to jog his memory, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt lost.

  “You were looking for me.”

  That didn’t make sense, but then Leo put one hand on Erik’s arm and making sense didn’t matter.

  “What are you doing?” Erik asked, watching the hand trail up his arm. The touch tickled.

  “What would you like me to do?”

  Erik didn’t understand until the hand on his arm moved higher and caressed his cheek. He leaned into Leo’s hand, enjoying the feel of it. Leo reached with his other hand to hold Erik’s head, and he leaned in for a kiss. Leo’s lips pressed against his, and he pushed his tongue into Erik’s mouth. Alarm bells rang in Erik’s head. Something was wrong about this. This was wrong. He didn’t want to kiss Leo. He tried to move backward and stumbled when Leo didn’t release his head. The man’s eyes hardened, and Erik realized that a no wasn’t going to cut it. His heart pounded as he shook his head in an attempt to escape Leo’s grasp. Something wasn’t right. His reactions were off. His body was sluggish to respond, and that scared him more than anything. Erik’s wolf clawed at the surface, and after years of trusting his instincts, Erik didn’t fight the sensation.

  The change was short and sharp. Erik was no pup. The world looked clearer as a wolf. The beast was closer to the surface when he was transformed, and he was pissed. He was furious at Erik for being close to cheating on his mate. Erik could barely hold on to control as the wolf went for Leo. With fresh eyes and a focused mind, he was horrified at how close he had come to being caught. It was so clear now that he had been drugged. Leo moved, and Erik’s focus wavered. The beast went for the man. Leo moved his hands and energy shot out. Erik slammed into the floor and blacked out.

  When Erik woke, he was back in human form. The first thing he saw was Leo. How had he missed that? And what the fuck was Leo anyway? No human could do that. Leo smiled, and this time Erik saw all of his teeth for what they were. Leo moved closer when he noticed that Erik was awake. Erik tried to shuffle back, but his arms and legs were bound. Leo let out a little chuckle.

  “Now, now, wolfie, where do you think you’re going?”

  Erik bit back a growl. The first rule in confrontations was to keep a clear head. He might have already failed once, but he had to keep calm now. There were thirteen men and Noah potentially riding on this. Second rule, try to gather information.

  “What are you?” He widened his eyes. It didn’t take much acting to sound scared and cringe away from the freak. The smile dropped from Leo’s face.

  “And here I thought you might be cleverer than that.” Leo tsked.

  Erik resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Just. He twisted his hands, trying to decide if it was worth dislocating his thumb to escape. The cool metal of the handcuff dug in against his skin, and Erik wasn’t sure that he’d be able to squeeze his hand out of the gap even with a dislocated thumb. Leo must have taken his silence as agreement because he launched back into a speech.

  “Guess you’re not that smart, hey, doggy?” He sniggered. “I’m an incubus, of course.”

  Of course. An incubus. A creature that Erik had no experience or knowledge of. Erik tuned out the speech. The incubus was saying little of value.

  “I really ought to kill you.” There was a pause, and Leo sounded genuinely saddened by his declaration. Maybe the crazy drugs affected the incubus too? “You and your little boyfriend are just delicious together, though.” He let out a sigh. “Such a waste.”

  If the incubus was planning on killing him, Erik rather hoped he would do it prior to the rest of the crazy monologue rather than after and that Noah escaped from this place.

  “Surely you don’t have to kill me?” Erik asked, playing for a little more time. Leo took a step closer, and Erik wriggled away as if he was cringing in fear. Instead he twisted enough to try to grab his mobile.

  “I could just wipe you.” Erik’s blood ran cold. Wipe him? Of his memories? Of his personality? Of everything? Was the incubus really strong enough to do that? That time, the cringing away was real, but it was useless. He couldn’t reach his phone and wasn’t sure he’d have been able to make a call even if he had.

  Leo towered over him and reached down one hand to stroke Erik’s cheek.

  “There, there, little doggy.” Leo tilted his head and smiled. “Don’t worry. You won’t remember a thing.”

  THE WORLD SWAM before Erik. The entire room swayed as though it wasn’t sure which way was up. He shook his head to clear it, but that only made the nausea worse.

  “What?” The word came out of Erik’s mouth, but it felt like it belonged to someone else. His throat ached as though he’d been lost in the Sahara for days. A gentle hand touched his arm and ushered him into a chair.

  “You’re in my office, Erik. You seemed to have a funny turn.”

  The room finally stood still long enough for Erik to regain his bearings. Leo, the club owner, stood before him. Somehow they had ended up in an office. Erik tried to recall how he had got there, but the nausea returned and he wavered even though he was sitting.

  “What happened?” Erik asked when he managed to get his mouth to obey.

&nbs
p; “You nearly collapsed on the dance floor,” Leo explained. “Your partner was very concerned so we brought you in here to get some air.”

  The mention of Noah made Erik feel like he had forgotten something terribly important, but before he could concentrate on what, Leo handed over a glass.

  “Here, you should have a drink. You’re probably dehydrated.”

  Something was not right. Erik reached for the thought, but it slipped out of his grasp. His wolf was equally on edge, sitting at the forefront of his consciousness. This looming sense of danger felt perilously close to paranoia, but Erik liked to trust his instincts. He had been burned before. He took the drink from Leo and sipped the liquid. The more he drank, the more he relaxed, and the nausea seemed to fade away.

  Chapter Eight

  NOAH CREPT THROUGH the maze of corridors. His heart pounded like he had been running a marathon, and every noise made him flinch. There had to be a way out. There were several doors, but Noah had no idea which might have an escape or not. The first door held nothing other than a few cleaning supplies. Noah eyed the bottles dubiously. What good was floor cleaner going to be against an incubus with his own live battery pack in the form of the clubbers? He skimmed the labels. Window cleaner? Bleach! He shook the bottle and determined that it was half-full. Better than nothing. Probably. At least if he got a good shot in, he might be able to blind the incubus or burn him or confuse him or something. Yeah. That was a great plan and definitely wouldn’t get him killed. Noah had the sense to open the lid in preparation. He clutched the bottle in one hand and his broken piece of chalk in the other, as if either of those things would save him.

  Noah closed the cupboard and continued down the corridor. The next door looked much the same as the last one. Noah switched the chalk into his other hand so he could grab the handle. The thud of shoes hitting the floor nearly gave Noah a heart attack. The footsteps got louder as the person moved toward him. Out of options, Noah grabbed the door handle and burst into the room.

  Two sets of eyes stared at him. A huge swell of emotion smacked into Noah, and he almost fell to his knees. Erik was there, alive. He looked worse for wear certainly, but he was alive. Noah’s elation plummeted when he looked properly at Erik. Erik had the glazed look of those still under the influence of the drugs. The next set of eyes brought forth a different torrent of emotions. The incubus. Leo’s eyes were cold and narrowed, and he was holding Erik’s arm.

  “Incubus,” Noah hissed.

  Leo’s eyes shifted from cold to interested, and Noah could have smacked himself. Apparently Leo had not realized that he was more than human. No human would have figured it out. He needed to do something. Erik was still there, doing nothing. That meant that Noah needed to fight because it looked like he couldn’t count on Erik for help. Leo released Erik’s arm, but the werewolf just swayed on the spot.

  Noah held his ground as the incubus stalked forward. His body was in overdrive, adrenaline and nerves combining in a horrible cocktail. He needed to do something, but the only thing that felt likely was that he might throw up on the incubus.

  “Erik,” he shouted, desperation driving his actions. The words didn’t cause any reaction from Erik. They just seemed to go in one ear and out the other. A jolt of harsh fear flooded Noah’s veins.

  “Erik,” Noah choked the name out, but Erik still didn’t move. His gaze didn’t shift from some invisible point on the floor. What if Leo had done something permanent to Erik? The thought caused some rage. Rage was good, Noah decided. Rage could work better than nerves, so he channeled his fear, his worry for Erik, and his anger, his fury at the way Leo had harvested humans, into a rage like he had never felt before. The newly formed emotion filled him with energy, and Noah took a step forward to meet the storm head-on.

  “What are you then?” Leo tilted his head as if he could pick up on Noah’s heritage from the way he looked.

  “I’m going to be the person to end you.” The words came out far calmer than Noah really felt. He wasn’t the person that trash-talked anyone. Leo threw back his head and laughed. He laughed as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. The disrespect only served to heighten Noah’s annoyance, and he tightened his grip on the chalk. The chalk! He had an idea.

  “What do you think I am?” he asked, desperate to delay the incubus. He just needed a few more minutes.

  “I think you’re a fool, little human.” Leo scoffed. “You certainly think that I’m one. What do you think you’re going to do?” Leo saw straight through the ploy. Noah had only two advantages. He surged forward on a whim and shoulder barged the incubus. Leo staggered with the force of the blow but managed to stay upright.

  “You’re going to have to try harder than that,” he chided. The whole spectacle seemed to be unbelievably amusing to him. Noah ached to break his nose. Dull pain throbbed through Noah’s shoulder from the force of the blow, but he forced himself to turn back and face Leo. He couldn’t give up. He just needed a minute’s reprieve to write some runes, but to get that, he needed space from the rampaging maniac. Noah ran forward again, this time ducking to one side instead of doing a straight-on hit. The action seemed to confuse the incubus, so he played his penultimate advantage and launched the bleach at him.

  The liquid arched through the air and splashed Leo’s skin. For a second, Noah thought that the incubus was immune, but he hissed with pain and Noah struck. He gave another almighty shove, and Leo slipped in the bleach that had ended up on the floor. Noah didn’t take time to see if he was okay or not. He grabbed onto Erik’s arm and dragged him out of the room.

  “You need to snap out of this,” he shouted as he continued to pull Erik along. The wolf remained completely pliant. Noah hated it. He hated this place. He hated this mission. He turned to Erik.

  “Please,” he begged. “I need you, Erik. I’m not strong enough.” To Noah’s shame, a tear dripped down his face. There was nothing. Noah was alone.

  “You can’t do this,” Noah shouted. “You can’t leave me alone!” He slammed his hand into the side of Erik’s face.

  Noah almost dropped his chalk. He covered his mouth with one hand, in a gasp. He had just slapped the man he professed to love.

  “Tut, tut, little human.”

  The sound of Leo calling out sent Noah back into a panic. He grabbed Erik’s arm once more and stumbled along the corridor. This place was too confined for him to be able to put up any kind of fight. The incubus would just do that thing with the wind and fling them both against the wall like a child throwing a temper tantrum with its toys. The end door seemed most promising, but Noah was struggling to pull Erik along. Both taller and heavier than Noah, Erik was no help at all.

  “I’m sorry,” Noah whispered as he let go of Erik’s arm. Hopefully the incubus would leave Erik alone and only go for him. It was a hollow hope. With both hands free, Noah grabbed the mangled remains of the chalk and scrawled lines on his hands. He almost fell into the door as he concentrated on making the lines as clear as possible rather than looking where he was going.

  “That wasn’t very chivalrous.” Leo might as well have been commenting on the weather for all the concern in his tone. “Leaving your mate behind.”

  The words struck a chord, though Noah knew without a doubt that it had been the right thing to do. He barged the door open with his shoulder and was back in a place he recognized. The trapped people were oblivious to the danger heading their way as Noah aimed for a clear space. He needed to try to avoid any civilian casualties.

  Noah stopped in the middle of the room. This was it. There would be no more running. It was time to fight. Finishing the rune wasn’t any easier standing still. Noah’s hands shook with a multitude of emotions. With the final line, he clapped his hands together and the energy burst. The magic was messy as hell, but it was all he had.

  Leo strolled into the room as if he had no cares or concerns. Arrogance would be his downfall, Noah decided. Pride before a fall.

  “It’s time to finish this.�
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  Noah agreed. He took the initiative and thrust one hand forward, shooting energy at the incubus. He wished he could have photographed the look on Leo’s face for prosperity. His jaw dropped and the once-handsome face was lined with anger and stress.

  “Witch!”

  Noah kept silent. No stupid games were going to throw him off. The energy seemed to be keeping Leo busy, but Noah was certain that the incubus was capable of pulling more power. He aimed his other hand slightly higher and hit Leo with a second beam.

  “This did get interesting.”

  Noah shifted his aim so that the beam hit Leo’s face. When he shut up, Noah took that as a small victory.

  Leo was simply shielding against the energy, dispersing it off into nothing, but he couldn’t seem to fire back and shield. He must be younger than Noah had estimated. Power was all well and good, but he didn’t have the skill to control it properly. Noah was not naïve enough to think that made him less dangerous, though. If anything, he was more dangerous. One wrong move and Leo could be the biggest explosion outside of an atomic bomb.

  Leo dropped part of the shielding and sent back his own energy, which was absorbed into the blast coming from Noah. Noah took the opportunity to clap his hands together and fire off a harsh jolt at the gap. The blow knocked Leo back. Noah used the break to add an extra chalk line to his left hand. He flung his right one forward again and hoped that Leo hadn’t noticed him change the other spell. Leo pushed through the pain he must have been feeling and stood up. Noah took a deep breath and prepared to give it one final shot.

  “Why do you get all the fun?”

  The distraction was all that Noah needed. Leo looked away, and he fired off an additional blast. It took everything in him to keep his concentration on the incubus and not on Erik who had appeared.