Seizing Darkness (Fur, Fangs, and Fairies)

by Mariana Thorn

  “You know it’s rude to talk about someone like they’re not there,” I said, really only slightly annoyed now. I was definitely more curious than anything.

  That was forgotten as I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end yet again. It was beginning to get old. Someone was watching me. I tuned out the others as I looked around, searching for whomever or whatever was watching me. Radek, who was still standing next to me, must have noticed me glancing around. I felt him tense up. His demeanor changed from teasing to being on guard. He was ready for an attack. I could feel it. I was sure glad he was on my side. I didn’t think I could take him in a fight. His aura was strong and pushed against mine.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  I shook my head. I hadn’t seen or smelled anything. “I’m not sure,” I said. He narrowed his eyes at me. I needed to get out of here and change the subject quick. I shivered. “Hey, it’s freaking cold out here. Are you two almost finished so we can get out of here?”

  “Just give us a few minutes and then we can leave,” Radek said with a suspicious glare.

  I had the feeling that I was about to get interrogated. That was okay as I had some interrogating of my own to do. I hung back with the detective while they walked around the scene.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Detective Larson whispered to me.

  “You just did. But I suppose you could ask another if you wish.” I didn’t bother pointing out that the other two could hear him just fine. I didn’t really care anyway. I was used to others listening in to my conversations.

  “What are those two?” he leaned over and whispered.

  I leaned back towards him and whispered, “The tall quiet one is a vamp as well as my partner. The annoying one that is going to have his tail handed to him if he ever brings me decaf again is a weretiger like me.”

  “I heard that, you know,” Radek said as he walked back toward us.

  “I’m glad. I can be assured that you will fully caffeinate me in the future if you know what’s good for you,” I replied sweetly.

  “So you think I’m annoying, huh?” He came closer.

  I had to fight not to let it show that he made me nervous. I couldn’t figure out why. The only thing I could come up with was that he was a strong predator that I would have problems subduing if I had to. At least that was what I would admit to myself.

  “You did bring me decaf,” I countered.

  “Hmmm. I did, didn’t I? Well, I guess I’m just going to have to make it up to you.”

  His voice a low, sexy rumble that sent shivers down my spine. The decaf coffee must have been doing something to my stomach because it felt like something had taken up residence there.

  “I’m starving. You can start by feeding me on the way back to headquarters,” I managed to say without my voice becoming shaky.

  “We’re at a crime scene. How can you be hungry?” That came from Larson.

  I wondered what his first name was. I know in most agencies and forces they went by last names, but in ours we went by first. Some of us didn’t have last names or were around before they were invented. Mine was given to me by Val since I hadn’t remembered anything other than my first name when I woke up. I liked our way better; it was more personal.

  I turned to him and said, “Easy, I’ve barely had a break in weeks, let alone sleep. I was finally given a few hours off and I was out trying to relax when some idiot grabbed my ass, so I had to take care of him. Then I was told to come out here in the freezing cold. When I got here, I was inundated by stupidity and people trying to make my job harder. I’m tired, hungry and not happy. A dead wolf is not going to interrupt my appetite. If I lost my appetite every time I saw a dead body, I would have wasted away to nothing by now. Any more unnecessary questions, Detective?” I gave him a don’t-mess-with-me glare.

  He just stared at me. Radek chuckled and I really wanted to do something to wipe that smile off his face, but he had gotten out of reach. I settled for growling at him.

  “We must go. I really need to feed her. It was a pleasure meeting you. We will be in touch,” Radek said.

  I looked around. Dante had already disappeared.

  “Yes, it has been fun. We’ll speak to you later today.” I made my way toward my car with Radek following me close behind. I tossed him the keys as I was too tired to drive. Once we were in, I wanted to ask, but I didn’t know how to begin. Luckily for me he jumped right into what I wanted.

  “Dante and I are half-brothers,” he began. I watched his profile. “Our mother was human. It was a long time ago. Dante is older than me by five years. You can ask him about the whole vampire thing. It’s his story to tell. We generally don’t tell people unless it comes up. Dante likes his secrets.”

  I didn’t know him well enough to tell what the odd note in his voice was when he got to the part about Dante becoming a vampire.

  He continued, “Val was a father to both of us from the beginning. Dante’s father disappeared before he was born. I think Father knows who he was, but I don’t. Father met our mother when Dante was one or two and I was born a couple of years later. She was killed when I was about three. Father really loved her. To my knowledge, he hasn’t been close to another woman since and as I said, that was a very long time ago.” His voice was sad as he talked about his mother.

  He went on. “Father’s compassion for all beings and fairness in dealing with them guaranteed his position as head of the bureau when it was formed, as well as the Council. I knew when we found you that he would take you in. He always wanted a daughter, you know.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “When Dante and I carried your half-dead body into his living room, the look on his face was priceless. He saw something in you that he’d always wanted.”

  This was new information. “I didn’t know you found me. So that’s how I ended up at Val’s.” It came out as barely a whisper. Our conversation was put on hold as we went through a fast-food drive-through and grabbed some burgers and fries. We ate as the conversation continued again.

  He glanced at me. “He didn’t tell you?”

  I shook my head.

  “I guess we all like our little secrets. Yeah, Dante and I were out in the woods one day and we found you almost dead. He actually thought we had done it at first. Like that would ever happen.” Radek laughed. “But Father did say that I might find that there comes a time when I will wish I had left you in the forest.”

  “Ha ha. Very funny.”

  “I try. What were you looking at just before we left?” he asked.

  I was hoping he’d forgotten about that. I realized that he had been sharing things with me to put me off my guard. He was someone I would have to watch out for. But I didn’t think I could get away with not telling him, so I conceded, “I felt like someone was watching me.”

  I saw the muscle in his cheek twitch. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I’m probably just being paranoid. I’ve felt it a lot the last month or so, but there’s never anyone there.” I shrugged.

  He was clearly not pleased. “Have you told Father?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  I caught the growl that he was holding back and cringed a little. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to get on the wrong side of this tiger. “No, I didn’t want to bother him with it. Why do you care, anyway?”

  I was getting testy, and he was getting annoying again. He was going all protective on me. I had almost forgotten that some of the older male creatures had this thing about a female’s place. I felt my own anger rising, but I managed to hold my tongue.

  We rode the rest of the way in tense silence. I was trying not to let out my frustration and he was dealing with whatever was on his mind. I folded my arms over my chest, leaned back and closed my eyes.

  Chapter Three

  By the time we’d gotten back to headquarters, Radek had barely said two words to me. The paperwork took forever; that’s what happened when the humans were involved. I was so glad that our
agency was run differently. After the massive amount of paperwork, we had questioned the witnesses again at the police station. It was nearing the end of the next day and already getting dark again when Radek had finally sent me home to get some sleep.

  I was sure he was unaware, since it’s my most guarded secret, but it was the night that I was unable to shift. Every moon cycle, there is one night when a weretiger can’t shift. It’s different for each of us. Mine just happens to fall on the moonless night. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have let me go home alone, I was certain of that.

  The shower had felt good, and so did my favorite silk camisole and shorts pajama set. It was cold outside, but I couldn’t resist. The fabric felt so good against my skin, and I kept my place nice and toasty. Letting out a sigh of contentment, I laid down in my wonderfully soft featherbed.

  Just as my eyes closed and as the warmth enveloped me, I smelled it. The scent was acrid, making me sneeze. It took a second, but once it hit me I scrambled out of bed.

  Gasoline and smoke. What the hell?

  I ran to my door. I could feel the heat on the other side through the door. How had the fire started and grown so fast without me noticing? There wasn’t any time to try and figure it out. I ran for the window, grabbing my phone off my dresser on the way.

  Suddenly, having my bedroom on the second floor didn’t seem like such a fantastic idea. But the fact that I was a weretiger meant I shouldn’t get hurt too much. I quickly unlatched the window and took a deep, smoked-filled breath, coughed, and jumped. Like all good cats, I landed on my feet. That wasn’t too bad, I thought, rising up. Not really thinking about it, I pressed the first button on my speed dial.

  The call had just connected when I was knocked to the ground. It felt like a train, but it was a werewolf that hit me. He was in his human form, but I could smell the musky scent of wolf. Those were the only things that registered as I was slammed onto my side.

  Landing hard, I heard a crunch as the bone in my left forearm snapped beneath me. I didn’t have any time to respond. The damn wolf was trying to rip out my throat with his teeth. I tried to fight back. He was strong. Normally a wolf was no big deal for me, but tonight I had a big disadvantage. I was weaker on the nights I couldn’t shift.

  The smoke was filling my lungs and breathing was becoming difficult. We rolled on the ground and the wolf got me by the throat with his hands. He twisted me onto my back and his body pressed me into the cold, frozen ground. His legs pinned my arms to my sides. I couldn’t get the leverage with my feet to push him off.

  His fingernails dug into the delicate skin of my neck. The scent of my blood filled my nose. I stared up at the starry sky. It’s not raining, I thought incongruously. I was barely getting any air through his hands clenched around my throat.

  I managed to wrench my arms free and began digging at his hands, trying to pry them loose, but with only one working arm it was impossible. I was becoming weaker as I struggled to get air into my aching lungs. My vision started to get fuzzy around the edges.

  All of a sudden, the weight of the wolf was lifted off of me. There was a crack and I heard flesh ripping. I was showered in hot, sticky liquid. As I gasped for breath, the scent of the wolf’s blood hit me.

  A second later, I was staring into Radek’s enraged golden eyes. I had thought they were a dark brown. I must have been mistaken earlier. That’s all that went through my foggy brain. My lungs hurt as I gasped for air.

  “Natalya?” Radek’s voice was a low growl.

  I could see that he was close to shifting by the glow of the fire consuming my home. He had a concerned, almost frightened look on his face. How did he get here so fast? I wondered through my daze.

  My focus shifted to his lips, they were moving, but I couldn’t hear him – all I could think about for one crazy moment was what it would be like to kiss him. My brain was definitely not running on all four legs. As that thought filtered through the fog, the pain started to draw my attention. I blinked my eyes, trying to focus. I must have let out some sound because his expression changed. I couldn’t figure out what it was through the pain. My throat felt like it was on fire. His words finally started to register.

  “Talk to me, Natalya. How much of this blood is yours? I can smell it, but the stench of this other blood is burning my nose. Tell me what the hell happened.” He was leaning over me, and I felt his hand brush hair from my face.

  His touch sent a new kind of sensation through my body. I wanted him to do it again; it had made the pain ease for a moment. But the smell of all the blood was making me ill. I just showered, damn it, I thought.

  “Just a scratch,” I managed to croak out of my crushed and swollen throat. After a coughing spell, I panted out, “Why…did…you…have to…make such…a mess?”

  He let out a relieved laugh. It was then that I decided that I really liked his laugh. I knew my brain still wasn’t working quite right as that thought filtered through my mind. I also enjoyed listening to his voice. It had a smooth quality to it even when he was upset.

  “You have got to be kidding me, Natalya. Your house is burning to the ground, you were attacked by a rabid werewolf, and you’re worried about me creating a little mess. You have lost your freaking mind. Did you hit your head or something?” He paused and glanced over toward my house. “I’m going to move you away from the house now, okay?” Without waiting for a response, he lifted me gently into his arms.

  I laid my head against his chest. His heart was beating fast. His scent surrounded me, overpowering the stench of the burning building and other things that were in the air. It was musky and male and he smelled like the forest. I wanted to close my eyes and get lost in it. I only had a second to ponder that before he set me on my feet under one of the giant trees that surrounded my cabin. He held me steady until I was able to stand on my own.

  I wanted to keep touching him, and he seemed to feel the same. He kept his arm around my shoulders, holding me to his side. It comforted me. I didn’t notice the frigid air until he took off his soft black leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.

  As the warmth started to sink into me, I noticed Dante. He was standing next to Radek with an angry look on his face. His eyes glowed red, which was not a good sign. I stepped closer to Radek.

  Though I was glad for the clearer air, I was reminded of how much I hated the smell of vampires. They smelled of death, blood, mold and dust. I wrinkled my nose and sneezed. My throat was beginning to clear, but my voice was still barely above a whisper, “Why do vamps have to stink so much?”

  “Cute, Natalya. I come and help save your ass, and this is the thanks I get.” He acted irritated, but there was still that hint of affection that he always had in his voice when he talked to me.

  I could tell that he was on edge like the rest of us. Radek was not a happy tiger and Dante was not a happy vampire. I sure would not want to be the one that burned down my place when they found them.

  I felt bad for what I’d said about his smell. “Sorry, Dante. Thank you for coming over. Do you know who the wolf was?” I was speaking slower than normal and my throat hurt, but I wanted answers.

  “He wasn’t from Madon’s pack. I know most of them. I’m not sure about Joshua’s. I don’t think he was a pack wolf, though. He smelled wrong; there was a sickness in his blood. I think he might have been a created wolf, not a natural one. I really couldn’t tell from the stench of the sickness.” Radek seemed deep in thought.

  “Oh great, and I’m covered in it.” I was trying not to completely freak out and embarrass myself further. My breathing began to increase.

  I was beginning to hyperventilate when the flashbacks hit. I didn’t know what they were of, but the blood was everywhere. It hurt, but not where my injuries were. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t know what. I had done it – and it was terrible. This I knew. I was gasping for breath, and I could hear Radek calling my name, but I couldn’t respond.

  I looked at my hands. The blood. “Get it off me. Ge
t it off me!”

  Radek took my head into his hands and made me stare into his eyes. The contact made my skin tingle. “Natalya. It’s okay. You’re okay. Look at me.”

  As I stared into his golden eyes, the panic started to subside. My breathing returned to normal. I coughed a few times from the smoke and strangulation. I didn’t know what had just happened; the only thing I could think of was a pair of deep green eyes looking at me with intense hatred.

  “What the hell was that about?” Radek demanded.

  “I have no idea,” I said, my breathing still ragged. I was trying to put the pieces together in my mind, but it just gave me a blinding headache. It began to make me nauseous so I stopped.

  “Flashback,” Dante’s voice broke in.

  Radek and I both looked at him.

  “You were having a flashback, weren’t you?” Dante asked gently. There was a look of deep concern on his face.

  I thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I can’t remember the details, but it was something about the blood that triggered it.” It was bad enough that they’d had to come save me; now they had to see me freak out. I was in shock, I think.

  The fire trucks chose that moment to finally show up. The volunteer fire station was not that far away, so it shouldn’t have taken them this long to get here. Granted, the mountain roads were icy in the middle of this frigid night in December.

  I live about twenty minutes up highway 410 from Enumclaw, Washington. I turned to see my lovely two-story log cabin burning to the ground. From the look of things, there wasn’t going to be anything left. I had only been living there for a few months, but I loved that place. At least my car seemed to have survived.

  Yep, I was definitely in shock. For some reason, I wanted to cry. That was so not going to happen though. Not again. One freak-out a night was all that I was allowed. And the anger was starting to fester as I watched the firefighters battling the flames. There was no hope of saving the house, I could see that. They were concentrating on not letting the flames travel to the surrounding forest.