Stripped Away: Shadow Destroyers Book 2

by Sydney Somers

  “I swear if you drop me, you’re a dead man.”

  Braxton laughed, immeasurably content as he carried Quinn into the kitchen. He’d stopped long enough to let her gather their clothes, then scooped her into his arms. No matter what arguments she might come up with, he had no plans to let her leave tonight. He wanted her in his bed.

  With him.

  Even when he confessed what happened between them the night she’d been infected by the lust demon…whatever it took, he would convince her not to leave.

  The phone in his pants pocket started to ring when they were halfway down the upstairs hallway. He carried her into his room and laid her on the bed before collapsing next to her. He snagged his cell phone from his back pocket. Quinn curled around his body, and he paused another moment, indulging in the closeness he was quickly getting used to.

  Braxton frowned when he recognized Rae’s number. “Yeah?”

  “How soon can you be ready for a trip to Guatemala? Temporal activity indicates an awful lot of traffic for one demon. A few deaths in the area look to be sacrificial in nature.”

  “Wonderful,” he quipped.

  “I’m sending Gage too. The pilot will be ready and waiting for you two in just over an hour.”

  He glanced at his watch really hating his job at the moment.

  “Is there a problem?” Rae asked when he still hadn’t responded.

  He studied Quinn’s face, reassured by the understanding he glimpsed in her eyes. “I’ll be there.” He ended the call and rolled to his side, propping his head up on his palm. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?”

  She snorted. “Is that to soften the blow of you heading off for Guatemala?”

  He grinned and shook his head. Sometimes it was easy to forget her hearing was so good she could’ve picked up on both sides of the conversation even from another room. He brushed away a stray hair caught at the corner of her mouth. “I really mean it.”

  Her lips parted, and she hooked her hand around his neck, drawing him down to her mouth.

  “You mentioned a favor,” he reminded her a few seconds later, ending the kiss that so quickly unraveled him.

  Her smile grew tight, and he instantly regretted bringing it up.

  “We can talk about it later,” he offered, hating the vulnerable expression that claimed her gorgeous face.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know who else to ask, Brax.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve been dreaming about my parents. My mom is scared, and my dad…” She closed her eyes. “In it, he grabs a sword to defend my mother and he’s cut down right in front of us.” Her voice started to crack and she slammed her lips together, holding back the pain that blinked across her face.

  “You and Cass?”

  Quinn nodded.

  “Could your nightmares have intensified because of what happened to Cass? Because it’s just the two of you and maybe you feel guilty for not being there?”

  Her brows furrowed. “Maybe,” she conceded. “I hadn’t really considered that.”

  “So what does the favor involve?”

  “Getting a peek at classified information. And before you refuse outright,” she rushed to add, “it’s information on me.”

  Confused, he leaned up on his elbow. “You?”

  “I know it’s probably nothing, but when I tried to access my own background information, more specifically information on my parents’ deaths, it wouldn’t let me.”

  “Could just be a glitch in the system. Your parents were killed in a car accident. I can’t see why that information would be off limits.”

  “I couldn’t understand either.” Her gaze darted away.

  “Is there something else?”

  “I went back through the records and the newspaper archives online. There isn’t any record of my parents having died in a car crash.” She fiddled with the sheet. “And I think Rae knows something.”

  He swallowed tightly, puzzled over there not being a record of the accident. “Why?”

  “Why else would she want Cass tucked away? If this were just a simple case of Cass’s neighbor being a demon lover, why wouldn’t she at least be safe with me? It doesn’t make any sense. And now this about my parents’ deaths?” She searched his eyes, a mix of disbelief and confusion haunting her turquoise eyes. “What if they didn’t really die in a car crash? The details are getting sharper and so much of the nightmares feels so real.”

  “Let’s say they didn’t die in a crash, what do you think happened to them?”

  “I don’t know.” She shivered. “My dad had a sword, Braxton. My sword.”

  He didn’t say anything as he considered the ramifications.

  She sat up, dragging a blanket over her as she tucked her legs under her. “The Destroyer gene is inherited, going back a few millennia. I got it from somewhere.”

  “We all did, but the gene remains dormant in the majority of people who carry it.”

  “What if my dad wasn’t the majority? What if he didn’t really work for a consulting firm?”

  Braxton reached for his phone.

  “What are doing?”

  “Telling Rae I can’t go.”

  Quinn was faster and snatched the phone off the nightstand. “Just because one of has to be useless doesn’t mean both of us need to be. You’ll only be gone a day or two.”

  He reached across her for the phone she held out of reach. “And leave you to mull this over? No way.”

  “I’m not saying I’ll be patient, but it’ll have to wait until you get back.”

  “Quinn—”

  She shook her head. “With a few demons on the sacrificial warpath who knows who else’s parent or child is at risk. Do what you were trained to do.”

  “You could try talking to Rae,” he suggested, forcing himself to get off the bed though every part of his mind yelled out to grab onto her and not let go. He wasn’t used to having a reason to stay when an assignment came in, and if he didn’t leave now, he would find a way to talk himself out of going. Quinn was right about needing to do what he could to stop a Shadow Demon from taking the life of another innocent person.

  “If Rae was going to be forthcoming with the details, I think she would have been.” She reached for her shirt and tugged it over her head. “You need to get ready and I need to get out of the way so you can.”

  He returned to the bed and kissed her hard. “You’re not in the way.”

  The smile she gave him when he pried his hands off her caught him right in the gut, and made him linger over her mouth once more. He turned and headed for the bathroom. The sound of her calling his name stopped him the doorway.

  Her expression turned somber. “How long did I have restraints on the night I was infected by the lust demon?”

  He froze in the doorway, then finally shrugged through the layer of ice that blanketed his insides.

  “I remembered them this morning. Vaguely remember that I pounded on the door to be let out.”

  He nodded, trying to open his mouth and force the words out.

  “In some of my nightmares my hands are bound,” she continued. “If some of my nightmares are more than dreams, maybe…maybe being put in those restraints that night knocked loose something in my head.”

  He stared at her.

  “Crazy, huh?” She tried for a smile. “I guess at this point I’ll look to anything for an explanation.”

  He tightened his grip on the doorframe. “Quinn?”

  She stooped to gather the rest of her clothes. “Mmmm?”

  His phone rang again. Seeing Gage’s number, he cursed and picked up.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” he said a moment later. He listened to Gage but didn’t take his eyes off Quinn, his heart clenching painfully as he watched her finish dressing and walk out of the room with a short wave and mouthing, “good luck”.

  He leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. Why the hell was it that where Quinn was concerned,
he couldn’t do the right thing even if it was painted on a neon billboard flashing in the sky?

  * * *

  Quinn cringed as Jordan took a hard toss to the mat. Her friend recovered quickly advancing on the newest Shadow Destroyer to be assigned to their field office. Another telepath. As if the doc and Braxton weren’t enough trying to get inside her head.

  Darcy ducked Jordan’s first kick, a smile catching the corner of her mouth. She wasn’t so lucky with the next one, and sprawled across the mat as her feet tangled in avoiding Jordan’s offense. Darcy tugged at the elastic holding back her shoulder-length brown hair, and rolled to her feet, more wary of Jordan this time. Her blue eyes glittered with the friendly promise of retribution.

  Quinn watched Jordan scowl. “You’re not letting her in your head, are you?”

  Jordan spared Quinn a disgusted look. A move that cost her as Darcy went low. They both hit the mat.

  Sorry, Quinn mouthed.

  Jordan let the new agent help her up and then grinned at Quinn. “Your turn.”

  Crossing her arms, Quinn leaned back against one of the benches that lined the wall of their training room. “I’m good here, thanks.”

  Jordan shrugged. “And here I thought being sidelined would make you antsy.”

  “That almost sounds like a dare.” Darcy smiled.

  “Now that you mention it…” Jordan chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’ll treat you to pizza and beer if you can take Darcy down without her getting inside your head.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Or very bored,” Rae said from the doorway.

  Jordan shrugged. “You sent all the guys away to play and left us here. If I didn’t know you were all for getting rough with the boys yourself, I’d think you were trying to tell us something.”

  Amused, Rae crossed her arms, her gaze drifting over Quinn before settling back on Jordan. “Or could be I wanted to make sure I had the ones here who wouldn’t go easy with Darcy the first time out.”

  Quinn snorted.

  “Problem, Quinn?”

  “Just to be clear, is that a rhetorical question?” Quinn matched Rae’s militant stance.

  Rae ignored the comment, which only annoyed Quinn more. “You’re not going to let Jordan’s offer slide are you?”

  Aware that Rae watched her closely, Quinn changed places with Jordan.

  Darcy darted a look at their boss, her brows gathering together.

  Quinn tipped her head in Rae’s direction. “If you can crack that vault, I want the combination.”

  A smile winked at the corner of Darcy’s mouth. “Is that skepticism I’m hearing?”

  “Wishful thinking,” Jordan threw in, wincing as Darcy wasn’t prepared for the swiftness of Quinn’s first move.

  She landed hard on her ass. “Initiated by a stealth demon, right?” She was back on her feet a heartbeat later and eyed the weapon wall.

  “I think she wants to make things interesting,” Quinn observed.

  “Why not?” Darcy snatched them each a pair of Sai from the wall. She tossed Quinn a set and brought her own up in preparation.

  Jordan sighed. “Why does everyone always go for them when I’m not sparring?”

  Quinn parried away from the first slash of the Sai. “Could it be that you can kick everyone’s ass with them?”

  Darcy met her halfway, their Sai locked together. Quinn twisted and wrenched one of Darcy’s free. The other agent dove for it as it clattered across the floor, rolling back to a defensive stance when Quinn came down to take advantage of the vulnerable position.

  “So who’s Mr. Murphy?” Darcy asked, flinging Quinn off.

  Quinn didn’t let her surprise show, chalking the comment up to more of a shot in the dark than anything else. “A pain in the ass you’ll soon get to meet.”

  Darcy shook her head. “Why? Did you bring your fish bowl to work?”

  Jordan burst out laughing.

  Had Darcy been any closer, Quinn’s momentary surprise might have cost her.

  “She’s good isn’t she?” Jordan laughed.

  Strike for strike, Quinn met the other Destroyer’s attack. “Pretty slick.” Too slick. This time Quinn hadn’t even felt the slight ripple against her mental shields. She just couldn’t decide if Darcy was just that good or if maybe Braxton had been right about everything eventually taking a toll on her.

  * * *

  Relaxed from the couple of beers she’d shared with Jordan and Darcy, Quinn strolled towards home in no particular hurry. The cool night breeze felt wonderful on her face after spending the last couple of hours in their usual booth at Kane’s. She’d even gotten the chance to speak to Cass and managed to hide her concerns from her sister. Not an easy feat.

  Just after eleven, the streets were quiet as she headed along, making it almost easy to keep the background noise off the radar. She stretched her arms overhead, wondering if Gage and Brax were already on their way back. They still hadn’t had any time to talk about how working and sleeping together would work with them, but given the serious look on his face right before she’d left his place last night, she’d guessed he was wondering about it too.

  With half a thought to try to catch him on his cell when she got home, she quickened her pace. The eagerness to hear his voice caught her in the chest, making it too easy to recognize how much she’d opened herself to heartbreak if things didn’t work out.

  She rounded another corner and walked past Jake’s. She was thankful Wally wasn’t lingering out front to try and coax her in for a beer. From the corner of her eye she spotted a person walking towards his parked car in the bar’s back lot. She spared half a glance, then did a double-take.

  Woody?

  Sensing someone had taken notice, the man froze, then sprinted in the opposite direction towards the woods.

  Quinn sprinted after him, almost overtaking him just inside the wooded area not far from her last confrontation with the telepath demon Braxton had slayed.

  The second he skidded to an abrupt stop so did Quinn. An instinctual warning snapped down her spine. Ten feet away from him she realized she wasn’t chasing a man at all, but a mimic demon.

  Clinging to her determination to be prepared for anything, she withdrew one of the daggers tucked inside of her boot. There was no way to be sure, but she was willing to bet it was the same one that had come far too close to staking her in the heart. “Hey, there handsome. Come back for seconds?”

  The creature with Woody’s face snarled at her.

  She tipped her head. “Should I take that as a yes?”

  This time she felt the tell-tale probe, not surprised when the demon chose Jordan’s form.

  “If you could actually pull off the blonde hair, you might be halfway convincing.”

  With a hiss, it attacked. This time Quinn was on her game, the deadly mantra that this wasn’t her friend set on replay in her mind in order to make the killing blow effortlessly.

  The demon took a slash to the back and another to its leg, but didn’t show signs of retreat. She was glad for it, wanting—needing—to take her frustration out on something.

  “Why did you go after my sister?”

  Predictably, the demon pulled Cass’s form from its magical repertoire. Though there was a tiny stab of guilt, she punched the demon, catching it squarely in the face.

  The damn thing laughed at her. The sound of Cass’s voice was downright creepy coming from the demon in front of her.

  And it pissed her off.

  The hair on the back of Quinn’s neck stood at attention, goosebumps exploding across her skin. From the corner of her eye, the shape of a man emerged from the shadows. Though her senses buzzed on high, she kept her focus on the mimic demon.

  It came at her again, the creature’s face morphing once more. Quinn didn’t let anything penetrate but the need to slay it. A long slice across the demon’s cheek didn’t bleed, but threw the demon off balance. She moved in, her eyes on its neck when her senses screeched
in warning.

  She ducked the attack from behind, whirling to face the second hostile. Everything inside her went cold and hard, adrenaline avalanching her system as she took in the older man dressed in jeans and a faded button-up shirt. The growing certainty twisted through her gut like an oily snake.

  A Scion.

  She darted back a step automatically, too late to dodge both the mimic demon and Scion’s simultaneous attacks. The fist to her stomach doubled her over, but she gritted her teeth through the pain and straightened only to be kicked back a step.

  Leaving herself wide open to the Scion.

  With a strength that shocked her, the master demon gripped her shirt and slammed her headlong into a tree. The impact smashed her teeth together as she fought down the instant vertigo and nausea that roiled in her stomach. She’d lost her grip on her dagger, warm blood trickling down her cheek from where the side of her face scraped the tree.

  Dragging in a breath, she pushed to her feet. Only one other time had she faced another Scion and it had taken her, Braxton and Gage to vanquish the creature.

  The mimic demon refused to let up, coming at her from the right with the dagger she’d dropped. She evaded the first move, her body screaming in protest at the moves needed to keep her ahead of the creature. She withdrew her other dagger, aware of the Scion watching every move she made before moving in again.

  Quinn’s speed gave her enough of an edge to escape the arc of her own dagger as it whistled precariously close to her throat. As she ducked and rolled to avoid the mimic demon’s counter attack, she had no choice but to engage the Scion intent on cornering her.

  Breathing hard and wishing one of the team were here with her, she led with a wide slash that nearly caught him in the middle. His own reflexes were incredibly sharp, allowing him to move almost as fast as Quinn. A sharp kick to her back knocked her forward. Her palms bit into the pieces of pinecones that littered the ground.

  A foot nailed in her the stomach, and she sucked in a sharp breath, her vision graying at the edges. She scrambled away from the next blow, her retreat far too sluggish. She cried out as the dagger the mimic demon wielded sliced through her shirt and cut down her back.