Collision (Colliding Worlds Trilogy Book 1)

by Rachel Aukes

  So far, so good.

  It was Sienna’s first time in a Goth club, and she took in the decadent scenery. Tall crimson velvet curtains were draped down the twenty-foot black walls. Deep red couches and dark cherry tables were scattered across a floor packed wall-to-wall with dark-haired, dark-dressed people.

  Some people lounged on the couches, drinking, talking, making out, and all combinations of those things. Many more were on the dance floor, gyrating to rave music with a bold, dark beat. Looking down from the top of the stairs, the dance floor reminded her of a subdued mosh pit. She felt herself swaying to the haunting, almost drug-like beat that vibrated through her body.

  Jax nuzzled her ear with his nose. “Don’t stare. This is our kind of place, remember?”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled the cool air, which contained a hint of incense. “Just getting the vibe of the place.” She put a painted fingernail to her lips. “I wonder if the guards at the door are to keep folks out or to keep folks in.”

  Jax’s lips tightened, and he didn’t look like he was entirely sure himself.

  “C’mon,” she said, leading him toward the stairs. “Let’s get a drink.”

  With a nod, he took the lead, sweeping her down the wide stairs and straight to the bar. The bartender gave Sienna a full-body once-over look. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him because he leaned closer with a flirty grin. “What will you have, sweets?”

  “I’ll have a tawny port. Aged twenty-years, preferably,” she said, licking her lips under a flirty gaze.

  He winked at her, and then turned a cool appraisal onto Jax.

  “Templeton Rye on the rocks.”

  The bartender nodded and went about getting their drinks while Sienna swayed in time to music that would leave her ears ringing for days.

  A glint of metal caught her eye. She glanced over at a girl with a dozen piercings. Dressed in a micro-mini leather skirt and strapless corset covered in a skull print, she fit right in with the crowd. What kept Sienna’s attention, however, was the tattoo that spanned the girl’s shoulder. It was of an angel in flight. Only this angel’s wings didn’t have feathers. Instead, its dragon-like wings were covered in tattoos.

  Sienna eyed Jax, and he gave a glance that told her he was thinking the same thing. She nudged the petite girl. “Wicked ink.”

  The girl grinned and glanced over her shoulder as though she could see the tattoo. “Thanks. Got it done last week.”

  “Haven’t seen a demon done like that before. With all the marks and stuff.”

  “I know. Isn’t he sexy? His name is Laze. He takes the best care of me. And he is incredible.” She said the last word with an over-exaggerated bend of her knees.

  Sienna batted playfully at her. “No way. You met a real demon? Get outta here.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

  “New in town.”

  The girl nodded. “Hang out here long enough, maybe you’ll see for yourself.”

  Sienna must have looked doubtful because the girl grabbed Sienna by her arms and looked her in the eye. “At first, they come to you when the fog machines smoke up the place. It’s so surreal, it could be a dream. Only it’s not a dream. And the things they do to you…” She shivered before playfully running a finger down Sienna’s neck, sending sensual goosebumps across her skin. The girl smiled. “You’re a bit old, but you’re hot. Maybe you’ll find out for yourself. After all, they need us,” she whispered with a brush of her lips against Sienna’s ear.

  Sienna cocked her head. “Need us?”

  Tat-girl gave her a knowing smile. “You’ll find out if you’re chosen. Trust me, you would never have to worry about money or anything ever again. That’s how good they take care of us.”

  The girl was probably already pregnant by her demon lover and didn’t even know it yet. Sienna made a mental note of the name Laze.

  When Sienna opened her mouth to speak, Jax handed her the sipper of wine, and then wrapped an arm around her waist. Jax gave the other girl a flirty half-smile. “If you don’t mind, I need this woman to myself.”

  With that, he tugged Sienna forward.

  Jax put a hand on her hip and Sienna led the way to an open sofa near the wall. Old-fashioned drop-lights hung from the ceiling, shedding just enough yellowish light that she didn’t trip over anyone. She’d become decent over the past few months at not crashing into things in the dark. Moving around this club was a piece of cake compared to getting around the base without her drades.

  The leather corset creaked against the leather sofa as she sat down and propped her boots up on the coffee table, crossing her ankles. Jax sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her. To anyone else, they looked like any other hot-and-heavy couple watching the scene.

  “Why the rush?” Sienna asked. “I was getting good intel at the bar.”

  “The bartender was beginning to eye you like you were a news reporter,” Jax replied before narrowing his eyes in concentration.

  “Oh.”

  Static sounded through her earpiece, but she couldn’t make out any words. Taking the smallest sip of wine, she did her best to fit in while listening for more to come out through her earpiece.

  “Repeat last.” Jax spoke to her, although she knew he wasn’t talking to her.

  Again, a garbled response came through her earpiece.

  “No joy,” Jax replied with a frown and eyed Sienna. “Looks like we’re on our own in here.”

  “At least the cavalry is just outside.”

  “A lot can happen in a couple hundred feet.” He leaned back, resting an arm over the back of the couch. He watched the crowd for several moments before speaking again. “Things are a mess right now.”

  “Not everything,” Sienna said. “From what I hear, you and Risa are hitting it off.”

  He thought for a moment. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

  “I know that feeling,” she said.

  “At least Doc’s no longer an issue.”

  Sienna frowned, then her eyes widened. “Oh, I thought Doc just liked to flirt with her.”

  Jax shook his head. “There was more than flirting going on. And I got tired of that shit fast.”

  “How long did you know?”

  He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. I guess you probably knew from the get-go. The base is small. And you are a super commando type.” She put a hand on his knee. “Well, I’m glad she got her act together. You could use some fun in your life.”

  Jax replied by taking a drink of his whiskey.

  Sienna looked back toward the bar. “This club is a perfect setting for the Draeken to meet women. I don’t think it’s a breeding facility in the way it sounded. It sounds more like a way for the Draeken to introduce themselves to humans who’d be accepting of them in the right atmosphere. Pretty brilliant plan if you ask me. That girl sounded like a pretty satisfied customer.”

  “Could be, but if they’re worried about extinction, I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have more going on.” Jax nodded and stared off into the crowd, running a hand up and down Sienna’s arm while he scanned the club. He had one leg crossed over the other. Even though she knew he felt otherwise, he looked right at home. He handled himself so well she couldn’t help but relax against him.

  She had become entranced by an androgynous couple on the dance floor when a waitress with way too much eyeliner stepped into her line of sight.

  “Can I get you two anything?”

  “We’re good.” Jax brushed her off, and the waitress moved on to the next table without so much as a smile.

  Sienna rested her head on his shoulder and glanced across the dance floor. “I don’t see any doors, so I’m thinking they must be hidden behind these curtains.”

  “That’s my thought, too.”

  She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple as she struggled to recall the exact floor plan. This was one of those times when a photographic memory
would come in handy. To their left was the hallway to the restrooms. From there, the entrance above. She looked to the right. Directly behind the dance floor. There. It had to be there.

  “The door is behind the second curtain on that wall.”

  “Playing The Price is Right?” Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She gave him a look of frustration. “See how the light is burned out above that one. It’s the only light not working in this whole place. I bet it’s intentional. It’s so dark, it would be impossible to see someone coming and going.”

  He casually scanned the club before standing and holding out a hand. “Let’s dance.”

  After a quick perusal of the crowded floor, she placed her hand in his. They weaved through the tables between them and the dance floor. When they reached the crowded dance floor, Jax pulled her hand above her head and gave her a twirl.

  “Déjà vu,” she said. “Minus the cowboy hat. What did you ever do with that? I liked it.”

  He smiled and gave her another twirl. “No one said we can’t have a little fun while working.”

  Sienna laughed. It felt good. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a full, real laugh. Lately, there hadn’t been a lot to laugh at.

  The song switched over, and the crowd migrated to the dance floor.

  “I can’t believe I know this song!” she yelled into his ear over the noise.

  “I’m going to dance you toward the wall.”

  Jax steered them charmingly through the sea of slowly gyrating bodies and toward the edge of the dance floor. The room was beginning to swim when Jax stopped abruptly. Her head hit his chest.

  “I’ll cover you while you check the curtain.”

  He gave Sienna the lightest push, but her left leg missed a step and she torpedoed toward the wall. She stopped herself from meeting the wall face first and turned around. Jax was nowhere to be found. Tightening her lips, she dove behind the curtain, and, sure enough, there was a large steel door with no handle, only a flat electronic screen on the wall.

  She backed up to tell Jax, but a large body blocked her.

  “Ah!”

  Jax held her steady. “Shh.”

  She poked him in the chest, accentuating each word. “Don’t scare me like that. What are you trying to do? Give a girl a heart attack?”

  He ignored her, and instead leaned her against the wall and stepped up to the screen.

  “Apolo gave us a direct order to not do anything to raise suspicion,” she said when she saw him pull out a small pen-like device.

  “We can’t get intel unless we take some risk,” he replied, and raised the device to the screen.

  She crossed her fingers. The comm-tech had sworn the thing would work and was one-of-a-kind. He’d also went on and on about it being worth more than Jax and her combined, but she liked to think Tanel was being a touch overprotective of his gadgets. Then again, knowing the Sephian’s complete lack of any sense of humor, maybe not.

  A light flashed on the screen, and the door opened with a whoosh.

  “You good?” he asked.

  She hiked up her skirt and pulled out her gun. “Let’s do this.”

  From the other side of the doorway, Jax held up three fingers, then two, then one.

  Show time.

  They stepped through the door and into a brightly-lit room. She swung her gun around, her back to Jax, as they scanned the empty room. After a full three-sixty, she lowered her gun. A row of kegs lined one wall, while the others were lined with boxes of liquor.

  She didn’t know what she’d expected, but this wasn’t it. “Do you think they got to Apolo’s spy earlier than Apolo thought?”

  “Maybe. Maybe the intel was bad. From the looks of things, they could’ve closed down months ago—if they were even here.”

  Sienna shook her head. “No way. That girl’s ink was brand new. Something’s off.” She did another full turn to take in the room. “Wait a sec. In the floor plan, this room was longer than this.”

  Jax scanned the walls then walked to the far end of the room and began pulling boxes out. She followed suit. After moving a couple dozen cases, she froze. “I found something.”

  At that moment, something metallic clinked between them. She glanced down at the object. “Chaos-charge! Cover your—”

  Too late. The thing must have been on a short timer; the room erupted in light and screaming. She fell like a leaf in a tornado of bright light and noise.

  “Legian!” she screamed, even though she knew he probably couldn’t hear her. She could faintly hear Jax’s yell for backup.

  She rolled over and was trying to figure out which way was up when something grabbed her hand. Or, more precisely, something grabbed the gun from her hand while a tremendous pressure held her down. She tried to slap away her assailant, but with the vertigo, her hands wouldn’t listen to her brain and she pretty much lay there, useless, as she was disarmed. She listened to the clinks of knives and charges being dropped onto the floor. Her weapons.

  “Bastard,” Sienna muttered, and a deep chuckle broke the now painful ringing silence in her ears. She wouldn’t be surprised if both eardrums had burst, given the way they throbbed and the ringing that had set up in her ears. She looked around, taking several moments for the room to quit spinning. After what seemed like forever, her eyes slowly focused on the shape of a seven-foot Draeken standing over her. Her head jerked around as she searched for Jax, and she found him prone on the floor alongside her.

  She jerked up, only to have a large hand shove her back onto the floor. She hadn’t seen the other Draeken that knelt by her. She struggled against him, but he held her down with one hand, seemingly without effort.

  She recalled the tattoo she’d seen earlier and recognized the wings. “You must be Laze.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Come here to find me, did you?”

  The Draeken next to him chuckled. “Your reputation precedes you. Perhaps she wants to experience a real man.”

  Sienna renewed her struggles. “I’d rather eat a forty-five than touch you.”

  “Spunk. I like that. But you’re not my type. You smell of slaves.” Laze’s eyes narrowed. “How did you find us?”

  “The Yellow Pages.”

  Laze grabbed her jaw and she winced. “I don’t like to repeat myself. How did you find us?”

  “She doesn’t know anything. She came with me,” Jax called out from several feet away.

  She heard the sound of a punch, followed by a grunt. She couldn’t turn her head toward the sound. She could only look up or close her eyes. And there was no way in hell she was going to let the Draeken think she was scared of him. She watched him turn toward Jax and grin. “Relax, human. We’ll get to you soon enough.” The devious smile was turned back onto her. “You will both tell me what you know. That, I promise.”

  She struggled harder, and he laughed. Then a loud sound cut the air, and warm liquid splattered her face. The Draeken fell like a heavy wall on her, and she fought to get out from under him, unable to breathe.

  As quickly as it happened, the weight was gone, and she gulped fresh air. Legian fell to his knees and pulled her from the Draeken.

  “Glad you could make it,” she said, with as much humor as she could muster.

  Legian bent down and kissed her then pulled away. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “Sounds good to me. After we finish checking this place out.”

  He helped her to her feet, only to throw her toward the wall again. A laser shot whizzed by her head. Coming to her hands and knees, she turned to see Legian reach for his gun. “Get out of here. Run.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Like hell I’m leaving you.

  That was Sienna’s first thought when shots fired from the now-open door that’d been hidden behind crates in the far wall. Both Legian and Nalea—who’d come in with Legian, Jax’s team, and a couple other Sephians—were directly in the line of fire.

  He fired a couple shots at the doorwa
y. “Go outside! There’s a dampener in this building. Our coms don’t work. Call Apolo for backup.”

  He turned his attention back to the battle. She ran a couple steps and crashed into the fallen Draeken—Laze—who moaned. She turned to see Legian pop off more shots, but then he shot a look right back to her. “Get Apolo.”

  Sienna nodded and scrambled toward the door. She hated to leave, but she knew that they needed backup or none of them may get out of there alive. She was the least-experienced fighter there, so it made sense she should be the gopher. Something grabbed her leg. She snapped her head around to see Laze, though groggy, with a firm grip on her.

  “No, you don’t,” he muttered, spitting out blood.

  She swung out with her free leg, and the heel of her boot connected squarely with his jaw. His head snapped back, but he didn’t let go. She kicked again and knocked him loose. Jumping to her feet, she dove toward the entrance, only to be tackled into the wall by Laze. Her head crashed into the brick wall and white spears shot through her vision. Momentarily dazed, she swung out an instant too late. Laze swiped his hand over the screen on the wall near the steel door, and her escape route slammed shut.

  She elbowed him where his shirt was soaked with blood, and he was on his back a second later. He tried to get up but was knocked back when Nalea stepped on a wing. He cried out and slapped at Nalea’s leg, but a second Sephian grabbed the downed Draeken’s hands, banded them, and then did the same to his ankles. He gasped for air when she removed her boot from his wing.

  It was then that Sienna remembered her training. Draeken wings were the most sensitive part on their bodies. She mentally kicked herself for fighting him like he was a human, and for not focusing on his weakness.

  A hand grabbed her neck, and she fell back against Legian.

  “Stay down,” Legian growled.

  She looked into feral eyes and knew there was no reasoning with him. “I need a gun.”

  He reached inside his coat and pulled out a small blaster. It was Legian’s least favorite of all the Sephian weapons, which mean he’d carried it for her. With a smile she grabbed it, checked it, and slid it in the waistband of her skirt then turned and shoved over a stack of boxes. They didn’t offer any shielding, but at least they wouldn’t be sitting ducks.