The Nine

by C. M. Stunich

  "It'd be best if we all stayed here," Nix said as he kicked the door shut with his expensive loafers and let his eyes rake over me yet again. I was wearing Mikhail's t-shirt and the same leather hotpants from last night. #fail, right? "That way, when Thea finally realizes how much she wants to fuck me, it can happen easily." He smirked and tossed his bag onto the counter. "But if you want to make a point, kick me out, or hell, if your lesbian friend wants to run off to make a point, she can die a slow, painful death and you can make daily trips to my penthouse for testing."

  "You're a fucking prick, has anyone ever told you that before?" I asked as he unzipped the bag and pulled out a pair of ancient looking scissors. Seriously, it looked like they were made of bone.

  "I'm practical, and I'm honest about what I want. If that makes me a prick, well, then I welcome the distinction." Nix turned and held out his hand. "Come here, fox, and let's make our deal official."

  As I stared at his hand, I had this awful feeling of foreboding.

  I was stuck to Bennett, stuck to Mikhail, and now I was going to be stuck to Nix, too?

  What the fuck was I thinking? But I also knew this selfish asshole wasn't going to do a goddamn thing for me or Revel out of the kindness of his heart.

  "I have no fucking clue what's going on between you two," she said, her husky pornstar voice giving me chills, "but if you're making a deal with him for me, then don't bother. I'd rather go mad and claw my own eyes out."

  Nix let his mouth twist across his face like a disease, this awful smile that had me ready to shoot him and fuck him at the same time. I had problems, I'll admit. Counseling after all this, remember? I was going to seek counseling.

  "This isn't just for you," Nix said, giving her a sideways glance. "How selfish and arrogant." He pulled out a syringe next and then turned around, leaning his huge, suited body back against my counter top. "This is for the good of the world, isn't it Thea?"

  "God, I hate you," I said as I stepped up close to him. "What's the syringe for?"

  "I need a bit of your blood," he said which caused me to roll my eyes. Of course he did. What bargain of mine hadn't been sealed in blood the last few days? I held out my arm and shivered as Nix wrapped his long pale fingers around my wrist.

  "I have to do this for everyone who's been infected or will be infected," I told Revel, turning to look at her as Nix slid the needle into the soft spot of my inner elbow. "I can't shoot another teenage girl in the face, Revel."

  "I feel you," she whispered, putting a hand on Ziff's back to keep him from launching himself at Nix. "I feel you." Nix drew my blood and then grabbed a second syringe from his bag, doing the same to himself. "Where are you planning on taking us tonight? If you think you're gonna try something shady, be aware that HASR doesn't like to lose employees. If I go missing, they'll come looking for your ass."

  "Calm it down, fox," he growled at her, lifting the scissors to his shoulder and cutting off a small piece of his fur and the accompanying skin. Nix snarled as he did so, blood welling up from the cut, as if the ragged thing was an actual part of his body. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd just snap your neck right now and toss you aside with the trash."

  "You're walking an awfully fine line right now," Revel warned, two sharp white teeth showing against the red of her lipstick. "Keep disrespecting me and see what happens."

  "Nix, can you shut the fuck up?" I asked as I fluffed my tails forward and gasped when he grabbed a handful of them.

  "Just part of the transaction," he told me, cutting off a hunk of white fur with his weird bone scissors. As I watched, he braided the long strands of my hair into the piece he'd cut from his own. And then, he cut that in half, too.

  "Next time you're going to grab me, let me know first," I said, and I did not like the way that came out. Far too flirty. Revel rolled her eyes and shook her head. Don't think she'd expected any of this when she'd flown out from Japan, and I felt like shit about that. My life had become ridiculously complicated in a very short period of time.

  Nix dug through his bag and pulled out ... two metal earrings? He affixed the bits of fur to them and then stabbed one through his own lobe. It was a very feral looking thing, like his fur, and at odds with his suit. But I liked it.

  "Put it on," he said, and as I reached up, he added, "but be careful. Once it's in, it doesn't come out unless one of us is dead."

  I paused for a moment with the bloody, furry thing to my left ear and then made peace with the fact that my fashion sense was going to be fucked until Mikhail or someone else in RADOPA managed to kill Nix Locklear. Hell, maybe it would even be me?

  "The terms of this contract," Nix began as he pulled out a bundle of sage and lit it. It was fucking trippy, seeing this dude who looked like Christian fucking Grey wielding Native American techniques like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Are that you'll allow me to commit a non-invasive study with access to you and your person twenty-four hours a day—"

  "Twenty," I said, because I had to shit, sleep, and fuck like everybody else, right? I was not letting Nix squeeze this through without noticing technicalities.

  He wrinkled his nose at me as he washed my body in the smoke of the sage.

  Syringes and sage.

  What a weirdo.

  "The terms of this contract permit me to commit a non-invasive study with access to you and your person twenty-two hours a day"—I gritted my teeth, but let him keep going—"and guarantees your cooperation for the length of the study which, according to our purposes, is as long as it takes to find a cure. And I agree that in that time period, you'll come to no harm from me nor anyone else if I can reasonably prevent it. Do you agree to these terms, Miss Hunt?"

  "I agree," I said as Nix flicked the sage onto the floor near my feet and handed over the syringe of his blood. Did not take a genius to figure out what he wanted me to do with it.

  "I agree as well," he said, and then he slid the needle of my blood into his arm.

  Blood really was the vessel of the soul, wasn't it? If I hadn't believed it before, I hadn't much choice now.

  Later that night, I'd get to see exactly how important blood really was.

  "Diseases?" I asked, even though I was sure I knew the answer to that question. "Aren't you worried about me having any?"

  "My employer's given me all the answers I need," Nix said, shooting himself up with the needle and then using a small biohazard bag from his briefcase to wrap it up after. He just stood there and looked at me as I gaped at him.

  "Your employer doesn't know shit about me," I said and Nix smirked.

  "She thought you might say that. Well, how's this for proof? She knows you lost your virginity at age fifteen because you were self-conscious of your small breasts." Nix dropped his eyes to my chest, and I narrowed my eyes. "I quite enjoy the look of them though, I must say."

  "That doesn't prove shit," I said as I stared at the syringe and wondered what the fuck I was getting myself into. Ziff shrieked his anger, and I flicked my eyes over to Revel Jones, her orange tails fluffing behind her, one ear turned to the side and flattened against her skull in a show of frustration.

  Could I imagine her naked and covered in scraggly hair, leaking goo and blood all over the place, throwing herself at me like a rabid dog? Could I imagine lifting a gun and killing one of my own kind?

  I shoved the syringe into my arm and depressed the plunger.

  "Should I also know you fucked the alpha wolf the other day? Or that your favorite pair of knickers is a purple thong with bells on it? How about that your father is fucking a kitsune from the Tokyo World Earth, and has three new children with her that you've never met?"

  I felt my face blanch, but I didn't even get the chance to respond because I heard the gates sliding open out front.

  Son. Of. A. Bitch.

  All this fancy security wasn't worth a damn if people kept finding ways to breach it.

  When I opened the door though, it was easy to see how this particular person hadn't past
the gates.

  It was Mikhail fucking Ravena.

  "Do you have a goddamn death wish?!" he screamed at me as he stepped inside and slammed the door behind him.

  "Well, hello, Mika," Nix teased, leaning his elbows back against my counter and smiling like a ... well, like a tricksy coyote. "Feels good to have your essence running through my veins; it's been so damn long. Miss Hunt here seems to be carrying a heavy dose of it, however. Interesting, that, seeing you choose a woman after a century of being alone."

  "So damn long?" I asked as Mik stood there with his nostrils flared, and then flicked his gaze up to Revel. He didn't even look at Nix, making me wonder what the hell their previous relationship had been all about.

  "What the fuck is she doing here?"

  “I'm here to bring Thea over to my side of the rainbow, if you catch my drift." Revel smiled; Mik did not.

  "What the fuck are you doing messing around with this piece of shit? He's never made a deal in his life that hasn't gone sour. Thea, for fuck's sake ..." Mik dragged his fingers through his hair and closed his sapphire eyes. "I'm really struggling with you here. I'm putting my reputation, my job, and my life on the line for you."

  "I never asked you to do any of that," I said as my vampire boss took a step back from me. Didn't keep me from taking in a huge whiff of his scent, like lotus blossoms and jasmine. Why the hell did he smell so damn good? I mean, not that I hadn't had a crush before, but holy shit. Just that one sniff was enough to pebble my nipples into hard points, send a rush of heat flooding into my core.

  Clearly Mik noticed, his pupils widening as he realized I was wearing his shirt.

  Uh-oh.

  That was a serious vampire trigger right there.

  "Why is he here?" he asked me, lifting his face up to stare at his mortal enemy.

  "I could ask the same of you," I said, but I already had a pretty good idea about why. "News from RADOPA?"

  "I tried to call you, but you weren't answering," he whispered, lifting up both hands to put them on the sides of his head, like he had a serious migraine. "When I started on my way over, I didn't expect you to feel you making yet another magical bond. Thea, you don't have your powers right now so you can't possibly understand the gravity of what you've just done—with Nix or with the alpha."

  "Or with you?" I asked, feeling so drawn to Mik that it took real effort on my part to move back.

  "Or with me," he said, his shoulders slumping as he calmed considerably.

  "Girl, I was willing to fight for you, but holy shit, how many boyfriends do you have?" Revel asked as I smiled softly and looked up.

  "This is my boss, Mikhail Ravena, and he only thinks of me best as an employee, at worst as food." I would never forget the shit he'd said to me before. Never. I hadn't let it take a direct hit to my ego, but holy hell, it'd hurt.

  "Thea," he said, and there was something in his voice that made me unsure as to whether I wanted to hear what he had to say or not. "You know that I care about you."

  "Oh, this is rich," Nix said, standing up and moving closer to us. With each step he took, Mik got more and more tense. "You're in love with Miss Hunt? How fascinating?"

  "I highly suggest you back the fuck out of my space before I end you."

  "Really? Haven't you tried that before?" Nix asked, pushing his glasses up with his middle finger. "Last time I stole your woman?"

  "Thea, if he doesn't move out of my space, I can't be liable for what will happen next," Mik snarled, both his fangs on full display.

  Fuck, I want to know about this mystery woman they're both fighting about ...

  "Nix, back off," I snapped, putting a palm on his hard belly and pushing him back. Probably shouldn’t have done that because it felt way too goddamn good. "If you want us to go meet your employer, you better not start another shitstorm with Mikhail."

  "His employer?" Mik cocked a brow. "You're not going anywhere with this piece of shit."

  "She better," Nix said, glancing back at Revel. "The miko, too. My employer isn't exactly known for her benevolence, you understand. And her reach is quite wide." He turned back to us and smiled. "You can come if you want, Mika. It'd be fun to see your face when you find out who I'm taking these ladies to meet."

  "Nix is helping me find a cure for the disease."

  "A cure?!" he choked out, and the laugh that followed was not pleasant. Nix thinks Mik cares about me, huh? I wasn't entirely sold, but it was a nice thought. "He's the one who started this shit in the first place!"

  "He what?!" Revel shrieked, Ziff's hiss following right behind her. "Thea, what the hell?"

  "When you see why, you'll understand," Nix said, cool as a goddamn cucumber. "It's for a good cause."

  "It better be," Revel said, this darkness falling over her face that gave me chills. "Because I'm half ready to team up with your vampire friend here and rip your balls off. Bet you couldn't take us both?"

  Nix just smiled and tilted his head back, a shimmer of light catching on the edge of his glasses. He was the perfect bad guy: sexy, suave, cold.

  "I guess that'll have to remain a mystery. Shall we?"

  "Mik, are you coming?" I asked. "Because I have to go do this, and to be honest, I'd feel better if you were there."

  He paused, smoothing his hands down the front of his black trench. When his eyes met mine, I could see that it was true, that he really did feel something for me, something beyond employee or food.

  "I'll go," he said, "but if Nix steps out of line, I'm taking advantage of the moment and doing what I should've done a hundred years ago."

  Didn't take an expert to figure out what that might be.

  We took my Jag, but I let Nix drive since he seemed to know where he was going.

  Neither Mik nor Revel wanted to sit in the front with him, so I sat squashed between them in the middle row. I didn’t want to fucking sit with him either.

  "This is fucking insane," Mik said, lifting his eyes up to the roof and then closing them. "I've lost the goddamn plot."

  "Thanks for supporting me," I said, and I wasn't trying to be an ass ... this time. I was serious. Having him here, as more than my boss or critic, made a big fucking difference.

  "Thea," he said again, with that same weird tone, but then he just looked out the window and didn't bother putting his thoughts into words. Just as well with Nix and Revel in the car with us.

  "This doesn't look like the business sector of town," Revel purred, her voice low and menacing. "Taking us out into the woods to bury us?"

  "Hardly. I have people who do that sort of thing for me." Nix turned on his blinker and took us onto a dirt road that tested every molecule in my expensive shocks. Even though the Jag was well-built, we were jostled and bumped all over the place.

  We'd been driving for quite some time, almost two hours. I was fairly certain we were right around the Rocky Mountain National Park Area. Civilization had disappeared some time ago, leaving us with trees and mountains and darkness.

  "Where the fuck are we?" I asked as Mik pulled out his phone and tapped his finger on the screen.

  "Coordinates suggest we're on a private lot owned by a dummy trust. Know anything about that, Mr. Locklear?"

  Nix ignored Mik, taking us further and further up the mountain, all the way to a well-maintained gravel patch, like a small parking pad. He pulled the SUV onto it and opened his door.

  "Before we head up the hill ..." Nix began as Revel slid out and we both stood there staring up at a massive set of stone steps. There must be thousands of them built into the hill and leading to a very distinct looking building, with a traditional Japanese style roof.

  As soon as I saw, my skin rippled with goose bumps.

  There were two stone lanterns at the base, lit and flickering in the darkness.

  "Thea," Revel said as Ziff clung to my shoulder, shaking like a chihuahua. "Do you feel that?"

  "This is a sacred place," I said as Mik climbed out of the car and moved around it to stand beside me.

>   "As I was saying," Nix continued, clearing his throat. "You'll need to put these on before we head up the steps." I ignored him, so awed by the clean, clear feeling of peace inside of me, like my body was a pond undisturbed by the wind. I'd never felt such simple purpose in my life.

  Stepping forward, I placed my hand on the side of a stone kitsune statue, its nine tails dancing in a frozen breeze.

  "A kimono?" Revel said from behind me. I turned just in time to see Nix pull out a second duffel bag from the back of my SUV. He'd tossed two of them in here before we'd left the house, but I had no idea what was inside.

  Traditional Japanese robes, apparently, just like the type the council made us wear back home.

  "No one's exempt," Nix said, tossing a dark blue kimono in Mik's direction.

  "Who the hell is your employer?" Mik asked, his voice much more neutral now, all the hostility drained from it.

  "You'll see," Nix repeated, and even his voice was muted by the greater power that lingered in the air here. He'd already taken off his suit jacket before, and I watched in fascination as he somehow managed to find a way to unbutton and remove his shirt without disturbing that ratty fur. "Get dressed. We should hurry; you most certainly do not want to be late."

  Mik kicked off his boots and stripped off his jacket and jeans. I had to look away to make sure I didn't drool, stealing a moment for myself by putting Ziff back in the car. After looking at the temple and feeling its vibe, I was sure he’d be much safer in the SUV.

  In fact, I found that I couldn't look at Mik, Revel, or Nix or I might have to climb those steps with wet panties.

  Fantastic.

  If I'd thought that one night stand was going to cure my raging hormones, I'd be wrong. Fuck, it'd probably made them worse.

  I turned my back to the others as I stripped and put on one of the offered kimonos, this beautiful swath of white silk with pink cherry blossoms that matched the trees lining the hill on either side of the stone steps. It was quite strange to see them here, in the middle of a pine forest in Colorado, but it was quite clear that they'd been brought here for a greater purpose.