Vex: Mythical Ink Series (book 1): An Exotic Ink Novel

by LS Anders

  He could sense Sevin hiding in the shadows.

  Remaining in a slight daze, he could feel the bikers’ anticipation as his internal temperature began to increase, building to an inferno as he popped the cap off their inhibitions and dug around until he found what he’d hoped would already be there.

  It was less like murder if they already had the inclination to kill each other.

  Their collective anticipation raced through him as each man brandished a gun, pulling free their firearm of choice from where they had hidden their weapons. Making a synchronized left-handed quarter turn, each raised their gun and pointed the muzzle at the back of the head of the one in front of them.

  Vex could feel the intensity of the heat that was wafting off him in blistering waves as he increased the hold on the minds he was invading. Dowsing the ring of men in red light, it was as easy as pulling a cloth from a table to lift away the final piece that covered the minuscule amount of morality of each man.

  Squeezing their respective triggers, they all went down in a simultaneous collapse, landing with a sickening thud like slabs of meat hitting pavement.

  “Fuck!”

  Vex let his head hang heavy off his shoulders as the human's voice echoed off the surrounding buildings.

  In the decades they'd hidden among the humans, this was the first time they'd ever been busted by one. No doubt, there was going to be an interesting ending to this long as hell evening.

  His feet pounded across the pavement. Shock frozen on Jason’s face.

  Sirens could already be heard in the distance, and he knew they were the target.

  “I’ll take care of the human,” he directed. “You cover our tracks before the police show up. We won’t have much time, you’d have to be deaf not to hear that shit.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Get Jason out of here,” Sevin said.

  “Sevin, no. You’re gonna get busted. You can’t stay here,” Jason argued.

  “Jason, trust me. Now go with Vex,” the shifter said, pulling off his shirt.

  He grabbed Jason by the arm to drag him from the grizzly scene, but he was not budging from the spot his feet were rooted. Getting them moving, he pulled Jason along with him like an errant child as they rushed back to the shop.

  “Come on fucker, you’re slowing me down.” He gave the human a hard shake.

  Just as they turned down the next alley, Sevin hauled ass past them in wolf form just as blue and red lights bounced off the rough walls of the surrounding structures.

  Seething over the mangled situation, this should have been a simple fix. He should have never trusted the human to stay put. This was his fault, his head had been lost to thoughts of Alea, his keen senses robbed by that slight fairy. Focused on the sweet flesh between her thighs had turned him into a simpering idiot when he should have been keeping a watch on his own back.

  Taking random paths, he made a maze out of the urban streets and alleys until he steered them down the alley behind the shop. Flattening Jason against the wall, he paused a moment to listen to the sounds of the city around them. Nothing unusual caught his attention and he didn't feel they had been followed.

  A wedge of light cut through the darkness, illuminating the pavement up ahead. Sevin waved them over. His foot propping open the door as he pulled his shirt on over his head.

  Relief was a tangible thing when Jason spotted the shifter. Rushing over, Vex stayed tight with him not trusting the human not to bolt.

  Lucian was going to shit himself over this. He had really fucked with Jason. The human should never have witnessed any of what went down. None of them had any experience with mental damage control, never having been put into a situation where they had to fix the head fuck the human was rocking. It was one thing to force a temporary idea, but removing memories was well beyond any tricks he possessed.

  As soon as Jason made contact with Sevin, he latched onto his shoulders looking the male over quickly as if expecting to find some kind of wound. Satisfied with what he saw, he pulled the surprised shifter into a fatherly embrace.

  “Thank fuck you're alright,” Jason breathed. “How in the hell did you get out of there without the police seeing you? I thought for sure you were caught.”

  Touched by the interaction, he hoped Lucian would have a plan for fixing this latest catastrophe because having to kill the human to keep their various species a secret wasn't going to sit well with him. Judging by the shifter’s expression, it wasn't going to be an option.

  “Any word from Lucian?”

  “He's on his way back,” Sevin answered, shifting his eyes over in Jason’s direction. Words unspoken flattening his mouth into a grim line. So, they were definitely in for more trouble. Fantastic. He couldn't wait to get Sevin alone to discover what that was.

  “Let's take this party inside, how 'bout it boys.” He pushed the two inside, glancing at the two ends of the alley before shutting and locking the door behind them.

  No sooner did the deadbolt slide home than a knock sounded. Lucian must have been watching from his place in the sky waiting for them to go inside so his landing wouldn't be witnessed.

  Unlocking the door, he swung it open and stepped outside pushing Lucian back into the shadows of the narrow alley.

  “Not happy to see me, Vex?” the angel joked than quickly sobered once he got a good look of the grim expression on his face. “What happened? You look like you got a mouthful of spoiled meat.”

  “The human saw me.”

  “You mean, Jason?” Nodding his affirmation, Lucian rubbed his eyes. “He was supposed to stay here.”

  “Yeah, well, I warned you it wouldn't work. Forced ideas are only temporary, and his determination was stronger than my will to make him stay.”

  “What exactly did he see?”

  “I don't think he saw Sevin shift, but he witnessed me glowing like a neon sign. Worse still, he watched as the MC all offed each other.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “I was hoping you'd have some ideas, 'cause I got nothing.”

  Lucian paced around, making a full circle before he came to a halt in front him. “The only thing I can think of would involve a fairy.”

  “A fairy?” Why did this idea send a sliver of concern down his spine?

  “FYI, Alea’s a little pissed at me at the moment, so I doubt you could even get her to help you.”

  Lucan quirked a brow in amusement. He’d slap that errant eyebrow off the angel’s face if this fucked up situation with Alea wasn't entirely his fault, because there was nothing about this new pile of shit he was traipsing through that entertained humor. Maybe one day he'd look back on the mistakes he'd made with her and laugh, but he doubted it. And, it sure as fuck wouldn't be today.

  “She's too young and inexperienced to help us anyway.” The humor dissipated from the angel’s face as he tunneled his fingers through that ridiculous hair of his. “There might be another that can help.”

  Lucian typed out a quick text. A moment later, he received an answer that drew out a relieved breath.

  “She said that she'll help us. We have to give her a few minutes to get ready,” Lucian grinned. “While we wait, I need to talk to Jason and find out everything he saw.”

  “Who's she?”

  “Avie.”

  “The fairy looking after Evana?” he asked.

  “One and the same.”

  “You think she can help?” Doubtful, he crossed his arms over his chest. “How? Can she take away memories?”

  “I don't think so, but she has the ability to dream walk. Maybe she can talk him down from believing what he saw. Make it seem like more of a dream than reality.”

  “Do you really think it'll work?”

  Reaching for the back door, the angel swung it wide and motioned for him to go first. “What other choice do we have?”

  Occupying one of the office chairs, Jason looked ready to implode. So tense he was hovering above the seat more than sitting on it. As the human
caught their movements in his periphery, he jumped.

  This guy was already of the edge of freaking the fuck out. Panic riding him harder than a two-dollar whore. That Avie chick better have some serious tricks up her sleeve or they could consider themselves exposed.

  I mean, it was a wonder he hadn't already bolted, but shock must be keeping him from running. Sevin was watching every twitch the human made. Any false move toward the door and Vex knew he would pounce on the guy. No question, the wolf in him was sensing the fear and confusion rolling off the guy.

  The future didn't bode well for the human if Avie couldn't fix this. Then he’d have to add Jason to his list of fuck ups. He doubted the human would accept his apology if he had to break his neck to keep what he'd seen silent.

  Lucian drug a chair and sat down a few inches away from Jason. The human’s eyes were all over the place until the angel held his chin firmly, gaining his attention.

  Vex took up residence against the far wall and looked on, willing the human not to be stubborn and accept what they were going to try and do to make this right. He didn't need another personal blunder on his conscience.

  The angel’s smooth voice tore through the tense silence in the room, his words already taking on the desired effect. As Jason's body began to sag, the lines in his face eased up and he began to get chatty with the angel.

  Releasing the hold on his chin, Lucian stayed close to him with one excuse after another falling from his lips as Jason recalled the events he shouldn't have witnessed. But every time the angel opened his mouth, Vex shifted on his feet, his belly crawling with concern that the flimsy excuses weren't going to hold.

  “How could those men all shoot each other at the exact same time? It doesn't even make sense,” Jason was saying.

  “MC’s have their own rules. You obviously witnessed them doing some sort of ritualistic biker thing,” the angel answered.

  He rolled his eyes. This shit was not going to work.

  “MC’s aren't like religious cults. They aren't going to go all Jim Jones and line up to drink the Kool Aid,” Jason’s logic snapped out.

  The hippie needed to think fast because Jason was no simple minded fool.

  “How do know anything about the inner workings of an MC, huh? Have you ever been a part of one?”

  “No, but—”

  “But nothing, Jason.” The angel turned aggressive and that seemed to have a positive effect on selling the horseshit he was selling as the human’s eyes snapped up to meet Lucian's. Hanging on Lucian’s every word, Jason seemed to draw comfort from the authoritative tone like a child seeking direction from a parent when lost. “Sometimes there's no clear reason why people do what they do. It just happened, and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw it. You were lucky they didn't catch you snooping and take you out, too.”

  “What about Vex?” Jason questioned.

  “What about him?”

  “He was glowing.”

  Lucian barked out a laugh. “No, he wasn't. That's impossible. You’re a smart man. Don’t tell me you actually believe that. The city is flooded with lights this time of night. It was a neon sign somewhere casting a red light on Vex. Look at him.” Lucian cut his hand through the air in his direction. “Does that motherfucker look like he is capable of spilling light out of his ass? Hell no. It was the city’s lights were playing a trick on you. Nothing more.”

  “What about the wolf I saw?”

  “It was a large, stray dog running away from all the noise.”

  “But—”

  “No buts,” Lucian interrupted. Laying a hand on the man's cheek, he knew Lucian was placing the human into a light trance to hurry him along into a REM sleep where he would venture into the Realm of Dreams so Avie could reach him.

  He wasn’t sure how all that shit worked, but he knew once a person entered a deep sleep, it was something along the lines of death except the soul remained attached to the physical form as the mind took a little vacation away from the body. That’s why if a person was suddenly awoken, there was that feeling of rushing back into the body, because that’s what was actually happening. While the mind went someplace else, the flesh and bones remained where it lay.

  As the humans eyes remained closed, Lucian’s hand slid away from his cheek. Slumping forward, the angel scrubbed his hands over his face as Sevin sagged against the door jamb.

  They all watched as the human’s eyes began to shift around under his lids. There was no telling what he was seeing or doing, but it was certain Avie was in there fucking around. No one dared breathe or so much as twitch an eyebrow, too afraid to disrupt the connection the fairy had with the human.

  A few minutes later, Jason’s eyes flickered open as he drew in a deep breath. His face a mask of calm as he eased out of his induced sleep. Looking around the office he didn't seem to care that he was the center of attention. Still holding onto that look of uneasiness, he didn't seem as rattled as he stood and stretched his back.

  “I better go meet up with Evana,” Jason announced. Three sets of eyebrows flew northward as astonishment circled the room. “Thanks again for the help.”

  Fist bumps and back slaps made the rounds, and then Jason was gone out the back door. He hadn't mentioned anymore about the grizzly incident and no one else was about to bring it up.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Sevin looked between the two.

  “Just a little fairy intervention.”

  “Oh my fucking God, Lu! Fairies have been known to scramble up people's brains. I can't believe you volunteered Jason for that shit. It's a wonder he isn't shitting and drooling all over himself.”

  “That is such horseshit, Sevin. Don't be so gullible and believe everything you hear,” Lucian scoffed.

  “The puppy's got a point.” He scratched at the underside of his chin. He really needed to trim that shaggy shit. “What did she do to him?”

  “Nothing more or less than what I asked of her.”

  “Thanks so much for the incredibly vague answer,” Sevin bitched.

  He didn't know what to make of the fairy’s intervention, but he couldn't imagine Lucian doing anything to cause intentional harm to Jason. Besides, the guy looked fine considering what he'd been through tonight. The relative calm was a vast improvement to the shell-shocked, zombie that he’d drug along behind him over several city blocks that left a thin layer of shoe tread in their wake.

  Jason had dug in his heels probably thinking he would be killed once they were alone together. It had been a slight possibility, but no need to exacerbate the human’s already high stress level by bringing him in the loop.

  “Stop worrying. He's fine. And, we don't have to worry about him shouting to the world that there's a werewolf and a demon on the loose in lower Manhattan.” Lucian’s tone turned irritated. “Besides, I don’t have time to explain all the particulars. We need to be taking care of the other members that I found in New Rochelle and you”—he pointed to Sevin—“need to be tracking our manager and make sure he gets to Evana safely.”

  Sevin pushed off the wall, tugging up his loose pants as he made his way over to the door.

  “Text me when he gets there,” Lucian called after him.

  Sevin waved a hand in the air as answer and let the door slam shut behind him.

  Kids, he thought. Parenting had been no easy task, and it sure as fuck wasn’t for the faint of heart, especially raising a shifter.

  “You up for a flight?” Lucian turned to him.

  Not really. Being airborne was too much like the free fall that had landed him here all those years ago. He’d only flown with the angel on a few occasions and it took every ounce of self-control not to cling to the male like a sissy.

  “Let's get this shit over with,” he said, starting for the door. “How many more are there?”

  “Five, that I saw.”

  Locking up the shop for the night, Lucian walked to the center of the alley while he stayed close to the building, giving the angel some
room since he had quite the wingspan.

  Lucian unfurled their mode of transportation. Giving the feathery extensions a shake and a flutter, he spread his arms wide and motioned for Vex to join him. His feet were weighted down with reluctance as he forced himself into the arms of his friend.

  A swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, and they were lifted easily off the ground. The sudden ascension left his legs dangling, and his stomach hanging onto the soles of his feet, felt faster than supersonic speed.

  The worst of their journey was yet to come. Once they were high enough in the clouds, the angel paused only a moment to position them in the direction of New Rochelle. The angel tightened his grip and shot through the night sky like a bullet.

  Robbed of breath, he couldn’t stop the tremors of fear that racked his body.

  Lucian squeezed him tighter, a silent way of letting him know he was safe, but it did nothing to stop the anxiety from coursing through his veins as the night air whistling past pulled at his beard.

  It was like riding aboard the Concorde except without the seat or the fuselage to surround him and give him that false sense of security. And, it wasn’t like the angel had a stewardess packed away in his back pocket to serve him a drink to calm is haggard nerves.

  Just as soon as they’d risen above the clouds and began their accelerated flight, it was time for the dreaded descent. Slowing, Vex made the mistake of looking down as the angel brought them to a standing position just above a dense cloud. If it wasn’t for the feeling of his feet being without purchase, he would have thought they were standing on the hazy puff.

  Lightheaded, his skin was clammy from his fear of heights, and his feet ached with wanting to feel solid ground. Swallowing hard, he damn near whimpered when the bottom dropped out and they were falling in a controlled plunge back to the surface.

  The angel landed them between two darkened buildings. His muscles so tense it took him a moment to turn loose of his friend.

  The angel was good enough to remain in the tight embrace until he could pull his shit together.

  “Get the fuck out, bitch!”