Ante Up: A Sin City Collectors Novella

by Amanda Carlson

  “Hide from you?” She giggled. “I’m not hiding at all. In fact, I don’t think I could be any more obvious. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m totally in to you.”

  He slid into the bed beside her, taking her mouth aggressively, his tongue filling her, stroking against hers desperately. It was a rich, hot kiss, completely intoxicating in every way. She felt drunk as she reached up to run her hands through his hair. She could almost feel it beneath her fingers as she pulled him close.

  She moaned against his lips.

  “Open up for me,” he growled.

  She obliged, spreading her legs for him. She wiggled back and forth, her breath catching as his fingers delved into her warm folds. “Oh…” she groaned, her chest heaving upward, her head tumbling back and forth against the pillow.

  Her breaths came in shallow gasps as he wrapped his hands around her hips, titling her upward. Her eyes were closed, but she could see him outlined in her mind. Every detail. He was glorious and so real. His smooth, broad chest felt like heaven beneath her fingertips. His beautiful grin and his green eyes were finally hers for the taking.

  The way he was looking down on her seared her to the core.

  Lust pooled in his eyes.

  She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone in her entire life. “Yes, it has to be you,” she whispered. Her libido shot into overdrive and she allowed herself to become lost to the delicious current that beat through her. “I want this. Please…Diesel…please…”

  For a single second, his eyes flickered above her, momentarily going from green to black.

  Wait, that wasn’t right.

  Sofia tried to wake, but she felt heavy, like her limbs were suddenly made of stone. Her brain was fuzzy again, but this time it wouldn’t clear on its own. She struggled to process what was happening. She was so turned on, it was hard for her to let go of those feelings. She wanted this so badly, needed this release more than anything.

  “Yes, my sweet. That’s it, give in to me. Find the pleasure you seek. Only I can give it to you this way.”

  This wasn’t a blissful dream.

  It was a horrible nightmare.

  Sofia leaped out of bed, tugging the massive comforter with her. “Think, think,” she murmured to herself as she turned in a circle, the duvet tangling in her feet. “What just happened?”

  Her head still felt unclear, but things were starting to settle in. Her bedroom was pitch black, but it was coming into focus, light seeping into her vision. She glanced at her clock. It was a quarter to five in the morning. The sun would be breaking the horizon soon.

  On her way to the bathroom, she passed her closet and plucked out a robe. She dropped the duvet in the hallway and shouldered the wrap on in one motion. Once in the bathroom, she shut the door and flipped on the lights. She rested her palms against the cool marble as she glanced in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands to her head and whispered a spell. Tingles filtered through her fingertips and into her head.

  Her mind cleared instantly.

  “Damn it,” she said. That spell had been one she used to detect sexual persuasion. If it hadn’t worked, her brain would’ve remained fuzzy, and she could’ve chalked up what just happened to a horny dream about a really hot guy.

  Instead, she had to face the raw fact that an incubus had been in her mind.

  She straightened and opened the bathroom door. She bypassed her bedroom and made her way downstairs. None of her wards had been triggered, so he hadn’t come within fifty feet of her home. Sofia had never questioned Ginger about exact proximity when it came to her powers, but she assumed that any sex demon had to get within a certain distance of its target to influence their behavior. Otherwise, the world would be full of horny people who couldn’t control their lustful thoughts.

  There weren’t any spells that she knew of to keep sexual persuasion out of the mind—and she was fairly sure none existed. Sex demons had unique powers that surpassed most spells and wards. That’s what made them so strong.

  If Ginger’s mysterious brother was really after her, things just got a little bit freaky.

  Sofia paced to the sliding glass doors off her great room. The blinds were closed. She placed her hand on the edge of a panel and tugged it back, while muttering the words to a detection charm.

  Nothing out of the ordinary registered.

  That either meant he was more than two hundred yards away, or he had warded himself, which would be a rare feat, but not impossible.

  Sofia tried a new spell, this one to detect any other witch’s spell. As far as she knew, demons couldn’t spell themselves. It came back empty. There were no other spells out there for miles.

  She leaned back against the wall and blew out a frustrated breath. Having an incubus in her head had not been a welcome event. Sofia was certain that she shouldn’t have seen Diesel in her thoughts. Instead, the demon would’ve wanted her to know it was him.

  She bit her lip.

  Once she’d realized her brain had been compromised, she’d been able to toss him out. Ginger had taught her how. They had practiced for years, making a game out of it at Ginger’s insistence.

  The hard part was detecting someone was in there in the first place.

  She walked over to her purse and plucked out her phone. She’d left it in there, too tired to grab it out before bed. Then she paced over to the couch and curled up, tossing a throw over herself. She wasn’t going to get much sleep now, but there was nothing more to be done until morning. She was too tired to come up with a solid plan right now. She didn’t want to track the bastard, she just needed to find a way to keep him out of her head for good.

  If Ginger didn’t show up soon to help, Sofia would be forced to find another place to stay. She knew she couldn’t keep him out of her mind while she slept, so she held up her phone and punched in Ginger’s number, but all it did was ring and ring.

  She hung up and pulled up another contact.

  Diesel Jones.

  He’d insisted she put his info into her phone a few weeks ago, just in case she needed it. He’d told her he was good at fixing and installing things if she ever needed help with her new home. He’d also told her to use a level to make sure pictures on the wall were straight when she hung them. She smiled thinking of that.

  But she didn’t dial his number. She had no real reason to involve Diesel in her business, and given his take on sex demons, he likely wouldn’t be too eager to help her out anyway.

  She was going to have to figure this out on her own. After the sun came up. To put another precaution in place, she flicked her wrist and said the words. She chuckled as she set her phone down and tugged the blanket around her shoulders.

  Any supe who came within a half mile of her house in the next two hours would start itching uncontrollably.

  Let’s see a sex demon focus on seducing her when his body was covered in red welts.

  Diesel honked again. It was already a quarter after twelve and Luke was taking his own sweet time.

  Diesel’s old Ford pickup truck was in mint condition. It had been his father’s, and Diesel had put a lot of money into keeping it running well and looking sweet.

  He gripped the wheel and thought about honking again when he finally saw Luke duck out the front door. His brother was dressed all in black, as was Diesel.

  Luke hopped into the truck, slamming the door. “Sorry I’m late. Phone call ran late. How are you feeling? The full moon is getting higher in the sky as we speak.”

  Diesel grunted as he pulled away from the curb. “So far, so good. If I don’t get worked up, I should be fine.” He took off down the street, headed for the highway. It was a casual understatement, but he was holding it together. So far, so good.

  “Yeah, tell that to someone who doesn’t know you like I do,” Luke muttered. “You already look like you could beat the shit out of someone. I bet your fur is tingling under your skin right now. And while you’re at it, you might want to loosen your grip on t
he wheel, because if you hold it any tighter, you’re going to pull the damn thing straight out of the steering column.”

  “I’m not pulling anything out of anything, except for this mission.” Diesel gritted his teeth.

  Luke was right, of course.

  Diesel had been fighting the moon effects since six that evening. The instinct to change pushed against him with every breath he took. “We go in, case the joint, find the target, and I bring him in. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and I want you to hold back once we get close. The only reason I’ll need you is if I start to rage out of control.”

  “Um,” Luke said, clearing his voice, “I’m thinking that’s not going to be an if but a when. Even if you don’t realize it, you’re riding on a hair trigger, bro. And since you’re not sharing any of the specific details with me, I’m sticking close by. I’ll hang back, but only if I can get to you in a reasonable amount of time. There’s no way I’m leaving you open, so don’t even ask. If a human gets in your way, you’ll find yourself up for a Collection, and that’s not going to happen on my watch.”

  Luke was right again, and Diesel growled.

  He detested not being in control of himself. It drove him crazy and usually made him angrier, which didn’t help his condition.

  He took some much-needed air into his lungs and focused on the road.

  Normally during the day of the full moon, Diesel was either at Hellhounds or at his place, but he was never out in public like this. Louie Fiore was a shrewd businessman. He knew Diesel would be at his most vulnerable tonight, and if Diesel couldn’t overcome his issues during this mission, when he was on the verge of losing it, he’d never make it as a Collector.

  “Okay,” Diesel finally relented. Luke knew better than to push him, so his brother had waited patiently for his response. “But you follow my lead. I intend to grab this guy on my own. I’ll knock him out, bring him back, and we tie him up, end of story.” He hoped to hell it would be that simple. “We’re heading to The Lakes. What’s the address again?’

  Luke picked up a piece of paper lying on the seat. “Camden Hills Avenue in the Badlands Golf Club.” Luke chuckled. “Going to find a criminal in the Badlands. It kind of has an ironic ring to it.”

  “He’s not exactly a criminal—at least that I know of.” Diesel didn’t mention he was guilty—of being a sex demon. “I’m just bringing him in for questioning.”

  Luke held up his hands. “Fine by me. The less I know, the better. But I do know this has something to do with the SCC. I saw who dropped the envelope at the bar. It was one of Louie Fiore’s gofers.”

  “It’s complicated,” Diesel said. “This isn’t exactly a Collection. It’s more of a…practice run.”

  Luke grinned. “I hear you. Gotta get your instincts under wraps first. I’ve heard Fiore is a smart man. You don’t get to the top by being stupid.”

  Diesel glanced over at his brother. They’d been best friends since the day Luke was born. There wasn’t much they kept from each other. “You know as well as I do they aren’t instincts.” Fur prickled under his skin as his anger jumped. Damn, he had to be careful to keep his temper down. “Something happened to me that day, something that I haven’t been able to shake since. It changed me.” He didn’t have to tell Luke which day he meant.

  The day their father lost his life, Diesel had fought against the demon who’d killed him, even though he’d only been eight. He’d slashed the man in the face with his claws, until the demon had finally knocked him out. After that, Diesel had discovered his “affliction” to the moon.

  What he wouldn’t give to have at that bastard one more time.

  Luke nodded. “Likely, it had to do with that. But we’ve all done exhaustive research. Sex demons can’t cast spells. It’s impossible. No one knows what’s wrong with you. The Vegas pack has contacted packs all over the world on your behalf and nothing. Maybe it is instincts after all. Some kind of ancient thing none of us remembers?”

  Diesel had spent many sleepless nights thinking the same things. “I guess it’s possible, but my gut says it has something to do with that night. If those demons can mind-fuck you, they might have the ability to change brain patterns somehow. Maybe this one was extra good at it. Who knows?” Diesel exited off the highway. It was a particularly dark night, the sky occluded by a thick layer of clouds. That helped.

  The less direct exposure to the moon, the better.

  “Man, I still remember that day like it was yesterday.” Luke had one elbow out the window of the truck. “That incubus had Dad down, and you were in mid-shift when you attacked. Your body was barely ready to handle it, you were so young.”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t enough to save him.” Diesel’s voice held sorrow. It still felt fresh even after all this time.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Luke agreed, “but I know Dad was proud of you. He saw what you did before the demon got him. He knew, and it made him proud.”

  Diesel grunted. This was the most the two of them had been down memory lane in years. It was time to change the subject. Emotions weren’t a good idea tonight. “Give me some coordinates off your phone for Camden Hills Avenue.”

  Luke pulled out his phone and plugged in the info. “Only about twenty houses on that street.”

  “It’s a gated community, so we have to park outside and sneak in.” Diesel eased onto Charleston Boulevard, the main drag off the highway.

  “Looks like there’s a Home Depot right across from the community,” Luke said. “We can park there relatively unnoticed.”

  A few blocks up, Diesel spotted the store. He pulled in and picked a spot at the end of the lot, facing Charleston Boulevard. The store was closed, but there was a sprinkling of cars in the lot, likely the overnight shift and cleaning crew. It was enough to blend in.

  Diesel turned off the truck. “We cross at the corner instead of dodging the traffic. After that, we slip in over that wall.” He gestured to the low wall that was more for looks than keeping people out. This was an area that had big stores spread apart, so not a lot of foot traffic to worry about.

  No human would ever suspect that two wolves in human skin would slip over their wall unseen. If that had been the case, the wall would have been fifty feet high and lined with explosives.

  They walked in silence to the crosswalk, each of them casing the area. They had animal instincts, so there wasn’t much they missed.

  “See that guy loitering over there?” Luke asked his brother. “He’s waiting for someone.”

  “Yep, most likely his drug dealer. We slip by him fast and he won’t even know we’re there. Once we clear the light, turn on the speed.” There was very little traffic, which worked in their favor.

  The moment they hit the other side of the road, both brothers took off at the same time without needing to choreograph their movements. They hopped the fence and landed in a manicured backyard. Still moving swiftly, they rushed to the front, easily making their way through the neighborhood on foot.

  “Camden is at the end. The backyards there face the golf course,” Luke said as he jogged.

  As they neared the end of a street, they ducked into an alcove of a garage. Diesel held up his arm, signaling to stop. “We’re close. I want you to stay here. I’m going to move forward alone.” Diesel pointedly ignored the graininess in his voice as he struggled to fight the shift. The thrill of the hunt was urging on the change more than ever. Fur a centimeter long had already sprouted along his forearms. He fought it, but he knew the change was coming. Luke knew it, too, but he’d only be a few blocks away. He could get to Diesel in time if he had to. “I have to do this myself. No matter what. I should be able to sense something once I get close. I’ll whistle if there’s an issue.”

  Supes had an internal radar that allowed them to detect other supernaturals. It was a handy built-in protection system. Some supes could be sensed from farther away, but you had to be relatively close to a sex demon to pick up anything.

  They were sne
aky bastards.

  That meant the demon could also sense Diesel once he was close enough, but hopefully Diesel would have the bastard around the neck before he knew what had hit him.

  “Fine,” Luke answered after giving Diesel a once-over, “but I’m opening my senses up wide. If I even detect a small amount of change in you from right where you are now, I’m coming after you.” Luke’s gaze held a challenge.

  Being a shifter meant you could tap into your animal senses, when needed. It closed off some of his humanity, but that was the price.

  Diesel knew Luke was well attuned to his shifting nuances. “That’s why you’re here, little brother. I’m struggling to keep hold of it, but don’t feel out of control yet. Once I get this guy, I’ll holler. This is going to be short and sweet. And Luke”—Diesel looked his brother straight in the eye—“no matter what he is, I need your cooperation. Swear to me you’ll go along with the program.” Luke assessed his brother, but Diesel held his hand up. “Swear it.”

  Luke’s eyebrow rose. “I’ll cooperate, but if you’re not telling me something on purpose, I’m going to be pissed.”

  “I’m not telling you, because I can’t. End of story. Now stay here.” Diesel took off before Luke could say anything more. This was his mission, and his alone.

  The moment Diesel stepped foot on the street, he knew which house his target was casing. There were so many wards, the entire street seemed to vibrate with them. It always amazed him that humans were in the dark about supernaturals, when all they needed to do was open up their senses and pay attention.

  Diesel stuck his nose in the air.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  Without hesitation, he raced toward the house, blind fury cascading over him. He was going to be lost to the change, but in that instant he ceased to care. As the shift rose within him, he welcomed it for the first time in a long while. If Diesel caught the asshole near her, the incubus would die. There was no question.

  Nobody fucked with what was his.