Creatus Series Boxed Set

by Carmen DeSousa

  “Yes, I know everything about your father.” He knew what she was asking. “And I know about you. You’re safe to be yourself with me. You and I are the same.”

  Her eyes widened. “You have…powers?”

  “They’re not powers, Meghan. You are a different species, well, part-human part-creatus, like me.”

  “Cre-a-tus?”

  “Yes, it means ‘created’. It’s a human word our ancestors claimed to describe us when humans thought we were mythical or cursed beings. We’re not either; we came from a different planet. We’ve been on the earth almost as long as humans, but we’ve had to hide. But not anymore. You and I—and your father—we’ll make a difference.”

  She smiled sweetly, and Jonas knew he’d found his new confidant. Together, they’d find a way.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Vic sunk onto the bench in the doctor’s break room and dropped her head into her hands. She’d failed him.

  The one thing he’d asked of her, and she’d failed him because she was too busy doing what she wanted. As always, she put her wants and needs before others. Reece had asked her to take care of his daughter, but she’d been too focused on him.

  “Vic,” Derrick said, taking a seat next to her, his hand kneading her shoulder, “you were incredible in there. Why are you beating yourself up?”

  “It’s the only thing he asked me to do since we met. I’ve been so mean to him, and he’s been nothing but sweet and loving, and I failed him.”

  “You yelled at Mike to get her as soon as Reece asked. None of us was thinking clearly. Even Michael seemed more preoccupied with Reece than worrying about Jonas or the girl, which is strange, since he claims to hate him.”

  “But hey…” Derrick scooted off the bench and crouched down in front of her. “You did it. You got back in the O.R. You were incredible. It was like watching an artist.”

  Vic lifted her head. “Is he awake?”

  “Not when I just checked, but I bet he’ll be devastated if you’re not the first person he sees.”

  She dropped her head again. “Until he discovers I left his daughter.”

  “Jonas won’t hurt her; you know that. Maybe he was protecting her.” Derrick reached for her hand and softly tugged her to her feet. “Go to him. He’ll understand.”

  She nodded, but felt herself totter.

  Derrick steadied her. “Maybe you should eat first.”

  Vic inhaled a deep breath and then blew it out. “Yeah. I’ll grab something and then head up there.” She cocked her head. “What did you do about Frank Cooper?”

  “The only thing I could; I called the police. Told them we found two agents in the basement. That we rushed the one into surgery, but the other was already gone. No way could we have cleaned up all that blood. The first investigation with Luminol and we’d definitely look guilty.”

  “True. His death will probably bring more agents on our front, though.”

  Derrick chewed on the inside of his cheek. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but right now, I’m going to keep everything out in the open, as though we have nothing to hide. We’re just a hospital. Frank Cooper was investigating a high-profile serial killer, who must have thought he was getting too close.”

  Vic made her way to ICU, peeking through the gap of the curtain and sliding-glass door. He was still sleeping.

  His face appeared softer when he slept. The hard line of his jaw relaxed enough that he looked more like a surfer than an agent. Imagine her, interested in a blond-haired, hazel-eyed human. Well, he had dark hair now, but she was positive he’d let it fade to his normal shade, the color of golden wheat.

  She pressed her lips to his forehead to check his temperature, and his hand shot upward, grabbing her. He relaxed his grip as soon as his eyes opened.

  He gulped and she could hear his parched throat. She reached for the water and handed it to him.

  “Hey…” she breathed. “How are you feeling?”

  He sipped at the water and then handed it to her. “As though someone pulled out my insides and used them to jump rope and then shoved them back in,” he rasped.

  She laughed without thinking. “You and your descriptions.”

  He attempted a smile, but then his eyes darted up at her, pained. “Where’s Meghan? Is she okay? Frank?”

  Vic blew out a breath, knowing there was no easy way to tell him. “Meghan’s okay…umm…she’s with Jonas, though.”

  He stared up at her as though not comprehending.

  “I was a little preoccupied… You know, trying to save the man I love’s life and all. When Mike went to the garage, Jonas had already driven off. He’d uncuffed her from the chair, though, and I know Jonas… You have to believe me. Whatever he seems like, he’d never hurt a young girl.”

  Reece nodded. “Frank?”

  Vic shook her head. “His shot killed Ry I’m pretty sure, but Ry didn’t stop. He plunged into his midsection. Frank died from internal bleeding before Mike could get him to the O.R.”

  Reece sighed and closed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Reece. I…”

  He reached for her hand. “Shh…thank you for saving me, Victoria. It was you, wasn’t it?”

  Unable to speak through her tears, she nodded. “Yes, but I failed you.”

  “You’d never fail me, darlin’. We’ll find her.”

  Victoria sucked in a breath and leaned over his face again, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his mouth. She couldn’t kiss him. The way she felt now, the fact that she never wanted to be separated from him again, would seal the deal. She’d definitely fall, but it’d probably kill him. Falling was more intense than any sexual orgasm. If an orgasm could stop a human man’s heart, a half-human half-creatus just out of surgery didn’t stand a chance.

  Reece closed his eyes again, but held onto her hand. “Stay with me…”

  “Always,” she whispered, swiping at the stream of tears sliding down her cheeks. She’d turned into pure mush, but it felt incredible.

  EPILOGUE

  Vic trudged up the stairs, one step at a time, to her rooftop. She couldn’t believe he was doing this, that he still expected her to keep her promise. At least he’d agreed to her rooftop instead of his this time. That way she could kick him out if he got fresh. She’d said ‘one night’, not an all-nighter.

  Reece was still in the hospital for heaven’s sake, and he’d still demanded that she owed him one night. Thankfully, Reece had only made the same requests, no kissing and no sex, which she’d reiterated to Michael. He just smiled and said that meant dancing was still acceptable.

  Ugh! Men! Well, most men, anyway. Reece and Derrick weren’t on her ‘Ugh’ list as much anymore. Although, Reece insisting that she should keep her promise had perturbed her a bit, but he’d made her laugh when he told her he’d get Mike back, since he’d promised to spar him after this was all over. Once his doctor signed off that he was fit to fight, that was.

  At least Jonas had called to say that Meghan was safe and sound, even asked to speak with Reece. Reece had remained calm after Jonas assured him that Meghan was listening, but that she was still too irritated to speak with him. After he supposedly coaxed her to at least say, ‘Hi’ to her father. She did, but only spoke the words, “Thanks for sending Jonas to protect me, Reece. It’s the only cool thing you’ve ever done for me. Here, speak to Jonas.”

  Vic agreed with Derrick’s comment. She sounded ticked, not in pain.

  She pushed through the steel door and cringed at the jazz music and candlelight. Mike had gone all out again. She hoped he didn’t forget the wine. She needed a glass STAT.

  Walking over to the dressed table, she glanced around for the second person in this party…again. This was feeling a little too déjà vu for her liking.

  Feeling stupid, she whispered his name, “Michael…are we going to do this? I’m leaving.”

  The music changed and a shadow dropped from above her. “Mike’s not here, and I wanted different music. You
can’t dance to Jazz.” A soft country tune filled the night air, and Reece swept her into his arms. “Nice of your friend to set this up for us while I was in the hospital, wasn’t it?”

  Vic draped her hands around his neck and laughed. “Yes, it was. Now I’m really going to owe him. Hey, I never signed off on your release.”

  “Funny thing about that.” He swung her around. “It seems Mike has more pull than you do in the hospital. Something about being the brother of the hospital administrator was a closer relation than a best friend.”

  “Humph! I’ll let it go this time, I guess.”

  She reached up on her toes to kiss him, and he touched his fingertips to her lips.

  “I’m still not going to allow you to kiss tonight, though.”

  She frowned. “Why on earth not?”

  “Because I still have a job to do. I’m getting my daughter back, and I can’t be going all mushy at the knees.”

  “Don’t you mean, ‘we’re going to get Meghan back’?”

  “Nope. I love you, Victoria. And I promise, we’ll be together. I don’t need to fall to know what I want. I want you—forever. But, I’m good at what I do, the reason Cooper hired me. And besides, you and Mike need to track down the real threat. The mole inside your family is a greater threat than Jonas is.”

  “You really think you can track down Jonas?”

  “They call me ‘Eidolon’ for a reason, darlin’.”

  Creatus Eidolon

  Book Three in the Creatus Series

  Carmen DeSousa

  Not all phantoms are myths…

  CHAPTER ONE

  Reece summed up his opponent. He was taller and heavier, but he wasn’t faster. No, he would rely on brute strength, so Reece had to rely on his agility and speed to win.

  He glanced around at the onlookers. Normally he wouldn’t have to worry about an audience, but this match had brought out a score or more of creatus. He hadn’t actually counted; he’d been too busy psyching himself up.

  His challenger circled him, arms open. As Reece suspected, he was a grappler. Reece, on the other hand, held his arms close to his body, lifted just below his chin, ready to strike, and watched his rival’s face. As a cop in Miami and South America, Reece had learned to pay close attention to his adversary’s eyes. When the attacker’s pupils dilated, he’d be ready.

  The dance continued, and then Reece saw the subtle movement of his rival’s clavicle bone, followed by the man’s eyes dilating almost four times in size. Reece sidestepped as Mike plowed past him. No matter the training, Mike couldn’t control his body’s natural reactions.

  Mike swung around and smiled. “Come on, human. How ’bout a hug.”

  “Ah…that’s all right, Mike. Victoria gave me a good luck kiss and a hug before we started. And I’m not sure how much of a human I actually am.”

  Mike grunted and surged forward again, his long arms stretched wide, making it impossible for Reece to sidestep him again, so Reece sprung off his heels and somersaulted over top of Mike. Reece landed on his feet and tapped Mike on the back of the head. Mike was fast, though; he swung his leg around and swept Reece off his feet, and then instantly pounced on top of him.

  A gasp emitted from the onlookers who’d just cheered his acrobatics. Did they think he couldn’t wrestle?

  Reece bucked once and was back on his feet, as was Mike. Mike swung and Reece ducked, coming back with a right hook, which Mike accepted without even a slight sway, as though he’d been tapped, not punched with a strike that would kill a human. Without a second of hesitation, Mike’s fist shot a straight jab, and Reece would swear a train had just hit him.

  Mike continued to throw jab after jab, backing Reece into a corner. Reece ducked and grabbed onto Mike’s midsection, pushing him backward. He picked him up and threw him on the ground, but Mike bounced up to his feet in a flash.

  Reece had never lost a fight in his life, but he’d never fought a creatus. Well, other than his first fight with Mike in the alley, but he hadn’t been trying to win, then. He’d wanted Mike to capture him, hoping he could infiltrate and discover the truth of this family’s strength.

  From the time he was a child, his father had told him he was special, but that he had to hide his differences. His father hadn’t allowed him to excel at sports or train to be an Olympic superstar. No, he’d had to hide his strength. Even as a Navy SEAL, he’d learned to let the largest man on his team wrestle him to the ground. On the streets, though, against the drug dealers, child molesters, and wife beaters, he’d never lost a fight.

  And he didn’t plan to lose today either, especially with Victoria watching. His strength was his speed, and Mike’s weakness was his size. He had to use it against him.

  When Mike charged again, Reece waited until the last second and then sidestepped his attack with his body, but hooked his arm around Mike’s neck. Mike’s weight worked against him, as the momentum he still had pushed against Reece’s arm. Reece pulled back his wrist with his other hand, tightening his grip around Mike’s neck. Mike bucked, slamming Reece backward about twenty feet, hitting the brick wall of Mike’s loft apartment.

  Reece didn’t release, though, and Mike finally collapsed beneath his arms from the rear naked choke.

  Victoria ran across the floor, but she didn’t congratulate him on his win. Instead, she knelt down in front of Mike, touching his face. “Hey, you okay?”

  Reece stood up from behind Mike, watching as his eyes opened at Victoria’s words. Mike had probably let him get him in that hold, knowing she’d take care of the loser. Why hadn’t Reece thought of that? Would it have been better to lose and have Victoria fawning over him or have a win against one of the strongest creatus on the planet?

  Hmm…tough decision. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” Reece said, resisting a growl.

  Victoria just narrowed her eyes and helped Mike to his feet.

  Mike stepped out of Victoria’s arms and extended his hand to Reece. “Not bad, Reece.” He winked and then turned to Victoria. “So, you said you were taking on the loser, Vic?”

  Victoria shoved him back a few feet. “Moron.” She strolled away from Mike, and Reece reached out and pulled her into his arms. She glared up at him. “I’m not challenging either of you. I’ll take on whoever can pin Derrick.”

  “Hey,” Derrick said, “why’re you bringing me into this? I’d rather just watch you guys tear it up. This is better than watching UFC.”

  Reece felt a pat on his back.

  “Seriously, dude,” Mike stepped around him, “nice moves.”

  Reece smiled. “Thanks.”

  For the first time in his life, Reece felt like he was home. He was with people who understood him. Well, maybe not people in what some folks would call people, but even if creatus weren’t humans, they were still people, good people. His last boss, Frank Cooper had wanted to find and expose this peaceful group because they were different. Cooper had elicited his help by recruiting him into the National Security Council after seeing his record in the military and with Miami PD and the DEA.

  “Come on, Vic,” Michael bellowed again. “We haven’t sparred in forever. I bet I could beat you now.”

  Vic sighed. “You’ve always been able to beat me, Mike.” Then the love of Reece’s life looked up, her eyes narrowing as if she wanted to get something across, but couldn’t say it aloud. No matter how low they spoke, any one of the creatus in the apartment would hear. Clearly, she was upset, though.

  Reece brushed a strand of her ebony black hair away from her eyes, then cupped her face. “Wanna go?”

  “No, it’d be rude. It’s not often that so many of us get together just to have fun. Though…I’m wondering—never mind.”

  “Wanna go for a walk, then? It’s clear that something’s on your mind,” he pressed.

  She shrugged.

  “What did I do?” He hated sounding like a hormone-filled adolescent worried about his girlfriend, but he was. They’d known each other for almost three m
onths now and had been seeing each other exclusively for the last half of it. But the way she’d just looked at Mike… No, she’d assured him they’d always be just friends. The problem was that they hadn’t taken their relationship to the next level. They hadn’t fallen for each other yet. Oh, the stirrings were there. Sometimes he felt as though tiny volts of electricity were travelling through his veins, but then, he’d pull back. They both would.

  Life was too complicated. Victoria had a life here, working at her family’s hospital, and he had a rogue to catch, along with his eighteen-year-old daughter. As much as he didn’t want to believe that Meghan was a willing captive, he knew she probably was. Meghan hated him because he’d left her in the care of her grandmother. He hadn’t abandoned her, he supported them both, but she didn’t see it that way.

  She didn’t understand that the daughter of a DEA agent wasn’t safe. And when he’d moved to Boston to work with the National Security Council, he still hadn’t been sure what was in store for him. But he’d promised her if it was safe, he’d bring her with him. And now, she was travelling with a group of rogue creatus who wanted to let the world know they exist.

  Through all of this, he’d found Victoria, but now he felt as though he might lose her. Creatus only fell once in a lifetime, so if they didn’t fall for each other before he went under to find Jonas, was it possible that she’d fall for Mike?

  “You didn’t do anything,” Victoria finally answered, drawing back from his arms. “I just…can we talk later?”

  Unable to find his voice, he just nodded. He looked over her shoulder to see Mike leaning back against the bar, a glass of wine held up. Was he cheering him for winning or the fact that it was clear he hadn’t lost Victoria yet?