She couldn’t have stopped it if she’d wanted to. Not with how far gone she’d already been when he’d happened upon her. Besides, the swell of evil coming from the man told her that if she didn’t stop him, he’d continue to hurt others. She also knew, deep down, that she was supposed to be his next victim—at least in his mind. It was kill or be killed.
Justifying it doesn’t make it better.
Still, it was all she had to keep her sane.
The moment he made contact with her, her power burst free. There was no kissing, no heavy petting, no sex to speak of. One second he was there, evil pouring off him, the threat of violence in the air, and the next he was a dried husk of a man.
She stepped back to get his mummified hand off her shoulder, and the action left his husk shattering into nothing more than a pile of dust that landed on the ground.
She stared down at it, horrified. No scream would come. It couldn’t. The rush of the kill was spilling over her, his life force soaking through her every pore.
Bending her head, she closed her eyes a moment, the rush of energy making her feel invigorated. The ends of her hair lifted, the static build-up returning. Opening her eyes, she looked out from the gaze of a monster. The night was more vibrant than it had been only seconds before.
She was a mistress of it.
She could hear the heartbeats of people around the corner. In addition, she could sense sexual energy not far from her location. It called to her like a beacon in the night. A calculated smile came over her, and as hard as she fought to regain control, she wasn’t strong enough to fight her darkness anymore. It recognized the sound and scents of power, of supernatural sex in large quantities, and it wasn’t going to rest until she was there in the thick of it.
Chapter Five
Bane glanced fleetingly in the rearview mirror to find Gus staring at him—kind of—still wearing the helmet and goggles. The man pushed his lips out in fish-like fashion and puckered them. The very fact the guy was making something close to eye contact was unsettling. So much so, it jarred Bane enough that he jerked the wheel, making the SUV rock back and forth quickly.
“I’m a way better driver,” said Bill, putting his sunglasses back on. He shook his head a few times and then tapped the back of Bane’s seat. “Are we there yet?”
“You don’t even know where we’re going,” said Bane, still annoyed that he had to deal with them. They were Casey’s problem, and the fact that Casey had let these two wander off—again—made Bane wonder if Casey should be left in charge of anyone. This wasn’t the first time the two pain in the asses had shown up out of the blue, inserting themselves into a mission. They’d tagged along with Weston when he had gone in search of his mate.
And from what he’d later found out, they made a habit of trying to help. They also made a habit of getting into trouble.
Probably wouldn’t be the last time they pulled a stunt as foolish as stealing a car and driving cross-country.
“I do to know where we’re going!” shouted Bill, sounding like a child. “Gus told me we’d get here, you’d be here, and we’d devise our super-secret plan to save your woman from certain peril.”
Certain peril? My woman?
The man was hard to avoid laughing at. Bane wasn’t sure what was more amusing, the idea that he had a woman or that these two would somehow help in the event of certain peril.
“I’m not telling him we have to go there,” said Bill, his attention on Gus. “Nope. You want him to know, you tell him. He’ll think I’m being a perv and making a move on him. Didn’t you notice his girlie hair? He probably thinks I’m hot or something already.”
Bane knew full well that Gus was capable of speaking telepathically with the operatives, and apparently Bill. A part of him wondered if perhaps the testing on Gus by the government had been in an attempt to make him something of a human walkie-talkie for the ops teams.
I believe you are correct. That was more than likely an outcome they hoped for, came Gus’s voice in Bane’s head. He knew it was the man’s voice because he’d heard it before when he’d helped Weston find Paisley. But, I was born with the ability to link to your kind mentally. They made that gift stronger.
Bane jerked the wheel once more.
Bill grumbled. “A way better driver.”
“Shut it, little man,” snapped Bane, his hard-earned control slipping.
Bill blew raspberries at him and then stared out the window, huffing and puffing as they drove onward. Bane turned down a side street, in the direction he’d seen the police and emergency responders heading, and ignored Bill as the man pouted in the backseat.
Take a left, said Gus in Bane’s head, startling Bane once more. He managed to maintain control of the SUV.
“Why?” asked Bane, glancing in the rearview mirror at Gus. For the briefest of moments, the man with the helmet reminded him of a Paranormal and Security Intelligence Operative (PSI-Op) he’d once known. Ironically, the man’s nickname had been Gus, but his real name had been Christopher Gustavo. The pale, thin man in the backseat had features that reminded Bane of his old friend—a man who had been killed in the line of duty. A fellow PSI-Op had been wrongfully accused of killing him but had later been exonerated.
Because our destination is to the left, replied Gus, as if it was self-explanatory and Bane was wasting his time.
The strangest urge to ask Gus about Christopher came over him. He opened his mouth to ask the question when the pale man interrupted him.
I was created and then enhanced from samples of operatives the government has stored away, said Gus, leaving the statement hanging there as if that explained everything.
Bane gasped. Was Gus related to Christopher?
Bill leaned forward, breaking the tension in the car and grabbing the protein shake that Bane had in his cup holder. Before Bane could warn the little guy off of drinking it, Bill had it opened and was taking a huge gulp. The man’s face scrunched before he swallowed. “Monkey-boy, your milk went bad. Real fucking bad.”
“It’s a protein shake,” said Bane, as he continued to drive down the side street Gus had told him to take.
“Tastes like shit.”
“I like the taste.”
Bill snorted. “Yeah, you totally fling shit, monkey-boy.”
Bane snarled. “Do not make me pull this car over to deal with you.”
Bill sat back in his seat and flipped off Bane once more.
“Listen, I need to get some gas,” said Bane. “You want anything when I stop? If I remember right, the two of you like to eat. A lot.”
“We can’t stop. Gus says we have to get you laid. Stat.”
Bane nearly jerked the wheel once more. “He said you needed to do what?”
Bill appeared agitated as he leaned forward once more. “Get you sexed up, dude. Really. You’re not a virgin, are you? Tell me you know what to do with that genetically altered dick those scientists gave you. And no, I ain’t coming on to you. You’re not my type.”
“Do not talk about my dick,” blustered Bane, gripping the wheel tighter.
Bill poked his arm. “Is it huge? I got a look at Weston’s, and boy-oh-boy did the scientists give him a great-size prick. Casey’s is big too. I think you all might be hung like horses. Casey said one of you really is a horse-shifter.”
“Sit back and for the love of all that is holy, do not talk about my friends’ dicks to me.”
“Why? Not secure in your manhood? Is that why you have girl hair?” asked Bill. “I am. And I want the same size penis you guys got out of the deal. All I got was LSD testing. I demand a do-over.”
“Sit back. We’re getting gas, and then we’re going to the place I’m staying here in the city,” said Bane.
Bill shook his head. “No way, man. We gotta get you sexed up. Quick. Gus said so.”
“We need gas or we’re all walking to this supposed sexing up,” returned Bane, struggling to keep his temper under wraps.
Bill groaned. “Fine. Get
us some of those pink circle cake things from the gas station.” He sat up eagerly. “And icy drinks. I like red. Gus likes blue.”
“Promise to behave if I do?”
Bill lifted his hand and gave a Scout’s Honor sign. “Promise.”
Bane didn’t believe the small man for a minute.
I’m going to kill Casey for leaving me with two man-children.
He pulled into the first gas station he spotted and debated on allowing the men to remain in the SUV alone. Finally, he thought it best to crack the windows for them and take the keys for safekeeping. He got out and began filling the tank. Bill hopped out and joined him, coming closer than Bane liked others to be.
Bill stared up at him. “How tall are you?”
“Tall,” responded Bane gruffly.
“You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?” asked Bill, shaking his head. “No wonder Gus insisted we come help you with your mate. Bet you can’t pick up women on your own. You never answered me. Are you a virgin? Oh, and how big is your dick? Big? Want to see mine?”
“No! I don’t! Get back in the SUV,” Bane said, his annoyance with the man growing by leaps and bounds. No amount of calming techniques was going to save Bill’s life, at the rate he was pushing it.
“That was, uh, mean of me to say,” supplied Bill, wrapping his arms around Bane’s waist and hugging him tightly. “Sorry.”
Bane had to peel the man off. When he did, he stared down at him. “Okay, great. All is forgiven. Get in the SUV. I need to go in and get your icy things.”
“And pink cakes,” reminded Bill.
“Sure. Pink cakes,” Bane said, heading into the station. It took him a minute to find what they wanted, but he did. A quick glance at the ingredients made his lip curl. If Bill ate this kind of shit regularly, Bane wasn’t sure how the man was still alive. Maybe LSD had something in it that pickled Bill’s insides. Bane enjoyed eating healthy and working out. He was a firm believer that his body was a temple.
Heading to the counter to pay, he reached into his back pocket to get his wallet.
It wasn’t there.
It was then he noticed something else was missing too.
His keys.
He thought about the random hug Bill had given him and snarled. The little shit had picked his pockets. “Son of a bitch!”
Bane left the items on the counter and ran out of the station just in time to see his SUV heading down the road.
The brake lights came on, and for a split second, he assumed Bill had a change of heart about stealing the vehicle.
When Bill threw Bane’s protein shake out the window, Bane knew better.
“Tastes like shit!” yelled Bill before speeding away, leaving Bane standing there, on the verge of a full shift, wanting to rip the man’s head from his shoulders.
He didn’t really care about the money or the SUV. Bane wanted the small, blurry, black-and-white photo of the succubus back. It wasn’t something he could replace. He liked having that piece of Gale near him. It had become a comfort item, and without it, Bane was edgy.
He pulled out his cell phone and pressed the button for Casey with so much aggression that he cracked the screen of his phone.
Casey picked up on the second ring. “What happened?”
“How do you know something happened?” asked Bane, still pissed.
“Mostly because I know those two.”
“That little asshole stole my SUV,” said Bane evenly. “And my wallet.”
Casey snorted. “You get used to it.”
“There is something in my wallet that I can’t replace, Casey. Something I want back. I don’t give a shit about the rest.”
Casey fell silent momentarily. “Want to discuss it?”
“It’s a picture.”
“Of?”
“A woman I don’t even know,” Bane admitted, feeling small. “Hell, she’s probably dead, but I want the picture back.”
“Wouldn’t happen to be that missing succubus you asked me about earlier, would it?”
Hope surged in him. “Did you hear anything more on her? Did they find her?”
“No,” returned Casey softly. “Nothing new has come in. You’ll be the first person I contact if I hear anything, Bane.”
He swallowed hard. “Me? Why me?”
“Really? This is how you’re going to play it?”
“Shit,” muttered Bane, turning in a small circle in the center of the road. “I think I’m broken.”
“Join the club.”
“You’re a huge help.”
“You want hugs and kisses, call Weston. I’m sure he’s full of them.”
Bane snorted. “Oh yeah. To the brim.”
Casey grunted. “Hang on. I’m getting another call. Unknown caller.”
Bane stood there, in the middle of the street, staring off into the distance. His beast wanted out, and soon. He’d already denied it a full shift for too long, and he’d not had actual sex in months. He’d need to masturbate later to take the edge off, and then he’d have to meditate, or there was a very real chance he’d shift shapes and kill Casey’s friends.
Of course, Bill had the photo Bane had been using to masturbate to.
“Fuck meditation. I need a punching bag with Bill’s picture on it.”
Casey came back on the line. “Bill just called me from a burner phone he found in your glove box. He says they’re only about ten blocks away and that if you hurry, you’ll get there in time.”
“Get where in time for what?”
“To, uh, get sexed up,” said Casey. “He also asked me about your dick size. Something I should know?”
“When I get my hands on them, I’m going to lock them in the safe house’s padded cell and throw away the keys.”
“Probably for the best. Just toss some food in with them and a television, and they’ll think it’s a party. Oh, Bill says your wallet is safe with him. Also, from what Bill just relayed to me, Harmony and I are going to have to stop off and pick up a couple of people on our way out to you. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Shit, hang on. Another call. Might be Bill again.”
Casey was gone for a few minutes and then came back on the line, sounding tired. “We’re going to be later than I thought.”
“Oh no you don’t. Get your ass here and get your lunatic buddies,” snapped Bane, wanting no part of babysitting Bill and Gus longer than he had to.
“Easier said than done,” returned Casey with a groan. “That was the place where I keep my jet. They were readying it and found out someone tampered with it. It’s going to be at least a day before we can get there, if the part they need is rushed over. I’m not risking flying commercial with everything going on.”
Bane stiffened. “Fuck. Do you think it was The Corporation?”
The Corporation was a giant, evil conglomerate that was making a huge move for power. They were ruthless, and jet tampering sounded like something they’d do.
Casey sighed. “Only if they’ve taken to leaving peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared bags of weed and a note that says ‘I Owe You’ on the dash of my plane.”
Bane growled, knowing instantly who had caused the problem. “Bill tampered with your jet? But why?”
“My guess is to buy them time on whatever it is they’re doing. He knows me well enough to know the minute you called, telling me he’s there, I’d drop everything and fly out.”
“I take it back. I can’t make Harmony a promise not to kill them. I’m going to eat your friends,” warned Bane before he hung up the phone.
Chapter Six
Bane searched around his parked and locked SUV, cursing loudly as he did. Bill and Gus were nowhere to be found. The SUV seemed undamaged, not that it mattered a ton to Bane. Always on the go, always staying several steps ahead of those hunting him, he had many vehicles stashed all over the world. He’d been hunted far too long not to be prepared for just about anything.
That being said, Bill and Gus were something he’d never dreamed he’d n
eed to prep for. He knew better now. They were menaces.
Looking around, he tried to figure out where the pair could have gone off to. It wasn’t as if they blended in or anything. A guy dressed like a sleazy wedding singer and one in a helmet should have been easy to spot.
“Seriously, I’m going to kill them. As soon as I find them.”
Lucky for them, he was in great shape, but he didn’t like having to run so far when he didn’t have to and wasn’t dressed to work out. He hadn’t realized he needed track shoes on standby in the event two crazy guys from Casey’s life showed up on his doorstep.
He was about to call Casey back, hoping Bill had made contact again, when he caught the scent of shifters, and stilled. Supernaturals were more common than one would think, but groups of them always caught his attention. His gaze was drawn to the other side of the street. A number of shifter males were headed into a club that seemed to be a very happening place.
A sinking feeling came over Bane.
“Tell me they didn’t decide to get drunk,” he said more to himself than anyone else.
From the volume level of the hip-hop music pumping from the place, there was one hell of a party going in there. He had a sneaky suspicion he’d find the two pains in his ass in the bar.
He headed over quickly and approached the bouncer at the door. He smelled of vampire, not too old, but old enough to probably be able to hold his own with most. Bane wasn’t most.
“Fifty-dollar cover,” the man said, wearing sunglasses at night as if that upped his cool factor. It didn’t. All it did was make him look like a douchebag.
Bane’s wallet was with Bill. He was about to force his way through when two women, just inside the door, approached the bouncer. They stared at Bane with expressions that said they were up to something. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what they were, because they weren’t human. It took him a minute to land on what type of supernaturals the women were.
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