by Morgan Wylie
“Whoa, he’s badass,” Lola snickered beneath her breath to Enock as they approached him. Enock looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, questioning the little shifter’s taste in men. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me even you don’t think he’s badass.” Enock’s eyes widened in mock surprise at Lola’s outburst, and he shook his head with a silly grin. She giggled and looped her arm through his, allowing him to guide her into the club.
Mai looked over her shoulder at Lola with an expression that suggested she shut-up. She walked next to Rylen casually as their turn came to check in with the bouncer.
“Duncan, party of six, please.” Rylen patiently waited, his hands in his pockets, nonchalantly looking beyond the bouncer as the man scanned his list first once then again twice.
“You’re not on this list. Back of the line,” he jerked his thumb toward the line of humans hoping to get in. The bouncer was straightforward and ready to move onto the next in line.
Enock leaned his head forward and said, “Could you please try again under the name Sullivan?” He smiled at the bouncer who gave no polite response, or any at all for that matter. Enock looked to Rylen and shrugged. “Sorry, forgot to tell you it was under my name.”
“Go ahead.” The bouncer nodded, checked them off, then waved them through the ropes and into the dark interior of Triumph, the nightclub for humans and supernaturals alike.
Once inside, the atmosphere was a contrast from when they were there not long ago to lift the rare red stone that Black Widow had mandated. Rylen still wasn’t sure why he needed to steal the stone, or why she had wanted him to keep it. Thankfully, they hadn’t realized it was someone from his team who took it—and they shouldn’t ever with the magic Poppy was able to work remotely on their video systems—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been welcomed back tonight. It was loud inside, as usual, but tonight, it was all about the band at center stage. They had begun their first set, and the anticipation of the crowd was as tangible as the stink of human sweat mixed with lust and seduction.
~~~~~
Back at the Lair, Vi, Gracie, and Alana were in the Den watching a romantic comedy on the big screen while two guards milled about, conveniently taking turns between standing guard inside the Den and outside the doors. Gracie wondered how horrible it was for them to have to been ordered to stay with the girls and watch what they watched. She chuckled inside, knowing they were uncomfortable with the chick flick and would probably give Lucius an earful when they got back… well, probably, not actually. Most seemed too afraid of Lucius to be disgruntled about any task he gave them. Maybe she would have to tease him on their behalf. She liked to give him a hard time—see if she could ever ruffle any of his feathers, metaphorically of course. Thinking of Lucius in his bird form was exhilarating, for sure, but she didn’t think he would like it if she tried to touch any of his feathers. She laughed at the thought of his face if she ever were to. Oh, the horror. Gracie smiled as she continued to watch the movie the other girls had chosen. Well, actually Vi had chosen it since neither Alana, nor Gracie hadn’t gotten out much nor seen a lot of movies. That was something they had in common. It was nice to have a girl around who would actually talk to her like any one of the other girls, instead of something special or fragile that would break if they talked too loud or too openly. She liked that about Alana. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure what would become of Alana. Her visions drove her crazy; she had no control over them and had no way of seeing all of the context. She just knew what she saw, and what she saw this time scared her.
“I need something to drink from the kitchen, anyone want anything?” Alana asked, jumping up from the couch.
Gracie stiffened.
Alana looked from Vi to Gracie with her eyebrows raised, waiting for answers.
“No, thank you, Alana,” Vi answered politely. Gracie folded her hands tightly but shook her head no. But then quickly changed her mind and jumped up as well.
“I’ll go with you!” Gracie sputtered and headed toward the door. Alana looked back at Vi with a confused look on her face, but Vi just frowned and shrugged her shoulders.
“Change your mind?” Alana asked, her eyes tightened with suspicion.
Gracie lifted a shoulder sheepishly and turned her head away. “Girls do that, right?”
“I guess.” Alana eyed Gracie a bit closer. The girl was acting strange and had been since they had decided to hang out in the Den. They had played games and then decided to watch a movie. It was like Gracie was stalling something, but Alana didn’t have a clue what or why.
Gracie looped her arm inside Alana’s elbow like they were old friends and genuinely smiled at her. “I’m really glad you’re here. You’re the first girl who I think might understand me at least a little bit. I feel like I can trust you, Alana”—Gracie paused and looked up into Alana’s face, searching—“but I want you to know that you can also trust me. I want us to be friends.” Gracie smiled her biggest and brightest smile as she patted Alana’s arm.
The sentiment was so touching Alana’s eyes began to glisten with moisture. She would not cry here in the hallway of the Lair where anyone could find them. She suffocated her emotions and squelched the lingering emotion. “Thank you. That means… that means a lot to me, Gracie.” Alana swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I didn’t have too many friends at the Alliance’s compound. At least not any that truly knew me… or if they did, I guess they were keeping that secret to themselves.” Alana inhaled deeply and patted Gracie’s arm in return, pulling her forward as they went toward the kitchen. “Thank you for trusting me. Not many here do—I guess that part’s not too much different from where I grew up. Don’t get me wrong, they respected me, probably even feared me because of who my father was, but they didn’t want to get too close.”
“Give them some time. They’ll come around. I know you truly love Rylen; I can see it.”
Alana blanched, her face paling in the dim hallway lighting. “How… how do you know that?”
“I can see it in your eyes. Even if you don’t truly know it yourself yet.” Gracie giggled at Alana’s slight blush.
“I’ve never felt this way toward anyone. I’m a bit inexperienced with all this and am not sure of my true feelings. I mean he did save me, and I want to make sure what I feel isn’t just a sense of loyalty or hero worship toward him. He really is amazing, but you know that already, don’t you?”
“Well, not like that!” Gracie put her hand over her heart in genuine surprise as her face heated.
Alana, too, blushed as she tried to backpedal. “I didn’t mean like that, I mean, I didn’t know for sure, but I didn’t think so,” she groaned, bungling up even what she was trying to say. Gracie only laughed louder and even had to lean against the wall and bend over to regain her breath. After she recovered from her laughing fit, she inhaled slowly, calming her heart.
“No, I’m afraid I’m quite inexperienced, even more so than you, in many aspects of relationships. I’ve never had one, and I’m eighteen now.”
“Don’t rush it. I was about to marry my father’s right-hand man, Eli, and I didn’t love him. I know that now. It’s a long story. Anyway, you’ll know when you’re ready and when you find the person you want to be with—or have you already?” Alana slanted her eyes and pursed her lips to see if Gracie would give anything away.
“Maybe. I don’t know for sure yet. So, no, I’m not going to say anything.” Gracie mimed zipping her lips sealed and dropped the invisible key down the front of her dress with a chuckle and a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “Come on, let’s get snacks or drinks or whatever you wanted from the kitchen. We don’t want to miss the movie!” Gracie smiled and winked then skipped ahead of Alana, leaving her to follow after her.
After they were loaded down with extra snacks and a couple of large cups filled with lemonade, they headed back to the Den. As they pushed through the door, Vi jumped up to help them alleviate their loads.
“I paused the movie, thought you were goi
ng to miss the best parts,” Vi explained, waving to the frozen image of a woman with lust-filled eyes as she watched a man’s back as it was about to leave wherever it was they were.
“Great thanks!” Alana said, sounding cheerful. “Oh, I forgot I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back, I promise. Go ahead and start it, I’ll only be a minute.”
Before anyone could say anything, she ran down to the restroom off the hallway for anyone to use. It was much quicker than jogging all the way back to her own room. Once she was finished, she was almost back to the Den when she heard a commotion coming from the other hall that led down past HQ and near the entry for the Door Room.
“You need to give that to someone right away,” the male voice said, one she didn’t recognize—although, that really wasn’t that hard since she hadn’t spent time talking to everyone yet.
“The boss isn’t here right now, or anyone from the inner circle. I will hold onto it until they return,” a different voice replied sternly.
Alana walked light on her feet so as not to disrupt them. She wasn’t trying to be sneaky, she just didn’t want to get in trouble for not being with the other girls in the Den. She wondered what they could be talking about.
“Maybe you can give it to Poppy, and she can send word to Rylen or the team. This is something they would want to know ASAP,” the first voice iterated.
“Good idea. We’re not supposed to leave our post. Walk down to the intercom and page Poppy to come to us.” The second voice must have been the superior guard as the other began to shuffle down the hall.
Without thinking, Alana moved out in front of him as if she was heading that way all along. “Did I hear you mention you have something for Poppy?” Alana gazed directly at the guard’s eyes. She didn’t recognize him as being one of the ones guarding them in the Den. She was sure he had to be different and scolded herself for not taking note of who they all were and their differences. He looked at her skeptically before recognizing her.
“You are Rylen’s mate, Alana, are you not?” he spoke with an older accent, almost British but not quite.
“I am,” she said with a confidence she usually didn’t feel. “I was asking because I am on my way to visit Poppy. I’d be happy to save her the trip.” Alana eyed the golden envelope similar to ones Rylen received before. “I know she’s very busy right now working on deciphering the letters that Rylen has given her.”
“We got another one just now,” the guard told her.
“We need to get that to her right away. Perhaps it holds the key to what she’s having trouble with right now!” Alana’s voice remained calm but with an added edge of urgency to it.
“I can’t leave my post.”
“Like I said, I’m going to Headquarters right now. I’m happy to take it to her. Hopefully, she can have something to offer Rylen when they get back. Wouldn’t that make his night?!”
He handed her the envelope, still holding on to the last edge of it as if unsure if he should really hand it over to her. But she was Rylen’s mate, after all, and she held the same authority as he did in theory. “Straight to Poppy, no detours.” His eyes bore into her to impart his message of dire consequences should she deviate.
Alana nodded and took the golden envelope from the guard and clutched it tightly in her grasp. She spun on her heels and headed toward HQ just around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight of the guard, she examined the envelope for any signs on the outside. Seeing nothing but Rylen’s name scrawled in beautiful calligraphy on the front, she proceeded to carefully yet quickly open the seal. She peered into the envelope before reaching her hand inside. She wasn’t stupid. She had seen enough crime shows to know that sometimes strange things can be sent inside envelopes. There was no powder or blood or residue of any kind. With as little amount of her skin touching as she could, she pulled out the flat card stock by the tips of her nails. It was on the same formal paper that was used for fancy invitations, except the lettering was blood red on a cream background. Alana’s entire body froze as she read the letter. The blood left her head, draining all the way to her feet, which now felt like lead. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck and a light sheen perspired on her face. Her breathing escalated and then hitched as she read the last line.
“No,” Alana whispered. She leaned against the wall for support. “This can’t happen.” Eyes darting around, Alana realized there was no one at the Lair for her to go to with the information on the card. She needed Rylen, but he wasn’t there. It was up to her, but could she do what needed to be done? “I can’t let this happen. She’s my friend.” Decision made, Alana went to see if Poppy was in her lab. After no response to her knock, Alana turned the handle to HQ, praying it wasn’t locked. It wasn’t. She slipped inside the door easily with no one entering the hallway. She had to hurry, not knowing how much time she had before anyone came looking for her if they weren’t already.
Chapter Fifteen
Poppy wasn’t in Headquarters. She had most likely gone back to her temporary room. Poppy hadn’t wanted to watch the movie, stating she had to stay available if the team needed her for any reason. She would return soon enough.
After leaving the note where Poppy would see it, and searching Headquarters for any kind of supplies that she could use, Alana took a deep breath. Then she took another and another. Her nerves were out of control. Maybe she couldn’t do this, but she couldn’t let her new friends take the heat from something she would have to face sooner or later. The note was from the Alliance. No, it didn’t say so specifically, but she just knew somehow that they were involved. Alana didn’t even know if her magic—or at least the little that she knew and had learned recently from Enock—would cooperate and do what she needed to get the job done. If it didn’t, they were all in trouble. Her plan was to get out and go find Rylen or at least leave a trail for him to follow.
Alana took a few minutes and practiced the magic that she was hoping would work for her. She had memorized several spells in the books that Enock had given her to take back to her room, and this one stood out to her in particular. At the time, she didn’t know why, but now, it seemed to have been meant to be. She sucked in a few deep breaths, slowing her heart rate and her anxiety. She pictured the words to the incantation she memorized. Whispering them under her breath, she allowed all the conviction she had in her heart to entwine with the words as she pictured the result she wanted. Alana didn’t think she was actually a witch, but for some reason, the magic she had responded to certain types of spells and witch magic. It was a real battle of hit and miss with the different types of spells. It baffled the witches who were members of the PAC; they hadn’t seen anyone’s magic pick and choose the way Alana’s had. They didn’t actually think that her magic was conscious in choosing, but there had to be some method to it. They just hadn’t found it yet. Until then, Alana was just going to memorize as many spells as she could, or at least the ones that brightened for her—and that’s exactly what this one had done. When she read it in the old tomes that Enock gave her, it literally illuminated and practically leaped off the page to grab her attention.
Exiting Headquarters proved to be easier than she had anticipated. First, she needed to exit Headquarters without getting caught. She peered around the corner and spied the two guards she had just spoken to guarding the door leading out to the alleyway beside the hotel and the elevator leading into the hotel lobby. If she could get across the hallway opening without them seeing, she should be able to access the Door Room. Quietly, she started to slink across the opening, diving for cover when one of the guards down the hall shifted his stance. She softly stole into the Door Room.
The room itself was not restricted, but the actual door was. Rylen had briefly shown her how to use it, but he had not yet given her access to its use. It used a combination of magic and DNA to work. She wondered if, in her current state of magic, she’d be able to access it without Rylen’s help. The door emanated a frequency of energy as it stood waiting; Ala
na could feel it wafting off the metal with a low hum as if it was reaching out to her, assessing her magic, deciphering her worthiness to be standing in its presence. Alana studied the panel to the right of the door. It appeared to be a standard security panel, but she knew if she placed her thumb against the imprint, it would prick her finger and take a small sample of her blood. Then, it would proceed to read not only her DNA but also the magical levels saturated in her blood. Then, there was a sequence of numbers to push. She had memorized the code as Rylen keyed it in one day when they went exploring on one of their few opportunities to go out and do something fun. He had been trying to squeeze time in just for her so she knew he cared about her.
Staring at the blasted system, she decided to go ahead and try her luck. Alana closed her eyes and held her breath as she placed her whole hand over the control panel, stirring her inner magic and willing the spell for entry to work. It didn’t.
A high-pitched blaring noise sounded above her head, and a blinking light pulsed repetitively above the door. Then all at once, the room blacked out, and the door locked from the outside, sealing her inside the Door Room to be caught by the guards from all over the frickin’ Lair. Alana swore, pressed herself up against the wall, and felt her way to where she knew the door back out into the hallway was. Her heart was out of control, and her breathing was quick and shallow. If she didn’t get control of herself soon, she was going to hyperventilate or pass out. What a mess that would be. Chuckling internally, Alana breathed out through her mouth and in through her nose, purposefully willing her breathing to slow and return to normal. Thundering footsteps resounded down the hall, getting closer to her location. Thinking quickly, she recalled another spell she’d been wanting to try. Seeing the words in her mind, she recited them under her breath, too quickly at first, causing her tongue to get tied as she fumbled over the incantation.