Lost Beauty (Deadly Beauties Live On)

by C. M. Owens

  She cowers just slightly before narrowing her eyes. “I’m good at tracking and have an automated system that can find anything I ask it to. I took a plane instead of driving. This jeep was registered to a girl named Zoey. She went missing five years ago, and her boyfriend—Silan—was questioned but dismissed as a suspect because the parents said he had glowing blue eyes when he showed up to take her. He had green eyes when the police questioned him. I pulled up footage from the traffic lights outside the building where the missing little girl lived, and spotted this jeep, amongst others, within the getaway timeframe narrowed down by the police. I figured he was smart enough to wipe surveillance cameras in the building, but not smart enough to think of the traffic cams. The footage led me here, to where they abandoned their getaway ride and left you a message.”

  She’s been integrated into society for less than a few months, and already she’s more up-to-date on the technological advances than I am.

  “I think he obviously wanted you to find this jeep... Or someone to find it. I just don’t think he thought it would happen this soon,” she goes on.

  I follow her to the jeep, and my fists clench as Zee curses and snatches a note that is taped to the window.

  Zee,

  You owe me your life. Trade it for hers.

  Silan

  “Again, how’d you piss him off?” Kya asks, not an ounce of sympathy in her tone.

  “I haven’t,” Zee growls. “Honestly. We parted ways years ago because he planned to sire others. After what happened to me, I couldn’t stomach the thought. So I left. He might have felt like I was ungrateful, since he’d saved my life and all, but there was no bad blood between us. I never came after him, and he never came after me.”

  “Something had to have happened. This isn’t the time for secrets,” Kya says coldly, warily casting glances at me like she’s ensuring I keep my distance from her.

  Right now, my spine, toes and back are tingling with the power running freely through me. This part of me has never been fully unleashed, but I can’t keep fighting with a chunk of me on lockdown.

  If Kya knows I’ve unleashed the beast within, she doesn’t mention it. I’m still waiting on it to garner strength and make my life difficult.

  “We can’t stand here arguing all day. Which direction do you think they went?” Leah asks, lacing her fingers with Zee’s as he releases a frustrated sound.

  “I’m stuck on that. There aren’t any cameras in this area,” Kya says, not sounding one bit happy with that admission.

  My eyes drop to the steering wheel of the jeep as they talk.

  “If he wanted Zee to find this, then there has to be something to lead us there,” Leah is saying, but my vision has shifted again, only this time, it’s in white and everything I’m seeking highlights itself in red as my senses tune into my demands.

  I sniff, taking in the scents that are lingering from the vehicle. Mildew, rust, oil, exhaust... Candy? Why is the smell of candy more pungent than the exhaust?

  Night stalkers have a serious sweet tooth, but that would have to be a lot of candy to create a scent so strong.

  My eyes move over the ground, looking for any trail. Finally, I spot one.

  “This way,” I say, keeping my eyes locked on the trail as I walk back toward the car.

  Kya doesn’t ask questions. Then again, she probably has more answers about me than I do.

  Leah and Zee get in the car with me, and Kya gets in as well.

  “I didn’t bother renting a vehicle, and I’m too exhausted to keep dematerializing,” she says on a shaky breath, darting her gaze away from me as she explains why she’s stowing away.

  My vision is tunneled in on the trail, so I barely notice her, but her fucking scent is driving my wilder side into a frenzy. Leah has been in here all day, and the beast within hasn’t been banging against my skin to take her. But Kya? Kya is one hell of a motherfucking problem for me right now.

  When a small growl escapes, Zee groans. “Where could Silan be taking her? And why?”

  I pull out, skidding across the sand. The road out here looks to have disappeared years ago, but you can tell there used to be one.

  No one can answer Zee’s question, so silence follows us as I fly across the desert, dodging anything the car can’t drive over. Silan went out of his way to not leave a trail... But why leave a taunting note?

  “I think he was going to contact Zee,” Kya says quietly.

  Apparently I asked that last question aloud.

  I clear my throat, ignoring the fact her scent is consuming me.

  “When he was ready,” she adds. “Which means we may have the chance to catch him off guard.”

  “Thank you for coming,” Leah says.

  Kya shifts audibly, as though the gratitude makes her uncomfortable.

  “What will Slade do to you for being here?” Zee asks her, causing my grip on the steering wheel to tighten.

  There’s zero reason for me to feel protective of Kya, especially since she’s chosen to be at Slade’s side.

  “He’ll be pissed, but he won’t hurt me.” She doesn’t sound entirely convinced that it’s the truth.

  “Why did you call this place Sin City?” she asks me. “It’s actually called Las Vegas. There’s no such thing as Sin City on a map.”

  “Oh, that’s just a nickname,” Leah answers, because I’m unable to speak right now.

  “Where’s the rest of the Scooby gang?” Kya asks as I skid to a halt and climb out of the car, my fists clenching and unclenching. “Isn’t this sort of thing right up their alley?”

  Zee follows me out as I walk over to the side of a large wall of rocks. The trail ends here. And the scent of candy is seriously strong and out of place.

  We’re close.

  Chapter 5

  KYA

  Chaz bolts out of the car instead of answering my question, and Zee gets out like his ass is on fire. They both go to examine the mountain side.

  I stay put, since Leah isn’t getting out. I shouldn’t be so close to Chaz, since he’s apparently brooding and a little too dangerous for my comfort level.

  “So, the rest?” I ask Leah, even though my eyes are on the fake duster.

  He’s stronger. He’s tapped into his power. I can tell just by the way he examines things. His mannerisms are even different from earlier. He’s acting more animal than man right now with the way he cocks his head and sniffs the air.

  Shit. He’s tapped into the dragonite power.

  It’s dark, and my lesser night vision is working to see as he scales the side of the wall with raw power. When my legs press together, I mentally curse myself. This is ridiculous.

  Leah decides to answer, fortunately, distracting me from trying to squint into the darkness and chase the view of the man I should not be coveting.

  “Zee hasn’t been honest about his past with his friends. Chaz is the only one who came.”

  She acts like she wants to say more, but bites back the words.

  “So they’re pissed? They’re too emotional and lack proper logic. Now is a dangerous time to split up like this.”

  “Yet you’re here,” she points out, causing me to clap my lips shut.

  I really hate someone calling me out for my own hypocrisy.

  “Is it for me? Or... Is something up with you and Chaz?”

  She’s perceptive. I forgot about that.

  Chaz disappears over the other side of the rocks, and I blow out a breath.

  “I was taken from my home when I was a child,” I say quietly. “It’s not an experience any child should suffer. It struck a nerve, so here I am.”

  “But how did you know?” Again with her perception.

  “Karma shouldn’t be that upset by Zee. She barely knows him,” I point out, deflecting. I was expecting to run into her with this mission.

  I was hoping to.

  If I got to work with her, I wouldn’t have to worry about her asking probing, personal questions about my past... T
he things I’ve survived... I see the guilt in her face like she failed me when she thinks of what I’ve gone through. If we were working, I could tolerate being around her, because she’d be focused on something other than me.

  Maybe... I don’t know. I keep expecting to have my sister, but until this Master thing is resolved, I’m too scared to get close. We could all die.

  The closer I am to anyone, the more it’s going to hurt when that person doesn’t survive.

  “Karma and Roslyn stood by their men, just like I did. It’s what you do when you love someone,” Leah answers like it’s so obvious. “They’d be here if we needed them. All of them would show up immediately if I called. They’re hurt; not pissed. They still love him. I understand them needing a minute, because that treasured trust is wounded right now.”

  I don’t understand them. Leah is more logical than the rest of them. Mostly because she grew up more detached than a regular person.

  “More should have come. We have no idea what we’re walking into. It’s better to be over-prepared than underprepared,” I say on a sigh, starting to worry about them being out of sight for so long. What’re they doing? Are they in trouble?

  I push the door open, and Chaz’s phone vibrates, halting me from exiting. My eyes flick over to the screen, and I swipe it without caring about his privacy.

  Weirdly, the time stamp shows being a couple of hours old, but the message is just now coming through. At least I can read numbers and times.

  Deciding I don’t care if Leah hears me prying, I click the button that reads the texts aloud to me.

  ALYSSA: If you guys need ANY help, please call. We shouldn’t have let you go alone.

  I notice there are several other unread messages as well, so I continue to listen to all of them, and the phone reads the names off to me as it goes.

  DICE: Fuckers. Don’t die. We’ll come save you if you get in trouble. #hero

  THAD: Shouldn’t have reacted like that. Roslyn and I are on our way out there. Just tell us where to find you. The others need to stay behind for Alyssa. She can’t travel, and she can’t know we’re coming. She feels like shit.

  KANE: Call me. Zee’s not answering, and I have a bad feeling. I don’t know why, but I’ve had it for a few hours now. Don’t go after her until backup arrives.

  DRACKUS: Don’t die. My daughters will be pissed at me.

  That one leaves me puzzled. Drackus... Oh, yeah. Alyssa’s father. And why can’t Alyssa travel?

  FRANKIE: Alyssa just told me the mess. I’m trying to get out there, but it could take several hours.

  ROSLYN: I can’t reach Leah. Please tell her to call me.

  A slight pang of envy hits me. Slade will be furious when I return. No one is texting to check on me. I even look at my phone. There’s only one text. After swiping the button, it reads it aloud.

  SLADE: Where are you?

  I don’t text him back.

  Zee has apparently been lying to all his friends, and yet they’re now feeling guilty for letting him leave. They’re worried about him, Leah, and Chaz.

  “I’m getting all those same messages,” Leah says, frowning. “I think we must have a little signal here, but we didn’t have it when the messages started coming in, apparently.”

  I don’t tell her a lot of these are really old. I’d blame a dark user for interfering with our phones, but we’re not after a witch; we’re after a night stalker.

  Another one comes in just as I put my foot on the ground, and I make the phone read it to me too.

  ELLA: WTF? I just got back and found out all hell has broken loose. Why the actual fuck did you not call me before you left? You need backup. I’m coming, and then I’m kicking your ass for not taking me with you.

  I shuffle in my seat uncomfortably before finally exiting the damn vehicle. I even put Chaz’s phone in my back pocket like I have every right to. I’m not sure why Ella’s text has me bristling. I knew they were close, but that sounded closer than I realized.

  I am not jealous. Not at all. Chaz is a nuclear bomb concealed as a man. You’d have to be a lunatic to see him as anything other than a future threat.

  I should want to be far, far away when he finally blows.

  “I sent a text to Roslyn and let her know where we are,” Leah says as she follows me to the rocks.

  “Maybe they won’t let you down,” I quip, even though the snark is unwarranted. I blame the weird frustration burning inside me.

  I don’t hear anything, even when straining, so I start climbing quickly.

  It’s about thirty feet in the air, which is weirdly placed right in the middle of nowhere. Mother Nature might not have been the one to put all these rocks here.

  Leah stays on my trail, following close behind. As soon as we reach the top, my eyes catch sight of blond hair way down on the other side. When I look down better, my breath catches in my lungs.

  Zee is shirtless, and so is Chaz. My eyes become transfixed on the lines of muscle and ink. His ink is different from mine. Mine are the marks of a slave. His are the marks of free will.

  Why is he shirtless? Why is Zee?

  Chaz’s muscles bunch and flex as he moves aside rocks with silence and calculation. He’s quick and efficient, lifting boulders the size of me. I catch myself before I sag to the ground like an idiot.

  Now is so not the time to be a freaking girl.

  Leah’s lips are quirked in a knowing grin when I snap out of the trance and glare at her.

  “Don’t say it. You’re wrong,” I whisper to her, ignoring the heat on my face as I start silently making my way down the slope to where Chaz and Zee are working together.

  “Of course I’m wrong,” Leah whispers back, but she sounds like she’s mocking me.

  I don’t like feeling ridiculous or silly. I feel both right now.

  I’m here to save a child, possibly get a chance to speak with Ella, and then go back where I belong to prepare for a real war.

  I’m not here to forget I’m a soldier.

  Chaz looks up, and Leah stumbles when she sees the black flames inside his eyes. The black fire almost looks alive instead of like an image.

  My eyes widen, because he’s giving himself away. Instead of acting like he cares, he resumes moving the rocks.

  Zee meets my eyes, his gaze narrowing like he’s waiting for me to say something. He’d probably like to know what the hell those freaky eyes mean.

  Leah is too new to our world to really understand. She’s learning new immortals daily.

  I say nothing, and Zee’s lips tense as he studies me. Chaz finishes what he’s doing just as Leah and I drop down to the ground. His eyes don’t shift from their freaky black fire inside his dark orbs. I keep expecting flames to actually spark to life and blaze from his sockets.

  “Stay silent. There’s a bunker under us,” Chaz whispers, his tone so quiet I barely hear him.

  Leah nods, and I force myself to do the same. I test my powers, feeling the energy coursing through me. My fingertips buzz with red energy, and I take a steadying breath.

  I spent my life being weak. Submissive. Pathetic.

  I love fighting now. I’ll never stop fighting again.

  It feels good to fight back instead of feeling helpless.

  “Stay here,” Zee whispers to Leah, stroking her cheek affectionately.

  “Not a chance,” she hisses.

  His lips thin, but he can’t argue out here where everyone might overhear.

  I’ve never had anyone look at me the way he looks at her.

  People only pay me attention now because Slade speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to the others unless he’s barking orders or making threats. But because he speaks to me, no one else will. They all treat me like I’m diseased or will tattle on them to Slade if they say something they shouldn’t.

  It sucks. Annnnnd now I sound as whiny as Simone—who can’t handle Slade’s constant rejection.

  Zee takes the lead, and Leah follows close behind. I start to step
in, but a heavy hand comes down on my waist and hauls me against a strong body.

  I fight all my instincts to not struggle or lash out. I also fight a different set of instincts not to feel flushed or anything else.

  “Stay close,” Chaz says against my ear, his breath warming my skin.

  When I shudder against him, I feel him smile without seeing it. Damn it.

  He releases me, and I walk in without turning around to see his expression. My night vision isn’t as good as Zee’s, since he’s moving too fast for me to keep up. I lose sight of him and Leah, and I stumble when the tunnel grows too dark for my lesser vision.

  Chaz’s arms immediately come around my waist, grabbing me and hauling me against him again. My breath seizes in my lungs when soft lips graze my ear. His hands slide down my body, taking much too long to release me now that I’m steady.

  His touch lingers over my lower abdomen, and his fingers tease the edges of my jeans.

  After a long moment of me not moving at all, he lets his hands fall away and steps back. I ignore the fact that leaves me feeling disappointed. I also ignore the sensations that shoot through my body when he suddenly grabs my hand and threads our fingers together.

  I want to ask him what the hell he’s doing, but can’t since we’re on silent mode right now.

  But I figure it out without asking the question when he starts moving briskly, keeping me close. Apparently his night vision is in full swing.

  Chapter 6

  ELLA

  “How far from us are you?” Kimber asks as I cut the sharp curve without slowing down.

  “An hour. Maybe two. I’ve been driving full speed.”

  “Okay. We’ll wait for you.”

  “No, go on. Chaz may need you. I can’t believe you let him and Zee go off alone.”

  “Leah is with them. Tensions were high, Ella. They all needed to take a step back and calm down. But you’re right; we shouldn’t have let them go. We’re waiting for you.”

  “Just you and Gage?”

  “Yes. Thad and Roslyn are just behind you. Leah just messaged back. Apparently Kya is also with them.”