by J. D. Tyler
“I’ll bet.” She laughed, as though imagining it. “I want to get a game going sometime, if the others are up for it.”
“Oh, they will be. You’ve never met a more competitive group of people than the ones living here.”
“I’m starting to get that idea. Which way are we going?”
“There are several great trails, but my favorite one starts over there,” he said, pointing to the far end of the cleared land, where the forest began. “I know I said we’d jog, but I wouldn’t mind walking if you want. Easier to talk and enjoy the view.”
“Sure.” She looked around. “I’d hate to miss out. It’s beautiful here.”
“Yes, it is.” The only beautiful sight he noticed was right beside him as they made for the trailhead.
Their footsteps, the wind through the trees, and the calls of various birds were the only sounds for a few minutes. He felt so at ease in her presence, as though his heart had been raw for the past thirty-five years and he hadn’t known it until they’d met, and she’d soothed the ache. Too bad a new one had taken its place, but he wouldn’t think about that right now.
“Tell me about being a cop,” he prompted. “Do you love what you do?”
Her expression lit up. “God, yes. I can’t imagine not being on the force. Every day is different, always a challenge. And then there’s my friends, they’re like my brothers. I guess you can understand that.”
“I can.” The new ache grew to a sharp pain that tore his insides. “What made you decide to follow that career path?”
“That’s an easy one. I grew up in the East Side barrio, in one of the most run-down slums in L.A. My mother was a legal immigrant from Mexico and my father, to use the term loosely, was poor white trash. It was the match from hell, and he took off when I was five and my brother was three. Never saw him again, but at least we were free from his rages.”
“I can understand the relief,” he said, thinking of his stepfather. “Sorry. Go on.”
“In the years before he left, the cops were always at our house. Some weeks, they came every day to break up the fighting, haul his ass to jail if necessary. But they were always so kind to me and Micah, even gave us each a teddy bear once, to hold when we were scared. Eventually, they knew us by name, and even after Dad was long gone, they’d stop by and make sure we were okay. I never forgot that. One of them is still on the force, though he’s almost ready to retire. How do I explain?” She paused. “The people of the barrio are mine to protect. Does that make sense?”
“Perfectly,” he assured her. “You’re paying it forward.”
“I guess so.”
She would never want to leave her home, her people. Not for him. He was doing the right thing. Which made his heart hurt, because he was starting to see what a truly special person she was.
He cleared his throat, which was more sore than it had been earlier. Crap. “Is your mother still living?”
“No. She passed away a couple of years ago from cancer,” Rowan said wistfully. “But she was content. I’d saved enough to help her buy a nice little house several years ago, and she got to enjoy it for a time. When she died, I sold it and stayed in the barrio.”
He frowned. “Why? Wouldn’t you have been safer going to live in your mom’s house?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I’m well-known in the barrio. Living there, where I work, gives me street cred, and if I move out, the gangbangers I try to keep in line would see that as a betrayal. Like I thought I was too good for them. They wouldn’t trust me anymore, and that could be more hazardous to my health than living there in the first place.”
“You’re their cop. That makes sense.” But he hated it. She shouldn’t live in such a dangerous neighborhood.
She eyed him in speculation. “What about you? What happened to your family?”
“What makes you think anything happened to them?” The question put him on edge.
“You told me that your mother had died, remember? After you left for the Navy.”
“Oh. Right.” He’d forgotten about that.
“It’s sad that you weren’t able to be with her when she passed away. Was it sudden?”
He took a deep breath. “She slipped and hit her head in the bathtub. It was ruled an accident.”
“You say that like you don’t believe it.”
“Part of me thought my stepfather was responsible, but I couldn’t prove it.”
“Where is he now?”
“Don’t know. In hell, if the world is lucky.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“You’re starting to sound like a cop.”
“Is it such a hard question?”
“Damn it, Rowan, I—”
Whatever he’d been about to say was forgotten as a large shadow suddenly blocked the sun coming through the trees overhead, and there was a sharp flapping sound. Like someone snapping a heavy canvas. He’d heard that before—
“Get down!” he shouted, shoving her to the ground. They sprawled in the undergrowth by the side of the trail, Aric on top of her, as two sets of claws scored his back. “Ahh, fuck!”
He rolled to the side, had just enough time to see the look of sheer horror on Rowan’s face as she turned her head to witness the creature that was circling around for another attack. Coming in fast.
Placing his body between his mate and the ghoul bearing down on them, Aric let his wolf free. The change flowed over him, limbs reshaping, feet and hands to paws, his nose becoming a muzzle full of teeth, bared to protect what was his.
But not fucking fast enough.
Before he could work free of his clothes, the bastard hit him full force and they went sliding, tumbling together over the rough ground in a tangle of fur and leathery wings. Dirt and brush flying.
Rowan’s scream rang in his ears as the creature’s gaping jaws opened wide, showing yellowed, knifelike teeth dripping with saliva.
And those jaws clamped onto his side, teeth sinking deep.
Nine
Rowan stared in terror as the giant batlike creature dropped from the sky, just like the ones they’d battled at the old church in Colorado. It was a hideous thing with a wide face and a pushed-in snout, leathery wings snapping as it dove for Aric.
How the huge creature moved so fast was almost incomprehensible. She had a mere two heartbeats to see that Aric was shifting into his wolf for the fight. That the change wasn’t going to happen in time for him to get free of his clothes, and she needed to help him.
Then the bastard hit Aric like a cannonball, and the pair exploded, tumbling over the earth. The wolf ended up under the beast, paws scrabbling for purchase, turning his head to snap at his enemy. But the thing was holding him down, ripping away his shirt and pants, opening its gaping mouth to reveal teeth like sabers.
She screamed as the creature sank its teeth into the red wolf’s side. The wolf’s agonized cry split the air, the beast shaking him like a rag doll. Then he twisted his body in the creature’s hold and clamped his jaws around one of the thing’s smaller front legs. Held on.
He even shifted to human form, sent a blast of fire into the beast’s face, but it wouldn’t let go. Aric couldn’t hold his human form, and from his grimace she guessed it was because of the pain. It slammed the wolf hard into the ground. And again. She realized it was trying to kill Aric—and it would succeed if she didn’t do something fast.
That got her moving. She cast about, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Her eyes fell on a large tree limb a short distance away, and she half crawled, half stumbled toward it. The limb was about four feet long and weighed a little too much for her to handle easily, but she had no choice.
Hefting the limb with the jagged, broken end facing forward, she held it like a javelin and ran, resisting the urge to yell. She didn’t want to alert the creature to her attack before she could strike. But it was completely focused on annihilating its prey, giving her a slight advantage. Using all her strength, she rammed the sharp end of
the limb into its back, right between the wings.
The creature straightened and threw its head back, the throaty roar shaking the treetops. Her tactic worked; it released the wolf, which fell to the ground, panting, blood pouring from his side. But then the beast yanked the limb from its back and hurled it away. Turned and pinned her with hate-filled eyes.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. The blood drained from her face.
It had to stand seven and a half feet tall on its hind legs, and looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Not just its physical appearance, but the eerie intelligence in those eyes. This wasn’t some mindless beast. It was here to kill—and it would enjoy the bloodshed. Human or not, there was no mistaking that look.
It stalked forward and she began to back up. But there was nowhere to go. She would never be able to outrun the bastard, and even if she could, she’d never escape when it took to the air.
I don’t want to die. Not like this!
The creature lowered itself to all fours, and started to gallop straight for her. A scream stuck in her throat, and she froze to the spot. Waited to be torn apart.
But a red blur raced in from the side and launched itself through the air. The red wolf barreled into the creature, knocking it off balance and sending them both to the earth. On top this time, Aric had the advantage as he got behind the short, grasping arms and their sharp claws and went for the beast’s neck. But just briefly. The creature rolled, switching their positions again, trying to dislodge the wolf, to crush him into the ground.
The wolf was tough, but unless the tide turned, the beast would kill him.
Rowan ran for the discarded tree limb and was about to use it on the creature again when help arrived. A black panther and several wolves burst from the trees and raced across the ground to where Aric struggled. The panther leapt, teeth bared, claws extended, striking the beast square in the chest and knocking it over backward.
Strong cat jaws ripped at the creature’s throat as Aric’s teammates converged, tearing into every available spot. Sensing its doom, the beast fought harder, but to no avail. Its struggles slowed, and in minutes, stopped altogether. The red wolf and the panther held on the longest, clearly reluctant to let go until they were absolutely certain their enemy was dead.
A gorgeous white wolf shimmered, became Nick. “Aric! Kalen! It’s over. The damned thing is dead.”
The panther released its prey and took a few steps back. As it morphed into Kalen, the young man turned his head, and still crouching, spat into the grass. “Goddamn, that fucker tastes like a pile of shit. What the hell are those things, anyway? That’s the second one that’s showed up around here in the past few weeks, except the one that attacked me and Mac was close to town.”
“Wish we knew,” Jax said, having shifted, too. “Better yet, who commands them and how did this one know where to find us?”
“Maybe this one being way out here is a coincidence?” Ryon suggested.
“I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Everyone looked at Aric, who’d spoken last. He was lying on his good side, one hand over the deep puncture wounds spread across his ribs. Nick loped over, followed by Rowan and the others.
“Christ, can’t you stay out of trouble?” Nick said gruffly.
“Doesn’t look like it.” Sweat rolled down his temples, into his auburn hair.
Zan knelt beside him, studied the wounds. “I can heal this.”
“No, don’t drain yourself. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.” His eyes were becoming glazed, unfocused.
“Shut up and be still.”
Whether Aric stopped protesting because he was told to or because he didn’t have the strength any longer, Rowan didn’t know. She suspected the latter, as prickly as he could be. If Aric wasn’t arguing, that was a testament to how badly he’d been hurt.
Zan placed his palms over the oozing punctures and closed his eyes. A green glow began to pulse around his hands, increasing in brightness until it was white and almost blinding. This was like his healing Ryon at the church, but on a much grander scale. This was life and death, and every second counted.
Gradually, the light faded. Zan slumped backward and Nick caught him, eased him to the ground. The flesh on Aric’s side was bloodied, but appeared totally intact. The redhead sat up with Jax’s help and someone else tossed his shredded shirt and sweats into his lap. Moving carefully, he discarded the shirt as useless, stood and pulled on his sweats. They weren’t in much better shape, but he’d be covered until they returned to the compound.
Aric looked at Nick. “How did you know we were in trouble? Did you get a vision?”
“No.”
“Well, the bastard came in from the air, so I’m guessing he didn’t sound the perimeter alarm.”
“After you were kidnapped, Kalen used a spell to place some powerful wards over our property for a twenty-mile radius. Anything supernatural or human that breaches the wards and doesn’t belong here is supposed to alert him, and it worked. He yelled for us and we came as fast as we could.”
“Wow,” Aric said, obviously impressed. “That’s some strong mojo you’ve got. Saved our butts, too. Thanks, man.”
Kalen waved off the praise. “Just glad it paid off.” He nudged the dead creature with one toe. “This one was alone, like the one a couple of weeks ago. Gotta wonder why.”
“Maybe he was a scout?” Ryon suggested.
Nick cursed. “I’m getting nothing on this guy, no vibes at all. If that’s the case and he was looking for something or someone in particular, we need to dispose of all traces of the body.” He shot Kalen a meaningful look, and Kalen’s expression grew bleak. She wondered what the silent exchange was about.
“Whatever he was doing, that’s not a bad idea,” Rowan put in, staring at the awful thing. “He gives me the creeps.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Kalen said. “But first…”
Waving a hand at his team, he spoke a couple of quiet words that, again, sounded like Latin. Instantly, the men were clothed. That’s when Rowan realized Kalen was the only one who was clothed when he shifted back to human form. Handy.
“Having a Sorcerer on your side must be nice,” she muttered. “Are you sure you don’t want a job with the LAPD? I can put in a good word.”
“He’s taken,” Nick quipped.
Grinning, Kalen turned toward the carcass, but before he had a chance to dispose of it, a voice called out from above.
“Wait!”
Shielding her eyes, Rowan looked toward the sky to see Sariel approaching. Gliding down, he landed on his feet with a graceful stretch of his azure wings, his golden eyes riveted to the creature’s body. Approaching slowly, he stopped a short distance from it and crouched, studying it, his expression grim.
“Gods,” he whispered. “This can’t be.”
Those four words went through the group like a bolt of lightning. The tension level shot through the roof as the guys glanced at one another.
“Sariel,” Aric said, “if you know what this thing is, enlighten us.”
Resting his elbows on his jean-clad knees, the Fae prince addressed the group at large. “First, tell me if this is what attacked your team months ago.”
“Fuck yeah,” Zan replied hoarsely. “There were a dozen of them or more, and the bastards cut through us like a hot knife through butter.”
Micah and Aric—along with Zan and Jax—had almost died in that attack. Rowan shivered.
“One came after me and Mac two weeks ago when we were in town,” Kalen added. “And there were lots of them at the church in Colorado, too.”
Sariel shook his head, sapphire hair falling into haunted eyes. “More than a dozen? Even one shouldn’t be possible, not in this world. These creatures are the Sluagh, and this is what happens when a member of the Seelie court turns to evil. They’re cast out and land in the Fae Underworld, where their former beauty is twisted into this,” he said sadly, gesturing to the deceased Sluagh.
&nb
sp; Aric, incredulous, found his voice. “So, if you were to go over to the dark side, you’d become like that thing?”
“Yes. Well, partly.” He sighed, but didn’t explain what he meant by “partly.” “Once the Sluagh are completely transformed, they are little more than drones who exist to cause mayhem. This makes them very popular for members of the born Unseelie court to use as sentinels, or watchdogs, to send out and do their terrible bidding. Spying, kidnapping the Seelie, murder—the list is endless. Once they’re set on a mission, the Sluagh are relentless until the task is accomplished.”
“Or they die trying,” Nick said.
“Eagerly. They’re single-minded, not stupid, and they know no fear, which makes them the perfect tool.”
“You said they shouldn’t be in this world, and yet they seem to be all over the place,” Nick observed. “Explain.”
Sariel pushed to his feet and stepped away from the body. “The barrier, or the ‘hedge’ as we call it, between the Fae realm and yours is inaccessible to the Sluagh. Or has been, until recent months, it would seem. Their presence here means that they were assisted through the barrier, and there’s only one being powerful enough to accomplish that feat.”
“And that would be?” Hammer asked.
“Malik, king of the Unseelie.” Sariel gave a bitter laugh. “My sire.”
“Nick, my God,” Kalen breathed.
There—that weird vibe passed between the two men again. This time a couple of the guys noticed, but before anyone could ask about what had Kalen so upset, Sariel continued.
The Fae prince hung his head, speaking quietly. “Their being in your world means so much, I wish I’d realized sooner that these were the creatures you’d all spoken of. They are the thread that ties everything together.”
“Hang on,” Aric said. “We have one of these in the basement, in Block T. You haven’t seen it?”
“No. I knew of a creature being held, but I wasn’t allowed down there. If I had seen it, I would’ve been able to relate this information to you all sooner.” Sariel paused. “It’s no longer there. I was told it perished while you were gone.”