by Kelly Goode
‘No, we don’t.’
‘Yes, we do,’ he replied, materialising from his smoke cloud directly in front of me and blocking my exit.
I lifted my hands, feeling heat flare up and down my arms.
‘How about we talk about the reason for your incarceration instead,’ I said, and Harvey’s eyes darkened. ‘Couldn’t stay out of trouble? Or just didn’t want to?’
‘What’s it matter to you?’
I gritted my teeth, and resisted the temptation to roll my eyes. Didn’t he realise everything about him mattered to me?
‘Did you kill someone?’ I asked.
‘No one that will be missed or even mourned for.’
‘And that makes it ok?’
Harvey nodded as he reached for me. ‘Yeah, it does and you know it. Save your angelic act for someone like Carter. You don’t get to bullshit me, Red. I know you. I know every part of you, and you’re as capable of taking a life as I am. You’ve killed to survive, and you’d do it again, wouldn’t you?’
I didn’t need to reply. Harvey had witnessed what I’d done to Gerrard in order to get out of this place. I might not have killed the psychopathic half-ogre but I’d set him on fire with the intention of leaving him to die.
‘We’re survivors, you and I,’ Harvey continued.
His arms settled around my waist and I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes. This man, this demon who claimed not to care about anyone, was too close - both physically and emotionally – he recognised the darkness that lurked inside me, and it excited him.
‘I never claimed to be an angel,’ I said.
Harvey’s eyes turned blue a split-second before he pressed his lips to mine. I didn’t want to respond, but he pushed his tongue inside my mouth giving me no choice.
The velvety movement of his tongue against mine forced a groan of need from somewhere deep inside of me. We kissed for what felt like hours, taking the time to reconnect and remember how good our bodies felt pressed against each other. His hands cupped my arse, pulling me tighter still.
‘Fuck, Ember. I’ve been dreaming about this for weeks. You are so fucking amazing.’
Harvey’s words, whispered against my mouth, brought a cold realisation to the fore and I pulled away from his embrace.
‘And that’s the problem, Harvey’ I said. ‘You always say one thing, but do another.’
His brow furrowed, but I didn’t give him a chance to reply. I pressed my hand against the panel beside the door and strode out of the room.
27
I sat in the briefing room, trying to concentrate on what Agent Myles was saying, but couldn’t focus on a damn word. It didn’t help that JC and Harvey were sitting opposite me, whispering behind their hands like naughty schoolboys. Harvey caught me staring at him, and I averted my gaze. I hoped he hadn’t told anyone about our kiss. I was stupid for thinking things might change between us. He was a demon. He’d told me there was no happy ever after with him, and I needed to start believing it.
‘Ember, you’ll be meeting with your old coven tonight,’ Agent Myles said, and my stomach knotted at the thought of seeing the people that I’d betrayed.
‘Ok, right, yeah, sure, great.’
‘It’s ok. You don’t have to go alone.’
Agent Myles correctly interpreted the anxiety in my voice, and I looked over at Carter expectantly.
‘I’ll go with her,’ he offered, but Agent Myles shook his head.
‘No. You’re not authorised to leave the unit. Ember can take Perry or Ghent with her.’
I contemplated the two large men standing by the door. They both unnerved me in different ways. Perry, because he was a shapeshifter with a temper and still hadn’t uttered a word in the two days since he’d been let out of isolation, and Ghent because I didn’t like the way he looked at me.
‘Can Harvey come with me?’ I asked.
Harvey appeared just as surprised by my request as I was, but he didn’t hesitate to consent. Maybe he thought I wanted to kiss him again.
‘Sure I can,’ he said. ‘It’s not a problem.’
I smiled in thanks. Even after what happened between us, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, not physically at least, unlike Perry or Ghent who I didn’t know a thing about.
Myles shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Ember. Harvey’s presence is required elsewhere tonight.’
‘Fine, I’ll take Perry with me,’ I said, thinking I could subdue the shapeshifter easily enough if he tried to attack me again.
Agent Myles nodded at the sullen man, who raised his chin in acknowledgement.
‘Perry will get the car ready while you change,’ Myles said. ‘We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning to examine any progress made. Dismissed.’
As the room emptied, I headed for Carter.
‘It’s bullshit that he won’t let you come with me,’ I said.
‘An order is an order, Ember,’ Carter replied, looking anywhere but in my eyes. ‘I may not have control of the active assignment, but I still have to fall in line.’
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, his sudden standoffish attitude not lost on me.
‘Nothing,’ he said.
‘That’s bullshit too.’
This time Carter did meet my eyes, and I didn’t like the anger I could see in them.
‘Why did you ask Harvey to go with you?’ he asked. ‘I thought you hated him. Did something happen when he teleported you away earlier?’
I opened my mouth to reply, but then shut it again. I was angry with Harvey, but I didn’t hate him. I couldn’t admit that though, as Carter would only misinterpret my answer, and I didn’t want him to know about my moment of weakness.
‘Of course nothing happened earlier. I just trust Harvey more than I trust the other two.’
‘Ghent and Perry have been vetted as suitable candidates for early release from the S.P.T.F. detainment unit. They know what’s at stake if they fuck up. They won’t hurt you.’
‘That didn’t seem to matter last time I was here,’ I mumbled, ‘or are you forgetting about Gerrard?’
Carter’s eyes widened and I felt like such a bitch as I remembered he’d been the one that eventually shot the half-ogre after I’d set him alight. Something a man like him, wouldn’t have taken lightly.
‘I could never forget what Gerrard tried to do to you,’ he said. ‘Perry might have trouble controlling his animalistic nature but neither he nor Ghent was arrested for murder. In fact, their crimes combined are less severe than the demon you put so much faith in. Don’t forget that.’
‘Yes, sir.’
I mock-saluted him, but he didn’t find it very funny.
‘I left an outfit in your old room for you to change into,’ Carter said.
‘Did you choose it for me?’
‘No.’
‘Shall I come back and see you once I’ve finished the assignment?’
‘No, there’s something else I have to do tonight. You should go and get ready. Perry will meet you in the underground carpark. I’ll see you in the morning.’
Carter jammed his hands inside his pockets as he left the briefing room, leaving me confused, and a little hurt by his blatant dismissal.
28
‘What are you doing here? I chose Perry,’ I said, as I entered the underground parking garage to find Ghent leaning against the wall. His arms were folded across his chest, stretching the material of his black suit jacket over his muscular arms.
‘Don’t be like that, Ember. Otherwise I’m going to start thinking you don’t like me,’ he said, pushing off the wall and heading towards me.
I automatically took a step backwards, before I caught myself and stood my ground.
‘I don’t like anyone that would shoot me on command without even blinking,’ I said.
‘Oh, I’d definitely blink,’ Ghent said, looking me up and down. ‘Especially if you were wearing that dress.’
I looked down at the strapless green dress that I’d found waiting for me in my o
ld room. It wasn’t something I’d have chosen, as I preferred to wear skinny jeans when I went out, but there hadn’t been another option. I’d left my long, red hair loose around my shoulders, and added a swipe of red lipstick to my lips.
‘This isn’t mine,’ I said.
‘I know. Agent Myles picked it out for you.’
I shuddered. ‘You shouldn’t have told me that. I feel icky now. Like a dress-up doll.’
Ghent smiled as he pressed the key fob in his hand, causing a gleaming, navy car to beep and light up.
‘You look pretty damn good to me,’ he said.
‘But you’d still shoot me if Agent Myles told you to?’ I challenged, putting my hands on my hips.
Ghent opened the passenger door and gestured me inside.
‘I’d do whatever that man told me, if it meant I was free afterwards, but the mere fact that I’d hesitate should say something.’
I got into the car and fastened my seat belt.
‘It says plenty,’ I said, looking up at the burly man as he leaned on the car doorframe. ‘Like I shouldn’t trust you.’
Ghent slammed the door shut and I heard him chuckling to himself. As he got into the driver’s side, I felt the anxiety in my stomach expand. He looked across at me as he slid the key into the ignition, and started the engine.
‘Don’t worry. You’re safe with me, Ember.’
‘Am I?’
Ghent inclined his head as if contemplating my question.
‘Put it this way. You’re safer with me than with Perry,’ he replied. ‘That’s why I insisted he swap with me. Perry is a werewolf. He has some dumb alpha-male issues and doesn’t play well with women.’
‘And you do?’
‘I love women. I even married four of them.’
I laughed at the thought of him pursuing one wife, let alone four. He smiled as he eased the car out of the underground car park and into the evening traffic. A silence descended between us, but it was the comfortable kind, so I didn’t mind.
Ghent took a scenic route out of Soho, which took us through Covent Garden and past the Royal Opera House. We drove along Victoria Embankment, following the River Thames, and its many boats. Many of them were large warships now moored on the embankment for tourists to explore.
As we drove further east out of London, I realised where we were going.
‘Are you taking me to Wild Side?’ I asked, and Agent Myles’s choice of outfit for me suddenly made sense.
Ghent nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ve never been before, but I’ve heard plenty of stories. Some of them came from your file.’
‘You’ve read my file? Is there anyone in this damn unit that hasn’t?’
‘Hey, I’m not here to judge. As far as I’m concerned, you served your time. I don’t know if you’re a reformed character, but I trust you’d do the right thing, if it ever came down to it.’
‘The coven won’t be at Wild Side,’ I said. ‘Not after what happened with the bombings and stuff.’
Ghent slowed the car as we drove past the line of people already queuing for the club. I swallowed deeply, my throat feeling dry and tickly as I saw the neon glow of Wild Side’s entrance booths.
‘Agent Myles already had me check whether the coven still used the club as a recruitment spot and they do,’ he said, as he eased the car into a parking space on a side street.
Ghent switched off the engine.
‘I told them I wanted to join and they agreed to meet us tonight.’
‘Us?’
‘I’m only an illusionist. Low-grade magic. They won’t want me in their coven once they meet me.’
I took a deep breath.
‘Ok, but don’t give me any shit about not drinking on assignment.’
‘Your wish is my command,’ he replied, conjuring a bottle of champagne, which then faded and disappeared.
‘How do you do that?’
‘I replicate things.’
‘But they disappear?’
‘Yeah,’ he said, rubbing his chin. ‘I know it’s not a kick-ass supernatural power like controlling fire, but we can’t all be as talented as you, or as beautiful.’
‘Why were you in the detainment unit?’
‘Fraud,’ he said with a grin. ‘Now show me your infamous Wild Side, Ember Lane.’
29
Carter hated desk duty, but tonight even more so, when he knew the rest of the team were out there in the field, risking their lives to close the case. He took a sip of coffee and frowned. It was lukewarm and so bitter that he clenched his teeth. He set the mug aside and picked up his pen, thinking he might stop worrying about Ember if he brainstormed what he knew so far the case.
Carter started by jotting down the main motivations for murder. Passion, hate and fear were strong enough emotions to kill someone, but who gained from the witches’ death? And why in such an elaborate way? Did the bridal gowns signify something?
Carter drew a circle in the middle of a piece of paper and wrote Colleen’s name in the middle. She was the most recent victim so he would concentrate on her. He then added lines to the circle so it looked like a fat spider with stumpy legs.
Carter smiled as he loosened his tie. He was sure that any modern S.P.T.F. officer would laugh at his primitive methods but good old-fashioned brainstorming was therapeutic.
He added his suspects to the spider legs. The first person he wrote down was Mr X who represented someone close to the coven. Someone who’d grown obsessive with the three witches. Maybe Colleen had spurned him. Laughed at him? Made him feel worthless? The corpse-bride angle could be revenge, to signify what he’d taken away from them, or they could just be trophies for him. Dress-up dolls.
Next, he added Mrs X. This wasn’t a strong theory, as he didn’t think a woman had enough strength to pull off such a vicious strangulation, but you could never rule it out. Jealous women were mean and resourceful. Collen had been rich and beautiful. Had one of her fellow witches summoned a demon to take out her rival because she’d become so consumed with hate and envy?
A more likely theory was money or power. JC had heard whispers that Darrick was involved so Carter wrote the nightclub owners name on one of the spider legs. As a vampire, Darrick was certainly vicious enough to kill the witches himself. Colleen had visited the club many times before she died. Had Mary and Katrina? Did Darrick want the girls’ powers for himself? It was possible.
Finally, he added a second Mr X, but then crossed it out and wrote DADDY. This represented the man who fathered Colleen’s child. Maybe he was married and an illegitimate child would have meant the end to his idyllic life so he’d set about an elaborate ruse to hide Colleen’s death amongst the others? Murder to conceal a secret was not an uncommon motive.
Carter circled “Daddy” in red pen, liking that theory most. He sat back in his chair and stretched out the crick on his neck. He took another gulp of his coffee and instantly spat it back out, having forgotten it was cold. He closed his eyes, but it was uncomfortable, like shooting pins and needles behind his eyelids. He was having trouble sleeping. It was always the same in the middle of an investigation.
Carter decided to hit the gym. He desperately needed to work off the tension balled inside his stomach, and at least this way, he’d escape the damn desk for an hour.
30
‘One human. One supernatural.’
Ghent held out his cash to the woman behind the payment booth, who looked us up and down expectantly. When neither one of us said anything else, she rolled her eyes.
‘Well, come on then,’ she barked. ‘Which one of ya is the super?’
‘I am,’ I said, stepping forward, wondering if Ghent knew how dangerous it was to claim he was human here.
The woman snatched Ghent’s money and pressed a button on her computer.
‘You been here before?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘But not for a while.’
‘You know the rules.’
‘I do.’
The woma
n gave Ghent another once over.
‘He doesn’t look like he’s been here before,’ she said.
I smiled. ‘No, he hasn’t.’
‘Look after him once you get inside. They always sniff out the newbies.’
Ghent opened his mouth to speak, probably to tell the woman he could look after himself, but before he could say anything, she turned away and grabbed a metal cuff from a pile on the side.
‘Hold out your wrist,’ she said, and Ghent started rolling up his suit jacket. I put my hand on his arm to stop him, or else we were both going to get in trouble for deception.
‘She’s talking to me,’ I said, and two red spots appeared on his cheeks, which were endearing considering his mammoth size.
‘Ah, I see,’ he mumbled, pushing his hand over his shaved head in frustration.
I slid my arm through a slot in the payment booth window, and the woman snapped a metal bracelet around my wrist. I flinched as the clasp nipped my skin, just as the handcuffs had done at the detainment unit.
‘Stay out of trouble,’ she said, as I pulled my arm back through the slot and massaged my wrist.
‘We will,’ Ghent said, placing a hand in the small of my back and directing me towards Wild Side’s main entrance.
Once inside, we queued for a security check. The guard swept us both for weapons, before allowing us inside. It was a risky move for Ghent to try to pass himself as human, but he’d successfully fooled security so I breathed a sigh of relief. An illusionist obviously wasn’t defined as a supernatural creature, which was good enough for me, as the cuff on my arm rendered me as useless as a chocolate teapot if any trouble broke out.
‘We’re meeting the witches on the middle level,’ Ghent said, as we walked into the main club together. He had to lean down to shout in my ear, as the music was so loud.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to look around down here first?’ I teased, noting a few women already eyeing up his brawny physique. ‘We could dance.’
‘I don’t dance. Not even for beautiful red-headed women in sexy dresses.’