Second Alliance_Ember Lane

by Kelly Goode

  I checked for Harvey out on the street, but his car wasn’t there either.

  ‘Damn it,’ I said, realising that he really had gone and left me to make my own way back to Soho.

  The sound of footsteps approaching from behind caught my attention, and then someone grabbed my shoulder. My first reaction was to attack so I ducked low and spun around, lashing out at my assailant’s side with a flaming fist.

  ‘Ow, Ember, shit, it’s me.’

  I pulled back.

  ‘You scared the hell out of me, Carter,’ I said, thankful that his leather jacket had protected him from my fiery assault. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I wanted to check you were ok.’

  ‘I’m ok, are you?’

  Carter checked his jacket and nodded.

  ‘Good job I didn’t scrimp on the quality,’ he said. ‘Genuine leather is hard to burn. How did it go in there?’

  ‘Put it this way, I was hoping for more. Ava knew all three victims, but didn’t have much to say apart from Colleen allegedly falling in love with someone connected to the coven. I just wish I knew how three proficient witches were subdued so easily by a demon.’

  ‘I doubt even an ancient witch could hold back a powerful demon on a mission,’ Carter said, and I noted the way his eyes narrowed and the scars on his eyebrow puckered.

  ‘Talking of demons,’ I replied. ‘Where’s Harvey? He was supposed to be waiting for me.’

  ‘I sent him to meet up with the others. Perry tracked the demon through The Olympic Park to the Aquatics Centre.’

  ‘So what are we waiting for? They might need our help.’

  Carter held me back.

  ‘No. This is not part of your assignment. You’ll only be a…distraction.’

  ‘A distraction,’ I repeated. ‘What the hell does that mean?’

  ‘The demon is looking for a witch to murder and a dress as a bride. I’m sure as hell not going to serve you up on a platter to him. Let those guys do the jobs they were sprung from the detainment unit to do.’

  ‘And what am I supposed to do?’ I asked. ‘Wait at HQ, twiddling my thumbs like a good little girl. I can’t do that and you know it.’

  ‘You could have dinner with me.’

  The tone of his reply threw me off-guard, and I frowned.

  ‘Was that an order or a request?’

  Carter swallowed deeply and I watched his throat work as he studied me.

  ‘I’m not your handler anymore,’ he finally said. ‘You don’t report to me. It was a question, not a command. Let me try it again. Ember Lane would you like to have dinner with me?’

  ‘I’m not exactly dressed to go out,’ I replied, looking down at my jeans and trainers.

  ‘You look beautiful.’

  Carter’s blue eyes took in every inch of me, and I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks.

  ‘Well at least I’m not in a blue prison jumpsuit I suppose,’ I joked, which made him smile. ‘Are you asking me out on a date?’

  ‘Do you want me to ask you out on a date?’

  ‘I seem to remember having this conversation with you before,’ I replied.

  ‘You’ve done everything Agent Myles asked of you. You deserve a night off.’

  ‘And you’re sure the team don’t need us?’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  I felt the desire to chase the demon across town slowly starting to leave. I did deserve a night off. I didn’t need to earn my freedom like last time. JC, Ghent, Perry, and Harvey could apprehend the demon without me.

  ‘How did you convince Agent Myles to let you leave the unit?’ I asked.

  ‘I didn’t.’

  Carter’s admission surprised me.

  ‘You snuck out of HQ?’ I asked and he nodded. ‘Naughty, naughty. I think I’m a bad influence on you, Agent Liam Carter.’

  ‘You have no idea,’ he said, his eyes darkening over for a second. ‘Have dinner with me, Ember. Make the rule break worth the risk.’

  ‘Ok,’ I said. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’

  49

  Demons come in all shapes and sizes. All colours and genders. Most of them decide to live on earth because it’s a hell of a lot easier than residing in the underworld. The human dimension offers endless indulgences and enough debauchery to keep most demons on an even kilter.

  However, there were other demons, like Harvey, that tipped the scales the wrong way. His inner-demon craved violence and the more Harvey denied his nature, the severer the torment became. That was why he hunted other supernatural creatures as a release. Creatures that deserved to die for their crimes. Just like the demon that thought killing young witches was a good way to satisfy his urges.

  Harvey remained cocooned inside his smoke cloud as he drifted above JC and Ghent. Perry was in his wolf form, following his nose, directing them through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London.

  The sun had set which meant playgrounds and cafés were deserted, and any humans they did pass wouldn’t necessarily recognise the dangerous energy surrounding the two men walking their abnormally large dog.

  ‘This place is over five hundred acres,’ Ghent said. ‘There are waterways, hedgerow and woods. He could be hiding anywhere.’

  Perry gave a growl.

  ‘He’s not hiding,’ Harvey said, leaving his cloud and reforming beside JC.

  ‘You see him?’

  Although outwardly calm, Harvey knew his friend was as excited about this hunt as he was. JC had his own agenda – his own needs - he always did.

  ‘He’s up ahead,’ Harvey confirmed.

  ‘I can’t see shit,’ Ghent grumbled. ‘It’s too fucking dark.’

  ‘The demon is transpicuous.’

  ‘Transpicuous?’

  ‘Transparent. See-through. Opaque.’

  ‘Ok, I get it,’ Ghent said. ‘Why didn’t you just say invisible? And how come you can see him?’

  ‘I’m attuned to other demons’ energy patterns. I can’t see him, as such. More like the holes he’s leaving behind each time he travels through the dimensions.’

  ‘So how are we going to catch the fucker?’

  ‘It’s not going to be easy.’

  Perry gave another growl before bolting in the direction of the trees.

  ‘Follow him,’ JC ordered. ‘Ghent and I will split up and attack from either side.’

  Harvey nodded and teleported beyond the thickest cluster of trees. Once he’d reappeared, he found Perry lashing out at thin air, or at least that was what it looked like. Perry’s claws swept through the air in a series of downward arcs and his jaws snapped open and shut with such force that Harvey could hear his teeth connecting with each bite.

  The demon was within touching distance – Harvey could feel it. Perry, as a werewolf, could sense the creature but couldn’t catch it. Harvey closed his eyes and exhaled. Shutting out the noise around him, he listened for the sound the demon made as it teleported. It was as familiar to him as breathing.

  ‘Got ya,’ Harvey said, as his arm whipped out like a chameleon’s tongue and his hand fastened around a thick neck.

  Harvey opened his eyes to find the demon struggling against his confinement. He slashed at Harvey’s hand with his claws, trying to find a way out, but Harvey held tight. The demon was no longer transparent, but pure white – and naked.

  ‘Let me go,’ the demon wheezed, but Harvey squeezed tighter, shutting his windpipe so he couldn’t breathe.

  JC and Ghent came crashing through the trees on the left and the right of Harvey, and then skidded to a halt. The demon was losing consciousness so Harvey loosened his grip slightly, allowing him to draw in a shallow breath.

  ‘Are they all that ugly?’ Ghent asked, and Harvey raised his eyebrow in reply. ‘Present company excluded, of course.’

  The demon had thick, muscular limbs, and a compact torso. His large, black eyes took up most of his melon-shaped face and he only had two small holes for a nose. His mouth cut a cruel, straight
line above his pointed chin.

  Perry’s warning growl cut through the night air. The wolf wasn’t finished, and now that he could see his prey, he continued to growl and snarl at the demon. His ears stood erect and the hairs on his back bristled in the breeze. He pulled his lips back, exposing thick, white incisors as he crouched on his hind legs, ready to pounce.

  ‘Watch out.’

  JC’s warning came too late. Perry sprang forward, knocking Harvey to the ground, causing him to lose his grip on the demon who teleported away.

  ‘Fuck, no,’ Harvey cursed, as he kicked the wolf in the stomach and rolled away. ‘JC do something.’

  JC pulled a small metal ball out of his pocket.

  ‘This emits a sonic pulse that should knock him out, but it’ll affect you too, mate.’

  ‘Use it,’ Harvey said, preparing himself for the pain.

  JC threw the metal ball to the ground and it broke into two pieces. A high frequency blast erupted, causing Harvey to grip his head. His ears popped and his eyes throbbed, but he gritted his teeth and counted to ten, trying to keep the nausea at bay. The noise affected Perry too and the wolf rolled onto his back and howled in distress.

  Harvey saw the air ripple in front of him, as the demon reappeared for a second, gripping his head too. He was there and then gone. There and then gone. Flickering like a street lamp with a faulty bulb.

  ‘It worked,’ Harvey panted. ‘He can’t teleport, but you need to detain him before he recovers.’

  ‘I have the restraints right here,’ Ghent said, stepping forward, but as he did, the demon disappeared.

  ‘Fucking hell,’ JC cursed. ‘He’s gone again.’

  ‘No,’ Harvey replied. ‘He’s still here. He’s just invisible. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be able to find him again.’

  Ghent shook his head and handed the specialised handcuffs to JC, which would keep the demon in his visible form.

  ‘We don’t have time to wait for you Harvey,’ he said. ‘I’m going to give him a reason to reappear. JC, you put those damn restraints on him and then we all get the hell back to HQ.’

  ‘It would have to be a bloody good reason,’ Harvey said. ‘He’s not stupid. He knows we’re still here, waiting for him.’

  ‘Luckily, I know what this particular demon wants more than anything else. What all you demons seem to want.’

  Ghent opened his palm and then flicked his wrist. There was a flash of green light and Ember appeared beside him wearing the same sexy strapless green dress she’d worn at Wild Side. Her brow furrowed as she looked around in confusion. Harvey’s stomach constricted as Ghent’s hand curled around her bicep, holding her in place like bait on a hook.

  ‘Ghent, you fucking idiot, get Ember out of here - now.’

  Harvey didn’t get a chance to say anything else, as the demon materialised in front of Ember. He reached for her, but Ghent pulled her backwards.

  ‘If he so much as touches her, Ghent,’ Harvey shouted. ‘I’ll fucking kill you before I kill him.’

  ‘He’s not going to get anywhere near her. Trust me.’

  The demon disappeared and reappeared closer to Ember. Harvey pulled himself to his feet, fighting the pain. He tried to teleport but couldn’t, and had to pursue on foot. Each step felt like a punch to his head, but he kept on going.

  ‘Harvey, stay back. Whatever you do, don’t touch Ember or we’re screwed,’ Ghent warned, but Harvey wasn’t listening. His only concern was getting Ember out of danger. He made a grab for the arm that Ghent wasn’t holding, but his hand went right through her.

  ‘What the fuck?’

  Ember faded, leaving Harvey and the demon standing side-by-side. They both seemed confused by Ghent’s illusion. JC flicked the handcuffs, but he wasn’t quick enough, and the demon disappeared.

  50

  Carter held the door open and Ember smiled at him in thanks. He didn’t know this part of London very well, so had chosen the first place he’d seen. It wasn’t until he walked in that he realised it was a vegan restaurant. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but he was very much a carnivore when it came to food.

  ‘Hi,’ Carter said to the hostess. ‘Do you have a table for two?’

  ‘Did you book?’ the tired-looking woman replied.

  ‘No, it’s a spur of the moment thing. We can try somewhere else if you’re full.’

  He hoped she’d say they were, as he wanted steak rather than salad.

  ‘I’m sure we can squeeze you and your girlfriend in...’

  Carter was about to correct the woman’s assumption about him and Ember, but stopped as a purple light in the ceiling started to flash. It didn’t squeal like a fire alarm and no one inside the restaurant seemed to react to whatever risk it had detected.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ he asked.

  The woman’s face turned almost the same shade of red as Ember’s hair, as she pressed a button on the counter.

  ‘No, no problem,’ she said, looking more alert than she had ten seconds ago. ‘Well actually, yes, there is a problem. I’m sorry, but this is a human-only restaurant.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Your girlfriend triggered our security system. She needs to leave.’

  ‘And what if she doesn’t?’ Carter asked, his hands clenching into fists by his side.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ the woman repeated. ‘We only serve humans here.’

  ‘Perfect, but I don’t think I could eat a whole one,’ Ember said calmly.

  Carter shook his head. Her joke would usually have made him laugh, but not tonight. There were two spots of pink on her creamy white cheekbones and her green eyes blazed with controlled fury.

  ‘So let me get this straight, are you refusing to seat me?’ Carter asked.

  ‘No, just your girlfriend.’

  ‘But she’s as normal as you or I.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules.’

  ‘Then get me the person who does,’ Carter replied, ensuring his voice was as cold and as commanding as when he addressed his men.

  It was only after the woman scurried away that Carter felt Ember tugging on his sleeve.

  ‘Come on, let’s just leave before she comes back,’ she said.

  ‘No, it’s not right.’

  ‘It’s also not worth it. I didn’t want beansprout soup anyway.’

  Carter stared at her. ‘But they can’t treat you like this.’

  Ember shrugged her slim shoulders.

  ‘It’s not the first time. I should’ve seen the sign outside and stopped you coming in. There are plenty of places like this. Pubs, shops, cafes and the like, that are either afraid to allow supernaturals in or they just don’t want to integrate.’

  Quite a few of the diners had stopped eating in order to stare at them, but he wasn’t embarrassed. He was furious.

  ‘At least let me talk to the manager,’ Carter reasoned, but Ember shook her head.

  ‘Please, Carter. I don’t care about their stupid rules. I’ve lived most of my adult life with people whispering behind their hands about me being supernatural. I’d rather go somewhere I felt comfortable than eat here.’

  ‘Me too,’ he admitted with a sigh. ‘Not the best start to our unofficial date.’

  ‘I’m more of a cheeseburger girl anyway.’

  Carter took her hand and led her out of the restaurant.

  ‘Ok, I’ll check online for some more hospitable places to eat around here,’ he said, reaching into his back pocket for his phone. ‘Shit.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘My phone’s dead.’

  I checked mine – no signal.

  ‘I think fate is trying to tell us something,’ I said. ‘Maybe we should just go back to HQ and find out how the others got on.’

  Carter shook his head.

  ‘I promised you dinner and dinner you shall have. Come with me.’

  51

  I took a big bite of my greasy cheeseburger, not caring in the slightes
t that Carter was watching me eat. He’d brought me back to HQ after finding a take-away burger bar. We’d gravitated towards the shooting range, a place that obviously meant as much to him as it did to me. It was where we’d come on my first day as a recruit, and I wondered if he’d ever replayed how good his body had felt against mine when he’d showed me how to line up a target. The smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air from a previous training session, and to a gun-junkie like me, it was a comforting scent. One that I wished I could bottle sometimes.

  I washed the burger down with a large swig of beer, which caused me to burp.

  ‘Sorry. That wasn’t very lady-like, was it?’

  Carter smiled. ‘I’m used to living with a bunch of men who do a hell of a lot worse than belch.’

  ‘How is Pete?’ I asked, as he was the only other agent whose name I could recall from my time at the unit.

  ‘He’s fine. They relocated him to another department during the internal investigation, but we keep in touch. I think we’re both glad he didn’t have to follow through on his order to kill me.’

  My stomach clenched as all the horrors of my last assignment came rushing back.

  ‘I don’t think I ever thanked you,’ I said, offering him the bottle of beer, but Carter shook his head.

  ‘I’m back on duty in a few hours,’ he said.

  ‘Who’s going to know? You already snuck out of the unit today so what’s one more rule break - it’s not like you’re chief of this unit anymore.’

  Carter recognised the challenge in my voice, and snatched the bottle away from me. He knocked back the contents and I watched his throat work as he swallowed the beer. The dark bristles on his neck and jaw added a sexy edge to an already intimidating man like him. He’d always looked good in his combat gear, but he looked striking in a suit – powerful and commanding.

  ‘Thanked me? What for?’ he asked, putting the empty bottle on the floor then cracking the cap off a fresh one.

  ‘For standing up to Chief Andrews for a start. For going against your teammates. For risking everything you believed in.’