by Brianna West
“Security personnel,” I said, unmoving.
Conall chuckled. “Right, policeman it is.” He started to hand me the outfit and I immediately growled in my throat, close to losing my temper. “No, no, Carl. Police-man, not police-dog. Now let’s try this again. I’d like you to say, ‘Police! Nobody move, or else I’ll have to punish you’.”
“Think you’re mighty funny, don’t you? We can infiltrate as security. I’m sure there are some outfits I can conjure from inside,” I suggested, refusing to give in when I knew what wearing that kind of outfit inside that kind of place would lead to, and there was no way in hell I was going in like that.
I crossed my leg over, still sitting inside the car parked outside of the location where Niko had been spotted for the last week. Tonight, the place was overcrowded with an unending swarm of humans, Light, and even a few noticeably Dark patrons. Many of them were wearing costumes of every make; a great many of them revealing enough skin to pass more as undergarments than actual clothes.
However, this wasn’t the most startling thing that I’d observed upon arrival. When we finally found a spot after numerous loops through the streets looking for one, we stayed parked a good way off to the side. Which had afforded me a minute to closely observe the outside traffic at the location and the possible infiltration points. However, the main reason for my refusal to infiltrate as patrons rather than some sort of security or back-access personnel was because a majority of the patrons, aside for a variant few, were men.
Colorfully dressed, incredibly flamboyant men.
Conall was smiling from ear-to-ear as he gazed out at the lively street, over-encumbered with gay men who were wearing their favorite costumes and looking forward to a night spent dancing and drinking. “It all looks grand. Hurry up, I want to get inside as soon as we’re done changing.”
My stomach was knotted with frustration. “You must think you’re mighty clever, bringing me here under the guise of a mission,” I growled, barely keeping my calm. “If this is some sort of joke, you’d better tell me now. I’m not wasting time here if Niko hasn’t actually been spotted here. This ain’t a game to me.”
“Hey now, Carl, that’s not fair. It’s not a guise. Cross my heart, this is where he’s been coming all week,” Conall argued, taking a minute to stare at me before a few passing men dressed as policemen stole his interest. “Oh, look at those class gents over there!”
Conall suddenly laughed jovially, holding the policeman’s outfit against himself. “I rather like the idea of cuffing you, so I think I’ll be this one. Plus, I’m hoping to light your fire at some point tonight.”
Jaw clenching, I managed to keep from cursing the Irishman into oblivion as I snatched the outfit proffered to me with a pointed glare. Fighting any longer was useless, and I couldn’t endanger the chance of determining whether or not Niko was lost to us over my reservations about wearing an outlandish outfit.
It did make me momentarily wonder the reason Niko was spotted here, but I knew that the Dark kept underground facilities beneath places like these. It wasn’t uncommon that a bar or nightclub would have a feeding operation or human trafficking ring either built into it or attached. The main building was often more for show and luring victims than anything.
A popular nightclub or bar brought in humans unlike other establishments, most often at night, and with the addition of alcohol, many of the patrons were intoxicated. It was evident why the Dark would procure them for frequent use. In my career with the Guardians, it was more often than not that there was something Dark connected with every popular club or bar in any given town. Unfortunately, due to the volume of them, we could only offer more damage control than anything. Most were small scale operations, but those that weren’t, we infiltrated and systematically destroyed from the inside out.
“Try anything and it’ll be you who’s burned.”
“Oh, quite clever that,” Conall said, snickering excitedly as I panned the area before using magic to spell on the clothes. Not sparing even a second more, I threw the door open and headed out into the street.
This was a mission. As much as I hated that I’d be forced to enter a gay nightclub with the same man who had taken liberties anytime we were out, I was a Guardian first. My job took priority over any feelings I might have towards Conall or the place we’d come to.
I quieted my nerves, centering myself on the mission and finding out what I could about Niko, rather than the circumstances of how I’d have to go about it. Strangely enough, Aidan’s face entered my head as I prepared for the mission. Despite only having known him for a short time, thinking about him calmed me down. Surrounded by his scent, I was anything but. However, when it came to reassurance and a supportive hand, I could think of no one better but the massive Guardian with a heart of gold.
Conall rushed to my side, dressed in his convincing outfit with the handcuffs spinning on one finger. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t look gorgeous in the fitted pants and button down top. Instead of the Garda uniform, which policed Ireland, he’d outfitted himself in the American-style uniform. But, as it was his particular flair to do as the Romans do, his shirt was halfway unbuttoned, his chest sparkling with some sort of obnoxious gold glitter, and glistening pink gloss coating his lips. Looking at him, I was almost convinced.
Convinced he was a damned idiot.
Conall took hold of his baton and pointed it at a few squealing bystanders, his eyes practically igniting with amusement when a few men put their hands up. “Police! You’re under arrest for looking so bloody fabulous!”
My lips twitched as Conall spun around, thrusting his hips out at a couple of them, and then he returned to my side. Slinging an arm over my exposed shoulders—he’d only given me a fireman’s hat with pants and suspenders—Conall set the pace towards the club with a wide smile on his face. I didn’t want to make a scene by beating down the overly touchy Irishman, but I was sure that the frustration was showing on my face as we skipped the line and headed for the main doors.
Conall’s mouth touched my ear, his deep voice eliciting anxious jolts down the length of my spine. “Come on, smile for me, gorgeous. They won’t believe you’re mine if you don’t.”
“I’d rather swallow my blade,” I said, smiling violently with the sarcastic quip. I desperately tried to control my wayward body as it heated with Conall’s every action.
Conall’s lips lifted into an impish smile before he waved down the bouncer, who immediately came over with a huge grin. “What do you think of this deadly ride, Peter?”
The bouncer beamed, sliding fingers through his dark brown locks while his green eyes swiped down the length of my body with overt desire. “I think you’d better well keep him close, otherwise he’ll get eaten…by someone else.”
It wasn’t my first time at a gay club for a mission, so I’d grown accustomed to being stared at. This time was no different from the others, except that Conall was teasing the subtle curve of my lower back with his baton. Trembling as it reached the top of my rear, it took all of my willpower not to outright assault the shameless Irishman.
Conall glanced at me, the side of his mouth lifting into a sly smirk. “I think you have a fair point, Peter. Better not let this one get away.”
Peter smiled, gesturing for us to go on ahead. “Enjoy yourselves, mates.”
Conall dragged me inside by the shoulders and into the dense crowd of dancing, screaming clubgoers. My eyes adjusted to the strobe light, which pulsed to the music, and the condensed scents of lust and sweat, and all things that came with intense movement and emotions of all the sex hopefuls. The swarming crowd of men moved as if it had a mind of its own. Unfortunately, due to the amount of scents in the room, depicting what was human, Light, or Dark was nearly impossible without smelling them individually. Sensing out intentions even more so.
Conall’s hand dropped to my hip, teasing the skin at my side with his fingers as he swayed to the music. “Let’s have us a dance before we get to work.”
“I’ll check along the back for any suspicious types,” I yelled into his ear, shoving his hand off.
“One dance,” Conall pleaded, taking me by the arm and pulling me further into the crowd. “It’ll give us time to canvas the area.”
Just as Conall managed to pull me far enough into the mass of colorful clubgoers that I was given no choice but to go along with it, my free arm was grabbed and dragged back the other direction. Ready to lay into whoever thought they had a right to take hold of me so violently, I pivoted angrily and instantly froze. Conall had turned around to look as well, his hand falling from mine the second I’d been pulled.
A massive bare chest with a glossy sheen of scars marring its surface stood before me. I knew the man by his size and chest alone, but the tattoos that cuffed large biceps, which were straining as the hand holding my arm tensed and gently pulled, were all I needed to see before my anger calmed and relief washed over me.
Glittering honey-colored eyes stared at me as Aidan drew me steadily towards him, looking over my shoulder to where Conall was with his illuminated eyes expressing the intense rage he harbored.
“A fireman?” was all Aidan asked me with a downward look, lips twitching slightly before his angry eyes transfixed to Conall beyond me. His face was removed of emotion, but his eyes always gave him away. “I see the old man has been up to his old tricks again.”
Old tricks?
Conall smiled brightly, shrugging slightly before lifting his hands and swaying to the music. “Finished your mission rather quickly, didn’t you?”
“It was nothing,” Aidan brushed off, slipping an arm around my waist in order to keep me beside him, quietly offering a barrier against the dense mass around us. “Finished it well enough to make it out here to help out.”
Conall’s eyes danced as his expression darkened, the lights of the club illuminating him in an almost vicious manner. “A demon portal was nothing? I’m so proud. I was sure you and Laura would need the entire evening to complete such a task.”
Aidan’s laughter lacked humor, his arm tensing around me. “Happy to prove you wrong, Old Man. Sorry to spoil your fun, but I’ll be taking this one with me to check out the back rooms. You can canvas the crowd while we’re away.”
The glint in green eyes disappeared the moment the lights dropped out, Conall’s face offering a wide smile when the lights brightened again. “By all means,” he said over the sounds of the crowd and music, “Don’t hold back on my account.”
“Never planned to,” Aidan quipped sharply, jaw gritting.
Unsure what to make of the conversation, I kept silent. Yet again, it felt like I’d been drawn into some sort of silent battle between the two. I wasn’t sure what to make out of it. Only concluding that Aidan felt the need to protect me from Conall and Conall was doing what he did best, having fun. I’d been warned previously that the two Guardians enjoyed competing with each other in some fashion or another, had even been privy to it a time or two, so I figured that this was no different.
What a mess I was in…
Aidan led me away from the dancing half vampire towards the back of the room, navigating the crowd with ease in spite of his size. The feel of his bare skin against mine was enough to get my pulse going.
His skin was wet with perspiration, as if he’d run all the way here. The deep, rich musk that I immediately knew was his surrounded me as Aidan kept me close to his body and fended off the advances of many of the eager dancers who were yearning for the tall, dark, and handsome man in the room. Although, despite his efforts to keep my suitors at bay, my rear was grabbed more times than I could count. It was enough to make me want to deliver a few sound blows on Conall’s grinning face as repayment for putting me into this situation.
Aidan didn’t need to wear specific clothes to come across as dangerous. His every movement and glance portrayed it without any effort necessary. But I knew the truth, which was strangely satisfying for some reason.
When we’d finally reached the back of the club, the corridor was over encumbered with men touching and kissing each other. Enough to make even my cheeks hot. Without looking closely, one could determine just how much they were running away with their desires. It never failed to astonish me the degree at which others gave into their lust. Not only seeing it, but having to smell it was enough to make my head foggy and body respond treacherously.
Aidan’s touch strengthened as we squeezed past the lustful couples towards an area that was mysteriously untouched by any other. I inhaled slowly, picking up on a scent I instantly recognized. It was the smell of darkness and evil-doing.
Aidan looked down at me, hand falling from my waist after a short pause. There was a small part of me that was disappointed not to feel him anymore, but I quickly disregarded it and returned my focus to finding Niko.
Empty corridors inside a crowded building, much like this one, were always an indication of something sinister.
Aidan closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “I scent five Dark and two humans in this first room, but there’s something else I can’t quite figure out in there. I’ve never smelt a scent like it before.”
Nodding in agreement, I started to walk on ahead before a body materialized several paces in front of me. Luminous silver-blue eyes fixed to mine, the air trembling with his arrival. I didn’t have time to react as a wash of blue magic filled the space, colliding with my abdomen and sending me flying backwards. Unable to create a barrier in time, my head connected with a nearby wall with a loud crack, and then everything went black.
Chapter Sixteen
My vision was fuzzy as I came to, barely registering sound at all. Everything was numb and unfocused as I tried to see through the throbbing inside my head. Taking a direct hit like I had, it was no wonder I was having trouble getting my body to work correctly. It had been a long time since anyone had caught me so off guard. I’d let my guard down in the moment it was most needed. I only had myself to blame, and now Aidan had been unwillingly drawn into it.
The only other time when I’d failed so terribly was with a very special person. Someone who was later recovered hanging onto the last thread of her life. Her very existence could’ve been expunged purely as a result of my failure to be preemptive on our mission. It had been the greatest disappointment of my life, and I couldn’t let it be repeated.
Since that time, I’d promised myself never to underestimate another mission. There were lives that depended on me. But unfortunately, thoughtlessly, I’d done it again. Like a damned idiot. There would be people who would die if I didn’t come to some sort of conclusion where Niko was concerned, whether it was to turn him back to the Light or to end him.
There was a swaying movement in my body, as if I were being carried, which set off alarms in my head. Blinking through my blurry vision, I slammed an elbow into the person carrying me.
“Oi! That bloody hurts!”
Though muffled, Aidan’s voice was distinct enough that I immediately ceased my struggle. Still working to get my vision clear, I lifted my head and looked over my shoulder at the back of Aidan’s head. I was thrown over one of his wide shoulders as he ran across a night-painted landscape. The fresh scent of rain reached my nose before I realized that he hadn’t ceased running, even when he was visibly stricken with the pain I’d caused him.
Letting my eyes numbly trail from him to what expanded behind us, I noticed a horde of demons and something in the sky that was dark against a round, brightly lit moon.
Were those wings?
Aidan adjusted his grip on me, picking up speed as his hand lifted the phone he’d dug out of his pocket. Gold magic throbbed around us as the winged creature in the sky floated, wings thrusting up and down without urgency as it quietly observed us below. My heart was in my throat when I noticed the wing shape was frighteningly familiar.
It couldn’t possibly be…
“We’ve got a problem, yeah? A bloody big one,” Aidan barked into the phone, glancing over to me as he huff
ed and panted, steadily increasing his speed. “Fuck, I don’t have enough power to teleport right now. Logan,” he said in a growl, “It’s a Dark angel.”
The physical strain Aidan was under was perspiring from his face, his panting growing more uneven the longer he ran. It was evident from my quick observation that he’d expelled a great deal of energy while I was unconscious. The physical signs of distress were etched into his face as he kept on forward, never slowing for a moment.
Eyes widened, I peered up to the sky, the feeling finally returning to my limbs. “Let me off,” I demanded. “There’s no way you’re doing this alone, you hear.”
“I’m not doing anything,” Aidan said, huffing an unamused chuckle. “Demon horde was bad enough, yeah? Why did they have to add the bloody Dark angel?”
“I’m fine now. I’ll run with you.”
Aidan tightened his hold on me, emphasizing his reply before he’d said a single word. “Bloody hell I will. Your head hit a bloody brick wall. A brick wall, Carl. It’s probably still fractured. Not to mention that you were struck by a powerful magical attack. If not for your healing abilities, you’d be pushing daisies by now.”
How we got away, I was incredibly curious to know.
“He’s not attacking,” I pointed out, the jostling movement in Aidan’s run increasing the terrible throb inside my head. I pushed through it, gritting my teeth against the pain. “There has to be a reason.”
“It’s called playing with your food, yeah?” Aidan retorted scathingly.
It didn’t make sense. There was no way that Aidan could single-handedly defeat an angel, whether in skill or speed. There had to be a reason that the Dark angel wasn’t attacking, at least not yet.
Pushing with all my strength, I dislodged myself out of Aidan’s arms, somersaulting backwards and then landing with my foot crushing into the soil. Aidan cursed as I wrapped gold and red magic in a vortex around my body, looking towards the sky and focusing my energy on the angel.