Guardian of Darkness

by Katie Reus

  As they stepped into a huge living room with plush couches, throws and a built-in bar, her gaze immediately went to Hernandez. Standing by the polished wood bar, he was pouring himself a drink. Whisky, if she scented right.

  She snorted at the sight of the big, bad drug kingpin. “Oh my God, you were right. He’s like something out of a seventies porno.” Not that Vega had actually seen a seventies porno, but the dude was wearing a thick gold chain and his Tommy Bahama-style shirt was open, showing a bushel of chest hair. A bushel. Man, he needed to get waxed or something. She’d seen face shots from the files, but this was different.

  Eli laughed next to her. “Ridiculous, right?”

  Hernandez blinked in utter shock, the pure scent of the surprise rolling off him a punch to all her senses. “You stupid puta—”

  She snapped the cuffs free as if they were made of straw, reared her elbow back and slammed it into Harris’s nose with all the force she had. His head snapped back, the crunch of his nose breaking. Before he’d even hit the ground, she lashed out at two of the guards as Eli was doing the same to others.

  Fist to the face, kick to the stomach, claw slash to the chest.

  She twisted and moved like the lightning-fast hybrid she was, mowing down guards until she stood behind Mario Hernandez—who’d only managed to draw his weapon in the time she took out his men—and wrapped her arm around his neck.

  He jolted at her grip and dropped his weapon. “What the—”

  She cut him off, choking him as he struggled against her, his fingers digging into her forearm. She barely felt his weak attempts to stop her. Vega had always trained with supernaturals, so fighting this human felt like she was going up against a toddler.

  As she dropped his unconscious body to the ground, two new males spilled into the room, which unfortunately had three separate entrances. Just wide open spaces with no doors.

  She raced at the nearest couch. Using it as a springboard, she dove at the human, fist raised.

  He lifted his weapon and she watched as if it was in slow motion. Training with Neema and Eli meant she never got a break, couldn’t even blink when sparring. It was strange to be overpowering these men so quickly. As if she was forgetting to do something.

  But his trajectory would work, could potentially hit her. Midair, she twisted, slightly changing her direction. She landed a foot to his right as the gun went off. The bullet blasted out, the flash in her periphery also in slow motion as she rammed her fist against his jaw. It fractured as he flew back, his body seemingly suspended in midair for a long moment before he slammed into a wall. She was aware of Eli finishing up with the other human male.

  Plaster cracked as she swiveled, ready for another threat. But everyone in the room was unconscious, their bodies piled up in a bloody, macabre scene.

  The power suddenly went off and she smiled. That was August and Neema cutting the security feeds so the last of the guards would be working blind. Perfect timing.

  “Make your way upstairs,” Eli ordered in a quiet voice, surveying the fallen humans. “Empty out his safe and take any other valuables you can carry.”

  Picking up one of the fallen pistols, she nodded and quietly ducked out of the room. They had a layout of the place so she knew where she was going.

  But since there were still more guards in the house she was going to have to disable them if they got in her way. Eli was going to finish sweeping the rest of the downstairs and Neema and August would be disabling the guards outside before meeting with them.

  Her heart rate was steady as she eased up the stairs, pistol in front of her. The darkness didn’t affect her ability to see, though her eyes slightly glowed, illuminating the path in front of her. Nothing she could do about that.

  She scented humans as she stepped onto the top landing, but it could be residual. There were too damn many scents to sift through. Her boots were silent as she moved down the carpeted hallway.

  Hernandez’s office was three doors down. When she reached it, of course it was closed. She tried the handle. Locked.

  With a flick of her wrist, she snapped the handle free. Easing the door open, she visually swept it. Empty.

  Using her hip, she pushed the door shut. She tucked the pistol into one of her holsters and moved to the closet, letting her eyes illuminate the way.

  Once inside the walk-in closet, she moved to the safe that had to weigh a thousand pounds. Definitely not moving that thing.

  Grasping the handle, she twisted, then pulled. It groaned under the weight of her strength. Sweat beaded along her forehead as the door finally tore open.

  She pulled it fully outward, her eyes widening as she took in the contents.

  Diamonds. So many diamonds. And stacks of cash. Drugs too, but they would stay. After locating a couple black duffel bags, she started transferring the valuables into the bags. Once she was done, she did a quick sweep of his office for any more valuables, then headed back the way she’d come.

  Downstairs she found Eli pouring an accelerant over the bodies. It was immediately clear that everyone was dead. The scent of the kerosene was pungent. “You killed everyone?” She wasn’t sure why she asked when it was obvious the answer was yes.

  “You get what was in the safe?” he asked, not even looking at her as he moved with a supernatural efficiency.

  “Yes.”

  He took one of the bags from her, hoisted it against his back as he pulled out a Bic lighter. “Come on. We’ll meet at the rally point.”

  She fell in step with him as he tossed the lighter over his shoulder, racing along a hallway until they reached a garage. He must have gotten keys earlier because he palmed them and hit the key fob to a brand-new F350.

  She jumped into the passenger side as he took the driver’s side. He didn’t bother opening the garage, just rammed through the door. It splintered and cracked as they flew through it. In the rearview mirror she saw flames through the windows, the fire starting to spread.

  “They were always going to die,” Eli said quietly a few minutes later when they were well out of range of the house.

  She swallowed hard, but nodded. Vega had known they’d be disabling them, but… “I guess I just assumed. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t want to think about it.” Supernatural laws were harsher, more brutal than humans’. They had to be. In the supernatural world, strength was respected. She understood that more than most, considering who her parents were. Her father was an Alpha who always walked the tightrope between being just and fair, or crossing that line into too brutal.

  “Not to sound too simplistic, but they were bad men. They made a living off the pain of others. If it had just been drugs…” He shrugged, then his jaw tightened, his eyes going dark before he turned back to the road. “Hernandez sold people. Kids included. Everyone in that house associated with him had to die.”

  “Thank you for…just thank you.” Vega understood and even agreed with him. She knew what she’d signed on for. But she was glad she hadn’t had to go around killing men already incapacitated.

  Eli simply nodded and turned back to the road. “You did good tonight.”

  “It was easier than I expected.”

  “Because they’re humans. When you go up against our kind, it’ll be a new ballgame.”

  Of that she had no doubt.

  The rally point was an all-night diner. Her heart rate was steady by the time they pulled into the graveled driveway. She spotted August and Neema in a four-door sedan, but didn’t approach them as she and Eli got out. He took the duffel bags and dropped them into August’s trunk while she headed to the midsize SUV with a clean license plate that August had left for her.

  August would do whatever it was he did with the diamonds and cash, and she, Eli and Neema would all head to their respective places.

  Now it was just a waiting game to see if Judoc decided to reach out to them or not.

  Vega started the engine. It purred to life immediately. After a quick glance in the rearview mirror, s
he saw the others leaving and did the same, heading to the townhome she’d rented for a couple weeks under her cover ID.

  She felt as if she’d done a good job tonight but she wouldn’t rest easy until she got feedback from the others. To them, this was standard operating stuff, but she felt as if she’d just run two marathons back-to-back.

  Chapter 5

  Vega’s eyes flew open at a slight whisper of sound that meant she wasn’t alone in her room.

  Heart racing, she didn’t bother reaching for a weapon. Instead she let her claws release and had started to jump from her bed when fingers wrapped around her throat.

  She sucked in a hard breath as Gabriel pinned her underneath him on the bed. All thoughts of fighting fled her body as she stared up at him. Rage burned in his green eyes, but he didn’t squeeze her throat—he would never. No, he was pissed—which meant he knew what she’d done, and was showing her that. But he wasn’t going to hurt her. And she really liked the feel of him on top of her, even if he was just straddling her. She clenched her legs together as an ache started to spread. She should be asking him what the hell he was doing, but she liked this way too much. Liked him being on top of her. Wondered what it would be like if they were naked and their positions were reversed—or if he was behind her.

  She arched her body up, making his green eyes go bright with hunger. Moonlight streamed in from the slat blinds, but she didn’t need the light to see him. Not when her own gaze lit up the harsh profile of his oh so beautiful face. He’d hate that she thought of him as beautiful, but he was a perfect male specimen.

  Taller than her by about six inches, he was huge, broad-shouldered and ripped. But he moved like a damn feline—something else he’d also hate the thought of. His dark hair was cropped close, not that it really mattered. He could have long hair or no hair because there was no denying the perfect structure of his face. Or his eyes, which seemed to dominate everything. He was walking, talking sex.

  He dropped his grip on her throat and leaned down so that he was hovering over her without actually touching her, his hands on either side of her head. “You’re fucking robbing and killing people? That’s why you can’t go home for Christmas?” His voice was savage as he stared down at her in disgust.

  And his question pissed her off. She punched him in the middle of the chest, shoving him off her. “What I do is none of your fucking business.”

  Either she’d taken him by surprise or he’d wanted to move because he jumped off the bed, putting distance between them—as if he couldn’t stand to be near her.

  Which sliced at her. He actually thought she was a common thief and a killer? The covers fell away from her body as she slid out of bed, the silk of the sheets too much against her over-sensitized skin. Wearing only a skintight tank top and her underwear made her feel way too vulnerable in front of him, but she stood her ground.

  “You followed me?” She shouldn’t be surprised, but her parents had never let on they’d sent someone to follow her. And hell, she’d left on a plane. How had he… Oh, she was so stupid. Her fucking phone. He must have tracked her that way.

  His gaze scanned her from head to toe, pausing as he swept over her bare legs. Taking her by surprise, the male swallowed hard before he seemed to get himself together. “You’re coming home with me. Tonight. Pack your shit. And if I find that male you were with, I’m going to gut him alive.”

  She blinked at his tone, at his assumption that she’d do what he ordered. Snorting, she flopped back on the bed and stretched out. “I’m not going anywhere with you, so you can take your bullshit attitude and head home alone.”

  He took a deep breath, his wolf in his eyes, but remained where he was. “What are you involved in? I infiltrated that place after you left, before the cops and fire department arrived.”

  Oh yeah, she was not answering his questions. Even though she felt like a bitch, she just arched an eyebrow and placed her hands behind her head, the picture of nonchalance. “What place?”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Vega.” He started pacing, looking like a caged wolf, as if he was trying to figure out his next move.

  And oh how sexy she found it. He was wearing all black, his long-sleeved t-shirt straining against his upper arm muscles. He’d shoved the sleeves up so his forearms were revealed—and what the hell, even his forearms were sexy. She’d locked out thoughts of him for two years, forced herself not to focus on him or fantasize about him. But here he was in her temporary bedroom at the foot of her bed, looking a little wild and a lot sexy. It revved up something inside her. Something she had no control over.

  Heat flooded between her thighs as she shifted slightly against the bed. She tried to stop the scent of her arousal, but there was no use. She couldn’t control her wolf’s reaction to the male. Simply. Couldn’t. Do. It. Not anymore.

  He paused midstride, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. Instead of looking at her, he gave her his back, his posture rigid as he took a ragged breath.

  He might as well have physically struck her for the effect his reaction had on her. God, was it so awful that she was attracted to him? Was she so awful? She sucked in a breath, though it was like trying to breathe past shards of glass. Just like that, her arousal fizzled and died. Screw him.

  “I don’t know what you’re up to, but you need to come home with me. If the wrong people get wind that you’re up here alone, it’ll make you a target. With your mom pregnant—”

  She was in front of him in a flash. “What?”

  He froze, staring down at her before his mask was back in place. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Is my mom really pregnant?” A cacophony of emotions punched through her, namely excitement. She was going to have a sibling! But guilt mixed in because of the way she’d just left for the winter break, and what she was doing. Her parents had to be so excited and she should be there with them. Oh sweet flying dragons, the weird dreams she’d been having made a whole lot more sense now. They weren’t dreams at all—

  “Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, the muscles of his forearm flexing. She hated that she noticed. “They didn’t want you to come home because you felt guilty.”

  Hell. “I’ll call them.”

  “What you should do is come home.” His voice was soft as he stared down at her, some indefinable emotion bleeding through those bright green eyes. “Whatever you’ve gotten into, it doesn’t matter. Come home to the pack, to your parents. If you’re in trouble, the pack will fix it.”

  She took a step back from him, not wanting him to touch her. She understood why he made the assumption that she was involved with something shady, but it still cut deep. That he just barged in here with those assumptions and told her what she was going to do. That he treated her like a misbehaving pup. Like she had no brain of her own.

  Unable to even look at him anymore, she turned away, afraid she’d start crying if she held his gaze. Damn it, she needed to toughen the hell up if she was going to do this job. “Just leave the way you came, Gabriel. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she headed downstairs. She wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore and she didn’t want to look at Gabriel another second. Downstairs she made a pot of coffee even though it was only four in the morning. This townhome was fully stocked, thankfully. Maybe she’d get in a run before her day officially started. Ten miles should burn off some of this raw energy coursing through her.

  She knew when Gabriel was gone because she was attuned to the male. His delicious spicy scent lingered in the air, making her lightheaded, but while waiting for the pot to finish brewing she checked the small townhome just to be certain, and sure enough, he was gone. The alarm was still set so she wasn’t sure how the male had managed to get in and out undetected, but she shouldn’t be surprised.

  He could be a ghost when he wanted. She’d seen him blend into the shadows in a way that was impossible for other shifters, herself included. He seemed to pull them around him, to become one wi
th them. It was…fascinating.

  Shoving those thoughts and the lingering hurt aside, she poured a cup of coffee before curling up on the couch downstairs—and feeling more alone than she ever had. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone.

  It was late, but her mom was a vampire and would still be up. Hell, normally Vega would be too.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” her mom answered on the first ring.

  Her throat tightened for a moment as she struggled to find the right words, then blurted the last thing she’d been intending to say. “Are you pregnant?”

  Her mom sucked in a quick breath. “Ah…yes. I’m not very far along.”

  Tears stung her eyes as she closed them. “I wish I was there to hug you right now. This is so exciting.”

  She let out a shaky laugh. “Exciting and terrifying. And I wish you were here too.” The desperation in her mom’s voice cut at her and almost made her want to throw in the towel and head home.

  But she couldn’t do that. “Mom…I’m so happy for you guys—for all of us. Ridiculously happy. If I could come home, I would. I promise.”

  “Are you in trouble?”

  “No, I swear. I…I can’t tell you what I’m doing, but I’m not on holiday break. It has to do with a job I’ve taken. I just can’t tell you what it is. I need you to trust me. To trust that I’m adult enough to know what I’m doing.”

  “I do.” The answer was so swift it nearly stole her breath.

  She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear that. “As soon as I’m able to come home, I will.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you too… Do you know what you’re having, or is it too soon?” Because that little hybrid was going to get soooooo spoiled.

  “It’s too soon just yet.”

  Something deep inside Vega told her that she was going to have a brother. But she kept it to herself. Sometimes she had strange little feelings—that turned out to be true. Considering the dreams she’d been having lately…yeah, she was having a brother. “Oh man, how’s Dad reacting? Is he freaking out?” She’d come into her dad’s life in her late teenage years and he’d been crazy overprotective.