“Really?” Barney grunts. “Guys, are we seriously taking this thing with us? Listen to her, sounds like she’s in love with this Vixen or something. She can’t be trusted.”
I lean towards the front. “Stop the truck.”
“Wait, Dee-Dee—”
“I said, stop the truck.”
The vehicle jerks to a halt.
I kick the rear door open and reach back in for Barney. He drops his gun, kicking and yelling, as I drag him out by his jacket and slam him against the side of the van. “Enough. Rayne is trustworthy.”
“No vampire is trustworthy. You of all people should know that.”
“She’s different.”
“Because you fancy her? When did SPEAR agents get so twisted?”
“Shut up.”
He glares. “She’ll show it before long. This act is good, but it can’t last. She’s a vampire, and none of them care about us except as food.”
“She’s coming.”
“Why? So the pair of you can drop off the next crop of human snacks?”
My fist draws back. It flies.
A hair’s breadth before impact, a firm hand grasps my elbow. My attempted punch stops dead.
Rayne. Of course, Rayne.
“Don’t.”
I suck my teeth. “Why not?”
“Because he’s not worth it. Leave him. For me?” Her grip loosens.
I’m free. My arm can move. I can do what I want.
“Why did they come to the station, Karson? What did they want? Picking up their latest human pet?”
I want to punch him. So, so much.
My arm falls.
Rayne smiles.
Together we return to our seats.
Barney stands where I left him, panting.
When the vehicle starts again, he jerks away from the open door, yelling as we drive off.
“I’m trying to help. Why won’t you listen? You’ll be sorry—all of you. She’ll show her true colours and you’ll all be dead. She’s not safe.”
From her seat, Tina leans over and pulls the rear door shut.
* * *
Our first pass along Sertral Street reveals a major problem.
The road is crammed with clubbers, both edane and human, outside a large building with bright neon lighting.
Club Starshine.
Rayne gives me a startled glance. “He never mentioned this.”
“Probably not predisposed to be helpful to us.” Hozier frowns through the window. “I’m starting to like your idea of clearing the area.”
I shake my head. “And tip off Vixen?”
“But those people—”
“We can handle it.” Noel slips off his seat to confer with the rest of his team. Five men, all in tactical gear and weighed down with guns.
Tina clenches her fists. “This isn’t going to work.”
The minivan turns a corner on to a smaller road. Further along, a narrow alley leads towards the backs of the buildings behind us.
“Stop, stop, stop.” I point.
Hidden in the shadows at the back of the alley, Wendy waves us down.
Besides him, twelve werewolves wait in the shadows. They’ve already shifted, not to their hybrid forms, but full-on wolf, pony sized monstrosities with thick, shaggy fur, sharp ears, and bushy tails. Yellow eyes gleam in the darkness to match the whisper of low growls creeping through the air.
As we exit the van, Wendy lifts his hand. The growls stop, but the tension in the air doesn’t budge an inch.
“You took your sweet time.” Wendy moves forward.
“Had to pick up some friends.”
He looks over my shoulder. “You have friends?”
Noel roars with laughter.
I square my shoulders. “Okay, guys, enough male bonding or whatever this is. Our target is Club Starshine. I want to do this without disrupting the civilians for as long as possible.”
“Wait.” Hozier lifts a hand. “Surely you don’t plan to use them as cover?”
“Do you want to call in the evacuation? Right now there’s no reason to do it, and think of the time we’d waste getting permission.”
“I’m not sure about this.”
Tina clears her throat. “We could go first.”
“What’s that, guapa?”
Tina rounds on Noel with a glare and spits a stream of passionate Spanish, complete with popped hip and hair flick.
I gape.
He grins. “She has sass, Dee-Dee. I like your friend.”
I’ve no idea what she said, but Noel’s appreciative wink convinces me it was something good. Or rude. Or both.
Tina rolls her eyes, though not without a smile. “If Rayne, Danika, and I go first, we can scout the place.”
“Perfect.” I rub my hands together. “If we find a way through, we’ll signal you. It’s easy, subtle, and no one needs to evacuate until we know what we’re facing. Then, Hozier, we can get the civilians out with some excuse from inside the club. Maybe an edane fight? Protocols haven’t changed?”
“Not that I know.” He rubs his chin.
“Good. Wendy, you arrange a distraction with your pack. Something to draw attention outside and away from us.”
Tina grins. “Great. Nothing more natural than three girls on a night out.”
Noel snorts. “Unless one of those girls is Dee-Dee.”
“You don’t know her very well, do you?” Wendy chuckles.
“Give me a break guys. What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, chica, that you don’t do clubs. You don’t know how to act.”
“Sure I do.”
Wendy throws me a sceptical look.
“What?”
Tina unfastens the strap of her borrowed rifle and hands it to Hozier. “I can handle this. Besides, us girls don’t look like agents on a raid.”
Noel cocks an eyebrow, then pulls off his protective jacket, revealing the shirt and vest beneath. Utility belt and gun holster he hands to one of his team. He transfers various weapons and tools into pockets, zips, and crevices on and inside his trousers. “Better?”
Tina nods appreciatively. “You’ve done that before.”
“Once or twice.”
At a casual glance he’s just a guy. A faint bulge or odd wrinkle gives away small details, but only because I know where to look. “Brilliant. Let’s go.”
Noels snags my arm. “Whoa, Dee-Dee, you next. For me, a man, this look is fine. But you? We need more flesh.”
“Screw you, I—”
“He’s right, Agent.” Tina frees my arm and pulls me aside. “Did you see the other women as we went by? All legs and cleavage. We won’t get in at all if we don’t look right. Come on, Rayne, we’ll all spruce up a bit.” She doesn’t wait, just herds me further into the alley, scattering the werewolves as we go.
At the end, Tina folds her arms and stares.
I twitch. “Tina…”
She cuts across me. “Take your hair down.”
From the corner of my eye, Rayne nods thoughtfully.
Oh. Well, if she thinks so.
I tug the elastic from my locs and thread it on my wrist. My hair tumbles from its high ponytail, thick and heavy against my back.
A silver glint flickers in Rayne’s eyes. “That will work.”
I don’t know what she sees, but I want to keep doing whatever it is. Especially if she’s going to look at me like that.
Grinning, Tina slides back into my line of sight.
“Shut up.”
She giggles. “I didn’t say anything. Now, do you trust me?”
“Hell, no.”
Eye-roll. “Do you trust me to get you into this club with most of your kit?”
I study her face. The giggles have ebbed, leaving her features soft but serious. “Sure, why not.”
“Good.” She backs off. “Rayne, follow my directions exactly.”
The pair of them stand in front of me.
I fight the urge to bolt.
<
br /> “Shred the jeans,” says Tina. “Here, here, and there.” She points to my left thigh, opposite shin, and the backs of my legs.
“No, no, wait—”
Rayne’s already in front of me. The tips of her fangs flash white between her lips, before she drops to her knees. Her hand swipes across my shin, then thigh.
Eight parallel slash marks show the path of her fingernails.
Breath whooshes out of me. Hadn’t realized I was holding it.
“Rayne—”
She’s behind me now, steadying my hip with one hand, while drawing her fingernails across the denim beneath the curve of my butt.
Fabric shreds.
Cool air rushes in.
Rayne springs up in front of me, eyes bright, lips slightly parted. “You’re not wearing underwear.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah. You didn’t bring—I mean those ones didn’t fit…”
A cough from Tina. “Thanks, Rayne. Now the top. Muss it up a bit.”
Still watching me, Rayne reaches for my shirt. She unfastens each button with painful deliberation, circling her finger around each buttonhole. Another chill whips across my skin as she pushes the cotton off my shoulders, but it doesn’t last long under the heat of that gaze.
Beneath, the crop T-shirt rides high on my stomach.
Rayne growls low in her throat.
Sweat beads on my upper lip.
She tucks a hand under the hem and feels upward. Her knuckles and the back of her hand graze my ribs.
“Rayne—”
Riiiiiip.
More slashes, this time running left to right across the top. Even I can see hints of my breasts through the gaps.
“When this is over”—Rayne licks her lips—“I want to do this to you again. Properly.”
Wolf whistles and applause come from the end of the alley. I tear my gaze from Rayne to find Noel and the others watching.
Rayne scrambles back. She shrinks in on herself and lowers her head, both hands clenched at her sides.
“She looks the part.” Noel nods his approval. “Now we hide some weapons on her. Sorry, Dee-Dee, looks like neither of us use the axe today.” He stops in front of me, voice lowered. “I take back what I said before. You and Rayne? Fine with me.”
“Pervert.”
“You love it.”
I punch him in the arm.
He swipes for my jaw. Misses.
“Still too slow.”
A sigh and playful shrug. “Some things never change.”
I glance at Rayne as Noel begins to tuck throwing knives and holy water phials into various places on my body. Some things never change, but others certainly do.
He holds up a Kubotan attached to a slender chain. When I try to separate one from the other, he grabs my hand. “Keep both, chica. Chains? You never know when such things might be useful.” He tilts his head towards Rayne. Winks.
Heat flushes my cheeks. “Can we hold off the kinky shit, please?”
“Trust me.” He hooks the chain to one of my belt loops, then tucks the Kubotan into the nearest pocket. “Now you’re ready.”
I turn and twist, bend and stretch. The knives are in odd places; I’ll have to be careful how I move and walk, but it’s the best I’ll get. “My gun?”
“Even I can’t find a place for that.” After a moment of hesitation, he twirls the weapon and hands it to Rayne. “You take care of this, sí?”
She looks at me.
I nod.
When she slides the weapon into her waistband, I lead the way out of the alley.
We’ve done all we can. Time to check it out.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Walking into Club Starshine is like walking into a wall, the music loud enough to feel in my bones.
Rayne spends a few seconds twisting her head from side to side, frowning. “People. Can’t smell. Noise. Can’t hear.”
So plan A is out of the question. Time to search the old-fashioned way.
Noel shoves through us, hand in hand with Tina. They make a big show of giggling and stumbling as they begin their own search.
The music is a living, breathing thing, I can’t help but move to it. I’m not much of a dancer, but the room pulses with people matching the rhythm, some human, others not, all engrossed in one thing.
Rayne slips her arms around my neck and pulls me close. She has to stretch to reach that far, but something about her on tip toes is beyond adorable and so, so sexy. I put my hands on my hips and allow her to guide us through the crowds. I could almost forget why I’m here.
Never would have guessed from the soft-spoken, timid specimen I picked up two days ago, but Rayne can dance. In seconds, she’s up close, grinding her hips against mine in a way that makes my insides turn to goo.
Her lips move but I have to guess at the words.
“Three doors.” She drags my head down and yells in my ear. “Left. Right. Behind.” Her dancing swings me round.
First door behind the bar, through which staff move, laden with bottles and pint and shot glasses. Second, at the far end of the club’s floor space, marked with a green and white sign reading Exit. Third, a narrow, unmarked door, guarded by two men in funereal black. Would have missed it without Rayne’s keen eye.
I approach the guarded door, but two steps on there’s a mountain in the way. Well, I’m sure he’s probably human, but with shoulders and arms like that, I can be forgiven for comparing him to a block of rock.
“Hey, little lady.” His gravelly voice is a roar beneath the din. “Dance?”
I shake my head and sidestep, but he follows with a cocky smile. “Sure?” He thrusts both arms above his head and pumps his hips.
Another head shake, a second sidestep, but this time he snags my arm.
Every muscle stiffens. My fist is raised, my legs tight—
The guy falls flat on his back.
The crowd swirls around us, seamless eddies to avoid trampling the little idiot as he grips his nose.
At my side, Rayne draws back her fist with the sweetest of smiles. She slides her arm around my waist and steers me towards the bar.
I’m grinning like an idiot. I know I am, but I can’t help it.
Away from the thickest press of dancers, and with distance from the sound system, Rayne’s hand hooks around my neck and draws my head down. For a glorious instant, I expect a kiss, but instead, she puts her lips against my ear. “Noel is on your right. Give the signal.”
Ah yes. The point of our little field trip.
I fling my right arm into the air and twirl, an apparent dance move with no meaning.
Noel and Tina break off to the doors and the wolves to begin their distraction.
I’ve no idea what they’ve come up with, but it better be good.
* * *
It takes an age for the Wendy and his pack to show.
Near the bar, making a pretence of chatting and scoping the drinks, Rayne and I watch the main doors.
Where the hell are they?
“Wolf!” The bellow comes from the left, followed by a roar that rattles my ribs.
A man-shaped, furry creature dives through the toilet doors, sending shards of wood, plastic, and glass in all directions. It tackles a less furry but obviously edane figure.
Revellers scream and shriek, scrambling to get back.
Perfect.
The two hybrid wolves break apart, the second of the pair growing larger and furrier by the second.
Rayne nods. “Wow. Looks so real.”
The first wolf slashes with one pseudo-paw. Huge claws cut across flesh, and blood fountains into the air. He roars again and follows with a kick that sends his opponent skittering back across the dance floor.
Fuck.
It is real.
“We need to go.” I shove at Rayne’s back.
“But—”
“That’s a dominance battle. We need to get out of the way.”
Her eyes widen. “But the humans—”
&nb
sp; “Noel can handle it.” Again I push. “Go. We have to reach that door before rapid response shows up.”
The music grinds to a halt as the wolves plough into the DJ podium, pulverizing turntables, speakers, and mixing desks. In the still, their grunts, growls, and shouts are deafening, but not as loud as the gunshot.
People drop flat, many with hands over their heads.
My instinct demands the same, but Rayne is faster. She shoves me down, then shields my body with hers.
“Everybody out!” Noel’s voice is strong and commanding. Through the cage of Rayne’s arms, I see him standing on the far side of the dance floor, gun out, SPEAR ID held aloft. “This is no drill, go. We have two lupine edanes on the premises, and they are fighting. Go, go, go.”
Like a dam breaking, human clubbers surge towards the doors.
The two wolves seem not to notice, struggling to their feet and colliding again.
“Get off, Rayne. We need to go.”
On the edges, more figures in uniform black appear to usher the crowds. Six edanes of varied types and heights form a ragged half circle around the rear of the rushing crowd, a wall against the battling wolves.
Rayne steers us into the empty space behind the bar and peers out around the edge. “Why aren’t they moving?”
I shuffle in for a better look.
The men at our door are still in place on high alert, eyes narrowed, gazes darting, weight forward on their toes.
Screw it. We’ve got to get through.
“Go.” I’m up and out, darting towards the door with a knife in each hand.
The pair share startled glances. Vampires. Young ones, but powerful enough to be fast off the mark.
The one on the left cuts across me, joining his companion to face off against Rayne.
Big mistake.
I follow as they put their backs to me, swinging both knives high and shoving them deep into their napes.
They drop hard, gurgling and clawing. One pulls my knife free before Rayne delivers a pair of powerful kicks.
The crack of breaking bone turns my stomach.
“Wow, Rayne. Take it easy.”
She grabs my knives, wipes them clean, and hands them over. “What?”
“I’ve just never seen you do something like that before.”
“We need to get downstairs.” She kicks the door open and marches through, leaving me to follow, a prickle of unease teasing down my spine.
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