by Karen Lynch
I lowered my head until my mouth almost touched the rim of his ear. “You done?”
A hoot of laughter came from Seamus, and I heard the unmistakable sound of hands slapping in a high five. I was no fool. I knew the only reason I’d been able to take Chris down was by using his concern for me against him. But I was still going to enjoy the moment while it lasted.
It lasted all of ten seconds.
Chris moved so fast I was on my back before I could blink, his big body pressing me into the mat. He rose up on his elbows and gave me a wicked smile that made me breathless and tingly all over.
“You cheated,” he admonished huskily.
“Did not. My opponent had a weakness, and I used it against him.”
“Smart girl.”
He brushed away some of my hair that was plastered to my cheek. I was a sweaty mess, but the warmth in his eyes told me he cared about that less than I did. I didn’t move, willing my heart to slow down and my lungs to function normally.
“You’re not bad for a newbie.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Not bad?”
He rewarded me with another slow smile. “Above average.”
“Whatever.”
I huffed and tried to buck him off, which proved to be a big mistake. His eyes darkened perceptibly when our lower bodies pressed intimately against each other, and heat suffused me. My lips parted slightly, and his gaze fell to them.
“You guys want us to give you some privacy?” Mason called with a snort of laughter.
My face flamed. Chris grinned.
He rolled off me and to his feet. Before I could move, he reached down and took my hands, pulling me up. I hoped the others would attribute my red face to exertion from the fight and not from my embarrassment at nearly making out with Chris on the gym floor.
Seamus smirked at me as I walked over to grab a towel.
“You’ve got some moves, lass.”
“Thanks.”
“I taught her everything she knows,” Mason joked.
Chris laughed. “Good, because you’re up next.”
Mason’s smile fell. “What?”
Chris picked up my water bottle and carried it over to me. He gave me a conspiratorial wink before he turned to Mason.
“You need to up your game, too, if you don’t want Beth kicking your ass. So, who do you want to take on? Me or my Irish friend here?”
Mason swallowed. “That depends. Who likes me more?”
Seamus let out a guffaw. “Come on, lad. I’ll take it easy on you. Chris is still sporting a hangover from last night, so he’s a bit testy this morning.”
I looked at Chris, who was showing no signs of the terrible hangover he’d had when he woke up. He’d been in such a sorry state that it had been impossible not to feel bad for him, even if he had brought it on himself.
“I thought you were feeling better,” I said when Mason and Seamus walked away.
“The gunna paste and your nursing skills took care of the worst of it, but it takes a few hours to work the effect of murren out of your system.”
“Oh.”
“But I definitely wouldn’t say no to more nursing.”
I scoffed. “Nice try.”
We watched Mason and Seamus exchange blows for a minute before I broke the comfortable silence between us.
“Did I look that slow when I fought you?”
Chris leaned in, lowering his voice. “Seamus is tapping his Mori’s speed to play with Mason. You both fight well.”
Pleasure washed over me. “Thanks.”
“We can do this again tomorrow if you want to. I did promise to practice with you.”
“Yes,” I said quickly.
He chuckled, and I grinned at my own eagerness.
“I should warn you I know your tricks now and I won’t fall for them next time.”
I lifted a shoulder, feigning nonchalance. “Guess I’ll have to come up with some new ones.”
Chapter 17
Chris
IF I’D KNOWN getting drunk on demon liquor was the way to get Beth back, I would have downed a gallon of murren weeks ago. The hangover was brutal, but it was more than a fair price to see her smile again.
I watched her laugh at something Sara said as they carried plates and a large bowl of salad outside and set them on the patio table. As if Beth sensed my gaze on her, she looked my way and quickly averted her eyes. But not before I saw the telltale pink in her cheeks.
It had been like that between us ever since our practice session in the gym this morning. Every time she did it, I wanted her a little more, but I’d promised her we’d go slow, and I meant to keep that promise, even if it killed me.
“You better turn those steaks unless you want them well-done,” Nikolas said as he walked past me.
I pulled my attention away from Beth and finished grilling the steaks for dinner. Piling them on a plate, I brought them to the table where Beth, Sara, and Nikolas were already seated. I took the open chair next to Beth, and she gave me a little smile when I sat closer than was necessary.
When we’d talked about grilling steaks for dinner, I’d figured there would be more of us, considering how many people we had staying at the house. I had a suspicion the rest of them had deliberately made themselves scarce to allow the four of us to have a quiet evening together.
The conversation was light as we talked about Westhorne, and Sara lamented over missing her pets and the imps. I’d long since stopped shaking my head whenever she talked about the three imps that lived in their apartment at home. Only Sara could convince Nikolas to share his home with those pesky little fiends.
Talk turned to motorcycles, and Beth’s face lit up when we started discussing what bikes would be right for Sara’s smaller frame. Beth knew her motorcycles, and she soon engaged in a lively debate with Nikolas on the pros and cons of the models he was considering. Few people, other than Sara, could hold their own against Nikolas in an argument, even a friendly one, but Beth didn’t back down.
Eventually, the conversation came around to the topic that was foremost in everyone’s minds these days. Where was the Lilin, and why had he been so quiet lately?
“Maybe he left Los Angeles because we were getting too close,” Beth suggested.
I almost wished she was right because it would mean he was far away from her, but I knew better.
“Based on how long he’s been active here, he’s close to the peak of his breeding cycle. It would take too long for him to set up in another city, and it’s too risky to move the girls he’s taken.”
The mood around the table grew more somber at the reminder that those girls were running out of time.
Sara tapped her water glass thoughtfully. “Could it be that he has all the girls he wants, and that’s why he’s being so quiet?”
Nikolas nodded grimly. He and I had discussed this exact possibility today. We hadn’t heard of any girls disappearing since the two we’d rescued in San Francisco, but the Lilin could have taken girls from outside the state and had them brought here if he was growing desperate.
Beth’s brow creased with worry. “I can’t bear to think of what those girls are going through. They must be so scared.”
“Lilin treat their female captives well,” I told her. “He will pamper them and keep them in luxury.”
“But they’re still prisoners.”
“Yes. But they probably don’t know that. He’ll keep them under the influence of his power to make sure they are calm and happy and in the best physical health.”
Beth paled. “God, it sounds like a breeding stable for horses.”
I had no response to that because she was right. A Lilin was methodical in his selection, and he collected what he considered to be the best breeding stock. His one goal was to ensure he got strong, healthy offspring.
Beth grew quiet, and I worried for the hundredth time that this job was too much for her. Most new warriors worked at strongholds for the first few years, and they were gradually exposed to the worst this
world had to offer. No one fresh out of training should have to deal with something this serious.
Sara leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath of cool evening air.
“This California weather is spoiling me. I guess I’ll have to get used to the cold again when we go to New York.”
“We can stay here if that’s what you want,” Nikolas told her.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “Oh, no. California’s great, but I can’t wait to see New York.”
Beth leaned forward in interest. “When do you leave?”
“We’ll stay here until the current threat is over,” Nikolas said. “The Council purchased a property there, and it’s being renovated now.”
“There’s a huge demon community there, almost as big as the one here,” Sara added. “I’m going to get to know them while Nikolas does his thing.”
I met Nikolas’s gaze across the table and fought back a laugh. I already knew his thoughts on Sara’s plans to build relations with the demons. He wasn’t against it. He just wasn’t sure he and New York were ready for it.
Beth smiled. “That should be fun.”
“You guys have to come visit us,” Sara told her. “There’s so much to do there.”
I watched Beth’s reaction to Sara’s assumption the two of us would be together then, and I felt a surge of relief when she smiled.
Beth looked at me. “I thought you were going to New York with them.”
I realized then that I hadn’t told her I planned to assume leadership of this command center after Nikolas left. Although, I’d made that decision before she and I had bonded, and having a mate changed things. Did she even want to stay in Los Angeles?
“I’ll stay here for now. I’m not sure about long-term. What about you? Do you want to see New York?”
Her smile grew. “Yes. It’s on my list of places to visit.”
“I want to travel, too,” Sara said eagerly. “Nikolas and I are going to Africa next year.” She grinned at him. “He promised to show me the best sunsets in the world.”
Nikolas gave her an indulgent smile. “And I always keep my promises.”
Sara turned to Beth again. “Maybe we can all go together.”
One of the French doors opened before Beth could reply, and Raoul strode out, his serious expression telling me he wasn’t coming to hang out.
“We got a call from someone at the mayor’s office. There’s a problem on a container ship down at the port.”
“What kind of problem?” I asked, pushing back my chair. City officials only contacted us when it was something big.
“The bazerat kind,” Raoul answered wryly. “Some genius tried to ship a whole container of them, and it broke open when they loaded it on the ship. The ship is overrun. Luckily, most of the crew weren’t on board yet. The ones who were are holed up on the bridge.”
Nikolas and I stood at the same time. Bazerats were rat-like demons about the size of a small dog that were normally found in the Amazon. A single bazerat was harmless, but a whole pack was deadly, especially once they picked up the scent of blood. We had to contain them before some of them managed to get off the ship, if they hadn’t already. The last thing we needed was those things breeding in the sewers.
“Call in everyone you can find,” Nikolas told Raoul.
“Will’s already on it.”
I looked at Beth. “Ever work with bazerats in training?”
“No.”
Sara laughed. “Then you’re in for a real treat.” She tossed her napkin on the table. “What are we waiting for? We have a pack of demon rodents to round up.”
* * *
I looked up from my tablet when I sensed Beth approaching, and I watched her enter the house through the French doors. She was dressed comfortably in leggings and a T-shirt with her hair piled on top of her head in a loose knot. In one hand, she carried a large mug. The other hand was wrapped in a bandage.
“How’s your hand?” I asked when she sank down on the other end of the couch.
“I should be able to take this off in an hour or so.”
I laid the tablet on the couch and slid over to her. “Let me check it.”
“It’s fine,” she protested, but she couldn’t hide the slight wince when I started unwrapping the bandage.
I gave her a stern look. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
I gently removed the wrapping and examined the two puncture wounds that went from the back of her hand to her palm. The holes were puckered, but there was no sign of infection. Bazerats, like many demons, had bacteria in their saliva that could cause infection if not treated carefully.
“I told you it was okay,” Beth grumbled.
I took my time wrapping her hand again. When I finished, I couldn’t resist lifting her hand and pressing a light kiss to her fingers.
“Do you do that for all your patients?” she joked a little breathlessly.
“Only the beautiful ones who jump into the hold of a ship to save me from a pack of hungry demons.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “A simple thank you will do.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile that hid my true emotions. I couldn’t let her know I was still worked up from watching her go down under a pile of bazerats. She’d come out of it with one bite and some scratches, but that was something I never wanted to see again.
It had been utter pandemonium when we’d arrived at the container ship last night, and it had taken the better part of the night for us to capture or kill every last bazerat and to deal with the injured. Not to mention the frightened crew who now believed they’d been overrun by a shipment of exotic rats from New Guinea.
When I’d followed the screams of a terrified dock worker into the hold, I found him trying to climb the side of a container with several bazerats hanging off him. The blood from his injuries had soon attracted dozens of the creatures. I’d tossed the man up on top of the container and set about dealing with the immediate threat.
What I hadn’t expected was for Beth to come running to my rescue, or for the bazerats to turn on her instead. I was pretty sure I’d lost decades off my life when they attacked her, and hours later I was still trying to calm my agitated Mori.
“You want breakfast?” I asked her, needing something to keep me busy.
“Sure.”
Sara walked into the living room. “I’ll have some.”
I cooked up eggs and sausage for the three of us, and we ate it at the breakfast bar. Sara and Beth kept the conversation light, and I felt a lot calmer inside by the time we finished eating.
Nikolas came in as Sara and Beth were cleaning the kitchen, and his grave expression immediately put me on edge again. Sara must have sensed something was off, because she dropped the dish towel and hurried to Nikolas.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We just got word that five more girls went missing last night.”
Sara gasped. “The Lilin?”
“They were all in the right age range.” His eyes met mine briefly. “One of them was Mei Lin.”
Beth put a hand to her mouth. “No.”
Mei was the girl we’d saved the night of the rave. Her parents had taken her away right after it happened, and I’d had no idea they had come back to town. Otherwise, we would have had someone watching her.
“The bazerats were a decoy,” I said almost to myself.
We’d been wondering why the Lilin was so quiet and now we knew why. He’d been arranging a distraction to keep us busy while he moved in and snatched those girls.
Nikolas’s face hardened. “Yes.”
Beth looked from Nikolas to me. “What do we do now?”
“We work harder to find the Lilin,” I told her, wishing I had a better answer. Without a solid lead or a stroke of good luck, it would be almost impossible to track him down. And in a city this big, there was no way we could know where he’d strike next or who his intended victims were.
“You and I have a call with Tristan in
thirty minutes,” Nikolas told me. “He’s speaking with the governor now.”
I picked up the tablet I’d left on the couch. “Better him than me.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Sara asked Nikolas.
“We’ll work out a plan of action after we talk to Tristan,” he said. His expression told me he still had no idea what that would be.
The call with Tristan went pretty much as I’d expected.
“The latest kidnappings have everyone on edge from the mayor of Los Angeles to the governor,” Tristan said with the weariness of a man with far too much responsibility on his shoulders. “They’re thinking of warning the public that we have a possible serial killer targeting young women in California.”
“They must know that would only cause a panic,” I said.
Tristan sighed. “I pointed that out, along with the fact that it would make our job a lot more difficult. It took some convincing, but I think I managed to put them off that idea for now.”
Nikolas leaned back in his chair with his arms across his chest. “Do they know that the Lilin will soon have all the girls he needs, if he doesn’t already?”
“Yes, but that did little to appease them, especially when I told them none of the missing girls would be recovered if we don’t find the Lilin before it’s too late. A rash of unsolved missing persons cases doesn’t look good on a mayor’s record when re-election time comes around.”
I shook my head. I’d never understand how humans could put politics above lives. There was some politics around the Council, but in the end, our governing body always worked together to serve one purpose – protect our people and humanity.
Tristan’s chair creaked, and I knew he’d gotten up to walk around his office, something he did when he was agitated.
“I assured the governor that we have our best people on this, and we are sending every available warrior to California. Although, at this point, I’m not sure how much can be done.”
Nikolas and I shared a look because Tristan was right. The Lilin must be getting close to breeding, which meant we were running out of time and so were the girls he’d taken. Once he started breeding, he wouldn’t emerge from his lair until after his offspring were born. Our window to find him was growing smaller with each day that passed.