VEE

Tension's a normal state in this house, but today it pervades everything.

Xander and Heath refuse to spend more than seconds in the same room, and Ewan spends all morning fixated on his laptop, slamming the keys in frustration. Joss shuts himself away in the study with his books, and it seems like I’m a spare part. I head back to bed exhausted by my night with Heath. As I snuggle beneath the covers, I inhale our mingled scents on the sheets and my mind wanders back to the night we spent together.

My past sexual encounters have been average. I've not had many due to my inability to hold down relationships. My social life and skills were always lacking, so finding a guy in the first place was a challenge. Most thought I had a sarcastic sense of humour—until they figured out my sarcasm was the truth. Not the best basis for early relationships.

The first time I kissed Heath, I knew from the intensity that sex was inevitable. The same intensity passed last night in the kitchen with Ewan. What will happen with Joss and Xander? I'd be lying if I said I didn't want them all, even the challenge named Xander.

But holy crap, sex shouldn't do that to a girl, surely? Last night, I was human in those few moments with Heath before the energy crackled and gripped in painful pleasure. No human could experience sex like that and not end up in hospital. I half smile to myself. Gives a new meaning to the word mind-blowing.

Would the same thing happen with the other three guys? The energy charged between us goes beyond the human we strive to be for our snatched time together, and reinforced we can never be. I'm aware I hold their powers inside me, but now I'm questioning if this is more.

Does my body contain a piece of each that unites through sex? With Ewan, I was super-charged from using my powers and needed him. With Heath, the need was different but the end result is I feel more connected to him. The energy surged again this morning with the gentlest kiss, as if we're plugged into each other and wrapping ourselves in something powerful.

When I woke, Logan's words echoed. Would I somehow consume the Horsemen’s powers and their ability to maintain order in the world? I quizzed Heath whether he felt weaker after sex with me. He responded with a lazy smile and told me he didn’t think so, and that maybe we should try again to be sure.

I definitely didn't weaken Heath.

Luxuriating in the memories won't help the situation we're facing, so I pull out my laptop, prop myself in bed, and logon. I've been absent from the darknet message boards for several days, due to my busy new life. Haha. The theorising and discussions appear insignificant now I know the truth, but I search for anything that could help our situation in any way. These people may not understand what they're uncovering, but I do and can easily pick out facts from the fiction.

I smile to myself as I read through the latest thread on the board from XroswellisrealX, who joined recently. He's obsessed by government conspiracies around aliens amongst us and shares grainy video clips of lights tracking across the sky and UFOs. Some link meteorological phenomenon as the answer, others scoff and make childish comments about alien-led anal probing. I suspect he needs to find more like-minded people elsewhere. Our interests lie in a different direction.

There're a few new posts discussing links between a number of global corporations and government departments. This is ongoing but recently we’ve uncovered new ventures linked to these corporations. We can’t find any details on what they do or produce. Yet.

What catches my eye is the number fifty-six on my inbox. I'm known on the boards, but not I’m popular enough to receive as many messages in several days.

I click. A few are from message board members asking me to check out something they've come across, but every third message comes from DoomMan with increasingly anxious questions. The last few contain one of two phrases: where are you? or contact me I'm worried.

I chew a nail and debate ignoring him. I've known him and his small group for six months, and we're on the same track and wavelength when it comes to what we suspect. He's attempted to 'recruit' me to his secretive group. A few days before my life became chaos, curiosity got the better of me, and I finally agreed to meet him. Now, I'm not keen, and the guys are divided over whether I should see him or not.

To be honest, I don't have time to meet someone with half-baked ideas. The guys will agree that locating whoever killed the fae, and finding contacts who can help with that is more important. I doubt a human can offer such information.

Human.

Eventually, I return his message: I'm safe.

I run through the other messages in my inbox, most asking if I have any information from Alphanet. I could never dig up much while employed there. But Heath said demons worked for Alphanet. Maybe the company isn't significant to higher levels?

As I'm closing the laptop lid, my message alert pings, and I open the chat box.

You didn't show for our meeting. Reschedule?

I rub my hand across my mouth. I can't.

Are you sure you're safe? Shit happened. I need to see you.

What?

WatchMan is missing.

My waning interest sharpens back into focus. WatchMan? I've known him as long as DoomMan. They appeared at the same time on the boards, and they're two of the only four I believe are genuinely onto something. Three now. DoomMan, Watchman and LonelyGhost. Their fourth, RedRogue, disappeared last month and was discovered a week later.

Dead.

Fuck. I remember the death. I never saw images of his body, but they had to identify him from dental records. DoomMan would only tell me someone set fire to him while he was still alive, and I blanked everything from my mind at that point.

Exactly the same way I blanked DoomMan from my mind while coping with the new world replacing my old.

When I don't respond, another message pings. Meet up. I think we need to watch each other.

Oh yeah, I can really see that idea going down well with the guys. But I have enough protection—and power—to defend myself.

Another message: Look at this. Is this a message to us? Crime scene. Usual code to open.

A file appears in the inbox, and I hesitate. Our group uses encryption unique to us, and a couple of weeks ago I was allowed access to their files, but I don't know if I want to see what's inside.

I steel myself, although considering what I've seen recently, this can't be too bad. The files are zipped and password protected by our code, which I enter. A doc and a jpeg. I click the jpeg and freeze.

The body lying on a floor, bloodied and broken in a mirror of the scene outside this house, isn't what catches my eye. A message triggers shaking through my whole body. The letters are similar to those I saw earlier, the writing in red and painted on a rough wall in the shadowed corner.

Truth or Dare

My code name.

* * *

I stumble downstairs, gripping my open laptop and slam straight into Xander.

"Whoa!" He steps back and frowns. "What's wrong?"

"I need to speak to Ewan."

"Why? What's happened?" I shake my head. He can't help. Ewan knows the site and the people. I can't have Xander bossing me into how he wants to handle the situation.

Sidestepping Xander, I dash to the kitchen, slate tiles cool against my bare feet. His frown matches Xander's when he looks up. "You okay?"

"This." I half drop the laptop beside him and perch on a chair. "DoomMan left me messages. He's online now. Sent me this."

The words come breathlessly from my constricted lungs.

"I was on the site before and didn't find anything," says Ewan.

"It was between our group only. Look!" I jab a finger at the screen. “His eyes are burnt out, the same as the body left here.”

Ewan's face masks in shadow. "Fuck. What is this?"

"I didn't open the other file." Ewan pushes his laptop to one side and slides mine across. He clicks open the document and scans, eyes moving quickly to take in the information.

"Police report. Inner London. Hang on." He touches the screen, mouthing words. "Two days ago. Shit."

Xander strides into the kitchen, sour faced. "What did you walk past me for?"

"Because I needed Ewan," I retort. "He understands this stuff."

"Ewan?"

"I think we have a related murder. Another body."

"What the hell?" The laptop moves again as Xander drags it around, leaning over with his hands on the table. "Where did you find this?"

"DoomMan... the guy from my group sent me this. Someone we know is missing, so he's been tracing police reports and found this."

Xander taps his fingers on the table. "DoomMan? The guy who coincidentally wanted to meet you just before we found you, huh?"

"Look at the words, Xander! Truth or Dare!"

"I can read the words, Vee!"

We glare at each other and Ewan stabs Xander in the hand with a pen. "Don't bloody start, you two. I've heard enough of you and your brothers' tantrums today."

I'd smile, but the stress wipes any chance of that away. "Me! This message refers to me. That’s my codename in the group."

Xander perches on the table and puts his booted feet on the chair. "Who is this DoomMan guy anyway?"

"Someone I've known online for a while."

"How long?"

"I don't know. Six months or so?"

Xander draws in a deep breath. "Ewan?"

"Yeah. I've never seen him around online.”

"We're part of a more hidden group. Doom doesn't post a lot because he's suspicious people might be onto him."

"Funny how your sort are extra paranoid," replies Xander.

"My sort? Like pretend humans who are actually supernatural constructs?"

"I said, stop it!" Ewan stabs Xander again and another red mark appears on the back of his hand.

"He has a right to be worried. This is the second in the group who disappeared and turned up dead," I say.

“Second?” asks Ewan.

Xander huffs. "What did you say to DoomMan? What else does he know?"

"Nothing. I logged off as soon as I saw this and came to show you.

Joss appears in the doorway, a large brown book in hand. "What's going on in here?"

I step back to allow Joss to look, and he chews the edge of his mouth. "The same killer?"

"Presumably. Just a subtle hint he knows Vee's with us," says Ewan.

Xander's silence doesn't escape me, and I side glance him. He holds his hand across his mouth and stares into the distance.

"I can't cope with anymore of this!" Ewan slumps back in his seat. "Murders, fae, human bodies, what next for fuck's sake?"

"Why didn't you find this report when you looked?" Xander demands.

Ewan indicates himself. "Me? I've only just started looking into this. Give me a bloody chance!"

"This situation is urgent! How did we miss this?"

"Right. And fighting with your brother is helpful to the situation is it?" snaps Ewan

How do these guys successfully achieve anything when they spend half their time bickering like schoolgirls?

"Okay, guys. Calm the fuck down. We need to decide what to do," says Joss. "Things are shit. Let’s get back on top of everything."

"I think we look further into this," says Ewan and indicates my screen. "London's not too far. Doable before night."

Xander shakes his head as if shaking away a thought. "Right. Sorry, I’m not processing this well,” he mutters. “We need to get this organised. Find Heath and we'll figure out our next move."