Chapter 1
Chris
“We’ve got company.”
I adjusted my grip on my sword as half a dozen cutlass-wielding gulaks ran into the basement, followed by two ranc demons with semi-automatic weapons. I grimaced at the sight of the guns. Ranc demons had terrible aim, and it would take a lot of bullets to kill one of us, but getting shot still hurt like hell.
I’d worked with Nikolas so long that no words were needed. My free hand went to one of the knives in my harness, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him do the same.
In one fluid motion, I pulled a knife free and sent it flying at the nearest ranc demon. He made a choked sound and fell to his knees as the blade buried itself in his chest. Next to him, the second ranc demon went down without a sound as Nikolas’s knife found its mark.
“That’s better,” Nikolas said, facing the gulaks. “Let’s do this.”
The gulaks shouted and charged us, and I found myself battling three of the lizard-like demons at once.
I blocked the first gulak’s strike with my sword and felt the force of the blow all the way to my shoulder. Spinning away from him, I swung low and slashed open the stomach of the second one. He bellowed in pain as I ducked the oncoming blade from the third one.
Coming around for a counterattack, I landed a kick on the first gulak’s knee, sending him staggering backward as my blade sliced cleanly through the wrist of the third one. He roared as his sword hit the floor with his hand still gripping the hilt.
Lucky for me, gulaks were known more for their brute strength than their skill with a blade, or I might have been relieved of a few favorite body parts before I was done with them. With the three of them disarmed, it was easy enough to dispatch them back to the hell they came from.
Too easy.
I looked at Nikolas, who was wiping his blades on the pants of a fallen gulak.
“You’d think a slave-trafficking operation as big as this would have a lot better security.”
He nodded as his gaze swept the basement. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“How’s it going down there?” Sara’s voice came over the comm she insisted we wear on jobs now. She could talk to Nikolas through their bond, but she liked us all to be in contact. He and I had never used communication devices, but Sara felt better with us wearing them.
“We’re good, boss,” I retorted.
“How are the humans?” Nikolas asked as he stepped over a gulak body.
We’d entered the four-story building from the roof, and the first thing we’d done was take out the guards on the top floor and free the captives up there. Once the floor was secure, Sara stayed behind with Paulette to reassure the terrified humans while the rest of us cleared the building.
“Few cuts and bruises, but alive.” Her voice sounded a little breathless, and I knew she was moving around checking on her charges. “We have fourteen human girls and three mox females up here. One of the demons needs medical attention… Hold on.”
She went quiet for a few seconds. “One of the girls said five more were taken away before we got here. They could still be in the building.”
“We’re on it,” Nikolas said. “Raoul, you copy?”
“Copy,” Raoul replied. “Three is clear, and we’re doing a sweep of two now.”
“We’ll work our way up to you,” Nikolas said.
Sara cut in. “Be careful. Don’t make me have to come down there and save your sorry asses.”
Nikolas smiled and shook his head, and I was struck by how much he’d changed in the year and a half since he’d met Sara. Dedicated to his warrior lifestyle, he’d been the last person I’d expected to settle down, but one look at my little cousin and my best friend had fallen hard.
He used to almost lose it when Sara was in any kind of danger, and I’d often wondered how he was going to deal with her being a warrior. Now they worked together, and he’d finally accepted that his mate could take care of herself. That didn’t mean he didn’t worry, though.
We moved silently through the basement until we came to a utility room. Nikolas reached for the knob and stopped, sniffing the air.
“You smell that?”
I sniffed and nodded grimly as the coppery scent of fresh blood hit me.
“Human,” I said in a low voice.
We positioned ourselves on either side of the door, and Nikolas turned the knob, easing the door open to reveal a dead girl inside. One look at her ravaged throat told me no gulak had killed her.
I crouched and touched the body. “Still warm.”
“We have a fresh vampire kill,” Nikolas barked to the team. “Stay sharp.”
“I’m not picking up anything,” Sara said.
No one questioned her because her “vampire radar,” as she called it, was never wrong. She could sense any vampire within a quarter-mile radius and even tell what direction they were coming from. Pretty useful skill to have in our line of work.
Nikolas and I left the room and continued our search of the basement. It didn’t take me long to find the open sewer grate in the boiler room where the vampire had exited the building.
I peered through the hole at the blackness below. “What do you think?”
“If Sara can’t sense him, he’s long gone,” Nikolas called from the hallway. “Let’s finish down here and head up.”
I headed for the door and let out a grunt when I walked straight into an invisible wall as I tried to pass through the doorway.
I rubbed my nose. “What the hell?”
Nikolas tried to enter the room, coming up against the same barrier. He pushed at it with his hand. “Force field. My guess is it’s warlock made.”
“Nice,” I groused. So much for the lack of security. “What now?”
He smirked as he spoke into his comm. “Sara, it looks like you have to save Chris’s ass after all. He got himself stuck behind a warlock barrier.”
Sara laughed. “I’m on my way. Give me a minute to –” She gasped loudly. “Five vampires, coming fast!”
No sooner had she spoken than the first vampire leaped through the sewer grate. Nikolas battered the magic barrier, and I heard Sara say something, but I was too distracted to listen.
I brought my sword up as the vampire rushed me without waiting for his backup. He screamed as my blade sliced him from navel to shoulder, and he fell backward onto the second vampire coming through the grate. His brethren threw him aside, and he slammed into a pipe, sending water gushing everywhere.
The newcomer snarled at me but kept his distance as three more vampires jumped through the hole in the floor. I quickly sized up the situation. These were not young vampires, judging by how fast they’d gotten here after Sara had detected them. That didn’t bode well for the good guys – namely me.
The only female in the group looked me up and down lecherously. She was blonde, and she’d been in her early twenties when she was changed.
“I’ll do some one-on-one time with you when the boys have had their fun.” She licked one of her fangs. “I’ll even let your friend watch.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, I have a rule. No sex with people I have to kill. It puts a real damper on the romance.”
Behind me, Nikolas snorted.
One of the male vampires snarled. “Enough playing around, Jen. Let’s do this.”
She huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Fine. You want him, he’s –”
A white flash lit up the room. Out of nowhere a slender brunette girl appeared, sprawled on her back between me and the vampires. I couldn’t tell who was more shocked to see her there.
She sat up and looked around in wonder. “What do you know? It worked. Sort of.”
She tossed a sheepish smile over her shoulder at him. “Surprise.”
“Who the fuck are you?” demanded the female vampire from the other side of the room. She and the others had been driven back by Sara’s arrival, but they were inching forward again.
Sara stood and dusted off her jeans. “I’m here to rescue him.”
The female stared at her.
“It’s our thing. He gets into trouble, and I save him.” Sara lifted her hands and let them fall back to her sides. “Men. What can you do, right?”
“Sara,” Nikolas ground out.
One of the males barked a laugh. “She’s wacko. Look, she doesn’t even have a weapon.”
I moved swiftly to Sara’s side. I’d seen enough of her power in the last year to know what she was capable of, but there was no way I’d let her face five vampires alone.
“New trick? Impressive.”
Her green eyes gleamed with excitement. “I can’t wait to tell Eldeorin I finally did it.”
I smiled at her. “Maybe we should deal with our little problem first before your mate loses it.”
“Oh, right.”
We sized up the five vampires watching us with a mix of confusion and malice. I was pretty sure they’d never encountered someone so wholly unfazed by their presence, and they had no idea what to make of her.
Sara looked at me. “I’ll take the three on the right. Can you handle two?”
I met her smirk with my own. “Try to keep up, little girl.”
I was on the first vampire before he knew I was coming. My blade severed his head, and his blood sprayed the shocked faces of his friends. To my right, another vampire screamed, and I glanced that way as he burst into flames.
A vampire took advantage of my distraction and rushed me. His claws scored my stomach and would have gutted me if I hadn’t spun away in time. Ignoring the burning pain, I came around quickly and took his arm off at the elbow. Before he could recover, I impaled him through the heart.
I turned to see two bodies engulfed in flames and the female vampire cowering against the far wall, her eyes darting to the sewer grate.
“Want to flip for it?” I joked to Sara.
She opened her mouth to reply but sucked in a sharp breath instead, her hand going to her chest. I knew we had more company before she got the words out.
What I wasn’t expecting was for my sweet little cousin to grab the front of my shirt and throw me toward the doorway. I hit the forcefield and fell to my knees, losing my grip on my sword. I regained my feet as another six vampires spilled from the sewer.
Before I could move for my weapon, Sara lit up like a bolt of lightning. I barely had time to make sure I was on dry ground before her power streaked through the water on the floor. Every vampire in the room screamed and convulsed before collapsing in smoking heaps.
I jerked as an errant spark of Fae magic set me back on my ass. It wasn’t enough to do damage, but it felt like I’d grabbed the end of a low voltage wire.
I let out a moan. “Son of a bitch.”
“Sorry!” Sara fell to her knees beside me. “Are you okay? Did I get you?” Her eyes widened, and she reached out to pat the side of my head. “Oops. You’re smoking a little.”
I gave her a suffering look, and her lips twitched.
“Sara,” Nikolas growled as Raoul, Brock, and Calvin arrived behind him to stare at the carnage.
She smiled at me and went to dissolve the barrier with a touch. Fae magic beat all other magic every day of the week.
In the next instant, Nikolas had her in his arms, looking like he wanted to yell at her and kiss her at the same time.
“Don’t mind me,” I called. “I’ll just lie here until my legs work again.”
Sara laughed, and Raoul came over to grab my hands and pull me to my feet. My legs wobbled a little, and I had to hold on to him for support.
“What happened to you?” Raoul asked.
“What do you think?” I grimaced at Sara. “I can’t believe you set my hair on fire.”
She looked me over. “It’s just a little charred on the ends.”
“Great.”
Her eyes sparkled with laughter. “Why? You have a hot date tonight?”
“Not yet.”
She rolled her eyes, and the others laughed.
Nikolas looked at Brock. “We’ll need a large cleanup team, and the human girls should go to the hospital.”
“And the mox demons?”
Sara stepped out of Nikolas’s arms. “I already called someone for them. I should probably get back to them and the girls.”
Nikolas gave her a wry smile. “Take the stairs this time.”
She laughed softly and kissed his jaw before she headed to the stairwell, leaving the rest of us with a pile of smoking vampire bodies.
I looked at Nikolas as I ran a hand through my hair to assess the damage. “Did you know she could transport?”
He rubbed his jaw in exasperation. “She and Eldeorin have been working on it, but as far as I knew, she hadn’t been able to do it since that first time.”
“Well, that should make for an interesting dinner conversation tonight.”
I’d had a few laughs at Nikolas’s expense since he’d bonded with Sara, and the fun hadn’t ended with their mating. Knowing my cousin, these two would keep me entertained for decades.
“When are you two heading to LA?” I asked him.
“Next week. Sara wants to stop by Westhorne for a few days first.”
Last year, we’d set up a temporary command center near Santa Cruz, and after we left, it was moved to Los Angeles. Now, the Council wanted to establish a larger, permanent command center there to handle the day-to-day operations in that area. They’d asked me to help get the center up and running, but I’d already committed to a long overdue visit with my parents in Germany. Nikolas had agreed to take over in my place.
We spent the next two hours working with the cleanup crew while Sara and Paulette saw to the girls we’d rescued and delivered them to the hospital. Then, we all met up again back at the safe house in Norcross.
After my shower, I found Nikolas and Sara in the kitchen, discussing dinner options.
I sat on one of the barstools. “You guys staying in tonight?”
“Yes,” Sara answered for them. “You are not dragging me to another nightclub like the last one.”
Wearing an innocent smile, I rested my arms on the granite counter. “What was wrong with Koma’s? You said you wanted to go somewhere laid-back where you didn’t have to dress up.”
She fixed me with a look of chagrin. “If those people had been any more laid-back, they would have been horizontal. In fact, some of them were.”
Nikolas chuckled, and she tossed him a half-hearted glare. “You’re as bad as he is.”
He tugged her back against him and trapped her with his arms. “How about I take you to Dominick’s, and then we’ll have a quiet night in?”
Her lips curved into a smile. “That sounds really nice.”
I laid my hands on the counter and stood. “And this is where I bid you good night.”
“You’re not coming to dinner with us?” Sara asked me.
I caught Nikolas’s eye and saw the subtle shake of his head.
“As much as I enjoy your company, Cousin, I think I’ll see if Raoul wants to go for a steak. Then I’ll probably head over to Buckhead.”
She hugged Nikolas’s arms. “I guess we’ll see you later.”
I smiled as I turned away. “Don’t wait up.”
Beth
I zipped up my weapons bag and set it on the floor next to my duffle. Straightening, I scanned the room I’d slept in since I was five. The pale-blue walls were covered in framed photos of my life here, and the shelves overflowed with books and treasures I’d collected over the years. A wave of nostalgia rushed over me. I’d had a good life here, and I was going to miss this place.
“Knock, knock.”
I turned to smile at Mason as his muscled form filled my bedroom doorway. His black hair was artfully mussed, and his blue eyes gleamed with excitement.
“I didn’t expect you until dinner. You packed already?”
He grinned and entered the room to throw his six-foot-one frame down on my pristine white bedspread. At a scowl from me, he kicked off his Chucks before he put his feet up.
“Unlike you, I don’t have a hundred pairs of shoes to pack. I figured you’d need help lugging all your bags.”
I let out a very unladylike snort. “For your information, I’m all packed, too.”
It was true I liked shoes, but I’d probably have little need for most of them on this assignment. A thrill went through me. My first assignment away from home.
He glanced at the duffle bag, and his brows rose. “One bag?”
I shrugged. “Warriors travel light. And you’d be amazed how much I fit in that thing.”
“Good, because we have a lot of traveling to do.”
Our eyes met and grins split our faces. Before I knew what he was up to, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down on the bed. We lay side by side, hands clasped and faces turned toward each other.
“This is it,” I said softly.
“This is it.”
He exhaled loudly and stared up at the ceiling. “Did you ever think this day would come?”
“Yes.” I studied his handsome face, which was as familiar to me as my own. “I always knew we’d get here, even if I had to drag your ass along with me.”
“Yeah, right.” He laughed and reached over with his free hand to tickle my ribs. “I seem to recall me kicking your little butt many times in training.”
“With a sword, maybe. But you still can’t best me in hand-to-hand.”
“In your dreams.”
I felt the slight tightening of his fingers on mine a second before he lunged. Bringing my legs and hands up against him, I twisted to the side, sending him flying over me. He hit the rug facedown, and I was on top of him before he could recover. My legs wound around his, and my hands twisted his arms to pin his larger body to the floor.
I leaned down to his ear. “Say ‘Beth is the best warrior ever.’”
“Beth is the second-best warrior ever,” said a muffled voice.
“Mason, Mason, when will you ever learn?” I let out a dramatic sigh.
“Beth, did you ask…? Oh, hello, Mason.”
Mason squirmed, and I dug an elbow into his back, smirking at Rachel, who stood in the doorway.
“I assume Mason is staying for dinner.” Her eyes sparkled, and her long red curls bobbed as she shook her head at us.
“Yes,” he said in a sulky voice that made me grin harder.
“Okay then. Dinner is in an hour.”
As soon as she left, I released Mason and rolled away from him, coming to my feet in a single motion. As expected, he grabbed for me, but I was already at a safe distance. I knew my best friend too well.
He sat up, glaring at me. I smiled back, and his lips twitched in response. He could never stay vexed with me for long.
I sank down on the edge of the bed and fingered the bedspread Rachel had given me years ago. Everything here was so familiar, and it felt strange to think that tomorrow night I’d be sleeping in a new room in a different state.
“It’s not forever. You’ll be back for a visit before you know it,” said Mason, who knew me as well as I knew him.
“I know. It’s just I’ve never lived anywhere else. Not since he…they found me. And I can’t imagine going months without seeing Rachel.”
I wasn’t related to Rachel by blood, but she was a mother to me in every way that mattered. She’d taken me in when I was a frightened six-year-old orphan, loving me and helping me through my grief for my human grandmother. It was Rachel who had explained the voice in my head and taught me to control my demon. She had also given me my first knife and shown me how to use it.
Mason pulled his phone from his back pocket and waved it at me. “They have this amazing device now called a phone, and you can even do video calls.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Besides, you’ll have me watching your back. What more could you want?”
“Absolutely nothing.” I chewed my lower lip. “You know, you can still go to Westhorne.”
He drew his knees up and rested his arms on them. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No. But I know how much you wanted to go there after training. You’d be there now if it wasn’t for me.”
“Every new warrior in the country wants to go to Westhorne. Well, except for you. By the way, have I told you lately how weird you are?” He gave me a lopsided smile. “There’ll be plenty of opportunities to go to Westhorne, but we only get one first assignment, and we’re doing it together like we always said we would.”
“But –”
“But nothing. I want to do this, and the way I see it, you owe me.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I owe you? For what?”
“For ruining me for other women.”
I burst out laughing. I’d known Mason most of my life, but we hadn’t become friends until we started training together at fourteen. He’d been a cocky thing and already a huge flirt, but back then, I’d had no interest in the boys at the stronghold. It wasn’t until I was seventeen and I’d finally tossed away all my silly girlish dreams of him, that I’d agreed to date Mason.
By then, we were sparring partners and he was my best friend, and the romance was doomed before it had started. He’d been my first kiss, and though he was skilled in that area, I couldn’t see past the friendship. He liked to joke that I’d broken his heart, even though he’d gone on a date with someone else two days later.
“I’ve lost count of the girls you’ve been with. If you’re ruined, I wouldn’t want to see you whole.”
A self-satisfied smile curved his lips.
“And if anything, you’ve ruined me for other men. I can’t talk to anyone like I do with you. So, the way I see it, you actually owe me.”
“I knew it. You secretly want me.”
I threw up my arms. “You’re hopeless. You know that?”
His stomach growled in response. “And hungry. When are you going to feed me?”
I stood and held out a hand. He took it, and I pulled him to his feet.
“Come on. Let’s go help Rachel. I’m sure we can find something to keep you alive until dinner.”
* * *
“Did you remember your phone?”
“Yes.” I pulled my cell from the inside pocket of my leather jacket and held it up to Rachel.
“Weapons?”
I pointed to the sword scabbard next to my seat and patted one of the large saddlebags on my bike. “All set.”
“Cash? Credit card?”
I placed my hands on Rachel’s shoulders and met her anxious gaze. “I’m good. Don’t worry.”
Her eyes misted. “How can I not worry? My little girl is going out into the world.”
“I’m not little anymore, and I can take care of myself,” I said in a soothing voice.
She sniffed softly. “I know you can, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Now I know how my mother felt when I left home the first time.”
I pulled her in and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Rachel.”
“I love you, too,” she said hoarsely.
We broke apart, both of us on the verge of tears. I looked at Mason, who stood with his parents a few feet away.
“Ready?” he asked, his eyes lit with anticipation.
I nodded, afraid my voice would crack if I spoke. This was no way for a warrior to behave.
Rachel handed me my helmet, and I donned it as I straddled the seat of my bike. When Mason and I had bought our motorcycles last year, he’d gotten a sleek black Ducati, the bike favored by most warriors. I’d gone for a more classic look and feel. I loved my dark-red Harley Davidson.
“Call me when you get there,” Rachel ordered.
“I will.”
I took a deep breath and started my bike, glad no one could see the tear that escaped and rolled down my cheek. I heard the Ducati rumble to life a few seconds before Mason pulled up beside me. We looked at each other, and I gave him a thumbs-up. And then we were off.
Side by side, we rode to the main gate that was already open for us. As we passed the gatehouse, I had a moment of panic, but it passed quickly. I stared at the road stretching out before us, and exhilaration replaced the butterflies in my stomach. This was it, the moment Mason and I had talked about for years. It felt almost surreal.
We reached the first bend in the road that would take us out of sight of home, and I slowed to look back at the sprawling stronghold behind the tall iron gates.
Mason’s voice came over the speaker in my helmet. “You good?”
“Yes.”
I sped up until I was beside him, and together, we rode away from Longstone.