Clucking my tongue, I examine the mark running along my cheekbone. A long red angry welt. I’m lucky the crop the night before missed my eye. It hurts like a bitch. Ghosting it with my fingers, it stings. Tucking the compact mirror away in my bag, I check my phone.

“Thanks for letting me crash on your spare bed last night. You’ve got a really nice place.” Snatch murmurs where he’s sitting beside me on the bus.

“Sure, no problem. Thanks for getting me home in one piece.” Not glancing up, I check my messages.

None of my team have been to my flat before. Caesar always picks me up a few streets away. He doesn’t even know the house number. This is a first. And it feels awkward.

I’ve never needed anyone to take care of me before. Yet Snatch did. Taking charge after we left the club with me still high. He had known exactly how to cope with me from his own experience with drug use.

After coming down, it left me exhausted. I’d barely been coherent, but he had managed to get my address out of me and get us safely back. Everything else is a blur. Sounds. Sensations. Fragments of broken intense dreams of fondling hands and icy lips.

“This is our stop.” Snatch tells me with an elbow to my side.

Shoving my phone away in a pocket, I grab the two plastic bags laying at my feet, swaying with the motion of the vehicle.

Bus coming to a halt, we both hurry off.

The safe house we use is in Camden town. It’s clean, secure. Ground floor for easy access, it holds all the basics anyone might need. Generally it’s one of the best places to lay low. The reason I picked it.

Even this early the streets are busy. It doesn’t take long for us to reach the flat.

Scanning up and down the road I make a quick mental note of the cars and people. It pays to be careful.

Extracting the key from the pocket of my leather jacket, I open the front door. The sound of the TV is playing softly. Somewhere else, I can hear music from a radio.

“Morning, I’ve brought you breakfast.” I call.

Snatch trails after me.

Leo appears in the kitchen door. “About bloody time.” He complains, swaying as he comes to greet us. Dark blonde hair a mess it looks as if he’s been running his hand through it in agitation. As per usual he’s dressed in something overly bright and clashing.

“Where’s Caesar?”

“Cassandra touched him so he’s freaking out in the bathroom hyperventilating or some shit.”

Alcohol. The smell is heavy on his breath.

Fucking fantastic, our lush is already making a head start on getting himself plastered and it’s not even ten am yet.

Shoving the bags of food into his arms, I shoot him a questioning look. “Cassandra?”

“The girl you dumped on us yesterday afternoon. We managed to get her name out of her, but nothing else.”

She speaks. Maybe we can get something useful out of her. She must know why the demons were after her. It could enlighten us as to why our boss wanted us to rescue her.

“Where is she?”

“In there watching TV. What happened to your face?” Leo asks, gaze zoning in on my cheek.

“Someone hit me with a crop.”

A grin creeps up his mouth, expression turning knowing. “Ooh la la, someone had a kinky evening!”

Ignoring him, I head down the hall to the bathroom.

Caesar hasn’t had an attack for months. Mostly to do with the fact we abide by his wish not to engage in physical contact.

Pressing my ear to the closed door, I hear running water.

“Hey, you ok in there?”

“Go away.” Comes the muffled reply.

“Caesar...”

“Just give me a while.” It’s gruff, but I know he’s recognized my concern.

As silence stretches, I know I’m wasting my time. He’ll be out when he’s ready. Whatever time he needs we have no choice but to give him.

“Did you fuck Snatch last night?”

Swivelling, I find Leo directly behind me, arms crossed over his chest, dark blonde eyebrows raised in enquiry.

“What? No.” I respond, stepping past him. Seriously? Where the fuck is this coming from. It’s way too early for his kind of shit right now.

“Then why did he stay at your place? Was he the one giving you a good cropping?”

Groaning inwardly, I roll my eyes. I should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut. “Because we bumped into each other and he needed a place to crash, that’s all. We did not do the naked rumba or anything else your dirty mind can come up with.”

It’s not really a lie. I’m not about to tell him Snatch took me home when I could barely look after myself. I just hope to God Snatch kept that information to himself.

“But you did get laid.” Leo persists, eyeing me up and down. “I recognize that post amazing fuck glow.”

“You know I don’t divulge personal stuff. Why don’t you go eat something and sober the fuck up?”

“Still an uptight bitch.” He taunts back with no heat to his words. He’s just being a catty drunk.

Flashing him the middle finger, I go in search of Cassandra. It’s time I had a chat with our charge.

Crossed legged in front of the TV, she’s watching cartoons, wearing a pair of fluffy pink pyjamas. With the dirt gone from her skin, the hollowness of her cheeks is more pronounced. She looks like a child more than a young woman. Long, black hair, loose and clean, it ripples around her shoulders as she moves.

“Are you hungry?”

Gaze shifting my way, her big blue eyes blink up at me.

“You think it’s your fault, but it’s not.”

Confused by her words, I frown. “What?”

“None of it is,” she continues, her voice strangely serene.

I stare at her blankly. Maybe her time with the demons has driven her nuts. They’ve been known to break the minds of captives as well as their bodies.

“Nathan.” She says the name softly.

Everything inside me freezes. How does she know? No one here does. My team are in the dark about my family ties like I am about theirs.

“What is she talking about?” Snatch asks, absently rustling through the paper bag of breakfast sandwiches.

Anxiety twists my stomach. “Nothing.”

Delicate fingers clutch my wrist, stopping me from rising. “You can’t stop fate. It’s like fighting against the sea. In the end it will drown you. That day was one of those moments. There was nothing you could have done to save him. No one expected that of you at ten years old. Not even your brother.”

Ripping free, I stumble away. “Shut up. Shut the fuck up.”

Cassandra doesn’t pursue me. Instead, she turns back to watch the TV as if nothing occurred. It’s creepy as fuck. Her show leaves me with the desperate need for space.

“You’ve got a brother?”

Rubbing my wrist self-consciously where she touched I slink back until I’m beside the window. “We still don’t know what she is?”

I don’t want to answer his question. This is pushing past my comfort zone which has already been dented. Making me feel things I generally keep on lock down. I don’t need the lines to blur. Not now. Not ever.

“No idea.” He responds right before taking a bite of his sandwich.

“I know a guy who might know.” Caesar’s appearance in the doorway startles us all.

Pained green eyes meet mine beneath his tartan cap. It makes me wonder if something more happened between him and Cassandra. Did she spook him too?

Cup of coffee in hand, Leo joins him. “I thought Gabriel told us to stay put.”

“He did,” I confirm.

“But he’s not telling us everything, is he, and that’s not like him, is it, Mavi?” Snatch licks his fingers smeared in ketchup. “And I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s giving me a bad feeling.”

Glancing out the window, I hum in my throat. “Can your guy keep his mouth shut? Whatever she is we don’t need someone who will rat us out for easy money.”

“His reputation is iron clad. He won’t say a word.” Caesar assures me, rubbing his thick beard.

“Fine. Set up a meeting.” I tell him, gaze on the guy down on the street. He’s leaning casually against a wall as if he’s waiting for someone. Something about him seems off. I’m not sure what it is. It’s just a feeling. A certainty that he is out of place. By now, I know to trust my instincts.

“Get your shit together. This place has been compromised. We take the back way out.”

Snatch shuffles up beside me. Peering through the curtain, he checks out my view. “Who do you think he is?”

“Could be a demon.” Leo murmurs, joining us to look. “Do you think you were followed?”

“It’s possible. All of this is feeling hinky right now.” Slipping my new 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol from the holster on my belt, I check it over. Gabriel’s blessed ammo are loaded. If demons are lurking, there won’t be a problem getting rid of them. Hopefully, that’s all we’ll be facing. With all the supernaturals hidden in the city who take bounty hunting jobs we might have a problem if there’s a price out on Cassandra’s head. Why the fuck has our boss left us in the dark? It goes against everything we’ve been through before.

“Caesar, can you bring your van behind the building? I want to leave as unnoticeable as possible.”

Giving me a nod, he strides out the door.

“What about her?” Leo questions, before taking a sip of coffee.

Completely unaware of the danger around her, Cassandra giggles at the antics of several cartoon characters. She’s in her own world.

“You and Snatch make sure she gets dressed.”

Stalking to the corridor, I secure the locks on the front door. We don’t need any surprises. One of the reasons I picked this location was because of the escape route. Swiftly moving into the kitchen, I roll up the carpet in the middle of the floor. The metal of the hatch hidden below gleams in the morning sunlight filtering through the window.

Hooking fingers in the small hole at the side, I heave it open with a grunt. Steps lead down into the inky silent blackness. The smell rising is overpowering. Covering my nose with my hand, I try to adjust breathing through my mouth. It’s handy having a sewer running right beneath. Makes a perfect undetectable getaway exit.

The sound of Snatch and Leo’s voices talking are a drone from another room. Hopefully they’re getting the girl ready. We don’t need any more unforeseen problems.

Riffling through a drawer, I find two torches.

“We’re ready.” Snatch tells me as they troop in.

Cassandra is in a pair of light blue jeans, a heavy knit red sweatshirt, and trainers.

It will do to keep out the November cold. Eyes clouded in fear, it seems to finally sink in we might be in trouble. Hands twisting together nervously, she doesn’t say a word.

“Christ, it stinks down there.” Leo complains, wrinkling his nose.

“Start bitching and I’ll leave you here. Just breathe through your mouth. Snatch, you lead.” Handing him a torch, I motion for them to climb down.

“Why do I have to go first?”

Leo snickers, dumping his empty cup in the sink. “Because I’m tipsy and Mavi will want to guard our rear which makes you the most responsible one to lead.”

“Just get in the fucking hole.” Flicking my light on, I wait for the three of them to descend.

Whoever it is keeping an eye on the place is probably doing surveillance. It’s better we’re gone before they work out we’ve given them the slip. It gives me the sneaking suspicion that all the safe houses we’ve been given are compromised. Have we been betrayed by someone close to the team? Someone from Cease Fire? I file that unpleasant thought away for now.

Carefully climbing down the metal ladder, I join them on the narrow walkway. We have a few streets to travel before we reach the meeting point.

Torch light jiggling as he moves, Snatch guides the way. He knows the direction. We’ve been over escape routes enough times that everyone knows them by heart.

“You know there are supposed to be giant crocodiles down here.” Snatch whispers.

“That’s the sewers in New York.” I reply dryly back. “And it’s an urban myth.”

“London has giant rats.”

“They don’t exist, Leo, so stop trying to wind Snatch up.”

Leo sucks his teeth. “And how do you know that? You come down here a lot, do you?”

Something scraping behind us cuts off my ready reply.

“What the fuck was that?” Snatch whines. His imagination is probably dancing with the horrific possibilities.

“It’s already begun, you just don’t know it yet.” Cassandra murmurs, her voice so eerie it makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “He’s coming for us.”

Growling echoes along the walls. Not rats. No, whatever it is, it’s much bigger.

“Keep moving and get Cassandra to Caesar.” Tugging my gun free, I turn back to intercept it. We don’t need something right up our arse when we need to climb out.

They don’t wait to argue. Hearing their footsteps diminish it gives me one less thing to worry about.

The tapping of claws advances closer.

Straining my ears, I pick up more than one set. Fuck, there’s at least three creatures coming my way.

Holding a weapon and a torch at the same time is awkward, but I still manage.

Releasing a breath, I relax my shoulders. The moment I see a nose or head I won’t hesitate.

Yellow eyes. That’s the first thing I glimpse. Then a streak of brown fur. It’s fast. Dodging out of the thin beam of light, it bounds towards me.

Squeezing my trigger, it yelps as a bullet slams into its shoulder.

Another blur comes at me down the tunnel. Jaws open large, sharp white teeth flash in the dim torchlight.

Firing, I aim for its flank.

Werewolves. I’ve dealt with their kind before. Without silver bullets, I won’t be able to take them down for good. All I’m doing is slowing their progress.

“Benson, Ryan, stop dicking around.” Calls a familiar voice.

“Cade, is that you?” Squinting, I make out the hulking silhouette further along. Not in his beast form, the Alpha wolf is in the process of stripping off his clothes.

“Mavi?” The gruff voice is filled with surprise. “What the fuck you doin’ down here?”

Keeping my weapon trained on the two still on their bellies, I adjust the light. “Trying to not get my arse mauled by your brothers.”

Yellow eyes turn my way. Lips curling back, they snarl, baring teeth in aggression.

I’ve pissed them off. I might not have used silver, but a bullet still hurts like fuck, no matter what species you are, even if it doesn’t kill you.

“Benson, Ryan, I suggest you back up unless you want this bad arse bitch to castrate you.”

That makes me grin. He knows my reputation well.

Growling low in their throats, the large wolves back off.

“I’m guessing your with the girl we’ve been paid to hunt and bring in.”

Cade and his kin are bounty hunters. I’ve dealt with them before. They’re good. Some of the best and come at a high price to hire.

“Yeah. She’s under my protection,” I confirm.

“Fuck. Why do you have to go make this complicated?”

“Who’s your client?”

Raking a hand through his shaggy mane of brown hair, he sighs. “You know I can’t tell you that, but you’re in some deep shit, that’s all I’m saying.”

Demons. It has to be. Werewolves don’t generally fear anyone, but when it comes to Hell-spawn it makes them jumpy. I’m not stupid enough to imagine they’re the only hunters who have been hired. Whoever wants Cassandra, they want her bad.

“Maybe we can get together again some time?” Cade asks with a hopeful tone.

For a werewolf he’s a sweet guy. The only other male apart from Max who I allowed to take control in the bedroom. There’s something about alphas that makes me hot all over.

“You know my rule. I do you once and that’s all you get.”

A rule I’ve already broken with Max. Shaking off that niggling thought, I back up. The guys will be wondering where I am. I don’t need them in this mess. They’ll only get in the way with the tunnel so narrow.

“You’re breaking my fucking heart here, Mavi,” he moans with a wounded expression.

“Not my fault your bitches don’t know how to fuck properly.”

Benson and Ryan growl as they pace up and down beside him. They’re getting impatient. They were ready for a fight and all their instincts will be demanding they follow through.

“You got twenty-four hours to get yourself out of the shit you’re in or I’m coming for you and the girl.”

Gaze snapping up, I lock eyes with their older brother. There’s a hungry sexual gleam in their depths. He means every word. I know he has a soft spot for me, but I didn’t know it went this far. Do I trust him? He’s never broken a promise as long as I’ve known him. They have a code of honour.

“Thanks.” Lowering my gun, I keep it handy, slinking for the exit.