Chapter Four
Finally.
Four days. It took four goddamn days for her Skip to finally show up. If the reward for him wasn’t five grand, she would’ve just let it go after day one.
Mai slid out of her Bronco while he walked along the street, ignorant of her until she was within a few short yards of him. Seeming to sense someone behind him, he turned. Mai immediately flashed a smile and saw him flinch. It was the typical human response to her. They were more susceptible to her influence than Fay, which helped a lot in situations like this.
As she approached, he flashed a crooked, half-drugged smile. His swagger and confidence soon followed.
“Hey,” he crooned.
“Hi there.” She smiled. “Are you Travis Cooks?”
His brows twitched marginally, but with another flash of her dazzling smile, his suspicion faded.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I know you?”
“No.” Mai kept her tone light and sweet.
She reached forward and tenderly stroked his bare arm. Travis immediately relaxed, his pupils dilated, and his overall demeanor turned placid. It only ever took a simple touch of her skin against theirs for her to take control, to fill her targets with false-love and gain the upper hand.
“Hey,” she cooed. “Can I put handcuffs on you?”
A stupid, dopey laugh echoed in his throat. He licked his lips and looked her up and down, as though that were enough to get her to swoon over him. It actually turned her stomach a little, but she ignored it in favor of collecting her paycheck.
“Hell yeah, baby.” He chuckled.
Mai smiled wide, chewed playfully on her bottom lip and let out a little giggle. He shuddered at the sound of it.
“Thanks.”
Reaching into her back pocket, Mai retrieved the cuffs she always kept on her. She stepped around Travis, who happily offered his wrists, and snapped the first silver bracelet into place. Before she had the chance to do it with the second, a loud, sharp yell drew her attention.
“Hey!” someone shrieked. Mai glanced up and spotted a very trashy and very angry young woman with badly dyed blonde hair charging towards her. It was the girlfriend. “The fuck you think you’re doin’, bitch?”
“You should tell your girl to back off,” Mai whispered seductively to Travis.
“Yo, babe!” he said sharply as she marched closer. “Go home, okay? This ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.”
“The hell it don’t,” she snapped. “You’re my man.”
The instant she made it to their sides, the girlfriend shoved Mai, hard. Mai took a step back under the force of it. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with some white-trash skank, but if she had to, she had to.
“Back off,” Mai said, an edge growing to her words. “Before you do something you regret.”
But her warning fell on deaf ears. Instead of shoving her again, the girlfriend swung. Mai was a capable fighter and dodged the punch easily, but it forced her away from Travis and caused her concentration to waver. The girlfriend swung again, and again Mai stepped out of the way.
“Go home!” Mai yelled. Her patience was growing thin.
“I’m gonna kick your ass, bitch.”
Mai grit her teeth. She was about to have to beat the shit out of this woman. While it’d be an easy task, it was a distraction she didn’t want. Unfortunately, when she glanced to her Skip to make sure he was still half-dazed, the girlfriend actually connected a punch.
The girlfriend’s fist smashed into Mai’s jaw. Her head snapped to the side, but she didn’t fall or falter. Mai wasn’t human, so a human’s punch held little effect, but it pissed her off more than she already was.
“Yeah, bitch!” The girlfriend smiled, waving her arms threateningly at Mai as though she’d accomplished something. The white-haired young woman turned a stern eye to her attacker. “You want some more?”
When the girlfriend swung again, Mai didn’t bother dodging the punch. Instead, she caught the junkie’s wrist and twisted it violently. The girlfriend cried out in pain as she dropped to her knees. Mai wrenched her arm up high behind the young woman’s back, ensuring it hurt.
“I said,” Mai growled through her teeth, “get your junkie-ass back to your fucking house before I lose my temper.”
“Let go!” she cried.
“Are you going to leave?” Mai twisted her arm a little more, delighting in the high-pitched scream that came from the girl on her knees. “Say it.”
“Yes!” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Good, now get the h—”
A sharp, unyielding pain suddenly radiated through Mai’s shoulder. She cried out loudly, releasing the girlfriend and whipping around to find the source. Travis had woken from the spell. Her concentration was so divided that Mai hadn’t realized her Skip had woken up to her beating his girlfriend and reacted as any wannabe thug would, by stabbing her in the back—literally.
When Mai reached behind her shoulder and felt the hilt of the blade, her rage was incalculable. Her eyes glowed with blue fire and instinct took hold. Within seconds of his stabbing her, Mai yelled and Travis suddenly vanished from sight, exploding into a billion atoms. He disintegrated, disappearing as though he’d never existed.
The girlfriend immediately screamed. She’d witnessed the whole act, and it wasn’t until she started crying, frantically asking what happened that Mai realized what she’d done. In a moment of reflex, Mai had accidentally killed Travis, reducing him to nothing with a thought.
“Shit,” she hissed to herself, angrier about the canceled paycheck than the death of some human criminal.
The girlfriend’s frantic cries were loud and beginning to draw eyes. Before the cops could be called, Mai ran off. She leapt into her Bronco, wincing when the knife imbedded in her shoulder knocked against her seat, and sped off.
“Shit, shit, shit,” she repeated to herself as she drove frantically to escape what she’d done. “Not again.”
Mai shook, and she knew only half of the reason was her current injury. She’d slipped again.
More than once in her life, when Mai had acted instinctually, bad things happened as a result. Whenever her life was in danger, or she was suddenly hurt like she had been by her Skip, Mai’s other side would take over. It was no different than a doctor tapping the nerve in a patient’s knee and causing their leg to kick. Something happened, and her body reacted because of it. The problem was, it was more than a simple leg kick.
That was why djinn were so feared by the Light and desired by the Dark. Their power was terrible, or awesome, depending on what they chose to do with it because djinn were technically on another plane of existence. The only reason most Fay tolerated the djinn was because many of them chose to live on that other plane versus bother interacting with what they considered “lesser beings”.
Mai, on the other hand, was not only half, but lacked any control. If she chose to repeat the action, she couldn’t. She’d never developed that side of her beyond the simple, beyond what was considered barely more than parlor tricks. It made her dangerous, more unstable than most—and on the Light’s watchlist.
Truth was, Mai didn’t like that side of her. She hated her mother, despised “her people”, and chose to ignore that part of her heritage. Perhaps that was a mistake in the end? Perhaps she should have at least tried to learn control, if anything, to save her from situations like the one she found herself in.
****
Ryan was sitting at his desk flipping through mug shots that fit the description of a robbery suspect when his cell phone rang. He answered it absently.
“Yeah?” he said, pressing the phone to his jaw with his shoulder so his hands could remain free.
“Ryan.” Mai’s voice sounded labored and pained. He perked immediately. Something was wrong.
“Mai,” he said as the panic rose within him. Marcus looked up through his lashes, scowling at the mention of the djinn’s name. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you,” she said with a groan. “I got stabbed.”
“The hell do you mean you were stabbed?” A growl laced his voice. Marcus sat up a bit straighter.
“Just … please.”
His jaw clenched tightly. He wanted to keep asking questions, to demand to know what happened, but he knew she needed help.
“Where are you?”
“At the old silos.”
He stood and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. “I’ll be there soon.”
And with that, he hung up. Marcus watched his partner throw his jacket on with a tight line to his jaw.
“Dude,” Marcus muttered.
Ryan knew what he was saying. Within that one word were a thousand more, warning him not to do what he was about to do, but Ryan said nothing. Instead, he left.
****
Ryan sped through the city streets towards the old, abandoned grain silos that hadn’t been used in a decade or better. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he used his lights and sirens to get people the hell out of his way. Because of that, he made it to the site in less than ten minutes, but his fear hadn’t subsided. Mai never had to call him to heal before, and that scared him.
Like most Fay, Mai could heal faster than a human being. It was part of their physiology, but a knife wound was a knife wound. Despite being supernatural, a lot of Fay could be killed as easily as anyone else. Luckily for her, Mai could accelerate her healing by feeding. That’s where Ryan came in. He was more than willing to be her meal.
Ryan drove through the property and eventually found Mai’s Bronco parked in between two of the four silos, with her leaning against the driver’s door. He instantly made his way to her, slamming on his brakes and barely putting the vehicle into park before he leapt out of it. He raced for her. He could smell her blood easily. He tasted it, in fact, that thick, coppery taste of too much blood in the air.
Mai looked up through tendrils of messed, silvery hair. Her skin had gone pale to the point it nearly matched her locks. She looked sickly, and when he turned her around, he saw why. A blade protruded from her shoulder, and a long stain of blood had trailed down her back, stopping at her hips. He assumed that was simply because she’d been sitting as she bled out.
“Hold still,” he said. Ryan wrapped his massive hand around the handle and yanked the knife from the back of her shoulder. Mai bit down on a groan of pain as he retrieved the three-inch blade. “Shit.” He stepped back to look her in the eye. “How the hell did this happen?”
“Later,” she sighed. Mai looked dizzy.
She gripped his shirt and yanked him to her, smashing her lips against his. Mai kissed him deeply, and Ryan returned the sentiment. She had to heal, and the only way for her kind to do that was to feed on need, adoration, and lust.
Ryan could feel her drawing on his energy and knew she was beginning to heal almost immediately, but it’d take more for her to be healthy again. She needed the power behind pure, raw sexual desire.
They tore at one another’s clothing, peeling it off their respective partner so they could be as close as possible. Pulling back, Ryan yanked her belt off and tossed it aside before shoving her jeans down. Mai helped as best she could, kicking off one of her shoes so she could get a leg free. The moment she had, Ryan stood upright again. He lifted Mai into his arms, freed himself, and immediately pushed his dick into her.
Mai’s head fell back as she cried out. Her fingers bit into his shoulders and held him tight. Ryan cupped her ass in his strong hands, pushed her back against the cold exterior of her Bronco, and proceeded to fuck her as passionately as he always had.
He knew it was what she wanted—and more importantly, what she needed.
He slid in and out of her wet, heated core. He knew he was on the large side and most women in his past couldn’t handle it, or how rough he liked to be. But Mai could. She met his passions and yearnings because she shared them. She was his perfect fit in every way, and he knew he’d do anything for her.
Ryan pressed his forehead to her temple. The sound of her gasping breaths echoed in his ear.
“Don’t stop,” she panted. “Oh God.”
He slammed into her harder than before and was rewarded by her lustful cries. He slid her up and down his shaft, driving himself in and out of her with fervor. Ryan felt himself slipping. He was nearing his end, but he knew she had to reach hers first.
Maneuvering a hand between them, Ryan went to work on Mai, caressing her sensitive bud and eliciting more adoring sounds. He felt her beginning to tense around him and knew it wouldn’t be long. Pushing himself harder, working against her harder, Ryan was rewarded by her orgasm.
Mai’s elation echoed off the surrounding buildings. Her body clenched around his, her fingers digging into his shoulders while her pussy clamped down around his dick. Ryan couldn’t hold out any longer and finally came, following Mai into euphoria as he spilled himself inside her.
He roared as his orgasm took him, but Mai wasn’t finished. While his very cells were ignited, Mai kissed him again. As she drew back, he felt her sucking the energy out of his body. She took his life-force, his lust, desire and love. She took it all, and he gave it freely.
Her feeding lasted seconds, but he knew that was all she needed. When she broke the connection, they both slumped. Ryan still held her tightly to his body, pinning her against the Bronco, but he had to admit his knees wavered just a bit.
Eventually, he pulled back to look into her tired face. She was so beautiful to him, the epitome of the word, really. He’d never seen another woman like her before, met another like her. She was incredible, and the fact that she’d been near death only minutes prior terrified him.
Ryan reached up and gently cradled her cheek. His hazel eyes danced over her face. She was slowly gaining color again, which was a good sign.
“Let’s go back to your place,” he told her in a deep, gravelly voice.
Mai nodded. She kissed him once again before he let her stand on her own. The pair got dressed and left in their respective cars with every intention of reuniting at her apartment.
****
As the two vehicles drove away, both were ignorant of the eyes that watched them from the shadows. Neither had bothered to check if they were alone, nor did it seem like they truly cared if they were. The trouble was, they should have. Hidden amongst the homeless population who called the silos home was someone who recognized the two, someone who knew they weren’t what they seemed to be, and who knew what to do about it.
Reaching for their cell phone, the spy dialed the number of those in charge of keeping the peace, of monitoring and controlling the actions of their kind: The Light Fay Council.