by Trina M. Lee
It felt demonic in origin, like it didn’t belong here, on this plane. Even though I sensed that it had the power to really fuck with us, it didn’t. Did the human Feds have any idea it was even here, lurking below them?
Blaze and I moved down the hall, fast but silent. The place was a goddamn maze of intersecting halls and rooms. Shouts echoed, sounding closer than they were, making it hard to judge our pursuers’ location.
We were running blind, trying to find a way out that didn’t include going back to the elevator they’d brought us down in. One thing I’d learned about places like this: there was always another way out.
“They’ve got to have a procedure in place for when prisoners break free.” Blaze sounded calm, but her energy held a frantic edge.
She didn’t do so well with being at anyone’s mercy, even in a training exercise. Rather than playing it cool, she exploded in a fit of power that was fucking beautiful to behold. If she could just learn to rein it in and hold it until the right time, unleashing it on whomever and whatever she chose, she’d easily be the most powerful person on our team.
“We have our own protocol,” I reminded her. “Survive at all costs. Even if it means leveling this entire shithole.”
Blaze met my gaze and I grinned. The lady was too tightly wound. With a shake of her crimson tresses, she said, “You’re fucking crazy, you know that?”
She was far from the first person to call me that, just the latest of at least a thousand women who’d uttered those words. “Loco like you wouldn’t believe,” I muttered more to myself than to her.
I eyed the path to our right. Something pulled me in that direction. The darkness beneath us wanted to show us the way out. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I’d take any help I could get.
“Are you talking to yourself?”
“Never mind. We’ve gotta move.” Holding tight to her, I let the force below lead us, a risky move seeing as evil things don’t do a damn thing for anyone without motive. I had no choice but to trust it. And to trust Blaze.
As we turned another bend a staircase came into view. Our exit. Just as we started to run up the stairs, a flood of agents rushed down toward us. Pulling Blaze along with me, I backed down the stairs, keeping an eye on those coming at us.
“Ghost.” The tremor in her soft voice had me whirling to find another team approaching from behind. There was nowhere to retreat.
“Get on the floor. You only get one chance to obey. Now!” The shout came from one of the many gun-wielding maniacs.
Pulling Blaze against me, I surrounded us with a shimmering energy circle, a barrier that might or might not hold if they all opened fire. With her back to my chest, I made sure the crew at the bottom of the stairs could see her frightened face. Baring fangs, I drew her hair back to expose her gorgeous neck.
“If this woman bleeds, you’ll all die.” Seeking and finding the hard stare of the man leading the bunch, I made sure he knew that I meant business. “Think I’m kidding? There’s magic in her blood wild enough to blow this shit factory apart. If you don’t let us leave, I’ll bleed her and take you all with us. Try me.”
Next to the man who’d shouted the order, a woman leaned in close to whisper, “Agent O’Brien would never agree to killing them.”
Agent O’Brien was the sister of the city’s vampire queen, Alexa, a vaewolf technically, who also happened to be Circle of the Veil elite. O’Brien was the one agent we’d been told explicitly not to harm. But she was a werewolf and this was a moon night. She wasn’t here to step in on our behalf.
Dude calling the shots used that to his advantage. “Yeah, well do you see her anywhere? Fuck it. Fuck this asshole.”
One factor they’d failed to consider was how surrounding us in a hallway with only stairs at the end came with the risk of potentially hitting a fellow agent. He took the shot without warning, but I expected it. I had faith in my circle, and it held. The crossbow bolt hit the side and fell harmlessly to the floor. The next shot he took ricocheted off the barrier, toward the group of agents gathered behind us. Shouts rang out as people ducked and covered.
“This is all you, gorgeous,” I murmured in Blaze’s ear, loving the way she trembled against me.
“Make me bleed,” she said, voice strong, angry even. “Do it now.”
Not needing further encouragement, I bit into the pulse in her neck. Blood filled my mouth, tangy but sweet. Powerful. It teased my cock to life. The magic in her blood almost threw me on my ass. I hit the side of the barrier, losing my hold on it. The entire thing came down.
Hands held before her, Blaze conducted the powerful force, turning in a circle to spread the blast. An explosion of wild magic, it went off like a battery of fireworks, scattering in every direction. It hit the Feds much like it had the last time I’d witnessed her at work, tearing through them like they were paper dolls.
From far beneath us I could feel the entity in the earth watching closely. Enjoying the havoc we wreaked, it urged us on.
Bodies dropped, blood leaking from various orifices. Agents tried to flee. Shots were taken and quickly turned back on the shooter. Blaze’s magic, once released, seemed to know what to do. It knew what made her feel threatened, and it took aim. Red light filled her hands, darting in several directions. Brow furrowed in concentration, blood dripping down the side of her neck in two thin lines, Blaze obliterated the Feds like a fucking goddess.
As the bleeding slowed, the power subsided. Blaze stumbled toward me, shaking her head. I had no trouble dealing with the agents left standing. A few well-aimed psi balls took them down. Fangs in an artery took them out.
Once the stairs were clear, I grabbed Blaze and pushed her on ahead of me. I’d seen how the blood magic weakened her, so my bite had been precise. Just a spill, not a flood.
We made it up the stairs to the ground level to find a locked and alarmed security door. Using both hands, palms extended, I hit it with a blast that disabled the alarm and broke the lock. It took more exertion than expected, but the door flew open and we were out.
Hand in hand we ran across the grassy expanse of land the hospital sat on to the street beyond. Since neither of us had a phone, we had to get to a busy public place where we could call for a ride.
Avoiding the light in all its forms as we fled the FPA facility, we became the shadows, something I’d gotten relatively good at over the years. Living several lives enabled one to perfect such skills. Having been a so-called rogue in every one of them helped.
We emerged onto a busy street and finally came to a stop at a streetlight. Waiting to cross, Blaze turned to me with a sparkle in her eyes. “Think we lost them?”
Using her power awakened something in her, something she’d gotten used to suppressing when she should’ve been setting it free. It made her feel alive despite how it exhausted her. The satiated expression she wore was no lie.
“Yeah, we’re good. Let’s find a phone and call Smudge for a ride.” I pulled Blaze’s hair over the side of her neck to hide my bite. Not much caused me hesitation, but the question I wanted to ask did. “Why me, muñeca?” I asked, calling her doll in Spanish. “Why did you trust me to make you bleed?”
Her gaze darted over my face before focusing on the traffic light, which hadn’t changed. She didn’t look at me when she said, “Because I don’t trust myself.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Let’s go over this again. You were on your way to the address Smudge gave you, and the FPA surrounded you on every side. Tell me the rest.” Hands flat on the dining room table, Nova snarled at Ghost and me. He’d been in a real mood since arriving, shortly after sunset the night following our FPA encounter.
The three of us were in the dining room. Ghost sat on one side of the long table. I sat across from him, width wise, while Nova bitched and paced around the room.
“How many more times are you going to make us repeat this story? I’m hungry. I need to get out of here.” Slumping back in my chair, I mimed eating off the empty plat
e in front of me. Anything to hurry this interrogation along. Because that’s what it felt like.
The night before, Ghost and I had made it back to the house without further incident. Although I’d have liked to lay low for a night or two after a scare like that, I needed blood. Taking from Rayne was an option, but shifter blood became a risk in great quantities or frequent repetition. Already I found myself homing in on his heartbeat the moment he walked in the room.
“You talk until I can find what I need to prove to The Circle that you don’t deserve to die for last night’s arrest.” In a sudden flare of temper, Nova shoved away from the table, upsetting a chair in the process. “Not only do they find it suspicious that the Feds knew exactly where you’d be, they question why you’d willingly let them take you. They’re convinced that you only got out so easily because you struck a deal or you already work for them.”
I stared at Nova aghast. Across from me, Ghost chuckled, amused by this turn of events. As much as I would’ve loved to laugh this off, I couldn’t find the humor in the accusation.
“What the fuck?” Baffled by The Circle’s reasoning, I fumbled to defend myself. “Why would we set up a fake arrest, Nova? Do you seriously think any of that shit is true? We told you how we got out.”
“Of course I don’t think any of its true, but if they think you’re a risk, they won’t take the chance.” Kicking the toppled chair out of his way, Nova’s wings flared, a sign of his annoyance. “If I tell them how you escaped, they’ll know about your blood magic, and unfortunately the FPA already does. Exactly what I’d hoped to keep from both of them.”
Arms crossed, Ghost leaned back in his chair, the epitome of cool. Nothing about this fazed him. If anything, he’d enjoyed our little adventure last night. “Instead of finding reasons to kill the two strongest people on this team, maybe The Circle should be more concerned with how the Feds knew where to find us.”
Nova shot a glare at Ghost, like he was offended the vampire had dared to speak. Since catching a glimpse of the almost-healed bite mark on my neck, Nova had been extra snarly. If this were jealousy it didn’t suit him.
“They already think there’s a spy in the house, and right now the blame is being pinned on the two of you. The wolves were all running wild outside of town, totally accounted for. The witches were here. Any other ideas?” Exasperated, Nova shoved a hand through his long, loose hair, fisting a handful before releasing it with a huff.
It shouldn’t have had such a deep effect to watch him do that, but it sent a shock of desire slithering down to my nether regions. I couldn’t help but remember being wrapped around him in the library, all but begging him to fuck me. Ghost’s presence took my mind down a filthy three-way path.
“Could be someone on the watchdog team,” Ghost offered. “Many of them know where we’re being sent.”
His smoky voice shook me out of the fantasy while also making me want it more. Seriously? My life was literally on the line, and all I could think about with Nova in the room was screwing these guys senseless. The incubus temptation was a powerful foe, insistent on testing my will.
“It’s possible,” Nova agreed grudgingly. “I’ll look into it. Keep in mind that, to The Circle, you are both expendable unless you prove why the hell you shouldn’t be. Neither of you have reached that point.”
We’d seen nothing inside the FPA base that The Circle didn’t already know about from others who’d been inside. Maybe if we’d brought them something new, they would’ve been willing to go easier on us.
“What are we supposed to do?” Concern for my survival pushed back the incubus heat. “It’s not like we can prove ourselves.”
Nova didn’t appear any happier about this than I was. His wings ruffled and stretched before settling behind him. “I’ll see what I can do to keep them from making any sudden decisions. If I can convince them there’s a spy on the watchdog team, they might hold off. If not…” His crimson gaze darted to Ghost. “Do you mind giving us a moment alone?”
What the hell? I wanted to shout at Ghost to stay but instead sat there in awkward silence as he exited the room without a sound or a glance back. Being alone with Nova was risky, but surely the dining room in a house filled with people would keep things clothed.
Once Nova was sure that nobody lingered within earshot, he turned to me. “Is there anything you’d like to say about last night now that it’s just the two of us?”
I saw where he steered this conversation and refused to play the role he hoped I’d play. “Are you asking me if I want to turn on Ghost to save my own ass?”
Because no demon knew shame for their evil, Nova merely shrugged, unapologetic. “Maybe I am.”
Was this a test? Because it felt like a test.
“Do you really think I’d do that? Sell out someone else to save myself? If you think that’s who I am, Nova, then you haven’t been paying attention to anything other than what’s between my legs.” My temper flared, and I shoved my chair back as I stood up. I didn’t let it hit the floor as Nova had, catching it with a hand before it could tip over.
Yeah, I was mad now, ready to clock him for having the nerve to suggest that I’d betray Ghost or anyone else in this house. Remaining where I was beside the table, I braced myself when he came toward me.
He stopped on the other side, keeping the table between us. Still too close. “That’s not at all who I think you are.” His calm response didn’t match the white knuckled way he gripped the back of a chair. “But it sure as fuck would make this a lot easier.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed, Blaze. I’m fucking frustrated.” Nova pulled the chair out and sat down, looking defeated and vicious. “The only way I can see out of this is to tell them the truth about your blood magic. Most people in this city don’t have power like that. Those who do either end up Circle elite or dead.”
“Why do you say that like being elite is just as bad as being dead?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
Nova studied me, like maybe he wasn’t sure how candid to be. “For some people, it is. Others, not so much. But it means always being under their thumb, at their beck and call. Always providing something they can’t get from anyone else. That’s what keeps you around as Circle elite. You’re too good for that shit, cherry bomb.”
“But not too good for this?” Clenching my hands into tight fists, I made no effort to hide my anger. “To be used as bait. Kept as an expendable killer with an expiry date. Then blamed the first time something goes wrong. Don’t expect me to pity you for being poor, hard done by, Circle of the fucking Veil elite. And don’t you dare ever ask me to sell out someone in this house again.” Done with Nova and his Circle bullshit, I stormed from the room.
He was already waiting for me in the kitchen. Damn his ability to do that shit. “Don’t get all holier than thou on me,” he growled, baring beastly fangs. His serpentine tail whipped about angrily behind him. “I don’t make the rules, but I sure as fuck have been breaking them. For you.”
The demon was stressed. I got that. We all were. I moved to put the kitchen island between us but listened as he continued.
“I should’ve reported your blood magic to them as soon as I discovered it. But I didn’t. Instead I tried to help you control it so that, by the time they found out, it would only be an asset, not a risk.” Emotion drove Nova to share more than I suspected he would have otherwise. “I’d sell out every person in this house before I’d lose you to those vultures. But that’s what makes you better than me. And fuck if that doesn’t make it so much harder.”
His admission felt like a splash of cold water in my face. He really did want to protect me, but he could only do so much. My anger faded. How could I be pissed when Nova had just confessed, in his own way, to have feelings for me.
“So much for not getting attached, huh?” A wan smile made it to my lips. We’d all known the risks of getting too close.
“I’d say you have it worse than me. I�
�m only attached to you.” Crossing his arms, Nova propped his elbows on the island and leaned toward me. “Look, it’s not my place to say shit about who else you spend time with, but throw me a bone here, Blaze. Am I just kidding myself? Is this thing between us one sided?” To really make his question hit home, Nova shielded, actively cloaking his erotic vibes, reining it in so it didn’t flow freely around him. So it couldn’t influence my answer.
Talk about being put on the spot. It was a fair question though. I liked Nova. Really, I did. But he was a demon. He was my superior and he had orders to obey. I couldn’t trust him. All the fireworks he managed to set off between my legs wouldn’t change that.
“It’s not one sided,” I said truthfully, tapping my fingernails on the countertop. “But it’s not as simple as saying there’s something between us either.”
“Of course not. Nor should it be. There’s nothing simple about you, firecracker.” Pushing away from the counter, Nova spread his wings, filling the kitchen with the mass of black feathers. “For the record, I’d still go to bat for you even if you felt nothing for me at all. I don’t want you to think everything I do is for my own gain.”
The incubus demon cared what I thought of him? How incredibly endearing. It was perhaps the only vulnerability he’d ever shown me.
“Don’t worry, dark star. I don’t think you’re a total piece of crap.” My lips quirked in a teasing grin. “Hey, what do you know about the spirit at the FPA base? The big one down below.”
Maybe it was just me but he appeared to actually blush at the use of my stupid nickname for him. Novas were bright stars but this one was all dark. And I kind of liked him that way.
Hiding his smile, Nova said, “It’s the heart of an empire that once belonged to a demon queen but now belongs to the vampire queen. It used to be deadly to vampires, so be glad it’s no longer without a proper keeper. Now go take care of your vampire business, and I’ll catch up with you later tonight.”
