His laugh went straight to my heart. He pinned me against the wall of the nightclub, his lips brushing against mine. I couldn’t control my body. Everything turned to fuzz around me. His lips were soft as they pressed against mine. Instead of pushing back, like my brain said to, I gripped his biceps and pulled him closer. The world around me faded away. I was lost in the feel of Atieno’s lips.
He pulled back and leaned his forehead against mine. “You can try, and I’ll be by your side until you’re ready.”
“You know, this is kinda creepy talk because we just met. You need to do a lot of wooing before you try to kiss me like that again.”
He kissed my forehead and stepped back. Sasha and Becca came out the door, laughing, followed by Mike and the stranger from the dance floor.
“I almost forgot. I have your birthday present in the car. Yes, I know your birthday isn’t until this weekend. I just figured I might not see you. Let me go grab it,” Sasha said.
She turned before I could tell her it could wait and walked into the street. At the same time, a speeding car turned the corner. I screamed her name. Everything went into slow motion but not slow enough. Atieno left my side to get to Sasha, but it was too late. The car hit her hard. She flew over its roof. Mike caught her before she hit the ground. He cradled my best friend in his arms. Becca screamed. I ran to Mike’s side and touched my best friend.
“Don’t,” Atieno warned.
Her death was my fault. I saved my grandma only to kill my best friend.
5
An ambulance had taken Sasha’s body away an hour ago. The sound of Becca’s scream and Sasha’s body hitting the car kept replaying over and over in my head. I rested my head in my hands as I sat on the curb, waiting for the officer to finish taking our statements. He had been with Becca and Mike for a while. He was the first officer on the scene, and I hadn’t even caught his name. I had been trying to get to Sasha’s body, but Atieno held me around the waist, not letting me get close. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my best friend. A police officer had handcuffed the driver and hauled him away, I also overheard a few of the other officers talking about the driver blowing well over the legal limit.
Atieno glanced in my direction. I clenched my hands when our eyes met. Deep down, I knew he did the right thing, but I wasn’t ready to talk about him restraining me. I would’ve gone back and saved her.
The officer left Mike and Becca and sat down next to me. With his notepad in hand, he jotted down my name. I didn’t have to tell him. He knew who I was. Most people in the New Orleans Police Department knew me because of my solve rate and from being called to so many scenes.
“Do you want to give me your statement now or tomorrow? I know it’s late and you need to get home.”
I wanted to scream and curse the person who gave me powers. “I would rather get it over with now.” Tomorrow I would have to meet with Sasha’s parents. I also needed to figure out how demons were appearing in New Orleans. Atieno came and sat next to me. When he went to grab my hand, I tried to pull away. Instead, he tightened his grip and kissed the back of it. A little of the ice I held toward him melted, but not enough to forgive him for stopping me. What if I kept saving everyone?
As if reading my mind, he leaned over and brushed my white locks over my shoulder. “It wouldn’t work, Pandora. You know I made the correct call.”
I ignored him and turned toward the officer and told him everything I saw, or everything I remember.. We talked for a little longer, and he told us what I heard earlier about the alcohol level. I wanted to go back to my grandmother's house and see her. After this, I wasn’t ready to go home by myself. The officer asked a few more standard questions before he got up and talked to the officer in charge of the scene. Not to much latter we were released. Life was testing me, and I didn’t know how much more I could take. The police were going to contact Sasha’s family now, and I planned on calling her mother in the morning.
“Where are you parked?” Atieno asked.
The city buzzed with energy. I could hear shouts of happiness coming from Bourbon Street. That had been our group an hour ago. Now I had lost my best friend because I saved my grandmother. A mother and father outlived their own child because of me.
I didn’t know tears were running down my face until I felt Atieno’s fingers swipe across my cheek.
“There is nothing you can do, Pandora.”
I buried my head in his chest and cried. “This was my fault.”
He didn’t say anything. Whatever he could’ve tried to say would have been a lie, and we both knew it. My grandmother would be devastated when she found out Sasha lost her life while she survived. I pulled away from Atieno. “Could Lucifer help? Could I sign my soul over to him to bring her back?”
Atieno searched my eyes for a second. “It doesn’t work like that. Every time someone plays with life and death, there is a consequence. Lucifer wouldn’t do it, because if he did, something would happen to fix the imbalance in the timeline.”
“Today has officially sucked. I hope when I wake up, everything is back to normal.”
In the short time since I learned I was Lucifer’s daughter, I met someone claiming to be my mate, learned all my coworkers were shifters, and lost my best friend. I had worked at the New Orleans Police Department for twelve years. How much of my life have I lived with my head in the sand? Now I needed to solve a case, deal with the man next to me, and bury my best friend. I wanted to go home, curl up, and go to bed.
“Do you think the demons will stop?”
Atieno looked past me toward Bourbon Street. “How much do you know about the supernatural world?”
“Not much beyond being able to use my power. My mother didn’t like her powers and never used them. When I was younger, Grandma would tell me things about the supernatural world, but I never listened. After my mother died, I never wanted to talk to Grandma about the whole supernatural world. She wouldn’t let me use my powers to save my mom.” Atieno squeezed my hand. “Today I’m regretting not learning more. Fuck. I didn’t even know the people around me were shifters. I must be the most incompetent of all the devil’s children.”
Atieno’s lip twitched. “I wouldn’t say that. All of his kids take getting used to. Try to hold off meeting the seven deadly sins as long as possible.”
“I think you're trying to make me feel better.” I rolled my neck, letting the tension from the day slide off my shoulders. “I highly doubt Paldon makes mistakes like me.”
“You two are very similar for not being raised together.” Atieno wrapped his arm around me. “Last year, she didn’t want anyone’s help when someone came after her to open the gates of hell. Her mate nearly pulled out his hair. I’m here to help you.”
I bit my bottom lip, “Can I ask you a question?”
Atieno nodded.
“Are you really king of the shifters? And what kind of shifter are you?”
“Promise not to run?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m king of the shifters. Really, I just make sure they follow the rules, and when they don’t, I decide the punishment. As for my powers, I’m half lion and half vampire.”
That was interesting. He searched my eyes. I should probably have been scared, but I wanted to see what his lion looked like and ask questions. “Can you eat garlic?” If he couldn’t, that might be a deal breaker.
He nodded. “I can also walk in the daylight, and I don’t need to drink blood to stay alive. No, not all vampires are like me, but I don’t think this discussion is appropriate to have in the middle of a street packed with humans.”
I looked around, and a few eyes were on us. He was right—it wasn’t the right place to have this conversation. I got up and walked toward a crime scene officer. He was talking to Mike and Becca. The man from earlier was gone. Mike had one arm wrapped around Becca. She was crying on his shoulder.
“Officer?”
The younger officer stopped talking to Mike and
put his notepad in his pocket. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”
“Can we head home, or do you need anything else?”
“You’re good to leave the scene. If we have any further questions, I know where to find you. Officer Ricky went to Sasha’s parents’ house to tell them about the accident.”
“Thank you, Officer.” I turned toward Becca. “Can I take you home, Becca?”
She let out a sob and nodded.
“You don’t have to take her. I can,” Mike offered. “You’ve had a long day. Why don’t you let me do this, and I can take care of things at the office tomorrow?”
Atieno stepped forward. “I will meet you at the office in the morning, Mike. The forensics team said they would have the results for the foreign substance by then.”
The team had found a strange green slime next to Curly’s body. I replayed Curly’s death in my mind and remembered the green slime being poured. We hoped the forensic analysis would help us learn more about what it was. I also needed to talk to Georgina.
“Thanks, Mike. I’m going to stop by Sasha’s parents’ in the morning, then I might be in to work.” I turned toward Atieno. “Can you take me to my grandma’s?”
“Sure.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the alleyway.
* * *
My head hurt as I stretched in my bed. The day before came crashing down, and I slid my feet to the floor. Sasha had died. I pressed my palms to my eyes and wiped away the tears. The sound of dishes clinking together brought me back to the present. Grandma. I needed to tell her about what happened.
I walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face before I headed downstairs. Three plates sat on the table, and Grandma was at the stove, cooking. I looked around for another person. “Are you expecting company?”
“No, but you need to tell the young man in the car to come in.”
I walked to the front door and peeked out. Atieno sat in his car across the street, with his eyes on our house. “When did he show up?”
Grandma must’ve followed me. “He didn’t leave last night. Let him in, and tell me who died.”
I winced at her tone. We both knew it would happen, but there was nothing we could do to change what happened. I would have to live with my decision and look Sasha’s parents in the eyes.
The Louisiana heat hit me in the face when I opened the door and waved for Atieno to come in. He exited his black Mercedes SUV and jogged toward the front door. He was still in the same clothes he wore last night. The only difference was the five-o'clock shadow on his face, and it made him even sexier. I wanted to run my hands over him.
He made it to the door and looked at me expectantly.
“You going to come in or stand outside all day?” I asked. “Oh, I forgot you’re a vampire. Yes, you can come in.”
Atieno leaned forward and placed a light kiss on my lips. “Thanks for the invitation.”
My grandmother huffed and came over to wrap him in her arms. “I know you're more powerful than that. I haven’t seen you in years. Not since—” My grandmother frowned. “Well, not since that day. Seems to me that bad shit follows you around.”
Atieno barked out a laugh. “You know, that was three hundred years ago, but it feels like yesterday. Wrath still hasn’t forgiven me. I miss her. Has she visited you?”
My grandmother shook her head and patted Atieno on the shoulder. “No, I haven’t seen Wrath since then.” Grandma looked toward me. “I have a feeling I’ll see her soon. Family is the most important thing to her. When she finds out about Pandora, she will be here.”
It made me mad that everyone took the devil's word at face value. “The DNA test hasn’t come back yet,” I grumbled.
Grandma laughed, and it lightened the mood. “Dear, you are just wasting time. I don’t know why my daughter took you from your mother and sister, but there is no doubt you are Lucifer’s. Believe me, when he senses the magic of his children, he knows. Even though he’s an overgrown man whore, his children mean the world to him.”
Atieno nodded in agreement. “Do I smell your delicious pancakes?”
“Yes. Now come sit, and one of you can tell me who died and why you slept in the car. It’s not like my granddaughter to be rude and not offer the guest room.”
“Hey, I thought he was going to go home after he dropped me off. I don’t know why he decided to be creepy and stare at the house all night.”
My grandmother looked from me to him. “Hmm. Didn’t see that one coming. Well, dear, if you had paid attention when you were younger, you would know why. Since you didn’t listen to me, I’ll let Atieno explain why he can’t leave your side.”
Atieno sent my body awry. I turned and headed to the kitchen. Before my hand reached for the chair, Atieno pulled it out for me.
Grandma set a plate in front of me. She had done it so many times over the years. Her buttermilk pancakes made my mouth water. The kitchen looked the same as it had growing up. Grandmother hadn’t changed much around the house. This used to be the place where I felt comfortable. Now I was on edge, with Atieno sitting next to me.
“I see the cleaning service came and took care of the living room.”
Grandma took a bite of her pancakes. “Paxdon called Reggie the raccoon’s cleaning service. He came and cleaned up the mess. The living room is not what I want to talk about. Are you going to tell me who died? I know how magic works and the cause and effect of bringing someone back to life.”
Atieno reached over and squeezed my hand under the table. “Sasha,” he said.
Grandma nodded. “Let me know what I can do to help. Pandora, you cannot blame yourself for her death. The universe always has a plan, and everything is mapped out.”
“What I need to do is find out who is sending the demons and stop them. My boss, who was a shifter, was killed by them yesterday. Lucifer called Atieno to help, then vanished. He said it was my journey to figure out.”
Atieno’s phone buzzed on the table next to us. He let out a sigh before answering. When he frowned, I knew it was more bad news. He talked for a few more minutes while I pushed my food around my plate. I had lost my appetite.
When he hung up, he rested his hand on my leg. His touch grounded me. “We need to go. There was another murder.”
I grabbed my phone off the counter as we headed out the door and noticed a missed call from the dispatch.
6
I enjoyed my last moments of fresh air before I crossed the threshold of the latest murder scene and the metallic smell of blood hit my nose. A family of four had been murdered. Atieno told me on the way over that the family was not part of the supernatural world—he was able to pull up each person in the Supernatural Heritage database. I wanted to know what they had in the database about me. First, I had to figure out what was going on in my town. It wouldn’t be long before someone would think we had a serial killer on our hands. If I hadn’t brought Grandma back, six people would be dead instead of five.
Atieno walked behind me as I followed the sound of voices through the house. When I rounded the corner, I stopped in my tracks. The Saint Valentine’s Day massacre was the only way I could describe the scene in front of me. I thought the fight at Grandma’s house was bad. Blood covered the walls and ceiling.
I fought the urge to cover my nose as Detective Yankless ran past me, dry heaving at the stench. This was Detective Yankless’s first crime scene, and he made a huge mistake as he ran out of the house—he stepped right through the blood spatters instead of staying on the edge of the scene. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the newbie. He wouldn’t be around long. The department had a pool on how long he would last. I had him out next week, and he might have just made me two hundred dollars with his dumb mistake.
Even with the room covered in blood, the metallic smell was overwhelmed by the stench of decomp. Atieno was a step behind me. He had filled me in on the case on the way over. The family was found by the house cleaner. She called the cops when she arrived at the hous
e today. From early reports, this family had been attacked before yesterday. The hydrogen sulfide of the rotting flesh reminded me of rotten eggs.
“Pandora!” Chief yelled from the front door.
“I’m going to go talk to Chief. I’ll be right back.” I also wanted to get another breath of fresh air.
Atieno nodded as he looked at the bodies lying across the floor. I couldn’t even tell what color the carpet used to be. Blood covered every inch of the room, almost too much blood for the one family. I would have to talk to Atieno and see what he thought.
I traced the designated walking area back out of the house. Chief stood outside in his dress blues. On the other side of the police tape, the news crews had arrived. They weren’t the only ones to show up. Neighbors lined up next to them, waiting to see what had happened.
“I need you to do your thing and solve this case fast. The mayor is breathing down my neck.” He brushed the lint off his shirt. “You're in charge now. Don’t make me regret the decision.”
I ground my teeth together. “You pulled me out of a crime scene for this lecture? What made your tune change since yesterday?”
The chief looked from me to the crowd of reporters. “Yesterday this was contained to one murder. Now the press has caught on, and they are saying we have a serial killer. People will stop coming if a serial killer is loose near Bourbon Street.”
The crowd grew with each minute I stood on the steps of the old mansion. Sweat rolled down my back as I reached up and wiped the beads forming on my brow. “I’m going to work this case like any other. I’ll report my findings back to you.” Not waiting for the chief to say anything, I turned and walked back down the hall. Each step I took was in the designated area. The first person to the scene mapped out the pathway, so the scene would not be contaminated. Normally the firefighters would do the mapping since they’re usually first on the scene. Even though the rookie broke protocol earlier, one of the other detectives working the case would document the rookie's steps and strike them from the photos.
Fated Mates of the Underworld, Books 1-3 Page 18
