Fated Mates of the Underworld, Books 1-3

by Baxter, Linzi

  I did my best work when no one else around. I could touch the body and watch the scene replay around me. I stopped outside the living room and glanced around. I wouldn’t be able to clear the room. Too many eyes were on the crime scene for me to touch the bodies. I would need to wait for Dr. Racket to release the bodies and take it to be examined.

  Atieno bent over Carl Richerson, one of the sons. Atieno was aware of his surroundings, making sure he stayed still and didn’t touch anything. I walked past the father, Frank Richerson, making my way to the far-right wall in the living room to analyze the scene. I took out my phone and snapped a photo of the wall. The crime scene techs had already photographed the room, but something about the symbol looked familiar. It was a triangle with a single line extending diagonally through the center.

  “You know what that is?” Atieno leaned in and whispered in my ear. His breath tickled my neck. Goosebumps formed over my body. “If you look closely, you can see the writing along the serpent shaft. This is dark magic. I haven’t seen this used in close to a thousand years.”

  “How old are you?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. The techs in the room stopped working and looked toward us. Mike stood across the room, covering up his laugh. I knew supernatural beings lived longer, but a thousand years? Atieno’s chiseled jaw and short black hair made him look no older than thirty-five.

  “It’s not polite to ask someone's age,” he replied with a wink. “Like I was saying, I haven’t seen this in a long time. I want you to do your thing with the bodies so we’ll know if you can see more than just demons. I also want to go back to the photos of your boss and see if we missed this. We need to know if we have two separate cases or one.”

  I wanted to ask how old he was again, but it wasn’t the time or place. His age didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was figuring out who was killing people and why they came after Grandma and me. Would they be back? Was she safe?

  Atieno and I stepped back and let the techs finish clearing the crime scene. Dr. Racket wouldn’t have the body on his table for a few more hours. I needed to call Sasha’s parents and see how they were doing. I glanced down at my watch. Twelve hours. That was how long my best friend had been dead. Instead of grieving, I was at another crime scene. Atieno reached over and squeezed my shoulder.

  “You can go to your grandma’s, Pandora. No one will hold it against you. Your best friend died last night.”

  His words made my tears come to the surface. I closed my eyes and counted to ten and let out a breath. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it together. Atieno pulled me into his chest. My body was stiff at first. I didn’t want anyone to think it was okay to flirt at work. I pressed my hand against his chest, trying to get him to step back. Instead, he pulled me closer. A few more tears fell before I pulled my emotions back under control.

  “Let’s stop by the station to grab the other case file and head to your grandma’s. I don’t like what I’ve seen, and I want to check on her. Furthermore, you can’t touch the bodies right now. Tell Mike to call us when Dr. Racket has the body ready for you.”

  I motioned for Mike to meet us outside. Fresh air filled my lungs when I stepped out of the house. I took a couple deep breaths. The crowd of reporters had increased in size. Chief stood in the middle, talking to a blonde woman in a white dress.

  “Do you trust him?” Atieno asked as he watched the chief answer questions. I had no reason to distrust the chief. He had kept my secret for a year. I meant to ask Mike if the chief knew his secret.

  That was precisely why I needed to stay on the case. The faster I solved it, the faster I could deal with the mess my life outside work had become.

  “He hasn’t given me a reason not to,” I said. “Why? Is there something I should know?”

  “No. Something just feels off,” Atieno said. “Let’s talk with Mike, then we can be on our way.”

  Mike walked across the grass to us. We stood next to my car, away from prying eyes.

  “What’s going on, boss?” He smiled.

  “We are going to take a look at Curly’s crime scene photos and head over to my grandma’s house. I wanted to ask, does Chief know about your ability?”

  “I don’t think so.” Mike looked toward the chief and put his hands in his pockets. “Lieutenant Curly told us to be careful around you so you wouldn’t figure us out. Curly never trusted the chief, but I don’t know why. It was something that happened during their time in the academy.”

  The chief stepped back and stopped answering questions. We needed a break in the case.

  “Thanks, if you find anything that will help, give me a call. I’m putting you as lead on this case.”

  “I’ll call the second I hear anything.” He started to turn and stopped. “I almost forgot, the test came back.”

  My heart stopped. “He’s my dad.” I knew it deep down. I looked nothing like my mom or grandma.

  Mike nodded, confirming Lucifer was my father.

  The fresh air filling my lungs felt thick. I couldn’t do anything to change the fact now. “Thank you.”

  Atieno opened the passenger door to the SUV. “Get in, Pandora. Lucifer isn’t as bad as you would think. And you’ll love Paldon.”

  A wave of jealousy came over me from nowhere. Does Atieno like Paldon? Is he settling for me? I closed my eyes and took a couple deep breaths.

  Before I got into the car, Atieno pulled me against his body. “She’s a friend. That’s all.”

  I could feel my cheeks turn red. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”

  He waited for me to climb into the car. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. “I saw the jealousy in your eyes when I said you would like Paldon. I like her as a friend. Same with her mate. You are the only one who has captured me.”

  He didn’t give me time to reply. Atieno closed the car door and went to the driver’s side.

  * * *

  The sun was setting on the horizon as we walked into the coroner's office. The building was located next door to the police station. Mike had called and said Dr. Racket was waiting for me.

  I pulled open a set of steel doors. Dr. Racket kept the lights dimmed on his side of the building. My high heels clicked along the marble floor. The halls were eerily quiet. I opened the last set of steel doors. Mike and Dr. Racket were talking in the room. It was a large rectangular room with a cold chamber along the wall. In the center of the room sat four exam tables illuminated by two rolling lights. Dr. Racket had a tray of instruments next to him. He wouldn’t cut into bodies until after I did my vision.

  “How are you doing, Dr. Racket? I brought you something.” Dr. Racket was a sucker for fancy candies. I spent my off hours scouring the internet, looking for candies from other countries to tempt him.

  His little nose twitched. “Thank you, Pandora.”

  Today would be my first time using my magic in front of this many people. My grandmother had seen me use my powers over the years, and Chief had seen it a few times. But that was all. I didn’t know how I felt about others around me during my vision. Dr. Racket went to take a break and watch the door so no one would come in and disturb me.

  I stepped away from Atieno and rolled my shoulders. “No matter what you see, don’t touch me. Let me go through the vision. I promise I’m okay.” Grandma always said I looked like I was possessed during my visions. Rolling my shoulders one more time and taking a deep breath, I touched the father's hand.

  Atieno and I had decided earlier that I would try the father first. The visions took a lot of energy, and I didn’t know if I would be able to do each family member. We both thought the dad would try to fight off the intruder the most.

  Once my hand brushed against the body, my mind was transported to the scene. Frank’s wife sat on the couch with her two sons. Both boys were laughing. The dad stood off to the side, watching his wife play with his kids. The walls were a bright white, a huge difference from the red now. I worked on memorizing ea
ch aspect of the living room. I could compare it to the photos in my bag while I recovered my energy. After my visions, I normally was too tired to drive home right away. Dr. Racket would let me use his office until I got my energy back.

  A purple portal popped open in the center of the room. It was the same color as the one that appeared in Grandma’s house. All three home invasions were connected. Now we had to figure out who or what was behind them.

  Demons poured out of the portal. They all had the same charcoal-black eyes. Some had blood coming out of them. This time there was a new person. A tall figure, at least six foot five, stepped through the portal. The person wore a long black robe with a hood. His face was hidden behind a black mask. I couldn’t make out any of the features.

  The family screamed on the couch as the demons stepped closer. The dad no longer leaned For every one he shot, ten more appeared. Blood covered the family. A few demons broke past the dad's gunfire and pulled the kids and wife to the center of the room. When the dad followed, the warlock waved his hands and froze the scene. The dad screamed to be let go, but it was too late. The demons killed his family as he lay in the middle of the floor and cried for his lost wife.

  The warlock turned from the family back to the wall. He dipped his finger in the blood that coated the floor. As he drew the symbol on the wall, he chanted. Atieno told me to listen for a few old words to see if I heard them. If I did, he would know who we were after.

  I waited for the words. Nothing. He spoke a language I didn’t know, and it wasn’t the one Atieno told me to listen for. The vision was getting blurry, which happened when I tried to stay in longer than usual. I wanted to see more. But my body couldn’t hold onto the vision any more.

  My fingers dropped from his hand. Exhaustion. I wanted to take a nap for days. Sending my body through the process was hard. My knees buckled under my weight, and I dropped to the ground. Except I didn’t hit the cold floor like I had in the past. Strong arms wrapped around my body. The next thing I knew, my body was cradled against Atieno’s hard chest.

  I tried to open my eyes, but I had stayed in the vision too long, and I couldn’t get them to open. I faintly heard Atieno cuss before my mind gave in to blackness.

  7

  I groaned when my phone rang. The sound jolted me from my dream. My body felt weak and heavy, and it took me a few seconds to remember where I was. A few times, after having my visions, I would wake up on the cold floor of the medical examiner's room. But this time, I was safe in my bed. A flash of Atieno catching me before I hit the floor played in my mind’s eye.

  Fuck. My head pounded. Why did the vision drain my energy so quickly? I was the daughter of the devil. My powers should be better than that. I knew I had just found out he was my dad, but it shouldn’t matter.

  I glanced at the clock on the table. Eight p.m. Damn it. I had lost most of the day and hadn’t called Sasha’s parents. I had planned to call them earlier, then I got wrapped in the case. Sasha’s parents should’ve been my priority, but I felt guilty and kept putting off the call.

  My phone echoed again. When I glanced at my bedside table, it wasn’t there. The sound was muffled, and I peeked over the side of my bed. I threw the covers off the bed to find my naked legs, white granny panties still on, no pants. I threw my arm over my eyes and groaned. Why? Maybe Grandma undressed me, but I knew it wasn’t her. Now I wished I had paid the extra money for nice underwear.

  Another trill of my cell rang through the room. I reached down, grabbed my pants, and pulled out my phone. An unknown number flashed across the screen. My finger hovered over the Decline button for a second before I clicked Accept. “Hello.” My voice came out hoarse.

  “Pandora, is that you? We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the past few hours.”

  I winced at Mrs. Parker’s words. They held not an ounce of sadness. Sasha’s parents weren’t the friendliest people growing up. Our senior year, we spent most of our time at my house, and she chose to live on campus during college even though her parents lived in the same city.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Parker. What can I do to help?”

  A long sigh came over the line. “Wes and I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. We don’t want to leave Paris yet. Can you take care of the funeral arrangements?”

  “I don’t know what you would want.”

  “The basics are fine,” she replied emotionlessly. “Try and plan the funeral for the end of the month. There is no reason to have it any sooner. We will send you account information to cover the costs.”

  I glanced at my phone, hoping I was still dreaming. “Are you absolutely sure?”

  “I’m sure this is what Sasha would want. She wouldn’t want us to come home early,” she explained. “Wes and I talked about this after we received the call.”

  “Okay, but maybe another family member might be better,” I said. “I don’t know who to invite or notify about when the funeral will take place. I’ll let her friends and coworkers know, but what about her aunts, uncles, and cousins?” My mind was going a mile a minute. Who wouldn’t want to come home and plan their daughter’s funeral?

  “Don’t worry about inviting her friends and coworkers. They don’t need to bother going.”

  “I really think her friends and coworkers will want to pay their respects.” I ground my teeth together. Sasha made excuses for her parents being coldhearted. I hadn’t realized how bad it was. They hadn’t been there when she graduated. Her dad had wanted her to go to law school and work at the family law firm. As she was the only child, that was supposed to be her route. When she chose nursing, her parents thought it was a phase. I hadn’t known how much she dealt with from her parents.

  “If they want to come, that’s fine. But we need you to clean out her apartment. No need to pay for that place an additional month.”

  I wanted to scream at them. They had enough money to spend a month in Paris but couldn’t pay someone to take care of their daughter’s apartment. “Do you want me to send the things I think are valuable to your house?”

  “Her valuables?” There was a pause on the line. “I don’t think she would have anything we want.”

  My heart shattered for Sasha. The bedroom door creaked open, and Atieno stuck his head in the room. I pulled the blanket over my legs and glared. He winked before he sat down on the bed.

  “I’ll try to clean out her apartment this week. Do you want a casket or cremation?”

  Another sigh filled my ears. “Cremation is fine. You knew her best. I have faith you can handle it. Now Wes and I are going to go mourn the loss of our daughter.”

  “I’ll try to plan it for the end of the month.” Atieno raised his eyebrow at my statement. I shook my head and fell back in the bed.

  “Thank you, dear. I don’t think Wes and I could have dealt with it. I’ll send you the account information.”

  “Absolutely,” I ground out in a firm tone. “I’ll take care of your daughter’s funeral.” I didn’t care if the words came out rudely.

  “Okay,” Mrs. Parker said before hanging up.

  Tears pierced my eyes. How could parents be so cold and uncaring?

  Atieno was by my side and wiped the tears from my cheek. “Who was that?”

  “Sasha’s parents don’t want to leave Paris until the end of the month. They want me to take care of the funeral and clean out her place.”

  “Assholes,” Atieno bit out. His eyes flashed from blue to a deep green.

  Atieno was a good guy, and I suddenly became aware that he was sitting next to me in my bed. I didn’t have pants on. It wasn’t the right moment, but my body betrayed me. I wanted him.

  “Who took off my pants?”

  Atieno looked away.

  “Answer me.”

  He turned back and crossed his arms. “You didn’t look comfortable in your jeans, so I took them off.”

  “No stripping me when I’m unconscious.”

  “But your panties are so cute.”

&n
bsp; I threw the pillow at his head, and he grabbed it out of the air. When he smiled, my mind went blank, and he was the only thing I could think of. I wanted him, and if we didn’t leave the bed soon, I might climb on his lap.

  Now wasn’t the time. We had a lot of things to talk about. I didn’t understand enough of the supernatural world. “Can you leave so I can get dressed?”

  Atieno stood, leaned down, and kissed my forehead. “You're going to have to stop fighting the pull one day.”

  “We met yesterday, and you haven’t wooed me at all. Taking my pants off when I’m not awake is not wooing.”

  “Noted.” Atieno turned and walked out of the room.

  “What am I going to do with him?” I mumbled.

  “I can kill him,” a woman in the corner said. She was tall, with long red hair, and dressed in black. She ran her hand down her blade.

  “Who the fuck are you?” I reached for the lamp on the bedside table.

  She raised her eyebrow. “Really, a lamp?” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m your favorite sister.”

  “Okay, supposed favorite sister. Why are you in my room?” I asked as I set the lamp back down.

  She huffed. “Not supposed, I’m your favorite.” She nodded toward the door. “See, I’ll gladly kill Atieno.” The woman stared at the door. She had a look of determination in her eyes.

  I had a feeling that if I said okay, Atieno would be dead. “What would happen to me if you killed my mate?” I asked. I faintly remembered something about shifters going into depression when they lost their mate.

  Her head swung from the door toward me. “Have you mated yet?”

  I shook my head.

  “Not much. The sooner we kill him, the better off you are. If we wait too long, you’ll pine for him.” Something flashed in her eyes. It was so quick, I would’ve missed it if I weren’t watching her.