by J. L. Weil
He fired as I slammed into him, pushing his arm upward and tackling him to the ground. The bullet pierced one of the spotlights above, the glass shattering on contact and raining down along with electrical sparks. Screams of panic rose in the air.
“I need emergency extraction for Diamond. I repeat, retrieve Diamond, now!” I ordered, struggling to hold down the attacker.
The gun slipped out of his grasp with the fall, and my fist connected with the waiter’s jaw when he began to fight me, trying to escape. The Serpent Strike team rushed toward Haley at the same time and pulled her out, rushing up the stairs to the helipad on the building’s roof.
“Vulture Flight, she’s on her way to you,” I grunted, receiving a kick to the chest that knocked me off the attacker.
“Copy that, Scorpion. We are landing now. Preparing for extraction.”
Teenagers ran in all directions, screaming for their lives while the green-haired man tried to get up. I lunged for him, holding onto his calf and pulled viciously. “You are not going anywhere, asshole!”
The man’s cheek smacked against the floor with the fall, but he still fought to escape me. Climbing on top of him, I punched him once more.
“Did you really think you could murder the president’s daughter while under my protection?” I punched him again.
He squirmed under me, looking more scared by the second. Good. He was never going to forget this night. The man tried to speak, but I slammed my hand over his mouth.
“What’s that? Sorry, I can’t hear you.” The next second his tongue swept my palm and a fierce burning engulfed my hand. “What the fu—”
Taking advantage of my surprise, he knocked me back, and ran for the back door.
“Shit!” I hissed, scrambling to my feet and hauling after him while the Washington DC police entered the club.
My steps faltered when I came out back, and saw all three guys from my Shadow Panther team sprawled over the floor. Quickly checking their pulses, I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing they were still alive, but there was no time to figure out what had knocked them out cold. Throwing a glance at the alley, I saw the waiter running away and shot toward him.
“Hey! Stop, you sleaze bag!”
Dirty water splashed under my boots as I ran toward him like my ass was on fire. Because it was. His attempt to hurt Haley had lit a flame inside me, and I was going to make him regret this night for the rest of his life.
Climbing the fire escape of one of the buildings ahead, he went all the way to the top. I followed. Stepping on an old TV, I jumped, running over a car parked in the alley, and lunged myself once more until my hands curled around the fire escape. It was too bad for him that I had the best track record in pursuit.
I was on the roof in half the time it took him to get there, and went for him as he jumped to the next building. The sound of helicopter blades retreating matched the pounding of my heart, and I rushed to the edge of the roof, jumping after the assailant without missing a beat.
“Scorpion, Diamond is secured. I repeat. Diamond is secured. On our way back to the White House,” Vulture Flight assured just as I leapt onto the green haired man, tackling him to the ground before he could go onto the next building.
“I need medical attention for the Shadow Panther team. They are alive but unresponsive,” I growled, gripping the back of the man’s shirt and flipping him around to straddle him.
“Already on their way,” Serpent Strike answered. “Do you need backup?”
I snorted, pinning down the guy. “Nah, I’m good. Please notify DC Police that I caught the assailant. I’m on the roof, three buildings down from the club.”
“Roger that, Serpent Strike out.”
Panting, I looked at the panicked and furious face of the asshole who had attempted the attack tonight. “All the luck in the world won’t save you now,” I seethed, while he struggled to get out from under me, but my thighs were locked around him. He was not going anywhere. “You are going to get so many life sentences, that you’ll never see the sun again.”
“You don’t understand! I was forced to do this, I’m nothing but a pawn. I was just doing their bidding,” he growled, trying to buck me off him while I held his hands down. “This is bigger than you or I.”
“Oh, really? A conspiracy? You don’t say. Please, tell me more.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice as I reached behind me for my cuffs.
“I’m serious! You think you know this world, but trust me, you don’t. The Geata an Damanta is ripping open. They are forcing their way here, and if they come, life as you know it will end. They are going to kill us all and take the world.”
“What the hell does the president’s daughter have to do with that?” I asked, flabbergasted by his idiotic explanation.
“All leaders must submit or fall.”
“What?” Okay, I had enough of his mad ramblings. My right hook connected with his jaw, punching the guy’s lights out for good.
As far as excuses went, his had to be the worst. What the hell was the Geata an Damanta, and what weird language was that? I hated conspiracy theorists. Sighing, I decided to let it go, and finished securing the handcuffs around his wrists.
“Freaking idiot,” I grumbled and glanced around me, expecting the police to find us any second. The door to the stairs had padlocks on it, and I was not hauling this guy’s ass down by myself.
I did a double take as the man’s skin suddenly rippled. Leaning closer, I saw the texture on his cheeks begin to change, taking on an almost reptilian quality.
“What the fu—” my words died when his eyes opened, focusing on me. They were now a bright green, like his hair.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, suddenly presenting a lisp, and a green mist burst from his mouth.
The smoke filtered through my nostrils as I noticed a weird membrane appear over his slitted eyes, and he blinked sideways just as the world tumbled around me, taking me down with it. The silhouette of the man running toward the edge of the building and jumping again, was the last thing I saw before a shadowy midnight replaced every thought, every image, every feeling, and I was pulled into the darkness.
The world tumbled once again when consciousness returned to me. My whole body hurt as though I had been beaten within an inch of my life, but as I blinked, my gaze focused on myself. I found nothing wrong.
The steady beeping of machines reached me at the same time that my right hand stung, and I brought it to my eyes to notice my palm had been bandaged.
“Nothing to worry about, Ethan. Just a small burn on your right hand, and the strain your body suffered from the drug used to render you unconscious.”
I followed the voice to a tall, beautiful and slender woman who stood near the door. A white coat covered her body while she checked my vital signs on a digital tablet. My dazed gaze continued to clear as my eyes roamed the room. I was in the hospital. What the hell?
“Scorpion,” I corrected in a groggy voice—half pissed off as was my go-to mood. I needed caffeine. “Where is Diamond—I mean, Haley? Is she okay?”
“The president’s daughter? Yes, she’s safe in the White House with her family. All thanks to you.” Her lips stretched into a slow and satisfied grin, but strangely, it seemed filled with pride and admiration more than social gratitude.
“How about my team? The guys were unconscious in the alley…”
“They were taken care of already. No need to worry. They are responding well to the treatment, since they seemed to have gotten a smaller dosage of the toxin.” Taking a few steps toward me, she stopped beside me and reached for my wrist, placing two fingers over my veins as though to feel my pulse. “How are you feeling?”
I watched her for a moment while her gaze bore into mine. She looked at me like she knew me, but I couldn’t place her anywhere. “Like I was run over by a truck,” I mumbled, causing her to chuckle.
“Yeah, well, I’m afraid the effect might last a little longer. After all, you’ve been unconscious for three days.
”
“Excuse me?” I blinked, shocked, and her gaze filled with compassion.
“What is the last thing you remember?”
With her question, the memory of the attack returned. Except, the images were jumbled in my mind, as though someone had moved them out of place. It was hard to decipher their correct order, and even though I remembered most of it, I was sure there were parts missing.
A green mist, flying toward my face, was the last thing I could remember, but I had no idea where it had originated. “I was on a roof, I think, but I can’t be certain of how I got there. And I inhaled something, some sort of green smoke. Is that the toxin you speak of?”
She nodded, sighing. “I’m sorry I can’t offer any clarity at this moment, but it is true you were found on a rooftop. You were alone and unconscious. Is that really the last thing you remember?”
I hesitated in answering, trying to navigate the fog in my mind. “I was in the club, watching over Haley when someone pulled a gun, and I remember attacking him, but I can’t put together what he looked like.”
“Well, no need to force yourself. I’m sure the memories will become clear in due time. The toxin seems to have specifically attacked your nervous system, it also acted as a paralytic.”
Damn, that was messed up. Planting my hands on the bed, I tried to sit up, but my muscles protested, the pain assaulting my body.
Soft hands gripped my arm, helping me up and placing an extra pillow at my back. “If you wish, I can give you medicine to help a bit. Morphine. Just to help you feel better,” the doctor offered, reaching for my IV, and I nodded.
“I would appreciate that.”
The warmth of her skin engulfed mine as she took my hand in hers, and gently squeezed.
“Thank you for honoring your call of protection, and always putting the safety of others first.” She smiled at me appreciatively, and my eyes became fixed on hers.
I was no stranger to receiving a “Thank you for your service” comment here and there, whenever people found out I had served in the military, but her words seemed deeper somehow. Like more than just a thank you.
“It’s my duty, ma’am,” I answered, like I had a million times—my father’s voice echoed in my ears—but I was still taken aback by her choice of words.
Instantly, the medicine began to take effect, my muscles relaxed as the pain vanished, but my eyes never left hers, and her hand never left mine.
“I’ll let you rest now,” she offered after a couple of minutes. “Don’t worry, Scorpion, I’ll see you again soon.”
With a parting smile, she stepped out of the room, leaving me to my scrambled thoughts. The more I tried to remember, the more the images tangled in my mind, as though I was chasing my own memories through a rabbit hole.
It was all there, I was sure, but my mind just seemed too tired to put the pieces back together. What the hell was in that mist, and what had it done to me? Two days. Two days I had been here. Who was in charge of Haley’s protection while I was down? And had the guys been discharged already, or were they still in the hospital?
Reaching for my leather jacket that hung from the chair next to me, I took out my cell phone, to find a million messages on my screen. Both my father and my grandfather had called. I sent them a text that I had awoken, getting a reply that both of them were on their way to the hospital.
Wonderful.
The last thing I needed right now was for them to list everything I had done wrong with my protection detail preparation, during my pursuit of the attacker, and how ending up here in the hospital had been nothing but my own fault.
Not to mention that they’d probably recite the ABC’s about what being one of the “Ethan James” of our family meant, and the public responsibility my name carried. Especially, since my grandfather was none other than the current Secretary of Defense.
I knew the speech by heart, it was their favorite thing to give me, preferred over an attaboy, or, we are proud of you.
Nah. Who needed those anyway?
Nurses came and went while I reported to the Deputy Director of the Secret Service, assuring him that I should be back to duty as soon as I got a doctor to sign off on my health. Afterwards, I contacted the White House, and made sure that Haley was indeed safe.
She was an annoying brat as usual, and swore to me her life was over, but other than that she seemed fine.
The door opened at that moment, and a man with gray hair and glasses walked into the room.
“I’m glad to hear you are awake,” he announced, taking the digital tablet that the other doctor had used, checked my vital signs as well, and walked toward me. “How are you feeling, Commander James?” he asked, pulling out a pupil penlight from his white coat, and aiming it at my eyes. “Don’t blink,” he instructed.
“I felt severely groggy when I first awoke,” I answered truthfully. “My whole body hurt, as though I had been run over by a truck, but I feel much better now. Thank you.”
He nodded, typing something on the tablet. “Hmmm, we’ll have to do something about the pain, but it is understandable. The toxin you seemed to have inhaled attacked your nervous system. Based on my analysis so far, there shouldn’t be any lasting effects, but I’d like to perform several more tests to rule out any permanent damage.”
His brow creased as he exhaled worriedly, looking at the tablet once again.
“The neurotoxin used against you was potent. It is quite possible you will feel dazed or confused for several days to come, but I assure you, your mind will clear once the toxin is fully gone from your system.”
My gaze became troubled as I stared at him. “Are you sure? That’s not what the other doctor told me, and to be frank, I’m already feeling the mental fog disappear. My thoughts are far clearer, so whatever she prescribed is working. And there is no need for any more pain medicine, or tests, the morphine she gave me took care of it. It’s gone now.”
The doctor’s hand halted, maybe even his breathing too, and he looked up at me slowly. “What doctor?”
“The female doctor. Tall and slender, with brown hair, and warm amber eyes? She was here about an hour ago. I’m sorry, I forgot to ask her name, but she told me that giving me morphine would help me. She was right. I feel almost as good as new.”
The man’s face paled, and he checked the chart once more, then again. “Just a moment.” Rushing to the door, he called one of the nurses, whispering orders to her urgently. He seemed upset about something.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, bringing his attention back to me, and he stepped away from the door, returning to my side.
He checked my IV carefully then glanced at me, taking off his glasses. “I’m not sure how to say this, Commander, but I think you might be hallucinating due to the effects of the toxin.”
“What?” I asked, perplexed. “No, my mind is clear. I swear, I feel fine. Why do you say that?”
“Well…” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he put his glasses back on, tentatively checking the tablet one last time. “I’m just going to go ahead and say it. There is no doctor here that fits that description. I’m the attending on this floor, and the only one in charge of your care. No one else. No one other than the nurses should have entered this room.”
“You must be mistaken. I am not making her up,” I argued, insulted. “I saw her. I felt her when she touched my hand. She was here barely an hour ago. And what about my pain? It’s gone. She gave me something that made me feel better almost instantly. Morphine. Check my chart again, I feel perfectly well now.”
A troubled look entered his wise eyes. “I’m sorry, Commander, but the IV you have connected is nothing more than a basic mixture of saline to prevent dehydration, and medicine to maintain your blood pressure and give you the nutrients you needed while unconscious. There is no morphine in it, or anything else for the pain. Until you mentioned it just now, we weren’t aware you were in pain.”
“What?” My throat became dry with his statement, and the more I
thought about it, the more my heart began to race.
The image of the beautiful woman returned. Her kind smile and the timber of her voice when she spoke to me, thanked me, and adjusted my IV. The warmth radiating against my palm as she held my hand. The pain had disappeared almost instantly. My eyes snapped down to my right hand, and I ripped the bandage off to find that the burn I’d suffered was gone. My skin was perfectly smooth, as though nothing had happened.
There was no question she was real, but if she wasn’t a doctor and there was no medicine, then what had she done to me?
Who on earth was that woman?
2
RENNA BLACKWOOD.
Vampire. AKA badass with an attitude.
3 days earlier…
Screwing with séances or voodoo magic wasn’t something I tended to dabble in—tonight being the exception. The shit I did for my friends, and the lengths we went to just for a bit of fun. One of the pitfalls of attending a secret academy for freaks, or supernaturals as the school preferred to call us, was the strict rulebook. The damn thing was thicker than the human bible, and a whole lot less holy. Not that I actually followed any rules for that matter.
Case in point… we were breaking one of those rules listed in the big ass manual at the moment, but for a good cause. Homework. Never had I thought fun and homework would go together.
Oliver, Melody, Tricksy, and I sat in a semicircle in front of an old, ornate, floor length mirror—gold filigree swirls swept over the oval edges in chipped waves. Oliver lit the last pillar candle, the strike of his lighter echoing over the tall stone ceilings of the tower, and causing flames to climb up the dark room.
Tricksy Fey had her family’s grimoire opened in front of her, a finger running over the lines of text as her eyes read the aged spells originating centuries ago. Her cute, pixie silver hair was longer in the front, and pieces fell off to the right side of her face.
“This is nuts. Are we sure we should be doing this?” Oliver asked, pushing up his wire-rimmed glasses as he pocketed the lighter. Oliver Matteson was a worrywart, but as a wolf shifter he had other skills that were quite useful when defying your elders.
