Hexes and Hellfire: Kyra Bell: Book One

by Brittany Rose

  That said, John would be pissed if I told the creep out. I almost offered to sell him a performance enhancer, as an insult, but rejected that option too. Men were sensitive about their prowess in bed, and that went double for shifters. He’d be beyond pissed if I questioned his ability to get it up.

  I also wasn’t a hypocrite because I enjoyed Vic’s eyes on me, he wasn’t creepy about it, and the interest was reciprocated. I had my doubts Vic wanted more than just sex, but I also had no doubts he saw me as a real person, he respected my reluctant emotions and boundaries. He didn’t see me as just a sex object to possess, own, and get himself off in, like this asshole did. In truth, I didn’t mind anyone’s eyes on me, admiring me, as long as they weren’t creepy about it.

  “That must be a tough job with this crowd,” I tried to hide my distaste, but there was no way the shifter wasn’t scenting my… aversion to his presence, to put it lightly. Unfortunately, I was getting the idea he liked that. Enjoyed the power of inflicting himself on others and intimidating them.

  Of course, I wasn’t intimidated at all, just revolted.

  John interjected pointedly, “Yes, it must keep you busy.”

  Kevin didn’t take the hint.

  “They know better than to start trouble, darlin. They’re here to see fights, not to fight themselves. I don’t imagine you’ve seen the whole setup yet, would you like a private tour of the rest of the facility? We can get to know each other a little better.”

  I’d have laughed in his face, if I wasn’t so disgusted.

  “I’ll pass. I’m a bit busy running this booth,” and I have something called self-respect, but I didn’t say that out loud.

  He said, “Come on Darlin, John can watch the booth for a bit.”

  Definitely not a knockout dart, paralyzing dart. That way he’d feel and see me kick his ass until he passed out. It was a nice thought, but it probably wouldn’t be happening, unless he touched me. Then I’d kill the creepy bastard.

  I frowned, and gestured behind him, “You’re holding up the line now, and I don’t want to miss the fight about to start.”

  He smirked, “Later then, darlin.”

  Unbelievable.

  We were both silent for the next minute or so, while I sold four more potions. The first fight also started, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it. I’d be watching Vic, because I cared, but nothing had changed from last week and I still didn’t get a thrill from watching violence.

  The only booths more popular seemed to the alcohol and the betting booths.

  John said, “You handled that well, I thought for sure you were going to kick his ass. Which would’ve been bad.”

  I snickered, “If I beat up every creepy asshole that made a pass at me, I’d never get done with it.”

  John shook his head, but I knew he appreciated the self-control I’d applied.

  But then he said, “Just glad it was me watching your back and not Vic.”

  “He’d have done something?” I asked skeptically.

  John raised an eyebrow, and I blushed, “He seems hot and cold.”

  John replied, “Just a little caution I’d imagine, and not much. You might not be here next week, after all.”

  Oh. Was that why he was spending time with me, but keeping me at arm’s length? Not trying to get closer to me? He didn’t want to get involved with someone who might walk out of his life in a little less than a week from now. I hadn’t even considered that idea, that he was holding off for the trial period, but it was obvious when pointed out. I’d been too focused on the negative interpretations. To be fair, I didn’t have John’s nose to help me figure it out.

  Of course, that assumed John was right.

  Chapter Twelve

  The warehouse arena had gotten rowdier over the last hour and a half, with most of the people buzzed at the very least, and more than a few outright drunk. Save the vampires and shifters in attendance that is. I had a small smile pasted to my face as I made my sales, but I felt nervous and out of sorts. My heartbeat was a little faster than normal, and I felt on the edge, the longer it took for Serin to show up, the more I was sure the bastard was up to something.

  I could admit I was rather biased on the subject of Nephilim, they couldn’t all be assholes, but the whole night I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wish it would just drop, or I’d be proven wrong and he’d just come by to pick up his envelope of cash.

  Or… the bastard was timing his move so late, so he’d have more money to confiscate from us when he took us down. Crazy? Maybe, but why raid the place and run out all the humans before they’d emptied their pockets, and he could steal it from us. I had just over five thousand in my lock box, and I was still making a few trickle sales.

  John gave me a funny look when I tossed the lockbox into my bag, and I just winked at him. Let’s see that bastard try to take our money now.

  Vic must’ve been one of the better rated fighters, because it was the second week in a row he was fighting late in the lineup, in the last third of it. This time he was fighting human, though I didn’t recognize the shifter he was squaring off with down there. Perhaps it was a wanderer. Some of our kind, on the outskirts of our society, who never found a group to settle in with.

  Another potion sale, John watched me curiously as I stuck the hundred in my bag, and my hand came out with a fifty for change as well as the chosen potion. Muriel was just that good.

  He asked, “What are you doing?”

  I replied, “Being paranoid.”

  It wasn’t like boxing, the two of them fought extremely aggressively. It wasn’t quite a street fight either. I could recognize some style to it. No rules, fists, elbows, feet, knees, grappling, all allowed. They both fought like they wanted nothing more than to overwhelm their opponent and grind his face into the dirt and sand. It was more controlled than that, my fae speed and perceptions could tell, but I knew the humans wouldn’t be able too. They moved too fast, and far too aggressively, in their eyes.

  I was a little nervous about it, accidents happen, but at least he wasn’t facing a sadistically purposeful execution this week. My head reluctantly snapped up from the fight and toward the entrance.

  Serin swept through the doors. He was a blonde and blue-eyed giant, and quite built. I knew I’d been right, when several others followed behind, all their faces grim.

  “I hate being right, I don’t think he came with those others to share the bribe.”

  John frowned, “It makes no sense.”

  I snorted, we were missing information, and we weren’t greedy backstabbing bastard Nephilim.

  What happened next removed all doubt.

  Serin’s voice boomed, “The building is surrounded, this is a council raid. The humans will be safely escorted out, everyone else is under arrest for violating territory rules, illegal gambling, selling potions without a license, and fighting.”

  John and Abby were looking at each other in shock, but I kept my focus on Serin as I swept the display potions into my bag.

  What potions officer? I snorted.

  As I’d suspected, the city shifters and vamps in the place started to direct the humans out, they had been plants, and I bet they’d all been recording the proceedings for evidence.

  John said, “Don’t resist.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice, if we resisted then they’d be justified to put us all down, to kill us. That’s when the rest of his plan solidified in my mind. This made no sense, because if we were questioned before the council there was no doubt Serin’s involvement would come out, that he’d accepted bribes. That meant the last thing he should’ve done was arrest us, he should’ve just kept taking the bribe.

  I wasn’t sure why he was willing to work with that sadistic bitch Adele, but clearly he had no plans to work with us. Perhaps he worried about control, Adele had all the groups under her thumb on threat of death. While we were cooperating together on it, and any one of the group leaders could walk away at any time and e
mbarrass Serin by speaking about it. Or… Adele had blackmail on him that we didn’t, or… who knows?

  But, that’s why he didn’t accost us at the ranch, where we wouldn’t have resisted his team, and we’d have made it in front of the full council for questioning and judgement. He didn’t just hold back the raid so he could take more money from us, he’d had another reason for doing it here.

  I hissed, “Wanderers, some could be rogues, almost surely.”

  John tilted his head, and I could practically see his mind catch up to mine. He was doing it here, because none of the groups would’ve resisted at home, but chances are one of the wanderers enjoying the fight night, or participating, would make a break for it.

  Which would get us all killed. The council was like the police, in that self-defense was never an acceptable reason for fighting back.

  Call it my paranoia, working that out, but my mind had been tumbling about all night with theories. In truth, I was more than a little worried about myself as well, if they took my glamour necklace away, I’d be executed on the spot as soon as they realized who they’d caught. What they’d caught. Although, I could maintain the glamour without it for a time, just not in my sleep.

  So far, it hadn’t happened, but even a rogue supernatural wouldn’t attack with humans in the way. That was pretty much an automatic death penalty and they’d be actively searched for by all councils, not just put on some wanted list. It was the difference between a bench warrant or an active warrant with a be on the lookout in the human world.

  On a more practical level, they couldn’t rush and flee with the doorways at capacity.

  Vic managed to work his way up to us from the cage floor, while the humans were still being led out of the building. It was hardly orderly. They were jammed up at the exit door and a good half of them looked drunk and pissed off the council had ruined their night.

  For me, it felt like a fuse had been lit, and it was only a matter of time before the bomb went off. I just had no idea how long the fuse was.

  John murmured so low I could barely hear it, but I was sure Vic could hear just fine.

  “If things go sideways, we’ll have no choice but to run, we can’t lay down and die for them. No killing though, or we’ll never get out of the other side of this.”

  I handed Vic a rejuvenation potion, he hadn’t lost his fight, but he might need all his magic in the next few minutes.

  Vic snorted, “How?”

  John shrugged, “No idea, but if one of the wanderers runs for it, and the hunter teams here start putting us down, we run. We can figure out the rest later.”

  I said, “I don’t see any witches or fae. Just vamps and shifters, along with Serin. I can take out any in the way safely, if you keep them off me.”

  Vic growled.

  I smirked at his protective reaction, then sobered, “What about Abby, she’s penned into that box, the entrance behind her is blocked.”

  They both looked across the room, and they saw the hunters in the open doorway.

  John replied, “She’ll get to us, then we’ll head out the back. You can take any of the hunters out without killing, except Serin.”

  I wondered how she’d get to us, but it was hardly the time to be asking. The humans were almost out. Hopefully, Serin had miscalculated, and we could just go peaceably. The council was a bunch of self-important assholes but given the violations he’d listed off we’d probably just face a stiff fine, and Serin’s corruption would be exposed.

  Hope was a bad plan, but I was truly planning for the worst.

  It was absurd, and hardly the time, but I was also painfully aware of Vic’s mostly uncovered sweaty and heavily muscled body in that moment. All the adrenaline and fear no doubt, my heart was truly pounding by that point, and I felt truly alive. Hypersensitive to everything around me, including the strong chemistry I had with him.

  The humans were gone, and we were ridiculously outnumbered. There were only thirteen of us in all three groups including our leaders, and maybe ten or so of the wanderers. The enemy was close to forty as far as I could tell, about fifteen vampires and twenty-five shifters, plus Serin who could handle the three spellcasters in the place by himself. The three leaders could also be overwhelmed by pure numbers, it took time to cast a spell.

  It was like watching a train wreck happen, as I’d predicted one of the wanderers roared and raced for the front entrance. Serin moved to intercept, and the shifter stupidly lunged at him. I really didn’t like Nephilim, but they were total bad asses, I could admit that much. At the last second, he pulled his sword, which exploded in white light.

  They were fast, strong, and had the holy aura light thing. They say it came from god, but I had my doubts, in my opinion it was just their flavor of personal magic. But, it could act as a shield against spells, and it could cut through protections easily enough as well. It just couldn’t be projected, oh, the light shined like a damned sun in the dimly lit warehouse save the spotlights on the cage area, but their magic couldn’t be separate from their body. They could imbue a sword with the power though.

  He wasn’t invincible, like a witch his protections and offense would consume his magic until he ran out, but half angels had a whole lot more magic than even the pure bloods of the races, save demons. It would take coordination and effort to take him out, and that was the last thing we wanted to do in that moment anyway.

  The shifter was cut in twain and fell to the ground with a bloody splat.

  Serin hissed, “Kill them all!”

  Yeah, didn’t see that coming. Okay, yes, I did. Attacking a council member or representative was suicide. Even if you won, you eventually lost unless you could disappear.

  Or, they thought you were dead.

  Point was, I could see it on his smug face, as his full plan succeeded, save for the last step of killing us.

  Abby whispered, “Back door, now.”

  I hadn’t seen that coming at all. I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of her voice.

  My mind froze in confusion as I glanced across the arena, she was still in the box… oh. Stan, full fae, glamour. She just appeared to be still standing in the leader box. They must’ve cleared out before the hunter team had blocked in their illusions in the box. I couldn’t make myself invisible for more than a minute or two, but Stan was both full fae and a whole lot more powerful than I was. I laughed, and then started to run.

  No wonder John hadn’t been panicked.

  The wanderers started to fight, stupidly in my opinion, but it also gave us cover. For a short time.

  Vic and John took the lead, I’d never seen the back of the warehouse setup past the arena, where they had the changing rooms and who knew what else. I had two tranquilizer guns out, my left hand held the knockout potion for shifters, my right the influence potion for vampires. I was ambidextrous, and fast, but I wouldn’t be two fist shooting. One at a time, or I might miss.

  We just got through the door to the back, with two shifters right behind us I recognized from Sally’s group, when I felt a surge of magic. A wall of ice built behind us. In front of us was a long hallway with doors on either side, and one on the end. There were nine of us in the hallway, us four, along with Sally and her four.

  Sally warned, “That won’t hold long, just a few seconds if Serin gets to it.”

  Abby asked, “Where’s Stan?”

  Sally said, “I think he’s taking his team out the front, with glamour they can just walk out right under their noses. Serin miscalculated by not bringing a witch. Stan also promised a glamour distraction, to slow down their pursuit of the rest of us.”

  Abby nodded, “Let’s not waste it.”

  I had no idea where to go, but we all took off running again down the hall toward the door at the end of the hallway. The walls and doors looked pre-fab, and there was a drop ceiling like you’d find in an office building. I assumed that door at the end opened up into the back of the large warehouse sized room, but worried about how many of his people m
ight be guarding the back exit there, not to mention outside.

  Vic didn’t even pause at the end of the hall. His bulk slammed into and exploded the thin wood door outward into the unfinished part of the large warehouse. There was maybe twenty feet between that door and the large rolling doors for loading and unloading trucks, right in the middle of them was a smaller regular back door for people.

  Standing in front of it was a single vampire, and three shifters. I hit the vampire first, they were fast, and for that split second we had surprise on our side. A split second later the vampire looked completely dazed and confused, as if not quite sure where he was, or what he should be doing.

  My right hand fell to my side as I lifted the left, and as the three shifters lunged forward, I nailed one in the chest and he collapsed and slid on the floor before he reached us. Nap time for him.

  My blood pumped through my body quickly, and I tried to ignore the excitement going through me at the danger, but I couldn’t deny it was there. I felt so damned alive, and it was always a good thing to embarrass the councils. Petty, but there you have it.

  Vic went low for a football style tackle. He ignored the fist that slammed into his head, and just powered through it as he straightened up and tossed the shifter in the air behind him and toward me. It was simple at that point to hit him with a dart, he couldn’t change his trajectory or dodge.

  The final shifter by the back door tackled John, and the two of them rolled wildly. I didn’t bother waiting for the perfect shot, vamps were resistant to the knockout darts, and I nailed him with my third try, the first had missed altogether. Unfortunately, the second had hit John, but he’d be fine if a little woozy for the next ten seconds or so.

  Sally said, “That’s handy.”

  I put both my hands in my bag, and pulled them back out a moment later, both pistols fully loaded once more.