Dark Flame

by Caris Roane

  She slung both arms around his neck.

  Brann.

  She hadn’t meant to communicate telepathically, but she was overcome.

  She was in his arms at long last, this time for real.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Brannick had served on the Crescent Border Patrol for years. He’d faced death squads in Rotten Row. He’d had witches put their sizzling fingers up to his temple ready to kill him. He’d been cut open with a dozen sword swipes from fae and dead-talker bad guys. He’d had drugged out shifters, in wolf form, tear chunks out of his arms, legs and once his abdomen.

  He knew what pain was.

  He knew how to battle the enemy.

  He’d grown strong on all fronts because of the hellhole he lived in called Five Bridges.

  What he didn’t have either the will or the strength to do, was to let go of the woman in his arms.

  His lips were pinned to hers, his tongue plunging in and out. She even tasted familiar, which seemed impossible. He ran his hands down her back and felt her tremble beneath his touch.

  He could recall the dreamglide now in perfect detail, how just hours ago he’d been buried inside her, watching passion move in erotic waves over her creamy, freckled skin. He could hear her moans and see how he leaned down to kiss her cheek. He’d shifted his position and given her a solid rock of his hips to which her whole body had rolled with pleasure.

  But it had only been a dream. No, that wasn’t accurate. It had been a dreamglide, an alternate reality the powerful fae could create.

  He drew back and met her gaze. Holding her right now, however, was real life or ‘real-time’ as the fae called the present.

  Setting his memory of the shared dreamglide aside, he could feel the flesh of her body through her dress and the way her breasts rose and fell against his chest. She felt amazing beneath his touch, familiar yet not, but now oh-so-fucking-real.

  “Brann, what are you thinking? Talk to me.”

  “That you feel the same but so different. Better. More physical. More … real.”

  She nodded three times very fast, and her breathing was erratic. Her tongue touched her lips. Because of the dreamglide, he knew the signs of her arousal and how easily he could take her to bed because of the state she was in. She was clearly vulnerable to him, which turned him on.

  Christ, he’d been her lover for five months now.

  But what did any of it mean?

  Slowly, he let his arms fall away, then took a step back. He needed distance on so many levels. In an essential way, he didn’t approve of dreamgliding. In terms of his work, it was illegal to turn yourself over to a fae who could invade your dreams.

  Some of the more gifted Revel dwellers, like Roche, could do intensive searches within a dreamglide and ferret out all sorts of high-profile, highly classified information. The streetlights throughout Five Bridges and each of the security checkpoints at the main bridges were all governed by computers. This kind of information could be extracted during a dreamglide state and sold to anybody willing to pay.

  Not that Brannick suspected Juliet of doing anything like that. Not at all. He trusted her allegiance to his cause.

  Something else occurred to him. “You say this began five months ago? You mean around the time we met at the White Flame club?”

  She tilted her head slightly. “The first time was that same night.”

  Brannick knew he’d been a willing participant, and he knew why. The whole time he’d interviewed her, he’d been in a partial state of arousal.

  He’d sat across from her in a booth. She’d sipped a mai-tai, while he’d worked on a scotch. He could even remember what she wore, a somewhat loose-fitting glittery black dress, not too different from the gauzy one she wore now, but made for clubbing. She didn’t seem to like snug clothes. Still, he’d thought her sexy as hell.

  Nothing about her had been flirtatious, either. She hadn’t come to charm him, only to support the image of a couple on a date while he interviewed her. She’d kept the conversation serious and to the point. She wanted to help. Mary had been talking to her for weeks about joining the rescue operation and Juliet didn’t care that she’d be risking her life. She’d seen too many bad things in Revel Territory not to get involved.

  After he’d made his assessment and welcomed her to the team, the conversation had shifted to their current lives and work. She was apprenticed to a woman named Agnes, a sage fae of great power, who served on the Board of Sages, which governed Revel Territory. Roche was on the same board and stonewalled most of the improvement projects the several good fae tried to move forward. No surprise there.

  In turn, he’d told her about his work as a border patrol officer, the level of violence he faced every night and that he’d learned to carry a kit in his car to stitch up minor wounds. She’d asked what he considered a minor cut, and he said he measured it in inches—anything longer than a certain number and he’d head to the clinic to have a professional do the job.

  Then she’d surprised him by offering a double-entendre about anything else he measured in inches and did he seek a professional to take care of that problem as well.

  He’d been shocked at first. The woman had seemed so self-contained and somewhat prim. She didn’t even blush, though she did offer a smiling apology. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I was married to a great guy. We used to joke all the time.”

  Of course, she’d looked away from Brannick at that point. Hurt had flashed in her eyes when she mentioned her husband, reminding him of the pain he’d suffered thirteen years ago when his wife had died. Jesus, sometimes, at the oddest moments and without warning, grief could come boiling to the surface.

  Juliet had taken a big drink of her mai-tai and ordered a second. He’d done the same with his scotch. He should have left then and there, since he’d concluded his business with her, but dawn had still been a couple of hours away and he didn’t want to leave. Looking back, he realized his conversation with Juliet had been the first normal one with a woman in years, maybe since he’d come to Five Bridges.

  “What are you thinking about?” The warm, musical quality of her voice brought him back to the present.

  “About our conversation at the club, the night I met you for the first time.”

  She inclined her head slowly, her lips parted. “I think about that sometimes as well. Of course my cheeks tend to warm up as I recall what I said to you. Do you remember?”

  “Yeah. About what else I measured in inches.”

  She smiled. “I’m still embarrassed.”

  He caught her elbow in his hand. “I liked it. It felt so easy. But I was surprised because you didn’t seem like the type.”

  “I guess I don’t.” Her smile grew crooked. “But I am.”

  He continued to stare at her. He knew he was frowning harder than ever, but he couldn’t help it. He was trying to understand how he’d let this happen. He lived a controlled life, something necessary because of his simmering, ever-present rage about being an alter vampire.

  Giving himself over to a dreamglider meant he’d had no control. So, why had he done it?

  He searched her eyes, her face, looking for some kind of answer that she couldn’t possibly provide. He felt like he’d double-crossed himself and was now vulnerable in a situation that could easily spin out of control.

  Finally, he let her go, then shoved a hand through his hair. “We should get out of here.”

  “Yes, we should.”

  He moved toward the door that led into the house and knocked quietly. His host, Carl, opened the door grim-faced no doubt because of the earlier unexpected visitor.

  Brannick had already made his decision about what needed to be done for the host couple.

  Carl led them into the family room. He moved off to the side of the sliding glass door, joining his wife. He slid an arm around her shoulders, then shook his head. “Sorry, Brannick, but we can’t do this anymore. It’s meant a lot to me and my wife that we could help these women, b
ut we won’t jeopardize our lives, not like this.”

  Brannick lifted a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Carl. I hold to my word that if there was ever the smallest sign that your house was suspect, we’d be out of here, and that’s what’s happened tonight.

  “I’ll have contractors here within the hour, sealing up the tunnel at your home’s exit point. They’ll build in the closet like we discussed, though they’ll dirty it up so it looks like it’s been there a while. We backfill the stairs with dirt and pack it in good. Even if someone tried to break through the closet, they wouldn’t get far. How does that sound?”

  His wife burst into tears. Carl held her close. “Sounds real good. What about the van? Will you still wait to remove it?”

  “Procedure has taught us that the van should sit there for at least a month now. I’ll have my human team take it away sometime during the day when most of the alter species will be asleep. How does that sound?”

  “Good. Real good. And we’re sorry about this.”

  “Not your fault and please don’t give it a second thought.”

  Brannick pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call to one of his human contractors and arranged for the tunnel work. When he put his phone back, he said, “They’ll get started right away, though you probably won’t even know they’re here and they’ll work through the day. Tomorrow night, go ahead and move whatever you like into the closet. Just try to arrange everything to make it look as though it’s been settling for a while.”

  “Thanks so much, Brannick.” He compressed his lips. “Do you have any idea how we became suspect?”

  He shrugged. “It’s possible a neighbor saw the van pull in and called the Crescent station. That’s all it would take. But don’t worry. I’ve closed up tunnels dozens of times.”

  “Will you have to dig a new one?”

  “Not entirely. We’ll arrange for a replacement host, hopefully on a nearby street not far from the tunnel, then cut in from there. Again, the contractors are skilled at what they do.” He clapped Carl on the shoulder. “Thank you for your service. As for this evening, four more women were delivered safely through our network and are by now headed to a local Phoenix hospital and will get the care they need.”

  “That’s good, but I sure wish that officer hadn’t shown up.”

  Brannick nodded then glanced toward the night sky. “I wish you both well, but right now Juliet and I need to get going.”

  Carl drew back the sliding glass door.

  Brannick stepped through. When he moved onto a small patch of grass in the center of the yard, ready to take off, he realized Juliet hadn’t followed him.

  He glanced in the direction of the house and saw that she was holding Carl’s wife in a warm embrace and speaking softly to her. When she drew back, the woman smiled then wiped her cheeks with her hands.

  For a moment, as Juliet turned in Brannick’s direction and started crossing the patio, he felt as though something grabbed his heart and squeezed hard. She was kind and thoughtful, a loving woman, the kind he wished he could have in his life, a woman like his wife had been.

  He shifted to look up into the sky, anywhere but at Juliet. He didn’t want to be feeling like this, like if given the chance, he could fall for her.

  He’d made a promise to himself the night he’d watched the dark coven witches burn his sister alive that he’d never allow himself to care for anyone ever again. He couldn’t risk it. Not in Five Bridges. Caring had fueled his rage, which had set him on a vigilante course that ended with the death of the rest of his family, including Tracy.

  He’d spent thirteen years atoning for something that he could never make right. But he had no intention of getting involved at this late hour with Juliet, even if he had been engaged in a serious affair with her.

  When she drew close, he held out his arm and his right boot. “Have you flown much?”

  “A couple of times. But, yes, I’m a nervous flyer.”

  “I’ll take it slow.”

  She stepped up onto his boot, then settled her arm across his shoulders. Oh, God, she smelled so good. She smelled familiar. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  She leaned into him in a way that told him exactly how comfortable she was with him physically, as though she’d always been flying with him. Of course, it was another reminder that they’d been having dreamglide sex.

  His whole body felt flushed. He needed to take her back to Revel, drop her off and make sure that within the structure of his tunnel rescue network he never saw her again.

  He also needed to make it clear that there would be no more dreamgliding. Not now. Not ever.

  ~ ~ ~

  As Brannick rose slowly into the sky, Juliet felt his special vampire disguise flow in a soft whirl around her. Even this unique power had the feel of Brannick as she’d come to know him in their shared dreamglide.

  She felt safe in his arms and much less nervous than if she’d flown with anyone else. She could even look around.

  Brann, I didn’t realize we were this far north. She probably shouldn’t use his nickname. She’d have to work on that.

  Only a half mile from the Loop 101.

  As she took in the terrain of Crescent Territory, she clucked her tongue. Most of Five Bridges really has the look of a warzone, doesn’t it?

  Yes, it does. Want to have a good look?

  You mean as in take in more of the land?

  Yep.

  Honestly, I’d love it. And she meant it.

  He turned slightly to face due north, then slowly moved in the direction of what they called the U.S. Border, even though it was in the middle of Phoenix. The entire outer boundary of Five Bridges was locked down tight with more barbed wire than she’d ever thought to see in her entire life.

  Searchlights also rimmed the border area, hunting for drug-runners who foolishly tried to make their way across the pitted landscape. The same lights tracked the skies constantly, hunting for those with the ability to levitate. The shoot-on-sight outside of Five Bridges was a real deterrent.

  She still couldn’t believe that she lived in a geographical area that used to be the north central part of Phoenix. But after the alter species had been segregated into a ghetto some time ago, the U.S. finally resolved a lot of governing issues by cordoning off large areas in the major cities across the country, complete with tens of thousands of linear feet of barbed wire. Formal U.S borders were created in order to keep the alter species from being part of the normal human population.

  Can you take me up higher?

  His husky masculine voice rolled through her mind. You sure you’re up for it?

  I am. I think because I’m with you.

  Holding her secure, he rose swiftly, then stopped to hover in the air. Before we move forward, I need to check the airspace.

  She understood why. Many species could levitate, and he would need to know who was out and about in Crescent right now.

  He slowly spun in a circle, but the air was clear. She could see other species in the far distance, small dots moving across the night like unmarked aircraft. She had the odd thought that the Tribunal government should establish a law requiring identification lights on anyone levitating.

  The thought made her smile, not just because it would be out-of-place to see flashing lights on Brannick’s head or his boots. But the Tribunal could barely enforce its most basic laws so she’d love to see them try to regulate what happened during levitated flight. It was a cynical thought, of course, but then she’d lived in the province for four long difficult years. As for the U.S. Government, Five Bridges was a no-fly zone for human aircraft and easily seen from the air because of all the searchlights surrounding the area.

  He drew close to Del Muerto Bridge, which connected Crescent to the dead-talkers of Shadow Territory. A lot of superstition ran rampant about Del Muerto Bridge, and as a result, it saw the least amount of traffic. Shadow Territory also described the land in this section of Five Bridges pretty well
. Shadow had the fewest street lights of any of the territories and a fairly low number of raunchy sex clubs. Humans who came to shadow were looking for a connection to loved ones who’d passed. Of course, this meant that a lot of businesses thrived by playing on the grief of unsuspecting visitors. Juliet had often thought there was absolutely nothing sacred in Five Bridges.

  She felt a measure of relief when Brannick reached the border between her fae territory of Revel and the dead-talker land. Ventana Bridge was also one of the five main bridges that gave their province its name.

  Brannick flew over the bridge and into Revel. He’d been to her home in their dreamglide world, but she had no idea how much he remembered. Do you know where you’re going?

  I gave up following landmarks a mile ago and have been using my instincts since. Everything is oddly familiar.

  When he made a turn to head east, she huffed a sigh. This is definitely the right direction.

  Wait a minute. I’m remembering something from one of the dreamglides. You live in the Lotus Tree development, don’t you?

  I do. But I may have told you where I lived the night we met at the White Flame.

  Maybe. I don’t know. But I definitely feel like I’ve been here before. He made his descent.

  In many ways, it was like flying in a plane since the streetlights suddenly grew brighter and she could see the form of people moving on the sidewalks. The cars had stopped looking like something she could buy in a toy store.

  He flew without hesitation, heading straight toward Lotus Bridge.

  When it came into view, she asked him to fly north to where the main canal branched off to Lotus Stream. She’d often wanted to take a helicopter ride just to see this particular view.

  Reaching the ‘T’ where the canal intersected with Lotus Stream, she asked him to drop even lower but to go slow. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to see this from a point of levitation. I think it’s one of the prettiest places in all of Five Bridges. She laughed. Of course, that isn’t saying much.