Breaking the Nexus (Mythrian Realm)

by Avalon, Lindsay

  “What are we supposed to do with her, sir? We can’t just turn her loose after this, it’d be a toss up who’d get to her first, the reporters or the whack-jobs.” Despite his best efforts to push her from his mind all day, he couldn’t shake the attraction he felt and his protective instincts were kicking into overdrive. Connor’s gut tightened at the image of Sha being mobbed by people wanting to know who she was and where she’d come from.

  “I’ve already thought of that. One of the female officers left a few minutes ago to get her some basic necessities. When she gets back, you’re going to take her out the back to a hotel. We’ll use a decoy at the front to provide enough distraction so you can slip through the media circus.”

  “What happens after we get her to the hotel?” Ian asked, frowning.

  “Find out everything she knows about that.” Captain Morrison waved at the frozen image of the hole in the sky, the runes glowing a pale green. “I want to know if it’s tied to the homicides and whether we need to brace ourselves for worse. Go back to Interview C and wait for someone to bring Ms. Phoenix her belongings then get her to the hotel. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir. No problem,” Connor replied. He was about to be stuck in a hotel room with a woman who could wield crazy power and had magically appeared through a portal of some sort. What possible problem could there be?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It was torture being forced to stay in this tiny room when she was dying to know what was happening on the other side of the door. By this point, Sha figured she had memorized every questionable stain on the walls along with each scratch and scuff in the table. Never had she spent so much time sitting still, and she was fast approaching the end of her patience.

  She’d tried to use the time wisely, scouring the details of the alley in her mind for anything she’d missed. It was semi-effective, would have been more so if she’d been able to keep Connor from entering her brain for longer than five seconds at a time. He struck her as determined, intelligent, and dominant, an attractive combination. She’d had fun sparring with him during her questioning and wanted more, especially now that they’d resolved the little issue of suspecting her of torturing and murdering someone.

  Realizing her thoughts had wandered yet again, she shook her head. She hoped the men returned soon because she’d discovered something by replaying the fiasco from this morning.

  As if she’d conjured them, the door swung open. Without giving them a chance to say anything, she blurted out, “What was the problem? Anything to do with this morning?” It dawned on her that maybe they’d found something incriminating, though she couldn’t fathom what that would be.

  Connor laughed, the sound bringing an unexpected warmth to her. “You could say that. Someone videotaped your entry into this world.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” There was no way she’d heard that correctly. She’d read about video recorders, although they weren’t that common. At least she didn’t think they were.

  “There’s a video of you tumbling out of the sky from some sort of opening. I never thought I’d say this, but you may have been telling the truth about the…what was it called again?”

  “The Nexus. How did someone record me coming out of the Gateway? I don’t understand, are recorders that commonplace?”

  “Almost everyone has a cell phone equipped with a camera.” At her blank look, Connor’s lips twitched. “I’ll explain later. An officer is out getting you some clothes and essentials then we’re going to take you to a hotel. Your face is plastered across all the news stations and the video is going viral online. It’s not safe for you to be out on your own, so for now you’ll be under our protection until we can sort everything out.”

  “I assume I have no say in the matter?” Sha wasn’t sure if she should be happy or annoyed at the arrangement. She didn’t need a nursemaid, but it did mean spending more time with the detective, and that might not be so bad.

  “Ma’am, it’s for your protection,” Ian said.

  “Fine. Oh, I have information. Since you’ve been so kind as to leave me in solitude for much of today, it gave me time to sift through my memories of this morning. I think I can confirm your killer used magic during the crime. After someone wields power, for a short period of time it leaves a signature of sorts that I’m able to pick up. I can’t describe the sensation, but it’s distinctive.”

  Their twin expressions of discomfort were priceless, sparking the sudden desire to tease them about it. She knew they wanted to toss aside the implication that someone else could work with magic, but at least they were trying to keep an open mind.

  A knock sounded on the door before she could continue. “Don’t worry, Detective. We’ll talk about it later,” she promised.

  A wave of relief washed over Connor’s face. “Uh, yes. Later is good.” She got the impression never would have been even better. He rose and greeted the pretty woman who handed him a medium-sized, black bag. “Thanks for doing this, Officer,” he said.

  Sha noted with amusement the look of disappointment in the woman’s eyes. She probably wished Connor had kissed her judging by the infatuation Sha sensed. Jealousy swept through her at the mental image. Nobody was going to kiss him. Her fierce reaction wasn’t a total surprise; she was resigning herself to wanting him, and she was a possessive woman by nature.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen next, Sha. A female officer with a build and coloring similar to yours will be escorted through the main entrance by Ian. Meanwhile, I’m going to take you out through an alternate route and hopefully we’ll avoid some of the media circus camped out front.”

  “You think they’ll fall for the decoy?”

  “Probably not for long, but we just need a minute or two to get you into the car. I’ll take you to a hotel for the night and Ian will meet up with us later. Any questions?”

  She rose, stretching her stiff limbs and grateful to finally escape this dingy, depressing room. “Not that I can think of. Lead the way.”

  *******

  Connor stared, transfixed by the sight of Sha stretching her arms behind her, arching her back to loosen the kinks of sitting in the uncomfortable chair for hours. His mouth went dry. At the hospital, she’d been given a set of scrubs so the crime scene techs could process her clothes. The shapeless, utilitarian garb shouldn’t have been sexy, but his body tightened to the point of pain. Well, this was awkward. And they were supposed to spend the rest of the evening and night alone in a hotel suite. This was going to be a long night.

  Ian coughed, the sound strange. Connor glanced over, eyes narrowing with disgust. The bastard was laughing at him, enjoying his predicament. “I’ll go get the diversion ready,” Ian said, shoulders still shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

  When they were alone Connor turned back to Sha, wrestling for control over his libido. She opened her mouth as if to speak, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips, the simple movement sending another spear of heat straight to his groin. The fact that she seemed to be oblivious to her allure somehow made him want her more. He wondered how she would taste.

  Damn, what the hell was he thinking? Bad enough she was a witness in an active crime, but they were in the middle of the freaking station. The captain would have his head, not to mention his badge, if he acted on the images emblazoned on his brain.

  “Detective? Should I change now or when we get to the hotel?” Sha’s voice penetrated the sexual haze, the husky tone ratcheting the pressure up one more notch. Her deep blue eyes bored into his, a matching desire smoldering in the depths. “Detective?”

  “Uh, sorry. We don’t really have time for you to change now. We have a few techs who work down in autopsy that wear scrubs, so you shouldn’t look out of place if anyone spots you leaving. Check the bag, hopefully there’s something you can use to hide that hair of yours.”

  She frowned and brought her hand up to touch a lock of her hair. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing, it’s just distinctive and we do
n’t want people to recognize it from the video.”

  Nodding her acceptance, she rifled through the contents of the duffle bag, pulling out a thick hoodie with a triumphant grin. “How’s this?”

  “Perfect.” A sharp rap on the door signaled everything was in place. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Luck was on their side and they were able to avoid detection as they left the precinct. The sun had just started to dip below the horizon, the sky filled with the deep hues of the sunset and the waning light worked to their advantage. Connor took the precaution of taking the scenic route to the hotel, making a number of unnecessary turns and doubling back several times to throw off any potential tails. When he was sure nobody was following them, he relaxed a fraction. Sha was staring wide-eyed at the streets of Denver, her full lips parted in awe.

  As they halted at a red light, he decided to break the silence. “Don’t you have big cities where you’re from?”

  “Oh we do, but it’s so different. I’m not used to such height and all that glass. We have tall buildings, though nothing on this scale. Part of it is to allow plenty of sky space for our flying creatures.”

  “You mean birds?”

  “Birds, gryphons, dragon—all sorts of creatures really.”

  Despite all he’d seen this morning, he just couldn’t wrap his head around that. “Gryphons and dragons…seriously?”

  “Yes, I—” Sha’s words cut off, her body tensing as if to prepare for an attack. “Something’s coming,” she warned as a piercing shriek reverberated through the air.

  “Do you know what that was?” He scanned the surroundings, looking for the source of the scream. It was like nothing he’d ever heard and had chilled him to the bone. It sounded neither human nor animal; whatever it was, he doubted it was friendly.

  Another shriek, this one louder, longer…closer. People on the streets began running, fear stark on their faces. A black mass blocked one of the street lamps that had turned on mere minutes earlier, but he couldn’t distinguish any features. “Sha! Do you know what’s out there?” She sat frozen, her eyes closed in intense concentration.

  “Mother Night, it can’t be.”

  Another shriek, even closer, this time accompanied by the terrified shouts of innocent bystanders. Connor reached over and shook her shoulder in an attempt to break through to her. “Now’s not exactly the time for disbelief. What the hell is coming for us?”

  Her eyes met his, outward calm masking a hint of fear. “A banshee.”

  Oh, shit. So much for luck being on their side.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Horns blared as frantic drivers tried to escape the gridlock, desperate to put distance between themselves and that thing. Connor understood their panic, but didn’t they realize they had nowhere to go? They were only going to make the situation worse. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when screeching tires followed by the crunch of metal upon metal signaled several cars had just collided.

  At least nobody was hurt. The drivers had already exited their cars and were alternating between yelling at each other and scanning the sky for the creature. He couldn’t offer his assistance without leaving Sha alone in the car, so he settled for calling the crash into dispatch.

  “What are we up against, Sha? I thought the legends were that banshees came around when a loved one died or something along those lines.” The logical part of his brain rebelled at the idea that banshees existed, but there was no disputing there was something out there.

  Her eyes locked onto the black figure darting from shadow to shadow over the street, following the movement with unerring accuracy. He had no idea how she tracked it; the only time he could tell the location was when a light was momentarily blocked.

  She was silent for so long, he thought she hadn’t heard his question. Finally she answered in a distracted tone. “The tales you heard must’ve left out the part where the banshee isn’t just the harbinger of death; she’s also the killer. She’s hunting someone right now.”

  “You keep saying ‘she.’ How do you know it’s female?”

  A shriek ripped through chaos, this time longer and somehow more chilling. “All banshees are female. Depending on their mood, they take either the form of a hideous old hag or a gorgeous woman who tries to seduce her prey before she attacks.”

  “That describes half the women in the city. Can we fight it or do we wait it out?”

  “Once she’s fixated on a victim, she won’t give up. I can try to fight her but—” She broke off as the dark mass plummeted toward one of the cars, hands tipped with razor sharp claws raking over the hood.

  Panicked onlookers raced for the nearest buildings, their screams spurring the creature on. Now that he could get a closer look, Connor could see the figure was humanoid, it’s hood falling back to reveal disfigured features. It definitely qualified as a hag. Sudden movement inside the car had him cursing when he realized someone was trapped inside.

  “Mother Night, that metal won’t stand up against the banshee for long.”

  Before he could stop her, Sha was out of the vehicle and issuing a shrill whistle. Son of a bitch, did the woman have a death wish? The banshee let out a triumphant cry, its attention now on Sha. Heart pounding, he dove across the seats, determined to stop her before she got herself killed.

  Connor grabbed her wrist pulling her close. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Cool eyes met his, the pulse beneath his fingers steady as a rock. “My job. You wanted to know what I did in Mythria, didn’t you?”

  He felt his jaw drop in disbelief at the thread of amusement in her question. They were facing a vicious creature hell-bent on ripping them apart and she was amused? He had to be mistaken.

  As if reading his mind, Sha’s lips curved. “Welcome to my world, Detective. Now give me room to work.”

  Releasing her arm, he took a single step back, gun drawn and aimed at the banshee. Casting a sidelong glance at her, he asked, “Anything I can do to help?”

  She shook her head. “Your weapon won’t kill her, though it might slow her down. Don’t use it unless you have to because you may just anger her.”

  He didn’t like this situation, didn’t like Sha putting herself in danger. It never sat well with him when civilians were in the crossfire, but his mouth had gone dry the instant she’d left the safety of the car. Relative safety of the car, he amended when the banshee leapt from the ruined hood, revealing glimpses of the interior and the bone white complexion of the passengers. At least he couldn’t see blood.

  Sirens blared in the distance, heralding the arrival of backup. Judging by the way the creature stalked toward them, it had better hurry the hell up.

  With every step that thing advanced, he fought the urge to pull Sha behind him. Considering it had ripped through the roof of a car as easily as opening a can of sardines, it wouldn’t have provided her much protection anyway.

  “Sha, talk to me. It’s gonna be on top of us real soon,” he called over to her, hoping she wasn’t in some sort of trance. Their options were limited, their only escape route a narrow alley between buildings a few feet away.

  “I’m trying. Something’s blocking my magic, hundreds of people are panicking, and I’ve got a splitting headache, none of which is making my life easier,” she snapped. “I think I’ve broken through.”

  Taking a deep breath, she raised her hands, a shaft of light pouring from her fingers in the direction of the banshee. It emitted a wail of agony as the light hit it, falling back a few paces. Connor turned his head to look at Sha, gun still at the ready. “Will that be enough to kill it?”

  “Maybe, it’s hard to know—”

  The banshee lunged at them, grotesque face twisted in pain, the action taking them both by surprise. Connor didn’t think, he just reacted, firing multiple rounds into the creature. The bullets slowed it down, giving Sha time to send a burst of pure energy that engulfed it, the banshee exploding in a shower of sparks.

  �
�Well, that was enough,” Connor said a moment later, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

  “Uh huh.” Her reply was weak and he turned to see her sway on her feet.

  “Shit, were you hurt?” He picked her up, alarmed by her pallor.

  “No, just exhausted. That took more out of me that I thought it would. Just need to rest a little while.“ Her eyes drifted closed, dark lashes stark against her milky white skin. Damn she was beautiful.

  “Connor? What happened? Is she alright?” Ian’s voice came from behind him.

  “She’s going to be fine, I think. We need to secure the scene and get her somewhere safe.”

  Connor walked to the car and placed her on the seat, buckling her in. The movement roused her a little and she opened her eyes, yawning hugely in the process. “The banshee may not be the only Mythrian here. Tell them to be careful.”

  “I will,” he promised. “Do you need anything?”

  “Sleep, somewhere private. Too many people around overwhelms me.” Shifting slightly, she closed her eyes again, her breathing deepening as she dropped into sleep.

  “What’d she say?”

  Connor jerked, head hitting the top of the car. “Damn Ian, warn a guy before you sneak up on him.”

  “Sorry, didn’t think I was particularly quiet.” His partner leaned against the hood, amusement in his tone.

  He took a minute to fill Ian in on the events, keeping the details to the bare minimum. In the distance, Connor watched as cops took witness statements and began to clear the scene of the cars wrecked during attempts to flee. “She said she needed to go somewhere away from a lot of people.”

  “Guess that rules out a hotel. What are you going to do?”

  “Take her to my place,” Connor answered without thinking. He didn’t look at his partner as he walked to the driver’s side and got in his car.