by Tina Moss
“Peachy,” he said. “A moment for the prisoner, Agent Bradshaw.”
“Yeah, sure.” He wanted to pretend like nothing happened? Fine. No skin off her nose. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t take too long. You haven’t answered my questions.”
“Business it is then.” He turned to her and sat on the chair. This time he kept his feet on the floor. No part of his body reached for her in anyway. Even his look appeared aloof.
The temperature dropped a few degrees more. “We know about the phage.” She searched her memory for the details. “They’re trying to gain recognition by the government as a legitimate SUB. Why should they be on our suspect list?”
“Because they’re evil in a way you can’t even begin to comprehend.” His tone darkened.
“The same was said of vampires once.”
His ominous laugh coated the room in anger. “True enough. But we vampires are like angels next to these devils.”
Jame shifted her legs, uncomfortable with this development. She tried to get it back on track. “Ok, but what does it have to do with the case?”
“My sweet shifter, don’t you review the evidence?” Gone was any trace of warmth in the vampire. “The victims were bitten, pieces of their flesh torn off. The phage live off human flesh.”
“Maybe.” She recalled the suspect list. The phage claimed to eat raw animal meat, not human flesh, but she thought it best not to mention that little tidbit. “The victims were also drained of blood.”
“Yes. And that should be your main clue. Or didn’t you know, luv?” He jumped up. His fists slammed on either side of her hips.
She refused to let him intimate her. “Know what?”
“Phage.” His eyes took on that faraway look again. “Phage can’t drink blood.”
Chapter Fourteen
En Route To Safe House, Secret Location
“Yeah, yeah.” Sera scrunched her nose in distaste as the plain white tennis shoes squished along the dirt. The half size too small sneakers Talon had given her—though where he’d found them aboard the plane was anyone’s guess—pinched her toes. She’d been overzealous in trying to save her cute wedge sandals from getting ruined and tossed them aside before fighting the creatures in Phoenix. Unfortunately, she’d been unable to retrieve them with Talon’s unyielding order to flee the scene.
She kicked her feet in the dirt, muttering, “I’ll come when I’m damn well ready.” As the mosquitoes ate at her ankles and some huge monster insect flew passed her face, she decided she was ready. The humungous stalks, however, didn’t help her sense of direction. “Could you gimme a clue?”
His arm sprang out from nowhere and circled her waist. “Don’t want you to get lost now.” He ushered her forward with a gentle push. “I’ll follow your behind.” He coughed. “Behind you. I’ll follow behind you. Just keep heading straight.”
A smile spread across her face. “Sure.”
By midday, they reached the house—or rather the mansion. It sat in the middle of nowhere, a behemoth two-story Colonial with a wide wraparound porch. Her breath hitched as she marveled over the expanse of ivory columns, the floor to ceiling windows, the crisp white walls, and the dark green shutters. “It’s like I’m going to see Scarlet O’Hara.”
A momentary smile touched Talon’s lips as he fiddled with something under the porch. He rose with a keypad in hand. “No Southern belle’s home was ever decked out like this.”
A couple of quick flicks along the keypad brought down steel gates on all the windows. Around the house’s perimeter, electrified spikes burst from the ground, droning with energy. A woman’s voice sounded from the front door, “Alarm system activated. Safe House Beta engaged.”
In her shock, Sera stumbled. “Geez, Talon. When you said a safe house, I was thinking more witness protection, little cabin in the woods, a cheap motel or something.” She looked around uneasy. “Not a Southern mansion with a Star Trek fetish.”
His blue eyes zeroed in on her, a taunting gleam in the depths. “With all the shit you’ve seen in the past days, the house freaks you out?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Good point. All right then, lead on.”
Another set of numbers and the door opened. Talon walked inside first, flicking switches as he went. Sera stayed at the door, scanning the interior. “You sure the house doesn’t bite, right?”
Rolling his eyes, he waved her inside. “It does, but prefers brunettes.” He pointed to his rich black hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll fend it off for you.” He disappeared down a side hall, leaving her to face the house alone.
After fighting those freaky creatures twice, seeing a glowing man who claimed to be her grandfather twice, and dealing with a voice in her head countless times, you’d think a creepy computerized house would be no problem. She shook her head at the stupidity. On unsteady legs, she made it inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Poking her head around, she noted the interior.
A cavernous front hall boasted a glass chandelier and sweeping staircase. She gasped, awed by the grandeur. Daring further, she spied a formal dining room to the right, complete with a twelve seat mahogany table, and two smaller rooms to the left. The first room boasted an empty office with an antique oak desk and stacks of bookcases filled to the brim. The second room featured a cozy living area accented in hues of beige and brown. A leather couch that looked as soft as butter rested across from a brick fireplace. Two equally comfortable looking chairs sat on either side of it. The wood resting in the hearth called her name. She dashed over to the tiles at its base. Kneeling on them, she placed her hand against a log and concentrated. “Let’s give it a try.”
Guy started to shout inside her mind. She turned down the volume on the rock anthem with the caveat he keep quiet. No more fighting. His voice returned to normal. Good, you’re learning. It’ll make the connection easier.
I can always tune you out again. She gritted her teeth. Her arm began to burn.
No, pet. I’ll be silent. He hummed a soft melody, then added, But use me when you need me. I’m here. We’re here.
Who’s we? The pain grew intense as flames licked her skin.
All of us, pet. You’re family.
Spots of light ignited in front of her eyes. She tried to swat them away, but the fire claimed her arm. It circled around her elbow and wrist, bursting inside her blood. She opened her mouth to scream, but lost the urge as a gentle voice sounded in her mind. I’m here, my granddaughter. Do not fear, child. We are with you now. We are a part of you. Our power is yours.
The blaze grew, but it didn’t burn her. Centering along her arm, it escaped from her palm and ignited the log. She looked on in awe as her hand cooled and the glow in the fireplace brightened the living room.
“And that’s why you’ll stay here.” Talon’s words cut as hard as ice.
“Talon, I—” She jumped. Her voice caught in her throat. She spun to stare into his face. Gone was the teasing warmth of a moment ago, replaced by a frigid anger.
“Who are you, Sera?” He took a menacing step forward. “What are you?”
“I’m just me. And you’ve already seen what I can do.” She stood tall, refusing to be put down for her abilities. She’d been running since high school, her own father having chased her away. Gentle warmth ran through her blood, words of comfort abounded in her mind. It was time to stop running.
“Yes, I have.” The hearth fire reflected in his cerulean blue eyes, blazing strong and clear. His body crowded her slender frame as he advanced, forcing her to the wall. His muscles strained, rigid like a granite slab. “But that doesn’t answer my question. What are you?”
Her hand clutched the fireplace’s mantle for support. The cold stone warmed in her grip. She braced her foot against the wall, pushed off, and stood toe-to-toe with Talon. She wouldn’t be cornered. “I don’t know. And if you’re going to act like some bully, you can forget my cooperation.” Stabbing a finger into his chest, she rose on tiptoe to close the height gap between th
em.
His face softened. The hard lines around his eyes smoothed. His clenched jaw lost the tension on an exhale. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he did, Sera lost her balance. Standing on the balls of her feet, the damnable too small shoes slipped from her heels. She stumbled forward and into the wall of his chest. As he caught her in his arms, he laughed a low sound of arrogant male.
“Careful. I’m easy to fall for.”
She scrunched her nose, kicking off the offending sneakers. “Oh come on. How long were you waiting to use that one?”
He gave her a wolfish grin. “If it works.”
She half smiled and regained her balance. He didn’t let her go. His eyes locked on her face as if waiting for something. The awkward silence continued, until he took a breath and said, “Please Sera, tell me what you know.”
“My family? Who I am? Where I come from? Not my favorite topics.” She sighed, letting her mind drift over the scant details she knew of her heritage. “My mother died giving birth to me and my father refused to talk about it. He said just that she was different. Special. He said I was like her.” The words stuck, her heart splintering. She pulled from his embrace and looked away to blink back unshed tears.
“I’m not human. But I’m not psyke either.” Guy hummed through her mind. “I have a link to my family, to others like me, I think. I don’t know for sure.” A ragged breath later, she lifted her chin and met his eyes. Memories haunted her. Every mistake she ever made seemed highlighted under his scrutiny. “I’m not a bad person.”
His brows pulled together. A curious gleam lit his stare. He cleared his throat before speaking. “You’re not a bad person. I know evil. I’ve seen it.” His palm cupped her cheek, an achingly gentle touch. “And I’m sorry about your mother. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” She placed her hand over his, reveling in the feel of his fingers on her face.
“Sera.” He pulled his hand away, fisting it at his side. A roar ripped from his throat. “Christ. What am I doing?” The agony in his tone tore at her heart. “You’re an unregistered SUB. You’re an eyewitness in a mass murder. You could be a—”
“A what?” she cried, grabbing at his upper arms. The muscles pulsed under her touch.
He locked eyes on the floor. His voice lowered to a whisper. “A suspect, Sera. I’m a federal agent. I’d be an idiot not to add you to the list.”
“You think I killed all those people?” She trailed her fingers down his forearms, lingering over his closed fists. He couldn’t believe she was a killer. He couldn’t.
He turned his face to her, eyes filled with fire. “It’d be the thing to do. Everything in my training is screaming for me to name you a suspect.” He wrapped her in a fierce embrace, crushing her to his chest. “But I can’t. I have no control around you.” His lips descended upon her, raw with untamed passion. He kissed a trail along her neck, her cheeks, her eyes, until crashing with a hot urgency on her mouth.
She opened to his unyielding demands. Her arms wound around his neck, their tongues dancing together in harmony. He tilted her back, one arm wrapped around her waist for support. His free hand tangled in her amber strands, loosening the thick mane from its binding. She wrapped her leg around his strong thigh and ground her hips against the bulge in his jeans. He groaned. Sanity took a backseat as the madness ignited between them.
Liquid heat shot through her like a tidal wave. She ran her hands over his hard chest, down his ripped abdomen to the hem of his shirt. Yanking up, she tried to pull it over his head, but couldn’t quite manage the extra inches. She huffed her frustration.
His laughter rolled over her like a caress. He leaned back far enough to wrench his shirt free, barring his chest. The firelight kissed his skin, emphasizing the rich olive coloring of his Mediterranean background. He eyed her from head to toe, a predator’s gaze. His muscles tightened, a wolf ready to devour her. He snapped his belt free and opened the button on his jeans. Gruffness coated his voice. “We’re wearing too many clothes.”
Heat kissed her cheeks. Sera prided herself on being open and outgoing despite the secrets she needed to keep hidden. Unfortunately, the past taught her to stay clear of men and she had heeded that lesson all too well. Now with Talon’s blatant masculinity in front of her and the roaring fire behind her, she wished she possessed some experience to guide her. Swallowing hard, she lost her bravado. A squeak escaped. “Are we?”
“Yes,” he said, the breath warming her face. He eyed her tattered sweater with an animal hunger.
She sidestepped him and smacked into the arm of the couch. The pain ricocheted down her leg and she stumbled onto the cushions. She rubbed at the sore spot on her hip. Talon sat down beside her.
“Sera, are you all right?” He brushed a hand over her thigh.
Her heart squeezed, locked in a vice grip. “No,” she said, choking back a sob.
He gripped her shoulders lightly and spun her to face him. “What is it? Did I hurt you?”
Something between a laugh and a cry broke from her. “No. It’s not you at all. It’s me. You’re right about me. I deserve to be a suspect.”
A grip made of solid steel locked around her. He hugged her tight as if he’d never let go. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I know you wouldn’t hurt innocent people.”
“No. You were right,” she cried. The tears stained her cheeks. “I’ve hurt someone.” She wrung her hands against her sweater. “Oh God, Talon. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started this with you. It’s just I’ve never had this connection with anyone before. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Swift fingers ran through her hair, soothing, comforting. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I pushed this too far.” He planted a soft kiss at her temple. “I wanted you from the beginning, from that first damn phone call. I knew nothing but the sound of your voice, and yet I wanted you.” His face hardened while his eyes softened. “Even when you were lying in the hospital asleep, even though you’re a part of our case, even though I know it’s wrong, I can’t stop myself from wanting you.”
She pushed against the iron wall of his chest, far from his intoxicating words. “You don’t understand. I can’t be with anyone.” A ragged breath rocked her soul. “Even if I want it to be different.”
His eyes narrowed into slits. “Is this about your past? About that kid from high school?”
“How?” She shook her head. “How do you know about it?”
“I’m a government agent. Part detective here.” A mischievous glint brightened his eyes, but soon faded as a hard line traced his lips. “Tell me what happened.”
His hand splayed across the nape of her neck, massaging the tension away. She found herself leaning into his touch. Her mind spun in an array of thoughts, steering without a map. What do you have to lose? He’s already seen your fire. She stifled the fear, trying to remain calm and neutral under the storm of memories.
“Matt and I had been friends since seventh grade. Our junior year of high school, he asked me out. I didn’t think of him that way, but I figured it was better to be with a friend than alone.” She bit her lip and gave Talon her back. It’d be easier to tell him this way. She couldn’t bear to see disgust in his eyes.
He allowed her to face away from him, but moved closer to encircle her waist. He whispered in her ear, “Go on. It’s okay.”
“Every year, there’d be a dance at school, a sort of Spring Fling. He invited me to go. I didn’t want to disappoint him, so I said yes. But when we got there, I couldn’t stand it. The room felt so hot with all those people.” Her heart sped up. “From the day of my sixteenth birthday and on, I had a hard time around people, a hard time controlling...things.”
“The fire?” Talon said, pulling her back to rest against him.
“Yes.” Goosebumps prickled along her skin. A low simmer spread over her. Reclining in his arms felt so right. He provided a steady anchor as she sailed through her nightmarish past. “Matt saw I was un
comfortable. He took me outside, said we could go for a ride instead. We got into his car and took off.” She paused for a heartbeat. Her shoulders slumped forward. “He pulled into a lookout area all the kids used to hookup. I didn’t want to. We’d kissed a couple of times, but I felt terrible after pulling him away from the dance.” She couldn’t hold the tears at bay any longer. They streamed down her face as she tried to tell the rest.
“I’m right here, Sera. It’s okay.” He shifted on the couch to allow her to lean sideways against him.
She rested her cheek on his chest and gripped his shirt like a lifeline. “I didn’t want to upset him. He was so nice to me. He was my friend. So I-I let him do what he wanted.” She wiped her face and steadied her voice. “I tried to like it. I really did. But I kept feeling nauseous and hot. Then, he went too far. I told him no, but he kept going. It hurt. It was like I was on fire.”
Talon’s body tightened beside her. His muscles locked rigid, but he stayed quiet. His silence allowed her to continue.
“That’s when I heard it. A voice in my head. It whispered to me.” Plunged in the memory Sera recalled the words she’d never been able to remember before. The first time she’d heard Guy. “It said ‘Let go.’ I was so scared and hurt. So I-I did. I let go. Then, I blacked out.”
“What happened after?”
“I woke up in the hospital. They told me the car caught fire. Matt had been burned…badly. He’d fallen into a coma. The doctors couldn’t figure out why. And there I was without even a scratch. It looked bad for me.” She mustered her courage and looked Talon in the eyes. A deep blue like a winter storm in the dead of night stared back at her. “I started that fire. I know it now. I blamed it on the voice. But that voice is a part of me. It was my fault.”
A blaze burned in his icy blue depths. “Listen to me now. You were young and frightened. That moron took advantage of you.” When she tried to protest, he pulled her closer. “No arguments. You were in pain. You said no and that should have been the end of it. You were protecting yourself. Just as you did against those creatures.”
