by Claire Marta
“This is not what I would call food.” Twitch huffed. He eyed the empty packaging on the table. All of them were from take-away places. The bags were stained with grease stains.
“But you like pizza.” Jasmine replied soothingly. “You weren’t complaining yesterday.”
Eric and Conall stood watching with amusement. Neither of them seemed bothered that the mage was ignoring them. They seemed to be enjoying his little show.
“I do, but not every bloody night.” Twitch’s voice had turned whiny. “I want something authentically Czech.”
“Here you can have the rest of these.” She dropped the paper bag onto his lap. Three of the pastries were left. “They’re really good and still warm.”
“Jazzy I think I love you.” Twitch purred, as he poked his nose into the bag. He sniffed hungrily. “You’re the baby mamma of my future offspring.”
“You don’t have to go that far.” She responded with a laugh.
“You hear that Gem?” The mage called. “You have been replaced, Jazzy is now my new future wife, not your lazy arse.”
Gemma emerged from the hallway. She had just gotten out of bed by the look of it. Her black tight curls were messy around her heart shaped face and she was still wearing a pair of fluffy pink pyjamas. She looked adorable. A book was clutched in her hand. Walking up behind the sofa, she belted Twitch around the head with it. Hard.
“Ow!” He cringed, hugging the paper bag to his chest. “Calm your tits. There is no need for violence woman.” He muttered.
“Then shut your cake hole.” She growled threateningly back. “You’re driving me fucking nuts.”
Scowling she looked their way.
“Did I not say I would bring Jasmine to you?” Eric’s deep baritone filled the small silence.
“I said you could trust us lass.” Conall’s green eyes twinkled a little, when they met Gemma’s. A teasing smile tugged at his lips.
Jasmine noted the flush, which grew on her friend’s cheeks. Gemma was always so professional; nothing ever flustered her, apart from Twitch. That was until now.
A pair of fang marks was visible on her neck. Had Gemma been Conall’s blood donor? Jasmine barely remembered glancing at the other vampires. Once she had seen Eric that had been it. Her powers of observation on that particular evening had sucked.
Gemma seemed to be tongue tied.
“Damn vampires stealing our women.” Twitch muttered low.
“It is good to see you again Twitch.” Eric turned the iciness of his gaze on the young man. “I am glad to see you are so well after your ordeal in Paris.”
Twitch flushed with embarrassment. “Yes well….it didn’t take long to get over all that.” Dipping his head down, a tumble of reddish curls covered his face, but Jasmine caught his glance her way.
The warmth from the heater was starting to make Jasmine feel uncomfortable. She felt hot and sticky. The leather of her jacket was starting to become restrictive. A bead of sweat began to trail down her back. She could feel it creeping slowly between her shoulder blades. Distractedly she played with the zipper. She couldn’t take it off. Not here.
“You two better be cleaning. This place looks like a fucking pig sty and I want it clean before company arrive.” Mark hollered from the second bedroom.
Obviously he hadn’t heard them yet. Jasmine felt suddenly nervous. Was she in trouble?
“Hey Boss.” Jasmine called out.
Silence followed. A moment later, Mark came striding into the room. Unlike Gemma he was dressed in jeans and a navy blue shirt. His caramel brown eyes were sharp behind his wire rimmed specs. His boyish good looks seemed a little grim.
“We weren’t expecting you just quite yet.” Mark said hastily. He ran a hand though his short chestnut coloured hair.
“Evidently.” Eric replied. Lips pressed together, his eyes lingered over the mess with distaste. There seemed to be a sudden tension radiating off both males. Jasmine could not understand why. Whatever it was she wanted to defuse it.
“This is my boss, Detective Mark Cummings.” Jasmine introduced quickly. “This is Eric and Conall.”
Mark regarded the vampires suspiciously. “How are you out during the day?”
“That is not important. Merely a temporary witches enchantment.” Eric’s voice was deep and compelling. Persuasion steeped every word.
Jasmine could feel it slipping silky against her senses.
How easily the lie spilled from Eric’s lips. She had been wondering, how he was going to explain their presence during daylight hours.
Mark did not look very convinced. He had extensive knowledge of the supernatural world. Strangely he didn’t seem effected by the vampire’s words. Raising one dark eyebrow, he glared back at Eric. When his gaze fell on her, Jasmine shrugged innocently. She had promised Eric to keep his secret and she would. It would be easy enough to pretend she was under his persuasion.
“Are you alright Jaz? No problems?” He was peering at her over the rim of his glasses, stare sweeping her up and down.
She shook her head. “No, none. What’s with all the damn heat in here?”
Her t-shirt by now felt sweat soaked. Moving restlessly, she tried to peel it from her skin beneath the jacket. This gave only a brief moment of relief.
“Gem Gem’s doesn’t like the cold. That’s why it’s as hot as Satan’s butt hole in here.” Twitch murmured.
“You have nothing to fear Detective Cummings. I have been taking very good care of your agent.” Eric said cutting off Twitch.
Mark gave him a hard look. “I hope so, especially as I am allowing you to work with us.”
“Anything new happen?” Jasmine asked. She had relaxed a little at Mark’s words.
“So far no one else has been taken.” Gemma said finally finding her voice. She had perched herself on the arm of the sofa. “The killer seems to leave some days between victims. So any of the blood donors from or going to that nest are a target.”
“Which is why we all suspected a vampire within, correct?” Mark directed the question at the vampires.
“Agreed.” Eric murmured.
“Aye. It makes sense. They’re always careful at first, before the madness hits.” Conall said thoughtfully.
He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Jasmine had noticed he always like his back protected. His emerald gaze kept straying to the other female in the room. A faint smile was curving his lips.
“Madness?” Gemma had slipped a piece of gum from a pocket in her pyjamas. Unwrapping the packet, she popped it into her mouth.
“Apparently, the killer can’t control what they do. The power they’re using is new and unstable.” Jasmine replied watching her begin to chew. When Gemma offered her a piece, she shook her head.
Mark’s brows furrowed. Using one finger, he pushed his glasses back up his nose. “And how do you know this?”
“Jack the Ripper was a vampire.” Eric’s deep voice was low, smooth. “He could control his power with the precision of a knife blade. Yet in the end it was his downfall. He was extremely difficult to hunt, even in his madness, but we dispatched him in the end.” He sounded so confident and self-assured.
“You took out Jack the Ripper?” Twitch’s head jerked up. His expression stunned. The bag of pastries Jasmine had given him was still clutched against his chest.
“We did indeed.”
“Ok, I’m impressed.” Gemma muttered.
“We now just need to work out who the perpetrator is.” Eric continued. “This may be more difficult than we think, as we have plenty of suspects.”
“I still don’t understand the motivation behind the killings. If it is one of the vampires from Lida’s nest, then why kill the donors?” Jasmine’s worried gaze met Eric’s.
“The urge to kill will be upon the killer.” He explained patiently. “It is a hard instinct to fight. Easy prey will be sought out. In the case of Jack the Ripper, there were plenty of prostitutes residing in the place h
e lived. The more they descend into chaos, the less they will care who falls prey to them next.”
“How’s the surveillance going?” Twitch asked. He was busy rearranging the electronic equipment piled on the sofa. Piling it neatly on one pillow, he made a space.
“Jasmine and I are observing the high ranking in the nest. Conall is doing the same with the others.”
“If there’s a ripper we’ll find him.” Conall assured them with an easy smile.
“I wish I could help. Mark won’t let me chance hacking into their security system.” The mage complained in a wistful purr. Leaning forwards, he grabbed hold of Jasmine’s hand. In the next instant, she found herself sitting next to him on the sofa.
“Twitch, if you’re detected you could put Jasmine in danger. I can’t allow it until I know your magic is undetectable.” Mark pointed out. “Besides you’re keeping an eye on the cameras outside and tracking the movements of each human companion when they leave the mansion.”
“I know, I know.” Twitch muttered with frustration. Tipping his head sideways, he rested it on Jasmine’s shoulder.
This didn’t help her sweating issue. The added body heat just made it worse. Jasmine began to toy with her jacket zipper again. She was feeling more than sticky and uncomfortable now. Glancing down, she met the mage’s eyes. Sometimes he was like a damn cat. He wanted to have his hair stroked or his back rubbed. Temperamental was the right word for this genius. Twitch was crazy. But it was the good kind.
She had spent the first two months of the job believing he didn’t like to be touched. This apparently had been a long running joke.
“How’s that going?” She asked anxiously. Not having constant contact with her team just felt strange. They were always connected one way or another.
“I think I have it almost figured out. It just needs tweaking and should be ready in a day or two.”
“I don’t like the fact you can’t communicate with us.” Mark interrupted them. Arms crossed over his chest, he slid the vampires a sideways glance.
Eric shoved his hands into the pockets of his black tailored trousers. “She may use your communication device to talk to Twitch in our room. We have taken measures that we cannot be overheard where we sleep.”
Mark nodded with a stern satisfied look. “I’ll be happier that she can check in now and then.”
“Has she been swearing at all?” Twitch asked raising his head slightly.
The wild locks of his messy hair tickled the side of her face. Jasmine pushed them away. The mage took the opportunity to rub his cheek into her palm affectionately.
She could swear she could hear him purring.
Eric frowned. “Indeed, a few times.”
Jasmine shot him an annoyed look. “He really doesn’t need to know that.”
“How many?” The mage persisted.
With a growl, she shoved him off her shoulder. Twitch slumped sideways. An impish twinkle gleamed in his eyes.
Even Conall now looked perplexed. “Why do you need to know?”
“Every time we swear we have to pay the swear jar.” Gemma replied with a sly grin. “So far Mark and Jasmine are paying for our Christmas party at the end of the year.”
“I have a legitimate reason for mine.” Mark growled. He raked his fingers through his short chestnut hair. “Being stuck in the same flat with you two.”
“Ouch – Hey that’s not nice.” Twitch responded.
“It’s like living with a pair of squabbling children.” Their boss continued.
Being cooped up with these two was obviously taking its toll on Mark. Small doses were one thing, but living with them for a week was fraying his nerves.
“It’s all him.” Gemma wiggled her finger at the mage. “We should have left him in London and brought the wolf instead.”
“You need me.” Twitch smiled confidently. “Fergus doesn’t like flying anyway and he was happy to stay and man the phones.” Frightened was not the right word. The wolf was terrified of planes. Fergus was the fifth member of their team. He was a werewolf, who loved fast food and even faster bikes.
“I swear, if I find you skulking outside the bathroom one more time, when I’m taking a shower I will cut you.” Gemma threatened. “You’re such a fucking pervert.”
Twitch looked unperturbed. “I know you love it really Gem Gems.” A grin crept across his features. “Besides it’s not like I get the chance to look at my porn collection with you and the boss hanging round all the time. And the amount of time you fucking spend in there limits mine to beat my meat.”
The gum bubble, she was in the process of blowing popped, the sticky sweetness sticking to her lips. Gemma growled menacingly. Then with an angry toss of her hair, she stomped into the kitchen. The sounds of things being thrown around ensued. Jasmine pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing.
“How are the magical pockets doing Jazzy?” Twitch asked ignoring the noise.
Jasmine reached down into her left boot. Not much of a gap, but enough to get her hand just inside flat against her leg and the leather. The smooth surface tingled against her finger. Magic then fizzed against her skin. She felt the surface of the leather change and then something hard greeted her fingers. Curling them around it she tugged upwards.
“Good, see still working.” Jasmine held the hilt of the dagger just above the top of her boot. The grip was black and solid.
“You carry a dagger in your boot?” Eric looked both impressed and astonished.
Jasmine grinned smugly. “Yes. It’s the only place I could think of carrying it.”
Twitch’s magical pockets came in useful. He had explained them, as distorting the spot they were used in, so you never felt the items you carried. This was bending the space in that little area with a spell. You couldn’t have anything too big. Yet it was handy for situations like this.
The smell of coffee was wafting from the kitchen. Gemma had not emerged, but could still be heard banging about.
“I have a few more things for you.” The mage informed her watching as she pushed the dagger back in place.
“Ohh gear… sweet.” Jasmine’s eyes lit with eager excitement.
Twitch started rummaging through a backpack near his feet. “This might be useful too.”
The next thing she knew, something was being stuffed in her hands. Jasmine stared down at the red push up bra. She could feel heat creeping into her cheeks and knew she was blushing.
“Shit, I know I’m small up top, but you don’t need to fucking buy me things like this Twitch.” She told him in embarrassment.
He smirked. “The gel inside the pads is actually holy water.”
Jasmine’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Oh.”
Twitch took it back and slid it over his arms.
“If you push on them here,” He squeezed one of the cups. A stream of liquid shot outwards and sprayed in an arc over the floor.
Eric and Conall jumped back as the water barely missed them. Only the vampire’s swift reflexes saved them from a dousing. A moment of silence followed. Jasmine stood frozen to the spot. Fuck. That had been close. She really didn’t need one of her co-workers maiming the vampires.
Twitch’s eyes shot wide with wariness. “Shit sorry.”
“No harm done.” Eric replied dryly as he moved further back.
Jasmine snatched the bra back. “That’s clever.”
“It was the only way I could think of getting holy water into the vamp nest without detection.” He explained. “I thought the colour might go with those nice red lacy panties you bought with you, which seem to be your only descent sexy pair. You know, the ones which have the cute little bow at the front.”
Jasmine froze. “How the fuck do you know that?”
Twitch blinked innocently, as he wrinkled his nose. “I got bored and unpacked your things for you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “They were already unpacked in a drawer.”
The mage’s gaze danced away from hers. “I might h
ave rearranged them.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes closed for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t even want to know what else you’ve been doing with them.”
“That’s probably for the best.” The mage agreed with another smirk. Absently he shoved some bedraggled hair out of his face.
“The bra might work, I guess.” She responded, ignoring his perviness. Jasmine was used to Twitch’s little inappropriate games, and his fetish for women’s underwear.
“Lass, can I point out you’re probably only going to be able to use it, if you’re just wearing your underwear.” Conall murmured. There was a half-smile spread across his mouth.
Eyes widening Jasmine shot a look back to her friend. “Fuck, Conall’s right. How the heck am I going to use it?”
Twitch was bent over the sofa rummaging through the pile of smart phones. “I’m sure you can think of something Jazzy.”
She sighed. “Yeah right ok.”
How she would work with it, she wasn’t sure. This would probably take some improvisation. That was if she ever had to use it. As she seemed to be spending most of her time in a bikini, or naked, it would probably work out well.
Twitch swivelled back to her. “Ring with a tracking spell on it and a mobile phone I can tap into.”
He dropped the ring into her palm. Jasmine quickly slipped it on. A tiny nip of magic sent a current up her finger.
Twitch was playing with the mobile phone, running his finger gently over the screen. Magic crackled in blue sparks from his fingertips. It licked hungrily across the surface creating faint glowing glyphs that streamed over the shell.
“What if someone senses your magic?” She asked as he handed it to her.
An issue she was still worried about. They didn’t need the vamps in the nest sensing it. If they found out they were undercover law, it was probably going to get very messy.
“It’s so small, it won’t be. I’ve already tested it out and it’s not as strong as the spells I use for the earpieces. Just keep it in your room, but remember to take it with you when you leave the mansion. Don’t remove the tracking ring.” Twitch purred back in reassurance. He plonked himself back down on the sofa. “I wanted to give you more, but Mark doesn’t want to risk it.”
