by Dannika Dark
Then a thought pirouetted in my mind. Where would we go to be intimate if we couldn’t go home? A park bench?
“So… do you want some wine?” I asked, stumbling over my words.
“No. It was a foolish thought to begin with.” He flicked a glance over to the blanket, which the wind flipped over and was dragging across the dirty asphalt.
“I like it up here,” I confessed, not wanting him to think the entire evening was a failure. “Just look at the view. This is what I live for.”
We simultaneously turned our heads to look at the city lights, which spread out like a carpet of color. Intersection lights changing, the mellow gold from the street lamps, sporadic windows lit up with no apparent pattern, green trim around the tallest building, blinking neon from a movie theater and pizza place next door, white car lights rolling down the streets and turning corners like in a video game. The city breathed life, and it was pure magic.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
“For what?” A soft chuckle rolled in his throat. “I’ve ruined a perfectly respectable holiday.”
“For driving in the slow lane. For not demanding more or less. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I feel like you’re the only one who gets me. I’m not sure why I feel that way.”
“I do, Precious,” he whispered. “I do.”
“I trust my instincts, and that’s why I believe that everything you’ve told me is true. Honesty matters to me more than anything else. And family.”
“You’re telling me that you never fib?”
“Not about the things that matter.”
“Then you have my word that I’ll never deceive you.”
With my hands flat on his chest, I sank into his embrace. The icy wind wasn’t so bothersome anymore. In that second, as he shifted his stance and held me tighter, I blinked at an unexpected occurrence happening in my line of vision.
I intentionally widened my eyes, uncertain if maybe I’d blinked or had something in my eye. The city lights were flashing. “Did you just see that?”
I pushed away and faced the horizon.
Just then, giant sections of the city went dark, cascading like dominoes falling in random directions until the only visible lights left were the cars.
“What’s happening?” I wondered.
Christian approached the ledge, his hair whipping in the wind. “Blackout.”
Chapter 7
Christian and I sat on the rooftop for an hour, waiting for the power to come back on. No sense in driving when the intersection lights weren’t operational. We drank hot coffee, talked about our past cases, and tried to one-up each other on who had the craziest stories. Christian told me about a Vampire who used to pose as a mannequin in one of those window displays. Some immortals had simply gone crazy. Others had strange fetishes. Since it was in the human district, most immortals who took notice said nothing. He had alabaster skin so pale that anyone could have mistaken him for plastic. Christian had worked as a bodyguard, and his boss used to get coffee at the café across the street. One day, a saleslady appeared in the display and began to undress the Vampire. When his trousers dropped and she pulled down his shorts, a scream pealed out, and she shrank back in terror. The Vamp was so startled by her reaction that he ran into the street naked, only to get run over by an ice cream truck.
I’d never laughed so hard. Christian had a deadpan way of telling stories that painted a vivid picture in my head. And it wasn’t the wine, because we hadn’t uncorked the bottle. And it wasn’t blood sharing, because I hadn’t uncorked him.
It was the first time I really saw a glimmer of the man I must have fallen for. We probably had moments just like this, only different stories—different conversations. Christian and I had great banter and never took each other’s sarcasm personally. I was a button pusher, and that didn’t bother him.
Time skipped by like a stone, and before I knew it, my Mage clock alerted me it was close to midnight.
I shoved the blanket off my lap. “We better get back before people start to talk.”
When we rose to our feet, he cupped my neck and brushed his lips against mine. “Shall we give them something to talk about?”
My jagged breath escaped, and he inhaled it as he moved his mouth over mine in a kiss that consumed me.
Christian suddenly jerked his head back and looked around. “The power’s still out.”
“That’s weird. I don’t think we’ve ever had one that went on for this long. I mean, the power to Crush’s trailer went out a lot, but that had to do with the ice pulling down the lines.”
He grabbed my hand and tugged me along.
“What about all that litter?” I asked, laughing as we left behind the evidence of our date.
“We haven’t got time. I didn’t realize how late it was. We need to get out of the city.”
Christian wound up ahead of me as I hurried down the stairs, trying to keep up in a tight skirt that hindered me from moving freely. The caged air inside the stairwell combined with chasing after Christian warmed my blood. My extremities started burning from the heat, and I rubbed my ears. It reminded me of the times I’d slept in buildings like this to stay out of the wind and snow. Not only did stairwells offer privacy and protection from watchful eyes, but if the roof door was open, you could build a fire in there and not die from smoke inhalation.
We strolled through the lobby, and I put my hands in my pockets to warm them.
As soon as Christian reached the curb, he pivoted on his heel.
“What’s wrong?”
His jaw set as he looked around. “The car’s gone.”
I chuckled at that. “Your precious Honda? I told you I should have driven. Nobody would have tried to steal an old truck.”
Dogs barked in the distance. It didn’t seem like a typical night, and the noise pressed all around us. Sirens, shouting, glass breaking, and other sounds that I hadn’t been able to hear at the top of a ten-story building.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “I don’t know how we’re going to explain what we’re doing here, but call Viktor. He’ll send someone out to get us.”
Christian annihilated the distance between us. “My phone was in the car. I wanted to give us privacy.”
And both of us knew I’d left my purse at home since Christian had offered to pay for everything.
“I don’t suppose you have a spare phone hidden in one of those boots?” he asked, his stark features no longer carrying the same warmth and humor as moments earlier.
“No, but I have a dagger. Will that help?”
“We can’t even call a cab.”
“We can hail one.”
He folded his arms. “And what’ll you pay him with? Your good humor?”
My gaze dragged down. “You don’t have a wallet in those fancy trousers? Let me guess, you left it in the car.”
“After I bought your burgers, I tossed it on the seat.”
I smiled. “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us in, Mr. Poe.”
“Your unflappable charm won’t get us out of this one.” Christian glanced at his watch. “Cab drivers won’t be working in these conditions anyhow. Wyatt will notice.”
“Notice what?”
“Our absence. Keystone is powered by candlelight, but Wyatt spends most of his time in the office. He’ll be going through withdrawals by now and checking into the problem. He’ll alert the team, and they’ll realize we’re not home.”
“Why does that matter?”
He took my arm, and we headed down the dark street. “Looters don’t waste time when the lights go out for more than an hour. They can steal merchandise without worrying about security cameras, alarms, or the police.”
“Since when are you scared of a few looters?”
“That’s just the beginning. There’s a darker side to blackouts—something you’re not seasoned enough to have witnessed.”
My heart picked up speed. “What’s that?”
“Have you ever stopped to ask yo
urself what immortals like to do when the power goes out? Anarchists crave a lawless world. Electricity creates an illusion of order, and without it, people become savages. I’ve seen it happen before. Let’s hope the lights return soon.”
When we turned right to what was usually a busy street, darkness enveloped us. The streets were eerily empty, and the moon had crested the tallest building. In the distance, flames poured out of a shop. Men were running to and fro, but they weren’t carrying buckets of water. They were dancing and throwing objects at the windows to shatter the glass.
“Jaysus,” Christian breathed, swinging his arm out in front of me so fast that the next thing I knew, I was pinned to a brick wall. He flattened his back against the wall beside me. “Don’t move.”
A shape lumbered into view.
A lion.
I’d never seen one up close, only on TV. His heavy paws came to a full stop in front of us, and he turned his massive head to look at me. The wind ruffled the fur on the regal mane crowning his face, and he stood as tall as my shoulders when he raised his head high. He was magnificent, but anyone that close to a predator has only one instinct, and that’s to run.
“Shifter,” Christian said, gripping my arm. “Don’t run. He’s harmless if you leave him be.”
“What if it escaped from the zoo?” I asked quietly.
“Then try not to look like a gazelle.”
After a few deep breaths, the lion lost interest and trundled up the sidewalk in the direction we’d come from.
I blew out a breath. “What if he had eaten me and left my remains all over the street?”
Christian held my hand as we continued our journey. “Nobody likes a litterbug. I’d have gathered your bones and taken them home.”
“Kindling for the fire?”
“Worry not, lass. I would have had Shepherd reassemble you with a little glue and twine. Prop you in the corner of my bedchamber with a burger sack in your hand.”
“I’d blend right in with your décor.”
When we reached the fire, there was no point crossing the street to avoid the men. We continued our quickened pace, not showing any interest.
“Burn!” one of them cheered. “Burn, baby!”
“Fucking Shifters and all their property,” his buddy yelled. “They don’t rule this city. We do!”
I briefly wondered if the lion we’d passed was the shopkeeper, and I felt immediate sympathy. A lot of immortals didn’t like the way Councils carved aside land and property for Shifters. Some Shifter businesses catered mainly to their own kind because they didn’t want to deal with the animosity from other Breeds.
The heat from the flames warmed me, but not in a good way. I let go of Christian’s hand, thinking how inappropriate our public display of affection was when someone’s dream was going up in flames.
Without a sense of law and order, ancients apparently indulged in fantasies of taking matters into their own hands. Revenge on a neighbor, stealing Sensor-spiked bottles from a seller, or burning establishments that didn’t fit in their perfect world.
And worse, a Mage who normally abstained from juicing might suddenly get the urge to drink someone’s light. Who would find out? Especially with everyone running amok.
“I’m sure the lights will come on soon,” I said. “People need to chill out.”
“Are you telling that to me or yourself?”
“Outages happen in the summertime, don’t they? When the power grids are overloaded. The only time we get them in winter is when there’s an ice storm. It’s probably just a blip.” I came to a grinding halt and pulled a dagger from inside my boot.
Christian scanned the streets before looking down at me. “What are you doing?”
I used the sharp edge to cut through my skirt and rip it all the way around above my knee. “Ever tried running in a long skirt? If something happens, I’m not about to be that girl in a horror movie who trips and falls.” I cut a slit down one side just to make sure I had enough room to move my legs freely.
“You don’t think your legs will call attention?”
“I really don’t give a shit. I just had a lion look me over as if I were fast food. What would have happened if he tried chasing me? I can’t flash in a long skirt,” I informed him, kicking the fallen fabric into the gutter. “I’m used to men ogling my legs. And they can ogle them all they like when they’re wrapped around their neck and cutting off the circulation.”
“I made a promise to protect you.”
I tucked my knife back in the sheath. “You also gave me a funny look while doing it. What was that about?”
“I promised to get you home in one piece. Maybe I wasn’t entirely sure if you’d survive a second round with me in bed.”
I cackled. “Ah, so the mattress wasn’t just for show.”
“Can we not quarrel? I need my hearing to make sure a rhinoceros isn’t charging after you. And you should lay off the profanities. A lady doesn’t swear.”
When he turned, I wanted to kick him for that remark. But instead, I began admiring the muscular globes of his ass through the fabric of his trousers. He’d left his jacket on the roof, so I had a full and glorious view since his snug vest stopped at the waist.
Christian looked over his shoulder at me, and the bemused look in his eyes briefly flickered to something hot when he caught me eye-licking him. “You keep giving me that look, and we’ll never make it home.”
I snapped out of my fantasies and caught up with him. “Where are we going?”
“The human district is safest for now.”
“Ruby’s.”
“Come again?”
“It’s the one place that everyone knows I like to go. If Viktor gets worried enough to send someone looking for us, they’ll go to all our usual hangouts. Probably the bars first, but eventually, someone’s going to remember the diner. If no one comes, we wait it out until morning. They’re open twenty-four hours.”
“They’ll close if their stoves aren’t working.”
“Are you kidding?” I snorted at the idea. “As long as they’ve got pie, cake, and coffee, they’ll stay open.”
“Can’t sell coffee without a working pot.”
“I happen to know that they keep kettles and propane burners in the back for emergencies. We once had a blackout during a storm, and while the food stopped, the coffee kept coming.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s probably a two-hour walk from where we are.”
We both stopped and looked at each other.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked.
He surveyed the street. “Aye, but we have to stay close. I can only shadow walk where there’s absence of light, so that means avoiding the main streets. Too many car headlights. I also don’t want you wearing down your battery.”
I adjusted a loose button on his vest. “Don’t worry about my battery, Mr. Poe. I’m sure if I run low on energy, you’ll find some way to… recharge me.”
He growled sexily and tugged a lock of my hair. “Now you’re feeling amorous?”
“Danger turns me on.” While it was just a joke, I wondered if there might be some truth to that.
Christian’s head turned sharply, and that was when I caught sight of what was fast approaching.
Four men headed toward us with a purposeful stride. Mage power dripped from one of them, his fingertips a dim blue as he clenched his fists to control what was clearly sexual energy. It buzzed through the air in fervent waves that crackled against my skin. This added a whole new level of fuckery to our situation.
I reached down and pulled the stunner from inside my boot. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 8
Shepherd executed his last pull-up and dropped to the floor. After an intense workout, his body felt tight and hard, like a lockbox protecting all his valuables. He guzzled down a bottle of water then poured the rest over his sweaty head before tossing the plastic into a small wastebasket near the exercise equipment. The p
ower had been out a while now. Since the gym was one of the few rooms with electricity, he’d brought a couple of lanterns down so he could let off some steam. Shepherd glanced up at the lofty ceilings, the absence of artificial light unnerving. Bad shit went down during an extended outage. He hadn’t noticed it until Wyatt’s curses filled the quiet hallways. Poor bastard was helpless without all his computers.
Shepherd snuffed out one lantern and carried the other up to the dining room. As soon as he opened the door, Viktor and Claude broke their conversation.
“What’s up?” Shepherd asked, setting the lantern on the floor.
Viktor stroked his beard. Usually, the whiskers on the sides were short with the goatee around the mouth longer, but it looked as though he’d skipped his daily trim. “Christian and Raven haven’t returned. I want you and Claude to look for them.”
Shepherd furrowed his brow. “What gives?”
Claude still had on his black tank top with the RAZOR SHARP logo on the front. He was also sucking on a red licorice stick. “I drove through the Breed district on my way home, and people are out in spades.”
“Looting?”
“Burning businesses, from what I saw.”
“Shit. Already?”
“You bet.” Claude wiggled his candy around. “I went inside a convenience store to grab some licorice and lotion. People were acting like it was the apocalypse.”
“Do I want to know why you were buying lotion at this time of night?”
Claude tapped the licorice stick against his nose and winked. “I have dry elbows.”
Short-term blackouts were never a cause for concern, but as the hours ticked by—especially at night—people would walk on the dark side.
Still sweating, Shepherd pulled up his white T-shirt and wiped off his face. “Anyone try calling them?”
“No answer,” Viktor replied. “Christian would never stay out in this unless something was wrong.”
