Skin Deep (A DarkWorld Novel - Book 1) (The DarkWorld Series)

by Ayer, T. G.

  I scanned the club, ascending the stairs, counting the exits. Four in total - each flanked by a pair of guards, burly, surly fellows who surely pumped iron all day and ate little kittens for breakfast.

  The double doors opened onto a large room extending the whole back end of the building, with picture windows providing a view of the dance floor. Done in dark tones of black and navy with a touch of white, the room was elegant and ominous at the same time.

  "Greetings, my friends."

  I searched for a voice. The single occupant of the room was draped over an ice-white leather sofa, lazily swirling a bright green liquid in a highball. A black beanie covered his head stopping short of his generous eyebrows, black silk trousers matched a black silk shirt, out of place in this room and in the club filled with preening, predatory males flaunting their goods. Relaxed in his icy throne, he had the air of a feline, seconds before it pounced. Leopard Walker. I shared a glance with Anjelo, whose look of recognition confirmed he now knew Sully's species.

  The air was spicy with fear, and I registered the scents rolling off the bouncers in great waves. Even his own men were terrified of him.

  Great way to keep 'em in line, Boss.

  "Sully, I take it?" Take this bull by his horns.

  "And who do I have the pleasure of addressing, my sweet?" His voice was oily, so dark, and I swallowed the slime suddenly coating my mouth.

  His eyes glittered. Black coals stripped me bare, cutting right through me, and I would’ve choked had I not been feeding the nexus of vengeance lying beneath my heart. Now more than ever I wanted to catch this killer. This murderer preying on Walkers. And I needed to be strong to deal with the likes of Sully.

  "Kailin Odel." He rose, his drink now forgotten while this pretty new gem caught his attention. He sniffed. "Alpha Kailin Odel."

  When he stopped before me, taking my chin within his steel fingers, I knew with utter certainty he was capable of snapping my neck with a twist of those brutal paws. And as I stood so close to him, I breathed in his cloying cologne and his Leopard Walker fragrance with it. My Panther clawed to get out.

  His reaction was so sudden, so strong I was left standing immobilized with shock.

  A loud growl ripped the air, softened only by the thunderous bass of the music still pounding in my ears and quivering my heart with every beat. We stood there, face to face, a hands-breadth apart, his canines bared, the corded muscles in his neck bunching.

  I sensed his anger, and this only spurred on my own rage. But I tamped the Panther down first. Now we both knew who we were dealing with.

  "Look, we don't have time for a territorial pissing contest. I'm not interested."

  My directness elicited a reaction both unexpected and surprising.

  He laughed. Full and hearty.

  I blinked.

  "You're one tough chick you know that."

  "Been through enough shit in the last few days. I don't have time to play games while Walkers are dying out on those streets." I hadn't meant to be so vehement, but rage reared its vengeful head and snapped in Sully's face.

  That caught his attention. His double-take was as painful to watch as his expression was comical.

  "Dying?"

  "Obviously you're not as well informed as you thought you were." I shot the burly guard next to me a satisfied look as his neck bloomed a pretty rose. Someone was in for it. "There's a killer out there who's been preying on Walkers. We were hoping you would be able to help us."

  "I'm not really sure how I can help you. What is it you need?" Sully sat back, crossed his legs and stared at me, one foot swinging back and forth like a pendulum, ticking off my time.

  "We’re looking for a boy. From what we know, he was last seen here in this club." My gaze didn't waiver.

  "Lots of boys come to this club. In fact, hundreds of boys come to this club." The foot swung and his eyes remained on mine. "I don't see how I can be of any help."

  His cold, hard expression convinced me we weren't going to get much out of him.

  I plucked my phone from my pocket and brought up the image of Evan that Byron had sent over. "We're looking for him."

  Sully peered at the phone, pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nope, never seen him before.

  "Could we at least have a look around? Talk to the bouncers, maybe?" I asked, my tone lowering a few degrees. I wasn't in the mood for niceties.

  "Feel free as long as you don't disturb my guests." He grinned, a cheery, pleasant smile that was completely false.

  ***

  We circulated the club, walking through each of the three floors trying to pretend we belonged. No surprise when we came up with nothing. No surprise when none of the bouncers recognized Evan. I sighed. What were we looking for? We had no idea. We certainly weren't going to find the missing boy in the middle of the dance floor.

  But we were Walkers to begin with. Walkers with incredible tracking skills. I dug into my little purse for my phone and made a quick call to Byron. Thankfully he was still occupied with his distraught daughter and agreed to send Spencer with some of Evans garments.

  We didn't have to wait long; we met Spencer outside the club a mere half hour later. He drew alongside the curb, and rolled the window down. His steely gray eyes regarded me with curiosity and a large dose of scorn. Of course, I didn't expect anything less.

  Without a word he handed over a jacket, and drove off before I could even say thank you.

  "What's his deal?" asked Anjelo staring off into the darkness at the disappearing taillights.

  "Wolves."

  "Right," he answered with a delicate shudder.

  I studied the brown leather jacket that belonged to the missing boy, then raised an eyebrow at Anjelo. "You want to go sniff?"

  Behind him, Lily's face darkened, her anger blooming her cheeks, but all Anjelo did was laugh. "Sure, not often I get to exercise the old muscles." And in a breath and a blink, Anjelo's nostrils flared and widened.

  He reached for the garment and held it close to his nose, breathing the scent of the boy in, noting each nuance of odor in the fibers. Then he nodded and stepped back.

  Wolves would no doubt be better at this than us, and I wondered why Spencer hadn't offered his services. Maybe Byron needed him.

  Anjelo backtracked to the entrance to Club Wylde, then stiffened and took a deep breath. He was onto something but I daren't ask him anything, very afraid he may lose the boys scent. I hadn't planned on letting Anjelo do the job alone anyway, so I allowed my nose to transform and took a deep breath of the garment myself.

  I followed Anjelo, followed the scent too. As faded as it was, the wolfiness of the odor still wafted strong on the sidewalk, on the door he must have held on to. We followed the scent one step at a time taking the corner and moving only two car lengths down the road.

  And there we lost the trail.

  "What happened?" Anjelo asked, frowning.

  "If we assume someone is after Walkers, then we can easily assume that he may have been tossed into a car or something." I glanced up and down the street, the lack of lighting making it difficult to see much more than shadowed shapes. "Would've been easy. We can barely see anything ourselves, even with our cat-vision."

  Anjelo clicked his tongue, just as annoyed as I was.

  Our investigations hadn't gone as planned. One, Sully was not going to be of much assistance. And two, we needed help.

  I knew just the person for the job. Even if I had to battle my inner demons.

  Or desires.

  ***

  Chapter 20

  Back home after our club visit, my mind was in turmoil as I punched in a text message to Logan. I'd been ready to dial when my clock dinged - after two in the morning. The little card Logan had given me was a crumpled, unrecognizable blob of red. I'd asked nicely if he could come over when he got the chance. Then had to constantly convince myself it was the right decision.

  But now, fear, worry and helplessness warred. I worried it was wrong to ask
for Logan's help, especially when he had no idea what world he would be entering. But then again what exactly was it that he worked in? Strange and unusual?

  The knocking at my door broke into my thoughts. Who would be popping over at this hour? Dread iced my veins over. Not another missing walker.

  I opened the door to reveal a rumpled and sleepy-looking Logan Westin. My heart thudded against my ribs. Rumpled and adorable.

  I barely heard his greeting above the thundering in my head. Great. My timing had so sucked. I should’ve thought before texting him. Should’ve known he'd think it was urgent and run right over. I'd pulled him from slumber at two am in the morning. I had good reason – Evan—but it felt wrong. Wrong to expect his help when he had no idea what we were. No idea he was stepping into seriously dangerous territory. Wrong to lie to him. Wrong to even think of revealing to a Human. And, my strange attraction to him helped not at all.

  Although my heart told me otherwise, the last thing I needed was any kind of serious involvement with Logan, but it was important he was included in our search for Evan. Logan and Omega had resources and contacts which I could only dream of.

  I gave Logan the short, Walker-free version. Guilt festered, eternal damnation to my soul.

  "So is there anything unusual about the boy?" Logan asked, his eyes wide awake and boring straight into mine.

  "What do you mean?" I hesitated.

  "I work with strange and unusual all the time, Kai. You didn’t call me because this kid is perfectly normal. Talk to me." I was distracted by him calling me Kai. What a fool. But I concentrated on Evan, wanting to tell Logan what he was but so afraid of bringing trouble to our species. What if Omega was an organization that eliminated our kind? I shuddered.

  "Kai?" I looked up and met Logan's eyes. He had a strange look on his face. Worried yet determined. "Okay, look. I'm going to tell you something and I figure your reaction will tell me what I need to know."

  "Okay," I answered carefully.

  "Omega investigates the strange and unusual of the paranormal kind." When I raised my eyebrows he continued, "We were called in to the body dump in the garden because the victim was not normal. Not human. You understand what I mean?"

  "Yeah, not normal. Not human. So what was he?" I asked, treading carefully, not wanting to give anything away. What if he was on a totally different track and she blurted out the truth? No, slow and careful, Odel.

  "You've heard of werewolves, right?" he asked. And the blood drained from my body. Could he really know the truth? I blinked and nodded and he spoke again. "Well wolves aren't the only creatures that can transform into humans. There are cats that transform t- Kailin is there something you want to tell me?"

  "What do you mean?" I tried to feign nonchalance.

  "Your face tells me you know something. You look like a vampire just drained you."

  I couldn’t take it anymore. He knew so much already. I'd have to cross my fingers and hope he'd be able to help us find Evan. Cross my fingers and hope I was doing the right thing. "Okay. Fine." I sighed and sank into the nearest sofa, running my hands through my hair. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was until now. "Evan is a Walker. He's a wolf."

  "Do you know him?"

  "Not directly. I know his father, Byron Teague. He's the clan Alpha."

  "So Evan is an Alpha too."

  I nodded. "A recently changed Alpha."

  "Which makes him more dangerous."

  "You know a lot about Walkers," I said.

  "Like I said, I investigate the paranormal." He smiled. "So how do you know these Walkers?"

  "I've been in the city for a while. You hear things. Meet people." I shrugged, hoping he wouldn't dig deeper. I stood up, felt a lot like pacing, but didn't. "So your agents...are they experienced with this type of thing?"

  "Yes, don't worry about it. Omega will try and find out more. And Chief Murdoch will help as well."

  "The police chief works for Omega? And he knows about Paranormals?"

  "Murdoch's helped out a lot in the past. So yes, he knows." Logan paused, his brows furrowed as he played with the buttons on his phone. "How long has he been gone?"

  "Since last night. At Club Wylde." I ran through the details of Evans disappearance and our visit to Sully's club.

  "Okay," Logan looked up and gave me an encouraging smile. "Thanks for being honest with me. I'll get the team rounded up. We'll help you find Evan. We'll put the word out on the street, get Omega on the case."

  "Thank you." I spoke but it was almost a whisper. Logan looked up and met my gaze. My eyes burned with a mix of gratitude and regret.

  He reached out and gave my arm a little squeeze. Whether it was just a gesture of comfort didn't matter because it became more in an instant. That's all it took for me to give in. Just the touch of his warm hands on my skin killed all resistance. He came to me, standing so close the heat of our bodies intertwined in the sliver of space between us. He held my arms gently, staring into my eyes, he frowned as if fighting himself the way I should be fighting myself against this madness. The air shimmered thick and heated between us and my breath came in short, sharp bursts.

  Memories of our recent close encounter of the passionate kind flitted through my mind and also somewhere low in my stomach. My throat was dry and swallowing did nothing to help. I was never good at romance, rebuffing any and all advances from the guys at school who had thought me half-way attractive. Dating was something I had no experience with. Dating, along with any other lovey-dovey stuff.

  He came closer and I leaned my head against his chest, listening as his heart thudded against my ear, as it began to increase its steady pace. He sighed and the sound made me pull away. Suddenly I needed the distance. Getting carried away now was a bad idea. His rejection still burned. His eyes may have been regretful, but he hadn't apologized.

  I stepped away from his reach and shook my head. The tiniest of apologies. I turned from him, wishing he would leave and make things easy for me.

  "Kailin?" I turned, my heartbeat increasing to fever pitch.

  He was right there behind me. Perfect. Like the heat and tenderness of his kiss was perfect. He warmed my heart, and all I wanted was to get closer. Rumpled hair was more rumpled, the world fell away and all that was left was Logan and me, and this amazing, fiery passion enveloping us.

  Heat simmered where we touched. Lips. Hands. Bodies. But this time I wasn't afraid. And this time he didn't pull away. He tamed the fire before it burned too bright. And when, at last, we came up for air, and he smiled at me, it was the fiery passion that burned in his eyes which held my attention and took my breath away.

  But I said nothing. Just smiled shyly at his flushed face.

  He touched my cheek and smiled. "The way you make me feel...it’s like nothing I've felt before. I don't understand it and yet I do. Do you know what I mean?"

  I nodded, understanding exactly what he was trying to say.

  "I shouldn't let my emotions mix with work." I nodded but inside I was smiling. "I'll see what I can find out and get back to you soon."

  "Thanks, Logan. I guess we- Evan needs all the help he can get."

  Logan nodded and headed for the door.

  No more words.

  I believed him too. Believed he would do whatever it took to protect me. And more important than this intense heat we had between us, was the trust. This crazy kid, who had somehow become a paranormal lawman, who'd weaseled his way into my stupid affections, had just forced me to trust him.

  Things were getting too complicated.

  ***

  Chapter 21

  Niko bent over the boys arm, tapping the vein with an expression bordering on tender. He was often enthralled by the bodies of his fellow Walkers, brought to his knees by the sheer beauty of the physical and biological make-up of his species. During his self-imposed exile he studied both, formally and informally, everything he could to understand the physiology and biology of a Skinwalker.

  Niko grabbed the hand o
f the unconscious boy, gripping the wrist with a strength he drew from his untapped rage.

  Flesh pressed against bone and bone began to bend to the pressure. Then he withdrew his hand. Perhaps it was fear he may destroy the vial of precious adapted strain, or perhaps some minute part of his human side bade him pause before he caused permanent damage to the boy. In a few hours the boy's arm would show a purpled bruise and swollen flesh and muscle from Niko's ministrations. Even if the bruises took longer, the four gashes in the tender skin of his arm, where four broken claws had sliced open skin and drawn blood, would be a silent, if not painful reminder.

  The copper spice of blood rode the air, and Niko had a second overpowering wave of need douse him. This time it was the rage of hunger and not envy. The Blood Call was infinitely stronger to Walkers like him - the ones who were not.... Normal.

  Niko strove to check his blood desire. The task at hand was to test the drug and pray it worked.

  He pressed the needle against the young skin until it slid through into the vein, butter smooth. A bead of red slipped out the edge of the wound and Niko was transfixed. But only for a moment. He pressed the plunger down until the entire content of the vial was emptied.

  Now he had to wait the requisite time before he administered the inciters. Niko's own blood had contributed to developing the drug; had been the very reason he'd begun to work on the drug in the first place. He studied the digits of his right hand, each one ending in a sharply curved claw; ignoring his left hand which held the mangled, damaged claws.

  It was far as he was able to get the transformation to go, for him or any of the other Unchanged. If this drug worked he may be able to use the results to develop his special blend a little further.

  For now he waited.

  Niko checked the boy's vitals. Evan was the name of the youth. A Wolf-Walker. It didn't matter too much the species he used. He'd discovered years ago that the fundamentals in the DNA strands were the same. The blends with the Human genes were the same too, irrespective of the animal a Skinwalker housed within him. He knew by now the drug had filtered deep into the boy's bloodstream, dulling synapses, axons and dendrites. Administering a sedative-like hold onto the hormones linked directly to the inherent process of the Change.