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

by Ayer, T. G.

  The room was stark and lifeless despite its two very alive occupants. The bright fluorescent light cast an unflattering glare on the ugly peeling walls, the faded green sheets and blankets, turned steel handles and bars into shiny glowing metal. Stark.

  He watched the bars on the monitor as each one lit a bright green, rising slowly like a growing tower until the machine beeped a triple warning. Ready for use again.

  Niko held the paddles of the Defibrillator in his hands, watching until each bar lit one after the other, until the indicator light glowed green and the machine was ready. Without hesitation he held the paddles to the center of the youth's bared chest and watched as the supine form was electrified into life. Evan's body jerked off the bed in a perfect curve, feet and shoulders still touching the mattress.

  ***

  Evan jerked into full consciousness, pain splicing through his skull. And then the pure warmth of the Change slinked through his veins, taking hold of his body and mind. The wolf within him pushed for control. It was a living thing, almost a parasite owning a part of his body and mind. A permanent room-mate who sometimes wanted his own way with things. The change was a primal need and he was unable to deny himself the ecstasy of the invitation.

  His muscles burned, a simmering fire stretching and twisting while Human bones and tissue warred with the conquering wolf. Fingers sprouted claws, shortened, thickened, furred. Evan's back curved and realigned until the restrained became painfully uncomfortable. The wolf struggled in his ungainly position, forelegs bent and tied at each side, bent to almost breaking point.

  ***

  Niko growled his rage and slammed his fist into the tray on the trolley at his side. It flipped in mid-air, tossing its contents across the floor. Shiny silver scalpels and scissors and syringes spattered the white linoleum floor, landing with high plinking notes, so musical and so out of place. He growled again, the pure sounds of an enraged feline. At times like this, when his rage controlled him, he could feel the Panther inside, desperate to be released from its prison. As desperate as he was to release the cat. He tasted the ecstasy in the partial release he achieved with his claws and ears. But it teased and tantalized him.

  Some Pariah were luckier than Niko. Like Brand, his Synthe distributor. He knew the streets, peddled Niko's special strain of his drug to the Walkers in the city. He even brought Niko a satisfactory subject or two. Brands goons, though, were more than a tad inefficient. Look at what they did with the last skinned corpse he'd worked on. Dumped in a garden of all places. And now they had a bunch of Walkers sniffing around. And one of them was an Alpha. Not that he couldn’t handle an Alpha – he was one himself of course – but he could’ve done without the distraction.

  Niko studied the vials of the drug. It promised release, much like Brand had promised release. But Brand's methods of release were unsavory to say the least— Niko knew he'd never be able to partake of a Human meal the way Brand and his followers did. Maybe he'd left his clan, and maybe he was Pariah but that didn't mean he was no longer a Walker. And the Walkers lived by certain tenets. Without those rules who knew what would happen?

  At least the drug had given him strength. If only temporary. But the benefits outweighed the discomforts. It made his body stronger. Stronger so he could find the perfect way to transform himself fully to his Panther form and back again.

  For the Wolf-boy, the trauma had brought on a full change. Niko needed to force him to change back. He had to get this right. The throbbing at his temples slowly receded as he calmed himself. Calmed his beast.

  He went to the Defibrillator and waited for it to recharge.

  He slapped the paddles on the now fur-lined chest of the wolf. Electricity coursed through the animal lifting it up and almost off the bed, only to fall back once Niko removed the paddles. The wolf's body began to shiver, small tremors ran through his body from head to toe. The power still sped through Evan's body, until he howled in agony. Agony at the impending Change perhaps, at having to return to the prison of its Human form.

  The transformation happened again, this time in reverse. Like switching a movie onto rewind, taking the form of the wolf and forcing it back into the shape of the man. He allowed Evan a short respite. The boy needed to recover his energy. Because the next try, if successful, would rob him of every bit of strength he had left.

  Niko filled two syringes with the drug and laid them aside, they would keep until the boy had rested.

  ***

  Chapter 22

  Lily closed the door of the toilet stall and hung her bag over the rusty hook. For such a popular club, Wylde certainly had the ickiest restrooms. Her hands shook, and her blood burned for the ecstasy awaiting her in the package hidden in her bag.

  Anjelo had assumed she'd go home with him, and on any other day she may have acquiesced, but tonight the lure of the Synthe was unbearable. She just couldn't bear to wait a moment longer. She'd barely been able to control herself, the need for her next hit so overwhelming that she'd taken her frustration out on him. A small part of her brain, probably the practical Lynx within her, rebelled and reminded her every so often that the drug was not so good for her.

  She knew her addiction was getting worse. But she couldn't care less.

  What a relief when Kailin had left the Club. At the moment, Kailin was not one of her most favorite people. All that black hair, and curves exactly where they should be. Drove Lily insane. Thankfully Anjelo only had eyes for Lily. The problem was every time Kailin beckoned, Anjelo ran. It wasn't as if he had to, but for some reason he was compelled. Lily still smarted from her recent altercation with Kailin. She'd gotten no reaction from Miss Know-it-All. Nothing. The snoot had turned and left. And Anjelo hadn't been too happy she'd opened her mouth in the first place.

  She pulled out half a dozen strips of toilet paper, laying them carefully side by side so the entire toilet lid was covered. Drawing the package of glittering powder and a tiny mirror out of her bag, Lily sat on the toilet with a moue of distaste. She balanced the mirror on one knee and dealt a small amount of delicate white dust onto the mirror. A little powder, a little sniff, and lot of bliss awaited.

  As she leaned over to breathe in the beautiful poison she caught a glimpse of her distorted reflection. For the smallest moment she was shocked by the image of a girl whose eyes simmered with such desperate need that it pulled her face into a grimace of hunger. But the need gripped hold of her far too tightly and she caved.

  Now she waited, all tense muscles and expectant breath, until the drunken bliss dissolved her muscles, and erased the ache living within her. She ached to Change, and hated herself and her body and everything wrong within her. Growing up, Lily, like all her friends and siblings, had looked forward to the time of Change with scared anticipation.

  She'd had no fear for intense pain nor for the shock to her bones and muscles caused by a first time Change. Like her friends, she couldn't wait. The Change was the door to adulthood and Lily craved her maturity with a passion. But when her time came and went without the tiniest twinge to mark the onset of her Change, she grew worried. Everyone worried, and waited with her, but the years went by one at a time. Three years of doctors and tests and waiting and still Lily was unable to let her Lynx out. It was there, she knew it, felt it all the time and it shared her agony and desire for release.

  Then she was an outcast. Disappointment to her family, decreed ineligible for a mate by Walker law. Something about deformed cubs resulting from such a wrong union. So she was shunned. Never mind whatever was wrong with her body was not of her doing. So she left the city of her childhood and ended up here. With Anjelo.

  Even with his understanding and his care, the pain still lingered within her body and the memories still filled her mind. He couldn't make her whole, and now she was sure nobody could.

  But, everything was so much better after a shot of Synthe. The music more rocking, and life so much more beautiful. All her senses shifted into overdrive and she loved it. Because she forgot the
Lynx breathing within her, wanting out. Forgot her pain, at least for a short time.

  Anjelo would throw a fit if he found out about her habit. Yeah, he'd be mad, and so disappointed in her. So far Lily had managed to keep her Synthe-dependence a secret. She'd been so careful to stay away when she was high. Brand had told her the drug couldn’t be detected even by the smell sense of another Walker. Although she believed this she was always nervous to be around Anjelo when she was high. Probably her guilt.

  For so long she'd dealt with her pain without the help of Anjelo. And how happy she'd been when Hiro introduced her to Synthe. Hiro, with his exotic eyes and cute accented charm, had taken her aside a few weeks back. He was a Fox-Walker, and she was in no danger from another Walker. Until he showed her the drug. She'd refused at first but Hiro was a talker, had used words to tug at her heart. And he'd seemed so kind. Even his boss, Brand had encouraged her to at least try it. She was glad she had.

  In all her life she'd never heard of any drug, Human or otherwise, which worked on a Walker. And she'd thought she was an extremely fortunate girl to have found such a thing of wonder right here at Club Wylde. Right place, right time. Not that she was the type to indulge. Was there even such a thing as a potential drug user type? If there were, she wouldn't have identified with it. Not until now, when the pain filled her bones and her mind, and the voice in her head sounded like all the meanest kids at home. The voice taunting her night and day.

  A few trips to Club Wylde and she'd been able to get her fix each time. But it got so much worse. Each high was more intense, more beautiful than the one before, and each downer was so peaceful. No pain, nor anger, no sorrow. Pure bliss. Worse too was her income from her part-time job at the Deli was feeding her habit, and she had to rely on Anjelo to help her out with money for school. He thought she was sending money home to her family in Arkansas. Another rotten lie. But the wait for the next fix had become unbearable. The constant need buzzed inside her, an insidious bee, stinging her, stabbing her, demanding the next taste of euphoria.

  When she left the ladies-room, she was deep within the arms of the Synthe. She walked right past the two men leaning against the wall outside the toilet. Didn't see the mean glint in their eyes, the air of expectancy about them. Didn't notice the look of recognition passing between them when they saw her. Nor was she aware when they followed her, as she weaved through the throng of prancing dancers and onto the centre of the dance floor.

  When they bumped into her and she fell forward, sprawled on her stomach like a stranded starfish, she didn't feel the slight prick of a needle in her neck as the two men helped get back to her feet. Only saw their faces swimming before her eyes until she slipped into a haze darker and more vile than the Synthe.

  ***

  Chapter 23

  The clanging racket of the birdcage as it rose from the ground floor announced my visitor, but it was my nose that told me Anjelo was on his way up.

  The smile on my lips died at the state he was in. Disheveled, tired with what was closer to a beard than a five-o'clock shadow. My heart twinged with worry. I remained silent. My sense of smell was at its peak, with all the craziness of the last few days. Another scent came off him in waves. Fear - pure and unadulterated fear. From the tense ridge of his jaw, it was something bad. Real bad.

  "It's Lily." His voice simmered with pain. "She's missing."

  Rigid fingers scraped furrows through his pale hair.

  The answer left me reeling. "Wasn't she with you when I left the club last night?"

  I'd headed straight home - weighing the pros and cons of getting Logan and his team on board. The very last thing I’d expected was for a Walker this close to us to be in danger. Our arrogance had been flung sharply back in our faces. It was tearing Anjelo apart.

  "Yeah, we had a look around and Lily wanted to stay. She seemed...preoccupied…on edge," Anjelo's eyes darkened with guilt. "We had a fight. She insisted on staying at the club, I insisted she come home, and she walked off, so I left. She's a big girl. I thought she'd be fine." His words were more an effort to convince himself he'd done the right thing, but it didn't work.

  "Anjelo, come on. You weren't to know this would happen." Grief deafened him and he heard nothing.

  He sat on the sofa, hopeless. I lurked, helpless. Even Cat, who officially hated him, sensed he needed comfort and jumped to his lap for a cuddle.

  I perched on the arm of the sofa and addressed the back of his blond head. "Did anyone else stay behind?"

  "Just Gia, but she bailed not long after us. Said she hadn't seen Lily since I left anyway, so she couldn't help." Anjelo rested his head in his hands, as if his fear weighed him down so he was unable to support it. He kept his head turned away, didn't look at me, and I guessed he hid his tears. Such unmanly things, tears.

  "Have you looked for her?"

  Anjelo nodded. "I went back to the club. Tried to track her." Anjelo gave a shuddering breath then shook his head with regret and frustration. "I lost the trail on the dance floor. I followed the trail from where I left her last, at the staircase leading to the entrance. She'd gone to the ladies room, then back to the dance floor and then...poof into thin air."

  My heart ached for Anjelo.

  He drew in a breath. "I asked around, bartenders, security guys, and nothing. Nobody saw anything. The place was filled, probably a full-on fire hazard. I guess nobody would’ve seen anything even if they'd been looking right at her. Or else they're just lying to cover their asses."

  "That's good. I've spoken to Agent Westin already about getting his unit involved with our search for Evan. Maybe he can help us with finding Lily."

  "That's crazy, Kai. The police? If they find out what we are, we're all dead. They're Human, you know?" If anything my revelation had given Anjelo something else to be upset about. I was happy. Sort of. At least it gave him a brief respite from his personal agony, even if he was busy lampooning my bright idea.

  ***

  I sent Anjelo home with strict instructions to shower and eat, and I placed a call to Logan to come over. It wasn't long before I opened the door for him.

  Now he stood, uncomfortably flipping his phone over and over in his hand. I stared at him.

  "Hey Kai." His eyebrows were raised to match the question. "You had something important to ask me?

  "I need your help."

  "What is it?" His voice changed as he became aware that I was upset. I hadn't realized how much Lily's disappearance had affected me. There was no love lost between Lily and myself, but I adored Anjelo and seeing him hurting was hard to handle.

  "Someone else has gone missing. Another Walker. And this time it's someone I know. She's my friend Anjelo's girlfriend."

  "When?" The look of helpless frustration on Logan's face was worrying.

  "He hasn't seen her since last night. At Club Wylde."

  Logan sucked in a breath. "Okay, give me the details. Where exactly she was last seen, what she was wearing. Everything."

  I gave Logan the run-through, brought him up to speed on Anjelo's search too. Finally, the story all told, I sighed, weariness pulling me down.

  "I'm guessing Anjelo is a Walker too?" Logan asked, his eyes unfathomable.

  I nodded. It wasn't worth running circles around him trying to evade the truth. "So what do you think happened to her?" I asked softly even though I knew what the answer would be. Sucker for punishment.

  "Abducted, probably. From the way Anjelo lost track of her so abruptly, it seems to be the only conclusion."

  I had a sudden thought that perked me up a bit. "The cameras." Club Wylde didn't look like the type of place able to run without a smart security system, which no-doubt also included state-of-the-art video. "Club Wylde must have cameras set up around the dance floor, for security. We'll just ask him if we could have a look at the tapes."

  "And I suppose you think 'pretty please' will work on him?" Logan asked "Do you know him?"

  "Yeah, we met when we went to the club to look for
information on Evans disappearance. I think I can to get him to help. He seemed...honorable. Maybe not legal, but he lives by a code and I think it's a pretty strict one. As long as we don't endanger his territory, we'll be okay."

  "Well, just to be on the safe side I'll get us a warrant," he said. Then he paused, "and Kai?"

  "Yes?"

  "Don't go in without me."

  "Okay." And I actually meant it. That search warrant would be helpful if Sully put up a fuss.

  I hoped.

  ***

  Lily opened her eyes. Fear muffled the cry in her throat, a strange weight pulled on her body. Although her eyes stared wide open, only pitch darkness surrounded her. She was stiff with fright. Blind. She was blind. A terrified gasp left her throat. The sound bounced off the invisible walls encapsulating her. The eerie echo chilled her to the bone.

  She remained on the cusp of consciousness, registering only small glimpses of the room in which she was being held, her body too heavy to move more than her eyelids.

  She blinked repeatedly, desperate to get the woolly haze out of her eyes, and tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her eyesight adjusted to the pitch dark room, and she could at last make out the outlines of the bed she lay on. A table beside her, and a large door ahead.

  She struggled to turn her head, lift it off the pillow, straining to see more of the room. The action was far too much for her drug weakened body and she slipped back in to the safety of darkness.

  It was hours later when she resurfaced from her drugged bliss. It was still dark around her, but knowing what to expect, she was not as alarmed as before. She lay on the bed, her breathing short and erratic. Memories flickered through her mind. Shattered pieces of her evening softened by the gentle haze of the Synthe. Two men, holding her on the dance floor. A prick of pain on her neck.