Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  Peri turned around, looked at herself in the mirror and saw a completely different person to what she had been. Her skin didn’t have that sickly tone she had come to know. She didn’t look haunted or scared. She thought she looked quite pretty even.

  “You are so much more than pretty, Peri, you are a goddess.” Josef’s hand was on her shoulder, and she reached up and across her body to touch it.

  “You know this is the only piece of jewelry I’ve ever owned, well, apart from that stupid watch of mine. I found it in a garbage can ages ago, and it was the only one I’d ever had, so I kept it.” Peri pointed to the very cheap and tatty watch that she wore.

  At that, Gabe moved into her line of sight. She hadn’t realized he was even there.

  “Well, baby, here you go.” Gabe handed her a larger square box. She opened it and inside was the most beautiful watch she had ever seen. It was silver (she thought), same as her necklace and it had tiny little crystals around the face. She felt like crying again.

  “No, no, no more crying. And it’s not silver, the watch or the necklace, it’s platinum and those aren’t crystals,” Josef told her and she nearly fainted. Platinum! Diamonds! Dear lord, they must’ve cost a fortune.

  “You are more than worth it, Peri. Come on, I bet Daiki is sitting, waiting on us.” Josef pulled her to her feet and Gabe helped her put the watch on. She stared at her wrist, something so expensive seemed so, so, well, decadent.

  She turned and kissed both of her men, who kissed her back. Gabe gave her behind a slap. “Move or we won’t be meeting your friend!”

  Peri was smiling from ear to ear, as they made their way down to the bar, but when they got there, she couldn’t see Daiki.

  “Are we early, Josef?” She asked and the Vampire frowned.

  “No, we’re actually ten minutes late.” He wondered where the man was. Daiki obviously adored Peri, and Josef was damn sure the man would not have been late to meet her.

  Peri shivered then grasped her chest, agony coursing through her entire body.

  “Josef, something’s wrong – I know it! I can feel it, pain, great, great pain...Daiki’s in pain, Josef!”

  Chapter 14

  Josef motioned for the bodyguards. “Get the car now!”

  Peri’s heart was beating way too fast, fear ingrained inside her, the pain inside her growing every second.

  The second bodyguard motioned, the car was there. Josef held onto Peri’s arm and Gabe had her other, as they led her out and straight into the back seat. They joined her and the other guard got in front.

  “Keep alert. I think we may have a problem. Where’s Liam, does anyone know?” Josef asked the guards.

  Both shook their heads. Josef pulled his phone out and dialed “Liam, where are you? Okay, I think we have a problem. Daiki has not arrived for our dinner date, and Peri can feel that he is in great pain...we’re on our way there now...how long? Okay.” Josef hung up and replaced his phone in his suit.

  “Liam was out for dinner. He and the other Witch will meet us. He obviously has the address, as he gave it to us. He’ll get there either as we do or just after.”

  Josef reached for Peri’s hand. “Your hands, they’re like ice!” Josef grabbed the one he had reached for and started to rub it between his two, hoping the friction would get some heat into it.

  Gabe grabbed her other one and did the same, shocked at how cold it was.

  Josef and Gabe both looked hard at Peri. The look on her face scared them. She was whiter than fresh snow, her breaths were coming in short, sharp gasps, and her eyes were wide as saucers. Both the Vampire and the Wolf could hear her heart racing.

  “Hurry up!” Josef ordered, and the car sped along even faster.

  “We’re nearly there, baby, we’ll find out what’s wrong.” Gabe was trying to reassure her, but she knew, she knew in her heart he was gone. Nothing on God’s green earth would have kept him from coming to the hotel.

  The dojo came into view, there were lights on and the door was open. The guards parked and jumped out, moving incredibly fast for their size, got to the door, and stopped on either side.

  One stuck his head in and motioned something to the other one, both went in fast.

  “I need to go in, Josef, please let me out of the car!” Peri had to go, had to see, and God help anyone that was still there. Her power had grown on the journey over. She was full of it and her body ached with containing it.

  Josef felt it, so did Gabe, neither had felt anything like it before from Peri. “Okay, let me be in front. Gabe, you have Peri’s back.”

  Josef opened the car door as Gabe said, “Always.”

  Peri gave him a quick look and a nod of her head and then got out onto the sidewalk. Josef held her hand and walked forward. Gabe had his hand on her back and was so close to her, there was barely space between them.

  Peri heard a growl and she looked over her shoulder. Christ, Gabe had huge fangs in his mouth, and his eyes looked very strange indeed.

  Josef answered her thoughts. “Don’t worry, his Wolf is readying for a fight.”

  Peri looked forward again, as they reached the door, one of the guards barring the way.

  “I don’t think you want the lady to go inside, sir,” the guard said, and Peri realized it was the first words she had heard him utter.

  “I’m going in, Josef.” Peri’s tone was cold and hard, and none of them had ever heard it before, not even her.

  Josef nodded his head and the guard moved. The three walked inside and Peri’s legs nearly gave out.

  Gabe grabbed her waist. She took several deep breaths and moved away from her mates. Her legs carried her forward and to the body of her teacher, her mentor, her friend.

  Daiki lay on the floor, a crumpled mess of twisted limbs and broken bones. She saw some of the bones protruding through his flesh, and the smell of blood was rank in the air.

  His katana was lying at the side. He had obviously known there was danger and had tried to protect himself.

  Peri couldn’t breathe, air just would not enter her lungs and anger flared up in her body.

  Her power was nearly overpowering her and she fought to keep it under control. Josef’s voice entered her ear and she struggled to listen.

  “Take a breath, Peri, you need to breathe for me. Keep control, my darling. You need to keep control.” His voice low and soft, he used his own power and pushed calmness and strength towards his mate.

  The pain she was in was so vast, it made Josef feel sick. Her anger was so immense, he wondered if she would let it out. He worried greatly at what would happen, if she did.

  “Gabe.” Josef’s tone told the Wolf he was needed, and he moved to encircle their mate in his strong arms. His face next to hers, cheek to cheek, he saw the tears escaping her eyes and his own anger was great.

  Whoever did this was going to suffer and suffer greatly. Josef realized his senses had been correct earlier. Someone had been watching, however, it seemed it was the dojo that had been under surveillance and this was the result. He cursed himself for not realizing their visit could put Daiki in danger, he should have left one of the guards to watch over the man. It was something he would regret for a long time, the result of his lack of thought now devastating his little mate.

  Liam walked in and he knew immediately they were in trouble. If Peri didn’t get her power under control, she could probably take out the whole block, them along with it.

  He moved towards her and Josef saw him. “May I?” Liam asked and Josef nodded. Liam moved in front of Peri, and his stance blocked her view of Daiki. Her eyes were open and her pupils were so large, he could no longer see her green eyes.

  “Peri, you need to listen to my voice. Peri, you need to control it. You know what to do. Deep breath in, come on, Peri, listen to me – deep breath in...no that was too shallow. Concentrate, Peri, deep breath in, one, two, three...that’s it...keep it in for one, two, three, let it out slowly. Good girl, now again, deep breath in, one, two, three,
good...keep it in. That’s a girl, control, Peri, you must regain control. That’s it, slowly now, good, once more, Peri, deep breath in – hold – good, let it out slowly. That’s it...you have control?” Liam asked, although he felt the power diminishing in the Witch.

  Peri shook her head to clear it. “Yes,” she managed, turned into Gabe and sobbed. She sobbed as she never had before.

  The first human being she had ever come across that had shown her kindness. Shown her any kind of love, he was lying dead, and she knew it was because of her.

  Gabe held her close and watched as Josef and Liam inspected the body. His Wolf ears listening for what was being said.

  “Magic...he didn’t stand a chance, Josef. Looks like they tortured him, probably wanted to know where Peri was. Shit, look at what they did to him!” Liam’s voice shook. He was a strong Witch, but the thought of inflicting this sort of damage on a human...

  “Yes, I see it, Liam. Is there any way for you to track them? I would dearly like to meet whoever did this.” Josef’s voice was like ice and Liam shivered.

  “I’m not sure, they’ve covered their tracks pretty well. I’ll try real hard, Josef. Do you think Peri’s going to be okay?” Liam sneaked a peek, and she was still sobbing in Gabe’s arms.

  “We’ll make sure she is, Liam. I was a little concerned about the power I felt in her?” Josef looked at his Witch.

  Liam was shaking his head. “Josef, I’ve never felt so much power in one person. If she had lost control, we would all be dead right now.”

  “That’s what I thought, Liam. Once this mess is sorted, I want you with her every day, train her. She needs to be able to control it and use it. I want her to be able to use her magic against any kind of threat, Liam.” Josef’s voice was low but strong and Liam shuddered.

  The Witch that Liam had brought to San Francisco with them, the one that dealt in black magic, was already casting tracking spells, and Liam hoped he could find something.

  Josef pulled his phone out and made a call to a contact in law enforcement, a very high up contact in law enforcement.

  “Ronan, I need your help. We need some of your men to come to an address in San Francisco. A human has been tortured and killed by magic. These people are after my mate...”

  Ronan interrupted, “Mate? When the hell did you get a mate?”

  “Very recently, she is mate to both Gabe and I, and before you interrupt, we know how rare that is. Her father is a powerful Witch who has been hunting her, and we came here for her to see an old friend. We’ve just found him, and it’s definitely magic that did the damage to him. I do not want Peri harassed or questioned unduly, do you understand? This is a personal request, Ronan, from your Sire.” Josef finished and waited on the response from someone who had more morals than he thought any one person should have.

  “Peri? I take it that’s your mate? Okay, leave it with me. I’ll get some men there. Text me the address, and I’ll make sure your mate isn’t taken anywhere for questioning. However, Josef, if you have any more information, please pass it on.” Ronan waited, clearly wondering what his Sire was planning.

  “After we leave here, you won’t have to worry, I am dealing with this personally.” Josef’s voice was cold as ice as he spoke, and he could almost hear Ronan shiver.

  “Christ, Josef, please be careful and don’t leave a mess anywhere that it can be found. You know I don’t like covering things up.” Ronan sighed, obviously wondering if he would need to use his position as Director of the Supernaturals Enforcement Bureau to clean up a mass murder site.

  “You don’t need to worry, Ronan. Hope to see you soon, we’ve not met up in a while,” the ancient Vampire said, having a soft spot for one he had Sired.

  “Yeah, soon, Josef, you can introduce your mate to me. I can’t wait to see the woman who got inside your heart.” Ronan was chuckling now, knowing how cold and distant his Sire was.

  “Enough with the laughter, Ronan, I have to go, this is a mess here.” Josef sighed and hung up, not bothering with a goodbye.

  Soon there were police from both the normal human force and from the Supernaturals Enforcement Bureau, which had been set up several years previous, when Supernaturals ‘came out’ into society. It had soon become clear that a separate agency was needed to deal with beings such as Vampires, Wolves, and Witches. After all, none of them were going to stop and put their hands in the air, just because a human police officer asked them to. Now, if the crime required it, the two forces worked together. This was one of those times.

  Lots of questions were asked and Peri answered every one, a blank look on her face. Gabe never left her side for a second, holding her tightly, and growling when the questions got too much.

  Josef dealt with the scene in a detached manner, taking everything in and the scents. He had smelled two, both males, either Witches or Mages or some such, and he would know their scent now, if they came anywhere near them. If they did, he would dole out his own form of punishment, one that did not have anything to do with spending time in any kind of prison.

  The bodyguards stayed close. Donovan was one of his best, and Josef knew nothing would get past him. Fitz was new, but Donovan had hired him, so he must be good. Donovan knew the consequences, if that were not the case.

  Gabe tried to guide Peri outside, to the car, but she was reluctant to move far from Daiki’s body. “I can’t leave him, Gabe...he’s all I had...I was all he had!” Peri’s entire body was shaking, and Gabe was sure she was in shock.

  “I know, baby, I do, but we need to go now. They’ll need to take the body away soon, and I don’t want you seeing that. You’ve seen enough, Peri. Come, let me take you back to the hotel, Josef will come in a bit. He’s just finishing up some business.” Gabe’s tone was gentle, and Peri finally let him lead her away. The two bodyguards right there with them, one in front and one at their back.

  “Josef, I’m taking Peri to the hotel, how long will you be?” Gabe asked, as he passed by his friend.

  “Good, get some brandy into her. I’ll be a while. Liam’s going to try tracking them.” Josef placed a hand on Peri’s cheek, felt the coldness of her skin, moved in and kissed her gently.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Peri, go with Gabe, he’ll take care of you.” Josef’s look to Gabe was intense and the Wolf nodded. He knew Peri’s safety was now solely in his hands.

  Josef turned away, his heart ached at the pain he felt from his mate, and his anger was burning brightly in his very soul. He would get these people, no matter how long it took. He would find them and punish them in the most severe way he could come up with.

  Donovan checked the area outside before letting Gabe and Peri exit. He took them straight to the car and covered their bodies with his, as they got in. Fitz kept his eyes scouring for any threats, the look on his face one of cold concentration.

  Less than ten seconds after the four of them left the dojo, a car sped along the street and screeched to a halt. Two men jumped out quickly, and Gabe knew immediately they were a threat, clearly scenting magic coming from them.

  He let out a growl and all hell broke loose! A powerful wave of energy came towards them quickly, thrown out by the hands of both of these men. Gabe grabbed Peri and fell to the ground, his body covering hers protectively, as she let out a small scream of shock and fear.

  Fitz took the brunt of the blast and was picked up and thrown against the side of the building behind them. The noise he made had Gabe knowing he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

  Donovan’s fangs had erupted in his mouth, and he used his supernatural speed to get to the men, leaping completely over their own vehicle in front of them. As he was midway across and twenty feet in the air, another blast from the men hit him, throwing him back with such force that if he hadn’t been a Vampire, he would have been dead.

  Gabe roared loudly and stayed where he was, protecting his little mate. He dearly wanted to go Wolf and attack, but that would leave Peri completely vulnerable, not so
mething he could do.

  “What the fuck!” Josef’s voice came to his ears, and he sighed in relief.

  Josef had started running, as soon as he heard the commotion outside, and now saw both of his guards lying on the ground with Peri underneath Gabe. His eyes sought the perpetrators and found them, two very powerful Mages. He could sense, scent, and feel the power emanating from these two men.

  The extremely ancient Vampire drew in some of his immense power, taking less than a second to do so, then his eyes locked on the men. He saw them throw out their hands and he could feel the energy coming towards him. A feral smile came on his face and he flicked his wrist, diverting the wall of magical energy off to the side with no effort at all.

  Both of the men’s eyes widened. They realized this was no ordinary Vampire, as Josef stalked down the stairs towards them.

  “Gabe?” Josef asked, and his friend answered immediately.

  “She’s okay,” was all he replied.

  “Who sent you?” Josef asked, although he realized the question was a moot point, they probably wouldn’t answer, and even if they did, they would lie. After all, they knew who had sent them...Peri’s father.

  The men said not a word, working together to garner another blast. Josef laughed, “Really? You think you can harm me or mine with your pathetic energy?!”

  A picture of Daiki’s body popped into his mind and his anger grew even further. Pulling more energy inside him, he moved closer. He heard Liam’s voice behind him: “Stay back, it’s magic!” He was obviously warning the police to stay out of this fight.

  Just as well, nothing and nobody could stop Josef now. Intent on one thing only – destroy these two men in front of him, who dared to attack his mate and friend.

  His blood was near boiling point, as he lashed out, the men attempting to put up a shield to ward off his attack. Their attempts were futile and they were thrown back against their own vehicle. Josef moved closer still, wanting the men to see his eyes, as he dealt the death blow.