The Four Horsemen_Hunted

by LJ Swallow

  I push her panties to one side. Fuck, she’s wet. I lift my head from her breasts and roughly kiss her again. As I explore her mouth, I dip a finger into the warm tightness and push a thumb against her clit. She moves against me, takes her hand away, and runs it back to my jeans. My breath rushes from my lungs as she undoes my zip and curls a hand around my cock, urging me on with a kiss. I slide in another finger, and she tightens around me as I move, my head clouded with the image of replacing my fingers with my cock.

  I can barely breathe, my cock throbbing against her belly, and I move against her, wanting so much more than I should take. She moans into my mouth, then takes and strokes me, the touch maddeningly gentle, and I'm so fucking turned on I swear this isn't going to end well. Doesn’t help she’s hotter and wetter beneath my hand, and her breathing shallows into moans.

  "Don't," I murmur.

  Vee wriggles upwards and pulls at my hand. My sex-focused brain dizzies my thoughts. This is what she wanted, and now she's pulling my fingers away.

  But Vee isn't stopping. She guides me towards her and my tip brushes against her pussy, sliding in place of my fingers. I groan. "Vee, I want this so fucking much."

  "Then do it," she murmurs.

  I rest my head on her shoulder, taking deep breaths as the usual question forms in my head when I'm with a girl. "Dumb question," I half pant, as I rub against her. "Do you think you can get pregnant?"

  "No," she hisses. "Heath."

  "Because that would really complicate things."

  "I can't get pregnant." I shift my head and blink down at her. "I'm not going to explain right now, just do this. Now.”

  Control? Gone.

  Everything that exists in the normal world falls away. Now there’s only Vee. Us. Skin on fucking beautiful skin. Nothing else matters.

  My blood courses red hot, but something else builds. An energy I recognise but never in this situation. I grasp Vee’s legs and push them apart, settling myself between her again. Lacing my fingers through hers, I hold her hands either side of her head and look down.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whisper and push into her tight slippery heat, grasping to the control I’ve no way I’ll keep. I pull out again, and she makes a low noise in her throat, shaking beneath my grip.

  Vee's peaked nipples brush my skin, and she wraps her legs around me, matching my movement, naked, exploring, and I try to keep calm and slow, but it's not going to happen.

  The energy pulses through, sudden and takes hold, releasing something more. I can’t hold back even if I want to as I grip her hands and we meet each other’s needs with a ferocity charged by a power flowing not only between our hands but at every point our bodies touch. Yeah, sex feels good; but this sex, super-charged in a literal sense because my body and hers don’t tremble, the building power’s set to explode the way energy can from my hands. I’d worry I’ll hurt her, but I’m driven by staying in this connected moment.

  Vee’s legs grip me tighter, her hands now fisted in my hair and tugging me as I move. Her hips buck against mine in a rhythm to match, the pressure and heat growing as her movements become more urgent. She comes, burying her face in my shoulder to muffle a scream as she tightens around me. Vee digs her fingers into my back and holds me tighter, hot breath panting my ear.

  My body can’t hold this any longer. Light explodes behind my eyes, and I come hard, the light and energy bursting from me and surrounding us. I blink down in surprise at Vee who’s sunk back onto the sheets, arm across her eyes, and she continues to fall apart beneath me. She mouths something, and I lean down to hear her murmuring “holy fuck” over and over, her body quivering with the waves pulsing between us. I sink onto Vee and hold her tight, wishing I could stay like this forever, to experience this level with someone—her—all the time.

  We don’t move or speak. I don’t think I can. Gathering myself, I pull Vee so she rolls on top of me and push her damp hair from her face with both hands, before covering her face in kisses. “I’m pretty damn sure I’m in love you."

  Vee smiles, the kind that reaches her eyes, which spark with a happiness to match whatever the hell just happened in the room. Explosive. Unparalleled.

  And something I need to do again. As often as possible.

  She blinks at me and hugs me tighter. “Well that was...” She pauses. “Different.”

  I laugh, as big a release as the moments with her. “Yes. It was.”

  She brushes damp hair from my face and maps it with her fingers before meeting my eyes. "We're not that guy and girl are we?" she whispers.

  "No, we're more, Vee." I rub my thumb across her lips. "More than the world could ever touch. We all are."

  8

  VEE

  Tension's a normal state in this house, but today it pervades everything.

  Xander and Heath refuse to spend more than seconds in the same room, and Ewan spends all morning fixated on his laptop, slamming the keys in frustration. Joss shuts himself away in the study with his books, and it seems like I’m a spare part. I head back to bed exhausted by my night with Heath. As I snuggle beneath the covers, I inhale our mingled scents on the sheets and my mind wanders back to the night we spent together.

  My past sexual encounters have been average. I've not had many due to my inability to hold down relationships. My social life and skills were always lacking, so finding a guy in the first place was a challenge. Most thought I had a sarcastic sense of humour—until they figured out my sarcasm was the truth. Not the best basis for early relationships.

  The first time I kissed Heath, I knew from the intensity that sex was inevitable. The same intensity passed last night in the kitchen with Ewan. What will happen with Joss and Xander? I'd be lying if I said I didn't want them all, even the challenge named Xander.

  But holy crap, sex shouldn't do that to a girl, surely? Last night, I was human in those few moments with Heath before the energy crackled and gripped in painful pleasure. No human could experience sex like that and not end up in hospital. I half smile to myself. Gives a new meaning to the word mind-blowing.

  Would the same thing happen with the other three guys? The energy charged between us goes beyond the human we strive to be for our snatched time together, and reinforced we can never be. I'm aware I hold their powers inside me, but now I'm questioning if this is more.

  Does my body contain a piece of each that unites through sex? With Ewan, I was super-charged from using my powers and needed him. With Heath, the need was different but the end result is I feel more connected to him. The energy surged again this morning with the gentlest kiss, as if we're plugged into each other and wrapping ourselves in something powerful.

  When I woke, Logan's words echoed. Would I somehow consume the Horsemen’s powers and their ability to maintain order in the world? I quizzed Heath whether he felt weaker after sex with me. He responded with a lazy smile and told me he didn’t think so, and that maybe we should try again to be sure.

  I definitely didn't weaken Heath.

  Luxuriating in the memories won't help the situation we're facing, so I pull out my laptop, prop myself in bed, and logon. I've been absent from the darknet message boards for several days, due to my busy new life. Haha. The theorising and discussions appear insignificant now I know the truth, but I search for anything that could help our situation in any way. These people may not understand what they're uncovering, but I do and can easily pick out facts from the fiction.

  I smile to myself as I read through the latest thread on the board from XroswellisrealX, who joined recently. He's obsessed by government conspiracies around aliens amongst us and shares grainy video clips of lights tracking across the sky and UFOs. Some link meteorological phenomenon as the answer, others scoff and make childish comments about alien-led anal probing. I suspect he needs to find more like-minded people elsewhere. Our interests lie in a different direction.

  There're a few new posts discussing links between a number of global corporations and government departments. This
is ongoing but recently we’ve uncovered new ventures linked to these corporations. We can’t find any details on what they do or produce. Yet.

  What catches my eye is the number fifty-six on my inbox. I'm known on the boards, but not I’m popular enough to receive as many messages in several days.

  I click. A few are from message board members asking me to check out something they've come across, but every third message comes from DoomMan with increasingly anxious questions. The last few contain one of two phrases: where are you? or contact me I'm worried.

  I chew a nail and debate ignoring him. I've known him and his small group for six months, and we're on the same track and wavelength when it comes to what we suspect. He's attempted to 'recruit' me to his secretive group. A few days before my life became chaos, curiosity got the better of me, and I finally agreed to meet him. Now, I'm not keen, and the guys are divided over whether I should see him or not.

  To be honest, I don't have time to meet someone with half-baked ideas. The guys will agree that locating whoever killed the fae, and finding contacts who can help with that is more important. I doubt a human can offer such information.

  Human.

  Eventually, I return his message: I'm safe.

  I run through the other messages in my inbox, most asking if I have any information from Alphanet. I could never dig up much while employed there. But Heath said demons worked for Alphanet. Maybe the company isn't significant to higher levels?

  As I'm closing the laptop lid, my message alert pings, and I open the chat box.

  You didn't show for our meeting. Reschedule?

  I rub my hand across my mouth. I can't.

  Are you sure you're safe? Shit happened. I need to see you.

  What?

  WatchMan is missing.

  My waning interest sharpens back into focus. WatchMan? I've known him as long as DoomMan. They appeared at the same time on the boards, and they're two of the only four I believe are genuinely onto something. Three now. DoomMan, Watchman and LonelyGhost. Their fourth, RedRogue, disappeared last month and was discovered a week later.

  Dead.

  Fuck. I remember the death. I never saw images of his body, but they had to identify him from dental records. DoomMan would only tell me someone set fire to him while he was still alive, and I blanked everything from my mind at that point.

  Exactly the same way I blanked DoomMan from my mind while coping with the new world replacing my old.

  When I don't respond, another message pings. Meet up. I think we need to watch each other.

  Oh yeah, I can really see that idea going down well with the guys. But I have enough protection—and power—to defend myself.

  Another message: Look at this. Is this a message to us? Crime scene. Usual code to open.

  A file appears in the inbox, and I hesitate. Our group uses encryption unique to us, and a couple of weeks ago I was allowed access to their files, but I don't know if I want to see what's inside.

  I steel myself, although considering what I've seen recently, this can't be too bad. The files are zipped and password protected by our code, which I enter. A doc and a jpeg. I click the jpeg and freeze.

  The body lying on a floor, bloodied and broken in a mirror of the scene outside this house, isn't what catches my eye. A message triggers shaking through my whole body. The letters are similar to those I saw earlier, the writing in red and painted on a rough wall in the shadowed corner.

  Truth or Dare

  My code name.

  I stumble downstairs, gripping my open laptop and slam straight into Xander.

  "Whoa!" He steps back and frowns. "What's wrong?"

  "I need to speak to Ewan."

  "Why? What's happened?" I shake my head. He can't help. Ewan knows the site and the people. I can't have Xander bossing me into how he wants to handle the situation.

  Sidestepping Xander, I dash to the kitchen, slate tiles cool against my bare feet. His frown matches Xander's when he looks up. "You okay?"

  "This." I half drop the laptop beside him and perch on a chair. "DoomMan left me messages. He's online now. Sent me this."

  The words come breathlessly from my constricted lungs.

  "I was on the site before and didn't find anything," says Ewan.

  "It was between our group only. Look!" I jab a finger at the screen. “His eyes are burnt out, the same as the body left here.”

  Ewan's face masks in shadow. "Fuck. What is this?"

  "I didn't open the other file." Ewan pushes his laptop to one side and slides mine across. He clicks open the document and scans, eyes moving quickly to take in the information.

  "Police report. Inner London. Hang on." He touches the screen, mouthing words. "Two days ago. Shit."

  Xander strides into the kitchen, sour faced. "What did you walk past me for?"

  "Because I needed Ewan," I retort. "He understands this stuff."

  "Ewan?"

  "I think we have a related murder. Another body."

  "What the hell?" The laptop moves again as Xander drags it around, leaning over with his hands on the table. "Where did you find this?"

  "DoomMan... the guy from my group sent me this. Someone we know is missing, so he's been tracing police reports and found this."

  Xander taps his fingers on the table. "DoomMan? The guy who coincidentally wanted to meet you just before we found you, huh?"

  "Look at the words, Xander! Truth or Dare!"

  "I can read the words, Vee!"

  We glare at each other and Ewan stabs Xander in the hand with a pen. "Don't bloody start, you two. I've heard enough of you and your brothers' tantrums today."

  I'd smile, but the stress wipes any chance of that away. "Me! This message refers to me. That’s my codename in the group."

  Xander perches on the table and puts his booted feet on the chair. "Who is this DoomMan guy anyway?"

  "Someone I've known online for a while."

  "How long?"

  "I don't know. Six months or so?"

  Xander draws in a deep breath. "Ewan?"

  "Yeah. I've never seen him around online.”

  "We're part of a more hidden group. Doom doesn't post a lot because he's suspicious people might be onto him."

  "Funny how your sort are extra paranoid," replies Xander.

  "My sort? Like pretend humans who are actually supernatural constructs?"

  "I said, stop it!" Ewan stabs Xander again and another red mark appears on the back of his hand.

  "He has a right to be worried. This is the second in the group who disappeared and turned up dead," I say.

  “Second?” asks Ewan.

  Xander huffs. "What did you say to DoomMan? What else does he know?"

  "Nothing. I logged off as soon as I saw this and came to show you.

  Joss appears in the doorway, a large brown book in hand. "What's going on in here?"

  I step back to allow Joss to look, and he chews the edge of his mouth. "The same killer?"

  "Presumably. Just a subtle hint he knows Vee's with us," says Ewan.

  Xander's silence doesn't escape me, and I side glance him. He holds his hand across his mouth and stares into the distance.

  "I can't cope with anymore of this!" Ewan slumps back in his seat. "Murders, fae, human bodies, what next for fuck's sake?"

  "Why didn't you find this report when you looked?" Xander demands.

  Ewan indicates himself. "Me? I've only just started looking into this. Give me a bloody chance!"

  "This situation is urgent! How did we miss this?"

  "Right. And fighting with your brother is helpful to the situation is it?" snaps Ewan

  How do these guys successfully achieve anything when they spend half their time bickering like schoolgirls?

  "Okay, guys. Calm the fuck down. We need to decide what to do," says Joss. "Things are shit. Let’s get back on top of everything."

  "I think we look further into this," says Ewan and indicates my screen. "London's not too far. Doable bef
ore night."

  Xander shakes his head as if shaking away a thought. "Right. Sorry, I’m not processing this well,” he mutters. “We need to get this organised. Find Heath and we'll figure out our next move."

  9

  VEE

  The basement car park containing the crime scene is squashed between the local hospital and nearby office buildings and has four floors. On the way over, seated in the back of Heath’s car, Ewan ran through what he read in the report.

  The official statement places the victim as a homeless man and one of a group who sleep in the stairwells. Due to this, the media weren’t interested past a two-line report in the newspaper, and the police inquiries led nowhere. Ewan trawled the local police reports all morning, attempting to find any other significant murders in the country over the last few weeks. This is the only one with a victim who matches the corpse from the house.

  Grasping at any lead, the guys decide to investigate in case they can pick up something not in the police report: demon traces or anything unusual police may overlook.

  The hidden report uncovered by Ewan tells a different story. The victim is a John Murphy, who lives in a nearby suburb. He hasn't been reported missing, and the only contact the police have made is with his housemates.

  RedRogue?

  And why the false report?

  The whole time I investigated my conspiracy theories, I deep down didn't want any of this to be true. If I'd met DoomMan and allowed myself into their inner circle, would I know more? He was prepared to tell me, I missed the meeting, but may still have a target on my head.

  Heath parks his SUV on the level closest to the exit. If the guys work together, they often choose one car and usually Heath’s. With no intention to split and go elsewhere, one car’s all that’s needed. I’m happily sandwiched between Ewan and Joss in the back.

  Fumes from cars motoring in and out turn my stomach, and tyres screech below as drivers negotiate the steep turns while descending the car park. We sit in silence for a few moments.