Blood Bonds

by Adrienne Wilder

  She walked around the table, taking him all in. And, boy, there was a lot to see.

  Niles’s skin was smooth and evenly tanned in that artificial way that only came from million dollar plastic surgeries or, in this case, metaphysical energy. His face was all angles with a strong Greco-Roman influence and his eyes were Eastern. He was flawless. A regular GQ cover model.

  The serial man-eater issue.

  His Nevus was a mixture of reds and yellows. It crawled up from the collar of his jumper and traced his jaw line, stopping just under each eye. It looked like he was wrapped in fire. If his oh-so-godlike physical perfection didn’t give him away for what he was, that birth mark would. All Kin had them, each one unique. A mark of bloodline, lineage, and metaphysical energy.

  Niles’ lips parted and nostrils flared as he inhaled her scent. Haley could smell his Male musk bloom in response to her presence. It tasted sweet. Like the Nevus, it was also unique.

  She put her briefcase down by the metal chair and sat. The thing was so cold and hard it felt like she was planting her butt on a pizza pan. Niles flipped open his eyes and the color hit her like a pair of head lights.

  Red. Ruby red. As dark as Human blood. The pupil in the middle was black. In a state of true Blood Rage they would have been blocked out.

  “Niles Fury, I’m Haley Night.”

  He went still, staring at her with a dark expression. Males in the Tank never looked at her like that. Haley made herself turn her head. She smoothed out her skirt, adjusted her blazer, then pulled the file out of her brief case and set it down on the table. Niles Fury didn’t even breathe.

  Get a grip. You deal with Males every day in the Tank. Niles Fury is just like all the rest.

  But sitting here in front of him, she knew something was different. Haley cleared her throat.

  “I was hoping you’d still be willing to help the D.A. with a couple of things. I brought files.” She tried to carry on but found herself watching him and wondering if he was even real.

  Then he took a breath. One long slow inhale. It was like someone popped his top and poured life back into him. Niles blinked once. The movement looked artificial, like maybe he sat up late at night practicing in front of a mirror, trying to look more Human.

  He needed practice. Lots and lots of practice.

  Niles Fury was the kind of Kin that pissed Haley off. It was Kin like him that kept the rest of them in the dark ages: feared, hated, and generally despised. His selfish, pompous nature hurt the entire race. The Old Ones tended to be that way--stuck in their arrogance, unable to accept the times and quit eating the public.

  And all that fed was prejudice.

  But in four days, his reign of terror would come to an end. His death would save a lot of Human lives and, if the rumors were true, put a serious dent in the illegal flesh trade within the city.

  Niles had evaded the Bureau for well over seventy-five years. Ever since they first caught wind he was here in the US, there had been a warrant out for his head. As technology got better, they got closer. Then six months ago, he’d been subdued. Maybe his death would set an example. For a people who believed in nothing after life, death could be an incredible motivator.

  “Why are you here?” His words were accented with Olde Tongue, but his English was perfect. Mix that with his deep baritone and James Earl Jones might as well have been Mickey Mouse.

  Maybe he’d forgotten about the appointment he’d made with the D.A. Oh, since yesterday?

  “I told you I...”

  Niles Fury cut her off. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

  There was an odd lilt to his voice. Fear? If he had been any other Kin, maybe. But this was Niles Fury. Fear? Yeah. Right. Haley wasn’t even part of the Dens and she knew about his reputation.

  His arms flexed and the chain rattled. Heat rolled off his body and the air ignited with the scent of burning Alchemist magic. The Oisis pin in his back kept him from showing any of his Kin self.

  Niles bared his teeth. Human teeth.

  Haley managed not to roll her eyes. Barely. She was used to the theatrics. Lots of Kin liked to flash scales and teeth. While it was illegal to Shift outside of designated fly zones, a little show and tell was expected. A social display that was practically a language all its own.

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” he said again.

  “I heard you the first time.” Haley spread out the reports she wanted him to look over, all of them unsolved homicides associated with the flesh trade. Some worse than others. The M.O.’s made it unlikely any of them were his, but if Niles could identify some of the bodies, maybe even name some of the people who were responsible, he could do something productive for once in his miserable life.

  “I agreed to speak with one of the Bureau Chetrah. Not. You.”

  Haley tried not to wince. Chetrah was common enough Olde Tongue slang that even Humans had learned what it meant. Food. More precisely, “sweet meat”. Throwing the word around in public was like an Aryan poster boy screaming the “N” word at a NAACP convention.

  “I’m here because you scared the A.D.A into pissing his pants, and now no one else will come down here and talk to you.” She pushed the first file under his right hand. “I’m all you’ve got. It’s just you and me.” Haley smiled and folded her hands.

  Niles shut his eyes.

  * * * * * * *

  This was bad.

  No, this is worse than bad.

  Niles Fury tried to find some sense of calm, but there was just too much anger. Anger fueled him. Anger drove him. Anger had shielded him from the power of the Queens, and it had shielded him from the Alchemy the Chetrah used to try and control him.

  Now, anger was quickly becoming his enemy. He’d planned on trying one last time to get out of here. His last attempt had failed. The A.D.A had been too weak-willed and Niles had pushed too hard.

  The plan seemed simple. He’d agree to speak with one of the Chetrah and when they were close enough, he’d catch their mind. The problem was getting them close enough without shorting out their fear response. Unlike prey, he didn’t want them immobile. He just wanted them to do as he said. The only command he planned on giving them was to pull the pin out of his back. Simple enough. Even a monkey could do it. Or in this case, homo sapiens.

  After the pin was out, he’d kill the Chetrah and use their blood and flesh to heal the damage he was going to endure getting out of this place. But he had to do it from here--from this room. Any deeper and he’d never make it to the surface and wind up consumed by his own fire.

  And the plan would have worked.

  Colonel Dobson would die and the lab below would be lost. Niles would be safe, his people would be safe, and so would she. But that wasn’t possible now. The plan had changed. Instead of the Chetrah with his briefcase, papers, and his stupid questions, it was the Female Niles Fury had been so careful to never meet. To never touch.

  Haley’s scent clung to the roof of his mouth and the inside of his nose. It did things to him, things that scared him, things he couldn’t explain. In her presence, the anger inside him withered and cowered, leaving him helpless. That had only happened with one other, centuries ago, make that a millennia. It was stupid to think that there was rebirth after death just as it was stupid to think there were gods. Death was final, absolute. And yet...

  Every atom, every molecule hummed in her presence. It always happened when Niles got too close. Just like before. Those were better times. The Chetrah knew their place in the world and had no Alchemy. His Brother felt it too, which was why they worked to protect her and keep the Queens at bay. The Queens didn’t fear his softer sibling, but they feared him. They feared the Fury he could bring down on them.

  The pin in Niles’ back burned as his metaphysical energy surged. The Ulysiss gland between his shoulders felt like fire. It rivaled the starvation-fueled pain pricking over the rest of his body.

  “When’s the last time you fed?”

  Haley’s voice cau
sed his hearts to jump, slamming the blood in his veins, and firing up all his senses. Niles opened his eyes and looked at her, captivated by her lack of perfection and her mastery at Humanness.

  But then that’s what she’d Impressed on instead of a Queen. No wonder she was so much like them. Haley’s movements, her voice, her eyes and mouth conveying emotion just like the Chetrah. If it wasn’t for her scent, she could pass for one. The idea repulsed and intrigued Niles Fury all in one breath.

  Haley’s hand moved near his and he held very still. Niles didn’t know what he would do if she touched him. But touch was what he craved, what he needed. His starved metaphysical side screamed for it and clawed at his insides begging to be let out.

  Does Dobson know she is here?

  The thought sent the smallest lick of fear through Niles Fury. How long would it be before the colonel got word that his visitor was her and not one of the Chetrah? The colonel would find a way to keep her here. He would find some reason to trap her down in that lab and take what he wanted from her: blood and bone to finish his science. And all Kin would be dead before the month was out.

  Niles Fury thought hard and fast. What were the options? Escape wasn’t going to happen, but if that Chetrah Dobson found out Haley was here, then everything he’d tried so hard to protect would be lost. Niles Fury believed in no gods, no magical afterlife, and nothing supernatural. And yet he was driven by the inexplicable need to watch over Haley. He blamed that on his Brother, the source of all his weaknesses. That half of him who borrowed his anger--and no matter how hard Niles Fury resisted--managed to leak his own conscience back in its place.

  And the constant trickle of loyalty and ethics being shed down to Niles Fury was a bother.

  A regular fucking Jiminy Cricket.

  Niles Fury had to get Haley out. He wouldn’t be able to control the knowledge of her presence and his Brother would eventually leak the information to the Queen that owned him. For his Brother, the channels were always open. Niles Fury’s anger kept them clogged full, which was exactly what he needed most of the time.

  That way, the Queen couldn’t get to both of them.

  His Brother’s bond with the Queen worried him. Niles Fury needed to get around that, so he could warn Haley Night. But the only time the bitch couldn’t hear the thoughts between him and his Brother was when Niles Fury was deep in unconsciousness. A state that superseded sleep and bordered on death.

  Just like that, Niles Fury’s mind shifted gears and started planning. He didn’t like the plan but he was helpless to stop it. His compulsion to keep her out of harm’s way was unstoppable. He reworked his ideas of escape and shaped them into a scenario of death.

  His.

  * * * * * * *

  The long stretch of silence started playing on Haley’s nerves like a cat walking across a piano. But the problem was obvious. Niles Fury hadn’t fed. It was unusual for a Kin this old to succumb to isolation and hunger so quickly. But then maybe he’d gone for a while without on the outside.

  It was the only logical explanation.

  “Niles, did you hear what I asked you? When’s the last time you fed?”

  His tongue stroked his lips and a small wicked grin made his ruby eyes fierce.

  “Too long.” He moved ever so slightly and the chains protested.

  God of Man, how she hated those things.

  “I’m sorry about...” Haley looked at the chains and didn’t quite know how to put her feelings into words. “You must really scare them if they feel a need to lock you down like...” “A monster” went unsaid, but then maybe that’s exactly what he wanted: to be feared. A lot of Kin wanted to be seen as predators. Haley didn’t get it, but she’d been Impressed and raised by Humans.

  Niles tilted his head ever so slightly. His eyes slid across her face, down her shoulders, lingered at her chest, and were diverted by the table which forced them to her arms, then hands.

  Her fingers were a few inches from his. She’d started to reach for him, to give him comfort, but she also didn’t want to send him the wrong signals.

  She was, after all, out here on her own. Beyond the confines of the Bureau, there would be less tolerance for normal Kin behavior and a ton of bureaucratic bullshit if she acted inappropriately. Which, for Humans, meant anything touchy-feely or beyond the boundaries of personal space.

  It was one of the biggest problems her people had working with man and was a constant Human Resource nightmare.

  Even though the son-of-a-bitch sitting in front of Haley was a man-eater, it pained her to see him suffering. Her Human rearing said he deserved it, while her Kin nature argued he’d only been doing what came naturally. A few hundred years was not a lot of time for an entire race to alter a behavior based in biology.

  Eat and survive.

  And Human flesh and blood just happened to be extremely fulfilling. Like steak and fine wine, only better.

  Still, it was wrong. Kin nature also dictated respect for the Dominant race. Intelligence had nothing to do with where you sat on the food chain. However, dominance meant the other species had carved out their niche and proven themselves able to fight and win.

  Humans and their creative nature had made them a worthy opponent for Kin.

  Unfortunately, there were still a few who refused to acknowledge they had been bested by a hairless monkey that had no power to fly, no fire, no metaphysical ties, and the life expectancy comparable to a house fly.

  This was getting Haley nowhere. Most Males begged for her touch. There were very few Females to the number of Male Kin, and Females spent the majority of their lives holed up inside the Hive, catered to and protected by their selected Harem. That meant only a small number of Males ever got to see a Female, let alone touch.

  Screw it. Paperwork be damned.

  Haley closed the distance between them and touched his hand. Niles was on fire. His skin burned with metaphysical energy.

  Niles Fury blinked again, long and slow, and his chest hitched like he was having trouble breathing. Haley pressed her palm against his fist and he responded by opening his fingers and accepting the touch. His lips curled, flashing bright white teeth that looked a little too jagged. She didn’t pull away. You didn’t offer your touch then reclaim it. It was bad, bad manners. The kind that could get your liver ripped out and handed to you.

  Haley slid her fingers to his wrist and pressed her thumb to the pulse beating like a constant drum under his skin. For Humans, it would have been an intimate gesture. But for Kin, it was simply hello-hi-how-are-you-nice-to-meet-you.

  Niles came forward and Haley’s hand was swallowed up by his. He cradled her hand like it was a flower and raised it to his face, touched his lips to her palm, and left a wet hot line down the center with his tongue. His mouth opened and he breathed, drawing in her scent from across the skin. Haley could feel the metaphysical surge as it crashed over her, stirring her instincts.

  She told them to sit and stay or she was getting out the rolled up newspaper.

  A growl rumbled in his chest. “You should leave.” But Niles didn’t let go of her hand. He flashed his teeth again and there wasn’t a Human one left in his mouth. It should have been impossible. Alchemist magic was a powerful force.

  Haley said, “If you’ll help me, I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

  Okay, that was a bad choice of words, considering he was doing a good impersonation of Mr. Clean. Haley cleared her throat and waited for him to let her go. Like every other movement it was slow and deliberate, as if he was trying to use limbs he hadn’t gotten used to yet.

  “Will you help me?” Haley asked.

  Niles dropped his stare to the folder in front of her. She took it as an opportunity and slid it closer. He started slow, his eyes scanning the glossies, then his hand flipped them off to the side.

  Haley watched him, feeling unusually sad. Niles’ Human form was beautiful and she was willing to bet his true shape was even more stunning. What a shame he wasted so much potenti
al, so many possibilities to help his race, all over illegal flesh trading. And why do it illegally? God of Man knew there were enough crazies with the Mankind for Kin group willing to donate blood and flesh to feed her people.

  Haley had to admit, there was something seriously demented about the idea of Humans tattooing themselves up with the Olde Tongue script reading Chetrah, and standing around in the Dens like a walking all-you-can-eat-buffet.

  All-you-can-eat until they die that is.

  Niles stopped, his eyes lingering on one of the photos. Haley caught the splatters of bright red and high white contrasting dead Human flesh from the corner of her eye.

  “How do you live among the Chetrah and not crave their flesh?” Niles’ eyes were locked on the photo, his fingers petted the slick surface. He glanced up at her, his ruby eyes burning.

  “I just don’t.” It was the truth. Haley didn’t have any of the blood cravings that seemed to affect a lot of Kin. Okay, most Kin. Even her partner and best friend, Farley, dealt with a long standing addiction to the stuff.

  However, a Human had raised her.

  Although “Raised” wasn’t really the right word, because Kin didn’t begin life as infants. Life for them started as impressionable beings--white-scales--driven by insatiable hunger. The Human woman who took Haley in didn’t fear the unruly beast still pale with hatching skin. She fed Haley the meat and blood her newly hatched body craved, and she Impressed Haley with the images she would need to emulate a Human shape.

  “The pictures, Niles.”

  His eyes narrowed. “My name is Niles Fury. Don’t call me Niles.”

  Haley arched an eyebrow. A Kin having two names was unusual. It was respectful to use only the first name, disrespectful to call them only by the second. But a Male insisting on being called by the first and second together? That was downright bizarre.

  He went back to the stack of photos, and it was silent except for the sound of pages being turned.

  After a moment Niles paused at another and made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. “I do not understand the fascination with fucking food before you eat it.” He turned the photo one way then the next. The scene was nothing more than a collage of bodies and broken furniture. He pushed the stack back towards Haley.