“What makes you think I’m new? You’re supposed to be so damn smart yet you haven’t figured out how I shredded those animals without a weapon.”
“How long? When did you turn?”
“What does it matter?” Ambrose leapt at me. Expecting it, I dodged out of his path. He hit the table behind me. I spun, sweeping my arm out and sending him the rest of the way to the floor. When he took another blinding swing at me I jammed my knuckles into his throat then turned and arched an eyebrow at Sam.
“You have my approval, Leah.” Sam said gravely.
I raised my gun and blocked out the rest of Ambrose’s pleas. “In your own words Ambrose, there is no law against killing dangerous animals. It is justified.” I squeezed the trigger and sent him straight to hell.
Chapter 14
Sirens sliced through night as red and blue lights bounced off walls of the darkened room. An officer announced his presence as if the wailing noise from his squad car hadn’t already done that for him.
“Federal Agents Anderson and Wolfe inside.” Sam called, his voice holding complete authority.
The officer entered the room in very much the same way that I did. Gun raised and peeking from around the side of the house. I had already holstered my gun and pulled out my badge, letting it hang visibly so I didn’t accidentally get shot by an overeager and scared cop. Yes, cops get scared too. Especially when the room they were attempting to secure had an enormous, yet dead, bear and a man, whose brains now decorated the walls, lying in it.
Veteran officer Miguel Juarez entered the room followed by a green looking rookie in training. I hoped to hell that this wasn’t his first major crime scene. As messy as human death can be, shifters and vampires really upped the ante.
The bear shifter was lying in a pool of thickening blood, the upper part of its head a good two feet from the rest of its body. The other shifter’s skin sizzled from where the silver cuffs restrained him, not that he felt it; he was still unconscious. Ambrose was a bloody mass of tissue and gore. The bone jutted from his broken arm and gleamed white among the blood and bits splattered around him, his face was now unrecognizable.
“Damn Sam, looks like you had all the fun tonight.” Miguel commented as he surveyed the damage of the room.
The rookie swallowed hard, his eyes widening just enough to make his bravado fade a little. “Any of them left alive?” His voice didn’t so much as quiver. Good for him, because it was a different world now and human on human crimes were no longer the scariest thing for a cop to deal with.
Sam nodded toward the remaining shifter. “Just him. He’s secured with silver for now. Call in a cleanup and transport team. And get the medics out here too.”
Miguel nodded then nudged the rookie. He sprang to life and began talking into the radio attached to his shoulder as he stepped back outside.
I rolled my neck, hearing little pops, as tension fought for release from my wound up muscles, and then took a few steps back from the carnage. Ian moved behind me, allowing me to rest against him. I didn’t holster my gun. I wouldn’t do that until the SINS cleanup team came and secured the shifter who was still alive.
Two medics walked in the door and if the carnage in the room bothered them, they didn’t show it. “Who’s hurt?” A tall, thin man with a receding hairline asked.
“Over here.” Joaquin called as Tala tried to quiet him.
“The one in shackles too.” I nodded toward comic book villain man, still passed out on the floor.
“Is he a shifter?” The younger medic asked as he brushed a mop of his hair off his forehead.
“Both of them are. Is that a problem?” I asked with raised brows.
“It is for Chad.” The older medic pointed a chin at the younger one. “I don’t mind.”
“Frank, regulations state that…”
“I don’t give a damn about the regulations Chad. If you want to stick me with the friggin’ tester when I’m done, then fine, but right now, I’m gonna help these people.”
Chad thought about it for a moment and then shrugged and walked over to Tala.
“I take it he’s the bad guy?” Frank said.
“Yeah.” I said, surprised that either one of them was willing to help.
“All right.” Frank joined Chad, setting their equipment on the floor. He pulled two sets of surgical gloves from his pack and handed one to Chad, seemingly pleased with his young protégé.
More cops arrived, including Aaron Omusa, Joaquin’s former deputy and currently the acting Chief of the Native American police force; in short, Joaquin’s replacement and also a friend. He flashed me a genuine smile before making a beeline to Joaquin. He may have been temporarily taking over Joaquin’s position but a good cop knows who to follow. Aaron was a good cop.
It wasn’t long before the medics had carted our bad guy away. They’d take him to SINS headquarters, not the hospital. He wouldn’t need to be fully healed to face his punishment. He, like Ambrose, would be put to death for his crimes against humans. He was only being kept alive for questioning.
Tala was being pumped with saline solution to help rid her body of the wolfsbane. A hospital wouldn’t take her but we’d have Lucas look at her. He wouldn’t be happy that she was less than honest about the wolfsbane’s continued effect on her but he’d patch her up again just the same.
Ian, Tala and Joaquin were split up for questioning by both the local and reservation cops. Sam and I already had the information we needed to proceed so we headed toward the cornfields behind the house. We walked silently, only the rustling of leaves and our footsteps upon the damp earth lending any sound to the night. The fact that he’d been cut by a shifter hung like a heavy tarp between us until I couldn’t—no, wouldn’t—take the tension anymore.
“You take the test?” I asked, pushing yet another errant stalk out of the way.
“Not yet.”
“You know we’ll be there for you, either way, right?”
“I’m not afraid of being a shifter. I’ve watched people go through the first change, Leah. I’ve seen what it can do to a man.”
I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “You’ll survive it, Sam. We’ll walk you through it. You’re strong.” I prayed that I was right. I’d seen strong men turned inside out by the first change and die a very painful death. I didn’t want that to happen to him.
“I know.” His gaze met mine and I felt the conviction of his words.
“Then you’ll test?” I asked.
He started walking again. “Yeah, I’ll test.”
I stepped into place beside him. “Good.”
“Later.”
We’d found the source of the wolfsbane. Ambrose had enough growing to wipe out half the Supernaturals in the state. We called it in and gave the team our coordinates. After documenting the find and taking the appropriate amount of photos, I personally sprayed it down with gasoline. We cleared the immediate area of all vamps and shifters. Joaquin and Tala headed back to pack land as soon as Sam was finished questioning them. They were holding hands when they left. It was a good sign and I was happy for them both.
Ian headed back to the RJ5 to bring it around. We didn’t know if the wolfsbane would have any effect on them as it burned and I wasn’t willing to take any chances. There had been enough death here today.
Once I received the all clear, I lit a rag stuffed into a bottle of gasoline and tossed it into the field. It took less than thirty minutes to clear the entire field. I left the fire department to clean up the rest and climbed into the RJ5 with Ian. He clasped my hand in his, gave it a comforting squeeze, and then took us home.
Chapter 15
I stripped my clothes off and tossed them into a plastic garbage bag. After tonight’s blood fest there wouldn’t be anything worth saving. I set my weapons and badge on the nightstand table then took a good look at my photo ID card. Leah Wolfe—Federal Agent—Supernatural Investigations of Non-Human Species Division. I’d left my long, light-brown hair loose the
day the photo was taken and my pale blue eyes were dancing with excitement. ID pictures were usually pretty bad but I looked good in this one. Well, better than the reflection staring back at me in the mirror now. I’d used wipes and a water bottle to clean most of the blood and gruesome bits off me before I got into Ian’s car. He wouldn’t have said a word but I just couldn’t bear to crawl into the plush leather seats of his custom sports car covered in the body pieces of the men I’d just executed. The fact that I was worried more about his upholstery than I was about the actual killing should have bothered me.
It didn’t. It was my job to kill the supernatural bad guys. I personally thought that humans should have to live up to the same standards. If you kill, you get killed. Hell, even the bible mentions an eye for an eye. But humans got a fair and proper trial where they had the opportunity to spew out a bunch of bullshit about an unhappy childhood, stress at work, addictions or whatever other lame-ass excuses they had for being shitty people.
Shifters and vampires did not. All I needed was proof that they weren’t human and that they had maimed or killed. That and my Glock, silver laced bullets or occasionally a wooden stake. Hell, even the stilettos that I wore had either a wooden or silver heel. I used to favor hiking boots, and sometimes I still do, but the stilettos are an effective weapon in a pinch. I also carried a variety of blades, all silver-plated. It might sound like a lot of weight for a woman of five foot two inches to carry around but I was used to it. Hell, I felt naked when I wasn’t armed, which wasn’t very often.
I dropped my badge on the nightstand and walked toward the bathroom. Ian had been filling the oversized jetted tub and the aroma of sweet pea and cherry blossoms filled the room. As tempting as the bath was, I needed to shower off the grime of the crime scene before I could bring myself to sink into the bubbles.
I scrubbed myself until my skin was pink and slightly raw, trying to scrub away the latest images seared into my brain, that would no doubt haunt my dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I did for a living and if that makes me sound like a psycho then so be it. Yes, I killed Supernaturals when there was need for it. But I also helped forge them into a peaceful existence with the human race.
The quote by George Bush ran through my mind: “I don’t think you should support the death penalty to seek revenge. I don’t think that’s right. I think the reason to support the death penalty is because it saves other peoples’ lives.” It was nights like this that I held on to that quote like a talisman.
Was I right to kill Ambrose Twofeather for systematically killing shape-shifters while hiding under the law that said it is justified to kill animals that you perceive to threaten you? Absolutely! Would I do it again? You bet your ass! Did it make me feel good about myself? Not so much.
I climbed into the bath and sat down, laying the back of my head against Ian’s chest.
“Do you want to talk about it, my love?” He asked as he picked up a bottle of body wash.
I shook my head and sighed as he began to smooth the soap on my shoulders. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
And it was. Not only was Ambrose dead, but the wolfsbane he used to killed shifters was destroyed. We’d have to keep a closer eye on the use of the stuff but for now it was out of commission and the people I loved were safe.
Ian spread the creamy lather across my chest and down my stomach. I quivered against him and drew a soft moan from his mouth. I reached my hands behind me and stroked him, gently at first. His mouth moved to my neck even as his hands went lower; his fingers caressing me and making me writhe in his arms. He was still soft as I fondled him, he hadn’t yet fed and after his body healed the injuries he sustained in the fight, he would need to replenish his blood. I tilted my head to side and pressed the delicate skin of my neck against his fangs.
The invitation was offered, and accepted.
He slipped a finger inside of me as his fangs pierced my neck, both of us moaning simultaneously. Ian’s bite wasn’t painful—quite the opposite. It was a heightened sense of pleasure. Not that a vampire’s bite couldn’t be painful, it damn well could. It didn’t have to be though and Ian had never once hurt me while feeding from my veins.
Ian shifted, effectively reversing us so that he was now facing me. He lifted me and set me on the edge of the tub, his eyes midnight blue and hooded with sinful lust. He gave me my favorite crooked smile then lowered his mouth to my leg. I forced myself to keep my eyes open, reveling in the sight of Ian, all black curls and hungry eyes as his tongue painted a trail of fire up my thigh. He skipped over the center of me and teasingly made his way to my other leg. His tongue paused at the pulse running through my femoral artery as he flashed me yet another devilish grin.
I saw a flash of white fang then surrendered myself to the sensations rushing through my body like a tidal wave. I reached for Ian and felt the blood that flowed from my veins fill his most intimate part, leaving him hard and pulsing in my hand. I palmed his head gently before tightening my grip and sliding his silky flesh over the steel of his body. I don’t know when he stopped feeding, I only felt his lips rain fire up my body as he slid me down into the tub, making me lose my grip on him as water sloshed over the sides and onto the floor. Ian ran his hands down my sides and then embraced my hips and lifted me onto him. I pushed myself down on him as far as I could go and then stopped, hesitating just long enough to feel him throb inside me.
“Temptress.” The accusation came from a voice raw with pleasure.
I started to move then, squirming from side to side as my own lips curled into a grin.
“My love, you torture me.” Ian rasped.
“I do what I can.” I replied hoarsely, my own pleasure stealing my breath. I raised myself up slowly and then repeated the whole process until it felt like every fiber of my being was coming undone.
I let go of the control, the fear and the need. I let go of everything and Ian soon followed.
About the Author
Rhonda L. Print is the Author of several published romance novels. Her work includes the five star reviewed novel Nightwalker, A Leah Wolfe SINS Novel, The Order of Chaos, Justified and Guardian .
Born in the Midwest, she relocated to the desert southwest and lives her husband who is the love of her life and best friend, and their three children.
You can leave a comment and read the first chapter of all of her published books free by clicking on the cover picture at www.RhondaLPrint.com
Her books are available at www.LiquidSilverBooks.com, www.Amazon.com and many other retailers.
Table of Contents
Justified
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
About the Author
Justified (A Leah Wolfe SINS Novel) Page 11
