Web Master (#8 Shifter Squad)

by J. C. Diem

  “Captain Darnell will send his people in as soon as he hears the explosions,” Reece warned him.

  “Not if we show him those,” Mark replied and gestured at the photos on Reece’s cell phone.

  “I thought it was against PIA policy to involve humans in our business,” I said.

  “He already knows that something supernatural is involved. I doubt the Captain is a man who uses words like ‘apocalypse’ very often.”

  “True,” I conceded. I’d only been with the TAK Squad for a few months, but I was already used to the idea of keeping what we did a secret from the rest of humanity. It would be strange to tell someone the truth for once, even if they were aware that something weird was happening.

  “Are we going to do this today?” Flynn queried. He looked to the west to see the sun edging towards the horizon.

  “No,” Mark replied immediately then glanced at his watch. It would take us at least two hours to get to our base and to return. It would be dark by then. “We’ll come back in the morning.”

  “What are we going to do about the bug guy?” Reece asked. We all turned to see Dr. Salvador flirting with Kala.

  “I’m sure Kala can keep him busy long enough for us to deal with the golem,” Mark said dryly. She flicked him a look that was filled with glee. He’d just given her permission to sleep with the entomologist, not that she needed it. She would have snuck out tonight to see him anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time that she’d taken some personal time during a mission.

  “Well,” Mitchell drawled as the pair ambled over to us, “I think I have enough specimens for now. We should speak to Captain Darnell. I’m going to advise him to keep everyone out of town for tonight. I’m hoping I’ll be able to find a cause for whatever is going on here when I perform some tests on these spiders.”

  Mark nodded, masking his relief that the scientist was inadvertently aiding our plan. “It would probably be best to keep the area clear for now,” he agreed.

  We rounded the trucks again and approached the police captain. He stepped aside from his men so we could speak privately. “Well?” he asked with a hint of impatience. “What did you find?”

  “A worrying number and variety of spiders,” Mitchell replied. “I’ll have to run some tests before anyone can enter the town. The specimens I found were dead, but Gavenport could still be infested for all we know. I should have some more information for you in the morning.”

  Mark drew the captain aside then gestured for Reece to hand his cell phone over to him. Darnell took it, glanced down at the photo of the golem hunkered over its victim and stiffened. He scrolled through the photos of the spider positioning the human then handed the cell phone back. “I take it the civilian is still alive?” he asked tightly.

  “Yes,” Reece said. “He should be safe enough as long as no one approaches the trap and alerts the spider.”

  “Have you ever come across anything like this before?” He’d accurately guessed that we weren’t from a normal government agency.

  Mark inclined his head. “This is the third one that we’ve encountered so far. They can be defeated by removing their heads.”

  “That thing isn’t flesh and blood,” Darnell pointed out. “How are you going to chop its head off?”

  “We’ll blow it off with a powerful grenade,” Mark replied. “We’ll use more grenades to break its body down after we remove the head.”

  “Why don’t you go in and deal with it now? Why wait until morning?”

  “It will be dark soon,” Mark said. “Would you want to face that thing at night?”

  Darnell wasn’t happy about leaving anyone in town overnight, but he saw Mark’s point. His mouth was pressed into a thin line when he turned to issue orders for his people to keep the gawkers well back from town. If he knew there were other victims hidden in a gigantic hole, he might have insisted on us going in now.

  “I don’t think we’ll need to be concerned about any of his officers sneaking into Gavenport on a rescue mission tonight,” Mark said as we joined the others again. The captain was making it very clear to his team just how dangerous the area was. “Will you need any help analyzing the spiders?” he asked Mitchell.

  “I could use an assistant,” Dr. Salvador said and glanced at Kala to assess her reaction.

  She didn’t normally spend the entire night with her conquests, but we needed her to keep him away when we executed our plan in the morning. She was going to have to take one for the team. “I’d love to assist you,” she said and batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m sure Mark won’t mind if I spend the night at your hotel. You can drop me off at Gavenport in the morning.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said with a grin and she gave a throaty laugh. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. If he’d known she was a werecougar, he’d have run for the hills. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he’d like the idea. People could be hard to predict sometimes.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  We trooped back across the field to our vehicles. More gawkers had arrived and their curious eyes followed us. Relatives of the deceased had arrived and were demanding answers. Captain Darnell wasn’t going to have an easy time of explaining what had happened to their loved ones.

  Kala grabbed her bags out of our SUV then climbed into Mitchell’s van with a cheery wave. Zeus looked up at me in puzzlement. He couldn’t understand why she’d left with the scientist. I wasn’t sure how to explain to him that she was going to be a distraction. She’ll be back in the morning, I said lamely.

  Reassured that she wouldn’t be gone for long, he leaped into the back of the SUV. The drive to our compound seemed almost too quiet without Kala. I couldn’t help but wonder how much research the entomologist was going to get done with her there to distract him. Not that it really mattered. We already knew what had caused the inundation of spiders.

  As soon as we managed to take down the golem, the threat should disappear. Now that they’d been freed from our storage facility, the other two golems hadn’t returned to the towns they’d attacked. We hadn’t heard anything yet that could tell us where they were. Their creator would undoubtedly unleash them again. The question was where and when they would strike next.

  Reece followed Mark’s directions and sped towards our base. The usual thirty foot high electrified fence came into view an hour later. We were close enough to the ocean for our property to be surrounded by a few sparse trees rather than the dense woods I was used to. The trees grew thicker inside our enclosures. They would hide us from view if we were here long enough for the full moon to arrive.

  The smell of mangroves somewhere nearby wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it was marginally better than the swamps of New Orleans. Zeus stayed outside to run a check of the perimeter rather than following us inside. The first thing I did was to head to the kitchen. I switched on the coffee machine and made enough beverages for everyone. We took turns following Mark up to the coms room to scan our prints into the system. This was the same procedure we had to follow each time we visited a new compound.

  Only when I returned to the living room with my steaming mug of coffee did I bother to take a look around. This base was fairly bland compared to the others. The couches were leather, but they were tan and almost boring. The rug was beige and was just as uninteresting. Both the coffee table and dining table were blond wood.

  I settled on the couch next to Reece and he switched on the TV. Mark stayed up in the communications room, reading a report on one of the monitors. Flynn went upstairs long enough to change into sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt. He returned and headed to the gym at the far end of the room to lift weights.

  A live news report about Gavenport came up on the screen. Captain Darnell’s face was stony as he was questioned by a gaggle of reporters. Word had spread that something horrible had happened and the vultures had come to pick at the carcass.

  “Captain,” a strident voice called out over the babble, “is it true that everyo
ne in Gavenport is dead and that they were killed by spiders?”

  “We haven’t yet determined the number of fatalities,” he replied tightly.

  “But was it spiders that attacked them?” the reporter insisted.

  “So it would appear.”

  “Are there any survivors?” another reporter called out.

  “Several people managed to escape. They are being treated at a nearby hospital.”

  “Have you searched Gavenport to see if there are any more victims?” a third reporter asked. Their expressions were avid and almost greedy. They didn’t care about the people of this town. They just wanted to feed on the excitement of a big news story.

  “We’ve been advised by an expert to stay clear of Gavenport until he has run some tests on the arachnids.”

  “So, there could be people in there right now who need your help and you’re just going to stand there and do nothing?” The question came from the reporter with the strident voice.

  Captain Darnell studied the man then gestured at the trucks. Spotlights had been set up to illuminate them. “Why don’t you take a look behind those barriers, sir? Then maybe you’d like to volunteer to search the town.”

  Put on the spot, the reporter’s eyes shifted from side to side. Beneath the challenging stares of his colleagues, he straightened his spine. “Fine. I’ll step up, since none of you seem to be brave enough to help these townspeople.”

  He gestured for his cameraman to follow him, but Darnell put his hand up to block him. “Just you, sir. We wouldn’t want to frighten the public by showing them what is behind the trucks.”

  With sweat beading his brow, the reporter handed his microphone to his cameraman and walked towards the trucks. I had to give him credit, he managed to last a full three seconds of seeing the web shrouded town before he screamed and ran.

  “Any further questions?” Darnell asked and received only silent stares.

  The picture changed back to the studio where the reporters were sitting in stunned silence. It wasn’t every day that a colleague abandoned their post like that. Rallying herself, the female anchor smiled, but her lips trembled slightly. “Stay with us, we’ll be right back.”

  “Darnell handled that well,” Reece said.

  “That reporter is going to need some serious therapy,” I said with a snigger. He was probably still on the run right now.

  Snuggled against Reece’s side, I felt something I’d never experienced before; bliss. Sure, we had a possible apocalypse coming, but for now we were safe and we were surrounded by our family. Kala might be miles away with Mitchell in a town near Gavenport, but we were still linked. If I strained hard enough, I could just feel her at the outer edge of my senses.

  Picking up on that thought, Reece added his power to mine. Suddenly, we were inside Kala’s head and were watching through her eyes. “Yikes!” I exclaimed when I realized I was looking at a stark naked and very aroused Dr. Salvador. We pulled away from Kala before she realized we’d invaded her privacy. “That’s a sight I could have done without,” I murmured.

  Reece’s shoulders shook in laughter. “Agreed. We should be more careful when we snoop in the future.”

  “We weren’t snooping,” I said in our defense. “We were just checking to make sure she was okay.”

  “You weren’t spying on Kala, were you?” Flynn asked. He paused in lifting weights as he waited for an answer.

  “Yes,” Reece said before I could think of a plausible lie. “Now that we’re bonded again, it seems that our link to you guys has become enhanced.”

  Mark was on his way down the spiral staircase with his empty mug in hand. “Exactly how strongly can you sense Kala and Flynn now?” he asked.

  I hadn’t really noticed it before, but now that he mentioned it, I could feel Flynn in the back of my head more intensely. It hadn’t been this strong before I’d acquired three different monsters inside me. With a small amount of concentration, I could sense what he was feeling. I had a feeling I could easily invade his mind if I wanted to, with Reece’s help. “I can feel his emotions when I concentrate. It’s almost like we’re bonded to him,” I said uneasily.

  Flynn’s brow furrowed in concentration. He shook his head and gave up. “I can only faintly sense you in my head. I have to be close to you to be able to pick up what you’re thinking or feeling.”

  “Do you think Laurylayne’s blessing might have something to do with this?” Reece asked Mark.

  Rinsing his mug out in the kitchen, he pondered the question. “It’s possible. We still don’t know what affect her blessing has had on us.”

  We couldn’t exactly dial her up and ask her for an explanation about what she’d done to us. As far as I knew, faeries didn’t usually use cell phones. I doubted she’d have very good reception in her fae realm anyway. Who needed electricity when they had magic?

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Zeus came inside long enough to join us for dinner, then wanted to be let out again. He sensed my wish to be alone with Reece and he didn’t mind spending the night outside. I filled a bowl with water and left it beside the door. “Stay on guard,” I said and knelt down to pat him. “Let me know if you see any spiders acting strangely.” He cocked his head to the side in confusion, but agreed to my request. He wasn’t sure how spiders usually acted, but the weirdness of Gavenport had stayed with him.

  It was still early, but I decided to take a shower and turn in since we were going to be up before dawn. Reece and Mark were sitting in the living room, conversing quietly. Reece turned his head to watch me and I saw dark promise in his golden eyes. He gave me a knowing smile when he felt my instant reaction. I’ll be up soon, he told me.

  You’d better be or I’ll start without you, I warned him.

  Picking up my bags where I’d left them near the stairs, I took the spiral staircase up to the second level. The coms room was exactly the same as every other compound I’d been to. Even the carpet was the same royal blue.

  Entering the hallway, I stopped at the third door on the right and pushed it open. My bedroom was slightly less bland than the living room, but only just. The bed was queen sized and was covered in a tan blanket. The bed and dresser were stark black. They were the only furniture in the room.

  I hung my jackets in the closet and put the rest of my clothes in the dresser. My gun safe was at our base in Colorado, so I left my backpack full of guns and ammo in the closet.

  I took my time to shower and sensed it the moment Reece came upstairs. He continued on to his own room and stripped down. I watched through his eyes as he quickly and efficiently soaped his body. The Cleanup Crew had stocked his bathroom with the pine scented soap that he liked.

  As he’d done to me, I took over part of his mind and wrapped his hand around his shaft. He looked down in surprise and I felt his desire rise as he watched me use his hand to stroke him. Alexis Levine, he thought to me, I never knew you were so bold.

  I’ll show you bold, I thought back. Come and join me in my room. I withdrew from his mind and shut the shower off. By the time I dried off and stepped into my bedroom, he was waiting for me. The door was locked and he was dressed in a towel and nothing else. Water dripped down his body. My eyes followed their glistening trail down his sculpted chest.

  “We’re finally alone,” he said. He leaned back against the door and crossed his arms. His already impressive biceps bulged even more.

  “In a soundproofed room,” I added then smiled widely. I could be as loud as I wanted and only he would be able to hear me.

  A grin played around his mouth. “It’s a pity your bed is only queen sized.”

  “Says the guy who wanted to have sex in the restroom of a jet,” I said dryly.

  “I would have been up for the challenge.”

  Eyeing his beautifully muscled body, an image of the human that I’d had a brief encounter with in Denver flashed through my mind. Reece saw the image and frowned. “Who was that?”

 
“Um, no one,” I lied, cutting my eyes to the side to avoid his gaze.

  His eyes narrowed and he rummaged through my memories. Completely unable to stop him, I braced myself for an angry tirade when he replayed the moment that I’d straddled his human clone.

  Instead of anger, I felt profound satisfaction coming from him. “Even when you hated me, you still wanted me,” he said and stalked towards me.

  “I didn’t hate you,” I reminded him. “I didn’t feel anything at all.”

  “Yes you did, your vampire and necromancer just suppressed your feelings. I managed to awaken your desire when you were asleep.” He came to a stop in front of me and I tilted my head back slightly to maintain eye contact. “Even in your deepest despair and after you tore your bond away, you never stopped loving me.”

  “How could I?” I said breathlessly. “Everything I have, everything I am belongs to you.”

  He lifted a hand and cupped my cheek. “I don’t deserve you. Not after everything I did.”

  “That wasn’t your fault. If you want to blame someone, blame Fate. She’s the one who put us both through hell.” He heard my words, but he didn’t fully believe them. He would always feel guilty for not being able to resist the combined might of his mother and Fate. She’d told us herself that few beings could resist her and shifters were no exception. “I forgave you for everything that happened,” I told him. “Now you have to forgive yourself.”

  I stepped into his arms and pressed myself against him. Going up on my tippy toes, I kissed him. His hand slid around to tangle in my hair. He deepened the kiss until it was scorching. My towel dropped to the floor and his followed suit. Without breaking the kiss, he scooped me into his arms then lay me down on the bed.

  His mouth moved to my jaw and he kissed a trail down to my breast. My body tightened beneath the sweet torment of his teeth nipping at me. My breath quickened when his hand slid down to the apex of my thighs. His finger stroked me then he surprised me when his fangs descended. They scraped across the vulnerable flesh of my breast then he bit down.