by J. C. Diem
Collapsing on top of him, she kissed his neck then rolled onto her side. “Thank you, Thomas. I didn’t realize mortals could be so satisfying in bed.”
Hearing confirmation that she wasn’t human chilled him. He knew with utter certainty that she wasn’t delusional or possessed. “I think it is time you gave me your message.”
Sighing, she nodded. “I was told to advise you that a war is coming. It will happen sometime in the future, but I do not know when. You will play a key role in determining the outcome. You will be instrumental in determining whether good or evil shall prevail.”
“Who gave you this message?” he asked again. “How do they know this?”
“I cannot say. Just know this; there are more versions of this world than you could ever imagine.”
“Do you come from another version of this world?”
“I am not from this world at all,” she said.
“Are you a demon?”
That made her laugh. “Of course not! Now, I am afraid I will have to return to my realm. Odin will notice that I am missing before long.”
Thomas had heard the name Odin before and knew he was some kind of deity from Norse mythology. His blood ran cold at the knowledge that the legends of Asgard might in fact be real. Asgardians hadn’t been seen on Earth in a very long time, but Zisa was proof that they did indeed exist.
She dressed, leaving him naked in her bed. She blew him a kiss then walked out the door. He never saw her again.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty
Reading about Thomas’ first time with a woman left me feeling more jealous than was probably healthy. I knew very little about Odin, Norse gods or Asgard. I also wasn’t sure about the war she was talking about. I performed a quick search, but there was no mention of it in his journal. Her message to him had been false. He’d never been called on to determine the outcome of any battle.
Switching the laptop off, I settled down to sleep. My alarm woke me after what seemed like only a few minutes had passed. After a hasty breakfast, we headed for the garage. Mark nonchalantly tossed the keys to Reece. He caught them without even looking and climbed into the driver’s seat. I was squished in the middle in the back as usual and Zeus was in the luggage compartment behind me. It almost felt like old times, except nothing could ever really be the same again.
We drove the two hour distance to the private airstrip near Denver. Our usual pilot was waiting for us with the jet. We flew to Chicago and landed at yet another small airfield. The usual black SUV was parked nearby.
Mark keyed our destination in to the GPS and Reece took off with a screech of tires. I was long used to his reckless driving technique, but other drivers tended to swerve out of the way when he zoomed up behind them.
Traffic became far denser when we reached the city and he was forced to drive at the posted limits. We fought our way to a hospital and parked in the lot. I let Zeus out then wondered what I was going to do with him. He couldn’t follow us inside the building. Spying a park just down the road, I instructed him to hide in the trees and to avoid people. I didn’t want animal control to turn up and take him away.
Mark seemed to know where he was going and we followed him inside the hospital. Trooping past the emergency waiting area, we took the stairs up to the third floor. Striding down a hallway, Mark stopped at a door that had ‘Dr. Jerry Wright’ stamped on the glass. He knocked and a voice called out for us to enter. He opened the door and we filed in after him.
Dr. Wright was short, portly and in his sixties. He had gray hair and the bushiest eyebrows I’d ever seen. “Mark,” he said and stood to offer his hand. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Jerry,” Mark replied. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” As always, he was unfailingly polite.
Jerry waved his thanks away. “It’s my pleasure to be of assistance.” Turning his attention to the rest of us, his eyebrows rose when he examined Flynn, Kala, Reece and then me. “You must be Alexis,” he said. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.”
“Thank you for saving my life,” I said.
“Think nothing of it,” was his kindly reply. “How is your father?”
“He’s fine,” I said with a smile. “He was sent on a mission or he’d be here with us.”
“Ah, yes. Major Levine’s skills are always in hot demand.”
Mark introduced the others by their first names only. Jerry had been assessing us since we walked through the door and proved to be very astute. “I take it all four of you are shape shifters?”
“How can you tell?” Kala asked. They were well used to acting human around people.
“You all move with far more grace than usual,” Dr. Wright told her. “There is also something in your eyes that is very different from humans.”
“That would be our inner beasts,” she told him. “They might be caged inside us most of the time, but they’re always there.”
Nodding in understanding, he pointed at Reece and me. “There is something even stranger about you two.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Mark said. “Reece and Lexi were exposed to something dangerous. I’d like to know just how much it has affected them.’
“Can you tell me what they were exposed to?”
Mark looked at us for our permission and we both nodded. The doctor would need to know the full truth in order to run his tests. “They were bitten by a vampire and she forced them to drink her blood.”
Jerry blinked a few times, but that was his only reaction to the news. “I’ve never treated a vampire before,” he said almost to himself. “This should be interesting.”
“I’d advise you to be very careful with their blood,” Mark told him. “It would be best if you destroyed any samples you take once you’re done with them.”
“Of course,” Jerry agreed instantly. “We can’t let the population know that supernatural beings exist. They’d turn into a mob and hunt you all down.”
Unfortunately, he was probably right about that.
“Let’s begin,” he said, turning serious again. “Please remove your shirts.” Mark looked slightly uncomfortable when I stripped my jacket and tank top off. Reece flicked me a hungry glance then resolutely looked away. My gaze lingered on his body. A sudden longing to feel his arms around me rose and I pushed it back down. I was done with him and it was time my body learned that.
Jerry held a stethoscope against Reece’s chest then took his pulse. He checked his eyes, ears, nose and throat next. “Take a seat,” he said and Reece did as instructed. Once he was settled on the examination bed, the doctor hit his knee with a small hammer. Reece’s leg jerked so fast that he sent the hammer flying.
Jerry stared in astonishment at the hammer that was now stuck in the wall. “Well, I’ve never had that reaction before.”
“Sorry,” Reece said and hopped off the bed. He retrieved the hammer and handed it back to the doctor.
“You can get dressed,” Jerry said and turned to me. He repeated the same tests, but didn’t repeat the reflex test. One hole in the wall was enough. I was told to dress and he took a sample of Reece’s blood then slid it beneath a microscope. He took my blood next and compared the two samples.
Kala was growing restless and shifted a few times. Jerry sat back and stared at the wall without speaking. Mark took a chocolate bar out of his pocket and tossed it to Kala. She caught it and tore it open with her teeth. Jerry watched her gobble it down. “How often do you need to eat?” he asked.
“Every five minutes,” Flynn said dryly.
Dr. Wright looked at Mark for confirmation.
“About every two hours,” Mark said. “They eat a lot more than we do and they burn it off quickly.”
“What about you two?” Jerry asked me.
“We still need to eat frequently, but we don’t need as much food now.”
“Unless we burn up a lot of energy by sprinting a long distance in a short amount of t
ime,” Reece added. “Then we need blood to refuel.”
“May I take a sample of your blood?” Jerry asked Kala and Flynn.
“Sure,” Kala said and held out her hand. He pricked her finger and smeared her blood on a slide then did the same to Flynn. At Jerry’s raised eyebrow, Mark also submitted to having his finger pricked.
After comparing the samples, Jerry went quiet again. His silence only lasted for a couple of minutes before he told us his conclusions. “Your blood is normal, as I’d expected,” he said to Mark. “Lexi and Reece’s is different from Kala and Flynn’s. Without more sophisticated tests and equipment, I can’t give you a full analysis of your team yet.”
“Anything you tell us will be more than we know right now,” Mark said.
Nodding, Jerry carried the slides over to a drawer and placed them inside a thick plastic box before locking the drawer. He then washed his hands thoroughly before turning back to us. I sensed he was stalling so he could gather his thoughts. Either that or the news was bad and he just didn’t want to tell us.
“I’ve never studied a vampire myself,” he began, “but from what Mark has told me, you two share some characteristics with them. You drink blood, but you’re not dependent on it. You can move very quickly and I’ve noticed your reflections are far weaker than normal.” I turned to see our wan reflections in the window behind us. The blinds had been drawn for privacy.
“Your heartbeats are far slower than normal, as is your respiration,” he continued. “I’d rather keep my opinions to myself until I know more. It could take a couple of weeks for me to analyze the results properly. I’ll call you when I’ve reached a conclusion.”
“Thank you for your time, Jerry.” They shook hands again and we left the doctor to his work.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-One
“What now?” Reece asked when we returned to the SUV.
“Until we discover what Fate wants Lexi to do,” Mark said, “we’ll continue to take whatever missions arise.”
“Do you have any jobs lined up?” Kala asked. A cute guy walked past and her head swiveled to follow him. As always, she was easily distracted.
“Not at the moment,” he replied.
Expecting Zeus to come galloping towards me, I frowned when he didn’t appear. Zeus? I called out with my mind and received an excited mental bark.
“What’s wrong?” Flynn queried.
“Zeus has found something. I’m going to see what it is. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Kala said. “I know the curse of Lexi when I see it. I’m coming, too. I don’t want to miss out on the excitement. I haven’t killed anything in ages and I’m starting to get withdrawals.”
“We’ll all go,” Mark decided. I caught a whiff of amusement at Kala from him, but he kept his expression bland.
Leaving the car, we quickly walked to the park where Zeus had been staying out of sight. Our link led me straight to him. Hidden in a thick stand of trees, he stood over a small figure. At first, I thought it was a child. Then I saw it was a girl around my age.
Lying on her side, she wore a floor length dress that looked like something out of an old romance novel. The outer layer was light silver and diaphanous with billowing sleeves. The under layer was a darker silver and was cut almost too low in the front. Her hair was silver as well and her skin was so pale that it was almost translucent. Her ears were pointed and I’d bet anything that her teeth were as well. Her feet were bare, but they weren’t dirty. “She’s a faery,” I said.
“Really?” Flynn asked doubtfully. “She looks like a normal teenage girl to me.” Using our link, I took a quick peek at her through his eyes. He saw a blond teen wearing a summer dress that didn’t at all suit the current temperature.
“She’s not human,” Reece replied and crouched beside her. He gently thumbed her upper lip back to reveal her sharp teeth. He looked up at me and we shared a concerned look.
“How can you see past her glamor?” I said to Reece.
He shrugged and stood. “I guess being part vampire makes me immune to it.”
“Do you remember the Mind Sweeper we met when we were searching for the succubae?”
“Kurt Jorgen?” he said and nodded. “I remember him. Now anyway.”
“Who is Kurt Jorgen?” Mark queried.
“Never mind,” I said and everyone except Reece and I instantly forgot we’d been talking about faeries. Their glamor was so strong that humans, and apparently shifters, usually couldn’t retain their memories of meeting the fae. The only exception I was aware of was Thomas. He’d had an encounter with a faery and had eventually remembered meeting her.
Mark looked down at the girl and started when he remembered she was there. “We’d better call an ambulance.”
He reached for his cell phone, but I stopped him. “They can’t do anything to help her.” I wracked my brain for an explanation that wouldn’t instantly wipe his memories.
“She’s been enchanted,” Reece said. Mentioning spells without actually talking about faeries themselves seemed to be okay.
“How do you know that?” Flynn asked suspiciously. His highly attuned senses told him we weren’t telling them the entire truth.
“Our vampires can sense it,” I said.
“We can’t just leave her there,” Kala decided. “Some pervert could stumble across her. He could squirrel her away to his basement, dress her in his mother’s underwear, take photos and upload them to the internet.”
Flynn shook his head at her incredulously. “Where do you get these ideas from? Sometimes I worry about you.”
“It could happen,” she said defensively.
“How are we going to get her to the SUV without being seen?” Mark asked, ignoring their squabbling.
“Lexi and I will take care of it,” Reece offered. “You guys unlock the car and we’ll be right behind you.” Either of us could have easily carried the faery the short distance alone, but maybe it was a good idea to stick together for now.
“Come on, fleabag,” Kala said to Zeus. He looked at me for my nod of approval then trotted after her.
“Do you think it’s a good idea to bring the faery with us?” Reece asked me quietly.
“No, but we were obviously meant to find her.”
“You think Fate arranged for us to stumble across her?”
“What other explanation could there be?” I pointed out. “Nothing that has happened to us since I joined the squad has been by chance.”
Nodding, he bent and scooped the girl up. “Ready?”
I was far from ready to deal with whatever new scheme Fate had planned for us, but I gestured for him to lead the way. We sprinted back to the SUV and I opened the door then climbed inside. He deposited the faery across Kala’s and Flynn’s laps before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Kala was sitting in the middle seat for once. She and Flynn started at finding someone suddenly lying on them. “You two could probably rob a bank without even showing up on the security cameras,” she grumbled as Reece set the SUV into motion.
“The thought has occurred to me,” I confessed and she smirked at my admission.
“Where to, boss?” Reece queried.
“Our nearest compound is a couple of hours away,” Mark replied. “We might as well head there.” He took his phone out and called the Cleanup Crew. They would clean the base and stock it with food and other essential items before we arrived. We’d all brought several changes of clothes along and could always buy more if we needed to.
The faery didn’t rouse at all during our journey. She remained unconscious as we reached the electrified gate. As always, the compound was identical to the others. Reece backed into the garage and the usual black van sat in the parking space next to us.
Flynn carried the girl inside as Mark let us into the main corridor. He hesitated then turned left. It seemed we would be treating the faery as a guest rather than locking her in one of the cells below. It woul
d be wise to be careful until we discovered whether she was an enemy or an ally. Waking up to find herself a prisoner wouldn’t make an ideal first impression.
Mark motioned for Flynn to follow him upstairs and I tagged along as well. Kala headed straight to the kitchen to make coffee while Reece started rummaging through the pantry for food.
Entering the first bedroom on the left, Mark watched on as Flynn lay the faery down. She had a tiny frame and narrow shoulders. A couple of inches under five feet tall, she was delicately beautiful.
“Someone will have to stay with her until she comes to,” Mark said. Knowing how tricky and treacherous the fae could be, I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to wake up or not.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Flynn offered. He left the room long enough to grab one of the black leather office chairs that were lined up against the wall. I’d noticed there were five rather than four again now. Word had already spread through the PIA that Reece was back with the squad.
“Call me if there’s any change,” Mark ordered. Flynn saluted him and we left him to his guard duty. He turned the TV on and settled down to watch a wildlife documentary.
Mark gestured for me to follow him to the computer table and scanned my prints into the system. I headed downstairs, passing Kala as she took coffee and snacks up to him and Flynn. She scanned her prints in as well then joined me in the living room. Mark stayed in the coms room, presumably searching for a new mission for us to undertake. Reece went upstairs long enough to add his prints to the file then headed to the gym at the far end of the room. He’d changed and was now shirtless and was dressed in ragged cut-off sweatpants.
Sitting beside me on the couch, Kala nudged me in the ribs and rolled her eyes when I turned to look at her. “Still can’t tear your attention away from the eye candy, huh?” Thankfully, she spoke too quietly for him to hear her.
“Despite everything he put me through, some part of me still wants him,” I confessed just as quietly.
