by Tina Folsom
She shoved him in the direction of the door, emphasizing her command by lifting her chin.
“I’d say, ladies first, but I suppose you’d rather I walk ahead of you?” He pivoted toward the door, without waiting for an answer. He opened the door, then glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, and guys, I’ll have coffee and pancakes for breakfast. Black, no sugar. Appreciate it.”
“Move it, witch,” Virginia interrupted and marched toward him.
“Your wish is my command, Ms. Robson,” he answered and stepped into the corridor, Virginia right behind him. The door slammed a second later, and her heels clickety-clacked on the stone floor. They were alone, which suited him just fine. He slowed his walk so she was only a step or two behind him.
“So what are you planning to do with me?” he asked casually.
For a moment he thought she wouldn’t answer, but then she said, “Are you deaf? You’ll be brought before the council and interrogated.”
He glanced over his shoulder, slowing even more so she was only a foot behind him. “What if I’d rather be interrogated by you?”
“You have no choice in the matter!” She nudged him not too gently. “Keep moving. The cell is in the basement.”
“I’m well acquainted with it.” Though he had no intention of spending the night there. Nevertheless, he picked up the pace and started heading down the first staircase. When he reached the landing, he stopped and turned.
“Listen, why don’t you interrogate me now, and get it over with? You’ll see very quickly that I’m no threat whatsoever. I’ll even let you tie me up.” He ran his eyes over her, contemplating the endless possibilities a little bondage session presented. “If that’s what you’re into.”
The last word had barely left his lips when Virginia gripped his biceps and slammed him against the stone wall. The crushing impact forced all air from his lungs, making him gasp.
“You think this is a joke?”
He snatched a quick breath. His admiration for the female Stealth Guardian had just risen by a hundred points. She was no pushover. Not a woman who would be won over with a few easy compliments. She was hard as nails, and if she pressed him against the wall a little longer, her thighs touching his, her forearms pinning his torso to the stone, one part of his anatomy would be just as hard.
“No, I don’t think this is a joke,” Wes said as calmly as he could. “But you must admit, you’re going about this a little heavy-handed, aren’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed in displeasure, and she applied more pressure—not only to his chest, but also to his lower body. He had to suppress a moan, clenching his jaw to hide the fact that her treatment wasn’t having the intended effect on him. Instead of intimidating him and putting him in his place, she was turning him on.
“I’m happy to answer any questions you have. I swear I’m only here to seek an alliance between your race and the company I work for. My boss at Scanguards might be a vampire, but he—”
“A vampire? You work with vampires?”
Genuine surprise made the green flecks in her irises shine like fireflies. For the first time since meeting her, her protective shell showed a hairline crack.
“I already explained all this to Aiden and the others. Guess nobody’s passed the information on to you.” He knew full well that neither Hamish nor Aiden had had a chance yet to talk to their superiors, but there was something about Virginia that made him want to provoke her so she lost her cool.
“Give me the summary!” she demanded.
Considering that she made no move to release him—and he did enjoy feeling her body pressed to his—he decided to go with the extended version.
“Well, since you’re asking…”
She growled like a tigress.
Fuck! Pull yourself together, man!
“I was born the second of three children to a witch—”
“You do know what a summary is, don’t you? Let me translate it for you: the short version!”
“This is the short version. Witch’s honor.”
“For the last time: summarize!”
“Fine.” He attempted a shrug, but she still had him pinned too tightly. “My siblings and I were meant to be the Power of Three. A witch betrayed us. My brother Haven gave up his mortal life, became a vampire. Ergo: Power of Three went poof. Result: vampires became our allies. The end.”
~ ~ ~
“You suck at summarizing.”
Virginia let go of him and took a step back. If she’d had to spend one more second pressing her body against his, she would have forgotten why she was here and tossed the impertinent witch to the floor to ride him.
Damn it!
She’d treated plenty prisoners the way she handled Wesley, but never had she experienced any kind of sexual reaction in the process. Not so this time. Her nipples were hard and aching to be touched. She was glad she’d worn a leather jacket, which concealed her inappropriate response to his alluring body. She was also glad he wasn’t a vampire, who would have smelled her arousal.
“I can give you the full version. Maybe over a glass of wine or whiskey?” Wesley added and smiled.
She had to grudgingly admit that he had a certain charm—and he used it to his advantage. But she wasn’t stupid. This wasn’t personal for him. He’d clearly used the same charm to rope the entire Baltimore compound into whatever scheme he was working on.
“Don’t bother. I get what you’re up to. It’s not working.”
“What am I up to?”
“Trying to win me over like you’ve done with the others.” She motioned toward the story above. “They’re still young. Too green to understand all the consequences of their actions. I, on the other hand, am not.”
“So you’re an experienced older woman, is that what you’re trying to say?”
“I’m old enough to recognize when somebody’s full of shit.”
His response was unexpected. He chuckled. And damn, if that sound didn’t send a shiver of pleasure down her neck and all the way to her nipples, lighting them on fire like Roman candles.
She had to get a grip of herself. Distract herself no matter how.
“You don’t like witches much, do you?” he suddenly asked.
“I don’t like witches who’re able to breach our defenses,” she shot back, not missing a beat.
“It was the only way to make contact with your kind.”
“Only Stealth Guardians are able to use our portals, no other creature has ever even managed to open one, let alone operate it.”
“Guess I’m a genius.”
She tilted her head to the side, studying him. “Either that, or you’ve had help from the demons.”
“What?”
“You heard me. The demons are the only other preternatural species who operate portals. If anybody might have a chance at accessing one of ours, it’s them.” Which was the Stealth Guardians’ greatest fear. Because if the demons ever gained access to one portal, they’d have access to all of them and could destroy her race from within.
“I’ve never met a demon. And nobody helped me. It was a spell I cast.”
“What kind of spell?”
“A transformation spell.”
“That does what precisely?”
“It made the portal think I was one of you.”
He looked smug, and she wanted to wipe that smugness off his face. Or perhaps kiss it away.
Stop it! Not another thought in that direction!
The faster she could get him into the lead cell, the better. So why was she still standing around here, letting him drag her into a conversation?
“Let’s move it, witch. Time to lock you up.”
He huffed. “Name’s Wesley. It’s really not that hard to remember.”
Only to make him comply, she conceded, “Fine, Wesley.”
“See, wasn’t that hard, was it?”
Another one of his charming smiles. Did this guy ever give up?
She pointed to the next flight of stairs
leading down. “This way.”
Wesley followed her command, but instead of walking ahead of her, he walked alongside her. She knew if he tried to go for her dagger, she’d have no trouble overpowering him. After all, the runes that lined the walls, floors, and ceilings of the compound had stripped him of his magic. Only once he was outside again, would he gain his powers back. So why then did his closeness put her on edge? Was it because she felt another power in him? Not witchcraft, no.
The potency of a man.
When they finally arrived at the cell, Virginia was relieved. She unlocked the door and swung it open. She looked into the dark, lead-lined interior. The cell was meant for members of their race who’d committed crimes or, worse, had been compromised by the demons. It was escape-proof. Stealth Guardians couldn’t pass through lead; it stripped them of their ability to make themselves invisible and drained them of their strength. Eventually, if locked up in a lead cell for an extended period, a Stealth Guardian’s powers would be extinguished for good and they would become human.
She’d heard of cases where Stealth Guardians had been locked up for a year—punishment for treason—then released into the human world, outcasts to their race. A harsh sentence.
“So you’re really not gonna change your mind, huh?”
At Wesley’s words, she met his gaze. His baby-blues locked with hers. For a moment she felt hypnotized. And for a fraction of a second she wondered what would have happened between them had they met under different circumstances.
A soft smile suddenly curled the corners of his mouth upward. “One day you will.”
His gait confident, his head held high, he walked into the cell. Once inside, he turned around. “You’re an interesting woman, Virginia. I’m looking forward to getting to know you…” He paused, his gaze dropping to her lips. “…more intimately.”
Cocky bastard!
As if he knew what effect he had on her! As if he could see right through her.
Trembling—whether with rage or arousal, she wasn’t sure—she slammed the heavy door shut and turned the key in the lock.
Her heart pounded, and she leaned against the door, when she heard his voice through it.
“Sweet dreams, Virginia.”
A chuckle followed.
This witch would be her downfall if she wasn’t careful.
3
Impatiently, Zoltan paced in front of the lava pit in his study. Impatiently, because he’d received word a few hours earlier that the two demons he’d sent on a secret mission had made a discovery they had to convey to him in person.
A knock at his door. Finally!
Zoltan pressed against a pebble protruding from the mantel around the lava pit, and a flat stone slid over the fire, covering it entirely.
He sat back behind his desk. “Come!”
The door swung open. The first demon to enter was Vintoq, his right hand, a tall man with thick, dark hair. He’d chosen Vintoq as his main advisor shortly after taking power, because he seemed smarter than his brethren. He wasn’t just a follower—he contributed ideas and suggestions, showing initiative.
“Oh Great One, you asked that Ulric and Fletcher be brought to you the moment they returned,” Vintoq said, his green eyes like beacons in the darkness. Those eyes, the only outward sign of a demon’s nature, were also their Achilles heel. Because it made them immediately recognizable to the Stealth Guardians.
“Have them come in.”
Vintoq looked over his shoulder and motioned toward the dark corridor behind him. Seconds later, two more demons entered. Ulric was on the stouter side with small, beadlike eyes and a full head of blond hair, attesting to his Viking heritage. Fletcher, the other demon who now, like Ulric, bowed his head in greeting, was taller and darker.
Zoltan nodded at Vintoq. “Close the door.”
When Vintoq reached for the door, Zoltan added, “From the outside.”
Vintoq complied quickly, bowing on his way out. Zoltan would fill him in later after he’d fully formulated his plan. But first he had to find out whether Ulric and Fletcher had returned with actionable intelligence.
“Rise!” he commanded.
The two demons lifted their heads instantly. “Oh Great One,” they said in unison.
“Hmm.” Zoltan rose from behind his desk. “What do you have for me?”
Ulric stepped forward. “Your hunch proved fruitful. We found the location.”
Zoltan’s heart pounded with excitement. His efforts had paid off. “You found their stronghold?”
Ulric nodded. “One of their strongholds. We can’t be certain of its importance, but it’s one of their compounds. If we can penetrate it—”
Zoltan lifted his hand. “I know we can. But first things first. Show me where it is.”
Ulric produced a sheet of paper, unfolded it, and walked to the desk, placing it in front of Zoltan. It was a portion of a map. He studied it for a moment, focusing on the cross Ulric had made at one spot.
Zoltan looked up. “How many guardians were present?”
Ulric exchanged a helpless look with Fletcher.
Fletcher gave a shrug. “We were unable to investigate further without risking detection.”
Zoltan contemplated his words for a moment. “I want you to take three of your men and return to these coordinates. Make it clear to everybody that this is a reconnaissance mission only. Don’t attack. All I want you to do is get the lay of the land. Number of guardians, portals, weapons. I want an overview of the compound, entrances, exits, places to hide. Everything. Don’t get caught.”
“But how do we get in?” Ulric asked.
“You have the location. You only need a visual to be able to project your vortex.” With a vortex, a demon could travel anywhere he wished—as long as he had a clear visual of the destination. Luckily, getting a clear visual was much easier these days with the Internet and Google street view.
“But the compound is hidden, invisible,” Ulric said.
“But it’s there. Find the outer walls. Touch them,” Zoltan advised. “Then project your vortex and concentrate your mind on a spot a few yards behind the wall as your destination.”
It was risky, and there was no guarantee that his subjects wouldn’t transport directly into a stone wall that would crush them to death. But he was willing to take that risk. It was worth sacrificing a few demons as long as one came back to report on the Stealth Guardians’ defenses.
“Yes, oh Great One,” Ulric said.
Fletcher added, “It will be done.”
“Leave, and send Vintoq in.”
The two demons bowed and left. A moment later, Vintoq entered.
“You wanted to see me?”
“We have work to do, Vintoq. Soon we’ll be able to destroy the Stealth Guardians for good.” He laughed. “And then nobody will be able to prevent my rule on the earth.”
He would not only be ruler of the demons, but ruler of all mankind.
Soon, every living creature in this world would bow to him, Zoltan, the Great One.
4
While a night in the cell wasn’t exactly what Wesley had planned, he wasn’t complaining. The back of his prison housed a rudimentary shower, sink, and toilet, and the cot wasn’t quite as hard as he’d expected. He’d woken early and showered, glad that he’d borrowed fresh clothes from Aiden the day before. At least he was clean and presentable.
Funny that that was his biggest concern: to look good for Virginia, even though she’d given him the cold shoulder the night before. But he wasn’t easily discouraged.
When he finally heard footsteps coming toward his cell, his heart began to beat excitedly. He combed his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down, and took a deep breath, readying himself for the hot Stealth Guardian woman in her Catwoman outfit. Man, was she sexy! All night he’d had the image in his head, leaving him with a permanent hard-on.
The key turned in the lock.
Wesley’s pulse raced; at this rate, it could win the Kentuck
y Derby.
Finally, the wait was over, and the door swung open. The silhouette wasn’t Virginia’s. Too tall, too broad.
“You wanted pancakes, didn’t you?” Aiden stood at the entrance, a breakfast tray in his hands. “Hope you won’t mind if I don’t come in, but lead doesn’t exactly agree with me. Sucks all the energy right out of me.”
Wes tucked that piece of information away for later use and approached the friendly guardian.
“Thanks, really appreciate it. If it were up to Virginia, I’d probably starve.” Wesley snatched the cup of coffee from the tray and took a big gulp of the hot liquid, feeling it revive him.
“Careful with her,” Aiden cautioned, leaning in and lowering his voice. “She was an enforcer before she joined the council. She could go totally Rambo on you. You wouldn’t stand a chance. So be careful what you say to her.”
Wes grinned and took a pancake, folded it, and shoved it into his mouth. He’d already gotten a taste of Virginia’s attitude. He swallowed. “So, an enforcer, huh? She can enforce me all she wants.”
Aiden’s eyes widened, and the scar above his eyebrow seemed to twitch. “Are you crazy? Don’t play with that woman! She means business.”
Wes smirked. “So do I. Don’t worry, I know how to handle women like her. She’ll be purring like a kitten in no time.”
“Totally insane. I should have known it. I should have seen it the minute you showed up here.” He shook his head. “Why the fuck would you want to get into her pants? She eats men for breakfast.”
Wes chuckled. “Right up my alley, just like I thought.”
“Insane. And I even bothered calling my father to put in a good word for you. But you’re a lost cause.”
Wes chased his second pancake with a gulp of coffee. “Your father? What’s he got to do with this?”
“He’s Primus of the council.”
“Primus?”
Aiden huffed impatiently. “Like chairman, you know. He has a lot of influence.”
“Cool. Well, thanks for talking to him. I really appreciate it. You’re a friend.”
