Her eyes popped open at the audacity of the question. “I—I don’t know. I told you, I’ve never taken blood. I’ve never fed off desire. Only—only yours, and after yesterday, I shouldn’t have to feed again for weeks, even months.” It had been that potent. “But one whiff of your desire and the hunger is like a burning within me. I’m sorry.”
He stood up without a shred of modesty—nope, not a modest bone in his body—he approached her.
She would have moved away but instead, remained pressed against the wall, wanting to disappear into it. In truth, she could have just left, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave him. God help them both.
He rubbed his thumb across her lips until she opened her mouth, so he could see the evidence of her evil. “They’re already receding,” he said.
“I guess trying to bite your lover is a buzz kill.”
“I don’t think so,” he replied.
She knew he spoke the truth.
In his nakedness, he couldn’t hide from her and obviously she could see and also feel his desire. He made no effort to control his own hunger for her. She groaned and turning her gaze to the ceiling, closed her eyes again. It did no good. His image still burnt into her mind. So magnificent. “I think you better get dressed,” she said forcing her eyes open and staring into his. “It should be almost time for us to go meet the others.”
“This isn’t over between us.” A lone finger caressed her collarbone. “And as soon as this mess is taken care of, you and I are going to sit down for a serious discussion.” Then he leaned down and kissed her.
Her arms came up without thought to wrap around him. For a moment, she held on for dear life, then abruptly pulled away. “I’m going to go home and change. I’ll meet you there.” She eased away from him.
He reached out and placed his arm in front of her, stopping her. “Wait, let me get dressed and I’ll take you home.”
Thalya shook her head. “No need. I can get there faster on my own.”
He brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “Okay, I understand you need to put some distance between us. But Thalya, no matter how far you go, it’s too late to run. So go home, change, but I’m picking you up and we’ll go to the warehouse together. And that’s an order.”
“Since I promised you’d be in charge of this little operation, I’ll wait for you. But don’t make a habit of trying to order me around.”
He raised one dark eyebrow. “As long as you don’t make it a habit of trying to run from me, we’ll get along just fine.”
She had no ready answer for him. So she stayed quiet and made a tactical retreat.
Five minutes after leaving Samuel’s brownstone, Thalya let herself into her condo. She headed straight for her bedroom and her closet. She knew she didn’t have much time. Samuel would be there soon. Still, she took a moment looking for the perfect outfit. Just because she didn’t think it a good idea to sleep with him didn’t mean she didn’t want him appreciating her assets. How strange it would even matter to her. But it did.
He mattered.
She finally settled on black leggings, short but heavy boots—in case she needed to stomp someone—and a tight fitted t-shirt. She didn’t have to use her super natural speed to get dressed, but she did hurry. And looked damn good, even if she never fussed with makeup. She didn’t need it. Just a little strawberry lip-gloss on her full lips. Since this was business, tonight she went to the very back of her closet. The wall hid a cabinet behind it.
Scrollwork ran through the decorative peacock blue colored chair railing around the milk chocolate painted walls. On the far back wall a particular scroll held a button cleverly hidden within the leaf design. When she pressed this button, the wall pulled back and an open cabinet the height of the ceiling and about four feet wide, slid out. There were a variety of weapons displayed on the shelves, but there were only a couple she’d need tonight. She took down two Japanese short swords, her Wakizashi, made for her by a famed Samurai swordsman in the mid-1400s or thereabouts—who could remember exact dates? She buckled on the sheath low on her slender hips and strapped the sides to her thighs, and then she inserted the swords. Grabbing her favorite piece of black leather, cut like a military jacket, she put it on. It stopped just above her knees, hiding the swords.
Samuel pulled up just as she reached the edge of the sidewalk.
She opened the door and got in.
They couldn’t have choreographed the timing—or their outfits—better. He also had on a military cut leather jacket. “Are you armed?” he asked, after she shut the door.
With one raised eyebrow, she stared him down.
He grinned. “Right. Let’s rock and roll.”
By the time they arrived, most of the hunters already waited at a deserted building near the corner where they were told to meet. The four men Devlin had promised were also there along with Ray. She and Samuel seemed to be the last to arrive.
“The human guards just left,” Devlin informed them. “So, the soulless are probably going to be here soon.”
“Okay, let’s get our people into position,” Samuel said. “Let’s go over this plan one last time. Most of you will stay out of sight and cover the front and back entrances. Stop those trying to leave or arriving.” He glanced over at Eric. “Choose three and come through the front; Charlie, same for the back. Ray, you take a few up on the roof and repel in through the windows. Text me when they arrive. Dev will be inside with Thalya and me.” He and Thalya would enter from the roof as they had before with Devlin, who had to be in a position to see when the boxes were opened.
“Wait until after you hear the explosion before you come in through the windows. I don’t want any of our people getting hurt by coming in too soon. Then we can take down those trapped inside the warehouse,” Dev told Ray.
Ray nodded in agreement.
“You know what you have to do,” Samuel spoke again, looking around at his hunters. “Stop any soulless trying to get out of the warehouse or any caught outside from leaving. Put your silencers on now.” Those that hadn’t already done so did it then. They were all armed with silencers and steel to keep down the noise level. “Okay, move it folks.”
“Are they trained enough to cloak their emotions?” Thalya asked as they headed toward the warehouse. “I can sense some.”
“Yeah, each hunter is trained to hide their emotions,” Samuel said. “Some are stronger at it than others. The weaker blockers wear headphones and listen to music to help them focus. But with so many humans around, I’ll also help shield them so none of the soulless will be able to pick up emotion from them.”
She nodded. “As I said, I can help with any bleed through. With us both doing that, even an olden wouldn’t be able to sense us.”
“Thank you.” They made it back to the catwalk in the warehouse and Samuel looked down from their position. He texted Ray to tell everyone to shield. “If all goes well we’ll get a few of the leaders in this conspiracy and put an end to this before it begins.”
“If we’re really lucky,” Devlin said from beside Thalya who stood between them. “We’ll get the vast majority attending inside the building. The explosion might not be able to kill them, but should cause enough damage to knock them out long enough for us to take their heads.”
“That’s all we need,” Samuel replied. “I just hope the fires will be contained like you planned.”
“It will be, but can’t promise about the resulting noise. There’s not much I can do about that.”
“The soulless have chosen the time and location well,” Thalya noted. “It’s secluded and there are not many people around. So the noise shouldn’t be too much of a problem, not like gun fire.”
“True,” Devlin agreed. “And they’ve also arranged for the docks to be empty. Ray talked to a few people with friends who worked in the warehouse area and he was told the union advised them to stay away from the place tonight.”
“Well, that’s good. Can you pick up any emotional b
leeds?” he asked Thalya.
“No. Your hunters are very good. Are you helping them?”
“Only a little. Now, stay beside me.” Samuel whispered the last into Thalya’s ear.
“You stay beside me,” she countered.
“How about you two stick together,” Devlin grumbled. “And be quiet.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth when they heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the warehouse. Samuel checked his text.
‘4 soulless 2 same fr the nite b4,’ Ray texted.
Samuel gave a thumbs up sign to Thalya and Devlin to confirm they had company.
They hunkered down in the rafters as the door at the front opened.
Four tall soulless men entered. They went over to the metal table and sat down.
Samuel made his breathing slow and even, ready for anything. He kept an eye on the men below him. Only one did the talking and Samuel had never seen this man before, but clearly, his demeanor and dark eyes named him an olden. With skin so pale he must avoid sunlight and golden hair braided into a single thick plait hanging down to the center of his back, not a wrinkle or crease appeared on his ageless face. Yet, for all this man’s allure, something sinister and cold reeked about him. Even for one of the soulless.
“Should we open the boxes?” one of the other soulless asked.
“We’ll wait a couple of minutes until the others get here,” the man who appeared to be in charge spoke. “Not all are coming tonight but we’re ready to begin with the first part in a few days.”
Samuel listened quietly, surprised to find the man’s voice melodic, enchanting. If the guy could sing, he’d probably be able to make a fortune. He stiffened when he heard the sound of several cars pulling up in front of the warehouse.
He checked his text. ‘6 cars 14 sl.’ Quite a few Samuel thought.
“Ah, our first arrivals,” the olden said.
The newcomers entered and walked toward the men seated at the table.
The apparent leader stood. “I’m glad you gentlemen decided to join us. We’ve got more coming tonight, but we may as well get started. I’ll explain everything more fully when everyone gets here.” He walked over to one of the crates against the wall.
“What’s in the boxes?” one of the strangers asked.
“Something that will start chaos around the world the likes of which has never been seen and that’s just for starters.”
The men laughed.
Samuel didn’t bother to hear more. They had to act now. He pressed a code on the phone so Ray would know what they were about to do and have everyone ready while he glanced at Devlin and nodded. When the leader pulled the lid off the first box, Devlin activated the explosives placed in the empty boxes and under the table.
Perfect timing.
The explosives blew the five men standing in front of the box off their feet and up into the air. They landed hard on the ground, either dazed or out cold. Before they hit the floor, Devlin had activated the other explosives on the ceiling to bring down the beams, pinning some of the others in the room down. The three at the table had no time to react. The bomb there went off nanoseconds after the boxes, pitching them in three different directions across the room.
Samuel, Thalya and Devlin were on the ground before the other hunters had crashed through the windows. Samuel could hear sounds of fighting and silencers going off outside. They could not use massive firepower. That would draw cops to them faster than white on rice.
Some of the boxes had caught on fire while dust and smoke quickly filled the enclosed area, but Samuel could see through it. Pulling his short sword from the sheath on his back, he ran across the floor. He headed straight for the blond man who lay on his back who might be the leader. His hand already rose to strike the unmoving man when the male’s dead eyes suddenly opened and he saw the sword descending for his head. As quick as Samuel moved, the unknown man moved faster. He rolled and kept rolling, staying away from the bite of the deadly blade Samuel repeatedly swung at this head.
The male got to his feet while the fighting continued all around them, though no one but Samuel chased after him. The soulless dodged Samuel’s next sword lunge, ran and took a leap up to the rafters where Samuel and the others had been hiding.
While Samuel could jump down quite a distance, he couldn’t leap up.
However, Thalya could. She’d taken the head of the man lying near the table just as the leader leaped up to the rafters. Even before the man she’d decapitated turned to ash, with a sword in each hand she leapt to the ledge to follow the blond leader, but the soulless had already made it out the door leading onto the roof. Without pause, she went after him.
Samuel ran to the doorway leading to the stairwell to the roof. When he got there, neither the man nor Thalya were anywhere in sight. He peered over the edge down into the melee going on in street.
The hunters he’d left outside fought the soulless arriving. There looked to be about more than a dozen of them, but still no sign of Thalya or the man with golden hair. A chill such as he’d never known crept down his spine.
Where was she?
The night’s work gave them a victory but a hollow one. They’d gotten dangerous weapons out of the hands of the soulless and they’d destroyed almost thirty of the bloodsuckers. But they’d lost the man with golden hair and Samuel’s instincts told him he must be the leader of the unrest. But Thalya hadn’t turned up either. He could only hope she just followed the man, trying to determine where he went and hadn’t been captured or worse.
He would give her a little more time and trust she could take care of herself. Go with his guts, which told him she was alive and well. He needed to finish the clean up here, and then he’d go hunting. The first place would be the nightclub, Hallow Souls. Somebody had to know something about this guy. He thought about going to Wilhelmina but already guessed she would not give him much. He would try her only as a last resort.
They hadn’t had a single loss tonight. Some of the men were hurt, but nothing a few stitches wouldn’t fix. Two of the hunters were doctors and were taking care of them.
When Ray came looking for Samuel, he found him up on the roof, searching for any trace of Thalya or the soulless. But even on the roof, he could no longer sense her unique scent and the man she’d been after might as well have been a ghost. So much for his abilities to track them, being a master hunter and tracker.
“We’re all good, and everything’s cleaned up,” Ray said by way of greeting.
“You’re a mess.”
Ray had a cut on his forehead, but nothing that would leave much of a scar.
“Didn’t I teach you to duck?”
Ray wiped the blood off his forehead. “Just a scratch. We found the night guard dead though. The bastards must have killed him for sport on the way in.”
“You all go on and get out of here. I’ll make a call to the cops on the way home,” Samuel replied.
“Still no sign of Thalya?” Ray asked.
“No. I’m going to go back to my place and hope she’ll come looking for me there.”
Ray hesitated. “If she doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll head for her condo. If she’s not there, there are a few other places I will look.”
“Okay, boss. But I think the lady can pretty much take care of herself.” Ray gave him a half-hearted salute. “Call if you need me.”
A few hours before dawn, Samuel walked into the nightclub. Did these people never sleep? From the number of bodies and level of energy in the club, the crowd could as easily be just getting started for the evening instead of winding things down.
He reached the third level uninterrupted. Might have had something to do with the silver handle of a sword peaking over his shoulder. Not sure what to expect, Samuel didn’t walk in unarmed. He’d added a blade to his arsenal. He wanted everyone in there to know a hunter walked amongst them and to leave him the fuck alone.
They did.
Fewer people hung out on
the third floor and the energy levels seemed lower there. He spotted the owners in almost the same spot where he first met them. They weren’t alone. A human woman sat between them. Damian had his mouth at her neck while the other man’s head rested over a bared breast. She had her hands in both their hair, encouraging them on.
Thalya was nowhere in the club.
Either a sixth sense or other form of self-preservation alerted the men to his presence. They simultaneously lifted their heads and looked in his direction, releasing the woman and leaning nonchalantly back against the sofa.
The woman would have a hickey on her neck come morning. By the time he took the seat across from them, the woman had already adjusted her top and walked away, leaving him alone with the men.
“Where’s Thalya?” he growled.
The puzzled expressions on their faces told him all he needed to know. They had nothing to do with her disappearance.
“We assumed she’d be with you at the meeting,” Hilo said frowning.
“She was, but she went chasing after a soulless. Guy with long blond hair, wore it in a single braid, looks ageless.”
The men glanced at each other uneasily.
“There are a lot of us who’d fit that description,” Hilo hedged.
Samuel made a slashing motion with his hand. “Cut the shit. I am in no mood. Something differed about this guy. He was stone cold and definitely an olden.”
Hilo nodded at Damian as if agreeing for him to talk.
“We know of who you’re talking about. At least we think we know who it is and this is one bad dude. Don’t mean that in a good way either. His name is Abel.”
“Abel?” Samuel got a weird feeling in his gut. “As in Cain and Abel?”
Hilo nodded. “One and the same.”
“Well, why the hell not!” Samuel snorted. “So, do you know where or how to find him?”
This time Damien answered, “No, but tomorrow night we can check around for you. If Thalya hasn’t shown up by then, stop by around the same time. And dude, be very, very careful. Abel is not the kind of soulless any of us want to have a faceoff with.”
Angel Rising Page 17
