Never Back Down

by Susan Harris

  “Wait a second, an underground fighting ring? Ever’s pain in the ass brother told us that Erika is involved in a fight club.”

  “Ever’s brother?”

  Derek turned and shook his head at Sarge. “You don’t want to know. I’m terrified if I mention him, the asshole will pop up. Oh, and by the way, Erika and Ever are like, weird adopted sisters, kind of.”

  “Is this about Erika?”

  They all jumped, as Ever soundlessly entered the room. She looked tired but no worse for wear after their little flash. Arms folded, hair pulled back, she looked like the warrior she proclaimed to be. Ever glanced at Derek.

  “Are you okay?”

  Derek leaned back in his chair. “Ya, I’m grand. But I’m not going to want to repeat the experience for a long time.”

  She gave him a little smile, before she turned back to the team. “Loki told me that Erika is participating in the fights on my mother’s orders. Any idea where the base is located? I can get in and get Erika out.”

  Sarge surged to his feet. “What has Samhain got to do with all of this? And did you just say Loki?”

  Ever winced. “Samhain is not involved, Tom. I meant my biological mother, Freya. And yes, my brother of sorts is Loki. I need to go find Erika.”

  “Ever, wait.”

  Ever paused at Derek’s words. “You can’t just drop all these bombshells on people and walk away. They deserve to be told what’s in store for them, what’s in store for us.”

  Ever faced them. “My father wants me to relinquish my claim to Valhalla, so that with my death, he can usher in Ragnarök, rebuilding the world so that his beloved wife Frigg can be reborn. This will cause the death of many of the Norse deities, and the world will be reborn again with those who survive. You could all die, if you chose to fight with me when the time comes.”

  Ricky held up a finger. “Hang on a second. I knew you were supposed to be a Valkyrie, but let me add this fucking math equation up. You are the daughter of the goddess Freya, and the husband of Frigg, who, if my Marvel knowledge is up to par, is Odin, the god of goddamn everything Norse? That means Loki is your adopted brother, and you are the sister of various gods, including Thor? Am I getting this right?”

  “Yup, there abouts.”

  “And how did you not remember that you were a Valkyrie?”

  “Loki cast a spell so that I had seven lifetimes to try and stop my father. I have failed seven times to stop him from killing me. If he kills me in this lifetime, I will not be reborn. Odin will control the Valkyrie and use my army to lay waist to the world.”

  “This is all very Shakespearian,” Melanie murmured.

  “He sleeps now, having cheated at my last death. I must stand with my champion as the world balances on the edge, and new life will bring new world order.”

  “And who is your champion?” Caitlyn asked.

  “I am.” Derek sighed as all eyes turned to him. “Apparently, Ever and I are tied together, have been for centuries.”

  “Please don’t tell me you got amnesia and now think you’re a god.”

  “Nope, that’s just Ever. My soul has been reborn, according to Loki, but I’m not sure if I believe him.”

  “In your first existence, you were a fierce Viking warrior who died on the battlefield.”

  Ricky rested his head on the desk. “I have no words.”

  Donnie rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. “My head hurts. Okay, so let’s say Erika is participating in the fighting ring, then we need someone on the inside as well. Caitlyn is now queen of the vamps, so she’s out. Ricky, no offence mate, but this requires a fighter not a lover. Melanie’s still too young. So, Derek, that leaves you or me.”

  “You forget,” Ricky snorted. “Derek made himself a reality TV star when he got arrested, he’s too famous now for grunt work.”

  Derek was taken aback by the bitterness that soaked his friend’s words, but he kept his mouth shut as Donnie said. “Then that leaves me.”

  “No.”

  Donnie growled as Caitlyn dismissed him with the wave of her hand. “You are mated to me and that makes you a target. Any aged vampire who wished to replace Cain, would cement their mark by taking out my consort. I am not questioning your ability to fight, Donnie. Simply pointing out that my new position, which you helped bolster, means we have to change how we go about things.”

  “I am not going to sit on the side-lines because of what might or might not happen. Goddammit, Cait. Remember what happened the last time you left me behind and ran off to Paris without telling us.”

  Caitlyn hissed, and Zach clambered out of his bed, leapt across the table and sank his teeth into Donnie’s arm. Ricky leapt up and grabbed hold of Zach, who turned back into a tiny human with a growl.

  “Stop making the pretty lady sad!”

  The entire room quietened as Zach, naked as the day he was born, climbed into Caitlyn’s lap, changed back into cat form and curled up in her lap. He purred as Caitlyn ran a hand through his fur. “I am not sad, little cat. But thank you for trying to protect me.”

  “You’re lucky I like your Da, kid.”

  “Do not threaten him, Donnie.” Caitlyn’s tone was dead, pure ice.

  “Jesus, Cait, I’d never harm a hair on his head. Yours either, if the cat wants to know.”

  Caitlyn ignored him, as Derek spied Ever attempting to slip out the door. As if she sensed his eyes on her, she turned her face in his direction and mouthed, “I’ll be back, I promise.”

  Then, she was gone and he almost growled, every single cell in his body telling him to go after her. But, he didn’t. He turned his attention back to the team and the case.

  “So, what are we going to do about the fight ring? Ever will go find Erika, but we still need someone to go in and get information.”

  “Send me in.”

  Kenzie had slipped in as Ever dashed out, and now it was Caitlyn’s turn to growl. “Absolutely not.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” Mused Ricky, earning a glare from Caitlyn. “It is. I mean, who wouldn’t let the blood kissed assassin created by the first vampire to fight. I’d pay to see it.”

  Caitlyn’s eyes turned a vicious colour red that had Derek swallowing hard.

  “Absolutely not. I forbid it.”

  The girl put her hands on her hips, and spoke, and even Derek knew when the words were spoken that Kenzie realized she’d fucked up.

  “You forbid it? Damn, you sounded just like Cain right there.”

  Kenzie

  Kenzie kept her silence until Caitlin said, “Absolutely not. I forbid it.” Then, anger washed over Kenzie. She’d done a lot since coming back to Cork. She’d obeyed the rules, trained with P.I.T despite it being a waste of her time, she’d even become friends with Melanie, a vampire, and one she actually liked. Caitlyn seemed to think she was someone who needed to be coddled, but she was twenty-seven years old goddammit, she wasn’t a child.

  “You forbid it? Damn, you sounded just like Cain right there.”

  Kenzie knew the moment she fucked up, the moment when her smart-ass mouth got her into trouble. Caitlyn was nothing like Cain and Kenzie knew that. Donnie growled, a feral sound that sent little Zach clambering out of Caitlyn’s lap and back into the drawer. Caitlyn clenched and unclenched her fists as Donnie stood, and Kenzie braced to defend herself.

  Donnie, who looked genuinely taken aback, asked. “What? You actually thought I would hit you because of what you said?”

  Kenzie lifted a shoulder. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone punched or backhanded me for my inability to keep my mouth shut.”

  “We’ve all said stupid shit in the heat of the moment. Nobody here is going to hit you because you said something stupid.”

  “If that was the case, I’d be a walking punchbag.” Ricky joked, trying to ease some of the tension in the room. Caitlyn had her eyes closed, and Kenzie felt as if she had struck Caitlyn.

  “Caitlyn, I’m sorry, but you are looking at t
his with your emotions rather than logic. I can’t help how much I look like your daughter, and I know that’s why you keep me around.”

  Caitlyn’s eyes sprang open. “I do not simply keep you around because you remind me of my dead child, Kenzie. You are family. That might be a foreign concept to you, considering who raised you that last ten years, but all of us here in this room want only to protect you, as I failed to do when Cain slaughtered your family. I will not use you as he did.”

  “Why not?” Kenzie asked. She was having a hard time understanding why Caitlyn would not use the skills she had. “I have killed over two hundred and fifty vampires for Cain. I killed more for pleasure. You keep telling me, Caitlyn, on those strolls through the woods at midnight that I have a purpose here with you guys. Use me. Utilize my skills. If this was a computer thing, you’d ask Melanie to snoop about, right? Why are my skills any different?”

  “It is different when your life is on the line.”

  “Then make me a vampire if that makes you feel better. This is the kind of thing that gets my adrenaline pumping. I need it. You’ve kept me away from anything bloody for almost a week. I don’t know anything else but kicking ass; I don’t know how to be normal.”

  Her throat caught at the last bit, and Kenzie cleared it. Caitlyn stared at her, and Kenzie muttered. “I could just go anyway, it’s not like any of you could stop me.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  Kenzie faced the wolfman. If Ricky was a walking rock-n-roll god, then this man was so good-looking, if he’d been a lollipop, he’d have licked himself. Luscious hazel eyes that reminded Kenzie of chocolate, with hair a darker shade than his eyes, stubble that kissed his jaw and stroked over his mouth, Kenzie knew this gorgeous man was danger in man-candy form. If Jensen Ackles and Jeremy Renner had a lovechild, it would look like Derek Doyle.

  “How do you plan on stopping me?”

  “I don’t.”

  Kenzie blinked in surprise. “Come again?”

  “I don’t plan on stopping you, Kenzie.” Derek said, his eyes turning to Caitlyn. “She’s right. We all come to this team with individual assets. If we don’t allow Kenzie to use her skills, then why is she even here?”

  Wow. Talk about being direct. She might actually like the wolfman.

  “If she were to get hurt…”

  “Then we will be there to help her!” Turning back to face Kenzie, Derek ran his eyes over her. “But first I need to know she can handle herself.”

  Kenzie snorted, a look of arrogance on her face. “How you gonna prove that? You gonna fight me, wolfman?”

  “You’re damn right I am.”

  Caitlyn started forward, but Derek held up his hand. “I only mean to spar with her. I assure you, Caitlyn, your little warrior won’t come out with a scratch.”

  “Pity I can’t say the same about you, wolfman.”

  Derek grinned at her. “Let’s see what you got.”

  Kenzie cracked her knuckles and moved for the door. “C’mon Agent Hotstuff, I need a cheerleader in my corner.”

  Ricky groaned as he scooped up Zach. “You gotta stop calling me that!”

  Melanie chuckled, coming to walk beside Kenzie as they strode down to the gym where Kenzie had spared with Melanie the last few days. Nudging Kenzie with her shoulder to get her attention, Melanie looked at her with wide eyes.

  “You sure about this, Kenz. I mean, Derek is a werewolf.”

  Kenzie beamed. “It’s not the first time I’ve fought a werewolf. If I had my scythe, then he’d need to be worried. I got this.”

  “He’ll pull his punches like he does with me.”

  “Then that will be his fault because I won’t pull mine.”

  Entering the gym, Kenzie yanked off her hoodie and tossed it to the side. She shucked off her boots, and bent down at the knees to make sure her leggings would give her space to move. Twisting her hair up into a bun, Kenzie glanced down at herself to make sure she had nothing on that could be used against her. Stripping herself of weapons, setting them down on the bench, she caught sight of Melanie’s shocked eyes.

  “Are you always this armed?”

  “Yup.”

  “Even when you’re asleep?”

  “Especially then. When you are asleep, you are at your weakest. Makes sense to have a dagger or two under your pillow.”

  As Derek came into the gym, the rest following him in, Kenzie tied a knot at the end of her loose t-shirt, exposing her midriff. Caitlyn came over and frowned.

  “You should not expose any weakness.”

  “It’s not a weakness if while he’s going for my stomach, I slice his throat. But, as wolfman said, we are just sparing. I promise not to hurt him…much.”

  Derek barked out a laugh as he stripped off his jumper and took off his boots.

  Standing there in a tight black tee, Kenzie assessed him. Predator that he was, Derek would consider her weak from the get go, terribly human. He would forget that she had been broken in the Catacombs of Paris, much like Caitlyn had, and forged anew into a vicious assassin.

  Kenzie sank down to the ground, crossed her legs and closed her eyes. Inhaling and exhaling, she centred herself, blocking out the din of those in the room and focusing on the scent of Derek, the sound of his heartbeat, and pad of his feet as he came for her, hoping to catch her unawares.

  Just as Derek was about to strike her with his foot, Kenzie rolled, sweeping out her leg catching Derek by the ankle and he stumbled. They faced each other and Kenzie winked.

  She could hear Caitlyn mutter for her not to get cocky, but it wasn’t cockiness if she was just being herself. For the first time since her scythe had sliced off Cain’s neck, Kenzie felt alive, like her life had purpose again.

  Bouncing on the heels of her feet, Kenzie waited for Derek to move again, his fist jabbing out as she ducked, kicked out with her right leg, going straight for his stomach. With every punch, Kenzie kicked. She understood Derek was assessing her skills, seeing if she had any physical weakness, but most of her weaknesses came from her mind, the demons that lurked behind her eyes.

  Kenzie struck out with a fist to Derek’s gut at the same time she kicked out. Her fist connected with his ribs, drawing an oomph from the werewolf, but he grasped hold of her ankle, yanked and twisted so that she went down on her stomach with a thud. Derek twisted her ankle into some sort of old school wrestling leg lock, but Kenzie rolled out of it, pain burning her bones as she tried to balance her weight on it.

  With one more trick up her sleeve, Kenzie lunged for Derek, her right fist connecting with his jaw as she leapt and kicked out with both feet, sending Derek to the ground on his back. Grabbing the silver blade from a concealed strap on her leg, Kenzie held the tip of the blade to Derek’s throat, the werewolf hissing as the tip of the dagger grazed his throat.

  “Kenzie!” Caitlyn exclaimed. “This was a sparring match, no weapons.”

  Kenzie removed the blade from Derek’s throat, slipped it back into its sheath, and rose, holding out her hand to help Derek up. The werewolf grinned as he rose, patting her on the head as he muttered. “Good assassin.”

  Turing to Caitlyn, Kenzie echoed her stance, arms folded across her chest. “Like fuck it was. Wolfman was testing me to see how good I was. Did I fight like you, or was I a dirty fighter? You never go up against an opponent who could rip your throat out with his teeth without having some insurance. If I’d had my scythe, Derek would be growing back a limb. This wasn’t sparring. This was a test.”

  Derek clasped her on the shoulder. “She’s right, Caitlyn. I was testing her. I needed to know that Kenzie could do what needs to be done. I knew she had the dagger all along. You just have to look at the array of blades to know she doesn’t turn up to a party empty handed.”

  Kenzie moved away and slipped her feet into her boots. “At least I took off my boots.”

  Derek lifted a brow and Kenzie tapped her right boot once. A gleaming blade slid out before Kenzie tapped the boot again, this time on the back
, and the blade disappeared.

  “Nice.” Derek whistled.

  “Say what you want about Cain, but he gives kickass gifts. Who knew a psychopath would be good at that?”

  Donnie handed Kenzie her jumper, which she slipped into, grinning as he said, “Cain was more of a narcissist than a psychopath. Ricky’s a little narcissistic, and he gives awesome Christmas gifts.”

  “Hey!”

  “Are you saying it’s not true?”

  Ricky grinned. “Nope…just sounded like I should object.”

  “Oh, do I get a Christmas present, Hotstuff?”

  Ricky’s cheeks heated at her comment and Kenzie laughed as she started to strap on her weapons, wary as Caitlyn watched her. Kenzie guessed that Caitlyn was worried for her, desperate to see how she was coping with everything that had happened, and surprised that Kenzie had not been struck with nightmares like Caitlyn was.

  A couple of days ago, when Caitlyn had woken the whole house with her screams, Kenzie had stormed into Donnie’s room with her scythe swinging, Melanie close on her heels. For a split second, Kenzie feared that Cain had somehow risen from the ashes and come to seek revenge. Donnie had lifted his eyes, sorrow and pain filling those baby blues, before Kenzie retreated, taking Melanie with her.

  Unable to sleep, Melanie and Kenzie had hunkered down on the couch to watch a movie. When Kenzie asked if that happened a lot, Melanie shrugged, advising Kenzie that she’d get used to it. Kenzie cursed Cain, hoping that the bastard was being tortured by some hell demons who made him their bitch.

  Kenzie lifted her head when she heard a strangled cough, and Donnie grinned at her. Sticking out her tongue, she turned away from the mind reader and asked. “Anyone have any ideas how I find this party?”

  “According to the dark web site that gives live updates about fights, fighters have to be invited in or nominated by someone who has been invited.”

  “So, I just need to track down someone shady who might have been invited. Supernatural central it is then.”

  Kenzie spun on her heels, ready to head out when Caitlyn said. “Wait a moment.”