by Dakota Dawn
“I can’t imagine you running from anyone,” Darrin said with a big smile, as if he were picturing Zotikos running from his mom.
“There was no way I was going to mess with her. Once when I was ten we were living in a neighborhood with a lot of humans. A bully that was eighteen years old gave me a black eye just because he wanted to. When my mom saw me, her eyes started glowing and her ears started twitching. She demanded to know who had done it. When I told her she took me to their house and confronted the bully’s dad. The man laughed and said his son was teaching me how to take a hit. That it was good for me. So be it, my mom told him and the second the man closed his door she cast a spell on the family.” He fondly remembered his mom. She’d been wonderful.
“What kind of spell?” Pierce asked.
“Not a nice one. She cast a shadow boxer into their home. The boxer was able to go from room to room. Each family member ended up black and blue.” He gave them a wry shake of his head.
Darrin sucked in a rough breath. “There weren’t any young children in the house, were there?”
“No. Just two bully sons that were eighteen and nineteen as well as their dad. The mother had left them from what I heard.” He didn’t doubt it either.
“What happened next?” Pierce asked.
“After two weeks they put a for-sale sign in the front yard and left. My mom removed the shadow boxer so the new owners wouldn’t be hurt. Word that it was haunted lowered the value,” he answered with a chuckle. “My mom was one tough cookie.”
“Are your parents still alive?” Pierce asked.
“No. They passed away of old age a hundred years ago. I was born late in their lives and didn’t have any siblings.” He always wished for a sibling.
Pierce looked stunned. “Vampires can die of old age?”
“Really old ones can. After the age of three thousand a vampire can go at any time. My dad died a week after my mom. They lived a full happy life.” He hoped he was that lucky.
Pierce nodded and turned to Darrin. “How did you become a vampire?”
“I was fishing and heard a noise. When I turned to look I was bitten and passed out. When I woke up Conlin was by my side and helped my get home. I vaguely remember being sick,” Darrin answered succinctly.
“That’s terrible. I’m glad your brother came along and helped you.” Pierce touched Darrin’s hand empathetically.
“I’m okay,” Darrin replied with a lift of his shoulder.
“I’m happy about that.” Pierce looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. “I better go check on my plants and fill a few orders.” Pierce kissed each of them before heading out the door.
Zotikos didn’t buy Darrin’s story at all. Needing to know what really happened, he stepped over to Darrin and motioned the man to his feet. Darrin pushed his chair back and stood. “Is it all right if I take a peek at what happened to you?” he asked to be polite, but he really didn’t care what Darrin’s answer was. His beast wouldn’t settle down until he saw what happened to Darrin.
Darrin shrugged. “Sure. I don’t think you’ll see more than I told you. You’re free to look for yourself, though.”
Zotikos held his hands out and Darrin placed his hands on Zotikos’s palm to palm. He snared Darrin’s gaze with his own and entered Darrin’s mind. It took him a minute to find the memory that Darrin had just related to them. He could just barely make out the slices in Darrin’s memory. A professional had been here for sure. Why, was what he needed to know. Moving on, he circled Darrin’s mind. Zotikos almost missed the small box in a darkened area. He recognized it as one of Caleb’s. What was his friend hiding from his mate?
Circling the box, he found a seam and opened it just enough to slip in undetected by Darrin. What he felt pissed his beast off. Darrin had been violently turned. Zotikos’s stomach churned and his heart ached. He took a calming breath and slid into the memory.
A twig snapped and Darrin looked around. Darrin didn’t even get to take in all of his surroundings before he was pinned down and his shirt was ripped off.
Through Darrin’s eyes, he saw two vampires he’d met once and heard a lot about. They were bad men. He watched as they laughed at Darrin’s fear. In a flash of movement they struck. With vicious proficiency they bit Darrin, making it hurt as much as possible. His poor mate struggled and screamed. Darrin didn’t stand a chance against M. L. Staten and Jimmy Law.
Zotikos cringed and his heart beat heavily in his chest when Staten told Darrin he liked pretty boys a lot. His beast stirred when Darrin begged them to stop and they just laughed at him. With a racing heart, he watched the horror unfold.
The elf in Zotikos wanted to stop watching, but the vampire in him refused to leave. It wanted to know how much pain Staten and Law had put his mate through so the beast could pay them back in full.
Zotikos’s heart broke. Darrin wanted to move so badly, he’d wanted to escape, but his body was frozen in place by Staten and Law. As the attack continued, Zotikos watched the light in Darrin’s eyes dim as he passed out. Zotikos stayed and observed Darrin coming to. Conlin was weeping as he tried to comfort Darrin and cover up Darrin’s body at the same time. On wobbly legs Darrin let Conlin lead him home. Zotikos spotted Greg’s worried gaze as he floated close to Darrin. The memory ended abruptly.
Zotikos felt tears wash over his cheeks. He slid out of Caleb’s box and sealed the crack he’d entered. He never wanted Darrin to remember what really happened to him. Zotikos owed Caleb for protecting Darrin by putting such a horrible memory into a box in Darrin’s mind.
Darrin was still in the trance he’d put his mate in. Not able to act like all was well, he mentally ordered Darrin to go help Pierce. At the last second he pushed good feelings into Darrin. Without looking at him Darrin turned on his heel and left the room.
Rage filled every molecule of his body. Staten and Law were going to pay for what they’d done. He exhaled long and slow and then reached for his phone. Within minutes he’d talked to Vance and hired the vampire’s group to find Staten and Law. His beast calmed slightly knowing Vance and his ex-detective, ex-military partners would soon call and give him the location of his new enemies, M. L. Staten and Jimmy Law. If he hadn’t had such young mates he’d have searched for them himself. Noticing he was glowing from the rage coursing through him, Zotikos forced himself into a calmer state.
Needing to see his mates, he headed out to the greenhouse to work beside them. The beast in him still stirred with the need to kill, but the sight of his mates joking as they worked brought a measure of peace and warmth to his aching soul.
Chapter Fourteen
Attinie had been watching a cop named Angel Sanchez for two months. The tough-acting female cop had been on TV several times recently. She tugged on her chin skin as she wondered if the cop could be dark enough to become her servant. It would be interesting to have a cop here at the house. How many of her servants would fall in a fight with a cop? She tossed her head back and cackled with glee. A cockroach crawling on the ceiling caught her attention. She shot out a force and made it fall into her open mouth. With her sharklike teeth she chewed it up. Mmm. Earth had a lot going for it. Those little creatures were delicious and crunchy as well.
Her thoughts jumped back to Sanchez. “Red, you and…”—she pointed out a male in the room—“you come with me. We have a cop to see.”
“Let’s go, Kenny,” Red called to the chosen male.
Attinie cloaked the SUV as Red drove it to the address she gave him. Twenty minutes later they pulled into the donut shop’s parking lot. In her search, Attinie had found that cops were fond of donuts so she’d decided to meet Sanchez at one. That should thrill the cop, right?
Excitement trilled through her. Attinie quietly clapped all six of her hands. Would the cop join her group or would she die?
A tall man walked into her view. He was distracted as he talked to someone on his phone. Never one to let an opportunity pass, Attinie got out of the vehicle and ordered her men out
. Cloaked, she walked up to him and scanned his heart. A smirk curled her lips. He had enough darkness in him to work for her.
“Bring him to that alley, servant,” she ordered.
“Yes, mistress,” Kenny replied and took the man by the arm. The startled man yelped and looked around. Attinie cackled and the man started to struggle. She slapped him with two of her hands.
“Who’s there? Is this a joke? I’m not laughing,” the man bellowed.
Attinie laughed again. If anyone saw the man talking to nothing they’d think he was drunk or on drugs. Earthlings were such weak fools. Once they were deep into the dirty alley she cloaked him from earthling eyes and revealed herself to him. He made a strangled sound and took a step back.
“You’re mine now, dark soul. I am Attinie of Roseanthia. You will serve me for the rest of your days.” She spoke a few ancient words and the man’s eyes glazed over.
“Yes, mistress,” he replied.
“John, John, are you there? What the hell is happening?” A voice called out from the man’s phone loud enough for them all to hear. Attinie didn’t care. This was her planet after all.
“Servant, throw down your phone and crush it.” She watched in delight as her new servant followed her orders.
Checking the time, Attinie grinned and the street light glimmered off her sharp teeth. “Red, call in a robbery at the donut shop. It’s time we see if Sanchez will join us or if she dies.”
“Yes, mistress.” He used his burner phone to make the call.
They headed back to stand near their SUV as they waited for the show to begin.
Ten minutes later Attinie smiled evilly as she watched Sanchez pull into the donut shop parking lot and circle the building. The cop parked in front of the shop and observed it for a moment before getting out of her cruiser and entering the building with her hand on her holstered gun. Attinie didn’t like most guns. They were loud and they smelled bad except for the BB gun at her house. That one was tolerable and even fun.
Through the window, she watched the female cop talk to everyone in the shop. After a few minutes Sanchez exited the shop shaking her head in disgust. Attinie got closer to Sanchez and shot out a power surge that fried the cop’s communication devices.
“What the hell?” Sanchez said as she tapped the device on her shoulder.
Attinie laughed out loud. Sanchez looked around and when she didn’t see anyone she mumbled as she reached for the door handle on her cruiser.
“New servant, throw a rock at her, hurry,” she ordered.
Sanchez spun around at Attinie’s voice. John threw a rock that hit Sanchez on the shoulder. The cop narrowed her eyes and quartered the area with her brown gaze.
Attinie uncloaked her new servant. Sanchez’s eyes widened and then her lips flatten out in anger. The cop didn’t hesitate at all. Sanchez headed straight for Attinie’s new servant.
“Lead her to the alley,” Attinie whispered and watched in delight as her new guy started running toward the alley they’d just been in. She and her men followed the two in.
“Stop,” Sanchez ordered as she drew her gun and pointed it at John. He stopped much to Attinie’s fascination.
“Now turn around nice and slow.” The cop’s order was in a firm no-nonsense tone.
As John did Sanchez’s bidding, Attinie got close to the cop and scanned her. Damn. Sanchez didn’t have enough darkness in her heart for Attinie to be able to use her. What a waste of fighting talent.
Curious to see what Sanchez and her new servant would do, she spoke a few Roseanthian words and laughed when her new servant’s eyes became bloodshot and he started chanting must kill.
John rushed Sanchez, and without blinking the cop shot him in the chest. He made a wheezing sound and fell to his knees. Blood dripped from his mouth and he fell forward landing heavily on the dirty pavement.
“What a pity,” she said and then sent a force out to jam Sanchez’s gun. Attinie revealed her next servant. The one Red called Kenny. “Lead her on a chase,” she whispered into Kenny’s ear.
Kenny rushed Sanchez, and she pointed her gun at him and fired. The jammed up gun just clicked. “Who are you people?” Sanchez asked. In her shocked state she didn’t move quickly enough and Kenny slashed her arm and then ran away.
“Fuck,” Sanchez yelled as she chased Kenny.
Attinie and Red followed them. She cackled when she saw Kenny had led the cop into a dead end.
“How are you doing that? Are you a ventriloquist?” Sanchez asked and then quickly glanced around her. “Never mind, just stop doing it.”
“My mistress is the one laughing and guiding me,” Kenny told the cop.
Sanchez looked around again and then cursed, “Damn, drug addicts.” She exhaled loudly. “Look this doesn’t have to end badly. Give yourself up and I’ll see that you get the help you need.”
Kenny’s eyes flickered, and Attinie realized the cop had triggered something in her servant. The damn fool was close to following the cop’s wants. Not having that, Attinie spoke the words that triggered Kenny in a new direction. His eyes became bloodshot and he started chanting must kill.
“Not again,” Sanchez grouched and prepared for battle.
Kenny ran at her and in the last second bent over and rammed his head into her abdomen. The air whooshed from her lungs and she fell on her butt. Kenny pulled his knife from his boot and slashed out at her with it. She raised her arm and blocked the move. With her other hand she twisted his hand and shoved his own knife into his chest. Sanchez was resourceful, Attinie had to give her that.
The cop checked Kenny’s pulse and grimaced. Attinie sniffed the air and enjoyed the scent of fresh blood. Nothing smelled better. Sanchez got up and tested her communicator again. Attinie smiled when it didn’t work. Sanchez was getting ready to leave the alley when Attinie uncloaked Red.
The cop’s back was to him so she didn’t realize he was there until he spoke. “Over here, pig.” Red laughed when Sanchez stiffened.
Sanchez whirled around and her eyes narrowed as she advanced on Red. “Are you his boss?” she asked staunchly.
Red lunged at the cop and cut her thigh. He jumped back and laughed when she yelped. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Follow me and you may find out.” When Sanchez didn’t immediately follow him, Red called out, “Stay here while I go kill all of your pig-loving family.”
Red was so black-hearted that Attinie didn’t even have to spell him anymore. He lived to kill just as much as she did.
With a grimace and a last look at the dead man, Sanchez went after Red. She had blood dripping from her leg and her arm, but that didn’t stop her. Attinie would have been disappointed if it had.
Her best human servant led the cop to an abandoned looking house. Red broke a window and crawled inside. Attinie knew he was unlocking the back door for her. The cop didn’t know that, though, so Sanchez used her police-issued baton and cleared the window of jagged glass before entering the house. Cloaking is such fun.
Attinie walked in the back door and went to the room she heard them fighting in. Her eyes sparkled with excited fire when she saw them in a kitchen. To mess with the tough cop, Attinie uncloaked herself.
Sanchez jumped back a step. “My God.” The cop eyed Attinie warily. “You can’t be real.”
Laughter came from Red. “Oh, she’s real.”
“I must admit, my beauty is stunning.” Attinie’s eyes raked over Sanchez. Cool blue streaks shot through the Roseanthian’s opal eyes. “You have been found too weak to live on my planet.” She nodded in Red’s direction. “Kill her, servant.”
“Yes, mistress. With pleasure,” Red replied with a demented glint in his eyes.
Attinie stood in the doorway, wondering how long it would take Red to kill the weak, do-gooder cop.
They started circling the kitchen island. “You don’t have to do this, Red. Prison will be your future if you do,” Sanchez said as her gaze bounced from Red to Attinie.
“I see me stand
ing by my mistress. Attinie and I think alike. You kind-hearted, idiotic do-gooders are keeping this planet too tame. I prefer wild and unpredictable.” His answer came out in a cold, mad tone.
In a smooth movement, Red leapt onto the island and then jumped down on Sanchez’s side. The cop went to swing her baton at Red. He grabbed it and laughed as he pulled it from her grip and tossed it away. The cop’s loss of blood was making her weak. Not giving up, Sanchez went to grab Red’s head, but he saw her move coming and raised his hands and pushed hers away. He picked her up and tossed her onto the solid island. She landed with a jarring thud. Sanchez’s eyes widened when she saw Red raise his knife. In a quick move the cop rolled off the island and retrieved a knife from her boot.
A grin split Red’s face. He leapt over the island and lunged for her. Sanchez dodged and slashed out, stabbing Red in the arm. Attinie wondered what her best servant would do.
He looked at the blood dripping from his arm and laughed with insane delight. “You did good, girl cop.”
“Not good enough,” she snapped, her chest heaving from exertion.
“Better than most do-gooders.” Red touched the wound on his arm and then stared at Sanchez as he licked his own blood off his finger. When Sanchez grimaced, he laughed and rushed her.
The cop ran around the island and braced one hand on the counter and the other on the island. To Attinie’s delight the moment Red got close enough Sanchez raised her legs and kicked Red hard in the chest.
“Is she too much for you?” Attinie taunted her servant.
Anger glittered in Red’s eyes as he rubbed his chest.
Sanchez jumped onto the island and kicked Red in the face. Blood poured from his nose.
“I’ve…” He grabbed her leg and pulled her down. She landed heavily on the granite island. “…had enough of you, bitch.” Red raised his knife with record speed and was going in for the kill when Attinie sent out a force that knocked the knife from his hand.
