by Bonnie Vanak
“Chief Petty Officer Sam Shaymore at your service, Miss McClare.”
Sienna gave him a warm smile. Finally, someone she could relate to. “You’re a Fae.”
Lieutenant Parker took a chair, swung it around and straddled it. “Shay’s a Phantom. A Mage who can shift into any kind of life-form.”
“Just one of my talents.” Shaymore opened a palm. A current of electricity sizzled there. He closed his fist, and the energy vanished.
Unease raced through her as she studied Shaymore, leaning back in his chair and folding his heavily muscled arms. Mage. They were much higher on the food chain than Seelie Sidhe. Some were endowed with powers that could cut a Fae in half before she could chant a spell.
She slid her chair out from the table and glanced at Lieutenant Commander Curtis. “Are all of you…paranorms?”
Curtis flicked a hand and she found herself sliding back toward the table, as if an invisible, courtly hand had pushed her chair in. “Primary Mage.”
Sweet mercy, a Draicon, and two Mages. Three powerful men who made her magick look puny and small. They studied her like an insect pinned on a board. Sienna resisted the urge to bolt. She lifted her chin and forced herself to calm.
“Primary Mages can do advanced telekinesis, throw energy bolts and shift into animal form. Just to let you know.” Contempt etched Lieutenant Parker’s face. “Or didn’t they teach you that in forest school?”
“Lieutenant Parker, are you going to have a problem working with Miss McClare?” Curtis’s tone was even, but held an edge of command.
“No, sir.”
Words seemed forced, his jaw taut. Chief Petty Officer Shaymore looked amused. “I can work with her. Be a real pleasure and I can be friendlier than old sour wolf here.”
“Screw you, Shay.”
“Up yours, Dakota.”
Parker gave a mocking grin. “Go grow a set. Steel ones.”
“Nothing wrong with mine. That’s what all the ladies say.”
They were a team, males who shut her out. Sienna gave them a cool look. “All the ladies?” she asked politely. “Or just the ones you disguise yourself as?”
The men turned and stared. A deep laugh rumbled from Lieutenant Parker’s throat.
The rich sound was as enticing as warm chocolate on a cold night. Sienna guarded herself against it. This man was a Draicon wolf.
Parker checked his laugh. “You mind changing back? Those ears are distracting, Mr. Spock.”
Sienna fought the urge to glamour into a poodle. What was his problem? She assumed her human form and pointedly ignored him.
“I don’t care what history you both share. Whatever it was, it ends now. I need both of you sharp, alert and working together as a team.” Curtis leaned forward. “This goes beyond any personal differences. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Parker said as Sienna nodded. When everyone sat at the table, Curtis began.
“We’re meeting here because ST21’s compound may be compromised….”
“ST21?” she asked.
“SEAL Team 21,” Curtis explained, snapping open his briefcase and pulling out a file. He handed a sheaf of papers to Parker, along with credit cards and a thick wad of cash. “Your cover to find the Orb is a couple traveling the country and looking for antiques. Miss McClare will be posing as your wife.”
“Sister,” the lieutenant said roughly.
“Fine. I’m placing you on official leave, Matt, to cover your absence. Can’t take chances.”
Sienna held up a hand. “Can you please explain what’s going on?”
Silence hung in the air. No one looked at her. She sensed no one wanted to tell her, or work with her. They were a team and she wasn’t one of them.
Just as the Fae had, they were shutting her out.
“I don’t like this. We don’t need to work with a Fae. I can find the Orb on my own.” Parker gave her a pointed look. “I don’t trust the Fae. It was a Fae bullet that—”
He cut off his words, staring at the wall.
Oh-kay. Wonderful. She’d made enemies just by flashing her ears. Sienna swept them all with a level look. “Are any of you, or anyone in ST21, an expert in Old Sidhe? Can you decipher Fae runes?”
Not waiting for an answer, she continued. “Scribbled on the Orb are ancient Fae runes. The runes reveal the Orb’s magick and will only react to someone of Fae blood, or someone who’s absorbed a power burst from the Orb. Since no one’s touched the Orb in years, except for the Draicon who stole it, you’re stuck with me or another Fae of your choice. Unless you want to check out every crystal ball from here to California.”
“No Draicon stole the Orb,” Parker said, glaring at her.
Curtis’s expression became stony. “I agreed to have you on this assignment, Miss McClare, against my will. Lieutenant Parker’s identity has been exposed. His life is in danger. No one must know Matt is a Draicon. No paranorms, no humans, not even the POTUS.”
At her confused expression, he added, “President of the United States. Is that clear, Miss McClare?”
She nodded, feeling sweat bead on her forehead.
“You know how powerful the Orb is,” Curtis continued.
“It serves as an amplifier to enhance a person’s natural power, both dark and light, which is why it’s dangerous,” she interrupted. “And it reveals the truth about whatever one desires. For example, if you want to know the true identity of a Fae you suspect is using glamour, you consult the Orb.”
Curtis glanced at Matt, emotion shadowing his gaze. “The person who stole the Orb used it to sell intel about Lieutenant Parker and his teammate. They were ambushed by pyrokinetic demons. The demons burned Lieutenant Parker’s partner and nearly killed Matt.”
Sienna choked back a horrified gasp. The Orb was being used for evil? She had hoped it was merely lost. Now the stakes were much bigger. Pity filled her as she looked at Lieutenant Parker, his expression tight with pain and grief.
“How do you know the Orb is to blame?”
“We have sources. And we have a leak, which is why we’re meeting in secret.” Curtis turned to the lieutenant. “Shay’s providing backup on this op. He’ll brief you.”
Once again, they’d shut her out, as if closing a door. Shaymore opened the briefcase that had been cloaked as a large Coach purse, and pulled out a fat envelope.
Bile rose in her throat as she studied the photographs he displayed on the table. They were horrifying in their simple, stark details. Bodies, unrecognizable and charred, lay scattered on the sands. Their hands curled into claws, stretching out to the sky.
“One of our paranorm assets discovered they’d torched an entire village after attacking you, Dakota. A community of friendlies.”
Sienna swallowed past her gorge. “Why?” she whispered.
Parker leaned across the table, his gaze searing hers. “Because that’s what they do, Miss McClare. These demons feed off fire and terror. It infuses them with energy and power.”
Sienna had a nagging suspicion she’d seen this kind of nasty work before. But she couldn’t place it.
“They’ve been kept in check before because the bolt holes barring entry into our dimension were secured. About two months ago, a group of Darksider rogue Fae opened a bolt hole in an abandoned building in Nevada scheduled for demolition. Using explosives they’d stolen from Libya, they managed to free four pyrokinetic demons before our people sealed the breach. The pyro demons then torched a nearby apartment building, killing twenty-six people.”
She felt sick to her stomach. Her own kind had helped do this?
Shaymore dug out a photograph from the purse. “This is a pyrokinetic demon.”
Sienna stared at the mottled gray skin, the angry red slash of a mouth, the tapered, long fingers ending in sharp talons. “How could they move among the humans if they look like this?”
“Glamour.” Shaymore rubbed his eyes, as if weary. “The Darksider Fae gave the demons their ability to glamour in return for a higher
position in the netherworld. The glamour only holds for a few minutes—”
“Long enough,” Parker cut in. “But if they get the Orb, they’ll be able to hold it longer.”
The possibilities were horrifying. Bile, hot and acid, rose in her throat.
The Draicon looked tight and deadly as a honed blade. “A Darksider Fae bought intel about me and my buddy from the slime who stole the Orb. Then he glamoured himself as our C.O. and ordered us on a mission. The demons waited until the marines in our convoy passed. The jarheads weren’t the target. We were. The Fae set us up.”
A low growl rumbled from his throat. “Because of that, my best friend died in agony. If I find the Fae who did this, they won’t need a demon to get to hell. I’ll send them there myself.”
His rage was luminous, raising the room temperature and warming her cheeks. Every instinct urged her to get up, get out and away from this dangerous Draicon. Sienna’s eyes widened as he dragged his fingertips across the wood table, scoring it with claws that suddenly emerged.
“Whoa, L.T.,” Shaymore said. “I don’t have the money to cover damages for this room.”
“Easy, Dakota,” the lieutenant commander murmured. “The Fae who impersonated the major general was caught. He’s been taken care of. We’ve established new security measures around all key personnel.”
Sympathy filled her. She knew how it felt to be helpless and enraged. Sienna watched the Draicon rein in his control. Sweat popped out on his forehead, but his claws retreated.
“This mission is crucial, Miss McClare,” Curtis told her. “If the pyro demons get the Orb, they’ll discover the identity of every member of the Phoenix Force, and our associated powers. And use it to kill my men, who are the last defense against them.”
“Not going to happen,” Parker grated out. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’m not going to let innocent civilians be torched like my buddy was.”
A horrific image came to mind. Streets lined with bodies, burned and twisted. Mothers, fathers, children. Not a tiny village on the edge of a desert, but a city filled with living people. Turned to a charred wasteland where the silent screams of the victims still floated in the air…
Nausea rolled in her stomach. She could no longer hold it at bay.
“Will you please excuse me?”
Somehow she made it down the hallway, into the bathroom, running the water to cover the sounds of her retching. It was worse than she’d been led to believe. With shaking hands, she twisted the tap, splashing water on her face. She took several deep breaths, dried off.
Voices raised in anger. In the corridor she paused outside the living room, out of eyesight.
“You can’t even mention his name.” Parker sounded anguished.
“You know the rules, Dakota. He’s gone.”
“Damn it, I know the rules. He was my buddy. He fought bravely for his country. We can’t even speak of him. Everyone who knew him had their memories of him as a SEAL erased.” Parker hissed out a breath. “Adam deserves better. He deserves to be remembered.”
“And he will.”
She peeked around the corner. Curtis emerged from the kitchen, clutching three amber bottles. He handed one to each man. They raised the bottles, clinked.
“To Adam,” Curtis said.
“To Wildcat,” echoed Shaymore. “A damn fine warrior.”
“To Chief Petty Officer Adam Barstow, the bravest soldier I’ve ever known. The best buddy I ever had. May the spirits guide you to the Other Side as you live on forever in our memories.”
The men drank. Parker tipped his back and took a long pull, his throat muscles working. He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, set down the drink. Glass cracked beneath the pressure of his squeezed fist.
“Matt,” the lieutenant commander said gently.
“It should have been me. I sensed there was something off….”
He twisted and turned, his nostrils flaring. “Spying on us?”
Sienna walked into the room, her heart pounding. Anger and grief etched Parker’s face. She knew all about grief, how it ate you up inside. And to not even be permitted to remember a lost one…
“His name was Chief Petty Officer Adam Barstow.” A statement, not a question.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
Fear skidded along her spine as she saw Parker’s cold expression. This Draicon wasn’t only a deadly wolf who ripped prey apart, but a trained navy SEAL as dangerous as the weapons he wielded. More than six feet of muscle and deadly force regarded her with cold blue eyes. She eyed the pistol holstered to his hip.
The lieutenant’s jaw tightened. “His name isn’t to be mentioned outside his team.”
She kept her voice low and gentle. “Are you going to shoot me? At least grant me the courtesy of saying his name. He was a man who died for his country. Everyone deserves to be remembered after they die. What makes him so different that his name is top secret?”
“Because it is,” Parker said, but she caught the flash of deep grief shadowing his face.
Both the lieutenant commander and Shaymore stood. “Thank you, Miss McClare, for your condolences.” Curtis gave Parker a meaningful look. “Matt, I’ll leave this to your discretion. Knock on the door when you’re finished.”
The connecting door closed behind the men. Do what? Kiss her? Or kill her? Wild thoughts surged through her. Sienna studied Matthew Parker’s full, firm mouth, set now in a grim line. “What’s going on?”
The lieutenant ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I’m going to wipe your memory of what you overheard. It’s easier if there’s no one else in the room.”
Her jaw unhinged. “What? Why?”
Grief shadowed his expression. “It’s a condition of being a SEAL on ST21. If we die, any memories of us as SEALs are erased. Our families are allowed to remember us, but there’s no recollection of us being SEALs. You weren’t supposed to know about Adam.”
As he reached into his pocket and withdrew what looked like a cell phone, panic surged.
“You can’t!”
Sienna’s stomach pitched and rolled. Pushing back from his chair, Parker approached her, power shimmering in the air. His broad shoulders blocked out the overhead light. She tensed and held out a hand.
“You’re not going to let me remember anything about your unit after we’re done?” She tried to keep her voice from trembling.
“It’s all right. It won’t hurt. The NeuroBlaster targets specific memory centers. You won’t feel a thing.” Parker’s voice was low and soothing.
Deep inside, a door was locked and she’d tried pushing it open for a long, long time. Sienna suspected it was a long-buried memory.
“Please don’t do this,” she whispered.
“I must.”
But it could wipe out the memory she desperately longed to surface. Sienna shrank back as he approached. Magick shimmered around him, pushing at the air. He looked regretful as he pressed buttons on the NeuroBlaster.
“If you’re going to erase my memories when this is over, why now erase the memory of the SEAL who died? When knowing what the demons did to him may help us pinpoint who stole the Orb? I need all the information I can get. This doesn’t concern only him, Lieutenant. You’re gambling with the lives of countless innocent civilians.”
It was a long shot, but she had to gamble. Sienna clasped her hands together. Parker lowered his hand.
He seemed to struggle with a decision. Finally he pocketed the device. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, though. Get it? That’s the condition. We stick together.”
She released a quivering breath. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. After this is over, I must take your memories. Deal?”
She’d deal with after much later. For now, she had a respite. Her mouth wobbled in a tremulous smile. “Deal.”
She held out her hand in a formal gesture of thanks. Parker took it, his palm swallowing hers. A shiver raced through her as he stroked her han
d with a thumb. Current sizzled between them, a flare of something deep and significant. The scent of pine forest, leather and pure male invaded her senses. He was overwhelming from a distance, but this close…her hand trembled in his.
Retreating back into formality, she pulled her hand away. He frowned, his gaze whipping around the room.
“I smell something…dark.” Parker’s nostrils flared. He pounded on the wall and the men came into the room.
“Shay, did you do a full scan of the suite for bugs?” Parker demanded.
“Clean.” The Mage rapped his knuckles on the table.
“You didn’t scan her.”
All three men stared at her. Her blood pressure dropped. Sienna couldn’t move. Parker took the cylindrical scanner and swept it over her body. It gave a sharp, tinny beep and lit up red as it hovered over her shirt collar.
“Hellfire,” Shaymore muttered.
Something was crawling on her neck on furry, tiny legs.
“Stay absolutely still,” Parker said softly, setting down the wand.
“Hitchhiker demon worm. Careful,” the lieutenant commander warned.
She wanted to bolt, but forced herself to stay still. Sienna reached up to pluck it off.
“Don’t.” Parker crept toward her, his gaze intent on the creature. “Your move will trigger its defenses.”
“Get it off me,” she whispered.
“Easy now. Close your eyes and mouth. It accesses your body through your orifices.”
She felt it approach her cheek, linger near her mouth, then move downward over her neck. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her heart pounded like thunder in the silent room.
Then suddenly the crawling sensation was gone. Something pressed against her chest like two hands doing compressions.
Sienna looked down. Latched to her blouse was a worm the size of her palm. It opened its mouth to reveal rows of pointed teeth. Yellow foam dripped from the yawning jaws.
Matt tackled her hard, toppling her to the floor. The move threw the creature off her body. He seized the worm, which released a high-pitched squeal. A hard yank and the SEAL twisted off its head. Gray goo splattered.
Breathing hard, more scared than she wanted to admit, she sat up. He squatted beside her, patting her down, his brow furrowed. The lieutenant used the wand again and frowned.
