Dunn had been good to his word.
I lugged two bags of groceries I’d just purchased into my kitchen. I quickly put everything away, and then made myself two pounds of spaghetti and stuck a whole loaf of garlic bread in the oven. Thank goodness for take n’ bakes.
It took me under ten minutes to eat the entire meal, and five to clean it up.
I headed into my bedroom. Time to get ready for the Drake run. I opened my closet doors and gave a happy sigh. Finally the fun part of my day. Anticipation rippled across my spine and soft tingles raced down to my fingertips. I reached in and selected a few hangers, smiling like a fiend.
Time for a little kickass.
There were a lot of things in my closet I was fond of, but my stakeout clothes were by far my favorite. I’d learned the hard way, being unfettered and fluid was a necessary part of my job.
And it was a purely fortunate accident that my ass looked fantastic in spandex.
I dropped my jeans and slid on a pair of silky black leggings. They fit like a second skin and were supposed to be tear-resistant, water-resistant, and somewhat flame-resistant—if someone threw a lit match at me, not if I were to become engulfed in flames. They were satiny and insanely comfortable. A small pocket was sewn into the waistband just big enough to hold my ID, which was handy since regular pockets don’t work well on skintight.
I matched them with a long-sleeved spandex top of the same material. It had tightly woven mesh under the arms, to make it breathable, and extra padding running halfway down the sleeves. There were also two loops sewn onto each arm, right below my shoulders, to hold weapons of my choosing.
I wasn’t carrying any throwing weapons tonight, however.
Incubi weren’t known for their fighting skills. I wasn’t going to need much more than my fists, especially since they were packing extra heat these days.
I finished the ensemble by pulling on a tight black knit cap and I knotted my hair at the base of my neck. My hair was a problem, and by all rights I should’ve chopped it off a long time ago. It had gotten me into trouble in the past, and being incapacitated by hair-pulling could prove a fatal mistake. But vanity was a bitch and I liked my hair long.
I laced up a pair of custom-made black cross-trainers, which boasted extremely thick treads and a line of thinly molded steel running protectively around the toes. They also sported tiny Velcro pouches sewn discreetly on the sides. Very handy for sneaking in a wire undetected.
You could custom order just about anything if you had the money. An extra thousand and I could’ve had my outfit spelled. Though, depending on who you were up against, the spelling didn’t come with a guarantee. A higher demon or sorcerer could smash right through most things if they had enough strength. Plus, the last time I had a thousand dollars to spare was, um, never. My dad had offered to supplement me on many occasions over the years, but I’d never accepted. It’d taken a lot for me to finally earn my independence off Compound, and I took it very seriously.
I hadn’t heard any different from Nick, so I assumed we were on schedule. I grabbed my cell phone, pushed my ID into the front of my pants, and headed out.
In the lot, I opened my car door and slid inside. I leaned over and pulled open the glove box first to check my handgun. My licensed-to-carry, palm-sized 9mm Glock 26 looked brand-new. I’d hardly ever needed it. I did a cursory check of the sight line and the magazine. It shot jacketed silver hollow-point bullets, with added silver shavings at the tip. The bullet was meant to explode on impact and send silver streaming into the blood of whoever was pissing me off at that very moment. It was deadly, because silver worked on most supernaturals. Not all myths were true—which I knew firsthand—but silver was spot-on. Silver, in its purest form, had the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal and reacted like fire to whatever magic fueled the blood of a supernatural. Only the oldest vampires and shifters could fully recover from silver poisoning without massive intervention.
I could hit a running target dead-on, but a gun would never be my weapon of choice. It was too clumsy. But it was nice to know I had a little something-something in reserve when the going got tough. I put it back, closed it up and headed out.
Nick lived only a few minutes from me. He was waiting at the curb. His outfit was black, but was lacking in the shine department. His loss. He opened the passenger door and climbed in. “Feel good to be back?” he asked. “Or do you wish you’d kept right on running Saturday morning?” He held a bag of goodies that smelled suspiciously like the pecan cinnamon rolls from my favorite bakery around the corner from his place.
“What, and leave all this behind?” I spread my arms over the wheel in mock exaggeration, then I nodded toward the bag. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep. I figured if yesterday’s forty pit stops were any indication, you’d be hungry within the first ten minutes. When I went through my transition, if I went without food for more than an hour I was in danger of gnawing on my own leg. Plus, I knew if I fed you these sticky, sweet things at regular intervals, I could keep you relatively happy and focused on the task.”
“Good thinking, ace,” I said. “Now open that bag and toss me one.”
The movie theater Drake had chosen to haunt was located just outside the city limits. It was one of those mega–theater complexes, situated at the edge of a long flowing suburb that used to be nothing but farmland. It boasted eighteen screens and three full snack bars.
We pulled into the main parking lot and drove to the overflow lot, located a hefty distance from the main entrance.
I swung the car into the farthest space available, right next to a grassy knoll. Over the top of the small hill more undeveloped land stretched across the landscape—most likely awaiting a future Home Depot or Wal-Mart. There were a few young trees and bushes dotting the boundary, but otherwise it was pretty bare. It was the perfect location for someone like Drake to take someone unaware. Which was exactly why we were here.
“How do you want to run this?” I asked, turning to Nick, before snagging another sweet, delicious roll. I licked the sticky caramel from my fingers. He was the levelheaded-planner type and I was the take-action-and-ask-questions-later type, so Nick usually ran the points.
“When it gets dark, one of us stays,” Nick said. “And one of us heads back into the trees until he shows. If he’s agitated, he won’t be able to hold out long. Once he finds a suitable target, he’ll move.”
“Okay, I’ll take the trees. I’m too pumped to sit still anyway.” More cars pulled into the lot. “I hate when we have to deal with the lowlifes. It’s always so depressing.”
“I know, but a world without Drake on the streets is a better world. If he does decide to make a grab and tries to take her back to his car, I’ll be the diversion. I’ll maneuver him back to the trees instead. He’ll have no choice but to head there if I’m too close. We take him once he’s over the hill.”
We both knew Drake would not surrender. In a case like this, it was within our rights to use a “reasonable amount of force” to bring him down, which is how it was worded in the description of a citizen’s arrest. I loved the ambiguity, since “reasonable” for an imp meant a considerable amount.
“Here.” Nick held out a small black device. It was thin and about the size of a pack of gum. It worked like a vibrating pager between the two of us. If I depressed my button, the one Nick carried would go off. Small, easy, and effective. “One buzz for visual contact, two for a change of plans, continuous for backup. We rendezvous at the southeast corner of the building if anything goes wrong.”
“Got it.” I took it from him and swapped out my ID, which I stuck in the glove box next to my Glock. I maneuvered it into my pocket, positioning the device facing out, so I could activate it through my spandex.
Slipping from the car, I disappeared over the knoll.
I picked a place with the best vantage point. There was still time before the last of the daylight vanished. Drake wouldn’t come until fu
ll dark. I inhaled, curious to see what I could identify with my new nose. I immediately caught stale popcorn, a mixture of greasy fast food, and more than a hint of human urine. Gross. It wasn’t a surprise with everyone slurping a super-sized soda. I just didn’t need to know about it. I picked up a family of rabbits nearby. I was surprised to find I liked the smell. It was a sweet musk and it made me hungry—hungrier than I already was, which wasn’t saying much.
For the next hour and a half, cars entered the lot but few left. Around nine, the main area stayed full. It was late summer. At nine-fifteen the streetlights blinked on, triggered by the fading light, spreading dull pools of light over the asphalt. Ten minutes later, when the sky settled into darkness, our man Drake pulled into the lot.
I knew it was him by the make and model of his car. The battered Lincoln Continental floated up the lanes, right into the overflow area. My hip buzzed a second later, Nick alerting me to his arrival. Drake swung his boat into a spot not ten feet from where I crouched.
His features through the car window were sharp and hawkish. Once he turned off his engine, his fingers immediately started drumming the steering wheel. He glanced over his shoulder every two seconds to survey the lot.
You’re not getting any tonight, boyo.
He’d make his move tonight. There was little doubt.
The thought of permanently wiping that smirk off his face sent a sweet rush of adrenaline racing through my veins, much stronger than it had been earlier today.
Prey.
The word flashed through my mind like a rocket and suddenly my wolf stood at attention, front and center in my mind. She wanted a fight. Uh-oh. I couldn’t fight a Dominion battle now, all hell would break loose if I lost.
She growled. It was a low menacing sound.
Shit.
Drake chose that moment to ease himself from the car. He half slouched, half crept his way through the parked cars. I had no choice but to follow, but I tried to reason with my wolf as I went. You have to let me have this one. I edged along the tree line, staying low, keeping him in my sights. I can’t let you have control again. We already did that, and I’m not looking for a repeat of the farmer fiasco. This is too important, you have to let me lead.
The wind shifted and I caught a whiff of something faintly sulfuric. A beat later an overwhelming sense of Otherness hit me, climbing along my skin like a warning. The hair on my arms rose to attention and my body gave an involuntary shudder. My sensing had kicked in and I’d picked up Drake’s magic, clearly marking him as a supe. That was handy. My wolf sat up straighter, scenting real danger for the first time. Crap.
I knew the moment Drake picked his target, because the scent of his lust wafted over me. His pheromones were repellent, like stale moldy bread. I wrinkled my nose and tried to breathe through my mouth as I crept closer. His lust scent, mixed with the rotten egg smell—the demonic part of his Otherness—was now officially burned into my memory banks like a bad acid trip. My brain efficiently categorizing it away for later. Wolves could recognize scents, even years later. Not exactly a smell I wanted in my arsenal, but it was good to know that if he got away, I could track him down.
Drake’s victim, or victims in this case, were two girls of no more than fifteen or sixteen. The girls giggled as they walked, totally consumed by their discussion of the boys they planned to meet inside. They were perfect targets. Too totally preoccupied with their upcoming adventure to notice the odd man lurking a few car lengths away from them.
I slid in closer, shielding myself behind the last tree at the edge of the lot. It wasn’t much of a cover, but Drake was fully absorbed. The noxious amount of lust he was emitting told me he was using all of his primary brainpower on seizing his victims instead of keeping alert for possible danger—which made him a dumbshit, as well as a pedophile. I was only four car lengths away from the group now.
Drake eased forward, and I dropped to the ground. The girls were chatting more animatedly as they approached a large gap separating this lot from the main parking area. Drake would lose them if they cleared the last row of parked cars.
“Can you believe how Danielle acted last night? She just threw herself at him. I was so embarrassed for her.”
“I know, it was ridiculous. As if he would …” The skinny blonde in the light blue sundress stopped talking in midsentence. She faltered for a moment, shaking her head. “Becky, I … I think I left something in the car. I … I need to go back.” Her voice was stressed.
“What do you mean? What’d you leave?” Becky was a foot taller, with long brown curls.
“I dunno … but I have to get it. I’ll be really quick … I promise.”
So our friend Drake did have persuasion skills. I hoped like hell that was all he had.
“We’re already late, Jen,” Becky said impatiently. “Just forget it. Honestly, it can’t be that important if you can’t even remember what it is.”
“Um.” Jen struggled. She was hearing one thing from her pal, and another in her head. “No … you go on ahead … I’ll catch up. I’ll be really quick. I promise. I just have to get … this thing.”
Becky clearly wasn’t willing to leave her friend alone. Go, Becky. She started trailing after the now departing Jen. “I don’t know why you’re doing this. We’re already late.” Two paces in Becky stopped abruptly. She shook her head. After a short pause, she mumbled, “Um, okay, Jen. You go get it and … I’ll wait for you … in the theater.” Even though Becky was clearly getting a missive from Drake to leave, it took her more than a few seconds to actually tear herself away and head in the opposite direction. She was warring with herself. People with strong will were always harder to persuade than those without.
Controlling two individuals was going to be a double struggle for Drake. It sapped a lot of energy to do a dual persuasion, as Nick could attest to, and I hoped he was motherfucking tired.
Becky trotted off toward the movie theater, while Jen wandered back toward her vehicle. Drake followed behind her like a shadow, keeping a single car in between them as he went. Another shot of sweat-laced, moldy pheromones wafted up my nose. He was getting more and more aroused. It made me want to tear his arms from his body.
I was still on the grass, waiting for an opportunity, when my wolf lunged to the surface with no warning whatsoever. She barreled into my psyche like a hammer exploding down on a nail, demanding control in a rush of power. My arms shot forward and I sprang onto the balls of my feet.
She wasn’t going to take no for an answer this time.
With gigantic effort, I forced myself to my knees in the grass. I was furious. Goddamn it, I’m not going to lose control again! Do you hear me? This is my body and we do what I say when I say it! I plunged my hands into the earth hard enough to break all my nails to the quick. I clutched at the dirt like a life-line, trying to ground myself in my humanness. As she fought for control I closed my eyes and pushed back as hard as I could. I couldn’t let my wolf take control, it wasn’t an option. If she ruled me, I could kiss my life goodbye.
My arms trembled with the need to change, my muscles shifting under my skin. I clenched my teeth. I couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to think I could come here tonight. I was a newborn. A ticking time bomb. I had no control. What was I doing here?
I opened my eyes and glanced frantically around me. I had to get out of here. Right now. Nick could handle Drake by himself. I wrenched a hand out of the earth and was about to push the vibrate button twice, when Jen’s childish sound of alarm rent the air.
Drake had made his move.
I spotted them quickly. He had her around the waist. Jen was struggling, fighting for her life. In his anxiousness, he must have dropped his persuasion over her. Either that or he just wasn’t strong enough to manage both girls at the same time after all.
There was no way I was letting sweet, blue-sundressed Jen become Drake’s latest victim.
No more time to think; I had to act. I closed my eyes once again, and with all
the power I could gather I grabbed my human side and shoved it into the forefront of my mind in one massive mental heave. My wolf rose against the tide, snapping and growling, doing her best to block my human instincts as she fought for her own. She wanted to win.
But I wanted it more.
Beads of sweat broke out along my skin, prickling my fore-head. I continued forcing the pressure forward, making it count, not relenting. It was like pushing against a giant rubber band, I had no idea if I was gaining ground. It bowed one way, and then back the other, as we both fought hard for command. I threw one more shock of energy into it and a loud tearing sound reverberated along my senses, like a massive sheet of paper being ripped in half. My mind pulled apart like a photo negative, one side gray, the other side black. Both still the same image, but now fully separate.
No time to worry about it.
I was in control and that was all that mattered.
I jumped up and started moving. I’m in the driver’s seat now, got it? She was still in my mind, but now she sat just behind an opaque film that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Fighting humans and imps is mine, I told her as I slid between the parked cars. You can have the nasty werewolves.
She let out a howl of frustration.
We’re searching for harmony here, so feel free to help a girl out. I stopped and crouched lower. I was one car length from Drake and Jen. He had a grimy hand covering her mouth and one solidly around her middle. He was fully occupied.
I shimmied to the edge of the fender. As much as I was aching to jump in right away, I had to be patient. We had to pin Drake with everything we could. If I jumped too early, especially since he had the gift of persuasion, he could easily convince Jen that nothing had happened and get away scot-free. I couldn’t risk that.
Jen bravely kicked and slammed her head into his shoulder over and over. She was fighting a good fight. It was all I could do not to attack then and there. Drake was obviously struggling to keep his hold. He finally grabbed her face and hissed something in her ear. She stopped moving instantly.
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