by Kim Faulks
A scream tore from one of the doors behind me, and a slap followed. But it wasn’t one of torture…only of release. The groan of a bed echoed…and then footsteps, all the way to the door.
The handle bowed, and then opened. Long blond hair brushed his shoulders as the male ducked and stepped through. He stilled, lifted his head, and held my gaze for a second before he murmured. “Stone.”
“Ezre.”
The door clicked shut behind him. If Stone was four…then he was three. Their strength was like a bitter scent, the sharper the tang…the more powerful they were. Ezre was strong enough to be a pain in the ass—Stone even more powerful, and still there were more of them out there.
Five, Six, and the most powerful of all the Hellhounds—the one everyone feared…the one they called Sevan. The ruler of the Cursed.
“I said we stayed here, Guardian…I never said anything about sleeping.”
A flare of anger raced through my veins. “So this is your brothel as well?”
“I wouldn’t call it a brothel, more like playgroup.”
And all of a sudden I didn’t want Kane hanging around Oryn. I didn’t want him coming around at all. No wonder Amaris was pissed…
“In here, Guardian.” He twisted a handle and stepped through. “You look about Rykor’s size. You can shower while I get you some clean clothes.”
“Bastian…my name, it’s Bastian.”
He stilled. “Bastian…if I remember correctly…the Catalyst, right?”
I gave a nod. “I guess this is your lucky day. You could’ve found Zadoc or Lucas at your door.”
“That would be a problem, indeed,” he murmured and disappeared inside.
The soft overhead light flickered, illuminating the space. The place was small and neat. I closed the door behind me and cut through the living room.
Stone reached for the cupboard and sat two clean glasses on the bench. “I’d put money on the fact I wouldn’t have a business left after they were done here.”
“And what makes you think I’m any different?”
And that was the question, wasn’t it? He slowly filled the glass, taking care now when he hadn't before. I took a step, drawn by the prey in him and the predator in me.
The Catalyst writhed and surged. A shattering cry pierced my head, sounding tortured…and savage. Flames lashed my mind. This was more than the darkness, more than the woman. It was my death…and her blood mingling together. “Have a care how you look at me, Hellhound. What you see as weak could be your undoing.”
There was no smirk this time. No snarky comment, only a careful gaze as he pushed the glass toward me.
My fingers trembled as I reached for the tumbler. I dragged the rim to my lips and swallowed. Heat bloomed like an inferno, consuming…everything. “The house in the mountain.”
“Blaze Trigg. The new King in Hell’s Gate.”
I flinched with the words. “New King…didn’t take long after Heron’s death, did he?”
And there was that smirk again. The one which said he had all the answers. “Oh he didn’t wait for Heron to die to claim the title. He went and took it for himself.”
“Usurper.”
Stone gave a slow nod. There was a glint in his eye, one that whispered careful. “He took everything from her, and forced her underground. They’d all die if it wasn’t for her. It’s dangerous times, Guardian…very dangerous times. And Kings make new alliances every day.”
I clenched my jaw. I could still feel the blood on my hands, still smell it on my clothes. What was once murky was growing clearer now. I misjudged Amaris…by a mile. No wonder she had such fierce and loyal protectors. “I want to meet with this new King…Blaze Trigg. Can you arrange it?”
“I can.”
I gave a nod and pushed the empty glass onto the counter. “Today?”
“You’re real keen to get yourself killed, you know that right?”
It was my turn to smirk. My turn to hold all the cards close to my chest. “If there’s one thing these last few days have taught me, Hellhound…it’s I’m not that easy to kill.”
10
Bastian
“Rise and shine sleepy head.”
I cracked open my eyes to stare at the naked woman. She was beautiful and flawless, smooth skin that melted into perfect blonde hair. She leaned closer, lips parted with the faint flicker of fire in her eyes. Kiss me, hummed from her body.
I licked my lips and clawed for something to say. “Not quite the wakeup call I’m used to.”
“Stone said you might want some company in the shower,” she murmured and then rose from the bed.
Jesus… Perfect breasts gave a tiny jiggle as she crossed her arms over her chest. I forced a smile, finding her gaze. “Thank you, but I’ve been washing myself for a few thousand years now.”
Confusion slipped into her gaze. I’d bet my damn pants she wasn’t used to being turned down. I shoved against the mattress and rolled out of bed. Cold air slapped me on the ass. I turned, dropped my hands in front of my body trying to keep some damn sense of modesty, and made for the bathroom. “But you can tell Stone I said thanks, and I take my eggs sunny side up.”
“Wait…you mean you don’t want to?”
And for some reason her sense of loss made me smile. I saw her with her perfection and all I wanted was blood, sweat, and tears. I wanted ruthless…I wanted pain. I wanted fire down to the very depths of who I was. “No. I really don’t want to. You’re a beautiful woman, and you deserve a lot more than this. Good luck to you.”
I stepped inside, closed and then locked the door for good measure. Did Stone think I was that easy? Throw a beautiful woman my way and I was done? I glanced to the pile of clothes on the basin. Black jeans and a soft, cotton, long-sleeved silver shirt.
And this was as casual as the guy was. I shook my head, where were the T-shirts? Where were the faded ripped jeans with the BBQ sauce stain shaped like a damn heart?
Where was normality? I stepped into the shower big enough for Lucas’s Dragon, the Saint, and hit the lever. Warm water shot out from the overhead to hit me in the back of the head.
My body shivered as I closed my eyes. It was the first shower I’d had for days… My shoulders relaxed. I reached for the soap and lathered my hands. I was sore, mostly my chest. The ache chased my fingers as I rubbed along my sternum and over muscle.
Memories were flash-bombs inside my mind. Heat and power rushing through my veins, and the Catalyst taking the brunt of the force. He dove deeper, carving through the murky depths. “Something happened to you, didn’t it?”
The roar of the water filled my head. I searched for him, scanning the corners as I rubbed the soap down my stomach. She came to me…this walking apocalypse of a woman. Her black hair clumped with blood and sweat. That body—toned, hard, smeared with blood.
My cock twitched, even bloody, dirty, dressed in filthy jeans and a mess of a bra, she had more of a reaction that the blonde Stone sent me. It wasn’t just her body that drew me to Amaris. It was her secrets…her fight, her fire. It was the lengths she’d go to…
You think you know? Think you got it all figured out, huh?
Those words resounded as I cupped my balls and fisted my length. Christ. I leaned forward, letting the water slip down my spine, and worked the shaft all the way to the head.
You got what you came here for. Rest assured Guardian, once you walk out of here you’ll never have to speak, or see me again.
Fuck. My hand slipped with the throb, harder…faster—tighter. One damn notch at a time. Cause that was the kicker, wasn’t it? I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t do a damn thing but bury myself with this woman. My hand worked up and down…up and down.
I tried to think about something else…anything else. The blonde, with the nice tits. The fucking untapped rage. The fire. Yeah, the fire. Up and down…up and down. Harder, clenching until tendons tightened…until blood rushed.
Until I could almost taste her…her body, her skin…alm
ost taste her name on the tip of my tongue. “Amaris.”
My cock twitched and the head shuddered. Warmth shot against my palm, and in the release he came to me…the Catalyst, revealing everything…
Purple glinted from the scales along his body. But it was his wings that held me…his fins that danced blood red with fire.
Flames smothered the webbing between each pointed talon that ran the length of his body.
I flinched from the sight and found his gaze. He shook his head, and spread his gills. Flames licked the air from between each gash in his thick neck. The fire wasn’t just on him…it was part of him. “Goddess above…no.”
My Dragon had changed.
He was no longer the quiet, easily controlled one of the family. He was wildfire, he was a…a…Catalyst.
I flinched with the thought and found those blazing eyes. “This was meant to happen, wasn’t it?”
He sucked in a breath, and exhaled. Flames lunged from the side of this body like a damn furnace. He’s changed…just like Zadoc had changed…just like Marcus, Victor, Michael, and Lucas.
They changed when they found their true mates.
Drops splattered as I shook my head and hit the lever, ending the spray. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I wanted to argue, to damn well fight fate to the bloody end. But the truth was undeniable. The damn woman made my heart race. She set my Dragon on fire…she bought me back to life.
I stepped free of the shower and reached for the towel, and lifted my head. Flames lingered in the darkness of my eyes. Purple and red blended perfectly, as though it’d always been this way. As though she’d always been this way…in here, where my Dragon waited. “There’s only one problem with that…she won’t give you the time of day.”
Cotton skimmed my body as I buffed and then yanked on the clothes Stone had given me. The jeans fit snug, and the shirt was like damn satin against my skin. “Oh man, this is nice.”
I tugged the sleeves and worked the buttons, then stood back and looked at myself. I was different, strange, as though I slipped into someone else's skin just as I slipped into these strange clothes.
A door opened outside in the bedroom. I twisted the lock, and then yanked the handle to stare at the towering blond male. He turned his head, and captured me with piercing blue eyes. I crossed the room and grabbed a pair of socks and my boots. “Ezre, right?”
“Stone said you wanted a meeting with Blaze?”
He was a man of few words. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“Get dressed. There’s food on the table. I’ll meet you in the car.” He took one look at the rumpled bed, and then left.
I stared at the empty doorway and shook my head. The scent he left behind was stale and sickly, laced with regret and remorse. I glanced at the bed and tried to understand. Did the guy like the blonde? Did he think just because Stone sent her up here that I slept with her?
I sat down on the end of the bed and yanked on the socks and then my boots. Goddamn Stone. He needed a lesson in respect. The echo of voices carried through the open door. I glanced to the dark tinted window. Sunlight poured in, giving the room a gray glow. This room like this damn bar was devoid—of color, of life…of anything real and honest.
Unlike home. That place was neon bright, burning like a star in the dead of the night. I made for the hallway and yanked the door shut. Voices grew louder, the chink of a glass followed.
Stone turned, handed me a glass of juice and gave a quick scan. “They look better on you than they do on me, and that’s saying something.”
“Thanks again for the clothes, but the company—”
“Ah, yes. The company. Stacie can be quite a handful…”
I stepped close and closed my hand around his holding the glass. “She’s still a human, and deserves a little more respect than to be shopped around like a piece of meat.”
That cruel spark returned with a sneer. “You sound like Ezre. Stacie is free to come and go as she pleases. It’s just that other things please her more.”
I gripped the glass and nodded. There was no arguing with someone like Stone. Men like him only learned through pain and suffering…the Cursed was more than a name, more than a damn legacy. Some men suffered the sentence, others welcomed it with open arms.
I drained the glass and handed it back. “Thanks for the clothes and the hospitality.”
“I’ll be seeing you, Guardian.”
The words felt more like a threat than a promise. The corner of my lip curled. I gave a nod and then turned. The sooner I was out of this place the better. I made for the front door of the apartment and then the stairs.
My heart sped as my Dragon pushed to the surface. Violet glinted in the shine of the black bannister. “Easy there.” A snarl echoed through my head. The slow heavy beat of the club drowned out the sound. “What’s gotten into you?”
There was no answer, only a snarl before he turned, took one massive step, and dove. He was gone before I had a chance to speak, gliding through the undercurrents of my mind.
I stepped through the doorway, catching sight of the barmaid. She turned, forced a smile, and then lifted a hand to the far side of the bar, to the door marked Private. “Ezre, says take the side exit. Apparently you know which one.”
I gave a nod and scanned the space. “A little early, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t they tell you? The fun never stops in Hell’s Gate. Yay.” She raised her hands into the air, her words dripping with sarcasm.
My lips curled with a smile. I liked her. “Thank you,” I murmured and headed for the far door. One lonely dancer was twisting her body around a pole. Three men sat at the back and watched me as I strode past. I caught sight of Stacie sitting next to one man. She had her arm draped across his shoulder, whispering into his ear.
Her gaze shifted, we connected as I hit the door. There was no excitement, no desire, only a different hunger now…one of anger, one of hate. I turned back to the exit, bore down on the handle and stepped through, leaving the club behind.
I looked for the beast of a man, but there was no movement in the shadows, and the curtains to the private shows were lifted. The sickly scent of blood and death still lingered. If you had a hint of immortality in your veins you’d feel it…and you’d scent it.
I headed down the hallway, took one look into the mess of a cubicle at the end, and shoved through the door. A black Mercedes waited in the middle of the alley. The engine throbbed, dark tint gave little away. Plumes of white smoke drifted from the exhaust to mingle with the bitter sulphur stench.
My eyes watered. I tried to swallow the burn, but the damn door blurred as I swiped the handle. The cold air-conditioning hit me as I slipped inside and shut the door.
“I’m not going in there. I’ll drive you to the gate—the rest is up to you. But he’s expecting you.”
I gave a nod waiting for the Cursed to shove the car into gear and take off. Instead he just sat there, waiting. “I didn’t…you know…sleep with her.”
“He treats them like his own personal toys. He doesn’t take care of them, not like I do.”
“And Kane. Does he take care of them?”
Ezre turned his head, nailing me to the leather seat with those blue eyes. “He used to…not anymore.”
His hands moved fast, shoving the car into gear before we pulled away. The car turned left at the end, and eased out onto the road. People milled about on the street corners. Shops were open for business as usual. You’d be mistaken to think this place was almost normal. “Don’t they care that half the city is dying?”
“They don’t even notice it. It’s been this way for some time now. It’s like the whole city is under a damn spell.”
And that was just how it felt. I stared out of the window as Ezre handled the corners, making for the city outskirts. Buildings towered in the city center, bleeding out to smaller businesses and then residential estates. “So this Blaze…what’s his deal?”
“He’s the new Ki
ng, the rightful King. What he says goes.”
I nodded at the script. Sarcasm seemed to flow through this city like the damn lava veins under the ground. “Yep, got it. Anything else I need to know about?”
He turned then, holding my stare. “Watch everything, especially your back.”
The Mercedes accelerated, climbing higher, past the people and the city to the trees and the mountains. Pines and Ash trees hugged the outskirts, reminding me of home. The engine growled taking the rise easy…very different from the rough goddamn ride here.
That night came back to me in a rush. I could feel the desperation, and the pain. Still feel the uncontrollable rage as I cornered the Commander. Poor sonofabitch. If he was alive it’d be a miracle.
“Bad blood, that’s all this is down to?” I murmured and stared at the trees whipping past. We climbed and climbed until we reached the peak and then took a small bitumen road to the left. The eight-foot-high fence was sleek and modern, glinting in the sun as Ezre pulled up to the speaker.
He punched the button and rolled down the window before leaning out. But the gate moved before he had a chance to announce our arrival. I leaned forward, catching the cameras overhead, and nodded. The car lurched through the opening as the gate opened.
“I’ll give the guard my number. He’ll call when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, but I’m not sure I want to go back there…to the club. No offense.”
He gave a nod and pulled up in the front of a monstrous house. “None taken, my man. Anywhere you want to go, I’ll drive you.”
I yanked open the handle and climbed out. Sunlight glinted off the windows to blind me. I wrenched my hand high, covering my eyes, and shoved the door.
The front door of the house opened, a barrel-chested brute strode out. I glanced at the black turtleneck and the shine of two Sig Sauers strapped to his chest. The Merc rolled forward, and was gone before I had a chance to change my mind.
