The Lost (Sin Hunters)

by Piñeiro, Caridad

  Surprise came swiftly to the man’s features. “I don’t understand.”

  “You owe your allegiance to my son and yet you come here, telling me his secrets,” Alexander said, laying his other hand on the man’s shoulder to tighten the web around him and speed the transfer of power. Before his eyes dozens of tendrils of Hunter energy formed around the points of contact before sinking deep into the man’s flesh to draw yet more vigor from his being.

  “Came… to… help,” the man pleaded, not that it would do him any good.

  “Añaru. You are draining him,” Maya said from beside him, fear in her voice.

  “The energy, Maya. It is incredible,” Alexander said, caught up in the vitality racing through his body, repairing the damage created by the damned human pox. A faint whimper came from the man as he slowly crumpled to his knees, and still Alexander held on until there was not a drop of energy left in the other Shadow’s body.

  He released his hold and the man fell to the ground, his lifeless stare still mirroring his confusion.

  Alexander brushed his hands together, as if wiping off something distasteful. Then he faced Maya, and with a smile, cradled her cheek and released a bit of the life force.

  She shuddered and released a mewl of pleasure. Beneath the tight fabric of her gown, her nipples hardened into visible nubs.

  “Later, my dear,” he said, and with purposeful strides he returned to the massive granite and steel desk by the large windows of his office. Pushing the intercom button, he summoned his own cadre captain and within seconds the man entered.

  His captain strode in, ignoring the other Shadow Hunter’s corpse as he approached Alexander and saluted. “What is your command, Añaru?”

  “Select your most trusted man, William. I need him to replace this scum in Christopher’s cadre.” He negligently flicked his hand in the direction of the fallen Hunter.

  William finally glanced down at the body of his former clansman. “Did he displease, Añaru?”

  Alexander chuckled. “Not at all, William. He pleased me quite well, but there is something I need you to oversee,” he said, and advised his captain about the dead man’s report and what he wished William to do.

  “I want your man to confirm what’s happening with Christopher and I want you to visit Salvatore Bruno. Impress on him that Maya and I are growing tired of waiting.”

  After he had finished, his captain nodded and saluted again. “As you wish,” he replied, and exited, leaving him and Maya alone with the corpse.

  She walked toward Alexander, her hips swaying, her aura a dark crimson stained in spots from the smallpox energies woven into her being. As her gaze met his, the desire roused by his earlier touch was evident in her dilated pupils. He knew what she wanted, but he would not satisfy her tonight.

  “It’s time you went to Christopher, Maya. I want you to find out whatever you can about this unique power he seeks.”

  Maya walked straight up to him, not stopping until the hard nubs of her nipples rubbed across the cotton of his shirt. She teased him with a little blast of her sexual energy, but he would not be weak tonight. Not when he had such wonderful vitality flowing through him.

  “Not tonight, Maya.”

  “But I’m so ready for you, Alexander,” she said, and to prove her point, she grasped his hand and brought it to the fabric between her legs.

  There was no denying her readiness. The heat and wet of her drenched the fabric beneath his fingers and his cock jumped in anticipation, but he fought back the desire.

  “Go, Maya, before I suck you dry as well.”

  Realizing he was serious, she copied the cadre captain’s earlier deference. “I will go to Christopher as you wish, Añaru.”

  What he wished was to be whole again, Alexander thought as she left. He glanced down at his hands and saw perfect skin once more. Until the arrival of Christopher’s cadre member, he had barely been keeping the pox away, and then only by feeding regularly from one of the many humans in the city below. But such nourishment had to be controlled to avoid calling attention to the existence of the Shadows. He pivoted swiftly on one heel, away from the sight of the body his cadre would remove later, and to the view of New York City below him.

  Such a glorious spectacle, he thought as the glowing lights of the city illuminated the multitude of humans on the streets below, unaware they might become a snack for him or one of the other Shadows. So much life for the taking, and yet still not enough to sustain them for any length of time.

  Only the energies from the Light Hunters could offer any real sustenance, and even then, no energy was quite as sweet as that from one of their leaders—a Quinchu.

  As for the incredible power he had just drained…

  If Adam Bruno was the source of it, he had to get Salvatore to push forward with his Genesis project. Whether by getting Adam together with Maya or taking Adam’s energy for his own, it had to happen, and soon.

  His hunger and the pox could only be appeased for so long.

  Selina sighed and snuggled closer to Kellen, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, in a sense of completeness that had been missing for so long, but was almost banished with the discovery of Kikin’s whereabouts.

  She had no doubt the man who thought of himself as Adam Bruno was their son. There had been a link to something old and familiar when she and Kellen had united to dispel the energies jumbling Lucas’s aura. The force had resonated with her, awakening the memories of Kikin as a baby. The pulse of his power as he had suckled at her breast. Resting beside her during an afternoon nap to avoid the high heat of a desert summer.

  Kikin’s energy signature had been twined all around Lucas’s, and it was strong. It would soon be at its zenith as he neared the end of his first triad. The only thing left to complete the Equinox would be for Adam to find a mate, a woman with whom he could bind and share his power. With that accomplished, he would incorporate her strength within him to be whole.

  If they brought him… No, when they brought him home that would happen with the daughter of the Quinchus of the Ocean clan as had been planned so long ago. So much promise for the future of their son and their Light Hunter clan, she thought. Soon that final patch of emptiness inside her would be gone.

  Kellen brushed his hand up and down the skin of her back, the motion lazy and sexy all at the same time. In his arms Selina had always found comfort and satisfaction, even during the bleakest moments when she had been on the verge of losing not only hope, but sanity.

  “You’re smiling,” he said, inching back to examine her face.

  It had been so long that she reached up and traced her lips just to confirm it. “Yes, I am,” she said and allowed those long unused muscles to shift into an even happier grin.

  Despite her joy, a deep wrinkle emerged on his forehead and sadness darkened the emerald of his eyes. Eyes so much like Kikin’s. Like Adam Bruno’s.

  “I don’t want you to be disappointed,” he said, propping his head up on one hand as he focused on her.

  “I won’t be.” She held no illusions about the welcome she was likely to receive from Kikin, but she hoped that in time he would come to understand what had happened. How many had sacrificed their lives that night to protect him. How many others had fallen in the search to find him.

  “We must be patient, Selina. Bide our time.”

  “You know we cannot delay much longer,” Selina said, and cradled his face, swiping her thumb along his cheek and the fine lines age and worry had etched onto his features.

  His eyes grew dusky, dimming like the light as night approached. “We risk so much if we act too soon.”

  “Eduardo. Lucas. Their energies, the energies of so many in the clan, are weakening as are ours. Kikin’s power can change that. Has changed that,” she said in reference to the energy they had siphoned from their cadre member.

  He nodded, and in a burst of speed, rolled over her, pinning her to the mattress, covering her mouth with his and taking her lips in a hu
ngry, almost desperate kiss. The strength of it ripped through her, awakening her as no one else could. She gave herself over to his loving, understanding.

  Time was fleeting and he wanted to savor every breath they had left if it turned out they could not bring Kikin home.

  CHAPTER

  27

  Bobbie couldn’t remember how long she had delayed in the garage, trying to piece together what had just happened in Adam’s kitchen. How they had gone from such a loving moment to the accusations that had followed, shattering the sense of peace and unity they had been feeling. If there had been one consolation it had been that she had seen Salvatore Bruno pulling away only moments after she had gotten into her own car.

  Adam had clearly not been happy with Salvatore either, judging from the short duration of his stay, which made her hope that there was still some way of convincing Adam that she and her family had done none of the things Salvatore claimed. That was if she even wanted to.

  Being with Adam risked the calm and peaceful life she had envisioned for herself after returning from Iraq. Being with him likely meant being constantly on the defensive and at risk.

  But being with him also meant feeling more alive than she had ever felt and maybe that was worth the risk to her white-picket-fence dreams. Or maybe together they could put an end to the threat and have a happily-ever-after-life-on-the-fringe.

  With those thoughts in mind, she pulled into a spot in front of her condo, determined to regroup and decide what to do next. As she exited her convertible she dropped her keys, and as she bent to pick them up, a reflection of something in the chrome rim caught her eye.

  She slipped her hand into the wheel well, felt around, and encountered a thumb-sized box. She pulled it off. Magnetic backing had kept the box on the inside of her front fender.

  She had no doubt about what it was: a tracking device.

  She had no doubt who had put it there: Salvatore Bruno.

  She had no doubt about why: She was a threat to whatever plans Salvatore had for Adam.

  She also had no hesitation about what she had to do next: determine exactly what Salvatore planned for Adam. To accomplish that she had to turn the tables on him.

  Gripping the tracking device in her hand, she knew just who could help her do that. She placed it back onto the fender, not wanting to clue Salvatore that she had discovered it. She would have to borrow another ride. But for right now, she had to go inside and plan. Find a way to alleviate the heaviness inside her, threatening to drag her down.

  Misery, she told herself. As deep and debilitating as that she had felt upon first awakening after the IED explosion. She had almost lost herself then. If not for her family’s support, she might have. For that reason alone she would not question them about Salvatore’s accusations. She had no doubt they were all lies and didn’t deserve her consideration. She also would not involve them in what was happening. Her older siblings had already suffered enough at the hands of others. But despite that, they had found happiness and moved on with their lives.

  She wasn’t about to disrupt their happiness with Bruno’s unfounded allegations. And she wasn’t ready to give up her own chance at happiness without at least giving it a shot.

  Bobbie slumped in the driver’s seat of the speedy Mustang she had borrowed from one of her girlfriends, waiting for Salvatore Bruno to arrive at the laboratory facilities where her older sister was working part-time. Several months ago she and Bobbie’s brother Mick had been involved in taking down a group of rogue scientists operating under the name Wardwell. Bobbie’s sister, Liliana, still treated some of the patients who had been used as human guinea pigs.

  She sipped her coffee, needing the caffeine boost because she had gotten little sleep the night before. Her mind had been too unsettled to allow for any real rest, and she had felt the weight of Adam’s restlessness within her as well, adding to her misery.

  Then this morning she had been up and about quite early, taking a walk down to Sam Cunningham’s shop, where she had sought the young woman’s help with a listening device in the event that her tail of Bruno led her to some possible answers. Instead of large parabolic mikes, which would have been way too visible, Sam had provided a much smaller handheld model she had developed. Bobbie hoped it would be unobtrusive enough to allow her to listen in on Salvatore.

  She scrunched down in her seat and pulled her baseball cap lower, impatiently waiting. She’d heard her sister mention during dinner the other night that the government types monitoring her work visited every day. She hoped Bruno was one of those government types.

  It was close to lunch hour when Salvatore’s blue Cadillac CTS pulled into the lot. He parked the car, walked to the door, and slid a key card through the lock. When the door slid open, Bobbie resisted the urge to follow and confront. This was one time she had to curb her impulsiveness.

  Luckily, she didn’t have long to wait.

  Within half an hour Salvatore exited, checking his watch anxiously as he walked. He clearly had somewhere to be, and Bobbie was hoping that wherever he went would provide her with some answers.

  “I’m trying to make it happen,” Salvatore said as William, Sombrosa’s new emissary, sat in the passenger seat of the Cadillac. They were parked in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 33 and William glanced around, looking for signs of any unusual auras, satisfied that he saw none.

  “It needs to happen faster. Adam’s Equinox may come any day now.”

  “Or in a month or in a year. You don’t know when it will happen,” Salvatore challenged abruptly, clearly not liking the pressure that was being exerted.

  “When it does come, Adam must mate with Maya. That is the only way that their powers can be bound together to guarantee the continuation of the Hunters,” William responded patiently. To put Salvatore at ease, he released waves of power in direct opposition to those he sensed emanating from Salvatore. Like one kind of sound canceling another, William’s unique powers let him neutralize the emotions of both Hunters and humans.

  “I am working on it, but something unusual has come up,” Salvatore said a little more placidly.

  “Should we be worried about it?” William questioned, his voice neutral despite his concern that an obstacle had arisen to their plan.

  With a sigh, Salvatore said, “I’m already handling her, William. Just give me another day or so.”

  Because it would take William at least a day to get Alexander’s man planted in Christopher’s cadre, it was time that William could give the human. With a nod, he opened the door and stepped out, but then stuck his head back in. “I am patient, but Alexander is not. If I can help you solve your problem—”

  “One way or the other, I can handle her,” came Salvatore’s terse reply.

  William smiled and shut the car door. He took a step back and then tapped the roof to signal that he was clear. Salvatore pulled away, and after he did so, William strolled toward the GMC Acadia where his man waited for him. He was stepping into the vehicle when he noticed a flash of blue in a car across the way. Unfortunately, the Mustang peeled out of the parking lot of the McDonald’s before he could get a close look at the driver.

  He cursed himself for not being more vigilant, but forced himself to push away worry. He had a mission to accomplish for his Añaru. The first step had been completed: The message had been delivered.

  He could not dally about finishing the second task. The Añaru expected William to place his man in Christopher’s cadre, and he had to do that today so that their alternate plans were in place. If Salvatore could not deliver Adam peacefully, they needed to be ready to grab him. And if the unique power Alexander had sensed in Christopher’s man did not come from Adam Bruno, they had to be ready to seize that source of energy as well.

  CHAPTER

  28

  Christopher Sombrosa had long ago given up trying to decipher the motivation behind his father’s actions, convinced there was only one reason: power.

  Unlike his father before him,
Alexander Sombrosa took what he thought he was entitled to, forgoing the innovation and labors that had made his Shadow clan great. Many in the clan had followed that example, content to hunt the humans around them rather than learn about the origins of their abilities.

  Christopher was convinced they could improve their skills to gather the energy and keep away the illness that had woven its way into their genetic makeup.

  The prospects of the clan had suffered from that sense of entitlement under his father, and Christopher had no doubt it was unsustainable. The Shadow Hunters could only suck the life from so many humans before calling attention to themselves and risking the freedom they had enjoyed for so long.

  As Christopher stared at William, his father’s cadre captain, and the man beside him, he had no doubt that this move was just another power play by his father. The man who was supposed to join his cadre was from his father’s guard, which made Christopher uneasy.

  The world of the Shadows was wickedly competitive, with danger an everyday occurrence for those who aspired to the role of Añaru. As his father’s heir he was a target and preferred choosing his own men to watch his back. He needed a man whom he could trust, not his father’s lap dog.

  Or his father’s leavings, he thought, shooting a glance at Maya, supposedly his fiancée yet marked by the stain of his father’s power.

  “You say that Andrew has been relieved from service?” he said to William, and peered at the supposed replacement. Then he shot a glance back at his own captain, Ryan, who stood by the door to his office. Vigilant, but silent.

  The replacement remained at attention, with not a twitch or blink to give away what he was thinking. Beside him Maya was likewise immobile, but Christopher suspected that she knew what had happened to his cadre member.

  “Suffice it to say, Andrew is no longer with us,” William replied, utterly deadpan, but the meaning was clear.