Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Lindsey R. Loucks

  He meant it to be a soft kiss, teasing, testing, but he had no control when it came to her, no holding back. His mouth slid over hers, the kiss deepening until he was drowning in her, until she was clawing at his shoulders, his back, and he was thrusting up against her, her shirt riding up, her knickers soaking wet against his boxers. So little fabric, he could move it, just slide it out the way.

  His hand travelled down her hip across her pubic bone. She gasped into his mouth.

  “Ryder.”

  He froze. What the fuck was he doing? He couldn’t give her this, he couldn’t allow himself this. It felt too good and he was not good, he was a monster and if she got too close then he would destroy her. Rolling off her he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Garret turned down a side street cut through an alley and climbed over a wall, landing light on his feet in a small back garden. There was a broken swing and a rusty slide sitting half buried in overgrown grass. He moved quickly to the side door, reaching up to fumble for the loose brick above the awning where the key would be. His fingers closed around the metal, cold and ominous, and he unlocked the door and slipped inside.

  The interior smelt damp and musty, unused and uninhabited just as it should. A thick layer of dust lay over the furniture, but the floor was carpeted so shouldn’t leave any dust footprints. He moved to the door on the side of the staircase and pulled it open. It was a broom cupboard filled with wellington boots and a hanging coat rail piled with coats. Pushing the coats aside, he fumbled for the catch which would give him access to the secret room beyond.

  He pushed the catch in and there was a soft click. The door swung open.

  The room beyond was filled with books, notepads and audio cassette recordings. Hemway was a settler, one of the scientists that had worked on the Horseman project in its inception. He was the insiders’ inside man. Plagued by the horror of what he had helped achieve, he was willing to aid the humans in claiming back their planet. In exchange for his help, what was left of the human government had agreed to ensure that no innocent settler lives would be lost, and that settlers would be integrated into human society.

  Hemway did not agree with the settler regime—the control, the subjugation of humanity. It sickened him and the insiders were lucky to have him as an ally, except now it seemed that Hemway may be out of the picture, possibly permanently. If that was the case then the settler council may know about them, or at least that they existed, which would mean tighter security, more eyes on the streets and general bad shit.

  He opened the drawers on the desk, searching for the tape that Hemway had said he had left here in the note Kate had given him. If it was what he thought it was then it may just contain all the answers they needed to make their plans a reality, because although Hemway had aided them by feeding them intel, he had kept certain pertinent information close to his chest. Maybe as a bargaining chip, maybe because he was still unsure of the insiders’ motive, either way he had held back, but now he might be dead, and in death he was offering them everything they needed to bring down the settlers.

  Dammit! Where was it? Ah! His fingers grazed something taped to the side of the drawer. He yanked off the tape and retrieved the package. It was small, probably a USB stick. Headquarters would have the tech to open the files on it.

  He tucked it into his pocket and made his way out if the room, pushing the coat-covered door back into place until it closed with a secure click.

  He made to step out from under the stairs and froze.

  There was someone, no, two someone’s, in the house with him.

  Fuck!

  If he stayed put they’d find him for sure. He needed to get out. Now!

  He waited, listening. A set of footsteps climbed the steps. The other, he was pretty sure, had gone into the living room. He had to make his move.

  He pushed open the door enough to slide through and pulled his dagger from its sheath under his jacket. He began to make his way to the kitchen. Silent, fast.

  Shit!

  The settler officer turned to face him—almost six feet tall, all neat and tidy in her crimson uniform, her eyes widening in surprise. So they weren’t expecting to find anyone here. She glanced at the dagger in his hand and quirked a brow.

  What the fuck was she waiting for?

  What the fuck was he waiting for?

  She locked eyes with him for a long moment, long enough for him to notice the amber flecks in her amazing green eyes and then she turned her back on him.

  For a moment he was stunned, and then his lips broke into a grin and he was out of there.

  He didn’t breathe until he was two streets away and then he stopped outside a window display of suits and fancy shoes and pretended to be real interested in the clothes while he waited for his heartbeat to slow down.

  He wasn’t sure what had just happened. No, that was a lie. He knew exactly what had just happened, he just wasn’t sure why. Why had the officer let him go? Officers were machines, focused on their goal, whatever directive they were given. If settler civilians were considered inhuman then the officials were protocol beasts.

  So why had she let him go?

  He could feel the weight of the information in his pocket. He needed to get it to HQ as soon as possible and he needed to check in with his team, let them know he was alright. He’d leave out the near miss with the female officer for now. He needed to think on that one. Kate’s frightened face reminded him he had one more stop before he could check out of City.

  Calm and composed, he left the window display and made his way toward Sunshine Leisure Centre.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  She’d been under him, practically begging him to do her and he’d walked away. Damn, rejection stung, and now he was touching her hand, running the pad of his thumb over the metal hidden beneath her skin and explaining his theory to her again. Ryder’s idea seemed farfetched, but the evidence so far was in its favour. Could it be possible that the thing in her hand, that lump of metal, still had the power to control his rage?

  She kept her eyes fixed on the floor. She couldn’t look at him, not yet.

  “So I’m sure this controls it. The last few times I lost control, you were there.” She blushed and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, so in the tunnel yesterday, you made it stop. I think it was this, the switch.”

  It was an interesting theory and the only way to prove it was test it. If it worked then they may have a chance at winning the big fight.

  Time to put aside her embarrassment.

  She looked up at him, locked eyes and held his gaze.

  “Let’s do it.” He blinked sharply and she felt her face heat. Dammit! “I mean, lets test it. We can go find Terry and maybe he can help.”

  Ryder sat back, releasing her hand. “What is it with you and this guy?”

  “I don’t know, I just…I have a good feeling about him, and did you see his face last night? He knows something.”

  “Fine, but if we can get this to work, we may not need him.”

  “Really? I thought you were never trained in the art of combat.”

  His lips curved in a sadistic smile. “Doesn’t mean I’m not super strong. With the rage under control I can tap into that strength and, once I hit something, it ain’t coming back up.”

  “You have to land a blow first. Ever heard the tale of David and Goliath?”

  He frowned.

  “Yeah, didn’t think so. It’s a bible story, that’s like a religious text…” He looked blank and her eyes widened. “You don’t have religion?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I have heard of it. I remember…people praying, imploring an unseen force to aid them when we were decimating the land.” He snorted. “Yeah, fat lot of good that did them.”

  “Don’t knock the power of faith, Ryder. It unites people, gives them hope, forces them to get back up and keep trying.”

  His eyes narrowed. “So this story…”

  She s
ighed. “Okay, well there’s this story about a young boy who defeats a giant with the simple use of his wit and stunning aim.”

  Ryder’s brow crinkled. “You’re saying I need to employ both strength and skill.”

  “I think Terry may be able to help us.” God, she hoped so.

  “Fine, we’ll go see him. The library is-”

  “On the farthest edge of town to the north, yeah, I know. I live here, remember?”

  He cocked his head. “No, I would have remembered.”

  He was looking at her in that way again, the way that made her want to suck on his bottom lip. She licked her own lips instead, drawing his gaze.

  “We should leave now.” His voice had gone all gravelly and ‘come to bed’, and her pulse was pounding in her neck.

  Neither of them moved and then there was a hammering on the door.

  Ryder blinked as if resurfacing from a daze and unfurled his large body off the floor.

  He padded out the room and into the workshop.

  Star sagged back against the sofa, throbbing in all the right places. This was crazy. The effect he had on her was nuts. She needed a shower, a cold one, but there was barely time to get her pulse regulated before Ryder returned with a man in tow.

  Star sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing.

  The man’s gaze flickered her way, his head bobbing slightly, a signal.

  “This is Gary, he works for Salvage.”

  He worked for more than Salvage and what the hell was he doing here? She knew the list and Ryder wasn’t on it. She kept her eyes locked on Gary, who had gone extremely pale.

  “I need some air,” Star said. She left the two men and made her way outside. Gary would be out soon and then she’d have a word with him.

  She didn’t have to wait long before the door behind her swung open and Gary walked out, head down.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing. Star, the guy is…he’s not what he seems.”

  Star snorted. “You have no idea.”

  Gary’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, he told you, didn’t he? Why are you still here?”

  “Why are you here?”

  Gary swallowed. “Because…I owe him my life.”

  Well, that would do it. “And you still think he’s a monster?”

  “No, I never said that. He’s no monster, not anymore, but he has the potential to be. The guy’s a time bomb waiting to go off and anyone in a mile radius will get burnt.”

  “Then run, why come back? He saved your life, so you hang around waiting for him to explode and take it?”

  Gary smiled. “I hang around because…he’s my friend.”

  “You’re a dick, you know that?”

  Gary chuckled. “Any news from Garret?”

  She shook her head. “Radio silence ends in three days, so we’ll know something then.”

  “You know what he’s working on?”

  She shook her head.

  “Huh, surprise, I thought he’d tell you.”

  Star frowned. “Why would he tell me?”

  It was Gary’s turn to look incredulous. “You mean to tell me you have no idea?”

  She shook her head.

  “Do you walk around with a friggin’ blindfold on? The guy has a huge boner for you.”

  “Ew, no way. Garret is the boss, s’all.”

  The door opened behind them and Ryder strolled out. He glanced from Star at Gary and raised a brow.

  Gary grinned. “Just checking to see if the lady wanted to join the Salvage delivery list.”

  Ryder bared his teeth in a grin that said back off. “Add whatever she wants to my order.”

  Gary nodded. “Um, sure.” He glanced at Star who nodded. She had her own sources, kept mum and Midge fed, but she didn’t want Ryder to know that. “Just make a new list and I’ll pick it up next delivery.”

  He left them to it, climbed into his kart and started the engine.

  They watched him zoom away.

  The morning was well underway and they still had to see a guy about a fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hannah was nowhere to be found at the leisure centre. He asked for her at the front desk and the woman, Haley Wilson, according to her name tag, told him Hannah was on her break. She looked worried and Garret wanted to press the issue, but he didn’t want to be too memorable either. The less people that remembered his face in detail the better. It was why he wore the dull brown contacts and kept his hair in a short, generic style. His real eye colour was a startling aqua, his hair raven black. He dyed it brown and the effect dulled his appearance a little.

  He moved away from the desk. If she was on her break she could be anywhere.

  “Excuse me!” Haley called from the desk.

  He smiled and went back over.

  She tried to return his smile, but it trembled. “Breaks aren’t usually taken in the back office.”

  Garret nodded, getting the message loud and clear. Hannah was in trouble and he knew exactly where to find her now.

  He opened the door to the office slowly, carefully, and slipped inside. He had seen Hannah a few times; a pretty blonde woman, petite and bright. But he had never seen her like this, handcuffed and sprawled across a desk with a huge hand pressing her head down against the hardwood and a six foot five settler pounding into her from behind.

  He didn’t think. He reacted.

  The settler looked up just in time to receive the fist that smashed into his nose. His eyes rolled back in his head, cock slid out of Hannah and he was down.

  Garret wasted no time. He hauled Hannah to her feet pulled out the gag and staggered back in shock as she screamed at him.

  “What the fuck! You stupid fuck! What the hell!” She fiddled with the cuffs which fell off with ease and then pulled up her joggers and fell to the floor to cradle the settler’s head in her lap.

  Okay, so maybe he had misread the situation. “Um, I don’t suppose you want to leave City with me?”

  She looked up at him with such venom that he flinched.

  “Get out,” she said.

  Well, there was no helping some people.

  The chip was always a precaution. He had been scanned twice in the past—random security checks, especially around the tram line. Twelve years ago City had been reliant on bus and train for travel, especially the Tube, but the settlers had sealed the Underground, razed many of the buildings they considered superfluous, and built what they considered to be a cleaner method of transport. He guessed messing up several planets had made an impact on them. They were certainly green.

  The tram station was buzzing—free transport that ran twenty-four hours was a luxury. He located the platform for the tram to what had been Camden Market and climbed aboard. Usually he would watch the world go by, but today he wasn’t in the mood. Hemway was lost, Hannah had taken up with a settler, and he’d have to assign another agent to Viola. She was the only informant who could obtain the chips they needed to navigate City safely.

  Damn him for being such a good shag!

  The journey passed too quickly and he was in Camden before he knew it. They called it Market Town now. It was a shit name, but whatever. He headed toward the only coffee spot in the town. It was run by Harris, an old army guy with a dodgy heart. Harris was also one of the guardians of the Under. There were three hotspots in City and three guardians: one here in Market Town, one at a bowling alley on the same street as Viola, run by June, an old lady with pink hair, and the final one in the centre of City in one of the few book shops still standing; it used to be called Waterstones, but they had changed the name to Permitted Knowledge. All the human books and literature had been seized and replaced by settler garbage. The three guardians reminded Garret of Cerberus, the guardian to the Underworld.

  He pushed through the door and into the coffee shop. It was almost empty, just a lone customer sipping a latte in the corner. Harris looked up from cleaning the frother and then went back to
doing what he was doing. Garret walked into the men’s toilet and into the last stall. He pushed the catch behind the toilet and pulled out the wall, stepping into the space behind it.

  It led straight into Harris’s personal quarters and Harris found him a few minutes later.

  “What do you need?” he asked.

  Garret grinned. He liked this guy—straight to the point. Harris knew Garret only ever used him if he needed a favour, otherwise why trek all the way across the city when he could leave the way he had come?

  Garret pulled the package containing the USB stick from his pocket. He passed it to Harris who turned it over in his hand, brows raised before opening it.

  Harris plucked the stick from the envelope. “You want to do this now? Don’t you want to wait till you get to HQ?”

  Garret shook his head. “I need to know.”

  Harris shrugged, “Follow me.”

  Five minutes later, Garret was scanning the information in the files Hemway had kept. Some of it went over his head, scientific stuff about DNA and markers and shit, but the stuff he understood told him that the settlers were planning an attack on Rubble Town in two days. They were also creating a new beast, a genetically modified unit of soldiers; Project Wolf Pack. The final file confirmed all the suspicions that the insiders had about the invasion. It spoke in detail about the Horseman project, plans to activate, deactivate and back up. He realised this was it, the invasion, the teams of four. If this intel was correct it meant the settlers may have held onto a weapon, one that would serve the humans better if it was in their care.