Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1)

by John Corwin

  Tyler nodded. "Thanks for coming." He walked around the group, eyes predatory, nostrils flaring. I wondered if he might have some sixth demonic sense for choosing people. "As you know, people in my position are often threatened with kidnapping. This is why I asked Joe to gather you."

  Several of the men nodded, but the group retained a professional silence.

  Tyler continued. "I do not want you to remain passive. If you suspect there are existing threats, investigate them." An entertained smile crept over Tyler's face as he continued his speech.

  I wondered where his amusement came from, and an uneasy feeling crept into me. Did he view Joe and these others are playthings? As creatures to experiment with? My mind leapt back to our earlier conversation about how he enjoyed tinkering with things for his own enjoyment. I wondered if he used that same amused smile in regard to me.

  As anger began to worm its way into my thoughts, I shook my head. Why torture myself with such things? Tyler had to care. He just had to. Why else go through all the trouble?

  "Do you know of any current threats to your safety?" asked one of the muscular men.

  Tyler nodded. "There's a group that calls themselves—get this—the Exorcists."

  Some of the men chuckled.

  "Crazy assholes," one of the metrosexuals commented. "Threat assessment?"

  "Unknown," Tyler said.

  An older man nodded. "I have some experience in team tactics. Perhaps it would be best if we got to know each other's strengths and weaknesses so we can best plan how to protect you."

  Murmurs of agreement went up.

  "That's why I hired you," Tyler said. "Joe told me you've all worked in teams before—some military, some in the private sector. I want you to coordinate and plan how to best protect Miss Glass and me. Let me know the second you have information on a threat. Don't act until I've given the green light. We clear?"

  Heads bobbed in acknowledgement.

  "Good." Tyler tucked his phone into a pocket. "Thank you for coming. I look forward to working with you."

  We took the lift back to the penthouse.

  "We're in good hands." Tyler took both of mine and pressed them to his lips. His amused smile returned. "I don't want anything happening to my—"

  "Toy?" I said, his smile triggering my earlier thoughts. I grimaced.

  His smile fell. "No, of course not."

  I almost apologized, but the anger of my former musings came back. "Object of your affection?"

  "You're so much more than some object to me, Emily."

  "Am I really?" I pulled my hands from his and folded them across my chest. "What are you thinking when you smile like that?"

  "Like what?" He wasn't smiling now.

  "I don't know." I blew out a breath. "Never mind. I'm sure it's an overreaction on my part."

  "How am I supposed to know if you don't explain?" His eyes filled with concern. He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Please tell me what I've done to make you angry."

  "You just look so fucking amused sometimes!" I said. "With those men. The way you grinned at them, as if this was all some game."

  He nodded, folding his hands across his waist, and leaned back against the lift wall. It dinged and the doors opened. He stepped into the foyer.

  I followed him, feeling a bit foolish in the weight of his gaze.

  "Life is something of a game, Emily." The serious tone of his voice felt uncharacteristic. "We all have our roles to fill, even me."

  "And we're all toys to you?" I felt more exasperated than angry. Why couldn't I understand this man?

  "No. If you were just toys to me, I'd still be with my companions, doing whatever the hell I wanted with the bodies of those people I took over. The bodies were just playthings back then. I was just a toy to some of my companions." He shuddered. "How do I explain this?"

  I shook my head. "Perhaps you can't." I felt ashamed at my outburst as the anger drained out of me. I felt tired, sore, and still out of sorts from Stephen's attack. My head sagged. I felt the warmth of Tyler's hand cupping my chin. He lifted my head and kissed me gently on the lips.

  "You make me feel as if there's something more to life, Emily. As if there's some meaning to this crazy world. Sure, I find a lot in life amusing, funny even. Sometimes it makes me laugh. Sometimes it just makes me shake my head." He kissed me again. "But before you, it was all just a silly meaningless game, and all I wanted was to escape my tormentors and be left alone."

  "And now?" I said, hearing the hope in my voice.

  "I want you. And I want to win."

  My heart swelled with affection for this man. This supernatural force. I tangled my arms around his neck and hugged him, feeling his heat against me. "Then let's win."

  I woke the next morning with a start, the remnants of a nightmare about being chased by vampires fresh on my mind. Tyler was gone, though he'd left a note explaining he was with the security detail, setting them up with a base of operations, and he'd be back by noon. I sighed, feeling a bit sad we couldn't have Sunday morning sex.

  After showering, I phoned Isabel and told her about the events the night before, though I told her Stephen had a vampire fetish instead of telling her he really was one. I didn't want my best friend thinking I was crazy.

  "Oh God, I'm so glad that Stephen asshole is finally off the streets." She lowered her voice. "By the way, Jack and I made love."

  I stopped myself from asking her if she was certain it was making love or just sex. "I'm so happy for you."

  "I know, right?" She giggled. "He's making me breakfast in bed right now." A contented sigh. "I just hope I can walk after last night."

  "Ew. TMI."

  Isabel sighed. "Now that you mention Stephen again, I can't stop thinking about that night. It's so strange. I remember bits and pieces of what happened. I just don't see how he drugged me, because my drink was empty when he came over. He just told me what to do, and I vaguely remember following him outside." She paused. "Do you think maybe he was for real?"

  "For real what?"

  "You know, a vampire?"

  I forced myself to laugh. "Don't tell me you believe in those things."

  "Well, you said he was really strong and fast. And maybe he used some kind of compulsion on me that night."

  "Oh, don't be silly."

  "I'm not!" She blew out a breath. "But stranger things have happened."

  I considered her line of reasoning for a moment. "Are you putting me on, or are you serious?"

  "I guess I'm kinda, sorta serious?" Her voice went up as if asking a question. "Or maybe I just read too many weird books."

  Should I tell her? I dithered on the question. If I told her, it meant I might also have to explain Tyler's nature. Isabel is my best friend. If I can't trust her, who can I trust? "Can you escape Jack to meet me for lunch?" I said.

  "Umm, we were going hiking," Isabel said. I heard a male voice in the background, and the sound of something muffling the mic as Isabel replied. A moment later, she came back. "Jack says it's fine if we do lunch. Just the two of us haven't hung out in forever."

  It hadn't really been so long, but it felt like weeks. "I know."

  We arranged to meet. I prepared a story in my head. My best friend deserved to know the truth. I just hoped she could handle it. I could barely handle it myself, even though I was living it.

  I phoned Tyler and told him I planned to have lunch with Isabel.

  "I suppose I've kept you from your friend, haven't I?" he said. I heard the smile in his voice.

  "She's been plenty busy herself," I said. "By the way, where's my car? I left it outside the other night and completely forgot about it."

  "I asked Joe to take it to the mechanic. It looked like a rolling wreck."

  "What? But I need a car."

  "Go to my office and look on the wall. There's a safe there with keys inside. Take whatever you want." He gave me a number combination.

  "You have an office in this place?" We hadn't ventured much further t
han the kitchen and bedroom in the cavernous flat, though I'd briefly checked the other rooms the night I'd come here looking for Tyler.

  He chuckled. "Upstairs, go left instead of right. It's the second door on the left."

  "Thanks. I won't be gone long."

  "I hope not. We don't want to be late meeting your parents."

  I felt a pang of panic. I hadn't taken a man to meet them since Peter. "Cheers, babe."

  I disconnected and went upstairs to the office. The room was a mess. Papers were scattered everywhere, along with items that looked as though they should be on the desk instead of scattered on the floor. Several pens, a paperweight, and a picture of the old Tyler—Hugo—posing with a young woman, lay on the floor. I wondered if Tyler had knocked everything off, or if Hugo had. I shivered, remembering that this was the place the other man had died from a drug overdose.

  I spotted a diploma on the wall, awarded to Tyler Hugo Rock. How absolutely wrong that middle name sounded for my Tyler. Hugo seemed far more fitting for the overweight, shy-looking man in the picture with the girl. I picked it up and looked at the pair, wondering who the woman was. I spotted another picture on the wall with a very serious-looking gray-haired man, a tall man with wide shoulders and chiseled face, a beautiful brunette with a smirk on her lovely face, and Hugo. They had to be Hugo's siblings, Brandon and Arianna, if I had to guess. The gray-haired man was likely no other than Cyrus Rock. He looked like quite the royal ass. Despite his height, Hugo looked small and sad standing at the end of the line opposite his father. I could only imagine how miserable it must have been with Cyrus as a father.

  A nearby shelf bore various trophies and team photos of children in sporting uniforms, mostly baseball and football. I recognized Hugo in some of the later ones.

  "You're still here?"

  I shrieked and turned to find Tyler in the doorway. "Good lord, I've been dawdling here looking at memorabilia."

  He grinned. "I haven't had much of a look around, to be honest." He shrugged. "Not since, well, you know."

  "It's rather haunting, isn't it?"

  He nodded. "It makes me feel uneasy." Tyler entered a combination on a square box and opened it to reveal several sets of keys. "Take your pick."

  I settled on one I recognized. "This looks good."

  "Ah, the Bentley." He pecked me on the lips. "Good choice." Tyler slipped his arm around my shoulder. "Walk you down?"

  "That would be lovely." We got into the lift and descended toward the parking garage. "How is the team looking?"

  Tyler slipped his arm around me and kissed my ear. "Looking good. I don't want you worrying about it." He ran kisses up my neck.

  I shivered in pleasure. "I can't help but worry. I've never had to worry about a group of lunatic Exorcists kidnapping my boyfriend."

  "Guess there's a first for everything."

  I laughed. "This certainly isn't one I would have imagined."

  The doors slid open to reveal the garage as a sleek black luxury car pulled in and parked near the garage doors that held Tyler's cars, effectively blocking them.

  "What the hell?" Tyler's muscles tensed.

  A man exited the driver's seat, walked to the back door, and opened it. A tall well-built man in a business suit stepped out, said something to the driver, who nodded and took up a position a few feet behind the businessman.

  For a horrible moment, I thought they might be Exorcists. Why else would they block the exit? It only took a moment to realize I was wrong. The man in the suit was familiar.

  It was Hugo's brother, Brandon.

  Chapter 36

  Tyler sucked in a breath. "Crap."

  "You recognize him too?" I asked.

  "Yeah. I've avoided the family so far. Guess it couldn't last."

  Brandon approached, an almost bored look on his face. He looked every inch the serious businessman, from his expensive shoes to his stylish suit. It hugged him like a custom fit. The way his eyes took us in and dismissed us made me realize something. He didn't recognize Tyler.

  "Hello, Brandon," Tyler said, placing an arm around my shoulder and giving a noncommittal smile.

  His brother stopped. "I'm sorry do I—" His eyes flared wide for an instant, his lip curling in what had to be disbelief. "What the f—Tyler?"

  The impassive face of his bodyguard broke into an instant of utter surprise as well, and his face went absolutely pale before the impassive exterior snapped back into place.

  "Right on the first try!" Tyler said, a boyish grin on his face. "What brings you here?"

  "I—uh—hadn't heard from you in ages. Thought I'd swing by and say hello." Brandon looked Tyler up and down. "You've really lost weight. I almost didn't recognize you."

  "Yeah, a little nip tuck here and there, some exercise, the usual." Tyler shrugged. "Oh, and this is my girlfriend, Emily. Emily, this is my big brother, Brandon." He gave me an affectionate squeeze.

  "Pleased to make your acquaintance," I said, shaking the other man's hand.

  "Charmed," Brandon replied, a faint smile on his lips.

  "Why don't you come up for a drink?" Tyler nodded his head at the lift. "We can catch up."

  "Sure," Brandon said, grinning, though to me it seemed to be covering up an uncomfortable expression.

  "Oh, would you mind moving your car?" Tyler said. "She needs to get out the Bentley."

  Brandon nodded to his bodyguard-slash-driver, who turned without a word and moved the car out of the way.

  "I'll be back soon." I kissed Tyler on the cheek. "Pleased to meet you, Brandon."

  Both Tyler and Brandon seemed somewhat unsure what to do with each other, until Tyler ushered him toward the lift. I headed toward the Bentley, and got in, savoring the fresh smell of leather. I ran my fingers along the wood grain console, and took a moment to familiarize myself with the controls. This was one car I did not want to wreck. I slipped it into reverse and made a cautious four-point turn to angle it toward the ramp, steering clear of Brandon's car.

  As I was pulling around the side of the building and toward the roundabout in front of the Gregorian, a man in a Mercedes waved me down from his open window. I glanced at the man, noting his jowls, which likely portended a rather robust figure hiding inside the car. In any case, he most certainly didn't appear sinister. I opened the window.

  "Ma'am, can you tell me where the parking deck is?"

  "Sure, you just keep heading around the building here. But you'll need a thumbprint to open the gate and the lift."

  He huffed. "Is the roundabout a safe place to park? I suppose I'll have to use the lobby directory."

  I nodded. "You can use the roundabout for a short period of time, but there's no directory in the lobby." I offered him an apologetic smile. "I suppose the people living here don't want it advertised."

  He groaned at this. A phone rang inside his car, apparently using the wireless connection so the audio blared over the car speakers. "Howard Moore speaking."

  "It's Brandon. I need to cancel. Tyler is here."

  "He's what?" A shocked look passed over the jowly face.

  "I'll call you later," Brandon said. The phone clicked off.

  "Well," Howard said, "I suppose I won't need to get in after all."

  I wasn't sure what to say. I'd at first thought Brandon was surprised by Tyler's new look, quite a radical departure from the shy overweight man he'd been as Hugo. But this Howard person seemed just as shocked, and he hadn't even seen Tyler. I tried to think of something clever to ask the man, some way to divine his purpose there, but Howard thanked me and rolled up his window before I could do anything else.

  The odd behavior from Brandon and Howard completely aroused my suspicions. What was their true purpose for coming here? I typed the car's license plate number into my phone, deciding I could possibly discover more about Howard Moore. Something else niggled my mind, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I decided to table the issue for now.

  Goodness, but the day was starting out in interest
ing fashion.

  I called Isabel and arranged to pick her up outside the flat high rise instead of meeting elsewhere as originally planned. I spotted my roomie on the sidewalk as I pulled up a few minutes later. She looked stunning despite her casual jeans and sweater attire. Her eyes went wide when I stopped and rolled down the window.

  "Looking for a good time, baby?" I regarded her with a predatory grin.

  "Holy moly, Em! I'll show you a good time for a ride in that." She hopped in and drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes and moaning. "Oh my God, this is awesome."

  Isabel directed me to a nearby café where I ordered a grilled chicken salad, determined to cut some calories out of my diet.

  My friend ran on for a while about Jack, going into far too much detail about their freshly embarked sexual adventures for my taste. On the positive side, her voice practically gushed with love, far different from what I'd heard from her in a very long time.

  "I'm so happy for you two," I said.

  Isabel smiled. "Sounds like you and Mr. Moneybags are quite the couple too." She leaned close. "Is it love, Em?"

  I choked on a sip of water. "Um, too early to say." How in the world could I explain that situation?

  "So tell me more about this vampire fetish guy."

  I took a deep breath. "I have to be truthful, Isabel. I know it's going to sound bloody insane, but the man really was—" I stuttered on the next few words, my mind still in utter disbelief I should even have to speak them. "Stephen really is—was—a vampire."

  Isabel studied me for a moment. "You're not joking are you?"

  I shook my head. "Came as quite a shock the nasty buggers really exist, truth be told."

  Her eyes widened in triumph. "I knew it!"

  "Oh did you now?"

  "Well, not really. I suppose I hoped they existed right along with unicorns and fairies."

  I laughed. "The way my life has been going, I'll likely stumble across them at some point as well."

  Isabel leaned across the table. "Does Tyler believe the dude's a vampire too?"