Fate is a twisted bitch! Tierney leaned close to the tank of her shiny new Ducati and raced down the highway in rural Washington. Dark clouds above hummed with the promise of snow, though at the moment only a faint mist fell. It was just enough to make the roads slick and perilous. Her mood volatile, she accelerated around the next curve, not caring about the danger as she sought escape from the fear threatening to overtake her.
Mind in turmoil, she had hoped the chill wind and fast ride would ease her stress, but it failed. Tierney shuddered and nausea rolled through her at the memory of her recent vision. She’d seen her dad, a Fallen Angel, surrounded by black robed figures. It was their enemy, the Ilyium.
She should be used to the horrors of life. After all, her mother and little brother died when their village was attacked when she was seven. They fled their homeworld of Tartaria through a magical portal to Earth, and now, after fourteen years, she worked with her dad and two best friends as private investigators.
They didn’t need the money, but it appeased their supernatural need to help others. Though their more mundane work was spent investigating cheating wives and husbands, they also tracked missing spouses, runaway teens and abducted children. The satisfaction of finding and bringing a missing child home to frantic parents, helped to balance all the cases that ate at them. The ones that drove sorrow into their souls and filled them with anger—the murderers and child molesters.
After she exited the highway to a tree-lined, rutted track, Tierney spotted two sets of fresh tire tracks and grinned. Looks like my hunch might just pay off. This case may be closed before it even gets started. If Shay’s here, that is. But her grin faded the further in she rode. A canopy of trees blocked the darkening sky, and the eerie, dark forest made her dragon senses crawl with unease.
An immortal Dracones, born of another Dracones and a Fallen, Tierney had so far lived in human form. But she had a dragon, another part of her that dwelled inside as well, and it was itching to get out. Now that she had turned twenty-one, she was due to go through her Awakening within the next twelve months. It would allow her to shift into her dragon form at will. She so couldn’t wait. Then she’d be able to kick ass on a much larger scale.
Dracones and Fallen could communicate telepathically and were also gifted with heightened senses. Stronger and swifter than humans, they healed extremely quickly. Most had other abilities as well, though some didn’t surface until closer to their twenty-first year. As far back as she could remember, Tierney possessed enhanced empathy, and could calm or soothe others. When she entered her teen years, she began to read minds. She used to think her gifts were cool, but now, after the ability of foresight gave her a terrifying glimpse into the future, she was no longer so sure.
Senses screaming that she wasn’t alone, Tierney slowed her Ducati and searched both sides of the dense forest. She gave herself a mental shake when no one popped out of the shadows. Enough with the paranoia! She let the thundering of the Ducati soothe her, and soon the trees thinned out and she rumbled into a spacious clearing. Huh, go figure. My hunch paid off. A green Saab and a blue Chevy pickup sat in front of a faded, plank-board hunting shack.
The door to the shack swung open as she pulled up and stopped beside the two vehicles. Daniel, whom she recognized from the investigation files, stepped out onto the rickety porch. His eyes were wide with panic as he held a gun up in shaking hands. Great, just what I need, a gun-toting idiot with no clue how to use the thing. She set the kickstand and climbed off the bike.
“Who are you? This is private property, you’re trespassing.” Daniel glared at her and she had to resist the urge to rip the gun out of his hand. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to point a gun at someone unless you plan to use it? She shoved her annoyance away. His short blond hair, and sweet baby-face made his attempt to appear menacing fail big time.
Though she had been itching for a fight, now really wasn’t the time. With an eye on the nine-millimeter Beretta in his hand, she pulled off her helmet and pushed her long black hair out of her face as she strode forward. She stopped a few feet from the shack. “The safety’s on.”
“Wha—?” Daniel glanced at the gun with dismay, before looking back at her with clueless brown eyes.
“Shay,” Tierney called, ignoring baby-face as she looked toward the door.
“Leave her alone, go away,” Daniel said, panic tingeing his voice.
Tierney sighed. I’m really not in the mood for this crap. “Chill, I just want to talk to her.”
Though she usually kept her mental shields up around humans, a precaution to prevent her from going crazy over their haphazard thoughts, she now lowered them. How did this woman find us? I love Shay, I can’t lose her. Daniel’s thoughts screamed in her head while Shay’s worries came to her from inside the shack. Why can’t my parents leave me alone?
“Shay, you need to come out and talk or I’ll tell your parents where you are,” Tierney called to her.
A moment later the door creaked open and Shay stepped out beside Daniel. Tierney bit back a smile. The recent photo Shay’s parents had given Tierney depicted a stylish, but shy, slender young woman with long brown hair, and brown doe eyes.
The young woman in front of her now, looked anything but stylish or shy. She wore a tight pink t-shirt, crisp new blue jeans, and rubber mud boots a couple sizes too large. Her long hair had been cut into a shoulder-length bob with blond highlights, and there was an air of stubbornness to her.
“Go back inside!” Daniel said to Shay.
Shay ignored him. “W-who are you? What do you want?” Her gaze darted around the clearing before focusing back on Tierney. Is she alone? Are my parents here as well? How did she find me? Damn this bra itches …
Tierney wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t. “Yes, I’m alone. My name is Tierney. Your parents hired me to find you.”
Anger lit Shays face momentarily, before a blank mask slid into place.
Daniel glared at Tierney. Why can’t anyone leave us alone? I won’t let her take Shay! “She’s not going anywhere,” he said, voice rising with fear.
Shay shook her head. “No, I-I won’t go back.” I always obey my parents. I do everything they want, but for once I want something. I’m not doing it, not this time. Again, Tierney bit back a grin at the thought that Shay had likely never defied her parents’ wishes in her life, until now. “Shay, you need to talk to them.”
“They arranged a marriage for me,” Shay said. I refuse to marry the arrogant ass that they picked out. Geez, the guy thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Besides, I love Daniel.
Tierney sighed. She really needed to get going. “Not my business, but, you’re twenty, right?”
Shay nodded.
“Aren’t you old enough to decide who you marry?” Tierney asked. Shay nodded again. “So stand up to them, or not.” Tierney shrugged. “I’ll give you until noon tomorrow to contact them before I tell them I’ve found you.”
“Ah, all right.” Shay blinked in surprise.
Tierney narrowed her eyes. “If you run again, I’ll find you, and I won’t be happy,” she said, careful of her wording. Certain words tended to bind her to them.
“I won’t,” Shay promised, and though Daniel pursed his lips, he nodded as well.
“Treat her well, Daniel.” Tierney shot the guy a last warning look before walking back to her bike.
“Thank you,” Shay said. I can do this…
Tierney grinned to herself as she heard Shay’s resolve to fight for what she wanted. It may be her job to find people, but she couldn’t stand overbearing parents that ran their children’s lives for no other reason than to be controlling.
Tierney climbed on her bike and checked her phone. After finding no new calls or texts, she started the Ducati and headed back the way she had come. Damn. Where are you Dad? It’s been seven days. Zander was supposed to be gone only two. Worried sick, she absently scanned the sparse trees and brush until a sudden, eerie cold claimed her and her surroundi
ngs wavered. Frowning, Tierney braked hard, set her foot down and looked around. She scowled. A faint light circled the ground in front of her as if a flashlight were illuminating the way. What the fuck? She watched the light for a moment before raising her eyes to the darkening sky, which now appeared different than it had just moments before.
Tierney blinked as the sky suddenly turned wavy, then like one picture superimposed over another, it lightened. Another set of lighter, fluffier clouds appeared, along with the faint silhouette of a bird. The more she focused on the bird, the clearer it became.
The large, black, ghost-like raven circled above her head once, then twice and a third time. Tierney shivered at the feeling that it was watching her. But then suddenly the sky just returned to normal—no sign of the bird. And she was no longer cold. Fabulous, now I’m imagining things! Still scowling, she gave the bike some gas and refocused on the dirt track.
A moment later Sami’s voice filled her head. “Tierney. Where the hell are you?” he asked telepathically. Sami was one of her best friends, and like a beloved brother to her.
“Sorry, I’m on my way home. You hear anything from Dad or Jax?” She looked both ways before turning onto the highway.
“Nothing on Dad, and Jax texted. He’s running late.”
Huh, no surprise. Wonder if he’ll even show? “All right, thanks, Sami.”
Tierney swore impatiently when she ended up behind a slow old man, driving a rusty pickup truck. There was a steady stream of oncoming cars in the other lane. Finally, when the last car went by, she sucked in a breath, exhaled, and gunned the Ducati. She blew past the truck and kept going, while acid churned in her gut as she worried over her dad, Sami, and his brother, Jax.
After a thousand years of war with their vicious enemy the Ilyium, the number of Dracones and Fallen on Tierney’s home world had substantially dwindled. Some, like them, even fled to other realms. While the existence of all the different supernatural beings was well known on Tartaria, on Earth they kept their presence secret in fear of human reaction. They didn’t need any more enemies.
Until last month that is. She silently swore when she thought about the two well-hidden, Fallen males who had recently been murdered. The count was now down to seventy-five Fallen, and fifty-three Dracones here on Earth, at least that her dad knew about. The recent murders stunned them, then they found evidence at the scene which led them to believe either a Fallen, or Dracones, had betrayed them. He or she might even be helping the Ilyium.
When her dad told her he planned to head to Olympia for two days, she didn’t think anything of it. He often went on business trips. But when he mentioned he was meeting someone claiming to have information about the traitor, his words filled her with dread. A moment later everything went black.
Zander knelt in a shiny, dark pool of blood, surrounded by black robed figures wielding swords. The figures danced, chanted and swayed, before one swung a sword at her dad’s head.
When the vision cleared, Tierney opened her eyes to find herself on the floor in her dad’s arms, shaking. “Holy Demons.” She stared at him in horror as she pushed to her feet. “You can’t go!”
Zander sighed, stood and pulled her into a hug and Tierney could feel his regret. “I love you, but until this traitor is caught, you’re not safe.”
She pulled away, her spine stiffening in resolve. “Well, I’ll come with you—”
Zander shook his head.
“At least take one of us,” she insisted.
“No.” End of discussion.
While he was gone, Tierney’s dread continued to worsen. She couldn’t eat, and a recurring nightmare of her vision kept her from sleeping. When she did sleep, she awoke with tears on her face, and her whole-body trembling after seeing that sword swing repeatedly.
Her attempt to keep her worry at bay, by diving into all their current cases, didn’t work. Two days after he left, Tierney called the hotel in Olympia where Zander was supposed to be staying. They said he never checked in. Sami tried to track his car but the Lo-Jack was disabled, and his cell went straight to voice mail.
They filed a Missing Person’s Report with the Olympia PD, who they sometimes worked with. The police put out a BOLO and said they’d let her know if they found or heard anything. Tierney wasn’t holding her breath. She knew the Ilyium had her dad, and it wasn’t like she could tell the police that bit of information.
Tierney shoved thoughts of her dad away as her earlier unease, a sense of being spied upon, grew stronger. A quick glance in her side mirror showed a large, black Escalade hot on her tail. Jackass! Attention back on the road, she gunned the bike and shot forward.
The black behemoth caught up, making her growl in anger. What’s this creep’s problem? she thought, when a menacing voice drifted through her head.
“Nice ass.”
A chill shot through her. “Who are you?” she asked and even though her instincts screamed to get away, she was too stubborn to listen.
“Someone who’s been waiting a long time for you.”
Chapter Two
Terror
JAX CLENCHED HIS JAW and struggled for control, but it was useless. An inky darkness seeped from him, a furious entity bent on vengeance and directed at the six men in front of him. Their fear was palpable as they sought escape, but they brought it on themselves and now it was too late.
Their attempt to kidnap a young teen was thwarted when he stepped into the alley. They didn’t know he was a Dracones, but did recognize him as a Supe. With evil grins plastered on their ugly mugs, they attacked. Jax moved easily, ready for the fight, welcoming it. Things were going well, and if he hadn’t been so intent on protecting the teen, the six hunters would never have touched him. But he had and as a result, they got in a couple lucky swipes on Jax. Then one guy managed to slip past him. Jax lost it when he turned to see the guy holding a knife against the terrified kid’s throat.
Hell no, he did not just do that! Jax’s anger spiked as the skinny teen began to shake, and his eyes widened in fear. Then a thin line of red started to trickle down the kid’s throat, and suddenly the dark rage that lurked inside of Jax erupted.
A cloying black cloud covered the alley and the stench of fear and piss permeated the air. Piercing screams reverberated off the walls of the buildings around them, then were quickly cut off. Crimson blood sprayed everywhere, and Jax was sucked into a vortex of horror-filled memories.
Similar screams of terror from long ago, drifted on the wind only to be overpowered by the roar of a fiery inferno. Uncaring what it destroyed, the fire tore mercilessly through their village. Cold, menacing death grasped anyone left alive with uncaring hands, leaving destruction in its wake. Jax tried to shake the memories free, but other memories invaded. Evil laughter haunted him, as a long-ago agony took over, leaving him bloody, chained and helpless. Filled with pain and shame, he struggled to free himself. Then when he thought it was over, a voice he detested repeatedly called him a piece of shit, telling him how weak, dirty, pathetic he was. How he’d never be any good, and no one would ever love him.
Jax gripped his head, chest heaving, and shoved the ghosts of his past away. The hilts of both his knives pressed into his skull and he had to resist the urge to vomit. With a shudder, he leaned against the filthy brick wall in the dingy alleyway, and fought the darkness that threatened to consume him. Stop! With a furious growl of anger, he slammed his head back against the bricks once, then again. Sweat trickled down his back and finally, the pain eased the darkness from his mind.
The black fog dissolved, leaving behind a coppery scent of blood, along with an odor of weak magic. Jax grimaced and chest heaving, he straightened up and swallowed. Then he turned in a circle, looking at the bodies. Damn! I hate when this shit happens.
Two weeks ago, he’d been shot in the leg when he caught two of the Ilyium abducting a couple of homeless old men. After a brief fight, he left the Ilyium unconscious, and put in an anonymous call to the authorities. He waited up on the
roof for the police to show up. When they did, they took statements from the homeless men and then took the attempted kidnappers away. Yet just two days later, Jax found the same kidnappers back on the streets. Gotta love the system. And what the hell do the Ilyium want with the homeless anyway?
Jax ignored the shaking in his hands and tore his gaze from the blood and gore to search the alley for the kid, fearing that he’d hurt the teen as well. Just the thought made him want to gag. Then movement beside the dumpster caught his eye. Oh thank the heavens!
Yet as the shivering teenager caught sight of him, he cowered back. Aw crap! Shame filled Jax. “I won’t hurt you.” Then, to give the kid a moment, he bent over the body closest to him, and used the guy’s shirt to wipe his blades clean.
Not long after they arrived in Washington from Tartaria they learned, to their dismay, that the Ilyium lived and hunted on Earth as well. Then, a couple of years ago, they noticed a spike in homeless people going missing. As the number kept rising, Jax started to suspect their enemy; the Ilyium. Turned out he was right.
Still ignoring the kid, Jax stood up and peeled his gray hoodie away from his side. He winced at the jagged cut across his ribs, then inspected the tear in his sleeve. The slice across his forearm was neat and clean. He rolled his eyes. So much for my protection spell.
Two months shy of his twenty-second birthday, his power had been growing stronger as he neared his Awakening, and while the strength of their power varied, it was also unstable. Zander tried to teach them how to use their power, but ultimately, they needed to accept and become comfortable with it. Not an easy thing to do when you feared your powers were spinning out of control.
Instead of protecting him, the spell had just shielded him from the blood spatter—big whoop! At least the bleeding from both wounds had slowed. He may not heal as fast as the rest of his kind, but he still healed faster than a human.
Jax faced the spooked teen and sighed. He’d have to alter the kid’s memories. With a busted lip, greasy, shoulder-length brown hair, he appeared to be around sixteen. And his thin, long-sleeved shirt that might have once been green, along with his torn and frayed jeans, told Jax he was likely homeless.
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