“Mmmm. Nice change of subject. How did you know about the dreams?” I asked.
He just looked at me like I was stupid. So I repeated myself slower letting every word drag out. “How. Did. You. Know. About. The. Dreams?” I demanded.
“Belinda told me.” he finally replied.
I just stared at him for a moment, still very surprised. My mother and I were going to have a long talk. Good thing I was leaving Friday after work to go up to West Palm to see her. Maybe I should explain to her in great detail what the word confidential means. Even though it’s none of his business I decided to answer anyway. “They’re getting worse. They seem to be more vivid, more real.” I told him the details of my dream last night. Although, the dream didn’t make any sense to me. Jackson just sat there for a long while listening to my every word. I told him every detail and answered all his questions. He seemed to be too interested in what I was telling him. I would talk to mommy dearest about it later. After we were finished talking he stood up and went to the door. He kind of looked like he was sad or in pain. I’ve never seen this expression on his face before. As he walked out the door he turned around one last time and said, “From now on you will be working the night shift with Agent Rodgers since you seem to have a hard time sleeping and coming in on time.”
I looked him in the eyes and nodded my head. I didn’t say anything else. I sat at my desk for the next four hours doing paperwork for Head Quarters. Our main office in DC wanted a more detailed report about our crime scenes from yesterday. I know they always asked for more detailed reports when it came to preternatural crimes but they’ve never asked for this much paper work on normal human homicide cases. I guess things are worse than I even thought. We have been instructed to question every single hate organization today. We even called in all the local police and troopers to help. I’m almost glad Jackson put me on the night detail. Now I get to skip all the questioning, finish my paperwork, and go home.
2
CRUCIFIXION
I went home after my paperwork was finished. Jackson said I had to work nights starting tonight. So, he had told me to go home and get some rest. I live west of the turnpike. I like it out west because its quiet and more laid back. I had an apartment in the city for a while but it was too noisy for me and way over crowded. So, when I got the money saved up I bought a nice house out in the country. It has a nice long gravel driveway lined with big oaks and the property is completely fenced in and surround with woods. There was one of those old fashion gates at the entrance where you had to get out of your truck to open and close it manually. That gate lasted about a week. I called in a local fencing and gate company to come out and install an electric gate. They put a call box out front by the gate and gave me two wireless remotes to open it with. I thought the call box was a little too much but they said that if someone came up and honked their horn I’d never hear it because I live to far back off the road. I guess they had a point.
As soon as I walked up to the house my phone started ringing. I was digging around my purse trying to find my door keys. By the time I got the door unlocked my answering machine had picked up. It was my mother. “Hey honey, its mom. Just wanted to tell you that I talked to Jackson he told me he put you on the night shift. So, instead of you coming up here I’m gonna come down there. See you tomorrow. Love ya. Bye.” My answering machine made a beeping noise letting me know the message was over. I didn’t feel like talking to her today. I was a little upset that she told Jackson about our private conversation. So, I figured I’d call her back when I wasn’t so aggravated about it.
My house was big and beautiful, three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a separate office, and den. I could have turned it into a five bedroom. But, since I’m not feeling all maternal and wanting a family just yet I left it the way it was. It took me awhile to decorate. Everything I have from my apartment fit in one room. So, my mother had come up for a weekend and we shopped and decorated. We argued about colors. She likes everything bright and chipper like something out of Mexico and I like all my earth tones and natural colors. We finally compromised; I would buy flashy colored throw pillows to go on the sectional in the living room. The sectional and walls were white so it didn’t hurt to have a few flashy colors. She had picked out bright green, blue, and yellow pillows. I told myself I would leave them on there for a while and then they would be introduced to the garbage can.
I lay down on my bed and before I knew it I was asleep. I was standing back on the same cliffs as I had stood here many times before. I smelled sweet jasmine and vanilla. I was wearing a long white gown formed to my tall slender body with my long black hair flying wildly in the wind. I heard someone whisper. It seemed so far away and I couldn’t quite make out the words. But it seemed to get closer and closer. I tried being still but it was hard to hear over the wind and the waves. Finally I heard, “me venir ma amour. “I could hardly breathe the longer I stood on the cliff the tighter my chest felt and the slower my heart beat.
I woke up panting and sweaty. I rolled over to see the clock said it was 7pm. So, I got out of bed and took a nice long hot shower. The hot water felt good on my stiff muscles. I could feel each individual bead of water run down my body. I could hear the water beads hit the shower floor. My senses seem to be improving. Not that I had problems with it before. My senses just seem to be on overdrive lately. I can pick up smells better, I can hear better, I can even see in the dark better, but my sense of touch seems to be off. I have 1000 thread count tan Egyptian cotton sheets. When I first bought them they were the softest I have ever felt. Now I can feel the threads and my sheets don’t feel as soft any more. When my mother comes tomorrow we’ll have to go shopping for a new bed set. I got out of the shower and wrapped a nice big brown fluffy towel around my naked body. The towel is so big that it hangs all the way down to the middle of my calves. I brushed my hair and brushed my teeth. I never really wore too much make up unless I was going somewhere nice. Other than that I just wore base, eyeliner, and mascara. Some might say I’m beautiful but I just see me as pretty. The only thing beautiful about me is my piercing silver eyes with a blue ring around the edge. My hair is straight, black, and stops at the top of my butt. I never blow dry my hair because it gets frizzy. So, I had to brush it and let it dry naturally or I had to use a flat iron to keep the frizz under control. Today I chose to just let it dry naturally.
I grabbed a pair of faded blue jeans, a pink tank top, and my black loafers. I strapped my shoulder holster and utility belt in place. Tonight I was going to add my black leather leg knife sheath to my outfit. At night is when all the bad things come out. Well, except the lycanthropes. The lycanthropes are normal people too. They have day jobs like any normal person. Most people become a lycanthrope due to an attack by another lycanthrope; they could have gotten a bad vaccine, or in some cases are born that way.
I went to walk out the door but decided to go ahead and call my mother back. So, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone. The phone rang four times before she picked up. “Hello, Belinda speaking.” She always answered the phone the exact same way. “Hey mom it’s me. I was just returning your call.”
“Oh, hello darling. So, Jackson told me about the young new Agent you’re working with. Maybe you should ask him out on a date.” Okay, two minutes into the conversation and she was already driving me nuts. So I took in a deep breath before I replied. “Um I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon.”
“Jackson said he was very polite, well educated, and single.”
“Oh mother, please, and speaking of Jackson why in the hell did you tell him about my dreams? I mentioned them to you for your advice not for you to tell Jackson,” I asked frustratingly.
“I’m sorry dear I’m just so use to telling Jackson everything. He’s the only person besides you that I’ve been able to talk to since,” she trailed off. “Well, never mind. I know you have to go to work. I’ll see you in the morning. Love you dear.”
“Love yo
u too mom.” She hung up the phone and I headed for the door once more.
I got back to the office and apparently because Jackson put me on the graveyard shift his shift changed as well. He just said it was to look after me. Which I was okay with. I liked working with Jackson; we get along great and work well with each other. But, we are just like family so we have our moments of getting under each other’s skin and pushing each other’s buttons. When I got to my office I turned on my laptop. Before I did anything I wanted to know what “me venir ma amour” means and what language it was.
After a few minutes my computer booted up and I was able to Google an online language translator. I found worldlingo.com it seemed simple enough. I put in the phrase I heard in my dream. Come to find out it was French and “me venir ma amour” meant “come to me my love.” I was puzzled. I was in deep thought trying to figure out what my dreams meant when someone knocked on my office door.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“It’s Jason. Can I come in?” came a deep masculine voice from behind my door.
“Yeah, sure,” I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair.
Jason opened the door as he stepped into my office I got smacked with a wall of musky spicy earth scents. God this man smelt so good. He wore dark blue form fitting jeans that hung off his waist and a loose black collared shirt. I was staring him up and down, not taking my eyes off of him. I was wondering what he looked like without his shirt on. I bet he had washboard abs to go with his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He wasn’t big like a bodybuilder. He had perfect lean muscles. Beautiful tan skin and strangely his eyes look a lot like Jackson’s, that same emerald green color. God I could just lick the sweat beads off this man’s body. Just looking at him is making my clit throb in anticipation. I kept hearing a sound like someone was clearing their throat. I almost said shut up I’m having a really hot wet dream here. But, then I came back to myself and realized that I had been staring at him like a lost schoolgirl and he was sex on a popsicle stick while licking my chops. He was clearing his throat to get my attention. I looked up at his big green eyes and couldn’t help the blush rising in my cheeks. I knew if I had a mirror my cheeks would be scarlet red with embarrassment. He just stood there smirking at me giving me a boyishly lustful look.
As soon as I gathered myself I asked, “Sorry, what can I do for you Jason?”
“The boss sent me in to get you we have to go check out a crime scene over off Ocean Boulevard.”
“Ocean Boulevard? But that’s down by the beach. Usually the city cops handle that area.”
“Yeah I know. The locals called us because it looks preternatural.”
“Alright. Let’s roll,” I said stand up from my desk.
The drive over to the beach was very quiet. I could have started a conversation but I was still a little embarrassed for staring at him like I was ready to drop to my knees and give him my very first blow job. But in my defense no man should smell that good or look that good. Just thinking about it makes me blush. In cases like this sometimes I wish I’d let my inner slut rise to the surface because that bitch is scratching to get out. But nope I have to keep her locked away. Although this is the first man I have ever responded to. All through school my friends were drinking, dating, and having sex while I studied and stayed away from boys. I sometimes wondered if I was a lesbian but you actually got to like looking at girls in that way and it just doesn’t do it for me. Although, men never really did anything for me either. I always thought there was something missing from my genetic makeup. Well, at least until now that is. I swear to god with those high cheekbones and that tan skin all he’d have to do is grow out that beautiful dark hair and the man would look like he come from the reservation of the hot and found.
We drove a ways up the coast. If we had gone any further we would have ended up in Fort Lauderdale. We finally turned into a house on the left. The house was huge, pale yellow, and L shaped. As soon as you pull into the front gate you saw the front of the house. To the left there was a six car garage and what looked like the ground keepers quarters. We got out of my truck and the front door to the house was open. We both had our badges out ready to flash in case anyone tried to stop us. As soon as you walk into the house you can see a double staircase. One was to the right going up the second story and the left side wrapped around and connected to the right side of the staircase meeting in the middle of a wide hallway. Looking up at the balcony there was two doors. One of the doors was open and there was a deputy standing outside the door. Jason and I held out our badges for the deputy to see. He waved us up saying, “About time they called the SID’s in. I hope you two have strong stomachs.”
“And who are you?” I asked sarcastically while Jason was nudging me to be nice.
“Deputy Drake ma’am,” he answered and stuck his hand out to shake mine while ignoring my attitude. His shake was very gentle but still firm. He offered his hand to Jason and he took it.
“Don’t mind Agent Barnes’ attitude,” Jason said smiling. “PMS. You know how they get.”
“Oh, no worries. We all know how they get,” the deputy replied while laughing.
Ok this is pissing me off. Hmmm should I just ignore it or not. I’m going with not. “Fuck both of you and I’m not PMSing.” They both gave me the yeah okay look. Jason opted for changing the subject and I let him. We were not here to bitch at each other we were here to do a job. “How bad is it Deputy?” Jason asked.
“It’s really bad that’s why I asked if you had a strong stomach.”
The deputy stepped aside to let us into the room. As soon as we walked into the room I was hit with an overwhelming smell of blood and something worse. As soon as I could make out the bloody mess I felt a wave of nauseousness hit me like a ton of bricks. I swayed just a tad and Jason reached for my arm steadying me.
“You okay?” Jason asked.
“Yeah I’ll be okay.” I swallowed hard and tried not to breathe through my nose. The carpet was soaked in blood. It was so saturated with blood my shoes made squishing sounds as I stepped on the carpet. On the far wall of the bedroom next to the window a man was pinned spread eagle across the wall crucifixion style. His arms were pinned straight out from him body with a stake through each wrist and his legs were spread apart with a stake in each ankle. There was also a blade of some kind going through the middle of his torso. His throat was slashed and his stomach looked like it was eaten or ripped out. “Now I can see only a lycanthrope doing this if it was just the eaten stomach, but the victim is spread eagled and pinned to the wall by stakes,” I said as I examined the body further, “So maybe he wasn’t the only one here or maybe someone did it to make a statement. Lycanthropes or even vampires are very strong but it would take more than one to hold the victim up against the wall like this and put stakes and a blade through him.” I stood there staring at the body a while longer. Somehow the more I looked at the body the paler it seemed to get. There just wasn’t something right about this. “Is it ok to go ahead and touch the body Deputy Drake?” I asked turning around to face the deputy.
“Yes go ahead, forensics has already gotten everything they need.” I put on a pair of white gloves that the deputy had handed me. I pulled a little light pen out of the front pocket of my blouse and stuck it into the victim’s mouth. Rigor Mortis had already set in, so the mouth was very stiff. After a few tugs I got the mouth pried open. What I found was shocking, fangs. “The victim isn’t even human so whatever did this to him definitely wasn’t human. Is the heart gone?” I asked. “Yes the heart is gone. Believe it or not forensics was brave enough to check. It looked like whatever did this pulled the heart out through the stomach from underneath the rib cage.”
“Well, deputy you're right about one thing, whatever did this.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jason asked.
“Well, no human could possibly hang a full size vampire up off the ground and put four stakes and a blade into him and no one is going to be strong enough to
rip his stomach open, pull out all the intestines, and reach up and snatch the heart out. It has to be a preternatural creature. Either another vampire or a lycanthrope had to do this. They are the only things that’s living that I know could lift a full size van and throw it like it was nothing. But, there had to be more than one creature that did this. No matter how strong they are it took at least two, one to hold, and one to pin. Since rigor mortis set in that means this vampire was murdered about eight hours ago.”
“So, you're saying the stomach wasn’t cut it was ripped?” Jason asked.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Ripped or eaten. Depending on what type of creature did this. If a vampire did it then it would have ripped the stomach. But, if a lycan did this then it is a possibility the stomach was eaten. We won’t know until we get the results from the forensics lab.”
I took the gloves off and threw them into the trash bin. I told the deputy our department would be in touch and it would be okay for the coroner to pick up the body. When the coroner got there I told him to send me the report as soon as possible. Jason and I walked back outside and the salt water smelled wonderful in the fresh air mixed with Jason’s musky spicy earth scent. Of course anything would smell better than what was in that house. We got into the truck and left the crime scene. I thought the ride back was going to be silent. But, I was wrong. “Jessi, what do you honestly think happened to the victims stomach?” I knew this was going to be a long ride back to the office. Jason must have asked me thirty questions. I was at least polite enough to answer what I could. Although it was quite irritating. It’s not his fault that he’s aggravating the hell out of me. I just like working alone and one reason is so I don’t have to answer so many damn questions and secondly who the fuck could work with someone that smells like him.
Betrayed (Betrayed #1) Page 2
