The monk’s knees gave out. He let out an eerie nonhuman scream.
Max jerked up, shifting effortlessly into his human form, and blasted past me. A blur of black Levi’s was all I saw. I had my answer—no naked Max when he shifted. I turned and looked behind me.
The one I hadn’t killed wielded a long wooden staff. Its target? My head.
Max intercepted, taking the blows that were meant for me. Monk Boy whirled his long stick like a baton twirler in a marching band, pounding Max’s chest, his arms, his legs. He reminded me of the monk Little John from that Robin Hood movie I loved to watch, the one where Alan Rickman played the crazy sheriff.
Max held his own, scoring a five-clawed scratch down the creep’s face and neck.
Cyn tore the duct tape off her mouth. “Watch out, Sam!”
I turned to help Max, just as Little John slammed his staff into Max’s torso, and knocked him across the room. “Maybe you should pick on someone your own size, you freak.” I came at him, spearing Atlantis forward.
A shot of fear widened his eyes, and he hesitated when he saw the trident. Atlantis glowed blue with magic, and I sneered at him. I broke first, and pounded his side with the long end of my trident. He parried, and came down for my collarbone with his stick, but I countered with Atlantis.
He reached for the trident, hoping, I knew, to dislodge it from my hands. “Not happening, Freak Show!” I pinned him to the apartment’s wall, two crystal tines on each side of his neck, the point of the third one just grazing his Adam’s apple. Max collected the wooden staff, and stood behind me, heaving in deep breaths of air.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked, my voice low, and controlled. “How dare you touch my sister.”
“He works for Rosencratz.” Cyn spat her words, livid with rage. She was close to hyperventilating when she came up behind us. “They found out you were coming. They stormed in here this morning. And they took my dog!”
“Where’s my mother?” I angled Atlantis, just enough to make the center tine draw blood from his neck. Fear flashed through Little John’s eyes as a trickle of his life force dripped down his chest.
“In my experience hunting monsters with Silverton, you’ve got about three seconds to start talking if you want to live, brother,” Max said. “She doesn’t pull that thing out for shits and giggles.”
The monk’s gaze raced back and forth between us. He didn’t offer any information.
“So, this is all a ploy to get to me? You used my family for bait?” I couldn’t help it. Now I was fucking furious. He must have seen it in my eyes, because he flinched. “Start talking!”
“It was just supposed to be a pickup. You two girls. No one was supposed to get hurt.” He cast his eyes to his fallen brothers.
“What. The. Fuck.” He obviously hadn’t been counting on me. Or Atlantis. Or Max. If I wasn’t so furious, maybe I could have reasoned with him. “Where’s she holding my mother?”
He didn’t answer me, but just shook his head.
“Time for talk is over.” It wasn’t like I hadn’t given him a chance, right? I energized Atlantis, and the crystal trident buzzed with gathering power.
“Do it, Sam. Blast his ass into the afterlife,” Cyn urged.
“Time’s up, asshole.” That came from Max.
The front door slammed open and I heard the sound of heavy boots entering the apartment. “Stand down, Silverton!” That baritone voice belonged to my vampire handler, Shade.
Little John swiveled and drew a knife, aiming for my belly. It was now or never, so I chose now.
I targeted the growing energy in Atlantis, and blasted the monk’s head off. I stood back, a little shocked at my own handiwork. “There. Let that be a message for anyone who screws with me, or my family.”
“Goddamn it, Silverton! I told you to stand down! You didn’t have to kill him.”
Shade slammed his palm into the wall and kicked the chair. Honestly, I didn’t give a shit that I’d disobeyed a direct order. No way was I letting these bastards get away with this. I turned around and glared at him. “You taught me that. Only pussies stand down. Are you turning into one?”
“You and I need to have a talk about our communication skills.” He moved his gloved index finger back and forth between us. “You should have let me interrogate him.”
Geez . . . what was wrong with him?
I turned away from the carnage, and focused on my sister. She and I could have all the bullshit arguments in the world about who was a witch, and who was a monster-hunter, but no one was going to touch her as long as I drew breath. She was still family. “Are you okay, Cyn?”
We rushed into each other’s arms, stepping over the dead monks on the other side of the room. I made her sit down on the couch while I checked her for injuries. “Are you hurt?”
Black mascara tracks trailed down her cheeks, like some inkblot gone wild. Her short black spiky hair was matted to her head, but I didn’t see any blood. “Christ, Cyn, what did they do to you?” Max came over to us, and hovered.
She burst into tears. “It’s not me, Sam. It’s Sebastian. They took Sebastian.”
I knelt in front of her, and caressed her shaking arms. “Who took him?”
“Who’s Sebastian?” Max asked.
“Sebastian is Cyn’s familiar. A Doberman pup she adopted this past Valentine’s Day.” I was more of a cat person myself, but she loved that dog.
“Who, Cyn? Time is of the essence,” Shade said, coming over to us.
“They did.” She waved her hand at the three freakishly large monks. “There were two more with them. When they tied me up, and dognapped him, I overheard them saying Rosencratz would enjoy adding him to her collection. What the hell is going on here?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out,” I said, gripping her hands in mine. Losing a familiar was a devastating blow to a witch. They were more than pets—Max sure was to me—they were our soulmates. Cyn tightened her grip on my hands. Tears bled down her face, smearing her black mascara against her porcelain skin. “They’ve got Mom too, Sam.”
The sting of tears burned behind my eyes, but I quashed them. The last thing I was gonna do was cry, especially in front of Shade and the other HWB agents who’d arrived with him.
Cyn searched the room, inspecting Shade and his crew. “Who are they? They look like strippers.”
I stood tall, then lifted my chin, and introduced my bizarre entourage. “These are the agents I work with. This big guy here is Shade Vermillion. He’s kinda my boss. And I think you’ve met Max.” Hell. There was no use trying to hide Max from her now. She’d seen him shift from cat to man. “Max is my familiar.”
Shade was decked out all in black, as were the other five HWB agents he’d brought with him. I didn’t bother to introduce the team.
It would be better if she didn’t remember their names anyway. Humans, even open-minded ones like witches, usually went nuts when they confirmed the existence of other paranormal beings. It messed with their imaginations. Besides, I didn’t want Shade wiping my sister’s mind.
Cyn sucked in a deep breath. “He’s . . . he’s . . . a . . . is he what I think he is?”
I gaped. Did she know? Could she sense Shade was a vampire? She stood up, pushing me out of her way, and addressed him. “I’m Cynthia, Sam’s sister, but you can call me Cyn.”
Shade nodded at her. “Nice to meet you. Mind if we talk for a bit out in my vehicle?”
“Whoa, wait just a damn minute. I don’t want you screwing with my sister’s head, Shade.”
He pegged me with his death glare. “I wouldn’t have to if you’d followed orders and let me interrogate your prisoner.” He looked back at the fallen monks. “We’ll have to relocate this little party anyway. Guys, clean this place up.” The team went to work in a flash.
I’d never really stayed behind after a hunt to watch them work. I didn’t want to know how they were going to get three bodies out of here in broad daylight.
Shade was right, though. We needed a new venue where we could figure this out. “Let’s go to the farmhouse. If Mom was abducted there, we might find some clues as to where she is.”
“That’s the last place I saw her, Sam. She was going over some documents for the Samhain festival, and talking to some other covens about their missing familiars.” My sister turned around and pulled out a large manila envelope from her bookcase with the name Sebastian written on it in her script handwriting. She handed it to Shade. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can I hire you to find him for me?”
Shade took the documents, and peered down at Cyn. “I won’t make any promises, but I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “Okay, Silverton, let’s go. You too, Kitty Boy,” Shade said, curling his fingers at Max.
We left the HWB agents to clean up the monk mess. There were three black SUVs waiting outside. Shade took Cyn’s hand and led her to the first one. Max and I strode out into the bright autumn sunlight, and took the back seat of the second vehicle.
Now that Rosencratz had resorted to abducting humans—particularly my mother—I was more determined than ever to see her head on a spike before she could get to mine.
Chapter 14
Max
MAX TOOK SAM’S hand, and guided her to the second car. He’d almost lost her in there. Fuck Shade for calling her down. She’d done what she’d had to do.
His new legs were long, and it took some adjusting to get used to them. Viewing the ground from this high up had never been an issue. Stumbling in front of her wasn’t an option.
He opened the rear door for her, and slid in beside her, making sure their legs touched. He wanted to feel everything, wanted to feel her body beside his, wanted to touch her. “That was intense,” he said, searching her face.
She held up a finger. “The main question you have to ask yourself after an encounter like that is, what could you have done better? What can we learn from what happened to make the next mission more effective?” Her expression was all business, and her insight made him want to improve.
“I would have moved faster. Stopped that third guy from challenging you. For a second there, I thought. . . . I thought he was going to—”
She held up her palm like a stop sign. “That’s a mistake in the middle of a fight. You can’t think, Max. You have to react. No paralysis by analysis. Just act. I think you did great, actually, but maybe next time, you could use those claws sooner.”
He glanced at his hands.
“Do they extend naturally, or do you have to think it through first? These are the things you’ll need to practice in basic training. Every supernatural agent has their talent. Don’t be afraid to use yours.”
He flexed his fingers. “Still getting used to my opposable thumbs.”
She chuckled, and the light tinkling sound lifted his brows. He liked having the power to make her laugh. His world was right when Sam was happy, even if it was at his expense.
She turned to him in the seat. They were separated from the driver by the closed window, and the privacy made his pulse race.
God, she’d been spectacular in there.
“The way you cut my sister free, the fast reaction you showed when I needed you by my side, I’m really impressed, Max. You’ve been paying attention.”
His chest swelled with pride. “I could do better.”
She threw her hand back and forth between them. “This is what I love about what we do. It’s kind of like we’re a team reviewing game films. What’s your critique about my decisions?” Her blue eyes were alive, dancing with their conversation.
“You held back with the third one, as if you wanted to question him. That’s Shade’s job. Not yours. The monk could have killed you.”
Her face wrinkled into a frown. “Shade was sure pissed I killed him, huh?”
“He was.” Max took her hands in his. “I don’t blame you. I was about to myself, but you’re gonna have to work on your bloodlust. What if you come up against someone who Shade really needs to talk to? What if you compromise a mission by failing to wait?”
Her expression fell. She really needed to work on that point, so he just let his question linger, unanswered.
She looked out the window and rubbed her neck. He wanted her back in his space. “The way you saved your sister impressed me. Family is everything, Sam.”
“How fucking dare they?”
Max nodded, and turned her chin to him with his fingers. “Your monster-fighting skills are impeccable. Damn the critics.”
Her eyes dilated, and her lips twitched. “You too, Max. I’m recommending you for an officer’s position. It’s the least Shade can do.”
He swallowed hard. Her word, recommending him for anything, carried significant weight in the HWB. If he had to leave her for basic, it might tear his heart out of his chest. But at least with her positive words in his file, getting to guardian status might happen faster.
There was that, right? It meant he could get back to her faster, once he was finished with basic training. Problem solved.
She shot him a warm glance.
“What are you thinking?” If he had to leave her in a few days, he could steal another kiss. God, her pink lips were so close, he could smell her strawberry lip gloss. He focused in on them. She slipped her pink tongue out between them, to wet them, and he seized the opportunity. He moved his face in, just a half inch away from hers.
She breathed in, a tight, deep affair, almost a gasp.
He wanted his lips on hers, but he hesitated, waiting for her permission.
Sam leaned in to him, closing the distance.
Their lips met.
He reached his hand up to cup her jaw, to pull her closer, if that was possible.
Lips pressed harder against lips, and their tongues tangled. She tasted sweet, like a soft sea breeze, salty and full of sunshine. He savored her taste. Pressing his tongue in deeper, he explored her mouth with his.
Damn the driver. Damn the consequences. Damn the HWB.
Whatever short time they had together should be savored, and her kiss meant everything to him. When Sam moaned, and wrapped her hands up his neck and dragged him closer, possessively, he deepened the kiss. His new human body responded, and his cock grew granite-hard, needing her body next to his, longing for a more private place where he could show her what he wanted. What he needed.
Damn, though, there was always someone else around. The driver stopped the vehicle at a stoplight. Max eased back away from her.
“Sam . . .”
“Mmmm,” she murmured against his lips, pulling back, her eyes still closed. What was she imagining behind those blue eyes? Was she wanting the same thing? Wanting uninterrupted private time to explore this new relationship? A place where they could do more?
He finally had the power to touch her like he’d always imagined, and she was responding to him, eager for his touch, for more.
God, this actually could work. Couldn’t it?
Shade
SHADE SAT IN the back seat of the SUV behind the darkened windows that blocked out the sunlight. Cyn sat beside him, inching her body closer until her thigh touched his. Shade closed the partition between them and the driver, and turned to her.
She took in a tight breath, and searched his face. Her heartbeat accelerated. Females usually responded to him like that. It was the pheromones he’d been blessed with. Even though her sister was immune, Shade was pleased that Cyn was not.
He put his arm behind her, and pulled her closer, gently smoothing away the mascara blotches with his thumbs. “What those guys did to you . . . I’m sorry, Cyn.” He took in a deep breath of her scent. “That
’s Chanel No. 5.”
Cyn nodded. “Mom’s favorite.”
“You’re worried about her.”
She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Damn straight.”
“You know things about Rosencratz. How have you stayed so close to her all these years?”
Cyn looked away. She was hiding something, and he was damn determined to find out what she knew. He touched her chin, and pulled her gaze back to him. She swallowed hard. “You know that old adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer . . .?”
His stone heart threatened to beat again. “Tell me everything.”
She opened up to him. They always did. The problem with his natural ability to enthrall members of the opposite sex was they often went too far, and things got messy. Maybe this time, he could keep things aboveboard.
“I’ve maintained a loose friendship with Francesca through the local coven. She’s always more than eager to catch a glimpse of Poseidon when he comes to visit Mom, and she’s very interested in Sam. I supplied her tidbits along the way, just so I could keep tabs on her. She’s vicious, Shade. You have to know that.”
He nodded. “What about lovers? Who does she sleep with?”
“Of late, another vampire.”
Shade froze. Son of a bitch! Was he right, and about to stumble onto the one thing he wanted more than life itself? Was Rosencratz sleeping with Kristoff West?
Cyn peered at him, as if she was studying an artifact of great interest. “I’ve been doing some research. That’s how I knew what you were back there. I’m surprised you’re out in daylight, though.”
He nodded. “I have tools to help me with that. Technology is amazing these days.”
“I suppose you want to know his name. Francesca’s lover?”
“I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
Sam
I SLID THE PARTITION closed between us and our driver and lost myself in Max’s kiss in the privacy of our own backseat.
Initiation Page 10
