by Jackie May
Nick rolls into the parking spot beside Terrance’s car and climbs off his beautiful, expensive motorcycle. “I know the feeling,” he says, having seen my shiver of unease. “I’m not a big fan of the fey folk, either.”
“Fey folk?”
Nick glances toward the riverfront. “Do yourself a favor. Stay away from the park after dark. The Riverfront Conservancy is owned by Giselle, and she lets the fey have their fun in the park without much supervision.”
I shudder again. The fey folk like to have the kind of fun that is never actually fun for the people they’re playing with. They should definitely be supervised. Or sent back to Faerie permanently. Who in their right mind would let them run wild? “And Giselle would be…?”
“The Detroit River mermaid.”
This is news to me. “We have a mermaid?”
“Oh yeah. She’s smokin’ hot but quite the temperamental fish. Bit of an unstable clinger, too. Really doesn’t like to be dumped.” A small flicker of a smile washes over Nick’s handsome face, as if he’s remembering a private joke. No doubt he’s speaking from personal experience. The man seriously hooked up with a mermaid? How is that even possible? Wasn’t the legs-on-land thing just a myth? I thought merpeople were completely waterlocked.
I shake away a rather disturbing image of Nick getting it on with a cracked-out fey version of Disney’s Ariel, and head toward the FUA building. The sign on the door says Paxton Shipping. Makes sense. Can’t exactly label it Federal Underworld Agency. That wouldn’t raise a few eyebrows or anything. “So, tell me about this agency. I didn’t realize the underworld had its own police/government/structural system.”
“We didn’t always. The system’s fairly new. It’s still a little like the Wild West. We only step in when things get out of hand, and not all underworlders recognize our authority, but it keeps the U.S. government appeased enough that they aren’t trying to exterminate all us monsters.”
Nick gives me a dry smirk as he holds the door open for me. I don’t know what to say to that, so I just nod and walk inside with Terrance and Wulf following close behind me.
The FUA reminds me a lot of the DMV. It has this overall depressing feeling that only the U.S. government can accomplish. It’s a large room with dim, fluorescent lighting and tacky linoleum flooring. There are only half a dozen desks or so, with a conference room in the back and a few doors with nameplates next to them, which I suspect are private offices.
There are only two people in the room—a middle-aged black woman a little on the heavy side and a gorgeous Asian man. The man is one of the hottest people I’ve ever seen. He’s…he’s…beautiful. Breathtaking. Mesmerizing. There’s just no other way to describe him. “How you doing, Gorgeous?” Damn, his voice is perfection, too. I let out a dreamy sigh. “Haven’t seen you in the office in a while.”
“I wonder why,” Nick says with a grunt as he drops his keys and badge onto a messy desk piled high with paperwork. For some reason, he’s scowling and avoiding eye contact with the beautiful man. It’s strange, considering he’s been over confident with everyone else so far.
The man laughs heartily and steps up to me with a beautiful smile and an extended hand. “And who do we have here?”
I blink at the extended hand. It looks so soft and smooth, and his fingernails are perfectly manicured. My policy has always been the less physical contact the better, but I can’t help taking what’s being offered. His grip is delicate but not flimsy, and his skin is warm and tingly. I shiver at his touch, and goose bumps rise on my arms. Holy shit, what’s with this guy?
His grin says he knows exactly what kind of reaction I’m having to him, and he likes it. Since I can currently hear his thoughts, I know he finds his attraction to me strange because I’m not his normal type. But he can’t deny the appeal of my lust. He brings my hand to his lips, and I totally let him.
“Cut that shit out, Ren,” Nick growls. “It’s not going to work on me, and you’re suffocating Nora.”
“Oh, all right, fine.” Ren sighs dramatically and gives Nick a very sexy pout. “But you really can’t blame a man for trying.”
An invisible weight lifts off me, clearing my head and making it easier to think straight. I stumble back a step and have to catch my breath. “What the hell?”
“Ren’s an incubus,” Henry says, glaring at the guy.
I’d been so enthralled with Ren I hadn’t even realized Henry and Parker had come inside. So not good. “Incubus?” Stomach dropping to the floor, I place myself safely behind Terrance.
Ren’s smile falls at my reaction. I feel bad for hurting his feelings and insulting him, but I can’t help my fear. I have enough problems with men lusting after me. I don’t need to be around one that exudes lust and feeds off of it. Though, I’m glad to have an explanation for my crazy-intense attraction to him.
“He’s gay, Henry,” Nick drones in a bored voice. “You don’t have to worry about him going after Nora. That was for my benefit.” Shooting Ren another dark look, he adds, “It’s never going to work.”
Ren winks at him. “You never know. One of these days you might change your mind, Gorgeous honey.”
Startled, I glance at Nick and then at Ren. He’s watching me with a pouty expression. “Sorry.” I cringe. Way to make a great impression.
“You’ve got to forgive Nora,” Wulf says. “Henry kidnapped her and tried to claim her as a mate. I think she’s already had more than enough seduction for one night.”
More like for a lifetime, but I don’t bother explaining my unique effect on people. Ren’s eyebrows hit the ceiling, and his smile comes back. “Ah. Henry was trying to woo you, was he?”
I force a nod. “Something like that.”
“Well, I suppose I can understand your distress being kidnapped and all, but honey, how on Earth did you resist that man?”
Henry gives me a smug smile until Ren says, “Mmm. I’d love to get my hands on that body just once.” He closes his eyes and shudders. It’s not the same shiver I get when I think of the master vampire. Not at all.
When Henry hisses, Ren rolls his eyes and flashes me another bright smile. “Anyway. It’s wonderful to meet you, Nora. And yes, the gorgeous Mr. Gorgeous here is correct. You don’t have to worry about me coming after you. We can just skip all that awkwardness and be great friends from the start.”
He’s kind of funny. And he’s gay. Which works for me. “Sure. Besties from the get-go.” I shake my head. “A gay incubus. That’s…interesting.”
“I like to think so. It’s fun, too, because great gaydar seems to come with the package. I like to find the ones who are unsure and teetering on the edge or conflicted about it, you know? The denial cases. Then I pull ’em right over that fence and rock their gay worlds so hard. First timers are yummy. All those suppressed hormones finally getting set free…” He takes a deep, sensual breath and licks his lips.
I snort. “So, then, you’re telling me Nick is on the fence with his sexuality?”
Nick cocks an eyebrow at me and folds his arms across his chest. Ren flashes me a smile so pretty my heart skips a beat. Honestly, gay or not, I just don’t think the man can help himself. “Well, no,” he admits. “I might have a little bit of a crush where he’s concerned.”
I glance back at Nick just in time to catch his annoyed eye roll, and can’t help smirking. “I guess I can’t blame you there. He’s a hottie and seems like an all right guy—he was definitely my hero tonight.” Nick’s lips start to twitch up into a smile, until I grin at Ren and say, “I’m pulling for you, friend. Really hope it works out for you guys one day. You’d make one hell of a sexy duo.”
Ren’s face lights up at the prospect. “I know, right?”
Nick clears his throat, giving us such a dry look we both snicker. The moment is broken when a short man with dark, wavy hair and brown eyes walks in the front door. “Oh good, the party’s all here,” Nick says, clapping his hands together once. “Everybody in the conference room. Ren, go g
et Director West. We’ve got a situation to get worked out.”
We file into the small room, each taking chairs around a long, rectangular table. I snag a chair on the end, and when Henry moves to take the seat beside mine, Terrance yanks him away by the collar of his expensive suit. Henry whirls on Terrance, and the two are snarling at each other before I can blink. “Stay away from her!” Terrance roars.
“She is mine!” Henry shouts.
Nick moves to the head of the table and does that scary badass thing again. There’s definitely some kind of power rolling off of him in waves. It’s a neat trick. I totally wish I could do it. “Shut it! Both of you!” he snaps.
Terrance and Henry glare at each other a moment longer, but they both calm down and fall into empty chairs. Wulf decides to take the seat beside me. Both Henry and Terrance narrow their eyes at him, but neither complains.
“Now that that’s settled,” Nick grumbles, “first item of business. Enzo?”
“Of course.” The shorty with the wavy hair squats down beside me. He holds a hand toward my face and offers me a sympathetic smile. His fingers pause an inch away, and he locks eyes with me. “With your permission?” he asked softly.
This must be the healer Nick mentioned back at the club. I don’t know anything about magic healing, and I’m a little freaked by the idea of him using it on me. But my head is still pounding and my face is throbbing.
At my small nod, Enzo gently cups my face in his hand. His thoughts fill my mind. He’s livid. He knows my injury came from being hit in the face and realized that it had to have been one of the men in the room. He figures it was Henry, from the way Terrance got after him, and wishes he could put an ash-wood stake through the bastard’s heart. Henry is not Enzo’s favorite person. This endears me to him just as much as the fact that he’s getting rid of the pain in my face. Again, I’m surprised. Like Terrance, Enzo seems less of a monster and more of a person who is genuinely concerned for me. Every belief I’ve had of underworlders is being proved wrong tonight.
As I sit there reading his thoughts, tingling warmth spreads through my face, dulling the throbbing in my cheek. In less than a minute, the pain and swelling are both gone. I gasp when I realize I’m fully healed.
Enzo grins. His chocolate eyes twinkle with amusement and pride. “Better?”
I nod, dumbfounded, and manage a very breathy, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Is there anything else?”
“My head. I think I have a concussion.”
Terrance growls at this, and Henry grimaces. At least the jackass feels a little bad for almost knocking my head clean off.
Enzo moves his hand to the top of my head, and seconds later my vision clears and the headache disappears. I sigh in relief.
He releases my head and offers me a sweet smile. “Good as new, miss.”
He’s not lying. There’s zero pain in my head or my face. Whatever their faults, underworlders have some sweet medical practices. I smile a big, toothy grin at my healer. “Thank you, Enzo. That was amazing.”
Enzo ducks his head. A light blush rises on his cheeks at my praise. “Thank you, miss. Glad I could be of assistance.”
He steps away just as two people enter the room behind Ren. The first is an older woman—maybe in her fifties. She’s got a military no-nonsense vibe about her. Sharp, intelligent eyes and pinched face as if she’s used to scowling, and her silver hair is pulled back in a severe bun. She’s wearing a power suit with a pencil skirt and practical black pumps. No doubt all personality, this one.
The second is a younger man. Though he’s dressed nicely in an expensive suit, making him look much more handsome than I’d first given him credit for, I recognize my sweet bus companion instantly. I’m so shocked to see him that my mouth falls open. “Oliver?”
My library/bus companion’s eyes widen. “Nora? What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” I repeat.
He ducks his head at all the incredulous looks being thrown his way and mumbles a soft, “I work here.”
My eyes bulge. Oliver is an underworlder.
Before I can ask him any more questions, the woman in the pencil skirt moves to the head of the table closest to me, where Nick is standing. He gives her a nod and moves to take an empty seat near the other end of the table. “Well,” the woman says, eyeing first me, then the random group of underworlders that have been assembled, “this is interesting.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Nick says, smirking.
The woman’s eyes circle the table again. “So who would like to tell me what’s going on?”
“I say we let the pretty human explain,” Ren chirps.
“Sounds good to me,” Nick agrees. “She seems to be both the victim and the witness here.”
“What happened?” Oliver asks. His question is directed at me and oozing with concern.
I still can’t believe he’s here. He’s an underworlder. The quiet geeky guy that had offered to walk me home when I looked sick is part of the world I’ve always been terrified of. I just can’t believe it. I can’t form any words to answer his question.
“You weren’t at the library or on the bus yesterday,” he says. “After you looked so ill, when you didn’t show up the next day, I was worried about you.”
He’s so sweet. My face melts into a smile, and I finally find my voice. “Well, I missed an entire day because stupid Parker kidnapped me, compelled me to sleep for a whole day—for which I’m probably fired from my job, thank you very much.” I scowl at Parker, who sighs in return and mouths Sorry. “Then, his asshole master decided I’d make a good tool and kept me against my will until Nick rescued me. Oh, and for some reason, Henry thinks he can claim me as his mate.”
Director West’s eyes widen, and Nick grins. “See? Told you you’d want to hear this,” he says to her. “Only it gets better. The little spitfire impaled him with a barstool leg when he attempted to turn her against her will.”
“She is human, and she knows of the underworld,” Henry sputters when Director West frowns. “It is my right to deal with her as I see fit.”
“But claim a woman to be your mate against her will? Change her?” Wulf growls a low, rumbly growl that makes me shiver. “It’s despicable.”
This comment seems to offend Henry on some deep level, because he shoots to his feet and starts yelling at Wulf. Wulf, of course, does the same, unleashing the fullness of his werewolf temper. Terrance and Parker join in the chaos, and suddenly I can’t make out any words among all the shouting.
“ENOUGH!” Director West shouts. She doesn’t have Nick’s badassery, but the command still has punch. Everyone returns to their seats and closes their mouths. Director West’s eyes return to me. “It seems you are the center of the squabble, so why don’t you start by telling us your side of things, miss…?”
“Nora Jacobs.” I shoot a nasty glare at Henry and Parker, then shrug. “What’s there to say? I got abducted at knifepoint by my psycho neighbor last night, and rather than let him assault me like he was planning to do, I passed him off to someone I knew could handle him.”
“Cecile,” Parker clarifies when Director West frowns.
“Is that the succubus?” I ask. Parker nods. “Okay, yeah. I handed him over to Cecile. Trust me, the guy deserved whatever she did to him, and then some.”
Director West nods. “Okay. And then what happened?”
I continue on explaining how handing my neighbor over to a succubus tipped Parker off that I knew about his world. Once I finish with the entire story—where Nick helpfully reminds her again about the improv wooden stake—all eyes turn to Henry. He sits up straight, defiant and prideful as ever.
“Henry?” Director West demands.
“She is human, Madison.”
“Gifted.”
“Still human.”
Director West pinches up her face as if Henry’s argument tastes sour, and looks at Parker. “You compelled her and brought her to Henry. Why
?”
Parker, unlike Henry, doesn’t look defiant. He looks…resigned. “I didn’t know she was gifted. She was human, she knew about our world, she knew that I was a vampire, and she was associated with my main suspect.”
“Are you a cop, too, then?” I ask. “How come you didn’t bring me here instead of taking me to Henry?”
Parker shakes his head. “I don’t work for the Agency.”
“Though we’ve tried to recruit him many times,” Director West says with a sigh.
Parker shrugs helplessly to the director—who is actually smiling for once—like they’re buddies sharing a tired joke. “I’m Henry’s chief enforcer,” Parker explains to me. “Head of security for the clan.”
Okay. I can see that.
“I’ve been trying to find Nadine all week. Xavier, your neighbor, was my main suspect. I was undercover last night. I thought Xavier was going to try to take another underworlder, but instead he picked up you.”
I shiver. Xavier is a creep above creeps. What the hell is he doing that he’s involved with underworlders disappearing? I quickly shake off the thought. Xavier is a psycho pervert, but he’s also a moron. He can’t possibly know that the underworld exists. If he did, he would definitely do something stupid and get himself killed.
As I digest this news and mentally argue the possibilities, Parker turns his attention back to Director West. “It was my job to be suspicious of Xavier and all of his associates. While Nora clearly wasn’t friendly with Xavier, she was out with him. I didn’t know he’d forced her to come, and she obviously knew of the underworld. I hadn’t been sure Xavier knew what he was dealing with, but Nora was different. She knew about it. It would have been irresponsible of me not to look into it further.”
