by J. C. Diem
“She ran away pretty quickly once the action started. It seemed as if she was just waiting for you four to take him down.”
“Wow,” Kala said in something close to admiration. “That’s diabolical.”
“Not to mention evil,” I muttered.
“That goes without saying,” Flynn said. “All undead are evil.”
Kala swallowed the last of her energy bar before speaking. “I wonder why? What happens to turn them so malicious?”
“I read somewhere that vampires lose their souls when they’re turned,” I said. “Maybe that’s why they turn evil.” I hadn’t really read it. Kurt Jorgen had told me this, but to mention his name would be a mistake. They’d probably forget our entire conversation.
Flynn addressed his next question to our boss. “It has to have something to do with death magic. What do you know about it, Mark?” Our earpieces worked just fine below the ground, as long as we didn’t move out of range.
“Not much,” he replied. “Necromancers appear to be born with it. They chant to focus their magic and use blood as the catalyst to raise zombies. Most have to hone their talents with years of training. Bokors are able to learn the appropriate spells, but they need to use more blood. They can’t call forth as many minions as a necromancer. Once zombies have been raised, they’re infused with the death magic. It binds them to their masters. We’ve now learned that ghouls also have death magic. If they’re bound to a master, we haven’t seen him yet.”
“Judging by the color of their skin and their blood, they’re not far from being undead,” Flynn said. “I’m amazed they can still breed.”
Kala’s mouth turned into an unhappy frown. “Now I’m picturing them having sex. Thanks a lot, Flynn.” It would have been funny if I hadn’t also been picturing them in my head.
“Are you saying that having death magic in our system means we’re going to turn evil?” Reece asked. “Are Lexi and I eventually going to end up soulless?”
“Not if we find Katrina and deal with her,” Mark reassured him.
“We still have time,” I said. “There’s no need to worry just yet. I’m not harboring any homicidal fantasies.”
“Yeah, but you did almost turn into a werewolf, or so I’m told,” Kala reminded me. She had little recollection of her time spent with the pride, apart from having sex with Cole.
I didn’t have a comeback for that one and remained silent.
“Have the ghouls stopped running yet?” Mark asked.
I sent out my senses and found a larger group huddled together. “Yep. I think they’ve decided that there’s safety in numbers. I can feel them all gathered together.” If we managed to take them out, that would clear this area. Then we’d only have three more tunnel systems left to search.
Kala stood and hefted her weapon. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go kill these suckers.”
It took us longer than I’d expected to work our way to where the ghouls were hiding. The tunnels had been designed to confuse anyone who entered. Finally, we reached another tunnel that led to a cave. We could hear them whispering in the middle of the open area. They were speaking too quietly for us to be able to understand what they were saying.
Using hand signals, Reece told Kala and Flynn to circle around to the left while he and I would take the right. Splitting up, we gave Kala and Flynn enough time to move into position before we sprinted into the cave.
One of the ghouls spied us as we lifted our rifles and prepared to shoot. Another one screeched a warning when Kala and Flynn appeared behind them. They huddled into a tight group as we opened fire. I didn’t realize what they were doing at first. Then I saw several pairs of legs disappear into the soil above and finally figured out their plan.
“They’re getting away!” I shouted and angled my gun higher. I hit a pair of legs and blood splashed onto the ghouls that had fallen. The earth closed around them, hiding them from our sight.
“How many managed to escape?” Reece asked.
“Ten, I think.”
“Which direction did they go?”
I shook my head. “Everywhere. They split up.”
“They can’t go far,” Mark said. “It’s still daylight and they won’t risk being spotted by humans.” It felt like we’d been hunting them all day, but it was only lunchtime.
“These things are wily,” Kala scowled. “What if they warn the other ghouls that we’re hunting them?”
Turning my head from side to side, I felt the errant monsters already returning beneath the ground. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. They’ve just entered the tunnels again.”
“Let’s move,” Reece said and motioned for me to take the lead once more.
It wasn’t easy to track them all down, but we finally managed to find the last one. Cornered and heavily pregnant, she hissed and crouched down, putting her arms over her stomach to protect her unborn baby. Reece fired a few rounds into her head and body, but he wasn’t happy about it. This job was getting to all of us. Hunting down fleeing children, even ones that were monsters, wasn’t fun.
“That’s the last of them,” he reported to Mark.
“Well done. Do you think you can find your way back here?”
We’d crisscrossed the entire graveyard a dozen times by now. Our tracks and scent were everywhere. Fortunately, Reece had a better sense of direction than I did. “Yeah. We’re on our way.”
We trotted through utter darkness until we found the rope hanging down through the hole that we’d dug. Zeus looked down at me and barked happily. The sound echoed around the cave for a few seconds before dying out.
“How are we going to fill this in?” I asked. Any dirt we threw into the hole would just fall through into the hollowed out area below.
“I’ve got that covered,” Mark said from above.
Trusting that he had a solution, I grabbed my leather jacket and started climbing. Even burdened with an assault rifle, it was an easy climb. When we were all topside, Mark held up a square piece of wood. I had no idea where he’d found it, but it was large enough to cover the hole.
Simply laying it on the ground and covering it with dirt wouldn’t do. If anyone stepped on it, they’d be in danger of dislodging it and falling through. Working together, we shoveled most of the dirt from the pile that we’d made back into the hole. Then Flynn knelt and inserted the wood about two feet below the surface. We packed the rest of the dirt inside then spread the remaining soil around the area.
It was obvious that someone had been digging, but there wasn’t much we could do about it. Hopefully, we’d be able to rid Lilydale of the rest of its unwanted pests before a groundskeeper stumbled across our excavation. If they did, they’d be very surprised to learn that there were catacombs hidden beneath their city.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Six
A dark blue sedan was parked behind our SUV when we left the cemetery. Tompkins and McSweeny were standing beside their vehicle. Taking in our bedraggled appearance, their eyebrows rose in unison.
“Reports of loud noises that sounded like muffled fireworks have been reported by several different people during the past few hours,” Tompkins said and stared pointedly at our weapons. “Do we even want to know what’s going on here?”
McSweeny and Flynn exchanged an entire conversation in one short glance. Her eyes had gone tight when she saw him covered in dirt and carrying an assault rifle. She relaxed when he smiled and winked.
“No,” Mark said in response. “I doubt that you’d believe us if we told you.” He opened the back of the SUV and we stashed our weapons out of sight.
“It’s not zombies, is it?” the cop joked.
“If it was zombies, we’d save our bullets and set them on fire,” Kala said. “Just kidding,” she added quickly when Mark sent her a warning look.
Tompkins shook his head. “Is it over? Did you get them all?” He might not know exactly what was happening in his city, but he knew it was more complicated than
a ring of child snatchers.
“Not yet,” Mark said. “It will take us a few more days to hunt down the rest of them.”
McSweeny stopped staring at Flynn long enough to make a comment. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
Reece fielded that one. “If any more loud noises are reported near the other three cemeteries, it will most likely be us. It would be best if you kept everyone away and if you didn’t interfere with our mission.”
She and her partner shared a long look. They knew we were dealing with something out of the ordinary and that they weren’t equipped to face it with their police issue handguns.
“We’ll do our best,” Tompkins promised.
McSweeny drew Flynn aside, but they didn’t move far enough away to be out of our hearing. “Will you have some free time later, Agent Bailey?” she asked in a low voice.
Kala’s brows rose to her hairline and Reece elbowed her in the side before she could ruin the moment for our team mate.
The smile Flynn gave the cop was almost scorching. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m free, Silvia.”
“You’d better,” she warned him. Her tone was teasing, yet still vulnerable. I had the feeling she thought she wasn’t attractive enough for him and she was worried he was just toying with her.
Kala had the same impression and we gave each other a significant look that the men were oblivious to. We waited until we were back at our temporary base and had showered and changed before we cornered him.
Mark and Reece were downstairs when Flynn took a shower. Kala grabbed him as soon as he left the bathroom and dragged him into our room. I closed the door and stood in front of it to block his escape. Looking at us warily, he crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
“That cop has the hots for you bad,” Kala said bluntly, but quietly. “If you don’t get her into the sack soon, you’re going to completely shatter her self-esteem.”
Flynn was typically confused. Men rarely seemed to know what was going through a woman’s mind. “I thought girls usually liked to take things slowly. How can you possibly know what she’s thinking anyway?”
“Because we’re female,” I said, as if the answer was obvious. “She has feelings for you and she’s expecting you to move to the next step.”
He ran a hand through his cropped hair. “This is why I avoid relationships,” he said in frustration. “We’re only going to be here for another few days. Then we’ll leave and I’ll probably never see her again. What’s the point of getting close to her?”
“She’s not looking for happily ever after,” Kala said, taking pity on him. “She just wants to get you naked.”
“Did you have a private chat to her when I wasn’t looking?” His tone turned suspicious.
“When I said she has feelings for you, I didn’t mean she was in love with you,” I said in exasperation.
“Then what is she feeling?”
“Lust,” Kala said succinctly. “She wants to get her hands on your skinny, mocha colored body.” Her tawny eyes turned merry as she smirked.
He looked at me for verification and I nodded. I was far from an expert on dating, but it was easy enough to see how McSweeny felt about Flynn. “I know you aren’t interested in a one night stand, but you like each other and there’s obviously a mutual attraction between you.”
He remained silent for so long that Kala cracked. “Just do her!” she hissed. “Get her somewhere private, strip her naked and-”
His hand went up to stop her before her advice became too explicit. “I get the picture.”
“Silvia needs this, Flynn,” I told him. “So do you.”
“That’s for damn sure,” Kala agreed.
“Fine.” He squared his shoulders as if he was heading for battle. “I’ll call her.”
His footsteps thumped on the stairs and we listened to him traverse through the dining room and then the kitchen. We watched through the window as he left the house and entered the backyard. He bent to pat Zeus before he let himself out through the gate. Crossing the street, he cast a backwards glance at us and glowered when he saw us watching him.
“I can’t believe he’s actually going to go through with it,” Kala said as he made the call. His tenseness eased after their short conversation, which I hoped meant that McSweeny had accepted his date.
He refused to look up at us as he re-entered the yard. We rushed downstairs in time for him to step into the kitchen with Zeus at his heels. “I need to borrow the SUV for a few hours,” he said to Mark.
Sitting at the dining table with Reece, our boss gave him a long look then sighed, wisely surrendering to the inevitable. “Be back before dawn,” he said as Reece fished his keys out and tossed them to him.
Zeus headed straight to the dining table and collapsed on the floor beside Mark. He’d performed a sweep of the property and had nothing to report. No news was good news in this instance.
Since I had time to kill, I took my Beretta apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Dry firing a few times, it was back to perfect working order again. My relief at regaining the weapon was profound. The Colt was an excellent gun, but the Beretta would always be my favorite.
After our action packed day, the night was boring in comparison. We turned in early again since we’d have to be up before dawn once more. I woke when I heard Flynn return several hours later. He crept upstairs and entered his room. He and his roommate had a short, quiet conversation. Reece chuckled, which made my desire flare. My heart clenched when I realized how much I missed him. He was only just down the hall, yet he might as well have been on the other side of the country.
Lying on the floor beside my bed, Zeus whined quietly. I reached down and patted him on the head. Kala was deeply asleep and let out a small moan. My cheeks heated when I realized she was dreaming about her sexcapades with Cole.
Reece and I were the only ones who were actually bonded in our group and we weren’t even having sex anymore. Meanwhile, Kala and Flynn were both scoring. It was petty, but I felt cheated. It wasn’t supposed to work out this way. We were supposed to live happily ever after, not to be mired in angst and suffer through constant misery. Maybe if I’d been pure born instead of bitten, things would have been different. Maybe then Reece would have been able to love me.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My sleep was troubled when I slid under again. I dreamt of a mysterious shadowy female figure. She seemed to be assessing me, but for what purpose I didn’t know. Then Mark was knocking on our door and it was time to get back to work.
After quick showers and a hasty breakfast, we headed to the cemetery where the second smallest contingent of ghouls was hiding.
“How many are we facing this time?” Reece asked. His breath fogged in the pre-dawn chill, but it wasn’t cold to us. As the only human in our group, Mark shivered. It was early winter now and I wondered if it was going to start snowing soon.
“Around forty or so,” I responded. “They’re in small family groups again.”
“Let’s get digging,” Flynn said.
We chose a spot in the middle of a small copse of trees and started to dig, figuring the tunnels would be crisscrossing the area beneath us. We were far enough away from the graves that I wasn’t in pain this time.
We dug thirty feet down and there was no sign that we were going to break through into a tunnel. Piling the dirt back into the hole, we moved to a new spot and tried again. Our second attempt was successful.
Flynn was digging when the ground gave way. He fell through to the tunnel below and I jumped in after him. We pulled our handguns and stood back to back so we could watch both directions.
The closest ghouls were at least a hundred yards away and were separated from us by thick walls of dirt. They hadn’t heard us digging and remained oblivious to our presence as Mark dropped our rifles down to us. We’d brought the flamethrowers along this time and they were dropped down to us next.
Reece and Kala joined us in the passage
as Mark tied our rope to a tree and tossed it in after us. “Stay together and be careful,” he warned us. Zeus looked down into the opening and whined. He knew he couldn’t come with us, but he was upset at being left behind again.
“Let’s move out,” Reece ordered. With his assault rifle, flamethrower, camouflage cargo pants, black combat vest and short hair, he was every bit the soldier that I’d married in my succubus induced fantasy world.
“Stop staring at the eye candy,” Kala whispered and nudged me into action.
Flushing at being caught in a daydream, I led the way towards our quarry. It took Kala all of five seconds before she brought up Flynn’s rendezvous with Silvia McSweeny. “How did it go with your cop last night?” Her question sounded casual, but he knew better. She wasn’t going to be satisfied until he told her exactly what she wanted to know.
“It was mutually satisfying for both of us,” he said then clamped his lips shut.
“I’m so proud of you, Flynn,” she said with a grin. “You’re not a boy anymore.”
I looked back over my shoulder to see him send her a sardonic look. “I wasn’t a virgin,” he reminded her.
“So you say, but there was no evidence to the contrary.”
“And now there is?”
She’d been asleep when he’d crept home, but she seemed to know that he’d consummated his relationship with the cop. “Let’s just say that you look very relaxed today. I’m not saying you’ve never slept with anyone before, but it does seem like years of sexual repression have finally been released.”
They were speaking so quietly that Mark would have had trouble hearing them, but Reece silenced them both. “Question Flynn about his sex life later,” he said to Kala. “Let’s focus on the job.”
She saluted him smartly, but her eyes danced with amusement. “You speak and I obey, oh great and powerful Rex.”
He rolled his eyes and muttered something beneath his breath. He hated that nickname. Now that we’d actually seen a rex, it was an even bigger insult. I had a feeling that alpha cats and alpha dogs were very different. The felines were frivolous and vain and wolves were more serious and grounded. We barely had anything in common with them at all, apart from us all being shifters.
