“I want to meet this woman.” Mira walked over to Locke and placed her hand on her hip, giving him a wide grin.
She was like their sister. He shook his head and tried to give her the ‘I’m the big brother’ look. She laughed before saying goodbye.
“You started this Ven.”
He looked at Locke with his best “who me” look.
“Finish eating, Locke. I have a couple of spots to check out. Kayden says they are hot with possible Shadow activity.”
Shadow is how they referred to the threat that tried to take Mira away from her mate and them.
“Done.” He took his plate and Ven’s to the sink.
They never used the dishwasher because they didn’t have enough plates or utensils for all of them.
“Who’s in charge of getting more dishes?” Locke looked around the room.
“You,” Ven told him. “You’ll know when it’s time.”
“Ven English is our second language. Maybe if you spoke in our original dialect I could understand you without the mystery attached to your words.”
Ven repeated his words in their dialect. Then because he liked to mess with Locke, he repeated it in the galaxy standard dialect. That not being enough he repeated them in Spanish, Russian, French, and Chinese.
Locke growled but chose not to respond. Every time Ven repeated the words they became more mysterious.
“Ven are you coming with us?” Cade asked him to give Locke a little breathing room.
“I’m spending time with Key today.”
Cade and Locke stared at him.
“What?” Ven said standing. “I’ll be with Key, what trouble can I get into?”
“He’s up to something,” Locke said still staring at the doorway Ven went through.
“He wouldn’t be Ven if he weren’t up to something. I hope whatever it is we miss it. I’ll be at the Jeep in five.” Cade walked out leaving Locke sitting in the huge kitchen by himself.
His mind drifted back to the female who called herself CrazyPsychoB. A smile played along his lips. He liked her name, she wasn’t out to impress. He didn’t like the fact that she only wanted a night. That wasn’t sitting well with him. It worked, though a night was all he had to offer.
He stopped past his suite then went to meet Cade.
“Are Kayden and Taris coming?”
“No, they’re doing sweeps on the property.” Cade turned on the jeep and headed for the road.
“Are you anticipating trouble?” Locke knew they were always watching out for it. This patrol meant that the level of concern had notched up.
“I am. When we get back, I want you to add to the wards surrounding the property. Mira has added some that will go off if the Shadows are detected.”
The wards were placed as an alarm system. The plus side is that they didn’t use electricity. The part that still concerned him was this was a new ability. It didn’t show until they not only landed on this planet but began to mingle with the human females. They were bringing out hidden abilities, latent powers? He wasn’t sure, but the longer they were in contact with these females the more they seemed to change. Was it changing or embracing who they were always meant to be?
“Locke?”
Cade’s voice pulled him away from his thoughts.
“Are we here?”
“We are. You’ve been lost in your thoughts for some time.”
“Why are we on the West End?” That was a part of the city they never went to. Not because there was anything wrong with it. They didn’t have a reason to visit.
“There was a report that the Shadows were seen here. It makes sense since we don’t normally come here.” Cade drove until he found a place to park that looked deserted.
“Do you have a location on them?” Locke asked as he waited for Cade to lock the Jeep.
“They were seen in this neighborhood, but it’s anyone’s guess to what house they are hiding in.”
It had been a year since Mira won her battle with the Shadows and managed to stay alive. In that time the Shadows had been running a mini war on them. Striking in unexpected places as well as leaving clues about the Kur’iks lying around for law officials to find.
“Do you want to separate or stay together?” Locke asked Cade.
Cade was the commander of Enigma One. Locke was the second in command. There were only five of them, but that made them deadlier.
“Stay together, I don’t put it past the Shadows to have a surprise waiting for us. I’ll go first.”
Locke leaned against the Jeep as he watched Cade walk away. When he was close to thirty yards away he followed.
The area felt deserted. He couldn’t sense emotions like Mira, but the wind wasn’t picking up any smells nor were there any manmade sounds. They still weren’t sure what the Shadows could do, this may be one of their talents
Cade stopped. Locke moved to the side allowing the overgrown grass and trees to hide him. He crouched down to get closer without giving himself away.
“I walked into a trap.” Cade’s voice reached him. It was low enough that no one would hear him unless they were standing right next to him.
“Are there more than one?”
“Impossible to tell. This trap was dormant which rendered it invisible until I sprung it.”
Damn, that was one of the things the Shadows could do. They thought it was just the traps, emote-mines is what Mira calls them, that rendered empaths useless. In the past month, they found out they could do much more than that. Their abilities seemed to be growing and changing the way the Kur’iks were.
He went closer knowing he was going to have to risk tripping a trap. Locke stopped several inches from Cade.
“I don’t like this.”
“You’re not the one trapped. Let’s change places and then tell me what you think.”
Funny. He kept his thoughts to himself. Death was a certainty to one of their kind. Now that they were on earth they wanted to live, not throw their lives away in a war that made no sense.
He took a moment to think of the female he replied to. Would he get to meet her? Pushing those thoughts away he looked within himself for a tool that would help him free Cade.
In the corner of his mind was a see-through shield that was highlighted in green. He had used it many times in the war against the Thalians.
He pulled it out once again this time he didn’t wrap it around himself. He placed it over the disturbance in the air that he could now see thanks to Cade arming it.
“You made it visible.” They both looked on in shock. There were small stingers extended from the trap which was shaped like a box. The stingers were trying to penetrate Cade’s skin.
“I can’t deactivate it. I do have a ward that I can use to box it up. We should be able to transport it safely that way,” Locke told him as he got to work.
“Do it fast before whatever this is realizes I’m not human.”
Their skin was not as fragile as human skin. It was one of the ways their body allowed them to change shape.
Locke’s hands moved with a small pattern. It was the first thing they had learned, the bigger the movements the weaker the wards. Wards reacted like shapeshifting or even their thoughts. They needed to be concise. No extra movements, no showing off, not that they ever showed off.
“Did you know you could do that?” Cade asked looking at the light that was traveling between his fingers.
“No, it could be associated with the ward.” Within the space between his hands, a box began to form. When it was large enough he placed it over the trap. There was a hiss, one he felt with his mind but didn’t hear with his ears when the stingers were forced to retract.
“I can move, let’s get this back to the house.”
Locke followed him bringing the trap with them. He didn’t like the thought it would be on the property, much less in the house.
Chapter Three
Ava looked around her immaculate penthouse apartment. She was not hiding, her place ne
eded cleaning. That was why she decided to spend the day at home. Most days she made herself leave, so she wouldn’t become a hermit or the cat lady. Animals weren’t allowed in the building, but she owned it. That meant she could do whatever she wanted.
She. Was. Not. Hiding! Her whole life was filled with other people’s voices in her head. It drove her crazy. It made her want to do things that the law frowned upon, but she didn’t hide. Too much freedom was like a noose around her neck when she had to show her face in public.
Last night was different. She could feel the slime of that voice trying to invade her mind. It wasn’t from someone who had no idea how to pull in his psychic shout. The attack was deliberate. A shiver coursed through her making her hands shake. Her toes curled in an effort to keep her on her feet.
Her eyes wandered to the couch. Her feet led her there as quickly as possible. When she was close enough, she slumped on it grateful her body held up long enough to get there. She grabbed a throw and covered herself as the warmth left her body. The feel of that thing, it was a monster, moving against her shields caressing her mind while attempting to caress her body made her want to throw up.
She wanted it to be a dream, a nightmare, but it happened. She was hiding. In her defense, she never experienced anything like that. Yesterday, while it was dark, it was easy to pretend she imagined it. In the light of day, the truth wouldn’t be denied. She was helpless. How could she fight off that type of evil?
Deep breath. Women fought off evil men every day. She could do no less. Forcing her mind away from what happened yesterday she pulled her laptop to her. It was time to check the dating site and see how many men responded.
That was something she could get excited about. It was just for fun, still; it made her smile. Were there ten messages or more? What if there were no messages? Who would respond to a message from a woman with the username CrazyPsychoB? She tamped down on the excitement.
She watched as her computer woke up. That’s right baby wake up for mama. She talked to her computer in her head. Didn’t everyone do that?
Her finger was posed to connect to the Internet when a message popped up on her screen.
Connection requested.
A picture of her friend’s face showed up. She connected.
“Ava where the hell have you been?”
“It’s nice to see you too, Keva.” She had to chuckle. They had met online and somehow became best friends.
“Girl, you’ve been MIA for three days. I swear I was about to call in a missing person report on you.”
“Sorry, I know better.” There were some days that weren’t as nice to her as others.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m better now that we’re talking. Some days are harder than others.” She didn’t go into detail, but that was never needed with Keva. She understood.
“I know. We must stick together. I hate to say it’s us against the world, but it feels that way sometimes.”
She met Keva online in some chat group. Her intention was to feed their paranoia while laughing at them. That changed when she met Keva. It was the first time she realized she wasn’t alone in the world. There were others out there dealing with issues like hers.
“I’ve got a secret,” Ava threw out teasing Keva and taking her mind away from Ava’s issue.
“You know you can’t say that and then get quiet. Do tell!”
That’s why Keva was her best friend. She knew exactly what Ava was doing and went along for the ride.
“I signed up for a dating website last night.”
Keva’s jaw dropped. She could see her tongue. “Better close your mouth before you catch flies.”
“If there are flies in here, I got a problem. You know my no insect rule. Unless they are paying part of the rent, they are not welcome.” They both chuckled. “Tell me, why? That’s so unlike you. Wait did anyone reply?”
“I haven’t gone to look yet.”
“Are you serious? I would have slept with my comp on the bed. It would have been a tossup when I woke this morning. Website or bathroom first.” Her hands were held out like mini scales and she tipped them from higher to lower.
“You would have.” Ava shook her head looking at her friend.
“You would have too, but you’re scared.”
“Am not!” The words were loud with no heat behind them.
“Are too.” Keva gave her a smug smile full of understanding. “If you’re not scared, go check the site.”
“Some people are too smart for their own good,” Ava grumbled as she pulled up the internet hitting the link she bookmarked. What, it was easier that way.
“I got one new message.”
“Open it.”
“I will, but you need to hear what I wrote first.” She read it as Keva laughed over the username then sighed over what she wrote.
“You’re such a romantic.”
Ava rolled her eyes but kept her comment to herself. “I’m just going to read it.”
“I’m ready.”
“Username: Nobody’s Prince.”
“That’s sad.”
She agreed with Keva. “If you keep interrupting me, I won’t be able to read it.”
“Girl, it was only once, but read on mum’s the word,” Keva said in her droll voice. She knew it made Ava smile.
“CrazyPsychoB, I like your username. You want to see the stars, sun, and moon. I’ve seen them all. I will joyfully give you a tour. The stars have worlds on them you cannot imagine. I will keep you safe as we play among the natives. The sun is hot, but I’ll keep you from overheating as well as make sure you’re warm when we tour the moon.
“When we finally get tired of exploring. (Keeping our eyes open is becoming impossible.) I will pull you close and kiss the sigh of satisfaction on your lips sealing the night in a glow of remembrance that will never fade. It will be my honor, my joy, and my duty to hold you close all night long. When we awake, it will be with sadness, for I know that my time with you, my incredibly beautiful female is coming to an end.”
“I’m crying,” Keva said the words catching in her throat.
Ava was crying too. No sound would come, she kept opening and closing her mouth. She expected something trite and used a thousand times over. She wasn’t expecting this.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to respond. I’ll talk to you later.”
“You got it. Don’t let him get away Ava. If you do give him my number.” Keva disconnected.
After she reread the message, she went into the kitchen. With a tall glass of cold lemonade in her hand, she returned to the couch. What had she expected? Well, there was the age/sex/location. She definitely expected that one. Then there was the what size is your chest, let’s not forget how much do you weigh? What color are you? Do you like sex? Are you kinky? I’m looking for someone to spank. She could go on and on.
Nobody’s Prince didn’t ask her any of that. He responded to what came from her heart. Did those words come from his? They were talking a one-night stand, no commitment. So why were the words to that old song running through her head? ‘If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. If you’re not into yoga and have half-a-brain…’
She shook her head, this wasn’t some song where everything ends up with a pretty bow tied around it. This was real life, the thing that made her want to upchuck some days.
Still, she had to respond, or did she? He didn’t ask any of the typical guy questions. Maybe he was a woman playing at being a man. She knew the term catfish and had no plans to call the show.
She would set up a meeting, in public, if he didn’t show then she would know.
Hi, Nobody’s Prince,
You talk a good game but are you serious? If you are then let’s meet. Today or tomorrow works for me. There’s a coffee shop by the big box store on sixth, we could meet at four if you're free. If not, then you pick the place for tomorrow.
CrazyPsychoB
Her fin
ger hovered over send for a few minutes before she committed. No single man could have written that response, it was probably a group effort.
She needed a shower in case he wanted to meet.
*~*~*~*
“Who sent you a message?”
Locke looked down at his phone. “It’s a response from the female I replied to earlier. Where are we?”
“We now own the lot next to ours. Ven and Key spent the morning setting up a safe house for the trap we captured,” Cade told him as he parked the jeep in front of the only structure.
“This is at the end of our land?”
“It’s as far away from the house as it can be.”
“I didn’t like the idea of taking it to the house.” Locke opened the back door and brought the trap out. “This isn’t what we thought we’d be doing.’
“I thought we’d be dead by now.” The horrors of war were in Cade’s eyes.
Locke choked on his reply. They opened the safe house and placed the trap in it.
“Tristan and Mira are coming by later to see if they can unravel it,” Cade told him as he shut the door.
Mira could see the traps which helped when they hunted together. Tristan saw them as a hazy heat wave. The closer he and Mira got the easier it was for him to spot them.
Locke opened his phone to read the message he received. “What time do I need to be here?”
“You’re not invited. Ven and I will be the only other Kur’iks here.”
He nodded then went back to typing on his phone. “I have a meeting at four.”
Chapter four
The coffee shop sat in the same plaza as a big box store. Ava decided to run in and do some shopping for non-perishables. That way she killed two birds with one stone and didn’t have to come out tomorrow. She’d probably need the day off to rebuild her mental defenses.
She chose to dress simply, a pair of jeans and a top that she loved. It was colorful, and she liked the way it skimmed over her body without being tight or clingy.
The Wolf & The Psychic: BBW Alien Paranormal Romance (Werewolves & Mates Book 2) Page 2
