Thankfully, it didn’t seem her boss cared she was late, again. Whatever he was working on had his full attention. She could have been an hour late and he might not have even noticed. Tomorrow, though, she would be on time, even if she had to wake the girls up at 5 a.m. to get out the door by 7.
Most of the morning went by with no one coming out of the office. She was beginning to wonder what it was they were talking about in there. It was nearly noon and she was hungry. She and Santiago usually took their lunch at the same time and usually ate together; it was a nice way for them to get to know each other and she really enjoyed the adult company. The only time they didn’t eat together was when he was out of the office and then she went whenever she wanted.
She didn’t want to interrupt their meeting, but since she missed breakfast she was starving.
Cassidy didn’t have to wait much longer though, as the door to her boss’s office creaked open and Santiago and the couple walked out.
“We’ll be gone for most of the afternoon,” he announced. “If I’m not back by five go ahead and lock up for me, will you?”
“Sure.” She smiled and waved as they left.
Usually Santiago spoke to her throughout the day, but today he seemed distracted. The woman was a colleague of his. It made her wonder what exactly they were doing. Surely, it had to be some sort of case, but he never called in help before and from whatshe saw, he was more than capable of doing his job solo. He had her dig up property records yesterday afternoon from the county courthouse and she knew for a fact none of his cases pertained to the property in question. So what were they up to?
The sound of footsteps thumping up the stairs drew her from her thoughts and she realized she’d been off in la la land a lot longer than she should have been. Santiago and the couple must be back. A shiver of anticipation raced down her spine at the thought of seeing her boss again. The past six months had done little to stop the desire aching inside her every time she saw him.
It didn’t help that he was damn near perfect. Not only was he good to look at, but he was nice, too. He even gave her a raise and a big Christmas bonus, even though the holiday was still three weeks away. What she didn’t use to catch up on bills, she put toward Christmas gifts for the girls.. Ginny and Veronica, nine and six-years old, were adjusting to their new life and new school, but it was a painfully slow process for all of them. It didn’t help that they were all grieving in their own way, too.
Cassidy sat up straighter when the footsteps stopped outside the office door. She combed her fingers through her hair, though she didn’t know why. While Santiago had always been kind, he never gave any indication he was into her in any way.
The door to the office swung open and she paused, her fingers tangling in her hair. The man that came in was not Santiago.
Her heart skipped a beat and her pulse spiked. She swallowed hard while forcing her trembling legs to stand, as the man before her looked like trouble. He was tall, muscular, and dressed entirely in black. His fingers fisted tightly at his sides like he was preparing to punch something and his eyes gleamed at her in a way that made her stomach knot.
“Can I help you?” she asked, thankful her voice didn’t shake.
“Your boss, where is he?” The man took a step forward making room for two other guys to follow in behind him and effectively blocking her only exit out.
“He’s out for the afternoon. I can take a message and have him get back to you as soon as he returns.” Cassidy eyed her phone on the edge of the desk. How fast could she dial 911 if she needed to? Not fast enough. Even if she could make the call, she’d never be connected in time to say anything. But at least the call would be logged, right? That had to count for something. Didn't the police come out any time there was a 911 call to make sure there wasn’t an emergency?
She took a step closer so the phone was within reach.
“Oh, he’ll get the message all right,” the man said as he lunged toward her.
Cassidy screeched. Her hand reached out for the phone knocking the receiver off. Her fingers grazed over the buttons in record speed. There was no way she’d be able to ask for help, but it could be a weapon. She gripped the bottom of the base and swung.
Her attacker jumped back, but not before the end clipped him on the chin. He paused for a moment, brushing his hand over his skin. Crimson coated his fingers when he pulled them away and growled at her.
“You’re going to pay for that, bitch.” He stalked toward her again.
Cassidy tossed the phone at him and ran behind her chair keeping it between them. Arms wrapped around her from behind making her scream. Damn, she’d been so preoccupied by the man before her she forgot about the other two. One arm went around her slim waist, the other around her throat. She lifted her legs up and kicked out. Her nieces needed her. They’d already lost their parents thanks to a drunk driver, they couldn’t lose her, too.
She pummelled the man with her feet as he tried to grab her ankles. He caught one, but she was able to punt him with her free foot. The heel of her boot hit him in the crotch and he doubled over, gagging.Kicking again, she nailed him in the nose with the toe of her boot.
The man behind her tightened his grip around her throat, squeezing to the point of pain. She tried to fight him, but the more she thrashed, the harder it became to breathe. Her vision tunneled and her lungs burned for a breath she couldn’t draw.
If she passed out they could do anything to her. Fear washed over her. She had to fight. Somehow, someway she had to get out of this.
Lifting her boot, she smashed her heel down on the foot of the man choking her. He grunted, loosening his grip for a moment. Taking advantage of his blunder, she rammed her elbow backwards and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, he recovered too quickly, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her backward.
She whimpered as her hair was ripped from her scalp. There had to be some way she could fight back. If something happened to her, Ginny and Veronica would be alone with no one to watch out for them. Shit, they’d probably go straight to the system and be bounced around from foster home to foster home. They probably wouldn’t even get to stay together. She had to fight.
Her eyes searched for something, anything she could use, but she came up short. There were three very big, very angry men against her.
Chapter 2
Santiago cursed under his breath as he jogged down the busy streets of Chicago. He should have known better than to leave Cassidy alone with the lycanthrope so close. The full moon was tonight and they’d like nothing better than to add someone he cared for to their list of victims.
He, Ethney, and Noah had been halfway across town when they picked up several different scents. They split into two groups. The scent he followed was leading straight back to his office. It wasn’t anywhere close to five yet-- Cassidy would still be there. While he had no doubt she’d put up a fight, she was a human woman against at least three lycanthropes. She didn’t stand a chance.
If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. She was the one human he allowed himself to get close to in a very long time. He hired her because he needed someone to help him out with the tech side of things while he worked on the large cell in Chicago. He meant to let her go months ago, but after getting to know her and learning she was the sole caretaker to two young girls, he couldn’t do it.
Now his weakness for the beauty could be the death of her. This was why he didn’t get close to humans--they were a weakness.
The scent grew stronger as he neared his office. A scream from inside had him racing up the steps at record pace, taking them two at a time. The sight before him made his blood boil. Fire erupted over his hands. He had to control his shift or he’d set the whole building on fire and possibly harm Cassidy himself.
Lunging forward, he pressed his palms against the back of the first man he could reach. Flames exploded over the lycanthrope body, causing him to howl in pain.
Santiago shifted his gaze to where a
man stood in front of Cassidy while another had her by her curly brown hair. Tears ran down her creamy face and her blue eyes locked onto his, begging, pleading him for help.
When the man holding her saw him, he grabbed a pair of scissors from Cassidy’s desk and pushed them to her throat. “Stay back or I’ll kill her.”
Santiago froze in place. His eyes went to the scissors; they weren’t sharp by any means, but giving the lycanthrope’s superior strength, they could easily get the job done.
Admitting temporary defeat, he held up his hands. “What do you want?” he asked.
“We heard about the drug. We want you to destroy it--all of it. And we want the doctor responsible for creating it,” the man said.
Cassidy groaned and a tiny bead of blood trickled down her throat before dripping to the floor. Santiago’s lip curled in anger. “Let her go first.”
“No,” the man snapped. “I’ll do it,” he warned, staring down Santiago.
Cassidy flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
There was no way he could give them what they wanted. This drug was the key to ending the war with the lycanthrope. It would save thousands of lives this year alone. He had to find another way to save Cassidy.
“Kill her and you lose the only leverage you have,” he said. If they did anything to her he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. He opened his palm showing them a ball of fire.
“Where’s the doctor at? You just have to tell us her location. We’ll handle the rest. No one will ever know you were involved,” the man to Cassidy’s right demanded.
They’d never find Doctor Elena Hawthorne. She was under the Goddess Astrea’s protection. Plus, the water dragon was her lover--no one was touching her. He wished he could say the same for Cassidy.
Her eyes peeked open at that moment, widening when they saw the ball of fire in his hand; he could see the unasked question in her sky blue eyes. She wanted to know what was going on. Once he finished off the lycanthrope, he’d tell her...everything. She’d need to be protected until the situation was under control. Now that there was a cure for newly turned lycanthrope, the older ones were getting crazy and desperate.
Desperate people with nothing to lose were dangerous. The sooner he ended this little situation, the better it would be for Cassidy.
“Release her and I’ll let you walk out of here alive,” Santiago nodded at them. “That’s the best offer you’ll get from me today. I’ll even give you a chance to pack up and get out of town as long as you leave the newly turned behind to be treated.”
The man holding Cassidy tossed his head back and laughed out loud.
Santiago ground his teeth. The man’s distraction would be the end of him. He conjured another ball of fire in his other hand and flung one at each lycanthrope. The fire hit the man holding Cassidy in the head. He screamed as flames ravaged his face.
Santiago gritted his teeth, keeping one hand flexed in an effort to control the fire. Once it left his body though, it was out of his jurisdiction, but he couldn’t let Cassidy be harmed.
The second the man’s grip loosened on Cassidy, she stumbled away from him, tripping over her own feet and falling on her knees. That didn’t stop her from scampering away from the two burning men. Their shrieks grew louder as Santiago let his flames run rampant over their bodies.
He hurried to Cassidy’s side and hauled her to her feet, pulling her into his protective embrace. Her body fit perfectly against his, just like he always suspected it would. She gripped his jacket and buried her face in his shoulder. Sobs wracked her body and he held her while smoothing the hair out of her face.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.” He relished the feel of her against him knowing that any minute she’d come to her senses and start asking him questions.
All too soon, she stiffened in his embrace. She shoved his chest and he reluctantly let her go as Cassidy backed up until her back hit the wall. She squeaked and turned around, letting out a sigh when she realized it was only the wall.
“What the hell just happened?” she covered her mouth as she took in the three piles of ash laying where her attackers had once been.
“I can explain,” Santiago said quietly holding up his hand as he took a step toward her.
She moved along the wall stopping only when she got closer to the smoking pile of ash. “What did you do to them?”
“I can control fire.” It was the simplest explanation. “They were hurting you so I…” he really didn’t want to finish the sentence knowing it would probably make the situation worse.
“You...you killed them,” she whispered, her eyes broadening with astonishment. “With fire.” Her breath came in quick pants making her breasts rise and fall. He could see the thin pink lace of her bra since her shirt had yanked down in her struggles. He licked his lips at the sight before chastising himself. She’d just been attacked, he should be consoling her not ogling her like some school boy.
He was older than fuck and still had no control over his libido. Damn.
“They were hurting you. Can I look at your neck?” he asked. A single trail of red from a tiny knick ran down to her cleavage. It didn’t look like it was even bleeding anymore, but he still wanted to be sure.
Cassidy touched her neck and gasped when her fingers felt the warmth of her blood. She pulled her palm away and whimpered when she saw the crimson coating her fingers.
Her knees trembled before giving out and she collapsed to the floor. Santiago rushed to her. She struggled against him when he lifted her into his arms.
“What are you doing? Put me down,” she said thrashing in his arms.
He tightened his grip, being careful not to hurt her. He went into his office and then to the stairs that led up to his apartment on the top floor. “Shhh,” he said hoping it sounded soothing. “I’m not going to hurt you, Cassidy.”
His words had some effect on her because she stopped fighting him. She drew in a breath and let it out.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you...everything. But you have to promise to listen to everything I say. Can you do that?” he asked meeting her gaze. She gulped before nodding. “Good.”
He kicked the door to his apartment open and walked over to the couch where he gently set her down. Going to the kitchen, he grabbed a dishtowel and wet it under the faucet. When he returned, he sat beside her, hesitating for a moment before reaching up to wipe the blood from her neck.
“It’s superficial. Just a bit of blood.”
“They were going to kill me, weren’t they?”
He hated the way her voice trembled when she spoke, but she did have every right to be scared. The men would have killed her, or worse, turned her if he hadn’t have come when he had.
“I wouldn’t have let them. I’ll always protect you, Cassidy. You have my word.” It was a promise he was determined to keep.
She leaned into him letting him pull her close. He combed his hand through her hair while breathed in her lavender scent. Her scent was calming.
“I just watched you kill three men and I’m just sitting here in your apartment. We should call the police...we should…” she pushed away from him and stood up. “Oh my God.” She ran a hand through her hair and went to the window.
He followed her gaze wondering what she was looking at or for. Snow was beginning to fall outside and he knew people were moving about the busy Chicago street, yet there was nothing else out there. He waited for her to say something, but she seemed to be content to watch the snow fall outside.
“I protect people from those monsters that attacked you,” he started. “It’s my job, actually.”
Cassidy turned around to face him with a frown. “You’re a PI.” She shook her head before covering her face with her hands. “I...I don’t even know what you are anymore,” she mumbled into her hands.
He never had to explain what he was to someone before. Daire, Ethney, and Aric had made it all seem so easy. Trying to explain what and who he was to Ca
ssidy was anything but simple.
“I’m an immortal Zodiac Guardian. I draw my powers from the constellation Gemini. I am a phoenix shifter, my powers gifted to me by the Goddess Astrea.” Something told him things would go a lot better if he just got the truth out there.
“What?” she asked, dropping her hands to her sides. “What does that mean? I thought you were going to tell me the truth, not lie to me.” She went to the door, but he beat her there, using his speed to block her path.
“I’m not lying, Cassidy.” He opened one palm to show her his fire. “I can manipulate fire and turn into a fiery bird.”
She took a step back from him, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. “I must have hit my head.”
“You didn’t. This is real.” He reached out to touch her with his free hand, but she shrugged away from him
She bit her lip and looked around the room before narrowing her eyes at the flames still burning brightly in his palm. “This sounds crazy, but…”
He closed his palm and the flames died out. “I know how this must seem, but it’s the truth.”
“I've seen you work regular cases, though.”
“I do work regular cases. Chicago is a big city and there is a large lycanthrope cell here. They’ve broken into several smaller groups making it harder for me to find them. I need some sort of cover for being here and something to do, too.” It was true. Plus, he genuinely liked helping people; it wasn’t like he could join the police force. A private investigator had seemed like the next best thing.
Christmas Kisses: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 10
