Caged Fire

by L M Preston

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

  “Dean must have access to the Overlord of The Void. If we find Dean, Megan will press him to get information on the Overlord. No one—absolutely no one who has tried to find Dean remained alive. We didn’t even deal with him directly when we got our contract. My father had a missing person’s list a mile long of people who supposedly had last seen the man.”

  “Do you remember who the messenger was?” EmVee inhaled Kayson’s addictive smell. Her lips itched to kiss his neck, to lick him, to hold him close and absorb his essence. This obsession was becoming habit. She’d never felt this attraction or hunger before. The honest truth was the moment she’d laid eyes on Kayson, she wanted him. Something in her was too afraid to pursue him. Now it was like she needed him on a deeper level she’d never felt for anyone before.

  Kayson laughed bitterly. “He came in my dream. Silas, myself, and the other band members were at a club—one we’d traveled to the edges of The Void to get to—and this guy appeared. He offered us drinks. Real liquor, which we were still underage and couldn’t get on our own.”

  EmVee frowned. “So, you dreamed being recruited?”

  “Yeah. We signed the contract and everything in our dreams. The next morning, we woke with a paper contract on our beds, signed in our own blood.”

  EmVee’s breath caught. “What was he?”

  “A sandman. Only the Overlord has control of the creatures. They are enslaved in an underworld of sorts. Silas was the only one who didn’t have a contract. That’s why he wasn’t singing the night you showed up at the club. He wasn’t allowed to.”

  “Did you want to sign the contract?”

  “No. But after drinking the liquor he offered in my dream, I was compelled to please him. I can’t explain it, but it was something I don’t ever want to experience again.”

  “Do you remember what the contract said?”

  “Not really, I have it with me. After all that happened, I didn’t want to read it.”

  EmVee sighed. “I’m sorry. All that has happened lately is my fault. She was able to manipulate you because of me and the responsibility you seem to feel in helping me.”

  Kayson put his thumb on her chin and stared at her lips as though he’d give anything to kiss them. “You’re worth it, but Megan, she would’ve gotten me to do what she wanted in the end. It is who she is.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Hey, tell me about your life before you came to The Void the first time.” Kayson smiled, his breathing changing to a normal rhythm. He rubbed his hand on her back.

  “Well, I lived mostly in New York. I caught the bus everywhere in the city. I didn’t like living there though. It seemed that the streets always smelled like urine and garbage. The subways were worse. I did like the people. They were upfront, and you didn’t have to guess their intentions.”

  “I get that. The Void is all smoke and mirrors. Faking it. It can be exhausting.”

  “It was for me when I moved here.”

  “Did you like your school there?”

  “Yeah, it was close to my parent’s gym, and it had a boxing team. I was one of the best female fighters they had. My youngest brother was the best male fighter.”

  “So, you were popular?”

  EmVee giggled. “Only with the guys on the boxing team. Girls left me alone. I did frown a lot since I was usually thinking about what I needed to improve on for my next fight.”

  “Your mom was a professional, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes, and she was so good. Rarely lost an MMA fight. My father trained her and didn’t go soft on her. She loved every minute of it.”

  “Were you close to your sister?”

  “Rei? Umm, not really. She was totally opposite of me. Tiny and a dancer. She was either reading or writing all the time. She only learned to fight because my parents made her. They constantly told her that New York was dangerous and she needed to know how to protect herself.”

  “I met Dexter at football tryouts. He was really good. A little on the serious side, though.”

  “Yes, he’s the Debbie downer of the family. Takes life too seriously. And gets in too much trouble.”

  “Every family has one. I think my father was ours.” Kayson rubbed his thumb on her neck.

  EmVee shivered at his touch. She never wanted him to stop. It was the most pleasing feeling.

  “Do you wish you had a brother or a sister?”

  Kayson took a deep breath. “Always. It was probably why the friendship I had with Silas was so twisted. If I had a brother, I wouldn’t have felt I needed him as a substitute. If my father had been home more, maybe a deeper relationship with him would’ve helped. I don’t know though.”

  “Sometimes I didn’t want them. I was the oldest and had a lot of pressure to be an example, to babysit them when my parents were too busy. I regret those feelings now. I didn’t realize how lonely I’d be without them.”

  “Yeah, loneliness,” he echoed deeply.

  “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

  Kayson’s gaze studied her a moment. “You don’t ever have to be.”

  Butterflies teased her stomach. “I know. Demi and Rachel are good friends.” EmVee was too afraid to share that she needed him, after all she’d done to push him away.

  His gaze dipped, but not before she recognized the disappointment in his eyes. The energy around her was heavy, and she felt a pierce in her heart as though she’d impaled herself with a knife.

  “I thought you were brave,” he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

  EmVee didn’t see his lips move, but she knew he’d uttered it. “You don’t have to be alone either.” EmVee swore her lips trembled.

  “It seems eventually I will be.”

  She shook her head. “You won’t ever be.”

  Kayson sighed.

  “You have me, and I will always be here for you.”

  Kayson stared at her, his pupils grew darker. “In what way? I want something I don’t think you are capable of giving me. I won’t take it, but it’s not easy. Not when I know, can smell your truth on you. I understand your reasons. They are good ones. It doesn’t stop my heart from hungering for something I can’t have.”

  “One day, who knows what can happen.” EmVee surged forward and kissed him.

  Kayson hesitated, but only for a moment, then drank in her kiss as though he hungered for it for eternity. EmVee sighed at him allowing her to lead the intimate moment. Then he growled deep in his chest and lifted her to stand.

  EmVee fought to kiss him again and gave in to the compulsion to nip his full bottom lip. She wanted more. Every hair on her was standing. Her mouth watered as if he was the most intoxicating dessert she’d ever tasted. Her fingers tugged him back into the kiss. She moaned; she felt as though he was completing her, that her soul hungered for him. EmVee wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “EmVee, I love you,” Kayson whispered as he kissed her neck. “I know you are fighting what you feel for me, but know I’m here.”

  “I—”

  The door flew open, Rachel stood there with her eyes wide. “Sorry to interrupt but, we have a situation. Demi’s awake.”

  Taking a deep breath, EmVee closed the bedroom door behind her. Rachel’s eyes were still wide, as though she was frozen in a state of shock.

  “I thought you hated him.” Rachel squeaked.

  EmVee bit her bottom lip. “It’s complicated. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I really like him. I want him, but I’m scared. I guess I always have. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pick up your sloppy seconds. I know you and Kayson were…uh, together for a while.”

  Rachel waved. “It was nothing. We only kissed once. I always felt he had a thing for you; I only had a pinch of hero worship for him. Something about football players that can sing, it really gets me.”

  “No, it’s not that I don’t like him, you know in that way. It’s that for some reason, I have th
is almost obsessive hunger to…uh.”

  “Jump his bones, horizontal tango or bow-chicka-wow-wowa.” Rachel winked.

  EmVee lifted an eyebrow. “You’re scaring me. What have you been watching?”

  Rachel shrugged. “I think it’s the Fenrir blood in you. It is giving you both a push. I suspect he has a stronger amount of it in him than you do.”

  “How would you know?” EmVee followed Rachel in the direction of Demi’s room.

  “Demi. The bite you gave her, it left a mark. His, though, is completely healed. I think Kayson licked the wound to heal her. Pure instinct. Only, I don’t think it worked completely. Silas had the ability to heal his victims. He was majority wolf-god, some type of super-human, and had an essence of magic in him. The hunger and evil in him wouldn’t compel him to heal; he only enjoyed the destroying part.”

  “What should I do? My mind isn’t ready to go that far with Kayson even if my body wants to. I don’t want to fall in love with him even though I think part of me already has. Not the animal part but the human part.”

  “I understand. I am in the same position, if you know what I mean. I don’t want to scare off a guy by showing him my faerie form. Just be strong; he is. When you were in the room, Kayson appeared as if he was barely holding himself together.”

  “I mean it. I can’t fall in love with him or have sex with him even though it seems like every cell in me needs to. I don’t know what it will do to me; I am still trying to deal with his friendship with Silas. He knew what Silas was and didn’t do anything to stop him.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he did try to stop Silas in his own way. He seems sorry for his mistakes and in control of his beast. He didn’t kill Megan like we all wanted to. He could do it, you know. Snuff her out like a bad habit.” Rachel snapped her finger and some gold dust clouded around them.

  EmVee’s jaw dropped, and she blinked, trying to reconcile what she saw. Rachel had never been this callous. Well, yes, she had been when it came to Megan. “You’re right. I have so much going on now.”

  “He does too. I mean Megan’s setting him up to possibly be killed or put in prison. I don’t think she’s doing a thing to clear his name. The new police chief is a good guy, but everyone here has an angle and someone that is using it.”

  “I will fight it.” She breathed in deeply several times, placing her hand on her chest.

  “Until this is done. Then it’ll be hopelessly painful. You are destined to be with him. The more time you spend with him, the harder it will be to resist bonding with him.” Rachel pushed opened Demi’s door. “Sooner or later, you both will lose control. Face it, you are already in love with him. The rest is inevitable.”

  EmVee’s heart raced in her chest. The thought of spending the rest of her life with Kayson made her feel both warm and scared her to death. Being with him seemed to bring forth more of Silas’ curse, but in the midst of it, she’d felt more love and sense of completeness than she had in her entire life.

  “No!!!!” Demi’s scream echoed off the walls.

  Sax was consoling her. Demi’s back was to the door.

  EmVee rushed in, placed her hand on Demi’s shoulder, and turned her around. Then gasped at the pale gray translucent eyes that replaced Demi’s former brown ones.

  Demi’s hands were shaking. “What is wrong with me? Too many noises, smells, they make me sick.” One hand tugged at her thick twisted braids, and the other held her stomach.

  What had she done? A bubble of air expanded in EmVee’s chest. She should’ve never allowed Demi and Sax to follow them to The Void. She couldn’t fix her.

  EmVee went to Demi and took her from Sax then held her close, inhaling her scent. She smelled human but with a residue of death. Not full vampire but with a diluted version of their DNA.

  “Demi, it’ll be all right.”

  Demi sobbed within EmVee’s embrace. “Never will be,” she hiccupped.

  Rachel brought a mug of some warm broth. “Hungry?” She teased Demi’s nose as the steam rose from the cup.

  EmVee frowned at Rachel. “What is that?”

  “Something to settle her stomach.”

  Demi sniffed. “That herb floating on top, what is it? It smells so…give me that.” She snatched the mug from Rachel and drank down the broth in gulps.

  Rachel smiled. “All up. Drink every drop.”

  Demi dropped the mug, and her hand went to her neck. She started to gag then, with inhuman speed, ran to the opposite side of the room to vomit. Her hand braced against the wall until she’d expelled, heaving over and over again, more black blood.

  EmVee turned on Rachel. “What did you give her? Tell me!”

  “A cure of sorts. You and Kayson did the heavy lifting. But vampire poison is stubborn. Any residue can turn a person into a rogue vamp at an accidental taste of human blood. I had to make sure she couldn’t infect anyone. She will have residual strength, be able to go into the daylight, and won’t desire blood. For all intents and purposes, she is human, maybe a tad super-human. It can come in handy against what we may find about Dean. She will also be able to take human blood for strength but won’t crave it. Thanks to your bite…and well, this concoction.”

  “Did you say my girlfriend is like-like a vampire slayer—Van Helsing?”

  Rachel pursed her lips. “Probably better; she’ll never be able to turn into a vampire. She can become a slayer, her choice of course. We do need them here. Demi won’t be a danger to you or others now.”

  EmVee helped Demi stand, handing her a sheet she’d taken off of one of the curved book stacks. “I’m sorry.”

  Demi coughed and wiped her mouth with the sheet. “Not your fault. You didn’t try to kill me like those things did.”

  Megan burst into the room. “I know what attacked her!”

  EmVee crossed her arms. “I’m sure you do.”

  Megan smirked. “Tsk tsk, no need to be mean.”

  Sax leaned on the table. “What are they?”

  “Shadow hounds. Part vampire, part human, but a human with Rh blood type. Said to be blood of the fallen angels, but who knows these days. The dark magic in them is what turns their eyes black. Maybe demon mixed?”

  EmVee asked, “How’d you know?”

  “One of my sources. I didn’t have to ask or reveal I’d known a person attacked by one. They warned me not to go to your old house. Apparently, they are some of the creatures being held within. They were smuggled in a few months ago. They could be trapped, or entrapping someone there. We assumed they were from the Vampire Province."

  “Why were they brought here?” Sax asked.

  “We don’t know. My informant is seeking information on that as we speak. I need a sample of her blood.”

  “Wait a minute. No, you’re getting nothing from her.” EmVee shook her head.

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Suit yourself, there’s plenty of it all over my floor and table.” She snapped her fingers, and the black stained blood on the surfaces within the room were being absorbed until they disappeared.

  “What did you do?” EmVee suppressed a growl.

  “Merely cleaned the surfaces.” Megan blinked rapidly at her.

  “And got what she wanted.” Rachel snorted. “As always.”

  Megan tapped her foot. “I’ve got a way into the club. Unbeknownst to the crowd, Kayson will be performing tomorrow night as the front man for Deadly Sorrows, the headliner band. While he’s doing that, I will be able to dig deeper into Club Fixation. We will find your Soul Thief, Zagan, and I will find out who Dean is.”

  EmVee didn’t doubt Megan. The girl always got what she wanted. Only problem was; EmVee wondered how the rest of them were going to pay for it.

  Club Fixation was packed. Everyone wanted to hear the band Deadly Sorrows play. They had been the leading band since Kayson’s group was found murdered in the backstage lounge, minus Kayson and Silas.

  EmVee had a bad feeling about this. There was an odd scent in the club that teased her, smelli
ng almost gamey with sizzle. It reminded her of Megan’s scent but different, darker—much darker.

  She hadn’t seen Kayson since she’d thrown herself at him. He’d left a note and told her he had to run an errand, and he’d be in the music room, preparing for the performance. He also added to the note that she shouldn’t wait up for him. Kayson was running from her. EmVee knew it. She hoped he wasn’t hurt because she didn’t tell him that she loved him. EmVee resolved that she was falling in love with him. He was the first guy who talked to her when she’d moved to The Void. She’d ignored her feelings, thinking for some reason she wasn’t worthy of love that came easy. Now with every scheme she’d created to stay away from him or to push him away, she was falling more and more in love with him each day.

  She sighed and rubbed her sweaty palms down the metallic green dress. Megan loaned it to her: green with a silver hue to it. It was short, considering Megan only came up to her shoulders, but it showed off EmVee’s well-formed muscular legs from all the years of kickboxing training. The silver heels had a platform on them, which made it easy to fight or even run if she had to.

  The club was set aside from any other buildings. It was near a wooded preserve that EmVee remembered too well. The preserve was where she’d laid eyes on one of Silas’ victims named Grady, a guy who wanted to join the band but apparently wasn’t good enough. She felt uneasy about bringing Sax and Demi with them, but they had insisted on waiting outside in a getaway van if things got too heated.

  Megan was nowhere to be found but gave them strict instructions about Kayson making his singing debut and what do to keep the commotion going long enough for her to search for the information she needed. Basically, she and Kayson were decoys.

  The club had several levels of dance floors. The levels opened with a balcony that allowed viewing of the performers on the main stage. The floors lit up and changed colors with each step. It gave an eerie upwards glow of a rainbow of colors that illuminated the dancers. In some cases, it even changed the dancer’s appearance when the dry ice smoke effects wove in and out of the moving bodies.