by A. P. Jensen
Cain grumbled and tried to pull her back, but she stepped out of his reach and finished soaping herself. When his hand slid between her legs, she slapped it away. When his hand returned, she slid the bar of soap over his lips. He spluttered and pushed her out of the spray to wash it off his lips. Raven cackled while his curses followed her into the bedroom where she pulled on another robe and walked downstairs.
Her appetite returned so she grabbed her steak, curled up in the corner of the couch and looked out at the city lights. Cain grabbed his own dinner and sat across from her in a pair of sweats and nothing else. Her eyes lingered on his pecs and he smirked. She resolutely looked back out of the window.
“You’re a sneaky bastard,” she said.
“You love sneaky bastards.”
She stuck her tongue at him and they ate in comfortable silence. When she finished, she ran a hand over her smooth palm where the cuts from the glass had been three hours ago. What would’ve happened if Luester didn’t come around the corner? Her hand fisted. How much time did they have before the Council came after them too? She’d been on the run from the Battalion for nearly ten years and hadn’t realized it until now. When would it stop?
“Rich isn’t going to be happy if we break the curse,” she said.
Cain wasn’t thrown off by her statement coming out of nowhere.
“It’s not his choice,” he said calmly.
“He won’t leave us alone.” She was sure of it.
“Rich doesn’t remember you or the knife fight, but he knows he crossed the line so he’s giving us both time. Plus, I’m one of the best. He doesn’t want to piss me off,” Cain said.
“He won’t leave us alone forever,” she insisted.
“Let me worry about that.”
“How can he be okay that you’re here with me instead of being at headquarters doing whatever you do?”
“Rich thinks I’m having a tantrum.”
She blinked. “Does that happen often?”
“No, it doesn’t, which is why Rich isn’t sure what’s going on. He expects me to get over it soon and bring my new ‘lady’ home with me.” When her eyes flashed, he held up a hand. “I can’t deny I think you’d be safer there.”
She ignored that. She couldn’t think of being around the Council without remembering the knife attack in the alley. Rich did it to test her. Why couldn’t he freaking ask her to throw knives at a target instead of put her in a fight to the death with Cain’s mom? Too bad neither Rich nor Pris remembered the incident.
“How are Bernt and Pris taking this?” she asked, remembering Cain’s cold, distant parents.
“They’re not happy that I’m doing my own thing. They send me angry messages, but they’ll get over it.”
“Family is everything to you.” Cain wasn’t as close to his parents as he was to Rich. She knew that despite what happened in the alley, Cain loved his grandpa. It made her itch between the shoulder blades. What if she was put in a life or death situation with one of his family members? Who would Cain choose? In the alley that night, she’d been a breath away from braining Pris to death. Would Rich have stopped her?
Cain’s eyes bored into hers. “I have a different family now.”
She looked away and her heart fluttered uncomfortably in her chest. “I hate when you say stuff like that.”
“As long as you believe it, I don’t care. What do you want for Christmas?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Christmas is coming up.”
“And?”
“And people exchange gifts during Christmas. What do you want?”
She’d never exchanged a gift with anyone in her life. She stared at him in alarm. “I have to get you a gift?”
“No, but I want to get you something.”
“But I don’t need anything.”
“The gift doesn’t have to be something you need, it can be something you want.”
She shook her head. She wasn’t sure what freaked her out more— being given a gift or having to buy him one. Her possessions could be summed up in one word: necessities. Before Cain, she lived out of a suitcase. Now, she lived with a man who didn’t bat an eye at five grand a night for this penthouse.
“There’s nothing I want,” she answered honestly. She had clothes on her back, a full stomach and a roof over her head. What more could she want?
“I’ll think of something,” he said.
“No, don’t..."
Cain scooped her up and hauled her over his shoulder. While he climbed the stairs, she listed all the things he already gave her, which included her heinously expensive wardrobe and several grand he had dished out to pay off the lease to her shabby apartment in the ghetto. She suspected her apartment looked like a slice of Swiss cheese after the hail of bullets the Battalion put into it and knew Cain took care of that as well. If that wasn’t enough, Cain got her old car cleaned when she bled inside its barebones interior.
When Cain dumped Raven on the bed, she tried to keep her robe on so she could address this “Christmas thing” but Cain wasn’t in the mood for a debate. He let her clutch the robe over her breasts and went down on her, effectively scattering any coherent thought.
Chapter Four
When she and Cain walked out of the penthouse the next day, she double blinked when she saw that not only were Harvard, Luester, Jackie, Ace and Bam Bam back, there were two new additions. Happy, the cook for Unmemorable headquarters who should have been named Grumpy, was there. The second man was an older guy, nearly seven feet tall and dressed in leather.
“This is Big Daddy,” Jackie said, gesturing to the behemoth.
When she just stared in mute wonder, he spoke in a voice that sounded like God.
“I’m Gerald’s brother,” Big Daddy said.
Hearing that he was closely related to her father cooled her ardor quickly. Gerald didn’t care that he sentenced her to a hard life alone and hadn’t been thrilled to hear about her existence. When Big Daddy moved forward, she stiffened, waiting for some kind of punishment. Like father, like uncle. Instead, she found herself wrapped in a gentle, warm hug. She turned her face sideways so she could breathe and stared at Jackie who grinned. Big Daddy set her down, and when she tried to back away, he gripped her shoulder with a hand the size of a baseball glove. She froze.
“You banging my niece?” Big Daddy asked.
Her head jerked up and she saw Big Daddy’s eyes on Cain.
“That’s not what I call it,” Cain replied.
Despite Big Daddy’s size and being hopelessly outnumbered, Cain moved forward and removed Big Daddy’s hand from her shoulder. Cain pulled her away from the Unmemorables and gently pushed her behind him. Big Daddy eyed Cain with raised brows and glanced at the other Unmemorables who shrugged.
“I wasn’t there when she came to headquarters,” Big Daddy said to Cain. “I’m trying to talk Gerald around, but it’ll take time.”
“He doesn’t mean anything to me,” Cain said.
“Gerald is our leader and could be a valuable ally,” Big Daddy said.
Cain grunted. It was clear that Big Daddy was channeling the paternal feelings Gerald lacked and was worried about her relationship with Cain. She knew Cain must be feeling irritated at the very least, but he didn’t fidget under Big Daddy’s regard or move his hand toward his gun. Raven wasn’t sure what Big Daddy saw on Cain’s face, but he backed off and everyone relaxed.
Cain turned to her and brushed a kiss over her lips. “Let’s go.”
She gave him a disgruntled look. During the testosterone display, she’d been hard pressed not to rush back into the penthouse to get a knife. Men.
As she went down in the elevator, it was a replay of yesterday, but this time the men broke into groups. There were eight of them, including Cain. Big Daddy’s presence made people stop and stare. A little kid stopped to ask him if he was a wrestler. To Raven’s surprise, Big Daddy stopped and flexed his muscles for the kid. She smiled until she realized the kid and his p
arents would forget the incident the moment they turned away.
She clocked in, nabbed her cart and immediately got to work. The Unmemorables chattered excitedly. She had the impression they were gearing up for something. Happy stood near her cart and she eyed him suspiciously. Both times she had met the cook, he hadn’t bothered to hide his hostility so she couldn’t figure out why he was here.
“What’s up?” she asked him.
“Heard there was a Traveler here yesterday,” Happy replied.
She looked around quickly. Cain stood apart from the group of Unmemorables, thank God. “Keep that to yourself.”
Men were such gossips. She got to work and moved through three rooms without any hiccups. The guys didn’t bother her and they were causing such a spectacle in the hallways that she begged Cain to go back to the penthouse. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t deny her when there was so much backup. He left reluctantly and she breathed a sigh of relief that none of the Unmemorables slipped up and mentioned the Traveler.
In her checkout, she sensed someone come up behind her. She knew who it was without using her eyes to confirm it. “Are you really Gerald’s brother?”
“Yup,” Big Daddy said.
“Why did you come?”
“Wanted to see you for myself. I heard you tried to break the curse yesterday.”
“Lying in a bathtub isn’t a hardship.”
“You didn’t grow up in our world so the fact that you’re willing to entertain us means a lot to me.”
“You don’t think the prophecy is real?”
“I do, but most of them have never believed or given up hope. Now that there’s a female Unmemorable, why shouldn’t the prophecy be real?” When she continued to clean without comment, he added, “Can I ask why the Council’s not around?”
“Cain’s a free agent,” she said and saw the disbelief on Big Daddy’s face. “I left Cain because I wouldn’t let him take me to the Council. He followed me and told the Council to piss off.”
“I’ve seen Cain do a lot of things for the Council,” Big Daddy said and he had a strange look on his face.
“I’m sure you have.”
“There’s a lot of rumors around him.”
She gave him a level look. “I could say the same of all of you.”
He grinned. “Fair enough, but don’t you think it’s odd that Cain managed to get into a relationship with the only female Unmemorable in history?”
She didn’t comment on that and Big Daddy walked out. She finished the room and eyed Harvard when she walked into the hallway.
“You have an experiment planned for today?” she asked him.
“No, I’m still getting the ingredients for it.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Ingredients? Like what?”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you eat anything.”
She cleaned two more checkouts and was thankful they weren’t as disgusting as the ones from yesterday. The Unmemorables were clearly disappointed. She shot Luester a superior look when he glowered at her.
“See, Worrywart, nothing happened,” she told him.
He grunted and they followed when she stocked her cart. She texted Cain that she was on her way up to the penthouse and headed toward the service elevator for employees. She was almost there when someone called out to her. She turned and saw a guest sticking her head out of a room.
“Housekeeper? Can we get some extra towels and toilet paper?” the woman called.
The Unmemorables kept walking, oblivious to the woman in dire straits. Raven nodded and headed back to the storage room. Luester pulled up short and let out an irritated breath.
“She can stop the next housekeeper. She won’t remember you,” Luester said.
“I have time,” Raven said and folded the towels before she stacked them up in her arms, “and it looks like she really needs this. How would you like it if you didn’t have toilet paper?”
Luester didn’t answer. When they walked out of the storage closet, Luester waited with the other Unmemorables at the end of the hallway. The woman’s head whipped wildly left and right. As Raven approached, the guest opened her mouth to request the towels and toilet paper again and blinked when she saw them in Raven’s arms. Raven wondered if she was naked or something since all she could see of the woman was her neck.
“H-how did you know?” the guest asked.
“Lucky guess,” Raven said.
“Thank you,” the woman whispered.
Raven held out the stack of towels and toilet paper, but the guest didn’t take it. She stared at Raven with tortured eyes. Raven’s instincts pricked a moment before the door jerked open. The woman stumbled back and a man kicked her behind the knees. The guest dropped to the floor with a muffled cry.
Raven reeled back and stared at Angel. The leader of the Battalion held a gun to the woman’s head. The Traveler from yesterday held open the door and extended a hand to Raven. Half of his face was covered in bandages and the hand he extended shook from the gunshot wound on his shoulder.
“Come inside,” Angel said and smiled.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen and probably the craziest. He licked his lips tauntingly and she had a vivid memory of him lapping up her blood. She looked at the woman who knelt on the floor with tears streaming down her face. Angel yanked the woman’s head back viciously. Raven knew the Unmemorables couldn’t see or hear what was happening. She wanted to call out to them, but the woman’s terrified eyes stopped her.
“Let her go,” Raven said hoarsely.
“Not until you come inside,” Angel said.
She wrenched her eyes away from the woman and looked at Angel. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she’d never felt such helpless rage. She took half a step into the room and the Traveler reached out. Raven punched him in the shoulder over his wound. The Traveler let out a high-pitched scream and crumpled. Raven tossed the pile of towels in Angel’s face and shoved him as hard as she could. When he stumbled back, she grabbed the woman’s hand and yanked her into the hallway. Raven tried to make the woman run, but the guest weaved on her feet like a baby deer. Raven saw the Unmemorables running toward her, but they were too far away and Angel was right behind her. Raven sensed him leap and shoved the woman out of the way as she pivoted and faced Angel across the width of the hallway. He pointed a gun in Raven’s face and the Unmemorables stopped dead.
“Come here and no one has to get hurt,” Angel said.
“No,” she spat.
In a lightning quick move, without removing his eyes from hers, Angel turned the gun and shot the guest who was crawling away on her hands and knees. The woman collapsed like a rag doll and didn’t make a sound as she lay on the carpet. Raven’s temper erupted and she leapt at Angel. She kicked the gun out of his hand and did an uppercut punch that should have knocked him unconscious. Instead, with blood dribbling from his mouth, Angel whirled her so her back was plastered to his chest. He wrapped a hand around her throat and squeezed.
Raven faced the Unmemorables who had their guns out and were trying to get a clear shot. Her eyes flicked down to the dead woman and she stomped Angel’s foot with all her might. Angel laughed and licked her neck once before he bit her. She screamed as his blunt teeth dug into her skin and tore. Angel sucked greedily and she heard him gulp three times before he kissed her cheek. She knocked her head back and heard his nose break. She knew that wouldn’t be enough since his super power allowed him to heal from any wound. No matter how severely hurt he was, it would never be enough.
“Damn, you taste good,” Angel whispered in her ear and looked beyond her to the Unmemorables. “Join me.”
Luester took a shot and it whistled past her ear. Angel ducked behind her and laughed. Luester took another shot and it tore a hole in the leg of her uniform. Angel grunted as the bullet hit his inner thigh, but the damn gorilla didn’t release her.
“I can give you whatever you want,” Angel said to the Unmemorables.
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“Let her go,” Big Daddy said.
“I don’t think so,” Angel said and swept his tongue over the seeping wound in her neck. “On top of the fact that she’s lethal, she’s pretty too.”
“She’s with Cain,” Jackie said and his eyes burned. “He’ll come for you.”
“I’m counting on it,” Angel purred.
Raven grabbed the fingers around her throat and bent them back viciously. She heard bones crack and his other hand grasped for her wildly, but it was too late. She dodged to the left and the Unmemorables fired. Angel stood in the middle of the hallway, body jerking as bullets penetrated through his skin, but the smile never left his face. Even as the Unmemorables reloaded, bullets popped out of Angel’s body and littered the carpet. His broken fingers popped back into place and he faced Raven.
“Come with me and no one dies.”
“Someone already has,” she said and her eyes flicked to the woman lying in a pool of blood.
“She didn’t have power,” Angel said dismissively.
Her head pulsed with rage. Blood slithered over her chest from the bite. Ace tossed her Angel’s gun. She caught it without taking her eyes from Angel and didn’t hesitate as she aimed for Angel’s beautiful blue eyes and fired. Angel stumbled back, groped at his eyes and screamed. Blood spurted from between his fingers as he was temporarily blinded.
The Traveler ran toward Angel and received several more bullet wounds from the Unmemorables before he launched himself at his boss. The moment the Traveler touched Angel, they disappeared. Raven rushed over to the woman and turned her over. The woman’s eyes were glassy and Raven’s hands shook as she tried to find a pulse.
Jackie hauled her away from the body. “Happy, Ace and Big Daddy will take care of this.”
Raven turned away and marched down the hallway with Jackie, Luester, Bam Bam and Harvard. Guests stared at her bloody uniform, but she didn’t care. They’d forget the moment they looked away. Her ears were ringing. She forgot about the gun until she tried to clock out with it in her hand. She slipped the gun into her pants, scrawled a note informing her supervisor that she quit and tossed her keycard on the desk. She jogged up the emergency exit stairs with the Unmemorables easily keeping pace with her. This time the Unmemorables entered the penthouse with her.
