Dance With Darkness

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

  Enyowas hissed.

  “No, not for the people who contracted our services through Father, but for a division set on taking them down,” Amit said.

  “This is why you’re tracking our cousins?” Enyowas asked.

  “It is.”

  There was a well of sadness and pain in his brother’s eyes. “How many of them have you taken out?”

  “Too many,” Amit said. “But, listen, we can catch up later, right now, you need to go find your mate and we need to get Elsary out of here. As soon as she’s safe, I’ll be back.”

  Enyowas nodded and followed them out of the room. “Ferno?” he called as his supposed-to-be-dead siblings started back to the entrance.

  “We’re here, Boss,” Ferno said.

  “I’m sending two males out—don’t hurt them, they’re … my brothers, and they have Elsary, she’s hurt badly. She needs to be taken to Doc ASAP, teams four and five should be here soon.”

  There was a long moment of silence. “Cap?”

  “You heard me right, I’ll explain later,” he said, still wondering if he wasn’t dreaming.

  “Holy shit.”

  Chapter 25

  What were the odds of both Amit and Sary being alive? Luck didn’t usually side with Enyowas, and he had a sinking feeling he was going to pay for this batch of it with some bad. “Veldi?” There was no response. “Elianna? If you can hear me, please talk to me.” Also no answer.

  “Bro, where are you?” he tried Veldi again.

  “En—” Veldi’s voice was faint.

  “Veldi?”

  Nothing. Damn it! Fingers of dread crawled up his spine as Enyowas quickly followed Veldi’s scent through the putrid factory. “Ferno, Veldi’s gone dark.”

  “I’m coming in with your brothers, don’t shoot us. Sary is on the way to EfPP and Doc,” Ferno said.

  Enyowas told his top sentinel where he was as he closed in on Veldi’s scent.

  There was someone else nearby, one whose scent he didn’t recognize.

  Moving carefully, Enyowas took in the beams of moonlight that filtered in through a set of windows high up on wall, and stuck to the shadows, praying that he wouldn’t be too late.

  He was at the very far end of the place, locked in darkness. Enyowas stopped and inhaled. Veldi was in the next room, along with who? It wasn’t Garner.

  Enyowas drew in a deep breath, and falling back on all his years of training, closed off his emotions.

  Then he moved swiftly through the door, turned and shot the male waiting to knock him out.

  With a bullet between his eyes, the burly male fell to the floor.

  Beside him lay Veldi, a trickle of blood leaking from the back of his skull.

  Enyowas crouched and scanned the room as he pressed his finger to his brother’s neck. Tables and metal chairs were stacked one on top of the other and shoved up against a wall, and along another was a long stainless-steel counter. A lunchroom.

  He detected a pulse, and let out a sigh. “Amit, Ferno, I located Veldi. He’s unconscious but alive.”

  “Any sign of Elianna?” Ferno asked.

  “Not yet.” He patted Veldi’s face. “Bro, wake up.”

  Two shots shattered the silence.

  Enyowas went down as one got him in the back of the thigh, then before he could scramble away from the door, another got him in the shoulder.

  Enyowas yanked Veldi farther into the room and behind the door. “I’m hit,” he told Ferno and Amit as blood trickled down his arm.

  He ignored the pain, and moving back to the door, returned fire.

  Shots pinged off the frame, sending splinters flying.

  ***

  It was her night off, but with nothing and no one to do, Genevevia found herself at her place of employment. Club Purgatori. A few of the waitresses nodded as they went by, as did the bouncers, though the dancers didn’t even spare her a glance. She understood. She’d never been very friendly with them, so she couldn’t expect them to be friendly with her. Still, it was nights like tonight that she wished she had a friend.

  Though often lonely, that fact hadn’t ever been quite as strong until today. For the first time, she’d made a connection with someone, laughed with someone who didn’t want something from her. And if anyone had, it would have been Elianna. But despite their situations, the girl had been kind. It wasn’t something Genevevia was used to, and it had thrown her for a loop. Still did.

  She gazed around at the people in the club, and wished that for once she had someone to hang out and laugh with, someone who was more than just a hello and goodbye smile, or a fast fuck like Enyowas had been.

  She’d been kidding herself in pretending that he was her boyfriend, and it was humiliating to realize that her fellow coworkers knew the truth. How they must’ve been laughing behind her back all this time.

  Genevevia finished off her third margarita and was about to order a fourth, when she saw him across the room. Intense eyes stared right back at her, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “No, no, this isn’t good,” Genevevia muttered as she got up, slipped her coat on, and started for the door. But as she weaved through the throng, her trembling increased. She could feel him getting closer.

  Genevevia glanced around for one of the bouncers, but they were all occupied, so she turned away from the door with the intent to go into the back of the club where her boss would be.

  Someone bumped her. Hard.

  As her heel twisted and she started to go down, a hand grabbed her elbow.

  “Let me help.”

  “N-no!” Genevevia tried to yank her arm away, but the grip tightened.

  “I believe you owe me a private dance,” the voice said as she was propelled right out the doorway and onto the sidewalk.

  The male smelled evil, of dark menace, blood, and … Elianna?

  Fear sliced through Genevevia as she remembered Enyowas saying his girlfriend was missing. “No, let me go. I owe you nothing.”

  The look in the male’s eyes had her swallowing and trying to tear free even harder.

  “It’s no use, I take what I want, and I want you, Genevevia.”

  Genevevia dropped her purse, kicked off her heels, and drew on the ability that let her shift into her half-form. “You want me?”

  She hated her half-form, it was hideous, but the male in front of her only grinned and licked his lips. “I like ’em lively.”

  Genevevia used her claws and slashed at his face and chest. Blood welled up, making her want to gag. She had to get away, run, now. If she didn’t, she’d die. But first, maybe she could help someone who’d been nice to her. She lowered her mental shield and screamed, “Enyowas?”

  As the monster bellowed in pain, she took off. She could hear him behind her.

  Her mind felt naked without her shield up, and she almost slammed it back into place when Enyowas responded.

  “Gen? What’s wrong?”

  She hadn’t communicated this way since she was six years old and her estranged stepfather had invaded her mind and made her kill her mother and little sister. “Oh God, he’s here, he’s chasing me!”

  “What? Who is?” Enyowas asked.

  “The monster, the one I told you about, I drew blood with my claws, but he’s coming after me,” she said, trying to run faster.

  “Where are you?”

  “A block from Club Purgatori,” she said, glancing back. He was almost upon her, and his eyes were glowing with rage.

  “Shit, you need to get inside where there’s people,” he said, and anger thrummed through their link.

  “There’s no time, he’s going to catch me, but there’s something you need to know.”

  “Kells is at the club, she’s on her way,” Enyowas said.

  Before she could take another step, the monster hit her. Genevevia hit the pavement hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. “Too late,” she managed to send. “I smell Elianna on him.”

  Chapter 26

  Genevevi
a’s words didn’t surprise Enyowas. But the thought of what Elianna might be going through sent anger and fear straight to his soul. She and Gen had to make it out of this alive!

  It was a struggle to keep his head in the game and not get it blown off as he sent another shot at his attacker.

  Satisfied when he heard a roar of outrage, Enyowas prepared to fire again, when a burly male launched themselves through the door at him. Enyowas flew backward. He hit the ground, rolled, raised his gun, and squeezed the trigger.

  And nailed the guy between the eyes.

  As the male dropped, a shadow leaped over him and plowed into Enyowas.

  His gun went flying.

  Then a large, meaty hand hit him in the jaw and sent him to the ground.

  Though it had been many years, there was no mistaking his cousin.

  Still as much an asshole as ever, he pointed his gun at Enyowas’s head.

  Enyowas drew on his cat, leaped up, and swatted the gun to the side.

  It flew across the room, and he attacked.

  But no matter what he did, the bastard kept coming. Though ten years older than Enyowas, and a good fifty pounds heavier, his cousin should have been slower as well, but his shifter genes lent him speed and strength.

  As light glinted off a blade, Enyowas dove out of the way, then punched his cousin in the face, scooped up his gun from where it lay on the ground, spun around and pulled the trigger.

  The beast kept coming.

  Enyowas pulled the trigger again. And he was out of bullets.

  Hands locked onto his head, ready to twist it off his neck, when another shot rang out.

  Warm blood spattered Enyowas in the face, and the hands fell away. Then his cousin dropped like a freaking brick house.

  Enyowas looked over at his brother who stood in the doorway. “Took you long enough.”

  Amit grinned and lowered his gun. “Didn’t want to interrupt, looked like you were having fun.”

  “Gen?” Enyowas called, but got no reply. He connected to Kells instead. “I’ve lost Genevevia, have you found her?”

  “I’m tracking her,” Kells said, then swore. “They’re gone, they got into a car.”

  Fear froze the blood in his veins at the news.

  “I need to get back to base and see if I can find any traffic cams.”

  “Keep me posted,” Enyowas said.

  “Got it, Boss.”

  Ferno followed Amit and Ky into the room, and Enyowas’s two brothers went to check the bodies.

  “They the ones you been tracking?” Enyowas asked as his brothers set about removing hearts and heads from the dead, so they didn’t rise again.

  “One is, the other is still out there,” Amit said.

  “They have help, possibly someone local,” Enyowas said, thinking of Garner.

  Ferno gave him a rundown. “Our teams are combing the place, found another body.”

  “The fucker just took Genevevia, and she smelled Elianna on him. I have Kells on it.” Enyowas crouched beside Veldi. “Come on, bro, you need to wake up now.”

  “Veldi?” Amit asked, crouching beside him.

  “Yeah.” Enyowas held up his hand, it was covered in blood leaking from Veldi’s head. “We need to get him to Doc.”

  “Looks like you need a doctor as well,” Amit said as Veldi opened his eyes.

  He looked at Enyowas, then blinked at Amit, then closed his eyes again.

  “No, wake up, come on, Vel,” Enyowas said.

  “I don’t want to, I’m having a good dream, Amit’s back,” Veldi said.

  Enyowas swallowed and met his older brother’s eyes, his hand on Veldi’s shoulder. “It’s not a dream.”

  Veldi opened his eyes and scowled. “Not believing it.”

  “Come on, I’ll help you up,” Enyowas said, but as he tried to do so, his strength gave out. Ky grabbed him. And didn’t he feel like a stupid ass.

  “I got Veldi,” Amit said, and helped their brother to his feet.

  “You good, Boss?” Ferno asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Ferno tensed up as if listening to someone, then met Enyowas’s eyes. “My team found a female wolf shifter. She’s pretty scuffed up and dehydrated, but nowhere near as bad as Elsary.”

  “Sary? What the fuck?” Veldi snarled.

  “She’s alive, bro,” Enyowas said.

  “What?” Veldi shook his head. “No, we saw her, we—”

  “We were wrong,” Enyowas said softly. “She’s alive, though badly beaten.”

  “Shit me a unicorn, has the world gone crazy?” Veldi asked. “And someone beat her? Fuck, they are so going to die.”

  “Agreed,” Enyowas said.

  Veldi shook his head, then looked at Ky, then Amit again. “Well, fuck a duck, is everyone coming back from the dead. Please tell me Father hasn’t risen like some freakazoid lion-phoenix?”

  “Dust in the wind,” Amit said, then grinned. “Good to see you, too, bro.”

  Amit and Veldi man-hugged, then Veldi turned to Enyowas. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’ll live. I need to find Elianna, but you need to see Doc. You were out a good while,” he said, though pain radiated through him. Silver bullets, while not deadly to shifters, had to be removed before one could heal.

  “You get that silver out of you first, and then we go find Elie,” Veldi said, then shook his head when Enyowas began to object. “Don’t bother, you can hardly stand—you need the cub to hold you up.”

  Ky growled and Veldi focused on him. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  “He’s our brother,” Enyowas said. “And he saved Amit’s life.”

  Veldi’s mouth opened, then closed. He shook his head. “Always wondered about that.”

  On the way back to the EfPP, Enyowas tried repeatedly via telepathy and cell phone to contact Elianna and Genevevia. Neither answered him. Tense and on edge, he left Amit and Ky in his office, then went with Veldi to see Doc. “How’s Sary?” he asked the tall, thin male with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white lab coat. A rare falcon shifter, Doc was as efficient as he was meticulous.

  “Resting,” Doc said with a pointed glance, then seeing the blood on Veldi’s head, motioned for them to enter one of the exams rooms. “Take a seat,” he told Veldi, then paused. “She’s lucky to be alive, and at the moment, she’s healing. I’ve put her into a deep sleep for a little bit.” He hesitated, then handed Enyowas a piece of paper. “She had blood under her nails, I tested it for DNA, and it came up as Garner’s.”

  “So it’s really him then,” Enyowas said.

  “When can we see her?” Veldi asked.

  “Later, when I say,” Doc replied, then shook his head as he inspected Veldi’s wound. “What have you boys been doing? Playing who can get hurt the worst or something?”

  “Yeah, testing our limits. The other guys lost.” Veldi grinned, then winced as Doc prodded his wound.

  Doc fell silent for a moment, and his unique healing energy filled the air. “Good to know. Now, you have a concussion, and I’d tell you to take it easy, but I know you won’t. Plus, I’m sure your thick skull will be healed soon enough, but I’ve given it a bit of a boost just in case.” Then Doc looked at Enyowas. “You’re turn. Shirt off and lie down on the table.”

  Enyowas unstrapped his weapons, set them in the chair where Veldi had been sitting, then stripped out of his shirt before lying on the table.

  “I see someone is using silver bullets,” Doc said as he extracted the first one and dropped it into a tray.

  “Our long-lost cousins,” Veldi said, leaning up against the wall, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “Turn over and push your pants down,” Doc said.

  Enyowas did as he’d been told, and gritted his teeth as Doc rooted around in the back of his thigh for the bullet.

  “Family,” Doc said, and let the piece of metal drop into the tray beside him. “Such a pain in the ass.”

  Enyowas snorted, got up and dre
ssed, then strapped on his weapons. “Thanks, Doc. I need to go take care of something, then we’ll be back to see Sary. I’ve sent for Mother, Sima, and Kayta.”

  “Good, they should be here when Sary wakes up. As for you two, I’d say stay out of trouble, but I know that’s not possible, so bring me a Starbucks back from wherever you are going, will ya?”

  “You got it.” Enyowas grinned and gave Veldi a light smack on the upper arm. “Gonna live, or is your brain melting with all the recent events?”

  “Not sure yet,” Veldi said as he followed him out into the hall.

  Enyowas was about to tease him some more when his phone rang. He picked up, then wished he hadn’t. “What’s up?” he asked the sentinel he’d sent to bring his mother over from clan home.

  “Sorry, Boss, your mother was agitated that she was being summoned to the office, and when I pulled up, she got out, shifted, and took off into the forest.”

  “What? Why would she do that?” he asked.

  “She was mumbling something about the fire, and looked really scared. Again, sorry, I’d go after her, but she’s fast and I have to get home to watch the kids.”

  Enyowas knew this sentinel’s wife worked nights. “Go ahead, I’ll have a couple others track her.” But as he hung up, a bad feeling shivered through him.

  “What is it,” Veldi asked.

  “Mother ran off, scared and mumbling about the fire.”

  “You think she set it?” Veldi asked.

  “As much of a bitch as she has always been, I would never have thought it, but now—” He shook his head. “Yeah, now, I’m beginning to think she did, though I don’t understand why.”

  “That’s messed up,” Veldi said.

  “It is.” Enyowas stopped and called a couple of their trackers to go after her. Then he stopped in at Kells’s station. “You get anything yet?”

  “I’ve found the vehicle they got into, but the tag is coming back as stolen. I’m checking all traffic cams right now,” she said.

  “Good, keep me posted, and when you have a moment, I need you to check the video feeds for clan home before the fire today,” he said.