by Jarica James
The archives themselves weren't as busy as the rest of the building, so only one clerk worked behind the desk. She was a tall woman with thick glasses, not much older than us. I couldn’t use Aeson’s powers to tell, but for some reason I thought she felt like a witch. Maybe I should ask the others about this later. She greeted us as we walked in, looking bored out of her mind. "Can I help you find anything?"
"I'm actually looking for a census from eighteen years ago, around March of that year," I said quickly, my eyes already scanning the directory to see if we could just start looking. The nerves and anticipation had me practically jumping out of my skin.
"Let's see what we can find," she said, a bit perkier now that we'd given her something to do. She waved a hand at the computer monitor to wake it up, before her eyes took on a neon green glow. The screen started changing on its own, words typing into the search engine and pages scrolling through, without her lifting a finger. I studied her as she worked, noting how her eyes had become unfocused and her body still as she faced the screen. That skill will probably come in handy someday, I noted, hoping my mimic ability would pick it up.
"She's a digimage. It's a ridiculous name they came up with for mages who operate within the virtual world. They usually specialize in computers and are fairly rare," Evander explained in my ear as he pressed his body closer. My thoughts drifted away as I focused on the feel of his hard muscles and warmth pressed against me.
"They usually work for The Regency," Lachlan finished for Van, absently running his finger along my knuckles as he held my hand, not helping the situation.
"It looks like they are on LL4. Just take the elevator in the back down to that floor, then head straight for the directory, where you'll make a left. Follow the path until you find the red section. They are sorted by month," the clerk recited, her eyes slowly fading back to a more normal, hazel color.
"Thank you," Lachlan answered for us, leading us toward the elevators she’d pointed out. The elevators were ridiculously small, barely fitting my huge boyfriends inside with me. I ended up sandwiched between them, since nobody wanted to go down alone.
"Where's Aeson and his ridiculous, flirty jokes when you need them?" I laughed, sliding out from between them as soon as the doors opened. Despite my night with Calev, I was ready to climb them right there in the elevator, though I didn’t think The Regency would look kindly on that.
"I can think of some, if you want," Lachlan joked as we wound our way through the dim rows of shelves, which were stacked so high they blocked out the bright lights and gave the entire room a creepy, basement glow.
"I'm good. Though if you're missing it, I could tell you that your ass looks amazing in those jeans," I said, slapping him on the ass as I slipped past and sought out the red shelf.
"You love to play with fire, don't you?" Lachlan growled as he stepped up behind me, kissing the back of my neck and sending a shiver down my spine. "You're lucky we aren't alone."
"Watch out, shorty," Van teased, ignoring our flirting as he reached up for the binder we needed. The dusty tome was almost out of reach for him on the high shelves, and he had to stand on his toes just to graze it. As his heels touched the ground, he faltered for a moment, stumbling into the shelf and grasping it for support.
"Van, when's the last time you ate?" Lachlan asked, his voice suddenly serious, making my heart stop. What happens if he doesn't eat often enough?
Van's voice was barely over a whisper as he answered, letting himself slip to the floor as he turned. "It wasn't that long ago. I shouldn’t be having any hunger effects yet." The more I looked, the more I noticed how rough he looked. His cheeks were a bit gaunt, his skin was paler, and even his eyes were dull.
"Fuck, what is this?" Lachlan asked, slipping down next to Evander looking just as rough. "Something isn't right."
"Here, Doll," Van whispered, pulling a dagger out of his shoe and handing it over. "I use obsidian so it doesn't show up on those stupid scanners." With that he started to cough, blood spattering in his hand as his whole body convulsed. At the sight, my heart pounded in my chest. I should have been affected too, right? What the fuck?
"Hide," Lachlan choked out as his body started to shake on the ground. A sob escaped me before I could stop it, my eyes scanning the room as I strained to hear any hint of noise. The room was silent except for the low whir of the ventilation system. My pulse thundered through my veins as I stood in a defensive stance over my guys, the obsidian dagger clutched in my hand.
"Well, well, well, you must be the girl the bounty is for. I've never seen anyone look at this building with such awe, it made you easy to spot. We don’t exactly get tourists in our community. I guess the Doc’s description was accurate," a cold voice echoed in the room, footsteps finally reverberating around the open space as a man turned the corner. His tailored white suit and long white hair made him look like someone who loved to flaunt their status and wealth.
"Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing?" I seethed, holding the dagger in front of me so he could see I wasn't planning to play. The thought of using shadows passed my mind, but it was a bit too late for that. Maybe I could channel Lachlan's strength?
"I am a man who could gain a lot of status by turning you in. A bounty is on your head, little girl, a hefty one. My benefactor doesn't tend to play around. My magic is tearing up your friends’ insides as we speak, so I suggest you cooperate, before it’s too late to save them," he threatened, coming closer like I wasn't holding a sharp dagger at chest height.
"He's a physiomage, be careful," Evander managed before he choked on blood again.
"I said, let them go you fucking bastard!" I screamed, throwing my body over my guys.
"I will, you just have to come with me. Once we're on our way, they're free. Scout's honor," he said with a mocking sincerity that made my skin crawl.
"If you touch her, you die," Lachlan growled out weakly. His skin was vibrating with an attempted shift, until his back arched and he screeched out in pain, his eyes rolling back in his head. I wrapped my arms around his torso and tried to use Aeson's healing magic, but it didn't seem to work.
"Your magic is too weak, sweetling," the man taunted, coming forward yet again. I turned on him with a withering glare, but he only laughed at me.
I took a deep breath before giving each of my guys a kiss. "Let me go, I can't let you die. I'll be fine. I have your magic with me," I promised before standing and squaring my shoulders as I faced him. "Fine, I’ll go with you." I knew I should say something more to them, but they were too weak to hear me now anyway, and their emotions and pain would only distract me from forming a plan.
"Ah, I knew you'd come around. I can be mighty persuasive," he said in excitement, coming towards me and wrapping an arm around mine. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate, hoping he’d mistake my reaction for fear. Remembering what Lilah said about touch and learning new powers, I stilled my mind, trying to buy enough time for my mimic heritage to kick in. I didn’t take the time to overthink, simply working through it and reacting.
Physiomage… if he’s shutting their bodies down from the inside, then physiomages can probably manipulate any biological system. With that knowledge, I focused on the man next to me, willing my magic to take the breath from his lungs. He stumbled into to me before he pitched forward, scraping at his neck like he was trying to pull away an invisible hand. He kept fighting as I held my concentration on his throat, constricting it slowly and willing him to pass out. The moment his body dropped to the floor, I let go of the magic. His chest rose in shallow breaths as his body’s instincts took over, but I didn’t have much time. I turned and ran back to my fallen men.
Both of them were passed out, leaning hard against one another. I collapsed next to them, pulling out my phone and calling Calev. His voice boomed through the phone on the first ring, as if he knew we needed him. "What's wrong? I can feel it," he huffed out, sounding like he was mid sprint. "We're almost there."
"LL4,"
I choked out, disconnecting and closing my eyes.
Healing someone who couldn't tell you what was wrong was not easy, but I did my best, concentrating on their lungs first before trying to mimic the scan I'd seen Aeson do. The magic flew through me, connecting us to the point that I could picture their body in my mind, certain areas flaring up as the magic moved over them to show what needed help. With Lachlan, it was his heart, and with Evander, it was his lungs. I pushed healing into both, lessening the angry pulse that attacked their organs. My energy wavered the longer I worked, tears steadily streaming down my face as I worried that my guys wouldn't wake up.
I was so lost in my task that I didn't hear our attacker wake, oblivious until cold hands wrapped around my throat, pulling me backwards and slamming me to the ground. My head cracked on the hardwood floor, the world above me spinning as he looked down at me, his face contorted in rage.
"How dare you! Do you know who I am?!" he screeched at me, reaching down and grabbing a fistful of my dark curls before turning and dragging me toward the elevator by my hair. I fought with everything I had, but the obsidian dagger gleamed in the dim light over by my guys.
'Tristan!' I called in my head, desperate for someone to come and save me. My hair felt like it was being plucked out a strand at a time, and I didn't know how to fight back at this point, every attempt at using others’ powers failing me.
He smacked his palm against the elevator call button repeatedly, growling out obscenities and yanking me around every few seconds. A low growl sounded behind us, and I could see Lachlan limping forward, his bear's teeth showing. Thankfully, his growl was masked by the man's slamming and the ding of the elevator as it finally reached its destination.
"Don't fucking touch her, you piece of shit!" Tristan yelled, launching himself at the man, his fist raised. I wasn't at a good angle to catch the contact of his fist to the man's face, but I heard it, and it was the most satisfying sound in the world. His hand loosened in my hair, giving me the chance to pull away. Tristan's fists continued to rain down on the main, leaving blood dripping down the formerly white suit.
"Enough, Tristan!" Calev said, pulling him away. My sweet psychic looked half deranged, his face feral and angry as his breath came out in great heaves.
"Tristan?" I asked in a quiet voice, the sound seeming to deflate him as he pushed away from Calev and hurried over. The others rushed over, everyone trying to get to me at once as the elevator dinged again. None of us had even noticed that it had gone back up during the scuffle.
When it opened, a group of men in long robes stepped out, taking in the scene before them. The guys didn't move to protect me, but they did bow their heads respectfully. I followed their lead, though I inhaled a sharp breath when the action caused my head to pound even more. I swayed in my spot and nearly collapsed until one of my guys steadied me.
"Young lady, can you stand?" one of the men asked gently, looking concerned as I looked back up. When the room stopped spinning, I used Lachlan's fuzzy back to support myself as I rose on wobbly legs.
"The feed was sent to us, your girl here is quite the fighter," another man praised, while the remaining guy went over to the man in white who lay unconscious on the floor once more. With a flick of his wrist, my attacker was levitated, before the man motioned him toward the elevator and stepped inside.
"She impresses us, too," Aeson said as he smiled down at me.
"Are you alright? Do you need to see a healer?" the first man asked, his brows still drawn down in concern.
"I'm fine, I just need some rest," I reassured him with a smile. "We have a healer among us."
"Well then, if you could leave your names and contact information upstairs with the clerk, we will be in touch. I'm not happy anyone dared to attack one of my citizens... in the capital, no less. We will get to the bottom of this." At his reassurance, a sinister smile twisted on the levitator’s face, sending a chill down my spine. Despite the sense of caution that covered me, I couldn't find it in me to even feel a hint of remorse for the man in the white suit. If you hurt my family, you get what's coming to you. I was just thankful they didn’t question who or what I was, though I doubted that they knew each and every citizen well enough to identify them by appearance alone.
Once the elevator closed again, leaving us alone, the guys converged on me. I tried to reassure them that I was fine, but they ignore my protests until I let out a shrill whistle, stopping them in their tracks. Though maybe I should have picked a method that wouldn’t make me feel like I’d just been stabbed in the head. "I'm fine. Aeson, please check over Lach and Van. The asshole was a physiomage, and he managed to hurt Lachlan's heart and Evander's lungs in the process. I healed everything else I could."
"On it," he mumbled, already letting out the white glow as he approached Evander first. I walked over to Tristan, relieved now that the others were being cared for, and a wave of exhaustion hit me as I approached him. He caught me as I dropped, pulling me against his chest and whispering sweet words to soothe me.
"You're a badass warrior," he whispered as my eyes slipped closed.
I didn't wake again until someone was pulling me out of the car. I guess I missed that entire drive home. Tristan smiled down at me as my eyes fluttered open, lifting me and carrying me inside. Now that I was awake, I felt a lot better.
"How are they?" I asked in a raspy voice, my throat still a bit scratchy from the deep sleep.
"Just fine, your magic saved them. They were still pretty damaged, and if you had to use this much magic to heal them enough for Lach to shift, I would wager they were near death," Aeson answered for him as he opened the door for us. When we were safely inside, Tristan finally put me back on my feet.
"Sorry for falling asleep, the magic wiped me out, I guess," I mumbled, already searching out Lilah's coffee stash so I could start a pot. I didn't feel like attempting to go to bed just yet, and I was far too sleepy to sit through a movie without any caffeinated assistance.
"You don't have to apologize," Lachlan said, coming over and wrapping me in his arms. The smell of pine and mountain air washed over me, driving away some of the awful feelings from earlier. "You were a fucking badass back there. Even I was a little scared for him." The teasing in his tone didn't block out the clear awe in his voice, and that made me feel even better. Knowing I wasn’t the weakest link, that we didn’t have one in our group, made me happier than I could put words to.
"Where's Evander?" I asked, realizing he'd slipped out of the room.
"He needed blood, so he was checking his bag for a vial," Aeson answered as he pulled down a bag of chips from the cabinet.
"I'll be back, someone make my coffee for me?" I asked, not bothering to see who. I made a beeline for our rooms upstairs, hoping to catch him before he drank the bottle of blood. I'd learned enough about him to know he needed a live feed for this, but he hated asking. For some reason, the thought of having him drink from me made me excited, and I wanted to know what it was truly like. Books and movies always made it sexual or painful. Though if I had the choice, I'd take sexy vampire over the other any day. Let’s be honest...even if it hurt, I’d still be willing to help him out. I care about him too much to not take care of him when I can.
"Oh, hey," he said as I entered the room, almost dropping the vial from his shaking hands. Once I closed the door behind me, I walked over and gently took it from him, putting it back in his bag. He looked confused until I slipped my shirt over my head and flipped my hair to the side, baring my neck. "No, Doll. We don't have to do that, this will be enough."
"Wouldn't this be better?" I asked, giving him a reassuring smile. I could see him arguing with himself, his eyes studying me as his jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly, before he let out a defeated sigh.
"Yes, of course. And I've wanted to know what you tasted like. But not like this," he mumbled in defeat.
"We all taste differently?" I blurted out, my stupid mouth getting ahead of me again. He laughed at the question, finally re
laxing a bit as he pulled me into his arms and he collapsed on the side of the bed.
"Yes. The closer you are to a person, the better they taste. So, I have a suspicion you will taste better than anyone. Let's clean you off first, though," he said, still looking worried. I shook my head at him, knowing it was more about checking out my body for injuries than anything, but I wasn't about to turn down a shower with my vampire.
He groaned as I slipped my pants off, before sliding my panties down and unhooking my bra. The ponytail holder still tangled in my hair was the last of my clothing and accessories to go, leaving me bare in front of him. He didn't move, instead gulping audibly while his eyes turned a deep burgundy and his fangs extended. Heat flooded between my thighs as I took in his predatory stare, backing away as he started to stalk forward, before I turned and rushed to the shower. As soon as I bent over to adjust the water, his hands were roving over my body, and then a loud smack landed on my ass. My pussy clenched at the sensation, a gasp escaping at the shock of it. He chuckled darkly, his hands never leaving my body as I straightened back up and walked into the shower. The warm water felt so good that I almost forgot how fucking turned on I was, until he got down on his knees in front of me, moved my feet apart, and brought his face to my pussy. Pleasure pulsed through me as he licked along my folds, then he pushed his tongue into me. I moaned, my legs already shaking as an orgasm built. I wobbled on my legs as he thrust his tongue in and out of me, drawing out more pleasure with each movement. The moment his lips closed around my clit, the tip of his fang grazing across it, I came. My hands fisted in his hair as I rode out the sensations, my hips grinding into him. Fuck, that’s the quickest anyone has made me orgasm… not that I have a ton of experience, but damn.
