Darker (10 page)

“
Neither. I’m here for someone else.”

“
Well, then I guess I have no further questions.” With a vicious cackle, he slashed the scalpel across her throat.

Blood gushed from the fatal wound. It poured down her chest, dripping to the floor where a puddle quickly formed. Every breath I took stripped away what little remained of my self-control. The basement’s unholy occupant encouraged my dark side to reign.

I was fast learning that the FPA weren’t the model citizens they painted themselves to be. The more I saw of them, the more I believed I’d gotten the better deal by ending up with the monsters.

“
You just made things very easy for me,” the agent sneered. “No need to waste time with transients when I can go to the source.”

“
Come on, then.”

He approached me as one might advance on a snarling dog, cautious but ready. I was aware of the scalpel in his hand and the Taser on his hip. I’d have to make sure he never got a chance to use it. With great effort, I forced the wolf back down. If I injured this prick with fangs or claws, he would turn. No way was that happening.

“
You were pretty stupid to sneak down here. There’s no Briggs or Juliet to save your ass. They never come down to the basement. Then they’d have to get their hands dirty.”

“
Just keep talking.”

I was ready when he tackled me. It didn’t stop the cold hard floor from knocking the breath from me as my back took the brunt of the fall. Bringing my feet up, I used his weight and momentum to throw him over my head. He crashed against a chair that turned over with a loud crash of metal.

On my feet first, I jumped on Agent Asshole, pinning him to the floor. He fought to dislodge me, but I held tight. The strength of a werewolf far outweighed that of a single man. I landed a few punches before he brought his cast-bound arm up to block me. Just a month ago Kale had broken the man’s arm, and I was more than happy to re-break it for him.

His bitter coffee breath puffed into my face as he struggled to overpower me. Instinct commanded that I tear his throat out. I ached for the hot splash of blood on my tongue. I hadn’t come with the intent to kill anyone, but resistance was fast growing futile.

I wrapped my hands around the agent’s throat and squeezed until his face turned a horrid shade of purple. A noise behind me had me whirling to blast the other agent before he could use the Taser in his grip. Unfortunately, that allowed the doctor to approach from the other side. The telltale click of a hammer being cocked held me frozen.

“
Stand up. Slowly.” He pressed the cold gun barrel against my temple.

I did what he said, sure I could blast him before he could pull the trigger but unwilling to take the risk that I was wrong. Caution had me doing what he said though I wasn’t as afraid as I was mildly amused. Playing along was best for now.

Agent Asshole wielded his Taser like a man on a mission. He hit me with it before I could brace. The shock of electricity slammed through me like a sledgehammer, dropping me like a sack of meat. My limbs seized, and I twitched on the floor like a drunk on
Cops
. Fabulous.

“
You twisted bitch,” the agent spat. He rubbed his neck, which was red and welted in the shape of my fingers. “You want to see the basement? Oh, I’m gonna show you the basement. Get up.”

I gasped, struggling for each painful breath. My entire body shook as I tried to get up. I was unsteady on my feet, my limbs numb. With a gun in my face and a Taser-wielding asshole behind me, I suddenly wasn’t feeling so confident anymore.

“
Take a good look around,” Agent Asshole said. “Because you’re never getting out of here.”

Recovered from my attack, the other, quieter agent stepped up, yanked my arms behind my back and slapped cuffs on me. I was familiar with these cuffs. They had the ability to reflect my power back at me with a negative charge, rendering my power useless.

The agents shoved me along through the door. The doctor remained to clean up. Both agents flanked me, hovering dangerously close.

“
Got nothin’ to say?” The loud jerk poked me in the ribs with the gun he’d retrieved. “That’s fine. You’ll be screaming in no time.”

Wherever Jez and Willow were, I hoped they were far from here.

As we walked down the corridor, we reached a row of wall sconces that cast the hall in a dim light. The further we got from the basement entrance, the brighter the light became. Harsh fluorescent bulbs flooded an adjacent hall lined with solitary prison-style doors. This was just getting better and better. I went along willingly as they steered me down that hall. I didn’t have much of a choice. Agent Asshole shoved me against the first door we encountered.

“
Look.”

I didn’t have to be told twice. Curiosity drew my attention to the small pane of glass in the center of the heavy iron door.

Inside was a man sprawled on a double bed. The mattress was fluffy, the blankets thick but aged. The concrete walls were decorated with drawings depicting buildings, scenery and an array of people. The man scribbled furiously in a notepad, bringing another image to life by the light that a reading lamp provided him.

“
He’s precognitive.” Agent A informed me. “We promise to take care of his family. In exchange, he shows us likely outcomes of events and decisions.”

“
Looks like he’s lost his mind,” I muttered. The poor bugger was oblivious to anything but the image he was creating. “So what you’re saying is he’s a prisoner. Forced to be a tool for the government until it drives him mad. I wish I could say I was surprised.”

Agent A tugged his tie loose, careful not to take an eye from me. “Hey, his daughter can afford to go to Harvard now.”

A cold, sick feeling spread through me. The FPA was no better than Shya. Their shady deals worked out only to their benefit no matter what they bartered away. Sickening.

“
He doesn’t speak anymore,” the other agent spoke directly to me for the first time. “It won’t be long before he’s on his way to the end of the hall. They all end up there eventually.”

I turned sharply toward the agent, but Asshole jabbed me in the ribs again, forcing me on.

“
Shut up, Hastings,” he snapped. “There’s a reason I do all the talking.”

“
You mean other than you simply love the sound of your own voice?” I asked with a sour smile.

Agent Asshole responded by slamming me into the next door we came across. My teeth smacked together, and my head bounced off the glass. But, the pain was quickly forgotten when I saw what was on the other side.

A little girl lay curled up in the center of the bed. Surrounded by stuffed animals, with her golden locks spread out on the pillow, she looked so tiny and innocent. She couldn’t have been more than eight years old. Fast asleep, the sound of my head bouncing off the thick door had failed to wake her.

“
You fucking monsters,” I breathed, unable to tear my gaze from the child’s sleeping form.

Agent Asshole chuckled and nodded his greasy head. “Looks can be deceiving. Ain’t that right, werewolf? That kid may look sweet and pure, but her parents begged us to take her.”

“
Why? What can she do?”

The chuckle continued. The bastard enjoyed giving me the grand tour. I turned to him with a glare.

His shit-eating grin vanished. “She summons demons. And, it ain’t for tea parties.”

My jaw dropped. She was just a child. “But how? Why?”

“
It doesn’t matter,” came his flippant reply. “As long as we can use it.”

“
Is that all you see her as? A tool? An object?” I resisted him when he tried to shove me away from the window. The result was another Taser blast that had me seized up on the floor. I bit my tongue, and blood filled my mouth.

Agent Asshole stood over me. “A weapon, actually.”

It was several minutes before I could get up. As I struggled to get my stiff muscles to move again, I thought of all the ways I’d love to kill him. One day the FPA agent would look back on this night with regret. So much regret. He was my victim; he just didn’t know it yet.

“
Alright, enough with the dramatics,” he barked, hauling me to my feet. “Keep moving. We’re not there yet.”

I held my tongue, knowing if I opened my mouth a growl would come out. My wolf itched to bury my thick fangs in his throat, but she would have to wait.

Though we skipped several doors, he showed me a few more of the FPA’s prisoners. From a seventeen-year-old pyrokinetic to an elderly necromancer, it was like taking a walk through the living museum of hell.

“
Dreamwalker,” Agent A boasted as I looked in upon a middle-aged woman reading and doing her best not to acknowledge us. “Ever seen one? They don’t sleep much.”

Still I said nothing. Within that room lay my key to the lock that held me bound to Shya. The dragon etched into the flesh of my forearm burned. I owed Shya a dreamwalker. Only then would he release me from our deal and remove his mark. I knew I would never do that. Handing over a human being to Shya would make me as evil as he was. Though I might be many things, that could never be one of them.

I gave a wistful sigh which Asshole mistook for fearful acceptance.

“
Ok, that’s enough,” he announced. “Time to show you to your cell. I mean room. This will be worth it even if I never make Captain.” Again with the cackling chuckle. “If you live through the night, maybe you’ll prove to be useful after all.”

“
What are you talking about?” I studied Hastings, finding his solemn expression unnerving. He wouldn’t make eye contact, focusing instead on a door near the end of the hall.

I gasped when Agent Asshole began to aggressively frisk me. He relieved me of my phone, the only personal belonging I had on me.

“
I suppose I’ll have to report this.” He sounded disappointed. “Maybe I’ll forget for a day or two. Give you some time to get reacquainted. If you survive the reunion.”

Hastings pulled out a set of keys that included a swipe card with each one. He unlocked the deadbolt, ready to follow up with the swipe card. “Ready?”

“
Are you going to leave me in these things?” I indicated the cuffs.

Agent Asshole considered it. I willed him to free me. Cut off from using my power, I felt naked and helpless.

With a nod to Hastings, Asshole trained his gun on me, inches from my face. Ignoring my request, he watched as Hastings opened the door just wide enough for me to enter. Then, he shoved me through the dark opening so hard that I fell inside. Unable to catch myself, I landed painfully on my back with my bound arms beneath me.

“
Hey, werewolf,” Asshole spat. “Welcome to the execution chamber. This is where we put the trouble makers. Found a use for your vampire after all.”

With that, the door slammed. There was a thud as the deadbolt slid into place. I rolled over and pushed to my feet. The strong, honey sweet vampire energy swept over me, and my heart stuttered.

I turned to take in the room. Hope gave way to relief and then renewed fear. My gaze slid over the double bed, the nearby writing desk and the vampire standing in the center of the room.

With five centuries of bloodlust in his mismatched eyes was Kale.

“
Not you,” he said in a broken whisper. “Dear God, not you.”

Chapter Seven

Kale stared at me, uncertain and confused, as if he couldn’t be sure I was real. Something passed behind his eyes, a glimpse of someone I knew. Then, it was gone.

I had wanted so badly to find him here. I hadn’t really allowed myself to believe I would. Before I could react or speak, he moved in a blur, shoving past me. With both fists, he pounded on the window.

“
Not her, you mother fuckers! Anyone but her.”

The rage emanated from him. It swirled around me, a cloud of anger that I responded to against my will. I was burning with the urge to reach out to him with my power, to draw in his sinfully sweet energy. It called to the part of me that was all vampire; that side of me recognized him as mine.

Slowly, he backed away from the door, away from me to the opposite wall. His fists clenched and unclenched. His eyes darted around, settling on me in brief intervals.

“
You need to get out of those cuffs. You have to be able to fight.” Squeezing his eyes shut, Kale shook his head vigorously, battling a hunger that wouldn’t be denied.

When at last he dragged his gaze to mine, I saw the eagerness for blood and death burning in his gorgeous eyes. One brown, the other blue, it was a mesmerizing feature that promised to enchant his victims as he killed them.

“
I don’t think I can. The cuffs are on too tight.” I concentrated on slow, steady breaths, knowing my fear would only entice him.

“
Try.” His pupils dilated, a dangerous sign of excitement. “Try hard.”

I strained against the cuffs, testing their limits. They were damn tight. My only chance of slipping them would be to shift. I could potentially slip them during the change. Being wolf in this place couldn’t possibly be a good idea. It would also mean being nude in human form once the change shredded my clothing. Decisions, decisions. If it meant surviving Kale, I’d do what I had to.

“
Kale? Talk to me. What have they been doing to you?” If I could keep him talking, I might buy myself a few minutes before he tried to kill me.