Unique Ink (Shadow Assassins Book 5) (22 page)

“Are you trying to kill me?” He grasped her hips and arched into her core.

“No.” She pushed against his chest, sitting up so she could move more freely. “I closed my eyes before. I still want to watch you come.”

He laughed as he bucked up into her. “Good luck with that.”

* * * * *

Long hours later Roxie was jarred from a contented sleep by Elias’ sudden movements. He rolled out of bed and fired an energy pulse at the shadowy intruder.

“I’m on your side, asshole!” Flynn flipped on the light after twisting to narrowly avoid the blast. “We don’t have much time and I need to… For gods’ sake, put your pants on.” He snatched Elias’ jeans off the floor by the bathroom door and threw them to him. His impatient gaze switched to Roxie and one corner of his mouth twitched. “Now you are more than welcome to stay just like that.”

She scrambled out of bed and donned Elias’ T-shirt then wiggled into her panties. “Why are you here?”

“You know why I’m here.” He looked at Elias again and asked, “Can you get a message to Lor before I take her to Sevrin.”

“Tell us where the lab is and there’s no reason for either of you to go back,” Elias countered, looking flushed and furious.

“I don’t know where it is and she’s never going to tell me, so the Mystics better be ready for this.”

“Where are you taking her?” Elias demanded.

“To the Team South house. She won’t be there long, so I hope someone is already in position over there.”

Tell him we’re ready
. Lor’s voice eased into her mind.

She started to convey the message, but Flynn waved his hand dismissively. “I heard. Now come here.”

Despite all the preparations and the unseen support, fear rushed through Roxie and she couldn’t move. She knew Elias would be teleported with her and she knew everything possible was being done to make sure they came out of this alive, but her feet were glued to the carpet and her heart pumped away at twice its normal speed.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” When she remained immobile, he made an impatient sound and went to her. His arms encircled her and her gaze flew to Elias.

Elias mouthed the words “I love you” as everything around her blurred. For a moment his shape blended with the twisting colors, then the proximity bond kicked in and he was pulled back into focus.

“What the—” Flynn looked over his shoulder then growled deep in his throat. “That was stupid. Lor just got his pet human killed.”

They materialized in the living room of a large, luxurious house. Roxie stumbled back as Flynn released her, but her attention shifted immediately to Nazerel. He stood several paces away, surrounded by his team of hunters. They were all tall, lean and lethal, and each one of them was staring at her.

“Too bad she didn’t sleep naked,” someone muttered, his appreciative gaze moving over her bare legs.

Then Elias materialized and the hunters sprang into action. They pounced on Elias like a pack of wolves desperate for a long denied meal. Nazerel watched the attack with dispassionate amusement, obviously more interested in Roxie than Elias.

“Don’t hurt him,” Sevrin shouted, but the men didn’t seem to notice.

“Enough!” Nazerel’s order was immediately obeyed. The hunters released Elias as if he’d been electrified, leaving him panting and bloodied on the floor. Elias climbed back to his feet and wiped his split lip on the back of his hand. Rather than address the human, Nazerel looked at Flynn with obvious scorn. “You didn’t notice you had another passenger?”

“I noticed. There was just nothing I could do about it. They’re tied together by some sort of link.” Flynn moved to Sevrin’s side, ignoring everyone else. “We’re going to have to take him with us. I can’t sever the bond.”

“Let me try.” Nazerel took a step toward Roxie and instantly Elias stood in front of her. Already bruises were forming on his shoulders and back, but he was ready for more punishment, ready to risk any danger, in an effort to protect her. Though foolish, his determination was humbling and sweet. “I can end your life without touching you, human. Now move aside.”

“Leave him alone,” Sevrin snapped. “We don’t have time for this.”

“It will just take a minute.” Nazerel reached for Elias.

Rather than recoil, Elias lunged, driving Nazerel back a step. Then Elias whipped the suppression collar out of his pocket and snapped it against the side of Nazerel’s neck. The band unwound, neatly coiling around Nazerel’s throat until the ends connected with a foreboding click.

“What the fuck is this thing?” Nazerel tugged at the offending band as his gaze murdered Elias.

“Oh dear.” The humor in Sevrin’s tone brought Nazerel whirling toward her.

“This isn’t funny!”

“I disagree, but we don’t have time to argue the point.”

“Get it off me.” He clawed at the band, leaving welts on his own flesh. “Now!”

With an exasperated sigh, Sevrin motioned Flynn toward Roxie. “Start breaking her fingers until the human releases the collar.”

Elias shielded her again, arms outstretched. “I’m not the owner and neither is Roxie. We can’t unlock it.”

“Then who can?” Nazerel shouted, calming enough to resume his tug-of-war with the band.

“Quite a conundrum,” Sevrin muttered. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to explore it right now. Come.” She motioned toward Elias and Roxie.

“They aren’t leaving until I find out who can take this thing off me.” Nazerel blocked their path to the front door.

“Nazerel, we’ve got company,” one of his men cautioned.

“Shit!” He spun on his heel and rushed to the front window where his man had spotted the possible intruders. “Two cargo vans and an SUV. Yeah, that’s subtle.”

Sevrin’s semi-amused expression faded and she looked at Flynn. “You said she wasn’t bugged. How the hell did they find us so fast?”

“I have no idea.” He motioned toward Elias. “He must have signaled them somehow. I haven’t scanned him.”

“Scan him now!” Her agitated gaze shifted from Elias to Roxie and back as she waited for Flynn’s diagnosis. “Well?”

“Nothing,” he insisted. “They’re both clean.”

“Then how do you explain our visitors?” Nazerel challenged.

“Persistent recon,” Flynn shot back. “They’ve been shadowing you for months.”

“And there’s a lot more than six people out there,” Nazerel snarled, then he glared at Sevrin. “Why didn’t you warn us that Lor had sent for reinforcements?”

“I don’t think he has,” Sevrin insisted. “I think he hired some locals somewhere along the way.” She motioned toward Elias. “Case in point. He might be screwing Roxie, but he’s obviously military.”

“I’m not concerned with humans, military or otherwise,” Nazerel sneered. Even collared and surrounded by a larger force, he was impossibly arrogant.

“Glad to hear it. Distract them and make damn sure I’m not followed.” Sevrin grasped Roxie’s arm and headed across the room, Elias close behind.

Flynn started to follow Sevrin, but Nazerel fisted the back of his shirt. “We’re about to defend our home. Are you a member of Team South or not?”

Jerking his shirt out of Nazerel’s grasp, Flynn glanced at Sevrin then said, “I am.”

“Good. Grab a weapon.”

Sevrin took Roxie through the house and out a side door. Two of the men joined them as Sevrin hurried along the side of the house. Roxie didn’t think they were Shadow Assassins, more like Sevrin’s guards. They’d stood apart from the hunters, a group unto themselves.

“Where are you taking us? What’s this about?” Roxie felt obligated to ask. A complete lack of interest would have seemed strange.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“I didn’t tell them anything. Why did you send Flynn after me?”

Sevrin ignored her questions until they reached a dark SUV, not unlike the one waiting to confront the hunters. She pulled open the side door and motioned toward the interior. “Get in. Boys in the way back.” She held Roxie out of the way as one of her men urged Elias into the third-row seat and then climbed in behind him. “Now you.”

Reluctantly, Roxie climbed in and sat on the bench seat in the middle of the SUV. Sevrin’s other guard rounded the front of the vehicle and slipped in behind the steering wheel. Then Sevrin joined Roxie on the middle seat. Sevrin pulled the door closed and motioned for the driver to get moving.

The front door to the team house opened and five of the hunters filed out. They were little more than silhouettes in the surrounding darkness, so Roxie wasn’t sure if Nazerel or Flynn was among them. She half expected gunfire or pulse blasts to follow, but they simply positioned themselves around the unwanted vehicles and made it impossible for them to move.

Roxie had no way of knowing if the confrontation turned physical. The SUV she was in turned a corner and she could no longer see what was going on in front of the Team South house.

“What do you want with me,” Roxie tried again. If she weren’t fully aware of what was going on behind the scenes, she would be terrified right now. Of course, knowing that Sevrin wouldn’t kill her, but intended to barter her to a Rodyte warrior was only slightly less traumatizing.

Before Sevrin could respond, Elias grasped the arm of the man guarding him. “What is that?”

The sharp question drew Roxie’s attention to the object in the guard’s hand. It was a long, slender cylinder, and he had his thumb angled over one end, likely covering some sort of trigger. The guard twisted, Elias countered, and the wrestling match was on. Elias punched the man squarely in the face, but the guard remained focused on his task. Ignoring Elias’ violent struggles, the guard forced his hand close enough to Elias’ body to use whatever was in his hand. Roxie heard a soft click and Elias gasped, jerking back violently.

“What the hell was in that thing?” He shoved the guard away with both hands and one of his feet. The man slammed into the opposite wall of the SUV.

“It’s just a sedative,” Sevrin told him. “It was meant for Flynn, but it shouldn’t hurt you. Relax. If you fight it, you’ll throw up and then go under anyway.” Sevrin turned back to Roxie, her gaze gleaming in the shadowy interior of the SUV. “Care to explain how your online lover, who supposedly knows nothing about any of this, came to be linked to you by a Mystic bond?”

“They were afraid you’d come back for me.” Roxie smirked at her. “Can’t imagine why.”

“But why saddle you with a human?”

“They’re running short of Mystics right now.” Elias was already starting to sound drugged. He blinked repeatedly and still couldn’t keep his eyelids from drooping. “Send sex-starved Mystics to guard human females and they have a way of ending up with mates.”

Sevrin looked out the window without outwardly reacting to his statements. They’d left the subdivision while Roxie was watching Elias struggle with the guard, but she had no idea which direction they traveled. They were on a well-maintained two-lane street. There were no sidewalks or traffic signals, so it was likely a lesser-used state highway.

“Any hint of a tail?” Sevrin looked at the guard beside Elias.

“No, mistress. All’s clear as far as I can see.”

Roxie glanced around again. The guard was right. They had the road to themselves. When Roxie shifted her gaze back to Sevrin she was holding an injector like the guard had used on Elias.

“Your turn.”

There was no point in resisting. The sooner they arrived at Sevrin’s secret lab, the sooner this nightmare would be over. Roxie braced for the sting then waited silently for oblivion to overtake her.

* * * * *

“I don’t like this,” Sevrin muttered as Roxie slumped against the window. “See if anyone will answer the radio. I need an update before we head home.”

The driver picked up the two-way radio that had been nestled in one of the cup holders. “TSH come in. This is mobile 3 requesting an update.”

“Little busy right now,” someone said with obvious impatience. The microphone picked up shouts and muffled crashes along with the hunter’s voice.

Sevrin leaned forward and snatched the radio out of the driver’s hand. “How many Mystics are at your location?” She was usually careful not to say anything over the radio that might draw unwanted attention, but she was too anxious right now to worry about codenames.

“All of them,” the speaker snapped.

“Give me a number.”

“Four from the MM, five locals. TSH out.”

Four
from the Mystic Militia and five humans. That was interesting. She was under the impression that Lor only had two other Mystics in his annoying little troupe. Nazerel was right. Lor must have received backup from Ontariese.
Damn it.

“Shall I divert, mistress?”

They weren’t being followed and Flynn had insisted neither of her passengers was bugged. Even if Lor had more personnel now, they were all engaged at the Team South house. She was being paranoid.

“No.” She motioned him onward. “I have too much to do back at the Farm. Carry on.”

Chapter Ten

Roxie woke up far less gently than she’d fallen asleep. Pain gripped her muscles, catapulting her from darkness into glaring light. She screamed and sprang up in bed, shaking with confusion and fear. For a muddled moment she’d thought she was in bed, struggling free of a nightmare. No such luck. This nightmare was her life.

“Sorry about the rude awakening.” Sevrin stood beside the hospital-style bed on which Roxie sat, one of her wrists secured to the side rail by a padded restraint. A sheet had been draped over her bare legs and the restraint had an electronic lock rather than a buckle. “You were taking forever. So I had Dr. Utoff help you. The cramps will pass in a moment. Take some deep breaths.”

“Where am I?” She tugged against the restraint. “Why am I locked to this bed? Where’s Elias?” Shit! She shouldn’t have said his name. Her thigh muscles continued to tense and her head was throbbing so badly she could hardly think.

An extremely thin, dour-faced man stood a step back from Sevrin, watching Roxie closely. He didn’t speak. There were five other beds identical to the one on which Roxie sat, but none of them were occupied. The room looked like an urgent care clinic or an emergency room in a really small hospital.

Forcing herself to think, she looked at the equipment surrounding her bed. With strange symbols and three-dimensional displays, it was obvious that the devices hadn’t originated on Earth. They had defiantly arrived at Sevrin’s new lab.

“Hey.” Sevrin snapped her fingers impatiently. “Focus. Who in the five hells are you and what did you do with the battle-born female?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, buying herself a second or two to puzzle through the question.

“You’re not latent. You have no Mystic abilities of any kind, which means you cannot be the female I’ve been searching for since my father died. What did you do with the other hybrid?” By the time Sevrin worked her way through the explanation, she was shouting.

Slowly, Roxie opened her eyes. Would Sevrin’s inaccurate conclusion defuse the situation or render Roxie expendable? A hostage with no value was usually dead. She hadn’t prepared a lie and her head hurt too much for creativity. “I only know I’m a hybrid because the others told me. I know nothing about anyone else. What led you to me in the first place?”

“Faulty assumptions, apparently.” Sevrin’s gaze lingered on Roxie for a moment longer and then she dismissed the entire incident with a casual shrug. She turned to the tall, thin man hovering at the room’s perimeter. “Have her moved to one of the holding cells as soon as her head clears. I’ll take care of her later.”

Roxie refused to think about what that meant. Lor and the other Mystics should be here any moment with a small army of Morgan’s soldiers. They might be here already. She didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious. Knowing it would be better if they found her in this unsecured room than in a holding cell, she lay back and pressed her hands to the sides of her head, moaning softly. Besides, it wasn’t like she had an option until she found a way to free herself from the restraint.

She could still see the thin man out of the corner of her eye. He hesitated a moment, as if deciding what to do, then moved to the workstation tucked in one corner of the room and sat down. Apparently, he was going to wait a little while longer for her head to clear.

Rolling to her side, she took a better look at the locking mechanism on the cuff. It was smooth, with no writing of any kind, no keyhole or release trigger. How the hell did it open?

Are you alone in the room?
Lor’s welcome voice pushed into her mind.

No. Sevrin made the doctor stay and monitor me. I don’t think he’s armed, but I’m tethered to the bed.

We’ll be there momentarily. Try not to react to our arrival.

Got it.

Elias had to be in an adjoining room, she could feel the subtle pull of their proximity bond and his smoldering frustration. Good. He was awake and aware. That would make things much easier than dragging around an unconscious body.

Roxie’s job had been to lead them to the lab. Now that they’d found it, she wasn’t sure what to do. She closed her eyes, fighting back a staggering rush of emotions. She could fall apart later, rage against the injustice and cry for a week. Right now she needed to remain clearheaded and calm.

The thin man’s startled gasp drew Roxie’s attention away from her troubled thoughts. She sat up in time to see Lor lowering the thin man’s now unconscious body to the floor. Two Mystics she’d yet to meet flashed into the room a moment later.

“Can you walk?” Lor asked in a calm yet urgent tone.

“Yes, if you can get me out of this.” She raised her hand, displaying the restraint.

Lor rushed to her side and quickly examined the securement. “Hold
very
still.”

Roxie rested her hand on top of the side rail and didn’t so much as breathe. Orange-red light erupted in Lor’s palm, making his entire hand glow. Then he formed a fist and condensed the energy into a tiny, ultra-bright flame. The flame spiraled down his index finger and burned into the padded part of the cuff. Roxie’s instinct was to pull away, but she kept her hand in place, watching in rapt amazement as Lor burned a perfect line from top to bottom. He pulled the cuff apart and Roxie pulled her hand free and rubbed her wrist. Her skin was untouched by a fire hot enough to burn through metal.

“That was…” She looked at him with unblinking awe. “You can control fire.”

He just smiled and motioned toward the door, a gentle reminder that the crisis was far from over. “Let’s go.”

Shaking away her amazement, she scooted to the end of the bed and hopped down. “Elias has to be nearby.”

“He’s our next stop,” Lor assured her. “Reinforcements are still ten to fifteen minutes away. We need to prepare as well as we can without alerting them to our presence.”

Lor’s companions dragged the thin man into a storeroom and closed the door. Hopefully he’d remain unconscious until after the others arrived.

“Were you able to flash inside without setting off an alarm?”

Lor nodded as he moved to the doorway and checked the corridor. “We were, but the soldiers won’t have the same luxury. We’ll have to move fast once the others arrive.”

“This access point is live,” one of the new Mystics said as he manipulated the three-dimensional display beside the bed Roxie had just vacated. “I’m inside their primary defenses. Let’s see if I can assess some sort of floor plan.”

Lor stepped past Roxie and looked at the display. “I am so glad you volunteered for this.”

“Few Mystics are literate in Rodyte. I suspected the skill might be useful.”

The other newcomer approached Roxie with compassion in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re unharmed? This must be terrifying for you.”

“It hasn’t been fun, but I’m fine. Really.” She produced an anemic smile before looking around. If they had a few minutes to kill, maybe she could find something to cover her legs. She pulled open cupboards and cabinets, but found nothing useful. Then her gaze landed on the door to the storeroom. “Do you think the doctor’s still out?”

The friendly Mystic joined her as she crossed to the storeroom door. “I hear no movement.” He stepped past her and eased the door open.

Thin man lay exactly as Lor had left him, unconscious yet breathing steadily. Roxie spotted a stack of neatly folded scrubs, or the Rodyte equivalent of scrubs. She grabbed one of the light blue garments and shook it out, delighted when she saw it was a uniform bottom with a drawstring waist. She moved back into the main room and pulled the pants on while the Mystic secured the storeroom. Shoes, or better yet boots, would have been nice too, but she was glad to be less exposed.

By the time she finished dressing, the other new Mystic had located a three-dimensional floor plan. Everyone gathered around the diagram as he explained, “This is the infirmary. I believe that’s where we are. Elias is most likely in the exam room on the other side of that wall.” He pointed to the wall on Roxie’s right.

“Are these the holding cells?” Lor pointed to a double row of similarly shaped rooms.

“I believe so.”

“Let’s head that direction after we collect Elias,” Lor advised. “Freeing the captives will be a good use of our time if we can do so without revealing our position. Once the fighting starts, it’s going to be chaotic.”

“Understood,” the other two Mystics said in turn.

“And pass the floor plan to the others. Everything will run more smoothly if we know where things are.”

“Already done.” The Rodyte-speaking Mystic assured.

Lor looked at her and paused for a reassuring smile. “You did really well. Ready for a little more excitement.”

His tone was playful rather than condescending, so Roxie nodded. “Can you guarantee ‘a little more excitement’ is all we’ll see?”

“Sorry. Mystics try to speak only truth.”

Lor led their small group into the hallway after checking to make sure it was clear. Roxie stood anxiously between the two newcomers as Lor flashed inside the locked exam room and returned with Elias.

Still shirtless, Elias swept her into a quick hug as soon as Lor released him. “Are you okay?” He kept her face between his palms as he quickly looked her over.

“I’m fine.”

“This way,” Lor urged.

They reached a corridor adjacent to the holding cells without incident, but the entire area was well guarded. Roxie could feel ripples of energy flowing around her, but she couldn’t hear what Lor and the other Mystics were saying. They must be using a different frequency than the one created by her telepathic link to Lor. Or he was shielding the conversation in some way. She still wasn’t sure how it all worked.

Lor’s intense turquoise gaze shifted toward her and their link vibrated as his voice sounded inside her mind.
The others have arrived. Stay down as much as possible.

It was a diplomatic way of telling her and Elias to keep out of their way. She had no problem with the order, but Elias tensed beside her, clearly insulted by the dictate. The Rodyte-speaking Mystic shifted quickly to the other side of the hall and Elias moved closer to her. He held a pulse pistol in his right hand, but she had no idea where he’d gotten it. From one of the Mystics probably. Nothing else made sense.

“Stay behind me,” Elias said softly and Roxie couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t liked being told to stay back, yet he had no problem reinforcing Lor’s position. It didn’t seem quite fair.

Yeah well, she wasn’t an Army Ranger nor had she received training from the FBI
.
Immediately regretting the moment of brutal honesty, she looked around to see if anyone had overheard her pessimistic thought. Everyone else was anxiously waiting for Lor to determine it was time to begin. She needed to get her head in the game and keep it there.

Setting things in motion with a sharp hand gesture, Lor flashed from his position at the intersecting corridors and materialized behind the largest of four guards. The other two Mystics followed his lead, teleporting to their targets to maximize the element of surprise. Lor had engaged the last guard by the time his companions flashed into position and all three worked with focused precision, incapacitating the guards before anyone had time to trigger an alarm. They moved with a fluid grace Roxie found mesmerizing and incredibly efficient.

Elias rushed down the now secure corridor and stopped in front of the door to the first holding cell. He fired a quick blast into the scanner panel. Sparks erupted and the circuitry hissed. Elias tucked the pistol into the back of his pants and flattened his palms on the smooth metal, heaving the uncooperative door aside.

A frightened young woman rushed out of the cell and started to throw herself into his arms. When she saw his state of undress, her eyes rounded and she shied away.

Roxie hurried forward, her welcoming smile meant to ease the captive’s fear. “We’ve come to get you out of here.”

The captive rushed toward Roxie then clung to her arm as they followed Elias toward the next holding cell.

The Mystics worked to free captives as well and soon they were surrounded by a small crowd of terrified females. Flynn had warned of six test subjects, but they found a total of eight, several so ill they had to be assisted by others just to walk.

The Rodyte-speaking Mystic was about to open last holding cell when he motioned to Lor instead. “Commander, there are four men in this cell. Are they captives or Shadow Assassins?”

“Why would she have them locked up?” the friendly Mystic asked.

“Leave them for now. It’s more important that we get these women out of here.” Then he seemed to reconsider. “Do they all look healthy and unharmed?”

“Yes, just angry that I’m not opening the door.”

“Tell them we’ll return for them in a few minutes and to be quiet until we do.”

Once again speaking in Rodyte, the Mystic quickly explained what was going on. Roxie couldn’t hear what the male captives said in return, but the Mystic lingered by the door way a few minutes longer.

“Who sent you?” one of the female captives asked. She seemed less agitated than the others. “How did you know we were here?”