An Unseelie Understanding
Fairy Tales
Happily Harem After Vol. 1
Including:
The Four Clever Brothers
Wild Wonderland
Beauty and the Beasts
Pan's Promise
The Little Glass Slipper
Happily Harem After Vol. 2
Including: White as Snow Awakened Beauty
Twisted
Codename: Goldilocks
Historical Romance
Enchantress
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Chapter One
“Did you choose the name Cyprian?” I asked my new boyfriend as I laid across his chest after a particularly wild and creative bout of lovemaking.
“Yes.” He gave me a wicked smile. “I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me about it.”
“So, you know that one of the definitions for Cyprian is a person, especially a woman, who takes money in exchange for sexual favors? Basically, a cyprian is a prostitute.”
“It also means licentious, wanton behavior.” He waggled his pale brows at me.
“How appropriate. It's no wonder you chose the name.”
“Se Esaria, I chose my name based on the orgiastic rites of Aphrodite on Cyprus.” Cyprian rolled on top of me. He nibbled on my breast before continuing, “They named the prostitutes after me.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, they didn't, you fibber.”
“I swear it on my life; which I treasure nearly as much as you.” He held up one elegant hand as if he were in court. “I fed on a young prostitute once. I needed a quick pick-me-up and prostitutes were the easiest fare at the time.” His expression went mischievously pensive. “Sort of like Faulin fast food.”
“Cyprian,” I chided.
He grinned unabashedly. “Anyway, she was so impressed with my skills that she asked me to help her with her techniques. She became wildly popular, opened her own house of ill repute, and taught all of her employees my style. When asked about it, she'd always say—”
“Cyprian taught me,” I finished.
“Yes, precisely.” Cyprian laughed. “That is a very old term, by the way. It went out of style a long time ago, back when those techniques were lost. I learned from the experience and never shared them with another human.”
“Smart thinking,” I teased. “You don't want everyone emulating you.”
“Shall I show you some?”
“Some of what?”
“Of my techniques.”
“Aren't they only for use on men?” I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
“Oh, you wound me!” He exclaimed dramatically. “You know I've never had such desires. My skill is universal; useful for both males and females of any race. I shall demonstrate!”
Cyprian dove beneath the covers, and I laughed wildly until he began. Then I started to moan.
The ring of a cellphone cut my pleasure short.
“Son of succubus!” I'd taken to using Cyprian's curses; I'm quite impressionable in that way. Words are my thing, and I tend to collect phrases I enjoy.
Cyprian and I had only been together for three months, but they had been beautiful, intense, orgasmic months. Cyprian had rapidly moved me into his apartment; the one directly over his private sex club, Dirty Nothings. I still had my townhouse—I wouldn't be giving that up anytime soon—and went home every once in awhile but, mostly, I spent my free time and nights with Cyprian. He wanted me with him as much as possible, and I didn't want to be at home alone; there were too many memories there. Also, he can be very convincing.
Cyprian had helped me heal my heart and my mind after I'd parted from not one but two men I loved and hurt a third man deeply. I'd been married to the first two men; one marriage performed by accident—mostly my fault—and once by force. I'd fallen for both of my husbands; the first, a Bleiten, AKA Demon, and the second, a Danutian; you may know his people better as Fairies. I had loved Malik—the Demon Prince who I'd accidentally bound to me in a Bleiten marriage ceremony—before he'd marked me and made me his Mvarra. King Everan of the Southern Kingdom of Danu, however, had claimed me as his bride to take the place of my mother, who had, evidently, been a fairy princess. Yes; that one was rather hard for me to wrap my mind around too.
My mother fled her arranged marriage with King Everan and took sanctuary on Earth, where she met my father. When I went to Danu to be crowned as Princess of the East—long story—I met her jilted fiancé. Everan recognized me from my resemblance to my mother and, after subtly questioning me, confirmed my identity. He immediately claimed me—as was his right by the Danutian law of Rugoratyn—to become a replacement for the bride he'd been promised. We had a rocky start, to say the least.
Still, I forgave Everan for the way he had magically forced me into marriage. I understood his reasons; how crippled he'd been by his contract with my mother and how I was his only chance to ever marry and gain a queen for his people. But even after I fell in love
with Ever, I knew that I couldn't stay in Danu—Danu being the magical realm the Danutians built and anchored to Earth—and be his wife. Not under such tragic beginnings and definitely not by force. It had come down to a matter of who I loved more; him or me. I chose me, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Maybe you think that's selfish but what is being selfish? It's looking out for yourself first. In my case, it was about valuing myself and having self-respect. That's not a bad thing. If I don't value and protect myself, no one else will. So, I decided to leave Everan.
Prince Varian of the East—he became a prince after I'd given him the magic I'd taken from Prince Terial—helped me escape Everan and now, even though I'm still technically married to the King of the South, I'm free. On the lam on Earth, just as my mother had once been, but still free. And is it really considered to be in hiding when I'm back at home, doing exactly what I'd been doing before I left? Perhaps it's more accurate to say that I'm living somewhere that my husband doesn't know about. Or even more accurate would be to say that I escaped King Everan and went home.
In addition to Prince Terial's magic, I'd had some Danutian magic I'd inherited from my mother, but it was looking as if I had either given it to Varian along with Terial's asha or I had been in Danu long enough for my magic to settle. If either of those things hadn't happened, my separation from Danu would have started to drain me, killing my magic and weakening my will. It's the Realm's way of prompting her children to return and magically support the world they'd created; in my case, the world my ancestors created.
Danutian children go through a phase when their magic settles into them; when they solidify the link between themselves and their realm. By the time they reach adulthood, the magic is wellrooted, and they can leave the Realm without issue. At least for longer periods than they could before it had settled. Every Danutian must eventually return to Danu or their magic would die; a horrible process that weakens the host before the magic finally fades away.
But I had been fine for months and, even more telling, I couldn't twist (the Danutian ability to move through space instantly). So, I was leaning toward the conclusion that my Danutian magic was gone entirely. Since that equated to freedom from my husband and my mother's world, I wasn't too broken up about the loss.
As far as my work with FEAR—First Extraordinary Abilities Regiment, the secret, supernatural, government-backed team I was a member of—there hadn't been much to do. Lately, my only task has been to help my cousin, Prince Altern of the Triari—AKA Angels —get the Triari Embassy up and running in D.C. so that he could leave his friend, Prince Falcan—a military prince, not a royal prince like Altern—in charge of the Embassy. I think Altern's father was hoping that his son might take the job himself; a job that was relatively safe as far as military assignments went. Altern is King Jovan's heir, after all, and both the King and I want him safe. As the second in line to the Triari Throne, my desire for his safety was twofold; I liked him, and I never wanted to rule Eden. But let's return to the subject of the Embassy, shall we? Kyrian was around to help Altern as well, but we weren't on the best of terms. Possibly because Kyrian was the third man who I'd hurt.
While I had visited my father's family on Eden and attempted to arrange a truce between the Triari—my people—and the Bleiten— Malik's people—Malik had gone to visit Hell—the planet, not the religious place of endless torment—to work on the truce from that end. We were successful; the truce is now in place. But during my visit, my magic was strained; pushed to its limits. At the time, I'd thought it was Terial's magic draining me, its need to reconnect with Danu weakening my will while I had simultaneously overextended my color magic. Now, I know that I had two portions of royal Danutian magic inside me; that from Prince Terial's asha (his aura)— taken to save myself and the world—and the magic I'd inherited from my mother. Yes, in case you haven't caught on, I've discovered that I'm not half human at all. I'm half Triari and half Danutian. And
that combination, in itself, is a rare thing. Beyond rare, really; there are no others like me.
Back when the Danutians were on Earth, they had occasionally bred with other races. These offspring were called Changelings, and Changelings, more often than not, sickened and died. The immortal magic of the Danutians warred with the mortality of the other race. That happened to me as well. When I was little, I got cancer. At least, the human doctors thought it was cancer. What was really killing me was the imbalance in my blood. My father, who had been in hiding as well, had left Eden because he'd created an elixir of immortality by accident. It was called the Amaranthine Elixir, and he named me after it. In an ironic twist of fate, I ended up needing that very elixir to correct the imbalance of immortality and mortality inside me. They were at war with each other; some of my cells refusing to die while others cycled through properly. My father whipped up a fresh batch of the elixir and administered it to me; correcting the imbalance and saving my life.
Previously, I'd thought that his belief that people shouldn't be immortal had been challenged by his love for me, but I now know that this wasn't the case at all. My father had simply healed me; tipped me more toward the Danutian side of my blood and made me immortal like one of them. Perhaps even more immortal than a Danutian.
Back to Eden and my visit. I had been magically drained and was in desperate need of refueling. I knew that my connection to Cyprian was producing strange results, but I hadn't experienced the shared power of the Fusion until that day. I discovered that I had acquired a version of a faulin's ability to feed on lust, and I used that ability to refuel my other magics as well as myself.
There are three steps to completing a Faulin marriage ceremony, referred to as a fusion, that binds Faulin couples—and sometimes thruples or quadruples and so forth—in a magical union
that allows them to share their power with each other. Cyprian and I have gone to step two of the Fusion; the kiss. We aren't married but one round of unprotected sex would cure that since the third and final step in a fusion is sex. Specifically; male ejaculation into the vaginal cavity. Sorry to get so medical, but saying it any other way makes it sound dirty and it's not; it's a sacred union. A union that Cyprian and I aren't ready to complete. Which means that we had to be very careful about using protection when we made love.
Since I'm not a faulin—you may know them better as Incubi or Succubi—my fusion with Cyprian didn't go the normal route. Normal Faulin can amplify a person's lust until it's substantial enough for the faulin to siphon off some of that energy and use it as sustenance; just as integral to their health as food or water or air. Cyprian can now do the same type of feeding with any emotion; a little upgrade he received from being connected to my innate magic of color manipulation.
I can see the whole spectra, from infrared to ultraviolet, as well as the auras of every living thing. In addition to that, I can alter colors—those seen and unseen by the naked eye—and use them to build illusions, alter emotions, and even affect people physically. I have a theory that when my father gave me his Amaranthine Elixir, he did more than make me immortal; he also altered my dormant Danutian magic and created something new. But it's only a theory. Technically, in terms of Supernaturals, I'm classified as an Alien/Transformed; a child of two alien races who was altered by a scientific experiment. Supernaturals come in three classes; Alien, Transformed, and Evolved so I had two out of three. Lucky me.
I apologize for all of the tangents. Back to the Fusion; by fusing with Cyprian, both of our magics got a boost. In addition to all that I could do before, I'm now able to consume auras; I can take them for my own—which is how I took Prince Terial's aura—and, as I recently discovered when I was drained on Eden, I can also feed on lust just like a faulin. Well, not exactly like a faulin; I take a small
amount of a person's aura when I feed. The aura is my access point; my way into a person's lust. This unique ability allows me to do something that no other Danutian can do; fuel my Danutian magic while I'm away from the Realm. Danutian magic needs asha to survive—asha normally provided by Danu—but I can give it asha when I feed on lust. So, even if I do still have my Danutian magic and it starts to drain me, it will survive.
This new ability would have been a wonderful discovery if I hadn't learned of it in the most horrible way. When I was in need on Eden and my magic reached out for someone to arouse so we could heal, Kyrian had been the closest target. I had sex with him. Wild, fantastic, shower sex that rocked our worlds. It was the first nail in the coffin of my marriage to Malik. Kyrian loved me. Having sex with him had been safe for me but also cruel to him. Because even after I escaped Danu and my second husband—who managed to remove the mark binding me to my first husband—and I was single again, I didn't turn to Kyrian. I chose Cyprian instead; a decision that has baffled everyone I know, with the exception of my foster father, Landry. Land had been the one to send Cyprian to me when I'd retreated into guilt and heartache and had a huge, dangerous pity party for myself.
Yes; I think that about covers it. Lost two husbands, hurt a man who I care about (maybe even more than care about), lost a huge chunk of Danutian magic, possibly more, gained an ability to feed on lust and auras, nearly went insane with grief and guilt, got pulled back from the abyss by Cyprian, and, finally, gave in to my love for this amazing, gorgeous, passionate, wildly sexy, loyal, perceptive, intelligent man.
A man who groaned petulantly against my lady parts when I answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Amara?”
“Alex?” I sat up straight, dislodging Cyprian and earning a green-eyed glare for my efforts. “What's happened?”
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Supernatural Service, Alexander Connolly, is FEAR's liaison with the Department of Homeland Security. Alex looks a bit like a surfer, but he's very capable. And he's the one who calls us when something awful is afoot.
“Something strange,” Alex said. “Of course. I wouldn't be calling if they were just normal murders.”
“Strange murders?” I asked with interest.
As horrible as it sounds, I was starting to get bored and strange murders would likely be a cure for boredom.
“Quite a lot of them,” he added. “Missing women have been turning up dead and their corpses are blue.”
“That's normal for dead bodies.”
“A certain bluish-purple tinge is,” Alex agreed. “However, these bodies are bright blue. Ultramarine is what our medical examiner called it. She can find no explanation for the color; all tox screens have come back negative or inconclusive. I'm calling in FEAR to investigate. Can you meet us at the Wilds in an hour?”
“Yes, of course.”
We made our goodbyes, and I hung up as I slipped out of bed.
“Blue bodies? That's what tears you from my arms?” Cyprian asked as he casually lounged back on his rampantly masculine bed;
dark gray linens against the backdrop of a rough, wood plank accent wall.
“Where are my panties?”
“On the chair by the window.” He waved his hand toward the glassed-in balcony.
I hurried over to the modern, leather chair and casually glanced out the glass as I picked up my panties. A man stood on the sidewalk across from Dirty Nothings, staring up at my window as if he'd known I'd be there. I jerked in shock, my whole body flinching as if I'd been electrified.
“Everan?” I whispered as I laid my hand on the pane.
People hurried by, enough of them to hide the man for a moment, and when the sidewalk cleared, he was gone.
“Can't be,” I murmured.
There was no way that Everan could find me on Earth; our connection wouldn't be the same in this world so devoid of magic. It had to be my healing heart making a last-ditch effort to keep our love for the Danutian King of the South strong. Even if Everan had found me, he wouldn't simply stand on the street and stare up at me like some forlorn Romeo. That isn't the kind of man he is.
Or is it?
When Cyprian and I had first made love, another presence intruded in our minds. Cyprian had pushed it away with his newly strengthened magic and our fusion, but the incident had unsettled me. We talked about it afterward and came to the conclusion that it must have either been Malik or Everan. The Fusion had connected with them both; with Malik through his Bleiten Bond and with Everan when we had gone through our Danutian wedding ceremony. I had
assumed that my bond with Malik had been destroyed along with our marriage mark, but Cyprian wasn't so sure. There was definitely another person in our fusion, we just couldn't figure out who that was. Cyprian and I ruled out Kyrian as a possibility even though I had fed on him once; the Triari knight isn't the sort of man to barge in like that and if I had somehow pulled him into the Fusion, it would have become evident when I was around him.
Whoever the presence had been, they had tried again several times after that first attempt but been blocked by Cyprian in every instance. Now that I'd seen someone who looked a lot like Everan standing on the sidewalk, I was beginning to lean more toward the possibility that it had been the King of the South intruding on my love life. Perhaps he'd been using those interruptions as more than a way to contact me. Perhaps he'd been using them to track me. Maybe that image of him standing there had been an illusion or a projection of himself. Anything was possible when you dealt with Danutians.
“Se Esaria?” Cyprian called in concern.
The sound of Cyprian's voice steadied me, as it always did, and I shook away my silly musings. That couldn't have been Everan; it was just a regular human man who had stopped to admire the historical architecture of Cyprian's building and happened to be looking at my window. The King of the South was not on Earth and definitely not in my city. No way. If he'd actually been there, he would have stormed into Dirty Nothings, snatched me up, and twisted me back to Danu. That's the type of man Everan is. No; that hadn't been him on the sidewalk. I was letting my paranoia and imagination get the best of me. And these days, only Cyprian was allowed to get my best.
I went back to bed and smiled at my faulin lover. “I only have an hour to get to the Market.”
“The Market's less than fifteen minutes away, and I can be fast.”
I gave him a dubious look.
Cyprian sighed. “At least let me finish what I started.” He licked his lips lasciviously. “I promise to stop after you scream my name.”
“That shouldn't take long.” I tossed my phone and panties aside as I climbed back into bed.
Chapter Two
My father—my adopted father, not my biological one—owns a bar just inside the borders of the Supemarket. The Supemarket being the hidden, supernatural community where most of the Supes in D.C. live. My townhouse is in the Market as well. There are Markets like ours all over the world, in several cities, and most Governments know about them, ours included. But no one gets into a Supemarket without a supernatural ability or a Supe escort. I assumed that Alex had met one of the other members of FEAR outside the crimson gate—that served as both border-marker and magical barrier and was escorted in. That's one of the reasons why the Wilds makes the perfect place for our meetings; it was so close to the gate. The fact that my father owned it and allowed us to meet there was reason 2.
I stepped into the Wilds with a sigh of relief; the cool, conditioned air battling back the summer heat that had flushed my cheeks. D.C. was in the eighties and even though I'd worn a light silk blouse and a cotton skirt, the heat was unbearable. But the air wasn't the only welcoming thing about Landry's bar; the familiar murmur of Supernatural patrons, the clink of glasses, and the smell of the citrus polish Land used to keep the long expanse of wooden countertop glowing like new combined into a single sensation that equated home to me on a subconscious level. I had grown up in this bar, our apartment sat right above it, and nothing could compare to the feeling it gave me. Except for maybe the man who owned it; the man who had become my father.
I went to hug Landry before I joined FEAR at our usual table.
“Hey, kid,” Landry's bark-rough voice was home for me too, as well as his thick, nut-brown arms. “How's the Faulin?”
“Cyprian's well; happy.” I grinned at my dad. “So am I.”
“I see that.” His smile widened. “Who would have thought it, huh?”
“Cyprian is an amazing man,” I protested. “I've always thought he—”
“I meant; you being happy, kid,” Land cut me off with a chiding look. “You know I like the Faulin; I always have. Any man who can overcome the trauma Cyprian has and land on his feet has my respect. I knew he'd be good for you.”
I settled back into my smile. “That's because you see people; reallysee them. I learned that from you.”
I had a flash of memory; Everan telling me that I saw people truly. That perhaps it was my color magic that allowed me to look past the surface.
“What's that look about?” The thick skin of Landry's forehead wrinkled.
“Nothing,” I murmured. “Just a memory. Everan told me that he thought my perception was due to my color abilities, but I see now that it was nurture, not nature that gave me the skill. You taught me well, Dad.”
“Aw, by the branch,” Landry muttered. “Don't start that sappy shit again. Ever since you've got back, it's as if you're trying to turn me into a blubbering old man.”
“You'll never be an old man.” I pushed away from him affectionately. “You'll live nearly as long as I will.”
“Hey,” he called me back and handed me a glass of iced tea.
I lifted a brow at the non-alcoholic drink.
“It's hot outside,” he said gruffly. “Figured you'd rather have this.”
“There's that perception again,” I teased Landry as I took my cold drink and went to join FEAR
Nearly everyone was there. Davorin, codename: Gargoyle, with his evolved ability to turn objects and himself into stone. Lily, codename: Tempest, who can manipulate the weather. Jason, codename: Veritas, who can make anyone tell the truth. Leo, codename: Maestro, whose very voice is a powerful weapon. Kyrian, codename: Arc, my Triari protector who had ironically needed protection from me. And then there was Alexander Connolly, our liaison with the U.S. Government, who sat among the Supes with his briefcase on the table before him. They were just waiting on me, Amaranthine Madison, codename: Spectra.
I took a seat and nodded at everyone, evading Kyrian's intense, ocean stare as I tried not to think about the one missing member of our team. Malik, codename: Nightshade, Bleiten Prince, ex-husband, and heartbreaker. It's funny how one love doesn't wipe away another. Even though I loved Cyprian deeply, my love for Malik lingered on. And my love for Everan. And... I glanced at Kyrian. Broad shoulders, thickly muscled from using an Arc's automaton wings. A jawline that could cut glass. Dark blond hair, cut short but with a sexy fall of bangs over his high forehead. Ocean eyes, full of love and loss. Full lips that had felt so soft against mine. I could still feel his hands on me...
“What the hell?” I whispered as I mentally shook myself.
Davorin lifted a brow at me, but I just looked away. What was wrong with me? Had I just been on the verge of fantasizing about Kyrian? Fantasizing about him in the middle of a FEAR meeting? When had I become so sexually aware of men? I mean; I notice them, of course, but this was... I felt a little dirty. A little unfaithful. Those feelings of guilt that had nearly crippled me started to surface again, and I had to firmly tamp them down. The crack of Cyprian's whip sounded in my mind and my resolve firmed. I was not a loose woman. I considered it rationally. I wasn't admiring Davorin, even though I found him attractive as well. No; there was something about Kyrian that made me respond. Something that wasn't there before but had magnified. What exactly had I done when I'd fed on him?
“Okay, we're all here.” Alex clicked open his briefcase and pulled out a stack of manila folders that he distributed briskly. “What you have there are pictures of the bodies that have been found, their autopsy reports, and statements from friends, family, and people who discovered the bodies.”
“Three bodies?” I asked him.
“It's the charm,” he said with a grimace. “By the third corpse, the local authorities were so stumped that they decided to call in for help. The oddness sent this straight up the chain to us.”
“These women went missing at different times,” Leo said.
“Obviously,” Jason gibed.
“No. I mean like; there are significant amounts of time between their disappearances and yet, their bodies were found within weeks of each other.”
“Yes, well done, Leo,” Alex confirmed. “We're assuming that the women were held together for long periods before they were murdered.”
“The blue color is a chemical reaction?” Lily asked as she lifted her gaze from the report.
“That's a guess.” Alex waved as if to indicate that all of it was guesswork. “No one knows what the hell is going on. That's what we're supposed to find out.”
“What the fuck happened to this one?” Davorin held up a photograph of a woman whose arm had a jagged wound in it. “The other two don't have any obvious wounds.”
“Animals dug up the body,” Alex said.
“But it doesn't appear that they ate anything.” Kyrian narrowed his eyes at the photo. “It looks as if they bit the body and then changed their minds.”
“The ME concluded that whatever poisoned the women and colored the flesh, also made it unappetizing to scavengers.” Alex tapped the folder as if to say it was all in there.
“And the color doesn't appear to be superficial; the flesh in this wound looks blue as well,” Kyrian added.
Alex only nodded.
“All of these women were aspiring actresses,” I noted.
“Almost as easy prey as prostitutes,” Davorin muttered, and we all looked at him in surprise. “Come on; you know what I mean. You tell one of these girls that there's an audition, and you can get them to go anywhere. The possibility of making it big blinds them to danger.”
“Shit,” Jason whispered, “he's right. They're easy targets.”
“And pretty,” Lilly tapped a photograph that showed one of the women alive. “They're all very attractive.”
“Someone kidnapping pretty girls isn't all that surprising,” Leo pointed out. “But that, combined with the number of bodies and the time between abductions makes for some very chilling conclusions.”
“That and the trauma to the vaginal and...”—Lily swallowed convulsively—“the trauma to two places.”
“Sex slaves,” I muttered. “They've either got an underground brothel or they're selling the women outright.”
“I'm leaning toward the former,” Dav said. “If they were selling them, they wouldn't have them months after they were abducted.”
“Unless transporting them takes awhile,” I countered. “Or holding an auction could take some time. They'd want to wait until they had enough women to make it worthwhile.”
“Months, though?” He asked skeptically.
I shrugged and looked down into my iced tea. The cubes shifted, clattering like chains. It had only taken a few minutes for Everan to abduct me and a few hours to get us to his kingdom. I'd been completely under his control by nightfall. Oh, who was I kidding? I'd been completely under his control the second he said the word; Rugoratyn.
“Mara?” Davorin set his hand on mine, and I flinched. He jerked it back. “Sorry.”
“No. I'm sorry,” I murmured. “I was remembering... something.”
Everyone went quiet. They knew exactly what I was remembering.
“Have the bodies been brought to D.C.?” Kyrian's toneless voice finally broke the silence.
No; Kyrian isn't an apathetic asshole. He's an Arc; a highranking member of the Host, the Triari Army. One of the most notable traits of a Triari soldier is their halo; an aura so devoid of emotion that it becomes blindingly white. Years of vigorous training have given them the ability to switch off their emotions, and every Triari soldier employs their halo when on a mission. It keeps them cool under fire and also makes them a bit annoying; like working with a robot. I had broken through Kyrian's bright, auric shell but then I hurt him and back it came; a piece of armor sliding into place over his heart. Not that I blamed him.
Still, it hurt to not only see the halo but also hear it in his voice.
“No, the bodies are in California,” Alex said. “We've sent our doctors out to examine them and a few teams to collect evidence.”
“And now, you want us out there,” I concluded.
“I need you to investigate the scenes and examine the bodies,” Alex said directly to me. “I'm hoping that you might see something that the rest of us can't.”
“So, you only want me to go?”
“You're not leaving D.C. without me,” Kyrian declared immediately in a tone that brooked no argument.
It wasn't affection that prompted this attitude. Kyrian is a part of FEAR mainly because he was assigned to protect me; assigned by my uncle, King Jovan. The poor guy can't even go home and get
over me, he has to watch over me and stare his heartache in the face. I tried to get him reassigned, but that only made things worse. Kyrian had flat-out refused to give up his mission and then coolly informed me that if I didn't like him being around, I could kiss his angel ass.
At least he wasn't bitter.
“I'm sending all of you,” Alex announced. “You're a team; you work together. Whether it's one or all of your talents that are needed, you support each other. That's what a team does. Besides, you never know who's going to be helpful.”
We all blinked at Alex in surprise.
He cleared his throat self-consciously. “Sorry; I'm a little on edge.”
“No. That was a good speech,” Davorin protested. “And you're a part of the team too, buddy. You're one of us.”
Alex made a small chuckle. “Thank you. I'm glad to hear that because I'll be going with you. You've got two hours to pack. I'll have all of you picked up at the Supemarket entrance, and then we'll be heading to California.”
“How long do you think we'll be?” I asked.
“I have no idea.” Alex sighed. “Pack heavy.”
Chapter Three
“Pack heavy?” Cyprian whined on the phone. “Is that even a thing?”
“It is now.”
“Perhaps I could—”
“Cyprian, no,” I said firmly. “We knew there would be times like this. We can't be together every day.”
“Yes, but you could be gone for much longer than a few days,” he grumbled. “And I don't even get to say goodbye in person.”
“I'm sorry, darling,” I said, and I meant it.
I didn't want to leave Cyprian. He'd become a sort of security blanket for me; keeping away the monsters who came for me in the night. But I had to face the dark on my own at some point and it was time for me to try.
“I will miss you, Se Esaria,” Cyprian whispered.
Se Esaria; his eternal flower. It was a play on my name, Amaranthine, which is a mythical, everlasting flower. It was also breathtakingly romantic. The Faulin language has a flow to it that reminds me a little of French combined with Italian; a seductive melody. Which I suppose makes sense; everything about Faulin is geared toward seduction; their survival depends on it. But Cyprian didn't have a sensual tone to his voice now; it was all sadness.
“I love you,” I said simply. There was nothing else to say.
“Have I told you what hearing those words from you does to me?” His voice lost all lament.
“Cyprian, don't start,” I tried to sound stern but there was laughter in my words. “I have to go.”
“They shiver in my chest and burst upward to make me feel as if I'm floating,” Cyprian went on mercilessly, his voice low and sexy. “And then they dive deep, down into my—”
“Cyprian!”
“Soul,” he finished with a teasing tone. “I was going to say; soul.”
“No, you were not, you naughty faulin.”
“I was too,” he insisted. “And then I was going to tell you how my cock comes to attention, craving your touch.”
“Ugh! I'm hanging up now.”
“I love you, Se Esaria,” Cyprian went serious. “Come back to me quickly.”
“As soon as I can, darling.”
I hung up with a smile that quickly faded. I glanced at my suitcase and a trembling started spreading through my body. The last time I had left home... No, I wasn't going to think about that. Justgetup, Amara; standup andtake backyour life. You are nota victim;you'reasuperhero.Actlikeone.
I nodded decisively, picked up my suitcase, and strode out of my townhouse.
Chapter Four
“Is that for real?” Jason asked as Davorin chortled.
“That's messed up,” Lily whispered.
I had to agree. At the very least, it was in poor taste. After spending over five hours in the air and another hour getting free of the airport and driving out to L.A., I wasn't in the mood to appreciate the whimsy of the sign. Directly below the professional billboard-sized sign for the County of Los Angeles, Department of Medical Examiner, Coroner, stretched one of those electric highway signs that could be programmed to flash warnings or announcements. This one read; Visit Our Gift Shop: Skeletons In The Closet.
“Fucking L.A.,” Alex growled. “I hate L.A., and I think God's with me on this one.”
“I'll bet that was for Halloween,” said our driver, Edison Largent, a DHS special agent who had been sent ahead to L.A. to conduct the preliminary investigation with his team. “Looks as if they're having issues with the sign.” He nodded at the way it flickered. “Probably a short, bringing up an old message by mistake.”
“Then someone needs to correct that,” Alex said briskly. “The families of the victims will find it even less amusing than we do.”
The offensive words flickered and flashed. Suddenly, the whole panel lit up and then it winked out like a glowing eye and went dark. Odd.
We pulled into the parking lot, one of just four vehicles there, and parked before an elegant building with the architectural grandeur of a museum. It was after 9 PM but a light still bathed the foyer in antique gold and seeped out through the glass doors. Largent had chosen a space near the front doors, the closest one that wasn't handicap, and as soon as he stopped, we boiled out of the SUV like an overflowing pot. We had spent too long in cramped quarters. Although, admittedly, flying on a private jet was far better than going commercial, which is how the other teams had to travel. I guess being a superhero team granted us some perks.
I stretched my neck and back as I took a glance around. Then my arms dropped as I did a double-take. Someone had been standing beneath that creepy sign; I was certain of it. But when I looked back, they were gone.
“Amara?” Kyrian asked. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” I rubbed at my neck. “Nerves and exhaustion.”
Kyrian swept the area with his sharp stare, the blue of his irises sharpening to sapphire, but he didn't seem to find anything of note. The Arc put a hand on my back and ushered me toward the doors as he continued to scan for threats. Right; my bodyguard was on duty. Kyrian's priority was my safety; the mission would come second.
Largent rapped sharply on the glass door with his knuckles and then nodded to a security guard as he approached us. The man opened the door with a key chained to his belt, and Largent murmured a quick greeting to him as he led us past, down the hallway to an elevator. We went up to the second floor and then stepped out of the elevator, striding down echoing, empty corridors until we came to a forensics lab.
“The Chief ME is with our medical examiner right now.” Largent opened the door and ushered us through. “Here they are.”
There were no bodies in the lab. Well, no corpses. For some reason, I'd expected the bodies to be there, in the midst of being examined. Instead, two people stood in front of a microscope and participated in a heated debate. One woman and one man, both dark-haired, him with pale but ruddy skin and her with the olive complexion of a Latina. They stopped arguing when they saw us, the man removing his simple, black-framed eyeglasses to rub at his bloodshot eyes.
“Dr. Martinez,” Alex greeted the woman first, “I'm glad to see that they sent you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Connolly,” she said with a smug glance at the man. “Sir, this is the Chief Medical Examiner for L.A. County, Dr. James Luca. Dr. Luca, this is Under Secretary Alexander Connolly of the Department of Homeland Security, and this, I assume, is his talented team.”
I smiled at that. It looked as if the Chief ME wasn't in the know as far as Supes was concerned. The poor man; that would make this case even more baffling and distressing for him.
“Mr. Connolly.” Dr. Luca held out his hand and shook Connolly's. “Everyone.” He nodded at us.
“Before we get started and I forget to make note of it, I need you to send someone to fix your sign,” Connolly said crisply. “It seems to be malfunctioning. It's flashing a message advertising a gift shop called Skeletons In The Closet. I'm assuming that's an attempt at Halloween humor; an old message coming up by mistake.”
Dr. Luca went even redder. “Um.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, no. That's the correct message. We do have a gift shop by that name.”
“You have a gift shop in the Coroner's office?” Lily nearly screeched. “What's wrong with you people?”
“It's very popular,” the ME said defensively as Dr. Martinez snickered. “We sell coffee mugs and T-shirts and the like. Tourists come in—”
“Enough!” Alexander snapped. “I don't even care anymore. If you want to be offensive, that's on you. Just show me the evidence.”
“I see why you hate L.A.,” Lily hissed under her breath.
Luca's jaw clenched as he waved Alex over to the microscope. “Dr. Martinez and I were just discussing my findings.”
“Your findings are lacking,” Martinez took over. “I had to reanalyze everything myself.”
“Let's just calm down, shall we?” I asked as I subconsciously sent a wave of amethyst light over the doctors.
They both went as mellow as a couple of hippies, and I nearly groaned. I was still getting used to the Fusion's amplification of my magic. Alex widened his eyes at me in annoyance.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “That was an accident.”
“An accident?” Alex growled as he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me aside. “Are your powers acting up?”
“I'm in control if that's what you're asking,” I said stiffly.
“Fine,” he ground out. “But please try to refrain from putting our medical examiners to sleep.”
I nodded crisply, and we rejoined the group.
“What did you find, Dr, Martinez?” Alex asked.
“Hmm?” She shifted her heavy-lidded stare over to Alex. “Oh!” She seemed to snap out of it. “Yes. I analyzed the tissue samples and found some strange crystalline structures.”
She waved at the microscope, and Alex ducked his head to peer into it.
“Do you see them?” Dr. Martinez hovered over Alex.
“Yes.” He lifted his head. “What are they?”
“So far, unidentified. But such things can be a by-product of drugs.”
“Have you identified which one?” Alex asked.
“There isn't anything left of the substance itself, only these by-products,” she explained. “And I can't match them to anything in our database?”
“Anything else?” Alex lifted a brow at both doctors. “Anything concrete?”
They shook their heads uncomfortably.
“Amara, come take a look at this,” Alex waved me forward.
Dr. Luca gave me a curious look, but Martinez had obviously been briefed; she watched me eagerly. I stared down at the sample through the microscope and switched on that other sight; the one that allowed me to see the aura of every living thing, even the Earth itself. Except, the tissue wasn't a living thing.
“I see the crystalline structures,” I said as I lifted my head. “But that's it. I can't get anything from dead cells.”
Alex grimaced.
“You can't 'get anything' from dead cells?” Dr. Luca asked suspiciously. “What does that mean?”
“Dr. Madison is a biologist,” Alex lied easily. “She studies living organisms.”
“Oh.” Luca frowned.
“We'll take a look at the bodies now, Dr. Martinez,” Alex announced.
“I can take you to them,” Luca started heading for the door.
“Dr. Luca, thank you for your time,” Alex said dismissively. “Why don't you go home and get some sleep? You look exhausted. We'll keep you in the loop.”
“Now, wait one minute!”
“You were allowed to participate in this investigation only because you had already examined the bodies but this is now a matter of Homeland Security, and I'm sorry but you do not have clearance. So, I bid you goodnight, Dr. Luca,” Alex said with calm authority.
Luca's face settled into furious lines as he stormed out.
“What an ass,” Dr. Martinez mumbled. She saw all of us staring and added, “Sorry; I've been working with him for two days. His personality takes a toll. Come on; I'll show you to the morgue.”
“Yay,” Jason said dryly.
Chapter Five
“Yep; that's blue all right,” Davorin drawled; hands in his pockets as he leaned back on his heels.
Three bodies laid before us on extended metal shelves, sticking out from the dark mouths of the mortuary cabinet like tongues from a metal beast. Skin the color of deep ocean water a vibrant, clear blue—reflected in the brushed steel. If someone had shown me the bodies without preparing me, I would have instantly assumed them to be aliens; the color was that thorough, obviously not paint. And it did nothing to hide their beauty; all three women were exquisite.
“These aren't just pretty girls,” I murmured as I looked over the perfect symmetry of their faces. “They're stunning.”
“Yes; beautiful,” Alex noted with a determined lack of emotion in his tone. This bothered him. A lot.
I looked up at him. “I don't believe that they were random targets. These women were sought out; chosen deliberately. Someone was searching for the cream of the crop. The fact that they were actresses just made it easier.”
“Great; we've got kidnappers with standards,” Leo huffed.
“They're catering to clientele,” Jason concluded. “Each woman has a different look; this one is more exotic, this one wholesome, and this one looks—”
“Don't you dare,” Lily cut him off.
The last woman had the largest breasts of the bunch.
“She has a dark seductress thing going on,” Jason finished as he waved at the woman's ebony locks. “What the hell is wrong with that?”
“Nothing.” Lily cleared her throat.
“He's right,” I whispered and then discreetly lifted a sheet. “Dr. Martinez, are any of these ladies surgically altered?”
“Are you asking if her breasts are natural?” Martinez lifted a dark brow.
“I was trying to be more professional about it, but yes.”
“No; none of them have undergone any type of surgical procedure. Actually, now that I think about it...” She flipped through a file she was holding. “No; nothing. None of them have had any surgeries, not even for medical reasons. They're all untouched by the scalpel.”
“Not even an appendix removed?” Leo asked in surprise.
“Not even their tonsils have been removed,” she countered.
“What are the odds?” Alex asked as he stared intensely at the brunette corpse.
“Of one person having such a history? The odds are good; some people go their entire lives without being operated on. Of all three murdervictimssharing a lack of surgeries? Slim,” Dr. Martinez answered and then grimaced. “Anorexic.”
“So, we've got perpetrators who not only want high quality, but they also want it to be natural, and they have the means of discovering such things,” Alex mused.
“Or, they could simply have a casting call in which they ask the women if they've ever had surgery of any kind,” I suggested.
“The women could lie,” he argued.
“Medical records possibly?” Jason asked. “Any good hacker could get medical records.”
Alex and I nodded simultaneously; the easiest way was usually the path taken.
“Take a closer look, Amara,” Alex urged. “That's really what we're here for.”
“Very well, but it's not going to be any different from the samples,” I warned him as I switched into my other sight. “I should have thought of it before, when you told me what you wanted of me. These are corpses, after ” I cut myself short as a spark of blue caught my attention.
“What is it?” Alex asked eagerly.
I held up my hand, and he went quiet. I peered closer. I removed the sheet from the first victim entirely. I swear I had seen something move. Where did it go? There! I leaned over the body and followed the twisting trail of light with my eyes.
“Someone get me some gloves and a scalpel!” I snapped.
There was movement around me, but I kept my focus on the light. It dove into the body and then surfaced, slithered beneath the skin and then paused as if sensing where it needed to go. It behaved like a living organism and its aura confirmed that it was. This wasn't a drug at all.
“Hold up your hands,” Dr. Martinez said crisply.
