Authors: Abby Blake
Alex Clements winked at the pretty redhead standing there with her mouth open and tried not to smile too widely. He’d seen that expression before. Only Ronan could inspire such speechless anger. The guy was like a bull in the proverbial china shop. Wherever he went, he left behind a trail of pissed-off women.
Fortunately, Alex prided himself on his ability to charm even the most annoyed of females. Although, working with Ronan on this assignment just might stretch his ability to the limit.
“Is he always like that?”
“Pretty much,” Alex agreed with a smile. He held his hand out. “I’m Alex Clements.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, not bothering to give her name or shake his hand. He quirked an eyebrow at her attitude, but she simply locked her jaw and stared him down. If she knew how much he was aroused by her belligerent behavior, she probably wouldn’t have been so obvious. He wasn’t sure what that said about him, but he’d always enjoyed a challenge. And this lovely, fire-tempered, redheaded beauty was pushing all of his buttons.
He dragged in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and tried to remind himself that he was on an assignment. Granted, it wasn’t his usual type of gig, but he did owe the big guy a favor.
“Did Ronan explain what’s going on?”
She quirked her eyebrow in exactly the same manner he’d done. He couldn’t help but laugh at her style. Goddess, he loved a woman with an attitude.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he said as he leaned against the kitchen counter and tried to hide the fact he was checking her out from head to toe. The woman truly was his type—tall, curvy, stubborn. She was almost his perfect match. Well, except for the being human part. “Look, I don’t have all the facts yet either, but some cop that Ronan knows asked him to look after you. He said something about a serial killer and you maybe being his next victim.”
“Serial killer?” She looked a bit pale, but she managed to stay upright and narrow her eyes at him in anger. Good, right now that emotion would do her more good than fear or hysteria.
“Like I said, I’m not sure of the details, but this cop—your brother?—truly believes you are on this serial killer’s list and wants you to be safe.”
“So he hired me two bodyguards?”
“Well, technically, he only hired Ronan, but I owe the big guy a favor or three, so here I am.”
“What, he didn’t think he could protect little ole me by himself?” She made the question sound like a snarky insult, and Alex had to laugh at her moxie. Hell, there weren’t many people—human or otherwise—on the planet who would deliberately insult Ronan Deeks. She didn’t even flinch when the man himself came back into the kitchen wearing only a towel.
“That’s right, princess. It’s going to take two of us to keep your stubborn little ass out of trouble.”
“Little?” she asked, sounding startled, but then she shook her head slightly as if realizing Ronan’s description of her butt, small or otherwise, wasn’t the most important part of that statement. “What do we know about this serial killer? Did Dave explain why he thinks I’m a target?”
“Only that the first three victims all shared your birthday.”
“Seriously? That’s it? That they shared my birthday. There are five million people living in this town. That means that there are what? Thirteen, fourteen thousand people who share my birthday in this area alone.”
“Yes, but the victims were all female and all born in the same year. They were all twenty-seven. Just like you, so that changes the numbers considerably. Correct me if my math is wrong, but that brings it closer to one hundred or so.”
“That’s still a pretty big number,” the woman said with just the slightest hint of fear.
Ronan stepped closer, crowding her with his big body. He touched her face almost reverently. It was an interesting move from a man who usually held people—women especially—at arm’s length.
“It’s a number small enough to make your brother worry, princess. So let me and Alex do our jobs, and we promise to keep you safe.”
Her gaze flickered to Alex and then back to Ronan. “Okay,” she said quietly, “but only because I don’t want my brother to waste energy worrying about me.”
“No problem, princess. Your brother is the only reason I’m here. As soon as they catch this serial killer, I’ll be out of your hair, and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“Good,” she said with just a little bit too much vehemence.
Despite the insult apparent in their words, Alex could read their body language very clearly. There was a physical attraction between them and, even if neither of them acknowledged it, maybe even an emotional connection. Interesting.
“Okay,” Alex said, trying to stay focused on their mission. Safety first and all that. “I understand you work from home. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” the woman said with a puzzled frown. “What’s your point?”
Oh, he really liked this one.
“It would be far easier to have this conversation if I knew your name.”
Her eyes narrowed with anger, but she managed to grind out through clenched teeth, “Kali Jenkins.”
“Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” Alex said with a smirk in Ronan’s direction. He was so focused on Ronan’s reaction that he almost missed Kali’s eye roll. She truly was something special, and if he didn’t stop teasing her, she was going to look down and see the erection trying to break free from his pants. “Okay, my point is that if you work from home, you can essentially work from anywhere that has an Internet connection. Correct?”
“Well, kind of. I mean, maybe for a short time, but…well, it’s not good to…um…” She trailed off as if she were looking for a bullshit excuse, before Ronan stepped in and started barking orders. Well, maybe barking was a harsh description, but he sure could use a few hints on how to deal with a stubborn lady. Although, come to think of it, the guy could probably just use some lessons in dealing with people overall. For a human being, he really sucked at dealing with other humans.
“Please excuse my dumbass friend’s rudeness,” Alex said as he stepped closer to Kali and tried not to pull her into his arms. Goddess, he’d never quite found it so hard to resist a human before. “Kali, we have a safe house a couple hours’ drive from here. We can help pack your things. Take as much as you’ll need for two weeks, and then we’ll make a decision after that.”
“Two weeks?” she asked in a higher-pitched voice than he’d been expecting. Wow, he hoped she didn’t do that very often. He tugged on his earlobe in the hopes of stopping his ears from ringing.
“Hopefully, we can have you back here much sooner, but at least with two weeks’ worth of stuff you’ll be able to continue with your normal routine. You’ll just be somewhere else.”
“Oh, sure,” she said quietly, a hint of vulnerability sneaking through her tough demeanor.
He couldn’t help himself. He pulled her into his embrace, smiling when she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight. “Like you said, the odds are in your favor. Let’s just keep them that way.”
She nodded, her head rubbing softly against his chest with her movement. “How long do I have?”
“Five minutes,” Ronan growled in a voice rough enough to cut glass. “Move.”
* * * *
The angry look she turned on Ronan was exactly the opposite of what he needed. As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, he’d wanted to take them back. He wasn’t even sure what had made him go all drill sergeant on her anyway. It couldn’t have been jealousy that she’d clung to Alex like he was her last hope, because that would imply that Ronan had feelings for the woman. Which, of course, was ridiculous, because she was nothing like the type of woman he usually dated.
He preferred quiet, biddable beauties who did what he asked without arguing. He liked tall, cool blondes, not fiery redheads curved in all the right places and just looking for the worst moment to explode in temper. He couldn’t even imagine dating a woman who questioned his every move and challenged him at every step. He’d probably end up tipping such a difficult woman over his knee and smacking that pert, deliciously curved bottom until she cried out his name and shattered with orgasm.
Nope, he couldn’t imagine any of it.
He wrapped the towel tighter around his groin, glanced at the knowing smirk on Alex’s face, and then grabbed his bag and headed back into the bathroom. Hell, he wasn’t even sure why he’d forgotten to take his stuff in with him in the first place. It’s not like he actually wanted her to see, and maybe remember and admire, the hard planes of his chest and abdomen. He was in good shape, but it wasn’t like he needed her to notice.
So why then was he disappointed that she continued to hold on to Alex as if the world were coming to an end?
Fortunately that last thought put him back on track. In a way her world was coming to an end. Even after this was all over, it would be difficult to forget that feeling of no longer being safe in her own home. If he could, he’d shield her from it. That’s why he was here. He had a job to do. He and Kali had already done and failed the whole “relationship” thing—if the few hours they’d spent together could even be called that—so he had no reason to even consider such unimportant things when he was here to keep her safe. He needed to protect her, not rehash ancient history.
He carefully pulled his jeans over the erection that wouldn’t quit, strapped on his weapons, and then headed back into the kitchen in the hopes that Kali and Alex had taken his “five minutes” order seriously and were already packed.
* * * *
Kali finally realized she was clinging to the man like some sort of vine. Sheesh, she’d never been the damsel-in-distress type, so why was she acting it now?
She pushed gently against Alex’s chest, and after a heart-stopping moment of hesitation he let her leave his embrace.
“Sorry,” she whispered, quite embarrassed by her behavior. She’d met the man all of two minutes ago.
“Don’t be,” Alex said with a genuine smile. “Anytime you want a cuddle, darlin’, I’m your man.”
She nodded, relaxing slightly despite his flirty demeanor. He probably spoke to all of their clients like that. Hell, with a work partner like Ronan, Alex would need all the charm he could muster.
As if she’d conjured him with just the thought, Ronan marched back into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a casual sweater and looking more handsome than any mere mortal had a right to. With a face as fine looking as his, it was almost criminal that he would have the body to match. No man deserved to be that lucky. Except that, well, considering his abrasive personality, maybe there was some sort of cosmic balance at play. He could attract the girls. He just couldn’t keep them.
Appalled at her nasty thoughts, Kali turned to the kitchen table she used as a work station and tried to decide what she would need to be able to work while she was away. She heard a sound in her hallway and turned to see both men exchange a look before Alex headed toward the front door and Ronan wrapped an arm around her and dragged her toward the bedroom. Annoyed at his heavy-handed response to what was probably only her brother returning—he was the only one with a key after all—she tried to tell Ronan to lighten up. Of course that would have been much easier if he hadn’t placed his big hand over her mouth. She gave him a look that should have fried him on the spot, but he just shook his head and held her closer.
“We need to go. Now!” Alex said as he stalked into the room, grabbed her hand in one of his, and placed the other on Ronan’s shoulder. What happened after that was still a blur ten minutes later, but she was sure she never, ever wanted it to happen again.
* * * *
Ronan shook his head for about the millionth time since they’d landed. Well, landed probably wasn’t the best description for arriving at their destination by some sort of demon-hoodoo-voodoo-whatsit-type transport. It always left him feeling like the day
after
he’d been shot. Fuck.
Poor Kali hadn’t fared any better. She’d been green since the moment they’d arrived and hadn’t even bothered to demand an explanation. He had no doubt that conversation was coming. It was just a measure of how ill she must feel that she hadn’t started it yet. She’d curled up into a ball on the sofa, and Ronan wished he could do the same, maybe even beside her, or curled around her, or lying over her.
His cock stirred, and he groaned at the inconvenient timing of his imagination.
“Where are we?” he asked Alex, trying desperately to get his mind back onto business and away from the vulnerable-looking woman lying on the sofa.
“My place,” Alex answered easily. “I figured that, considering what found us, it was best to get as far away as possible.”
Ronan glanced at Kali’s sleeping form and lowered his voice a little more. “What found us?”
“A pixie,” Alex said with an exaggerated shudder. “Nasty little bitches.”
“Seriously?” Ronan asked, half expecting Alex to laugh and tell him what they were really running from. When Alex just nodded, Ronan couldn’t help himself. He had to know. “What happened?”
Alex shrugged. “Basically, I recognized her. She recognized me. I incinerated the bitch’s ass before she could incinerate mine.”
“You did what?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Alex—he was a handy ally in a fight—but it seemed a rather extreme reaction when what they really could have used was someone to interrogate.
“Don’t worry,” Alex said with a wink. “Pixies recover from incineration. Haven’t you ever heard of pixie dust? But I needed her to be out of action long enough to get us here. If she’d been conscious, she would have been able to follow.” Ronan was sure his head was spinning from all of this new information. Yeah, he’d been friends with Alex for a long time, but he’d always tried to ignore the fact that the guy wasn’t human.
But then Alex glanced over at Kali and suddenly became very serious. “You wanted to know what could burn a human from the inside out—our little visitor was more than capable. I’m afraid your cop friend’s instincts were right on the money. Whatever is going on, the attacks definitely aren’t random, and they sure as hell aren’t the work of a human serial killer.”
“So what do we do now?” Ronan asked. He really had hoped that Dave’s reaction had just been a big brother overreacting to a possible threat to his sister, but the fact that Alex had exposed his nonhuman nature to Kali was a pretty good indicator that they were in deep shit.
“Unfortunately, now we need to get PUP Squad Alpha involved. They’re all on leave at the moment, but that might be a good thing in this instance.” He glanced over at Kali, a frown marring his features. “The pixies are good assassins, but they usually work for a price. I doubt they’re the ones actually ordering the attacks. My biggest worry is figuring out who we can trust outside of my squad. The Ruling Body was set up to protect paranormals from humans. Not the other way around. It’s likely they’ll only get involved if the assassinations threaten to expose the paranormal community.”
“What about the date? Kali’s birthday…it seems to be a significant part of what’s happening.”
“Not sure about that one,” Alex said as he headed over to a panel in the wall, “but I have a few people I can ask.” He fiddled with some strange-looking dials and then closed the cover. “I’ve set the protection wards so that no one—not even me—can slip travel into or out of the house. Anyone wanting to visit will have to slip outside and find their way in.”
“Wait, back up a minute.” Ronan rubbed a hand over his eyes and silently gave himself the “you can handle anything” speech. “Protection wards? Aren’t they supposed to be magical? That looked more like a high-tech security system.”
Alex’s lips curved into that annoying grin that made Ronan want to hit something.
“That’s the thing about magic,” Alex said with another wink, “eventually some scientist comes along and explains it.” He nodded at the panel on the wall. “Far easier these days to create a field to stop slip travelers. As long as that’s active you won’t come face-to-face with any paranormals inside the house.” He glanced at Ronan’s semiautomatic handgun and grinned once more. “That thing’ll hurt most, but in case you find yourself with something a little harder to maim, I’ll leave you some demon shots.”
“Some what?”
“Demon shots,” Alex said as he handed over a handful of rather ordinary-looking bullets. “Basically, these will incinerate an intruder much the same way I incinerated that pixie. It won’t work on fire demons and will only give you a few moments of escape time with a pixie, but pretty much everyone else is toast.”
“Uh, okay,” Ronan said, trying not to sound like he had no clue what was going on. “Want to tell me what a pixie looks like? You know, so I know the difference between dead and dust.”
“Easy,” Alex said with another laugh, “pixies look like seven-year-olds selling cookies. Other paranormals don’t.”
“What the hell?” Ronan was seriously wondering why he’d answered the phone this morning, but a quick glance at Kali still sleeping on the sofa brought things back into sharp focus.
“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Alex said as he headed outside. “You should be safe here. And, just so you know, there aren’t any seven-year-olds in this area of the world. You see one, shoot first. Don’t hesitate.”
“Okay,” Ronan said with a decisive nod.
He watched through the window as Alex walked about a hundred yards from the house and then seemed somehow to step into an invisible doorway. Rubbing his eyes, Ronan turned back to find Kali awake and staring at him as if he’d grown a second head. Hell, considering the type of day he’d had so far, it was likely to be true.
“What the fuck did you do to me?” she growled as she tried to leap off the sofa and confront him. The only problem was she swooned instead and landed in his arms. He gathered her close, took a seat on the sofa, and waited for her to regain her equilibrium. “Put me down.”
“Not until I’m sure you’re all right.”
“How can I be all right? One minute I’m standing in my kitchen, and then the next thing I know I’m lying on a strange sofa. Where the hell are we?” She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “And what the fuck did you give me? I feel like shit.” She cuddled against him even though he was fairly certain she really didn’t mean to. “It’s not nice to drug an ex. That sort of stalker shit can get you into big trouble. And besides, I’d already agreed to go with you anyway, so why would you knock me out?” Her voice gave away how tired she was, but the ornery woman lifted her head and glanced around the room, her gaze eventually settling on the big glass windows that overlooked a massive tree-filled valley. “And, hey, where the hell are we?”
“You asked that already,” Ronan said with a smile as he eased her head back against his chest. It felt too good to hold her, especially at the moment when she seemed disinclined to fight him on it.
“And yet I still don’t have an answer,” she said in a grumpy voice, even though she slumped against him even more.
“We’re at Alex’s place.”
“How long was I out?”
He considered lying and letting her think that they’d drugged her, but in light of what they seemed to be facing, it was probably dangerous to keep her in the dark. “You were only unconscious for a few minutes.”
“So we’re not far from my home then?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he said carefully. Now that he’d made the decision he really didn’t know how to go about explaining it. The words
“Hey, doll, did you know the world is full of paranormal creatures?”
probably wouldn’t help.
“Where’s Alex?” she asked with such affection in her voice that she managed to piss him off once more. Hell, jealous much?
“He’s gone to speak to some of his contacts. He should be back soon.”
“Oh, okay,” she said as she shuffled slightly in his lap. He managed to bite back the groan as she dragged her beautiful ass against his hard cock, but she noticed the hard rod anyway. She looked like she was about to give him a few choice words, but then something caught her attention, and she looked over at the window.
“Where did that kid come from?”
Terror filled him as Ronan followed her gaze and saw exactly what she was looking at. Fuck, Alex hadn’t been kidding when he’d said pixies looked like seven-year-olds selling cookies. Before he could react, Alex came into sight, almost like he stepped around a corner without there actually having been a corner to step around. He immediately blasted the pixie with what looked a lot like a flamethrower but without the hardware, rushed past the burning body as it crumbled into dust, and came into the room.
“Time to go,” he said as he twisted the dial on the wall panel, placed his hands on them both, and then made the world spin out of control once more.