Authors: Stacie Simpson
Without warning his mouth claimed mine again but there was
nothing gentle about this kiss. It was hot and wet, our tongues tangling,
dueling as he held me in his arms with my legs wrapped around his hips and my
back pressed against a wall. A tight green dress was bunched around my waist
and I could feel that I still wore a thong but it had been pushed to the side.
Rook was still fully dressed but he’d opened the front of his pants and he was
driving his aroused flesh into me with hard, staccato thrusts that sent jolts
of ecstasy shuddering through my body.
We were no longer in his office and it took me a second to
recognize where we were. It was a dance club packed with people writhing
together in a sexual frenzy. I’d never been this far into Mystique but the
desire I felt was unmistakable. Every touch, every sensation was amplified,
multiplied until I couldn’t think, all I could do was feel the absolute bliss
of having Rook devour me.
The scene shifted again and the sky was streaked with pink
and purple as the sun rose over the waves crashing on shore. I was lying on a
soft blanket on the beach with Rook moving between my legs. We were naked
again, still locked in the kiss and I was burning so hot that I felt like I
would combust if I didn’t find release soon. Desperately, I gripped his hips
pulling him into me harder, faster, until I was reveling in the ecstatic
pleasure rocketing through my nerve endings, tightening my inner muscles around
his thick arousal. When the rush of orgasm finally poured over me I broke the
kiss screaming his name. With a sound that was half shout and half groan Rook’s
body seized, the beautiful silver in his eyes swirling with rapture as he
exploded inside me sending another burst of ecstasy straight to my soul.
I was still twitching when the scene faded and was replaced
by the dimly lit room in the spa. Camila was standing over me with a knowing
expression that had my cheeks flaming bright red when I realized she must have
somehow seen or felt everything I’d experienced during the massage. Looking
away, I took stock of my body. My muscles felt like Jell-O and the wetness
between my thighs told me the orgasm I experienced had been very real.
“Rook is a strong man, a patient man, but I have felt the
change in him since the night of the bombing,” Camila said and I turned to face
her once again. “He will not be able to wait for you much longer Angela. If you
want him to be yours, make that decision soon, or you will lose him forever.”
“You care for him too,” I said seeing the depth of her
feelings in her eyes, hearing it in her voice.
“I am an empathy demon Angela, how could I not care deeply
for a man as worthy as Rook. I have seen into his heart and he has one of the
purest souls I have ever come across. I urge you to end the pain and suffering
for both of you before it is too late.”
Camila turned and left me to my thoughts. Was time really
running out for me and Rook? I had to admit that since the bombing things had
changed between us. Before that night on Dragon’s terrace Rook seemed willing
to wait as long as I needed him to. Now he was either telling me to stay away
until I decide I want to be with him, or pushing my buttons to help me make
that decision.
It was the sex of course. Sex always had a way of changing
relationships and no matter how much I avoided him, I couldn’t forget the
feeling of completion I’d felt when he was inside of me. Was I ready to give up
everything I’d worked for to be with him and know that feeling again and again?
Or more importantly, was I willing to give him up for the sake of others who
know nothing about his true nature? In my heart I knew the answers to both
questions, but my mind still wasn’t ready to admit them.
While I dressed I thought about Claire and her motives for
arranging this massage. Eventually, I decided my session with Camila had done
exactly what Claire had in mind when she set it up. I’d been reminded of what I’ve
been missing, just as Rook said I would be. But beyond that, I was starting to
see that even though the people here at Myths and Legends were far from normal
by human standards, they were good people, they were a family and they took
care of their own. Within that family, Rook was considered a cherished member
and all of them wanted to help him find happiness.
I wanted to help him find happiness too, and I wanted him to
find it with me. I just couldn’t see how to reconcile those desires with the
rest of my life.
When I returned to the station I told Lieutenant Taggert
that Claire hadn’t given me anything useful. She also wanted an explanation for
my actions the night before and I gave her the best one I could think of. I
told her that Rook detected my backup, as I knew he would, and I had to pretend
that I hadn’t known they followed me. I went with him to make him believe the
lie in hopes that our chances of gaining information from him wouldn’t be
completely ruined by the whole ordeal. She felt I’d taken an unnecessary risk
with my life and instructed me to never put myself in that kind of situation
again. The meeting only served to strengthen my belief that if I chose Rook,
there would be little to no possibility of me remaining on the police force.
I was on my way home for the evening with Chinese takeout
for me and my daughter Rachel. I knew she had plans to go out later but I hoped
we could talk before she left. Rachel had always been a rebellious teenager but
for the most part she managed to avoid getting into any serious trouble. Which
was a miracle considering the long hours I put in and the fact that I’m a
single parent. It was only since last fall when Rachel turned eighteen that she
fell in with a bad crowd and wound up being arrested for drug possession and
prostitution. Now she was barely passing her classes and I was worried she
might not graduate at the end of this school year if she didn’t straighten up.
Just as I turned onto my street a call came in. There was
another body on the beach and I needed to hustle out there to see if any clues
had been left behind. Knowing who was behind these murders I didn’t expect to
find any evidence but I still turned around and headed back out towards the
casino. I left a voicemail for Rachel telling her I’d be late again and she
could take some money out of the jar for dinner if she wanted to.
By the time I pulled up to the crime scene I’d managed to
eat half my dinner but lo mien wasn’t something I could tackle while driving. I
eased my way through the reporters shouting questions I had no intentions of
answering and found Tony already interviewing the man who’d discovered the
body. It was early spring and the weather was bouncing back and forth between hot
and cold. Just my luck another cold front was moving in and I hadn’t brought a
warm enough jacket since the high that afternoon had been nearly eighty
degrees. Huddling in my lightweight windbreaker I went to look at the latest
victim.
My heart started to race when I was still a few steps away.
Moving in closer I crouched down to get a better look at her face. The thin
nose sprinkled with freckles, heart shaped lips, and high cheekbones defined a
face that I would recognize anywhere. This girl, Emily, had been Rachel’s best
friend since they were both two years old. Until recently, where one went the
other one followed.
Trying again to call Rachel I got her voice telling me, “Leave
me a message and maybe I’ll make all your dreams come true.”
I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I had numbers for all
of her old friends but she hadn’t seen them in months and I didn’t know how to
contact her new friends except by checking their usual hangouts. That would
take me all night and the sinking feeling in my gut told me I wouldn’t have
that much time.
Ugh!
I wanted to scream but making a scene in front
of the press was a big no-no.
Tony was surprised when I told him I was having a family
emergency and I needed him to cover for me, but he said he had no problem with
that and told me to take off. I turned the key to start my engine then slammed
the car into reverse. Once I was facing the right direction I punched the gas
pedal and went to the one person my instincts told me could help.
Storming through the double doors of the main entrance at
Myths and Legends I marched over to the front desk where I demanded, “Get me
Rook, I need him here now.”
The man behind the desk did one of those slow blinks then
nodded his head and made a call on the house phone. Not even two minutes later
Rook appeared beside me. His eyes raked over my body from head to toe
appraising me then he asked, “What’s happened?”
Up until that second I hadn’t let it really sink in. I hadn’t
let myself think about the possibility that I might never see Rachel alive
again. But looking into Rook’s concerned face my heart ripped wide open and
tears sprang to my eyes.
Rook wrapped me in a warm embrace while I cried, stroking my
arms and my back, providing comfort when I needed it most. I felt the most curious
sensation, almost like the low level hum of energy I’d felt emanating from him
before, but different somehow. It was soothing and I pressed my cheek against
his chest trying to get closer to its source.
“Angela baby, I need you to tell me what’s going on so I can
help you,” he said quietly.
“The girl lying in the sand out there is Emily Keaton,” I
murmured just as quietly. “She was Rachel’s best friend. I can remember her
sitting at my kitchen table eating Froot Loops when she was three years old.” I
looked up wiping tears from my cheeks. “I can’t get a hold of Rachel and
chances are good she was with Emily tonight. I need your help Rook.”
“Are you sure she would’ve been with Emily? Most of the
girls that have turned up on the beach were missing for at least a couple of
weeks before they were found.”
I nodded. “I just saw Emily yesterday and Rachel told me
they were going out together tonight. Emily has been just as concerned about
Rachel as I have.” My gaze dropped hiding my guilt from Rook’s perceptive eyes.
“I remember being so happy they were hanging out again, thinking maybe Emily
would help Rachel get back on the right track, but instead it only got Emily
killed.” I shook my head and he tightened his arms around me for a moment.
“I know where to start looking. Are you parked out front?”
When I nodded he told the man behind the desk he’d be leaving the resort for a
while, then we went to his office to grab his coat. Once he was ready to go he
took my hand and led me outside to my rebuilt 1965 Mustang Fastback with its
candy apple red paint job. I gave him the keys, thinking I shouldn’t drive
while I was so upset, and got in the passenger door as he went around to the
other side of the vehicle.
Rook maneuvered his way through the spring break traffic
like a pro and pretty soon we were out of the tourist laden areas of town
driving through a high class residential neighborhood.
“You really think we might find Rachel out here?” I looked
around at the ever larger houses as we passed one gated estate after another.
He didn’t answer right away and when he did I heard the
doubt in his voice. “If she’s not here Kaleb should be able to help us track
her down. But he wouldn’t like knowing I brought a human cop to his place of
business so you probably shouldn’t mention your current occupation.”
“And what is it that Kaleb wants to hide from the police?” I
inquired, watching to see the slight twitch of his eye that always meant he
didn’t want to tell me the truth. Over the years I’d been studying his facial
expressions and I was fairly sure I knew when he was holding something back and
when he was telling me an outright lie.
“Kaleb is half demon and half human. His demon side gives
him added strength and speed and he’s a trained killer. He recently fought
eleven other demons in a free-for-all death match to win a highly coveted
prize.”
He slid his eyes towards me for a second and I knew this was
the part I wouldn’t like. “They called her a virgin sacrifice. He raped her
there in The Pit while thousands of demons cheered him on. Then he dragged her
from the ring by her chains back to his place where she is currently serving as
his house slave while he tries to get her pregnant with his child. Half demons
always have trouble procreating so he’s probably raping her several times a day
to increase his chances of getting a ‘viable offspring’, his words not mine.
You might remember; we talked about this that night on Dragon’s terrace. We
tried to buy her freedom but he declined and said he wants to keep her for at
least six months to see if he can get her pregnant.”
The Chinese food I’d eaten earlier threatened to come back
up and I rolled down the window and gulped in the fresh air. Rook reached over
and put his hand on my shoulder for a moment.
When he returned it to the wheel he said, “Kaleb is a
slaver. He rounds up the runaways and loners that no one will look too hard for
and sells them to scum like Travali. If he has Rachel she most likely hasn’t
been harmed since he’d want his merchandise to look its best for the buyers.”
Even as he gave me that small bit of hope my stomach heaved
and I hung my head out the window. Rook pulled over and swept the hair that had
fallen loose from its clip away from my face. When my stomach was empty and it
finally stopped heaving I drank the rest of the soda I’d gotten with my dinner
and dug a breath mint out of my purse.
“We’re almost there. Are you going to be able to handle
this?”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m a homicide
detective for God’s sake.” I laid my seat back and closed my eyes.
“It’s your daughter Angela; don’t be so hard on yourself. No
one would expect you to be unaffected by what I’ve told you considering that
monster might very well have Rachel with him now. I told you the things I did
so you could react now and pull yourself together before we go into Kaleb’s
house.”
I sighed. He was right. I needed to pull myself together and
go find my baby girl. She may not want my love or protection these days but she
would always have them.
I sat up and Rook hesitated then said, “When we get there I
need you to follow my lead no matter what I say or do and remember we can’t
save everyone no matter how much we may want to.”
“Why doesn’t anyone put a stop to what Kaleb is doing?” It
was obvious Rook was just as sickened by Kaleb as I was, but at the same time
he seemed accepting of his business activities.
“There are unspeakable atrocities committed around this
world and many others every day by beings like Kaleb and humans alike. Just
like the United States can’t dictate how men in the Middle East treat women, we
cannot dictate how demons treat humans. Plus, there simply aren’t enough
supernaturals that believe he’s doing anything wrong. To most demons and
vampires humans are born to serve them in whatever way they choose.”
I didn’t like what he had to say but I was starting to
realize his world played by a different set of rules than mine did. “I’ll do
what I need to do to get Rachel back safely.”
Rook put the car back in gear and drove a short distance
before turning down a private driveway. After about fifty feet we came to an
iron gate where Rook looked into the security camera then the gate rolled to
one side to admit us. We continued down the tree-lined, winding road until we
reached an enormous plantation style house. Rook parked right in front and when
he met me by my door I’d stuffed all my emotions deep inside, buried them under
years of police training so I could face whatever horrors I might see in this
place.
We climbed the wide staircase and just as we approached the
door it was opened by an odd looking man, and I use that term loosely. He was
probably only four-foot-eight, thin with grayish blue skin and a row of tiny
spikes arching across his forehead.
“This is most unexpected Master Rook, do you come with word
from your king?” the little grayish blue man asked.
“No, Jonathan, I’m here on personal business.” Rook replied
and I noticed that a change had come over him. I’d always imagined Rook as a
skilled fighter based on his build, the way he moves, and his chosen
profession. But something was different. While he was always alert of his
surroundings, his eyes never staying still for long, now he seemed to be
hyperaware of everything around us. He spent so much time teasing and flirting
with me that I sometimes forgot about the lethal aura I’d sensed when we first
met.
Jonathan eyed him curiously then stood aside and gestured
with his hand that we could enter. “Master Kaleb is in the parlor on the right.”
When we walked into the parlor my mouth nearly dropped to
the floor but I managed to catch myself before anyone noticed my shock.
“When you said slaver, I was thinking chains and cells,” I
whispered in Rook’s ear.
His jaw tightened and he leaned down to breath, “That comes
later. Why upset the girls before there’s any need to?”
A chill went up my spine. I wanted to warn all these girls
that they had no idea what they were getting into but I understood that would
bring more trouble than Rook and I could handle alone.
The parlor was filled with young girls dressed to party in
tight skimpy dresses and ridiculously high heels. Their hair and makeup looked
like they were done by professionals and every one of them had an expensive
looking bracelet on her wrist.
The girls were standing or sitting on the delicate antique
furniture with men, or males of various ages and races or species. I wondered
why the girls didn’t seem to question the obvious horns and oddly colored skin
on some of the men. The entire scene made me think of a cocktail party, or a gathering
at a whore house where men get to choose which women they want to accompany
them upstairs. But these weren’t women; they were children, even if they were
all eighteen like Rachel.
Rook wove his way through the crowd with me on his heels to
a tall man in his early twenties who had light brown skin and closely cropped
hair with tight little curls. He was attractive and going by the way all the
girls giggled when he spoke, he was charming.
As we approached his eyes lifted to Rook’s then he gave me a
heated look with an appreciative smile curving his lips.