Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (2 page)

Stepping into the briefing room he moved along the back, behind the humans who were much shorter in stature, and nodded to his best friend, Ansell, who looked bored. He was about to speak but their Captain, a non-human, stepped up in front. “Ladies and gentlemen. As you know we’ve been hearing some more threats coming out of the Human Purity groups. It’s all over the news so I’m sure none of you have missed it.”

He paused as there was a low murmur and several heads nodding. “Be aware out there, the groups are starting to raise a fuss again so take nothing for granted. Keep your eyes and ears open, anything that sounds even remotely useful let us know. Even if you think it’s nothing give it to us. In the grand scheme it could mean a lot.”

Another murmur and some more nods. “All right. First up—” He looked to the back of the room. “Agent Zhubin, I need you with Agent Lacey Rose to head over to the warehouses. We have multiple casualties out there, human and non-. The coroner is already on his way out to meet the uniforms that found and are securing the scene now.”

Zhubin dropped his gaze to the woman who was to be his partner for the case. She was smart, sassy and sexy, the three
S
’s that was also trouble with a capital
T
wrapped in a layer of sin with a very capital and heavily underlined S. Meeting her gaze he tipped his head slightly. She hated him, but on the job she would be professional and her smarts were always an asset.

“You two can head out, the rest of you,” the Captain continued and shuffled through some papers before he started up.

Exiting the briefing room as the Captain handed out more assignments, he held the door for Lacey as she stepped out. Letting it close he followed on her heels toward the back door into the parkade. Knowing her she’d want to drive, so he stuck his hands into the pockets of his black cargo pants.

Pausing at the door to the garage while she got their assigned vehicle, Zhubin let his eyes move over her. She was tall for a woman of human origins. And she was all human and all woman. She had muscles to her, nothing bulky, but svelte and perfectly proportioned. She also had killer curves, ones she’d used more than once to get someone to say or do something dumb.

Agent Rose was one hell of a woman, one that even he knew would be a perfect match for the right man. Did he think he was the right man? On occasion he had that thought, then she’d open her mouth and it all went downhill. She had a razor-sharp tongue, slicing and dicing a man’s ego into little pieces too easily. She didn’t take bullshit, ever, and could play with the big boys. Hell, he’d even seen her go toe to toe with one of his people on more than one occasion leaving them to limp away with their tail between their legs.

Pushing open the door for her, he held it and rolled his eyes when she went through. She’d given him a look of death. Sue him, he had manners. He believed chairs and doors should be held for a woman. He believed a man should pick up the check or, at the very least, offer to do so. He also believed that a man should protect those smaller and weaker than him even when they didn’t like the idea.

She on the other hand, ballbuster that she was, seemed to believe men were good for nothing. No, he didn’t think she was into other women. She seemed to appreciate the male form well enough and even had, a time or two, been seen checking males out. By him at least, not that he’d ever said anything to alert her to the fact he’d caught her mentally stripping down a male. He wasn’t an idiot.

Following her to the car, he resisted the urge to open the door for her, barely. It went against every single fiber of his being but he knew she’d just shred him with her razor-sharp tongue if he did. So when she passed him the keys he was shocked but he climbed into the driver’s seat and pushed it back as far as it would go. Thankfully all the AEDA vehicles could accommodate his larger frame so he gained plenty of leg room. She, on the other hand, had to scoot the passenger seat forward, a lot, just to sit comfortably.

Turning the onboard computer to face him, he punched in his code and pulled up the information on where they were going. He happened to love New York, loved the scents, the smells, the energy the city seemed to vibrate from its very core. It was nothing like it had been before the war the humans started, but it was still a lot the same in the little ways.

“East side harbor,” he told her. “We’re heading for the McKinley warehouses near dock eighteen. Looks like there are six dead with another three currently being rushed to the hospital. The uniforms have two potential witnesses they are holding until we arrive. The coroner is on scene and starting to work. As well, looks like the crime scene techs are there too and are getting started.”

He punched on the keys and frowned, “No IDs on the bodies and…” He fell silent as he read what was still coming in on the system. One of the technological advances the Veil dropping had given to the human world was interfaced computers on a whole new level.

Things like cell phones were a thing of the past. Everyone now had a chip behind their ear that worked as a cell phone and recorder as well as ID, which made this unusual. A second chip at the inner wrist held personal information like allergies, medical history and also worked for paying for things. No more cards or cash, everything was now fully integrated into a new version of the Internet. So secure that even hackers couldn’t break through, there was no more identity theft, no more need for banks or financial institutions of any sort. Everything flowed on the new Net system, no glitches, no mistakes.

“Their hands were all removed. ME says that she’ll likely have to do dental records if not DNA,” he added in a low murmur. Odd, very odd. Switching to live feed of the scene, he watched as the Medical Examiner, or ME, moved to another body and bent to pat him down, looking for anything of significance.

She had to get her shit together, Lacey thought to herself. She had to get herself together before she revealed something that she couldn’t, shouldn’t reveal. “How long has it been since the ME has had to try to ID a body by dental records?” she asked quietly, simply trying to keep her shit together as she did so. “Because I can’t recall the last time that we went to a case where the hands had been taken as well as the chips in the back of the ears. What the hell?” She shook her head and sighed. “What the hell is going on?”

Anger, she hid behind her anger. It was the only thing that she knew, the only thing she could think of. Taking a deep breath Lacey closed her eyes when Zhubin got behind the wheel of the vehicle and thought about the first time she had met them.

* * * *

Five years earlier

Fresh from the FBI, Lacey had thought that the world was truly a wonder, even with knowing that there were other beings in the world she was happy to have the life that she had. She had a great family that stood behind her, even when she made the choice to go into the FBI, a family that had given her hope when she had felt as if she had bitten off more than she could chew. No, she truly believed that life was good, that it was perfect. She had truly believed in what she had done…Until the day that she met her first Vhampire, a man that had wanted to take her head off simply because she was a human.

“Hello, pretty one.” The voice whispered from the shadows. It was purely cliché since most Vhampires didn’t have to remain in the shadows, it was more the element of fright that made some sadists want to retain that age-old mystery about them and lurk in the shadows.

Lacey had turned when she heard the voice, her hand going to her weapon automatically. “I’m Agent Lacey Rose. Step from the shadows and identify yourself.” When he did she gulped, she hadn’t been able to help it. She was not a short woman, not by any means, but the tall and far-too-lean and pale man that stepped from the shadows was like the Slender Man of nightmares.

“Oh come now, darling. Rose fits you however,” he said softly, his voice seemingly caressing her face, cheeks, neck. “You are a beautiful Lacey Rose. So lovely. So perfectly splendid. Too bad that you are human, my darling girl.” He inhaled and then laughed, “Oh my, this is even better. Oh this is too delicious.”

Flipping the release on her weapon she charged the ultraviolet on the piece which would also automatically start recordings both vocal and visual. “Again, I am Agent Lacey Rose of the FBI. I demand that you identify yourself.”

“Oh, darling, I’m the one that is going to tear your head off. Don’t worry, though, I know just who to deliver it to. They will be so surprised that I was able to find you before they could. This is truly priceless. I was able to be rid of The Alpha Prime’s before he could seal the deal and now, oh this is too glorious. The new Alpha Prime will also be rid of you before he even meets you. I am truly a wonderfully blessed man.”

“You are no man, and what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh darling, darling girl. You have just gotten out of the Academy and they have not briefed you? You poor, dear, and very dead child. Too bad.” He moved quickly, his hands wrapping around her neck and pressing her so hard to the brick wall at her back that she heard her skull crack. “You see, the animals that walk the world, Lhupines”—he spat the word—“are given a pair of mates. A man and woman, two women, three men, but it’s always in threes. And I love depriving those bastards of their mates. It’s a great pleasure to me to cause them harm.”

“Yeah? Well not this time.” Lacey was able to get the gun up and between them, pulling the trigger. As the blast hit the Vhampire that held her she heard his laughter, his mocking derision as he tossed her to the ground.

“Well played, pretty little human, but I will be back.” Lacey watched as he disappeared and her partner finally come running, weapon drawn but far too late.

Falling to the ground limp as a noodle cooked far too long, Lacey looked up at her partner, and blacked out.

* * * *

Today

Unconsciously Lacey rubbed at the holes that scarred over on her neck, holes left not by fang but by nail from her assailant, a man she had yet to catch. Her headache was starting again, typically did around her partners, not because of anything they did, but more of what her traitorous body did when they were near. She had thought of asking for a transfer, but that would be allowing a sadistic bastard to win and that just wasn’t in her vocabulary.

“All right guys, where are we headed again?” she asked and pulled out her mini tablet, shooting off a message to her doctor so that she could get a refill on her meds, meds she had been steadily increasing dosage on for the last five years. Then again she had nearly died from that asshole’s hands on her neck, as it was it was a miracle that she was walking and not paralyzed from the ears down. Yep, sometimes you just had to let go of what might be and focus on the truth, on what was. And what was, well that was that these strong, amazing and virile men didn’t want or need her in their lives. She was assigned to them simply because the AEDA demanded that a full human be paired with all their Alien operatives. Yep, bully fucking rah for her to be paired with two men that she knew were destined to be hers, or vice versa, and yay for her for having the only two men on the planet that seemed not to realize said fact. Wonderful. Just. Fucking. Great.

Shooting her a look, Zhubin frowned and then glanced around, “Uh, there’s no one else here,” he said quietly. Turning the computer to face her he started the vehicle, “And I’m also pretty sure I told you where we were going.” Shaking his head he pulled out of the spot and got up to street level before looking her way again. “You sure you’re feeling okay, Agent Rose?”

“Yep, just a bit of a headache.” Lacey tried to replay the previous conversation and said, “McKinney Warehouses, had a bit of a brain-fried moment.” She was fucking losing it and she knew it. She was slowly forgetting everything that she should do and should know because of these men. No, she really couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t their fault that she had the hots for them, at all.

Nodding, he shot her one more look before his focus was fully on the road. The ride was silent to the warehouse district. Pulling in, Zhubin parked where the rest of the vehicles sat, their lights flashing an odd blue glow on everything. Climbing out, he looked to her, waiting for her to join him and precede him as always. Lifting the crime scene tape for her he ducked under and followed slightly to her left, half a foot behind.

Entering the warehouse he stopped with her and looked around, inhaling deep. A low growl rumbled from him. Shaking his head when she looked at him he took the booties one of the officers handed over and slipped them over his boots. Pulling out a pair of gloves he tugged them on and headed for one side of the warehouse, knowing she’d take the other. They would each work a side, switch and then meet to discuss.

Lacey’s eyes caught everything. Lifting a gloved finger, she raised her mini cam and snapped images. The fur caught in the loose boards of the wall and then the blood that was captured as well. Using flags she marked the areas and made sure that the CSUs would bag the fur and hopefully get a DNA match if there were follicles still attached.

Without speaking to Zhubin, she moved to the other side of the warehouse as he moved to her side. She looked and caught a couple additional images before meeting back with him in the middle, passing him her mini cam as she did so. “What are you thinking happened?”

Scrolling through the images after plugging her cam into his datapad he sighed. “Nothing good,” he muttered. Tipping his head, he led her over to a spot on the floor, “Tell me what you see?” he asked. When she looked around and then shook her head he pointed up on the wall, nearly twenty feet in the air, “Now what do you see?” he asked of the very clear pawprint in blood on the wall.

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered. “How could he or she have gotten up there? You guys can’t fly can you? So how the hell could that print have gotten all the way up there?” She moved closer to the wall and added, “I found tufts of hair ten feet that way.” She pointed. “And if you look the dust looks like it’s been disturbed, but in an arc more of a straight line.”