Shifters of Grrr 2 (64 page)

"Stop trying to fake me out. You don't scare me and you never have."

"We've never been on opposite sides before."

"True and we won't be for long now," she said as her voice rose and she ran toward him hurling a red fire ball at him.

He shot a ball of blue ice and when they hit they made a pop as the ice killed the fire. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Oh, no. That's just the beginning." She shot an arc of electricity toward him and he raised his hand absorbing it.

She raised both her hands and a whirlwind shot at him but it bounced off with no visible effort on his part. "I grow bored," he said.

Her face flushed with anger. Her manner was as if she wanted to sink her claws into him but knew physically she had no hope of winning. She shot water at him, he threw heat back, and the water turned to steam. "I enjoy a steam bath from time to time."

She screeched at him in frustration. She tried to turn him into a snake but he threw up a protection spell and it seemed to bounce off him. He could tell she was tiring and she was angry from her lack of results. He needed to end this and capture her. He'd take her to the new cell they had witch proofed. She tried to send a cloud of poisonous gas to cover him, but he sent it back. She barely evaded it long enough for it to disburse.

"What are you," she asked.

"Much more than a witch," he replied.

"She who runs away..."

He realized she planned to escape and he threw a magical net, but when he reeled it in he discovered a hole in it. He had survived and freed Harry, but Serena was on the loose, working with Chief, and much stronger than he expected her to be. He cast a spell to set the room to rights and left to search out Harry and Danny. He found them on the porch, wolves surrounding her protectively. His beta in particular seemed quite taken with her.

They all noticed him at once. "Where's the witch?" Danny asked.

"She escaped," he replied.

"I suppose there's no use in looking nearby?" Danny asked.

"She could be close or far away but she'll be well hidden so no point in wasting our time. Someone's given her some strength," he said.

"Any idea who?"

"She said Chief sent her and he has many minions," he replied.

"Oh, come on, Zorth. Minions? Really?" Harry asked.

"If the shoe fits..." As far as he was concerned the term fit the mindless followers Chief had gotten mostly through the drugs he either gave them or forced on them. He mixed common drugs with rich vampire blood to make an addictive and controlling combination. Once hooked, they'd do anything even turn on their family to get the next fix.

No one said anything as they sat there looking at other. "What now?" Danny asked probably ready to get his mate and head home.

"You might as well go. I'm going to spend the night and I expect to head home tomorrow if nothing else comes up. Harry can stay with me or in the room she was held in," he said.

He could see Harry shiver. "I think I'd rather stay with you. That room has some bad memories," Harry said.

"Thanks Danny. C'mon Harry. I'm tired, let's check out the room and decide our sleeping arrangements," Zorth suggested. He watched Danny and his wolves head out for their SUVs. Harry got up and he held the door so she could walk through it in front of him.

She might not say much but her silence said plenty. Serena had shook her up and she'd been scared whether she was willing to admit it or not. She walked up the steps and instead of her usual quick pace, she went slowly. She was exhausted and confused because of all that had happened. When they reached the room, he stepped to the door opening it and they hurried inside. He didn't feel any sense of danger but he cast a protection spell any way. He'd be a fool not to under the circumstances.

They looked around the small suite. It had its own bath and it was a large luxurious one. The living room had a daybed that looked comfortable. Harry jumped on it and declared it was fine for her. He located the sheets, extra pillows, and blanket for her and she made up the bed. Now that they were ready to sleep, he wanted to talk first.

"I'm sorry about this Harry. I hated that you were dragged into it."

"Not your fault. This was all about the case I'm working, not about you. She just happened to be someone you knew."

"You're too generous with your forgiveness. You're not experienced enough for the case. I should have pulled you off when it got sticky."

"How will I ever get experience if I get pulled off every time there's trouble?"

"This isn't just a little trouble and he's a criminal mastermind, not your typical case."

"What if I don't find you next time?"

"I'll be more careful, but odds are it will be someone else next time. There are a lot of witches she could go after. In the morning we better warn them all."

"You're right about that but I'm still not sure you should stay on the case."

"Give me a little more time before you decide."

"I guess I owe you that."

He left her to get ready and went and took a shower and changed to PJ bottoms. He preferred to sleep nude but the situation called for clothing of some type. Harry was waiting for her turn when came out of the bathroom.

"OMG! I never knew what you looked like under your clothes."

Zorth flushed. It was not something he did much but Harry always managed to embarrass him somehow. "You still don't."

"Well not entirely but more than I ever thought I would."

"Go get ready for sleep," he grouched holding the door open for her. When she closed it behind her he headed to his room. He should have gotten them separate rooms. No, he couldn't have because he'd spend all night worrying about her safety. At least he would be close by if he was needed.

He closed his door and sat on the bed. He was tired, damn near exhausted but too keyed up to go to sleep right away. His mind kept running through all that had happened and what Serena had told him. Maybe it was good that he hadn't found his mate or she would be a target. Regardless of how frustrating his search had been, it would be nothing compared to finding her only to lose her forever. At least right now he knew when this was over she would still be somewhere waiting for him.

It was a comforting thought and he decided to set his search on hold until Chief was captured. Once that decision was made his mind calmed considerably. He thought of his beautiful mate out there somewhere waiting for him to find her. She'd be safe until he was ready to get her. Only a handful of people knew about her and all of them were those he trusted like Ariel and Marissa. He knew they would never betray him.

He would wait because it was the safest course of action but it wouldn't be the easiest. He would suffer while he waited as his body yearned for the mate he desired above all else. He knew tonight he would dream of running his hands through her sable hair as he looked soulfully into eyes the color of dark chocolate. He remembered how they darkened with passion. He would kiss her pouty lips until they were swollen from his passion and then, as she had that fateful day, she would disappear but this time before he woke.

He woke in a strange bed which wasn't all that common for him recently. Since he'd met his mate, the mate he couldn't find, he'd had no interest in finding lovers. It was a bad situation for an incubus demon. His witch abilities both drained and produced energy making his powers fluctuate a great deal. He'd drained enough power off Serena when he'd absorbed her show of strength to replace most, but not all of what he'd spent. He could reflect on things in a positive light and acknowledge it might be worse.

He had found and freed Harry but Serena had stolen success from him at the last minute. With her out there resting and plotting, no one he knew was safe. The witch had been a stubborn and independent female when he'd known her. Not the type to work for a demanding master like Chief. Maybe he'd simply not known the real person that she'd been inside or maybe she'd changed in a hundred years. He could speculate for another hundred years and still not find the answer. It was time to pull out the big guns and set some mercenary wolves on her trail. Chief had made a mistake by making it personal. Zorth had massive amounts of wealth and patience at his disposal. His first goal was to track down and capture Serena. Once she was taken, he would go after Chief without reservations.

Chapter 2

Harry

She woke up in a strange bed and a strange room. That just didn't happen often because Harry was a homebody and very careful about here she ended up for the night. She had a handful of close friends and slew of casual friends. She liked to think she was friendly, outgoing, and funny. Funny as in humorous not funny as in strange. Oh, alright, maybe a little strange. She knew not everyone agreed but those most important to her seemed to like her and that was all that mattered to her. She wasn't one of those girls who sought approval at the cost of their individualism. She was unique, knew it, and intended to stay her own lovable self.

She remembered she was working the Chief case and she'd been captured. Her face turned pink at the thought of the rookie mistake she'd made. Zorth had been wonderful and so busy blaming himself he'd not even thought about how easily she'd fallen into such an obvious trap. She remembered everything that had happened last night and how Serena had turned out to be, not the old friend she represented herself as, but a cast off ex-girlfriend. Had she known that during her imprisonment she would have tried to find out a little more about Zorth. He was a complete mystery and everyone was dying to know who or what he really was.

He wasn't the typical witch that was for sure. His image was like a god or an angel. That blonde gorgeousness and now that she'd seen him shirtless, break out the ice so she could cool down. He'd appeared as if an artist had sculptured him to capture the essence of a
perfect
male. She wiped her mouth in case any drool had escaped. Why couldn't she find a male like that closer to her age that she could keep?

This case with Chief had lasted longer than any case she'd worked before and taken her to new highs and lows. She'd seen the worst humanity and the supernatural world had to offer and she'd seen it bring out the best in those she worked with. They were close to bringing Chief down and this latest trick was an attempt to throw them off his trail by sacrificing a pawn. She knew if he'd been forced to kill her, Zorth would have been inconsolable. He might not love the witch, but he had ties that still seemed to bind them together emotionally. She'd been his mentor and his lover.

She'd learned more about Zorth in a day than she'd known in the years that he'd been around her. She couldn't remember a time Zorth had not been in the witch community. When she was young she remembered when he'd first joined the council. He'd looked then just as he looked now. She remembered the speculation about him both by single witches and by the community in general yet he had the skills that were needed and no one could find any fault in his character. He'd been a mystery that no one could solve. He spoke little of his past and not at all about his origins.

Harry decided to get her chubby little ass into the bathroom and make sure that if the hot water was limited, she would get all she needed. Not very nice, but Zorth looked tough enough to handle a cold shower. She would have to put her clothes back on since she had no others with her, but they weren't too bad. She made it to the bathroom without seeing Zorth but she could hear him moving around and she heard voices too. Maybe he was on the phone. She got into the shower and enjoyed the massaging shower head and the delightfully hot water. She unapologetically giggled at the thought of Zorth freezing his balls off as he took his shower.

She finished, dried, and made a face as she shook out her clothes and was forced to wear them again. She left the bathroom ready for Zorth to use. She wondered what they would do now but wasn't ready to asked. She wondered if Zorth knew how forbidding he looked in the morning. He walked by to the bathroom and even though she didn't consciously listen for it, she heard cursing when the shower came on. It sounded like the water was cold and that was just too bad. Zorth took the fastest shower imaginable and he made back out to the room dressed and ready to go. Lucky him, he had clean clothes to wear.

"We need to find someplace to eat breakfast and get on the road," Zorth said.

"Isn't this a bed and breakfast?" Harry asked.

"You're right. Let me get my bag and we'll see if we're in time and what they have for us."

He grabbed his bag and they headed down the stairs. It was easy to find the dining room and a small breakfast buffet was set up for the guests. They filled plates and sat down to eat. She was sure Zorth would be happy they'd saved some time. Once they were done, Harry grabbed a paper cup and took a coffee to go. She noticed Zorth did as well. This would be a hurried trip with no extra stops for comfort.

They left in Zorth's SUV and heading for the highway. Zorth had his phone synced with his hands free device and immediately made the first of several phone calls.

"Damon."

"This is Zorth. Harry and I are headed to you. I need you to find a place for me because Harry and I will both be working with you."

"Okay. I'm glad to have the extra help."

"I'm getting tired of Chief and his personal attacks. It's time to end this."