The Burning Bush (7 page)

Quinn waited a minute before replying and then said, “Okay.”

Humming to myself, I strolled by empty tattoo and piercing booths on my left. MFE headquarters had been my temporary home for several weeks. At first MeShack, Ben, and I moved in to keep us safe from a killer that had been stalking me. Once I’d found the killer and killed the person, MeShack and I tried to move back into our apartment. My landlord had decided otherwise. The old Witch complained about the dried flesh and blood stuck on the walls and carpet. We explained it was all from a dead body that a murderer had left for me. My landlord didn’t like that answer. So for now, MFE was where we rested our heads.

I continued walking to the warehouse. A black, beaded curtain appeared at the end of the shop’s hallway. Beads hung from the ceiling and extended down to the floor. If a regular person pushed away the curtains, they’d only find a tiny hallway heading to a unisex bathroom. Only MFE and the Rebels knew you had to knock three times on the center of the curtain to gain access into the warehouse.

I knocked. The beads shook and sparkled around my fist. I almost walked through, but two strong hands encircled my waist.

“Where were you?” Zulu’s voice glided over my skin and soothed me like an old jazz song.

I twisted around. “I’m sorry.”

“I waited by that Botanica for thirty minutes, thinking a Vamp had snatched you up.” Zulu’s solid black eyes greeted mine. He drew me to his chest, sniffing my skin and hair. “You smell like Humans.”

“I was with Rivera.”

“And?” The word came out as a growl. No more smooth, musical voice.

I tucked my dreadlocks behind my ears. “Let me check on Ben, and then I’ll explain.”

“Nona took them for pizza and ice cream.” His face remained a hard mask, showing no emotion. His cords blinked from black to white over and over, as if warning of an oncoming storm.

“Maybe we should meet them there,” I offered.

“I’m not going to like what Rivera had to say, am I?”

“No. In fact, maybe we should discuss this in my shower. We both have nasty blood on our skin.” I rubbed my fingers along my holey, blood-spotted shirt.

“And is the shower a diversion tactic?”

“Maybe.” I stepped around him and headed to my bedroom.

MeShack’s, Ben’s, and my rooms were located on the other side of the shop. You had to go back through the lobby and turn down another hallway to get to them. I passed by Quinn and Angel, who had returned to devouring each other’s lips. Zulu trailed behind me, low grumbles booming from his chest.

“Would you stop that noise, baby?” I entered my bedroom, withdrawing the Pristine jars from my pocket and setting them on the only empty shelf available in my room. Surprised that Zulu didn’t comment on my stealing, I slung the files on the shelf next to my law exam study guides.

“I really love my shelves,” I said.

Zulu just grunted, not walking into my trap of changing the conversation. He’d built me a massive book shelf that covered two walls. I’d almost had an orgasm thinking of all the books I could fill the shelves with. Currently, most of the shelves were cluttered with Zulu’s art supplies, Ben’s games, and MeShack’s stupid old record collection.

“So tell me why you were with Rivera?” Zulu closed the door behind me.

“Let’s do a blood promise.” I yanked up my shirt, undressing. “I want you to promise that you won’t kill Rivera or any other habbie, or order anybody to kill him, until I’m done doing this job.”

“Job?” Zulu asked through clenched teeth.

“Um . . . yes.”

“Is that the whole blood promise?”

I nodded.

Zulu beamed, exposing fangs. He brought his left wrist to his mouth and ripped the skin open. I flinched as the flesh tore and blood dripped down his arm.
Fuck. He’s agreeing too quickly.
He began repeating my words.
What am I forgetting?

“Wait.” I lifted my finger. “And no harming Rivera or any other habbies.”

Zulu groaned.

I tapped my foot against the lilac carpet. “And no emotionally, mentally, and/or physically harming him or any other habbies . . . or threatening.”

Zulu roared. The skin around his throat vibrated. The walls quaked around me. Two of my Captain Habitat posters fell from the ceiling. Several Pixies fled from under my bed and slammed into my closed door.

“Would you just stop all of the theatrics and repeat the blood promise.” I headed to my door and opened it for the Pixies. Most of them rushed out. I picked up two younger ones. They were barely two inches tall, with no color on their wings, just ruby colored skin against black eyes and flapping transparent wings.

“You’re never going to get my Pixies to like you if you roar like some type of deranged lion.” I carried them out of the bedroom. They flew off without a backward glance.

“It’s not my roar.” Zulu’s cut on his wrist had already healed. “They’re afraid of my beast, and they should be. Pixies are a Prime’s favorite meal.”

I scrunched my face up in disgust.
Ick. Was that true?
Zulu’s beast form was a Prime, which was a creature that existed only in the Fairy realm. Pixies also came from the Fairy realm. A hundred years ago, before pre-habitat years, several Fairies had brought Pixies with them when they crossed into Earth’s realm. Over the years, the original Pixies multiplied into hundreds of thousands, hiding in thick forests and concealing themselves beneath the dirt whenever Humans came around. But once the Human military began pouring steel over the forest grounds, the Pixies were forced to reveal themselves or die within the poisonous soil.

“Primes don’t eat Pixies. You’re joking, right?”

“My dad used to tell me stories about it,” Zulu replied.

“Well still, no roaring if you can help it.” I headed to my bed. “And I want the whole blood promise recited.”

Zulu bit into his wrist. His right hand smeared blood along his left arm. “Through the blood, I promise not to kill or mentally, emotionally, and/or physically harm Rivera and the other habbies or threaten him verbally—”

“I caught that Zulu, not just verbally.”

Zulu’s fangs extended another inch out of his top lip. “Or threaten him in any way until after Lanore, the stubborn love of my life, is done doing whatever stupid, dangerous job she is doing for him.”

“And you won’t tell anyone else to do that,” I insisted. Zulu repeated me, barking out each word. Red sparks materialized around his arm. He gritted his teeth as more blood spilled out of his wrist, swirled around his arm, hardened into a red cast, and then receded into his pores.

“The promise is done,” Zulu announced. “Satisfied?”

The blood magic would remain in Zulu’s system until the promise was carried out. If Zulu didn’t abide by the promise, all his blood would pour out of his body, instantly killing him.

“Now will you tell me?” Zulu raised his blond eyebrows, which always made me want to grab his face and kiss them.

“Yes. I’ll tell you.” I told him everything from when Rivera stopped me outside the factory to the details about the Burning Bush Murders. When I finished, his cords unthreaded themselves from his skin and raised high in the air. He was shifting into his Prime.

“What are you doing?” I asked as his ivory skin darkened into jet black. “Stop shifting.”

“I’m going to tear out his spine.” He snatched open his jeans and climbed out of them, exposing delicious satin skin over taut muscle.
He’s not wearing any boxer briefs or underwear tonight.
My skin heated.

“You are so yummy-looking.” I licked my bottom lip.

“Then I’ll have Rivera in a box, bleeding and starving. And when he’s overcome with hunger,” Zulu spat out the words with disgust, “I’m going to feed his spine to him.”

“And now you’ve ruined the moment.” I blew out a long breath. “I’m pretty sure he’ll die immediately after you take out his spine, so you won’t really get a chance to feed it to him.”

“Trust me. I know ways to keep men alive long enough to suffer.” Large leather wings expanded from his back. They were as black and shiny as an obsidian blade.

“Are you forgetting our blood promise?” I asked as his blond dreadlocks disappeared into his scalp, leaving a black, bald head.

“I’ll figure out a way around it.” His already huge muscular thighs expanded a little bit more. Claws pushed through his fingertips. Black skin covered his whole body.

“Last week, you said you would relax and not be too controlling.” I walked over to him, ready to jump on him if he tried to escape. “This is one of those times where I fight my own battle and come to you if I need help.”

My bedroom ceiling opened up above my head. A breeze rushed in, along with the noise of the street—cars honking, Rebels loitering in front of the shop, and the distant blare of a fire engine probably still putting out the bomb’s blaze at Linderman’s. As soon as Zulu found out I would be staying at his shop, he had an Earth Witch install a new ceiling that allowed him to remove it at will. Any time Zulu wanted to fly out or drop in, all he had to do was think it and the ceiling would open or close.

I stood a few inches in front of him. “If you bother Rivera, you can have your Earth Witch change this ceiling back to normal because you will not be flying or hanging out in my bedroom anymore.”

He snorted. “Is that right?”

“I’m serious. I won’t be with you if you’re going to be a controlling jerk. I could have stayed with MeShack for that.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched.

“I’m not defenseless.” I undid my bra in the back, yanked it off, and threw it on his right wing. “I can handle the habbie. It’s not even a big deal. If I need your help, then I promise I’ll ask.”

“Will you do a blood promise to that?”

“Absolutely. Just let me take a shower.”

Zulu’s eyes transformed from black to dark blue and gold as they targeted my nipples.

Well, at least he hasn’t flown away.

“I mean seriously, Zulu, all I’m going to do is question a few people, read the file, and then give a few suspects to Rivera.” I unbuttoned my jeans and slipped off my gray sneakers. “No big deal. Angel will be with me the whole time.”

His eyes traveled down to the bare skin of my waist exposed by my open jeans. “You mean I’m going to be with you the whole time?”

“Nope.” I peeled off my jeans, revealing violet panties to his hungry eyes. “Thanks to your actions last summer, everyone calls you the Heart Ripper now. No one is going to say anything to me if they see you around. Everyone is going to be afraid you’ll rip their hearts out of their chests.”

“Take Nona.” Zulu’s hooded eyes zeroed in on my panties, causing the area between my thighs to clench. His skin lightened a few shades until he appeared more gray than black. I considered what he said. Nona wouldn’t be bad. But if I allowed him to have Nona follow me around any time he was worried, soon I would have a full security crew.

I shook my head. “No. I’ll take Nona only if I need her.”

“I don’t like Rivera forcing you into doing things you don’t want to do.”

“You’re just going to have to deal with that.” I shrugged. “I’m not going to let you control what I do and how I do it. Things like that will just push me away.”

He closed his eyes, no doubt counting backward. The ceiling also closed. His gray hands formed into fists as he inhaled and exhaled. “Will you at least let me know where you will be and who you’ll be questioning?”

“That sounds fair,” I said as he opened his eyes.

“Fine,” he replied, through clenched teeth. His skin lightened completely back to its creamy-white color. In seconds, his wings vanished into his back. Blond dreadlocks materialized, falling down and past his shoulders. He stepped toward me.

“Wow. Where are you going?” Grinning, I backed up. “I haven’t decided if I’m going to let you back in my bed or not. Feeding people their own spines? That’s pretty sick. I’m going to have to rethink this whole relationship.”

He edged closer.

Giggling, I jumped back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Finish taking off those panties and I’ll show you what I’m going to do.” His cords appeared at his arms, unthreaded, and lifted into the air, swaying and leaning toward me.

“Get control of those cords. I don’t want any more claims.”

His lips formed into a wide smile.

“Stay away from me, Heart Ripper!” I retreated, laughing and sprinting to my bathroom. A thundering roar boomed behind me. I shrieked and burst through the door, giggling as he caught me and carried me into my bathroom.