Howling Legion (Skinners, Book 2) (7 page)

Cole knew he shouldn’t look at her. Stephanie might not have been his favorite person if she was human, and being a Nymar only cranked her attitude up to unbearable degrees. She knew just how to roll her eyes or curl her lip in a way that made him want to wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze. Even so, with her standing naked in front of him, he had to remind himself over and over again why he shouldn’t like her.

She was a Nymar.

She admitted to sending more Nymar to scout a few blocks from where he and Paige called home.

She’d threatened their lives more than once.

She…looked damn good wearing nothing but black heels and a grin. The markings beneath her skin didn’t cover her entire body, but radiated from the middle of her chest. Spots along her stomach and waist were perfectly smooth and clean, while sections of her neck, arms, and thighs were marked in a way that resembled standard black tribal tattooing. As he examined her, he could see the tendrils writhing
slowly inside of her. With his eyes already below her waist, he couldn’t help but notice the way she’d trimmed her pubic hair into a design that resembled more tendrils running between her legs. That was a little unsettling, but she made it work.

“I’m not the same woman I was a few months ago,” she purred. “I was angry and things were so bad with all the trouble that was going on. But you stopped that.”

“Paige and I stopped it.”

“Right. You stopped it and I’m so grateful. Your partner just wants to fight. If she has her way, there won’t be any progress.”

“Progress?” Cole scoffed.

“Look around you, sweetie. This place ain’t some alley. This is a real business. Do you know how much money we pull in every week?”

“No, but I bet you’re going to tell me.”

“Or…” she said as she eased her hand up along Cole’s stomach and chest, “you could find out for yourself.”

“Why would you want to give me such an opportunity?”

“Because the two of us could make things in this town run smoothly. I could keep the Nymar in line and you could—”

“I could be the one to take out anyone who you don’t like,” he cut in.

“You could take out the troublemakers. Isn’t that what Skinners do already?”

Pushing her hand away, Cole said, “You’re not supposed to come down to Cicero. You were warned, and I suppose you needed to see if Paige and I were really paying attention. We are, and if anyone wanders where they’re not supposed to go, we’ll shut down all your places. Starting with this one.”

Stephanie put on a hurt expression as she tugged at Cole’s belt. Somehow, she managed to get it open in a matter of seconds. “There are other fringe benefits,” she said as she took his hand and guided it to the front of her body. “And the first one’s free.”

Cole tried to pull his hand back, but lost the will to struggle when he felt just how soft Stephanie’s body was. Her
breast was firm and her nipple rigid with anticipation. Even the Nymar markings added a smooth, ridged texture to her flesh. Soon, her leg was rubbing against his and he could feel the warmth between her thighs through his jeans.

He knew damn well what she was doing, and thanks to some of his more recent sparring sessions, wasn’t so eager to partake. “Get away from me, Steph.”

“You don’t mean that, sweet stuff.”

“Yeah,” Cole snapped as he shoved her away. “I do.”

The slightest hint of confusion drifted across her face as she grabbed his waist. She struggled with him as if she’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, holding on using the strength that set her well above human norms.

Breaking her hold with more force than he would have normally used for any woman, Cole took Stephanie by the wrist and tried to shove her aside. She was Nymar and he knew that well enough, but it still went against his grain to treat a naked girl like that. Even with his clear thinking and extra effort, he was only able to move her a foot or so in the other direction.

Rather than admire the way the black tendrils framed her upper and lower assets, Cole looked at her mouth. Like any Nymar being threatened, the fangs were starting to show. Instead of just the two upper sets, however, the lower ones were also making an appearance. Those thicker bottom fangs were only used when they needed to dig in deep and keep their prey from getting away during feeding. Showing them meant Stephanie was gearing up for a fight.

Cole reached over his shoulder and removed the spear from its harness. “Stay the hell away from Cicero,” he snarled. “And keep your whores in their kennel.”

She crouched down and scooped up her dress. Pressing the clothing against her chest, she looked up at one of those sculptures along the upper corner of the wall and said, “Are you going to keep watching this bullshit, Ace, or is someone gonna kill this jackoff?”

As Cole kicked the chair away from the door, he wondered if he might have pushed things just a bit too far. The simple truth of the matter was that Stephanie had a knack for pissing him off. All she thought she had to do was strip and whisper a few things to get her way. What made him even madder was that the simple, age-old tactic had almost worked.

When he pulled open the door, Cole saw two Nymar racing toward him. One wore a black suit and the other looked more like a bouncer from the bar downstairs. He gripped his spear in both hands, brought the weapon across his face to protect himself, and then snapped it forward to crack it against the chin of the Nymar in the suit. That one twisted around and hissed loudly as he bounced off the wall. The bouncer ducked down and sent a quick uppercut into Cole’s stomach. Fortunately, Stephanie had been right about one thing: he had indeed been working out.

The punch hurt, but mostly just bounced off tensed muscle. He still had his spear held high, so he brought it around to swat the Nymar’s hand away to create an opening just big enough for him to bring his right leg up into a simple straight kick. His foot pounded against the bouncer’s hip and sent the guy staggering back a few steps.

More footsteps pounded up the stairs from the bar. A second later Astin was in the waiting room and looking for
something to damage. He didn’t have to look far before spotting the commotion in the hallway.

“Astin!” someone barked from the opposite end of the hall.

Astin, Cole, and both of the other Nymar looked toward the sound of that voice to find a wiry guy with a partially shaved head strutting toward the fight. The guy appeared to be somewhere in his early twenties and wore a dark gray suit that looked as if it had been tailored to fit a teenage girl. His black markings stretched all the way up from his neck to his cheek, but didn’t quite make it to the symbol shaved into the left side of his scalp. It was a diamond. The last time Cole had seen Ace, the symbol had been a club.

“No need for things to get worse,” the wiry Nymar said. “You’ll upset our clients.”

Astin understood exactly what he’d been told and took his hand away from whatever was holstered under his arm.

Stephanie didn’t hit the brakes so easily. In fact, she exploded from the room, still barely covering herself with her dress as she shrieked, “Nobody treats me like that, Ace! If someone doesn’t shred this Skinner motherfucker soon, I’ll do it and then work my way through the rest of you!”

That made the customer in the waiting room squirm more than anything else.

While most of the Nymar reflexively backed away from her, Ace held his ground. “Put some clothes on, Steph,” he said. “You look ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous, huh? You want to see—”

“Everyone’s seen more than enough,” Ace cut in. “Don’t ya think?”

Stephanie bared her teeth, but her fangs were actually slipping back up under her gums. While drawing her mouth into a tight line, she pulled her dress on over her head and twisted it around so she could fit the straps on properly.

By this time several of the other doors along the hallway were opening and girls were peeking out. A few anxious men and women were trying to get a peek as well, but were being pulled back inside by their Nymar hosts. Farther down the hall, one of the doors near the back staircase opened and a woman sauntered through.

“Hello, Ace,” Cole said without lowering his guard. “Glad to see you can still rein in your girl, here.”

“I don’t want my place busted up, that’s all,” Ace replied. “That don’t mean you’re about to walk out of here without sportin’ a couple fresh bruises. This about Rita wandering too close to Cicero?”

“If Rita rides along with someone named Sid and another guy with hair from the Reagan era, then yeah. She was
in
Cicero.”

Ace shook his head and clucked his tongue. “Aw, Steph. That’s not good.”

Tugging at the sides of her dress to fit it back into place, Stephanie growled, “Give it a rest.”

“Did you make him the offer?” Ace asked.

“Yes. He refused.”

“Astin?” Ace asked.

“Customer’s gone,” Astin said. “Gave him twenty percent off his next visit and sent him on his way. Bar’s clear too.”

“Good,” Ace said as he reached under his suit coat to remove a pearl-handled .38 from where it had been holstered. “The rest of our guests are regulars. They don’t mind a little noise, so that means we can get back to the good stuff.”

Not all of the Nymar drew guns, but they were all baring fangs. The bouncer had the pinched face and tight lips of someone who was about to spit. Since some Nymar were known to deliver their venom that way, Cole went for him first. Anticipating that move, the bouncer grabbed his arm and nearly pulled it from its socket when Cole used his weapon to push him into a wall. As the air was forced from his lungs, venom sprayed from the tips of the bouncer’s thin, snakelike fangs. Being all too familiar with the paralyzing effects of Nymar venom, Cole brought his spear straight up so the middle of the weapon caught the bouncer squarely on the chin. Nothing fancy, but it was enough to dim the guy’s lights and send the poisonous spray over his head. The blow also drove the thorns in the handle deeper into Cole’s palms, sending pain through his system like a hundred espressos mainlined into his arteries.

He turned toward Ace, knowing the skinny prick had a
gun. Ace was still holding the .38, but appeared to be distracted by something else. Before Cole could make another move, that .38 was pointed directly at him.

There were things Paige had taught him to do in that situation, moves he’d practiced and tips he’d been given, but they all just coagulated into a cold lump and dropped to the bottom of his stomach. No amount of training would allow him to just shrug off being at the wrong end of a gun.

The first thing he thought to do was stab Ace with his spear. His reflexes were enhanced by just enough panic and adrenaline for him to step aside and drive his weapon forward as the pistol went off. A round hissed past his temple as his weapon made contact with its target. If the pointed end of the spear had been facing forward, it might have impaled the Nymar’s hand in a very impressive way. As it was, Ace’s wrist was wedged within the forked end of Cole’s spear.

Slowly, Ace’s lips formed a grin. “Nice try, Skinner.”

Cole had wanted to strike with the single sharpened end.

The sharpened end of his spear was the one he’d meant to use.

Not the forked end!

The sharpened end!

Single. Sharpened. End.

The spear in his hand twitched. He thought to pull it away before someone took it from him, but couldn’t move it back. When he pulled a bit harder, Ace staggered forward. That’s when Cole noticed that the forked end of his weapon had snapped shut like a pair of wooden scissors. It wasn’t what he’d had in mind, but he was now looking at a single sharpened end that had enclosed around the Nymar’s gun.

For the first time since he’d strutted down the hallway, Ace looked worried. His hand was stuck within the makeshift clamp and getting squeezed hard enough for his gun to be angled toward the spitting bouncer. When Ace tried to adjust the angle of the gun, his hand was twisted painfully against the joint.

Cole twisted the spear a little more, turning Ace’s arm the wrong way and bringing the skinny Nymar to his tiptoes. “Drop the gun,” he demanded.

“I…can’t!”

“Then take your finger away from the trigger.”

It took some doing, but Ace got his finger outside of the trigger guard. “What about her?”

“If Stephanie makes one wrong move, I’ll—”

“Not her,” Ace snapped as he nodded toward the rear staircase. “Her!”

Careful not to take his eyes away from Ace for too long, Cole glanced down the hall. At first he only noticed Stephanie, a few of the Nymar bodyguards, and one or two of the girls who must have worked at the place. Something about one of those girls seemed familiar, so he glanced again. The familiar girl had her black hair tied into pigtails so it brushed against shoulders that were bare thanks to the black corset she wore. “Paige! Where the hell have you been?”

Paige stood between Stephanie and the bodyguard in the black suit. She had a sickle in each hand, holding the weapons up to press the curved blades against both Nymars’ throats. Although Stephanie looked ready to pounce, her bodyguard cringed at the touch of Paige’s sharpened blade and allowed the barrel of his small submachine gun to droop toward the floor. “You seemed to be doing pretty good until these chickenshits pulled out their guns.” Pulling the sickles in a bit tighter, she added, “This is about to get really messy, Ace. Sure you want to stain this tacky new carpet?”

Even though she was at the business end of a very sharp blade, Stephanie pointed out, “They’re not gonna kill us. If they were, they’d already be spraying that antidote shit all over the place.”

Cole realized then that he didn’t have any of the Nymar antidote. One of the first Skinner innovations he’d ever seen was a serum that directly counteracted the infection that changed a human into a Nymar. When injected directly into Nymar tendrils, the stuff might as well have been acid. It was the most effective weapon the Skinners had against Nymar, and he hadn’t been given any when sent into a building full of them. Paige was definitely going to hear about that.

“I’ve got some antidote on me,” Paige pointed out.

A tight scowl came across Cole’s face. Insult…meet injury.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Such a bad bluff. Kind of pathetic, really.”

“You’re so cute, Steph,” Paige said. Just then the sound of creaking wood drifted through the air and Stephanie’s eyes widened. Without moving her hands, Paige willed the sickle blades of both weapons to extend and wrap around the throats of both Nymar. “You’ll be perfect once I make one little adjustment.”

“She’s right!” Ace quickly said. “I mean, your boy here said he just wanted to deliver a message.”

“Hey!” Cole said in his own defense.

Ace couldn’t have been quicker to correct himself. “Cole. His name’s Cole. Sorry about that, man. It’s just that he said he wanted to deliver a message. Stay away from Cicero. We got it. We’ll stay out of Cicero. Okay?”

“You’ve said that before,” Paige pointed out.

“I know, but we just had to test the waters, you know? Let Steph go and we can call it a night.”

But Paige was having too much fun to let it drop now. Cole could tell that much by the mischievous glint in her eyes as the sickle around Stephanie’s neck cinched in a bit tighter. “I don’t know. I mean, we did come here to take a look around and have a little chat, but then you went and tried to hurt my partner. You threatened our lives and we can’t let that pass. I mean, that just wouldn’t look right.”

In an instant Ace’s concerned expression shifted to impatience. “Wouldn’t look right? You wanna come into our place, kick around our people, threaten to cut our heads off, and you wanna talk about what looks right? How about this? Get outta here while you can. You wanna do some damage to us? You won’t live long enough to—”

“Someone’s after Daniels,” Stephanie blurted.

Ace’s eyes narrowed into angry slits and his upper lip curled into a snarl. “Bitch, you’d better shut your mouth and let me handle this!”

Stephanie met Ace’s glare and then some. “You’re the one who wanted to send Sid and that other asshole along with
Rita! I told you my girl could scout just fine on her own, but you had to send those two shit stains along with her! They’re the ones that brought the Skinners here!”

Cocking his head to one side, Ace raised his eyebrows and patted the air with his free hand. All the anger and impatience that had been on his face suddenly evaporated as he said, “We don’t know that. Even if it was their fault—”

Cutting Ace short by twisting his spear, Cole growled, “Let her talk.”

“Yeah,” Paige said. “Who’s after Daniels?”

“Some guy from New York. He’s been asking about him and it got back to us.”

“What’s he want?”

“I don’t know,” Stephanie whined.

“I think you do.”

“Maybe, but it’s really hard to think with whatever the hell that is wrapped around my neck!”

Paige let out a controlled breath, which allowed her to ease the sickle blade away from Steph’s neck just enough to let her turn her head.

“All he said was that he wanted to find Daniels,” Stephanie said

“So you talked to this guy yourself?” Cole asked.

“Maybe,” she squeaked.

“Say everything there is to say about him so we can get the hell out of here,” Paige announced. “How’s that for a plan?”

“The guy is from New York,” Ace replied. “At least, that’s all we’ve heard. If you want a home address, you’re out of luck. He asked about Daniels, but we weren’t gonna give him up without meeting the guy face-to-face.”

“What about a name?”

Staring at Cole, Ace replied, “Burkis. That’s the only name he gave. Mr. Burkis. He came to town asking about one of us, so of course we heard about it.”

“Daniels doesn’t work for you,” Paige quickly pointed out.

“He’s Nymar,” Ace told her. “We own this town. Someone pokes around about one of us and we all know.”

Cole didn’t have to try too hard, but Paige did a pretty good job of keeping a straight face through that particular line of garbage. Despite the appearances they liked to put on for anyone who looked in their direction, the Nymar were more of a loose association than a real organization. They had numbers and some assets throughout some major cities, but so did the National Association of Hot Dog Vendors.

Raising his eyebrows, Ace added, “He also asked about you.”

“What’s this Burkis guy want with us?” Cole asked.

“Just you,” Stephanie replied as she locked her eyes on Cole as though he was once again on the menu. “He said you had some knife before Daniels got it.”

“Knife?”

“Maybe just part of a knife. He only mentioned a blade.”

Paige looked at Cole for a fraction of a second, which was enough to let him know they were both thinking the same thing. Once the moment passed, Paige moved her sickles away from the Nymar throats. “If we need anything more, we know where to find you.”