VoodooMoon (25 page)

“Pinky, he kept saying it, but then at the last he said her. Anya, River?” I barely had my sister’s names out of my mouth before Pinky was up the stairs and out of sight using his vampire speed. I looked at Jarrett. “We need to call Sam and Ian.”

“I’m on it,” he said, pulling a porta-scry case from his pocket.

A few moments later he descended the stairs flanked by both of my sisters. I ran to them, holding them tight. They were safe. I had no idea who Bokor had taken, but my sisters were here and they were safe and right then that was all that could matter.

I was sitting on the stairs flanked by my sisters, their arms around me, several minutes later when I heard my name being called. I looked up to see Ian coming through the pub door. I shook my sisters off and ran across the room, flinging myself into his arms. “You are safe,” I said to him, in a sob.

“Hey, hey. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say to you?” he said, gently, brushing strands of hair away from my damp face. “What happened?”

Before I could answer Sam and two Blade Agents came barreling into the bar. Pinky pulled two tables together, pushing the wreckage of the other one out of the way. We all sat and I told everyone what happened.

“Okay, you two,” he said, nodding at the Blades. “Get a cart in here to get the body over to the morgue and call in the forensic mages. I doubt they will find anything they didn’t on the other bodies, but we will try everything we can. Ian and I will head over to Rangel’s place and see what we can find out.”

“I’m going with you,” I said.

“No!” Four male and two female voices rang out in unison. The only two that remained silent were the two Blade Agents that I was unfamiliar with.

“Bullshit!” I spat. I expected such treatment out of Pinky, Ian, and even Sam. All three of them tended to treat me like a delicate flower when they thought they could get away with it. But Jarrett and my sisters? They were always on my side. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to stay here with my thumb up my ass while the ‘boys’ handle it!”

“Agent Moon,” Sam’s voice was hard. He never, ever, called me Agent Moon. Not even when he was super pissed at me. Intellectually I knew he wasn’t angry at me; he was worried. But that didn’t stop the tiny shiver of fear and sorrow that went through me. “You were a target tonight. As was your family. You will remain here in a defensible environment and guard them. That is an order. Are we clear?”

Oh, crap, I hated it when he pulled rank, even if he was right. “Yes, sir,” I nearly choked on the words.

“Jarrett, you’ve been guarding them this long, I’d like you to stay,” he said, back to his normal tone.

“No problem,” Jarrett said.

“And feel free to knock her out if you have to,” he said, pointing at me. “I don’t want her leaving this building until we are back.”

It was Pinky that answered Sam. “Don’t worry, she won’t leave.” He gave me a pointed glare.

I looked at Ian. Though I got a look of sympathy, he agreed with the other three. “I know you are big and bad and can take care of yourself. But this guy is a lunatic. You are a target. Besides, Sam is right. Your skills are best served here, protecting your sisters.”

“Fine,” I relented. I walked over to him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Please be careful, I can’t lose you.” I blinked back the sting of forming tears. The thought of having to watch him die like Rangel hurt so bad it nearly took my breath away.

And then, not giving a crap that we had an audience, and ignoring the giggles and snickers, I pulled him to me and kissed him hard and thoroughly.

I sat in the pub, once again closed down and losing a whole night of business. This time because several chairs and two tables were demolished. Anya, River, Pinky, Jarrett and I sat at the bar, trying not to discuss the day’s events while we waited for Ian and Sam to return from Rangel’s apartment. Jarrett was telling a story about his sailing days back before he was a vampire and I was so entranced in the story of buccaneers that it took me a moment to realize there was a buzzing coming from the top pocket of my vest. I reached in and retrieved my portable-scry case, which was vibrating to let me know someone was trying to contact me. I popped open the case to reveal the flat, polished crystal inside, as I stood and walked to the other side of the room for some privacy. It was more from a force of habit than because I didn’t want the others to hear what was said. I touched my thumb to it to activate it and Leesa Parks’ face filled the screen.

“Leesa, what’s up?” I asked, a bit surprised to see her. I had been expecting Ian or Sam with some news. I was about to tell her it wasn’t a good time, when I saw the frantic look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Fiona, have you seen Millie?”

“No, not since the day I stopped by your office. What’s going on?” Dread crept into my stomach.

“I’m not sure, but Millie is missing.”

“Missing?” The dread in my stomach started to envelop my entire body. Bokor had said, You are missing something dear, and when you realize what it is, you will come to me to get it back.

I forced myself to breath and not panic. I walked back near the others so they could hear what Leesa said. I did my best to keep my voice and facial features calm, in an effort not to alarm Leesa. “Tell me everything that has happened. Why you think Millie is missing.” Perhaps there was just some sort of misunderstanding and Millie was safe at home.

“Millie didn’t show up for work yesterday. I figured she was sick. It would have been better if she had called, but I know her family doesn’t own a scry-crystal, so I wasn’t concerned. But then she didn’t show up again today. I was starting to get a little worried, but still thought it might be a case of her skipping work to spend time with her friends. That doesn’t seem like Millie, but I figured when she came back in we’d have a talk about responsibility.”

“No, that doesn’t seem like Millie,” I said. Though I had only met the girl a couple of times she seemed very eager to work and improve her position, and that of her parents, in the world. I couldn’t imagine her jeopardizing that for a few hours with friends.

Leesa continued, “But late this afternoon, just as I was getting ready to leave for the day, Millie’s mother, Nancy Linton, came into the office looking for Millie. Her classes start next week and she is working half days now. Millie usually goes home directly after work and when she was more than three hours late, Nancy got worried.”

“If she always goes home right after work, why didn’t her mother notice she was gone yesterday?” I asked.

“Apparently Nancy had to work a late shift yesterday and she thought Millie was in bed when she got home. Millie’s father always works the late shift and hardly ever sees his daughter. It was late, hours after Millie would have come in to work today when the Linton’s woke up. When I told her that Millie hadn’t come into work, I went back to their home with her and we checked Millie’s room and there was a pile of clean clothes on her bed that Nancy said she put there yesterday after doing the washing. That indicated Millie hadn’t been home. That was when Nancy told me that a City Guard Inspector came to their apartment yesterday morning just as Millie was getting ready to leave for work. The inspector said he needed to ask a few more questions about the incident a couple of weeks ago and offered her a ride to work. She left with him.”

My blood went icy and I clutched the scry case to keep from dropping it. “Did Mrs. Linton catch the Guard Inspectors name?”

Leesa’s eyes crinkled with concern. “It was GI Rangel. But, Fiona, that is why I’m calling you. Something is very wrong here. I’m at the City Guard headquarters right now and they told me that GI Rangel has been out sick for several days. They told me that anything pertaining to his current case had to go through the Blade Agent in charge, which is you. Fiona, do you know where Millie is?” Her tone wasn’t accusing, just concerned and curious.

“No, Leesa, I don’t. Until this moment I had no idea she was missing.” I fumbled, trying to decided how much I could tell her, or even how much I should. “Rangel was working with me on the missing mages case. As far as we knew he had taken a few days off sick. But, about two hours ago we received information that he may have met with foul-play.” That was the understatement of the year. “Right now Rangel is classified as missing. Sam has already dispatched half of the Blades to look for him. No one had any idea he had been with Millie when he went missing. I will let Sam know about Millie. Getting her back safe will be the number one priority.”

Leesa’s face was ashen. “I get the feeling there is something you aren’t telling me. That’s okay, I know the confidentiality drill. What do I tell the Lintons?”

I felt sorry for Leesa. She was not a field agent, not an agent at all in any real sense. She worked with crystals, not people. Telling a family their daughter was missing wasn’t easy for anyone, but if you were untrained, it would be hell.

“Leesa, I can send a Blade over to fill them in, you don’t even have to go back,” I told her.

“Thank you, Fiona, but no. I owe it to Millie and to her parents to be there for them until she gets back. I’m a Blade, even if I spend my time in a room full of rocks. I can do this. Tell me what I can tell them.”

“Okay,” I said, admiring her determination. “You can tell them a shortened version of what I told you. That we just learned that Guard Inspector Rangel was abducted, but we did not know until just now that Millie was with him. Assure them that now that we do, finding her and returning her home safely is our number one priority. Also, take a City Guard back with you. I will have Sam send two Blades over to replace him in a little while.”

“Two? Fiona, are the Lintons in danger?”

“No, I don’t think so. This is mostly for their comfort and because it is standard to have someone at the home of an abducted person in the case of ransom.”

Leesa saw through my lie immediately and scoffed. “Ransom. Fiona, give it to me straight. The Linton’s are dirt poor. They live in a slum apartment smaller than my office. Their rooms are little more than closets. There is no way there will be a ransom demand. I can’t give them that line.”

“Okay, there won’t be a ransom demand. Millie was likely targeted because she thwarted the first attempt, which we think was random. This guy is deranged and unpredictable. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he would try to hurt her parents just to hurt her more. But don’t tell them that. Besides, I feel like they need to know we are working on the case. Their daughter is no less important than the daughter of a Senator, ransom demand or not,” I said.

“I’m sure they will appreciate that. But two agents?”

“I do realize two agents may seem like overkill, but trust me, it is a necessary precaution. Remember, one of the abducted persons is a very capable mage as well as a City Guard Inspector. I can’t go into details, so please don’t ask. Just trust me that two agents are necessary.” It was unlikely Bokor had been able to abduct another Guard or a Blade in the short time since he’d left Rangel’s body, but we still didn’t know how he was managing to insert his spirit into the bodies of the mages, so it was better to be safe and have two guards, just in case Bokor was able to take one of them over. I could just send a were or vamp, and perhaps I would, but even though only mages had gone missing, we had no real evidence Bokor couldn’t take over other paranorms.

“Please find her,” Leesa said, a tremor in her voice.

“I will Leesa, I swear.” And I meant it. I would find her and I would make the son-of-a-bitch that took her and killed Rangel pay, with his life if possible.

The moment the scry crystal went blank I collapsed. I barely registered the activity around me. Pinky rushing from behind the bar with vampire quickness to catch me before I hit the floor and lift me into a chair Anya pulled out. Jarrett was standing in front of me his own porta-scry held out as he repeated what Leesa had just told me to whomever was on the other end of the call. I heard Sam’s voice, but didn’t catch the words.

“Fiona, are you listening?” Jarrett said, loudly. He leaned down so that his face was right in front of mine grabbed my shoulder and shook me lightly. “Do you know Millie Linton’s address?”

“Uh, I, no. But it is in the files. Sam should have a copy of my report, but if not the file is in the top right drawer of my desk.” I said, the world slowly coming back into focus.

“Did you catch that?” Jarrett said into the crystal and he straightened and walked across the room. He was too far away now for me to hear the voice but after a few seconds he snapped his scry case shut, shoved it in his back pocket and came back to where I sat, my family hovering around me.

“Sam and Ian are at Rangel’s apartment right now, still trying to find leads to where Bokor took him, or even how Bokor got a hold of him. Sam is sending two Blades over to the Linton home, and will call in the City Guard to help canvas the city,” he told me.

“They won’t find them. We’ve been going over the city for days now. I’ve got to go…” I tried to stand but Anya was standing behind me and she put both hands on my shoulders and pushed me back down.

“You’ve got to go nowhere, big sister,” she said. “What you’ve got to do is sit there and get your bearings. You’re so upset you are vibrating. There’s a whole battalion of Blades and Guards out looking for that little girl. They’ll find her.”

“She’s right,” Jarrett said, crouching in front of me again. “There are plenty of capable agents out there scouring the city. You need to sit tight here. He’s after you, Fee. If you are out there in the mix you will be a target, and a liability. If you were out there the agents around you would be focusing on protecting you, not finding Millie. Use your head Moon.” His words were firm, harsh even, but his voice was so tender and understanding it brought the tears I’d been holding back since the moment Leesa had said Millie was missing to the surface. My throat tightened and I nearly choked.

“But he has her, Jarrett! I should have went with him, and now he has that sweet little girl and I don’t know how to find her,” I raged, frustration clogging my throat and making the words come out strangled.

“Fee, you couldn’t go with him. You know that. He would have killed you and there is no way you would have been able to save Millie,” Jarrett took my hand and squeezed it gently.

He was right. I knew he was right. But every fiber in my being ached with the guilt of knowing that innocent young girl was out there, alone, with a lunatic. I might not have been able to save her if I’d went along with Bokor, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

“You’re right. I know that. I just. I need to be alone for a bit, need to gather my thoughts,” I said. What I needed to get out from other the pitying stares of my family. And, I needed some air.

“Oh, no you don’t, young lady. I will put a keep-in spell on every door and window in this joint. You are not going out there. Didn’t you hear what Jarrett said? You are this creep’s main target.” Pinky raged in his most fatherly tone, which could be quite comical coming out of his twenty year old visage.

I couldn’t help but smile, just a little. He knew me too well. But in truth, I hadn’t meant to try to leave, I just needed to escape to somewhere less crowded. “I’m not going to go anywhere, Pinky. I swear. I just need to get some air. I’m going to go up to the garden. I won’t sneak out.” I held up my little finger and waggled it like I had done as a child. “Pinky-swear.”

He smiled at me, grabbing my finger with his own and shaking it once. It was the most solemn promise in our family.

After hugging every member of my family, more for their peace of mind than mine, I climbed the stairs to the roof. Once I reached the mini-jungle River had created with plants and trees the real weight of everything that had happened hit me hard enough to double me over. I sat on the ground under a potted apple tree and let the tears flow freely. My body shook and my stomach and heart hurt and I wished, beyond anything else in the world, that Ian were there with me. But he was out working, doing his part to find the fiend that had murdered my friend and kidnapped an innocent girl, and it was selfish of me to wish for him to be there comforting me. So I sat there, completely alone, bawling, hugging myself, and feeling completely miserable and sorry for myself.

****

I’m not sure how long I sat there under the stars, surrounded by the exotic fragrances of River’s plants and flowers, and engrossed in my thoughts before Ian came up. An hour, perhaps two. I heard the roof door creak and, without looking, knew that it was Ian. River had already been up once to bring me a blanket and a pot of chamomile tea and a promise not to, or let anyone else, bother me until I was ready to come down. Like the pinky-swear, the rooftop sanctuary was sacred in our family. Pinky had always encouraged us to deal with our problems together, as a family. But it was understood that sometimes we needed a little alone time, so Rooftop Sanctuary had been created. Anytime any of us needed some time alone we just went up to River’s garden, and shut the door. We were allowed up to four hours of complete alone time. The only person allowed to break Sanctuary was River, and that was because it would break her heart if she couldn’t bring food, drink, and love to whichever one of us was hurting, angry, or confused.

I knew Ian wouldn’t know, or care about Sanctuary and no one downstairs would be able to keep him from coming up to me, if they even dare to try. It was funny how I could be so sure about that after just a few days of a relationship, but I did. Nothing would keep him from me tonight, not after everything that had happened today. He would want to comfort me, though I didn’t think there was any comfort to be had.

I didn’t move as he approached and sat beside me on the blanket I’d spread out across the dirty floor. He didn’t touch me, just sat quietly next to me as if waiting for me to break the silence and give him a sign that I either wanted him here, or to leave. We sat like that, both of us watching the stars, for a long time before I finally spoke.

“Did you find anything useful at Rangel’s apartment?” I asked, careful to keep my voice neutral, trying not to fall apart again.

“Unlike every other person that has been taken it looks like he was taken right from his apartment. It looks like he opened the door to whoever it was, then there was a struggle. Rangel is…was a big guy. There had to be at least two people. There was food on the counter that had gone bad, so we think he was taken several days ago. Probably the night before he scryed in sick.”

“Were there any witnesses?”

“No. No one we talked to tonight heard the struggle. There could be a sound deafening spell on the apartment, it’s not uncommon. But agents will make another round of the building tomorrow to talk to people that weren’t home today. I don’t hold out much hope. Everyone seemed to know Rangel was City Guard, if anyone had witnessed anything they would have reported it immediately.”

“So, none of “your kind” of witnesses either?” I asked, stealing a glance at him.

He smiled a little at my joke. “None that could tell me anything substantial. Strangely, Rangel had an energy ward on his apartment.”

I shrugged. “Not so strange. Rangel’s grandmother-or was it mother-one of them was a clairvoyant. Energy wards don’t just keep out spirits. They can’t stop someone from having visions about you, but they can keep powerful seers from, well, seeing into somewhere you want to keep private. We have one, too.”

He let out a small laugh. “I know, I can detect energy wards. I didn’t really think it was odd, I just figured you and Pinky were paranoid.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him, though it hurt my cheeks. “Well, we are.”

“Well, now I understand why Rangel had it. But back to your question, there is a very old spirit that lives in the building, and he remembers seeing two men guiding what looked to be a drunk man out of the building. But the spirit was very old, and weak. I took a great deal of my own energy to be able to communicate with him. I suspect he died over five hundred years ago. Anyway, he remembers seeing something, but not when. I’m not sure that was he saw was Rangel. When a spirit gets that old and faded, mortal time doesn’t really mean much to them anymore.”

“So, we are no closer to finding that asshole that we were yesterday?” I spat.

“I’m afraid not. But forensic mages are combing the apartment, and all of the hallways. If there is any evidence, even a speck, they will find it.” He said, and I knew he believed it. I believed it, too. At least I knew the Blades employed the most powerful mages in Appalachia. If there was anything to find, they would find it. But what if there was nothing to find, but even if there was, there was no proof it would be in time to do any good.

“We have to find her,” I said, finally bringing up what we had both been shying around. “She’s completely innocent in this, Ian.”

“I know, honey. We’ll find her.” Finally he put his arm around me, pulling to me up onto his lap so that he cradled me against his chest, his chin resting on my head.

The moment he touched me something broke inside me. The tension that had been coiled in my stomach let loose. I didn’t cry, I just kind of heaved, my breath coming in gasps as if I had been holding it for hours. I sank against him, getting as close as I could, as if I just got close enough to him he could fix everything, make every moment of the past day fade away and put everything to rights. When had this happened? When had he become my everything? My reason for being, for breathing? When had he slipped so far into the fiber of my being that I would never be rid of him?

He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth. “Shhh, baby, I’m here.”

“Hold me,” I said, sounding a little desperate. “Don’t let me go.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not letting you go. I’m not going anywhere,” he said into my hair.

It wasn’t true, I knew. Eventually he would have to let go, I would have to make him. We had jobs to do and we couldn’t do them hiding in a rooftop garden wrapped around each other. But for now, I needed this, needed him, more than I needed to breathe.

I turned my face up to him and our lips collided and instantly the kiss turned hot and needy. Without pulling away, I turned my body so that I was straddling him. His hands slid around me, cupping my ass and pulling me close. I could feel the hot, hardening length of him pushing against my center, despite the layers of clothes. I pressed down against him, liquid heat welling up inside me.

As our mouths licked and tasted each other, I pushed his suspenders off his shoulders and pulled his shirt out of his pants almost frantically. Ian pulled back, breaking the kiss just long enough to help me pull the shirt over his head. He pulled me back to him, his hands working to free me of my own shirt as my hands roamed his bare torso. The muscles of his back flexed and worked under my hands.

Then, without me realizing how it happened, I was naked from the waist up and our bare skin pressed together. His chest hair teased my nipples into tight, almost painful, little buds. I clutched at him, wanting to melt into him. “Ian, make love to me, please,” I gasped out as he took one nipple into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth.

“No, now. Please, I need you inside me,” I pleaded. Need vibrated through my body. I didn’t want, or need preliminaries. I needed him inside me, filling me, pushing out everything else but the feel of him, the feel of the two of us together.

“Shhh, honey. I want to make sure you are ready,” he said, his face still pressed against my breast.

I pushed back from him, leaned up enough to unbutton my pants and push them down my hips. I grabbed his hand and pushed it against the damp curls at the apex of my thighs. “I am ready,” I gasped as his finger slipped into my slick, heated depths.

“Fiona.” My name came out in a half growl as he pulled me down to him, recapturing my mouth with his, kissing me with the same needy urgency I felt. He maneuvered us until I was lying on the blanket and he was kneeling above me. He broke the kiss again and leaned up to pull my pants off. Then he stood and divested himself of his own boots and pants and knelt back between my knees.

“Hmm, this ground is a little rough,” he said, distractedly. Instead of settling between my legs as I wanted he lay down beside me. But, before I could protest, he pulled me on top of him. “I don’t want you to scrape up your back.”

I barely registered the words as I slid across him, my sex finding his, almost instinctively. I raised up over him, then slowly pushed down, until I had taken him all in. I savored the stretched, utterly full feeling for a moment before I began to rock against him.

“Fiona,” Ian gasped again, pulling me down so that he could wrap his arms tight around me. I slid my hands up under his arms, clutching at his shoulders as we moved together. The frantic urgency of a moment before was gone. Now we rocked together in a slow, steady rhythm, as if we both wanted to draw this moment out, make it last as long as possible. At least, it was what I wanted.

I wanted that moment to last forever. I wanted his arms around me, my body wrapped around his, the two of us joined with our bodies and our energies melding together. I wanted that for eternity.

But nothing lasts forever. We rocked together like that, for a long time, the heat and tension building, until every fiber of my being cried out for release. I pushed up until I was over him again, I leaned back, bracing my hands on his thighs and began to move, harder and faster with every stroke. His hands slid up my thighs, over my belly and cupped my breasts. He pulled and teased the nipples causing me to cry out. Then, he let his hands roam again, down my sides to rest at my hips, grasping them as I rode him.

Ian pushed his hips up, meeting me with every thrust, until both our breaths were coming in ragged gasps. My body turned to fire, the place where our bodies joined the white hot center. Every muscle tensed and coiled, every nerve burned and I drove on, faster and harder, until finally the last thread of sanity broke and white hot light burst behind my eyes pushing me off the cliff into a pool of wave after wave of pure pleasure. I felt rather than heard Ian’s groan as he bucked under, his hands digging into my hips as he thrust hard into me as his own climax rolled over him.