Alphas on the Prowl (8 page)

Chapter One

Kensi ran shaky hands through her coppery red curls as she pushed down the bile rising in her throat from the fear wracking her mind and body in rolling waves. Her reflection in the mirror seemed like a stranger to her. The fake eyelashes surrounding her sky blue orbs, a thick layer of makeup hiding her freckles and flaws, and sparkling body paint - the only thing covering her nakedness, all seemed alien to her. This was the only way she could go through with her plan. She told herself the world wouldn’t see her, they’d see a fantasy image of a girl that didn’t exist instead of Kensi McKenna, struggling college student needing to escape a future that held nothing but pain and suffering.

She slipped on the red sequined dress and knee high stiletto boots over black fishnet stocking-clad shapely calves leading up to slender thighs. She wasn’t extremely skinny, but she had the athletic body of a dancer with one minor exception, the larger than average chest size. It messed with her center of gravity, but she adapted nicely. Next she fiddled with the position of the long black wig hiding her signature red hair. The wig strategically hung past her breasts which would be the only cover she had from onlookers as she danced tonight. The new image of an unrecognizable person that reflected upon the silver glass surface of the full length mirror smiled wickedly as her costumed appearance fell into place.

A small level of satisfaction over the success of her new image began to make her feel easier, and more certain no one would recognize her, even her brother and sister would find it difficult spotting her in a crowd. Doubt crept in again. She wasn’t going to be hidden amongst people. Her body was going to be on display for all the world to ogle. The thought made her sick and almost sent her running from the club. She forced down the rising bile which caused a burning sensation in her chest and the back of her throat. Taking a deep breathe she told herself,
‘I can do this
!’ It was becoming her mantra;.a simple chant she said over and over again to force positive beliefs into her psyche.
I have to do this
. She had bills to pay. If she was going to escape the terrifying fate in store for her here she needed the funds to afford her tuition and to pay for transportation out of this tiny Oregon town. Dancing at the Bayside Beauties was the only way she was going to get out, and she needed to run far, far away from this place. There was no way in hell she was going to become an assassin as her family insisted. She’d die first.

“You’re up in five, Kensi.” Jacklyn, the nightclub manager, snapped from the doorway.

Kensi turned to Jacklyn, forcing down another bout of stage fright in the form of nausea. Jacklyn was not necessarily the nicest woman for which to work. Kensi guessed it was because she was in her mid-forties, and age was stealing away her youth and beauty. This was compounded by the fact that she was surrounded by all the pretty young girls she employed as dancers at the club. If rumor was true, Jacklyn was one of the best dancers this club ever had. But her days of glory were over. Wrinkles on her skin from living a hard life made her look matronly, but took away her vibrancy. Her body was still in great shape, a sign of a true dancer, but keeping up with the younger women was difficult. It was the cold, hard truth of reality, and figuring out her motivations was basic Psychology 101. “Thank you, Jacklyn.”

The pretty, older woman offered a tight nod and turned to leave. Instead of walking away, she stopped as though she had an afterthought. Jacklyn took three long strides toward Kensi. The jasmine scent of her strong perfume made Kensi’s stomach roll again, but she swallowed hard past the lump. Jacklyn’s fingers flipped the black wig tresses behind Kensi’s shoulders and straightened her dress sleeve in a motherly manner. “Remember, you’re Siren’s Song out there, not Kensi. Siren is a strong, proud woman who eats men for dinner. Don’t show your fear, they’ll see it and it’ll ruin the illusion.”

Kensi appreciated the encouragement and nodded, “I’m playing a character.” Her smile spread across her lips as she slipped into the character of Siren’s Song. Her mantra playing over and over again like a broken record in her mind. 

“That’s right. You’ll do wonderfully.” Jacklyn walked away. Shouting from halfway down the hall, she said, “three minutes” over her shoulder as she retreated.

Kensi took one last look in the mirror and took a deep breath.
It’s now or never.
Each time she repeated her affirmation strength flowed into her body. She could, and would, do this. She had to earn the money for college and leave this town, and she had two months to do it otherwise she’d be stuck here forever.

Her feet started walking to the side stage. She couldn’t remember giving them the command, but she made it to the stage just as her music intro started and Jacklyn spoke into the microphone. “Please welcome Siren Song to the stage for her debut dance.”

The crowd cheered her entrance and fueled her strength. ‘
I can do this
.’

Her body started moving to the music on instinct more than conscious thought. She was dancing, performing, and playing a character. The lights blinded her to the crowd’s faces. The music carried her, her character taking over, her fear melting away as her imagination took her away from her reality. She was aware of the stage, but the audience didn’t exist anymore. Her leg wrapped around the pole, and her body contorted in the ways her choreography called for. Sounds from the crowd told her they were soaking up her smiles and every sexual movement she made. When the dress fell from her shoulders revealing her naked body covered with intricate body paint that glowed under the black light the money fell like crazy on the stage. Men lined up to place dollars in her G-string panties that matched the body paint perfectly and gave the illusion of complete nudity. She was no longer Kensi, she’d effectively morphed into Siren’s Song and she was eating the men for dinner.

*****

Tremaine MacGregor entered the club looking for the spunky brunette dream weaver known as Mariah McKenna. The oracle told him the woman worked at this club. It would be an easy bounty, so easy he decided to take the challenge on his own. His family members had other things on their plate, especially Connor and Lee who were on their honeymoon. Besides, the oracle singled him out with the additional helpful information so he had a head start on the other hunters.

It helped that he understood dream weavers. They weren’t known to be tough in this world. It was in the sleep realm where they possessed their power, not the waking one. He’d capture her and rush her to the portal that would allow him to deliver her to the Tribunal. He’d face their anger at not following instructions at the time of delivery. He wasn’t a killer, he was a hunter, and he wasn’t going to take her life just because the order was for her head.

As a dragon shifter, he was uniquely suited to hunt this predator. He didn’t need to sleep as much as many of the other races so staying awake while delivering the package would be easy. It was the kill order that made him wary of the whole thing. It wasn’t like the Tribunal to order hits. They were about justice and giving people their time in court.  

He wasn’t disputing how dangerous she was. Mariah’s race was the worst of the worst in the assassin world. They killed victims without remorse or discrimination. But there was a need for them in the supernatural world, and had she kept her business in the paranormal and not in the human realm, the Tribunal would’ve never put a bounty on her head. But when she was named responsible for one unsanctioned human death she became public enemy number one in the Tribunal’s mind.

His eyes barely noticed the girl dancing on the stage or the topless waitresses flitting around the bar room insuring the men, and women patrons were heavily numbed by alcoholic beverages. He was only focused on finding his killer. The smoking atmosphere filled his lungs and left his stomach queasy. As a dragon he had his own fire and smoke in his body, and it was void of unhealthy chemicals. The music held an exotic beat which called to his inner beast. He glanced around with curiosity at the lost souls mesmerized by the show on the stage. It was like he’d entered an alternate dimension, and he wondered if the performer on the stage or the musician who created the song was a witch or siren of some sort.

When the crowd roared its appreciation, his attention was drawn back to the stage. His eyes locked with the woman dancing and he felt as though he’d been run over by a two ton truck. His heart raced, the world spun out of control, and time stood still. In that instant, he knew she was his mate. His dragon clawed under the surface of his skin, talons aching to reach out and snatch her from the eyes of the patrons staring at her almost nude body. She was magic on the stage and she had the patrons eating out of her hands. Money was falling on the stage floor, but when a portly man reached up to place the cash in the girl’s G-string, he lost it. The only hands he wanted to see near her naked body were his.

He rushed toward the stage, his bounty forgotten. Primal instinct taking over, the need to cover her up his only focus. A bouncer twice his human size stepped in front of him, blocking him from his destination. His fist shot out and cracked against the bouncer’s face with enough surprise force that the man fell backwards, and Trey jumped up on the stage. His need to cover his mate unbelievably strong.

Kensi didn’t catch the commotion until she came face to face with a man of gigantic proportions, long dark hair tied back loosely in a leather band and piercing sapphire eyes. Her heart stuttered as she stumbled backwards and felt her foot give out. She experienced a moment of freefall before she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her against his hard body. When she was upright, she found her lips inches from his own and fought off the urge to crush her lips to his.

Everywhere he touched was on fire with sparks of passion, but her mind was raging with anger at his behavior. The two emotions blended well together like her morning smoothie and created a reaction in her body. The need to flee was overpowering the desire to fight and her mind sent commands to her extremities, but logic tried to intervene, pointing out she wasn’t strong enough, or fast enough to evade this man.

She looked around frantically searching for the bouncers. One was knocked out in front of the stage and two more were heading her way. The music stopped, and everyone around them seemed to be moving in slow motion. Screams broke out as people started realizing what was happening around them.

Trey wrapped his enormous leather jacket around Kensi’s shoulders, which engulfed her. Then he pulled her toward the edge of the stage. She fought back in an attempt to escape, but his grip was firm and unyielding.

“Let go of me!” She hissed.

“Never!” He snapped as he pulled her off the stage with one quick movement and tossed her over his shoulder. Another bouncer approached him, but he used the force of his bicep to drop the assailant and spun around aiming Kensi’s booted feet at the second bouncer’s head, smiling with satisfaction when he heard the crunch of a boot hitting a solid jaw. Knowing these men were watching her dance moments before only made the action more gratifying.

The woman on his shoulder fought against him. She wasn’t a shifter, but she was a supernatural. Did she not recognize him as her mate? He could feel the strength in her thighs as she squirmed to get free from his grip. Her movements only served to drive his desire to higher levels. He felt the pressure of his erection push against the zipper of his pants. Being this close to her was excruciatingly painful, in a good way. He just couldn’t understand why she hadn’t recognized their connection.

He knew it the moment his eyes locked on hers – he knew from the insanity and rage he felt from all the men that watched her painted body wiggle to the music in her seductive way.
Gods, please don’t let my mate be a succubus
, he thought as he headed toward the neon exit sign. Her actions left him no option but to steal her away from the crowd. Connor had told him meeting his mate would be like a punch to the gut. The bastard wasn’t kidding.

He’d have to wait until she felt the connection too, and he wasn’t going to let his furious vixen leave until she did. The fear that she’d run was too great at this point. He could feel the anger vibrating off her in waves. Logic was starting to settle in over the insanity that took over. He knew he’d acted rashly, and she wasn’t going to easily forgive him for his actions. It would take some cooling off.

He placed her in the black SUV rental and spoke some words over the door seal, locking her in. Sometimes having minor magic came in handy. He’d let her begin that cooling stage while he went back in to find his target. “When you calm down you’ll better understand what is going on,” he told her through the sealed door. “I’ll be back shortly.” And with that he turned and headed back into the strip club.

Chapter Two

Kensi fought with the door trying desperately to escape the prison she suddenly found herself locked in.
What the hell was happening? Seriously!
Who was the brute that captured her? She slammed her hands against the window until they hurt! Screamed, “Let me out!” until her voice went hoarse. In all her twenty-three years she’d never been treated so disrespectfully, and that was saying a lot when one considered the family she came from and the jobs they did for the supernatural world. She slid from door to door checking the handles with no escape. The back doors were the same. She was trapped. By the Gods, how the hell did she get herself into this mess? And why did her captor have to be so gorgeous?

The man was like sex on a stick, a massively muscled stick.
Stop it, Kensi! The only reason my mind is on sex is because I was just dancing, I was in the zone.
But she couldn’t ignore the fact that his touch set her on fire, his glare made her heart stutter, and his masculine cedar scent zigzagged down her neurons and left her dizzy with anticipation. None of that mattered. The man just abducted her.

She closed her eyes and decided it was time to call in some help. Her sister, Mariah, would find a way to get her out of this mess. Too bad she wasn’t working tonight. It meant she’d be across town. She just hoped she could reach her and give her enough time to find her before the caveman returned.

Kensi closed her eyes and slipped into the dream realm quickly. Her body slumped into a comfortable sleeping position in the passenger seat of the vehicle. The DNA of Dream Weavers made it easy to go into a sleeping trance and disconnect the soul from the body without the need of a tether. Once the body and soul separated, Weavers easily transport themselves to other realms. For most humans it takes hours to fall into the deep REM sleep that brings about dreams, but as a dream demon, she had almost instant access to the realm, just as Mariah would be able to hear her call even if she wasn’t sleeping at the moment.

All she had to do was connect to the universal Akashic records and use the hall as a microphone system to connect with her sister. And if she couldn’t reach her, she’d look for her brother, Chase. He was her last choice. They weren’t close, but if she needed him, he’d be there, just as she would for him. She just didn’t feel like owing him. The currency of a demon was bargaining, and he was very good at it. He always collected his debts without a care as to who he hurt.

She followed the energy of the Akashic Records gateway, and allowed the warmth of the hall to engulf her and carry her to the secret realm. As the warm energy surrounded her she felt the weightlessness of flying.

Within moments, a new world built itself around her. She found herself in the middle of a massive library. The floors were marble, the walls were covered in books of massive size holding data from every year since the beginning of time including highlights of history and even major time points of the future. She walked past the main room taking note of how empty the hall was. In general, the place was usually full of souls, some good, some bad - from all different types of supernatural and even some enlightened humans. Today, the records hall was like stepping into a cavern. If she spoke aloud she’d be afraid her voice would echo back at her. Redirecting her focus to her current predicament she made her way to one of the branch rooms. Once the door was closed behind her she was able to pick up a phone and call her sister.

*****

Trey made his way back into the strip club, only this time the bouncers were ready for him. He held his hands up in surrender, and allowed them to lead him to the office in the back of the club. The man sitting behind the oak desk was cutting a green apple with a sharp knife and feeding himself in between words. “So you’re the man that disrupted my nightclub.”

Trey nodded, “I am. I’m looking for Mariah.”

The man with greasy black hair chewing on the apple laughed. “You come here, tear up my club, disrupt my business, kidnap one of my girls and then have the balls to make demands to me?”

“I’ll ask again. Where is Mariah?” Trey stared without emotion at the man and his two lackey bouncers. They looked dangerous, but they were simply mortals, and were no competition to a dragon shifter.

The head guy threw his apple and knife across the room. The knife stuck into the dark chipped painted drywall. Slowly he stood, never taking his eyes off Trey. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

The bouncers pulled out semi-automatic handguns and pointed them at Trey’s head.

Trey offered a cocky grin. “Sure I do. I’m talking to a glorified pimp.”

“Can I shoot him, Lazeros?” The dark skinned bouncer asked.

“I run a legal business here!” Lazeros slammed his fist on the desk.

“Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s a good business.” Trey kept a stoic eye on the man.

“My club fills a need. Without it, there’d be more sexual crimes on the streets.”

Trey choked back a laugh. “If you believe that, you’re delusional. Your club offers up young woman as an appetizer. They get the deviants revved up, leave them running without a driver, and as a result the crimes still occur.”

“Your argument has no importance here.” Lazeros looked around at his henchmen, “none of us cares about your opinion.”

“So I return to my original request. Where is Mariah?”

Lazeros rolled his eyes. “Christ, man, you’re like a dog with a bone.”

Trey waited patiently, refusing to engage in his insults.

Lazeros slowly walked over to the knife he threw across the room. He pulled the dagger out of the wall and stalked back stopping inches in front of Trey. “Maybe I should just slit your throat.”

Trey laughed derisively. “You can try.”

Lazeros examined Trey. “You’re a cocky bastard.” After a few moments of silence, he chuckled. “I think I like you. Too bad I can’t help you.” He walked back to his seat behind the desk.

“Can’t or won’t?”

Lazeros shrugged, “both I guess. Mariah quit last night. However, you did accost her sister. Perhaps she can help you.”

“The dancer?”

“Kensi, yes. She took Mariah’s place on my stage.” Lazeros smiled. “I’m sure with the first impression you made on the girl she’ll be willing to help you.”

Trey pulled out his wallet and placed a couple hundred on the desk. “For any damages I may have caused,” then he turned to leave.

“You want us to take care of him, boss?” One of the bouncers asked.

“No, he has enough problems on his hands.” The chuckle followed Trey as he left.

“You can say that again.” Trey mumbled as he made his way out of the club.