Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance (12 page)

As Jett turned to go back into
the house, Ella stepped in front of him. “You
will
give
us the signal,” she said sternly.

“
I will. But now, I
want to gather as much information about these rogues as I can.”
Jett motioned for a small group of Enforcers to follow him. “Come
on, we have work to do.”

Bryn opened her eyes with a
groan. She worked her jaw, opening and closing her mouth to check
that her jaw hadn't been dislocated. Her nose no longer hurt when
she wiggled it. She blinked, and realized that she wasn't peering
through a slit. She was seeing fine. Her eyes weren't swollen and
bleeding. Her cracked bones had mended and her wounds had all
knitted shut. She had healed pretty quickly, all things considered.

“
Elliott,” she
spat. That was the vampire's name. She'd heard the other rogues
egging him on when he beat her to a bloody pulp.

Elliott had misted her into an
old crumbling building at the fringe of the city. When she stumbled
out from the mist, Bryn found herself in a closed circle of sneering
vampires, weres, demons, warlocks and humans. She took quick, sharp
breaths and scented four human males in their midst. She scanned the
circle of rogues and found the humans easily. They were four
rough-looking men, with tattoos and scars snaking down their thick
arms. They were standing at the front of the crowd, staring at her
with cruel, smug smiles.

What were humans doing with
rogue paranormals?

What were they so smug about?

What did they want with her?

At least she could understand
why the rogue paranormals wanted her. She was an Enforcer. She
hunted them.

The hunted had turned on the
hunter.

But humans?

She protected humans against
rogues. Shouldn't they be on her side?

The humans were leering at
her, whistling softly and molesting her with their eyes. Bryn tried
to pull her tiny t-shirt down. She was still in her sleep clothes, a
small t-shirt and striped pajama pants. And—she wasn't wearing
a bra.

Bryn folded her arms across
her chest, and turned away. The paranormals saw her as an adversary,
and she had no doubt that they would kill her and decapitate her.
That was what they did to the other Enforcers.

But with the humans, she
sensed a personal motive.

They would hurt her, humiliate
her, ravage her completely before they killed her.

They were here for revenge.

Bryn could feel the men's eyes
roving all over her body. They were the only ones seeing her as a
woman.

The paranormals saw her as an
enemy, an Enforcer.

But the humans saw her as a
female. Someone's female.

Bryn jerked suddenly.

Jett.

They wanted revenge, against
Jett.

Bryn knew, without a doubt,
that they would hurt her, to hurt Jett.

Elliott still had the black
mask over his eyes. His red eyes shone in the dark as he stepped
into the circle and loomed over her. Bryn backed away, still
pressing her hand to the wound in her neck.

She was in no condition to
fight him right now. Through the buzzing in her ears, she could hear
jeers and laughter. Everything was beginning to spin around her.
The jumble of voices grew louder and more frenzied. They were
chanting, and she saw excitement and anticipation on those laughing
faces.

The first blow smashed into
her stomach and she doubled over, too weak from blood loss to fight
back.

She tried to fend off the
attacks but Elliott was misting around her, disorientating her as he
kicked her again and again. Blood spurted from her nose when Elliott
materialized suddenly in front of her and punched her hard in the
face.

Bryn tried to block him, but
his movements were much too quick. She blinked in the suffocating
mist, and felt blow after blow rain down on her. Elliott moved in
and out of the mist in a blur, his nails tearing into her skin. Bryn
twisted away just in time to prevent an eyeball from being gouged
out.

She fought back, lashing out
blindly and managed to sink her fangs into a thick wrist.

She heard Elliott bellow in
rage and pain. Another blow landed on her cheek, and she heard the
sickening crack of bone.

She tried to blink the blood
out of her eyes. But there was just too much blood. It felt as
though her face had split open and blood and gore was just oozing out
of every orifice.

Bryn slumped to the ground,
and the attack finally ceased. She forced her eye open a crack to
see Elliott plucking her watch from her wrist. He aimed her watch at
her and snapped a photograph.

“
Beauty,” was all
he said.

The last thing she saw was the
door slamming shut after they had dragged her across the floor and
thrown her into a small, dark room.

Bryn blinked rapidly in the
darkness, her vision sharpening with each blink. She hadn't been
moved from that small room. Elliott had knocked her out and left her
here. She groaned softly. How long had she been out?

She touched her neck, and
found a ridged line at the side of her neck. Her horrendous wound
had healed, and she was feeling stronger. She couldn't have healed
so fast, not with her massive blood loss.

She swallowed and tasted blood
on her tongue. She jerked up with a gasp. Someone had given her
blood.

She twisted round and saw her
grandmother huddled on the floor behind her with her eyes closed. A
dirty rag had been stuffed into her mouth.

“
Nana!”

Bryn scrambled to her
grandmother and tugged the gag out of her mouth. Nana immediately
gulped in a mouthful of air and her eyelids fluttered open.

With her fang, she quickly cut
the rope around Nana's ankles. Her grandmother managed a weak smile.

“
Bryn...”

“
Are you okay, Nana? Do
you feel...”

“
I'm fine, Bryn,”
Nana answered with a feeble wave.

Bryn narrowed her eyes at her
grandmother. “I smell blood.”

“
They didn't hurt me.”

“
They gagged you and
tied you up! Those bastards! I'll make them pay...”

“
Ha!” Nana
smirked. “They had to gag me to shut me up. I told them what
they needed to hear. And when they didn't listen, I slapped them
over the head good and proper. I think I kicked one of them in the
nuts, too! I made them pay, all right!”

“
You didn't!”
Bryn pretended to be appalled. “That's hitting below the
belt.”

Nana chuckled, then coughed.
Worried, Bryn tried to check Nana for injuries but her grandmother
pulled away and closed her fist adamantly.

Bryn eyed Nana's trembling
fist. What was Nana trying to hide from her?

Bryn pretended to turn away
for a moment, then made a sudden grab at her grandmother's quivering
hand. There was a deep cut across Nana's palm.

“
Nana!” Bryn
gasped. “You...you gave me your blood!”. Her
grandmother had cut open her palm and bled into Bryn's mouth while
she was unconscious. “How could you...”

“
And why can't I?”
Nana's belligerent tone matched hers. “Why can't I give my
granddaughter some of my blood? You be a good girl now, and take
some more.” Nana pointed at her own neck. “You need to
keep up your strength so you can get us out of here.”

“
Nana, I already took
your blood. I won't take any more!”

“
Oh? And why is that?
Is my blood too old and stale for you? I know I won't die from your
bite, Bryn. You'll have to drain me to kill me, and you won't drain
me. You can't kill me, Bryn. I'm tough.” Nana gave her a
withering look. “Or maybe that's why you won't bite me. You
can't. My wrinkled old hide is too tough for your baby fangs. Bah!”

“
I feeling fine, Nana.
Really really.”

Bryn shook her head and Nana
huffed loudly. She sat down cross-legged beside her grandmother and
put her head on her grandmother's shoulder.

“
I saw about fifty or
more mean-looking people out there,” Nana began as she stroked
Bryn's hair. “They didn't hurt me. They just locked me up in
this dingy little storeroom. But they hurt you bad.” Nana's
voice shook. “Who are these people, Bryn? Do you know them?
Have you been mixing with...”

“
They're rogues, Nana.
We hunt them. Enforcers hunt these rogue paranormals down and
destroy them. These rogues abuse their paranormal powers, using them
to hurt and terrorize the innocent civilians of the city.”

“
Me,” Nana piped
up. “I'm an innocent civilian. I was just in my kitchen,
minding my own business. And they came charging into my home and
attacked me! Lousy brutes!”

Bryn smiled. “Yes.
That's what they do. They hurt the innocent. And they do it because
they can. They just take what they want, and do what they want. And
they hurt people.”

“
So...they dragged you
here and beat you up because you're an Enforcer? Are they going to
kill you?”

Bryn straightened up. “You
know, Nana. I didn't tell you about the murders before because I
didn't want you to worry.” She blew out a breath and said
quickly, “Just this month, three Enforcers were found murdered.
Two were killed while they were on patrol, and one was murdered in
his own home. Their bodies were eaten. Only their heads were left.”
She paused, but Nana gestured for her to go on.
Get to the
point.
“I think if they wanted to kill me, they would have
done it already. They would have eaten me and left my head on my
pillow, in my bed. As a message to the other Enforcers.”

“
But they didn't,”
Nana said shrewdly.

“
I think...”

“
...that we're being
used as bait,” they said together.

“
These rogues are
setting a trap for your friends,” Nana said, pounding her fist.
“Gotta warn them.”

“
Yeah. They...I think
they're after Jett. I heard some of them laughing and hissing his
name while that vampire was beating me to a bloody pulp.”

“
Jett? Jett Riley?
Your boss.”

Bryn nodded.

Nana was quiet for a moment.
“These rogues took me, to scare you. They can hurt me, to hurt
you. And they hurt you...to hurt Jett. You...are important to
Jett,” Nana said slowly.

Bryn gulped. “No. I'm
nothing to him. He doesn't...want me,” she whispered into the
dark.

Bryn felt Nana's hand over her
heart. “Is that what you feel?” Nana asked softly.

Bryn closed her eyes. That
wasn't what she felt at all. When he kissed her and held her, she
had felt his raw, burning want and hunger. He wanted her, craved
her, desired her, so intensely, so fiercely, so painfully.

I can only dream, and
crave, and hunger...but I can never have. I can never have you,
Bryn.

Bryn turned to stare into her
grandmother's knowing, understanding eyes.

Nana touched her cheek lightly
and leaned back against the wall. “You said the rogues do what
they want, take what they want and destroy precious, innocent lives,
simply because they can. There is no restraint, no discipline, no
respect, no love.”

“
But if you love and
cherish someone, if you value her life more than you value your own,
you will do anything and everything to keep her safe. You will not
take what you want, when you want. If keeping her at a distance will
keep her safe, then that's what you'll do.”

“
Nana...”

“
Your boss has many
enemies, Bryn,” Nana went on, gesturing in the dark. “All
those rogues outside want his head. It's a dangerous job, leading
the Enforcers, spearheading the hunt against these big bad rogues.”

Bryn screwed up her face.
“Well, I...”

“
You're doing a fine job
too,” Nana said, peering at her. “You have a very
dangerous job, a very important job. You serve and protect the city.
I'm proud of you, Bryn.”

“
I'm proud of you too,
Nana. For slapping and kicking those rogues!” Bryn jerked her
thumb at the door. “Once we're sprung, you go out there and
slap them around again! Strike fast, strike hard.” That was
what Jett always told them. “Aim for their eyes,” she
advised. “And their nuts.”

Nana laughed and cracked her
knuckles. “Ooh, I can hardly wait. I'm relishing the chance
to fight alongside my grandson-in-law!”

“
What?” Bryn
spluttered. “He's not...”

“
Oh, I think I hear him
already.” Nana cupped her hand to her ear. “Jett has
come for you. About time too!” Nana stretched and sniffed
loudly. “He's late!”

Jett stood in front of the
rambling, rundown building that used to be a brothel. The name of
the brothel could still be read on a crumbling signboard above the
entrance—Hell. Jett looked at the peeling paint on the walls
and the broken windows. Hell brought back too many memories, too
many regrets.