Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance (13 page)

Jett knew this place well.
Hell was a brothel that was run by his old gang, Hellraisers. It had
been lucrative business for the gang. The brothel could rake in tens
of thousands of dollars in a single night. But everything had gone
up in smoke one night. A police raid, a fire, and Hell was wiped out
in a blink.

Jett stared at the cracked,
abandoned building that had once been overflowing with wealthy
patrons. The smell of wine and perfume had wafted through its doors,
beckoning, welcoming, enticing.

The gray building loomed over
him, like a prehistoric fossil, a relic from his past.

His past wasn't nice and
clean. It was rough, dirty and mean. He had done things he wasn't
proud of. He had crossed swords with too many people in his past,
made too many enemies.

He had always known that his
past and his present would one day collide.

And the collision would have
devastating consequences.

He hadn't wanted Bryn to get
caught in the clash when the day came.

He'd thought that by keeping
her away from his world, from himself, she would not be dragged into
his hell.

He'd wanted her far away from
his past and his enemies. He thought he could keep her safe, by
keeping her away.

Mistake.

He should have kept her close.

Jett glanced down at his watch
and switched it to silent mode. The PAC members and the Enforcers
were all standing by, waiting for his signal.

The Council and his Enforcers
were all behind him, but he couldn't let them sacrifice their lives.

This trap was meant for him.

The killers had severed the
heads of his Enforcers and left them as a message to him.

They would devour the body,
and take out the Head.

We will take you out, Jett
Riley.

Jett stood at the crumbling
doorway and frowned into the dark, immense hall. The glowing hall
had once been filled with opulent furnishings but now all that
remained were dust and shadows.

Silently, Jett stepped over
the threshold and walked up the curved stairs to the second floor.
He could feel at least a dozen eyes on him, but he didn't turn
around. He just kept walking up the stairs steadily, his senses on
full alert. He took in every detail of his surroundings, his eyes
moving quickly through the shifting shadows.

He sensed the overwhelming
presence of vampires and weres in the building. There may be a few
demons, warlocks and witches in the mix, but a large number of this
band of rogues were vamps and weres.

He knew they were watching
him, but they weren't about to attack. Not yet.

He kept climbing up the wide,
dusty steps. The second floor was empty, and those eyes just watched
him in silence. They wanted him to go all the way up to the third
story, the top floor of the building.

He picked up low murmurs and
scuttling movements. He watched the moving shadows out of the corner
of his eyes and listened to their frenzied whispers. He shook his
head subtly. These rogues couldn't even keep still and quiet for a
moment. But that was to be expected.

Rogues lacked discipline and
focus. Paranormals turned rogue when they couldn't control their
beast and their appetites. They lacked the discipline and will to
harness their powers and control their impulses. They simply
rampaged through the city, robbing and ravaging, causing death and
destruction.

They were dangerous, but they
could be defeated. They might be strong physically, but mentally and
emotionally, they were weak. The rogues might possess paranormal
abilities, but without training and focus, their powers languished.
Rogues were savage monsters, but he knew their weaknesses. They were
arrogant, complacent and cruel.

Jett stood at the top of the
stairs and saw the sky darken completely through a cracked window.
There was no moon tonight. Some weres shifted uncontrollably into
their beasts upon the full moon, and Jett was glad he didn't have to
face these animals tonight. The full moon sometimes brought out the
animals in his Enforcers, and he would be called down to extricate
some hot-headed Enforcers from brawls and fights.

Jett stood in front of a
towering arch framing the cavernous hall on the top floor.

He took a step forward, and
said, “Knock, knock.”

There were sniggers but no one
responded.

“
Oh, come on!”
Jett threw out his arms. “You're supposed to say: who's there!
You guys are no fun!”

He tut-tutted loudly and
waited.

“
Hello, Jett.”
Four men stepped out from the shadows.

Jett turned around slowly, and
smiled. “Well, hello Garth, Howie, Keith, Layton.” He
addressed each of the four men in turn. “It's been a long
time.”

“
It's been ten years,”
Garth said, walking towards him, tapping a long knife against his
torn jeans. “Ask us what we've been doing with ourselves these
ten years. Go on. Ask!”

Jett looked his old gang
leader in the eye and said, “How are you, Garth?”

Garth shrugged his broad
shoulders. “Pretty good. Been getting some sun in the yard.
The wardens allow us to roam around the yard for an hour every day.
And prison food is just swell!” He kissed his fingers. “Life
in prison was pretty good. Wouldn't you say, boys? It's been ten
good years.”

The three men spread out to
surround Jett. “And it's all thanks to you, Jett,” Howie
grunted.

“
I gave you a chance. I
warned you, repeatedly,” Jett said evenly.

“
No! You sold us out!”
Layton growled. “You became a police officer, and you busted
us. We never thought you'd turn on us, Jett.”

“
I told you to stop
dealing in those drugs. They were harmful. Many people died. I
warned you so many times,” Jett answered with a sigh.

“
You are a traitor!”
Keith spat.

“
And how do we handle
traitors in the gang?” Garth cocked his head, and bared his
stained, crooked teeth in a smile.

“
We kill them!”

Garth gave a shrug. “You
know the rules, Jett. Traitors are set upon by gang members and
hacked to death. Their deaths cannot be too quick. They have to be
punished. They have to feel the pain of every cut, every slice,
every gash. That is how you deal with traitors. Don't you remember,
Jett?”

Jett swallowed, but he kept
his gaze steady. “We've all made mistakes. And we've paid for
our mistakes. But we all have a choice, a chance. Now is your
chance. You are free now. You are free to choose. Don't repeat
your mistakes. You are free.” Jett glanced towards the
shifting shadows behind them. “And these rogues that you're
associating with, they are not your friends. They are using you,
until they have no use for you. Then they will kill you. Drain you,
eat you, grind your bones to make their spells...” Jett shook
his head. “Walk away now. Be free.” He exhaled and
added softly, “Be alive.”

Garth snarled and lunged at
him, swinging his knife. “Kill him!”

Jett stepped to the side as
the blade whistled past his ear. His former gang members attacked
with sheer brute strength. They were blinded by rage, and their
attack was unwieldy and uncoordinated. It was how the gang used to
fight. That was how he used to fight. Madly and foolishly. No
thought, no plan, no control. Rage and ego made a man stupid. Jett
had been stupid before. He was done with stupid.

Grabbing Garth and Howie's
outstretched arms, he jerked them hard towards each other and their
momentum carried them forward into each other's arms. They collided
and tangled in a heap on the ground.

Swiftly, he kicked their
knives out of their hands and ducked just as Layton came charging up
from behind. Jett spun round and wrapped his arms around Layton's
neck. Keith was stabbing his blade in the air, trying to get at
Jett, but Layton was in the way. All Jett needed to do was give
Layton a hard push, and he would fall directly onto Keith's blade.
But that wasn't what he wanted to do. He didn't want to kill his old
gang members even if they wanted to kill him.

They had served time. They
had paid for their crimes. They deserved a fresh start, not death.

Jett wanted to haul them out
of the building by the scruff of their necks and throw them out onto
the street. If they got out now, they could still get away from the
rogues, and escape with their lives.

“
Go,” Jett said.
Garth and Howie had picked themselves up and were advancing towards
him. Jett shoved Layton forcefully towards them, and faced the four
men squarely. “This is not your fight. Go now!” he told
them.

“
Traitor,” Garth
snarled. “You will die, tonight.”

Jett smirked.
Maybe. But
not at your hands.

His old gang members circled
him, wanting to spill his blood. Jett held himself still, his eyes
watching the darkness behind them.

The true predators lurked
behind them.

He could see a dozen vampires
closing in, their long fangs gleaming in the darkness.

Their eyes were crazed,
glowing with hunger and anticipation. Jett knew that they had just
been given the green light to feed.

The rogues had seen enough.
The four humans had been cheap, easy entertainment. But the show was
over. It was clear they couldn't take Jett down. As powerful
members of Hellraisers, they might have terrorized the civilians with
their violence and brutality. But they had been put away for ten
years. In those ten years, Jett had grown up, trained hard, honed
his skills and disciplined his body and his mind. A thug could be
trained into a warrior in ten years.

They were no match for the
PAC's Head Enforcer.

The four embittered humans had
given the rogues some useful background information on Jett. Fresh
out of jail, they were jobless, out of touch with society. It had
been easy to buy their trust. Money talks. And they were promised
revenge against their common enemy, Jett Riley.

Jett had enemies, and these
enemies were far more deadly than his old gang members.

Jett flicked his eyes to Garth
and said in a low voice, “Behind you.”

But Garth only raised a brow
and sneered, “I won't fall for your tricks, Jett. Save
your...”

“
This is not a trick,”
Jett hissed. “They are coming for you.”

“
They?” Keith
laughed. “Who are they? The police? Your precious Enforcers?
You're going to turn us in, again?”

The men chortled. “Nah,
we've done nothing wrong this time, have we?”

“
Yeah, just disciplining
our errant gang member.”

“
Internal matter.”

“
We settle all our
internal matters, internally. All within the family. Have a good
night now, officer.” Howie pretended to tip his hat.

Jett ignored their hooting
laughter. They wouldn't be laughing if they saw the hungry, prowling
vamps behind them.

“
Run,” Jett said
again. “I will hold them off. When I give you the word, just
run. Don't look back,” he said through clenched teeth.

The men laughed harder. “He's
gone off his rocker.”

“
He's so scared, he's
talking nonsense!”

Jett tuned out all their inane
chatter and smug, satisfied chortles.

The monsters were crawling out
of the woodwork behind them. Jett had to act fast.

Jett slid his hands under his
jacket. Silently, he counted the prowling vampires and noted their
positions.

He would have to shoot with
speed and accuracy, and take out as many rogues as possible before
they sank their fangs into his former gang members.

He was an Enforcer. He would
try to protect the four humans against the rogues.

Jett stilled his breathing and
watched the shadows close in on the four laughing humans. The
atmosphere tensed, and Jett's fingers readied on the trigger. For a
heartbeat, everything froze. No one moved.

Jett listened to his own
thudding heartbeats and counted down the seconds. The vamps could
also hear the strong heartbeats of the men and scent their fresh,
living blood.

The pounding rhythm of their
blood was heady and maddening, awakening their appetites and blood
lust.

The men stopped laughing
suddenly. The hairs on the backs of their necks prickled, and their
eyes showed a lot more white. They could feel the vamps' presence at
their backs. They could sense danger and the subtle shake of Jett's
head warned them not to look back.

They read the silent command
on Jett's lips.
Run!

Garth's left eye twitched and
he spun round to see the starving vampires crouching in the shadows.

Fangs gleamed, and hungry eyes
glowed in the dark.

“
Wha—? What the
hell! Elliott promised...” Garth's voice sounded higher than
usual.