Burned In Shadows (Shadow Unit) (23 page)

“Because the bitch left me. Caused me all kinds of trouble. Then she had to go and stumble upon my operations. I punished her that night. I fucked her within an inch of her life
. Broke a couple of bones too.”

The
human’s eyes glazed over with malice and glee as he spoke the last words.

Black had heard enough
. He wasn’t happy with the results.

“I wasn’t happy with your answer
s.” His voice was dry and lacked any intonation. He’d be in deep shit for getting rid of Marcus, but it was worth. Something inside of him knew this man was supposed to die in a brutal, agonizing way. He figured he do him a solid and make it quick, painless. The human’s neck snapped easier than a twig. He let his body sag to the floor as he walked out of the cell. The human must have been fed images from that sadistic doctor. He had a way to make anyone believe anything he wanted them to.
Maybe that’s what happened to you, maybe that’s why you’ve been seeing him for more than two months.
Black shook the thought off. That wasn’t possible he’d been with the organization from the beginning.

# # #

Zea was wide awake. Her plan cemented, she got up, showered and dressed for the day. The face in the mirror and the body attached to said face was a stranger. Maybe she should change into Melissa.
Fuck that.
Okay, not her greatest idea. The captain was not playing around. She had less than eight hours to get Black back to home base.

The leader of the Red Sun was supposed to be speaking today, whether or not she was ready to face the sadistic bastard was anyone’s guess. Ann said she would
have her good days and bad ones. This one so far wasn’t looking up. Desperate times called for taking your bosses ultimatum for shit and doing your own thing!
Get in the game Zealand.
She needed to get a hold of Royce, find out how things were progressing.

“
Royce?”

“
About fucking time!”

“
Don’t get sass with me, Mr. Zarides. I’ve tried you all of a dozen times with no answer.”

“
It’s in my nature. We got a situation here.”

“
Same, Dravaggio’s pulled the plug on the entire op.”

“
Shit!”

Royce told her all the things that were going on over at the Enclave while she filled
him on her situation and her plan of action.

“
It’s a shit deal. Get out while you still can, wait for me and Ronin, we can always go in and pull his ass out.”

“
Not happening. We’re running out of time, besides I have something cooking on the side.”

“
Don’t do anything stupid dear. I’ve kind of grown fond of you.”

So much for one of them having
good news.

Zea answered her door after the first knock. It was Adam.

“Hey, Blacks gathering what’s left of us. You ready?”

As
ready as she was going to be.

Her happiness and her daughters happiness was on the line.
Draven would thank her a million times over, once he got his memory back. Enri had said all she had to do was kill Solon.
Solon.
Her heart stopped beating when she realized who he was. Bell’s half-brother, the same man who’d helped them.
For his own selfish gain.
She reminded herself. He was a mercenary. Had lied to them all. There was more to his story, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Draven amounted to her life and her happiness.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Adam offered her his hand. She took it. At least there was someone on her side. When she reached the auditorium she looked around at the different recruits and their respective capabilities. Enri had a team of recruits that didn’t look like death walkers at all. They actually looked pretty normal by her standers. They were all gathered for what could be called an induction. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being inducted into the Red Hand organization or what exactly it entailed. Royce liked to call them Rejects Organization because clearly they’d been rejected one too many times.

Black was sitting up on stage with Enri and that bitch Melissa. That he’d picked her to
sit by him rankled in a way that made her feel murderous. He looked right at her and smiled. Very slowly he raised a hand and placed it on Melissa’s knee giving it a squeeze. Of course the back stabbing broad gifted him with a smile. She even leaned over and kissed him fully on the mouth.

Zea’s
insides rattled, and everything she planned went right out the window. Her back rigid with tension she growled. The sound scratched her throat on the way to the surface, and it was fierce. She pushed her way through the crowd, not knowing if what she was about to suggest would even be granted. Fists clenched, teeth grinding and truly enraged. She now understood the term, “seeing red.” There was definitely a haze clouding her vision, and it was searing hot, unchecked to a point she knew things were going to get worse before they got better.

“I challenge you to
the death.”
Did I just fucking say that?
The crowd went deathly silent. Even Black seemed to realize the severity of the situation.

“Girl. You’re being
foolish. You truly wish to fight me?” He asked.

Zea was cool in her response.

“No, Black. I want your bitch.”

Everyone behind her cheered. Wanting to see blood spilled. While she’d been recovering Antony taught her all there was to know about
pack law. If Melissa bowed out she’d be a coward. She’d become unappealing to Black. Taking Melissa out was all that mattered.

“Don’t be foolish. I’ll
tear you apart.”

“Are you scared?” Zea
taunted.

The
bitch half laughed half snarled.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m being serious, whore.” She spat back.

“Do not address me in such a manner, the only reason you’re still standing is because I allow it.”

“Right.”

“Bitch,” Melissa
seethed under her breath

“You do realize you’re
pathetic. Holding onto a man who doesn’t want you. Uses you.”

“That’s not what he said last night.”

Zea threw Black a look.

“Admit it kills you to sleep with her.” She prodded.

He narrowed his black eyes on her and was about to speak when she cut him off.

“Don’t
answer that it was a rhetorical question, moron. You and I both know the truth.”

Melissa walked to the edge of the platform, looking down on Zea’s
form.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the one that’s gonna beat you to a bloody pulp, and when I’m done, I’m going to whoop your ass some more.”

Royce chimed in at that
point but quickly bowed out of her head. The last thing he said, “
I want every single detail, right down to the last scratch and pull of hair”.

Enri stood and walked the length of the
platform to stand closer to Black.
No surprise there.
If she hadn’t loved him as much as she did, she’d have left him. Any other woman would realize how fucked up this situation was, and turned tail and as Royce would say, “kick rocks.”

“I see no reason not to let them fight. It would
please the master,” Enri said with a smile on his face. The man was up to something.

There were cheers from the crowd and Zea felt Adam at her back.

“This is all kinds of stupid,” he said.

“Tell me about it later, when I’m done.”

Enri spoke loud and clear, “It shall be to the death, or near death. Either way I will have gained another fighter to add to my death walkers.”

Shit! Shit! Shit! She wasn’t expecting that, in all honesty she was hoping to lay hands on Melissa and nothing more. Teach her a lesson and make her
yield so that Black’s wolf truly repel her. Now she had to end the other woman’s life.
Great going Zealand. Way to stick your foot up your ass.

A robed figures glided across the stage. His presence was dark and monovalent. She could feel it trying to seep into her pores.

“Aaah, a fight.” The voice from under the hood said. His voice was strained, weary. There was something off about him. “Normally, I’d tell you there would be no fight as we need every man we can get.” His robed head moved slowly as if he was scanning the crowd for someone. “I say let them have their match.”

Black stepped back and sat in his chair. Melissa’s eyes
shot wide. She hadn’t expected that answer. Zea caught the alarm in her eyes. She was scared.

Good.

Melissa jumped off the stage, and within seconds the force of her body was on top of Zea. She pushed out and arched up trying to throw the other woman off, but when she couldn’t get her weight distributed to gain the upper hand, she rolled to the side taking Melissa with her. She hooked her leg around the other woman’s waist and hoisted herself on top. Her fist came swung out, claws bared and trying to take the other woman down. As her arm extended Melissa pulled her legs up and under Zea pushing her back onto the unforgiving ground. Her back hit hard forcing air to escape out in a strangled sound. Melissa had her in a leg hold, and it took her a second to remember what Ronin had taught her in ground tactics to maneuver her way out. She relaxed her shoulders and quickly pushed forward, breaking the hold.

Zea scrambled away from the other woman and stood
quickly.

“You’re gonna pay for that.”

They were dancing around now as they began circling each other. Melissa was at least a foot taller, which was the thing with immortals, most of them didn’t come in normal size. They came in tall or ginormous. Never let it be said they did anything half ass either. The other woman was also about fifty pounds heavier, give or take a breast. Zea bent low the way Ronin taught her. Melissa lunged, and she had to jump out of the way, tagging her hard as she passed causing the other woman to stumble.

Black tossed Melissa a blade and Zea glared at him. She was going to light his ass up the
moment this was over.

“You’re a real asshole you know that?” She said over her shoulder as she swayed left and then
right to miss the swipe of Melissa’s blade. What seriously pissed her off is in the corner of her peripheral she could see him nod in answer to her statement. She gave him the bird as she moved out of the way of the blade wielding woman who was now foaming at the mouth. The action cost her when her arm was coming back to block her face when she was nicked by the down swipe of the blade. The pain from the blade only pissed her off more. Her emotions were threatening to override her thoughts, and she couldn’t let that happen.
Follow through, lead with your left and then lead attack your right.
Ronin’s words came through loud and clear. Zea stepped forward with her left and then with her right leg she kicked the blade out of Melissa’s hands. Before the other woman gained momentum she rushed forward taking them both down to the ground. She braced for the pain, but it never came. Her ears were ringing from all the adrenaline that was coursing through her system and the sound of her heart crashing against her rib cage served as a countdown to the end. Melissa pushed her off and stood quickly backing away from her so she couldn’t reach out with her limbs to tag her.

“I thought werewolves were stronger.” She taunted as she delivered a kick to Melissa’s
gut. She could move faster now, she felt stronger. Someone from the crowd was giving her the energy she needed for her second wind. She didn’t remember touching anyone, but she wasn’t going to complain. The kick caused Melissa to double over, and Zea used her hand and punched her in the jaw knocking her to the ground. She stayed down holding her gut. Zea knew there was no way the other woman was going to give in so easily. Melissa started to convulse, and Zea had to take a step back. Things had gone from bad to worse, to fucked up in half a second. Melissa had shifted into her werewolf form.

“You’re going to die a slow death bitch.” Melissa said around a
mouth of fangs.

She wasn’t expecting the change, she’d hope
d the woman would fight her in her human form, but that just wasn’t going to happen. Melissa’s claws raked across her stomach taking the flesh from her bones. The pain was almost unbearable, and she tried to breathe through it. In through her mouth, out through her nose.

Melissa caught her again in the face
, blood warming her sweat soaked face. Great, just fucking swell! Zea thought to herself. Melissa struck again, and this time Zea caught her by the wrist and twisted hard, pulling forward she caused the other woman to bend. Lightning quick she used the trick Royce said would only look cool if she did it and turned jerking her arm forward and with the help of her legs climbed the massive wolf and attached her legs around her neck. They both came crashing down hard, but Zea still had her arm. One move and she could break it.