Impulse (40 page)

He pushed the tip of one long tooth into my neck—burning like acid—and I struggled like hell to get free. Chitahs had control over how many of their four canines they could extend, and God help me if all four came out.

“Let her go!”

Those three words chilled my blood with relief and fear. I peered around Tarek’s arm. Justus slowly pulled the dark hood away from his face.

Tarek abruptly spun around, placing my back to Justus. My heart pounded against Tarek’s chest, my breath rapid, my energy racing.

“Your punctuality is impressive, but I’m afraid I can’t do that, Mage.”

There was no warning for what was about to happen next. Tarek’s jaw clamped down on the right side of my neck and three sharp fangs drove into my flesh.

I screamed wildly, pushing against his powerful body as his teeth pulled at my skin.

Warmth penetrated my body as if my insides were immersed in a hot bath. The venom caused my heart to hammer against my chest as if it were trying to signal a warning.

I was going to die.

The world spun like a top and the fire running throughout my veins made it feel like I’d urinated on myself. I lost the feeling in all extremities and pain roared up my spine like an unleashed demon.

Tarek flung me into the air and before I hit the ground, a strong set of arms caught me, pulling me close to his chest.

Justus held me against him until everything went dark.

Chapter 30

When Silver had caught him with his pants down, Justus felt the shame of it like a hot branding iron
. Women were a release—like shooting up heroin. His body craved the sex but it was only afterward when the truth would catch up to him. Justus could never have a meaningful relationship with a woman, so it just made it easier to choose the ones who were cheap and easy.
Never
the same woman twice. His sex life had become nothing more than a revolving door. Why should it matter? He’d been alive for so many years—so long that no woman held that spark for him. Even then, Justus had hardened with time, like a fossil, and his passion had dulled.

The Sensor offered an attractive arrangement. She could pull emotions from the deepest recesses of your memory to experience all over again—for a price. Most preferred monetary gain, but she wanted sex. There was one thing from his past that he longed to experience again, if only to validate that it was real. Justus impulsively took her up on the offer when she approached him with a tenacious eagerness that was hard to resist.

Stupidly, he agreed. A Ghuardian should lead by example.

Justus bitterly yanked the hood from his jacket over his head and crushed the asphalt with hostile boots as he left Silver behind in the parking lot by the car. She often spoke without thinking, but that’s what made her words slice deep.

“Do we have a room in the back?” Leo yelled out as he approached Justus from the other parking lot. “Sorry I’m late.” His casual stride demonstrated that he was a man who could work well under pressure. Justus couldn’t claim that control and Sunny glared at him when he stalked by her table in the club.

The private rooms were soundproof and secured for the utmost privacy. Justus closed the door behind him.

“Gentlemen,” Novis said, clearing his throat, “I apologize. I’ve lost my voice and I’m tired. Justus has called me here to seek my council. Knox and Leo, you each have information that will carry weight in our discussion. Adam declined,” he said, looking at Knox, “but he led me to believe that I can get what I need from you.”

Knox pulled his knit hat over his dark eyebrows. “Just so you know, I’m done with the service. I kept the connection because the loyalty to my brothers is stronger than rank.” He scratched his jaw and leaned against a glossy black table.

“Some of the jobs involved… extermination,” Knox said with a guilty sigh. “We played good guy and did what we were told, but I saw some strange shit that no one ever explained. They armed us with customized weapons.” He paced across the room with his thumbs tucked in his pockets. “The metal they used had a distinct flavor. Don’t ask me how I know this shit. They’re like those cinnamon candies with a sour fucking bite. Makes your tongue curl.”

Justus took a seat beside Novis while Knox continued talking.

“It took ‘em down though. Quick. They didn’t die, either, so someone always had to finish them off. There were only two men on our team up for that shit. The rest of us left, except when the shit hit the fan.” He shook his head violently. “In the beginning, our only job was to steal information. When the kills increased, Adam wanted out. No one told us what the hell we were doing and it wasn’t until last year when my partner hacked into some files that I got an eyeful.” He looked at Justus. “The chain used to tie up Silver and the Shifter is the same metal as our weapons.”

Justus exchanged a glance with Leo and glared at Knox. “We’re selling it to your human military?”

Knox stretched out his heavy arms and dropped them, slapping his legs. “Fuck if I know. There’s a possibility that it’s one of our weapons, not yours. It smells like an inside job. I doubt they’d sell this shit to you guys or it would start a fucking war. No, they like that you’re in the shadows and that’s where they want to keep you.” He rubbed a small circle on his belly and clenched his jaw. “If Nero has exclusive rights, then the sonofabitch that’s selling it to him is living handsomely. It won’t be hard to sniff around and find out who’s making expensive purchases.” Knox pulled the hat over his eyes and groaned. “The problem is it might be one of the guys I’m close to. I need to think this out before I start asking twenty questions.”

“Understood,” Novis agreed. “You could inadvertently tip off the person responsible. He won’t think twice about ending your life to keep his secret; that’s how humans are with money. Minimal questions—gossip, if you will—would suffice in spotting any red flags of someone with increased expenditures. Nero’s a smart enough that he would have opened an overseas bank account for your man.”

“Has anyone studied the metal?” Leo asked in a low voice. “Uncovered its properties? How would a human engineer such a thing?”

Justus sat back in his chair. “I have a chain at my house if you want it. Call it a souvenir.”

Novis shook his head. “No need. When Adam brought this to light, I went back to the compound. We’ve had guards on it since the raid. There was a box inside the burned building with one of the chains. I had a trusted associate study the compounds, but the intense heat from the fire diminished the effects, so the qualities are not unlike our stunners. This is something we’ve never seen. There’s nothing to counter it, so there’s nothing to study. All we can do is stop the production and distribution.”

“When does this end?” Justus erupted. “When is it enough?” His knuckles whitened from his tight fists and he smoothed his hands over his knees angrily.

”You’re asking when men will stop thirsting for power?” Novis laughed and cleared his raspy throat. “This is eons old. Modern technology only complicates things. Leo, tell us more about the Chitah who works for Nero and where his interests lie.”

Logan’s brother was not a man to ramble on. He was a lot like his father with the same admirable traits and reddish hair, Justus noticed. “Tarek belongs to a high-ranking family in an adjacent territory,” Leo said. “He’s been tracking Silver for information, but his involvement has become personal because he shares a history with Logan. This is where it gets muddy. Tarek tried to claim Silver.”

“He
what
?” Justus felt the vein bulging in his forehead. He’d been around long enough to know about their customs of claiming a woman and how relentless they were in their pursuit.

“True,” Leo confirmed. “This is a train wreck waiting to happen. Tarek is a persuasive and powerful man who
always
gets what he wants.” Leo folded his arms and held everyone’s attention with his riveting eyes, which were a striking contrast against his ruddy complexion. “We’re known for our perseverance. Nero was smart to hire him.”

“Which brings us back to the labs,” Novis said. “Nero is an outlaw who must be brought to justice. However, we need to put
more
priority in the experiments. This new science poses a greater threat. I trust all of you to keep this between us, as public knowledge about such things would turn our world upside down.”

Suddenly, a current surged through the room and flushed across Justus’s skin like pure adrenaline. He sprang to his feet when he recognized Silver’s energy.

“What’s wrong?” Novis felt the flare, but didn’t know her imprint.

Justus threw open the door and barreled down the hallway, shoving security against the wall as he entered the main room.

Everything spun like a dream when he spotted Marco. He nonchalantly brushed the arms of his jacket—still wearing his hair in the same style and concealing every speck of energy, even in a Breed club. This was a man whom Justus revered. He was a mentor who’d taught him how to become a man of worth. Marco had left Cognito years ago to travel abroad and never kept in contact. Even now, centuries later, Justus still felt like a Learner in his presence.

Knox almost mowed him down as he wedged himself between Marco and Sunny. There was a flurry of words, Marco hit the ground, and then everyone dispersed.

Novis snapped his fingers at his personal guard. “Bring him in the back. Most unexpected.”

The guard lifted him by the back of the arms and dragged him down the hall, his feet leaving black scuff marks on the floor. Justus wanted to follow, but he was shockingly devoid of emotion. He had waited for this moment for so long—to confront his maker. Part of him needed to know why Marco chose to betray the Mageri, and the other part wanted to cut all ties. Justus lived his life by an honorable code, and Marco was the one who’d introduced him to HALO.

It was a defining moment in Justus’s life, one in which he made a decision that took him by surprise.

He walked out the front door.

Justus lived his life learning to control his emotions, and this kind of rage would only lead to regretful decisions. Who was more important to him—his Creator or his Learner? It wouldn’t take much to push Silver down a dark path by setting the wrong example.

He put the events from earlier out of his mind and decided to make sure his Learner got home safely before he dealt with Marco. Vampire guard or not, she was his responsibility above all else.

Tiny pebbles burst out from beneath his heavy boots as he neared an alley between the buildings. He followed the spurts of power that crackled in the air. Silver had a tendency to leak energy when she was emotional—not an unusual trait with Learners in their first years.

He rounded the corner and hit the brakes. Slowly, his fingers pulled the hood away from his face and the only thing that filled his vision was a man who was going to die.

“Let her go,” Justus demanded with every ounce of control he could summon.

The man swung around with Silver caught in his arms like a fish in a net. All Justus could see was that the Chitah had bound her hands and her ponytail was swinging as she fought against him. Chitah eyes gleamed back at him violently. Justus moved forward, ready to flash, ready to fight to the death.

He gave the man with the dark Mohawk a stare that few ever lived to tell about. The anger already pumping in his blood was fast becoming toxic. Justus hesitated. He considered how fast a Chitah was and the risk of him biting Silver. If he could use a burst of light to get close enough, there would be no struggle. Just one slam of energy from his hands and good night.

Justus didn’t just sharpen his light, he fashioned it into a missile.

Seconds from flashing, the energy in the air snapped like a fallen power line. The Chitah sank his teeth into Silver’s neck. It felt as if someone punched the air right out of his lungs and he could only react when the Chitah tossed her at him like garbage.

Justus caught her before she hit the ground and he dropped hard on his knees, jagged concrete breaking the skin through his pants. Her body convulsed and she showed him the whites of her eyes.

“Shhh.” Justus gathered her in his arms for what could be the last time. He’d never seen a Mage bitten with more than two teeth. The light of fury in his eyes almost blinded him.

It burned like ice.

Chapter 31

Darkness swaddled me like an infant in the womb.
Every muscle blistered with clawing pain, and yet my lungs were unable to gather the energy to scream. I was hypersensitive to everything, and a fresh slice of misery like I’d never imagined ripped across my flesh whenever something scraped against it. My chest constricted as if death had a tight grip on my light and wasn’t letting go.

“You’re a Chitah! What do we do?” Justus roared.

“How many punctures?”

Justus turned my neck to the left and I wanted to cry. “Three.”

“That’s good,” Leo said. “It’s four that kills… usually.”

“Usually?” Justus whispered fiercely.

“Logan is on his way. Three… I don’t know. That’s not something I’ve ever seen before, but Logan may have. How strong is her light? I’m assuming she’s newly made.”