Redeemed In Shadows Read online

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  “Score! We got wings to leave.” Micah said, clearly excited.

  She looked around the table and felt foolish. She did think Belinda was beautiful, and had she not been mated to the two incredible hulks, she may have really hit on her. But she didn’t want to start shit with her fellow team members. Not this way. It had been Micah doing the talking when the conversation had focused on the Phoenix.

  “Why don’t you shut the hell up? Let me eat.”

  “My bad, Miss I have a job now.”

  “If it’s anything to you, I think you’re very beautiful Xee. I love your tats and your eyes are beautiful.” Belinda said.

  “Thanks and I do think you’re hot, but all that other shit was Micah. He tends to be very outspoken.”

  “Exactly.” Ronin said with satisfaction as if he were always right.

  “Well I’m still flattered.” Bells smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

  “Xee when you’re done with training, you want to go chill at my spot?” Dietrich asked.

  Everyone at the table looked from her to Dietrich. Royce with his amber eyes grinned wide and winked in her direction.

  “I’m all for this love connection. Trust me Xee, it’s not every day we see this man smile. Well, actually we’ve never seen his smile.”

  “Does this mean I get a cookie? Some sort of recognition or reward?”

  Dietrich grunted again at the attitude she was throwing Royce and said nothing else. His dark shades still in place as he waited for her answer.

  “Does it involve your sweet ass ride?”

  “Yup.”

  “Can I drive?”

  “Fuck no! We’re going to Jo’s for some music and drinks. Maybe pick up some chicks, unless when you meant by drive you meant my stick.” He flashed his pearly whites and she knew he was messing with her.

  “In your dreams D. But yeah I’ll hang, even though you won’t let me drive your car.” She’d heard of Jo’s, it was a coffee shop run by a voluptuous black woman who had great music and really good coffee. “We sticking to the guy code?” She asked Dietrich.

  “Bros before ho’s. I’m down.”

  “Excellent! Pussy!” Micah exclaimed.

  “Shut it. We’re just going out.”

  “And getting laid.” Micah countered.

  “Doubtful.”

  “Good deal.” Xee told Dietrich.

  Royce smiled again.

  “I would almost chill with you and Micah if he wasn’t trying to nab my girl.”

  “Well, you are pretty enough to be my bitch, but I’ll pass.” Xee tossed over her shoulder as she got up to leave the table. That, was all her. She heard the table erupt into laughter as she walked away. Yeah, she’d fit in here. Finally, somewhere she could stay.

  But for how long?

  She could joke with them, but it didn’t mean she had to trust them. At the end of the day she couldn’t count on anyone but herself and Micah.

  Xee made the journey back down to the H.I.V.E. where she found Gabe at the bank of monitors. Each screen running searches on the relic they were looking for.

  “Micah, what do we know of the Sahidic? I vaguely remember reading something about it a long time ago.” They’d scoured through hundreds of books when she was in the institution. She remembered seeing the word itself, but not its location or what it could do for anyone who found it. “It was in one of those mythology books we read. Something about being housed in the Temple of Thebes and then disappearing.”

  “Yeah, but to where?”

  “Key word honey Xee is ‘disappear,’ no one knows.”

  “Some help you are.”

  Xee took a seat next to Gabe watching the screens. Earlier that morning they’d briefly gone over the security of the entire facility. Something he thought would take her more than one morning to learn.

  “Xee, can you program the security codes that lock down the building, then give me a location check on all members in the unit along with guests. After that, I want security scans in the holding facility. I want eyes on the prisoner.”

  Piece of cake, she thought as she went through all the key commands. The prisoner he referred to was Melissa. She was Draven’s ex-girlfriend, and he was now mated to Jes. They had a daughter together, Faith, and a cub on the way. It was all very Maury Povich, with a side of Jerry Springer. She hadn’t gotten much of their history, but she did know Melissa was a traitor.

  “It’s a ninety-nine percent match that you are the father.” Micah chuckled.

  Xee ran the security sequence. A hologram of the entire building was displayed in front of her. The green dots that were moving were members of the Unit. Blue were the other immortals and Ann. One red, which was Melissa and one white. One white?

  “Gabe what’s this white one?”

  He looked over at the hologram and grunted.

  “Glitch.”

  “Okay, well I can fix it if you want me to.”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  He’d explained how each security tag classified each person into different categories. There were the team members, visitors or long stays as he referred to Draven’s Lycan family and then prisoners. The white one was a tagless tag, which just didn’t happen. It had to come from somewhere.

  “Everyone’s accounted for.” She stretched past Gabe and punched in a series of code and then the monitors on a back wall came to life showing Melissa inside the holding cell eating. “Prisoner feed is now live.”

  She was moving back to her spot next to Gabe when her bare arm brushed his chest. She hissed and the Angel froze in place.

  “You got that look again, Angel Boy.”

  His champagne gaze darkened to a fiery gold before he pushed away from his station and left the room.

  “Guess he’s really backed up.” Micah said laughing.

  “Yeah, maybe.” But she doubted he was truly backed up. The room filled with his scent. She sniffed and shook her head. She really needed to keep her head in the game, and their intimate touches to nil.

  Chapter 7

  Ann looked up and noticed Jes standing in her doorway with a strange expression on her face.

  “Jesminda?”

  The other woman smiled hesitantly before asking, “You mind if I come in?”

  “Anytime you need to talk, I’m here. What’s on your mind?” She watched as the newest member of the Unit slowly walked in taking a seat. Ann wasn’t sure if this was a true session, but she would treat it like one just in case. “You can start anytime you’re ready, unless there’s something else you’d like to discuss that’s off our usual conversations.” Their usual conversations consisted of Jesminda talking through her problems with Draven, then breaking a few items, apologizing to Ann for breaking her things, and finally calming down. She’d replaced her family heirlooms with glass figurines. The last time Jes lost control, it had taken her hours to clean up. To wield that kind of power would be very beneficial, Ann thought to herself.

  She watched as Jes began to fidget with her hands. Nervousness had her placing a hand over her somewhat swollen belly. When she finally settled, Ann winced. The pain she’d suffered so many years prior to coming to work at the Unit’s facility paled in comparison to Jes. It was only natural she’d have some reservations about having a baby. Especially during these times.

  “Well, since we’ve been back from Shreveport, I’ve noticed things. Even before we left I did, but thought it was all my imagination. I’m stronger, but at the same time weaker. I’m starting to see things that aren’t there, but of course with the new information I received about my true self, things have become stressful.”

  That made perfect sense.

  Ann thought about the key things Jes mentioned. None of them were truly her field of expertise, well except for the stress. She’d agreed to this position when Stefan had come to her with the need to council his members. She’d been trained t
o deal with all sorts of mental ailments but what Jes was experiencing was a tad bit out of her league. She was brushing up on Paranormal Psych 101, but so far, she hadn’t come across anything that could inflict an Elder Angel.

  “So are you seeing objects or people?”

  Jes cleared her throat.

  “Not things, but someone. The same someone on multiple occasions. Lately, I’ve seen her while doing everyday things. It’s been very distracting.”

  Ann grabbed her note pad so she could take notes.

  “So do you know who it is?”

  “If I knew that Ann, I’d tell you. But so far, she just stands there and watches. I don’t feel any negative vibes when she’s around but still, it can be a bit unsettling.”

  Well this, she could address. Maybe Jes was manifesting something from her past due to all the recent activities. It wasn’t unheard of for patients to see things during high times of stress.

  “Maybe someone from your past?

  “She doesn’t look familiar.”

  Ann wrote some more notes down while trying to come up with an answer that made sense. She was flying blind and couldn’t navigate her way to clear waters. It was always touch and go when she spoke to any of the members, but at least with Jes, she was semi-manageable.

  “Next time you see her, attempt to make contact.”

  “Make contact? That’s your suggestion?” Jesminda said incredulously.

  She nodded what else could she suggest? She didn’t know what else to say. There was a very small section in the paranormal psych book she’d been given, but she doubted it would give her any more insights than what she already had.

  The other woman stood and pushed back an errant curl that flopped over her left eye and turned to leave.

  “Thanks Ann, I know this is hard for you having to deal with all this crazy ass shit. Trust me; it’s still all crazy to me to.”

  “No problem and thank you for understanding. I’m still a newbie. Kiss Faith for me.”

  That brought a smile to the mothers face and then she was gone.

  Ann turned back to her desk and closed her eyes. Groaning she reached for the phone. As much as she didn’t want to call, she had to.

  He picked up on the first ring.

  “Miss Mayburn.”

  “Mr. Dravaggio…”

  He interrupted.

  “I told you to call me Stefan.”

  Ann pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Stefan, I need access to books on Elder Angels.”

  “Is there something wrong with Jes?” His voice was laced with true concern though even now his voice carried a hint of sex. The kind where he’d just rolled out of bed after exhausting both himself and his eager partner. Ann bit back a groan and waited for calm before answering.

  “Not that I can tell, but I should know what I’m dealing with.”

  “You’re right, of course. We don’t have anything housed here, but I’m sure Gabe can get you something.”

  The phone went dead and that’s when she realized her other hand was between her legs. If he had said one more word, she would have touched herself.

  Damn Incubus.

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  Gabe stood outside Dravaggio’s door. The male just having finished a conversation with Ann, their resident shrink. His nerves were bothering him, or was it his hormones? He didn’t have time to over analyze his current situation, what he needed was a break. Being in Xee’s presence was affecting his every thought. Normally a woman like her wasn’t on his radar. He liked docile women. Heck, women who dressed like they were women, not little boys. Although today’s attire was anything but. Those shorts were dangerous to his libido and her luminescent skin was begging him to mark it. He wasn’t interested in some punk kid who had tattoos and enough metal to alert the secret service, and definitely not a woman who kept his dick at constant attention. Sure you don’t.

  “There a reason you’re at my door standing there, pulling your hair out?” Dravaggio asked.

  Gabe hadn’t realized he was pulling his hair. It was longer now. The short buzz cut he’d grown accustomed to the past fifty years was now outdated. Soon it would reach past his shoulders and there was nothing he could do about it. The real him would make an appearance and no amount of haircuts would negate it.

  One thing to add to the list of things to miss.

  “Working through some issues, got a second?”

  Dravaggio’s purple eyes gleamed in the darkness as he reclined in his chair. He always kept his office dark. He said it helped him track. Gabe stepped inside and quietly shut the door. It was getting harder and harder to look his friend in the face. How did someone let go of a centuries old lie? The deception alone was exhausting and over time it had waned, but now that his time on Earth was ending, everything he’d done in the past was amplified in his head. All his transgressions against his team members were rearing to the forefront. The clock was ticking and whether he wanted his sins out on the table or not, the day was coming when all would see him for what he truly was.

  Betrayer.

  Meddler.

  The words he needed to say, tried to say so many times but couldn’t, were like ash in his mouth.

  “What’s on your mind?” the Captain asked. His voice no longer the attractant it usually was to those on the team.

  “Ms. Hale could be a problem for me.” Admitting your weakness was half the battle. Weakness? More like addiction.

  “You mean a problem for your dick? Or a problem for the team?”

  He only wished it were the latter.

  Dravaggio stood and walked towards the bar inside his office, filling two glasses with Blue Fire. A demon whiskey of sorts and lethal to only the maker of the brew. Even humans could drink Blue Fire, but they always ended up in the crazy house or were openly targeted for demon possession. For the Captain and himself, it was their drink of choice. A finger full would give the drinker clarity but any more than that and you were tore up from the floor up.

  Gabe accepted the drink and downed it in one shot. The burn raced through his veins and set his stomach on fire, but quickly following was a nice blast of cold. It was what he jokingly referred to as the icy hot blanket.

  “That definitely hit the spot.”

  Dravaggio smiled tightly and sat his empty glass on the table.

  “So, dick or team?”

  “Definitely dick.”

  “Then I don’t see a problem. I like her and I think she’ll fit in nicely.”

  Like her? Fit in nicely? How did his friend not see her as a problem?

  “She stays on staff. This is my Unit Gabe and the decision is mine. Do what the rest of us unmated males do when we’re frustrated. Fuck her out your system.”

  “Are you suggesting I approach her?”

  Dravaggio intertwined his fingers in front of his face before resting his chin on his linked hands.

  “Hell no. I’m saying substitute. Get someone else in your bed. A look alike. Stay away from Ms. Hale. You’re gone in two weeks and I don’t need my new logistics coordinator love sick over the Angel of Death.

  Something inside Gabe snapped. The Captain had thrown down a challenge. Telling him to stay away was the worst order to give a man like him.

  “Who says she wouldn’t want a night in my bed?”

  “Really, one night, is that all? She looks like that kind of girl to you?”

  “We’re consenting adults.”

  Dravaggio laughed. “Since when? Not five minutes ago, she was a problem. Now she’s the solution?” He shook his head. “No Gabe, I don’t think so. Read her file, she has abandonment issues. What kind of a leader would I be if I condoned this type of behavior among my group? It will end badly. Nope, not happening under my roof.”

  Fine.

  But if he was going to get her out of his system, he was going to do it openly by letting her know straight up how he felt. He
could get past whatever this was she was making him feel. He wasn’t going to be pussy whipped, especially if he wasn’t even going to get a shot at whipping her pussy.

  “Should she try and hook up with me?”

  Again the other man laughed.

  “You’re so full of yourself. She’s not even into men, and if she were, things between the two of you would end badly. Women are delicate creatures. They have deep-seated needs that they themselves sometimes forget are there. I’m not down with you fucking her up mentally.”

  “Thanks for not helping.”

  “Anytime. Now, any new information on the relic?”

  None so far and it was starting to bother him. They should have found something else. Something that would set them on the right track. Either the piece didn’t really exist, or it was already in the wrong hands and the idiots just hadn’t figured out what its use was.

  “No, I’ve asked Grey and his brothers for more help. Maybe Eremiel will actually show himself and give us the exact location.”

  Doubtful. Eremiel was fickle and only showed when he wanted to show, and most every time he did, it was to unveil bad shit. He was a dick and his so-called unveiling tactics were muddy and diluted with un-truths. For all it was worth, the Angel of Unveiling could easily be leading them down the rabbit hole and straight to hell.

  “You know as well as I do that could be a dead end.” The Captain said, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on the table. “I want the relic found before those bastards in RSO get to it.”

  RSO was the new acronym for the punk ass bitches in the Red Sun Organization. They’d been popping up everywhere, and now they had some sort of signature calling card. Red Hand prints were found at the scene of most all immortal related crimes now. The fuckers were trying to make a statement and were causing unrest throughout the community. Either immortals agreed with the RSO or they were completely against them. Those that opposed the RHO were now suffering. Just last week the body of a Vampiri has been found strung up at one of the local blood banks. It was a Reg and the poor girl had newly transitioned. It was becoming a serious problem. The RSO believed they were the purists of the immortal community and that humans were beneath them. They felt it was their duty to remind them of this by total eradication. What whack jobs. It was only a matter of time before the Elite stepped in and then it was lights out Earth realm and hello chaos. Can’t we all just get along?