Chapter Twenty-One
Razor’s patrols on the streets had kept him busy for most of the week, which had saved him from doing something really stupid. Like let his beast out of its cage and let it do what it was itching to do: track down Sasha.
For days, every single one of his text messages to her went unanswered.
Every. Single. One.
Even the calls he’d made to her cell phone had shot straight to voicemail. He hadn’t left any. In his state, anything he might have said would have only worsened their already fragile relationship.
After what had happened at the murder site, Razor had thought that it would be easy to have a sit-down talk with her. He’d clearly been wrong. Again. It was obvious that everything he thought he knew about Sasha had been wrong. In fact, he didn’t think he’d ever really known her. The knowledge made his skin prickle, and Razor could practically feel his fascination/obsession for the woman who was like a fucking mystery to him growing.
He should have gone after her that day in the apartment. Archer might have tried to stop him, but Razor wasn’t beyond knocking out a man for making the mistake of getting in between him and Sasha.
Aside from his issues with Sasha, the long hours he’d dedicated to the case hadn’t produced anything useful. Sin was still working on analyzing the drugs they’d found. So far, the only real lead they had were the melted bodies. And that was starting to look like a big dead end since they hadn’t found any more. The test Sin had done on them had shown that they’d had drugs in their system, but it hadn’t been a match to the one Razor had found on the Vampire-Shifter. There were similarities, but that could mean that whoever had made it had possibly used the common formula street dealers used. On the plus side, Razor had managed to get some potentially useful information from a Sector Two prostitute. According to her, one of the missing girls was moonlighting as a prostitute. But since she hadn’t really “known” the girl, she couldn’t say for sure if it was her. The lie had been easy to smell.
Razor rubbed at his eyes in exhaustion. No one wanted to speak up out of fear. But who did they fear? He wanted to find whoever this person was and kill him, then revive him only to kill him a second time. He vowed that even if this wasn’t related to the investigation, he’d follow up on the secret those women seemed to be hiding.
He blew out a frustrated breath, itching for a smoke.
It’s going to have to wait, he thought as he spotted Sin and Edge heading in his direction. The three met outside of Night’s office in the club, and their moods must have matched Razor’s because they all just nodded to each other.
Razor pushed the door open and froze.
Night was sitting behind his black desk, leaning back in a lazy sprawl, knees wide, face serene as he tapped away on a handheld tablet. A young woman with curly orange hair knelt between his thighs, sucking noisily at Night’s dick.
That wasn’t what had made Razor stop at the threshold, though.
“Ah, Night…Did you know there’s a naked boy chained to your desk?” Razor inquired calmly. The young man had his ass up in the air, his testicles and dick clearly on display, and from his position, Razor noticed the short orange curls spilling over the wood where his forehead rested. Same hair, same skin tone as the girl on her knees. Razor would bet they were siblings.
“Yes, thank you for that insightful observation, Razor.” Night finally glanced at them. “That’ll teach you to knock first. And he’s not a boy, he’s a slave. My slave.”
Night groaned in pleasure, placing a hand in the female’s hair. “Gods, you’re good,” he praised. Then to Razor he said, “At least until he finds a permanent master. Then I’ll have to let him go.”
“Classy, Night. Very classy.” Sasha’s voice behind him had Razor stiffening. What the hell was she doing here? Where had she come from that he hadn’t felt her approach?
Night shrugged. “It is what it is. There’s rules to this world, you know?” his brother said, clearly referring to the world of kink he so enjoyed. Curiosity sparked inside Razor, memories running through his mind of sex with Sasha, and of the BDSM scenes he’d watched in the exclusive sections of the Night House. “Besides,” Night continued, returning Razor’s thoughts to the present, “he enjoys everything I do to him. Don’t you, boy?”
The orange haired kid shivered, his cock clearly twitching in its aroused state. “Yes, Sir.”
Edge shouldered through, making a sound of annoyance. “Get them out, Night. You’re wasting my time.”
“Prick,” their brother mumbled grumpily. But he complied, anyway.
A few minutes later, they were back to business. Razor forced himself to remain nonchalant, but fuck, it’d been a week of silence from Sasha. A week. An entire week of her avoiding him, and now she was here, inches from him.
With the brother and sister duo now gone, Edge had taken the seat Night had vacated. The chair creaked as Edge leaned back. “Three more Vampire-Shifter creatures were found today.”
Sin, Night, and Razor cursed at the same time.
“Where are they? I haven’t received any reports on them,” Razor said, more than a little irritated that no one had informed him sooner.
Edge folded his arms across his chest. “Dead. You won’t be getting any reports. I spotted them. Tracked them for two days.”
Razor leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. His peripheral vision was full of Sasha. “And?”
“They seem to have a pack mentality. At least in their shifted forms. Though these three probably had a familial connection. Their pre-transformation features were very similar. That could have been the reason they stuck together.”
“Though the pack mentality could certainly be because they were family, it could also be a result of the drugs. We don’t know what the magic in it is meant to do,” Sin added.
Edge nodded in agreement. “Possibly. We don’t know nearly enough about these creatures to make any calls yet.”
“The two that Archer and Razor came across were alone.” Sasha’s voice was like string tugging at him. He had to look at her. “Maybe they didn’t have a pack, or were just separated when they were found.”
“They could be retaining some of their pre-Vamp-Shifter mentality,” Night said thoughtfully, running a finger back and forth over the light shadow of a beard on his jaw. “So if they ran in a group, gang, crew, family, or whatever, maybe even after taking this drug their brains still tell them to stay together.”
“Another possibility,” Sin said as Edge made a noise of agreement.
“At least in the stage we seem to be catching them in.” Razor forced his eyes away from his Reaper. “What we don’t know is what would happen if they are left to roam. If someone is feeding them these drugs or pushing the black magic into them, do they have specific orders to follow? Are they free to think on their own? If so, what is the purpose behind their creation?”
“Razor’s creature managed to say something, didn’t it?” Sasha asked, and it was like it pained her to say his name, and it fucking sucked. It made something in Razor’s chest tighten painfully.
She wouldn’t even look at him.
Suddenly bone tired of whatever game they were playing, he turned to her, addressing his answer to her. “Yes, he did. The Judge must die.” He repeated the words to her, his voice harsher than he’d intended. He kept his gaze locked on her profile.
Someone cleared their throat, but for the life of him, he couldn’t peel his eyes from her, willing her to look at him.
“That sounds almost like a command,” she said, still talking to Edge. “Hypnosis?”
“It could definitely be something a Witch could weave into the magic.” Night paused, mulling that over.
“Is it possible that the reason could be about Shadow Realm itself?” Sasha suggested. “It wouldn’t be the first attempt at a takeover.”
Razor pushed back all his frustration and tried really hard to concentrate on the meeting. This was the reason mixing business with pleasure was a big no-no.
“That’s almost always a possibility, silly little Reaper,” Night said with a roll of his eyes.
Sasha bristled at Night. “I was only asking because so far, the only creature who said anything, therefore giving us a clue, was Razor’s guy. And his words were very specific, you asshat.”
“Cold-hearted bitch,” Night returned with uncharacteristic seriousness. Razor’s head snapped to Night. He didn’t even know he had snarled until Night put his hands up in a “my bad” gesture.
He was about to ask Night what the fuck his deal was when Edge growled and said, “Not the time.”
“My apologies, lovely lady,” Night said gallantly.
Sasha rolled her eyes. “Fuck off.”
Edge gave a long-suffering sigh. “We need to have another meeting with the Witches. Get all the commanders in here, too.” He turned to Razor. “Anything on your end?”
Sitting up straight, Razor started to recount his talk with the Sector Two prostitute and all the dead ends he’d encountered this week. When he was done, Edge was frowning. Sasha was now looking at him, but while that should have made him happy, her gaze was almost looking through him.
“Keep digging. It could mean nothing, but we need to make sure.” Edge said.
He nodded in agreement.
“But,” Edge added, his voice an octave lower, dangerously so. “If someone is trying to take Shadow Realm, they’d better be prepared for war.”
Excitement rose through the room. No words were needed to convey the Hellhounds’ answers.
“Black magic is a pain in the ass to come by,” Sin added when the room calmed again. “Those with no ties to the Underworld have no access to it. Those that leave can no longer use their connection to the land and its power. Which means this drug maker is probably using a strong magic user who is still in the Underworld. He would need an Underworld Witch or Demon with a lot of power.”
“Any guesses?” Razor asked.
“One sec.” Sin’s fingers flew over a small-ass tablet. Razor didn’t know how the fuck his youngest brother could get anything done on it since it was only as big as his palm.
Night sat on the edge of the desk, his fingers tapping against the wood. “If the Demon or Witch is still bound, then he can’t very well be physically in Shadow Realm. So he isn’t the one personally distributing and making the drugs or snatching up the females and the souls. Though, we’re all in agreement that we can’t be sure all those are related. So if the magic that was used still smells of sulfur and brimstone, as Romina put it, then this Other is simply the puppet. The question is…who’s the puppet master?”
It was Sasha who answered. “Oh, he can definitely be physically here. If it’s a Demon, they would need to be released from their oath to whoever summoned them out of the Underworld, which is not an easy thing, but it is possible.”
“That would certainly change things.” Night looked at Sin. “How many Demons with that much juice are we talking about?”
“According to my calculations, there are approximately one hundred and eighty species of Others that could possibly carry that much black magic in them to be able to live through a summoning to this realm.”
Razor snorted, Night laughed, and Edge scowled. That was the biggest reason why not just anyone in the human realm could summon up a Demon. It was hit or miss. A summoner could get the ritual right, but not the right Demon. Trying to bring through a lower caste Demon almost always resulted in the Demon’s death. And if they did successfully cross, they were usually too weak to be of much use. Which was why everyone in the Underworld feared human magic users. The successful summonings that occurred before the Great Fires were what had led to the start of the mixed children. Half human, half Other. Like Anila, Gabriel’s second-in-command.
“Sin. You have to do better than that, or else you’re of no use to us, and we’ll have to vote you off the island,” Razor said in a mock-serious tone.
“I am immune to your voting. I handle all the finances. And the human companies. You really don’t want to vote me off,” Sin countered as he continued to type.
Night snorted. “I’m so glad you got stuck with that bullshit. I can’t deal with humans even on my better days.
“We don’t have time to look into all those Others. Concentrate on Demons,” Edge said.
“Working on it,” Sin answered as he continued to tap away.
Sin really was the brains of the four. He did all the technological crap that was needed to run Shadow Realm, and with help from his most trusted employees, he ran most of the business dealings with human companies. Thanks to Sin, Shadow Realm had its own cable TV providers, wi-fi, cell phone towers, and all that good stuff.
Razor glanced at Night. Night was a smooth talker, but as he’d said, he had no patience for humans. Sin was diplomatic, articulated, savvy, and could pass for non-threatening. Though, to Razor, Sin’s brain was even scarier than his fighting style. When he took to the training floor, his katana swords flew through the air almost as if invisible. But that brain of his was a weapon all on its own.
“If we can pinpoint—”
Sin never finished, because Edge abruptly stood up. His nostrils flared, eyebrows lowering.
Edge motioned to Sin’s tablet. “We’re done here. Sin, handle that. Razor, someone has to know something. Find them.” He stepped from behind the desk, his body so tense it made the back of Razor’s neck prickle. “Night, keep an ear open. Have your dealers ask around. Discreetly.”
Razor stood quickly, on full alert. Night, Sin, and Sasha followed.
“You okay, Edge?” Razor’s hand automatically went to his rifle, his steps taking him to his oldest brother, his body blocking him from anyone that would come in through the door.
Edge nodded. “Fine. I need fresh air,” he said as he shoved Razor out of the way.
“I’ll go with you.” Night moved to Edge, who snarled.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Edge.” There was a warning in Night’s tone. “She isn’t for you.”
Edge growled low, a menacing sound. Self-preservation had Razor, Sin, and Sasha taking a step back.
“Back the fuck off, Night,” Razor said carefully, not wanting to push their oldest brother any further. It was obvious that whoever “she” was, was important to Edge.
But Night didn’t move.
No, the idiot planted himself right in front of Edge and said, “She’s here every night, E. You know this. No one will touch her. Not even you. You have my word. We have enough shit to deal with as it is.”
Edge’s head moved in a weird way, like a snake ready to go in for a deadly bite.
“Move.” Edge’s voice was quiet.
“Are you going to go after her?”
The next growl that left Edge’s chest was unlike anything Razor had ever heard come from his brother. It was equal parts arousal, possessiveness, and death threat.
“What the hell is going on?” Sin stood next to Razor, his body tense.
“Nothing,” Edge snapped, his eyes still burning a hole into Night’s skull.
“I’m only being cautious, Edge. Don’t go there. Get those crazy ideas out of that thick skull of yours and end it now, before it goes any further.”
“Nothing is going on,” Edge snarled. “Now get the fuck out of my way.” The before I make you went unsaid.
After a few tense moments, and a small nod from Night, Edge left the office. “You follow me, I’ll shoot you in the knees,” Edge barked over his shoulder, then the door slammed behind him.
“Holy shit. What was that?” Sasha asked, her eyes wide.
“I second that. What the hell was that about?” Sin said.
Night took the seat Edge had just vacated. “Nothing right now. Let’s just hope it stays that way,” he said cryptically as he pulled out a crystal decanter full of silver liquid from a cabinet under his desk.
When they all filed out of Night’s office, Sin turned in one direction and Sasha went the other.
Razor caught up to her and took her arm. “I need a second with you.”
Pulling her arm free, Sasha ignored him and kept walking. Razor cursed and followed her.
“I think we shared everything we knew just a few moments ago. I have nothing else to add,” she said when he moved in next to her.
“This isn’t about the case, Sasha.”
Sasha stopped, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Razor. For a second, he saw indecision in her eyes. Like part of her wanted to outright deny him, but the other part wanted to talk. Then she sighed heavily, looking tired all of a sudden. “What, Razor?”
He asked simply, “Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why can’t we explore this thing between us? I’m not asking you for forever.” A total fucking lie. “All I’m asking for is a chance.” To show you I’m worthy of forever.
Her face softened. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple. I have baggage. Tons and tons of it.”
Moving a little closer, he reached out and lightly touched the apple of one cheek with the back of his fingers. “I want you. I want the whole package. Good and bad.”
Her gaze traveled over his face as if trying to gauge the truth in his words. Finally, she smiled sadly. “I believe you. But I don’t think I can be what you need me to be.”
“What, yourself?”
She shook her head, her gaze abruptly shifting away from him, and she appeared to be somewhere far away for a moment. “I need to go.” Her voice was thin.
“No, you don’t.”
But she ignored him and turned on her heel. “I’ll text you in a few hours.”
“You can’t just sweep everything that has happened between us under the rug and hope it stays there. Well, you can, but I don’t think you want to. Not really.” He was nearly yelling at her, he knew, but his temper flared when the small spark of hope that had ignited in her blue eyes proceeded to burn out.
She stopped long enough to shoot him a look full of resignation before she poofed out of existence.
For a few seconds, all he could do was blink at the spot where Sasha had just been. When both Razor and his beast realized that the woman he had started to care for had disappeared without leaving so much as a scent trail in her wake, he bayed.
...
You’re a fucking coward, Sasha berated herself as she slammed her fist into her punching bag at home. She’d told herself that the next time she saw Razor, she’d cut the bullshit and just tell him that yes, she was more than just attracted to him. She’d meant to tell him that she had feelings for him.
But then she’d come face to face with him, and all of a sudden, it had been too much.
Already she regretted leaving him like she had, with hope lighting up his features. As someone who prided herself on having very few weaknesses, Sasha was being pelted left and right by them lately, and they had all been opened up because of Razor. He was making a place for himself inside her usual shields, and it was tipping her off balance.
Drained of energy now, Sasha flopped down on her couch and pulled her knees tight to her chest, hugging them. What the hell was she supposed to do? She fiddled with her phone for a few minutes, her finger hovering over Razor’s number. Instead, she called Sael.
“Hey, everything all right?” Sael answered. There was music pumping in the background.
“Yeah, I’m good. I…ah, just wanted to talk. It’s been a while, you know?” Sasha said, uncomfortable with how weird this was. How did people start these types of conversation? They made it look easier than it was.
There was a slight pause. “We just hung out and had drinks the other night. But now I’m intrigued. You never want to just talk. So what’s— Oh Goddess, are you actually trying to have a girl talk?” The other woman’s voice filled with excitement. “Shit, I need to sit down. I never thought I’d see the day. I should write this down in my diary,” Sael teased. “Today’s date is…hold on. Okay, here we go. Dear diary, on this day,” Sael dictated in an exaggerated manner, “Sasha, the baddest motherfucking bitch in Shadow Realm, called me to have a girl talk.”
Sasha tossed a throw pillow off her couch, imagining it hitting her best friend. “Shut up,” she said, trying to stifle her laugh. “This is serious.” Sasha swallowed, and then just blurted it out before she chickened out. “It’s about Razor. I…had sex with him.”
There was another pause. “Hoo boy. I really should be there in person, but I can’t get off this shift for a few hours, so phone will have to do.” There were some shuffling noises, and then Sael was shouting at someone to shut their pie-hole. “And it’s about damn time,” her friend said when she came back on. “Rumors are flying around about you two. I’m not surprised, actually. I think I saw it coming years ago. Is he as good in the sack as they say?”
They? The image of other women touching and being with Razor was suddenly infuriating. Despite the fact that she’d watched him for centuries with different women, the thought of him with someone else right now had her gritting her teeth. No one else had the right to touch him. Not until she had a chance to see where this could lead. He was hers.
Sasha blinked at the possessive pronoun, quickly adding for now to the end of that statement.
Slight pricks of pain had her glancing down to where she’d clenched her fists. Her palms had dark nail indentations.
“Uh, Sasha? Did I lose you there?”
Sasha cleared her throat. “No, I’m here. Rumors, huh? I’m not even going to ask. And, uh, yeah, he’s pretty good, I guess.”
Sael snorted. “Gods, you suck. Try that again, and don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. He’s all right.” Sasha shrugged, picking up the pillow from the ground and putting it back on the couch.
“Sasha, my beautiful but most stubborn friend, pretty good would be going about your business afterwards and not giving any fucks about whether or not there’s a repeat of the mattress mambo. You’re calling me to have a girl chat, so I’d say it was more than just all right.”
“More like motorcycle mambo, but okay, maybe you’re right. But I’m not in love with him or anything,” she said in a rush. Just to make sure it was clear.
Sael chuckled. “I didn’t say that you were. You don’t have to love someone to care for them. There’s a difference. Now let me ask you, what do you want?”
“You mean besides more sex?”
“Yeah, besides more of the hot motorcycle sex you’ll be telling me all about next time I see you.”
Sasha chewed on her lip. What did she want? This was the scary part. After she had lost Ivan and her children, the only thing that had kept her going was the sole purpose of finding her Salvae. Once she earned her spot in Heaven, she could be with her kids again. Sometimes she wasn’t sure she was worthy of even that, because it had been her fault, her failure to protect them, that had caused their deaths.
Beyond that, there was Razor, with his quirky sense of humor and the integrity that many men lacked, making her feel like maybe taking a crack at happiness again wasn’t completely selfish of her. That maybe fate had been trying to tell her something all those times over the centuries when she failed to find her Salvae. Razor killing her final Salvae had pissed her off initially, but she hadn’t really been angry at him. No, Sasha had been angry that obviously someone, or something, was cockblocking her every attempt at Heaven.
But now… Maybe she was ready to move on? And maybe it was time to let go of her constant anger. She was exhausted down to her very bones. Gods, and the inescapable fear and guilt. She’d always felt like she was betraying her kids somehow by moving on, but Sasha had begun to consider that maybe it was them sending her all those signs.
“It’s okay to admit that you want someone for more than a quick fuck.” Sael’s soft voice pulled her back from her reflections. “I know it must be hard. Letting people in isn’t your forte, and that’s okay. It only took, what, two centuries before you acknowledged that we were friends? So this is me, as your friend, telling you that it’s okay to let another person in. It doesn’t even have to be Razor. And if it ends badly and there are hurt feelings, then fuck it, you move on. But at least you tried. Trying is living, and, by the Great Mountain Goddess, I want you to live.” Her friend’s voice quivered. Was she crying? “I’m just glad to see your eyes are no longer empty, but full of…things. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Sasha felt her eyes sting. Aw, fuck, she was going to cry, too. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Still, she was stubborn to her very marrow, so she pushed back the tears and said, “Easy for you to say. You’re confident enough to be with anyone you want, for as long or as little time as you want, and you’re still happy.”
“What do they say about assuming?” her friend murmured. Before Sasha could question her, she said louder, “But we’re not talking about me. Sounds like the only thing holding you back are your own fears. In my opinion, if Razor has made you question your choices, the very way you have been living your life—and I mean that in a good way—he might be worth the risk. You won’t know how wonderfully refreshing the water is unless you take the plunge.”
Sasha sighed loudly. She needed to say something that would push the stupid tears away. “Gods, how are you always right? I hate it.”
“I love you, too,” Sael said through her laughter.
They chatted for a little bit longer before hanging up, but Sael’s words echoed in her mind all night and even into her dreams.
Sasha woke up in the middle of the night, her mind full of possibilities and her stomach full of nervous butterflies.
It was time to let go. Razor wasn’t her ex-husband, and moving on didn’t mean her children would be forgotten. And it really was asinine to continue denying that they shared something special. Their chemistry was almost tangible.
When she fell back asleep, her last conscious thought was no more running.
...
Back at the Night House, Razor woke with a start, body dripping in a cold sweat. Heart pumping hard, his chest heaved as he ran a hand over his face. He checked the clock on his side table. 4 a.m.
Razor couldn’t even recall the last time he’d had a nightmare. It had to have been at least a century.
Body still trembling, he got up and padded into the kitchen. His bare feet were quiet on the wood floor. He’d crashed at the Night House, too exhausted from trying to pull leads out of his ass to make the trip home. Opening the fridge, he picked up a cold bottle of water and took a long drink. His mouth felt dry, like sandpaper. He gulped greedily, water dripping down his chin to his bare chest. But the nightmare was still present in the corners of his subconscious, and it felt imperative that he consume as much of the soothing liquid as he could, because who knew when he’d get to taste it again.
The dry heat of the cell in the Pit made Razor’s breaths almost painful. His mouth was parched, his lips cracked. He could hear the steady rhythm of water dripping somewhere in the distance. It made his throat ache.
A spasm moved over his body. His knees felt as if they were breaking into pieces as Trimol held him down by the nape. Razor’s hands remained clasped behind his back, and all he could do was whimper in protest. How long had he been kneeling like this? Hours? Days?
A pain-filled groan reminded him he wasn’t alone in his suffering. Razor made a noise full of anguish. He didn’t want to look up. Trimol hit him hard behind the head. “Shut the fuck up and lift your head, you filthy abomination.”
Slowly, Razor did as Trimol ordered, mentally reciting the vow he’d made long ago that he would kill Trimol one day.
His eyes filled with tears as his gaze landed on Edge hanging from a rusty butcher’s hook in the middle of the small cell.
This was all his fault. If he had followed his father’s orders, Edge wouldn’t be suffering.
“Now, let’s help your younger brother understand what happens to those that defy me, shall we?” Erummon’s voice was oily and dark against Razor’s senses.
A deep, ragged gasp came from his brother’s mouth when Erummon, their fucking father, peeled another strip of skin from his back. His brother hadn’t even screamed the entire time Erummon and his lackey had worked on him.
Razor might only have been fifty years old, but he knew that his father was a sadistic bastard. And that every time he tortured one of them, his only goal was to hear them scream, to break them. To turn them into the vicious and single-minded killing machines they’d been bred to be.
Shame washed over him. For days, he had felt nothing but pain, and yeah, he’d screamed. Edge had remained nearly silent.
No matter how many times Edge was punished, not once had he given their father the satisfaction of hearing him scream.
“My sons will fall in line, or this will be your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Another piece of skin. Another low groan. Edge’s body shook. The chains holding his feet to the ground rattled with the force of Edge’s trembling.
The bottle of water fell from his hand. It splashed at his feet, but Razor barely felt it. He swallowed a sob, but his breaths were coming in short bursts, his skin growing clammy. He placed both hands on the counter, his head dropping as he tried to regulate his breathing.
An old memory, nothing more. Edge is fine. Night is fine. Sin is fine. You’re safe. Your brothers are safe.
Why was he having the nightmares again? He’d believed he had successfully locked away those memories so they were nearly nonexistent.
For years, he had been plagued with the memories of his life in the Underworld, and under his father’s rule. Of his and Edge’s punishments in the Pit. Some had come in nightmares, some while wide awake. But later, once all their lives had changed for the better, the memories had slowly faded.
Were they back because of the mess his life was turning into? It certainly felt as if his life were spiraling out of control and Razor wasn’t even in the cockpit.
Straightening, he took a deep breath, feeling better now that he could put an explanation behind the returning nightmares.
As he was cleaning up the spilled water, his phone beeped with an incoming text. He opened the message.
Unknown Number
“Fuck.” He put the phone down, indecision about what to do about Sasha warring in his mind. He should include her as this was possibly related to the case. Razor reminded himself that he was a professional, and that they were both adults. They could do this without bringing up the issues between them.
Besides, it was time he gave Sasha some space. He’d stated his intentions, and the last conversation had left the ball in her court. There was nothing left to do but wait.
Decision made, he sent her a text.
There was a reply almost instantly.
Not wasting time, he tossed his phone on the couch and quickly got dressed. He threw on a black T-shirt and dark green vintage army canvas pants with several straps and buckles for his blades, gun, and ammo. Lastly, he put on his brown leather chest harness, cursing when he discovered his rifle was missing. The image of the last place he’d cleaned it popped into this mind.
Great. It was back at his house.
Pulling on his steel-toed boots, he laced them up and decided he’d make a pit stop at home before heading to Two. No fucking way would he go anywhere without his favorite weapon.
Dressed and packing some serious heat, Razor left his room.
After collecting his motorcycle from the underground parking, he pulled up to the curb in front of the Night House. It took only five minutes of waiting before Sasha was walking up to his bike. He was surprised to see she wasn’t in her usual oversized hoodie. He took a moment to admire her beauty and the fearless vibe she always exuded.
Tonight she wore snug black pants, a tank top, and a brown leather vest thing with straps running down across her ribcage and around her waist. The ones around her waist had small buckles which Razor suddenly yearned to pull apart. He licked his lips. All that was hot, but it certainly wasn’t what had made his dick twitch at the first sight of her. No, it had been the array of blades strapped to the leather cupping her breasts so lovingly.
Fuck him, she was his every wet dream as she strolled over to him. And in that moment, he was certain that the universe had never created someone as lovely, or as fierce, as his Sasha.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she accepted the helmet he handed her. She wore fingerless gloves made of chainmail and some kind of stretchy fabric.
“I just got an anonymous lead. Put that on. We’re going to Two.”
She nodded and climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Razor paused. There was something different about her, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. There was an air, an energy, about her. Something light and…vibrant, maybe?
Shrugging away his thoughts, he decided she was probably just excited about the lead. He took a moment as he turned on his bike to just absorb the heat of her body. The feeling of her pressed against him, alive and warm, and now slightly electric, chased away the remnants of the nightmare from his mind. Calm washed over him.
Razor suspected that the feeling of having Sasha riding with him could never get old.
“If this lead is right, we’ll most likely be staying for a while,” he said.
A pause. “That bad?”
Yeah, he thought, that bad. But he didn’t say that out loud, because he was hoping the anonymous tip didn’t mean what he thought it did.
“We’ll be meeting Bek and Aleks there. I’ve already sent them the details. But first I have to make a quick stop.”
Fifteen minutes later, Razor stopped, lowering his feet to the ground to keep his bike balanced. He switched off the engine as Sasha shifted behind him, then climbed off. She turned in a circle, looking around the section of One not many people made it to.
“Where are we?” she asked, after she’d taken off her helmet.
He was a little nervous about how she’d react to him bringing her here. Aside from his brothers, Razor had never brought anyone to his home.
Climbing off the bike, Razor answered curtly. “Just follow me.”
Knowing what she’d see—abandoned industrial buildings, broken windows, No-Trespassing signs, and fences—he didn’t bother to explain further. He wasn’t too fond about where he’d had to make his home, but there’d really been no other choice.
With the constant attempts on their lives, Razor and his brothers had chosen well-hidden locations to set up homes. It was mostly why he kept all his bikes at the Night House. Bringing them here meant risking someone following him, or tracking his vehicles.
He’d taken that risk with Sasha just now, but he’d kept a watchful eye (and nose), and he was sure they hadn’t been followed. Sure, this entire chunk of One was under the Confusion Spell the Witch sisters had donated to them. The spell would make anyone who came too close stop two blocks away from his building, scratch their heads wondering what they were doing there, then turn around and go back the way they’d come. Even so, Razor wasn’t one to take any chances, and since magic wasn’t foolproof, he stayed cautious.
“What is this place? Are we still in One?” Sasha asked. The only way to get past the spell was to be escorted in by Razor or his brothers, which was why Sasha wasn’t turning on her heel and walking in the opposite direction right now.
He motioned for her to follow. They climbed over a fence, walking some more after that.
“How far are we going?”
“Not far.”
Another fence and then an alley.
“You’re not going to murder me, are you, Razor? I mean, I know I annoy you, but I’m sure murder is a little excessive, even for you. Don’t you think?”
Razor glanced over his shoulder, looking her over curiously. Was she teasing him again?
He smirked at her, feeling less nervous and more playful. “Quit your whining, we’re almost there.”
“I have a weapon, and I’m not afraid to use it on bad dogs,” she said, her voice a little throatier. Amusement lit up her turquoise eyes.
So fucking beautiful. He forced himself to look forward again.
“I have a weapon, too. It’s in my pants. I’m not afraid to use it, either. Wanna see?” he replied, hoping he wasn’t pushing his luck.
She full-out laughed, a carefree, wonderful sound. Razor wanted to bathe in it, and make her do it again. That he had been the cause made his chest puff out.
“No, thanks,” she said. “I’m allergic to fleas, and those little fuckers are jumpers.”
He threw his best innocent look over his shoulder at her. “Aw, come on, it’s a pretty big weapon. I have a hard time handling it on my own sometimes.”
“Shut up and keep walking.” Her lips were full of mirth as she kicked his boot.
Razor laughed and winked.
She smiled saucily back.
His breath halted for a second when a spark of that sexually charged energy that burned between them flashed in her eyes. Goddess, what the hell was going on here? Was she drunk?
For a moment, he was unsure how to proceed. He had expected confrontational Sasha, maybe even giving-you-the-silent-treatment Sasha, but this playful and brazenly flirting Sasha…never. But, sweet Hellfire, he was fucking loving it. He never wanted it to end.
Space. She needs space, the voice in his brain reminded him.
Deciding it was best not to push her further, he simply smiled and continued walking, his building coming in sight. It was a two-story brick structure with beautiful, old-fashioned arched windows. A lot of the outside was falling apart, but that was only for appearances. Razor had reinforced the entire thing from the bottom up when he’d found it and fallen in love with the Old Earth architecture. He’d used mostly physical materials, but the House of Witches had sold him a spell that helped keep the outside bricks from coming down any more than they already had so it only looked like it was on the verge of crumbling.
Walking up to the front double doors that he had helped make, he slid the key in and unlocked the padlock, nerves from what Sasha would think of his home giving him butterfingers. He almost dropped the keys. Twice.
When he finally got the doors unlocked—which were made from metal forged in Hellfire, making them pretty much indestructible—he pushed them open. He ushered her in, then stepped in after her, shutting the doors behind them.
Sasha suddenly made a squealing noise. “Oh my Goddess, it’s a library.”
He chuckled and pocketed his keys. “Was,” he corrected as he watched her take in the room with awe-filled eyes. “Unfortunately, not all the books were salvageable.”
Finding the books after he’d claimed the building as his home had been a nice surprise. It was too bad that he hardly had time to come down here and enjoy them.
“I think I’m love,” Sasha murmured and walked slowly through the shelves, touching and reading the spines of the mostly leather-bound books. “There’re so many classics and one-of-a-kinds.”
“Yeah. I’m sure the humans would have a field day if they ever found out about this place,” he said. His heated gaze tracked her, loving her presence in his space.
Razor hated to do this, but they needed to get his rifle and get to Two ASAP.
“Come on, you can look later. What I need is upstairs.”
She gave the books one last, longing look, then walked to where Razor was waiting at the foot of a wide set of stone stairs leading to the second level.
When their eyes met, his stomach did a little flutter. She had the cutest little sad face he’d ever seen. Razor wanted to kiss her and then give her every single book in this place and anything else she wanted.
He made the vow then, as he led her up the stairs, that once this was all over, even if they went their separate ways, he would make sure she had full access to his library.
At the double doors that hadn’t been part of the original structure, Razor smiled back at her. “This way.”
The second floor had also held books at one point, but years of neglect hadn’t been kind to this section. The broken windows had let in the elements, destroying the majority of the contents. He had closed off the area, stripping it and turning it into his living quarters.
Inside, Razor closed the door behind them, and watched as Sasha stepped farther in.
In the middle of the living room, she paused. Then looked over at him strangely. “This is your house?”
He nodded, feeling oddly self-conscious about his home. She watched him for a moment longer and then, like a curious little kitten, went about exploring her new surroundings.
Reluctantly, he left her to it and went in search of his rifle. Not like she would find many interesting things. His house was, simply put, minimalistic. The entire floor was one big open space, and the only enclosed places were the bathroom and a small weapons room. His bedroom was on a slightly elevated section off the living room, and a long wrought iron and cloth panel served as privacy.
Everything was either white, cream, or very light earth tones. The wood was a dark brown, and the only bright colors were in the painting of him and his brothers that hung behind the largest of the couches.
At the door to the weapons room, he entered the code on the touchscreen and walked to one of his gun safes. Unlocking that, too, he grabbed his baby. Razor then locked everything up again and strolled back out.
Sasha was standing by the bookshelf that had a few rows of books and a handful of knickknacks. From his spot, he could see half of her face. There was a small crease between her eyebrows.
“What?” he asked, giving in.
“I don’t know…” She peeked over at him, seeming to search for a word. “It’s not really you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s just not what I expected,” she explained. “It doesn’t say Razor. You’re always so…alive. You have this presence about you that makes things seem small in comparison. You have a vitality about you, or well, not really when you’re around me. I think because I piss you off more than anything. At least, I used to…right?” She shook her head and ducked back to the shelf to continue her perusing. “Shit, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
Holy Hellfire, had she complimented him and then turned…shy on him? Sasha, shy? Could this day get any weirder?
Feeling more unbalanced than when she was being a brat, Razor really didn’t know how to react. Or how to respond. He was unsure where this talk was going, so when he came up with a response, he tried his best to keep his tone casual. “Um, thanks? So what did you expect?”
“I don’t know, but definitely not this.” She ran her finger over a small figurine of a wolf howling. “It just doesn’t reflect your personality.” Then more quietly, and almost to herself, though he heard her just fine, she added, “It should reflect the effect you have on people…and on me and my life.”
Maybe it was because he wasn’t accustomed to this side of Sasha, but he had the sudden urge to defend himself. Was she trying to say he was ruining her life?
He scowled. “I like my house the way I like my life—uncomplicated, neat, organized…predictable.” He directed the last right at Sasha.
Catching his meaning, she turned and her eyes narrowed. “Oh, really? Well your decor is boring me to death. And, newsflash, not everything in life falls in line with a snarl and a growl.”
“Well, of course not. Some are too stubborn to admit they like being under my control.”
They stared at each other for long seconds, both knowing they were no longer talking about his decorating skills.
Her eyes flared with heat. “Fine, you cocky asshole,” she conceded.
Razor crossed his arms, his lips twisting in a wry smile. “You certainly would know just how cocky I am.” He almost grinned when the way he emphasized the cock didn’t go unnoticed by her.
Tension radiated between them, the room now feeling way too small to contain their clashing personalities. Something was gonna give.
Then something did, and it lit up Sasha’s turquoise eyes, making them look like burning stars. Or devastating meteors about to hit and turn the world to chaos.
She was scary and gorgeous and he wanted her.
His Hellhound instinct went on instant alert. Eyes narrowed, he waited. It was her move.
Licking her bottom lip, calculation in every movement of her body, she began to run a finger over the stuff on the bookshelf, shifting things here and there. It made his hands itch to fix them.
“Some chaos isn’t always bad, you know,” she told him as if reading his thoughts. Before Razor could predict what she would do, she pushed the wolf figurine off the shelf. It crashed to the floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces.
A curse left his lips, and before he could stop himself, Razor was launching himself at her.
They crashed into the bookshelf, more things tumbling off the shelf and landing around them. He took most of the hits as he pinned her down, his body covering her from the falling objects. “What the hell is wrong with you? I invite you into my home and you break my fucking things?”
“Who’s fucking blind now?” Sasha was looking at him incredulously. “For such a smart man, you’re being awfully stupid right now.”
For the umpteenth time in the past hour, Razor hadn’t a clue what she meant. “I see how different you’re being today. What I don’t understand is what the fuck you’re trying to do. One minute you don’t want me, the next you’re giving me signs like you do. I, shit, Sasha…what the fuck?”
“Yes,” she said abruptly.
He bared his fangs, frustration making him snarl low. He yelled, “What? Yes, what? Are you speaking in fucking code?”
“Yes, I want you,” she yelled right back, “I…feel things for you, okay? Is that clear enough for you?”
That made him reel back a little. He blinked. What the hell? Her body, he finally noticed, had softened under his. She wasn’t fighting with him.
Razor studied her face, digesting her words.
She was serious.
Pulling back, he took up a crouch over her, still too wary to put too much distance between them. She sat up, her face tilted up to his.
She swallowed hard before speaking. “I, ah, can’t say that I want to jump into a full-blown relationship just yet, because I really don’t know how to do this…” She was looking directly into his eyes, and he could see the sincerity in them. “But I want to move past my issues, and yours, and see where this—” she gestured at the space between them— “could lead.”
Heartbeats passed, but all he could do was stare at her. She was watching him, too. Eyes so big and bright and hopeful waiting for him to say something.
It was so surreal, it took several more seconds of him staring dumbly at her face for her words to sink in.
When they did, his chest filled with so much fucking joy that he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and pulling her face to his. “I can be patient, Sasha. I’ll wait as long as you need, and I’ll work on my issues. I’ll prove I’m worthy.”
He kissed her, and she kissed him back. If only for a few precious seconds.
She pulled back, smiling. “Let’s not make a big fuss, okay? Taking this slow is for the best. Maybe once we solve this case, we can explore it further.”
Razor’s cheeks hurt, he was grinning so wide. “Oh, I can do slow.”
She laughed and pushed him hard, making him lose his balance. They both laughed when he landed on his ass. “No celebratory sex, I’m afraid. Remember the lead, case, mission to Two? Any of that ringing any bells, Razor?”
He couldn’t care less about sex at that moment. All that mattered to him was that she had agreed to give them a chance. A chance was good enough, for now.
He drove his bike through one of the gateways designated for vehicles only and, seconds later, they were exiting onto a highway in Two.
Razor drove to a parking structure and left his bike there. They walked the rest of the way to where they would be meeting with the twins. Besides Razor filling Sasha in on what the text had said, they spoke very little as they strolled down the streets of Two. They were too alert for casual talk. People nodded at him as they passed a marketplace. Some faces were friendly, some wary, and others downright hostile.
The coordinates Bek had sent Razor put them three blocks from the address the anonymous tip had given.
Bek, in all his tall and blond glory, leaned against a black car. In his military-style leather jacket, gold buttons and all, and dark grey pants, Bek resembled something out of the old romance novels Razor’s library contained. He stood proud and sure, and could definitely pass for some Old Earth bigshot general if his hair had been in a different style than his Mohawk cut and long, complicated plait that ended at his mid-back.
The male Dragon nodded at Razor in greeting when he and Sasha reached him. His canary-yellow eyes shifted to Sasha, and he flashed her a smile. She returned it.
“Where’s Aleks?” she asked.
“Making the rounds, so it’s just me today,” Bek said, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “She put up a good fight, I’ll tell you that. Whined a little, too. But in the end, the short straw decided her fate. Thank fuck, I could use the break from the vicious little thing.”
Since most Dragons were born in pairs and their bond was unbreakable and lasted their entire lifespans, Razor knew Bek wasn’t serious. According to him, being separated from their twin for too long was both painful and, in extreme cases, fatal.
“I’ve scouted the area around the address you sent,” he informed them. “As far as the outside goes, it’s nothing more than an abandoned junkyard.”
Together, they walked the few blocks to the location. Once there, they took spots behind a crumbling wall that would place them across the street from the address.
Razor looked around, sniffing the air.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Sasha asked from next to him.
“How much do you know about the Others that live in Two, specifically this section?” he asked her, surveying the map on his phone. Shadow Realm may have been his land, but it was big enough that there were still parts he was unfamiliar with.
“Not much. I’m usually in and out. And if I do spend time here, for whatever reason, it’s usually closer to the marketplace.”
He nodded. “After the Great Fires, when the Veil was still open—mind you, this was all before our time,” he began to explain, “hundreds of Others escaped the Underworld, crossing to the human realm. At the same time, many humans chose to leave their own realm and cross over to our world. The Others that managed to escape mostly wanted to get the hell out of Dodge and out from under Erummon’s deadly thumb. Most of them made a home on the human plane, no fuss, no drama. They flourished in their new home, and tried to live peacefully side by side with the humans, as did the humans. Well, most of them, anyway.”
Razor motioned to the junkyard. “Unfortunately, not all Others embraced their new way of life. They bred and began to look like their human neighbors…though only on the outside. They made this part of Two their own little world. Before you ask, it’s the same for them as it is with everyone else—so long as they play nice and follow the rules, they can stay and live peacefully.”
“Okay, so why are we being all creepy right now again?”
“Because, if this anonymous tip is right, they just broke a rule. A big one, so they get to have a nice little chat with me. We’re being creepy because I don’t want them to know I’m coming just yet.”
“Why not?”
“They’re not our biggest fans. They don’t like anyone outside of their own kind, really.”
That earned him a glance. “Why do they stay here then?”
“Because they’ve developed a taste for human flesh,” Bek answered her.
Sasha swung her head in Bek’s direction. “Are you serious?” She turned her gaze back to Razor. “And you allow them to live here? So close to Celeste Nation? You do know they’re like all human over there, right?”
“This city is open to all beings, Sasha. As I said, so long as they follow our laws, they can stay.”
“I guess.” She didn’t look convinced.
“Bek,” Razor said, turning to the Dragon, “how is our current relationship with the Kriintunoros?”
The Dragon pretended to think. “Amicable? They haven’t complained…much.”
Razor snorted. “Good enough. Get Lrox.”
The commander’s lips twisted in a wicked smile. “I’ll be back shortly.” And then he was off, disappearing around a corner, leaving him alone with Sasha.
“Are we going in there or what?” She motioned with her chin towards the junkyard.
“Not just yet. I need to deal with Lrox first.”
“You need his permission to snoop around your own city?”
“I do not. But you do.”
“Um, no, I don’t,” she said, almost offended. “I’m a Reaper. I have a free pass in my assigned territories. And besides, I’m here with you, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but it’s not the same thing for you to come here in Reaper capacity as it is to come asking questions about bodies and suspicious activity. Plus, you won’t always be with me. I need the word to spread that you’re working with me, therefore off limits.”
He hoped that Sasha wouldn’t ask any more questions. He much preferred Xavier to be the one to have this talk with her.
“Okaaay, but I’m already off limits.”
He ignored her, pretending to fiddle with the map on his screen.
“Razor.”
“Yeah?”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
When he didn’t look at her, Sasha stepped into his field of vision.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. Did you ever wonder why Reapers are trained to fight? It’s because you’re not off limits, Sasha.”
He paused when her eyebrows lifted. “I did warn you. There is an agreement for Reapers to travel safely in and out of Shadow Realm. But it’s pretty much impossible to guarantee your safety at all times.”
“Well, that’s comforting.” Sasha made a disgusted face. “So you’re basically going to tell this Lrox guy that he can’t eat me.”
Razor grinned mischievously. She’d walked into that one all on her own. “Yes, because I’m the only one that should be allowed to eat you.” He leaned down, zeroing in on her lips. “In fact, I’m downright starving right now.”
He fingered one of her curls and tugged it playfully, but then froze and cursed inwardly.
To his shock and absolute pleasure, she didn’t break his nose like the last time he’d touched her hair. Sasha only rolled her eyes and batted his hand away, trying in vain to hide her smile. “I’m serious. I need to know what to expect.”
“I’m going to make it very clear that you’re not to be touched. And then I’m also going to remind him whose land this is. And it sure as fuck isn’t his.”
Another eye roll. “Oh, great, a pissing contest. Should I have brought my ruler, Raz?”
The nickname made him pause. She had never used it before. He liked the way it sounded coming from her mouth.
Sighing, he addressed the first part of her statement. “It’s more than that, Sasha. A dead body, or maybe bodies, were dumped on his personal playground, and he didn’t think to inform me. That’s a challenge if I’ve ever heard one.” A second later, he added with a wink, “Plus, we all know my dick is bigger.”
Sasha eyed him for a moment, overlooking his last comment. Such a brat. “Okay, I get that. He fucked up. But he won’t eat me. Bek said they eat human flesh. I’m not human.”
“Maybe not anymore, but you would certainly taste human.”
She looked him up and down. “Well, you look pretty human to me, so, you would, too.”
He shook his head. “I’m like that stuff they serve at the restaurant on Green Hill Street—the thing they call tofu. I only look edible.”
She laughed. “Tofu is edible, Razor.”
“Lies,” he said, smirking cheekily at her.
Before they could say anything more, Razor erased all humor from his face as he heard and smelled Bek getting close. The commander rounded the corner a few seconds later with a chill-looking Lrox beside him.
Lrox sauntered over like he fucking owned the world. That grated on Razor’s nerves. The Demon might look human, but one only needed to look into his strangely colored eyes to see that there was nothing remotely human in there. They were cold, dead. The guy was deceptively attractive, with his shoulder-length brown hair and trim physique. It was a trap.
He bowed slightly. “Judge, a pleasure to see you. What brings you around my neck of the woods?”
Razor inhaled deeply, pushing back the urge to sucker punch him for having the balls to call the Hellhounds’ city his.
“Lrox, I’m sure Bek explained why we’re here. But before we talk business…” He gripped Sasha around the waist and pulled her close to him. Shit, he hadn’t meant to do that. Clearly, he’d reacted instinctively to having another man around Sasha. “I’m sure you’re familiar with Sasha,” he continued. “She’ll be my partner for an indefinite period of time, so she’ll be in and around Shadow Realm. If you or any of your people see her around, she’s to be left alone.”
Lrox took longer than Razor was comfortable with studying her, but Sasha just looked at him with a bored expression. Good girl, he wanted to praise her. He couldn’t, so he squeezed her hip instead.
The Demon gave a small nod. “I understand.”
Razor gave him a sharp nod back. “Good, now business.”
He released Sasha, and before Lrox could even form an inkling of what was coming next, Razor threw a punch, hitting him square in the jaw. The other man went down, hard.
“This is my land, not yours, you stupid fuck,” Razor snarled down at Lrox through clenched teeth. “If you’re going to challenge me and my brothers, have some fucking honor. You think I can’t smell your second-in-command sneaking around behind me as we speak? You’re a fucking coward.” He glanced at Sasha over his shoulder. “Stay alert, she’s not far.”
Turning back to Lrox, who was now standing, Razor bared his teeth. “Come on, Lrox. Or are those giant balls of yours too heavy to move? Because they’d have to be incredibly huge for you to think that I wouldn’t find out about you. What did you think was going on when a random body appeared on your doorstep? Or were you really too stupid to realize it was something shady?”
A watchful Bek remained behind Lrox. His commander wouldn’t interfere unless others attacked.
“It was free food!” the Demon yelled. “I didn’t care where it was coming from. You ration our food, Judge. It’s not enough. What did you expect me to do, give it back?”
“If you don’t like our rules, Lrox, you’re more than free to leave. The rations are fair and you know it. You’re not starving.”
There was panic in the Kriintunoros’ eyes. Razor knew they would never go back to the Underworld. Then Lrox’s gaze shot to the right and his eyes widened.
Razor breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder in time to catch Lrox’s second-in-command leap at Sasha from behind a car.
Razor didn’t move; he knew Sasha could handle herself.
She didn’t disappoint. Goddess, he was hard again. Her fighting style was all sleek moves and swift attacks.
Carlica, Lrox’s second-in-command, threw a punch, but Sasha blocked her, kicking her leg out and getting the other woman on the right thigh. The female Kriintunoros stumbled, but quickly regained her balance. The fight kept going, but it was obvious Sasha was the better fighter.
Razor turned back to Lrox, who was looking worried now. “You should be worried,” Razor confirmed. “You have no idea what you’ve just done,” he said, low enough for Lrox’s ears only.
The man glanced over his shoulder as if ready to bolt, but Bek took a menacing step forward.
“Bad Lrox,” Bek chastised, like one would a misbehaving child.
When Razor looked back to Sasha, the fight was over. Carlica was on the ground, passed out. Sasha stood breathing heavily, one hand bleeding.
When their eyes met, she gave him two thumbs up. “I’m good. Made the bitch take a nap.”
Bek laughed. Razor found it incredibly hot. He gave her a heated look, hoping she would read how badly he wanted to get her naked.
Her lips parted, and the scent of her arousal was heady. Message received.
“Now, Lrox,” he said when he turned his attention back to the other man, “if you want to leave this meeting alive, you need to give me something useful. Did you see who left the body?”
Lrox swallowed, already shaking his head. “No.”
Razor sighed, ready to pull out one of his handguns, when Lrox blurted out, “I still have one of the bodies.”
That brought him up short. “What do you mean, bodies?”
“Like you said, bodies have been appearing in the same spot for several weeks now. There was one this morning. I don’t know who she is, but I still have her.”
Razor inhaled deeply, shoving back the urge to kill him where he stood. “Show me. Now.”
Inside the junkyard, Lrox led them to a small shed-like building. Lrox threw open the door. Razor motioned for him to go first. Razor entered next, followed by Bek and Sasha.
As soon as he was inside, he released the roar that had been threatening to escape. It filled the space, making the structure quiver.
He was going to kill whoever was responsible for this, painfully. Starting with Lrox.
“Is that…Hailie?” Sasha’s voice broke.
“Yes,” he confirmed through clenched teeth.
The little girl’s body was sprawled on the dirt, her glassy eyes staring up at nothing. Sasha stayed back when he moved to kneel next to the body, sniffed at it. The girl hadn’t been dead long. A day at most.
“Sasha.”
He felt her move in, then she was kneeling next to him, her arm stretching out slowly until her palm lay flat over Hailie’s chest, her hand trembling. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was fighting tears.
She suddenly jerked her head towards him, her watery eyes confused and panicked.
“What is it?”
“This…this can’t be right.” She turned back to the girl, touched her chest again, squeezing her eyes tight. There was a desperate feel to the movements, as if whatever she’d discovered, she wished she hadn’t.
“Talk to me, Sasha.”
She shook her head. “There’s no soul. It’s just…gone. Stolen.”
He inhaled sharply. Bek cursed behind him.
Breathing through his nose, he tried to keep his beast at bay when all it wanted was to rip someone to shreds over this. Even as his blood began to boil over, his voice remained cool as he said, “Maybe one of your Reaper buddies—”
Sasha was already shaking her head vehemently before he had a chance to finish the words. “No. If her soul had been collected, there would be a signature of some kind. Every Reaper has one; it’s how we know if a soul has been picked up. It’s our system.” She took a deep breath. “Think of it as a mail package. It needs to be signed for on both ends. This one was just torn out. I can see the wound, Razor. Is this what happened to the missing girls?” She lowered her head.
It was enough to push him over the edge.
He shot up like lightning, spinning towards Lrox. The man was still looking at the young girl lying dead on the floor when Razor pulled his handgun and unloaded the entire clip into his head. The Kremortium bullets tore his skull to pieces before the body hit the floor.
Sasha flinched, but it was probably more over the abrupt gunfire than feeling any adverse reaction to Lrox’s death. Neither she nor Bek commented on the fact that killing Lrox hadn’t been very Judge-like of him. Good, because he didn’t even feel slightly bad about it.
Logically, he knew that Lrox hadn’t actually killed Hailie, but he was still partially to blame. Had the bastard reported the body dumping earlier, maybe Razor could have prevented more deaths. Even Hailie’s.
It was starting to become evident that Razor was coming up short on fucks to give. The more shit that hit the fan, the more he grew comfortable with letting go of some of the principles he had once valued.
“Get the girl a proper burial,” he told Bek. “Find Carlica and get rid of her. Send her back to Erummon or kill her, I really don’t care which. You can monitor the fights for leadership, or you can let them sort it out themselves. Your call.” Razor rubbed a hand over his hair, slipping the gun back in its holster. “And check the rations. Sin can tell you how many times a week the cleaning units have been making deliveries. He knows this shit better than I do.”
Bek nodded, dragging Lrox’s dead body out of the shed. Razor walked back to Sasha.
Her face turned up to his, and in her gaze, he saw fury had joined her sorrow. “I have to get this bastard, Razor. We have to.”
“Yes, we do, pretty girl. And we will,” he told her, and then allowed himself to touch her cheek. “I promise you, we will.”
“We’ll start with Castor.”
Razor nodded, tugging her out of the shed. They both gave Hailie’s body one last look before closing the door. “I think it’s time we get everyone together, because I’m getting the feeling this is bigger than any of us suspected.”