Vixen: A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella Read online

  If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was something beyond human. But he wasn’t. Even now, she could sense the illness in him. One he thought he could hide. Yet another thing that had kept her up at night. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

  He looked down at her rope, drill, and grappling hook. “Attempted robbery of a bank is a felony.”

  “I haven’t attempted anything.” She kept her feet on the sidewalk. “I’m not even on the bank’s property.” Yet. Of course, the cop knew that fact. Why had he stopped her before she’d at least trespassed? He seemed to rescue everyone, or rather, every woman around who needed help. “Do you keep a bunch of dogs and cats, too?” she blurted before she could help herself.

  He cocked his head to the side. “Two dogs and no cats. Okay, one cat, but he just stops by when the weather is bad or he’s really hungry.” Evan stuck his hand in his jeans pocket. “Maybe two cats.”

  The guy was a natural rescuer. Also a pain in the butt. “If you’re such a great guy, why won’t you give me that recording you have of me?” She fluttered her eyelashes in an age-old move.

  He sighed and took her arm, his grip firm. “I promise you’ll get the video the second you graduate from anger management. You have to understand that you could’ve killed those guys, and while they probably deserved it for harassing you, I can’t just let you off the hook. You do seem to have anger issues.”

  Oh, he had no idea. She’d been innocently minding her own business and the punks had accosted her, so she’d kicked their butts. It was too bad the whole situation had been caught on camera, and since one of the kids was the sheriff’s son, she had been charged. Evan had helped her, though. She dug in her heels and stopped them both.

  He stiffened and turned to face her. “How are you so strong?” Releasing her, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Or maybe I’ve just lost my strength.” He sighed, his broad chest moving with the effort. “What was your plan tonight?” He sounded merely curious.

  She couldn’t tell him, and she really had to get a move on. “I’m really sorry about this,” she whispered, setting her stance and turning more fully to face him.

  He shook his head. “That isn’t an answer.”

  “No, but this is.” She lowered her chin and attacked his mind, sending enough power to knock him out and scramble his brain enough that he wouldn’t remember the evening.

  He cocked his head to the side. “What is?”

  Her mouth dropped open. She’d sent enough pain his way that he should’ve dropped to the pavement instantly. Was there something wrong with her? All demons could attack minds—it was one of their strongest skills. While she was only twenty-five years old, she’d learned how in her early teens. She should be able to kill the guy with the right force.

  Yet there he stood.

  She tried again, this time holding nothing back.

  His chin lowered. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Did you feel that?” she whispered. Tingles exploded throughout her abdomen.

  He stepped closer. “Feel what?”

  Oh, crap. Her powers were gone. How the heck had that happened? “This town is bad luck,” she yelled, throwing her hands up and knocking him beneath the chin with the drill.

  He snatched it from her hand. “Ouch.”

  “That hurt you?” she yelled, fury ripping through her with the force of a real demon mind attack. One that actually worked. “You should be slobbering all over the pavement right now.”

  The clouds parted, and the moon beamed down, highlighting the angles of his rugged face. His beyond blue eyes laser focused on her. “Are you all right? Maybe we should get you to a professional or something.”

  Yeah, she probably did sound like a lunatic.

  Evan stiffened and then partially turned toward the street.

  The air grew heavy, and Tabi sighed, her stomach dropping as a demon strolled their way from the shadows. “This day just couldn’t get any worse,” she muttered. “Evan? You might want to run now.”

  * * * *

  Evan shifted his weight to put the blonde pain-in-the-ass behind him while he faced the threat. There was no doubt the man heading toward them, body relaxed, eyes intense…was a threat. He would’ve known that even if Tabitha hadn’t just told him to run. “What kind of trouble are you in, darlin’?” he asked, resting his hand on the butt of his gun.

  Her sigh stirred the air around them. “The kind you wouldn’t understand. Please leave, and I’ll handle this.”

  He almost grinned. The woman was frighteningly petite with long blonde hair and the deepest black eyes he’d ever seen. While she looked fragile, she moved with a power and confidence that had intrigued him from the first time he’d arrested her. Yet there was no way she could fight the guy headed their way. Although Evan wasn’t at his best right now, either. If this current weakness in his limbs continued, he’d have to give notice at the department. But not tonight or until he solved the murder of the dirtbag Monte Loften. Tonight, he was helping Tabi.

  The guy finally arrived and stopped walking a couple of feet away. “Hello, Tabitha.”

  So they did know each other. Evan cocked his head. “Care to introduce us?” His adrenaline flowed through his veins, and he sank into the sensation for the briefest of seconds. He missed feeling strong and healthy.

  Tabi stepped to his side. “Detective O’Connell, this is Richard Goncharov. He is now leaving.”

  Had her voice trembled? Evan studied the newcomer as he was studied right back. Tall and broad, Evan wasn’t accustomed to looking up at anybody. This guy was about six-foot-seven with dark eyes and thick blonde hair almost as light as Tabi’s. Were they related? “Your brother?” Evan asked.

  Richard smiled, revealing strong white teeth. “Her betrothed.”

  Betrothed? Oh, hell no. Evan snorted. “What century are you from?”

  The smile widened. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  What was going on with these people? “Tabi?” Evan asked.

  “It’s a long story.” She elbowed him in the ribs and settled her feet next to him. “But we haven’t done anything wrong, so please let us be, Detective.”

  No way was Evan leaving her with this guy. While he might not understand what was going on, his instincts had never failed him. “Actually, you’re both skulking near the bank, and I can take you in briefly for questioning.” Which might be a good idea.

  Richard stared down at Tabi. “Is this guy for real?”

  She exhaled. “Yes.”

  Richard lifted his nose, sniffing the air. He paused and studied Evan with even more intensity. “You’re dying.”

  Evan jolted and then regained control. How the hell did he know that? “Excuse me?”

  “Leave him alone.” Tabi pushed forward with the nylon rope still around her shoulder and a grappling hook in her left hand. “Let’s go, Richard. We can fight about our future and leave the detective be. I won’t allow him to be hurt.”

  “The mere fact that you don’t want him harmed makes me want to harm him,” Richard said slowly.

  What the fuck? Evan shoved Tabi behind him again and tossed the drill to the ground. “That was a threat against a law enforcement officer.” Well, kind of. Either way, he could get this guy away from Tabi and run a background check on him for crimes. “You’re coming with me.”

  “I’m bored.” Richard lowered his chin in the same way Tabi had earlier. “Say goodbye to your brain.” He focused hard on Evan’s face.

  “That’s it.” Evan reached for the cuffs in his back pocket.

  Richard stepped back. “What the hell?”

  Tabi hopped back to Evan’s side. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought it was me. I’m fine. You couldn’t attack his mind, either?”

  Okay. They were both nuts. “I think we should get you two some help.” Evan set the cuffs back in place and reached for his phone. “We have a nice and secured area at the hospital where we can figure out what’s going on.” Was
Tabi involved in some type of weird cult with this moron? It figured that a crazy blonde would make him wish he could live longer. The fact that she was nuts should diminish his desire for her. Nope. Maybe the shrink from anger management could help her.

  “You really should leave,” Tabi said, her gaze remaining on Richard. “I mean it, Richard. Don’t hurt him.”

  Enough. Evan reached for his gun, stopping when Tabi cried out. Tears leaked from her eyes and her body shook. “Tabi?”

  Her chin firmed and she snapped her head up. Her legs visibly trembled, and the air thickened around her. She coughed and then sucked in a breath. “You attacked me?” she all but growled at Richard.

  He smiled. “Just wanted to make sure I still had it.” Then he lowered his chin again, and his eyes gleamed in the darkness.

  Fury lit her face. “Don’t you ever—” She cried out again and dropped the grappling hook. It bounced near the discarded drill.

  Evan instinctively reached for her arm. “Tabi?”

  She jerked and then settled, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she turned her head to face him. “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?” Evan didn’t like how pale she’d become, so he gentled his grip on her. What the hell was going on here?

  “You, um, stopped the mind attack,” she breathed, her eyes wide.

  Heat flowed through him. “Honey? I think you need help.” How had the jackass in front of him convinced the woman that her mind could be attacked? “Let’s get you to the hospital, and I’ll take a complete report from you about whatever you’re involved in. I am going to help you.” While he’d sensed she was in some sort of trouble, he hadn’t figured on anything this crazy. It’d be nice to take down a cult before he died, if that’s what was going on.

  His own headache was about to drop him to the ground, but he was used to that. In fact, if his head stopped hurting, he’d know he was close to death. Not that it wasn’t coming for him, anyway.

  Tabi slipped her hand in his. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The sweetness of her gesture dug into his chest and took hold. “How about we all go to the station?”

  Richard’s lips thinned, and he stared at their joined hands. “I guess I can wait for your disease to kill you, human.” His eyes sparked again. “Your deadline is Thursday, Tabitha. Take me, or take death. Your choice.” He turned and strode away.

  Evan stiffened and reached for his gun.

  “No,” Tabi said softly. “Let him go. You know he didn’t break any laws.”

  True. Evan wouldn’t be able to hold him for long. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly.

  She shook her head. “I don’t really know, to be honest.” Then she looked up at him, her gaze earnest. “I have to go home now. We can talk after the anger management class tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be there to make sure I go.”

  “Let me help you.” He could just take her in, but at the moment, he didn’t have enough to really hold her on. Part of that was his fault in that he’d stopped her before she could use the rope and hook. His time was limited, and saving her had become his focus two weeks ago.

  He hadn’t figured out why.

  Yet.

  Chapter 2

  Tabitha paced in the kitchen of her rental bungalow—or what counted as a bungalow in this small town. Yeah, it was charming and she loved it, but there was no chance she’d be able to stay. If Richard had found her, the Popovs wouldn’t be far behind. She looked at the clock, knowing it was way too late to call. Yet she picked up her phone and pressed speed dial.

  “Somebody better be dead,” a grumpy voice answered.

  Then a soft female voice in the background. “Who would call this late in the night?”

  Tabi winced. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Raine. I didn’t realize you had company.” The deadly vampire-demon hybrid could probably pick up a woman with a lift of his dark eyebrow. He was more vampire than demon by far. Hence the charm.

  Blankets rustled, and Raine chuckled. “No worries. Did you manage to rob the bank?”

  “No.” Tabitha leaned against the counter, wondering at her sanity in calling the vampire. Sure, they were stuck in this town together, and he was one of the only immortals around, but they weren’t exactly friends. Not that she had friends or family or pretty much anybody. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

  A door shut and then the sound of water pouring into a kettle came over the line. “I can help you rob the bank tomorrow night, if you’d like.”

  She was a demonness, for goodness’ sakes. One who shouldn’t need anybody’s help to rob a darn bank. “No. I, ah, have a couple of questions.” While she’d only been alive a quarter of a century, Raine had lived at least three hundred years, if not four.

  “Okay.” His low voice rumbled through the line. “Fire away.”

  She pushed aside warning, having to trust somebody. “Have you heard of humans who can block a demon mind attack?”

  Quiet came over the line. “Why? Did somebody block your attack?”

  She bit her lip, not wanting to put Evan in Raine’s cross-hairs any more than was necessary. “Can we just go on hypotheticals here?”

  Raine sighed. “I’m not fond of playing games, demonness, but I’ll go along with you for now. The answer is that there are some enhanced human females—a very few—who were known as demon destroyers because they could block attacks. In fact, I believe that Kane Kayrs mated one. Yes. That’s right. He did.”

  Kane Kayrs? He was one of the Kayrs brothers who ruled the Realm, which was a coalition of immortal species. “You’re not a member of the Realm, are you?” It’d be nice to talk to Kane’s mate, but Tabi didn’t know anybody in the Realm.

  “Ha,” Raine snorted. “No. The Maxwell clan out of Montana has never aligned with anybody. My brothers would cut off my head if I even thought about it, and I’d probably let them do it.”

  “What’s wrong with the Realm?” Tabi asked.

  “It’s easier not being a part of any coalition,” Raine said easily. “Your family isn’t aligned with the Realm, if I remember right.”

  She sighed. “I’m the only one left in my family. Didn’t you know that?”

  He paused. “No. The Ruskos have a reputation of being secretive and, frankly, nuts. I hadn’t realized you were the only one left. No family at all?”

  She sighed. “No. My parents died in the last dustup between immortals, and I was left with a nanny, who raised me. A human nanny.”

  Raine sucked in air—loudly. “You were raised by a human?”

  Tabi opened her fridge for a bottle of wine. “Yep. She was kind and I loved her. She also knew all about the immortal world, so I’m well versed in whatever she knew. But we stayed off the grid mainly.” Until last year, when everything had gone to crap. Tabi didn’t need to share that with Raine. She liked the guy, but even she knew not to trust the Maxwells from Montana.

  “Interesting. Well, if you have found a demon destroyer, keep her identity to yourself, if you don’t choose to kill her.” A kettle whistled loudly. “Most demons are fine with killing anybody who poses a threat to them, which is probably why there are so few humans around these days who can block a demon mind attack. They’ve all died out.”

  Tabi poured a generous glass of Pinot Grigio into a long-stemmed wine glass. “Enhanced human females are distantly related to the witches, right?”

  “That’s the general consensus, but nobody really knows,” Raine said. “They could be their own species.”

  In that case, why couldn’t there be enhanced males, since witches were both male and female? Oh, vampires and their natural enemy, the Kurjans, were male only, and Tabi only knew of the enhanced females they’d mated. “Have you ever heard of a vampire mating an enhanced human male?”

  “A long time ago, but I’m pretty sure the Kurjans took out all enhanced human males before this new campaign they’re now waging to end all enhanced females. Why do you ask?” The sound of pouring water came over t
he line. “Where’s my bourbon, damn it?”

  Tabi swirled her wine in the glass, watching the liquid catch the light. “I just didn’t learn any of this from my guardian.”

  “Uh-uh,” Raine said.

  So he didn’t believe her. It wasn’t like he was focused on her, so that was all right. “Why are you still here, Raine?” He’d shown up at the anger management class, obviously to keep an eye on a former member, who had left quickly. A member who’d been a vampire-demon hybrid, much like Raine, although Raine was much more vampire than demon. “You should’ve left after Ivar did.”

  “My job isn’t done,” Raine said, his voice losing the congenial tone.

  “What’s your job?” She had to ask, even though it was obvious he wouldn’t tell her.

  He took a big drink, apparently having found his bourbon. “None of your business, demonness. Don’t think of getting in my way.”

  She wouldn’t. “Don’t get all assholish with me. It’s not necessary.”

  “My apologies.” He didn’t sound sorry.

  “Who’s in your bed, anyway?” she snapped, not really caring.

  He took another drink. “Nobody. Just a nice lady I picked up at the grocery store in the fruit aisle.”

  An unwilling smile tilted Tabi’s lips. “Fruit aisle? I’ll have to try that.” It had been way too long since she’d had a date. Her mind wandered instantly to the tall and sexy cop who wanted, for some reason, to save her. She sighed.

  Raine cleared his throat. “I’m heading back to my nice fruit lady, considering she’s had an hour of sleep to rest up for round number four. If you’ve found a human male who can stop a demon mind attack, I’d keep that information to yourself. Otherwise, he’ll have a bullseye on his back. It wouldn’t be nice to do that to the kind cop who’s trying to help you.”

  She gasped. “How did you know?”

  “I’m not a moron.” Raine clicked off the phone.

  She swallowed. Her questions had led to an obvious answer. She took her wine glass and went to her living room, peering out at the cop car parked by her curb with Evan O’Connell keeping watch over her.