Page 93 of The Firebrand
His chest rising and falling with excitement, Rein tangled his hands in the nymph’s hair, slammed her to the ground where he joined her. He threw her across his lap. His fangs erupted from his gums. With the moonlight shining on her tresses, she begged, she whimpered. He brushed a blonde strand away from her neck while he licked his lips, the saliva rushing into his mouth. When he pierced her jugular, he sucked, drawing blood into his body. His cells sparked with power. He lifted her skirt, prepared to mount the helpless nymph.
That’s when he made a mistake. He looked into her wide, pleading eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Rein gasped. He withdrew his fangs, wiping away the moisture with the back of his hand.
She was still alive, though barely. When Rein’s head whipped up, the fog cleared, the years since his forced Awakening replaying like an old, grainy movie. The countless killings. The blood addiction. The empty sex. The joyless pleasure of uncontrolled violence.
He dropped his forehead into his palms, weeping. As the nymph stirred, he lay her aside. He shadowflashed to his aunt Indigo’s home. She took him to India and salvation.
ChapterTwenty
Braelynawoke that morning earlier than usual to the sound of her cell’s blaring ringtone. Fumbling for the phone, she answered, “Yes?”
“It’s Nico. Get your ass to headquarters. You’re going into the field on an assignment.”
“Coming.” Braelyn sat up, no longer sleepy, swung her legs to the floor, and power-dressed. Living close to the Alliance offices, she ran at top speed all the way there. Any other day, she’d admire the falling autumn leaves. Not today.
Her commander, a tall, beefy man, was talking to Nico and three other agents when she charged in. He looked at his watch.
“What’s up? I got here as fast as I could.” Braelyn shifted her balance from foot to foot, dancing with excitement.
“Settle down, rookie,” said the commander. “Our undercover agent at the portal jumper factory has ID’d a suspect. We’re ready to bag the guy.”
“Is he human?” asked Braelyn.
“Yes.”
The full-fledged agents along with the newbie Braelyn took two Alliance SUVs. They parked a few blocks from the suspect’s home, walking the rest of the way. Wearing a loose jacket to hide the throwing weapons, she also strapped on a gun for the assignment. The others armed themselves with tricked-out Berettas.
They were ready, already having practiced a similar raid in a live-fire shoot house. The tech guy rigged them with cool com-kits.
Nico assigned two men to recon the rear of the property.
Rick reported in. “There’s a back door. We’ll take it.”
Nico confirmed the message. “10-69. Breach on my command.”
With Nico in the lead, Braelyn approached the entrance, another operator on her six. With a shout of “Go,” he slammed a foot into the door while the men in the rear did the same. The agents charged inside.
The suspect, a short, thin, balding man still in pajamas and robe, sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee poised at his lips. Dropping the cup, he sprinted to the counter—where he snatched a butcher knife to press against his throat.
The agents froze, letting Nico talk the guy down.
“No need to do that.” The raid leader creeped toward the factory worker. “This can all be solved without bloodshed. Come on, fella, let’s chat.”
“I can’t put the knife down. I want to, but I can’t. I’m going to kill myself unless you stop me.” His hand shook, paralyzing fear sparking his eyes. Still, he kept the blade at his throat. “Please, help me.”
“He might be spelled,” Braelyn cautioned.
Nico inched forward while the other agents spread across the kitchen. “Let’s all sit down to drink some coffee. Do you have enough for everyone?”
When the man looked toward the coffee pot, Nico lunged. Too late. The suspect drew the knife from one side of his neck to the other. Blood spurted across the room while the agents rushed him to save his life.
Braelyn pressed a dishtowel to the man’s throat but shook her head, glancing at the raid’s leader. Nico called for their own medics to take the body away in addition to a crew to clean the house.
The dispirited team returned to headquarters, meeting with their commander for hours, explaining what transpired and how a mage likely compelled the factory worker to kill himself if caught. Afterward, Nico taught Braelyn how to fill out multiple incident reports about the raid, detailing the circumstances that resulted in a dead suspect.
Sitting beside her at a desk, he leaned in to read what she had entered into the mandatory ten-page online form. When his shoulder grazed hers, he flashed an apologetic smile. “Sorry.” Perusing the rest of the report, Nico bobbed his head. “Sounds great. You can fill out all our forms.”
“Not fair.”
