Mason scowled. “He hurt you.”
“He didn’t do anything to me. He just…” Didn’t want me.
“He broke your heart.”
“That was four years ago, and I’m over it. He’s probably forgotten all about me anyway.”
I bit my lip as my chest squeezed, hating that it hurt after all this time. Why did I still care? Chris didn’t. He’d made that clear when he left and never came back.
I unzipped my duffle bag and pulled out my small toiletry case and a change of clothes.
“I’m going to shower before lunch,” I said, putting an end to the conversation.
Mason stood. “Give me your keys, and I’ll move our bikes. I want to check out the garage.”
I tossed my keys to him. “Thanks.”
Half an hour later, freshly showered and changed, I unpacked my things and hung my clothes in the closet. I smiled at my sparse wardrobe. I loved clothes, but there was only so much you could carry on a bike, and I’d give up my shoes before my Harley. Besides, now I had a good excuse to go shopping in LA.
I threw my empty bag into the closet, and a glint of silver on the bedspread caught my eye. Pressing my lips together, I stared at the silver chain for a long moment before I picked it up. I sat on the bed, letting the delicate chain wrap loosely around my fingers so the small silver dove pendant dangled from my hand.
I’d thrown the necklace into the back of my closet years ago, not wanting to look at it but unable to part with it. Seeing it now brought back memories of a time I wished I could forget – and the person who I’d thought had cared for me before he’d walked out of my life.
Of all the places in the world I could have gone, I’d chosen the command center run by Chris’s best friend. I’d lied when I told Mason I could deal with it if Chris showed up here. The truth was my stomach clenched painfully at the mere thought of seeing him again. If I had any sense of self-preservation, I’d ride away from here today and not look back.
I flopped back on the bed with a groan. This was so stupid. Why was I still letting him get to me? It wasn’t like we’d ever been together. All I’d been to Chris was the little girl he liked to indulge whenever he came to visit.
Until he never came again.
A knock came at my door, and I called for Mason to come in. His hair was damp, and he’d changed his clothes.
“Get the bikes moved?” I asked, sitting up.
He tossed me my keys. “Yeah. Wait’ll you see the garage. You can fit two dozen bikes in there.”
“I didn’t expect you back so soon. I figured you’d be fawning over Nikolas’s Ducati for at least half an hour.”
“Ha-ha.” He looked around my room. “You unpacked?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go get some lunch.”
I grinned. “Yeah. I bet Nikolas eats around this time.”
He snorted, but I noticed he didn’t try to deny that was why he was eager to go to the main house. I was going to have so much fun watching my normally cool best friend get all tongue-tied around his hero.
I opened the drawer to the night table and dropped the chain inside. Then I waved at Mason.
“Lead the way.”
* * *
I pulled into the parking spot next to Mason and shut off the Harley. Dismounting, I removed my helmet and watched as a black Jeep parked two spots away. The front doors of the Jeep opened, and Raoul and Brock got out.
My stomach fluttered, and I fought to keep the foolish grin off my face as the two men walked over to us. Mason and I had been in Los Angeles for three days, and most of that time had been spent being briefed on protocols and procedures and getting to know the other warriors. I was all for being prepared, but I was itching to get out and do what I’d been training for my whole life.
For the last two weeks, a tana demon had been at work in the city. Cousins to Incubi, tana demons lived on human energy, but unlike Incubi, they didn’t feed off sexual energy only. A tana demon could be male or female, and they only fed from the opposite sex. And what they left behind was nothing more than a husk of dried skin and bones. Since all the victims had been women, we knew we were looking for a male demon.
Another team was hunting him, but Nikolas thought it would be good experience for Mason and me to ride along with Raoul and check out a tip from an informant. According to the informant, a succubus named Adele, the tana demon might hit one of two places tonight. The other team was checking out the first club a block away, and we got the second one, a club called Suave.
“When we get inside, spread out,” Raoul said. “If you spot the target, keep him in sight and let the team know where you are. Any questions?”
He looked at Mason and me. We shook our heads, and the four of us walked toward the club, where a line of about fifty people stood outside the door. Instead of getting into line, Raoul headed for the door where a burly man stood guard. I didn’t hear the exchange between them, but the bouncer smiled and waved us in amid complaints from the crowd.
Loud music and a wave of warm air hit me as we walked down the short hallway to the main section of the club. The interior was one big room with a round bar in the center, surrounded by a sea of undulating bodies. How did you find someone in all this, especially when you only had a vague description to go by? The only way to recognize a tana demon was by their unique odor, which could most aptly be described as rotting oranges. Humans couldn’t smell it, but we could. The problem was that you had to get close enough to pick it up.
I waved to Mason and set off around the edge of the dancers, my eyes scanning every male face as my nose tried to detect the tana’s presence. According to Adele, the demon was tall and blond, which wasn’t a whole lot to go on and fit the description of half the men here. More than one of them caught me looking, prompting them to approach me and slowing my search. I brushed them off as politely as I could and continued on my way. Of course, there’s always that one guy who is more persistent than the others.
“One drink,” he called over the music.
“No, thanks. I’m looking for someone.”
I continued to search the faces around us. When he spoke again, he was inches from me, and I could smell alcohol on his breath. I’d seen intoxicated humans in movies and on TV, but this was my first encounter with one. The alcohol fumes made me want to cover my nose and mouth. It was a good thing humans didn’t have our sense of smell, or they’d probably never date.
“I’m someone,” he drawled silkily.
I nudged away the hand he’d laid on my shoulder. He was good-looking, and I was sure any number of girls here would love him to be their someone. I wasn’t one of them.
“Excuse me. I think I see my friend.”
I plunged into the crowd, letting it swallow me up. My new direction took me toward the bar, and I had to push through the mass of bodies. A hand cupped my ass, and I swiped it away in annoyance. When a different hand groped my breast, I wasn’t as forgiving. I squeezed the fingers until the faceless man yelped in pain.
My mood was darker by the time I reached the bar, and the excitement of my first job had dimmed. I wondered how Mason and the others were faring. I hadn’t heard from them, so I assumed they weren’t having any luck either.
A bartender stopped in front of me and asked what I wanted. I ordered a ginger ale and sipped it as I resumed my task of studying the face of every blond male around me. I soon came to the realization that hunting wasn’t all chases and combat. It could be downright boring.
On the opposite side of the circular bar, a couple caught my eye. I’d seen them during my first scan of the people around the bar, but I’d dismissed the man because he was dark-haired, not blond. I noticed them this time because the girl, who had seemed alert a few minutes ago, now looked drunk. Or drugged, if her glassy eyes and slack mouth were any indication.
I looked at her companion and found him watching her with an expression that was more hunger than concern. I knew how easy it was for someone to slip you a drug in one of these places. I also knew predators didn’t always come in demon form.
The girl got off her stool and would have fallen if the man hadn’t grabbed her. She smiled at him with unfocused eyes as he led her away from the bar. I set my glass on the bar and followed.