“You? Why do you know about Safeside?” She yanked away from his grasp, lifting her hands to her temples. “What’s going on here? The room’s spinning. Did you drug me again?”
Again?
How did she know? And why was she here? She shouldn’t have remembered anything about this place or the mind cleaning he suspected she was referring to when she accused him of drugging her. As far as he knew, nobody had ever resisted a mind cleaning. Ravyn had.
But she didn’t know who he was, his beast chuffed at that while Steele admitted to feeling a slap of disappointment, as well. But there was no time to explore any more questions.
The front door flew completely off its hinges and Steele reflexively reached for Ravyn, grabbing her arm and pulling her back behind him. Gusts of wind filled the foyer of the house, knocking over tables, shaking the pictures on the wall and whistling with an air of familiarity that shook Steele to the core.
Seconds later mummies appeared again. This time Steele was ready for the bastards. His eyes flipped again, the beast inside rearing up as Steele rolled his head on his shoulders and fisted his hands at his sides. Four of them came for him and he took the first one without hesitation. Dust circled the area after Steele had broken its neck, forming a mini-cyclone in that space. The next one came at him and this time it was with clawed fingers that Steele struck, slicing its stomach and then its neck, producing more dust. He took the remaining two and looked back to see where Ravyn was, to confirm that she was alright, but she wasn’t there.
“Cree? Let him go!” he heard her scream.
Steele pushed through the dust coming to a stop at the opening of the door where it was now clear. A woman stood a few feet away in a haze of red light, holding a man by his neck. Ravyn was a few steps in front of Steele now, standing directly between him and the unknown woman.
Laughter erupted, a cold chilling sound that echoed through the early evening air.
“Are you sure she is the one?” the woman asked.
From behind the bushes to the left of the house another man peeked his head out. He wore a goofy smile as he stepped from around the bush waving his hand as if this were a joyous occasion.
Ravyn looked at him and whispered. “Vertis?”
“Hey, Ray,” the guy spoke to her in return.
This wasn’t good. Steele cursed inwardly and took another step toward Ravyn.
“Not so fast, Drakon,” the woman said and lifted the hand that wasn’t clenching the unknown man’s neck. “You’ve interfered enough.”
“And you’re sadly mistaken if you think you’re any match for me. Let that man go. Let them all go. I have what you want, Temptra.”
To the human eye the Dhampir appeared to be a woman in her late thirties to early forties, about five feet eleven inches tall, skin the color of honey, hair short and slicked down to her head in a style similar to what he’d seen Ziva wear a time or two. The skin-tight blue-and-white dress that accentuated every curve of her body and dropped down to her ankles appeared to be an overstatement considering their circumstances, her face was heavily made up, long curling eyelashes easing over cool gray eyes.
She tilted her head slightly and let her red-coated lips spread into a brilliant, but sly, smile.
“You know who I am. One point for you,” she quipped.
“I know you’re never going to get what you want,” he told her. “So you might as well let them all go.”
“You really mean let her go,” Temptra said and then made a clucking sound with her tongue. “Not a chance. Vertis, take what’s mine and let’s go.”
Vertis took a step toward Ravyn and Steele was prepared to break the guy’s arm if he touched her, but Ravyn moved first. She stepped right up to him and punched him in the face. Vertis’s head snapped back and before he could gather himself, Ravyn punched him again, this time in his stomach.
“You’re a piece of shit! You set me up! I thought you were giving me information too easily. All of this was your plan from the start. Why?” She was yelling, following Vertis as the guy howled in pain and tried to get away from her.
But Ravyn wasn’t finished with him. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and whirled him around until she could slam his back against the wall of the house. He huffed with the breath she’d knocked out of him and flailed as she slowly lifted him off the ground.
“I asked you why? Why would you tell me to come here? Who told you who I was?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“I did,” Temptra said evenly. “And I’m beginning to see why.”
Her words caught Ravyn’s attention and in a flash, Ravyn let Vertis fall to the ground while she turned back to Temptra. “I want you to let him go right now. He’s not a part of this.”
“Who, this one?” Temptra asked in a sickeningly sweet voice as she squeezed the guy’s throat.
He yelled out and Ravyn charged Temptra but Steele stopped her by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back.
“Don’t touch her,” he whispered in Ravyn’s ear. “Her touch will poison you.”
“How smart you are, Drakon. Now, I’ll trade this one for my dagger,” Temptra said. “And you.”
Her gaze settled on Ravyn and Steele held her tighter to him.
“I don’t... I don’t have it,” Ravyn said quietly at first and then she looked back at Steele. “I don’t have it anymore because you—”
Before she could finish her words three black SUVs came roaring down the street. One drove straight through the security gate that had provided zero
