Crossed Fates by Lexi C. Foss

 

Makayla

Present Day

Bloodsucker Serial Killer.

I considered the nickname, then peered through the bars at the hulking beast seated by the desk. I wasn’t impressed. The media had made this guy sound like some sort of mastermind lunatic. That was why I’d chosen the kidnap approach for this case. It seemed like the best way to make the arrogant jackhole talk.

But now I wondered if I should have just knocked him out, handcuffed him in silver chains, and interrogated him the old-fashioned way.

A sigh escaped me. Better luck next time, I thought.

I fiddled with the cuffs in front of me. They were made of silver, which burned my wrists, but they wouldn’t be difficult to unlatch in a pinch. The bars would be more of a problem. I didn’t have a key, so a wire would have to do.

Thank God for bras.

Hulk—my nickname for the Bloodsucker Serial Killer because it was far more appropriate—shifted, his muscular body way too big for his tiny stool. He really should consider some upgrades around this shithole. This underground dungeon of his was more like a glorified basement.

Of course, this was just the holding cage.

Maybe things would be more interesting once he moved me to my upgraded digs. Then we’d get to the heart of this trafficking matter.

Or I’d kill him.

The decision remained to be seen.

What kind of shifter are you? I wondered. He had this weird smoky stench around him that didn’t match what I knew about the shifters in this realm. As far as I knew, dragons didn’t exist here. Although, that would be pretty cool if they did.

The hint of blood on the air suggested he might be part vamp as well.

So a hybrid of some kind.

Interesting. I’d spent the last three years traversing realms and had never heard of a hybrid before, much less encountered one.

My alpha, Nathan, would definitely be intrigued. Marc, too. I’d have to report this back to them once I finished up here. Not that I worked for Nathan’s black ops agency anymore. I’d gone freelance after the job that had originally brought me to this realm. Then I’d stayed because the people of this world clearly needed my help.

And if hybrids were a thing now, then I was definitely needed here.

I rolled off my cot and started to pace the small space of my cell. Dusty cement floor. Small windows near the high ceiling. Sports bar above us—something I’d sensed more than observed from my fake unconscious state when the hybrid had taken me down the single set of stairs.

I cataloged every detail and frowned at the summary in my head. “Yeah, I gotta be honest with you, Hulk. This place is roughly a two-star rating in my book.”

He ignored me, his focus on his screens.

Small talk clearly wasn’t in this guy’s repertoire. I drummed my fingers against my thighs, considering him. This situation required a delicate touch, maybe some coaxing, or I could do what I happened to be really good at—just plain piss him off. With finesse.

Yes, I like this plan.

I heaved a dramatic exhale and lounged against the wall beside the door to my cell.

“You know, there are several deteriorations you could make to this place that would lower your rating,” I advised him. “I mean, I travel a lot and stay in a ton of different styles of accommodations, and, to be honest, this isn’t the worst place I’ve spent the night. Hence the two-star rating.”

Hulk merely snorted, unamused.

I kept expecting him to pull out a cigarette, to go with the whole smoky aura thing.

But those screens had him captivated instead.

I’m starting to take offense to this silent treatment, big guy, I thought, deciding to up my game. He obviously needed a more thorough lesson on polite conversation.

“Don’t get me wrong, you nailed the whole musty dungeon atmosphere, but I just don’t believe it, you know? I want to; I’m really trying here. It’s not that the cot is too lumpy or the toilet bowl is too clean, but”—as suspected, when I paused, he glanced at me over his shoulder, so I gave him two thumbs up and a big, toothy grin—“major props for the silver bars. Those are how you lost your third star.”

Of course, he gained a star with the cuffs. Like, who decided to chain a victim’s hands in front of them? That rookie move served as a clear underestimation of my abilities—an underestimation that was, frankly, offensive. My brother had taught me to pick handcuffs before day one of enforcer training. Then my alpha’s black ops agency had refined the skill after recruiting me.

“Shut up,” Hulk grunted.

“No problem.” I wandered to the other side of the bars caging me in and tapped one with my finger. “Ouch!” The fiery pain on the tip of my digit zinged across my nerve endings, but I managed to contain my shudder. I did, however, make a high-pitched yelp, rattle my cuffs around, and hop from foot to foot while cradling my “poor, abused” hand.

As I’d hoped, the man whipped his head around to take a gander at what had caused my outburst. After a quick assessment, he rolled his eyes so hard that he could have checked out his own ass, and went back to his paperwork. “Had to be an airhead,” he muttered in a low, exasperated tone.

“I was just curious,” I said, pretending to defend myself. “Besides, if I don’t thoroughly inspect the accommodations, how will I know what to put in my review? Oh, that reminds me, is there a continental breakfast? I hope you don’t just serve moldy fruit. I do a lot of yoga and shit, so I can enjoy a morning pastry. Provided it’s not filled with anything delicious. Wouldn’t want to boost your—”

He twisted around and glared at me. “Shut. Up.” The words held a bit more bite this time.

“Sure, sure. Sorry about that.” I mimed zipping my lips and walked with deliberate slowness toward said lumpy cot until he’d turned his back again. Halting in my tracks, I pivoted and studied my captor.

I’d taken on this hybrid asshole pro bono after I saw the news about Valaria Crimson’s death. The famous heiress had made all the headlines, but that wasn’t why I took on her case. No, I had two reasons.

First, Valaria Crimson was a shifter. Not that humans knew that about her—mortals had no idea supernaturals existed around them.

And second, the moniker the news agencies had given the culprit had piqued my interest.

But this guy was so not living up to the Bloodsucker Serial Killer title.

I expected something grander after all my digging into his background. He was supposed to be some sort of human trafficking king. As someone who had studied multiple cases like this—and solved them—I was seriously unimpressed.

I could only imagine what my mentor would say right now. Probably something snarky about this being a colossal waste of time. I agreed.

Speaking of…

“You know, actually, this sort of reminds me of my first visit to this, uh, city. Only, that dungeon had torture devices and a witch in it.” One I’d helped save and return to her appropriate realm—my realm. “Maybe you should consider acquiring a witch? Might knock you down a quarter star or so. I wouldn’t suggest letting her be rescued, though. That’s how that dungeon gained stars. Shame, really, as they had such potential. So that’s why—”

Hulk shoved his chair back from the table, sending it flying out from under him, and stalked over to stare at me with a thunderous expression. “I said, shut it.”

I put my hands up in a surrender pose. “Shutting it.” I only paused for a second before adding, “Except, um, just wondering, what are you going to do with me? I can’t exactly rate my stay if I’m dead.”

“Oh, we’re not going to kill you.”

We. Interesting. I’d noticed a plethora of lackeys, but his use of the word we seemed to imply he had partners.

His reddish eyes flashed black, his animal near the surface. Totally a wolf under that skin. He scanned me from head to toe, and back up, lingering on my breasts before returning to my face.

I had to hold in a snort. Bad idea, dude. There were two killers in this room.

“Does the carpet match the drapes?” he asked in a slimy voice before licking his lips.

Years of self-control kept me from delivering a swift dick punch for that shitty-ass line. I didn’t trust my sharp tongue, though, so I kept silent.

“Too bad I won’t have the opportunity to find out. You’re slated for review tomorrow. Then you’ll likely go to auction soon after.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. I opened my mouth to push for details, only to be interrupted by the door opening at the top of the stairs.

The sound of hurried feet on metal steps followed.

My nose twitched, my inner wolf groaning in irritation. Vampire. Ugh.

A short, scraggly guy with a head slightly too big for his body appeared a second later. His eyes went straight to me, and his pupils flared with lust—or hunger—I couldn’t tell which reaction was more prevalent.

I cocked my head to the side and stared at him coolly, deciding to drop the act and step up my game. Pissing off both jackholes would lead to more informative verbal vomit. “Bleed out, Sir Wanna-Bite.” Seemed like an appropriate nickname. “Never going to happen. Not even if my life depended on it.”

He scowled at me, his face warped by his frown and lowered brows. “Watch it, bitch. It just might,” he snarled.

“I’ll never understand why people think it’s an insult to call me exactly what I am.”

“A female dog?” He rolled his eyes.

“No.” I let my wolf close to the surface, allowing the little shit to see her in my eyes as she pushed to be released. “A vindictive, aggressive woman with deadly aim. And a female wolf.”

Sir Wanna-Bite opened his mouth to issue a rebuttal but was cut off when the hybrid spoke. “Enough, Luther.”

Luther? I rolled my eyes. “Sir Wanna-Bite” is so much more fun.

The vamp sneered at me, his eyes blazing with a mixture of hatred and lust. I simply smiled pleasantly, needling him because that was how I got my kicks.

Hulk’s phone rang, interrupting my witty repartee. He retrieved it from his pocket and answered immediately. “Vex.”

I blinked. Seriously? Why are you all ruining my nicknames?

“Is it safe to talk?” the caller asked.

“Yeah, it’s just Luther here right now,” Vex—ugh—replied.

And me, I thought with a mental wave. But yes, please continue treating me as insignificant. Just a shifter with wolf hearing over here.

Hopefully, this caller would finally give me something to work off of.

“Good. The silver package has been delivered,” said the caller. “They should be dead by morning.”

Silver? What the hell does that have to do with auctioning girls?

“Did you let the boss know?” Vex asked.

“Yeah.”

Ah, shit. Those were words I didn’t want to hear. I thought the hybrid was the boss. Now I had to go through him to find out who really ran this show. Fuck a duck.

I added the boss’s identity to the information I intended to extract from these gullible idiots. I also wanted more details about the silver package. It seemed strange that a shifter, half-breed or not, would mess with something so toxic. Which meant it had to be important.

“Anything else?” Vex asked.

“Yeah. Boss saw your new catch on the surveillance feed. He says he wants you to hold on to her for him. Something about striking a chord of familiarity, if you feel me.”

Vex glanced at me and grunted. “The chatty one?”

The caller chuckled. “Pretty redhead.”

“Her mouth isn’t all that pretty.” Vex’s irises flared an eerie red color as he studied me. “But all right.”

“I’ll be in touch.” The caller hung up.

Vex set the phone on the table and then lifted his chin at Luther. “Go get Neo.”

Luther threw me what I assumed was supposed to be a threatening scowl but looked more like a pout, then scampered up the stairs.

“I assume that all means you can’t sample the goods?” No sense in hiding my enhanced hearing now that he’d finished talking.

Vex’s shoulders stiffened, and he grunted as he stomped back over to his seat at the table.

“That’s unusual, huh?”

He grunted again, and the muscles in his back tightened.

“Ooooh, am I special? Please say yes. A girl always likes to be special.”

Vex turned in his seat and glared at me. “I wouldn’t be so mouthy if I were you. The boss wants you for himself, and trust me, he’ll cut off that tongue if you don’t keep it in your mouth.”

Two sets of feet scurried down the stairs, interrupting me. Again.

I’m going to kill you just for being a pest, I decided as Luther came into view. I mean, honestly, how is a girl supposed to work around here with all these constant interruptions? And could you not scurry? It makes you sound like a damn mouse.

The newcomer—Neo, I presumed—stood at least six inches shorter than Luther.

How strange for a shifter, I mused, catching his scent as he hit the bottom step. Perhaps he worked for Vex because he wanted to feel like a bigger man.

Because it was true what they said—size really did matter, especially for a wolf.

Neo’s gaze went right to me as though he could hear me mocking his petite frame. I merely smiled in response. He eyed me curiously for a moment, then walked toward my cage, stopping a foot away.

“What breed of wolf are you?”

“What breed are you?” I countered. But I already knew. Bitten wolf. His smell and the lack of a feral animalistic gleam in his eyes gave him away. Totemic breeds typically had their beasts lurking in their gazes, Lycans were a distinct two-legged shifter type, and Fenrir weren’t real wolves—only their eyes shifted.

“Neo, take this to the warehouse on Grand,” Vex said, drawing Neo’s attention away from me as he handed him a sheet of paper.

Neo snatched it and glanced at me curiously one more time before departing.

Apparently, he was just as bad at small talk as the other two.

I sighed. This is going to take me all night at this rate.

Luther’s red eyes locked onto me again, and he inched closer. “I should taste her to make sure she’s good enough to be sold.” His mouth curved into a greasy smile.

Ew.

Also, I was a little offended at the implication.

“My blood is like heroin, vamp,” I taunted. “One taste and you’ll be hooked. But you should have some self-control. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to say no to drugs?”

Vex made a sound that might have been a chuckle. If so, he was rusty at it. “Feisty,” he grunted. “It’s a pity I won’t be the one to bring you to heel.”

“Sir Wanna-Bite isn’t enough of a challenge for you?” I drawled. “Imagine that.”

Luther’s face turned red, and he took a threatening step forward, but Vex—who remained deadpan—yanked him backward just as a commotion broke out upstairs.

Vex stood, looking closely at the camera feeds. “Fucking E.V.I.E.,” he growled. He spun around and pointed a finger at Luther. “Watch her,” he commanded as he stalked toward the stairs. At the last second, he narrowed his gaze and added, “No biting.”

Luther double-blinked and nodded. “Of course.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Vex jogged up, leaving me alone with the weak little shit.

Well, I tried to do this the easy way. I began fiddling with my cuffs. But it seems a simple interrogation is just not going to work here.

Luther’s stare turned menacing as he approached.

“If you’re going for intimidation, you might want to grow a foot or so,” I jibed. Honestly, the insult would be better served to his buddy Neo, but the little pip-squeak had run off with his tail between his legs, ready to do Vex’s bidding.

Luther sneered and sibilated, “I’m going to make you bleed.”

I rolled my eyes skyward. “Really? I thought maybe you were going to eat my brains like a zombie. A vampire make me bleed? I’m shocked!”

Luther’s face turned purple and mottled with rage.

Perfect. Time to stop pretending I’m not in charge.

I popped the clasp on the cuff, ready to kick some ass and demand some answers, but a body flying down the stairs distracted me.

Okay, seriously. Someone up there is messing with me. Three interruptions in, like, ten minutes? This can’t be… hold on… Is that Vex?I glared at the ceiling. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

Some asshole just killed my target!

I glared at the male descending the stairs.

Then my lips parted.

Because holy wow, someone had sent me a fallen angel dressed in black leather and jeans. I looked up again. All right. Not as mad now.

Except the godly male walked straight up to Luther and drove a stake through his chest, taking down yet another one of my targets. Shit!

Piercing blue eyes landed on me, causing my wolf to perk up with interest. Oh, yes, she seemed to be saying, her proverbial purr vibrating me to my core.

I nearly growled in response. Not fucking happening. He killed our targets. The only action we’ll be seeing is his blood painting the walls.

My cuffs were already unfastened.

Now all I needed was to escape this cage.

Then I’d return the favor by killing this intruder for interrupting my interrogation. I would have taken it out on Luther, but this hot wolf had beaten me to the punch. So I’d take out my frustration on his beautiful face instead.