Sin's Gift (Veiled Alliance Book 1) Read online

  Athan glanced back, and then turned the doorknob, standing aside to let Sin enter first.

  Not knowing what to expect, she felt a moment’s letdown. She entered the inner sanctum of a demon hunting organization, staffed with otherworldly creatures, but she could just as well have entered the police dispatch center.

  She counted five individuals inside the room and wondered if any more of the invisible helpers might be around. One woman and four men, some seated at consoles with headsets. They glanced up, their gazes snagging on her for a moment, before receiving a calming wave from Athan and returning to their tasks.

  “Any of them human?” she whispered to Petrakis.

  “They’re from the Shadowlands, as well. But acclimated.”

  Not sure what that meant, but getting tired from information overload, she held her questions and looked around her.

  Computer consoles, arranged in an open octagon, faced outward. A large flat television screen hung from one wall directly in front of the octagon with a city map featured. Whiteboards ran the length of three walls to the sides and back of the room.

  One glaring difference was quantity of books, scrolls and papers that littered every available surface.

  Athan strode toward one conference table and held out a chair for her. “Marco,” he called out, “keep monitoring the scanners. The rest of you, come to council.”

  Sin took her chair as the rest gathered around the table. Curious glances shot her way, but no one spoke. Petrakis sat beside her and folded his arms over his chest, his narrowed gaze on Athan.

  “Something unexpected has happened today. Theo brought us a gift.”

  “Does it taste like chocolate, because I’m PMS-ing bad,” the woman said, stretching back in her chair, her gaze narrowing on Sin.

  “Did you drag her out of a fire pit?” one of the guys asked, eyeing Sin’s hair.

  Sin aimed a glare at the woman and slouched in her chair, not sure she wanted to get to know this group any better if their manners didn’t improve. And what did the blonde-haired woman mean about how she tasted?

  “Play nice,” Athan said. “She’s human.”

  All gazes sharpened on Sin, examining her like she’d morphed into an insect.

  “Despite the way they act,” Athan said with a warning edge in his tone for the group, “this is an elite team, pulled from several regions in the Shadowlands.”

  “Are they like you?” Sin asked.

  Athan’s lips curved. “No. All different species, but united to serve one goal—to rid this earth of skinwalkers and other demons who serve a dark purpose.”

  Sin shifted uncomfortably, feeling like she was living inside a comic book and the superhero’s mentor was giving the doom and gloom speech.

  “I can see the wheels turning, Sinead, but have patience. You’ll have time to learn everything you need to know about us. For now, I just wanted to introduce you to the team.”

  His gaze left her and narrowed on the others. “She’ll be working with us, and perhaps bringing a friend along with her.”

  “We talked about integrating before,” one of the men said, “but do you mind my asking, why her? Couldn’t we at least have gotten someone with a bit of muscle?”

  “She has a gift,” Athanasius said, appearing to relish the moment. “She’s a natural scout.”

  “Is this true?” the woman aimed the question at Detective Petrakis.

  “She tracked one to a portal, latched onto it, and passed right through. She’s the real thing.”

  The woman blew out a deep breath. “Piecing together intel to find the bastards is boring as hell. If she can see them, does that mean we can get out on the streets?”

  Athanasius’s smiled broadened. “I thought you wouldn’t complain very long. There are still details to work out, coordination with her department, which Theo will have to handle. But soon…”

  Everyone turned back to Sin, new interest in their curious gazes.

  She cleared her throat. Her head was already spinning with everything she’d learned. “I have a shift starting soon…”

  Detective Petrakis rose beside her. “We’ll talk in the car.”

  Chapter 6

  Jake waited beside his cruiser, his radio on just in case he got a call. Sin was late, and he was starting to wonder if he might be the reason. She’d only just returned to work. Maybe she wasn’t up to full steam just yet, and he’d stayed at her until they’d both fallen into an exhausted sleep.

  His own body ached—his cock felt a little raw; his hips and thighs burned like he’d run relays. But how was she feeling? She seemed strong. Still, she’d been through a lot. Maybe tonight, he ought to take it easy and give her a slow, gentle kind of loving—something they’d rarely managed before.

  Jake chuckled at the thought. He’d had good intentions the night before and see where that had led?

  He didn’t like to think about the time before the shooting, but he knew that while sex with Sin had been hot as hell, it hadn’t been…super-charged…like an engine running on rocket fuel. Now, every time their clothes came off and her sweet curves lay beneath his palms, he felt the need to brand her, to breach every one of her openings and wrap himself so tightly around her she’d never consider leaving.

  He thought they’d reached some sort of accord, an agreement not to talk about their relationship, or whatever it was they seemed to be embarking on. The brittle tension that had marked their conversations had relaxed. He’d coaxed smiles and laughter from her and felt an answering lightness loosen the constriction in his chest that had been a constant since the moment he’d heard she’d been shot.

  If this was love, he was going to make damn sure he wasn’t in it alone.

  Just as he decided he was going to root his cell phone out of his pack, he saw a uniformed officer approach from the shadowy stairwell leading from the station house. He straightened, ready to offer Sin a teasing barb, when he realized it wasn’t her at all. His body stiffened. The hairs on his arms lifted as goose bumps dimpled.

  Danny strode toward him, his expression set—not the grinning, mischievous face he’d shown him the couple of times he’d “visited” before. Jake fought his own rising fear and bone-deep regret as he watched his best friend approach. No ethereal, transparent vision like the movies, Danny appeared fully-fleshed and so real he made Jake’s chest ache.

  “Hey, buddy…” he said, his voice quavering.

  Danny walked slowly, his eyes boring into Jake’s. Just when he reached the end of the cruiser, he disappeared.

  Jake swallowed and leaned against the cruiser again, because this time, his body was shaking. Footsteps drew near.

  “You okay?” Sin asked, walking up beside him, her expression mirroring concern.

  “He was here,” he said quietly.

  “Who?”

  “You didn’t see him?”

  She drew a sharp breath. “Danny.” She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

  Behind her, another figure lingered. Tall, lean—hovering like a damn vulture. “Detective Petrakis,” Jake murmured, trying to pull himself together and getting mad because he hated feeling this way—unsettled, maybe even a little frightened. “What can we do for you?”

  “He’s riding with us today,” Sin said, her gaze sliding away.

  “Anything wrong?” the detective asked, his gaze slipping between them.

  “Not a damn thing,” Jake growled, not liking the interest the detective paid them. “Can I ask why the sudden urge to ride with a couple of street cops?”

  Petrakis’s gaze sliced toward Sin. Something bristled in the air between them. Jake’s whole body reacted with rejection, and he realized jealousy was the cause.

  Sin touched his sleeve. “I’ll fill you in later. We have a lot to talk about.” She spoke to Jake, but her gaze narrowed on Petrakis.

  So, maybe this was all about the incident the other night. “We’re already late contacting dispatch. Hope you like sitting in the cage,” he s
aid, shooting the detective a challenging smile.

  Petrakis opened the back door to the cruiser and slipped inside.

  Sin leaned close. “Don’t wig out on me tonight. Dispatch won’t be expecting us to answer calls.”

  “So, what are we doing?”

  “Trolling. Can’t explain now. I’m not even sure how much I should tell you. Let’s just go.”

  Jake didn’t like not knowing what was going down. Liked even less that the other man had obviously spent some time with Sin. He hooked a hand behind her neck and pulled her close.

  “Hey, no PDA—”

  Jake gave her lips a quick, hard kiss, aimed a glare at the detective in the back seat, and slipped behind the wheel.

  Sin stomped around the front of the car and took her seat, slamming the door closed.

  With a satisfied grin stretching his lips, Jake pointed the squad car toward the exit of the parking lot. Tonight was going to be interesting, but tomorrow morning all bets were off. Sin needed a little reminding who her one true partner was.

  “So, what’s the plan? We lookin’ for anything in particular?” Jake asked.

  Sin shifted in her seat, considering how to answer without letting Jake know something was up. She’d already noted the possessive little stamp he’d plastered on her lips. His jealousy hadn’t surprised her.

  Theo Petrakis was beyond attractive, even with his button-down shirt and tie. He kept his long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, which only accentuated the stark, haunting beauty of his face. She wished she’d asked where he stashed the wings…

  Sin settled on the storyline Theo had suggested during the drive, already feeling uncomfortable with the subterfuge. If she did spot any more demons, Jake was bound to ask questions when they hunted them down. What would she tell him then? “The detective has some leads on possible accomplices. I may have seen them when I gave chase to my suspect. He thought we might just drive around until I spot someone familiar.”

  “You never mentioned seeing anyone else,” Jake said, glancing her way.

  “Well, I didn’t know there might be more of them,” she said, feeling lower than a snake for lying.

  Theo cleared his throat. “We might try looking at undeveloped areas, too.”

  Sin glance back. “Brackenridge Park?”

  “Sure. After dark. I’ve heard some of them live there.”

  “Transients?” Jake turned at an intersection, keeping to the right lane and driving a leisurely route through the downtown area.

  Sin kept her eyes peeled, relieved when the conversation died. Except for the occasional dispatcher’s call, which they monitored in case something major went down, afternoon passed into evening without her seeing anything out of the ordinary.

  She thought back to the conversation she and the detective had shared while he drove her into work. Excited that, at last, someone had validated her strange visions, she’d listened enthralled as he’d told her about the demons who’d been punching through dimensional holes.

  He’d told her to call him Theo. “You realize that by sharing this with me, by meeting the team, your life will never be the same.”

  Thinking about it now, she couldn’t believe she’d listened to what he and Athanasius had said, much less believed. However, so much of what they in turn had shared made sense. Her injury had opened her “sight.”

  She explained about seeing Danny for months.

  Theo shook his head. “Visitations from loved ones aren’t all that extraordinary, especially when the bond is strong.”

  “Which explains why Jake’s seen him too,” she murmured.

  “Your partner?” Theo’s gaze had cut her way, a quick check before turning to watch the road again. “You’re just back off leave. Did you know him before?”

  “We were partners before Danny Colby and I rode together.”

  “Why the switch? You two not get along?”

  Sin had snorted. “We got along fine—just not when we worked together.”

  “You were lovers.”

  If anyone else had said it, she’d have bristled, but she felt comfortable with him, as though sharing the visions and the incident in the alleyway had eased them right past “strangers” to something more intimate. Not quite friends, but maybe they really were fighting on the same team. “Yeah, still are—lovers, that is,” she muttered.

  “Does he know?”

  She caught his meaning instantly, only mildly surprised they seemed to be able to communicate in short-hand. “About what happened in the alley? No. I didn’t give him any details. Just said something weird happened to me.”

  “I’d like to keep it that way, if we can.”

  “I don’t like lying to him.”

  “You play it whichever way you want. But he might not believe you. You already have a rep for not being wrapped too tight.”

  Sin’s lips curved. “Maybe I’ll tell him about you.”

  He snorted and kept his eyes on the road. “So, he’s seen Danny, too. Has to be rough. But like I said, not that unique. Now, your demon sightings—sensing their true nature—that’s a gift. I’ve been hunting them for years,” he said, sounding tired, “sifting through reports for clues that might lead me to them, looking for patterns to pinpoint the portals they’re using to travel back and forth between the worlds.”

  She sat quietly, her heart racing. She truly wasn’t losing it. And someone needed her gift. “They really want me to act as a spotter?”

  His long fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “It’d be dangerous, Sin. If those demons figure out you can see them, they’ll come after you.”

  “Then you just have to make sure you take ’em down before they spread the word. How do you do that, anyway?”

  “They’re vulnerable in their human skin. They take a body when they come over, so they can blend with the human population, but they can only shed it when they pass back into the Shadowlands.”

  “They shed bodies…?”

  “Your dead suspect.”

  “Cause of death wasn’t so natural after all, huh?”

  “If it’s any consolation, the guy was dead long before you chased the demon down that alley.”

  Sin thought again about how she might tell Jake. He’d need to be convinced before she introduced him to the rest of the team.

  At last they entered the park, passing people ambling toward the footpaths to find a place to sleep. A lanky figure entered the light cast by a streetlamp. She caught a glimpse of a faded fatigue jacket and wispy gray hair. “There,” she said, pointing down the path.

  “Pull up to the curb,” Theo said. “Chappa, stay with the car.”

  Sin was out of her door before the unit drew to a complete stop. She quickly opened Theo’s door, and together, they headed down the footpath.

  “Stay behind me until we get close enough for you to positively ID him,” Theo said, his brows drawing into a menacing frown.

  Sin glanced back at Jake who stood next the car, his expression so dark and thunderous she knew he probably wouldn’t heed Theo’s order for long. “So, if he’s the guy, what do we do then?” she asked, breaking into a trot beside Theo.

  “We don’t do a damn thing.” Theo pulled his weapon from his holster and cupped the stock in his palm, holding it in front of him but pointed toward the ground. “You hang back. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Fuck that,” she growled, pulling her own Glock.

  Theo aimed a glare her way. “I mean it. This isn’t your battle.”

  “Right,” she said, “I’m just the one who can find them.”

  “What? You’re going to be stubborn?” Theo shook his head, and his features grew taut. “I never should have involved you. What the hell was I thinking?”

  “That you’ve been looking for someone like me for a long, long time. Face it,” she said, getting a little winded as they headed deeper into the woods, “You need me.”

  “You’re flying half-assed. You don’t really know what this is
all about.”

  “But I’m going to, partner. No way are you leaving me in the dark. I spent too many months sitting on my ass, doubting my own sanity. If there’s something good to come out of all this, I’m not letting you hold me back because you think you’re doing me a favor.”

  “Are we a little sensitive?”

  “Sensitive?” she said, her voice rising. “We’re pissed.”

  Theo chuckled then grew silent. The footpath forked. He lifted his head as though scenting the air then headed down the path to the right. “Does Chappa know you’re this stubborn?” he asked, continuing the conversation.

  Sin sought darker shadows in the forest around them. A breeze sifted through the trees, but other than the soft sigh of leaves there was only silence around them. “Jake knows all my faults,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Ask him. He’ll give you a list.”

  “And he’s still riding with you?” he asked, softly. “Must be love.”

  Sin’s breath caught. “It’s something anyway,” she denied.

  “Liar.”

  Sin didn’t like the little thrill of sensual excitement that flared when his voice deepened. She already had one handsome man who was more than she could handle.

  “Looks like I’m going to have to have a man-to-man talk with your guy.”

  “Man-to-man? Is that what you are?”

  “Don’t be a smartass.”

  A distant snap drew her attention. She held up her hand.

  Theo halted instantly beside her. She heard it again—a faint crackling of leaves just off the path.

  Theo grabbed her upper arm and pulled her behind him. Together, they entered the woods.

  It was no different than trailing a human through a deserted area. Something she’d done before. Something she’d trained for.

  Maybe the lanky man in the fatigue jacket had been exactly what he appeared. A transient looking for an isolated place to sleep.

  Even if he was a criminal seeking to evade arrest, maybe the dangers wouldn’t be any different than she’d faced before in her line of work. Walking into a trap. Having a bullet rip through the brush and trees around them. Not being able to see her quarry in a darkness relieved only by the faint slivers of light that made it through the canopy of the live oaks above them.