Chapter 12 #2
“Honestly, I could barely get a word in edgewise,” she said, keeping her voice light. “But I guess I trust you as much as any guy I’ve known since Monday, and it really has nothing to do with your last name. My uncle trusted you, and that’s enough for me.”
Jamison’s cheeks dimpled, and Dessa had to smother a smile as she cranked up the music, the marshy fields streaking by on either side of them. Even if he had a terrible habit of goading the Fang Clan Liaison, she couldn’t deny he was cute.
In three short eighties bangers, they arrived at the shady warehouse where Rhett’s clan stockpiled blood from all types of creatures—humans included.
Dessa and Jamison stepped out of the car into the gravel parking lot, and she crossed to his side.
“Here, take this.” She held out the pop-stake.
“It has a little temporary magic infused in it to boost your speed and strength, but don’t use it unless someone attacks you first. A pop-stake might give you a fighting chance, but the odds are still not in your favor. ”
“Don’t you need it?” Jamison asked, eyeing it doubtfully.
Dessa chuckled, the secret of her gift curling underneath her skin, eager for use. “Not more than you do.”
Jamison’s mouth quirked, and Dessa strode toward the Vampire in a tight black T-shirt guarding the front door. “I’m Dessa McKinney from AzRIO, and this is my coworker. Rhett Carline said there were some exposed Nescis here we need to deal with.”
The Vampire bared his teeth at her, and though he wasn’t bulky like a Werewolf, a certain lethality oozed from him. “You can tell Rhett that since we gave them a chance to run and they rejected it, we’re going to harvest the red and pay the fee.”
Jamison’s posture stiffened, and Dessa put a calming hand on his arm even as annoyance prickled through her.
She’d bet a pretty penny that Brad didn’t have to deal with this kind of sass.
“You absolutely will not,” she snapped. “The fine is reserved for accidents and crimes of passion. Premeditated murder of a different affinity is an offense punishable by death according to the Vampire code.”
“They’re just a few Nescis.” The Vampire leaned against the door with a sneer, disrespect evident in every line of his body.
“And your uncle isn’t here to erase their memories or whatever.
Besides, they’re little paranormal investigators.
Even if he did manage to erase their memories somehow, they’ll only be back. ”
Jamison’s brows rose, the truth of Brad’s gift visibly dawning on him.
“That’s my job to deal with,” Dessa said, pulling out her phone. “But if you have questions, I have the regional Sire of the Fangs’s number in my phone. I could call him and tell him you’re not cooperating with AzRIO and you have your own ideas of how things should be run?”
Rhett and Julia pulled up in a black SUV, and the Vampire’s gaze flicked toward it. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he slammed the door open behind him with a fist. “First room on the right. Five idiots not worth saving.”
It wasn’t quite a win, but it was a step in the right direction.
Dessa cracked her neck to one side. “Just go get their van and have it parked out front with the motor running when I’m done.
” She turned to Jamison, who was surprisingly calm.
“Stay here and make sure there’s nothing suspicious going on when they come out. This should only take a few minutes.”
Jamison grabbed her sleeve. “Wait, I’m supposed to be your backup. Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”
“Absolutely. This isn’t my first time.”
“Are you going to erase their memories or something?” Jamison whispered.
“Or something. You let me worry about that part.” She flashed him a smile, confidence singing through her. Because for once, this was something she could do, and it was easy. “Give me two minutes.”
With that, she walked into the warehouse and opened the first door on the right.
As the Vamp had described, five people sat tied to chairs in the otherwise empty room.
Though the Nescis trembled somewhere between excitement and paralyzing fear, they were unharmed.
Dessa let out a breath of relief—that made it even less complicated.
The Nescis immediately started babbling when she came in, asking all the usual questions about where they were, what was happening, if that was a real Vampire, and could she record this for them?
Ignoring their chatter, she crossed to the first person in the line—a woman with curly blond hair.
Dessa reached out and touched the woman’s cheek with her fingertips—not a necessity, but contact made the process quicker and more effective.
Her gift jumped at her call like an eager dog, ready to be used, and the power of it thickened her words into dark honey.
“There is no such thing as Vampires. You ran out of gas on the side of the road, and a stranger stopped to help you. You do not believe paranormal occurrences are real, and you will delete any seemingly paranormal evidence from your phone. When you get in your van, you will drive to your original destination, and you will not remember being detained.”
Excited whispers passed between the others as she moved through the line, and Dessa resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
While she was glad they weren’t scared, the empty-headed eagerness was almost worse.
These people really had no survival instincts.
She repeated the process for all five, a dazed expression taking over their faces as she slipped out her pocketknife and cut their bonds.
The power of the Uncanny magic thrilled through her, because of course, her gift was not in getting people to forget, but in compelling them to her will.
One of the forbidden gifts. Though she’d never been able to use it on anyone with a competing gift of magic, if the PC knew she had a will-stealing power, they’d see her as a threat.
A threat that, if history served as any indicator, would be immediately neutralized.
But it was hard to think about that when she exercised the magic.
Exercise that felt like she was finally getting to stand after kneeling for days on end.
Not talking about it was bad enough, but not getting to use it was almost torture.
Even in NYC, she’d exercised her gift every now and then just to keep herself from going insane.
Little things—like making jerks pick up their trash or give a homeless guy some change.
It was always a temptation when working with Nescis, and a big reason why she’d been drawn to Aiden and to her face-sucking business partner.
They both had low-level magic flowing through their veins—a constant reminder that she couldn’t bend them to her will.
But now, here, it was her job to use her gift again, and it felt so good.
“Walk to the van now, get in, and drive away.” With a pointed look and a surge of effort, Dessa pushed her words into each of them, the sensation like running for the first time after spending years crawling on her knees. As one, the five rose and filed out of the room.
With this power, she too was dangerous.
And yet, as always, Brad’s warning echoed through her high:
“People would kill for a power like that, Dess. They’d buy you, hurt you, do anything to bring you under their control. No one can ever know.”
She sighed, bringing herself back to reality as the thrill drained out of her muscles. Regardless of her comfort or desire, the power was a tool she used only when she had to. A tool she’d sworn to Brad to only use for good intentions.
Even if it chafed her at every turn. Even if she felt smothered by the silence. She would honor her promise.
With Brad’s familiar reminders repeating in her head, she turned toward the door. And found Jamison Kane looking right back at her, his brows knitted over his green eyes.
He’d witnessed everything.
Ah well, hell. At least she’d tried to honor her promise. Right?