Secret Origins Read online

  I was tired of being alone.

  I was tired of not knowing.

  The shift in the charged air alerted me of a presence I’d only felt twice in my life. My lids opened slowly as I straightened in the car seat, my eyes locking on the shadow of a large man standing in front of the SUV bathed in the yellow light. The fog lights bounced off his dark clothing, casting shadows over his barely visible features. He was alone, something I could tell by the way every muscle on his body was coiled tight as if ready to spring into action at any given moment. I could feel his gaze locked on me even when I knew there was no way he could see that well in the darkness with those bright lights aimed at his face. I fingered the leather braided bracelet on my wrist that I’d hidden from everyone, feeling it vibrate under my fingertips.

  “Not yet, buddy. Not just yet.” Mumbling under my breath through unmoving lips, I reached for the door and swung it open.

  As a bad omen, or maybe a warning from the Fates, lightning split the sky above our heads, flickering ominous ghostly blue light over my companion and me. The thunder boomed a few seconds later, cheering me on for this beginning, or maybe it was screaming at me to turn away and never look back. I ignored it all, my full attention on the man standing stock still in the lights of my car. The thin heels of my boots sunk an inch into the wet ground with each step I took, and by the time I reached him I was soaked to the skin, my leather pants and thin shirt sticking to my skin. My hair was plastered on my head just like his as we regarded each other through wet eyelashes. Amusement danced in his black eyes, which only set off alarms in my head.

  “General.” My greeting lifted the corners of his thin lips a fraction, which wouldn’t have been noticeable if you didn’t know the guy.

  “Myst,” he answered with a barely-there nod of his head. “I should say it’s nice to see you, but I’m sure this meeting has nothing to do with exchanging pleasantries.”

  “I need information.” Cutting through the bullshit, I squared my shoulders. That earned me a chuckle.

  “And what could I possibly know that you don’t?” It unnerved me that he wasn’t like any other human. He didn’t fidget, shuffle his feet, or even breathe faster in my presence. “It’s usually the other way around, our arrangement.”

  “The information I need is inside my head.” Forcing my voice to stay even, I did my best to ignore the slight widening of his eyes. “I need to get it out and it has to be on my terms.”

  “You need my mage.” Not a question but a statement. I said nothing. The mage was not his, but he was the one hiding him from everyone.

  Instead of killing the mage I was sent to get out of Alexius’s way, I handed him over to the general. The human and I met in a very awkward situation, his life hanging on the line while he faced off with a feral vampire who was running from the hunters. Someone tried to set the general up, but unfortunately for them, my path crossed his just at the right time. The feeling that my boss was up to something was the reason I saved the human’s life and gave the mage to him for safekeeping. I needed allies that no one knew about, and there couldn’t be a better friend for someone like me than a five-star general in the human military. He had access to most things, all the things I might need one day. Like now.

  “Just me and the mage.” This made the human shift slightly on his feet. “You can have him back the minute I’m done.”

  “Alive?” And this was why I liked the general. He knew the right questions to ask, and he knew better than to screw around with me.

  “Why would I kill him now after going through the hassle of giving him to you?”

  “It depends what he knows after you are done getting your information.”

  I kept eye contact with him, and he didn’t look away. The raindrops were gliding over the deeper wrinkles on his face and dripping from his square chin. With the rain darkening his gray hair and the night somewhat blurring his aged skin, I could see that he’d been a handsome and a formidable man in his youth.

  “I have ways to make him forget whatever he heard, General. I won’t take away your toy.” A smile tilted my lips at his frankness.

  “He is a living being, not a toy,” he reprimanded me in a clipped tone.

  “I’ll agree when you tell me you don’t use him to benefit you.” Cocking my head to the side, I blinked away the rain. “You should be retired by now, yet you are at the top of things. I wonder why the humans still keep you around.” A muscle was jumping on one side of his jaw as I spoke, which made me snort. “I will use the mage.”

  “He lives.” There was no mistaking the stubborn set of his jaw and shoulders.

  “He lives,” I answered after a long moment. “I’ll let you know the time and the place soon.”

  With a tight nod, he swiveled on his heel and walked away. My mind was running through possibilities as I stood in the rain as long as it took for me to no longer feel his energy. I saved his life for more than one reason that night. I needed allies, yes, but there was something about the general I hadn’t deciphered yet. He was human, but he also wasn’t. Not if I could feel his presence the way I always did. That enigma would have to wait for now. I had a ton more pressing matters to deal with.

  My leather pants squelched as I jumped back in the car and took off out of the deserted parking lot like the hounds of hell were on my tail. The bracelet vibrated under my skin as if mimicking a chuckle.

  2

  The next day, perched on top of the high wall surrounding an inconspicuous building in the industrial part of the city, I squinted at the thick gray clouds gathering above me. It looked like another day of rain and I couldn’t say I was thrilled about it. To add to everything I had on my plate, I was also following the bread crumbs Alexius left behind, so I can find out what exactly he’d done before Francesca killed him. Not because I cared much one way or another, it was more for self-preservation. If he got me mixed up in it, I’d rather know what I was up against.

  Shifting on my haunches, I inched further down the wall, silently berating myself for not waiting until the daylight was almost gone. The weather was gloomy and dark but not enough to hide me if anyone was smart enough to look up. Luckily, for now, the open space around the building was empty, only a handful of cars sprinkled around it. Even they were far enough away from one another that I wasn’t worried at all. I could handle a handful of people.

  The bracelet vibrated on my wrist, as if I needed a reminder that it was there.

  I couldn’t take the damn thing off. I tried. Cutting it was a whole new nightmare that I didn’t want repeated. The phantom pain in my chest almost took my breath away as I swayed on the wall wobbling to the side from that memory. Taking a deep breath, I released it slowly, prying my stiff fingers from the edge of the wall where I was gripping it for dear life. Snap out of it, fool. A side door squeaked open in the building, stopping the internal lashing I was about to give myself. Kicking my legs back, I plastered myself on the wall, dragging my body to peek over it. I held my breath as two hunters exited, locking the door behind them before b-lining for one of the larger cars in the lot. They didn’t talk, nor did they look at each other as the two unnatural beings disappeared through the metal gates in no time. Clouds of dust billowed from the gravel for a few minutes even after they left. At least I was sure I’d come to the right place.

  When no one else came out or made noise, I flipped my legs over the edge and dropped silently on the other side. Keeping my breath even, I sprinted across the open space using the balls of my feet and praying that I wouldn’t twist an ankle because of my high-heeled boots. They weren’t a fashion statement. No, they were another weapon. My back hit the wall of the building as I reached it, and I waited to see if anyone noticed my presence. From my perch on the wall, I didn’t see any surveillance cameras, but I could’ve missed them if whoever was guarding the place was smart with their placement. When only silence met me for too long, it just proved that arrogance would be the downfall of the supernatural race.

&
nbsp; I should know since I had it in spades, too.

  This wasn’t some mission I was taking. I was only educating myself on which threats were coming for me so I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. At least that was what I told myself. With that in mind, I glided closer to the closed door on the side of the building and gripped the metal handle. It started moving down on its own and my heart stopped. Not even the “Oh, shit!” I screamed in my head could help me now. There was nowhere to hide and it was too late to run back where I’d come from.

  The door swung open.

  “Hello boys.” Cocking my hip to the side, I gave the two hunters a once over from head to toes, smirking at their startled looks even while my heart was trying to punch a hole through my chest. You are so stupid. Boys? Really Myst? I had to agree with the internal asshole that was also me. I totally could’ve come up with something better than “boys.” I was just startled. Yeah, that had to be it.

  “I’m expected.” Lifting my chin, I looked down—well, since my head only reached their shoulders, it was more up than down—my nose at their silent staring. Act like you know what you are doing, I told myself, waiting.

  The hunters finally looked at each other, some unspoken conversation happening according to their emotionless faces, not that you could see much of it with the covering hiding everything but their eyes. I waited, not allowing myself to even twitch a muscle. The hunters might be brainless, but even they could pick up on a predator who was about to pounce. No, I needed them unaware if I wanted to get my ass out of this mess. The one on the left nodded mutely and they both stepped aside, allowing me to enter, even holding the door for me.

  Aww, they were gentleman. How sweet.

  I decided then and there I’d kill those two last.

  My heels echoed, the clicking of the metal on the sterile white tiles bouncing off the equally sterile white walls as I was striding down the long hallway. I never understood the abominations’ obsession with white. As if having themselves surrounded by it would wash off the evil that was festering in their veins, which was the complete opposite of me and my love for black. It was better to mask my presence, better to hide so they didn’t see me until I slit their throat. I’d never thought too hard on what that said about me, and I had no intention of starting anytime soon either. When I heard the door close, I slowed my stride and glanced over my shoulder to see the two hunters stupidly left me on my own. My eyes darted up and followed the corners of the ceiling to search for cameras.

  There were none.

  I frowned, turning in a circle. If I didn’t decide at the last minute to check this place out I would’ve thought it was some sort of a ploy. They couldn’t have expected me here when I didn’t know myself that I’d be standing inside this building tonight. Taking it as a stroke of unexpected luck, I went lurking through every open door I could find. All of them were empty, and the silence through the building was unnerving.

  Until the muffled cries reached my ears.

  The noise was coming from beneath me, something I would’ve missed if I didn’t stop to examine the hunter’s uniform folded neatly on top of a metal hospital grade bed. I knew it was a very bad idea, but I still hurriedly swapped my clothing for the white uniform, rushing out of the room while tugging the face covering over my mouth and nose. At least I left my own garments neatly folded just behind the door. I loved those leather pants and would skin whoever laid a finger on them.

  The search through the never-ending hallways led me to a door with an “employees only” sign that was different than all the rest. If the sign didn’t say “hello, come here because this was where we hid important shit,’ the metal it was made of would’ve. I leaned on it and pressed my ear to the cool surface, but it was impossible to hear anything. With an internal curse that should’ve melted my ears, I grabbed the handle and held it until it melted between my fingers—a neat trick I discovered I could do a while back when I escaped from the Academy.

  “Every time there are ominous looking stairs leading down,” I told the empty space as I darted down the bottomless stairway.

  The cries were getting louder the further I went, until I stopped in my tracks a few steps away from the bottom. Half a dozen hunters turned to face me as one, their soulless gazes locking on my left hand. I glanced down too, then groaned internally. Subconsciously I’d called out my sword. As long as my arm, the light metal blade was glinting happily at me, reflecting the harsh lights. Well shit!

  The hunters all moved into their fighting stances, their attention on me.

  My foot pivoted to spin me around and take me up the stairs. I knew I was faster than the abominations, and I could be out of there before any of them reached the door to the higher level. That was when something bright yellow caught my attention, dashing out from one of the open doors. My whole body froze when I saw a little girl, around five or six years of age, run straight at the hunters, her little fists pounding on the closest one’s thighs. Her blue eyes were too wide on her tear-smudged face, her wavy blonde hair sticking up in all directions, but the little human bared her teeth like she would tear them apart as she kept pounding on the object of her anger. Her bright yellow dress was covered in blood at the front, and it stuck to her little body.

  Not your problem, I told myself as I stood frozen like a statue. You are here for information only.

  The little human kept punching and kicking, but no one paid her attention. Until she opened her little mouth and bit the hunter for all she was worth with her blunt little teeth. I was in awe and quite impressed with her, at least until the abomination swung his arm, catching the little girl on the side of her face and sending her crashing into the wall. Her tiny body crumpled on the floor like a broken doll, but she managed to lift her head and those blue eyes, which were too old to be on that tiny face, locked on me.

  “Help my mommy, please.”

  Goosebumps burst all over my body. I was dressed just like the rest of the hunters and there was no way she could tell the difference. Even the sword couldn’t tell a child I wasn’t one of the creatures hurting her and her mother. But she kept those eyes on me unblinking, her stare extracting all the air from my lungs.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  The cries started again, so much louder they shredded my insides, yet I stood a few steps away from the bottom locked in the child’s stare. Not my problem, I tried to convince myself, my body vibrating from my effort to stay put.

  “Help her … please.” She hiccuped and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her little body slumped on the tiles.

  “Ah, fuck if it’s not my problem now.” I snarled, tugging on the leather bracelet around my wrist to release the second biggest pain in my butt.

  It felt like there was a tether connecting the bracelet to the center of my chest and I was tugging my soul loose from my body. It wasn’t painful per se, but uncomfortable enough to freak me out each and every time. Black smoke swirled next to me, pulsing and expanding while a thick metal chain formed around my wrist, curling at my feet with a tinkling sound. A black hound the size of a pony materialized to my left, his body vibrating with excitement when the red glowing eyes found the hunters. He hunched down, lowering his head and pinning his ears to the back of his skull, his sharp canines bared at the abominations.

  “Have at it Fen.” The hound glared at the name I gave him just because he hated it, but he forgot all about it when the hunters moved. I grinned under the face covering, my hunger for violence coming to the surface.

  “You fuckers will beg for a death that will never come.” With a laugh, I jumped down the few stairs separating me from the hunters and joined my hound.

  3

  Searing pain made my eyes water when the silver star sliced through my upper arm. When me and Fen jumped to join the hunters in the not-so-wide hallway, they spread out to give each other enough room to hurl those damn shuriken they loved so much at us. Short of decapitating me, they couldn’t actually kill me, but it was always
enough to piss me off. Each hit they scored was like a papercut I didn’t know I had until I used hand sanitizer, then it was instant regret as it burned like a bitch for longer than it should.

  “Protect the girl.” Huffing under my breath at the hound, I ducked under the swinging arm of the hunter to my right.

  Blocking the dagger coming from my left with my sword, I spun around slicing a wide circle around me to keep all of them away. Fen’s snarl raised the hairs on the back of my neck, then he was sailing through the air over the hunters to land in front of the unconscious girl. The thick chain connecting him to my wrist smacked the closest hunter on the side of his head, making him stagger to the side. No one had ever accused me of not being an opportunist. Using the hunter’s dazed state, I skewered him with my sword like a shish kebab, twisting the blade just for the sake of it. The louder he screamed, the more energized I felt.

  Another star flew so close to my head I flinched.

  The woman cried out with such terror it broke something inside me.

  My body and instincts took over. Like a Tasmanian devil, I swirled around the hunters, kicking, punching, and slicing through every piece of them I could reach. Fen was doing his part, his snapping jaws biting chunks of flesh and bone the moment they got within reach, an unusual obedience emanating from him since he wouldn’t leave the girl’s side. My harsh breath made the air under my face covering hot, as the sterile looking hallways slowly turned into a macabre scene covered in red. Splatters of blood were flung on the pristine walls creating abstract art that satisfied the monster lurking inside me. A humorless smile donned my face, my cheeks hurting from the effort it took to keep it there.