Embrace the Power

  The world of Five Bridges had about a hundred bridges scattered throughout the ripped up territory of north-central Phoenix, most of them short and only one lane wide. Long ditches crisscrossed the land, a final containment solution to the ongoing drug and human trafficking problem that had accompanied the flame revolution. The hundreds of ditches were as difficult to traverse as they were completely ineffective in stemming the export of flame drugs to the human world.

  Many of the original homes in this part of Phoenix now served the citizens of Five Bridges. But at least half had been blasted away and the pits left to grow whatever the desert could manage. Or they’d been dozed out even more to create rows of ditches hard to navigate on foot. A lot of cactus took root in these places. Rattlesnakes and vermin set up camp in droves. Coyotes, too. More bridges were built, some as short as seven feet.

  Five Bridges essentially had the look of a war zone, especially with barbed wire separating each of the five territories from each other as well as from Phoenix. There were a few beauty spots in some of the renovated areas or in backyards like her own. Otherwise, it was a place that looked like bombs were detonated on a regular basis and the rubble left to sprout any weed or grass that would survive without much water.

  There were, however, five main bridges, hence the name for the cesspool she lived in. Sentinel was one of them, the bridge she was headed to now. It was the long, main bridge connecting Crescent with her witch world of Elegance. It also intersected with the human world as all five bridges did, in a T layout. It still amazed Iris that any human would want to come to Five Bridges. But then most who did were looking for drugs or sex, the latter the second most important source of revenue for the poorer residents.

  Now there was an unspecified incident on Sentinel Bridge.

  So much for being off duty.

  ~ ~ ~

  At the clinic, Connor leaned over Tammy, who proved to be an un-altered human female, working the sex trade in Five Bridges. He was trying to catch her words. She mumbled a lot and slipped in and out of consciousness since she was still tangled up with blood flame.

  “What were you doing out there, Tammy? I could tell you had no idea where you were going.”

  “He told me to go out there or he’d kill me.”

  “Who?”

  “The man who gave me the drugs. I owed him.”

  The baby was hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and its heart beat fast and steady. The nurse stood nearby and scowled. Working in a clinic like this, she’d no doubt seen it all. The baby, if it survived, would have to go through withdrawal.

  “Tammy, focus. What did the man look like?”

  She lifted a weak hand to her right shoulder. “Skull tattoo, here, the kind with the mouth wide open like it’s screaming.”

  “Bald head with tats?”

  “Yes. And a really big nose. And super tight pants.”

  Connor held back a curse. He knew the small-time player. His name was Gary Smith and he owned the House of Big Sex in Rotten Row. Connor and his crew called him Big Nuts because he wore tight pants to display an oversized scrotum, an unfortunate look on any man.

  But why had the owner of a sex club sent a woman out in a fake runner jacket? What game was he playing at?

  “You need to leave.” The nurse’s voice blasted through the room like it came out of a sawed off shotgun. “We’re going to put her under. There’s too much stress on her heart because of the drug. The baby’s at risk.”

  Connor dipped his chin in response. He had what he needed anyway, the name of the man who’d set him up. He picked up the runner jacket loaded with nothing but fake bricks and vials, another indication someone was messing with him.

  When he reached the admitting desk, he talked to a lovely vampire he knew well, a woman he’d slept with a few months ago. She’d already touched his hand a couple of times and had a look in her eye he knew well. His gaze slipped to her throat where she was not-so-subtly stroking her fingers over her vein.

  Because of his constant lust for Iris, his groin lit up with sudden need. He almost asked where they could go to have a private chat.

  But his com buzzed, the connection finally restored. He hit the button. “Connor.”

  Lily’s voice came on. “How did things go out at Amado?”

  He explained about the young woman and that he’d brought her to the clinic.

  Lily was silent for a moment. “You know, you stand taller than every other man I know.” She cleared her voice and hurried on. “But I guess this is your lucky night. We’ve got an incident out at Sentinel Bridge. A homicide, and yes, Chief wants you out there, as well. Pronto.”

  He never worked Sentinel either.

  What the fuck was going on?

  ~ ~ ~

  Iris stood over not one, but two bodies on Sentinel Bridge, a man and a woman. Over the years, she’d seen a lot of corpses, but nothing quite as bad as the cuts, bruises, and burns on this pair. She forced herself to swallow and keep swallowing.

  Despite the extensive damage, she recognized the female. She knew her, though not well, a witch by the name of Sadie Thompson. Her throat had been cut, and except for the severe bruising, her skin was the color of white marble.

  The man was a vampire, something she knew by instinct though on the surface he looked like any other man, no matter the species. The alter had given her discernment as it did all Five Bridges citizens. She always knew what was what.

  She had no idea who he was, though. His dark hair was fanned over the side of his face. He wore the leather pants the Border Patrol men wore, so there was a good chance he served on the Crescent force. He had burns all down his arms and chest, along with severe bruising, and enough cuts to finally bleed him out.

  Her stomach knotted up. She had to look away, regroup.

  She focused on the tri-part bridge itself and each of three sets of entrance-exist gates. A ‘T’ formation occurred in the center of the bridge and led to east Phoenix. This part was guarded by the US Border Patrol. The main bridge itself served to connect Elegance Territory with Crescent.

  Witches and wizards lived in Elegance exclusively. Vampires in Crescent.

  Right now, Sentinel Bridge looked like something out of a movie, with a dozen cop cars lit up, lights flashing at all three control points. The closest vehicle was maybe forty yards away.

  But why had Donaldson wanted her out here? What possible good could come from her presence? She was only sent to witness a case like this, make a report, and offer suggestions about follow-up, most of which would never be acted on. One of the Border Patrol stations would handle the case itself. She had no significant role, except possibly in identifying the Elegance victim.

  She stood alone in the center of the bridge, her bike a few yards away. She’d already spoken with the Elegance Border Patrol officers who’d been directed to wait for her, but at a serious distance. According to them, the vampires were sending a man in to have a look.

  She put a hand to her chest and walked in a slow circle. In the distance, she caught sight of a Crescent officer levitating above the flashing police cars. He was heading in the direction of the crime scene.

  Now she’d have to deal with a macho vampire, who’d no doubt give her grief because she was a witch.

  Returning to the two victims, she set her gaze on the dead vampire. He was bare-chested and like most BP officers, had lots of tattoos. He was lean and heavily muscled. His pants were cut up badly in a number of places.

  She had so many questions. Why were the two of them placed here? Were they involved in some way? And how the hell could any of the drug lords orchestrate this kind of closing of Sentinel in order to put the couple in position? The Tribunal had charge of the five major bridges.

  From her peripheral, she saw the vampire land. She turned toward him and lost the ability to breathe all over again. “Connor.”

  Holy shit, the second time tonight. The third if she counted his hovering above her house. But why was he out here now?
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  “Iris.” He’d never looked more startled as he stared at her. “You were called to Sentinel? You specifically?”

  “I was. And you?”

  He nodded.

  Her mind spun. “Is Sentinel part of the territory you usually cover?”

  “Nope.” He was scowling hard.

  “I wasn’t even supposed to be on duty tonight.”

  He shook his head. “Why are either of us here? This makes no sense.”

  “I totally agree with you.”

  His gaze fell to the couple. “They’ve been tortured.”

  She nodded in agreement, but had to work at swallowing again.

  When he shifted his gaze back to her, she found it hard to breathe. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but like hell she was going to look away first.

  She knew the game. Vampires valued strength above just about everything else and one thing the battling of his kind had made her: She was damn strong.

  His jaw worked and his eyes narrowed as he finally shifted his gaze once more to the couple on the pavement. “So what do we have here?”

  Iris looked at the wrecked bodies once more. “I have no idea.”

  He waved a hand toward the woman. “And she’s a witch.”

  “Yes. Sadie Thompson. She worked at the Tribunal, though in a different department.” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t know her well, but I understand she was a good, hard working woman.”

  He glanced at Iris, his lips twisted in disgust.

  Right. Vampires hated her kind as much as she despised his. In his view, there was no such thing as a good witch, so what did he mean by hovering above her house as often as he did? Was he spying on her?

  He walked slowly toward the bodies, scowling. Leaning down, he pulled the hair back from the vampire’s face then let loose with a long string of obscenities.

  Connor knew him.

  “He’s a Border Patrol officer, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. Jason. He’s only been missing a couple of days. I thought he just needed to let off some steam. Christ, who would do this to a BP man?” For the most part, even the drug-lords let the officers alone, except to bribe those they could, of course.

  She frowned at Connor. Was he on the take? Somehow, she doubted it. A man who would carry a runner to a clinic wouldn’t take bribes.

  The earliest questions resurfaced in her mind. Why had both she and Connor been called to Sentinel Bridge?

  Chapter Two – Blood Flame

  Connor stared down at Jason, his chest tight. All Border Patrol officers made enemies, usually a member of one of the Five Bridges cartels.

  But it was rare for an officer to be killed outright. Connor knew of instances where officers simply disappeared never to be seen again. One thing the drug bosses excelled at was keeping a low profile.

  Which made this incident a quandary. There was nothing subtle about two dead bodies on Sentinel Bridge.

  He squatted on his haunches to get a closer look. There would be no forensics team. His world didn’t bother with serious investigations. And as far as the human world was concerned, every citizen of Five Bridges could go four-hooves-up and no one would give a damn.

  But Connor needed at least a few questions answered. “Iris, I’m going to have a look at Jason. Just a warning. You might want to turn your back.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  He glanced up at her. The woman had strength. Another thing he liked about the witch, damn it.

  Reverting his attention back to his fallen comrade, he slid his hands under Jason’s back then tilted him onto his side. He held him in that position, not wanting him to fall forward.

  What he saw made his stomach churn. Jason had been hung up on meat-hooks then beaten with something more than a pair of fists. Metal pipes, maybe. Other deep cuts went past his waistband. He didn’t want to think about where they led.

  He carefully laid Jason back down. He couldn’t hurt him now; he was long dead. But he felt a profound need to be gentle. He took a couple of deep breaths, an ache in his throat.

  He examined Jason’s hands for other signs of torture. His nails were intact though several of his fingers were broken. He also had a red, half-heart tattoo between his forefinger and thumb.

  Curious, Connor glanced at the witch’s hand.

  And there it was.

  He stood up. Was it possible? “Holy shit,” he murmured.

  “What?” Iris moved in closer.

  Connor waved his hand between the bodies. “These two were involved.”

  “Why on earth would you say that? Wait a minute, what did you see?”

  “They have a shared tattoo, two red half-hearts. If you put them together, you get a whole.”

  Iris shifted to have a look herself, then returned to stand once more beside Connor. She shook her head as though unable to make sense of what she’d seen. “But that would mean—”

  Apparently, she couldn’t even speak the words. Truth was, he had a hard time saying it as well. “They were lovers.”

  She shook her head again, harder this time. “No, that’s not possible. He’s a vampire.”

  He totally got where she was coming from. “And she’s a witch.” He met her gaze and a strong current passed between them.

  He felt as though a pulse of energy kept hitting his sternum repeatedly. She must have experienced something similar because she drew in a soft stream of air and immediately folded her arms across her chest as though protecting herself.

  “Are you trying to enthrall me?”

  Her eyes popped wide. “No. God, no. I would never do something like that.”

  “But you could.”

  “Yes, but I wouldn’t.”

  He believed her, which meant he was in serious trouble. He trusted the witch and his instincts told him this bizarre thing between them was mutual.

  “You knew I was at your house tonight, didn’t you?”

  She huffed a sigh. “I did.”

  “Were you always aware? Each time I came to you?” He’d gone past counting the number of times he’d hovered above her garden, making liberal use of his spotting scope.

  She nodded slowly, frowning. “Yet, you never approached me or tried to hurt me. The visits seemed harmless enough.” Her eyes glittered.

  “Fuck.”

  “What’s going on, Connor? I don’t get any of this, as in why you’ve been spying on me or this strange attraction between us. I mean, did you arrange to have me brought here to Sentinel?”

  “I don’t have those kinds of connections or power.”

  “Well, why did you start coming to my house in the first place? I don’t get it?”

  He turned toward her and took her arm in a firm grip. He felt a flow of energy race up and down his arm, something he couldn’t explain. “Because of this. Do you feel it?”

  She nodded. “It’s some kind of visceral reaction. So you’re saying you were at my house because you’re attracted to me, even though I’m a witch.”

  “Despite that you’re a witch.”

  She stared at him for a long moment. She was so beautiful with her large brown eyes and high cheekbones. For a weird moment, he saw down the years and she was with him, really with him.

  Which seemed impossible. He couldn’t be with any woman, not after what he’d done in No Man’s Land.

  When he released her, she didn’t move away from him, but kept looking at him.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know what this is between us, but it feels very old as though it’s always existed.”

  Her words reminded him that she was a witch, one more reason a relationship with her could never work. He shifted his gaze back to Jason.

  “Connor.” Her voice was low, compassionate.

  “Forget it. I shouldn’t have pushed things.” He gestured to the bodies. “What we need to figure out is how you and I are connected to this murder.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  Connor thought about
Jason. He’d known him for at least fifteen years. He then considered Tammy for a moment and the similarity to Connor’s killing of the pregnant woman.

  “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know if the two things are connected, but Jason was with me on another night a long time ago. An incident involving an un-altered human who was pregnant like Tammy. This woman, whose name I still don’t know, had been set-up. At the time, I was acting instinctively and when she turned with a gun in her hand, I shot and killed her. Jason was there. He was with me that night.” He didn’t add that the event had ruined something inside him.

  He couldn’t look at Iris. Most of the time he felt normal, or as normal as a vampire could ever feel. But when these memories intruded, darkness engulfed Connor. He’d become something he despised, a killer of the innocent. He was unworthy of any good thing this life could offer.

  Staring back at him, in the form of these dead lovers, was love, something he would never know, not in this life. He wasn’t deserving on any level.

  Suddenly, Iris clutched his arm. “Connor!” Her voice carried panic.

  He turned to her. “What?”

  She released his arm and spread her hands wide, but stared down at her feet or maybe at the bridge pavement. He knew witches sometimes had a sixth sense about things. “What’s going on?”

  She met his gaze, her dark eyes panicky. “The stones of the bridge structure are talking to me. I know you don’t trust me because I’m a witch, but can you levitate us the hell out of here? This bridge is going to blow.”

  He didn’t think twice, but picked her up and shot into the air. He flew straight up and as he did a deafening boom shattered the night sky. The resulting force blasted him hard, propelling him higher and higher. Bridge shrapnel bruised him but good. He could feel his pants getting ripped to shreds, though his boots seemed to be holding steady.

  The witch held him tight, both arms wrapped around his neck, her head buried against his shoulder. Flying pieces of pavement kept hitting him, most ricocheting off the bottom of his boots. They had to be delivering up some hurt to her as well.

  “How you doin’?”

  “My ass. Jesus H. Christ, that hurts!”