Jaded Blood

He may not have thought so at first but he could admit it now… Alicia was the perfect girl for his brother. She knew how to handle his temper and still get what she wanted.

He cocked an eyebrow when Damon swung her around for a kiss. The couple took a moment to reacquaint themselves before Damon glanced up at him and arched an eyebrow of his own. Michael tilted his head to the side and shrugged, resisting the urge to call down to them. As if sensing what was going on in Michael’s head, Damon hugged Alicia closer to him and pulled her into the shadows.

Michael shook his head and allowed a smirk to cross his face before turning around with thoughts of going back inside. He paused in mid-step when he felt Tabatha and Kane’s passion rising up from inside the building.

“So much for that,” he muttered and turned his attention toward the tall buildings around the renovated club.

He rolled his shoulders and neck, suddenly feeling a surge of pent up energy building inside of him. His mind turned to Aurora and the urgent passion they had shared when their paths collided. She was like a force of nature making him harden with just one glance. He closed his eyes, envisioning his teeth sinking into her as they came together… feeding her as he took her blood.

The sweet flavor still lingered on his lips and he wet them with his tongue as the craving for another taste began to overwhelm him. He wanted… no, he needed to be deep inside her as he tasted her blood again.

Michael's eyes snapped open recognizing addiction when he saw it. Shaking his head, he decided that what he really needed was to work off some of this energy coursing through him from the Fallen blood he’d taken from Aurora. Would the rush ever completely go away or was he damned to forever crave the high of his first taste?

Stepping off the edge of the roof, he traced out into the city in search of something… anything to take his mind off of the temptation. He had fought to give Aurora the freedom she wanted from Samuel and he would not take Samuel’s place as her master.

He remembered the way she was holding hands with the one she had called her brother… the beautiful one called Skye. It was a gentle grip of hands… soft and childish, not the passion she had shown him. He would readily allow her the love of her brother and he would keep busy while he waited on her to come back to him.

As he moved through the streets, Michael began to sense more and more demons… the ones that came out late in the day and preyed on the poor souls that ventured out into the darkness. The urge to fight swept over him and he smiled knowing that he could help rid the world of a few demons and maybe work off some of the buzz he had. He’d found his distraction.

His direction led him into the Slums and his sharp gaze darted from person to person, looking for the perfect victim much like the soulless vampires hunted their preference of human… his target lived more on the dark side. He passed up a few low level demons that were huddled together on a street corner. By all appearances, they looked like a normal street gang and Michael eyed them as he walked by.

Before his approach they’d been loud and rambunctious, but as he closed the distance they fell silent. One corner of his lips pulled up into something of a smirk as though he was silently telling them that he knew exactly what they were. He didn’t bother to turn back when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him rapidly vanishing into the distance. Maybe the low level demons were smarter than he gave them credit for.

Reaching the next intersection, Michael looked around at the buildings and dirty streets still searching. He was about to venture further when he felt a spike in power… pure, sweet, and dangerous power. His eyes narrowed when the very smell of it drifted through his senses and a dizzying sensation filled his head. It wasn’t a large power but strong enough to make him want to smother it.

The sound of a bell jingling made him turn his head and his amethyst gaze lingered on the woman that stepped out of the rundown liquor store across the street. She was wearing a leather tube top and a short, see-through lace miniskirt with fishnet stockings and a pair of black stiletto heels. Her hair was a myriad of colors ranging from neon green and pink to purple, black, and blonde.

She slid a bottle of liquor out of the bag she was holding and unscrewed the cap. Tilting the bottle back, she drank down about half of it in one breath and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. While she looked completely human on the outside, he could see the true face of the demon underneath.

Michael mentally and physically relaxed his body. Most demons he’d encountered in the past were clueless to what he really was… the closest they ever came was to mistakenly think he was a vampire. Feeling the false calm wash over him, he stepped off the sidewalk.

The demon turned her head toward him and smiled using the flesh it had stolen to entice her victim. Michael knew demons had been known to feed off vampires in the past… even Misery had used them in such a way.

“Good evening gorgeous,” the demon purred batting long eyelashes.

Michael stepped up to her and brushed his left shoulder with her left shoulder, walking around her while keeping the brushing contact with her body.

“Yes it is,” Michael whispered playing the game. “And who are you?”

“Anybody you want me to be,” She whispered back.

“I want you to be you,” Michael said in her ear as he came around to stand in front of her. He let a slow smile part his lips showing the fangs that always confused him and his brothers for vampires.

The demon tilted her head to the side and smiled back, “I see.”

Michael nodded as he relaxed his smile, “Of course you do.”

“You can call me Morgana,” She wrapped her hands around one of his arms and the two began walking toward an old one story building at the end of the block.

They stepped into the building and Morgana closed the door behind them. Michael looked around the open space and took in the number of dead bodies lying around. The place reeked of old blood and decay… a fitting place for the flesh eating demon clutching his elbow.

“Do you like my place?” Morgana whispered then giggled as she turned away to appraise her handiwork.

Michael shrugged, “It will look better once your lifeless body is lying among them.”

He ducked just in time to miss Morgana’s suddenly long claws trying to separate his head from the rest of his body. Twisting his upper body, Michael rammed his elbow into her midsection making her double over. His fist came up, cracking her across the nose hard enough to send her flying back.

Morgana landed hard on the floor and glared up at the vampire, her face twisting into a grotesque mask showing her true colors. Her hazel eyes elongated and turned red while her eyebrows slanted and her once fairly pretty mouth stretched into a horrid smile full of mismatched jagged teeth. Her long tongue slithered out and licked her lips of the blood that dripped from her flat nose.

Michael made a face… she was sickening. He would definitely be doing the city a favor by getting rid of this one. Such ugliness completely ruined the scenery.

Climbing backwards up the wall, she used it as a rebounding board to come at him again, swiping her elongated claws in front of her. This time they caught the front of his shirt and left a few scratches… not dangerous but enough to make them bleed. He closed his right fist and backhanded the demon across the face, making her head whip around at an unnatural angle. With a swift kick to the side of the knee, he heard the bones shatter. He felt no remorse knowing the demon was already wearing a corpse.

When she went down a second time, Michael slowly approached and grabbed Morgana by her hair. Lifting her off the floor, he paused for half a second and briefly closed his eyes when the scent of the demon’s blood finally hit him.

“Demons are nothing but monstrous hybrids cast out by the Fallen that sired you,” Michael hissed, suddenly getting a better understanding of what a demon really was. He had never noticed the faint traces of Fallen blood within the demons before… but now he knew what they tasted like.

The Fallen and the Sun Gods were similar in this manner… creating monsters of their choosing. The only difference was in the way they sired them.

Morgana reached back for the arm holding her hair and sank her right claws into the flesh she found. She gasped when she suddenly found herself hovering above the floor and staring down into angry amethyst eyes. The cheap stilettos fell to the ground below and she wrapped her other hand around the back of his neck hoping to sever his spinal cord and free herself.

Feeling that amethyst gaze penetrate her, she couldn't stop herself from going limp… now hanging from only her hair.

“Let me go,” Morgana whispered suddenly afraid. She was strong, one of the strongest in this part of the Slums, but this vampire she’d thought was an easy kill was by far stronger than anything she’d ever encountered.

“Let you go?” Michael asked as though the concept were foreign to him. “You killed all of these humans and demons for food based on their appearances and you want me to let you go?”

“I’ll give you all the human blood you want,” Morgana half whimpered half hissed. “I’ll be your servant… I’ll lure them in and bring them to you.”

“I do not need help in catching my next meal,” Michael said sardonically. His voice abruptly softened, “but my dear… I’m willing to bet demons taste better than humans.”

Morgana gasped when a sudden excruciating pain erupted from her shoulder and the feel of the vampire pulling the life out of her made her emit an inhuman wail. Her struggles renewed and she clawed at him with zeal but the true darkness was beginning to climb around the edges of her vision.

“Who are you?” she whispered with her last breath.

Michael held on and drew in the last drop of Morgana’s life force before dropping her. He smirked when he heard the dull thump of her corpse. Who knew he could kill a demon by draining them… he bet even the demons didn’t know that little trick since the soulless vampires only craved human blood.

He gazed down at the shriveled demon in disgust, “You can call me Michael.”

He landed lightly on the floor and stepped toward the door. Using his sleeves, he wiped at the remnants of blood on his lips then stared down at the black blood… tainted blood. Opening the door, he stepped out onto the sidewalk and arranged his jacket so the rips in his shirt wouldn’t be noticed.

Michael then turned and started back the way he came, noticing that a large group of demons had now gathered near the entrance of the building. They must have been Morgana’s underlings coming to gaze upon the man that had killed their master. These creatures showed no sign of human life and Michael paid them no heed as he calmly walked past them.

He’d done what he set out to do and no other creatures here could hold his attention… their low-level power wasn’t worth his time. The more power a demon had the more they would taste of Fallen blood… he was sure of it.

The rush Morgana’s blood had given him was now pulsing through his veins in a warm and fuzzy thrum. It heated him and heightened his senses… this he remembered from the times he’d drank from Aurora.

Michael froze as he fully realized his train of thought. Panic immediately joined the high he was on and the thought of Aurora made a mass of fear settle in his belly accompanied by a bone deep chill. He remembered Kane’s warning on the roof top after killing Samuel. He’d pointed out to Aurora the dangers of letting him taste her blood.

Looking for a reason, he latched on to the memory of Samuel taunting Aurora by telling her about the demons loose in the city that were strong enough to easily kill a Fallen… demons that already held a Fallen body count. These demon masters were a danger to Aurora… Samuel hadn't lied about that.

A slow smile caressed Michael’s lips. He now had a valid reason to feed off the demons that had been released into Los Angeles. Not only would he be protecting Aurora, he could also fulfill his craving with the diluted blood of a hybrid. By taking such small amounts he could keep better control over the unwanted side effects like earthquakes and death by Syn.

“A win-win scenario,” Michael mused and buried his hands in his pockets as he enjoyed his high and searched for his next victim.

Chapter 4

Micah sighed for the hundredth time since calling Alicia. So far Tasuki had gone to check on the she-wolf six times, Titus had run off three more officers when Phillip started having trouble keeping them out, and the captive guard had started gnawing on his wrist in an attempt to get out of the chair.

Of course it wasn’t exactly the guard’s fault he was suddenly desperate to escape. They had gotten bored and started taunting him on the intercom about the things Lucca would do to him when the mob found out he was a snitch.

“This is not how I wanted to spend my day,” Tasuki complained.

“I hear that,” Micah muttered wishing Alicia would hurry. She’d said Damon wasn’t with her and that made him want to see her even more.

Tasuki glanced over at Micah, “I’m curious, how many cougars and jaguars are in this city?”

“A few hundred at least,” Micah answered. “But not all of them hang around with the pack. Some of them are satisfied with their mates and try to live a normal human life. I even know of several who try to act completely human… to the point that their mate doesn’t even know they are shifters.”

“Don’t you guys get urges or something like that?” Tasuki asked with a shrug.

Micah smiled, “Yeah, it’s one of the very few things Hollywood got right. At least once every few months, we need to get out of the city and run wild. All that the shifters that are pretending to be human have to do is say that they are going rock climbing for the weekend or something like that. We can survive just fine on regular food and a regular life, but if we don’t follow our instinct to shift and run once in a while, we tend to get a little snappy… or worse.”

Tasuki grinned, “I take it that it’s been quite a while since you went for a run on the wild side.”

Micah’s retort died on his lips when the main door opened and he heard two people walk in to the building. He went over to the observation room door and cracked it open to see. Some of his excitement faded seeing that Damon had decided to tag along.

“Don’t get your hopes up on a Sun God being awe inspiring… you’re about to meet one,” Micah said with a touch of sarcasm. “I’m still under the illusion it’s just another name for Dickhead.”

Tasuki cocked an eyebrow, “Is it smart to call someone with the sub-title God a dickhead?”

“If the shoe fits,” Micah shrugged.

Damon smirked wondering how long the uniformed cop outside the door would continue to stand on one leg. That’s what the punk gets for telling Alicia she couldn’t enter. Seeing Titus striding toward them, he silently wondered what an Alpha werewolf would look like walking around on his hands issuing orders to his pack. Damon sighed deciding he was already bored.

“Alicia, glad you could make it,” Titus said then gave Damon a weary nod of acknowledgement. He had to keep himself from rubbing his chin in remembrance of the force Damon had put behind that punch on their first meeting. Turning his attention back to Alicia, he noted the black leather duffle bag she was carrying. “Is that the stuff you brought for her?”

Alicia nodded and handed him the duffle bag, “Yeah, I even packed a brush and a little bit of makeup for her just in case.”

Titus smiled, “I’m sure anything at this point will be appreciated. I put her in the only cell we have that has a built in shower. She’s not a prisoner, but when we rescued her she was showing signs of being feral so we had to tranquilize her.” he said skipping the speech about her being in heat. “Hopefully, finding this stuff when she wakes up will calm her down. Let me take this back to her and then we’ll get started.”

The muscles in Damon’s jaw jumped as he gritted his teeth. He looked down at the top of Alicia’s head wondering just what Titus had meant by ‘we’ll get started’.

Alicia bit her lip remembering she’d never told Damon about the other reason she’d agreed to come. Wanting to stall Titus she quickly asked, “Can I see her?”

Titus shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

He led Alicia and her imposing mate through the doorway leading back to the holding cells. When they approached the cell, Titus quickly took out the keys and unlocked the door. Placing the bag on the floor next to the bed, he carefully backed out.

“She’s lovely,” Alicia whispered feeling sorry for her. “It looks like she’s been in her wolf form for weeks… that’s dangerous isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’m hoping she’ll feel safe enough to shift back when she awakens,” Titus said.

“She’s barely out of her teenage years.” Damon observed slipping his arm around Alicia when he felt her sadness.

“Boris guessed around twenty,” Titus responded.

“Poor girl,” Alicia said under her breath and was suddenly looking forward to putting that man under her thrall. If he was responsible for this… her eyes narrowed a fraction trying to think of a punishment to fit the crime.

Micah timed it perfectly and came out of the observation room just as they arrived near it. He even let his eyes widen with surprise as if he hadn't known she’d showed up several minutes ago.

“There’s my elusive sister,” he said playfully and was rewarded with a tight hug. She hurriedly released him much to Micah’s disappointment but he figured Damon would get jealous if they held on to each other too long.

“How are you?” Micah asked while brushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes.

“Doing good,” Alicia answered then gave Damon a sly look hoping to put him in a better mood before they dropped the f-bomb by blurting out the other reason she’d come to the station. “Sorry about the disappearing act but my mate tends to keep me a willing prisoner for days on end.”

Damon smirked at Alicia’s choice of words then looked over Micah’s shoulder when he noticed another man come out of the same room Micah had been in. A slight frown crossed his features at the man’s strange aura. While he couldn’t read souls like the Fallen, he could usually see the aura around people if he tried. He didn’t have to strain to see this guy’s aura… he was glowing a florescent blue from the inside.

“This is Tasuki, one of our human detectives,” Micah introduced. “Trevor accidentally found out Tasuki here knew about the existence of the paranormal, so he got stuck with us.”

Human? Damon smirked at their ignorance. That man was so much more than mere human.

“You must be Alicia,” Tasuki said with a disarming smile and then extended his hand toward Damon after hearing about Damon’s temperament from Micah’s rants. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.”

Damon stared at the hand for a moment and finally took it. This man was no threat to Alicia so he would let him pass.

“So where’s the werewolf you want me to enthrall?” Alicia asked. “I take it he’s one of the SOB’s who kidnapped the girl?”

Damon again looked down at the top of his mate’s head and glared. “You said nothing about putting a werewolf under your thrall.”

“You didn’t exactly give me a chance,” Alicia accused. “And you owe me by the way.”

“I didn’t accept the bet,” Damon said with a devious smirk.

“That’s too bad,” Alicia said sympathetically and almost laughed when she saw Damon’s eyes narrow on her. She returned her attention to the matter at hand before Damon thought of a way to stop her. “I’ll have this creep singing like a jailbird if you’ll just lead the way.”

Tasuki moved aside and gestured toward the observation room. “Your target is right in there.”

Alicia stepped into the small room with Damon and Micah right behind her.

Tasuki sent a knowing grin toward Titus at their protective behavior before joining them inside the room.

Titus merely smirked and shook his head. Those two would probably never change but at least it was entertaining to watch.

The five of them looked through the two way mirror at the werewolf in the interrogation room on the other side of the glass. The damned idiot was still trying to fight his way out of that chair. Both of his wrists were in the titanium restraints and his ankles were manacled to the chair legs. At the moment, he had loosened the chair from its floor bolts and was now rocking back and forth trying to tip the chair over.

“Five bucks says he’ll fall over and hit his head,” Tasuki said out of the blue.

Damon smirked at the ‘human’s’ attempt at humor.

“Ten bucks says he’ll just fall over and try kicking his way toward the door,” Micah challenged and the two men settled in to watch.

Damon’s smirk widened and he decided to… help out a little. When the wolf tipped his chair again, it fell over and the man hit his head on the floor… hard enough to knock himself out.

Tasuki snorted and held out his hand for the money Micah now owed him.

“Yeah, yeah, you got lucky rookie,” Micah said good naturally as he flipped his wallet open and plucked a ten.

“Nice doing business with you,” Tasuki said and pocketed the bill. “Want to bet on how long he stays out?”

Alicia had been calmly watching the werewolf. She thought she’d at least be a little nervous but amazingly the emotion never came. Feeling brave, she took a deep breath knowing Damon wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

“Let me have a few minutes alone with him,” Alicia said.

“I don’t think so,” Damon growled not at all amused.

Alicia pouted up at him, “How do you expect me to learn anything if you’re always there to help me?”

“I’ll always be there to help you,” Damon corrected.

“Oh really,” Alicia put her hands on her hips deciding that batting her eyelashes wasn’t going to get her what she wanted so she again tried the truth. “What if we somehow become separated and I’m left to face something dangerous… alone?”

“You will not go into that room by yourself,” Damon insisted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You know, it would be nice to be trusted enough to do something on my own for once instead of having a damn nursemaid.” She turned her back on him. “You’re worse than my brothers.”

Damon narrowed his eyes at Alicia’s back while Micah looked at her with a hurt expression.

“Couldn’t you go in with her and let her at least try it alone before you attempt to help?” Micah asked, for once trying to make peace with Damon.

Alicia looked over her shoulder at Damon liking Micah’s compromise.

“We really need every ounce of information we can get from him. I know for a fact that the girls we rescued tonight aren’t the only girls needing our help,” Titus offered as an incentive. “This guy might know where more are hidden.”

Damon inwardly sighed as he watched a stricken look cross Alicia’s face. He was getting too soft. “Very well Alicia, we will both enter that room but the werewolf is all yours.”

Alicia’s expression changed and she smiled up at Damon before sliding her arms around him in a soft grateful hug. Some people might not understand Damon but she did… and she loved every single inch of him.

Tasuki led the couple into the interrogation room and shut the door behind them. He quickly returned to Micah and Titus so he could watch. Micah pulled a chair around and straddled it, crossing his arms over the back of it. Titus leaned against the wall next to the two way mirror while Tasuki made himself comfortable on the other side.

“What’s she going to do exactly?” Tasuki asked as he watched Damon reach down and right the man’s chair even though he was still out cold.

“You know how vampires will hypnotize people in the movies and make them do stuff they normally wouldn’t do?” Micah asked.

Tasuki shrugged, “Well, yeah… but I figured since she was a shifter like you, it wouldn’t apply and I’ve kind of given up on the movies being anywhere near accurate.”

“Ordinarily, a shifter would not have that kind of ability,” Titus agreed then added, “But Alicia is a special case. Being mated to a Sun God does have its advantages.”

Tasuki sighed heavily, “When are you going to tell me what a Sun God is?”

“When we find out,” Micah answered as if that solved world hunger.

The werewolf opened his eyes and suddenly lurched forward in his chair toward Alicia, snarling and growling. “Just my luck… they send in a damn pussy cat.”

The emphasis on Alicia’s feline heritage caused Damon to react and, before anyone could blink, he was standing less than a foot away from the werewolf with a hand gripping the man’s neck. Much to everyone’s shock, Alicia was standing between the two of them with a scowl on her face directed at Damon.

“You promised,” Alicia hissed. “And if I’m right… the hardest thing to put under a thrall would be a dead person.”

Releasing his neck, Damon glared at the werewolf and his amethyst eyes darkened.

The werewolf swallowed when his chair started shaking and the table strained against the bolts that were holding it to the floor. One of the bolts popped loose from the floor sounding almost like a gunshot in the dead silence.

“Damon!” Alicia shouted.

“Just making sure he gets the point,” Damon said and went to lean against the wall on the other side of the table.

“If he didn’t get the point… I did,” Tasuki whispered even though the intercom was turned off at the moment.

Alicia approached the other chair at the table and sat down to stare at the werewolf who was now brooding.

“What the hell do you want?” the wolf asked coming to the conclusion that he was going to die whether he talked or not. “Do they think by sending a pretty girl in here that’ll make me talk?” He leaned toward her a little bit, “Ain’t nothin’ you can do that’d make me turn on Lucca. I got news for you Sweetheart. I got a freakin’ harem waiting for me out there.”

Alicia gave him a small smile and leaned closer, “I’m sure you do, but before you leave you really want to answer my questions. I’m looking for a girlfriend of mine… she’s missing and I was wondering if you’d seen her.”

“I’ve seen more than my fair share of women,” he said with a conceited smirk, not realizing he was already obeying. “But ain’t had any cougars under my tender care for a while now.”

“She’s not a cougar,” Alicia said and tilted her head to the side, feeling giddy when the wolf’s head mimicked her movement. She showed no outward surprise when she suddenly got a strange visual of another girl and realized it was his thoughts she was seeing… not hers.

Pulling on the few flashes of memory she found within his mind’s eye, Alicia decided to use them to her advantage. “My friend is human, reddish-blond hair, green eyes, and has the tattoo of hands holding a crystal ball across her lower back.”

The guard frowned in displeasure, “Yeah… we had that hot little number a couple weeks ago. Lucca took her for himself. He always takes the good ones.”

Alicia tilted her head the other way and he followed. “Where is Lucca?” she asked gently.

“Don’t know,” the wolf answered groggily. “He’s smart that one… doesn’t tell everyone everything… ya know? He’s got so many of us working for him in different areas… no one knows where the other areas are. That way if we get busted we can’t sell out everyone else.”

Alicia’s eyes widened allowing her pupils to enlarge and pulled the werewolf even further into her control. His answers were tempting her anger but she held it in check.

“Where do you find most of the girls you kidnap?” she inquired.

“Sometimes in the dance clubs or the bad part of town where the homeless are easy prey… no one cares enough to report them missing”

“The Slums,” Micah mused. “That actually makes sense.”

“Why’s that?” Titus asked.

“Alicia got into some trouble in that area a while back,” Micah answered remembering the two werewolves she’d drained in an ally. He shoved the memory away. “It’s not a nice area… a lot of drug activity and prostitution. There’s also a lot of demon activity down there too.”

“And my friend? Where did you find her?” Alicia asked since the man’s vision of the girl’s clothing had looked more like a rich girl’s party dress.

“Her and that she-wolf were dancing together at Night Light over a month ago. Parker slipped a drug into their drink and they didn’t know what hit them.”

Micah’s chair fell over he came out of it so fast. “They’ve had her in a cage like that for a month,” he thundered pissed beyond reason that girls had been kidnapped from his bar. “I suspected as much. That’s why I confronted Anthony about it.”

Titus held his hand up at Micah and pressed the button on the intercom, “Alicia, is there any way you can brainwash this guy?”

“There are many things I could do to him right now,” she said not looking away from the werewolf prisoner.

“He might be of good use later,” Titus answered.

“So you want me to brainwash him into being good for the rest of his life?”

Titus arched an eyebrow, “That’s not a bad idea… convince him he’s part of my pack and that Lucca is the pack enemy. Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to do the same thing to the other four guards we found.”

“You could make him loyal to you then send him back to Lucca as a spy,” Damon suggested knowing Titus could hear him.

Titus hesitated before clicking the intercom again, “Will I be able to trust him completely?”