Blood Rain

“Ren wasn't exactly himself,” Lacey said, stepping in between them, but the fact that her back was to Ren made it obvious just whom she was taking up for.

Vincent watched the slow devious smile appear across Ren's lips… too bad Lacey couldn’t see it. That was okay, he knew how to pop things that were full of hot air. “I assume Ren isn’t himself quite often, seeing as how he’s a succubus and hanging out in a city that’s infested with bloody demons. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

“Well… too bad, since he helped save both our lives tonight,” Lacey countered stubbornly.

“I don’t need anyone to save my life… or have you forgotten my little disability,” Vincent thundered, stepping closer so he could glare down at her. He watched her lips part with her sharp intake of breath and instantly regretted the fact that he knew exactly how to hurt her the most.

His features softened when she reached out as if to touch his cheek, but the resounding smack that echoed across the room caused his frown to return full force. Fine… maybe he deserved that, though he couldn’t fathom why.

“That’s for killing yourself right in front of me you heartless ass,” Lacey said harshly, before adding a little louder, “and just because you don’t remember it doesn’t mean I forgive you.”

“Duly noted,” Vincent responded sarcastically when Lacey spun on her heels and strode to the desk Storm was sitting behind.

Lacey placed her palms on the desk top and leaned forward to whisper to Storm. “Sorry… I wasn't supposed to say anything about that… was I?”

Storm tried like hell to keep eye contact with her but, even in doing so, he could still see almost all of her breasts because of the way she was leaning forward in the sexy little dress he’d picked out for her. Sometimes he outsmarted himself.

“Someone was bound to mention it to him sooner or later,” he answered, having teleported beside her but now facing the other two men. He rubbed his chin to hide his smirk when Lacey slowly turned her head to stare at him but didn’t rise up from her sexy little position. “Ren, how about filling in the database on tonight’s undertaking.”

Ren was suddenly behind the desk, startling Lacey enough for her to jerk her gaze up to him, only to find that he wasn't staring at her face. She glanced down in confusion then stilled, seeing just what he was staring at… her breasts. Refusing to take the embarrassment, she gave him a wicked smile before slowly rising up and turning her back on him.

Storm cocked an amused eyebrow when Ren turned to look at him accusingly. That little slice of eye candy wasn't his fault… at least he’d shared a tasty bite. He returned his attention to Vincent, who was still standing there stroking his chin thoughtfully while watching Lacey.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Lacey informed him, ending the line of questioning before it could even start.

Vincent raised his hands in surrender, “Fine.”

“Did you agree to join PIT,” she asked, softening her voice. She tried not to pay attention to the fact that one of his cheeks was now several shades redder due to her temper.

“I reckon I did love,” Vincent responded, now knowing Storm had gotten him good on that little deal. She obviously hadn’t been in any danger at all and the Time Walker would have known that for a fact.

“Hey, I told you she was fine,” Storm defended himself with a shrug, when Vincent gave him a brooding look.

“What’s the catch,” Vincent asked, not really all that upset he’d been tricked into making a deal that bound him to a legendary Time Walker and the elusive PIT organization.

“You have to have a partner,” Lacey quickly answered, remembering the reasoning behind the rule.

“Are you offering?” Vincent smirked, liking the deal more and more by the minute.

“No,” Ren answered for her. “She’s mine.”

Lacey blinked at the possessiveness in Ren’s voice, but she didn’t call him a liar. She glanced over at Storm curiously. “Has there ever been a threesome?” She didn’t catch the wrongness of the question until she noticed Vincent’s right eyebrow rise several notches and heard a low growl coming from behind her.

“Oh geez, get over it you perverts. I didn’t mean it that way and you know it,” Lacey insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. She blinked, having to block out all kinds of dirty thoughts that were suddenly trying to become images in her dirty little mind.

Storm rubbed his temple trying not to laugh. Someone had to come to her rescue, and it looked like it was going to have to be him. “Sometimes PIT teams do go out together in groups, but even then, you have that one special person that you keep an extra eye out for, and vice versa. I happen to know the perfect temporary partner for Vincent, since it just so happens that person’s partner is missing in action at the moment.”

“Well, it doesn’t sound like this person kept a very good eye on his last partner… now does it,” Vincent pointed out, feeling a bit sarcastic and not caring if they liked it or not. He frowned at Lacey wondering when he’d become so attached to her. The fact that he’d seen red when Ren had boldly announced ‘she’s mine’ was not a good sign.

“It’s kind of hard to keep your eyes on a shape shifter that’s gone into stealth mode. I’m sure Trevor is around here somewhere, but in what form even I don’t know,” Storm defended.

“A shape shifter… really,” Vincent asked, feeling like he was suddenly in a paranormal candy store with all kinds of exotic flavors. He understood true shape shifters weren’t fables but the demons in the thievery ring had searched for one forever and never been successful in locating such an enigma.

“You’re going to put him with Chad,” Ren asked, though he wasn't really against the idea if it got the other man away from Lacey.

“Think about it… they both seem to have the same affliction,” Storm pointed out helpfully knowing Ren would catch the hidden meaning.

“You mean he has a fetish for dying?” Vincent made a face since that was the affliction Storm had rightfully accused him of having. He ignored the sharp glare Lacey was suddenly giving him. She hated it when he talked about dying as if it was no big deal. “If you were going to put me with a demon, then why didn’t you just leave me with the demons I was already used to?”

“Chad is one hundred percent human but Storm is right. He was murdered recently… stabbed in the heart.” Ren paused, seeing a warning look from Storm and secretly tapped into Storm's inner voice only to find out he wasn't to say a single word about the Fallen… neither Kriss nor Dean. He had to concentrate to keep a straight face as he connected the dots.

Returning his full attention to Vincent, Ren continued. “Chad is back up walking around and still just as human as you are. So far, Chad’s only died once and that was against his will, so I wouldn’t call it a fetish.”

“The next time he dies he could stay dead… or not,” Storm offered. “Either way, I’m not allowed to tell spoilers.”

“Yeah right,” Vincent said, feeling his sarcasm kick back in.

“He’s not lying,” Lacey insisted, stepping closer to Storm. “If he tells someone what’s going to happen in the future or even hints at it, he starts to bleed from injuries we can’t even see.”

She turned to gaze up at Storm and reached out to tenderly touch his upper arm. “I’ve seen it happen,” she said sadly. “You broke the rule and bled for me. Those horrible things went all of the way through me tonight. I would be dead right now if you hadn’t warned Ren of what was coming.”

Storm tried to keep the love from shining in his eyes as he stared down at Lacey and felt her gentle touch… but he did love her dearly, so it was hard. “You being here right now made it worth every drop,” he said honestly, before lifting his gaze to lock with Ren's. “Besides, the consequences of you dying seriously sucked and that’s not a spoiler since it didn’t happen.”

“But it obviously did happen and you erased it.” Lacey gave him an adoring smile before pressing herself against him and giving him a heartfelt hug. “You and Ren chose to save me,” she amended before backing away to look at Vincent. “If Storm wants you with Chad, then there’s probably a very good reason for it.”

Vincent sobered, suddenly getting it. These two powerful men could protect Lacey way better than he ever could… they’d already proven that fact. Who was he to take that kind of safety away from her?

Sighing dramatically, he fluttered his eyelashes at her. “Fine, you’ve sold me. We can both be fan girls of the Time Walker.” He purposely left Ren's name off the fan list because he wasn’t sold on the big guy being her boyfriend… just a damn good bodyguard.

Ren ignored the fact that he could hear Vincent’s inner thoughts loud and clear. As far as he was concerned, he’d already won the war for the mere fact that Lacey hadn’t begged to be Vincent’s partner.

“So, you agree to be teamed up with Chad,” Lacey asked with a happy smile. She couldn’t stay mad at Vincent if someone paid her… not when she adored him so much. She flinched when the screen of the huge monitor on the wall to her right suddenly cracked loudly and sent sparks cascading down to the floor.

Ren rubbed the bridge of his nose before glaring at the broken monitor long enough to use his powers to quickly fix the damage he’d just done to it.

Vincent sent a suspicious glance in Ren's direction before returning Lacey's smile. “Sure, for all I know, Chad was scratched by a demon’s pet cat and now has nine lives… oops, eight lives,” He corrected and shrugged. “I guess I can show him the ropes.”

He strode right up to Lacey and fearlessly placed his arm around her shoulders before turning them to face Storm. “So what exactly does Chad do for PIT?”

“Chad’s a high ranking cop, though he’s one of the only human cops left in the city. With a lot of the 911 calls coming in being more than a little on the strange side, we’ve had to fill the city with paranormal police officers, along with infiltrating the rescue workers, hospitals, and fire departments,” Storm answered.

“That’s understandable,” Vincent nodded, silently doing the math of just how many paranormals it would take to pull a citywide trick like that off. “After the stampede I witnessed tonight outside the Witches Brew, it’s a wonder the humans aren’t dropping like flies.”

Storm was becoming drained from flickering in and out of the room so fast that no one would catch on to what he was doing. Thankfully, Ren was too busy to notice his weakening state, since he was concentrating on the fact that Vincent was once again touching Lacey.

Focusing back on the topic, Storm continued. “It’s because of PIT’s combined efforts that the human casualties have been kept to a minimum, but even that amount has the city morgues overflowing. The demons are trying to stay off our radar but don’t get me wrong… it’s a very dangerous job and right up your alley.”

“Yeah, the worst thing that could happen is you get painfully killed… constantly,” Ren agreed, making it sound like the best thing in the world. Who knew he could be so petty.

“Ooh… I think I just got one whole goose bump… try harder,” Vincent responded to the barb in his most bored tone.

Storm interrupted their verbal war before it escalated into Vincent’s first painful death as an official PIT member. “With your expertise on the different types of demons and what their weaknesses might be, you’d be a lot of help. And don’t worry… you will have an arsenal of weapons and I’m not talking about standard police issue… we have the kind that tends to ruin a demon’s day.”

Lacey glanced at Ren when Storm mentioned weapons. The truth was… she was looking at their best weapon, yet after what happened back at the Witch’s Brew, she understood that he was also the unstable fuck-bomb that could take them all out if he lost control. Remembering just how she’d given him that control back, she blushed and looked away.

“But don’t forget,” Storm reminded Vincent, “your number one job is to keep Chad safe until Trevor comes out of hiding. If you get careless and taken out by a demon, that leaves Chad without true backup until you revive.”

”Speaking of weapons,” Vincent said and gave Storm a slow smile. “Once the babysitting job is done, I suggest me and you team up and go retrieve some very unique items I know of… things the demons have hidden away.”

“You honestly think you’re going to be teamed up with Storm,” Ren asked, with an arched eyebrow, again feeling an overpowering need to rip Vincent to shreds.

Lacey frowned at him once again, hearing the jealousy in his voice. The man seemed to have a possessive streak a mile long and obviously didn’t want to share her or Storm.

“Stingy,” she accused.

Ren shrugged, “It just amazes me how highly the newbie thinks of himself.”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Oh get over it, what are you… five?” She moved away from Vincent and approached Ren, watching his face for any sign that it would improve his mood and prove her theory right.

“I’m a lot older than you,” Ren mocked, with a wide grin now that Vincent was left standing alone.

“You made the water heater break while I was in the shower,” Lacey countered playfully, now that she had proof of her nearness being the equivalent of his chill pill. “So mentally, you’re a lot younger than me.”

“Shall I take you to meet Chad,” Storm asked, trying to distract Vincent and keep him out of trouble. Lacey was quickly learning how to calm Ren's dark side but Vincent was a hell of a lot slower on the uptake.

“Is it safe to leave them alone,” Vincent whispered, then daringly raised his voice to get their attention. “By the way… I’m pretty sure I’m older than either one of you and you’re both grounded… though I might let Lacey off with a spanking, if she agrees to play nice.” He gave her a suggestive little smile when she swung around to look at him with wide eyes.

Storm quickly reached out and teleported Vincent out of harm’s way, making a point to remember the expression on Ren’s face. Maybe he would make a special trip back with a camera while he was at it.

Unable to ignore the strange flash of light that went off right in his face, Ren blinked. Instead of grabbing the idiot he had been aiming for, he wound up gripping thin air and staring at a piece of paper left fluttering in front of him. He snatched it from the air with a frustrated growl.

“What’s that?” Lacey asked, completely at peace with the fact that Storm had once again disappeared with Vincent. At least she trusted Storm to keep him safe and alive.

“It seems your ex-partner is going to be out of range for the rest of the day,” Ren frowned, when the note suddenly vanished and was replaced with a snapshot of his face distorted with rage. Ha… Ha. Storm was just a barrel of laughs lately. He gave a wicked smile as the snapshot turned to dust and slipped through his fingers.

Ren turned his head to look at Lacey and noticed her eyes flashing with humor. She was still staring at his hand where the picture had just been.

“Liked that did you,” he asked with a cocked eyebrow. She was making it hard for him to hold on to his anger. Her nodding vigorously was just way too cute.

Chapter 3

“I need to get out of these clothes,” Lacey said, glancing down at the cocktail dress she was still wearing. The dress had been really pretty when she’d first put it on, but after the frightening night she’d had, it was dirty and actually ripped in a couple of places where she’d been pierced by those demon strands.

A shockwave of intense sexual need hit her hard and Lacey snapped her startled gaze back up to Ren's stone faced expression. Had that come from her… or him? She hadn’t been thinking about sex when she’d mentioned taking her clothes off but damn if it wasn't on her mind now.

“And obviously another ice cold shower is in order,” she added, placing the palm of her hand against the tightening of her stomach muscles. She’d never been shy when it came to talking about sex and she wasn't going to start biting her lip now. “Am I leeching this sexual need from you?”

Ren had practically stopped breathing when he’d imagined removing her dress for her in one fluid movement, then lifting her naked body up on the desk behind her. He blinked as the bluntness of her question sank in. The answer was a resounding YES. She’d known exactly what Nick and Gypsy had been up to in the bomb shelter, but it never dawned on him that she would also be able to tap into his emotions or desires.

Hopefully she had only received a fraction of that ability or she wouldn’t last very long in this castle. He made a mental note to ask Guy if he could create some kind of spell or charm for her to wear that would tone the ability down but, for now, he could at least give her the truth.

“This castle is full of paranormals with heightened emotions,” he informed her, trying to get his own under control. Sensing she was in need right now wasn’t helping and it was causing a boomerang affect between them. “Paranormals have emotions just like humans. The difference is… they feel each emotion much stronger than a normal human ever would… and you’re tapping in to that overload.”

He started towards her feeling much like a predator stalking its prey. Ren felt a satisfied smirk try to tug at his lips when she backed up against the desk right in the same spot he had envisioned lifting her from.

“Their anger could cause a normal human to go on a killing spree… and their brand of love is what we would call a dangerous obsession.” He suddenly leaned forward, placing his hands against the desk on each side of her to trap her beneath him. He then dipped his lips very close to her ear. “And their carnal lust is so hot it burns.”

Lacey closed her eyes as she felt his breath touch her neck. Yeah, he was right about burning because she was on fire. Her lips parted as her breathing sped up. “Their bodies must also be hypersensitive to touch because your breath against my neck feels way too good to be anywhere near normal.”

The growl next to her ear was her only reply but the sound was so seductive that Lacey heard the answer within it. He was so close to her… yet he wasn't touching her anywhere. It was as if he had complete control while she was left swimming in a whirlpool of passion, waiting for the slightest tug to pull her under. She really wanted to experiment with this yummy little side effect… right now, if he was game.

Mentally deleting the seduction at the Witch’s Brew less than an hour ago… since it had happened under duress, Lacey thought about the last time they had touched one another. It had happened right here in this office. She’d believed that she would be dead by dawn and had wanted to spend the last remaining hours lost in sensual pleasure with him. Ren had been the one to put a stop to it because he’d been listening in on her thoughts.

Well, she didn’t have a death threat hanging over her head anymore thanks to him, so he couldn’t hold that against her. If she had her way, he would hold something else against her very soon and, with the mood she was in, she hoped it was big and throbbing.

“Since you’re the one who gave me the power to accidently set myself on fire like this… do you want to be the one to help me extinguish the flame, or do I need to find someone else who is willing to be my firefighter,” she asked, remembering the sting of his last rejection.

Ren tightened his grip on the desk when the rush of heat he’d been feeling quickly morphed into hot as hell anger. Had she really just threatened to go find someone else to quench her desire? The image of her and Vincent making love in the not so distant past seared through his head like a locomotive.

He should have also warned her about extreme jealousy but it was a moot point, since he seemed to be the only one feeling that particular emotion.

“I will teach you not only how to use the powers that have been awakened inside you, but how to control the ones that will put others in danger,” he whispered deceptively, before taking her in his arms.

Lacey blinked when Ren pulled her close and she noticed the office fading into the distance. Within seconds, she found herself in the same bedroom she had woken up in… his. Her gaze strayed to the bed hoping she was finally going to get what she’d been secretly craving since she’d met him. Instead, he gripped her arm and pulled her past the bed, making her frown in confusion.

Being propelled into a connecting bathroom, she couldn’t suppress the shocked scream when she suddenly found herself in the shower with icy cold water cascading down on the top of her head. Shivering, she reached out and turned the water off realizing she was still fully dressed. She was now seeing her sensitive skin statement in a whole new light. That was freakin colder than cold ever thought about being.

“What the hell was that for,” Lacey demanded, glaring over at Ren with murder in her eyes.

“Lesson number one,” Ren growled, leaning toward her for emphasis, “don’t let siphoned sexual heat get to you so bad that you would sleep with just anyone to get a fix.”

Lacey’s glare didn’t lessen as her teeth chattered. “You’re right. What the hell was I thinking asking you? I promise, next time I’ll choose who I ask a little wiser.” She waited for a comeback from him but was met with complete silence that made her a bit nervous, and the fact that she couldn’t see his eyes for the stupid sunglasses wasn't helping.

She wondered where the desire Ren had been feeling a moment ago went and why the hell it had suddenly been replaced by rage. The emotion was so strong that she struggled to contain it. She had spent the last year guarding her thoughts and emotions from dangerous people and now she was almost a pro at it… except around him for some damn reason.

Instead of hitting the big jerk like she wanted to, she grabbed the frosted shower door and slammed it in his face so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Taking the dress off, she threw the sodden thing over the shower door and smirked when the sound of slung water hitting something reached her ears. She hoped the cold rain from it got him right in the face. He so deserved it and much more.

Glancing back towards the frosted glass, Lacey wanted to do a happy dance when she saw the distorted shape of Ren’s body and could tell that he was taking his sunglasses off to dry them. The small taste of revenge cooled her anger for the moment. Turning on the hot water, Lacey stepped under it and groaned in ecstasy as it warmed her chilled flesh.

Ren gritted his teeth, still seething over the easy way she’d just informed him that she would ask for someone else’s help the next time she got horny. Throwing her in the cold shower had been his temper’s idea and his temper had never been that smart. He would have to fix the mistake before she attempted to make good on the threat… attempt being the operative word because he would never allow someone else to touch her in such a way.

His lips parted to warn her that she would be giving a death sentence to anyone she tried to seduce but he gritted his teeth to keep the angry words from forming. She would only take it as a challenge anyway and probably run straight to her lover boy, since killing the idiot wouldn’t matter.

Ren ran a hand through his bangs to get them out of his eyes and started pacing back and forth as his mind raced. It was true that he would have to test her limits on how much of the world around her she was ciphering. The last thing they needed was for her to go into a blood rage just because the demon beside her was in a bad mood. He’d been practicing at this a lot longer than her… and he would be the one that would teach her how to deal with it.