Phantom Warriors Volume 1 (Novel length) Read online

  Tabby took a step forward. "You're a fool if you really believe that."

  "I'm not the one dating a monster," Taylor threw back, then opened the door...and walked straight into Sergei's open arms.

  Tabby tried to scream, but a large bandaged hand closed over her mouth before she could get a single sound out. She glanced up over her shoulder and saw Boris’ battered face glaring at her.

  "Bring her!" Sergei turned and walked back out the door, tugging Taylor along with him. "We need bait in order to catch the demon."

  "How do you know he'll come, boss?" Boris picked Tabby up with one arm.

  "Because for some reason, he wants her." He pointed directly at Tabby. "Personally, I don’t see what he sees in her. But we'll make sure there's enough of her left for him to identify."

  Tabby's eyes rounded. Her gaze sought her twin. Taylor's face had paled.

  "Sergei, honey, we don't need her. We have each other." Taylor nuzzled close.

  Sergei grabbed her arm and squeezed until she cried out. "No one. And I mean, no one comes into my club and humiliates me the way that bastard did. Do you understand?" He shook Taylor hard enough to rattle her teeth.

  She nodded and tears filled her eyes.

  Tabby felt no triumph as her twin finally realized the truth. She wasn't dating the monster. Taylor was.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Eight

  "Did you think you could hire a mercenary to come in and mess with me and I wouldn't retaliate?" Sergei asked. "Did you?" He growled in fury.

  Before Tabby could open her mouth and respond, he backhanded her hard across the face. She cried out. Her eyes began to water as blood trickled from her nose.

  "Sergei, baby. The guy’s a total stranger. I swear," Taylor cuddled up next to him.

  He shoved her away. "Only whores fuck strangers." The disgust he showed her was palpable. "Unlike you, your sister is no whore."

  "No, she isn’t," Taylor murmured, shrinking down in the seat.

  Sergei glared at her. "I suggest you shut up and don't interrupt me again or maybe I’ll start to tink that you were in on the plan, too," his accent thickened with his rising anger.

  Taylor’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t…I’d never…I love you.”

  Sergei snorted. “Do you hear that, Boris? She loves me.”

  A chill of fear started in Tabby's stomach and slowly spread to her limbs, numbing them. By the time the cold reached her head, her teeth were chattering.

  They drove in silence to the strip club. Normally open seven days a week, the closed sign on the front door only added to Tabby’s sense of dread. She shouldn’t have sent Linx away. Pride and fear had kept her lips sealed and it was about to cost them everything. They circled around back to the alley.

  No people. No witnesses.

  Boris stopped the car and stepped outside. He quickly surveyed the alleyway, then signaled to the vehicle behind him. Viktor and Alexei drove forward and cut their engine. They continued to scan the darkness, searching for unseen threats, while Boris opened the back door.

  "Come on, ladies." Sergei shoved Taylor out the door, then tightened his grip on Tabby. "Let's go." He yanked her hard, pulling her off balance.

  Tabby fell to her knees on the pavement, scraping her hands.

  Sergei jerked her to her feet and hurried her to the back door. Tabby looked around for any means of escape. She knew if they got her inside, she wouldn't walk out again. But Sergei's grip was strong and even if she did manage to break his hold. His men would be on her before she made it twenty feet.

  He shoved her through the door into the blackness. The lights flickered on a minute later. Tabby found herself at the front of the stage. The tables and stools had been cleared out. All that remained were two chairs, which had been placed on enough plastic to wrap a house in, and a long thick rope. It was also the perfect amount of plastic to wrap two bodies in without having to worry about the messy cleanup afterwards.

  Her heart leapt into her throat, choking her. Tabby struggled in earnest; using every move suggested in the books she'd read. None worked.

  Sergei shoved her into one of the chairs. She tried to leap up, but Viktor pulled out his Glock and pointed it at Taylor’s chest.

  "Sit down," he spat. "Or she's dead."

  Tabby glanced at her sister. Tears streamed down Taylor’s face, smearing her makeup. She said nothing, but her eyes spoke of sorrow and regret. Tabby sat.

  Alexei slipped the rope around Tabby's ankles and tied her hands behind her back.

  "What's this for...ahh!" Tabby managed as she was yanked out of her seat and hoisted up into the air upside down. Her hair brushed the floor as Alexei tied off the rope and quickly removed her shoes.

  Sergei looked at Boris. "Turn on the music. As we know, this one is a real screamer."

  Boris nodded and strolled off to the D.J. booth. A few seconds later, a familiar thumping beat poured through the speakers. Tabby’s chest tightened as memories of her one perfect night with Linx flooded her mind. The pain of ‘what might have been’ sharpened them, leaving her raw and empty.

  “Please turn off this music,” she said, fighting back tears.

  Sergei laughed. “I thought you liked this song. It looked like it on the video.”

  “Turn it off!” she screamed.

  “Nyet! I like it,” Sergei said.

  Tabby thought for sure that her heart would explode in her chest. She now understood that they weren't simply going to kill her as she'd suspected earlier. They planned to torture her first. Her mind filtered through all her reference books. She'd never read anything about torture. Tabby had no idea how to combat it. Did you meditate? Brace? Did it help to scream? She couldn’t think with this song playing.

  "What do you want?" she growled, ignoring the blood pounding in her ears. Her nose was bleeding again. Tabby choked on the blood as it ran down the back of her throat.

  Sergei stepped forward and tilted his head until he was almost upright in her vision. "I want you to tell me all about the Merc you hired, so that I can hunt him down and kill him."

  Tabby's heart slammed against her ribs. "I didn't hire anyone. I’m a librarian. I don’t have that kind of money," she said. “I barely know him.” Even if that wasn’t the truth, there was no way she’d give Linx up to these men.

  Sergei made a show of scratching his head, then he glanced at his men. "Did it look like she didn't know the man on the recording, Viktor?"

  The big man shook his head. "Nyet, boss."

  "What do you think, Alexei?"

  Alexei rubbed his chin. "I'd say she knows him well...unless she's a whore."

  Sergei looked back at Tabby. "Are you a whore?"

  She grit her teeth. "No."

  "Then I expect you to tell me everything that you do know," he said.

  Tabby tried to twist around. The blood throbbing in her head was beginning to mess with her vision. "I don't know anything."

  "Hear that, Boris? She doesn't know anything about the man who crushed the bones in your hand. Do you believe her?" Sergei asked. “Perhaps we should cut her down and let her go home.”

  Boris's gaze hardened. “She lies. I think she just needs her memory jogged."

  "Perhaps you’re right. Give me the bat." Sergei held his hand out. Alexei stepped forward with a wooden bat and placed it in Sergei's loose grip. "I am going to ask you one more time. Who is he?"

  Tabby whimpered. "I don't know." She refused to betray Linx.

  Sergei swung the bat onto the bottoms of her bare feet. A shock of pain sliced through Tabby, jolting her spine, making it hard to breathe. She gasped, then screamed in agony.

  "I want his name," Sergei said.

  Tears dripped down Tabby’s forehead as her feet and legs throbbed.

  Taylor surged to her feet. “It’s Linx! Now let her go.”

  “Taylor no!” Tabby shouted.

  “Sit!” Sergei pointed to the chair, then reached down and yanked Tabby up by her hair. "A last n
ame, please."

  "He doesn’t have one," she grit out between clenched teeth.

  “Who does he think he is? Some kind of pop star?” Sergei released her and she fell back. He tapped the top of the bat on the ground three times like a batter preparing for a fastball, then he swung.

  The bat hissed, arcing high through the air, a second before it made contact with the bottoms of her feet. This time the pain was worse. Something in her knee shifted, dislocating the joint. Tabby screamed. The breath rushed from her lungs and she nearly blacked out.

  Taylor stood. "Stop it! Please, Sergei, stop hurting her!"

  Sergei nodded to Viktor. The man fired a round into the wall. "The next one will be in your chest. Now sit the fuck down."

  Taylor trembled and dropped onto the chair. She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders began to shake. Tabby could hear her muttering, “I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry,” under her breath, as she rocked back and forth.

  Sergei shoved the bat into Tabby's abdomen, knocking the air back out of her lungs. "Pay attention. Where did you meet him?"

  Tabby gasped, then gasped again. Before she could recover, Sergei hauled back and punched her in the face, sending her spinning in circles.

  Something in her jaw crunched and light exploded behind Tabby's eyes. For a second she was blind, then the world came rushing back in a flurry of color and pain. "Here," she choked. "I met him in your club."

  "Now why don't I believe you?" Sergei asked. "Boris get the board."

  "Da, boss."

  A minute later, Boris ambled over and placed a small table next to Tabby.

  "Untie her left hand," Sergei said.

  Boris did as he was told.

  "Alexei hold her arm. Viktor you keep Taylor covered in case Tabitha decides to attempt something foolish."

  "Da, boss."

  Alexei held onto Tabby's arm, pulling it toward the board until her hand was flat upon the surface.

  "I've told you everything I know," she cried.

  "I don’t think so. I ‘tink’ you’re holding back on me. Either way, someone has to pay for what your friend did. Since he’s not here…looks like it’ll have to be you." Sergei's voice faded as he handed the bat to Boris. "An eye for an eye, a hand for a hand. You get the picture."

  Boris took the bat and slammed it down onto Tabby's fingers, breaking them instantly. This time the cry that was ripped from her throat was more a tortured yowl. He swung the bat again, hitting her ribs, cracking them.

  Tabby’s eyes rolled back in her head and the world faded around her. Her last thought was of Linx. She hoped he’d gotten far, far away.

  * * * * *

  Linx sat in a bar surrounded by beautiful women, who were going out of their way to catch his attention. Yet, everywhere he looked, he saw Tabby's face. He'd left. Abided by her wishes, but that did nothing to ease the ache in his chest or quiet the beast within.

  He'd been here for two hours. Had plenty of opportunity to lose himself in another woman's body, but every time he went to act on his instincts something pulled him back.

  Damn her! What had she done to him?

  They were not bound. There should be no ties of any kind preventing him from choosing another. He felt his beast’s claws sink into his spine.

  Linx tossed back the last of his drink and threw a few bills down on the bar. He never liked the sensation of being unsettled. And things felt very unsettled with Tabby. She may not want to speak to him or see him again, but she was going to have to. He couldn’t leave things as they were. Maybe if they had it out once and for all, he’d be able to move on.

  It didn't take long to reach Tabby's house. He sat outside, staring at its little windows and perfect flowerbeds. Linx had never backed down from a fight in his life, yet he found himself hesitating, afraid of a woman with long, glossy red hair. He had no idea what she might say and that alone kept him inside the car.

  Everything looked the same as it had when he’d left. Everything, but the front door. Linx frowned and stepped out of the car. When he approached the house, he saw that the door was ajar.

  "Tabby?" he called out, carefully scenting the air.

  There was no sound from inside. Linx reached out a finger and pushed the door open. The smell of gun oil and sweat hit him first. Followed by the sour odor of fear. Tabby’s fear.

  Linx's hearts began to pound. He recognized that odor. Knew who it came from. He tore through the house, checking every room, but Tabby was nowhere to be found. Neither was Taylor. He inhaled again. The various scents filtered through his sensitive nose, leaving no doubt who had them. It was his fault that they were gone, his fault that they'd been taken.

  If he lost Tabby now, he wasn't sure what he'd do. Blood rushed through his veins. Linx threw his head back and let out a roar that shook the windows and rattled the doors.

  He ran out the door and jumped into Sergei's car. Linx threw it into gear and sped out of the driveway. He pressed a button to roll down his window and allowed part of his body to shift. He didn’t care who saw him.

  Their scents were faint on the wind, but they were there. Linx drove as quickly as he could, always keeping the wind in his face. When he reached a familiar part of town, he rolled up the window and slowed down.

  He knew where Sergei had taken the women. He only hoped that he wasn't too late.

  Linx drove into the parking lot and stopped. The club was closed, but he could hear music pounding through the speakers. He slipped out from behind the wheel and approached the front door. It was locked, so he walked around the building to the alley.

  He turned the knob and the back door opened. Inside, the lights were on and the speakers pumped out a familiar song. Linx’s stomach tightened as the memory of their lovemaking hit. He shoved it away, so he could focus. He inhaled, the air telling him what his eyes couldn’t see. His nose crinkled, when he caught the smell of blood. Tabby!

  Linx rushed forward and came out on the stage to a horrifying scene. Tabby had been hoisted up by her ankles. Her feet were bare and black from bruises. Her swollen face was covered in blood. The hand dangling toward the ground appeared mangled and inflamed. If it weren’t for the faint pulse throbbing in her neck, Linx would’ve thought she was dead.

  A red haze rolled over Linx's vision until the world bled around him. Two words pounded in his head--Protect Mate--as he stepped out of the shadows.

  The men hadn't noticed him standing at the back of the stage yet, but soon they'd know he was there. And they'd realize what a huge mistake they had made before he ended their lives.

  Sergei stepped forward and tossed what appeared to be water into Tabby's battered face. She came awake, sputtering. Her confusion and pain plain to see.

  "Not again. Please no more." She whimpered and tried to curl in on herself to no avail.

  Linx roared and felt his body shift. His human form melted away as fur sprang from his pores. His incisors lengthened, along with the rest of his teeth. Claws sprouted from his fingertips until all that remained was his beast. The huge cat prowled across the stage.

  Sergei and his men jerked their heads up at the sound.

  "What the hell is that?" Sergei shouted.

  Alexei and Boris drew their guns, aimed and fired, but Linx was already moving. He faded in and out slashing here, tearing there. The men's screams filled the air, nearly drowning out the music.

  "Shoot it!" Sergei shouted, his hand already moving to his own weapon.

  "Where did it go?" Viktor cried.

  "Behind you!" Boris shouted, but it was too late.

  Sharp claws raked out, severing his Achilles tendon. Viktor stumbled forward and fell, sprawled onto the floor. Linx sank his teeth into the man's arm at his shoulder and shook his powerful head. There was a loud pop a second before he ripped Viktor's arm off. Linx spit the limb out and faded again.

  Taylor and Tabby screamed in terror. Taylor pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees. Tabby's head jerked aroun
d to try to watch what was happening, but Linx knew he was moving too fast for her to track.

  Gunshots ricocheted off the walls wildly. He had to end this before the sisters were harmed. Linx leapt into the air and brought his claws across Alexei's throat. Blood sprayed into the air in a crimson arc, before raining down upon the ground.

  It tasted sweet, Linx thought as he licked his whiskers. But this was no time to eat his prey.

  Alexei was dead before he hit the ground.

  Boris nearly shot Sergei in his rush to kill Linx.

  "Watch it, you idiot!" Sergei shouted, firing in quick succession as Linx appeared and disappeared.

  "Where is it?" Boris yelled. The gun barrel jerked from side to side as he searched the club.

  "I don't see it," Sergei said. "What the hell is it anyway?"

  Boris didn't look at him. "It's the demon. I tried to tell you."

  * * * * *

  Sergei had never experienced fear like this. He'd been tortured, shot, burned and beaten. And never in all those times, did he feel this level of terror. Was Boris right? Were they dealing with a demon? If so, who had summoned it? He glared at Tabitha. Was she a Baba Yaga? She didn’t look like a witch, but only a powerful conjurer could call forth a demon.

  He'd never believed in such things, not even when he was a child in the old country. But he had no logical explanation for what he'd seen. The large cat had disappeared and reappeared right before their eyes.

  If they were dealing with a demon, then what did it want?

  If it was his soul, then it would be sorely disappointed because he'd already promised that to the devil years ago.

  Sergei watched the beast fade in and out, its eyes like fiery pits. There was no mercy. No compassion. Only burning fury that held the promise of retribution and death. The animal’s gaze shifted to the woman hanging upside down and Sergei watched the fire fade slightly.

  So that's what it wanted.

  Sergei grabbed Tabby by the hair and yanked her up. "Cut her down, Boris."

  Boris backed to where the rope was tethered. He tucked his gun under his arm and slowly unwound the knot. The rope went slack and Tabby dropped to the ground, but Sergei didn't release her.