Hunting the Truth: Hunter Elite, #2

Chapter One

STUBBORNLY IGNORING the speed limits, Quin raced towards our mansion. Her expression was grim and her hands were clenched tightly on the steering wheel. I could almost feel the alpha power pouring out of her. She might not be able to shift into a wolf, but at times like these, it was impossible to think of her as a mere human.

Connor was lost in thought and was shutting us all out. Mirra sent frequent glances at him in the rear-view mirror, sensing something was wrong with him. I’d only known her for a couple of weeks and I still hadn’t figured her out yet. She seemed superficial and self-absorbed, but it was possible she had hidden depths to her narcissistic personality.

Neither Quin, nor Mirra was aware of what had happened between Connor and me after we’d been forced off the road by black-clad assassins a couple of hours ago. They had no idea that I’d been staked by a branch and that I would have died if he hadn’t let me drink from him. Drinking his blood had resulted in unintended consequences that neither of us had expected.

Facing the door so he didn’t have to look at me, Connor did his best to pretend we hadn’t just been naked together. It was painful to be shunned by the man I’d so recently had such fantastic sex with, but there was nothing I could do about it. He suspected I’d used my vampire powers to seduce him and maybe he was right. I was still so new to being a hybrid undead creature that I didn’t know what I was capable of yet.

We’re almost there, Quin said, rousing me from my silent misery. She’d barely spoken during the past hour. Our boss was focused on protecting her turf to the exclusion of all else. She hadn’t asked me any questions about the information I’d found out about Jonah yet. Making sure our home was safe was her top priority.

She slowed down when we reached the road that led to our property. The old mansion was isolated and was protected by a high fence that was topped with razor wire. Cameras had been mounted on the gate and along the fence itself, so every inch of the walls were monitored. Quin had a security system in place that would alert her cell phone if there were any breaches. I’d found a tracking device in my backpack and we had no way of knowing when it had been planted there. We had to assume our enemies knew where our base was.

The gates opened and Quin put her foot down. We raced along the driveway and she parked out front of the mansion rather than driving into the garage. Climbing out, we waited for our orders. Connor, run a perimeter check, she instructed. He nodded, then shimmered and changed into a gigantic black panther. He loped off towards the fence with his nose to the ground like a hound. Mirra, charge up your power, Quin said next.

Exhaling as if she’d been holding her breath, the siren unleashed her magic. I wasn’t interested in girls, yet she suddenly became almost irresistibly alluring. Quin clenched her teeth, fighting Mirra’s unholy beauty even harder than I was.

What do you want me to do? I asked, tearing my eyes away from Mirra’s ridiculously gorgeous face and body. We still weren’t sure why, but I was able to withstand her spell better than most.

Shoot anyone who doesn’t belong here, Quin told me. We both reached for our guns, then walked around the house, looking for any signs that someone had broken in. My Ruger LCP was much smaller and lighter than her shiny silver Desert Eagle. It also packed far less of a punch, but it could still take down most foes.

Connor joined us as we reached the front of the house again. He transformed back into his human form and was panting for air. He must have sprinted all the way around the property. I couldn’t detect any signs of intruders, boss, he reported.

Neither have we, Quin replied. All three of us had an acute sense of smell, but Mirra didn’t share our enhanced senses. Connor and Arienna, take the back door, she ordered. Wait for my signal and we’ll enter together.

Connor gave me a quick glance, but he didn’t protest that we’d been paired up together. I knew I was the last person he wanted to be lumped with right now. As a shifter, he automatically obeyed an alpha’s order, even if it had come from an alpha from a different species. I wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to resist a command that he didn’t agree with. Now wasn’t the time to ask questions. Instead, I followed him around to the back of the mansion.

Quin let out a shrill whistle that was our signal to enter and Connor used a key to unlock the back door. He went in first and I brought up the rear, locking the door behind us. We systematically checked every room we came to during our search. We didn’t find any intruders, or anything out of place and met up with the others in the foyer. Quin pointed at the grand staircase, using hand signals to instruct us to check the right wing upstairs while she and Mirra would check the left wing.

I tried hard not to stare at Connor’s butt while climbing the stairs, but failed miserably. Now that I knew first-hand how fit and toned he was, it was impossible to ignore his masculine appeal. My attention snapped back into focus when he pushed the door to my bedroom open and I saw someone lying on my bed. I almost fired off a shot, then recognized the intruder at the last moment. Jonah! I almost shot you! I kept my admonishment quiet so my voice didn’t carry beyond my room.

He blinked at me in surprise, then grinned. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have killed me. I’m already dead you know.

Has he seen any strangers in the house? Connor asked.

Strangers? Jonah asked and was suddenly standing beside me. His amusement fled when he realized that we were tense and that we were both armed. What happened?

We were attacked by the assassins who are hunting our team, I replied. Have you seen anyone enter the house?

There’s no one here, apart from us, he said. I sense it whenever anyone enters. I recognized your auras and decided to wait for you in your bedroom, since you usually head here first. He obviously didn’t realize Quin and Mirra had rushed off to save us. They must have left without filling him in. Since they couldn’t see or hear him, they had no way of knowing where he was at any given time.

He says no one is here, apart from us, I reported to Connor. He nodded an acknowledgement, but Quin wouldn’t be content until every room had been searched. Jonah followed in our wake as we checked the other bedrooms in our wing. You can see our auras? I spoke quietly again, just in case someone had slid beneath his spectral radar and was lurking in one of the rooms waiting to ambush us.

Jonah made a face. It’s hard to explain. He thought about it before speaking again. I get to know the feel of the people who live here, he told me. Everyone has a different signature. Supernatural creatures are a lot easier to recognize than humans. You all have a different type of power that makes it easy for me to sense you.

Huh, I mused as we checked the final room and found it to be clear. What are our auras like?

His expression became guarded and he fiddled with a button on his powder blue suit. Shifters give off a strong, powerful sense. Mirra’s aura is light and kind of shimmery.

What about me? I prodded. Connor turned to watch me, unable to hear Jonah’s reply.

Your aura is darker than the others, he said at last. He didn’t meet my eyes when he relayed the information.

How dark? I asked in dread.

He rubbed his nose, then heaved a quiet sigh and looked at me. Your soul is hard to sense. Every now and then, it seems to withdraw deep inside you. When that happens, I can sense your vampirism a lot stronger. He hesitated, then told me what he was hiding. It scares me a bit, he said in a bare whisper. It almost seems as if you’re as dead as I am when that happens.

Connor took a step towards me when he saw me blanch, but I backed away, then turned and strode out of the room. I felt ill knowing the only thing keeping me from becoming a true monster was my restless soul. If it ever became untethered from my body, I would surely be doomed.

Chapter Two

CONNOR DID A QUICK search of the attic while I guarded the folding stairs for him. The attic was clear, so we met up with Quin and Mirra at the base of the grand staircase again. Was anything amiss? Quin asked.

Connor shook his head. Jonah told us no one has been here while we were gone.

Quin accepted that pronouncement with a nod. I should have thought to ask him. I sometimes forget Arienna can speak to Jonah. I was sure it had only slipped her mind because of her worry that our base might have been invaded.

We haven’t checked the basement yet, Mirra pointed out.

There’s only one entrance, Quin reminded her. They’d have to have entered the house to get to it.

I’ll check it, Jonah offered. He vanished as I relayed his intentions to the others. He wasn’t gone for long before he returned. There’s no one down there, he reported.

The basement is clear, I told the others.

Quin finally relaxed enough to put her gun back in its holster. Connor and I did the same and Mirra dampened her power. Connor’s shoulders slumped slightly and he took a deep breath. He hadn’t used the bronze bracelet Spencer Von Hades had given him yet. It was infused with a spell that would protect the wearer from a siren’s power. The only downside was that it had a limited number of charges to it. Once the magic had been drained, it would need to be recharged again. He was probably conserving it for when he really needed it.

Can you fill me in on what happened now? Jonah asked as we headed downstairs.

I’ll be with Jonah in the library, I said to the others. The ghost was perplexed when they gave me sympathetic glances.

I’ll be in the kitchen, Connor said and hurried away. Quin and Mirra made their excuses to vacate the area as well.

What’s going on? Jonah demanded as we walked to the back of the house where the small library was located.

This wasn’t going to be an easy story to tell. We settled on our worn brown leather recliners and I tried to gather my thoughts. Connor lied when he said Quin wanted us to get some supplies this morning, I told him.

Jonah frowned and put his hands on the armrests. He’d mastered himself enough to remain stable rather than sinking through the chair. Considering he’d been a ghost since the seventies, he’d had a few decades to practice. Why did he lie? he asked suspiciously. Where did you go?

I grabbed a handful of my long dark brown hair and wrapped it around my hand. It was a nervous gesture that I rarely made anymore. Spencer Von Hades gave me some information after I told him I could communicate with you, I admitted.

Jonah’s frown deepened. I’m confused. What does that have to do with where you and Connor went this morning?

It has everything to do with it, I replied. It wasn’t Quin who did a search on deaths in the mansion. It was Spencer. He looked even more dumbfounded at that. I continued before he could bombard me with questions. He found out who you were and dug into your history. He didn’t tell Quin and the others because he didn’t want you to become upset and possibly hurt someone.

His fingers clenched down on the armrest. I could actually see them digging into the leather slightly, but I didn’t think he was aware of it. Why would I want to hurt anyone? he asked in a deceptively calm tone. Exactly what does Spencer know about me?

Your full name is Percy Jonah Gable, I said, but he didn’t react at all. You were engaged to a woman called Mary-Sue. This time, he flinched a little and the depressions in the armrests deepened. You had your engagement party here, I explained. Your best friend, Bill, insisted you both climb up to the balcony in the foyer to give your speeches at midnight. You leaned against the balcony and it splintered. You fell and broke your neck.

His fingers were now digging deep into the upholstery and I heard the leather tear. I reached into my pocket and took out the jewelry case. Praying I wasn’t making a colossal mistake, I opened it and took the gold locket out. You gave this to Mary-Sue on her sixteenth birthday, I told him. I opened it and he was riveted by the sight of himself and the pretty blonde woman he’d intended to marry.

Mary-Sue? he said with heart wrenching sadness. Then his expression turned inwards and I felt power beginning to swell. I remember now, he said flatly. I remember everything. Wind stirred even though the windows were shut. It tugged at my hair and fluttered the pages of the book that sat on the coffee table waiting for me to read it. I’d left it lying open with a bookmark in place so I wouldn’t forget where I’d been up to.

Jonah? I said tentatively. Are you okay?

Even as I asked the question, I knew the answer. He wasn’t okay. He was about as far from being okay as possible. His eyes darkened until they were soulless black pits and his hair and clothes darkened to match. His blue suit changed to funeral black as the color magically bled away. Even the rose in his lapel withered and died, becoming as black as the rest of his foreboding appearance.

Bill murdered me because he loved Mary-Sue and wanted her for himself, he said. His voice had become deeper and now sounded sinister. The hairs on my arms rose in response to the danger I could sense growing. He pushed me when I leaned against the balcony. I remember feeling his hands on my back, then the railing gave way and I fell. Malevolence built along with his fury. I’m going to make him pay for taking my life. He’ll rue the day he was born.

He’s already dead, I croaked, fighting the urge to flee from his rapidly rising wrath.

His head cocked to the side and his fury increased. Someone must pay, he said and stood. Every book on the shelves rose as well. He focused on me and a cruel smile played about his mouth. I guess you’ll have to do.

Rising to my feet, I backed slowly towards the door. I’m your friend, I reminded him, holding my hands up peacefully.

You pretend to be good, but I know what you really are, he said tauntingly. A book came flying at my face and I slapped it away. "You’re a monster," he added, then began to barrage me with projectiles.

I fled for the door, but the couch slid over to block my way. It became far heavier than normal, as if an invisible giant was sitting on it and was holding it in place. Jonah had done exactly what Spencer had feared after learning the truth about his death; he’d turned into a poltergeist.

When I turned towards the windows with the intention of diving through one to reach safety, wooden shelves tore free from the bookcases and slammed over the glass portals. Every exit was now blocked and I was tapped.

You can’t escape from my wrath, leech, my former friend said and sent more books flying at me. There were too many to swat away, so I shielded my face with my hands. They hit me hard enough to leave cuts and bruises that healed quickly. I’m going to do what Quin should have done the moment she learned that you’re a bloodsucker.

Peeking at him through my fingers, I watched in dread as he picked up the coffee table and smashed it against the ground. It splintered and he picked up a piece with a sharp end. My dread turned into terror when I realized what he intended to do.

Before I could even think of trying to run from the enraged phantom, he appeared directly in front of me. The stake whooshed towards me and I barely managed to twist aside in time. Instead of lodging in my heart, it became stuck in my left shoulder.

Fists pounded on the door and Quin shouted something. There was too much noise from the fluttering books that were flying around and crashing into the walls for me to be able to make out what she’d said.

Jonah cursed that he’d missed my heart and hunted for another stake to skewer me with. I looked around wildly, but I had nowhere to run and nothing to defend myself with. He’d been right when he’d said my bullets wouldn’t hurt him. He was a ghost and I didn’t have any weapons on me that could deal with the dead.

Chapter Three

BACKING AWAY FROM JONAH when he turned with an even bigger stake clutched in his hand, my back hit a bookshelf. He rose into the air and floated towards me with the intent to kill me written all over his snarling face. I’d been the only friend he’d had in decades, but that wasn’t enough to save me from him. By telling him the truth, I hadn’t set him free. I’d instead unleashed hell upon myself.

There was no use begging him not to kill me. He was beyond the ability to listen to reason now. He wanted revenge for being murdered and I was the closest target. I lifted my hands when he was within striking distance, preparing to attempt to catch the stake.

We both turned when the door burst open. The couch went flying and hit the wall hard enough to become embedded in it. Connor and Quin saw me pinned against the bookshelf, then their gazes were drawn to the stake that probably seemed to be floating in mid-air. Get Arienna out of there, Quin instructed Connor.

Obeying her, he leaped forward and yanked me out of the way as Quin cocked the shotgun she was holding.

Don’t hurt him! I shouted, but it was too late. She pulled the trigger and Jonah doubled over when the buckshot hit him in the chest. His eyes cleared and he looked at me in horror, then dissipated until nothing was left No! I shouted. You killed him!

Iron buckshot can’t kill ghosts, Quin said as Connor dragged me out of the library. Mirra stood in the hallway, eyes wide at the