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By the way they had described him as a master of disguise and the fact that he went by Chameleon, she’d known right off the bat it was Grandpa, though she’d never shared that information with anyone, not even Vincent. The most agreed upon theory was that he’d been a shape shifter, which in her opinion was the closest to the truth since no one knew grandpa had the cloaking device.
The demon world was still trying to find him but many believed he was dead. After his final job, which was to steal a soul orb from an original, he’d promptly vanished taking the orb with him. No one had been able to find him since… they’d searched, of that Lacey had no doubt. Little did they know that the soul orb in question was sitting in a concrete safe in the middle of LA surrounded by a demon ward.
Because of that, Lacey knew it would have been dangerous to get in touch with any member of her family for fear the demons would find her grandfather. She’d known better than to contact him herself. He wouldn’t have understood and probably come for her, surely getting himself killed in the process.
She’d kept her silence for more than a year, never breathing a word of his whereabouts as she became deeper and deeper entangled in the high-end thievery ring. As soon as she noticed that she was no longer being watched so closely, she started planning her great escape. She’d even warned Vincent that she was going to do it the first chance she had.
He’d reminded her about the mark Masters had placed on her shoulder, but she’d considered what to do about that. She’d ensured him her next stop would be to break into a certain safe that she knew held a spell book that would help her with the demon mark… she just didn’t tell him it was her grandfather’s safe. As far as Vincent knew, she didn’t even have a grandfather.
The last two missions they’d been sent out on had been so dangerous that she’d nearly gotten herself killed both times and would have if Vincent hadn’t been there to take the injuries for her. He’d given himself up so she could get away. Both times he’d been brutally killed and his body dumped only for him to make his way back once he’d woken up healed.
Finally agreeing that it was getting too dangerous for her to stick around, Vincent had offered to help her escape. It just so happened that the next mission landed them right back at the same museum they had met at. The job involved them stealing a device that was said to incapacitate all demons within a hundred yards of it when it was triggered. Perfect.
The plan was that only one of them would return from this job. Their hopes was that when Vincent gave the device to Masters, the demon would be focused on the device that was obviously a weapon against his kind and wouldn’t come after her right away, giving her time to get to the spell she needed to counteract the mark Masters had put on her.
They’d easily stolen the object that, to her, looked a lot like a ten sided metal Rubik’s Cube that was covered with golden symbols instead of colors. While they were there, they knocked the guards out and had stolen their weapons. Vincent had then turned and given her a cute little ‘goodbye dear friend’ speech and a quick kiss on the cheek.
The problem arose as they’d made their way out of the museum only to find Masters and a horde of demons waiting on them. Masters had laughed, saying that the mark he’d given her had given him a warning of what she was planning… right down to the fact that she was the granddaughter of the Chameleon and was running back to him where there was a whole safe of things he was now interested in… including the soul orb.
Masters had then nodded at Vincent, thanking him for keeping her distracted and unaware of the mark’s true power.
She had glared up at Vincent accusingly then snatched the device from his hand and prayed she knew what she was doing as she started quickly turning it. She’d been obsessed over a picture of the Cube before coming to the museum to steal it and used that memory to rapidly link the symbols together.
One by one, the demons started going down in agonizing pain but not Masters… no, that son of a bitch began walking straight toward her with an enraged glint in his eyes.
That’s when Vincent had moved. She’d not noticed him taking an ancient blade from the same hidden vault the Cube had been in, but there it was in his hand and he was holding it against the demon’s throat. In a movement just as quick, the demon plunged his hand all of the way through Vincent’s chest and out his back.
“Run,” Vincent growled at her just before his eyes slid shut and the demon’s head fell to the ground beside him.
All of the other demons were glaring at her from their prone positions, so she laid the Cube on the ground at her feet and did exactly what Vincent had told her to do… she ran like hell.
She had no way of knowing if Masters had told anyone what he knew about her and prayed the greedy son of a bitch hadn’t shared her secrets in fear that another demon would beat him to the legendary soul orb. Her thoughts kept straying back to Vincent, wondering if he was okay or if he was being tortured for his role in helping her escape.
They couldn’t kill him permanently, but she was well aware there were a lot worse things than staying dead… being brutally killed over and over again being one of them.
She glanced back down at her shoulder knowing she had to get that spell and counteract the mark so that Vincent’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing. She let the hot water of the shower wash the silent tears from her face as she renewed her determination.
Upstairs, Ren suddenly stopped pacing and looked straight down hearing the water pumping through the system. A devious smirk appeared on his face when he realized that he was standing directly above the bathroom downstairs where Lacey was. His gaze followed the sound over to the wall where the pipes that ran water through the whole place went down to the floor and into the bomb shelter.
She’d been in that shower long enough and he was ready to try again with the interrogation.
Walking over to the pipes, he placed his hand on the one he wanted and closed his eyes, concentrating on the temperature gauge of the water heater. His lips pulled into a satisfied smile as frost appeared under his fingers on the brass pipe. The scream that rang through the bomb shelter made everyone except Ren jump in surprise.
In the steamy shower, the water had gone from scalding hot to freezing cold in less than a second making Lacey flinch out from under the spraying water. In the process, she slipped on the slick bottom of the tub and stumbled out nearly taking the shower curtain with her.
“Lacey!” Gypsy called out worriedly.
Lacey untangled herself from the shower curtain and pushed it aside thankful it hadn’t been pulled down.
“I’m fine,” Lacey shouted glaring at the shower head. “You need a new water heater… the damn thing just went from hot to arctic cold in less than a second.”
Gypsy frowned on the other side of the door wondering what had made the water do that. She’d taken an hour long shower earlier and the hot water had been just fine.
“I’ll have Ren check it out,” Gypsy called back through the closed door. “He has a way of manipulating machines and making them work even after they’ve stopped operating.”
Lacey turned her head and stared wide eyed at the door hearing Gypsy’s explanation and immediately knew what had happened.
“This means war,” she hissed under her breath then not having a choice, she stepped back into the chilly spray to rinse the rest of the soap out of her hair.
Ren was upstairs sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and a grin on his face. Moments later he heard footsteps on the stairway and didn’t bother to hide his smile when he saw it was Nick.
“I knew it,” Nick exclaimed in a loud whisper. “But I have to admit… that was pretty good.”
Ren patted the cold pipe beside him, “I do have my moments.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair, “I’d be careful around her… Gypsy just told her that you have a way with machines.”
Ren’s grin widened, “Well, ain’t that a damn shame.”
“You’re having way too much fun,” Nick accused.
“Of course I am,” Ren agreed. “Now let’s go back down and see if I can figure out what’s wrong with Gypsy’s poor water heater.”
Nick snorted and shook his head as Ren wandered back down to the bunker. He was so enjoying the fact that all of Ren's attention seemed to be centered on Lacey now instead of Gypsy.
Ren walked into the living room just in time to hear the shower stop running. He glanced at Gypsy seeing that she was sitting on the sofa with a frown on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Ren asked with an innocent expression.
“My water heater has suddenly stopped working,” Gypsy explained and glanced at the bathroom door. ”Lacey said it turned ice cold like that,” she snapped her fingers.
“That must have sucked,” Ren said making Nick turn around to avoid Gypsy seeing the wide grin on his face.
Lacey was shivering by the time she got out of the shower and quickly dried herself off. Wrapping the towel around her, she walked to the mirror over the sink and realized that she did look and feel better now that she wasn’t hiding under a layer of dirt and clothing that was way too big.
Taking up Gypsy’s hairbrush, she began running it through her long dark hair. Turning around, she continued brushing out her hair while she opened the large trunk… smiling when she saw all the clothes she’d left behind. She fought the urge to reach in and throw everything in the air just so she could roll around on the floor in it. Her things… she had missed them.
Reaching in, she took out an electric purple colored dress and a pair of black sandals and set them on top of the chest along with a matching set of bra and panties. Turning back to the mirror, she finished brushing her hair and put the brush back on the sink. Her head tilted to the side contemplating the small collection of cosmetics Gypsy had and made quick work at applying some and blow drying her hair.
She glanced back up in the mirror only to gasp when she saw the same mark that was on her shoulder now scrawled across it along with a silky black image staring back at her instead of her own reflection. A true scream of terror left her lips when the inky darkness reached through the mirror toward her.
Lacey stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over the trunk in her rush to stay out of its reach. Her back hit the wall of the bathroom as the overly long arms continued to reach toward her and its creepy looking lips moved in a rhythm that she could tell was some kind of chant.
She jumped when the door to the bathroom suddenly flew inward and Ren was standing in the doorway with Gypsy directly behind him. Lacey looked wide eyed from them back to the mirror and wanted to scream again in frustration when she saw the 3D image of the demon had vanished and a thin layer of ice crystals was now covering the mirror.
Ren's breath froze in his chest as he noticed her transformation from dirty street boy to soft supple skin, clean silky hair and a body that made him wish he’d been the soap. He’d known she was beautiful but again he’d underestimated her. His vision instantly narrowed in on the towel that was partially open and exposing the side of Lacey that was facing him, stopping just short of her nipple and smooth mound.
He quickly forced himself to avert his eyes by following her gaze to the mirror and frowned seeing the layer of ice that had formed there. The mirror chose that exact moment to crack from the cold temperature, the sound echoing ominously in the sudden silence.
Lacey's eyes widened seeing the suspicious look on Ren’s face and quickly thought of a way to distract him from the mirror.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing busting through the bathroom door while I’m in here you pervert?” she yelled at him as she righted herself and tried to fix her wayward towel.
“We thought you were in trouble,” Gypsy offered softly from behind him.
Lacey sighed dramatically, “Well, as you can see I’m just fine. Thought I saw something in the mirror is all. Now if you don’t mind,” she slammed the door in Ren’s face again. “Told you that you wouldn’t be able to keep from peeking,” She taunted him through the door.
“If you say so,” Ren shot back narrowing his gaze. “I’m not the one that screamed at my own reflection.”
“Ren,” Gypsy admonished him then snapped her lips shut when she noticed the hard determined look on his face.
Lacey opened her mouth to yell something back but found she’d drawn a complete blank. She’d declared a personal war on him but could never find anything worth saying that would outdo him.
“Damn he’s good,” she whispered then looked nervously back toward the mirror. No longer feeling safe, she quickly started dressing.
Ren smirked when he heard her compliment but it didn’t last long as his thoughts turned back to the mirror and the strange ice formation. He’d made the water in the pipes cold but it would not have affected the mirror or anything else in the bathroom. No… her scream had been as real as the fear he’d seen on her face when he’d first opened the door.
Wanting to give Ren more time alone with Lacey to hopefully flame the spark that he could tell was there, Nick glanced down at the time on his cell phone then back over at Gypsy, “Are you ready? It’s almost nine o’clock.”
Gypsy's eyes brightened and she smiled up at him, looking forward to her first day back in business. She was a little more than curious on how she was going to pull off inviting her nonhuman customers one at a time into her shop when they came in contact with her barrier. It was also going to be fun when someone she’d known for years tried to come in and couldn’t… giving themselves away as a paranormal. If nothing else… today would be very informative.
“Well, this should prove interesting. I’m glad the normal humans can walk in without an invite or I’d have to stand at the door all day like a greeter at Wal-Mart. ‘Good morning, won’t you please come in,’” she giggled as she swept her hand in front of her with the invite making Nick smirk.
Gypsy looked over her shoulder at Ren, “You two play nice now.” She quickly took off up the stairs before Ren could say anything to stop her.
Nick's lips twitched but he didn’t say anything either since Ren was now sporting a brooding frown. Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, he followed Gypsy upstairs so he could put up the Halloween sign that he’d made. Most would think it was just a Halloween decoration but it plainly stated, ‘All Paranormals Must Ask Permission Before Entering’. He intended to put it on the door right at eye level so it wouldn’t be missed.
Ren rubbed his chin as he stared thoughtfully at the bathroom door. He’d been right in thinking Lacey had been wearing a scent masking spritzer when she’d broken in here last night. Now that she’d showered all of it off, he could smell her. That helpful little power was probably coming to him from the love sick kitty that had just followed Gypsy upstairs.
He could smell her fear now, coupled with the sound of her rapid breathing as she rushed to get dressed. She had lied to him again. Whatever she’d seen in that mirror had truly scared her and he was well aware that asking her would do no good. That was when he decided that enough was enough.
Pulling out his cell phone, Ren mentally dialed Storm’s number and waited, smiling when it was picked up in the middle of the first ring.
“I’ll see if I can snag Zachary for you,” Storm said and abruptly hung up before Ren could get a word in edgewise. It didn’t even faze him when the other two men immediately appeared in Gypsy’s living room with him.
“What the hell Storm,” Zachary complained while tucking his unbuttoned shirt back into his unbuttoned pants. He was going to have to have a talk with the Time Walker about winking in and out of his bedroom like that. It was bad enough that Nighthawk had a habit of pulling that little stunt. “I was in the middle of something very important as you could damn well see.”
“This won’t take but a minute,” Ren said and smiled deviously knowing exactly what Zachary had been in the middle of. He knew Storm’s sense of humor well enough to know that the way the Time Walker saw it… timing was everything.
He took his sunglasses off and slid them into his pocket knowing that for a moment he would have to look Lacey directly in the eyes while using the Phoenix’s power.
Chapter 4
Lacey finished getting dressed, avoiding the mirror as much as possible as she silently ranted to herself. Why the hell did that guy insist on coming to her rescue… she was just fine thank you very much. Sure, she’d had her moments of being scared out of her wits but nothing she couldn’t handle. Her irritation drained out of her knowing now that the demons had found her she wouldn’t be alive long enough to get even with him.
She closed the trunk and shoved it in the corner before skirting the wall so she could stay out of the mirror’s reflection on her way toward the door.
Ren’s smile became downright wicked when the doorknob began to turn and he teleported directly in front of the bathroom door. He didn’t let her take more than one step before quickly reaching out and palming her forehead, simultaneously cradling the back of her head with his other hand to keep her still.
Tilting her head up, he leaned forward and locked his mercury gaze with hers.
Lacey parted her lips to yell at him but her voice suddenly failed her when she saw dark flames erupt in his beautiful silver eyes. In an instant, detailed flashes of the past year began to race through her mind so fast that she could hardly keep up with them. The flood of emotions that followed the visions overwhelmed her.
Scared of what was happening, she tried to pull out of Ren’s tight hold, but with her mind going into overload her body went numb and she couldn’t move.
Ren held Lacey still as a multitude of memories flooded his mind letting him see everything and even experience some of the emotions that went along with them. It was pure stubbornness that kept him from falling to his knees from the impact. He took it all in, from the moment she had met Vincent up until the vision of the creature reaching through the bathroom mirror for her.
He breathed heavily through his nose seeing the intimate moments between Vincent and her and felt a near blinding jealousy tinged with hatred for the man that had gotten her in this dangerous situation. How dare he touch her so gently after showing such disregard for her life?
Having seen enough, Ren released her with a harsh growl which was immediately followed by a loud crack that echoed in the quiet room. His head snapped to the side when her palm struck the side of his face and he knew he deserved that, but there was no way in hell he would ever apologize for the invasion.
“How dare you do that to me you jerk,” Lacey quietly raged. Seeing the dark flames slowly vanish from his silver eyes, she knew without a doubt that he’d watched the memories along with her. “Who the hell do you think you are invading my private thoughts like that?”
“Yeah, that’s the reaction I normally get too,” Zachary managed with a wide smirk on his face.
Lacey peeked around Ren to see who’d spoken but only caught a fleeting glimpse of two other men as they vanished into thin air.
“Why?” Lacey demanded, completely dismissing the fact that she’d just seen someone teleport out of there like they’d been beamed up to the mother ship. That didn’t rattle her half as much as the fact that the man in front of her had just stolen all of her secrets. “And you have the nerve to call me a thief?”
Ren looked down at her with a stoic expression, “You wouldn’t have told me anything otherwise, and if you remember correctly… I was nice enough to ask several times. You left me no choice but to call on a very powerful friend to help me get the answers I needed. It’s a good thing I did too, because you’re in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
“The trouble is mine to deal with, not yours,” Lacey countered.
Ren leaned closer to her and smirked when she backed up against the door frame. “For your information, not everyone around here is a bad guy and might even be able to help you out of this mess your in.” He raised a dark eyebrow before slipping his sunglasses back on.
”I’m sorry if I’m a little skittish about trusting people right now… especially another demon,” Lacey said wishing he would take the sunglasses back off. “Surely you can understand why.”
“I’ll let you in on one of my secrets if it will make you feel better,” Ren offered quietly. “I am human, but I have the ability to… copy… take on the traits of other paranormals as long as they’re inside my succubus range.”
Lacey frowned, “Succubus? I thought a succubus was female… in fact I know they’re female. Wouldn’t that make you an incubus?”
Ren shook his head, “I’m not a real succubus, that’s just what we’ve always called it considering I seem to suck any power out of thin air when around anyone that has enough power for me to do so. And it’s not by choice either… it happens whether I want it to or not. If I’m around more than one paranormal, then I get more than one type of power.”
“So you are a thief,” Lacey pointed out with a satisfied smile.
Ren's smile matched hers as he quickly corrected her assumption, “I can’t take their power away from them but I can match them equally, which comes in very handy when I find myself fighting one.”
“If you don’t know what you really are, then how do you know that you’re not a demon or at least a half breed?” she asked curious now.
“Because demon blood is black,” Ren said remembering the way Vincent had earned her trust. He glanced down at the sharp looking letter opener on Gypsy's computer desk. Picking it up, he sliced it across his palm and let her see the crimson color that had time to bead up on the wound seconds before it began to heal.
Lacey's stomach muscles clenched when he hissed softly from the self-inflicted wound. She quickly looked up at his face feeling guilt wash over her for causing him to do it just to prove to her that he wasn’t lying. In a way, he reminded her of Vincent… human yet not.
“As you can see… I bleed just fine and it’s red.” Ren tossed the opener back on the desk. “I am completely human as long as there are only humans nearby… but as it just so happens, there is a demon war going on here in L.A. This place is teeming with demons and other paranormals at the moment. I even know of a couple Gods that are hanging around. My powers tend to change as they all move in and out of my range.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Lacey asked knowing that was something he should always keep secret… she would have.
“Think of it as a penance for forcing the truth from you by snatching it out of your memories. I’m sorry it came to that,” Ren said honestly. “I have my moments of being a right bastard but know this… I will do my best to protect you if you let me. That means the next time something comes at you from a mirror, you don’t lie about it… you scream for me.”
