Page 6 of Soulmarked (Hellbound and Hollow #1)

5

RELUCTANT ALLIANCE

T he address on Sean's card led me to what looked like another abandoned industrial building in Brooklyn's warehouse district. If I hadn't been trained to spot the signs, I might have believed the facade. But the subtly reinforced door, the nearly invisible security cameras, and the whisper-quiet hum of a military-grade generator told a different story.

I pressed the buzzer, half expecting no response. Instead, the door clicked open without a word. Great. He'd been watching me approach.

Inside was like walking into a doomsday prepper's wet dream. Medieval weapons lined the walls alongside modified modern firearms, each piece meticulously maintained. The shelves held everything from spell components to what looked suspiciously like homemade explosives. UV grenades. Silver ammunition. Things that would get me arrested just for knowing about them.

The industrial loft itself was all exposed brick and steel beams, deliberately unfinished in a way that probably cost more than my annual salary. Everything had its place, arranged with the obsessive precision of someone who lived and died by being prepared.

Sean leaned against a metal workbench, arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes tracked my movement with predatory focus, taking in every detail.

“You showed.”

I met his gaze steadily. “You gave me your card.”

“That doesn't mean you had to be smart enough to use it.” His Irish accent was thicker than at the alley, like he was deliberately playing it up.

I stepped further into his domain, already regretting this decision. Everything about the place screamed 'loner', someone who'd learned the hard way not to trust easily. Someone who definitely didn't play well with others.

“Take a seat,” Sean gestured toward a battered leather couch that had probably seen more blood than a hospital emergency room.

I remained standing.

He exhaled sharply through his nose. “You got a problem, suit?”

“Yeah,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “The fact that I don't know why you gave me this address in the first place.”

Sean scoffed and pushed off the workbench, moving toward a rack of weapons with casual grace. His fingers brushed the hilt of a wicked-looking dagger. “Because you're either really brave or really stupid, and I couldn't decide which. Thought I'd get a closer look.”

“And?” I folded my arms, mirroring his stance.

His lips quirked in what might have been amusement. “Still deciding.”

I barely resisted rolling my eyes. “Look, I don't have time for games. If you have something to say, say it.”

Sean studied me for a long moment, then finally moved away from the weapons. “CITD has no business in supernatural affairs.”

I stayed silent, which seemed to interest him more than any defense I could have offered.

“That's what I thought,” he said, eyes narrowing. “They don't know, do they? What you really investigate when you're out here?”

My continued silence was answer enough.

“So you're a rogue agent,” Sean mused, something like amusement creeping into his voice. “Writing reports about animal attacks while hunting vampires on the side. That's a dangerous game you're playing, mate.”

“Someone has to,” I said finally.

His laugh was sharp enough to cut. “And you think that someone is you? One fed with a badge and a death wish, taking on creatures that have been killing since before your grandfather was born?”

I felt my irritation spike but kept my voice level. “I've been handling these cases for years. Successfully.”

“Successfully?” He leaned forward. “You're falsifying federal reports, lying to your superiors, and nearly getting yourself killed. That's not success, Cross. That's a countdown to a very messy ending.”

“I had it under control.”

“Sure you did. Right up until that thing was about to rearrange your internal organs.” Sean stopped pacing, fixing me with a stare that had probably made lesser men confess their sins. “How'd you even know about the vampire at Purgatory?”

“I track patterns,” I said evenly. “Missing persons, strange deaths, witness reports that don't add up. The vampire had been hunting that area for weeks.”

Something flickered in Sean's expression, surprise, maybe, or reluctant approval. “You're actually good at this.”

I let myself smirk. “Try not to sound so surprised.”

“Being good at paperwork isn't the same as being good at staying alive,” he shot back. “You went after a vampire without backup, without proper weapons.”

“I had my service weapon.”

“Which would have done fuck all against something that can move faster than you can blink.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. “You're going to get yourself killed. And normally, I wouldn't give a shite. But that thing knew you. Called you 'marked one.' Why?”

I kept my expression neutral, but my pulse quickened. “No idea.”

“Bullshit.” He moved closer, invading my personal space. “You're not just some fed who stumbled into this world. You're something else. And until I figure out what, you're a potential threat.”

“I'm not the one with an arsenal that could start a small war,” I pointed out.

“No, you're just the one creatures seem mighty interested in keeping alive.” His eyes narrowed. “Which makes me wonder why.”

We stood there in tense silence, each waiting for the other to break first. I could feel him assessing me, cataloging every detail that didn't quite add up to normal federal agent. The weight of his stare was almost physical, like being sized up by a predator deciding if you're worth the effort to kill.

“Show me your evidence,” Sean said abruptly.

I raised an eyebrow. “That's classified CITD intel.”

His smirk was pure arrogance, the kind that made me want to punch it off his face. “And I just saved your life. Consider it payment due.”

For a moment, I considered telling him to go to hell. But he wasn't wrong, he had saved my life, and more importantly, he clearly knew things I needed to know. Sometimes pride had to take a backseat to practicality.

I pulled out my tablet, linking it to the nearest display surface. The holographic interface flickered to life, projecting crime scene photos, victim profiles, and heat map overlays tracking supernatural activity across the city. It was the kind of evidence that would get me fired, or worse, if anyone at CITD saw it.

Sean leaned in, his previous antagonism giving way to focused intensity as he scanned the data. I'd expected dismissal, maybe even mockery, but instead his expression turned thoughtful, almost... impressed?

“You're thorough,” he admitted, flicking through images of the victims with practiced efficiency. “Not bad for government work.”

I ignored the backhanded compliment. “The victims weren't random. They were all found within a two-mile radius of Purgatory, and they all had identical wound patterns.”

“Drained, no forced entry, no defensive wounds,” Sean murmured, zooming in on one particularly gruesome photo. “Classic vamp kill. But...” He frowned, something catching his attention.

I tapped another file open. “These aren't just random civilians. All five victims worked for the same company. Phoenix Pharmaceuticals.”

Sean went completely still. The change was subtle but immediate, like a switch being flipped. His casual stance shifted to something more alert, more dangerous.

“That mean something to you?” I asked, watching his reaction carefully.

His jaw tightened, a muscle working beneath the skin. “Phoenix's got secrets. The kind people don't usually live to talk about.”

That reaction wasn't nothing. In my line of work, you learn to read people's tells, and Sean had just shown his hand. He knew something about Phoenix.

“Then we need to look deeper,” I pressed, sensing an opening. “If these victims are connected to Phoenix.”

“We don't need to look deeper,” Sean cut me off sharply. “We need to put a silver stake through that vampire's heart before it kills anyone else.”

“That's your answer for everything?” I challenged. “Kill first, ask questions never?”

“When it comes to vamps? Yeah.” His accent thickened with irritation. “They're predators, Cross. Pure and simple. You start trying to unravel conspiracy theories, more people die.”

I scoffed. “And if we're dealing with something bigger? If Phoenix is involved, that changes everything. These victims weren't random targets, they were chosen. The vampire's working for someone.”

“Christ, you just don't quit, do you?” Sean exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

“Then enlighten me,” I challenged. “What do you know about Phoenix?”

He moved to a weapons rack, fingers trailing over various blades like he was considering his options. “They're into pharmaceutical research, officially. Unofficially? They've got their fingers in everything from genetic engineering to... other things.”

“You've dealt with them before.”

It wasn't a question, but Sean answered anyway. “Once. In Dublin. It didn't end well for anyone involved.” His voice carried an edge of old pain, the kind that never really heals.

I filed that information away for later. “So if they're involved with our vampire.”

“Then this is bigger than a simple hunt,” Sean finished. He turned back to the evidence display, studying the victim profiles with renewed intensity. “But that doesn't change the immediate problem. We've got a vampire targeting Phoenix employees. Whether it's working for them or against them, it needs to be stopped.”

“We?” I echoed, not bothering to hide my surprise.

Sean's smile was more grimace than grin. “Don't get excited. I'm not joining your little crusade. But if Phoenix is involved, I want to know why. And you...” He gestured at me with obvious disdain, “clearly need someone to keep you from getting yourself killed.”

“How generous of you.”

“I'm a giver,” he deadpanned. Then his expression turned serious. “But let's get one thing straight, Cross. If this goes sideways, if it comes down to solving your mystery or putting down a threat, we do it my way. No debates, no moral quandaries. Clear?”

I met his gaze steadily. “Crystal. As long as you understand that if you're wrong about this being simple, we do it my way.”

The tension in the room could have been cut with one of his many knives. Finally, Sean nodded, just slightly.

I expanded the holographic display, my fingers moving through the projected data with practiced ease. The blue light cast stark shadows across Sean's arsenal of weapons as I pulled up Phoenix Pharmaceuticals' employee database, or at least, the parts of it I'd managed to access.

“Look at this,” I said, highlighting personnel files. “Each victim was part of their R&D department. Different projects, different clearance levels, but all working on something.” I zoomed in on their security badges, arranged in a neat grid. “This isn't a random predator, it's targeting specific people.”

Sean frowned, leaning closer to study the faces of the dead. His expression shifted subtly as he processed the information, professional instincts overriding his earlier dismissiveness. “You think the vampire's being directed?”

“Or it's eliminating loose ends.” My mind was already working through the possibilities, connecting dots that had been nagging at me for weeks. “Either way, this isn't just about feeding. There's intent here. Look at the timing, each kill happened within 48 hours of the victim accessing certain restricted files.”

“Jaysus,” Sean muttered, running a hand through his hair. “This just got a lot messier.” He started pacing, something I was beginning to recognize as a sign he was actually engaging with the problem. “Vampires don't usually work for hire. They're territorial, proud, they don't take orders well.”

“Unless they're getting something worth more than pride.”

Sean stopped pacing. “Like what?”

“That's the question, isn't it?” I pulled up another file, security footage I definitely wasn't supposed to have. “Watch this.”

The grainy video showed one of the victims entering Phoenix's main lab facility three days before their death. But it was what happened next that had caught my attention.

“There,” I froze the frame. “See how they're carrying their keycard? Left hand, even though their personnel file lists them as right-handed. And look at their neck.”

“Bite marks,” Sean finished, eyes narrowing. “Already under thrall before they died.”

“Exactly. The vampire wasn't just killing them, it was using them. Getting them to access something inside Phoenix first.”

Sean muttered something in Irish that I was pretty sure was profanity. “This isn't a hunting ground, it's an operation. Professional. Planned.”

Then both our phones pinged simultaneously.

The message was brief, but it made my blood run cold. Another body, same signature wounds, found less than a mile from Purgatory. But this time, something was different.

“Dr. Sarah Chen,” I read aloud. “Head of Development.”

Sean was already moving, checking weapons with practiced efficiency. “This isn't just cleaning house anymore. They're escalating.”

“Why now?” I studied Chen's file, something nagging at the edges of my awareness. “What changed?”

“Wrong question,” Sean said, sliding silver knives into hidden sheaths. “Ask yourself why they'd kill the project head after taking out the support staff. What was she working on that was worth this much attention?”

I expanded Chen's file, and suddenly the pieces clicked into place. “She was requesting a transfer. Said she had 'ethical concerns' about the project's direction.” I looked up at Sean. “The meeting to review her transfer was scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

“She was going to talk.” Sean's expression hardened. “And someone couldn't let that happen.”

Our eyes met across the blue glow of the hologram, and something shifted in the air between us. This wasn't just about a rogue vampire anymore. This was bigger, darker, and far more dangerous than either of us had initially thought.

Sean's expression darkened, determination replacing his earlier skepticism. “We work together on this.” It wasn't a question.

I hesitated for a moment, weighing options. Working with a hunter went against everything my training and instincts told me. But looking at Chen's file, at the pattern of death and corporate secrets, I knew this was too big to handle alone.

“Partners?” I offered, half expecting him to scoff.

Instead, Sean's lips curved in what might have been the ghost of a real smile. “Don't push it, fed. Let's just say... temporary allies.”

“Good enough.” I started gathering my equipment. “We need to move fast. If Chen was about to expose something.”

“Then there'll be others they need to silence,” Sean finished. He tossed me something, a knife sheath, complete with a silver blade. “First lesson in vampire hunting: always bring backup. Both kinds.”

I caught the sheath, noting the quality of the workmanship. This wasn't some mass-produced weapon, this was custom, expensive. “You're trusting me with this?”

“Trust has nothing to do with it.” Sean checked his gun, the movement smooth and practiced. “I just prefer my temporary allies armed and breathing. Makes things less complicated.”