Page 10

CHAPTER 9

C assandra

The roar filled the night air.

I was instantly petrified, yet there was a draw to the sound that I couldn’t walk away from. He was there, hiding in the shadows. I could feel him. I could sense his burning desire. I knew what he hungered for.

All of me.

The beast would soon devour me and I would let him.

But not before I played the game. His game.

He craved chasing me.

So I ran.

I pitched myself into the darkness, only once looking back. But I’d never see him. He would only allow me to when he wanted me to find him.

Or when he’d cornered me, capturing his Lady Butterfly.

Birds fluttered in the air, spiraling toward the sky.

Night creatures skittered away in fear.

Deer were racing through the woods, terrified of being eaten.

Because he was here.

“Come to me.” His voice wasn’t human, yet it wasn’t completely savage either.

At least not yet.

It was his call, his way of beckoning me to let myself go. To give myself to him.

My predator.

My monster.

I turned in the direction of his voice, taking cautious steps into the clearing. The bright moon cast shimmers across the fresh, wet grass. Barefoot, I walked into the center, turning in a full circle. I heard him breathing as he came closer.

Fear and excitement tore through me, but I would obey him as always. Slowly I eased one strap of my nightgown off my shoulder then the other, allowing the slip of material to fall to the earth.

I stepped out of the unwanted gown, taking a single step forward.

Only then did I hear him advancing, creeping closer still. I could hear him breathing, could read his mind and what he would do to me.

The beast would ravage every inch of my body, claiming me as he’d done so many times before. And I’d loved every moment of surrendering to him.

“My Lady Butterfly. So fragile. So beautiful. And all mine.”

When he eased from the shadows, I sucked in my breath. He was huge, standing well over six and a half feet tall. As he advanced, I trembled, but not from fear.

From the intensity of my need.

He was the only creature who could make me feel this way.

“Mine,” he growled and closed the distance. When he was only inches away, he took a deep breath, lifting his head toward the light.

When he peered down at me again, I was mesmerized by the shimmer of his bright red eyes. He opened his mouth as he cupped my face, exposing his canines.

My pussy throbbed, my desire increasing.

Soon he would take me, filling me with his seed.

“What?” I jerked up, panting and thrashing. Oh, my God. Where was he? Where was the beast? Where was I? What was happening?

Sleep.

I’d been asleep.

Still panting, I fumbled to reach the light on my nightstand, almost knocking it over. As soon as I flicked it on, I was filled with relief. The dream had been so real. I laughed and rubbed my arms, suddenly realizing my thigh was stinging. I threw down the covers and groaned.

I’d scratched the hell out of myself during the dream… The nightmare.

Whew.

I raked my hand through my hair, blinking to bring a sharper focus and noticed the book on my nightstand. No wonder. I’d been reading werewolf porn.

At least I could laugh at myself.

Maybe I should stick to reading thrillers.

I got out of bed, determined to shake the continued sexual images. But they lingered in bold colors, flashes of the werewolf’s body keeping me trembling. After grabbing my robe, I headed to the kitchen. Coffee was definitely needed before I attempted to take a shower.

Before I even had a chance to make it to the bathroom, my phone rang. I had special rings, and hearing Cash’s ringtone meant either there was an issue, or he was upset about whatever Mark had or had not done.

I wasn’t annoyed. I egged the man on, needing the comic relief in my own life.

“Cash. It’s early. Way too early. Didn’t you have enough of me the other night?” How many days had it been since we’d shared dinner? Oh, God. I was losing track of time along with everything else.

“Never enough of my best friend in crime and not for law enforcement either. Have you turned on the news yet?”

Yawning, I glanced at the clock. “It’s five-ten in the morning.”

“The news starts at four a.m. Turn it on.”

“Yes, master. Can’t I get coffee first?”

“I don’t think you want to miss this.” His voice was singsong.

“Fine.” I flipped on the television, immediately heading to the coffeemaker.

After selecting a coffee flavor of choice and pressing the go button on the Keurig, I glanced at the screen. “What am I looking for?”

“Did you hear about the woman who was almost kidnapped in the park, but a Good Samaritan stopped him?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. It’s too early for riddles.”

“Well, the culprit caught red-handed is the son of Conrad Monahan.”

Now that did perk up my ears.

“The former football star turned pharmaceutical guru everyone thinks is on the take?”

Cash chuckled. “The very one. His name is Drew Monahan. Or as the press calls him, the Clown Monster. Anyway, Daddy got him out on bail, but he was re-arrested last night for more heinous crimes including the torture and murder of several area women.”

“What?” The breaking news report came on and I turned up the volume. The Clown Monster. I hated when the press glorified the bastards. That’s what the killers wanted.

Drew had been arrested in the middle of the night. Reporters had been tipped off. As the police were taking the haggard-looking guy into custody covered by a blanket, he was loudly professing his innocence.

“Wow,” I managed.

“Wow indeed. New evidence that’s supposedly scathing. You do know whose office this is coming to. Right?”

“Well, I’m busy. My guess is Mr. Wells will give it to you.”

“It’s high profile. You’re the star.”

True enough, but that was a heavy burden. I wasn’t entirely certain I was ready to handle another serial killer.

“Scathing evidence, huh. What does that entail?”

“I don’t know yet but a buddy of mine from one of the local news stations called me. He said the scene in the guy’s house was out of a horror flick. Juicy, baby.”

Juicy.

“I’m confused. Why?” I asked, barely able to get my eyes off the scene.

Cash laughed. “There are whispers Drew was tied up with the evidence lying in plain sight.”

“What?” Who the hell did that?

“Maybe another Good Samaritan.”

“This day will be long.”

“I just thought you’d want to know before walking into the office,” Cash told me.

“You’re absolutely right. I owe you one.”

“We’re now up to about one thousand that you owe me.”

I snarled on purpose. “I need coffee before I bite your head off.”

“Later, girl. Wear your red suit. I think you’re going to need it.”

The phone was cool as I held it against my forehead. My logical brain was already trying to pick apart the fact someone had taken the time to set a scene, implicating Drew. Why not just kill him? I couldn’t believe I was even picturing my version of the scene.

I’d been around killers for far too many years.

It was time to get my mind off criminal cases.

I grabbed the stack of mail I hadn’t bothered to open the night before. Other than the usual junk and a couple of bills, a single piece caught my eye.

A black envelope.

With my name on the outside and no return address.

There was no reason for my heart to suddenly jump from palpitations. Scammers and advertisers went to great lengths to obtain new customers or find idiots who would fall for their tricks. I almost tossed it along with the ads for new cellphone service when a nagging feeling drifted into my mind.

What if…

It had been days since Cash had helped me upload my answers to the questionnaire.

Hmmm…

I’d tried not to think about how impetuous I’d been in filling it out and hitting send. After telling Mr. Wells I accepted the new ‘case,’ he’d presented a file of additional information he’d put together over several years while also making a single chilling statement.

“As I said to you before, do whatever is necessary to enter their worlds. You have my full support no matter what you’re required to do. This entire office will stand by your choices and decisions.”

I hadn’t really thought about what the statement could mean. If I read into it, I’d say he was suggesting I break the law to find dirt on the company. I wasn’t entirely certain I could do that and still look myself in the mirror. I’d prided myself on always being on the right side of the law, following every rule since I was a kid.

Something was off.

What I’d found strange about the information was that Mr. Wells was known to be very organized, anal even. While some of the papers and articles had been labeled, categorized by date order, others appeared as if tossed together and dumped inside. I’d yet to go through everything. One of the first things I’d been taught was to start from the beginning.

The most successful attorneys, especially prosecutors, carefully went through every scrap of evidence, forcing themselves to be completely objective no matter how much they believed the person they were prosecuting to be guilty.

I glared at the file sitting on my kitchen table.

There was so much to go through, I’d opened and flipped through a few of the papers, including some contracts that had obviously been slipped to Mr. Wells in breach of confidence. That had annoyed me to the point I’d stopped. That’s why I’d shifted to my werewolf novel.

Ha.

See what good that had done me.

I’d sort through the paperwork in a day or so after I’d taken a deep dive into the company first. Only then could I truly have a better understanding of who the company officials were as people in general and their business ethics.

Then I’d check their competitors.

All the while, I had a bad feeling whatever Mr. Wells was using as ammunition was entirely personal. But I’d hold my tongue and my thoughts until I knew for certain.

My attention was drawn by the envelope, deciding to grab my mug of coffee first. After adding cream and taking several sips, I still didn’t feel any more comfortable in accepting the case, but at this point, I had no choice. Plus… I was forced to admit to myself that I was more than curious why I’d seen something on Mr. Wells’ face that I’d never seen before.

Fear.

With the envelope in hand, I sat down at my kitchen table and gingerly opened the flap. The thick note card inside was also black, red writing making the words difficult to read.

But I managed.

Come play in a sensual world.

Where beasts rule the wild.

And humans are often their prey.

Test your skills.

Enjoy pure freedom.

But be prepared…

You’ll never be the same.

I sat back chuckling at the attempt to create a little rhyme. On the back was a date and time, a location and short but specific directions on what would happen. If accepted, clothes would be sent that must be worn. There was also a link to a website so an NDA could be signed. A code was provided so those stumbling on the site wouldn’t be able to access it.

Everything was a little too cryptic for my tastes, but I’d committed to following through with this. The attorney in me immediately called foul. But I grabbed my laptop, typing in the link.

The logo of the Blackwell Group’s gaming section appeared like a letterhead. The simple two paragraphs that followed mentioned a special society for avid gamers. There was no mention of the Obsidian Society or what becoming a contestant would mean.

They’d been very cautious about how they’d worded everything in case the applicant was all wrong for their special society. Cash had explained that with many gaming companies, there were clubs and special perks for the people who purchased and played the games, including online societies that were formed by players all over the world.

I could only imagine how many people salivated at the thought of being considered ‘special.’ I almost laughed, but I knew some would take this very seriously.

Plus, people always embellished stories. Always. It was like their way of lying without feeling bad about it. Maybe this was just a run through of a section of the game and nothing else. Plus, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to hurt someone playing the game. That wouldn’t be good for their reputation or bottom line.

I read through the nondisclosure with a critical eye. There was nothing weird. Just standard verbiage.

What the hell? Cash was right. Maybe I could find easy answers to Mr. Wells’ concerns and be pushed up the ladder just a rung or two more. What did I have to lose?

I signed the nondisclosure, agreeing to the terms and returning the form easily. Nice and tidy.

Now it was time for work.

Hopefully, I’d be able to concentrate.