Page 24

Chapter 24

Dex

D ex watched the footage for the thousandth time, hand resting on his mouth as he tried to figure out something from the video.

Whoever had broken into the building was a pro.

They’d disabled the alarms and picked the lock in record time, and Dex thought the general attitude of the hunter was probably the most extraordinary thing about him. He was pretty average height for a human male, but that wasn’t what made him intimidating.

It was the way he walked – leading through the hips with the rest of his body following suit, shoulders swaying, slightly crouched to make a smaller faster target. His confidence though…he walked straight toward the guard on duty like he owned the place and wrapped his arms around the security’s neck with a controlled aggression Dex honestly thought was incredibly impressive.

Just enough force to knock out the guard without doing severe permanent damage but every movement told anyone with half a brain not to underestimate this hunter. The way he adjusted the body to make it look like the guard was sleeping was almost gentle in stark comparison to his attacks.

Dex watched again as the hunter didn’t even bother messing with the cameras. He just leisurely walked toward the stairs, stopping for a split second to listen. The footage then cut to the stairwell and Dex followed him up into the IT department.

Another smart move.

Most people would have gone for the CEO’s office or someone else they thought was in power. Sure, they did hold the highest positions in the company, but it was the computer geeks who held the keys to the kingdom. The people in power would be fucked if the IT director ever locked them out of their own servers.

The director’s office door swung open and Dex watched again as he set up the download and then went to stand behind the door like he had all the time in the world. With such a deep hood, all Dex could see was the monstrous skeletal face mask that went up and over his nose. The shadows covered any defining feature and the gear he wore covered everything else.

Strapped to the nines like he planned to go to war.

The hunter didn’t move a single muscle until the download finished. Dex watched as he went back down the stairs. His second favorite part was about to happen.

A security guard entered the same stairwell.

Without hesitating, he gripped the railing and launched himself over, dropping three stories and landing with a silent roll before ducking under a stairwell, waiting until the guard left to move again.

The skill and confidence the hunter possessed was rare – not just for hunters, but for anyone. It had been impossible to track him down once he left the building.

They’d pulled footage from every business they could, but once he’d reached the rooftops, they’d lost him, and Dex had no idea where he’d come from or where he’d gone.

The only thing he could maybe use to identify the hunter was the face mask, but a quick search brought up a million similar masks you could get from just about anywhere.

In and out with minimal fuss, including minimal damage to people and things. He’d even repaired the alarm system before leaving. It had been so clean, so professional, Dex was finding it difficult to actually be mad about this.

But what was the motive?

Financial records could easily lead the hunter to a million different things he might be interested in, but Dex needed to figure out if this hunter had been hired by a rival or the Council of Paranormals.

Neither was a good option, but at least with the Council, he wouldn’t have to worry too much. Dex wasn’t breaking any rules and he was very careful about his human interaction. A quick warning to the entire Grim Corp to make sure they were all on their best behavior had already gone out just to be safe.

Dex needed to figure out what this hunter was trying to accomplish.

Another fun problem on top of everything else: he was being followed.

He could sense them even if he could never quite figure out where they were. But every night for the past four nights, he’d been followed. Joke was on them though because all he did was sit and watch everyone and everything at whatever place of business he was visiting that night.

Boring as hell, and Dex relished in the fact that whoever it was, was suffering just as much as he was. He had a strong suspicion it was the hunter though. The timing was just too coincidental for it to be anyone else.

The night after the financials were stolen, he started getting followed? Highly unlikely it was anyone else.

Which made him wonder if they were working for the new syndicate that had started throwing their weight around the last few months.

Seattle was technically unclaimed territory, which meant anyone with the strength to hold it claimed it. For the last two decades that had been Agmos and the Grim Corp. They’d been slowly expanding their territory to make sure that they could protect what they claimed.

If the syndicate didn’t own the businesses, they fell under the Grim Corp umbrella and paid fees for the protection the Corp offered. It wasn’t all that much different than if a pack or pride ruled the city.

The only issue was Grim Corp wasn’t a recognized pack or pride. It was an organization, a business essentially, but a family all the same – just like a wolf pack. The difference was any paranormal could join and there was no Alpha, only the boss.

Agmos.

Dex being his adopted son meant he had more power than anyone else but the demon himself. Ruling wasn’t in his future though. He liked his current position too much for that. Dex was a problem solver, but he didn’t have the self-control to rule like Agmos did.

Being both angel and demon made that impossible.

Starting the video over, he sighed as the music pulsed through him. Dex spun his knife on the table and wished he could figure out who the fuck this was. Maybe he could buy him a fucking beer or something.

Or kill him.

If the hunter was working for the Black Lotus, he’d have two options – turn him, or kill him.

Dex was honestly considering offering him a fucking job. Hunters were immune to a lot of magic and just as strong as shifters.

And this one was trained like a damn assassin.

Fuck the Black Lotus.

All they did was cause problems. Rivals had come and gone over the years, but Grim Corp had never had issues until the Black Lotus had started strong-arming for more territory.

He rolled his eyes and flipped his knife up, letting it spin in the air before catching it instinctually. It helped him focus on the way the hunter moved and what kind of training he might have.

If the Black Lotus had hired a freelance hunter, they were planning to make a move soon and Dex refused to be taken by surprise. They’d made promises to protect those in their territory, and the Lotus tended to use too much magic.

It caused more problems than it was worth with the humans.

The Lotus had more than a few witches on their payroll and Dex didn’t like their blatant use of power to cow those in their territory, but Agmos had insisted he leave it alone until it encroached on their territory.

The hunter was here tonight too, somewhere.

Dex could feel him watching from the shadows even if he didn’t know exactly where. What he should do about him though…he hadn’t decided yet.

A trap was set, but what Dex would do once his quarry was caught was a different problem. Once he’d figured out who the fuck was dogging his heels and what they wanted to know – and for whom – then he’d figure it out.

The music shifted to one of his favorite K-pop songs, and Dex went from flipping the knife to spinning it between his fingers in time to the beat, nodding his head as he mouthed the words. He skipped back to watch the way the hunter choked out the security guard again, grinning when he gently set the man’s head back so he wouldn’t suffocate before he could wake up.

It was just so pretty to watch, and the aggression in every movement promised the fight between them would be a good fucking time.

Dex couldn’t wait.

He needed to release some of his own aggression after what had happened with Nova.

Four days and she still hadn’t reached out to him. Dex had no idea what was going on with her, but he was giving her a week. Then he’d make sure she was alive at the very least.

It was his fault too, he knew that. Dex shouldn’t have pushed her. He should have just left it alone, because now things were even worse. Now he knew how she felt—knew that she wanted him and had feelings for him.

But she might have to leave.

His hand froze as he remembered the way she’d held his face like she actually cared about him. The look in her eyes had confirmed it, and Dex didn’t understand how he’d been so blind.

Nova had tried to put distance between them from day one because of how she felt about him.

It made no sense.

Not that she already had feelings for him, but that he felt the same way.

Dex minimized the video on his phone and texted fifteen of his best fighters, giving them the go ahead to move out. This little game would be over soon, and he was done waiting around.

All fifteen of them responded in the group text, confirming.

Without wasting another minute, he got up and headed for the back exit, sensing the hunter’s attention perking up. No doubt he was wondering if Dex would finally do something interesting.

Well, the hunter was definitely going to get something interesting.

Dex had been sure to specify that whoever was following him was taken alive. It was a risk. The hunter could just murder every single one of Dex’s fighters, but there was something in the gentle way he’d set the guard down that told Dex this hunter wouldn’t kill unless he had no other choice.

Every shifter knew they had to stay downwind, and they were aware of the danger. If they couldn’t take the hunter hostage without ending up dead, it was up to Dex.

The real reason he was bringing his men into it instead of just dealing with it himself was because he wanted to see what this guy was truly capable of. If he could take out fifteen of the Corps’ best fighters and still fight Dex longer than a minute…

His grin widened and he slipped his hands in his pockets as he went around the building to the street, heading away from the club district. No one could witness what was about to happen, not if Dex wanted this to work out the way he hoped it would.

Loosening some of his control on his demon, he let the giddy elation fill him at the thought of a good fight. Even though this guy was just a hunter, Dex had a feeling he’d make him sweat and honestly, he needed it.

Even flying hadn’t helped lately.

Dex needed to destroy something, but a fight was the next best choice.

Killing two birds with one stone, he’d also find out what the fuck this hunter was after.

The streets got quieter and darker. Dex could sense the hunter on the rooftops, footsteps silent, but there was something his angel must be picking up on, a soul maybe? It was hard to tell sometimes.

His shifters were close, ready to pounce.

Bringing the hunter to the ground was a priority. Too many might see a fight on a roof, and Dex didn’t want to risk it with the moon being as bright as it was. Bringing a witch hadn’t seemed like a good idea since hunters usually had something to nullify magic on them.

So, shifters it was.

And one demon-angel as the cherry on the top.

Dex went down an alley he knew led to a weird back area that four buildings shared for dumpsters and loading supplies, that kind of thing. More importantly the buildings provided cover from prying eyes and were owned by the Corp. Nothing caught on camera tonight would get into the wrong hands.

He stopped and looked up, grinning as he felt everything inside him unfold. The hunter paused somewhere to his left, still impossible to see. But that wasn’t what Dex was trying to do. He didn’t need to see the hunter to flush him out of hiding.

The sound of snarls on the rooftops echoed, and five came from the east, five from the west, and another five from the north, forcing the hunter to choose, and quick, before he got caught.

A flash of shadow and Dex spotted him, narrowing his eyes to make sure it was who he thought it was.

Yup, that run was smooth as water, arms and legs the only part of him moving as he flew across the roof. The rest of his body was completely still which meant the hunter’s core strength was ridiculous.

Something to think about.

There, the third wave, forcing him toward Dex. His gaze followed as the hunter leapt from the edge of the roof, over Dex, to grab the lip of the opposite roof. A wolf swiped at him, and the hunter let go.

He slid down the side of the wall and grabbed the railing of a fire escape, using the momentum to flip, landing in a crouch right in front of Dex.

Slowly, the hunter stood, hood still over his head somehow. He wasn’t breathing hard, and no part of him moved as he considered the situation.

Dex’s grin widened, and he tilted his head slightly, wondering if the hunter would try to run, or attack.

But he did nothing. He stood there, waiting.

A whistle and the shifters jumped down, surrounding the hunter but not too close they were within striking distance. Dex took a step back, giving them room.

Still, the hunter only looked at Dex.

“Take him alive ,” Dex stressed.

Two wolves charged the hunter, and Dex felt a jolt go through him when the hunter ran straight for him , not the wolves. He jumped right as the first one lunged, knee slamming into the other wolf.

It took him to the ground, and he slid across the pavement on his knees, rolling at the last minute to avoid another strike. Suddenly, he was standing, hand wrapped around a bear’s throat and Dex watched in disbelief as he used his momentum and a kick to lift the bear up and slam him onto his back, the cement cracking at the force.

Another bear went to punch him, and he spun, avoiding it so smoothly Dex whistled his admiration. Fuck, this guy moved so pretty. He didn’t go for his guns, but he used everyone else as a weapon.

The hunter punched a tiger in the gut, rolling over him when he buckled, and grabbed another’s fist, forcing the strike to hit one of his own men. A knife thudded into the hunter’s shoulder, and he moved with it, yanking it out and tossing it back before the wolf even dropped his hand.

“I said alive,” Dex growled. His bloodlust was spiking, and the only thing holding him back was the hunter hadn’t tried to hurt anyone permanently. All he was doing was defending and Dex wanted to keep it that way.

The hunter wrapped his arm around another bear and swung himself up, kicking two other bears hard enough they dropped like stones.

Every kick and punch were full of anger and aggression, every dodge smooth and fluid, one motion sliding into another like this was nothing more than a choreographed dance. Dex had never seen anyone fight quite like this guy, and it only made him want to hire him even more.

Suddenly, the fighting stopped, and the hunter was the last one standing, breathing hard as he stared at the bodies around him. Then he looked up at Dex, and still he couldn’t see the man’s face.

“My turn.” Dex grinned and the hunter hesitated.

Why was he hesitating? What was keeping him from coming after Dex? It made no sense, and Dex felt his irritation spike. What was this guy trying to accomplish exactly?

Maybe he just didn’t want anyone to find out who he was.

Dex moved and the hunter took a step back when he was suddenly right there. But somehow, he dodged the strike, landing one of his own. Dex grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up.

The hunter was having none of it. He gripped Dex’s arm and swung up until his legs were wrapped around his neck, squeezing so tight Dex couldn’t breathe.

He dropped, slamming them both into the ground hard enough even he felt dazed. The hunter released him, and Dex laughed, his voice shifting as the rage taunted the wrath. One quick movement and he yanked the hood back.

One wide purple eye, and one blue stared back at him.