This Wicked Sin

Chapter 10: Dane

“Any leads?” I asked. My voice was cold and exasperated. That tended to happen when you were dealing with Hunter Corvin.

Hunter was a six-foot hulking collection of crazy. His scent was dark and bitter smoke. Tattoos snaked from his neck disappearing under his shirt and appearing at his wrists to cover his hands. Rumour had it they were everywhere on his body. Knowing him, that was probably true. The most unnerving thing about him was his eyes. They were red as blood.

Sometimes, alpha eyes turned red when they were enraged, but that was only for a moment before the alpha cooled off. And if they were a shifter, that was a definite sign that a transformation was on the way. But Hunter’s eyes were always red. It was freaky as f**k.

Hunter gave me a beatific smile. “Why don’t you come and see for yourself?” he said.

“Can you say that any creepier?” Rayan muttered. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

Hunter only chuckled and turned away from us. We followed him through the empty halls and rooms of the Raven’s Wing; one of the many clubs the Ravens owned around the city. It was eerily quiet and haunting during the day, a far cry from how it usually was at night.

Of all the Corvin properties in the city, this was the place Rowan Corvin best liked to do business.

Hunter led us downstairs until we were in a damp basement. No sounds from above or outside got through. And from the look and feel of the place, I was guessing no sounds from here could get out.

Reda looked around us uneasily. He was always uncomfortable in underground places.

“Hope you’re not squeamish,” Hunter said, smile still in place. His scent was vicious and foreboding. It always carried a hint of blood under it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was leading us down this creepy basement to kill us.

He finally opened the door and led us in.

The scent of blood and charred flesh hit me instantaneously. It permeated the air in a thick haze to the point my canines ached from it.

“Sorry about the mess. This started out like our usual interrogations. But our… informant here was tougher than expected. We had to switch rooms and bring him down here. Much roomier, you see.”

Reda took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his nose. His face was pulled down in disgust.

A wet cough disturbed the silence.

“Jesus Christ,” Rayan cursed.

My eyes finally took in what I’d been reluctant to. In the middle of the room was a person; if they could still be called that, I didn’t know. They were nothing more than a macabre collection of burnt meat, bone and fluids.

“He’s not dead,” I said, my voice blank.

“No,” Hunter answered, even though it hadn’t been a question.

“Why? Didn’t you get all the information you required?” Rayan asked. Though he was no stranger to violence and blood, Rayan didn’t have a taste for the Syndicate's creative methods of interrogation. While it was a messy part of the business, one couldn’t deny it was a necessary one.

“Do you want to know what he said or not?” Hunter said with all hints of patience gone.

“Of course, we do. I don’t get why we have to be here for you to do it,” Rayan shot back. He must have been more unnerved than I thought.

“No one appreciates my art at all. I worked so hard for this,” Hunter said. The words were said so forlornly that you’d almost feel bad.

All four of us looked down at the pathetic soul on the floor, three of us in disbelief and one in pride.

“Where’s your brother?” I asked. I was getting tired of this.

“That loser? Probably out somewhere whoring around,” he laughed, then stopped, his face contemplative. “Though if you mean, Rowan, then he’s probably around here somewhere. I can’t keep track of these things. He told me to tell you something but for the life of me, I can’t remember.”

My eyes narrowed at his words about his younger brother. I didn’t know why the words bothered me but they didn’t sit right with me at all. The Corvins had always been a private bunch and kept to themselves; they ruled their Clan with an iron fist that brooked no disobedience. I thought back to that night on the rooftop. The bits and pieces Gabriel had revealed about his family. There was clearly something wrong with it. This further proved it.

There'd always been something… off about this particular Corvin. It didn't help that his Blessing developed as something so gruesome and frightful; the power to control flames.

Growing up, he’d always been off on his own playing with the animals. That sounded cute until you realised the animals always seemed to end up either in pieces or barbequed alive. It didn’t take too long before he'd graduated to playing with humans instead.

“Why the f**k did he stick us with you?” Rayan added. He didn’t bother hiding his distaste for Hunter. His eyes seemed stuck on Hunter’s ruby-red eyes.

“Why? This Corvin heir not good enough for you?” Hunter sneered. Of all the Corvin brothers, he was the one who looked like their father the most. With the sneer, he looked like a carbon copy of Michael Corvin. It seemed he was the one who had inherited most of that cold cruelty too.

“Do you have to practice being such a creep? Cause there's no way this is natural to you,” Rayan asked.

Hunter growled; his eyes glowing in the low light. “You dare insult me in my own territory? Don’t forget, dogs, you’re the ones who’ve come here begging for help.”

Hunter was taking threatening steps towards Rayan. Rayan smiled and took a step forward, no doubt keyed up for a potential fight.

“I’m not afraid of you, pup,” Rayan said.

That seemed to tip both of them over. They leapt towards each other.

I made a move to get between them but there was no need. Rayan was sent flying back into the wall hard enough that dust and debris were sent flying into the room. No one had laid a finger on him.

Rowan had appeared between them, rippling with barely repressed power. The air around him moved and writhed in frenzied waves. A moment later, Rowan had his younger brother in a chokehold. Hunter growled and struggled until Rowan muttered a quiet hiss.

“Behave.” His strong aura sent out a wave of pressure that made even someone like me pause. He was one scary motherfucker. And that power? It was insanely dangerous.

Although Rowan was taller, he had nowhere near the muscle Hunter was packing. He was more sinuous and lean, and yet, he held him up like it was nothing at all.

Hunter froze and whimpered. Rowan tightened his fingers for a tense moment before he let him drop to the dirty floor. Hunter scrambled up from the ground. He rushed towards the door. When he reached it, he turned back to the room, gave a pissed-off hiss and left.

“You attacked me!” Rayan said as he got up gingerly. The force of his body had broken the tiles on the wall on impact. Thankfully, he didn’t look hurt. The perks of being a shifter.

“You were about to attack my brother. I don’t doubt he deserved it, but did you really expect me to let you lay a hand on a high-ranking member of the Raven clan in his own territory?”

Rayan grumbled under his breath but otherwise said nothing.

Rowan straightened the cuffs of his suit, not a hair out of place. It looked like even the stink of this room was reluctant to settle on him.

“Now. Let’s get out of here, shall we?”