Detective Angel - Lost Angel series

                  The music poured out of the club before the heavy metal doors slammed behind me. It was cool outside Lukos, a night club on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, TN. Lukos was a club that catered to the supernatural community. They were hidden throughout the world and apparently had wards that assisted them to remain hidden. Wards, as it was explained to me, are spells that act like an alarm system. They allow certain people to come and go but deter others from passing the property line. They can also stop supernatural’s from using their gifts. I didn’t really understand how they were like a security system then. I’ve never had a security system stop me from fighting before.  I tipped my face up to the stars and allowed the breeze to play against my face. It had been almost six months since I had worked and I was getting anxious. I would rather face an entire army of mercenaries then spend one more moment sorting out my past.            “Angel?”            I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Jeremy had followed me out of the club. He came up behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder and turning me to him. He was looking at me concerned then he stiffened. We weren’t alone out here.            “Jeremy, so good to see you again. Who’s your friend?”            Jeremy sighed and turned to the voice, “Roy. I wish I could say it’s good to see you but that would be a lie.”            “Now, now. No need to be rude Jeremy, especially in front of your lady friend. I assume she knows who and what you are considering she’s here.”            I could see Roy now that Jeremy had slid to my side. He was unremarkable at first glance, just average. Shorter than my five foot seven with brown hair, his grey green eyes were the only remarkable thing about him. The eyes in question held barely banked excitement, with a hint of malice. He reminded me of a bully on a playground who found out the new kid started today. I was the new kid.            “Roy, leave her out of this.”            “It’s alright Jeremy.” I patted his arm. “It is nice to meet you, Roy. Are you a wolf as well or something else?” I was going for polite, but my annoyance leaked through.            “Oh, she’s got spunk. I like it. I’m something else little lady. Care to find out?” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. “I can give you three guesses.”            “Only three, aren’t you quick. Well Roy, do I get any clues? What do I get if I guess correctly.”            Roy couldn’t know that I wasn’t an ordinary woman, although I apparently smelled like it. Jeremy tried to explain it to me but I couldn’t wrap my head around it so I gave up. I was a powerful kinetic wiccan, although I hadn’t known that until about nine months ago. I had amnesia according to the doctors.            Jeremy and I had met on my last mission, I saved him from a prison that my target had him in. I hadn’t known at the time that we had anything in common until we touched. As part of the supernatural community, we had to keep our existence hidden from others. He broke those rules with my crew but said that they were my family and should know. We also shared an unquenchable lust for each other, although he hasn’t touched me for nine months either. In the last two months we had travelled around the states looking for clues to my past. I was no help since I had no idea where to start. He promised to help me though and was true to his word.            “Well Doll, what do you want?” Roy’s tone said it all.            “Chere, May I?” I just nodded without looking away from Roy. “You will give her at least one hint. If she is able to guess what you are then you will leave her alone. Before you ask, yes, she is under my protection.”            “Then that means she can’t take care of herself. Jay, I thought you learned from your mistakes.” This came from behind me, I had known there were three men behind me. I was ignoring them since the club had rules about fighting. “Although, if her front is as good as the back, I wouldn’t mind protecting her myself. Please tell me she tastes as good as she smells.”            Jeremy growled low and I squeezed his arm slightly. Roy spoke up, “Trust me Daryl, the front is delectable. I’ll agree to the wager Doll, but I want something if you can’t figure it out.”            “What would that be.” Jeremy sounded close to violence.            “A drink. I get to have a drink with your ravishing friend.”            “Well Roy, I don’t see an issue with that. Sounds reasonable Jeremy. Although, I have two conditions. You and your friends will allow Jeremy and myself to leave your company unharmed. Also, I would like three questions instead of a hint. Unless of course you might be afraid.” I was going for innocent but there was a trace of challenge in my voice. Jeremy chuckled as I step ahead of him and extended my hand. I had learned over that last two months that each group or class or race had their own frequencies. Depending on which class they belonged to and how strong they were, determined the shock we received. When two beings with magic meet for the first time, the magics have to identify each other. It’s kind of like rubbing your socked feet on the carpet and then touching someone. So far, I had met many different creatures, for lack of a better word. Jeremy knew a lot of people. He was taking me around to those he knew first before venturing out of his comfort zone. I had learned that our community was longer lived than humans. I still couldn’t get Jeremy to tell me his exact age, but at one of his ex-girlfriend’s houses there was a picture of the two of them. It looked like they had both served in WWII. He still looked the same physically but his eyes were different, they were less hopeful now. I was still wondering how no one had heard of a lost wiccan floating out there. I had met other Lycans and some of the Fae, brownies and nature sprites. They were all very nice but had no clues for us. I was regretting that we hadn’t met a wiccan yet. My heart had been heavy thinking that I might be the only one left, Jeremy assured me that they were out there. He said that they didn’t interact with any others much. He couldn’t get me close to them because he wasn’t a wiccan so we just kept going. “Well Doll it sounds like a good deal to me.” Roy laughed and took my hand. His eye went wide as he jumped back from me with a growl. “What the Hell!” I just smiled sweetly as Jeremy laughed out right. “Now you know how I felt the first time I touched her.” “What is she?” “Now Roy, let’s not be rude. What I am is not up for discussion at this time. My first question is, you are a Lycan correct?” I just kept smiling. “The deal’s off Doll, you have an unfair advantage.” “Actually, she doesn’t. You made a deal in front of witnesses. Are you trying to break your word?” Jeremy sound amused now. I wondered idly if breaking your word meant something more. “Yes, “ Roy was speaking through his gritted teeth and locked jaw, “I am a Lycan.” “Where are you from?” I already knew he was a bear. Between the shock I received and the growl it was pretty obvious. One of Jeremy’s friends was a grizzly. That must be why Jeremy said one hint, clever man. “Canada.” Roy’s jaw had relaxed but his eyes were hostile as he stared at me. “I’ve been there a few times for work, but I’ve never seen the sites.” I paused pretending to adjust my outfit. I was wearing a black leather skirt that flared at my hips, long enough to cover everything but short enough to tease. Instead of wearing a party shirt as I called them, I had opted for a dark purple satin corset with a black bolero jacket to cover my arms. I made sure to bend over slightly to fix my skirt. It gave Roy a good look at my cleavage and those behind me would have a nice view of my behind. A lock of my raven hair fell loose from the twist it was in so I tucked it behind my ear as I straightened. “What’s going on? Why is she stalling?” “Shut up Sam. She’s proving a point now. Isn’t she Jay.” Roy sounded annoyed but the amusement had snuck in. I guess the little peak was enough to lighten his mood. Jeremy chuckled and shrugged. “Out of curiosity Roy, what would you have had to drink?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Is that your last question Doll?” “Yes. It is.” “Absinthes.” Although it was difficult to get in the states, our community always had it since so many of the races liked it. “May I ask what kind of bear you are Roy?” Daryl, Sam, and the other man behind me cursed under their breath. Jeremy just smiled proudly and winked at me. Roy looked shocked momentarily, then he burst out laughing. I smiled sweetly as he regained his composure. “Spunk. I like this one. Those baby blues are misleading though. When you first look into them, they look sweet and innocent.  Until you really look, you’ll be fooled. I would answer your question doll but you used all of them. Besides I would rather show you instead. Since I can’t change here then you’ll have to just wait and wonder. Gives you a reason to see me again.” Roy chuckled and winked at me. “Now doll, how about a name at least. Or I can just call you doll.” My phone began to ring, “saved by the bell?” I smiled at Roy, “I have a feeling that no matter what name I give, you will always call me doll. They call me Angel though.” “Be careful with this one brother, I’m sure that little vixen will destroy you Jay.” I smiled at Roy and answered my phone. “Talk to me.” “Angel, I know you’re busy but when are you coming back. We need you, I need you. Everyone is antsy without you.” “Jake.” I sighed, “I’ve only been gone two months on my search. We’ve been apart longer than that before.” “I know, we all do. I’m trying to handle everything but I’m not you.” “One day the crew will be yours Jake. Have Sara help if you need it. I have one more thing to take care of then we will head back. All of you will be fine until then. Goodbye my brother.” I hung up the phone with a sigh. I was going to have to talk with Jake, as my second in command, he should be able to handle me being gone. I might need to look into getting someone else for the job if he couldn’t handle it. I placed my phone back in my cleavage without thinking. I heard someone whistle and Jeremy growl. The other men had joined Roy in front of me. “Well doll, let me introduce you to the others. This is Daryl, Sam, and Jackson.” Daryl was a mountain of a man with bright red hair and hazel eyes. I had never known that anyone could be that big in my life. He was as tall as Jeremy’s six foot five but the bulk was overwhelming. He didn’t look fat just built. Goodness. Sam looked like he was twelve, and innocent looking. He was about my height, lean, and it looked like he shaved his head. His brown eyes betrayed his baby face, there was too much wisdom behind those eyes. Jackson looked intense, not matching the laid-back attitude of his companions. His dark skin was covered in scars, this man had been in a few scraps. He was a little shorter than Jeremy, six foot three with his dark hair cut into a fade.  At the moment his dark eyes were staring at me a little too closely. I became very uncomfortable with the scrutiny I was under. “Gentlemen. It is a pleasure to meet you all.” I made sure my voice was sweet as I tried to be pleasant. “Damn Jay! I don’t know how you lucked out and found this one but I want to go there.” Daryl must have been the one that whistled. “She found me actually. I was in some trouble and she got me out of it.” Jeremy looked at me with pride. “Well doll, that’s high praise. You must really be something then.” I just shrugged and smiled. During our exchange Jackson had come closer to me. My attention went to him curiously. He proceeded to sniff the air around me looking thoughtful. He held out his hand and before anyone stopped me, I took it. That was a mistake. The shock I received was completely new to me. I had never met anyone like him before. That piqued my curiosity but Jackson’s eyes went wide and he jumped back from me. “You brought a wiccan here with you?!” He sounded angry as he stared at me in horror. “Wait. You know I’m a wiccan? Do you know any others of my kind?” The hope in my voice caused Jackson’s expression to change to confusion. Jeremy sighed, “Jack, that’s why we’re here. She doesn’t know who she is. Doctors say amnesia, could be a spell too. I’m not sure which.” “Damn doll.” The pity in Roy’s voice didn’t distract me from Jackson. “Jeremy is right. I have no memories and no idea where to find them. We came here hoping that we might find anything that might help me bring them back. I didn’t even know about this community until I met Jeremy six months ago.” My voice was soft and full of emotion, “If there is anything that you can help me with Jackson, I would appreciate it.” Sam gasped, “Jay, you know you can’t be around her.” Jackson hadn’t stopped looking at me the entire time. Shaking his head, “Well, I never thought I’d see the day. A wiccan asking me for help.” “Don’t they ask for help?” I was so confused, everyone needed help at some point. “No, they don’t.” Jackson sounded angry but his eyes softened. “I’m not sure if any of us will be able to give you anything solid. There was a rumor a while back about a wiccan that was missing. I never heard many details but we were searching for the lost one. No one could verify the information so we stopped searching. I guess we know it was true now, since here you are. Listen little one, there are many out there that would sooner kill you then help you. My kind especially. Sometimes it’s better to allow some things to remain buried.” The shock fell over me as Jackson spoke. Were the wiccans that bad? They didn’t stay in contact with other races, they stayed hidden within a hidden community. Jeremy pulled me to him, sliding his arm around my shoulders. I hadn’t noticed that I was shaking. I couldn’t help but lean into him for comfort. Jackson gave him a sharp look. “Don’t worry Jack. I’m just trying to help her. I know it’s forbidden, even if she is my mate.” That got everyone’s attention. Sam looked even more scared if that were possible. Daryl gave us a big smile and thumbs up. Roy looked a little taken back but jealous. Jackson just looked horrified. What did Jeremy mean mates? I guess we could be considered friends if that’s what he meant. “That’s not possible. She’s wiccan.” “I know what she is Sam.” Jeremy sounded annoyed, “it doesn’t change the fact that the Goddess gave her to me. I have to help her.” Jackson sighed, “alright. I will reach out to some of my people and see what we can uncover. But Jeremy, you have to reject her before you fall in love with her. No offense little one.” I just shook my head at him, I couldn’t form words at the moment. “I wish it were that easy Jack. It’s too late, my heart is already hers.” I pulled away from Jeremy completely shocked. I couldn’t even hide how his statement affected me as confusion and shock warred for supremacy on my face. I looked at the man who just stated so calmly that he loved me. It didn’t make any sense. He was by my side as much as possible, other than bathroom time. He did sleep in the same bed as me but he was always in wolf form. “I don’t envy you doll. No memory, no powers, and mated to this one. That’s a lot to deal with. I’ll make some calls myself. Besides it’ll give me an excuse to see you again.” Roy laughed and winked at me before entering the club with Daryl and Sam in tow. Jackson took my hand in his, “Be careful little one. The world can be cruel to one such as yourself. I will be in touch.” He kissed the back of my hand before nodding to Jeremy. Then he too went into the club.