3. LEVIATHAN

Chapter 3

LEVIATHAN

I recline in the front seat of my truck, some beat-up beige version of a Ford although I'm not even sure what model this car is. It was one of many things left over after I completed a job last year, a very thankful older woman offering me the junk in her front yard. I managed to get this piece of shit up and running and while it is very much a piece of shit, I enjoy not having to walk.

The heat and AC also work which is a win because right now at 65°F, I'm freezing. Not just a little cold or shivering because of the breeze but cold enough to have pulled my winter coat from the back seat. Whatever I am, I'm going to have a very stern talk with Mother Nature about abilities because this temperature thing feels like a curse.

Wrapping my coat around my body a little tighter, I lean forward, attention focused on an abandoned building across the street. My car is parked behind a row of untamed bushes, just at the edge of the forest that surrounds our little city. I'm only here because the moment I left the station, my nose picked up a familiar scent that I've caught around all the missing Omegas.

When I rescued Gloria, she was coated in the magical smell of a witch. A witch using dark magic at that. I didn't tell the poor Omega that, nor did I mention it to her Alpha. There was nothing either of them could do and I didn't want to start a public riot. If our little city knew that a witch was stirring up issues for everyone else, every witch in the general area would face more harassment than usual.

So, I'm here. Following another lead directly after Vince told me to stay away from his precious little case. If they had been doing their job correctly, I wouldn't have to stand in. As it is, just seeing Gloria's pale face when I found her, my crooked sense of justice won't let this lie.

There's also half a million dollars at stake.

Something catches my attention but I soon realize it's just the wind rustling through the bushes' leaves. I've been sitting here for the better part of the day. Correction, all day, ignoring a very firm text from Vince to find another hobby. He called a few hours later and again a few minutes ago but I don't work for him. I'm also having way too much fun staring at the building across the street, waiting for something to happen.

Another perk of my unknown designation, I guess? Sitting still for hours doesn't really bother me. In fact, I actually prefer a stakeout or two every now and then to speaking with those who hire me for my services. The darkness that started creeping up nearly an hour ago, the moon settling high in the sky hasn't stolen my concentration, either. My eyes have adjusted until I can still make out the colors and shapes as if it were daytime.

A shiver runs down my back as I turn my car on and crank the heat up to 80°F. An audible sigh falls from my lips as the heat blasts on my face, the shivers disappearing into the ether. My eyes wander to the empty pavement across the street and the abandoned building beside it.

That witch's scent is here, mixed with something much darker. I don't recognize the signature but the absence of an Omega wolf's scent means that she doesn't have a new victim. It also means that the missing Omega isn't here either.

I sniff at the air again, grimacing when the witch's scent begins to fade.

I was hoping that I'd find a clue or two and then mosey along back to my office to hide under my case files again. Unfortunately, this looks like it's going to be a terribly long day and I'll either have to suck it up or complain as every little thing inconveniences me. Starting with the weather.

Slowly, I shed the coat and slip out of the car, growling as a brisk breeze rushes past me. Shivers crawl down my back as I cross the street and press myself against the side of the building. This isn't a spy movie but I sure feel like I'm in one, slinking around in an area that looks well-worn. As the witch's scent dissipates, another one fills my nose. One that is also familiar. While I never smelled it around Gloria, there have been a few instances that this earthy scent has made an appearance.

It's dangerously similar to mine but with more of a hearty, pine aspect that is lacking in mine. A signature unique to a Basilisk and if I'm right, there's two.

I make my way around to the front of the building, the entrance facing away from the main road. The door is ajar from the wind and I do my best to blend in with the surroundings, the colorful upholstery just inside making the task a little more difficult than usual. A few deep breaths later and I feel the change come over me as my skin mirrors the background.

Murmurs and whispered grunts meet my ears, my eyes trying to find the source of the sounds and the scents. When someone clears their throat, I flinch and plaster myself against the wall.

For some reason, I want to curl up into myself and hide for eternity. The strength of their magic rips at my nose and my throat as I struggle to breathe, my eyes flashing in fear from the onslaught of power wrapping around me.

What are they doing to me?

I've never had this reaction with another creature, not even with the man who killed my father. Sure, I was scared, but here I feel both terror and lust. My body shudders at the same time my cock swells, pressing against the seam of my pants. Sweat drips down the crease of my back but it's not from the heat. It's anxiety and panic and uncertainty all wrapped up in a little ball.

This has to be something to do with my designation but since I have no idea what the fuck I am, this reaction is confusing.

Two Basilisks step into the frail moonlight easing through the open door and I shrivel backward, trying to hide myself against the upholstery again. At first glance, no one will see me but my dark clothes will stand out like a sore thumb, even if these men can't see my face.

Both of them have a certain kind of intimidating aura, adorned with tattoos, wild smiles, and pain lurking behind their eyes. Their vibe is nearly identical but their physical appearances are wildly different from each other. Where one of them has a light orange shade of hair and sea-green eyes that nearly disappear beneath the dim light, the other has hair dark as the abyss, brown eyes that hold a torrent of power I don't want to mess with.

They're also several inches taller than me, muscles tightening in their arms when they fold them across their chest. It's eerie to watch them move so identically but Basilisks are known to do that, especially when they find their other pair. It draws the unsuspecting individual in, watching the trance as two or more Basilisks move in unison, using a fluid dance before they strike.

"What do we have here?" The one with the deep brown eyes asks, flicking his forked tongue between his lips in jest. His eyes aren't focused on me, just the door that is currently still ajar.

The other one—the one with sea green eyes, flashing between hues of soft blues and green—smiles even wider. "A little birdie by chance?" The smile takes over his face, revealing both of his sharp fangs, ones that I am fully aware contain a poison so painful I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

The brown-eyed one smirks. "Doesn't look little. "

That's when I realize that they can see me, their gaze shifting from the door to where I'm standing in front of the upholstery. I can't find the words to speak as I war with the emotion to flee or fuck. This hasn't ever happened before and I'm leaning toward asking one of these beautiful monsters to fuck me which would be crazy.

The brown-eyed one's smile turns deviant, his eyes darkening to pitch black. "Did they figure it out?"

"Doubt it, dickhead. Not unless you didn't fucking clean up the last job."

"Oh, I cleaned up very well. So, explain birdie. "

My gaze shifts between the two of them as their entire focus rests on me, my stomach doing somersaults as I become visible. Their eyes widen and then their expressions darken with a mixture of intrigue and anger. Being drawn out into the limelight beneath their attention is terrifying, my body fighting against me. Slipping out that door would be so easy but something is keeping me rooted here.

"Oh, that's a fantastic little trick. Care to tell us who sent you?"

"Rowan, be nice. He's terrified." The sea-green-eyed one spits out. "However, before all that, I have a question. Werewolf? Vampire? Witch? You're definitely not one of us but I can't place you." He sniffs at the air before a frown takes over his handsome face. "What are you?"

Rowan—the brown-eyed one—shares the same deep frown and a moment later, I feel his magic wrapping around me as he tries to feel out my designation. Many creatures have that ability but shifters use it the most. Their magic can feel out other magical beings. I can smell them and that's the weird part. "Can't figure him out, Amand. He's definitely a snitch." His magic seeps into my skin, warming me from the inside out. It's an odd feeling but not unwelcomed, almost as if his hands are running along my skin which pulls an embarrassing moan from my lips. Rowan freezes and pulls back his magic, the bereft of warmth leaving me empty. "The fuck?"

I really should leave. There's no reason for me to be here and there's absolutely nothing in this building that can help me. Rowan is faster than my horrible decision-making, however, stalking over to me and wrapping his arms around my back. His nose drags along my cheek and neck, the sensation making my skin crawl. When his forked tongue flits out to taste me, my cock hardens just a little bit more and the way Rowan jerks back tells me he felt my arousal.

The Basilisk in front of me growls, Amand stepping around us until he's pressed up against my back. I'm not even sure when I was moved a few steps forward but being encased between them is fucking with my senses. I start to squirm but the hard look in Rowan's eyes makes me think twice about trying to escape.

Amand lowers his head over my shoulder, the scruff of his beard sending shivers down my spine. "Start talking, birdie. Rowan's magic should have been able to figure out what you are."

"I don't know what I am," I spit out. Rowan is still lightly sniffing me like a goddamn dog rather than a snake. His hands start to wander, moving to my arms and then my waist. I don't think he knows what he's doing but I do and the heat that I couldn't figure out a few seconds ago is making a beeline for my dick.

Rowan pulls back, desire lurking in his expression. "Bullshit."

To be fair, he isn't wrong.

Creatures don't live their entire lives without figuring out their designation. I just don't trust anyone enough with my quirks so I'm shit out of luck. When Rowan's fingers dig into my waist, I arch against him, feeling every last inch of Amand's cock pressed against my back. Well, fuck. They both release me seconds later, no doubt my face a deep shade of red.

"I'm serious," I begin as I put at least three steps between us. "I've never figured it out and I don't trust people."

Amand folds his arms across his chest, doing nothing to rid of the bulge between his massive thighs. It's distracting. "Eyes up here, little birdie. If you want to play the game where you don't tell us what you are, fine. I still need to know how you found this place. You shouldn't have been able to."

Another point for team Basilisk because once again, they aren't wrong.

My nose brought me here, several miles away from the precinct and in the opposite direction from my office. Explaining that isn't my first choice, though. Why I don't just walk out the door is still a lingering question in my mind. "I'm on a case and it led me here." I have no idea who these two are. They could be the reason these Omega wolves are going missing or they could be trying to keep it from happening. Either way, they now know what side I'm on.

Amand hisses, his tongue flitting through his lips. Terror bleeds through me, my cock finally going soft. I'm going to get whiplash from these emotions. "What do you mean it led you here?"

"Your scent was all over it." Stop talking, Lev. I fight the urge to turn tail and run, knowing full well that Basilisks are fast as fuck. I'd make it all of ten feet before both of them threw me to the ground and tore me apart.

His eyes flash a deathly blue as he glares at his counterpart. "No one should have been able – fuck Rowan, you said you cleaned it up!"

Rowan throws his hands up in protest. "I did . No one should have been able to sense it."

Again, to be fair, they did clean up well. But since I can smell magic, no amount of cleanup would have been enough to erase the scent. "I don't sense magic." They are looking at me like I'm crazy. "I smell it."

Rowan freezes for a moment, one of his eyebrows raised. I definitely added to the mystery of my designation with that one. "The fuck are you talking about?" I don't answer him because there's not much to say. They both know why I am here, but now I have questions. I open my mouth to ask them before Rowan just shakes his head, "Yeah, you're coming with us."

"Why were you there?" Amand asks.

"Where?" I play innocent until the Basilisk's eyes flash blue and then green, his hiss echoing through the empty building. I shrivel back against the door and he follows, his hand wrapping around my throat. I'm conflicted in my desire to fight or fuck again. I hate this. My breath comes in short spurts as I stare at both of them, wondering if I just found myself one step closer to death.

Rowan rips the hand off my throat, sneering in his counterpart's face. "Calm down, Amand. Lemme just call this in." I rub my throat, trying to get a grip on the situation as Rowan dials a number on his phone, "Yo, Vince, we got a fucking problem."

If it's the Vince I know, I'm not just one step closer to death. I might as well be dead.