Chapter 13

Ambrose would have loved to spend more time exploring the new sensual delight discovered with Adeline. He'd worried he'd be bothered by seeing her with Orion, but that fear had been assuaged the moment he'd walked in on them.

Seeing her intent on stroking Orion's cock lifted his own. And when she beckoned? He couldn't put his dick in her hand fast enough.

To his wonder, pleasuring them both excited her. Excited them all. Their slippery shower fun would have probably finished in bed if not for the cat letting out a warning yowl.

They dressed quickly. Well, he and Orion did, Adeline had a problem with garments, given they'd fled her place with none. While Orion skipped downstairs to check on the entrances, Ambrose cobbled together an outfit—large sweatshirt, track pants cinched tight, and oversized sandals since they didn't have shoes that fit and hers remained gore-covered.

As they hit the main floor, Orion, who'd gone before them, greeted them with a grim expression. "We've got company."

"How many?" Ambrose asked.

"Looks like a handful of cryptids at the front of the house, more creeping at the back."

"How did they find us?" Ambrose exclaimed. "I thought you weren't followed."

"I wasn't. And be warned, these guys are in rough shape," Orion stated.

"Rough how?" Ambrose found his choice of words odd.

"Let's just say the condition the wererat had appears more advanced."

Adeline glanced between them. "Can someone explain what that means?"

Ambrose and Orion exchanged a glance before Ambrose said, "The wererat that attacked you was technically dead."

"As in a zombie?" she squeaked.

"Yes and no. Usually a zombie is dead first then revived. These… These appear to have had their souls stripped from them while alive, and without it, the body is dead without being dead, which I know doesn't make much sense."

"What can steal a person's soul?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"A few cryptids actually, but none that should be wandering loose about a city," Ambrose stated.

"But I'll bet the men in the black vans know." Orion pursed his lips. "We're going to need to bust out of here. This house wasn't meant to act as a fortress."

They'd be sitting ducks if they stayed. Ambrose jangled his keys. "Everyone into the SUV, and once the garage door opens, we'll make a run for it."

A pale-faced Adeline didn't say much, but she did follow orders and waited by the kitchen door with her cats standing sentinel on either side. Orion and Ambrose gathered a few key things. Mainly cash, a few weapons, and their phones. Everything else could be purchased.

Once in the garage, they could hear the approaching monsters. They moaned. Not for brains or anything so cliché. Nope, the few mumbled words they could understand, most likely from the trio of human-looking shamblers, was "Need it. So empty."

It hit Ambrose in a sudden flash of understanding. "They want their souls!"

"Makes sense, I guess, but why would they think Adeline has them?" Orion asked the most obvious question.

Adeline shrugged when they turned their glances on her. "Don't ask me. I'm human. Tested and certified." A common thing many did to see if they had any latent cryptid genetics.

"We can figure it out later. Let's head out." Ambrose led the way.

Ambrose and Orion took the front seats while Adeline crawled in the back with her cats. Their hackles were raised, but they didn't growl. However, judging by the green glow of their eyes, they readied to shift. Hopefully not in the SUV or it would get cramped.

The garage door opened, and immediately Ambrose saw a hobgoblin trying to crawl through the bottom. The more the door opened, the more bodies that clustered—some humanoid, more definitely cryptid—pushing into the space.

"I thought you said a handful," he murmured to Orion.

"Apparently, more arrived when I stopped looking."

"Hold on," Ambrose advised as he hit the gas and slammed the vehicle into reverse.

Thunk . Thud .

He kept his lips tight as he mowed down those trying to get at them. They cleared the driveway, and as Ambrose shifted into Drive, he glanced to see the bodies lying where he'd hit them, still trying to move, crawling disjointedly after them. Disturbing, to say the least.

As the SUV sped from the rental, he noticed a vehicle turning onto the street, the early dawn hour making them too visible. Could be someone passing through, though unlikely. Not taking chances, he hit the gas hard, taking the first turn he saw then another, zigzagging away in the hopes of losing any pursuers.

In the rearview mirror, he could see Adeline tight-lipped but calm. Her cats sat on the back of the seat and stared out the back window. If he were to gauge by their vigilante stance, they had a follower.

"We need to ditch the car," he stated.

"We'll be slower on foot," Orion remarked, drumming his fingers on the dash.

"I'm aware. We'll need a spot to hide."

To his surprise, Adeline piped in. "I know a place. Park here and I'll take you."

Rather than question, he trusted the woman who knew this city better than him. They parked and piled out, an odd-looking group for sure, but thankfully not many folks were out and about at this hour. Adeline took off at a brisk walk, turning immediately into an alley that stunk of garbage. She kept her brisk pace as they emerged onto a street, which she crossed to head into another alley. The cats took point, trotting ahead.

"Where are you taking us?" Orion asked, his head constantly swiveling to look in all directions.

"A place few dare to go," she murmured. "So when we get there, let me do the talking."

They emerged from an alley to a four-lane road that had an access ramp to get onto the bridge. Adeline headed for the spot underneath.

Ambrose smelled the troll well before reaching it and stopped. "Um, Adeline, you might not want to get any closer."

"Don't worry. Frank won't hurt me."

"Who's Frank?" a suspicious Orion asked.

"The troll who lives under the bridge. He won't hurt me," she repeated.

"What about the rest of us?" Orion asked.

She turned to smile and say, "Like I said, let me do the talking." She then glanced at her pets. "You might want to stay out of sight. He likes to eat cats as a snack."

The male feline hissed and arched its back, but the female kept sauntering.

The space under the bridge smelled even worse up close and showed signs of the troll having been here quite some time. A huge mound of rubbish met them—AKA the remains of what it consumed: bones, clothes, a bicycle. Cities tended to leave trolls be so long as they didn't actively hunt, but anyone foolish enough to go near… Well, that was Darwinism in action. Kids were taught young to stay away from bridge trolls.

Ambrose finally understood how Adeline used to handle her problem of unwelcome visitors. Brilliant really. The troll took care of the bodies and evidence. Some might have said her actions were cold, but he admired her resourcefulness. That quality would come in handy when she accepted them as their mate.

Yes, mate. While he and Orion might not be natural-born shifters, they had many of their traits, including the mating instinct. Not something he'd thought applicable to them before but, then again, they'd never met the one.

As they neared a ramshackle structure built of metal siding, wooden pallets, and even the carcasses of a few cars, Adeline halted and yelled, "Hey, Frank. You in there?"

Thump . Thump . A massive head peered past the tarp hanging over a doorway. A few oily strands of hair sprang from the flat-topped pate. A bulbous nose, riddled with red veins, sniffed and fat lips smacked.

"Did you bring me yummies?"

"Not this time, I'm afraid. I need a favor."

The troll pondered her request, its large face squinching. "What kind of favor?"

"Me and my friends need a place to lie low until some bad guys chasing us go away."

"Will they chase you here?" the troll asked slowly.

"Probably," Orion replied a second before Ambrose could cuff him.

The troll grinned, showing off massive, yellow teeth. "Oh good. I'm hungry. Come in. Come in."

While they entered, the cats remained outside, roaming the area, sniffing. Ambrose might have liked to stay with them—because most people didn't intentionally set foot in a troll's abode—but Adeline had already entered the den.

The inside fared better than the exterior with the floor clear of debris or piles of trash. A table had been built using barrels with pallets set on top. A bed on the far wall used a half-dozen discarded mattresses and a mess of blankets. From the rafters hung sacks that Ambrose might have ignored but for the fact one of them moved.

None of his business. Trolls had to eat, and while people might not like their diet, it was in their nature to be carnivores.

"Who is chasing you?" Frank queried as he reached up into the rafters to pull down some human-sized chairs. A troll who sometimes entertained people. How unexpected.

"A bunch of folks. Soldier types in combat gear—"

"Oooh, crunchy."

"—as well as the undead."

"Seasoned meat. Even better," Frank exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Most people would have flinched or run screaming at his morbid glee, but Adeline beamed. "I knew I could trust you to help."

"I protect my friends, and you're one of them," rumbled the big fella.

Orion sidled close. "She's magnificent."

The comment almost made Ambrose snort, even as he agreed. Not many people would befriend a troll. It led to him asking, "How did you and Adeline meet?"

She replied first. "My first time disposing of an intruder, I rented a car and drove to the bridge because I know it's usually quiet."

"I don't like noisy neighbors," Frank interjected.

"Frank saw me trying to haul the body from the trunk and offered to help."

"Never waste meat!" Frank declared with a smile.

"Since then, he's been handling the intruders for me, and I pop in for a chat now and then."

"She brings nice snacks. Although I keep telling her she shouldn't cook the meat and I don't need the bread." Frank made a face.

"You come for chats?" Ambrose thought Orion might faint.

"Turns out, Frank's quite the historian," Adeline announced. "I've learned quite a bit from him."

"Been here since the bridge was just a wooden thing that I used to take tolls from. But then they put in a metal one and told me if I busted it, I'd be sent to the farm." The farm being a place for cryptids that couldn't function in society safely. "At least I'm allowed to eat anyone who comes by causing trouble." Which explained the lack of vagrancy and street crime in the area.

"That's because you're a good troll," Adeline crooned.

Ambrose held in a wince as Adeline patted the troll's hand as if he weren't a killing machine.

"I got a new sign. Want to see?"

The troll led Adeline to the other side of his abode, and Orion leaned close to whisper, "I don't know how long I can stay here without wanting to puke." The smell really overwhelmed.

"Where else can we go? Until we figure out why those soulless things are chasing her, we won't be able to stop them from tracking her down. They did it in less than twelve hours."

"I'm aware," Orion groused. "We should have taken her farther."

"Run away? Great plan, until they catch up."

"I realize it's not the best option, which is why we're here and not at an airport."

"That receipt we found, the one for the store in the industrial area… I think one of us needs to check it out," Ambrose suggested.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Orion asked.

"Sure." Ambrose grinned as he won three out of five.

"Try not to get eaten," Ambrose said, slapping Orion on the back. He headed for Adeline. "Listen, sweetheart. I'm going to pop out for a bit and do some reconnaissance. Think you'll be okay?"

"I'll protect her." Frank thumped his chest.

"Orion's staying too. I'll be back soon as I can." Then, because she looked adorable chewing her lower lip, he dragged her close for a kiss, which led to Frank gagging.

"Ugh. Mushy."

Ambrose left, but he didn't go alone. The male cat stayed by his side, tail high.

He glanced down at it. "Ready to go find out where the bad guys are lairing?"

The eyes flashed green for a second.

He'd take that as a yes.

They quickly exited the bridge area for a street with some traffic. He debated returning to the ditched SUV. It would make travel easier, except when he retraced their steps, he saw it being hooked to a tow truck, which he might have handled but for the blacked-out van parked behind.

"Guess we're grabbing a taxi," he murmured. Good thing for his credit card. Untraceable he might add. Hekate always kept them well-supplied and anonymous.

Once in the cab, with the driver eyeing askance the cat in his backseat, Ambrose gave the directions to the corner store on the receipt they'd found.

It turned out to be a generic-type store, but in a stroke of luck, the clerk, when casually questioned, remembered seeing men in combat gear.

"Any idea where they're working out of?" Ambrose asked as he paid for some beef jerky and a drink.

"Must be close by, seeing as how they've come in a few times a day since Tuesday." Tuesday being the day the wererat got taken from CA custody.

"I wonder what they're doing in town." Ambrose played the part of curious bystander.

"Fucking feds. Probably hiding aliens or something in one of the warehouses."

Which one, though?

Ambrose took a stroll upon leaving the store, handing pieces of jerky to the cat who trotted by his side, until they reached an intersection. Straight ahead, an industrial area, but the kitty turned left.

"Where are you going?"

The cat didn't deign to reply but did flick its tail.

"Follow you, eh?" Might as well. They walked into an area that appeared more neglected, with weeds growing up through cracked pavement, the road empty of any traffic.

The attack came out of nowhere. And it wasn't really an attack. Suddenly the cat arched its back and hissed, bolting only a second before a dart smacked the spot it had been standing.

Ambrose, however, didn't prove as lucky. He got hit by rooftop snipers—one, two, three—non-magical darts that immediately turned his blood sluggish.

As he hit the ground, he could only think, Oh shit. Because knowing Orion, when Ambrose didn't return, he'd come looking and walk right into a trap.