MATHER (The Tangled Web Book 2) Read online

  “Hmm, this could be interesting.” He paused and lowered his eyes, not making a deal of their presence yet. “Mai, Lacy, Lo, Vi, and a few of the other boys just came in to watch. They’re just standing against the wall.”

  Mather turned his head and grunted his disproval at the new additions. “As long as all they do it watch.”

  “I have an uneasy feeling, Mat.”

  “Let’s get rid of them, then, say it’s private training.” Mather replaced the bar and stood from the bench. Both men stared openly at the new crew, especially at seeing Lacy and Mai together. At least knowing part of Mai’s deal now helped them understand her situation, but seeing that combo together made them uneasy nonetheless.

  “Wait, let’s see what they do.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Ah, welcome to training,” Enock gestured to those who had just walked in. “Please join us. Lacy, it’s been awhile since you’ve been in training. I’m sure you could use a brush up of your techniques.” Enock watched their reaction as the girls shrugged their shoulders, removed their shoes, and joined the trainees on the mat.

  Rylen and Mather watched casually from the other side of the room. Rylen frowned as he watched Lacy move in next to Alana. “What is she up to?” he whispered under his breath. He had seen Enock take note of their entrance. Enock knew what he was doing—or Rylen hoped Enock knew what he was doing.

  As if reading Rylen’s thoughts, Mather said, “E knows what he’s doing, he can handle them.” Still, Mather frowned as he watched on, too.

  Enock reminded everyone that the new trainees were still learning and not to push them beyond their limits. He then proceeded to pair them up so they could work on the blocks and hits they had just learned. “Lola and Poppy, Ricky and Bastion, Vi and Jesse, Lacy and Alana, and Mai will assist me in a demo for you all to watch.

  Rylen let loose a low grumble of discontent from his chest. Mather turned to him and placed a steady hand on his shoulder, reminding him they were supposed to be spying.

  Enock and Mai demonstrated a few simple moves as he moved into her space while she blocked him and shielded herself. Then they switched, and Mai became the attacker while Enock defended and added in a couple alternative moves. “Watch my feet. Watch her punches and how I deflect, block, or combat them.” They did a few more of the same exchanges and then asked the class to try as Enock went around and corrected position and stances. Everything seemed to flow smoothly for the first few minutes as he made his rounds. Then he pushed them all a little more.

  “Faster now. Let your instincts guide you. Remember, these are not your actual enemies, but at the same time practice realistically enough that you can feel how to truly defend yourselves.”

  Mai asked Enock a question and demonstrated a defensive move that she suggested he should teach the class. He watched her and asked a question in return, all the while appearing to miss the subtle tension in the room increase as Lacy and Alana’s fight tactics began to get rougher. Rylen watched as Lacy’s punches got faster and harder. Alana dodged them pretty easily, but she was tiring as she was not as fresh as Lacy. Rylen grumbled quietly, rooting for Alana to find her fight. Grunts and calls were being yelled out from many in the room. Mai turned and snickered at the fighting pair.

  “What is your problem?” Rylen heard Alana huff out to Lacy.

  “Oh, there’s no problem. I’m just pointing out where you need to practice,” Lacy said with sickly sweetness.

  “Gee, thanks,” Alana replied dryly, “if you haven’t noticed, that’s why I’m here. To practice.” She blocked a punch then delivered her own. Lacy could hold her own; she was not especially skilled by any means, but she had been trained decently.

  “That’s the thing,” Lacy blocked Alana’s right punch and aimed at her stomach, driving her forward and off balance until Alana fell back onto her ass and then her back. Lacy came down and attempted to pin Alana to the mat. “Some of us aren’t too sure why you’re here.” Her voice was hushed so only the most sensitive ears could hear her outside of Alana herself. “And stay away from Rylen, he was mine first,” Lacy growled into Alana’s ear. She wasn’t a wolf, but she was feisty and angsty enough to be some kind of cat shifter or maybe even a banshee. No one fully understood what Lacy’s magic did. Some thought she was a witch with very little power. She had proven to use magic similar to the witches, but it never was quite right. Rylen always thought she was hiding her magic purposefully, but he couldn’t ever figure out why or what her motivation other than “getting to the top” could be.

  Shocked, Alana pushed up on Lacy’s chest. Enock was still talking to Mai, even though she had lost the pretense of distracting him as she watched on herself. Everyone else had stopped what they were doing and watched Alana and Lacy on the ground as if they didn’t know what to do or simply chose not to do anything.

  “What is he doing? Why isn’t he stopping them?” Rylen growled, furious.

  “He’s testing her, I think. Watch. He acts as if he’s oblivious, but we know he’s probably heard them as much as he can hear us now.”

  Rylen nodded, knowing Mather was right, but still. It didn’t sit right with him to stand back and watch Lacy beat up on his mate.

  “What are you talking about?” Alana asked, gritting her teeth as she shoved and pushed at Lacy, feeling for a weakness in her ribcage.

  “Oh, he didn’t tell you? I’m shocked,” Lacy began with false surprise in her voice, then she sneered, sinister intent in her features. “He and I were a thing. He used to take me into his apartment and do things to my body no other girls in the Lair could boast of.” She closed her eyes briefly as if reliving the sensations right then.

  Alana’s expression locked down and her bright blue eyes changed to the color of blue steel, cold and harsh with no feeling. Seeing the enraptured expression on Lacy’s face made Alana want to throw up, but she didn’t show it… wouldn’t. She found an opening for her leg, a spot Lacy had taken for granted, thinking of Alana’s inexperience. But what she didn’t know was that some of the boys at her old compound had actually tried to show her some wrestling moves and ways to get out of holds if her situation was dire enough. That, coupled with the strange feeling bubbling up in her chest, made her feel strong, and she willed whatever was threatening to explode out of her to get Lacy off. Simultaneously, Alana grunted, “Get off!” while her leg moved in between them. Somehow, she found a way to slip one of her pinned-down arms around Lacy’s neck, and as she shoved with all her might, she felt something innate release. Lacy went flying off Alana, and sparks literally shot from her fingertips.

  “And there’s your magic, Alana,” Enock shouted above the shocked responses from those standing around staring.

  “What?!” Alana cried out as she panted and rolled over to stand up. Her chest heaved as she took in everyone around her wearing expressions ranging from pleasant surprise to frowning skepticism. She felt small and insignificant in the midst of them all staring, but suddenly, she understood what Enock had said. “Did you say I found my magic? I thought I had already found it,” she stated with confusion as she looked to Enock.

  “You had released it, but it hasn’t happened like that day at the roof since you’ve been here, has it?”

  “No, you’re right. It comes out in little bits here and there, but not like that day or like just now, for that matter.” Alana examined her hands from the fronts to the backs as if they were suddenly different. They weren’t. Something inside her felt different, though… she felt freer than she had before. With excitement, she turned toward the gym equipment where she knew Rylen had been keeping an eye on her. He was smiling, but his smile held an air of guilt. Her excitement faded as she remembered the sting of what Lacy had so graciously informed her about. Hurt shown in her eyes as she looked from Rylen toward Lacy—where she was slinking out of the gym—then back to Rylen. Of course, he would have been with other women, he’d been alive for more than a century. It wasn’t fair for her to think he h
adn’t been. What stung was that she had to hear it from a jealous—and obviously not over him—ex. Rylen, reading her face, moved toward her quickly.

  Poppy and Lola came over to congratulate Alana on her one-up on Lacy, but all she could do was smile and say thank you just as Rylen came over and swept her into his arms.

  “You did well, Alana.” Rylen planted a kiss smack on her mouth in front of everyone.

  “Look at me, love,” Rylen spoke low as she was coming down from the high his kiss shot her to. He gave her a small smile. “I wanted to give you more time to adjust before you had to deal with anything Lacy might throw at you.” He rested his forehead against hers and inhaled her scent. He exhaled as he pulled away to look into her eyes. “Honestly, I didn’t think she would be petty about it nor do anything. Not telling you right away was my mistake. There was just so much you were dealing with—are still dealing with.” Rylen examined her expression, deciphering how much trouble he was in, but when he saw the smile, not on her mouth but in her eyes, he knew she would forgive him. Leaning forward, he kissed her nose gently and pulled away, gripping her hand as they faced Enock and whoever was left in the gym.

  Poppy was working with Enock on something she must have been struggling with as he held up his arm in a type of block and had her do the same thing. Her green eyes lit up her entire face when she accomplished whatever he was showing her. Rylen beckoned Mather over with his head, almost forgetting the poor sap was still hiding out behind the weights. That was the most time he had ever seen Mather spend at the equipment without actually using it. He chuckled internally, hoping his friend would find his balls soon enough.

  “Good job today, Alana,” Enock said as he and Poppy turned toward them. He couldn’t help notice the glance Poppy gave Mather as he left the machines he had hidden behind. Enock wanted to go over there and deck his friend in the head or kick him in the balls or both—maybe that would be a new technique to get his head out of his ass. Maybe Mather didn’t realize that girls don’t wait around forever, but he could sure share a thing or two with him. He didn’t want to see his buddy lose what could be the best thing that ever happened to him. Yeah, they were right for each other… Now, to get them to see that.

  “Thank you, Enock. I learned a lot today. Do we get to do more tomorrow?” Alana asked with anticipation lighting her eyes.

  “Absolutely,” he replied confidently but then backpedaled, “as long as my boy here doesn’t need you or me for anything.” He cocked his head in Rylen’s direction.

  “I think that’s a great idea. Alana’s just touched the surface of all she needs to learn. I’d like whatever free time you both have to be spent working or studying. Perhaps she can even take these books to her room to read over?” Rylen looked to Enock then back at Alana who had somewhat deflated from her exuberance. Rylen laughed, “No?”

  “I think I can find better things to do with my free time than read, dusty old books. Don’t you, Rylen?” She purred seductively then laughed at the widening of his eyes.

  “Just for that, you don’t get any books tonight!” Rylen picked her up, threw her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, and walked out of the gym. Before they had gotten too far, he heard Enock’s I’m Bad by Michael Jackson ringtone. Hearing Enock’s grunts and official voice, he paused. He was too far away to hear the other end of the call, so he waited to hear if Enock needed him.

  “Boss? You still there?” Enock’s voice came from still inside the gym.

  “Yep,” Rylen grumbled but then remembered it could be important to their many issues right now. It could help Alana, too. He could ravish Alana’s sweet body a little bit later. He put Alana down and steadied her as she regained her balance. All the color had rushed to her head, causing her face to turn red. She giggled with the silliness of it all until she saw his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’m sorry. You can stay with me for now or go find one of the girls,” he said with a question in his eyes.

  “It’s ok. I’ll stay.”

  He grabbed her hand, and they walked back into the gym to see Mather and Poppy standing near Enock, also waiting to hear the news he received.

  “Who was it?” Rylen addressed Enock with stern eyes.

  “My contact at Triumph.”

  “Are they there?” Mather jumped in, ready for a fight, anticipation shining in his eyes.

  “He said he got word that several of them would be attending a special event with a band tonight. It was an invite-only event, so he got an RSVP from them. Names he recognized. You’d think they’d use fake names, but whatever,” he said, shaking his head in disproval.

  “We need to get into that event,” Mather stated.

  “I agree,” Rylen confirmed.

  “Already done. We’ve gained entry for up to six of us tonight,” Enock announced proudly.

  “Well done, E.” Rylen slapped him on the shoulder as he passed him. “You, Mat, Lola, Mai, Luc and I will go.”

  “Luc’s not going to like all of us being gone from the Lair tonight,” Mather warned unnecessarily.

  “I’ll talk to him. He can double up guard duty. I don’t like leaving, either, but if we can find Fairfax, maybe half of our problems will go away.” Rylen sighed as he thought of all that was plaguing his PAC and how he would be the solution.

  “What will you need from me tonight, Rylen?” Poppy asked, disrupting his morose mental spiral. “Comms? Surveillance?”

  “Just comms. We’ll spread out to find them faster. Thank you, Poppy.”

  She nodded and exited the gym to prepare their equipment. The rest of them left, as well. Alana’s arm hooked in Rylen’s, the two followed by Mather and then Enock. On the way out the door, Mather stopped to sniff the air near the doors. He paused and spotted what caught his scent just before he slammed his fist into it, squishing the damnable creature that had been climbing up the doorframe to escape into the corner of the wall. Enock turned back to him with a raised eyebrow, questioning his actions. Mather sneered, lifting his lips and revealing his sharp incisors with a growl, and uttered with disgust, “Spider.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Tonight is about recon. We must identify those from the Fairfax Alliance. Stay low, then we follow them out. I don’t want any extra trouble from the vamps at Triumph,” Rylen instructed.

  Sitting in the entry to the Door Room, those going to Triumph were preparing by placing the comms into their ears and strapping on whatever weapons they could hide in their regular clothes. Tonight’s event was a concert by a local band that had been climbing in notoriety as one of the leads in the Seattle underground. The band was supernatural, but no one else was the wiser, except for the supernatural community. The girls dressed a little flashier than usual as if they were ready to party, and the guys wore business casual.

  “We just want to find their hideout, correct, boss?” Enock confirmed.

  “Affirmative.” Rylen nodded as Poppy finished passing out the rest of the ear pieces. He noted the distance that Mather seemed to be putting between him and Poppy. He had reached to grab his ear piece quickly as if the faster he grabbed it, the less amount of time touched her. Rylen frowned at his friend. Enock caught Rylen’s eye and rolled his own, also seeing what Mather had done. The glimmer in Poppy’s eyes shut down briefly, but she remained professional and made sure they were all prepared to leave.

  “Poppy?” Rylen beckoned her over to him. “Remain in the seat while we are gone, please. I want someone keeping tabs on us in case there’s an issue and we need reinforcements. I don’t want to assume they don’t know we are coming or have something planned for us.”

  “I planned to anyway, but I’d be happy to, Rylen. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.” Poppy smiled and turned back to head to her office inside Headquarters.

  “All right team, let’s head out. We’re taking the Denali; we can all fit,” Mather instructed as he led the way to open the door into the dimly lit t
unnel leading to the underground garage.

  Luc seemed anxious as he kept looking over his shoulder back into the heart of the Lair.

  “We’re prepared, Lucius. You’ve structured the rotation well and even doubled the normal amount of guards. They will keep the Lair safe. We just need to be swift and proficient tonight so we can get back home,” Rylen encouraged. Luc grunted but nodded.

  “I’m more worried about what we are fighting within our Lair than without,” Luc grumbled under his breath, but Rylen heard him and stiffened, knowing he was right.

  “Point taken. Let’s hope the bastards head home early tonight.” Rylen curled his lips at the thought of finding and ending the Fairfax Alliance, especially the second in command, Eli Fairfax, poster boy for the organization. Rylen really wanted to punch him in his pretty face.

  ~~~~~

  As the team pulled into the parking lot at Triumph in a secluded part of the industrial area outside of Seattle proper, they took note of all the nice cars in the lot, woven tightly side by side. A valet was scurrying across the road in front of them, but Rylen wanted to park the car himself. It was always good to know where your vehicle was for a quick escape. Plus, who knew what kind of person was driving your car? He didn’t want to offend Enock, but he wasn’t going to have just any damn vamp sitting behind his wheel.

  They got out and pretended to casually take in the sights, all the while evaluating the building from the outside, looking for exits and ways down from higher levels, seeing who was nearby, counting how many guards, etc. The line for those trying to get in without an invitation circled the gray cinder-block building around the corner, hedged in by a red velvet rope and golden stands periodically placed to keep them there until they were let in. Another short line was right at the door. It moved forward swiftly as people gave the bouncer their names and he checked them off his list. The bouncer was a stereotypically large, muscular man with a sharply manicured beard and a shining bald head. Dressed in a black muscle shirt to accentuate his bulging arms, jeans, and boots, his attire was pretty simple. The only main difference between this club and the next was he was a vampire, though the club didn’t boast this attribute as many humans frequented Triumph. It was not public knowledge that the creatures that go bump in the night existed, at least not yet, and they were discreet with the ones that chose to participate in their frivolity. For those that weren’t so discreet, they were also well versed in hypnotic techniques that altered their memory of what took place—that or the PAC would have to step in and govern their asses, which they didn’t want.