Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(44)

"I see you made it," a seductive voice said, and Alex's head whipped around to the source as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He fought to rub the goosebumps that had risen on his arms away. He had a bad feeling about all of this.

Long, sleek black hair was tied at the nape of the woman's slender neck. High cheek bones graced a perfectly symmetrical face, and her eyes… there was something almost haunting about them. She was stunning, but Alex found that he wasn't attracted to her visible qualities at all.

Phoenix cleared his throat. "Don't you mean that you hear I have made it? I doubt you can see anything with those blind eyes—"

A gust of something Alex would never be able to explain as long as he lived blew through the room and knocked Phoenix to the hardwood floor on his back. The guy grunted, and slowly got back to his feet.

"I see more than you do, Leech."

Rubbing the center of his chest, Phoenix glared up at the woman. "My apologies, Meridia. I forgot my manners for a moment. May I request a meeting with you in private? I'm sure you already know why."

Silence filled the room for a short time as Meridia considered Phoenix's invite, and then she glanced over her shoulder. "Magnalayna… Morgana… come and sit with our guests while I speak in private with the—"

Phoenix cleared his throat. "If we could keep the name-calling to a minimum, that would be great. This is detective Alex Rhodes of the Montgomery police department. We wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable, now, would we?"

"I know very well who the detective is, Phoenix, but by your nervousness I gather you are still harboring secrets."

Phoenix sighed as he followed Meridia to another room. "He's not ready to know yet. Please keep your opinions to yourself."

Two other beautiful women, one with platinum blonde hair and the other with hair the color of crimson blood stepped from the shadows and sat in chairs by the fire. Their gazes immediately fell on Alex, causing him to stiffen, but he didn't look away; he didn't dare look away. They looked like they were undressing him with their eyes. It wasn't the first time a woman had done that, but this time it felt different, awkward… uncomfortable, like they could actually see everything God had blessed him with under the clothes. His eyes hardened when both their gazes settled on his junk.


The blonde made a light clapping noise then patted the cushion beside her, but Alex only ground his teeth together in response.

"Morgana would like for you to join us, Alex," the redhead said, and that meant, by process of elimination, that this one's name was Magnalayna. There was something different about her voice, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Maybe English wasn't her first language.

"Don't do it," Jaxon whispered. "You'll regret it for centuries."

Centuries? Seriously? Could the women actually do something that will follow me into the afterlife? Alex thought, and then glanced up to meet Jaxon's gaze. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, revealing a pointy tooth. Alex blinked, and then it was gone.

He ran his hands over his face, wishing he could just return to the vehicle, his apartment, a normal life where he wasn't hallucinating all the time. How long had it been since he'd slept? Three, maybe four days, with only a few hours' shut eye here and there. That wasn't enough to keep a person sane. Of course he was seeing shit.

He needed a vacation. Knowing he wouldn't get one until he retired or died, he settled for promising himself eight hours of uninterrupted sleep as soon as he got back home. He didn't care what happened; sleep was going to happen in his near future.

He forced himself to look at the women. "I'm okay over here. I appreciate your hospitality, though."

Morgana smiled as she looked to her sister. They seemed to be somehow communicating without words.

Magnalayna nodded, then looked back to Alex. Her perfectly arched, red eyebrows drew down in disappointment. "That's too bad. We were prepared to make it worth your while—"

"Leave him alone," Jaxon said. "He's not interested in your games."

The sisters exchanged glances again, and then Magnalayna grinned mischievously. "You enjoyed playing our games at one time, Jaxon. Why are you so bitter? Are you jealous that we want to play with the detective instead of you?"

Jaxon chuffed. "Not hardly. I still have nightmares—"

The door to the room Phoenix had disappeared behind opened and he walked out, buttoning the cuffs on his shirt.

Alex's eyes popped wide as a satisfied-looking Meridia leaned against the jamb.

Had the guy screwed her? Surely not… not in five minutes, but it sure looked like that was what had happened.

"Roel?" Meridia drawled. "I'm ready for you now, handsome."

Roel swore under his breath as he walked toward the bedroom. "Promise to be gentle with me."

Meridia laughed. "I promise nothing."

After the door closed behind Roel, Alex's eyes narrowed on Phoenix. "What the hell is this place, a brothel?"

Phoenix chuckled, and shook his head. "You'll get your turn. Don't worry—"

His hand shot out and he pointed in the direction of the door. "I'm not going in that room with her."

Phoenix sighed. "Then you weren't really serious when you told Mena you would do anything to help her find the person who killed Katie and Marc, were you?"