To the Teeth (The Complex Book 0) Read online

  Then I look up and meet the eyes of the shtrigu and freeze.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he snarls down at me.

  At first, I think he’s referring to me opening the door. “I’m…I’m…” Terror roots me to my spot, and all my bravado from before melts away. I’m speechless, unable to move. Too scared to run. Too scared to shift and fight.

  The shtrigu growls and hauls me away from the door, into the alley between two stores. He slams me up against the wall, and I gasp at the sudden impact as he lifts me above his head. I stare down into his angry golden eyes, so heated, they’re almost molten at this point. His body is up against mine, hot, and I’m suddenly fully aware of how he can rip me apart.

  “Where’s Ken?” I manage, barely moving my lips. I can’t do anything against this powerful being in front of me.

  He blinks, narrows his eyes, and then whispers, “What?”

  My body recovers enough from the shock of seeing him so unexpectedly, that my foot comes up and catches him in the groin. He releases me with a strangled cry, and I’m so glad that this Meta, at least, has balls in the usual spot. I hit the ground on all fours and spin, catching his legs with mine. He falls backwards with a heavy thud, but I’m already running, shifting into my fox form.

  His hand shoots out, catching one of my tails—my super-sensitive tails that can act as erogenous zones in the right context—and I scream as I hit the ground. Touché. I hit him in his sensitive area, he did the same for me.

  “What the fuck?” he grumbles.

  Panicked, I scrabble at the ground, panting, crying. Where is everybody? Why has no one heard this fight in between the stores? I glance back behind me, and my fingers turn to claws as I try something, anything, to get away from him, but he holds fast to my tail. Even when one of my feet catches him in the face, he won’t let go.

  I can’t think of anything other than how much my damn tail hurts. I can’t transform further. I can’t do much of anything else other than flail about uselessly. I can smell something new in the air. Fear. My fear.

  I need to call someone. I reach for the communication device in my palm, ready to call Officer Lewis.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” the shtrigu mutters. He flips me on my back, and I stare up at him wide-eyed, immobilized by the glow in his eyes. He’s now glowing with power, his skin luminescent when it wasn’t before.

  He opens his mouth, where I see a swirl of blue energy in his mouth. Transfixed, I watch as red energy leaves my mouth and joins the swirl in his own maw. He closes his mouth shut with an audible snap, which throws me out of my paralysis.

  And blackness engulfs me.

  Chapter 4

  I find myself blinking at black satin sheets. They’re not mine. I can’t remember anything other than the old white sheets that I’ve used on my cot for the past several years. War took my bed away from me. Even while we’ve lived in the Complex, my bed has been makeshift. Nothing as luxurious as this.

  And black satin is not my style.

  The shtrigu!

  I sit bolt upright in the bed with a cry, but grimace and curl in on myself as further pain wracks my head. I hold my temples and take a deep breath, gritting my teeth with exertion.

  “Sorry about that,” a familiar voice says to the right of me, wrapping around me like the satin sheets I’m lying in. “Sometimes, you can derive pleasure from that. Otherwise…well, you get this. Didn’t realize the latter would hurt you so badly.”

  I twist my pounding head towards the voice and my blood runs cold. The room may be dark, but my animal-like senses pick up the shapes with stark clarity. Even so, seeing the shtrigu’s pair of glowing eyes in the dark like this sends a thrill of fear through my body.

  “Where am I?”

  A half-cocked smile. “You’re in my apartment. I had to take you somewhere after you passed out.”

  His apartment. I’m deep within the shtrigu’s domain now.

  I immediately tense up, poised to run. Through my splintering headache, I take stock of the apartment, looking for an escape route. Or a place where he could be hiding Ken.

  This apartment is…nice. And huge. Definitely on the outer ring. The bedroom is about three times the size of the one I share with Mom, and I’m sure the living room and the Waste Disposal are much more luxurious as well.

  How could a shtrigu afford such a nice apartment?

  There’s one door out of the bedroom, and there’s one window over the bed. And beyond that window is the desert planet, Lorn, this forsaken planet we’re all stuck together on.

  “Where’s Ken?” I mutter, combing a hand through my hair. I’m still too drowsy, too achy for anything other than questions. If Ken is still alive, keeping the shtrigu occupied a little longer will delay further feedings.

  Those golden eyes narrow. “Who’s Ken?”

  Of course. He never bothers to learn the names of his victims. Maybe it humanizes them too much. Gives him too much of a conscience about what he does to them.

  “My little brother,” I say through clenched teeth. “The one who waited on you yesterday.” I swallow back the lump in my throat at his questioning gaze. “The one you kidnapped.”

  He shakes his head. “I haven’t kidnapped anyone.”

  I scoff. “Bullshit.”

  He leans forward, looking directly at me. “I. Have. Not. Kidnapped. Anyone.”

  “What about me, then?” I point out.

  “I’m restraining a rabid fox.”

  I glare at him. “So why did you attack me in the alley?”

  He blinks for a moment, before a low laugh issues from his chest. I focus on how it makes him menacing. Not how it sounds almost seductive when he does it.

  “I stopped you,” he says slowly, “because you’ve been creating a panic throughout the entire Complex over a shtrigu. Me. You’ve been asking everyone here if they’ve seen me. Do you know how frightened people are of a shtrigu?” He regards me humorlessly. “I guess you do.”

  “I was trying to find you,” I say.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because you took Ken!” I growl, my rage rising inside me.

  He takes in my accusation and chuckles darkly. “That’s what this is all about? You riled up the entire Complex, to get them scared of me—because you think I kidnapped your little brother? Trust me, kitsune, I had nothing to do with you misplacing him.”

  “I did not misplace him! You took him!”

  “Listen. I could have easily killed you in that alleyway. But I didn’t. Doesn’t that stand for something?”

  I shake my head. “It just goes to show that you’re a clever asshole. And you still took me against my will.”

  “I couldn’t very well leave you unconscious in the alleyway,” he says. “And you’re free to go whenever you wish.”

  “Not without Ken.”

  He regards me for a long moment before turning on the lamp next to him, and I wince in the blinding light. Now, I see that the apartment is even better put together than I had initially thought. He has good taste—aside from the black sheets, but they work with the décor—and I hate that I’m noticing that.

  He sits back in his chair and crosses his arms. “Go ahead,” he says softly. “Look around my apartment and see where I could possibly be keeping another kitsune.”

  At first, I think he’s joking, but he doesn’t make a move towards me as I get to my feet, watching him warily. When I realize that he isn’t coming after me, I drop to my knees, looking under the bed for Ken. Nothing. I run to the closet, throw it open, and look through his clothes. Nothing, although they are fine clothes.

  I cast another glance towards him as I pass by him, going to the WD, then to the living room and the kitchen. I sniff around, trying to find Ken or any trace of him. I turn the place upside down, panic rising further and further in my throat.

  He has to be here. He just has to be here!

  The shtrigu watches me from the doorway to the bedroom, his arms crossed
as he casually leans against the frame of the bedroom. He doesn’t move. Only watches me in my turmoil.

  “Where is he?” I demand. “Where is Ken?”

  “Just what I’ve been trying to tell you. I don’t know.”

  I halt in the middle of the living room, throwing my hands up in defeat. He won. “You have to have him somewhere!”

  He raises a curious eyebrow. “Why, what makes you say that?”

  “Because you eat the life force of children!”

  He grimaces and shakes his head. “I wish you wouldn’t put it that way.”

  I lift my chin up towards him in defiance. “Well, why else were you at the restaurant yesterday?”

  “I told you—I wanted a hot meal.” He gives me a hard look. “And that is the truth. You refused to give me a bowl of noodles.”

  None of this is making any sense. He has to have Ken. Because there’s no other option. Where else would he be? Who else would have taken him? How do coincidences like that even happen, if the shtrigu is telling the truth?

  My stomach twists at the very thought that he could be right. That he doesn’t have Ken, and I’ve been accusing him of stealing Meta children out from under the noses of those that live within the Complex.

  That I’ve wrongfully placed all the blame on him.

  No, no that can’t be it. I start shaking my head, trying to get rid of all the conflicting thoughts. It has to be him.

  “How old are you, kitsune?” he asks softly.

  “Twenty-four,” I snap. “And my name is Serena, not kitsune, like you’ve been calling me.” Granted, I’ve been calling him the shtrigu this entire time, so who’s being the hypocrite now?

  A low smile. “Serena. Well, let’s say that I’m much older than you, and I know that things are not quite what they seem.” He extends his hand out for me. “Let’s try this again. My name is Kaleb. And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  A pleasure? I nearly snort at the ridiculousness of it all. “Kaleb. Such a…normal name for you.”

  “I try to be as normal as possible,” he says blithely. “Why else do you think I’m hiding out in the Complex? I want people to treat me normally. Because I don’t want to stir up trouble.”

  I see his outstretched hand waiting for me, so I take it. His hand is abnormally hot, like he has a fever. “You’re burning up,” I murmur absently.

  He jolts and wipes his hand on his jeans. “Sorry about that. Side effects of, ah, stealing your life force.”

  My stomach twists in another way. “Can I have it back? I don’t want to die young.”

  He lets out a low laugh. “Trust me, Serena, I only took about the equivalent of a minute from your life force. Enough to knock you out, but that’s it. With how reckless you’ve been, you have far more dangerous ways of dying than from losing that minute.”

  “I am not reckless!”

  He waves away my retort, that sardonic smile still on his face. Galaxies, I wish he weren’t so good looking. It takes everything I have to keep my wits about me when looking at him. That cocky swagger. His slightly disheveled hair. That intense gaze.

  I’ve got to get a hold of myself.

  I almost believe him when he says that he didn’t take Ken. I’ve been attracted to some bad boys in the past and made my own bad choices. But if he didn’t take Ken, then maybe I could take some solace in the fact that he’s not all bad.

  He’s still a shtrigu though, and he’s not to be trusted.

  He moves towards the kitchenette. “Do you want some tea?” he asks, with his back to me, vulnerable, like he doesn’t expect me to sink my claws into him. “I’ve heard from sources that taking your life source leaves you parched.”

  I lick my lips. Now that he says it… “Yes.” He lifts his head up, expectantly, and I roll my eyes. “Please.” My tails coil around me irritably.

  He proceeds to pour some water, divvying out the tea leaves into a teapot and prepping some tea cups. Then he chuckles, and I want to punch him for that, so I cross my arms to keep the temptation at bay. I sit on the couch, waiting for him to finish.

  “So why are you here then?” I ask skeptically. “Why join the Complex if it’s not to have a buffet of people to eat all the time?”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t here for that,” he points out, glancing back at me. I bare my teeth at him, bristling at the unspoken challenge. “Relax, Serena,” he says with a sigh. “I’m trying to tell you the truth, and you’re ready to claw my heart out.”

  “So tell me then,” I prompt.

  He watches me for a moment before smirking. “As you so brilliantly portray—a lot of Metas are frightened of me. Back on Vaimm, we were reviled as the dregs of society.”

  I stiffen. “You were there on Vaimm?” I ask, speaking of the Metas’ home world. I know that a lot of Metas are immortal, or live so long, they may as well be immortal. I hadn’t realized that shtrigan were like vampires in that respect.

  Metas left Vaimm three hundred years ago when it was destroyed. It took all that time to find the Seldova system—and Humans—which is when the war between the two races started.

  If Kaleb was alive before Metas left Vaimm…

  He nods in answer. “Lived there for a while. Knew how much others hated being around shtrigan.”

  I sit back in shock at this revelation. No wonder he made fun of my twenty-four years. And suddenly, I’m now intimidated by his age and experience compared to me.

  I suck in a deep breath and try to not look as young as I feel.

  He smirks at me, as if reading my thoughts, but I remember reading that shtrigan aren’t telepathic. Still, I wish I had that implant Humans have to keep Metas from telepathically entering their brains—just in case. Then he for sure wouldn’t be able to hear me wondering about his age. Or the way my insides are heating up as I watch his face.

  Why the fuck am I turned on at the moment?

  “So, you’re here for the access to a food source?” I reiterate, bringing myself back to the topic at hand.

  He gives a nonchalant shrug. “More or less. Don’t worry—there’s no one I’m feeding off of who doesn’t,” he pauses, playfully biting his lip, “enjoy it and get a fair payment in return.”

  I grasp the hidden meaning of what he’s saying and raise a dubious eyebrow. “Wow, did you just admit to being a manwhore?”

  He levels me with his hard gaze. “People have to do what they can to survive.”

  I shiver at his words, because that’s exactly how I feel about my situation with my mother and siblings. We’re doing what we must in order to raise eleven kits in a war-torn system.

  Who am I to judge him for what he does?

  The tea kettle clicks off, and he gets to his feet, turning his back to me again. Leaving him completely exposed. Daring me to attack.

  I don’t.

  “I have quite a few talents, Serena,” he says. “But I don’t take anything unwillingly.” At my half-hearted protest, he amends his statement. “Unless they’re trying to brain me.” He rubs his chin. “You got me really good with one of your feet.”

  “How do your balls feel?” I ask, watching him pour the hot tea into the cups.

  “Black and blue,” he murmurs amusedly. I frown, wondering if he’s commenting on being bruised…or something else. He sets down a cup in front of me. He has fancy Human China with little flourishes and whorls on it. I start laughing hysterically. Why would fancy China be the last thing I’d ever expect a shtrigu to have?

  Kaleb’s smiling as well, as he sits across from me. “Do you believe me now?” he asks timidly. “That I didn’t steal your brother?”

  “I…” My voice trails off, and I see the flicker of hurt behind his eyes at my hesitation. “I’m not sure. I don’t know where he’d be otherwise.” I gulp. “Or who would have taken him.”

  He watches me for a moment before answering. “I have a few ideas,” he murmurs softly.

  “You do?”

  He nods. “The Complex has a pr
etty seedy underbelly.” He averts his eyes as I give him another skeptical look. “And, yes, maybe I do have some dealings with that seediness. But I think I know some people we can talk to. Who may know where your brother is.”

  I blink at him. “Then, we should go,” I say, fighting to get to my feet, my headache forgotten.

  He catches my wrist, his skin hot against mine. Neither of us can deny the flare that ignites at that touch, now that I no longer want to kill him and he’s not making fun of me. I frown down at him, and he immediately lets go, his pale cheeks coloring in something. Embarrassment?

  He gestures to his cup. “Let’s finish our tea first,” he mutters, turning away from me. “Besides, we should wait until midnight,” he adds, glancing at the clock. I follow his gaze and see that it’s a few minutes after eleven at night.

  “Why, what happens at midnight?” Other than the forcefields that extend from the tops of the domes all the way down to lock tenants in their homes. It’s a security measure meant to keep Humans and Metas from clashing after dark.

  He holds up a badge that I recognize as one for authorized personnel only. Only badges like this one allow people to pass through the forcefield. He must have gotten it off the black market.

  His lips curl up into a seductive half-smile. “That’s when all the interesting citizens of the Complex come out to play.”

  Chapter 5

  I wrap the black cloak more tightly about myself as Kaleb and I head through the darkened streets of the Main City. Now that night has descended upon the Complex and only those with special access can roam around, I understand exactly what he meant when he said that the more interesting citizens come out.

  I always knew there were vampires here. But I pass by other nocturnal Metas, from demons to ghosts. I see debauchery in the corners between restaurants. Violence. Drugs being swapped.

  This is a side to the Complex that I haven’t seen before since I’d been so busy with the restaurant and my little brothers and sisters. I never had access to get out and get acquainted with this section of the populace and it’s…fascinating.