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  As a spirit, he couldn’t interact much with the world around him. The shocks the doctors had been giving him were the first sensations he’d experienced aside from the rush of adrenaline he felt when taking a life.

  Yes, he was an aberration for his kind and was tired of living with a hollow emptiness. He hadn’t asked to become a Buruburu and the minute he sprang into existence, there was a void. Coming to the Complex was a fresh start, and hopefully, an alternative way of life for him.

  “Thanks, Cate. I hate not being able to call anyone. At least I can interface with AI,” Zaid commented.

  He could have asked Ama Intel to inform maintenance, but it was much faster to speak directly with a person. He recalled the delay it had caused when there had been problems with the homes in the Snow dome. What a disaster that had been. Several frozen pipes burst, leaving hundreds without electricity for hours.

  Zaid was lucky in that regard. He was one of the few beings in the Complex that didn’t use his apartment. He was given accommodations in the Forest dome, which was great, but he preferred hovering above the trees. It was his natural habitat, after all.

  The clinic doctors discouraged spending time there. They’d said it was too much of a temptation to use his powers. Admittedly, there had been several close calls with the shifters that roamed the woods, but he was proud to say he had not given in.

  Admittedly, there was only so much a Buruburu take. Zaid continually denied his instinct to feed off the fear of those around him. The truth was, when he refused for too long, he began losing his shape and had to choose between feeding or disappearing altogether. He may not like what he did to survive, but he didn’t want to die, either.

  That was another reason most of his kind thought him an aberration. To be a Buruburu meant that you sustained your life by scaring others to death. He’d figured out how he could walk the line, and hadn’t taken a life in decades.

  Some days he wondered what twisted God had created his kind. He’d never known anything beyond lurking in forests and graveyards and attaching himself to unsuspecting beings, scaring them to the point of death. Aside from the energy received, it did nothing else for him. He wanted more out of life. He was tired of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

  He couldn’t get the universal implant the other residents had been given to communicate and purchase things in the Complex. Not that he needed the latter. He had no idea what he was going to do with the money he received after his stay. He didn’t need anything to survive except fear. Of course, he would need it to pay for treatment when he left unless he went back to feeding like normal.

  Ama Seldova made the shock treatments part of the conditions of his stay in the Complex. They said if he were permitted to roam free and scare at will, it would be counter-productive to their vision of peace.

  “Look, another mermaid is giving birth,” Scott said excitedly, pointing at the monitor. “That has to be the coolest thing ever. I’ve always been drawn to the sea and its creatures.”

  “I’ve never felt water, but I enjoy the sounds of the waves,” Zaid observed as he focused on the monitor where Scott was gesturing.

  Zaid’s face scrunched up then he added, “Damn, that looks painful.” He could all but hear the yelling as she thrashed about in the water.

  Zaid enjoyed his job with Intra more than he thought he would. Initially, no one had known what to do with him. Being incorporeal, he was very limited in job skills. He’d been worried that he would be denied admission to the Complex because he couldn’t perform ninety percent of the jobs, but surveillance had turned out to be a perfect fit. Stalking prey was embedded in his brain, so observation was second nature.

  “Yeah. I don’t know how women do it. My mom has always compared it to shitting a watermelon,” Scott shared with a shake of his head.

  Zaid laughed at the image that came to mind, and Scott’s deep chuckle joined him moments later. “Thank fuck we don’t ever have to go through that,” Zaid admitted.

  “What are they doing?” Scott asked as he pointed to a screen on Zaid’s side of the room.

  The fifty-plus monitors displayed a continuous circuit of video feed from various locations around the Complex, and it was their job to report fights and suspicious activity.

  “Should we call it in?” Scott asked.

  “Not yet. They’re only loitering so far,” Zaid said as he waited to see what the three vampires would do next.

  Lurking in the shadows of the building was expected behavior if the vampires were hunting prey. There was also the possibility they were escaping the sun, but Zaid was doubtful. He’d bet they were looking to feed on someone.

  “Aren’t there blood clubs for that?” Scott asked as he placed a hand over his jugular.

  “Yeah, there’s one on the other side of the Main City. It’s a short zipper away,” Zaid replied, referring to the hover cabs used for public transportation. “They shouldn’t be hunting within the Complex.”

  They watched silently for several long seconds before the vampires pushed off the wall and headed in the opposite direction. Crisis avoided, for the time being, Zaid thought, before a bright light flashed and black smoke filled one of the monitor’s screen.

  “What the hell was that?” Zaid blurted as his eyes frantically skimmed the other screens.

  It didn’t take long for him and Scott to discover the problem was in the center of Main City. A bomb had exploded near several restaurants and salons. It was midday, which meant there were a significant number of Humans and Meta around the location.

  “Find out who set that bomb off,” Zaid order before he messaged AI to call in Intra officers. His entire being bristled with energy. Even at a distance, he could feel the intense horror, and it was intoxicating.

  His gaze snagged on a Meta with arms covered in red and black tattoos as she stumbled out of one of the damaged businesses. Blood trickled down the side of her haunted, but beautiful face. Something about her called to Zaid. Without a physical form, he couldn’t say lust was the driving force, but she caused him to long for what he couldn’t have.

  Unable to deny the intense urge, Zaid left Scott to handle business while he went to check out the disaster and soak up the tantalizing energy he craved.

  3

  “Charlotte!” Rayna screamed amidst the chaos.

  She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious or what had happened, but judging the giant hole across the front half of the restaurant, she guessed a bomb had caused the damage.

  Metal shrapnel was everywhere, and the air inside the restaurant was clouded with debris and smoke, burning her eyes and throat. She coughed, trying to clear her lungs and got to her feet, brushing the dust from her gray uniform.

  Her clothes were the most depressing thing about the Complex. She was required to wear the plain drawstring pants and matching pullover top she was issued upon arrival. Boring. Nobody looked good in the hideous gray color.

  The dozen pair of brightly-colored panties and bras she had snuck inside her bag the day she arrived was the only thing that kept her sane. It gave her a small dose of happiness to wear them even though it was considered breaking the law. She wasn’t sure what would happen if Intra found out about her blatant disregard for the rules, but she couldn’t wear the hideous underwear the Complex provided.

  As the air began to clear, she realized the destruction wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. Aside from the massive blast to the entrance, the overall structural damage was minimal. From her vantage point, the interior was a mess, with broken tables and chairs, but the rest salvageable. She had no doubt her boss was going to be furious and wondered if he’d try and blame her somehow.

  On shaky legs, she made her way towards the front of the restaurant, searching for Charlotte. Her stomach lurched when she stepped over Jax. His face was even paler if that was possible, and he was lying on his back, grimacing with pain.

  “Help me,” the vampire whispered through gritted teeth.

  His leg was
missing, and blood was pouring from the injured area. Rayna had no idea how he was still alive. Jax had been seated at the front of the restaurant and must have suffered the brunt of the attack. He and those at his table were blown all the way to the back.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Rayna cried out, feeling helpless. She didn’t want to leave him, but she needed to find her friend. Since Charlotte was standing near the back, Rayna hoped her friend was okay. She reminded herself that the female was a shifter and had a much sturdier constitution than the Humans.

  As fear overwhelmed her, Rayna wanted to sit down and cry. She couldn’t lose her, too. Charlotte was all she had left.

  “Just stop the bleeding,” he panted. Rayna looked at the vampire again. The injury was bad. His leg was a goner, but he would survive, unlike some of his Human companions who were nearby, motionless and staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

  She admired the courage Humans had against species so much stronger than them. They never backed down during P-Extinction and fought until the end when an uneasy truce was declared in the Seldova solar system.

  Unbeknownst to Humans, Ol Grazad, a commander in the Meta military who eventually became the president of Planet Pinao, ordered the Metas not to annihilate the Humans. Rayna didn’t know his reasons behind the decision but assumed it was a political gain on his part.

  “Please, help. I’ll die soon,” Jax pleaded again, drawing her focus back to the vampire.

  “Okay. Stop the bleeding,” Rayna chanted as she focused on the task at hand. Her breathing became erratic and spots danced, blurring her vision. Her heart stuttered, threatening to give out in the next second. Grow a fucking pair, Ray. Now is not the time to have a full-blown panic attack. This poor vampire needs your help. Don’t lose it now, she mentally chided.

  With great effort, she pushed back the worst of her symptoms and sank to her knees beside him, ignoring the warm fluid that hit her flesh. Rubbing her fear rune, she tried to access the magic. If ever she needed extra help, it was now. Rayna rubbed and rubbed, but nothing happened. Shit, had she used all its power? Surely not. She could’ve sworn it would last a few more months.

  A glance down showed faint lines, but it was still there. She should be getting some assistance against the onslaught of emotion. What the hell was messing with her ability to cast the rune? Wouldn’t that be her luck to have terror preventing her call of magic to ease her terror?

  She usually didn’t need such concentration. Over time, she’d gotten good at accessing it under the worst conditions. Hell, being in the middle of a bombing and nearly dying was enough to freak anyone out, she thought. She was close to a sobbing mess when the curse words went flying through her mind.

  Pulling herself together, she looked around for something to stop the bleeding. The place was a mess. Broken tables and chairs, shattered dishes and uneaten food covered the floor, along with, napkins that were too thin to stanch the flow.

  Acting on a hunch, she pulled off her belt and wrapped it around his remaining thigh. Her stomach heaved, and food climbed her throat, threatening to revolt. Taking several deep breaths to calm her nausea, she met his glassy gaze.

  “This is going to hurt, Jax,” she admitted, giving him a sympathetic look.

  “Do it,” he said through clenched teeth. “I don’t have much longer. I don’t care how much it hurts. I want to live.” His desperation and panic lashed her. She was going to do everything she could to make sure the vampire lived.

  “By the way, I’m going to make sure Charlotte gives you contact approval. And, chocolate is her weakness, and she loves watching old movies,” she told him in hopes of a distraction as she inserted the strap into the buckle and pulled with all her might.

  A scream rent the air, and she glanced down to watch the vampire pass out. Worried she’d killed him, she bent over and felt soft puffs of air against her cheek. She reached to his neck, felt a faint pulse and was relieved he was still alive. She grabbed under his armpits and dragged him behind a table to keep him safe from the clamoring mass of Metas and Humans.

  “I’m going to get help,” she promised as she stood to find the emergency responders and her best friend.

  The artificial sunlight was bright when she climbed through the empty window frame. Glancing back, she got a better view of the damage. The windowpanes and their frames were a total loss, the royal blue walls were scarred and burnt, and many of the ceiling tiles had shattered on the ground. Luckily, Uni Thai House of Siam had escaped the worst of the explosion.

  It looked like the focus of the attack was a salon two doors down because it was nothing but a smoking pile of rubble. The restaurant would be up and running much sooner than that establishment.

  White ash floated from the burning fires, coating everyone and everything. Wide eyes and slack jaws greeted her in dozens of bloody, soot-covered faces. The way the ash had settled on top of the blood made them look like zombies.

  Unable to find Charlotte, she began shouting her name again. She cringed at the attention garnered, but there was too much activity to search quietly.

  Meta and Human alike helped one another. There was no concern about which species deserved attention. People simply stepped up and offered aid as she had done with Jax. This cooperation was a small glimpse of the predicted vision for the Complex.

  The fact that a bomb had been set to kill innocents overshadowed the collaboration. Rayna would bet her next paycheck that it was the Human rebellion. It would be interesting to see what came of the investigation.

  In the next moments, several flyers appeared, and Intra rushed the scene. The black uniformed officers hopped from the vehicles and sprang into immediate action.

  Looking for medical personnel and not finding any, she grabbed onto an Intra officer’s arm. The female immediately reacted, drawing the segif strapped to her waist.

  Realizing her mistake, Rayna blurted, “There’s an injured vampire in the Thai restaurant.” She was relieved when the officer put the segif away. She’d seen what happened when the weapon was fired and didn’t care to be unconscious a second time that day.

  “Are there other survivors in there?” she asked. Rayna thought her Meta, but it was impossible to tell. She had Human features and no differentiating scent that some Metas carried.

  Rayna nodded her head frantically. “Yes, several. We weren’t hit as bad as the salon was.”

  “Are you injured?” the Intra officer asked next.

  “I hit my head and blacked out for a minute, but I’m fine,” she explained, craning her neck as she continued searching for Charlotte, but didn’t see her distinctive red hair and curvy body.

  Everyone looked alike with ash covering their heads and clothing. For once, Rayna’s long silver hair blended with the crowd.

  “You could have a concussion. Head down to the ice cream shop. They are setting up triage there. Make sure you’re cleared by medical before you go home. A concussion is serious business,” the officer barked before heading to assist others.

  Charlotte could be down by triage, she thought. “I will. Thank you,” she replied before she made her way through the crowd.

  “Rayna!” she heard a female voice call out.

  Turning her head, she saw her co-worker, Shell. Shell was a sweet Human who helped Rayna learn the ropes of the service industry.

  “Oh my God, Rayna! Are you okay?” the female asked with eyes wide as saucers.

  Shell wiped her forehead, leaving a red smear in its wake. The sight of the blood told Rayna the female was injured, but not badly. Her drab gray top was ruined, and one of her shoes was missing.

  The severity of what occurred floored Rayna, and she staggered under the weight of her near miss with death.

  Glancing down, Rayna noticed tears in her shirt. Much more disturbing was the blood that covered her clothes and shoes. Her stomach and side was scratched, but the wounds were superficial. Most of the blood came from helping Jax.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Have you seen
Charlotte?” she asked, becoming more worried about her friend’s whereabouts.

  “I saw her a few minutes ago. She looked dazed and confused, but I guess that’s to be expected. Shit, I’m rambling. Sorry. I have no idea where she went,” Shell told her as she glanced from side to side.

  Relief swept through her system at hearing Charlotte was alive. She wanted to take off and find her friend but couldn’t leave Shell. They’d all been through a trauma and obviously, it shook the Human. The female had been there for Rayna when she needed it and the least she could do was stay and listen to her.

  “Can you believe this? Have you heard who’s responsible?” the woman continued in a voice barely above a whisper.

  Rayna understood her co-worker’s concern. She was worried it had been the Human rebellion and that it would reflect poorly on her since she belonged to the same species. Rayna ignored her fear over the possibility and wrapped her arms around Shell.

  “Crazy people did this. Fucking heartless bastards and you are nothing like that,” Rayna replied as she squeezed her, offering support. “I need to get to the medical area and find Charlotte. If you see her, tell her I’m looking for her,” Rayna added, as her anxiety overrode everything else.

  “Will do. And, thank you, Ray,” Shell said before Rayna took off again.

  She’d taken no more than two steps when she saw a sight that had her blood turning to ice. About ten feet away, a Buruburu hovered above the crowd, and it looked like he was inhaling, if ghosts could inhale.

  She had heard of the phantom spirits but had never seen one. The male was a mixture of shades of blue, had a skeletal face and shoulder-length brown hair. His frame was tall and willowy, draped in tattered rags and ended with claw-tipped hands. He was by far the most terrifying thing she’d ever encountered, yet she was oddly drawn to him.