Night's Captive by Cheyenne McCray

like it had never happened.
    She had the irrational urge to cry and she found herself angry with him. He was the one who had come into her room. Yes, she had wanted him and had made that clear, but he had taken that step that allowed them to spend an amazing night together.
    How dare he treat her like this? She swallowed down a lump that had gathered in her throat and shook her head.
    No, she was being irrational. It had just been sex, after all. It had just been sex.
    * * * * *
    That evening, after Alec returned from his errands, he took Loni with him to the next Enforcer meeting.
    “Sonofabitch.” Strike put his feet up on the coffee table of the meeting room in the back of the Bar None. Like the rest of the Enforcers, he was outfitted for a busy night. “So Dawson’s been behind this human-paranorm crap that’s been going on.”
    Alec crossed his arms over his chest, his mind turning one thing after another as he continued to think over the problem: stopping the sorcerer. “The human we interviewed last night gave us rock-solid information.”
    Petra leaned forward and her red hair slid over her bare shoulder. “It makes perfect sense. Dawson has dealt just about every drug imaginable that affects paranorms.”
    Dani moved her wheelchair in a little closer to the other Enforcers. “Only this one affects humans.”
    “What’s it called?” Lyle asked.
    “Propara,” Alec replied.
    Rider stood as usual with his shoulder hitched up against the wall. He narrowed his green eyes. “What’s the plan?”
    “The human gave us the name and address of one of the sorcerer’s head dealers.” Alec leaned his hip against an overstuffed chair. “I’ve done a preliminary check on this Samuel Rogers and he’s managed to keep under the radar.”
    Jazz, who’d been standing near Holden, sat on the couch beside Loni. “We’re going to shake him down?” Jazz asked.
    Alec nodded. “From what we’ve gathered from initial surveillance starting late last night, humans and paranorms come and go from the house Samuel owns until the early hours of the morning.”
    Petra leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs at her knees. “Is the whole team going in?”
    “No.” Alec pointed to Rider, Lyle, Petra, and Loni. “Only those of you who I sent the information to. I sent schematics to your phones along with a sorcerer’s rendering of Samuel’s image. The rest of you will go about your duties as normal and be on call to back us up if necessary.”
    “You’re gonna have all the fun?” Strike smirked. “Doesn’t seem fair.”
    “Time to get to work,” Alec said. “I want those going with me to Samuel’s to stay a moment. The rest of you can head on out.”
    When only the five of them remained, they sat on the couches as Alec spoke. “We’ll wear the earpieces and observe a while before we go in and have a talk with Samuel.”
    “And bring him in?” Petra asked.
    “Likely,” Alec said. “It all depends on how cooperative he is.”
    Loni sat quietly, likely wondering what her part in this would be. He planned for her to stay at his side. He would keep her safe.
    Alec went to the wall to the left and put his hand up to a sensor pad. It read his handprint and then the wall opened up from the middle. The divided wall slid open to either side, revealing a host of weapons and combat gear among other things, including earpieces. He handed the three Enforcers and Loni each an earpiece then took one for himself.
    Again, like the Enforcers, Loni was wearing black leather from top all the way to supple leather boots that had been procured for her. She looked so damned beautiful.
    As their gazes met, his thoughts turned to last night, a monumental mistake. He’d been so stupid to go to her and take her the way he had. A human. He’d taken a human.
    Her gaze looked troubled and he wondered if she regretted it, too. Then he had to admit to himself that the way he’d treated her today, avoiding her as much as possible