Mates for Quinn

The Heist

Markus

Grey is acting up. Again. We are on our way to check the old warehouse where my uncle lost his life a few years back, following by all the s*hit that happened just last year with the Stone Pack and all that stuff. It’s a simple task and shouldn’t take much time or energy but my stepbrother and best friend in the whole world is out of it.

It started the minute we got into the jeep and it’s still going on now that we are in the middle of nowhere, the storm is raging at full swing above our heads and I am flinching like a freak at every f*ucking lighting that tears up the sky. That’s stupid song that he’s playing on repeat all day is not helping my case, like at all.

Goddess, how I hate storms. Maybe the only thing I hate more is when Grey starts brooding like the way he is now. I mean, his eyes are focused unseeingly somewhere in front of him which is concerning as he’s the one driving. His fists are clenched on the steering wheel, knuckles white, and his entire body seems locked up in whatever nightmare is running through his head, while he’s overassessing over the same song for hours. I bet he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, he just needs the background noice

From my passenger seat all I can do is steal glances at him but I don’t ask him what’s all that about. I’ve known him for fifteen years and he’s always been adamant to talk about his mood swings. The only thing I am going to earn if I bring the subject up, is more brooding from him but mixed with completely ignoring me and I can’t live in a world where my Grey ignores me. I mean, here Grey ignores me. I don’t know where that my came from. He’s his own man, not mine.

Finally, he pulls the jeep to a stop about twenty feet behind the warehouse and gets out without even waiting for me. He knows I f*ucking hate getting wet yet he completely dismisses it and doesn’t wait for me to at least put on the raincoat I brought, and I can barely hold myself from rolling my eyes as I follow him put.

By the time we get inside the warehouse I am soaked, my hair sticking to my head and I am shivering a little because it’s f*ucking March and we should be at the bar and not here at this godforsaken wasteland of all places. But we work for the king right now, a promotion in a way, and when his royal assholeness tells us his witch sensed the seal he put in place on the warehouse is broken and probably someone plans to steal from us, we immediately obey and go check. That’s why he hired us in the first place - to do his bidding.

Not that I expect that the threat is real - who in their right mind would go poking around a murder scene which is believed to be riddled with ghosts? Not to mention, our pack’s own personal witches made sure to put enough protection spells, and a few curses on top to prevent anyone from even thinking to enter the place.

That’s why I am so damn surprised when Grey stops in his tracks just in front of the door and just stands there staring at the lock. He’s got the reverse spell to open the door written on a note but he’s not using it. He just stands there like a statue and stares at it.

“What?” I ask, raising my voice so that it goes through the sound of the storm.

Finally, just as a lightening strikes the sky, Grey turns to face me and even in the darkness that follows, I can see his pissed off expression. Then he fixes his dark eyes on me and stands taller as if he’s waiting for me to catch up. We are chest to chest right now and it gets a bit hard to focus on anything but the warmth radiating from his large body. It’s like a f*ucking beacon in this downpour.

For a moment, his gaze drops to my mouth and I hold my breath, my heart skipping a beat. Then, just like always, he clears his throat and steps away from me, his body locking up again, that damn wall he likes to build around himself so f*ucking frustrating I want to scream.

“It’s unlocked,” he grumbles and motions towards the door.

“What?” I mumble completely forgotten about the job we came to do. And then, when my messed up brain catches up, I blink like a fool. “Wait, what?”

I push him out of the way and go to stare at the door. It’s open, the lock is busted. The lock Ian and Geneva put one of the most powerful protection spells on. Now, that can’t be good.

“Another witch?” I whisper as I study the damn thing.

“Or someone who has the reverse spell and knows how to use it,” Grey replies and this is the longest sentence he’s given me for the entire day.

“F*uck!” I mumble, itching to kick something, or someone. Or just go pull someone’s hair. Because the only people who know the reverse spell are Ian and the king, and me and Greyson, and our cousin, Geneva, who’s halfway across the world right now.

“Yeah, f*uck,” Grey repeats as he pushes the door open.

I steal a last glance at the wilderness that surrounds us, letting my extra hearing and eye-sight do their work, but there is no one else here. Not a single living thing except us is stupid enough to walk around in a storm like that. Then I focus on the inside and manage to distinguish three different sets of footsteps, one much heavier than the others. A quickened heartbeat, like the person it belongs to is scared for some reason, not that I blame them, I mean… they are in a haunted warehouse, there is a storm raging outside and then there is me and my brother and we will give them hell for breaking in, so…

A moment later we are inside, surrounded by darkness but I am no longer feeling happy that we are finally hidden from the cold rain. I am slightly trembling in my soaked coat and now I am pissed off too as my suspicions rise with every step I take further.

It’s a human’s job. I can sense their scent, or lack of such. Which should be impossible, I mean why on earth would a human even want to break into this place of all places in the world?

“I don’t like this,” I tell Grey as we speed up on our way down the creepy corridor. Dirt is crunching under my feet breaking the eery silence and I hate how everything here smells like graves and f*ucking corpses. Maybe because of the trail of bodies we tend to leave every time we happen to arrive here. Four years ago it was our uncle’s gang of rogues who wanted to overpower our alpha and bring us to our knees, big mistake. And then last year, that nasty Ranier dude who kidnapped a kid and an old lady because of greed. We took care of the problem both times, but it still gives me chills, thinking about this place.

“Yeah,” Grey grumbles and I really don’t like how he’s shutting me off.

“Yeah, sure,” I roll my eyes at him even though he’s walking ahead of me and can’t see it.

I mean, why can’t he be on my side, best friend and stepbrother and all that? I may be wrong but it would be nice if he had my back for once. Like respond to my musings for once, talk with me like an adult and all that?

Shaking my head to clear my mind from my own assholeness, I hurry down the corridor, not noticing the damn pile of junk on my left and knock some rusty pipes down. They rattle on the dirty floor with an eery sound that creeps me out especially when for a second it feels like the entire place goes completely still. Like even the ghosts stop in their tracks and shift their attention to me.

“Really, Mark?” Grey turns to face me and his dark eyes flash like a cat’s in my direction.

I only have time to shrug and make an apologetic face when heavy footsteps approach us from the main hall. Then I curse under my breath, taking hide into the shadows as Grey does the same on the opposite direction, both of us on high alert in an instant.

In an instant all is forgotten and me and my stepbrother are just two soldiers on a mission and having each other’s backs as always. I mean, I maybe annoyed with the way Grey acts but the moment push comes to shove, he’s all I can think of. My reason to fight in a way.

Not that we need to fight if it’s just humans. And it is humans, I was right. One of them, a measly little guy that appears in front of us, mumbling something about a cat. In the distance I can hear the two others with him bickering.

Grey and I share a confused look through the shadows. How the f*uck did three humans manage to break in? The thin one that walks right past us looking for his damn cat does not seem like much of a deal. He has greasy hair and he smells and I instantly catch a dislike for him.

I step behind him and punch him in the face. He goes limp at the impact and Grey steps to catch him before he falls on the ground. Just for good measure I punch the guy in the gut and this time he lets out a little scream but it’s too late as he hits the ground, Grey completely giving up on keeping quiet.

When our eyes meet, I can sense the question in his, I can see how pissed off he is now at me, even more than before, so I am the one dismissing him this time with a shrug which I am sure pisses him even more. See how that feels, big guy.

And then the other, some bigger dudes, but just as ugly, comes running against us, fists swinging and I really, really have to roll my eyes at him because… humans, urgh.

“Well, look at our little thief showing his little teeth,” I trail off as I land my fists into his face.

I punch him a few more times too, not holding back on my shifter strength, and he collapses right next to his buddy in a pile of limbs and flesh. Just to be sure and because he’s bigger than his buddy, I kick him too and Grey has to remind me to be careful because humans are actually breakable and it’s illegal to kill them just because.

“Grey, when have I ever broken a human?” I ask, my voice sounding offended because I really have never done anything like hurting humans. I don’t even mix with them most of the time, except when it is for f*ucking, because it’s hard to find what I am looking for on a daily basis among the pack. Not when the one shifter I actually want… oops, no. My brain, and body are definitely not going there right now. Nope.

Thankfully, Grey is not paying attention to me anymore, his eyes are locked on the third guy and he is pale as a ghost. I turn my face to the third human, who’s just standing a few feet away from us, just staring at my brother with wide eyes, the light from his flashlight almost blinding. My attention snaps behind him, my eyes widening with surprise and confusion - the guy has somehow opened the damn shutter doors, which were cursed as well and is about to step onto the stairs. All the while Grey is just frozen there, staring back as if the kid’s grown a second head or something.

“Man, what the f*uck?” I shout, not completely sure which one of them I am talking to, because, f*uck, I forgot about the witch trap, set in place over the basement and if that man, boy, whatever, makes another step back and falls down the stairs, he’s doomed.

I mean, I am an evil bastard, and I am all for punishing trespassers, but I really don’t want to see a kid like him, so young, all angel looking with that soft blond hair and wide blue eyes, get fried on a curse designed to protect another curse from magical creatures.

Too late though. Before either me or Grey are able to anything about it, he walks backwards right into the trap. Even if I know it is too late, I run towards him in a desperate attempt to stop him while Grey just stands there doing nothing.

The kid’s body goes rigid the moment the energy of the curse hits him and before I am able to do anything about it, he falls back down the stairs, his head hitting the floor with a loud thud.