The Urban Supernatural Guy

Chapter 2: Blood and Betrayals

Marcus's hands shook as he stared at the photo of Amanda. His little sister, who should have been twenty-three now, looked exactly like she had at eighteen. Same dark hair, same stubborn chin, same eyes that held too much intelligence for her own good.

"This is impossible," he whispered. "She died in the accident. I saw the death certificate."

Sophia moved closer, her heels crunching on broken glass. "Did you see the body?"

The question hit him like a punch to the gut. No. He hadn't seen the body. Victor had handled all the arrangements while Marcus was locked up, waiting for his hearing. By the time he got out on bail, Amanda was already buried in a closed casket.

"You son of a bitch." The words came out in a growl that didn't sound entirely human.

"Save the anger for later," Sophia said. "Right now we need to move fast. This warehouse—I know it. It's in Ashford territory, surrounded by his security. They're not planning to let you walk out of there."

Marcus was already putting on his jacket. "Then they're going to be disappointed."

"Wait." Sophia grabbed his arm, and for a second he felt something strange. A spark of recognition, like his supernatural senses were picking up something familiar about her. "You can't just charge in there. They've had five years to prepare for your return."

"And I've had five years to become something they can't prepare for."

He pulled away from her touch, but not before noticing how her fingers lingered on his arm. There was something about Sophia Chen that didn't add up. The way she'd found him, the way she knew about his father's real business, the way her presence felt like an electric current against his enhanced senses.

"There's something you're not telling me," he said.

"There's a lot I'm not telling you. But right now, your sister is more important than my secrets."

Marcus studied her face. Beautiful, but there was steel underneath. The kind of woman who'd survived in a world that ate people alive. The kind who might be useful in what was coming.

"Fine. But we do this my way."

They took the elevator down to the parking garage. Marcus had rented a black Mercedes—fast, quiet, unremarkable. As they drove through the city streets, he found himself stealing glances at Sophia. She sat perfectly still, but he could feel tension radiating from her.

"Tell me about my father's real business," he said.

"Not now."

"My sister's life is on the line. I think now is exactly the time."

Sophia sighed. "Your father was investigating something called the Midnight Syndicate. A group of supernatural beings who'd infiltrated human society at the highest levels. They were using companies like Vale Industries as fronts for something bigger."

Marcus almost drove off the road. "Supernatural beings?"

"You really don't remember, do you? What happened to you five years ago. How you survived. Where you've been."

Images flashed through his mind. A cave. Ancient symbols carved into stone. A voice speaking in a language he didn't recognize but somehow understood. Pain that felt like being rebuilt from the inside out.

"I remember some of it."

"Your father was killed because he got too close to the truth. They framed you to discredit anything he might have told you. But they didn't count on you finding your way into their world."

The warehouse district loomed ahead. Empty buildings and broken streetlights, the kind of place where screams wouldn't carry. Marcus parked two blocks away and checked his watch. Eleven thirty. The message had said midnight.

"They'll have snipers on the surrounding rooftops," Sophia said. "Motion sensors on the approaches. Probably twenty guys inside, all armed."

"How do you know all this?"

Instead of answering, Sophia pulled a gun from her purse. Not some lady's pistol—a military-grade Glock with custom modifications. She handled it like she'd been born with it in her hands.

"Because I've been planning to hit Victor Ashford's operations for six months. This warehouse is where he keeps the people he wants to disappear."

Marcus felt his power stirring. The supernatural abilities he'd gained in that other realm, the ones he'd been careful to keep hidden. But if Amanda was in there, if they'd kept her alive for five years just to use her against him...

"Stay close," he said. "And whatever you see, don't freak out."

They moved through the shadows between buildings. Marcus could feel the energy flowing through him, heightening his senses. He heard heartbeats from the warehouse, at least fifteen different rhythms. Smelled gun oil and fear and something else—something that made his supernatural instincts scream danger.

"There," Sophia whispered, pointing to a side entrance. "Two guards, but they're getting sloppy."

Marcus looked at the guards. Young guys, probably hired muscle who thought they were just watching some rich man's storage facility. They had no idea what they were really dealing with.

He closed his eyes and reached out with abilities most humans couldn't imagine. The power flowed through the air like invisible lightning, wrapping around the guards' minds. Sleep, it whispered. Rest.

Both men slumped against the wall, snoring softly.

Sophia stared at him. "What the hell was that?"

"Part of what I learned in the last five years."

They moved inside. The warehouse was a maze of shipping containers and wooden crates. Marcus could hear voices from deeper in the building, and underneath it all, the rapid heartbeat of someone terrified.

Amanda.

They crept between the containers, following the sound. Marcus's enhanced hearing picked up fragments of conversation.

"—should have killed her years ago—"

"—boss wants her alive until he gets here—"

"—better hope Vale takes the bait—"

They reached the edge of the main floor. In the center, surrounded by armed men, was a chair with someone tied to it. Marcus's heart stopped.

It was Amanda. Older, thinner, with scars that spoke of years of captivity, but alive. His little sister was alive.

One of the guards was walking toward her with a knife.

Marcus didn't think. The power exploded out of him like a shockwave. Every light in the warehouse burst. The guards stumbled in the sudden darkness, shouting in confusion.

But as Marcus moved to attack, something slammed into him from behind. Not a person—something else. Something that felt wrong against his supernatural senses.

He hit the ground hard and rolled, coming up to see a figure in a black suit standing where he'd been. Tall, pale, with eyes that reflected light like an animal's.

"Hello, Marcus," the thing said in a voice like silk over steel. "We've been waiting for you to come home."

Behind him, more figures emerged from the shadows. Not human. Their movement was too fluid, too graceful. Their scent was all wrong.

Sophia raised her gun, but one of the creatures moved faster than human eyes could follow. Her weapon went flying, and she hit the wall hard enough to crack the concrete.

"Surprised?" the first creature asked. "Did you really think your father stumbled onto our operations by accident? Did you think we killed him without learning what he knew?"

Marcus's power flared again, but this time it felt different. Weaker. Like something was dampening it.

"The symbols carved into your arms," the creature continued. "Very impressive work. Master Chen taught you well. But he forgot to mention that we taught him first."

The world tilted. Everything Marcus thought he knew, everything he'd planned, crumbled in an instant.

"You see, Marcus Vale died five years ago. What came back is something we made. Something we needed. A weapon pointed at the human world's throat."

Amanda raised her head, and when she looked at him, her eyes glowed with the same unnatural light as the creatures.

"Hello, brother," she said in a voice that wasn't quite her own anymore. "Ready to fulfill your purpose?"