by Brenda Trim
Mistletoe & Mayhem
Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Copyright © 2015 by Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Editor: Amanda Fitzpatrick
Cover Art by Damon Trim
*****
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the authors.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those who forever believe in the magic of the holidays!
Table of contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Sample Chapter Pema's Storm
Sample Chapter Isis' Betrayal
Sample Chapter Suvi's Revenge
CHAPTER ONE
Jessie glanced down at her gas gauge and admitted she’d been playing the gas game too long. Her best friend, Cailyn, hated when she pushed the limits with how far she could make it. When the light blinked and the car dinged, indicating there was one mile before empty, she conceded it was time to stop and fill-up. Now that she was close to her parent’s home, she was familiar with the streets. She took the next exit and turned left at the stop sign.
She pulled up to a pump right as her car began a death shudder. That was cutting it too damn close. Laughing to herself, she typed a quick text to Cailyn, sharing her new record with her. She climbed out of the car and stretched her back. It had been a long fifteen hour drive from Seattle to San Francisco. Normally, she made better time, but the weather had been crappy through Oregon. It was official, she hated sleeting rain.
She shoved her debit card into the slot and set the pump to autofill. She huddled into her jacket and leaned against her Chevy Cruze. She’d had the car for a few years and it had never let her down. Plus, it got great gas mileage and was sporty looking.
Almost forgetting the neighborhood she was in, she tuned out her distracting thoughts and focused on her surroundings. She was no longer in the comforts of upper-class Seattle, but instead, was in the heart of the slums of San Francisco. It still made her sad that her hometown had changed so much over the years. It used to be a wonderful place to raise a family, but had become a gang-infested nightmare. Her parents were stubborn and refused to move to a safer area, declaring they’d been born there and would die there.,
Thinking of her parents reminded her of why she was on the road-trip from hell. She hadn’t been home since late that summer and with good reason. She had been attacked and bitten by an archdemon, turning her into a dhampir . At least, that was what she called herself.
There was no official term in the Tehrex Realm for females that had been bitten. Typically, their targets were young men. When the demons envenomated a male he became a skirm. Skirm were mindless minions, following the demon’s every command and were to be eliminated on sight.
She had been through so many changes since her turning and not all of them were bad. Her body was now lean and muscular and she hadn’t once gone to the gym. Her vision was sharper and she had the ability to see people in infrared. The biggest adjustment was that she needed blood to survive. She could still enjoy all of her favorite food and drinks, and thank God for that, because she couldn’t imagine life without pizza and beer, but blood was essential.
She ran her tongue over one of her fangs, thinking of how she was going to break the news to her family. She had no idea how she was going to tell them what had happened, and, in fact, had avoided them for months. She worried they wouldn’t accept her now that they were, in a sense, on her menu. They were the most loving and accepting people on the planet, but even they may have a problem being dinner. Of course, she would never harm them, or anyone else, for that matter. Truth was she had never fed from anyone. Cailyn’s mate, Jace, worked at a hospital and brought bagged blood home to her. At first, she could barely stomach the red liquid, but, over time had acquired a taste for it.
Stamping her boots to get some feeling back in her feet, she cringed at the way they stuck to the pavement. She wasn’t going to contemplate what substance may be on the concrete, God only knew in this neighborhood.
Jessie glanced around, admiring the graffiti-littered walls of the surrounding buildings. The thugs who left the murals were very talented, she acknowledged, and could probably do something more positive with their lives. Sad part was they were stuck by circumstance with one gang marking this side of the street and a rival gang claiming the other. A woman alone in this area should be frightened, but with her recent transition came super-human strength and she was certain she could beat the hell out of anyone she may face and that gave her a confidence she hadn’t had before.
The roar of an engine caught her attention and she turned her head to watch a motorcycle pull up to the pump next to her. She didn’t know the style, but she’d recognize the sound of a Harley anywhere. He was smart, she thought, seeing that he wore a sleek black helmet. Too many humans hated wearing them, but they saved more lives. He unclipped the buckle and lifted the helmet off his head, and at that moment, her heart skipped a beat.
She was face-to-face with a Greek God, all chiseled perfection. She didn’t need to see the rest of his body to know it would be as perfect as his face. He shook his dark brown hair, ruffling the longer curls on top. He turned his back to her and removed the nozzle before he ran his card through the machine. She quickly glanced at her reflection in her passenger window, trying to fluff her long blonde hair. She looked a hot mess, of course.
She glanced over at him and when he ever-so-slightly began shaking his ass to the music that was playing from the overhead speakers she was transfixed by the sight. Seeing him move gave her a new appreciation for Jason Derulo ‘s music. He filled out his jeans nicely and had the finest ass she’d ever seen.
He must’ve felt her gaze on him because he turned and met her eyes. She blushed, wanting to look away, but was caught in his hazel depths. He leaned against the seat of his bike and crossed his feet at the ankles, smirking the entire time. Everything about him shouted sex appeal and she had no doubt that he knew it.
Gawking like an idiot, she panicked. Her gas wasn’t done pumping so she couldn’t jump into her car and drive away. She blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You must be hot-blooded to be driving that bike around in this weather.” She wanted to crawl in a hole and die, she sounded like a moron.
His eyes sparkled with mystery as his grin widened. He was, no doubt, silently laughing at her. “You could say that.” And then silence.
Okay, now she was feeling even more awkward. She heard the click of the pump, indicating her tank was full, and, yet, she didn’t want to leave. “So, do you live around here?”
His smile showed all his teeth which were perfectly straight and looked even whiter against his bronzed skin. She smiled back but was pretty sure all she’d managed to do was enter Rainman territory. Maybe he would think she was autistic and take pity on her. “No, I’m just passing through. You?”
“No. Yeah. Well, I used to,” she grimaced, suddenly conscious of her fangs and made an effort to hide them. The fangs were another side effect of her new status. Unlike vampires, she wasn’t able to retract them, but hers were small and if she kept her mouth mostly closed, they didn’t show. She’d been lectured numerous times to hide what she’d b
ecome from humans.
“Visiting a boyfriend?” he asked, his gaze never leaving her face. Well, he was direct and to the point. Maybe he hadn’t put her in the special needs category, after all.
“No. I’m home for the holidays. Visiting my brother and my parents. Where are you headed?” She glanced down, appreciating his muscular build and his tight jeans that left little to the imagination. He was a leftie, she thought, averting her gaze. He gave a new meaning to the term lean as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Nowhere in particular. I needed a break from the chaos at home and jumped on my bike.”
“How can you just hop on your bike and take off? Don’t you have a job?” Okay, now she was a rude moron. She wished the ground would open and swallow her whole.
“I’m in the military, so to speak.” He seemed reluctant to say more and she wondered if he was an Army Ranger or even a Navy Seal because he definitely had that badass look to him. “So, what is there to do around here?” She wanted to shout, “Me!” but bit her tongue. She really needed to get a grip and fast. She forced her body to move, removing the gas nozzle from her car and returning it to the dispenser.
“San Francisco has just about everything you can imagine. If you’re into the touristy stuff, there is plenty to do around Fisherman’s Wharf. Throughout the city there are dance clubs, sports bars, pubs, restaurants, movies. You name it, we have it. What are you interested in?”
“What about around here? Isn’t that where you’ll be staying?”
She narrowed her eyes, unsure where he was going with this. She didn’t date a lot and couldn’t read a man to save her life. She’d been kinda seeing Thane, one of the San Francisco Dark Warriors, but the last time they went out, there wasn’t that same spark and she figured the flame had died. In fact, she hadn’t even called him to let him know she was coming to town. She had come to the conclusion she wasn’t a fan of long-distance relationships. She had no idea where this mystery-man was from, but she was beyond attracted to him.
If he crooked his finger, she’d blow off her family reunion in a heartbeat for at least a night with him. Not that she was the promiscuous type, but there was something about him that had her wanting to throw caution to the wind and go for a wild ride.
“You don’t want to stay around here much longer. It’s almost full-dark and the gangs will be out soon. That bike of yours is way too nice and they will snatch it in a hot-minute.”
“I think I’ll take my chances,” he said, without a trace of concern in his tone. “Can you recommend a bar where I can get some food? I find that I’m suddenly,” he paused, looking her over from head to toe, “famished.” She wanted to fan herself. That man could melt ice with his eyes and he was turning her into a puddle.
If she didn’t watch it, she’d be flat on her back, legs spread, on the dirty concrete. She couldn’t stop the vision of him feasting on her or how her body responded to the idea. Her nipples hardened and her core clenched with need. What was it about him that had her insane with lust? Her mind didn’t typically go towards taboo scenarios yet she couldn’t get her head out of the gutter with him.
Shaking off her irrational illusions, she struggled to remember his question. Oh yeah, bar and food. “Depends on what you want. Good pub grub, greasy bar food, or some of the healthy crap California is known for,” she responded, surely displaying her idiocy once more.
“Where do you like to go?”
She felt her cheeks redden again under his scrutiny. Was he asking her out? “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re fishing for information on me,” she teased, trying to sound all flirty, but failing miserably.
He leaned forward, mere inches separating them. “And if I am?” All of a sudden, her aversion to feeding from someone disappeared. The artery in his neck pulsed under his skin, calling her name. She wanted to sink her fangs into his soft flesh and get drunk on his blood. He smelled divine, a little spicy, but unlike anyone she’d ever encountered. She wasn’t used to her sensitive preternatural sense of smell, yet, but didn’t care with how delectable he was. She inhaled deeply, losing all train of thought.
“Hello?”
“Huh? Oh, there’s not much to tell. I’m pretty boring, actually,” she stammered. Oh, for Pete’s sake, was that the best answer she could come up with? She should just shoot herself now and get it over with. She’d shoved her foot so far into her mouth she couldn’t possibly see a way out.
“I highly doubt that. You never said where you like to go.” He stood up and replaced his own nozzle, grabbed his receipt and shoved it into his pocket.
“Ummm, there’s this little hole in the wall called Hanovers. It’s a sports bar, and there’s really nothing all that special about it, but I love their cheese fries and they have a variety of beers. On weekends they have live music, if you’re into that kinda thing.” Damn, she was practically asking him out on a date, how pathetic was she? She had to get a handle on her libido, fast, before she latched onto his leg, begging him to join her for a night of unbridled passion.
“Sounds right up my alley, I’ll have to check it out. I’m a sucker for cheese anything,” he said, winking at her. He was drop-dead gorgeous! But, to her disappointment, he wasn’t taking the bait and attempting to see her again. He probably had dozens of women throwing themselves at him every day of the week and twice on Saturdays.
Men like him were total players, anyway. She didn’t need that added drama in her already-complicated life. She imagined how that conversation would go. “Oh, by the way, Mr. Sexy-As-All-Get-Out, I’m a dhampir and I’d like nothing more than to latch onto your neck and drink your blood.” Yeah, not gonna happen in this lifetime. She needed to get the hell out of there while she still had an ounce of dignity.
“Well, I better get going. Nice to have met you, uh…I didn’t get your name,” she threw over her shoulder as she turned towards her car, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.
“James. And you are?”
“Jessie” She almost laughed aloud as she put the two names together. As she climbed in her car and drove away, she glanced at the sexy biker in her rearview mirror and silently prayed their paths would cross again.
CHAPTER TWO
Jessie drove down the crowded street, unable to stop thinking about the hot guy at the gas station. Since when had she become one of those women who lost her mind when she was around a good-looking man? This had never happened to her before, but there she’d stood, in all her glory, spouting bullshit to a guy because he had a dazzling smile and hypnotic eyes. And, let’s not forget his fine ass that was burned into her memory.
Jessie was suddenly glad she hadn’t taken one of the SUV’s like Cailyn had suggested as she continued to search for a parking spot. Her parents didn’t have a driveway; in fact, no one on the street did, forcing her to find on-street parking and there was no way in hell she would’ve found room for the beast Cailyn drove. Although, it would’ve been nice to have when she’d passed through the icy mountains.
She maneuvered her way into a space a block from the house and sat in her car, mentally preparing herself for what she may face. She grabbed her suitcase from the back seat, rolling it behind her as she made her way to the home she grew up in. She paused in front of Gary Schmidt’s old house, remembering how they’d shared their first kiss on his stoop. The Schmidt’s no longer lived there. Nearly everyone had moved away and the neighborhood seemed like a stranger with its new owners and renovations to the small homes.
She sloshed her way down the wet street and was in front of her home way too soon it seemed. Night had fallen and the Christmas lights around the house were twinkling in the dark. The pitiful-looking plastic Santa they’d had since she was ten years old sat in the small patch they called a front yard. She walked up to it, noticing the white end of his cap had rotted away. She brushed a leaf from his sack of toys and chuckled at how her mother wouldn’t get rid of anything, no matter how bad it looked.
She climbed
the stairs and turned the handle on the front door. When it opened, she shook her head, flabbergasted her parents still left it unlocked. How many nearby break-ins had to occur before they started taking necessary precautions?
“Hello, I’m home,” she called out, walking down the narrow hall that led to the family room and kitchen.
Her mom poked her head around the doorway of the kitchen and her face lit up in a huge smile. “Jessie, sweetheart,” she squealed, enveloping her in soft arms. Jessie closed her eyes and breathed in the combination of her pear-scented hand lotion and the flowers of her favorite perfume.
“Junebug, how’s my girl?” Her dad was pulling her from her mother’s arms and squeezing her in a bear hug. Before meeting the other Dark Warriors, her dad had been the strongest man she’d ever known. In her mind, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t conquer. Now, thanks to her supernatural strength, he felt fragile in her arms and it made her throat clog with emotion. A girl should never be stronger than her dad.
“Hey, brat.” She looked up and saw Chase leaning in the doorway. She didn’t miss the way he stuffed a red bandana into his front pocket and logged that bit of information for later. Her idiot brother better not have joined a gang.
“Hey, Chase. You look good.”
“Are you hungry? I made your favorite macadamia nut cookies.” She smiled at her mom, making sure to keep her lips over her fangs.
“No matter how good a cook Elsie is, she can’t compete with your cookies, mom.”
She walked into the family room and was taken back to her childhood at the sight of the Christmas tree. Her dad always went out and chopped down a fresh tree and the balsam scent filled the room. The handmade ornaments she and Chase had made over the years were her favorite even though some were coming apart. She could spot the ones that her mom had repaired, and for once, she appreciated her belief in hanging onto things no matter how bad they looked. The colored lights reflected off her mom’s collection of blown-glass nutcrackers. Her mom’s voice caught her attention and she walked back to the kitchen.
