Billionaires and Bodybags

by Keira Blackwood

  She gave me a small smile before closing her eyes and leaning her full weight into me.

  Keep out of reach of children. Fill empty portion of jar with shifter lifeblood, mix well, and apply to affected area up to two times daily for a maximum of three days. If wound does not heal within three days’ time, seek magical assistance immediately.

  “You know this requires shifter blood, right?” I asked her.

  “Didn’t read the instructions,” she said in a weak voice.

  “Good thing you have a willing donor,” Grayson said, and held out his arm.

  “Get someone else,” Kelly said without opening her eyes.

  “Seriously?” Grayson asked, shaking his arm in front of her face. “You’d rather die?”

  “I’m already dead,” she said.

  “We’re doing this,” I said.

  I looked up at Grayson with what I hoped was an expression that told him how thankful I was that he would do this for my sister. Then I bit his wrist and held the jar to the wound. It didn’t take much to fill the jar, thankfully. With his shifter healing, I would have had to bite him over and over again to get any real amount out of him, not that I would have minded, but it would have slowed things down.

  Bloody balm in hand, I closed the lid and shook the bottle.

  “Have you used this before?” Grayson asked Kelly.

  “Nope.”

  “How do you know it will work?” he asked.

  “I’ll try anything once. Except bleach,” she said. “That’ll kill anyone, even vampires.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not satisfied with her answer.

  I opened the lid and spread the balm over her wound. Immediately, her legs fell out from under her. Grayson caught her before she hit the ground, unconscious.

  “Let’s get her inside where it’s warm,” he said.

  I walked alongside him back to the B&B. We waited by the door while someone inside walked down the hall and up the steps. The whole shifter hearing thing was particularly convenient for keeping our problems on the down-low like Declan had commanded.

  When it was safe, I manned the doors while Grayson carried Kelly to his bed.

  “Do you think it’s working?” I asked. “Can you...smell it or something?”

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “She’ll be okay.”

  “How can you know?” I asked, a lump in my throat. “I didn’t expect her to collapse like that.”

  “Look at her neck,” he said.

  I did as he said, and he was right. The black lines were gone.

  I inspected the jar one more time and noticed there was a tiny tab at one of the corners of the label. I peeled it back and found more writing on the inside.

  Warning! Do not operate heavy machinery, swim, take a bath, or do anything other than lie down when first applying this balm. Expect and prepare for immediate unconsciousness, followed by delusional paranoia.

  Too bad I hadn’t read the warnings beforehand. It wouldn’t have changed anything, except we probably would have gotten Kelly to bed before applying it.

  There was a knock on the door. Grayson and I looked at each other. Then he went to see who was there, shielding Kelly and me with his body as he cracked open the door.

  “Hey, hi.” I recognized the chipper, nervous voice as Daphne’s.

  “Hi,” Grayson said.

  “I’ve been thinking…can we talk? Maybe over cookies in the kitchen?”

  “It’s not a great time,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me and Kelly.

  I knew Daphne could handle learning about the trouble we were in, but Declan had specifically told us to keep everyone else out of it.

  “Okay, but I’ve been thinking about your offer,” Daphne said. “And I want you to know that my initial reaction wasn’t one based on thinking, just feeling.”

  Grayson nodded. “It’s okay, Daphne, really.”

  “No,” she said. “It’s not. I like having control over every detail. It’s both something I take pride in and something I’m working on. I talked over your offer with Sophie. She has a business-oriented mind.”

  “You don’t have to decide anything right away,” Grayson said. “The reason I’m interested in your bed and breakfast is exactly because of the care you take in every detail.”

  “I get that now,” she said.

  “You do?”

  “Yep. And I have ideas. I threw together a few things...okay, it’s a scrapbook, a big, beautiful scrapbook with all kinds of ideas for the spa of my dreams. And I want to show you. And I want you to at least try the cookies I made for you while we hash out the details. Grayson, I’m just so freaking excited.”

  Grayson shot a look at me over his shoulder. He looked excited, but reluctant to leave me.

  “Go talk to her,” I said.

  “Is that Marla in there?” Daphne asked. Then before waiting for Grayson to answer, she said through the door, “Hi, Marla!”

  “Hi, Daphne.”

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt sexy alone time between mates,” Daphne said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not like that,” Grayson said.

  “Really, really sorry,” Daphne said. “The cookies will be there for later.”

  “Go,” I told Grayson, biting back a chuckle.

  He gave me a wink before following Daphne out into the hall. Daphne’s footsteps were fast and light, like she was prancing her way to the kitchen.

  I sat with Kelly, watching the rise and fall of her chest and wishing there was something more I could do. There were probably a number of questions I should have thought to ask, too, before she was knocked out. I should have insisted on details, but then again, I had tried asking what Andy had done to her.

  I paced around the bed and looked out through the curtains. It wouldn’t be too long before night fell, and Andy could strike again. We had to be ready. Kelly was out cold, so chances were it was just going to be me and Grayson against him. We could do it. We could kill Andy, couldn’t we?

  After a while, I decided to go check in on Grayson and Daphne. The two of them were shaking hands.

  “Partners!” Daphne exclaimed.

  “Partners,” Grayson said.

  Both turned to look at me.

  “You okay?” Daphne asked. “Need a cookie?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” I told her.

  “We should—” Grayson gestured toward the hall.

  “Yes of course,” Daphne said. “I know I’ve told you a bazillion times already, but I am so excited.”

  “Me, too,” he said with a warm smile.

  Grayson took my hand in his and led me past his room, to the front door. We took a seat on the porch swing and rocked gently in the setting sun.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “The same,” I said.

  “If Andy can’t be out in the daytime, she must have been attacked last night. It’s lucky she made it to us.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that. “Thanks for what you did.”

  “You already thanked me.”

  “I’m thanking you again.” I leaned on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. “I’d do anything for my mate.”

  There was that word again, mates.

  “Like move to a little town in Kentucky,” he said.

  “What?” I ran my finger down his arm, just to see what it felt like. His hair was rough, and the muscles beneath were hard and corded. I didn’t know if he was going to survive Andy. It was scary to love him because I knew what that meant. But I was pretty sure I couldn’t stop myself. Every moment we spent together was harder than the last for me to pretend I didn’t care. To lighten the mood, I said, “I don’t even know who I’m having for breakfast, or—”

  “Me. Only me.” He tilted my chin up so I had to look into his storm cloud eyes.

  And when I did, I couldn’t pretend anymore. “Only you,” I told him, because i
t was true, and because I loved him with every fiber of my being.

  He brushed his lips over mine, and my nerves sparked and lit like the fourth of July.

  “I have to travel for work,” he said. “But I could make Forbidden my home base. I’d always come back to you.”

  “I like the sound of that. We could open up the apartments above the shop, make it one big studio.” I’d spent so long being afraid. I didn’t want to worry anymore. I wanted Grayson, and the life we could build together. “But I can’t have kids,” I told him. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I only want you.”

  Total swoon. “Okay,” I said. “I concede. We’re mates.”

  He leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. It was a comfortable silence, where we were both content to just be in the moment, together.

  And then a horrible shriek cut through the quiet. It was the most obnoxious sound I’d ever heard. Grayson covered his ears. It must have been worse for him, as a shifter with sensitive hearing. The shrieking continued. The plastic rings on our fingers were swirling with red light like emergency sirens.

  This was our alarm.

  The trap had been triggered.

  14

  Grayson

  Marla yanked off her ring, and I yanked off mine, and the shrieking quieted. I could still hear it, though. “Where is that coming from?”

  “Kelly,” Marla breathed.

  We raced into the B&B and up the stairs.

  “We have to get to the traps,” Marla said.

  “We will, but Declan told us to keep things quiet. This is not quiet.”

  “Why are you blaming me?” she shouted.

  “I’m not blaming you!”

  We barreled into my room and saw the spinning, screaming ring on Kelly’s finger. Kelly’s eyes opened and she smiled. “Sparkly ring. I like it.”

  “Yes,” Marla said to her, raising her voice over the alarm. “It’s very nice. We need to take it off now, though.”

  “No!” Kelly said, holding her hand against her chest. “My sparkly ring.”

  I marched over to her. “For fuck’s sake, hand me the ring.”

  She shoved her hand all the way into her cleavage. “Nope.”

  The high-pitched shriek continued, not even muffled by the woman’s bosom. I looked at Marla, pleading. She shrugged.

  “Well, I’m not touching her boobs,” I said.

  Marla’s eyes flashed. “You better not!”

  I threw up my hands. “Exactly.”

  Marla wrestled with Kelly for a moment, while Kelly alternately kicked and hit her, yelling, “Bad lady! Bad lady stealing my jewelry!”

  I thought of holding down her flailing legs, but it was too funny. Marla turned around and snarled, “I have her hand! Grab the ring!”

  Darting forward, I tugged the offensive piece of jewelry from Kelly’s finger.

  “Bad man! Bad man!” Kelly shouted, smacking me.

  “What’s going on in there?” a voice called from the other side of the door. “Marla? Grayson? Is everything okay?”

  It was Daphne. Remembering Declan’s instruction to keep things quiet, I struggled to come up with an excuse.

  “Um, just kinky sex stuff,” I called back. “We’re good.”

  “Marla, is that...fun for you?” Daphne asked, concern in her voice.

  “Mmm, yes,” Marla said, winking at me. “This is the best—yes, yes, yes, you bad man!”

  “Okay,” Daphne said, before her footsteps sounded, getting quieter as she retreated.

  Kelly curled up on the mattress, pouting.

  “You all right?” Marla asked, touching her shoulder.

  Kelly shook her head. “I can remember what just happened, and I don’t like it.”

  “I wish I’d filmed it,” I said.

  “I hate you,” Kelly said.

  I grinned. “That’s fair.”

  “So that was the alarm,” Marla.

  Kelly stood and pointed at Marla. “Let us away, then, Alarm. I mean, Marla. Hey, did you know those two words are onomatopoeia?”

  “Um,” Marla said.

  “No, not onomatopoeia,” Kelly said with a frown. “Alliteration. Animal. Aphorism. It starts with an A.”

  “Asshole?” I supplied.

  Kelly didn’t even take the bait. Muttering to herself, she crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes.

  “Well, she’s useless,” I said, grabbing Marla’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  Once we were far enough away from the B&B, I put the ring on my finger. The alarm resumed its blaring. I quickly took it off again. “Good, I think he’s still there.”

  We raced forward. I would run faster in my wolf form, but I wanted to be able to communicate with Marla when we reached the trap. The woods were quiet, dark. I didn’t like that we were running toward someone who wanted to take Marla from me. My hackles rose.

  Cool wind brushed against my face, bringing with it the horrible stench of the potion. I tried not to breathe from my nose, but that just brought the taste of the potion to my throat. It was beyond disgusting.

  “Look,” Marla said, pointing.

  We skidded to a stop and surveyed the clearing ahead. The body bags were just as we’d left them, except for one, which had been unzipped. Immediately, we ducked behind some bushes for cover.

  “He was here. He figured out the trick,” Marla said.

  We’d spent too long turning off Kelly’s alarm, and it had kept us from getting here in time. Dammit. I gazed around us, making sure there was nobody nearby. My wolf senses picked up nothing close, but I kept looking.

  “Holy crap,” Marla whispered.

  I followed her gaze to the body bags. One of them was writhing on the ground.

  “What the hell is happening?” I could feel my jaw drop as I stared at the body bag. The bottom half of it flopped one way, then the other, like a mermaid trying to swim on land.

  “Andy’s nearby,” Marla said.

  “Is this the...animation thing?” I asked.

  She nodded, holding a hand to her mouth as we watched another body bag begin to move. The first one had already stood up and wriggled around.

  “He’s angry,” Marla said.

  “Does he know we’re here?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “I think he’s just mad that these don’t hold real bodies, so he’s messing with them.”

  “Or,” I said as one of the body bags began to scoot toward us like an inchworm, “he knows we’re here and he’s attacking us with those things.”

  “Yep.” Marla nodded. “I think it’s what you said.”

  The stench of the body bags grew stronger. Figuring it didn’t matter anymore, I clapped my hands and said Pearl’s magic word, “fetor.” The smell dissipated.

  “Marla, is that you?” a deep, nasal voice asked. “Or is it Kelly over there?”

  The voice came from the brush across the clearing, and I kept a hand on Marla—not because I thought she would bolt, but because I wanted to reassure myself we were both staying still and hidden.

  With a shushing, crackling sound, the body bag inching along the ground came closer.

  “What’s it going to do?” I asked Marla.

  “He’s trying to flush us out, see?” She pointed at one of the other bags, the one that was standing. It hopped around like there was a person in it trying to do a potato sack race. On the opposite end of the clearing from that one, the third body bag was rolling from side to side, and then it rolled straight to the edge, where it flopped against the base of a tree.

  The inching body bag was just a few yards away. I wanted to move before it slammed into us, but moving would give away our position.

  From the side of the clearing, a waif of a man stepped out of the shadows. He had stringy black hair that grazed his shoulders, a tattered black suit, and a gallon of black makeup around his eyes and mouth that gave him a half-skeleton, half-raccoon appearance.

  “I k
now you’re here,” he said, but his gaze went about six feet to the left of Marla and me.

  Marla’s wide eyes met mine.

  “And I know it’s Marla,” Andy went on. “With that ugly wolf who’s been sniffing around.”

  I didn’t know who he was, calling me ugly when he looked and smelled like he’d been scraped off the bottom of a dumpster.

  “Leave me alone, Andy,” Marla shouted.

  “Ah.” His head swiveled to the side as he pinpointed our location. The body bag inched faster toward us, and the other two changed direction.

  I grabbed Marla’s hand and we scooted back.

  “I’ve known where you’ve been hiding in Forbidden,” Andy said, “with your crappy little tattoo parlor. Our sire would be so disappointed to see how far you’ve fallen. You used to be a painter. Now you...ink people? It’s so low-brow.”

  I wanted to punch him in his smarmy face for talking about Marla like this. I’d seen her art, and she was amazing, whatever medium she chose to work in.

  The body bag in front of us opened with a zzzzip. Plush animals spilled out over the leaves and dirt, then they stacked up on top of each other.

  “What the hell?” I said.

  “They’re out so there’s more of them,” Marla said. This time it was she who grabbed my hand and tugged me backward.

  “That’s it,” I said, tearing off my shirt and going for my pants. “I’ll rip that guy apart.”

  More and more of the plush animals rushed toward us, crawling or walking on their fabric paws. The coffee bean slid forward, leaving a skidding mark of a trail in the leaves. I threw my pants at the coffee bean and shifted into my wolf. I didn’t want to fight stuffed animals—I wanted to go after the guy who was terrorizing my mate.

  Bright light surrounded me until my shift completed, and then I stood as a wolf, growling, my eyes intent on the vampire in the center of the clearing. He sneered, flicked his fingers.

  The plush animals leaped into the air and flew toward Marla and me. She batted them off while I snarled and snapped at them, but there were too many. Now I understood why my sister wanted me to stop buying them for Baylor. I struggled through the fluff and fake fur.