by Leia Stone
“Croft,” the vamp answered, all business.
Wickedly, I smiled at the wolves, whose eyes were pinned on me and only on me. Who said you couldn’t have fun while you worked?
“I need a favor. I’ve got some important business in town. Is there any way you could… cabin sit for me? Make sure this alpha douchebag doesn’t tear it down while I’m gone?”
Please say yes, please be so indebted to my Gran that you can’t refuse.
“I’m sorry, Evie. I’m busy tonight.” His denial cut me in two.
Fuck.
“Although my blood mistress can do it. She’s human, but of course is knowledgeable about the supernatural community, and doesn’t frighten easily.”
Relief descended on me with his words. “That would be awesome. I could pay her… a little… when my next job comes in.”
I might need this girl more than just tonight. Blood mistresses were hard to find, willing humans who weren’t scared of the creatures that went bump in the night. I’d need a tough chick to face down Brock if he came, and tried to intimidate her.
“Perfect. Molly will be there in twenty minutes,” Croft replied, and hung up the phone.
The two idiot werewolves were still staring at me, mouths open.
An idea lit up my mind, and I dashed in the house back to my laptop. A simple internet search gave me Brock’s phone number. It seemed he also ran a construction business in town, building mansions for other stupid rich people. He was a contractor. Awesome.
I pushed away my fantasy of seeing him in nothing but a hard hat and tool belt—hey, can you blame me?—and rushed back outside to dial his number.
The two stupid werewolves were still ogling me, no doubt wondering if I was going to invite them in for a good time.
“Brock Adams,” he answered on the first ring.
“Get these two douchebags off my property before I shoot them,” I said coldly. He was pushing buttons I didn’t even know I had.
“Oh, Evie, are you still down there? I totally forgot about you.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
Like hell he’d forgotten me. “You told me I gave you the best blowjob of your life,” I purred into the phone. “Do you really expect me to believe that you forgot about me that easily?”
He cleared his throat, and both of his boys grinned ear to ear. Werewolf hearing. Gotta love it.
“Okay. We’ve had our fun, but you need to stay inside tonight. I’m taking my wolves on our monthly full-moon run, and there’re three new members. They’ll be jumpy and itching for an easy kill.”
First he threatened Gran’s cabin, and now he dared to threaten me?
“Hah!” I barked into the phone, ready to fucking charge up that hill and punch him in the throat. “Tell that to my sawed-off shotgun. Keep your pack outside a hundred feet of my cabin tonight, or I’ll pop off so many silver bullets your wolves will never recover. Not even with a healer witch.”
Brock took a deep breath. Silence, another deep breath. “Just stay inside and put some damn clothes on,” he finally barked and hung up on me.
“Argh!” I screamed, but something he’d said gave me great satisfaction. He was totally watching with binoculars.
The two hunks retrieved their saw and turned to head back up the hill. “And stay out!” I shouted at their backs.
Night would be falling soon, and I didn’t want those mutts near the cabin on the full moon. I looked down at my push-up bra and thonged body, and grinned. I’d definitely ruffled Brock’s feathers.
Mission accomplished.
Evie 1, Brock 0.
5 Sneaky Siren
After changing into all black, and setting up Croft’s cool twenty-something blood mistress with a movie and one of my shotguns, I headed to my Jeep. She’d promised to shoot the alpha if he stepped foot on my porch. I liked her already.
I took a big inhale of the crisp night air. Among the lavender, pine, and earth was something more sinister.
Werewolf.
As if on cue, a howl cut into the night, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t haul ass the rest of the way to my car. Pushing Brock’s buttons was one thing, getting mauled by a new werewolf on the full moon was another. I was five-feet-two inches of badass, but even so, that fight would probably take me out if I were caught unaware.
The moon was high in the sky, a night when my grandmother would have laid all of her crystals out on the porch to charge them, and regenerate their magical properties. All while being scared of the pack that lorded over her for a century. It wasn’t right, Brock bullying an old lady. I leapt into my Jeep and locked the door.
With a shaky breath, I took in the mansion at the top of the hill. I grew up here. I’d looked at that hill enough times to grow to hate it. Brock’s asshole father was always tormenting my Gran. He even went so far as to leave a dead cat on her porch once. I’d only met him a handful of times in my sixteen years here, mostly when Gran and he were barking at each other with shotguns in hand. I knew he’d had three sons, but I’d never seen Brock, only the other two, who looked as mean as their dad.
I rested my head on the steering wheel, and worked to regain my composure. Going scouting when you were all emotional wasn’t a good idea.
I’d fucked my Gran’s arch nemesis.
It was a big fucking deal, but I needed to get over it. I needed to forget it ever happened. But damn if I didn’t get wet just thinking about the escapade. Maybe because until four days ago I hadn’t realized that I was lonely. I’d been fine with Cass and the occasional lover; now after one night with Brock I was left with a gaping hole in my chest that needed filling.
Damn.
Slapping my face lightly, I tried to shake myself up, and focus. What was going on with me? My period must be coming soon, because this was some high-level emotional shit I never did.
I’m Evie Black, dammit. Descended from a high-powered witching family. Just a few centuries ago people quaked in their boots at the mention of the Black name. Never mind that the good stuff skipped right over me, leaving me to inherit gimpy powers.
I didn’t fall apart.
And I sure as hell didn’t swoon over some jackass werewolf.
I started the Jeep and headed into town to hopefully get some intel on this siren. Why the hell was she in Eugene when I’d just dropped her off in LA? My biggest worry was that she was here to see me.
Revenge was a siren’s chocolate. They couldn’t get enough.
I called Mack on my way to the hotel bar. In his gruff satyr way, he all but begged me to catch Calista, and added a bonus bounty of a thousand dollars on top of the five grand he’d already paid me. He didn’t want to look like an ass to the human authorities, and ruin the bond they’d built, he explained. Any time a supernatural committed a violent offense against another supe, the Supernatural Council got involved, dishing out swift punishments. But when a supernatural harmed a human, the human authorities were permitted to use their own justice system and grant whatever sentence they deemed appropriate. Mack was giving me a week to catch the siren before he put me on suspension.
Dick. I was supposed to be on bereavement leave!
After parking in the lot of the Blue Table Inn, I put on my bright red wig, and fetched a spell vial from my hunting kit. Tears welled as I cradled the glowing blue-glass vial. Gran made these. She made all my spells so I’d be safe, so that I’d be a better hunter.
I’d never forget my seventh birthday. Age six is the latest a witch’s magic will reveal itself, and mine hadn’t shown. Gran cut my cake, gave me a slice, and told me I was perfect… that I was exactly as I should be. No matter what the assholes at school said to me, no matter what the distant Black relatives whispered, Gran maintained her mantra: there is nothing wrong with Evie Black.
Fuck… I was crying… in the parking lot of a supernatural hotel.
I’m losing it.
‘Jesus Christ, you need a shrink,’ Cass stated in a playful tone.
I burst out laugh
ing and wiped my tears, shoving the vial in my messenger bag, and slinging it over my shoulder.
‘Are you still at the bar? Any sign of her?’ I ignored his assessment of my mental health.
‘I’m not, but I’ve told the bartender you’ll need to speak with him. I’m on my way upstairs to fulfill my every fantasy.’
I shivered, working hard not to get mental images. ‘Have fun.’
‘Call me if you need backup. I’m not above fighting a siren in the nude.’
Yuck. I didn’t want to pull up that mental image either.
‘See you in the morning,’ I told him.
‘I’ll bring breakfast,’ he promised.
He’d better. Fucker. Ditching me, so I had to work alone.
The doorman nodded when I flashed my badge. Supernatural bounty hunters were not to be fucked with by any means. Not gonna lie, part of the reason I got this job was to intimidate large men with big egos, who automatically assumed I was a wispy-nothing woman.
After he let me in, I slipped the badge into my bag. If the siren was here, and on a revenge-killing spree, I didn’t want to announce myself.
“Bounty hunter coming in!” the bouncer yelled behind me.
Great.
I gave him the finger over my shoulder, and tried to hide my grin as two obviously underage elves booked it out the back entrance—I wasn’t a cop, but they didn’t know the difference.
A quick scan told me that my green-haired sea goddess wasn’t here.
Walking right up to the bartender, I nodded to the back office. He sighed, looking annoyed, but did as I asked. If you didn’t do me any favors, then I wasn’t doing you any favors, and everyone in the supernatural community wanted favors from bounty hunters.
“Back for more drinks? Your alpha isn’t here,” he stated once we entered his office.
Glaring at him and his stupid horned forehead, I gave him a fake smile. “I’m looking for a siren.” I slammed her picture down on the counter. “She’s evading capture.”
He glanced at the picture. “Never seen her.”
A growl ripped from my throat. “Fuck off. She was here the other night. I have her on security footage.”
He grinned, showcasing a set of large, pointy teeth. Demons liked it when a girl talked dirty. “What do I get if I talk?” He looked at my body from head to toe.
Yuck.
“Not this.” I gestured to myself. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out one of Gran’s potions. It made you hulk out in a moment of need. “Strength potion. It’s my final offer.” I wasn’t going to sit here all night while we haggled over bullshit.
He took the potion and smelled it, then put it in his pocket. “She walked in just as you and the alpha were taking the stairs to your room. She watched you head up, then left.”
What the hell? Creepy.
“That’s it? She came in, stared at me and left?” She was totally after me. Siren revenge soup was not something I wanted to be.
He nodded. “I saw everything. Sirens are my favorite.” He winked. “After humans, of course.”
“Gross.” I waved him off dismissively.
To most supes' noses I was human, but every once in a while a few of the more powerful creatures detected something more. I’d never forget my first year at the Bounty Hunter Academy, when a visiting fae benefactor smelled me and asked, “What are you?”
I could only shrug. I was human, a dud witch, but I had a few powers. Very weak, mostly useless powers like scenting another supe, and stuff like that.
“If you see her again, call me.” I slammed down my card, and walked out of there.
‘Watch your back, Cass. She was here for me,’ I told my partner, even though I was pretty sure he was having sex right now.
He opened the bond to respond and yep, ewww, lots of sex. ‘You want me to come home right now?’
He loved sex, but he loved me more. What a sweet, ugly, hairy demon imp. If I were in true danger, he’d drop everything to protect me.
‘Nah, I’m fine. She could have been after the alpha.’ It was a long shot, but I wanted Cass to enjoy his night.
Didn’t Brock say he had a business deal go wrong that day? I needed to find out what that deal was about, and who was involved.
6 Bite Me
Working not to feel like a total failure, I grabbed some fast food, and a twenty from the ATM to pay Molly. She was a young girl, probably around my age, selling her blood to an old vamp. You didn’t do that for love—unless you were into that kinky shit, though she didn’t seem the type. I guessed she needed money. I’d already decided that morning that I’d talk to Cass about subletting our loft in downtown LA, and staying here for a while. It was rent free, and I could work on the siren case while also keeping my Gran’s place from getting bulldozed.
I scarfed one of the burgers, but kept one in the bag in case Molly was hungry. My plan was to pamper this chick, so she’d cabin-sit for me in the future. Besides, she seemed like she might even become a cool friend. Cass was great, but having a furry pink imp as your only friend probably wasn’t healthy.
Once I reached home, I was pleased to find everything calm and well. I pulled off my wig, and hopped out of my Jeep, purposely reversing right up to the bulldozer, so that my tires were right in front of the metal-scrapping plate.
Take that, Brock the Cock.
It meant I had to walk a bit farther to reach my porch, but I didn’t mind. The night was young, the cool crisp air felt good and—
A snapping twig to my right had me spinning in that direction, reaching for my gun, which I was just realizing was in the freaking Jeep! I’d un-holstered it and slid it into my glove box so I wouldn’t scare the drive-thru guy.
Shit.
The snap had come from the tree line at the edge of my property, leading into Brock’s. Was it one of his wolves? Or worse… the siren?
The only thing I had to defend myself was a double cheeseburger, and my bare hands. The front porch was about thirty feet away, where I had more guns, or just five quick paces from my car. I decided I couldn’t mess around on a full moon, and going back to the car was smarter, since it was closer.
But as I stepped backwards, the animal appeared.
Crouched low, nostrils flaring, eyes blazing orange, was a medium-sized black werewolf. Medium-sized meant he was still twice the size of me, at least two hundred pounds of mean-looking beast. Saliva dripped from his mouth.
Fuck.
A howl rose up not far away, and he stopped approaching me, tilting his head to the side.
“That’s it,” I spoke in a low yet firm voice. “Go back to your alpha. I don’t want any trouble.”
His head snapped back in my direction and his nostrils flared again.
The burger!
Chucking the bag at his feet, I took one more step backwards toward my Jeep. Just three steps to go. My fist grasped the keys tightly, making sure they poked between my fingers. I’d try to gouge his eyes out if he lunged at me.
The werewolf bent low to smell the bag, then looked up at me and growled.
Shit. Stupid woman. What was I doing traipsing through the woods on a full moon near the alpha’s land? Everything within me wanted to lunge for my car, but sudden movements spooked wolves, and made them want to give chase. I stayed put.
We were at a standstill. It would have been an epic stare-down, but I knew better. I kept my eyes on the ground not to challenge him. Just as I thought I was going to survive this, another twig snapped behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see a mammoth gray werewolf with molten yellow eyes, and my stomach dropped.
Brock. I knew those eyes.
Brock’s wolf let out a low warning growl.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
As I turned back to look at the black wolf, he bounded through the air without warning.
All I could do was bring my hands up to cover my face and neck, but I didn’t get them up fast enough. I’d lost my concentration when Brock showed, and I w
as too slow for the black wolf. His paws landed on my shoulders, and suddenly, I was flying backwards. My petite frame hit the ground hard, and I cracked my head on the packed earth.
The next second, his sharp teeth tore into the side of my neck, where my collarbone met my shoulder. A terrified scream left my throat before I couldn’t scream anymore.
Pain like I’d never felt before ignited every nerve in my neck. Remembering my keys, I used what I could of my pinned arm to stab him in the ribs, as hard and as fast as I could. Just when I was sure he was going to bite me again and tear out my jugular, a streak of gray crashed into the black wolf and pushed him off me.
Dropping my keys, I pressed a hand to my bleeding throat—a slow, steady trickle of blood dripped from the gash. He’d missed my carotid or I’d be dead by now. The moon above me started to look fuzzy; my vision swam.
I’d been bitten by a werewolf. The reality of my situation sank in and panic exploded in my chest, sending adrenaline coursing throughout my body.
The two wolves were fighting, going at it hard, a mess of snarls and whimpers, when two gunshots popped from my porch. Turning my head agonizingly slowly, I saw Molly holding Gran’s shotgun with a fierce look in her eye. I followed her gaze to the black werewolf, who lay on his side, panting heavily.
Brock stood on two feet instead of four, covered in patches of grey fur and skin. Nothing was scarier than a half-shifted humanoid-looking werewolf. Well, nothing except being attacked, and bleeding out on the ground.
That was definitely scarier.
‘Evie, what the fuck is happening?’ Cass’ frantic voice popped into my head. ‘You feel like you’re dying.’
I couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t form sentences. There was so much blood, so much burning pain… but there was also something else, a buzzing, like a live wire vibrating inside of me, shaking my body like a cage, trying to break free.
