Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  More than a few drunken men had come out at the ruckus and stood watching, a couple had smiles on their faces, but most were almost growling at her. Dammit, she would need to use a lot of magic to get out of this and if she did, ‘they’ would know. Fuck.

  *****

  Josef and Gabe were walking back to their car, when they saw the commotion. They looked at each other and smiled, stopping to watch the show.

  A young woman with very long dark red hair was attempting to take down two large men.

  Gabe leaned against the wall and crossed his arms and ankles, obviously wanting to see how this went down.

  Josef watched with cold detachment, the Vampire not nearly so worried as his friend. Mainly because his heart was as cold as his look. Gabe wasn’t going to stand around and see a woman get hurt by two men, but Josef hadn’t got heated up about anything in so long, he couldn’t remember the last time.

  Josef settled in to watch, knowing Gabe wouldn’t move on till he knew the woman was okay. He sighed, heavily. Sometimes his friend’s goodhearted nature grated on him. Humans, leave them to it, was what Josef thought.

  They watched the scene unfold and both stood up straight, when the larger of the two guys went flying through the air. How the hell had she done that?

  Interest now piqued Josef, and he sent his powers out. He was very old and with that age brought power. His senses told him she wasn’t entirely human. What was she? Not a Wolf or a Vamp, no, possibly a Witch? He wasn’t sure, but she had his attention now.

  The other guy, the one she seemed to be going after, punched her. Gabe growled and Josef placed a hand on his arm to keep him in place. Josef wanted to see what the girl did.

  What she did was a martial arts move that Josef and Gabe knew well, they had both used it too many times to count. The guy went down and tried to grab her, but his hand was thrown away, as if by some invisible force. Then she jumped on him and punched him square in the face.

  Even at a distance, both heard the nose break. Josef was sure he also heard her knuckles break, that must’ve hurt her. It didn’t slow her down, and she moved slightly up in his thoughts about her.

  She had her guy and both Gabe and Josef went to move on, show over. Then their enhanced hearing heard her curse and they turned, there were now more than a few men, and they didn’t look happy. The girl was now in serious trouble.

  Gabe looked at his friend and gave a lopsided grin. “What do you think, Jo, want to help a lady in distress?”

  Josef sighed. “This is a new suit, Gabe, do you know how much it cost?” Josef was fingering the material of his made-to-measure suit and frowning.

  Gabe laughed. “Come on, live a little!” Gabe chuckled and took off towards the girl, pulling to a stop behind her. She must’ve heard him because her head swung around, and he could see the worry in her eyes, eyes that he almost fell into. Shit, she was gorgeous.

  “No need to worry, thought you could do with a hand,” Gabe said, a cheeky grin on his face.

  Josef appeared next to him and stared at the men in front. Shit, he was probably going to work up a sweat. His new silk shirt would be ruined.

  *****

  Peri whirled around, hearing someone behind her. She was truly fucked, if she had them at her back.

  What she saw was a very large man with blond shaggy hair, very dark brown eyes, and a cheeky grin. Said he thought she could do with a hand?

  Then another male appeared, far too fast for a human, and he was dressed in some kind of posh suit. A scowl on his face.

  “Uhm...thanks...my partner’s on his way to pick him up, I only need a few minutes.” Peri had no idea why she had just said that.

  “No problem. My name’s Gabe, by the way, and this cheerful fella here is Josef. Saving damsels in distress is a hobby of ours.”

  Josef coughed. “A hobby of his more than mine, I’m only helping out because of the numbers.”

  Peri thought the man, or whatever he was, Josef, looked cold and hard. Detached and not remotely interested in what was going on. Her Witch senses told her they were similar to her, as in non-human, but she wasn't absolutely certain what they were. If she had to guess, she would say that Josef was a Vamp and Gabe probably a Wolf, but hey, she could be wrong.

  A shout went up from the men and Peri looked around, a couple of the more adventurous walking towards her. Two, she could deal with two without too much magic.

  “Here, hold him, don’t let him get away!” Peri pushed her bounty towards Josef, who grabbed hold but with a look of distaste on his face.

  Peri turned towards the men coming her way and she started her spell, a smallish one, not wanting to get any unwanted attention. She lowered her head, centered her body, spoke the words, and raised her head. Her hands held out in front of her and her hair flew out behind. Both men were thrown back a few feet and landed in a heap.

  As the two men fell, it was obvious to her the rest were getting angry, quite a few moving towards them. Peri turned to Gabe with a questioning look and he nodded, letting her know he was going to help her. They moved forward together, leaving Josef in charge of Ross.

  Gabe was fast and Peri realized he probably was a Wolf, he moved with their grace and speed. Gabe hit the men in front and decimated them, his blows knocking them out, or throwing them away to the side to land in a heap against the brickwork.

  Peri got stuck into it with a guy who had slipped past Gabe, using every trick she had ever learned. Moving fast, sweeping, punching, soon she was in a down and dirty fight with the guy.

  He was sober, so alcohol wasn’t impairing him in any way. He was a good fighter, too, and it took everything Peri knew not to get her lights knocked out.

  She didn’t escape scot-free, she had a bloody lip, her nose was dripping blood, and one of her eyes was nearly closed. Fuck, she couldn’t afford to go to an emergency room for treatment. Anger took over, she went all out, and finally the guy lay on the ground, in just as bad a state as she was.

  Peri looked around, Gabe had taken care of most of the others, on his own? The rest were now retreating back into the bar, not wanting to face Gabe.

  Peri moved towards her bounty and wobbled, she had been hit harder than she had thought. She straightened her back, ‘never show weakness,’ her mantra running through her head.

  As she reached Josef, her contact appeared, coming in from the street, just like him to arrive after all the action. She grabbed Ross and moved to meet him. As he walked towards her, she saw how relaxed he was, of course, he had spent the last few hours relaxing in a bloody hotel room while she zeroed in on their bounty. A flash of anger appeared in her eyes, as she once again thought on her doing all the work while he didn’t do a fucking thing!

  His name was Jim, but she didn't think she had ever called him by his given name. Contact was usually by texts and when he came to collect the bounty, she would hand them over and ask for her money. Tonight would be no different.

  She closed the distance between them and handed Ross over. Peri saw Jim glancing at Josef, who was standing talking to Gabe, his back to her. A worried look was on Jim's face. What was that all about?

  She didn’t know and didn’t care, all she wanted was her money. “Hand it over.” Peri’s voice was a little shaky, but her face was grim.

  Her contact stole another glance at Josef then handed her an envelope with cash. He turned and walked away, leaving quickly, far quicker than she had ever seen him move before. Peri saw him glancing back more than once, his eyes on Josef.

  Peri put the envelope in her inside pocket of her jacket. She needed that to get through ’till the next case. She was starving, not having eaten since the day before. Maybe that was why she was feeling woozy and not the punches that guy had managed to land.

  Gabe trotted over, a huge smile on his face. A very good looking face, Peri thought. “Uhm, thanks, Gabe, was it?”

  A huge smile crossed his face. “Yeah, sorry didn’t get your name?” Gabe raised his eyebrow in questio
n, as Josef joined them.

  Peri half-smiled back. “I didn’t give it...” She didn’t finish, but keeled over right into the arms of the very cold, hard Josef.

  Chapter 2

  Josef looked down into the face of the young woman. She was battered, bruised, and very skinny. He was certain she hadn’t been eating properly.

  His gaze took all of her in, and his interest was aroused. Who was this girl that stood toe to toe with men to earn some cash? What kind of power did she have that she could throw grown men around with a wave of her hands?

  He was sure she had much more power in her than she had used, he could feel it. Why hadn’t she used it? Where Gabe was kind-hearted, Josef was not. However, when he saw a puzzle, he liked to unravel it.

  He always had to know the ins and outs of things. Would stop at nothing to get the information he wanted. Whether it had to do with a business deal, a personal matter, or in fact, a lone, young woman fighting men on her own and using only a fraction of the power he knew she had.

  Gabe was staring at the female, his Wolf senses taking all of her in. Once more, as her scent hit him, he got hard and Josef coughed. “What’s going on with you, Gabe?” The Vampire spoke in a cold tone, and Gabe had no idea, so just shrugged his shoulders casually.

  “So what do we do with her?” Josef asked, more to himself than to his friend.

  Gabe smiled. “Oh, I think we need to take her home, Josef, don’t you?”

  Josef’s eyes pierced the Wolf’s. “Only until I’ve figured her out, Gabe, don’t get any ideas about this woman, or girl, she seems young to me.”

  Gabe smiled, knowing Josef would be intrigued with what had happened. They had been friends for over a hundred years, and Gabe knew him well. Better than Josef knew himself, or so Gabe thought anyway.

  Josef carried the limp body easily, his strides long and powerful. Gabe reached Josef’s car first and opened the back door, having took the keys from his friend’s pocket. Josef laid the girl on the back seat and took his keys back. Josef didn’t let anyone drive his car.

  The car was a vintage Jaguar, imported from the UK many years ago. It was in pristine condition and still looked as if it was brand new. The power in the vehicle was one of the things Josef liked, and that power had them screeching away in no time.

  Gabe kept stealing glances into the rear of the vehicle and wondered about the girl. She was beautiful, but he knew her beauty was hidden underneath a layer of dirt and the casual clothes and boots she wore.

  The said boots looked like army issue and the Wolf wondered why she would wear such things on her feet? He could see how skinny she was, and he realized that he felt worry for her, and the fact that she obviously hadn’t been eating properly.

  “Gabe, my friend, she is a bit of a mystery is she not?” Josef could clearly feel and hear his friend’s thoughts and emotions. Though the feelings the Wolf had inside him about the girl seemed to shake him, he didn’t know what was happening.

  “How old do you think she is, Josef?” Gabe was still looking over his shoulder at the prone figure.

  “I am not sure. Young, possibly late teens. Too young for you, for us, Gabe.” Josef could feel his friend’s attraction to this female. Usually they shared their women, both lavishing them at the same time. The women were utterly spoiled with the attentions of them both.

  However, it took a certain type of woman to agree to them both. The thought of both men taking them at the same time chased more away than it caught. Josef and Gabe liked their arrangement, neither one wishing for anything permanent. Sometimes a female would last for a few weeks, even a couple of months, but no longer. A permanent female was not on the agenda for either the Vampire or the Wolf.

  Gabe’s mind was still on the girl, in fact, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. “She looks a bit older to me,” he said sullenly to Josef.

  The Vampire laughed, something that had Gabe staring at him openly. Josef did not laugh! “What?” Gabe said in a petulant tone and Josef’s ice-blue eyes moved in his direction.

  “What? You think I don’t know what’s going on in that warm Wolf body of yours? You think I can’t feel your attraction, your arousal? Gabe, you should know better! As I said, she is a puzzle, one I’m going to figure out. Then she’ll be gone, Gabe, like all the others.”

  Josef looked back to the road, as they approached one of the five-star hotels in Vegas and pulled up to their private underground parking. Josef parked in his spot and they got out. Gabe got to the girl before Josef, who only raised an eyebrow and smiled. Gabe smiled back, the smile a cheeky one, and walked to the private elevator.

  They rode up to the top floor and got out, heading towards their door. They lived in a penthouse suite. Josef had a sixty per cent stake in the hotel and this was one of the perks.

  With their underground parking and private elevator, they never had to come in contact with guests, unless they wanted to. Their laptops were hooked into the security cameras and sometimes, when a particular woman caught their attention, Gabe would go and ‘mingle.’ They had spent a good many nights with the females that Gabe had managed to land.

  Josef would usually stay in the background, his demeanor not one that was at first appealing. Cold, stern, dangerous, he tended to scare off a female, whereas, Gabe’s cheeky smile and pleasant nature reeled them in. Hook, line, and sinker.

  They always took great care with their ladies, only going as far as they were willing to go. Never mistreating them, no, they made love to them, as if they were the last woman on God’s green earth. Leaving them panting for more. More, which they usually got.

  Josef opened their door and Gabe moved in, taking the girl to the spare bedroom, the one they usually used for their ‘games.’ He laid her down on the extremely large bed and pulled a cover up over her. As Gabe stood up, he noticed Josef moving about and clearing away some of their ‘toys.’

  “I don’t want her to wake up and freak out, if she sees this stuff lying about,” Josef said calmly, knowing if the girl woke up and saw the sex toys and restraints, she would think she had been kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade.

  “You’re right as always, Josef. Now do you fancy a drink?” Gabe moved back into the living area and to the bar. The penthouse was extremely large, and the bar was fully stocked with stools set around the semi-circle area.

  Josef followed, taking one last look at this female. A riddle indeed.

  Gabe got out the good whisky, poured large measures into two glasses and handed one to his friend. Josef took it and had a sip, savoring the taste in his mouth. As he couldn’t eat, he always savored whatever drink he had. This was a particularly good single malt and one of his very favorites, even though it cost a fortune.

  Gabe sat on one of the stools, his long legs crossed at the ankles, glass in hand and staring at the door to the bedroom. “Gabe, she is too young, you know we never partake of any under twenty or twenty-one.” Josef’s face was now back to the cold, hard stare he normally had.

  Gabe’s lips twitched. “She might be older, you never know, Josef!”

  The Vampire sighed, Gabe seemed to have it bad for this waif. “The first thing she needs is a good bath and some food. She is far too skinny and I don’t think it’s a fashion statement. I don’t think she gets a lot of money coming her way.”

  Josef then thought on the girl’s contact, the one that came and took the guy away, and he frowned. Gabe saw it, thought he knew what it was about, too. “Uhm, yeah, I was going to talk to you about that contact of hers. I saw his face, you had your back to him, but I saw him. You’re not gonna like it, Josef, I've seen him before, it’s that guy you don’t like, Jim Jeffries, and it looks like he’s using her to find all those bounties that nobody else can.”

  “What?” Josef frowned. “I knew he was off, something wrong about him. I should've went with my instincts, and yes I agree, he is using her, but not for much longer. I will question her about it, when she is up and feeling a bit better. In the
meantime, why don’t you order some food, if she’s not awake when it comes, we can keep it warm in the kitchen.”

  Gabe picked up the phone and dialed for room service, another perk of living in the boss’s apartment. He ordered a variety, burgers, fries, a large steak, if the girl didn’t eat it, he bloody would.

  They continued to drink and Josef was thinking on the bounty hunter. It certainly seemed as if he was using this girl’s powers to track down his prey, then paying her off in cash. He really needed to find out more about that.

  The food arrived quickly, again another perk of being the owner. As it did, Josef moved his head to the side, could he feel her, yes. It looked like she was waking up.

  “Gabe, I’ll deal with the food, you go in. I think she’s waking up. You’re so much better at first contact than I.” The Vampire started to place the food on the large table and kept the covers on, it would keep the heat in.

  Gabe moved quickly, excitement eating at his stomach. As he got to the bedroom door, he could see the girl moving, stretching, and coming awake. He moved in nearer the bed, and she sat up with a small scream, fear prevalent in her tone.

  “It’s okay, you’re in a safe place. You collapsed, we didn’t know what else to do, so we brought you back to our place.” Gabe spoke softly, not wanting to spook her. He had seen what power she had and didn’t relish getting thrown about like a rag doll.

  *****

  Peri sat up, she was in a very large and soft bed, in a very large bedroom. It was decadent how plush everything was. Where the hell was she?

  As the Wolf’s voice reached her ears, she remembered him from earlier and relaxed slightly. Her eyes searched and found him, at the end of the bed staring at her.

  “Where am I?” she croaked, her throat dry.

  “As I said, you collapsed, so we brought you home. You’re safe here, sorry, I still don’t know your name?” Gabe smiled, the cheeky, friendly one, and he saw a slight reaction from her.

  Josef’s voice interrupted. “Food is here, I assume you are hungry, there is a full bathroom to your right, if you want to clean up.”