The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set

by A. K. Michaels

  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 ra
g 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.”

  Peri eyed the Vampire, his tone cold and precise. Did he just insult her? Tell her she needed to wash?

  Hell, yeah he did, and Peri couldn’t blame him. She hadn’t had a decent shower in days. “Okay, I won’t be long.” Peri crawled over the bed, so she was getting out of it on the same side as the facilities and wondered at its size. Who the hell had a bed this big?

  *****

  Gabe and Josef’s eyes followed her all the way to the bathroom and both heard the lock engage. Josef smiled, did she think a little lock would stop him, if he wanted in?

  Gabe let out a long sigh. “Jeez, Josef, she’s fucking gorgeous man. That hair, I can’t wait to see it, when it’s all nice and wet from the shower!”

  Josef snorted. “I’m sure you can’t, Gabe. However, as I keep telling you, she – is – too – young!”

  Gabe huffed. “Okay, okay, I hear ya.” Gabe looked longingly at the bathroom door and wished he was in there with her in the shower. He turned and walked back out, grabbed another whisky, and sat down at the table.

  He would wait and see what the girl wanted, and he would eat what was left. A Wolf could eat any time, and he hadn’t in a few hours, so he was hungry.

  Josef sat at the head of the table, as far away as he could get from the food. Not that the food bothered him, he just wanted some space between him and this female.

  Josef was not going to admit, even to himself, that he found her just as alluring as Gabe did. No, wasn’t going to happen.

  *****

  Peri entered the bathroom and she took a quick breath in. It was fucking huge. The shower could accommodate, she didn’t know how many, and there was a gigantic bath set out from the wall with steps leading down into it. Dear lord, these guys must be billionaires.

  She stripped off quickly and looked at her dirty clothes, no wonder the Vampire had said to ‘clean up.’ Her top layer was mucky, but her little vest top and sports bra were almost clean, so she would just put those on, when she was ready.

  She managed to get the shower on and stepped in. Luxuriating in the warmth, she used the toiletries that were available, noticing they were all top of the range and mostly female? Was there a woman living here, too?

  She didn’t know and didn’t care, she used what was there and she felt the cleanest she had in ages, when she left the warm water. The bath towels were enormous, soft, and fluffy. She dried herself and winced, her knuckles hurt, and so did her face.

  She felt her nose, not broken, thank goodness. Her eye was not closed, just a bit sore. Her knuckles was the worst, hurting like hell. However, the mention of food pushed the pain away, making her stomach clench and mouth water, she was so hungry.

  Peri hurried, she wanted to eat. Slowly she collected her thoughts and used a healing spell, one she had made up out of necessity in her old life. A spell that ‘they’ didn’t know she could do. Once she was finished, she looked at herself in the mirror, much better.

  There were various brushes and combs laid out in a shelving unit. She grabbed one and tugged it through her long red hair, getting the tangles out, and it started to wave and curl. She had lost her hair band in the fight, so she had to let it hang free.

  She squirted some of the expensive perfume on her and on her dirty clothes and got dressed quickly. As she re-entered the bedroom, she looked around and saw just how lavish it was. Jeez, she wished she could live in a place like this.

  The smell of the food hit her nostrils and she followed it out into a very large area. She found the table was set, the Vampire sitting at the end away from the food, the Wolf sitting near the food.

  Peri sat down opposite the Wolf and stared longingly at the food.

  “So, we’ve got some burgers, fries, a steak, have what you want.” Gabe was smiling like a schoolboy and Peri frowned. What was he so happy about?

  Her eyes darted around, looking for and finding escape routes. Once she had them in her mind, she relaxed a bit and grabbed the nearest plate, a huge burger, fries, and salad – heaven.

  “Drink?” Gabe asked.

  Peri nodded. “Anything, don’t mind, cola, water, wine.”

  Josef cut in: “Are you old enough for wine, young lady?”

  At the cold tones coming from the head of the table, Peri looked up at the Vampire. “Yes, I am. Why? Don’t you believe me?”

  Josef stared hard. “How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty-one last spring, I’ll be twenty-two in a couple of months,” Peri said coldly. He’d better not say she was lying, or she would get mad.

  “Ah...twenty-one?” Gabe said with a hint of amusement in his voice. One that Peri didn’t understand.

  She looked at the Wolf and once again thought how handsome he was. The Vampire would also be handsome, if he wasn’t so cold and hard.

  “So, some wine, white, red, rosé. What do you prefer?” Gabe asked, as he moved to the bar.

  “Rosé, if you have it.” Peri was watching him closely. Seeing him move was like watching a wild animal. His long legs were also thick with muscles, and they looked like they were coiled tight, like a spring. His ass, jeez, his ass looked hard as granite, and she wondered what it felt like.

  Peri blushed. What the hell was she thinking? She had never been with a guy. Hadn’t even kissed a guy. Yet here she was looking at some random Wolf’s ass.

  Gabe came back with a bottle of rosé, opened it, gave her a very large glass and filled it to the top. Almost half the bottle was in that one glass. Josef raised his eyebrow at him and Gabe just smiled.

  Peri grabbed it and gulped down a huge mouthful before returning to her food. She noticed the Wolf was now eating, too, and that made her feel a little less self-conscious. The Vampire just kept staring, and she wished he would at least look as if he wasn’t ready to rip her throat out. His coldness scared her, a little.

  “How are you feeling…? We still do not know your name.” Josef queried.

  Peri smiled. “Ah yes, well I go by Peri, but my full name is Persephone, and I’m feeling a lot better, thanks.”

  Josef’s head moved to the side. “Persephone? The Queen of the Damned.”

  Gabe looked up. “Josef!”

  Peri smiled. “No, it’s okay, he’s right. That is what my name means, hence I go by Peri.”

  She continued to eat and ended up having another burger and Gabe added more wine to her glass. As she finished, she realized her glass was empty again and felt more than a little buzzed.

  “So, Peri, I think we should talk.” Josef’s tone was not one that held any hint of a choice and Peri looked at him.

  Scared, she felt scared. She never talked to anyone about herself. Not ever.

  Chapter 3

  Gabe stood up and moved around the table, his hand held out to Peri. The girl half-smiled and took it, and as soon as his skin touched hers, he felt a little shock jolt through him.

  Peri must’ve felt it, too, because she jumped and looked at him in fear.

  “Come over here, we can sit and chat.” Gabe smiled, trying to get that fear removed from her face.

  Peri allowed the Wolf to lead her to a large sofa and sat down. Gabe sat next to her and the Vampire, Josef,
sat in an opposite chair.

  Once they were all seated, Peri looked around the room. Yet another huge area and showing the wealth that these two must have. Where were they anyway?

  “We’re in our penthouse, it’s on top of the hotel. I have a rather large stake in it. So, if you wish for anything, just call room service and they will have it sent up.” Josef was staring intently at this girl and hoping he could get answers to the questions he had.

  “Uhm, okay. Are you sure?” Peri queried, wondering why they would let her order just anything.

  “Yes, I’m sure, Peri. Now, can we get some answers from you?” Josef tried a less cold tone and he thought he managed it. The look he got from Gabe told him otherwise.

  “Peri, what were you doing going after a guy on your own, and who was the guy that came and took him away?” Gabe asked, wanting to know the first, but already knowing the second.

  “I help him out, I’m a Witch, I can find people, well, if I have something of theirs I can. He’s a bounty hunter, he uses me, when he’s lost someone and then pays me in cash.”

  Peri didn’t think it would hurt her to tell them these facts. Shit, they had helped her earlier and so had an idea anyway.

  “Ah a Witch, yes, I felt your power, Peri. I have to ask, why didn’t you use it? You only used a small fraction?” Josef wanted to know this, needed to know this.

  Peri looked between the two. “Uhm, sorry, that’s my business.”

  Gabe smirked at Josef, the girl had guts, denying Josef anything was never done.

  The Vampire raised an eyebrow. “I see, and the bounty hunter, he lets you catch the men and then just swoops in and takes them into custody?”

  This she didn’t mind answering. “Yeah, to be honest, I think he’s a lazy son of a bitch! I do all the work and he lazes about in hotels and only comes once I’ve got whoever we’re after. He pays me in cash, though. I don’t have a bank account or anything, so that works okay.”

  “And his name?” Josef asked with one eyebrow raised.