by Jeni Burns
"Someone tried to shoot you. Someone killed your nana. And your phone is blowing up. What's going on, Kara?"
When she reached for the vibrating device, Shelly put her hand out to stop her. A moment of brief eye contact said more than any words her friend could've articulated.
With a sigh, she left the still-buzzing device be. "You know that ring I always wear?" It was as good a place to start as any.
Shelly kept her eyes on the road but nodded. "Sure."
"Well, I've been taking it off when I go train and I guess I forgot to put it back on."
"Okay. What does that have to do with anything?"
"You know how I sometimes have really weird dreams? The kind where I wake up knowing things I shouldn't really know?" Out of habit, she rubbed the pad of her thumb against the bottom on her empty ring finger missing the metal of the band for the first time since removing it.
"Yeah," Shelly hedged. This time she gave her a quick glance as she rounded a corner and headed toward the outskirts of town. "Again, what's it got to do with Nana?"
"You aren't supposed to know this, so if anyone ever asks, you need to swear to me you won't say a word." She offered her pinky finger in her friend's periphery and waited.
Seconds ticked by and she began to wonder if this was the one too many favors she'd asked of her friend. Before she could drop her hand more than an inch, Shelly linked her pinky in Kara's.
"I can't believe you still are making me pinky promise like we're little kids. Come on. Haven't we been friends too long for that crap?"
"Probably, but what I'm going to say could maybe get you caught up in things if anyone knew you knew about it."
"Vague much, K?" Shelly shook her head, released her hold on her pinky and went back to driving.
"Fair point. So, here's the thing. My family has been called witches since before the beginning of time. And supposedly all the women die young after having a daughter of their own. I know, it sounds crazy, but it's something Nana always told us growing up. It's why we wear the rings. To protect us. Then when I started having these weird dreams, she told me that it was my gift--that I could dream walk. She told me each of us had one and that it could take some time until the others learned theirs. Next thing I knew, she had me trying to recover things during my dreams. Started small like a toy or a trinket. And then she'd ask me to look for specific things from specific time periods. When I'd finally get into the right place and time, I'd bring back whatever it was she'd asked for. Sometimes it was small like jewelry or a letter. Sometimes it was bigger, a piece of art, or a gown. Whatever. But I'd wake up with something in my hands every time."
"Hold up. You're telling me that you, squeaky-clean-rule-following-Kara, is a thief?"
The gentle mocking warmed her. There was something about finally being able to share her secret with her best friend. Besides, she trusted her with everything else, why not her weird gift too?
"I prefer to think of it as being a specialized treasure hunter." Kara ran a hand through her hair. "But this last client Nana set me up with wanted a very specific piece of jewelry and since taking on this job, things have gone bad." She rubbed her hand over her face and sighed. "Nana got called into the shop and then collapsed and died. I got shot at. Some guy bit me. And now, I'm running from people I don't know to try to save not only myself, but my cousins. Because if I'm around them, there's a good chance we'll all be dead before nightfall." An errant tear slipped loose and trickled a path down her cheek.
"Hey now. Don't start crying. You know we aren't the type to sit and wallow." Shelly laid a hand on her knee and patted. "Before the day is over, we'll have things right again."
"Yeah?"
"Absolutely. So... Some guy bit you? I kinda feel like we shouldn't gloss over that. Was it a 'ooo, that's the spot' kinda bite or an 'ouch, why did you bite me' kinda bite?"
Her friend's confidence returned her strength while her curiosity over Leo made her laugh. "It was kinda a mix of the two," she answered honestly. "But I think I need to head to the dojo so I can look for my ring. If nothing else, it should keep some of the people after me at bay." As if to prove her wrong, her phone buzzed again. This time, she gave the screen a quick read.
Running won't help you, Kara. Where's the brooch?
A shiver snaked through her system.
"Who's that?" Shelly glanced her way then back to the road.
"My client. At least I think it's them. Although, it's not coming through the normal way. It keeps coming through as an anonymous text and instead of sounding curious, they sound downright demanding. I mean, I get it. They lost a priceless antique in their recent move, supposedly, but they seem to already know I've recovered it."
"What do you mean you recovered it?" An edge coated Shelly's words as she turned onto a dirt road and applied the brakes.
"This morning, before Nana--" she choked on the word 'died' letting it fall away. "I recovered the item they were looking for, despite them giving me completely wrong information as to where it was last seen."
"What do you mean?" Shelly hit the button for her four-ways and put the car in park. "You found it? The brooch?"
Warning bells rang in her head. Before she could formulate a reasonable response, Shelly had the scrub top twisted in a death grip.
"Who bit you?"
When she didn't answer right away, a growl rumbled in her friend's chest as the hand hold her tight sprouted claws, ripping into the material.
"I'm only going to ask once more. Who bit you, Kara?" Impatient for an answer, Shelly yanked and the top fell away, revealing her flesh and the lace blouse.
Instead of raising her hand to cover the marks she was sure existed on her neck, she used the heel of her hand and jabbed hard, deep into Shelly's nose until the cartilage and bone cracked under the assault.
"You bitch!" Shelly's words garbled as her broken nose and mouth shifted into what should've looked like a muzzle. Spittle clung to fangs and blood dripped into her leather-covered lap.
Kara grabbed for the door handle and tried to flee the car, but in her hurry, she forgot to release the seatbelt holding her in.
This was not her day. Not even a little.
The snapping of wounded jaws sent her mind racing. One last thought before the end...
Leo.
Bathed in sunlight, offering her his hand.
Beckoning her to join him.
She fumbled for the seatbelt release and reached for him. Wishing it wasn't some endorphin-fueled desert mirage, but her vampire savior in the flesh.
Eyes closed, she waited for the pain.
7
Saving Sass
Not again.
The thought played on repeat in his head the entire drive. And yet, it looked like his woman was set to die today for sure. Who the hell willingly got into a car with a werewolf? Was she really so intent on getting away from him that she'd throw herself into the damn wolf den over and over and over again?
He shook the thought from his mind and raced toward the parked car. If his heart could still beat, it'd be raging in his chest, but it sat silent, giving him the advantage. He rounded the vehicle and wrenched the opening door.
His mate reached for him.
The silent organ in his chest sprang to life.
She wanted him.
In all the lifetimes throughout the ages, never had she given herself over to needing him. Not for a job. Not for her protection. Not for comfort. No. His mate was too stubborn for that. Until now.
He grabbed her arm and yanked her free from the car, pulled her to his chest, and held her tight.
"It's okay, love." He glanced over Kara's shoulder at the mostly transformed wolf and steadied her on her feet. "Wait here."
Her brow creased as if the simple instructions were spoken in a foreign tongue. His brain warred between holding her close and stopping the wolf.
The sound of tearing fabric seats ended his debate. He sidestepped Kara and managed to thrust his hand through the
leaping wolf's chest and grip the organ giving life. With a squeeze, the snarling stopped and the weight of the beast on his arm increased.
Leo's hold on the wolf's heart continued as he tore his arm from the beast.
"Dead weight," he muttered, shaking off the animal and tossing the organ in the dirt beside the carcass.
"Shelly? No!"
A crackled sob tore his attention back to his mate. He caught a hysterical Kara by the waist as she flung herself toward the dead vermin.
"What did you do? She was my friend!" Her fists landed blows against his chest until she tired and her tears waned.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't let her hurt you."
"She was my friend."
This time hurt coated her previously angry words and Leo held her tighter. When her tear-stained face pressed into his neck, his soul leapt.
"How didn't I know she was a werewolf? We've been friends for over ten years and I never would've suspected." She wrapped her arms around him as more tears came.
"Oftentimes those we trust only show us what they want us to see, my love. Her deception isn't your fault." He dropped a kiss on her temple and waited while the tears flowed. "How long has she known?"
"What?"
She pulled from his embrace, leaving a lingering heat against his cool body. "How long has your friend known that you retrieve lost magical items?"
"I don't retrieve magical items." Her face wrinkled.
"Kara, you've been stealing powerful items for as long as I've known you. Every time I've known you, you're caught up in a quest to find something powerful. You sense them like a vampire smells blood from miles away. It's one of the reasons I adore you so much. You always get what you want." Another well-placed kiss, this time on her nose, punctuated his point. "I've spent hundreds of years hunting down people. Killing people. Torturing people. Bending them to my will. All with hard work and cunning. And in waltzed you." A smile pulled at his lips, the memory of their first meeting still fresh in his mind. "A disposition as fiery as your hair despite the social protocol of the day. You were up to no good. And I couldn't tear my eyes from you. Not for a second."
Her eyes fluttered closed and he hoped she could pull the memory from deep inside. Leo trailed a hand down her arm until her clenched fist rested in his hand. With little effort, he coaxed her fingers loose enough to entwine theirs together. His other hand landed at her waist and he slowed stepped into a silent waltz.
"Your corset sparkled in the candlelight as we moved in time with the strings." He spun her around, pulled her close, and nuzzled her neck. Her soft inhalation said more than any words could. "That evening you stole a very particular painting if I recall. One that changed one man's life forever."
"Oh?" Her eyes flew wide open. "No. That can't be true. I distinctly remember a painting of an old man. But I've never seen it in person."
"Oh, love, you indeed saw it in person. You attempted to carry it out on a series of hooks fastened beneath your bustle if I recall."
"But one of the hooks broke and the painting shifted," she added.
"Exactly."
"A man grabbed me quite inappropriately." She shot him a look. "If I recall."
"That man saved you from being discovered and hanged." He stopped their movements and stared her down. "Just as that man saved you from having your throat ripped out by not one, but two wolves today." He waited for the notion to sink in before he continued. "Kara, your family has long been known in the magical community as the pawn shop of magic if you will. Whispers suggest every Sheel woman endlessly exists because of a pact they made with the devil long ago. Their deaths are often gruesome and horrid, but their souls are reborn time and time again to the future generations."
Worry creased her brow. "What happens if all of them die in one life-time?"
The fang-rattling reality soured him. "Love, that cannot be allowed to happen. Never."
"Because then we can't be reborn. Right?"
"Something like that. Hence, how we came to meet." He put on his best smile and smooth back and errant strand of hair. "Someone I owe a favor tasked me with finding you over 300 years ago. Much to his disappointment, I've kept you for myself time and time again. It may've been selfish, but I knew the moment I saw you carrying that painting we were destined to be together."
"What do they want from me?"
"They want you to bring them the magical stones encased in different pieces of jewelry. They believe once these fabled stones are joined together, the bearer will have limitless power. In the many lifetimes I've searched for you, you've discovered one more stone. By now there should only be a couple left, if that."
She stepped back, her eyes weary. "What do you want from me, Leo?"
"I only want what is best for us. You and I together, finding priceless treasures and living until there's no more life to live." He offered her his hand. "But to have that, we need to keep you safe."
"What about my cousins? If people are after me, they might think Julia or Lindsay can get what they are after. Neither of them do what I do."
"I know. Through the years, your lineage has a broker, a hunter, and an auctioneer. All three have unique gifts, but it takes the last of the line before them to pass before the new one comes into their gift."
"Well, that seems impossible since the three of us are all that remain. Our mothers all died at the hands of vampires. And you know my grandmother just passed, but I'm the only one with a gift."
The veiled accusation hurt. "I understand you believe it to be true, but you're wrong. Just as you've been taught to mistrust, but it isn't me you should be running from, love. The wolves have long been in competition with my kind for the stones. The same wolves attempting to kill you."
"Yeah, but Shelly was my friend for years. Why didn't she try something sooner?" A ringing stopped her words and she looked over his shoulder to the car. "My client," she explained. "I need to go home and get the item I retrieved last night before someone goes there and tears the house apart." She glanced around them. "Where's your car?"
"I don't have one." The simple answer set her eye wide. "I don't need one." He looked across the empty surroundings and shrugged. "We can take the wolf's." He stepped over the aforementioned body and slid into the passenger seat. "You coming?"
When Kara nodded, he smiled. When she stepped right over her former friend's body, he laughed. His sassy mate was back.
She stalked around the car, slid into the driver's seat, and shifted into drive. "Where to?"
"Let's grab that piece you recovered first and then we find that ring you think helps keep you safe. If there's any chance in hell that it really works, we're going to need it."
With a nod, she turned the car around and headed back into town. Leo took the time to study her. The determination set on her face. The way she ignored the near-constant buzzing of her phone. The way she kept looking at him from the corner of her eye while she drove as if hoping he wouldn't notice.
Everything about her called to him. The cell phone rang again in the center console. He snatched it from the cup holder as he pressed the window button down. Without a second thought, he chucked it.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"What makes you think that was a good idea? My cousins could be calling. What if they're in trouble?"
"One already is in trouble if she's hanging out with wolves." His retort had more bite than his fangs. "Besides, phones aren't just about communication. They track and keep tabs on people. You are a very sought after person. Not being reachable isn't a bad thing."
He dropped a hand on her knee with a gentle pat. "Today's been tough. But trust me, keeping that damn ringing phone around was only going to make it tougher." He left his hand in place as they made their way into the traffic that was Vegas.
At a stop light, Kara laid a hand on top of his for a moment. Hope raced through him.
"I'll only be a minute," she said when they pulled up the drive of a modest house. Sh
e left the car running and dashed into the house.
Leo took in the neighborhood. Cookie-cutter homes dating from the 50's with neatly kept lawns. His Kara had grown up well despite the hardships she claimed. In the hours since he'd met her this time around, he'd seen her in control and ever the professional at the shop, a complete badass when the wolf threatened her in the parking lot, and her soft side on the outskirts of town. But the image of her walking out of her home would be his favorite. Possibly in all their lifetimes of meeting.
Her head held high, Kara now donned a pair of shorts that showcased her long, muscular legs, a tee that hugged her in all the right places, a pair of tennis shoes, and a hat that held back her hair in a ponytail.
In a flash, he was out and around the car to open her door. She gave him a nod and smile before brushing past him.
The small satchel she wore across her chest vibrated with energy when it came in contact with his body.
"What the hell was that?" She jumped back as if she'd been burned.
Deep within his slacks pocket, the ring he always carried with him vibrated with the same energy. "You wouldn't be carrying a ruby in there by chance? A blood red one?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he'd offered her once before. "One that looks similar to this one?"
She leaned close and when her bag swung beneath his offered hand, both the ring in his palm and the item in her bag buzzed to life. "Shit!"
"I suspect you have the other half of this stone in there." He eyed her and put some distance between them. "Care to tell me who ordered the heist?"
"I'm not entirely certain. Nana was the main contact."
Realization hit hard. "The broker." Her gasp told all. "She made all the agreements, didn't she? Who makes the exchange?"
When she didn't answer right away, he asked again. "Tell me, Kara. Who?"
"Lindsay does. She's been doing the hand-offs for years. But recently, she's been resistant - complaining that she shouldn't have to be dealing with the clients."
