by Casey Lane
“Stupid human.” Veronique shook her, hard, and threw her toward the rocks.
A demon dashed in front of the cliff and Megan bounced off his hard hide, landing on the sand bruised and bloody, but alive. She wiped her mouth and stood, wavered a little bit. She couldn’t see Veronique.
The beach was a battlefield, pure and simple. Smoke from fires made it difficult to see.
She searched for Derek, the pain of his betrayal fresh in her heart.
Away from the battle, Derek stood talking to someone, who gestured to the sand. Derek got to his knees by the edge of the ocean, bowed his head. The vamp in front of him raised a strong sword.
Before she could cry out in horror, Derek’s head lay in the sand, separated from his body. The unknown vamp lifted his head, and his gaze found hers across the battlefield of the beach. He tipped his head in her direction before disappearing.
Megan’s legs turned to jelly and she dropped to the sand, tears clogging her throat. She stared at Derek’s body, unwilling to cross to him. What could she do, after all? He was dead. Deader than undead. Gone.
A passing fighter flicked a fireball at Derek’s body. It went up in flames with a whoosh.
“Oh yes, cry, Fae bitch. Your lap vamp is dead for reals.” Veronique laughed, venom in her eyes, and she circled behind Megan. Grabbed her braid and yanked her to her feet. “I’m taking you with me.”
Rage filled her then, and Megan whirled around, katana at the ready, and kept going, sweeping her blade through the fleshy part of Veronique’s waist. The blade stopped when it met the vampire’s spine, a good six or seven inches into her body.
“You’re the one taking a trip. One way to hell.”
Veronique’s eyes rolled up into her head. Her body dropped to the sand. Megan dug the sword into the sand and sat guard until a fireball winged toward her, caught Veronique’s red hair. Megan moved hastily away from the flames.
The stench of burning vampire stinging her nose and eyes. Fires flickered here and there along the beach.
Raven, in wolf form, padded to her and she hugged him close. She took comfort in the long swipe of his tongue against the cut on her face. The tears came then, for her friend, for the man she’d spent many an evening with, sipping wine and talking about the day’s news.
After a long while, she let him go and wiped her eyes.
Raven shifted, dropped to his knees in front of her. She felt him lift her chin and took a shuddering breath before she met his gaze.
“You’re okay?”
She nodded, though her head rang and her cuts ached. She’d heal at home, they both would, but in the meantime, her wounds itched with dried blood, and she longed for a bath.
“You?” She hissed at the bite marks on his neck. “We need to fix that.”
“It burns,” he admitted.
Gregor Caine knelt beside her. “You were right, Doc. They weren’t going to play fair.”
“Vampires rarely do.” The only one she’d ever known to do so had been Derek, but now he’d tarnished that. She pushed the thought aside and met Gregor’s concerned gaze. “Thank you for coming.”
“You know we are always up for a fight. Maggie refused to stay behind,” he added.
“I thought that was her. Well.” She held out a hand to Raven. “Help me up, love. Let’s go home.”
They gathered on the cliff, the six of them, and just looked at each other. Raven broke the silence.
“Thank you for being here tonight. Not sure what we’d have done without you.”
Gabriel, Justin, and Gregor stood there, looking tired. Justin sighed.
“There was something off about this whole thing.” He shook his head. “It’s been a long day, and an even longer night. Gather tomorrow?”
“I’ll take a day off.” At their surprise, Megan raised an eyebrow. “What? I can take a day off.”
“It’s just that you don’t, usually.” Maggie smiled at her friend. “We’re all drooping. Late breakfast at the homestead, say, eleven? It’s almost two now. That will give us time to get home, decompress, and get some sleep.”
Megan leaned into Raven as he slipped his arm around her. “That sounds perfect.”
She let Raven lead her to where he’d parked his truck. She had no more words and a gaping hole in her heart.
When they got home, she treated the vampire bites on his neck with holy water, wincing at Raven’s creative cursing. Once the wound stopped bubbling, she laid a chamomile and coconut salve on the bites. “Good as new.” She sent a wobbly smile to him.
“Almost. Let’s get cleaned up.”
It wasn’t until they were in the shower together that she broke down again.
Raven held her until she had no more tears. Watched as she healed her own lacerations and bruise on her face, neck, forearms. And when the time came to go to bed, he took her in his arms and loved her with a single-mindedness that brought her focus back to him, to them, to the magic of their coupling, and all that now lay before them.
When she finally slept, he kept watch, with her tucked against his side. Tonight was the second time he’d almost lost her in the span of two days. That was a record he didn’t want to repeat.
Ever.
Chapter Seven
The Caine homestead was warm and welcoming. Gabriel and Rose’s daughter, Brenna, was a happy toddler.
They had finished eating and moved to the great room. A fresh breeze came in through the windows.
“So I noticed something different in the fight last night.” Justin glanced at Raven. “You did too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. The vampires preferred to play keep-away, rather than get down and dirty. Not a typical fight.” Raven took Megan’s hand. “They bled out fast.”
“Not only that but when you beheaded one, the body didn’t go searching for the head.” Gabriel, on one of the couches with Rose, leaned back, Brenna on his lap. “It was an easy fight.”
“Almost too easy,” Gregor mused.
Megan stirred. “There was one vampire that left alive last night.” She lifted her head, glanced around the room. “The one that beheaded Derek. After he did it, he looked right at me. I think he might have been the one who called himself Mengele. He looked at me, and disappeared.”
“An old vampire, then.” Serra cuddled next to Gregor. “They are difficult to kill, but not impossible.”
“I kept losing sight of Veronique in the night.” Raven frowned. “I’ve never had trouble keeping an enemy in my sights before.”
“How often have you fought vampires?” Kellan sat in a window seat, Aubrey several feet away from him.
“Not often. Okay, this was my second time. But still. I should have been able to focus better.”
Megan patted his hand. “You were focusing on firebolts. It’s a matter of making room in your mind for all the things you are. The wolf, the Fae, and the human. It’s not a wonder you lost track of her, my love.”
Aubrey spoke up then. “So we have vampires who are, what? Not as strong as they should be? Is that what happened last night? Or did I hear wrong?”
“You heard right. The vampires tossed at us last night were weak, if such a thing is possible.” Gregor steepled his fingers together. “They weren’t fledglings, that’s for sure.”
“The vampires were weak. The bites Raven sustained were easily cleared out and didn’t cause him the amount of pain that is normal. And a master vampire was there, with us, last night, but he didn’t fight. Why?” Megan’s eyes grew unfocused as she thought. “Why would a master vampire want to work with me? Why my children’s clinic? Why would he offer to build me laboratory space? Phlebotomy space? It doesn’t make sense.”
Gregor leaned forward. “Did you see his face? Would you recognize him again, if you did see him?”
She shook her head. “There was too much smoke. Too dark. He disappeared so fast that I couldn’t track him leaving. It was disorienting. The whole night was disorienting.”
There was an un
comfortable silence, broken finally by Gregor.
“I want to extend my condolences on the death of…hell. I’m not sorry Derek is gone, but I’m sorry for your loss. I know you were friends.”
Megan lifted her chin. “Friends, of a sort. But he betrayed me. He was supposed to deliver me to Mengele. I’m not sure if he was killed because he failed, or for some other reason. I suppose I’ll never know, now.”
“It’s the betrayal that cuts deepest, isn’t it?” The pain in Kellan’s voice had them all glancing his way. His eyes were unfocused. “You never expect betrayal from the people who know you best.”
Aubrey stiffened and kept her gaze on the floor. Megan shot Serra a questioning look, but Serra only shrugged.
Rose spoke up then. “I want to offer Megan and Raven congratulations on their mating bonds.” She sent them a sweet smile. “You have much to offer our community, the two of you.”
“Which reminds me, I made some phone calls this morning. The Board has agreed to stop dragging their feet, and will hire a chief hospital administrator as soon as they can find a highly qualified candidate.”
“Gregor, that’s great news. And more staff?” Megan clasped her hands. “Please, more staff?”
“Yeah. The Board is going to work with the administrator and look at scheduling to add more staff.”
“Well, you can tell them that Raven is going to take his California State boards. Join me at the hospital, on the fourth floor. He’s a trauma surgeon.” Megan beamed at them.
“That’s great news.” Serra clapped her hands, her smile wide. “We have news, too. I’m pregnant.”
Rose laughed. “So am I. Soon there will be lots of baby Caines running around.”
Kellan got to his feet and left, and an awkward silence fell. Aubrey stood.
“I’m just…I’ll just…yeah.” With a little wave, she picked up her purse and followed Kellan out the front door.
Serra sighed and stood. “I worry about those two.”
“Don’t.” Gregor put his arm around her. “They’ll find their way.”
Maggie leaned against Justin. “I don’t know what all this means. The vampire we call Mengele, the weak vampires, the stealing of wolf children. But it’s here, and now we know. Now we can be vigilant.”
“A year of calm did us all good,” Rose offered. She smiled, though her eyes held an anxious look. “I think Gabriel was getting tired of taking photos of cheating spouses and looking for lost dogs, though.”
“Peace of mind.” Justin toyed with the ends of Maggie’s hair. “We had peace of mind this past year.”
“And now something else has come along. Something big.” Megan snuggled into Raven’s arms. “We’ll handle this. After all, it’s what we do. Right?”
Gregor spoke up. “By the way, Raven. Yesterday I pulled the footage from the security cameras. Derek was the one who shot the dart at you. He also put you in the elevator, pulled the dart out, and sent you to Megan.”
“There’s our answer, but the bigger question is why?” Raven frowned. “How did he even know I was there?”
Rose smiled. “We all have jobs to do on this journey of ours. Perhaps that was one of his? Making sure the two of you met, and in such a way that would pre-dispose you to each other?”
“Maybe so.” Raven twined his fingers with Megan’s. “Out of such heartbreak comes such love.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand it, but I’m not about to turn away from it. So what happens now?”
Justin stood. “I’m taking Maggie on vacation. We’re going to Spain.”
Rose picked up Brenna from Gabriel’s lap and cuddled her daughter. “We need to get this one down for a nap. I need one too, so we’ll go on upstairs.”
Raven stood, bringing Megan up with him. “No, wait. I mean, what do we do about the vampire threat?”
The Caines turned to look at him. Serra gave him a smile.
“We watch, and we wait. There are a couple of channels we can alert, but for the most part, it’s just us.” Gregor came over, slapped Raven on the back. “Welcome to the family.”
“Wait, I’m not family,” Megan protested, but the rest of them overrode her.
“Of course you are. Which makes Raven one, by extension.” Serra gave him a brief hug. “We are so glad you’re here, to watch out for this one.”
“Well.” Raven looked down at Megan, saw the sheen of tears. “Megs, why don’t we go home? I have some work to do, calls to make, if I’m moving to L.A.”
She took a breath, and happiness shone from her like a beacon. “That’s a great idea.”
The clan laughed and chattered as they all went their separate ways, each of them hugging and kissing Megan and Raven.
Once in his truck, Raven just sat there for a moment, absorbing everything that had happened to him the past few days. “Not even a week,” he murmured.
Megan fastened her seatbelt. “What, honey?”
He started the truck. “I was just thinking about how much my life has changed. Three months ago, I was looking for meaning. Now, I have you. I have challenging work to do, on both the medical and the community side. You all really are the guardians of the area, aren’t you?”
She tilted her head, a sassy smile on her face. “I told you.” She turned thoughtful as he pulled away from the house. “Are you going to miss Arizona?”
“No. And yes. I’ll miss the freedom of running as a wolf in the desert, or the mountains, anytime I want. We’ll have to consult with Danny and his pack, about where we can run.”
“It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“No. And at some point, I’ll take you back home. I’ll show you my tribe, my pack. Where I grew up.”
“Oh, that’s magic! And I can show you my favorite parts of Los Angeles. Oh, and San Diego. I love San Diego. Of course, we have to go to wine country. You’ll love Sonoma. Paso Robles. Oh oh, and of course Napa Valley.” She bounced in her seat.
As he drove, Raven listened to her happy chatter. Out of all the places he could have ended up, he never would have expected to find the perfect mate for him in a busy metropolis. Love expanded inside him, along with an overwhelming sense of happiness.
His heart had found a home. After all the false starts in his life, he’d finally come home.
“I love you,” he blurted out.
Megan stopped her chatter and touched his arm. “I love you. You are mine. I am yours.”
“Forever,” he vowed. “Forever, and beyond.”
The End
Start at the beginning of the Caine Brothers Series with DEMON SOUL, Gabriel and Rose’s story. Find all of the Caine books at City Lights Press.
http://citylightspress.com/authors/christine-ashworth/
Acknowledgments
Love and thanks always to my husband, who gave me the time and space to get it done. Love and thanks to Wendy Russo and Sascha Illyvich, who convinced me I’d make the deadline. Wendy, you rocked the brainstorming help! My brother Greg and his lovely wife Tina, thank you for the space in your home to allow me to finish (as well as for the editing help).
About the Author
Christine Ashworth grew up in San Diego. A dancer for many years with California Ballet Company, she fell in love with another dancer, married him, and moved to Los Angeles, California.
She has been writing since 2002, and has no plans to stop. Still 17 at heart, she is a romantic, and hopes to one day match her father’s record of over 350 published fiction books.
Read More from Christine Ashworth
http://christine-ashworth.com
Trial by Heist
Kel Carpenter and Carrie Whitethorne
Trial by Heist © 2017 Kel Carpenter
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing f
rom the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Trial by Heist
The Mother will guide you. The dragon will call.
Johanna Kozak used to believe that, until her best friend was murdered on a reconnaissance mission gone awry, for a rebellion that was the only family she’d ever known. Now on trial for a murder she didn’t commit, Johanna knows her days are numbered, because being a half-breed in a Supernatural world is a death sentence unto itself.
Imprisoned in the bowels of the Council, the days blend together as the pain of reliving the past and the present collide—forcing her to question who she really is. And who she wants to be remembered as. A martyr who went down for a rebellion against the injustice done to half-breed’s—like her best friend? Or one of the last descendants of the dragon who can bring about a reckoning like the world has never seen?
But when the verdict is in, and the time comes to make her choice—only one thing is certain.
Vengeance will come for those who have wronged her, whether she stands on this side of the veil…or the other.
Preface
Sunset. It was time.
I motioned silently for Jayma and the others to continue as I split myself in two. One half stayed with them, moving at a stealthy pace, while the other half streaked through the spirit realm like a wraith in the night. In some ways, that was what I was—a ghost who wielded death’s touch, acting as a hand of justice. Tonight wasn’t for killing, though. This was a scouting mission. Or a trap, depending on how you looked at it.
