by Lowe, Anna
Hannah looked a bit queasy. Val knew just how she felt. She didn’t want to fail again.
“This mission is vital,” their father continued. “We might finally discover the location of their coven. They’ve hidden it well for so many years. If we knew their location, we could wipe them out with a well-timed ambush.”
Their mother walked toward the front of the cathedral, almost as if she were delivering a sermon. “We’ve been waiting to assign this mission,” she said. “Waiting for the two of you to grow up, and be ready to fight with us. We aren’t certain of their numbers, but adding two to our ranks will bring us close enough. Soon, we’ll be able to rid our city of this scourge.”
Val’s blood hummed in her veins. She loved it when her mom got all fiery. Looking behind her, she realized that everyone was gathered in the simulation room. Silas and Cole still had their robes on. Brooks and Damien stood beside them, Damien holding a silver ax at the ready, as he always did. Ranged behind them were Gemma, Raven, and Sylvia. All were solemn, hands on hidden weapons.
Peter walked toward them, holding out the gun. Hannah reached for it, but he handed it to Val.
“You know Val’s the better shot.”
Val blinked at him. The gun felt strangely light in her hand. Was he really trusting it to her?
Hannah pouted.
“Val can go alone, if you prefer,” their mother said.
Hannah schooled her features, but Val knew she was boiling inside.
“There’s only one vampire who keeps a standing appointment,” their father said, “so that’s another reason not to kill him. None of the others are so easy to predict. Track him only. Use no other weapons, except as a last resort in self-defense.”
He gave them a grave look. “Like I said, this is no daywalker. This is a vampire, and he could easily kill you if you’re not careful. Or Turn you.” He shuddered. “This is not a game. Do you understand? I want you both to come back to me.”
They nodded.
“We call him Graveyard.” He gazed at them, making sure they were paying attention. “He visits the cathedral and surrounding cemetery every Thursday night at ten o’clock. Let the dart gun do the work. There’s no need to get too close.”
Hannah looked at her watch. “It’s nine now.”
“Then it seems you have an hour to get there.”
Val’s fingers tightened on the glass grip of the gun. Was this really it? No more training, no more target practice, no more simulations? Was she really ready for this?
“Are you coming?” Hannah asked acidly, “or do you want to hand over the gun?”
Val rose. Her legs felt wooden. Together, she and Hannah headed for the door.
“Wait,” their mother called, marching after them. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Mom,” Hannah pleaded. “Don’t do this.”
“I have to. It’s my job.” Grabbing both of them, she wrapped them in a crushing hug. “Good luck, my little hunters.” She planted a kiss on each of their foreheads. “Don’t be long, and come home safe.”
“All right, all right.” Hannah twisted away at last. “We get it, Mom. Enough already.”
Val had to smile. Her mother was probably the only person who coolly shot target dummies between the eyes every time and also insisted on goodbye kisses.
Holstering the gun, Val waved as they left the simulation room. Hannah didn’t look back.
They walked down the hall together. Hannah scowled as she pushed the elevator button.
“You didn’t even get the book,” she muttered. “Why do you get to hold the gun?”
Val kept one hand on the weapon. Part of her understood why Hannah didn’t like her. Val had come into her life when they were both babies, and had taken half of her parents’ attention. To add insult to injury, their birthdays were only ten days apart. Some years there was too much hunting to do, and to save time they had to share a party. Val never minded, but Hannah always acted like Val had deliberately ruined things.
The elevator chimed as the doors slid open. They stepped inside, Hannah making sure she got in first. She punched the button for the lobby like it was a practice dummy who had looked at her wrong. Val ignored her, instead touching all her hidden weapons to make sure they were in place.
Everything was silver, of course. Two knives in her wrist cuffs. Four throwing knives in her belt. Her trusty dagger, the one her parents had given her on her last birthday. A blade strapped to her thigh, another concealed in the sole of her right shoe for an emergency.
Lastly, there was her silver necklace. It could be yanked off and used as a garrote if necessary. That had been a midwinter gift from Silas. He had been kind enough to show her how to use it, though her mother had insisted they stick to dummies when she found Val sobbing over a passed-out Silas one day. The fact that he’d given Hannah the same necklace didn’t make it any less special.
The elevator chimed again, opening onto the lobby. Val took out the gun, giving it one last inspection. All three darts were there. She studied the intricate interior. Everything seemed to be in order.
“Can you stop gloating?” Hannah asked. “You’re the shooter. We get it, already.”
“I just wanted to make sure it was in working order.”
“Uh huh. Sure. And why would anything have changed in the elevator?”
Val sighed, holstering the gun again. She didn’t want to argue with Hannah, but sometimes it seemed like that was all Hannah wanted to do. For as long as she could remember, she’d wished that Peter and Ellen were her real parents. She’d never wished that Hannah was her real sister.
“Do you want to make a plan?” Val asked.
“Go to the cathedral, shoot Graveyard with a dart. What part of that do we need to plan out for you?”
Val felt her face heat. “I just like being prepared.”
“I can write those instructions on your hand, if that would help. Do you want me to find a marker?”
“Fine,” Val snapped, “we can go.”
They headed toward the lobby doors. The city outside was dark. Before Hannah could push open one of the doors, Val grabbed the handle.
“What are you doing?” Hannah hissed. “We don’t have much time, unless you’d like to wait for next week.”
“We’re going to face a vampire, alone. For the first time ever. Like Dad said, we’re going to have to work together. I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
Hannah crossed her arms. “You really want to work together?”
Val hesitated. When her sister got that look in her eye, things never seemed to go well for Val. “Yes…?”
“If you really wanted to be a team and work together, you wouldn’t hog the glory, would you?”
“What do you want, Hannah?”
Her eyes gleamed. “Just the first shot.”
Val bit her lip. If everything went well, only one shot would be necessary. And if things went wrong, it would be Val’s fault. She had been the one entrusted with the gun, after all.
“Please, Val?” Hannah asked.
Maybe it would help the mission, in the end. Hannah would be eager, instead of sullen. She might get the glory, but maybe she would remember that she had only gotten it because of Val. And maybe, a small, secret part of her hoped, maybe Hannah would hate her a little less. Slowly, Val unbuckled her holster and handed it over.
Hannah squealed. “You’re the best, Val! This is going to be the best mission ever, I just know it.” Her eyes shone with true happiness as she buckled the holster around her waist.
Val smiled. She just hoped this good mood would last.
“Ready?” Hannah asked.
“Ready.”
Together, they stepped through the door and into the night.
Val shivered as they left the complex. It had always felt like home to her, like safety. Leaving it tonight felt different. When they returned, it would either be in victory or shameful defeat.
She was really hoping for the former.
Hannah cursed. “I stepped in something.” She held up her shoe for inspection. Neon green gum stretched between her sole and the sidewalk. “Grooooss,” Hannah moaned. “Give me a second, I have to clean this off.”
If Val had been the one holding them up, she’d have heard endless griping. But she waited, silently, hoping this wouldn’t throw Hannah out of her good mood.
As Hannah scraped her shoe on the pavement, Val looked back at the complex. It looked like a regular apartment building. From the outside, no one would guess that three whole floors were dedicated to the training room, and two to the simulator. Only eleven people lived here, even though it was in the heart of downtown.
Val couldn’t even imagine what the rent would be on a place like this. She smiled, knowing that her father’s brilliant inventions had paid for everything. The military loved Peter Hunter’s weapons. The best ones, though, he kept for the hunters.
Like the glass dart gun. Val looked at it longingly as it swung from Hannah’s hip. She hoped giving it up hadn’t been a mistake.
Hannah wobbled, and grabbed her arm. Val helped steady her.
“Look,” Hannah said with a strange gasp. “Across the street.”
There, bathed in the glow of a streetlight, was the most handsome man Val had ever seen. His muscles were clearly straining the limits of his white shirt and leather jacket. He had reddish brown hair, sculpted cheekbones, and a chiseled jaw, which made it all the more odd that he was staring at her.
* * *
Get your copy of Hunted by the Alphas - Part One here.
Or sink your teeth into the complete collection here.
Sneak Peek: Liam’s Bride
Book 1 of the Clan Conroy Brides bear shifter series
by Emma Alisyn
Sneak Peek: Liam’s Bride
Curvy Meredith is hiding in plain sight. A gardening teacher for troubled teens, she needs the new owner of the old YWCA building to renew her lease. Her non-profit after school program can’t fund a more expensive location. Steeling herself for a confrontation, she discovers the owner is Liam Conroy, the Alpha Bear whose father was murdered fifteen years ago…
Liam doesn’t know his mate is the daughter of his father’s killer. All he knows is he wants the gentle, courageous beauty – and that she is an answer to a problem plaguing his Den. Only he senses she is hiding something from him, something that could threaten their fledgling matebond.
When he discovers her deception, will he reject her… and their baby?
A 41K standalone steamy werebear shifter romance suited for readers who like BBW and tall, dark and handsome alpha males. First in the Clan Conroy Bears series.
Chapter One
“Sit down,” he said, indicating a table with his chin. She followed the motion, noticing he’d taken a table from the attached break room and placed it along a wall, covered in a white cloth and set with fresh wildflowers.
“Chef’s table,” she said without thinking, staring. Bear and whimsical didn’t seem to go together. It put her at ease – a little.
A rumble of agreement came from his chest. “Go. Sit.”
She obeyed automatically, caught by the authority in his tone, walking towards the table and taking a seat before she remembered she had promised to remain… professional.
Surveying the table, eyebrows knit, she wondered if he was trying to keep it professional. It didn’t look like it. Maybe she hadn’t imagined the zing of something between them. Though she was inexperienced with men – by choice her relationships remained few – she wasn’t stupid. She could read basic body language.
And a man who wasn’t interested in a woman didn’t cook her dinner. Not when he already had the upper hand.
Meredith decided bluntness to be the best weapon. “I’m a little confused.”
Dishes clinked. A moment later he approached with white restaurant plates, sliced meat delicately arranged over creamy potatoes, topped with a bed of fluffy fresh micro-greens. A red sauce swirled around the entire dish. He placed the plates on the table, disappeared into the walk-in and returned a moment later with chilled glasses and wine.
He sat, pouring ruby liquid into glasses. She couldn’t read his expression so instead watched fingers graceful despite their size move with a chef’s deftness. He placed the glass in front of her, waited until she took a sip.
“Do you like it?”
“I’m not much of a wine person, but it has a bit of sweetness to it.”
He nodded, gesturing at her plate. “I thought a talk over a meal would be enjoyable and I wanted to get the lay of the kitchen before I finalize designs for the remodel. Seemed a shame to waste the food.”
“You have to cook in it first to get a feel for it?” Meredith asked, taking a guess. Relaxing now that she knew the setup wasn’t about her, but more a gracious inclusion of her. She sliced into the meat, the knife moving through with such ease she set it aside. Beef melting in her mouth, her eyelids drooped. “Oooooh. This is good.”
“Hmm. It’s not too bland?”
Eyes reopening, she felt another blasted blush. “I’m sorry. The food at your restaurant really was very good. I was just trying to get your attention.”
“You got it,” he replied, voice dry, dark eyes glinting. They caught her for a moment, capturing her attention to the point she realized the purity of black surrounding his pupils was absolute. Not a fleck of brown, striation of russet. No lessening of the bottomless coal darkness.
“These potatoes taste different,” she said, voice pitched high.
“Not potatoes. Cauliflower and leek.”
“Much healthier,” she said, managing to level her tone. Heat faded to friendly warmth under her nervous regard, his lashes suddenly lowering to allow her to break the stare. She cleared her throat. “You know my teens grow both of those in the garden. We had plans next season to become certified as organic. I had them studying natural pest prevention methods this year, and we sourced our seeds from local organic farmers.”
He took a sip of his wine. She watched his throat move, helpless to look away even when a small smile curve his lips.
“I thought about what you said.” He reached across the table, a finger trailing along the bone of her cheek. She didn’t move, the skin under his touch hyper aware. “A garden attached to the school that produces for the restaurant is a smart business move. I hadn’t really considered it because I don’t have time to manage it.”
“Now you do.” She smiled brightly, sitting back in her chair. “We’ll do it for you and think of all the new customers you’ll get. The students’ families would be happy to go to the restaurant that features produce they’ve grown.”
“Yes.” His hand lowered to the table, fingers curling, expression impassive. “I can see the benefits on several angles. So I’m going to renew your lease at the same rate.”
Her breath caught. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he shook his head, forestalling her. “Don’t thank me yet. I want something more.”
Liam’s voice caressed the word more. She suppressed a shiver. He didn’t say anything for several moments, watching her face. Meredith’s eyes narrowed with impatience. “Yes?”
“I know you have an M.Ed.”
What she had was an M.Ed’s worth of student loan debt the government considered her too poor to pay. She could always move to a bigger city and get a teaching job, but she didn’t want to leave her teenagers. They were her students, even if the classroom wasn’t a recognized one.
“I’d like you to co-teach a class with me. Arrange the curriculum.”
“What?” Meredith stared at him, beyond surprised. They’d gone from her possibly facilitating some informal instruction in sustainable gardening, to teaching an actual class.
“That’s possible, of course,” she began. “But I have to work-“
He waved a hand. “I’d pay you. I’m not trying to get anything for free.” His expression darkened, stare intensifying, seizing her lungs and limbs in momentary s
tasis. “Women are never free. Especially the ones worth… buying.”
There was something inherently insulting about that statement, but she was having trouble thinking past his focused regard. Meredith forked food into her mouth in an attempt to put some distance between them.
“It occurred to me that any chef worth his or her salt should know how to grow their own food,” he continued softly. “I have a small kitchen garden at my home. I think it best if we meet there to arrange how the lessons will go. And I’d like some… privacy… to see what you know.”
“I prefer to work here,” she replied, setting the fork down. “The garden is much more extensive and it’s the environment the students will be learning in, after all.”
Liam smiled. It wasn’t anywhere near friendly, but it was predatory. “No. My building, my school, my students – my way.”
Meredith’s lips pursed. “I’ll think about it.” She stood, stiffly. She couldn’t take it anymore, her body’s relentless clamoring. Her thighs clenched. “Thank you for the meal.”
Liam rose after her, slowly, drawing up to his full height. He lifted a hand, fingertip outlining the shape of her lips, a feather light touch that shouldn’t have felt erotic, but interrupted her breathing. The brush of his finger seared her face. She took a small step back, a tiny flinch she immediately regretted.
“You don’t have much choice, Meredith. None, in fact.”
“What is it you really want?” she asked. He wasn’t acting like a business owner speaking to a potential employee. Tension arched between them. He stepped forward, his body not quite touching hers.
“I think you have an idea, Meredith.” He paused. “I’m willing to give you time to get used to it.”
Of all the arrogant, vague, tantalizing, unromantic but intriguing… offers. Meredith couldn’t deny her own attraction, the spark between them.
“You’re a Bear. I’m not.”
“I don’t care. Besides, my Bear wanted you first. I’m… following along.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Is this where you tell me you’re attracted to me in spite of yourself, Mr. Conroy?” He laughed. “Houston, right? That man was a moron.”
