by C. J. Pinard
I smacked his arm. “I know she was. He’s a rapist for taking blood from me. Without my permission. He almost legit raped me too, had his disgusting man parts all hard against me as he fed.” I gritted my teeth. “I’m gonna kill him. Slowly.” Thoughts of how he’d restrained me to the ground of the filthy alleyway, his hand pinning my forehead down as he tore open my throat and fed flooded back to me. Anger rose to the point where I could feel my blood heating up, like I might shift.
Aden gave me an annoyed look. “No, you’re not. You’re gonna kill him fast, and then get out of there.”
His eyes suddenly glowed yellow, and then they went wide. Without my permission, mine did the same as the scent hit me, my rage turning to fear.
“What is that?” Beckett asked, alarmed.
“There’s another creature coming.” Aden jumped up.
Beckett grunted as we raced across the street toward Evan’s SUV. We all hopped in.
“What is it?” Karina asked us, alarmed.
“There’s a powerful vampire nearby,” Evan answered for us, his own eyes glowing yellow.
She gasped. “Oh, my God. Evan, I’ve only ever seen your eyes like that a few times.”
The flight part of the fight or flight syndrome was hitting me hard. “We need to leave. Now!”
Evan started up the car.
“No, just calm down,” she said, laying a hand on Evan’s arm, and then looking back at me. “That’s your wolf side. Just remain calm. I can sense a something strange nearby too, but just we don’t know what it is. Let’s wait to see.”
I was shaking; freaking out. I wanted to leave. “No, please, let’s just go,” I whined, hating myself for it, but not caring at the moment.
“She’s right, guys,” Beckett said, grabbing my hand from the backseat. “Shh. You’re shaking. Look at me.”
I stared into his kind eyes and nodded.
“It’s okay. You’re strong. You have a stake.” He brushed his fingers along it. “We will protect you.”
I then looked out the windshield of the SUV. A tall, gorgeous black woman with short, platinum-blonde hair exited a small roadster type sports car and walked up to the front of the house, opening the door as if she lived there.
“Is that the vampire?” Aden asked.
“She’s in for a surprise if that’s her man screwing some human in the room,” Beckett said, chuckling.
Evan and Karina turned to look at us, but it was Sam who spoke from behind me in the cargo area. “They were fucking?” He started laughing. “Damn, I should have come.”
I reached around and tried to slap him, but he moved out of the way too fast. “Shut up.”
“You know you want a piece of the Saminator.” He licked his lips and winked at me.
I made a gagging noise and looked back at the house, still holding Beckett’s hand like a scared schoolgirl. We all watched in silence for a few minutes.
When nothing happened, I said, “What now?”
“Sam, go look in the window,” Aden ordered.
Knowing Sam had to be as scared as we were, but refusing to show it, he shrugged and let himself out of the back. Racing fast across the street, he did the same and looked in the window. By the way he lingered at the window much longer than he needed to, and the lascivious grin on his stupid face when he got back, I already knew what he was going to say. Beckett and I looked at each other, then at Sam.
“They’re having a big ol’ orgy in there, aren’t they?” Beckett asked.
Sam nodded, a big grin on his face, his eyes glowing yellow momentarily. “The black chick is fucking the dude we followed here, and the human chick is sucking off some other dude.”
I shook my head. “Let’s get out of here. She’s obviously a very powerful creature, and we need to get this douchebag alone. At least we know where he hangs out.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Karina said, biting her lip in contemplation.
“I don’t care. I’m not going anywhere near that house with that vampire in there. She probably turns to smoke in an instant,” Aden said.
Karina laughed. “That’s just a Dracula myth. That can’t happen.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Aden replied. “Let’s go. We come back at daylight when the leeches are sleeping, and let’s hope that scary one isn’t here.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Evan murmured, putting the Mercedes in drive and navigating all the way out of the subdivision before turning his lights on.
Chapter 6
The anniversary of Austyn’s murder hit me like an arrow to the heart. As I got out of bed this morning, the date on my phone had beamed out at me like a beacon on a lighthouse.
How had a year passed so quickly?
After putting on some coffee, I fired up my laptop and went to YouTube. I stared at the page, unable to click the video I wanted—no, needed to watch.
When the coffeemaker beeped, I quickly got up and poured some hot, black decadence into my “I Love Vampires” coffee mug, and then splashed some flavored creamer into it.
Ryder hated this coffee cup, but I thought it was awesome. I didn’t particularly love vampires, but I had gotten it as a gag gift from Austyn on my eighteenth birthday. So, of course, it was my favorite thing I owned.
Taking a cautious sip, I clicked on the video and watched the compilation of photos set to music my dad had made of Austyn’s life. It was about eight minutes long, and I had honestly not watched it since the funeral. When the eight minutes were over, I was a sobbing mess, hugging my coffee cup with both hands around its white ceramic sides.
“I miss you, Austyn,” I whispered to the screen with a hiccup, biting my lip to keep from sobbing again. “You big goof. I miss the hell out of you.”
His happy face smiled back at me on the screen. My adoptive parents had been excellent at documenting our lives. Even though I had found out our adoptive parents were witches, as our biological mother had been forced to abandon us and run for her life from our abusive wolf father, our parents had given us a beautiful and carefree childhood. I would always love them for that. The pictures on the screen in front of me proved that.
I was sad I’d never know my biological mother, Amy Bliss. Word was, she had been murdered by our biological father, the Alpha, Byron Bliss.
That ass was also on my “Vampires Who Are Dead Meat” list.
With tears streaming down my face, I closed the page to the video tribute we’d made to Austyn.
I texted Aden: I’m sad today.
He replied quickly: Me too. But we have anger and sadness fueling us. Let’s use it.
I smiled sadly, typing out a reply: I’m onboard. Who do we kill first? I need to kill something.
Aden: That asshole Linden.
Me: Okay, where do we start??
Aden: I’ve got some ideas. I also have something 4 you.
Me: Tell me where and when. I’ll be there.
Aden: Meet me for dinner tonight.
Me: 16th Street Tacos. 6pm.
I set my phone down with a sigh and started my day.
The 16th Street Taco Bar smelled of booze, spices, and people stink. It was pretty busy, too, but I spotted my brother easily enough. After a quick hug, I slid into a chair at the high table where he sat in the bar area, nursing a Coors.
“How did your day go?” I asked.
With the bottle paused at his lips, he lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Same shit, different day.”
I frowned. “Sorry. Surely you want to do something else with your life other than construction work? That’s hard on the body. You can’t make a career out of it.”
Aden shot me an annoyed look. “I know that. I’d love to get paid to kill vamps, but that’s not exactly a career.”
“Actually, it is. I can talk to Evan and Karina and see if they need any more hunters,” I replied cheekily.
His eyes went wide, but before he could reply, the waitress came up and asked what I would like. In the mood fo
r a beer, I ordered the same as Aden.
“What do you mean?” he asked after she walked away.
“Remember how Evan told you he was my trainer? Well, he and Karina are training me, but I also get paid to kill vampires.”
Aden’s blue eyes grew stormy, and he narrowed them at me. “What the fuck, Ayla!”
A few patrons turned around and looked at us because of his outburst. “Sorry,” I said sheepishly to an older couple who glared at us.
“Calm down,” I said, putting my hand on his forearm.
He nodded and raked a hand through his too-long blond hair. “Go on.”
“I don’t know exactly how, but Evan’s brothers are really old vampires, and they somehow keep track of vamps who aren’t following the rules. They are able to determine their habits, their hangouts, et cetera. When they’ve decided these vampires need to be wiped out, they kill them. However, it seems his brothers have grown too busy with their investments and whatever businesses they have, and have contracted out the work.”
Aden grinned. “Well, hell yeah. I’d be happy to be a contractor. How much does it pay?”
I hesitated a little, knowing he was going to lose his shit. So after drawing in a deep breath, I said, “About five grand a vampire.”
Instead of screaming out an obscenity like I expected, he just blinked in disbelief at me. “You’re shitting me.”
I shook my head and bit back a smile. “I am not, brother.”
The server showed up with my beer and asked if I wanted any food. I looked at Aden. “Did you order food?”
He shook his head and looked at the server. “Just bring us a bunch of tacos. Surprise us.”
She nodded and winked at my brother flirtatiously. Gag. “You got it.”
He watched her walk away—with a little too much interest, mind you—and then back to me. “You’re telling me they pay you five thousand dollars to off one vamp?”
I nodded, still trying not to grin.
“And here, stupid me, has been doing it for fucking free. Awesome,” he said dryly.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve only done one paid one so far. And I’m going to tell you, it kinda messes with your psyche.”
His eyebrows dipped. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” I said, running a finger along the mouth of the beer bottle and looking down, “like, why should I kill this vampire? What did he do to deserve the ‘final’ death?”
Aden laughed. “Are you serious? Who cares? Five grand and one less vampire sounds like a win-win to me.”
Of course he wasn’t going to understand my moral dilemma. Yes, I’d killed vampires before. And I had initially regretted one of those kills: Elda Stoker, my first. I had just taken the money Dean Hobbes had given me, and had killed her without asking questions. A jilted lover who’d had his wife taken away... that was not grounds for murder. Using the justification that she had already lived long enough, and that perhaps I had potentially saved countless human lives since she fed on humans was what helped me sleep at night. But at the end of the day, I had no right, and it was only because I trusted Evan and Karina implicitly that I had agreed to do this job. Plus, one kill paid my bills for a few months... and it beat answering phones at the damn Carter Homes headquarters where every single caller seemed to be angry and disgruntled. Because really, I didn’t need all that negativity in my life.
“It is worth it, but I will only off the ones the Grants tell me to,” I replied, realizing what a strange conversation this was to be having.
Aden laughed, and reached over to the empty chair between us. Setting a shoebox on the table, he said, “Well, I got you a present. It should make your new”—he cleared his throat—“job, a little easier.”
My brow furrowed, but I smiled anyway. Lifting the lid, I peered down to see the tissue paper inside covering the gift. Very carefully, I pushed the paper aside, and when I saw what lay inside, I gasped.
I looked up at my big brother, my eyes wide. “Aden.”
He smiled sadly. “Go ahead.”
I reached in and gingerly lifted the ancient-looking knife from out of the box. I briefly looked around before discreetly gazing down at it. Brushing my fingertips over the intricately carved hilt, the silver and black designs a maze of complexity, I then fondled the beveled blade, finally touching the very tip with my index finger. It was so sharp, it pricked my finger. I pulled it back briefly, and then smiled at my brother as I put my finger in my mouth to lick the blood away. “Sharp.”
He nodded. “Turn it over.”
As I gingerly flipped the dagger around, I could see the word “Austyn” engraved on the other side, and tears immediately sprung to my eyes.
“Oh, Aden, it’s beautiful,” I said, quietly.
Aden, fighting back emotion himself, nodded. “It’s a Dagestan dagger. I wanted you to have it. It’s very old, from what I’ve been told, but very effective. I even dipped it in some holy water before coming here for good measure. I want you to kill that piece of shit Linden with it.”
“I’m, like, speechless here. This is an amazing gift,” I breathed.
“Just kill as many vamps as you can with it,” he replied.
The server arrived with our tacos, my mouth watered. I looked at her. “What kind do we have here?” I asked.
She had been smiling at my brother, but almost begrudgingly turned her attention to me. “It’s our All The Tacos platter. Pork, fish, beef, chicken, and vegetarian. Black beans, Spanish rice, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole on the side. Hope you enjoy it!”
“Thank you, looks amazing,” I said.
She smiled at me, then looked at Aden again before dashing off.
“Looks like you have an admirer,” I said, chuckling as I snatched two tacos from the platter and put them on the plate the server had set in front of me.
“Yeah, right,” he replied. “I’m sure she’s just looking for good tips.”
With the fish taco paused at my mouth, I shook my head. “No way, she wants you.”
“You’re crazy...”
I didn’t hear what else he’d said, as a blinding headache hit me, along with the blackness that began to bleed along the edges of my vision. “Oh no,” I whispered before I dropped the taco, and everything went black.
“I hope whatever you’ve summoned me here for is important. I was on a date, mate.” Kellan’s face was a storm of rage and barely controlled violence.
A blond man sitting in an oversized red armchair and was sipping something from a metal cup. I was facing Kellan, my view from behind the man’s chair.
“You need to watch the way you talk to me.” His voice was not as deep as Kellan’s and sounded American. East Coast, perhaps.
Kellan’s jaw ticked in annoyance, his hands squeezing together behind his back. “My apologies.”
The blond man chuckled. “I know how you get when you need to get laid, so I’ll forgive you this time. It wasn’t my intention to interrupt that. I am just in need of an update, as I have not heard much from you.”
As if being able to feel Kellan’s emotions, I felt a conflict within him as I watched him interact with this man, who seemed to be his boss. “There really is nothing to report. I am keeping a watchful eye on the girl. She and her friends frequent Moon Chasers, and while I don’t see anything unusual, I do keep an ear on their conversations. She keeps vampire friends with seemingly no issues, and also has another hybrid as a friend, a male. I don’t know much more than that.”
The man nodded. “Very good.” With his fingers steepled in front of him, both elbows rested on the arms of the chair, he asked, “And her brother, the wolf? Have you seen him?”
Kellan quickly shook his head. “No. Never.”
“Keep your eyes peeled for him. He’s a fierce one.”
“As you wish,” Kellan responded through gritted teeth. He lifted his gaze to the man as he got up from his red chair and came around it in my direction. I gasped. The blond man was him. Linden.
“Should I call nine-one-one?” I heard a female voice ask.
I groaned and fluttered my eyes open to see my brother and the waitress staring down at me with concern in their gazes.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and trying to stand from where I was lying on my back on the floor. “I’m okay. Really. I just black out sometimes.”
Pulling me up to stand, they both helped me sit in the chair. “Sorry about that.”
Embarrassed, but less so than usual because this shit always happened when I was in public, it seemed, I shook it off and apologized a million times to the people around me.
When Aden could see I was all right, he looked at me, his brows dipped in concern, his eyes dancing in fear. “What the hell was that, Ayla?”
I cleared my throat and looked down at the Dagestan dagger. “I guess I should probably tell you about the psychic premonitions I’ve been having.”
“Yes, you fucking better,” he replied, annoyed and probably embarrassed.
Chapter 7
Evan looked at me, and then down at my hand gripping my new dagger. He lifted an eyebrow.
“What?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest, still clutching the dagger
Karina looked at my weapon, then at her husband, then back to me. “Um”—she chewed her lip, then pointed at it—“where did you get that?”
I smiled. “My brother gave it to me.” I flipped it around to show them Austyn’s name engraved on the blade. “He even dipped it in holy water. He wants me to kill as many vampires as I can with it.”
“Nice. Now, let’s continue your training so you can use that thing with precise perfection.” He glanced at Karina, then back to me. “But only the vampires we assign to you. We don’t want you going around killing every one you come across.”
“Just the asshole who killed my brother, and of course the fucker who bit me and turned me into a freak. And once that’s done, I’m gonna find my biological father and let him have it. Nobody can stop me from killing them.” And also Kellan, because he’s been using me and spying on me and he’s making me really stabby right now, I wanted to say, but kept my mouth shut. Something told me I needed to keep my relationship with him... or whatever it was... a secret from everyone.
