Sassy Ever After: Sassy Ink 3: The Hunter's Curse (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Christina Benjamin

  “I know. But I wanted to,” Cali replied. “The last few months haven’t been easy on any of us. We have to make the most of every moment, right?”

  “Right,” Etti murmured, taking in the view from her balcony.

  Cali sprung for two suites next to each other so she and Wes could be close by if Izzi needed them. Etti had definitely made the right choice as far as godparents.

  She gazed out to the beautiful pool in the courtyard below where Grey and Wes were basking in the last of the afternoon sunshine with Izzi. They were pointing out the bright bougainvillea blooms to her and making silly faces. It made Etti want to cry. These people were her family. She loved them beyond words and the thought of losing them had been way too real today.

  Cali took Etti’s hand. “You deserve to be happy, Etti. Take your moments when you can get them.”

  Etti looked into her petite friend’s blue eyes and smiled, feeling the gloom of the past few hours lift momentarily. Cali’s endless optimism always had that effect on Etti and she was glad that the tiny shifter was her best friend’s mate.

  “Thanks,” Etti said, squeezing Cali’s hand back. “You both deserve happiness too, ya know?” she said nodding toward Wes.

  “I know,” Cali murmured, love filling her eyes as she stared at Wes. “We’ll have our time.”

  Greyson

  Grey finally got Etti to relax enough to join everyone on their adjoining balcony after they settled into the hotel. The sun had gone down and they’d all ordered room service for dinner. But Etti had been distraught since they arrived in New Orleans too late to get into the St. Louis Cemetery. Apparently after it’d been vandalized a number of times, only guided tours were permitted and they’d missed the last one of the day.

  When the cemetery attendant told them it was closed for the day, Grey had feared Etti would shift and leap over the fence to get the job done. Luckily, he convinced her getting shot at by New Orleans police wasn’t going to help anyone.

  Dinner and a shower had taken a bit of the edge off, but Etti was still chewing her lip with worry as they listened to the soft sounds of jazz drifting from the Quarter.

  “So,” Wes said cheerfully. “Since we can’t get into the cemetery until tomorrow, I say we go out and enjoy the town tonight.” He bounced Izzi on his knee. “What’d ya say, Izzi? Wanna go out on the town with your Uncle Wes?”

  “What do you think, Etti?” Grey asked. He was pretty sure a night out was the last thing Etti wanted, but he knew Wes was trying to distract her from her worries. “It might be fun. We didn’t really get to enjoy New Orleans the last time we were here.”

  “The girls at work are always saying the Spotted Cat has the best jazz,” Cali added. “And it’s rumored to be run by shifters.”

  “I saw that place on our way in,” Wes replied. “Let’s go.”

  Cali looked back at Etti and Grey. “Only if we all go. I don’t want to leave them alone . . . just in case.”

  “Come on, Etti,” Wes whined. “Dancing is good for the soul!”

  Grey looked at his mate, sensing her anxiety. He needed to be gentle, to remind her that it was her choice and that he’d back her up either way. “I’m in if you are?”

  Etti loosed a breath. “Fine. But I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “I’ve got you covered!” Cali squealed dragging Etti by the arm until they disappeared into Cali and Wes’s suite.

  Grey looked shocked. He thought Etti would have skinned Cali before conceding to be dragged into her room for fashion advice.

  Wes only laughed, sensing Grey’s mood. “I don’t know how Cali gets away with half the shit she does. Etti would’ve taken my head off for something like that.”

  Grey laughed. “Mine, too.”

  Chapter 14

  Etti

  So Wes was right. Dancing was good for the soul. And Etti couldn’t help remembering Cali’s words as she swayed to the sounds of ragtime jazz with Izzi nestled in her baby sling between Etti and Grey. Etti was soaking up all the joy she could from this moment and it was wonderful. She only wished she could find a way to make it last forever.

  As Etti gazed around the eclectic pub she couldn’t help thinking how much Marc would love it.

  Grey planted a kiss against Etti’s temple as the music slowed to a sensual beat. “What are you thinking?” he asked, catching Etti’s eye.

  “Just that Marc would freaking love this place.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He’s obsessed with jazz.”

  Grey snorted. “Marc? As in your friend with all the tattoos and facial piercings?”

  Etti nodded.

  Grey snorted again. “He looks like a flunky from a bad punk band.”

  It was Etti’s turn to laugh. “Yeah. But he’s not really the badass he pretends to be. I think it’s just protective armor. He’s sort of a poet and an artist trapped in a punk rocker’s body.”

  Grey shook his head. “I’m not buying it. But he’ll always be okay in my book. He’s helped us more times than I can count.”

  “I know,” Etti murmured. “Do you think he’s safe in Blue Creek?”

  “He promised to stay at our apartment. Trust me, my family won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “I just wish he could’ve come with us,” Etti argued.

  “It would’ve looked too obvious if we all cleared out of town. Besides, I don’t think Marc would’ve left without Brooke.”

  “You caught that too?” Etti asked.

  “It was sorta hard to miss. He practically crawls after her with his tongue hanging out.”

  “I know. It’s adorable. Have you asked Brooke what she thinks about him?”

  Grey shook his head. “That’s all you, babe. I’m no good at playing matchmaker. I’m just lucky I got you.”

  Etti smiled and kissed her mate. “You’re better than you think,” she said. “But I do think Marc and Brooke would be good together.”

  “Too bad he’s not a shifter,” Grey added.

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Etti replied, glancing over at Wes and Cali.

  You’d never know Wes hadn’t been a shifter all of his life. For as much as he’d fought being turned, Cali said Wes had taken the shift like it was second nature, saying his wolf felt like a second skin that he hadn’t known how to use until now.

  Etti still hadn’t seen Wes shift, but she could only imagine it was impressive. Wes was already a remarkable man—all towering muscle and snark. She envisioned his wolf as one cocky bastard, struttin’ around like he was the prettiest rooster in the yard. The image brought a smirk to her face.

  “Now what are you thinking?” Grey asked.

  “That I’m glad Wes found happiness.”

  Wes

  The smile that painted Wes’s face was almost painful, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to get rid of it. Not while he had Cali in his arms. She was a great dancer, and watching her sexy hips sashay around the dance floor did torturous things to him. His wolf wanted to pounce and take his mate right in the middle of the dance floor. She seemed to know it too. But Cali only used that knowledge to drive Wes wild. And that was just one of the many things he loved about her.

  She was smart, funny, sexy and fiercely protective of her friends. She’d risked so much to help his friends. And even him. He couldn’t believe how much shit she’d taken from him. He’d been a complete bastard for weeks after he found out Etti was pregnant, starting fights and pushing everyone away. But Cali was patient and there for him no matter what. If it weren’t for Cali, Wes would be dead. He was so grateful she’d changed him into a shifter.

  Besides Cali, his new shifter abilities were the best thing that ever happened to Wes. They allowed him to see clearly for the first time in years. And with his new unblemished outlook, he could finally see what he wanted in life—someone to share it with. And that someone was Cali. He’d known it the moment he took the shift and opened his eyes to see her gorgeous blue ones staring
back at him. She was his mate and that was the only thing that mattered.

  Cali had known they were mates for a long time. Wes didn’t know how she managed to stick by him without saying anything. It must’ve been unbearable to watch him chase all the wrong women. He knew he would’ve killed any other male Cali looked at, let alone took home. She had much more restraint than he did. Even still, she wanted to wait to announce their plans to mate and wed.

  At first it was because Etti was pregnant and Cali didn’t want to add stress. It was true Etti and Wes had a tangled relationship. For a long time, Wes thought he was supposed to be with Etti and was hell bent on proving that to her. But after his shift, he realized just how wrong he was. He did love Etti, but it didn’t even hold a candle to what he felt for Cali. The shift had solidified that Wes and Etti were strictly friends. They loved each other like family and that would never change. So for Etti’s sake, Wes had agreed to wait.

  But now, Izzi was here and Wes was tired of waiting. Cali was still reluctant to say anything or make plans for their wedding, saying as Izzi’s godparents, they shouldn’t overshadow the importance of finding a way to protect her from the hunt. But all the recent threats to everyone Wes cared about only made him more desperate to stop waiting around for the moment to be perfect for him and Cali.

  Wes was tired of waiting for everyone else. This was his second chance at life and he intended to live it without regrets. And currently, he was regretting that the sassy blonde vixen shimmying her ass against him on the dance floor wasn’t his wife.

  Fuck it! Wes grabbed Cali’s hand and spun her away from him. When he pulled her back to him she was giggling breathlessly. That is, until she saw what he was holding. Wes had been keeping the sparkling engagement ring in his pocket for weeks and he was through waiting. He dropped to one knee and the music stopped.

  “Wes?” Cali’s voice was tight with shock.

  “I’m done wasting time pretending this isn’t what we both want, Cali. I love you. You’re my mate, my heart, my soul. And I want to waste all my time with you. What do you say? Wanna get hitched?”

  Cali exploded into tears and flung herself at Wes, almost toppling him over as she threw her arms around her neck and kissed him.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked between kisses.

  “Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!”

  The crowd cheered and the band burst into an upbeat ragtime tune. Wes glowed, his heart beating as hard as the kick drum.

  Cali

  Cali couldn’t catch her breath, nor could she tear her eyes from the sparkling diamond ring now adorning her finger. It cast prisms of light across the colorful pub as Wes spun her around the dance floor. Cali had never been so full of light and joy as she was in that moment.

  Etti and Grey approached when the song ended and congratulated Cali and Wes.

  “It’s about time!” Etti said, slapping her best friend on the back.

  “You’re not mad?” Cali asked.

  Etti gave her a startled look. “Mad? Are you kidding? I thought this would’ve happened weeks ago.”

  “We were trying to be considerate,” Cali said. “You’ve been under a lot of pressure and we didn’t want you to think we weren’t concentrating on helping you.”

  “Cali,” Etti interrupted. “You make my best friend happy. Hell, you’re the best thing to ever happen to him. I couldn’t be happier for you both.”

  “Really?” Cali asked. “That means so much to me.”

  Etti pulled Cali into a hug, careful not to squish Izzi. “You don’t need it, but you both have my blessing.”

  “Mine too,” Grey said, shaking Wes’s hand and giving Cali a hug. “Welcome to the family.”

  Cali grinned with enough excitement to power the city. “I’m getting married!” she whooped.

  Wes howled and scooped Cali up in his arms, spinning her on the dance floor until the world became a blur of color and bliss.

  Chapter 15

  Wes

  Wes was still out of breath from their morning sex-capade in the shower.

  “Damn girl, I need to put a muzzle on you,” he teased examining the bite mark on his shoulder in the bathroom mirror.

  “Don’t be a big baby. You said you wanted to match,” Cali replied, kissing Wes’s shoulder just below where she’d bit him. The feel of her warm lips on his sensitive skin made him ready to start all over.

  Last night he and Cali had completed their mating bond. He’d never quite felt anything as exhilarating as biting his mate while exploding into her. His cock twitched just thinking about it. Wes turned, quickly tearing Cali’s towel from her. She gave him the sly smirk he couldn’t resist and he bent her over the counter. “God, I love this ass,” Wes growled into Cali’s ear. “And I love making it mine.”

  He lapped gently at the matching bite mark on Cali’s shoulder, loving the taste of him on her. “I want to make you mine all over again, baby.”

  Cali wiggled her ass against him in response. “What’s stopping you?”

  Wes growled at her taunt and slipped a hand between her legs. Christ, she was ready for him again. Wes had met his match when it came to sexual appetite. There was nothing Cali wouldn’t do and he was about to take her on the bathroom counter when there was a knock at their door. He tried to ignore it but Cali wouldn’t let him.

  “What if Izzi needs help?”

  “Shit,” Wes growled. “This had better be good.”

  He shrugged on a hotel robe and stomped to the door.

  Etti was standing there, with Izzi in her arms as Grey walked up behind them. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said looking uncomfortable. “But we need to go to the cemetery.”

  “Right,” Wes replied. “Give me five minutes and—”

  “No,” Etti interrupted, “We were sorta hoping that you and Cali could babysit Izzi while we go to the cemetery, alone.”

  Wes looked perplexed. “Don’t you need Izzi’s blood to call your voodoo queen?”

  Etti held up a tiny vial. “I just . . . I think she’ll be safer here with you guys. We’re not sure how this summoning will go. I don’t want to risk Izzi, not knowing who might show up, ya know?”

  Cali walked up behind Wes in a floral sundress. “We’d be happy to watch her.”

  “Thanks,” Etti replied, kissing Izzi a dozen times before handing her over to Cali.

  Wes didn’t miss the distress on Etti’s face. “She’ll be safe with us.”

  “Thank you,” Grey said. “We arranged for the first private tour of the day.” He glanced at his watch, then to Etti. “We gotta go, babe.”

  Etti grimaced and handed Izzi’s diaper bag to Wes. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  “Take as much time as you need,” Wes replied. “We’ll take good care of the precious cargo.”

  Etti

  “I hate leaving her,” Etti said fighting back tears.

  “I know, babe. But Izzi’s safer this way. We couldn’t risk having her with us not knowing how this works.”

  “I know,” she replied glumly. “I just hate not having her in my arms.”

  Etti knew it would’ve been stupid to take the chance that Esme might show up out of thin air and snatch Izzi for her own gain. She needed to get her game face on. She and Grey needed to be prepared for anything. Etti’s mother only told her how to call her ancestor, not what happened next. For all Etti knew, a coven of witches might show up ready to hex them.

  She and Grey had paid a small fortune to get an early private tour of the cemetery containing Marie Laveau’s tomb. Grey planned to distract the guide with questions while Etti smeared an X on her tomb. According to superstition that was how you asked for a blessing from Marie Laveau and her ancestors. You also had to leave an offering, so Etti brought the tiny pink bow the clinic had taped to Izzi’s baby-fine hair after delivery.

  So far things were going according to plan. They met their guide at the cemetery gates. She was a chatty old woman with hunched shoulders. She carried
a parasol to protect her mottled skin. She seemed to eat up every question Grey had about the history of the ancient burial grounds. The guide looped her frail arm through Grey’s, babbling on as Etti trailed behind.

  Etti didn’t have to be told when they were nearing her ancestor’s tomb—she felt it like static electricity in her veins. She could’ve walked through the cemetery blindfolded and still found Marie Laveau’s tomb. When the guide stopped in front of the crumbling crypt, Etti felt a supernatural pull from the pit of her stomach. It was like a tether tugging at something within her—singing in her veins. Suddenly, Etti heard a voice in her mind. Ask your question, child.

  Etti caught Grey glancing at her with concern, but gave him a barely discernable nod to keep going with the plan. Etti waited until Grey and the guide moseyed a bit further ahead before she knelt down to deposit Izzi’s bow next to the other offerings at the base of the tomb. She swiftly pulled the vial from her pocket, dipped her finger in and swiped a single X among the many already etched into the battered limestone.

  As Etti stood, a cold wind wiped past her, chilling the entire cemetery. The guide stopped ahead and turned to stare at Etti. The air that had been humid and stale moments ago, was now so cold Etti could see the old woman’s breath. A cunning smile slipped across the guide’s face, making her look centuries older than she was.

  Grey seemed to sense the sinister shift in the old woman as well. He moved away from her, taking cautious steps back toward Etti.

  The old woman cackled. “She’s been waiting for you,” she hissed in her gritty creole accent.

  Then, with a crack, she snapped her parasol closed and vanished, taking the chill with her.

  Greyson

  “What in the hell was that?” Grey muttered after they’d made it clear of the cemetery.