by Ciara Graves
Savagery & Skills Box Set
Books 1-4
Ciara Graves
Contents
Savage Secrets
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Savage Deeds
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Savage Worlds
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Savage Magic
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Excerpt: Acts of Mercy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Afterword
Savage Secrets
Seneca Savage is a bad ass with skills. Not the kind of skills that one puts on a formal resume. She’s the daughter of a mage and a fae, and now she’s an orphan and a former street kid. She’s had the kind of life nightmares are made of. She refused to pick up a weapon, despite the specialized training she received from her rescuer.
When she turned eighteen, things changed. Running into a vampire has a way of changing one’s life. Too bad the vampire didn’t realize she was part fae and that her blood was toxic to him. Toxic in the most lethal of ways. Except, the encounter changed her.
Now she freelances, selling her skills and her savagery to the paranormal government or any other individual who can afford her fee. She’ll spy, steal, and even kill. She has only one rule. She won’t kill humans. That’s the rule.
She maneuvers between assignments and skirts death, while at the same time tries to look out for the little human sidekick that she’d like to shake on most days.
Chapter 1
Seneca
The envelope lay next to my hand, waiting to be picked up by my latest client. In my other hand, I held a bottle with no label. All it had in it was spring water. No reason to drink around this crowd and lose my edge. Not that any of them had to know I wasn’t really drinking. I was always armed, a stake and two daggers concealed beneath my green leather pants and black top. My short swords would be too obvious here, so sadly those were at home.
I sat with my back to the wall, bare feet on the chair next to mine. Waiting. Watching. That’s what I was good at doing these days. Always watching.
I shifted my right hand, and the white gold rings on three of my fingers glittered in the neon light. The gemstones—sapphire, ruby, and emerald—glowed in response to the fae blood running through my veins. No trouble was headed my way tonight, at least. The ruby would be flashing if it was.
The man I was supposed to meet, however, was late and I hated late people.
“How’s it hanging tonight, Seneca?”
“Not tonight, Harry.” I didn’t even glance at the fae. “Meeting a client.”
“You’re always meeting a client.”
“Yes, because I work. Unlike you, who do absolutely nothing for a living, last time I checked.”
“You’re a contract killer, or thief, or whatever you want to call yourself these days. Not exactly work either.” He shrugged, leaning back in his chair instead of getting up and leaving. “At least not honest work. And I do too have a job.”
“No, you don’t. You’re damned lucky you’re protected, or I’d get you off the streets myself. For free.”
Harry was one of many fae banished to the human world, who, instead of finding a way to be a productive member of the supernatural society here or blend in with the humans, fell into the darkness.
Fae dust was a real thing though it was hard to find and store. The only way to procure it was to drain blood from a fae and break it down. Most were not willing to donate their blood. The right buyer could bring in a pretty penny, and for the humans who bought it, it was better than any drug they could ever hope to make. Harry was one of the dealers, and I hated him with a burning passion. Too bad he was protected by the head of the fae dust trade in this state, or I’d put him out of his misery. It was because of fae like Harry this town was falling apart.
Madwich was not a large place at all, but that’s what I liked about it. There was too much noise in the larger cities. We were close enough that the lights and sounds still reached us on very clear nights. So much commotion made me anxious. Too much chaos that wasn’t controlled.
Harry started out in Boston then migrated here. The second he stepped foot in town, I knew he was bad news. Told him so, but he explained who he worked for. I had no choice, but to shut up about it.
“How about you leave?” I asked, annoyed.
“Oh, come on. You know you want me around for company. You know,” he said, his eyes dark and breath overly sweet. A sure tell that he’d sampled some of his product tonight already. Another sure tell what type of fae he was. He half-winked as he continued. “My boss keeps asking about bringing you on. We could use the muscle. What do you say?”
“Not if all nine levels of hell froze over,” I muttered. “Go away.”
“You’re no fun. You know that? You need to learn to loosen up.”
“Harry, the client I’m meeting is a Fed. He’s a warlock, too. You really want to be here when he shows up? Be my guest. I’m sure he’d love to speak to you in depth about this business of yours.”
My gaze remained focused elsewhere, not even bothering to look at him. Didn’t have to. He gulped. His chair scraped against the floor, and then he was gone. The Feds had been cracking down on the selling of dust. Or at least attempting to. They had enough backup to go after the dealers and their bosses without fear of retaliation. I did not.
“Rotten piece of fae trash,” I whispered.
I might be fae, too, but there was no real kinship between me and all the others. They had their reasons, and that was just fine by me. Who needed to belong to a people anyway? Right?
Another ten minutes had ticked by when my client finally made an appearance. He tugged at his leather jacket, looking completely out of place. His black, slicked-back hair made him look like a d-bag, and that’s pretty much what he was. A job was a job, and the Feds usually paid damned well when they wanted intel on someone. I let him stand there, looking uncomfortable for a solid two minutes, then raised my hand over my head, catching his attention. He hurried to my table and sat down.
“Well?”
“Good evening to you too, Agent Williams.” I slid the envelope toward him. “Here.”
He took it and opened it up but didn’t pull any of the photos or pages of intel out. “This is it?”
“It’s all I could get.”
“You were on Draven for a month. H
ow is this all you got?” He shook his head as he rifled through the pictures again. “There’s no evidence to tie him to the murders. None. Draven needs to be taken down.”
“I got you enough to justify further investigating him,” I assured him. “There’s proof in there he’s involved with the fae in charge of the dust trade in town. Start there. I can even give you names of his dealers. You should have plenty to cast suspicion on him and have a reason to drag him in for questioning.”
“This is not what we agreed to. I’m after him for murder, not the trade.”
“Look,” I said, sitting up, “do you have any idea what coven that vampire belongs to? Because I do. If you think I’m going to find a way to get close enough for him to spot me, you’re insane. Not happening. And no way am I risking my neck by venturing into Otherworld.”
Agent Williams’s eye twitched in anger. “This vampire has killed four agents in the last three months,” he snapped in reply.
“Maybe you should train your agents better. Teach them to not get killed.”
Agent Williams slammed the envelope on the table. “I’m not paying you for this.”
“If you think you’re going to find anyone else crazy enough to even get remotely as close as I already have, you’re wrong. I won’t do it, not for the amount you’re offering.”
“So, this is a holdout then for more money?”
“No, you idiot. This is me telling you I’m not risking my life for a murderer. I’m not a cop. Why don’t you just hire me to kill him and be done with it? Why go through all this trouble to get intel on him? I can kill him for you.” Love to kill him for the agent. I always jumped at the chance to kill any vampire in that godforsaken coven.
I held my breath, waiting for him to make that decision, but he shook his head once in a firm no.
“We need him alive. There are others in that coven we want more than him.”
“Like who?”
“Like the vampire who runs it, Rudarius.”
The rings on my hand glowed briefly until I tucked my hand out of sight. Agent Williams’s eyes narrowed at the sight, and he stared at me.
“What?” I stared back.
“You know that name.”
“Everyone knows that name,” I hissed. “And you’re an idiot to think you can stop him.”
“He’s behind the fae dust trade here and in the cities. Runs half the east coast,” Agent Williams explained. “He’s been harvesting it from your people for decades. I would think you would want him gone as much as the next fae.”
“Don’t presume to know anything I think, Agent Williams.” The threat to cause him pain was evident in my voice. “You’ll never get close enough to bring him in.”
“Not yet, but we’re going to and to do that we need this intel on Draven. He’s the first in a long line leading us to Rudarius.”
I held up my hands. “Unless you want him dead, I can’t help you any further.”
“You will get us the proof we need, or you won’t be paid, and perhaps we’ll stop using your services altogether, Savage.”
I ground my teeth, the rings on my right hand glowing with anger instead of fear this time. The supernatural Feds were my main source of income, mostly for spying and gathering the intel they needed to prosecute supernatural beings. I could go where they couldn’t, without breaking laws or being caught. I stole for them, too when need be. The only thing they would never admit to was the supernatural killings I did for them under the table. Those were few and far between. No humans, though. That was where I drew the line. They were too easy of a target and would bring down a whole lot of trouble on all our heads if word got out about killing humans. Tensions between the humans and supernatural beings were always on shaky grounds without my killing their kind.
“I can’t get any closer without risking exposure. Not sure how many times you need me to tell you this.”
“It’s just a vampire coven. Can’t be that bad. Find a way, or there will be consequences.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” I leaned closer to him, unnerving him. Good. “Remember, I keep records too. All my money came from somewhere.”
“You’re a fool to think we have any record of ever hiring you,” he shot back. “Refuse to do this job, and you’ll go down for every crime you’ve ever committed. Every crime. That’s at least one death sentence if not more, isn’t it? How many have you killed over the years? Ten, more?”
It was thirteen, to be exact. Two of them from very old royal witch families who would love to see me executed for my crimes. My rings flared to life at having him threaten me like that. Agent Williams should know better, but he had a point. If they ever decided to turn on me, I would be on the run and not just from the supernatural government. The human one would want me too, for all the spying and thieving I’d done to their people when the time called for it.
He appraised me with no expression whatsoever. “We are too close now to find another person to get close to Draven.”
Still, I kept my mouth shut.
“Glad we understand one another,” he went on. “Do what you have to do to get what I require, or your face will be splashed all over the state as our latest Most Wanted.” He slid the folder back to me as he stood up.
“Fair warning, Agent Williams,” I said when he started to walk away, “if you ever do decide to turn on me, remember what I am. I have no problem adding another name to my list.”
“What you are?” He laughed derisively. “You are nothing but a part-fae who is shunned by her own kin and part-vampire who will never be accepted by any coven for the fae blood in your veins. I know very well who you are, Savage. I’ll be in touch, and I expect at our next meeting, you give me something worthwhile.”
He walked away, and I bared my fangs at him, hissing quietly. If only I had no moral code at all, I’d kill him now and be done with it.
That, plus, starting a feud with the Feds was not a good idea, so I let it go and finished off my water, ready to order something stronger now that my time was my own. I raised my hand to motion to the bartender when a figure shifted through the crowd at the bar.
I froze, sure I was seeing things.
The lighting dimmed as the hour grew later and I spotted the head of white hair again.
It wasn’t possible. Shouldn’t be at least, but I could’ve sworn on my favorite onyx blade that the man I hadn’t seen in seven years, the man who up and left me in the middle of nowhere and without finishing my training was standing in this very club tonight.
The crowd moved again. I held my breath, waiting for his face to come into view, but the white head of hair was gone. Just gone. Like he had never even been there.
Macron. I hissed again at the thought of his name and decided I was no longer in the mood to stick around. I could relax just fine back at home.
Heading out of the club, my mind drifted away from the vampire I was paid to spy on, to a very different vampire. The one who made my life my own personal nightmare for years. He was greatly to blame for why I was so messed up.
My bare feet made no sound outside on the sidewalk, taking me where I needed to go without having to think about it, which was too bad because I could have used the distraction.
Growing up hadn’t been perfect, but I’d been happy until a freak accident killed my parents when I was nine. They’d been on a train headed home, while I stayed with friends. The track was taken out by a storm, and no one knew until it was too late. The train went off the side of a cliff, and they were gone just like that.
I should’ve gone into the system, but I’d been too distraught, so I ran away from my parents’ funeral.
It had been the worst mistake of my life.
As a fae, I thought I’d be able to survive in the woods on my own, and I did for a while, using what my mother had taught me about our nature magic and plants. I avoided the Veil at all costs, not wanting to travel to Otherworld. All the stories I heard growing up were far from fairy tales.
Both
my parents left Otherworld to create a new life for me. Dealing with humans was preferable to the chaos that occurred in the supernatural kingdoms on a daily basis. They came here to keep me safe, and then I wound up losing them and getting sucked into that freaking world anyway.
“All by yourself there, girlie,” a voice purred from nearby. “That’s a shame, wouldn’t you say, boys?”
Sniggering met his words, and I glanced up in time to find myself surrounded by vampires. Four of them, three not long turned by the thirst in their eyes. I stopped a foot from the one who’d spoken—now blocking my path—and glowered at him. He appeared a few years older, but that still made him young in terms of vampire years.
“Move,” I ordered.
“Why would we do that?”
“Do you want to die tonight?” The silver stake I kept tucked in its special trigger sheath at my forearm was a comfortable weight. Four against one were not bad odds for me, especially considering my blood was death to any vampire who drank it.
Guess not everyone in this town knows about me. And what I am.
The four vampires moved in closer and I shifted my bare feet slightly on the concrete as the rings on my right hand glowed faintly.
