Bewitched by Moonlight

by Deanna Chase

  “Whoa,” he said softly, steadying me and pulling me in closer in the process. “Didn’t mean to knock you off your feet.”

  The humor in his tone snapped me out of my lust haze, and I smirked. “Don’t flatter yourself, buddy. I just tripped over your big feet.”

  “Sure you did.” He chuckled and, out of nowhere, spun me around so smoothly and with such ease, it was obvious he was a well-trained dancer.

  “Well, that was unexpected,” I said with an amused smile. “Considering I had to practically force your ass out here, I was prepared for something closer to the chicken dance.”

  He leaned in close and whispered, “I’m full of all kinds of surprises.”

  I just bet he was. And dammit if I didn’t like him. There was no denying the obvious attraction between us, but there was more to it than that. He’d already proved himself to be charming and fun. Add in his mysterious air, and I was hooked.

  Son of a… I couldn’t be going down this road. I had a job to do. And that meant tracking this shifter. If I was going to tag him, now was the perfect time. Sending him a flirty smile, I disengaged from his embrace and danced around him. When I was directly behind him, I made a show of running my hands down his back. Then I leaned in, grabbed the small spelled coin from my front pocket, and brushed up against him just enough to slide the tracker right into his back pocket.

  He turned to glance back at me, his eyes heated and a cocky smile on his lips. No doubt he’d felt me touching his ass. But as was expected, he’d clearly thought I was making a move on him. If I’d met him under any other circumstances, I’d have been happy to take him home with me. Too bad I’d have to refrain until I knew for sure he wasn’t a vamp killer. Being a vampire hunter myself, one might think that wasn’t a deal breaker. But I didn’t kill vamps unless I had to. Usually I turned them over to the Arcane.

  I shimmied my way back around so that I was facing him and was ready to enjoy a little more of his flawless dancing when his gaze locked on something over my shoulder and he froze. “What is it?” I asked, already whirling around.

  “Sorry, Lexi. I’ve got to handle this.” He strode off across the dance floor.

  I peered after him, trying to pinpoint what had caught his attention. Unfortunately for me, I saw nothing but a crush of drunk people dancing their asses off. At least I’d planted the tracker. It was unlikely he’d even notice the spelled penny, much less use it to buy something. Most people didn’t. But by tomorrow, it’d likely be useless as it languished at the bottom of his laundry hamper. It was time to move if I was going to track his movements.

  “Excuse me,” a high-pitched voice yelled in my ear.

  I jerked back, my ear ringing as I glared at the woman who’d just assaulted my eardrum. “What?”

  “Do you mind moving?” The redhead waved a hand, indicating where I was standing. “We’re trying to dance here.”

  I gritted my teeth but said nothing. I was done here anyway. Eyeing the back of Dax’s head, I started to push my way through the crowd. He was moving toward the bar, back to where we’d been sitting. I frowned. Why had he left in such a hurry?

  “I saw you dancing with the mutt,” a familiar voice called from my right.

  “Oh for gawd’s sake,” I muttered and turned to glare at Mr. All American vamp from earlier in the evening. “What do you want?”

  “The boss has requested a chat with you.” He grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the back of the club.

  I planted my feet and yanked my arm out of his grip. “What boss?”

  This was Eadric Allcot’s club, and I knew damned well he was ensconced in his office over at the Red Door, the exclusive vampire club over in the Marigny neighborhood.

  Mr. All American jabbed his head toward the VIP section.

  “What the hell is Pandora doing here?” I asked, frowning as I eyed the gorgeous blonde. She was Allcot’s consort and the second most powerful vampire in the city of New Orleans.

  “You think she told me?” he snapped, reaching for me again. “Come on. She wants to talk to you.”

  “Keep your grubby paws off me,” I groused as I sidestepped him and headed back toward the VIP section. If Pandora needed to speak to me, I’d go under my own power.

  A small group of vamps hovered around her, and as I approached, they parted without a word, indicating every last one of them knew who I was. So much for undercover. I was going to have to up my game if I wanted to ever go undetected again. “Pandora,” I said with a nod. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Phoebe. Thank the hellhounds you’re here.” She moved off to the side, away from her entourage, gesturing for me to follow.

  “What’s up?” I asked, frowning. While I was on good terms with the vamp, we weren’t exactly best buddies. If she was happy to see me, then something was wrong.

  Her blue eyes flashed dangerously. “I need to know where Eadric is.”

  “Uh, what?” I asked. “Last I knew he was at the Red Door, as usual.”

  She shook her head. “No. He never showed up after leaving Cryrique. His assistant said the last person he talked to was you.”

  I pulled my phone out and looked at the time. “That was only an hour ago. It’s a little early to be worrying, don’t you think?”

  She shook her head and handed me a crumpled-up note.

  “What’s this?”

  “Read it.” Her face turned stony, and hatred burned from her deep blue eyes. It was clear rage simmered underneath her carefully calm demeanor.

  I took the note, and as I scanned it, a chill shot through me.

  He’ll be dead by sunrise.

  The bottom was smeared with fresh blood that gleamed under the club lights.

  “It’s his,” she said with a sniff.

  She’d know. They’d been together for decades, and paired vampires were known for feeding off each other during sex.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked her.

  “It came by courier. He said he was paid cash by a shifter to deliver it. Dark hair, medium build. Jeans, black T-shirt, and a gray hoodie.”

  Good God. Except for the hoodie, that sounded a lot like Dax. I glanced back toward the bar but didn’t see the shifter anywhere. Damn. Had he somehow been involved with Allcot’s abduction? He’d come into the club not long after I had. If he had been the one to deliver the note, he’d managed to secure a great cover for himself.

  “Let’s go,” I said, already turning on my heel.

  “Where are we headed?” She fell in step beside me.

  “We’re gonna find ourselves a shifter.” I took one last glance around the club. Dax was nowhere to be found. Had he taken off after spotting Pandora? It seemed likely. Pandora followed me out of the club without question. As I reached for my keys, I asked, “Did you drive here?”

  She shook her head. “More like flew.”

  I glanced at her, a new appreciation forming for the vampire. Really powerful vamps could indeed levitate and fly, but that skill was pretty rare. Especially considering the Red Door was a good five miles away. I’d known Pandora wasn’t any damsel in distress. I’d seen her fight a time or two. But this new information settled my nerves. With my magic and her considerable skills, we’d kick some serious shifter ass—assuming they didn’t have an entire pack holding Allcot. If so, we were going to have our hands full.

  “Get in.” I waved a hand at my brand-new gunmetal-gray Charger.

  “This is yours?” she asked, raising one eyebrow. “A little… conspicuous, wouldn’t you say?”

  I shrugged one shoulder. She wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t like it was the only one on the road either. “It’s fast, and the color isn’t flashy. What else could I need?”

  She nodded and climbed in. I followed suit, and once I had the car running, I pulled out my phone and checked the tracker. A red dot flashed on the screen, indicating my plan had worked. “Good.”

  “What is it?” Pandora asked, glancing over at my phone.

>   “I tagged a shifter. My guess is he knows more than a little something about this.”

  Her eyes flashed with sheer determination as she set her jaw and stared straight ahead. “Then let’s move.”

  I slammed the Charger into gear, and as we sped off down the street, I actually almost felt sorry for the shifters who’d abducted Allcot. Because once Pandora got her hands on them, heads were going to roll… literally.

  Chapter Three

  “This way,” I said, leading Pandora over the arch bridge that would take us to the waterfront and Crescent Park. The area was only a few miles from the Marigny neighborhood where Allcot’s club the Red Door was located. If they did indeed have Allcot there, they hadn’t traveled far.

  “Why would they come here?” Pandora asked, confusion in her tone.

  “The park closes at ten. It’s unlikely any vamps would be out here. No humans to hunt.”

  She let out a disgusted snort. “It smells like ass too.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and frowned. The river scent was the same as always—earthy with a hint of decay. “Just smells like the Mississippi to me.”

  She shook her head. “No, it smells like wet dog.”

  I raised both eyebrows. “Shifters are definitely here then?”

  She nodded, hatred streaming off her in waves. “Let’s go kick some ass.”

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” I glanced at my tracker app and turned right into the park, heading down the path, straight for the flashing red light.

  “This way,” Pandora said, taking a fork in the path that veered toward the river.

  “But—”

  “No. I can hear the bastards.” She froze suddenly, her head tilted as she listened to the voices I couldn’t make out. Her breath caught. “Eadric is there. Come on.” She took off, her super speed leaving me in the dust.

  I glanced once again at my phone. Dax was just ahead. If he wasn’t guarding Allcot, what exactly was he doing? Keeping watch? Pandora had vanished from my view, and instead of following her, I made the snap decision to find Dax and neutralize him before he caused any more trouble.

  Clutching my sun agate, I moved soundlessly along the path, peering into the darkness. The agate was my main weapon when fighting vampires. One flash and the vamp was brought to his knees, completely knocked out until I reversed the curse. The curse wouldn’t bring down a shifter, but it would momentarily blind him while I kicked his ass into oblivion.

  The stale, humid air was stagnant, making my exposed skin sticky with moisture. During summer, even in the dead of the night, New Orleans weather was oppressive as hell, and the long blond wig was doing nothing to help keep me cool. As I passed a city trash can, I yanked the fake hair off my head and tossed it without another thought. There was no need to remain undercover. According to Pandora, Allcot was here. If the vamps back at the club hadn’t outted me already, the shifters would soon know I wasn’t just another college barfly looking for a good time.

  I checked my phone one last time. The flashing light was just around the bend in the path. I slowed my steps and moved closer to the vegetation. A soft murmur of gruff voices reached me. Dammit. That meant Dax had company. At least he’d have something to keep him distracted while I made my move.

  Stepping off the path, I crouched down, shielding myself with the bushes, and crept forward. After a few steps, I stopped and spotted two shadows. One was tall, well built, and the same shape as Dax. The other was stocky, had bleached blond hair, and was holding a lit cigarette.

  Talk about conspicuous. Amateur. With only two of them to deal with, a small smile tugged at my lips. I had this, no problem. Running my thumb over my agate, I stood up, squared my shoulders, and then walked out onto the path.

  Both of them stopped talking at once and turned in my direction.

  “Hi, boys,” I said. “Nice night for a stroll on the river, isn’t it?”

  “Lexi?” Dax said, frowning. “Weren’t you a blonde just thirty minutes ago?”

  I touched my dark hair, still tied up in a bun, and smiled. “I was ready for a change.”

  “You know that bitch?” the other one growled.

  “Bitch?” I asked, my tone sickly sweet. “You might want to get to know me a bit before you commit to a pet name. And while ‘bitch’ fits nicely, I’m certain you could be more creative.”

  The blond one took a step closer, the moon shining on his features. He was an ugly bastard who looked like he’d spent most of his days cage fighting. A series of scars marred the left side of his face, his nose was crooked with a pronounced lump between his eyes, and he was missing one of his canines. Jacked up was an understatement. “I like you,” he said with a nasty leer. “The feisty ones are always the most fun.”

  My stomach turned at the thought of his grubby paws getting anywhere near me. But I pasted a smile on my face, not quite ready to kick his ass. “What brings you boys out tonight? Vampire hunting?”

  Scar Face snorted. “More like negotiating.”

  I glanced over his shoulder at Dax. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was frowning at me. “Is that right?” I asked him.

  He shrugged one shoulder. “You could say that, I guess.”

  “Huh. And here I thought abducting the most powerful vamp in the city would be considered an act of war.”

  “How did you—” Scar Face started.

  I lifted my black agate and pointed it right at him. Light flashed, and he let out a frustrated cry as he threw his hand over his eyes. I leaped forward, kicking out. My foot made contact with his chest, and we both landed on the hard asphalt, him already reaching for me with one hand. I grabbed his wrist, holding him off, grateful I’d landed with one knee pinning his other arm. Instinctively, my free hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing with everything I had. But my assault didn’t stop him. Scar Face managed to dislodge his arm from my knee and delivered a blow to my skull that knocked me right off him and back into the brush.

  “Fucking bastard,” I muttered as I rolled and managed to get my feet back underneath me.

  “No one attacks Yancy and gets away with it,” he said, spitting on the last word.

  “Yancy?” I scoffed. “What the hell kind of name is that for a shifter?”

  “A royal one, you fucking commoner.” He lunged.

  I laughed and sidestepped him. “Commoner. Good one. We aren’t in the sixteenth century anymore. But that explains your battle wounds, I guess.” There was a faction of shifters who were descended from royalty and truly believed they should once again ascend to power. They spent a lot of time reenacting the old ways. Jousting was a fan favorite.

  He spun and came for me again. I darted out of the way, intending to hit him full force with a counterattack, but he was too quick for me. His fist hit me squarely in the chest, knocking all the wind out of me and sending me flying a good ten feet across the path. I landed with a thunk against a metal bench, pain exploding through my entire left side.

  I groaned. Who the hell was this guy? Shifters were strong, but this one had strength that could rival a vampire’s. Time for plan B.

  Rolling over, I fingered the silver pentagram ring on my right hand. I’d need the shifter to touch me before I could invoke the spell, but it would take him out quickly. I’d been hoping to get some information from the pair, but I didn’t have time to get my ass kicked before I wore them down.

  “Get up,” Yancy ordered.

  I glanced up at the snarling shifter. Dax stood behind him, watching with an amused look on his face. Only a bastard enjoyed watching a woman get the shit kicked out of her. No matter, he’d soon be taking a nice long nap right next to his partner.

  “Now,” he ordered.

  I sat there against the bench, letting the hatred fill my tone. “Make me.”

  “My pleasure.” He let out a laugh. Then with lightning-fast speed, his hand wrapped around my neck, and I was lifted clear off the ground.

  Fuck me, I thought as panic
flooded through me. My feet flailed as I clawed at his hand.

  Then he shook me.

  My adrenaline -fueled panic vanished, replaced by pure rage. I stopped struggling and, instead, wrapped my hand around his arm and tried to force out the spell. “Somn—”

  Before I could finish muttering the word that would complete the spell, Dax let out a string of swear words and grabbed the shifter by the back of his neck, hauling him away from me.

  “What the fuck, man?” Yancy spit out, stumbling as Dax dragged him out of my reach.

  “She was going to spell you, idiot.” Then without so much as a warning, Dax pulled a needle out of his pocket and stabbed Yancy in the neck. The other shifter crumpled to the ground, completely incapacitated.

  I stared at Dax, my mouth hanging open.

  “You should probably just get up and walk away, witch,” he said.

  I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not going to happen.”

  His eyes narrowed in on the ring I was still stroking. “Are you planning on using that on me next?”

  “Maybe.” Hell, he knew I stored spells in my charmed silver. It wasn’t a common tactic, and the fact that he was aware of it didn’t mean good things for me. “Depends on why you took out your partner there. Trying to save yourself from a nice long nap?”

  He chuckled. “Was that the spell?”

  I gave a noncommittal shrug.

  “That’s less horrifying than anything I’d imagined.”

  “I’ve got other tricks up my sleeve.” I stood, already reaching for the uncut ruby tucked in my pocket. It was useful for two things: restoring my energy and sucking the energy from others. The spell trapped in my ring was much more powerful and useful when in a fight, but the ruby had the power to help me cast subtler spells. It wouldn’t be immediate, but it would be effective. Clutching the ruby, I whispered, “Debilito Dax.”

  A whisper of red smoke rose from the ruby and then shot out and wrapped around Dax.

  The shifter cursed, grabbed some sort of stone wrapped around his neck, and said, “Pretrvolo.”

  The smoke vanished instantly, and both of us stood there, silent, as we stared each other down.