Chapter 1
Moon Chasers went silent. Or—at least it seemed that way. As I hyperfocused on Alto Rourke, I no longer heard the music playing or the low murmur of voices. Gone was the clinking of glasses and peals of laughter, replaced by the roar of blood pumping through my veins, reverberating beats in my ears.
I felt my claws began to grow as a red haze surrounded my vision. Oh, shit. I can’t wolf-out now.
Not in the middle of a freaking vampire bar.
Taking several deep breaths, but never removing my gaze from my target, I stood slowly. I never reached full height, though, as a hand landed on my shoulder and pushed me back down.
I looked at Kellan and scowled. “Get your hand off me.”
He shook his head. “No, little wolf. You will not approach him right now. Cool your jets.”
Gavin snorted.
“Did you just say, ‘cool your jets’, man?” Rowdy asked. I glared at my cousin. “Shut the fuck up. He’s old.”
“Hey. I resemble that remark,” Kellan replied with a cheeky grin.
“Also an outdated saying,” Beckett chimed in.
I glared at the blond vampire. “Aren’t you, like, fifty?”
He set his martini down. “Yeah, bitch. So?”
“Okay, let’s just simmer down and figure out what we’re gonna do,” Sanja said, her hands out in front of her as if she were telling an orchestra to take it down an octave.
“And you are way too young to say shit like ‘simmer down’, girlfriend,” I said, joining in on the roasting session.
Kellan reached over and squeezed my thigh. “I’m going to punish you for that later.”
I glanced at him. “Looking forward to it.”
Beckett stood, his chair squeaking. With the empty martini glass in his hand, he said, “You know what? You two”—he pointed at Kellan and me —“need to get a room. The rest of you, figure out what to do about that
problem while I get another drink.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder toward Alto Rourke and I was sobered back into the moment.
After watching my friend flounce off toward the bar, I looked at the motley crew gathered around the table. “Okay... what now?”
“Now, we calmly formulate a plan,” Sanja said.
I glanced once again at the vamp who’d had my brother kidnapped, flogging down the urge to rise once again and confront the asshole. “I need to know why he snatched Aden. And my patience is wearing very thin.”
“I get it, cuz, I do,” Rowdy said, measuring me with a sympathetic stare. “But he’s not the type of dude who will just sit for a Q and A session. He’ll just come back with more questions of his own—or resort to violence.”
After swallowing down the last of my Red Bull and vodka, I smacked the glass on the table. “Not if I just whack his head off.”
The entire table of vampires where Alto was seated whipped their heads around and looked at me.
Whoops, I should probably keep my voice down.
I lifted my chin and leveled Alto Rourke a glare to end all glares. He didn’t return it with one of his own, but instead grinned slightly at me. It was a knowing grin, too... almost like a challenge.
“I’m gonna tear his throat out,” I said quietly between gritted teeth. Sanja and Gavin didn’t hear me, but Kellan and Rowdy snapped their heads in my direction.
“No, you won’t,” Kellan said very quietly. “In fact, why don’t you let me take care of him. The Vlasé has full rights in here to handle security. Let me, Phil, and Maurice take him outside for a little interrogation.”
“That,” Beckett said, returning to the table with a martini in his hand, “sounds like an excellent idea.”
Gavin looked up from his phone, his thumbs paused. “What does?”
I ignored the elf and cocked my head at Kellan. “I am not big on letting my man fight my battles.”
“But I’ve got a lot more experience. I’ve interrogated hundreds of vampires under Linden’s command over the years... so much so, that I hate to admit I’ve become very good at it.”
I ground my teeth together before I said, “Don’t speak that motherfucker’s name around me. Ever.”
Beckett snorted.
I whipped my attention toward him. “What’s so funny, asswipe?”
“You literally watched him die slowly and painfully... you should feel proud every time his name is mentioned. Just sayin’...” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug.
“Dude... he killed her brother. I’d still be pissed, too,” Gavin said without looking up.
I chewed the side of my lip before shaking my head. “I don’t need any reminders that my brother is dead. I wake up every day thinking about it. I just don’t want Linden’s name on anyone’s tongue. I hope he’s rotting in Hell.”
“If you believe in Hell, love, then I’m sure he is. He was pure evil.” Kellan brushed back a strand of my hair while stroking my cheek softly with his fingertips, staring deeply into my eyes. I knew it was his way of calming me, and damn if it didn’t always work.
Every. Single. Time.
I blew out a breath and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry for my outburst.”
“You’ll have to tell me that story later,” Rowdy whispered to Sanja, gazing down at her and smiling.
“I totally will,” she replied, batting her eyelashes at my cousin.
I ignored the lovebirds and looked at my gorgeous boyfriend. His short, dark hair was perfectly in place, and he was staring down at me with those glittering crystal-blue eyes I loved so much. I huffed out a breath before saying, “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” he asked, not breaking eye contact.
“Okay, interrogate him. I’m exhausted, and still need to find that other asshole, Drago.”
Kellan dropped a quick kiss on my forehead and was gone before I could blink, approaching Phil and Maurice in the corner of the bar. I turned my attention back to my friends, but before I could speak, Alto Rourke was being forcibly escorted behind the bar and presumably through the back door of the establishment. The vamps at the table where he’d been sitting didn’t move; they simply watched with wide eyes as Alto was escorted away.
I stared long and hard at where they’d left, shaking with anticipation. Beckett placed his hand on my arm, forcing my attention back to him. “Let him handle it, Ayla. Please.”
I attempted a calming breath. “I’m trying. I just have so many questions I want to ask. What if they forget to ask the most important one—why he took Aden?”
“Give him a reminder, then”—he tapped his temple with his finger and grinned at me—“use what you got.”
I focused my attention on Kellan. “Don’t forget to ask him why he took Aden.”
“Thank you,” I said to Beckett.
He waved a dismissive hand. “No problem, girl. You gotta give that man some credit and try to let go of some of that control.”
“We got this, love. No worries.” Kellan’s voice.
“I know, I know,” I said to my vampire bestie. “So, anyway, what were we talking about before that creep came in here?”
“I can’t remember,” Sanja offered, laughing.
“Me either,” Rowdy said, staring at Sanja.
“So, when’s the wedding?” I asked, the drink to my lips before I realized it was empty.
Sanja gasped. “Ayla, stop it!”
Gavin grunted and shook his head. One day I’d get that boy to say more than one-word answers and grunts.
“What about you two?” I said to Beckett, just to goad Gavin.
“Never getting married,” they replied in unison.
“Oh, come on,” I replied, not giving up. “Beck, you can wear the dress. I am picturing black and red lace, with—”
“Bitch, quit,” he replied, biting back a smile. “We’re not getting hitched. Ever. If you want to play dress-up, why don’t you go marry that fine-ass vamp of yours?”
“No,” I replied, pursing my lips. “I’m happy living in sin, thank you very much.”
“You would,” Beckett quipped. “Now, if you can just get out of your own way, you’ll be sitting pretty.”
I slapped his arm and said, “Hey, I’m not in my own way, and, newsflash... I’m already pretty!”
Gavin snorted, and nobody was surprised.
I watched as Beckett went to open his mouth to pop off another retort, but an ungodly screech riddled with agony rented the air.
Before anyone could blink, all five of us were on our feet and I was blitzing toward the back of the bar.
Chapter 2
The scene before me caused me to jolt to a shuddering halt.
One body, lying still on the filthy ground outside the bar in the alley. The other—a huge pile of ash.
When reality sunk in, and my brain could catch up to my mouth, I screamed so loud, I was sure the entire state of Colorado heard it.
There, in his expensive suit and polished shoes, lay my boyfriend—the love of my life—still and unmoving with the hilt of a large blade protruding from his chest.
I rushed over to his body and fell down next to him, ignoring the pain of my knees slamming violently into the concrete underneath me.
“No!” I wailed, my hands flying through my hair. “No. No. No. No. No!” I screamed as I picked Kellan up and cradled him in my arms. I viciously yanked the strange dagger from his chest and tossed it carelessly to the ground. Through blurred tears, I gazed down into his cold, motionless face, his body limp like a ragdoll in my arms. “Please, God. Please. This can’t be happening!” I sobbed.
I stroked his hair over and over, his face pallid and unresponsive as I leaned down and peppered kisses all over it.
His lips.
His nose.
His deathly still eyelids.
His icy cheeks.
His stubbly jawline.
No inch of his face was left untouched by my sobbing and wet lips.
I looked down as Rowdy ripped open Kellan’s shirt. The wound was already healing over, but it was one nasty gash. Blood everywhere.
When I got no response from my affection on him, I began to shake him. Hard. “Kellan Conley! Wake up! Now!” I reared my hand back and slapped his face in anger and desperation. “Please, baby. Please. God, please!” I cried.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away from the touch, not caring whose it was. “Leave me alone!”
Again, the hand landed there, harder this time as it squeezed my shoulder. “Ayla. He’s not dead. Let’s get him somewhere safe.”
The words barely registered in my brain through the emotion and distraught I felt at seeing my love lying deathly still and lifeless in an alley behind the bar I visited on the regular.
When my rational thoughts caught up to my heart, I realized it was Beckett speaking. I slightly turned my head and saw him, through blurred tears, crouched behind me. It was then I realized his arms were now wrapped tightly around me, his cold breath whispering in my ear.
“Honey, vampires turn to ash when they die. Your sweetheart is still here. He’s alive—just unconscious. Let’s just get him somewhere safe so he can heal.”
Slowly... oh, so very slowly, logic descended as I nodded with a sniffle. “Okay.”
I stood, never removing my eyes from Kellan’s prone form, the breast of his silvery-gray suit stained in violent black-crimson as I let my friends carry him to a waiting car. Whose car it was, I didn’t—couldn’t—care. All I needed was for Kellan to be all right.
As he was loaded into the backseat, my gaze drifted toward the pile of ash next to him. Who was that? Alto? Phil? Maury? Someone else?
“Get the ashes,” I said numbly, pointing toward them.
“Of course,” Sanja said, rushing over to the pile. She quickly scooped them up into a small plastic bag she seemed to produce from thin air and shoved it into the satchel she had strapped around her shoulder.
“Why aren’t there any clothes?” I heard Rowdy ask.
“I don’t know, that’s weird,” Sanja commented.
Beckett and Gavin tried to steer me toward the car with Kellan’s body— but I was having none of that. I twisted out of Beckett’s grip and screamed out into the night, calling on the moon for strength, and blitzed toward the bar, drawing my dagger from my thigh. I felt hands once again try to stop me, but I was no match for them. I had adrenaline and anger fueling me.
I blurred through the back door and past the back-bar. I found myself backhanding any vampire who still sat at the small corner table where Alto had been seated. “Where the fuck is he?” I screeched, my new dagger twirling in my fingers as Metallica played loud and squealing through the speakers.
“Lady, we barely know that guy. Our boss said he had a business transaction for us. We were just here to listen to his proposition, but then the goons who run this place dragged him out of here.”
The young vampire’s blasé attitude and lack of explanation infuriated me, so I hopped on the table, grabbed him by the back of the head, and sliced his throat. He gasped at the intrusion, but when his head lopped back against the chair, he soon began to crumble to ash.
“Fucking bitch!” I heard a male voice yell next to me.
I hopped off the table and landed next to him, severing his spinal cord at the back of his neck. He gasped in a few breaths before he, too, was turning to ash. The rest of the vampires at the table had scrambled toward the exit, and before I could catch them, they were gone, blitzing into the night, and I was left with no answers and two vampiricides on my hands.
I bellowed out in rage and frustration and whipped my head around as Janine dropped a trayful of drinks onto the ground, their glasses shattering. She and the bar staff stared at me in horror.
Looked like I would need to find a new damn hangout after tonight.
“Fuck!” I screamed and blitzed out of the bar.
“Why are you here?” I snapped, measuring my mentor with an annoyed glare.
Evan put his hands up in surrender. “Hey. Sanja said you needed friends. Karina and I are here for you, Ayla. Just like I—we—promised.”
I considered his words. “That’s fine, but I’m not leaving his side.” I jabbed a thumb behind me at Kellan’s prone and still body on the bed.
“We understand.” Karina’s high-pitched voice floated into my ears.
I stared down at her tiny frame, her red hair glowing bright under the fluorescent lights.
“Do you, though?” I asked, irritated and inconsolable.
She nodded immediately. “Grief is a strange thing. It’s both an excuse and a symptom. I hope you know your love will be okay, though. He just needs time.”
I felt strong arms wrap around me from behind, Evan’s musky and familiar scent enveloping me in brotherly warmth and comfort.
“Ayla, look at me,” Karina drawled. I obeyed, staring into her oceanblue eyes, nodding slightly. “Tell us what happened.”
It was then I noticed that Karina’s three brothers, Raf, Zane, and Dylan, were all lingering the doorway to the room we were in.
What room was this, anyway? Where was I? It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was in Beckett’s house. He owned this ridiculously large house on the outskirts of the suburbs of downtown. It had well over six bedrooms, and it was in one of those in which I now found myself.
How I’d gotten here, I couldn’t remember. Everything was a blur after I’d stormed out of the bar.
I went over to the bed and lay down next to Kellan. His pale, cold body did not bring me much comfort, as he always seemed “dead” when he slept, but at least I had already known that before now. Otherwise, I’d be flipping out. Still, I snuggled up to him and laid my head on his chest. I draped my arm around his and pushed myself as close to him as possible.
“Let’s give her some privacy.” Evan’s voice.
“I will fill you in,” Rowdy said, introducing himself as they began to file out of the room.
I took my phone from my pocket and said, “Evan.” I tossed him the phone, which he caught. “Call Jeffrey. He’s gonna be concerned when Kellan doesn’t come home.”
“You got it,” he said, closing the door behind him after everyone had exited the room.
After the soft click of the door, I burst into tears and just let all the stress, fear, and adrenaline go. Tonight had been too much. Thinking I’d lost Kellan and then killing two vampires. I still had their blood all over my clothes. After I finished crying, I peppered Kellan’s face with kisses and got up to shower in the adjoining bathroom. The only thing to wear besides my disgusting clothes was a fluffy white robe I found hanging on the back of the door after I’d showered. I wrapped it around me and went right back to bed, wrapping myself around Kellan until I fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
For how many hours I slept, I couldn’t be sure, but I found myself being awoken by shouting. “We’re giving Ayla some space,” I heard Beckett say.
“Let me in there. I must tend to Mr. Conley,” Jeffrey’s voice came back. I’d never heard him so demanding before.
“He has a right,” I heard Gavin reply.
“Come in, Jeff,” I said loudly, looking down to make sure my robe was covering me.
Jeffrey came through the door, his brow furrowed in worry, his eyes redrimmed.
I looked down at Kellan, who hadn’t moved an inch. The guys had stripped off his jacket and tie, and he was only in slacks and unbuttoned dress shirt—complete with the blood-rimmed stab hole. His shoes were set neatly in the corner of the room, the jacket and tie lain nicely over the back of a chair.
Jeffrey rushed over to Kellan’s bedside and grabbed his hand. He looked at me. “Miss St. John.”
“Hey, Jeff.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked, not taking his eyes off his master.
I quickly went through what happened at Moon Chasers, and when I was done, Jeffrey sighed.
“This isn’t the first time he’s been near death. In the early eighties, he was stabbed in the back by Linden. The blade missed his heart by mere inches. It did, however, nick an artery, which caused him to bleed internally. The only thing we could do was give him blood and let him heal.”
I gasped. I wanted to ask why Linden had stabbed him, but I decided it didn’t even matter. The sadistic sonofabitch had done so many things to Kellan over the years, I didn’t even care to hear another story about his cruelty.
“But why isn’t he awake, though?” I asked, one of the many questions swirling around in my head. Then I noticed my friends were standing in the doorway, watching us. They must want answers, too. Or they were being protective of me. As if I needed protection against a little elf.
“The vampire’s body shuts down in a way so it can heal. It’s like a vampiric coma.”
“That’s true,” Karina offered.
I nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. How are we supposed to feed him blood if he’s comatose, though?”
Jeffrey continued to stare at Kellan. “You don’t. When he starts to rouse, to make noise, is when we will give him some. You can or I will. Just have a blade ready.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and jabbed my thumb toward the floor where my pants were in a heap, my dagger lying on top. “Have you met me?”
Jeffrey offered a small grin. “Touché, miss.”
“Hey. Have you heard from Phil or Maury?” I asked. He shook his head. “No, miss. And I am concerned that you are asking me this, because I was going to ask you the same thing. Did you not say Phillip and Maurice were with Mr. Conley when this happened?”
“Yes, but they weren’t when we found him. We did, however, find a pile of ash, but no clothes.”
Jeffrey wrung his hands together. “Oh, mylanta. That’s not good.”
I heard Gavin snort at the older elf’s pun but ignored him.
“Where are the ashes now?” Jeffrey asked.
“I have them,” Sanja said. “I plan to bring them back to the magic shop and do a spell to identify them, if that’s okay with everyone.”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t trust anyone else but a Burman witch to perform such a delicate spell,” Jeffrey replied.
“I’ll get to it, then,” Sanja said, kissing Rowdy on the cheek and leaving the room.
“So how long will he be like this? A few hours?” I asked.
He shot me a look that told me I wasn’t going to like his answer. “When this happened before, he was unconscious for eight days.”
Collective gasps this time. “Oh, my God,” I whispered.
“We’ll take round-the-clock care details,” Karina announced. “He’ll never be alone.”
“Good,” I said. “I don’t want him waking up alone, because by the time he does wake, the asshole who did this will either be tied up in the basement, or a pile of ash.”
Chapter 3
With my shoulder propped up against the doorframe of Sanja’s kitchen, I watched quietly while she and her mother conjured up another spell. They had the ashes inside a large cobble pot and Sanja’s mother, Samantha, was sprinkling something on it. I’d only arrived a few minutes prior, but Sanja said they’d been at it for hours. They were having a hard time determining who it was. All they could tell me was the vampire was male.
After Jeffrey had arrived, I’d gotten up, reluctantly put on my dirty clothes, and headed home to change and decide what I was going to do. Kellan was in good hands at Beckett’s house and I doubted Jeffrey would leave my love’s side except to sleep. The faithful elf had even brought Kellan some pajamas and changed him into them, and also a set of fresh clothes, which he hung up in the closet, ready for him to wear as soon as he awoke. I’d smiled a little when he’d requested a glass of filtered water to put on the nightstand. He was a creature of habit if nothing else. I would have to bring that man some delicious flowers as a thank-you.
“What are you going to do about finding Alto Rourke... if this isn’t him?” Sanja asked, inclining her head toward the pot while washing her hands at the sink.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But I think my priority is finding that Drago piece of shit first. I want my dagger back. I want to kill Alto with it. Plus, I need to get paid. I got rent due and my savings is dwindling since I haven’t taken any jobs recently.”
“Understandable,” Samantha said. “You always have a place here if you need one, just so you know.”
I smiled and pushed off the doorframe. I went over and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
She chuckled. “Mom. I like it.”
“Me too.” Sanja winked at me.
“I’ll be back later,” I said, leaving the shop.
I got into my Lexus and drove toward the art gallery where I had almost killed Drago. I knew the vampire wouldn’t be anywhere near, as it was daytime—but hell, that hadn’t stopped him before when he’d cornered me in the parking garage of my building. I knew luring him out and catching
him by surprise was going to be the only way I was going to get the little asshole. No way would he attend another gallery event since he knew we were on to him. I had a thought that maybe he’d left town—moved onto another big city with fancy art galleries to find some fresh blood to snack on, but then I remembered his comment about keeping my dagger in his “hunters’ collection” and figured he must have a place here in Denver—or somewhere nearby, at least.
As I sat in my car and stared at the art gallery, I put my finger to my mouth and was glad my acrylic manicure was intact, as I’d gotten these nails to stop the nail-biting I’d done as a kid. Because right now, I was sure my fingertips would be bloodied and raw. I was so anxious with everything going on, I needed an outlet. Since I had no real nails to bite, I would just have to devise a plan for tonight. Plans always made me feel in control and calmed me down. Until then, though, I pulled out the small bottle of CBD oil I’d used when Sanja’s spell had made me seem temporarily human and untwisted the top. I placed two entire dropperfuls under my tongue and shuddered at the taste. One dropperful was usually all a human needed to help with the calming effect, but I’d found two to be perfect for me. Like everything else, my supernatural body seemed to metabolize it so fast.
I thought about Kellan’s body lying there, still and unmoving, and sent up a prayer to whomever would hear me that he would be all right. I knew he’d lived a long time, but we had just begun our journey with each other. There were so many things we hadn’t been able to do together... and there was no way I could go on without him. If he died, I’d want to die, too.
It was at that very moment that I realized I was completely, totally, and all-consumingly in love with Kellan Conley, and that if soulmates were really a thing, that I’d found mine.
Seemed as though I should have already known this. Had I loved Ryder? Sure, I had... and a part of me still did. He was my first everything. But my love for him didn’t run as deep and as pure as the love I had for Kellan.
Using those thoughts to fuel me, I put the car into gear and headed off to put part one of my plan into motion.
Drago was going down.
It wasn’t easy, but I was actually able to locate the “dark web.” I’d heard things about this seemingly elusive part of the internet but wasn’t too sure it was actually a thing. Not surprisingly, Google searches really were of no help. What worked much better than that was a trip to a back-alley massage parlor. I’d passed the Enchanting Hands shop before and could sense they were up to no good—but nothing supernatural-related. Today, though, a trip inside under the guise of wanting a massage yielded me information that was way too easy to glean.
I also learned something new about myself—I could use allusion on someone, even upside down.
When the young Asian girl who was massaging my neck looked down at me from where she was seated at the head of the massage table, I looked up at her and demanded to know information about the dark web. She sang like a canary—giving me very specific instructions on how to access it. After my (very nicely done) massage was over, I rushed home, opened my laptop, and got to work.
It was no surprise to find an entire section of the site dedicated to the sale of hunters’ weapons. I figured if that jackass Drago had bragged about keeping a collection of them in his home, it was safe to say he probably sold them, too. I knew he was old, and I wasn’t sure if he was too techsavvy, but it turned out he was. The dumbass motherfucker even had his own profile called “Dragon King Vicente” that I quickly realized was him based on the use of the word dragon and the idiot using a play of his own first name—or at least the one I knew him by.
The guy had more than hunters’ weapons for sale. He had jewelry and even pieces of fine art. Wow! I wondered if he was a thief, too. I shook my head but did not see my dagger. I did, however, see one that interested me. It looked to be very old, and he claimed it had been used on the set of Interview with the Vampire in the nineties when the movie was made. I highly doubted that was true, but hey—I could always use a new dagger and the whole two birds thing. I, of course, messaged him with my new fake profile, and agreed to meet him tonight for the sale. Once the details had been hammered out, I grinned at my cunning and closed the laptop. I texted Evan to let him know what was happening and he said he and Karina were definitely going to be there... in the shadows to watch the whole thing going down.
After stopping by Beckett’s to check on Kellan and make sure Jeffrey had what he needed, I was comforted by the fact that he and Gavin were both sitting with Kellan. The two elves were chatting, and it made me smile to see Gavin’s phone was nowhere in sight. He was always on it for his job as a stock market trader, but it seemed he had put it away for now. I set a bouquet of red roses down on the nightstand, and another bouquet of carnations down next to it.
“Beautiful flowers, miss. Mr. Conley will love seeing them when he wakes.”
I chuckled and squeezed Jeffrey’s shoulder. “They’re not for him, silly. They’re for you. I wasn’t sure which kind were, uh, a delicacy for y’all, so I got two different ones. Help yourself.” I waved at the flowers and looked at Gavin. “You, too, of course.”
He laughed. “How did you know?”
Crap.
Deciding to just be honest, I said, “I caught Jeff here gobbling down some roses one night when I got up to get something to eat at Kellan’s. It was weird at first, but hey... I don’t judge. You guys have never seen my weird during a full moon.”
Jeffrey looked horrified, but quickly recovered. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Miss St. John.”
“Geez, Jeff, stop calling me that. Just call me Ayla.”
“I will try, miss.”
I looked at the elves. “Okay, so I have a big night tonight and don’t plan on sleeping, so if you don’t mind, ya think I could get a few hours alone here with sleeping beauty? I need a power nap.”
They both rose from their chairs.
“Of course,” Gavin said.
“Take a snack.” I pointed at the flowers.
They both plucked a few off the stems and left the room.
I stared down at Kellan and stripped off my jacket, toed off my boots, and peeled off my jeans. In just a tank top and panties, I crawled under the sheets and laid my head on his chest like always. I talked to him about my day, kissed his face all over, wrapped him in my arms, and closed my eyes for a quick sleep.
Chapter 4
This bar—the Hungry Cricket—was just... odd. It seemed as though I’d been all over this city, but I’d never heard of or seen it before. It was literally hidden at the end of a dead-end street and bore no sign. The only way I found it was by smell and sound.
Knowing Drago would recognize Evan, Karina, and myself, I had no choice but to use Beckett as my “buyer.” Evan, Karina, and I had all disguised ourselves in case Drago recognized us as we sat in a dark corner of the bar. I’d put on a black wig and the heavy eyeliner racooning my eyes had been fun, along with what seemed like a gallon of perfume to mask my scent. Evan wore a three-piece pinstriped suit and a 40s style derby on his head. Karina had on a blonde wig and admittedly looked exactly like Sandy from Grease. Halloween was coming up soon, so nobody really looked at us oddly.
We were sitting close enough to hear what was going on but had to pretend we couldn’t. This was a human bar... one I suspected was connected to the dark web. I tried not to think of all the human trafficking or illegal things that probably went down here on a nightly basis.
“There he is,” Evan said quietly with a drink to his lips over the sound of Rock You Like A Hurricane blasting through the jukebox.
I saw Vicente Drago enter the bar wearing a shiny blue suit and tie and carrying a small, red velvet satchel. There was no security in here to check for weapons—which I actually liked, since I had the dagger strapped to my thigh and another one in my boot. In my other boot was the mace—which I was happy worked on vampires.
He scanned the bar and stopped when his gaze landed on Beckett. I’d told him in the message that I’d be wearing a red suit. Beckett was seated two tables over from us wearing the most ostentatious red suit I think was ever made.
“Chronicler, I presume?” Drago said to Beckett.
“Yes,” he replied. “Have a seat.”
He did as he was told, and then said, “Funny, for some reason I thought you were female.”
“I’m obviously transitioning,” Beckett replied without skipping a beat.
Drago eyed Beckett cautiously. “I see.”
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Beckett said, glancing around the bar, then back to Drago. “You got what I want?”
“Yes,” he said, setting the satchel onto the table. “You got the cash?”
Beckett set his drink down and leaned forward. “Don’t insult me. Of course I do.”
Damn. Someone give this boy an Oscar!
Drago put a hand up in surrender. “Okay, okay. Just asking. You wouldn’t believe the... caliber of people I meet on that goddamn site.”
Beckett narrowed his eyes at him, then plunked ten one-hundred-dollar bills on the table. He waved toward the satchel. “Take it out and set it on the fucking table. Now.”
Drago eyed the money and did as he was told. “Sure, man. Sure.”
“Ma’am. Not man,” Beckett corrected.
I had to bite back a snort. While he wore the bright-red suit, he still had his hair as high as it would go and a face full of makeup that Karina and I had helped him with. I’d even painted his nails blood-red.
I watched as Drago shot a look around the bar, then placed the plainlooking dagger onto the table. Beckett’s frown seemed to match mine as he said, “I didn’t see this thing in the movie.”
Drago grinned and hooked a finger under his tie to loosen it. “Yeah, it was from a deleted scene. But hey... still worth a lot.”
“Where did you get this?” Beckett asked him, and I just wanted him to stick to the script we’d agreed on.
The old vampire leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Oh, I never reveal my sources. Ma’am.”
Beckett stared at him for a long while, then said, “Okay. I see. Well, there’s your money. But I have to ask—do you have anything else? I’m only buying this one because it’s hella cool-looking. But I really do need a hunter’s weapon. You know, used by an actual hunter. Extra cash if it’s engraved or has something personal belonging to the hunter on it.”
“Why?” Drago asked, looking suspicious, but interested.
“None of your fucking business why.”
Drago stared at Beckett for a few long seconds. So long that I thought the guy was gonna walk. But finally, he said, “I do believe I have something that will fulfill all your requirements perfectly.”
Beckett sat forward and placed his forearms on the table. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Vicente replied immediately. “But the price is ten grand.”
Beckett whistled through his teeth. “That’s pretty steep, but I’m willing to take a look—as long as you have a history behind it for me.”
Drago smiled. “I do. Give me an hour. I’ll go get it and bring it back.”
“Nah, I’d like to come with, if that’s all right. This bar reeks,” Beckett replied, making a face.
“Sure. I’ve got a Benz parked round back. Just follow me.”
Beckett nodded, but didn’t get up. “Give me a sec to pay the tab.”
When Drago got up and walked out, I looked at Evan, who nodded. He threw some cash down onto the table and discreetly followed Drago out of the bar.
Once they were both gone, I swiveled my chair around and looked at Beckett. “Holy crap, you’re a good actor.”
He pretended to polish his nails on the lapel of his suit jacket and grinned lazily at me. After batting his fake eyelashes, he said, “You know it, girl. I just can’t wait to get this nasty-ass makeup off my face. I don’t know how you ladies stand it.”
Karina laughed. “You get used to it.”
“Well, this lipstick tastes like crap.”
“It really does. That’s why I rarely wear it,” I supplied.
“Well, I’m going to catch up with them. I’ll be in touch by text.” He kissed us both on the cheek and was gone.
Karina and I made small talk while we ordered more drinks we knew would have almost no effect on us as we waited for Drago and Evan to return. Karina had texted her husband a few times and he’d told her everything was okay.
After what seemed like too long, we both agreed we should probably leave the bar and wait elsewhere.
Confined to my Lexus in the parking lot of the Hungry Cricket, Karina and I waited anxiously for Evan to return. If Beckett had truly gotten my dagger back, I didn’t expect Drago to come back with him.
When almost two hours had passed, we both began to get concerned. Karina had been in constant contact with Evan, but for the past thirty minutes, he’d gone radio-silent.
“I can track his location through the cell provider,” Karina said, trying to sound confident, but I could tell she was worried about her husband. “But I’d rather he just contact me.”
I looked over at her from the driver’s seat and could see the fret etched into her perfect, pale features. I smiled reassuringly at her. “I’m sure he just can’t text right now. Maybe he’s someplace he can’t use his cell. You know, its bright light and all.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” she replied, nodding, her expression belying the confidence of her words.
Just then, a car pulled into the parking lot of the bar. Relief flooded me as I watched Beckett get out and wander inside. I had texted him earlier that we were waiting in the lot, but he’d never responded. It wasn’t long before he walked back out of the bar with his phone in his hand, scanning the area for me. I let out a loud whistle, and he blitzed over to my car.
“Talk to me,” I demanded.
“Evan’s got your dagger. But... I had to get the fuck outta there,” he said with a shake of his head, worry lining his glammed-up face.
“Why? The makeup bothering you?” I teased.
He shook his head. “No, the dude is a serious weirdo. He’s got these freaky ass fetishes. And—get this—he had urns everywhere in his house. And I do mean everywhere.”
Karina gasped. “Urns?”
“Yes. I asked the dickhead about them, he said they were all his ‘vamp kills’.” He put his hand in the air and swiveled his head around as if to convey attitude. “Anyway, after he made me as a fellow vamp, he had the nerve to tell me that humans displayed deer and elk heads on their walls of their kills so how was he any different with his”—he put up his fingers with air quotes—“urns of conquests. Girl, I had to bounce!”
I laughed, only because if I didn’t, I would cry. I blew out a breath. “What a nutjob.”
“Where is Evan?” Karina asked, looking anxious.
“I don’t know, sweetie. I high-tailed it out of there when Evan commanded me to go—said he’d be right behind me. I won’t lie—I thought he would have been here by now.”
I chewed my lip. That wasn’t good. No good at all.
“Well, shit,” Karina said, looking as if she was going to cry. It was also one of the rare times I’d heard her use a cuss word. Also, not good.
“Get in,” I said, jabbing a thumb to the backseat. “We’re going to get Evan, and my fucking dagger.”
Beckett nodded and hopped into the backseat as I peeled out of the parking lot and followed the directions Beckett gave me.
“That stupid little shit-bird lives here?” I asked, my eyebrows practically hitting my hairline.
We were parked in front of a trailer. Okay, to be polite, it was a mobile home, but damn... for as long as I’d heard the guy had been alive, I expected something with a little more... equity.
“You stole the words right outta my mouth,” Karina drawled, staring at the newer-model trailer.
Don’t get me wrong... it was a fancy-ass trailer. But still.
“Think he’s got AC in that thing?” Beckett asked.
I laughed without humor. “Oh, all the fancy double-wides come with it. I think.”
“I think you’re right,” Karina said under her breath.
“So... tell me what happened when you left,” I demanded, staring at my flamboyant friend in the rearview mirror.
“Well, I followed him here and he took me into a back bedroom so I could have a look at all his merch.” He pointed at the mobile home. “I would also like to add that the damn thing is a hell of a lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.”
I waved my hand in a circle and nodded. “Noted. Continue.”
“So, he had this secret freaking wall in the back bedroom with all kinds of weapons. Like something you’d see in a movie.” He looked down, then back at me through the mirror. “Ooh! You know, like in Men in Black where the secret wall just flipped over and appeared in that family’s house? I had to resist the urge to pull out my flashy-memory-erasing thing and say, ‘You did not see a roomful of shiny weapons. You did not see four alien nightcrawlers.’ It was freaking insane, I tell you!”
Trying not to laugh at Beckett’s nineties pop culture reference, I said, “Okay, then what happened?”
“Well, he had Austyn’s dagger—your dagger—up at the top of a row of knives and pulled it down. He was proud to show me your brother’s name carved into it. Like it was some special thing worth a lot of money.”
I gritted my teeth. “It is a special thing worth a lot of money. To me and my family, anyway.”
Beckett put his hand on my shoulder from the backseat. “I know. Chill, girl. But I just nodded to him like I understood. Then he told me it was ten grand to buy it.”
“Wow...” I said, not knowing what else I could say.
“I whipped out five bills and told him that was my final offer. After he stared at the cash for a while, he set his jaw like he was pissed but accepted it. Then he told me I was getting it for a steal.” Beckett rolled his eyes.
I shook my head. “You’re always the negotiator.”
“You got that right. I mean, I knew we’d be getting the money back eventually, but the guy was a smug jerk and I knew he was expecting me to try to wheel and deal, so I was just playing the part.”
“You did good,” I replied quickly, not caring at all about the money at that point. “So, then what happened?”
“I handed him the cash, and he quickly pocketed it. He then turned the dagger around and around in his hand. I told him to give it to me, but then he smiled all wicked-like and told me I would have to cough up the other five grand. It was then that Evan rushed into the room and tackled him to the ground. I was so shocked, I stood there for a few seconds before I jumped on the little prick and tried to help. But he just used your dagger to stab me.”
I turned around as Beckett shrugged his suit jacket off and showed me a now-healing wound in his shoulder. Not sure how I had missed the giant hole in his suitcoat earlier, but I could see it now.
“I figured it was time to call for backup. So here I am.”
Karina whipped around and narrowed her eyes at Beckett. “You just left Evan there to fend for himself?”
He shrugged. “Well, no, he told me to get help. Besides, all he has to do is bite Drago and he’ll think he’s dying... right?”
I blew out a breath and plopped my head against the car’s headrest. “Not exactly. We look human until the full moon. A human bite isn’t going to scare that asshole.”
“Fuck...” Beckett said under his breath. “I’m sorry, girl.” He put his hand on Karina’s shoulder.
“I think it’s time we go in there,” I snapped, now irritated as I pointed at the mobile home.
“Agreed,” Karina replied, clearly angry.
“Stay in the car,” we said in unison to Beckett as we opened our car doors.
A simple nod was Beckett’s only reply.
I literally stopped breathing as I looked in the back window of the mobile home. Drago had Evan tied to a chair and was punching him repeatedly.
“How did you find out where I live, dog the bounty hunter?” Drago yelled, shaking his hand out after the last punch to Evan’s bloodied mouth. “And your blood reeks like a wolf but you also smell like a vampire. What are you, anyway?”
Karina gasped and shoved her fist into her mouth. I looked at her and squeezed her shoulder.
Evan mock-laughed and spit blood all over the pale carpeting. “I’ll repeat it again, in case you didn’t hear me before. I saw you at the Hungry Cricket and followed your buyer. Why is that so hard for you to grasp? Are you as stupid as you look in that dollar store suit?”
“You’re full of shit,” Drago snapped. “And fuck you. Answer the other question.”
“No,” Evan replied.
Drago punched him in the temple, and we watched as his head rocked to the side in almost a blur. It was then I noticed he held my dagger in his other hand.
“I’m not watching this,” I whispered, enraged. “Come on.” I grabbed Karina’s hand and pointed to a side window. “Go pound on that window. I need a distraction.”
“You got it,” she whispered back and then blitzed to the other side of the trailer.
As soon as both heads inside whipped toward the noise, I crouched down. Taking a deep breath, I unsheathed my replacement dagger and sprang up like a cat, crashing through the large back window. I landed in a tucked roll and popped up on my feet. I shook glass out of my wig and grinned wickedly at the asshole. Drago had been at the window investigating the noise and me catching him by surprise had the desired effect. He was completely off his guard and it was way too easy to sweep him off his feet with a quick kick and disarm him of my dagger. I tossed my
spare one to Karina, who’d followed me in through the window, and was now freeing her husband of his bindings.
“You bitch,” Drago ground out, getting up and swinging weakly at me. I rolled my eyes and replied, “Yeah, like that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.”
Evan was free of his binds and he quickly used them to tie Drago’s arms behind his back. I walked slowly over to him as he struggled to get free. Evan plucked the five thousand dollars out of the vampire’s pants and shoved it into my hand, which I quickly pocketed. The look of panic on Drago’s face was priceless as I casually twirled the dagger between my fingers while grinning what I was sure was quite smugly.
I tore off the black wig, threw it to the floor, and pointed at the inscription on my dagger. “I wasn’t lying when I said Austyn is my nephew’s name.” I started pacing. “See, he was born just a few weeks ago. My brother Aden named him after our brother who was killed by a filthy vampire like you. I use this enchanted dagger to kill bloodsuckers who can’t follow the rules.” I canted my head to the side and continued to twirl the weapon through my fingers. I felt it take to me like a familiar pet; like a part of me. I acknowledged the relief that flooded through me, almost like I could breathe again now having it in my hand. A virtual extension of me. “You like to pick up women at art galleries and drain them of blood because you obviously have no fucking self-control. It’s vamps like you who make me sick. But your shenanigans end tonight, Vicente. Make peace with your maker and hope He’ll have you through the pearly gates, because you’re done for.”
I didn’t give him chance to even pray before I spun the dagger one last time and then plunged it deep into his chest as he screamed and begged for his pathetic life. I was thankful he turned to ash very quickly due to his age.
The three of us looked at the pile of ash and clothing on the ground. I licked Drago’s blood from my dagger and used it to point at Evan. “That’s gonna cost you double.”
I left the trailer and got into my car. I ordered Beckett to ride shotgun, as we had passed Evan’s G-Wagon parked up the road and knew he’d be taking his wife home in it.
Chapter 5
“Give me that baby,” my mom ordered. I’d been holding tiny Austyn for a good half hour at the Halloween party my mom had put on.
I smiled and gingerly handed him over to my mom.
“Oh, how adorable,” Mrs. Cranson said, my parents’ nosy neighbor and friend. She pointed at his costume. “Is he a little dog?”
“No, he’s a wolf,” I said, biting back a snort. I couldn’t believe Celeste had found a wolf costume so tiny and was pretty much trying to be funny by dressing him in it.
“Well, he’s just precious,” she said, gently pinching his cheek.
As the two women walked off, I heard Mrs. Cranson whisper, “So did Aden marry that girl yet?”
“No, you would have been invited to the wedding, Virginia,” my mom replied, sounding exasperated.
I shook my head. That woman has been the nosiest bitch on the planet since the day I met her. Which I couldn’t remember since I’d known her my whole life. And the woman had literally dressed like the Maxine, snarky, cranky greeting card lady, for a costume. As if she wasn’t her already in real life.
“Wicked,” Evan said, pointing at my costume.
I hugged him and Karina. “I didn’t hear you come in.” Looking down at my long, black dress and touching my pointed black hat, I grinned. I wasn’t the only smartass in the room. Celeste hadn’t worn a costume, but it was funny to see Aden dressed like Dracula.
“You guys look fabulous yourselves,” I commented to the Grants, gesturing to their Fred and Wilma Flintstone costumes. Karina had definitely nailed it with her bright red hair and pale skin.
“Are these friends of yours?” my mom asked, seeming to come out of nowhere.
“Yes! Evan and Karina, this is my mom, Alicia St. John. Mom, Evan and Karina Grant.”
“Pleased to meet you,” my mom replied. “Sorry I can’t shake your hand.” She grinned down at her sleeping grandson.
