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“So you taught her a lesson? I bet you enjoyed it, too, didn’t you? You strike me as the kind of man who enjoys knocking his women around. So, what did you do to her lover?” Cat and mouse. Like Delilah, I played with my food before I ate.
He closed his eyes. “Sliced him up. Killed him. Made her help me get rid of the body.”
“I thought as much,” I said. “You’re all the same. Pathetic lowlife scum.” A wave of distaste rushed through me. If I let him go, he’d continue leeching off of society, and he’d end up killing his girl. He’d kill her if she tried to leave, and he’d end up killing her even if she stayed. Women who were caught in an abuser’s trap usually didn’t get away so easily.
“What are you going to do to me?” he asked, his breath ragged. “I don’t want to die. Don’t kill me. Please?”
“How many times has your girlfriend begged you not to hurt her? How many times did you go ahead and mess her up, anyway?” I whispered in his ear, nibbling on the lobe.
He mumbled something, but I ignored it, leaning in to bite him on the neck. As my fangs slid through the flesh, the rich taste of blood welled up, and my restlessness turned to euphoria. I moaned softly, sucking harder, drawing the blood out of his veins, then began lapping the running stream, shuddering as it trickled down my throat.
Jake groaned, his cock growing hard behind his pants as he rubbed against me. I ignored his erection until he wrapped his arms around me, pressing his neck against my lips.
“Don’t stop,” he begged me. “Don’t stop, please . . .”
My desire vanished. I pulled away, staring at the man who was now on his knees in front of me, still rapt in the throes of my charm. Disgusted with him and annoyed with myself, I leaned down. “Listen. I want you to go to the Fangtabula. You know where that is?”
He nodded.
“Good. Go tell them you want to be a blood whore. Tell them you like it rough.”
Jake struggled to his feet. As he stumbled off, I knew that I was sending him to his death. He’d go straight to the club, all right. He was too enthralled to disobey me. And Terrance’s thugs would let him in. Before morning, there’d be one less scuzzball in the world.
Somehow, the thought didn’t please me as much as I wanted it to. Because for every Jake I got rid of, there were a dozen more to take his place. Satiated, done for the night, I turned and went back to the bar.
My name is Menolly D’Artigo, and I’m a vampire. I’m also half-Fae and half-human. My sisters and I work for the OIA, the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. We were transferred Earthside to keep us out of trouble, but that’s when our problems really blossomed. You see, we promptly discovered that a demon lord from deep in the Subterranean Realms—Shadow Wing—plans on breaking through the portals that separate the different realms. He intends to lead an army of his demons to raze both Earth and Otherworld to the ground and set himself up as king of the land.
My sisters and I are on the front line of the battle. For a while, we were fighting alone, but we’ve been slowly gathering allies. The newly returned Queens of Fae—Earthside—are on our side. In a way.
The elfin Queen, as well as the new Queen of our home-land—Y’Elestrial—are backing us up as much as they can.
And we’ve gathered together members of the Earthside Supe Community and have their pledges of support.
But the fact is that no matter how many allies we count in our ranks, the enemy numbers in the thousands. And demons aren’t easy to kill. Bullets bounce off, they’re hooked on uranium, so radiation’s like a fix. Even bombs can’t wipe them out all that easily.
So here we stand, the brains of the resistance, trying to figure out how to save two worlds, one monster at a time. As a career move, this sucks.
Camille, my oldest sister, is a Moon witch whose magic goes astray too often for comfort. And now she’s delving into death magic, thanks to her youkai husband. Delilah, the second-born, is a two-faced Were, meaning she turns into a golden tabby when the Moon is full or when we’re squabbling. But she’s also recently discovered a second Were form, that of a black panther.
And me? As I said, I’m Menolly D’Artigo. I was an acrobat-slash-spy for the OIA until I fell off the ceiling and got caught by the most sadistic vampire who ever walked the realms. But I had the last laugh and sent a stake through Dredge’s heart. Which is a big no-no among vampires. Frowned-on behavior or not, it felt good. When Dredge realized he was toast at my hands, well, that was the best day of my second life.
So here we are, a small vanguard against a violent threat against all of Fae and humankind. Unfortunately, with friends like us, the world sure doesn’t need any more enemies!
CHAPTER 3
By the time I got back to the Wayfarer, my anger at Wade had retreated to a low boil, just enough to keep a grudge aflame but not enough to do anything about it. I gave Luke a thumbs-up and headed upstairs. Camille gave me a quick once-over and motioned to her chest. I glanced down at my shirt and grimaced. I’d been sloppy. Blood splattered my top.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I said, darting back down the stairs to the back storeroom, where I kept extra clothing. I slid out of the bloody shirt and pulled on a deep indigo turtleneck, checked my jeans to make sure they were still clean, and headed back upstairs.
Once there, I whispered to Camille, “Is my face clean?” I couldn’t look in a mirror to check, and it was hard to tell by feel.
She nodded. “As a whistle.”
“Thanks,” I said, sitting on the bench near the bed, one leg folded under me. “Good job,” I said, looking around. Most of the junk had been cleared out, and it was now apparent this room had been a bedroom. And then, because I knew I had to tell her, I added, “Wade kicked me out of the VA group.”
“Because of Dredge?” Camille sighed. “I wondered if they were going to. Fickle bastards.”
“I get it. I really do, but I’m so pissed that Wade didn’t even try to find another solution that I rescinded his invitation to our house. Don’t extend it again unless I agree, okay?”
