by Dannika Dark
He snatched the shirt from my hand and reluctantly put it on, knowing I would only further embarrass him if he argued with me. In some ways, I mothered him. But Crush needed it. He’d spent his entire life taking care of me, and now it was my turn. Maybe I gave him a little hell, but paybacks were a bitch. This was still the same man who brought his buddies and a bunch of air horns to my sixth-grade spelling bee.
“So what do you think of Crush’s dog?” I asked the small group.
Tank chuckled from his spot on top of the table. “We were taking bets on whether he’s a horse or a dog.”
I patted Harley. “He’s a good watchdog,” I put out there, knowing Crush would never admit Harley’s true function.
Crush cleared his throat. “Yeah, he keeps an eye on my garage when I’m busy working. Makes sure to keep out all the riffraff. Don’tcha, boy?”
Harley leaned into him and cleaned Crush’s neck with his tongue. My father wrapped his arm around him, and they looked like old pals.
“I think he’s a good dog,” Ren declared, and that was all it took to put his pack in line. Those who belonged to neighboring packs respected him enough not to be a jerk.
I was glad for it. Not only glad that I wouldn’t have to worry about someone creeping up on my dad’s property at night, but also glad that Crush had a companion. One he could talk to, look after, and who would keep him company whenever he felt lonely.
I lifted the dog’s goggles off the table. “Daddy, are these really necessary?”
He took them away from me. “Just wait until you see the leather jacket I ordered.”
“Goodbye.” I turned on my heel, but before I could take a step, Crush gripped my wrist and yanked me backward.
“Hold on, little girl. You don’t walk away from your daddy without a hug.”
Crush tried to show off by lifting me off the ground. I squirmed like a fish, afraid he would throw out his back. Laughter erupted from behind him.
When I realized Crush wasn’t letting go, I asked, “Does he have a little doggie seat belt too?”
Crush dropped me on my feet and glowered.
I kissed his cheek. “Stop pretending like you could ever be mad at me.”
When I walked off, I heard him boast, “That’s my girl. Did you know she single-handedly took down that fighting ring?”
I rolled my eyes, realizing that man couldn’t keep anything secret, let alone tell it straight.
After closing my tab, I left Skulls in the best of moods.
On the drive home, I took my preferred route along side streets and scenic roads. The intoxicating smells and sounds of summertime stole my thoughts. The crickets and frogs sang in harmony the farther away I got from the city. My hair snaked out the breezy open window, and I leaned into the wind, the headlights shining a path down the dark road.
I jerked my head up when a man appeared in front of my truck. I slammed my foot on the brakes, my body lurching forward before coming to an abrupt stop.
Houdini’s hands were in his coat pockets, the collar pulled up. The headlights made his hair appear exceptionally white, and he looked more like an apparition than my nemesis. From his spiky hair, black ear studs, and jeans, he seemed desperate to avoid looking like an aristocrat who might have once worn a white wig and breeches. Or maybe a top hat and cane.
I shut off the engine but kept the lights on. Houdini remained motionless, his hazel eyes never breaking contact. His gaze was unnerving—the way his dark eyebrows sloped down, his blank expression.
I got out and searched the dark woods. “What are you doing out here?”
“Taking a walk on a moonlit night.”
I closed the distance between us, casting a shadow on him.
Houdini suddenly smiled, taking on that affable personality I’d come to know. But it was odd how he could switch it on and off so quickly. “I’ve missed my youngling. It seems you’ve been busy.”
“I have a job. And a life. One you’re not a part of.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“Stop pretending like you have claim over me. If you want to talk to me, why don’t you come by and ring the bell?”
Houdini bent over and laughed heartily. “That’s an asinine idea, but you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” He inched toward me. “I like privacy. I also like catching you off guard.” Houdini winked so quickly that I barely caught it. “You’re less likely to be armed.”
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.”
“Oh really?” He nodded smugly, suppressing a grin. “Haven’t you reached your kill limit for the week?”
Is he baiting me? Does he know what I’ve been up to? I didn’t give him the satisfaction of my surprise.
“Maybe you should focus on your own problems,” I suggested, lifting my chin an inch higher. “Don’t you have someone else’s life to ruin with all your pranks?”
“You think your becoming immortal was a prank?”
“I think you being my maker is the biggest joke of all. I can’t tell if you’re trying to spark up a relationship with me or get back the key I have in my possession. Someone should teach you how to pick a lock.”
“Not knowing my motives really bothers you, doesn’t it?” He swung his gaze up to the trees. “Maybe I don’t have any motives, Raven. Have you ever considered that?”
“You stopped me in the middle of nowhere to tell me that you don’t have an agenda?”
“No, this isn’t nowhere. You’re always somewhere.” Houdini took his hands out of his pockets and clasped them. “Not many people travel this road.”
“That’s because it leads to a private road, so only people who live out here take this route.”
He smiled enigmatically. “Where’s your partner?”
I folded my arms. “He’s in my bed, waiting for me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I chuckled. “Is that why you’re here? To deliver another scolding? I told Christian to leave your club alone, but he has a mind of his own. I didn’t tell him you gave me that spiked drink if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“Of that I’m certain. I’m sure he would have fumbled a murder attempt by now.”
“Christian doesn’t fumble.”
“I do find it curious why, if you are lovers, you don’t share that information with him. Don’t you believe in honesty?”
“Have you ever been in a relationship? If so, then you’d know that there are two kinds of secrets. The first is deception. You tell a lie or keep a secret in order to protect yourself, or because you think you know better. That’s the one that’ll get you in the most trouble, because it’s usually a lie designed to hurt the other person.”
“And the second?”
“That’s the one that protects the person you love. I personally don’t give a shit that you spiked my drink. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone like you. But if Christian found out, he’d kill you. Whether he succeeds or fails won’t matter, because neither outcome is one I want to live with.”
Houdini played with the black stud in his earlobe as he paced away from the headlights. “I find that truly fascinating. You know, I never gave much thought about the intricacies of a relationship. So… you believe if a lie is spun that protects the teller, it should be brought to light?”
“Ideally.” I glanced back at the empty road. If Houdini was the one who had buried me, I was vulnerable out here.
He kicked a pebble off the road. “If you’ve kept our little secret to protect Poe, what secrets do you think he’s kept from you?”
“None. But if he has any, I trust they’re the kind to protect me and not his own mistakes.” I backed up a step.
Houdini turned on his heel. “Christian isn’t faithful.”
“I know your games, and I’m not playing.”
Houdini drifted toward me. “Don’t you ever wonder where he goes at night? Where he goes for days at a time?”
“If he had another lover, I’d kno
w.”
Houdini stood close. Too close. “You can do better than that.”
I furrowed my brow, staring at a button on his coat.
“It’s not uncommon for Vampires to have bloodslaves,” he put out there.
“Christian would never do that.”
“Oh?” He turned away and paced a few feet before stopping. “How can you be so sure?”
Though I wanted to argue, I couldn’t help but remember how Christian was once addicted to Lenore’s blood. How in some ways he was even addicted to mine. Blood was not a necessity to survive among Vampires—it was a drug. Lenore had warned me about Christian’s habits, but a bloodslave? That was one secret I had never considered.
Could he?
Would he?
When had his disappearances started? I tried to recall a specific time, but I couldn’t. It seemed like it was after Lenore had first shown up. No… no, I was certain it started before that.
“Fuck you,” I spat out, returning to my truck. “All you do is stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
I was mad at myself for letting him push my buttons. Messing with my head was one thing, but messing with my love life was another. I yanked the truck door open, and Houdini was there in a flash, gripping it.
“Raven, I’m not here to play games. You clearly stated you think lies should be brought to light if they’re only designed to protect the person keeping the secret because they have sinned.”
I wanted to ask how Houdini knew about Christian’s disappearances, but he would never give a straight answer. He loved riddles. Houdini had shown up on our property more than once, so I guessed his animal flew around this isolated area. Or ran. I’d seen him in more than one animal form, so he was a man of many secrets himself.
He slid his hand over mine and stared at me through the open window that separated us. “If I had a lover, I’d never keep secrets.”
I snorted and got inside the truck. “All you do is dance around the truth. You’re like the Riverdance of Lies.”
“I don’t know what that means,” he said, gently closing the door, “but I always have your best interest in mind.”
“I have nothing to do with this alleged fantasy lover that you may or may not ever have. You’re not my type.”
A playful smile touched his lips. “Am I not tall and handsome? Would you prefer me with dark hair and a beard?”
“We share the same blood, so it’s practically incest.”
“Technicalities.”
“If you’re here to sabotage my relationship, thinking it’ll bring us together, think again. I know you don’t want to be with me.”
He rested his arms on the door. “I do tire of assumptions.”
I kept my eyes on his chin. “You don’t want me as a lover; you want me as your pet. My dad has a dog. It’s loyal, obedient, loves him unconditionally, and does what it’s told.”
“You know how Shifters feel about pets.”
“Yes, and I also know about the human pets some of them keep. Besides, you’re not entirely Shifter.”
“And you’re not entirely Vampire. You will never keep Poe satisfied. Full-blooded Vampires aren’t like us, Raven. They have insatiable desires they can’t control. We have the best of both worlds because we’re not chained to those same desires. Vampires begin immortality with bloodlust. Some of them indulge in those cravings before they’re forced to control it. Others suffer in starvation with small victims fed to them until they adjust and learn how to control their desires. But they’re always there, beneath the surface. You don’t find blood delicious, do you? I’m not speaking of Vampire blood but everyone else’s. Neither do I. It’s repulsive.”
“Now I know what to get you for Christmas. Can I go now? I’m in a celebratory mood, and you’re ruining it.”
“Should I send a bottle to your house?”
I gave him a mechanical smile. “Please don’t. In fact, stop hanging around my house… and the roads that lead to my house.”
“All roads lead to you, Butterfly.”
Houdini stepped away from the truck as I ran the engine and put it in gear. After passing him, I glanced in the rearview mirror at a white panther standing on top of a grey coat. Every Shifter needed a private place for his animal to roam, but I sure as hell wished it wasn’t in my backyard.
It was clear that only death would remove Houdini from my life. Most makers taught their younglings all the ways of being a Vampire before their progeny was ready to go off on their own. But Houdini and I never had a relationship, and now he acted as if he wanted to make up for lost time. Either that or he felt entitled to me.
As I traveled the road home, I reveled in the success of my latest case. Never in a million years had I pictured myself with an organization like Keystone, but they were fast becoming family. Thank God Christian was willing to save Blue, and she was willing to accept. I didn’t know much about her past, but I felt connected to her as a person. As a friend. Best of all, I could now sleep at night knowing that my father had someone who would defend his life, even if that someone was a Vampire-hating dog. Not only did we catch a killer, but we saved children in the process. That always counts for something.
And yet… Houdini had planted a seed. I had to decide whether to water it and watch it grow into an invasive vine that threatened to strangle everything good about my relationship with Christian or let it die. I kept my eyes trained on the road because I knew where it led. It was the other road I was uncertain about—the one Houdini had tempted me with. But nothing good ever came from his temptations, so I decided to keep Pandora’s box closed.
For now.
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THE MAGERI SERIES is an exciting urban fantasy romance about a young woman's claim to immortality. Passionate, humorous, dark, and full of unpredictable twists, the Mageri series will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, friendship, and the hidden power within us all. Cliffhanger-free.
THE SEVEN SERIES is a paranormal romance that portrays Shifters living in secret in the modern world. A blend of humor, heartwarming romance, drama, and real-life issues. This series is for those who believe in family, second chances, and finding that person who completes you. Cliffhanger-free. HEA.
THE CROSSBREED SERIES is an Urban Fantasy Romance following a rogue who is half-Vampire, half-Mage. Caught between two worlds, she joins forces with a secret organization that takes down criminals. Will desire become her biggest distraction when she is paired up with a Vampire?
THE BLACK ARROWHEAD SERIES is an exciting new paranormal romance. Like the Seven series, this has a wonderful blend of romance, action, magic, humor, and heartwarming stories.
Note: While all of Dannika’s books are written in the same universe, each can be read independently from the rest. Dannika Dark owns the intellectual property rights to some of the original Breeds depicted within these books. Use of these creations is strictly prohibited.
If you would like to experience each twist and crossover as it was intended, suggesting reading order can be found HERE.
Immortals live among us.
Dannika Dark Newsletter
Books by Dannika Dark:
THE MAGERI SERIES
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Shine
The Gift
MAGERI WORLD
Risk
NOVELLAS
Closer
THE SEVEN SERIES
Seven Years
Six Months
Five Weeks
Four Days
Three Hours
Two Minutes
One Second
Winter Moon
SEVEN WORLD
Charming
THE CROSSBREED SERIES
Keystone
Ravenheart
Deathtrap
Gaslight
Blackout
Nevermore
Moonstruck
Spellbound
Heartless
Afterlife
THE BLACK ARROWHEAD SERIES
The Vow
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