Yet.
She took several deep breaths. The last time she’d faced one of these creatures she’d been left with a nasty scar and a dead partner. Yes, she’d killed the beast, but this time she was bound and determined for things to go more smoothly.
Which means everything has to go perfectly according to my plan.
If the textbooks were right... the snake’s entire body was covered with hard scales, like a dragon. Its only weakness was supposed to be the back of its head. But unless she struck it at the perfect angle, they were screwed.
She let her gaze run over its head. As expected, she spotted the area without any hard scales.
Hell yes! She smiled. This time, things would go differently. She’d sneak up on it and finish it off before it even had a chance to attack.
She motioned with her hand for her partners to spread out, mouthing the word, “Distraction.”
In reality, she hoped they wouldn’t even have to take part in the fight. But if things went wrong, the last thing she wanted was for them to be sitting ducks, clustered together.
There was the slightest flash of some stray light catching Ben’s blade before he slid into position at her left. When his gaze connected with hers, he smirked, raising a brow.
Thank goodness he listened, even if he doesn’t want to.
Samuel rose from his crouched position. He pointed to her and then to him, indicating they should switch positions.
Yeah right. Like I’d let you take the lead.
She shook her head and pointed to where she wanted him. He looked reluctant, but to her relief, obeyed.
Two down. She sighed to herself. One to go.
Her focus moved to Mr. Asshole. Ethan’s lips had pulled into a frown and his eyes narrowed. She knew if he could talk, he’d be arguing. Sorry my big, bad wolf, you’ll just have to follow orders without complaint this time.
The giant green snake hissed, a horrible sound that seemed to shake the air around them. Cassandra’s gaze jerked back to the creature. Damn it, does it sense us?
A pile of trash in one corner shifted, and the head of a goblin child peeked out, his white eyes huge and frightened.
Shit. How many times have I told these kids the sewers aren’t safe?
The snake’s head swung to face the child, and then bent down. Sharp rows of teeth flashed in the slight light from a sewer grate far overhead.
All her muscles tensed as she eyed the back of the snake’s head and prepared to jump.
“Hey, ugly!” Ethan called out from the right. “You hungry?”
Damn it!
The snake paused in its movements. Its head swiveled in Ethan’s direction, and the creature lunged. At the last possible second, Ethan sprang out of the way.
She knew how fast the snake was. She didn’t have time to plan out her attack perfectly. If she didn’t act now, she’d have another dead partner on her hands.
She crossed the twenty feet with long strides, her boots splashing through the ankle-high brown water as she eyed her target. The snake turned, but too slowly. She jumped, climbing onto its back and driving her sword into the back of its head. But she didn’t hit its tiny brain. She was just a few inches off-center.
Uh-oh—
It screeched and bucked wildly backward. She rolled off a second before it slammed the back of its head into the side of the sewer tunnel. She tried to twist enough to land on her feet, but everything happened too fast. Her back hit the hard concrete, followed by her head.
Her vision went black.
Get up!
Gasping for breath, she struggled to rise, but her movements were slow and awkward. She blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision, and her ears were ringing.
Yellow-green eyes stared down at her. The snake closed in, jaws open, enormous teeth coming down rapidly. Desperate, acting more on instinct than thought, she pulled her second sword from her back and aimed it at the roof of the snake’s mouth, just in time to stop the teeth from reaching her.
It pushed farther toward her, stupidly digging her sword deeper into the roof of its mouth. Almost there. If I hit its brain...
Two wolves appeared at her sides, barking and growling. Samuel, a wolf as dark as the shadows, and Ben, his auburn fur bright in the darkness. But even when they launched into an attack, biting at its scaled flesh, the snake continued to push closer to her pinned body.
Her breathing grew rapid as its drool ran down her blade. Its hot breath putrid hitting her like a blast of fiery death. And its teeth? They snapped, inch by inch, ever closer. She didn't have much time left. If she didn’t hit its brain soon—
A shot rang out.
Far above her, a blinking light on a tiny black explosive flashed by the snake’s eyes. Ethan, you—
She didn’t have time to scream before the snake’s head exploded, splattering her with stinking guts.
“Cassandra?” Ethan’s low, sexy voice was a growl behind the snake carcass.
She wiped the oddly warm, stinking guts from her face, trying not to hurl. Just breathe. “Is the kid okay?”
“Ran off without even a thank-you,” he said wryly. “No surprise there.”
She withheld a sigh. Just another night on the job.
She released the hilt of her sword and wiped more guts out of her eyes, looking up into Ethan’s concerned face. His spotless face.
Nice. He gets to look like some kind of hot playboy, while I get to look like...this.
She heard the cracking and groaning that meant Samuel and Ben were shifting back into their human-forms. When their faces were suddenly peering down at her, also covered in slime, she was surprised by their concerned expressions.
I guess it isn’t often I’m the one who nearly gets myself killed.
“Stay still,” Samuel said.
Her gaze instantly went to his bare torso. As he inspected her face and touched the back of her head, her gaze drifted downward. She almost sighed when she didn’t finally get a glimpse of the cock she’d been curious about for far too long. I guess they had time to put their pants back on.
Today just isn’t my day.
As his hands continued to gently touch the massive lump at the back of her head, she felt her eyelids flutter shut. For one minute, even in the dark tunnels covered in slime, she felt cared for in a way she never did. It was strangely wonderful.
And then, of course, Ethan had to open his big, stupid mouth.
“I knew this plan was going to be a bust.”
Her eyes opened, and every muscle tightened in anger. Because I was in charge? Of course you think that, asshole.
“Maybe it would have gone smoother if you’d obeyed my commands. Then, I could have calculated my attack to hit the target correctly.”
He snorted. “Yeah, so it was my fault...”
Damn it, my head hurts too much for this crap. “If you have something to say, say it.”
“Just that, according to our bosses, you’re some flawless bad ass who we have to obey. Even though by all logic, three alpha shifters should be leading the show, instead of one tiny woman.”
Her heart raced with rage. “You were fucking lucky that your little bomb didn’t collapse the entire tunnel, killing the kid, us, and any civilians above us.”
For one second she thought he might realize how badly he’d almost screwed up their operation, but then his gaze narrowed. “So what, I was supposed to let it eat you?”
“I had it under control.”
Samuel grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the putrid water. “Guys, can we not do this right now? We all need to clean up, and she needs to get her head looked at.”
Ethan crossed his arms and glared at her. “She never does know when to say thank you.”
Samuel tried to step between them, but she darted around him, advancing.
“You think I’m going to thank you?” Her teeth clashed together. “For not listening and staying put when I—“
“Then we’d have a dead kid on our hands,” h
e finished, sarcastically.
Ben sighed, loudly and dramatically. “We all got out with all our limbs intact; can’t we just take this as a win?”
“So you agree with her?” Ethan challenged.
She waited, breath held.
Ben didn’t meet her gaze as he answered. “I think we’re bigger, stronger, and faster than she is. Sometimes being a leader means using your assets the best way you can, not just about being in charge.”
“Oh hell,” Samuel mumbled, but she could see it in his face, he agreed with his pack members.
Taking a deep breath, she forced her voice to remain calm. “Do you know how many partners I’ve had?”
Ben opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “Fifteen.”
The word seemed to hang between them.
“Every fucking paranormal asshole comes into this job thinking he can do better than me. He ignores my experience. He ignores my seniority. And he does what he wants, thinking because he’s bigger, stronger, and faster than me, that he should be in charge.” She emphasized the words, repeating their own stupidity back to her. “But you know what? All it does is get them killed.”
For a second emotion clogged her throat. Yes, many of her partners were alpha jerks, like these three. But she didn’t want any of them to die for it. She’d tried more tactics than she could count to try to get them to listen to her, to learn from her. But being nice, being logical, being curt... none of it mattered. They all slipped up, and they all ended up dead.
For some stupid reason, the thought of these three dead really bothered her. Really bothered her. In fact, it kept her up at night. Awake, staring at her ceiling, imagining never hearing Ben’s laugh again, or not having Samuel to discuss books and movies, or to not sneak glimpses of Ethan’s ass. Having them as partners made her life better in ways she hated.
Yet just like the others, they didn’t listen to her.
“Cassandra—“ Samuel began.
She shook her head and turned away from them, heading back out of the tunnels. She knew they thought she was angry. And she preferred that to them seeing the tears shimmering in her eyes. She just hoped by the time they surfaced out of the tunnels, she’d have her foolish emotions under lock-and-key once more.
Chapter Four
Cassandra glared out of the corner of her eye at the shifter stomping down the street next to her. Ethan’s moodiness amped up her own anger as more gooey liquid dripped from her hair and slid down her cheeks. Behind them, Ben and Samuel seemed to keep their distance.
At least they have the sense to know to stay out of my way right now.
“If you would’ve let me help, I wouldn’t have needed to shoot it,” he growled. “Using me as a distraction is a waste. I mean, I’m a shifter, Cass. I could have handled that without you almost getting yourself killed.”
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. How do you not get this?
For one second, standing that close to him, she felt energy arc between them, and not because of her anger. Why does he have to be so incredibly handsome, even when he’s clearly in the wrong? He’s not even apologetic!
His eyes were the same color as blue flame—burning hotter than red—almost white-hot. And his scruff of a beard? It gave a dangerous edge to a man who was almost too beautiful to be real.
The familiar feeling traveled down to her stomach, and lower. Her inner muscles tightened.
He gave a wolfish grin, flashing his canines. “See something you like?”
Her cheeks heated.
“Don’t you dare,” she warned, encroaching on his space. “Don’t you act like an arrogant ass when I’m dripping and smelling like the inside of a rotting snake corpse! And all because you couldn’t follow orders.”
The wolf didn’t back down. Instead, he leaned over her, his jaw twitching. “That’s your problem, woman. Ever since we became your partners, you want to be in charge all the time. But you aren’t. A little human should not be leading dangerous missions through sewers, or fighting vampires, or hunting crazed leprechaun killers. If you were my woman—”
“I don’t want to be in charge, I am in charge,” she countered. “I have both rank and seniority...me being a little human doesn’t change that. Besides, “she asked in a sickly sweet voice. “What do you think I should be doing? Having babies and staying in the kitchen? Where I belong?”
“Don’t answer. It’s a trap,” Ben mumbled from behind her.
She didn’t turn around. Her focus was consumed by the man in front of her.
Ethan scowled. “That’s not what I’m—you know what? You’re right! Maybe you should be somewhere warm and safe. What’s so bad about that?”
Samuel groaned. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
She whirled on the other two men. “I’m done with this. So, let’s hear it! Can you learn to obey me or not?”
Ben ran a hand through his dark, auburn hair, and shifted slightly from one foot to another. “Here’s the thing, we don’t obey anyone.”
She folded her arms in front of her chest. “You choose to work for an organization that has a command chain. You went through training. Are you telling me you never had to obey anyone? Are you telling me that when you took this job, you were unwilling to follow any orders?”
Ben’s mouth opened and snapped shut.
Samuel cleared his throat, his dark eyes locking onto hers. The intelligence in his gaze took her breath away, or maybe it was that he was a six-foot-eight wall of muscle. “You’re right. We can obey. And we have obeyed.”
For some reason, his response was like a knife twisting in her gut. “So, it’s just me you can’t listen to?”
“It’s not just you,” Samuel said, but his words were quiet, and lacking his usual confidence.
“Then let me ask you, Ethan implied that he went against orders in the tunnels because I made the wrong call, and you three seemed to agree with him. Let's get this all out in the open. Of the three of us, who is better with a sword?”
Samuel stiffened. “You know it’s you.”
“And who is lighter on their feet? Thus, less likely to alert the snake before our attack?”
Samuel answered her slowly. “You are.”
Her gaze ran over the three. “And have any of you attacked a Man-Eating Snake before?”
All three avoided her gaze.
“So if I had been a man, or a wolf, would any of you have questioned my orders?”
Ben sighed, and looked up, meeting her gaze. “No, we wouldn’t have. And it kind of makes me feel like shit to admit that aloud.”
“We respect you,” Samuel said. “And we try to follow your orders. Isn’t that enough?”
She found it hard to swallow. “If you respected me, you’d let me do my job. So don’t kid yourself into thinking that what you feel for me is respect.”
“Then what is it that we feel?” Samuel asked, his tone deadly serious.
I don’t know. Pity? Worry? A desire to protect someone you see as weak?
“This is ridiculous!” Ethan was back to glaring. “It’s been a long night. We don’t need to address this right now.”
“If not tonight, then when?” she challenged.
His gaze moved to her lips. “Why don’t we get cleaned up and have a drink instead?”
She smirked. “I’m good enough to fuck, but not to respect, huh?”
“That’s not what he said,” Samuel rushed out.
But it’s what the three of you feel. How did I not realize it until now?
Maybe I’m just not meant to have partners. She stared at Ethan for a long minute before she looked at Ben and Samuel. Her heart ached, but she had to make the right call.
“I won’t work with people who don’t respect me. So in the morning, I’ll put in a request at headquarters to have you three moved to a different squad. Congrats, boys, you don’t have to deal with me anymore.”
“Cassandra, don’t do this,” Samuel begged.
Turning, she
started down the street, her stomach turning. She hated that the idea of losing them as partners upset her this much. It made her feel...vulnerable.
An emotion she despised.
After a second, Ethan’s voice called after her, “The only reason you don’t want us as partners is because you’re wound too damn tight...something a night on your back could easily fix.”
Something snapped inside of her. Turning, she stomped back toward him. The blow she landed to his chin made his head snap back. Before he could react, she kicked the back of his knees sending him falling onto the sidewalk.
Her gaze briefly moved to Ben and Samuel. Both of them simply stared from her to Ethan in shock.
Clenching her fists, she left, ignoring Ethan as he bellowed her name.
The walk to her apartment was miserable, and not just because she stank. Why is it that all day at work they drive me nuts, and then at night they’re all I can think about?
She shook her head.
Forget those assholes. Tomorrow they’ll be gone forever.
It’s Saturday night. Time for a little fun.
Chapter Five
Once Cassandra arrived at her apartment, she shed her clothes and boots, and threw the damn things out on her balcony. She hurriedly slipped into a hot shower. I need to be fast or Julia will kill me. Which is exactly what I deserve for bailing on her so much lately.
She took the fastest shower ever, especially considering she had to scrub every inch of her skin to remove the vile smell. When she finished, all she could smell was vanilla.
As she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself, she felt a whisper of guilt for punching Ethan. I should’ve just walked away.
An image of him came to her mind, all six foot six inches of him. Broad shoulders. Muscles for miles. And a face that was...just damn sexy. Her heart raced.
In the other room, her cell phone rang. She picked it up, noting it still had a slightly unpleasant odor. At least it still seems to be working.
Her friend Julia’s voice came on the line, “Whatcha up to, girl? Almost ready?”
I don’t like the tone of her voice...“And what exactly am I getting ready for? Something casual, right?”
Shifters and Alphas: A Standalone Reverse Harem (A Witch's Sinful Spells Book 1) Page 2