Blood by Moonlight
JOCELYNN DRAKE, TERRI GAREY, CARIS ROANE
Contents
Of Monsters and Men by Jocelynn Drake
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
The Ghoul Next Door by Terri Garey
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
Trick or Treathen by Caris Roane
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
About the Authors
Also by the Authors
Excerpt Announcement page
An Excerpt from The Forbidden Lady by Kerrelyn Sparks
An Excerpt from Turn to Darkness by Jaime Rush
Copyright
About the Publisher
Of Monsters and Men
AN ASYLUM TALES SHORT STORY
JOCELYNN DRAKE
Chapter One
IT WAS ALL Hallows' Eve and Asylum was dead. Of course, not many people stopped by for a tattoo before heading to their Samhain party or escorting the little kiddies around for a night of trick-or-treating. I wasn't complaining since my only company in the shop was Trixie.
"So, what do you have in mind for tonight?" I asked, lounging in a tattooing chair.
The elf in human guise flashed me a wicked grin that whispered of twisted sheets shadowed in flickering candlelight. Pushing away from the counter, Trixie walked over and threw one leg over the chair so she could sit on my lap. "I thought that we'd order a pizza and pick it up on the way to your place. Once there, we'll eat pizza and watch a couple action movies."
"That's it?"
"Well, I figured I would eventually screw your brains out, but I need to eat first. A girl can't survive on sex alone. Er . . . I guess a succubus can, but I need pizza too."
"Not your place? I thought you didn't like my apartment after . . . the incident."
Trixie gritted her teeth for a second. "Yeah, well, Sofie is at my apartment."
I grinned at her. "Your roommate getting on your nerves?"
"No, I love Sofie. I want it to be just us tonight."
"So no witches trapped as cats?"
"And no trolls either, even though I love Bronx." She placed a quick kiss on the tip of my nose and then pulled back, a serious look on her face. "We've been dating for three months, Gage. Three." She waved three fingers in my face to emphasize her point. "I think that's an accomplishment for both of us. I want some time alone. No murderous warlocks, no dark elves, no grim reapers, and no . . . no crazy."
Three months didn't sound like much, but it was different with Trixie. I hadn't dated much, and those rare occasions hadn't been intense, emotionally involved relationships that included the other person knowing about my past. Trixie, on the other hand, took my breath away every time she smiled at me. She was my beating heart and a reminder of why I kept fighting. She kept me whole and sane in a world that was trying desperately to tear me apart. I didn't know what the future held for us. I only knew that I needed her near me.
Slipping a hand behind her neck, I pulled her toward me. "I like this evil scheme of yours," I growled, capturing her lips in a rough kiss. She melted into me with a happy sigh, pressing her breasts against my chest. Common sense said to stop, close the shop, and leave for my apartment, but I didn't want to stop. I was ready to start our night of pizza, movies, and sex now. Unfortunately, all those plans had to be put on hold. Just as my free hand was sliding down to grasp her ass, the chime for the front door tinkled through the parlor.
"Fuck," I muttered, pulled away from Trixie's sweetly parted lips.
"Now?" Trixie asked, sounding slightly dazed. "Sure." She immediately started to pull up my T-shirt so she could get at the button and zipper on my jeans.
I laughed, grabbing her hands to stop her. Holy shit, I loved this woman. "Later. Someone just walked in."
"You're kidding me?" she snapped, her head popping up so that she could see the security monitor that showed the lobby. I looked up to find a familiar face approaching the glass case that served as the counter.
"Powell? You in?" Jack called, leaning forward to try to peer into the main tattooing room.
I cursed silently. "Yeah, I'm here. Come on back," I replied as Trixie pushed to her feet and threw me a warning look.
As Jackson Wagnalls stepped over the threshold, I pulled my T-shirt back down. Not that it completely covered the bulge in my pants, but there was no helping that. Jack's eyes jumped from me to Trixie, who was now leaning against the counter. Her arms were crossed over her chest and there was a frown on her lips. She was not a happy camper and I couldn't blame her.
"Am I interrupting something?" A knowing smirk twisted Jack's mouth.
"Yeah, you are," I snapped. I remained lounging in my chair. Normally I enjoyed irritating Jack--the man didn't like me, but I had other plans that didn't include werewolves. "I was just getting ready to close the shop for the night."
"Good. I need your help."
"Can't help you tonight, Jack, and you know it. TAPSS doesn't let us tattoo shifters on a full moon."
It was one of the few rules from the Tattoo Artists and Potion Stirrers Society that I closely followed. Shapeshifters, in general, were great to ink because of their clear skin and fast healing. Unfortunately, during the three days surrounding a full moon, they tended to get a little twitchy in the chair and if a tattoo became too painful, the client could shift unexpectedly. Not a pleasant situation for anyone.
"I'm not here for a tattoo," the alpha wolf said. "The Winter Court is in town."
"So?"
"The Wild Hunt," Trixie said in a low voice. "Samhain marks a shift in power between the two courts. The Winter Court always has its Wild Hunt tonight to celebrate their rise in power."
"And because of the full moon, my pack has to shift. I won't have those damn elves hunting my pack mates for fun. You have to help me."
I opened my mouth to speak, but Trixie beat me to the punch. "What the hell do you expect him to do? A glamour potion? You can't hide from the Winter Court on Samhain. No one can."
Jack glared at Trixie and then he surprised me by inhaling a long, slow breath. At first, I thought he was simply controlling his temper, but when his eyes widened and his grin grew I realized I was wrong. He was scenting the air. Another reason I was grateful for the TAPSS ban was because shifters were stronger and had heightened senses during the full moon. Jack could smell that Trixie was an elf despite the disguise that made her into a brunette human.
"Yeah, you would know about that, wouldn't you?"
"Drop it, Jack," I snarled, sitting up in the chair. I was ready to pounce on him, though I didn't stand a chance when it came to taking on an alpha werewolf. Physically, Jack could beat me to a pulp without breaking a sweat, but I had an ace up my sleeve and he knew it. "I don't have to help you."
"You owe me. You turned me into a fucking Chihuahua for two weeks!"
"You did what?" Trixie shrieked, causing me to wince.
"Oh. I'm sorry. Did she not know?" Jack sounded amused rather than apologetic.
"She knows. She just didn't know about that," I said through clenched teeth. I flopped back in the chair and glared up at the clock on the wall. It was nearly five. I had planned to close at seven since Bronx had taken the night off, but apparently I had a more pressing matter to take care of. "Well, since everyone's secrets are out in the open, let's head upstairs so we can talk in comfort. I'll close up."
Shoving out of the chair, I walked over to a small hall closet and grabbed
our jackets before following my companions into the lobby. I flinched at the brisk wind that rushed down the street as I locked the front door. October was turning out to be bitter cold. Low Town had already been hit with a brief ice storm that knocked out power for most of two days. Winter was going to be ugly this year.
"Did you really turn him into a Chihuahua?" Trixie asked as we walked down the alley to the back of the shop.
I sighed. "I was having a bad day. I had a meeting with Death and then a warlock tried to kill me."
"So you turned me into a yappy ankle biter," Jack sniped.
"Hey, you got off easy! Any other warlock would have killed your whole pack."
"It's not like you actually looked like one of them at the time," the shifter muttered under his breath, but there was no venom in his voice.
That was true. The day I met Jack I had wandered into his territory looking for my old tattooing mentor. I had been wearing jeans and a torn, bloodstained T-shirt--not exactly the usual attire of the great warlocks and witches from the Ivory Towers. But since escaping those bastards, I had been careful to avoid anything that would identify me as one of them.
At the back of the parlor, we mounted the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor apartment. While Trixie and Jack settled at opposite ends of the sagging couch, I turned up the heat. A few years back, I had bought the entire building and kept the second floor apartment as a place to fall back on. The recent rise in expenses and reduction in my tattooing time had me thinking about renting the place out, but unexpected meetings like this kept me from putting up a notice.
Leaning one shoulder against the wall, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at the shifter. "Since you know that Trixie's an elf, you should also know that if you tell a soul I'll turn you into something a whole lot worse than a Chihuahua, and you won't change back."
"Why the hell would I share her secret?" Jack barked.
"You haven't had any problems spilling about me and that Chihuahua incident."
Jack flopped back, his longish brown hair falling about his eyes. "Man, your smell is all over her. If she doesn't know you're a warlock, then you're an asshole for keeping it from her. Stuff like that could get her killed."
I pushed away from the wall and threw my hands up in the air. "She knows! And for some bizarre reason she's sticking around. Stay out of my love life."
"Fine. I need your help." Jack sounded happy to change the subject back to why he was here in the first place. "I have no doubt that the Low Town pack is going to be the target of tonight's Wild Hunt and I can't let that happen. If it were anyone else, I would be happy to fight for the territory, but the Winter Court is nasty stuff."
I frowned, not wanting to get dragged into this. "Have you talked to the cops?"
"Who? The locals? What are they going to do?" Jack replied, shaking his head in disgust.
"I was thinking the forest patrol since I'm assuming that's where you're going to be."
"Come on, Gage," Trixie said. "A bunch of humans running around the forest with tranquilizer darts and iron horseshoes aren't going to do much good tonight. The shifters are on their own."
"Would you even help us if you could?" Jack demanded, looking at the elf.
Glaring, Trixie turned on the sofa so that she was partially facing the werewolf. With a snap of her fingers, the glamour disappeared, changing her from a lush brunette to an elegant blonde with vibrant green eyes.
Jack jerked back against the couch, nearly jumping from his seat. "Holy shit! You're Summer Court."
I chuckled softly. Trixie had explained recently that Summer Court elves were generally blond or strawberry blond with pale skin. Winter Court elves were usually dark brunettes or had auburn hair with tan skin. Of course, my own experience with the dark elves had shown that they all had black hair and bluish-tinted skin.
"I don't want to see anyone chased by the Wild Hunt," Trixie said. Some of the anger seemed to drain from her shoulders and she relaxed against the couch. She looked up at me and gave a crooked grin. "If there's anyone in Low Town who could possibly help, it would be you. I don't imagine anyone else from the Towers is going to come down to keep the peace."
I slumped against the wall as visions of twisted sheets, greasy pizza, and explosive car chases drifted from my grasp. This was going to take all night and my plans for quality time with my girlfriend were now dust, just like my relationship would be if the crazy didn't stop soon.
But she was right. Only a witch or a warlock would have the skills needed to go head-to-head with the Winter Court on Samhain.
"Fine," I grumbled. I didn't want to have captured and skinned shifters on my conscience. Besides, it wasn't Halloween without a little crazy, right? "But you've got to make sure that your pack doesn't give away my secret or Trixie's. I don't need all of Low Town knowing what I am."
"Afraid of lynch mobs?" Jack inquired innocently, but I wanted to wipe the taunting smile on his face off with my fist.
"A bit." Lynch mobs were just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone hated the witches and the warlocks of the Ivory Towers. If people found out that I was one of them, I was dead. They wouldn't give a shit that I had run away more than ten years ago and turned my back on the entire group. "How do you want to handle this?"
Jack shrugged, pushing some hair back from his eyes. "Couldn't you just use some of your hocus-pocus to get rid of them?"
"I'm not killing anyone," I growled.
"Then just sort of teleport them to the other side of the globe. You know, like China."
"The entire hunting party? Just pop them over to China? How powerful do you think I am?" Even if I had stayed in the Towers and studied, I don't think I'd be powerful enough to manage that. "Can we try for subtle? Not a lot of magic?"
"What do you suggest?"
"The best way to steal the thunder of the Wild Hunt is to not run. The hunt is all about the thrill of the chase. If they can't chase you, they might lose interest," Trixie said.
"So we stand and fight them?" Jack demanded.
"I'm not sure they would fight. I think they would try to scare you into running. Their advantage comes in the chase. It's the way of their magic."
I stepped closer to Trixie, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "What do you mean?"
"The magic of the Summer Court is mostly based in nature, life, and growth, but everything is sleeping during the winter. Their magic is a place of dreams and nightmares. They play on the mind with fears and illusions--they're better at glamour than even the Summer Court."
"Fabulous." Jack rubbed his forehead with one hand. "We run or they're going to make us crazy until we run to escape."
Trixie nodded with a look of sympathy filling her eyes. "That's likely going to be their plan."
"I know some anti-glamour spells, but I can't make it too big or it's going to attract a lot of unwanted attention." Unwanted attention in the form of the Towers. Handling the Winter Court was going to be bad enough; I didn't want to throw in a group of witches and warlocks as well. "What about wearing iron rings and dandelion water to see through the glamour?"
The blonde elf shoved some hair from her face and frowned. "That would work most days of the year. Just not tonight."
"So we don't have much of a shot at fighting their glamour?"
"Sorry."
I paced away from Trixie. This was not how I imagined my night going. It was fucking Halloween--the one night a year when you were supposed to eat candy and enjoy getting the shit scared out of you.
As the bitter complaint crossed my mind, an idea started to form. It was cruel and evil, but if it worked, no one would get hurt. Spinning back toward my companions, I clapped my hands together with excitement.
"They wouldn't expect being hit with glamour, would they? They wouldn't protect against it?"
Trixie's brow furrowed as she slowly shook her head. "No, I can't imagine they would. Werewolves don't use it. Why?"
"I have an idea. A sick one, and I'm
going to need your help."
"Of course. What do you need?"
"First, I want you to go with Jack to where the pack hunts. Find a relatively flat, open area. Big as you can find and away from any tree lines. I need to prep some things and then I'll find you."
"How?"
I frowned for a second and then jogged into the kitchen, where I started jerking open drawers. I grabbed a spoon and marched back into the living room, where I placed a quick tracking spell on the utensil before handing it to Trixie.
She gave a little smirk as she took it. "At least it's not a semi-clean fork."
I chuckled as I realized tracking spells were becoming something of a trend between us. In truth, I was tempted to put a permanent spell on her, but I was afraid she'd see it as an invasion of her privacy, and I didn't want to become that kind of boyfriend.
"Get going," I said, stepping back. "I should catch up with you and the pack around sunset. I'll explain it all then."
Neither looked thrilled with the lack of info, but I needed to work out some things before I tried to explain everything. I still had to find a way of doing what I planned without catching the Towers' attention. As Trixie rose, her glamour fell into place again. Jack started to follow her to the door when I clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Go on down, Trixie. I need to ask Jack something personal."
The elf nodded and closed the door. I waited until I heard her footsteps reach the bottom stairs before I grabbed Jack's jacket and slammed him against the wall with enough force to dent the drywall. The sudden violence caused his eyes to shift from brown to yellow as the wolf inside him tried to claw its way out. I didn't care.
"Listen to me, Jack," I snarled, getting up in his face. "I'm taking a big risk tonight for your people, so you're going to do something for me. You and your pack are going to protect Trixie while she's out there. If anything happens to her, I swear on all that's holy that I will make the fucking Winter Court look like the goddamn Girl Scouts. I will slaughter every last shifter in Low Town. You got me?"
"Yeah," Jack said in a low voice.
I shoved away from the shifter, pacing across the room and roughly running my hand over my face as I tried to calm the knots in my stomach. I didn't want Trixie in the woods tonight, but she knew more about the Winter Court's glamour. Her help was going to be critical.
Blood by Moonlight Page 1