E.V.I.E.: 13 Slayers, 13 Missions

by Lexi C. Foss

  The vampire made a tsk-ing sound and shook his head. “That’s not very sporting of you; using fire magic against me.”

  The flames continued to grow. “One of the lessons every slayer learns is to take down a master vampire the first chance you get, doing whatever it takes.”

  “You may take me down,” he conceded with a snarl, exposing his long fangs. “But the slayers will face their reckoning one of these days. Some of us are banding together and growing stronger. Together we will defeat the slayers.”

  “Not today,” she hissed, shooting the flames straight for his chest. When he turned to ash, it felt anticlimactic.

  Jake and I shifted back to our human forms, and I crushed Denica against my chest. I inhaled her scent, grateful she escaped the battle unscathed.

  “What are we going to tell the sheriff?” Jake asked as he dusted some vampire ash off his hands.

  Denica tucked a dagger back into its sheath and answered, “Not a thing, unless you happen to have the carcass of a wild animal lying around that we can claim was the culprit.”

  “We’re just going to let him think there’s still a feral bear somewhere out there?” He looked at Connor for confirmation.

  Our alpha nodded. “We don’t have a better choice. We’ll continue to pretend to track the animal so we don’t give anyone reason to be suspicious that we know something they don’t when there aren’t more deaths. Then after a couple of days, I’ll tell the sheriff the trail is cold and to reach out if the bear kills again.”

  “If I never had to talk to that man again, it would be too soon,” I muttered, shaking my head.

  “Yeah, here’s to hoping that an actual bear doesn’t wander into Pine Ridge and start killing people,” Jake agreed. “After defeating four vampires, going up against an animal giving into its instincts would royally suck...no pun intended.”

  Connor cuffed Jake upside the head, chuckling. “C’mon, let’s go celebrate by drinking enough bourbon that even our tigers will feel the alcohol.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Jake headed down the passageway we’d taken into the chamber with Connor at his side. Denica and I followed them, walking hand-in-hand, and I couldn’t help but think there were better ways for my mate and I to commemorate our victory.

  13

  Denica

  Nothing felt better than a shower after defeating vampires—washing the ash off with the help of your mate. With steam billowing out and water beating down our naked bodies, Trey pressed me against the tiles after sudsing me up from head to toe without skipping an inch of my skin. He slammed his body against mine as he sealed our mouths together. Our tongues tangled, desperation in our kiss after the adrenaline rush from our battle with the vampires. “Hurry, we don’t have long before they come back to celebrate.”

  “Need to be inside you,” he growled, his hard length pressing against my entrance.

  I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist. “Yes, please.”

  He dropped down onto the bench lining the wall opposite the showerhead, and commanded, “Ride me.”

  I straddled his lap and dropped down on his dick, letting out a moan when he impaled me. Rocking back and forth, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “This is what I needed, too.”

  “Move, baby,” he whispered, nipping at my ear. He stroked his hands down the damp skin of my back to grip my hips and guide my movements. With the two of us working in tandem, my rocking turned to bouncing. Before long, my cries echoed off the bathroom walls. “Oh! Yes, Trey!”

  He grabbed my ass and pumped his hips back and forth with power, driving deep each time. When I neared the edge, my body strung tight, he used his thumb to press down on my clit, and I flew apart. Grinding against Trey, I brought him with me. Hot jets of come filled me to the brim, and I collapsed against his chest, panting.

  As our breathing slowed, we heard a pounding on the door. Leaning back, I grinned at him. “Déjà vu, huh?”

  “Their timing could be worse,” he groaned, dropping his forehead against mine. “They could keep showing up before we come instead of after.”

  We hastily washed ourselves off again and tossed on some clothes before heading downstairs. Jake flashed us a knowing grin as we let him and Connor into the house. Trey grabbed glasses and another bottle of bourbon to go with the one his alpha had brought with him. He poured a generous amount into each of the tumblers and handed them out.

  Connor lifted his glass, and each of us followed suit. “To Denica Veles, the slayer that led us to victory over a nest of vampires who threatened everything we hold dear and the fated mate of my head enforcer. Welcome to the Tigre streak.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you guys.” I took a gulp of my bourbon, enjoying the burn down my throat. Jake sniggered, and I clarified, “The defeating the vampires part. Not the mating.”

  Trey leveled a death glare Jake’s way, a deep growl rumbling up his chest as his eyes flashed gold. I crawled onto my mate’s lap to stop him from killing his friend.

  Connor smacked Jake upside the head. “You just survived a fight against four vampires; it’d be a shame if you died at the hands of my head enforcer for being a dumbass.”

  “Sorry, sometimes my mouth is faster than my brain.” He flashed us an apologetic grin, making me giggle. He was such a likeable guy that it was difficult to hold anything against him.

  “No worries. It’s all good.” I nudged Trey until he nodded his agreement and settled back against the couch cushions.

  “So what’s next for you? How does it work when a slayer takes a mate? Will you continue to take vampire bounties?” Jake asked.

  “It depends on the slayer.” I shrugged and took another sip of my drink. “Some of us continue to serve the organization, and others choose to leave.”

  Trey and I hadn’t discussed what was best for us yet, and I wasn’t sure which way I was leaning. I couldn’t imagine being apart from my mate often, and the bounties I took for E.V.I.E. meant that I traveled a lot. But I also couldn’t picture myself settling down and sitting at home with nothing to do. And then there were the secrets I’d have to keep from Trey if I continued being a slayer.

  “If you decide that you want to leave E.V.I.E. after you and Trey finish the claiming, you’d make a great enforcer for the streak.”

  I didn’t know how to react to Connor’s offer since I hadn’t thought about what I’d do after I left the organization. I’d only served for a little more than a decade and hadn’t expected to find my mate so soon into my time with E.V.I.E.

  Trey gave me a little squeeze, sensing my discomfort through our mating bond, and Jake lightened the moment with another joke. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. After seeing her fight those vampires, Denica could easily take over for Trey as the head enforcer if she wanted to.”

  “Hell, yeah, she could.” My mate grinned proudly, not even a tiny bit offended by the suggestion.

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but leaving E.V.I.E. isn’t as simple as giving my two weeks’ notice.” Being down a slayer would mean my sisters at the organization would have to take on extra cases, and I couldn’t put them in a vulnerable position.

  “C’mon, let’s go.” Connor nudged Jake with his shoulder. “These two have a lot to talk about.”

  The guys got up and stumbled out of the house, feeling the effects of the bottle and a half of bourbon that we’d polished off in a short amount of time. That and the aftereffects of the adrenaline they hadn’t worked out of their system like Trey and I had been able to do in the shower. Now that we were alone again, I twisted on my mate’s lap so we were facing each other. “Now that we’ve defeated the vampires, it’s time to discuss what’s next for us.”

  Trey cupped my cheeks with his palms. “I want to claim you and cement our mating bond forever. Beyond that, everything else can wait.”

  “Except for Cara. My little fur baby gets grouchy when I’m gone too long.” I flashed him a grin. “I can’t wait to see ho
w my two felines get along.”

  His eyes narrowed, the dark orbs filled with humor. “Your other pussy will love me as much as this one does,” he promised, squeezing his arm between our bodies to cup me between my legs.

  I laughed, appreciating my mate’s quick wit. Brushing my lips against his, I whispered, “I want my parents and Damien here for our claiming ceremony. I’ll call and ask them to come to Tigerville soon.”

  “Beg if you have to,” he asked as his hands slid to the back of my head to pull me close for a deeper kiss.

  “Dragons don’t beg,” I teased, knowing it wouldn’t be necessary because my family would come running the second I told them I’d found my mate.

  Trey slid an arm under my leg and the other behind my back before standing. “My dragoness is the prettiest little beggar when she wants to come.”

  I didn’t bother arguing since he was right, and it was a good thing because he put a lot of effort into proving how well he could make me beg all night long. It was the perfect way for us to start the rest of our lives together.

  Curious about my shifters? Damien doesn’t have his story yet, but he’s coming up soon! In the meantime, you can start with Crying Wolf for FREE (as of 9/25/20)!

  Or you can find out how Seth, the head of the shifter council, met his mate through a shifter matchmaker in Give Her the Moon!

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  Crying Wolf

  Black River Pack 1

  Grace Shaw is on the run from her crazy ex-boyfriend who refuses to believe their relationship is over. He's a cop and is willing to use police resources to track her down. So Grace comes up with a plan and tricks his fellow brothers in blue into thinking he is crying wolf a couple of times when he reports her missing. Little does she know she'll go running into the arms of a real wolf when she finally makes her escape for real.

  She just wants to be left alone, but then she meets Hunter Tate - the alpha of the Black River Pack. Grace tries to hold Hunter at arm's length, but there's just no reasoning with an alpha male werewolf who insists she's his mate.

  AVAILABLE FOR FREE!

  (as of 9/25/2020)

  About the Author

  I absolutely adore reading—always have and always will. When I was growing up, my friends used to tease me when I would trail after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. If I have downtime, odds are you will find me reading or writing.

  I am the mother of two wonderful sons who have inspired me to chase my dream of being an author. I want them to learn from me that you can live your dream as long as you are willing to work for it.

  Connect with me online:

  Also by Rochelle Paige

  FATED MATES (BLACK RIVER PACK & McMAHON CLAN)

  Crying Wolf

  Shoot for the Moon

  Thrown to the Wolves

  Bear the Consequences

  Bear It All

  Bear the Burden

  Give Her the Moon

  Bear Your Fate

  The Empress

  BLYTHE COLLEGE SERIES

  Push the Envelope

  Hit the Wall

  Push It Forward

  Hold Your Horses

  Outside the Box

  Winter Wedding

  BACHELORETTE PARTY SERIES

  Sucked Into Love

  Mixed Into Love

  Checked Into Love

  Slapped Into Love

  Married Into Love

  Chased Into Love

  Bounced Into Love

  CRISIS SERIES

  Identity Crisis

  Protection Crisis

  FORTUITY SERIES

  Fortuity

  Serenity

  Blessed Curse

  By Sandra R Neeley

  Copyright © 2020 SANDRA R NEELEY

  All rights reserved.

  Thank you for purchasing and/or downloading this book. It is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and/or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes without express written permission from the author.

  Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales, is purely coincidental. The characters are creations of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademarked ownership of all trademarks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  Created with Vellum

  For Lexi and my fellow slayer creators — thank you for including me.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Other books by this author:

  About the Author

  Introduction

  About Blessed Curse

  Solange has lived all her life in the shadows of the circumstances that gave her life. Raised by her great grandmother who is Granddame of one of the strongest covens in North America, she’s trained since a very young age to seek out and eliminate all traces of the scourge that both created her, and took her mother from her. Now, she’s joined an organization that is dedicated to the same end — all vampires must be eliminated. Finally she finds him, the ancient who determined the direction of her life before she ever took her first breath. She plots, she stalks, she attacks. She’ll accept nothing less than success. Any who stand in her way will be struck down.

  Alastair is an ancient vampire, his humanity long ago forgotten. He lives for one reason now — satisfaction, in whatever form it may come. He notices a young woman rushing through the park one fateful night, and once in his grasp, he realizes she belongs to a coven that he blames for his ultimate downfall more than a century before. This coven’s Granddame ignored his pleas for help during a rare moment of clarity. He devises a plan on the spot to plague them all without end. He takes the woman. He claims her. He mates her. Then he returns her to her coven. Little does he know, the very curse he seeks to gift the Granddame with, is the very same curse that will rain vengeance down upon him.

  Crispin has lived a long life, alone. He was turned against his will as an afterthought by an ancient vampire just to fill the hours of a boring existence. Now, he wanders — lonely, watching, searching, protecting others from his creator as best he can. He moves on the outer fringes of his own kind, more of an observer than a participant. Every day blends into the next — until he sees her. She’s stalking the oldest and most dangerous of them all. She’s stalking his maker. She’s strong, graceful, beautiful, well-trained, and deadly. She’s a slayer. And she’s the first thing that’s made his cold, dead heart thunder to life since he became this new Crispin all those centuries ago. He cannot look away. Now the slayer, and her target are both being stalked.

  Prologue

  The swirling, misty, grey fog lapped at the feet of the tall, thin female as she hurried through the edge of City Park on the way back to her home. She pulled her poncho closer about her shoulders, trying to shake the feeling of dread that had settled about her.

  “It’s nothing,” she whispered aloud. “Just the darkness of the night.”

  She heard a clicking noise behind herself and glanced quickly over her shoulder, not even slowing her steps as she looked for anything that could have made the sound she’d heard. Nothing — just as she’d thought.

  She snapped her head back around to quicken her steps even more, and swallowed the scream that threatened to leave her body, silenced by the ghostly pale h
and wrapped tightly around her throat. “What a pretty little witch,” the creature purred, tilting his head this way and that, examining in great detail every small nuance of her face, her eyes, her lips.

  Adrienne made the worst mistake she possibly could; she dared to stare the creature in the eye, to defy him she thought. But he was far too powerful, instead, he seized control of her mind, of her body, and bade her submit to him, willingly at that, for his own perverse pleasures.

  “Adrienne,” his anciently accented words fell from his mouth, making even the very sound of her own name sound an evil thing. “I see you. I see your heart, I see your courage.” He laughed as he stared into her eyes, taking every secret she kept in her soul for his very own. “I see your magic. It will not save you this time. It’s not enough, but then, you know that — it never has been enough.”

  Adrienne whimpered as he lowered his mouth and nipped her lower lip, drinking of her blood, moaning in ecstasy. “I shall enjoy this. It’s been a while since I’ve savored such a good little witch.”