by Mina Carter
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
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About the Author
Mistress of the City
Smut-Shorties Series: Book 12
MINA CARTER
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Copyright 2014 Mina Carter
Cover Art by Mina Carter
Published by Blue Hedgehog Press: Jan 2015.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Author's note: All sexually active characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older
Chapter One
“But, Mom, do I have to go to the ball?”
Archer Davis stopped mid-stride as his little brother’s voice filtered through the half-open bedroom door and into the corridor. Seth was sixteen and a total teenager. That he was conversing in full sentences was new, but the petulant tone wasn’t. On an average day, Seth could make even a grunt sound like a whine. Now though, he just sounded scared—very scared—which sent all of Archer’s protective instincts into overdrive. Without another thought, he barged through the door.
“What ball?”
His mom and brother jumped, turning to look at him. He bit back a shiver at the twin set of amber eyes. Werewolf eyes. It still freaked him the hell out to see them. His mom had married a wolf, his stepdad, when he was seven years old, and Seth had been born a Were. Call him speciesist, but he still preferred to see his mom’s eyes their original—human—brown.
Ignoring it, he focused on his mom. Of the two, she was more likely to tell him what was going on. “Ball?” he prompted.
“The Midwinter Choosing,” Seth answered, his whole manner flustered and he yanked at the suit he wore. It was a little too big for him, evidently borrowed from his father. Although they were the same height, thanks to Seth’s recent growth spurt, he had yet to fill out in the shoulders so the jacket hung loose on him.
“Wait…what? The annual fuckfest for the mistress?” Although the rest of his family was Were, Archer wasn’t a wolf, but living in the pack house since he’d been discharged from the army had left him with a good idea of furry politics.
“Archer!” his mother snapped, reaching out to smooth Seth’s jacket straight. “It’s not a…a—”
“Fuckfest,” Seth grunted, grinning despite the fear that had leeched his skin. Like most immature teenagers, dirty words still made him snigger.
“No, no! It’s an honor for an offering to be chosen,” she insisted, fussing over Seth again. “And as a pack, we have to send an offering or we’ll be in default. Seth’s the only unmated male we have. And he’s an adult.”
Her cheeks turned scarlet as she tried to avoid mentioning sex, but the elephant crowded into the room anyway. The Midwinter Choosing was all about sex, and everyone knew it. It was when the mistress, the most powerful werewolf in the city and “overlord” of all the packs, chose a bedmate for the night. A young, handsome lycan to fuck while the moon was high.
Archer snorted to himself, and the poor fuckers were grateful for the chance at her. He’d never met the mistress, but since werewolves gained power as they aged, she was no doubt some dried up old harridan who needed protocol to entice a guy into her bed.
His mood soured as he looked at Seth, all tarted up like he was about to head to senior prom. It would be so easy to slip into that delusion, but it would be a lie, and Archer detested lies. His little brother was about to be served up like the sacrificial lamb, and as the reality set in, he looked as scared as fuck about it.
“Have you forgotten Seth is only sixteen?” Archer asked, his voice deceptively calm. Folding his arms over his chest, he ignored the fact that his shirt pulled at the shoulders. He needed to go shopping, all his tops were too tight since he’d been stateside and hitting the weights hard. “He’s not an adult.”
Their mother pursed her lips.
“Maybe not for a human, but for a wolf, he’s been an adult for months. Ever since he mastered his part shift.” At that, she beamed with pride. Part-shifting was something Archer knew the furries prized. It meant Seth would be an alpha like his father.
“Really.” Archer’s voice was flat and rang with the disapproval he didn’t attempt to hide. “Well, you have fun tonight,” he said and turned to leave the room.
What was it to him if the kid’s parents threw him to the wolves? Or, in this case, wolf. One wolf. The Mistress of the City.
Reena Leroy. The most powerful werewolf in the city, she ruled from her “court” over on Eastside. From stories Archer overheard, whispered when they thought he, the human, wasn’t listening, she was a cast iron bitch who’d killed her own father to attain her position.
He stomped down the corridor to his own room and slammed the door behind him. Why did he care that Seth—still a child—would be shown off like a piece of meat in front of a woman no doubt old enough to be his grandmother? Archer had never been to court, so he had no idea what the woman looked like, but even he knew wolves gained power as they aged.
How old would a female wolf more powerful than the rest have to be? Seth might have mastered his part-shift, but he was no match for a woman like that. She’d chew him up and spit him out. The whole idea of men…hell anyone…paraded about for one person to pick from for sexual services turned his stomach. It was disgusting, archaic and he wanted nothing to do with such a society. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that luxury.
Archer stood in front of his open wardrobe, anger and worry vying for dominance in his gut. For the first time in his life, he wished he’d taken up his mother’s offer to turn him. He’d always refused because his military career depended on him remaining human. Wolves, while not banned from the services, were not exactly treated like equals…
His gaze fell on his good suit and a slow smile crawled over his lips.
But he wasn’t in the army anymore.
He didn’t need to be human anymore.
And today was a good day to put an uppity female wolf in her place.
***
Two hours later, Archer slid his car to a stop outside the court building. Cutting the engine, he levered himself out of the low vehicle and handed his keys to the valet. The guy, a wolf by the amber eyes, flicked a glance at him.
“Pack?” he demanded, his expression a little suspicious.
Archer gave him a scowl to look at. “Griffin. What of it?”
The smaller man’s eyes widened, just a touch, before he bowed his head. “Well met, Alpha. Through the double
doors and turn right, the Master of Ceremonies is waiting to welcome you.”
Archer nodded, striding toward the building in front of him. That had been easier than he’d thought. In fact, he’d expected to fall at the first hurdle. Expected alarms to blare as soon as he set foot in court, warning all the little wolfies that they had—shock, horror—a human in their midst. Well, perhaps human wasn’t accurate. But the valet had barely looked at him after Archer growled. Being an asshole got him mistaken for an alpha wolf. Go figure.
Surreptitiously he rubbed the tiny flesh colored bandage between his thumb and forefinger. He’d covered all his bases. He told his mom and the driver of the arranged limo that he’d make sure Seth got to court on time and despite his lycan heritage, Seth had been easy to sneak up on. When you lived with wolves, it was easy to figure out how to trick one into a part shift, then knock him out. He’d used Seth’s claw, puncturing the skin just enough to infect himself with the lycanthrope virus.
After that, it was a walk in the park. Seth was bundled up nice and neat in his own closet back home, the locked door no barrier when he woke, and Archer had driven himself here without incident. He didn’t have to worry about his mom and her husband turning up. His stepfather was ailing, ill health meaning only his brother’s presence was expected at the choosing.
Archer rolled his shoulders, settling his jacket more comfortably as he walked through the double doors. Court was not at all what he’d expected. The word conjured images of historical buildings and stately elegance, but the building was modern chrome and glass. He looked around and turned right. Good thing they weren’t all vampires or they’d be crispy critters come morning.
More doors opened in front of him and a thin man looked up from his clipboard. “Pack?”
Archer bit back his anger. Did no one ask people’s names around here, or were they all known by their pack monikers? What if there was more than one from each pack…did they assign each a number?
“Griffin. Here as the offering.”
The man just nodded and made a note. “Very well, follow me.”
***
She was bored out of her fucking mind.
Reena Leroy, Mistress of the City, and the most powerful wolf in the room, sighed and drained her champagne glass in one shot. Motioning toward a waiter, she disposed of it and collected another. It wouldn’t make a difference how much she drank, she couldn’t get drunk, more was the pity. Getting plastered might make the evening bearable.
Just.
She still had to pick a man to fuck. Tradition going back centuries. She wished she could just cancel the damn thing, change the law, but the council of alpha’s had pitched a hissy fit when she’d so much as mentioned it.
Ugh, she needed more champagne. Waaaaay more champagne. The waiter was still hovering, his expression bland as she exchanged her glass yet again and looked across the room from her place on the raised dais. It was filled with men. All kinds of men. Short, tall, skinny, and muscled. They were mostly young. The law required each pack to send a virile, young offering. Most had sent more than one, to increase their chances of getting a wolf into her bed, and hopefully get her pregnant. They did that, and convention dictated that maybe, just maybe, they got to be her consort.
Yeah, right. So not happening.
She looked at her glass, swirling the golden fluid. Shit. She wished her best friend Travis was here. For years, he’d covered her ass, pretending to be her pick for the evening even though they weren’t a couple. But now he was happily mated, and she refused to cut into his honeymoon.
Suck it up, buttercup, she told herself, knocking back the rest of the champagne and rising at the same time. How hard could it be to pick a guy to fuck?
One night. Mindless sex.
She could do this.
Her progress down the steps of the dais was careful but elegant. It was her armor, so she’d chosen her outfit for the evening with care. The halter-neck dress was fitted to the hips before flaring out into swathes of fabric around her ankles. Unlike the other women in the room, the few who had accompanied some of the older males rather than the offerings, not a sequin or bead sparkled on the black fabric, but when she turned, she heard the whispered gasps and muttered comments. Her lower back was exposed, the skin marked and puckered with scarring.
She rarely revealed them, but she wasn’t ashamed of the marks on her skin. To her, they were her history and a visual reminder of the horror of a childhood with a violent father. When that father had claws…even wolves, especially young wolves, scarred. She set her face into a pleasant smile and circulated the room, weaving around the men.
Although most were too well schooled to wince at the sight of her back, most knew who’d given her those scars and that they’d all stood back, no one doing anything while she’d suffered all those years ago. Everyone remembered that she’d killed the son of a bitch.
Nineteen years old, and in her first challenge fight, she’d killed…no, slaughtered…the most evil werewolf to draw breath in the last few centuries. The fact he’d also been her father was something she’d rather people forgot. She was Mistress of the City now, and they’d had fifteen years of peace. Fifteen years where those who were different need not live in fear of their lives. People like her best friend, Travis, whose all-inclusive sexuality had put him right at the top of her father’s shit list.
Her fingers tightened on the stem of her glass at the memory. Her father had been about to kill Travis that night. She’d seen red, her rage almost blinding her and galvanizing her wolf into action. Then there had been a lot more red. The scarlet of her father’s lifeblood as it poured from the mess of his ruined throat onto the granite floor of the old court.
“I didn’t think the champagne was that bad, but it looks like that glass has personally offended you,” a deep, male voice cut in.
Startled, she looked up. No one usually dared interrupt her reverie. Instantly she was caught in a dark-eyed gaze that sparkled with intelligence and humor. “A dance from a beautiful lady could make having to come to this damn cattle market worthwhile.”
He was an offering then. Heat and feminine interest caught her blindside and she breathed in. The scent of man and wolf filled her lungs. He was an alpha, but with a control she’d never seen in one, not even from an alpha on the council. Perhaps third or fourth generation alpha? Everything she looked for in a man but thought she’d never find. He was older than most in the room, and she found she liked that. Liked it a lot.
He smiled, tiny lines creasing the skin at the corners of his eyes and extended his hand. Temporarily struck dumb, she handed her glass to one of the hovering waiters and slipped her fingers into his. “Since you ask so nicely, a dance it is.”
Chapter Two
She was a wolf, that much was certain, but he’d never seen one so alluring.
Archer shivered as she slid her hand into his. Electricity sparked between them, drawing a gasp from her lips as she looked up. Deep within him, something dark and feral stirred and snarled. This little woman was his. The possessive thought took him by surprise. He covered by leading her onto the floor and pulling her into his embrace.
She fit perfectly into his arms, as though she’d been made to be there. Heat roared through his veins, priming his body for action. Archer gritted his teeth, hoping the state of things south of his belt didn’t become apparent as they were dancing.
“So…do you come here often?” he asked, allowing his amusement at the corny line to show in his eyes.
To his surprise, she could dance, and well, moving smoothly with him to the soft strains of the music. He hadn’t expected that when he first spotted her across the room. Petite and curvy, she stood out amongst the tall, willowy lycan women like a rose in the middle of a field of wildflowers. Something beautiful and cultivated hidden within the wildness of the pack women. She had to be a bitten wolf because no amber ring showed in the darkness of her eyes: a deep, beguiling chocolate.
“You could say that
.”
She smiled and his attention was hijacked by her lips. Small and pouty, they begged for a man’s kiss. His kiss. As soon as he could manage it.
The mystery of her identity teased at him as they reached a corner of the dance floor and he turned her effortlessly. Never had he been so glad he’d taken the advice of a friend and gotten dance lessons. Not a usual hobby for a soldier, but there had been enough social functions to warrant the need to not look a dick on the dance floor.
“I’ve never seen you before. Which pack are you with?” She tilted her head back to look up at him curiously and the tiny motion thrilled him. He’d never fallen prey to the “me man, you little woman” thing. He never particularly found delicate women attractive. A soldier through and through, most of his short-lived romances had been with fellow soldiers; women as tough as he was. Then it occurred to him that, as a wolf, his partner might look delicate, but she could bench press small cars if she felt the need.
“Griffin.” His reply was short and sweet. He didn’t want to talk too much about his family in case she knew enough about the Griffin pack to know that Seth had an older brother who wasn’t a wolf.
“You?”
She shrugged, and looked away for a second.
“Ahhh, a woman of mystery then.” Biting back his smile, he turned her again, missing a bunch of younger wolves, all of whom looked at him with undisguised hatred. His instincts went into overdrive, and he glared back at them. For a moment, it even felt like his lip was curling back from his teeth in the beginning of a snarl.
“Ignore them,” she advised, gentle fingertips on his jaw bringing his head back around. Their gazes met, locked, and all he could think about was getting her out of there as quickly as possible.
An open door beckoned and he turned her towards it, guiding her between the other couples on the dance floor. The skin between his shoulder blades itched and he was sure everyone turned to watch them as they passed. Fuck ‘em. Wolves or not, if they tried to stop him, they’d find out just how a lethal good old human could be.