by Leia Stone
“I have this other mark…” Maz fiddled with her pen. “I’ve sent some of the newer hunters just to tail him but I just got word that he’s at Bang, planning to drain some pretty little blond no doubt. There’s been chatter of an issue in Vampire City and he’s fled to seek refuge here. I’d like to take him out now, before he can hurt anyone or gets too comfortable and sets up residence here.”
Bang was a night club where a lot of unknowing humans went to die. It was a notorious underground feeder club. The lower level was for ‘VIP’ customers, AKA vampires. It was crawling with bloodsuckers and unwitting feeders.
I didn’t answer right away, I was tired and she took that as a no. “No worries, I’ll send Vasquez.”
Freaking douchebag Vasquez.
“No, I can do it.” I perked up. “What’s the bounty?”
I was tired, but nothing a double shot of espresso couldn’t cure. Still, I wasn’t going back out hunting for less than five grand.
“This is a big mark. Very dangerous. He just broke out of Magic City Prison.” She looked at me with one raised eyebrow.
My tongue instantly stuck to the roof of my mouth. Magic City Prison? Holy crap, he must be a big baddie and bringing down big baddies brought me untold joy. Magic City was a secret enclave in Idaho that was segregated into six territories, housing all of the supernaturals. Vampires, werewolves, witches, light fey, dark fey, and trolls. Magic City Prison was their way of trying to contain the miscreants of their society. If he broke out of prison and then escaped the enclave and was in Spokane, I wouldn’t be able to sleep without his head in that incinerator.
“It pays fifty grand,” Maz added.
Fifty grand!
I whistled low. I loved my job, and the society, but eventually I had a retirement plan in place. Get to one thousand kills and ten million bucks in savings, and then quit and go buy a private island where I could live on the beach with Liv and whatever hotties we were married to by then.
“Send me the details. I’ll do it,” I told her instantly.
She nodded but then looked up at me with an unreadable expression. Maz was hard to read sometimes, as a priestess of our secret order, she was basically a nun. She’d devoted her entire life to God and our calling of ridding the earth of the foul demons called vampires.
“Aspen … there is something you should know about this mark.”
I steeled myself, waiting for her to tell me he was a part of the royal family or something.
“He’s a Drake. Luka Drake,” she finally said and I nearly choked on my own spit.
He was a part of the royal family. “A Drake?”
Maz nodded. “Yes. He’s the nephew of the queen. But the family paying the bounty is high society. He drained their daughter of blood over ten years ago after asking her on a date. They want closure.”
That sick bastard.
“I’ll do it. I’ll take Liv with me. Split it.” If this guy was a member of the Drake family line, then I’d need all the help I could get.
She nodded. “Smart. It might take both of you to bring him down.”
The mention of the vampire royal family made me nervous. They were powerful, strong and freaking scary. They also raped and murdered women like it was a hobby. One of our most valuable vampire hunter society members was the chief of police. Chief Baker helped make the kill list and passed it down to Maz. He saw the human bodies, drained of blood, prick marks on their neck, positive rape kits. He saw all the ugly and tipped us to who the demon perps were. If this douchebag killed some innocent chick, then I was bringing his head back, tonight.
After I left Maz’s office, I grabbed my food from Kinsley, a yummy breakfast burrito with extra sausage, and took the elevator to my shared apartment with Liv.
She was off tonight, but she’d never pass up twenty-five grand and a chance to bring down Drake royalty.
Using my key, I entered the apartment and grinned when I saw her on the couch, surrounded by popcorn, brownies, ice cream and candy. She was watching some romantic comedy on TV and crying.
She was three-days post breakup with douchebag Vasquez, and clearly not handling it as well as I thought.
“Hey, how are you?” I approached the couch with caution. One ice cream container was already empty and on the floor, and I was regretting my decision to take her with me tonight. Maybe she wasn’t ready to go back to hunting yet.
She looked up at me and wiped at her eyes. “I’m good. I’ve decided to become a lesbian,” she declared.
I forced myself not to smile, and instead pretended to take her seriously. “Okay.” I’d known Liv since she was a day old, we grew up in the order’s orphanage. She was straighter than an arrow.
She paused the movie and sat up, looking feral. Her black hair was kinky and unbrushed, flying about her head like a lion’s mane. She glared at me with her honey-hazel eyes. “Because women aren’t cheating, lying dirtbags who think with their dick!” she roared.
Ouch. She was definitely in the anger phase of grieving.
“True,” I agreed, shoving the last bite of my burrito down my throat. I’d need to shower and change into something super slutty if I was going to Bang and posing as a feeder.
“If Vasquez,” she said his name like it was poison, “wants to screw half the hunters here, then so be it! I’ll screw the other half! Including the women. Take that!”
This was worse than I thought. Liv and I were both virgins, as outlined in the strict moral code of conduct for female hunters that we adhered to, so I didn’t think she was going to go and bang half the hunter squad anytime soon. “You wanna go hunting? Take out your rage on a member of the vampire royalty?” I tried to switch gears and bring her out of this depression.
Pure joy spread across her face. She grinned, showcasing the dimple in her left cheek. “Yes.”
Liv was passionate, and turning that passion into rage would help tonight. “Get dressed. We’re going into Bang as feeders.”
“Think there is time to slash Vasquez’s tires on the way out?” She raised an eyebrow.
Damn, he really screwed her over. I’d have to have a little talk with him later.
“Maybe later,” I hedged.
And with that we got ready for one of the most highest profile kills of my career. If I brought back the head of a Drake, Maz would surely make me a senior hunter.
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Acknowledgments
Big round of thanks to my editor, proofer, ARC team, PA’s, Wolf Pack, designer and the entire crew that is involved in releasing one of my books. I literally couldn’t do this without you! And finally, thank you to my family, who always shares me with my books because my characters don’t seem to shut up. Love you mucho!