by Dawn, Autumn
It was an opportunity too good to pass up. By the time they were settled at a table with their orders, she already had a list of questions. “Why do you want to kill him?”
He shrugged. “I’m a bounty hunter. The Winter Queen set a price on him, and I’m here to collect.”
“Noble of you.”
“A man has to make a living. I wasn’t after you, and her price for you is plenty high.”
Her eyes narrowed.
He smiled. “I like you. You’ve got terrible taste in men, but you’re cute.” He sobered. “You know he’s a man-eater, of course. You saw that last night.”
She fiddled with her sandwich. She tried not to think about last night. “Why does it matter to you?”
“Like I said, I like you. Seems like you could have a bright future.”
He glanced around. “And I know trolls. My family makes a business out of exterminating them. I know how they work, how pretty they look while they’re about seduction. I also know how often their lady loves die.”
Her jaw firmed. “Ash has control.”
Jason shook his head. “You can’t reform a monster.”
“You’ve seen him kill a woman, then?”
“My aunt got tangled with a troll once; that’s how my family became troll hunters. She thought her troll had control, too.” He let that sink in. “Consider telling me where he might be, won’t you? I’d like to save you some grief.”
She shook her head. “I won’t help you hunt him.”
“Then I’m just going to have to follow you around until he shows,” he said stubbornly.
Great. That’s all she needed. “I wouldn’t. There’s a banshee after me now, and she’s not concerned with murdering innocent bystanders.”
His smirked. “I’m not so innocent.”
“Maybe I don’t want you around,” she ground out, last night’s incident fresh in her mind; and not just the bombing of her house, either. The jerk had seen her in a very compromising position.
“Better your enemy where you can see them,” Jason said seriously, and gave her a lopsided grin. “You don’t want me lurking in the hedge, do you?”
She’d kill him herself. The world would be a better place.
She didn’t though. It was easier to let him follow her home to see if the new wards kept him out. To her delight, the hedge of thorns obligingly closed behind her, preventing his car from following. Grinning, she parked her bike and ran in the house to grab some stuff.
She had a troll to hunt.
16. Out For a Troll
A freshly slaughtered animal has a distinctive smell. It’s not like supermarket chicken; bland, washed and neatly packaged. If it weren’t for the label, a girl might not even realize the two were kissing cousins.
No, fresh entrails had a certain musky, earthy quality, highlighted by the scent of warm fur or feathers. Anyone who’d ever prepared a farm animal for the table knew that blood made the hair stick to hands and knives; Elmer couldn’t make better glue.
And the smell! She could wash her hands, shower…blood scent took forever to fade.
The troll had made no effort to wash away the scent of his kill. The carrion stink of it polluted the air, forced her to breathe through her mouth. Even then, she could almost taste the rot.
Billy stared at the bridge. The sun was high, but it didn’t touch the shadows underneath. It looked more like the entrance to a cave than a simple river crossing. This was the same place where Carrie’s boyfriend had been eaten. She’d guessed that Ash would go here if he had to lick his wounds, and by the smell of things, she’d been spot on. There was either a troll present, or the local crematorium had been dumping bodies instead of burning them.
She took her grandmother’s wedding ring from her pocket and held it out to the shadows under the bridge. “I’ve got a toll for you, Ash. Come and get it.”
The shadows stirred. “Go away.” The voice was gruff and very deep.
“Funny. When I ask people to do that, they just ignore me.” She sat on a boulder and toyed with the ring. “Jason is following me around. I ditched him, but I have a feeling it won’t last.”
“Stay away from me and he’ll leave you be.”
“I figured. Still, considering the things I let you do to me…I guess I’m attached.”
He lumbered slowly from the shadows, huge, hairy and reeking of stale gore. He didn’t approach her. “You came for me? I’m flattered.” His broken yellow teeth showed in a mocking smile. “Am I everything you remembered?”
She squinted. “You don’t look quite the same without your makeup. Thankfully, you clean up well.” She wasn’t going to let him see her unease. He wanted to scare her off for some reason, and she wanted to know why. Was he trying to protect her, or was the pretense of courtship over?
He turned his back and went back inside his cave.
Well. That was rude. She sighed and followed him in, using a fae light to chase the shadows away.
Ash turned and stared at her. “You wish to die? The taste of man-flesh is still thick on my tongue.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I assume you were trying to intimidate Jason?” Please, let that be it. She wanted her gentle monster back.
“You can’t reform a monster, gummibärchen. Eating hearts is what I do.”
She grimaced. “Now you sound like Jason, and he is not my favorite guy.”
“We are what we were born to be.”
His resigned attitude made her angry. “What? You were born to get heartburn on homeless junkies? Born to spend your days picking stringy runaways out of your teeth?” She’d seen him refrain. Sure, it had been an effort, but he’d never hurt her. She knew he could do it. “Buddy, I’d say you were brainwashed. It’s a lifestyle choice.”
Yellow eyes gleamed. “We get our strength from the bones of men.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Yeah? Who says so? Has there ever been a vegetarian troll?”
He looked at her as if she’d suggested something lewd, repulsive.
“My point is, you’re taking cannibalism on faith. Who’s ever tested it? Not you.”
“Get out of my cave.” He pointed with one cracked, dirty nail. “I’ve had enough of your heresy.”
Billy refused to let his attitude hurt her. She was right and knew it. Given time, he’d see things her way.
She waited until she was in the sunlight to mutter, very softly, “See? It’s a religion. And Jason teases me about Christianity.” She was almost sure he hadn’t heard—until the boulder came sailing in her direction. She dodged, but he had uncharacteristically bad aim. Pretty sure he’d missed on purpose, she smiled, a new bounce in her step.
He was no Romeo, but he was still hers. She was at least as strong as a lady troll inside. She just had to make him see her that way.
Sometimes, love had to be ruthless. Lucky for him, pixies were good at that.
Billy drove slowly around the lake. Keeping her eyes open for surprises, she parked her bike near the site of Carrie’s death and watched the clouds roll in with unnatural speed. Excellent; she’d been discovered.
She pulled her sword from the sheath her over her shoulder and warmed up her wrist. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” she challenged herself. She hoped the banshee would remember how things had gone last time and discount her.
The banshee wasn’t subtle. She came in like a meteor flashing from the sky, straight for Billy’s heart. Billy stepped aside and whipped her sword in an arc designed to cut the monster in two, but the banshee was too fast. A slash of her claws had Billy staggering back, gritting her teeth against the pain in her side. Even pixie armor could only take so much.
Adrenaline helped her ignore the pain as she kept up a steady rhythm, slashing at the hovering monster. The banshee grinned hungrily at her clumsy swipes, darting closer. She didn’t seem worried about the sword, for Billy didn’t seem to be doing much damage.
Except that when it did connect, there was a loud hiss of steam. The
banshee pulled back with a shriek, clutching at the smoking gash in her chest. “Blessed iron!” she accused, for the wound refused to heal.
Billy grinned. “It’s all in who you know.” She attacked with a flurry of sword strokes, dropping the inept act.
The banshee screamed in rage and attacked with renewed fury. Though wounded, her blows hadn’t lost strength. Billy got her in the stomach and she retaliated with a blow to the head that sent Billy flying into a tree. The banshee was on her in a blink, claws digging deep, trying to rip the armor that guarded Billy’s heart.
Bam, Bam, BAM! There came a flurry of gunshots, and half the banshee’s skull exploded, splattering brains all over Billy. Billy shoved her off, and rolled to her feet. Jason walked steadily forward, empting his clip into the shrieking monster. “Act fast,” he warned. “This won’t hold her.”
Lovely thought. Billy sent a burst of power into the ground. A seed burst to life and sent shoots up around the banshee, growing rapidly into a tree. By the way she thrashed, it was clear the tree couldn’t hold her long.
Billy limped over and grabbed her sword.
“You want me to do it?” Jason asked as he watched her drag it over to the struggling monster. The tree creaked and buckled, furrows breaking through the bark.
“I’ve got it,” Billy wedged the sword into the hollow, not daring to free the banshee’s head. She thrust, spearing the throat, and began to saw inelegantly. Stink rose as the undead flesh smoked, oozing black blood. The banshee’s eyes rolled as her head came off, and Billy gingerly grabbed it by the hair, holding it away from the thrashing body. She grimaced and looked at Jason. “You got a lighter?”
Jason offered to drive her home, but Billy insisted on doing it. As a result, her tail was dragging by the time she pulled into the street leading to her home.
It gave her a bad start to see a woman standing before the gates. She stopped in a spray of gravel and stared. “Oh, it’s you.” Her shoulders relaxed before she realized that might not be the smartest reaction to seeing her mother. The feeling intensified as Maura stepped out of the shadows to stand at her side.
Oh, boy. She glanced over as Jason got out of his car and leaned against the hood to smirk at her. She shot a look behind her to confirm what she’d suspected. Yup, she was surrounded, and the human thug behind her didn’t look like the sympathetic type. His overlong hair hung in a disheveled mess, and he didn’t smell too clean, either. Maybe Jason had drafted a homeless man?
“Hello, child,” her mother said, an edge to her voice. “Imagine my surprise when I saw what you’ve done with our home. I feel quite unwelcome.”
Billy realized that her mother couldn’t pass through these wards. A bitter smile tugged at her mouth. “You’ll understand if I thought you should knock first.” Actually, she suspected her father had set the wards. She owed him one.
“No matter. I’ve decided the Woods is a better place to dwell. You’ll be coming with me, of course.”
Billy got off the bike and drew her sword. “Really? We’ll have to talk about that.” She shot a burst of power at Jason and the unknown man behind her, reckoning they were the worst threat. She managed to tangle the stranger’s feet in ivy, but Jason leapt away from the clutching willows and sprang at her. Light on his feet, he kept her busy while Maura worked hard to trap her with magic. It took fierce concentration to block her while keeping Jason off her, and Billy was hurt. It was inevitable that her body would give out, and she stumbled. Jason leapt on her, pinning her face down in the dirt.
“Sorry about this, love,” Jason panted. “But the old one and I have a deal.”
“What, you’re the new prince charming?” she gasped, trying not to cry out as her injuries protested. “How did you manage to appear human all this time?”
He shifted to ease the pressure. “I have my ways. Don’t worry, doll…you’ll have time to get to know me first. Unlike my cousin, I don’t rush my fences.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “I’ve admired you for a while, sweetheart. I’m confident I can win you over if you give me a chance.”
Her mother walked over as Jason hauled her to her feet. “Finally! Now you see that I will have my way. Your childish delays have gained you nothing.”
Billy’s mouth curled up. “Bitch.”
Jason yanked her away as her mother’s hand rose, foiling her attempt to slap. “Hands off my woman,” he said mildly, but there was steel in his voice. “You gave away your rights in exchange for freedom.”
“Couldn’t get out of the tree by yourself,” Billy started, but Jason put a hand over her mouth. “We’re done here. I’m taking her home.”
“Good idea,” Ash’s voice said with calm menace. “She’s had enough fun for one day.”
Billy gasped and looked right. Ash was in his human form, and he held the limp body of the thug by the hair. He casually dropped him as he moved toward Jason. “You came,” she breathed.
“Of course. I’d never miss one of your parties, gummibärchen.”
Jason glanced at her happy smile and sighed. “You have the worst taste in men.” He quickly slapped a magic dampening restraint on her wrists and headed toward Ash, drawing his guns.
Billy didn’t have time to watch. Maura stalked her purposefully, and with the restraints upsetting her balance it was all she could do to dodge. She managed a kick as Maura reached for her, then clasped her hands and smashed her manacled wrists into Maura’s nose. Maura grabbed her hair and Billy elbowed her in the throat. Maura clawed her face drawing blood, but went down with a smashed instep.
“Too much time at the salon,” Billy said as she kicked her in the head to knock her out. “Next time, take up kickboxing instead of yoga.” Her eyes met her mother’s. This fight would be harder.
She stalled, glancing at Jason and Ash. Both were bloody, and she couldn’t tell who was winning.
“Give up, child. You’ll do as you’re told,” her mother said coldly, walking toward her. “You would think producing a child were a hardship.”
“Maybe I don’t need a servant,” Billy taunted. “I can keep food on the table without indenturing my child.”
“You spoiled brat! I’m glad I sold you—if Jason didn’t want you, I’d give you to his clan for sport. If you can’t follow orders, you’re good for little else.”
Billy’s throat felt tight, but she looked for her sword. She didn’t know if she could kill her mother, even after all she’d done. She couldn’t let her do this, though. She wouldn’t be a slave.
Her mother reached for her and a man’s arm suddenly wound around her throat. “Payback,” Eyrnie said fiercely, and thrust a knife through her back.
Billy watched stupefied as her mother’s face blanked. Eyrnie watched dispassionately as she slid to the ground, her eyes wide with surprise.
Maura woke and began to scream.
Billy made them throw a blanket over the easy chair before she’d let Ash settle her. Eyrnie was still grouching at him. “I can’t believe you let Jason get away.” He looked around at the new house, disgruntled. “He’ll be back to cause trouble.”
“His jaw and leg are broken, and he’ll be occupied with that for a while,” Ash said grimly as he checked her for injuries. “I agree it was foolish to let the sister live.”
“I couldn’t kill her,” Billy gasped as he explored her ribs. It felt like she’d cracked a couple. “It’s better to let the local fae enforcers have her.” They’d arrange for a suitable punishment Billy couldn’t mete out herself, not in her condition. “How did you know I needed you?”
Ash’s eyes twinkled with innuendo, but he said seriously, “Your father told me. I suspect he told Eyrnie that it was a good time to seek revenge, too.”
Eyrnie snorted. “We’re even now.” His hard eyes met hers, and there was a silent exchange of emotions. She looked away first.
He glanced at Ash. “You seem to be in good hands. I’ll show myself out.”
She closed her eyes as she heard
the door close behind him. Ash stroked her face. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Showering with him might have been interesting if she weren’t in pain. As it was she was grateful to slide into her pajamas and lie down. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep. “My father sent you? Why didn’t he come himself?” She was curious to meet her him, and he seemed to have a benign interest in her. “He sent the chickens and stuff, didn’t he?”
“He did,” Ash confirmed, settling on top of the covers. “As for why he sent me…it was my job. I’ve always been his champion.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, so he laughed and elaborated, “Trolls aren’t popular in the Summer Court, but the practice of breeding with humans has mellowed my line. Your father and I’ve been friends for many years, and when he asked me to protect you, I didn’t hesitate.”
“Really? So how does he feel about you and me? He can’t be thrilled.”
“He wasn’t happy. We had a very interesting talk. He’s decided to let you decide…as long as I behave.”
“So that stuff about devouring me was real?”
He regarded her soberly. “There’s always a danger, and my mating instinct is strong. I’ll probably try to convince you to conceive.”
She wasn’t worried about that, there were ways to prevent it, and he’d always respected her wishes. “Just so I stop wondering, do you really eat people?”
“Not for sixty years or so. As I said, my control has improved a great deal.”
“I saw you bite the head off a pimp and cart off the body…”
He grinned. “I thought that was you. Don’t worry; he was a gift for an informant. I have no problem letting someone else eat scum like him.”
Ew. Still, she felt better. “Same deal with Carrie’s boyfriend?”
“No. I shoved him under a rock. It gave the cave a homey smell.”
She wrinkled her nose and shoved him, grunting at the pain it inspired. Settling back, she asked quietly, “Now what?”