by M. L. Briers
LEY COVE
The Banshee’s scream
By
M L Briers
Copyright © 2015, M L Briers
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced whatsoever without written permission of the author, except for brief exerts in reviews. Any unauthorised reproduction or distribution of the material herein is illegal and may result in criminal proceedings. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to the internet or distributed via electronic or print without prior consent.
Note from the Author;
All names, places, and incidents contained herein are purely fictional and have no basis in actual events or linked to actual Humans, Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, Lycans, Werebears or persons living, dead or undead.
Table of Contents
LEY COVE
The Banshee’s scream
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
A note from the Author;
Books you might enjoy by ML Briers:
Other books you might enjoy in the A B Lee and M L Briers series are:
CHAPTER ONE
Ok, so I admit that I was kind of reluctant to pull myself away from my mate. Hawk was doing this thing that I liked him to do with his tongue and I was basically panting like his damn wolf when the banging on the front door downstairs cut through my very happy place and drew me to the certain conclusion that I was going to spill blood. Whose? I didn’t know until I pulled open that damn stupid front door-that I need to get around to cloaking with an invisibility spell one of these days, and there she was as bold as brass and in the damn flesh… my sister.
I groan, I weep, I wail… I exaggerate-not. She has a habit of showing up when you least expect it, and I certainly wasn’t expecting any visitors now, and throwing life into mayhem and confusion. Oh, lucky me, what a grand day!
“You look like something the cat wouldn’t want to drag in.” I wasn’t about to play nice because she’d riled me up the wrong way already. “Don’t you own a phone, maybe a brush…?”
“Thanks, Sis. Still a bitch I see, and no, well yes, but no I lost it somewhere between the bar in town and a very nice vampire giving me a ride here.” I wanted to reach out and throttle her right there and then. How I held back, I don’t know.
“You’re not supposed to call when you’re on someone’s doorstep…” I hissed at her.
She looked as if she’d been dragged backwards, forwards, and damn sideways through several hedges and possibly a thorn bush or two.
Her eyes were caked in ten tons of dark eye makeup. Her lips were painted a deep purple, and don’t even get me started on what she’d done to her hair. It was now short, spikey, and dyed black with bright purple streaks. Did she not know that punk rock went out of style way back then?
“Speaking of which…” She lifted a hand and shooed me backwards, or tried at any rate, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Not until I had her solemn promise that she was only staying one night and that she wouldn’t burn the house or the town down in that time.
“Pinky swear you will behave and I’ll let you in.” I watched her eyes narrow and felt the chill to my naked toes. Standing there wearing only Hawk’s discarded shirt; I was feeling a chill to most places.
“Let me in and I swear I won’t kill you.” Sydney raised those perfectly arched eyebrows at me and made mine feel inferior as usual.
“I’m not letting you in until you swear…” I folded my arms across my chest to show her that I wasn’t to be messed with.
“Let me in or I’ll scream bloody blue murder and give your neighbours something to talk about for a year.” She did that whole blackmail thing so much better than I did.
I felt the need to swing for her… but I caved instead when I saw her chest expand with the lungful’s of air that she dragged in.
There was never a doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t carry out her threat.
“Fine.” I reached out a hand, gripped a handful of the red cape like thing that she was wearing and yanked her inside. I could have closed the door gently, but I decided to vent some of my anger out on it and used my magic to slam it shut behind her.
“I can always guarantee a warm welcome at your house.” She offered sweetly, too sweetly, it was literally dripping with the scent of almonds just like the arsenic I might just slip into her food later.
“Nice cape. Advertise that you’re a witch, why don’t you?” I shot back with a little more venom than I probably needed to expend, but she had a habit of pushing my buttons.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” She gave me the kind of wicked grin that said she was about to… Yep! She tossed the cape off of her bony little shoulders and showed me the whole ensemble… Holy Cow!
It wasn’t enough with the cape? She was wearing one of those tight fitting bodices with the drawstrings that pushed her small breasts up and out as if they were trying their damnedest to go for air. Boots that Puss would have been proud of reached her upper thighs, and the skin tight, peel me off, painted on leather shorts had my eyes popping out on stalks…
What was she thinking?
“Whoa…” Hawk’s deep tones filtered down from the top of the stairs and my head snapped back on my neck as I glared up at him. The man practically snapped to attention at my gaze and so he bloody well should have! “Did you dress in the dark?” He added and I smirked internally.
My man always knows what to say…
“So this is the one.” Sydney announced as her eyes narrowed on him and her hands went to her curvy hips.
I felt protective and jealous all at the same time. My sister had a habit of eating men alive and although I knew that she couldn’t get my man, because we were mates, that didn’t stop me from wanting to poke her in the eyes for even daring to take him in. I suppose that he was standing there half naked with his muscles on display and a half open pair of jeans slung around his hips looking good enough to eat.
But was that really the point?
“You have a problem with that, Sydney?” Now my hands were on my hips and I was ready to grab her by the scruff of the neck and throw her out into the garden like a tomcat on the prowl.
“Trust you to get hooked by a shifter.” She snorted her contempt and I mentally pushed up the cuffs of the shirt that I wasn’t wearing and prepared to go ten rounds in the ring with her.
“Better to be hooked than look like a hooker.” I saw her practically gag at that one and chalked up a win for my side. “Speaking of which, you got a ride with a vampire?”
I knew exactly who that would be. Scott, the only damn vampire in town and Mr Damn Charming himself when he wanted something, and we all know what Scott wanted.
“How is that any of your concern?” Sydney’s top lip was twitching like a demon possessed it and I wanted to laugh. I had the upper hand for once and I was going to wield my sword and chop off the head of her particular beast.
“Call me crazy…” I started and she just couldn’t help herself.
“That wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination.” She pouted. I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to zap her.
“But you are still my sister…” She was itching to dive in again as those eyebrows arched.
“Oh, you remembered.” Back to arsenic sweet again and I had to wonder if I had any lying around the house to put in her coffee. One way or the other, she was going
to get a dose of something…
“And Scott is…” I searched for the right words.
“Sexy, charming, funny, hunky…” She looked sort of dreamy eyed and I wanted to chuck up this morning’s breakfast-but didn’t want to hurt Hawk’s feelings because he’d made it for me.
“Nooo. I wasn’t going for any of those things.” Of course I knew that he was every one of those things. I’d had to keep him at arm’s length long enough and not be tempted by him, and thank the Goddess that I had otherwise all hell might have broken lose between the vampire and my mate by now.
“But he is charming.”
“Of course he’s charming. He’s a v-a-m-p-i-r-e, and we all know they tend to swing both ways…” I snorted contempt at her.
“He swings both ways?” Sydney’s eyes sparkled with mischief and I wanted to throttle someone, definitely her, but she was still my sister so perhaps not.
“Not like that…” I used my patience. I did have some, but it was a limited resource and she should know not to push me too far. “At least, I don’t think so, but that’s not the damn point…he’s…” She was doing it again, deflecting should have been her middle name because she did it so damn well.
“Not off limits because you have a mate.” Her smile reminded me of syrup and I truly bloody hated syrup. That wasn’t to say that I hated my sister, no, loathed would have been a better word. Dreaded her appearances would have been accurate…
“Look.” I pointed my index finger at her like a loaded gun and only wished that I had one. “If you’re going to come to town and cause trouble…”
“Trouble? Me?” She gave me that wide eyed innocent look that might have worked with our mother but didn’t sway me to her side one little tiny iota.
The woman was trouble, always had been and always would be. I wagged my finger at her, and groaned when the telephone screamed out for my attention. This wasn’t even remotely over between us.
“Bum.” I ground out between clenched teeth and knew that if my sister stayed longer than a day then I would need dentures; because I was going to be snarling and grinding my damn teeth by nightfall.
“What?” I snapped down the phone line and then groaned inwardly to myself. It wasn’t the callers fault my sister was bloody well annoying.
“What kind of a bloody greeting is that?” Doug growled down the line and my not-so-favourite bear shifter made my day complete. Halle-bloody-lujah, send me to the nutty farm.
“The one you got. If you’d like a different one; put the bloody phone down and call back when it’s more convenient.” I hadn’t meant to take it out on Doug but I had a sense of foreboding that wasn’t just limited to my sister’s sudden and unwelcome appearance.
When the line went dead in my hand; I frowned and considered it for all of two seconds before my sister started her evil ways.
“She’s always been like this. I have no idea how you put up with her.”
I snapped my head around to give her a death glare and considered putting a hex behind it, and there she was; smiling sweetly up at Hawk.
“Don’t talk to him.” I snapped out rather irrationally and with mental claws out.
“That makes getting to know your man a little awkward, don’t you think?” She oozed rationality while I sweated insanity. She was pushing me there…
“You are not staying long enough to get to know him.” I dropped the phone back on the cradle only for it to ring again.
I know my top lip had started twitching, I could feel it, perhaps even that little spot under my right eye…
“See the kind of welcome I get, and she wonders why the family doesn’t visit.”
I groaned and snatched up the phone.
“What?” I snapped and heard a rumble down the line.
“I’ll call back.” Doug growled before the line went dead.
“I do not wonder why the family doesn’t visit, I’m too busy being grateful for it.” I slammed the phone back down and glared at her, willing her to say something that would allow me to zap her backside and make her titter on her Puss in Boots heels.
“Ladies…” Hawk’s deep tones rumbled down from above and I was just about to look up when my sister rounded on me, eyes flashing amusement.
“If I want to get down and dirty with a vampire, I will.” It was half challenge and half matter of fact, and in my mind’s eye I could see myself grabbing her by the back of the hair and flushing her head down the toilet… just like we used to do when we were kids to try to get rid of each other…
Oh happy days!
“Oh, go ahead, Miss Congeniality…” When her mouth fell open and her eyes flared I knew I’d scored a point.
The phone ringing out once more sent my blood pressure soaring higher, and if I were a thermometer I probably would have exploded out the top of my head by now… brains everywhere… hopefully some of them would have covered my darling sibling…
“What does that mean?” She folded her arms across her chest and glared at me.
“Go look it up. Dictionary’s in there.” I pointed blindly over my shoulder before snatching up the phone once more.
“You are such a bitch.” She hissed.
“It takes one to know one, but at least I don’t open my legs for half of the supernatural world to jump in.” I ground out and placed the phone to my ear. “Yes?” I ground out as my sister started a hissy fit right in front of me. Pacing back and forth and muttering to herself as she tossed her hands up in the air.
“Who the hell are you speaking too?” Doug growled out. “And where can I get her number.” He added and I growled like a bear right back at him. I slammed the phone down and stomped out of the hallway and into the kitchen, trying to leave my troubles behind me.
“Why can’t you just be nice for once?” Sydney demanded from the doorway and I sighed. She was right, I suppose. Things always started badly between us and then calmed for a very short while before she did something thoughtless and stupid and war broke out once more.
“Why can’t you just stop getting in trouble?” I tossed back over my shoulder.
“Should I dress in a cloth sack and act all demur just for your benefit?” Her voice raised a couple of decibels.
“No. This is who you are.” I turned to look at her and felt that little pang of jealousy run through me. My sister was a one of a kind and she was comfortable with that, always had been. Whereas I was just me, nothing special, and was never comfortable around her bravado and mischief making.
“I don’t want to change you… much. I just wish that when you come to see me you don’t cause world war three.” There I’d said it. I’d said it before and it didn’t change anything, but this time…?
Hopefully I wouldn’t have to move towns again because of my damn family…
“Wouldn’t you like a little excitement in your life?” Her eyes sparkled with glee.
I rolled my head on my neck and considered telling her that I’d had enough of that in the last few weeks, but what was the point? She was only going to do what she did anyway and detonate a grenade around here at some near point in the future. No, nothing changed.
“Pass…” The phone rang again and I sighed. Doug was a pain in the backside that I could well do without today.
“Aren’t you going to get that?” Sydney grinned.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because is not an answer.”
“Yes it is, it just isn’t a very good one.” I pouted as I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes on her. “Those boots are ridiculous…”
“Ridiculously sexy, right?” She tipped her chin down and gave me that-cute kitten wants to win you over while it scratches your eyes out-look that I knew so well.
“Promise me you won’t sleep with the vampire and you can stay.” I saw that spark of mischief light up her face. “And when I say sleep-I mean sex. No sex.” She deflated slightly. Ha! Gotcha!
“Fine.” S
he bit out in a huff. “No vampire sex.” The telephone finally stopped ringing just as I had a mind to answer it. I turned and flicked the kettle on… “What other supernatural by nature people are in town?”
I felt my heart hit my ribs and was sure that twitch under my eye sped up. I was in hell and there would be no escaping until I could convince Puss to go walkabout. So be it, how bad could it get…?
~
~
~
I walked into the bar in town and eyed the weasel behind the counter. Warren; who was a weasel shifter, was in something of a quandary. It appeared that there was a standoff of sorts in the middle of the room.
Oh joy.
King, the lion shifter, Cane, the wolf shifter, and Scott, my friendly neighbourhood Vampire were standing in a triangle, posturing, pouting, and generally acting like they wanted to rip each other’s heads off.
Oh, double Joy!
“Joss, you have to do something…” Warren was practically cowering and I couldn’t really blame him. The bar looked as if it had been torn up a little, and all three deadly creatures were weapons ready with their claws out and their fangs down.
“Tourists?” I had to ask. Even though I really didn’t want to know.
Going somewhere for your holiday expecting normal and finding a town full of super species was a little hard to swallow, and if the vampire couldn’t make them forget what they’d seen, which was rare but it happened, then they wouldn’t be going back to their lives again.
“None.”
“Ok, so who wants to stand down first?” I tried to sound upbeat, but today wasn’t a good day for any of this.
When nobody moved a muscle. When nobody showed any intention of backing off, I decided that today wasn’t going to get any better.
“Let me rephrase that. So who wants to get a lightning bolt zapped through their balls first?” I announced with glee. It was about time that I got to zap someone today.
CHAPTER TWO