Bounty Hunters and Black Magic

by Kristen Banet

  I want to lie on her porch and beg for a fucking belly rub.

  He was considering rubbing one out, just to get the need out of his system. She wasn’t the first to put him in such a state, but she was definitely the only one who had a lightning magic that sparked the air around her, making her even more alluring, even more dangerous. And he liked dangerous things. It’s why he was so agreeable to being a bounty hunter.

  “Calm down,” Easton ordered, walking back into the room. “You need to go on a run?”

  “Maybe,” he answered, looking over to his Nephilim owner. Not owner—that was a bad word for it. Maybe at one point that had been their relationship, but over the years, they had become friends. “She makes me want, and damn me, I’m not going to say no if she wants to play with a hound.”

  Easton chuckled, nodding. “As long as you promise to share.”

  “You too?”

  “Of course. You aren’t the only one who likes to look and play with pretty things.” Easton smiled, but it faded. “But if you’re feeling this out of control, it means the bond needs to be remade.”

  “I know. Can it wait? I don’t want to lose this feeling yet.” No, he wanted to unleash this feeling on her body and see if she could take it. The idea appealed to him so much. Mount her and take her. With Easton around, he wouldn’t hurt her, but she would be walking funny when he was through.

  “Sure…It won’t get any weaker, but you might slip into your hellhound form if you lose your temper.” The Nephilim looked him over, like he was studying him. “I just know you like the bond stronger, to have more control over it.”

  He normally did. Remy liked having the beast locked away. It had caused him too much trouble in his life to let it take control like it wanted, like it deserved. He was only able to hold his human form for long thanks to Easton’s binding on him. Carved into the flesh between his shoulder blades was a symbol, and Easton had the magical tattoo equivalent. Together, they held Remy to human flesh with more permanence, allowing him something close to a normal life.

  “I want her,” he murmured, smoke coming out of his nose. He could smell the want on Easton too. And the heady scent of her attraction was still burned into his mind.

  “Go for a run,” Easton ordered calmly. “Burn off the excess energy, at least.”

  “Okay.”

  He slid out of the room and went out the back of the boarding house. He made it to the dirt and dying grass, then shifted and began to run. Paws pounded the earth, leaving scorch marks behind, smoke coming off of them. He ran directly out of the town, looking back to make sure he hadn’t set anything on fire. Luckily, he hadn’t.

  “Keep close by,” Easton whispered into his thoughts. “I don’t want anyone seeing you and freaking out, either. Please.”

  He snorted. It was hard to miss a massive black wolf with horns, bone spikes, and flames, with orange eyes that glowed like hellfire. He didn’t care if people saw him, but he knew Easton’s fear. They had been run out of a normal town or two for using their powers in public.

  He ran further from the town. Close was subjective. He stopped when the town was far enough away for him to safely use his own ability without anyone seeing him. He threw his head up into the wind, closed his eyes and sniffed, his mind’s eye focused on her. He wanted to see her again. Needed to see her again. He focused on her scent in his mind.

  Cinnamon was the main thing in her scent, then softer things, a touch of lilac and rosemary. Finally, he remembered the magic he smelled on her. Like it was her, and she was it.

  It took only a second for the winds to show him the way, and he ran for her, finding her little house. She had a nice thing going for her. A modest home and field with a small herd of horses, including the giant Hell-Touched stallion she had. The barn was the biggest building, actually, probably to fit the massive horse. He trotted closer, keeping his head down. The flames that wrapped around him dimmed as he began to stalk.

  He slammed into a wall, an invisible one, and growled.

  Wards. She had wards against the Hell-Touched. They were probably for demons, but they stopped him nonetheless. He turned and decided to learn more. He ran the entire boundary of the wards until he was back at his original spot. Smart female covered her entire property just past the fence that enclosed her fields. Barriers over barriers. Deterrents. Easton would have noticed them, though they wouldn’t have stopped him, being what he was. A different type of protection was needed for the Nephilim.

  Finding the object of his need unobtainable, he walked back to the town. The physical exercise was helpful, and he felt a little more at ease.

  Plus, if she had wards, those demons weren’t going to get to her unaware. Good female.

  He shifted back into his human form behind the boarding house and slid inside, walking quietly to their room.

  “How do you feel?” Easton asked immediately, a look of concern on his face.

  “Better. Thank you. Much better. She has wards against Hell-Touched and-”

  “She has wards against everything except wereanimals, shifters, and warlocks or witches. Makes sense, since most of this town are wereanimals or shifters and she can’t ward her own kind out.” Easton looked thoughtful for a moment. “No wards against me, actually. Or gods, but then, there are some things no magic user can stop, including me and gods.”

  “But she’s protected herself from the threats she can, and that’s smart.”

  “It is smart. One more thing we should remember. Temperamental, gorgeous, and smart.” Easton chuckled. “She’s probably a man-eater.”

  Remy growled. “She’s a widow. Don’t be rude.” And Easton said he had no manners.

  “You know better than to think I meant that as an insult,” Easton crooned, smiling dangerously. “I love a woman who keeps me on my toes. I might actually sleep with them more than once. First, demons. Then we’ll find out just how willing the little witch is for some fun.”

  “We have a couple of days…” Remy readjusted himself, his cock aching again.

  “We do, and we have her all day tomorrow…”

  They grinned at each other, their very different grins. It wasn’t very often they found a woman that sparked their interests and they needed to be around her for work. It was the perfect situation. Business and pleasure. A hunt and a fuck.

  Later in the night, Remy was half-asleep as Easton shuffled around. The Nephilim didn’t sleep, a curse of his existence. He could feel magic being done in the room, a whisper of it.

  “What are you doing?” he asked softly, rolling over to see his friend.

  Easton looked over at him, his eyes all black. “I’m making sure the Gate to Hell underneath us doesn’t crack if demons are coming into town. The boundaries are weak. It’s not hard for me to do.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not up for a family reunion in this lifetime.”

  Remy nodded, yawned, and rolled back over. This wasn’t the first time he’d caught Easton working with angelic magic. He didn’t often, but Remy knew he used it to help when he could.

  9

  Adalyn

  Adalyn was up before the sun and cooking breakfast before Maxwell even stumbled into the kitchen this time, looking exhausted.

  Oh, did the poor marshal stay up too late? Gods bless him.

  She sipped on her moon brew with one hand while flipping some bacon and ham with the other. A spoon continued to stir some grits on the stove as well. She was too busy making breakfast to have any sympathy.

  “You can’t hang around them, Addy.”

  “Adalyn. My name is Adalyn, and yes, I absolutely can, Maxwell.” She smiled brightly at him, placing a cup of coffee on the table for him. “And I’m feeling nice, so I’ll tell you what we’re planning even when I really don’t want to, because I know you’re going to find out later. I’m not in the mood for the argument.”

  “Oh gods,” he mumbled, picking up the coffee and having a sip. She watched, delighted that he knew e
xactly how this was going to go down. She was going to remind him that he was not in any way in charge of her and he was either going to join her for the ride or leave.

  “I’m going to show them around the city today, get to know them. They want to catch the demons for the bounty. We’re going to let them.” He doesn’t need to know I’m getting a third of that unless they cheat me. “You can help. Now, I don’t personally care if the demons are banished by you and the Society of Magic or whoever they will be turned over to by Remy and Easton, as long as I don’t get killed in the process.”

  “Damn it, Adalyn…”

  “There are five demons on their way here. There is one of you, one of me, and two bounty hunters who just want to do the work. Or so they say. We’re outnumbered. Be smart, Maxwell.” She’d spent the night considering exactly what to tell him to make him let go of his ridiculous obsession with telling her what to do and who to see. Hell, he had only been back in Redstone for two days and she was resisting the urge to reach across her table and yank his traitorous tongue out. He hadn’t been this way before William died, and his sudden overprotectiveness over her was driving her batty.

  “I want to talk to them. I want to be a part of the plans. And damn it, if I feel they’re up to no good, I want you to come back here and let me deal with them.”

  She dropped a plate of food in front of him hard enough that it bounced and some of the grits splattered onto his perfect dark grey vest.

  “Try that again, Maxwell. You didn’t act like this when William was alive.”

  “You didn’t go out and pick fights by banishing demons when William was still alive. And he kept you from getting anyone too pissed off at you,” he retorted.

  “I got into plenty of other trouble and you didn’t drag me around like a hussy-”

  “You didn’t nearly sleep with strangers when William was alive,” he snapped.

  “I’m a widow,” she reminded him, leaning close. “William is gone, or have you forgotten? What? Do you want to be the new husband, Maxwell? Sorry, I’m not looking for one. You’ll have to look elsewhere. I’m also a witch, and what I do with my body is my business. You and I both know that William never forced monogamy on me. I offered it to him. There’s a difference.”

  He dropped his gaze, his hands on the table. She watched them clench into fists and then relax. “Why…Adalyn, why are you doing this? What sort of spell did you need to test that required banishing a demon?”

  “A banishing spell, obviously.” She blinked, trying to understand why he would ask something so dumb.

  “Adalyn…”

  He’s not going to let this go. Knowing him, this is now the case he’ll follow for months until I slip up. Hell, I might as well tell him so I get it over with now.

  Here I go.

  “I’m trying to find out how to defeat Beelzebub in case he comes back.” There. She laid that information on the table and waited. She didn’t add that she figured she would hunt him down one day, if anyone ever caught wind of where he’d run off to hide.

  Time for explosive male temper in 3…2…1…

  Maxwell’s face turned red, he stood up, and then he walked out. Not just out of her kitchen, but out of her house. She heard the front door slam. She had no idea where he was going. She finished cooking what was left for breakfast, the ham and bacon, and put those on their own plates, dropping them in the middle of the table too.

  She suddenly didn’t have an appetite, but she knew she needed to eat if she was going to spend the day with the bounty hunters and Maxwell, if he ever came back. Maybe he had finally just left her, realizing she was going to do whatever she pleased.

  She was nearly done eating when he stormed back in.

  “Adalyn. William is dead and I’m real sorry about that, but you can’t go on some revenge quest.”

  “It’s not just about William. It’s about Redstone. Beelzebub is still out there, waiting to regain his strength and try again to summon his armies and his King. Who else is going to handle it if I don’t? You disappeared, Maxwell. Off doing other things. Fine, you’re a US Marshal and have other stuff to do, but I live here, and I’m not letting anyone else die because no man wants to step up and take William’s place.” She raised her chin, glaring at him. “I’m going to do what I need to so that I still have a home well into my old age. I spent the year researching and practicing. So I’ve gotten into a little trouble practicing the theory, but that’s not the point.”

  “You are a woman, Adalyn, and that’s a fact, whether you want to fight the system or not. No one is going to be okay with you risking your life for this. I’m not okay with it. You know Valen and Tobias wouldn’t be okay with it.”

  “Then Redstone will be destroyed one day and that will be the end of it. And the world, more than likely. Maybe someone should get the Society of Magic or Magic Division of the US Marshals’ Office to treat it like a real threat.” She gave him a pointed look at that.

  She understood that she was a witch, a woman, and she was expected to let the big strong men do what she was doing. Too bad none of the men were doing it. Valen was helping by keeping the town clear of riffraff, but that was it—and his strange magic had an important limitation; he could only do it in his saloon for some reason. Tobias was fairly non-violent and out of town a lot, and he’d never studied demons like her or Maxwell, so he would be playing catch-up. Maxwell disappeared after William died. The men she’d always been friends with weren’t stepping up, or couldn’t, and her husband was gone.

  It was on her, and she had a lot of free time.

  “Gods…” Maxwell fell back in his seat. “One thing at a time, I guess. We’ll handle the demons coming here, and then…maybe I’ll help you with Redstone or find a way to make it easier.”

  “I knew you would see it my way,” she said, taking the last bite of her eggs. “Now eat your breakfast while I get presentable for the day.” She stood up from the table, taking her plate with her. She rinsed it off and walked out of the room, pleased that she had gotten him to see her point. Not like she ever gave people much of a chance to argue with her.

  Though she hadn’t been so argumentative when William was around. They had never found much to argue about.

  She dressed in something simple for the day, a white blouse with a black skirt that went past her knees. She pulled her long black waves back into a bun, letting it fall however it wanted to out of it, not looking to be formal at all. Last, she threw on her hat, which made her look like a proper witch.

  Maxwell was cleaning up his half of breakfast when she made it downstairs. He met her at the door and offered his arm, which she ignored, leaving her house. He had to catch up to her as she strolled down the path.

  “I wish we could find some other agreement here, Addy…Adalyn.”

  “I wish we could go back to a year ago, when William was still here and Beelzebub hadn’t come, but we don’t always get what we want.” She said it all prim and proper, knowing it would annoy him.

  “I’m sorry for kissing you that-”

  “I have never been angry for the kiss, Maxwell,” she snapped, stopping in the middle of the path and turning to him. Gods, why did men always think it was something like that? “I’m angry because you weren’t here and then you came back, but you didn’t…help. You just…left again. Years of friendship, and you missed the one moment we needed to rely on you. Valen got hurt that day. So did Tobias. We had to rebuild over half the town! And you weren’t here.”

  She saw his face morph from shocked to sick-looking. She turned on her heel again, heading back to the town and leaving him on the path.

  How dare he think it was the kiss! The kiss had been grief and something she wouldn’t have cared about the next day. She hadn’t slapped him for the kiss, not solely. She’d slapped him for kissing her when he hadn’t yet talked to her about anything that happened.

  Then he fucking ran. Out of town, out of their lives. Just ran.

  She saw the bounty hunter
s walking out of the boarding house as she rounded the corner around the bank.

  “Hey boys!” she called, waving with a smile. She pushed the bad mood with Maxwell away. There was no reason to dwell on it. It happened, and nothing was ever going to change that day or the fallout after it.

  “Pretty witch!” Easton called back, a pleased look on his face. He walked over to her, and she waited in the shade of the bank. Remy followed him. Neither of them had changed their outfits much from the day before, and she was okay with that. Men in the West didn’t have much of a fashion to them except the basics. “Don’t you look stunning today…” He looked her over, all the way down to her feet then back up. She didn’t miss how his eyes lingered over her chest, which was big enough to make the blouse a little too tight in that region.

  “She does,” Remy agreed, extending a hand. “Are you going to show us all of Redstone today?”

  “I am.” She took his hand as she spoke. “And I was thinking we could end the day with dinner at my home. With the marshal, who…”

  “I’m here,” Maxwell said, finally rounding the corner of the bank to their stretch of the street. “Easton, Remy. US Marshal Maxwell Donahue.” He extended a hand. Remy shook it with his free hand and Easton went after him. Maxwell glared as she threaded her arm through Remy’s elbow, so he could play escort. He had silently offered. “Petty,” Maxwell murmured to her.

  “Sometimes,” she conceded. “First, we’re all going to come to an agreement. You boys will get along.”

  “That’s fine by me. I have no problem with you, Donahue.” Easton shrugged.

  “Me neither. Just want to claim our bounties, Marshal. No harm, no foul.”

  She watched the marshal take a deep breath and sigh heavily, and she knew she’d won. “We can get along. But she can’t get hurt.” He pointed at her and Adalyn rolled her eyes.

  Like I’m going to get hurt. Please. I banished a demon all by myself.