A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

Lynx choked on her drink.

I huffed air past my lips. Typical cliché vampire move. If they can't get their way, they flash a bunch of money. I would be wealthy too if I lived forever.

"I can move in tomorrow night." Samira leaned even closer, blocking me out, and a curtain of long black hair fell across her leathered shoulder. I was tempted to reach out and touch the thick strands. Either that or palm the ends in my fist and yank hard.

I did neither, though the last option could be exciting. Just then, I spotted the bar manager walking this way. It was clear he was the boss by the way he was eyeing everyone nervously. The name tag on his crisp, white, buttoned-up shirt helped too.

I slapped my hand down on the bar. "I'm pressing pause on the roommate wars conversation. I need to get a job."

Lynx wrinkled her small, up-turned nose. "I don't think they're hiring."

"They aren't, yet." I jumped up, sat on the bar, and swung my legs to the other side. I hopped behind the counter, rubbing my hands together. Where to begin?

"Hey!" Peeper hurried over to me, a blue liquid sloshing outside of the cup he was holding. "You're not supposed to be back here!"

I ignored him and picked up a bottle of bourbon whiskey and amaretto to make some quick shots. I spun them around in my hands as a teaser for the growing crowd.

"Who's up for some capital punishment? 'Cause I'm dishing it out, if you all can take it!" I yelled into the crowd, using a little power from my wolf to gain everyone's attention. It was the only way to be heard over the loud music.

When I knew they would be looking, I tossed both bottles into the air so they spun a three-sixty, and caught them again. Everyone cheered and pushed their way to the bar.

"I'll take more than your punishment," a dude in a tight t-shirt said, eyeing me greedily. The crowd howled with laughter.

"I'm not sure you can handle me." I smiled and gave him a saucy wink.

Making a show of lining up as many shot glasses as I could find, I spun the bottles around again and poured some into each glass to create a round of Capital Punishments. Once all those were gobbled up, I started taking requests.

I had learned the art of mixing drinks when I was a fourteen-year-old kid and landed at a halfway house back East. I wasn't a juvenile delinquent like the other kids, just an orphan lost to the overburdened foster care system.

But those kids had taught me more than just mixing drinks. They had some serious survival skills, especially for normal humans. Eventually, my drink-making skills had surpassed all of theirs, and I'd become the queen of that place. Soon, I'd be royalty here too. It was just a matter of time.

"Let me pass," I heard the manager say to the crowd. He pushed his way through the customers to reach me. He was pissed, but that was all about to change.

Grabbing a bottle of Larceny I saw earlier, I tipped the bottle of Kentucky Bourbon straight into my mouth. I closed my eyes and rolled that first taste around, bathing my taste buds in the buttery caramel flavor. The honeyed-notes played over my tongue, like a symphony for my palate. I savored the smooth texture before letting it slide down my throat—warm and comforting.

Wanting another taste, I made a show of holding the bottle up, as if to pound the bourbon in a frat boy guzzle-fest. Not going to happen. I had something way better in mind and jumped up to kneel on the bar.

I poured a mouthful and held it there while I held up a lighter for everyone to see. The crowd exploded into cheers, knowing what was coming and chanted, "Do it! Do it! Do it!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw that the manager had stopped to watch. I swallowed a portion of the bourbon and spit out the rest while simultaneously setting it on fire. Creating a flame thrower with my mouth, I aimed away from any onlookers. I couldn't very well set them on fire.

I glanced at the vamp on the stool below who was glaring up at me. Now her, that was a different story.

The crowd went crazy, and I made another round of drinks. I finished pouring the last one requested and slid it down the long bar. The fact that not one drop was lost on the slide home was a testament to the pride Peeper took in his bar. I glanced over at where he sat on the back counter. His shoulders were tightened, and he was scowling.

I smiled. "You can take over now. I'm done."

"Really?" His voice was sarcastic. "Thanks for giving me back my bar."

"No problem." I winked. "Just finish up with the rest of the customers."

"How in the hell am I supposed to compete with what you just pulled?"

"It's not a competition. We're all winners in my book." There was room in this place for two bartenders, especially with the crowds I would draw in.

When he didn't answer, I walked past him toward the manager who'd finally made it behind the bar. He wasn't tall like Peeper, but he was lean with honed muscles like a man on a rowing team.

He leaned his head toward me and yelled over the excited crowd. "What's your name? I'm Eddie."

"Briar. Sorry about taking over your bar. I see rows of alcohol, and I guess I get a little crazy."

"You looking for a job?"

"Not really." Best to play hard to get.

I scanned the audience, making a mental note to keep an eye out for the two vampires and their location. Samira was still chatting up Lynx, no doubt worming her goth self into my room.

Eddie was talking again, but I didn't hear a word because a tingling sensation started at the back of my head. My palms grew sweaty, and my breathing picked up. Something wasn't right.

I did another sweep of the club's patrons, specifically focusing near the VIP lounge where I spotted the male vampire. Even from here I could see his eyes were glazed over. He had that euphoric look vamps got from drinking blood. The hairs on the back of my neck stood, and a low growl began in my throat. Vamps shouldn't be eating out in the open like that. Licking his lips, the vamp leaned over, whispering in the ear of a man sitting on the couch.

As soon as my eyes shifted to said man, my back straightened and time slowed to a stop. Holy titty tongue twister. It was him. I was sure of it. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.

I'd finally found him.

The man I'd hunted for over ten years.

My blood turned to ice, and a blast of nausea churned my stomach. I never considered how I'd feel once I actually found him. I'd been doing it for so long I was used to the slow, angry rage that constantly burned my stomach.

I narrowed my eyes.

Finally, I was going to rid myself of the man I'd dreamed of killing for most of my life.

"I'd love to hire you." These were the only words that slipped through my mind as Eddie continued talking. Pretending to listen, I watched the bastard stand up, button the top button of his suit and walk to the other side of the club.

"I have to go." I dove into the crowd.

"I'll pay you double!"

Pausing for only a second, I tossed him a quick thumbs up sign, then focused all my attention back on the dude still moving through the crowd. It was Silas Brown, aka, The Rat, and Dominic's beta.

He was one of the men who had slaughtered my whole family.

Now it was his turn, and I couldn't wait to tear him apart.

Chapter 2

I deftly moved around dancing couples and groups of desperate men, silently stalking Silas. He didn't look that much different than the last time I saw him, with pale skin and light blue eyes. But he did walk with a cane, trying to cover up the motion of a slight limp. His every movement was precise and stiff, as if he had a stick shoved up his southern pucker.

My wolfie powers pulsed through the club. I usually suppressed them, but I was too distracted to care. The vibe in the bar heightened as adrenaline spiked my senses, and an argument broke out near the restrooms. I ignored it; I couldn't worry about how I was affecting everyone. All