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

way through two who stood in my way. Gerald reached the vamp before I could and slammed his stake into his heart but missed. The vampire spun to dart away, but Luke was suddenly there, holding the vamp in place, while Gerald tried again.

This time he didn’t miss.

Bile and blood spilled from the vampire’s lips and dribbled down his chin. Before the foul liquid could reach his shirt, his body began to decompose, collapsing within itself.

So far, none of the vampires we had killed had burst into ash, a trait shared only among newbie vampires. This told me the Nocturnas were an older coven who probably didn’t like bringing in new recruits. This was both good and bad. Newborn vampires were much easier to kill, but they could be reckless and unpredictable. It made me wonder how many vampires belonged to the coven.

Two vampires surrounded me, the same ones I had just cut through. And they were pissed. They also weren’t alone.

The human had returned to pester me, and he scampered around my feet like a puppy who wanted his belly rubbed.

“Beat it,” I said, and kicked at him, all the while keeping my eyes trained on the circling vampires. By the way the corners of their mouths were turned up, they seemed to be enjoying the nuisance at my feet.

Just before I lunged for one of the vampires, the human nipped at my heels. Like seriously tried to take a bite out of my fucking ankle. I could feel his saliva cooling my flesh.

I glanced away from the vampires, just long enough to kick at the human again, but it was too long. An elbow crashed into my jaw snapping my head back. Stars exploded in my vision, and I teetered. The action was followed by someone’s boot slamming into my chest, sending me flying back several feet. I crashed through the shack. Several boards fell on top of me.

There was the motherfucking wood I needed.

My eyes flashed yellow, and the skin on my back rolled into fur. I shook my head, forcing my wolf down again. Not yet.

I grabbed one of the wooden slats and split it into a smaller slice, one still big and strong enough to go through a vampire’s sternum.

No more playing nice.

I jumped to my feet and sprinted across the dirt floor, kicking at the crazed human in passing. He rolled several times across the ground, his face becoming both muddy and bloody.

Just as a vampire swung at me, I dropped and skidded along the ground, shoving my stake upward. It connected with his heart. The motion was so fast, I wondered if anyone had been able to spot it.

While he melted to mush, I whirled around to stab the other one only to be met with his sharp claws swinging at my face. I spun out of the way just in time and swung my arm backward, gripping the wooden slat tightly. It easily slid through the back of his neck. Before he could recover, I yanked it out and lowered my aim directly into his heart.

My execution had been swift and brutal. Overwhelming power, black and raw, grew in my chest giving me a desire to take more lives. I had been in plenty of fights in my life but only killed in self-defense. What I was doing now made my heart stutter.

I sucked in a breath and stepped back. The human was crawling through the chaos toward me again, his face smeared with so much dirt and blood, he was unrecognizable.

The bloodshed needed to stop.

Certain no one was watching, I called upon my wolf's strength, the part of me I kept hidden. My body reacted instantly. It expanded, filled with power and force. My muscles snapped, my senses strengthened, and I became a little taller.

I raced to put myself between Mateo and Silas, who were about to fight each other. Silas didn’t look the least bit afraid, which made me wonder how good of a fighter he might actually be.

Mateo reacted to me, but I batted his fist away when it flew my direction and knocked his legs out from under him. He collapsed onto his back and before he hit the ground, I was straddling him with a dagger to his throat.

“Briar! Stop!”

I jerked back, distracted by Samira’s voice, and Mateo’s eyes widened at her in surprise. Ignoring her, I growled, lowering my face to him so he could see my yellow eyes glowing. “Tell your men to retreat, or I will cut off your head.”

He choked on his next words. “Who are you?"

In a loud voice, I called, “Give us thirty percent! Agree to the terms, or you will die!”

The air grew silent. No more growls, no more clinking of weapons. Even the human had gone still. Thankfully.

When Mateo didn’t give in immediately, I dug the blade deeper into his flesh so he knew I was serious. “I said thirty percent.”

I glanced back at Samira to make sure thirty was enough. Probably should’ve done that sooner. She nodded her head in approval.

"We have a deal," Mateo said, his voice even but laced with steel. In a quieter voice, he added, "I will find out more about you. A rare jewel like you will always be coveted."

I punched him in the mouth to shut him up. His lip split and his tongue snaked out to taste the crimson liquid. He grinned seductively, and I climbed off him, rolling my eyes. Vamps. One minute they’re trying to kill you, the next minute they’re trying to screw you.

I turned my back on Mateo as he stood up, brushing off dark slacks. Off to his side, I caught sight of the tall vampire who had been looking at me curiously before. He wasn’t holding a weapon like everyone else, only a briefcase, and his clothes were immaculate, which meant he hadn’t fought. Only observed. Somehow this made him feel more dangerous than the others.

Silas approached Mateo, giving me a strange look in passing. It was a calculated glare.

Had I overstepped my bounds?

Luke came and stood next to me. His hands, bloody and bruised, were crossed against his chest. He, too, eyed me with caution, confusion, and almost wonder.

Had they seen what I’d done? Maybe I’d been too careless. I’d have to be more careful going forward.

“Shit,” a deep voice whispered

Behind me, Gerald was bent over Toby's body. Samira hurried to them, as if she might help heal him with her blood, but I knew it was too late.

Samira confirmed it with a sigh. She put her hand on Gerald’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

He moaned an anguished cry and drove his fist into the ground. I kept my body faced forward, still watching Mateo closely, but also not wanting to give into the ripping feeling in my chest. In my opinion, we’d just lost one of the best members of the pack.

The vampires had also lost members, but by their stupid dead expressions, they weren’t about to show any sorrow for their fallen comrades in front of us.

Silas glanced back coolly at Gerald, probably wishing he would do the same. To Mateo, he said, “Before we sign anything binding, we expect you to leave a sample. We will want to run our own quality tests on Scorpion’s Breath.”

"Of course. Angel, the briefcase,” Mateo said, finally giving a name to the tall vampire who had stood idly by while we all fought.

Angel walked forward with the grace of a panther. His eyes lingered on me a fraction of a second too long, making Luke growl low in his throat. This action seemed to please Angel, and he further agitated Luke by winking at me. I gave him the bird, and almost swung my middle finger in Luke’s direction too. What was his deal?

Angel handed Silas the briefcase and stepped back.

Silas held it at his hip possessively. "We will meet in a week for payment on the first shipment. After that, we will require thirty percent of all profit. Is this satisfactory?"

“For now, the terms are acceptable. Same time next week,” Mateo said. He turned around and walked down the dock back to the airboat. The other vampires followed.

No one said anything as we watched the boat disappear into the growing fog skimming the top of the water. The night had grown cold, and it seeped through my thin t-shirt directly into my bones. I glanced at my hands, noticing the blood coating them. I shivered and lowered them to my sides.

"What are we going to do with him?" Luke asked.

I followed his gaze. The human was crouched at my feet, looking up at me with hopeful eyes. His arm was in his mouth, and he was absentmindedly chewing on it like a bone. Blood from where he had broken the skin dripped down his chin and onto his bent knees.

Silas gazed at him appreciatively. "We’ll take him back to Fire Ridge to see how long it takes for him to recover. Then we'll drug him again. This will be fun to experiment." By the way his voice had dropped on the last sentence, I didn’t think the words were meant for our ears.

I repressed a shiver. "I say we leave him here. He creeps me out."

Silas patted me on the back. "There, there.”

I resisted the urge to rip his arm from his shoulder.

While Gerald carried Toby's body into the SUV, Luke and I handled the human. By this time, he was less agitated, but his body randomly twitched every few seconds. One of his spastic movements caught me off guard, and his hand whacked me in the chin.

Luke struggled to hold the man in place. "It's