Wen Read online

  “I never liked the cold. I froze my ass off but I had warmer coats and owned thick gloves in Alaska. You say sixty-two like it’s normal for summer or something. Brrrr! I'll take eighty degrees any day over this.”

  He smiled but it looked forced. “It won't be too long.”

  Her guts twisted. That was code that they were being followed or he’d picked up a scent. She wanted to ask which, but didn't dare voice it because sound carried. It would alert whoever he must have sensed or smelled that they were aware of them. “Really?”

  “Yes.” He glanced to his left, then right. “We'll take shelter soon.”

  In other words, they'd probably be attacked and he'd have to fight while she tried to stay out of the way. She gripped the small container of mace that she’d packed. It was laced with battery acid, something she'd added after being attacked by that rogue Vamp. It wouldn't kill a Vamp or a Lycan but it would sure blind them for longer than a few minutes, and hurt like hell while they healed. That might give them the time for Wen to share the story he'd made up. If they were really lucky, someone would believe it.

  “Awesome,” she muttered. “I can't wait to get you alone, stud.”

  He squeezed her waist as if to assure her…or maybe give her a heads up that they were about to have company.

  All doubt left when he quickly let her go and snarled, moving in front of her in a protective crouch as two men dropped from a nearby roof to land in the empty alleyway in front of them.

  She withdrew her mace but kept it fisted in her hand to hide it. Forewarning was asking for trouble. Surprise was all she had since she was no match for their strength and speed, whatever they were.

  It took seconds for her to identify each man's species. It was weird seeing a Lycan and a Vampire working together. They usually gave each other a wide berth.

  “What do you want?”

  She couldn't see Wen's face with his back to her but there was no missing his snarled tone, or the fact that his hands on the pavement now sported some wicked-looking claws.

  She forced her attention off him and glanced behind her, spotting two really pale faces near a Dumpster. Vampires. They wore all black and had that floating-head appearance going on that she found creepy as they remained in the deep shadows of the night. She turned all the way around to face them head on, keeping her back to Wen.

  “Two more,” she whispered. “White heads.” He'd get the term, since he'd taught it to her as a kid.

  “I'm aware.”

  Wen really sounded scary when he partially shifted, and she was glad he was on her side. VampLycans could fight. A Lycan and three Vamps wouldn't stand a chance against him. She hoped they knew that too.

  “You drop on her and I'll dust your ass,” Wen warned.

  She jerked her chin up. The Vampire on the balcony above her froze. The damn thing looked ready to pounce, and she hadn't even spotted him. She swallowed hard and inched back closer to Wen.

  “He's really protective of me and means every word.” She reached down, dug her fingers inside her pocket and wiggled out the metal compact she kept in there. She tossed it up at him. “Catch. That's what's left of the last Vamp who tried to bite me.”

  The white head caught the container and opened it. She watched his expression and heard the low hiss of rage. He closed it and glared at her with malevolence in his eyes.

  “Yeah. Those are Vamp ashes,” she taunted. “They belong to the last moron who thought I looked like dinner. My mate has zero tolerance for someone else trying to take my blood. I wouldn't piss him off.”

  “Gerri,” Wen hissed. “I've got this.”

  She winced. She probably should have told him about the souvenir she'd kept, but it made an effective point. That Vampire who'd attacked her in her old apartment had deserved what she'd done to him, but it had been hell cleaning up the mess he’d left behind. There had been a lot of vacuuming involved. UV lamps weren’t easy to come by either. She’d kept some of his ashes, wanted a reminder in case she ever grew lax with her security again. She'd been that pissed.

  The Vamp pocketed her compact. She hadn't really expected to get it back.

  “What are you doing here, half-breed?” The animalistic tone of the stranger assured her it was the Lycan speaking. “You're far from home and not welcome.”

  “I don't give a shit if you like my presence or not,” Wen snarled back, louder, winning the scary-voice pissing contest. “Move out of my way.”

  The silence grew eerie. Gerri was tempted to look back to see how dog face reacted to being told to move, but she didn't dare take her attention off the three white heads. They could move fast and take her to the ground in the blink of an eye if she glanced away.

  “Why are you here?” The creepy voice with a slight hiss to it had to be the Vampire. “Who are you looking for?”

  Wen's tone changed slightly, a little less threatening. “I’m here because I want to be. We don’t want any trouble but I’ll kill you if you attack us. We’re just passing through, if you’re pissed we’re in your territory.”

  “Why are you traveling with a human?” Dog face spat the words.

  “She's mine,” Wen growled. “You got a problem with that?”

  “Stop,” the Vampire ordered. “Let me handle this. What do you mean, you’re just passing through?”

  “Do you want me to speak slower for you?” Wen snarled. “We’ve been traveling for a while. Let us pass and leave us alone.”

  “Are you mated to the human or are you addicted to human blood?”

  “She's mine,” Wen repeated. “Every part of her. I chose her over my clan since they refused to accept her.”

  “She's human,” the Lycan said, continuing to state the obvious. “Why would you choose her?”

  “Instincts won't be denied.” Wen bumped against Gerri’s backpack as he straightened to his full height to let her know he was right there.

  “He's mostly Werewolf.” The Lycan sounded disgusted. “It's one of our flaws. We fall for someone we’re screwing and have to claim her. He must have been really desperate to fuck something, if she was his choice. Any decent Werewolf wouldn’t touch a weak, spineless bitch.”

  “Don’t call her that,” Wen threatened.

  “I'm not a bitch,” Gerri muttered. “But I can act like one if you insult me again.”

  “You told her about us,” the Vampire hissed. “You know the rules. You broke them.”

  “She worked for my clan. Decker forbid me from touching her but I was her guard. He sent a few bastards to kill her so we left—after I dumped their bodies on his porch.”

  “Why would he allow a human there at all?” The Vampire sounded suspicious.

  “It’s none of your business. Get out of our way,” Wen snarled.

  “You want passage through my city.” The Vamp paused. “I demand answers.”

  “You’re in no position to ask me shit. I’ll kill you all if you try to stop us.”

  “Baby,” Gerri crooned, purposely trying to sound needy. “I’m cold and hungry. Just answer them so we can find a cheap motel or something.”

  “Fine,” Wen huffed. “Decker has used a few of them with mind control to spy on the towns around our territory. They give us a heads up if there's any hint that the other humans are catching on to what we are. Now will you leave us the hell alone?”

  Gerri kept silent but was impressed with how easily Wen could lie. It sounded plausible. A VampLycan like Decker would never trust a human to work for him, but they might guess that. That clan leader had been the most feared and loathed of the four clans. Even Gerri had heard horror stories about him. Some of the meaner kids had threatened to send letters asking Decker to kill her in her sleep. Humans had Santa to send their wishes to. VampLycan bullies had Decker. He had become the boogie man of her childhood. She shivered just thinking about him.

  Wen reached back and gripped her hip. It wasn’t easy to do since their backpacks kept them apart by a few feet. She took a deep breath