“That’s a big one,” Kar sighed. “Human-huge.”

“Lorn is very smart,” Lavos said. “We talked about it afterward. He figured some of the clan probably hoped Veso would challenge him for leadership once he showed up alive. They believed until then that he was loyal to Decker.”

“So Lorn accepted his mate as a thank you for not making him fight and have to kill another one of our clan members? I get that.” Kar nodded.

“Wrong. My brother knew Veso had already made enemies who might come after him. Veso pledged loyalty to him, so Lorn did the same. Only a dick like Decker would deny a man his mate.”

“So that means we can start testing matings with humans?” Garson sounded excited. “That’s going to be awesome! I’m so getting me a mate.”

“Wrong again. Keep your hands off women in the nearby towns.”

“That’s not fair,” Garson snarled. “I could rock a human chick’s world.”

“Maybe if you ever learned mind control,” Kar muttered. “And told her to pretend she was experiencing an earthquake.”

“I heard that.” Garson reached between the seats and punched him in the arm. “I’m great in bed.”

Lavos gripped the wheel and turned off onto a dirt road, slowing the Jeep. “The house is just ahead. Knock off the banter before they overhear your conversation. We’re here on official business.”

“Who bitched because someone else had better things to do than answer their phone? I’m sure that’s it.” Garson cleared his throat. “They were probably avoiding talking to them.”

Lavos slowed even more, on alert as he glanced all around, mindful of his surroundings. “It’s the man’s mother. He didn’t call her when he should have. I’m not going into the full story but she’s worried. Lorn said to check on them and give them the message. That’s what we’re doing.”

“Why is this our problem?” Garson leaned forward between the seats. “Bullshit, I tell you.”

“You’re supposed to be an enforcer, not a whiner,” Kar muttered. “Can you at least act like you take your duty seriously? And the task probably is bullshit but we still need to check it out. I’m sure the lines are just down because of that storm that blew through and it will get fixed eventually. It’s normal, but people who don’t live in this area wouldn’t know that.”

“I’m hungry,” Garson muttered.

“Shut up.” Lavos frowned as the darkened house came into view. No lights shone in any of the windows of the two-story home set back into the woods. A truck was parked by the front door and a sat car next to it. “You should have eaten before we left.”

Lavos hit the brakes and stopped behind the truck. He didn’t bother to wear a seat belt so he just slid out the driver’s seat and quickly approached the front door. He was three steps up the porch before he came to an abrupt halt.

Kar bumped into his back. “Why’d you stop?”

Lavos sniffed again. “Smell.”

His friend inhaled and suddenly moved to his side. “Shit.”

“That stinks,” Garson whispered. “What the hell died?”

Lavos took a few steps closer, his vision adjusting to the darkness. The door was closed but upon closer inspection, he saw the splintered wood near the handle and lock. He kicked out, slamming his boot against the door to send it inward. He entered the house first, knowing his friends followed close behind. The stench greatly intensified now that there wasn’t a barrier between them and the interior.

The dining room table lay in pieces with glass fragments all around it. Lavos reached out and flipped on the lights. They instantly came on, and more destruction awaited, with the couch in the living room on its back. Dry red stains were smeared all over it.

“Blood,” Kar confirmed. “A lot of it.”

“Shit,” Garson muttered from another room. “It looks like someone was slaughtered in the kitchen. There’s enough splatter in here on the walls and ceiling to assure me they didn’t survive.”

Lavos spun, following the source of the putrid stench of death, tracking it up the stairs. Dark stains on the carpet revealed more blood. He located all three bodies in the master bedroom. He hesitated inside the room, his gaze traveling over the horror of what remained of the family that had lived in the house.

“What the hell did this?” Kar inched around him. “They’re in pieces. I don’t pick up any traces of gunpowder. This sure wasn’t a murder/suicide of someone going on a bender and losing their shit.”

“It wasn’t an animal,” Garson announced. “It would have eaten them where they were killed instead of obviously carrying them upstairs to dump them in this room.”

“No shit,” Kar muttered. “Animals wouldn’t have closed the front door either after they were gone.”

Lavos approached the body closest to him and crouched, studying it. “They’ve been dead for at least five days, and you’re right. This was done with intent.” He reached out and dreaded touching the head but had no choice as he pressed his fingers against the back of blood-matted hair. He studied the way they’d been torn apart and cursed. “This wasn’t done by an animal or one of ours. I’m thinking Vampire.”

Garson walked around the carnage, studying the other two corpses. “How the hell can you tell?”

Lavos sighed. “They’d be even more shredded if a Lycan had done this.”

“This wasn’t a feeding,” Kar spat. “Too much blood was spilled. This was outright cruel and vicious. It had to be a human.”

“No.” Lavos examined the remains. “See this? The bones were snapped and this person’s arm was ripped off. A Lycan would have used his claws. We’d see a lot more shredding of the skin. A human wouldn’t have been strong enough to do this without a weapon. I’m not seeing any sharp instrument marks on the exposed bones.”

“GarLycan? Gargoyle?” Kar inched closer.

Lavos shook his head. “They would have disposed of the bodies. They’re anal about that. Whatever did this was stronger than a human but not a shifter. There’s no animal hair in this mess. Look at the hand over there.” He pointed. “They grabbed some long hair from whoever killed them. It looks human and it’s black. Notice these people have light brown to blonde hair? It came from whoever attacked them.”