Don’s BMW was even more luxurious than the Überwald driver’s car, but none of that mattered.Not the changed landscape of Logris whizzing past as he sped down the highway. Not the she-wolf squeezing my hand and panting like a lap dog. We were one step closer to Griff, and that made my heart thrum with excitement.“Of course, you two gals will be working for tips,” Don said. “There’s no basic pay for a job like this.”“You can’t do that,” Larissa squawked.I rolled my eyes. Microdon? He’d named himself after a species of Coyote—Canis latrans microdon, otherwise known as the Lower Rio Grande coyote. He should have called himself Microdick for two reasons: one, because he smelled like a weasel shifter, and two, the name pretty much summed up his shitty personality.Don chuckled. “The moment you stepped into this vehicle and accepted my offer of employment, you also bound yourself to its terms.”“But you didn’t tell us anything,” she snarled.He tipped his head t
“We start work in the evening,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Now, we’re getting settled in our new digs, and you won’t disturb us until sunset.”His nostrils flared, and his mouth formed a tight line.Maybe I’d dashed his hopes of a utopia where all shifters could live in harmony, but if he was going to weasel us out of pay and decent work hours, I would establish my dominance to protect our interests. There was no way we could sneak around looking for information to pass on to Hades if Don had us working in his bar during the day and night.“Very well,” he said with a sigh. “But you’re out at the first sign of trouble.”“Fine.”Larissa had already left us to explore the caravans. I followed after her, leaving Microdick Don staring at our backs. Seriously, shifter society was much like the wild. Little creatures that ate chickens and rodents didn’t turn predator over wolves. He was lucky we hadn’t paired up and kicked his ass.It was a Volkswagen campervan, which had been groov
“Just be grateful our camper van is magically soundproofed,” I muttered.It was dark outside, with the only source of illumination coming from a pair of spotlights that had turned on a second after we’d stepped out of our temporary home. Coyote Willy’s back door opened, and Don strolled out, dressed in a burgundy velvet jacket with black cuffs.“You two stand at the door.” He pointed from Larissa to me as though trying to make it clear that he was talking to us. “Your job is to make people think twice about going to Coyote Wicked.”I scowled. “Steal their customers, you mean?”“It’s not like you’re going through their doors and dragging people into mine,” Don muttered. “Are you going to work, or will you give up the best accommodation in Shifter City?”“We’ll go.” Larissa grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the oversized weasel.Some might think it was strange to care about petty business tactics when I’d murdered someone, but Gerrison and Dad had brought me up to be hon
The moment Griff stepped toward me, a gentle breeze filled my nostrils with his masculine scent that triggered the memory of his lips, his arms, his touch. My breath stilled with the sensation of being clenched by a giant fist, as did every muscle in my body. Blood roared between my ears, punctuated by the frantic thud of my pulse.I was lost in his sparkling amber eyes, hypnotized by his smile, frozen in shock at his presence.“Hey,” Larissa whispered under her breath.My wolf threw herself at our bond. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to shift, trying to leap out from our combined soul, or trying to urge me into action. It didn’t matter because I had frozen.The emotions I’d felt from the night of his betrayal overwhelmed my senses. The initial love and excitement and anticipation that came from seeing my mate, followed by the shock of what he had done. I was still stuck at that level of numbness when the real Griff strutted toward us with a dazzling grin.“G
“Well, well, well,” he shouted over the infernal music. “Have you come to party?”Larissa placed her hands on her hips. “Only if you’re asking me to dance.”He swept an arm around her middle and pulled her into his larger body. “Let’s see how well you grind.”I was only vaguely aware of what they were doing because my gaze scanned the room for signs of Griff. He wasn’t at the bar, nor was he sitting at any of the booths. Leaving Larissa with Moongazer, I walked across Coyote Willy’s bottom floor toward a set of stairs that led to the mezzanine. Maybe there was a VIP area up there.Don had mentioned serving brunch, so it would make sense that there would be more tables and chairs than just the booths. I took the steps two at a time until I reached the stop and confirmed my suspicions. This upper level was more of a restaurant, but none of the people sitting at the table were Griff.“What are you doing?” a large hand grabbed my wrist.I turned to stare into Don’s furious eyes and snatched
“Let go of me, you bastard.” I shoved against his shoulder with my left hand, trying to dislodge his grip, but he was too strong.My jaw clenched. In my old body, we would have fought each other evenly, but this new body was only six feet tall and lacked the bulk required to shove a large wolf on his ass.Griff gazed down at me, the light reflecting on the golden flecks in his irises. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”The words awakened every stupid butterfly in my stomach. They took flight and fluttered against my heart.“Cath—” I clamped my mouth shut. Shit, I’d almost revealed my identity. “Katie”“Well, Katie,” he said in a voice that rolled across my nerves like thunder. “I can’t have you beating up the members of my pack.”Relief swept through me like a breeze, and I exhaled a sharp breath. But it was too early to feel relaxed. Not when the man I hated even more than any sadistic demon stood within the range of a head butt.Griff raised his brows as though prompting me to speak. “They g
As Griff stepped out of the door, the disk jockey turned on the music, but the bar wasn’t the same without the rowdy Hellfire pack. Larissa rushed past me toward the exit. I stared at her back, not knowing whether or not to chase after her.It was probably best that I didn’t. At least not tonight. I’d incited Griff’s hunting instinct, and rushing outside to watch him surrounded by a crowd of women was the best way to make him think I was one to discard.Don advanced me, his beady eyes glinting with fury. “You were supposed to do one thing.” He held up a trembling finger. “Not only have you failed to attract patrons, but you’ve driven away half my customers.”“Should I have sat back and let them beat my friend to a pulp?”He bared his teeth, perhaps stopping himself from hissing an answer.Don’s broad chest rose and fell like bellows, and the veins on his temple stood out like bolts of lightning. “Do you know what faeries do to people who can’t pay their exorbitant interest rates?”My st
The footsteps paused.“Good evening, ladies,” he said.“Are you going to do anything about those girls who ganged up on me?” Larissa asked.“I reprimanded them,” Griff replied. “The Hellfire Pack is about uniting wolves, not tearing ourselves apart.”I snorted.“Do you have something to say?”Blinking, I turned my gaze to Griff, and held my features in a mask of boredom. Griff looked at me, his gaze penetrating. I’d seen that expression before. It had appeared earlier on in our ill-fated relationship, when he’d tried to work out my psyche like the Supernatural Times crossword puzzle.“Oh, I thought you were someone else.” I glanced over his shoulder, acting as though I found the sight of elephant shifters at the door of Coyote Wicked fascinating.“That’s what you’ve got to say to a man you kicked in the balls?”My gaze turned back to him. “That was you?” “Have we met before?” he asked with a frown.“Hard to tell,” I drawled. “There isn’t much to make you different from the average wolf