“It’s the truth.” I continued down the road.“What happened between you and Franklin?” she asked. “None of your bloody business,” I snapped.“Come on,” she said with a whine. “A few more details might be helpful.”“I already told you how to stay in the Living World for longer,” I said with a snarl.“What do you mean?”My jaw clenched, and I picked up my pace, leaving Larissa trailing behind. If she hadn’t been so quick to mock my appearance, or laugh along with Ruby and Marianna, I might have broken things down for her, but I wasn’t feeling so generous. Griff was the ultimate user and a world-class actor capable of shifting his personality to get what he wanted. The moment he took it, the mask dropped, leaving you staring into the face of the devil.Blood roared between my ears as I strode toward the Georgian-style buildings in the distance that bordered what used to be called Logris. I had known what Griff was the moment he had strutted up to me, wearing that three-piece suit with th
That was Boris Moongazer, Griff’s beta and another escapee from Hell.Before I could tell him that Larissa had made a mistake, he sped down the road and toward the marquee’s entrance, leaving me gaping at his taillights. We’d just missed a perfect opportunity to enter the wards because I’d dismissed the guy as a pimp.I turned to Larissa and snarled. “Do you know who that was?”She gave me a silent nod, her features grim.“Why didn’t you give me a nudge, so I could do the talking?” I hissed.Her eyes narrowed into little slits, and the corner of her lip curled. “You treat me like I’m stupid.”My lips tightened. How else could one describe a person who verbally attacked another just because she could? She had seen me choke Marianna to submission yet had tried to assert her dominance, knowing she couldn’t match me in strength. Of course I thought she was daft.With great beauty came great benefits. Even when you were young. Teachers were kinder. Shopkeepers were more generous. Paren
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