Wolves & Monsters Read online

  With a sigh, I stuffed Magnus's wallet into my jeans pocket. It only fit halfway in. Fucking women's jeans. Grumbling, I moved it to my back pocket then walked toward the door. I had several single, male neighbors who might be enough muscle to get a body into the trunk of my car.

  Knocking on a door, I held my breath and hoped that I still remembered how to use my magic well enough to get this done.

  Todd, an investment banker with a boner for cross fit gyms, answered the door. His sleepy, annoyed look melted into a flirty smile when he saw me. He was single, but I'd seen him bring home the occasional bar conquest and he'd certainly flirted with me every chance he had. I wanted to roll my eyes at the expectant grin on his cocky face, but I held back, inwardly complimenting myself for politely declining his past advances.

  So far, I hadn't even turned on the magic. This might be easier than I thought.

  "Hey, girl," Todd said. "What can I do for you on this beautiful Saturday morning? Run out of coffee? Need a little cream?"

  Ew. I tried to turn my cringe into a smile. "Actually," I batted my eyelashes, "I was wondering if I could borrow you for a little while. I need a big, strong man to help with something."

  He lifted an eyebrow.

  Shit. I'd gone a bit too far. He was questioning me. I leaned forward, showing off the cleavage that was clearly visible in my tank top.

  The slight surprise in his expression vanished. "Lead the way."

  "Thanks," I said, throwing some magic behind the word. I was out of practice and didn't want to stun him into submission so I used caution. I needed him to follow me and help me without question, then leave the experience thinking all he'd done was fuck his neighbor chick. If I used too much magic, he'd turn into a blabbering idiot with a raging hard on. Nobody wants to see that.

  I opened my door and held it while he walked in.

  "Nice place you have here," Todd said. "I'm surprised it took you this long to invite me over."

  "I'm a little shy," I said, channeling my siren charms just below the surface. The magic buzzed through my chest and under my skin, a warm comforting feeling. Being a siren meant that I always had some magic behind my words, but it usually came across as being super charismatic. Most people did what I asked, but some would resist. When I turned it on, humans were powerless.

  I could already see Todd's eyes glazing over a little. "I'll be gentle."

  I'm sure you would. Sex with Todd was probably nothing but vanilla. Missionary position and thrusting while he grunted over you. Hard pass. "Before we get there, can you help me clean up a little? There's a package on my bed that needs to get out to my car. I want to make sure we have enough space if you know what I mean."

  "You got it," Todd said, already heading toward the bedroom.

  "You know how it goes, purging all the things that don't spark joy and all that." I sent more magic his way, hoping I wasn't overdoing it.

  "There's a lot of that going around lately," he said.

  I followed him into the room.

  "This old thing?" Todd asked, gesturing to Magnus.

  "Yep." Blood rushed in my ears, making it hard to focus. Was I actually having a man help me stash a dead body?

  Todd leaned down and started to slide his arms right under the body.

  "Hold on," I said. "Why don't we wrap it in the comforter so it's easier to carry?" I asked.

  "Great." Todd quickly wrapped Magnus in the comforter, then lifted the dead body burrito over his shoulder with a grunt. "I'll follow you."

  "Awesome." I walked to the doorway, feeling a twinge of guilt as Todd followed me.

  Growing up, my mom had required I hide my magic. So, of course, I went through a rebellious phase as a teenager where I'd tested my limits with magic. I'd made men do all sorts of things I shouldn't have. But this was the first time I'd asked one to help me dispose of a body.

  "So tell me," Todd said as we waited for the elevator to descend. "You into any kink I should know about? I mean, I can go with the flow."

  My eyebrows lifted in surprise. Maybe Todd wasn't as vanilla as I suspected. A sly smirk spread across my lips. Don't say it. Don't say it. Oh, how I wanted to fuck with him, make up some kink that would make his jaw drop. But wasn't it bad enough that I was already making him take a body to my trunk?

  He leaned in. "I won't tell."

  I couldn't resist. "Butt stuff."

  His jaw dropped.

  I bit down on my cheek to keep from laughing. I really shouldn't play with him. I had no interest in butt stuff, but I knew it would push him over the edge.

  I could feel his body heat rising and smell his heightened sense of arousal. I shouldn't have said that, but something about dusting off my magic made me want to play.

  The elevator stopped at the basement level and dinged. I stepped out before Todd could ask a follow up question. "This way."

  He grunted as he caught up to me, probably adjusting the position of the Magnus burrito.

  Thankfully, I was parked close to the elevator. I walked most everywhere and only used my car when the weather wasn't suited to walking the four blocks to my office. I clicked the button on my key fob to unlock the truck and the lights flashed.

  Todd stopped in front of my car, his glazed over expression and slightly unfocused eyes were glued to my chest.

  I sighed and opened the trunk. "In here."

  He dumped the body and the comforter slipped. I yelped at the lifeless eyes that stared back up at me. His body had taken on a sickly blue tint, the veins in his face showing through his pale skin. His lips looked purple and his eyes were glassy.

  "What the?" Todd's brow furrowed.

  I touched his shoulder lightly, sending a rush of magic into him directly. "It's nothing, just an old comforter that I'm donating. Thank you for helping me carry it to my trunk."

  Todd pulled the comforter over the dead face. "Speaking of trunks..."

  I rolled my eyes, then caught myself and forced a plastic smile on my face. "Oh there will be time for that."

  Quickly, I closed the trunk and locked it. Taking Todd by the elbow, I led him back to the elevator. A tent had already formed in his pants. Poor Todd. He wasn't getting any today, that was for sure. I couldn't handle another dead body today. Besides, Todd had helped me out. And while he wasn't the best representation of a quality human being, he wasn't half bad. I'd encountered worse.

  As soon as the elevator doors closed, he pressed his lips against mine. My eyes widened in surprise. I'd lost control and he'd broken through, letting lust take over.

  After pushing him away, I kept my palm on his chest, while I let my other hand rest on his waistband. "Hey, hey, cowboy. Slow down. I don't want you to run out of steam before we even get started."

  "I don't know if I can wait," he said through heaving panting. "I need you. I've never felt this way about anyone. I have to have you."

  Shit. I'd used too much magic on the poor bastard. He was beyond the lust stage and moved right into the madly in love phase. This was the point where the sailors in the old stories would throw themselves into the sea just to be with the sirens singing their song. There was only one cure for this. He needed release. But I knew if I fucked him, I'd be adding to my body count. That could not happen.

  Four

  Angie

  I caught his wandering hands and pulled them off of my breasts. I had to find a way for him to break this. He needed to hook up with someone and I needed to buy myself some time.

  "I know, baby. I need you too. But it's our first time. It has to be special. Don't you want to make me happy?" I purred, throwing a touch of magic behind my words. I had to be careful. Too much more and I'd risk driving him mad permanently.

  The elevator dinged and I quickly grabbed Todd's hand and pulled him out to our floor.

  He pressed himself against me, his erection unmistakable against my hip. He moaned as he rubbed himself against me.

  "You want kink?" I asked.

  "I want whatever you got,
" he said.

  Feeling guilty, I let him lead me to his apartment. As soon as we stepped through the door, he stripped off his clothes, then went for mine, clawing and tugging at any fabric he could get a hold of.

  "Wait," I said, doing my best to slow him down. He was stronger than me and while I could use my magic to stop him, I was trying not to cause him permanent damage. "I want to call the shots here and you're going to like it."

  He stopped clawing at my clothes and a wide grin spread across his lips. "Yes, mistress."

  Of course he's into this. "You, on the bed, now." I did my best to act the part even though this was new territory for me. You would think that as a siren, I'd be more of a Dom than a Sub, but I sort of liked it when my partners took charge. Though, I had to admit, this was a little bit fun.

  Todd scrambled to his bedroom and jumped up on to the bed and sat on his knees, waiting.

  "Lay down," I said.

  He did.

  "On your stomach," I said.

  "When you said butt stuff, I have to admit, I thought you meant your butt," he said, sounding a little nervous.

  "Did I give you permission to speak?" I was having way too much fun with this.

  He rolled over onto his stomach.

  Quickly, I opened his closet and grabbed all his neckties. Then, I got to work binding his wrists to the bed post. "Hold still."

  "You are so much kinkier than I expected," he said. "It's always the quiet ones isn't it?"

  I slapped his ass. "Don't speak."

  I could feel his arousal growing. Dude was into this. The world had all types, right? I finished knotting the ties around his wrists. "Wait here. I need to get something from my place."

  "Yes, mistress."

  As soon as I left the room, exhaustion, guilt, and shame rolled over me. I'd used my magic to convince this guy to help me and now I've left him tied up and unsatisfied in his apartment. I really, really hoped my plan was going to work.

  Cautiously, I knocked on the door across from Todd's apartment.

  After moment from behind the peephole, the door opened. "Yes?"

  "Hi, Jackie," I said, turning on the magic. "I was over at Todd's and we were - you know - and he said your name instead of mine."

  Jackie should be a cougar. She's gorgeous and single, but painfully shy. I'd often noticed a spark between her and Todd, but it hadn't been my business so I left it be. Besides, I wasn't a matchmaker. I could, however, convince people to do things. It didn't work as well on women as it did on men for some reason, but I had pull with them. Especially if it was something they already wanted. Some women just needed that external push to help them go for the thing they were denying themselves. "He's in his room. He's waiting for you."

  Her eyebrow lifted. "Are you serious right now?"

  "Deadly," I said. "Let's face it, you want him. He wants you. What's so wrong with succumbing to our biological urges?" I dragged my index finger down my cleavage, drawing attention to my breasts as I put a little magic behind the words. It was a trick that always worked on human men. I wasn't sure if it would work on a woman.

  Jackie swallowed as her eyes lingered on my chest. Finally, she looked back up at me and even without the ability to feel her arousal, I would be able to see it from the flush in her cheeks.

  "Be quiet when you go in," I said. "And push him around a little. He's into that."

  She didn't say a word, but she closed her door behind her and walked right past me to Todd's open door.

  I held my breath until she closed the door. Then, I tiptoed over and pressed my ear against the door. It didn't take long before I heard confirmation that Todd and Jackie were getting it on.

  I blew out a breath of relief. When they were finished, Todd wouldn't remember a thing about his interlude with me and he wouldn't be in love with me anymore. A little twinge of guilt pulled in my gut at dragging Jackie into all this. But let's face it, everyone deserved some action every once in a while.

  I frowned at the thought. Everyone except me. Because unlike most people, my partners ended up dead. And that wasn't good for anyone involved.

  With a sigh, I walked back to my apartment to pack a bag. I'd give myself ten minutes. Then, I was officially on the run again. Only this time, I was going back to the place I'd left behind.

  My stomach twisted into knots. This was quite possibly the worst idea I'd ever had, but I was out of options. A dead Shadow Club member wasn't something I could handle on my own. And since my mother had left the supe community and raised me in the human suburbs, my ex was the only one I knew who wasn't human.

  Hoisting my backpack over my shoulders, I took one last look at my apartment. I was going to miss the view of the city and the excellent selection of takeout food that I could get delivered. I was even going to miss my job and the too high heels I wore to work.

  In my old jeans and hoodie with my hair pulled up in a ponytail, I felt like I never fit in here in the first place. I should have known it was too good to last. It didn't matter that I spent every night alone. I'd had it good here.

  Sex ruined everything.

  Five

  Angie

  I'd only been driving for twelve hours and the smell was starting to get to me. Every time I stopped for gas, I picked up more hanging air freshness. They were all sitting on the back seat but it wasn't helping. This was why you weren't supposed to transport dead bodies across two state lines.

  I stared at the GPS on my phone. ETA, ten hours. I cracked the window and kept driving. I had to get there before I lost my nerve or before I got randomly pulled over. It was possible I could charm my way out of a search, even with the smell, if the cop were human. But if I were pulled over by a supe, I'd be screwed. And you'd be surprised to find out how many of us there were working in law enforcement. The worst part was you never knew whose payroll they were on.

  I was still relatively new to the idea of supernatural politics. I knew there were groups feuding with other groups and different clans with different laws. They lived hidden in the human world, paying who they needed to or killing who they needed to so they could do as they wished. Since I'd grown up playing at being human, I was never taught this stuff. My mom married a human guy and she still participated in the women's luncheons and DAR shit she tried to force on me when I was a teenager. I might not have my life together, but at least I'm not pretending I'm interested in human shit. Or was I?

  Fuck. I'd hidden out in a human city and taken a human job. I stopped using magic. I was turning into my mother.

  With a renewed fervor, I slammed the steering wheel, telling myself I was doing the right thing.

  Maybe this was good. Maybe I needed to be broken of my bad habits and find a way to get in touch with my inner supernatural self.

  Or maybe my ex would kick me to the curb the second he saw me.

  Or call the cops on me and turn me in.

  I didn't have time to worry about that. I had a rotting corpse in my trunk and was more than halfway to Crescent Falls. There was no turning back now. I had no way of hiding a body. I knew if I dumped him on the side of the road, the mages who claimed him could probably do some kind of spell to find me. My only hope was some sympathy from the pack. I was rightfully and truly fucked.

  Werewolves were, by nature, not forgiving. They were also ride or die for their friends. And I'd walked out on the pack master of Crescent Falls. It was a tiny mountain town that was only busy during tourist season when the little stores selling fudge and homemade soap hawked their wares to the upper class morons with too much disposable income. I mean, I watched them pay twelve dollars for each bar of soap. If Minnie, the little old lady who ran the soap shop started up the subscription box thing as I’d suggested, she was probably rolling in the cash by now.

  I cringed as I recalled the boozy brunches and laid back summer festivals with the locals I'd come to love nearly as much as the pack leader. I hadn't just left him, I'd left all of them. And Minnie might be a sweet old lady on the outsid
e, but I knew there was more to her than she let on.

  I didn't want to think about all the collateral damage I'd left behind. I'd been a dumb kid when I arrived there. Chasing stories about sirens who lived near the streams and shifters who hid in the woods. I wanted to learn more about magic and the community I thought I should belong to.

  Turned out, the whole town was inhabited by supernaturals and they weren't all that different than my mom. Though, I did learn more from my year living and working in the brewery than I ever did from my mom. While the people who lived there might come across as normal, they had no qualms about sharing stories about magic and our heritage. Plus, the full moon parties were a hell of a lot of fun for a twenty-two year old.

  It was at one of those parties, actually held the night before the full moon, where I'd met Jason. He was the stuff of wet dreams. Six foot three, long dark hair, an ever present five o'clock shadow and muscles that belonged on a movie screen. He was wasted in that little town. He deserved so much more than running his family's auto shop. But he was loyal. And like his father before him, he gained the title of pack master the summer before we met.

  My feelings for Jason were fierce and terrifying. I'd never been drawn in to anyone the way he called to me. It was magnetic and all encompassing. For months, I tried to avoid him, sure he was a siren using magic on me. I mean, we aren't supposed to be able to do that to each other, but my attraction to him was that powerful. When I found out he was a werewolf, I nearly cried in relief. It wasn't magic, it was real.

  I shook my head, trying to clear the memories. If I was going to do this, I had to detach from him. I couldn't let him back into my heart.

  I fiddled with the radio, trying to find a station that wasn't static as I drove through the middle of nowhere. I'd be in a city soon, then I could grab a cheeseburger and more gas. Then, I'd have another stretch of nothing until I got over the pass and into Jason's town. Shit. I was letting him get to me.