and a mother-load of dog biscuits—the beef and vitamin fortified kind. Yum. Jill really hoped that dog biscuit stew wasn’t in the immediate future.
Real affection and yeah, love, bubbled up in her. Both Uncas and Merc disdained dog food. Her boys could be real prima-donnas sometimes. Usually, she or the dogs found normal, non-magical, small game for dinner. In fact, her favorite place was curled between the dogs’ warm bodies in the middle of the night. It was the only time Jill felt truly safe anymore.
She’d come a long way from the sophisticated, latte-loving Fort Worth legal aid, who enjoyed the perks of sleeping with the boss. Survival was survival, Jill told herself. Though now, in brief moments of retrospect, she didn’t like the shallow self-serving bitch she’d been.
Merc whined again. She felt the pitt’s uneasiness as a soft touch on the ankle, a good clue that it was time to pay attention and get moving again. Jill hefted the bat once more. Guns made noise and needed a steady supply of ammunition. Tasers needed recharging and the only electricity around was in the human enslaved cities. Pepper spray eventually ran out or plain pissed off most supernatural things.
“Well, hello pretty.” The voice froze her in her tracks. Merc crouched and growled low, focused intently on the human-looking man appearing in the doorway. Quickly, Jill shut down the spurt of fear and averted her eyes from his.
She ran through the list of possibilities. Pointy ears, pale skin, insanely pretty with long platinum hair and sharp features . Either elf or vampire.
He tilted his head, ignoring Merc as he glided into the room. The leather duster and clothes underneath were very Matrix-esque. The spicy, male scent seemed to seep into her, reminding Jill that she was still woman and aside from two dogs, so very, very alone in the world.
Merc growled again, distracting her.
Jill shook her head and shouldered the bat as she took better stock of the man blocking her exit. Her heart kicked in her chest and New Guy smiled, showing a row of very pointed teeth. His eyes, she realized were dark holes. Not vampire, not elf, but something else. He wasn’t pushing into her space—yet—but she knew better than to rush at unknown creatures.
Her pulse pounded in her veins. Long-dormant hormones curled in her belly.
He smiled, lifting his nose to the air. “Mmmm. Now put down the stick, pretty.” The sound of his voice tugged low in her belly, counterpointed by a burn on her shoulder.
Jill swallowed the simmering desire, feeling the spell, much like the satyrs one had, try to take hold of her. “You’ll like it.” The sexual tug was almost visceral, pulling her foot forward as he extended a pale hand toward her. The bite on her shoulder burned white hot, distracting her from the urge to throw herself at the creature.
Uncas growled at their left. Back up. Touch Merc. Reconnect with us.
Jill obeyed the urge, dropping one hand to the pit bull’s head and shuffling her feet back. She knew better than to engage the monster in conversation. Trading barbs might be fun, but it let some of them into your psyche. Uncas growled again, coming into view and distracting the stranger from his focus on her. It actually hissed at the wolf-dog as Uncas put himself between them. Very real danger suffused the air as Merc moved to flank the other side.
Jill’s hormones surged again, and she dropped the backpack. Lust and fury mingled in her veins. Ok. So this thing had to be a succubus of some kind. No , she remembered that the males were called incubus.
It wasn’t getting the dogs or her. Uncas growled again. Stay back. Do not let it touch you.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” The incubus sneered at Uncas. It flicked its gaze to Merc and laughed. The soulless quality shivered in Jill’s soul. “I had heard that your kind were banding together to keep the last of the fodder for yourselves.” It laughed again. “How pathetic.”
Merc
Real affection and yeah, love, bubbled up in her. Both Uncas and Merc disdained dog food. Her boys could be real prima-donnas sometimes. Usually, she or the dogs found normal, non-magical, small game for dinner. In fact, her favorite place was curled between the dogs’ warm bodies in the middle of the night. It was the only time Jill felt truly safe anymore.
She’d come a long way from the sophisticated, latte-loving Fort Worth legal aid, who enjoyed the perks of sleeping with the boss. Survival was survival, Jill told herself. Though now, in brief moments of retrospect, she didn’t like the shallow self-serving bitch she’d been.
Merc whined again. She felt the pitt’s uneasiness as a soft touch on the ankle, a good clue that it was time to pay attention and get moving again. Jill hefted the bat once more. Guns made noise and needed a steady supply of ammunition. Tasers needed recharging and the only electricity around was in the human enslaved cities. Pepper spray eventually ran out or plain pissed off most supernatural things.
“Well, hello pretty.” The voice froze her in her tracks. Merc crouched and growled low, focused intently on the human-looking man appearing in the doorway. Quickly, Jill shut down the spurt of fear and averted her eyes from his.
She ran through the list of possibilities. Pointy ears, pale skin, insanely pretty with long platinum hair and sharp features . Either elf or vampire.
He tilted his head, ignoring Merc as he glided into the room. The leather duster and clothes underneath were very Matrix-esque. The spicy, male scent seemed to seep into her, reminding Jill that she was still woman and aside from two dogs, so very, very alone in the world.
Merc growled again, distracting her.
Jill shook her head and shouldered the bat as she took better stock of the man blocking her exit. Her heart kicked in her chest and New Guy smiled, showing a row of very pointed teeth. His eyes, she realized were dark holes. Not vampire, not elf, but something else. He wasn’t pushing into her space—yet—but she knew better than to rush at unknown creatures.
Her pulse pounded in her veins. Long-dormant hormones curled in her belly.
He smiled, lifting his nose to the air. “Mmmm. Now put down the stick, pretty.” The sound of his voice tugged low in her belly, counterpointed by a burn on her shoulder.
Jill swallowed the simmering desire, feeling the spell, much like the satyrs one had, try to take hold of her. “You’ll like it.” The sexual tug was almost visceral, pulling her foot forward as he extended a pale hand toward her. The bite on her shoulder burned white hot, distracting her from the urge to throw herself at the creature.
Uncas growled at their left. Back up. Touch Merc. Reconnect with us.
Jill obeyed the urge, dropping one hand to the pit bull’s head and shuffling her feet back. She knew better than to engage the monster in conversation. Trading barbs might be fun, but it let some of them into your psyche. Uncas growled again, coming into view and distracting the stranger from his focus on her. It actually hissed at the wolf-dog as Uncas put himself between them. Very real danger suffused the air as Merc moved to flank the other side.
Jill’s hormones surged again, and she dropped the backpack. Lust and fury mingled in her veins. Ok. So this thing had to be a succubus of some kind. No , she remembered that the males were called incubus.
It wasn’t getting the dogs or her. Uncas growled again. Stay back. Do not let it touch you.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” The incubus sneered at Uncas. It flicked its gaze to Merc and laughed. The soulless quality shivered in Jill’s soul. “I had heard that your kind were banding together to keep the last of the fodder for yourselves.” It laughed again. “How pathetic.”
Merc
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