Not only did she hate leeches, but she knew that, in contrast, she must look like crap. She was still wearing the same robe that she had been given in the dungeons beneath the mer-folk castle. Oh, she’d washed it, but it was threadbare and stained and should have been burned weeks ago. Plus she hadn’t brushed her hair since…Hell, she didn’t even know.

  Long ago, her hair, the color of crimson, had been her pride and joy. She’d brushed the fiery curls until they tumbled down her back like a river of fire. Now she could barely bother to eat, let alone worry about the sheen of her hair.

  Silently cursing at her stupid distraction, Brigette turned her attention to the vampire’s companion.

  A male Were.

  Surprise, surprise. There might have been an uneasy truce established between the vamps and the pureblood Weres, but as far as she knew, it was rare for either species to tolerate each other, let alone willingly work together.

  Her gaze skimmed over the male. He was large, with a shaved head that was currently coated with a fine mist. His body was bulked with muscles that strained against his flannel shirt and jeans. He had on a pair of hiking boots that crunched loudly against the stony ground, and she could catch the scent of metal. He was carrying a gun. Maybe more than one.

  It was hard to make out his features in the thick fog that shrouded the area, but she sensed that he was younger than her. She also sensed that he didn’t possess her strength. Not unless he shifted into his wolf, something she didn’t intend to allow.

  Coiling her muscles, Brigette soared through the air, landing in front of the Were. The male snarled, but before he could react, Brigette had her silver dagger pressed over his heart.

  “If you so much as twitch, I’ll slice open your heart,” she warned.

  The male stiffened, his eyes smoldering with a golden fire as his musk blasted through the air.

  “Careful, female,” he snarled, baring his teeth, “or I’ll take a bite out of you.”

  She pressed the knife hard enough to slice through the flannel shirt and draw blood. “You wanna make this into a pissing contest, bruh?”

  “Don’t mind him. He’s an idiot,” an icy female voice drawled.

  Brigette glanced toward the leech, careful to keep the knife poised to strike the killing blow.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Maryam.” The female pointed toward her companion. “And this is Roban.”

  “A pureblooded Were and a vamp traveling together.” A humorless smile curved Brigette’s lips. “Has hell frozen over?”

  Maryam’s pale, beautiful face was set in grim lines. “Not yet, but it’s coming.”

  “Really?” Brigette shrugged. “I didn’t get the memo.”

  “I’m here to deliver it in person.”

  “Lucky me.”

  Maryam glanced toward the Were. “Can you release Roban? He’s bleeding all over the place.”

  Brigette glanced toward the male, realizing she’d stuck the knife in deeper that she’d thought. The wound wasn’t going to permanently injure him, but the silver in the blade kept him from healing. Which meant that the blood continued to seep through his shirt and dribble down his jeans. And, as a bonus, the silver would keep the Were from shifting into his wolf form.

  “I could.” She glanced back at the leech. “I won’t, but I could.”

  “Even if I assure you that we come in peace?”

  Brigette snorted. The leech sounded like a character from a cheesy horror film. “Especially if you assure me you come in peace.” She pressed the knife a quarter of an inch deeper. The Were grunted in pain, droplets of sweat joining the mist coating his bald head. Brigette wrinkled her nose. He was all moist, and not in a good way. “I’m not asking again. Why are you here?”

  Something flashed through the female’s icy blue eyes. Probably fury, maybe heartburn. No. The Were was the one with heartburn. The leech was definitely furious.

  Still, Maryam made a commendable effort to control her emotions. “I was looking for you.”

  Brigette scowled. There’d been a few brave souls who’d come to the remote village after she’d returned Chaaya and Basq back to Vegas, along with Levet to the mer-folk castle. She didn’t know if they were there to pin a medal on her chest or chop off her head. And she wasn’t going to stick around and find out.

  This time, however, she was curious. She wanted to know why this odd couple had invaded her home.

  “Did Ulric send you?” she asked.

  “No. Although, your cousin is the reason I decided to make you an offer,” Maryam told her.

  Brigette narrowed her eyes. “Is it one I can’t refuse?”

  The vamp shook her head. “Nothing so dramatic.”

  “What’s the offer?”

  Maryam glanced toward the Were, who grimaced before nodding his head in some sort of silent agreement. The vampire turned her attention back to Brigette.

  “I belong to Chiron’s clan,” she revealed.

  “You’re a Rebel?”

  “Yes. I traveled with Chiron and Ulric after we were banished by the former Anasso,” Maryam told her. “I considered them my family.”

  Chiron was a vampire who owned Dreamscape Resorts, a successful chain of human casinos around the world. He’d also taken over a clan of vampires who had been banished by the former Anasso when their leader, Tarak, had disappeared. Tarak had recently escaped his prison, and there was a new Anasso, and supposedly they’d all come together in one big kumbaya moment.

  Ulric was Brigette’s cousin who’d been taken by the goblin raiders that Brigette had led to the village and sold into captivity by the former Anasso. Chiron had rescued him, and they’d formed an unbreakable bond that had lasted the past five hundred years.

  The fact that Maryam was a Rebel, however, did nothing to ease her suspicion. If anything, it intensified her distrust. Ulric had more reason than anyone else in the world to want her dead.

  Ah, families…so much fun.

  “Is there a point to this?” Brigette drawled. “Or are we just reminiscing about the good old days? I’ll warn you, my good old days included lots of blood and screaming.”

  “I want you to know that I consider Ulric my friend.”

  “Good for you. He blames me for destroying our pack, so if that’s all—”

  “For centuries, the Rebels enjoyed the freedom to live as we please,” Maryam overrode Brigette’s words. “We didn’t have a king, and we didn’t need one.”

  Brigette rolled her eyes. A part of her had followed the intruders with the hope they might provide some entertainment. There was only so long a poor female Were could brood alone in the wilderness.

  “That’s your point?” Brigette didn’t have to pretend her disappointment.

  “In part.”

  “I’m rapidly getting bored.” Brigette tightened her fingers on the hilt of the dagger. “And when I’m bored, things die.”

  The Were growled, and Maryam hastily lifted her hand in a gesture urging restraint. “You asked me to explain why I’m here. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

  Brigette was pleased that the two obviously took her warning seriously. They should. She would kill Roban without a second thought.

  “You’re not explaining very well,” she warned.

  There was a distinct chill in the air, and a hint of fang, as Maryam struggled to contain her irritation.

  “As I said, we were all doing fine without a king, and then Chiron betrayed us.”

  Brigette arched a brow. “Betrayed?”

  “He bent his knee to the new Anasso.”

  There was a bite in the female’s tone. As if Chiron had slaughtered babies instead of simply acknowledging Styx as the King of the Vampires.

  “So?”

  “We’re now under the yoke of a power-hungry despot.”

  Brigette released a startled laugh. “Power-hungry despot? That’s a little drama queen, don’t you think?”

  The air went from chilly to frigid. Maryam obviously didn’t find any humor in her tragic overreaction.

  “It’s the truth.” Her tone was stiff. “I have proof that Styx is plotting to enslave the Rebels.”

  Brigette frowned. Over the past centuries, she’d been more or less trapped by the evil Beast who’d threatened to destroy the world. But there had been times when she’d traveled away from her village. And in all those times, she’d never heard anything that would imply that the new Anasso was evil.

  Indeed, most of the demon-world had celebrated when the old king had perished and Styx had taken the throne.

  “Why would he do that?” Brigette demanded in genuine confusion.

  “To punish us.”

  “Punish you for what?”

  “For being rebels.”

  “Hmm.” Styx could have punished the rebels the moment he’d become the Anasso, so why wait? She kept the question to herself. Instead, she turned her attention to Roban. “Why are you here?”

  He bared his teeth, but she still had the silver dagger stuck in the center of his chest. “Because we’ve also discovered a plot to enslave the Weres,” he grudgingly answered.

  “That’s a lot of enslaving.”

  The blue in Maryam’s eyes frosted over. “It’s been done before.”

  The leech had a point, Brigette silently acknowledged. Throughout the endless years, there had been countless tyrants who’d used their powers for evil. Including her former mistress.

  Still, it all seemed sketchy to Brigette. “Where’s your proof?”

  “In Chicago.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Join us, and I’ll show you.” Maryam stepped closer, holding out a hand. “I swear no harm will come to you.”

  Brigette growled. It didn’t matter that her wolf had turned its back on her. She could still do serious damage. Maryam froze before slowly and deliberately taking a step back.

  Smart leech.

  “What do you want from me?” Brigette demanded.

  “There are rumors you have the power to defeat even the Anasso.”

  Ah. Brigette felt a ridiculous pang of disappointment. She didn’t know why. The only reason anyone could possibly seek her out was to kill her, or in the hope they could use her evil powers.

  Powers that she no longer possessed.

  Brigette struggled to keep her expression calm. “Presuming the rumors are true, why would I use my powers to defeat the King of the Vampires?”

  It was Roban who answered. “He intends to return the Weres to our prison camp in Italy. We nearly became extinct the last time we were trapped.”

  Brigette stifled a yawn. “And?”

  The green eyes once again smoldered with the golden power of his wolf. “You don’t care about your people?”

  Envy seeped through her like poison. Christ, she missed her animal.

  “I massacred my own family. What do you think?” she snapped, preparing to carve out the male’s heart.

  Chapter 2

  “Brigette, don’t,” Maryam protested, genuine fear in her voice.

  In contrast, the male merely glared at her, refusing to react to the dagger that was a breath from puncturing his heart.

  “I told you this was a waste of our time, Maryam.”

  “It was worth trying.” A tight smile curved the female’s mouth. “I’m sorry you won’t join us,” she told Brigette. “If you’ll release Roban, we’ll leave, and you can return to…” She waved a hand around the village, which was grindingly bleak. “Whatever you were doing before we interrupted you.”

  If the leech had threatened her or physically tried to rescue the Were, Brigette would have destroyed them both. End of story. Instead, she found herself plucking the knife out of the male’s heart and stepping back. She half-expected the two to attack her; instead, they turned and started to walk away.

  Just like that.

  Brigette scowled. She should let them go. She had no interest in their crazy fear that Styx was trying to enslave them. As long as people left her alone, the world could go to hell, right?

  Besides, she couldn’t give them what they wanted. Once the evil Beast had been locked back in her dimension, the dark powers had been stripped from Brigette. Now she was just a Were who couldn’t call on her wolf.

  Worthless.

  “Wait!” she called out.

  Maryam halted, glancing over her shoulder. “What?”

  Brigette hesitated. She felt as if she was poised on the edge of a knife. Or maybe standing at a crossroads. One decision would turn her life in a different direction. So far, her decisions had been utterly shitty. The first had caused the destruction of her family. The second had left her alone in this grim, desolate place.

  Ah, well. A wry smile twisted her lips. Three times was the charm, wasn’t it?

  “What’s in it for me?” she demanded.

  Maryam slowly turned to face her. “What do you want?”

  “What I’ve always wanted. Power,” Brigette admitted.

  Maryam studied her with a narrowed gaze. “Your own pack?”

  “Yes.” Brigette smiled as Roban whirled around with a snarl of disbelief. “And money,” she added. “Lots of money.”

  The leech nodded, ignoring her companion, who did nothing to hide his gut-deep disgust with Brigette.

  “That can be arranged,” the female promised.

  “I want it up front.”

  Maryam gave a lift of one shoulder. “You have to wait until we get to Chicago.”

  “If this is a trick…”

  “It isn’t,” Maryam interrupted Brigette’s warning, holding up a slender hand. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

  “Oh, you’ll be hoping to die if you double-cross me.” Brigette strolled forward to join them, blowing a kiss toward the snarling Were. “That’s my promise to you.”

  * * * *

  It took Levet a full hour to at last track down the Queen of the Mer-folk. The castle beneath the ocean was surprisingly large, but that wasn’t the reason it was so difficult to find Inga. It was because she wasn’t like a traditional queen.

  She hated sitting on the massive throne, surrounded by marble and the exquisite murals she’d painted on the walls. Or in her private chambers, which looked like they’d been decorated by the architect who created Versailles. Only on steroids. Massive amounts of steroids.

  Perhaps it was because Inga hadn’t been raised to become the ruler of the mer-folk. She hadn’t even known she was a mer-folk. She’d taken after her ogre father, with a large body that stood over six foot and was broad enough to plow through a horde of trolls. Her hair was red and grew in amazing tufts that refused to be tamed by a brush. Her teeth were pointed and her brow heavy. Only her eyes spoke of her mermaid mother. They were a pale blue, although they had a tendency to flash crimson when she was annoyed.

  Which was most of the time.

  Or perhaps it was because the mer-folk still hadn’t fully accepted her as their leader. Unlike many other demon societies, the throne wasn’t passed down from the mer-folk king to one of his children. It was the large trident that Inga was clutching in her hand that chose the current leader. The magic of the Tryshu not only revealed the king or queen; it also possessed the power to make the leader invincible. At least until it decided to choose a different leader.

  The mer-folk were stuck with Inga, but they didn’t have to like it. And there were many in the castle who enjoyed causing trouble for the current queen.

  Following her scent into the weapons room, next to the dungeons at the very bottom of the castle, Levet waddled across the bedrock. Around him, a hundred tridents, shields, and armor made out of strange iridescent fish scales were stacked against the wall or hanging from the low ceiling. It wasn’t until he passed through a narrow door, however, that he at last found his quarry.

  “There you are, ma belle.”

  Inga whirled around, the blousy material of her tie-dyed muumuu floating around her like a psychedelic tent.

  “Oh. Levet.” A relieved smile.

  Levet would usually assume the smile was because she was pleased to see him. Granted, there were a few odd creatures who didn’t appreciate a three-foot gargoyle with dazzling fairy wings and stunted horns, but overall the females adored him. And why not? He was charming, his magic was awesome, and he was a knight in shining armor who spent his nights saving the world from disaster.

  All in all, an amazing creature.

  But he sensed Inga’s smile was simply relief that he wasn’t one of the mer-folk. He stepped farther into the cramped space, which was more a closet than an actual room. “Are you hiding again?”

  A flush crawled beneath Inga’s cheeks. “Hiding? Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed, using the Tryshu to point toward the nearby shelves. Levet ducked, nearly knocked in the head by the butt of the massive trident. “I’m doing an inventory of our weapons.”

  Levet wrinkled his brow. “Is that not Rimm’s job? He is the captain of your guards.”

  “He’s in charge of the regular weapons, but I have turned this closet into a vault to hold Riven’s collection.”

  “Ah.” Riven had been the former king, who’d used a magical artifact to trick the Tryshu into naming him leader so he could rule with an iron fist. He’d been a collector of powerful magic. Most of it evil. “I thought your mother was studying them?”

  “She has gone to speak with the ogres.”

  Levet widened his eyes. The ogres had not only killed Inga’s father, but they’d tried to murder Inga when she was just a baby.

  “After what they did?”

  Inga shrugged, although her eyes flashed crimson. “The ogres seem to think that my blood means I’ll be willing to give them a favorable trade deal.”

  “Trade for what?”

  “Pearls, mainly.”

  Levet snorted. He’d never liked ogres. He liked them even less after he’d discovered how they’d hurt Inga.