“How did you...” he whispered, his eyes wide with surprise.

  “Bitch got what she deserved. I hope you made it slow and painful.”

  Zac’s expression was horrified. He’d met his match in her, that was glaringly obvious.

  “Well, thanks for the little chit chat.” Aya smiled brightly. “Paces to go, people to eat. You know how it goes.” And she was gone before he could open his mouth.

  Liz was relieved when Gabby came into the coffeehouse. The previous night was weighing heavily on her and it was all she could do to remain focused on work. Making herself a coffee, she went and sat with her friend in a booth by the window.

  Gabby, seeing Liz was wound up, produced a flask from her bag and handed it to her under the table. Mrs. Greene wouldn’t take too kindly to her staff drinking on the clock and at midday, too. She hadn’t tested how much it took to make her drunk these days, but she assumed it was a lot.

  “To the Irish.” Gabby grinned as Liz dumped the contents of the flask into her coffee.

  “Thanks, Gab. I really need this today,” she said with a sigh, relaxing back into the booth, conscious of the surrounding customers.

  “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t pick up on these things?” She winked. “Besides, with the weird stuff we have to deal with, a little whiskey never goes astray.”

  “Mental is what it is,” Liz groaned. “But we’re in it now, I guess.”

  “Up to the eyeballs.” Gabby leaned closer. “Tomorrow—”

  “I don’t want to think about tomorrow,” she interrupted. “What do you make of her?”

  “Who, Aya?”

  “Yeah.”

  Gabby thought for a moment. “Well, she’s over two thousand years old. That’s gotta screw with your head after a while.”

  Liz groaned, letting her head loll backward. “I don’t want to think about age.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I guess thinking about where I’ll be in two thousand years is a bit of overkill.” Liz laughed at the idea.

  “Well, as for Aya, I believe her, but there’s a lot she’s not saying. I’m not sure if we should be worried or not.”

  “She also implied that Katrin was hunting her as well,” Liz pointed out. “I wonder what she did?”

  “And I wonder how long she’s been hunted,” Gabby added. “Alistair was looking for her, and he was linked to Katrin.”

  “You’re right.” Liz took a gulp of her coffee. “It makes my head hurt.”

  Gabby frowned, her mind having drifted to something else. “What I don’t understand is why she would help my ancestor. Vampires and witches don’t usually get along. I can understand her hunting them, but forging alliances?”

  “You get along with Zac and Sam,” Liz said, “and me.”

  “Yeah, but you guys fight your vampire side. You want to be as human as possible. Aya seems like a force all her own.”

  “She’s not like vampires are meant to be.”

  “No, that’s my point. She’s not like you, she doesn’t hold on to anything that’s human…or doesn’t seem to. She’s holding onto something else,” Gabby said, frustrated. “I just wish I could figure out what.”

  “Maybe she was a witch. Before, I mean,” she offered.

  “No. Witches become ordinary vampires when they’re turned. All connection with any power and earth sense is lost.”

  “How do you know?”

  Gabby smiled. “The grimoire is more than a book of spells and potions. It also acts as a kind of journal. A connection to those who came before.”

  “Like a family record?”

  “Kind of. More like passing along advice,” she replied. “Which I really need since I’m on my own.”

  “I think we should be on our guard where Aya’s concerned. She’s obviously got her own agenda.” Liz sighed, catching sight of Alex over Gabby’s shoulder. He was frowning at them, clasping his lunch so hard his thumb had dented the sandwich.

  She waved at him. “Alex!”

  Approaching, he smiled weakly. “Hey Liz, Gabby.”

  “Hey.” Gabby turned around, catching the uncertainty in his voice. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said, looking toward the exit. “I’m just running late. I’ll see you later.”

  Before they could say goodbye, he hurried away and was pushing through the door. Liz glanced at Gabby. “Do you think he heard us?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “He could have.”

  “I feel bad, you know. Keeping all of this from him.”

  Gabby sighed. “I know. It’s for the best, though. The more people that are involved—”

  “The more people get hurt,” Liz finished her sentence.

  “Right.” She smiled. “On that note, I have to go back to the office.”

  “Thanks for the Irish.” Liz winked, heading for her space behind the counter.

  Her thoughts had calmed, but she was no less worried about Aya…and now, Alex. They were just trying to protect him from all of this, but she wondered how good it was for him to keep pushing him away. Making up stories, excuses. She knew she would have to leave him behind one day, but until then, she wanted to hold on to some sense of normalcy and Alex was a link to her old life.

  She knew she was being selfish and deep down, Liz hoped it wouldn’t blow up in her face.

  But those were some famous last words.

  Alex flopped onto the ground heavily beside the garden bed he’d been mulching before lunch, his sandwich well and truly mangled. He’d overheard the end of the girls’ conversation and it worried the hell out of him. He swore that they had been talking about witches, but that didn’t seem right. Then Liz had voiced her distrust over Aya’s agenda.

  What the hell?

  He jumped when Aya sank down gracefully beside him, her eyebrows raised at the sight of his mangled lunch.

  “Nice sandwich,” she said. “What did it do to you?”

  He tossed the sandwich aside, suddenly not hungry. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”

  Aya frowned at the gesture. “What’s up?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. I just heard Gabby and Liz talking about something I shouldn’t have overheard.”

  “Like what?”

  Alex hesitated. “They were talking about you.”

  She laughed. “I bet they were.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, as of last night, I’m staying with Zac and Sam at their fancy manor house in the swamp,” she said with a flick of her hair. “It was unexpected, but it beats paying for a hotel. Liz isn’t that thrilled for whatever reason. It’s only been one night and of course, Zac and I aren’t getting along.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  Aya chuckled. “I’m sure they all have some colourful things to say about that.”

  “Wait, you’re living at the manor?” He seemed surprised.

  “Yeah.” She grimaced. “It was Sam’s idea, obviously.”

  “Oh.” Alex fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

  Aya, as if sensing his discomfort, stood and said, “I’ll leave you to it, Alex. I’ve got stuff to do.”

  Alex watched her disappear across the street. She seemed happier than when he’d first met her.

  The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but wonder if she did have an agenda like the girls were talking about. She’d never really told him what she was doing in town and her job description seemed vague at best.

  The obvious FBI and CIA scenarios ran through his mind, but he snorted at the ridiculousness of it. Like she’d be a spook. That stuff only happened in the movies.

  But he couldn’t shake what he overheard. If Aya really had an agenda, then what the hell would it be?

  When Zac walked into Max’s that night, he was surprised to see Liz sitting at a table on her own with a glass and bottle of Jack. Something was bothering her big time. Sauntering up behind her, he grabbed the bottle and took a mouthful.

  “What’s up, beautiful,” he said, sitting across from her.

  Groaning, she snatched the bottle back from him.

  “What?” He raised his hands, grinning, waiting for a response.

  “Ass,” she hissed.

  “Yeah, so what?” Zac laughed, tapping the tabletop.

  She shook her head. “You act like you’re not even worried about anything.”

  “And you are?”

  “Of course, I am, Zac!” She kept her voice low, growling at him. “Aren’t you afraid of being killed?”

  “We’ve all done it before.”

  “But the next time you won’t come back.”

  “Afraid you’ll miss me?”

  Liz sighed heavily, pouring herself another glass of Jack, pushing the bottle toward Zac. “Is everything a joke to you?”

  He frowned, the smug smile fading as he took a long draught straight from the bottle. He played with the idea of telling her what he could hardly admit to himself—that he had some semblance of feelings for her. He thought about his brother and that welded his big mouth shut.

  “No,” he said, staring into her eyes.

  Uncomfortable, she sighed heavily, looking away. “I think Alex overheard me and Gabby talking about Aya today.”

  “You think, or you know?” he asked, the most truthful moment he’d had in the past month dissolving into nothing.

  “I think,” she said, glaring. “I don’t trust her yet. This whole thing scares the hell out of me.”

  Zac looked at her for a moment, realising he hadn’t thought of her safety once in the past two weeks. He had been selfish and impulsive—his best two traits. “You’ll always be safe if I have anything to do with it.” He grabbed her hand under the table.

  “I know,” she whispered, pulling back awkwardly.

  “Liz, I...” he began, but fell short when he caught the unmistakable reek of a werewolf that’d just entered the bar.

  She looked at him, her expression confused, but turned when she caught the scent.

  The man walking toward them was heavyset, the rough stubble of a new beard covering his chin, and he looked as angry as a bee in a jar. His rough appearance and plaid shirt made him look like a lumberjack. Except it wasn’t the frontier; they were in the middle of a humid, smelly swamp.

  “I want to know what happened to my brothers, vamper,” the werewolf spat, pushing Zac roughly as he stood.

  He hardly remembered it, even though it was only about two weeks ago. A lot had happened since then. Psycho witches and ancient witch hunting vampires trumped five mutilated werewolves. Only in a vampire’s world.

  “What are you implying, dog?” Zac snarled.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about, you blood sucking piece of shit.”

  Aya couldn’t help but laugh as she walked into Max’s.

  Zac was standing face to face with a werewolf, Liz cowering behind him like a little girl. Her gaze met the young vampire’s and it was all she could do not to fall on the floor with laughter. Her silent plea for her help was hilarious.

  She’d certainly guessed correctly about Zac; he was always getting himself into trouble. Perhaps this town wouldn’t be so boring after all.

  Aya decided it was time to send everyone a little message. She’d won this town from the wolves and they needed to keep their hands off it for good. Before, she was content to let Zac keep it, but now it was going to be more fun if it was hers.

  She stopped beside the two men and placed her hand on the werewolf’s shoulder. She turned him about and flashed him a smile.

  “Now, now,” she crooned, “a handsome man like you shouldn’t be so angry. I bet you’d rather have a drink with me.” She looked him up and down and smiled wickedly, biting her lip. “That idiot isn’t even worth it.”

  Without looking back, she could tell Zac and Liz were stunned as she led the wolf by the hand to the bar. Suddenly he didn’t seem to care that he’d come here for revenge. He didn’t even sense she was also a vampire.

  The dog was more engrossed in her looks and whatever was in his pants to bother. She didn’t even have to use compulsion. She ordered him the strongest drink she could to curb his bloodlust and sighed. Stupid dog.

  “What’s a handsome man like you doing in a hole like this?” she asked breathlessly. “What’s your name?”

  The werewolf could hardly contain his elation. “Ralph.”

  Ralph? Hell, it just got worse.

  “Well, Ralph, it sure is a pleasure to meet you.” She ran a finger down the buttons of his plaid shirt. “We’re going to have some fun. I hope you’re up for it.”

  Ralph leaned over her shoulder, picking up his drink and inhaling her scent. By the look on his face, she could tell he was in her thrall. He downed the drink in two gulps and slammed the glass down on the bar.

  “That’s an alluring cologne you’re wearing,” she flirted, leaning closer to breathe in his ugly wolf stink. She caught Zac’s eye and winked as she led her catch into the bathrooms at the back of the bar.

  Checking to see if all the stalls were empty, she locked the bathroom door and turned, looking Ralph up and down. He stepped forward, clutching her around the waist and went to kiss her, but she grabbed the side of his head and smashed it into the basin, the force cracking the porcelain. The wolf fell to the floor, blood pouring from a gash on his forehead.

  “What the hell!” he howled. “You bitch!”

  “Listen to me,” Aya soothed, crouching on the floor and shoving him over so he could see her face. “The next time you come into this town and threaten any one of those vampires, I will tear you to shreds and send back the pieces to your pathetic little pack. This town is mine, and I do not appreciate the peace being broken by a dog.” She grasped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. She let her eyes cloud over into two ethereal white pools and licked her fangs. Ralph cried out in horror and put his hands in front of his face. Dropping him back onto the tiles, she stood over him and ground the heel of her boot on his chest.

  “I got it! I got it!” he whimpered. “What the hell are you?”

  “I’m your worst nightmare.” Aya looked up into the mirror, fluffed her hair up and smiled down at him. “You have a nice night now, you hear?”

  The bathroom door shut heavily behind her.

  Zac raised his eyebrows as she approached. “What the hell did you do to him?”

  Aya looked at him nonchalantly and took a sip of his drink. “He won’t bother you anymore.”

  Suddenly, the bathroom door crashed open and the werewolf stumbled into the walkway. Catching Aya’s eye, he visibly stiffened. The gash she had given him had healed and he’d washed most of the blood off, the hair at his temple wet and stringy. She raised her glass and he looked away, totally panic-stricken, and made a dash for the exit.

  Aya laughed and Liz glanced at her warily. “What exactly did you do to him, Aya?”

  She stood and grabbed their bottle of Jack. Winking at Liz, she left the bar, not bothered whether she explained herself or not.

  Chapter 12

  Zac glared at the corpse hanging on a pole like a twisted scarecrow and cursed.

  The last thing he expected to find first thing in the morning was a corpse in the front yard—much less a vampire corpse. And he knew that there was only one person who would’ve put it there. Scowling, he took out his cell and called Sam. Before he could say hello, he barked, “Have you seen Aya?”

  Sam sighed. “No. Did she take the cell I gave her?”

  “It’s still in her room.” He couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice, even if he tried.

  “Zac, she hasn’t been awake for long. Perhaps she doesn’t see the usefulness of it yet.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “No, I haven’t seen her today.”

  “Well, if you see her, tell her I’m looking for her. I want to talk to her about the corpse in the front yard.”

  “What?” came the reply from the other end.

  “A desiccated vampire is sitting in the yard like a scarecrow. And only one person we know could’ve done that.” He hung up abruptly.

  Getting in his car, he cursed Aya all the way into town. When he caught up with her, he’d give her a piece of his mind. How stupid could she be? Leaving a corpse in the front yard for anyone to come along and see. He knew it was too good to be true, their shaky alliance was a joke. Two thousand year-old idiot.

  Parking the car at an awkward angle by the main square, he stalked down the street, catching sight of Alex in the distance pruning some box hedges.

  “Have you seen Aya?” he asked, coming up behind him. He didn’t bother saying hello.

  Alex turned, scowling when he saw it was Zac. “Depends why you’re asking.”

  Zac rolled his eyes. “C’mon. Have you seen her or not?”

  “She went to the bookstore.” Alex pointed across the street.

  He leaned forward, thumping him on the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “Just don’t be…you, Zac.”

  “Me? Never.”

  He stalked across the street through a break in traffic and glanced through the front windows into the store. There were lines of shelving and displays along one side and CDs and magazines in the centre. There was a gift section by the registers and a café tucked away at the rear, so there were lots of little corners she could hide in. Quickly surveying, he couldn’t see her, so he walked inside and looked down each aisle before spotting her amongst the magazines.

  She was reading a copy of National Geographic.

  He came up behind her, ready to give her a piece of his mind, but she said, “This is such a wonderful magazine.” She’d made no gesture that suggested she knew he was there, and it irritated him further.

  “We need to talk,” he said through his teeth.

  “I’d never heard much of this solar system business. I knew it was all there, but the names humans give things is intriguing. And this Amazon rainforest… I’d like to go there. It sounds wild and dangerous. Have you been?”