Page 34 of Bold Mercy

“My car was locked,” I told him, “as was my house.”

He snorted. “There’s not a lock in existence that can keep me out, Silver.” He peered at the neckline of my t-shirt, then reached over to pluck at the fabric of the vest beneath it. “What’s that?”

“Let me set some boundaries,” I said, backing out of my driveway. “Stay out of my house and keep your hands off my body.”

He winked. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I can shoot him through the seat if you want me to, Kait,” Joe said from the back.

“Not right now,” I told him. “I just had the car cleaned.”

“Let me know,” he said, mocking Remy, “if you change your mind.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Absolutely.”

“Where are we going?” Remy asked, apparently not finding us amusing. “Did you get a sighting?”

“Yeah,” I lied, as I sped toward the city, pretty sure the vampires would be where there were the most people. “Someone I trust got her scent and that’s where we’re headed.” I couldn’t very well tell him I was the one who’d gotten her scent.

“Tell me what we’re up against.” He was wearing a soft-looking black leather jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and dark brown boots, and there was a brown leather bag at his feet. The faded but recent scent of blood wafted from him—he’d washed, but the scent lingered. He couldn’t hide that from a wolf’s nose. “I talked to a few sources, but they couldn’t tell me much.”

“We’re up against some bold fucking magic,” I said grimly. “And vampires who are done hiding.” I told him about the magic that had killed Brian.

“Some of them came out in the sun,” Joe told him.

Remy straightened slowly. “You lie.”

“No,” I said. “He doesn’t. Jared’s men killed them. There were three of them. Blistered and bloody, but the sun didn’t burn them to death. It weakens them, and I’m sure if they were out long enough it’d kill them, but who’s to say they won’t get stronger? That eventually—”

“Don’t even say it.” He pulled a stake from his belt, a gleaming, worn piece of wood, and sat back, caressing it gently. “My lucky stake,” he said, at my look. “I never leave this one behind. I expect when I do, I’ll be dead. Her name’s Dolly.”

I didn’t laugh. I had my demon blade, after all. “Why Dolly?”

He ran his thumb over the sharp tip. “Means gift of God.”

I shuddered, then put my stare back on the road.

“Hunters are crazy sons of bitches,” Joe muttered.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Says the human as he caresses his gun.” As soon as I said human, I realized I would need to tell Joe not to mention to Remy that I was a shifter. Remy would try to kill me with his “gift of God,” and the sneaky bastard might just succeed.

I hadn’t had time to really think about the fact that Joe, a human, knew I was a wolf. Before Joe, Lucy, and the detective, no humans had known my secret. I needed to be more careful. Things had a way of snowballing. I couldn’t help but wonder how the two men would feel about me once they’d had time to really process the information. Most likely they wouldn’t really comprehend it unless they saw me shift. The human brain had a way of filtering out uncomfortable shit.

“You want to borrow a stake, Joe?” Remy asked, finally putting Dolly back in her loop on his belt.

“Kait hooked me up,” Joe told him, “and I have my machete in the back.”

Remy nodded. “I like a good machete. A couple of strong hits will lop the head right off, if you do it right.”

My cell rang, interrupting the conversation. I didn’t recognize the number. I tapped the dashboard touchscreen. “This is Kait Silver.”

“There are vampires,” a man whisper screamed, his voice loud and eerie through the speakers. “Come quick.”

“Where are you?” I kept my voice calm as beside me, Remy fastened his seatbelt.

“Harmony’s on Seventh,” he said. “It’s across from—”

“I know where it is. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” In the background I could hear crashes, screams, and loud country music. Sounded like a typical Saturday night at a human bar. I was surprised that a bar was open what with the vampires running around killing humans. People were stupid.