Have an excerpt from Chapter 1:
When people get out of work late, they usually focus on getting home, and what to have for a quick dinner, and how fast they can get into comfy sweats. I wasn’t any different, although my dinner options were extremely limited thanks to my diet. I hated diets. I especially hated them when they didn’t come with an option tag.
My mind focused on my (lack) of dinner plans, I didn’t immediately notice the two guys across the street from my office building. I probably wouldn’t have noticed them at all, but since the change six years ago, my senses were a lot keener than the average human’s. When that warm Arizona breeze swept my direction, it brought their scent with it and I froze with the keys in my hand.
What…was that? It smelled like fur and human and iron-rich blood.
They’d caught some hint of me, too, as they were standing very still and watching me with unnatural focus. I swallowed hard and stared back, not sure what to make of this. They were the first supernatural beings I’d seen in six years and I had no experience whatsoever with weres. At least, judging from the smell, I assumed them to be a were-something. Werewolves, werepanthers, something warm blooded and furry.
Oh boy. What do I do, here? I’d chosen Arizona on purpose, Flagstaff in particular, as I hadn’t wanted to get involved with the supernatural world. The one brush I’d had with it six years ago had done enough damage, I didn’t really want to mix with it again. The variety of creatures didn’t like deserts for the most part—there were notable exceptions, but generally they preferred greener pastures. I’d lived here peacefully for six years. I didn’t know how to take the appearance of these two. Were they just passing through?
As if to answer that question, they looked either direction then crossed the semi-busy street, moving a touch faster than a human could manage at a speed-walk, only slowing when they reached the sidewalk on my side. I turned to track them, dropping my briefcase and keys on the hood of the car to free my hands up. I had no idea if my strength could compete with theirs, or if I could come out on top in a pitched battle with two weres. Somehow, I doubted it. I wasn’t in very good physical condition these days.
Stopping five feet away, the burlier and older of the two informed me flatly, “This is our territory. You can tell Pearce to keep to his own land.”
I cocked my head at him. Interesting. Had he mistaken me for someone else? “I’m sorry, who?”
They blinked at me.
I stared back.
“Pearce,” the younger one said, his dark brows drawing together as if he wasn’t sure whether to be confused or angry that I was pulling his leg. “You know.”
“Ah, no. Really don’t,” I assured him sincerely. I assumed Pearce was another vampire they knew, maybe someone powerful? I knew zilch about vampire politics and society, so I could only hazard a guess. “I’m not affiliated with any group or family or whatever you call them. Are you two living here? In Flagstaff, I mean.”
They stared at me some more.
I stared back, not sure what it was they’d found so discombobulating. Was it my question of where they lived? I mean that was a common question with humans, but maybe it was taboo in the supernatural world?
“You’re a vampire,” the younger one said slowly, head canting in obvious confusion, “And you don’t know who Pearce is.”
I gave him my best disarming smile. “Yeah, sorry, no idea. I take it that me being here is some sort of territorial no-no?”
“It would be,” the elder said gruffly, now sizing me up and down with his eyes. I knew what I looked like to him—dark hair, pale skin, painfully thin body that even my nice navy suit couldn’t disguise. I wasn’t the amazingly beautiful vampire from the movies and books, just an average guy that didn’t look like Frankenstein. Obviously I wasn’t egging for a fight or accustomed to them. He didn’t look hostile, just thoughtful. “If you were one of Pearce’s. So if you’re not Pearce’s, which clan do you belong to?”
Yeah, I’m not about to just hand out my life story without some information in return. “Tell you what, let’s just do full introductions all around, shall we? I’m Jason Hunt, you are?”
“Cole Atkinson,” the elder responded with a respectful look in his eye, as if he appreciated the gesture of civility. “This is my cousin, Ford. We’re from Windwalker Clan.”
“Nice to meet you,” I greeted and hoped that stayed true. “To answer, I’m not from a clan. I’ve only met one other vampire, the one that turned me, and I haven’t seen him in six years.”
They blinked at me, then looked at each other like I’d announced that the moon really was made of cheese. It lasted only that second before Cole looked me over from head to toe again, and this time his expression turned gruff with concern. “You’re not a rogue.”
That much, at least, I knew about. “No.”
“The vamp that turned you, he was?”
“Yeah. It’s how I know what you mean.” I shrugged, as I didn’t have anything else to say about that without a lot of swearing involved. “But how can you tell?”
“You’re not well fed,” Cole answered bluntly and he closed in the rest of the distance, coming to stand in a more conversational range. “Listen, Hunt. This is not a good position for you to be in. We’ve got three clans edging in on this territory, and one of them’s a vampire clan. If you don’t align with Pearce’s people pretty quickly, someone might mistake you as a rogue, and they’ll tear your head off before you can get a hello out. The only reason why we hesitated was that you weren’t doing anything hostile and we didn’t want to start trouble.”
Hence why they’d tried warning me off first. Got it. “I don’t like the idea of just waltzing up to their territory and introducing myself. For one thing, I don’t even know where they are.”
“Yeah, that’s not a good idea,” he assured me, scratching at the scruff on his chin. “Tell you what. Let me call my alpha, see if we can get you under our protection until we can reach Pearce. I don’t want you accidentally killed, and then them getting in a huff about a vampire dying on our turf.”
I could see how that would start a war. Even if I wasn’t one of theirs. Still…. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to actually be part of any vampire clan or what have you. It’s not my idea of a good time, having someone be master over me.”
They gave me that ‘he’s strange’ look again. I got that look a lot from people. It didn’t really phase me.
“Hunt,” Ford couldn’t have been much older than me, but still he spoke as if trying to explain something to a child, “you really can’t afford to be out here on your own. I know you’ve managed for a while, so you think you can keep going, but we’ve got some pretty heavy-hitters moving in. It’s frankly a miracle you haven’t been caught between two sides already. And really? You’re too weak to survive the fallout if you did. You look like I can break you over my knee.”
Ruefully, I had to admit he had a point. Vampires were supposed to be ridiculously strong, and the first year after my turning, I was. I could bench press 500 pounds, do ridiculous leaps and feats of strength normally reserved for Olympic athletes. But that was only the first year. After that, I’d been in a steady decline. I’d tried to offset it, I ate everything I could think of to stay healthy, but the one thing the stories had right was that a vampire fed best fresh from a human.
And I refused to do that.
I paused, thinking hard and fast. Did I just go along with this? They had good points, and I didn’t like the idea of being caught in a clash of supernaturals that would certainly be stronger than I am. Still, I’d avoided trouble for six years. I could always just find a new job and move. It’s not like I had vital reasons for staying in Arizona.
Then again, would it hurt to at least meet their Alpha? Learn more about werewolves and the supernatural world? If I’m really to avoid trouble, I can’t do it without more information than I currently had. Frankly, right now I knew nada. Zilch. “Alright. I at least would like to talk to him.”
Relieved, Cole instantly fished his cell out of his pocket and speed-dialed someone’s number. It picked up on the third ring and I could clearly hear both sides of the conversation from where I stood. “Barrett, its Cole. We have an interesting problem. There’s a vamp living here in Flagstaff, but he’s not one of Pearce’s.”
“Rogue?” a very deep, somewhat rough voice demanded from the other side.
“No, sir. No way he is. He’s actually quite polite, introduced himself and everything.” Cole shot me a grin. “Says he was turned six years ago by a rogue and we’re the first supernaturals he’s seen since.”
“Shit. That poor kid.”
I rolled my eyes a little at that assumption. At thirty-six, I couldn’t be considered a kid by anyone’s standards.
“Look, Barrett, he’s…not in good shape. I don’t think he’ll survive much longer out here. Can we bring him in until we tell Pearce about him?”
“An abandoned vampire out on his own for six years? Of course he’s not in good shape. Shit, just by being loose he can start a war without meaning to. Yeah, bring him in—”
And that’s where I balked. “Wait, wait, you want me to go stay in werewolf territory?”
I got ‘duh’ looks from two people and probably a third through the phone, not that I could see through the screen.
I glared right back at them. “You seriously expect me to just take the word of three people I’ve barely met and follow you home? Honey bunches of nope, that is not happening.”
“Hunt,” Ford tried to reason with me in that slightly condescending tone of his, “you really can’t stay out here, you would be much safer home with us—”
“It’s like that t-shirt,” I grumbled rhetorically to the warm evening air. “You have to show me the candy first, then I get into the van. I’m not stupid.”
From the alpha on the line, there was a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Well, at least he saw where I was coming from.
“I don’t know you,” I told them both bluntly, crossing both arms over my chest. “And I only have your word that things are going to get crazy.”
“Cole,” the Alpha spoke again. “He does have a point and he’s right to be wary. Where are you three?”
“Downtown, near the courthouse.”
“Alright, ask him if he’s comfortable meeting us at Sweet Aroma Café.”
That was literally a block down and one of the few places that I could order coconut water straight and not get weird looks from the staff. “That’s fine.”
He obviously heard me as he said, “Give me twenty minutes.”
Cole hung up and pocketed the phone, giving me a sideways look as he did so. “Don’t we need to feed you first?”
I stretched my mouth out in a simulacra of a grin. “Don’t worry. I don’t snack on people.”
When people get out of work late, they usually focus on getting home, and what to have for a quick dinner, and how fast they can get into comfy sweats. I wasn’t any different, although my dinner options were extremely limited thanks to my diet. I hated diets. I especially hated them when they didn’t come with an option tag.
My mind focused on my (lack) of dinner plans, I didn’t immediately notice the two guys across the street from my office building. I probably wouldn’t have noticed them at all, but since the change six years ago, my senses were a lot keener than the average human’s. When that warm Arizona breeze swept my direction, it brought their scent with it and I froze with the keys in my hand.
What…was that? It smelled like fur and human and iron-rich blood.
They’d caught some hint of me, too, as they were standing very still and watching me with unnatural focus. I swallowed hard and stared back, not sure what to make of this. They were the first supernatural beings I’d seen in six years and I had no experience whatsoever with weres. At least, judging from the smell, I assumed them to be a were-something. Werewolves, werepanthers, something warm blooded and furry.
Oh boy. What do I do, here? I’d chosen Arizona on purpose, Flagstaff in particular, as I hadn’t wanted to get involved with the supernatural world. The one brush I’d had with it six years ago had done enough damage, I didn’t really want to mix with it again. The variety of creatures didn’t like deserts for the most part—there were notable exceptions, but generally they preferred greener pastures. I’d lived here peacefully for six years. I didn’t know how to take the appearance of these two. Were they just passing through?
As if to answer that question, they looked either direction then crossed the semi-busy street, moving a touch faster than a human could manage at a speed-walk, only slowing when they reached the sidewalk on my side. I turned to track them, dropping my briefcase and keys on the hood of the car to free my hands up. I had no idea if my strength could compete with theirs, or if I could come out on top in a pitched battle with two weres. Somehow, I doubted it. I wasn’t in very good physical condition these days.
Stopping five feet away, the burlier and older of the two informed me flatly, “This is our territory. You can tell Pearce to keep to his own land.”
I cocked my head at him. Interesting. Had he mistaken me for someone else? “I’m sorry, who?”
They blinked at me.
I stared back.
“Pearce,” the younger one said, his dark brows drawing together as if he wasn’t sure whether to be confused or angry that I was pulling his leg. “You know.”
“Ah, no. Really don’t,” I assured him sincerely. I assumed Pearce was another vampire they knew, maybe someone powerful? I knew zilch about vampire politics and society, so I could only hazard a guess. “I’m not affiliated with any group or family or whatever you call them. Are you two living here? In Flagstaff, I mean.”
They stared at me some more.
I stared back, not sure what it was they’d found so discombobulating. Was it my question of where they lived? I mean that was a common question with humans, but maybe it was taboo in the supernatural world?
“You’re a vampire,” the younger one said slowly, head canting in obvious confusion, “And you don’t know who Pearce is.”
I gave him my best disarming smile. “Yeah, sorry, no idea. I take it that me being here is some sort of territorial no-no?”
“It would be,” the elder said gruffly, now sizing me up and down with his eyes. I knew what I looked like to him—dark hair, pale skin, painfully thin body that even my nice navy suit couldn’t disguise. I wasn’t the amazingly beautiful vampire from the movies and books, just an average guy that didn’t look like Frankenstein. Obviously I wasn’t egging for a fight or accustomed to them. He didn’t look hostile, just thoughtful. “If you were one of Pearce’s. So if you’re not Pearce’s, which clan do you belong to?”
Yeah, I’m not about to just hand out my life story without some information in return. “Tell you what, let’s just do full introductions all around, shall we? I’m Jason Hunt, you are?”
“Cole Atkinson,” the elder responded with a respectful look in his eye, as if he appreciated the gesture of civility. “This is my cousin, Ford. We’re from Windwalker Clan.”
“Nice to meet you,” I greeted and hoped that stayed true. “To answer, I’m not from a clan. I’ve only met one other vampire, the one that turned me, and I haven’t seen him in six years.”
They blinked at me, then looked at each other like I’d announced that the moon really was made of cheese. It lasted only that second before Cole looked me over from head to toe again, and this time his expression turned gruff with concern. “You’re not a rogue.”
That much, at least, I knew about. “No.”
“The vamp that turned you, he was?”
“Yeah. It’s how I know what you mean.” I shrugged, as I didn’t have anything else to say about that without a lot of swearing involved. “But how can you tell?”
“You’re not well fed,” Cole answered bluntly and he closed in the rest of the distance, coming to stand in a more conversational range. “Listen, Hunt. This is not a good position for you to be in. We’ve got three clans edging in on this territory, and one of them’s a vampire clan. If you don’t align with Pearce’s people pretty quickly, someone might mistake you as a rogue, and they’ll tear your head off before you can get a hello out. The only reason why we hesitated was that you weren’t doing anything hostile and we didn’t want to start trouble.”
Hence why they’d tried warning me off first. Got it. “I don’t like the idea of just waltzing up to their territory and introducing myself. For one thing, I don’t even know where they are.”
“Yeah, that’s not a good idea,” he assured me, scratching at the scruff on his chin. “Tell you what. Let me call my alpha, see if we can get you under our protection until we can reach Pearce. I don’t want you accidentally killed, and then them getting in a huff about a vampire dying on our turf.”
I could see how that would start a war. Even if I wasn’t one of theirs. Still…. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to actually be part of any vampire clan or what have you. It’s not my idea of a good time, having someone be master over me.”
They gave me that ‘he’s strange’ look again. I got that look a lot from people. It didn’t really phase me.
“Hunt,” Ford couldn’t have been much older than me, but still he spoke as if trying to explain something to a child, “you really can’t afford to be out here on your own. I know you’ve managed for a while, so you think you can keep going, but we’ve got some pretty heavy-hitters moving in. It’s frankly a miracle you haven’t been caught between two sides already. And really? You’re too weak to survive the fallout if you did. You look like I can break you over my knee.”
Ruefully, I had to admit he had a point. Vampires were supposed to be ridiculously strong, and the first year after my turning, I was. I could bench press 500 pounds, do ridiculous leaps and feats of strength normally reserved for Olympic athletes. But that was only the first year. After that, I’d been in a steady decline. I’d tried to offset it, I ate everything I could think of to stay healthy, but the one thing the stories had right was that a vampire fed best fresh from a human.
And I refused to do that.
I paused, thinking hard and fast. Did I just go along with this? They had good points, and I didn’t like the idea of being caught in a clash of supernaturals that would certainly be stronger than I am. Still, I’d avoided trouble for six years. I could always just find a new job and move. It’s not like I had vital reasons for staying in Arizona.
Then again, would it hurt to at least meet their Alpha? Learn more about werewolves and the supernatural world? If I’m really to avoid trouble, I can’t do it without more information than I currently had. Frankly, right now I knew nada. Zilch. “Alright. I at least would like to talk to him.”
Relieved, Cole instantly fished his cell out of his pocket and speed-dialed someone’s number. It picked up on the third ring and I could clearly hear both sides of the conversation from where I stood. “Barrett, its Cole. We have an interesting problem. There’s a vamp living here in Flagstaff, but he’s not one of Pearce’s.”
“Rogue?” a very deep, somewhat rough voice demanded from the other side.
“No, sir. No way he is. He’s actually quite polite, introduced himself and everything.” Cole shot me a grin. “Says he was turned six years ago by a rogue and we’re the first supernaturals he’s seen since.”
“Shit. That poor kid.”
I rolled my eyes a little at that assumption. At thirty-six, I couldn’t be considered a kid by anyone’s standards.
“Look, Barrett, he’s…not in good shape. I don’t think he’ll survive much longer out here. Can we bring him in until we tell Pearce about him?”
“An abandoned vampire out on his own for six years? Of course he’s not in good shape. Shit, just by being loose he can start a war without meaning to. Yeah, bring him in—”
And that’s where I balked. “Wait, wait, you want me to go stay in werewolf territory?”
I got ‘duh’ looks from two people and probably a third through the phone, not that I could see through the screen.
I glared right back at them. “You seriously expect me to just take the word of three people I’ve barely met and follow you home? Honey bunches of nope, that is not happening.”
“Hunt,” Ford tried to reason with me in that slightly condescending tone of his, “you really can’t stay out here, you would be much safer home with us—”
“It’s like that t-shirt,” I grumbled rhetorically to the warm evening air. “You have to show me the candy first, then I get into the van. I’m not stupid.”
From the alpha on the line, there was a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Well, at least he saw where I was coming from.
“I don’t know you,” I told them both bluntly, crossing both arms over my chest. “And I only have your word that things are going to get crazy.”
“Cole,” the Alpha spoke again. “He does have a point and he’s right to be wary. Where are you three?”
“Downtown, near the courthouse.”
“Alright, ask him if he’s comfortable meeting us at Sweet Aroma Café.”
That was literally a block down and one of the few places that I could order coconut water straight and not get weird looks from the staff. “That’s fine.”
He obviously heard me as he said, “Give me twenty minutes.”
Cole hung up and pocketed the phone, giving me a sideways look as he did so. “Don’t we need to feed you first?”
I stretched my mouth out in a simulacra of a grin. “Don’t worry. I don’t snack on people.”