Chapter 2

Kiara

I toy with the bloodstone my aunt gave me, trying to appear relaxed—a task that's easier said than done. The black chain holds one big ruby in the center with two smaller ones on either side. According to her, it's an heirloom that's been in my family for centuries—passed down from generation to generation, but only to a witch who is deemed worthy.

My eyes wander over to the raven-haired guy in the corner. He's been visiting the bookstore for the last two days but never buying anything, which I find a bit odd. When he thinks I'm not looking, he watches me through those coal lashes, with his piercing blue eyes that match my left one and brow piercings. Tattoos peek out from underneath the collar of his T-shirt.

It's been the same routine. I stalk him from the corner of my eye, attempting to summon the courage to confront him. He never utters a word or spares me a glance before he magically disappears near closing. It's unnerving on nights when I'm alone. At least I'm not tonight.

"Earth to Kiara." A petite hand waves in front of me.

"Sorry. I spaced. What were you saying?" I blink and shift my focus back to my friend.

Anna rolls her brown eyes at me. "I said we should hit up that new club this weekend."

"I don't know. I think I'm too old for that crowd." I don't have the heart to tell that I'd probably throw my back out trying to get "Low." Plus, staying home and losing myself in a good romance book is more my speed.

"Are you kidding me?" Anna shakes her blonde head at me. She's twenty-four and still has an abundance of energy, even for a witch. She can stay out until four and get up an hour later to face the day.

Me, not so much. I'm usually passed out on my couch by nine, but in the last few weeks, something's changed. I'm exhausted from the time I wake up to when I go to bed. The only guess my doctor came up with was menopause, but he's not even sure if that's accurate. Getting older sucks for women.

"You're one of the hottest forty-four-year-olds out there. Seriously, I think I have more wrinkles than you. You need to share what spell you're using to keep that youthful glow."

"You don't have any wrinkles." I fight an eye roll.

"I'm planning ahead." She wiggles her brows at me. "Back to the club idea. Cougars are all the rage, and I think you'll be surprised at how many eyes you'll have on you. Not to mention, having one green eye and one blue eye makes you a mystery. And men love to solve them."

"Yeah, I'll pass on that. I'm not into babysitting." At my age, I want a man, not a boy. One who will appreciate all of my curves.

"Your loss." She shrugs and changes the subject. "So, what's up with that hottie in the historical romance section?"

"You noticed him too?" A foreign feeling prickles in my chest at her words. It's an overpowering sense of possession, but that's ridiculous. He's a complete stranger that I have no claim over.

"Hard not to. All those piercings and tattoos. We don't get many walking book boyfriends in here, and that man is hawt." She fans her face, making a huge production of his presence.

"Can you put these back for me, please?" I slide a stack of books to the side in front of her, doing my best to keep my voice even, but judging by the gleam in her eyes, I've failed.

"Sure thing." She nods and bounces over to the dark romance section, twirling her skirt on the way. Sometimes, she's too perceptive for her own good.

We both become lost in our nightly tasks until closing, with little time for more conversation. I'm so lost in doing inventory that time escapes me until I hear the chime of the bell above the door. When I glance up, the mystery man has vanished into thin air once again.

A heavy sigh escapes me. Another opportunity missed.

"Ready to go?" Anna asks as she turns the sign and locks everything down for tomorrow.

"Sure." I shut down the computer and go lock it up in the back room. Anna is standing by the door when I return, twirling her car keys. I grab my purse, and together, we head out into the night. At least it's a full moon, so the walkway is brighter than normal.

Puddles of water splash onto my boots from the earlier storm as we near the employee parking lot. It's an unusually brisk night in Everton, but it's my favorite time of year. The leaves have begun changing color. I cross my arms over the thin material of my skater dress, cursing myself for not bringing a sweater.

"So, what time should I pick you up tomorrow night?" Anna asks.

"I told you, clubbing isn't my thing." My eyes scan our surroundings, looking for a certain person, but if I find him, I'm not sure that would be a good thing.

"Trust me. You'll have fun." She brushes off my protest. And I thought I was stubborn.

"Anna…" I turn to tell her I'm not interested, and my insides freeze. A scream bubbles in my throat, but I'm too late.

A furry beast towers over her shoulder, his amber eyes glowing. He flashes his razor-sharp teeth at us as he growls out a hideous sound.

"Lycans! Run, Kiara." She shoves me forward and turns around, shouting, "Auferet." A green glowing ball flies from her hands as she uses the full force of her powers and hits the creature in his stomach, knocking him back.

The beast doesn't stay down for long. In the blink of an eye, he's up and charging at us on all fours. This time, when Anna goes to shoot another green ball at him, he's prepared and manages to avoid it. In a countermove, he swipes out his claws, slicing a gash across Anna's stomach. She screams and falls to the ground.

She shouts for me to run again, and this time, preservation mode kicks in. I turn to run when I'm grabbed from behind. I'm spun around, and my body is slammed against the window of the dry cleaners at the end of the block. The cool glass at my back is a welcome shock to my system.

I reach my hand out, ready to knock him on his ass with what little power I have, when a stranger stands before me with a head full of greasy raven hair and the same amber eyes as the beast. The bones of his cheek protrude from his sunken cheeks. He's stuck between the form of man and beast. It's times like these I wish I could cast a damn spell, but I won't reach my full potential as a witch until my forty-fifth birthday.

His hollow eyes glow as he smirks at me and grabs my hands, stopping me from throwing him across the street. The other hand wraps around my neck in a possessive hold.

The second he touches me, the amulet around my neck glows a bright red and begins to burn. Pain racks through me with such force that I would be on my knees if it weren't for the creature holding me up by my throat.

"It is you." He smiles to himself like I'm some sort of prize he's won. He's so focused on my appearance that he's not paying attention to our current position. I take advantage of the opening he's given me and knee him in the balls. Instead of dropping to the ground in agony and letting go of me as I'd hoped, his grip tightens around my throat, cutting off my air.

"You really shouldn't have done that." His voice drops several octaves as his claws come back out, scraping the skin on my neck.

The burning sensation from my amulet intensifies, reigniting my will to fight. I shove at him, doing my best to put enough distance between us so I can break free. A small current flows through me, igniting my skin, and the shock of it causes him to stumble back a step. I turn to run, but I'm tackled from behind. A heavy weight settles on top of me, knocking the air out of my lungs.

I'm flipped over onto my back and forced to stare into those lifeless amber eyes once more. Ones that belong to the monster that might have killed my friend. My hands scratch and gouge at anything they can to cause him the most amount of pain, but it's pointless. He's too strong.

"I have to bring you in alive." His massive hand clamps around my throat and squeezes. "But Farkas said nothing about you being conscious." He grins, flashing the daggers he has for teeth at me. Drool slides down the sides of his mouth, dropping onto my cheeks, making him look every bit of the feral psycho he is.

I thrash and kick as my body battles for air among the inferno that is my skin, but it's no use. The boulder sitting on top of me won't budge. Shadows seep in as my vision narrows. I feel like I'm floating out of my body. It won't be long before I succumb now. It's almost peaceful. When I'm about to let go and lose consciousness, he's knocked off me by a blurry figure.

The release of pressure is instant. I cough and suck in a large breath of air as my hand rubs at the tender skin around my neck.

"Bad kutya, Sandor." The mystery man from the bookstore taunts as he holds Sandor by the neck up against the window in the same position I was in moments ago. The newcomer is as tall as him, and something tells me he's just as deadly.

"You know better than to touch what doesn't belong to you." He pulls a blade from his waistband and stabs it through Sandor's shoulder, straight through the glass of the window. A sizzling sound hits my ears at the same time as Sandor's screams of agony. "It's amazing what silver can do."

"Fuck you, Elek," he grits through the pain. "You're pissed because we found her first." Sandor taunts.

"Sorry, you're not my type." Elek flashes his fangs at him, and my heart pounds against my chest.

Vampires. What nightmare did I stumble into?

I push to my feet, ignoring the aching in my body, and run down the first alley I find. More growling hits my ears the closer I get to the end, and it isn't until I'm in the thick of it that I realize my mistake.

Bodies and blood are everywhere. Claws and talons swipe out, taking down anything in their path. It's a battle of werewolves versus vampires, and I've stumbled right into the thick of it.

I turn to run back the way I came when pain explodes along the side of my head, and everything goes black.