Waking the next morning, once again alone in my bed, I couldn’t help but begin to get a complex.

Did vampires not like to cuddle?

Did I snore?

Was my morning dragon breath that bad?

Would I need to invest in some cuffs and keep Anthony shackled to my side so I could at least experience one morning where I could roll over and snuggle, maybe get me some vampire nookie to start the day?

Kicking off my sheets, I splayed out on my mattress, fully naked, and indulged in a bone-cracking, muscle-wrenching stretch. I couldn’t believe after the Monday I’d had that I’d woken before my alarm. And to such a glorious, sunny day.

I froze mid-stretch and craned my head to peek at my clock. Ten o’clock.

Oh shit! I’d overslept.

Jumping from bed, I ran for the bathroom to turn the water on then headed to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee while the shower warmed up. I skidded to a halt in my living room as I saw who stood behind the breakfast bar and who sat at it.

“Morning,” my pair of suitors said.

Ever wish you’d thrown on a robe and run a brush through your hair, maybe rinsed with some mouthwash, before dashing out like a crazy person?

Apparently, I didn’t have a fairy godmother standing by to grant my wish. Lucky me. Instead, I ended up stark naked, rumpled, and beet red in front of the guys vying for my body.

If ever there was a time I wished I possessed the cool nonchalance of a cat, now was that time.

Embarrassed—kind of horny because damn did they look good—and annoyed, I snapped, “Okay, which of you wise guys shut off my alarm?”

Anthony raised his hand. “Guilty.” And not appearing repentant one bit.

I planted my hands on my hips, trying not to think of how incongruous I must appear. “Why did you do that? I have to work today.”

“Not anymore you don’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“As of today, you are on a two week vacation.”

I blinked. “Vacation? But I don’t have any vacation time banked.” Not since the drunken cruise Brenda and I had taken in late March. Good times, I was sure, or so the pictures indicated. Myself, I didn’t remember much of it.

“It’s an unpaid vacation.”

“Unpaid?” I gasped. “Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you right. Are you saying you not only booked me off, but that I’m not even getting paid for it?”

“Yes.”

Good sex or not, vampire or not, I blasted him. “You have a lot of nerve. You know, some of us have to work to make ends meet. It’s how I pay the rent, buy food, you know the normal stuff us poor folk have to do.”

“You don’t have to worry about any of those things. I’ll make sure you’re covered.”

He did not just say that. I straightened my spine and shot him a haughty glare. “I don’t want your money.”

“I’m not giving you my money. I’m making you work for it.”

I gaped at him. “If you think you’re paying me to have sex—”

The shock on his face was clear, even to me. “What? Good grief, no, woman. Why would you think that?”

Heat made my cheeks hot enough to melt butter. “Well, the only work I’ve done with you was of the um…” Tapering off, I glanced at Pete, who struggled to hold in a grin.

He waved a butter knife at me. “You can say it aloud. I know you’re having sex with the vampire.”

Way to remind me of his omission when we’d had our heart-to-heart the previous day. He got the full force of my cold glare as well.

“Fine then. I will say it. I might be having sex with you, but I draw the line at being paid for it. Even if I am that good. I might be a slut where you both are concerned, but I am not a whore.” It sounded a whole lot better in my head.

Pete lost the battle and burst out laughing while Anthony scowled. “Woman, you are sometimes too forthright, not to mention quick to jump to conclusions. I am not talking about paying you for sex. When I said work, I meant real work. Work where you will use your mind and wear clothes.”

I flopped onto the couch, noted the interest the guys displayed in the shadowed vee between my splayed thighs and crossed my legs then grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my lap. “I think I need a coffee.”

Pete rounded the counter with a steaming mug before I’d even finished my sentence. “I’ve got bagels toasting. Cream cheese sound okay, or do you want something else?”

“Just butter,” I muttered as I wrapped my hands around the warm cup.

“Coming right up.”

I closed my eyes as I sucked back a mouthful of coffee. Instead of my usual bitter brew, a rich flavor tickled my taste buds and I inhaled deep. “Is this French vanilla?”

“It is. I took the liberty of gathering some essentials.”

I peered at Anthony with one eye. “You’re a vampire. How is fancy coffee essential?”

“Just because I require blood doesn’t mean I don’t eat or enjoy a fine beverage.”

“Wow, do the vampire books have their shit wrong.” But I didn’t really care. I kept drinking my caffeinated ambrosia, aware of the thick silence, interspersed by the sound of traffic outside.

Pete broke first. “How did you sleep?”

I snickered. Then outright laughed. “Really? That’s what you’re going to ask me? How did I sleep? Fine. Just fine. As a matter of fact, my whole world is fine. Dandy even. I’m dating a werewolf and a vampire. I’m out of a job, looking at becoming homeless and having a conversation, naked, I might add, with two men who are eyeing me like a piece of steak.”

“I’ll have you know I never get a boner when I see my steak.” Pete’s grin and wink made me giggle again, but this time with real mirth.

Some of my tension eased. No point in acting the role of bitch, or at least not until I knew exactly what Anthony needed me for. Besides, with java running through my veins and my belly about to get filled, my mood improved by leaps and bounds. Pete handed me a bagel, toasted and buttered, on a paper plate. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one not into doing dishes.

“Are you having one?” Pete asked Anthony as he returned to his spot in the kitchen.

“I’m not hungry, thank you,” Anthony replied.

“What, not even for a hemoglobin snack? Bag of blood? Big juicy steak?” I added in between mouthfuls of toasted perfection. Brownie point for Pete. He knew how to tame my morning grouch.

“I’m actually vegan,” Anthony stated.

Half chewed bits of bagel went flying as I snorted. “Excuse fucking me? A vampire vegan? Isn’t that like against the natural order of things?”

“Not really when you think of it. When you’re used to drinking blood, warm and rich from the source, meat, of any kind, pales in comparison. I’d go so far as to call it disgusting. It’s dead flesh. Refrigerated for days or, worse, frozen then thawed.” Anthony shuddered. “Even the smell of it is nauseating.”

“So you don’t eat meat of any kind?”

“Not entirely. I do enjoy sushi so long as the fish is prepared on the spot from live specimens. Lobster is also a favorite of mine.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Eew. That is just way too fresh and raw for me. I like my animals dead and cooked. Or at least singed at any rate.” I preferred not to think of the process in between them munching on hay and ending up on my plate.

“Grilled and red inside, the bloodier the better,” Pete added. “But I’m pretty sure Chloe here isn’t interested in our diet so much as what you meant by getting her to work.”

“Actually, I’m most interested in knowing who gave you the right to screw with my life?” Food to tame my grumbling belly and time to think over Anthony’s actions didn’t make them any more acceptable. How dare he make decisions for me? “Sleeping together does not give you the right to book me off on holiday. I mean, seriously. We are fuck buddies—”

“Lovers.”

“—and, as such, there are ground rules. One of them is, don’t mess with my job.”

“You could do better.”

Anthony’s assessment gave me a warm feeling inside. I squashed it. “That’s not the point. The point is, it’s my life. My choice. Did it ever occur to you to ask?” So I could say no.

“As if you would have agreed. Don’t forget, I’m getting to know you.”

“Then you should have known this would piss me off.”

“I did.”

“And yet you did it anyway?”

“I had to. You would have never agreed and I didn’t have time to argue. I need your help and work would have interfered, so I did what was necessary to ensure I had your undivided attention.”

Wow, someone sure showed his age. Didn’t he follow the news at all? Women were no longer chattel. We had rights and made our own decisions now. “What if I don’t want to work for you? Did that ever occur to you?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Anthony shrugged. “I am, as you put it, ancient, which makes me old-fashioned. As you are my woman, I made an executive decision.”

“Your woman?” The feminist in me took affront. The woman in me…yeah, she might have creamed herself a little.

Pete chuckled in between his consumption of bagels, a plateful from what I could see. “Dude, I can’t believe you said that and didn’t end up with a stake in your heart. She must like you because I’ll bet anyone else would be crying for their mother right about now.”

Oh, how sweet. My werewolf did know me.

“Don’t try and sweet-talk me, furball. You’re obviously in cahoots with him.”

He didn’t deny it. “I am. Wanna punish me?” He raised a brow and quirked one corner of his mouth.

Yes, I did want to punish him. With my tongue then pussy. However, given I didn’t know which of them I wanted to punish more, the only one suffering was me because now I was hornier than ever. Great. Just great. Naked and aroused with two men over, and I can’t do a damned thing about it because if I choose one to take care of me the other will end up offended. A pity I couldn’t just do both.

I am such a slut. One way of looking at it. On the other hand, though, one could say taking them both on showed my practical side. Heck, it even catapulted me into the caring category, sacrificing my morals to please both my lovers at once. As if they’d ever go for that scenario. Hold on a second, since when did I think three-way sex was a viable option?

Brenda and her whacky sexcapades must have rubbed off on me more than I expected.

Mmm, rubbing…

I mentally slapped myself. “Stop distracting me and get to the point. What is it you both expect me to do? I mean, the only skills I have are courtroom-related, and neither of you are in jail.”

“The day is young,” quipped Pete.

I bit my inner cheek to prevent a smile. Damned guy was really too comical.

“Actually, it’s what you do before you make it to court that I need,” Anthony answered. “I need your investigative skills. There was another murder last night.”

“I didn’t do it!” Pete announced, lifting his hands in the universal gesture of innocence. “And I have an alibi this time.”

An alibi that wasn’t me? I narrowed my eyes as I asked, “Who?”

“Put the green-eyed monster away, baby. I was with three other Lycans. Male ones. We were trying to see if we could sniff out a trail from the witch’s house.”

“Did you find one?”

“Nope, but we did discover a great pizza joint.”

At least with Pete around, I’d never go hungry. The man appeared to love his food. “Back to the new murder. I take it the body was found in the same state as Ms. Heksen?” Brownie points for me, I didn’t mistakenly call her the witch.

“Bodies this time. A pair of them. Male and female,” Anthony replied. My brows rose at this tidbit. The killer had expanded his repertoire. He continued. “And, yes, they both showed signs of being eaten and drunk from.”

“Were they found in the same place? Or killed apart?”

“Apart. And both, like the first victim, were magic users.”

“Witches!” Pete growled.

“Down, boy. No need to get your hackles up, although, you can bring me another bagel.” Turned out I didn’t mind being fed by a hot guy.

“I am not your dog,” he rumbled even as he moved to fulfill my request.

“And I am not your bitch,” I retorted. “Glad we got that clarified.”

Having shut him up, I mulled the news as I waited for my bagel. “So, there was another killing. Not sure why you need me. I’m not a detective. I never met these people who died and I am most certainly not a witch.”

“I don’t know about the witch part, you’ve certainly cast a spell over me.” Anthony, more than five hundred years old Anthony, used the corniest line ever.

I still giggled. “That was so bad it was cute.”

Frowning, Pete handed me a plate with a freshly toasted bagel.

Mmm. Bagel… I might have sounded a bit like Homer Simpson and drooled a little.

Pete’s turn to smirk.

Look at me, the bone of contention between two men.

It was seriously as annoying as it was hot.

Anthony adjusted his cravat. From perfect to, still perfect. It totally gave me an urge to run my fingers through his hair and ruffle it.

So I did. Standing from the couch, dropping the pillow, plate in hand, I made sure to walk past him, even if it made my path to the kitchen longer. My hands slid through his blond strands, making it lose its pristine perfection.

His eyes widened. He sucked in a breath he probably didn’t need.

I walked past, realizing I was the object they stared at.

They. Stared. At. Me.

And it feels so good.

Sure they saw the naked Chloe, the hot siren version of Chloe, but that was only part of why they kept coming around.

They wanted me.

Dropping the plate, I snagged the cold bacon he hid from me.

I wagged it in the air. “I can’t believe you were offering me bagels when there was some salty protein for me to eat.”

Too late.

I only realized my mistake once the words escaped my lips.

I’d just tossed down the dirty innuendo challenge in front of a pair of alpha men.

They took up that dirty glove and spanked me with it.

“I’ve got some fresh meat with a salty finish if you’re really in the mood for something to eat,” purred Pete.

“Why would you expect her to do the work for you? I’d prefer to give her any kind of protein she needs. Give while she receives.”

They both seemed to think their offers were more appealing than the bacon.

In that moment, the bacon won. I sashayed back to the couch with my salty offerings. Plopping down, a fresh pillow covered my lap. Best to not overwhelm them with my attributes.

They’d see them soon enough again at this rate.

“So people are dead. Witches. Cops are baffled.”

In between bites and chewing, I mused the situation they placed in front of me. “I still don’t get what you expect me to do.”

Anthony finger combed his hair. Naughty boy. Did he seriously try and tempt me to rise again to muss it.

He held my gaze as he explained. “We need you to do what you usually do. Dissect the evidence. Find the trail to the real criminal.”

Actually, I usually preferred to find evidence convicting other people. Usually, though, it didn’t bode well for my client. Even worse, I couldn’t exactly hide what I found from the prosecution.

But in this case, Pete was already innocent. I wasn’t defending anyone. Still, though, I was the one who lost in court. Against Anthony at any rate. Would he want me. “Why are you investigating the evidence? You’ll probably be the one trying to put them away,” I asked.

“This isn’t about putting them away after they’re caught, though, but finding them in the first place.”

Pete interrupted. “The problem is, we can’t smell what it is killing them.”

“You’ve been to the crime scenes?” I asked.

“After the fact. Any scent trail that might have existed is too compromised to easily follow.”

The idea of smelling someone out reminded her of what Pete was.

A wolfman.

Can he smell me now?

It made a girl yearn for a shower, especially to wash off the damned crumbs sticking to her skin between her boobs. Rubbing or flicking them off would draw attention to her stellar eating skills..

“You’re asking me to get involved in an active investigation, without permission from my office. I am a girl who follows the laws.” At Pete’s snicker, I amended. “Most of them.”

“I won’t deny this might compromise you from being involved in the case if it goes to trial.”

“Why won’t you?” she asked.

“Because it would be seen as initiative. Being prepared to put away the bogeyman killing citizens.”

A rude noise escaped Pete. “Now he’s stylizing himself a super hero.”

“Just don’t wear a cape.” I’d seen The Incredibles.

“If we’re done joking, perhaps we should concentrate on the task at hand. We need to find out what’s targeting—“

“Don’t you mean who?” We were dealing with person. Right?

Right?!

“We can’t be sure what’s dong this,” Anthony replied, confirming my fear. “Could be a demon, or something else, targeting these magic users. Doesn’t really matter what it is, though, we need to stop it before it starts going after others.”

“You mean others as in humans?”

“Yes. Can you imagine the panic if the population got wind of these attacks, and what was behind them? They’d make the Salem witch trials seem like a walk in the park.”

In today’s electronic age, vigilantes were quick to blame, and once things hit the Twitter-verse, they lasted forever. Out would come the twitchforks, and no one with a supernatural gene or a funny-looking mole or a third nipple would survive.

“This isn’t going to put me in danger, is it?” Always best to look out for number one. I never aspired to being a heroine—unless it was in cartoon form, and I had the most kickass bodysuit ever, with bitching boots.

“You’d better not be in danger,” Pete muttered with a sharp look at Anthony. “Fang boy over here promised you would just be looking over case files. As far as I am concerned, you are not to go near any of the crime scenes, nor will you interview anyone we deem a risk.”

“How reassuring.” My sarcastic tone was in fine form this morning.

“You will also not be alone at night,” Anthony added. “Demons, much like vampires, have an intolerance in their natural form for sunlight. Either Pete or I will spend the nights with you. We will not leave you unguarded.”

“Backing up a second.” I held up a hand. “Exactly why would I be in any danger? Do you know something I don’t?”

“Of course you’re not in danger,” Anthony said in a soothing tone.

I held up my fingers in a cross. “Don’t you be trying to spell me with your incredible eyes.”

“What are my eyes?” Pete growled.

“Don’t you start,” I snapped. “I am still trying to find out why I’d be in danger enough to need you bodyguarding me.” One on either side would work.

“Consider it a precaution.”

“We won’t do anything that risks your safety,” Pete added. Then he grinned and winked as he said, “You never have to worry when I’m around. I’ll eat anyone who even looks at you sideways, baby.”

Over-protective, kind-of-disturbing threat, but hot nonetheless. “Is this a ploy to have nookie and sleep over because I thought we’d clarified that already. I’m okay with the whole sex thing. Just don’t try and make it into something more.”

“Even without the demon running around, you wouldn’t be spending your nights alone.” The blue light in Anthony’s eyes told me, without words, what we’d do when darkness fell.

I shivered in delight. “I feel like I should throw out the fact that I am not a person who does danger.”

“And yet you do me.” Pete’s leer earned him a dirty look.

Anthony shook his head. “How you could sleep with one so crass…”

“Oh stuff it, ivory. You might have mesmerized her into thinking she likes you but—”

“I did no such thing.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

As they argued about who was the better man—something I’d yet to decide since they both appealed to me in different ways—I wrapped my dignity around me, which did nothing for my nudity, and stood from the couch. Time for a shower, which, as luck would have it, ran cold. I’d forgotten to turn it off in my mad dash to get ready for work.

The icy thirty-second sluice-off did wonders for my mood and, even better, killed my arousal. But it did nothing to quell the hurricane of questions in my mind. My thoughts whirled in circles.

What could I do to help find a killer? Despite Anthony’s confidence, I wondered what I could add to their investigation. And, more importantly, did I really want to dig deeper into this murder/mystery with an honest-to-god monster at its core?

While I mulled that over, I also wondered what I should do with my two lovers who seemed determined to crowd me. On the one hand, I found their attention flattering—another word for arousing yet, at the same time, discomfited because there was just something wrong, laws or not, about having two men casually talking about sharing me.

Did I need to devise a schedule and install a revolving door so my men didn’t hit each other coming and going from my bed?

To think, only days ago, my biggest problem was finding clean underwear because I’d forgotten to do the laundry again.

When I emerged from the shower, shivering and no closer to an answer to any of my problems, it was to find Pete lounging on my bed. I ignored his evident interest in my damp body and dressed. “I take it you pulled guard duty?”

“Anthony had to go and meet with some people. He left you a USB stick with the case files. Said to call him if you find anything. He’ll be back around dinner time to take over for me.”

“So you’re just going to sit here all day babysitting me?” I didn’t think I could handle him hovering over me all day unless he planned to do it naked with his cock buried deep. But it would make reading and concentrating on the task at hand difficult.

“Actually, I planned on napping. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Wake me if you need me.” The curve of his lips let me know what kind of need he preferred. The fact I’d thought about indulging in his innuendo didn’t mean I caved to the allure. I was still mad at him. At them both.

They’d taken it upon themselves to make executive decisions about my life. The fact that they did it for altruistic reasons didn’t make it right. I’d help, but only because I didn’t want to see anyone else die. However, if they thought they’d get any nookie after the stunt they pulled, well… They probably would, but they’d have to work for it, dammit!

Ignoring his puppy eyes, I waltzed out of the bedroom—with a swing of my hips that made him groan—and shut the door. Before I could get to work on the case, my phone rang. BFF alert, or so the ring tone of “The Lady is a Tramp” informed me.

“Where the fuck are you?” Brenda asked.

“At home,” I answered.

“Are you sick? Someone said you took two weeks off. What the hell? And why didn’t you call?”

Uh-oh, hurt feeling warning. Time to soothe some ruffled feathers. “I’m not sick, and I was going to call. I just didn’t have a chance. It was kind of sudden. Blame my stalkers. They took it upon themselves to place me on a working holiday.”

“Sex isn’t supposed to be work, Chloe.”

“Gee, Brenda, talk about a one-track mind. I meant real work.” Never mind the fact I’d assumed the same thing.

“Rewind and explain.”

I gave her the nutshell version without demons, implying I did it to help out Pete and his Lycan buddies from getting the blame. I didn’t enjoy lying; however, still coming to grips with the secrets I’d been given, I fudged the truth.

“Chloe, sex pot detective. Fighting crime alongside her lovers. I like it. It will make a great story to tell your kids one day.”

“Would you stop that? I am not in a relationship with Pete or Anthony.”

“Whatever. Let me know if anything exciting happens. And, by exciting, I mean if you finally get naked and wild with both.”

I hung up as she started to give me pointers.

Booting up my laptop, I inserted the memory storage unit Anthony had left me of the case and perused the contents. It didn’t take long for me to get sucked in to the mystery.

The guys had summarized the scenario pretty accurately.

The newest bodies were found around the same time, one by the victim’s girlfriend as she came off her night shift, the other by a passerby who noted feet hanging out of the bushes. Their times of death were estimated to have happened within hours of each other, one around elevenish, the other about two or three a.m.

In both cases, none of the neighbors admitted to hearing anything. Odd, because I know if I was getting ripped to shreds and siphoned, I’d probably scream my face off.

I jotted a few notes.

Do demons have the power to hypnotize? Why don’t the victims call for help? Are there signs of them being gagged? And why are these murders occurring outside?

What drew these witches from the relative safety of their homes to meet with the monster in the first place?

As I read through the reports, nothing jumped out at me, so I put them aside to go through the dozens of digital images taken at the homes of each of the victims. Witches or not, they lived just like any regular person would.

Ugly mismatched furniture. Knick-knacks ranging from a collection of glass figurines to baseball caps. Definitely not rich magic practitioners, so the murders weren’t financially motivated. Unless they all had big life insurance policies going to one person, which led to me make another notation.

Motive? Why kill them? They had magic in common.

Did the victims know each other? Maybe they all belonged to the same club? Or was that a coven? Could the three of them, or more, have gotten together and summoned the demon? Did they cause their own demise by dabbling in things better left alone?

Another thought struck me. How did one get rid of a demon? Could we kill it, or would we have to use a spell to banish it?

Oh and skip the we. No way was I going anywhere near any of the danger. Or at least smart Chloe said that. Brave Chloe, however, the one who now slept with not one but two guys outside of the human realm, wondered what it would be like to swoop in and play the part of heroine.

My inner sleuth longed to put on her sexiest crime-fighting boots—thigh-high black leather of course—and hit the pavement in search of clues. What a rush it would be to find the crack that broke the case wide open. To know I’d played a part in saving lives and making the world a safer place.

A great fantasy if we were dealing with something normal. Something human. But a demon? Maybe I’d hold off on fulfilling my inner crime-fighting fantasy for a case fraught with a little less supernatural danger.

Now, if only I could convince my lovers to do the same.

Alone, I could at least admit to myself that I didn’t like the fact Anthony and Pete seemed hell bent on inserting themselves in the midst of the danger. Despite my annoyance with them and their determined involvement in my life and business, I didn’t wish them ill. Actually, the thought of them getting hurt didn’t sit well with me at all.

I preferred not to dwell on what that meant. As far as I was concerned, I cared for their safety and welfare the same as I would anyone who put themself in danger. Lying to myself sucked, especially since I was a horrible liar.

No way was I falling for them. Nope. Not me. Great sex. That’s all we had. All I wanted. Nothing more. No matter what they seemed to think, or want.

Back I went to the pictures, needing distraction from dilemmas best left alone. Panning through them, I noted food bowls and water dishes on the floor in all of them. Flipping back through the reports, though, only one mentioned they’d found a cat.

Ms. Heksens’s infamous black kitty, found calmly sleeping on the front porch in a wicker chair. Odd because Pete told me he’d had it picked up by animal control. The victim must have sprung it before her demise.

The other two victims, while showing signs of owning a pet, didn’t have mention of one by the cops investigating. I shelved it under not important. No itty-bitty cat had torn these people apart.

But…

Inspiration hit. Off the couch I bounded, and I skipped into my bedroom. I’d no sooner set foot inside saying his name than Pete rolled from my mattress and sprang across the room, one hand tucking me behind him, his tense body filling the doorway as his head swung from side to side.

I tapped a shoulder, noting his rigid muscles—and is he sniffing the air? “Uh, Pete?”

“Yeah. What is it, baby? Did someone knock? Did you get a funny feeling?”

I had a feeling all right; it was anything but funny.

Call me insatiable, or fickle, I didn’t care. A man who instantly thought to protect a girl, using his own body as a shield, totally turned me on. Forget my earlier irritation. With one sexy move, he’d redeemed himself.

And fired up my libido.

I slid my arms around his muscular frame and said in a husky murmur, “No danger.”

He turned to face me, his hands coming to rest on my hips, pulling me against him, showing me without words that my proximity didn’t leave him untouched. Something appeared very happy to feel me.

“If we’re not under attack, then what has you rushing in here? Did you find something?”

Oh right. The case. Concentrating proved hard when all my thoughts involved him and me, naked, sweaty and panting.

“It’s probably nothing.” I toyed with the ends of his hair, tickling his nape. The tips of my nipples pointed as he tucked me closer to his bare chest.

“Sometimes the smallest clue can solve a case,” he murmured. His eyes fairly smoldered as he stared down at me.

“Just an idea. About why we keep finding the victims outside.”

“We wondered about that too. Most witches have magical protection around their homes preventing entry to the uninvited.”

“You mean demons can’t go in?”

“Demons. Vampires. Fairies.”

“Lycans?”

“We’re too human for it to work.” He grinned at me.

However, while still aroused, my brain was mulling over this new information, which actually made my theory even more viable.

“So, the demon knows he can’t go in the house and kill these witches.” Oops. “I mean victims. So how does he lure them? They’re obviously not going to answer the door and invite it in. The demon could skulk around, waiting for them to come out at night. Or he could create an opportunity.”

“What are you thinking?”

“All of these people owned cats or pets of some sort.”

“Familiars.”

“Whatever.” Not all of us were up to date on the latest terminology in the witching world. “If the victims were anything like my old neighbor, they wouldn’t go to bed unless Fluffy or Fido was inside, where they’re safe.”

Pete’s hand dropped from my hips and he paced before me, catching on. “The demon kills the cat—”

“Or cages it.”

“The owners come looking for it, stepping outside the house and the boundary of their protective spell. Then wham. Instant dinner.” He snapped his teeth and pretended to chew.

I recoiled. “Okay, that was gross.”

“Sorry.”

How surprising. He didn’t look repentant. “It’s one theory. But it could be wrong.”

“Easy enough to check.”

“How do you figure?”

“Find the cat and sniff it.”

“You know, I really wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s disturbing.” No one liked to think of their boyfriend sniffing an animal. Ack. How did that word boyfriend sneak in there? I’d mentally castigate myself for it later. Pete was still talking.

“We should get out to the crime scenes and check it out while it’s still daylight.”

“Hold on a second. What’s this we business? I don’t do danger, remember?”

“You’ll be perfectly safe with me.”

“I’m also perfectly safe here. I don’t need to go.”

“I won’t leave you unprotected.”

“Don’t be silly. Anthony said demons roam at night. And besides, I’m not a witch. The demon or whatever is doing these things doesn’t even know I exist. I’m perfectly safe.”

Ever challenged a testosterone-laden werewolf with an overdeveloped protective instinct? It resulted in great sex. After we finished fighting.

Stepping away from him, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not going.”

He growled, and I could practically see the hair on his body bristle. “Don’t challenge me, baby.”

“Not challenging, telling.”

“Same thing.” He invaded my personal space. “I don’t like it when you argue. Not when it’s about your safety.”

I placed a hand on his chest. “If you don’t want me to argue, then stop acting like a caveman. And don’t use my safety as an excuse. We both know it’s a flimsy one. You said it yourself. It’s daytime. The thing we’re hunting doesn’t like sunlight, doesn’t know who I am or where I live. By all accounts, I’m in no immediate danger.”

In one ear, out the other. “You’re coming with me.”

“Did you hear a word I said?”

“Yup.”

“And?”

“Wasted breath. You are coming with me.”

In a fit of girl pique—my first ever—I stamped my foot a la Brenda. “I don’t recall giving you the right to give me orders. You don’t own me.”

“But I’d like to.”

Well, that took me aback. It also gave me a cheap thrill that would have appalled most feminists. “Um, excuse me. But this isn’t the Middle Ages. Women aren’t objects anymore, you know.”

“I do know, but it doesn’t stop how I feel. I want you, Chloe. Want you as mine.” He growled the last bit.

“I thought we said no commitment.” The words emerged high-pitched and nervous.

“I never said that. You did.”

“Yes I did say it, which means you need to—”

Apparently ignore it. That or he was just tired of talking. Whatever the reason, he silenced me with a hard kiss and, despite the fact that my logical side knew he was doing this to prevent me from arguing, I didn’t stop him.

Instant passion flared between us. Flames stoked to life, flushing my body with heat and desire.

We tumbled onto my bed, where he made quick work of my clothes, and his. Never once did his lips leave mine, not even when he drove into me. I was more than ready, though, my slick pussy welcoming his urgent thrusts. Arguing with him, even over his caveman tactics—which, despite my protests, I found quite flattering—made me horny. I’d never had someone so ardently pursue me. So determined to have me. So eager to fuck me.

Which was why I kept pushing back. I still couldn’t come to terms with the why. Why did Anthony and Pete want me so much? What did they see in me that brought out the alpha in them? The gallant protector and ardent lover? Did I dare trust it? Trust them?

Dear gawd, Pete hit my sweet spot, and all thoughts swept right out of my mind except for one—need.

Perhaps I couldn’t allow myself to express how much I enjoyed his perseverance in stalking my heart. My qualms over their intentions might prevent me from succumbing wholly to their advances, but when it came to the sex, I gave in to that whole-heartedly.

Bodies fused. Hot moist breath mingled. Hearts raced as we joined together intimately. In this perfect instant, I could and did let myself go. I basked in the climactic moment, urging him on, my nails raking at his broad back, my heels digging into his spine, my pussy devouring every hard inch of him.

When it came to the fucking, we both gave it our all and yelled our pleasure for the whole condo complex to hear.

I blamed my still addled wits for how I found myself getting dressed only moments later. Somehow, between our arguing and screwing, I’d agreed to go with him to the crime scene despite my better judgment.

I made token arguments as I pulled on my underpants. He stroked a finger over my still trembling pussy, and I nodded at his feeble excuse that he needed an extra pair of eyes.

Next thing I knew, I sulked in a corner of his truck.

“Are you going to ignore me the whole way there?” he asked, placing his hand on my knee.

I shoved it off. “I didn’t want to come.”

“That wasn’t what you screamed a little while ago.”

I glared at him.

He chuckled. “Ah, ease up, baby. Don’t pout. You’re too cute when you do that, and we’re already late as it is.”

“I still don’t see why you needed to drag me along. I thought you said I wasn’t going near any of the crime scenes.”

“I hadn’t meant to, but that thing you said about the pets. I had to check it out, but I wasn’t leaving you alone.”

“Then you could have dropped me off somewhere. Somewhere public.”

“Probably.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Because I like having you with me.”

I wouldn’t melt. Wouldn’t melt. Wouldn’t… Damn him and his seductive smiles.

We hit the male victim’s house first. Crime scene tape surrounded the property, as did a few cop cars and gawkers. Exiting Pete’s truck, I frowned, not because he laced his fingers through mine, though.

“Um, Pete. How are we supposed to look for the cat? No way are the police going to just let us waltz in there so you can have a sniff.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

As he tugged me along toward the house, someone in a suit emerged from the house. The sun caught his golden hair and brought out red highlights I’d never noted before. My heart skipped a beat as Anthony came to meet us.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped. “I thought we agreed to keep her out of this for her own safety.”

“Exactly what I said. Being here is not my idea of a good time. Blame Captain Caveman.” I jerked a thumb at the lover I threw under the bus.

“Chloe had a theory about why the witches ended up outside. I wanted to check it out. Have a look around.”

“Is this true?” His blue eyes lost their frost glare as they turned to me.

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

Anthony grinned. “Such humility. How unlike you.”

My lips twitched.

“So what is this theory that couldn’t be relayed by phone? A wonderful invention even us old timers have learned to master?” Anthony asked, his sarcasm directed at Pete, who let it roll off his massive back.

“Missing pets.”

I could almost see the light bulb flash as Anthony groaned. “Of course. Their familiars. What else would draw a witch from the safety of their home? I can’t believe I missed that.”

“I could be wrong.” Modesty, who knew I had any left?

“I somehow doubt that. It fits. While our canine friend here has a sniff for the missing pets, why don’t you come with me and we’ll do a walk around? Maybe something else will strike you that didn’t show up in the pictures.”

Being asked by a dude I thought super slick and smart in the courtroom for my opinion warmed me. While the world was becoming a better place for women to work, being recognized as an equal, being asked to participate, meant the world.

I pulled away and Pete let go of my fingers with reluctance while Anthony adopted a cool expression of self-satisfaction.

Still competing.

For me.

Still felt wrong, but in a good and squirmy way.

Tucking my hand into his, Anthony led me onto the property while Pete did his thing.

“Won’t the cops wonder what he’s doing?” I asked.

“Not these ones. The men you see are part of a special police branch. Some have worked with Pete, or those of his ilk, before.”

“Oh.” Well, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about bailing him out for snooping. “Any leads?”

“None, which is why I’m glad I brought you on board.”

Compliments, gotta love them. “I don’t see how knowing he uses pets as bait to lure witches helps us catch the guy.”

“Thing.”

“So you’re sure it’s,” I lowered my voice, “a demon?”

“Very. Lab reports, specials ones I might add, on the hush hush, have come back with preliminaries. Some of the tissue samples from under the nails of the first victim confirmed it.”

Eew. I tried not to shudder. “How can you be sure what it is if there’ve been no demons around in hundreds of years?”

“You seem awfully well-informed. Who told you that?”

“Who do you think?”

“The wolf, of course.” He shook his head. “In a sense, he told you the truth. According to human annals and Lycan history, there are no known demon appearances.”

“But according to vampires…”

“Keep in mind we are much longer lived. We’ve seen and heard more in our lives.”

“Meaning?” I prodded.

“Given our records are somewhat more thorough, we have access to certain info the other races don’t, such as samples of preserved demon tissue, which we used for comparison.” Anthony’s shoulders lifted and fell. “It came back positive for demonic DNA. It would seem a demon has managed to breach the planes and cause havoc on earth.”

A demon. Said without the hysteria it deserved.

A fucking demon. Probably with claws and teeth. Lots of teeth that enjoyed chewing on soft flesh.

My lips turned down. “Would it sound weird if I said I was kind of hoping for a crazy cannibal or a zombie?”

Anthony laughed. “Not weird at all. There are many who would prefer we deal with anything but a demon. They are hard to kill.”

Hard but not impossible. Good to know. Was it too late to invest in sword fighting lessons? I wanted something that could chop a head off.

Decapitation was one of the most sure ways of killing things in the horror movies.

And once again, in a span of days, my marathon scream fest watching came in handy.

“What I want to know is why anyone would ever think it’s a good idea to summon a demon if they’re so hard to keep in line.” Like seriously, what fucking idiot did that?

Anthony, of course, had a reply. “Why do people do anything? Power. Greed.”

I grimaced. “Good point. So do we have any leads on why these magic guys would call one?” Human versus demon. Pretty easy to guess who would win.

So why, in all that was fucking holy, would a human, even a witch, call one?

The idea stumped me.

“None. We’ve gone through their books. Notes. Computers. So far, nothing on demons has popped up other than the basic warnings found in all magical primers.”

‘Which is?”

“Do not summon.”

Good advice. If only the victims had heeded it. Because why else would the demon target them, unless a rival witch was taking them out.

Did witches have gangs that fought for territory? And if they did, why resort to demons when lobbing fireballs and lightning would make much cooler YouTube videos?

“Other than not summoning, what other wonderful words of advice can you give? Something along the lines of don’t feed the demon after midnight, or throw some salt to shrivel him up.” It worked for blood-sucking leeches.

Oh no, would this mean I’d have to get rid of my chip habit? But I needed my salty treats. Perhaps I could buy something to prevent vampire anaphylactic shock.

“Hiding is probably your best solution.”

Hiding? Didn’t that usually involve a shadow stopping right in front of the spot you chose? And then the door opened…

I shook my head. Maybe time to stop watching those movies.

Back to the actual crime scene. The quicker I analyzed the hell out of it, the quicker I could get home.

I did wonder, though. “If my theory about the dead witches getting caught while popping out to fetch Fluffy is right, then what happens next? You can’t exactly bring that to the cops.”

“The humans will know nothing. A warning will go out to the magical community.”

“You mean you have a bulletin board for witches?”

“Of a sort, but it encompasses more than just sorcerers. We already sent out one alert about being careful. Now we’ll update it and inform those of the magical persuasion that they are not to step foot outside after dark, not even for their pets.”

“A curfew? I doubt they’ll like that.”

Anthony’s lips thinned into a tight line. “Not my problem. If they want to live, then they’ll obey. If not…”

They’d end up possibly as the demon’s next meal.

But not me, oh hell no, I had plans with the pizza I’d make them grab me on the way home and Netflix.

With the curtains shut.