Chapter Two

Sarah ascended the cement steps that led to the modest Catholic church. She held her floral red clutch purse with gold accents a little tighter against her body. It was a sharp contrast to her black sleeveless dress. She heaved a sigh as she climbed closer to the door.

It was hard to believe Edith and Edna were dead. She had to be the last one to see them alive. She came to their house the morning they were murdered to pray with them. The sisters offered her a warm cup of stale tea, a rock hard Danish, and their hospitality. She spent an hour there, talking and singing and praying. Lots of praying. She hugged them both and wished a beautiful day to them before she left them to go to her classroom. It was summer. School break had started. But the students she tutored in summer school needed her.

Hours later, Edith and Edna’s little sister and a man she was acquainted with found them both on the floor lying in a pool of their own blood.

Now, she was at the church where she met them months ago, attending their funeral.

The two sisters weren’t very cordial when she first arrived in Bemidji to teach first grade at the private Christian academy associated with the church. They were cold when she introduced herself. That was, until they found her alone in the chapel praying. They invited her to their home for a devotion. One devotion led to two. Two led to whenever she was free from her work at the school. Sarah had made many friends in the northern Minnesota town. The two sisters had a special place in her heart.

They were especially accommodating that cursed morning a few days ago when she arrived on the doorstep of their little house and asked to pray with them. They never questioned it. Edith invited her in. Sarah didn’t want to impose, but something was happening inside her. She felt like she was burning. She was filled with a desire she couldn’t explain. Whatever it was claimed her for its own. It branded her with the fire of passion. She dreamed about sex with a man she didn’t know. He had long black hair, dark brown eyes, and was covered with tattoos. He wasn’t someone who would normally turn her head, but she couldn’t get enough of him. And the pleasure he gave her left her a trembling mess and craving more. She did things in her dreams she would never do, like having sex in front of strangers. Never. It would never happen. But it made her orgasm three times.

She woke up, showered, and tried to scrub the impure thoughts off her. But it still had her in its tight grip. A demon must have had control of her. The sisters could chant it away.

But they didn’t. It was stronger than ever, and they were dead.

Sarah stepped inside the church and exchanged pleasantries with those she passed. The narthex was far more crowded than she anticipated. Edith and Edna could be off-putting with their stuffy natures, but the parishioners appreciated all they did for the congregation.

She stopped in the doorway to the sanctuary and looked around. She recognized nearly everyone in here too. There were about a dozen faces she didn’t. She kept her gaze away from the caskets. Something inside of her didn’t want to believe they were dead. If she didn’t look at them, she could pretend they weren’t for a few moments more.

Her gaze fell on a rotund woman with graying black hair sitting in the middle of the room sobbing her eyes out. She held a baby in her arms. Sarah knew she had to be Evelyn, Edith and Edna’s younger sister.

Evelyn married a guy who Edith and Edna hated with a passion. Together they had seven sons before the husband passed on. Edith and Edna spoke lovingly of their sister even after they had a bitter falling out half a year ago. They didn’t care much for her husband and children. They often referred to the boys as deviants, miscreants, sinners, the seven beasts of Satan. They boasted of the strict discipline they put the boys through. It was the only time the sisters condoned violence. Sarah guessed it was because they didn’t see what they did as violent.

Three younger women flocked around Evelyn, one blonde, one with black hair, and a redhead. The redhead suddenly rose and hurried toward Sarah.

That was when Sarah noticed the handsome, bespectacled man standing beside her at the door. He was tall with thick dark hair and dressed in a shirt, tie, and slacks. By the care he put into his appearance, Sarah could tell he was a professional of some sort. He must have dressed like this most of the time. Normally he was the type of guy she found attractive. He was safe. He didn’t seem to harbor any strange quirks. He was vanilla pudding. She liked vanilla pudding.

But this guy didn’t spark one iota of interest in her. She needed, craved, something dangerous. She needed something more decadent than vanilla pudding. Which was probably good since the redhead wrapped him tight in her arms. They whispered to each other and then turned their attention to the caskets. Sarah took a deep breath and followed where they looked. This was it. Be brave.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her body ached with desire. She didn’t see Edith and Edna’s lifeless bodies in the black, glossy, chrome-lined caskets. She saw two men standing there talking to each other. By the bashful smile on the face of the guy with the Mohawk, he must have been associated with the couple beside her.

The other man was a couple inches taller than her. His wavy dark brown hair fell to his shoulders. She could see a hint of tattoos peeking from his collar and the cuffs of his long sleeve dress shirt. His chocolate brown eyes stared at her. She could feel it in her soul. This guy beside the casket looked eerily like the man in her dream, the one that made love to her for hours, the one who claimed her in ways she wouldn’t dream of others taking her. He was her decadent delight.

He said a few parting words to the guy with the Mohawk and then made his way through the crowded church. Sarah gasped as she tightened her grip on her clutch. He was headed her way. He must need to talk to the couple in the doorway. Except they were gone. They were walking hand in hand to the guy with the Mohawk. Maybe he had to use the restroom or…

He stopped just shy of her and cocked a grin at her that made her insides flame. “Hey. Never seen you before.”

She returned his smile with a subtle one of her. Her instincts demanded she run. First impressions warned her that he was trouble. But something she couldn’t explain rooted her there. Maybe it was the fantasy of licking him head to toe. Wait? Where did that come from? “I’ve never seen you either. Do you live in Bemidji?”

“No. I live out of town. Over an hour out of town actually.”

“Well then. That would explain it.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Live in Bemidji?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. Where was he going with this line of questioning? She studied his strong body. He looked like one of those ancient statues she had studied in Greece. Absentmindedly she wrapped a finger around a long, blonde lock of hair. “Yes. I teach first grade at the church school.”

“Interesting.”

Sarah frowned, confused, as he stepped closer and took her hand. What puzzled her more was her lack of resistance. Had she believed in magic or voodoo or mythical creatures like that, she would have thought he put her under a spell as he led her out into the foyer.

He continued. “So you knew Edith and Edna?”

Her mouth went dry when he stepped into the coatroom. He tugged her in with him. She licked her lips to wet them and then answered. “Yes. They were my friends. I would go to their house to pray or talk.”

His smile was more wicked than before. His gaze slowly wandered from her feet up her legs. It didn’t stop until his gaze met hers again. “So you’re a good church girl, I suppose?”

“I guess you could say that. I don’t know why…”

Her words were cut off with his mouth. His kiss was wild, sensual, and sinful, just like her dream. When he parted her lips with his tongue to search for hers, she surrendered. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. If she didn’t, she was going to crumple to the ground.

“I should slap you for that,” she murmured as they parted.

He chuckled. “You should.”

“I don’t know you.”

“How well do you know Edith and Edna?”

“I spoke to them all the time.”

He kissed her again. Her heart stampeded in her chest at the feel of his breath, the taste on his tongue. He knotted his fingers in her hair and tugged her head to the side. His mouth wandered her neck as he spoke. “Did they tell you about Evelyn, their sister?”

She moaned at his touch. “Yes. She married a man they didn’t approve. Ran off with him. They had seven sons. Edith and Edna called the boys deviants and the seven beasts of Satan. They never explained why. How do you know Evelyn?”

The man stood straight and stared into her eyes. She whimpered. Was it from need? From fear? She didn’t know.

He kissed her again, this one soft and quick as he pulled his hand from her hair. “Evelyn is my mother.” He offered his hand to her to shake. “Hi. I’m Josiah Hallow. I’m the oldest of those seven beasts of Satan.”

Sarah swallowed hard as her eyes widened. Everything Edith and Edna said about the Hallows screamed in her head. It didn’t stop her from wanting him to take her there in the coatroom in her church no matter who saw. Sweet Virgin Mary, what was this man doing to her?

He cocked his head at her. “What’s wrong?”

Her answer was breathy. “Nothing.”

His impish smile faded. “What do you want…I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

“Sarah. Sarah Merit.”

“Well, then. What do you want from me, Sarah Merit?”

Her voice went from breathy to husky in a split second. Her demand shocked her. It sent a tremor through her core. “Kiss me.”

“As you wish.” Josiah gathered her in his arms. His lips on hers were feather-light as he teased her. She opened her mouth. She had to look like an eager baby bird begging for a worm. Not that he saw because his kiss descended on her with full force. His tongue traced her upper teeth before it tangled with hers. His fingers splayed across her back. The pinky of his lower hand pressed dangerously close to her ass. She wanted him to dip it farther down, to grab her and mold her tight against the erection she felt hard against her belly. She wanted it inside her, wanted him inside her.

As they broke apart, Josiah spoke. His voice was low and dangerous. “What do you want, Sarah? Tell me how to please you.”

She opened her mouth to voice her needs. Her mind filled with her dream. She could feel him slide deep inside of her. “I…”

His brow furrowed as he looked past her. “What the fuck is that asshole doing here?”

Sarah clung to him tighter. Josiah looked down at her, flustered. “I’m sorry. Give me just a moment. I have something I need to do.”

She whimpered as he let her go and stormed out of the closet. She followed him, baffled, back to the sanctuary. She glanced at her reflection of her rumpled dress and messed up hair as she passed the mirror mounted on the wall in the narthex. How was she going to explain this one?

She stopped in the doorway of the sanctuary to witness the showdown. She knew the man standing alone in the aisle. They spoke regularly about her fight coming up. Why was he there in the church? Did he know Edith and Edna?

It seemed like he knew the Hallows. Josiah stood at the point of a vee formation. Six other men including the guy with the Mohawk—strong, dominant, heavily tattooed—flanked off him, blocking the intruder from the caskets.

»»•««

Josiah growled as he flew in the side door of the sanctuary to stop Leroy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his younger brothers fall in behind him. Despite their current spats, it was good to know they had each other’s backs. He snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared Leroy Nelson down. There was no reason the MMA promoter needed to be here. And if he brought those two vampires with him, Josiah didn’t care where he was standing. All hell would break loose.

“Not quite the reception I expected,” Leroy quipped.

“What are you doing here?” Josiah questioned.

“I heard about your aunts. I came to pay my respects.”

“How’d you know they passed? Did your business partners tell you?”

“Why would they?”

Josiah grit his teeth. He bit back another growl. “Where are the Brood Brothers?”

“They do private business during the day. They hold meetings at night. I’ve never seen them when the sun is out. They seem to go out of their way to avoid it.”

“And that doesn’t seem odd to you?”

“With the improvements they’ve done to my promotion, they can meet every third Thursday at midnight for all I care. The fights we’re going to have in two weeks will blow your mind.”

Josiah felt someone brush against him. He glanced sideways to see Samuel at his side. “Seems sort of reckless to have promotions two weeks apart. Seems like a waste of money to me.”

Leroy smirked at Samuel. “There aren’t two promotions. Just one. Yours.”

Samuel strode past Josiah until he was nose to nose with Leroy. “My fight is four weeks. Not two.”

“We moved it up. We were able to book five new fighters. Big name fighters. A couple of them are champions with other promotions. Really you shouldn’t be in the main event anymore, but the local folk love you so there’s nothing we can do. Cort and Rock signed them.”

“I signed a contract.”

“A contract that says we can move the date if the need arises. The need arose. We’ll see you in the cage in two weeks. Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe that lovely lady with the baby is your mother. I would like to express my sympathies for her loss. Gentleman.” Leroy gave them an evil smirk as he nodded his farewell to them. If looks could kill, he would have been dead by each Hallow as he wove his way through the brothers and approached Momma and their mates.

Samuel sighed heavily. There was worry in his tone. “I’m fucked.”

“You’ll be fine,” Josiah replied. “We’ll have you ready.”

Micah strode up to them as the other four wandered off. “Do you think dumb fuck there has any idea that his buddies are vampires?”

Josiah shook his head. “Leroy has always been a prick. I have no idea. It’s in our best interest to keep him at arm’s length.”

“Agreed.” Josiah glared at Leroy. Rage filled him as he saw the promoter console Momma and his sisters-in-law. He didn’t trust Leroy before. Leroy regularly cheated him and his brothers when he booked their fights. Now that he aligned himself with Cort and Rock, Josiah wanted him away from his family.

His gaze drifted away from Leroy back to Sarah. She leaned against the doorframe staring at him. Her long blonde hair was still a mess, as was her little black dress. She looked rumpled, standing against the dark-stained pine. He’d rather see her undone beneath him in his bed. His cock thickened in agreement. “Guys.”

Micah laughed. “Go. Good luck.”

Josiah gave him an uneasy smile. “Thanks. The attraction is just so strong. All I can think about is…”

Samuel put his hand up. Josiah could tell he was biting back a laugh. “Please, stop. We really don’t want to hear it. Go.”

“Got it.” Josiah grinned at them before he took off through the crowd toward Sarah. She bit her lower lip as he approached. He fought himself not to pull her into him arms and kiss her senseless. Something inside him demanded that he do so. If he went through with his craving, he’d have to explain quite a bit to his mother. And this wasn’t the time and place for that lecture.

“You’re too late,” Sarah informed him.

“What do you mean? Did you hook up with some other lucky guy while I was gone?” Josiah asked with a grin.

She pointed past him. “The funeral is starting.”

Josiah turned to the caskets. Two of the morticians that served his aunts’ funeral closed the caskets. Leroy was long gone. Momma, his brothers, and their families had taken their places in the front. The priest talked softly to Momma as the six other Hallows checked their cell phones.

“Come with me,” Josiah replied.

Sarah shook her head. “You need to sit up front with your family.” She kissed him, her lips lingering on his to tease him. “Go.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“We’ll see.”

Josiah didn’t move. He watched Sarah as she walked away and took her seat in the church. He huffed and joined his family in the front row. Momma patted the seat beside her. “Sit.”

Josiah settled in the pew and took her hand. The hardwood pew was uncomfortable on his ass. It wasn’t helping his hard-on in the least. “How are you doing?”

She gave him a puzzled look through the tears. “I’m fine.”

Josiah frowned. “What is it?”

“You seem different.”

“I’m not.”

Momma hummed to herself. “We’ll see.”

The funeral took an eternity. The air was thick with sobs and sniffles. Josiah was sorry his bitchy old aunts were gone, but he couldn’t shed a tear for them. He had at first, despite the fact the only memories he had of them involved some sort of pain inflicted on him and his little brothers. His heart had moved past grief and was ready for revenge. He shot the occasional look over his shoulder at Sarah. Fuck, she was so beautiful. He needed to be inside her. No amount of mourning could drive the desire away. He felt possessed, but by what he didn’t know.

His eyes widened as he concentrated on the pull. He remembered what Micah, Caleb, and Samuel had said about the power that possessed them right before they mated. This wasn’t it. Was it? He shook himself to his senses and then struggled to concentrate on the preacher’s message. His cock throbbing in his slacks made it the most difficult challenge he’d ever faced.

Once the service was over and the congregation dissipated, the seven Hallows were invited to carry the caskets to the waiting hearses. Josiah never took his eyes off Sarah. The obsession with her drove him crazy. He was satisfied to see her gaze locked on him. She seemed just as crazed as he was. She bit her swollen pink lower lip and then smiled. He didn’t pay a bit of attention to where he was going. A large, solid body stopped him cold.

Samuel glared at him from over his shoulder. “Seriously, Joe.”

Josiah looked up to find them all standing still at the back of the hearse waiting for the funeral director to direct them. He obviously missed the memo to stop. Sarah had that effect on him. “Sorry.”

Joshua glanced back and forth at the two brothers from the other side of the casket. “No. You’re kidding me. Joe too?”

Samuel smirked. “Mated? Not yet. I give it by the end of the night.”

Josiah snorted. “You’re fucking crazy.”

Each brother took a step forward at the director’s orders to slide the casket into the vehicle. Samuel smirked at him. “We’ll see.

The Hallows climbed into the waiting vehicles as the rest of the cars outside the church drove away toward the cemetery. Josiah fidgeted with his tie, then his phone, and then with his keys the entire way. Each brother riding with him shot him an annoyed look. His mind was filled with images of Sarah standing in the church. He imagined her naked on his bed, her face contorted in pleasure. The thought almost made him come. He glanced out the window for any sight of rain. He could use a shower, preferably a cold one. All he saw was a clear blue sky dotted with puffy cotton ball clouds. Shit.

The brothers and Littlefoot partnered up in groups of four to pull the caskets from the vehicles and carry them to the site. There were more prayers, more words. Josiah needed to escape. He needed out of these formal clothes. He needed his naked skin against Sarah’s. It was all he could think about. The instinct to fuck drowned out every word the priest said.

He turned around and searched the crowd. He knew Sarah had been there. She had stepped out of a little red convertible and joined the crowd. He watched her every step. But then he turned away. Now she was gone, but the desperate need for sex wasn’t.

“Hey man.”

Josiah nearly jumped out of his skin. Visitors to his aunts’ gravesites were stepping carefully across the lush green grass to their cars. He had pretty much missed the entire internment. He also didn’t see Micah move from his spot on the other side of Momma until he was right beside him. Josiah cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“Need a ride home?”

Josiah spoke before his mind thought it out. The words that came out weren’t his own. “Go ahead. I’ll find a ride later.”

“How?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Ok, Joe. If you need me, call. Okay?”

Josiah gave him a smile. “Sure, Mike. Thanks.”

Micah walked away. He stopped long enough to take Eve’s hand in his before they finished their trek to the Jeep. One by one, his family members disappeared. Josiah smirked. He was all alone in the cemetery. It was time to go on a hunt for a beautiful leggy blonde. And he wasn’t going to stop until she was screaming his name and begging for more.