His blue gaze flashed with liquid fire before he ran his tongue over his teeth. “There’s an entire coven of witches that slipped into town two days before the guild was attacked. They didn’t register with Talia or any other coven. The House of Witches isn’t aware of their presence here either. There are twelve of them altogether, which is a lot for one coven. The witch you need to worry about is Raven Thorne. She’s powerful but young. She and the others are here because members of her coven came to our town a couple of weeks back, and never returned to Salem once their business here had concluded.”
“You summoned me from our hunter’s funeral service for wayward witches?” I snapped, glaring at him.
“And to murder my competition, which you did as payment,” he snorted, smiling coldly before he crossed his arms over his naked chest, daring me to challenge him.
“Conrad will seek punishment for this slight. You can explain to him why you set me up to assassinate one of his packs. The House of Wolves don’t take kindly to registered wolves being killed. Bjorn might have been a sleazy asshole, but he was here legally. Now he’s dead, along with his pack, and your entire club witnessed their slaughter. When Conrad comes to me for answers, I will send him to you. You knew I was bringing a team, because you are fully aware that I am in charge of the hunter guild, and wouldn’t be traveling anywhere alone. You didn’t want to hurt me tonight; you just wanted Bjorn dead. He’s been trying to gain access to your club for weeks, but your people haven’t allowed him or his spies entrance. This evening, though, you permitted him in, knowing that he’d think he could kill my hunters and me to build his reputation. Expect a visit from Conrad. Have a pleasant night, Axton. Don’t ever use me like that again,” I growled, turning to leave the bar, but the sound that escaped his throat made me hesitate.
“You still think you’re the one in charge, don’t you?” he asked, causing my eyes to narrow in response. “Things are changing around here, Xari. Your father is gone, and everyone now knows it. How long before you lose what little hold you have in this city? Sure, you have the backing of the alpha houses, but not even they will challenge what is coming. Your glass castle is crumbling, princess. Your father’s skeletons are being revealed, and with that said, you can get the fuck out of my club. You’re not welcome or wanted here anymore. Our business arrangement has come to an end.”
I smiled without allowing Axton to see how his words jolted me. Remaining in place, I tilted my head before scanning his expression. He wasn’t backing down, and that told me he had found someone else more powerful than the guild to protect him. Licking my lips, I sucked my bottom one between my teeth, rocking on my heels.
“Careful not to cut your nose off to spite your face, Axton. There seems to be a lot of that happening lately,” I muttered, stepping back while holding his icy glare. “We don’t run or hide from our enemies. Our flag still waves, and it doesn’t fade. You think we’re weak, but isn’t that what your kind said about the hunters initially? That we were just outcast bastards who wouldn’t survive without your kind protecting us?” I smirked, and Axton’s jaw pulsed as if fighting the urge to respond. “Who needed protection? You or me? Our deal protected you from me.” He stepped forward, and the click of weapons being drawn and armed sounded all around us.
After a moment’s hesitation, Axton grinned and pointed to the door. My team and I moved cautiously toward the exit, but the sensation of being watched niggled at my spine. Looking back, I glanced across the dancefloor and saw Axton with his back to us. The stranger’s gaze was fully on me as he spoke in a hushed tone to Axton’s treacherous ass, who turned at something that was said and smiled at me before I dismissed them both, leaving the club.
Chapter Nine
It took me less than an hour to discover the name of the male inside Axton’s club. Kieran Knight. I’d made call after call to learn what people knew about the man and what he was, only to get shut down every time I brought up his name. It was frustrating and made him more intriguing than he should have been.
I fired up the laptop, settling down in the surprisingly comfortable chair of the small elegant desk my father had purchased for me. Xavier may have been rough around the edges with a tough exterior, but the man had lavish tastes.
He had furnished the apartment while I’d been gone, adding simple comforts that he knew I liked. The kitchen was filled with such things, including chamomile and Earl Grey tea. Everything was organic, which was my preference.
The tea kettle whistled, forcing my tired body to the stove to move the pot off the burner, and I gasped as my fingers touched the metal. I quickly went to the sink and ran cold water on them before holding them against my lips. Grabbing two tea bags and a spoon, I headed to the little pink box of sugar and pulled out two cubes, adding them to the oversized mug.
At the desk, I placed my teacup on a coaster with a picture of Deadpool riding a unicorn. I stirred the tea before brushing my fingertips over the keyboard to type in Kieran’s name to start a search. After a few moments, I frowned at finding nothing online about the mysterious male. Typing in my code, I entered a special area on the dark web reserved for the guild, the main source of information we relied on to catalog creatures. This was a resource shared by hunters across the globe, containing a database on how to hunt, kill, and control each breed.
Kieran’s name brought up some pictures and the few details obtained on the guy. I skimmed through images, pausing as one came into view of him wearing only a pair of slacks. My gaze feasted on his sleek muscular frame, sliding over the tattoos that decorated his arms and sides in strange, ancient writing, following their beauty as they dipped below his belt.
Dark inky hair covered his head, but his was kept short where other creatures preferred their hair to be longer. I clicked on the next photo, which was a close-up of his face. His ears were pointed at the tips, giving away his fae heritage. But there was a lot of fae in Washington, with Hunter, the leader of the House of Fae, holding court in town. I studied Kieran’s features, noting his full mouth and angular chin, then I focused on those eyes that I’d been unable to purge from my mind, staring up at the camera. They were a deep indigo, a mixture of dark blues that appeared almost amethyst in the light. My stomach tightened the longer I looked at them, twisting with pent-up desire. I needed to get laid if staring at Kieran’s image was enough to make me respond in such a way that my clit pulsed.
Sipping my tea, I silently read through the information about him. There wasn’t much, though. In fact, it was depressing how little was known about Kieran. He was a mercenary for hire, one that cost a fortune. He had unlimited resources and a reputation for never turning down a job. He also ran a shell company that hid his real identity from the human world, located here in Washington.
How had I never come across him? Adjusting in my seat, I typed in the address noted on his file into Google Maps, studying the three blocks identified as his location. Grabbing a pen and paper from the drawer, I wrote the information down and resumed my investigation of his photos.
Searching through them, I found one of him in a bed with a woman, noting that it was a still-shot of a video. Kieran was above the woman, and the look on her face was of absolute pleasure. Peering around, I pushed play on the image. Her screams ripped through my apartment, making me jump. I turned down the volume, blushing as he thrust against her.