Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“What’s your point?”
“They could kill you. They could kill us all.” She rubbed at her throat. “They’ve probably already planned our murders step by step. Being torn apart is not a fun way to die, trust me. I once died during a wolf attack. Lycans are even bigger and deadlier than full-blooded wolves.”
“You were attacked by a wolf?”
“It was rabid. My guards didn’t even do anything to help me. Personally, I think they let me die on purpose because they hated my father.” Anabel’s nose wrinkled. “He tended to fly into murderous rages. Even killed my brother while caught up in one. And launching the Massacre of Novgorod didn’t do his rep any favors.”
“The Massacre of—Wait, are you talking about Ivan the Terrible?”
“Well … I just called him Papa.”
Wynter gave her head a little shake. “Okay. Well. Thanks for sharing.” She tightened her grip on the box of vials. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
Outside, Wynter casually walked down the path toward the gate. She was totally ignored by the two males yelling in each other’s face while several lycans fanned out behind each of them. She’d heard enough of their disputes to know that the tallest was Diego and the other was Elias. They were also both Alphas.
Wynter tutted. “Now boys, is all that shouting really necessary?”
Diego snarled at her, his fists clenched. “This ain’t your business. Go toddle back inside.”
“Now that wasn’t nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“I’m thinking she already noticed that, asshole,” snarked Elias. He might be shorter than the other Alpha, but he was more powerfully built.
Opening the gate, Wynter began, “What I’m wondering is … why do you argue amongst yourselves so much when, in doing so, you’re giving the vampires what they want? I mean, they hate that you outnumber them, right? It suits them that you’re all at each other’s throats.”
“I don’t care what does or doesn’t suit them fuckers,” Diego sneered.
She hummed. “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t see how you could really be so indifferent to them. I’ve heard what derogatory stuff they say about lycans. Their kind hunted yours at one time, right? Their sharper senses were your downfall. There was even a period when they captured, brainwashed, and used a bunch of you as their guards. That’s why they still call your kind their bitches. And don’t they still tease you for having weaker senses?”
Diego’s nostrils flared. “There a point to this conversation?”
“Yes. You see, I can help you. One of my crew, Anabel, is extremely talented when it comes to potions. She makes all sorts of weird and wonderful brews. She’ll actually be selling them as of tomorrow. Some will be designed for demons, some for vamps, some for your kind etc., etc.” Wynter pulled a vial of green liquid out of the box. “This baby here can sharpen lycan senses.”
Elias snorted. “Bullshit.”
“No bullshit,” she said. “The effect wouldn’t be permanent, of course. It would last about three months. Either of you guys want this free sample?”
Diego gave her a brittle smile. “My parents warned me not to accept potions from strangers.”
“It isn’t poisoned or anything. Here, I’ll prove it.” Wynter pulled off the small cork and took a sip of the minty concoction. Of course, nothing happened. “There. See. All good.”
“Did it work?” Elias asked.
“On me? No. This is designed to work strictly on lycans.” She looked from one Alpha to the other, a challenge in her eyes. “So, which of you wants to try it? I guess this is where we find out who’s the biggest, baddest Alpha around—”
Diego snatched the vial and knocked back the potion. For a few moments, he merely stood there, clearly dubious. Then his back snapped straight, he blinked rapidly, and shook his head hard. The tension slipped from his body, and his eyes widened. “Fuck.”
Wynter smiled. “My girl’s good, huh?” She took another from the box and offered it to Elias, who didn’t hesitate to accept and drink the potion.
His physical reaction was much the same as Diego’s. “Jesus Christ.”
“You can call those freebies,” she told them. “Like I said, the effects will last about three months. You want more after that? Well, I can be persuaded to sell them to your two packs at a discount, what with us being neighbors and all. I can even be persuaded to ensure that Anabel doesn’t create a sense-sharpening potion for vampires. That way, you’ll have an edge on them.”
Diego narrowed his eyes. “And what do you want in return?”
She shrugged. “It’s really pretty simple. Stop arguing outside my home. I realize that neither of you want to cross the other’s territorial lines and that this strip of land here is the only neutral ground between your turfs, but it’s also my home now. And Anabel … she can be a little jumpy. Most things make her nervous. Including all the yelling. If you keep that up, she’ll stop making those babies. And who could blame her for that?”