Ley Cove_The Banshee's scream_Book Two Read online

  “Well, Scott obviously came to the same conclusion that we did. If it has something to do with the book, who better?”

  “Damn witches!” I bit out and then slapped myself around the back of the head for that one. “Damn bloodsucking vampire.” I corrected myself to the sound of another snigger.

  He was going to pay for those later.

  “That’s the spirit, Hun. Scott’s a bad man.” Hawk teased and I grimaced.

  I didn’t want to hate Scott, but I didn’t want him to be my sister’s mate either. That meant he was a part of the family, and my family was screwy enough without the likes of him in it. Pah! Vampire.

  “Did I mention that I don’t like you much right now?” I lifted my chin and pointed my nose in the air.

  “I’m sure that’ll change later when I’m pushing deep inside of you and you’re…”

  “Un-bloody-believable!” I snapped and Hawk’s eyes snapped towards me. I pointed at sight of Scott with my sister practically wrapped around him like a vine…

  “Here we go…” Hawk muttered and I was out of the car and stalking towards them before Hawk had even put the car into neutral.

  “Hey fang!” I bit out and for a long moment there I thought that they might just ignore me. Then Scott detached himself from my sibling and lowered her to the ground. “You wanna unhand her, while you still have hands?”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Here’s the thing.” Scott started and I groaned inwardly.

  “I heard.” I snapped.

  “You?” Sydney looked kind of shocked.

  “Word travels fast in a town full of busybodies.”

  “Doug.” Scott winced.

  “Doug.” I confirmed and Scott nodded.

  “So, this…” He motioned between him and my sister and I felt another growl coming on. “Is happening.”

  “This…” I did the same. “Is…” I choked a little.

  What could I say? Not happening? She was his mate. Damn, I knew how that one went. I groaned. I cursed, and then I stalked away from them towards the front door.

  “You might want to…” Hawk warned and I snorted in his direction.

  “They know we’re here.” I snapped back and the front door opened as usual with nobody in sight.

  “In the back.” Felicity called.

  “We heard all about the troubles.” Judith offered and I grunted.

  There wasn’t a damn thing in this town that these two old birds didn’t know about. I should have come knocking on their door first.

  I stalked through the house towards the kitchen and was followed by the other three. Oh joy, my life was complete. I had a convoy.

  “I’m sure you did.” I offered as I walked into the kitchen and found them at the large table where they must have spent all of their days, because they were always perched there whenever I came calling. Maybe they just sprinted there when they knew someone was coming, and when I saw sprinted…

  “Terrible shame.” Felicity said and Judith nodded her head in agreement. If these two reminded me of anyone, it was those damn faerie sisters.

  “So, what do you know, exactly?” I asked the question and they looked a little sheepish.

  “Only that King died…” Judith offered and Felicity nodded this time. “Such a nice looking hot blooded male, that King was…”

  Oh, here we go! I needed this like I needed another head. Sex, sex, sex, it was all they seemed to have on the brain.

  “Speaking of which, I hear congratulations are in order.” Judith looked to Scott and I seethed inside.

  “Yes, mates. How wonderful.” Felicity added. “Oh, the fun you two are going to have…”

  Really? Ew! That’s my sister…

  “Doug told you.” Scott asked and Felicity’s eyes sparkled.

  “Yes. Such a nice man for a bear. Such a shame…” Judith said and gave a sudden jolt and squeak as Felicity kicked her under the table.

  “Shame?” Hawk growled. He liked that statement about as much as I did.

  “That he…” Felicity had a senior moment. I didn’t.

  “Call that bear and warn him.” I snapped out. I’m sure that Hawk could smell the deceit in the air because I could certainly smell bullshit.

  Scott snapped his mobile out of his back pocket and Felicity snapped her fingers. The mobile was snatched away and hit the wall where it promptly shattered. Sydney and I were ready for them, our magic was strong, but how much stronger was theirs?

  “Now, now. There’s no need for that…” Judith’s eyes snapped towards mine.

  “Sure about that?” I wasn’t into playing games. Margo might have been long gone and therefore they didn’t have the power of the three to join together, but how potent were the two remaining witches?

  I heard the low, deep warning rumble of Hawk’s growl a moment before he went to step in front of me. This was witches work. No men allowed at this table!

  I flicked my hand and sent him flying sideways. I knew what was coming and I was right. Something skin to a thunderbolt shot through the air right at me, but I had a surprise of my own- my shields were locked and loaded and with Sydney backing me up as she pushed her magic towards me- that bolt hit my shields and ricochet right back at its maker.

  The flash hit Judith right in the chest. The old woman was tossed backwards in her chair. The smell of scorched skin and burning clothes filled the air as Felicity pushed up from her chair.

  Her eyes snapped from Judith to me and back again. She had a cold hard stare that I’d never witnessed before. Her face twisted in hatred fuelled anger…

  “What did you do?” Felicity screamed out.

  “Returned to sender.” I offered back. I wasn’t proud of myself for killing one of my own, but it was kill or be killed, and the same applied to this elder. If she made her move, I’d take her down…

  “You!” She spat out. “First, Margo, now Judith…” She started to raise her hands but she never got them up in front of her. Scott was already behind her.

  He placed a hand on either side of her head, and right before my eyes, and witnessed by my ears, there was a sickening snap.

  “You’re entirely welcome.” Scott gave me a half smile that was disguising his loathing for what he’d just done. “You are family, after all.”

  I groaned inwardly. I growled outwardly. I hated that man.

  “Bravo, well done. Now we don’t know who the banshee is or why they summoned her here.” I snapped.

  “Obviously they summoned her here for revenge for Margo’s death, as to who the banshee is…”Scott tossed up a shoulder. “But we do know where she is…”

  “Oh, Crap! Doug!” I’d forgotten that the bear was in mortal danger.

  It wasn’t lost on me that for one long moment there I considered letting the banshee have her way with him and silencing all those damned annoying disturbances of phone calls about shifter squirrels and Goblins… but my guilt and shame got the best of me.

  I’m sure if Doug survived then I’d regret my weakness.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  We arrived on mass at Doug’s place. His shop had been empty, and if he wasn’t off taking a crap in the woods, then the only other place for him was his house. And it truly was a cabin in the middle of those woods.

  “We’ve got the front, you get the back. I have the book.” Scott whispered, and I don’t know why because it was a banshee and their hearing wasn’t anything to write home about.

  “Why do you have the book?” I hissed back.

  “Because…” Scott tossed up his shoulder again and that was really beginning to annoy me, as was his face where I would gladly plant my fist, but first we had a banshee to kill…

  “The females should stay here.” Hawk bit out and both Sydney and I snorted our contempt for that.

  “Fat chance.” Scott said it for us. Hawk growled, then sighed, then I was sure I saw a pout, but all hell broke loose in that moment and I was distracted.

 
“Leave. Leave while you still can. I’m not here for you.” The woman was a Goddess. With long red hair and eyes of emerald green, she truly was a vision of beauty. Bitch!

  “That’s not going to happen.” Sydney assured her and I concurred… even if for a split second I might have considered it. This was Doug… annoying damned bear with a sore head and a grumpy nature…

  “Then you’ll die with the bear.” She offered that truth.

  If we allowed her to scream every one of us would perish. I had no qualms about ending her.

  “Or you’ll die for long forgotten justice for your kin. Is it worth it?” I had to ask. I didn’t expect her to consider it and find that argument acceptable, but I was distracting her enough so that Hawk could move, and he did, full steam ahead and right at her as she opened her mouth and dragged in a breath…

  But it was the last that she would take. Hawk’s claws cut fast and deeply into her throat, silencing the scream before it emerged. Her eyes went wide as she tried to breath and Scott moved, shoving the open book in front of her face and giving her no option but to look at the pages…

  CHAPTER TEN

  The banshee was Fae, and her Fae essence was recognised by the pages. Coupled with the fact that she had committed evil against other supernatural beings- she was sucked into the pages right in front of my eyes. It was as if she was being deconstructed in life only for her essence to be drawn into the fabric of the book.

  I wished I could look upon the page and see her there. But that would have been a long time gone. I’d never seen my mate again.

  “What the bloody hells bell are you four doing here?” Doug growled as he came out of the front door, but his eyes were drawn towards the woman who was fast disappearing. He swallowed down hard at the sight.

  I think we all did.

  Nobody said another word until the deed was done. Scott snapped the book closed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What the…?” Doug was the first to speak. How unlike him. “Why me?” His eyes were still wide.

  “Your linage in this town goes back a long way?” Scott asked and Doug nodded. “Then I guess one of your ancestors was one of the alphas that killed the banshee. Congratulations on having shit relatives.”

  I almost choked on that one. Point to the vampire. Who I still hated.

  “How did she know?” Doug eyed Scott with suspicion.

  “It was Felicity and Judith…” I informed him and before I could get another word out he was already cursing like… like Doug.

  “Damn witches! Scum sucking little meddlesome, sneaky… ” Doug growled out. Then he realised that Sydney and I were giving him a death glare and he choked on his own tongue. “Not the two of you, of course.”

  “Of course.” Sydney sneered back.

  He looked sheepish to say the least, and so he should. Tarring us all with the same damn brush. Pah!

  It wasn’t lost on me that the big man was naked. I didn’t want to consider what he’d been up to.

  “Oh, cover yourself, you have nothing to be proud of.” I snapped at the impressive sight of his manhood. Doug’s hands went over his private parts and he scowled back at me.

  “I take it back. You two are just bloody…” He turned and stomped away. I couldn’t resist a parting shot and it hit him right on his backside. The man jumped in place, growled, and stomped on.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Am I seriously going to let my sister mate with that…?” Hawk had been pacing back and forth across our bedroom floor while I tossed, turned, and procrastinated getting involved in my sisters’ affairs…

  Ew, affairs, not a good choice of words.

  “Yes.” Hawk offered back. He was the rational to my insanity, and I needed some.

  “I could stake him…” I tossed that idea out there and Hawk groaned.

  I know what he wanted. It had been what I’d wanted ever since my damn sister had appeared on our doorstep bringing her mayhem with her. Now I wasn’t really in the mood.

  I think it had something to do with the images of a bloodied and dying vampire and all the ways I could slay him that were going through my mind…

  “I think I should intervene.” I went to move towards the bedroom door and Hawk got between me and it.

  “You know that’s not going to make a blind bit of…”

  “But I have to try, right? I mean for my own sanity.” I threw up my hands and let them drop back to my sides. Life seemed hopelessly out of my control at this point.

  “Your sanity?”

  “Sydney- living here… In the Cove?” How couldn’t he see how bad that was going to be? “Hello, have you met my sister?”

  “It’ll be fine…” Hawk said that word again and my head snapped back on my neck as I growled at him.

  “Fine?”

  “Not fine, exactly.” Hawk retracted before I could kill him.

  “We don’t do f…”

  “Fine. Yes, I know.” Hawk started to peel off his shirt and I had to admit to a certain interest in the terrain.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded. “Are you going to shift and kill him for me?” That thought brought a sparkle to my eyes and a smile to my lips.

  “Not exactly.” Hawk frowned at my sudden bloodthirsty ways. I huffed.

  Then he started to undo his jeans. My heart fluttered as he pushed them down those thick muscled legs. Yep, I licked my lips.

  Always a view I enjoyed taking in.

  Stripped naked right there in front of me, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I think I was panting like a dog… wolf, I meant wolf.

  “I’m distracting you, but it only works if you want to be distracted. Do you want to be distracted, Joss?” He gave me a damned sexy grin and I felt my knees wobble. His arm reached out and he yanked up against his hard body.

  “Stupid question.” I giggled like a schoolgirl.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SYDNEY

  Scott looked like the cat that got the cream or maybe just a vampire that was onto a sure thing. I liked the whole black on black look he had going on. With those jet black eyes taking me in from head to toe; he just looked very dark, in more ways than one.

  I guess knowing that he was my mate took some of the buzz out of the whole; will he, won’t he- kill me thing, but there was still enough of a thrill just knowing that he was capable of it if he lost himself too much in the whole feeding and bloodlust thing.

  Now, as I stood inside the huge bedroom that could have come out of the pages of a glossy magazine; the fact that he was my mate, my one true love for life loomed large. As large as that four poster bed.

  “So, this is my room…” I teased. I had too. It was in my nature and mated or not, it would always be the way of it.

  That look in his eye. The sparkle of light against the dark; thrilled me more than words could ever say. But it was the red silk scarf from my first visit to this place that he pulled out slowly from the top drawer of his dresser that really sent shivers down my spine.

  “What’s that for?”

  “So you don’t know where I put the book…” Scott had look of accusation on his face and it ruffled my feathers.

  “I… fair enough…” I guess he knew that the temptation to peek a little would be too much for me. Plus, it was that silk scarf again and I’d more than liked it the first time.

  He moved towards me slowly and my eyes wanted to flick to the book on the side where he’d left it, but I just couldn’t seem to drag them away from him. His movements were graceful and yet I could see the predator within him coming in for the kill. Hopefully not, but that was life.

  “Turn around.” His words caused a rush of excitement inside me. This was going to be good and I had no problem doing what he asked of me.

  The brush of his fingers against my cheeks was like a mini orgasm in itself. I felt that heat within my body growing. The jolt to my womb rebounded through me, and my sex, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have a problem ta
king him inside of me.

  He tied the scarf in place and I felt more nervous than I had been the first time. This was it. This was for real, and when it was over I would be a mate.

  Oh crap! A mate. For life.

  “Just hold on there one moment…” I breathed out through the nerves, through the doubt that suddenly rushed forward to hit me like a rogue wave on a calm day.

  “I know what you’re thinking…” His voice wasn’t just melodic, it was teasing, playful, and it held my attention.

  Damn vampire. How was I supposed to think now? Doubt myself, doubt him, and doubt fate…

  “Don’t do that…” It wasn’t time that I needed; it was a little faith in myself that I could be his mate in the true sense of the word.

  “You’re going to like that I do that very soon. Don’t doubt yourself. I’m not a wolf. If you ever need the thrill of the chase again, Sydney, you can run and I’ll chase you down. I’ll woo you. I’ll slay your dragons and anything else that gets in my way…”

  The thrill of the chase. Yes, that was what I liked. What I lived for. It made the world a less boring place to be…

  His fingertips ran down the bare skin of my arms and I was lost to that touch, to that feeling. That thrill was here now. He’d caught me. I was his and he was mine.

  The press of his body against my back centred me. The brush of his lips against my neck excited me. Strong hands that ran around my waist and palmed my stomach, bringing me tightly back against the feel of his hard length enthralled me…

  He moved. I swayed. I’d lost my centre of gravity. My knees were getting weak and my body just wanted to give up the ghost of trying to stand.

  I wanted to be naked. I wanted to be naked with his hands on me. His mouth. His tongue.

  I felt the brush of his fingers against my upper arms as he pushed the fabric of my shirt downwards. It felt so sexy against my skin. So erotic.

  I could hear my heart beating within my ears and had to wonder what it sounded like to him…