A Bite Before Dying: Book Six Supernatural Enforcers Agency Read online

  A Bite Before Dying

  (Supernatural Enforcers Agency)

  E A Price

  Copyright ©2017 by Elizabeth Ann Price

  All rights reserved. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

  Disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, shifters, vampires, witches and incidents are entirely made up and not intended to reflect reality in the slightest.

  Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental – it cannot be stressed enough how little this book has anything to do with real life, no matter how much the author wishes it did.

  No sabre-tooth tigers were hurt in the making of this book.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Five hundred years ago

  “What is your name, girl?” he asked.

  “Mary,” she tremored. She clasped her hands in front of her to stop them from shaking.

  He circled her, fingers lightly tracing her body, a vague smile on his handsome face. He was handsome, too. The most beautiful man she had ever seen. Full lips, even features, and a roguish smile. Mary would swoon were it not for the fear she felt. No matter how lovely he looked, he could not hide his coldness.

  “Such an ordinary name for such an exquisite creature.”

  Mary was too frightened to even blush. Normally she did. She often garnered praise for her beauty, and it always embarrassed her, but she just wanted to be away from there. Away from him.

  Earlier that day, she had returned home from meeting Thomas, a butcher’s apprentice and the man who wished to marry her. He was not much to look at, and she had no doubt that his only interest in her was her pretty face, but he would be a good husband. He had his work, he could read, and he had promised that when they married, he would teach her to read. They would marry and have children, and she would be content. She was keen to have her own babies. A friend of hers a year younger was already married and swollen with her first child. Mary was desirous to have her own family with Thomas as soon as possible.

  Or at least, that was the intention.

  Her mother told her she was leaving home. She was going to work for the Lord in the castle. She could not repress her shudder. Everyone knew of him, knew that the people who went to work for him never returned. Rumors abounded that he practiced demonic rites, sacrificing people to the devil. Apparently, he had seen Mary and decided he wanted her to work for him. He offered her parents an extremely handsome sum for her, and they did not hesitate. They had eight other children to think of and could not afford to say no.

  Mary had thought to run away, to escape, but the Lord sent two servants to collect her. She had moments to say goodbye to her brothers and sisters, and she was whisked away from everything she had ever known.

  Now, she found herself under the scrutiny of the Lord, and it was worse than her limited imagination could predict.

  “Do you know what your duties will be… Mary?”

  “No.”

  “Call me Master,” he purred.

  “No… Master.”

  He chuckled, pleased by the way she said ‘master’.

  “Do you know what I am, Mary?” His fingers stroked her neck.

  “I… I do not understand, Master.” Her eyes flickered to the door, her only means of escape.

  “Of course you do not,” he cooed patronizingly. “So lovely but so simple.”

  Mary frowned. She was sure that was insulting to her, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. Before she could dwell on it, she felt him press his nose to her neck and inhale. It shocked her enough that she let out a yelp and tried to dart away from him. She didn’t get far, his brutal grip locked on her arms and anchored her to the spot.

  “I am not like others,” he continued. “I am a creature you would call a vampire.”

  “A vampire?” she repeated faintly as goose pimples swept across her skin.

  “Yes, I am… special. I am far greater than other men.”

  Far more horrible she thought morosely.

  “I am,” he snickered, “much older than I appear. This may come as a shock to you, but my mother is a very powerful witch. A long time ago, my three brothers and I became gravely ill. My mother could not bear to lose us; she used black magic to save us. There was a price to her saving us. She had to sacrifice a great many to bring us back and we did not fully return to our mortal forms. The magic and the sacrifices made us into something so much more.

  “Unfortunately, because of my greatness, it means that I must demand more sacrifices from lesser creatures like you.”

  A tear trickled down Mary’s cheek, convinced he was going to take her life, to kill her. She mourned the life she would never have with Thomas, the children she would never have.

  As he pressed his teeth into her throat, his arms wrapped around her, the sounds of his pleasure muffling the anguished cries escaping her.

  He didn’t kill her, though part of her wished he had.

  Chapter One

  Present day

  Juliet woke with a start, blinking into the darkness of her bedroom. She really ought to stop sleeping so much – she didn’t really need to sleep as often as she did, no vampires did, but she’d always found it comforting, made her feel more connected to her human past. Maybe not so much in recent months, when she found herself dreaming of things best left forgotten. It had been a long time since she was ‘Mary’, but no matter how hard she tried, the memories stayed with her, ready to rear their ugly heads at any given moment.

  Her room was in blackness, thanks to the industrial grade shutters she had installed on her windows, but she could tell it was almost sundown. Almost time to get up and go to work.

  The last rays of the day would probably just be rippling over the horizon. The urge to peek through the shutters was almost too much. It had been so long since she really saw the sun. She was old, and she could stand some daylight on a foggy day, but her body was not overly strong. One peek might be too much for her; she might not be able to hold herself back. Sunlight was something she missed and longed for. One of many things, and by far not th
e hardest to come to terms with, she thought sadly.

  Juliet shook her head and sidled out of bed, putting on her slippers.

  She was restless; there was no denying it. She got that way every couple of decades. Working for the Supernatural Enforcers Agency had given her renewed purpose in life, and she might have even been able to say she was happy, but that was changing now, and it was all his fault.

  Why couldn’t he have just gone away and let her be? No, he had to stay, had to tell her she was his mate, had to taunt her at every turn. Stupid, sexy… oh no.

  Juliet snapped out of her daydreams, scenting the smell of bacon.

  Bacon? In her house? She hadn’t eaten bacon in… ever. Her parents couldn’t afford good meat. Thomas used to give her scraps, mostly chicken feet, but she was kind of glad she didn’t know what she was missing.

  The bacon scent intermingled with something much more appetizing. Juliet growled and pulled her robe around her, stomping downstairs into the kitchen.

  The huge male seemed to be frying up a storm; there were pans with bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and potatoes – enough to feed an army, or perhaps just one large sabre-tooth tiger shifter.

  Juliet tapped her foot. He knew she was there. He was just ignoring her, just acting like his usual infuriating self. He even started whistling a jaunty tune that was surely designed to grate on her last nerve.

  She gave in – he knew she would. “What are you doing here?” she demanded coldly.

  Not the first time he’d snuck into her house, though on the previous visits he limited himself to watching her TV and watching her sleep – should have been as creepy as it sounded but it wasn’t. Waking to find his intense gaze on her was kind of… delightful.

  He turned back to look at her, a spatula in hand and a smirk on his face. “Making breakfast.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” she hissed. “Shouldn’t you be making your breakfast at your house?” He must have brought all the food with him – that involved forward planning.

  “I’m staying at a motel. The owners got pissed the last time I broke into their kitchen.”

  “So you thought you’d break into mine?”

  “Seemed a shame to have this big, ole kitchen go to waste. I bet you barely use it.”

  Juliet shrugged self-consciously. She had no need of it. “It came with the house.”

  She didn’t set out to buy a house with an enormous kitchen. She liked the seclusion and the location of the house. Most vampires preferred to live in cities in apartment complexes specifically built to keep out the sun and with concierges on twenty-four-hour duty to cater to their every whim. But Juliet liked her privacy. Liked her large house, away from anyone. It was equipped with good security, though that didn’t seem to stop him.

  “Wanna bite?” he offered.

  “I won’t really be able to taste it.”

  “I wasn’t offering the food.”

  His eyes glittered, and her eyes immediately darted to his neck. The long, tanned column of skin calling to her. He probably tasted divine.

  Juliet sniffed dismissively. “I prefer my blood a little sweeter.”

  “Sure, sweetheart.”

  He didn’t hold back the snort. She didn’t fool him for a second. Five hundred years to perfect her poker stare and he saw right through her.

  Juliet considered whether she should call the cops or just throw him out herself. She had vampire strength and speed – she could do it. But that would mean touching him, which would mean tingles and a serious case of the vapors. She was still practically vibrating from the moment he pulled her into his arms and breathed the word ‘mate’ at her four weeks ago. She needed to maintain a physical distance if she had any hope of keeping him out of her bed. Perhaps she should move. Patagonia was probably nice that time of year.

  He dished up his enormous meal onto one of her serving platters – the one designed to hold a whole turkey. There appeared to be enough grease to sink an ocean liner.

  Juliet wrinkled her nose. “You’re not really going to eat all that?”

  He stopped in front of her on his way to the table giving her an amused look. “Unless there’s something else on the menu?”

  He gave her an exaggerated leer, his huge frame leaning over her as his eyes took in every inch of her small body. He was doing it to irritate her, to amuse himself, but the twinkle in his eye said that if she let him, he’d have her stripped naked and pinned to her bed in seconds flat while her fangs sought his neck.

  Juliet pursed her lips and pulled her robe a little tighter. It was far too tempting a thought to run with.

  He chuckled and settled himself at the kitchen table – which was already laid with utensils, salt, pepper, orange juice, and coffee. He kicked out the chair next to him and patted it with a large hand.

  She ignored his oh so generous offer and moved to her refrigerator for her own meal. “Isn’t it a little late in the day for you to be eating breakfast?”

  “Figured I should get myself onto your schedule.”

  She pulled out some blood and poured it into a glass. He watched with disapproval. She tried to dredge up some enthusiasm, but cold blood wasn’t particularly appetizing. Younger vampires went in for the new fad of drinking it in popsicle form – the latest in a long line of silly crazes – but the thought made Juliet sick. Blood was supposed to be warm, rich, just taken from a vein, and deliciously decadent. Even better when feeding during sex. The taste of blood exploding over her taste buds as her sex blossomed in ecstasy…

  She found herself fixated on his neck again and shook herself. It had been a while since she fed on someone, and even longer since she had sex. The urge for both was getting a bit much.

  This male had to leave. If only for her own sanity.

  “Get out,” she snapped coldly.

  He ignored her.

  “I said, get out.”

  “I heard,” he grunted between munches. Considering how quickly he was eating, his table manners weren’t actually too terrible.

  “You have to stop coming here.”

  “Nope.”

  “I don’t want you to come back here again!” she cried in exasperation.

  “Yes, you do.”

  “Dracula’s fangs!” She slammed her glass onto the counter, and it shattered.

  He was by her side in a second. He snagged her hand, engulfing it between his massive paws as he inspected her for damage. She should push him away, but she couldn’t deny the frisson of pleasure at his touch. Couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed him fussing over her. No male ever really had. They thought because she was a vampire she could take care of herself, and yes, she could, but it was nice to be fussed over.

  “I’d heal even if I were injured,” she muttered.

  He toyed with her slender fingers. They were so pale and dainty compared to his thick, rough digits. She admired the contrast between them. They were so different… too different she thought worriedly.

  “I know why you don’t want to bond with me.”

  Juliet flared with surprise. “You know?” How did he know that? Vampires worked hard to keep their secrets.

  “It’s the age thing – I’m trying to work on that.”

  “The age thing,” she repeated slowly.

  “You worry that I will age and you won’t.”

  “Oh, yes.” Clearly, he didn’t know the real reason. Perhaps for the best. But it was true, she wasn’t getting any older, but he was.

  “I will find a way through that,” he said decisively.

  “Will you?”

  “If I can’t I would be grateful for whatever time we do have.”

  His hand clenched around hers, and the earnestness in his face almost undid her. Were it not for the fact that their two species were inherently incompatible, the age thing would indeed be an issue. They might have forty or fifty years together, but ultimately he would leave her alone when he died.

  “It’s not that, well, not entirely that. Wh
at about…” She closed her eyes as she tried the push the shard-like words out of her lips. “What about children? You know I can never have any.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he replied instantly. He didn’t even have to consider it.

  “Doesn’t it? Are you sure? I think it matters enough.” It was certainly something that had been bothering her for five centuries.

  “I don’t need cubs, I need you,” he said forcefully, his grip on her hand becoming ever tighter. “You will be enough.”

  Juliet smiled wanly. “You seem so sure of yourself.”

  His lips turned down in disapproval. “You’re worried you won’t be?”

  “There are so many things that I’m worried about.” The issue of children quite small in the scheme of things, it was actually one of the less important reasons why they couldn’t mate.

  “Humph. You think too much about this. We are mates – what else is there to consider?”

  “The aging thing and the cubs should be enough to scare you away.”

  He gave her a grin, full of teeth. “I don’t scare so easily.”

  Juliet rolled her eyes. She was aware of the fact that he was tough, but their problems were not something that he could fight with claws and brawn. “Yes well, I’m five hundred and sixty-six years old, fast as a whip, stronger than an elephant shifter and I’m scared.”

  “You look good for your age,” he teased.

  Exasperation returned. “Can’t you take this seriously?”

  “I take you very seriously, sweet thing.” His voice rolled into a throaty growl, the timbre of which made her very sex quiver.

  He had to go. She was in danger of giving in to him, of dragging him to her bedroom and begging him to show her just how wicked his tongue could be.

  It had been a struggle since the moment they met. He had been kidnapped by rare shifter traffickers - they wanted to sell him to be a rich woman’s sex toy. Grrr. Thankfully, it didn’t get that far, and they met while Juliet was at the mercy of the man orchestrating the kidnappings. He wanted Juliet for his own sex toy. She certainly did attract a certain type of creepy megalomaniac. Of course, her sabre-tooth tiger didn’t hang around, he made short work of the man, and Juliet had felt a certain satisfaction in that. Then a few days later, he declared they were mates, and now he was virtually stalking her. Though was it stalking if she secretly welcomed it?