My only rule was that I never messed with kids. If there was ever the slightest chance a child could get hurt, I’d tell whoever was requesting my services to piss off, or, depending on how twisted the situation was, I turned their request back on them.
Sometimes supernaturals needed to be knocked down from their pedestal, and I was always happy to oblige.
It had been that way ever since I was a child. I learned early on that bullies needed to be taught lessons, but there wasn’t always someone around to do so. That was when I decided to be that person.
Right before the previous fae queen died and her brother—the current king—took over, she’d given my parents a falcon as a gift. Weeks passed, and I’d witnessed the predator bird terrorize the other wild animals in our area who, as a young fae, I’d considered friends.
At the age of nine, I’d been so sure I knew right from wrong. The bird had needed to go.
But my parents had thought otherwise, and I was the one who paid the price.
They’d been furious when I’d cut its head off and hadn’t believed me when I said it was only in defense. My penance? They sold me to the king in exchange for another damn bird.
That was nine years ago, and I’d spent five of those years being turned into something I wasn’t sure I should be proud of. Regardless, I’d accepted who I was, never once regretting how my life turned out.
Sure, once I’d been banished, I could have reformed, but even at fifteen, I knew in my soul it was too late to really make a difference. I was who I was, and I’d accepted it long ago.
The only thing I let myself care about was punishing those who deserved my wrath. It was the only way to rein in the darkness I carried. It was my way of repenting for all the wrongs I’d been forced to do by the king without having to face the actual consequences of my previous actions.
“Neva,” I called out when I arrived back at my apartment, hoping she’d returned before me.
“Yes, Ms. Morrow?” My faithful assistant’s form shimmered into appearance and began following me while I continued to walk toward my room, stripping off my bloodied clothes along the way.
I sighed. “When will you quit being so formal?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Lucinda.”
Well, that was at least better than using the last name I didn’t care for.
“Lucy also works, you know?” I added, but she merely smiled at me, and I knew I needed to let it go. For now, at least.
Neva was a rare brownie elf. Poor thing had been a hideous mess before I stumbled upon her two years ago being beaten by a group of young cubs that I’d let live per Neva’s begging. Though, I’d made sure I would be starring in their nightmares for the rest of their lives before I was through with them.
In exchange for saving her life and revealing her true beauty with my fae magic, she’d offered to stick around and help me with whatever I might need. At the time, I couldn’t think of a single reason why I needed her—by then, I’d already accepted being alone was best—but she quickly showed me how essential she could be, and I grew used to her company.
Once I entered my bedroom, I relieved myself of every stitch of clothing, even though it had only been my shirt to get blood on it. Neva flinched at my lack of attire, but I had no qualms about standing before her naked. Along with being unable to break her from using formalities, she still hadn’t adjusted to my crass ways.
I held my hand out. “My robe?”
Brownie elves made the best assistants.
“Here you are, Ms. Lucinda.” Neva magicked my silk black wrap into appearance, and I covered myself. I wasn’t a complete monster. I just liked to push the boundaries. A lot. But intentions were good when it came to Neva. One of these days, I’d unearth the strong elf I saw lying behind all her formalities.
“I need to shower the stench of wolf off me, but first, what did the witches want?” I asked.
Her honey eyes stared up at me. Eyes that had been dull and lifeless when she met me were now filled with hope, and I wasn’t sure which was worse. The elf was nearly a foot shorter than me. Though, what she lacked in height, I’d made sure she compensated for in strength and looks after I’d given her a boost of magic.
Her skin was smooth and tinted a deep umber. She had a round face that helped her innocence shine through and also came in handy when she did my bidding. People seemed to trust Neva, and that made the brownie elf even more useful, considering very few trusted a dark fae like me.
“The coven first mentioned that you’re upsetting the balance and causing the humans to be irrational when you lure them in and take what you want. They ask if you wouldn’t mind limiting your punishing to the other supernaturals before they’re forced to clean up a mess you can’t. Their words, not mine, of course.”
“I thought they called for me because they had a real issue, not a complaint.” I knew my stay on Earth was a tenuous one. I knew I was pushing the buttons of the other supernaturals that called this place home, but I had a strange curiosity and couldn’t help myself. Plus, Los Angeles had grown on me. At least, I had thought so until recently.
“Well, they do have an issue with a vampire.”
Glee filled me within an instant. Beating on the wolf hadn’t been enough to quench the darkness within me, and it had been nearly two weeks since my last real outing. Given how antsy I’d been getting, this one was coming at the perfect time. I had even been letting thoughts of moving consume me.
The wolf could have been enough if you’d just killed it.
I ignored the inner comment and turned to Neva. “Perfect. Let me shower and we’ll be on our way.” Then, I sauntered to my bathroom, but Neva cleared her throat. “Yes?” I said without turning around.
“Don’t you want to know what they want with the vampire and who he is?”
Slowly, I swiveled my head back toward her. “I assume they want him dead, and does it really matter who he is? We’ve done business with Beatrix before. She knows my conditions. I doubt she’d risk my wrath by requesting me to harm someone who didn’t deserve it.” Plus, the bloodsuckers were my least favorite of all the supernaturals. I was going to enjoy torturing this one.
Her fingers twisted together with obvious nerves. “Well, he’s an older vampire, and Beatrix doesn’t want him dead. She merely wants him as a prisoner to the coven.”
My brow arched. Maybe I was interested. “To do what with?”
“They didn’t say.”
Hmm. While I enjoyed a good kill and could really use it to calm my inner being, the challenge of capturing might not be too bad as long as he was strong.
I was also interested in why an all-female coven wanted a male vampire as their prisoner. I could certainly imagine the things they had planned for him.
“Very well. It doesn’t change anything. Now, I really need to shower.” My nose turned up. “Remind me to just go to the rooftop next time I want some air.”
“Yes, Ms. Lucinda.” Neva disappeared, all too eager to give me my privacy while I got ready.
A glance at the clock showed it was after midnight and the perfect time to go vampire hunting. They’d be out preying on the drunks leaving the clubs, and I could use their lust for blood against them. Even though bloodsuckers were lightning fast and nearly immortal, the fact that blood held so much power over them made the vampires one of our weaker species, in my opinion.