Changing Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 2)

Alyssa groans, Karma/Kimber rolls her eyes, and Gage glares daggers at me. “Over my dead fucking body,” Gage growls, and I laugh loudly while clutching my side. He’s too damn easy. Always so intense.

Dice’s grin slowly crawls up. “Think you could get me a redhead? I’ve always had a thing for gingers,” he says.

Suddenly, a loud whoosh of air leaves him as he crumples to the ground. He never saw the knee Karma/Kimber aimed at his gut until it was too late.

“Too far,” he says through a painful strain, coughing as he curls into the fetal position. “I always take it just a little too damn far.”

Karma/Kimber smirks, but suddenly her eyes grow wide, then dull, and she drops. Before she can hit the ground, Gage is holding her, scooping her up and cradling her to his chest. Apparently Karma just vacated the premises.

“I’m going to kill her,” Kimber says meekly, spitting and gagging. “Right after I gargle a bottle of alcohol and bleach my lips.”

“Hey!” Dice yells, affronted, while climbing back up to his feet. “These lips are the gift of pure seduction and lust.”

“That’s sort of my point,” she mumbles, getting down out of Gage’s arms.

He tugs her to him, brushing his lips against her forehead as she pulls him down for a kiss. But he jerks back quickly. “Fuck that. You really do have to go bleach your lips first.”

That has me bursting out laughing as he grins down at her scowl.

“Does it weaken you?” Alyssa asks, bringing seriousness back.

“The possessions?” Kimber asks, shrugging. “Only for the first few minutes after she gets out. Then I’m me again. It’s a weird sensation. It’s as though I can watch everything she’s doing, but I have zero control once she’s fully settled in. She sure as hell pushed me to try though, once I realized what she was about to do with my lips. I hear her thoughts as though they’re mine. It’s really fascinating.”

Ah, fuck. That has me worried.

“Are you—”

“Fixated?” she asks in interruption, narrowing her eyes on me. “No. I haven’t really fixated on anything since the slave rings were broken up. Well, I haven’t fixated on anything besides Gage. He’s enough mystery to completely ensnare my attention, so it works.”

Gage releases a cocky grin before pulling her to him, and despite the incubus’s lips still lingering on hers, he kisses her—a little too inappropriately for the public eye.

“Ahem,” I say obnoxiously. “Back to the task at hand. How long does it take Karma to recuperate?”

Karma walks out as though she’s coming on cue. “That long,” she answers, her short black hair bouncing with her perky steps as she heads straight for Dice. At least possessions aren’t obvious to the human eye.

“Where’s Kane?” Alyssa asks when Karma reaches Dice and competes for worst public display of affection ever. Do they really have to make all those sounds?

“He’s not here yet,” Gage tells her absently.

“Damn. I hate this,” Alyssa says to herself. “He’s been off with some of the others searching for those twins. There have been whispers that they’re here, and he thinks it’s related to a lot of the attacks around this area and the neighboring towns. Edgebrook has been hit as well.”

I purse my lips, thinking about all the things we should be doing instead of talking about what we should be doing. Things would be so much easier if mortals weren’t around. Risking exposure is more dangerous than ever, considering the fact anointed weapons are out there and coming to life all over the world.

“This is either connected to the slaves we freed, or to the powers that ruled Gavin,” I muse aloud, sick of talking. Strategy doesn’t do any good if we’re not taking more action. “Tonight we’ll hunt, and maybe we can get a lead. They’ve attacked in the woods only, which means they’re lucid enough to shy away from exposure.”

Alyssa interjects, “Or they’ve been bound by something or someone to not expose themselves. Just like Gavin was bound to whomever.”

“Can we please stop speaking about my brother?” Gage groans, guilt clearly etched on his face.

Kimber soothes him with a kiss, and he pulls her in for something much showier. Really? Can’t they take that shit inside?

“Any threats to your blood banks?” Dice asks me, still halfway mauling his girl.

Rolling my eyes, I answer, “None. Which means they’re more into the hunt than the blood. I’ve pulled security to make it easier for them to break in. I’m leaning more toward savage creatures than the higher powers affiliated with Gavin. These kills are messy, gory, and there’s no order or reason. Gavin’s crew was clean and covert. No one has been able to find those rings for centuries.”

Kimber’s eyes turn to angry slits as she adds, “Until Sadie conjured up a spell that located all of them, conveniently enough.”

I’m with her on the suspicious side of that.