Changing Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 2)

She thinks about it for a moment, and then she nods “Yeah. Roslyn. How did you know?”

Moving

back into my old house suddenly seems a little more fun. I’ve only been there for a few hours so far, and I haven’t noticed anyone living next door. Then again, I had no reason to be looking.

“Pretty brunette with curvy hips and a nice rack?” I ask instead of answering her question.

She rolls her eyes. “Pretty brunette, yes. The rest isn’t something I was checking out. Now, how do you know her?”

The sweet little morsel will be right next door. I might have to corrupt her just a little now. I was going to leave her alone, but fate has delivered her to my doorstep, and I’m not one to pass up a gift.

“Met her the other night,” I say with a shrug, not letting her see my intentions.

Zee’s lips quirk up. “The one you were working over at the bar?”

I smirk, and that’s the only answer he needs.

“They’ll be at our sham of a party in a couple of days,” he says, grinning like’s expecting a taste. “I’ve been craving a bite, and her friend Jenny will suffice nicely.”

The party I had no interest in now seems so much more appealing.

“The party is just to lure out whatever is attacking the humans,” Alyssa reminds us. “We’ll be alternating shifts in the woods. The noise will draw attention, and they’ll be lurking in the darkness to try and pick off strays that cut through the hiking trails.”

Smiling like the devil, I wink at Alyssa. “No worries, light girl. You know as well as I do that I can juggle work and play like a pro. It’s my specialty.”

Though she rolls her eyes, she smiles. This is going to be fun.

“Just got a message from Reese,” Dice says, frowning down at his phone. “He wants us to keep our ears and eyes open for his witch/werewolf hybrid.”

Ah, hell. Just what we need. “He lost her?” I ask.

“Says she’s been missing. Something about their spell on her went awry. But he won’t give me any details about her. He just wants us to notify him if anything arises.”

Alyssa and Kane exchange a look. “Think it could be her that’s ravaging the locals?” Kane asks.

“No,” I answer without hesitation. “She was miles away. It’s unlikely she’d be in Pine Shore.”

“This place draws in magic,” Alyssa reminds me. “It’s where I came when I was mortal. His hybrid is mortal, too.”

“I don’t like the fact he’s so secretive about her,” Zee says warily. “She was kept in slavery, and now she could be very dangerous. She’s shifting while mortal. Alyssa’s the only one who could do that, but she went crazy during those times. And this chick has witch powers with a werewolf temper. That makes her even more dangerous. How the hell did he lose track of her?”

Alyssa frowns, probably because Zee just pointed out that she did in fact go totally psycho during those times, but Dice is the one to answer the actual question. “He can’t brand her as pack until she’s immortal, so that means he can’t track her so easily. She can also dematerialize. My question isn’t how he lost her… It’s why does he want her so damn bad?”

How is she shifting while mortal? Is it the blend of the two fey beings?

Gage groans, acting as though something just occurred to him. “Because he wants her to choose his pack the second she’s immortal. That’s why. She’s close to her change. And if she’s pack, then he controls her.”

How the hell did we overlook that? “And if Reese has a witch under his control, he’ll be one of the strongest packs there is,” I summarize.

“Witches aren’t meant to be controlled,” Alyssa points out, scowling. “If anyone beats Reese out for alpha, she could be forced to do anything against her will. I won’t let that happen. It’s too risky and too dangerous. Not to mention she’s unpredictable as it is. We need to find her before he does.”

Great. Just fucking great. “I’ll add it to our already long and impossible list of things to do,” I grumble.

At this rate, we’re never going to get anything accomplished.

“If it’s her tearing this town apart,” Gage says, moving his eyes around our small circle, “what then?”

“Then we chain her up and see if we can help her,” Alyssa says promptly.