Born in Fire (Fire and Ice Trilogy 1)

“Your bad.”

I huffed out a laugh. “Tell me about it.” I tossed up my hands. “Well then. You know what Woody Allen says: ‘Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.’”

The captain chuckled, leaning back. “I can’t assign anyone to help you if you don’t have your paperwork filled out.”

“Yes. We’ve been through this. Every time I come in, we go through it. Keep wishing on that star.”

“You’re thickheaded.”

“Yup.” Shaking my head, I headed out the door. Before I was completely out of the office, though, I turned back. “Put this next thing on their tab, too.”

“What next thing?”

I stalked down the aisle, my anger boiling over. I reached Garret’s cube, stepped in, and grabbed his desk. With a show of strength that had everyone gulping, I shook it until it broke away from the cube side, ripped it off, knocking his computer and crap to the ground, and tossed it aside like so much rubbish.

“What the hell?” he hollered.

“Oops.” I continued on my way, ignoring his shrieks and everyone else’s laughter. One day I would go head to head with that guy, and I’d beat him at the game he thought he was so good at. For today, I’d take Callie’s approach—I’d be a lady.

After a few too many hours in the bar so I could calm down before heading into the Realm after my mark, and now needing another few hours to return to sobriety, I finally made it to my neighborhood. The sun had waved goodbye to the sky, giving darkness full reign. Mince was standing on my street corner, hands in his pockets, staring toward the graveyard.

“Hey!” I said as I came up behind him.

He jumped and swung around with his hands out, karate-chop style.

I bent as peals of laughter escaped from me. I wished they were girlish giggles, but they were more like deep, body-jerking guffaws. “Really? What’s with the karate chop? I thought you were a boxer.”

“Holy fats, woman! I didn’t hear you walk up. How, I don’t know, with those heavy army boots you got on.” He put his hand to his heart. “I nearly pissed myself.”

“This is a bad neighborhood, Mince, or so I’ve been told. You need to watch your back.”

“Only from you. Other people make noise.” He looked me over, his eyes getting bigger. “What the hell have you been up to? Your house is a mess, your door is broken, Mikey is more terrifying than usual, and here you are, looking like you’ve been dragged through the gutter. Did you shit yourself, too?” He cocked his head in disbelief. “Tell me you did not shit yourself.”

“I thought the smell was still there.” I looked down at my clothes, which were the only things I hadn’t washed at Callie’s house. “I’m good. I didn’t. I want to go home.”

“Okay, but wait.” Mince reached out to stop me. I angled so his hand would grasp the air. “Fine.” He didn’t have to hurry much before catching up to my ambling pace. “Smokey thinks someone is in your house.”

“It better be a godforsaken vampire with my money.”

“Yeah, I know, Smokey has a screw loose, but he’s a good guy.”

I picked up the pace. “Where’s Mikey?”

“He had to go take care of something in the Garden District. I don’t like how much he’s been hanging around lately. Watching everything, lurking. That guy is not a man I need looking over my shoulder.”

“He won’t hurt you.”

“No, he won’t hurt you. He knows you’re crazy. Me, though, I’m just trying to go about my day. He hates that.”

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was drunk, but Mince was not making any sense to me.

I caught sight of Smokey on the other side of the street, creepy as usual, staring at my house. His head jerked in my direction.

“All right, Mince. If I scream, run.” I turned up my walkway.

“Holy shit, girl, are you serious?” Mince backed away, shaking his head. “Why would you say that? Who are you expecting? Is that a sword?”

Mince wasn’t cut out for my life.

I pushed my door to the side and stepped in. The door tumbled down my steps and landed halfway down the sidewalk.

Oops.

Darkness and char greeted me, my house still messed up after its visit from that crazy mage and her demon sidekick. My eyes adjusted in time for movement to catch my eye. I took two steps further into my house and quickly crossed the opening of the kitchen. With my back against the wall, I stared at the vampire standing in my living room.

It was not Darius.

“You,” I said, recognizing his intense scowl. “You aren’t delivering my mark or my money, by any chance, are you?” I had a damn good idea why he was there.

Shapes came out of my bedroom and guest room, three in all. I felt a presence close by, one or more in the kitchen.

“Your contract with Darius is over,” said Moss, Darius’s driver. “You are no longer under his protection.” He walked toward me slowly, all grace and strength. He’d be fast.

I glanced at the others crowding in. They weren’t of the same level, but they were still vampires. If I were sober, my chances wouldn’t look good. I was nowhere near sober.

“Question.” I raised my hand. “Can I phone a friend?”

“Sure. From the afterlife.”

“You can’t just randomly kill a human,” I said, wishing I could back up. There was nowhere to go. “Especially one who just helped your faction. And your boss.”

Moss’s scowl didn’t change. “You aren’t human, and by killing a bond-mate, you committed a grave offense to our faction. The punishment is death.”

“I didn’t peg you for the type who’d bond a crazy person, Moss. You don’t have enough humor for that.” I eased my sword out of its sheath. It was harder than it should’ve been. I was way too drunk for this. “I get that you’re pissed about John. Look, that was a bounty set up by his neighborhood. I’m not saying they should get your heat, but…they should get your heat. I just go where the money is.”

“That will be your undoing.”

I laughed, then snorted. I couldn’t help the latter. “You’re a nerd. But seriously, is that scowl glued on? Do you ever just slip it off just to see how it feels?”

He rushed at me, way faster than I was used to, since I wasn’t used to fighting while intoxicated. I stabbed out with my sword, missing entirely. I felt a hand wrap around my neck, coming from the side. It was the vampire from the kitchen. Claws bit into my skin.

Moss reached out, his face a horrifying mask of violence. I slashed at him, catching him weakly on his side. His hand closed around the swampy arm at my neck. Moss ripped it away, and the claws scratched across my skin.

I jabbed at Moss again, catching him in the torso. Until I realized that version of him was not real. My sword cut through empty space.

I closed an eye and tried again, pretty sure I had it right this time. I still missed. He wasn’t an elder, but he was an old-ass vamp.

His claws ripped through the chest of the vampire right next to me, yanking out the heart.

“Oh shit. I’m confused.” I stopped from attempting to jab Moss as more vampires rushed in from the side.

“Would you be at all helpful?” he said.

“I’m still so confused!” I turned to the oncoming vamps, thankfully much slower. I slashed, missing the one I was aiming for but hitting another. My sword cut through his chest, catching his heart. Lucky.

I hacked at a different one, but hit the wall and stumbled, falling next to the dying, failing vampire and the legs of his living cronies. “Oops.” I flipped to my back and hacked away a leg. A vampire stumbled in its monster form. He bent to slash me.

I grabbed my gun, yanked it free with some effort, and fired. The ceiling rained down on me as the claws kept coming. I gulped as I prepared for them to slice into me.

The vampire was ripped away. The other disappeared a moment later.

“Good work, Moss. Team player.” I jumped to my feet, staggered, and prepared for more action. I probably should’ve stayed sober after all.