Bond Deeper Than Blood

“How’s Mercy?” he asks, accepting my hug and giving me an affectionate pat to my ass.

“Insufferable,” I tease. “There is something I want to talk to you about, though.” I glare at James. “Later.”

Jude and I share a weighted look.

“Stay after and we’ll chat. For now, have a seat so we can get started,” Jude instructs.

I yank off my poncho and toss it onto the floor. James makes a blatant show of checking out my body. Sure, I’m like any other woman who prefers her sweatpants and oversized T-shirts, but it’s hard to kill vampires if you get tangled up in your clothes. My clothes are practical and efficient, albeit tight. I don’t twitch or squirm under his perusal, and instead arch a brow at him.

His anger toward me thaws as heat flickers in his gaze. With my poncho, I look like a little girl considering I rarely wear makeup and have a young face. But my body is another story. I have nice breasts at a full C-cup, but not big enough to be a nuisance. My body is trim with tight, sinewy muscles that were hard earned by night and weekend training with Jude, long before I came to work for him.

Before I was a slayer, I had other demons to slay.

And not the kinds that slip out of the portals and start shit from time to time.

The real kind.

Humans.

Jude taught me how to defend myself when I was just fourteen. I was weak and at my physical lowest point, but I also had more than just myself to think about.

“If you’re done checking out Casti’s tits, I want to talk about the Castlerocks.” Jude tosses a file on the desk. “Leroy Castlerock and his little brother Mikey run this pool hall a few blocks over.”

“Bloodsuckers?” James asks, an annoyed clip in his tone.

“Nope. But they’re friends with them. They’re running an illegal operation in the basement. Basically scrounging up willing homeless people to bathe, dress, and turn into human vending machines.”

“And this applies to me how?” James leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m a recruiter, not a psycho slasher. I have skills that require me to locate the best of them,” he says, cutting his eyes my way, “and deliver them to you.”

I roll my eyes. All recruiters started as slayers and he’s acting like we’re a shitty profession.

Jude scrubs his palm over his scruffy face and leans back in his chair. I always wished I were attracted to him. He’s tall, handsome, intelligent. Protective as they come to the ones he cares about. Despite our age difference, I figure we could have made a go at it. I would’ve probably dropped my guard for someone like him.

But he’s like a brother.

A father figure even.

Thinking about sleeping with him gives me the heebie-jeebies.

“The kid, Mikey,” Jude states, “he’s smart and fast. A quick thinker. Knows a thing or two in the martial arts. I think, with his knowledge of the underground vampire thugs, he’d be a key informant too.”

James groans. “Fucking great. So what? I’m supposed to convince this prick to quit his day job to prance around with chicks like teenage Buffy here?”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

“And if this is just a recruiting mission, why am I needed?” I ask, wondering what Jude’s angle is.

“Intel says there’s a nest of about twelve who frequent there as customers. Nasty sonsofbitches.” Jude shrugs. “Right up your alley, cupcake.”

I flip him off. “Thanks.”

“Oh, I get it now,” James drawls out. “She has this kid sister vibe rolling off her hard, which means you don’t want her to die. You want me to get my hands dirty and protect the little girl.”

Jude snorts out a laugh. “Man, I’m sending her to protect you.”

James stiffens and I shrug.

“I’m going for a smoke if we’re done here. I’ll wait five minutes and then I’m leaving your ass,” James warns, rising from his chair.

“Asshole,” I mutter when he’s not quite out of earshot.

Jude smirks and pulls the file back over to him. “What’s eating you up?”

“Oh God,” I groan. “I have a huge problem at home. Like massive.”

His features grow serious. “Mercy?”

I nod, frowning.

“Is she…” He trails off, making my heart sink.

“No,” I choke out, blinking back tears. “She’s fine right now. It’s just…” I shudder. “What do you know about bats?”

“Like baseball bats?”

“No, like spooky, creepy, go bump in the night bats.”

“Literally nothing,” he deadpans. “Why?”

“Mercy found a bat last night. It was injured and she wants to nurse it back to life. I read up online and all the websites have to offer is that bats are horrible pets. Which I already know. Doesn’t change the fact Nurse Mercy wants to heal it. It’s in no shape to be out on its own.” I sigh. “It’s going to die and she’ll be devastated.”