To Hunt a Wolf (Afterlife Book 11)

  Contents

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  About the Author

  ONE

  Harper Hawthorne looked in the mirror and touched a line forming near her mouth. Had it been there the last time she'd put on makeup? She couldn't remember. Maybe she was getting old.

  The thought made her smile; she was only twenty-five, and she was in the best physical shape of her life. She definitely wasn't old, not yet anyway. Age would come, of course, and she would gather up the years and someday she'd look back on this day and find humor at how she'd once paused while looking in the mirror because of a laugh line she'd never noticed before.

  Her phone rang and distracted her from her thoughts. She saw it was Alec Morodan. She quickly answered.

  "Hey Alec. What's up?" Harper said.

  "We have a job, a real job," Alec said without preamble. That was his nature; he cut directly to the chase. "I need you and the others to meet me at Afterlife."

  "Okay," Harper said. "Right now? I can head over right away."

  "A couple hours," Alec said. "Harper, when I say others, I mean everyone. Are you going to be alright working with him?"

  Harper hesitated, thinking about her ex-boyfriend Conner Kingsley. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be? It's been four months, Alec. We're still friends."

  Alec said. "Friends that haven't worked on a case together since..." He trailed off, and Harper found herself smiling.

  "Since he dumped me and moved in with his ex-girlfriend?" Harper finished. "It's fine, Alec. I'm over it. Conner wanted the chance to have a family with Janice and their son. Who am I to take that away from him? No, he's happy, so I'm happy for him."

  "Are you really?" Alec asked. "Maybe it's too soon."

  "It's not too soon," Harper said. "I'll be there in a couple hours, and we'll be fine, alright? It's about time we got a good job in anyway."

  After taking out the demon, Bartholomew, and ending the rain that had plagued Las Vegas over six months ago, the Afterlife team had spent a month cleaning up the city. The demons that had come to the surface during the floods had been driven back down to the sewers or killed. After that, though, it had been relatively silent. They'd had an odd job here or there, but nothing Alec couldn't handle with just another Afterlife member or two.

  "Even the demons needed a break," Alec said.

  After a moment, Harper realized he was making a joke. She laughed and shook her head.

  "I'll be there in a couple hours," she said, and hung up the phone.

  She tossed her cell onto her bed and went to the closet. It was a giant, walk-in closet that had plenty of space. She'd cleaned it out recently and restocked with a new wardrobe and supplies.

  These included the four candles that sat in a diamond shape on the floor. She sat down in the middle of them and picked up a pack of matches. She struck one and held the flame above the first candle. "To the north, I light thee, and ask that you guide my hand and guide my mind," she said aloud. She lowered the match to the wick and allowed it to catch flame.

  She put out the match and struck another, moving onto to the second candle. "To the east, I light thee, and ask that you guide my hand and guide my mind." She lit the second candle, and then repeated the process for the third and fourth.

  Once the candles were lit, she closed her eyes and lifted her face upward. "To the Gods above," she said, "I call upon thee, and ask that... I ask that..."

  She trailed off and opened her eyes, feeling ridiculous. She had read up on witchcraft and decided try it out, but it was proving to be more difficult than she imagined. Whenever she decided to work on spells, she just felt silly.

  Harper put out the candles and placed them back in the velvet lined box she'd picked up for them, treating each one with reverence. Even if she felt a little weird to be using them, she knew they were an important tool that shouldn't be misused or mistreated.

  Once she had put them away, she went out to find Chloe McAllister and Brittney Conley. They were sitting together on the couch, watching an old movie. Chloe had moved in with them a month before at Brittney's request. Their three bedroom house was getting full; Brittney's brother, Peter, was still staying in their guest room.

  Chloe paused the movie when she saw Harper. "Hey, how did the witch work go?"

  "Terribly," Harper admitted and smiled ruefully. "How's your movie?"

  "Boring," Brittney said.

  "Well good," Harper said. "Alec wants us at the club in a couple of hours. He says we have a job to do. A job for all of us."

  "Great," Chloe said. "It's about time. I was starting to think his employers didn't want to use us anymore. Good to know we're still on for demon ass-kicking. Come on, Brittney. Let's go shopping first. The mini-fridge there is empty. I checked last time and there was like... one of Sarah's diet sodas there and that was it. No ginger ales."

  Brittney nodded and got up. "We'll get all the usual," she told Harper. "If we're working again, we need to have all our supplies."

  "Make sure those supplies include chocolate," Harper said. She paused and then said casually. "Conner will be there."

  Chloe and Brittney both made faces. Brittney felt a moment of pity. "Well, I suppose it was going to happen eventually when you'd have to work together again. Are you going to be alright?"

  "I'll be fine," Harper said. "I'm over him. It's been four months." It had actually been four months, thirteen days, and eight hours since he'd broken up with her but it wasn't like she was keeping track of the minutes or anything. "As long as he doesn't bring Janice..."

  "He's got a bit more empathy than that," Chloe said. "He hasn't been bringing her on jobs he's worked without you either, though. I don't think she's interested in helping Afterlife. She only helped with Bartholomew because she had to. I think she's done playing witch for us."

  "Right," Harper said. "I'm going to go shower and change. I'll meet you guys at the club, alright?"

  "Sure," Brittney said.

  Harper went back into her room and stripped out of her pajamas. She'd found that she wore them all too often. She had no reason to get dressed most days. Not with their jobs being so quiet. Of course, Sarah insisted she go to the gym with her at least three times a week, so she had to get dressed for that.

  She got in the shower and tried to put thoughts of Conner out of her mind. It wasn't working too well though; she could still imagine exactly how his face had looked when he told her that he'd changed his mind and that they wouldn't move in together because he was ending their relationship.

  It had been painful. She wouldn't deny that. It sucked to get dumped by a guy who had claimed only weeks before to be in love with her. Part of her had known it was coming, though. He'd been spending so much time with Janice and his son, James, that it made perfect sense that he would end things with her and move in with them.

  Did he miss her? That's the thought that kept coming back around to circle in her head. Did he miss their relationship? Their friendship? They'd barely seen each other since the breakup. Was he avoiding her or was she avoiding him? Or was it a little bit of both?

  Harper told herself for the millionth time to let it go. If it wasn't meant
to be, then it wasn't meant to be. Clearly it wasn't. She finished her shower and got dressed. When she picked out her clothes, she realized she was trying to find something he'd like. She told herself to stop it and threw on a pair of old jeans and a loose fitting top. She slid on a pair of beaded sandals, grabbed her purse, and headed out.

  It was time to let Conner go and for things to get back to normal. As normal as they would ever get for Afterlife.

  TWO

  Sarah Carter laughed and pushed Peter back down onto the floor. "Try again," she said. "You're not getting out of practicing just because you look cute. Become human, then transform again. This time, as something other than a chihuahua."

  Peter, who was currently a black and white small dog, growled at her.

  "Oh, yes," she said. "So ferocious."

  They'd practiced transforming all day long. Peter still hadn't managed to transform into anything but the dog form he'd managed a few months ago when he showed Sarah that he could do it. At least he kept his clothes on through the transformations though.

  Sarah had been surprised at Peter's ability to shape shift. She had been told by a fairy that the ability came from trauma, and he had only suffered through a demon attack. While that could be enough on its own, Peter had told her he could transform because he understood the way her brain worked. She still didn't know if she believed that, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.

  "Come on," she told him.

  Peter transformed back into his human self and flopped on the bed. "It's pointless, I'll never be able to do anything else." He groaned dramatically, like a child, and flailed his arms around. Sarah thought about kicking him.

  "You can," she said. "It took me a while too, but I finally did it, and so can you."

  "Fine," Peter said.

  He hopped off the bed and went over to stand in front of Sarah's full length mirror. He turned one way and then the other, observing himself quietly. When he wasn't goofing around, he had a serious look on his face that made him quite handsome.

  He closed his eyes and then shifted again. This time, he transformed into a long haired, white coated fox. He stared at himself in the mirror, his eyes wide and unblinking. Sarah let out a cry of pleasure, ran over to him, and transformed into her red fox form. She pounced on him, and began biting playfully.

  Peter reacted instinctively, defending himself by biting back and clawing with his long, sharp nails. He pinned her down and was going for the throat when she threw him off of her, and transformed back into a human. "Hey, no need to get so violent."

  Peter shifted back as well, and looked at his shredded clothing on the floor. He was naked again. He grabbed Sarah's bathrobe and slipped it on. "Well, you attacked me," he said. "I didn't meant to get aggressive, it just kind of happened."

  Sarah laughed. "That happens," she warned him. "Your brain is different in animal form. You react on instincts and emotion instead of logical thought. Don't worry, you'll get better at controlling yourself. The important thing is, you did it! You did it, Peter! You transformed into something besides a chihuahua. I told you that you could."

  "I did," Peter said, his voice full of wonder.

  "You were a pretty fox too," Sarah said. "That all white fur... you'll need to be careful where you transform. Those are much rarer than the red one I can shift into. You'll draw attention to yourself. God, though, you were gorgeous."

  "Thanks," Peter said. "Though I think you make a pretty fox, too. You know, we could have fox babies."

  Sarah groaned.

  "I'm serious," Peter said. When she glared at him, he held up his hands defensively. "Okay, not really. Not about having babies. But what happens when you, uh, mate, in animal form? Can you get pregnant? Are the babies animals?"

  "I don't know," Sarah said incredulously. "And I'm not going to find out. That's too weird."

  Peter laughed. "I love your face when you're upset. Anyone ever tell you that before?"

  "I'm going to kill you one day," Sarah said. "Has anyone ever told you that before?"

  "Just about every woman I've ever dated," Peter said. He approached Sarah and put his hands on her hips. "Speaking of women that I've dated..."

  Sarah shook her head. "No time for that," she told him. "Alec called. He wants me at Afterlife. There's a job coming up. He needs all hands on deck."

  Peter groaned. "You don't have to leave right away," he said. "Surely you have some time."

  "Nope," Sarah said. "All the time I had, I used on helping you work on transforming. Totally worth it too."

  "I can think of one way that we could have been spending our time differently," Peter said. "Spoiler alert, it also ends in me losing all my clothes."

  Sarah rolled her eyes. Sometimes she forgot how young Peter was in comparison to her. He was just twenty-two. Barely older than a kid. Same age as her baby sister. She wasn't sure exactly what she was doing with him. She knew he made her laugh, and he made her feel special, but still. He was Brittney's little brother.

  "Can you lock up when you leave?" Sarah asked.

  Peter frowned at her. "You're not just avoiding me, are you?" he asked. "I mean, you actually do have to go to work? Because if you're avoiding me, we need to have a serious conversation about what we're doing here."

  "I'm not avoiding you," Sarah said. "I spent all day with you."

  "And now you're leaving," Peter said.

  "I have work to do," Sarah said patiently. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Peter's. When he didn't immediately respond, she pressed harder, running her tongue against his lower lip. "Come on, Peter. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

  "Alright," Peter said, giving in and kissing her back. "But you owe me."

  "Do I?"

  "Yes," Peter said. "For running off before we could consummate this relationship."

  "For the day," Sarah said. "It's not like we haven't--"

  "--I know," Peter said quickly. "But I wanted to celebrate the fact that I can turn into a fox, and my girlfriend is running off before I'm able to fully appreciate my newfound abilities. So therefore, you owe me."

  Sarah rolled her eyes at him and then kissed him again, savoring the moment. "Fine, I owe you. Fair enough?"

  "Fair enough," Peter said amicably.

  "Now, I have to go to work," she said. "We'll get together again tomorrow, okay? Practice more on your own. I expect you to be able to shape shift back into that fox form as soon as I see you. We'll go for a run as foxes."

  "And hope we don't get hunted," Peter said. "Bye, Sarah."

  "Bye, Peter."

  THREE

  Conner gave Janice a long, lingering goodbye kiss and then ruffled James' hair. "I'll see you guys later, alright? Don't hold dinner for me. I don't know how late I'm going to be." He looked at James. "I know you have school tomorrow."

  "What are you going to be doing?" James asked. "What kind of job is it?"

  "I don't know yet," Conner admitted. "I was just told to show up and that's what I'm doing. I'll tell you all about it later, though, okay? If not tonight, then tomorrow when we're both home."

  "Well, we'll see," Janice said. "Go on then. But be safe, alright?"

  Conner nodded. He kissed Janice one more time and then left to get his car. He thought about Harper as he climbed in. Alec had made sure to tell him that they'd be working this new job as a group, not as individuals. It would be their first time all working together since he had ended things with her. How would she react when she saw him?

  Part of him still felt guilty about the breakup. He really cared about Harper. It was just that he cared about Janice too, and Janice was the mother of his child. With her, he had a family. That wasn't something to just scoff at. Harper had said she understood, but Conner wasn't sure anyone could unless they had a child of their own to think about.

  He put Harper out of his mind as he drove. It did little good to think about her now. He would just have to hope they could become friends again.

  It didn't take him very
long to reach Afterlife. The traffic was good, and without all the rain, the drivers weren't terrible. It was still Las Vegas, but at least people weren't hydroplaning all over the place now.

  When he got to Afterlife, Chloe was waiting at the door. She looked at him for a long moment and then danced forward and threw her arms around him. He was extremely grateful for this; part of him believed the rest of the team would all hold his breakup with Harper against him.

  "It's been too long," Chloe said. "I've missed you, Conner. I've missed us. Working together as a group, I mean. You think you'll be alright?"

  "I'll be fine," Conner assured her. He returned the hug happily. "Thanks Chloe. I've missed you too. All of you. It's not the same when we're not working together."

  "It's really not," Chloe said. "Come on, let's go inside. The others are already here. Brittney and I just arrived. We stopped to get drinks and food for the mini fridge. Alec's not doing a good job keeping it stocked -- as usual, it falls to me."

  She grinned at him, and Conner threw an arm around her shoulders as they walked in. Alec was leaning against the table, smoking. Harper and Brittney were sitting together chatting. Sarah was in her wolf form, curled up underneath the table. She gave him a large, toothy smile when she saw him come in the door.

  "Hey, guys," Conner said. He went over and sat next to Alec. "What's up?"

  "Not a lot," Brittney said. "Alec was waiting for you before telling us our new job. About time you got here, I was starting to get really bored."

  She flashed him a smile, which he returned. Then his eyes moved to Harper. "Hey, Conner," she said, rather cheerfully. "How's everyone?"

  "Everyone is good," he said, knowing she meant Janice and James. "How are you?"

  "I'm alright," Harper said. "Been trying to practice witchcraft. It's not working too well so far."

  Conner blinked his surprise. "You're trying to become a witch?"

  "Trying being the operative word," Harper said. "So far I'm not doing too well at it. I think I'm not taking it seriously enough. I just have a hard time with all the incantations."

  "You'll get it," Conner said. "It takes time, but you'll make a great witch. Most gypsies do."