Page 107 of Blood Bond (Dark Witch Chronicles 2)

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Tarnley

We step into the morgue, and the stench of the dead assaults me. By the horrified expression on Rainey’s face, I’d say the hunter senses it as well. Every part of this feels wrong. With every step we take, my instincts are urging me to turn back now. Bronywyn is right, though. To get into that house, we’re going to need one hell of a distraction.

And what could be a bigger one than dead men walking?

A man wearing a poorly constructed toupee turns around the moment we step into the foyer from the hall. He sees us and smiles. “Master Tarnley, how nice to see you.”

“Fucking ghoul,” Rainey snarls.

The bastard slides a forked tongue out from his mouth and stumbles backward. “You brought a hunter into my home!” he yells, voice shaky, and it cracks on the last word.

“Haven’t seen one of you before.” Bronywyn appears calm as she comes to stand beside me.

“And a witch?” he squeals.

“Relax, Ju. They’re with me.”

“Wh-wh-what do you n-n-need?”

“The vampires we brought in? Have they been incinerated?”

“Yes. Last night.”

“Shit.”

“May I ask why?”

“We need dead guys,” Rainey tells him.

Ju looks confused for a moment. “I have dead guys. Your team brought in a handful last night. Seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding with some vampires and shifters.”

“How many?” Bronywyn asks.

“Half a dozen.” Ju straightens, having found his backbone. I can’t stand his kind; they’re despicable. But he asks no questions and was the only one who applied for the job. “They’re down in the cooler now.”

“Great. Take us to them.”

He nods and turns toward the only door in the place. Rainey follows, and I fall into step beside Bronywyn. “Are you sure about this?”

“No,” she admits, honestly. “But I am unwilling to lose anyone else.”

“Is there any danger to you?”

“No immediate danger.” I don’t miss the half-truth.

Grabbing her arm, I stop and turn her toward me. “What do you mean ‘no immediate danger’?”

“Magic of any kind presents risks,” she tells me. “Telling you it doesn’t would be a lie.”

Rainey pops her head out of the double doors straight ahead. “In case you two forgot, we’re on a timeline.”

I know she’s nervous. After all, her mate and sister are trapped inside, but my concern for Bronywyn overrides everything else.

“On our way.” Rainey disappears, again. “Patience is not her strong suit,” Bronywyn jokes.

“No, it’s not,” I agree.