just say that? ’Cause, shit. This was serious.
There was no way the guy was human, and the girl? Not so much. Joey scented something wild, almost like the mountains after a huge thunderstorm. Immortals. What had Jax told her? She’d know when another immortal was near. She’d been confused then, but now, standing in a room with these two, she sensed it, a difference she’d never experienced with anyone else. Not even Jaxon. But immortals, here, in her small town?
Cocking a delicate eyebrow, the woman grinned, her pink lip-gloss shining in the low lights. “Huh, is that so?”
“Absolutely. No one is allowed back here.”
“Look, you got backbone, chica . I have no idea what your game is, working in a morgue, but hell, whatever gets your rocks off. We”—pointing a thumb at her chest, then behind her to the silent warrior in jeans and a long trench coat—“gotta see the dude.”
Standoff. Or not. ’Cause well, A, they were trained to do things Jax hadn’t got around to showing her, and B, Joey wasn’t. And oh, yeah, C, there were two of them.
Still, Jax had taught her one thing. She got nothing from backing down. “This is my morgue. That’s my friend,” she said clearly, and stepped between them and Evan’s body. “And you’re not touching him.”
Terminator raised his eyebrows, and his face split with his grin. “She does have spirit. Sure she’s new to the fangs?” he said with some kind of accent—maybe Russian or Eastern European.
“Yeah, less than a year, I’d guess. Turned, I think, but”—the woman tipped her head to the side and frowned—“it’s not clear, though. Shit, I have no idea what she’s thinking though. Maybe blood withdrawal.”
“Hey! I’m standing right here!” Joey reminded them.
They both turned to give her the ‘duh’ look.
“All right. I’m Hunter, this is Viktor. We don’t want to have to press the issue, you know? Sorta rude, but here’s the deal—”
“I already heard you. I’m Joey and no, I’m not going through blood withdrawal. It’s none of your business how old I am, and you don’t need to worry about what I’m thinking. Did I miss anything?”
“Holy panties in a bind, girl, calm down,” Hunter said, holding her hands up as if she surrendered.
Not likely. Joey firmed her stance and gave them her ‘ you ordered the double mocha, and now you say you don’t like chocolate’ glare. “You’re in my morgue and no one is touching anything or anybody.”
“Lookit, that’s cool and all but—”
“Wasn’t there a sign out front saying employees only? Because I could go get it. I’m trying to do an examination here,” she explained to Hunter. What kind of cool name was that? Hunter. It sounded made up, like Apple, or something.
“Uh, chica , that is so not happening. We kinda need the dude.” Hunter grinned and popped a pink bubble again with her gum.
Viktor crossed his big arms over his chest, appearing to enjoy the show.
Joey wasn’t, but at least the two of them seemed to take her seriously—they’d not attacked her or anything at least.
“We just need to examine him, possibly remove him, but hey, let’s start with the exam, shall we?”
“What? No way. No fucking way.” Picking up her scalpel made Joey feel marginally better.
“Enough, let’s take him and go,” Viktor muttered.
Oh, he did not just say that. The Terminator headed in her direction with a look like he meant business, but Joey gripped Evan’s arm and held on. “Back up, and no one is taking anyone.”
“We’re only going to examine him,” Hunter argued.
“Over my dead body.”
“Uh, chica ? You are like already the walking dead, right?”
Joey ignored how funny that was and shook her head. “You’re not taking him. No way.”
Sighing heavily, Viktor said something to Hunter in a language she didn’t know and didn’t like. After only a minute of that, they both turned back to her.
“So, just to be clear. This man is your
There was no way the guy was human, and the girl? Not so much. Joey scented something wild, almost like the mountains after a huge thunderstorm. Immortals. What had Jax told her? She’d know when another immortal was near. She’d been confused then, but now, standing in a room with these two, she sensed it, a difference she’d never experienced with anyone else. Not even Jaxon. But immortals, here, in her small town?
Cocking a delicate eyebrow, the woman grinned, her pink lip-gloss shining in the low lights. “Huh, is that so?”
“Absolutely. No one is allowed back here.”
“Look, you got backbone, chica . I have no idea what your game is, working in a morgue, but hell, whatever gets your rocks off. We”—pointing a thumb at her chest, then behind her to the silent warrior in jeans and a long trench coat—“gotta see the dude.”
Standoff. Or not. ’Cause well, A, they were trained to do things Jax hadn’t got around to showing her, and B, Joey wasn’t. And oh, yeah, C, there were two of them.
Still, Jax had taught her one thing. She got nothing from backing down. “This is my morgue. That’s my friend,” she said clearly, and stepped between them and Evan’s body. “And you’re not touching him.”
Terminator raised his eyebrows, and his face split with his grin. “She does have spirit. Sure she’s new to the fangs?” he said with some kind of accent—maybe Russian or Eastern European.
“Yeah, less than a year, I’d guess. Turned, I think, but”—the woman tipped her head to the side and frowned—“it’s not clear, though. Shit, I have no idea what she’s thinking though. Maybe blood withdrawal.”
“Hey! I’m standing right here!” Joey reminded them.
They both turned to give her the ‘duh’ look.
“All right. I’m Hunter, this is Viktor. We don’t want to have to press the issue, you know? Sorta rude, but here’s the deal—”
“I already heard you. I’m Joey and no, I’m not going through blood withdrawal. It’s none of your business how old I am, and you don’t need to worry about what I’m thinking. Did I miss anything?”
“Holy panties in a bind, girl, calm down,” Hunter said, holding her hands up as if she surrendered.
Not likely. Joey firmed her stance and gave them her ‘ you ordered the double mocha, and now you say you don’t like chocolate’ glare. “You’re in my morgue and no one is touching anything or anybody.”
“Lookit, that’s cool and all but—”
“Wasn’t there a sign out front saying employees only? Because I could go get it. I’m trying to do an examination here,” she explained to Hunter. What kind of cool name was that? Hunter. It sounded made up, like Apple, or something.
“Uh, chica , that is so not happening. We kinda need the dude.” Hunter grinned and popped a pink bubble again with her gum.
Viktor crossed his big arms over his chest, appearing to enjoy the show.
Joey wasn’t, but at least the two of them seemed to take her seriously—they’d not attacked her or anything at least.
“We just need to examine him, possibly remove him, but hey, let’s start with the exam, shall we?”
“What? No way. No fucking way.” Picking up her scalpel made Joey feel marginally better.
“Enough, let’s take him and go,” Viktor muttered.
Oh, he did not just say that. The Terminator headed in her direction with a look like he meant business, but Joey gripped Evan’s arm and held on. “Back up, and no one is taking anyone.”
“We’re only going to examine him,” Hunter argued.
“Over my dead body.”
“Uh, chica ? You are like already the walking dead, right?”
Joey ignored how funny that was and shook her head. “You’re not taking him. No way.”
Sighing heavily, Viktor said something to Hunter in a language she didn’t know and didn’t like. After only a minute of that, they both turned back to her.
“So, just to be clear. This man is your
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