Underneath a Dark Moon (Twisted Dark #3)

Chapter Five: Pretty Little Thing

She was small, not too tall, not too wide. She was thin but she did curve where a female aught to. She had a fine face as well, delicately made, like a china doll one purchased for the precious snall females we had. She looked uncomfortable too, unsure and wary. I smirked at that as I turned my gaze back to the King of the Covens. I had a job to do and he knew it. I wanted him to give me what was owed before I would lift a finger to help him.

"Shall I gather someone to get your stuff together, Novis?" He asked it low and close to her ear and I watched as a rather becoming flush crawled across her cheeks and towards her ears as she shook her head, those brown waves dancing. She had hair that looked made to have hands run through it. I flicked my gaze back to the warlock. I wondered if he did that or was too preoccupied trying to hunt down those who clearly did not wish to be found.

"I packed already." Her voice was light and airy but I could hear the nervous waver it had.

"Prepared as well? I am a very lucky warlock indeed!" His tone turned sickly sweet as he reached over and pulled her close. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and I was rewarded as I watched her stiffen slightly, her flush traveling down her neck. Someone was clearly not entirely comfortable with her chosen mate. I wanted to pick at it, to call it out to watch them both squirm but I ignored it, ignored how my instinct crawled at me to poke and prod. It wanted the reactions just as badly as I did.

That is what happened when a tracker got bored. We created our own fun and it was never truly a good thing to experience. Fun for me but... I glanced towards the King of the Covens and his flustered mate, not so fun for those on the receiving end.

Needle them

Press hard

Push them

My instinct scrapped down my spine and I stood tall underneath it. There would be time for that later, I didn't much have time for it currently. I needed to gather my payment and assignment and leave. I was being paid very well for this little mission and I would take my gold where it came from.

"Now, Abraham here is to do all the heavy work, alright?" At the mention of my name I bristled and a growl rumbled up in my chest. Only my parents called me Abraham and they were dead. I was Abe, a well known tracker with a penchant for brutality and sex. My gaze flicked towards the little witchling at that and I flicked my gaze up and down her body. She had legs for days and I shifted on my feet, crossing my arms over my chest. She would be no doubt a little spitfire in bed.

Press hard

Perhaps she is willing

As tantalizing as the instinct was, I ignored it. The last thing I needed to do was bed the King of the Coven's amour. Although there was a part of me that was heavily requesting I do just that to get one over on the pompous bastard. It was how weres settled scores back in the old days where females were abundant. If a weremale fucked you over, you took his wanted female from him.

The King of the Covens hadn't done anything to me personally but he was just enough of a pompous ass for me to not really care about that. His female was a pretty little thing and there was a need in me to put him in his place by any means necessary. Perhaps it was the inherent rivalry our species that brought it out of me, the need to decimate and humiliate each other since the End Bringer cursed our species, or perhaps it was his female's pouty lips that looked full and inviting. I could imagine them swollen and reddened from passionate kisses and I knew that probably had a great deal to do with my instinct's current wants.

Push them apart

Take his female

The instinct hissed it at me as it wrapped around my chest and I lowered my eyes to the floor in an attempt to get it to shut up. My mother always did say I was too contrary for my own good. I had a nasty streak of if someone had something I didn't, I wanted it. I knew bedding a witch was a death sentence but there was a part of me that said that if I took her from him, it would be well fucking worth it.

"So I hired him to help you track them down." The puffed up warlock's voice filtered through my thoughts and I resisted the urge to grimace. I didn't care for him, one could smell the falseness on him a mile away. He was playing at something but I wasn't quite sure what yet. He had paid me to kill the weremale who had taken a banished witch, retrieve a werefemale he had taken with him but he had told me to leave the witchling wherever she was because his female would deal with it. 'Deal with the weres and leave the witch to her and I.' It was the orders I had and it was what I was being paid for.

I looked back up, taking in how his female's blush had yet to fade and how she stuttered slightly, attempting to speak but being unable. So she was shy as well? That made me want to grin. It was always more fun poking the shy ones. They always gave the best responses to the comments I made.

"Do not worry. He will take the utmost care of you, Novis. I don't want you to worry about a thing. I am paying him your weight in gold to bring you back here without a scratch." He tapped the tip of her nose and his voice was so sickly sweet that I wanted to gag. The male was painted in his falseness and I almost wanted to turn around and cut ties but gold was gold. "Isn't that right, werewolf?" His voice was sharp as he addressed me and I leveled him with my gaze. I wasn't impressed with the tone. "You will return her here without a single scratch or I will return it on you tenfold, understood?" It was a heavy warning that I wanted to snarl at. I had given him my word that I would do as he had paid me too and as if I would let a female get hurt. Witch or not, females needed to be protected. Especially pretty little things like her.

I didn't respond, not really trusting myself to speak as my instinct demanded some blood for his lack of faith in my abilities. I was the best, it was why he had hired me so I didn't appreciate the lack of confidence. I was a tracker and a mercenary. I tracked because of my nature and I was a mercenary because I didn't care who I had to hurt or kill to get to my target. My father always said I was a mixture of curiosity and cruelty. I took it as a compliment. As long as someone didn't get in my way I wouldn't have to be cruel. Too many people didn't understand that and that was on them and not on me.

I could feel the little witchling staring at me and I glanced at her, catching her gaze before I shifted on my feet. She looked wary and afraid and that didn't sit right. I might have been a tad cruel but never to females and I wouldn't have her thinking that of me. "I have given my word that she will be returned unharmed. I do not break my word once it has been given but if you are so concerned, I swear upon the Forests that it will be done." I said each word clear and clipped, adding the vow for her benefit more than the warlock's. I didn't give a damn about him. I watched as she swallowed, that pale column moving rather enticingly before she looked back at the warlock.

I followed her gaze and he narrowed his eyes at me before giving me a dismissive sniff. The arrogance was grating and I resisted the urge to bare my teeth at him and growl. Already the sound was rumbling in my chest but I held it off as the little witchling looked back towards me. When I caught her gaze once more I bowed my head at her a fraction and when she startled and looked away rapidly I found a smirk wanting to tug up my lips.

"Abraham." At the name I ground my teeth together and looked at the warlock.

"Abe." I corrected him through clenched teeth and he waved me off dismissively. I felt a sharp tang of craving, wanting his blood for his attitude.

"It doesn't matter." He moved towards me, pulling the female with him. He pulled a sack from his pocket and tossed it at me. I snagged it from the air easily, hearing the gold coins clinking together. "A third of your payment like we agreed. You will get the rest when the job is done." He pulled the witch close to him, tucking her underneath his arm. "And if you have treated Novis with the respect she deserves as my fiance, I will provide you with a bonus. Think of it as added incentive to keep her safe." His voice was just on the edge of mocking and I blinked at him coldly.

Kill him

Teach him a lesson

Take female after

My mouth twitched at my instinct's words as it scraped across my bones. At the moment I wanted to give in a listen to it just to watch the warlock choke on his own arrogant blood.