Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven

8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Locke

“ R eady?” I ask Declan.

He straps a weapon to his back and slides a case of hand carved wooden bullets inside a pack at his hip.

Callum gets the credit for those. When a wooden stake to the heart is the only way to kill a vampire, you get creative.

“Born.” He flashes his fangs at me as they descend, then disappear behind his lips.

“Fucking theatrics,” I mumble.

Nyko walks in, his dark hair in his signature braid hanging down his back. “Callum has him located down at The Brew House.”

“Has he talked to Frankie?” I ask.

Nyko gives me a pointed look. “What do you think?”

Frankie and Callum have a somewhat strained relationship. She dated his son, which ended badly, and Frankie is one to hold a grudge. Considering she’s a fae, he tries his best not to piss her off. She owns The Brew House, a bar which is in the dead center of downtown. It's popularity and location work to our advantage.

“Autumn.” I nod. “You ready to put on a show?”

“Of course.” She smiles.

“Hendrix is sending a picture of the target to your cells.” I catch eyes with Dec. “Let’s catch us a vampire.”

Twenty minutes later, Nyko and I are in position in the woods just outside of town. Autumn’s job is to lure. Her beauty, paired with her expertise make her our lead distraction when hunting males. Even though she’s a shifter, she was born with a defect that hinders her shifting in the water. She has other talents that we take advantage of, even if she doesn’t think she’s worthy. When it’s flipped, Zander steps in when it’s a female. We try not to do our work within the city limits, but sometimes, things don’t go as planned and we have to adapt.

The wind shifts, and I catch the faint scent of the blood sucker.

I grin at Nyko. “Happy hunting.”

Stripping out of our clothes, we both let the shift take us over. My golden fur sprouts, my claws visible as Nyko shifts into a dark grey wolf, standing just a few inches shorter than me.

Tipping my snout up in the air, I inhale, letting the scent of our prey lead me in the direction we need to go.

With a low growl, I leap forward, charging through the thick forest and steep inclines. Nyko lets out a yap and swings his head towards the river. We change course, and intercept another scent amongst the breeze. Declan. He’s close.

When we leap over the swift water, I spot the vampire that darts up a tree, then catapults to the ground, zooming through the wooded terrain. I push harder, landing in his path just as a blur whizzes past me.

Declan.

Then another.

Hendrix.

Nyko and I keep a fast pace, following the trail for back up incase Declan and Hendrix can’t restrain him. We won’t be far behind, and once again, we’ll eliminate the evil that lurks within the shadows of Stone Crest.

Our kind kept a secret for another day.