Excerpt!
He glanced at the victim again as he crouched at her side, wracking his brain for any possible clues he could have missed. Careful to use only his sleeve and not leave a fingerprint, he lifted her hands and peered underneath her fingernails. No skin or fur. She hadn’t put up much of a fight. Maybe the killer took her by surprise? Jace wouldn’t doubt it.
Or maybe she’d known her attacker...
There’d be no way to tell for certain. He’d report to Damon, his division leader, and Execution Underground Headquarters and then leave the details to his fellow hunters. Shane could use the voice distorter he’d rigged up to report the crime from an untraceable number, and Headquarters would have the local police and coroner reports in their database as soon as they were available. Jace had what he needed for his own report, but he couldn’t notify the beat cops himself, not until he was far from here. Though it would take them a while to find her in the back alley like this, if they ever did. It was more likely some poor civilian would stumble upon her.
As he stood, less-than-ready to go to the damn meeting, another scent came to him on the wind. A sudden sense of awareness prickled over his skin. Tucking his flask away, he paused for a long moment.
What the...?
Spinning so fast his vision blurred, he had his gun out and his finger on the trigger within seconds. A wolf shifter emerged from the darkness.
“Don’t move,” he warned.
The wolf froze, the lucidum of its golden eyes flashing in the streetlights. With an irreverent snarl, the beast bared its canines, its eyes darting to the gun in his hand. He knew what that look meant.
He cocked back the hammer, the sound audible against the cold winter winds. “You put the teeth away. I put the piece away,” he offered. “Fair enough?”
The wolf snapped its feral jaws. You first, it seemed to say.
He snorted a near laugh. “Like hell.”
For a moment, they lingered like this, both refusing to yield, until the piercing sound of a car alarm went off in the distance, drawing both their attention. Seizing the split second of distraction, the shifter turned tail and bolted from the alley.
Shit.
Jace dashed after his target, his boots clashing against the pavement as he tailed the beast. A werewolf’s speed outranked a regular human’s any day, but he tailed the shifter with ease. The shifter skidded sharply to the left with Jace on its heels, his pace never faltering. Adrenaline shot through his veins, charging him like a live wire.
He tapped the trigger of the Mateba and, aiming while he ran, fired wide with purpose in mind, intentionally missing and using his silver bullets to herd the wolf. If he fired right, it turned left. He was careful, making each bullet count and ensuring he had one left for his own defense. He’d need to make this fast. The sounds would draw the local PD.
One of Jace’s shots ricocheted off the ground near the wolf’s feet. It jumped with a loud yelp and bounded into another alleyway. But he was prepared; he knew these back streets better than his own damn hand. He sprinted after the wolf. A smirk spread across his face as the monster ran into a dead end. It spun toward him and growled.
Right hand bracing his gun, he reached with his left and removed his silver dagger. When the wolf’s golden eyes locked on the weapons, it backed into a corner, and Jace swore he heard it keen before its growling continued. Stalking like a predator, he moved forward. All his muscles tensed as he prepared for the animal to lunge at him. The wolf was primed for a fight.
And damned if he wouldn’t give this monster the fight of its life.
Author bio:
Kait Ballenger is the award-winning author of the Seven Range Shifter and The Rogue Brotherhood paranormal romance series, where she weaves captivating tales filled with dark, sexy alpha heroes and the independent women who bring them to their knees.
When Kait’s not preoccupied writing “intense and riveting” paranormal plots or “high-voltage” love scenes that make even seasoned romance readers blush, she can usually be found spending time with her family or with her nose buried in a good book. She lives in Florida with her husband and two young sons.
Visit Kait's website or sign up for her newsletter at www.kaitballenger.com
Hunters of the paranormal, the Rogue Brotherhood are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity…but what happens when danger collides with desire?
Jace McCannon has one loyalty: the Rogue Brotherhood. Despite his mixed blood, his hatred for the werewolves he hunts is legendary. But in his search for a sadistic killer, Jace finds himself face-to-face with a stunningly seductive packmaster…and longing for a night with his mortal enemy.
Nothing can stop Frankie Amato from defending her kind – or from catching the rogue responsible for killing women in her territory. For that, this alpha female needs Jace’s skills more than she wants to admit. But as their investigation exposes evil truths, need burns into a passion that dare not be fulfilled. For to do so will have deadly consequences for them both….
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Kait Ballenger is the award-winning author of the Seven Range Shifter and The Rogue Brotherhood paranormal romance series, where she weaves captivating tales filled with dark, sexy alpha heroes and the independent women who bring them to their knees.
When Kait’s not preoccupied writing “intense and riveting” paranormal plots or “high-voltage” love scenes that make even seasoned romance readers blush, she can usually be found spending time with her family or with her nose buried in a good book. She lives in Florida with her husband and two young sons.
Visit Kait's website or sign up for her newsletter at www.kaitballenger.com