Sharon’s note: I love all the characters in this story. I’m going to write some more just so the side characters get some more screen time. Might be another story, or it might be an actual book. Warning: Author has plans.
Paloma stared out the front windshield as she shifted over to the driver’s seat, eyes wide. “I hope you’re both ready, because this looks like it’s about to get real ugly real fast.”
Alex stood, stretching like a lion preparing to hunt. “Excellent. Will you be ready to back us up?”
Paloma grinned and pulled a large, shiny revolver out of the glove compartment. Knowing her, it was loaded with silver bullets. Our drummer knew what it took for humans to play in the big leagues. She never wanted to talk about why she hung around with a bunch of supernatural weirdos, but I didn’t pry. I understood, and figured it was something like why I didn’t want to discuss my fear of carousels. Maybe Alex had wheedled out all her secrets, like he’d done mine. Maybe not. She was a lot harder to trick than I was.
“And I’ve got the shotgun loaded with silver flechettes just in case,” she said. I hated it when people started sentences with ‘and’. Even if I was really paying attention it made me feel like I was missing part of the conversation.
Alex opened the side door, and I hopped out after him. There was trouble, alright. Brian stood nose to nose with another werewolf, both of them growling like a couple of monster truck engines. His sister huddled off to one side, clutching a bulging stomach and weeping openly. I assumed it was his sister, since she looked just like him. Maybe a dozen indistinct figures hung back, lurking just beyond the headlights. Bringing the vampire made coming at night a necessity, but I didn’t care for fighting in the dark. It made the fun hard to see.
Alex swore under his breath in a language I didn’t recognize. I glanced back at him, but his eyes were all for the woman’s belly. I knew the idea of a pregnant woman being involved upset him, but I was relieved that this seemed to be something Brian hadn’t told us, and not another thing I had forgotten.
A soft rumble came out of Alex’s throat. Whoa. I’d never heard him growl before. He must have been really angry, almost Mad. A Mad Alex was a highly destructive Alex. This promised all sorts of entertainment.
“You will let my sister go, because if we have to take her, you all are going to leave bleeding.” Brian made an imposing figure. His hands flexed, bringing attention to the long, chisel like nails that were starting to extend from his fingertips. He had the glowing yellow eye thing going on, but it was hard to tell with the amber wash of the headlights.
The opposing werewolf didn’t seem impressed. He was rocking the same look, but with an additional three inches of height and a lot more piercings. Most of them sported things that looked like teeth. He was the other side to Brian’s coin, just as buff and tough-guy themed, but deliberately scruffy. The self-styled alpha wore shabby clothes that were just a little too artfully tattered and not worn enough to pull off the bad ass biker vibe he was going for. He even held a bright green beer bottle in his hand to gesture with. Unfortunately for him, he’d also forgotten to remove the cap, so the prop didn’t quite work.
“My girl and my son aren’t going anywhere.” The alpha-wannabe bared his teeth inches from Brian’s face in mockery of a grin.
Click Here To Read More of Our Stories
Maudlin Girl Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8
Gray Matters: The Works of Sharon and James Gray 