No Man's Land (38 page)

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Kyle felt his face redden. She’d shamed him, called him a child and refused to kill him. Worse, he had nothing left. No power to launch a suicide strike and save his pride. His accounts had been hacked and drained; his attempts to take West Virginia had failed miserably, and now this. He’d thought with Kincaid out of the way, his path would be smooth. He’d never imagined …this.

Nineteen of his vampires stood next to him. Well, his father’s vampires now. They’d only remained to escort him back into their territory and out of respect for his relationship with their Master. She’d spoken true when she called him a child. He’d entered as a conqueror, but he was leaving with no more than the newly turned.

Smoothing his hands down the sides of his tattered suit in an unconscious movement, he felt paper against his leg — the airline ticket in his pants pocket. This was a setback, but not a tragedy. He was a Born. His father was a Master, and ancient, a Fournier descended from the original line. Springtime in Paris was lovely, and he’d heard there were territories in Eastern Europe that were ripe for the picking. Next time, he’d succeed.

39

T
he door squawked, then shut with a smack of wood on metal. Kelly didn’t need to turn around to know it was Jaq; she could smell her icy scent before the werewolf stepped foot in the trailer. The irritation she had always felt when the neighbors burst in without knocking was now a mild amusement. Besides, this was Jaq.

“Something smells good.”

Kelly pivoted, angling herself so she could see the werewolf and keep an eye on her sauté. Jaq carried a wine bottle in one hand, and a bag of blood in the other. She must have stopped by Melody’s on the way over. It was Joe’s turn tonight. Kelly hoped he hadn’t been overindulging on the donuts again. The last time he’d donated, she’d practically needed a shot of insulin to go with the blood.

“We’re celebrating.” Kelly waved the wooden spoon toward the pan.

Jaq grinned, setting down the wine to pick up a book from the table. “The Joy of Cooking. So I take it we’re celebrating your new ability to cook something without burning it to a crisp?”

“Well, yeah, that too. But we’re celebrating something else, too. Guess.”

They had a lot to celebrate. There hadn’t been a vampire besides her in the state for weeks. Jaq complained endlessly about how boring her evenings were becoming and had joked she’d need to take up knitting if things didn’t liven up a bit.

“You getting invited to the pack Christmas party?”

Kelly scrunched up her face. That was
not
something she was looking forward to. The thought of a thousand werewolves, all drunk on eggnog and dancing around, gave her cold chills. Jaq would drag her by her hair if she refused to go, and, besides, the werewolf had vowed to actually wear a dress. It was definitely worth tiptoeing around a bunch of werewolves if she got to see Jaq in something besides jeans and her trademark tan Carhartt overalls. It would give her teasing fodder for weeks.

“Nope. Guess again.”

The werewolf blew out a puff of air that sent loose strands of blond hair bouncing upward. “I give up.”

Kelly turned around and spread her arms to emphasize the importance of her announcement.

“I have a job.”

Jaq squealed, nearly knocking Kelly over in a rush to hug her.

“Oh my God! Where? When?”

“The racetrack. I’m waitressing in their restaurant. It’s a good start, and I can move up from there.”

Dale had unexpectedly given her a reference, and knowing the owners hadn’t hurt, although Jonah swore he didn’t influence any hiring decisions. Soon she could finally get some decent clothing that fit, a sofa that didn’t have stuffing coming out of it, and maybe even a cheap, second–hand television. Kelly smiled to think of the things that made her happy now.

Jaq gave her another quick hug then punched her playfully in the arm. “It’s about time. Now you can stop borrowing money from me.”

Kelly glanced over at the book on the table. “Uh, actually I’ll need some bus fare. I spent my last twenty on The Joy of Cooking.”

Jaq shook her head and laughed. It always transformed the werewolf, peeling away the fierce warrior to the playful woman beneath. On impulse, she reached a flour–covered finger out to touch the freckle at the end of Jaq’s nose.

“I’ll pay you back; I promise. For everything.”

Kelly’s heart skipped a beat at the warmth in the other woman’s gray eyes.

“You already have.”

Jaq pulled her in for another hug, and Kelly held her tight. She was surrounded by creatures that still didn’t quite trust her, in a dilapidated trailer. Yeah, she was poor, but oh so rich. Richer than she’d ever been, even that brief time with George.

Jaq sniffed, her shoulder rubbing against Kelly’s forehead as she pulled back slightly. “Umm, Kelly? Is whatever you’re cooking supposed to smell like that?”

“Shit!” She’d burned dinner. Again.

Pushing the pan back further on the stove she turned around to see Jaq fighting back a grin.

“Can I borrow a twenty to order some pizza?”

About the Author

Debra Dunbar primarily writes dark fantasy, but has been known to put her pen to paranormal romance, young adult fiction, and urban fantasy on occasion. She lives on a farm in the northeast section of the United States with her husband, three boys, and a Noah’s ark of four legged family members. When she can sneak out, she likes to jog and ride her horse, Treasure. Treasure, on the other hand, would prefer Debra stay on the ground and feed him apples.

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Thank you for your purchase of this book. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review on Goodreads, or at the e–retailer site from which you purchased it. Readers and authors both rely on fair and honest reviews.

Books in the Imp Series:

A DEMON BOUND
(Imp Series, Book 1)
Samantha Martin is an imp, enjoying an extended vacation from Hel. All she wants to do is drink beer by the pool, play mischievous pranks on the humans, and get her hot neighbor in the sack. It’s a relaxing break from her infernal home, as long as she manages to avoid the angels, who won’t hesitate to execute her on sight.
But when her naughty hellhound lands her in trouble with the local werewolf pack, Sam is blackmailed into helping track and catch a killer. The steps she must take to appease the werewolves will put her right in the crosshairs of the angels. And with angels, there is no second chance.

SATAN'S SWORD
(Imp Series, Book 2)
Samantha Martin is an imp, bound by an angel who allows her to live among the humans …as long as she follows his rules. It’s not easy for an imp to follow the rules, especially when Sam’s brother, Dar, finds himself in hot water. He needs her help to retrieve an artifact from the vampires, or the powerful demon he owes a favor to will enslave and torture him for centuries. It should be a simple courier job, but with demons nothing is simple. Sam reluctantly attempts to help her brother, trying not antagonize the vampires or the demon gunning for him, all while chafing to comply with the restrictions her angel has placed on her as a bound demon.

ELVEN BLOOD
(Imp Series, Book 3)
Sam may be the Iblis, but she is also an imp with a price on her head. The powerful demon, Haagenti, won’t rest until she’s dragged back to Hel for “punishment”. Sam knows she can’t face Haagenti and win, so when an Elf Lord offers to eliminate the demon in return for her help, Sam jumps at the chance. It’s a simple job — find and retrieve a half–breed monster dead or alive. But finding this demon/elf hybrid isn’t proving easy and time is running out.

DEVIL’S PAW
(Imp Series, Book 4)
For once no one wants to kill Samantha Martin. She’s free to do all the things a mischievous imp loves to do– like remove all the county speed limit signs, and wrap City Hall in crime scene tape. Her only worry beyond organizing the delivery of her boyfriend’s birthday present, is writing those pesky four nine five reports for the Ruling Council of Angels. But imps can never stay out of trouble for long.
Demon corpses have been found drained of all energy, their spirit selves ripped clean from their bodies. Sam’s angel, Gregory, considers her a prime suspect, so when an angel is discovered dead in the same manner, he drags her to Seattle and Juneau to try to clear her name. The race is on to find the murderer before Sam’s secret is exposed and she’s blamed for the deaths. But is a devouring spirit really the killer, or is there more to the deaths than either Sam or Gregory suspect?

IMP FORSAKEN
(Imp Series, Book 5)
Sam is banished to Hel, the bond with her angel, Gregory, broken. Six Elven kingdoms are battling for supremacy, and she’s broken and injured in the middle of the most hostile one. Shooting the top off a royal throne, committing fraud in the completion of a contract, and threatening a high lord hasn’t endeared her to the elves, either. If she wants to free the enslaved humans they hold, she’ll need to find a way to help unite their kingdoms.
But elves aren’t the only problem facing Sam. The ancient demon, Ahriman is holding her to the terms and conditions of the breeding contract she signed — and one thousand years under his claw is looking to be the most terrifying thing in all of Hel.

IMP
(Imp Series, prequel novella)
Demon young are cruel, especially to little imps like Az. No matter where she hides, even deep in the swamplands, her siblings eventually find her and hurt her, ripping off her scales and slicing her wings. Many demons don’t live to adulthood. Only the strong survive. And the clever.
Survival isn’t looking probable for Az, with eldest brother, Paquit, determined to rip her to shreds at every opportunity. When her other brother, Dar, proposes a trip through the angelic gates into the land of the humans, she jumps at the chance. Finally, a fun adventure safe from Paquit’s cruelty and attacks. Or maybe not.

NO MAN’S LAND
(An Imp World novel)
Kelly’s family has beaten her nearly to death, yanked her fangs and discarded her in West Virginia – a buffer zone between two contentious vampire families. It’s impossible for a vampire to survive in exile, especially without fangs. Desperate, Kelly will do anything to convince her family to take her back.
Jaq’s werewolf pack calls West Virginia their territory. They keep it that way by killing every vampire that crosses the border from either side. When she finds a vampire abandoned and dying, she throws caution to the winds and nurses her back to health. Now Jaq’s in the difficult position of keeping Kelly safe from her own pack until the vampire is allowed back into her family.
But the vampire factions are on the warpath, and the werewolf territories are smack in the middle. Both Jaq and Kelly must make allies of old enemies to protect what’s theirs and to carve out a family that's more than blood.

STOLEN SOULS (An Imp World novel) Release date: March 2014
Nyalla is dog–sitting for Satan. It's a sweet gig for a girl who, up until recently, had been a slave to the elves in Hel. The house is amazing, she's got the key to the Corvette, and although Boomer is a Hellhound, he's also a lovable, slobbery companion.
When a newly interred corpse vanishes, followed by a series of grisly murders, Nyalla can't help but wonder if Boomer's odd diet has taken a deadly turn. Could the dog be to blame or is there a more sinister creature on the loose? Nyalla must stop who is behind it all before more die – and before the county puts Boomer on death row.

DEMONS OF DESIRE (An Imp World novel) Release date: July 2014
Amber’s succubus desires are driving her, as well as every man within a five mile radius, crazy — and, Irix, the sexy incubus sent to tutor her, isn’t helping one bit. Determined to find some balance in her life as well as get away from his tempting presence, she escapes to visit a college friend in New Orleans.
But the Big Easy is anything but peaceful. Two powerful witch covens are battling for control of the mighty river and the potent ley lines that run through the city. Amber discovers her half–elven heritage may just resolve their differences, but the covens have other, more lethal, ideas. She knows she can restore the elemental energy to balance, but it’s not easy to play peacemaker when her succubus side wants to drown the whole city in a tide of lust.
The tensions between the covens are her only trouble. There’s nowhere Amber can run to escape the siren–call of her demon nature, and no where she can run to escape the seductive incubus who won’t seem to take “no” for an answer.

Sam and Gregory will return in
ANGEL OF CHAOS
, tentative release date of August 2014!

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About the Author

Books in the Imp Series: