Kiss of the Fae: The Forbidden Fae Series, #3

By Carly Fall

Blood might be thicker than water, but it's not thicker than the truth.

The vampires of Seattle are dying, and everyone believes Avery's father is responsible. But when she finally agrees to help discover who is framing him, she's confronted with a reality she doesn't want to face.

When all clues lead back to her father as the murderer, Avery begins to question her unwavering faith in her father's innocence. As the line between guilt and innocence blurs, Avery and Gabe are forced to face deception, betrayal and danger.

But is it worth risking their lives to save a killer?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Westward Publishing
• Release date: Oct 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386767671

Book preview

1

Avery Dubois had never thought she’d be sitting in a vampire’s house waiting for a bear shifter to break in. But lately, her life seemed to be filled with situations she couldn’t have imagined even a year ago.

She stretched out on the creaky bed and ran a hand over the red satin duvet. The walls had been covered in shiny, eggshell white wallpaper that was soft to the touch, much like the bed covering. The room, similar to the rest of the house, screamed old-world elegance. Either that or brothel, but since she’d been spending so much time in the house, she preferred to go with the former.

Turning toward one of two laptops she’d brought with her, she checked out the screen. It was broken up into four separate squares, each representing the security cameras surrounding the house and also situated on the first floor beneath her. In the basement lay her client, a vampire named Sergio, who slept the day away.

Avery and her partner, Gabe Turneaux, had been hired by Sergio to catch the bear shifter who had broken into his house three times and taken everything from silver spoons to the big-screen television. The robber knew he would be safe burglarizing the house during the daylight hours—Sergio couldn’t step foot in the sun. The shifter apparently also had some technical knowledge because he’d erased any footage of him inside the house. Due to his smart ways, the paranormal police had no evidence to arrest the burly shifter. They had pictures of him outside, but nothing proving he was the culprit. As they’d told Sergio, He could be here to sell you cookies.

Starting a business of helping paranormal entities with other paranormals hadn’t been intentional. After discovering who had been responsible for killing the Fae and draining their blood, Avery and Gabe had been contacted by the leader of the Rainier wolfpack who needed help finding who was sending him death threats. After much discussion during which Avery had expressed her fears and told Gabe details of her past dealings with those particular wolves, they’d decided to take the case. A week later, the pair had apprehended the party—one of the pack’s members. To achieve this, Gabe had gone undercover and applied to join the group. It hadn’t taken long for loose lips to meet his ears, and their quarry had been caught. The investigation had resulted in three hundred fifty dollars cash for each of them.

However, Avery hadn’t been happy with the pack’s way of dealing with the perpetrator. She wanted the offenders to be handled by legal means instead of vigilante justice.

Word spread quickly, and Gabe and Avery realized they had discovered an untapped market. Sometimes, those who operated outside of the paranormal laws needed help finding their nemesis. When the time came to dish out the wrongdoer’s punishment, Gabe and Avery did their best to make sure retribution occurred through legal means. Phantom Investigations was born.

Avery inched closer to the laptop. On the screen she noticed a man standing by the front door, gazing into the camera. He was a beefy guy she estimated at over six feet and built like a steam engine with hands that looked as if they could crush a skull without much effort.

Her stomach fluttered, and her heart thumped. She reminded herself she didn’t have to worry… the shifter didn’t know she was in the house. All she had to do was wait until he entered and then call the cops. That was it.

She startled at the sound of glass shattering from downstairs and scanned the screens on the laptop to see where the intruder had broken in. The kitchen door leading into the backyard. As she picked up her cell phone and dialed a paranormal cop Gabe knew, she watched the shifter go to the closet where Sergio stored his security equipment. A second later, the robber emerged with a digital tape and stomped it to pieces.

Sheldon, it’s Avery, she whispered. I’m watching a robbery in progress. I’ve been told it’s a bear shifter. He came in through the back door. Here’s the address.

As she recited her location, she couldn’t help but grin. The shifter thought no one knew of his crimes, but she and Gabe had set up their own cameras and were recording the whole break-in on their equipment.

Sheldon confirmed he and his partner were on their way, and Avery tiptoed over to the door to make sure she’d locked it.

When she returned to the bed, she saw the shifter rifling through Sergio’s wallet. The vampire had deliberately left it on the dining room table.

Five minutes later, the upper right-hand part of her screen revealed a car pulling up in front of the house. Avery recognized one of the men as Sheldon but didn’t know the other. They jogged around to the back of the house, and she caught them again on the upper left-hand part of her screen. While his partner slowly pushed open the door, Sheldon held a stun gun at the ready position.

Avery scanned the other areas on the computer screen for the prowler and gasped as she saw him round the corner and disappear from view.

That meant he was coming up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, she stood and scanned the room for a weapon, then remembered she was already armed. After being shot at during a car chase, she had decided to always protect herself.

She grabbed the backpack and pulled out the Ruger LC9s. Flipping off the safety, she kept her finger ready in case she needed to wrap it around the trigger.

The floorboards in the hallway creaked, indicating the shifter had reached the landing. Once there, he had the option of turning left or right. If he chose right, he’d come straight to her door.

What would he do when he realized it was locked? Would it spook him, or intrigue him?

Just go to the left. Please just go left.

She held her breath as she waited, straining to hear something beyond the heavy silence. Then suddenly, all hell broke loose out in the hallway.

Get down! someone yelled.

Apparently, the shifter didn’t comply.

The picture in her room rattled as something slammed against the other side of the wall. A grunt, the sound of bone meeting bone, and finally a loud thump. Then, silence.

She moved toward the door with her weapon raised, hoping the cops had won the battle.

As she slowly opened it, she took a few deep breaths. Could she shoot someone? Yes, especially if her life was in danger.

Avery found the two officers hunched over the shifter. One was placing cuffs on him, blocking her view. She sighed in relief and lowered the gun.

Sheldon stood when he saw her, his brow furrowing while he gripped the stun gun.

You got a license for that thing, Avery?

Yes. Conceal and carry permit.

Sheldon nodded. We’ve dealt with this guy before. He’s going to be in prison for a while.

If we can actually get him down the stairs, the other cop muttered. This guy weighs at least two fifty, if not more.

They glanced at each other. No telekinesis abilities here, Sheldon said. We’ve got to do some good old-fashioned grunt and pull.

I can help, Avery said. Just let me put the gun away.

She turned back into the bedroom, gathered the computers, and slid everything into her backpack. Then she returned to the hallway.

The shifter lay on his stomach with his eyes closed and his arms shackled behind him. He looked even bigger in person than he had on the camera.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she centered herself. Magic became so much more effective when her mind didn’t veer off into a thousand different directions.

He’s unconscious, right? she asked as she stared at the prone body.

For now, Sheldon replied. Not going to say it will last.

She raised her arms. Magic sizzled through them to her fingertips. The shifter slowly rose about two feet off the floor and floated down the stairs. Avery followed close behind trying to keep her focus on the big man and not tumble down to the floor below.

When they reached the bottom, she lowered him to the landing in the front hallway.

We can take it from here, Sheldon said. No point trying to explain a floating man to the human neighbors.

Avery sighed, crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned up against the door leading to the basement. Feeling accomplished, she couldn’t hide her grin.

I’m going to kill him once the sun goes down! Sergio yelled from the basement.

You keep talking like that, she shouted, and the cops will be back to arrest you too. Besides, you would need to take a trip to prison in order to murder him, and we both know you aren’t the prison type.

With his fondness of silk, fine furniture, and old-world elegance, the blandness of prison would be a horrible assault on his delicate sensibilities.

Sergio cursed, but after a moment, she heard him retreating down the stairs.

As Avery glanced around the living room while the cops hauled out the robber, she couldn’t help but admire the décor of the old, Victorian Bellevue home done in soft blues and tans. The beautiful white molding held etchings of women dressed in flowing gowns and men in top hats and waistcoats. The navy blue clawfoot couch looked as if it had been around for many years, but remained in pristine condition. She couldn’t help but wonder if the home had been in Sergio’s family for many generations… or maybe, in his case, she should say a few. Vampires tended to live a long time.

She followed as the policemen struggled to drag the shifter out the door to their black Chevy Impala sedan parked at the curb. After they shoved him into the back seat, the Fae cop waved at her and nodded before driving off.

Avery sauntered inside, feeling pretty good about herself. The hunted had become the hunter. She was in control now, not running for her life from paranormal entities.

Gabe had been worried about her working this job alone, and he’d called every half hour of every day she’d been lounging in the house. On cue, her phone rang.

You okay? Gabe asked.

Yes. It’s done. I’m collecting payment now.

He sighed. Good. I didn’t like you sitting in a vampire’s house waiting for a shifter to break in. It’s too dangerous.

At another time not long ago, she would have agreed. Hell, she would have never stepped foot in the house. But the situation was different for her now. She’d survived vampire attacks, shifters who’d wanted to kill her, and Spectral Prison. As far as she was concerned… with some street savvy, an insight to the criminal mind, a gun and a little bit of Faery magic, she could make it through just about any danger the paranormal world had to offer.

I’m fine, Gabe. I’ll call you when I have our money. It’s too bad you’re working so late tonight. We could have gone for pizza and beers.

Gabe chuckled. Avery knew he hated his job at Spectral Prison, but he’d found that connection to the dregs of the paranormal world helped them in their new business venture. Maybe if they had more clients, he would be able to quit and work full-time with her.

That would be nice, he said with a sigh. I’ll get a raincheck on that. Let me know when you have the cash.

Yup. I’ll text you.

She hung up and shut the front door before strolling to the basement door where she beat her knuckles against the panel.

Sergio! Time to pay up!

Silence.

She waited about thirty seconds and banged on the door again. Sergio, if I don’t have payment in my account in one minute, I’m going to come down there with UV flashlights and burn your eyeballs to ashes!

And, she had no qualms about it, either. Pulling the flashlights from her jacket pocket, she held them and counted to sixty, waiting for an answer.

When she got to forty-five, she issued one more threat. I’m serious, Sergio! Don’t fuck with me!

She bent down, turned on one of the flashlights and shined it under the door. She heard some thumping as if someone had hit a wall while trying to dodge the light. Anyway, that was what she liked to think.

A second later, her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at it. One thousand dollars had been deposited into her account—five hundred for her, five hundred for Gabe. It was more than she’d made on her best weeks while waitressing. Even though she’d done most of the work, she didn’t mind sharing. Gabe had been instrumental in boosting her confidence. For instance, she’d never considered using UV flashlights against a vampire.

He’d also taught her some self-defense moves, which thankfully she had yet to put into use.

Thanks, Sergio! Give us a call again if you need us!

She didn’t bother to wait for an answer. Instead, she turned on the alarm and exited the house.

After walking a few blocks, she thought she probably should have told Sergio about the broken door in back. She pulled out her phone and sent him a quick text. It wasn’t her fault, but she’d appreciate knowing if a shifter had busted the door to her house.

She caught a bus to downtown Seattle where she’d decided to enjoy the rest of the day. A walk around Pike’s Place Market while sipping on a coffee sounded nice, or perhaps she’d just sit and enjoy the pleasant weather in Gas Works Park. Either way, she planned to take advantage of the unseasonal sunny weather. Who knew the next time she’d see it?

After sending Gabe a text, she exited the bus at the next stop and headed for Starbucks.

Her phone rang, and she answered without looking at the screen.

Avery!

The voice stopped her in her tracks. Someone bumped into her from behind and whispered a curse at her, yet she still couldn’t move.

Dad?

Avery, I was wondering if you and I could meet tomorrow. Bring Gabe, too.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. His jovial voice quickly chipped away at her good mood. What’s this about?

Top of the Space Needle, her father answered, ignoring her question. I haven’t been there in a while. I’ll make reservations for one o’clock.

Oh. Um… okay.

Her father hung up, and she stared at the phone for a moment. She may have learned to handle herself in the paranormal world, but she’d hadn’t mastered saying no to her father.

What could he want?

Whatever it was, she knew it wouldn’t be anything good.

2

Avery sat in the restaurant Sky City, located at the top of the Space Needle, Gabe at her side. They waited for her father, whom she hadn’t seen since the day after they’d been rescued from the barn.

Preston had asked both her and Gabe to meet with him. Of course, he was late. At least the slowly rotating restaurant offered a pretty view of the city. The sun had decided to shine for a while, but dark clouds began to intrude, promising more rain.

Avery couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn a dress, but she also couldn’t remember when she’d been in such an upscale place.

Probably never.

You look nice, Gabe said. Red is a good color on you.

Clad in her red sundress with a black sweater over it, she turned toward him and smiled. She didn’t have any cold-weather clothing nice enough for the restaurant, so she’d made do with her current choice. Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.

Gabe grinned and smoothed a hand over his black button-down shirt—a far cry from the usual T-shirt and leather jacket he always wore. I do look pretty hot, don’t I?

She chuckled and smacked his arm before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. This meeting with her father had her more anxious than she wanted to let on.

Gabe’s smile faded. I see your hand shaking. Do you want a glass of wine or something? Do you want to leave?

Yes, she did want to remove herself from the situation, but at the same time, she was very curious. What could her father want? And… she had questions of her own. She’d had a lot of time to think about all that had transpired since her father had appeared, and some of what he’d said didn’t quite add up for her.

There was also a very small part of her—perhaps the little girl within—who wanted a halfway decent relationship with him. There