Renegade Red

By Nikki Jefford

Goldilocks (aka Silvereyes) and Little Red Riding Hood (aka Artillery Rose) put the fear in the forest in these outlandish fairytale retellings.

 

As reported by Justin Slinger, wolf shifter and investigative journalist for the Once Upon Times.

 

SILVEREYES (AND THE THREE WOLVES)

 

Justin covers the dramatic court trial of Kingdom v. Silvereyes. Will the vampire Ada Silvereyes be found guilty of first-degree burglary and property damage? Continue with the characters in…

 

RENEGADE RED (AND THE MERRY WOODS STRANGLER)

 

Exposing corruption in the kingdom is no small task. Luckily, Justin thrives on sleuthing, fieldwork, and deadlines. He's hot on a lead . . . until his rival Alister Fink swoops in on his story. Vampires are nothing but trouble, especially the competitive kind with secret crushes.

 

When his editor reassigns him to an impossible story, Justin will do whatever it takes to hunt down the kingdom's serial killer. Will "Artillery Rose" help him or accidently blow him up? Is her Granny the strangler's next target? Can a vampire win Justin over with delicious treats and affection?

 

Niikki Jefford spins a yarn that is full of surprise, laughs, cinnamon, sass, rivalry, romance, and things that go BOOM in the night.

 

Includes whimsical interior graphics.

 

(Best read while chewing cinnamon gum or with Aztec hot chocolate and bacon donuts.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nikki Jefford
• Release date: Apr 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201126544

Book preview

Includes the following two titles:

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Copyright © 2022 Nikki Jefford

Cover design by Nikki Jefford

Edited by Per Se Editing

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. Thank you for respecting the rights of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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SILVEREYES AND THE THREE WOLVES

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All rise for the Honorable Robert Southey presiding over the case of Kingdom v. Silvereyes. You may now be seated.

Is the kingdom’s attorney ready to call her first witness to the stand?

I am, Your Honor. The kingdom calls to the stand Great Big Wolf.

Heavy footsteps thumped through the courtroom as a towering male stacked with muscles stalked past rows of reporters and spectators, then the jury box. His snarl as he passed Miss Silvereyes roused squeaks of dismay from more than a few attendees, while causing others to jolt against their bench seats. Miss Silvereyes showed no reaction, as though carved out of ice on display during Winter Festival. With platinum-blonde hair brushed into a sheen of fine silken strands and a white sweater dress, Miss Silvereyes had the appearance of a young woman awaiting a court marriage rather than a vampire on trial for first-degree burglary and property damage.

Once Great Big Wolf swore his oath, the kingdom’s attorney, Miss Clawson, approached the bench in a navy blazer, pencil skirt, and a smooth bob of brown hair. The tips of her one-inch heels clicked like the young stenographer’s fingers on her transcriber.

Clipping to a stop before her first witness, Miss Clawson turned sideways, facing the jury. Mr. Big Wolf, please walk us through the events of the second Saturday of August of last year.

Although the wolf was in his human form, he had the mannerisms of a wild animal cornered on the stand. Thick teeth gleamed with menace as his upper lip folded into his gums. Each inhale sounded more like a predatory sniff than human breaths before, at last, his gruff words filled the courtroom.

Me, my mate, and my pup woke up that morning and hunted one animal each in the Merry Woods, as is sanctioned by the kingdom.

The stenographer tapped along as Great Big Wolf spoke, stopping when he did.

Miss Clawson’s heels clicked six times as she moved away from her client, settling near the jury. Please explain to the court what happened after you and your family procured your kingdom-sanctioned wild game allotment?

It became immediately apparent why Miss Clawson had removed herself from Mr. Big Wolf’s personal space. Spittle flew from the male’s wide mouth as he snarled.

The stenographer’s hands hovered above her machine for a moment before she brought all ten fingers down at once, then tucked a long section framing her teal bob behind one ear.

We dragged our fresh kills into our house and set them in the kitchen to cool while we went for a run through the woods. When we returned home for our breakfast, I saw that someone had bitten into my elk and drained a portion of blood. So I shifted and roared, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MEAT!’

Fur sprang over the male’s thickset fingers as he gripped the edge of the stand.

The reporters all leaned forward, pencils poised over slender spiral notebooks, me included. My mind sped in anticipation, drawing up potential headlines.

VICTIMIZED WOLF ATTEMPTS TO TAKE JUSTICE INTO HIS OWN PAWS

JURORS BECOME FIRSTHAND WITNESSES IN TRIAL TURNED BLOOD BATH

FELONY ENSUES DURING COURT PROCEEDINGS

MURDER IN THE FANG DEGREE

But Judge Southey was known for the tight leash he kept over his court proceedings. The bang of his gavel cracked through the courtroom like a hoof strike.

Mr. Big Wolf, let me remind you that there is no shifting allowed inside my courtroom, warned the judge, looking down his long slender nose at the wolf shifter. With thick dark brown hair neatly curled around a stoic face, Southey was not one for theatrics.

Jaw locked in fury, Mr. Big Wolf held on to his human form with a low growl.

What happened next? Miss Clawson coaxed.

Unhinging his chops, Mr. Big Wolf continued. My mate looked at the sheep she had caught and noticed that it, too, had been bitten into and had blood missing. So she shifted and snarled, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MEAT!’ After that, my pup inspected his rabbit and saw that the blood had been drained entirely from his meal. So he shifted and cried, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MEAT, AND HAS DRAINED IT ALL DRY!’

She drained my meat, as well! a woman shrieked from the back of the courthouse. Everyone sitting in the gallery turned their heads to look at the shriveled old woman who had interrupted the proceedings. She lifted a gnarled hand in the air as she made her untimely accusation. The vampire thief broke into my gingerbread house and drained my fresh, plump meat until all that remained was a husk.

Murmurs broke out. The Honorable Robert Southey banged his gavel. Bailiff, remove this witch at once.

A buff man dressed all in brown grabbed the old woman by the arm and dragged her away while she struggled and cursed.

Judge Southey cleared his throat heavily. Members of the jury, I apologize for this interruption. Disregard every word spoken by the witch. Mr. Big Wolf, please continue.

The wolf shifter frowned from the stand, his large round eyes locked on the vampire sitting beside her fancy attorney. There was no seeing Miss Silvereyes’s expression from the media gallery. The accused had not bothered to turn around during the old woman’s outburst.

Miss Clawson moved into Mr. Big Wolf’s line of sight, blocking his view of Miss Silvereyes. Your pup had just noticed that his meat had been drained. What happened next?

The wolf shifter growled. Upon seeing that someone had come into our home and drained Little Wee Wolf’s breakfast, we began to look around.

Were there more signs that an intruder had broken in? Miss Clawson asked.

Objection, defense attorney Mr. Bitmore sneered. The lanky vampire, dressed in a sleek black pinstriped suit, spoke into the microphone at his table with cool precision. According to the complaint filed with the constable, the front door was left unlocked, and the windows wide open. Therefore, it is not possible that the house was broken into.

Overruled.

Miss Clawson smiled smugly. Please tell the court if there were additional signs of intrusion.

Mr. Big Wolf scratched the thick, tanned skin below his chin. We made our way to the den, where I saw that my rocker had been moved away from the window and a throw blanket placed on the wooden seat, which had not been there previously.

And what did that tell you? asked Miss Clawson.

That SOMEBODY HAD BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR! Soon after, my mate saw that the cushions were removed from her recliner and tossed on the floor. As with my spot in the den, my mate drew the same conclusion: ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!’ We next heard the cry of our pup as he yelped, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS BROKEN IT!’

The stenographer jabbed the tips of her fingers against her machine two seconds after Mr. Big Wolf finished his tirade.

At this point, we thought we had better make further search in case it was a burglar, so we went upstairs to our bedchambers. What I found in my chamber was my blanket folded up three times and pillows stuffed beneath.

And what conclusion did you draw from this? Miss Clawson asked.

That SOMEBODY HAD BEEN LYING IN MY BED! Mr. Big Wolf roared. We went to my mate’s chamber next and discovered her comforter and throw pillows tossed on the floor. My mate, at once, reacted as I did, snarling, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!’ Meanwhile, Little Wee Wolf ran to check his room. We soon heard our pup’s cry of, ‘SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED—AND HERE SHE IS STILL!’ Hurrying in, we saw a vampire startled awake from the narrow bed. The second she caught sight of all three of us, she sprang out of Little Wee Wolf’s bed, flashed to the window, and jumped out. By the time we looked outside, she had made her getaway."

Miss Clawson’s heels clicked in rapid succession as she approached the stand. Is the intruder you found inside your pup’s chamber present in the courtroom today?

She is, Mr. Big Wolf snarled.

Please point her out for the jury.

Mr. Big Wolf’s muscular arm shot forward as he jammed his finger in Miss Silvereyes’s direction.

"Let the record reflect that Mr. Big Wolf identified Miss Silvereyes as the intruder he found