Vortex: Saige Sterling: Badass Bounty Hunter, #3

By J.C. Diem

Saige is still adjusting to having a sex demon for a roommate, but it's getting easier now that Aurora has her own bed to sleep in. She wished her strange relationship with Drake Gilden would run as smoothly. Unfortunately, it just keeps getting more complicated.

 

For the first time, all of Lord Gilden's bounty hunters will be called on to work together on a job. Saige will finally get to see why he hired the two puny humans who are on their team. She will also get a chance to shine and show them exactly why the weredragon hired her.

 

Saige's fame as a bounty hunter is growing with each new mission she accomplishes. Few in the supernatural community in Nexus are aware that she has a secret task in the underworld. So far, the huntress, her vampire sidekick and best friend have retrieved two fragments of a magical scroll. The monsters and beasts are becoming more dangerous with each realm they visit. So are the guardians who are guarding the spells.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seize The Night Agency
• Release date: Jan 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215424407

Book preview

Chapter One

STANDING IN THE ENTRANCE to an alley, I hid in the shadows as best as I could as I waited for Ruen to return. We’d been sent on a mission to hunt an unusual type of rogue. The creature was similar to an incubus, but instead of stealing peoples’ lifeforce, he stole their memories. His victims were turned into living vegetables, unable to remember how to breathe without assistance. They could be sustained with machines for a while, but they always died within a month.

A hand came down on my shoulder and I almost swallowed my tongue when I sucked in a startled breath. It’s just me, my partner said, smirking when he heard my heartbeat triple in speed.

I hate it when you sneak up on me like that, I complained. Ruen didn’t show up on my monster radar due to the heavy restrictions Drake placed on him.

I know, he said, smirk widening.

Did you manage to track the target? I asked. The memory stealer barely had a scent to follow. I couldn’t smell him at all, but the vampire could.

He entered an apartment building a few blocks away from here, Ruen said, gesturing back the way he’d come. I think he’s chosen a new victim already.

We need to get to him before he wipes their mind completely, I said.

At least he doesn’t have supernatural hearing, so you won’t have to attempt to be stealthy, Ruen said as he led the way at a fast walk.

My legs were long enough to keep up with him, but I was glad I’d worn boots with a low heel for once. My red leather pants weren’t exactly stealthy to walk in. They were brand new and I was still breaking them in. I was wearing a sexy pale pink see-through top, with a red bra that matched my pants. Ruen had rolled his eyes when he’d picked me up, but I knew I looked hot. He, on the other hand, looked gaunt, pale and slightly creepy. His entire wardrobe seemed to consist of black suits and white shirts. They were as boring as the black sedan he loved so much.

Ruen swiftly led me to the building where our quarry was located. I could sense a few supernatural beings scattered around the area. I could barely pick him up on my radar when I focused on my target. This was why I needed a partner. He might be a pain in the butt, yet he had skills that I lacked. I’d intended to work alone as a bounty hunter, but my plans had changed. Our boss had ordered us to work together and we hadn’t had a choice about it. I had to admit tracking down the rogues was a lot easier with the bloodsucker’s assistance.

Can you sense him yet? Ruen asked.

Only just, I replied as we entered the apartment building. He’s either really weak, or he can hide his power.

I believe I’ll accompany you this time, the leech decided as I pushed the button to call the elevator.

I looked at him in surprise. Why?

He shrugged and gestured for me to enter first when the elevator arrived. I’ve never seen a memory stealer before. I’m curious about their kind.

My undead assistant couldn’t lift a finger to help me fight the rogue if he turned out to be more dangerous than he seemed. He’s on the fifth floor, I said and pushed the button.

What level is he on your scale? Ruen asked.

It’s hard to tell, I mused, probing the power I could sense as the elevator rose. He’s hovering somewhere between a boil and an ulcer. They were levels two and three on my monster scale. But it feels muted, I added. As if he’s wearing a magical cloak to hide his power like Drake does.

Ruen frowned at my lack of respect for our boss. "I highly doubt memory stealers are on a par with Lord Gilden," he refuted, emphasizing the dragon’s title.

"I didn’t say he was equal to Drake, I said in exasperation, emphasizing the dragon’s name just to annoy him. When was the last time you drank blood? I asked when his upper lip lifted in a sneer and his fangs peeked out. You’re in a foul mood again." He was always annoying when he was hungry, which was pretty much all the time.

I fed three nights ago, he said stiffly.

Why do you starve yourself like this? I asked, shaking my head at his abstinence. You can easily ensnare a human and drink a pint of their blood, then make them forget about it.

The elevator stopped and he used it as an excuse to avoid answering my question. I had no idea why he didn’t drink blood regularly. Vampires could get away with feeding on people, as long as they didn’t kill anyone. Their masters kept them in check, so they didn’t go on a rampage. None of us wanted the humans to become aware that monsters were real.

After you, Ms. Sterling, Ruen said dourly, pushing me into the hallway.

I had a job to do and he wasn’t going to answer my questions, so I took the lead. Sensing the supernatural being was towards the end of the hallway, I pulled a knife out of my kill-bag. It wasn’t wise to roam the streets openly wearing weapons strapped to my body in areas where humans were predominant.

I checked my watch to see it was after midnight, which explained why the building was so quiet. Most people were asleep, since it was a weekday. I tried the doorhandle and found it was unlocked. Stay here and guard the exit, I said, keeping my voice down.

Nodding in agreement, Ruen leaned against the wall across from the door and crossed his arms. Try not to let the rogue steal your memories, he said sardonically.

As if I’d let that happen, I scoffed, then opened the door and stepped into the dark apartment.

I closed the door and waited for my eyes adjust to the gloom. Humans didn’t show up on my radar, but I could tell at a glance that a bachelor lived here. Two ratty old recliners were in the living room. Only one of them had a butt imprint on it. A few dishes had been rinsed off and sat on the counter in the tiny kitchen. A gaming console and a bunch of car racing games were sitting on the coffee table. I made a face at his choice of videogames. I liked driving around and running over zombies, but games that focused on driving around racetracks didn’t interest me.

My senses led me to the short hallway and to the only bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and an eerie green glow came from within. I tiptoed closer and peered through the crack. The memory stealer knelt on the floor next to the bed. His skin was a sickly pale-yellow color and he was utterly bald. The green glow came from his eyes, which were locked on the man he was draining.

I shuddered at the sight of the hand that lay on the slumbering human’s brow, siphoning his memories away. His fingers were creepily long and had too many joints. He was tall even when he was kneeling. He wore a rumpled old suit that was far too short in the cuffs and hems.

Hey, you, I said to get his attention and readied my knife to plunge it into his throat.

His head whipped towards me and he snarled, showing me two rows of blunt teeth. Wrinkles covered his papery looking skin. His eyes were deeply set and the green glow gave his skin an unhealthy cast. Dropping the shield that hid his power, he rose to his feet in one fluid motion.

My head tilted back to keep his face in focus. He had to be seven and a half feet tall, but he was even thinner than Ruen. Instead of a boil or an ulcer, he was an abscess, which was level five out of ten. "Holy crap, you’re ugly," I said in near awe at his hideousness.

At least I’m not a whale like you, he retorted in a sibilant, hissing tone.

My eyes narrowed at the insult, but he lashed out at me before I could come up with a retort.

Chapter Two

INSULTING MY WEIGHT was an unforgivable offense, so it was lucky the memory stealer had already been marked for death. His long, thin fingers swiped at my eyes and I leaped backwards. Scanning him with my senses, I knew he would be easy to kill. While he was freakishly tall and ugly, he didn’t have any real defenses. That was why he had to feed on sleeping humans. They could easily beat him in a fight if they woke up.

A bit disappointed that my target wasn’t going to be much of a challenge, I knocked his arm away when he tried to gouge my eyes out, then stabbed him in the chest. He gasped and blood splattered all over my face.

Really? I complained as he fell to his knees. Did you have to spit blood on me? Why couldn’t you have the grace to die without making a mess?

Gurgling noises came from him as he tried to speak. His hand groped for my face, but I didn’t let him grab hold of me. He could probably heal his wound if he stole my memories and regained his strength. I yanked my knife out of him and he gasped again. This time, I stepped aside before he could ruin my clothes.

My estimation of his fragility turned out to be wrong when the blood stopped seeping through his suit. He threw himself backwards and slapped his hand on the unconscious man’s face. Feeling power surge back into him, I mentally cursed myself for not finishing him off. The bachelor moaned as his memories were drained out of him in one fell swoop. His body jittered before I could pull the creature off him. Guilt sank into me as my target surged to his feet. I’d underestimated him even though I’d sensed he was an abscess.

You’ll have to try harder than that to kill me, bounty hunter, the monster said in a gloating tone.

He turned towards the window with the intention of leaping through it, but my knife was already in motion. It lodged in the back of his neck, sending him sprawling to the floor. I strode over and yanked the knife out, then sliced it across his neck. His fingers scrabbled at the carpet like gigantic, freaky spiders, then he went limp. He disappeared from my radar when his life seeped out of him.

I knew it was already too late, but I stepped over to the bed to check on the human anyway. He didn’t have a pulse and it would look like he’d died in his sleep. He was in his fifties, was overweight and hadn’t shaved in at least a week. The authorities would assume he’d died of natural causes when an autopsy was done.

You can come in now, I said to Ruen.

He was standing beside me almost before I’d finished speaking. You’ve got blood on your face, he said, as if there was any possibility that I couldn’t be aware of it.

No kidding, I said sourly. I’m going to wash up while you call the body disposal team.

They won’t have to take the human with them this time, he said in approval that I’d managed not to make too much of a mess of the place.

Nodding in agreement, I trudged down the hall to the bathroom. I switched the light on and blanched when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Blood was splattered all over my face and was clumped in my purple hair. At least my shirt and leather pants had been spared this time. I’d lost far too many sexy outfits to the monsters I hunted.

I cleaned my face using disposable wipes from my kill-bag rather than a facecloth. It felt too invasive to use a facecloth that had belonged to the deceased human. I washed most of the blood out of my hair in the sink, but I’d need to shampoo it thoroughly when I got home.

I’m surprised you didn’t ask to lick me clean this time, I joked when I joined Ruen in the living room.

The memory stealer’s blood didn’t smell at all appetizing, my partner said dourly. You didn’t clean all of it out of your hair, he informed me.

I know. I’ll wash it when I get home.

Lord Gilden shouldn’t have to be subjected to that smell when you collect your payment from him, he said prissily.

My heart lurched at that news. He’s going to pay me tonight? The weredragon owed me for a few jobs that I’d done since we’d returned from the underworld. He was still avoiding me even after the epic sex we’d had a couple of weeks ago. Drake had thought it would snap him out of his obsession with the sex fantasy Aurora had linked us to. This would be the first time I’d seen him since that incredible, unforgettable night.

I’ve already notified Lord Gilden that we’ve completed our mission, Ruen said, leading the way to the exit. He’s expecting us to arrive shortly.

Wishing I’d done a better job of cleaning myself up, I followed him to the elevator. I’ll wait here while you retrieve your car, I said once we reached the sidewalk. It was parked ten blocks away, near where the last victim had died. Ruen had searched the area and had picked up a fresh trail that had led us here.

He nodded, then flashed off into the darkness. I quickly took makeup out of my kill-bag and did my best to repair my face. The leech could have carried me back to his car, but had chosen not to. He probably didn’t want to get memory stealer cooties on him.

Snickering at that thought, I tried to finger comb my hair, but it was sticky and felt gross. I used disposable wipes to clean my fingers, then tossed them in a dumpster. The body disposal team arrived and pulled up in a black van. Recognizing me, they nodded in greeting. Ruen had already told them where the creature was, so they didn’t need my directions.

Is there much of a mess this time? one of the men asked.

Nah. Most of the blood splattered on my face, I replied.

You should be careful when you’re fighting these things, the other guy said. You never know what the monsters might have in their blood.

I nodded in agreement, keeping my mixed heritage to myself. I had far weirder things in my blood than any of the creatures I’d hunted down. The two men entered the building wearing coveralls and carrying cleaning supplies. It was far later than normal for cleaners to do work in an ordinary residential building, but I doubted anyone would question them.

Hearing Ruen’s car before it turned the corner, I strode over when he pulled to a stop and climbed inside.

You’ll find a can of air freshener in the glovebox, my assistant informed me. I suggest you use it liberally.

Does the blood really smell that bad? I asked. It hadn’t smelled like daisies to me, but my nose was nowhere near as sharp as his.

You can’t sense it, but the blood is tainted with foulness, he replied.

I can usually smell foulness as well as anyone, I argued as I took the lemon scented air freshener out.

This isn’t a normal odor, he struggled to explain. It’s almost spiritual.

Wow, Ruen, I said in fake admiration. That’s really deep. You’ll be writing poetry next.

He scowled at me and subsided into a sulky silence while I sprayed myself with the air freshener. Seriously, though, I said with a hint of apology in my tone. Can you explain what you mean by that?

Seeing I wasn’t joking for once, he unbent enough to answer me. Some beings exude a sense of good and evil, he said. Demons are particularly foul.

Yeah, I’ve definitely picked up on their stench, I agreed, wrinkling my nose.

The memory stealer was just as evil as demons, in its own way, he said. Their kind are rare and have been hunted almost to extinction.

Can all vampires smell good and evil? I asked.

Some of us have more enhanced senses than others, he replied unhelpfully.

I knew his nose was ridiculously sensitive, but this was news to me. What do I smell like? I asked. When I’m not covered in other beings’ blood, I added hastily.

You usually smell like pizza and chocolate, he said with a sneer. I huffed out a sigh and he answered me properly before I could complain. You’re neutral. You smell neither good, nor bad, but you could go either way.

Drake is the same? I asked and he nodded in agreement. What about Aurora? I queried. I know she’s half demon, but she doesn’t seem evil to me.

She’s good, he said without hesitation. I don’t know how it’s possible for any being with demonic blood to be good, but I don’t smell any evil in her.

Another question hovered on my lips, but I didn’t voice it. I didn’t know if he could smell his own aura or not, but I had no doubts at all that he would smell evil. The only time my unwilling assistant was happy was when he was slaughtering his enemies and feeding on their blood. If he hadn’t been one of Drake’s minions, he would have been taken out by a bounty hunter like me centuries ago.

Chapter Three

NERVES FLUTTERED INSIDE me when Ruen pulled into the parking garage beneath our employer’s silver tower. We rode the elevator up to the nineteenth floor in silence. Can Drake smell good and evil like you can? I asked when we were halfway to our destination.

He can’t smell it, the vamp replied. But he can sense good and bad intentions.

Then he won’t smell the blood in my hair, I said in relief.

He’ll pick up on the evil energy of the memory stealer, Ruen said. It isn’t a foul stench to him like it is to me, but it’s still unpleasant.

I could have gone home and showered before we came here, I pointed out.

Lord Gilden’s time is precious, he said snottily just as the elevator came to a stop. He does have an entire city to run, you know, he added, then he preceded me into the large, luxurious office. He ran the supernatural community rather than the humans, but it was still a demanding job.

I know, I muttered beneath my breath. You remind me about it every chance you get.

Our boss was seated over to the left, rather than behind his desk and he wasn’t alone. His head turned and his gold eyes latched onto mine. Dragon pheromones swirled around me and I momentarily felt lightheaded. Vivid memories of having sex with him flashed through my mind. My hand rose to touch the back of my neck where he’d bitten me.

Drake’s molten eyes flashed with emotion for a second, then he clamped down on his power before it could leak out. Ms. Sterling, Ruen, he said in greeting. I’m glad you could join us.

He politely stood up as I trudged over to the black leather couches and chairs in Ruen’s wake. Hey, guys, I said to my fellow bounty hunters. Felicity and Otis were the only human hunters on the team. They had to have impressive skills, since our boss had hired them. I had yet to see them in action.

Hi, Saige, Otis said warmly in greeting, then nodded at my partner. Felicity scowled at me and kept her mouth shut. They were a couple as well as hunting partners. Frankly, I didn’t know what Otis saw in the sulky redhead. Sure, she was beautiful, slender and toned, but she was also a total cow. While Otis wore jeans and a t-shirt, Felicity wore a tailored suit, as if she worked in a corporate office somewhere.

Did you guys have a job tonight, too? I asked as Ruen and I took seats on a spare couch.

We hunted down a pack of rogue shifters, Felicity said. We killed all six werefoxes without alerting any nearby humans.

Her smug tone set my teeth on edge. It was on the tip of my tongue to point out that foxes were one of the weakest types of shifters. They were usually timid and ran from confrontations. Drake gave me a warning look not to start a fight. That’s cool, I said lamely.

What did you two hunt? Otis asked, including Ruen in the question, even though he knew I’d done the killing on my own.

We were sent after a memory stealer, Ruen said. He was quite a nasty specimen.

Where did he rank on your monster scale, Saige? our boss asked.

At first, he just felt like a boil or an ulcer. He was cloaking his power and turned out to be an abscess, I replied.

Why do you rank monsters like they’re sores? Felicity asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

It’s a family joke, I replied with a shrug.

Can you elaborate on that? Lord Gilden asked.

If anyone else had asked, I would have blown them off. Since it was our boss asking, I decided to answer him. Mom and I ran into a pack of wererats feeding on a dead human when she first started training me when I was eleven years old. They were in their half-monster forms and one of them was covered in spots. We wiped them all out and mom said they were a pack of lowly pimples. The nickname stuck for weak enemies. We came up with sores ranging from level one to ten on my monster scale after that.

Felicity rolled her eyes, but Otis grinned. I can’t believe your mom started teaching you how to hunt when you were eleven. What are the rest of the names in your monster scale?

It goes pimple, boil, ulcer, cyst, abscess, canker, festering boil, carbuncle, sepsis and gangrene, I said, ticking them off on my fingers. We weren’t doctors, so we didn’t know if the order was perfectly accurate or not. It was just for fun, so it didn’t really matter.

Have you fought anything that’s at gangrene level? he asked.

I shook my head. Nope and I hope I never do. The strongest thing I’ve run into is a sepsis, so far.

What sort of creature rates that high? Felicity asked dourly.

He does, I said, hiking my