Page 20 of Cursed by Death

There were no dents or scratches on the car's exterior, so I knew there had not been an accident.

So, where the fuck was my Detective and how had the car ended up here?

I heard male voices come through an open door at the back of the garage and headed that way. Hopefully I’d find a mechanic or two back there who’d be able to give me some answers.

Behind the building was a courtyard with a couple picnic tables and a basketball hoop. No one was playing ball. Instead, there were four men sitting down at one of the picnic tables.

Four burly, bearded men. Well, shifters really.

One of them I’d actually seen before. He was Rally’s little buddy from the underground.

I jumped straight to conclusions.

The shifters were responsible for Detective Rowans disappearance. Rally’s shifters specifically.

I was surprised by this but I honestly shouldn’t have been. No way were they just going to let me driving off with him just slide when they thought I was Rally’s mate.

But this was taking it too far.

As I strolled up to their picnic table I wasn’t nervous. I should have been but I wasn’t. Just because they wouldn’t hurt me because of Rally that didn’t mean they couldn’t kidnap me or something like that.

They noticed me as soon as I stepped out in the courtyard and all conversation around the table stopped.

I sat down at the picnic table with them and looked from one man to the next. “That’s my car in your garage with the window smashed out. The man who was driving it belongs to me and I’d like him back. Preferably returned to me in one piece. I suggest you do whatever it is that you need to do in order to make that happen. I’ll wait.”

One of the men across the table and down from me scoffed. “Do you know who the fuck we are, little girl? You can’t just walk in here and demand shit from us.”

Rally’s buddy stood up quickly. “I’ll call my Prince and let him know that his mate is here. I imagine he’ll be along shortly.” He practically ran towards the back door.

There was a stillness around the table now as the men watched me carefully, different from how they had looked at me just seconds ago. I imagined that had been the man's point behind his statement. He wanted these men to know just who I was to them so they could behave accordingly.

At least, who he thought me to be, because Rally had claimed it to be so.

Rally was wrong though. They’d figure it out in time.

I picked up the man's now abandoned sub and took a bite out of it. It was just alright, heavy on the meat, not enough cheese, plenty of sauce, and no lettuce. I kept eating it until the whole thing was gone.

They all watched me eat in silence and not a one of them went back to eating.

Way to give a girl a complex.

I picked up the water next to me and drank half of it in one go.

The man who’d spoken to me earlier cleared his throat, now appearing nervous. His bravado from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Neither was his sneer.

What an improvement. I was glad to know that they could learn.

“You’re not entirely human. I can feel it. So, what are you then?”

“Hunter!” one of the other men hissed from across the table.

That sub had really hit the spot and I was feeling way better now that I no longer had an empty stomach.

“My last name is Maredo,” I told Hunter, giving him the only answer he was going to get from me.

“So, either part vampire or part demon then. Which one is it?”

It was the one that was none of his business, that was what.

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