Page 5 of Courting Mayhem

The hunter’s eyes narrowed in fierce concentration.

I felt that odd crawling sensation in my head. The jerk was trying to break through my mental shields. On the bright side, I enjoyed his look of astonishment when he failed. On the not so bright side, he now knew I wasn’t an ordinary Farin female.

The Tower of Terror was a mockup of a 1930-era haunted hotel. A guide in a bellhop uniform motioned for us to follow him into the lobby. The furnishings were covered in dust and draped with cobwebs. The bellhop led us to a dilapidated elevator with a sign that read, “Out of Order.”

Three women giggled nervously.

The bellhop removed the sign and loaded us into small open cars in the elevator. “Several people have mysteriously disappeared, but not to worry. We haven’t lost anyone today. Do you dare step aboard?”

The hunter rudely pushed his way through the line.

“Hey! Go to the back of the line, butthead,” one brave man snarled.

The hunter bared his fangs and the man’s bravo vanished. “Sorry, sir.”

“Move,” the hunter commanded.

The man backed away. “Yes, sir.”

Yep, he was a Coletti hybrid. I wondered if he belonged to the Jones clan.

Poppa Jacob stiffened. “This is not the ideal location for him to engage us in combat.”

“Nope. I think he’s trying to scare us into doing something stupid.”

Sliding into the car behind us, the hunter leaned forward and growled, “What are you?”

“More than you can handle,” I answered.

“Is that a challenge?”

“No, a statement of fact.”

The hunter snorted in amusement. “Cocky little thing, aren’t you?”

“Cocky? No. Confident? Yes.” The ride started and I tried to ignore his powerful presence.

Poppa Jacob groaned. “Provoking a warlord is never a good idea.”

“What makes you think he’s a warlord?”

“His bracelet and attitude.”

“I’ve always wanted to fight a warlord. Now’s my chance.”

“And if you lose?”Poppa Jacob countered.

“I won’t.”

“If you can’t defeat Sten in battle, what makes you think you can beat a warlord?”

“I don’t use my full strength on Papi Sten, but I will with him.”

Dismay flashed across Poppa Jacob’s face.“You’ve been holding back?”

“I have. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“Dear God,” Poppa Jacob whispered.

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