Page 1 of Aberrant Monsters
one
Being punched in the face repeatedly wasn’t how I’d expected my day to end. But my assailant had other plans, hauling me into an alley and spewing threats about how he was going to mess me up for ruining his marriage.
It took a minute to place him; I mean, I’d helped end plenty of marriages. It came with the job. But this guy was a piece of work.
Jamie McNamara liked to use his fists on his wife and stick his cock into other women—not at the same time, but still. He was a first-rate wanker, a total douchebag, and I’d helped prove it in court. Now he was set to lose half his business and his house.
He had only himself to blame.
Whaling on his wife was out of the question, what with an injunction against him. Yep, I’d helped with that too. So here he was, taking out his frustration on the next best thing. The woman who’d helped his wife ruin his life.
Me.
He managed one more punch before I recovered from the shock of the attack and grabbed his fist, blocking his blow.
This close to sunset, I didn’t feel the pain, but that didn’t make the injuries any less real or his attack any less infuriating.
He yanked his fist free and shook out his hand, flexing his fingers and glaring at me accusingly.
I hawked and spat blood. “I’m sorry, did my face hurt your fist?”
“You should be unconscious by now.” The look of confusion on his face was almost comical.
I blinked blood from my eye, wincing at the burn. “Oh, isthatthe rule?”
His grip on my jacket collar tightened. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? A New Blood.” His lip curled in disgust. “You should be locked up with the rest of them. Whatcha doin’ parading around as one of us?”
“A wife-beating wanker who likes to stick it to his maid?” I bared my teeth in what was most certainly a bloody grin. “Nah, I’m nothing like you, Jamie.”
He hauled me closer, tobacco breath blasting my face. “You think I’m scared of you? A sniveling bitch who makes a living fucking with other people’s lives.”
My gaze tracked to the blood-red sky at the mouth of the alley, and something stirred inside me. “Jamie, you need to go.”
He slapped me so hard my ears rang and my vision blurred. “You think I’ll let you get away with fucking me over?” he snarled.
He had no idea what he was dealing with, and it was my civic duty to warn him. “You have no fucking idea what you’re dealing with, Jamie.”
“I know exactly who I’m dealing with. A filthy New Blood with a superiority complex.”
My vision cleared just as the crimson sky went dark. “I saidwhat, notwho.”
My skin prickled as the wounds on my face healed.
Jamie stared at the vanishing cuts and bruises in shock. “What…How…”
I licked dried blood off my lips. “There’s still time. You could probably get away.”
But that was a lie, because the thing inside me that had been silent and watchful for the last few minutes was rising to the surface, and fuck it, part of me was glad. Part of me didn’t want this bastard to get away.
Jamie released me and backed up, fear widening his eyes and quickening his breath.
Oh yeah, he sensed it now. Even though he couldn’t possibly fathom what it was.
No more warnings. No more chances to run. I smiled thinly.
No escape.The voice was whiskey on the rocks, smooth with a gravelly edge that made my insides thrum.My turn.
The monster living inside me tore free.
