Sassy Ever After: Sinister Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Sassy Ever After remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC., or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Sinister Sass

  Lexi Thorne

  I dedicate this book to all of you looking for that special person that makes your heart skip a beat and drives you crazy all day long and keeps you awake at night wishing they were by your side.

  Lexi Thorne

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. CHAPTER ONE

  2. CHAPTER TWO

  3. CHAPTER THREE

  4. CHAPTER FOUR

  5. CHAPTER FIVE

  6. CHAPTER SIX

  7. CHAPTER SEVEN

  About the Author

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  Also by Lexi Thorne

  Prologue

  The night's breeze carried myriad scents. Pine, fruits, a rotting carcass of some animal which smelled like it had been dead a while and ignored by the carrion eaters. Even the musky smell of frenzied sex permeated its senses, but the one scent that it searched for, remained just out of reach.

  It was clear to the Wolf that it was dealing with no amateur here and for the first time in all of its years wandering the valley, it wondered if it was in over its head.

  A slight rustling of leaves to the left caught its attention, and it turned quickly, snarling at the seemingly quaking shrubbery. Eyes narrowed to aid vision, and teeth bared to intimidate, it took a tentative step forward. Who gave them the right to tell it where it could and could not go? The world was free, and it was determined to treat it as such. There seemed to be no more movement from the shrubbery, and it relaxed. Probably just an animal then. Or was it?

  It had arrived and set up temporary camp here, a week ago and for the most part had been living it up. In its human form, it was known as Zed. It didn't know why, but it liked the level of anonymity that came with bearing just a first name. It aided its wandering, unaffiliated lifestyle and that was just perfect.

  The location had been perfect. It was aware of the clan not too far, and the territory marking smells had indicated what they were meant to indicate - no trespassing. Like they could stop it from going where it wanted. The fact that there was a human settlement close by, only served as an extra incentive. In its current form, it had developed a taste for the thrill that came with hunting, and humans proved to be particularly entertaining game. The desperate attempts to hold on to their feeble existence always excited it. The lengths they were willing to go to. The...favors, they were willing to offer, if only it spared their lives.

  It had encountered other wandering shifters during its travels and had even had cause to kill a few who got into his way.

  The shrubbery moved again, and it snapped back to attention. Its honed senses had always been a source of pride, and they never failed it, but it was a particularly windy night, and whatever it was that now stalked him, it was determined to remain out of reach, possibly until it was too late.

  The dirty grey wolf crouched low and approached the shrubbery. It quivered again, and it growled - a warning, the last whoever it was would get, no doubt. As I watched, however, the bush quivered once more, and a rabbit jumped out. It caught sight of the Wolf and took off in the opposite direction.

  Even with its senses on high alert, it recognized the slight need to pursue and make a snack of the little mammal, but it though better of it.

  Where was that scent that had given it cause to worry? Or had it just been nothing?

  It refused to believe that it wasn't. Whether it was paranoia or simple instinct, it knew there was something out there.

  "You're trespassing."

  The dirty grey Wolf was instantly at alert and turned briskly, whipping around to gaze at the naked form of a tall, well-built man of seemingly mixed ethnicity. Long, black hair shrouded a strong face, and his eyes were narrowed, and despite the relative brightness of the night, the Wolf couldn't make out the color of his eyes. Not that it mattered really, the one thing that mattered was that this man was a shifter.

  With a low growl, the Wolf slowly turned back to its human form.

  Zed stood almost a head shorter than the quiet, brooding man who now accosted him. He eyed his stalker from head to toe and tried to ignore the growing apprehension in his gut. He had learned that projecting confidence was always the way to go.

  "Just passing through buddy. Is that not allowed?"

  "Your kind is not allowed here" the gruff voice responded in a clipped tone.

  Well, he was definitely not one to mince words - or skip leg day. Zed couldn't get over how imposing the man was.

  The new arrival watched the rogue shifter with unhidden disdain. His kind always annoyed him, and he never hid it. When he had begun to hear news of suspicious disappearances from the human village, he had had his suspicions and decided to investigate. It was not uncommon for rogue shifters to wander the valley and trespass, but they were always easily disbanded. This man, however, didn't seem like he was used to getting told what to do.

  "Like I said, mate, just passing through" his attempt at bravado didn't seem to be having its effect, but Zed was determined to keep it up.

  "The missing humans, do you have something to do with it?" the other man asked simply, keeping an eye on his dubious quarry.

  "Oh. That. Well, there's an explanation for tha..."

  "Get out. Get out now."

  "What? Just like that? Bossy aren't we?" Zed said, lifting an eyebrow.

  "I should kill you. But it's my anniversary."

  "Oh? Birthday? Wedding?"

  There was no answer.

  Zed was now left with a choice. Do as he was asked, and leave, or stand his ground. He picked the latter.

  "Didn't ask for permission when I set up camp here mate. Best believe I'll leave when I'm good and ready."

  The other shifter seemed to consider this for a while, and then, as Zed watched, he began to shift form.

  The resulting Wolf was as large as the man himself, and Zed felt the apprehension rise. Nevertheless, he was already too invested in this, and he shifted form as well.

  Both wolves stared at each other for a while, yellow eyes glinting in the wash of moonlight.

  Then, with a low growl, Zed attacked.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Keira looked down at her watch and sighed in slight exasperation. She was going to kill him when he got back.

  "I won't be long" he'd said. Jerk. And on their anniversary too, the nerve.

  She sighed as she stared at the freshly made dinner on the table. It was supposed to be a romantic night, just the two of them and it seemed like he was going to run that now by being absent. It wasn't like him to miss something this important; he knew the plans she'd made.

  Or had he gone to get her something? Pretty late wasn't it? She'd gotten her gift an entire week before. She sighed, she was definitely going to kill him. She wasn't prone to overt, super expressive emotional outbursts. As a good leader, she had to keep her emotions in check, but Chayto
n knew how to get under her skin.

  She had even out on a very flattering dress. That was not something she did often. She felt like getting the girls to clean the table, but she decided against it. He was only twenty minutes late after all. She rolled her eyes; she was overreacting.

  The incantation she put over the food would keep it from getting cold, but she couldn't say the same for Chayton's bed this night if he didn't arrive on time.

  A pleasant smell wafted into her nostrils, and she smiled at the scented candles lit at strategic positions in the room. She has picked them herself, and she knew Chayton would love them. His senses were more honed than hers, and she was certain that it would be a pleasant sensory experience for him.

  Just then, the doors flew open and Chayton burst in. He was dressed in an excellently tailored suit which did nothing to hide his impressive physique. She could tell that he had jogged here from the ever so slight bead of sweat on his brow, but he wasn't winded, so she couldn't tell if he jogged all the way. It wasn't an easy feat to tire our Chayton, something most people found out the hard way.

  "I am so sorry Keira. God, you look amazing" he said, admiring her as she stood staring at him. He sighed and took a step forward; she eyed him suspiciously,

  "Hey what's this?" he reached forward and seemingly pulled a rose from behind her ear and presented it to her, giving her his most charming smile.

  She tried to hold herself from smiling, but she knew that there was no stopping it. It was the same move he had pulled when they met a year ago, at the Horny Wolf. It had been so goofy, the magic trick at a paranormal night club, and it hadn't been something she'd expected from a man as put together and collected as Chayton. But it had charmed the socks off of her.

  Keira pursed her lips as the smile slipped past a little and she grabbed the rose and sniffed it. It smelled wonderful. Her earth based magic made her appreciate nature a great deal. Witches like her tended to live in seclusion, needing to be one with nature, but she was not like that. Plus, she had a clan to lead.

  "It's nice." she said, and Chayton smiled his I'm-so-glad-you're-not-killing-me smile.

  "I'm still mad at you for keeping me waiting," she said, pouting and he chuckled.

  "Yeah. I know, and I'll explain why that was...over dinner."

  He was already moving towards the table, staring at the food hungrily. He was a big man and had a corresponding big appetite.

  They sat down, and she blessed the food and watched in amusement as he immediately dug in.

  She had been trying to imagine what exactly it was that he could have been doing. Or what could have set him in such a ravenous mood? Granted, he had a huge appetite, but it was only this big after a battle. She wondered but decided to wait.

  "Hey slow down," she said, laughing as he chugged down a glass of wine and was pouring another. He looked up sheepishly, and she couldn't help but marvel at how different he was with her. She had seen sides of him that she knew he would never show anyone else. It made her feel special like she alone possessed knowledge of how vulnerable the otherwise stoic Chayton Mercer could be. He poured another glass and sipped this time.

  "Dinner's wonderful Keira. Your food seems to get better and better every day. What's the magic involved?"

  She threw her head back and laughed.

  She had no idea why she found it so funny when he referenced her magic in his jokes. When he was outside, addressing the rest of the clansmen, he hardly made jokes and even when he did, they were borderline scathing remarks that would make the person being addressed shrink back and fall in line.

  "I knew that one would get you," he said and winked.

  His almost grey eyes twinkled as he looked at her and she felt a warmth flow through her. She referred to it as 'almost grey' because, in actuality, his eyes were blue grey, but the grey held the higher percentage in the mix.

  As they ate, Chayton watched her in between bites. She looked beyond amazing in her dress, and he could picture himself taking it off later. The stirring in his pants caused him to adjust in his seat, and he cleared his throat as he went back to staring at her. She took careful, seemingly calculated bites and chewed carefully and contemplatively. He had long since given up trying to decode her thoughts. He was usually wrong and had discovered the secret to finding out what she was thinking - asking her

  This time, however, he was fairly certain he could at least give an educated guess as to what she was thinking, and he knew it had something to do with his coming late. He hadn't told her of his rogue shifter suspicions. He knew that if he had, she would have insisted on following him, and he knew better than to suggest she stayed back while he checked it out, so it was better to keep her in the dark about it.

  The shifter had been particularly strong, relatively speaking and he'd felt a begrudging admiration for him while they fought. But then again, he had never been defeated by another shifter in his long life, and he hadn't been about to pop his loss cherry on the night of his anniversary.

  Keira locked eyes with him, and he winked, glad at the slight blush he noticed on her face.

  "So, what happened?" she asked, dropping her fork and lifting her glass to her blood red lips. Chayton watched the lips softly clasp the rim of the glass and marveled at the look of enjoyment that shone in her eyes as the liquid made its way down her throat.

  He cleared his throat. At this rate, he would take her here on the dining table if he didn't slow down he told himself.

  "It was a rough shifter," he said simply, trying to keep his tone light, as though it was nothing to worry about.

  Obviously, she didn't take it that way.

  The glass made a slight clunk as it landed on the table.

  "A what?"

  "Calm down Keira," he said, lifting both hands and mentally patting himself on the back for making the call and not telling her about it before. She definitely would have gone with him. That was no way to spend an anniversary.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. Her tone was sharp, but not mean or harsh. She genuinely wanted to know, even though she probably already had an idea why. It was pretty obvious.

  "You know why. You would have charged along with me and you know I couldn't stop you even if I tried. You're stubborn."

  Keira almost scoffed at the statement. Granted, she had her moments of strong will demanding feats, but when it came to sheer stubbornness, none was more so than Chayton. He was so hard-headed, it was infuriating.

  "You shouldn't have gone alone. You know rogue shifters travel in small packs at times," she said quietly, remembering it was still their anniversary. This was not something to argue over. It was probably already too late for that even.

  "Babe, it's me. I can take care of myself."

  And that, he could. He had once single-handedly taken on a pack of four shifters once. Granted, he had been badly injured after, but he had triumphed. Sometimes she felt as though it was pride that inspired the stubbornness. He couldn't ask for help, so he did things himself. Somehow, that made sense.

  "How many were they?"

  "Just the one. He'd already umm, paid some unsolicited visit to the humans" He said, and she nodded in understanding. Neither of them was new to the concept of death. It was a grim fact of life that came with their world, and they accepted it whole heartedly.

  For a minute, neither of them spoke. Chayton took one last bug bite, successfully cleaning out his third helping.

  "Hope you made him regret stepping his dirty paws here."

  Chayton looked up abruptly and smiled at Keira, nodding.

  "You know I did." he said, gesturing the his empty plates and she laughed.

  "I love you," she said then

  "And I love you, Princess."

  "Stop. Don't call me that" she said giggling and blushing.

  Granted, she was the leader of a minority clan, but that didn't make her royalty did it? He usually used the word in a teasing capacity.

  "Why yes your majestic princessliness. As you wi
sh."

  "Quit it pup."

  "Oooh. You wanna go there?"

  "No no no, I'm sorry," she said quickly as they both laughed. She rang a small bell, and a young witch came in to help her clear the table. It was largely a volunteer job as she was more of a hands on leader. But when they heard it was her anniversary, the others had decided that she wasn't to lift a finger.

  "Thank you, Cindy"

  As she left, Chayton reached into his jacket pocket.

  "I got you something." he withdrew his hand to reveal a long leather box, with velvet linings.

  Keira's eyebrow went up.

  "Happy anniversary baby."

  Keira grabbed the box and opened it, trying to contain her excitement and failing.

  The necklace inside took her breath away. And what was more, she recognized it.

  She had commented on how nice it was once when they'd gone into town together. She hadn't even known he'd been paying attention. She looked up at him as he stared at her as though her ear-to-ear smile was not enough indication that she absolutely loved it.

  "Come help me try it on."

  Chayton got up and went to her. He retrieved the necklace from her, and she turned, moving her hair to the side as he put the necklace round her neck, locking in in place and placing a light kiss on the back of her neck.

  She whirled round, smiling up at him. For the moment, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She wasn't bothered about checking to see if the necklace looked good on her. Everything she needed to know, was fully displayed in his eyes.

  He was looking down at her, smiling that enigmatic smile that somehow held so much meaning - more meaning that she could hope to comprehend. The smile she recognized as the one he had on whenever he couldn't verbally express just how in love with her he was.