Luke on the Loose Read online

  “You have too big of a mouth for her not to notice you were missing,” Kade argued. He looked angry ... at me. “Why didn’t you invite me on your little hunting trip? Didn’t you think I would like to protect my girlfriend?”

  Oh, geez. The last thing I needed was him getting snippy. “Don’t be a baby,” I chided, shaking my head. “It had nothing to do with that. Poet would’ve definitely noticed if you were missing. We figured she was safest with you because you can distract her with sex if need be.”

  “I could distract her with sex,” Stefan interjected, offering Poet a saucy wink. “I promise you wouldn’t forget it.”

  “Knock that off!” Kade extended a warning finger in his direction. “I don’t like the way you’re looking at her. In fact ... Nellie, why haven’t you beheaded this guy yet?”

  Stefan, still haughty, laughed. “I don’t think ... .” He didn’t finish what he was going to say. He would never get the chance. Nellie, apparently bored with the conversation, took Kade’s words to heart and arced high when he swung.

  Dolph and Seth ducked quickly to avoid the blood spatter, but I wasn’t paying close enough attention and was splashed with more fluid than I was comfortable with.

  “Ugh!” I wiped the side of my face, furious. “Couldn’t you have warned me that was coming?”

  Nellie shrugged. “I thought you knew how to read a room better.”

  “I just ... you are my least favorite person sometimes.” I glared down at my ruined shoes. “These were new.”

  “That’s what you get for wearing suede to a beheading,” Nellie said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m done for the night. You guys can handle the cleanup without me.”

  “And what cleanup is that?”

  I froze at the new voice, swiveling quickly when I realized another man had entered the fray. I recognized him right away. Apparently he hadn’t abandoned the chase in the parking lot after all.

  “Cole ... um ... we can explain.”

  “We certainly can,” Nellie agreed. “I think Luke should be the one to explain it, though.” He took an exaggerated step away from the police detective. “I’m heading back to the fairgrounds.”

  Kade snagged the back of Nellie’s neck before he could abandon us. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “I can fix this,” Poet said quickly, raising her hands as she stepped forward. “He won’t even remember it.” She was good when it came to mind magic. She could erase Cole’s memory of ever meeting us with minimal effort. I was sad at the thought, but there didn’t seem to be any way around it.

  “Don’t bother,” Cole snapped, pinning Poet with a frustrated look. “I’m not going to arrest you for killing a demon.”

  I was taken aback. “You know what he is ... I mean was.”

  He nodded. “I know he’s an incubus. I didn’t put it together until you guys started asking questions in the bar. I thought the women were missing, not dead. I’m guessing you guys have reason to believe otherwise.”

  “Maybe,” I hedged, looking to Poet for answers. I was genuinely at a loss.

  “What are you?” she asked finally.

  “What are you?” he challenged.

  “I’m a mind reader with Romani origins. I don’t know that they have an exact word for what I am.”

  “Uh-huh.” Cole didn’t look impressed. “And him?” He inclined his head toward Kade. “I feel real power emanating from him.”

  “He’s a quarter mage,” I replied before thinking better of it. “He’s also a killjoy with a military background.”

  I couldn’t be certain, but Cole’s lips quirked. “That makes sense.” He momentarily focused on Nellie. “You’re from another plane. This one is a shifter.” He gestured toward Seth before his eyes landed on me. “You’re a shifter.”

  “I’m a wolf,” I agreed.

  He nodded and continued. “He’s ... something.” He jabbed a finger at Dolph, who looked bored with the conversation.

  “He’s our strongman,” Poet volunteered. “He’s a hybrid.”

  “What else do you have at this circus of yours?”

  “We have a little bit of everything,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter. What are you?”

  “I’m an elemental.”

  Whatever I was expecting, that wasn’t it. “Seriously?” My eyebrows hopped. “What kind?”

  “Fire.”

  “I guess that’s why you were so hot around him when you met, huh?” Poet offered, smirking when I shot her a death look. “Oh, don’t deny it. He totally made you hot.”

  “Even I felt it,” Kade agreed, sliding his arm around Poet’s shoulders. His eyes were shrewd when they connected with Cole’s unreadable orbs. “The incubus killed one of our clowns. He also filled the field next to the fairgrounds with bodies.”

  A momentary flash of sadness washed over Cole’s features. “That’s too bad. I really was hoping I would be able to recover those girls.”

  “That would’ve been nice,” Poet agreed. “What will you do now?”

  “Wait until you guys are gone several weeks and then lead the locals to the field. I’ll probably be stuck here undercover during that time, but at least I’ll know the culprit is already dead.” His eyes moved to the body. “What will you do with him?”

  “Burn him,” Dolph replied. “We’ll take care of it tonight. Guests are due to start arriving tomorrow.”

  “Can you make sure there’s nothing left to discover?”

  “This isn’t our first body burn,” Nellie said.

  “I gathered that.” Cole shook his head as he dragged a hand through his dark hair. “Well, I can’t say any of this makes me happy, but at least it’s done.”

  “It is,” I agreed. “Do you want to come back to the fairgrounds and hash out a few things?”

  “I think that’s probably best.” He fell into step with me, leaving Dolph and Seth to deal with the body as Nellie, Poet and Kade took the lead. His voice was low when he spoke again. “You guys are only here for a few days, right?”

  “We are.”

  “I guess having dinner or something would be a waste.”

  Part of me wanted to crow. I knew he was attracted to me. I mean ... what’s not to be attracted to? The other part, however, was bitterly disappointed. “I guess.”

  “Yeah.”

  We lapsed into silence for a bit. I finally broke it.

  “Of course, we could always go out and see if we hate each other after a few drinks or something,” I offered. “That would make the wondering easier to deal with.”

  He chuckled. “I guess that sounds okay.”

  “Yeah. It sounds okay.”

  More silence followed. This time it was Poet who broke it. “You guys are so cute,” she called out. “Have you ever considered joining the circus, Cole? I think it would be a shame to separate you guys after such an auspicious beginning. Think what you would tell your children if you got married.”

  My cheeks burned as Cole chuckled.

  “What’s the dental like?” he asked finally.

  “I can show you the packet when we get back to the fairgrounds.”

  “I don’t know that I could live this life,” Cole admitted, “but I guess there’s no harm in looking at the package.”

  Maybe Akron wasn’t so bad after all.

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  About the Author

  I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.

  If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.

  Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (num
erous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Books by Amanda M. Lee

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  Living Covenant Trilogy

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