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Intrigue at the Vampire Ball
Intrigue at the Vampire Ball
Intrigue at the Vampire Ball
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Intrigue at the Vampire Ball

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Marika Quinn thinks that she is doing important work with the Coalition. Her organization is charged with the task of hiding the existence of vampires and werewolves from humanity, all while keeping each group peaceful and safe. Her life is good, even if it means quashing the romance that begins to develop between her and a coworker, Owen. But a chance encounter with the leader of a werewolf pack makes her question her loyalties and everything she’s built her life on. What will she choose? And more importantly, whom?

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 11, 2020
ISBN9781094410609

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    Book preview

    Intrigue at the Vampire Ball - Rachel Stark

    Chapter One

    Marika watched on the grainy monitor as Jae sprinted down the alley before skidding to a stop at the intersection. Her head whipped back and forth as she tried to catch a glimpse of her target.

    I lost him, Jae said over the comm. Anybody got eyes on him?

    Got your werewolf going east on First South, Owen said. Better move it unless you want to go swimming. He’s heading toward the water.

    Jae swore loudly before she turned and sprinted down the street toward the bay. There was little chance of her overtaking him, but maybe he’d take another turn and trap himself in a dead end.

    Marika doubted that the werewolf was planning on diving off the seawall and swimming away, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen something like that happen. She switched her view to one of the hovering drones, adjusting its altitude to show the waterfront. Near an abandoned pier building, a small boat bobbed in the water with its red and green running lights on. She could faintly hear the sound of a motor over the drone’s audio feed.

    Jae, he’s going to head down the causeway to the pier. There’s a skiff tied up on the north side, she said and turned to Owen. Do we have anyone on the water?

    Owen frowned and raked a hand through his already mussed up hair. Not around here. Not tonight, he said.

    Marika sighed. They had some water-based patrols, but the bay and gulf beyond were just too much area for a limited fleet to cover. Marika pulled the drone back in so that she could see the two running figures. Shockingly, Jae was getting closer. Normally, over long distances, a wolf would outrun a human every time, even when in human form.

    As Marika watched, Jae put on an unexpected burst of speed and narrowed the gap until she was right behind the fleeing werewolf. She leapt, and the tackle took her quarry down. Marika lowered the drone as far as she dared to watch the scene below her. The werewolf bucked under Jae but couldn’t shake her loose.

    We just want to talk to you, Marika heard Jae gasp as she struggled to stay on top.

    My pack doesn’t want to talk to you, the captive wolf snarled.

    He twisted under Jae, but she held on tight. This really was unusual. He looked short and slim, but still, he should have been much stronger than Jae.

    Back-up should be there in five, Owen said as he leaned close to watch the action on Marika’s screen.

    Marika flushed with awareness of Owen’s closeness but forced herself to focus on what was in front of them.

    Hold him if you can, she ordered Jae.

    Just then, a dark shape sped into the frame and collided with Jae, knocking her off the downed werewolf. As she raised up from the dirt, the shape turned to help the downed werewolf get to his feet, unfolding to full height and revealing itself as a second werewolf, well over six feet tall. He was half transformed: still a recognizably human figure but with a growing mane and elongated teeth that gleamed on the low-res monitor.

    Marika frowned. They hadn’t been aware that the young werewolf had anyone else nearby. This was sloppy. After the mission, she and Owen would need to sit down together and figure out what they’d missed.

    The new werewolf looked down at Jae, who was huffing for breath but seemed otherwise unharmed.

    Backup, huh? he taunted. Werewolf hearing was famously acute, and he must have overheard the transmission on her earbud. For a group that says they aren’t cops, the Coalition sure does talk like cops.

    The Agreements — say that werewolves — need to be — registered, Jae gasped.

    "None of us agreed to that, the werewolf snarled, placing an arm around his smaller companion. Maybe you need to ask yourself if the side that chases teenagers down dark alleys is the right side."

    With that, the tall werewolf looked up and directly into the camera on the drone, then bent over and picked up a rock from the gutter. Before Marika could register his intentions, he cocked his arm back and threw. The feed went black.

    Section Break

    When Jae arrived back at the van, she huddled with Owen as they looked over the drone footage and views from other local cameras, trying to figure out how the larger werewolf had moved in without their noticing. Marika sat with her back to them at her worktable, dismantling the damaged drone. The camera lens was broken, as was one of the propellers, but

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