Jaded Hearts
Chapter 83

Tyson

“I’ve never openly invited a vampire on my territory, Tyson. Are you sure she can be trusted?” Xander asked me.

“I believe she can. She’s crazy, but she not dangerous. Not usually,” I said.

“That’s not too convincing, man. I’ve got to keep my pack safe, so I can’t bring her to my home if she’s going to be a problem.”

“Aires is an old friend. She wouldn’t do anything to f**k me over. So, I give you my word that she’ll be cool. She wants the job, so I’m sure she’ll be on her best behavior.”

Xander nodded. “If you vouch for her, that’s all I need. Kade, let the patrols know to be on the lookout for her and to escort her to the house once she arrives.”

“On it.”

Xander quickly set up a meeting, but I could understand why he’d been cautious. Vamp/bear hybrids weren’t usually friendly with wolves. My phone buzzed, signaling an incoming message.

“She’s at the west border now.”

“I’ll go down and get her,” Kade offered.

Xander nodded his head and took a seat while we waited for them to come back. A few minutes later, Aires swooped in, oozing her signature Barcelona charm.

“Buenos noches, wolfies. I’m so excited to be here with all of you.”

Xander stood up and walked over to her. “Aires, I’m Alpha Xander Black. Thank you for coming to speak with us. Hopefully, we can come to a mutual agreement, and you can help rid us of our vamp problem.”

“I’m sure we can.”

She looked around the room and smiled. “Ms. Taylor wasn’t kidding. This pack is bursting with gorgeous men.”

“Aires, focus. None of us are single, so cool it,” I told her.

“Aye, Dios mio! Fine.”

Matt chuckled in the corner, drawing her attention to him. “Are you the Gamma, sweetheart?”

He straightened up and nodded. “I am. Matthew Stone,” he replied.

“Good job on the rock, and the girl. If she wasn’t already taken twice, I’d try to steal her away for myself.”

“Thank you, I think?”

She winked then turned back to Xander.

“Alright, handsome, let’s get down to business. I want this job a lot. It’s a vampire hunter’s dream to go against the Edwards coven, a once in a lifetime opportunity. If we agree to work together, Blue Moon will have me under contract, and I’ll only work for you until Lancaster Edwards has been caught and disposed of. The timeframe does not matter—I will continue to work until I replace him. My contracts are signed in b***d and are final.”

“Do we pay you a flat fee?”

“Five hundred thousand. That’s the friends and lovers discount,” she said with a sly smile.

“That’s doable. How do I guarantee the safety of my pack?” he asked.

“From me? Oh, Alpha Black, I’m hurt.”

“Hurt or not, it’s my job to protect them.”

“It can be added to the contract. I will not feed on any member or associate of your pack. Not unless they really, really want me to.” Aires smiled.

“What happens if you break the contract?” Alexi asked.

“Then I’m either bound to your pack for the remainder of my life, or I die. It’s a toss-up, really. One can never know which way fate will decide to go.”

“And how long is your life span, roughly?” Kade asked.

“I’m twenty-one going on twenty-two. Eight hundred is the average.”

Matt crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you work out of a central location, or are you constantly on the move? How do we contact you?”

“I go where ever the target takes me, so I’m usually moving back and forth. And I’m a twenty-first-century hunter, so iPhone. I’m down for the occasional FaceTime as well.”

“Could you give us a moment to discuss everything and make a decision?” Xander asked.

“Claro que sí.”

She turned to me and smiled. “Could you ask Taylor to come and sit with me while you gentlemen make your decision? I haven’t had any good girl talk in so long.”

I looked over to Matt, who shrugged his shoulder and sent the link.

“You two work so well together. Is it the same way in the bedroom? Please tell me it is.”

“You really need to get laid Air, soon,” I replied.

“Exactly! But all the good ones are already taken.”

A short while later, Taylor knocked on the door and poked her head in. “Hey guys, hey Aires. You need me to keep you company for a while?”

“I do. Are there other ladies here? I need gossip; I don’t even care who it’s about,” she said as she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

As soon as their voices disappeared down the hallway, Kade turned to me and smiled.

“What? Just say it.”

“There’s no way you didn’t sleep with her. How many times? Does Taylor know?”

“Yes, I slept with her, and yes, Taylor knows.”

“You skipped the most important part of the question. How many times?”

“How is that relevant to any of this?”

“It’s not. So, what do you fellas think? She’s a little wild, but she’s not unlike the other women we have around here already,” Xander said.

“I like her. She’s honest and blunt. Plus, it’s not like she can steal our money and not deliver. She’s bound to bring us Lancaster. We’re basically guaranteed results,” Matt stated.

“Unless she dies,” Alexi added.

“Yeah, there’s that.”

“Matt and Tyson are both onboard. Kade, Alexi? What’s the verdict?”

“I’m in. As long as she doesn’t do anything to f**k with the pack, what harm can she do?” Alexi said.

“I guess I’m in too,” Kade added.

“Alright. It looks like Blue Moon’s got itself a vampire hunter.”

* * *

Taylor

“I’ll bring you to meet my friends Alaia and Morgan. I’m sure there will be plenty of gossip flowing for you to enjoy.”

“Thank you! I can’t remember the last time I got to just hang out and be a woman. You’re a doll.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

We walked into the living room where Morgan and Alaia were lounging on the couch.

“Hey girls, this is Aires. She’s the vampire hunter that Tyson brought to work with us, and we need to distract her for a bit while the guys make a final decision.”

“Cool, welcome to our home, Aires. Come sit down,” Alaia said with a smile.

She took a seat, then looked between the three of us. “So, tell me chicas, who do those s*x gods up there belongs to?”

Morgan raised her hand and spoke up. “The one covered head to toe in tattoos is mine. He’s Kade, our Beta.”

“Oh, the bad boy. Very nice.”

“The Alpha, Xander, is mine. So is Alexi, our Head Advisor,” Alaia said.

“You both have two?” she asked, looking between Alaia and me.

“Yep. We didn’t plan it that way, but the universe doesn’t give a s**t about your plans sometimes,” I said.

“I would love to be any one of you ladies right now. I am in a major drought, but I’m hoping I can replace someone to end it. Soon!”

“If you end up working with us, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Plus, you’ve got that dark, exotic thing going on. The guys here will eat you up,” Morgan grinned.

“So, what’s it like to be a vampire hunter? Is it exciting?” Alaia asked.

“It can be. I get to travel the world and see places that most people don’t ever dream of. And I make a ton of money, so that’s nice. But it’s also lonely. It’s hard to build relationships when you’re in a new city every week.”

“That’s no fun. You can always come back and hang out with us. With all the men in this house, we welcome female companionship,” I told her.

“You’re a hybrid, right? What do you eat? Can you walk in the sun?” Morgan asked.

“Yes, my mother was a bear, and my father a vampire. I can eat regular food, but I must feed at least once a week, or I’ll be overcome with bloodlust, and that is not pretty. Because of my bear genes, the sun doesn’t hurt me. It’s how I keep my perfect sun-kissed tan rather than the pale, pasty complexion of some of my brethren.”

“Bloodlust? Really?” Alaia cautiously asked.

“Not to worry, Luna. I won’t harm anyone in your pack. And you will know when I need to feed. My eyes will begin to turn red. But see? They are black; I’m perfectly sated now.”

Tyson stepped into the room and looked at the four of us suspiciously. The way we were all huddled up together probably looked like we were plotting world domination or something.

“Sunshine? You good, baby girl?”

“Yep, I’m perfect,” I replied with a smile.

“Air, you’re up. We’ve made our decision.”

“I’m ready, mi amor.”

She walked over to him, then turned back to us and smiled. “I hope to see you ladies again soon. Adios.”

When they both disappeared up the stairs, Morgan dramatically fell back on the couch.

“Man, I’m glad she’s so cool; otherwise, she’d be a problem. I’ve never been into girls, but even I’ll admit that she is sexy as hell. Are you sure you’re okay with this, Tay?”

“I’m sure. Yes, they slept together in the past, but he’s made it clear that it’s never happening again. And I have to trust him—he’s never given me a reason not to.”