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“Thalia told me to trust you. Is that the case, Detective Cortez?”

“Yes, you can trust us.”

“Then don’t fucking shoot me or my mate.”

Now, love.

I’ve got the three on the right.

Got it. Stay safe.

Neri and Hunter attacked the shifters before they went after the three humans. Neri flashed in front of the first surprised shifter.

“Fuck, you’re like that freak Damian. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Her lip raised, and she snarled. “I’ll enjoy killing you.”

She leapt on his back. Without hesitation, she flooded her fangs with vampire venom, almost gagging on the bitter flavor stinging her taste buds. She bit down and released the venom into his system for a half a second before she back flipped off him.

Hunter ripped the head off one, punting the head into the woods behind the house, before he turned to the other two. With ease, he wrapped one hand around the next shifter’s throat and crushed his neck with a squeeze. And with another jerk, the head detached, and he threw it toward the first one.

Neri heard movement behind her as two shifter’s closed in on her. She flashed behind them and while they searched for her; she dispatched with both of their heads using Reaper’s knife.

“I have to get me one of these.”

“Two more, angel, and then we can talk about combat knives and which one you’d like.”

“I’d prefer if the lot of them fucked off and died because this is getting old. And I’m not changing my mind on becoming a fucking assassin.”

The two other shifter’s froze at her statement. “You’re not with them.” He pointed at shifter.

“Oh, I’m not an assassin for Dark Company. I build furniture for a living. But you’re threatening my mate and his family, who I see as mine now,” Neri paused before she snarled, “And you fucked with the wrong family.”

Neri bound over the shifter’s head, bringing her hand down in time to decapitate the surprised shifter. She landed behind the body and turned in time to see Hunter grip the last shifter’s head with one hand, the other gripping his torso and ripping the head clean off.

“I’m never getting that scene out of my fucking mind. And I thought I’ve seen some gruesome shit,” Detective O’Connor stated.

“Trust me, they were a threat,” Hunter said.

“We believe you, but fuck.”

Thalia slapped Cortez’s shoulder.

“Language.”

He snorted. “She used the same word.”

Her mother sighed. “Yes, but after twenty-four years, there’s no hope for her.”

“Gee, thanks mom.” But Neri grew serious. Zahava had come after her mother and she needed to get her somewhere safe.

“I can take her home with me,” Cortez pulled her from her thoughts.

“This is my home.”

Neri started toward Thalia, but looked down cringing at the blood. “Mom, she knows where you live. Until we figure out how to kill her and her friends, your safer with Detective Cortez and O’Connor.”

“Please call me Tajo.”