Page 7 of Countdown to Murder (A Paranormal Halloween #3)

Mira

I called Fawn on my way home and got her assistant. I let him know I needed a few minutes of Fawn’s time before I got on a plane, and he promised to let her know.

By the time I walked into my bedroom, I had a mental list of the outfits I needed to pack and the weapons I wanted to bring.

My Sig was in the belly band around my waist, and since we’d be flying on a Drake company plane, it would stay there.

I put my smallest Ruger into an ankle holster, and then pulled my shirt off, put my shoulder rig on, and slid my seven-inch knife and extra ammo into it.

The knife is a double-edged blade and is usually a last-resort weapon.

If I run out of ammo, I have a small sword at my back, basically.

The blade is seven and a quarter inches, and with the handle, it’s fourteen inches long, but it’s narrow and it goes down my spine and I’m used to it.

I added a holster to the front of the shoulder rig and slid my forty-five into it under my left arm.

It was autumn and a little chilly, so the weapon would be under a shirt and a jacket.

It’s huge on me, but I’d wear it on the outside of my thigh once we arrived and I was on duty.

The extra firepower would be worth dealing with the weight and mass.

Also, it’s easier to deal with weapons when worn open.

Concealed carry can be a bitch when you weigh eighty-five pounds and have twenty pounds of weapons on you.

Finally, a folding knife and a tiny flashlight went into the right pocket of my black dress pants.

I slid my arms into a black silk dress shirt and buttoned it over the shoulder rig, and a black suit jacket went over everything.

The silk shirt gathered around the pants but didn’t tuck, so I could easily get to the weapon and extra magazines in my belly band.

I tossed my external holster rig into my suitcase, and then did a practice run, quick-drawing every weapon on me and then putting it back.

And then I got serious about packing. More black pants, black dress shirts, and two more black jackets were put into a garment bag.

Fashionable jeans and shirts went into the suitcase, along with a white miniskirt and a half-dozen pairs of shoes and boots.

I felt Fawn coming, and I opened the door for her.

What was this? I asked, and thought back to the way my genitals had felt.

My dear, you were horny. She paused a few seconds. A lion? Interesting.

But I’m asexual. I can’t have been horny!

She gave me an affectionate smile. It would appear you just needed the right stimulus.

I’m working with him. I have to be professional. How do I keep this from happening again?

She chuckled. “If you were anyone else, I’d say you can’t, but with your willpower, you might manage it.

Try focusing on something logical — complex math might work for you.

Honestly, though, I’d love for you to experience sex.

If you get a chance, you should go for it.

I’ll let Marcus know what’s up, so if you need to call him, he’ll be up to speed. ”

Marcus is my therapist, and I came to a full stop and stared at her. “Why will I need to call him?”

“Sex might bring emotions forward that you haven’t experienced before. Or it might not. There’s no way to know beforehand.”

“I don’t want to add more emotions. What I’ve experienced is plenty.”

“Do you remember when you didn’t want to care about me, and how hard it was to let me in?”

I nodded.

“Since then, you’ve let others in and allowed them to be your friends, too.”

“And then my friends were slaughtered in the battle and it hurt like fuck. I’m not making new friends.”

“Yes, you will. You already have. I’ve seen you with some of the new members of the flock. You don’t live with them anymore, and yet you still spend time with them and make sure they’re okay. And you know I’m aware you risked your own life to save the few humans in the flock who survived.”

I stared at her, and she shrugged. “It’s harder to let someone in when you love them, rather than merely like them.

Romantic love is scary. Don’t be a coward and push it away because you’re afraid.

Face it head-on.” She blew out a breath.

“And warn the lion that if he isn’t gentle with you for your first time, I’ll rip him to pieces. ”

“First time?”

“You may or may not like sex the first time, or even the second. Give it a chance before you decide — at least three or four times. Also, some men are better than others. If it isn’t good with the lion then you owe it to yourself to try it with others.

However, your body has picked the lion, apparently, so let’s hope he knows how to please a woman.

” She frowned. “I know nothing of his sexual prowess, unfortunately. Not even rumors.”

“I can’t have sex on a job. I’ll have to find ways to think of other things while I’m working.” I sat on the edge of my bed. “I don’t know much about this job. An A-list star with a supernatural stalker who’s managed to get flowers into her house.”

“If it’s kill or be killed, you know you should kill, whether you’ve talked with any of us about it or not.”

I nodded, she hugged me, told me how proud she was of how far I’ve come, and then I was alone again.

I packed my favorite AR, both rigs for it, my favorite sling, and considered the shotgun.

It went in, and I took a long look at my silver dagger.

I wished they weren’t waiting until we were on the plane to brief us, but I assumed we were going against a supernatural, so I dropped the dagger in as well as my silver throwing knives and the wrist sheath for them.

The knife at my back had a small amount of silver content, but the folding knife in my pocket did not.

I also made sure I had mags with both standard ammo and silver. Panda told me Drake Security would supply the ammo we needed for the occasion, but I always wanted both with me. You never know when you’ll come up against Fae, and standard ammo hurts them a whole lot more than silver.