Were-Devils' Revenge [Were-Devils of Tasmania 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

Melody. Neither were-devil said a word, but minutes later Mac and Mitch threw open the door of Auntie Kate’s.

* * * *

Melody Mortimer was feeling on top of the world. She was in love. With the decimation of her kind in Tarrabah she had given up the idea that she would ever fall in love and marry, but from the moment she saw Curt she had had eyes for no one else. True, he was human, but the contagious cancer was killing the were-devils, and it was only a matter of time before they were extinct. She was beyond worrying about it. In her twenty-eight years she had been to more funerals than she cared to count. Maybe they should just die out and then the whole curse could be forgotten. She didn’t care if the ghosts won. She just wanted a life while she could.

Curt had proposed, and she hadn’t told anyone. Trouble was, she hadn’t told Curt about her rather unusual family. How did one go about saying “Oh and on some nights for fun I turn into a devil and race around the wilds of Tasmania?” So she was coming to ask Auntie Kate’s advice. If she had asked anyone in Tarrabah, the gossip would have been out before she had left the room. It took all her strength to block her thoughts, and even her best friend wouldn’t put that much effort in to keep her secret.

Kate was a wise seer whose
m
other had advised their grandmothers. She knew all about the curse and the ghost Destroyers and were-devils. Melody was pretty certain she knew about cases of intermarriages. Her family was not going to be happy, but it wasn’t like Curt was a ghost.

Kate’s shop was one of her favorite places. It was so full of knickknacks that there was hardly any room for customers. The tables were laden with treasures, stones and shells, rocks, and even a tree branch from which hung tinkling bells and glittering jewels. In the magic section, a stern-looking wizard stared out of a frame, overseeing the collection of witch and wizard hats, spell books, and stories of magic. Melody took a deep breath in, and the musky scent immediately made her feel at home.

“Auntie Kate, are you there?”

Melody heard a door click as it closed out the back. When Auntie Kate came in through the multicolored streamers, Melody expected a warm reception. Instead, Kate looked stricken.

“Child, whatever is it that you are doing here?” Kate was shaking her head, the stones hanging off her earrings chattering softly.

“I need some advice,” said Melody, faltering.

“You must go, and quickly in case there are more.”

“More?” Melody frowned. Whatever was Kate talking about?

Kate looked around her, as if whatever there might be more of could be in the room with them. Melody felt her pulse quicken. She couldn’t sense anything, but then she’d never been into the games her brothers had. Right now she was wishing she had been.

“Jarrod Tremain was just here,” said Kate, as if this explained everything.

Melody certainly knew who Kate was talking about. The were-devil group, some distant cousins, who had left Tarrabah against the town’s will and set up in the South of the island. Jarrod’s father had been searching for a scientific answer to the virus contagion for the better part of thirty years. He was something of a joke. Everyone knew that the ghosts had gone and left them to die and the only way to rid themselves of the curse was to go north and annihilate them. Trouble was there were not enough of them left to do that.

“I want to get married,” Melody said.

Kate frowned. Her body moved slowly, bells jingling as her ample hips edged around the counter to come closer to Melody. She took the girl’s hand and muttered, shaking her head. “Not today, not now,” she said. “There is too much disturbance for me to see clearly.”

Melody sighed. It looked like she wasn’t going to get her answer after all. As she left, Kate added, “There are hard times ahead. Have courage.” It looked like the answer might be a long time coming.

Melody went back to her car, deep in thought. She was thinking of Curt and wondering if she could marry him without revealing her secret. Darren hadn’t known Samantha was a witch after all, in
Bewitched
,
when he had married her,
and he’d learnt to deal with it. She was too preoccupied to notice the ghost bat gliding silently above her until he was on her. As she passed out, all she could see was his green eyes as she sent an SOS message to her brothers.

* * * *

“Where is she?”

Kate looked with alarm at the Mortimer brothers.

“She just left. Watch out, there’s a—”

But the brothers had turned and were no longer listening. Kate hurried after them, grabbing a large were-devil stone as she left, muttering a spell that she hoped would offer Melody some protection.

Mac got to her first, scooping Melody in his arms as if she was weightless, and letting out a howl as he saw that she had been bitten. The other two stood next to him around Melody, oblivious to the pouring rain that washed away the first of their tears.

* * * *

The mood at the Mortimers’ was tense. They were all still grieving, all the while trying to help Melody feel there was hope when none of them felt there was any at all. This family was the last that had been unaffected. Now all the were-devil families would have a first-degree relative to die at the hand of the Destroyers’ disease.

Mitch decided he couldn’t stand being in the house a minute longer. Mac had escaped some time earlier, so he went in search of him.

Mac was by the river behind the ranch house, a wide, deep river with a strong current that in milder weather and happier times they had all, Mac, Mitch, Melody, and their sister, Misty, swum and played in.

Mitch was expecting anger, but instead he sensed an almost chilling calm. He knew his brother well enough to know that this meant something. The last time he’d made a decision like this, Mitch had found himself dragged around the world diving. He didn’t think this time was going to be so much fun.

“I can’t stay here,” said Mac, still looking into the deep recesses of the dark water in front of him.

“You’re going to piss off and leave Melody?”

Mac turned, his eyes blazing. “Melody is the sweetest person I know. She didn’t deserve this. I can’t help her, but maybe I can bring an end to this. Or at the very least to the one who destroyed her.”

Mitch took in a breath. “There aren’t enough of us to—”

“Not a posse. Just me.”

“Fuck off,” said Mitch. “You really think I’ll let you go alone?”

Mac permitted himself a small grin. “No, but I wasn’t about to make you.”

But there really was no decision to be made. They had waited too long as it was. The time for revenge had come.

Queensland, Present Day

“What do you think?”

“She’s hot.”

Mac frowned. “You know I didn’t mean that.”

“We could sit around at Dream-maker until we get another lead,” Mitch suggested.

Mac rolled his eyes. What Mitch had in mind had little to do with sitting. Or working for that matter. Trouble was, he was thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea and for the same reason. There was something special about Gabriella Vitali. He looked down at her card and wondered for a moment about the prophecy they had all grown up with. Not just the curse but the one that might break it. But it didn’t make sense. What could Gabriella possibly have to do with the were-devils’ curse?

“We know they’re around here somewhere,” Mitch added helpfully. From Kate they had managed to ascertain that the Destroyer had in fact been after the Tremains and that Melody had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The brothers had gone south and spoken to Tilman and his sons Jesse and Jarrod. Mitch could sense the tension in the household, though whatever private issues they had, no one was saying. Even the human woman there, Becc, was blocking her thoughts.

“There were two ghosts,” Jarrod had told them. “A woman called Lena, and a man called Zac.”

“They told us they worked in Brisbane for
Nature’s World
,” said Becc, a stunning woman with honey-blonde hair who had eyes only for the Tremain boys.

“I injured one of them,” Jesse added.

Mitch and Mac had taken the first flight to Brisbane. Neither was especially surprised that no one by this name worked for the paper. But when Mac had described them, the woman on the reception desk, already smitten with Mitch, smiled.

“Oh, I know who you mean,” she said. She rummaged around through earlier editions and gave them one. “That’s them.”

Sure enough, Lena Magnussen and Zachary Karlssen.

“They did it freelance,” the receptionist explained. “It was a while ago now.”

The article was about a scuba dive company in Airlie Beach, on the north coast. This was where they went next, via plane and then bus. After a day of going to all the companies, they only had one lead. One of the older guys who’d been around for a while thought they did charters but wasn’t sure where they operated out of. Possibly Cairns or Port Douglas, farther north.

The question now was, should they wait for a stronger lead or try farther north?

Mac fingered the card. He was pretty immune to women since his childhood sweetheart had died of the devil’s curse. Why was this one affecting him now? Hadn’t they ended up being cursed because of their grandfather’s lust? But then he hadn’t given into it and maybe he should have. Perhaps lust was an instinct to take note of. He looked at his brother who was already smiling.

* * * *

“These resumes are very impressive.” Gabriella was sitting behind a desk where they couldn’t see her legs. Mitch was finding it hard to take his eyes off the curves of her breasts. Her dress was cut low, and the olive skin of her breasts was mesmerizing.

“So tell me, did you lose your last job, Mr. Richards, because you ogled women like that?”

Mitch obviously didn’t recognize the pseudonym they had adopted and didn’t seem to realize she was talking to him. Mac kicked him hard.

“Excuse my brother,” said Mac. “I’ll make sure he’s well behaved.”

Gabriella looked doubtful. “You really have got all these qualifications?”

They had changed their surname, but otherwise the resume was accurate. They hoped she didn’t check them out though Mac had worded up the school principal and the gym owner.

“You look like a resort sports center dream,” said Gabriella. “Every sport except sailing as far as I can see.”

Mitch regarded her smugly. “Look later.”

Gabriella turned to the next page and shook her head, laughing. “And personal trainer and teaching quals. Seriously there must be something wrong. Are you guys serial killers or something?”

Mitch feigned looking hurt. Gabriella ignored him. “Here’s your keys. You can share a room in the block at the back. The big keys are for the sheds on the beach. You’re on a month’s trial.”

Mac took the keys and, as he did, brushed her hand. He felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time, and as their eyes met, he knew she felt it, too, and had found it just as disconcerting.

“And try and stay out of trouble,” she said, but she was already looking away.

* * * *

“I think I’m in heaven.”

It was their second day on the island, and Mitch was clearly getting the hang of the lifestyle. Mac couldn’t rid himself of concern over Melody’s plight, and he found the heat unpleasant. The nights made him particularly uneasy as he watched the sky blacken with the flight of the fruit bats from the rainforest that covered most of the island. He knew they weren’t ghosts, but their chatter put him on edge. It was only thoughts of Gabriella that made the day worthwhile, though he’d seen little of her.

The island as advertised was certainly a paradise, if long, golden beaches, crystal clear water, and discreet huts in the dense rainforest were your idea of paradise. The main cluster of buildings provided dinner in an elegant restaurant with tables on the balcony overlooking the beach. Alternatively dinner could also be delivered to individual huts.

When full, the resort took a hundred people, no one under the age of eighteen. Perhaps, thought Mac, this was heaven, remembering his annoying schoolgirls. Currently there were eighty guests. About half seemed to think that a walk to the bar was enough exercise for the day. The other half were intent of making use of all that was on offer. Sailing, diving, beach volleyball, tennis, swimming, flying fox rides, and walks in the canopies of the rain forest.

Mitch took the morning aerobics class at 8:00 a.m. Gabriella had come in at the end to watch.

“Seems I had a record turnout,” said Mitch.

Neither had much time to themselves. The job was busy. Mac had two dive trips and a lunch walking group. Mitch ran the beach volleyball and was going on the evening sail trip. Gabriella was coming, too. Ostensibly to help serve the food.

Mac squashed his feelings. Mitch had always been a ladies’ man. Of course Gabriella would be drawn to Mitch. He just didn’t want him to hurt her. Thoughts of the prophecy came to him again.
The were-devils would only find salvation through overcoming their instincts.
Just as not trusting the right ones had brought the curse down on them. Were-devils were notoriously protective of their women. He thought of Becc with the Tremain boys. The looks she had given them both were certainly not sisterly. Was that the tension he had sensed? Was this attraction to Gabriella there as a taunt? To perhaps distract him from the task he had set himself? Mac didn’t know, but he knew it would be a long, lonely evening when he would be wondering about Gabriella and Mitch.