Free Three’s a Clan by Roxy Mews

reboot. I was experiencing a scent that had my whole being going haywire. If I was a werewolf, I would have sworn it was a mating pheromone. Vampires didn’t have the same compulsion to mate that wolves did. The fact that we didn’t have to breathe made scent markers a bit pointless.
    My fog lifted and I realized Jake stood in front of me. He stared at me but didn’t embrace because he knew I wasn’t the huggy type.
    “You look like you need a shower, baby brother.” I was glad to see him. Insults show my love. “Funds so tight you can’t wade through a clean river?”
    Jake smiled before he was shoved aside.
    Amber wasn’t the huggy type either. I think she wrapped her arms around me just to piss me off. “Fuck off, Barbie. Shit is about to hit the fan.” The gruff voice was an odd match for the hug I got. What did Amber have under that billowy shirt? Was she wearing a backpack loaded with guns? It wouldn’t surprise me.
    I understood Amber. She had to be the baddest bitch around. Everyone wanted to kill her because of who she was, yet she had a sense of humor about it. I had more of an issue with everyone just wishing I wasn’t around, but we both had enough fight in us to take down an army. Good thing too. We were going to have to do just that.
    “So you haven’t been killed yet.” I kicked my chin up in greeting as we stepped back. “Bonus.” That was my version of I missed you.
    “Someone has to be around to ensure you don’t live a happy existence.” That was Amber’s version of I missed you too.
    “Now that the love fest is underway, we need to talk.” Jake held everyone’s attention, like he always did. Only this time he shifted his gaze to Amber and waited for her to continue.
    “Here’s the deal.” Amber sat on a stump. If she was so tired, why hadn’t she just taken off whatever she was carrying? Before I had a chance to put the pieces together, she was yakking again.
    “I have a freaking witch invading my dreams. This harvester shit has to stop. I need a good night’s sleep.” Her legs spread and she rested her hands on her knees before looking up at the crowd. I had to wonder why she felt the need to sit. As Alpha female of her group, she should have been attempting to find the higher ground instinctively. My miasma cataloged this behavior. The rest of me was just confused.
    Her best friend Mary stepped forward. She looked different. Mary’s eyes grazed the group and flashed gold for just a moment. So now we weren’t only dealing with vampire/werewolf hybrids, we were throwing a witch/werewolf into the mix. She also had some badass stripe of white down her hair. The miasma filed everything.
    “We are here to take Kari home.” Mary looked at me. The distrust was plain in her eyes. They were still blue. The miasma filed that too.
    “You know it’s been months since she was taken. If she’s not cooperating willingly, there’s a good chance she’s dead already.”
    Craig held Mary back as she lunged for me with flashing gold eyes. I looked down immediately.
    Mary might be fairly new to the wolf life, but I felt the tingle inside my brain that told me she’d retained a lot of her witchy side as well. If she still had all the power she’d had as a witch, distance wouldn’t keep my head from popping like an over-ripe melon filled with maggots.
    The miasma filed that too. Dammit. I hated feeling like a never ending rolodex of facts. I wanted the new information, but I didn’t want to feel like the Family resource anymore. I walked over to stand next to Trevor. Alpha Paulson flanked my other side. The ever-present hum of my brain subsided. My libido rose, but the tradeoff was better than okay if you asked me.
    Amber looked up at me. She stroked the leather satchel around her neck before returning her attention to her father. Alpha Paulson lowered his gaze to his daughter. He had given her that token of his former wife. I frowned. Memories of the dead should be buried with