Josh Maynard didn’t know what to do. He stares at the empty bed and dorm room of his former boyfriend. Without Brody’s roommate in the way, Josh hopes to clean the mess without any fuss. Sure, the task pains him. Brody is a sweet guy. Dependable and fucking hot in bed, but the same rule always applies. He doesn’t sleep with monsters.
God, if his father and family knew, Josh would be the one rotting in his grave. The Maynards have been hunting supernatural nasties for centuries. Josh, like his many siblings, was born into the family business. Heck, going to college and taking a break from all the ugly business was something Josh looked forward to—until Brody opened his big mouth and told him the truth.
Okay, to be fair, Josh did notice the odd little things. Like the fact Brody is unapproachable and a little moody during the full moon. Brody sometimes displays animal traits too, like sniffing the air and being able to smell a restaurant from a mile away. Did Josh close an eye so he can keep on banging Brody?
Damn it all. Josh closes the door behind him, silencing the noisy hallways, and pulls out the revolver in his jacket, which is loaded with silver bullets. Ending his werewolf lover’s life seems like the only option he has. Lydia, his cousin and fellow hunter, overheard Brody and him breaking up. Josh has one chance. End this sorry accident, and Lydia wouldn’t tell on him.
Josh lies on Brody’s bed, recalling the fun times, the quickies and fumbles. He recalls Brody’s hurt expression. Remembers how human Brody looks, and not at all a mindless animal. Damn it. Josh hates his job, but it’s one he has to see to the finish. His family doesn’t think much of him. Bringing them more shame won’t help his status.
He peers around the room and stands. Josh paws through Brody’s things, and finally picks up a picture frame. In it, Brody’s smiling with two friends in some kind of bar. Josh breaks the frame to study the picture closely. Flipping it over, Josh finds his answer—the year the picture was taken in black marker and a word.
Applewood. A place? Brody’s hometown? Could it really be that easy?
Admittedly, Josh doesn’t know a lot about Brody. Brody might think they’re more than fuck buddies, but Josh always thought of them as friends with benefits. Josh embarks on more research.
“Shit,” Josh mutters under his breath after he checks the location on Google Maps. Applewood, he discovers to his chagrin, is smack in the middle of shifter territory. A place sensible hunters don’t head out to without reason and reliable back-up. He can’t take another hunter with him though, because Josh can’t risk letting anyone know about his predicament. Lydia will be intolerable, so Josh decides to go solo.
He packs an overnight bag. An extra duffel containing his standard weapons, and drives out. Josh knows he only has one shot. He’ll fake his way back into Brody’s good graces and when Brody’s least expecting it, Josh will go for the kill.
“What fun.” Josh isn’t relishing his task, but he doesn’t have a choice.
Sure, he likes Brody, but Josh values his own life more. It’s a long drive. Josh stays over in one flea-bitten motel along the highway, and arrives in the charming town of Applewood early morning. Sleep didn’t come easy to Josh the night before. He dreams of a pack of vicious wolves chasing him down and the leader of the pack turns out to be Brody, waiting to tear him apart.
Josh imagines the worst case scenario, that the shifters in Applewood will know what he is the moment he steps foot in their town. Like Brody though, they can’t tell. To them, Josh is another tourist or student passing through. Josh checks into a local inn without problems. Practically hauls up his weapons bag and overnight bag into the room in plain sight of supernatural guests.
“I’m looking for someone,” Josh tells the innkeep, an elderly woman in her sixties.
“Who would that be, dear?”
“One of the local werewolves.”
The woman’s elderly husband narrows his eyes beside her. Seeing the slight shade of yellow in his pupils, Josh swallows, realizing both of them are shifters.
“What for?” the husband demands, voice no longer kind or welcoming.
“Brody Johnson? We’re friends at the university. He’s always saying how I should come visit and try the town’s famous pies. So here I am, but I lost his address, and his cell phone seems off.” Josh shows them the missed calls on his own cell. It helps his phone screensaver is of Brody and him watching a football game. Good times.
“Oops,” Josh says sheepishly when the old couple catches sight of the picture. “Okay, you got me. I’m. Er, sort of Brody’s latest love interest.”
That loosens up tongues.
“Brody’s either at home, back at his mom’s, or with his friends,” the old lady says.
She scribbles on a piece of paper, and rattles about the best places in town Josh can get delicious apple pies. Josh doesn’t tell her he doesn’t plan on staying long. Find his target, end Brody’s life, and maybe take home a pie or two. Get his rep clean. Easy peasy.
“Thank you,” Josh says, beaming. He ignores the old man’s grunt. Whistling a tune under his breath, Josh heads out. He decides to try the diner the couple mentioned. The Happy Mutt Diner is crawling with early risers hunkering for breakfast. Josh takes a corner booth and orders a stack of pancakes. He’s starving for some real chow. By the time his pancake stack and bacon arrives, Josh notices the couple who enters the diner.
Recognizing Brody, Josh freezes. He forgets all about breakfast when Brody doesn’t come alone. Not with his chums either, but a massive dark-haired fucker in his thirties. Josh’s gaze narrows when the guy squeezes the back of Brody’s neck. Brody hits the bastard with a lazy grin.
Josh sees red. He knows that look, because Brody gives him that same smile after they have sex. His blood boils.
“How dare he,” Josh hisses.
“Is something wrong with the food, pumpkin?” The waitress asks.
Josh barely hears her. He watches Brody and his new boyfriend take a booth. Josh doesn’t usually let jealously get the better of him, but what the fuck? Did Brody not give a fuck about him? Brody should be hurting, licking his wounds, not propositioning the nearest guy for some rebound sex.
“Rebound my ass.” Josh grits his teeth. It annoys the hell out of him how Brody’s acting like some sort of love-sick puppy to his latest grim-faced conquest. Damn cheating werewolf scum and his...well, Josh doesn’t know what the guy is. Certainly not human, well animals did attract their own kind.
Someone clears her throat. The waitress, Josh realizes, is examining him too closely for his liking. Is everyone in this crap town paranoid?
“I’m good thanks, just having a bad day.” Josh winks, but she doesn’t look convinced.
Well, damn her. Josh swallows down his grub, not tasting anything. Brody laughs at something his lover says. Fuck him. Them. Josh chews angrily. Brody and his lumberjack finish breakfast quickly.
“What do you say we engage in some afternoon fun, Jim?” Josh overhears Brody saying.
“Fine,” the grump says.
Josh glares at the pair, ducking under the table when the roughneck turns to peer at him. Once the couple left, Josh tries to control his breathing. Not wanting to draw further attention to himself, Josh pays for his meal and heads back to his hotel room.
Once inside, Josh opens his duffel. He lays all his gear on the bed—guns, extra silver ammo, silver-edged blades, and even grenades, which fire deadly, silver shrapnel upon explosion. Instant kill. Unlike some of his fellow hunters, Josh never understood the thrill of the hunt. He sees his calling as an unsavory task, like homework, but for once in his life, Josh is looking forward to his double kill.