Marked: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 2) Read Online Free

lips, and I had to try very hard to ignore the fight-or-flight response that exploded through every inch of my being. “You said you were helping Sera because she happened to be there when you got all high and mighty.”
    “Yeah…” I said, resting my head against the headrest and staring at the ceiling so I wouldn’t freak out. My hands started to shake anyway. I’d been about to be killed by a bunch of gun-toting maniacs and had survived only because I was demon-enhanced. What would have happened to me if I’d never gotten my magic? I’d be good as dead now. The thought was sobering.
    “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a girl.” She gestured at herself with one hand, and even though I hadn’t been paying her much attention before on account of the whole moments from death thing, my eyes followed along the line of her body.
    She was wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants along with a pink and black top that hugged her lithe, nubile form in a way that would be hard not to notice under normal circumstances. Even though she wasn’t super chesty, the outfit did a good job of making me not care very much. I pushed the thought away before it could get its claws in me and cause problems of a decidedly different nature than men with machineguns could. While it might have been okay to admire the werewolf, something told me, I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.
    “I noticed,” I said, looking away as my cheeks threatened to color. As far as I knew, I’d never really been one to go after the cool, tomboy-type girls, but just looking at her made me want to go for it in a way I couldn’t describe. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time or place to think those kinds of thoughts. If I did, well, I might get us both killed, and I really didn’t want that. Besides, I had a murder to commit and a sister to save.
    “What’s your point?” I asked, forcing myself to think unsexy thoughts about the Yankees and how they were a way worse team than the Mets, you know, to distract myself.
    “I also happen to be in distress, and since you’re all about taking down supernatural jerks, I thought you might lend me a hand.” I couldn’t see her staring at me since I wasn’t looking at her, but I could feel it like a high-intensity laser beam.
    “I’m actually sort of busy,” I replied, spinning around in my chair and gesturing behind us. We were so far away, the only thing I could see of the carnage was smoke billowing high into the sky. That wasn’t that strange, I guess, given her supersonic driving, but I still hadn’t heard any sirens. What was the deal with police in this town? Did they even respond to calls?
    She stopped at a red light and tapped anxiously on her steering wheel. “I noticed,” she said in an eerily similar imitation to my own voice. The only difference was she sounded a little dumber. I gritted my teeth. Why did people always sound dumb when they mimicked my voice? “But I think you’ll help me anyway.”
    “Why is that? Do I seem like the kind of guy who helps murderous werewolves?” I asked, turning and looking at her. She was staring at me like she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to eat me. A shiver ran down my spine, and I unconsciously reached for the door. Maybe I could leap out and run away… except Ricky was a werewolf, and not just any werewolf, but the alpha werewolf of this city. If I ran, she’d chase me, and worse still, she’d enjoy it.
    “Because at this particular moment, our priorities happen to align.” The light turned green, and she swung her gaze back to the road. “Those assassins work for a fellow named Pierce Ambrose, and he’s one bad mamma jamma. He probably won’t stop coming for you until you kill him. I’m not sure what you did to piss him off, but, and let me be clear on this, I don’t care. I just want you to help me.”
    “I can work with that,” I said, leaning my head against the window and staring out at the cars