Darkness Clashes Read Free Page A

between the two men reached epic levels every time they saw each other. It was always up to me to calm them down.
    “How about we go see that alpha now?” I dropped my legs to the ground and extricated myself from Lucas.
    Tension filled the air around us while I waited for either of the two men to respond. Neither of them did.
    “Fine, I’ll go by myself.” I headed toward the car.
    By the time I settled into the vehicle, got the directions to Crusaders from my cell phone, and cranked the ignition, both men had flashed inside—with Lucas up front.
    “Glad we got that settled,” I said, pulling the car out onto the road.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Crusaders was located on the outskirts of Spokane. A little hole-in-the-wall joint with an empty field behind it and no other buildings nearby. We pulled into the parking lot alongside an assortment of motorcycles and beat-up trucks. My tiny blue rental car would have stood out among them, but no one lingered outside to notice. All the werewolves were inside—about twenty of them.
    There were no other supernaturals nearby. A spell on the place discouraging unwanted visitors ensured that, though as we walked toward the entrance I picked up on the emotions of a few humans in the building. If my past experiences were anything to go by, they’d be women who were friendly with the pack.
    My immunity to magic allowed me to go inside with no problem. Lucas and Kerbasi were too old and powerful for the ward to do more than give them a jolt when they crossed over the threshold. The door banged shut behind us and we stopped to take a look around.
    Heads turned in our direction and nostrils flared. I’d been told I smelled human, but I had no idea what the weres made of Lucas. Kerbasi had turned invisible before we came in and would be impossible for them to detect.
    Someone shut off the music. A burly werewolf in his late twenties kicked back his chair and lumbered toward us. His heavy footsteps thumped on the wooden floor, reminding me of the same sound made by boots in western movies. He just needed the spurs. People at small tables along his path scooted their seats forward to make room for him and shouted words of encouragement.
    We’d entered their territory uninvited and they wanted us gone.
    This guy might not be their alpha, but by the looks everyone gave him they thought he could take care of things. Two other big guys got up and flanked him as he stopped five feet from us. Something told me this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.
    “You two need to leave now,” he said, cracking bruised knuckles.
    Was a little diplomacy too much to ask for? We needed to find Micah, not play games with idiots who couldn’t see the danger standing right in front of them.
    I looked at Lucas. “He’s joking, right?”
    “It appears he’s no smarter than he looks.”
    That wasn’t saying much. The guy’s jeans and gray tank top looked like a charity wouldn’t even take them. Stains covered the shirt and there were holes in his pants, revealing hairy legs. He could have used a haircut, too. Some men could pull off a messy style, but not this one. His dark blond hair was too greasy and uneven.
    “What’d you say?” The werewolf took a step forward.
    Lucas glanced down at me. “Would you like me to remove his arms or legs first?”
    I tapped my chin. “We should at least try the peaceful approach first and tell him why we’re here.”
    “Very well.” Lucas gave me a look that said we were wasting our time, but that he’d humor me. “Try.”
    I met the werewolf’s direct gaze. “We’re here to speak to your alpha about something important.”
    He snorted and looked at his buddies. No one was flipping out their phone and dialing the man up like I’d hoped. I might have asked Lucas to compel the werewolves into cooperating, but he preferred to do things the old-fashioned way when it came to fellow supernaturals. He had a weird code of honor I’d yet to