Stake and Dust (Stake and Dust series, Book I) by Karen Michelle Nutt Page A

lucked out big time.
Hashasheen demons weren't known to share, but then the one she'd
cornered had been bargaining for his life. Good thing, he'd been
stupid enough to believe she'd let him live, especially after she'd
seen his photo collection in his wallet.
    She took a bite of her sandwich as she typed
the word Lamia and hit the return button. She would have never
thought to look for such a creature. She'd only read about them
when she'd been forced to study the different creatures hunters
destroyed through the ages. She had yet to meet one face to face,
and never thought she would since the creatures chose victims on
the open sea. Call it sick curiosity, but she couldn't help but be
a tad excited at the prospect.
    A portrait of a Lamia looming over a ship
popped up on her screen. She scanned the information printed below
the print about the myth and lore of the creature as she finished
off her sandwich.
    She would have to access maps of the
Hamptons, focusing on the wharf and the buildings close by. The
Lamia may be drawn to the water, but she was finding her victims on
land. If a vamp was helping her out, maybe they owned a place near
the wharf or perhaps a boathouse. She'd have to find out which
boats contained living quarters.
    Her phone rang and she reached for it on the
nightstand, wondering which one of her three brothers was calling
her this time. The phone number flashed on the screen and she
smiled. She slid her thumb over the 'accept' icon and pressed
'speaker' so she had her hands free to use the computer and chat
with her brother at the same time. "Hello, Derek," she said as she
typed in a new search.
    "Hey, Cass. Wade called me and said you
needed some info on the case you're working on."
    "Yep, what did you find out?"
    "Still gathering what the Preternatural
Regulating Bureau has about the case. It's been a little
sketchy if you ask me. The vamp you're looking for has lived there
for a while and owns a business."
    "A name would be great. There are a lot of
businesses."
    "Don't have it yet, but you won't be looking
for a new guy. You'll be searching for a vamp that is at ease among
the humans. And Cass, he's working with a Lamia."
    "Already up on that too."
    "How?"
    "Ran into a demon who wagged his tongue."
    "Jesus, Cass."
    "Don't worry, Tremayne had my back."
    "Who?"
    "Sorry," she said, realizing her brother
wouldn't know about Gerard Green's undercover situation. "Mr. Green
is Tremayne. He's been relocated to the Hamptons from one of the UK
based Preternatural Regulating Bureaus . He's working
undercover at a pub called Eternal Bliss."
    "Oh?" Her brother was silent for a moment.
"Not a bad cover. Wouldn't want the locals to become suspicious of
him lurking about as he tries to hunt down preternatural
beings."
    "Yeah. He seems…"
    "What?"
    "I dunno… different than I expected."
    He chuckled. "Is that a good thing or
not?"
    Her thoughts went to the kiss they'd shared.
Firm lips and yet they were not unresponsive. Passionate. Heck, hot
even. Yep, Tremayne was a damn good kisser.
    "Cassandra? Are you still there?"
    "Uh… I'm still trying to figure him out."
    "As long as he has your back that's all you
need to know about him. Hopefully, you won't be there long. Get rid
of the vamp and the Lamia and say your goodbyes."
    She should follow his advice, but what if she
wanted to know Tremayne better… as a man… not just as a hunter. She
should have never kissed him.
    "How did Mom and Dad do it?" she asked
Derek.
    "Do what?"
    "Have a marriage, raise the four of us…"
    "How should I know? I can't juggle having a
girlfriend and working."
    "Not even when you escaped to high
school?"
    Her brother choked on a laugh. "No one
escapes to high school, Cass."
    "You did. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me go,
even when I begged. I hated being schooled at the hunters' academy.
I had a hunch attending a real high school was out because of you.
What happened there?"
    "Nothing happened." He sighed. "I went for
the experience. When it