“I’m thinking she already noticed that, asshole,” snarked Elias. He might be shorter than the other Alpha, but he was more powerfully built.
Opening the gate, Wynter began, “What I’m wondering is … why do you argue amongst yourselves so much when, in doing so, you’re giving the vampires what they want? I mean, they hate that you outnumber them, right? It suits them that you’re all at each other’s throats.”
“I don’t care what does or doesn’t suit them fuckers,” Diego sneered.
She hummed. “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t seehowyou could really be so indifferent to them. I’ve heard what derogatory stuff they say about lycans. Their kind hunted yours at one time, right? Their sharper senses were your downfall. There was even a period when they captured, brainwashed, and used a bunch of you as their guards. That’s why they still call your kind their bitches. And don’t they still tease you for having weaker senses?”
Diego’s nostrils flared. “There a point to this conversation?”
“Yes. You see, I can help you. One of my crew, Anabel, isextremelytalented when it comes to potions. She makes all sorts of weird and wonderful brews. She’ll actually be selling them as of tomorrow. Some will be designed for demons, some for vamps, some for your kind etc., etc.” Wynter pulled a vial of green liquid out of the box. “This baby here can sharpen lycan senses.”
Elias snorted. “Bullshit.”
“No bullshit,” she said. “The effect wouldn’t be permanent, of course. It would last about three months. Either of you guys want this free sample?”
Diego gave her a brittle smile. “My parents warned me not to accept potions from strangers.”
“It isn’t poisoned or anything. Here, I’ll prove it.” Wynter pulled off the small cork and took a sip of the minty concoction. Of course, nothing happened. “There. See. All good.”
“Did it work?” Elias asked.
“On me? No. This is designed to work strictly on lycans.” She looked from one Alpha to the other, a challenge in her eyes. “So, which of you wants to try it? I guess this is where we find out who’s the biggest, baddest Alpha around—”
Diego snatched the vial and knocked back the potion. For a few moments, he merely stood there, clearly dubious. Then his back snapped straight, he blinked rapidly, and shook his head hard. The tension slipped from his body, and his eyes widened. “Fuck.”
Wynter smiled. “My girl’s good, huh?” She took another from the box and offered it to Elias, who didn’t hesitate to accept and drink the potion.
His physical reaction was much the same as Diego’s. “Jesus Christ.”
“You can call those freebies,” she told them. “Like I said, the effects will last about three months. You want more after that? Well, I can be persuaded to sell them to your two packs at a discount, what with us being neighbors and all. I can even be persuaded to ensure that Anabel doesn’t create a sense-sharpening potion for vampires. That way, you’ll have an edge on them.”
Diego narrowed his eyes. “And what do you want in return?”
She shrugged. “It’s really pretty simple. Stop arguing outside my home. I realize that neither of you want to cross the other’s territorial lines and that this strip of land here is the only neutral ground between your turfs, but it’s alsomy homenow. And Anabel … she can be a little jumpy. Most things make her nervous. Including all the yelling. If you keep that up, she’ll stop making those babies. And who could blame her for that?”
Elias twisted his mouth. “We’d get a discount, and she’d agree not to make potions like this for the vamps?”
Wynter dipped her chin. “Yup.”
Elias finally nodded. “We’re gonna want more of those.”
One of the lycans behind Elias sidled up to him. “It’sthatgood?”
“It’sthatgood,” Elias confirmed.
“As I said, they’ll be on sale as of tomorrow.” She cut her gaze to a female near Diego. “Nice nail art. I’ll bet it comes right off after you shift, though, right?”
“Obviously,” she said, though nottoorudely.
“Another of my crew whips up her own bespelled cosmetics and stuff,” Wynter told her. “She makes nail polish that will not only actually stay on when you shift but still be perfectly intact when you shift back.”
Her lips parted. “You’re shitting me.”
Wynter smiled. “Nope. She made it for herself. She can shapeshift, so if you see a small black cat with painted claws, that’ll be Delilah.” Really, Delilah could shift into a cat ofanysize, but she mostly used the form of a domestic cat … unless deep in battle. “She’ll be selling her products tomorrow, too.”
“Where?”
“Here. Baked goods will also be up for purchase, thanks to Hattie. Xavier’sthe bestat tarot card readings, if you’re interested in those. And me? Well, if you have a weapon you’d like to be made a little more … interesting than it already is, bring it to me. We’ll be running a sort of one-stop-shop. You should check it out. Now, I gotta go, I have some more free samples to give out. You all enjoy the rest of your day.”