Changing Beauty (Book 2) (The Deadly Beauties Live On) by C. M. Owens Read Free Book Online Page B

do.”
    We all look around at each other, confused by what she’s trying to say.
    “You do realize you’re talking to a bunch of less than savory creatures, right?” Dice drawls.
    She looks directly into my eyes. “Do you really think you could just kill someone without so much as trying to help them change?”
    No hesitation. “I know I would, Alyssa. I’ve done worse for far less righteous reasons. Do I need to remind you that I’m a really old changer? You’re starting to sound like the old you. There’s no black-and-white area of reasoning. It’s one big gray area.”
    She scowls at me, but I grin fiercely at her. She can’t resist my charm. When her lips twitch, she cuts her eyes toward Zee and Gage.
    “You two back me up on this.”
    “I’m with Thad on this one,” Gage says without delay, and Kimber glowers at him.
    “I’m with Alyssa on this,” Kimber says, still looking like she could slap Gage. But he’s impervious to her I’m-kicking-your-ass glare.
    “Zee?” Alyssa prompts when he doesn’t answer.
    Zee gives her an incredulous look. “Night stalker,” he reminds her, motioning up and down his body. “My moral compass was broken even before Gavin jacked me up with his mysterious dark user powers. I think we should kill them.”
    The sweet queen huffs out a breath, and she starts to speak to Dice, before she comes to her senses and redirects her attention on Karma instead.
    But before she can ask her the same question, Karma says, “Half demon who has been caged for a few years and worked hard to survive. You probably don’t want my opinion on what I want done to something that wants me dead if you’re looking for a rainbow at the end.”
    Alyssa frowns, and Kane covers his smile with his hand. He’s just as realistic as the rest of us. Which is why Alyssa doesn’t bother asking his opinion.
    “Should we ask Drackus his opinion when he gets here?” I ask just to piss her off, and I’m rewarded by that wicked glower once again.
    “We’ll come back to the life-or-death sentence,” Kane says, avoiding Alyssa’s not-so-scary silent threat. Well, it’s not scary in her human form. “So we have a rogue, out-of-control werewolf/witch that is possibly in town and shredding through immortals like she’s invincible enough to take on anything. And we have an ancient bloodline of anointed hunters that has been restored. Until we get them both… situated… everyone stays in pairs.”
    Looks like I’m getting a damn roommate after all.
    “You can move in with us,” Gage tells me.
    “Nah. I want eyes on Roslyn. If this thing could do that to an immortal, imagine what it could do to her. Zee can come stay with me, and someone else can keep eyes on her when I’m taking my shift to scout.”
    Gage’s lips twitch, and I roll my eyes. I don’t give a damn if they make fun of me. I’m not about to let her get close to something this vicious.
    “Hashtag—Thad has finally gotten a leash.”
    Damn incubus.
    Several of them laugh, but I merely roll my eyes. She’s not a leash, but she’s becoming quite the little obsession. I wonder how she is with animals.
    “Whoa,” Gage says, looking down at his phone. “Did you read this about Roslyn’s foster dad?”
    Turning a quizzical look at him, I ask, “Now you’re cyber stalking my girl?”
    He looks up from his phone. “I thought it’d be wise to check up on her and her roommate, considering all the crazy going on around here. So did you see the thing about the mauling? The few photos that leaked online are pretty damn vivid and gruesome. They called it a bear attack, but it looks more like a werewolf attack.”
    Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. “Checked into it. It does look like a werewolf at first glance, but that territory is off-limits to all were. It’s marked by dark users, and they would have raised hell if a werewolf had been there.”
    He studies it harder. “These marks are brutal and deep, much deeper than a grizzly