Aspen Read Online Free Page A

clear the girl was a hunter, which wasn’t something she normally approved of. Aspen had been on the receiving end of hunter attention more than once and many of them were the ‘shoot first, shoot second, ask questions if anything is still breathing’ kind of people. But there were good ones like Clay and Creek and there was something about this girl. Her aura was clean, almost pure, which was unheard of for most hunters, who usually took to the job because they got to kill things and not go to jail. Most preternaturals didn’t leave evidence behind.
    “What kind of nest?” she asked.
    The girl sipped her coffee and glanced at Clay, who nodded. She then looked back at Aspen. “Lycans. A wild pack, not answering to the local alpha or Mistress. We caught wind of them about a month ago and tracked them to a hole in the wall a few towns over. Someone must have tipped them off, we should have gotten the drop on them, but somehow they knew we were coming.”
    Aspen refilled the girl’s coffee. “Sounds like it got bad. Is your sister going to be okay? I could check in on her.”
    The girl made a so-so gesture with her hand. “Yeah. I gave her the holy water and silver nitrate treatment, she isn’t going to start howling any time soon. But she lost a lot of blood and needs time to heal.”
    “I’m sure she will be fine,” Aspen said.
    She turned away at Creek’s muttered, “Order up.” The plate she placed in front of the girl was heavy with a half-pound cheeseburger and a mountain of fries. The girl smothered the fries in ketchup and dove into the food like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Aspen watched her a moment then moved down the counter to where Clay was still sopping up blood with the remains of his fries.
    “Do you know her?” she asked.
    Clay kept shoveling fries into his mouth with two fingers. “Yeah. She an’ her sister is hunters like their pappy. Showed up a couple years ago with ol’ Solly, now they’s flying solo.”
    Aspen glanced back at the girl, who was chewing slowly and reading a comic book.
    “She can’t be more than sixteen or seventeen!” Aspen hissed.
    “Nineteen,” the girl said without looking up.
    Clay guffawed around a mouthful of bloody fries. “Good hearin’ on ya, Jynxie!”
    Aspen moved back down the counter. “No offense, you just seem kind of young to be hunting the bogeyman.”
    Jynx shrugged. “Nobody in this life gets out alive, we may as well enjoy it. And I enjoy hunting.”
    She raised her eyes, which Aspen realized were the same color as her own. “What about you? Aren’t you a little young to be slinging burgers in a hunter dive?”
    Aspen smiled. “It’s a long story. I’m older than I look.”
    Jynx cocked her head. “Fae usually are.”
    Aspen felt the blood drain out of her face. “Fae?”
    Jynx smiled and set her burger aside. “You’re part Fae, at least. Your hair color is natural, not a cheesy dye job, and you have the smell of a caster about you. Something with more oomph than your average witch.”
    Aspen ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it along the side of her jaw as if she could make the color change. “How could you tell?”
    “Our great-grandma was part Fae, which makes my sister and I part Fae. Not as much as you, though. You’re what, once removed?” Jynx asked.
    Aspen nodded. “My mother was Fae.”
    “It looks good on you,” Jynx said. “My name is Jynx, by the way.”
    Aspen extended her hand. “Aspen.”
    Jynx shook it and returned to her burger. Aspen watched her for another moment then went back to washing the counter. It was something to do.
    II
    Two hours, three milkshakes, a pot of coffee, and a plate of fries later Aspen stood alone at the windows overlooking the dirt lot and highway. The old grey blacktop vanished just a few yards beyond the diner’s lights as did everything else in the little town. Rain was falling in sheets so thick it was almost snow and the rumble of thunder had become a continuous