Mating Fever Read Online Free

practically invisible, overshadowed by
the giants around it, but the shuttered, double doors were thrown
open to let a cool breeze inside. Obviously, they were open, even
at this late hour. Jessica approached it, and the jangling music of
wind chimes grew louder as she neared. A man was inside, sweeping
the rugs covering the tiled floor. He looked up as she passed
through the door.
     
    “Are you closing up?” she asked, stopping
inside the threshold.
     
    “Not just yet,” he said, setting his broom
aside. “What can I do for you?”
     
    Jessica held up her necklace, looking around
and feeling like she’d been duped. The shop didn’t look like a
jewelry repair place. “Someone mentioned I could get this fixed
here,” she said with a doubtful tone to her voice.
     
    He took it from her and gave her a startled
look, quickly shuttered. “Yep. I’ll get this fixed for you in a
jiffy. Have a look around. I’ll be right back.”
     
    Jessica nodded and watched him go through a
door into the back, then wandered around the cluttered shop. There
were racks of charms and potions on one side, including a row
dedicated to nothing but essence of garlic of varying sizes and
potencies. Weapons lined the walls out of reach near the ceiling:
crossbows, long bows, swords, and arrows with silver and wooden
heads. There were others she couldn’t identify, but that looked
almost like medieval maces.
     
    Jessica continued looking and found an
umbrella holder filled with short wooden stakes and another with
mallets. It looked for all the world like some bizarre, witch
hunting shop ... or rather, one dedicated to vampire hunting. The
movie Blade popped in her head. Really, being Louisiana, she
would’ve thought they’d have more voodoo paraphernalia for the
tourists to buy.
     
    The man came out again, moving behind the
front counter. He laid her necklace on the clean surface. “That’s a
fine warding medallion you have. Been a while since I’ve seen one
so old.”
     
    “Warding medallion?” she asked, walking up to
the counter to check the work. She couldn’t even tell it had ever
been broken.
     
    “Yes. Well, it’s an old, cryptic language.
Most people wouldn’t recognize it. See these markings here?” He
flipped it over and showed her a scrawling script. She’d always
thought it was some kind of ornate design--not words. “It’s
protection against the wolf.”
     
    Jessica was intrigued. She leaned on the
counter, looking between him and her medallion. “What kind of
protection?”
     
    “It depends on the wearer really. Now, if you
were a vampire, it would ward werewolves away ... supposedly.”
     
    Jessica laughed. He wasn’t serious. “Okay,
you got me. There’s no such thing as vampires and werewolves.”
     
    He chuckled, watching as she put the necklace
on. “I’m not joking around. I would’ve thought you’d heard of the
war by now.”
     
    “What war? Does it have something to do with
all this stuff in here?” she asked, waving an expansive arm,
playing along.
     
    He propped an elbow on the register. “Of
course. I’m just a supplier, mind you. I don’t take part, but I’m
partial to the Lycan side of things.”
     
    “Why’s that? I mean, I don’t see why vampires
and Lycans would fight. Lycans are werewolves, right?”
     
    “That’s right. Lycanthropes.” He rubbed his
jaw, considering it. “It must’ve been in the early part of this
past century. The Lycans rebelled against the vamps using them as
food and slaves ... but they mostly objected to being eaten, and
still do. Must’ve been a sight to see them tearing into the
vamps--if you were on the inside, that is. I’ve always been partial
to the underdog, so I supply them when they come in.”
     
    Jessica was completely unnerved and
fascinated by his story. She didn’t doubt but what there were
plenty of nuts running around claiming to be a werewolf or a
vampire. Given the turn of movies and television, she’d known