Bad girls bite, p.1
Bad Girls Bite, page 1
BAD GIRLS BITE
S.L. CHOI
BAD GIRLS BITE
By
S.L. Choi
Copyright © 2022 S.L. Choi
Edited by Heather McCorkle.
Cover Design by MiblArt.
All stock photos licensed appropriately.
Published in the United States by City Owl Press.
www.cityowlpress.com
For information on subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher at info@cityowlpress.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent and permission of the publisher.
PRAISE FOR S.L. CHOI
“With tantalizing hints of a wolfy blood tryst, a heavy dose of sisterly love, and plot twists to make the ride a surprise, S.L. Choi’s, Bad Girls Drink Blood is too much fun. This brand-new world and mythos are a pleasure to explore. Solid world building, easy to grasp politics, hints of future romance and plenty of snark are the perfect scaffold to a story about finding that your scars are only the signposts of your hidden abilities, and that the part of you that brings you the most pain, can also be the wellspring of your deepest satisfaction. If you like the Hollows, you will love this.” — Kim Harrison, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Hollows series
“S.L. Choi, please hurry up and write the next book in the Blood Fae Druid series!” — Lisa Edmonds, author of the Alice Worth series
“Choi loads her debut and Blood Fae Druid urban fantasy series launch with snark, action, and characters who will steal readers’ hearts. Lane Callaghan is a hybrid blood fae, which makes her an outcast in the fae world. She and her sisters, Mae and Y’sindra, operate a struggling private investigation firm on the edge of Las Vegas and the mystical Interlands… Choi delivers plenty of fast-paced action, but it's the individual characters who steal the show. This promising series premier will leave readers wanting more.” —Publishers Weekly
“Welcome to a sexy, new spin on the fae. Deliciously gritty and full of snark, you’ll find your new hero in Lane Callaghan.” – International and award-winning author of the Weird Girls UF romance series, Cecy Robson
“Bad Girls Drink Blood is an action-packed good time that delivers wit, grit, and an unforgettable heroine.” – Kat Turner, author the Coven Daughters series
“Magic, modernity, and multiple dimensions collide in the richly imagined world of S.L. Choi’s page-turning debut Bad Girls Drink Blood, where a snarky, badass heroine with a monster complex and a sexy spark of friends-to-lovers romance will delight fans of urban fantasy and fae intrigue.” – Erin Fulmer, author of Cambion’s Law
“Bad Girls Drink Blood has everything I love: a heroine that can put bad guys in the dirt, side-splitting humor, and characters you’re invested in from page one. In a debut that is both heart-wrenching and wildly hilarious from start to finish, Choi carves out her place in a crowded genre with what I hope to be a long series.” — Gabrielle Ash, author of The Family Cross and For the Murder
“This urban fantasy debut will have readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Lane's action-packed adventure! Choi's voice and style pulled me in right away and I instantly loved Lane, who is a total badass. I also adored her sisters and Teddy and loved the found family theme—it's one of my favorites! I hated to put this book down and I found myself wondering what would happen next for Lane and company. I am thrilled to read the next installment in this series and can't wait for more adventures with one of my favorite characters to date. Fans of urban fantasy will want to sink their teeth into this brilliant debut!” – Ashley R. King, author of Forever After, Painting Lines, The Wilde Card
“Want a fast-paced urban fantasy with a badass fae heroine, a hunky love interest, and a snarky cast of mythical beings? How about found family, sisterly love, and multi-layered world building? Then sink your teeth into Bad Girls Drink Blood. Craving satisfied.” – Sarina Dahlan, author of Reset
“I was thrilled for the chance to read an advanced copy of Bad Girls Drink Blood by S.L. Choi and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This story hits the ground running and sprints full-tilt to the end until I was turning pages faster than my kindle could keep up! The writing is crisp, the characters delightful, and the worldbuilding is absolutely phenomenal. Faes, shifters, druids, and a hot bartender who’s not what he seems. Yes please! I loved Lane and her sisters so much, and I can’t wait for more stories about them and their detective agency. Bad Girls Drink Blood is a sparkling urban fantasy gem with a gooey romance center. Highly recommend.” – Jess K Hardy, author of Love in the Time of Wormholes and I, Bionic
CONTENTS
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Sneak Peek of Cambion’s Law
Find Your Next Read
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Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Publisher
Additional Titles
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Don’t miss the next Blood Fae Druid book coming soon, and find more from S.L. Choi at www.slchoi.com
Until then, discover CAMBION’S LAW, by City Owl Author, Erin Fulmer!
Lawyer. Demon. Lily Knight is both—half-human, half-succubus, and utterly dangerous.
Lily protects her secret and the safety of those around her by abstaining from the skin-to-skin contact that would grant her superhuman powers. An ambitious criminal prosecutor, she’s all work and no play, determined to prove herself in the courtroom to atone for the ex-lovers she’s left for dead in her past.
But after a fellow succubus turns up murdered and the police arrest an innocent man, Lily discovers evidence of a supernatural killer stalking the foggy San Francisco streets. And when human justice falls short, she launches an unsanctioned investigation to find the real culprit.
To stop the killer, she must embrace the full power of her heritage and risk the soul of the handsome suspect she can’t help but fall for. Can Lily face her true nature without losing her humanity—or will she become the monster she fears most of all?
GET IT NOW!
For Loki and Freya, the new kitties on the block with big paws to fill, whose kitten zoomies and antics kept me out of the office and in the coffeeshops writing.
1
EIGHTY PERCENT PRIDE
I’d never seen anything as perfect as Teddy Barbout’s ass in denim. Hard to believe I’d staked a claim on that ass. He refused to let me brand him. Weird, but I’d wear him down. I pursed my lips and let loose a catcall. The sharp notes echoed back from the trees lining the grassy lane where, almost six months ago, my body lay shattered.
My man patted those criminally firm cheeks. “Come and get it.”
I jogged toward him and vaulted onto his back. He hooked his arms under my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his lean torso and looped my arms loose over his shoulders. The warmth from the sun on his flannel and his own body heat soaked into me. “Looks clear to me. Time to show me around your old bar like you promised.” I leaned in to nip his earlobe. I had a plan. It was a good plan.
Three hours of patrolling this ghost town was more than enough. The corrupted moon fae, along with the two stolen sun stones still in their possession, were long gone.
Teddy shook his head, his shoulder-length, bourbon-brown hair tickling my cheek. “This place doesn’t feel right. I say we do one more lap.”
I groaned and made myself dead weight on his back—arms hanging loose down his chest, head drooped over his shoulder. He tightened his hold, which was a good thing because it was a long way to the ground. Teddy was tall, and thanks to my refusal to sip from his vein, I was still a little broken. Falling would hurt.
“Lane…”
I groaned louder.
“Didn’t know my girl was a toddler.”
“If you’re trying to motivate me by wounding my pride, you’ve forgotten I have no pride to wound.” Not true, but come on, he’d called me his girl. I was all rainbows and butterflies in the general vicinity of my hearts.
“Who do you think you’re kidding?” Teddy jiggled me higher on his back, the bounce interrupting his smooth gait and causing the persistent ache in my legs to intensify.
I gritted my teeth and smothered the reaction before Teddy noticed and I got another lecture.
“Sweet fangs, you’re at least eighty percent pride.” His words danced with laughter.
Teddy was being generous. Eighty percent was way too low. I watched the ground pass beneath his sure steps as we moved between buildings, following the same path we’d taken over six months ago in pursuit of my sister Mae’s kidnappers, but in reverse. “What’s the other twenty percent?”
“At least ten percent are those awful artificial cheese snacks you choke down on a daily basis.”
I gasped with righteous indignation. “How dare you malign the exalted cheesy poofs?”
He ignored me. “You’re about eight percent stubborn.”
“You might want to revisit your ratio. I’m much more stubborn.”
He reached behind him to pat my butt as we stepped into the shadowy alley between two buildings. “Two percent sweet ass.”
“Ouch, just two percent?” I laughed and squeezed my thighs against his ribs. We had mutual respect for posteriors—particularly, each other’s.
“Evidence of that pride I was talking about.”
“Ha!” I smacked his shoulder and slid down from Teddy’s back. The impact when I hit the ground sent a dull ache arrowing from my shins to my femurs.
Unable to steady myself fast enough, Teddy turned in time to get an eyeful of my wobble. He scowled, and I bared my fangs. We were not having this argument again. He shook his head and held out his hand. I melted at his gesture and threaded my fingers through his. Me showing PDA, who knew?
I’d gone all in with this male less than a year ago. Sure, I was unconscious for two months of our dating lives after I’d almost fallen to my death thanks to his delightful brother, but it still counted. I’d learned for such a big, strong, sometimes scary guy, he was nothing but a gooey marshmallow on the inside—the correct state for marshmallow perfection. I set those babies on fire. My sisters, Y’sindra and Maerwen, were as much in love with him as me.
Not that I was in love. Figure of speech.
With my five feet zero inches to Teddy’s six-foot-four, I had a magnificent view of his strong-cut jaw. My latest obsession, his lips, tipped up at their corners.
I pulled him close to my side as we walked, bumping his arm with my shoulder. “Come on, you promised to show me your life before me.”
“Not sure we have that kind of time. We’re talking a lot of years to cover.”
I rolled my eyes as he steered us onto the main road cutting through Outerlands. “Stop sidestepping. You agreed you’d take me on a tour once I was well enough to join you on the patrols.”
He grunted, and I narrowed my eyes at the dubious sound. “You might be okay limping around with me, but you’re not prepared for an attack.”
I shook my hand free of his. “Can we not? This place is dead. Let’s just go home. I need to finish packing, anyhow.”
Today was the big move to Las Vegas. With new real estate on the market we could afford—free—I’d said farewell to Interlands and made the move Y’sindra, Mae, and I had always dreamed of. Vaughn, the Blackthorne Casino and Resort’s vampire head of security, was less than happy, but the official letter of my legitimate claim to the luxury penthouse provided by the sun fae keepers, Iola and Torneh, was something he could not dispute.
When I’d reminded him my sisters and I were a package deal—which included my mega-hot sun fae sister, Mae—Vaughn had perked right up. His kind might be moody prima donnas, but I was on team vampire. Anything and anyone to keep her away from Cirron. The piece of shit who, less than a year ago, had carried her into the enemy’s cage and forced me to go on a rescue mission. Sure, he’d done it for his sister, but fuck that guy.
Teddy folded his large hand over mine pulling me to a stop, and he brought my fingers to his lips. “You win. Let’s go have a look.”
Despite this being my idea, I dragged my feet as we angled toward his old bar. The closer we got, the faster my heart rate pulsed in my throat. My first and only look at the place had come as I’d disemboweled soldiers and decapitated one of the most notorious spymasters in the fae’s very long history. None of which came close to affecting me as much as being forced to cut off my snow fairy sister’s wing.
Why did I want to revisit this place?
My gut churned, as it always did, when I flashed back to the moment I’d severed Y’sindra’s wing.
“Hey, it’s all right. We don’t have to do this today.” Teddy stopped us on the threshold to the bar. The tendons stood out over the ridge of my knuckles from the force of my grip, and my talons pricked the back of his hand, drawing blood. I licked my lips and tore my gaze away.
“No, it’s okay. I want to see this part of you.” A very specific part of him that wasn’t in his past, but in his pants. I had a plan. Not the most elaborate plan. Step one: rip off his clothes. I was great at ripping things, and it had better work. There was no step two.
With my slow healing and refusal to drink his blood, he’d wiggled his way out of consummating this relationship again and again, month after month. This celibacy bullshit ended today.
If I got past the ghosts inside this building.
Teddy took his time looking me over from head to toe in an asexual, clinical appraisal of my well-being. I released his hand to cross my arms and tapped my toes on the white wood porch planks. This mother-hen nursemaid nonsense needed to stop.
His lips flattened into a hard line, but he pushed open the front door and motioned me inside.
I had two purposes in coming here, and the first was to confront the evidence of what happened only a few months ago.
Blood rushing in my ears, I stepped past him and blinked. This wasn’t what I’d expected. No broken furniture and not a trace of blood remained. The grapefruit-scented cleaner I was so familiar with from Teddy’s Interlands bar told me who’d done the cleaning.
Locked in tense expectations of what I’d find and the memory riding beneath, my muscles spasmed in surprise at the soft thump of the door hitting the frame behind me. It swung back open, a slice of sunlight cutting across the room. I curled my fingers into tight fists. I flexed my hands, releasing the unspent adrenaline. This constriction of my lungs, this heightened level of anxiety I hadn’t expected. I was tougher than this, a certified badass. I’d brought down a wyvern, after all.
With a mediocre shot of confidence, I lifted my chin and waded deeper through the heavy silence I felt down to my bones. My talons raked a line into the polished bar top as I trudged toward the back corner of the big, square bar in the center of a room the size of a small grocery store.
Badass I might be, but I couldn’t drop my gaze to the floor. Couldn’t risk seeing the bloody stain where I’d maimed my sister. Instead, I looked from repaired tables to gouge-free walls, down the long hall to the new back door. Teddy and his best bud, Lo—my sister Y’sindra’s new main squeeze—had been busy on their Outerlands patrols. Though they no longer lived here, why waste their time? I supposed it could be nostalgia, or maybe they were bored walking up and down empty streets.
