Blood in Her Veins Read online

  Praise for the Jane Yellowrock Novels

  “A lot of series seek to emulate Hunter’s work, but few come close to capturing the essence of urban fantasy: the perfect blend of intriguing heroine, suspense, [and] fantasy with just enough romance.”

  —SF Site

  “Readers eager for the next book in Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series may want to give Faith Hunter a try.”

  —Library Journal

  “Hunter’s very professionally executed, tasty blend of dark fantasy, mystery, and romance should please fans of all three genres.”

  —Booklist

  “In a genre flooded with strong, sexy females, Jane Yellowrock is unique. . . . Her bold first-person narrative shows that she’s one tough cookie, but with a likable vulnerability.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Seriously. Best urban fantasy I’ve read in years, possibly ever.”

  —C. E. Murphy, author of Shaman Rises

  “The story is fantastic, the action is intense, the romance sweet, and the characters seep into your soul.”

  —Vampire Book Club

  “An action-packed thriller. . . . Betrayal, deception, and heartbreak all lead the way in this roller-coaster ride of infinite proportions.”

  —Smexy Books

  “A perfect blend of dark fantasy and mystery with a complex and tough vampire-killing heroine.”

  —All Things Urban Fantasy

  “Mixing fantasy with a strong mystery story line and a touch of romance, it ticks all the right urban fantasy boxes.”

  —LoveVampires

  “A fabulous tale with a heroine who clearly has the strength to stand on her own.”

  —Darque Reviews

  Also by Faith Hunter

  The Jane Yellowrock Series

  Skinwalker

  Blood Cross

  Mercy Blade

  Cat Tales

  (short story compilation)

  Raven Cursed

  Have Stakes Will Travel

  (short story compilation)

  Death’s Rival

  Blood Trade

  The Jane Yellowrock World Companion

  Black Arts

  Broken Soul

  Dark Heir

  The Rogue Mage Novels

  Bloodring

  Seraphs

  Host

  Published by New American Library,

  an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  This book is an original publication of New American Library.

  Copyright © Faith Hunter, 2016

  “Wesa and the Lumber King,” “Haint(s),” and “Cajun with Fangs” first appeared in Have Stakes Will Travel (Roc, 2012).

  “The Early Years,” “Cat Tats,” “Kits,” and “Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry” first appeared in Cat Tales (Roc, 2011).

  “Signatures of the Dead” first appeared in Strange Brew, edited by P. N. Elrod (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009).

  “First Sight,” “Dance Master,” and “Beneath a Bloody Moon” first appeared in The Jane Yellowrock World Companion (Roc, 2013).

  “Golden Delicious” first appeared in An Apple for the Creature, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner (Ace, 2012).

  “The Devil’s Left Boot” first appeared in Kicking It, edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price (Roc, 2013).

  “Black Water,” “Snafu,” and “Off the Grid” first appeared in Black Water (InterMix, 2014).

  “Not All Is as It Seems” first appeared in Temporally Out of Order, edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray (Zombies Need Brains LLC, 2015).

  “Cat Fight” and “Bound No More” appear for the first time anywhere in this volume.

  Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Roc and the Roc colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  For more information about Penguin Random House, visit penguin.com.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-19698-8

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

  Names: Hunter, Faith, author.

  Title: Blood in her veins: nineteen stories from the world of Jane

  Yellowrock/Faith Hunter.

  Description: New York: New American Library, 2016. | Series: Jane Yellowrock | “A ROC book.”

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015035983 | ISBN 9780451475756 (softcover)

  Subjects: LCSH: Vampires—Fiction. | Shape-shifting—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION/Fantasy/Urban Life.

  | FICTION/Fantasy/Contemporary. | FICTION/Fantasy/Paranormal. | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3608.U59278 A6 2016 | DDC 813/.6—dc23

  LC record available at https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/K2WvBxCGV05luR

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Praise for the Jane Yellowrock Novels

  Also by Faith Hunter

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Letter from the Author

  Timeline

  Wesa and the Lumber King

  The Early Years

  Snafu

  Cat Tats

  Kits

  Haint(s)

  Signatures of the Dead

  First Sight

  Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry

  Dance Master

  Golden Delicious

  Cajun with Fangs

  The Devil’s Left Boot

  Beneath a Bloody Moon

  Black Water

  Off the Grid

  Not All Is as It Seems

  Cat Fight

  Bound No More

  About the Author

  Sometimes someone enters your life and, because they believe in you, in your ability and talent, your life changes. Their passion for your work gives you faith in yourself, your stories, your career, and your future. Jessica Wade, my editor at Penguin Random House, is that person. She makes me a better writer. She makes me strive for more action, deeper characters, better stories, darker outcomes, and she accepts nothing but my best. For that reason alone I should dedicate every single thing I write to her.

  This is for you, Jess. Thank you for the long hours, the mental gymnastics you do for my stories, and mostly for your belief in me. I couldn’t do it without you.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my fans, you made this happen. Thank you!

  To my wonderful agent and friend, Lucienne Diver, for her help in putting this compilation together, my great thanks!

  To Isabel Farhi, thank you for all you did for this compilation and all the work you shoulder for me and for my stories.

  To my editor, Jessica Wade, there are not enough words to say thank you . . . soooo . . .

  Hi, all,

  This is a first for me. A
n almost complete collection of my own short stories—nineteen of them, to be exact. I’ve been writing shorts since almost the beginning of telling Jane Yellowrock’s story. I love them because I can explore things that don’t make it to the novels—new ideas, new perspectives, new characters. This is the first time they’ve all been collected together (with a very few exceptions, plus all the stories I intend to write in the future!).

  I hope you find that they help you understand Jane’s world better—writing them certainly helped me see her world through new eyes. I’ve also included a timeline, so you can see where each story fits in relation to the novels.

  I gotta tell you, I am psyched about this collection, and it’s all totally because of the fans. You asked for all the shorts in one place. And you asked. And asked! And that persistence worked, because now you have them! Thank you! And to make that thanking mean more, I have written two brand-new novellas.

  Let me tell you about those stories, “Bound No More” and “Cat Fight.” “Bound No More” is about Angie Baby and an arcenciel and the future. We get to see Angie’s powers in new, and possibly frightening, ways, because she is growing up fast. It’s a fight to save the Everhart/Trueblood clan, and it’s downright fun!

  In “Cat Fight,” Jane is tasked by Leo Pellissier to return to Bayou Oiseau, a pretty little Cajun town on the banks of the bayou of the same name. She takes Eli and Alex Younger—natch—but she also has a tagalong in the person of the undead Edmund Hartley. The four quickly discover themselves in the midst of what looks like a love triangle among a vamp, a witch, and a prickly tempered human. It looks as if Jane is expected to play therapist—and then it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

  I had a pure blast writing all of these stories. I hope you love them half as much as I do!

  Faith Hunter

  TIMELINE

  Here’s a timeline of the stories in this collection and when they take place in relation to the Jane Yellowrock novels.

  Enjoy!

  “Wesa and the Lumber King”—Short story from Beast’s point of view, set in the Hunger Times

  “The Early Years”—Short story about Jane Yellowrock just after she left the children’s home

  “Snafu”—Jane interviews for an internship with a PI.

  “Cat Tats”—Short story about how Rick LaFleur got his tattoos

  “Kits”—Short story about Jane, with Molly Everhart Trueblood as a secondary character

  “Haint(s)”—Short story from Molly’s point of view, with Jane as a secondary character

  “Signatures of the Dead”—Short story about Molly, with Jane as a secondary character

  Skinwalker—The first Jane Yellowrock novel

  “First sight”—From George “Bruiser” Dumas’ point of view, when he first sees Jane

  Blood Cross—The second Jane Yellowrock novel

  Mercy Blade—The third Jane Yellowrock novel

  “Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry”—Short story about Rick LaFleur’s first full moon after being bitten by a were. From Rick’s point of view, with Jane as a secondary character.

  “Dance Master”—From Bruiser’s point of view. He calls Jane to investigate a problem in the Royal Mojo Blues Company. And, oh my, do they dance . . .

  Raven Cursed—The fourth Jane Yellowrock novel

  “Golden Delicious”—Rick is in PsyLED school with his dual nemeses Brute and Pea. His fellow students go missing, and everything starts to go wrong.

  “Cajun with Fangs”—Jane is stranded in Bayou Oiseau when her Harley, Bitsa, has engine trouble. And she walks right into a war between witches and vampires that seems destined to drag her and her boss, Leo Pellissier, down with them into flames.

  Death’s Rival—The fifth Jane Yellowrock novel

  Blood Trade—The sixth Jane Yellowrock novel

  “The Devil’s Left Boot”—The Everhart witch sisters are asked to find a missing woman who had great taste in boots.

  “Beneath a Bloody Moon”—Jane and her team investigate a series of possible werewolf attacks outside of Houma, Louisiana.

  “Black Water”—Jane is back in the Deep South, near Houma, this time chasing a human predator, racing to save the lives of the two women he has kidnapped.

  Black Arts—The seventh Jane Yellowrock novel

  “Off the Grid”—Jane is in Knoxville to do a favor for her boss, the chief fanghead of the southeast U.S. It’s supposed to be an easy investigation, but a very important vampire has gone missing and Jane is drawn into the search. This is where Jane meets Nell Nicholson Ingram for the first time.

  Broken Soul—The eighth Jane Yellowrock novel

  “Not All as It Seems”—A short story featuring Molly, who gets a surprise visit from vampires looking for a relic their master lost long ago

  Dark Heir—The ninth Jane Yellowrock novel

  “Cat Fight”—Jane is back in Bayou Oiseau, where the witches and vamps are again at war, this time over a magical talisman called le breloque.

  “Bound No More”—Angie Baby and Molly come to visit Jane. When an arcenciel also shows up, bent on mischief, Angie proves she is growing up—into the most powerful witch in Everhart history.

  Shadow Rights—The tenth Jane Yellowrock novel, releasing in April of 2016

  Wesa and the Lumber King

  Author’s note: This story takes place in the Hunger Times of the late 1800s–early 1900s.

  I/we climbed stunted tree, sat in twisted limb. High on ledge at top of gorge. Hidden by smoke from man fire far below. Man fire burned limbs, leaves cut from trees. Smoke filled air. Sound of axes echoed across gorge. Sound of train whistle split air. Hurt ears. Bad sound. All sound of man was bad sound, but sound of white man was worst sound. No sound of birds. No sound of prey on ground. No good sounds anywhere since white man came to mountains. Below, in gorge, limbs and trees and branches were dropped into water, dropped there by human men. White men.

  Wesa, little bobcat, said into back of mind, Yunega tsiluga tala tlugvi, tsiluga totsi tlugvi. White man kill white pine trees, kill white oak trees. Asgina. Devils.

  Alpha devil is there, I thought at her. White man in gray pelt. Do you understand his words?

  Yunega talk is not Tsalagi talk, she said in mind speech. I do not understand.

  I flicked ears, twitched tail, and said to her, Alpha devil points with paw to other white men which trees to cut. With paws and tongue, tells them to load dead trees onto flat thing that moves, flat place called train car. Tells them to throw dead limbs and branches into river below. River is full of trees and does not run. Fish die. Animals run away and die. Birds fly away and die. Smoke fills air, and I cannot breathe.

  I/we had talked in mind den about this. I said to wesa again, White devils must die. If white alpha devil dies, then all white men will stop killing earth. Yes?

  Wesa did not answer. Wesa shivered in back of mind, in cave den of mind, in place she had made her own. We watched white men in gorge. We had watched them for two days. We knew where the den of the alpha devil was. We knew he went there at night, always by the same path. Just as deer once used to take same path to water in gorge below, alpha devil took same path to his train-car den. I had been ambush hunter even before wesa came to me. I knew to study prey.

  After long time, shadows began to stretch upon ground. Wesa stirred and asked, We will kill yunega asgina? Wesa knew this, but still she thought, silent in mind as we watched white man, I do not like to kill humans.

  White humans are devils. They kill the earth. I/we will kill them.

  But not eat them, wesa said. Elisi, grandmother, say man flesh makes us sick.

  We will not eat him. But I/we will kill killer of hunting territory. Killer of trees and killer of prey.

  Man was not good hunter, man was stupid. But man was winning and I/we were losing. After killing alpha male human, I/w
e would leave this place for deep gorge, many days’ walk away. Wesa knew this as well. She did not like it, but she understood. Wesa had once been human, but not white man human. Tsalagi human—Cherokee. Tsalagi understood how to live with earth and not kill it. Some Tsalagi did not protect the earth, some killed her, but not most. All white men killed earth. White man was evil.

  I stood up on paws on tree limb and watched as night dropped darkness over all of earth. When shadows were long and human men left from killing trees to go eat food, I leaped to ground. Wesa hid in dark of mind den, afraid.

  I raced down from ledge and trees on sheer part of gorge, place where white man could not get to easily, place of stunted trees and snakes and rock. I leaped straight down, thick tail whirling for balance. Halfway down gorge fall, I twisted like snake, and whipped tail. Changed direction, and landed on tiny ledge. There was small cave in back of ledge. Had once used this place for den to have kits. Liked this place long ago. White man had ruined it. Killed it. I did not go to den now, but pawpawpaw down across tiny ledges, leaping from ledge to ledge, which white men called outcropping, until I reached bottom of gorge. Then I moved in shadows for train car of white man, den of white alpha devil.

  Night vision came as sunlight left. Earth turned into silvers and greens and grays. Liked this time of day/night. Wesa called it beautiful. I called it safe. Shadows were dark and deep, and wesa had explained that humans could not see in dark. I padded through dark over rutted bare earth to den of alpha devil. Curled into darker shadow beneath train car. I waited. I/we are good at waiting. Time passed. Night was dark. No moon stood in sky. Moon had died and would be reborn as kit moon in one night, tiny and shaped like thin claw. I/we had chosen this night for this reason. Wesa closed her eyes, afraid.

  When night was full, I alone crept up stairs and leaped high, onto roof of train car. It was warm from sun of day. Was good place to ambush hunt. Looked over edge of train car, to path white man took for food. Was like ambush hunting on ledge in high hills before white man came and sent prey away.

  Heard man paws on earth, loud and scuffling inside dried skin of cow—boots. Man was not balanced and graceful and should not walk on two legs. Would be more quiet and graceful on four legs. But I was happy that white man was stupid and noisy. Listened and watched as he came closer. He carried in one paw much meat. It was cooked, which was bad, but it was meat and I/we had not eaten in two days. We hungered. White man came closer.