Between Tooth and Paw

Excerpt From: Between Tooth and Paw

"This is an incredibly stupid idea."

"It is the only way."

"If they kill each other off, that is one thing. But, I will not condone throwing the girl in the middle of it all."

Jasmine Neal knelt naked in the middle of the hotel bedroom. Her training had long ago instilled in her that during a scene a submissive's gaze should never rise from the floor. Unable to look up and see anyone's face, she watched various pairs of expensive shoes walk around her as a dozen eyes trailed over her skin, examining her body from every angle.

Forcing herself to stay still under their casual inspection, she made yet another attempt to work out which voice belonged to which pair of circling shoes.

"Perhaps she will be a good influence on them." A woman's voice. High heeled stilettos-very expensive but discreetly so-they fitted the cultured tone of voice perfectly. Old money, a vampire perhaps.

"Huh!" That exclamation, no doubt, belonged to the scuffed loafers. The edge of the man's trousers had frayed where they'd rubbed on the floor. Poor perhaps or, more likely given the situation, a man who was simply careless of clothes and appearances. Perhaps, a man who felt more at home in a fur coat than a tailored suit-a werewolf.

"Then perhaps she will distract them," the woman suggested.

"The situation has been explained to her and humans are far more resilient than you give them credit for. I have every confidence she will survive the encounter."

Jasmine didn't need the help of footwear to identify that voice. She knew Mr. Washington's voice very well. Harsh, commanding and undeniably dominant. Even if she hadn't known already, she would have guessed he'd wear military boots-each one always polished to a gleam by another person's hands. A submissive's hands. In this particular case, by her hands.

"It is all the damn humans' fault anyway. All those stupid stories about how much vampires and werewolves hate each other. It puts ideas into our children's heads. We've lived in peace-each species happily minding its own business for hundreds of generations and now we are brought down to this!"

A new pair of shoes came into her view. Black lace ups. Polished, but not excessively so. Well made, but not by any designer of note. Nondescript, just like the voice she attached to it.

"She is their physical type," Mr. Washington said. "She's been well trained and she knows what's required of her. She'll follow her orders."

"She is still only one woman," that was Mr. Nondescript. Jasmine struggled to attach a species to him. Zombie? Ghoul? Maybe the man was even another human. It was possible a human besides Mr. Washington had made it onto the council of elders-highly unlikely, but possible.

"Do not underestimate women," the high heeled possible-vampire said from somewhere behind Jasmine. "There are many times when more can be accomplished by a smile from a woman than by the threats of a hundred armed men."

"I'd prefer to be in the middle of those armed men, if I was going to be the one stuck between those two brats."