Four
The night air was thick and still, as if the city held its breath, waiting for something else dark and creepy to slip from the shadows. I stepped outside the Docks, resisting the urge to roll my shoulders and relax the tension from my body. There were a lot of questions hovering in the silence and no answers. Like how the hell did Danaus capture Nerian? The naturi fought to the death, and had no intention of ever being held captive. Was Nerian using Danaus to get to me? The hunter didn’t strike me as the type to serve anyone’s purpose but his own.
I tried to keep from frowning as I followed him down the street into an even darker part of town. Through the trash-cluttered and crumbling streets, we angled north, trudging farther from the heart of the city and tidy parks. The street lamps were fewer and spaced wider apart here. The houses sagged, almost leaning into each other as they sought support under the weight of years of neglect. It was only a couple hours after midnight, but the streets were deserted.
We were a few blocks from the club when I stopped. Danaus halted beside me, his hand sliding up to his waist near one of his sheathed knives.
“You pull that naturi dagger and I’ll rip your arm off.” Each word squeezed past my clenched teeth. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him give a quick nod before his hand shifted to the small of his back. “We’re being followed.”
I had sensed the poor fool when we left the club, but didn’t stop until the nightwalker closed the distance significantly. No one else needed to know about the naturi just yet. I wanted to determine for myself what was going on and how bad the damage was before word spread. There were still a few naturi wandering around, lurking in the forests and jungles of the world, keeping far from humanity when possible. No reason to start a panic when this could be nothing more than a random sighting.
Not wanting to waste any more valuable time, I stretched out my senses. The power washed through the buildings, sending back slight vibrations of the people lying huddled in their beds. Throughout the city, I could feel the other nightwalkers in the midst of their nightly activities. For a breath, they paused at the slight touch of magic, then returned to their amusements. They knew I wasn’t searching for them.
The second I located my prey, he sprang. He crossed the remaining two blocks between us in a heartbeat. I had opened my mouth to warn Danaus but it was already too late. The vampire was a blur of shadow and gritty color as he pounced on the hunter.
Danaus hit the ground but used his momentum to fling the vampire off him as he rolled back to his feet. The blond vampire regained his feet and would have attacked again if I had not stepped between the two combatants. I didn’t have the time or patience for this nonsense. First Joseph muddled up my night, and now Lucas—I had more important problems on my plate at the moment.
“Stop!” I shouted, holding up my hands to keep the two creatures apart. Lucas glared at Danaus before straightening from his half crouched position and looking at me with a smug expression. My fingers twitched and closed into a tight ball as my hands dropped back to my sides. I longed to knock the look from his face.
Lucas stood at roughly five feet three inches, with blond hair that curled loosely around his ears and jaw. With his slim figure and soft features, there was something almost feminine and delicate about him. But this angelic guise was ruined by the cold cruelty he could not keep from his Nordic blue eyes.
“So, the rumors are true,” he said with ill-concealed amusement, unable to keep his smile from widening to reveal fangs. “You’ve abandoned your own kind for the hunter.”
Damn, the grapevine was fast among vampires. But then again, we were telepathic. I should have expected this. Every nightwalker in the city knew of my confrontation with Danaus. I had enjoyed it too much to not share flashes of the encounter with my kind, letting them savor the emotions and the violence like a fine wine. Yet, two nights had passed since that introduction, and many of the young ones were surprised to find the hunter walking the streets of the city. I had been waiting for more information from the Old World before killing him, having learned to be cautious over the years. Information was its own power, and held more value than a quick snap of the neck when all was said and done.
Furthermore, I’d watched Danaus long enough to know that he had enough of a sense of honor not to hunt further in my domain until our business was completed.
A weary sigh escaped me as my shoulders slumped. “You’re mad.”
“Then stand aside and let me enjoy my kill,” he said, making it sound like we were arguing over who got the last piece of chocolate cake.
“He belongs to me. His life is mine to enjoy when I so choose.” My voice hardened to the cold, hard edge of tempered steel. I took a step toward the vampire, but he held his ground, the smile crumbling from his face. Lucas was always a bit of a fool. “The other nightwalkers of this city know not to touch him unless he attacks first. And you can’t kill him. If I didn’t have more pressing matters, I would stand aside and let him cut your heart out.”
I was standing so close our noses nearly touched. In my boots, I was four inches taller than him, just enough for me to look down at him. Lucas’s eyes darkened with anger, his irises expanding, nearly blotting out the pale blue of his eyes. A ripple of his power washed through me like a cool breeze and remained trembling in the air. I had nothing to fear. This blond-haired monster with the angelic face was only a few centuries old and had more ego than real strength.
“Why are you here?” I demanded when he finally took a step back.
“I was sent to check on you,” Lucas said. The smug smile returned to his lips, while his irises shrank to let the sky slip back into his eyes.
“Why haven’t you presented yourself before now? You’ve been in my city for more than a week.”
He gave an indifferent shrug of his shoulders as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. “I am the Companion of Macaire. I go where I please.”
I crossed the distance in a single step and grabbed the front of his red silk shirt, twisting it slightly around my fist so I could be sure I had a good grip on him. A bubble of laughter nearly escaped me when I saw the brief look of surprise that flooded his handsome features before I threw him across the street and into a dark alley. I wandered across the street, following the sound of the metal trash cans colliding with Lucas. He had just picked himself up off the ground, a low growl rumbling from the back of this throat at the sight of me. He roughly brushed bits of trash and rotting food off his slacks.
It was a while since I’d had the opportunity to fight something that could take a good beating. Danaus had been fun, but extremely brief. Lucas, on the other hand, could go a few rounds and still come back for more.
The vampire lunged at me, his fingers out like claws. I caught him by the throat with one hand and slammed him into one of the brick walls that lined the alley. Behind me, Danaus entered the alley, his footsteps nearly silent on the trash-strewn concrete. Under normal circumstances I would have worked Lucas over until he was nothing more than a quivering ball of raw flesh in the corner. Unfortunately, I had other tasks to complete tonight. Naturi business and preserving the secret always came first.
“I don’t care if you are the newest toady for Macaire. I am still Keeper of this domain and you will give me my due.” I raised my free left hand, cupping it slightly with fingers spread. My pale flesh was bathed in the glow of dancing blue flames.