or not. And if I don’t find this kid, I’m looking at my own death…I figure it might not be a bad idea to have a way out. If that way is a vampire? So be it.”
“You really are a clueless fool.” He shook his head. “Just how sheltered a life have you led to think that a vampire is better than death?”
I leaned in, pressed my nose to his. “Sweetheart…you don’t know anything about the life I’ve led. But one thing I’ve figured out? As long as I’m alive? I’ve got a chance to get out of whatever hell I’ve landed in. If your bitch-queen kills me because you all couldn’t keep an unhappy kid from running away? Well…I can’t turn things around if I’m dead. As long as I’m alive, I’ve got that chance.”
The storm clouds in his eyes darkened to black. Flared. “You need to watch how you speak of her.”
“You’re right. She’s the Queen Bitch, not the bitch-queen. Absolutely, I’ll give respect where respect is due.” I tugged at my wrist again. “Now come on. Let’s go see what’s going on.”
He didn’t let go. “You haven’t answered me. Did he bite you?” His thumb stroked over the inside of my wrist and for some reason, it struck me. There was something almost gentle about his touch. “If I’m going to have to protect you from the fucking vampire on top of everything else, I need to know.”
I curled my lip. “I’ve been dealing with Jude in my life for six years. I think I got this.”
I carried a picture of Doyle in my back pocket.
I’d made a copy and tucked it in my pocket the day I accepted the case.
Maybe it was silly, but I wanted to remember what I was risking my life for. Who.
A kid.
A nervous, scared kid who wasn’t even sure he could survive the change from human to were.
He had blond hair, sleepy-looking eyes and the promise of what would be a killer smile. So much promise. And what was more…he had kind eyes. The kindness in his eyes hadn’t been lost on me.
It seemed that the cat shifters could use with more kindness in their ranks.
Chang had seemed the decent sort. A few others hadn’t been too bad. But most of them were caught up in the power play and it pissed me off that somebody who might have been one of the nice ones could be lost to them.
I knew his face now. He was mine. I’d do everything I could to find him and if I couldn’t find him, it would be because there was nothing left to be found.
On the way down to the cold lower level of Banner HQ, I slid my hand into my pocket and tugged out the picture of Doyle, rubbing it with my thumb. I didn’t look at it. There was no need. I knew his face well enough now that I could draw his picture. More than once, I’d found myself doing just that.
He didn’t look like his aunt.
Queen Bitch.
Would death be kind—?
No. I can’t think like that…can’t, I can’t, I can’t….
A hand came up and closed over my neck as the elevator doors opened. The people trickled out, but before we could follow them, Damon hit the button to shut the doors and then he just held it. “Are you trying to push yourself into a panic attack?” he asked, dipping his head and growling right into my ear.
I drove my elbow into his stomach.
I might as well have been hitting steel for all the good it did.
I did it again anyway.
He swore and spun around, shoving my back against the elevator doors.
My hand itched—bad, bad, bad.
“Listen, little girl,” he snarled.
He reached for me.
I darted aside.
When he reached for me again, the blade was just there.
He stilled. The only sign of surprise was the slight widening of his eyes.
“Stop it,” I whispered, pointing the blade at him, leveled at his throat. “I’m tired of this, do you hear me?”
“You should put that thing away before you hurt yourself.”
I leaned in enough that it was pressed against his throat, watched as the tip pierced his skin. As smoke drifted from his wound to curl in the air, I glared at him.
“How did you get it past me this time?”
“And you keep calling me the idiot.” Blood stained the tip of my sword red now. The blade liked it. She wanted more. A lot more. “You saw me lock the damn thing up