splatter of blood spraying down his front. I had known this was easy, too easy, but still Jason had done damage. He had salvaged a hopeless situation and this was something we would discuss, soon. “Well, I certainly did try. Although, your Master did surprise me quite a bit. Of course, I will have to report this to Vincent when he comes to hear my report.”
He sounded almost regretful.
“Will you?” I asked.
“I called him,” he said and coughed again, a wet, sticky sound that made my stomach twitch. “As soon as my boys let me know you two had passed through the doors...I had to let him know. He sent out messages to all supers within a hundred mile radius of Centennial.”
“Supers?” asked Jason.
“It’s slang,” I said, almost automatically. “It’s what we call supernaturals...the ones who aren’t human.”
“Ah.”
One of Marcus’s bodyguards pulled forth an immaculate white handkerchief from inside his blazer and began to dab at his Master’s eyes, bringing forth a slow hiss from Marcus’s lips.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I wasn’t particularly apologetic, but it seemed the best to say.
Considering.
He laughed, a low guttural sound and I watched the kerchief turn a brilliant red. “Don’t be. You did what you had to, didn’t you? You’re his Ailward. Your life is as he dictates. I would not have expected any less from someone as esteemed as yourself. You have done well, Ailward. Don’t let anyone say otherwise.”
Jason put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I have chosen well.”
There was no time. “Let’s go.”
Without another word, Jason pushed me into the dark night, the cold not at all like the balmy night from even half an hour ago. It had begun to snow, soft, feathery flakes of white that spun like feathers ripped from a pillow.
The doors closed behind him and he raised up the collar of his woolen peacoat, shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Let’s go. We need to--”
He stumbled and almost fell down the steps.
In the surprisingly empty street, just under the streetlight, face shadowed from the overhead light, stood a brunette, the honey-sheen glimmering under the flickering streetlight.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she still wore nothing under the knee-length black leather trenchcoat.
Arms crossed, she stared at us as we came down the stairs, our footsteps muted on the concrete floors, the snow crunching under our feet.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay the fuck away from him?”
I drew in a deep breath and felt the frost coat the inside of my throat like oil. “As always, such
impeccable usage of the English language.”
She snorted and a brisk wind blew past, ruffling the bottom of her coat. Obviously, the cold had gotten too much for her because this time, I did see her legs clad in black. At least, she didn’t have zero common sense. “Fucking humans. You just never listen, do you?”
Jason stopped at the step below mine and slanted a glance at me. “Do you know her?”
“Regrettably, yes.”
Her eyes narrowed as they centered on the dark-haired man in front of me. “Jason.”
He let out a sound like someone getting punched in the stomach. “Shannon.”
Of course.
Of course.
I should have known. “Weren’t you supposed to be pregnant, vampire?”
A very human emotion crossed those harsh, lovely features. “I was supposed to be a lot of things. As you can see, I am not. For those like me, the act of carrying a child...never works.”
The corner of my lips rose in a sneer. “I’m sure you were pleased.”
She took a step closer to us, on the street and darkness clouded her face. “Whatever. Anyways, I have been sent to bring you two to my Master.”
I heard Jason swallow. “Shannon, why--”
“Jason, be quiet,” said Shannon.
Call me heartless, pitiless, but right now, Jason was worse than useless and I held him up when it seemed as though his legs could not support his body any longer. He smelled like a pine forest in the winter and I drank deep of his scent, letting his ex-fiance see the joy in my eyes.
Was it jealousy?
Jealousy that filled my body watching my Master utterly destroyed by the entrance of the woman he had spent years searching?
Did I hate her because she was a vampire?
Or did I hate her because she affected Jason like this?
Questions I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to answer, to address. Ever.
“And what exactly does your...Master need with us?”
She tossed her hair over one shoulder and in that instant, I realized I hated her more than anything I had ever