Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1) - Linsey Hall Page 0,14
how to do when you were a kid, but it was the reason I was still here and the reason I was going to solve this damned murder and clear my name.
Then I could learn more about this crazy world. If it even existed. She might be just great at goading people and pulling my leg.
I knew it wasn’t true, but pretending it was helped me keep my sanity.
“I’m sorry about the bar comment. And I want to learn more about this…new world. But I have to solve this murder and clear my name. I have to focus on that first.” I felt like I’d break apart if I didn’t do that. “Can you help me?”
Something unidentifiable flickered in her eyes, then she nodded. “You’re a strange one…”
She was clearly waiting for my name, so I said, “Carrow.”
“Mac.” She stuck out her hand with a grin. “I like the strange ones.”
I grinned back at her, unable to help it. I extended my hand and gripped hers, starting to shake. It was the first time I’d touched her skin, and as usual, I got a read on her. A vision flashed in my mind—the two of us drinking some violently green drink and laughing.
We would be friends.
But then, a strange buzzing fizzled through my head. I blinked, shaking it, and tried to tug my hand away. But Mac didn’t let go.
Her eyes widened. “Holy fates, girl. You’ve seen the Devil himself.”
“What?”
“The Devil of Darkvale.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“Your killer? The man you saw in your vision? He’s the most dangerous—and powerful—man in Guild City. And if I were you, I’d be very careful.”
5
The Devil
A knock on my office door distracted me from my dinner, an unappetizing cup of blood. I looked up as the door opened and the hostess of my club walked in. Miranda was my second in command, and she knew everything that went on in my empire.
She stopped near the door, a courtesy I appreciated. I didn’t like it when people got too close.
Objectively speaking, Miranda was beautiful, with her slim figure and dark hair, but her beauty barely registered on my radar.
No person had registered for me in hundreds of years.
Not until the woman.
“She has entered the Haunted Hound,” Miranda said.
“Excellent.” My heartbeat quickened.
“Shall I alert you when she enters Guild City?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Miranda slipped back out the door, and I returned my attention to the cup of red liquid. I hadn’t drunk straight from the source in more than a century. Not because feeding incited blood lust. It was unlikely, given my strength and age. No… I had no desire to touch another person. And it reminded me of the horrors of my past—of all the terrible things I’d done, of what I’d been.
The Impaler.
That was long ago, though.
This was the present, and it brought with it the woman.
What was it about her?
I’d find out soon enough when she came to me.
Carrow
“Just my luck.” I frowned at the idea of trying to catch the most dangerous man in Guild City. But… “What the heck is Guild City?”
“I can show you.” Mac grinned and looked at the clock behind the bar. “Quinn will be on shift any minute. Then I’ll take you.”
“Could you give me a few more details about Guild City before Quinn shows up?” I prodded.
A tall figure appeared at the side of the bar, and Mac turned to him, a smile stretching across her face. “Perfect timing.”
I turned to look, spotting a man.
He wasn’t bad looking, actually. In fact, he was very good looking. Tall and strong, with dark auburn hair and tanned skin. His arms were big enough that he looked like he doubled as a bouncer.
One dark red eyebrow rose on his forehead, and I realized I’d been staring.
Shit.
His green eyes studied my face as he approached. “Got a new friend, Mac?” His voice had a pleasantly deep timbre.
“Yep!” Mac grinned widely and gestured between us. “Carrow, this is Quinn. He’s a panther shifter. Big one, too. Quinn, Carrow.”
“Hey.” Quinn’s lips tugged up at the corner in a sexy smile. “You’re something special, aren’t you?”
What a flirt. I couldn’t acknowledge the special comment, so I just said, “Hi.”
“Afternoon shift is best, you know,” he said. “Come back when I’m on. I’ll make you the best drink you’ve ever had.”
Mac slapped him on the arm playfully. “You flirt. Lay off.”
He grinned at her, shooting me another look. “Can’t help it. Never met a girl I didn’t like.”