Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,11

that type of thing. Which was why she’d been trying not to give him the same ogle, and of course, she’d failed miserably.

Hell, he was hot.

Graycyn’s eyes swept over Kyden before she said, “Pity.” With a wink, she turned and headed toward a fancy sports car parked at the curb.

Nexi snorted, watching the sway of Graycyn’s hips.

Kyden chuckled, drawing her attention to him, and his eyes twinkled. “You ready to do this?”

“Nope, she’s not,” Haven interjected, stepping around to the other side of the body and raising her hands to the sky. “But let’s get on with it.”

Not a second later, energy formed in the air. Waves of heat rushed across Nexi’s skin and the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. “Let me guess: this is when it gets weird, right?”

Kyden shrugged. “Depends on your definition of weird.”

Before she had a chance to tell him, a bright flash interrupted her thoughts and like a damned horror movie, the man’s death unfolded. There, on the grass where the dead man lay was now the live version of him in a fancy suit, screaming and thrashing out, trying to free himself from the vampire drinking from his throat.

The scene was so shocking Nexi didn’t know what bothered her more—the fact that Haven had magical abilities that recreated a past death, or the horrific nature of the murder. The vampire had him pinned with one arm around his middle and the other arm wrapped around his face. He groaned deeply, his eyes ablaze, as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Nexi’s stomach churned. “How is Haven doing that?”

Kyden said in a quiet voice, “As an Earth Witch, Haven’s abilities allow her to access time.”

The sight of the man crying out in pure agony trapped Nexi, but even worse was the scent of decomposed flesh reminding her he had already died. “Is this some sort of time travel?”

“Not quite.” Kyden shifted on his feet, his arm brushing up against hers. “More like capturing a moment. Haven’s magic allows her to tap into that memory in time and bring the imprint back.”

Nexi welcomed his touch; the warmth of his body was a much-needed comfort as frost laced her veins. The man’s eyes dimmed, screams quieted, and his fists that had banged against the vampire’s back lowered. One thing, though, became glaringly obvious. “Supernaturals don’t know Haven can do this, do they?” No one could be that stupid.

“No.” Kyden leaned more firmly against her. “Haven is highly protected.”

Nexi wasn’t blind to the fact that he moved close to comfort her, and she didn’t mind it either. “I can see why.”

The sounds of the vampire gulping the man’s blood made her stomach turn again, and the reality of what she witnessed horrified her. Before she could stop herself, she whimpered, and suddenly, a large, warm hand wrapped around hers.

“Breathe,” Kyden murmured.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the dying man and the raw fear that lay in the depths of his eyes, which all brought her back to the horrible memory of her parents. Her heart hammered and her breath caught in her throat, as a firm finger came under her chin, forcibly turning her head.

Kyden’s eyes were warm. “Breathe, Nexi.”

Trapped in his hold, she was reminded she was in the present, and she couldn’t change what had happened. This man wasn’t her parents. Releasing the breath stuck in her lungs, she squeezed his hand to stop hers from shaking.

Mercifully, it didn’t take long before the man died.

The vampire tossed the carcass aside and wiped the blood off his face, then the vision froze. Nothing should surprise her, considering what she’d already been through and seen, but watching the vampire stuck in time in front of her rendered her speechless.

Kyden nudged her lower back, urging her forward. “You need to memorize the vamp. Pick out anything that’ll help you identify him. Scars, a tattoo—any distinguishing features.”

In a few short steps, Nexi closed in on the vampire. He definitely looked like a typical vampire—cropped black hair, hollowed out cheekbones, big sparkly fangs, and dark sunken eyes, which glowed slightly from his recent meal. “Why would he do this?”

Kyden circled the vampire. “Some vamps, especially new ones, have trouble controlling their bloodlust.”

Had anything ever sounded so absurd? “Some can control it?”

“Most do.” He gave the vamp’s face another good hard look before he joined Nexi. “The majority of vamps will only take what they need to survive, glamour the human, and carry on with their