Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,14

frustration. “Consider this another lesson: vampires can hear you in a noisy club.”

She slowly turned to the dance floor, as did he.

Every pair of vamp eyes was fixed in their direction and the crowd was now quiet. The mortals on the dance floor stopped dancing, looking around, confused and panicked, since clearly they hadn’t heard what Nexi had said.

“You know,” obvious irritation made her voice snappy, “you could’ve mentioned that a little earlier. Then I wouldn’t be looking like an all you can eat buffet.”

Kyden regretted that he hadn’t thought of it, too. Until Nexi had voiced their reasons for being at the club, most would’ve assumed they were here for pleasure since he hadn’t acted yet. Now with the real purpose exposed, the vampires parted, clearing off the dance floor. No one wanted involvement in the Council’s troubles.

The second a path cleared, displaying the tables at the far end of the dance floor, Kyden locked onto one vamp. From experience, he knew well enough that only someone guilty would hold his stare so intently, and he was pleased the tracker, Alazar, hadn’t been wrong about the vamp’s location.

Pushing away from the bar, the vampire also stood from his chair, then he bolted for the door. Kyden rushed forward and called to Nexi, “Stay with me.”

The crowd moved out of his way swiftly and when he brushed past the bouncer at the door, he heard Nexi behind him. Once outside, the warm air engulfed him and he sprinted toward the parking lot. When he spotted the vampire, who stood between two parked cars, he slowed to a brisk walk.

The night was quiet, the stars above him were bright, and the parking lot was empty except for the cars, which pleased him. He didn’t want to have human memories to deal with afterwards. Clean and simple, that’s how he preferred his assignments. Especially considering he had Nexi, an untrained guardian, with him.

An odd sensation of protectiveness filled him as he approached the vampire. One thing was certain: he didn’t like this vampire anywhere near her.

Part of that reaction only confirmed his interest in her, since he’d never been protective over a female guardian before. The other part of him wondered if the level of confidence the vampire radiated was the reason.

He’d never seen a supernatural not regret taking a mortal life. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single time it’d happened. However, what bothered him more was how the vamp stared at Nexi behind him. Hot rage flickered through his veins, and if the vamp thought he’d get close to her, he thought wrong.

To garner his attention off her and onto him, Kyden said, “State your name.”

The tall, thin vampire grinned. “Silas.”

Kyden sensed an odd difference in this vampire, though he couldn’t tell exactly what was off. Silas’s cropped black hair, crooked nose, and slanted dark eyes lent him an unnerving air, but Kyden’s instincts flared with a warning that he needed to proceed with caution. “You will answer for the life you’ve taken.”

“I have nothing to answer for,” Silas said, noticeably satisfied.

That brought Kyden to a dead halt only a few feet away. He didn’t bother to draw his sword, but he tightened his muscles in preparation. He studied Silas for a moment longer before awareness simmered over him, and he recognized the difference in this vamp.

An odd sense of power emanated from Silas and raised the hairs on Kyden’s arms. Not age necessarily, but something almost authoritative… “Do you deny you took a mortal’s life tonight?”

Silas peered over Kyden’s shoulder to Nexi, his eyes positively glowing. “No, I don’t deny it.”

Kyden’s muscles twitched, a burn filling his veins to extract retribution for the life Silas stole. Not only had Silas not regretted the kill, but he didn’t deny it either. Kyden hadn’t seen that in all his eight years as part of the Guard. Which was a good lesson for Nexi to learn, and why they couldn’t only depend on the trackers. A scent wasn’t enough proof a supernatural committed the murder. Now, he assumed, Nexi realized exactly why Haven had been protected since birth. Her magic had made the Council’s Guard stronger.

While Kyden could’ve pissed around with Silas, he’d learned long ago that listening to excuses was pointless. Take a life and die—that one Otherworld law ruled his life, and soon it would rule Nexi’s, too.

Kyden reached for his sword, and Silas’s smile turned dark, the vamp’s focus sliding to Nexi when, without any warning he vanished. Kyden