Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,15

heard Nexi’s gasp before he managed to exhale himself. He scanned the area in a fast sweep, only greeted with a dark night and an empty parking lot.

Nexi rushed to his side. “What. The. Hell?” She spun in a tight circle, then stared up at him with frantic eyes. “How did he do that? Is there a portal around here?”

Kyden approached the area Silas had vanished and he squatted down, pressing his hand against the rough pavement. A tickle rushed up his arm and raised the hairs, which indicated magic. “No portal.”

She blinked, her expression portraying the same concern he had within himself. “Vampires don’t have vanishing abilities, right?”

He shook his head. “Vampires don’t possess magic.” He pondered, knowing there could only be one logical assumption. “It’s possible a witch is helping him, but most witches stay out of trouble.”

She snorted, looking down at the spot where Silas had stood. “Well, apparently not anymore.”

“Apparently not,” he agreed.

Chapter Five

The warm, moist breeze raised goose bumps across Nexi’s skin. Only her deep sigh, plus an owl hooting in the distance, broke the silence. At her feet were leaves and dirt, not what she expected to find after she and Kyden teleported out of Salt Lake City.

Confused, she turned to Kyden and asked, “I thought you said we needed to go and tell the Council about the vanishing vampire?”

He ran a hand through his hair, his bicep doing that sexy flex. “We do.”

“Sorry to break it to you.” She waved around at the forest in front of her. “You took a wrong turn. This is still Earth.”

“Yes, I know.” His mouth twitched. “Turn around.”

She spun on her heel and when she caught the sight of the meadow behind her, time slowed. “How did…who…what?”

Kyden stepped in close and his arm brushed hers, only increasing the goose bumps trailing her skin. Of course, now they rushed across her for a reason other than the breeze, which happened to be the feel of his masculine body against hers.

“When the Council assigned me to find you after your first escape from the Otherworld, Zia told me you liked to come here. It’d been the first place I looked for you.” He paused, his eyes searching hers. “I thought after tonight, with it maybe being hard on you, this might make you happy.”

She tilted her head, regarding him. Not only had he offered to train her, which supported her desire for revenge, but this… Perhaps the tough guy was a big softy beneath all those hard muscles. She’d rather see him this way—not overbearing and pushy, which he’d been toward her for the past weeks, but sweet and thoughtful.

Enjoying this softer side to him, she was also entirely suspicious how Zia knew about her favorite meadow in Carson City. More than once Zia seemed to know things she shouldn’t, and Kyden had mentioned earlier that certain witches had mind reading abilities. Nexi now wondered if Zia held that power, and she sure as shit didn’t like that anyone could read her mind. Haven reading her strong emotions with the soul-bound was enough of an intrusion.

Regardless of all of that, Nexi hesitated at getting too excited. “But what about the Council?”

“It can wait.”

“But—”

He sighed, arching an eyebrow. “Nexi, the vamp vanished into thin air. We have no clue who he is or of his whereabouts. We also have no way to track his scent. You’ve been through a lot, not only tonight, but for the past month. You like it here. Enjoy this.”

She paused, then saw sense. “Right, why in the hell am I arguing with you?” She did love it there.

Turning away from him, she noticed the half moon provided enough light that the view in the meadow wasn’t hindered by the dark night. Near the center of the meadow, surrounded by thick forest, the weeping willow stood proud with its wide, tall trunk. The slender branches led into long, flowing leaves dangling into the creek behind.

She approached the tree, sat down by the trunk, and raised her hands, tangling her fingers into the soft leaves. The tree, located deep in the Carson City wilderness area, was her own little piece of paradise, and she let the familiar, rich, earthy scents comfort her.

Returning to her willow was like coming home.

“Did you come here often?” Kyden asked.

Nexi snuck a peek at him. He approached her with a sweet smile, and she returned it. For the first time since the night of the attack, which had consumed her with the