beginning and it could be a tad annoying at times, since nothing remained private any longer, Haven was the glue holding her together. The thought of Haven in a dangerous situation terrified her. “You’re not coming with us, are you?”
“Of course I am.” Haven glared, which looked ridiculously harmless, even if irritation flickered through the bond. “I always help the guardians, which means we get to be a team.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Isn’t that exciting?”
Hell to the no. Little, sweet Haven… “You’re not fighting, are you?”
Haven’s eyes went huge. “Me, fighting, are you crazy?” Her lids lowered, and her familiar happy expression returned, sparkling eyes and all. “I’m going to recreate the scene.”
Nexi blinked. “Say again?”
Haven’s lips parted, but Zia interjected, “It’ll be much easier for you to understand by seeing it, rather than having it explained to you.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Probably won’t believe it even after I see it.”
Zia smiled. “Probably not.”
Chapter Three
A small picnic area rested between two small apartment buildings, and a man was spread out on the grass, drained of his blood. The night was dark and eerily quiet, and the only sound came from a few cars on the far side of the park.
At four o’clock in the morning, Nexi wasn’t surprised at the lack of traffic in Salt Lake City, but the murder scene in front of her made no sense. Where were the police, crime scene investigators, and the crowd of people behind the crime scene tape she’d expect at a murder?
Turning to the dead body at her feet, she clamped her lips tight as the stew she’d eaten earlier at Briggs’s cabin threatened to make an appearance. The way the victim’s skin hung off his bones was enough to make her sick. The pungent scent of decomposed flesh almost guaranteed that outcome.
Kyden nudged her arm. “All right?”
Before she could say “hell no,” Haven interjected, “Far from it. She’s on the verge of being sick.”
Nexi rolled her eyes at Haven for sharing that bit of private information. More than ready to get the focus off her, she shifted the attention onto the dead body again. “Why would someone murder him?”
“Because they were thirsty.”
Nexi startled at the soft voice behind her and turned, discovering a lean, female vampire with dark eyes and pixie-cut black hair. She grasped her chest, her heart nearly bursting out of her ribcage. “For cripe’s sakes, don’t sneak up like that.”
Kyden chuckled. “Good evening, Graycyn.”
Graycyn, clad in leather from head to toe, grinned at him before she approached with a sensual strut. She gave Nexi an once-over, showing half-curiosity, half-hilarity before she finally gestured to the dead man. “Nothing unusual here—classic bloodlust killing.”
No brainer, Nexi thought. The guy didn’t have a drop of blood left in him.
Now even more ready to move past the obvious, she turned to Kyden, “Can you educate the newbie? Why are there no cops here? And who is this vampy Catwoman?”
Kyden’s mouth curved. “The Council has infiltrated its Guard into the larger cities’ police departments to notify the Otherworld of any deaths. Graycyn is a detective with the Salt Lake City PD.”
Nexi glanced around again, taking in the dark, silent night. It only confirmed her confusion. “That’s good and all, but where are the human police? I mean, shouldn’t this be a crime scene?”
Graycyn said, “They were here, but the scene was cleansed.”
“Which means what in human talk?” Nexi asked.
The vampire stared at her as if she had three eyeballs, but Nexi turned to Kyden when he asked, “What talents do werewolves have?”
She snorted at the reminder, and was quite content to forget the embarrassing event with Briggs. “Increased sense of smell.”
“Right.” He inclined his head in approval. “And vampires?”
She glanced up at the starry sky, pondering what she’d learned about the species. She finally looked to him again. “They drink blood and the Otherworld sticks to their night hours because they give the most trouble.”
“They also hold the ability to glamour.” He hesitated, then asked with a curious arched brow, “Do you know what glamour means?”
Why did supernatural talk have to be so confusing? “Um, no.”
Haven giggled, probably at the sheer confusion coursing through Nexi’s veins before she said, “Vamps can capture a mortal’s mind and implant new memories.”
“Weird or scary, one of the two.” Nexi shook her head in an attempt to allow that bit of information to process, then she waved Kyden on. “Continue.”
“Those are the roles of the Council’s Guard.” He smiled softly. “Werewolves track the offenders or