Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers) - By Michelle Rowen Page 0,56
dagger—not yet—but I knew he wouldn’t hesitate if he had no other choice.
I wanted to have an argument for why he couldn’t do this—that the woman was pathetic and helpless and needed assistance. But I knew there was no help for her. What I saw wasn’t a woman who could be reasoned with, but a monster out of its mind with hunger. One who could hurt others—one who could infect others.
She was part of a dangerous disease that needed to be cured.
And there was a beautiful angel of death moving steadily closer to help end her illness.
But before Bishop got within twenty feet of her she cried out, clutched her head and collapsed to the ground. A scream caught in my throat as I watched her begin to literally melt right before my eyes. It was like something out of The Wizard of Oz when the water hit the wicked witch of the west. Smaller and smaller, she sank into the ground...until there was nothing left but a pile of clothes.
It took less than a minute.
I was trembling violently as I faced Kraven. His expression was grim, but not surprised like my own.
“That’s happened before.” My voice quaked. “Hasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Ever since the Source was killed, this is what’s been happening to some of the grays we come across. The Hollow doesn’t open up for these ones—they’re just gone. Makes our jobs a hell of a lot easier, but...” He glanced at me, his lips thinning.
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. As a gray, it could happen to me, too.
“Bishop briefed us on stasis,” he continued. “This chick obviously wasn’t strong enough to handle it.”
You change or you die, Stephen warned me.
This was door number two.
That poor woman. Once she was a girl like me who’d been kissed by someone who made her heart beat faster.
Now her heart didn’t beat at all.
“This proves it. We need to find Stephen tonight,” Bishop said when he returned to us, his expression hard and determined. “There’s no more time to waste.”
Kraven scoffed. “Drop everything and try to find gray-girl’s soul so she’s not the next one to melt into a puddle of sludge?”
Bishop fixed him with a contemptuous look. “There’s a new club I want to check out. Grays have started to hang out there ever since they realized we were keeping a close eye on Crave. I sent Cassandra and Roth there earlier to take a look.”
“So let them handle it,” Kraven said.
“No. We’re going, too.”
This was the first I’d heard about an alternate club for grays. But it made sense. Stephen needed somewhere to spend time—and he had been at Crave almost every single night since he’d returned to the city from university. “How did you find out about this?”
“From another gray.”
“Why would he tell you anything?”
Bishop held my gaze steadily. “Let’s just say I can be very convincing when I want something.”
Kraven snorted. “Better leave it at that. Wouldn’t want to disturb gray-girl’s delicate sensibilities.”
I stared at Bishop. “Wait. Are you saying you tortured the gray?”
“Some people need convincing before they decide to be helpful. This one was particularly unwilling to chat.” He shrugged. “He talked, that’s the main thing. I got the information I needed.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Just when I thought I’d figured out what to expect from the angel, he threw me another curveball. And the worst thing was, I didn’t hold this against him. He was right—some people needed convincing. But it still put a sick feeling into the pit of my stomach that he’d go to such extremes to help save me.
I looked into his blue eyes, wishing I could read his mind like the others.
But maybe I could. Maybe he was just really good at shielding—and the mind melds and memory melds were something completely different he couldn’t control.
“I know you’re doing this for me,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
His dark brows drew together and that edge of something vulnerable returned. Then that very human expression disappeared like magic and he tore his gaze from mine.
“We need to go check out the club right now,” he said.
“Fine,” I agreed, my tentative tone turning fierce. “And don’t even think about trying to stop me from coming with you.”
A small amount of humor returned to his beautiful blue eyes. “Of course you’re coming. Stephen sees us, he’ll make like Houdini and disappear. You’re the bait to keep him right where he is.”