Night Kissed (Chosen Vampire Slayer #1) - Mila Young Page 0,28
were shifters?”
“Most before,” she said. “One of them disappeared after and still hasn’t turned up. My guess is that they’ll probably be recovered after the snow finally melts.”
Her theory resonated with my instinct. Orion had definitely seemed to be taking advantage of the unusually cold, brutal weather. Snow and ice could keep a lot of dirty secrets—for a time.
“Did anything change after you caught them shifting?” The absolute last thing I wanted was for the Zhaos to end up in the middle of whatever messed-up bullshit this turned out to be. I felt a great need to protect them at all costs. If that meant throwing myself straight into the fire of yet another turf war, I’d do it happily.
To my relief, Lian said no. “The guy was surprised,” she said with a laugh. “But it was at least as much because he turned back stark naked as anything else.” Her nose scrunched. “Those dudes are hairy, V. How long is it going to take to forget I’ve seen that?”
“Too long.” I smirked. “Way too long. You don’t think they’d consider you a liability or anything, since you’re technically a witness?”
“Who am I going to tell?” She arched her eyebrows. “Dad already knows; he has to. The only way he’d pay in fish is if he was paying a literal bear. It’s not like they’re trying to sneak around behind his back. Besides, Alaska’s like the land of open secrets. Nobody cares what you are as long as you don’t bother them with it.”
“That’s true, I suppose.” The forty-ninth state was nothing if not a haven for outcasts and weirdos of all types. Why shouldn’t that rule apply to monsters as well as men? “Still, keep your eyes open, okay? Call me if you hear or see anything suspicious. I will hit the ground running.”
“I know you will.” Lian smiled. “Because you’re the best. And because I’m paying for your room.” She hesitated. “You know, you could stay here if you wanted. I just didn’t know if you wanted to explain to my parents why you happen to be in town.”
“Yeah…no thanks.” I sucked in a deep breath, imagining the awkwardness of that conversation. Lian told me you were hiring bear shifters to work on the fishing boats. Well, they’re being murdered by a sexy vampire and two of his friends, so I’m here to sort that out. No big deal. “Maybe after this is all over, I’ll come visit them. Gives me some time to come up with a plausible excuse.”
“Good call.” Lian looked visibly relieved. She sighed. “I had hoped I might be blowing things out of proportion when I first called you. But the more we talk, and the more questions you ask… That’s not really the case, is it?”
I chewed my lip and thought of Orion and his two henchmen standing over the half-frozen corpse they’d pitched into the water. I remembered the vampire’s eyes raking over my body, cold, piercing, relentless. His voice echoed in my ears as clearly as if he were standing right beside me.
I’m not a man to whom consequences normally apply.
“No,” I said quietly. “No, it isn’t.”
“Think we’ve talked shop long enough, V. How about I order us takeaway and we watch a movie? Dad and Mom are out of town a few days. You can crash here if you want. Will be nice to eat too much food and watch bad movies with you.”
Her offer sounded amazing, so how could I knock her back? Especially when she looked at me like she wasn’t beyond begging. My mind still churned with everything she’d told me, but I’d also missed spending more time with her where we just had fun.
“Deal.” I reclined on the couch, smiling at how good it felt to be at her place. It was rare that I took any time off, my days and nights were usually filled with study and slaying. So this was a nice change of pace.
“Excellent.” She started tapping her phone. “There’s this new Spanish Tapas place that just opened up and I’ve been dying to try out their food. I’m going to order a variety of dishes for us.”
“I can’t wait.” Reaching over, I grabbed the remote for the television. “And I’m selecting our movie tonight.”
She cut me a serious glare. “Okay, no soppy romances. I want b-grade!”
I scoffed. “I don’t do soppy romances.”
She fake-laughed, howling loudly. “Says, Ms. I-love-Hallmark movies. You made us watch them each time you returned here for Christmas.”