his leave. Shane headed out to his truck. He needed more information. If the vampire Niki sought was behind the murders, she was the only person he could get that information from.
And if she didn’t want to work with him, he’d just have to convince her to cooperate by any means necessary.
Chapter Six
T he day passed quickly though Niki only managed a few hours of restless sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking of the too-sexy sheriff. As the sun set, she strapped on her daggers, and slid a short sword into a sheath at her side, hidden beneath her billowing sapphire blouse.
She left the motel room as the last rays of the sun disappeared. The heat of the day hung in the air, the promise of fall lingering, though it would soon be winter.
She kept alert for any signs of the King’s men. Getting caught the night before had been embarrassing. The man wouldn’t get the drop on her again.
Heading down the busy main street, she sensed another vampire, but faintly.
Cars passed by, full of boisterous teenagers on Friday night dates or parents taking small children to dinner. The laughter and smiles, tender glances between parents and children, eased over the rip in her soul. She continued to walk the streets, heading further into town. The air cooled, allowing mist to rise from the gutters. Mists which served as brutal reminders of past losses.
Gritting her teeth, she concentrated on trying to track down the vampire’s scent, now heavy on the night air. She came to a small corner diner full of people.
A dart of power came from inside. It pushed, yet invited at the same time. Making sure her weapons were hidden, she entered the bright eatery.
“ Sit where ya want,” a waitress called from behind the counter.
Scanning the black and white, fifties-style decor, she chose an empty booth in the far corner. Her back safe to the wall, she let the atmosphere wash over her. The coppery metallic edge of blood lingered. The vampire’s magic pushed harder, but it didn’t have much power behind it to keep her away.
The waitress slapped a menu on the table, then spun, checking with other people as she made her way back to the kitchen. Niki’s gaze stopped on a young man seated at the counter.
As if sensing her at last, the guy glanced her way. He was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen--in human years, anyway.
He blinked, his eyes flashing red pupils. He jumped from the bar stool and ran out the door, unheeding the couple he knocked aside.
She didn’t know if he was connected to Thomas or the King, but she’d damn sure find out. In a flash she raced after him.
Outside, the air whispered with scents and magic. Niki turned left, tracking the boy’s fear-laden scent.
It might be a trap. She didn’t care. She was a hunter out to catch her prey.
The thrill of the chase filled her blood with the age-old song of the hunt. Her canines lengthened, slipping over her bottom lip as she sniffed the air. Her hunger strengthened. She flashed by fewer people travelling the increasingly darker streets.
Their pulses were warm throbs on the night.
And she was hungry.
***
With the sun long down, Shane readied to find Niki. It was clear that if they didn’t work together, it would take too long to catch this rogue killing humans and shifters. He couldn’t let another death happen. Not with a war ready to spark.
The need to see her had nothing to do with the fact that he craved Niki’s soft voice, or her scent, or her touch.
Nothing at all.
The sheriff’s station was nearly deserted, only the night crew remained. He closed his office door and shed his uniform shirt, more comfortable in a sleeveless tank. Then he pushed back his desk.
Beneath it, etched in the concrete floor was a series of circles, four Ndeé hoops. In the central circle, sinuous lines formed the great animals of his tribe--the eagle, the wolf, the bear.
Shane slung a medicine pouch around his neck, drawing open the leather
And if she didn’t want to work with him, he’d just have to convince her to cooperate by any means necessary.
Chapter Six
T he day passed quickly though Niki only managed a few hours of restless sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking of the too-sexy sheriff. As the sun set, she strapped on her daggers, and slid a short sword into a sheath at her side, hidden beneath her billowing sapphire blouse.
She left the motel room as the last rays of the sun disappeared. The heat of the day hung in the air, the promise of fall lingering, though it would soon be winter.
She kept alert for any signs of the King’s men. Getting caught the night before had been embarrassing. The man wouldn’t get the drop on her again.
Heading down the busy main street, she sensed another vampire, but faintly.
Cars passed by, full of boisterous teenagers on Friday night dates or parents taking small children to dinner. The laughter and smiles, tender glances between parents and children, eased over the rip in her soul. She continued to walk the streets, heading further into town. The air cooled, allowing mist to rise from the gutters. Mists which served as brutal reminders of past losses.
Gritting her teeth, she concentrated on trying to track down the vampire’s scent, now heavy on the night air. She came to a small corner diner full of people.
A dart of power came from inside. It pushed, yet invited at the same time. Making sure her weapons were hidden, she entered the bright eatery.
“ Sit where ya want,” a waitress called from behind the counter.
Scanning the black and white, fifties-style decor, she chose an empty booth in the far corner. Her back safe to the wall, she let the atmosphere wash over her. The coppery metallic edge of blood lingered. The vampire’s magic pushed harder, but it didn’t have much power behind it to keep her away.
The waitress slapped a menu on the table, then spun, checking with other people as she made her way back to the kitchen. Niki’s gaze stopped on a young man seated at the counter.
As if sensing her at last, the guy glanced her way. He was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen--in human years, anyway.
He blinked, his eyes flashing red pupils. He jumped from the bar stool and ran out the door, unheeding the couple he knocked aside.
She didn’t know if he was connected to Thomas or the King, but she’d damn sure find out. In a flash she raced after him.
Outside, the air whispered with scents and magic. Niki turned left, tracking the boy’s fear-laden scent.
It might be a trap. She didn’t care. She was a hunter out to catch her prey.
The thrill of the chase filled her blood with the age-old song of the hunt. Her canines lengthened, slipping over her bottom lip as she sniffed the air. Her hunger strengthened. She flashed by fewer people travelling the increasingly darker streets.
Their pulses were warm throbs on the night.
And she was hungry.
***
With the sun long down, Shane readied to find Niki. It was clear that if they didn’t work together, it would take too long to catch this rogue killing humans and shifters. He couldn’t let another death happen. Not with a war ready to spark.
The need to see her had nothing to do with the fact that he craved Niki’s soft voice, or her scent, or her touch.
Nothing at all.
The sheriff’s station was nearly deserted, only the night crew remained. He closed his office door and shed his uniform shirt, more comfortable in a sleeveless tank. Then he pushed back his desk.
Beneath it, etched in the concrete floor was a series of circles, four Ndeé hoops. In the central circle, sinuous lines formed the great animals of his tribe--the eagle, the wolf, the bear.
Shane slung a medicine pouch around his neck, drawing open the leather
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