its path to reach her, and it doesn't care what it destroys in the process as long as it gets what it wants.” He heard this cracking sound. After looking down, he pulled his broken armrest up with his battered hand. A few screws hit the floor, rolling under Gage’s desk. “I’ve got to run.”
“You can’t mist to Sanibel in your condition,” Heath said carefully. The marsh held many private places to run during broad daylight. Ones that weren’t available in Miami, apart from the Everglades. “And we have a couple of hours or so to go before the sun sets.”
“I won’t leave this area.”
“You can sense her, then?”
“In a way, though we haven’t mated, she tethers my Beast. She’s close by.”
“Amazin’, she must be Scottish.”
The corner of Gage’s mouth kicked up. “Let’s hope I find out.”
Jude crossed his arms. “Tell us everything that happened before you blacked out.”
When Gage opened his mouth, he got a whiff of an old friend.
“Vampire misted in,” Jude snapped.
“You’ve no wardin’ up against the leeches?” Heath asked, flashing his incredible beast – dark and volatile.
“Not against friends,” Gage said easily, just as Kash poked his head around, knocking on the wrong side of the door.
“Trying to catch me in skin again?” Kash had spotted Gage in precarious positions all over Captiva.
The vampire shook his head, rustling his long, coppery spikes around before they effortlessly fell back in place. “Not a social call,” he said grimly, nodding behind him. “I had to trance her.”
“Stacy?” Gage didn’t like anyone else messing with her head. She was under his protection. “Why?”
“Yeah, well, she saw me mist in.”
“Great,” he groaned, rubbing his temple. “Where is she now?”
“I made her think she was supposed to make coffee.”
“For future reference, I make my own coffee.” He shook his head. “Get in here, Warrior.” Gage gestured for the Vampyr Vojak, welcoming him to step inside. Though encircled by three werewolves, Kash didn’t look worried in the least. His strength was pure, radiating from the original bloodline of his species. “What’s my warning this time, officer?”
“Nothing about this is official, either. But I’ll be damned if I spend another second with Bane without going for his throat.” Black leather boots hit the tile in long measured steps, stopping as he reached out to grasp Gage’s hand. “There are rogue vamps in your area. Only a few that I know of, but highly dangerous.”
He dropped Kash’s hand, wondering if they were the ones who brought him down yesterday. “Could these particular rogues hide their scent?”
Kash shifted, eyeing the Fadens up and down. His leather duster billowed out behind him, and Gage knew exactly what lied beneath that long coat. Blades made from ores, which were not found in this world, and an arsenal that could tumble the building if the vampire were so inclined. But he wouldn’t, even if Maestru told him to. Gage trusted two vampires, and one of them was Kash. But his friend didn’t trust the other Beasts in the room.
“I vouch for them wholly,” he gave a rare oath, placing his torn palm over his heart and hoping he wouldn’t live to regret it.
“It’s all good,” Kash said reluctantly, staring out at the spectacular view. “I honestly don’t like discussing what our vampires can and cannot do. Just as werewolves find it unwise to discuss your little quirks. So I’ll put it this way: I don’t know if they have the miasma to hide their scent.” He took a deep breath as if he didn’t want to say the next words. “But I do know that one of them can wield immortal fire.”
“Talk about makin’ things interestin’,” Heath breathed, loosening the tie on his long, black hair and shaking it out. “We recently lost many over immortal fire, though I canna say I’ve heard of those who produce it.”
“That’s just it,” Kash continued. “I was
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