hard to breathe.
Leo chuckled. “Oh, irony, you are both beautiful and twisted.”
“You bastard,” Talia hissed.
“Watch your language, Talia. There are children present.”
As if in answer to his summons, a toddler bumped into his leg and fell down on his butt, then burst into tears. Leo bent and picked him up. A harried-looking woman stood a couple feet away and pushed her way over to them.
“Michael!”
Leo handed her the toddler, and she thanked him before returning to her husband’s side.
Talia watched the interchange and willed her claws to retract. She could easily imagine herself ripping his throat out. She had the right, but not here, not now. There were too many vulnerabilities here. Too much risk of casualties.
She lowered her voice to a pitch only his vamp ears could hear. “Why are you here, Chris?”
“To stop a killer. It’s an added bonus to see you again.”
“A bonus? Everything about you is a lie. Even your name. Chris, Leo or whatever you call yourself.”
“I did not lie to you. My full name is Leonardo Christophe Salazar.”
“You turned me against my will and then left me. I had no idea what I had become. No one to teach me what it meant to be a vampire.”
He shrugged. “And yet you survived. From the looks of it, very well, my beautiful girl.”
“Don’t ever call me that again.” Hate sizzled under her skin at his flippant response. “I’m going to kill you.”
He wagged his finger at her as if she were a small child. “Ah, ah, ah, Talia. I would watch what I say.”
“Why the hell should I? I promise you. You. Are. Dead.”
“I don’t think Jean Luc would like to hear you threaten me.”
“Why the hell would he care…?” Her throat closed on the words. Oh God.
He smiled. “I see he has told you about the oath. Would you like to tell me again how you plan to kill me?”
No!
“Now watch what you say, my beautiful girl. He’s coming this way. I wouldn’t want to be forced to invoke the oath.”
Talia took a deep breath and pulled in all of her energy—all the rage and frustration—and locked them away.
Jean Luc walked up and grasped Leo’s forearm in a handshake of old. “I see you have met Talia.”
Leo smiled. “I have, and she is as amazing as you said.”
Jean Luc’s eyes widened at his words, but when he turned to Talia, they narrowed on her face. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She didn’t dare look at Chris again. “I…just need to feed. What did Misha have to say?”
“Both Misha and Marty have been busy. It looks more and more like Renato may be guilty. We need to go to the lab. Do you wish to come along, Leo?”
Talia held her breath, waiting.
“I do not want to stray too far away from the contingent. They are acting a little too skittish. Maybe your earlier meeting with Renato has made him nervous.”
Jean Luc shrugged. “Stay close to him then, and let us know if he attempts to leave Vegas.”
Chris bowed slightly. “Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Talia.”
She bit the inside of her lip to stop from spewing what she really wanted to say to him. She nodded instead, and he turned and walked away.
Jean Luc stared hard at her for a moment. “We will stop and get you some blood first. You do not look right to me.”
She shrugged. She might never be right again.
Chapter 10
Something was wrong with Talia. Jean Luc observed her closely. Even after feeding, she still seemed off. Her mouth was pinched and her eyes had lost their glorious spark. Had he pushed her too hard? Had he scared her away with the maudlin talk of his past?
They had just arrived at the lab, and Misha, Will, and Marty were clearly bursting to tell them some sort of news.
“Okay, guys what have you got?” Talia sighed.
Marty started. “The oil residue on the paper Jean Luc gave me is the same oil as I found on Melanie Thomas.”
“So it is Renato,” Jean Luc
Leo chuckled. “Oh, irony, you are both beautiful and twisted.”
“You bastard,” Talia hissed.
“Watch your language, Talia. There are children present.”
As if in answer to his summons, a toddler bumped into his leg and fell down on his butt, then burst into tears. Leo bent and picked him up. A harried-looking woman stood a couple feet away and pushed her way over to them.
“Michael!”
Leo handed her the toddler, and she thanked him before returning to her husband’s side.
Talia watched the interchange and willed her claws to retract. She could easily imagine herself ripping his throat out. She had the right, but not here, not now. There were too many vulnerabilities here. Too much risk of casualties.
She lowered her voice to a pitch only his vamp ears could hear. “Why are you here, Chris?”
“To stop a killer. It’s an added bonus to see you again.”
“A bonus? Everything about you is a lie. Even your name. Chris, Leo or whatever you call yourself.”
“I did not lie to you. My full name is Leonardo Christophe Salazar.”
“You turned me against my will and then left me. I had no idea what I had become. No one to teach me what it meant to be a vampire.”
He shrugged. “And yet you survived. From the looks of it, very well, my beautiful girl.”
“Don’t ever call me that again.” Hate sizzled under her skin at his flippant response. “I’m going to kill you.”
He wagged his finger at her as if she were a small child. “Ah, ah, ah, Talia. I would watch what I say.”
“Why the hell should I? I promise you. You. Are. Dead.”
“I don’t think Jean Luc would like to hear you threaten me.”
“Why the hell would he care…?” Her throat closed on the words. Oh God.
He smiled. “I see he has told you about the oath. Would you like to tell me again how you plan to kill me?”
No!
“Now watch what you say, my beautiful girl. He’s coming this way. I wouldn’t want to be forced to invoke the oath.”
Talia took a deep breath and pulled in all of her energy—all the rage and frustration—and locked them away.
Jean Luc walked up and grasped Leo’s forearm in a handshake of old. “I see you have met Talia.”
Leo smiled. “I have, and she is as amazing as you said.”
Jean Luc’s eyes widened at his words, but when he turned to Talia, they narrowed on her face. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She didn’t dare look at Chris again. “I…just need to feed. What did Misha have to say?”
“Both Misha and Marty have been busy. It looks more and more like Renato may be guilty. We need to go to the lab. Do you wish to come along, Leo?”
Talia held her breath, waiting.
“I do not want to stray too far away from the contingent. They are acting a little too skittish. Maybe your earlier meeting with Renato has made him nervous.”
Jean Luc shrugged. “Stay close to him then, and let us know if he attempts to leave Vegas.”
Chris bowed slightly. “Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Talia.”
She bit the inside of her lip to stop from spewing what she really wanted to say to him. She nodded instead, and he turned and walked away.
Jean Luc stared hard at her for a moment. “We will stop and get you some blood first. You do not look right to me.”
She shrugged. She might never be right again.
Chapter 10
Something was wrong with Talia. Jean Luc observed her closely. Even after feeding, she still seemed off. Her mouth was pinched and her eyes had lost their glorious spark. Had he pushed her too hard? Had he scared her away with the maudlin talk of his past?
They had just arrived at the lab, and Misha, Will, and Marty were clearly bursting to tell them some sort of news.
“Okay, guys what have you got?” Talia sighed.
Marty started. “The oil residue on the paper Jean Luc gave me is the same oil as I found on Melanie Thomas.”
“So it is Renato,” Jean Luc
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