DeathBecomesMe


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New Concepts Publishing www.newconceptspublishing.com
Copyright ©2008 by Elisa Adams



NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.








CONTENTS


Chapter One


Chapter Two


Chapter Three


Chapter Four


Chapter Five


Chapter Six


Chapter Seven


Chapter Eight


Chapter Nine


Chapter Ten


Chapter Eleven


Chapter Twelve


Chapter Thirteen


Chapter Fourteen


Chapter Fifteen


Chapter Sixteen


Chapter Seventeen


Chapter Eighteen


Chapter Nineteen


Chapter Twenty


Chapter Twenty One


Epilogue

* * * *



Death Becomes Me
By
Dawn Munroe
© copyright by Dawn Munroe, Sept. 2008
Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, Sept. 2008
ISBN 978-1-60394-229-4
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author's imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.







Chapter One

The thing that pissed me off the most about being dead was seeing my boyfriend with another woman. The lousy, no good jerk hadn't even waited a week before finding someone else to warm his bed. And not just any someone else. Melissa. My Best Friend Since Fourth Grade. Betrayal sliced through me, making me want to double over from the pain, but I refused to give in to the emotion. I'd learned a lot about my former life in the week since leaving it, and this new knowledge did not fill me with warmth and comfort.
The people I cared about, my friends, were nothing more than a bunch of shallow, backstabbing twits who didn't understand the meaning of working for something they wanted. Old family money, every last one. In my social circle, ‘job’ had been a dirty word.
I used to be one of them, but my viewpoint had done a one-eighty since my death.
A week was a long time when a girl had nothing to do but spend endless hours reflecting on past dreams and mistakes. It had taken me exactly two days to come to the realization that I hadn't been a good person. I would have given anything to change that, but real death had nothing in common with Hollywood blockbuster death. I couldn't atone for my sins. Couldn't turn back time, return to my old life, and make things right again.
But apparently I could get my body back.

If I accepted a very unusual offer.
A grunt snapped my attention to the scene playing out on the TV screen in front of me. I turned away, shifting my butt—which had long ago gone completely numb—on the hard metal chair. “Okay. That's more than enough, thank you very much."

Way more. Watching them for any longer was wrong on so many levels. Having just become solid again, burning my eyeballs out of my head didn't hold a lot of appeal.
The woman sitting next to me picked up a small silver remote and aimed it at the flat panel TV. The screen went blessedly blank, the room thrown into silence.
"Are you ready to accept?” she asked me, one pencil-thin black eyebrow arched.
Accepting her offer would be akin to admitting clinical insanity. That was how crazy the whole thing sounded. Part of me still hesitated, sure her offer had to be some kind of sick prank. “I don't know."
"Well, Miss Nevins, you'd better decide. I can't wait all eternity.” Her blood-red nails clacked on the metal table in a rhythm that made me want to reach over and break her fingers. But I took a deep breath, leaned back against the chair, and tried to banish the lurid and somewhat disturbing images of Tony and Melissa from my mind.
"This is a huge decision you're asking me to make. Don't you think it would be fair to give me a little more than ten minutes to think about it?"
The eyebrow shot higher than should have been possible and a corner of her mouth rose to match. “Fair? You're worried about what's fair? Did you ever worry about what was fair in your lifetime? Did you ever even give a second thought to other people while you were so busy thinking of yourself?"
I put my palm to my forehead and let out a frustrated sigh. She had a point there, as much as I hated to admit it. Funny thing was, a couple weeks ago I wouldn't have thought twice about my selfishness. Now she'd forced me to face everything.
Death sucked. There was no other way to describe it. And yes it sounds cliché and probably a little escapist, but I blame the whole stupid mess on my mother. No, scratch that. I blame it on my great-grandmother. My mother had just been following tradition.
In case you're wondering how I ended up in this situation, let me take a second to fill you in.
I'd been raised by a woman who taught me my greatest achievement in life would be to marry a rich man, like she had, and her mother and grandmother had before her. Rather than encourage me to do well in school and get into a good college, she convinced me that clothing, makeup, and the fine art of styling my hair were what I needed to perfect.

Nevins women did not, under any circumstances, leave the house looking anything less than their best.

With that single fact drilled into my head from the time I was old enough to hold a tube of lipstick, I bided my time until my eighteenth birthday and set out to find myself a suitable husband. Growing up pampered, spoiled by my parents and never having to get a real job had fed the Find a Rich Husband Soon mentality. Why should I work for anything when I could have it handed to me on a platinum platter?
By the time I hit twenty-six and was still without a fiancé, my mother had started to get worried, so she took matters into her own hands. Enter Dr. Tony Gilmore, my father's colleague and number one pick on my mother's list of Men Kendra Really Needs to Tie Down.
And that was when everything went wrong.
For a year I did as taught and cultivated the relationship, slowly nudging Tony closer and closer to the edge of commitment. One more little shove and he would have toppled. He'd been hinting around that he was ready to make a Big Decision, but fate had a funny way of never letting me get what I really wanted.
The setting was perfect. A candlelight dinner at one of the city's most exclusive and trendy restaurants. The champagne just kept flowing. I'd worn the dress to end all dresses—a low cut, slinky number in my favorite color. Wine.
The color of blood. I should have taken that as an omen, but in my bliss, I'd ignored the signs.
The evening started off like the fairytale I'd always envisioned. Tony was my blond, blue eyed Prince Charming and we were going to live happily ever after and have a bunch of blond, blue eyed clones to make our lives complete. We'd live in a huge house in a gated community, send our children to the best private schools, and host dinner parties that would have everyone talking for months.
Now that I'd had a chance to think I realized, had my dreams come true, my life would have been an exact replica of the life my shallow and petty mother lived. At the time, all I'd been able to think about was the fact that my world would finally be complete.
The noises had dimmed around us, the other patrons fading into the background until it was just the two of us in the room. He got That Look in his eyes, the one that told me I was the only woman for him, and I knew it would happen. The moment I'd been waiting for. Tony would finally propose.
I was probably glamorizing the whole situation, seeing a romance that really hadn't been there, but what can I say? I'd been dreaming about the day my boyfriend proposed since I was barely out of diapers. My mother swore my first words were ‘I do'.
"So, Kendra,” Tony had said, his voice soft and loving, full of an emotion I'd never heard before.
I leaned forward and took his hand in mine. “Yes, Tony?"
"I've been dying to ask you something."
And I'd been dying to answer. A smile crept up the corners of my mouth and if he didn't ask soon I might do something juvenile like giggle. “Yes?"
Months of scouring bridal magazines and window shopping in upscale wedding boutiques for dresses that would cost a few years’ college tuition were finally coming true. I'd already chosen my gown, picked out the reception hall, and decided on a caterer. Wouldn't a June wedding be wonderful? The only thing missing was the ring, and it wouldn't be for long if That Look meant anything.
"I've been thinking about this for a while, Kendra.” He smiled, flashing his brilliant, perfect white veneers. Perfect like Tony. Perfect like our love.
And just as fake, as I'd soon come to realize.
"So have I, Tony. So have I."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. I was so nervous all day long, trying to think of the right way to say this, but sitting here with you, having you so close, lets me know I'm making the right decision.” He squeezed my hand and I tensed, my nerves on edge. Here it came. My greatest fantasy.
"What do you need to ask me, Tony?” As if I didn't already know.
"Would you let me work on your nose?"
All the blood rushed from my body and my vision went hazy. What had he just asked me? He had not just offered his services as a plastic surgeon. Butthead. I want my ring!
"Excuse me? What's wrong with my nose?"
He'd smiled in the way only Tony could smile, sexy and patronizing all at once, and brushed his finger down the bridge of my nose. “You have a tiny little bump, right there. I can't seem to get my focus off it whenever I look at you. I could shave it off in an afternoon, and then you'd be perfect. If you'd let me do this, it would mean the world to me. What do you say? I could schedule you in at the end of the week."
I opened my mouth to give him a scathing reply—who did he think he was, anyway? My cute, pert little nose so did not need work—when his cell phone chimed in with its annoying ring tone.
Tony straightened and raised a finger, brushing it lightly across my lips. “Hold that thought, sweetheart. I have to take this."
He stood up and walked across the room to a quiet corner, leaving me all alone to stew in the horror show the evening had become. In my rage, I wasn't careful how I ate, and that's when the cherry tomato that led to my demise came in. To make a long story short, it lodged in my throat and before I knew it everything around me started to fade.
Tony, intent on his phone call, ignored the whole thing, even when I banged my fists on the table to get his attention. The dinner roll I chucked at him didn't even come close to its mark, thanks to the lousy aim inherited from my father. I think someone sitting nearby tried to save me, but it was no use.
It wasn't long before everything disappeared.
I don't know how many days I spent in nothingness, the world around me little more than thick gray mist, but I came back just in time for my funeral and had been hanging around in a ghostly, without-a-body way ever since.
Right up until some unknown force had pulled me from watching my family eat dinner and dropped me, none too lightly mind you, into a reality so much harsher than the cushy one I'd previously inhabited.

Metal folding chairs? What kind of torture was this, anyway?
"Miss Nevins? Would you mind following along with the conversation please?"
I blinked to clear the past from my mind. No sense ruminating over what couldn't be changed. It would only depress me, and I didn't do depression very well. Crying made me look all red-faced and bloated. “Excuse me for being a little hesitant. This last week has been nothing but shocks to my system. Would you mind giving me a break?"
My gaze drifted around the small, windowless white room. It was pristine, not a speck of dust or grime—or color, for that matter—anywhere. Sterile, in a very unpleasant and jarring sort of way. No smells, sounds, or hints of any kind to help me discern the location. Nothing but a metal table, that funky little silver plasma TV, two cold gray chairs and me.
And the creepy woman who had brought me here to torture me with images that would haunt my nightmares for years to come.
Did ghosts have nightmares?
Did they even sleep?
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and couldn't help but shudder. There was an eerie quality about her that I couldn't describe, but it settled into an uneasy sensation in the pit of my stomach. She was beautiful, if one could consider vampires or demons attractive. Aloof and skinny. Haunting. Long, straight black hair and skin so fair it seemed nearly translucent. The whole package was so 80s Slasher Flick it was almost comical.
I'd expected her to introduce herself as Morticia or Elvira. My mother would have loved to get her hands on Ice Queen here and drag her to the make-up counter for a makeover. Hadn't the woman ever heard of the aesthetic benefits of a spray tan? Perhaps someone should let her know the goth didn't suit many people over the age of twenty-two.
She fixed her silver-eyed glare on me, those fingernails tapping on the tabletop. Again. I gulped. Well, I certainly wasn't going to be the one to tell her.
"You would have had more time to make your decision if you hadn't been late,” she said.
I couldn't be late for an appointment that didn't exist. I'd explained this to her when I'd first arrived, but she apparently hadn't listened. “I told you already. I'm not late. I don't even know where I am. You must be waiting for someone else."
"No, it's you we've been waiting for. You should have been here days ago."

Doubtful. Days ago, I should have been kicking my boyfriend's ass for daring to suggest a nose job rather than proposing like the idiot was supposed to. This place, wherever it was, hadn't even entered into my plans.
"Explain something to me, please. Where am I?” It was a question I'd asked when I'd first been dumped into this room about ten minutes ago, but she had yet to answer.
"Here."

Well, duh.

Was this some kind of initiation for new ghosts? A game of Let's Confuse the New Girl? “Yeah, I kinda got that from your earlier complaint. Would you care to tell me what it is I seem to be late for, though I wasn't even aware I had an appointment? And why you think showing me videos of my boyfriend with someone else will help my decision? It didn't do anything more than make me sick."
"First, they aren't videos. It's a live feed.” She pursed her lips, her gaze seeming to pass right through me. “And second, isn't it obvious why I've shown you what your fiancé has been doing with his time?"
Um, no.
When I didn't answer, she smirked and continued. “I assumed seeing that the life you left wasn't as perfect as you thought would help you in your decision."
Like that hadn't already become painfully obvious. The only thing watching Tony had helped me decide was that, since I'd been made solid again, I needed to go find the jerkwad and tell him to shove his nose job suggestions and all his false proclamations of love up his rear end. “Do I really have a choice in the matter?"
"Well, no, not really. But we find if we offer, the new recruits are more willing to do the jobs assigned to them."
A groan, half from frustration and half from self-irritation, lodged in my throat. Why had I not been nicer while I was alive? At least then I might have had a chance at heaven. “So this is hell, huh?” And apparently my job, for the rest of eternity, would be keeping the world free from evil. A little ironic, considering hell was where the evil people went when they died.
My question got a laugh out of her, albeit a small and condescending one. “Hell? Now that's one I haven't heard before. You aren't in hell."
"Then where am I?” If this was heaven, I wanted a refund on all the Sunday mornings I'd spent in church pretending to listen to the sermons. “Does this place have a name?"
"This place? Not really.” She sat in the chair across from me and what she probably thought passed as a smile flitted across her lips. “There's no name. You're just ... here."
"Oh, okay. That makes so much more sense now.” Almost as much sense as when she'd walked into the room and told me I could have a body back if I pledged to spend the rest of my life fighting demons.

Not.


[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Two

Ice Queen shot me a withering look. “Listen to me, Miss Nevins. I've had enough of the fooling around. I'm starting to lose my patience. This is serious and if you continue to deny your destiny there will be consequences. It's important that you pay very close attention to what I say, or else you might miss something."
Yeah, like the fact that she wasn't saying anything at all. At least not anything I could understand. A girl needed a cheat sheet to follow along with the conversation. I might not have been a genius, but I had enough brains to know the woman wasn't making any sense. When she'd first made her offer, it had sounded like a joke. I could live again, but I'd have to work ridding the world of demons, vampires, and various other baddies I'd never even heard of? Please. But the look in her eyes had warned me how serious she was. Either my afterlife had taken a decidedly weird turn, or I'd been dropped into a mental hospital and this woman had forgotten to take her medication.
I opened my mouth to speak, but her glare stopped me cold.
"Let me finish. You will not say another word until I'm done. Do you understand me?"
I blinked, afraid that even nodding would set her off again. Off-balance didn't even begin to describe her.
"I asked you a question, Miss Nevins. Someone of your social standing should know it's polite to answer when spoken to."
"You told me not to speak until you were finished."
Fury filled her gaze for two seconds before her cool and collected façade slipped back into place. I struggled—and failed-to hold in a totally out-of-place giggle.
"There's nothing funny about this,” she barked. “Your assignment starts in two days. You have so much to learn. So just shut up, for once in your life, and listen."
My humor died a quick, but not so painless, death. The surrealism of the situation would have been laughable had the look in her eyes not been so murderous. I had enough sense to know when to stand up for myself and when to keep my mouth shut. This was definitely not a time to argue.
She glanced at the watch strapped to her wrist, pushed the chair away from the table and stood. “Nick should have been here to show you around. I simply do not have time for this today, and he's well aware of that. Why must you people test me at every turn?"
She paced the length of the room, stopping in front of the door. It slid open, creaking softly on its hinges, and she hadn't even touched it. One might have found that odd, disturbing even, but after coming back from the dead there wasn't much that could surprise a person. There were so many weird things going on at once that my mind was trying to shut down and ignore them all. I had to admit it was doing a pretty good job, too.
Ice Queen slammed her fists onto her hips. “Nick, get your no good ass in here. Now."
Silence so thick I could have sworn I heard crickets chirping met her command and after a few minutes she threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated sigh. She came back to the table, propped her scrawny hip against the corner, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Nick is a ... challenge. You'll have to learn quickly how to keep him in line or else you'll end up miserable."
She glared at me pointedly, like it was all my fault some absentminded guy named Nick hadn't done what he was supposed to do. Like I was the one who'd set up this deranged little meeting in the first place.
And why would I need to keep him in line? Wasn't that her job? She was so obviously in charge of the place—and probably thought she was in charge of the whole world.
"I haven't said I'd take your offer yet,” I reminded her. Her icy glare had me wanting to pull my words back. A chill danced down the length of my spine and I fought the urge to scoot my chair across the room away from her.
"I believe I already told you, Miss Nevins, you have no choice in the matter. You've been chosen to battle against evil and neither of us can get you out of it now. It's much too late for that."
A small part of me wondered if the whole death thing had been a dream. If I'd wake up in the morning in my California-king-sized bed and realize all of this was one big nightmare induced by Tony's nose job suggestion. Fighting evil? Vampires and demons? That only happened on TV.
"I've lived on the planet for twenty.... “I choked on my real age, old habit kicking in, “or so years, and I've never seen evidence of this evil you keep talking about.” Not unless I was watching a horror movie and even then it wasn't really all that scary.
"And I'm willing to bet that before you choked to death, you'd never believed in ghosts, either."
Any reply I might have had froze on my tongue. She had a point, damn it. That so wasn't fair. Before my death, I hadn't even imagined a whole world existed beyond what I knew. But now, nothing seemed certain anymore. “How did you know I choked?"
"I know a lot about you. Everything important. We all do here."
A shiver danced down my spine. How creepy. I was pretty sure she wasn't going to shut up until I listened to what she had to say, I relented, though the words sounded strange coming out of my mouth. “Okay. Tell me more about this ... evil."
"You should know this already. It isn't my job to explain it to you. Details and explanations should have come from your partner.” She stood and waved a bony hand in front of her face. “I just do not have time for this. Once Nick gets here, you can ask him all the questions you like. He has no choice but to answer. He's been assigned to work with you, after all."
A knock sounded on the half open door and her face relaxed into the first real smile I'd seen. Seeing her expression make such a dramatic shift did nothing to ease the creepy-crawly sensations I got being close to her but at least now I didn't get the feeling she'd bite off my head if I said anything else.
She faced me with a curt nod. “Finally he's arrived. Now you'll see what I mean. If you let him, he'll walk all over you. You have to put your foot down or you'll lose control of him very quickly."
I narrowed my eyes. She was talking about the guy like he was some kind of dog. Heel, Nick.
The door opened and the scariest, sexiest man I'd ever seen walked into the room. My jaw dropped so low I wouldn't have been surprised if it hit the floor. Everything about him was dark and very spooky, from his shaggy hair to his eyes to the heavy stubble lining his jaw. Even his black jeans and matching t-shirt lent to the shadowy and mysterious image. He had to be at least six-two, with the shoulders of a football player and the muscles of a man who spent several hours a day in the gym. My mouth watered, and other parts of my body started to get a little damp. Oh, my God.
I gulped. This guy could walk all over me any time he wanted to.
He was so far removed from the world I'd previously inhabited his presence only reinforced the unreality of the whole experience. He could hold me down with a single big hand. Death must have brought out a hidden masochistic streak in me because that thought thrilled me a lot more than it should.
The scowl on his face told me how much he didn't enjoy being summoned by Ice Queen, and when he turned that scowl on me, another shiver raced right to my toes. For more than one reason. I'd never really been attracted to bad boys. Hadn't even known any real ones in my sheltered little existence, but if this was Nick, saving the world from ‘evil’ might not be such a hardship after all.
"Where have you been?” Ice Queen asked him in her cool, deceptively calm voice.
He lifted a bulky shoulder, his gaze challenging. “Around."
"You had a job to do."
"I didn't feel like it. So sue me."
I leaned forward in my seat, intent on the action in front of me. This was better than daytime TV.
"Whether nor not you feel like it,” Ice Queen continued. “You still have to do it. Now it's your fault she'll be incompetent. If she gets you injured, don't come crying to me."
My back went ramrod straight. Hold on a flippin’ second. Where did she get off calling me incompetent? Growing up pampered didn't render me incapable of taking care of myself. “Excuse me?"
Both heads turned toward me.
"Yeah?” Mr. Tall, Dark, and Scary asked. His voice was deep and rough like honey coated gravel. The rough quality turned me on more than it should, especially since he was looking at me like he wanted to stomp me into the floor. “You want something?"
"Never mind.” I shrank back against my chair. My bravado only went so far.
His black-coffee gaze locked with mine and held, and I found myself powerless to look away. A glint of knowing amusement flashed across his eyes and the corners of his mouth twitched. There was something mysterious in those dark depths and it seemed to mesmerize me. At the same time, it made me want to throw myself into his arms. What was wrong with me? Had I lost my mind?
Ice Queen cleared her throat. “Miss Nevins, as I'm sure you've figured out, this is Nick. You'll be working with him starting today."
Working with him in the job I had no choice but to do. Oh, joy. I rolled my eyes. Since I was supposed to be Ridding the World of Evil, I had to assume it would involve some kind of physical contact with said Evil from time to time. Would it kill them to drop a few details? When it came to demon hunting, I had no clue where to start. If these people expected me to do anything past giving the evil creatures makeup and skincare tips, they were out of luck.
Growing up I'd held my own against my three brothers, but Sean, the heaviest, weighed in at a whopping hundred and fifty pounds and cried at the first inkling of pain. Knocking him to his knees had been the matter of a single, well-placed kick to the shin. Tall, Dark, and Scary could crush me with very little effort, if any, on his part. According to Ice Queen, I didn't have any choice but to work with the guy. The fact that she'd asked at all was just a formality. One I can't say I appreciated.
Tall, Dark, and Scary crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me in much the same way Ice Queen had a few minutes ago. “So this is her, huh?"
Ice Queen nodded.
"Are you sure?"
I bristled at his demeaning tone and the disbelief in his narrowed eyes. “Is there something wrong with me that I should know about?"
His gaze dropped to my breasts—pig—before slowly coming back to my face. “For one thing, you're a little thin."
I couldn't hide the smile that tickled the corners of my lips. He didn't mean it as a compliment but the vanity instilled in me from early childhood wouldn't let me take the words as anything else. “Thank you."
"That's not a good thing."
Since when? My mother steadfastly lived by the saying you could never be too rich, or too thin. Lucky for me, I'd been blessed with both money and a lightning-fast metabolism. I wasn't thin, at least not in a chic anorexic starlet way, but I'd never had to work too hard to stay in my size sixes. “In my world it is."
"You're not there anymore, are you?” He shook his head. “For another thing, you're too ... fragile."
Fragile? Please. I was the biggest klutz in the world—case in point, the cherry tomato incident—yet I'd never broken a major body part. My bones were like steel. They'd have to be, or else I would have ended up in a full body cast by the time I hit twelve and falling down the stairs had become a weekly event. “I am so not fragile, buddy."
His look said ‘big fat liar’ better than words could have. He stepped closer and pressed his palms onto the tabletop, leaning over me with that glare. “You're going to fight demons, rogue vampires, and werewolves?"
Coming out of his mouth, it sounded even more fantastical than it had from Ice Queen. Was this some sort of reality TV for the afterlife? If I hadn't spent the previous week floating around as what amounted to fog with eyes, I might have had a harder time believing their story. But, despite the fact that this greatly resembled the plot of a horror novel, something about Ice Queen's offer had a ring of truth. Or maybe I needed a dose of her medication.
"I guess I am.” And later that afternoon I was having high tea with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare before my date with Prince Charming.
"You'll never make it,” Tall, Dark and Scary continued, his voice half evil whisper, half sensual caress.

Oh, Lord. I shifted on the chair. It had to be the stress of Tony's nose job suggestion followed by my unfortunate death causing my reaction to the man. No other explanation fit. I did not go for bad boys, and this guy was the king. Plus, he was a jerk. I'd punch him in the face for his comments, but he might retaliate.
"What are they going to do, kill me?” I asked him, my tone filled with a lot more bravado than I felt.
He pushed off the table with an aggravated grunt and turned to Ice Queen. “You're really going to give this one immortality?"
"I already have."
What was his problem, anyway? What had I ever done to him to make him so mean and nasty to me? Granted, I hadn't been perfect in my—
Hold on a second.

Immortality? This might be some crazy, mixed up death, but I really liked the sound of that one little word. I latched onto it, let the hope grow inside me, and faced my new partner with determination. I still didn't know whether I wanted this job or not, but if I had to do it I would do it all the way. I'd prove him wrong, and love every blessed second of my victory. “I'll be the best damned demon and vampire hunter you've ever seen."
Not so much werewolves, though. I was allergic to dogs.
Tall, Dark and Scary laughed, a rich, deep sound that made me want to punch his lights out. And do a few other things to him I refused to acknowledge for fear that it might make me look like a wanton slut.
His laughter finally winding down, he shook his head. “Yeah, right. You won't even survive a few days of training."

Wanna bet, jerkface? I never backed down from a challenge. Never. I fought for what I wanted, and I always got my way. Eventually. Call me spoiled, but it seemed that mentality would help me out in this situation. “Not only will I survive, but I'll kick your sorry butt in the process."
"I'd like to see you try."
His words strengthened my resolve. He could laugh all he wanted, for now, but come the start of my new job the guy was going down.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Three

Nick shot me a look that was part challenge, part warning—though definitely a lot more warning. A ball of ice settled into the pit of my stomach. The tenuous threads of my resolve started to unravel, slipping away into the silence stretching between us. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. Okay, so maybe antagonizing him had been a mistake, but letting him push me around would have been a bigger one.
"I will try. And you'd better watch out, too. I'm a master of...” Of what? Painting my nails? Think, Kendra. Think. “Of ... something."
Nick coughed, probably to cover a laugh. More humor glinted in his dark eyes, and it only served to fuel my agitation. I pushed my chair back and stood, ready to let him know what I thought of his attitude. But I didn't get very far before my legs, flesh and blood for the first time in a week, buckled and gave out. I would have landed in a heap on the floor if Nick hadn't leaned forward and lifted me back onto my feet. With one hand.

Show off.

I leaned against the wall, trying to keep my body straight when it really wanted to melt into a puddle on the linoleum. More of my mother's advice chose that moment to come back and haunt me.

Always be gracious, Kendra, even when you don't want to be.

I tried to smile at Nick, but didn't think I managed much more than a sneer. “Thank you."
"Don't get used to it. When we're out on the field, you're going to have to stand on your own. I won't spend every night picking you up off the ground. If you fall, I'll just leave you there.” He swung his aggravated gaze toward Ice Queen, his hands clenched into massive fists. “This is a joke, right? You aren't really saddling me with her. Even you wouldn't be that stupid."
"No joke, Nick. I'd watch what you say to me. And to Miss Nevins.” She took a step toward him, her arms crossed over her chest. The deadly expression on her face had me shaking in my shoes, and for once her ire wasn't even directed at me.
Nick, a study in cold, hard granite, didn't even bat an eyelash. “And why is that? What are you going to do, fire me?"
"No. That would be too easy.” A smirk turned up the corners of her thin lips. “But after what happened to your last partner, I think you might want to be a little more careful with what you do and say. Wouldn't want to live with the guilt of letting it happen again now, would you?"
Nick threw her a dirty look, but his shoulders slumped and some of the tension left the hard lines of his face. His hands relaxed and he shoved them into the pockets of his jeans. “Fine. Whatever."
I gulped. This didn't look promising. Though if Ice Queen could intimidate him, maybe I had a chance. “What happened to your last partner?"
"Nothing,” they blurted in unison, a little too quickly for my comfort.
I opened my mouth to prod them into telling me more, but Nick's expression turned all sinister and scary again and my mouth snapped shut. No sense making him hate me on the first day. There would be plenty of time for that later. It wouldn't be smart to pick an argument with him until I'd gotten my bearings and we were on more even ground. If there could even be such a thing between us.
Ice Queen glanced at her watch. “You'd better get moving, Nick. It's late. You really don't have any more time to waste, and your partner deserves to be settled first. She'll need a day or two to acclimate herself to having a body again.” She swung her disapproving gaze toward me. “Good luck, Miss Nevins. I have a feeling you're going to need it."
Without another word, she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.
I shuddered at the cold air left in her wake. “She's lovely."
"She's not so bad. You'll get used to her."
Said the man who could break Ice Queen in half just by blowing on her. “If you say so."
"I do.” He shook his head, a lock of his dark hair falling over his eyes. It would have been endearing on anyone else but him. On him, even something so innocent seemed suspect. “She's right. You're going to want to get settled, and I want to get you out of my hair for a little while before I'm stuck with you every night. Come on."
He walked out the door, leaving me gaping at his harsh words. Get me out of his hair? Where did he get off saying something like that to me? The man really did deserve a good ass-kicking. And as soon as I found someone as big and strong as he was to help me, I'd make sure he got it.
"Nevins?” His voice came from somewhere beyond the door. “I'm not waiting much longer. You wouldn't want to get lost here. Trust me. You'd never find your way out."
From where I stood “never” seemed like a really long time. I forced my still-shaky body into action and went after Tall, Dark and Scary.
The hallway I stepped into had the same color scheme as the room we'd just left. Blank. A complete absence of color and style. Everything was white, from the tiled floor to the walls and the ceiling. Even the few doors that lined the hall had been painted a dull, flat white. Maybe whoever ran the place thought the color was soothing, but it did nothing to ease the turmoil inside me. The coldness around me gave me the creeps. Nick, with all his odd gloom and mystery, stood out against the pristine backdrop like a greasy fingerprint smeared on a jewelry store case.
He shook his head. “Are you ready now, or is there something else you want to bug me about?"
"I'm ready.” Jerk.
"About damned time.” He took off down the hall at a pace my wobbly legs had trouble keeping up with. Asking him to slow down would only reinforce his opinion that I was a little piece of fluff that couldn't handle the job, so I bit back my request and tried to match his strides.
I followed him down the hall, my six-hundred-dollar heels clacking hollowly on the shiny tile. His boots hardly made a sound past a dull, rapid thump-a noise that echoed the beating of my heart. It was a strange feeling, being whole again. Being solid and breathing. And speaking.
I had plenty of reasons to do that. Someone was going to start answering my questions, no matter what I had to do to make it happen.
"Will you please tell me what's going on?” I asked Nick's back.
He didn't bother to stop walking, or even slow his ridiculously fast pace. “Lena explained it all to you, didn't she?"
Was their chain of command really so warped that they all thought someone else was supposed to explain things? “Lena?"
"The woman you met back there. Didn't she tell you anything?"
So Ice Queen had a name. A normal one. For some reason, that surprised me. “Not really. She said you were supposed to do it."
My gaze drifted down the length of Nick's back, watching the play of muscles under the thin fabric of his shirt. A small smile touched my lips. Not bad for an archaic moron. Not bad at all. And then my gaze drifted lower, just below the waistline of his jeans and the way the material hugged his tight rear. Nice. The men in my world didn't look like him. They weren't chiseled, weren't hard and strong. No sense of danger or mystery about them at all. They were lean, cultured and polished. Always clean, always impeccably groomed without the slightest hint of ragged facial hair. All clones of their fathers with their brand new luxury sedans and their tailored Italian suits. Too perfect. Too boring. Nick was a nice change from what I'd known before. I might not like the jerk very much, but that didn't mean I couldn't look. And drool.
I ran my finger along the smooth wall as we walked, reveling in the ability to reach out and touch things again. My fingers itched to touch something else—something warm and solid and encased in a pair of black jeans worn in all the right places. Knowing Nick wouldn't appreciate my ... appreciation ... of the male form, I clasped my hands behind my back. Even though my attention was purely from an artistic point of view given that I couldn't stand the guy, he wouldn't understand. No sense risking the loss of a couple fingers just to enjoy being whole again.
"Why does Lena always leave me with the dirty work?” He pushed a big hand through his hair, finally stopping at the end of the hall in front of an elevator bank. My shoes, not made for the slippery tile, didn't allow me to stop as fast as he did, and I skidded until I was just a few inches behind him. That close, every breath I took was filled with the scent of his cologne. I recognized it instantly, and it stirred something low in my stomach. Obsession. A classic, but still sexy as hell. I shivered. Of all the colognes he could choose, why did it have to be the one that made my impulse control want to take a leave of absence?
Were evil hunters even allowed to wear cologne? For some reason, the idea struck me as a little too mortal to belong in this strange place. I bit back the question. It was probably better not to ask. If I could just stay silent and keep my curiosity at bay for a little longer, maybe I'd learn something that might actually be useful.
Like what Nick's weak points were, and how to exploit them to get back at him for being such a chauvinistic pig.
He pressed the elevator button and the white metal doors slid open, revealing a tiny elevator with—surprise—white walls and a white tile floor.
"You've got to be kidding me,” I muttered, following Nick into the cramped space.
He stabbed the button lit with the number three, propped his hip against the wall, and stared down at me. “What's the matter this time?"
Nothing, except the fact that if I saw one more white room I might try to find a window and jump out. “Doesn't anywhere in this place have some color?"
"Looks like you do.” His gaze drifted down my neck, settling somewhere near my waist. He brought his hand up, his finger flicking the spaghetti strap at my left shoulder before he dropped his arm to his side. “A lot of color. Interesting shade of purple."
I shivered right down to the tips of my toes from the contact, and my nipples beaded against the cups of my strapless bra. “It's not purple. It's wine. Very, very deep red. And don't touch me again. I'll make you regret it."
"Red, purple ... whatever.” His laugh reverberated through the metal cube. Typical man, unable to tell one color from another. No wonder why so many of them couldn't even match a pair of socks. “And what's with the no touching stuff? Afraid you might like it?"

Might not like it? I definitely liked it. A little too much for my own good. Luckily, I was saved from having to fabricate a scathing reply. The elevator jerked to a halt and the doors slid open onto a square, dull white entryway with a stairwell on one side and a gray metal door on the other.
"Here we are.” Nick ushered me off the elevator, his hand on my back—probably just to rile me after I'd warned him to keep his hands to himself. I tried to squirm out from under his touch, but it only made him press his palm closer.
Once the doors slid closed behind us, he spoke, his tone all business. “Pay attention. You'll need to know this stuff. The stairs on the right lead down to the parking garage a few levels below. The door on the left will take us to the third floor apartments. I'm sure a little princess like you will be much more comfortable there."
I bristled at the term, but didn't have a chance to defend myself against his unfair allegations. He stepped away from me to push open the door and my breath left my lungs all at once in a relieved sigh.
"This is where I'll be living?” I asked, taking in the long, beige carpeted hallway and the peach colored walls adorned with brass sconces and Monet reproductions in black plastic frames. There was a single door on either side of us, halfway down the hall. A bit too Three Star Hotel for me, but after all the sterile blankness, I'd take whatever splash of color I could get.
"This is it. Your apartment is number three-b.” He gestured to the door on the right. “Here. Take this."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key ring with a single key dangling from the loop. I held out my hand and the cool metal dropped into my palm. “Don't lose it. Lena will give you hell if you ask her to get another one made. Trust me on this one. She won't go easy on you just because you're new. She doesn't do easy, with anybody, but especially the green ones."

That was reassuring. Not. I shuddered at the thought, but at the same time my tensed muscles all seemed to relax. “Um, thanks. I think. Can I go inside now?"
Anything to get away from him for a little while so I could breathe again. So many mixed emotions raced around inside my head I was afraid my skull would burst open.
"In a minute."
I rolled my eyes. “Of course. Dangle the carrot in front of me, but don't let me have it. That would be far too kind."
Nick ignored me. “We're all expected to keep in good physical shape, for obvious reasons, so we're required to work out at least four days a week. The gym is on the first floor. Take the elevator downstairs, and you can't miss it. Go ahead inside your apartment, change into something more suitable, and meet me there in ten minutes. We can go over some details, and you can squeeze in a workout before it gets too late."
I glanced at my wrist, just noticing the absence of the watch that usually wrapped around it. I was wearing everything else I'd died with, right down to the tummy-tuck panties currently threatening to cut off the circulation in my lower body. Why not that one piece of jewelry? “What time is it, anyway? And where is my nine-hundred dollar watch?"
Nick's gaze dropped to his own watch, an inexpensive navy blue sports one. “A little after midnight. And I don't know anything about your watch. You have to ask Lena. She takes care of that stuff."
No thanks. From now on I wanted to avoid all possible contact with the woman.
He smirked and waggled his brows, and for a second I got the strange sensation he could read my thoughts. But the moment passed when he spoke again. “You have nine minutes left, Nevins. Enough standing around. Better get moving."
I sighed, unlocked the door to my apartment and let myself inside. Working with this guy would have been the death of me, if my salad hadn't already brought on my demise.
* * * *
Five minutes later I locked my apartment door and headed down the hall to the elevator. Nick's deadline of ten minutes hadn't given me much time to look around my new digs—but sadly, it had been more than enough. Three rooms and a bathroom. Ecru walls, beige carpet. Cheap furniture. Cheaper cabinets and countertops.
After spending at least five minutes searching the single closet in my tiny new apartment for cute workout wear, I'd given up and changed into the serviceable gray tank top and matching shorts that seemed the only thing suitable for the torture I was about to endure. I made a mental note to find whoever had done my shopping and kick their butt to the curb.
"I can hardly contain my excitement,” I muttered, stabbing the down button. The elevator door slid open and I stepped inside.
A strange vibrating sensation at my waist made me jump. My heart lurched into my throat for about two seconds before I figured out what had tickled me. The brand new cell phone clipped to the waistband of my shorts. I'd found the tiny, silver flip phone on my kitchen counter, along with a note instructing me to keep it with me, turned on, at all times. So I'd turned the little device on, but had yet to figure out how to activate the ringer. Like everything else around here, the phone had been given to me sans instruction manual. Like I needed a phone call in the middle of adjusting to my own personal hell.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped into the first floor hallway. I blinked in surprise. It looked the same as the hallway outside my apartment, with the exception of the glass-front doors and the bank of mailboxes in an alcove to the left. The gym was right where Nick said it would be, and across the hall sat another glass door leading outside.
The phone buzzed against my side again, and I groaned. Whoever was calling was persistent. Probably Nick, wanting to berate me for being two and a half seconds late. I unclipped the phone, flipped it open and brought it to my ear. “Hello?"
"Welcome home, Kendra,” the tinny, masculine voice answered my greeting.
I froze. Not Nick. The voice, though friendly, wasn't one I recognized. Was there some kind of supernatural welcome wagon around here? “Um ... thanks?"
"You'll be an asset to the team."
Yeah. Right. And yellow plaid bellbottoms would be in style next fall. “Is this some kind of joke?"
I walked over to the mailboxes, my finger running along each one until I came to mine. Apartment three-b. Jackson? I sighed. Must have been the last slave ... er, tenant. I'd have to have them change that pretty quick.
"Of course it's no joke. I'm serious."
My eyebrows shot up. And I was the queen of England. If this was Nick's sick idea of a joke, I was going to have to find some way to pay him back. A kick in the balls might just do it. At least that was something I could manage myself, though I'd have to run away pretty fast afterward. “You do realize there's been a huge mistake, right? I don't belong here."
"If you're unhappy, I could help you remedy that. I'm sure we could come up with a very ... equitable solution."
All the blood rushed from my head. This wasn't funny anymore. Something about his voice raised the hair on the back of my neck. I half-expected to hear freaky horror-movie music playing in the background.
I darted glances around the hallway but saw no one. The lights didn't flicker, shadows didn't sway in the corners, and doors didn't open and shut on their own, but the creeped-out feeling wouldn't go away.
"Do I know you?” I asked still looking around to make sure I hadn't missed anything the first time.
"Not yet. But I'm sure we'll be meeting soon."
"Not if I can help it, buddy.” I said, rushing across the hallway to the gym door. “It's been great talking to you, but I have to go."
"So soon?"
I shivered at his tone. He was playing with me. Taunting me. My feet turned to lead and my stomach twisted into a knot. This was not one of the good guys. I didn't understand how I knew, just that I did.
"Soon? Believe me, buddy. It feels like forever. Do me a favor. Lose this number.” I snapped the phone closed and turned the knob with shaky fingers. Once inside the safety of the gym, I slumped against the wall and slid down until my butt hit the floor.
And then I glanced up and found my new partner standing over me, his eyebrows raised and a sadistic smile on his face.
"Problems already, Nevins?"
"No, no problems.” I stood and swiped my hand across my forehead. It came away coated with sweat. I held the offending cell phone, along with my key ring, in front of me. “Where can I put these?"
"Just drop them on the shelf by the door and we can get started."
I snorted. Yeah, that might happen. “I was thinking maybe a locker. Somewhere I can put them that they won't get stolen?"
Something dark passed over his expression. He dropped his arms from his chest and swiped one through the air in a cutting motion. “No one will take anything from you here. We live in a locked building, and everyone who lives here has the same phone. Mine is there. Just put yours next to it so we can move on with our lives."
I narrowed my eyes, clenched my hands into fists. “Why do you have to be so rude to me? I demand a little more respect from you."
He had the nerve to laugh. “What are you going to do? Bore me to death with stories about how wonderful your old life was?"

As if. “If I thought that would work, buddy, I'd be all over it."

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Four

"It's going to be a tough workout for someone like you, who I'm sure has never done anything strenuous. Assuming you're all set to get started sometime today, Nevins."
I glared at Nick across the not exactly state-of-the art gym area. The small, mirrored room was nothing like the elite workout facility I'd been a member of. The place reeked of sweaty men and bad cologne.
My hands still shook from the strange phone call, but I refused to show him how it had affected me. No sense giving him any more reason to doubt I could do this job. He already had enough. At least he thought he did. He'd judged me without giving me a chance. Though I was guilty of doing the same thing in the past, many times, I'd since vowed never to judge people again. Or vowed to try not to, at least.
"Don't worry about me, Nick. I'll be fine."
A single dark brow arched and he let out a short bark of laughter. “Believe me, Nevins. I'm not worried about you."

Jerk.

Apparently not all of us evil-killers were doomed to live in a world of shapeless, colorless clothing. Nick stood in front of me wearing short black shorts and a red t-shirt so tight I could make out the outline of his six-pack stomach underneath. The fit of the shorts outlined other things. Things that had seemed about half that size on the few men I'd known intimately. My mouth watered and I had to force my gaze away from the enticing sight. Okay, so the man had certain appealing ... assets. They didn't change the fact that he was a first class ass.
"I can handle a workout,” I told him, desperate to find something to occupy my time other than ogling a man I'd enjoy strangling as much as kissing.
"Oh, really?"
"For your information, Nick, I take step aerobics classes five times a week.” At least I used to, until I choked on my salad. Who would have thought that healthy living would have such fatal consequences?
He grunted. “Step aerobics. Why hadn't I seen that one coming? The workouts you do from now on aren't going to be anything like sissy aerobics classes. We'll start slowly, but eventually you're going to be training in several types of martial arts, along with lifting weights. Lose the attitude, Nevins. I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't kill you sooner."
A chill skittered down my spine and my face heated. How dare he insinuate such a thing? “Tony did not kill me. I choked on a tomato in my salad."
He snorted.
"What?"
"He may not have killed you outright, but he didn't try to save you, either."
Of all the uncalled for remarks. He was lucky he was so big, or else I might have done something to hurt an important part of his anatomy. “He would have, if he hadn't been busy on an important business call. He didn't know I was choking."
"He's a doctor, right?"
"Yes."
"My point exactly."
I glared at him, the humor in his eyes turning my stomach. My death was not a joking matter. Tony had loved me enough to be brave and tell me I needed a nose job—how was that for twisted logic?—and he would have done whatever it took to save me from dying. I knew it. I didn't need some overgrown Neanderthal telling me different.
Of course, at that inconvenient moment visions of Tony with Melissa surged into my mind, but I pushed the lewd thoughts aside. He had to have loved me, just a little. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have stayed with me for so long.
But none of that mattered at the moment. I still had questions that needed answering, and someone around here had better start talking. Even prisoners had more rights than this.
"I need you to explain things to me, or there will be no training taking place today. I haven't even decided if I want to do this yet. You people are so vague I can't stand it."
Irritation warred with humor and anger in his expression. He shoved his hands behind his back, probably to keep from reaching out and wrapping them around my throat. “You're not going to budge, are you?"
"No, I'm not.” A smile threatened, but I held it back. Somehow I didn't think it would go over well with Tall, Dark and Scary, and I didn't need to lose any more ground. Meeting his glare head-on with one of my own would have to suffice.
"Well, hell.” He slumped against the wall, let his head drop back and closed his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened them again and shook his head. “There's a lot of evil in the world that humans either don't see, or in their ignorance choose to ignore. We keep that evil from getting too powerful so the human race isn't destroyed."
That was a start, though I had to admit it still sounded pretty nutso from where I was standing. “Tell me a little more about this immortality thing."
His eyes rolled heavenward. “Immortality. Why does the fresh meat always gravitate to that one word?"

Fresh meat? I fumed on the inside, but chose not to defend myself this time, afraid he'd stop talking. It would have been easier to pull the teeth out of an angry lion's mouth than to get these people to explain anything.
"Go on, please.” I pasted on a bright, and totally false, smile.
"Some of those things are really dangerous. A mortal human would be killed their first night out there. You can still get hurt, but you'll heal quickly. Usually within hours. It helps. It's a nasty job, but if someone doesn't do it there'll be no more world as we used to know it."
Okay, his explanation made sense. At least I thought it did, but since I'd spent last week dead I had no idea what was real and what was a figment of my imagination.
"So I'm not dead anymore?” I could understand the whole dying thing. The heart stopped beating. The lungs stopped breathing. The brain stopped functioning. Life to death was pretty basic. What I didn't get was how a person could go from death to life. I'd been autopsied. Embalmed. Stuck in a casket and buried in the flippin’ ground. A girl couldn't really recover from that.
"Well ... yes, and no,” Nick told me. “You know the legends of vampires coming back to life?"
Okay, now he'd just said a dirty word. I shuddered, my stomach rolling. “Eww! I'll have to drink blood? That's so beyond gross it isn't even funny."
"Would you shut up and listen for a second?"
The glare he turned on me matched the one Ice Queen had given me back in the office, and had a similar effect. I shrank back toward the wall, my eyes wide and my hands shaking. “Sorry."
"You aren't a vampire. You don't drink blood, but you have come back to life. So no, technically you're not dead. But Kendra Nevins is and there's a death certificate to prove it. That's all I was trying to say. Relax, okay?"
"Sure. No problem. I'll get right on that."
I was starting to see a couple of big bonuses coming back to life would have. Here I thought my life was over when I'd sucked down that tomato without cutting it in half first, but these people had offered me the chance to get it all back again. There had to be some kind of catch.
"Wait until I tell my parents. And Tony.” He'd be so surprised that he'd forget about the nose job and put a ring on my finger. But then my mind flashed back again to seeing him with my so-called best friend and frustration and anger crept in to mingle with the hope. He'd be really surprised when he found out how I planned to execute my revenge. “Okay, maybe not Tony. But definitely my parents. And my brothers."
Nick shook his head, killing my excitement as effectively as if he'd slashed it with a knife and left it to bleed out on the sidewalk. “You can't tell them."
A whimper crept up in my throat. Have I mentioned that death sucked sometimes? Now was so definitely one of those times. The burgeoning hope inside me flickered out and died. “Why not?"
"Think about all the trouble that would cause. They buried you. They knew you were dead. Do you really think they'd buy into any explanations you might come up with?"
I let out a watery sigh. Did he always have to be right? Score yet another point for Tall, Dark and Scary. “So I just forget about them?"
"You won't forget. And you can check in on them from time to time, but you can't alert them to the fact that you're around."
That made me feel marginally better, but it also left me with a host of brand new, and no less confusing, questions. I lifted my hands in front of my face and studied them. They looked exactly as they had before, right down to the tiny scar on my left thumb.
"So I'm alive again?” I asked, my voice weak. Please tell me I'm alive again, because if I'm not, I don't think I could handle it.
"Yes, as a short answer. And no, but that's a long story. It's really more complicated than life or death, and it would take you years to understand those differences."
Not alive, not dead. Stuck here, in the place without a name. Just like the limbo I'd been stuck in just after I died, except with props. If it got any worse, I'd have to ask to have my immortality revoked.
"At least I have my old body back.” Was blood running through my veins, or embalming fluid? An icky, slimy feeling swelled inside me.
"Not exactly. Once the body's dead, there's not much that can be done. You have an exact copy instead. One that can't be destroyed easily. You won't get sick, and you won't age. And I'm sure you're going to love this one-you won't gain weight or start to sag provided you keep up with your workouts and eating regimen.
"We find that allowing the person what they're familiar with helps the transition. Think of it as a full-body transplant, with an upgrade.” He let out a harsh breath. “Look, do you really want to talk about this now? You have a lot to think about and hearing all of this in one big chunk is only going to bring you down. I don't need a depressed and whiny partner."
I had to admit he was right, in his own little rude and condescending way. And depression was the last thing I wanted in the face of this ... mess. I needed to get through this, get past denial into acceptance that this was what my life ... er, death ... er, rebirth had become. There would be plenty of time to think about my body, my family, and ways to torture Tony later, once I was alone. Nick had done as I'd asked, so I figured I owed him.
"Okay. I guess I'm ready.” Not. Having no useable knowledge of martial arts past the movies my father had secretly obsessed over, I was at a bit of a disadvantage.
Nick looked me over for a few seconds before he shook his head in disgust. “We need to get you into top shape, but unfortunately we don't have the time. I guess this is as good a place as any to start."
"Excuse me? I think your rudeness is really uncalled for. You don't see me insulting you at every turn, do you?” I took a deep breath before continuing on my tirade. “And, if I have this so-called perfect body that never ages, why do I have to work out? That doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't fitness be automatic?"
"Like I said before,” he ground out through tight lips. “You have an exact copy, physically, of what you had before. You won't age, as I said, but you can still build muscle and stamina—"
I held up my hand to stop him before he confused me even more. Were these people all idiots, or just the ones I'd met so far? “I'm sorry, but that makes no sense. Can you explain to me the science behind it all? I'm having a little trouble grasping this."
"No. It's just the way it is. Deal with it. Listen, Nevins, because I'll only say this once. We have a lot of ground to cover in a very short amount of time. You're not going to continue to waste my time. You're going to shut up and listen for once."
His words sounded so close to what Lena had said they sent a chill down my spine. Wasn't I allowed to voice my opinion? The word “lemming” came to mind. “Fine. But you don't have to be such a drill sergeant about it."
The sooner we got this over with, the better. All I wanted right now was a long, hot soak in a bubble bath. Nick and his stupid training could go take a flying leap.
Training. With Nick. Oh, my God. A sudden case of nerves fluttered in my stomach and weakened my knees. Panic rose up in my chest and clogged my throat. I couldn't do this. These people were crazy. There was no way I was going to survive. I needed a moment alone. To think. To sort things out.
To plan my escape route.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Nick glared at me. “Are you serious?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you do that upstairs?"
"I didn't have to go then.” The words made me sound like a petulant child, but I didn't care. I needed out. Now. “Where's the nearest ladies’ room?"
"Oh, for crying out loud.” Nick pushed away from the wall and paced the length of the room, his expression fierce but his shoulders shaking with what looked like laughter. “Across the hall. Just hurry up, will you?"
"I'll be right back.” I took off at a run, eager to escape him, if even for a little while. I might not be able to return to my old life, but at least I could have a temporary reprieve from Major Pain in the Ass.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Five

Nick leaned against the wall and let out a grunt of aggravation. His head dropped back with a thump. The princess brat had been in the bathroom for ten minutes already. How long could it possibly take to piss? He'd give her another two before he went in after her. She'd squawk about that, about how no one had ever walked in on her when she'd lived in her perfect world, but he didn't see much other choice. Someone had to take this assignment seriously.
He crossed his arms over his chest. If she thought she'd be able to walk all over him, she was seriously mistaken. She might have had everyone wrapped around her finger when she was alive, but now she was in his world, and she'd have to learn to play by his rules.
What had ever possessed Lena to recruit this one? His boss had to be off her rocker to think Kendra Nevins would ever make it in such a harsh reality. Immortal or not, she'd get torn apart on a nightly basis. She wouldn't die, but immortality wouldn't save her from the pain of the injuries she'd no doubt sustain.
He glanced at his watch. One more minute to go.
Lena had vengeance in mind. No other explanation for her irrational behavior made sense. This time she might have found the perfect revenge—a spoiled, annoying brat in a nearly irresistible body—though to Kendra's credit, she hadn't tried to use her looks to get out of doing anything. Yet.
He wouldn't put it past her. Women like her knew how to use their assets to their advantage. He recognized the type. Blonde hair, blue eyes, just enough curves to make a man's mouth water. Not that he'd been looking. He hadn't noticed the way the cut of her dress showed a generous hint of cleavage, or the way her cinched waist gave way to gently flared hips. He had no interest in any of her curves. She was too young, too ... sweet to draw his attention. But somehow, she'd managed to do it anyway.
Must have been a full moon. His brain always got addled during this time of the lunar cycle.
She stepped back into the gym, her face a little pale and her small hands clenched in front of her. Something in his gut twisted. Lena should have left her alone, and he intended to make sure the woman understood that as soon as he had a free minute to go find her.
Despite what Kendra probably thought, despite what he wanted her to think, he did have a heart. He had the utmost respect for women and would never do anything to hurt them, spoiled little brats included.
But she didn't belong here.
Kendra was tiny. Thin. Too thin to do this job. Women didn't get chosen often, and none of the others had ever looked like they'd just come from winning the Miss USA pageant. Working with the princess brat would be worse than working alone. Lena had finally gone off the deep end.
And he was going to get his boss back for this little fiasco as soon as he got the chance.
He pushed off the wall and walked toward Kendra. It would be easier to hate her if she didn't look so damned cute in the baggy shorts, her hair tugged back into a messy ponytail. Even her attitude affected him almost as much as it annoyed him. He liked his women with a little spunk.
But he did not like Kendra Nevins.
"Feel better now?” He raised an eyebrow, trying to keep the smile off his face.
"I thought of a few more questions.” She faced him with that determined stare again, the one that let him know they'd get nothing done until he appeased all her silly little whims and answered every last pointless question. He relented with a sigh.
"Okay. What do you need to know now?"
Her gaze iced over and her mouth pinched. He was in for it again. Holy hell, this was going to be the longest night of his life.
"Well, excuse me, Mr. Know it All. Dying and coming back to life again and being recruited by a bunch of weirdos to rid the world of supposed evil doesn't happen to a girl every day. I'm sorry if I'm curious about what's going on here."
Maybe he'd have to hide a werewolf under Lena's bed. Or leave a horny water sprite in her bathtub. No, that wouldn't be enough revenge for this. This was torture of the worst kind. He preferred his partners to shut up, listen, and learn, not to question everything incessantly.
"Will you ask what you need to know already so we can get back to work?"
"Can we eat?"
"Of course. You'll need to, if you want to keep up your energy."
"Can we sleep?"
Hadn't the woman ever been alive before? Shit. She was as helpless as a newborn and he didn't have time to play nursemaid. “Yeah. Think of eating and sleeping as regular maintenance. You need it to keep the body in shape."
"So we're human?"
"Sort of. Not exactly."
She seemed to think it over for a few minutes, alternately glancing between her nails and the floor, before she looked back at him. “Then this is like reincarnation?"
"No. Unfortunately, I'm sure you're still the same annoying Kendra that you were in your old life."
She took the insult in stride, and to his dismay, continued with the questioning. “Then what is this thing that I've become?"
He let out a breath heavy with defeat. No one else had ever questioned anything past the immortality. Usually it was enough for a person to know they could live forever. “Can't you just let it be and take it for what it is?"
"No. I'm sorry. I'm not built that way."
Didn't that just figure? He glanced toward the ceiling. Why me? At least when she opened her mouth it made him forget how much her body appealed to him. “Are you finished yet?"
"No. Not quite. Can we have sex?"
He snapped his gaze to her face, his muscles tightening, his body responding in a way that was totally inappropriate given the circumstances. What the hell kind of a question was that? Was she trying to give him a heart attack?
Her face reddened, her eyes going wide. He had to smile. If sex was what she was interested in, he'd take her right there on the floor mats.
No. No, he wouldn't. He had no interest in anything she had to offer. Absolutely zero. Less than zero. His interest in Kendra Nevins was moving into negative numbers. “Why? You up for a little fun?"
Her eyes narrowed and she plunked her fists on her hips. “Not us, idiot. I mean all of us, in general. Whatever you are. Whatever it is you call what I am now, since you won't give me a specific name. I'm just curious. Is there something wrong with that?"
He fixed her with a glare. They were getting nowhere, and it was time to finish this. If they didn't get to work soon, she'd know nothing about how to use her powers when the time came. And with his luck, like Lena had hinted, he'd be the one to get injured.
"What you are now, Miss Nevins, is sorely behind in your training. You're going to find yourself in a hell of a lot of trouble when we get out in the real world."
This was going to be a lot harder than he'd first thought, and he hadn't been optimistic to begin with. Why had he stubbornly refused to go and get her like he was supposed to do when the time had come? At least then he would have had her trained on time, and she'd be a lot closer to ready than she was now. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and lit one up, more to gauge her reaction than anything else. He wasn't addicted, couldn't get addicted, but gut instinct told him it would rile her into action.
As usual, his gut instinct proved correct.
"Do you need to smoke that in here?” She coughed and sputtered dramatically, waving her hand in front of her face.
"What's the matter? Want one?"
She wrinkled her nose and made a gagging sound in the back of her throat. “That's so bad for you."
He laughed. “Think it'll kill me?"
"Okay, I'll concede you have a point there, but it doesn't excuse the fact that I don't like it. The smell bothers me. And we're in a gym. Doesn't smoking here defeat the whole health conscious thing?"
Maybe being stuck with her wouldn't be too hellish, after all. At least she had some entertainment value. He rubbed his hand down his face to smother a laugh. “Your voice bothers me. Any chance I could get you to shut up?"
She made an indelicate little snorting sound. “Okay, okay. I'll deal with the smoke."

Good girl. Give in and let me have my way, and we'll get along so much better. In a battle of wills, he had no doubts he'd win against her. Every time. She'd never had to work a day in her life. He'd done nothing but work, and scrimp and save and scrounge. His life before this job hadn't been a picnic. What Lena offered had been so much better than the way he'd lived he hadn't even thought to turn her down.
Little Miss Nevins was another story. Lena had made a mistake in choosing her. He had no use for someone like the princess brat. No use at all. The need to prove that to her—and to himself—overrode the need to be nice to the fragile-looking woman.
He took a final drag before grinding the burning tip of the cigarette out on his palm and dropping it into his water bottle. He wiped his ash-streaked palm down his thigh. She winced, but said nothing.
"How are you at sparring? Can you hold your own?” he asked her, sure she'd turn her nose up at that, too.
"I have—had three older brothers."
Figured. “Brothers who did all your fighting for you."
"Yeah, right. They used to try beating me up all the time. I had to learn to defend myself somehow. I can fight, Nick, whether you believe it or not."
He raised an eyebrow. They'd just have to see about that. “Good. Then you won't mind if I kick your ass."
"Not if I kick yours first.” She walked to the right side of the room, to the open area with mat-covered floors, and lifted her hand, beckoning him with a single finger. “Bring it on, tough guy."
If he showed her how weak she really was, would she go find Lena and beg to be let out of the assignment? The idea tempted him into action. Shaking his head at her false—yet strangely endearing—bravado, he came at her and made a grab for her waist. She surprised him by ducking away in a lithe, graceful move, her eyes sparkling with determination and amusement. And challenge. Not being the type of man who backed down from a challenge of any kind, her attitude fueled the need to teach her a lesson. He'd already pegged her as a little bit of prissy fluff, and he wasn't about to let her prove that assessment wrong. Not without a good fight.
They circled each other, his annoyance growing with each step. Every time he made a grab, she swiftly and almost effortlessly moved out of reach. The woman was quick, but she couldn't beat him. He wouldn't let her.
He'd just started to settle in when she pounced. Her shoulder rammed into his thigh, just above the knee, knocking him flat on his back. A second later, she flopped down on top of him.
The breath whooshed from his lungs, as much from having her pressed against him as the surprise of her move. She felt good. Damned good. Soft and warm. His cock stirred to life, fighting for attention from all those gentle curves. That could be a problem. Down, boy.
"What the hell did you just do?"
She rolled off, dropped her knee onto his stomach, and raised her fists in the air with a stupid little victory cry. He would have grumbled if he hadn't been so surprised by the turnabout. Jesus, how had she done that to him? One minute he'd been this close to knocking her on her ass, and the next she'd managed to lay him out flat.
"Again I'll ask. What the hell was that?"
Kendra just smiled. “Never underestimate the element of surprise."
He never would again, not with her. Apparently the kitten had claws after all. Perhaps there was a lot more to Kendra Nevins than he'd first thought. He liked the idea, much as he didn't want to. “Let me up. This isn't over yet."
Not by a long shot.
He'd gone easy on her before. But he wouldn't make that mistake twice. “Think you can do that again?"
She gave him a determined smile. “I know I can."

Yeah, right.

* * * *
After a little more than an hour had passed, Kendra was starting to look a little ragged. If he didn't give her a break soon she'd drop, and then she'd be useless to him as a partner. Nick held his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. We're done for the day. Tomorrow we'll work on the rest of the stuff before I throw you out onto the streets."
She mopped at her sweaty brow with the back of her hand, her face flushed a bright pink and her chest heaving. Her nipples were hard little points against the shirt fabric and he had to force his gaze back up to her face. Shit. He was in trouble here.
"Before you what?” She asked, her head cocked to the side. “And what do you mean by the rest of the stuff?"
She really did have a lot to learn. Just when he thought they were getting somewhere, too. “Do you think you'll be able to defeat a demon by digging your shoulder into its leg and knocking it to the ground?"
"Well, yeah.” She shrugged, her expression sheepish. “I'd kind of been hoping."
"Not even close. There's a lot more to it than that. Lena gave your new body the ability to do many things you've never been able to do before. You just need to learn how to harness that power."
She opened her mouth, snapped it shut again and shook her head. “You know what? I don't think I even want to know."
That brought a smile to his face, though he'd tried to hold it back. “Fine. You can go back up to your apartment now if you want to."
"Apartment? I think ‘hall closet’ would be a more fitting description."
Every time he started to forget the vast differences between them, she said something vain and self-centered that made him remember all over again. “You live alone. You don't need anything more than that."
An indelicate sound escaped her lush lips. “Speak for yourself. I had three rooms in my bedroom suite alone in my father's house. And that's not including the bathroom."
Reality poured over him like a bucket of ice water, effectively chasing away any good feelings he'd started to develop for the brat. So she could fight. So what? She was still the same snotty twit who'd barraged him with a boatload of ridiculous questions and walked around like the whole world was beneath her. He'd be a complete idiot to think of her as anything else than a snotty rich bitch, no matter how tempting she might look when she kept her mouth closed.
"And for another thing,” she continued, her face reddening even more as she spoke. “Who stocked my apartment? I'm missing so many things I need."
He shrugged, opened the door to the gym and stepped one foot into the hall. “Don't know, don't care. You'd better go and get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, and I won't deal with you if you're whiny and tired. You need to meet me back here at seven pm sharp tomorrow. If I have to hunt you down, I can guarantee you it won't be pretty."
She dismissed his words with a flick of her wrist and a brief scowl. “Do you know what kind of shampoo is in the bathroom? Because my hair is very picky. I can't use drugstore brands, or I'll end up looking like I have steel wool on top of my head. Is there a hair dryer in the bathroom? If not, I need one. And a flattening iron, too. Can you get me any of these things?"

Jesus. What had he done to deserve this? And what the hell was a flattening iron? It didn't sound like something he wanted near any part of his body. He had to put his foot down before she took over his life. “I'm not a bellboy, Nevins. You're going to have to learn to do things for yourself. If there's anything else, make a list and give it to Lena. I'm sure she'll be glad to help you with whatever you need."
Her eyes brightened. “Okay. I'll do that. Where can I find her?"
"Go back down the elevator to the basement and take a left at the end of the hall. That will bring you to her office."
"Thanks, Nick. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Get some sleep. You'll need your full concentration for your next training session.” The thought of her sleeping in bed, tangled in the sheets, looking all curvy and rumpled, sent heat shooting through him. How could he want her, when he couldn't stand her? He turned to leave, but couldn't resist one more dig. He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Oh, one more thing, Nevins."
"What's that?"
"We do most of our work at night."
She stilled, her throat working as she gulped. “Are you sure I won't have to drink blood?"
Despite his annoyance with the woman, he couldn't help but laugh. “Yeah, I'm pretty positive."
"Well, I guess there's one bright spot to this whole mess."
At least one of them thought so. Personally, he'd rather snack on nails than work with this woman. If he wasn't immortal, she'd get him killed her first night on the job.
And she'd disrupt his sleep for sure. No way could he get any rest knowing she was in her bed, in her apartment, right across the hall from him. He'd gone too long without a woman, and now, faced with Kendra, his body was on hormone overload.
"Good night, Nevins.” At least what was left of it. The sun would be rising in a couple of hours, and so far the entire evening had been wasted.
"Good night.” She grabbed her keys and phone, stepped out the door and walked past him down the hall.
He slumped against the doorframe and let out a sigh. His gaze dropped to her sweet backside swaying underneath the gray shorts. He'd give anything to get a piece of that ass, but he wanted nothing to do with her. Kendra Nevins, spoiled rich brat, was nothing like what he expected. Now he had to figure out if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.
He laughed to himself. He was starting to think it was a little bit of both.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Six

Nick dropped his keys on the table against the wall, closed and locked the apartment door behind him. His head ached. The knot in his gut had yet to go away. It would be a while before his body—and his mind—relaxed again.
It was all her fault. The princess brat. She'd somehow managed to worm her way under his skin in no time flat, and he couldn't figure out how to exorcize the woman from his brain. Working with her on a nightly basis would be pure hell on earth, for so many reasons.
If she wasn't so damned cute ... so damned sexy, things would have been easier. He could shut his apartment door and shut her out of his life, after every shift. But the way things looked, that wouldn't be possible. The truth hit him like a two-by-four in the gut. He was attracted to her. Way more than he should be.
It killed him that he didn't want to be.
"Shit.” He slammed his fist down on the table, rattling the keys along with the small lamp resting on the worn surface.
He'd give it three days before his mind shut down from overload. He was still reeling over Ryan's death a few months back—a death that could have been prevented if he hadn't been so stupid. If Nick's own personal problems hadn't gotten in the way.
Stephan had always been bent on destroying anyone close to Nick. Lena should have known better than to assign him a new partner at all, let alone a woman. He did not need a frail female to protect on top of the issues he had yet to resolve.
He walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. Ryan used to mock him for his human vices, but at the moment Nick didn't care. Tonight relaxation could only be found at the bottom of a bottle.
He didn't make it two sips into it before the hair on the back of his neck lifted. When he'd first walked into the apartment, he'd been too frustrated with his new partner—and his boss—to sense the unusual tension in the air. But now, as he let his guard down in the small space that had become his only retreat, the tainted air broke through his emotions and settled over him like a clammy chill.

Son of a bitch.

He set the bottle on the countertop with a thud and stormed through the apartment, zoning in on the disturbance. It was faint, barely detectable even to his honed senses. Whoever had been there hadn't been inside—but they'd left their mark all the same.

Stephan.

It wasn't over. Nick had known that all along, but the knowledge didn't make accepting it any easier. Months had passed. Nearly a year since he'd heard anything from the man. He'd begun to hope, but hope had no place in his life.
Fury speared through him, settling into an icy ball in the pit of his stomach. What would it take to catch the son-of-a-bitch? What would it take to finally get close enough to kill him?
He barreled into the bedroom and glanced around. Here. Stephan had been just outside this room.
A look at the single window confirmed his suspicions. In glimmering red, written in an intricate language only a select few in the world understood, was the threat Nick had spent the past few months waiting for.
He stepped back and slumped against the wall.
Stephan had been the bane of his existence for too many years to count. Nick wasn't fool enough to believe the feelings were anything but mutual. It would have been easier to destroy him if he was one of the mindless demon drones that usually snuck through the rural portal, but Stephan was different. An earthbound demon. Intelligent, cunning, and very dangerous.
Even Nick, who had powers he suspected even Lena didn't know about, hadn't been able to stop the man. And he'd tried. On more occasions than he could count. But his attempts had been a series of near-misses.
Stephan had yet to make an attempt on Nick's life. He chose to pick off the people around him instead.
Nick unclipped his cell phone from his belt and dialed Lena's number.
She answered on the first ring. “What do you want now, Nikolai? Want to complain more about your new partner?"
"No. I want to complain about the security around the perimeter of the building. Demons are apparently able to breech it."
"What happened?"
"Someone wrote on my window. In blood,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
Her sharp intake of breath reached his ear. “I'll be right there."
Within five minutes she knocked on his door.
"How the hell did this happen?” he asked her when he opened the door and she pushed her way into the apartment.
"I don't know.” Her tone was slightly breathless, like she'd been running, and her eyes hard with worry. “What does it say?"
He led her into the bedroom and gestured to the window. “See for yourself."
She turned a seething gaze on him. “You know I can't read those obscure demon languages."
"Loosely translated, it means ‘you're next'.” Very loosely. He refused to go into the details of his impending demise the way Stephan had. Lena, despite her shortcomings, was still a woman. He had to respect that, even if he no longer respected her. “I know I've suggested this before, but I'm going to repeat myself. Call your superiors. Have them send out a specialist to evaluate the security around here. There's so much they can do that we aren't able to do alone, and it's stupid to risk everyone's safety because you're too stubborn to admit you need help."
She spun away from the window, her arms crossed in front of her, her gaze pure ice. “Don't tell me what to do. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing my job. He didn't get inside. There's nothing to worry about."
"He killed Ryan. A skilled hunter. Someone who should have been untouchable. How can you stand there and tell me there's nothing to worry about? Are you really that dense?"
She marched in his direction, her hand raised as if she meant to slap him, but at the last second, she backed off and dropped her arm to her side. She ran both hands down her face before she looked at him again. “We learned from that ... incident. We did beef up the security after that, and you know it. We can't do much more yet. If I call them, they're going to laugh at me for bitching about what amounts to nothing."
"Oh, yeah. This is nothing. Sometimes I wonder about your leadership skills. What leader in their right mind would bring a fragile little human woman into the middle of all this?"
Lena's expression darkened, taking on a suspicious edge. “You aren't worried about yourself."
"Hell, no. He isn't going to be able to do anything to me, no matter what he might believe in that deluded mind of his. I'm worried about the innocents who he'll undoubtedly involve, like he has in the past. You don't know him like I do. Too many people will get hurt."
"She's not as innocent as you think, Nick. If she was, she wouldn't be here."
He didn't even bother to deny he'd been thinking about Kendra. Lena wasn't stupid. She'd see right through him. And she'd also known how he felt about woman working in this field. His mother might not have won any awards for the way she raised him, but she'd done a few things right. She'd taught him to treat women with care. Always. To protect them when they needed it.
And hell, Kendra Nevins was going to need it if Stephan was back in the picture.
"She shouldn't be here at all."
"Yes, she should."
Lena's quiet tone, so uncharacteristic, drew his attention. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Why?"
"She's strong. A lot stronger than you're giving her credit for. The big bosses have seen something in her. That's why they brought her to my attention. And I have to say I agree."
He just shook his head. They were blind. Every last one of them. Ancient fools who needed to be replaced before they made any more careless mistakes.
"She's been here for a day, and she already has you, Mr. Unemotional, tied up in knots. That has to say something for her abilities,” Lena continued.
"No. It just tells me I'm getting old and need to start thinking about retirement."
That got a laugh out of her. “You don't need to baby her. She's tough. She can take it."
"Why do I feel there's more to this story than you're telling me?"
Lena's gaze flickered away, touching briefly on the window again before moving past him out the bedroom door. “There's not. She's just one of the rare humans who have the something special needed to do this job. Don't let the package fool you—she's got it, Nick. She just has to discover it for herself. If you don't mind, I have things to do. Thank you for bringing this incident to my attention."
Rather than argue what he knew would be a lost cause, he walked her to the door. Her sudden change in attitude stoked his curiosity, but he'd get no more answers from her tonight.
"Call them, Lena. If you don't, I will."
Fear flashed in her gaze before it snapped away, replaced with the cool professionalism she hid behind. “Fine. I'll call them first thing in the morning."

Yeah, right. He'd give her two days and then he was making the phone call himself.
He closed the door and latched it, walking over to the couch and slumping down on the cushions. His apartment phone rang not a second later. Had to be Lena. No one else had his landline number, since he preferred to do business via his cell phone.
He picked up the receiver and brought it to his ear. “Did you forget something?"
"Your new partner is a beautiful one. Very ... fragile."
Cold anger washed through Nick at the sound of the singsong voice on the other end of the line. His grip tightened on the receiver until he thought it might crack. “What's the matter, Stephan? Didn't get your jollies from writing on my window? You have to call me in person now?"
"It's good to speak to you as well, Nikolai. It's been a long time. Months, if I'm not mistaken."
Nick walked to the window and stared out into the night, but saw no signs of movement in the inky blackness. “What do you want?"
"Just to say hello to an old friend. Is that a problem?"
"It is when you've been writing death threats on my window. What's the matter, Stephan? Not man enough to come inside and threaten me in person?"
"If I could, I would. But you well know I can't enter the building.” Silence stretched between them for a beat. “Yet."
"Never."
"We'll just have to wait and see."
Knowing Stephan's flair for drama, Nick expected him to give a maniacal laugh or make a few more outrageous threats. A little flash of disappointment flared inside him when the demon didn't. Thick silence spanned between them instead.
Nick was just about to disconnect the call when Stephan's voice stopped him.
"Oh, Nikolai?"
"What now?"
"I'd watch out for that new partner of yours. Have I mentioned she's just my type? I've been looking for a good woman. Miss Nevins would be perfect for me, don't you think?"
Nick opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when he heard the dial tone.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Seven

I stood under the shower spray, letting the steaming water sluice over my back and down my legs. With any luck, it would soothe my poor aching muscles. If I never saw that gym again, I would be the happiest woman on earth.
In the course of my foray into wrestling earlier that evening, I'd learned two things. First, my body simply was not made for such activity, and second, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Scary must have been some kind of torture chamber master before he died. I'd never met anyone so sadistic. So cruel and punishing.

So sexy.

I grumbled and pushed the thought away. No man who enjoyed inflicting that much pain on a woman could be considered sexy. He was nothing more than a jerk I'd have to put up with until I could find Lena and file a formal complaint. And if he didn't think I would do it, he had another think coming. This was the new millennium. Men didn't get away with treating women like doormats anymore.
The rational part of my mind realized what a crock that line of thinking was, but I did my best to ignore it. So what if he was just trying to get me ready for this Evil Lurking in the World business. Who cared if his intentions were to toughen me up so I didn't get myself—or him—hurt? Not me. I didn't even want the job in the first place. Lena had forced it on me without even asking my input.
Was there some sort of otherworldly draft I'd mistakenly signed up for? An evil-hunting club I'd accidentally joined when signing up for online newsletters? If so, I wanted to revoke my membership.
I grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the shower shelf and squeezed a dollop into my hands. I would so regret it in the morning when I woke up looking like I'd lost a fight with an electric outlet, but there didn't seem to be another choice. After spending an hour sweating off ten pounds of water weight, I needed to get my itching scalp clean. Shampoo and conditioner went on my mental list of Things to Complain to Lena About in the morning. I wasn't going to lower my standard of living for people who'd forced me into some weird, evil-killing slavery. I made a compromise by even agreeing to work with the master of pain, so Lena was going to have to meet me halfway on something.
I shampooed and conditioned, scrubbed my body and washed my face, all with the nondescript toiletry items in matching little white tubes with black lettering. No brand names, no ingredients or instructions, just a label telling me what the product was. It was probably just as well. I really didn't want to know what cheapo brand I was using, and I'd been shampooing my hair long enough to not need any help in the lather, rinse and repeat department.
I'd just finished finger-combing the fruity-scented conditioner through my hair when a strange, tingly sensation started at the base of my spine and worked its way up to my skull. I tried to shrug the feeling off, blaming it on the intense workout, but there was no budging it.
I went about the business of getting myself clean, all the while with the strange sensation gnawing at my gut. By the time I'd completely lathered up it had become unbearable. Something was wrong. Someone was inside my bathroom.
I took a deep breath and threw back the shower curtain, fully expecting to find Nick standing on the other side with another list of demands. But there was no one there. I let out a breath, but it did nothing to calm my shaky body. The tingling sensation faded.
"Is there anyone there?"
Silence. A sliver of disappointment swelled in my stomach. Like I'd expected someone to pop out of thin air and announce their presence or something.
"Kendra, you're such an idiot.” I wasn't prone to talking to myself, but this instance seemed to just scream for it. “You're overtired is what you are. There is obviously no one in your apartment."
Still I braced myself, waiting for the nonexistent intruder to contradict me.
After a few furtive glances around the small cube of a room, I pulled the curtain closed again and rinsed the soap from my body. I switched the water to cold, made short work of rinsing the slippery conditioner from my hair, and shut off the water. The strange case of tinglies had sucked all the enjoyment out of my shower.
When I was as clean as I'd get, given the film the acrid floral shower gel left on my skin, I turned off the water and climbed out of the tub-slash-shower on unsteady legs. Being solid again would take some time to get used to. Heck, breathing was going to take some getting used to. There was a finality in death that wasn't like anything I'd ever felt before. Once you're dead, you just know there isn't any going back. To find myself in a body identical to the one I left, alive and breathing.... Well, to say it was unsettling would be a huge understatement. Add to that the creepy paranoia and you had the makings of a great horror flick.
I thought about finding Nick and telling him about the strange sensations—and the even stranger phone call—but vetoed that thought almost as quickly as it floated into my head. The whole mess was just a product of my overactive imagination, brought on by my new job description. It would be best for my sanity if I pretended it had never happened.
After I dried off and pulled on a gray sleep shirt and a pair of white granny briefs some kind person had provided me with, I wandered into my kitchen—and I use that term loosely since it consisted of a fridge the size of my old TV, a two-burner stove, and a microwave—to scrounge up something to fill my growling stomach. A week without food and a lifetime before death of living on mini-portions to maintain the perfect husband-snatching figure could really take its toll on a girl. Now, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I was famished.
Unfortunately, growing up with a housekeeper-slash-cook had its disadvantages. That joke about not being able to boil water—I swear it had been written with me in mind. Survival, and seven am classes during my failed attempt at college, had forced me to learn to use the coffee maker, but beyond that I was pretty much useless in the kitchen. If nothing in my cabinets came ready to eat, I'd be out of luck.
My search produced a box of crackers and a container of spray cheese. I picked up the small blue can and rolled it in my hand. Interesting. Something I'd never before experienced and wasn't all that sure I wanted to now, but the low effort level appealed to my exhausted body. At least I knew it wouldn't kill me, thanks to my newfound immortality.
I took my findings over to the couch nestled against the far wall in the cramped apartment and sank onto the cushions. Definitely not Ritzy but it was better than spending my time floating through the air. While I ate my dinner of stale crackers and metallic cheese, wolfing it down so fast I barely tasted it anyway, I took a tour of my new home. I didn't even have to get off the couch.
How sad was it that my life had come down to two rooms with beige walls and blue carpeted floors and dull, neutral furniture? At least the place had a few modern conveniences-a small but serviceable TV, a dinosaur of a computer. And, miracle of all miracles, windows.
They were the first things I checked out when I'd finally gotten rid of Master Pain, but it was so dark outside I could only make out a smattering of trees in the distance. I had caught a glimpse of the stars, though, and they were beautiful. So much brighter and awe-inspiring than what I'd been able to see living close to L.A.
I glanced through the doorway to my right at the twin-sized bed perched against the wall. It reminded me of a hospital bed, sans cold metal bedrails and bedpan tucked underneath. I didn't even have to feel the mattress to know it would be like sleeping on a rock, or touch the blankets to know they'd be thin and coarse and nothing at all like I'd been used to.
Unbidden, tears formed in the corners of my eyes. I blinked them away, unaccustomed to tears solely for the sake of crying. In life, I'd never been prone to such a thing unless I had a disagreement with my father and thought a little show would help sway things in my direction. In death I hadn't been able to cry, though there'd been a few times I'd sorely wanted to. Now, in a time I needed all the strength I could muster, I couldn't keep the stupid, salty tears at bay. Talk about a cruel twist of fate. I'd been granted immortality and hated every second.
I set the cracker box and can of processed cheese food aside and sank deeper into the couch cushions, the tears finally winning the battle and rolling down my cheeks in hot rivulets of pain and stress. Yes, I know I should have been savoring every sensation about being in a real working, breathing body again and all that happy sappy crap one sees in Hollywood blockbusters, but this was real afterlife, my afterlife, and it sucked worse than death had.
Maybe I would have been better off staying dead. Floating through time and space without a schedule, without humanly cares. At least then I wouldn't have been reduced to living in what amounted to a beige shoe box, faced with the harsh reality of keeping the world safe from demons I hadn't even known existed.
The part of mind that still clung to rational thought, even after the seemingly unreal events of late, told me I was acting like a spoiled little witch, but I couldn't help it. I'd been denied the ring that should have been mine, choked to death on health food of all things, and spent an inordinate amount of time as vapor with eyes.
And to top it all off, I'd been recruited to be the immortal version of Vampire Slayer.
Since I couldn't treat myself to a pint of premium ice cream or a cup of the gourmet coffee I'd sorely been missing, I figured I was entitled to the princess routine, at least until later when I had to meet Nick for more training.
I was so looking forward to that. Not. But I seriously doubted Lena would assign me a different partner just because I asked. It would take a little more effort to convince Ice Queen of our incompatibility.
Speaking of Tall, Dark and Scary, I wondered if he had to live in the same conditions. How did he cope with it on a daily basis? If I had to spend every day cooped up in an apartment half the size of my former bedroom, without a chance to get out into the real world once in a while for something other than evil-hunting, I'd go stir crazy. Then again, from the rough-and-tumble looks of the guy, he was probably happy to live in a place like this. No way had he come from money. He wouldn't spend so much time turning his nose up at me if he had.
I pushed up from the couch and wandered into the bedroom, giving a brief thought to the crackers. Was there a maid here who came and cleaned up after everyone? I let out a bitter laugh at the thought. Of course not. Dishes, and housework in general, were just more in a long line of Things Kendra Would Now Need to Do Herself. I made a mental note to ask Lena about the possibility of paper plates. The whole klutz thing might make doing dishes a problem.
Some of my mother's sage advice chose that moment to come back and haunt me. You need to be adaptable, Kendra. You have to be able to take every situation and work it in your favor. Though she'd been preaching about the various places for one to snag a husband, I could adapt it to my current predicament. Along with a new body, I'd been given a new life. I could complain to Ice Queen all I wanted, but there came a time when a girl needed to be realistic. As out of my element as I was in this place, it was my life now and I might as well learn to accept it. Starting with the bed that would have fit in perfectly in a by-the-hour motel room. Not that I'd ever seen the inside of one of those, mind you. But I'd heard things.
I slid between the cheap cotton sheets, rested my head on the pillow, and held my breath. Only after assuring myself that no bugs were crawling around under the covers wanting to get a bite out of my legs, did I let myself relax. To my surprise, the sheets were softer and far more comfortable than I would have imagined, given their coarse appearance. And the blankets weren't nearly as threadbare as I'd first thought. Amazing how one's opinion of what was important in life started to change when a person had spent a week without one.
I embraced the small part of me that was grateful to be able to feel the mattress at my back and the pillow under my head. Things could have been so much worse. Hell fires and pick-axes for all eternity came to mind. I might not have my comforts, at least what they'd been when I'd had my old life, but I had a body. And a heartbeat. And a job, though I wasn't sure that was something to be thankful for.
As I lay there, staring up at a ceiling that seemed to gleam in the semi-darkness, I made an important decision. Perhaps the most life-changing one I'd ever had to make. I would stay here, and make the best of it. And I'd prove Nick and all his generalizations and stereotypes wrong. I could do this job, no matter what the jerk thought. He'd underestimated me.
I may have been a lot of things, but I wasn't a quitter. My parents, despite their skewed priorities, had raised me better than that. I was here to stay. For the first time since that fateful date with my asshole ex, a genuine smile spread over my lips.
I could do this. It would take some effort on my part, more than I was used to expending on something other than shallow pursuits, but I'd do whatever it took. My mother had taught me well. Even if her lessons hadn't been intended for fighting evil, the basic principle was the same.
Watch out, evil beings of the world. Here I come.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Eight

I hurried down the hall toward Lena's office, my new—and so out of style—black work boots thumping softly on the white tile. Whoever had shopped for me got the sizes right, but was so far off on my tastes they ought to be arrested. Regular jeans, both black and dark blue, soft-but-plain t-shirts in a variety of ho-hum neutral colors, serviceable white undergarments. And the worst thing of all.

Sensible shoes.

Who did these people think they were? As a woman, it was my God-given right to encase my feet in miniature torture chambers. I saw nothing wrong with sacrificing a little comfort in the name of fashion. Though from this point on, I had a feeling I was going to be sacrificing a lot more than a little comfort. This morning I had some damage control to take care of before things got even worse.
My trek through the bowels of the building brought me past a few open doorways I'd like to explore, but it would have to wait until later. I was on a mission, and had no time to let something trivial like curiosity get in the way of what needed to be done. Once I'd had my say with Ice Queen, my illustrious partner was next on my list.
The directions he'd given me had sounded so simple. Too simple. It should have been my first warning that something was wrong.
"Take the elevator back to the basement,” I mimicked. “Follow the hallway to the end and take a left. What happens next, you jerk?"
How convenient that he'd forgotten to mention that once I made the turn, the basement became a virtual maze of doors and halls leading to nowhere. I'd been stumbling my way around for at least fifteen minutes—though I couldn't be sure of the exact amount of time since I had yet to find my watch—and all I'd managed to do was get myself lost.
He'd warned me about that. If I got lost down here I'd never find my way out. I shivered, starting to think he was right.
I made a sharp turn around another corner, still hopeful that I'd find Lena's office without someone having to send out a search party. Not that anyone around here would. No one cared enough about me to come looking. The only two people I'd met so far hated my guts, and I had yet to see signs of anyone else in residence. So unless I found my own way out, I was basically screwed.
My progress stopped short when I turned another corner and slammed into a wall. A hard, warm, breathing wall.
A strangled gasp flew from my lips and I took a hasty step backward. Nick? It had to be. Who else would sneak up on me like that? Who else would be so hard and strong it sent a shiver right down to my toes?
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you.” My gaze drifted upward and my voice caught in my throat.

Definitely not Nick.

The guy was like the anti-Nick, all fair skin and short spiky blond hair and warm hazel eyes that held a hint of humor but none of the darkness I'd seen in my new partner. This guy's smile was lopsided and friendly. He brought to mind the typical So-Cal beach bum, but with a lot more muscles.
I had to take a moment to collect myself. If all the men around here looked like this, I'd been missing out on so much. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad place to work, after all.
What had I seen in slender, cultured Tony again? All his redeeming qualities slipped my mind.
That lopsided smile stretched, revealing shiny white teeth. “Don't worry about running into me. It isn't often anymore that I get a chance to be nearly knocked over by a beautiful woman."
Some of my excitement deflated. Okay, so maybe he wasn't as perfect as I'd thought at first glance. Or perhaps he needed to get his eyes checked. I'd looked in the mirror this morning. For the first time since I was twelve I'd had to go without my flattening iron and makeup. And the absence of my usual morning efforts would not go unnoticed. At least not by anyone who had a shred of sanity. I looked like a mop-headed pubescent teen wearing men's clothing.
"No need to lay on the charm so thick."
He just laughed, his eyes sparkling in a way that would have made me angry if I'd been able to summon the emotion. But for some reason, my sanity seemed to have flown out the window.
"You're Kendra."
I narrowed my eyes. “Maybe."
"I'm Kane. I live in the apartment right below you."
And that was supposed to make me feel better? I crossed my arms over my chest. “So you ... work here too?"
He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug, a move that put me a little more at ease. “Yep. You look flustered. Is there something I can help you with?"

Other than directing me to the nearest portal back to the real world? I sighed. This was my real world now, and I'd have to get used to it. There was nothing for me to go back to except a cold, dark, musty grave.
Still shuddering at the unappealing—and disgusting—thought, I turned my focus back to the situation at hand. “I'm trying to find Lena's office. Nick gave me directions, but they were a little vague."
Kane chuckled, shook his head and glanced at the ceiling. “Why doesn't that surprise me? Come on. I'll show you the way."
He put his hand on my shoulder, inciting all kinds of riots among my nerves. Most of which I wasn't sure I liked. Who was he to come in and make me feel like this? It didn't make any sense. I'd just met the guy, and already I was starting to feel attracted to him?
No, not attracted. Just ... I couldn't explain it, but something weird was going on here.
"Are you feeling okay? Maybe I should let you lie down for a while."
I shook my head. My mind might have been foggy, but it hadn't totally left me. He looked like a nice guy, and he acted like one, but that didn't automatically make him a saint. “No. I need to find Lena. I have a lot I want to say to her."
"Suit yourself. I'll show you to Lena's office. But you know where I live. If you need anything later, don't hesitate to stop by for a visit."

I don't think so, buddy. A hint of something seductive played across his gaze, despite his friendly demeanor. He was a slick one. And I wasn't buying it for a second.
"Thanks for the offer, but right now I'm just trying to get settled into this whole life after death thing.” Geez. I'd always expected life after death would be heaven. Not work. How unfair was that? “Maybe later."
"Definitely.” His voice turned low and smoky, but I chose to ignore it.
He'd led me further into the maze of artificially-lit hallways when a big and dark shape moved to blocked our path.

Nick.

I gulped. Why did he look like he wanted to kill something? Or someone?
"What are you doing?” he asked, his tone so menacing it had me shaking in my cheapo boots.
It took me a few seconds to figure out he hadn't directed his question to me, but to Kane. I frowned. Was that jealousy in Nick's voice? Nah. Couldn't be. He was probably just wondering why Kane hadn't taken me out back and shot me yet.
Kane tensed next to me. The easygoing man I'd bumped into had disappeared, replaced by a man as threatening and scary as Nick. “I'm taking her to Lena's office. She said you wouldn't show her how to get there."
Nick threw a scathing glance at me before turning his focus back to Kane. Tension stretched between the two men, practically crackling in air so thick I had to cough to keep from choking on it.
"Is there a problem?” I asked.
Nick stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Yeah. Lena's office is back that way."
He pointed over my shoulder, dislodging Kane's arm at the same time. “You want to leave her alone now?"
Kane took a step back, a grin on his face. “I don't know. I don't think she'd mind spending some time with me. We seem to get along pretty well."
"I really don't care what she does out of her own free will, but you're not going to force her into anything."
Kane looked between Nick and me for a long moment before he finally laughed and turned to walk away. When he'd gone halfway down the hall, he spun around and spread his hands out in front of him. “Good luck, Kendra. Remember what I said. If you need anything, anything at all, just come down and see me."
With a shake of his head, he walked out of sight.
I turned to Nick, my hands on my hips and my face heating. “What was that about? He seems like a nice guy. What are you, jealous or something?"
A microscopic part of me wanted him to say he was. But he didn't. The menace didn't leave his face, but he let out a quick laugh. “Jealous? Ha! You wish. I'm just trying to protect you when you so obviously can't protect yourself."
"I can so protect myself. I don't need you and your over-inflated ego. I'll talk to who I want, when I want, thank you very much."
Nick laughed even harder. Then he put a hand on the wall over my head and leaned in close. That was all it took for my agitation to slip away. It morphed into something else. Something my fast-beating heart and suddenly dry mouth wanted to label as lust.
His face was inches from mine, and my hands itched to reach up and touch his hair—as well as a few other parts of his body that had me blushing just thinking about them. I swallowed hard.
"Don't think you can intimidate me,” I told him with a lot more aggravation than my traitorous body felt. “If I feel like hanging out with Kane, I will."
A hot smile spread over his face. “But you don't like vampires, remember?"
My heart skittered to a stop, the breath catching in my lungs for a brief, terrifying second before I sucked in a big gulp of air. “Vampires?” I squeaked. “Kane is a...."
I couldn't say the word. Couldn't. Even thinking about it any more would give me nightmares for weeks.
"Yeah. Vampire.” Nick shook his head. “Not everyone working here is human. In fact, around here humans are in the minority."
My stomach bottomed out. Why had no one thought to mention this before? I was going to be sharing my home with a vampire. He lived right downstairs from me and was a lot sexier—and a lot blonder and tanner—than I ever would have imagined.
"Why is he awake? It's morning."
"He's okay as long as he stays out of the sunlight.” He winked. “But watch out for him. He's not as innocent as he looks."
Well, duh. The guy drank blood. “He seemed nice enough."
"That's because he wanted you to think that.” He pushed away from the wall with a sigh, took me by the elbow and practically dragged me down the hall. “I'm not saying you shouldn't have any contact with him. Just that when he offers to help you, remember he has ulterior motives."
Why was he so worried about what—and who—I did in my free time? “I know exactly what he wanted."
His grip on my elbow tightened. “And you went with him anyway? Are you cooked?"
"No, but it's been a while since I've had sex. Maybe I was just looking for a little fun."
His fist slammed into the wall.
I stifled a chuckle.
"This isn't funny, Kendra. You don't want to mess with something you don't understand yet. Vampires can get inside your head, plant suggestions and emotions. Just be careful around him, okay?"
I rolled my eyes. “Okay. Fine. Whatever you say, Oh Great One."
The sinister look he shot me sent chills through me. For more than one reason.
"Since you obviously can't follow directions, I guess I'll have to show you to Lena's office. Come this way."
Being a jealous ape was one thing, but acting like a patronizing ass was something else. Something I wasn't going to tolerate and he needed to start understanding that right now. I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips. “Excuse me? Where do you get off telling me what to do?"
Nick ran a big hand through his hair. “Cut it out, Nevins. I don't have the time or the energy for this."
"Then stop being such a jerk."
"I'm not. I'm just—"
I held my hand up in the air to stop any further protests. “Actually, you are. And you're doing it on purpose. For some reason, you're trying your hardest to prove to me you're an asshole. Point taken, okay? Let's get one thing straight before this partnership goes any further. I'm not stupid, and I'm not a child. So watch your mouth or we're going to have a serious problem."
My knees threatened to buckle, my limbs turning to mush at the sudden burst of uncharacteristic boldness. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Talking to him that way had felt good. More than good. I might have to be a hard-ass more often. The adrenaline made me feel tingly all over, and for some reason made me want to rip Nick's clothes off and have my way with him, right there in the hallway. Much to my embarrassment, my panties dampened. I stifled a groan. Why did I respond to him so strongly? Given that I couldn't stand the guy, it made no sense.
After what seemed like an eternity of deafening silence between us, he let out a defeated sigh, took my hand and pulled me down the hall. I would have been offended by his little Neanderthal show, but I was too busy concentrating on how good my hand felt in his. Sad, really, but I couldn't help the way my body reacted to the guy. I didn't have to like him to want to lick him all over.
A minute or so later, he stopped in front of a nondescript white door in a hall lined with other nondescript white doors. “Here it is. See, not so tough to find, was it?"
I glanced around. “How can you be sure this is it?"
"I just know, okay. Once you learn your way around, you will too.” Then he did something so unlike him that it made my stomach drop to my knees. He smiled at me. And, oh man, it was devastating. I had to fight to keep from slumping against the wall and babbling like an idiot.
Within seconds the moment was gone and Tall, Dark and Scary was back full force. “Knock on the door already, will you? I'll see you later. Don't be late for training tonight."
I narrowed my eyes. I was counting the minutes.

Not.


[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Nine

I pulled my list—written on the small, plain white paper I'd found in the drawer of the particleboard desk in my apartment—out of my pocket and knocked on the door.
No response.
I raised my fist and knocked again. This time I heard a muted curse from the other side, and then shuffling footsteps before the door flung open and Lena stood in front of me, wearing baggy blue flannel pajamas and looking suspiciously like she'd just climbed out of bed. The sight was so different from what I expected that I couldn't hold back the snort of laughter.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in tangles, her eyes puffy with thick, inky mascara smudges underneath. Ice Queen wasn't so perfect after all. Then she fixed that razor-sharp glare on me and my cowardly humor fled into a back corner of my mind.
"Do you need something, or are you just going to stand there gawking all day?” she asked, her tone so acid I was afraid it would melt away my skin.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.” Why hadn't Nick mentioned she slept here too? Why had he led me to believe it was just her office?
Because he was a sadistic jerk who deserved to get what was coming to him, and as soon as I figured out a way to hurt him I was all over it.
"You didn't?” She snorted. “Yeah, right."
"Nick told me I could find you here. But he forgot to mention that this was your apartment and not just your office."
Her gaze darkened and she craned her neck to glance down the hall. “He did, huh? Is he with you?"
Did she think the guy was hiding in my pocket or something? The big wimp had turned around and run away as fast as he'd shown up. “Um, no.” Not unless he could make himself invisible.
I blinked. He couldn't do that, could he?
"Good. I'd be too tempted to hurt him if he was anywhere nearby."
I harbored no doubts about her ability to do so, either. I took a step back.
"Oh, don't be silly, Miss Nevins. You're in no danger from me."
What should have reassured me sounded like an insult. Like she didn't think I could hold my own against her. Please. I could knock her on her ass with both hands tied behind my back. She was skinnier than I was, and she had about zero muscle tone.
Then again, it probably wouldn't be smart to challenge the woman when I really knew nothing about her. I'd let the insult slide. At least for now. Nick had mentioned that humans were in the minority here. So the woman standing in front of me could very well be a vampire. Or something ... else. He had yet to fill me in on what other creatures inhabited this strange building. Once I knew a little bit more about my surroundings I'd be better prepared to defend myself if the need arose.
Plus, Ice Queen had managed to shut Tall, Dark and Scary up with a single glance. Just because I was a blonde didn't make me stupid.
"You didn't answer my first question,” she told me, her foot drumming on the ground.
This woman had a thing for making noise. Every thump of that bare foot against the tile ratcheted up my annoyance level a little more until I wanted to wrap my fingers around her skinny little neck and make her stop. The only thing holding me back was the fact that I didn't know if I'd end up with my guts splattered all over the pristine white walls. “What question was that?"
Her exasperated sigh told me exactly how much she enjoyed my company. “What the hell do you want, Kendra?"
So she'd gone from calling me Miss Nevins to calling me Kendra in a span of six seconds flat, and not too nicely either. Now that she had her hooks in me, she'd dropped all pretenses of politeness.
I narrowed my eyes, just a little, and put my focus back where it belonged. On getting what I wanted out of her. I'd perfected my negotiating skills on my parents—hence the SUV I'd gotten for my sixteenth birthday—and I could easily put them to work on Ice Queen here.
"I want to talk to you about the substandard living conditions you people have subjected me to. I can't spend the rest of my ... life ... afterlife ... whatever this is ... like this. It just isn't right."
Lena blew out a breath. She pursed her lips so hard the little creases around them turned a pale, ghostly white. When she spoke, her tone let me know what she thought of my words.
"Substandard? I keep forgetting where you came from. It figures. Well, you'd better come in. I'm going to need about a gallon of coffee to deal with this shit so early."
I suppressed a chuckle. This wasn't the time, and definitely wasn't the place, for laughter, but it was a little hard to control it. Yesterday she'd been so cool and composed I was afraid getting too close to her would cause frostbite. This morning, caught off guard, she was just as human as everyone else.
Though, as Nick had warned, I really had no idea if she was human at all.
Panic welled in my throat, but I pushed it away. Get over it already, Kendra. You're going to be facing much worse beyond the walls of this building.
She stepped back and let me into her apartment. Surprisingly, it looked just like mine. Small, neutral, merely serviceable without being truly comfortable. It gave me a tiny amount of satisfaction that the apparent leader of this strange group lived like the rest of us did, even if she did live on a different floor.
"Why do you live down here instead of in the living area upstairs?"
She looked down her nose at me, her expression saying “isn't it obvious, dolt?” better than words ever could.
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Snob.
Lena set the coffee maker up, walked into the living room area and plunked down on the couch with a very unladylike grunt. “Okay. Start your complaining. I think I can handle it now. Just nothing too heavy until after I've had at least one cup of caffeine."
Complaining? Please. I was simply trying to bring my living situation up to what I was used to. Nothing wrong with being comfortable in my surroundings, right? I sat in the small, uncomfortable chair across from her and set my list down on the faux oak coffee table.
"These are the things that need to be changed."
"So now you're demanding that things change around here? We've operated this way for years. Longer than you've been alive. What makes you think you have a say in any of this?” Lena grumbled, but she picked up the list anyway.
"Shampoo? You're complaining about shampoo?” she asked a few seconds later.
"Isn't it obvious?” Since the woman had eyes, I was sure she'd noticed my out-of-style hair.
"Why shampoo? Isn't that a little trivial?"
"My hair is curly."
"So?"
"So, it's curly. And not in a cute way, either."
"I do see that.” Humor danced in the cold depths of her eyes. “But what I fail to see is the problem in this situation."
Because the woman was a first class bitch. I sighed. “Just because I was cursed with unstraight, unsleek hair doesn't mean I have to like it. I haven't worn it curly since I was ten. I'm not about to start now. So I need decent shampoo and conditioner, a hair dryer and a flattening iron to get out all those stubborn—"
"You've got to be kidding me.” Lena glanced at the list again. “Did you have some sort of personal shopper when you leeched off of your family?"
Where I came from, her question bordered on blasphemy. “No. I've never had any problems shopping for myself."
The fact that I could have held a doctorate in the subject, had there been such a thing, made me cringe. I couldn't very well show these people how independent I was if I couldn't even take care of myself for a little while.
"Whether or not I shop for myself has nothing to do with this situation. You've stuck me in this building with no way out, no money—plastic or paper. I'm alone, with no one around who's willing to answer my questions.” Except for a charming vampire, but no matter how I sliced it spending extra time with him would make for a bad situation.
"Stuck here? What do you mean? Surely, you can't think.... Oh, no.” Lena's expression lightened and she actually had the audacity to start laughing. “I knew I'd forgotten something. You were so late getting here yesterday I wasn't able to give you your paperwork."
And she found this humorous? My fingers itched to yank all her hair out of her scalp. My jaw clenched so hard I knew I'd have a headache later. “What paperwork?"
She shook her head. “I see Nick is still being a stubborn ass about doing his job. He should have told you to come get your documentation from me. I swear if he wasn't.... “She glanced at me, blinked, and blanked her expression. “Well, never mind that. Sit tight. I'll get you everything you need."
She left me sitting alone in her living room for an inordinate amount of time before she came back, a thick manila file folder in her hands. She dropped it to the table in front of me.
"Well, here you go."
I stared at the folder, almost afraid to open it and see what was inside.
"Well, are you going to take a look?"
I shrugged, all cool and collected on the outside when my insides were a mass of swirling, twirling emotions. What were they planning to throw at me now? If experience could account for anything, the contents of the folder wouldn't be good. “Okay. Sure. Whatever."
I lifted the top of the file and slid it open. On top of the stack of paperwork sat a license with my picture on it. I picked up the small plastic rectangle. My face, my first name, but not my last. And not my address either.
"Kendra Jackson? Maine? Are we really in Maine?” I bit back a sigh. Weren't there like a hundred people in the whole state?
She nodded. “This facility is one of many in North America. Most of your work will be done in the vicinity, but in case travel is necessary you'll find the proper documentation in the folder. Also, you'll notice a new birth certificate—though we usually change it, we've kept your birthday the same since you seem to have enough confusion in your life—a bank book for your new account, and your first week's paycheck. Your occupation, by the way, is written as massage therapist."
Excuse me? I don't think so. “First you tell me that I'm going to be fighting evil, and now you spring on me that I have to put my hands all over strangers’ skin? I hate this place more and more by the second."
She raised her eyebrows, a hint of an amused smile on her face. “You won't actually be doing the work. It's a front for what you really do. We can't have the average citizens of Cornell learning the truth. That could cause huge problems around here."
I had terrible visions of them coming after me with pitchforks and flaming torches. A shiver danced down my spine at the thought.
"Okay, so I'm a massage therapist.” Working for an independent agency, according to the paycheck I found in the folder. A paycheck that wasn't half bad, either. “Do I have to pay rent or anything?"
She shook her head.
Hope sparked inside me for the first time since my unfortunate demise. I could survive on checks like this every week. I thumbed through the rest of the paperwork. These people had thought of everything. Even some things I had never seen before, but pointing that out to her would only make me look more stupid.
I pulled out my bank book and found I had a balance of a little over five thousand dollars. The spark of hope morphed into a full-fledged bonfire. Plenty of money to get what I needed, at least to start. Especially since I had doubts of finding any haute couture in Maine.
I pulled out another slip of paper. “It says here I have a car."
A small sedan, according to the title in Kendra Jackson's name, but four wheels beat two feet any day.
"Yes, you do.” She passed another small metal key ring in my direction. “It's in the parking garage. Same number space as your apartment. On your off hours, you'll live just like everyone else. You'll shop, eat, run errands, whatever else you enjoy doing. Your free time is your own. This is just like any other job. Except you can't tell anyone what you do.
"Visitors are allowed to enter the building only with you, and visit your apartment at your discretion, but they won't be able to use the back elevator. They need to use the stairs in the front of the building. The off-limits areas have ... spells, if you will, on them so the humans won't even know they exist. For all intents and purposes, this place is just like any other apartment building. That's how it looks from the outside. All of our business is conducted below ground. You'll find a key card in the folder for the front door of the building—but don't bother trying to give that or your apartment key to anyone you meet on the outside. More spells protect the front door, and no one will be able to get in unless accompanied by one of the hunters living here."
She gave me a small, business-like nod, as if everything she'd just told me was perfectly normal. “Oh, and one more thing on this subject. If you speak a word of it to someone outside of this organization, you'll be severely punished."
Why did it sound like she'd enjoy the whole punishment thing? I gulped. “How so?"
"If I told you, it would give you nightmares for years to come."
I let out a small, nervous laugh. Just looking at her was enough to give me nightmares for years. “You know what, don't tell me. I think I'll just keep my mouth shut about this whole operation."
"Good girl.” She flashed a grin filled with a little too much glee. I wanted to slap the smile off her face, but I also wanted to keep my own face intact so I ignored the urge. I'd never been a violent person in life, so I was hoping these new tendencies would pass once I got settled a little more around here.
"One suggestion, though, Kendra?"
"Yes?"
"Don't buy any clothes you can't move in."

Translation: nothing cute.

I muttered an annoyed curse. She was right, but I didn't have to like it.
"You'll get used to it all. I promise. It just takes a little time."
Said the woman who probably lived in poverty before she died, so none of this crap that was forced on us would bother her.
"Any other issues you'd like to discuss?” she asked.
Discuss? Who was discussing anything? From where I sat, she'd taken one glance at the list and vetoed all but one of my demands ... er, requests. Since when did that classify as a discussion?
Though she had given me a decent amount of money to go out and buy what I needed, provided I could find such things around here. “Actually, there is one more thing."
"And what's that?” If looks could have killed, I would have been sliced and diced and packed in a meat cooler by now.
I took a deep breath, knowing that if I didn't say something now I'd never have the guts to do it. “It's about Nick."
Lena shook her head. “Let me guess. You want to know what it will take to get him to notice you."
I leaned forward, my jaw dropping so far I was afraid I'd get rug burn. Was she crazy? I didn't want the big brute to notice me. I wanted him to leave me alone. Though he was the sexiest man I'd ever seen, I just couldn't get past the tough guy alpha jerk routine. The bad far outweighed the good, in my opinion.
At least it did at the moment, when I wasn't standing right next to him inhaling the potent mix of Obsession and testosterone overload. “Um, no way. I don't want to get closer to him. I want to get further away."
Like miles away.
Lena's brows pulled together, creating a deep crease on her alabaster forehead. “Really?"
Oh, please. Like the jerk was irresistible or something. Okay, so maybe he was, in his own dark and dangerous way, but that didn't mean I was going to fall all over him either. “Yes, really."
I so did not have time for this right now. I had a bank to visit and a paycheck to cash. And clothes to buy. Just the thought sent a surge of giddiness through me.
In the next second the bubble of my giddiness burst. Shopping would have to wait. The confused expression on Lena's face told me she wasn't finished asking questions. “You don't want him?"
Now that was a point-blank question if I'd ever heard one. “No. I don't want him. I don't want to see him, or talk to him, or have him try to kill me with workouts in the gym anymore. I just want out of this farce of a partnership before I'm crippled for life."
A wary laugh escaped her thin lips. “It seems to me like you're protesting a little too much."
My eyes narrowed. I was being honest with her. Really. I had no desire to get any closer to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Scary than I already had. At least not much. I sighed. Okay, so my sex drive had been in full swing since the first time he laid that cold, sexy gaze on me, but the desire to keep my immortal body in one piece overrode the urge to jump all over my new partner. “Is there any way I could be partnered with someone else?"
"There is no one else right now."
"No one at all?"
"Nope. Sorry."
"Well, can I work by myself?"
"Can I be honest with you for a minute, Kendra?"
Like she hadn't already been. Brutally and painfully so. “Sure."
"I have reservations about you working with a partner, even someone who knows his job as well as Nick. If I sent you out alone, it would be a death sentence for you."
I shifted in my seat. “What happened to the immortality thing?"
"We're immortal, to a point. But there are a few ways to kill us. Like all those vampire legends."
Why did everything seem to come back to vampires here? Was there some connection I didn't know about? “Trust me. I'd be fine. I made it to my twenties in one piece, didn't I?"
"You were done in by a salad. Forgive me if I feel the need to worry about you.” Amusement filled her voice, so similar to what had been in Nick's, when she spoke.
Without warning she jumped up from the couch and rushed into the kitchen area. She poured herself a mug of coffee and took a long sip. Black. I gagged. How gross was that? She came back and sat down, mug in her hand.
"I'm sorry. Did you want a cup too?"
She really didn't want to offer me one, and she had no problems letting me know that with her tone and her nasty scowl.

Bitch.

"No, thanks. What I want is a new partner, and I want the switch made today. Isn't there someone who can partner with Nick, and I can work with their old partner? Someone besides Kane?” I added, remembering the weird feeling I got from him in the hall of mazes.
She said nothing to my Kane comment, but a satisfied expression passed across her gaze before she turned that hard, cold professionalism on me again. “Everyone else has been here for a few years, at least. You're the first new one in four years, and you're only here because of what happened to Ryan."
"Who is Ryan?"
"You'll have to ask Nick about him. But Ryan isn't really the issue here, is he? Everyone else has a lot more seniority than you do and I doubt if they'd want to switch with you. Besides, I want you working with Nick. He's the best, and he's the one I want teaching you since you have so much to learn."
Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.
Like I was some stupid kid who couldn't take care of myself. A scream welled in my throat and I had to force it back. The truth of the matter, even though I refused to admit it aloud, was that I did have a lot to learn. The hardest decisions I'd had to make up until now involved what color shoes would match my dress or how to wear my hair for a friend's wedding.
Now this was real life. Or was it real death? To be honest, I wasn't quite sure which it was. I shook my head, hoping it was hard enough to shake the mixed up pieces of my mind back together.
But however much I needed to know, the problem was still there. What could be done about Tall, Dark and Jerky?
"I really see no other way around it,” Lena continued, as if reading my mind. “Nick is the one you've been partnered with. Even if I wanted to dissolve the partnership, which believe me, I don't, I couldn't do anything about it."
What was this, some kind of twisted version of the dating game? “What are we, joined at the hip now?"
"You might as well be. You're responsible for each other's safety. You'll be working together six nights a week."

Six? Didn't that count as overtime? “What would happen if I refused to work with the guy?"
Her eyes widened. “You'd have to go on light duty. You wouldn't want to do that this soon."
"Light duty? What exactly does that involve?” It couldn't be any worse than working with Nick. Could it?
Apparently, yes. Lena wrinkled her nose. “You'd be part of the cleanup crew."
"Clean up for what?"
"The ... leftovers after the hunters get through with assorted otherworldly creatures."
I had a single word in response to that.

Eww!


[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Ten

Nick dove into the pool, welcoming the cold shock of hitting the water head first. It was a much-needed distraction from Kendra Nevins and all her cute, irritating appeal. Seeing Kane's arm around her shoulder her brought out the beast in him—though it made no sense, really. He had no interest in the woman past making sure she didn't get one of them hurt on the job.

Liar.

Though he tried to deny it, he had more than a passing interest in the woman. And that was why he'd need to do all he could to avoid her.
He swam to the end of the pool, grabbed for the side and pulled himself up in the water. He drew in a deep breath and dove under again.
His arm muscles worked as he propelled himself through the water, letting the familiar sensations help chase Kendra from his mind. It was work. Nothing more. He couldn't afford to think of himself as anything more than her partner. And, despite what Lena thought, he did need to watch Kendra's back. Constantly.
His last partner had been a human, too. Despite the immortality, Stephan had still found a way to get past it and take Ryan's life. It had been months, and the guilt still weighed down on him a little more every day. It ate away at his insides until he felt like there'd be nothing left. After Ryan's death Nick had tried to walk away from the job, but Lena had been insistent he stay. Obviously relenting was a mistake.
He came up for another breath and saw Kane standing at the edge of the pool, mirrored sunglasses perched on his nose.
Something in Nick's gut tightened at the sight of the man he considered a friend—except where Kendra was concerned.
Nick pulled himself out of the water and grabbed his towel from a nearby lounge chair. He swiped it down his face before draping it over his shoulders. “Need something?"
Kane shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure your partner got to Lena's office okay today."
Nick barely contained a rough laugh. His shoulders tensed and something that could not be jealousy rose up in his chest. “Why so much concern now? You didn't seem too concerned with her safety earlier today."
"I was more concerned for her safety than you were. Leaving her down there to work through the maze alone was a little cold.” Kane adjusted his sunglasses. “Even for you."
"She would have found it just fine by herself, given a little more time. She has to learn to follow her instincts if she plans to make it in this world. It's hard enough to live like this without being completely dependent on other people. Especially people who don't have her best interests in mind."
Kane laughed. “Do you have an issue with me talking to your new partner, Nick?"
He snorted. He had a huge issue with it, and it wasn't entirely professional. An issue he was better off forgetting about. He'd known the woman for a day. He couldn't get personally involved, now matter how sexy and infuriating she was. No matter how much he'd wanted to roll her under him on those mats.
He blew out a breath. The raging jealousy made no sense. None at all. He'd met the woman yesterday. “Of course not."
"Good. Because I have to warn you, I'm not the only one who's looking."
Nick's gaze snapped to Kane's face, something white hot spiking through his gut. It felt a lot like worry, but he couldn't be sure. His mind flashed back to Stephan's message. “What's that supposed to mean?"
"She's the only woman around here full time right now. Besides Lena, but we all know she really doesn't count for much. I'm just saying you might want to stake your claim before someone else does."
Like Kendra would ever let that happen. She had yet to meet the other three hunters who shared the building with them. If she thought he and Kane were scary ... he let out a laugh. She really needed to be introduced to Snake.
"Are you saying you're interested in her?” Nick asked, eyebrows raised.
Kane laughed. “Nah. Just that you might want to watch out for her, that's all."
"Point taken. Nice talking to you.” And if I don't get out of here in the next ten seconds I run the risk of ripping your head from your neck. Nick dried the rest of his body with the towel, grabbed his shirt and keys and headed for the cement walkway that would take him back to the building. Kane followed.
"Think she'll make it?” he asked.
Nick didn't stop walking. Didn't bother to turn. “I don't know. She's got guts. And determination. She might surprise us all."
Kane laughed. “I wouldn't doubt it for a second. She wouldn't be here if she didn't have what it takes."
He frowned. He'd heard the same thing from Lena. It was going to take a lot more than he'd seen so far to make him believe it.
He opened the door and they stepped inside the building. The cool air hit his skin and made him shiver. He wrapped the towel tighter around his shoulders. His body didn't regulate its temperature as fast as a human's, so it took him a little longer to acclimate to the air-conditioned apartment building. Any other day, he would have dried off in the sun before daring to step back inside, but he could control his temper about as well as his body temperature and Kane wouldn't appreciate losing a limb.
Nick walked to his mailbox and unlocked it, pulling out the mail and leafing through the envelopes. Junk.

What were you expecting? Something from Stephan?

A bitter laugh caught in his throat. Actually, he had. He should have known better. Stephan was all about the drama, and there was nothing dramatic about sending a friggin’ letter in the mail.
Kane leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He put the sunglasses on top of his head and stared Nick down, his expression dead serious. “You don't even realize how lucky you are, do you?"
Nick raised an eyebrow. “How do you figure?"
"Never mind."
"I thought you said you weren't interested.” It wasn't like Kane to lie, but obviously, he had. Nick twisted the envelopes and fliers in his hands until they'd become a mass of multicolored paper. He slammed the crumpled ball into the nearby trash can, but the action only made him feel marginally better. “The whole vampire thing really bothers her. Just so you know."
Kane chuckled. “Is that so?"
"By the way, she thinks vampires can only go out at night. I didn't correct that opinion."
"Why?"
"Thought it would make things a little more interesting around here.” He walked toward the elevator bank and pressed the up button. If he didn't get into some dry clothes soon he'd freeze, and then he'd be no use to anyone. Besides, talking to Kane was starting to grate on his nerves. “Just...."
"Stay away from her. I know.” Kane rolled his eyes. Held his hands up in front of him in a gesture of mock surrender. He followed Nick to the elevator bank, tucking his sunglasses into the pocket of his shirt as he walked. “You know I'd never hurt a woman."
Nick laughed. “What I know is that you're a slick son of a bitch who could talk any woman into just about anything."
"Guilty as charged."
The elevator door opened and they stepped inside.
"But you'll leave Kendra alone.” Nick stabbed the button marked ‘three', and then the one marked ‘two’ for Kane. The sooner he was rid of the vampire, the better. Another few seconds and Nick's control over his anger would slip. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it had serious consequences for all involved. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt a man he'd long considered a friend over a stupid emotion he refused to even put a name to.
"I'll leave her alone. For a time.” The door opened on floor two and Kane stepped out of the car. “But once you've had your chance, all bets are off."
Nick opened his mouth to respond, but the doors had already started to slide closed. The last thing he saw before he was looking at metal doors was Kane's self-satisfied smile.
Nick stepped off the elevator on the third floor and walked down the hall to his apartment, muttering and cursing, his hands clenched into fists. The central air conditioning chilled his blood, but did nothing to cool the anger inside him. The muscles across his shoulders tightened to the point of pain. Where did Kane get off acting like such an ass?
Part of him knew that Kane had only been trying to rile him. It ticked Nick off that he'd played right into the vampire's hands. Over a woman he'd known for a single goddamned day.
He shook his head and started to unlock his door, but his gaze drifted across the hall and he walked over there, raised his fist and knocked on Kendra's door.
No answer.
His eyes narrowed. Where the hell could she be? If Lena had let her loose on the poor people of Cornell without giving her the proper warnings....
He walked into his apartment, threw on some dry clothes, and stomped down to Lena's place. If she thought she was funny letting Kendra wander all over the place by herself, she needed to learn he wouldn't tolerate it. The naïve woman might do something stupid to put them all in danger.
"Where's Kendra?” he asked when Lena answered the door.
"Why would I know that? It isn't my job to watch her."
"I dropped her off at your door a few hours ago. She's not back at her apartment yet."
"How do you know that? Have you been watching her door the whole time?"
He swallowed, a little of the anger draining out of him. “Well, no. But where else would she be? She wouldn't go off on her own."
"I gave her all the paperwork she needs. She has money now, and car keys. Do you really think Little Miss Perfect is going to stick around here when she has shopping to do?"
He pushed past Lena into the apartment, an annoyed laugh stuck in his throat. Lena was right, of course. But he still couldn't see Kendra off running around an unknown town by herself.
"Do you really think she would have left without telling me?"
Lena sighed. “Why so worried, Nikolai? She's out of your hair for a little while. Isn't that what you wanted? I don't get what the problem is."
"The problem is she isn't ready to handle situations that might arise. She needs at least a little bit of training before she goes off on her own."
Lena closed the door and walked over to him, placing her hand on the center of his chest. Her fingers curled in his shirt. “And whose fault is it that she doesn't have the proper training? Certainly not mine."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. “It's you who brought her here in the first place. Deal with it instead of leaving all the dirty work for me."
"She's fine, Nick. How much trouble can she get into in the middle of the day in a place as small as Cornell?"
He shrugged off the unease. “True. But she still should have let me know she was going somewhere."
"You're not her keeper, Nick.” Lena's hand was back, her nails scraping down his skin through the thin material of his shirt. His body responded with both revulsion and interest—but mostly revulsion. The interest was left over from the fling they'd had five years earlier, when he'd been new and stupid. The revulsion stemmed from living near her for years and learning firsthand what kind of a person she really was.
"I have no interest in being her keeper, but seeing as I'm saddled with her for a partner I don't have a hell of a lot of choice."
Lena chuckled. She leaned in close enough that her breath fanned the side of his neck. He took a step back and shook his head. “Cut it out, will you?"
She gave him a seductive smile. “Cut what out? You used to like it when I touched you."
"Liked it. Past tense. That was a long time ago. Things have changed."
"Come on, Nick. What's the problem? We could have a lot of fun together."
Her idea of fun and his varied greatly. He took another step back, shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, and stared her down. What would it take for her to finally get the hint? He'd tried to be nice, tried blunt, even tried rude and none of it worked. She wouldn't back off. Normally he could ignore it, but now, for some unknown reason, it irritated him more than ever.
"You mean you'd have fun tearing me apart. You don't do mild, remember? Sorry, but I'm not interested in spending the next two days licking my wounds."
She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “I'll lick them for you."
"No, thanks.” His stomach turned. She'd meant to entice him, but she'd only managed to make him ill. She was attractive, in her own way, but he wasn't attracted to her. Really never had been. She'd been a way to pass the time, and that time had passed.

Way passed.
She walked toward him again, a predatory gleam in her eyes. She wriggled her fingers at her sides, her long nails clicking together softly.
A warning bell went off in his mind. He backed up another step, edging closer to the door. “Cut it out, Lena."
"Come on, Nikolai,” she said, her voice low and husky. “I just want to have a little fun. You never used to turn me down before."
"That was five years ago. I thought you'd given this up."
"Things have changed now."
Meaning Kendra's presence made Lena feel threatened. “You're jealous."
"Are you nuts? Jealous of the little blonde twit? I don't think so."
"You are jealous. And you know what? You have a reason to be.” Not really, but he'd needed to say something to get the woman off his back.
It worked, if her glare and sputtering meant anything. He bit back a grin as he stepped out of her apartment and slammed the door shut. It served her right to think she'd made a huge mistake in pairing him with Kendra. Lena had had her way for too long and it was well past time someone changed that.
And speaking of Kendra ... They still had some work to do. No time like the present to start. Now he just had to find her first.
He unclipped his cell from his belt and dialed Kendra's number. After three rings the generic female tone of her voicemail told him to leave a message.
"Kendra, it's Nick. Change of plans. Meet me in the training room at three this afternoon. We have a lot of ground to cover."
He disconnected the call, but it didn't make him feel any better.
Not even a little bit.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Eleven

The small, old-fashioned grocery store in downtown Cornell, Maine was mobbed. Mothers dragging small, screaming and thrashing children up and down aisles, their shopping carts full of sugar-sweetened cereals, juice, and chocolate chip cookies—items which were probably the cause of the screaming and thrashing in the first place. Men carrying their purchases in their arms—because, of course, pushing around a sissy little cart would be bad for their macho-man image.
Elderly couples moseying down the aisles, parking their carts in the middle to scan lists or bicker about which cereal had the most fiber and what brand of dried prunes would help them take a regular poop.
I wrinkled my nose. TMI, in a big way. As if the whole world really needed to know about that.
The wheels of the rusty metal shopping cart squealed in protest as I pushed the contraption down the aisle. Of all the carts in the place, I'd had to get the ancient, tired one that would probably collapse if I added too many more items to the basket. The cart seemed like a metaphor for my life. I'd left sparkling perfection and traded it in for second-hand-store rejects. I'd never been a big believer in karma before, but that opinion was changing rather quickly.
"Stop complaining, Kendra. It isn't going to help the situation,” I muttered. “Just relax and deal with it."
It was the same mantra I'd been repeating since leaving the wacky apartment building ten minutes ago. I'd resigned myself to accepting my new life. Complaining would make me feel worse, not better. Believe it or not, up until I died I hadn't been a complainer. I considered myself a positive person. Coming back to life had thrown me off balance and it would take a while to regain my equilibrium.
A small child, maybe three years old, shot past me with his mother in hot pursuit. Peals of laughter echoed down the aisle. I stopped the cart and rubbed my eyes. This new life was going to take some getting used to.
I grabbed a can of spaghetti and meatballs and dropped it into my cart. My experience with spray cheese had taught me one thing—no matter what I'd been raised to think, processed, pre-prepared meals would not kill me. My paycheck might be decent but it wouldn't be enough to hire a cook, so I'd have to make do with the skills I had. Namely, the ability to work a can opener and press a couple of buttons on a microwave oven.
My fingers pressed to my temples, where a dull throb had started a few minutes ago. It was all too much. Massive stimulation overload. The hair on the back of my neck had prickled the second I left my small but serviceable car and walked into the nearly as small, not nearly as serviceable grocery store. Colors looked a little brighter, odors seemed stronger. And the people ... something about the large crowd in the store set my teeth on edge. Strange. I'd always been a people-person before. Now I had the strangest urge go home and curl up on my couch and veg out in complete silence.
But I couldn't do that yet. First I had to stock my kitchen, and then I had to stock my closet with items that didn't make me feel like I was living in a minimum security prison. The prospect of clothes shopping brought a smile to my face. Finally, something familiar.
I slipped a few blue and yellow boxes of macaroni and cheese into my cart. Not the most appetizing thing I'd been able to find, but not the vilest, either. The meal, along with the frozen pizzas, egg rolls, and canned pasta I'd picked up along the way, would have to hold me over until I learned how to cook. The chips, cookies, and candy were solely for the fun of it, since they'd been all but forbidden in my old life.
My mother would scold me from here to eternity if she got a glimpse of the crap that filled my cart, but the way I saw it, I didn't have much choice. Besides, the case of Evian and the fresh veggie platter I'd picked out had to count for something.
Being outside, shopping like any normal human would, settled a ball of total weirdness into the pit of my stomach. I was no longer normal by any stretch of the imagination. I was a lean, mean, demon-killing machine.

Yeah, right.

What surprised me was that no one around me seemed to notice me at all. They went about their lives like an immortal demon hunter didn't walk amongst them. I have to say, not being a focal point for the first time in forever kind of bit.
All my life I'd been the center of attention. Everyone loved me. They'd all fawned over me like I was some kind of minor goddess. Of course, that could have had something to do with my father's money.
Okay, so it probably had everything to do with my father's money. And his job as a plastic surgeon. He'd always been willing to do work for my “imperfect” friends. The discounts he'd given them just for being my friends....
I stomped my foot down on the ground and brought the thoughts to a screeching halt. No. I wouldn't go there. Not right now. Though I kept trying to ignore it, I was about a second away from a huge mental collapse. Thinking those things would push me over the edge into total insanity.
"Sane, whole, and healthy, Kendra. You can do it,” I muttered to myself. Thankfully no one around me heard. I must have sounded like an escaped mental patient.
"Excuse me.” A middle-aged, redheaded woman reached over my cart and grabbed a box of seasoned rice mix. She tossed it into her cart and continued down the aisle.
"No problem,” I answered, but she was already gone.
Since arriving here, the only one who'd shown me any interest—at least interest that wasn't negative—was Kane. And according to my partner—who I was about two sentences away from telling to go rot in hell—Kane's only interest in me was probably the blood that had recently begun flowing again through my veins. Lethal or not, I was still a little tempted to take the guy up on his offer. At least he smiled once in a while instead of growling all the time like Tall, Dark and Scary.
Whom I had absolutely zero interest in. None whatsoever. Well, okay. Not much.
A man a few years younger than me pulled his cart to a stop next to mine, reaching up to grab a box of pasta from the top shelf. He gave me a quick, appraising glance and a small smile before walking away.
Bolstered by the fact that he'd at least noticed my presence, I followed him. “Excuse me?"
"Yes?"
Now that he stood in front of me, waiting for me to speak, my nerve took a flying leap and deserted me. I swiped the back of my hand over my forehead. It came away coated in sweat.
His dark eyebrows knit together and his lips tipped into a frown. “Miss, are you okay?"
At least he didn't call me ma'am. I wouldn't have been able to take that. My heart would have stopped beating on the spot. “This is going to sound really strange, but do you notice anything unusual about me?"
His expression went from wary with maybe a touch of interest to nervous with more than a touch of suspicion in seconds flat. His eyes shaded and he took a step back. “Um, not really. Why do you ask?"
Because before, when I'd lived the life I loved rather than the one I'd trade in without question, men had stared at me all the time. Why was now any different?
I knew my first stop should have been at a salon to have my wayward curls beaten into shape.
"I'm just curious."
"Well, okay then.” He shook his head and walked away, muttering something about my question being the stupidest come-on line he'd ever heard.
I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back. Anger coiled around my insides, weaving its insidious web. Come-on line? Please. He was way too young for me. I preferred my men older and more sophisticated. Like Nick.

No. Not like Nick. Like the opposite of Nick.
Nick wasn't even that much older than me. He looked maybe thirty. Still too young, and definitely not sophisticated enough for my tastes.
And if I repeated that line of crap every night before I went to bed, I might even start believing it. I tried to shrug off the funk, but it was no use. The black cloud of self-doubt and pity sat firmly above my head, threatening a storm the likes of which I'd never known. Maybe I needed to find a hobby. At least it would keep my mind off thoughts that, if left alone, would lead to depression.
I brought my purchases to the register and paid for them, my foul mood still firmly intact. It would be a long time before this passed. Having a life full of real problems really sucked sometimes. I packed my brown paper bags in the backseat of my car and set off on the next, and final, errand for the day—filling my closet with clothes that didn't make me look like I'd dressed in a pillow case. This, at least, brought another smile to my face.
Yes, sad that I still obsessed about such trivial things, but with the turn my life had taken I had to cling into something familiar or else risk getting swept away by the tide of emotions that lay just beneath the surface, ready to burst free in a flash flood at the slightest nudge. That nudge could come from any direction, at any time, and I'd have to be very careful not to let it happen.
It would take all my strength and willpower to keep the walls of my emotions intact, but I could do it. Would do it. I grinned into the bright sunlight, enjoying the feel of the warmth on my face again. Something told me my new colleagues were just waiting for me to fall apart. Well, I refused to give them the satisfaction. Faced with either moving forward or taking a huge, and possibly irrevocable step back, my resolve hardened to steel and my smile widened. There would be no falling apart for this girl.
I would be fine. And I'd prove every last one of them wrong.
* * * *
A half hour later I stood in front of the single mirror in the single dressing room inside the single decent clothing store in town, turning first one way and then the other. After careful inspection earlier in the morning, I'd determined that my new body was an exact replica of my old one. But a glance in the dressing room mirror had me doing a double-take.
Without my hair flattened and shaped and bent and spritzed into its two-hundred dollar style, without my sedate, classy designer clothes and the full line of designer make-up I applied so painstakingly every morning, I looked like a completely different person. A person who happened to be completely beauty-deficient.
I'd picked up some makeup essentials at the drug store a little while ago, but had forgone the blow dryer and flattening iron. Without Mario, my miracle-worker hairstylist, it just wouldn't be the same. And if I had to be honest with myself—believe me, I was trying hard not to be—in some strange and twisted way I liked the new me. The old me hadn't been real. I'd been a carbon copy of my mother and my grandmother. A work of art, so to speak. The canvas that they'd painted all their tainted values on. This me was different. Edgier. More fun. At least I hoped so.
How long had it been since I'd really let go and had a good time?
Um, that would be never.
Now was my time. I would learn to enjoy life rather than just pretending. I wouldn't let myself get down about the whole death and rebirth thing. I'd only end up like my aunt Kiki. In a permanent state of depression that nothing had been able to snap her out of. She'd ended up in a sanatorium and now if anyone in the family spoke her name it was in hushed whispers and the occasional giggle.
If I kept walking around asking complete strangers if there was something wrong with me, I'd no doubt earn a similar reputation.
I shifted in front of the mirror again, smiling at the sight of myself in the jeans I'd picked up off the rack. Black, slim, boot-cut jeans paired with a cropped black baby doll t-shirt with “honey” written across the chest in bright pink, gave me exactly the look I was going for. Tough, yet cute, with a dash of sexy thrown in for good measure. Very cool. Almost stylish. Paired with the low-heeled black boots I'd found, it was a killer ensemble. I smiled at my reflection. Dressing the part made it feel more official. Time to go kick some demon ass.
I grabbed the rest of the outfits I'd chosen, the clothes I'd worn in, and rushed to the counter to pay for my purchases.
"I'd like to wear this stuff home, please. Would that be okay?” I handed her the price tags I'd taken off in the dressing room.
The teenaged cashier, a scrawny little thing with multiple facial piercings and hair too black to be her natural shade, shrugged. “Sure."
Her nametag read Molly. I stifled a laugh. Talk about a name not fitting the owner.
"Thanks. I appreciate it.” A quick glance at my watch told me it was already heading toward the dinner hour. I didn't have much time before my next session with Nick. I tapped my fingernails on the countertop. “If you don't mind, I'm kind of in a hurry. I have a very important meeting in a few hours."
Molly said nothing, just raised a single bushy, silver-adorned eyebrow and picked up a shirt from the top of the pile.
She brought the tag to within an inch of her eyes, squinted, and punched the numbers into the ancient cash register. With one finger. I clenched my hands into fists to keep from pounding on the glass-top counter. If you hadn't already guessed, patience was not one of my strong suits.
While waiting for Slowpoke to give me a total, I glanced around the small, cute little shop and my gaze caught on a man standing near a rack of leather jackets.
Something inside me hitched at the sight of him. There wasn't anything unusual about his appearance—roughly six feet tall, inky black hair cut in military fashion, brown eyes, high cheekbones and strong jaw. Good-looking in an intriguing sort of way but not really my type. A little too chiseled, a little too pretty. No, his looks weren't what drew my attention. It was something else. Something unseen.
Something I could only describe as not normal.
The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention and goose bumps rippled across the skin on my arms.

He'd been watching me.

I didn't understand how I knew he had, but a little voice in my head screamed that it was true. He'd been watching me, and his gaze told me he knew that I knew. So much for stealth and cunning.
I turned back to the cashier. “I really am in a hurry."
She shrugged again. “The cash register can't go any faster than this."

Wonderful. I turned my head in his direction again in time to see him step away from the jackets and head for the door. Shit. I couldn't lose him now.
Though I had not a clue why catching him had suddenly become top priority.
Just as he reached for the knob, the cashier hit the total button. “Nine hundred ninety-eight dollars and ninety-seven cents."
In the amount of time it took her to slide my brand new debit card through the slot, the stranger had stepped out the door. Damn it. I signed the slip and tucked the debit card into my pocket, already moving away from the counter. I had about five seconds before I lost him.
"Can you hold on to that stuff for me for a few? I'll be back in like five minutes.” Without waiting for a reply, I rushed out the door. I ran out onto the sidewalk just in time to see him turn the corner two buildings down.
I raced after him, something hard and cold clicking inside me. Instinct, maybe, or a built-in perk that came with this new, high-tech body. It didn't matter what had given me the push to chase him, just that something had. This guy was bad news, and it was my job to stop him.
I skidded to a stop and turned down the corner, only to find myself standing in an empty dead-end alley. Alone.
An unfamiliar curse slipped from my lips. I'd lost him. How was that possible, though? I'd seen him turn down this street. Unless he could walk through walls, he should be around here somewhere.
With cautious steps I made my way to the back of the alley, toward a grouping of dented metal trash cans sitting against the six-foot high wooden fence connecting the brick buildings. It was a long shot, but I guess he could have hidden inside one of them.
"You're quite good. Such raw talent. I never expected so much progress from you this quickly."
I spun around at the sound of the masculine voice and found myself face to face with the man from the store. Up close, he seemed more menacing than he had in the middle of the women's clothing boutique. His eyes seemed icier, his shoulders broader, and that indefinable evil quality so much more pronounced.
I put my hands on my hips and stood my ground, though I really wanted to melt into a puddle and sink into the crackled cement under my feet. My legs turned to jelly, and not in the good jelly sort of way they weakened around Nick. I recognized this guy's voice. He was the one who had called me on my new cell phone. “Who are you?"
"Stephan.” He held his hand out in front of him, a deceptively friendly smile on his face.
I snorted. Like I was really going to shake the slimy guy's hand. “Stephan what?"
"That's not important right now.” His gaze scanned me from head to toe in a way that made my stomach roil. “I think you'll do quite nicely."
"Excuse me?” Was he some part of the organization that had hired me? He sure spouted gibberish as well as the rest of them. “Do nicely for what? Am I supposed to know you?"
"Not yet. But you will. I suspect that, in the near future, we'll get to know each other very well.” He spoke in deep, hushed tones that sent a quiver of unease through my belly. I didn't want to get to know him. In fact, I'd be more than happy if I never saw him again.
"Not if I can help it."
He cocked his head and smiled. “What are you afraid of, Kendra?"
"Certainly not you."
He took a step closer, and then another. When he stood inches from me, his smile grew. “I would never hurt you."
I rolled my eyes. Please. “I don't even know you, and already you're creeping me out. Ever heard of personal space? You might want to back up a little before I'm forced to make you back up."
"I don't think you'd be able to make me do anything, Kendra."
"Wanna bet?"
Of course there was something I could do to make him back up. This body was equipped with all the weapons I needed, whatever that was supposed to mean. Now I just had to figure out how to use them. I pursed my lips and concentrated on getting Slimy Jerk out of my way—and then the strangest thing happened.
A warm tingly feeling started in my palms. I wiped them down my thighs, but the action only served to make the tingling worse and heat the denim covering my skin. I raised my hands and, I kid you not, they glowed. A strange orange-red color. Something deep and strong coursed through my veins and I smiled.
This was power. A lot of it.
How cool was that?
The odd instinct kicked in again and I swung my arm out in an arc. Flames shot out of my palm. Flames. Like real, hot, burning fire. Even cooler. Like I belonged in the X-Men comics or something.
Slimy Jerk backed up a step, his eyes widening a fraction. So my newfound powers made him nervous. Good. I smiled at him. Take that, asshole. “What's the matter? Scared of little old me?"
"Surprised. Your new partner must have trained you well."
No way was Nick getting credit for this. “Not hardly. I figured this out all by myself."
By accident, or course, but as far as I was concerned, supernatural powers were supernatural powers, no matter how a person discovered them.
Slimy Jerk ducked behind me and I spun, my hands raised in the air. If he'd just stop moving, getting rid of him would be so much easier.
"You don't want to try to hurt me, Kendra.” The words held a taunting note that let me know he wasn't scared.
"And why would that be?” I rushed at him, but he slid away.
"Because I'm a lot stronger than you."
"Whoop-dee-doo. I haven't seen you do anything scary yet."
In answer he raised his hand and a streak of what looked like blue electricity shot from the tip of one of his fingers. The ground in front of me buckled and opened up, leaving a four foot jagged slash of broken concrete. I had to step back to keep from toppling into the hole.
Okay, so maybe he was a little bit stronger than me.
My legs quivered again and a line of sweat broke out across my brow. Why had Nick and Lena made demon hunting sound so easy? Apparently they'd forgotten to warn me that these demons would have powers much greater than mine.
I failed to see the fair in this equation.
"Does that prove my point?” he asked, making a grab for my wrist.
"Not really. You seem to have the powers, but if you wanted to use them on me I have a feeling I would have been dead already. Time's up now. I have places to go, and things to do. It's been really great talking to you, though.” I swung my hand out again, sending a ball of fire shooting from my palm.
And straight into the group of metal trashcans against the fence. The trashcans exploded with a huge crashing sound. Bits of sticky, smelly garbage sailed into the air. I rushed out of the line of fire just in time to avoid getting hit by the flying crud, but Slimy Jerk got splattered.
"This isn't over yet, Miss Nevins.” With a muttered curse he turned and fled.
I rubbed my hands down my pant legs and narrowed my eyes. Time to take stock of what happened. My aim really hadn't gotten any better since my past life. Was there some sort of paranormal firing range where I could practice? With the looks of this trash-strewn alley, I was going to need it. I suppose it could have gone a teensy bit better than that.
But fire had shot out of my palms. I laughed. So I hadn't gotten the demon. This time. Next time, that sucker was mine. And after the way he'd talked to me, I had no doubts I'd meet Slimy Jerk again. When he showed his face, I'd be ready for him.
I hoped.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Twelve

I'd been home for no more than ten minutes when a knock sounded on the door. I narrowed my eyes at the plank of wood separating my apartment from the hallway. It had to be my illustrious partner. Even Nick's knock screamed Alpha Male, and I so wasn't in the mood for any of that crap this evening. What should have been a nice, relaxing Me Day had turned into the fiasco that had literally left pounds of trash scattered all over the alley—and me racing to pick up my clothes at the store and get out of the area before I got arrested for vandalism. My heart was still pounding.
"What do you want?” I yelled, not bothering to get up off the couch to answer the door. According to Lena, he'd kept me waiting for more than a week when I should have started my training. It wouldn't kill him to see what it felt like.
"Open up, Kendra. We need to talk."
"Whatever.” He could talk all he wanted, but he'd better not expect any listening in return. I pushed up from the couch, strolled to the door and edged it open. He stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, dressed in all black, yet again. I can't say the discovery surprised me, though I refused to acknowledge the unwelcome little happy dance my stomach did at the sight of him.
"You're late,” he said simply.
Not this again. “No, I'm not."
"I said three p.m. in the training room."

Oh, come on. Did he think I was that stupid? “You said seven."
"No, I said three."
"Whatever. I distinctly remember you saying seven p.m."
His gaze darkened and he let out a sigh. “Yeah, at first. And then I left you a message telling you there'd been a change of plans and I needed you to meet me at three."
I froze. A message? On what? I hadn't seen an answering machine in all my travels around my new apartment.
"Voicemail,” he answered in an uncanny way that made me think he was reading my mind. “The paperwork Lena gave you should have had a packet in there with your voicemail number and password."
Like I'd had any time to go through that. I had yet to figure out the complicated little cell phone they'd given me. The silver device had more buttons than a piano had keys. “I'm still settling in. And I haven't even been home all day. I've been busy."
"Shopping, I see.” His gaze traveled down the front of me, as slow and hot as a caress, but I couldn't muster the appropriate offense to his actions. They made my knees buckle and I would have swooned if it hadn't gone out of style centuries ago.
What can I say? I'm so weak.
And deprived. It had been weeks since I'd had sex, and my adrenaline rush from the earlier incident had yet to fade. Add a guy like Nick to the mix, and my body was practically begging.
"Can I come in?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes and pulled the door open all the way. “I thought we had some training to do?"
"We did.” He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. “Now we don't."
Uh oh. Did I detect a little bit of anger in his voice? I gulped, despite my resolve to stop being scared by the guy. Hey, a girl couldn't change completely in one day, no matter what these people expected.
His gaze washed over me again, this time with more heat. Very blatant, and it made my toes curl. Lord, the man was potent. I clenched my hands into fists and leaned back against the wall, hoping he didn't notice my reaction.
I should have known I wasn't that lucky.
"Nice shirt.” He took a step toward me, then another, nearly pinning me to the wall the same way he had earlier. His fingers came up and grabbed a lock of my hair. “Nice hair, too. Sexy."
Yeah, maybe to a blind man. Anyone with a little bit of vision would see a mop perched on top of my head. “Doubtful."
"I'm serious.” He leaned in, his voice low and deep. “It's so ... soft."
His reaction sent a little curl of lust wafting through my stomach, but I pushed it away. He could take his false compliments and shove them up his ass. “Thanks."
"Why do you say that when you don't mean it?"
I frowned.
"You said thanks, when you really wanted to tell me to go to hell.” He lifted my hair to his nose and sniffed. A small smile curled his lips. “Why?"
To anyone with half a brain and a decent set of manners, that answer would be obvious. But apparently politeness didn't come easily to a caveman like Nick.
"Because unlike some people around here, I was raised to be courteous."
He dropped my hair, stepped back and let out a long laugh. “You really are cute, you know that?"
Just what I wanted the sexiest man I'd ever seen to think of me as. Cute. He might as well have mentioned the little bump on my nose, just there, like Tony had. I snorted.
"There's nothing wrong with being cute, Nevins. So tell me how it went with Lena today. I didn't think you actually had the guts to go complain to her."
Oh, yeah. Like I was some wilting flower. What was it about me that screamed Gutless Freak? Whatever it was, I'd have to see about changing it immediately. It wasn't an image that would help me in my new career. “Please. If I feel there's an injustice being done, I have no problems speaking out against it."
"In this case, I'm assuming the injustice had something to do with the coffee not being your usual gourmet variety?"
I narrowed my eyes at the jerk. How had he gotten a copy of my list? “Of course not. My concerns were a lot bigger than coffee."
He let out another belly laugh, nearly doubling over before he righted himself and swiped a hand across eyes. “Yeah, right. I'm sure they were."
I shot him a wounded look. What did he know, anyway? Men really had no idea what was important in life. They had two-track minds. Sex and sports. Judging from personal experience, when the two came to blows sports always won out. And sex ... well, let's just say my experiences with that had been passable at best. Just before my death, I had much preferred the company of Bob, my battery-operated boyfriend, to Tony's Wham, Bam, You Need a Nose Job, Ma'am attitude.
I slumped against the kitchen counter. “Why didn't you mention to me before that I could leave the building? And why didn't you tell me where we were? That we're in an actual town and I'm allowed to live like an actual person."
"I assumed you'd figure that out on your own. This isn't prison, you know."
Nice of someone to fill me in on that little detail. I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at the guy. Childish, sure, but I wasn't feeling very grown-up lately. “It feels like prison to me."
"Nevins, you just live here. That's all. What you do on your own time is up to you. I don't care, and Lena won't either. As long as you show up for work, there's no problem."
I pushed away from the counter, walked over to the couch and flopped down on it. And then, because it was mine—all mine—and I could do whatever I damn well pleased, I propped my booted feet up on the cushion. “Why Maine? Why not New York? Or even Chicago?"
Or anywhere that had a city with more than a thousand people in it?
"Too settled.” He followed me to the couch and sat down on the arm next to my feet. “There are certain places in the world that are hotbeds for paranormal activity. The area around Cornell is one of them. Not too busy, not so small that everyone knows everyone else. What we do, besides stop the bad guys, is close up the portals certain creatures use to enter our world."
I glared at him through slitted lids. “Have you ever considered designing video games? This junk sounds like some prime stuff. I think you're wasting your talent fighting bad guys."
"I'm serious, Nevins. Northern New England is our region, and believe me, we're one of the busiest ones."
If that wasn't the dopiest thing I'd ever heard. “But you said I'd be able to check in on my family. How am I supposed to do that if I'm all the way across the country?"
"Ever heard of an airplane?"
I blinked up at him. He wanted me to fly to see my family? He had to be kidding. So I had these mystical powers that would help me defeat all kinds of various evil in the world, and the occasional trash can, but I'd have to use an airplane to go see my family? Well, didn't that just suck. “Is that the only way?"
"Chill for a little while, will you? You worry too much about the small things. You have a lot to learn, but you will learn it. In time. We've been through this all before. I can teach you so many things if you shut up and listen for a second."
Maybe it would be a bit easier for me to Shut Up and Listen if he could manage to do the same thing once in a while. I twisted my fingers in the hem of my shirt. Now was the time to tell him about Slimy Jerk—but not about the trash cans.
"Well, I'd love to, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about something first."
He raised an eyebrow. “This ought to be good."
Not bothering to fight the urge, I stuck my tongue out at the jerk. “Sit down, will you? I hate it when I'm sitting down, trying to talk to someone that's above me. Do you know how rude that is?"
"Do I look like I care?” He snorted, but moved my feet and flopped down on the seat next to me.
"Actually, yes."
His eyes narrowed, but a corner of his lips lifted. “Well, I don't. Now what is this issue you need to talk to me about, princess?"
My back bristled at the nickname, but I kept my face a mask of indifference. “It's not so much an issue, but, well, the thing is.... “I took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. Might as well get this whole mess over with. “When I was shopping I ran into this creepy guy and something inside me started setting off warning bells. I chased him out into an alley, and then my hands started shooting fire and—"
"Did you make your first kill?"
I grimaced. That sounded wrong on so many levels. And why did I detect a hint of excitement in his voice?

Sick, Nick. Really, really sick.

"Well, no. Have I mentioned before that I have really crappy aim?"
He leaned forward, an urgent expression on his face. “Did you hurt someone innocent? If so, we have some serious damage control to do."
"Well, I suppose you could say they were innocent, but they weren't people.” I shuddered at the memory. “I hit a couple of trash cans instead."
"Trash cans?"
I nodded.
He jumped up from the couch and walked a few feet away, his back to me. His shoulders heaved, and soon his laughter reached me from across the room.
I stomped my heel on the coffee table. “You think this is funny?"
He spun around. “No. No, it's definitely not funny. But hell yes, it's got to be the best thing I've heard all week. God, Kendra. This is going to be one interesting partnership. We need to have some hands-on training to work on that aim."
He shot me a look that was nothing short of suggestive. Coupled with his teasing-yet-sensual tone, I got the idea he was flirting with me. And not in a nice, refined way like most of the men I'd dated. In a way I didn't quite understand. A way that sent goose bumps popping up all over my arms and did funny things to dormant places on my body. I liked it. A lot more than I should.
I pushed the intruding thoughts away. He had to be doing something to my mind. Men didn't do this to me. I wasn't frigid or anything, far from it, but men in general didn't inspire such reactions from my body. Warm, on occasion, but right now every part of me was downright hot, and it had happened in seconds flat.
"Okay, Nick. Since you seem to know it all anyway, I'm listening. Teach me everything you know."
Where did that tone of voice come from? Why did I sound like I was flirting back?

Bad Kendra. Don't tease the wild animals.


[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Thirteen

"First things first. We'll talk. In a few minutes. But I think you need to get more comfortable.” Nick's expression darkened and he settled onto the arm of the couch. He lifted my foot in his hand, somehow managing to work it out of the boot before I even had a chance to pull my leg back. The boot hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud. The other boot soon followed the first. My heart raced, my pulse sped up, and my palms slicked with sweat.
I couldn't help it. With him this close, my body reacted in a very elemental way. And even though I'd told him on that first elevator ride not to touch me, I wasn't about to argue with him. Not now. Not with him so close I could almost taste him.
Now that was an idea.
A groan slipped from my lips. An idea ... but a bad one. One that would get me into trouble.
Nick's smile grew, turning so sensual my stomach ached. “What's the matter, Nevins? Afraid you're going to get into trouble with me?"
My breath caught in my lungs and I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. Why did it feel like the guy could read my mind? His words mirrored my thoughts, almost word for word. I was sure I'd find that thought unsettling—as soon as I was away from him and my body stopped trying to wage a mutiny on my common sense.
I wanted the guy. There was no point in denying it to myself any longer. At the moment, my nipples had beaded and my panties dampened and I'd give anything to feel him on top of me. Talk about self-destructive behavior. He was just so ... Nick, and I was so, so weak.
He dropped my legs and stood. Faster than I could comprehend, he somehow managed to climb onto the couch next to me. My back pressed against the couch cushions and my front pressed against Nick's hard chest. And then he leaned in and my thought processes threatened to stop.
"What do you think you're doing?” I asked him, my voice as shaky as my insides.
The uncertainty in his expression echoed the emotions inside me. “I have no idea. No friggin’ clue."
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his mouth very, very close to mine. He leaned in even further and put his hand on the couch above my head, effectively pinning me between the soft piece of furniture and his body. A little tremor ran through my stomach. Oh, man. This guy was amazing. And if he didn't stop getting so close, I was in deep trouble. More trouble than I'd ever been in. My mind flashed back to that first workout and how I'd knocked him down.
And how his hard body had felt under mine for the two seconds that elapsed before my brain sent the message to my body to get off the guy. “Wow” didn't even come close to describing the experience, but somehow it was the only thing that fit.
Logical thought chose that moment to put a damper on my enthusiasm. He was just toying with me, then and now, of course. He wasn't really interested in anything I had to offer. Someone like him could get any woman he wanted. And he looked more like the by-the-hour floozy type anyway. He wouldn't want anything from me, except to get me out of his hair, as he'd reminded me so many times.
Knowing that didn't stop me from thinking about how it had felt to have him under me.
My face flushed and I looked away. How embarrassing was this? I needed him to see me as a strong woman, an adversary if he chose to think of me that way. Not a wimp who couldn't look him in the eye without blushing.
His finger tilted my chin until I met his gaze. A knowing look passed across his eyes, and it made my inner muscles flutter.
"You,” he moved in even closer, “have a lot to learn."
Yes, I did. And the first order of business would be learning why I was suddenly so attracted to someone so completely wrong for me. I had the sinking suspicion I might explode if he got any closer.
"I suppose I do need to learn a few things,” I answered. “So teach me."

Oh, for crying out loud. Could I have sounded any more breathless? Great job, genius. Antagonize the scary guy. But he didn't look so scary anymore. Now he looked drop dead sexy and way, way out of my league. I licked my suddenly dry lips.
An answering heat sparked in his eyes. “You're playing with fire, Kendra."

No shit.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into,” he continued, the heat in his eyes growing until the dark depths glittered almost silver in the sunlight filtering in through the small windows. “Didn't your mother ever teach you to stay away from guys like me?"
Probably, but I couldn't recall those times now. I couldn't get my brain to do much at all, and my legs were turning to mush. If I'd been standing, I would have melted into a puddle at his feet.
"Maybe."
He leaned in even more, so close his lips brushed my cheek. When he spoke again, he whispered in my ear. “I'm sure a princess like you heard all the warnings. Guys like me will only hurt you in the end. We aren't worth your time. We're scum, jerks who live to break women's hearts. You know better than to rile me, don't you?"
At that moment, I didn't know much beyond my first name, and the little voice in my head was begging me to do something totally irrational and un-Kendra-like. To kiss him, or grab his butt and squeeze the firm cheeks in my palms. I closed my eyes. Nick being this close, smelling of that sexy cologne, played havoc on my senses. My eyelids snapped shut.
"I'm not a princess.” The words came out softer than I'd intended them. A lot softer. I felt his laughter against my cheek, but I refused to open my eyes.
"Yes, you are. A rich, spoiled, beautiful princess who spent most of her life locked in some gilded ivory tower waiting for her prince to come."
I clung onto the beautiful part and something inside me twisted. He thought I was beautiful? He also thought I was spoiled, but I wasn't about to let that ruin the moment. It hadn't been like this with Tony. Ever. Being with him had been pleasant. Being this close to Nick was ... combustible.
"No one would ever accuse me of being a prince,” he whispered.
I had to chuckle at that. “No shit."
His hand came to my waist and his lips brushed my jaw. “You're sexy when you cuss."
A tremor ran through my middle. He thought I was sexy. And still I lay there, afraid to move, afraid to get closer or to even pull away.
"Um, thanks?” I whispered. Kiss me already, will you?
"Kendra.” A low growl rumbled in his chest before he did just that.
His lips came down on mine in a crushing, possessive kiss. My hand wrapped around his neck and I clung to him, pressed my body against his, and hoped I didn't embarrass myself before he decided to end the kiss. And he would have to be the one to end it, too. I certainly had no plans to push the guy away.
Apparently dying had turned me into a wanton slut.
And strangely enough, I couldn't think of a single complaint about it.
Nick's hand cupped my rear end and he dragged me closer, pressing my hips against his. My lips parted on a surprised gasp. He took full advantage and slid his tongue into my mouth. I melted against him. I'd never been kissed like this. Like a man wanted to eat me alive. He was intense. Passionate. He took what he wanted and didn't hold anything back.
His hand threaded in my hair, giving it a slight tug. I moaned against his lips. And that erection pressing against me—I didn't even want to go there. I didn't have to see it to know he wouldn't fit in me. But that didn't mean I wasn't interested in trying. Soon.
"Don't you two have training to do?"
A chill raced up my spine and settled somewhere in my chest. That smooth, icy-calm voice could only belong to one person and she was the last one I wanted walking in at this particular moment.
Nick pulled away and we both glanced toward the doorway, where Lena stood with her arms crossed over her chest and a blazing look on her pinched face.
I silently prayed to turn invisible so I could sneak away with an iota of my dignity intact. Nick didn't seem to have the same issues. “Jesus, Lena. Don't you ever knock?"
"Don't you ever keep it in your pants?"
The chill in my chest froze to a block of ice, blocking off my airway for a few terrifying seconds. I cleared my throat. Was this something he did on a regular basis? Oh, God. Please don't tell me I was just another bimbo in a long line of Women Dying To Sleep With Nick.
I grabbed his chin and turned him to face me, my cheeks flaming so hot I was afraid my hair would catch fire. “Don't you ever lock doors?"
"I did lock it. That doesn't matter much to her."
He muttered a semi-intelligible curse and pushed up from the couch, stalking across the room toward Lena. He stopped in front of her, his shoulders hunched, his hands clenched into fists.
I gulped. Something about his stance made my heart skitter—and not in a good way. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Lena had interrupted.
"What do you want, Lena?” Nick asked in a harsh, grating whisper.
Ice Queen raised a single thin brow. “You know what I want."
"Yeah. But that changes nothing. Our interests clash. We don't have the same goals and you know it."
I pushed up to a sitting position and brought my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Goals and interests? What the heck was that all about?
"None of that mattered before,” Lena answered. Though her tone remained frosty, something I couldn't identify flashed in her eyes. Something that looked a bit like jealousy.
Oh, crap. I'd somehow managed to step into a freaky otherworldly love triangle.
I tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a croak. “You know what, Lena? You can have him. This was nothing. Just a momentary lapse in judgment on my part. It won't ever happen again."
Nick shot me a look over his shoulder. “Relax for a second, Kendra, okay?"
Because this situation totally inspired relaxation. I snorted.
With a shake of his head Nick stalked away from Lena, pacing the back of the room, muttering more curses and shooting dirty looks at Ice Queen.
Finally, he stopped and faced her. “We have work to do. We'll get on that right now. Just stay out of the way, okay?"
Lena shook her head, her hair flipping back over her shoulders. “I thought you were smarter than this, Nikolai. She'll hate you when she finds out the truth."
"What truth would that be?” I asked. And why would it make me hate him?
If The Truth had to do with him being a womanizing jerk, I was way ahead of her. I'd figured that out within five minutes of meeting him.
"I'd tell you, Kendra,” Lena said with a self-satisfied grin on her thin lips, “but honestly, you aren't ready to hear it. Have a nice night."
She turned on her heel and marched out of the room.
Still a little shaky and a whole lot curious, I adjusted my clothes and pushed a hand through my tangled mass of curls. “Nikolai, huh?"
He threw me a glare filled with pure venom.
I smothered a chuckle. “I like it."
"Bullshit."
"I really do. It's kind of sexy, in a foreign, old fashioned sort of way. Where are you from?"
One corner of his lips lifted in a half-smile. “Around."
"Where? Russia? Poland?"
"I was born in Boston."
I let my head drop back against the cushions. So much for my Foreign Lover fantasies. “But where's your family from? What's your last name?"
"Again with the questions.” His tone was not much more than a muttered growl, but a hint of laughter danced in his eyes. “My family is from so many places I couldn't even begin to name them, and my name, as it reads on my license, is Nicholas James Parker. Not Nikolai."
"But what about before?"
He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. After a few seconds he closed the door with a grunt and moved to the cabinet to grab a glass from the shelf. He filled the glass with water from the tap and walked back to the living room, leaning against the wall by the front door.
"Who I was before isn't important. Do you drink anything besides water?"
"I drink coffee in the mornings.” But I wasn't going to offer to make him some now. His evasive tactics were so not impressing me. “Hey, are you and Lena...?"
He gave me a quizzical look, but then burst out laughing. “Lena? And me? Yeah, right. I have no interest in anything she has to offer, and she damned well knows it."
I did catch that vibe from their conversation, but there had been something else there too. He might not be interested, but she didn't look ready to take the hint. “She seemed jealous."
He shrugged and took a gulp of water. “Not my problem."
"Funny, but it seems to me like it is your problem. And somehow it's becoming my problem too."
A sexy, knowing smile tilted one corner of his mouth. He stalked toward me again in all his dark and sexy glory, stopping when he stood only a foot in front of me. “Are you sorry she interrupted, princess?"
I gulped and shook my head. “No. That isn't what I meant."
"Good.” His smile widened and took on a decidedly predatory gleam. “Cause if she hadn't walked in just then, there's no telling what might have happened."
That was exactly what I was afraid of. I had a few restraint issues whenever he got within three feet of me—as in my restraint jumped out the window and ran away, leaving me helpless to fend off his sensual attacks. “Good thing she walked in, then. I'd hate to have to hurt you for taking certain liberties."
"Liberties?” He laughed. “Princess, another five seconds and you would have let me do whatever I wanted to you. Hell, you would have been begging me."
Five seconds? Please. It wouldn't have even taken that long. “Whatever. You're so full of yourself, Nikolai."

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Fourteen

"Are we going to get to work here or what?” I asked Nick, sneering to cover up my discomfort with a situation that was quickly getting out of control. How was I supposed to handle this? Ignore it and pretend it didn't happen? Assure him I wouldn't chase him around like some crazed psycho bride wannabe? I'd never made out with someone just for the sole purpose of making out before. In my old life, it had always been a means to and end.
"Don't even start.” He leaned forward and set the glass on the kitchen table, his gaze never leaving mine.
The look in his eyes told me he wasn't nearly as annoyed as he sounded. My stomach fluttered, mostly from guilt. And embarrassment. I'd been acting like a reckless tramp. A floozy. Why didn't I just strip off my clothes and order him to take me?
Now why did that thought bring a smile to my face and make a quiver run through certain parts of my body? Despite knowing it was wrong, despite Lena reminding me it was wrong, I couldn't help wanting the guy.
Nick spun around and spiked a hand through his hair. Although his back was to me and I couldn't see his expression, the tension in the room ratcheted to a nearly unbearable level and his back muscles bunched under his tight t-shirt. I swallowed hard and a chill danced down my spine.
Okay, so maybe the guy really could read my mind. Oh, my God, what if he could? My mouth went dry.
I stood and took a step toward him. “Nick, can you—"
"Yes. Shit. Yes. I can't deal with this anymore. You need to work on your mental blocks. Your thoughts make you even more of a temptation."
Holy crap! My legs turned to oatmeal and my head spun. “You really can read my mind?” I squeaked, my mouth even drier and the rest of my body liquid. I grabbed his half-full glass of water and gulped down the rest. It did nothing to ease my parched throat.
The slump of his shoulders and the fact that he still wouldn't look at me told me what I needed to know. “Nick?"
"You're too open. Too trusting. I guess growing up sheltered will do that to a person. You need to build up your emotional walls. Learn to keep everyone else out. If you'd had a harder life those walls would already be in place, but since they so obviously aren't you're going to have to start from scratch. If you can't do it, this partnership won't work."
"Emotional walls?” It sounded like something a psychiatrist would suggest. Just another thing that should have been included in the New Demon Hunters Handbook they'd obviously forgotten to give me. “How am I supposed to do that?"
"You're strong. You just do it. Don't let me into your head. Once you get used to it, it'll become automatic, but for now you're going to have to think about it.” Now he did turn to face me, and the lust mixed with pain on his face almost did me in. “Keep me out, Kendra. Don't let me know what you're thinking, because every thought is driving me friggin’ insane. You don't want to get involved with someone like me, but if I keep hearing your thoughts, that's exactly where we're going to end up. Involved. You don't want it either. Not really. Trust me."
A shiver ran down my spine at his plea. I caught a hint of sincerity, possibly for the first time since meeting him. But his words didn't have the intended effect. I didn't want to walk away. He'd spiked my interest even more. Though the creepy mind reading thing really did have to go.
Seeing him like this gave me another glimpse into the real man behind the tough façade. A smile crept up my lips. He was just like the rest of us. He needed understanding. Friendship and compassion.
And sex. The thought made my smile grow, but I tamped down my excitement. He needed sex just as much as I did—but as much as I wanted to be the one to give it to him, something deep inside me warned that would be a mistake. A really fun mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. It wasn't smart to get involved with coworkers.
So I concentrated instead on doing what he'd suggested—slamming my mental blocks firmly into place. I must have failed, judging by the look in his eyes.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he silenced me with a finger on my lips. “I'm no good for you. There's a lot you don't know about me, and I think it's safe to say you wouldn't like it. We have to work together, so it's best if we keep this on a strictly professional level."
Best for whom? My body was protesting, very loudly, what it perceived as his rejection. At the same time my mind was telling me he was right. This really was for the best, even if I refused to acknowledge that.
"Best for both of us.” His expression bordered on anger and pain. “And it's not a rejection, I just—"
That did it. Something strong and hard rose inside me and my hands clenched into fists. Sexy or not, he wasn't going to get away with this crap. I stood, put my hands on his shoulders and shoved. “Stay out of my flippin’ head!"
I spun away and rushed out of the room, to the only place I could get away from him. The bedroom. I slammed the door and flopped down on my stomach on the bed, grabbing a pillow and burying my face in it just in time for the tears to start.
And once they started, there was no going back. Sobs shook my body, my tears coating the soft comforter under my head. First there was dying, and then being dragged here. And now Nick. I thought I'd begun to understand him, but I was wrong. He wasn't like me. Not even close.
I didn't even want to think of the alternative.
The whole thing was crazy anyway. I'd met the guy yesterday. I chalked the whole mess up to stress overload, because really there was no other reasonable explanation.
After a few minutes, the door creaked open and footsteps moved toward the bed. The mattress dipped, and then a big, warm palm pressed against the center of my back.
He didn't say anything, just rubbed in slow circles, stroking the tension away and making me shiver. Then he lay down next to me, that big body up against my side, and pulled me close. His touch wasn't sexual this time. It was comforting. And despite wanting him to see me as strong and capable, I really could use the shoulder to cry on. I shifted, wrapped my arms around him, buried my face in his shirt, and let him hold me until I didn't have any tears left.
After what seemed like an eternity had passed, he pulled back and pressed a kiss to my damp cheek. “You okay?"
I nodded. Now that the moment of weakness had passed, though, my face flamed. Nothing like showing him all my flaws in one afternoon.
And if he continued to hold me, there would be some serious problems. I needed to get some fresh air. Or just some air that wasn't scented with Nick's stomach-clenching-sexy cologne and the muskier, darker scent of the man himself. He'd managed to get me so hot earlier with just one kiss that I'd worried about my underwear going up in flames. I couldn't risk taking it a step further. I might not survive the impact.
"Can we get out of here? I can't stand this small space any longer."
He gave me a small smile filled with so much pity I wanted to slap it off his face. I didn't need his pity. Or his comfort. Anger and frustration swelled inside me, turning my stomach hard.
I jumped off the bed and stalked into the living room to put my boots on. I was leaving, with or without him. So what if we had a job to do? I wasn't going to hang around here wallowing in useless pity all night long.
Nick followed a few seconds later, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, a frown marring his imperfectly perfect features. “You're running away."
"No I'm not. I'm getting ready for work.” I glanced away from him and pulled on my boots. “There is such thing as a good work ethic, you know."
"Wimp."
"So what? At least I'm honest."
That got a reaction out of him, albeit not a nice one. He let out a string of indecent curses, some of them I didn't even recognize. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed another glass, slammed the cabinet door so hard my dishes rattled, and got a second glass of water. He downed the water in one gulp before setting the glass down with a hard thump and turning an accusing glare on me. “We will talk about this later, you know."
Not if I had anything to say about it. I was done talking. Done with everything except work with the guy, because if he didn't want me and couldn't let me know, he wasn't worth a second of my time anyway. I stood and grabbed my key ring.
"Are we working tonight or what?"
"In a hurry?"
Yeah, because if I didn't get away from here soon I might beg him to take me to bed. That couldn't be a good thing.
Was it something in the water making me feel this way? I'd heard stories about chemistry so strong it instantly drew two people to each other, but never having experienced said chemistry before, I'd passed it off as fiction. Now I wasn't sure what to believe. I didn't know which unsettled me more—the fact that even after all that had happened I still wanted Nick with an ache so fierce it scared the crap out of me, or the fact that I wanted to get to know him better as a person rather than just a colleague.
"So about these powers,” I started. “Do I get anything else besides fire?"
He nodded.
"Like what?” I could only imagine the things I'd seen on TV. X-ray vision, heat vision, even flying.
No, I really didn't think I'd be able to handle flying. My fear of heights might cause a teensy problem in that department.
In answer, he lifted his hand, palm up. His palm started to glow and a ball of electricity formed in the center. My eyes widened as he waved his hand and shot the ball toward the far wall. It disappeared with a pop just before it hit the plaster.
I blinked in astonishment. “What was that? Will I be able to do that?"
"You will, with a little bit of work.” He glanced at me and shook his head. “Okay, a lot of work. You have to concentrate first on what you want to happen."
"I can do anything?"
"Not anything. Fire, wind, water, electricity ... different beings can be destroyed different ways. You're equipped with whatever it takes to kill the creatures. The body comes with everything built in. You just have to learn how to use it. It takes a little bit of skill and a hell of a lot of concentration."
That gave the term “automatic weapons” a new meaning. Why didn't this new body come with a user's manual? I did so much better learning through independent study rather than listening to some insulting, sexy jerk spout off about my shortcomings. I swear the guy had more mood swings than a menopausal woman with a permanent bad hair day.
"Okay. Concentration and skill. So where do we start?"
He stepped up behind me, his front pressing into my back. I gulped at the sudden closeness. Then his hands grasped my wrists and he brought them in front of me, leaning in to speak into my ear.
"Concentrate, princess. Think about what you want to happen. You did it once. You can do it again. Think."
Would that make him strip and climb into my bed?
My face flamed. Mental shields, Kendra. Try using them.
"So I just think of electricity, and I'll be able to do that?"
"In a perfect world, yes, but I have a feeling you're going to need some ... hands-on training. Especially after the garbage can incident."
I really should have slapped him for his comment. I would have, if it didn't get me hot all over again. Right about now I'd give my left big toe for some serious hands-on training with Tall, Dark and Sexy. “Do you need to be this close to me?"
"Nope."
"Then why don't you back off a little?” Or get a little closer please. The man was throwing mixed signals, and it only served to confuse my poor body even more.
"Sorry. I'm comfortable where I am."
And he was a huge distraction. So much, in fact, that when I was finally able to summon the strange violet ball of sparks in my palms, it veered away from me and slammed into the wall. A huge, gaping hole spread in the beige drywall, the edges curling up as tiny licks of flame appeared. The smell of burnt plaster and wood filled the air and tendrils of smoked floated from the wall into the room.
With a frustration-laced sigh, Nick dropped his hands and waved his palm toward the hole in a sweeping gesture. The flames doused, but the wall was still a charred mess and the acrid odor hung in the air. I briefly wondered what the odds were of Lena giving me a new, less odiferous apartment.
I gulped. “I'm sorry. I don't know how that happened."
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. Really. The walls regenerate."
Of course they did. Why wouldn't they? Because everything around here was so friggin’ normal.
Now I just needed to find the rabbit hole I fell down so I could climb back up and go home.
Shaky, I leaned against an undamaged wall and sank to the floor. “It's your fault. You just told me you didn't want me, and then you backed it up oh-so-well by rubbing yourself all over me. It caused a pretty big distraction, you know."
I expected denials, but not the ones I got. “I never said I didn't want you."
"Yes, you did."
"No, Nevins. What I said was that you wouldn't want me."
I seethed, but he held up his hand. “Trust me. There is a difference. A huge one. This isn't the time for stupid discussions. Not now. We have more important things to do."
"I don't think I can do this. What if I hurt someone?"
"You won't. You'll be fine."
But even he didn't look so sure. Had his face grayed a little, or was it just my imagination?
"If you hadn't been touching me, I might have been able to do it."
He ignored my comment, typical man that he was. “I need to get you ready for the real world, and I need to do it quickly. Do you think a demon or another nasty is going to stand still and be quiet if you ask it to?"
Well, the one earlier today sort of did, but he seemed to have another agenda. I wrinkled my nose. Yet another point for Tall, Dark and Scary. He had a huge lead on me by now. I'd have to find some way to catch up, and quick. No way in hell was I letting him beat me at this game. “True. But you could distract me in other ways. You didn't have to touch me."
"You don't like it when I touch you, princess?"
My face flamed. Again. Damned fair complexion. “I'd rather you didn't."
"Liar."
"No, it's the truth. I barely know you."
"You don't have to know me to want my hands on your body. Sex is sex. It's about passion, not emotion. Not really. Sometimes it defies logic.” The heat in his gaze nearly did me in right then and there. It was a good thing I was sitting down. My legs wouldn't have been able to hold me if I wanted them to.
Weak-kneed for a chauvinistic pig. How clichéd was that?
I narrowed my eyes at him to cover my sudden discomfort over the whole situation. I wasn't the kind of girl who jumped into bed with just any man, no matter what my earlier actions might have said to him. Though that option had gained a lot more appeal since meeting Nick.
"What I need is to learn how to control all of this. I don't have time for anything else."
"You're right. Go change. I'll wait."
"Change for what?"
"It's time to begin the real training."
I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that. What had that thing in the alley today been, a joke? “What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"From a personal standpoint, not a damned thing.” He winked. “But from a professional one, I have no idea how you're going to move in those clothes."
"Want me to show you?"
"More than you know, Nevins. More than you know.” He shook his head and ran a palm down his face, sparing me a quick glance before he dropped his gaze to my shoes. “You have no friggin’ idea. But what about the heels? You can't run around in those."
"Can so. I was practically born in them. Besides, if I have to do this job, I'm going to be comfortable while I do it. What's the matter? Afraid you'll get distracted?"
"Hell, yes."

Good. It was about time Mr. Perfect showed a little bit of weakness. I flashed him a huge smile.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Fifteen

I crossed my arms over my chest and all but stomped my booted foot on the floor. “I'm not changing."
"Are you going to be able to run in heels?"
"Of course."
He snorted. “Contrary to what you might think, princess, you have to do more than stand around and look good."
"Ha, ha.” I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. He might have thought he was fooling me with his mood swing issues, but he wasn't. He still wanted me. I could see it in his eyes. I bit back a smile. “So funny I forgot to laugh."
A smile flickered across his lips. “In case you're wondering, I'll stay out of your thoughts. There are some temptations I'd rather not think about."

Hold on a second. One minute he was lecturing me on putting up mental walls, and the next he was hinting around that I didn't need them? I threw my hands up in the air and let out a frustrated growl. “Let me get this straight. You can consciously tune in and out of my thoughts?"
He nodded.
My hands clenched and all the blood rushed from my head to my gut. “Then why didn't you do that from the start?"
"I was curious."
"About what?"
"What the mind of an airhead princess is like."
I stalked toward him, my balled fists held up in front of me. If he thought he could get away with this, he was sorely mistaken. I'd show him a thing or two about what an airhead princess could really do when she got mad.
"Excuse me? An airhead princess?” I raised a fist. “Take it back."
He closed his big, warm palm over my fist and gave it a gentle squeeze. My fingers relaxed, a strange jolt of electricity running from my nails to my elbow. All the muscles in that arm went weak and pliant and I dropped it to my side. It was a few seconds before the numbness went away.
"What the heck was that?” I backed up a step, slightly uneasy and the way my fist had unfurled all on its own.
"You liked that, huh? It's a little trick I might teach you sometime down the road. Oh, by the way, I don't think you're an airhead princess now. Not anymore.” He brought my hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over my knuckles.
I had to will my legs to remain upright, both from the kiss and from the other thing he'd sprung on me. “You don't?"
"No. You might have a lot to learn, but I have a suspicion you're going to be just fine."
I glowed. There was no other way to describe how his words made me feel. A warmth started low in my stomach and spread out to the rest of my body. I was a little surprised I didn't light up the room. “Thanks."
"Don't let it go to your head.” He laughed. “Let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover and we're wasting time standing around here gabbing like a couple of old women."
He said the words in a tone laced with aggravation, but the glimmer in his eyes told me he was anything but annoyed. I smiled.
"I grow on you, don't I?"
"No. Now let's get moving."

You can lie about it all you want, but I know the truth. You like me, Nikolai.

He led me down the hallway to the elevator. We got in, rode down to level 1A, and the door opened onto the parking garage. Nick pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and walked over to a silver sports car.
"This is your car?” My eyes narrowed. Where the hell was the fair in this situation? I had to drive around in a nondescript little tuna can on wheels, and he got ... wheels. “I think I need to make another complaint to Lena."
Nick just laughed and got into the car. Not wanting to be left behind, I opened the door and slid into the buttery-soft leather of the passenger seat.
"It's nice,” I told him, and I meant it.
"It's no luxury car."
I shook my head. Get over it already, tough guy. “I didn't drive a luxury car."
"What did you drive, then?"
"BMW,” I mumbled. “But it wasn't new."
"How old?"
"A year."
"Oh, yeah. Real old."

Jerk. I turned my head and looked out the window as he started the car and pulled out of the parking garage.
He didn't head toward town, though, like I'd expected. He drove in the opposite direction, into the vast nothingness of northern New England.
After ten minutes of driving through dirt roads surrounded by trees and fields, I asked him where we were going.
"Around."
Back to the enigmatic comments again, huh? I thought we'd moved past this point into more friendly territory when he'd had his hands all over me and his tongue down my throat. “This is the middle of nowhere. How can we fight evil here?"
He spared me a brief glance.
"There are only a few portals between this plane and the demonic plane. One of them is located near here, though every time we seal it off it pops up in another location close by. Most often, we can diffuse the evil close to the mouth of the portal so it doesn't get out to hurt people. But sometimes we have to chase it down. I'm hoping maybe tonight we'll get lucky and find something near the portal. Catch it by surprise, you know?"
I glanced at him in the dim light. His jaw was set, his eyes on the road and his expression grim. Surprisingly, I found his work mode as sexy as the mode he'd shown me in my apartment. All he had to do was say the word, and he'd more lucky than he could ever imagine.

Mind on the task at hand, Kendra. “Why can't you just close the portals for good?"
"We haven't been able to figure out a way to do it permanently yet. Like I told you before, they always pop back up within a week or so, somewhere within a thirty mile square. There's a room in the basement of the apartment building that had some very sophisticated tracking software, but it can't predict where the portal is going to appear until it actually happens, so most of the time we have to be really fast."
My mind spun with all these details. Details I didn't have a prayer of keeping straight. I'd never realized how clueless the masses of humans walking the earth really were.
We passed a pasture where cows stood still near the wooden fence. Tree limbs and wildflowers blew in the gentle spring breeze. Cornell seemed too peaceful. So calm and tranquil. I couldn't fathom the possibility of insidious evil lurking around. If you couldn't be safe in a place like this it was pretty much hopeless.
"So we stick to this area?"
"Most of the time, yes. Cornell is right in the middle of the circle. Usually the portals pop up in remote locations. Fields, or parking lots, or abandoned buildings."
"And how can you tell where it is? I mean, I know you said there's tracking software back at the apartment, but I don't see anything in the car that would pinpoint the location of the portal.” I bit back at smile. Nothing like a bunch of big words to make a person sound like they knew what they were talking about.
He reached over and tapped the side of my head. “It's all in here, Kendra. A built-in navigation system. Your instinct will kick in if you stop fighting it so hard."
Like it had in the store earlier. I'd known there was something not right about that guy, and I'd gone with it. I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes, determined to follow the same instinct now. It would lead me to this so-called portal like Nick's instinct was leading him. It had to.
My hopes fell when I got nothing. Zip. Zero. Not even a little twinge. “Are you sure we're going the right way?"
"Are you questioning me?"
I shifted in my seat to get a better view of his profile. “Duh. I'm not getting a sense of anything around here."
"Give it time, princess. It'll come.” He gave me a placating glance that did nothing to make me feel better.
"How will I sense it?"
"I can't explain it. When something evil is near, you'll know it. In a couple of years you'll learn to distinguish vampires from demons from specters from werewolves, but for now just accept that, if you feel something isn't right, it probably isn't."
He was right, of course. I'd felt exactly that when I'd been shopping and Slimy Jerk—what was his name again?—had all but accosted me in that alley. I'd known something was off, even before spotting him in the store.
"That guy I was telling you about, the one I saw when I was shopping ... something kicked in inside me then. I knew something wasn't right with him. He gave me the creeps when I felt him watching me, but then he started talking to me and saying all kinds of weird things and I just knew he was a bad guy."
Nick was silent just long enough to plant the seeds of worry in my mind. When he spoke, his tone was soft and grating. “What did he look like?"
"Tall, like you. Dark hair, like you. But he was darker, so much more intense, if that's even possible. And his eyes were this weird blue. Almost silver."
He threw me an odd glance before turning his attention back to the road.
"What?"
"It's probably nothing.” He shook his head. “Just be careful when you're out there alone. I know it's hard to believe, but daytime is almost as dangerous as night, especially when you're so green."
I snorted. Did he have to pepper even his worry with insults? “Whatever."
See if I talked to him again tonight. We might not have gotten along very well, but at least I was making a valiant effort. So far the only effort he'd made was the effort to get into my pants. I started to wrinkle my nose, but then I thought about how he'd comforted me and held me while I cried. As mortified as I was that I'd allowed that to happen, credit had to go to him for sticking by me. Most men I knew would have turned tail and run—or handed me their credit card—the second they saw a tear. Nick was different, and surprisingly, I both respected him and liked him for our differences. For the past twenty-four hours or so he'd been telling me to keep my mouth shut and listen. The least I could do was try.
My vow lasted for all of ten seconds before my curiosity got the better of my again. “And we kill all the demons we see?"
"No, just the evil ones."
Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? “Forgive my ignorance for a second here, but that doesn't make any sense. Aren't all demons evil?"
His hand came down on my knee and he gave it a squeeze. “You really do have a lot to learn. Most are evil, but there are some that are good, and some that are in between. We don't kill the ones that aren't entirely evil. Most of the time, we just send them back to where they came from. But there are some that are earthbound—they can't go back to the demonic plane. They live here instead and...."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and tuned out the rest of his speech. Earthbound demons? A dull throb knocked against my temples. “Should I be taking notes?"
He laughed. “Nah, that's what you've got me for."
"I thought you weren't interested in helping me."
"Maybe my interests have changed."
I let out a small laugh. So here was a sexy—albeit a little scary—guy who wanted to help me. Why couldn't I have met someone like him in my old life?
I held in a derisive chuckle. My mother would have just loved Tall, Dark and Scary.
He pulled the car onto a quiet dirt road and slowed to a crawl. The road cut through a pasture, with mounds of grass creeping into the dirt at the edges. Remote places, huh? It couldn't get much more remote than this. Nick braked and put the car in park, shutting off the ignition and pocketing the keys. Without another word to me he got out and started walking across the field.
Not wanting to be left alone in this desolate place, I followed.
Stars twinkled overhead, like millions of tiny lights sprinkled across the black sky. They provided the only light and left the field in what should have been pitch blackness. The logical part of my mind—believe me, I really do have one—told me I shouldn't be able to see the world around me, but to my surprise I had no vision troubles at all. The grass seemed to stretch for a mile all around us, a forest lining two sides of the pasture. It was almost too serene, and I had to admit to feeling a little tingle start in the pit of my stomach. Was that the instinct he'd told me about? Had to be. Either that or I was coming down with something.
Nick kept walking at a breakneck pace along the soft earth. I chased after him, but the heels of my boots kept sinking into the ground. Of all the times for me to be stubborn about my attire.... I bit my tongue to keep from asking him to slow down. I'd refused to change, and now I had to live with the consequences or else he would know he'd been right. He didn't need to know that. He had enough arrogance already.
When we'd walked into the center of the field—I should have been winded at this point but apparently my new body was in much better shape than my old one—and Nick stopped and raised his face toward the sky.
"What are you doing?” I whispered. Somehow speaking in anything but hushed tones felt like sacrilege.
He didn't glance at me, and when he spoke, he did so in the same quiet voice I'd just used. “Shh. Listen and feel. Do you notice anything strange?"
Um, no. Besides the tingle, nothing jumped out at me. Exploding a bunch of trash cans and putting a hole through my wall must have broken my sixth sense. “What am I supposed to feel?"
"Just concentrate for a second. You're talking too much."
Okay then. I mimicked his posture, ramrod straight with my neck craned, and stared into the stars as if I'd find the answers there that I was looking for. But the mass of twinkling white dots didn't do anything except remind me how small and insignificant I really was. A feeling of inner peace settled over me, which agitated me even more. I was supposed to be looking for evil, not spiritual fulfillment.
"I see nothing,” I whispered in a singsong voice. “I feel nothing."
Nothing, nothing, nothing. I blew out a noisy breath.
Nick tapped my shoulder. “For crying out loud, Nevins. If there's anything out there, you're going to drive it away."
I returned the tap with one of my own, a little harder than his had been. “Isn't that the point?"
He sighed. “A few years ago a minor demon got loose in a town twenty minutes away from here. It caused an explosion that killed fifteen people before it was destroyed. Would you really want to see that happen again?"
"No. Of course not."
"Then don't even think about letting one of the creatures get away."
"Okay. I'll try my best.” My head bobbed up and down. “What's a minor demon, anyway? Are there really different levels? I mean, I suppose—"
He gripped my chin in his big, warm palm and turned my head to face him. His index finger pressed to my lips. “Concentrate, damn it."
As much as I hated to admit it, this just didn't seem to be working tonight. Maybe I needed to work by myself, because every time my so-called instincts kicked in Nick was nowhere to be seen. I pushed his hand away and started for the car.
It was then I noticed something moving a few hundred feet away in the trees.
I stopped, my breath freezing in my lungs and my heart pounding so hard against my ribcage I thought it would crack some bones. My arm shot out in front of me, my finger pointing in the direction of the suspicious movement. “There. I saw something."
Nick smiled. “Good. Right. What is it?"
For all I knew it could have been a raccoon, or a strong breeze. Or my hopeful imagination playing tricks on me. “It should be enough that selfish little me noticed it at all. Now you want me to tell you what it is, too? Talk about demanding."
He continued the lesson, undeterred. I wouldn't even have known he'd heard me, save for the way he narrowed his eyes for a brief second.
"Every being has its own feeling, I guess you could call it an aura though it's something you feel rather than see. If you let your instincts guide you, you'll figure it out.” He glanced at me and shook his head. “You're going to have to learn to tell if what you sense is good or evil. You wouldn't want to kill something good, now would you?"
I shook my head. I didn't want to kill anything at all, but no one seemed to care about that.
He squeezed my shoulder. “You'll be fine."
I was about to say more when something big and gray burst from the bushes, looking like a huge, twisted, slobbering dog. It loped toward me, baring giant fangs that looked about six inches long each. Holy crap! The thing had glowing red eyes and every inch of its muscular body seemed to be coated in glistening slime.
I opened my mouth to scream, but the sound caught in my throat. My feet froze in place.
"Think, Kendra. Relax and concentrate. Don't let it scare you."
Nick's words, and his placid tone, shook me to the core. How could he be so damned calm? Did he not see the scary creature coming to eat us alive? Slimy Jerk had been nothing compared to this. If he had fangs, he hadn't shown them to me, and he hadn't run at me full force, either.
I did what any normal girl would do, when faced with a killer dog with monster teeth. I panicked. “What am I supposed to do?"
"Fire would work nicely. You know how to manage that one."

Nicely. My eyes narrowed. I'd give him nicely. If I didn't become doggie dinner before I had the chance. An evil demon-creature that looked like a man was one thing. A beast like this was something completely different, and in another two seconds it was going to be on top of me, probably ripping my heart out of my chest. “Help me, will you? I'm not ready to be on my own."
"No shit.” His laugh echoed through the silence of the night. “Think. You can do it. You did it earlier today. This isn't any different. I have faith in you."
"Well, good. That makes one of us."
I raised my palms and thought of fire. Come on, Kendra. You can do this. It's simple. You've done it before. This time is no different.
My palms heated and a small ball of fire formed in the center of each one. For a blessed few seconds I felt like my powers were completely in my control. I could aim for the doggie demon and actually hit it. I could vanquish the big bad demon and look good doing it, too. But reality had a way of intruding on my fantasies. As soon as I swung my arms out and the little fireballs left my body, I knew I was in trouble.
It was almost too painful to watch. I winced as they zinged through the air like untied balloons, lighting little fires along the grass whenever they touched down. The tree they hit when their journey finally came to an end burst into a ball of flame before everything went still.
And then the doggie demon jumped at me.
I didn't even have a chance to yell. The second it hit me it exploded into a huge ball of sticky, slimy goo that glowed purple in the darkness. The goo splattered over my face and covered my new clothes in glue-like stickiness.
I raised my hands to wipe away the stuff when I heard laughter from behind me.
My eyes narrowed and my jaw clenched. What the hell was so funny about any of this? I spun on Nick, trying to position my slippery hands on my slick hips. They kept slipping off, so I gave up. I was covered head to toe with the crap and I didn't know if I'd ever get it off. Now I truly understood why the clean-up crew Lena had talked about would be a much worse assignment than the one I got.
"You think this is funny? That hideous beast almost killed me, and you're laughing? Do you want to see me die or something?"
"It didn't almost kill you. It couldn't have hurt you.” He shook his head, his eyes gleaming. “It wasn't even real."
A strange stillness crept over me as his words sunk in. Not real. And he knew this because he'd somehow sicced the thing on me. I rushed toward him, my hands clenched into fists. “You pig. You set me up! I will so get you back for that, you no good jerk."
He held his hands up to ward off my attack. “I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay, when it all came down to it. It was a test."
"Did I pass?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
"Well, you didn't run away screaming."
"I suppose that's a good thing?"
"Yeah. You might have gotten lost, and then a real demon could have gotten to you."
I was so not going to be able to cut it in this crazy line of work. I'd been on the verge of a mental collapse and Nick thought the whole thing was some big, dumb joke. Defeat swelled in my gut, rising upward until it threatened to close off my throat. “I need to go get cleaned up."
"Yes you do. With practice, you'll be able to avoid messes like this in the future.” Nick nodded. “Don't worry so much. We'll work on it. You can only get better from here."
More work. With a guy who thought it was funny to make me think I was being attacked by a demon. See if I ever forgive you, you big butthole. “I can hardly contain my joy."
"Shit, Kendra. You should have seen your face. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in my life.” He laughed so hard his face turned red and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. By the time he stopped, every inch of me was itching to ram my fist into his gut.
I stomped my foot on the ground, only managing to sink my heel into the soft pasture. That did it. In the real world, hazing was against the law. What made him think he could get away with it in this little world he'd created all for himself?
I might not be strong enough to hurt him physically, but there were still ways to get him back for the prank he'd pulled. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself close and rubbing the slime all over his body. “Never say I've never shared anything with you."
His curses made me feel all warm and squishy inside. He tried to push me away, but I was nothing if not tenacious. I clung to him, rubbing my hands in his hair to make sure every part of him I could reach got an even coating of fake demon slime.
Somewhere along the way, he'd apparently decided to stop fighting me. Now he was clinging to me, too. My nipples had peaked and my panties were growing uncomfortably damp. I squirmed to try to relieve some of the pressure, but it only ended up making it worse.
Nick's hands gripped my hips, stopping any further movement. “Don't. Just hold still, okay?"
I didn't have to ask why. I felt his very impressive erection prodding my stomach. I swallowed. A shiver ran through my feminine parts. Hold still? Not likely. At the moment I didn't care what he wanted. I wanted him inside me.
There was only one problem. We were both coated with the slimy, sticky goo.
Nick set me away from him, ran the back of his hand across my mouth, and then his lips were on mine. Something inside me burst to life at the touch of his firm, warm skin settling over mine. This kiss was exactly like the first had been. Not a gentle kiss, not polite at all like Tony's had always been. It was a possessive, crushing kiss that brought to mind hot, sweaty, tangled-in-the-sheets sex. Sex the likes of which I'd never really had. It had always been good. Decent. And boring. With Nick, boring wouldn't even enter into the equation.
He broke off the kiss way too soon, but didn't give me a chance to ask why. In one smooth movement, he turned to the side and stretched his arm out in front of him. A creature I hadn't even sensed approaching burst into flames and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. With no slime whatsoever.

Show off.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Another fake one?"
He glanced at me, his expression a touch annoyed and just a little bit worried. “No. That one was real. Get in the car."
"Real?” I squeaked. “Why didn't I notice it coming?"
A short laugh carried across the night. “You were a bit distracted."
"So were you."
"I've been doing this job for a while. Like I said, the senses come."
His eyes warned me he wasn't telling me the whole story, but I let it go for now. At the moment I didn't really want to know the truth—and I was fine with not knowing. Ignorance, after all, was complete and utter bliss.
We walked back to the car, but I balked when he told me to get inside. “I'll ruin your seats."
"It's fine, Kendra. We have people who deal with this kind of thing. They'll be good as new by morning."
It was such a nice car, though, and I'd hate to see the soft leather stained and greasy. But it was his fault anyway. If he was stupid enough to sic a fake demon on me, the idiot would have to learn to live with the consequences.
"Are we going back home now?” I asked him, still shaky. Desperation raced through my bloodstream and made my pulse pound in my ears.
"Yep. I think you've had enough excitement for one night. You need to get cleaned up, and I'm feeling the urge to take a cold shower. Or five."
His self-deprecating laugh said it all, and I couldn't help but join in. After too short a time, his expression turned serious again, cutting off all the good humor.
"Another night we'll head out earlier and have some target practice."
I nodded. Fine. Whatever he wanted. At this point I was beyond caring about anything except the date I had with my shower gel.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Sixteen

Nick wrapped his palm around Kendra's doorknob and gave it a jerk. The mechanism made a soft clicking sound as it slipped free. The knob turned, the door swung open and he stepped inside. He closed the door silently behind him, throwing the deadbolt he'd managed to get past with minimal effort. A grin snuck up on his lips. His background had definite advantages.
A second later he cursed the heightened senses that usually helped him do his job. He didn't need to be so sensitive around the princess brat. Around her, his whole body worked on overdrive. The fact that he could smell her, practically even taste her, across the room didn't help matters.
Steam billowed out the open bathroom door, scented with a rich, musky floral fragrance he didn't recognize. It hit him low in the gut and almost knocked him to his knees. Kissing Kendra those few times should have been enough, and for a while, it almost had been. A little more than two weeks had passed since the last time he'd touched her that first night in the field, and he'd thought he'd gotten over the twisted little attraction he never should have felt in the first place. But now, faced with the idea of her naked and soaping up in the shower, the urges threatened to overwhelm him. He flopped onto the couch and groaned.
She'd made it perfectly clear since then that she had little interest in continuing along the path they'd started down. She'd been lying, he'd seen the truth in her eyes, but he had to respect her decision. She didn't have time for relationships, she'd told him. She needed to concentrate on learning her skills and nothing more. Plus, she'd been really pissed off at him and he couldn't say he blamed her. But the truth of the matter was he'd felt relief above every other emotion when she'd told him she wasn't interested anymore.
He hadn't believed it for a second, but she'd given them both an out with her excuses. Relationships weren't for him. He'd never had anything serious or long-term in his life. Ever. And Kendra ... if the princess brat could do anything but serious, long-term crap he'd eat his boxers. So he'd done his best to ignore the chemistry that still hung between them, and was surprised to find during her few weeks of training they had begun to form a bond.
A bond which didn't deter his mind from conjuring up lewd fantasies every chance it got. He just didn't share that fact with her. Though there had been a few times he'd been tempted, it would be best for both of them if he didn't complicate the situation.
The running shower water seized his attention again, this time refusing to let go. If he listened closely enough, he could hear her moving around in there, soaping up all that soft skin, running her hands over her breasts, down her stomach to—
No. Way too much fantasy to deal with right now, facing yet another entire night of prowling the streets of Cornell with the woman. The tentative friendship growing between them wasn't enough to douse his need, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. Sometimes it damned near killed him to be around her—and he couldn't show it. Even anxious and jumpy, she had the nerve to be sexy. And what got him the most was that she didn't even seem to notice.
It was a good thing she'd chosen to put a stop to things before they'd really gotten started. Besides his disastrous ... fling with Lena, it had been well over a decade since he'd taken a woman he had to see again to bed. He preferred to keep sex separate from the rest of his life, so he found it as far away from his home as he could get. And now the woman he couldn't get out of his mind lived right across the hall.
Kendra was a woman he worked with, and that was all. If he didn't remember that, he was screwed. Unfortunately not in a good way.
A sharp thud sounded from the bathroom. He had to bite his tongue to keep from asking if she was all right, or worse, rushing into the room to find out for himself. She'd probably dropped the bar of soap. Giving himself away just yet for something so trivial would be a mistake. She wouldn't be happy that he was in her room. Not at all. She'd be downright pissed. Would probably threaten bodily harm. The thought made him smile. As if she could really hurt him.
She'd surprised him more than once in the course of her training. At first he'd thought she was a hopeless case, unable to do anything for herself. And that aim ... he'd seen farm animals with better aim than his new partner. But she had one thing most people around here were lacking. Determination. And she had that in spades. The first few nights had been rough—to the point that she'd nearly caught a mile-long strip of forest on fire and had taken out a few mailboxes along the way—but over the past few weeks she'd been showing slow-but-steady improvement.
And Lena was probably questioning her decision to stick him with Kendra.
He had to laugh at that. Lena had thought she would saddle him with some inept twit who couldn't manage to go two steps without complaining about something, but she'd really made her own situation worse. If she thought pulling such juvenile shit would get him to go back to bed with her, she had another think coming. He wasn't going to be forced or coerced into sleeping with a woman who did nothing for him. He preferred his woman to be more than skin and bones.
Not that Kendra had a large amount of curves, but at least she had more to her than Lena did. Lena had the figure of a ten-year-old boy. Kendra was on the slim side, but nicely rounded where it counted. She might look young, but she wasn't. A little too innocent for him, but his body was willing to make the exception. Everything about her turned him on.
Given her attitude and spoiled nature, that had to make him some kind of sick pervert. Or a masochist.
He hardened even more just thinking about her, and that was a dangerous thing. He needed to keep his mind on track. They still had to work together. There were a few hours of moonlight left, and he intended to use it to their advantage. With any luck, he'd be able to find a couple of minor demons for her to practice her skills on. Her talent might be minimal, but her drive made up for it. The more he got her out there, practicing in the field, the better chance he had to make it through a night at work without any major injuries. He'd been lucky so far. They both had.
The shower shut off and Nick waited, breath held, for what seemed like an eternity for her to walk out of the bathroom. When she finally stepped through the open doorway, she turned toward her bedroom without even a glance to the couch. She had a towel wrapped around her body, secured just above her breasts, and another towel in her hair. His mouth watered at the sight of those toned, perfect legs. The towel was so short he had a good view right up to the tops of her thighs. She stopped next to the bed, and took the towel off her hair, bending to dry the strands.
The towel slipped from her body, revealing to him the delectable curves of a sweet ass he hadn't imagined her to have. She was curvier than he'd first thought, with a slim waist and nicely flared hips, and if she'd just turn around....
Kendra stiffened and spun, pulling the towel that she'd been drying her hair with against her body before he got more than a tiny glimpse of her small but perfect breasts.
"What are you doing in here?” Fury clouded her gaze and he knew from past experience with women she was probably two seconds from exploding. He couldn't think of a single thing to say in his defense. At least nothing that wouldn't sound like a complete lie.
A twinge of remorse tightened his gut, but he hadn't imagined she'd come out of the bathroom naked. She just didn't seem like the type. The stuck up princesses he'd known in the past, the ones who'd only dated him to piss off their rich daddies, had been prudes. They hadn't even wanted to be naked in bed with him. And the few who had insisted on leaving the lights off. But Kendra was constantly surprising him. She was nothing like what he'd expected.

Nothing at all.

A groan caught in his throat. Jesus, why did he have to be so torn over her? He had to have her before he fell apart, but he couldn't touch her. It would ruin the tenuous working relationship they'd just begun to establish, and that kind of a distraction would put them both in unnecessary danger.
Plus there was the little matter of Stephan and his penchant for hurting the people Nick cared about.
"What the hell are you doing here?” she asked again, one hand propped on her hip while the other still held up the towel.
He let out a breath. “I came to get you. We don't have time for luxuries. We have work to do."
With a scathing glare thrown in his direction, she marched forward and slammed the bedroom door in his face.
He had to laugh. She was cute when she was indignant. He'd never really gone for cute before, but he could see that all changing now. As much as he wanted to avoid it, he really wanted to get to know her better. On the carnal level. Wouldn't happen, though. Not in a million years, unless she changed her mind about pursuing the attraction further. If she just gave him the word, all bets were off.
A few minutes later she stalked out of the bedroom wearing what had become her usual uniform of jeans and a tight t-shirt, a killer look in her eyes. She stopped by the couch and glared at him, tapping one booted foot against the rug.
"I would appreciate, in the future, if you knocked rather than breaking into my apartment."
"I did knock."
"And when I didn't answer, maybe you should have taken that as a hint and gone away."
"I don't do hints very well."
"You'd better start. How did you manage to get inside? Please don't tell me you have a key or something."
The flush creeping up her cheeks heated his blood. Did she know what her glares, what her tone did to him? “Nope. Don't need them. Unlike some people, I can control my powers."
She let out a long, dramatic sigh and wrinkled her little nose. “Well, whatever. I don't do people interrupting my privacy very well. Keep it up, and I might be inclined to hurt you."
He chuckled, unable to hold it back. “Like you hurt the fake demon the first night out in the field?"
"No, like I did to that tree."
He would have been scared, if she had any aim. She was still a little dangerous with her powers. The way he saw it, if he stood right next to her, he didn't stand much chance of being hit. “I'm not worried about that. You couldn't hit me if you tried."
"Screw you."
A smile lifted his lips. He reached out and flicked one of the belt loops of her jeans. “Dirty talk? Did I mention I like it?"
"You would.” She made a face at him and moved into the kitchen. “Would it be a huge issue for you if I made some coffee, or is that against the rules you seem to be making up as you go?"
He let his head flop back against the couch. Annoyance laced her words. He didn't blame her for getting aggravated. He really had been hard on her, but what was he supposed to do? She'd needed a crash course in Real World 101 as well as a little Rich Brat Deprogramming.
Coming from the life she had, she still had a lot to learn about the job, and the life that went with it. Though she'd made progress, two weeks wasn't nearly enough time. Humans didn't always accept this life, especially spoiled ones like Kendra. Most of the humans working here had come from broken homes, tough lives where they would have been better off dead. But the princess brat had a lot to learn about real life and real living, and the least he could do after torturing her so extensively for weeks on end was buy her a cup of decent coffee.
"Don't make any coffee. I have a better idea."
"Does it involve large faux animals jumping at me and trying to take off my head before giving me a very unusual beauty treatment?"
She wasn't going to let him forget the stunt he pulled that first night, was she? “No."
"Then I love it already."
* * * *
A half hour later they sat across from each other in Nick's favorite coffee shop, a little hole-in-the-wall establishment that was dark and dreary inside but had the best cup of coffee he'd been able to find in the area. It probably wouldn't be good enough for the princess brat, but it was all he could do given that the nearest high-end chain coffee shop was at least an hour's drive from Cornell. No matter what she might think, a cup of friggin’ coffee wasn't worth that kind of time. Or the money. It cost pennies to make. Hell, the cups were more expensive than the beverages inside them.
Kendra sat across the table, stirring three packets of sugar into her latte.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and stopped stirring. “I don't have any money to pay for this. I didn't think I'd need my cash, since you didn't tell me where we were going, so I left it back at my apartment."
"It's okay. I've got it."
"Thanks.” The spoon clinked against the side of her chipped mug. “But just so we're clear, that doesn't make this a date."
"Of course not."
"Lena told me to watch out for you."
Her blurted confession took him by surprise. “What?"
"I talked to her last week. She told me you're dangerous."
He muttered a string of curses under his breath. Damned Lena. What was wrong with her? He'd have to have a talk with her as soon as he had the princess brat tucked safely into bed. Whatever Lena's reasons for torturing Kendra, he needed to get her to stop. It was going to be detrimental to her doing her job right if Lena kept causing problems, and the woman's interference had gone on long enough. More than long enough. Any period of initiation Lena might have been putting Kendra through was over.
He had to be on alert out in the field, at all times. This wasn't a good time for him to be training anyone, and he had a feeling he was going to wind up protecting Kendra. It was going to be hard enough trying to avoid certain creatures as it was, without Kendra getting in the way. And if Stephan got to Kendra ... well, it wouldn't be pretty.
"I'm not dangerous.” He shrugged. “Not to you, at least."
A small smile touched her lips. “That's what I thought, too. Now that still doesn't solve my immediate problem. I didn't bring any cash."
"Don't worry about the money. I told you I'll pay for it."
She glanced up at him, a little bit of wonder in her eyes. “Okay. Thanks."
"No problem.” Paying for her coffee wouldn't nearly be enough after he'd attacked her on her couch, or sicced a fake demon on her to prove a point he had no business trying to prove in the first place. He'd shown her exactly what he'd set out to show her—that she couldn't cut it out in the field. Funny thing was, it had made him feel like a first-class asshole and he'd been doing his best to atone for it ever since. Since he'd stopped riding her so hard, she'd started to develop her skills. Strange how that worked. He should have known from the start, but his people skills were probably more than a little bit lacking.
He'd never had to worry about anyone but himself. All that had changed when Stephan had shown up and Nick's former partner had gotten in his way. If he'd been there when Ryan had gone after Stephan, Nick might have been able to stop what happened. But he hadn't known until it was too late, and Ryan had died for Nick's mistakes.
He'd make sure the same thing didn't happen to the princess brat. Immortality only went so far when dealing with a power-hungry demon. Stephan had someone find one of the few weaknesses the immortal human had, and Nick wouldn't chance him doing to Kendra what he'd done to Ryan.
They drank their coffee in silence for a little while before Kendra spoke. “How long have you been doing this ... job?"
"About five years."
"That's all? I'd assumed it was longer than that."
He shook his head. “Nah. None of us working here have been around that long. It's a fairly new branch. Even Lena's been around a few years longer than I have, but she's only been in charge for a short time. When the old boss retired, she took his place two years ago."
"Retired? We get to retire?"
"We live just like everyone else does, Nevins. We're just a little different. After a certain number of years a person can tire of doing this kind of work, and they leave the job to enjoy the rest of their long life in peace."
She took another sip of coffee, her expression hesitant. “How did you die?"
Of course she'd want to ask him all kinds of personal questions. Why had he expected anything else? If she knew even half of what he was, half of what he'd been through in his short time on earth, she wouldn't even want to be next to him right now let alone trust him to get her through this difficult process. He couldn't answer her question, since the answer would only confuse her more. And make her curious about things he wasn't ready to explain.
"Nick?” she prodded, her tone a little more insistent. “How did you die? Was it really terrible?"
"I wasn't recruited the same way you were. It's complicated.” His death hadn't been terrible, because it hadn't happened. He hadn't died at all, but there'd been a time in his life when he'd wanted to. He'd been recruited instead. He put his hand on the air to keep her from asking more questions. “Don't ask. Trust me. You don't want to know."
"How old were you?"
Too old. Too young. “When I first came to work here, twenty-two."
"So young. That's awful."
He held back a bark of laughter. She had no idea. His life now was so much better than the one he'd been living. And he'd found it much easier to accept his heritage rather than try to pretend it didn't exist. “Look who's talking. You're not much older than that yourself."
Her thoughtful expression turned wistful. She took a sip of her coffee and set the mug down with a thump, her gaze focused somewhere on the tabletop.
"Are you missing your boyfriend?” he asked, though he really didn't want an answer to the question.
She snorted. “Yeah, right. He went to bed with my best friend a week after I died. He was probably sleeping with her when I'd been alive, and I was just too stupid to see it. And he had the gall to tell me I needed a nose job. Why would I miss him?"
"Because he was part of your life. You were ready to get engaged to the guy. You had to love him, at least a little."
"I guess."
She said the words, but her expression told him she was starting to think differently. Maybe the princess brat wasn't nearly as shallow as he'd first thought.
"Do you ever miss your family?” she asked, apparently ready to change the subject.

What family? The mother who'd lied to him for most of his life and then abandoned him when he'd needed her most? “No."
"Not even a little?"
"I didn't have a family life like you did. There wasn't a lot of love in my home growing up.” There hadn't been much home to speak of, either. His mother had mostly left him alone to do his own thing, and his father.... He shook his head. He'd rather not think about that bastard again. Ever. He was dead and that was all there was to it. “My mother was too busy working to pay attention to a son she'd never really wanted. For a while, she tried to raise me, but then she just seemed to lose interest. Then when I was sixteen, she left."
And then he'd met his father, and his life had taken a turn for the worse.
Kendra touched his hand. “That's so sad."
"Not really. It was all I knew.” All he'd wanted to know. For as long as he could remember, he'd been happy taking care of himself. His behavior had been self-destructive, but by the time he reached eighteen he'd been okay with destroying whatever remained of his life—a life he'd never asked for in the first place.
He'd been a mess when Lena had approached him. Living on the streets, getting money any way he could. She'd helped him turn his life around—but she'd taken advantage of him, too, and he found it a little hard to be grateful. He'd grown a lot since then, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't be as strong as he was now if Lena hadn't done what she had. Kendra had called him a hard-ass on more than one occasion, but in this field being a jerk wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
They fell into silence again, this time until they finished their coffee and he'd paid the bill. Kendra, for once, was blessedly quiet and Nick had no great urge to strike up another conversation that would lead into territory better left alone. He'd opened himself up enough for tonight, and though it probably hadn't seemed like much to Kendra, it was more than he'd given any person since Lena had brought him in off the street.
"Thanks for the coffee,” Kendra said as they were walking out the door. “I really can do this job, you know."
He nodded. He didn't doubt that she'd be able to do the job, with a little bit more work. With her tenacity, she'd be terrific. Eventually. The only thing he doubted was his ability to keep her alive until she reached her full potential.
And his ability to keep his hands to himself. He wanted her, and she knew it. His attraction had started out purely physical, but somewhere along the way that had changed.
All she had to do was let him know she'd changed her mind, and that was what scared him most of all.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Seventeen

I yawned and stretched, pulling myself out of bed even though I'd barely fallen asleep. This whole sleeping during the day thing would have been the death of me, if it hadn't been for that pesky immortality. Two weeks into the new job assignment and I still had to drag myself out of bed every morning. Evening. My internal clock had me so screwed up I didn't even know what time it was. How sad was that?
The alarm had gone off and I knew I'd have to meet Nick in a little while, but how everyone else did this was beyond me. When it was light outside, the last place I wanted was to be cooped up in some dark bedroom oblivious to the world.
I picked out my clothes and jumped into the shower, leaving it on cool to let the water wake my sluggish brain. It almost worked, too. When I finished, I dressed and pulled my hair back into a wet ponytail just to get the damp strands off my back. Damp cloth against my skin gave me the willies, and I'd found even the slightest distraction could ruin an entire night of work. The job needed all my concentration or else the shift ended with Nick and I in an argument and demon slime splattered on at least one of us. And that was on the good days.
I bent to grab my makeup bag from the cabinet under the vanity, in desperate need of moisturizer and a little mascara. I didn't feel the need to go all out since we worked in the dark anyway, but the vain part of me insisted I make at least a little effort. Tonight might be the night that Nick and I ... Nah. That would never happen. I was so not interested in anything he had to offer.

Liar.

I gave the little voice in my head a mental kick to the shins. Lord knew, I'd had to listen to it enough lately.
Not much had changed between us in the past two weeks. Nick was still not my type, and if I ever decided he was, I'd have to throw myself out the window of a moving vehicle. The threat lost its potency given my immortality, which didn't really leave me with many options besides ignoring Nick and pretending that whatever stretched between us didn't exist. I knew I could manage it. After coming back from the dead anything else seemed possible.
I straightened and set the makeup bag next to the sink, opening it to dig for my lip gloss. A little makeup went a long way toward making me look human at this late hour, though it would take several hours at the make-up counter to make me look anything more than passable.
I glanced up at the mirror, my lips pursed and the shiny lip gloss wand held out in front of me, and my breath caught in my throat. There was a message written in the condensation on the glass.
"You'll be next,” I read softly, a chill zinging down my spine.

Holy shit!

I rushed out the bathroom door and raced around my apartment, searching in every closet and nook and cranny for who could have written this. I found no signs of entry, but someone had been there. The stamp of another presence was all over my apartment.
My heart was racing and my blood pounding. I couldn't stay there any longer. I grabbed my keys and rushed outside into the hallway. Only then was I able to suck in a huge gulp of untainted air.
I debated finding Lena and demanding an explanation as to how this could have happened, but facing her in my current state of near-hysteria would be career suicide. So I settled for the apartment across the hall. Nick's apartment. He was big and strong, and even though my mind kept reminding me I could defend myself now, the thought of being close to him settled my nerves in a big way. Over the past two weeks in the field I'd seen him kill some pretty scary-looking creatures. He could handle whatever had broken into my apartment.
I knocked on his door, but got no answer. Using a neat little trick he'd shown me last week, I set my hand on the knob, concentrated and gave it a jiggle. A small pop sounded and the knob turned in my hand. A faint smile of triumph touched my lips despite the seriousness of the situation. Nick had shown me how to bend my powers to open locks to facilitate the demon hunting process. There were times when breaking into buildings would be necessary. I bet he never thought I'd use it to break into his place.
I slipped into his quiet apartment and looked around. It was exactly like mine. The first day I moved in, before I'd taken some time to make the place a home. No mementoes, no décor to speak of. Not even any Super Bowl DVDs or a TV remote on the barren coffee table. I raised an eyebrow. He'd lived here for God knew how long and had yet to even decorate? How could he stand to live like this? He might as well live in the holding room I'd dropped into when I'd first come back to life.
I closed the door behind me and threw the deadbolt. A streak of pride ran through me as I thought about what I'd just done. I'd snuck into his apartment, and he didn't even know it. Mr. Killer Instincts, the guy I'd never been able to surprise even once, was probably still fast asleep in his bed, oblivious to the intruder in his home.
A shiver ran through me at the thought of intruders, dousing a little of my self-satisfaction. Someone had just broken into my apartment, probably the same way I'd broken into Nick's, and left a threatening message on my mirror. My heart sped up all over again. At the moment, I could really use some human contact.
I walked to the bedroom and peeked through the half-open door. Nick lay in his bed, snoring softly. I stepped into the room and a second later he bolted upright in bed.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
His outburst scared me almost as much as the mirror had. I hiccupped and jumped back a few feet, my newly-acquired fight or flight instinct sending my body into an all-out panic. My heart beat so hard against my chest I was afraid it would fall out and hit the floor with a splat. A thin coat of sweat slicked my palms and goose bumps rose on my arms. I widened my stance, preparing for a battle even though I already knew there wouldn't be one. At least not with Nick.
Nick slid out of bed and walked over to me, his hands in front of him as if to let me know he didn't mean me any harm. “Relax, Kendra. You'll hurt yourself if you don't calm down. Are you okay? You don't look so good."
I was about to blurt out what had happened, but at the last second, I chickened out. Doubt seeped into my mind. If I told him, he'd think I was a wimp who couldn't handle herself. He'd tell me, yet again, I wasn't cut out for this job.
"I'm fine. I just.... “I ended with a sigh, not sure how to tell him what I wanted without making me seem like a huge wuss.
Nick shook his head and threw me an exasperated glare. “Give me a few minutes to clean up a little, then we'll talk."
He grabbed some clothes out of his dresser and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. A few minutes later the toilet flushed and the shower started.
My eyes narrowed. So he was going to make me wait while he took a shower? What kind of an ass did that to a woman when she so obviously needed help?
Nick did. Big surprise there.
Fed up and frustrated, I climbed between his sheets and pulled the covers over me. My hair was getting his pillows soaked, but I didn't care. It was the least he deserved for acting like such a jerk. And here I'd thought he was changing. I guess that had just been a little too much wishful thinking on my part. Or maybe I never should have thought I could count on him to be a friend in the first place. He'd really never given me any indication that he wanted anything more than a working relationship, but a small part of me had been hoping. In my old life, I'd always had the support of a network of friends. Here, in this place, Nick was pretty much all I had. Unless I counted Kane, who was always more friendly toward me than Nick, but I still couldn't get my mind to accept the fact that the man was a vampire.
I snuggled deeper under Nick's covers and wrapped them around me, taking a big whiff. They smelled like him. Excellent cologne and very sexy man. I might just have to steal one of the pillowcases and put it on my own pillow. Maybe then I could finally get a decent night's ... er, day's sleep.
The bathroom door opened a little later and I heard him step out. I didn't even bother to turn around. He wasn't worth my time. And forget talking about it. Now he'd just have to deal with me ignoring him, because that was all he was going to get.
I expected a thousand questions, but got none. The mattress dipped as he climbed into bed. And then he was behind me, pulling me close and holding me just like he had before.
"What's the matter?” he asked, his tone laced with worry. His breath was minty.
"Nothing.” I tried to keep the glumness out of my voice, but probably failed miserably.
"Bullshit. Something's bothering you."
At the moment it was him. He was too close, too near, smelling better than great. His hard body pressed against my back and my stomach tightened.
He was amazing. Whatever I'd come to see him for ... it had slipped my mind. And maybe that was the whole reason I'd come to him. Because I needed something to help me forget.
I turned in his arms and faced him, licking my lips to give me the courage to tell him what I needed to say.
But he apparently read the move as an invitation—it so was not—and leaned in and kissed me. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and my body responded exactly like it always did when Nick touched me. It went into full-out lust mode and pushed any sort of rational thought aside.
I should have protested, I really should have, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I fell into the kiss, pulling him close to me. And then he rolled me under him and he was between my thighs, his erection pressing right where I needed it. The only thing that could have made the moment better was if we'd had no clothes on. I'd spent the better part of two weeks denying my hopeless attraction to the guy, and I couldn't do it anymore.
His hips rocked against me, his tongue darting into my mouth, every available inch of his body against me. All my nerve endings jumped and sizzled and I felt like I'd come out of my skin. He was too perfect. Too amazing. It was wrong, but at the same time felt so right.
When his hands came to my shirt, I didn't stop him. I helped instead. And then I helped him get me out of the rest of my clothes, too. It wasn't long before we were both naked and he was prodding between my legs.
I stopped him. “What about protection?"
He laughed. “Not necessary. Your body can't get diseases and you can't get pregnant."
I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I wasn't in the mood to stop him. Instead, I accepted him inside me and finally, finally, everything in my world felt right.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Eighteen

Nick rolled off me and lay down on his side, his hand stroking my stomach. We were both breathing heavy and a warm, sated feeling coursed through my body. I couldn't fight the sleepy smile and I snuggled against his side.
He kissed my forehead. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
My cloudy mind took a little too long catching up. “Talk? Oh, yeah. That."
"What is it?"
"Well, I don't want you to construe this as me not being able to handle my job."
"Kendra.” His tone held more than a hint of warning in it. His hand stilled its movements and tightened almost imperceptibly against my skin.
"What?"
"Just tell me what the hell is going on."
The demanding tone of his voice brought me back to that first day in the gym and what a jerk he'd been to me. I pinched his nipple. “Excuse me?"
"Ouch! I'm serious. You looked upset when you came in here. Though I'd like to believe otherwise, I doubt you broke into my apartment solely for sex."
"Actually, it had nothing to do with sex. That just sort of ... happened.” And it had been incredible. Amazing. The best I'd ever had, though that really wasn't saying a lot. I was sure I'd be regretting it in another few hours, but for now I just wanted to bask in the afterglow. Too bad Nick kept interrupting my happiness with all his questions.
"Then why are you here?"
Was that a touch of hurt I caught in his voice? A part of me hoped it was, even though thinking that way after what had just happened was so wrong. “Okay, I guess I should tell you, but you have to promise you're not going to freak out."
"I'm going to freak out if you don't tell me.” He sat up, moving away and taking his warmth with him. “Just spill it already."
I thought for a second about glossing over the details, or maybe telling him it had been a nightmare that felt real, but in the end decided against it. He'd only find some way into my thoughts and know I was lying, and the last thing either of us needed right now was an argument.
"Well, when I got out of the shower I found this writing on the bathroom mirror.” I explained what I'd found and told him what it said.
The more I spoke, the more anger flashed in his eyes and his jaw clenched. By the time I'd finished my story, he looked ready to kill. His shoulders had hunched and a muscle ticked in his jaw. His eyes gleamed in the dim moonlight filtering in through the partially-open drapes.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me this sooner?"
"We were a little busy."
"You should have said something, Kendra. That isn't the kind of thing you should have kept to yourself. Are you nuts?"
I balked at the harshness in his tone, sitting up and scooting away from him. The man had to have multiple personalities. One minute he was all over me, and the next he was all over me in a totally different way. All the reasons I should have been avoiding him came flooding back and I sniffled. I already had enough stress in my life tonight, thank you very much. “I would have told you, if you'd given me the chance. You jumped out of bed and rushed for the shower instead."
"A cold shower. Seeing you in my room when I woke up was ... jarring, to say the least. I thought, if I got away and tried to clear my mind for a little while.... Well, I guess I thought wrong, didn't I? I came back in here and found you in my bed, and I'm sorry if I got a little distracted.” He got out of bed and pulled on his clothes. “Get dressed. We're going over there right now."
I seethed inside. My eyes narrowed and I clenched my hands into fists. Here I'd just slept with the guy—huge, huge mistake I might add—and now he was acting all bossy and chauvinistic again. To say I didn't appreciate it would be a gigantic understatement. This would so not be happening again. At least not in this lifetime, and my lifetime promised to be a very long one.
I couldn't get out of his bed fast enough. I scooted out, dressed, and followed him out the door, doing my best not to take off the back of his head with my fist.
The aggressive, out of place thought made me pause. Where had that come from? Sure, I'd thought about killing him, but I'd never been really serious. This time, I wanted to hurt him. It made my hands shake.
Nick stopped at my door and turned to me, his expression confused. “What's the matter now?"
"I'm having very violent thoughts about you."
He laughed. “Oh, really?"
"Yes. And I'm not one who usually has violent thoughts."
"It's your instinct kicking in. Finally. Don't go with it, though. Not now. Don't waste the feelings on me, just wait until we're out in the field and use them on something more deserving.” He turned the knob and opened my apartment door, stepping over the threshold. “Let's go."
Instinct, my ass. It was more the urge to rearrange his face for being such a ... a guy than anything else.
I started to follow him into the apartment, but soon stopped and sucked in a breath. There it was again, that feeling making me want to slam my fist into some part of his body. I didn't want to be violent. What the hell was happening to me? “Nick?"
His expression softened, but not enough to make me forgive him for his after-sex attitude. “Hormonal changes. You'll get over them in a couple of months. But that isn't important right now."
"No? You'd prefer I gouged out your eyes or something?"
He walked into my apartment and I followed, still on my Maim Nick rampage. I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to a stop, not sure what I was going to do but knowing it had to be something. The tension clenching my gut needed to find some sort of release. I gave the shirt a hard tug. “Don't even think about walking away from me again."
He spun around and kissed me hard on the lips. The kiss was crushing, almost violent, and something unfamiliar sparked inside me. It made me tingle everywhere.
After a few seconds I pushed him away despite the little flutter than ran through my belly ... and parts further south.
"Stop it. This is serious."
"There's nothing you can do to hurt me. Not a damned thing."

Wanna bet, tough guy? “What if I told you that you're a lousy lay?"
His eyes narrowed and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Is that what you really think?"
"No, but it would hurt you if it was."
His eyes narrowed even more. “Would not."
"Would, too. Now get into the bathroom and see what I'm talking about."
"Fine.” After giving me one last nasty glare, he strode into the bathroom with me hot on his heels. The mirror was clear. No writing, no threats. Of course they would be gone. We'd waited too long to get back here and the condensation had long since dissipated.
"Damn it,” I muttered. “If you hadn't distracted me."
"You weren't complaining at the time."
I rolled my eyes. “Neither were you."
One corner of his lips rose. “Nothing to complain about. Nothing at all. In fact, I think I should be complaining that we had to get out of bed so soon. Don't know about you, but I could have gone for another round of...."
"Pig.” I smacked his shoulder. Harder than I'd meant to. Hard enough to make him wince and take a step back—and enough to make me laugh. The tough guy wasn't so tough anymore now that I was starting to come into my own powers.
Nick shook his head before he raised his hand to the mirror and shot a bolt of steam at it. Ta-da! The threat appeared again in all its creepy, spine-tingling glory.
Half expecting him to laugh it off and lecture me on unnecessary paranoia, I waited for him to shake his head and tell me I was overreacting. He didn't.
"This isn't good.” He spun, his arms crossed over his chest. The color of his skin had paled a few shades and he darted glances around the room, as if the perpetrator would just waltz in and confess. “This isn't good at all."
"I bow down to you, Oh Great Master of Understatement."
"Cute, Kendra. Real cute.” He stepped out of the bathroom, walked to the couch and flopped down. Within seconds his color was back and he'd masked his concerned expression, but the tension in the air told me the worry hadn't gone away. “Got anything to eat?"
I sighed. “You go from anxious to hungry in a matter of seconds? I think you might have your priorities a little skewed, buddy."
"I think better on a full stomach, and this is going to require a lot of thinking. Plus, I need to replenish a little energy after having you in my bed. Why don't you make something for us to eat, and then we'll discuss what we're going to do about this?"

Excuse me? “Why don't you make us something to eat?"
"Because someone woke me up from a sound sleep. I'm a little tired. And a little cranky."
"And that's supposed to make me feel bad for you?"
"Well, yeah. At least enough to feed me.” He patted his stomach. The puppy-dog look in his eyes made me laugh despite the seriousness of the situation. If he was trying to put me at ease and give me a distraction to fixate on, he was doing a good job of it.
With a dramatic sigh, I relented. “All right. Fine. I'll feed you. But then you have to promise to tell me what's going on."
"Sure thing, princess. Anything you want."
I bristled at the nickname. He didn't even use that sexy, suggestive tone. Instead, it was more of a half-hearted mumble. After what had happened between us, I would have thought we'd moved past that point. I guess I'd been wrong ... about so many things.
Sick of looking at him any longer, I went into the kitchen and grabbed stuff to make a couple of sandwiches. The second I was away from the couch, Nick got up and started searching around my apartment. He must have thought I didn't notice him checking the doors and the windows, but his perusal didn't escape my notice. Amazing what a girl can see when a guy is searching the single room in the main living area. Did he really think I was that dense?
Apparently. Caught between sadness and aggravation, I threw together a stupid ham sandwich for him and slapped it onto a plate. If he wanted to eat, fine, but I hoped he wasn't expecting me to eat with him. I so didn't want food right now. My stomach would probably reject it.
By the time I brought his sandwich back to the couch, he'd sat down again and was looking at me like nothing had happened. I could only snort in reply. That's me, the stupid, spoiled princess who doesn't notice anything right under her nose. That big bump Tony had so kindly pointed out must have gotten in the way. “Here's your meal, jerk."
He shook his head and laughed. And started eating, ignoring me in the process. Here I was, sitting here waiting to find out why the threat was not good at all, and he chose to leave me hanging. After he finished half the sandwich, I couldn't take any more of the silence.
"So are you going to tell me what you were snooping around for, or are you going to leave me forever in the dark about it?"
He paused, the second half of the sandwich halfway to his lips. “Snooping?"
Like he was dumb enough to believe I hadn't seen. Please. The guy noticed everything. “Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"No, but I haven't been expecting you to be as perceptive as you've been, either."
Me? Perceptive? He had to be kidding. No one could ever use that word to describe me. Oblivious would have been a more fitting description. “Remember you're talking to the woman who thought her boyfriend was going to propose."
"True, but you've changed. You've really tapped into some things you never used in your old life. Like noticing there are other people in the world besides yourself."
I was sure there was a compliment in there somewhere. “So tell me what's going on. Should I go to Lena about this?"
A dark look passed over his eyes. “No. Whatever you do, don't go see her. At all. I'm not sure she can be trusted."
"What?” Was he out of his mind? If I couldn't trust Ice Queen, my boss, who could I trust? “Why not? You can't make statements like that without backing them up."
"She's an incompetent fool who wouldn't know how to protect someone."
That didn't sound very good. “Why do you say that?"
He shook his head, finished his sandwich and got up, setting his plate on the coffee table as he did so. The look in his eyes told me I wasn't going to like what he had to say next. “Look, I have to go for a little while. Stay put. Don't leave your apartment, and don't call anyone. Wait until I get back before you do anything."
Like that would ever happen. Me, stay put? Me, listen to him? Yeah, right. “You're not my boss."
"And another thing,” he continued, ignoring my denial. “Maybe you should move in with me, or let me move in here. That way if something like this happens again, I'll be able to protect you."
Was he out of his mind? First he sleeps with me and he acts like it never happened, then he wants to move in with me? Please. Not in a million years. No matter what it might look like, I wasn't that kind of girl.
"No thanks. I can take care of myself. If I need you, I know you're right across the hall."
He stared at me so long, his gaze searching, that I began to worry he might drag me out of my apartment and lock me away somewhere until I agreed to his moronic plan. But instead, his shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh.
"I don't have time for this right now. After what happened to Ryan.... I just can't let it happen again. Especially not to you. I really do have to go. We're going to run out of time. But don't go anywhere. I mean it, Kendra. We will talk about this later.” He leaned in and tried to kiss me, but I ducked away. That wouldn't be happening again anytime soon, no matter how attracted to the guy I was. He just wasn't worth my time.
"I'll be back in a little bit.” With that he was out the door.
I flopped down on the couch, hugged the shabby little throw pillow to my chest, and let the tears come. It looked like I'd just had my first one-night stand. Did he really expect me to be happy about that? What kind of girl did the jerk think I was?

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Nineteen

As it turned out, I moped and whined to myself for all of five minutes before sitting still got the better of me. My curiosity had been peaked after Nick's comment about Ryan and his enigmatic behavior. I had to find out once and for all what was going on. Had to know what it was he'd been avoiding telling me. Probably I should have just asked Nick again to explain to me what had happened to his last partner, but with the way he'd been in such a rush to get out of my apartment, he wouldn't have told me anyway. He would have given me the same answer he'd given the few times I'd asked in the last two weeks. Ryan was dead. End of story.
I had a feeling it was really the beginning.
The old Kendra would have sat around like a good little girl, waiting for Nick to come back and say everything would be okay. The new, kick-ass demon killer Kendra recognized that would never happen. Even if he came back, he wouldn't tell me everything would be okay, because it wasn't. And I, being the awesome hunter I was turning into, refused to sit back and take orders any longer.
First in line was a quick shower, given the activities Nick and I had engaged in earlier. Once scrubbed clean and reasonably presentable, there was a man I needed to visit. The only person I could think of besides Lena who might be able to help me. If I could get over my silly little fear of vampires.
I took the elevator down one floor and soon found myself standing outside Kane's door. He opened the door before I even had a chance to knock. “Hey Kendra. What's up?"
A shiver ran down the length of my spine and I tried to force my expression to stay neutral. “You seriously freak me out."
"Why did I know you would say that?” His chuckle echoed in the empty hall, but soon his face turned serious. He cocked his head to the side, his brows dipping into a frown. “You look upset. What's going on?"
What wasn't? Let me think ... someone had threatened my life, I made the mistake of sleeping with my partner who has since chosen to ignore it happened, and then said partner walked out on me before what should have been a very important conversation. Add to that how he'd rushed away mumbling about how he didn't want what happened to Ryan to happen again, and the whole thing turned into one big, jumbled mess. I didn't even know where to start.
"Remember when you told me if I needed anything, all I had to do was ask?"
"Of course.” The frown flipped into a smile in record time. He stepped aside and I walked into his apartment. “What can I do for you?"
Now this was more like it. Lots of dark colors paired with neutrals, and expensive looking furniture. Very masculine. Very classy, even.
Except for the huge, scary dude sitting in the living room.
I sneezed, pausing in the doorway, and Kane turned to me. He laughed. “Nothing to worry about. That's just Snake. He won't hurt you."
A big, bald guy named Snake. A guy a blood sucker swore wouldn't hurt me. Oh, yeah. That made me feel a whole lot better.
"Um, okay.” I glanced from Kane to Snake and back again, a little wary. Kane put his hand on my back and guided me into the room.
"Kendra, this is Snake. We work together."
Snake smiled. “Nick's partner."
As usual, everyone around here knew everything except me. In two weeks of living in this place, I should have met more of my coworkers, but Nick had kept me so busy I hadn't had the chance to do much more than work and sleep.
"Yep, that's me.” I tried to sound chipper, but it was a little hard, given the circumstances. No matter what Kane said, the bald guy with the goatee was a little intimidating.
"Want a beer?” Kane asked. Snake started to hand me a can, but I shook my head.
"No, thanks. I had a bad experience with beer in college.” Really, really bad. Since then, I'd sworn to only drink wine, and only a little on social occasions. Spending the night with her head in the toilet bowl really made a girl reorganize her priorities. I sneezed again. “You drink beer? I thought vampires didn't drink anything but blood."
I almost choked on the last word, barely managing to say it. Kane's smile widened, and soon he and Scary Dude burst into laughter. Laughter that lasted for what seemed like an eternity before I stomped my foot on the floor and cleared my throat.
Both sets of eyes turned toward me. “What?” they asked in unison.
"I really hate to break up your Make Fun of the New Girl party here, but I'm in a bit of a bind and I really do need some help."
Kane's expression turned serious. He slumped onto the couch, elbows propped on his knees, and leaned forward. He gestured to the chair across from the couch with his chin. “Sit, Kendra. You look like you need to."
"Thanks.” I settled into the chair, but it was a little hard to get comfortable faced with a vampire and an overgrown reptile. Another sneeze, followed closely on the heels by three more. What was wrong with me? Did Kane have pets I didn't know about?
"This is about Nick, isn't it?” Kane asked, his expression darkening ever so slightly. I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. What was it with men and their egos?
"Yes, it is, but not in the way you're thinking."
"And what exactly do you think I'm thinking?” His eyebrows rose, blatant challenge etched on his handsome face.
I sighed. Why must he make this so difficult? “This isn't about my personal life."
"So you're not sleeping with your partner?"
My face heated and must have turned a thousand shades of red. Being so fair-skinned, I blushed easily. And profusely. My embarrassment gave me away every time.
I cleared my throat, swallowed hard, and tried to ignore the humor in Kane's eyes. “Whether I am or not has no bearing on this conversation. I'm trying to find him. I think he might be in danger."
Kane sat up a little straighter, and Snake turned his gaze away from the game on the television and toward me. Now I finally had their attention.
"What makes you think that?” Kane asked without the humor that had been there only seconds before. Snake clutched the can of beer in his hand so hard he dented the sides.
I filled them in on what I'd found on my mirror, and the conversation I'd had with Nick just before he walked out. By the time I finished, Kane had turned even whiter than usual.
"I think you might be right about him being in trouble,” he told me. The words did nothing to ease my churning gut. “Did he tell you anything at all about Ryan?"
I shook my head, and Kane and Snake shared a look.
"I was hoping you could tell me a little more about him,” I prodded when neither of them spoke.
"Stephan killed Ryan,” Snake said slowly, as if I'd dragged the words out of him.
Stephan. The demon I'd met in the clothing store. My stomach bottomed out. “How did it happen?"
"If you want to know the rest, you really need to ask Nick."
As if I hadn't already done that. More than once. “I would, but I can't seem to find him. Besides, he clams up whenever I so much as mention his last partner."
Kane pursed his lips and shook his head. “Nick is a very private person. His upbringing made him that way. He doesn't share—or trust—easily."
For some reason, Kane's words smarted. After what we'd done, Nick should have known he could trust me. The idea that he didn't really stung. “So what should I do about it? I need to know everything in order to figure out what's going on."
"Tell him you know about Stephan. Tell him you know everything. That'll get him talking,” Snake said before he polished off the rest of his beer and tossed the empty can onto the coffee table.
"That would work ... If I could find him."
"He'll be back,” Kane assured me. “He always comes back eventually."
How promising. I wrinkled my nose at the bloodsucker. Talking to the guys was sometimes like talking to a brick wall—though I had a feeling I'd get more of an answer from the wall than I would from anyone around here. “Do you know where he goes when he takes off?"
Neither of them said anything for what seemed like forever. We sat in silence, me all but twiddling my thumbs and sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for an answer, and the men looking at me like they'd rather eat nails than tell me the truth. Finally, Kane glanced at Snake before he turned his attention back to me. “There's a bar he goes to sometimes, when he gets stressed. You might be able to find him there."
Okay, so that was a start, but not nearly enough. Why must getting information from these two lugs be like pulling teeth? “And what would the name of this bar be?"
"It's called X."
"X? What kind of name is that?"
"A fitting one, believe it or not. It's a little hole in the wall dive of a place tucked into a dark corner of Front Street.” He gave me the address, but it came with a warning. “Be careful in there, Kendra. The kind of people who hang out there are nothing like what you're used to."
"Believe me, if I can handle vampires like the two of you, I can handle anything."
"Werewolf,” Snake said, laughing.
I swallowed hard, swinging my gaze toward the larger man. “Excuse me?"
"I'm not a vamp. I'm a were, sweetheart."

Well. That would explain the sneezing.
* * * *
I was halfway to Front Street when my cell phone rang. I pulled my car over to the side of the road and flipped the phone open, bringing it to my ear. “Hello?"
"Has anyone ever told you your voice is incredible?"
The last man who'd told me that had only wanted to get into my pants. Something told me this guy had other things in mind. I recognized the voice as my mystery caller my first day on the job—and the bad dude I'd met in the alley during my shopping trip. Stephan. The man-creature who killed Nick's former partner. My whole body shivered and a lump formed in my throat. “What do you want?"
"To meet with you."
Considering our last meeting ended in trash cans exploding, I didn't think seeing him again would be a good idea. “No, thanks. I have better things to do."
"I have the information you need."
His words stopped me cold when I would have disconnected the call. “Excuse me?” I asked, my voice not much above a squeak.
"About your boyfriend. You want to know about him. I know you're curious, Kendra, and I have what you want. I can tell you everything."
Icy fingers of dread danced down my spine. Suddenly I wasn't so sure I wanted to know what everything entailed. But I had to know. Had to hear what Stephan had to say if I had any hope of finding out what was really going on all around me. “I'm listening."
"Not over the phone. I want to see you in person."
Okay, this guy just got weirder and weirder. As if it wasn't bad enough to have to talk to him on the phone. Now he wanted to see me, too? The darkness around me suddenly seemed thick. Inky. Deadly. “We both know that's not a good idea. You'll do something creepy and then I'll have to kill you. It seems to me it would be a lose-lose situation."
The weirdo had the gall to laugh. “You aren't strong enough to kill me, Kendra. Not even close."
My ego begged to differ, but I narrowed my eyes and fumed in silence. Agitating him would be a huge mistake, especially since I didn't know where he was. He might be just outside my car, waiting to jump inside and tear me to pieces.
I flipped the switch for the automatic locks, just to make sure they were engaged.
"Pick someplace neutral,” he continued in that smooth, cultured tone of his. “Somewhere public, where I can't do anything you think I might do to hurt you. If it makes you feel better."
He was taunting me, challenging me to meet him somewhere private. As if I'd be that stupid. “It would make me feel better to watch your head explode, but since that's not going to happen anytime soon, someplace public would be fine."
And since I was heading toward X to find Nick, I might as well kill two alpha males with one stone. I told Stephan to meet me there and disconnected the call.
Five minutes later, my car idling at the curb a few doors down from X, I realized why Kane had told me this wasn't a place I wanted to visit alone. It took all the will power I had to get out of my car, lock the doors, and walk toward the dilapidated, black-painted building.
The front door hung open, spilling smoky air, heavy metal, and big, bad biker dudes in full leather out onto the sidewalk. I sidestepped one particularly drunk-looking dude puking his guts out into a metal trash can a few feet from the door and stepped inside.
The air stank of sweat and I had to fight the urge to cover my mouth with my hand. In the past few weeks, I'd seen demons from the bowels of hell, and I couldn't imagine their living quarters being any worse than this place.
I felt Stephan's presence seconds before he stepped up behind me and put his hands on my waist.
"You don't look comfortable here."
"Keep touching me and I'll have to break all your fingers."
He chuckled and tightened his grip. The sensation of his breath against my neck wasn't an all together unpleasant feeling, and I had to give myself a mental slap in the face. Demon, Kendra. Big, powerful demon with a God complex. He had to be trying to do something to my mind, because there was no way in hell I could be attracted to a demon.
"I'm serious. Take your hands off me now or I will be forced to hurt you."
"As fun as that sounds,” he whispered, removing his hands but not stepping away from me, “it'll have to wait until later. You wanted to talk."
"About Nick,” I shivered a little when his fingers brushed the hair away from my neck. “You said you have information."
"I do."
"Care to share a little?"
"There are so many things I want to share with you, Kendra. So many. All in good time. First, why don't we find somewhere to sit down? I don't mind giving you the information you're seeking, but I expect a little something in return."
"I don't owe you anything,” I reminded him, stepping away so he couldn't touch me again. I was already on sensory overload, being in this loud, smelly place.
"Once I tell you the truth, you'll owe me a lot more than you understand. I'm about to save you from making a huge mistake."
That said, he grabbed my hand and led me to an unoccupied table in the corner of the room.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Twenty

Kendra's apartment door slammed against the wall and Nick stormed inside. He'd knocked several times, since she got all pissy when he just barged in, but still she hadn't answered. So where the hell was she? Hadn't he told her to stay put?
He snorted. As if it mattered what he said. The princess brat was going to do her own thing, anyway.
"I don't answer to anyone but myself,” he mimicked the words she'd spat at him a week or so ago during one of their late-night hunting sessions.
No, she didn't answer to him, but she could at least allow him the common courtesy of telling him where she was going. She'd slept with him, for hell's sake. That had to indicate some level of caring. Would it be that hard to pick up the damned phone?
He stomped around the apartment, looking in every closet and behind every door, even though he already knew she was gone. His senses had told him that the second the door swung open. She'd been gone for a while, too, given the coldness in the apartment. He narrowed his eyes. The woman had probably taken off the second he'd left her.
And the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't blame her if she had. He'd walked out on her, but at the moment he hadn't had much choice. Stephan was after Kendra, and Nick had to do what he could to protect his partner.
His abrupt departure had nothing to do with being scared. Nothing. There was no reason to be scared of a five-foot-something blonde in need of a serious attitude adjustment. No reason at all, except for the fact that he was starting to care about her a hell of a lot more than he should, and he'd promised himself not to let that happen. To get involved with her on a more intimate level would mean he'd have to tell her the truth about what he was. Telling her the truth would send her running in the other direction as fast as those killer legs would take her. Not a very appealing idea for a guy who couldn't get the woman off his mind. He'd have to own up to everything eventually, but he'd rather put it off as long as possible. Once she was safe, it would be a lot easier to make the confession.
"If you're looking for Kendra, she's not here."
Nick turned, hands balled into fists, and faced Kane, who was leaning against the doorframe. Nick shook his head. “No shit."
"I mean she's not in the building at all."
"How do you know that?"
"She came to me, wanting to know more about you."
Nick's whole body went cold. His breath froze in his lungs. “What did you tell her?"
"That she'd have to ask you herself.” Kane laughed. He raised his eyebrows and shifted. “What are you so worried about? Afraid I told your girlfriend about your ... dark side?"
Ignoring Kane's baiting tone, Nick pushed past him out the door. “Where is she? I need to find her."
"She went to look for you."
"Where?"
Kane said nothing, and Nick barely managed to restrain the urge to rearrange the vampire's face. “It's important that I find her, Kane. A matter of life and death."
Kane snorted. “Whose? Yours?"
"Hers."
Kane's expression went serious and he took a step toward Nick. “What are you talking about?"
"Stephan is stalking her."
"Shit.” The color drained from Kane's face. “I sent her to X to find you."
Nick's stomach dropped to his knees. An ache settled behind his temples and he rubbed them, but it was no use. “Why the hell would you do that? You know how dangerous that place is."
"I thought you'd be there. She wanted to find you. She can handle herself, Nick. She's as immortal as the rest of us."
"As immortal as Ryan,” he mumbled, already rushing toward the elevator. He stabbed the down button and jumped inside when the elevator doors slid open. Worry clenched his gut and made him feel jumpy. Out of control. He had to get to her before Stephan did.
"I'll come with you,” Kane said, following Nick into the elevator. “I had no idea about Stephan, or I wouldn't have sent her to X. I figured you were just running away and was about time you faced everything."
"Get Snake and meet me there in a few.” The elevator dinged, letting him know they'd reached the basement level. Nick stepped through the opening elevator doors and headed toward the parking garage. “I have a feeling we're going to need all the extra help we can get."
"Lena?” Kane asked, holding the door open.

Anyone but her. “No. Whatever you do, don't say a word to her. She doesn't need to know about this."
He didn't wait for a response from Kane. Instead, he hurried to his car and within seconds was peeling out of the garage. He just hoped he wasn't too late to keep Stephan away from Kendra. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
* * * *
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?” Nick asked, sliding into the booth next to Kendra. She faced him with a mix of relief and horror, and he wondered what Stephan had already told her.
"It's private,” Stephan said, shrugging one shoulder.
"Too bad.” Nick cupped Kendra's chin in his palm and drew her in for a long, deep kiss. She didn't respond as well as he'd hoped, but Stephan's eyes narrowed and his face reddened for a few seconds before he slipped his cool façade back into place.
"Tell me, Stephan,” Nick continued, sliding the other man a gaze. “What are you doing harassing Kendra?"
"I agreed to meet him,” Kendra cut in, her voice strangely subdued.
Nick turned to her. “Why the hell would you do that? Didn't I ask you to stay in your apartment until I got back?"
He expected a nasty, attitude-filled comeback, and worry washed over him when none came. “What did he tell you?"
"He said.... “Her voice trailed off and she went white.
Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why had he left her alone? He stood, pulled her out of the booth, and all but dragged her out of the bar. Stephan stayed put, but Nick felt the demon's gaze on his back until they'd stepped through the door.
He didn't stop walking until he'd found a quiet area not far from where she'd parked her car. When he stopped, he turned to her, bracing for the worst. “What did he tell you, Kendra?"
She shook her head. “He had to be lying."
Odds were, he wasn't. He hadn't wanted her to find out this way. At least she hadn't run away yet. That had to count for something. “Stephan has a way of stretching the truth, of making a person believe the worst. Tell me what he said so we can talk this through."
"Are you going to tell me the truth?"
He let out a sigh heavy with frustration. The time had come, and as much as he'd tried to avoid it, he owed it to her. The whole, sordid story. “Yeah. I'll tell you whatever you need to know."
"Tell me about Ryan."
He frowned, taken aback at her request. It wasn't even close to what he'd expected, but he'd take it. Talking about Ryan would be so much easier than discussing his own past. “What do you want to know about him?"
"Tell me how he died."
"Stephan killed him."
"But how?” she asked, her face getting back some of its color. “He was a human, right?"
Nick nodded.
"An immortal, like me?"
"Yeah, but I explained to you before that there are ways around the immortality. Some demons are very powerful, and Stephan is one of them.” He sucked in a breath and ran a hand through his hair. The memories of how he'd found Ryan still haunted him. “He tore Ryan apart, Kendra. Into little pieces that couldn't be put back together. I found him like that, strewn all over the ground like a pile of garbage. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
She blinked, but to her credit, didn't show any other reaction. “Why did he kill Ryan?"
"To get to me."
"If he can exploit human weaknesses, why doesn't he just kill you? Why try to hurt the people around you?"
Nick swallowed hard, but stayed silent. How was he supposed to answer that question when he didn't know the answer himself?
"Nick?” Kendra asked, her tone unsure. “I know what he told me, and I want to hear it from you. He had to be lying. I would have known if he was telling the truth."
He looked down at her, into those big blue eyes, and his gut clenched so hard he thought he might lose his dinner. If she wanted the truth that bad, she could have it. He figured she'd react in one of two ways. Either she'd run, or she'd try to kill him. At the moment, he couldn't decide which one appealed less.
"What did he say to you? What exactly are you questioning? I can't prove him wrong if I don't know what I'm up against."
"What is he to you?” she asked instead of answering. “How are you connected?"
"By blood,” he answered softly. “He's my half-brother."
He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. “You aren't human."
Half of him was, but the human half of him wasn't what she was fixating on right now. “My mother was a human. My father...."
"Was not,” she finished for him. “Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think it would matter.” That was a lie. The reason he hadn't told her was because he'd known it would mean everything. He should have been honest with her from the start, but at first he hadn't cared. And when he'd started to, he'd remembered her reaction to Kane. If she had that much of an issue with a couple of tiny fangs, the scaly, dragon-like creature Nick could change into courtesy of his father's inhuman genes would scare the shit out of her.
"Oh, it matters, buddy,” she spat, confirming what he'd already known. “It matters a lot."
"I'm sorry."
"It's a little too late for that.” She blinked, backed up a few steps, and shook her head. “Oh, my God. I slept with a demon."
"I'm not the bad guy here, Kendra."
"I slept with a demon,” she repeated, her eyes widening and her face flushing a deep pink. “This can't be happening."
"I'm only half demon.” He took a step toward her, sending her backing away even more. “You've seen what I can do, and you haven't seen it all. Stephan is a full-blooded demon, and he has no conscience. He wants to hurt you. You have no idea what he's capable of."
She didn't seem to be listening. She glanced around, pulled her car keys out of her pocket and started rushing toward her car. Nick ran after her and grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away. “Don't you ever touch me again. I don't even know you."
"You know me better than anyone ever has.” He put himself between her and the driver's side door, determined for her to hear him out before she passed judgment. “I didn't choose my parents. Don't fault me for the mistakes my mother made."
"That's a lie. I don't know you at all.” She took off running down the street and into the darkness. For a few seconds, Nick thought about going after her, but decided against it. He had to find Stephan and take care of the problem once and for all. Kendra had the skills to survive in the sleepy town after dark—if Nick could stop Stephan before the demon got to her.
He took off toward the bar, pulling out his cell and dialing Kane's number.
"Where are you?” he asked the vampire when he answered.
"Parking the car. We'll meet you inside."
"Don't bother. I'm going after Stephan. Kendra ran toward Main Street. She's a little ... stressed right now. I don't know if I trust her being alone. See if you can find her and calm her down. I'll meet up with you back at the building as soon as I can."
"Got it."
Nick disconnected the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Up ahead, he saw Stephan exit the bar and walk in the direction opposite the one Kendra had just taken. It couldn't be this easy, could it?
He should have known better than to ask the question. As soon as Nick started chasing Stephan, he disappeared from sight.
"Shit,” Nick muttered, glancing down an alley next to the bar. A couple of drunks, plenty of rotting trash, but no demon. “Where did you go, Stephan?"
He heard the footsteps behind him, but it was too late. Something hard smacked him across the back of the head and he fell to his knees, his hand flying to his skull. His fingers came away streaked with blood.
"Did you really think you could beat me?” Stephan asked out of the darkness."
"You won't win this,” Nick bit back, struggling to stand. It hadn't been a physical object Stephan had hit him with. It had been energy in its purest form. A human, even an immortal one, would have been killed from the impact. He spun around, flames shooting from his hands, but due to his blurry vision he missed his target.
"Would you like to wager on that one?” Another bolt of white-hot energy hit Nick and slammed him against the brick wall of the building. The last thought he had was of Kendra's safety before he blacked out.

[Back to Table of Contents]








Chapter Twenty One

A few blocks down the road I stopped running, slumped onto a green-painted bench and dropped my head into my hands. How was it possible I hadn't known Nick was a demon? All his talk about instinct, about following my gut when it came to seeking out and destroying evil. All this time, evil had been right there in front of me and I hadn't even noticed.
My whole body shook, but not from tears. From anger. Anger at Nick for keeping the truth from me, even after what we'd shared. Anger at myself for being such an idiot and taking the guy at face value when, deep down inside, I'd known something wasn't quite right. And mostly anger at Stephan for putting me in this position.
At the thought of the scary demon dude, I shivered. He was still out there, on the hunt, and his number one target—me—was sitting alone on a bench on a deserted street. Talk about an easy target. My hands shaking, I pushed up from the bench, shoved them into the pockets of my sweatshirt, walking back toward X. Being with Nick was a lot safer until Stephan was caught than being out on my own.
At least I hoped it was.
Nick had lied to me, and I was still furious at him—and a little scared—but one fact remained. He was stronger than me and knew Stephan's weaknesses. It would be in my best interest to stick with the guy until we'd managed to get rid of the demon. Once Stephan was dead, there would be plenty of times to work through my churning emotions.
I made it almost all the way back to the bar when Kane came rushing toward me from the other direction. “Come on. We have to move."
"What's the matter?"
He looked at me for a second and then shook his head. “I'll explain it all in the car. Let's go."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where we're going.” I'd had enough surprises for one night, thank you very much. I could just imagine what would be next.
"Stephan has Nick."
A band of anxiety constricted around my throat, cutting off my supply of oxygen. I allowed myself a second to worry before instinct kicked in and I followed after Kane.
He led me to my own car. “You driving, or you want me to?"
"I'll drive.” This night was strange, but then again, nothing had been normal since I'd died. I didn't say anything else until we pulled away from the curb. “Where are we going?"
"Back home."
That didn't sound like a very good way to rescue Nick. “Excuse me?"
"Snake took my car and followed Stephan. He'll call when we get a location. In the meantime, there's not much else we can do, and we need to speak with Lena."
So not a good idea. “Nick doesn't trust her."
"And neither do you."
I blinked. He was right. I hadn't thought about it before, but now that I did, I realized the truth. “No, I guess I don't."
"Always go with your instinct,” Kane mumbled, mirroring what Nick had so often said to me. “What is your instinct telling you?"
"No one can get into the building without a key card and the codes, right?” I asked him, tapping one hand on the steering wheel as I braked for a stop sign.
"Right."
"Stephan was in my apartment."
Kane coughed. “That isn't possible."
I told him about the writing in the condensation on the mirror.
"The building is enchanted. Anything that's pure evil is physically unable to walk past the front door. That's how we stay protected when we're resting. Otherwise we all would have been picked off a long time ago."
I glanced at him in surprise. “Then somebody else did it. Somebody in the building is working with Stephan."
"Like who?” Kane didn't sound convinced, but I didn't blame him. In the few weeks I'd been doing this job, I'd learned something very important. It was like a family, everyone taking care of everyone else. These guys had worked together for a long time, from what I'd been told. None of them would turn on each other like this.
Except for one woman who kept to herself and seemed to want to cause trouble for me at every turn.
A few seconds later, we reached the apartment building. I pulled into the parking garage, settled my car into its spot, and turned to Kane. “Like Lena."
His eyes widened and he thumped his fist against his thigh. “Shit."
"She had it out for Nick."
Kane nodded, getting out of the car. By the time I managed to switch off the engine and climb out from behind the wheel, I had to rush to catch up with him. My boot heels clacked on the ground, echoing through the garage and increasing my anxiety. It was so quiet around here. Too quiet. Nick was out there somewhere, and I had to find him.
"It's possible Lena has been working with Stephan,” I called to Kane. “Think about it. She has the proper motivation."
Kane stopped in the stairwell and turned to me. “You're right. The woman can be a real bitch when she doesn't get her way. I wouldn't put it past her."
"How well do you know her?” I asked him, taking the stairs two at a time to keep up with him.
"Not well. She doesn't let anybody get close."
Except for Nick. She'd apparently been very close to him at one time, and he'd brushed her off. Now she wanted to get back at him, and what better way than to team up with his psychotic half-brother to destroy him?
We jumped into the elevator and took it to the sub-basement level. I let Kane lead the way to Lena's apartment, knowing if I didn't keep up with the long-legged vampire, I'd get lost. I'd be no help to Nick stumbling around the basement trying to find my way out.
When we reached her door, we found it hanging open. Kane gave it a push and we stepped into the apartment.
Lena, who had been in the middle of stuffing clothes into a duffle bag, glanced up at us and just about growled. “What the hell are you doing here?"
"Going somewhere in a hurry?” Kane asked. He walked over to the couch and took the bag from her hands. She made a grab for it, mumbling a string of curses, but he held it out of her reach.
"Give me my things, or I'll make you very sorry."
I had no doubt she could do just that, but Kane wasn't deterred. “Tell me where you're going, and I'll give the bag back."
"I don't have time for this.” She swung her arm out in an arc, slashing Kane across the chest with a bolt of bright white light. He stumbled back, dropping the bag, and doubled over coughing. Lena made a grab for the bag, but I was quicker and snatched it away from her. A glance inside revealed an antique-looking locket. Tarnished silver, big and gaudy, embedded with a sapphire and hanging from a chunky chain. I pulled the locket from the bag and held it in my palm. It was warm to the touch.
"What's this?” I asked, though I already had a good idea. During my training, Nick had explained that some preternatural creatures got their powers from objects, and without the objects the creatures were just about powerless.
The look in Lena's eyes confirmed my suspicions. She said nothing, so I fastened the locket around my neck—and was filled with a sense of power like nothing I'd ever known. My body practically glowed with it. Every nerve ending danced, like thousands of tiny bugs running across my skin. I'd wanted more power to defeat Stephan, and maybe I'd found it.
Lena hissed, reaching for the locket. “What are you doing? Give that back to me."

As if. “Finders, keepers,” I taunted. The little piece of silver seemed thin. Fragile, even. It wouldn't be too difficult to snap it in half, taking away Lena's powers forever.
I smiled at the thought.
"Kendra.... “Kane warned, his voice hoarse.
"Oh, okay. Fine.” I undid the clasp and shoved the necklace into front pocket of my tight jeans. No way would she be able to get it out without getting a little too close to me now. Almost instantly, the tingling stopped, and I let out a little sigh of deprivation.
Kane finally managed to catch his breath and he faced Lena with a glare. “What have you done?"
"I don't have to answer to you."
"Nick is a good man, and you've put him in serious danger. Not to mention Kendra."
Lena narrowed her eyes at me. “What about her? She shouldn't even be here. She was supposed to be gone already."
I froze. “What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you figured out yet why I brought you here?"
Obviously not. My shoulders tensed. “Um, no."
"I knew Nick would worry about you. That he'd want to take care of you. Frail and fair and too dumb for your own good ... the perfect choice of a partner for him."
I narrowed my eyes. “You were trying to kill him, weren't you?"
Lena said nothing, but she didn't need to respond. I already had my answer. A muttered curse escaped my lips. How stupid could a person get? I'd known something was ... off the second Lena had started trying to ‘recruit’ me that first day, but it had taken me until this moment to figure out what it was. I hadn't been brought here to help. I'd been brought here to hinder. Maybe even to kill.
At the moment, I had a feeling I could do that without a problem. Ripping Ice Queen's head off had never looked more appealing, and her little necklace would give me plenty of power.
Stalking forward, hands clenched into fists at my sides, I faced Lena with a scowl.
"You're a goddamned bitch, you know that?” I seethed, my face heating more with every word I spoke. “Stephan has Nick, and he's going to kill him. If Stephan kills Nick, I'm going to grind your stupid little locket under my boot heel until it's powder. Then I'm going to push you in front of a moving car and we'll see if you can survive without your magic."
Lena's eyes went wide. She raised her hands in front of her and shook her head vehemently. “No. You can't do that."
"You want to live?” I asked her, my fist in her face.
"Yes."
"Then take me to Nick."
* * * *
Kane had barely pulled the car over to the side of the road before I was jumping out and heading across the lawn toward a small, rundown cabin at breakneck pace. Scanning the woods at the back of the yard as I ran, I tried to keep the worst case scenario out of my mind. Nick was alive. He had to be. Somewhere close by, my instinct picked up the pulse of something living. It was Nick. I knew it.
I had to get to him.
Someone grabbed me from behind and I almost lashed out until Snake whispered in my ear. “Slow down, Kendra. Take it easy, okay?"
I pulled in a breath and tried to will myself to relax. He wanted me to take it easy? Was he high? The man I ... well, not the man I loved, but the one I liked a lot, had been captured by a demon. For all we knew, Stephan could be in there feasting on Nick's brains.
The thought made me shiver, given that they were brothers. If Stephan ate any parts of the human body, odds were Nick did, too. Not something I wanted to think about at the moment. Or ever.
My breathing started to relax, though the edginess I'd felt since finding out Stephan had taken Nick refused to go away.
"Okay. I'm calm,” I told Snake, not really knowing if I believed it. I wouldn't be calm until Nick was okay. Then I would be very cool and composed as I exacted my revenge on Lena. Slowly. With careful precision.
"I don't like how quiet you got all of a sudden,” Snake said, his tone uneasy.
He let me go and I spun around to face him, my hands on my hips. “I don't like anything about this situation. Is he in there?"
Snake nodded. “Yeah, Nick is here. Stephan is with him. I saw them both go in. No one has come out."
"Good. I think it's time to go kick some demon ass."
A scuffle from across the lawn caught my attention. Kane was just about dragging Lena across the overgrown yard, one hand on her arm and the other on her head. She lunged, trying to bite him when he pulled her back.
She growled when she saw me, spitting on the ground. The glare she shot me probably would have struck me dead, if she'd had any powers to do so.
"Give me back my necklace, Kendra,” she bit out, struggling against Kane's hold.
"You can beg all you want, but it isn't going to happen,” I told her, already moving across the yard toward the dark little cottage. No way was I giving up such a strong source of power. “I need it."
"You can't use it."
I glanced over my shoulder, barely containing a bitter laugh. “We both know that's a lie. I felt the power it contains as soon as I put it on. Odds are, if I put it on again, I'll get the same rush."
"You don't know how to control it.” This came from Kane, and the words had me raising my eyebrows. Why did he choose now to doubt me? No one else seemed to know what to do.
I shrugged. “So what? A few weeks ago I didn't even know how to pump my own gas. I'll figure Lena's necklace out. How hard can it really be?"

Famous last words. Despite the severity of the situation, I chuckled a little at the thought.
"You might get yourself—and Nick—killed,” he said softly. “Let us take care of this."
Always the voice of reason, my manipulative vampire friend. He wanted me to go back and lock myself in the car until this was all over. I could feel him probing my mind, trying to plant the suggestion in my head. I shook my head. All my life I'd been placated. Pampered and spoiled. Never once had I been forced to take the initiative, and that stopped here. Right now, tonight, I was going to take care of something myself. Nick was my partner. My responsibility. My stupidity had gotten him into this mess, and I'd damned well find a way to get him out of it.
Lena's powers would help me. I took the necklace out of my pocket and put it back around my neck again. Almost immediately, the same sense of power I'd felt before rushed through me. I closed my eyes and let the energy flow through my veins, filling me up and making me stronger than I'd ever been. Making me feel like I could do anything. When I opened my eyes, everything around me seemed sharper. More defined. Colors were brighter, and the scents of pine trees and forest loam had more depth.
My muscles twitched. I was ready for battle.
"What will it take to kill Stephan?” I asked Lena.
She said nothing.

Don't mess with me right now, babe. I walked over to her, lifted her chin in my palm, and glared at her. “If you don't tell me, I swear I'll make you pay. You'll be in pain for the rest of your immortal life. Tell me, Lena. How can I destroy Stephan?"
The angry glimmer in her eyes slowly flickered out and faded away. “I ... I don't know. It will take someone very powerful."
"I think I've got it covered.” I dropped my hand, dismissing Lena, and turned to Snake. “How do we get inside without being noticed?"
"There's an entrance around the back. It's not boarded up like the windows in the front, so it shouldn't be too difficult to bypass the lock,” Snake said. He took off toward the back of the cabin and I followed, not even caring if Kane and Lena came with us. Right now, my focus was on getting to Nick and getting him away from Stephan.
If Nick was even still alive.

He's alive. He's too strong to be dead now.

I grabbed Snake's shirt, pulling him to a stop. “Is Nick okay?” I asked him, suddenly needing reassurance.
"Probably. It takes a lot more than Stephan to knock him down.” Though he said the words, he didn't look convinced, and I shivered. What if he hadn't survived?
Forcing the thoughts out of my head, I crept up to the door. No sense worrying yet. There would be plenty of time for that later, once I dealt with the problem at hand.
"You're not going in alone,” Kane whispered, suddenly right behind me.
I jumped back a few inches and turned to face him. “Don't sneak up on me like that. It isn't nice."
"Sorry.” He laughed, though it sounded strained around the edges. He had Lena at his side, but she'd gone unnaturally still, her silver eyes huge and round, taking in everything. “We work in pairs for a reason. No one ever goes into an unknown situation alone. I'm going in first. You follow."
"And don't argue,” he said when I opened my mouth to protest.
Instead of causing a scene that might alert Stephan to our presence, I bit my lip and followed Kane through the door.
Inside, the cabin wasn't in much better shape than outside. The floor was dirty, the walls grimy, and a musty scent hung in the air. I put my hand over my mouth, nearly gagging at the coppery scent assaulting my senses. Blood. A lot of blood. Oh, God.
"You stay here,” Kane said softly, his hand brushing the small of my back. “Lena and I are going to search the back rooms for Stephan. Right, Lena?"
She nodded mutely. Her head lolled to the side and I caught a glimpse of two small, red marks at the base of her throat. I gulped. So that was why she was suddenly so calm. Though I didn't have time to think about it now, I was almost sure the visual would give me nightmares for weeks to come.
"Okay. I'll stay here.” I said the words, but didn't really mean them. As soon as Kane and Lena were out of sight, I motioned for Snake to follow and took off in the opposite direction, down a short, narrow hallway. I moved through a darkened doorway into what had probably been a bedroom at one time, when the cabin had been lived in. A sheet-draped bed sat against one wall, and a single, dusty dresser was perched against the wall by the door. In here, the coppery scent was stronger, nearly overwhelming.
A groan from the corner of the room drew my attention and I swung my gaze that way. Nick lay there, alive and in one piece. The breath left my lungs in a whoosh.
I rushed over to him, to check and make sure he was all right, when someone grabbed my hair and yanked me back.
"How nice to see you again,” Stephan whispered in my ear.
Snake, who had still been in the hall, started coming at us, but Stephan raised his hand in the air and shot a bolt of electricity at the other man. Snake crumpled to the ground without a sound.
So much for my backup.
"Let me go.” I kicked my leg back, catching him in the shin with my boot heel. His grip loosened, but he didn't let go.
"You really should be a little nicer to me, Kendra. We're going to be spending a lot of time together."
Was the man on drugs or something? “I seriously doubt that."
Nick shifted on the floor and I swallowed hard. He was laying in something dark and slick. The blood I'd been smelling. A lot of it, too. My stomach rolled and I had to fight to keep from emptying my dinner on the cabin floor.
"What did you do to him?” I asked before I could stop myself.
"Nothing he didn't deserve."
I yanked out of his arms and turned to face him, my breath heaving in my lungs. “There's nothing he did that deserves you trying to kill him."
A smile lit Stephan's face, but it didn't touch the coldness in his eyes. “Killing him is secondary. Once I saw you, I knew I had to have you."
My eyes narrowed. He was lying, and I was tired of it. I closed my fingers around Lena's necklace. A surge of power shot through me. “Not likely. I think you have something else in mind. You won't get away with it."
"You can't hurt me,” Stephan said, taking a step toward me, his hands outstretched. “Don't try. We're meant to be together."
Not even on a good day. I had to force my feet to stay still as he put his hands on my waist and pulled me up against him. I cringed. His touch made me want to scream. I knew there was nothing good in him. Nothing worth saving. My instincts were getting stronger, just like Nick said they would. And somehow, I knew exactly what I had to do.
Stephan leaned in, his lips coming down toward mine, and I pressed my hands to his chest, focusing all my own power, as well as the power I got from wearing Lena's necklace, into destroying the man. My eyes drifted closed for a split second before I opened them again, every thought centered around getting rid of a dangerous demon. That was what this body was equipped for. As Nick had said, it was almost automatic. Once the body recognized Stephan for what he truly was, the answer came to me. A white-hot, pulsing burst of energy would destroy him.
With that thought, I pressed my hands harder against his chest. At first, it didn't seem like anything was happening, but then it started. Beams of bright, golden light shot from my hands, and the area around my fingers started to glow. Stephan cried out, stumbling backward, but I refused to let him go. I shoved him backward until he hit the wall, throwing everything I had into the idea of wanting to kill the man who'd hurt Nick.
Stephan thrashed and groaned, clawing at his skin. The light grew brighter and the air around us seemed to hum with the charge. It felt like forever that we stood there, suspended in time, Stephan's skin starting to sag and his eyes turning red. Scales rippled across his skin, appearing only to disappear again, and fangs elongated in his mouth. Groans and whimpers escaped his mouth, building to a crescendo before his jaw went slack and he stopped clawing at himself. His head lolled to the side, and still, I refused to relinquish my hold until I knew he was gone.
When I finally let go, he dropped to the ground and lay motionless, a smoking pile of skin and scales and half-human, half-scary-demon-guy parts.
My strength sapped, my knees buckled, and I followed him down. My palms smacked against the wood, pain shooting up my wrists.
I was vaguely aware of someone lifting me off the ground.
"You okay, Kendra?"
Snake. He was alive. Fatigue threatened to overwhelm me and I had to fight to keep my eyes open. “I'm fine. How is Nick?"
"He'll be okay."
"And you? He hit you pretty hard."
"Everyone is okay. Everyone who matters."
That was the last thing I heard before sleep took over my body and I blacked out.
* * * *
I rolled over, toward the center of the bed, and pulled the covers up to my chin. Basking in the warmth of the comforter, I let out a long, peaceful sigh. Where was I? The last thing I remember was falling asleep in Snake's arms, and now I was here....
I drew in a breath and smelled his cologne. Here in Nick's bed. With Nick?
"Are you planning on waking up sometime today?” he asked, as if reading my mind. Knowing him, he probably was.
I cracked one eye open, and then the other, to find him lying next to me on his side. He looked pale and had dark circles around his eyes, but he was alive. Being immortal, of course he would have healed from his injuries, but I was glad he had the chance. I threw my arms around him and pulled him close. “You're okay."
He laughed. “Yeah. I'm fine. Now that you're awake. You gave everyone quite a scare."
I glanced at him, my eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?"
"It's been two days."
I swallowed hard, having a difficult time wrapping my mind around what he was telling me. “I've been out for days?"
At Nick's nod, I let out a harsh breath. “How is that possible?"
"You used Lena's necklace to kill Stephan,” he told me softly. “You shouldn't have done that. It took all the strength you had to do what you did. Lena's power isn't an easy thing to control. He almost took you down with him."
"No, he didn't.” I said the words with absolute certainty. At the same time, my fingers went to my neck and fingered the chain hanging there. “I still have it."
"No one wanted to touch it to take it off you."
I smiled. I was glad they'd let me keep it. No way was I giving this up. I never did get back my watch, so I considered the necklace an even trade. “Good. I'm keeping it."
"Kendra...."
"I won't wear it all the time, but I have a feeling there will be occasions I need it. Any extra help is a good thing, right?"
He brushed a lock of hair off my forehead and kissed the bridge of my nose. “A necklace? I thought you were after a different piece of jewelry."
I knew exactly what he was talking about. Was he hinting around at something? Nah. He was just giving me a hard time again. I wrinkled my nose at him. “I don't want a ring."
Nick laughed. “Yeah, you do."
Okay, so maybe I did. Just a little. But that didn't mean I wanted it right now. The drive to find a rich husband had abandoned me somewhere along the way. “Someday. Definitely not so soon."
Not when I was finally learning who I really was. I could stand on my own two feet, and I wasn't ready to give that up just yet.
Nick was silent for a full minute before he spoke again. “Do you want me to go?"
It figured he'd read more into my words than I meant. “Um, no. I want you right where you are. Just because I don't want the mother of all commitments doesn't mean I don't want to be with you. I do. I was so afraid I'd lost you, and I wouldn't have been able to handle that."
He nodded, trying for casual, but I caught the relief relaxing his expression. “We have a lot to work out here."
I was all too aware of that, but for now, I just wanted to enjoy lying in bed with him, not having to worry about a stalker or hunting demons. For a little while, I just wanted to be normal. Both of us. Together.
I brushed a kiss across his lips. “Everything will come in time."
"And what happens until then?"
I raised my eyebrows at his suggestive tone. “Not that, at least not until you've had more time to heal. I can't imagine a couple of days is nearly long enough."
In response, he pulled me in for a kiss. By the time he broke away, we were both panting.
"Two days is plenty of time. At least for me,” he reminded me. “But if you don't think you can keep up...."
I pinched his side. He was so different from the other men I'd had in my life. Why had it taken me this long to figure out he was just what I needed? “Oh, I can keep up, buddy. Bring it on."

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Epilogue

As it turns out, things started to work themselves out more quickly than I would have thought. Lena was disciplined and removed from the job. Big surprise there. As far as I know, she's serving two centuries as part of the clean-up crew she'd warned me about on my first day. I bet she wasn't so beautiful anymore.
Nick was offered her job, but the idiot turned it down. His excuse was a flimsy one at best. He liked working with his partner and didn't want to give that up? Please. He still gave me plenty of grief over my lousy aim. Though I have to say, I'm glad he did what he did. We fought well, but we always made up even better.
Kane took over Lena's job, and answering to a vampire has been a new experience for me. He still creeps me out, but I've learned to deal with it. He's a nice guy ... when he isn't trying to manipulate me away from Nick.
Snake is riding third with Nick and I for now, but I've heard rumors of a new partner coming soon. With any luck, the new recruit will be even more incompetent than I was when I first started. The guys around here will have someone else to pick on for a change.
As for Nick and I ... we've reached an understanding. We've decided to take things one day at a time. Who knows what the future will hold? I have to say, things are looking pretty good from where I'm standing. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
The End




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