Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1)(20)

But where were his fangs?

My gaze flicked to his mouth, but I saw none. When I looked at his eyes, I realized that he was smiling at me. Not a big smile, but he was definitely amused.





7





The Devil



I watched the woman. She stood still as a hare spotted by a fox, her gaze carefully averted from mine. My body screamed with an awareness I hadn’t felt in years. Hell, that I had never felt.

What was it about her that made me feel alive? She had eyes that seemed to see right through me, though she wouldn’t make eye contact. The back of my neck prickled as if I were being watched from all angles. Like she could see right to the heart of me and all the terrible things I’d done.

Was that what so intrigued me?

No.

There was a connection, one that I’d never felt before.

And I wanted to sink my fangs into her pale neck and feel every bit of it.

I wanted to touch her. It was something I hadn’t felt in hundreds of years, and she ignited it.

I reached out for her mind, attempting to make contact in a way that would compel her to do my bidding. I wouldn’t use it in an unscrupulous way—I never did that with women—but I wanted to feel that connection. I wanted to make her look at me.

She didn’t comply.

How was that possible?

Did my power not work on her?

She stiffened her spine and demanded, “What do you know about the man in the alley?”

“You could see me there, then?”

She nodded. “I saw you.”

“But you weren’t there. Not when I was.” I studied her, trying to get a hint of her magical signature. It was locked down tight, though not by her own effort. I detected the faintest hint of a suppressor potion.

She wasn’t used to keeping her signature locked down, which confirmed that she wasn’t from Guild City. Everyone here knew how to keep their magic under tight lock and key—the Council of Guilds demanded it. Their strict control of magic in the city was half of what made it possible for me to run my business. Smuggling boomed under strict law and governments. It was perfect for my particular talents.

But then, I’d already known she wasn’t from my city. I knew everything that went on in this part of London. It was impossible not to be painfully aware of her.

“Well?” I prodded. “You weren’t in that alley at the same time I was. I’d have noticed you. But you made a connection with me there.”

She nodded sharply, and I spotted the indecision in her eyes. Finally, she said, “I saw you in one of my visions.”

“Does that happen normally?” If my power didn’t work on her, then she was special to me. I wanted to know if I was special to her.

“Tell me about the body in the alley.”

I grinned, liking that she evaded my question. She wasn’t an easy woman, and I found that it appealed to me. “If you were worried that I was the murderer, why come here?”

“Because I can take care of myself.”

I believed it—for the most part. She could handle herself around others, yes. Still, I could have her underneath me in seconds if I wanted.

But no, that monster was dead inside me now. Killed by my own hand.

These days, I found I preferred the chase.

And no matter how much the citizens of Guild City believed otherwise, I wasn’t a monster. Not all of me.

“No.” I tilted my head to better study her. “You came because you are backed into a corner.”

She scowled at me but didn’t press for more answers. “Tell me about the man in the alley.”

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.”

“I’m not the murderer.” I sipped the coffee and watched her from my spot across the room.

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

“You’re not dead yet, are you?”

She scoffed. “Just because you killed him doesn’t mean you’ll kill me. Not right away, at least. You might want me for something.”

Want me for something.

An unfamiliar heat blossomed inside me. Yes. I very much did. But not for killing.

I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. Now wasn’t the time for that.

“Why are you tracking the murderer?” I asked.

Her lips tightened, and I could see the thoughts behind her eyes. She was debating how much to tell me. Clever. I trafficked in information as much as anything, and the wise ones knew it was dangerous to tell me things.

Except…

I couldn’t hurt her.

At the mere thought of it, the strangest sensation of protectiveness roared inside of me, a beast bigger than my need to feed. Bigger than anything.

“Why?” I demanded, suddenly more interested than I had been.

“The police think I killed him, and I need to clear my name.” Surprise flashed over her face, almost as if she couldn’t believe she’d told me that.

“You live in the human world?”

“I do.”

“But…why?” Why would any supernatural ever do that? I couldn’t imagine hiding what I was.

“We’re not here to talk about me.”

“Oh, but I’d like to.” And I meant it. I wanted to know everything about her, even as I marveled at this new interest. I hadn’t been interested in much of anything in years.