Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1)(21)

But her…

She ignited it.

I tried again to compel her to look at me, but she didn’t.

I still couldn’t control her.

She watched the space just to the left of me, her muscles tense and her expression wary. “You’ve been dancing around this. Just give me some answers.”

She was right. The frustration seemed to bubble inside her, and I didn’t want to drive her off.

Anyway, I was interested in the murder, too.

“I don’t know who killed the man. I was there just after it happened.” Her arrival on the scene had driven me off, in fact. I’d left before I’d seen her coming, once I’d sensed someone else was arriving on the scene. If I’d seen her, I would have stuck around longer. Instead, her vision had snared me once I was several streets over, dragging me back to the scene of the crime—or at least dragging my consciousness back. Such interest in another was uncharacteristic of me.

“There’s really nothing you can tell me?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Because I find that very hard to believe.”

“Check his organs. See if anything is missing.” I hadn’t had time to do it myself.

Confusion twisted her features, and her eyes darkened with fear. “What? Missing? There was no blood or wound.”

“There doesn’t need to be.”

“You’re not talking about some long-ago surgery, are you?”

“No. He’d be missing an organ that he needs. If he’s missing one at all.” I shrugged. “It’s a hunch, but it could be inaccurate.”

“So the smashed head wasn’t the death wound?” She shifted back from me slightly, igniting my instinct to pursue. The desire to stalk her surged to life, and I forced it back, hating it just a little.

“How do you know so much about this if you’re not the murderer?” she asked.

“A weapon was stolen from me, and I was tracking it. I believe it was used on the victim, but not by my own hand.”

“And if it was, then one of his organs might be missing?” Her breathing quickened, as if discussing the murder—with the possible murderer, as far as she was concerned—was scaring her.

Her fear made my heart thud faster, and I stepped toward her, unable to stop. A vision of pressing her against the desk, of feeling her softness against me, flashed into my mind. In my head, I could hear her cry out, feel the warmth of her skin under my lips, her flesh under my fangs.

Desire pulsed inside me, heating my skin and quickening my heart. I hated the instinct that surged to arousal—to catch, to subdue, to take. It was nearly as old as I was, but I hadn’t always hated it. Once, I’d reveled in what I’d been made into.

No longer. Yet she ignited it in me, and I had no idea what to do about that.





Carrow



The Devil of Darkvale stepped toward me, his dark eyes flashing with something that made me shiver. Fangs had appeared in his mouth, and his eyes glinted with an icy heat that mimicked the hot and cold streaking through me.

I jerked my gaze from his, my mind prickling with awareness. Fear tightened everything inside me, but…

I liked it, too.

And that scared me as much as anything. It was insane.

He stepped forward, so slow and sure. He’d become a cobra, and me the mouse.

Nope!

I shoved my hand into my pocket and withdrew the potion bomb. My movements were faster than my brain, and before I’d realized it, I’d chucked the bomb at his feet. The cloud of pale blue dust poofed up, enveloping him.

I ran, not even waiting to see if it had worked. Heart pounding, I sprinted for the door. It opened easily, and gratitude welled within me when I realized there were no guards.

Unable to help myself, I shot one last look into the room behind me. The Devil was frozen mid-step, looking perfect and terrifying at the same time. It made my heart thunder all the harder, and I spun.

I’m getting the hell out of here.

I ran down the hall, pursued by the demon of fear. Visions of him catching me flashed in my mind. Once, I heard people coming from an adjacent hallway, and I slowed.

I couldn’t be caught. Right now, the only thing I had on my side was stealth. No one knew that I’d frozen the Devil. With any luck, I’d get out of there before they realized it.

The bright sun outside was a siren call, and I followed it. The halls were as confusing as they had been when I’d come in. Whatever spell they’d used to mess up my mind had worked. But I kept striding confidently down the hall as I searched for the way out.

At one point, I passed two women in tight pencil skirts and black shirts. Both looked hot as hell and sharp as knives, their red lips matching their upswept hairdos that mimicked styles of the past. As they passed, they looked at me, heads tilted in confusion. I gave them a tight nod, pretending that I knew what I was doing. Somehow, I managed to keep my heart from smashing out of my chest and smacking them in the face.

They passed by, and I moved faster.

Finally, I found the nightclub part of the tower. It was early in the day and still fairly empty, and no one paid attention to me as I strode through. In the small entry chamber between the bar and the outside, the hostess stood at her podium. I stepped into the room, and she blinked at me, clearly confused.

“Thanks, it was great.” I nodded at her and strode quickly to the door.