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  I rushed forward, slashing with my knife, hoping that a slight flesh wound might force the creature out or at least wake the man out of his possession. However, Gaizka’s presence made the man both faster and stronger than a normal human. He easily caught my wrist and tossed me across the alley. The creature then turned toward James and the girl. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, her hands tightly fisted in James’s coat.

  Still sitting on the ground, I raised my hand and unleashed my powers from where they were curled around my soul. I could feel Gaizka’s laughter within my head as I instantly brought the poor man’s blood to a boil. He kept moving as Gaizka worked to heal the wound, but it was only when I knew the man’s organs were reduced to useless mush that the bori finally fled his puppet. The man was dead before he hit the ground.

  The sound of footsteps echoing off the stone pavement jerked my head up in time to see the girl racing up the stairs, her backpack swinging back and forth on her back. She never looked back and I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to find her again, which was a shame since it seemed that Gaizka had taken an interest in her.

  James slid down the wall and sat on the ground. He looked down at his shaking hands, a tortured look on his face. I knew his thoughts without asking. He had thought he had escaped the fate of his parents. We all had. He had shown no signs in all his years, but now he had to face a new fate and he wasn’t ready for it. For the first time in his life, I thought he actually needed the sanctuary Themis offered.

  With a sigh, I looked down at the body of the poor man who simply walked back into an alley to check on a man and girl who looked like they were in trouble. A good Samaritan, and I had been forced to kill him before he killed someone else against his will. I closed my eyes for a minute and forced the bile back down my throat along with the scream of frustration. Gaizka could easily read minds and take any form it wanted in an effort to win over its prey. I couldn’t find it unless it wanted to be found and I had no idea if it could even be killed. A bori had found its way into Mira’s domain and it was my fault.

  “James,” I called. The researcher’s head jerked up, his eyes wide and terrified. “Go back to the hotel. I’ll take care of this.”

  “I-I-I can’t do this,” he said, shaking his hands at me. “I-I can’t be this way. I thought I was s-safe.”

  “We’ll get through this. I’ll talk to some people who can help you. Go back to the hotel and get some rest. It will help,” I said, knowing full well that it would be a long time before the young man had another good night’s sleep. But to my surprise, he nodded as he pushed to his feet. Blindly, he trudged down Factors Walk and headed back to the hotel.

  I stood as well and walked over to the dead body. I pulled it over to the shadows, where it was out of the direct line of sight of anyone who might be passing by. Taking a small bottle of accelerant from the interior pocket of my jacket, I sprayed it on the body. I kept it with me in case I had to quickly dispose of a vampire or naturi body. I piled a couple empty boxes on top of it to make it look like someone had lit some trash on fire. With a heavy heart, I threw a lit match on the pile. I waited only long enough to make sure the accelerant caught on fire before I jogged up the same stairs the girl had disappeared up just minutes earlier.

  A sigh escaped me as I drove back to Mira’s town house. I had little doubt that Gaizka was behind Abigail Bradford’s murder, but I just wasn’t sure of the creature’s motives for killing her. If it wanted to start killing humans and causing chaos, it could have easily taken control of Mira and torched all of Savannah. Of course, that could just be the next stage in its master plan. If that was the case, then no one was safe and I would finally be forced to kill the nightwalker. Unfortunately, I was no longer sure that I wanted to.

  EIGHTEEN

  A heavy pounding dragged me from the deep abyss of sleep. Twisted in the soft cotton sheets, I lay on my back rubbing my eyes. Sleep had come faster than I had anticipated, pulling me under the moment my head had hit the pillow. Twice in too few hours had I used my powers, with too little sleep and food. I needed to sleep for at least a few hours before trying to butt heads with Gaizka yet again. As I stared up at the white ceiling, my thoughts were finally starting to congeal in a semi-coherent fashion when the pounding started again. Someone was at the front door.

  Throwing back the black covers, I swung my feet to the floor and pulled on the pants I had worn the night before. I had left them crumpled on the floor next to the bed in case I needed to be dressed quickly. Grabbing the knife from under my pillow, I silently walked down the stairs. Late-day sunlight was entering the room at an angle, creating long shadows.

  “Who is it?” I called before reaching the door. My voice was still heavy and rough from sleep.

  “Peter Teague,” a male voice replied from the other side of the door, soft and muffled. “We sort of met last night at the party.”

  I had opened my mouth to say that he had the wrong address when it dawned on me that he could be referring to the First Communion gathering. Frowning, I gazed through the slender window beside the door to find last night’s main course standing on the front porch.

  With the knife still tightly clenched in my right hand, I unlocked the door and jerked it open. I stood in the opening, blocking his entrance. “What do you want?”

  “Welcoming committee,” he said, his thin lips twisting into a sneer. Peter wore a white button-up shirt that was wrinkled and left untucked from his faded blue jeans. His brown hair was damp as if he had just recently gotten out of the shower. Dark shadows underlined his brown eyes and his skin was pale. Rough night, no doubt.

  “Go away.”

  Peter caught the door as I tried to shut it. “They just want a little information,” he interjected before I could completely shut the door in his face. “You would too if your mother had welcomed a serial killer into your home.” I paused with the door half open, staring at the man. His mouth moved again, some of the sneer leaking away. “Think of me as a diplomat, smoothing the waves.”

  The nightwalkers were nervous about my appearance at Mira’s side. Not that I was surprised by the fact. Unfortunately, that anxiety could prove to be a distraction for Mira, and I needed the Fire Starter focused as much as possible on our current problem. I couldn’t afford to have her running off to deal with her fellow vampires when I needed her with me.

  Frowning, I stepped aside and opened the door so Peter could enter the town house. He walked in, his gaze sweeping over the grand hall, eyes glimpsing the giant library to the left and the living room on the right. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and his shoulders were slumped.

  He wandered into the living room and stopped before the picture windows. “She has one of the best views in the whole city,” he muttered softly under his breath as he shook his head. He then turned on his heel to face me. His lean face twisted and wrinkled as he took in my dirty hair, bare chest, wrinkled pants, and bare feet. “You just get up?”

  “Late night,” I grumbled, following behind him. “What time is it?”

  Peter pulled his left hand out of his pocket and glanced down at his watch. “Couple hours before sunset.”

  Turning my back on my unexpected guest, I stumbled into the kitchen, stretching my arms over my head in an effort to wake up. I had slept later than I had meant to. Peter’s reply also surprised me. He measured time the same way nightwalkers did, in relation to the rising and setting sun. I was willing to bet he had been among their kind for more than a year or two.

  I heard his soft footsteps on the carpet as he followed me into the kitchen. I tried to ignore him as I opened the black cabinets. There was a small coffeemaker sitting on the counter beside the sink. I was hoping to find some coffee and maybe a filter or two. The last time I was here I had stayed only a couple days and the food in the house had been takeout, including the coffee.

  “Left of the fridge, top shelf,” Peter said from where he was leaning against the doorway.

  Follow
ing his directions, I found a bag of ground coffee and some filters on the top shelf. I pulled them down and then looked at my guest, waiting for an explanation of how he knew.

  Peter shrugged his slim shoulders, his eyes darting away from mine. “Mira threw a party here a couple months ago. There were a few humans. I made some coffee.”

  I walked over to the coffeemaker and started prepping it. “How long have you known Mira?”

  “Mira threw a party here a couple months ago,” he repeated, sarcasm lacing each of his words. “There were a few humans. I made some coffee.” I looked back over at him as I poured water from the carafe into the top of the coffeemaker. “I don’t,” he admitted, into the growing silence. “I’ve seen her only twice, including last night.”

  “How long have you…?” My voice drifted off, unsure of how to ask what was for some a delicate and awkward question.

  “Been a pet? A plaything for the undead? A warm meal?” The sneer returned to his lips and I suddenly realized that Peter wasn’t mocking me; he was mocking himself.

  “Yeah.”

  “I met my first nightwalker when I was fifteen. I stumbled across him while I was running from some kids who were threatening me. The vamp took care of them. After that, nightwalkers always seemed to be in my life in one way or another. I came to Savannah about five years ago.”

  He paused in his story, bringing my gaze back to his face. Peter was staring at the floor, his brows bunched together over his nose in concentration. “The nightwalkers I knew at the time were…well, it was getting rough. I came to Savannah because of Mira’s reputation. I knew I wouldn’t be followed here. After a couple of weeks, I ran into David.”

  I leaned my hip against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest as I faced him. “You’ve lived here for five years and been involved with vampires all this time, yet you’ve met Mira only twice.”

  “Mira doesn’t spend much time with her own kind,” he said. “And honestly, I think they’re glad she doesn’t.”

  I couldn’t blame them. Mira was a law unto herself, with the ability to take out her own kind with just a thought. She was a lethal protector of both her own kind and, as I was learning, humanity. Her powers and strength had earned her the fear and respect of her own kind.

  “Yet, she threw a party?”

  “Just one of the things they are anxious about. Five months ago, you sweep into town, hacking down any vampire to cross your path. And then both you and she disappear,” he said, pushing off the wall to stand with this hands in his pockets and his legs spread wide as if waiting for an attack. “She returns a couple weeks later with a new nightwalker. As if that wasn’t a big enough surprise, Mira appears at every nightwalker hot spot for six straight nights with this new nightwalker in tow.”

  Mira was sending out the message loud and clear, Tristan was under her protection. I have no doubt that she never used the word “family,” but she didn’t have to. Mira loved her independence, and yet she was suddenly making public appearances with another vampire.

  Peter stared at me, as if waiting for me to confirm or deny any of his story. I turned my back on him and started hunting for a coffee mug. The smell of brewing coffee was starting to fill the air and I could feel the last of the fog lifting from my thoughts. I found a set of dark blue mugs in the cabinet over the sink and pulled one down. I didn’t grab one for Peter. I didn’t want him to get the impression that he was welcome or that he was staying long.

  “And now you’re back,” he said heavily when he finally caught on that I wasn’t going to provide him with any information. “A known vampire hunter. They don’t think you’re her pet.”

  The very thought made me clench my teeth until my jaw ached. The idea of being a plaything for vampires was repugnant. I had spent most of my life hunting down the evil creatures and the idea that I had to work with Mira was grating on my nerves, but I reminded myself that it was for a greater good. It was also temporary.

  “But they’ve also seen Mira’s power. They think it’s unlikely that you are somehow forcing her to obey your wishes,” Peter continued, into my silence.

  “And this is where I tell you what?” I said, looking over at the young man. “That I’m not here to hunt the vampires? That the bloodsuckers are safe?”

  Peter clenched his fists at his sides as he finally raised his voice in obvious frustration. “I don’t know! Anything? Why are you here? Has Mira lost her mind?”

  “Mira and I have business together. That is all.”

  Peter stared at me for a long time, his clenched fingers going slack at his sides. He closed his eyes and leaned against the doorway. “I’ve known a few nightwalkers that I wouldn’t mind you hunting.” His words drifting across the kitchen soft and slow. “But from what I’ve heard and seen, Mira is different. She makes this city safe for people like me. She maintains a good relationship with the local pack and she had tight control over the nightwalkers. From what I hear, there aren’t too many cities like this one.”

  He lifted his eyes to meet my hard gaze and I realized he was pleading for Mira’s life. “Most of the nightwalkers that hunt in this city have been here for a long time. Mira offers stability, the promise of something that resembles a normal life.”

  What he wasn’t saying was that if Mira were killed, the city would almost instantly disintegrate into chaos and fighting as the large number of older vampires fought for control of the city. Unfortunately, there was no one near as strong as Mira in the area. The power vacuum would almost certainly draw the attention of vampires from other cities, luring them with the promise of chaos and blood.

  Mira claimed dominion over a single city, but her reach was felt all across the continent. She kept the peace and all those weaker bowed to her will. While Mira kept herself blissfully blind to her influence, it was well known not only to those in the United States, but also those across the ocean. She was a thorn in the side of the coven, especially now that she had taken the open seat on the ruling party, and it was only a matter of time before someone in the coven decided to pluck out that thorn.

  As much as it galled me, I was not the greatest threat to Mira. The coven was. And now there was Gaizka.

  “I am here to deal with the naturi,” I said, finally unclenching my jaw. “Right now, vampires are not my main concern.”

  “That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?” Peter said.

  “You’re lucky you got that.”

  “Thought so. Good luck.” Peter shoved off the wall and pushed one hand through his damp hair. I followed him to the front door and locked it behind him. Turning back to the kitchen, my footsteps were halted by an odd sound that trickled through the silence of the town house. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from my cell phone. I jogged back up the stairs into the bedroom and picked up the slender phone from the nightstand, but I didn’t recognize the caller, and only James knew this number.

  “Mornin’, Sunshine,” Mira’s voice cheerfully replied when I finally answered the phone.

  I lumbered back down the stairs to the coffee that was waiting for me, shoving my left hand into my hair to push it from my eyes. I stopped when I encountered more than one knot and dropped my hand back to my side. “How did you get this number?”

  “James.”

  “Did you threaten him?” My Themis assistant knew better than to give out my cell phone number to anyone. He was lucky I answered it when he called. Hell, I doubted that even Ryan had this number.

  Mira’s sultry laugh rippled through the phone, but lacked its usual feel. It was nice to see that her powers had some limitations. “Of course not. James loves me,” she replied, almost purring.

  I snorted, turning to gaze out the bank of windows that looked down on the city. The streets were clogged with cars, their windshields reflecting the last tendrils of sunlight. Men in suits carrying briefcases crossed the square, hurrying to one of the many parking lots that dotted the terrain.

  “We have some business to a
ttend to tonight,” Mira said, but I was no longer paying attention. It had suddenly dawned on me that there was a lot of sunlight left, way too much for the sun to have set already.

  “Mira, the sun is still up,” I said, unable to keep my voice from hardening to a brutal edge.

  “Danaus, not every nightwalker sleeps until sunset,” Mira replied. There was no missing the mockery in her voice.

  “You do,” I snapped. “You sleep late.”

  The nightwalker laughed again, but this time the sound was darker, colder. There was none of the carefree joy that seemed to accompany Mira wherever she went. This was the other side of Mira, the one I saw when she was dealing with the coven in Venice and when she spoke of the naturi. It was the laugh of a ruthless, calculating killer.

  “I’ll pick you up in an hour and a half. Be ready.” The phone went dead before I could demand more answers from her. I stared down at the phone in my hand, my thoughts speeding through my brain at a reckless pace.

  Mira had the ability to be awake before the setting sun. I had run across some Ancients that could awaken an hour or two before sunset, but Mira wasn’t an Ancient. Had she somehow escaped the boundaries set on her by the sun? James had said that she had been walking around during the daylight hours at Themis and I had seen her during the day in my hotel room. While she loathed it, being trapped and helpless during the daylight hours gave humans the only edge they had against vampires. What kind of deal had she struck with Ryan?

  But I had no answers and I had no doubt that Mira wouldn’t volunteer any for me. Overall, it didn’t matter. Judging by her behavior at the hotel, she was still vulnerable to the sunlight. She was conscious, but she couldn’t leave the protection of her home until after the sun completely set. I had a feeling getting here in an hour and a half might even be pushing it unless some thick cloud cover moved in.

  Slipping the phone in my front pocket, I returned to the kitchen where I sipped a cup of coffee before grabbing a shower. The reason behind Mira’s new ability would be revealed in time. After living for more than one thousand years, patience I had in abundance, which proved to be the key to hunting nightwalkers. The long-lived creatures learned to move slowly when it was necessary, limited only by the hours in a night. What was one night when eternity stretched out before you? Hunting vampires had taught me to move as slowly and cautiously as my prey.