by Donna Grant
“Stupid, Lexi. Very stupid,” she chided herself.
If she hadn’t let her anger overcome her, she might have found out more about the Red Eyes. Now, she was no closer than she had been yesterday or the week before. Her money was running out. Even with Jessica and Crystal renting the flat for another week, it didn’t help with food or the exorbitant fee imposed on her by the airline to change her flight.
She had just a few days left to find Christina’s killer or she would be returning home without her revenge and ass-deep in debt.
For just a second, she contemplated taking the pills the hospital had given her to help her sleep after Christina’s death. For that brief moment, she actually considered not following the Red Eyes around looking for her culprit.
But the second passed. She took a deep breath and put on her coat before she walked out of the flat. The blast of cold hit her immediately. As did the spray of rain. Was she so out of it that she hadn’t seen it was raining when she glanced out the window?
She got enough sleep to function, but the situation confirmed that she needed to pull her head out of her ass and pay more attention to things. It wasn’t just her life on the line and Christina’s murder to avenge, there were others at stake.
Lexi pulled her black coat tighter and dug her hands into her pockets. She had figured out the route she would take while looking over the map. Everywhere she went there were Red Eyes, but more were concentrated near where she had been the past three days. There was no reason not to return there. It was, after all, the perfect place to find the murderer.
She had to put her head down against the rain, it was driving so fiercely into her. In moments, her head was soaked. Luckily, her jacket was water repellant, but her jeans weren’t.
A shiver took her. After another two blocks, Lexi gave in and hurried into a co-op. She shook off the rain and soaked in the warmth.
It was several minutes after walking the narrow aisles that she found herself in front of the newspaper section. She frowned and picked up a paper to read the headline.
FIVE MORE MURDERS
It was like being punched in the stomach. Lexi couldn’t catch her breath as she scanned the article looking for a description of how the people died. When she found it, the room began to swim. She tilted, bumping into a man.
“Horrible, is it no’?” he asked and nodded to the paper. “Every day it’s the same headline, just a different number. How many more of us have to die before the authorities do something?”
She set the paper down, her hands shaking from much more than the cold. There was no doubt in her mind who had done this—Red Eyes. Why didn’t anyone else see them? Why did no one else take notice of their look?
Lexi didn’t consider herself intuitive by any means, but even she couldn’t ignore that feeling of wrongness she had whenever one of the Red Eyes was near.
It was almost as if she were the only person in the world who knew how bad the Red Eyes were. The fact D.I. MacDonald or any of the other police didn’t believe her only made her feel more adrift.
Lexi wasn’t sure what she should do next. Her decision was made when she looked up and saw the clerk’s red eyes looking at her.
“Everyone has those contacts,” said a twentysomething woman with red hair. She batted her eyes at the clerk with her overdone makeup. “I want to get some. Where did you find them at?”
Red Eyes smiled at her. “It’s a secret, but I can show you when I get off work in a few hours.”
“I’ll be back then,” she said with a little wave of her fingers.
Lexi wanted to gag. Here was a young woman flirting with evil. It was there in his eyes, in his smile, if she would only open her eyes and see it. Sure he might be handsome, but there was something darker, malicious, that no amount of good looks could overcome.
She strode out of the co-op, intending to find the woman and warn her. Lexi ignored the rain and ran after the girl.
“Wait!” Lexi called as the woman hailed a taxi and jumped inside. “Wait! Please!”
Lexi got there just as the taxi pulled away. “Damn,” she mumbled.
She squared her shoulders and glanced at the store. Once she was finished with her scouting, she would return and warn the woman then.
After finding a hiding place to watch people, it only took twenty minutes before Lexi spotted her first Red Eyes. He was with a group, and then branched off alone.
His hair was black and laced with silver, and it was cut short like the man who had murdered Christina. Lexi’s heart pounded in her chest. Could she have found him?
She remained on the opposite side of the street, slowly following him. Her hands itched to feel the hilt of the knife in her palm. It took every last shred of control for her to walk as if she weren’t trailing a murderer.
Her stomach rolled as she watched woman after woman—young to the very old—gaze at him as if he were some god. He was a monster, and it sickened her that no one else knew it.
Someone bumped into her shoulder. It jarred Lexi enough to make her realize she had begun to walk so fast she was nearly jogging. She paused and made herself look away from the killer.
Lexi turned to look in a store window to get control of herself. In the glass, she could see him behind her. He stopped and swiveled his head in her direction.
Her blood turned to ice in her veins as fear took her. Her breath buffed around her, past her parted lips. She was terrified of getting too close. All of the Red Eyes were pure malevolence. No one in their right mind wanted to get near that.
Except for her. And she just needed to get close enough to see if he was Christina’s killer.
He was looking at her. She couldn’t blow her cover now, not if she wanted to succeed in bringing him down. If she thought the police would do anything, she would call D.I. MacDonald right now. But she wasn’t a fool. She knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything.
No, her best course of action was to kill him herself. Lexi had never taken a life before, but she didn’t think her soul would go to hell for stopping evil. Then again, it was a chance she would take to save others. Edinburgh had dozens of serial killers and didn’t even know it.
How many? She had lost count of the many men and women she spotted with red eyes. There were more men, but since she also knew they could change their look, she couldn’t be sure of her count.
Change. She shook her head. How was it possible for someone to switch their eye or hair color in the blink of an eye? That wasn’t possible.
Lexi shifted her gaze back to where she had last seen Red Eyes and jerked when she found him gone. She remained where she was and used the window as a mirror to see if he had moved.
She released a sigh when she found him farther up the street. Lexi knew she had to take her time in following him. There was crucial information she needed, like where he lived, who were his accomplices, and how he killed.
The weight of her knife along her inner forearm made her feel safe. At least if she was approached she wasn’t without a means to attack.
* * *
“The lass is daft,” Darius whispered.
Thorn pressed his lips together. She was certainly insane. “At least she’s keeping her wits about her.”
“She thinks there’s only one Dark, but there are three others watching her.”
Thorn clenched his right hand into a fist. “We doona have to keep hidden from the Dark, but I also doona want the mortal to know we’re helping her.”
Darius jerked his head around to spear Thorn with a confused look. “She’s already met you.”
“Aye, and I was here just a few weeks ago protecting a Druid. Look how that turned out.”
“You mean because Warrick fell for Darcy?”
Thorn cut him a scathing look. “I doona fear falling for a human, because I know it willna happen.”
“Then what is it?”
“I doona want her to know of us.”
Darius grinned knowingly. “Riiiight. And it has nothing
to do with the fact that every time a King comes in close contact with a mortal recently that they end up as mates?”
“That female knows there’s something different about the Dark. If she learns about them from us, we’ll have to tell her who and what we are. I’d rather no’.”
Darius looked back at her. “She’s attractive.”
“I suppose.”
“If you like stubborn, courageous women with stormy gray eyes and long hair.”
Thorn blew out a breath, hoping Darius would shut up.
“She’s smart, too.”
“Then go for her.” Thorn didn’t know why he said it. The words just came out of nowhere.
Darius shrugged. “I just might.”
“And find a mate?” This time Thorn cringed. He knew better than to bring up mates around Darius, but he had been thrown so off-kilter at the thought of Darius pursuing the mortal that he hadn’t thought about his words.
Darius didn’t say a word, but the stiffening of his body relayed more than his words ever could.
“Plenty of us share our beds with humans and doona fall in love,” Darius said, his voice low and raw. He glanced at Thorn. “Besides, I’m no’ the one who feels obligated to watch over this mortal.”
Thorn looked back at her. Her black coat kept the rain from her, but the rest of her was soaked. If she wasn’t careful, she could end up sick. By her pale skin and dark circles under her eyes yesterday, she was already weakened.
“We’re going to have to kill these four Dark,” Thorn said.
Darius’s smile was eager. “You doona hear me complaining, do you?”
“The leader of this group is playing the female. He knows she’s following him.”
“Too bad for him he’s about to die.”
“Aye. I’m all broken up about it,” Thorn said as he stepped from around the building and went to the Dark who was following the mortal.
Thorn slammed his hand into the Dark’s chest, sending the Fae flying back into an alley.
CHAPTER
FIVE
It was over too quickly. Thorn stared down at the dead Dark as he braced a hand on the Fae’s chest and pulled back the dagger that had ended the Dark’s life.
The Fae were immortal, as were the Dragon Kings. But just like the Kings, there was a way to kill the Fae. Weapons forged in the Fires of Erwar could end a Fae’s life. Thorn had gotten his dagger during the Fae Wars after killing a Dark commander.
Thorn straightened and turned to look around the corner in time to catch sight of the female. He found her easily enough, but there were two more Dark focused on her.
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Thorn spotted Darius making his way to the Dark from atop the roofs.
Thorn looked around for more Fae and then slipped out of the alley. He kept his head down as he walked with the crowds who didn’t seem to care that the rain had begun to fall in a steady drizzle again.
He kept his strides long, eating up the pavement without drawing attention to himself. It wasn’t until he saw the Dark begin to close in on the female that he ducked between buildings and took to the roofs.
If he didn’t get to her, the human would die. Thorn bent low on the rooftops, just in case the Dark happened to be watching. He and Darius were risking a lot by both being out in the open to save the woman.
Thorn cursed when the Dark she was following led her down a quiet street. He crept silently and peered over the side of the roof just as the female halted. She turned on her heel and started to return the way she had come, but three Fae stood in her path.
“You’ve been watching us,” said the Dark leading the small group. “What do you want with us?”
The woman’s entire attitude shifted. She softened her body and smiled as she faced him. “You’re gorgeous. All of you. It’s not every day that I get so close to such … perfection.”
“Oh, you’re good, lass,” Thorn whispered in approval.
The leader preened. “You’re American.”
“And you’re not Scottish.” She lowered her gaze and then looked up at him with seduction in her gray depths.
“Irish,” he responded.
Her brows raised in interest. “All of you?”
“Aye.”
“Why the red eyes?”
His smile was slow, like a wolf about to pounce on a kitten. “Do you like them?”
“I … shouldn’t, but I do.”
Her flirting skills were impressive. But it was all a game the Dark were playing with her. Thorn had seen it before. She was looking death in the face.
The leader took a step closer to her. Thorn waited to hear her moan as all humans did at the nearness of a Fae, but this female was different.
Thorn watched her carefully, as did the leader. She was affected. She tried not to show it, but her breathing had quickened and her lips were parted.
“You feel that, don’t you?” the leader asked as he leaned in and inhaled her scent. “Unimaginable pleasure awaits you.”
Thorn refused to wait a moment longer. It was enough that the female was feeling the effects of the Dark. He didn’t want her so drugged by their sexuality that she couldn’t remember she was fighting against them.
He was about to vault from the roof when Darius turned the corner. With a smile of anticipation, Darius waited for the Dark to notice him.
The leader saw him first and hissed as he pointed. The three Dark turned as one to Darius.
“I’m thinking more like death awaits you,” Darius told the Dark.
While Darius fought the three, Thorn landed behind the leader. The Dark had his hands on the human, who valiantly tried to shake them off. She was also fighting the effects the Dark had on the mortals.
Good, Thorn thought. The more she fought, the better.
The leader turned and tried to drag her away. The woman planted her feet and tugged against him. The Dark then saw Thorn and instantly released her. With the woman falling to the ground, Thorn prepared for the Dark to attack.
He stared in wonder for a moment when the coward ran away. But he couldn’t allow that. None of the Dark could know how many or which Kings were in the city.
Thorn pulled out his dagger and threw it. It flew end over end, embedding with a thud in the spine of the Dark who collapsed without moving again.
Just as Thorn was about to retrieve his dagger, he heard the woman groan. Thorn went to her and began to reach out for her.
In the next heartbeat, she was on her feet, her blade once again breaking through his flesh as she pushed him against the building before pulling the weapon out quickly. “Stay away,” she said. Then she blinked, as if just recognizing. “You again.”
“I warned you the city wasna a safe place.” He tried to move around her, but she held up her weapon to stop him.
“Are you following me?”
Thorn certainly didn’t want to admit to that. If he did, it would lead to all sorts of questions he didn’t want to answer. “I just happened to be near and saw them.”
“The Red Eyes.”
He raised a brow, glancing over as Darius was still fighting one of the Dark. She followed his gaze and watched the scene with interest for a second.
Then she turned her eyes back to him. “Who are you?”
“Nobody. I was near and thought I’d help.”
“You’re lying.”
Lexi wasn’t sure how she knew, she just did. It was a dead end street, and no one had been on it when she followed the Red Eyes. Where had the stranger come from? And was the other man with him?
She was still shaking off the effects of whatever Red Eyes had done to her. It infuriated her that she had been unable to control the need pulsing within her. That had to be the reason she had missed—again—when trying to stab the stranger.
Granted, she hadn’t recognized him when she defended herself, but it didn’t help her self-confidence any.
She looked at the stranger with his dark hair that hung to his should
ers and his brown eyes that were so dark they were nearly black.
He wasn’t as pretty as the Red Eyes, but his ruggedness, the sheer masculinity he exuded was hard to dismiss. In fact, it was difficult for her to look away.
How could a man appear sensitive and ferocious at the same time? And yet, he did. Lexi had the insane urge to rest her head on his chest. A chest on which a black shirt was stretched tight over hard muscles.
She had to look up at him, he was so tall. Lexi frowned as she noticed his incredibly long, dark eyelashes. Then she made the mistake of looking lower.
He had a mouth that made her dream of spending hours kissing him. His lips were wide and captivating. Perhaps it was the effects the Red Eyes had on her that made her examine him with such longing.
But she had a suspicion that the stranger was always charming and fascinating. She had noticed it the first time. Only she had refused to acknowledge it. This instance, she couldn’t help herself.
His gaze watched her as if he were waiting for her to come to a conclusion. Her stint in Edinburgh had proven that she couldn’t trust anyone. Handsome or not, strangers were enemies.
“I’m trying to help,” he said and took a step toward her.
Lexi had turned her head to the second man right before them. She was so wound up that she reacted before she thought twice about it and stabbed him.
“Dammit,” he said between clenched teeth. His fingers tightened around her wrist. “Stop doing that.”
Lexi blinked in confusion. He acted as if she had actually hit her target. That couldn’t be right. He would’ve reacted with pain, not stood there as if nothing had happened.
She glanced down at her knife and felt as if she had been knocked flat on her back. There was blood on the blade. Her gaze jerked to his left side where she saw a dark, wet stain on his sweater.
Lexi took a step back, suddenly more afraid than she had been before. “Leave me alone,” she said and held up the knife.
“I would, lass, if you would but come to your senses and stop following the Dark around.”
