Char opened her eyes. She hadn’t realized they’d been closed. She met Jebel’s dark brown eyes, as full of anguish and self-disgust as her own. “You can’t what?”
He smiled a little at her indignation. His deep voice was rough when he said, “I can’t make it that easy for you, sweetheart.”
She noticed that he’d put away his weapons. “Damn it, Jebel! How am I supposed to kill you if you don’t do anything wrong?”
“I can’t kill him,” he said. He pointed at Daniel. “He hasn’t done anything wrong. You said so. Besides,” he added, “we wouldn’t want him to miss Blessing Day, would we?”
Frustration welled up in Char. It made her want to howl. She didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss the mortal or shake him in frustration. “But—”
He laughed at her. “It’s not my fault if you’ve widened my perspective on the nature of good and evil.”
“But . . . !” She gestured wildly. “What the devil am I supposed to do with you if I don’t kill you?”
And the answer was obvious and inevitable and came as such a shock that she had to sit down, because her legs wouldn’t hold her at the moment. “Oh, dear.”
“Charlotte, you’re blushing.”
She put her hands on her cheeks. “Oh, dear,” she said again, and things became obvious to her. Machinations. Plots within plots. Haven wasn’t the only one who’d been used. Had he been lurking around in the shadows watching? Had he sent the other vampire after Haven to get her jealous? To make her do something? And it had worked. “That son of a bitch.”
“Charlotte, I’m shocked at your language.”
She looked into Haven’s eyes, and those eyes were laughing at her, but with affection rather than mockery.
“Who’s a son of a bitch? Your boss?”
She nodded. “I don’t think he wanted me to kill you at all. I think . . . that he wanted me to get out more.” And to recruit you, she thought. Damn it, Istvan, why couldn’t you do this yourself? What about Jimmy Bluecorn? What about . . . ?
Jimmy was long gone. Pining for him wasn’t going to bring what they had back. Thinking there was only one great love in her life was all very sentimental and romantic, but it was only an excuse to remain alone. And think too much. A child of the Nighthawk line was reborn to act, and Haven certainly brought out her inner hunter. He was born to be a hunter himself, mortal or immortal. He’d managed to fight the good fight nicely on his own so far. She owed him the beginning of his immortality.
Haven came over to her and helped her to her feet. She was glad that her claws were sheathed when he took her hands. He didn’t let them go once she was standing. “What do we do now, sweetheart?”
She knew that he knew very well what the answer had to be. Knew and accepted it. “Right now,” she said primly, “we are going to make sure Daniel is safely returned to his family.”
He was standing very close to her. His hands were on her hips. Attraction charged between them. “Aren’t you going to bite me? At least a little?”
She put her hands on his shoulders. Oh, yes, it was very tempting. “I’m not a love at first bite sort of woman.”
She and Jimmy had known each other for a year before he tasted her. It had been at a Queensryche concert. The band had been playing—No. She wasn’t going to think about Jimmy anymore.
“Just because we’ve had sex in a back alley doesn’t mean I’m cheap and easy. I will make you my companion at an appropriate time and place. And I think champagne, chocolate, violins, and possibly engagement rings should be involved.”
“Will it be heaven?”
“Yes. Whether you think you deserve heaven or not.”
“When?”
“After an appropriate amount of time has passed.”
He was puzzled, impatient now that he’d accepted that he wanted her brand of forever. Then he asked, “Can we still have sex?”
“Frequently.” She wanted to have sex right now. She glanced back at Daniel. “But not in front of the children.” She made herself draw away from Haven to go and hoist the sleeping vampire over her shoulder.
Haven moved to help her haul Daniel through the room’s entrance. He took point when they started down the corridor. “After we give Danny boy to his mom—moms—then what?”
She thought for a moment about what she really wanted to do with her life. All she ever wanted was to be a superhero. “I think I’ll move to Tucson,” she answered. “Help you with your work. There are a lot of evil beings, supernatural and otherwise, that need killing. I can teach you about them. We can expand the business, call the firm, Haven, Baker, and McCairn, Psychic Detectives. How about that?”
Haven stopped and turned to face her in the shadow-filled corridor. His face was clear to her, and his expression pleased. She’d just offered him everything he wanted: complete access to the underneath world. “Baker’d like playing hero,” he told her. “Santini’ll have fun. Yeah,” he admitted, ducking his head. “I like it.”
Char wasn’t certain if Santini would be coming with them. But she decided not to get into that.
“Good,” she said. “But first we have to stop in Portland to pick up my cat.”
“Cat!” he said, disgusted. “I hate cats!”
She shifted Daniel’s weight on her shoulder and moved to walk ahead of Haven. “You’ll get used to him,” she said as Haven followed after her. “In fact, you’re going to love night hunters with sharp claws and teeth by the time I’m done with you.”
Glossary
Blessing Day Also known as Blessing of the Knives. Strigoi winter solstice holiday celebrated on the new moon before the winter solstice.
Bloodbond The spell that enthralls slaves and companions to their vampire masters
Bloodburn The instinct to Hunt
Bloodchild What a vampire calls a mortal they’ve changed
Bloodfever Another term for bloodburn
Bloodmother Vampire’s female maker
Blood Parent A vampire that has changed a human into a vampire; a Nighthawk who has changed a vampire into a Hunter
Blood Promise Strigoi treaty, sealed in blood
Bloodsire Vampire’s male maker
Coin Gold coin imprinted with an owl symbol unique to each nest; symbol of authority
Companion Someone chosen to be a vampire’s lover
Curse, The Vampirism
Dhamphir Child born of a vampire father and mortal Romany mother
Dream Riding Telepathically eavesdropping on someone’s thoughts and dreams
Enforcer of the City Vampire appointed by the Strigoi Council to police a territory
Enforcer of the Laws Vampire cop
Fledgling Young vampire
Fosterling Young vampire living and training under the protection of a nest leader
Gift, The Psychic ability
Goddess Some vampires believe they were created by a curse because of sins against the Goddess
Go into the night Strigoi saying, can mean either someone has joined the strigoi community, or that someone is dead
Hunt Sanctioned taking of human prey, regulated by enforcers
Hunter Members of the Nighthawk line, and courtesy title of enforcers
Mindrape Forced telepathic intrusion into another’s mind
Nest A group of vampires, companions, and slaves that live and Hunt together
Nest Leader Senior vampire in a nest; teacher and adoptive parent of younger vampires
Nighthawk Another term for Hunters/Enforcers
Owl Bait Term of affection
Silver Dagger Symbol of Enforcer authority
Strig A vampire who lives outside the protection of the Laws; a loner
Strigoi The vampires’ name for themselves
Strigoi Council The secret society that rules vampire society
Teething Slang for the period young vampires spend making the complete change from mortal to strigoi
Transient Mortal psychic unable to form a permanent mental bon
d with a vampire
Underneath World Strigoi term for all the supernatural cultures and creatures that live out of view of the mortal world
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Glossary
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s Imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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http://www.penguinputnam.com
Laws of the Blood 2: Partners Page 22
