“’Nuff said,” she retorted. “I’m staying.”
Drake frowned, possibly at her quick response, then he turned to the Council. “I’m not an appropriate mentor for her. I cannot…” He glanced at her again, and his eyelids lowered. “I’m unable to fight against you in a way to train you properly.”
Before Nexi could ask what in the hell that meant, Kyden interjected, “I’ll train her.”
“Wait. What?” Nexi gaped at him, stunned he had offered. Somehow, the idea of spending time with him made her belly flutter, which was of course silly, since the only time she’d spent with the caveman so far had sucked.
One sleek eyebrow arched. “Will that be a problem for you?”
He brushed up against her arm and a discouragingly hot shiver bolted through her veins, which had been the exact reaction she had experienced for weeks now. Whenever he touched her or turned his entire focus onto her, her body took notice, even if her mind told her to run, run, run.
Controlling all the heat whipping around her body, she cleared her throat. “Nope. No problem here.”
Looking away from Kyden, Nexi noticed that Drake studied her intently. At whatever he saw in her expression—and she hoped it wasn’t that whole reaction to Kyden’s touch—his features tightened. “Kyden’s the elite guardian—there isn’t anyone better to train you. You’ll do fine.”
The tenderness he exuded pulled at her heartstrings. While the relationship was still a work in progress, she found herself becoming closer to him. “I know you’re worried about me. I appreciate that. But really, how can anything happen to me?” She gestured toward the guardian next to her, who’d been looking out for her since that very first night. “I apparently have this Neanderthal guarding me.”
Kyden leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Ah, but the time to guard you is over, isn’t it, Álainn?”
Before she had the chance to figure out why he continued to call her that odd name, Talon said, “Good, that’s settled.” To Kyden, he added, “There’s been a death in Salt Lake City. Go to 285 West Broadway.” Turning to Nexi, he said, “Consider this your first lesson.”
“Whoa. Hold up there.” Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re not seriously suggesting that I go see a dead body?” At Talon’s nod, she added, “Shouldn’t I—I don’t know—train first, and then see dead things?”
Holten, Master of Weres, said, “It’ll help you understand things that would be hard to explain with words.”
Was that supposed to soothe her?
It didn’t.
Zia nodded. “This is best.”
She jerked her head toward Drake in hopes he’d disapprove. While the training bit sounded great to give her the skills she needed to hunt that lone wolf responsible for her parents’ murder, the idea of seeing anything dead didn’t appeal to her in the least. “You can’t possibly think this is a smart idea…”
Drake hesitated, examined her for a long moment, then he shrugged. “It’s not an ideal situation for you. But I’m not sure even after training, the scene would be easy for you to accept.”
Nexi groaned, facing resolved expressions. No matter how insane it all sounded, complete and total nonsense, she did want her freedom. That meant her choices were limited. To the Council, she muttered, “Shoving me in head first?”
Zade, grinned, showing fangs. “No better way to do it.”
She didn’t agree, but at the sudden rush of warm happy tingles lacing her veins, which had nothing to do with her own feelings, she didn’t care to comment. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Haven standing at the entrance to the Council’s Hall.
The first time Nexi had sensed Haven’s emotions, she had screamed bloody murder. Maybe the soul-sister bond had been odd to come to terms with when Nexi couldn’t feel her strongest, most private emotions without Haven butting in. But in the mess of her life, the peculiar emotional bond had been a blessing.
In those first few weeks after her life-changing night, Haven was a piece of sunshine in Nexi’s dark world. Even if Nexi hadn’t gotten used to—or gotten to like—Haven sharing emotions that she’d rather keep private, she loved Haven.
She needed her.
Best part, Haven needed her back.
Haven skipped forward, smiling from ear to ear. “We’re going out together, then?”
Nexi gaped in horror. While she appreciated the bond at the beginning and it could be a tad annoying at times, since nothing remained private any longer, Haven was the glue holding her together. The thought of Haven in a dangerous situation terrified her. “You’re not coming with us, are you?”
“Of course I am.” Haven glared, which looked ridiculously harmless, even if irritation flickered through the bond. “I always help the guardians, which means we get to be a team.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Isn’t that exciting?”
Hell to the no. Little, sweet Haven… “You’re not fighting, are you?”
Haven’s eyes went huge. “Me, fighting, are you crazy?” Her lids lowered, and her familiar happy expression returned, sparkling eyes and all. “I’m going to recreate the scene.”
Nexi blinked. “Say again?”
Haven’s lips parted, but Zia interjected, “It’ll be much easier for you to understand by seeing it, rather than having it explained to you.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Probably won’t believe it even after I see it.”
Zia smiled. “Probably not.”
Chapter Three
A small picnic area rested between two small apartment buildings, and a man was spread out on the grass, drained of his blood. The night was dark and eerily quiet, and the only sound came from a few cars on the far side of the park.
At four o’clock in the morning, Nexi wasn’t surprised at the lack of traffic in Salt Lake City, but the murder scene in front of her made no sense. Where were the police, crime scene investigators, and the crowd of people behind the crime scene tape she’d expect at a murder?
Turning to the dead body at her feet, she clamped her lips tight as the stew she’d eaten earlier at Briggs’s cabin threatened to make an appearance. The way the victim’s skin hung off his bones was enough to make her sick. The pungent scent of decomposed flesh almost guaranteed that outcome.
Kyden nudged her arm. “All right?”
Before she could say “hell no,” Haven interjected, “Far from it. She’s on the verge of being sick.”
Nexi rolled her eyes at Haven for sharing that bit of private information. More than ready to get the focus off her, she shifted the attention onto the dead body again. “Why would someone murder him?”
“Because they were thirsty.”
Nexi startled at the soft voice behind her and turned, discovering a lean, female vampire with dark eyes and pixie-cut black hair. She grasped her chest, her heart nearly bursting out of her ribcage. “For cripe’s sakes, don’t sneak up like that.”
Kyden chuckled. “Good evening, Graycyn.”
Graycyn, clad in leather from head to toe, grinned at him before she approached with a sensual strut. She gave Nexi an once-over, showing half-curiosity, half-hilarity before she finally gestured to the dead man. “Nothing unusual here—classic bloodlust killing.”
No brainer, Nexi thought. The guy didn’t have a drop of blood left in him.
Now even more ready to move past the obvious, she turned to Kyden, “Can you educate the newbie? Why are there no cops here? And who is this vampy Catwoman?”
Kyden’s mouth curved. “The Council has infiltrated its Guard into the larger cities’ police departments to notify the Otherworld of any deaths. Graycyn is a detective with the Salt Lake City PD.”
Nexi glanced around again, taking in the dark, silent night. It only confirmed her confusion. “That’s good and all, but where are the human police? I mean, shouldn’t this be a crime scene?”
Graycyn said, “They were here, but the scene was cleansed.”
“Which means what in human talk?” Nexi asked.
The vampire stared at her as if she had three eyeballs, but Nexi turned to Kyden when he asked, “What talents do werewolves have?”
She snorted at the reminder, and was quite content to forget the embarrassing event with Briggs. “Increased sense of smell.”
“Right.” He inclined his head in approval. “And vampires?”
She glanced up at the starry sky, pondering what she’d learned about the species. She finally looked to him again. “They drink blood and the Otherworld sticks to their night hours because they give the most trouble.”
“They also hold the ability to glamour.” He hesitated, then asked with a curious arched brow, “Do you know what glamour means?”
Why did supernatural talk have to be so confusing? “Um, no.”
Haven giggled, probably at the sheer confusion coursing through Nexi’s veins before she said, “Vamps can capture a mortal’s mind and implant new memories.”