Ruby’s head whipped around and back so fast he could barely see it. “Vampires. I don’t recognize them.”
Ben’s eyes glinted. “Shall we see how well they know the city?”
“Can you keep up?”
He grinned. “Not even a little.”
Ruby ran.
She kept to human-ish speed, but Ben still had the devil’s time keeping her in sight. She sped past the church on the south end of the campo and ducked right across a small bridge, almost losing him in the maze of streets.
Their vampire trackers stayed with them. They were little more than shadows, but they drew nearer to Ben, bolder than they were with Ruby. They knew he was human.
He ran past an alleyway and felt an arm reach out and grab him. Ruby pulled him next to her while Ben struggled to catch his breath.
“What?” he panted.
Ruby looked troubled. “If they were residents, I’d know them. If they were simply curious, they’d have left us by now.”
Ben heard them slinking down the street. If there had been any other foot traffic, he’d have never have heard their silent feet, but they were utterly alone. His pulse hammering, he looked toward the mouth of the alley. When he looked back, Ruby’s eyes were narrowed on the pulse in his throat.
He snapped his fingers in her face and she looked up, baring her fangs at him.
“Not the time,” he whispered.
She was right. These vampires were following them for some reason, and Ben was guessing he didn’t want to find out.
“Pretend you’re biting me,” he said, tugging her closer.
“Do I have to pretend?”
“Do it!” he hissed.
The vampires crossed the alley just as Ruby bent her head to his neck. They paused, watching them.
A low laugh and one said to another, “This one likes all kinds, eh?”
The minute Ben heard the distinctive accent of Naples, he jerked back. He met the eyes of one of the vampires from Alfonso’s court in the dim streetlamp, then he glanced at Ruby.
Oh shit.
Chapter Seven
“THEY CAN’T SEE US TOGETHER,” he said. “Ruby, they’re from Naples.”
“Got it.”
With a quick flip, Ruby climbed up the wall, the tips of her fingers clinging to the bricks before she leapt on the two vampires at the mouth of the alley. Ben drew his knife and ran for the one Ruby hadn’t landed on, cursing himself the whole time.
Man versus vampire rarely went his way.
His advantage? The vampire wasn’t looking to get away and didn’t want to kill him. Ben knew that any of Alfonso’s court seeing him with Oscar’s apprentice would be bad news.
The vampire circled him, fangs down, his head cocked curiously at the human he’d been tracking. He said nothing. His dark hood was drawn up around his face, but Ben recognized him. He recognized them both.
Ruby had one vampire’s face shoved into the cobblestones while the other circled Ben. If it had been faster, they’d both have been dizzy.
“What do you want?” Ben asked. Shit, shit, shit. Ruby could keep that one down, but this one looked old and smart. He was no match for a vampire. His survival strategy consisted of avoiding violence and relying on charm and connections. “Does Alfonso know you’re here?”
“He sent us to watch you.” The vampire glanced at Ruby. “You keep curious company, Tenzin’s human.”
“What can I say?” he said. “I make friends easily.”
“But your choice of friends… this says much.”
“You think so?” Ben held up his hand, letting the vampire see his knife. “Listen, I’m prey, but I’m not easy prey. Is this really worth it? I met a cute girl. We went out for a drink.”
The vampire laughed. “You’re not as smart as they say if you think I’d believe—” His words were cut off with his head, which fell to the side and plopped on the cobblestones with a wet thunk a second before Tenzin landed next to Ben.
He let out a slow breath. “Tenzin. What. The. Hell?”
“I told Alfonso not to send anyone to watch us,” she said, bending down to the one Ruby held. “Is that why you’re here? To watch me?”
Ruby let go of the vampire’s throat.
“Yes,” he choked out.
“Filomena or Alfonso?”
“Alfonso.”
“Thank you,” Tenzin said graciously. “I appreciate your honesty. I will give you a swift death like your friend.”
Ben’s hand shot out. “Tenzin—”
She was already gone. She’d lifted the vampire from the ground, shoving Ruby off him, and flown straight up. Ben heard scuffling on the top of the nearest building, then quiet.
“Fuck me,” Ruby breathed out. “She is scary as ’ell.”
Ben sighed. “Yeah, she is. And she always kills them before I can ask the questions I want.”
Ruby patted his shoulder. “They died clean.”
For following orders, his conscience complained. He tried to ignore it. If Alfonso had ordered Ben dead, those vampires wouldn’t have thought twice about following those orders too. He’d seen that truth in their eyes. They could have taken Ruby with ease if Ben hadn’t been around to distract one of them. They’d have killed her and not batted an eye.
Ben looked at the wall Ruby had crawled up. “How did you do that?”
“Do what? Climb the wall?”