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emotional turmoil.
But honor came before all else.
Ending Kali s disgrace killing Kali had been
the hardest thing he d ever done.
Resentment boiled like caustic acid through his
veins. Just as quickly, his vision blurred and a wave
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of dizziness washed over him. He needed to
feed& badly.
There would be no more time to replace the
women Styx and that bastard friend of his had taken
from him. No more time to find suitable females for
his harem. He would find no rest until that
abomination that called himself Styx no longer
walked this earth.
Shifting into mist form once more took far
greater effort than he could ever have imagined. He
shot across the wooded landscape an unnatural
shadow that sent intuitive creatures scurrying for
sanctuary until the natural forests yielded to the
concrete jungle. He found his nourishment quickly,
without fanfare or deference. Cold and unfeeling, he
claimed the first vein he came to in the shadows of a
dirty alley similar to the one in which he d faced off
against Styx and the Werewolf.
Injured so critically, one vein wasn t enough.
Only as the third lifeless body slid to the pavement
at his feet did he begin to feel the searing burn as
cells merged and flesh mended. And still it wasn t
enough. Vengeance stoked to life inside him, flaming
through his body. Stepping over the lifeless vessel
a vessel good for nothing more than nourishment
his eyes smoldering, fully transformed, he strode
into the night in search of more prey to sate the
unquenchable thirst burning in his belly like
wildfire.
He would not rest now& not until he had
Vampyre blood dripping from his hands.
****
Styx s nostrils flared. Without a glance in Zack s
direction, he paced across the living area, down the
hallway, and jerked the door open. Crispin hadn t
knocked yet, but Styx would recognize the familiar
scent anywhere. The agent stood motionless on the
other side of the portal, hands thrust deep in his
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pockets, his trench coat thrust back over his hips
and out of the way.
Without a word of acknowledgement or
welcome, he spun on his heel and stomped back
down the hallway, Crispin close on his heels.
 Where s the female?
 Kate s in the shower, Styx snapped, annoyed
beyond reason by Crispin s stubborn refusal to
acknowledge Kate as an individual.  She ll be out
soon so we won t have much time. She thinks you re
with the local police force& here to take her
statement.
Crispin grunted in response and made himself
comfortable on the recliner. He drew a silver pen
and the slim black notepad from his inner breast
pocket and flipped the cover open. Across the room,
Zack set an empty beer can down on the kitchen
counter and cracked the top on another, lifted it to
his lips without a word. The crazed look had left his
blue eyes, thank heavens. But his hands still shook,
and he kept rubbing at his temples, grimacing with
pain every now and again.
Styx could hear Zack s stomach growling from
clear across the room, and he stifled the urge to
shake his head. Hell, at least he wasn t personally
footing the Werewolf s food bill. The way that boy ate
could decimate the life savings of even the most
affluent of Immortals.
 Your Collector is Sheikh Amir Kazim al-
Rashid, Styx barked without preamble.
The TFRA agent arched a brow but remained
silent as he continued to pen his notes.
 And he s a shade.
That got Crispin s undivided attention& Zack s
too. Their stunned gazes whipped to Styx. It took a
long, long moment for the imperturbable agent to
contain the look of alarm swimming in his deep
brown eyes.
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Drawing an uneven breath, Crispin lowered his
notepad and his pen to his lap.  You re sure?
 Kinda hard to miss, Styx snapped, then turned
away to gaze at the shadows on the street below.  I
don t have any idea who his Sire is& or where he s
been all this time. But he s definitely a shade& of
that I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever. Styx
quickly recounted the incident in the alley glossing
over the surprising revelation of Kate s powers up
to and including the moment al-Rashid shifted into
shadow-mist and all but blinded them as Layla
made good her escape.
The sound of muffled running water abruptly
ceased, and Styx s gaze darted to the still-closed
bedroom door. Did he dare trust his suspicions about
Kate being half-Faerie with the agent? Crispin knew
his own secrets& and, thus far, had proven
trustworthy. But revealing something so crucial
about his female to someone of Crispin s chosen
profession set his teeth on edge.
And yet, who better to get the answers he
needed than this male who seemingly had a source
for any and every situation?
 There s more&  God help Crispin if this came
back to bite Styx in the ass.  Kate s half-Faerie.
 Buggar me, Zack gasped. Beer sprayed across
the work surface of the kitchen s island as he
fumbled his beer can and coughed, pounding on his
chest.
 What? Again, that uncharacteristic, alarmed
expression from Crispin. Damn, two for two. This
night was just chock full of surprises.
The apartment door rattled beneath the weight
of a fist, breaking the sudden tension choking the
room. Crispin glanced at the door, his nostrils flared
slightly, and he tensed.
 About goddamned time, Zack muttered as he
prowled down the hallway. He returned a moment
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later, two large pizza boxes stacked on his palm, and
Crispin subsided back in the chair. The scent of
sausage, pepperoni, and double cheese filled the
room. Styx watched as Zack flipped the lid open on
the top box, scooped up a steaming slice, and all but
shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
 I m sure about Kate, too& or reasonably
confident. Crossing his arms over his chest, Styx
braced his feet apart and drew a deep breath.  She
manipulated the winds tonight& called down some
kind of electrical storm and knocked both me and
Layla on our collective asses.
 I was wondering what the bloody hell was
wrong with you when I first got there, Zack
mumbled around a mouthful of food.
 I don t know how it affected Layla, but Kate s [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]