Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress #4)(28)
Author: Gena Showalter

But for more of those naughty hands, that hot tongue, that decadent scent … more of everything he had to give … maybe. Who are you? Never maybe. Always no.

And what about Aleaha? Devyn had found her. How? Bride fingered the necklace she now wore. She’d been searching for years with no success. Devyn had learned the girl’s name, and boom. He had her. How was he treating her? Bride was tempted to lie in wait for him. To follow him to where Aleaha was being kept. Except, his warning echoed through her mind continually. Any tricks tomorrow, and I’ll slice her throat.

Any tricks … tomorrow. He’d said nothing about tonight. Hello loophole.

Nervous, excited, hopeful, she backtracked once again, heading toward Devyn’s building. Was he still there? He didn’t live there, that much she knew. The closet had been empty. So had the fridge; she would have smelled the food.

Speaking of food, what did he eat? He smelled divine, no hint of human spice. And what did his blood taste like?

She was so curious about him, this man she’d encountered thrice, touched twice, made out with once —kind of—and now dreamed about. What made him tick? How did he live his life? Had he ever been in love?

Not that the answers mattered. Really. He was her enemy right now. If he’d hurt her friend, his throat would be ripped from his gorgeous body and tossed into a gutter, she thought, nails digging into her palms.

Physically hurting women didn’t seem like Devyn’s style, she reminded herself, and her muscles relaxed.

Most likely he’d screwed Aleaha stupid. That was more his MO. The bastard. How many hearts had he broken over the years? Did he even care about the destruction he left behind?

Not that it matters. Another reminder.

It was late Sunday night, and the streets were nearly deserted. Only a few people bustled past, a little woozy on their feet from too much alcohol. The moon was high, golden, and full. It was the kind of night she usually loved. She could meander freely, air cool on her easily heated skin, drunks ripe for the plucking. Not that she could keep beer-saturated blood down anymore, either. Even that upset her delicate stomach.

Devyn had seemed surprised and angry that she couldn’t keep an entire meal down. Those beautiful amber eyes had given him away. Why the anger? He knew something she didn’t, most likely. Hell, he knew a lot of stuff she didn’t. If she had to trade more kisses for the answers, fine, she’d suck it up like a big girl and do it. If he treated Aleaha well. Everything hinged on that. Everything but the fact that she was going to drink from him. One way or another. As far as she was concerned, he owed her.

The closer she came to Devyn’s apartment, the more she felt a pair of eyes burning into her back. Bride’s heartbeat kicked up a notch, even as she tensed, slowed, scanning the area. One thing movies and books had gotten wrong was the fact that vampires were dead. At least, she wasn’t. She had a working heart; she breathed. The only difference between her and humans—besides her abilities—was her need for blood rather than food.

Vamps could be otherworlders, she supposed. Or even genetically altered humans. Either way, she could be killed. She’d come close a few times over the years.

Purposefully she rounded a corner, heading into a back alley that led to a maze of doors and walkways. While it was a good place to hide, it was also a good place to test her possible shadow’s intentions. There were no shops here, nothing a normal person would want to see or need. There was no reason to follow her here unless she was a target.

Boxes lined the buildings, the homeless sleeping inside them. No one should—footsteps resounded behind her. Okay. She was being followed; she was a target. Devyn? AIR? Or someone else?

Don’t turn, don’t let whoever it is know you know they’re there. Bride breathed deeply, in and out, trying to sort through the deluge of scents. Urine, waste, dirt, unwashed bodies, rotting food. A clean body, lightly cologned. Not Devyn. She would have caught a whiff of his clean sheets and rain fragrance, mingled ever so slightly with Aleaha’s sky-and-pine smell, no matter what surrounded her. It was probably someone he knew, though.

Grinding her molars, she swiped another corner and picked up her pace, grabbing her phone and flipping it open. She didn’t have any trouble finding Devyn’s number because it was the only one in memory. That dirty little shit! She didn’t have any friends, but she collected numbers to restaurant deliveries. Not for the food, but for the delivery boys.

The footsteps picked up pace, too. With a press of a button, Devyn’s number was dialed. She held the phone to her ear, snaking into an open doorway, zigzagging through a building, and sprinting out the other side.

"Miss me already, darling?" Devyn’s sexy voice purred on the other end.

"Couldn’t keep your word and wait until tomorrow, could you? Had to sic your AIR buddy on me tonight? Is it the blue-eyed one? What’s his name? Dallas? He’s cute, so I might call and thank you tomorrow. He won’t, though. That, I promise you."

A heavy, crackling pause. "You’re being followed?"

"Oh, look. Devyn’s acting innocent. Must be a fun new game.”

“Where are you, Bride?"

There wasn’t an ounce of humor in his tone. That… scared her. "And help your friend find me? Sorry. I’m not gonna tell."

"That’s not my friend." There was static on the line as he spoke, as if he was talking and running at the same time. "Where are you?"

Was he telling the truth? Only person she’d ever truly trusted was Aleaha. Too many others had betrayed her, lied to her, and let her down. Course, most of those sins came courtesy of her exboyfriend. He’d been so sweet at first. A real doll. But because of her late-night jaunts, he’d begun to think she was cheating on him. He’d become resentful, jealous, hateful, and had decided to teach her a lesson and cheat on her.

A glowing blue beam soared a few inches to her right, and she gasped as she dove around a metal pole. "Shit! Whoever it is just tried to stun me. Sure it’s not AIR?"

"Yes. Now give me your goddamn location."

The anger in his voice was enough to make her shudder. If the person chasing her was AIR, then that person could just as easily phone him and tell him where she was. He could have her location whether she gave it to him or not. The rationalization eased her objections, and Bride finally spouted off her coordinates.

"I’m on my way."

"Okay. See you—"

"Don’t hang up!" he shouted.

Another beam soared past her, this one mere inches from her shoulder. She yelped, increasing her speed, feet pounding into the pavement. "Almost got me that time," she rasped. The burning started up in her chest, thorns ready to cut.