Her fingers wound tight around the stake, slivers grinding into her palm. Eve Williams fought against the urge to wince because she could show no human weakness. She couldnât show that she was at allâ¦human. Or they would kill herâ¦like she intended to kill themâevery last one of the blood-sucking creatures of the night. But he had to be first.
He was the worst. He wasnât just a cold-blooded killer. He was a charismatic con artist, as well: manipulative and brilliant. And that made him more dangerous than any of the others.
But that wasnât the only reason Eve wanted to kill him first. She had another more personalâmore painfulâreason to want Professor Andre Vossimer dead.
Her eyes adjusting to the dim lights and smoke, she tracked him through the underground vampire club. His black hair flowing past his shoulders and his facial features aristocratically chiseled, he looked more poet than professor. His body was long and lean, and he moved with an athleteâs ease through the maze of tables and the crush of patrons as he left the crowded bar. He hadnât stayed long, tossing back only one thick crimson drink before heading out again into the night. Maybe, like her, he had plans to do some hunting, too. But tonight, Eve would put a stop to whatever he intended; she would put a stop to Andre Vossimer.
Even more tightly she clasped the stake, which she hid deep in the pocket of her coat. Alone, it wouldnât be enough to kill him. Sheâd have to bury the sharpened wood tip deep in his heart. And for that she had help, the special gun into which she would load the stake like a bullet. Then sheâd fire the makeshift weapon into his heartâending his miserable life and her pain.
Her pulse racing in anticipation, she hurried through the crowded bar. Jostled by bodies gyrating to the low bass of the live band, she stumbled back and momentarily lost sight of him. But there was only one way out of Club Undergroundâthe cement stairwell that ascended to the busy street of downtown Zantrax, Michigan.
But when she hurried up the steps, she found the street deserted. No headlights of cars or street lamps penetrated the complete darkness of the industrial area. Fear raced over her with the cool night breeze, lifting her skin into goose bumps. She huddled inside her coat and reached inside her other pocket. The stake wasnât the only thing she carried in the deep pockets of the long coat. She had the gun, and the flashlight that simulated sunshine.
She had been trained well to be a huntress. So how had she let him slip away?
Frustration, with her own incompetence, knotted the muscles of her stomach. She had worked so hard to find him and infiltrate his world. She dragged in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She knew where he hung out; she would get another chance at him. And she wouldnât let the next one slip through her fingers.
Loose stones skittered across asphalt, drawing her attention to the narrow alley between the tall brick building that housed Club Underground in the basement and the office building next to it. She was not alone out here. âItâs not himâ¦â
He was gone. The creatures of the night had powers humans did not have at their disposal. They were immortal, and they could fly. He was probably long gone. But yet she turned toward that narrow alley. She could have brought out her flashlight, but then some of the patrons leaving the club might have seen it and figured out what she was: human and a huntress. So she skimmed her fingers across the brick as she headed in the direction from which the noise had come.
She had to investigateâjust in case he hadnât left. Maybe heâd gone into the alley to do whatever it was that had caused him to leave the club so quickly.
Rounding the corner of the building, she stepped inside a wider alleyâ¦and into the arms of the man whoâd lured her into his trap. Muscles, stronger than those of a mere mortal, rippled in his biceps and his chest, as he dragged her tight against him. A scream burned in her throat, and she parted her lips to utter it.
But his mouth was there, covering hers. Anger and fear coursed through her, and she tried to pull back but his lips pressed tighter. She wriggled in his embrace, but his arms didnât loosen. If anything, he pulled her more closely against his chestâso close her legs molded to his, her stomach rubbing against his. She gasped at the hardness of his heavily muscled body.