Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance by Natalie Kristen Page B

rundown building that used to be a brothel. The name of
the brothel could still be read on a crumbling signboard above the
entrance—Hell. Jett looked at the peeling paint on the walls
and the broken windows. Hell brought back too many memories, too
many regrets.
    Jett knew this place well.
Hell was a brothel that was run by his old gang, Hellraisers. It had
been lucrative business for the gang. The brothel could rake in tens
of thousands of dollars in a single night. But everything had gone
up in smoke one night. A police raid, a fire, and Hell was wiped out
in a blink.
    Jett stared at the cracked,
abandoned building that had once been overflowing with wealthy
patrons. The smell of wine and perfume had wafted through its doors,
beckoning, welcoming, enticing.
    The gray building loomed over
him, like a prehistoric fossil, a relic from his past.
    His past wasn't nice and
clean. It was rough, dirty and mean. He had done things he wasn't
proud of. He had crossed swords with too many people in his past,
made too many enemies.
    He had always known that his
past and his present would one day collide.
    And the collision would have
devastating consequences.
    He hadn't wanted Bryn to get
caught in the clash when the day came.
    He'd thought that by keeping
her away from his world, from himself, she would not be dragged into
his hell.
    He'd wanted her far away from
his past and his enemies. He thought he could keep her safe, by
keeping her away.
    Mistake.
    He should have kept her close.
    Jett glanced down at his watch
and switched it to silent mode. The PAC members and the Enforcers
were all standing by, waiting for his signal.
    The Council and his Enforcers
were all behind him, but he couldn't let them sacrifice their lives.
    This trap was meant for him.
    The killers had severed the
heads of his Enforcers and left them as a message to him.
    They would devour the body,
and take out the Head.
    We will take you out, Jett
Riley.
    Jett stood at the crumbling
doorway and frowned into the dark, immense hall. The glowing hall
had once been filled with opulent furnishings but now all that
remained were dust and shadows.
    Silently, Jett stepped over
the threshold and walked up the curved stairs to the second floor.
He could feel at least a dozen eyes on him, but he didn't turn
around. He just kept walking up the stairs steadily, his senses on
full alert. He took in every detail of his surroundings, his eyes
moving quickly through the shifting shadows.
    He sensed the overwhelming
presence of vampires and weres in the building. There may be a few
demons, warlocks and witches in the mix, but a large number of this
band of rogues were vamps and weres.
    He knew they were watching
him, but they weren't about to attack. Not yet.
    He kept climbing up the wide,
dusty steps. The second floor was empty, and those eyes just watched
him in silence. They wanted him to go all the way up to the third
story, the top floor of the building.
    He picked up low murmurs and
scuttling movements. He watched the moving shadows out of the corner
of his eyes and listened to their frenzied whispers. He shook his
head subtly. These rogues couldn't even keep still and quiet for a
moment. But that was to be expected.
    Rogues lacked discipline and
focus. Paranormals turned rogue when they couldn't control their
beast and their appetites. They lacked the discipline and will to
harness their powers and control their impulses. They simply
rampaged through the city, robbing and ravaging, causing death and
destruction.
    They were dangerous, but they
could be defeated. They might be strong physically, but mentally and
emotionally, they were weak. The rogues might possess paranormal
abilities, but without training and focus, their powers languished.
Rogues were savage monsters, but he knew their weaknesses. They were
arrogant, complacent and cruel.
    Jett stood at the top of the
stairs and saw the sky darken completely through a cracked window.
There was no moon tonight. Some weres