voice sent shivers down Mara’s spine. The air around her grew dense and cloying as evil polluted the atmosphere. Steffen turned and stepped in front of her. They stood at a slight angle and she could see the intruder.
Neither tall nor brawny, the vampire managed to exude menace with nothing more than his presence. His hair was a common shade of brown, tucked carelessly behind his ears. Though his eyes were the same unremarkable brown, the intensity in their depths was chilling.
“Are you talking to me?” Steffen did a respectable job of sounding confused.
A slender woman stood beside the vampire. The calculation in her blue eyes belied her bored expression. She turned to the vampire with a charming smile. “Can we play with them before you kill them? They make such a pretty couple.”
Ignoring her entirely, the vampire moved toward Steffen. “Where is Max?”
A large space behind the couple blurred as if space itself disintegrated to make way for the Sentinel commander. “I’ve never known you to negotiate with anyone, Taerok, so don’t waste our time.” Tall, heavily muscled, and darkly dangerous, Max was far more what Mara had expected than his nemesis. “Do you turn yourself in or do my men close ranks and bring you down?”
Taerok chuckled, pivoting so he could see Max without losing sight of Steffen. “Though it would be entertaining to watch you try, you have no crime with which to charge me.”
Max’s dark eyes narrowed and tension rolled across his broad shoulders. “I’ve got the savaged body of a Dichotomy that says otherwise.”
“Yes, poor Robert.” Taerok folded his fingers and inspected his immaculate nails. “That was unfortunate, but I had nothing to do with his death.” Amusement bled from the woman’s expression an instant before Taerok grabbed her arm. “Valerie took a life and as her sire she is my responsibility.” He shoved her toward Max as the ghost of a smile stole across his thin lips. “Do with her what you will. I uphold the alliance.”
Valerie collided with Max as Taerok flashed out of sight.
“That lying bastard!” Valerie tugged against Max’s meaty fist, her features tense and pale. “He killed Robert, not me! You can’t take his word for it.” Max snatched a metallic band off the back of his belt and snapped it against the side of her neck. The semi-rigid collar coiled around her throat and she shrieked as if she’d been scalded. Kicking and twisting, she gasped and cursed.
“Settle down,” Max commanded. “It won’t hurt if you stop fighting it.”
“It’s draining me,” she cried, clawing at the offensive band. “I can feel my strength melting away.”
“It will just ensure you behave.”
Three additional Sentinels materialized in the periphery. Two were armed to the teeth, while Lukas, like Max, wore a tuxedo. Max pushed Valerie toward the nearest Sentinel. “Take her to headquarters. Have Olin interrogate her.”
Offering a stiff nod, the man grasped Valerie’s upper arm. The other fully armed Sentinel fell into formation on her other side. He grasped her arm as well and the three faded from view.
“What the hell just happened?” Steffen asked.
“He got us to tip our hand,” Max muttered with a frustrated sigh.
“Do you believe him?” Mara asked. “Do you think Valerie killed Robert?”
“Probably, which means technically he’s right. I have no reason to apprehend him.”
“Yet,” Lukas drawled. “He’ll slip up. They always do.”
“And we just wait around until he makes a mistake?” Mara didn’t like the sound of that at all.
“If he’s smart, and he is, Taerok learned two things tonight.” Max held up his index finger. “One, his focus on pureblood Dichotomies is misplaced.” His second finger joined the first. “Two, you’re not worth his time.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“I mean no disrespect.” Amusement revealed flashes of blue within the depths of Max’s dark eyes. “This is one situation where
Neither tall nor brawny, the vampire managed to exude menace with nothing more than his presence. His hair was a common shade of brown, tucked carelessly behind his ears. Though his eyes were the same unremarkable brown, the intensity in their depths was chilling.
“Are you talking to me?” Steffen did a respectable job of sounding confused.
A slender woman stood beside the vampire. The calculation in her blue eyes belied her bored expression. She turned to the vampire with a charming smile. “Can we play with them before you kill them? They make such a pretty couple.”
Ignoring her entirely, the vampire moved toward Steffen. “Where is Max?”
A large space behind the couple blurred as if space itself disintegrated to make way for the Sentinel commander. “I’ve never known you to negotiate with anyone, Taerok, so don’t waste our time.” Tall, heavily muscled, and darkly dangerous, Max was far more what Mara had expected than his nemesis. “Do you turn yourself in or do my men close ranks and bring you down?”
Taerok chuckled, pivoting so he could see Max without losing sight of Steffen. “Though it would be entertaining to watch you try, you have no crime with which to charge me.”
Max’s dark eyes narrowed and tension rolled across his broad shoulders. “I’ve got the savaged body of a Dichotomy that says otherwise.”
“Yes, poor Robert.” Taerok folded his fingers and inspected his immaculate nails. “That was unfortunate, but I had nothing to do with his death.” Amusement bled from the woman’s expression an instant before Taerok grabbed her arm. “Valerie took a life and as her sire she is my responsibility.” He shoved her toward Max as the ghost of a smile stole across his thin lips. “Do with her what you will. I uphold the alliance.”
Valerie collided with Max as Taerok flashed out of sight.
“That lying bastard!” Valerie tugged against Max’s meaty fist, her features tense and pale. “He killed Robert, not me! You can’t take his word for it.” Max snatched a metallic band off the back of his belt and snapped it against the side of her neck. The semi-rigid collar coiled around her throat and she shrieked as if she’d been scalded. Kicking and twisting, she gasped and cursed.
“Settle down,” Max commanded. “It won’t hurt if you stop fighting it.”
“It’s draining me,” she cried, clawing at the offensive band. “I can feel my strength melting away.”
“It will just ensure you behave.”
Three additional Sentinels materialized in the periphery. Two were armed to the teeth, while Lukas, like Max, wore a tuxedo. Max pushed Valerie toward the nearest Sentinel. “Take her to headquarters. Have Olin interrogate her.”
Offering a stiff nod, the man grasped Valerie’s upper arm. The other fully armed Sentinel fell into formation on her other side. He grasped her arm as well and the three faded from view.
“What the hell just happened?” Steffen asked.
“He got us to tip our hand,” Max muttered with a frustrated sigh.
“Do you believe him?” Mara asked. “Do you think Valerie killed Robert?”
“Probably, which means technically he’s right. I have no reason to apprehend him.”
“Yet,” Lukas drawled. “He’ll slip up. They always do.”
“And we just wait around until he makes a mistake?” Mara didn’t like the sound of that at all.
“If he’s smart, and he is, Taerok learned two things tonight.” Max held up his index finger. “One, his focus on pureblood Dichotomies is misplaced.” His second finger joined the first. “Two, you’re not worth his time.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“I mean no disrespect.” Amusement revealed flashes of blue within the depths of Max’s dark eyes. “This is one situation where
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