Dealers of Light by Lara Nance

head, still not sure what to think of this whole situation. The heat that had emanated from him in the store no longer existed. He must be able to control it.
    “I’m in town to deal with a threat.  I went to the apartment because I followed the Taker there.”
    “A threat? Taker?” She tilted her head to one side and crossed her arms over her chest. “Please explain.”
    “You really don’t want to be involved in this.” He shifted in his chair. “You have no idea of the danger.”
    Cara pointed to her head, indicating her injuries. “Already involved.”
    A half smile tweaked his full lips . “It’s been so long since I had the opportunity to converse openly about the Light. Please, tell me how you know about Light-dealing.”
    “I appreciate your attempt to divert me, but we’ve had some strange happenings recently and if you know anything about it, we really need to know.” She leaned forward and jabbed a finger at him. “People are dying and not nicely. My friends and I know how, but not why.”
    Rolf leaned back in his chair and puffed out a big breath. “So, you demand the truth. It seems you may have some inkling of what I’m here to investigate. Please, trust me, my intent is to make sure no harm comes to anyone. Have a seat. You’ve been through a lot tonight.”
    She eyed him askance and moved toward the chair . The pain urged her to sit, so she complied. If he really came here to help, he needed to know about the murders. An image of Emmie popped in her head, igniting a sudden desire to tell him about the gift—
    No, she should keep that bit of information quiet for now. “I’ll tell you this much: there have been at least five deaths and two near deaths in the past few weeks in this area. All dead from being drained of Light.”
    An ice blue flame lit Rolf’s eyes. He lowered his head for several minutes, with his hands gripped together before him. The flame she’d seen in his eyes resembled that of a panther stalking its prey. A thrill of fascination coursed through her veins.
    “Well?” she prompted after the moment of silence stretched too long for her nerves.
    He glanced up and his broad shoulders slumped. “This is the worst possible news. It confirms my own fears.”
    “So, our suspicions are true? Someone or something is sucking the Light and life from people?” Her voice trembled as terror swept over her.
    “Yes, of course , and it’s happened many times in the past. You could do it if you desired. It’s just a reverse of the flow. The difference is, you would never dream of such an act. However, there are some who come to crave this deprivation.”
    “Crave? You must be kidding.” Guilt crashed through her mind as she remembered the night she’d almost drained the life from her old lover, Chris. But there had been no joy in such a horrible mistake—and certainly no desire to repeat it.
    “The Takers absorb Light but also inflict pain on an individual . Then they take in the Light, thrilling in the pain and agony soaked into the energy—a bizarre form of sadomasochism as addictive as heroin. It starts slowly, like any addiction. A dealer takes some tainted Light then craves it more and more until they are completely turned to evil and live only for the powerful sensation.”
    Her stomach rolled at this hideous thought. It confirmed what had been happening with the dead bodies and tortured individuals who’d shown up in the ER. This is madness . Dealers stealing pained Light. It couldn’t be true.
    “I see from your eyes you have some knowledge of this.” Rolf’s voice lowered.
    Cara gripped her hands together and sagged in the chair. She shivered despite the warmth from the fire beside her. Once, she’d taken Light by mistake, but there had been no pain involved. No enjoyment. How frightening. “You call them Takers?”
    “Yes, there are Givers and Takers. You’re a Giver, they are Takers. How many like you are in this city?” Rolf asked, eyes