Fanged Fury (The Adventures of Sydney Sedrick Book 3) by Mandi Casey Page B

the morning air was frigid, making the store chilly inside. The walls of the store’s old building weren’t well insulated.
    I peered over my shoulder. “Why don’t I believe you, Dale? You’re hiding something. You know I don’t like being held in the dark. So spill it already.” I turned my attention back to the fireplace to position the kindling into a pointed structure.
    Dale sat on the couch next to the fireplace. Nervously massaging his chin while trying to feign interest in an object against the far wall, he tapped a shoe against the floor while remaining silent.
    After lighting the fire, I went to the couch to sit next to Dale. I positioned myself close to him, knowing my nearness caused him discomfort. Dale had a crush on me. It would never turn into anything because he wasn’t the werewolf who held my heart in his temperamental paw, but I was the Selected. I had a responsibility to stay informed, even if that meant using Dale’s feelings to get information I needed.
    No longer able to stand the silence, Dale cracked under my scrutiny. “Okay, fine. I was with my family last night. You were right, Miss Sydney. We were up pretty late.”
    “Uh huh. What were you and your family doing up in the wee hours of the morning?” I scooted closer to Dale on the couch while making sure we didn’t physically touch.
    He frowned. A thin sheen of sweat broke out on his brow while more glistened above his top lip. I couldn’t help but smirk. My ploy, albeit not a nice one, was working.
    “Miss Sydney, that’s what I was going to tell you. You see, I’ve told you my family has certain abilities. We’re well aware of what kinds of people live here in Kenosha. Well, we try to stay out of their business. For the most part they stay out of ours. We keep a watchful eye on what they’re up to, but we don’t intervene unless we have to.” Dale lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and took a long gulp.
    I put my hands up, motioning for him to continue his story. Patience was not one of my strengths. “Did something happen last night, Dale?” I knew he was leading up to telling me something, but his stalling was driving me into a state of annoyance.
    Dale put his head down, staring at his jean-clad knees. “Sydney, last night a few members of my family and I were working on something out in the woods. We were approached by a vampire who tried to bribe us into working with him.”
    My lungs iced while a chill ran down my spine. I couldn’t take another betrayal from someone close to me. Liam, Kieran’s second-in-command, had betrayed us all. There was a time I had considered him a close friend of mine. I didn’t intend on making that mistake again. Had I with Dale?
    “Dale, what are you saying? What did the vampire want?” Kieran told me his coven knew about Dale’s family. They served as the watchers of the city. The coven leader never mentioned his vampires were in communication with the witch family.
    The mailman lifted his leg to place an ankle on his other knee. He jumped when our thighs grazed each other’s. A laugh caught in my throat. I couldn’t bring myself to let my emotions flow free. I struggled between laughing in a hysterical fit and screaming about the injustices that made up my life.
    “Sydney, we can’t tell when vampires are rogue or not, so I’m not sure if he’s a member of your vampire friend’s coven. He approached us in the woods asking us to help him get information. The vampire said if we don’t help him get what he wants he’ll hurt the women of our family.” Shame pinked his cheeks. He refused to make eye contact with me.
    “Dale, what information did the vampire want?” The icy chill stayed wrapped around my spine but began to travel through my chest, making my body vibrate.
    Dale got to his feet, leaving me paralyzed, but shivering. He scratched his fingertips against his scalp in a nervous act. “The vampire wanted to know about you, Sydney.” He held out his hands when