vampires or desperately wanted to know about vampires. The women Ryker fed from got a killer high off his fang, and their blood was rarely missed. Similarly, Izzie wasn't anything like the woman to whom Ryker had once been engaged, the woman who had given his chest the first of many stab wounds. Maggie hadn't taken kindly to Ryker's new body or disposition, nor had she been eager to join him in undeath.
The women he met were either addicted to the rush or determined to end his life. Izzie was the first person to embody neither quality.
That was why he'd come out here, Ryker told himself. He didn't need to find her because he cared what happened to her—he needed to find her because she was too damn intriguing to just let die.
Whatever she 'd encountered after leaving The Wall was not a friend, nor a coincidence. He'd lived too long, seen too much, to believe in chance. Any trouble she'd found was his fault. He should have sensed someone on his trail. He should have been more careful.
Immortality didn 't excuse clumsiness or arrogance, and through one or the other he'd led some predator right to her.
" Damn," Ryker murmured, his hands sliding into his pockets. "Where are you?"
Footsteps bounced off pavement and carried through the alleyways, stirring him from his reverie and directing his gaze toward the area where Izzie had left her vampires the night before last. Her scent filled his lungs and, as though answering a prayer, she appeared. Her midnight hair was wrapped in a sloppy ponytail, her usually pale skin was flushed, and she had a bag slung over her shoulder. She skidded to a stop, apparently as taken aback to see him as he was to see her.
Ryker blinked. "Well," he said. "Guess that answers that question."
" What are you doing here?" she demanded.
She was visibly flustered, and the knowledge gave him comfort. As confused as he'd been since she wandered into his life, it was reassuring that she hadn't escaped unscathed.
" Thought a midnight stroll sounded fun," he replied with a shrug.
" You're a few hours early."
" Yeah, well, it's always midnight somewhere." He smirked, the pressure in his chest alleviating, but not as much as he would have liked. The notion anyone, especially a human female, could have any power over him was disconcerting, and the quicker he shook the sensation the better. "Your turn." His gaze dropped to her duffle bag. "Something send you running scared?"
" Why?"
" Looks like you're all packed."
" I'm leaving town, and you might wanna think of doing the same."
His eyebrows perked. "Oh yeah? Any reason why?"
" Look, I don't have time to explain. I just—"
" If you're scampering, why is it that you're here and not with Butch?"
" Because that's the way it is. What are you doing out here?"
Ryker spread his arms. "Already told you. Midnight stroll."
" Connor said you were looking for me."
Dammit. He didn 't want her knowing that. He didn't want her knowing anything. Connor had a bit of a problem with the truth, in that he liked telling it too much. It would have been an admirable quality were it not so damn annoying.
Ryker sighed and shrugged, doing his best not to look bothered or tense. "And if I am?" he asked. "You're the one that bolted like a bat outta hell last night."
" And what? You decided twenty-four hours later you'd give a damn?"
" Oh, is that what this is about? You wanted me to come after you? Sorry, sweets, you don't really seem like the damsel type."
Izzie 's eyes hardened. "I'm not."
" Then why ask at all?"
" Because I—ahh, fuck it, it doesn't matter." She scowled, bouncing her duffle bag. "You're not safe."
" Well, yeah. I'm a vampire."
" I mean you're not safe here . They're after you."
Ryker frowned. All right, so that wasn 't exactly what he'd expected. "After me?"
" Some guy named Prentiss and the two hussies he works with."
That name . . . . He did his best not to react, but the pounding in his head deafened.
" Look," she continued, "I don't
The women he met were either addicted to the rush or determined to end his life. Izzie was the first person to embody neither quality.
That was why he'd come out here, Ryker told himself. He didn't need to find her because he cared what happened to her—he needed to find her because she was too damn intriguing to just let die.
Whatever she 'd encountered after leaving The Wall was not a friend, nor a coincidence. He'd lived too long, seen too much, to believe in chance. Any trouble she'd found was his fault. He should have sensed someone on his trail. He should have been more careful.
Immortality didn 't excuse clumsiness or arrogance, and through one or the other he'd led some predator right to her.
" Damn," Ryker murmured, his hands sliding into his pockets. "Where are you?"
Footsteps bounced off pavement and carried through the alleyways, stirring him from his reverie and directing his gaze toward the area where Izzie had left her vampires the night before last. Her scent filled his lungs and, as though answering a prayer, she appeared. Her midnight hair was wrapped in a sloppy ponytail, her usually pale skin was flushed, and she had a bag slung over her shoulder. She skidded to a stop, apparently as taken aback to see him as he was to see her.
Ryker blinked. "Well," he said. "Guess that answers that question."
" What are you doing here?" she demanded.
She was visibly flustered, and the knowledge gave him comfort. As confused as he'd been since she wandered into his life, it was reassuring that she hadn't escaped unscathed.
" Thought a midnight stroll sounded fun," he replied with a shrug.
" You're a few hours early."
" Yeah, well, it's always midnight somewhere." He smirked, the pressure in his chest alleviating, but not as much as he would have liked. The notion anyone, especially a human female, could have any power over him was disconcerting, and the quicker he shook the sensation the better. "Your turn." His gaze dropped to her duffle bag. "Something send you running scared?"
" Why?"
" Looks like you're all packed."
" I'm leaving town, and you might wanna think of doing the same."
His eyebrows perked. "Oh yeah? Any reason why?"
" Look, I don't have time to explain. I just—"
" If you're scampering, why is it that you're here and not with Butch?"
" Because that's the way it is. What are you doing out here?"
Ryker spread his arms. "Already told you. Midnight stroll."
" Connor said you were looking for me."
Dammit. He didn 't want her knowing that. He didn't want her knowing anything. Connor had a bit of a problem with the truth, in that he liked telling it too much. It would have been an admirable quality were it not so damn annoying.
Ryker sighed and shrugged, doing his best not to look bothered or tense. "And if I am?" he asked. "You're the one that bolted like a bat outta hell last night."
" And what? You decided twenty-four hours later you'd give a damn?"
" Oh, is that what this is about? You wanted me to come after you? Sorry, sweets, you don't really seem like the damsel type."
Izzie 's eyes hardened. "I'm not."
" Then why ask at all?"
" Because I—ahh, fuck it, it doesn't matter." She scowled, bouncing her duffle bag. "You're not safe."
" Well, yeah. I'm a vampire."
" I mean you're not safe here . They're after you."
Ryker frowned. All right, so that wasn 't exactly what he'd expected. "After me?"
" Some guy named Prentiss and the two hussies he works with."
That name . . . . He did his best not to react, but the pounding in his head deafened.
" Look," she continued, "I don't
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