Rogue Descendant (Nikki Glass) by Jenna Black

wasn’t until almost eleven, but a quick check on the weather had shown me rain was heading our way. The skies were still clear, but who knew how long it would last? I stood by my window and watched the sky anxiously as I called Steph. There was no urgent reason why I should have to go out hunting tonight, specifically, except for my fear that Konstantin wasn’t going to wait very long before he struck again.
    The phone call started off poorly, because Steph was planning to meet Blake for dinner. If the rain weren’t moving in, I’d have said we could go on our hunting expedition afterward, but it didn’t look like we were going to have a whole lot of time tonight. Steph reluctantly agreed she could reschedule her date for the next day.
    The good news was that since she’d been planning to meet Blake, Steph was already on her way to the mansion when I called, and she arrived about fifteen minutes later. I waited for her on the front porch, my rental car parked along the mansion’scircular drive. Steph pulled up behind the rental, and I took a deep breath before starting down the stairs toward her. Silly of me to feel nervous about seeing my own sister, but I was still swimming in guilt about the hell I’d brought on our family, and I knew she wasn’t happy with me for interrupting her planned evening with Blake.
    Our eyes met over the hood of her car as Steph got out, and maybe I was reading things into her expression that weren’t there, but I thought I detected a hint of coolness. I wondered if asking her to do the driving tonight was a bad idea, but it was too late to change my mind now. I dug the keys to the rental out of my coat pocket and took a quick glance at the darkening sky. So far, there were only wispy clouds, and the moon was easily visible. It was a good night for a hunt.
    “Thanks for helping me out,” I said to Steph as I handed her the keys.
    She certainly didn’t need to dress up for a date with Blake, who would find her beautiful and alluring even in ratty sweats, but either they’d been planning to go somewhere fancy, or she’d dressed up because she felt like it. Her red wool swing coat covered most of the outfit, but her black pencil skirt and stiletto-heeled pumps gave her away. Not the kind of outfit she’d have worn if she’d known how she’d be spending the next few hours.
    I guess my visual assessment of her outfit wasn’t terribly subtle, because Steph looked down at herself and chuckled. “I’ll be the best-dressed assistant private eye out there.”
    “I’m sorry—” I started, but Steph cut me off.
    “I have even more reason than you to want Konstantin caught,” Steph said, all hints of humor banished. “I’m not doing this as some kind of favor.”
    I knew that was the truth, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to apologize. I refrained, because I knew Steph wouldn’t appreciate it. “Am I allowed to thank you at least?”
    She sighed dramatically. “I suppose so,” she said in a tone of long-suffering patience.
    My lips twitched with a smile. Maybe I really had been imagining the hint of coolness I’d thought I’d seen when she first got out of the car. She seemed like her usual self, full of warmth and good humor.
    “Thank you,” I said again, and then I gave her an impulsive hug. She was more than just my big sister; she was also my best friend, and a truly nice person at heart. Maybe somewhere deep down inside she was angry about all the chaos I’d brought into her life, but she would be ashamed of those feelings and would do her best not to show them. That was all I could ask for, and maybe more than I deserved.
    “All righty then,” Steph said when I released her from the hug, “let’s get this show on the road.”
    I smiled at the stupid pun, and Steph and I piled into the rental. I’d thought about planning out an elaborate route that would take us by more Olympian properties, but I hadn’t been near any of those properties when I’d