To Have: Vampire Assassin League #19 by Jackie Ivie Page A

need advice.”
    “It’s not that kind of advice. You know it could be true. A newly mated vampire is about as helpful as a — never mind. You have another problem.”
    “Where?”
    “You are near a small Hunter camp, Your Highness. It’s excellent country for it out there. Easily overlooked by authorities. The moment the word vampire came across the scanners, you earned trouble. You’ve got a rogue killing team with you in their sights. They’re young. Cocky. Inexperienced. And looking for bragging rights. Bagging you and your mate would be a major coup. Has a helicopter arrived at the ranger station by any chance? In the last few minutes?”
    “Yes. But it’s a medical evacuation helicopter. It was ordered. I heard them.”
    “They’re going to transport your mate out of the vicinity, and that doesn’t worry you?”
    “I was just about to go down there when you rang.”
    “Ah. Good. There is a prince on a white charger buried somewhere in your personae. We’d better send a 4-D Team. Nigel, call up Red. They’re in the area. Something about a Las Vegas summit. And see that The Prince’s jet is fueled up and ready for departure.”
    “A 4-D Team?” Daron asked.
    “That is not a medical helicopter, Your Highness. I understand the medical transport is just leaving the city and is still en route.”
    Daron dropped the phone. An instant later he was at the side of the building. Listening. Primed. And for the first time in over two millennia, he was scared.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
    Evie settled her forehead onto the surface of the table. She was starting to get a headache. Great. Another pain lanced through right behind her eyeballs. Maybe it was aftereffects of sunstroke. Maybe it was the depth of concentration she was using to say Daron’s name. Either way, it was just adding to her misery. And now they wanted her picture. She couldn’t allow a picture to go out on the web.
    Stay calm, Little One. Your prince is on his way.
    Evie lifted her head. The words had been clearly enunciated, really deep, and tinged with a slightly foreign accent. She didn’t know the voice. And she hadn’t been called ‘little’ in years.
    “Did you hear that?” she asked Supervisor Craig.
    “Yeah. Chopper has arrived. Guess you’re leaving us. Smile pretty this time.”
    Evie gave him a deadpan expression. He clicked the button on the fifth camera he’d tried. This was Ranger Rick’s cell phone. According to the supervisor, if anything could photograph a pretty girl’s face, it was this one.
    “I don’t get it. This one is a big shadowy blob, too.”
    He looked from the screen to her and back.
Big shadowy blob. Hmm
. She must have changed. There was the sound of something scraping along the floor. It came from outside the door. It sounded larger than a chair. It was followed by a thud. Another one resounded through the structure, larger this time. And then she heard an interrupted cry. Supervisor Craig surprised her with his agility, by jumping up and slapping his back against the wall beside the door, and he had a gun drawn.
    He put a finger to his lip as if she’d give away his location. Evie’s expression didn’t change although everything in her body was reacting. Singing. Dancing. Winging upward. Daron had arrived! Any moment now she would be in his arms. Secure. Loved. Complete.
    She watched as Supervisor Craig did something to his weapon. He was probably taking the safety off, although her only clue to that was gleaned from movies and cop shows. She wondered if bullets could harm a vampire. And then she knew she wasn’t willing to chance it. Evie inched toward the water bottle. She didn’t have anything else. He watched her, and then he pushed his head back and turned toward the door. Evie peeled the product tampering seal off, and had the bottle almost to her mouth as the door crashed open. Supervisor Craig got smacked right in the bridge of the nose. Two heavily armed guys strode in. A third fellow made