When Darkness Hungers: A Shadow Keepers Novel (Shadow Keepers 5) by J.K. Beck Page A

will hold on to the ball. When she’s getting close, it will begin to warm. And be careful,” Leena added. “This will find him wherever he is. And since we know he’s fed, he may be with others in a nest by now. Promise me you won’t take chances.”
    “I’m coming with you,” Edgar said.
    Alexis looked at him critically. “Are you sure?” They’d talked about him acting as her backup, but they’d agreed he needed to get into better shape before fighting regularly at her side.
    “She mentions nest, I think ambush. Yeah, I’m sure. You need another set of eyes. Besides, I can handle myself with a crossbow.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “You can?”
    He shrugged. “How hard can it be?”
    “Let’s see if we can’t find you something a little more your speed.” She wasn’t about to argue against him coming—he was right; she could use the backup. But no way was she giving him an unfamiliar weapon. Fortunately, she had just the thing for a newbie vampire hunter.
    While Leena waited upstairs, she and Edgar headed into her Batcave.
    “Now,
this
is what I’m talking about,” Edgar said, walking to the wall of weapons and taking a crossbow off its hook. He lifted it, aimed at the target on the far side of the room, and released the arrow. He missed by about eighteen inches.
    “Try this,” Alexis said. She handed him a Glock that had been converted to fire wooden bullets by a gunsmithshe knew in Pomona. He aimed, fired, and nailed the bull’s-eye. “Not as sexy,” Alexis said with a wry smile. “But it has a better chance of keeping you alive.”
    She picked up the crossbow. It was her kind of weapon. In addition, she slipped on her leather jacket, the one that had the spring-loaded stakes in the sleeves. She slid a third stake into the cuff of her boot.
    “You’re really taking that thing out?” Edgar asked, eyeing the crossbow. “Not exactly inconspicuous.”
    She shrugged. He was right, but it was after midnight, and she’d killed her first vampire with that crossbow. Even though it had failed her in the alley, she still considered it her good-luck charm.
    Armed, they headed out. They were in the driveway saying good-bye to Leena, when Edgar got paged. He glanced at the screen, frowned, and called in. A second later he clicked his phone shut and shook his head. “A homicide. I have to go in.”
    “Not one of mine?” Alexis asked.
    “Shooting. Domestic dispute. As human as it comes, but I’ve got to get over there.”
    “I’ll call you later and tell you how it went at the beach.”
    She saw the alarm fire in his eyes. “You’re still going?”
    “Um, yeah. It’s not like I haven’t done this by myself before.”
    “Yeah, but it’s like Russian roulette. How many times can you spin that chamber and not end up dead? Hell, you almost lost the bet when you met those two in the alley.”
    “I’ll be fine. You have to go because someone died, and you’re going to stand for the victim. I get that. I respect it. But I’m doing the same thing.”
    “That’s a fucked-up way of looking at it, Alexis. I’m walking into a crime scene. You could be walking into a slaughter. Wait for me. We’ll go together.”
    “Edgar …”
    “Just do this for me. I don’t want you to end up dead.”
    “Fine. Okay, fine.”
    He looked at her as if he could read her mind. She pasted on an innocent smile. After a second, Edgar sighed and nodded. “All right. I’m out of here. I’m calling you later.”
    “I know.”
    Another nod, firmer this time, as if he was working hard to convince himself. Then he slid behind the wheel of his car, started the engine, and zipped away.
    Alexis shot a quick glance at Leena, then marched down the driveway to where she’d left the Ducati.
    “I thought you said you weren’t going,” Leena said.
    “You believed me?”
    Her friend scowled, but didn’t protest. “Just be careful, okay? If this does turn out to be the vamp that got away, he’s going to be pissed