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Authors: Sheri Lewis Wohl
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found something about the man who sat across from her unsettling. And not in a bad way. Oh, no, it was more in the does-my-hair-look-good way. Fucking insane.
The air was warm and filled with the smell of hash browns, brewed coffee, and maple syrup. In an odd way, the familiar scents comforted her. Something normal in a world that was far from it.
She was far from normal. Her ex-husband was downtown, locked away in her cooler, and here she sat drinking coffee with a guy she should probably run in the opposite direction of. Instead, she was fascinated. Hard not to be—even if he might be certifiable.
The man was a looker. Six feet three, if he was an inch, with sandy hair and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. And his ass? It made her hands itch. Oh, yeah, he was hot all right…smoking hot.
“Ivy?” He interrupted her thoughts.
“Sorry,” she murmured, and blinked hard.
Get it together, chica.
He squeezed her hand lightly, the same hand he’d now been holding for too long to qualify as a comforting gesture from a complete stranger. She didn’t pull away.
“Tell me how you know about the vampire.”
It wouldn’t do her any good to try to sidestep the issue. He might be volcano hot, but he was also more than a pretty face. A mind like a steel trap, as her mother was so fond of saying. He’d shared with her, now it was her turn to spill. His eyes were steady on her face as he waited. She sensed he’d wait for hours if that’s what it would take to get her to talk.
No time like the present. Ivy took a deep breath and plunged in. “I trained under a very skilled and knowledgeable medical examiner. She had an uncanny gift for the field and always a huge list of students waiting for her to pick them as an intern.” Ivy looked directly into his beautiful green eyes. “She always taught at night.”
His fingers tightened their grip and he nodded slightly. “She was a vampire.”
“She
is
a vampire,” Ivy said.
He cocked his head and studied her face. “The ME in Spokane?”
“Yes.”
His green eyes darkened and his grip on her hand was almost painful. “What’s her name?”
“She’s not one of your monsters.” She tugged at his painful grip, and although his fingers loosened a little, they still clung tight to her hand.
“What’s her name?” Colin’s voice was very low and the green of his eyes seemed to grow dark as forest moss.
Ivy managed to pull her hand away and began to rub her fingers.
She’d have to add “strong” to his list of attributes. “Riah Preston.
Doctor Riah Preston.”
His brow wrinkled and he cocked his head. “That can’t be.”
“Of course it can. I’m telling you, I’ve known her for at least fifteen years, and her name is Riah Preston.” So what was his deal?
Was he calling her a liar?
He seemed to read her expression. “I’m not saying you’re making it up or telling me a lie. It’s just that if her name really is Riah Preston, then she’s managed to keep off the radar and, more important, it means three vampires are left instead of two.”
“You’re not going to hurt her.” Ivy already regretted telling him. It was a terrible mistake. She was usually a much better judge of character.
As if he sensed her alarm, the expression on his face softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s a bit of a shock. You have to understand, my entire life has been focused on stopping these creatures. I’ve always known what my path in this world was to be and, through much training and education, was armed with the information and tools necessary to do my job. To suddenly discover the playing field has changed is a little difficult to absorb.”
“Your playing field hasn’t changed an iota. The fact Riah is a vampire doesn’t change the fact that she’s one of the good guys.
Make no mistake, Colin, she’s on our side. This isn’t a gray area for me, it’s very black-and-white.”
“You don’t really know what these things can do,” he
The air was warm and filled with the smell of hash browns, brewed coffee, and maple syrup. In an odd way, the familiar scents comforted her. Something normal in a world that was far from it.
She was far from normal. Her ex-husband was downtown, locked away in her cooler, and here she sat drinking coffee with a guy she should probably run in the opposite direction of. Instead, she was fascinated. Hard not to be—even if he might be certifiable.
The man was a looker. Six feet three, if he was an inch, with sandy hair and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. And his ass? It made her hands itch. Oh, yeah, he was hot all right…smoking hot.
“Ivy?” He interrupted her thoughts.
“Sorry,” she murmured, and blinked hard.
Get it together, chica.
He squeezed her hand lightly, the same hand he’d now been holding for too long to qualify as a comforting gesture from a complete stranger. She didn’t pull away.
“Tell me how you know about the vampire.”
It wouldn’t do her any good to try to sidestep the issue. He might be volcano hot, but he was also more than a pretty face. A mind like a steel trap, as her mother was so fond of saying. He’d shared with her, now it was her turn to spill. His eyes were steady on her face as he waited. She sensed he’d wait for hours if that’s what it would take to get her to talk.
No time like the present. Ivy took a deep breath and plunged in. “I trained under a very skilled and knowledgeable medical examiner. She had an uncanny gift for the field and always a huge list of students waiting for her to pick them as an intern.” Ivy looked directly into his beautiful green eyes. “She always taught at night.”
His fingers tightened their grip and he nodded slightly. “She was a vampire.”
“She
is
a vampire,” Ivy said.
He cocked his head and studied her face. “The ME in Spokane?”
“Yes.”
His green eyes darkened and his grip on her hand was almost painful. “What’s her name?”
“She’s not one of your monsters.” She tugged at his painful grip, and although his fingers loosened a little, they still clung tight to her hand.
“What’s her name?” Colin’s voice was very low and the green of his eyes seemed to grow dark as forest moss.
Ivy managed to pull her hand away and began to rub her fingers.
She’d have to add “strong” to his list of attributes. “Riah Preston.
Doctor Riah Preston.”
His brow wrinkled and he cocked his head. “That can’t be.”
“Of course it can. I’m telling you, I’ve known her for at least fifteen years, and her name is Riah Preston.” So what was his deal?
Was he calling her a liar?
He seemed to read her expression. “I’m not saying you’re making it up or telling me a lie. It’s just that if her name really is Riah Preston, then she’s managed to keep off the radar and, more important, it means three vampires are left instead of two.”
“You’re not going to hurt her.” Ivy already regretted telling him. It was a terrible mistake. She was usually a much better judge of character.
As if he sensed her alarm, the expression on his face softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s a bit of a shock. You have to understand, my entire life has been focused on stopping these creatures. I’ve always known what my path in this world was to be and, through much training and education, was armed with the information and tools necessary to do my job. To suddenly discover the playing field has changed is a little difficult to absorb.”
“Your playing field hasn’t changed an iota. The fact Riah is a vampire doesn’t change the fact that she’s one of the good guys.
Make no mistake, Colin, she’s on our side. This isn’t a gray area for me, it’s very black-and-white.”
“You don’t really know what these things can do,” he
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