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Authors: Kendra Leigh Castle
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that they were the same sort of creature. But Tynan had given her the impression of power kept tightly leashed, tightly controlled. This one seemed more interested in toying with her, holding back from his hunger only until he grew bored.
She had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be long.
Desperate to distract him until she could think of someway out of this, Lily tried to keep the man engaged in conversation.
“Tynan. You two work together? He’s a friend of yours?” she asked, trying to stay composed, stay cool. Inside, she felt something beginning to gather. The old, unpredictable darkness she’d kept at bay for so many years now. But she doubted it would be enough to save her, not when she’d deliberately locked it away for so long. And not helping matters, the question earned her a derisive snort.
“No, we don’t work together. He’s not strong enough to handle what I do—he never was. As for friendship, I don’t believe he’d consider us that anymore either. I certainly don’t. But I’m not really in the mood to explain.”
He stretched a little, shifting position again as though he were tiring of this whole ordeal, and Lily was struck by his similarity to Tynan, despite what he’d said. They moved the same way, with a preternatural grace in even the smallest movements.
“You could explain who you are and what you’re doing here, then,” Lily said, wincing when she heard the bite of fear in her tone. But she couldn’t hide it. He couldn’t be real; this couldn’t be real, any of it…
“I myself am no one,” he purred with an inviting half smile. She got the sense that he was trying to pull her in, to lull her into the same trance that Tynan had been able to achieve with merely a look. And yet still, she felt nothing, only the same bright panic she’d felt when she’d first seen him. Her unwanted guest seemed to sense it, and after a moment, the smile faded.
“I’m just the hired help.
Expensive
hired help, but my employers have excellent taste. And as for you… it isn’twhat you’ve done, dear Lily, but what you
are
that’s the problem.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His gaze was unnervingly direct. “It doesn’t really matter if you know or you don’t. You can bury certain things, lovely Lily, but blood can’t be denied forever. Trust me, it’s a fact I live with every day. Well, night,” he said, his mouth curving slightly. “I’m a vicious killer. And you are, shall we say, a woman of vision. Or at least, I’m assuming you must be, otherwise you wouldn’t have had Ty sniffing at your heels for days.” He cocked his head at her. “How sad. You really don’t know what you are, do you?”
And the hell of it was, she didn’t. She never had. As a child, she’d felt a power inside her that she didn’t understand, but she knew that whatever it was, it made her different, and not in a good way. So she had buried it deep, so deep that it could manifest itself now only in nightmares. But the miserable affliction that had plagued her as a girl, that had left her alone in the world, had never truly gone. What on earth it had to do with this man, Lily couldn’t imagine. And she wasn’t at all sure she’d live to see the question answered.
“Are you going to kill me?” she asked. The truth in his eyes was unmistakable.
“What I’m going to do,” the man said, “is be paid for a job well done. But I must say,” he continued, his gaze traveling slowly over her, “the pleasure I’ll get from taking you will be a welcome bonus. Such things are few and far between in my line of work. Still, it’s a living. In a manner of speaking.”
“What
are
you?” she asked hoarsely, every ounce of her common sense rebelling at the things she couldn’tseem to blink away—the red eyes, the fangs, the pale and perfect skin.
His lips curved in a small, pitying smile. “My dear Lily, please. It’s not much of a stretch to figure it out, even if you don’t
She had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be long.
Desperate to distract him until she could think of someway out of this, Lily tried to keep the man engaged in conversation.
“Tynan. You two work together? He’s a friend of yours?” she asked, trying to stay composed, stay cool. Inside, she felt something beginning to gather. The old, unpredictable darkness she’d kept at bay for so many years now. But she doubted it would be enough to save her, not when she’d deliberately locked it away for so long. And not helping matters, the question earned her a derisive snort.
“No, we don’t work together. He’s not strong enough to handle what I do—he never was. As for friendship, I don’t believe he’d consider us that anymore either. I certainly don’t. But I’m not really in the mood to explain.”
He stretched a little, shifting position again as though he were tiring of this whole ordeal, and Lily was struck by his similarity to Tynan, despite what he’d said. They moved the same way, with a preternatural grace in even the smallest movements.
“You could explain who you are and what you’re doing here, then,” Lily said, wincing when she heard the bite of fear in her tone. But she couldn’t hide it. He couldn’t be real; this couldn’t be real, any of it…
“I myself am no one,” he purred with an inviting half smile. She got the sense that he was trying to pull her in, to lull her into the same trance that Tynan had been able to achieve with merely a look. And yet still, she felt nothing, only the same bright panic she’d felt when she’d first seen him. Her unwanted guest seemed to sense it, and after a moment, the smile faded.
“I’m just the hired help.
Expensive
hired help, but my employers have excellent taste. And as for you… it isn’twhat you’ve done, dear Lily, but what you
are
that’s the problem.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His gaze was unnervingly direct. “It doesn’t really matter if you know or you don’t. You can bury certain things, lovely Lily, but blood can’t be denied forever. Trust me, it’s a fact I live with every day. Well, night,” he said, his mouth curving slightly. “I’m a vicious killer. And you are, shall we say, a woman of vision. Or at least, I’m assuming you must be, otherwise you wouldn’t have had Ty sniffing at your heels for days.” He cocked his head at her. “How sad. You really don’t know what you are, do you?”
And the hell of it was, she didn’t. She never had. As a child, she’d felt a power inside her that she didn’t understand, but she knew that whatever it was, it made her different, and not in a good way. So she had buried it deep, so deep that it could manifest itself now only in nightmares. But the miserable affliction that had plagued her as a girl, that had left her alone in the world, had never truly gone. What on earth it had to do with this man, Lily couldn’t imagine. And she wasn’t at all sure she’d live to see the question answered.
“Are you going to kill me?” she asked. The truth in his eyes was unmistakable.
“What I’m going to do,” the man said, “is be paid for a job well done. But I must say,” he continued, his gaze traveling slowly over her, “the pleasure I’ll get from taking you will be a welcome bonus. Such things are few and far between in my line of work. Still, it’s a living. In a manner of speaking.”
“What
are
you?” she asked hoarsely, every ounce of her common sense rebelling at the things she couldn’tseem to blink away—the red eyes, the fangs, the pale and perfect skin.
His lips curved in a small, pitying smile. “My dear Lily, please. It’s not much of a stretch to figure it out, even if you don’t
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