up.
“Come on, lady. Finish up.” A man pointed to his watch and held an imaginary phone to his ear, then showed her his cell phone. “My battery is dead.”
He was just a harmless human, but Karen’s gaze quickly swept the street. She’d better get out of sight and on to Plan B — or Plan L or Q or whatever letter she was up to by now. It seemed like she’d spun through the entire alphabet once already and was starting all over again.
“Listen, Kaya, I’d better go.” She checked behind her as she spoke. “Say hi to Trey and take care.”
“I will. And you, too,” Kaya said. “Stay out of trouble, you hear?”
Karen held back a snort. She was neck-deep in trouble. Again.
She hung up, hurried out of the phone booth, and headed down a side alley for the one place in Vegas she figured she would be safe from vampires.
Hopefully.
Possibly.
Maybe.
She threw a last glance over her shoulder and heard her sister’s words echo through her mind.
Stay out of trouble, you hear?
Chapter Seven
Tanner checked the reflection in a shop window for anyone tailing him as he walked down Fremont Street, trying to amble like a tourist instead of rushing. Which took just about everything he had because his bear was kicking and screaming and hurrying him along.
Come on, already! Must see my mate!
God, how could the beast be so sure? And how could his mate be a witch?
Only half witch,
the bear shot back.
Half dragon, too.
He snorted. As if that added up to a good match for a bear.
She’s perfect!
the bear said brightly.
She’s trouble.
The bear just shrugged, like that didn’t matter at all.
She’s in trouble. We’ll get her out.
Again, how could he be so sure? And what the hell would his clan have to say about that? He was in Vegas to help his family, not to rescue crazy she-dragon witches.
My she-dragon witch,
his bear corrected him.
A car horn tooted, and he jerked his head around. Shit, he really needed to pay attention and make sure he wasn’t being followed. Igor Schiller had been furious to find out Karen had escaped, and though all his wrath had been directed at Antoine, you never knew.
Tanner mingled with a crowd then darted down a side street and stood breathlessly in the shadows, checking for any sign of a trace. He’d been careful to park his motorcycle a few blocks away and meander for a good ten minutes, making sure he hadn’t been followed.
No one is following us,
his bear insisted.
Let’s go already.
With one last look back, he headed into an alley and took a right turn. And there, marked by red flags, gold statues, and upward sweeping Chinese towers on the false front, stood his destination: the Golden Panda.
The sweet-and-sour odor of Chinese cooking wafted down the alley, which made it the last place a vampire would wander into — no juicy steaks, no sizzling grills. Rice, chicken, and soy sauce were not exactly vampire fare. Karen was a goddamned genius.
Of course, she is.
His bear grinned.
He licked his lips. It had been a hell of a long day — plus the preceding night when he’d been on duty — and he’d only managed a quick stop at his room in a seedy boarding house before racing out here. A little chop suey sure would hit the spot now.
When he reached the golden statues flanking the door, though, he paused at the scent of shifter. What kind of shifter, he couldn’t tell. Tigers, maybe, like the ones painted on the windows? Dragons? Did Karen have some distant relatives here?
He swung the door open, tensing. What would he do when he saw her? What would he say? And what exactly would he encounter inside?
He ducked past a red velvet curtain and looked around. Six plain tables stood on the left and another six on the right, with a total of five guests at them — three on one side murmuring over a mah-jongg board and two on the other, eating expertly with chopsticks. Giant vases filled with bamboo stalks stood in the corners of the restaurant, and the walls were hung
“Come on, lady. Finish up.” A man pointed to his watch and held an imaginary phone to his ear, then showed her his cell phone. “My battery is dead.”
He was just a harmless human, but Karen’s gaze quickly swept the street. She’d better get out of sight and on to Plan B — or Plan L or Q or whatever letter she was up to by now. It seemed like she’d spun through the entire alphabet once already and was starting all over again.
“Listen, Kaya, I’d better go.” She checked behind her as she spoke. “Say hi to Trey and take care.”
“I will. And you, too,” Kaya said. “Stay out of trouble, you hear?”
Karen held back a snort. She was neck-deep in trouble. Again.
She hung up, hurried out of the phone booth, and headed down a side alley for the one place in Vegas she figured she would be safe from vampires.
Hopefully.
Possibly.
Maybe.
She threw a last glance over her shoulder and heard her sister’s words echo through her mind.
Stay out of trouble, you hear?
Chapter Seven
Tanner checked the reflection in a shop window for anyone tailing him as he walked down Fremont Street, trying to amble like a tourist instead of rushing. Which took just about everything he had because his bear was kicking and screaming and hurrying him along.
Come on, already! Must see my mate!
God, how could the beast be so sure? And how could his mate be a witch?
Only half witch,
the bear shot back.
Half dragon, too.
He snorted. As if that added up to a good match for a bear.
She’s perfect!
the bear said brightly.
She’s trouble.
The bear just shrugged, like that didn’t matter at all.
She’s in trouble. We’ll get her out.
Again, how could he be so sure? And what the hell would his clan have to say about that? He was in Vegas to help his family, not to rescue crazy she-dragon witches.
My she-dragon witch,
his bear corrected him.
A car horn tooted, and he jerked his head around. Shit, he really needed to pay attention and make sure he wasn’t being followed. Igor Schiller had been furious to find out Karen had escaped, and though all his wrath had been directed at Antoine, you never knew.
Tanner mingled with a crowd then darted down a side street and stood breathlessly in the shadows, checking for any sign of a trace. He’d been careful to park his motorcycle a few blocks away and meander for a good ten minutes, making sure he hadn’t been followed.
No one is following us,
his bear insisted.
Let’s go already.
With one last look back, he headed into an alley and took a right turn. And there, marked by red flags, gold statues, and upward sweeping Chinese towers on the false front, stood his destination: the Golden Panda.
The sweet-and-sour odor of Chinese cooking wafted down the alley, which made it the last place a vampire would wander into — no juicy steaks, no sizzling grills. Rice, chicken, and soy sauce were not exactly vampire fare. Karen was a goddamned genius.
Of course, she is.
His bear grinned.
He licked his lips. It had been a hell of a long day — plus the preceding night when he’d been on duty — and he’d only managed a quick stop at his room in a seedy boarding house before racing out here. A little chop suey sure would hit the spot now.
When he reached the golden statues flanking the door, though, he paused at the scent of shifter. What kind of shifter, he couldn’t tell. Tigers, maybe, like the ones painted on the windows? Dragons? Did Karen have some distant relatives here?
He swung the door open, tensing. What would he do when he saw her? What would he say? And what exactly would he encounter inside?
He ducked past a red velvet curtain and looked around. Six plain tables stood on the left and another six on the right, with a total of five guests at them — three on one side murmuring over a mah-jongg board and two on the other, eating expertly with chopsticks. Giant vases filled with bamboo stalks stood in the corners of the restaurant, and the walls were hung
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