Read Online Hunted (A Cyn & Raphael Novella) by D.B. Reynolds - Free Book Online

know,” she said, not even trying to speak softly. She’d learned long ago that it was nearly impossible to foil vampire hearing. “Why don’t you and I go outside? If it’s too cold, we’ll climb into one of the trucks and turn the heater on. And I’ll tell you all the secrets of vampireland .”
    “ Vampireland ,” Kathryn repeated. “I like that. Let’s go.”
    “ Cyn ,” Raphael called before they’d gotten halfway to the door.
      “We’ll be right outside,” she called sweetly.
    He gave her stern look, then ruined it by giving in to the smile playing around his lips. Cyn couldn’t help herself, she smiled back. He was such a beautiful male, and he was all hers.
    “We’ll be careful,” she promised.
    “You have your gun, acushla ?” Lucas called cheerfully.
    Kathryn rolled her eyes and said, “You know I do, sweet thing.”
    He laughed. “Don’t stay too long.”
    “We’ll be fine,” Cyn assured them. “Besides, we’re in the middle of nowhere. Anyone tries to hit this place, we’ll see him coming a mile away.”
    * * * *
    Raphael waited until the door had closed behind the two women, before returning his attention to the night’s business, which was Aden.
    “I don’t mean to interfere, my lords,” Aden said, leaning forward urgently. “But additional caution is warranted. There are vampires out there who are plotting to do more than simply install a new Lord of the Midwest.”
    Raphael eyed Aden for a long moment before answering. “What do you know of it?”
    Aden glanced across at Lucas and said a single name. “Magda.”
    Lucas shot him a look of disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”
    “Lucas, you know me. I don’t kid about such things.”
    “Fuck me. What’s that bitch up to?”
    “Magda blames Kathryn for her disgrace,” Lucas’s lieutenant, Nicholas, interjected urgently as he circled the couch and took the other chair. “Maybe Cyn’s right about Kathryn being the target this afternoon.”
    “I thought you and Magda were close,” Raphael commented.
    “We were,” Lucas agreed. “Unfortunately, during the conflict with Klemens, she put her ego ahead of the safety of this household, and I reassigned her.”
    “When I spoke with her very recently,” Aden said, “she had a real hard-on for you, Lucas. A woman scorned, unless I miss my mark.”
    Lucas rolled his eyes. “She was jealous of Kathryn.”
    “Well, she’s got it in her head that she can replace you as Lord of the Plains.”
    Raphael grunted softly in disagreement. “I’ve met Magda. She wouldn’t make it a day without challenge, and she wouldn’t survive that .”
    “No, she doesn’t have the juice,” Lucas agreed thoughtfully. “Doesn’t mean she’ll admit it, or that she won’t give it a try. Magda’s always had an inflated sense of self-worth. Is she acting alone?” he asked Aden.
    “There were others with her, though none with real power. I wouldn’t hesitate to meet any of them in challenge, singly or, for that matter, altogether. And that includes Magda. You could leave this to me, my lords. I could eliminate all of them easily and count it as part of the competition.”
    Raphael shook his head. “Kathryn may have been the target, but my Cyn could have been killed. Whether they intended to or not, they’ve challenged me, and I will not let it stand. In any event, I doubt they’ll wait until Chicago. They seem determined to eliminate one or both of us before then.”
    “But why?” Lucas asked. “Me, okay, I get it. Magda’s pissed and not thinking straight. She thinks if I’m dead, she’ll be able to hold my territory. But why would she risk challenging Raphael?”
    “Because she’s stupid and vindictive,” Aden growled. “You never should have fucked her. I warned you she was trouble.”
    “You think all women are trouble,” Lucas replied. “Besides, it’s been decades since I took her to bed. And you’re wrong, she’s not stupid. I kept her on precisely because