Read Online Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake - Free Book Online Page A

“Alone.”
    Her smile instantly changed from mysterious to smug; she had no intention of moving.
    “I would prefer it if she remained,” Ryan said. His voice was firm but not yet commanding. The warlock very rarely attempted to pull rank on me. “One of the matters we need to discuss involves her.”
    Clenching my teeth, I stiffly nodded and took a couple steps farther into the room, my feet sinking into the thick, caramel-colored carpet. “I don’t see how she needs to be here to discuss Collins.”
    “Actually, Mira had a hand in Collins being in the Ukraine,” Ryan said, his tone lightening a bit as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and sat back down. He motioned for me to take one of the chairs by the sofa, but I hesitated. The position would make it hard for me to look at both the warlock and the vampire at the same time. I took a few steps closer to his desk, folding my arms over my chest. The air was thick with magic, Ryan’s almost electric power tingling with Mira’s cool breeze. It fogged and jumbled my thoughts. I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second, trying to force my mind to clear.
    “Danaus?” inquired Mira, her voice a gentle caress.
    When I opened my eyes, she was standing directly in front of me, her soft hand pressed to my cheek. I stared into her lavender eyes, nearly drowning in their depth. She looked concerned, but I could feel other emotions bubbling just below the surface. When she touched me, it was like I had suddenly tapped into her thoughts and emotions whether I wanted them or not. The reluctant connection we had forged months ago was still there, waiting to be reactivated.
    “Are you all right?” she whispered.
    I hadn’t even heard her move or felt her approach. She was just suddenly there. Had I blacked out? An anxious knot twisted in my gut and for a second I struggled to draw in a breath. What were these two plotting?
    “I’m fine,” I snapped, taking a step backward away from her touch. Mira nodded and walked back to the sofa.
    Liar. The word whispered through my thoughts in Mira’s seductive voice. I stilled and stared at her as she lounged across the sofa, her eyes never wavering from mine. I couldn’t feel her in my brain. She had sent only the word into my thoughts, maybe just to prove that she could.
    I jerked my gaze free of Mira and looked back over at Ryan. His own expression was guarded and completely unreadable as he watched us. Were they toying with me?
    “What does Mira have to do with Collins being in the Ukraine alone? Or did I misunderstand James? He said that Collins was hunting a vampire,” I demanded, pushing ahead once again despite my pounding heart. I might be able to pry information out of one of them later, but not while they were both together in the same room.
    “No, he’s hunting,” Ryan confirmed. “A vampire by the name of Ivan has been causing a stir in one of the more remote cities. A number of police files have been accumulated regarding his killings and two people have gone missing. He has to be taken care of before he causes more problems with the humans.”
    “So why send Collins? And alone? Derrick Collins has been with Themis for two years and hasn’t had enough training for dealing with vampires. He’s going to get himself killed.” I stepped closer to Ryan’s desk, anger overriding my earlier caution. “You should have sent several of our more experienced hunters in. Patricks and Morrow are both at the Compound. They should have at least gone with him. You could have called me after I finished in Spain and I could have gone.”
    “I didn’t mean to undermine your authority, Danaus,” Ryan said calmly. “You’ve done a wonderful job with the hunters.”
    “Yes, just wonderful,” Mira growled from behind me. I could feel a ripple of her rage brush against my back and then dissipate into nothingness as if she had turned off her emotions like flipping a switch. This wasn’t a topic I wanted her