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  If all Teaghan’s future necromancers looked like Jeliyah, he’d be there to meet them two seconds after the current one announced retirement status. But he knew better. Teaghan was in Hirsch’s jurisdiction, which meant all Teaghan’s future necromancers would be men. He did wonder who Jeliyah had pissed off to get stuck with Hirsch—or maybe it was the other way around. Small talk like that would have to wait for later though.

  He parked his car in the empty lot outside the forest that led to the Marceaux estate. Rogues had a bad habit of being predictable. Most were assassins sent by one of the European families to take out the head of a clan. America had fifteen vampire families that had divided the country into territories. Those fifteen formed a parliamentary system that ruled over the American vampires. The only way for someone new to stake a claim—and become part of the parliament in one of the few nations that didn’t kill vampires on sight—was to take out the family in charge of the location they wanted.

  Power struggles like this were as old as the vampires themselves. Humans had gotten involved once vampires were outed during a nasty little skirmish in the fifties. Two warring families had gotten carried away and revealed the existence of vampires to the world. Fast-forward a few decades and Teaghan was stuck escorting a necromancer on a hunt to appease some live-and-let-live treaty the vampire parliament had signed to end vampire-hunting season.

  “Let’s do this.” He jumped out of the car then faced the necromancer.

  She sucked in a deep breath before blowing it out and opening her car door. There was a little struggle while she clambered over the duffel bag between her legs to get out. Teaghan didn’t see this as a good start. Every vampire on the property could probably hear the noise she was making. That’s another reason he didn’t like necromancers. He might as well be hunting with a marching band following behind him. Humans didn’t know how to be quiet, not quiet enough so vampire ears couldn’t hear them.

  Jeliyah opened her duffel bag and pulled out a gun shoulder harness and a palm-sized pouch. She put on the harness then opened the pouch. Teaghan felt the power the second she opened it. This was the other reason he hated necromancers. Their weapons made his skin crawl. Him and every other vampire on the planet.

  Necromancers wielded weapons made of metal and magic using a recipe passed down from vampire hunters of old. Not every human had been oblivious of vampires prior to the outing. A few had turned killing vampires—assassins hadn’t always been rogues—into a lucrative business. The most famous of which were the Van Helsings, who humans had thought were nothing but characters in fiction until people found out vampires and their hunters were real.

  The rings Jeliyah took from the pouch and put on her fingers all hummed softly. One ring on each finger, including her thumbs, and two bracelets, one for each wrist.

  “Nice hardware. Planning to punch the rogue?”

  Jeliyah met his gaze as she pulled her gun and leveled it at Teaghan’s feet. “Activate.” The gun hummed like the rings she wore. “The rings allow me to turn any gun or metal weapon I use into a necrome weapon. I happen to be ambidextrous.”

  Teaghan whistled under his breath. Vampires moved too fast for bullets. Most vampires only dodged far enough to avoid being hit, preferring to let the projectile skim past them to show the shooter how useless the weapon was. Close vicinity to a necrome bullet would cause pain and eventual paralysis. Maybe he wouldn’t have to babysit this necromancer after all. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Where is he?” Teaghan turned toward the woods.

  Jeliyah moved to his side. With her free hand, she rubbed the necrome hanging around her neck. “Locate.” She looked one way and then the other before saying, “There are three vampires in the woods. Two with markers and one without. The one without is skirting the perimeter in that,” she pointed to the left, “direction.”

  “Fuck. Move your ass, necromancer. Some others are after my payday.” He ran forward but kept his pace slow so he wouldn’t lose Jeliyah. And the last reason he hated necromancers—they ran too slow. “Keep an eye on the markers. Let me know when they get close.”

  Two others on the same hunt meant an accident might happen. And by accident he meant someone shooting him in the back to make sure he didn’t get the rogue before they did. Enforcers weren’t the work-together type. Not many people were when money was involved. But those other two had the same problem as Teaghan—they each had necromancers slowing them down.

  He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jeliyah keeping pace with him. He sped up and so did she. Good. At least she could run. And the way her tits bounced every time her feet struck the ground was nice too. Oh yeah, he definitely liked this necromancer better than the ones in the past.

  Chapter Two

  If Teaghan kept looking over his shoulder and grinning at her like that, Jeliyah was going to shoot him in the back. Her trigger finger twitched. She told herself it was because of the necromes humming and not because she was considering firing on her partner.

  A rip was one thing. That punishment had a time limit. Heading back to campus after injuring her enforcer without justification—self-defense was always excusable—was a punishment no necromancer wanted. That meant being presented to the vampires, who were given permission to do whatever they wanted to the necromancer until the slight was satisfied. It was a one-way street from which no one had ever returned.

  Jeliyah didn’t know anyone who had warranted such a punishment but she’d heard the visiting alumni’s anecdotes of what they had witnessed—probably more horror stories to scare the underclassmen into behaving. Even if they exaggerated, there had to be some truth, which made the punishment something Jeliyah didn’t want happening to her.

  Two glowing white dots in her peripheral vision were closing in on their position. Her tracking map—a mental image of the surrounding area and the vampires in it imposed over her regular vision—worked better with her eyes closed while she was in a stationary position, but that wasn’t an option.

  In a low whisper, she said, “Markers incoming. Two and five.”

  Teaghan glanced in the directions she’d indicated but didn’t stop running. “How fast?”

  “Human speed.”

  “Slower than us?”

  “A little under.”

  “Where’s the rogue?”

  Jeliyah shifted her gaze to the lone red dot, which changed the orientation of the map and made her a little dizzy. Hence why it was better to use the map with her eyes closed while stationary. At least she didn’t stumble.

  The red dot hadn’t moved. Was the rogue waiting for them? That was ballsy of him. Or maybe rogues did stuff like that. She said, “Twelve o’clock. We’re closest.”

  “So the markers are coming after us.” Amusement tinged Teaghan’s voice.

  Jeliyah didn’t know why he found that funny. Enforcer infighting was one of the first things necromancers learned about once they started training to be in the field. Lesson number one—stay out of it.

  Necromancers were forbidden to hurt an enforcer unless that enforcer was attacking them. If the enforcers attacked each other, the necromancers had to let them go at it without interfering. Jeliyah didn’t feel like witnessing the vampire version of a pissing contest.

  She stopped running and faced the position of the closest team.

  Teaghan came back to her. “What the fuck, woman?”

  “Shut it. I’m helping you like I’m supposed to.” She holstered her gun and then reached out to him. “Give me your hand.”

  “Why?”

  “Hurry up, vampire. You’re the one bitching about a payday. Now give me your hand.” She knew why he was hesitating. Necro-metal hurt vampires—directed at them or not. But it was supposed to be equal to getting burned by a match—painful but not lasting. Well, not lasting so long as the contact was brief. If she held him too long, he would lose use of his arm as the magic of the necromes negated the magic that animated him.

  Teaghan s
lapped his hand against hers and grimaced. She placed her other hand on top of his, concentrated her energy to cast a spell she’d only read about and then said, “Ghost Status.”

  The two white dots stopped advancing. Teaghan had dropped off their radar. The spell had worked. She’d masked Teaghan’s marker—the magical beacon that denoted he was a hunter to other necromancers so they didn’t attack him.

  Satisfied with her achievement and a little winded, she released him. “You’ve got a few minutes of anonymity. Make them count.”

  He pulled his hand back and shook it. “Nice trick. Didn’t know you necromancers could do that.”

  “Most can’t. It takes too much energy.” She would leave her explanation at that since most necromancers couldn’t because Ghost Status wasn’t taught. She bent over and rested her palms on her knees, breathing hard as though she’d just run a one-minute mile. She’d done the magical equivalent. “I’m good for a Shield, maybe a Stun, for the next few hours but that’s about it. The rest is on you.”

  “I can deal.” He swept her into his arms and took off running at vampire speed, which had to be close to forty miles per hour. Maybe slower because of the trees.

  “What the hell?” Jeliyah had no choice but to hang on to him. If he dropped her now, the fall would break something if not kill her outright.

  “They can’t see me but you can still see them. Keep reporting their positions. And where’s the rogue?”

  She closed her eyes and focused on the dots. The two other enforcers were on the move again, faster this time. The rogue had left the perimeter and was heading straight for the house. Like she’d thought, ballsy. Maybe the rogue had been waiting around to see if someone would come meet him.

  She said, “The rogue is moving toward eleven. Cautious speed. I’d say a little above human. The enforcers are moving to intercept, still human speed.”

  “We’ll get there first.” His hold on her tightened and he ran faster. The hand on her rib cage moved up so it nestled under her breast.

  Jeliyah would smack him if he was using this position to cop a feel. The lecherous grin sitting on his face was a good indication he might be. This rogue better be worth it.

  She would find out in a second. Teaghan stopped long enough to put her down and pull the sword he had strapped to his back—something that was at odds with his gangsta image.

  Enforcers preferred swords and other edged weapons. Most vampires could move faster than a bullet, though that wasn’t enough incentive for her to give up her gun. Plus, guns weren’t great for close combat, which was always what these skirmishes turned into if prolonged.

  Resting against the tree Teaghan had left her by, Jeliyah tried to make sense of the battle so she could jump in when needed. Teaghan and the rogue were moving too fast to track. All she caught were the sparks when their swords clashed.

  There was one way to slow the rogue but that meant removing Ghost Status on Teaghan’s marker. Other necromancers couldn’t see him but she couldn’t either. She could aim at the red dot, which was the rogue, but her spell would hit any other vampire in the vicinity as well. Her magic wouldn’t target Teaghan so long as she knew where he was. Maintaining Ghost Status was taking a lot of energy. If she was going to take it down, she needed to do it now.

  She glanced at the two marker dots. They were closer but still far enough away that they shouldn’t cause Teaghan any trouble. She would chance it.

  Clasping her hands, she said, “Cancel.” As she thought, the two markers paused for a second before speeding up their approach. She spread her hands in the direction of the clashing swords and pushed her power through the necromes toward the red dot. “Halt.”

  The rogue stopped mid-swing as if he’d run into a wall. He looked her way, an expression of rage contorting his features. Teaghan lopped his head off with a single, quick slice and then caught the head while the body fell.

  Teaghan looked at the head and then at Jeliyah. “What the fuck, woman? How the hell did you cast that without hitting me?”

  Jeliyah slid down the tree to the ground, breathing hard again. She’d overestimated her ability to cast Halt so soon after Ghost Status, which meant Shield and Stun would have also been too much. She should have gone for Disarm or possibly Trip instead. She said in a breathy voice, “Your previous necromancers must have been weak if that impressed you.”

  If Teaghan had a reply, she didn’t catch it as the world faded.

  Teaghan sighed. Jeliyah’s head dropped forward and she sagged to the side. She’d fainted. He’d never had a partner do that. She’d overexerted herself, which meant she would be out of it for a few hours. This hunt was over so it didn’t bother him. If she pulled this shit in the middle of a hunt, he would beat her ass.

  A grin curved his lips at the idea of yanking down her pants to reveal her round ass so he could smack it. He wouldn’t stop until her skin glowed with the heat and blood rushing to the surface and she was begging for more. Jeliyah seemed like the type who liked a good spanking. But he would have to find that out later.

  He pulled a plastic bag out of his back pocket, stuffed the head inside, looped the handles over his wrist and then picked up Jeliyah. She draped over his arms with her neck bared. If he had been any other type of vampire, that would have been a nice invitation.

  The electric shocks of pain slicing up his arms and his incoming company curbed the thought. Most necromes went inactive when the user lost consciousness. Not so with Jeliyah’s. Hers were shielding her like stinging nettles. He’d gotten himself quite a powerful partner this time around.

  Ignoring the pain and hugging her close so her head rested on his shoulder, Teaghan ran at top speed back to his car. He didn’t have time or the inclination to deal with the other two enforcers. His marker had tagged the head as his kill—something those in charge had come up with quick to curtail infighting—so they wouldn’t try to take it. But he didn’t feel like dealing with the posturing and warnings to stay off their turf…as if it belonged to them.

  That territorial crap was for the head families. Enforcers went where the money was. A few enforcers tried to stake claim on an area but they spent more time fighting with other enforcers than bringing in bounties. Teaghan and the rest of the majority believed in the snooze-and-lose way of doing things.

  Jeliyah sighed in her sleep and then spoke soundless words. Her lips brushed his neck in light caresses that made Teaghan’s dick jump to attention. He stumbled at the instant reaction but regained his footing before he hit a tree.

  Less than a day with this woman and she already had him reacting to her briefest touch. That made up Teaghan’s mind. Jeliyah was going to be in his bed sooner rather than later. He just had to convince her of that fact…and get her to ditch the necromes.

  The tingling had lessened since she started speaking. Whatever she dreamed about, she must feel safe. He hoped it stayed that way, at least while he was holding her. The last thing he needed was her activating these stupid things because of a nightmare. He’d been on the wrong end of a necrome before, back in his rebellious days. He didn’t feel like repeating the experience.

  The car came in sight and he slowed his speed. On the passenger side, he shuffled Jeliyah’s weight to one arm so he could grab her duffel bag and toss it out of the way. He lowered her to the seat and then fastened her seat belt. After retrieving her duffel bag, he shoved it and the severed head in the trunk. It was a tight fit with his bag also stashed in the back, but there was no other place for it. The trunk closed and that’s all he cared about.

  He hopped into the driver’s seat and glanced at Jeliyah. She was smiling about something. His dick twitched. She looked better with a smile. He would bet she looked fantastic with those plump lips open and moaning her pleasure.

  Teaghan started the car and peeled out of the lot, headed for the nearest hotel. The first sign he saw that said cable TV, laundry service and free breakfast was where he stopped to get a room.

  His cell played a hi
p-hop beat just as he was laying Jeliyah on one of the two double beds. She frowned in her sleep and her necromes glowed, forming a shield around her that crackled with the energy powering it.

  Timing. Teaghan stepped back from the bed and answered his phone. “What?”

  “Yo, Big T. It’s Rick. You busy?”

  “Not so much. What you got for me?”

  “The usual. Three large for the night plus tips. You in?”

  “Where?”

  “Kent’s.”

  Teaghan shook his head. “Five plus tips and free drinks.”

  “Come on, man. You’re killing me.”

  “Take it or leave it. I just came off a hunt so I’m happy to take my ass to bed. And for putting up with Kent’s bullshit, I should charge you an extra three instead of two. I’m giving you a discount on account of me being in a good mood.”

  “Fine. Fine. Five, tips and drinks. When can you get here?”

  “Give me an hour. I’ve got to cash out.” He ended the call and clipped the phone back in its holster.

  He perused Jeliyah’s body, lingering at her breasts. “Damn shame.”

  He would have liked to stay and see how far he could get with his little partner but her necromes activating had stalled that idea. The woman must have a real hate on for hip-hop to react in her sleep like that to a little music. If he tried to touch her now, the shield surrounding her would send enough voltage through him to make a lightning rod jealous.

  Since he wasn’t a masochist or the suicidal type, he decided to leave his exploration for another night, preferably one where she wasn’t wearing those damn necromes. He would be limited to exploring until she gave him permission to do more.