Okay, that smile had goose bumps rising on her arms. Because while his eyes hadn’t so much as flickered in color, his fangs were out and Dee could feel his power in the air. Pressing around her. No, surrounding her. He hadn’t gotten his little gang of vamps to attack them, yet, but Dee had the very distinct impression that the order could come at any moment.
Jun came back to his side, her steps sure and steady. Her hands reached for the lead vampire, her hold possessive.
“I felt you—” he murmured, “the moment you rose.”
Jun’s nails lengthened into claws. Blood trickled down the male vamp’s arm when those claws slashed his skin.
Dee braced her legs and got ready for the attack that had to be coming. As far as she knew, there was no way this guy should be feeling anything about her. “Did you now?”
“Um. Been waiting a long time on you.”
If Jun’s glare got any hotter, Dee figured she might start to burn a second time that night. “Just how long have you been in this game, Red?”
“Name’s Tore,” he said, “and baby, I’ve been in this game longer than you can imagine.”
Born.
“Oh, I don’t know. I can imagine an awful lot.” She caught the slight hitch in Simon’s breath and knew he’d just realized they were dealing with a Born. Out of one fire, into another. “So are you some screwed-up prick like Grim? And what the hell are you doing in my town?” Cause no way, no way had this guy been in the city long. Word traveled too fast about the Borns, and Pak hadn’t said anything about two of the super vamps being around.
Pak wouldn’t have kept that Intel from her, would he?
The faint smile wiped from Tore’s face.
“He’s nothing like Grim,” Jun rasped and Dee knew the chick was walking a pretty short anger leash. “Nothing.”
“Good to know.” Simon’s body was in the same false relaxed stance as hers, and she knew if she so much as inched forward, he’d jump to attack.
“But we still don’t know why the hell he’s here, and yeah, Tore, I do know exactly who you are.” Banked fury rumbled in Simon’s voice.
Someone let me in on the party. Dee darted a quick glance at Simon.
His black eyes burned. “He’s Grim’s brother.”
What? Damn, talk about one powerful bloodline. Two Borns?
“An unfortunate circumstance of birth,” Tore murmured. “Can’t really choose family now, can we?”
Her heart slammed into her chest. “No, we can’t.” You couldn’t always save them either.
But you could avenge them.
“I thought death would finally let me escape the bastard.” Tore shook his head. His dreads brushed over his shoulders. “Should have known things wouldn’t be that easy.” His eyes raked over her. “I really thought you’d be…bigger.”
Dee shook her head, fed up. “Look, are we gonna stand around here pissing and moaning all night, or are we gonna fight?”
“Not so fast,” Simon growled. “We need to—”
“I can’t kill him,” Tore told her, patting Jun’s hand with a soft, “Easy, love.” One red brow rose. “But according to the seer—”
“Uh, you want to kill Grim?” But, then, didn’t everybody?
“He killed me once. Payback should be…acceptable.”
“Right.” Dee shook her head. “I don’t get it, why can’t you—”
“Kill him?” Simon fired at the same time.
“Because we’re linked. Grim can’t control me, but he can feel me. He can slip into my thoughts, no matter how hard I try to shield my mind, and he knows when I’m coming for him. He runs, always runs, and leaves a bloodbath for me to clean up.” His teeth snapped together. “Blood bonds, you know? There was no bite between us, but we shared a mother and the bond linking us has always held.”
This guy didn’t sound like a raving lunatic. He didn’t act like a power mad vamp, either.
He’d come into town, without raising a stir, without leaving a river of blood in her streets.
“Can’t get it, can you?” Jun asked, voice sharp. “Even now that you’re one of us—”
Uh, no. Not quite.
“—you still think we all deserve to rot, don’t you?”
No. Her eyes went to Simon again. No, all vampires weren’t evil. Some fought like mad to keep their souls. Their spirits. Some of them, well, they just got stuck in a curse or a war they didn’t understand. “I’ve never gone after every vampire,” Dee said slowly and she kept her focus on Simon. He glanced at her. Their eyes held. “Only those with bounties on their heads.” The killers. Those who loved to torture and raise hell.