Shadowflame Read Online Free Page A

the club for evidence and another team followed the fading traces of the assassin’s flight. The few humans who were aware of the situation had no idea what they were really dealing with, but they knew Miranda had been attacked and that her security personnel were handling it. The look on her husband’s face was enough to keep everyone, human or otherwise, at a distance.
    She joined the Prime once the team had things in hand and took her usual place at his side—his left, as the Queen’s place was his right. The Queen herself was unconscious in the car.
    “This is unacceptable,” David said darkly. “She is not to go anywhere without a bodyguard. Understood?”
    “Fine by me, Sire, but you’ll have a hard time convincing her of that.”
    “I’ll have her followed if I have to.”
    Faith merely nodded. She had already learned not to take sides. “Aside from the stake itself, which we’ll bring in for analysis, there’s nothing,” the Second said. “No one has any recollection of what this woman looked like, except of course for the Queen. Somehow the bitch managed to convince Miranda she was human, and that’s . . . disturbing.”
    “Agreed.”
    “Best guess, she was a vampire with a hell of a shield, but there’s no way to know for sure.”
    “Here’s a better question,” David said. “Forget what she was and let’s ask ourselves who .”
    “Obviously it was a planned hit. She had fake press credentials and even a dummy phone number. I’ll put out feelers for anyone buying an ID by that name, but I doubt we’ll get anything.” Faith nodded to Elite 33, who was carrying Miranda’s bag and guitar out of the club to the car, and asked the Prime, “Didn’t the network register something was wrong?”
    David’s expression went from dark to hellfire. “Interestingly enough, no. There wasn’t even a blip.”
    “How did you know to call us here, then?”
    “I felt the stake.” His eyes were fixed on the car at the end of the alley. “Either the attacker was human and faster on her feet than a Queen, or she was a vampire who somehow doesn’t show up on the network. I don’t like either of those possibilities, Faith. I’m counting on you to find this person and bring her to me.”
    Faith didn’t mention how difficult, if not impossible, that would be. The Elite had expert trackers, but so far the team had come up empty-handed; this woman had vanished into the crowded city without leaving a single footprint or energy trace. Even the strongest psychic they had—Miranda—had lost her, though if she hadn’t been injured chances were the Queen could have hunted the woman down in minutes.
    A planned attack. Specific, focused . . . which led Faith to believe that this Stacey had known exactly who and what she was trying to kill. The Shadow World was aptly named; very few humans knew of its existence, and few vampires would associate with the human world enough to connect Miranda Grey the singer with Miranda the Queen. Even fewer vampires would be stupid enough to go up against the Signet after the example that had been made of the Blackthorn. Someone had known that Miranda would be alone—if she’d had even a standard Elite security detail, the guards would have been right outside the door to block the assassin’s escape.
    Harlan appeared at the Prime’s elbow. “Sire, the Queen is asking for you.”
    David nodded to Faith, who followed him to the car, where Miranda was sitting with the door open, looking disheveled and seriously pissed off.
    The Queen’s Signet was glowing brightly and there was dried blood all over her coat and jeans and some in her hair. Her heart-shaped face held a look even scarier than David’s had.
    She looked up at her mate and spoke very deliberately. “Blood. Shower. Chocolate. Now. ”
    David actually smiled, bowed, and said, “As you will it, my Lady. Harlan, start the car. Faith, finish up here and have a report on my server ASAP. I’d like you to drive the